Speedy Stevenage Samples

Well, I got there - Stevenage I mean - pretty wet, trains all over the place - engineering works meant buses part of the way into London, so it took longer than normal, and I SHOPPED!! 

I always start at Lin Brown's stand , LB Crafts , she never disappoints.  She was demoing a new Viva product called Inka Gold - a kind of thick shimmery painty-paste which looks great dabbed over Terra and Ferro (I'll play with that later). I limited (ha ha) myself to 6 of the new distress inks and as soon as I'd recovered back at home with a couple of cups of tea, I had to try them out:

On the left - Victorian Velvet (looks much nicer than on the box, I think) Barn Door (great red) and Wild Honey (I think this may be my favourite, it's a beautiful warm orangey yellow).
On the right - Chipped Sapphire (I love that dark blue too ), Tumbled Glass (fab) and Bundled Sage (gorgeous). Do you get the idea I like them??

It was hard only getting six - but I know I will get the rest at Ally Pally in April (if not before.....!)
These aren't meant to be works of art, I just wanted to try out the colours.

I also got some Idea-ology bits and pieces, stocked up on tags, got some rhinestones and pearls, a new TSS mold - the cogs - wow!! and a pack of the new colours of metal - they're doing them in mixed packs now so you get one each of 4 - a great idea! (and a few other things!)  Not bad going, eh?

I saw Hels doing her Make and Take for Jennie but there was quite a crowd so didn't get to have a go - they were making paper roses (...breaks into song) and using UTEE to turn them into brooches so it would have been good to do that.  She had her Sunday Stampers piece with her and it looked even better in the flesh.

Got to have something to eat now, I'm starving - must be all that shopping. Don't suppose I'll get to come back again tonight, so see you soon.

SDC 2 - Colour Challenge with Stampotique stamps

I have a problem.  A very nice problem, mind.  I had pre-ordered some of the new Wendy Vecchi stamps from Wendy at The Stamp Attic and she was doing a give-away for a set of stamps to one winner (and one for Tim's new stamps and Wendy's second book) and I WON the Wendy draw.  So my problem, is, which set do I choose......... Yikes. That's a problem.  Thanks sooo much Wendy and to Iris, the customer who got co-opted into doing the draw for Wendy.  Yipeeee!!

On another note - it's the second Stampotique challenge -  it's a colour challenge of rose, yellow and  mossy green and using  Stampotique stamps.  Here is my entry:

I used "Girl With a Heart Purse" stamped on scrap card, coloured with pink watercolour pencils.  I covered a tall card with a piece of yellow and green spotty paper but there isn't much yellow so I added some yellow via some sequin waste and mustard seed distress ink.  The pink flowers are made on claudine hellmuth's sticky back canvas - I mixed red and white to get a rosy pink colour which I then cuttlebugged and sprayed with marshmallow glimmer mist for a bit of sparkle.    I don't have any stampotique text stamps but thought it needed something so wrote the words with a gel pen.

Shhh Prima secret...

Lori told me about this Prima secret being announced next week - and there's giveaways - you only have till 1st March to enter. Check it out here .

Play Date Challenge - Black, White & a Splash of Teal

This weeks PDCC is to use black, white and a splash of colour - and I love teal.  This is such a gorgeous image to demonstrate the challenge.

I decided to keep it simple - I took this fab stamp from Tim's Rock Star plate and stamped and clear embossed it on a scalloped white card, and coloured it with a teal coloured gel pen.  I added a dusting of chalk around the scallop edges, stamped the sentiment and added a dotty black and white ribbon.

I was never very good at colouring at school - I remember when I was about 5 or 6 (and that's going back some, I can tell you!!) we had to colour a circle or a balloon or something - making sure you only went in one direction - and I got almost to the end before messing it up and thinking the teacher wouldn't notice.... HUH some chance! 

I'm blaming the slightly scratchy gel pen this time....

GC - Spicy Supply Challenge Lace & Fibres - another go!

Whilst looking for something else entirely yesterday, I came across this dressmakers dummy cut-out (its the closest to sewing I'll get)  and it sparked my imagination, for another entry to the Gingersnap Creations Spicy Supply Challenge

I covered it with versamark ink and dusted on various perfect pearl powders, added the prima flower with a button centre and snipped a piece of black lace to form a skirt and some chunky fibres

I coloured a tag with anitque linen and scattered straw DI's, sprayed it with a perfect pearl/DI reinker mix (mustard seed and perfect copper) and stamped the sentiments

Now, what was I MEANT to be doing....

