Craftmania had it's Grand Opening yesterday 3 May 2011. And what an opening. Daphne and Jamie were there to meet and greet and to show us round as like kids in a toy shop we went up and down the isles searching out favourite items and finding new. Daphne and Jamie and the staff were welcoming and very happy to show us where everything was and also to help out with queries. The store is well set out and is very roomy and light. The large workshop area is in the front of the shop to one side and has the benefit of a wall of windows which gives it plenty of natural light, so essential to us crafters.
Crafters in Lowestoft have bemoaned the fact for a long time that they have had to travel for there essential needs.... no longer. It is all here now.. thanks to Craftmania and Daphne and Jamie. Congratulations to you both and all the best in the future.
Between the Royal Wedding and starting this blog not much parching done today on Friday. I did manage to do a little more on Tina Cox's Peacock during the afternoon as a break from my Pergamano exam submissions. I have also uploaded some pictures of my early parchment craft. You can see these in the gallery. Unfortunately I have not always been very good about taking pictures of my work before giving away that which I felt was good enough to give away. :-( I promise to do better in the future. LOL
Friday started by dragging Peter out of bed to put the flags and bunting up on the front of the house. Really enjoyed watching the Royal Wedding. The bride looked beautiful. Her dress was stunningly simple and the whole ceremony was perfect. I wish them happiness in their life together.
Had a great day out with friends on Saturday at a Lace Day in Norwich. I confess I didn't do much in the way of lace-making as I have been concentrating on my parching lately. I did take a small cross stitch project with me though to keep my hands occupied while we nattered. It's always great fun if not a little hard on the pocket browsing the stalls and one of the stalls present today was PollyJane Yarns. Wow! What beautiful wools and for those of us who knit, if only occasionally, Pauline's and Jane's website is a must. One of the ranges is a fair trade wool, hand dyed and hand spun by a cooperative of over 800 women. Patterns for all ages and for all the wools are available on the website and the added bonus is free postage.
On Sunday spent a fabulous morning at the Norwich Bead and Textile Fair with friends Liz and Anne. This fair is held twice a year at the John Innes Centre in Norwich which is the perfect venue being very roomy, light and airy. Apart from suppliers there were exhibitors displaying beautiful work in beading and textiles. Refreshments were available and there is plenty of seating to rest the feet! We all had a super time and found plenty to spend our money on. This is the second time I have visited this fair and I will be back later in the year.
I know I have been galavanting rather a lot this weekend, but I did manage to do some more work on Tina Cox''s Peacock and after some gardening this morning, potting up my tomatoes and doing a little tidying up I spent the afternoon parching and practising my painting techniques. Will ever be happy with what I do. :-)
See you all tomorrow when I report back on the Opening of Craftmania in Lowetsoft.
Hugs.xxx.
