All the way from London…

All the way from London…

Hi there

Thanks for popping in. It’s A family week for the Grays! First my brother Steve married lovely Sheila yesterday in Rochester. Beautiful, quiet and very private affair…

Then tomorrow it’s our Dad’s 85th birthday! Here we see both Mr Grays – and all three Mrs Grays! Very cool

So I made a card for Dad when I got in from work today. 85 years ago, just before the war, he was born in London. Willesden. Northwest. So I decided to make a London Card. Simple, but personal. I’ve got a load of Gelpress prints that I pulled using our Decorative panel stencils a while ago.

That made a perfect background for our London Die – cut out of our Tag die!

Cut a couple of different size tags out of the background prints too. So useful! Then used the letterbox stampset to personalise…

Little bit of shuffling around – composition, I think we call it in Cardmaking speak!

Then it was time for assembly.

I think he will like it a lot. A few years ago, they covered Big Ben with scaffolding, to revamp him and give him a fresh lick of paint. I remember being filled with sadness when my Dad said to me “I won’t be around to see Big Ben again, when they unveil him.”

Hah!!! Not so, Mr Gray!! Five years and £80 million later – and Mr Gray is still smiling! He’s had quite a battle healthwise in the interim, but my God! They were made of strong stuff back then!! Warrior material for sure!!

No no no. We didn’t spend £80,000,000.00 on Big John! I don’t think pacemakers run to that, do they? I’ll write that again slowly. Eighty million pounds to rebuild Big Ben. That’s a lot of dough.

Do you know why we call money dough? Ready? London rhyming slang…Bread and Honey rhymes with money. Brilliant, isn’t it.

Anyway. Time to stop for the day. I want to get up really, really early and do a few hours work before I head over to Mum and Dad for birthday cake and a good old chinwag.. We’re down a few people at Clarity, so there’s nothing else for it but to roll our sleeves up and dive in. Please bear with us while we fill the sale orders.

Love and hugs

Barb xxx

30 thoughts on “All the way from London…

  1. Lovely to have a family week and your dad certainly deserves a very Happy birthday after all he has been through! Lovely to see the newly weds, low key is often the best way. Take care and have fun but don’t work too hard, the orders can wait a bit I’m sure (and mine is one of them but I don’t mind a bit!) xx

  2. What a fabulous week for your family, and that lady was right you are very colour coagulated ! Happy Birthday to your Dad tomorrow, hope you all have a lovely day celebrating and eating cake – two cakes too this week! Lovely photos. X

  3. Happy birthday to Mr Gray senior my dad will be 85 two weeks today. Love the card xx
    Have a lovely time and what a brilliant week of celebration for you all xx

  4. Oh that’s a very beautiful card for your dear dad. And yes he’ll love it because you made it.
    Congratulations to Steve and Sheila. A very lovely couple. Here’s to happiness.
    Enjoy your day tomorrow and wish your dad a happy birthday from Colin and myself.
    Love and hugs. Xxx

  5. Hello Barbara
    Well, what a week of celebrations for your family. Congratulations to Steve and Sheila and Happy Birthday to your Dad.
    Love
    Roz.xxx

  6. Congratulations to Steve and Sheila, and Happy Birthday to your Dad.
    A wonderful family week of celebration, enjoy it.
    Best wishes
    Claire x

  7. Congratulations to your brother and his new wife and fondest birthday wishes to your dad. The photos are wonderful. Don’t eat too much cake tomorrow just enough to ensure you have a good day.xx

  8. Congratulations to all and enjoy your celebrations !
    Don’t worry about my orders as I have just found out all the craft fairs I was going to do this year have been cancelled, so no hurry for them.

