Snow Not Fun

Hi there my friends :) Ok, so I had time for just ONE more layout before this year runs out on me. This is my entry for case #50 over at CSI and here is the case file.

THE SCHEME (USE ALL 5 COLORS)

Menorah - medium cocoa brown, taken from the menorah
Taupe Tradition - light taupe, taken from the placemats - 237.229.218
Light the Candles - white, taken from the windows - 255.255.255
Blue Dreidel -light grayish blue, taken from the highlights of the ribbon - 193.205.219
Eighth Night - dark grayish blue, taken from the darkest part of the ribbon - 99.117.129
EVIDENCE (USE AT LEAST 2 ELEMENTS)

• ribbon
• wood
• fabric
• something that melts, like wax or embossing powder
• stitching
• stripes
• something transparent or made of glass
• string (inspired by wicks)
• something metal
• something shimmery/shiny

Here I used six elements . I used ribbon to make the little blue rose, I also tied ribbon to the tags as well as a strip of ribbon above the title. I used a wooden button and stuck a raffia bow onto it. The bird house is also a wood chippie which I painted. I stitched around the border of the page. I used stripes on the "fun" banner. I used bits of string on the tags and the pearls represents something shimmery.shiny.
 TESTIMONY (USE AT LEAST 1 ELEMENT)

• Document a holiday tradition.
• List 8 important things about your topic.
• Tie a ribbon around your journaling.
• Use these Hanukkah writing prompts, or adapt them to meet your own traditions.
• Use stripes in patterned paper to use for your journaling.
• Inspiration Words: tradition, miracle, light--use these as inspiration for your journaling, not just as a title about your topic.

Here I opted to list 8 important things about my topic which is written on a tag and tucked behind the photo.
Dring the month of August 2012 South Africa experienced widespread snowfall across the country. It snowed in places that has never seen snow before and for us South Africans it is a major event and school children and office workers took to the playgrounds and streets to witness the heaviest snowfalls since 1981. I live on the coast and therefor we never ever see snow but people drove hundreds of miles to witness the snow and one weekend we decided to take a trip up to the Midlands to go and see the snow and I really thought that Miss Molly in particular would enjoy it very much as she has such a dense coat and therefor she's always hot. At home she loves the airconditioning and is always lying flat on her tummy on the cool tiles. Well, I was so wrong!! She hated it. When I got out of the car she was not going to stay behind but she quickly regretted it and looked positively miserable after five minutes of being out in the snow. Now, if I know my baby as well as I think I do, then I can only guess that these are the reasons she didn't like it and that this is what was going through her mind.
1. It doesn't taste like chicken
2. It burns my delicate pink butt when she sits down.
3. I don't like to blend in with my surroundings...being the princess in the house I like to "stand out".
4. It makes my feet wet..I hate it when my feet are wet.
5. My legs are too short to jump over the drifts.
6. Sometimes the snow is higher than me and I can't see my mom.
7. Slipping and sliding is a very undignified way of getting around.
8. My fluffy tail which is my pride and joy hangs behind me like a wet rag.

Thank you Debbi and the CSI team for the inspiration and another awesome case file :)

Time Out

Hello friends:) I have a feeling that this may be my last post for 2012 as I still have tons to do before we leave for a ten day break in Mozambique. I am sooo looking forward to it. I would like to take this opportunity of wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a fabulous 2013. Thank you for all your support during 2012 and more so, thank you to each and every one of you for your friendship.xxx

This is my take on various challenges..had to make the best of the time that is available to me :)The layout is my entry for yet another fabulous sketch challenge over at Once Upon A Sketch and here is Nadia's beautiful sketch. My journaling is at the back of the tag. Thank you OUAS for another awesome challenge!

Then I have also entered this layout for the challenge over at CSI Case File Number 49.Once again Debbi put together a fabulous case file. Here is what we had to work with. Love it!

THE SCHEME (USE ALL 5 COLORS)

• Garland Green - medium green, taken from the #5 tree - 135.154.47
• Pink Presents - deep pink, taken from the #10 mittens - 222.108.118
• Yuletide Yellow - light buttery yellow, taken from the #21 box - 248.230.164
• Advent Aqua - aqua, taken from the #15 box - 93.198.201
• Lime Lights - lime green, taken from the ribbon in #23 - 185.217.108

Here I used the medium green in the flowers, a tiny bit of pink on the clock, light buttery yellow on the leaves, blue on the flowers and the lime green is pretty much eerywehere..lol!

