I love saturday mornings!

It's when I grab a little time for me, chill out, put some music on, slap on a face mask (believe me I need it this morning) and do a little blog updating!!!!
The past couple of weeks have passed in whirl of activity and it's been great fun!
Got a fair bit of scrapping done and lots of teaching which is cool cos I love it!
Samm set the challenge on the shop blog a couple of weeks ago to scrap your favourite song/band/album... well at the moment I just can't stop singing Bubbly by Colbie Caillat! Love this tune... along with a fair few others... loving my music just now!

I used Happy Place papers by Sassafras... these are my favvo papers at the moment and have carved up sheets and sheets of the stuff!!! Lots of layouts in progress... none finished.. ho hum!

Last weekend we had the very first all day workshop thingy! It was fab! I thoroughly enjoyed the whole day and I think all the ladies did too! I taught 3 classes so it was pretty full on... 2 layouts and a mini book. We had heaps of yummy food thanks to Gillian, her Mum Pat and Margaret... so a HUGE thank you to them!

This was the first class (excuse the rotten pic... there is no light at the mo and everything looks pants!).... using the delicious Daisy Bucket In The Meadow papers! So so easy to work with and a gorgeous texture! There's a little hidden mini book to hold all our hopes for the coming year.


Next up was a bright and cheerful quick layout class using MME Just Dreamy 2 Dazzling papers.... they really are a Dream to work with....well they would be... everything that MME produces is totally gorgeous!


And finally the mini book class using the yummy Crate Lemon Grass!!! I've made my book for times when my mojo just disappears out of the window... it's full of sketches, inspiration blogs that kind of thing!
I do have some spare class kits available and will upload them to the shop tomorrow :-)

So onto this weekends blog challenge... it was mine and an evil one at that!!! No patterned paper allowed!!!! I love my papers so this one really was a challenge!
Gillian took this photo last weekend of the moody sea at Seaton Sluice and it was SCREAMING to be scrapped! I used Collage Press stamps, prima crystal swirls, some lace and chipboard letters... very simple but I think it works well!
Also found this layout when hunting through my pics.... I did this a while back at one of the crops when I actually found a wee bit of time to get some scrapping done!


I used one of my old Studio Calico kits that are actually new as I just don't have the time to play these days....
Well that's all my news for this morning!!!
I start working as a nurse again next week and am really looking forward to it! It will be strange after so long so hoping that it will go well!
Lots of other exciting stuff happening too... just gotta find those extra hours in the day!
Til next time
Maria x

For Jakkii! ;-)

Ok, Ok, Ok! I know that I'm a crappy blogger! There just doesn't seem enough hours in the day at the mo to fit everything in! I will try harder... promise!
Ok so what's been happening in Maria's world since the last post? Heaps and heaps!
Aside from the usual crop classes and mag work I have had the bestest time ever teaching at the fabulous Scrapajack retreat down in Bromsgrove! Jakkii and Debbie sure can organise a mean retreat! Oh they just happen to be the nicest people that you could ever ever meet! I loves them!!!
Bookings for the Stratford Retreat in May are happening now! Sooo... if you fancy a fabulous few days away from it all with heaps and heaps of scrapping and laughing thrown in go visit here and book up... you will not be disappointed :-)
So onto the stories! Well the journey down to Bromsgrove was a complete nightmare! Managed to get stuck in the biggest traffic jam. There had a been a terrible accident on the M1 which closed the motorway totally. I set off at 11.30am and eventually arrived at the hotel at 8.30pm!!! Car overheated and I was a complete wreck LOL! But... I arrived safely which is more than can be said of the poor people killed in the crash so thank god for that! Motorways terrify me!
We all had a pre-retreat challenge... to make a badge that wasn't a badge and I came up with this lil baby!


A pinny!!! Don't worry Deb and Jak... yours will be made soon ;-). There were some amazing creations... but unfortunately I didn't take any pics! Yup the camera sat on the table the whole retreat without being used once!

This is my retreat class! It seemed to go down ok... well no-one walked out which is always a good sign LOL! The classes were all amazing! I had the pleasure of taking Rachel Millington's and Tracie Hudson's fabulous classes and thoroughly enjoyed them. Just wish I had managed to squeeze in the others....
I met the most amazing people over the few days... it was really good to put faces to avatars LOL! I shared a room with the lovely Sue (owner of the delicious Crafty Stash) and also spent a small fortune buying illicit stash... hehehe... came home with lots of gorgeous goodies!
I can honestly say that I have not laughed so much for bloody ages! My face is still hurting... so thank you everyone for making me feel sooo welcome! And speshal thanks to Sarah for sending me a zillion crochet links... hopefully the willy warmer disaster will be a thing of the past!!! Gonna make a start on a hat just as soon as I can get my hands on some more wool :-)
I had a great journey home with no mishaps (or so I had thought) and spent yesterday catching up on sleep!
All was well until I went to use my business bank card today... and it wasn't there! It would seem that when I had stopped at the services on the way home some "kind person" broke into my car and nicked them! Only realised today and thankfully nothing is missing from the account...phew! Its just a pain as it takes 10 bloody days for a new card... grrrrr!
So to the two ladies who stole the cards.... yup I know who you are! If I ever see you again (I remember what you looked like!) I will gouge your eyes out with my pokey tool and make an altered art project with them... be warned ;-)
And onto to lighter things.... :-)
It was my go for the blog class and this is what I came up with...... using up your scraps!

This is a pic of my lil sis circa 1975! She was not amused that I had scrapped this pic but hey ho.... hehehe! And I made a card from scraps too...

