Did I take this Moleskine to England?  You bet.  Did I use it?  Nope.  I took along a second Moleskine (the smaller version) to write down the daily stuff and I'm so glad I did.  For once, taking along an extra of something paid off.  Unlike the 10 pair of black "active wear" capris I took (you know, you can get away with wearing black capris three or four days in a row).

I also took journals for the family.  Everyone had a journal.  Some of us embraced the idea of journaling (Draw, Jo, Sheila and me) and some of us were rather resistant (let's see... who's left...) even though "him inside" had instructions in his journal like "poke holes in this page" and "spill your coffee on this page" and "fill this page with circles" and "rip this page out and throw it at the person who bought you this stupid journal".  Ouch.

So some of us loved... or kind of liked... the journal idea and some of us will have lots of pages left in our this year's journal for next year.

And what about all those wonderful pages I spent hours painting?  No loss there.  Stay tuned for a new part of PaperWhimsy that I think you're going to like.

P.S.  Don't forget your Moleskines.

(It's pretty darn hard for an American to write in an "English" accent)

One of the things that I've come to adore having adopted England as my home away from home, and has also become a "must have" several times a trip: English Cream Tea.

Never been much of a fan of hot tea but for some reason, it tastes so much better when you're using it to wash down a scone smothered in clotted cream ( the "cream" of a Cream Tea).

I know, I know.  "Clotted" isn't a particularly pretty word but the stuff is gorgeous.  And pure fat.  If you're heading to England, make sure you diet like a mad fiend before hand because, once having sampled a Cream Tea while you're there... holy macanoli... you're going to be in hot water if you haven't prepared yourself to gain a few pounds.

This year, we took a sidetrip to Devon, the home of the Queen of All Clotted Creams.  The Devon Clotted Cream is so thick you can stand a spoon upright in it.  (Don't even think about what it does to your arteries - it takes all the fun out of it).


Draw and I are in search of the Clotted Cream Recipe for Dummies since I quake at the thought that it will be 11 months before another cream-covered scone passes my lips.

In the meantime, Rande has decided that she's going to help me get over this temporary loss by bringing a bit of England to Whimsyland.  If you've ever thought it might be charming to have an English Tea whimsy-style then make sure to take a peek at Rande's blog.  And while you're at it, be sure to look at her other amazing projects.  My goodness!!  What an array of eye candy.

And speaking of Rande.  Have you seen this?

Rande's art is on the cover of Somerset Studio.  And in no small part because of those of you who voted for her.  Of course, we'll give a little credit to Rande because her work's so wonderful.

Which reminds me (blab blab blab - you'd think I'd been gone a month or something) if you're submitting art using original PaperWhimsy images to Somerset Studio and you get published and you mention PaperWhimsy in your instructions - drop me an email.  I have a little something for you.

For Rande, I have a great big hug.  You go, Girl! 

P.S.  Keep your eyes peeled, Rande is in several upcoming issues of SS.

Well, besides taking hundreds... and hundreds... and hundreds of photos and getting myself drunk on cream teas - what else did I do?

One of the highlights of this trip was to visit a remarkable textile artist who just happens to reside in the "kinda sorta" area where Draw and I headed on our side trip. 

Several months ago Rande sent a link to me with an exclamation mark: look at this stuff!!  It was around the time that I was beginning to introduce the PaperWhimsy Shoppe to textile art: specifically needle felting.

Well, of course, I totally blew a cork when I looked "at this stuff".

The artist is fiber artist Stef Francis who has such a beautiful way with yarns and fibers and other textile goodies.  She and her husband, Sid, along with their charming daughter, Anna, run a business from their lovely home in the Devonshire countryside selling their hand-dyed textiles.  They dye everything there, in their basement.

Stef, Sid and Anna graciously opened the door to their home and invited Draw and me in.  Mind you, I had to put a straight jacket on Draw as he started pawing through all their beautiful goodies.  Piling up and up and up just about everything within my... er his sight, to bring home with me.  Him.  And me.

Ha ha ha...

I filled two and a half suitcases with stuff and what wouldn't fit in suitcases I had shipped back to the States in a big fat box.

Draw was so amazingly patient.  (Yeah, you knew it was me pawing through the goodies).  He stood there holding my coat, and then my scarf, and then my sweater as I worked up an honest day's sweat over Stef's yarns in the TWO hours we were there.  Lovely people, the Francis's.

But enough about Draw - that delicious bundle of textures up there to the right is one of the several Texture Samplers I brought back from Stef's.  So many to colors from which to choose - if you love texture you're gonna love this stuff.

And what else?

How about some Experimental Packs?  Now mind, these are kind of random, no two are alike.  There are general color palettes but other than blue, spring colors, and autumn colors... these are really for the adventurous souls who can make magic with pert near any color.   Very limited, I picked up just a few so they are quite dear.


And a more robust Experimental Pack (below) meaning you get more bits in it.  This is for anyone who really wants to add more texture and fiber elements in their work.  Again, each pack is unique, most of the elements are hand-dyed by Team Francis in their secret dye pots below ground.  Three palettes from which to choose here and, again, precious cargo.  Just a few arrived on the boat from England so be quick if it strikes your fancy.

And more... I fell in love with so many things.  I'll be listing more this week but please remember that all these gorgeous Stef Francis goodies are limited in number so don't wait on me.  Have at it!

I've been yammering away about it for weeks and have mentioned it a bunch of times here and in my blog... I've taken photos and lots of 'em. 

And, of course, besides sharing them with you in my blog and in my England Journal I also plan to share them with you in some new collage sheets.  You saw that comin', didn't you.  It justifies that impulsive purchase I made just before walking out the door to hop on a plane (I am having a hard time feeling remorseful for that).





And a host of other special bits.  I'm working hard at cooking up something fun and a little different for you, so well to keep your eyes at attention. 

You'll find the sheets, above, in the shoppe, now.  You can also press that "you know what" to magically transport yourself there lickety split.

 June is a wonderful summer month filled with so many creative opportunities.  It's a month filled with warm weather and beautiful flowers.  One of my favorite things is to see all the local gazebos decorated for weddings or parties.  And what better place to show off your Paperwhimsy girls than a summer tea party. 
  So please join us in the June Paperwhimsy Tea Party.  Of course, in the south, it may be a bit warm for hot tea, but there's no reason why you can't put iced tea in those pretty little tea cups.  Get out the good china, and treat your family and friends.
 
Warmest,

Rande

 

I didn't toot this horn before I left so I'm tootin' it now.  Take a look at these gorgeous hand-painted ribbons.  And once you've looked... you're really going to want to touch.  They are stunning.  And I love how they're so crinkly. 

Make sure you put a few on your shopping list along with some of those Texture Samplers and Experimental Packs.  Maybe a collage sheet or two...

So much inspiration just awaitin' to get your heart a pumpin'.