  9. Congratulations and happy days to all your family. Lovely card for your Dad.
    Placed an order for the ODS yesterday and it has already despatched- wow!!!
    Don’t expect you to put together all the special sales orders at the same rate, especially if they are as large and fragmented as mine was. Very happy to wait as long as it takes, noting was urgent.
    Paul did a great job showcasing those wonderful new dies. I have used the Groovi plates a lot as they are beautiful on parchment and now we have the dies to match for card and paper. The answer to my dreams.
    Looks like I am going to be out of action for a while so the relaxation from crafting will offset the angst while I await the results.
    Enjoy your cake and good company tomorrow.
    Hugs 🍒🍒🍒

  10. That’s the way our wedding was. Just my brother and sister-in-law to witness for us and my son. It was such a beautiful day and it was on my birthday too xxx

    Happy Birthday to Dad Gray xxx

  11. That generation are certainly made of strong stuff. My mum’s mentally sound, although physically quite frail with a couple of health issues, lives independently, with a bit of support from the family, which is amazing considering she’s 97!
    Great card…your dad will love it I’m sure x

  12. Great Birthday card. Congratulations to Steve and Sheila, and Happy Birthday Wishes to your dad for tomorrow. Enjoy tomorrows celebrations. xxx

  13. Congratulations to Steve and Sheila and every happiness,
    Happy Birthday to your Dad, what a lovely family week you have had!
    Thanks also for my birthday card and special thanks to you Barbara for the amazing Shac Shac, what a wonderful idea, to Paul and Linda too for Groovy Tuesdays and Parchment School.
    You are all great.
    Take care, don’t work too hard, one day at a time! J

  14. Love the card you have made for your Dad – Many Happy Returns to him for tomorrow.
    Congratulations to Steve & Sheila on their wedding yesterday – lovely photos especially all the Grays & yes you are colour cordinated.
    Enjoy more cake tomorrow – I believe celebration cakes are calorie free !!

  15. Happy Birthday Mr Gray and Congratulations to the new Mr & Mrs Gray on their nuptials. What a week for you Barbara, travel gently and look after yourself and Dave JFDI 🤣🤣

  16. Hi Barbara
    Congratulations to Steve and Sheila, your dad is looking well after his health issues, so he can enjoy his birthday 🥳.
    Love Ruth & Jackie xx

  17. Happy birthday to your Dad Barbara. Sounds like our Dad’s have a bit in common. Mine turned 88 on Monday and also has a pacemaker having been ill for a while before. He is a lot fitter now.

  18. What a happy family week for you, Barbara. First Steve and Sheila getting married and now your Dad’s 85th birthday! Congratulations and Best Wishes all round! Lovely card for your Dad, too! Sending hugs and Lots of Love xxx

  19. Congratulations to your Brother Steve and his Wife Sheila and a very Happy Birthday to your lovely Dad. Such uplifting family photos a real good factor blog. Have a lovely day with your Mum and Dad, precious times x

  20. What a lovely family week for you all. Many congratulations and best wishes to the lovely Steve and Shelia. I too lived with my husband for a long time before we got married, couldn’t see the point of getting married as we were happy but I’m glad we did and that was 30 years ago. Enjoy your Dad’s birthday today as well.

  21. Wishing your Dad and you all a lovely day. My Dad is no longer with us, he would have been 100 this year, so cherish him whilst you can.

  22. Hello Barb, Congratulations to Steve and Sheila, they make a lovely couple. And a Very Big Very Happy Birthday to your Dad, may he have every blessing on his birthday. Thanks for sharing the lovely photos and the step by step of his birthday card. Take care and stay safe everyone. Bx

  23. Lovely family photos to treasure. What an eventful week for you all. Happy 85th Birthday Mr Gray.

    Lots of love to you all

  24. What wonderful news. Congratulations to the newly weds and to your Dad. Hope you had a wonderful time across both celebrations.

  25. Many congratulations to Steve and Sheila and a very happy birthday to your Dad. Happy days, be forever thankful.x

  26. Happy Birthday to your dad and Congratulations to Steve and Sheila. Lovely family celebrations. X

  27. Barbara what lovely photos. Lovely to see smiling faces and a small wedding – makes beautiful memories. Congratulations to Steve and Sheila and birthday wishes to your dad.xx

  28. What a lovely week for you all, surrounded by love and happiness! Happy Birthday to your dad. Hope he had a lovely day, today. Hxx

  29. Wishing your brother Steve and Sheila lots of love and congratulations on there Wedding Day.
    Lots of Birthday wishes to your Dad on his 85th Birthday.
    Enjoy the cakes you can’t beat cake for a celebration xxc

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