The shell seeker

This year on Rhodes we had a room on the other side of the block but still had a wonderful view out to sea. We were greeted by this gorgeous view as we opened the curtains each morning. Sometimes we caught sight of the local fisherman taking his boat out and for a couple of days this boat was moored there. The beach is just a stones throw away.

I love the deep shades of blue at sunrise. We love to wander down to the beach especially early morning when everyone else is still asleep.

Some mornings the waves are rolling in and on other mornings or later in the day the sea is as still as a mill pond. We love to wiggle our toes and leave footsteps in the sand

We always spent a few days of our holiday on the beach. I can never sit still for long so I go seeking shells or pieces of sea glass. There are not many to be found here but when I do find one it is like finding a little piece of treasure.

Our beach days were spent gently relaxing and reading between some walks .  We tend to eat earlier in the evening and after a shower and dressing in our fresh cool clothes we would stroll to our  favourite restaurant which over looks the same beach. It is wonderful to watch the sun go down as we sip our cool pre meal drinks. The shadows lengthen and the sun starts its final descent.

There is nothing like the inner peace that the sounds of the sea and the colours in the sky at sunrise and sunset can induce.

When I came home I decided to make a Moment to put in my journal. I embossed a sheet of water colour paper with my shell folder and sprayed some Dylusions inks to make a watery background. I wanted this to be in the centre of my Moment.

I wanted to join the Craft Stamper inking on tissue paper challenge so I used my new Visible Image sentiment, which I recently won, and carefully applied it to the centre of the shell with Matt Medium. I love the way it merges with the embossing like a wave on the sea.  I added my embossed panel to a piece of stamping card. 

I also added some grunge paste though a stencil to represent the sea spray and lots of die cut shells and a crab which I brushed with gesso to cover the original card colours.

I also stamped some more sea sentiments (by Crafty Individuals)  onto tissue and added these to my journal piece. I also printed  myself some personal chit chat words on Kraft card.

It was then time to put on my creative hat and put together my ideas. Here are some close ups;

 I made the sky with blended distress inks. My glowing sun was sprayed with and then highlighted with Rusty Hinge DI. I love the shine from this. The "rays" are archival ink applied though a Tim Holtz stencil. I wanted the deep coloured "rays" to represent the sun setting and the lengthening shadows it creates.

I used yellow acrylic paints to daub the shells and crab and blue acrylic paint to the edge of the sea. I spritzed some water to allow the colours to blend together in a watery swirl, just like the sea on Rhodes. I distressed the edges of my Moment and applied Vintage Photo DI.

and here is my finished piece..............

I have tried to capture all the times of the day at the beach in my Moment, together with some of the changing colours.

 I would like to enter my Moment into the following challenges;

Visible Image Make it sparkle it is difficult to see but in real life my sun, the waves and the coloured grunge paste have a gorgeous sparkle to them
Craft Stamper Take it Make it Challenge stamping on tissue paper edit;oops missed the deadline by 12 hours!
Pan Pastels embossing
A little bit crafty Distress it
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday anything goes

We did have a wonderful week away and I love my new Visible Image stamp.....it is so apt. We all need to remember that life is for now and "These are the Moments". My Moment is now in Jane's Journal and when I look at it it makes me breath and inhale slowly and remember those special times; shell seeking, being warmed by the sun's rays, hearing the waves of the blue Aegean Sea  rolling in and watching the sun set with my darling Hb....just bliss.

I will be back with some more photos from our late summer break in the coming weeks. Here in the South we are still enjoying balmy early autumn afternoons although there is a nip in the air in the mornings and certainly the darkness is encroaching into the evenings earlier and earlier. I have a day at home today and I am going to enjoy some Studio time with Billy and I have started to get out my autumn palette of colours. I do love the light of summer but I also welcome the changing seasons and autumn is a magical time.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x