SCRAP ADDICT

Achievements & Rewards

2009-12-10T01:02:00.005+02:00

I like to record my kids' academic achievements come year end. All 4 of them take a different approach to their schooling but fortunately they all achieve their own version/level of success. Camryn & Reilly enjoy school & have both managed to secure an "Academic Progress" badge at the end of every term this year. They are never "over the moon" about this as they are always hoping for an "Academic Merit" badge instead, but these are only given out to a select few who achieve 80% & above in all subjects, consistently throughout each term. My 2 little ones are far too busy enjoying life to actually commit themselves to making that happen, & I am fine with that, I believe that raising well-rounded individuals is more important than concentrating solely on academic excellence.

Cami has worn that huge white aliceband to school every year since she started & now it is so small for her head that she is coming home with a headache every day. She has finally conceded that it has to go...so this is a very special portrait of not only her badge, but also her aliceband.

I had to crop this photo drastically to get the "Academic Progress" text on the badge to be clearly visible - but I like how the photo looks with the heavy cropping. DH rewarded Reilly incredibly by buying him "Jabulani" the day he went on sale last week {he is the official World Cup ball & World Cup Fever is definitely starting to settle in now that the match draw has taken place}. You will be hearing a lot more about it here on my blog over the next 6 months as we are all football fanatics in this house.

I had to laugh & grab my camera when the boys called me into their room to meet Jabulani - & I was impressed at his "stand" that they had made using a melamine cereal bowl! They placed him strategically between Reilly's "Most Improved Player of the year" award on the left & Jack's "Player of the year" Award on the right - directly in front of their Manchester United poster. These boys have a lot of differences but football is their common thread.

Someone has been staying up far too late watching "essential" Premiership matches recently, now that school is almost over & there is no work getting done, just class parties, sport, etc - total waste of time really but an extra 2 weeks has been legislated so that next July the school holidays will be 4 weeks instead of 2, to reduce the congestion on the roads during the World Cup & to allow for match attendance.

Cami's reward was a new set of batteries for her "piano" & a baking date with dad {photos to follow}. She has owned this book for about 3 years now but just loves tinkling out the toons...

This is definitely a possession that will end up in her "special box" rather than being handed on to my neice - as this will definitely bring back many happy memories for her when she discovers it years down the line.

It was pretty pricey originally but has been worth it's weight in gold as she has spent many a happy hour entertaining herself with it & it is still in relatively good condition as it is a "board" book with thick chipboard pages with a glossy, wipeable finish.

She chose this mix at the supermarket for her baking date with dad! Shane is absolutely besotted with her & she with him so they had a great evening preparing this together. DH is thankfully very hands-on...

She insisted on coloured sprinkles on the icing...they have to go on everything at the moment!

She sure was one happy & exhausted girl after her baking adventure!

Thankfully the rain has ceased during the day this week, which means our clothes can finally dry! Instead we are having a thunderstorm each night which is very typical of an African Summer & something that I for one, love...

Feeefaaa {Fo Fum} ....

2009-12-09T00:31:00.004+02:00

***12 paragraphs long*** {I am leaving this post up for a while as I am sending my pc in for repairs this week & it could take a while so if you're short on time you could read this post in 3 0r 4 installments}

I came across this post while reading Lynette's blog so hopped on over... Here is the offical Fifa Destinations site for you to peruse, but more specifically this is the area with which I am more familiar, 4 years down the line...I'm not sure if it's the same everywhere else in the world, but here in South Africa there is definitely a code of conduct & certain things you do & don't do {based on your own personal safety - our local township of Kwamashu apparently having THE highest murder rate in the world} & cops & robbers getting played out in the city & surrounds on a weekly basis.

First up let's take a quick look at the Profile:-The "golden mile" of beaches - we relaxed on one on our very first weekend in Durbs 4 years ago & lost everything:- credit cards & cash {all we had} even though we wrapped it all in Cami's little hat & buried it in the sand under our towel {clearly evil eyes were watching...}. We know now that you DO NOT take A THING to the beach that cannot go into the water with you &, better still, you take a "guard" in the form of an extra person {like me lol} who doesn't mind not swimming & frolicking, to be on permanent possession watch. This is an easy one to learn but costs a lot in your first loss & would definitely RUIN a holiday.

There are certain safer beaches such as Umhlanga & Suncoast {where you pay a small fee for your peace of mind & that keeps the criminal element down} but YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THEM & that takes years of mixing with the locals & hearing everything "via the grapevine" because times have changed a lot in 20 odd years & crime has increased aplenty...

Next up:- The Moses Mabhida Stadium

It is absolutely beautiful, breathtaking...a total feat of engineering...although the only photograph I could find of it was this, which I don't think is actually a photograph - looks more like an artist's impression to me, as there is no way you can get a photograph of the stadium looking like this IMO, as this looks like an aerial shot as opposed to a side-on shot. I drive past it regularly from this side & don't think there is any possible way that you would see the sea this close up in the same frame. One could be forgiven for thinking that the stadium was virtually on the beach - separated only by some lovely green rolling lawn!
I could go on about the big question of whether or not this was money well spent, bearing in mind that HIV+ victims here need to have a CD4 count of below 200 - meaning they already have full-blown AIDS before they qualify for affordable {or free under special circumstances} ARV's, but, as I said, I'm not even going to go there...

Now to "the Facts":- Average Durban Temperatures are 16 - 25 degrees all year round - apparently!!! Perhaps this is factual based on Kwa-Zulu Natal {in other words the entire far-flung province} temperatures all year round. Summer here runs from about November to April so by June {when the World Cup is taking place} temperatures are definitely cooler - but don't be fooled, this place is HOT. HOT beyond anything I have ever experienced in my life...and, during the long summer months, temperatures are easily over 3o degrees {32 degrees today for example - & the weather reports tell you to add 5 - 10 degrees for humidity...serious humidity...so I am surprised to say the least, that the average temperature range is 16 - 25 degrees, sounds idyllic & it most definitely is NOT!!!} Bearing in mind that the inland {as opposed to the coastal} areas are a lot cooler & less humid & the fact that temperatures do drop in winter, but generally not to anything much below 10 degrees this could be correct, but the stadium where the matches are taking place is very much coastal & humidity is a way of life here, even in the cooler months, except perhaps for those born & bred here who are acclimatized. 4 years on & I feel it daily...even in the winter...

This would most certainly affect my choice of accomodation & air-conditioning is ESSENTIAL here - it would be nice if these "touristy" websites could actually tell the WHOLE story...offer up safety advice & realistic precautions against the crime that is a way of life here, aswell as sensible tips concerning the climate here, that is indeed the best in South Africa, but that is not saying a lot, as many parts of South Africa experience regular awful weather similar to the UK, the entire Cape Province for example.

Now onto the funniest:- "48 hours in..." This is part of your itinerary:-"Spend your morning dining in one of the restaurants along the beach. Afterwards, a tempting option will be to take a walk along the beach while experiencing the beauty that this city has to offer. This will also afford you time to explore the beachfront Promenade." Tempting as it may be, I certainly would never advise it in the city...in the northern suburbs fine...but along the main beaches definitely not...

"exploring the beachfront Promenade" is exactly what I did when I first arrived 4 years ago & in BROAD DAYLIGHT a man walked straight up to me & wrestled my cellphone OUT OF MY HAND & ran off with it, in full view of everyone. I phoned the Police, who told me they had run out of papers so it would not be possible for me to file a report...The reason I was on the phone in the first place was because I HAD just spent the morning dining in one of the restaurants along the beach...only to return to find my car doors wide open & my steering wheel on my seat with my dashboard ripped open & all the wires pulled out!

More sage advice follows:- "Suitably refreshed, spend the rest of the day shopping at world-class stores at The Gateway Theatre Of Shopping or the Pavilion Shopping Centre - or visit the numerous markets in and around the city. As evening falls it's time to think of food and partying. Durban has a wide choice when it comes to both. If you're not sure what you fancy for supper, get yourself over to Florida Road, Durban's restaurant row (with a few nightspots thrown in for good measure). Here, trendy eateries and pavement cafés offer something for all tastes. The SunCoast Casino, Sibaya Casino also offer nice restaurants and places for nightlife."

Boy you are certainly going to have a busy time & spend a fortune on taxis, going from the centre of town out to Gateway or the Pavillion Shopping Centres & then back into town again for dinner, especially if you "pop off" to Sibaya, about 20 km's from town bwahahahaha!!! As for visiting the "numerous" markets in or around the city - In my 4 years here I don't know of any that you are going to find operating at any time {unless they change their schedules especially for the event} I have a strong suspicion that they are referring to the central town markets that cater to the lower classes selling fruits & vegetables, etc & are DEFINITELY not an advisable place to visit with a handbag over your shoulder & earrings in your ears or a gold chain around your neck...nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

Florida Road is great, but in this day & age one needs to be SENSIBLE & AWARE in such an area...avoid the "spilling out onto the pavement" appeal unless you want street children & beggars constantly hassling you & be VERY CAREFUL with your vehicle {visitors would be better off using taxis than hiring vehicles - not sure what the procedure is if said vehicle is stolen - something that has happened to just about every person I have ever met in this province} & even more careful when it comes to approaching your vehicle & ensuring that you are always in a group & in a well-lit area & have your wits about you...too much alcohol is soooooo not a good idea under the circumstances.