EVIDENCE (USE AT LEAST 2 ELEMENTS)

• numbers
• stickers
• punches
• rhinestones
• buttons
• baker's Twine
• ribbon
• lace
• make a semi-circle notch, like in the little boxes
• snowflakes
• Christmas/winter accents
• hound's-tooth pattern

Here I used "numbers" for the date, a punched border strip, rhinestones in two of the flowers and lots of buttons in the flowers and on the right hand side at the bottom.

TESTIMONY (USE AT LEAST 1 ELEMENT)

• Document a holiday tradition.
• Document what you do to prepare for the holidays.
• Number your journaling.
• Write 25 words or phrases about your topic.
• Choose a prompt from here.
• Put your journaling inside of something that can be opened
• Inspiration Words: joy, believe, count --use these as inspiration for your journaling, not just as a title

 Here I opted to write 25 words and used it in my journaling...just to encourage myself to do do more journaling :) Thank you Debbi for an awesome case!! :)

Then I am also entering this layout for challenge 12 over at Scrap Africa and the challenge is the "film strip".

Last but not least I used the gorgeous FWAB Elise Flourish Black - Dark Green and Silver Grey Flowers available from Flourish With A Bling.

And now I would love to show you where I am going for a few days...Zavora Lodge!! It is a a diver and fisherman's paradise and I guess the "fishing" part is what attracted my daughter to Zavora :)

Well, that's it for today!! Off to go and bath the dogs!! Thanks for looking and have a fabulous holiday and to those who will be on the roads, have a safe trip and take care!xxx

Merry Christmas

This layout is for Sharryn Thompson's December challenge over at Flourish With A Bling. The challenge is to create a layout using non-traditional Christmas colours and of course Flourish With A Bling products. I went with blue, white and silver and I used FWAB's Jasmine Laser Flourish Pearl. Because I had no photos to go with non-traditional Christmas colours, I had to call on Miss Molly yet again (not the first time she had to come to my rescue..lol!!). Bless her little heart for being such a sweet, obliging subject.

Remember This - CSI: Case File No:48

Hello my friends:) I don't know when last I had so much fun creating!! It is the first time I take on a challenge by CSI Color Stories Inspiration and I can kick myself for not having done it before. What a fabulous way to get out of the rut that I was in and the best part of this challenge is that I got to work with colours I would never have imagined could look so pretty together.:) I have to admit that I got very bored with pinks and blues and browns together. This really opened my eyes to a whole new world of colour combinations:) Now here's another thing...I love the Crime and Investigating Channel on TV and I always have it on while I'm scrapping and not because I enjoy the crimes committed, definitely NOT, but because I love the "solving of the crime" part. I love the investigation and I love forensics and the best part is when the criminal is brought to justice!! Ok, now I'm rambling but now you understand why I loved this challenge so much. I had to figure out how to put all these clues together to arrive at the outcome and this is how I did it. First of all, here is the case file:

And here are the detailed clues...ooohh..so much fun! For the "scheme" we had to use all 5 colours as follows and hopefully I have achieved that :)
 

• Glossy Blue - sky blue, taken from the light blue tiles -- 159.205.228
• White Tile - white, taken from the counter -- 254.253.249
• Chartreuse Shine - chartreuse, taken from the green tiles--196.183.43
• Blueberry - dark blue, taken from the darker blue tiles -- 44.119.150
• Stainless Steel - gray, taken from the lighter parts of the stove -- 216.207.200

EVIDENCE (USE AT LEAST 2 ELEMENTS)

• clock
• mosaic
• silver metallic elements
• something transparent
• glossy accents
• fruit accents
• plain brads (inspired by the clock)
• something inspired by the bowl on the middle shelf on the right (e.g., a border punch, die-cut, lace cardstock)

