CSI CASE #65 - REVEAL

Hello Everyone :)

It is Saturday morning which mean that it is time for the new CSI Case #65 Reveal. So come and play along,  if you go to CSI you will find loads of inspiration in the gallery. Here is the wonderful case file, I really love the bright colours.

I based my layout on this sketch by Michelle Singh... I know it doesn't look the same finished because I took loads of creative licence with it but it was my inspiration.

Here is my layout...

Scheme    - I used all of the colours and they were such lovely bright colours to use.

Evidence  - I wanted to go with white space but that didn't happen so I used a white background page, circles and crowns.

Testimony - IW PERSONALITY.

My journalling reads...

Talita – Queen of the Tarmac is a very beautiful, sleek, black Audi A3 convertible whose plush red leather interior is soft and inviting. She sits in the garage proud and quiet waiting... thrumbing to life when the key is turned, purring happily she glides gracefully out onto the road lazily navigating the twists and turns with the ease of a compact sports car enjoying the admiring looks of all who see her. Hugging the road low and steady she covers the miles easily and happily without any strain or tension. She is such a smooth ride and a complete joy to drive.

Demure and stately with the hood up like a real lady, but put the hood down and turn the music up and she turns into a tiger, reaching 1 – 100 in mere seconds her deep throaty roar a joy to hear. Sassy and seductive she springs to life positively overjoyed at overtaking the other cars on the road weaving her way in and out of the traffic with gay abandon, enjoying the feel of the wind caressing her sleek lines. Free as a bird and not a care in the world J Who says cars don’t have PERSONALITY clearly hasn’t seen my beautiful Talita.

I am also entering this in Scrap Africa's challenge for this week which was to use only cardstock.

Thanks for taking a look.

SEW GRATEFUL

Hi Everyone

I am here with a new post :) it's reveal time over at Scrap Your Story and this weeks challenge is to incorporate cork into your layout. Any where, any how. Go and take a look at the inspiration from the Design Team and play along.

Here is my layout ... I used a black background so that the colours would really pop and I changed my photos to sepia.

I have a couple of close ups so you can see what I did. The pink border was cut with a Martha Stewart punch and then doodled. The SEW was covered with cork and then I doodled on it with a white gel pen and then added the pearls.

The bobbins at the  bottom were also covered in cork and then I just wound around some embroidery thread. The saying was cut out and added.

I covered the dress form with paper and painted the leg of it.

Some pink tape measure ribbon was pleated and added on the other side of the layout and then I just embellished the rest of the layout.

Thanks for taking a look and I hope that you will play along at Scrap Your Story.

HAPPY EASTER

Happy Easter!

Don't put all your eggs into one basket

The best things in life are still sweet and gooey

Walk softly and carry a big carrot

Good things come in small sugar coated packages

Everyone needs a friend who is all ears

There is no such thing as too much candy

Keep your paws off other peoples chocolates

Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day

All work and no play will make you a basket case

The grass is always greener in someone else's basket

An Easter bonnet can tame even the wildest hare

To show your true colours you have to come out of your shell

Some body parts should be floppy

Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits..

MEETING LILY

Hello Everyone

Well it's hump day and we are at the end of March already and I really don't know what happens to the days. I am feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment and then I realised I just need to sit back and BREATHE! So that is what I am doing, but while I am BREATHING I decided to do all my computer filing and admin. I have folders of STUFF on my computer... Holiday stuff, DT stuff, Admin stuff and so it goes on and then once a month I sort it all and put it where is should be. That way I know if I am behind, ahead or on track and I am less likely to forget something. Well that is the reasoning behind it all. I am a little under the whip at the moment and feeling the pressure and doing this helps me to manage my time a little more effectively.

SO - while I was cleaning up I found this layout that I never got round to posting so I am doing it now. :D This was a Let's Scrap layout and the sketch was done by Michelle van Wyk.

Here is my layout based on the sketch.

Meeting Lily is kind of a cool story. Through Facebook I met a whole bunch of scrap bookers from all over South Africa, some I knew in real life and others through cyber space and we became really friendly and one of the girls who I knew moved from Johannesburg to Durban, She had two golden retrievers, Samson and Delilah... yes for real:) anyway she had a litter of pups and one of the other girls we met already had two and was after a third one, and so the plan was hatched. We were all going to meet for lunch. Candice and her hubby came to stay with us at our holiday home, and Candice and I drove through 

to Tiffany so that Candice could choose a pup and I got to take photos of these adorable pups, then we all went for lunch and finally got to meet, which was really cool. 