The absolutely funniest, most ludicrous suggestion of all is this "Then the afternoon should be dedicated to more adventure. And, there is no better place for that than the Drakensberg or uKhahlamba, as it is known by the Zulu-speaking people from Durban. As the night dawns, make your way back to near township like uMlazi and look for the nearest ‘sheeben' or a ‘tarven' where you will spend your evening."

You're looking at a 200km drive EACH WAY to get to the Drakensberg so you are going to need one loooooooooooooooooooong afternoon!!!!!! And anyone absolutely insane enough to spend their evening in a "tarven" {???!!!} which should read "tavern" / shabeen {read local beerhall} - the closest possible to a township such as Umlazi - read "high-density housing area catering to the masses" - IMO has a high chance of it being their last...

Impromptu Christmas Portraits

2009-12-08T02:04:00.007+02:00

I am the first to admit that I am clueless when it comes to my camera settings - NO idea about any of them- all Greek to me I tell ya - but I can follow pictures & apart from AUTO {pretty handy ;-D} I like the "flower" one too...{makro}, oh, and "the running guy"...{sports/action}. Don't get me wrong, I am desperate to learn, but have no-one to teach me & no time to teach myself right now. I do play around with what I AM in control of, such as lighting {no choice here below as all at night...}, unusual composition, etc. So, amidst a lot of hustle & bustle this weekend, I managed to get these shots, better than nothing right?!

Chelsea with that veritable mane of hers now {all her real hair - no extensions} just before she went emo & dyed it very dark brown, now that she is "allowed" {final year of school}. BTW good photo-editing goes a long way to covering up a multitude of sins & soft-focus is one of my faves right now. I am also getting braver & manually adjusting the shadows & highlights for more drama LOL!

My 2 little girls - Chelsea sans make-up TG - while busy trimming the tree...

Jack, who needs serious bribery to crack a smile right now...if you work carefully with the soft-focus you can get it appearing at the back only to intensify the makro setting look {as I find that setting struggles to focus at night for some reason...}

I know the above shot is blurry & I have sharpened it up as much as possible, but my shutter speed is OH SO SLOW in poor lighting & tricky, tricky to get the kids to hold that pose for 5 secs after they hear the click!

Aaaaah...a little grin...kinda suits him doesn't it???!!!

He still has that youthful chubbiness in his cheeks {at 14} that Chelsea has lost now {at 16}...

This little one needs no coaxing to smile!

Here I stood a few rungs up on our little freestanding ladder {sure works those calf muscles...} in my attempt to get a "Karen Russell" type shot {mine is definitely minus the definiton LOL}

And here is the end result - our 2009 "E card" collage - no time for the real thing this year!

It's Up!

2009-12-07T00:14:00.004+02:00

Hope you all had a great weekend! Ours was very well-balanced with a bit of everything going on. We got the tree up on Friday night amidst great excitement as the boys were totally enthralled with watching the FIFA World Cup Draw & planning which matches we will be watching in Durban next June {as South Africa is the host nation}.

We have 2 trees up each year - both artificial unfortunately - I would LOVE a real fir but they aren't easily acquired here... I sure do miss the smell. We have a mini tree {pictured above} that we put in a pot on a little table in the dining room & a maxi one that we clear a corner in the lounge for.

I store all our Christmas decorations in ziplock bags, separated according to type & colour, in a plastic wheelie bin container that lives on the top of our bedroom cupboards. This makes decorating simple as nothing gets entertwined & tangled together & we can easily choose what to use. We never end up using it all - less is more after all...

We have a very long strand of white intermittently flashing lights that we wrap around the tree before adding any decorations & a shorter strand of coloured ones that we run from the plug across the back of the couch to the tree. We've already really enjoyed sitting in the lounge with the lights off just enjoying the twinkling ;-D

These two {above} were totally entranced with the goings on & very interested to see that we were actually putting two trees in the house, LOL ...It wasn't long before they thought it would be interesting to climb up the little one, that then toppled right off it's little table & onto the floor, giving them both the fright of their lives! Fortunately most of the decorations remained on the tree so it wasn't a huge job to re-erect it. I definitely don't think they'll try that again...

Cami was beside herself with excitement whilst Chelsea was a less than willing assistant as she is loathe to help me because {she says} I always "re-do" what she does {it's more a case of getting it right LOL!} but this time she was chuffed because she did a great job & I have left it exactly as is. While the girls worked on the tree I did up the dining room & our "mantle" {counter} - photos to follow in another post ;-D

One of the branches had disattached itself & rather than putting it back on we let Cami keep it because she found it very amusing to pose as the Statue of Liberty with it all night...hehehe...

While Chelsea was still hard at work Cami found another good use for the wreath she made at school last year...

We have red as the accent colour in our lounge all year round so it automatically looks festive when combined with all our Christmas paraphernalia.

I have bought 4 big rolls of gift wrap - all in the simple gold print {with white Christmas tree design} so that all our gifts will be uniform & make for a good photo op LOL!

There you have it! We stuck with only one colour tinsel this year {green} & 3 types of ornaments:- 1) The green/gold & green/red hand-made baubles 2} the red/green/gold handmade {by moi} bows & 3} The gold & white Santas {fun for the kids} so it's just the right balance of design statement v/s homely me thinks...

How's your home looking? Transformed yet?

Iris Babao Uy Class for a Cause {My Layout at last!}

2009-12-05T22:52:00.003+02:00

I got this layout done today as the deadline is midnight tomorrow to be in with a chance to win a lovely Prima canvas album & flowers by random drawing. There are 2 prize packages - one for local addresses & one for international ones. Here's hoping...

I don't think that I am allowed to post Iris's original layout as this was a paid online class & therefore the layout example & class notes are password protected. I loved creating this using plain & printed fabric, lace, ribbon & lots of different textures.

I matted my photos onto coral cardstock & inked with Chestnut Roan & framed the main photo using a Creative Imaginations {by Karen Russell} envelope that I altered to convert it into a frame then matted it on green cardstock then onto coral. The "Follow Your Dreams" & "Flower Child" rub-ons are Daisy D's.

I used a random selection of supplies from my stash - the embossed frame & flower embellishments being made of soft rubber that I inked with Chestnut Roan to bring out the Design {bought at The Crazy Store - Dollar Store equivalent here}. The butterflies & bling are from my Everlasting {big wholesale Chinese importer in town}.

All the lace, Broderie Anglaise & braid I bought at a local fabric store & the metal leaf from a bead shop. The metal "flower" above the title is from my local craft store - it was shiny so I soaked it in pool acid to distress it then rinsed thoroughly before adhering! The self-adhesive pearl on top is Prima E Line.

The big cream flower is Prima Alabaster from a recent Cocoa Daisy kit as are the pearly Prima flower centre jewels.

The velvet flower is Maya Road & the white ribbon flower with pearl centre is from a local fabric store. The mesh you see peeking out from behind the photo below - I bought a quarter of a metre at a local fabric store but they only had it in black so I painted it with white acrylic paint.

I didn't have the required white overlay so I used a rub-on instead - but it didn't stand out enough so I had a brainwave & rubbed a white rub-on onto a transparency then cut it out & adhered it over the white rub-on so lots of depth there now! Definitely going to repeat that trick in future to make my own overlays!!

I really enjoyed the class & the process of creating this layout. Hope to get some more crafting in tomorrow too!

It's a Good Life {just not at the moment!}

2009-12-03T15:15:00.000+02:00

The title I chose for my layout take on this sketch challenge was "Scrap Addict - It's a Good Life" . This is the last of my Cocoa Daisy Fall Crop Layouts. As you can see the sketch is oh so simple, but brilliant in that it can be translated in so many ways.

As it was my last layout for the weekend I decided just to relax & have fun & do a layout celebrating having my blog for just over a year now. I had a couple of photos so used them both. I took the photo of my Followers gadget several months ago when I deleted it. I decided it wasn't representative of my blog as I had several commenters who weren't on it & several on it who hardly commented.

I just let go & used all the papers that appealled to me at the moment - Lily Bee{French Couture} - Graphic 45, Pink Paislee, K & Co & Basic Grey {Lemonade}.

I can't remember the chipboard alpha manufacturer but the tiny alphas are Making Memories {"EST SEPT 2009"}.

The die-cut banner "It's a Good Life",flower & heart are October Afternoon, all raised on foam squares.

Flowers from Prima & Making Memories, brads from Basic Grey {Lemonade}, S.E.I and K & Co.

I inked a bit with lime green, orange & pink.

I enjoyed expanding on the sketch down the right-hand side - layering the papers, punching & tearing.

Now for some real life news. I have tonsillitis. The last couple of days have been pretty bad but now that I have got some antibiotics & they have kicked in I am feeling a whole heap better. I have been thinking back on this year & my choice of word for it "Yes!" & how it really hasn't turned out how I had hoped. I am going to choose my word more carefully for 2010 & go for something more attainable! "Yes!" was a silly choice because there have been lots of "no's" this year that have been out of my control. Despite it all I am still here & have 4 healthy kids & a faithful husband. As basic as that sounds I'm content with that, especially after the recent scandal regarding our fallen rugby hero, Joost Van der Westhuisen & now Tiger Woods, both married to beautiful women {makes you wonder what the point of striving for that ideal is} & living double lives.

Last week Mercy, my household helper, announced that she was HIV positive. She has been unwell for the last couple of months but I never considered that this could be the reason, because her husband died in 1993 & she has been single ever since. She decided to ask the clinic to test her. This has put a real dampener on my hopes for a better 2010. Mercy is an integral part of our lives & makes up for the disadvantages of living in Africa. I do not relish the thought of trying out new household help & all the time & headaches that I know from past experience are associated with it.