Here I decided to go for the clocks of which I have three. The big clock was very much inspired by the picture of the clock in the image and so I coloured some pins with metallic markers and stuck them into the circle. I also went for the mosaics by painstakingly cutting little pieces if paper and arranging them in a mosaic type of style ..won't do that in a hurry again..lol! I also have one silver metallic elements and that being the key. The die-cut was inspired by the bowl on the middle shelf on the right. Mmm...I think I have the evidence covered... :)

TESTIMONY (USE AT LEAST 1 ELEMENT)

• Document something kitchen-related...food, special meals, your cooking talents, your own kitchen.
• Write your journaling as a recipe.
• Write your journaling as a schedule (inspired by the clock)
• Write your journaling in bullets and use glossy brads as the bullets
• List a bunch of words to describe the topic of your page OR choose one word and use a thesaurus to generate a list of synonyms (don't ask how, but that idea was inspired by the tiles.
• Inspiration Words: eat, time, create-- use these as inspiration for your journaling, not just as a title

Here I definitley didn't want to document anything in as far as my cooking talents are concerned as that is pretty much non-existent. I have to be the only person who has ever burned a boiled egg, so I opted for doing my journaling as a recipe. In my recipe I also used the "inspiration words" being "create, "eat" and "time" which  did using the colours in the scheme.

Are you still awake? Well, hopefully I have solved this case and can't wait to move onto the next one:)  Thank you CSI for the awesome inspiration provided and for making it so much fun. :)

The gorgeous flourish on my layout is the FWAB Elise Flourish Silver - Dusty Pink & Rose Pink Flowers Set  from Flourish With A Bling.



Oh and if you're wondering what happened to my poor Delta, she was spayed and at the same time I had to have her dew claw removed as it kept tearing into the flesh and causing an infection. She's such a lump and wasn't interested in anything except food when she got back from the hospital..drowsy and all...she lives to eat :) I cannot tell you how many socks I went through before the wound finally healed...she ate them :)

Now I need to go and do something about the mosquitoes that are biting the hell out of me under this desk. Till next time, be safe, take care and be happy!!xx

Men of Men

Hello girls :) Had a very busy week creating all sorts of things and my scrappy place is full of uncompleted projects but at least this one is finished. I based my layout on a sketch which you can find here. I also tried my hand at Tracey Sabella's Misted Rock Salt Chipboard Tutorial and had a lovely time with it until the crackle starting popping off like little crackers and only then did I realize..OOPS..I forgot to complete the last step...LOL!!  Here are two little close-ups ....don't look toooo close!!

  Well, once I put the sealer on all was well and this is definitely something I will do again and again. Thank you Tracey...you're tutorial is great...can't say the same for the student though...lol! Till next time...take care and have a great day!x

Beautiful

Another layout, another sketch contest...love them! I did this one for the sketch contest over at My Creative Sketches and loved working with Kim gorgeous sketch which you can see here. Once again, my gorgeous little niece Isabella is the focus of my layout. She's growing up so fast now and I am so sad that I am missing out on all the good things that is happening in her little life right now. I know that I will never give up hoping that they will come back to South Africa.

The little flourish pieces are from Flourish With A Bling and the name of this particular one is the FWAB Grace Pearl Flourish Pearl.  
The title letters were done using a foil-technique that was so cleverly taught by Melody Koopmans at our scrapbook marathon in October. Thank you Melody...loved it!

Till next time..thanks for looking and take care :) x

Walking with the godfather

Hello again friends:) I so love the challenges over at Once Upon A Sketch and made a point of making some time to join them again this month. Nadia's sketches are so awesome to work with and this month is no exception.   Here I used a photo which I took when Isabella and I went to visit my husband and we spent a few days in Kruger National Park. Everything morning Isabella would grab her lion, ask Eddie to carry her pillow which is her little security blanket and her and Eddie would take a walk down to the Letaba river to watch the animals taking a leisurely stroll to the water for their first drink of the day. I would join them a little later with some tea and the three of us would just sit there and enjoy the peace and tranquility.  This month the theme is "anything goes" and you are free to create a layout based on whatever theme you like, but your layout must include some journaling and the sketch below. 

I love the fact that these challenges forces me to do some journaling because for the most part I am terribly lazy to journal and usually leave it till last and if there is no space on my page then it will be left out completely...not good :) The little flourishes are from Flourish With A Bling and I used the FWAB Chloe Pearl Flourish Black which I cut up and tucked between the flowers. 

