Ta Dah.................

Well after several hours over the past week and buying a second hand pine cupboard(has all my tools in ie punches, dies etc) my craft room looks a little tidier, so here are the photos I took yesterday just to prove it.

it's the view going anti clockwise around my room.
Look my desk is clear.................................for how long is anyones guess.

And just to prove I tidied up properly, look at the floor...............still need to hoover though!

Yes I know I have alot of stuff but I've been crafting since 2004 so I have built it up over the years. I also have sort outs every so often and sell on what I don't want or use anymore. It's my little bit of heaven and that's where I'm off to in a while. I'm hoping to start if not finish one layout using photo/s from our cruise last summer, I'm steadily getting layouts done for this.
Well hope you all have a good weekend, it's wet here in Ipswich( Bramford) so a good excuse to craft and now I can get into my craftroom and see my desk even more of a reason!



                            Janina xx

A sneeky peek and I've also scrapped....

As I've mentioned on here before I run the monthly crop in Bramford, Ipswich. After my friend Ang stopped putting together the monthly crop kit I said I would take it on, so Di from Crafts and Candlelight orders me the cardstock and I design the kit. I'm all done up until April but as we work a month in advance this kit has to be ready to show at the March crop, so here's a 'sneeky peek.........

I've used papers from the Echo Park ' Beautiful Life' collection. These are the very girlie papers.
The next layout is one designed by Lou Collins for the Papermaze monthly crop from several months ago and I finished it a couple of weeks ago. It's a photo taken of the sun setting over Rhodes from our cruise last summer.

The next two layouts are commissioned pieces I did for the latest issue of Scrapbook Magazine (issue 78), the first one is of Emily when she passed her driving test last year......first attempt I might add and was in the Designer Sketch Challenge.

And this one is of Aaron when he gained his 'Wings' for Thomsons last year and was under the challenge of
'New Beginnings'.

This final layout is one I did a couple of weeks ago at Karen Curds monthly craft club (held at Wherstead in Ipswich). It's a photo of Andy when he was a baby, his brother and sister, his dad, nanna and grandma....4 generations. I was so pleased with the final result using Kaisercraft christmas papers from either last year...2012 or 2011.

And finally one more photo of our cruise last summer, it's of Andy and myself when we visited the Magnavat Waterfall near Alanya (or more near Said) Turkey.

Seems an age away now but I'm enjoying scrapping the photos and looking back through them. We had such a fabulous time, would love to go back to Israel and see more of their beautiful historic country....well worth a visit may I add.
Well it's my weekend off work so I now don't go back until next Tuesday night. My aim is to do some crafting over the next week, either cards or scrapbooking. I'm trying Nancy's challenge of x amount of layouts before buying more stash. Nancy's target is 30, I made mine 20...............or maybe 10! I've done 4 so far. It's a good way of using up that stored up stash I have. LOL........don't we all have stored up stash.
My craft room, I have tidied it up but it still needs improvement.


Well enjoy the rest of your week.

                     Janina xx

ps February Bramford crop is on Saturday 1st 9am-5pm.

Happy New Year and here's my resolution.............

To tidy up me craft room, it looks a complete mess and muddle! Thursday is the day for a huge task of making it look tidy and so I can see the floor, which in the following photos just does not show you how bad it is!

In this photo you can only just see my desk!

I can see it being an all day hard slog kinda day, but hey ho it needs to be done before I can play with all the new stamps and dies I've bought over the last few months and that still sit unopened. Also I want to try out Nancy's idea of completing a set amount of scrap layouts before buying new stash, Nancy's target was 50, I laughed and said maybe 20..................or even 10. LOL
Check out my new toy I bought today from the Range, they have it on special offer making it £50 cheaper than anywhere else. I sold my Spellbinders Grand Calibur machine yesterday so it's help to fund the new purchase. It'll have to stay unopened until my craft room is tidy, so a good reason to get my tidying butt into gear.

Going to Karen Curd's monthly crafting day on Saturday, means I can get started on my LO target.
Papermaze is the following Saturday.
I'm in the tidy and declutter mode since last week. It was Emily's bedroom and cupboard last week, 4 hours later two bin liners of rubbish, one bag to go to charity shop but one tidy bedroom and cupboard. I know she's 19yrs but leave it to her and it would never get done. Christmas decorations came down yesterday and are now back in loft. I've sorted out other cupboards too and binned more rubbish. How liberating it feels!!!!
Craft room to go..............ugh!
Work tonight , 12hour night shift and then that's my lot until next Tuesday...whoop whoop I love how my shift pattern works now, means I end up with 6 days off every other week.


Well have a good week.

              Janina xx

Look what rolled into town........and a Happy Christmas to you all.

Last week the Coca Cola lorry rolled into Ipswich Town centre. Sadly I was there in the morning so missed the spectacular sight of it lit up at night.

