Last Crop of 2014.......

It was the Bramford Christmas crop yesterday and hopefully an enjoyable day was had by all, with everyone going home with a prize. The day had some sadness to it as one of our ladies Linda, sadly passed away in November of cancer. Her wish for her craft stash was to be sold, giving the ladies at the crop first choice and all monies raised to go to the charity of Linda's choice Wolverstone Wish. Our ladies did us proud Linda and raised £450 on the day with hopefully the remainder of the stash selling next month. Our ladies felt sad going through Linda's stash but were pleased with the goodies they bought.

This stunning blue Orchid was kindly given to me by two lovely ladies who come to our crop and who over the past 6 years come to know and class as 'friends'. The photo does not show you the true blue colour it is utterly stunning. A big thank you to Sue and Dawn for this, it now sits in my lounge for everyone to admire.
My Christmas shopping is almost done, just two gift cards left to get tomorrow. Everything is wrapped and delivered....even better. My time this week is limited as i'm working four night shifts. Tomorrow Andy and I are off to see the final installment of the Hobbit, which I'm looking forward to and as Emily's home from Uni for Christmas it's a KFC for tea for us all.

Well my friends I'd like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and here's to a good 2015. xx


                 Janina xx

Scrapology Blog Guest Designer.....

I recently was asked to be a guest designer for the November sketch challenge on the Scrapology blog. Lynn emailed me the following sketch.

For several days I looked at the sketch trying to decided what I was going to do with it. I decided to use chevrons instead of the hearts on my layout and this is what I come up with.

It's of my daughter Emily who for the past 8yrs has been a cast member in the Ipswich Gang Show and Chris one of the other cast members. This is them at the after show fancy dress party......this year the theme was Disney characters. Sadly this was Emily's last year as she has now gone off to university at Kingston Upon Thames. I was really pleased how this layout turned out and as I used scrap pieces of paper it was really cheap too. Take a look over at Scrapology to see what the rest of the DT have designed.

Thank you Lynn and the other DT for asking me to join in this month's challenge, I was honoured.

               Janina xx

Autumn is upon Us......

Did you remember to alter your clocks at the weekend? We did though I don't think that extra hour made any difference. It's been my weekend at work, so lack of sleep my head is fuzzy! Back in tomorrow night, Tuesday and an extra on Thursday night.
Saturday is the Bramford monthly crop 9am-5pm, so hope to see some of you there. The crop now has a FB page to.......Bramford Monthly Crop....pretty inventive name if I do say so myself. LOL.
Emily has been at Uni in Kingston for nearly 7 weeks now and loves it. It seems strange without her here and I certainly think the cat has missed her, he perked right up when she came home for one night last week.
In September Liz, Karen, Nancy, Emma, Beryl, Tracey and myself went away for a long weekend to School Farm Coattages, Cratfield, Suffolk on a crafting retreat. We had a great time, scrapbooking, cardmaking, chatting, chilling, eating and just enjoying each others company. I was quite productive and did around 7 layouts, here's what I did.

 Most are photos from our cruise last year, I've almost finished scrapping those.
Earlier in the year I gave away my old sewing machine and have been umming and arhing for months about getting a new one. Well as I've a birthday on the horizion and because Create and Craft had a good deal on one I'd had my eye on I went for it and here it is.

it arrived on Friday but as yet haven't had time to even look at it. My lovely new toy.................Andy might at long last get his work trousers turned up, the ones he bought about a year ago and still sit waiting for me to alter, think he'd forgotten about them!
Last week I took the bull by the horns and , yes wait for it, started my Christmas shopping. Bought a few bits n pieces for Andy and the kids. It's a start.
Well lots to do.

                              Janina xx

A new Adventure begins..........

Today my daughter Emily starts her 3 year degree working with young children and young people at Kingston Upon Thames University. So proud of her as she got top grades in her recent exams to gain her place. Saturday we packed the car, it was jammed packed we couldn't get nothing else in and headed off to Kingston. Pleased to say the Uni is in a lovely area of Surrey and only 9 miles from London City centre, so an excuse for a visit to have a girlie day shopping in London! She has halls on campus and has a two minute walk to lectures etc. We helped her unpack alot of her stuff and then took a visit to the local Asda, which was a two minute car journey up the road................well would of been if we hadn't missed the turn off, got stuck in traffic and was about 5 miles out of London before we could turn off and turn round.....ha, one stressy husband. Fresh food shop done, Emily would no be ok for at least a couple of weeks food wise. She's now got to learn to cook and use a washing machine and iron. LOL.
This week I will get in her bedroom and give it a good clean and know it will stay that way until Christmas when she comes home.! We will miss her.