Till next time, stay safe and take care and please know that I always appreciate your visits very much :) xx

Treasure

Happy

Hello friends :) This week I played around with some Prima papers and because I couldn't decide which one of the two to use, I decided to use both and make them companion pages. As always, my darling little niece is the focus of my layouts. Tomorrow I am off to Cape Town for a Scrapbook Marathon and till next time, take care and be good :)

Goldilocks in Barcelona

I did this layout of little Hadiyyah and the picture was taken whilst they were on holiday in Barcelona..hence the title :) The flourish is from Flourish With A Bling and is called FWAB Chloe Pearl Flourish Antique Gold. This flourish is definitely my favorite:)

Materials used:

My Mind's Eye - Little Boy Blue "Curious"
My MInd's Eye - Portobello Road "You and Me" Love Birds
Graphic 45 - A Ladies' Diary Moment in Time
Graphic 45 - A Ladies' Diary Delicate Details
Grahic 45 - A Ladies' Diary  "A Ladies' Diary
Flourish With A Bling - Chloe Pearl Flourish Antique Gold
Distress Ink - Pine Needles and Frayed Burlap
Spellbinders Nestabilities Decorative Labels Eight

Sweet

This is my take on the current challenge over at Once Upon A Sketch. The challenge is to incorporate something from this quote:

and also to use the sketch below:


Thanks very much for looking and take care till next time :)

Molly

Hello again friends :) I  got a bee in my bonnet and thought I would make a little hat for Miss Molly. I just love this picture :) Doesn't she just look like a little granny?? Anyways, it was such a struggle to get a decent photo because she kept shaking her head to get the hat off and only when I realized the ribbon was tickling her ears and subsequently adjusted it, she was quite happy to pose for the picture :) Special mention: The flourish is from Flourish With A Bling and I used the FWAB Grace Pearl Flourish Pearl.I also made this layout for a Guest Post at Ideas for Scrapbookers which is a treasure chest of ideas and inspiration for every scrapbooker. Thank you very much for the honour Pam :)

String art Tutorial:

So many of my friends have asked me how to do the string art in the top right corner of this layout and here it is finally:

To start with, decide where you would like to position the string art. Draw two light pencil lines as per the illustration directly on to your paper.

Make tiny little holes 1cm apart on each line

If you’re doing this for the first time, it helps to number the holes as per the illustration to eliminate confusion.

Thread your needle with the required colour thread (I usually use embroidery thread) and insert your needle into the  back of hole number 12 on the vertical line.

Bring the needle to the front and thread a few beads (3 or 4 will do fine) and then insert needle into hole number 1 on the horizontal line.

Then insert needle from the back into hole number 2 on the horizontal line, bring it to the front, thread another few beads and insert needle into hole number 11 on the vertical line.

Insert needle from the back into hole number 10 on the vertical line, thread beads and insert needle into hole number 3 on the horizontal line.

Insert needle from the back into hole number 4 on the horizontal line, thread beads and insert needle into hole number 9 on the vertical line.

And then you continue in the same pattern: No.8 vertical to number 5 horizontal, number 6 horizontal to 7 vertical,  6 vertical to 7 horizontal, 8 horizontal to 5 vertical, 4 vertical to 9 horizontal, 10 horizontal to 3 vertical, 2 vertical to 11 horizontal, 12 horizontal to 1 vertical. Fasten your thread with tape to the back of the work.

Don’t forget to thread a few beads as you go along.  Once you have completed the string work, you can then adjust the positioning of the beads as and how you would like them to be as they are loose on the thread and can be moved.

Have fun and enjoy!!

Mojee

Hello again friends:) Today I am introducing you to my daughter's what was supposed to be a Labrador but since the puppy is now all grown up we still have no idea what he really is but that doesn't matter at all. So, please meet Ammo aka Mojee aka Muchee aka Mo aka Mojo and so on...lol!! So, if you have some time this month, hop over to Scrap Africa and join us in the new sketch challenge for September. Hope to see you there! Till next time, take care!

Llandaff Oratory - Lesson Layout for Scrap Affairs

Hello again my friends :) Just wanted to show you a layout I did for a lesson in our local Scrap Affairs Magazine. The theme of the issue is "travel" and I've been wanting to scrap this little church for so long and this was the perfect opportunity. I don't want to bore you but I thought I would tell you a little bit about this cute little church.