Workdesk WIP - Finished

Thanks for all your lovely comments - I love this WOYWW - and seem to have got into the habit of having a speedy meal on Wednesday nights cos I know I will spend AGES nosing round all your desks! 

Whilst I was doing that, the distress stickles was (were?!) drying on the flower and I added these idea-ology bits and bobs to the piece I started yesterday, following my "let's hope I win the lottery" theme, as you see.

Will try and take some proper pics for next week so you can see all the gory mess in more detail!!  And yes, my knees DO suffer working on the floor, I really must do something about it (one day!)

Now I have got to drink my tea whilst it's still hot, and read the new Somerset Studio that came in today's post.  See you all next week, if not before.

WOYWW? WIP, that's what.

I may have given the impression yesterday that I had had enough of Tim H.  NO WAY, JOSE. No, No, No!  I love all things Tim, and yearn to own every item he's ever produced,  and to prove it, this part-done piece on my desk (sorry, small patch on the floor, lol) is back to Timmy stamps.  I am praying for my lottery numbers to come up so I can buy all the lovverly new Tim (and Wendy) stuff that's coming out, you know, stamps (lots of stamps, cos a girl can never have TOO many stamps), new DI's, all 12 of them, obviously, cos how do you choose...., new Maya Road stuff, etc, you get the picture!! 

Anyway, I haven't finished it yet cos I need to do something else to the flower, at least.  So far, it is fired brick distress, sprayed with a couple of perfect pearl/DI reinker mixes and stamped with the "believe" stamp (one of Tim's Christmas sets) and the numbers from another one (can't remember, I'm typing this at work at 8.30 ready to post later when the link goes up, and obviously the stamps are at home on the floor, rofl (I can't, actually, there isn't room to roll....)

I haven't been out again with my camera either, so still no sneaky peaks inside my drawers, or of the rest of the mess that is my workspace (sorry, living room, I am just very messy all round...) so it still all looks like this and unless those dratted lottery numbers come up (tonight or Saturday, I'm not fussy!!) it will do for some time to come... oh, how I dream of a big craft room with a table and chair to sit on to work at....  zzzzz (that's me, asleep, dreaming...)

See you all soon I hope.  If you don't follow WOYWW check it out here, its great fun

All things Wendy

I finished this piece that I started yesterday, I used a lot of Wendy Vecchi stamps as I thought certain people (you know who you are, lol!!) are concentrating over much on the Maestro that IS Tim Holtz and it was time to get back to Wendy.

I painted the base Maya Road chip white and then swept on some brushed corduroy and dusty concord DI's to give a pale look, stamped the WV checkerboard in dusty concord and then put together a rose (I already had it cut and coloured, and thanks to Hels for recommending silicone glue - is did seem to hold it better - apart from the centre which just kept unfurling and even more so in the scanner, lol.  I stuck the rose to another Wendy stamp and sprayed some perfect pearl/DI reinker mix over it (spiced marmalade and perfect copper because originally I was going to do a red background... what happened there, then?!) and whilst the spray was still wet, through some glitter over it. I like the sparkles..... may do that one again. I added the sentiment on a little square scrap. I left it to dry overnight, together with the leaf which I covered in rock candy distress stickles.  It looks a lot more orangey-red than in real life, and I think when I get to buy some of the new DI's the chipped sapphire will look great for this rose. Can't wait!!

Tonight whilst dinner was cooking I added the Timmy (couldn't leave him out totally, obviously, not when he's been working his socks of on QVC here all day (even though I only saw a few minutes before anyone else arrived at work and caught me watching on the computer, lol!) hitch fasteners and then tied some paper cord round it to make the hangy bit (I don't know why or when I bought these packs of paper cord things but they've finally got opened...) and added some bling, cos it felt like a bling kind of day!

I was just about to hit "post" when I realised I hadn't actually loaded the pic of the work... doh!!  Hope you like it.

GC - Lace & Fibres

Gingersnap Challenge launched a new Spicy Supply challenge recently, to use lace and/or fibres.  I couldn't find any lace apart from a tiny scrap which I couldn't think how to incorporate and so concentrated on ribbons and fibres. 