I have made a lot of enquiries & sent her off to the Aids Centre here for a quicker turnaround on her CD4 count. The clinic told her to come back in 2 weeks but for R80 {USD$10} she can get her results back in 3 days. They are due on Friday & I don't know what to wish for. If she is over 200 she is HIV+ but doesn't have full-blown AIDS, yet is therefore not eligible for free ARVs. If her count is below 200 she gets free anti-retrovirals, but this also means that her immune system is already at a very low ebb.

Initially I just felt disbelief & couldn't understand how this could be happening to her & us. Within 24 hours I had accepted the inevitable & felt a sense of urgency to solve the problem. I made a few phonecalls & gave myself a basic crash course on the subject. Now, some days on, I am just annoyed, as strange as that sounds, that yet again I have another problem to deal with brought on by someone else's stupidity - perhaps not Mercy's, but her husband's. This is the story of our lives here in Africa - my generation is left to clean up the mess created by our ancestor's short-sightedness & the indiginous people's lack of regard for their lives & those of their loved ones.

Apparently with ARV's there is no reason why, with correct diet & lifestyle changes, HIV+ people can't live normal lives with a normal life expectancy. Call me a cynic but it just sounds too good to be true...

I Did a Grid - Oh Yes I Did!!!

2009-12-01T20:02:00.003+02:00

During the Cocoa Daisy Fall Crop a couple of weekends ago Ronda challenged us to create a layout inspired by any one of these CD covers. I thought it was a great idea & liked a number of them but went through my photos "to scrap" & came across 10 small photos that needed scrapping in one layout, so I decided on the "Beastie Boy" cover as the colours were right too...{2nd down on the left}.

I certainly didn't enjoy the exactness of it all but did learn {quickly} what to do next time I create a grid layout. It's very important that everything lines up exactly & it wasn't easy for me - being an "I hate measuring" type. No shortcuts are tolerated in this design but the advantage is that you can fit many photos onto one layout.

I took the above photo because I couldn't resist how much more lively it looked when twisted to an angle - norty I know! The photo below is the actual layout with the correct orientation ;-D They are all perfectly straight & parallel but don't look 100% in the photos because of the camera angle. {**Promise!}

I was very happy with how it turned out eventually but the photos kept getting smaller & smaller as I struggled to line them all up perfectly LOL! Altogether I used TEN photos, which I think is pretty impressive on a single layout, but 8 of them are joined together, which I didn't think looked too bad with these photos as they were all dominantly green.

The title letters are DCWV rub-on stitching.

The simple cardstock "embellishment" above was added on after all the photos were adhered as I had no more photo & thought the gap needed to be filled. It's just a couple of cardstock offcuts with a strip of American Crafts ribbon adhered over the join. The white alphas are Doodlebug & the red alphas are Pink Paislee.

Hand-journaling with a white milky pen {I have about a dozen because I find them so temperamental}.

The die-cut arrow is from October Afternoon.

I like to incorporate visual triangles into my layouts if possible & if you scroll up you will be able to spot 2 I was able to create by the placement of my title & embellishments. I'm glad I have a layout now about the "atmosphere" at the rugby in Durban. It is renowned throughout the country as being the best & most social, with lots of food & drink stalls & a whole social scene that takes place on the grounds long before, and long after, the actual match.

Ooops! I almost forgot to tell you...this is the layout that won me a surprise prize over at Cocoa Daisy.

The bad news is that I am full of flu. I woke up this morning feeling like my tonsils had been amputated minus the anaesthetic & now every tap on this keyboard is registering aches up my fingers so I am off to shower now & dive under the covers! I am still having a major tidy-up of my scrap supplies but am just having to settle for sorting out an area per day - slowly slowly wins the race? Baby steps?? Whatever...

Too Busy to Blog...

2009-11-29T20:58:00.006+02:00

Yup I agree...that is a very sad state of affairs ;-( When I do have a moment {like now} I'm feeling tired & wanting to climb into bed instead! I have lots of news for you but not the energy to spit it all out so for now I'm leaving you with a You Tube tutorial I discovered. How to make your own Glimmer Mist. As I've yet to find a bottle of Glimmer Mist in this country I have had it on my mind for some time now to try to formulate a recipe. Well, as I suspected, a bit of this & that & a suitable alternative is possible. Haven't yet tried it but have the spray bottles lined up & the paint & glittery stuff ready...that's a start right?

I must mention, just out of sheer random interest, that this girl sounds a bit like me to me! Perhaps I'm not quite as eloquent but I definitely do not say Falatas {aka "Firelighters"} which is what I hear a lot of people requesting at the Garage Shop I frequent LOL...I had to stop & think HARD & had NO IDEA what they were asking for initially, until I saw the goods ;-D No offence meant to anyone here who does say "Falatas" by the way, it's just not the way I say it 'tis all I'm sayin'...

I am finding Blogland rather uninspiring at the moment, what with all the stuff about Thanksgiving going on, following on fairly shortly after Halloween that's not an occassion here either. Not sure what Thanksgiving is all about really but think it's a nice idea to kickstart the holiday season almost exactly a month prior to Christmas. Here we have no public holiday to go along with it {apparently it is only celebrated in America so must have something to do with their history} so without one it is not really possible to celebrate it as such but I have been contemplating all I have to be thankful for, which is never a bad thing {won't bore you with my list as it is pretty much standard}.

Now most blogs seem to be inundated with Festive projects & as there's not much festiveness going on in real life here it's difficult to "feel it" LOL! The malls have the standard decorations up - nothing spectacular - and as far as I know that's it! I read about "Santa Parades" & the like but here it seems to be 100% commercial & nothing else. Kids are still at school for 2 more entire weeks but thankfully exams are over. They are all still finishing at different times though, as the 2 older ones are having earlier closing times & not their normal long school days, nice for them but frankly a pain for me as it means I am darting in & out, back & forth, four times a day at least. Thank goodness DH does the early morning run usually...

The problem is that my mornings are now constantly interrupted. I hate stopping & starting & am not one of those people that works on many different things simultaneously or on a project over a period of time. I start a page & finish it some hours later {anything form 1.5 hours onwards} then I start the next one. Very few unfinished projects around here...I came across this on Becky's blog tonight - basic but just what I need right now so I've added spray paint to the grocery list! Maybe it will be a good project for you too, if you are also feeling like you don't have time to make some of the more elaborate Christmassy projects out there at the moment...

Well, for someone who had nothing to say I don't think I've done too badly LOL! And to anyone who actually makes it to the end of this boring post I WON SOMETHING!!! Yup - over at one of my favourite possies, last weekend during their crop. {You can see my layouts in their gallery otherwise I'll be posting them here this week anyway} Not sure what I have won yet LOL but am told it is "exciting" so that bodes well...will let you know! I will post my winning layout soon. I have discovered that it's pretty easy to win stuff if you actually enter...now why didn't I think of that before???!!! I have numerous finished layouts to show you this week ;-D Hope you all had a good weekend - we have had rain & more rain!

Happy Colourful Life!

2009-11-26T20:16:00.003+02:00

Here is a layout I did this weekend in response to Aida's Flower Power challenge over at the Cocoa Daisy Fall Crop. I also sent it in the next night to The Scrappiest, as I based it on their sketch 39, due in a couple of days ago. As you can see I rotated it to the right so that the horizontal strip became vertical.

I used an old sheet of KI Memories paper {the reverse of a VERY bright print} as the backing paper as it matched perfectly with Jody's minty shirt. Have you noticed how much printed paper is being used lately as "backing" paper? Definitely the trend is shifting back from plain bazzill to prints...very interesting...

I mixed up my prints/manufacturers as it's one of my favourite things to do. Used stripey Websters (Your Life - Beautiful) & 2 Basic Grey Lemonade papers. The scallop strip is a Sassafras sticker. Instead of the large ring I decided to use 2 smaller circles using acrylic CD's {they come on either side of a stack of CDs when you buy them blank for burning}. I inked these with a multicolour stamp I have had in my stash for years. I was trying to replicate the "alcohol inks" look I have been seeing a lot of lately, as I haven't been able to find any locally & probably wouldn't want to invest in them anyway as they would no doubt be expensive & my use of them would be fairly limited.

They gave me the inspiration for my title "Happy Colourful Life" {aswell as the October Afternoon die-cut "Happy"}. I love the fresh crisp lemon yellow colour. I cut the flowers & fronds out of another sheet of Websters. The little flowers are Prima & the bling brads came with them. The flatter flowers underneath are Making Memories - the sparkly ones that come in that little tin box with the open section on the lid.

See the close-up of the multi-coloured ink on the acrylic circle...pretty funky touch me thinks...

I inked the papers using lime green (on the stripe) & dark brown on the dot (& pink on the floral). To me inks are essential for adding dimension - I could never live without them. I use the 1" square inkpads or the cat's eye shaped ones as most of my inking is just edging. Often they come away from the base before the ink is spent so I have a largish pair of plastic tweezers {from an old kids' toy doctor's set!} that I use to grab them Calzone style (folded in half) & this way I can still use them until they are completely dry. I have heard that a blob of dimensional glaze actually sticks them back to the base but I keep forgetting to try!