This little church, one of the smallest in the world and the only privately owned Roman Catholic Church, is dedicated to the memory of a brave man by a loving father.  The story of the church is that Llandaff Mathew, lost his life aged 28, in an endeavour to save the lives of other miners at Burnside Colliery near Natal on the 19th March 1925. His body was never recovered after another rock fall. His father, Maynard Mathews, a retired magistrate, lived at the “Lodge” where the garage now stands. He was an eccentric old man who was a Roman Catholic and wanted to place a plaque in memory of his son in the Ladysmith Roman Catholic Church. When this was denied him, he was very aggrieved and determined that he would place a plague in a church. Mr Mathew built his unique memorial with this sole purpose.

The Church, which seats just eight (the number of lives that Llandaff, so we are told, saved before the final fall), is a fully consecrated Catholic Church, with all the vestments of its big brother, the one wing of the Cardiff Cathedral in Wales. Mr Mathews became a priest and was received into the order of St Dominic on May the 7th 1926. On his death the property was sold to a Mr George Tierny, a Roman Catholic, who later sold it to Mr CN Osborne, a Protestant. Mr Osborne decided to retain it as a Roman Catholic Church.
In 1960 Mr Charles Osborne West bought it and had it declared a National Monument. In 1974, as a wedding present, he gave it to his wife the present owner Mrs Mims West-Thomas who still resides in the village.

The church has a regular service once a month and is very popular for couples that want a small wedding with a difference. It is also a place of comfort for weary motorists who wish to pause for a moment of quiet solitude in this lovely Church. My sister and I stopped here one day and she took these pictures for me. Thank you Sis!

You are in a very “special Church” dedicated to a brave man and loving father who later became a priest and gave his life to the service of the Lord. So when you read this, remember both of them in your thoughts and prayers and all those who have preserved this wonderful church.

I also need to make a special mention of the little black flourish used on this layout from Flourish With A Bling. This particular one is called the FWAB Chloe Pearl Flourish Black.

A Special Kind Of Love - Scrap Africa Challenge 8

It is time for a new challenge over at Scrap Africa and this time we were to use the poster below as inspiration for our projects. You can use the phrase in your project or you can make a mini-album to tell your story. I chose this beautiful photo of Josie and Beauty. Beauty was Josie's first love, and the pony who taught Josie to ride.  When Josie and her parents lived in the Middle East Josie took every opportunity during the summers to visit Beauty in Norway. She also took Beauty on her first ever riding camp when she was only 6 yrs old. Beauty belonged to Penelope Ponyfarm, the place where her Mom  grew up, and where she too learnt to ride and care for horses. On days when Josie struggled with her confidence Beauty was there to help her along and if the lesson didn't go too well, there was always cuddles and special moments to compensate for that and so a very special bond formed between the two of them. After Beauty retired Josie still went to visit her and just spent quiet moments cuddling and grooming her. Sadly Beauty passed away in 2011 due to a severe bout of colic at the ripe old age of 25. She was a legend to all the kids at Penelope Farm. Josie and Beauty's story is written on a tag which I tucked away. Combined with this challenge  I also made this layout for a DT project at Flourish With A Bling. I used pieces of the beautiful FWAB Bella Rhinestone Flourishes Wine and saving the rest of it for another project.:) 


And here is the "inspiration poster".                                                                                                                     
That's all for now :) Thanks for looking and have a great day!!xx

Colourful Memories Giveaway

Colourful memories (Svetlana Austin) is having a giveaway to thank the loyal supporters of her blog for their continued support. Click here for the details of the giveaway and do yourself a favour and "join" as a follower. I promise you will not be disappointed. Her blog is a treasure chest of inspiration!!!