                    Janina xx

Oh dear, naughty me !

Sue Wilsons new Christmas dies hit the market this week and I just couldn't resist some of them. There's still a couple I might just have to have.

Anything to make Christmas card making a tad easier! Well that's my excuse.
Andy and I are on holiday for two weeks..............it's a stay at home one this year, doesn't seem possible this time last year we were on a cruise and today we were in Alanya in Turkey, visiting Said and the Magnavat waterfall and it was very hot! The past few days we've been decorating our hall/stairs, tomorrow we shall finish the papering and put everything back.
Tuesday we took a little drive out to Cratfield too see where myself and 6 friends are staying at the end of September for a crafty retreat.......the place looks lovely. We then went onto Aldburgh and had fish and chips sitting on the sea front.

Next we took a two mile drive along the coast to Thorpeness.

The House in the Clouds to the right of the picture is a converted water tower.

Poor horse looked totally cheesed off. !
To round off the afternoon we treated ourselves to this...............

Scrummy it was too.
Along from Thorpeness on the beach (ha, I mean pebbles!) we found the clam sculpture.

If ever in Suffolk both these places are well worth a visit, you can find them off the A12 in between Woodbridge and Lowestoft.I have some new photos to scrapbook at last!

Anyway, hope you're having a lovely bank holiday weekend even if it is a little chilly.

                            Janina xx

Time flies......but I have been busy honest!

Where does the time go? Infact where has this year gone?. I have been busy of late, extra night shifts at work.......doing one tonight, commission work for Scrapbook Mag issues 83 and 84, getting ahead with crop kits for the Bramford crop (I'm done up until December now) and sorting stuff out for Emily (my youngest) who's off to Kingston Upon Thames Uni September 13th. Every other day she seems to get more emails or paper work through the post to sort out........cost a fortune this week alone, new laptop, DBS, old CRB to pay for then you have to register it on line too and pay for the privalidge, Doc's to sign a form to say she's fit n heatlhy .......at a cost! Oh well her inheritence is going down!!! LOL.
Anyway over the past month I have managed to go to Papermaze and Karen's monthly crops and scrap. I'm off to Karen's crop this Saturday and Papermaze next Saturday, oh and then there's Karen's monthly mid-week crop next Thursday.....time to use up some stash.
Here's what I've done....

These are from our Cruise last year, not many pics left that I want to scrap now but still managed to fill up two albums.

Emily on the right and one of her Gangshow buddies at their end of show fancy dress disco.

Well the sun is shining, no rain here in Suffolk.................at the moment anyway.

                                          Janina xx

Decorating but no Crafting....

No crafting done at home in the past month as we had other things on the agenda.....as No 2 son was going on holiday to Turkey for two weeks it was the ideal time to decorate our bedroom as we needed to store all our furniture etc in his room. So over the course of two weeks Andy and I decorated our room and I might add I'm very pleased with the result. Here's some pics of how we got on.

The old wallpaper was stripped off .
Now for the new to be put up.........................................

and now for the finished result.......

I went to town and bought all new bedlinen, bedside lamps, matching shade, curtains and a lovely darkish grey carpet. We decluttered as well or should I say I told hubby he was not putting stuff under the bed or on top of the wardrobe! I'm so pleased with it all it's a pleasure to wake up in there every morning now.
I'm at work tonight and then on holiday until Tuesday week, so I intend getting in my craft room and having some crafty me time. I've my friend Emma coming round for coffee on Tuesday and she's bringing her Stampin Up stamps and inks she no longer wants and has for sale......oooo rummage time.
Well enjoy the rest of the weekend and this glorious weather we are having.


                Janina xx

Papermaze crop and latest creations...

Last Saturday I spent a lovely day at the monthly Papermaze crop, which I have now been going to since 2005 and still look forward to going to every month. Vanessa runs a great crop and we have the added bonus of visiting her Papermaze shop over the lunch hour........well worth a visit if you are ever in Suffolk.
Vanessa always has a crop kit if you wish to buy, I don't always but this month I did and here's my finished layout.

