Trip to Liverpool - part three - the Happy Stampers show!

So, Saturday dawned damp... turned much wetter

After a cooked breakfast to set us up for the day, we walked the short distance from our Hotel, the Bridge Inn, to the Hulme Hall where the show is held.  in the drizzle... stood and queued for a few minutes...  I was hoping to meet some PAtwits and some WOYWW deskers...

 First up, deskers...

I have known Neet as long as I have been blogging, but Saturday was  the first time I have ever got to meet her in the flesh... here she is with Shaz.

 Neet hasn't been too well lately, so I was thrilled she was able to come, and it is always lovely to see Shaz (and Doug, who carries the shopping so well... he seems to have evaded the photo...)

 Leandra demonstrating...

 Sam, Chris and Lin

 Alison, ready to demo... much better pose than some I've got of you lately, Alison, eh?!

 Sarah Anderson, Neet and Shaz again, and Chris.

Leandra busy demoing

 and Sam, looking at some Seth stamps, trying to work out if they were what she wanted..

 Chris Sam and Sarah

 Alison in action..

 time for tea and cake again... Chris came too this time!  Had Victoria sponge this time, with fresh cream..  oh yummy yummy again!

back to the show, got soaking wet on the way... Sam  and Emma, watching Alison, and Claire watching Leandra... as I decided I'd cut Sam in half with the stand supports...

we decided to prove it!

don't have any more pictures but Sam has a lovely review here too




and some stash... well, I wasn't going to come all this way without buying something...



but not as much as usual!

After a freshen up we headed down to dinner in the pub restaurant, and whilst we were waiting for our meals to come, I happened to see Alison posting on facebook that she was in the bar of the hotel waiting for her husband to pick her up, so Sam went and got her and she joined us.   In the end, when Graham arrived he came in too and they ended up having dinner with us.
so, by being anti social and checking my phone at dinner, we ended up having a good evening with them.

the blog title says part three -  parts one and two are here and here 

WOYWW 382

Yo, deskers!  It'll be a quick trip today, there isn't much going on!
Head Desker Julia will be delighted at how short and sweet it will be today

I have realised as I am typing this up that you can't see what the stamps are!

they were designed by a lovely friend of mine Debs who won a competition to design some stamps and got given a few sets to give away, I was lucky enough to get a set, which arrived today (Tuesday) - I am hoping to have time to play soon, they are small doodly-flowers and will be great on journals and atcs etc.  I'll be sure to show you what I do.
So I am getting mega-excited about the weekend and my trip to Port Sunlight for Happy Stampers, with some good friends and hoping to meet up lots of deskers as well as Paperartsy 'PAtwits' too.  - see you there!
Not only that, I have next week off work too!  I'll leave you (not so short and sweet after all!) in Julia's care at Stamping Ground

WOYWW 279 - the secret is out!

If it's Wednesday, it must be What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday? Head here to the Stamping Ground for the details and link up

.. not unpacked the bag of crafty buys since I got home!  there may be a hidden project under the journal - you'll have to check back this afternoon to see what it is!

 So, do you want to know where I was last week, on my secret trip?!
Well, if I show you this....

 ... some of you may recognise it and guess! (or you may have read the previous post!)





My friends Sam Lin (on the left in the photos) and Emma (missing from this photo) and I decided we'd go to the Happy Stampers show in Port Sunlight and, with huge thanks to  our very own WOYWWer Chris (third from left in this pic)
we got our tickets - following a chance comment at the WOYWW Crop in May - once again, Chris, a big thanks from all of us!

The reason I couldn't say in advance we were going, is the two ladies on Chris's left didn't know we were going, and were SO surprised to see us!



We had a great weekend, just wish we could have spent longer exploring more of Liverpool itself.
Port Sunlight itself is beautiful, you can read about
the trip here 

Oh, you want to see what's IN the crafty bag?? oh, ok, then as you asked so nicely...

there you go! restrained, wasn't I!  well it's not long since Ally Pally, after all...

I won't be able to visit many of you until at least Thursday as my boss is taking 3 of us to dinner and theatre tonight - Gordon Ramsey's restaurant at the Savoy no less, and then to see Evita!! How cool is that!  So, I'll catch up with you soon.  Happy Wednesday indeed.

Port Sunny - Happy Stampers

You probably already know, if you've seen my friend Sam's post  yesterday (she took her laptop!) that my secret trip this weekend was to Port Sunlight and the craft show known as Happy Stampers. The post on the "photosbyh" blog, the pictures of Port Sunlight itself, is here. This though, is the crafty bit!

Several months ago, we (Sam, Lin Emma and I) decided that we'd try and get tickets for this show as everyone who talks about it, says it's fabulous... you have to get tickets in advance, and they're limited, so it was a bit stressful - till I met Chris at the WOYWW crop in May who said she was already on the mailing list so is able to order tickets as soon as they're released.... phew... just the trains to book then, as Sam had in January found a great hotel yards from the venue.... sorted!

 Friday saw us heading from our various starting points, to Liverpool Lime Street station... (cue visit to t'other blog for the photos)









Saturday morning was wet, but by the time the show started, dry... off we headed.
The reason we wanted to keep it secret was to surprise fellow #PAtwits Lin and Christine; which we did, you could hear the screams of delight miles away!

 Sam, Emma, Lin, Chris and Lin

 swap Lin at the end for me...

 Sam, Lin, Chris (who got us the tickets) Lin, Chris and Leandra

We also met Massofhair and Keren and Sarah Anderson who's blog I've followed for ages (another ticket enabler if we'd needed her!) but I didn't get any pictures!  (Edit - also turns out I met Elizabeth from the DragonsDream Team I'm on,only she thought I was Julie Ann... nice almost meeting you too, Elizabeth!)

Towards the end of the show we congregated back at Paperartsy to say our farewells  - when you stand this side of the PA stand you tend to end up...

 demoing!! Emma's trying out the fabulous Fibralo pens

and having a laugh with Lin.

 This is PA's Emma elf who had stepped away momentarily - caught her mid chocolate!

 some last minute buying from Lin but Mark seems more keen on the rugby updates...

and my purchases.  Not much, as I have only just been to Ally Pally, but enough, and you have to don't you?!

Thanks for a great weekend girls, lets do it again sometime somwhere!