I took loads of photos of the pups and these ones are just so sweet I could not resist using them. I love Authentique papers and these colours seemed perfect for this perfect little girl.

I changed the sketch around a little because my photos were different sizes so I dropped the three tags on the left hand page and opted for a file folder and one tag instead.

I only used two tags at the top ...

The back of one of the pieces of paper had these lovely poppies which I fussy cut then glued micro beads into the centers. The grey Bazzill was punched with a Martha Stewart punch then I added bling to the holes. I

Thanks for taking a look.

SCRAP YOUR STORY REVEAL

Hello Again

I have another reveal for you today - I should have posted last night but my internet has been down... some broken cable off the coast of Egypt :( makes me very grumpy when I am disconnected :)

Anyway here it is Challenge # 4 from Scrap Your Story and this weeks challenge is embossing... heat or dry embossing - just make sure you have some on your page.

I chose to use a sketch from OUAS as inspiration for my layout.

Here is my layout. GRATITUDE.

I went with a plain white background and used some papers that were left over from another layout I did... they are by Authentique and are among one of my favourite ranges. Because of the vibrant colours of the photo I added red and the beige from the script paper. All the tags and little mats were embossed using my cuttlebug which is by far my favourite tool. I added some Tim Holtz distress stain splats and then stamped the saying on the left hand side. We often forget to enjoy the simple things and for me those simple things are what I am truly grateful for. I also added some washi tape and lastly the lovely red poppies and white daisies which I folded over and tucked in.

Thanks for taking a look.

CSI - CASE #64 REVEAL

Hello Everyone 

It is Saturday which means there is a new case file out at CSI  and here it is.

I used another sketch from Scrap Friends.

And ... here is my layout I used papers from Authentique which were perfect for the case and also for what I wanted to do.

Here's how I solved the case this week.
Scheme - all the colours are there
Evidence - Bird,stamps, words as embellishements, circles, Stencils and penwork
Testimony - Document what you love about you

Journalling Reads :
The quote “The journey awakens the Soul” is never truer than for me. I have had a lot, in fact more than most people, to contend with in my 57 years. Sexually abused from the age of 5, sent alone with two younger brothers to a strange new country to live with people we had never met at 9. My mother falling desperately ill when I was 11, being expelled from school at 17 and married at 21, I have lived though a terrorist war, had my home bombed while I was in it, left my family to move to another country at 23 lost my mother at 24 had my first child at 30 and suffered from bad postpartum depression. A husband who was away for three weeks of every month, a full time job with a hours travel either way, two kids and no domestic help – I should be a basket case but I am not (well that may depend on whose point of view you take), I have never thought or felt like a victim. I have risen above it all. At 42 I went through menopause and that is when I nearly lost it, but thanks to the weekly support of a wonderful therapist, medication and daily meditation I managed to hold it together and overcome that too, and I may be cracked but I am not broken, and I am a much stronger person for it.
I have never thought “Why me?” because when I look around I see that there are so many people who have much worse situations to contend with, but I have thought, on occasion, it would be nice if it just slowed to a trot for a while just so that I can catch my breath. My thinking has always been “I will do what I need to do to get through this” – I have never felt sorry for myself, or wanted pity, for me it has always been a case of “it is what it is”. So if I can’t change the situation I can change how I look at it, or how I let it define me. I have screwed up big time and I have achieved great things too, there are many things that I wish I could do over again with the wisdom I have now but I can’t, and I have stopped feeling bad about that because I now realise that without all these humps in the road I would not be the person that I am today and I like person I am today.
I have learned with there is no pleasure without pain. There is no happiness without the anger, there is no love without loss, no rainbows without rain. I have learned that I can’t please all the people all the time, I have learned that it is not my issue what people think of me. I have learned also that I am smart, capable, funny, dependable, talented and also a little different, and I have learned that this is ok too. Above all I have learned to trust my gut because it is NEVER wrong. I have learned to say NO. I have learned that I disappoint people all the time but that they get over it. I have learned to love myself, to accept that I am not perfect and that that is OK too. I have learned that I am strong, kind, generous, dependable and wise. I am who I am. I am woman, I am strong hear me ROARRRR!

