"ENGLAND MY ENGLAND" TRIP PLANNING FUN!

Hubby is the family travel agent and sometime ago he booked us passage (one-way) home on a cruise ship leaving out of Southampton to the US. When I was asked what was on my wish list for visiting England my response was not the changing of the guard or even Buckingham Palace but the Lake District and visiting Hill Top Farm to see Beatrix Potter's house and Stoke-on-Trent, that's a big DUH for me as that is where the beautiful English pottery (DISHES!) are made and they have factory shops, names like Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, Emma Bridgewater, Burleigh, Spode, Hartley-Greens & Company, Leeds Pottery!  There is even a TRAIL!

I'm thinking Mecca for a dish-a-holic like myself.  Hubby said "you can't carry that heavy stuff,"  my response was....they all ship!

We always have a budget that includes spending money for gifts to take home to family and friends, etc. but how many times will I get to visit "The Ceramics Trail?" This called for a specific piggy bank!  So I moseyed over to The Graphics Fairy looking for some English images and hit the jackpot!

Is there anything more iconic to England than a teapot? At first I thought I would have to use waterslide decals for this project and knew that it would be very tricky so I thought I would print out the graphics on a clear 81/2x11 label to see if I could avoid the waterslide decal and it worked! They adhered to the curves of this cute little teapot and look just as good as a water slide decal would have looked.  The big difference is that the water slide decals hold up to washing and the label will not but I am going to use this as a piggy bank, not drink tea!

Love, love, love the graphics. Truth in advertising the money peeking out is not pounds but a couple of Canadian fivers that were left over from a trip to Canada. Isn't the crown beautiful? It is a vintage advertising piece "New York & Liverpool ."  Liverpool is one of our stops for a few days and our cruise ship stops in NYC for two days on our way home!

Just in case there was any misunderstanding as to what I am saving money for I found an "English" font and put the Stoke-on-Trent on the handle of the pot.

When looking at graphics on The Graphic's Fairy I found this vintage map of England and Wales - woo hoo, color me happy.  We have AAA maps (big and bulky for hanging), guide books from Rick Steves, etc. but I wanted a map small enough that I could put pins on the map of the places we are visiting and staying overnight. I wanted a visual for dreaming!

After printing out the map on a full label sheet (81/2x11), I cut out a piece of foam board the same size.

 

These easel backs are inexpensive and something I keep on hand...... to put the map together peel off the back of the full page label and attach to the foam board and add the easel to the back.....

Tada...here you have a great map, ready for push pins (the foam board works perfect for this). Later I came back and added a RED for stop push pin at Stoke-on-Trent!

Speaking of Beatrix Potter....I have a lighted cabinet in my craft room and have a shelf for my little collection of Leeds Creamware - since we are going to the Lake Country I pulled out my  collection of Beatrix Potter figurines and a vintage copy of The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse, my little friends.  I also found my DVD of Miss Potter (the movie) and watched again and then watched with my sweet granddaughter and she went home with my copy of the complete works of Beatrix Potter! She loved the movie.

Must mention that I LOVE Susan Branch, her wonderful books, recipes, blog, water colors, etc. When I read A Fine Romance I felt like she had written it just for me! It is about a trip she took to England with the love of her life and how she went to the Lake Country, etc. Now I need to re-read a little Jane Austin, make sure I have an umbrella that will not blow backwards, go over all the travel books, save money for dishes, keep going to the pool at the "Y" to be ready for a lot of walking. Thank you so much hubby for planning this trip!!!  England is hubby's Motherland or so he thinks....I recently did my Ancestry DNA and my Motherland is not what I thought it was...it's like the program "Who do you THINK you are?" I'm also like the guy in the commercial who traded in his lederhosen for a kilt! Amazing stuff! I still need my lederhosen but more than that I need to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with greater enthusiasm!

Resource

A Fine Romance, Susan Branch,A Fine Romance: Falling in Love With the English Countryside
Signed copies of A Fine Romance, http://shopping.susanbranch.com/
Susan Branch Blog, http://www.susanbranch.com/
Rick Steves London, Rick Steves London 2016
Rick Steves England,Rick Steves England
Push Pins, Dollar Tree
White Tea Pot,RSVP White 6 cup Stoneware Chai Teapot
*Not exactly the same as my teapot but same size & pure white.
Clear 8 1/2 x 11, Full Sheet Labels,Avery Clear Full-Sheet Labels, Inkjet Printers, 8.5 x 11 Inches, Pack of 25 (8665)
White 8 1/2 x 11 Full Sheet Labels,Avery White Full-Sheet Labels for Inkjet Printers, Pack of 25 Sheets (8165)
Miss Potter, DVD,Miss Potter
Ancestry DNA, Ancestry DNA: Genetic Testing - DNA Test
Free English Font, http://www.1001freefonts.com/old-english-fonts.php
Vintage Map of England, http://thegraphicsfairy.com/vintage-printable-map-of-england-and-wales/
British Flag, http://thegraphicsfairy.com/vintage-clip-art-british-flag
British Boy, http://thegraphicsfairy.com/vintage-image-darling-british-flag-boy/  
British Boy 2, http://thegraphicsfairy.com/antique-graphic-cute-british-flag-boy-2/
Crown, http://thegraphicsfairy.com/old-advertising-colorful-crown-graphic-pig/

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