Inspired Retreat 2010 - A Different View

Hello people!  A second layout completed within this month from the "Inspired" retreat of 2010 - very satisfying to complete projects that have been in bags for a good couple of years!  Another Emma Trout designed layout class which she entitled "A Different View". 

 

 

I enjoyed putting this layout together so much more than the last one - I loved the finished result, but this layout appeals so much more to me - maybe I feel it's more modern!  I spritzed mists on mine (try saying that 5 times after a glass of wine :lol:!) to update it a bit as they have also been seriously underutilised in my stash.

 

I got quite adventurous and changed up other bits and bobs, too - made my own journalling half-circle as the sticker in the pack was the wrong shade, added a little bluebird to the "happiness" sticker (very appropriate, don't you think? :D) and mostly the lettering is quite different.  I used rub-ons, stamping, epoxy alphas and American Crafts Thickers as the lettering in the kit was too big. 

 

We visited Sorrento in August 10 for a family wedding and it was the first time I'd been to Italy and fell in love with everything about it.  The Bay of Naples was the most stunning setting I'd ever seen and to be looking out at this view from the Foreigner's Club at sunset on a summer's evening is one of the highlights of my life.  After this, the sky turned that breathtaking mauve-apricot colour at sunset.  Far too beautiful for words.  I used the whole "sweet summer" sticker (Emma cut the strawberry off hers) because Paul was addicted to the strawberry icecream and he must have eaten his body weight of the stuff whilst there.  I adored all the food too - but the lemons and the tomatoes were divine!  All that lovely sunshine ....

 

Supplies:

American Crafts Thickers "Jewellery Box"

Gin-Ex rub-on alphabet

Turquoise Epoxy Alphabet

October Afternoon Cardstock Stickers "Cherry Hill"

Bazzill Black cardstock

Patterned papers: October Afternoon (Detours) "Walk in the Park"                   

                             My Mind's Eye (Be.Loved) "Smitten Stripes"

                             Teresa Collins (Damask) "Stationery"

                             Teresa Collins (Documented) "Measured"

                             Prima Marketing (Blooming Retro) "Cotton Clouds"

                             My Mind's Eye (Love Me Do) "Head in the Clouds"

                             My Mind's Eye (Love Me Do) "Rock and Roll Heart"

Stamps:  Hero Arts "B is for"

               Banana Frog "Teen Lower"

Inks:       Charcoal ColorBox Cats Eye Chalk Ink

               Versamark Turquoise Pigment Ink

Mists:     Cosmic Shimmers

 

Probably my best ever buy was those epoxy alpha stickers.  They were 50p each and I must have bought 10 packets - mostly black, but a few of those turquoise sheets.  They need the help of a robust wet adhesive, but then so do the Thickers and then at least you know they won't fall off after getting a good dose of Scrappy Glue! :D

 

Thanks for stopping by! :) x

 

 

                            

 

The Start of Sorrento

We have just been fortunate enough to return from a week's holiday to Sorrento in Italy.  The main driver for the trip was a family wedding, but it was a great time to further lean on my husband to try and persuade him to attend. 

The persuasion worked - along with the fact that the rest of his small family were going too - so it seemed to cover a lot of bases. 

I left my car at my parents-in-law, and we proceeded to Gatwick on Friday, 27th August on a bank holiday weekend.  Fortunately, that didn't cause us any problem - what did make the journey very unpleasant was a gastric-vomiting bug that made me suddenly violently ill.  Very luckily, it had passed by the time I stepped off the plane, and we were able to navigate those steep and winding roads in a coach from Naples to Sorrento without further incident. 

Despite the flight only being two hours, travelling had taken all day, and we didn't arrive at the hotel until nearly 9pm.  The vast majority of the wedding party was also staying at the Grand Hotel Flora, so we were greeted by quite a few people when we arrived. 

We were quickly ushered into the dining room to choose our meal for the evening.  I was very pleased to enjoy my meal, after not keeping anything down all day!  It did seem strange to eat roast chicken, asparagus and roast potatoes in Italy, but I was ravenous. 

After unpacking and settling in a little, we met Paul's extended family in the bar by the pool, and chatted for quite a while.  After the autumnal, rainy weather we left, it was glorious to sit out in the evening in balmy conditions by the pool!  The Flora was not luxurious by any stretch of the imagination, but the food was okay most nights, being half board, and the main benefit was a terrific sized swimming pool, in which I enjoyed swimming laps when I could. 

This was the view from the dining room balcony - the lovely blue pool, with the Bay of Naples above.  My parents-in-law were lucky to have an even better view than this - their room balcony was directly above.  They enjoyed sitting out most evenings with a glass of wine. 

SATURDAY 28TH AUGUST

Being a package holiday, I decided to go to the welcome meeting the next morning, which was followed by a walking tour of Sorrento.  An internal debate ensued - do you want to be one of the sheep, and follow the crowd, or go off and do your own thing?  Better to do something than not, so Paul and I, with a group of about 30 others, set off for Sorrento towards the late morning.  It was, in fact, very useful to find out where the train station and other amenities were.  Sorrento all runs off one main narrow street, Corso Italia, which is always noisy and busy with the hustle and bustle of coaches, scooters and cars all competing with each other to get to their destinations first. A horse and cart also comes into the equation!

Apart from the benefits of finding out where things were located, the tour was very much a marketing tool, and we were taken in and out of various shops to experience the local craft work and specialities of the area.  The liminchello and limon creme would both be delicious in the right context, but liminchello (the lemon liquer) is very strong and too much at before midday!  Sorrento is famous for its wooden inlaid work (which I didn't actually see) and jewellery made from coral, which is both watermelon red and a bright turquoise in colour.  I found the jewellery very gaudy and it didn't appeal at all.  Neither did the cameos, though the workmanship, all being tooled from shell, is very delicate, precise and fascinating. 

I loved how the main street grew fruit trees along its length - this was so typical of the area.  Every spare bit of space was devoted to the growing of lemon trees and other fruit, and the tomatoes were divine! The soil of the area is very rich in minerals, being a volcanic area, and the local produce really benefits.  I imagine this scene, portrayed with tiles, to really typify the historical context of the region.