This song by Helen Reddy sums it all up for me :D
I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back an' pretend
'cause I've heard it all before
And I've been down there on the floor
No one's ever gonna keep me down again
Oh yes I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong, I am invincible, I am woman
You can bend but never break me
'cause it only serves to make me
More determined to achieve my final goal
And I come back even stronger
Not a novice any longer
'cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul
Oh yes I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong, I am invincible, I am woman.

Here are some closeups of what I did. I used some green textured paste to make the hearts and the flower lower down and also the little lines on the other side of the photo. Then I put in some ruled lines in black and added the coffee stains and splats.

 

You can see the lines better in this one. Buttons were sewn on.

The fussy cut bird was added and the flowers... in this one you can see the gesso flower with the micro beads in thecenter.

I also used my Tim Holtz stamps to stamp sayings that are applicable to both my page and to me. Thanks for taking a look :D

LET'S SCRAP REVEAL

Hello Everyone

It is a holiday here in South Africa. It is Human Right's Day and so I have DH at home with me today. Not much scrapping will get done I fear. so I am here with just a quick post with the new reveal over at Let's Scrap. This is the sketch for this week.

Here's what I did with it...

I created a card (which has gone to my brother for his birthday next week) using the left over papers from the layout I did for Scrap Your Story last week. They are from Reminisce and a perfect for a man. Yes! they do have flowers on it :) I layered it up and cut out some of the passport stamps to tuck in behind the postcards which I stamped on to plain card stock and then misted to age them a bit more. I added two bronze brads and a paper clip too and of the the flowers and the string. Then I added my title which says Journey (yes because of the papers) then inside is stamped.... into the next year!

I am busy with other projects which I can't reveal yet but I will be back tomorrow with another post. 

If you are in South Africa then I hope that you are enjoying your holiday today. :D

CSI - CASE #63 REVEAL

Hello Everyone

Well it is Saturday morning here in a not so sunny South Africa (I love the rain:)) and that means reveal time over at  CSI. Here is this weeks gorgeous case file.

I used a sketch from ScrapFriends

Here is how I cracked the case...

Scheme   - I used all of the colours.

Evidence  - Ribbon, flowers, pearls, jewels, lace and tags.

Testimony - Document your creative space.

My journaling reads: 

This is my happy place, and it is warm and it is cozy, it is organised and inviting and it is filled with all of the things that make me really happy. It has been cleansed and smudged and no negative energy is allowed in here. It is the place that I come to where I feel safe and in control. It is the place I come to when I am happy, sad, angry, depressed, frustrated or lost. It is the place I come to where I can find myself again and restore my balance and energy. It is the place where I can get rid of my frustrations and calm down just like others do by going to the gym. It is the place I go to, to create, and find meaning to my life. It is the place where I AM.

With its warm earthy colours, and dark wood finishes I am instantly grounded and centered, the splashes of baby blue calming and soothing, and with all the magazines, pretty papers, ribbons, flowers, paints, and all manner of enticing things on display it is easy for me to feel uplifted and creative. Soft music playing soothes my ragged nerves or fires me up to create easily. This is the place that I most want to be. No expectations, no demands, no angry recriminations and no judging. Just peace, harmony and an overwhelming feeling of contentment.

Everything I need is right there at my fingertips. Within easy reach, and exposed so that almost everything is visible. Whether I am scrapping, making jewellery, painting or just surfing the net everything I need is in this room. My dogs have beds under my desk and are my constant companions joining me up on the desk now and again to see what is going on or just to give me some love. With the doors opening onto the garden the chirping of birds at the feeder is a very welcome sound and an even more welcome sight. Right here, right now all is well with the world. My world.

Here are some close-ups of my layout...

I started off by stamping onto the rose pattern paper, which is by Prima, to age it a bit and so I went with a brown ink. I love that quote too and I am certainly living the life that I imagined for the most part :) I used a small photo of the clock that I scrapped that hangs above the door in my studio... Reminds my just how much time I spend in here :D and I added a clothes peg, also by Prima. and some flowers, also Prima ... and the butterfly by using my MS punch.