Keep checking the blog each weekend for more challenges and classes!
Right and with that long post out the way I'm off to finish this wine!!!!
Til next time..
Maria x

Been busy creating heaps and heaps of stuff! Love it when my mojo returns and I just can't get the ideas down on paper quick enough!!!! My classes for the rest of the year are almost all done and its a big relief! Just a few blog challenges to do layouts for and I'm almost organised!
I can't believe that the Scrapajack retreat is nearly here! Next week!!! I'm so looking forward to it but a bit nervous at the same time!


This was my layout for last weekends blog challenge.... me about 7 years old... check out the collar!!!!! I have scrapped the same school photo of my sis for this weekends class.... she'll kill me... hehehe! So tune in saturday morning for a class on using up your scraps :-)
Today I've been playing with some of the new Crate paper.... I love it! Scrapped for the very first time a photo of my Mam... which was much tougher than I expected and spent about an hour in floods of tears! Its for this weekends crop class so will pop a pic up on sunday!
Right I'm off to chop into more Crate... Lemon Grass this time... delicious!
Maria x

Busy, busy, busy....

but it's all good stuff! Had a busy couple weeks with a new crop and magazine work and classes to sort for a one day workshop! Feels like my feet haven't touched the ground for ages. Had Mark up to stay for a fun few days and my head is still trying to recover from all the wine that was consumed.... the man is a bad influence!!!!

This is my layout for the SSC blog challenge.... posted by Rachael, it's a fab one! All about edges... rolled ones, distressed ones, scalloped ones... you get the picture! Karen got me this little Russian doll for my birthday (amongst other gorgeous goodies!) and I love her.
This weekend is Morpeth crop and I'm teaching a UTEE class! It's ages since I played with the stuff and had huge fun putting together a layout for this. Managed to warp my cutting mat again so thats 3 I've now ruined!!! MUST remember to take mat off desk when using the heat gun! Here's a little peek of the layout...

We're using some of the gorgeous new papers from MME... glittery and varnished and totally delicious! No prizes for guessing that the layout is about me with journalling like that!!!
Right on that note... instead of dreaming I need to finish a magazine article that need's to be in the post tomorrow.... better get my skates on!
Til next time
Maria x

Still around....

I'm still here! Just been as busy as anything. Lots of scrapping and card making been going on but nothing to share.... but i can give you a couple of sneaky peeks of my class for the Scrapajack retreat....

rumour has it there are a couple of places on this fabby retreat up for grabs so go check it out.... would love to see you there!

Last weekend I had the total pleasure of having Samm up to stay! We had a blast and am really looking forward to her next visit! Although next time we'll have to schedule in some more sleep time... hehehe. Still recovering!

I'm having few days off.... yes i know my last post said the same thing! But to be honest those were my last days off.... seriously! I have been working non stop! Talking of work... I am now back in the world of nursing.... well bank nursing! So's I can work it around everything else. Hoping to start in the next couple of weeks and can't wait! So back to my time off... I have a friend travelling up from Manchester today.... so excited about this! Eeeeks! Will pop back on sunday to share some gossip... when i shall be one year older! I hit the grand old age of 41 on saturday! Where did this last year go?

Right must fly as have stacks to do today.... til next time

Maria x

A bit of R&R....

over the bank holiday weekend :-) I'm having a couple of days all to me this weekend. This happens very rarely at the moment as I always seem to have stuff that has to be sorted RIGHT NOW!!!! But I'm starting to pick up colds and snuffles which is a definate sign to recharge the batteries! I've had a busy old week... sorting out the new kit, finishing off some mag work, organising a new crop and craft event (more of that in a later post!!!), planning my retreat classes for Scrapajack... oh sooo much is happening! Which is good... don't get me wrong... I love having so much to do but a little me time is also good!

This is my layout for Samm's fab sketch challenge over on the shop blog this weekend. It's one of those sketches that immediately cries out to be transferred into a layout! The photo was taken by Anita at the Baltic art gallery.

Anyhow... just a quick post today! I have a sunday lunch to finish preparing!

Til next time

Maria x

Surely not!!!

It can't be 2 weeks since I last blogged... can it??? Where on earth does the time go? The past 2 weeks have been packed full of errr... well stuff! I don't seem to have had 2 minutes to myself never mind a day off!
Our little cyber crop on the shop blog seemed to go down a treat and we are already planning the next one. The entries were amazing and we had a really tough time choosing winners... but winners we chose and they're on the blog now! Along with this weeks class ;) A little wackiness from myself!!!

The class this week looks at making cloud masques to create a sky and paper pleating (so much easier than ribbon ;-) ) You can find the destructions here!

Last weekend was our crop. Now I love the crop and meeting up with everyone but BOY the preparation is hard work! So why, I ask myself, am I setting up another one? Probably because I'm a glutton for punishment and hard work!!! Anyhow, the ladies at the crop this month got down and messy with paint and had a ball! We made homemade stamps from anything we could lay our hands on and created some fabby background effects.

This month we played with MME Just Dreamy Daydream papers... I do have a couple of kits left here ;) Oooh and talking of kits.... our August kit is almost ready to go! A bit late this month but worth the wait ;)

I've another busy week ahead. Lots of layouts to finish, a magazine project to put the finishing touches to and a very special class to complete! I've been asked to teach at the Autumn Scrapajack retreat and am just finalising what, I hope, will be a fab class for the ladies attending. I think that there are still a few day delegate place available so why not pop over and book yourself a place! Go on.... you deserve it!!!!!

Right I had best get some work done!
Til next time
Maria x