I took a round chip and covered it in fired brick DI, overstamped it with T!m's alphabet stamp and found some toning ribbons.  I had the hearts left stamped in barn red TSS metal from a couple of weeks ago which I stuck to the chip.  The Stampotique girl is my latest favourite, I coloured her with gel pens and tied a piece of white fibre round her for a funky scarf.  I mounted the circle on a piece of black slightly shimmery paper stuck to a white card.
I stamped some little sentiments on scrap and added them to the corners.

This challenge is open until 7th March and there are some great samples both from the Gingersnap DT and entrants, do have a look!

SS Week 92- Men

This week's Sunday Stamper challenge is Men to honour her trip to the NEC Trade show and meeting T!m. 

I made a tag using some Paperartsy stamps and the fob watch is by Just for Fun.

GC 43- Colour Challenge - 3 Colours I Love

So much for not attempting any other challenges today due to my problems with the first post today!

The latest  Gingersnap Challenge  launched this week is to use 3 Colours You Love. Simple, you would think, except there are so many to choose from.  Still, I really do love these colours together, seen here as broken china and dusty concord DI on a cream background.

I started with the tag, putting broken china round the edges, leaving a clear centre.  The stamp is from Paperbag Studios, I love this one!  And then there is a (new) Stampotique - Girl With a Heart Purse (ready for some more Stampotique challenges... any excuse to shop, lol!  which I stamped on card scrap and had already coloured with a sort of purpley gel pen (for another challenge that didn't get off the ground, story of my life this week), added the Wendy Vecchi sentiment on another piece of scrap and added the ribbon.  I took a square cream card, stamped   T!m's small flourish in dusty concord and added some more broken china round the edges of the card, then fixed the tag.

I am much more pleased with how this challenge turned out than the last one!!!  Yey!!

PDCC 17 - Red, Brown & Linen

I was so keen to try this week's Play Date challenge - red, brown and linen - but when I sat down to start it, I got lost.  I wanted to use this frame but the texture I added just wouldn't work - I've changed it 3 times (yes, on the same - my only - frame!!) So it doesn't really look anything like I first envisaged.  Although the problem is really, that I didn't plan it properly first.... I should have abandoned it but I don't like giving up.

I used - eventually - Viva Ferro paste in iron, Claudine Hellmuth Traditional Tan paint for the linen - and the Prima flowers - the small ones I added fired brick DI over the base white flowers.  I ddin't have a photo for the middle so stamped this Impression Obsession lady .  Then I had my usual trouble scanning it - the frame is FAR too thick for my scanner, and too much light got in round the edges, so apologies.  I did try trying to highlight the area I wanted to scan, but it wasn't working today!

Have got some other challenges I wanted to do today, but I think I'll have a rest - and a cup of tea, if it's not stone cold - it's obviously one of those days.

Dragonfly - Done!

Huge thanks to my blog buddy Lori for her suggestions the other day  I managed to come up with something to finish this tag. I had the piece of copper metal already embossed (cuttlebug folder) - it's been hanging around for ages - and I cut it in half to fit the end of the tag, overstamped the script (Stamp in the Hand) and added some TH film strip ribbon (the first time I've used any of it!), the TH quote and a bit of ribbon.

Thanks, Lori, you're a star.

Birthdays

Here are the two cards I was working on.

The first is for my niece Rachael.  I took another of those fancy shaped chip pieces (told you I was addicted to them!) and coloured it with fired brick DI and (I think, cos I didn't write this at the time!) walnut stain round the edges - may have been aged mahogany, or a bit of both...stamped Marcie (here masquerading as a portrait of Rachael herself...) in the middle and used some sequin waste to sponge a patten round the edges.  I took a Maya Road oval frame which I painted silver (viva paint) for the "portrait frame" and a small oval greeting (used the back) for the "portrait name" . Added some prima flowers and mounted it on some Blonde Moments paper on white cardstock.





The second card is for my sister in law, Lynne (Rachael's mum) whose birthday is tomorrow. (or it may be today if I leave posting it till Wednesday, just in case it didn't get there today.  I have called this "app-ley birthday" (sorreeee, couldn't resist that one)

It's another apple shaped chip, covered with a mxture of squished metal, croco  and terra textures, with some mother of pearl viva paint. I had this butterfly prepared ages ago and wasn't sure what to do with it, I just added some rock candy distress paint.  I covered a square card with a basic grey paper (still got one sheet of this pattern left, so I didn't mind using it....) added some Wendy Vecchi flowers - distress stickled - and a skeleton leaf which I sprayed with the pefect pearl/reinker mis that I also used yesterday on that dragonfly tag.