The title is balsa wood alphas that I found in a dollar store. I also wrote on strips of cardstock " I love to, in fact, I need to" CREATE.

 

The diamond glittery paper is cut out from a piece of paper that I got in a MME paper pack and was just the right colour. I added tags and some film strip and lace, then finished off with ribbon and flowers and another butterfly.

I loved making this page. Not only were the colours so nice to work with so was the subject. Everyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with my studio and the time I spend in there. 

Thanks so much for coming to take a look :d 

Have a wonderful weekend.

CHALLENGE #3 - SCRAP YOUR STORY

Hello Everyone

I am back from my little jaunt down to the Midlands and the Coast where we took my FIL for his 87th birthday. I took loads of wonderful photos and once I am done downloading I will post some of them. It really is so pretty there.

Now it is time for the new reveal of Challenge #3 at Scrap Your Story. This week's theme is a sketch :) and here it is:

Here is my layout...

The papers I used is a range called "Expedition Destination" by Reminisce and it is such boy paper. I knew immediately that I wanted to use this photo of my nephew Jack...I was going to change the photo to sepia but I then I thought I like the little splash of colour from the photo so I left it. I used come Tim Holtz distress stains in Walnut to create the splats. The punched border is an Xcut punch and the rub-ons are from Kaiser Crafts.

My journalling reads:

I just love this boy, with his easy manner and whacky sense of humour, which he gets from his dad and me, we all find the same things funny. This photo was taken on my last trip to Ireland in September last year. The weather was miserable and we decided that the family and the dog needed to get out for a bit so we went to Jenkinstown Forest which is a lovely walk. Whilst walking around we came across a pond with ducks on it and a tree with this sign that said Game Sanctuary. The next minute Jack had hopped over the fence and was sitting underneath the sign with his cell phone playing Angry Birds.... He never said anything but immediately Cliff and I knew what he was getting at and I got the photo... no-one else thought it was as clever or as funny as the three of us did :) I still giggle every time I see this photo and it brings back truly happy memories.

Thanks for taking a look and I hope that you will come along and play with us.

CSI CASE # 62 - REVEAL

Hello Everyone

Well it's that time of the week again :D and here is the new case file over at CSI # 62 and the colours this week are so happy and bright. Why don't you take a look and play along, it really is a lot of fun.

There is also a sketch by Em Starface - this needs to be used for this weeks layout. You may flip, mirror or interpret any way you like :D

Here is how I cracked the case.

Scheme - I used all the colours

Evidence - Fabric (ribbon), Wood (Birdcage) and circles
Testimony - Document a Friendship
Journaling reads:
I first met the sisters Des and Cher (the two in the front) at a class one Thursday morning 10 years ago then shortly after that I met Ilse (next to me) and she joined us too and we have all been friends ever since. Now, 10 years down the line we still meet every Thursday, it is a given that NOTHING interferes with our weekly us time, and even our husbands know better than to organise anything on a Thursday morning. The funniest thing though - is that every Thursday one or more of the hubby’s will phone and ask “where are you?” or they will say “are you scrapping today?” You would have thought that by now they would know, or maybe they are just the tiniest bit jealous that we are so protective of our Thursdays ... We meet for breakfast first and then we go and scrap and chat and catch up for a couple of hours until life calls us back to the real world. Thursdays has now been nicknamed TT for Thursday Therapy  and we guard our group fiercely. A couple of others have come and gone but the four of us remain steadfast.
We are all completely different, but we seem to complement one another perfectly. What I really love about these girls is that although scrapping is the tie that binds us, we understand one another, we know each others’ stories, families, and all the ups and downs that make up the fabric of our lives. Thursdays is the time and place to vent, brag, and bounce ideas off of each other and what happens at TT stays at TT, anything that is said at TT is not repeated, judged or knocked, it is our safe place where anything can be thrashed out and resolved, and I trust these girls with my life, they give the best advice if I need it, they will tell me if I am in the wrong or at fault, and they are merciless in reminding me not to make the same mistakes twice, but they are also my biggest supporters and cheerleaders and when it comes to all my artistic endeavours, and they praise lavishly.
There is a saying that goes
“You can always tell when two people are best friends because they are having more fun than it makes sense for them to be having.”
This is completely true for the four of us. We know with just a look what each other is thinking. We have the same sense of humour, the same morals and values, the same taste in most things and we can talk about anything or nothing and I know that a lot of people are envious of the bond that we share. I am grateful every single day for these three girls and I know that there are friends for a reason, friends for a season and then friends for a lifetime and this is them, and I love them.