We used Prima papers. I loved the design so much I then decided to create my own take on this by using Teresa Collins Travel papers I'd bought last year.

Another one of our holiday photos from our cruise last year.......I've nearly finished scrapping the photos from this I'm wanting to scrap, I've used two albums! Really pleased with them though.
Another holiday layout I've done recently.

And lastly my first attempt at a Pop Up Box card. I used the Craftwork Cards blank card template and their beautiful Botanica papers.

I really enjoyed making this card they are so clever and look lovely when finished, I've a few more on the go as on Saturday at the crop Karen Curd did make n takes making these and Vanessa kindly put out cardstock and papers for us to use.
I'm hoping to get into my craftroom later to do a little bit of crafting. The end of the month Number 2 son is going on holiday for two weeks so hubby and I are going to be decorating our bedroom.......need to store our furniture in son's bedroom while we do this......I've gone to town too, wallpaper, new carpet(still to order) new bedding, new lights, curtains, I can't wait. Going for Teal and grey.
Well washing machine has just played me a little tune to say it's finished the washing......no I'm not joking it actually does play a tune, so I need to put that out.
Hope you all have a great bank holiday weekend, me it's my weekend to work.

                           Janina xx

National Scrapbooking Day and Bramford May Crop.

It was the Bramford monthly crop last Saturday 3rd May which coinsided with NSD. It was a full house as 35 ladies came along to scrap and card make. We had a lovely day full of good company, prize draws, bargins to be had and lots and lots of laughter ringing around the hall. Here's a couple of photos I took.

The lady with a pink top on and arms in the air is Lusia one of our long term attendees and a larger than life character. I never manage to get a photo when all our ladies are sitting down, I always miss some out!
Tomorrow 10th I'm off to another monthly crop run by a good friend Karen Curd and held in the village hall at Wherstead, I thoroughly enjoy this one and the one I go to at Papermaze as I get things done......hope to do at least two layouts tomorrow.
I haven't done any crafting for nearly a month now, so hope to kick start it tomorrow. I need to get some serious card making done in the next month too as I've the local Church Fete I have a table at each year selling my cards. Sold quite a few on Wednesday night when I was asked to do a scrapbook page at a local church ladies evening.  24 ladies came and made a page each.
Well I'm at work tonight and Sunday night, might take some crafting stuff in to do to while away the night.

Have a good weekend.

                            Janina xx

London Calling........yet again.

Saturday number two spent in London, Ally Pally and then sight seeing at the weekend. Andy and I left home at 7.10am and drove down to Newbury Park where we got the tube into London. First port of call was Westminster Abbey........by 10am it was heaving inside with tourists! Lovely building inside though so well worth a visit. Next we headed over to St John's Wood and Lords Cricket Ground, it was a two hour tour which I might add I actually enjoyed. I've got into cricket over the past couple of years and have begun to understand the rules of play..........it's only because I've had so much of it forced onto me by a cricket mad hubby and son! Next we caught the bus down to Marble Arch(only because the District Line tube was closed), had a Mc D's for lunch.......it was now 2.30pm. We then headed over to Stratford and the Olympic Park, which is now open to the public and it rather a nice open space. We went up the viewing tower and I took some photos......here are some.

The view you get as you walk over the bridge towards Olympic Park.

This is the viewing platform near the top.

The Olympic Stadium which is now being turned into West Ham United's new football ground.

You could see the O2 Arena or the Dome from here too, though I did zoom in on this photo. If you turned to the right of this you could also see the Shard and the Gerkin buildings, so quite an impressive view from the top.
We then hopped back on the tube and headed back into the City and to Convent Garden where we saw these fab street entertainers.

How they manage to stay so still I'll never know.
We sat in Convent Garden and had our tea........meal deal bought from Tesco's! Then to end on a high we had tickets to see...............

It was a fantastic show that I would thoroughly recommend.

The clock tower at Westminster, Big Ben is actually the bell not the tower.
We had a great day and visited places we hadn't been to before on our many trips to London over the years.
We arrived back home at 12.15am Sunday morning so a long and tiring day having walked many miles, backs of my calf muscles still ache!

Well I hope you all had a good Easter weekend, shame it goes so quickly...here's to the May bank holiday and the Bramford crop on Saturday 3rd May to celebrate NSD the crop will run from 9am-8pm.

Gearing myself up for a night shift at work tonight and my weekend in too.............................


                                 Janina xx