So, happy birthday Lynne and Rachael, hope you like them.

Find Delight..

Well, I should be able to post the birthday cards I was working on, tomorrow - they're in the post!  In the meantime, I had a piece of metal left over that I'd used Lin's "controlled squish" on (have you seen the TSS video from last week starring Lin of LB Crafts?  If not, check it out, it's great) and attached it to an arch chip.  Actually, this was going to be something completely different, but I had the stamp upside down so needed to cover the bottom of the arch.

I couldn't make it scan straight, I have NO idea why!! I promise I'm not drunk (not on a Monday night, lol!)  I have tried 3 times and each time the scanner makes it lean over - even if I lay it on the scanner crooked to start with.  Sorry if you all get a crick in your neck looking at it!

I added some terra which I stamped into (paperartsy) and sprayed with some perfect pearl/DI reinker, ferro (iron) and found this little dragonfly from a box of stash.  I coloured it first with Trad Tan paint (I think I use this nearly as much as Hels... no, that can't be right, I'm still on my first bottle) before sponging on some versamark ink called pumpkin spice and stamping Wendy's splatter stamp in walnut stain DI.   I also sprayed it with the perfect pearls mix as dragonflies are so shimmery.  Then I wrapped some fine copper wire round the body.

I stamped the phrase on a piece of scrap paper and sponged it lightly in the pumpkin spice ink, and added a Prima collage flower that many many months ago I'd covered in distress stickles, and filled the centre with tiny beads (Suze W).

When I was preparing to spray the dragonfly with the perfect pearls mix, I suddenly realised I could hopefully get a great relief print if I didn't just waste the pearls on the craft mat, so I grabbed a tag and this is the result - I need to finish it but I just loved the colour and the clear impression I got. Just not sure what to use it for now!  The reinker I used for this is spiced marmalade (I am sure you all guessed that!) with "perfect copper " perfect pearls powder - luckily I labelled all my mixtures as this one is nearly empty!

All You Need is Love

Hel's Sunday Stamper challenge is another Beatles-inspired title appropriately for Valentine's Day.

I started by mixing some white and red paint (Claudine Hellmuth) on my craft mat - in truth it's pinker than I intended, I should have added some more white - I painted a square of sticky back canvas and when it was dry, stamped this "Let Love Bloom" stamp from Paper Inspirations in black on the canvas.  I stuck that on a coaster, added some silver hearts and some bling to the flower centres.  I added some rock candy distress paint round the edge of the canvas, though it doesn't show up in the pic, but it adds a bit of a sheen.

To find something to finish it with/on I was rummaging through one of my boxes of background papers - this is from Paperartsy's rum and raisin set - I made a vellum scroll with a french script stamp and tied it with some silvery ribbon.  For the final extra I found two white fabric flowers which I swooshed with some worn lipstick DI, T!m's small flourish stamp  and some glitter, and added a small pink prima flower and pink brad to the centres and stuck them with 3d foam dots.

Happy Valentine's Day - even to us singletons (see my post from yesterday.

I am also submitting this for the Alphabet challenge - P is for Pink this week, and the new Stampotique challenge site - which is "love" this week.

Have a Happy Crafting Week.

With Love From Me - To You

The Play Date Cafe Challenge this week was extremely challenging - red, lavender and silver.  Not a three way colour combi I would normally have put together, but after hours deliberating I came up with:

I started with the hearts on barn red TSS metal which I embossed. this is a Funstamps stamp which I assume I've had since I was married, as it's not something I would have bought anytime recently!!!
 (and the fact that its Funstamps means it's fairly old too...)

Then I had to work in the silver and lavender - well, the silver would be no trouble, except it took me ages to decide what to do.  I uncovered this Judikins marble-effect background (I used to love this stamp, haven't used it for ages - where have I heard that before??) which I stamped in silver Encore metallic ink on a piece of A4 white card.  I scored and folded it and trimmed it so the stamped image was central and left a border down the right hand side - I wanted to leave my options open.  The card IS straight - it's the scanning!
In the end, I used this Hero Arts "lots of love" stamp which comes with its own hearts border and used a sort of  lavender coloured ink (Vivid) round all 4 sides.  I added some "card candy" from Craftwork Cards in alternating silver and lavender shades and found an alphabet set to stamp "with love" down the side - border.  You can't really make out from the scanned image that the front of the card stops where the right hand card candy runs.