I painted my mesh for Iris' class just before doing this layout & painted the mesh over a split open plastic bag as obviously the paint was going to go throught the holes of the mesh. As I was about to scrunch up the bag & throw it into the bin I decided to press it onto the right hand side of this layout - you will notice some random white markings - plastic bag transfer technique shall we call it LOL???!!! ;-D

Some of these little flowers were gauzy...too pretty...pity there was only one pack left at the sale on Saturday!

The corner sticker is Sassafras & the bee is October Afternoon, raised on foamcore {a better alternative to pop-dots that never keep stable}. Foam core is a plastic-based 3D board that comes in 12" sheets & you can cut down to whatever size & shape you need. I bought it wholesale so have dozens of sheets of the stuff but it cost next to nothing compared to the ridiculous retail price at "Expensive That!"

I'm trying my hand at some dimensional close-ups & starting to feel more passionate about photography than scrapbooking at times...

Still following this blog for the best photography I've yet to find on the web.

Red alphas are Pink Paislee {are they coming up with some rockin' stuff or what?!} & lime green Doodlebug. These li'l numeral stickers are good old Making Memories - always the leaders in everything cool...

Lyra {She's cute}

2009-11-25T00:19:00.002+02:00

I just finished this layout. I had to photograph it in artificial light {I've found the best spot where I can disable the flash} but it's still dicey at best & blurry despite leaning on the top of a dining room chair ;-D Sorry...had to do it in order to enter this in the Twisted Sketches current challenge due in right now LOL! I leave everything to the last minute, not because I am disorganised, but because I can pack more into my life that way. For someone who used to hate "being told what to do" {ie:- online challenges} I'm starting to really enjoy them! At last I have got to grips with sketches & can now use them guilt-free {I used to feel like it was "cheating"}.

At Twisted Sketches there is always something interesting thrown into the mix, beyond the sketch. This time the word was "distress" so I turned the inking up a notch & sanded the edges of the photographs as opposed to printing them with the crisp white borders that I am preferring at the moment. For some strange reason I really battled with my paper choice. I find this THE most time consuming part of my scrapbooking. I always want it to be PERFECT. This was about my 4th choice & doesn't actually "match" but I really felt like a citrusy/zesty colour pallette tonight, and eventually thought, well why not these papers LOL?!

I got to use my yellow chipboard Thickers again - TYPO is currently my favourite font. When I first saw these Thickers in the Cocoa Daisy kit I did wonder what Ali was thinking {it was their September "Ali" kit}. I eat my thoughts! I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE them!!! The green spotty "underlinings" are the remnants of parts of letters {cut up} from my hectically lime green "umbrella" Thickers.

The red alphas are Pink Paislee & the turquoise are Doodlebug. I tied them in with the top title by bracketing them with yellow typo thickers brackets. The yellow flower I have cut in half to accent each part of the title {see the other half above the top title "Lyra"} is part of the same set of October Afternoon diecuts that also features the 2 cherry embellishments, the bee & the flower flourish, all featured on this layout. I inked the flower in red, the cream cardstock in pink & the printed paper in turquoise. Inking the edges of your different paper/embellishment elements helps to visually tie your layout together.

The orange backing cardstock is actually the reverse of American Crafts - Blue Skies - Wouldn't it be Nice? printed paper - a travesty perhaps but it was just the shade I was looking for! Same with the cream "cardstock" - it is actually the reverse of American Crafts - Blue Skies - Zip A Dee Doo Dah printed paper. It is THE perfect cream for Lyra's skintone. I tried to use bazzill from my stash, but like choosing facial foundation/base, I just couldn't get the perfect match until I saw this! The printed paper is Basic Grey Lemonade "Honey Bee" & a print that I really love. I bought the mesh at Waste Centre but the only colour available was black, so I painted it white, using regular acrylic paint. Love the dimensional touch it adds...

Yup - the photo wasn't exactly parallel with the mesh but don't worry! I've just lifted & straightened it ;-D

I inked the edges of the paper with lime green so all in all I've used 4 different ink colours on this layout - Lime, Red, Turquoise & pink...ooops...5 actually...inked the BEE in orange...forgot a close-up shot of him - you'll have to scroll back up! I used a black fineliner to add some dots behind the bee as a quirky touch {his flight plan} & journaled the date by hand - see below.

It was a quick layout - 1.5 hours - quick by my standards anyway - how long do you normally spend on a page?

I'm here to write a post! {and tell you some secrets}

2009-11-24T03:44:00.000+02:00

Why I do not know...it's 3.30 in the morning & I should be fast asleep! I didn't get on here until about 11.30p.m because my best laid plans went awry today - I had my evening all mapped out when DH arrived home & announced that we were going out to dinner with his Uncle, who had just phoned him, having arrived from Joburg "out of the blue". Not what I had in mind but we had a great evening anyhoo... I have a layout for you in drafts, all photos prepped & ready to roll, but the thought of writing out the how-to, etc, is not appealing at this time LOL!!! I only logged on to post a layout to a challenge site as it was due in 12p.m EST tonight. Problem is though, well you know, one logs on & checks up on all & sundry & before you know it you're in this "New Post" box. While I'm here I may aswell update you a bit...

Spent Friday night unexpectedly "alone" as DH's plane back from Zimbabwe never arrived {British Airways not Air Zimbabwe just in case you were wondering...} . Friday is my busiest day kids wise - weird huh? With my 2 big kids writing exams at the moment it is busier...no fun! My collection times at 3 different schools were 10.30, 11.30, 12.30 and...you guessed it...1.30!!! But wait! There's more!! Cricket ends at 2.30! And - because it's close to a Woollies - weekend treat shopping (topping up the groceries done at Pick 'n Pay earlier in the week) gets done while I'm "waiting" {rushing down the aisles, rushing to the car, then rushing back to the venue} We head straight home after cricket & I pack away the groceries before heading out for a weekly meeting with a DF at 4. As you can imagine this doesn't leave me much time for much else as I can't delegate the packing away of the provisions or I can never find anything when I need to cook with it, anyone else have that problem??? ;-D

The school year is all but over & next year brings with it new grades & extra murals therefore an entirely new schedule so perhaps my Fridays will improve. Let's hope so!

This Friday my DD requested a lift to Mt. Edgecombe "on the way" LOL! {Durbanites will know that Mt. Edgecombe geographically speaking isn't on the way to anything...} Kids...clueless when it comes to direction! I did make it back to La Lucia after dropping her off "on the way"...miraculously I also managed (just remembered!) to drop DS in a totally different suburb "on the way" too!!! I did some Christmas shopping after my cappas with my DF...a rare moment ALONE - very difficult to Christmas shop when one usually has at least ONE of FOUR children in tow. I know, I know, I could do it in the mornings but that is studio time & waaaaaaay more fun than shopping! Went back to collect DS while DD only arrived back at midnight {fortunately I was spared collecting her as she now has a boyfriend that can drive - but is that a blessing I wonder?!} I had the Woollies wine all ready & the dinner prepared {not to mention 2 over-excited youngsters looking forward to daddy's return} {the teenagers were less phased LOL} when we got the call to say that there was no way Shane was going to manage to fly back. He had been waiting at Harare airport for 6 hours - the BA plane had not arrived as it had "a problem" {I do agree, better safe than sorry obviously} but as a result he missed his connecting flight to Joburg with ANOTHER airline then had to fight tooth & nail with BA to get them to foot the bill - which they eventually did - seeing as he had missed the flight solely because he couldn't get to Joburg without the assistance of a plane that BA could not provide! We were all left feeling rather deflated...

Saturday morning saw Chelsea & I venturing off into the Wilderness to a scrapbook store closing down sale. We travelled a good 100km's {including the obligatory "getting lost en route" routine - both ways LOL} but it was definitely worth it. If you are local & in need of their details E MAIL ME. Of course nothing new as they have been winding down for a while now but Bazzill at R2.50 per sheet, patterned papers at R5, lots of flowers {oops sorry, that was BEFORE my visit ;-D} tonnes of embellishments, magazines, HUGE cutting mats at A MERE FIFTY RONDS...worth a visit I tell ya! LOADS of paper racks at R600 each... huuuuuuuuuuuuge paper racks...double paper racks in fact...too big for me unfortunately, but maybe good for you??? Would hold all your paper if you are a normal person, or perhaps about a third of your paper if you are a scrap addict like me ;-D I bought some exciting storage items aswell - will post photographs of them in due course.

Exhausting stuff I tell ya...especially as my daughter decided it was pay-back time on the way home & we had to spend another couple of hours at a mall clothes shopping for her. We hadn't eaten a morsel ALL DAY & it was now lunch time so a food stop was in order anyhow. Admittedly we did find some very cute stuff for her but my feet did not thank me for it ;-D Fortunately I had just enough time to squirrel away my stash booty before DH finally made it home ;-D Yay me! That, folks, is a 20 hour slice of my "stay-at-home-mom" {ironic} life!

In keeping with the randomness of this post I've just come across this whilst googling "Housewife Cartoons" {go figure...} A post isn't a post without a photo you know!

Inspiration, Links & a new Layout!

2009-11-20T21:23:00.011+02:00

I have been doing more blog-hopping than scrapping this week due to 2 factors:-

1} My chronic foot condition has flared up big time & I am having to sit more than stand at the moment. {I am loathe to go back for more cortisone injections, which solve the problem but replace it with others & are very painful in themselves because they have to go straight into the side of my feet}.