Ok here is what one of you will get: 
*** Kaisercraft stamps x 4
*** Kaisercraft Rub-ons x 2
*** Kaisercraft wooden flourish
*** Flower border punch
*** Corner embossing punch
*** Pack of Prima resin flowers
*** An album with files for 20 x 20 cm pages
*** A candle holder cage (pictured in the beginning of the post) that you can decorate yourself
I hope it is worth of commenting on this post and stand a chance of winning this gift pack.
Here are the rules:
This giveaway is only for readers of my blog.
You are welcome to join if you find my blog interesting.
If you post on your blog an announcement about my giveaway then you can come back and leave a second comment for an extra chance with a link to the post on your blog where you shared it.
The last day to enter is the 2nd of September. The winner will be announced on September, 3.
Thank you and good luck!

Till later!!x

Altered Bottle

Ooh I had fun with this bottle...my first altered bottle!!  It was just a "lemonade" bottle from Woolworths and I decided to try my hand at altering it and I used the colour schemes from my bedroom but it will look pretty good in my bathroom too...LOL!! I think another bug has bitten me!!

Fur-ever Friends

This is my take on the current challenge ending 31st July over at Once Upon A Sketch. And here is the very talented Nadia's sketch.

We spent the afternoon at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary during my visit to my family in Australia at the beginning of July and as usual Isabella makes it her life's ambition to befriend every conceivable animal we come across. She firmly believes that the path to friendship is through the tummy and if she can just feed them then all is well and good :) Love this child so much :)

Forever - DT project for Scrap Africa

This is my take on sketch 8 over at Scrap Africa . This is my gorgeous daughter Heidi and Justin whom I am starting to think of as my son..LOL!! Love these kids!! :) On this layout I used the beautiful Flourish With A Bling Chloe Pearl Flourish Antique Gold. Love their products :) We would love it if you could hop over and join us in this sketch challenge :) Thanks for looking :) I always enjoy your visits :) Oops almost forgot to show you the sketch... well, here it is :)

Profile Of My Heart - Scrap Africa Sketch 7

Hi all!! Time for a new sketch at Scrap Africa and this is my take on Evgenia's beautiful sketch which you will see below :) Meet Molly, my shadow and one of the many pieces of my heart :) Over the last couple of months I have neglected scrapping my four-legged babies and am now making up for it :) On this layout I used the beautiful FWAB Jasmine Puffy Flourish Latte from Flourish With A Bling. On the photograph you may not be able to see how beautiful it really is in real life but it has a lovely, subtle sparkle to it. And here is the sketch.

{Love}-ly Locks - Scrap Africa Challenge 6

Challenge # 6 at Scrap Africa is a color combo.  Make any scrap object using at least 3 colors from South African flag: red, blue, green, yellow, black and white. You don't need to keep the colors precisely the way it is on the flag as long as one can see it clearly.  Additionally you can use: grey, beige and cream. The colors on the photographs are not taken into account - it can be any colors and it doesn't count towards the minimum colors required for the combo. This is my take on the challenge and we would love it if you could join us.  Here is an example of the South African flag. 

Riley (One Year Old)

Finally I found some time to enter a challenge over at Once Upon A Sketch and this month the theme is BIRTHDAYS.  This is another page for Riley's album. He belongs to my daughter and her fiancee. Riley's first birthday was honestly a huge milestone for him and for us as he experienced nothing but misfortune since the day he was born. Riley's original owners dropped him off at a "boarding kennel" with the promise to collect him when they returned from where-ever it was they were going. Well, Riley was never collected and this so-called boarding establishment stopped feeding him and caring for him because the owner didn't pay for his stay. Sick and starved Riley ended up at the SPCA. That is where Justin and Heidi found him but regardless of the fact that he  had contracted canine biliary and was told that he was probably not going to make it, they decided to adopt him and nursed him through his illness. It took a long time and it was an uphill struggle due to malnutrition and his overall condition but he pulled through and became the love of their lives. Six months after that Riley had to fight for his life again after a tragic accident and unfortunately one of his hind legs had to be amputated. Once again he was nursed back to health with lots of tender, loving care and regardless of only having three legs he has adapted incredibly well and lives a perfectly normal happy life. So you see, having made it to a one year old is a huge plus for him and for us and even though we don't know the exact date on which Riley was born, we do know it was during the month of August and so he gets to celebrate his birthday for an entire month!! Riley is now almost two years old and going strong!!  This layout also features the cute little FWAB Trent's Fence available from Flourish With A Bling who is a wholesale company but you can see a list of their stockists here.
And here is the sketch:)