As I don't "do" Valentine's day (Happy Singletons Day!!)  I am sending this card to all my blog visitors and followers - thank you all for your kind words and comments since I started blogging. You are all my Valentines!!

Time Flies - nearly the weekend!!

I'm still working on a couple of birthday cards for early next week so I can't post them yet.  Instead I have this to show - I seem to be strongly addicted to these particular chip shapes at the moment.

I coloured this one with scattered straw and brushed corduroy DI's , put some Terra in the middle and stamped into it and when it was dry, aded some gold and mother of pearl viva paints. 

I stamped some Paperartsy images round the edges and added the "time flies" on a piece of pearl TSS metal which I stuck to a small piece of grungepaper and bent the wings (they've got a bit flattened by the scanner).  I sprayed a perfect pearl/DI reinker  mix over it before sticking it to the chip. I had a packet of small embellies that just matched the stamps and pushed one into the top right corner. I have no idea where I got them, but they have very sharp metal tips to them - ouch! Now I know why I've not used them before.

Glad it's Friday tomorrow - hope to spend the weekend playing - sorry, Making Art!!

WOYWW?

Well, for a start it's not a workdesk as I don't have one, (the dining table is covered in books that won't fit in bookcases, I read ... quite a lot...!! and the table that was meant to be my craft space is full of computer equipment, sob sob, do you feel sorry for me yet?) so I have to work on my knees on the floor in front of the TV in the living room.  You can just see the table leg in question, underneath it is packed with years and years of craft magazines.

Sadly the piles of "stuff" around the craft mat stay there all the time (that's storage, don't you know!), and I was intending to decorate this frame for a challenge but got sidetracked onto something else in the end.

It technically wasn't even a Wednesday and because I don't have a digital camera that will upload to the computer (long story, don't ask!) I had to take these shots on my 35mm film camera when I knew I'd be going somewhere to finish them off (see earlier post from Sunday about my trip to Kew Gardens) 

These to the left show some of my drawers (the wooden ones all have stamps in and are stacked double so they go down to the floor behind the ones in front, which sounds a bit Irish, sorry - and apologies to all Irish friends) I kind of know which stamps are in which drawers, just about!  It's not the full picture though, there is somewhat of an overflow round to the left (first picture) not on camera AND outside the living room door are lots of boxes of card stock - colour co-ordinated for ease of finding card - but guess what, mainly these days I use white....but they'll come in handy one day, lol!)
The cardboard 4-drawer chests are where the inks mainly live, and various embellishments, mountboard, etc.
 You'll have to forgive the tshirts hanging down in the shot (didn't look through the lens properly) - that's one of my wardrobe overflows.... do you get the idea my flat is too small for the amount of things I have?! I probably shouldn't have posted this, because it looks dreadful, but I wanted to join in with WOYWW.   Don't anyone tell my Mum how messy I am, I don't think she believes me when I try to!

It was also supposed to post at mid-day but I must have done something wrong - so here it is.

Chuffed to Bits - Thanks, Gingersnap Creations

I was checking the new blogs in my side bar this morning (sitting in my office, cup of tea, reading the paper!) when - WOWEE - I made the grade at Gingersnap - on their Embossing Challenge that's just finished - I was awarded a Ginger Gem badge.

I can't tell you how proud this makes me, and I know I am blowing my own trumpet, so I want to say thanks to everyone at Gingersnaps for the challenges and this recognition.

This is the card that was the cause.

I can't show you what I was working on last evening as they're for birthdays that are coming up next week. However, Marcie was around, and so was chipboard, terra and metal..... just to keep you guessing.
One happy little stamper (blushing!)

Roses Are... Yellow?

The first thing I do every Sunday (after  - or usually whilst - watching the repeat of Match of the Day as I invariably fall asleep on Saturday nights) is check what Hel's Sunday Stamper challenge is.  This week it is Roses.  So I had to have another go at THE rose.  I've still only done about 3 or 4 before this, and I still can't get the petals to curl properly but here is my effort.  I know I didn't have to do THE rose, but what an excuse! I used two roses I already had inked and stamped with mustard seed and the numbers background from Wendy's Dimensional Rose Art set, so I only had to stamp/colour the third, stick them together and spray with a bit of Honey Amber glimmer mist and decide what to put it on.  The leaves were ready to go too, so whilst the rose was drying, I got to work with the rest of it. I deliberately left the third petal plain yellow for some contrast.