2} The weather - I am freezing! Unable to do anything other than sit by the heater on the pc or get into bed with the electric blanket on No. 3!

Yesterday I was flicking through Colour Lovers & came across this:-

I downloaded it to my desktop {as I am wont to do occassionally}. Next I visited Kelly Goree's blog & discovered this. How strange is that??? Almost the identical colour scheme!!! And I am in luuuuuuuuurve ...... well, infatuation really, have been thinking about it all day...
After some investigation it would seem that Sugar Rush seems to be more to everyone's taste...but in my mind it is no rival! I just love green & have noticed that there is a definite dominance of it on my pages. It's all good...I like green...don't make a calculated decision to use it but it's just so fresh, soothing, earthy & calm so I am chomping at the bit for this one...know it will be quite a wait for us Africans & it is not even on Two Peas yet...

A new blog I am enjoying at the moment is this one & how cute is that layout? Just lovely - layered, stitched, embellishment clusters...all my favourite things & Wendy Sue is one of the new CK Dream Team members too!

As you all know the Internet is flooded with all things Christmassy right now & free stuff here & there too. One of the prettiest things on offer are the free downloads you can find here & here. You can check out this cool project here where you will also find the link to Kayla's blog where the free download can be found for these cute book trees.

Another thing I'm following with interest is this - a great concept for newbies but I am waaaaaaaaaay too far gone with this hobby to even consider it, as well priced as it is, but I am recommending it to a friend who is short on time & not creatively minded as it's certainly simple & very attractive. I know that I over complicate things but that's part of creativity & I could never be that disciplined, after all I abandoned the 365 thing by June LOL!

And, to reward you for your patience, a layout at last! Yup, I still have a few of them up my sleeve so here is a quick & easy one for you all. Ever an S.E.I fan I did this one last month as I bought the paper on sale & wanted to use it straight away. Aptly titled "16 and Blooming Gorgeous" Chelsea is literally blossoming before our eyes, which is wonderful & frightening at the same time. Never did I think my chubby little girl would turn into the graceful swan that she has become. Swiftly she is departing...{Now that would be a good name for my next layout of her} Slipping through my fingers...{you get the idea LOL!} Moving on...

The paper is s.e.i Seafoam & Poppy {just cut out part of the flower design}. Alphas are Chatterbox Artsylicious {Fine pressed Alabaster} Glitter chipboard is DCWV. Bling Brads also Chatterbox & stick-on bling gems are Bo Bunny. I raised the chipboard flowers on pop-dots & filled in the flower centres with the insides of all the alpha "o's" to add dimension. Journaling card "Theresa Collins" mounted onto red bazzill. Yellow offcut (Cosmo Cricket) inked with brown offset at back.

Quite simple for me don'tcha think? I thought the textures from the paper & alphas were enough...

See the embellished flower centres & fancy brad below.

Also colourful but somehow not overwhelmingly garish as the blue is dusty cobalt & the yellow slightly mustard...

So there you have it. This one was a quickie. I put it together in an hour. Need to do some more like this me thinks...now that time is short & all that...

Happy Weekend! See y'all Monday ;-D

Scrapping & Shopping...

2009-11-19T19:12:00.011+02:00

Hiya all! Feeling pretty unmotivated at the moment {why does that happen when there is so much to do?} Basically my energy is being spent on the "must-do's" and there's not much time left over after that. I have noticed in years gone by that this is what happens come November - end of year madness I call it! The schools seem to pile on the work/projects/orals/etc just at the time that things should be winding down...maybe it stems from the sudden realisation that the end of the year is nigh & there are still certain things outstanding. I'm not sure, all I know is that it's impossible to get into any type of festive, holiday spirit when I am running back & forth between schools, with two children writing exams & finishing at different times, and another two being plagued with last minute assignments.

That said, I have managed to get my layout done for the latest challenge over at Journaling Junkie.

Challenge 69

Challenge 69 is to use the following recipe:

1 x Photo

1 x Die Cut

1 x Textured Patterned Paper

1 x Cardstock

2 x other patterned paper

Inking

Bling

Rubons

Stitching

Scalloping

This challenge closes on the 29th of November midnight GMT- Please leave a comment with the link to your URL or email me eyeore at telkomsa dot net

So there are still 10 days left for y'all to get this one done & it's quite fun actually. Limiting myself made me steer clear of the Thickers & use up the rub-ons {of which I have aplenty!] so it was a worthwhile exercise. Somehow my layout turned out amazingly pretty - maybe I should stick to this recipe in future ;-D

The rub-ons I used were Dreamstreet "Happiness" & the rub-on letters were from a Making Memories Alphabet book. Papers are Fancy Pants {Summer Soiree}, K & Co. Dollhouse Quilted {Brenda Walton} & Bo Bunny Delilah. White cardstock - Bazzill scallop edge.

The ledger paper above & below is taken from Making Memories packaging {not good to write on because of the shiny surface but perfect for rub-ons}.

I inked the edges a bit with an SEI yellow inkpad for contrast & distressed the white with a touch of pink 'cos it was all looking a bit too sterile for my liking ;-D

The scalloped top is cut from a K & Co. Que Sera Sera doily. They are too beautiful but absolutely hellish to apply & it you looky carefully you can see that some of the yellow tore off to reveal the white underneath as the whole thing started sticking to the scrap paper I was working on when I was gluing it. Next time I will use plastic but you live & learn & I'm a great believer in not embracing perfectionism as these doilies are seriously expensive LOL! So I just sommer stuck it down & tried not to worry about it...

The paper "strips" are all one sheet (the very pretty K & Co. "Dollhouse" collection) so I just had to cut it up & add the Bo Bunny {inked with pink} in between the two strips.

Do you remember this post? {written towards the end of August this year} I tried & tried & TRIED to make headway with this kit company for my friend & I but to no avail. My e mails were left unanswered for weeks on end until I eventually got a one liner saying that I was "on the list of things to do". Well, when I finally made it to the top I requested an amount for postage & that was the last I heard. I reforwarded my e mail a couple of times & then gave up - much as I LOVED what I saw I didn't have the time or energy to keep persevering. I found this update today when I went to check out their latest kit. It seems that there are a lot of very unhappy chappies on this bandwagon & one of them would have been me had I actually succeeded in getting signed up! This is a perfect example of how sometimes bad things actually turn out to be a blessing. I am so relieved that these problems are not my own! Very sad as I really, really loved what I saw there...

I got an e mail today from a local online store with a sale on. You can find lovely Making Memories Faux Leather albums at a good price here. I have placed an order for my staples:- inks, adhesives, etc as I have started the change over of all my albums to the absolutely gorgeous WRMK ones but if you are in need of some decent post albums & reasonably priced refills don't say I didn't tell ya where to go! There are RED ones all ready for your Christmas photos & their site is easy to navigate & quick to load {which doesn't go without saying for local sites}. I am off to watch my favourite TV show now {Drop Dead Gorgeous}. It is freezing here & has been raining endlessly, day & night {like that dreadful song my teens keep playing} Actually, truth be told, I actually like that song...but as for the the rain, I want it to please go away!!!

Challenge Two - Inspired By...

2009-11-17T17:57:00.000+02:00

Our next challenge over at Cocoa Daisy was to use one of the advertisments below as inspiration for a layout.

Who can guess where I found my inspiration?

I was inspired by the advert on the bottom right {Hugo Boss Fragrance I think...} & flipped it onto it's side to include a second smaller photo where the bottle neck/top is.

Normally I wouldn't have scrapped these photos this way. As they were "Spring Day" photos {where the kids wear civvies to school & take posies to the local Old Age Homes} I was thinking along the lines of light & bright...but they were in my "already printed" photo pile & as I was perusing my photo stack I thought they would be perfect for this interpretation.

It has been raining on & off here so I had to take these photographs inside to get them uploaded in time before the crop ended so they are not the best shots, sorry...

I used plain black Bazzill & I stamped with bubble wrap using L'il Davis pearl paint. My title uses a combination of yellow "Typo" font Thickers from my September Cocoa Daisy kit, white Doodlebug alphas & red Pink Paisley stickers from the October "In Stitches" Cocoa Daisy add-on.

I had fun layering up punched circle accents {using my Creative Memories circle punch & random offcuts} before adding flowers from Prima, American Crafts, Sassafras, DCWV & my local haberdashery store, with brads & buttons from Sassafras.

Okay so I took a few too many photos...

But I know that I enjoy studying every detail of all your creations so...

There you have it! The yellow chipboard squares come with the Yellow "Typo" Thickers from American Crafts. I would NEVER have bought bright yellow Thickers but I have to say that I have used them several times, so being part of a kit club really does encourage you to think outside the box!

Creative Dilemma

2009-11-16T09:14:00.006+02:00

How many times do we hear the expression "Scrapbooking is fun!"? Well, indeed it should be...and indeed it is...but there are times {for me anyway} when I think about it in a deeper way & ask myself which direction I should be heading. I like to keep all my options open but at the end of the day one has to attempt to hone in on a particular style & way to go about things lest your work ends up looking "all over the place". That requires a certain level of discipline that's not really that much fun. I've seen that the "in" style is neat & clean, grids & graphic. Wish it were my style {from that aspect} but it ain't me now is it? Fashion is fickle & who knows when it won't be de rigueur any longer? As much as I love trends & do follow them {we all do, to an extent, whether we realise it or not} I definitely gravitate towards this type of stuff.

