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

It's here!

My new Samsung washing machine arrived on Friday a week sooner than I thought. When it finishes a wash cycle it plays a tune to indicate it's finished! I'm not joking it really does, just a shame it can't do the ironing too. Hubby and I wondered what on earth was going on when it struck up a tune, even the cat looked.

On the 10th of April Andy and  going to see this at the Ipswich Regent.

The following week Emily will be starring in ..........

This will be her 7th year, we'll be going to see it on the Thursday.
I've just ordered our London Pass tickets for when Andy and I go to London on the 19th April. we tried them for the first time last August and found them great value. Shall be visiting Westminster Abbey, Lord's Cricket ground tour for starters................the West End at night to see Lion King.
Work tonight 8pm-8am tomorrow. same again Tuesday, then a sleep in on Thursday then I'm on holiday until Sunday 14th. I'll be spring cleaning the house.

well HAPPY MOTHERS DAY, hope you've all had a lovely day.


                       Janina xx

An expensive weekend!

Sadly my trusty Bosch washing machine gave up the ghost and died on Friday. I can't complain as it was nearly 10yrs old and had never gone wrong. So off to Curry's we went yesterday and a few hundred pounds lighter we now have one of the latest Samsung models on order...the down side we have to wait until the first week in April for delivery...............todays bin load of washing is kindly being done by my dear MIL, well by her machine. When we first got married the first thing that came through our front door was a washing machine as I had grown up at home with mum doing the washing in the sink and then using a spinner.......hard work and not my idea of fun!
Anyway I have been busy card making this past week and made around 50 8 x 8 cards, very pleased with the results so when we visit Ally Pally next month I intend stocking up on 8 x 8 card blanks. Here's some of what I did.

I did make male cards as well. I found this 8 x 8 size card very nice to work with. I made a slight dent in my stash mountain too. Need to tidy my craft room now and see if there's anything I need when we go to Ally P.
Tomorrow I need to finish off the May Bramford crop kit, I'm nearly there.
April is going to be a busy month with something on every weekend. We start off with the Bramford crop on the 5th, the 12th is Ally P, on the 19th Andy and I are off to London for the day and seeing The Lion King in the evening, the 26th my mum and dad celebrate their Golden wedding so we're off out for a meal, in between all this Emily has Ipswich Gang Show the Easter week and Andy and I are going to see the musical Jesus Christ Super Star at the Ipswich Regent....busy, busy.
The May Bramford crop is the first Saturday and will be celebrating National Scrapbooking Day NSD. The crop will run from 9am-8pm with free prize draws through the day and my good friend Karen Curd who's a Stampin Up demonstrator putting on a make n take in the afternoon.
Well I've now some trousers to turn up so needs must as they say.

Have a good week.

                          Janina xx

What glorious weather......

It's gorgeous outside this morning, I've been out and pulled up a few weeds in the front garden. The washing machine has nearly finished, I've hoovered up downstairs and now I'm on here!
Had a lovely day with good company yesterday at Karen Curds craft day. It's held the 2nd Saturday of the month at Wherstead Village Hall(near Wherstead Park) Ipswich. Karen is a Stampin Up demonstrator and makes cards each month for attendies to make. A couple of us Scrapbook instead of making the cards. Cost is £5 if you go to scrap or £8.50 if you go to make the cards( all materials included if doing the later). We always have a good day, lots of laughs too. Here's a couple of photos I took.

Liz and Tracy, don't know what Tracy is contemplating!

Tree munching her lunch and in the background to the left is Lusia and Maureen and to the right is Mary.
I managed some more layouts of our holiday last year.....seems an age ago now.

Andy relaxing at the water feature when we stopped off at Larnaca in Cyprus.

This is the Palestine Wall dividing Jerusalem and Bethlehem, you have to go through armed check points.
Lastly a photo of one of the cards I made during the week.

It's a 7x7" size card. Need to make more cards over the next two weeks as I'm doing a table top sale on the 22nd at Elmsett Village hall. I've also the next 4 months worth of the Bramford crop kits to design and 2 layouts for the May issue of Scrapbook Magazine.......no pressure then!!!!


Hope you are enjoying the lovely weather, have a great week.

                        Janina xx

Bramford Monthly Crop 1st February.........

Yesterday was the February Bramford(Ipswich) monthly crop and yesterday we notched up 6 years since I first started the crop and we're still going strong. Most of our ladies have been there from the beginning. we have on average 20-25 ladies come along each month but some months it exedes 30 ladies! I actually took some photos yesterday, before they turned up and once they'd turned up.........

as you can see they are a busy lot.
My layout target has now hit 10 complete layouts of my 20 target. My friend Nancy, 2nd on the right in the photo informs me she's now done 21 of her 30 target of complete layouts before we buy new stash. I'm hoping to get more done over the next week and complete my 20 target before the Papermaze crop on the 22nd Feb. Now I've got into the swing of it I'm glad I took on Nancy's challenge, I might just have to keep it up over the coming year maybe challenging myself to do 5 layouts each month and before buying more stash!
Here's some of what I did this past week, photos from our cruise last August.

I sorted out all my holiday photos when I was at work Friday night, so the ones I want to scrap are now in envelopes ready, so all I now need to do is grab and go!
Work tonight......12 hour shift.

Well have a good week.

                Janina xx