I took this fancy chip shape and coloured it in mustard seed to match, edged with a bit of dried marigold for a change and found this great text stamp from Penny Black.It was too empty so I stamped a Hero Arts rose in the opposite corners, which I have coloured them with pencils.

Had some trouble sticking the rose to the chip and it's trying to fall off as we speak, but it stayed in place to scan.  Got Hel's scanning trick to work so I didn't end up with a whole load of blank scan bed today, yippee! I don't know what I did differently today that I tried last time, but never mind. 

Kew Gardens

Well, went out to collect to collect the photos I took at Kew yesterday - some of them are quite good - some of them a bit out of focus (I think I got too close for the close up function to work!) but here are a few of my favourites.

I can't get the placing of the photos right, sorry.  The above 4 shots are from the Princess of Wales glasshouse.  There is a large display built within the waterlily pond, in the main tropic part of the glasshouse, 3 of them are of this, and the one on the bottom of the 4 is from the upper level - there are several of these huge arches covered in all sorts of air plants, orchids and bromeliads and this is part of one of them.

The next shot was taken in the waterlily house and although I didn't think this year's display was as good as previous year's I took this shot beause I love the way the roof is reflecting in the pool - which they've dyed black to show off the colours.

These last two are another pair of arches on the upper level of the Princess Of Wales glasshouse and a close up of some of the flowers that make it up.
The display is on for a month (till 7th March) so if you're close enough do try and get along. (Although long gone are the days when you could get in for 1d (that's pre-decimel, to show my age further).

Masks

A good day today - went to Kew - hope to have the photos to show you tomorrow - some nice comments about my last post - and best of all, Liverpool won against our local rivals Everton (like you care - well, most of you don't!!) 

This afternoon I have been playing with this fab Wendy flower stamp - have done a tag as well as this card, but not very happy with it, so I'm not showing you the tag!

I started this card because I dug out some stampbord - which I haven't used for yonks!  and coloured it with broken china and dusty concord distress inks.  The colour combination was inspired solely by Linda's fab tag she blogged yesterday - just love the mix!  That sparked my imagination off - I stamped the Wendy flower onto the stampbord (actually I inked the stamp and laid the stampbord onto the inked stamp, it seemed easier to get the positioning right) and scratched away between the petals. 

So that left me needing something to do with the square.  I inked a square tag with the same colours, splashed some water on it to distress it, stamped the full flower on the tag and then masked the flower whilst I used one of T!m's masks top and bottom with the same colour inks - although I needn't have bothered as of course the stampbord square is hiding the tagged flower....doh! as Homer would say. It took a lot of careful maneuvering to get it in the right place without letting go - I've attached it with strips of humungo tape so no second chances!!  Although looking closely at it now, it's a bit off on the right hand side .... bummer!

A greeting and a matching ribbon, and mounted the tag on a card, DONE.

Wendy and Tim

Not Janet and John (anyone remember learning to read with Janet and John?  Oh, just me then!!)

I can't believe my last post was Sunday!  I have had a very lazy week - slumped in front of the TV, mainly. Although I did spend yesterday evening stamping and cutting out a whole sheet of grungepaper with Wendy flowers and leaves - some of which I've used here. 

It's another Maya Road chip piece which I painted with Hel's favourite Trad Tan paint yesterday whilst hoping inspiration - or Mojo! would strike.  

I have used Tim's small flourish and the sentiment stamps on the chip itself and then sprayed with glimmer mist in walnut gold and lavender wisp (nearly totally obliterated the tim flourish stamp, oops!).  The large flower has the Wendy splatter background on and coloured with dusty concord and rock candy distress paint, the tiny one in the centre is rock candy-stickled.

I am going to Kew Gardens tomorrow morning - they have a new temporary orchid display opening in one of the glass houses so hope to get some decent picutres.  I'm not really a fan of orchids - but the displays always look stunning (they've done this for several years now, it really brightens up February-March!) I hope to show you som of the photos if they come out ok - my camera lens will steam up in the heat of the hothouse!