To me that is just gorgeous...eclectic & unexpected...the kind of thing that unfortunately makes most folks think that there is something rather odd about you! This is an image taken from this blog & I have hooked you up there to a particular post that I found rather {okay read "very} inspiring. Now I am not a great stamper. I see others doing it & it does appeal I'll not lie, but there surely has to be a limit to our stash & space dictates in this household. My supplies have morphed into space eating individuals with a life of their own & are busy gobbling up oxygen in the scrap room, bedroom, hall, dining room & passage as we speak! {gotta sort out that situation soon} Anyhoo...back to the stamps...love em, have em {well not many really...} use 'em but not particularly well {think you need better inks than what I have - I use the little square or cat's eyes that are great for inking edges but would probably have to make a major investment in the likes of Versamark & Tsuniko {sp???} to really make some headway, but looking at these may well change my mind...my favourite being...

I am a real quote junkie & those are all classics IMO...Soooooooooooooooooooo...which way to go, decisions, decisions...what's important I think is that we just keep going. I appreciate many different styles but I think I'm right in saying that deep down we would all like to cultivate our own definable signature style. Blogging has definitely opened my options up considerably...boy do I love to sit here & soak it all in...as Tim says "it just so happens I buy it faster than I can use it"....well my own version of that is..."It just so happens that I take it in faster than I can churn it out" {In other words, I soak in so much inspiration that I would need another life just to be able to get it all out of me again & into my work}. I think that an artist one should never be satisfied with one's work. Look at bands like U2, REM & the like, I've been following those bands since the 80's & they have constantly evolved which perhaps is why they are what they are today, as opposed to the likes of bands like the Stone Roses that still have their 2 late '80s hits on the top of their My Space playlist.

Artsy angst...it's quite something I tell ya but it seems to gets you far...

Playing away at Cocoa Daisy!

2009-11-15T04:28:00.005+02:00

Phew! I am feeling exhausted after 36 hours of fun at Cocoa Dais y. I need to shower {QUICK!} & hop into bed before DH catches me up at this hour LOL! This is only my second online crop & I have to say it is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than the last one I did, not sure why, maybe it is just me, but I am feeling much more relaxed & confident & really enjoying everything on offer. The Design Team is a pretty varied & talented bunch & they all have tutorials & classes on the go, challenges & RAKS going on all over the boards, & it's not exclusive to subscribers, you don't need certain products, it's all about having fun, being inspired & getting some interesting stuff done, so why not pop in & see what's happening? There are prizes being handed out left, right & centre & all projects only have to be in by next week Sunday latest so there's lots of time...

This is Challenge 1 - a sketch challenge. I turned it on it's side & had fun with some spray mists {could only get hold of some very grungy colours here...} & used some chipboard stars as masks {flipped them over so I can still use them on a layout as they are nice & glittered on the front}.

They are a pretty arty bunch over there so I tried to channel my inner artist LOL!!!

That blue "stuff" you see is acrylic paint applied using bubble-wrap {I knew there was a reason I was keeping it...}

I hand-journaled down at the bottom in keeping with the casual feel...

I finally got to use that cute American Crafts owl paper {& quite appropriately too I might add...}

The mists are messy {tip *** cut open a big plastic shopping bag & lay it on your surface *** & kinda "miss" with the mist & shoot over the top of the layout if you want something light & sprinkly as opposed to splotchy - who knew there was an art to these things???!!!}

When you are done misting...scrunch up the bag & chuck it out! Fold it inwards & you are back to a mess-free zone...genius idea - Donna Downey taught me that! So there you have it - just a little teaser to tempt you over to say hello tomorrow - EST time so locals basically we are 7 hours ahead - so things start at 2 our time & end at 2 in the morning! There is lots already in the threads that you can review & get caught up on. There's bound to be at least ONE thing you like going on - no matter how fussy you are. No blog hopping going on for me at the moment because I am too busy learning & scrapping but hope to pop in on y'all later in the week when I am through with my projects. Goodnight...or should I say...Good Morning!

Busy busy this Weekend!

2009-11-13T23:25:00.007+02:00

Hi there friends! I made you a little teddy bear message because I am going to MIA for a few days. Cute huh?

Send a Teddy Bear Note at WiddlyTinks.com

I am going to be playing over at my favourite kit club here but the good news is you can join me!

I spent the day yesterday {or rather "my" part of the day - not a huge chunk of time} preparing for it but spring-cleaning my work-zone & rehousing my embellishments {more specifically 1) rub-ons & transparencies 2) Alpha stickers 3) ribbons 4) stickers 5) offcut strips} into those cool metal bar buckets at Mr Price Home - they are perfect for storing all your goodies upright & accessible & there are various different prints to choose from. I chose the butterfly design to match the caddy on my desk. Only problem is now I need more!!! I went back today only to discover that they are all sold out...don't you just hate it when that happens!!! Oh well, ek sal sommer "maak 'n plan" {which means "I'll {just kinda} make a plan..." or at least I hope it does...my Afrikaans is not the best LOL!

Journaling Junkie Layout, a weird creation & the first "real" Summer day!

2009-11-11T22:12:00.003+02:00

Here is my latest offering over at Journaling Junkie this month.

Challenge 68.The challenge: use loads of words (adjectives) to describe character traits – the bulk of the journaling must consist of adjectives …

This challenge closes on the 14th of November midnight GMT- Please leave a comment with the link to your URL or email me eyeore at telkomsa dot net
See you still have a few days to get your layouts in & this one is easy guys! There is usually a RAK if 5 or more people play along & it's worthwhile so c'mon!!! I love being on this design team...the pages I end up with are some of the most meaningful in my albums & journaling just comes easier & easier the more you do it, really!

This layout gave me an opportunity to have a play in Wordle. If you haven't discovered this scrapper's internet tool go there now! You will have a blast - just type in the bunch of words you want to use on your layout then play about testing out which orientation looks best...you will get the hang of it really quickly I promise ;-D I typed in a bunch of adjectives, {you get to choose a limited selection of fonts & colours too BTW}, played about 'til I was happy with the "look" then printed my "Wordle" out onto a transparency.

Unfortunately I didn't realise that transparency would photograph so badly ;-( In real life it is easy to see the paler pink words & the transparency is as flat as a pancake & not dented like it looks here. I soooooooooooooo want a 12inch printer but here they aren't readily available & will most likely have to be imported by the manufacturer at vast expense to my DH so the chances of me acquiring one are so slim that I try not to dwell on the thought...If I "wordle" on a layout in future I will print it out onto a piece of A4 cardstock instead & adjust my layout design to accomodate that.

I journaled directly onto the photograph with my white milky pen. Again, it is clear as day in real life whereas in the photographs here the first line is not so clear...should have stuck to writing on the dark coloured tree section only! Okay, so ironically this layout entitled PERFECT is far from perfect scrappywise but moving on...I used a large (5 x 7") print, which I know is not "de riguer" in scrapbooking these days but IRL certain special photos need to be enlarged & this was one of them. Supplies:- Bazzill white. October Afternoon - Cherry Hill - Recipe Box. American Crafts - Blue Skies - Oh Happy Day! DCWV "Love" adhesive ribbon. White die-cut paper - courtesy of Cocoa Daisy. Tiny Alphas - Making Memories.

This one was quick & easy & I like it!

Okay, now, here is a collage I created of Jack's "Egyptian Dog god" mask I helped him make out of papier mache this weekend. Pretty ridiculous huh?!?

Jack loved playing the fool for the camera as you can see...{note the "telephone" pose on the top left LOL!} See the hibiscus flowers in bloom on that shrub behind him? That means Summer! Here I say that with great trepidation as Summer is not an enjoyable season in a humid, tropical climate. That said, I am learning to tolerate it, even attempting to embrace it, and DO love certain things about it, such as getting to wear slops {my favourite footwear...and not sloppy/slobby ones...I have beautiful blingy ones too!} & sarongs {they've got that "one size fits all thing going on" ;-D} How do I know that Summer is well & truly here on this the 11th day of November 2009? Well, because tonight was the first night the kids dived into the pool after dinner! Night swims are one of their summer treats {read necessities...} then they dive into bed fresh & sweat-free. Yes, it really is THAT hot that the sweat pours off you...sticky stuff...

'Scuze the rubbish photo above but I didn't use the flash or edit it because I want to remember that it was night!

Here with the flash they look cuter...and {below} Jack was on such good form after we completed his mask & photo-shoot that he insisted on a "torso of the week" shot for you all {precocious 14 year old that he is ;-D}

PC Woes & some Scrappy Victories!

2009-11-10T20:33:00.012+02:00

My PC has been up to some weird & wonderful stuff lately...it is having it's "moments" when it will spring to life on demand {at a press of the tower button} but show no sign of life on the monitor. My local technician is beginning to think perhaps I fancy him as I keep returning with tower AND monitor in hand {thought maybe the screen had just died...} & I even cart along the leads for good measure {Daisy has a habit of chewing through cellphone charger leads, etc...} but when I am in the store...guess what?!? It all works hunky dory...one of life's {annoying} little mysteries....so I have been offline for a couple of days {feels like a lifetime...} & still haven't got to even opening all my e mails since Friday...sorry {if it's you needing me!} I am back here & hoping for the best tonight but can't stay long as I have {another} resolution to try to force myself into an earlier sleep routine, as DH is on his way out the country in a couple of weeks & I need to be up at sparrows to do the 3 x school run. Chelsea is entering her final year so now has extra early morning responsibilities with the year ones at her school as she is a monitor so needs to be there before they all arrive each morning.