Here are a couple of closeups... the papers were from Crate paper and the flowers were fussy cut from Authenique papers.

The wooden birdcage was one I had in my stash from who knows where. I cute the butterflies with my Martha Stewart punch.

Thanks for taking a look :)

NEW REVEAL - SCRAP YOUR STORY

Hello Everyone

It's Friday and that means the reveal of the new challenge over at Scrap Your Story !

The first challenge was such a great success and we had 29 entries... watch this space I will post the winner as soon as it is announced :D This weeks Challenge is the Theme Challenge and the theme is PETS! All you have to do is to create a layout - single or double page - any size just so long as it has something to do with animals on it... the photo, the paper, embellishments it is open to interpretation and  I hope that you will play along so head on over to the site and see what the other DT have posted to inspire you.

Here is my layout for the challenge. LOVE BUG.

The quote on the layout says "There is no psychiatrist in the world like a dog licking your face" and I think that is so true. 

This is Lily, I went with a friend to choose a new puppy and while we were there I took some photos and this is the result.

Thanks for taking a look and I hope that you will play along :D

GOOD NEWS!!!

Hello everyone

I am back, I am just about caught up chasing my tail, and I said I had some good news to share with you.... :D First up ...

I have been invited to join CSI as a Design Team Member and I am over the moon. I found CSI last year around case file # 42 and I have been playing along every week since. Now you all know that I love this site and it has challenged me week after week and helped me grow beyond anything I could have imagined and it has also helped me find my voice :D I am so happy to do this and so grateful for the opportunity. It's going to be a wonderful ride.

Here is this weeks case file...

and I chose this months sketch challenge from Scrap Friends - isn't it just a stunning sketch. I love it.

Here is my take on the sketch and the case file.

This was such an easy layout for me to do - I just love when that happens.

Scheme    - I used all of the colours

Evidence  - Butterflies, buttons and string

Testimony - Document a dream

My journaling reads :D

I think all my life my dream has been to have a life where I am able to create each and every day without having to worry about anything else. A selfish dream I know but there you go. Aren’t dreams allowed to be selfish?
Anyway, ever since I was a little girl I have loved to make stuff I used to sit and watch my grandmother who was an accomplished crafter, and she would patiently teach me how to sew, knit, bake or make things, then as I got older I went to classes to learn other things like pottery, decoupage, mosaic, macramé, card making, painting and I even taught myself to crochet off the internet. I have done them all to some degree or another and believe it or not made money from them too but then I found scrapbooking and it was like I had come home, but soon after that I really wanted to learn photography so that I could take beautiful pictures to go along with my stories and so I did that too. All the time I have been working towards something – and I have achieved all the little goals that I have set along the way and each time I get there I am asked “Is this it?” “Are you done now?” and I have to say that the answer is NO! I am not done yet. I have everything thing that I want right now and that I have visualised and asked for up to now and now I will aim a little higher. For me you stop growing when you stop learning, and when you stop growing there is nothing left to live for.
And.... as I was planning this page and my story on Sunday I read my horoscope and this is what it had to say...
“It could seem that the future holds unlimited possibilities for you, which could inspire you to invest more fully in your dreams today. You might notice that there is little that holds you back in this world except for your own ideas. This would be a good time to consider the power you have to manifest your dreams.”

Then I received not ONE but TWO emails with wonderful news for me...Sunday was a great day J

Which brings me to my other piece of good news.

I have had a sketch created from one of my layouts for Volume 2 of Creative Sketches.

you can visit Creative Sketches to order your copy and you can use this code CWS2Discount to get a discount of $2.00 on the digital version, this really is a great go to book for when you are stuck for ideas or inspiration. I have Volume 1 already and I have used it such a lot.

Here is my layout that is featured in the magazine. 

Thanks for taking a look ... I will be back soon.