Happy Holidays 2015

Hello Bloglanders

It's that time of the year again .................................. time for me to wish you happy holidays.

Have fun, enjoy well deserved time with your loved ones and make time to do something special for yourself.

December Daily - A Late Start

Hello Bloglanders

I hope you are enjoying the holidays!!  My mum passed away last week. Thanks to everyone who sent me emails. It has been a LONG year for all of us. She has been sick for nearly 2 years and as we took turns sitting with her, it made our weeks a LOT shorter.  I did craft - at home and while sitting with her BUT just didn't get the time to take pictures and blog about it.

It means that I have LOTS of "old" projects to photograph and share with you right here @ Play as U GO. But, let's start with a new one - my 2015 December Daily.

I actually decided to skip the DD this year but as the month included so many big events, I reconsidered and decided to join in the fun. I got this free planner from this site, made a few tweaks to translate it into Afrikaans and printed it A5 size. Into my journal, a few supplies and ready to GO.

This year I'm limiting myself to these supplies:

2 sheets of Silhouette print and cuts , my Planner Pens, colouring pencils. a label sheet from my local dollar store (Crazy store for my fellow South Africans) and a few stamps.

I did start off a bit late and had to use my iPhone Collect App to get up to date. I have included a monthly Collect print-out in my PL spreads as well - will show one in another post. Great keeping track of events and pictures and also a good way to keep busy while standing in queues at the supermarket / keeping the sick company.

Have you tried it?? LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. I first met "Collect" over @ Amy Tangerine's. Read all about it here in her post. Even if you don't want to try out Collect - hop over there and see the GORGEOUS Jack - I just love that little boy.

And a few close-ups:

We normally travel a lot over the December holidays therefore I've added the little red cars to mark our trips. It's like a mini travel journal all in one glance.

I'm so glad I did it!! I'm sure that I would want to remember December 2015 in years to come. Normally we do a lot of fun things, have a lot of occasions to celebrate and do "summery" stuff  but I think this year would be EXTRAORDINARY for all of us - forever!!

Thanks for looking at my blog today. I'll be posting my next DD page tomorrow and share a bit of my plans for 2015. Let me give you a hint - I'm converting my PL to 12x6 next year.  Check back and all will be revealed.

Have a GREAT day.

PS. It seems that the Blogger devil re-arranged some of my I's - I will try to fix it. Please bear with me!!

I've got a crisis # 2

Hi there Bloglanders

My mum is still alive but now under 24/7 intensive hospital care. She lives 400 kilometres away from me which means more than 8 hours out of my week travelling there and back.  I will keep you updated but in the meantime, browse my blog, revisit some of my projects and I'll be back. Also, as I go, I post some of my projects on Instagram. Just have a look in the right margin of my blog - check it out and follow as I go. Thank you so much for being friends and understanding.

In the meantime, have FUN and remember to try something new - TODAY!!

Christmas gift - A Little present goes a Long Way

Hello Bloglanders

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Today I'm sharing a mini Christmas pressie that I've made, packed and given to a friend's mum who is going through a rough patch.

Needless to say - she collects "houses".

When I saw this little house fridge magnet, I immediately thought of her and bought it. BUT it's SMALL!! So I came up with making a customized gift bag. Adding her name with Silhouette black, flocked heat transfer - and it's done!!  I love how it turned out - looks like real velvet on the little cotton bag.  And I had to add a personal touch - the little yellow  heart.

And this year I'm adding these deer head tags to my pressies. Cut with my Silhouette - of course!

I do love to give little gifts with a personal twist and customized packaging. This a perfect example of how a little can go a long way.  My friend's mum is still having a hard time but at least my little gift made her smile for a while and every time she sees the little house on her fridge door, she will remember that a lot of us are thinking and praying for her.

That's it! I'm off to do some more creative things. It's wonderful outside - think I'll first have a swim and a soak in our wonderful African sun.

Thanks for looking at my blog today. Please check back as I have lots more to share right here on Play as U GO.

In the meantime, have fun and remember to try something new - TODAY!

"Making Time"

Hello Bloglanders

I hope you are having a wonderful time!! It's summer down under in Sunny SA and beautiful outside. You just want to soak up the sun, swim, eat salads, barbecue and drink good West Coast Sauvignon Blanc. But for all that you need time ...................................... this week in The Creative Life Documented Amy and Jamie focused on saving time while scrapping. Perfect!! Here we go:

I keep a monthly journal where I record what is currently happening in my life. For this I only allow myself to use stamps and diecuts from my stash. I keep to the same topics as well - Home; My Family; Creativity; Work and Furry friends. I also like to add what I currently enjoy to cook / eat. Can you match my categories with my stamps / die cuts?

Home:

My Family:

Furry Friends:

Recipes work for me!! I keep a tin with my favorite stamps on my craft desk. My husband cut some perspex squares from left overs from architect son's projects and I mount them "permanently" - ready to go 24/7. I will take a pic and share my "jewellery" tin with you. I don't even know from which sets they are but I use them SO much that it doesn't really matter.

For my die cuts - it's NOT easy to get stuff down under in Sunny SA. My solution - I buy digital element packs and convert them to cut files for my Silhouette. Ever done that??? Maybe you don't need to as you can buy everything from your local shops but I still think it's worth my while. For this layout I used some of  Amy Tangerine's Finders Keepers range. I will show you exactly how I did it in another post. Very easy if you know how to. Check back and all will be revealed!