Thank Goodness the dreaded Egyptian dog "god" mask is complete & set to leave the house in the morning {don't dig creepy stuff like that hanging around my space...} but he does look rather splendid, even though I say so myself, & papier mache is a whole lotta fun you know! Now that I have bucket loads of left-over newspaper strips & wallpaper glue who knows what OTP projects I can come up with ;-D Am hoping that tomorrow could be a scrappy day! Seems like everyone in the Southern Hemisphere is on a Spring cleaning mission & I really need to follow suit - so may have to spend the morning "finding" my scrappy desk rather than scrapping on it ;-D If it's full then that's actually normally a good sign because it means there is scrappy goodness on top of it. This week it is in the form of my new Cocoa Daisy kit for October {finally arrived on Friday ;-D} {oooh la la...}, some purchases less 20% from a LSS {less 20% usually just brings it down to a sane price level I might add...} some Thickers from a new LSS {*wink* to you...} & my new CK for December {shock, horror, here before the 1st....} so I have quite some sorting to do but, hey, I'm not complaining!

It's been a win/win week for me so far...I have nabbed a December Guest Designer spot over at SATC {with my "Fall" layout} & won a couple of RAKS too...one at Little Shop of Sketches & another one over at Scrappy Times...so I have 3 parcels on their way to me as we speak & one is a whole kit! Thank you Scrapbook Circle!!!...Jingle Bells!!!!!!

Double-sided Patterned Paper
Crate Season Summer
Crate Season Love
Crate Season Winter
Crate Season Rainbow
Crate Season Friendly
Crate Season Fall
Cosmo Cricket Earth Love Remember
Lily Bee Audrey Delightful
Lily Bee Audrey Smashing

Cardstock
1 sheet Bazzill 6 X 12 Scalloped White

Embellishments
Crate Season Journal Stickers
Jillibean Soup Corrugated Cardboard Alpha
Basic Grey Blue Half Pearls
Crate Season Rubons
4 Shabby Chic Fall Flash Cards
(styles will vary)
2 Shabby Chic Vintage Artisan Notes
(styles will vary)
2 Elles Studio Kraft/Black Journaling Cards
(styles will vary)

Not too shabby hey! Oh my I have just seen that my favourite Jillibean Soup Corrugated alphas are in there...not to mention BG pearls & Elle's Studio journaling cards...whoop!!! Last month I decided I really wasn't going to win anything if I didn't enter...so for the first time ever I did some challenges...five of them...and won three!!! Think I better carry on ;-D Love this thing called the Internet...

My Blog's Over The Top!!! {as is my life...}

2009-11-09T02:50:00.003+02:00

Or so Desire tells me! *wink*** ;-D She gave me an award this week...thanks Desire! Now I'm not always very good at following through & acknowledging such, posting it on my blog, etc, so if I've done that to you, please accept my apologies now while I remember to give them LOL! To be eligible for this award I need to answer certain questions so here goes...

1. Where is your cell phone?
Right here on my desk.

2. What style is your hair in right now?
In a messy bun gathered up with a scrunchie!

3. Where's your mother?
She lives in Cape Town.

4. Where's your father?
With her!

5. Favourite food?
Savoury & salty...

6. Last dream?
My youngest daughter all grown up on a modelling assignment leaning against a pillar snacking on a packet of crisps?!?

7. Favourite drink?
Coke Zero.

8. Which room are you in?
The passage.

9. Your hobby?
Scrapbooking {doing it & learning about it over the internet}, photography & photo editing.

10. Your fear?
That I may give up on my ideals.

11. Where were you last night?
Out for dinner.

12. Something that you aren't?
Stingy.

13. Muffins?
No thanks.

14. Wish list?
See previous post...

15. Where did you grow up?
Salisbury, Rhodesia, which became Harare, Zimbabwe in 1980.

16. Last thing you did?
Burnt photos to 2 DVDs then to my EHD then deleted them off my hard drive.

17. What are you wearing?
An Ed Hardy lookalike Tshirt & a sarong.

18. Your TV?
Doesn't interest me much...

19. Your pets?
Daisy Bucket & Cocoa Blush.

20. Your friends?
Scattered.

21. Your life?
I'm very much in it...

22. Your mood?
Anticipatory.

23. Missing someone?
Yes.

24. Your vehicle?
Chrysler Voyager.

25. Something you're not wearing?
Jewellery.

26. Your favourite shops?
2 Peas & Blue Moon.

27. Your favourite colour?
White.

28. Last time you laughed?
Just now.

29. Last time you cried?
Probably in a movie within the last month...

30. Your best friend?
I love her!

31. One place you like to go over & over
Bed...

32. Facebook
Yawn ;-o

33. Favourite place to eat?
At home {when DH is cooking...;-D}

And if I comment on your blog a lot that's a sure sign that I think it's over the top, so take that as your cue to reward yourself with this award should you so wish!

Now for a bit of news...This weekend was rocking...really...I had a bit of an upset some weeks ago & it was a kismet {blessing in disguise} for me {looking back now...} because it made me realise that I need to enjoy life more {live more "in the moment"}. Practically speaking that's not always so easy to do so I decided to start with the weekends. To implement this I a) put a "loose" ban on internet/e mail activity {for myself only...} meaning that I'm not to spend hours surfing, etc, but sending a quick reply from my phone is "allowed" for example...over the weekend that is... b) decided that I should try to have some quality time with EACH of my {4} children {alone & separately} over this time {any quantity so long as it was quality} c) that I should try to do the same with my husband & d) that I should prioritise friendship over the weekend too {in other words, accept invitations instead of staying in, make those phonecalls, fulfill those requests, whatever...}

Now perhaps all these things go without saying for many of you but my life during the week {& parts of the weekend too} is very busy. For various unavoidable reasons my kids are at several different schools & each one has certain "extra-murals" {activities/hobbies/etc} that are necessary for their development & part & parcel of their lives & I am the designated driver & administrator {their PA so to speak}. Our family is fairly unusual in that we all have A LOT to do with each other - we chat/communicate/debate all the time - & it can be quite exhausting, but DH & I both came from families that where everyone was "on their own mission" so we made a pact to do things "our way" & we are now paying for it, lol! Just kidding...wouldn't have it any other way... ;-D but come the weekend I want {& need} some quiet time for myself. Going out can be "a schlep" but I want to live life too & enjoy relationships I have while I have them so I'm trying to be more social, etc, as I could happily create & get lost in my own world for hours & days on end if left to my own devices.

Well several of these "new style" weekends & I have to say I could become addicted. Who knew things could be so much fun!? This weekend alone we've had a great big family dinner {along with DD's boyfriend who is an only child & doesn't come from such a happy home so he is loving coming over to "ours"}, a hilarious dinner out with "new" {post Zim} friends at a very trendy pukkah Durban hang out, and a lovely long walk along the Promenade, followed by a meal out with some very dear, very old friends visiting from Zimbabwe. In between it all I've got some Christmas shopping done, enjoyed some special time out with my little girl, helped each of my sons with their school projects {one being to make an Egyptian mask out of papier mache...for history nogal...I mean really...} & taught my DD how to make a delicious savoury rice salad for her lunches this week {I'm trying to "expand her repertoire" before she leaves home to study...} & enjoyed a good "private" chat all along the way...

Life is definitely good...and even when it seems bad...if you can turn it around for good then at the end of the day you've turned a bad situation around to work in your favour...and there's nothing sweeter than that...

All I want for Christmas...

2009-11-06T03:05:00.005+02:00

Considering that I am lucky enough to already {or should I say still...} have my two front teeth...is this.
Isn't it just perfect??? I want one JUST like this - with all my family's names engraved. Mmmmmm...

BUT...The problem is that...{...}...I've recently discovered this & want a fair amount of what's in there!!! What's a girl to do under such circumstances??? Decisions, decisions ......................................... okay...I can't decide................................................................maybe I could have both??

{CLICK on the image above for FULL effect...for some reason it is coming out long & skinny on Blogger but if you click it you will be able to view all the yumminess in it's true glory...}

What do you think DH will say? How much is too much?

Oh I am so glad I came up with the name "Scrap Addict" because, really, it IS quite fitting...
Okay, enough of that now, I have 2 cuties to share with you...first this one...

Isn't he cute?!? Feel free to save him & use him on your blog if you want ;-D Next up is this one below. Now this I can REALLY relate to...LOL!!! Lucky for me, I have a very understanding DH who also happens to be a not too shabby chef...

So to all of you "out there" {sounds like a line from a sci-fi movie...} I hope you have a wonderful weekend enveloped in whatever it is that works to bring you joy & fulfillment {provided it is legal of course} hehehe...

Just One More Day...

2009-11-05T04:04:00.002+02:00

Until this happens! So super excited about it I can hardly sleep - talk about delirious with excitement. This girl is my kinda talented in this type of very cool way...and have you noticed how the "real artists" in this industry are also the nicest people??? Their work is as authentic as they are.

Our supplies list is pretty complex though so I spent an hour this afternoon at a local fabric supply store trying my best to improvise & find some suitable product to work with. The layout is fabric-based so I needed to buy fabric, trims & "mesh" {could only find that in black so am off to gesso it now then can paint it to match on Friday when I am "in session" LOL!} I love online classes, they are just the funnest. I am not one of those great participators that has nothing else to do but post endlessly in the forums, too much going on in my life for that, but I get my money's worth behind my scrappy desk that's for sure...