Well it's Christmas Eve. I can now say bring it on I am offically ready for Christmas, if I've forgotten anything now it's tough! I'm on a night shift tonight so won't leave off until 8 tomorrow morning. I've got my antler head gear so when I take the residents their cup of tea in the morning I'll look a little bit festive. I'll be blasting those Christmas Carols out at 7am too..........they will get in the spirit of things. LOL
Tomorrow will be quite a quiet low key time in our house. Aaron is in Cyprus, Tim will be here to open his pressies then he's off to his girlfriend's and Emily has to work 12-4, so dinner will just be Andy, me and the cat. One good thing we can watch what we like on tv..........Downton Abbet, Doctor Who and Call the Midwives will be our main watch.................love them all, oh yes and Open All Hours.
Well I have a huge pile of ironing to do before cooking lunch, then I shall chill until I leave for work at 7pm.
I'd like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and here's hoping 2014 is a good one.

                        Janina xx

ps. The first Bramford crop of 2014 is on Saturday 4th January 9-5pm.

Afternoon Tea....Posh Style!

As most of you know I work as a night carer in a local residential home for the elderly. Two of our residents who were sisters died within the past year and as a thank you for the care we gave them both, one of the sister's daughter's donated money for the staff to go out and have afternoon tea and this is where we went;

Hintlesham Hall an Elizabethian House near Ipswich. Rather posh, but very elegant. We spent a lovely two hours eating sandwiches, scones and cakes, drinking tea and chatting. By the time we came out it was dark and here is how it looks at night.;

It looks stunning lite up at night with the christmas trees.
Talking of trees I put up our tree last week. Here it is;

Just think two weeks today and it'll all be over! We'll have eaten far too much and some drunk too much too.
I'm trying to wrap a few presents each day as doing them all in one day is a killer on my back, I just can't do it anymore.
Saturday is Bramford Crop day 9am-6pm. It'll be a full house with so far 30 ladies coming along. Prizes to be won during the day and a big main prize to be won by one lucky lady........she'll think Christmas has come early! The first crop of 2014 will be on 4th January.
Well I have a pile of ironing awaiting me, then pressies to wrap and then I'm working on the March crop kit.......yes you did read that right I'm ahead of myself.
Well have a good week.


                                  Janina xx

5 weeks to Christmas...aghhhhh....ba humbug!

Yes 5 weeks to day it's Christmas Eve! Not a nice thought IMHO. I've started my Christmas shopping, we've set a date to do the rest at Lakeside and today I got my Christmas card supply box from the loft so I can make a start in writing them out. I'll take them to work at the weekend as it's my weekend to work and hopefully I'll get quite a few done. I've made quite a few as well and I found the ones I'd lost that I made a few months ago, never of thought of looking for them where I actually found them. LOL
I had my birthday recently and asked for money as I wanted to buy a Raskog Trolley from Ikea for my craft room and here it is.

It's quite big and holds loads, most of it came off my desk. It's on wheels too so moves around well.
Saturday I've a table at the local WI's Christmas Bazaar at Lorraine Victory Hall, Ship Lane, Bramford from 1-4pm if you are in the area. I've been busy making Christmas cards and all occasion cards to sell.

There'll be lots of different stalls there so come along if you're about.
The Bramford Christmas Crop is on Saturday 14th December 9am-6pm. Think I've got some of our ladies talking trying to find out what the big main prize of the day is.......ha ha, no one but me knows! Lets just say who ever is the lucky person to go home with it will be very pleased..............there's also loads of other prizes up for grabs throughout the day.

Well it's now 5.09pm and I've lots to do before I leave for work at 7pm.

Have a great week.

             Janina xx

A busy weekend ahead.

Nothing to show you as I've been busy and still am making Christmas Cards and other cards as I'm doing a Christmas Craft Fair on Saturday 23rd November. It's at our local hall Lorraine Victory Hall Bramford Ipswich 1-4pm. Come along if you are in the area.
It's my weekend in at work, so I'm working tonight and Sunday night. No sleep for me tomorrow as I'm off to Tina's craft day at Bulmer Nr Sudbury, which I am looking forward to. I hope to get more cards made. In the evening Andy and I are out for a meal with his work collegues as one of them has now retired. Sunday I'm hoping number one son calls round......well he needs to drop off his car. He's off to Cyprus to work for the winter as his Thomson work has now finished until March, so I will have his car until he returns.
Next Saturday it's the monthly Papermaze crop. The Bramford December/Christmas crop is on Saturday 14th December, a week later than normal. 9am-6pm.............should be a good day, prizes to be won all day too.
I've started my Christmas shopping, got a few pressies anyway. Just trying to decide when we go to Lakeside to do the main shop.
Did you see Lou Collins on Create & Craft? Didn't she do well, I emailed in and had my email read out on yesterday mornings 9am show.!


Well have a good weekend.


                 Janina xx