If you've missed the details for this class follow the link provided, for USD$5 how can you go wrong??? And with such a talent to guide you I think we can only learn good things on Friday! Just for fun I took NINE photos of my divine stash haul. It looked so yummy I could have just eaten it...I have a long history with fabric {taught myself to sew as a teenager then studied Fashion Design & worked in the industry for some time before starting a hand-printed textiles business} so FABRIC + SCRAPPING = HEAVEN ON EARTH FOR ME ;-D

Taking all these photos just had me wanting to start a local kit club...I reckon I could do quite well digging around discovering stash that could help us emulate the brands that are not available here, Prima, etc, with a little ingenuity. I also discovered these absolutely gorgeous & inexpensive face-cloths, packaged to the enth degree of cuteness, as desserts, cupcakes & swiss-rolls. I was with the kids who were getting decidedly restless so just bought a couple today, but I am definitely going back tomorrow to get some more for Christmas stockings & gifts for all the special women in my life. I just love these - talk about an original gift!

Linky Link Day!

2009-11-04T00:12:00.001+02:00

I read a tonne of blogs & have learnt such a huge amount in my relatively brief relationship with the internet, that sometimes I feel like my head is going to explode! I like to share & want to "give back" too, so I "do my bit" here on my blog but at times I can't help but feel seriously inadequate. There are such rocking blogs out there that mine feels miniscule by comparison, but I 'spose we all have to start somewhere right? I am just glad that I have begun this journey...it is definitely the road I want to be on.

I have some INCREDIBLE links to share with you today. This girl is a phenomenon. Her site is PACKED full of information & she only set up her blog a few months ago. She knows EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING from scrapbooking, to photography, to publishing, you name it, she can tell you how to do it...follow her if you really want to get to know your stuff...and check out those links in her side-bar...awesomeness in the extreme!!! And the layout of that blog...phew...I think it may have converted me to Typepad. Not now, but I think that day is coming...

Okay, next up is this blog. Now I'm no stamper, but these stamps could win me over, if only you could get them here. Or anywhere for that matter. They appear to be tricky to get hold of. Even from them! I have had a bit of correspondence & not made much headway but the blog makes for a great quickie looksee every few days & there is an awesome amount of talent hanging around there, by way of their design team & their guest designers. Even without pressing a stamp to paper ever, you would benefit from keeping an eye on that blog.

Now this blog is inspiring! If you read the tabs at the top & get the background you may just be hooked like me! And if you're starting to dabble in hybrid, then there is a free download weekly! Okay, lately it's been very American in theme so not really usable in my neck of the woods, but that's just due to this time of the year, with Thanksgiving & Halloween not being widely celebrated in Africa. Kollette works for BPS & I would love to take one of her classes "in another life" {ie:- when I have the time}.

Now for a manufacturer I am just loving right now. These folk have some great simple designs. So versatile. Of course can't get any of them here either but anyhoo...you know I always make a plan & I have one cooking on this one too! Now you know a post isn't really a post without a photo, so here it is, courtesy of the Colour Lovers blog...

I know what you're thinking...what has a clock got to do with anything, but I just thought it was great, especially when you realise that you can see the numbers {well, the 12, 3, 6 & 9 anyway} in there...pretty cool if you ask me...

Grade 11 Party Layout & something really pretty...

2009-11-03T08:07:00.005+02:00

Up early surfing this morning & found this beauty. Can't wait to order some of that & get creating. To me that is really pretty...

I scrapped some more this weekend, & again yesterday, yes I am on a roll...but that's how I go, fits & starts & I have had some recent "real life" issues that have come in the way of my creating lately & I've missed it. Although I pay with the sorest feet on earth {I stand while I scrap & have an ongoing "health issue" with my feet since I fell down a flight of stairs 4 years ago...} I love to scrap. I forget about EVERYTHING. I don't have music playing. Just silence. I get "lost in my own world" & I love it. There is nothing like it, never has been & maybe never will be...

So here is my last layout left from last week. "Grade 11 Party".

Basic Grey backing paper. Basic Grey Porcelain "Dresden" printed paper. K & Co - Que Sera Sera doilie. Prima "Elysee" velvet floral ribbon. Making Memories jelly flowers. Making Memories tiny ledger alphas. L'il Davis Designs - Tinseltown Chipboard Alphabet - Snow. Prima "Say it in Pearls" self-adhesive flourish. Jennie Bowlin Rhinestone buttons - black. Prima "E Line" pearls. Sasafrass brad. 2" organza ribbon - local craft store. Basic Grey Porcelain Journaling Card {Yummy ingredients or what???!!!...}

I had lots of photos but none of them were great quality so I just wanted to create one single page {I ordered dozens of good quality ones that were professionally taken at the dance but I was experiencing "camera issues" when I took these & was also faced with a bunch of unwilling subjects who wanted me to "go away" LOL...} So I created an A4 sized collage in Picasa. Despite not wanting to cut up my doilies I have thoroughly enjoyed doing so {& feel better now that I've done it as their price is nausea inducing...}

Despite hating the photos I am really happy with how I managed to edit them & scrap them. The doilies I just "had to have", even though I had no idea how to use them, have really zhoozhed up my pages & I love the look of the gathered ribbon peeking out from the other side of my layout. The individual flowers I just cut from the length of Prima ribbon & attached pearls to the centres. This layout was trouble free. It came together quickly & easily & ended up very effective.

The L'il Davis chipboard alphas are ancient but were perfect for this layout. Essentially the colour scheme here is red & yellow with a touch of green but because the colours are so muted it is far from garish. Chelsea's dress was very pretty & "Versailles" inspired {YDE - Gateway} - cream coloured with black-lace so I took my design direction from that.

Wish all my pages could just "fall into place" like this one did for me...and NINE photos on a single page...now THAT is really good going & I still managed so squeeze in lots of bits & pieces so I'm happy!

Random "Stuff"...

2009-11-02T00:37:00.002+02:00

This blog is primarily for my scrapping adventures...layouts created, stash hauls, etc...but I've read a couple of posts outlining "stuff" for the month & I thought they were kinda cool, so here is my take on "what's been happening" for me this past month {October}...

What I've been reading:-

If you've been following my blog for a while now you'll know I'm a prolific reader, but that I don't read books! Or should I say, I don't read novels! Crazy apparently...but I do read a lot...this month I've been reading Creating Keepsakes
Scrapbook Inspirations
Scrapbooking Memories
and lotsa blogs. Right now, I am enjoying delving into the archives of this blog for in depth info on photography. This is a great blog BTW. The best "people photography" that I have ever come across...

I "follow" various magazine, manufacturer, kit company, scrapbooking & photography blogs, plus a smattering of various "creative lifestyle" blogs & about a dozen "social" blogs {where I just enjoy a good natter & learning about life from someone else's perspective}. This is a blog you should definitely add to your reader. The posts are easy to follow because they are usually a week or two apart, but the content is always awesomely creative. I'm not going to turn this post into a total link-sharing extravaganza because I need to move on to the next post, but if you love reading about scrapbooking in an interesting & personal context visit here. This girl is a darling & her blog is a visual feast of beautiful photography, beautiful people & beautiful work & her husband is a hilarious writer - his post on her blog here is the funniest post I have EVER read on any blog, anywhere.
I have also just bought a book of Quotes, and am enjoying working my way through the 2000 quotes contained therein.

Movies & TV shows I've been watching:-

Don't "do" TV generally as that's my pc/bloggy time or my extra scrappy time, but Thursday evenings have become a bit of a TV night lately. It starts with "Gavin & Stacy", moves on to "Extras", then onto "Drop Dead Gorgeous" then onto "The Real Hustle", all of which I enjoy, but don't always make it right through to "The Real Hustle" as that ends well after midnight. My DH was schooled in the UK & my mother is English {only moved out to Africa in her late 20's} & I have always had an affinity for all things English, hence my enjoyment of my English viewing night.

Movie-wise I am very blessed to live 20 minutes away from a complex with 20 cinemas, so am never short of good movies to watch & usually go out once a week with DH to "catch a movie". Now to try to remember what I've watched lately...

Looking for Eric - a low-budget movie starring Eric Cantona himself {ex Manchester United Capt} - brilliant movie.

Whatever Works - too existential in theme to really embrace but a Woody Allen masterpiece nonetheless.

The Ugly Truth - a bit coarse & "adult" to have watched with my daughter {she wanted to see it - I had no idea what it was about - it did have a 16 age restriction but she is 16 so I thought it would be okay...} but I loved it nonetheless because it was very funny.

Last Chance Harvey - a must for Dustin Hoffman & Emma Thompson fans...brilliant movie but you need to be over 40 to really "get it".

Easy Virtue - period classic...it was cool...I enjoyed it...

The Informant - very clever movie...Matt Damon acted fantastically in it...

The Time Traveller's Wife...rubbish...hated it {based on a "brilliant" novel apparently, you see why I don't read them...}

Phew...7 movies...perhaps some of them were in September {just been on the Ster-Kinekor website to jog my memory LOL!}

Fun Stuff I've been up to...

Went on holiday to Botswana
Went to watch "Cats" en route at the Teatro at montecasino in Joburg...hated it but had fun watching all the bored kids peashooting each other with straw covers...
Movies with kids
Movies with DH
Househunting {can be hilarious...depending on the house...we've seen some catastrophes of construction believe me...}