Next month my page will NOT look the same BUT I'll use the same stamps and maybe diecuts from another source / maybe I'll get my hands on a ready-made one that takes my fancy. The main thing is that it saves me heaps of time to do what I love - spending time @ home with my family, friends and crafting.

Another thing that I'm using more and more to save time is my iPhone.  Another story, another day. But, here you can see the collage that I've made from a recent camping trip. My title came from the letterhead - no need for stamps / stickers. Done in a few clicks while waiting in a que to renew a licence.

Thanks for looking at my blog today. I hope you have enjoyed my "time saving" tips. I'm off to the pool with a book and a glass of wine. Have a GREAT day!

Getting Inspired

Hello Bloglanders

I'm still on my quest to get inspired??? Have you tried The Creative Life Documented?? Well, I am and it's working. My workspace is cluttered which means - I've been inspired!!

Let me show you the next project I did with the 3 colours of wrapping paper picked up from my local supermarket:

A lot of pictures, a few torn strips of wrapping paper and embellishments from my stash.  As easy as that and it took me a few minuted to complete.  I love the "Springy" feel of the whole layout!

AND, a page for my planner:

This week we are "making time" over at The Creative Life Documented. I had a GOOD think about this and worked out a lot of short cuts that I'll be taking in future. Check back and I'll tell you more in my next post. In the meantime, I'll share my first step towards having more time to be creative:

In this layout I used ONLY photos and even took a picture of the logo of the place where we've been  to use as a tile for my page.  I also added the date to one of the pictures - no need for labels / stamping. All done while we were camping - only printing and it's in my album for my family and future generations to see and enjoy!!

That's it!! I'm off to "make some time"!! I'll be back later this week with two more of my projects. Have FUN and remember to TRY SOMETHING NEW - TODAY!!

The Creative Life

Good Tuesday Bloglanders

I've been in a bit of a "No Moyo" rut for the past few months BUT all and all I think I' m doing fine - mentally and physically. I REALLY didn't expect it - with my mum being so sick and taking up so much of my free time.

I lost about 20 kilos, not because of my mother's sickness but because it was long overdue and time for me to get my life back on track, I've been sorting and purging throughout my home for the whole year. It's not nearly done, but I'm still at it. It's as if a HUGE weight has been lifted off my!!




The only thing lacking was creativity. Maybe it's due to the lack of time ......................... don't know. SO, last week I enrolled in Amy Tangerine's online class, The Creative Life Documented. The first chapter focused on "not feeling creative" and it got me working an a whole lot of new projects and ideas.

Yesterday I finished 4 pages of my Travel Journal. I do keep one as we travel a lot and I can't remember all the places, names and stats. We spent the previous weekend in Robertson - it was SO good and I wanted to capture the moments ASAP. After finishing the first lesson of TCLD, I couldn't wait to get going.

In this project I covered about 4 items from the homework list of  Lesson 1. I used ordinary gift wrap as inspiration for my colour scheme and then decided that I'm just using the wrapping paper on my layout as well - no searching for stash!!

Ordinary Inspiration for Extraordinary Projects:

Today I'm making a Scrapbook Layout and a Project Life spread using the same inspiration and supplies. Yes, everything is out - I can just as well enjoy my burst of creative energy. Check back and all will be revealed. Also, you don't want to miss out on the wonderful handmade gifts I received from my Robertson friend. Want a peek? 

If you want to see more, visit my Instagram feed. I've already uploaded pictures for you to see.  There is link in the sidebar of my blog as well.

That's it, I'm going for a walk in the park. We are having glorious days down under in Sunny SA. I think we will have breakfast outside on my "stoep" and grilled lamb chops right off the barbecue for dinner. Life is GREAT!!

Hearty Solar Jar

Happy Thursday Bloglanders

Today I'm sharing my "Hearty Solar Jar":


I've decided to join  this fun challenge:

This week we are focusing on family and friends. I bought a solar jar as a gift and filled it with 50 acrylic hearts to celebrate my best friend's 50th birthday. From now on, every year, I'll add another heart to the collection. To zuss up the gift I added a bow,  tag and die cut. As for my friend, every time she uses the Solar Jar, she will be reminded of how much I love her.

The idea behind my gift is that I've known my friend for 50 years. YES, we were born 4 months apart on adjacent farms in a rural area of Sunny SA.  We grew up playing together 24/7. My sister is 10 years younger than I am and I always joke that I've known Anel for longer than my sibling and therefor we are MUCH closer. Wanna see what we looked like many, many moons ago?

Sorry about the quality of the picture but the photo is 49 years old and stored under not-so-good conditions. I'm the one standing and she is sitting in front. It was taken December 1965.

And another pic:

About 7 years old and this time I'm sitting. Just look at my floral skirt!!! My mum used to make all my clothes. (hers did as well) I would love to know what I did with that skirt on a farm!!!

Let's get back to my Hearty Jar. Here you can get a better idea of the acrylic hearts and the solar jar:

Remember my previous solar jar posts? Hop over and visit them!! 

1. Christmas Nativity Solar Jar

2. Fall Garland Solar Jar

3. New Year's Resolutions Solar Jar

4. Easter Home Decor Solar Jar

And a close-up of the tag:

I'll be seeing my oldest friend over the weekend. My Hearty Solar Jar is packed and ready to be delivered. Thanks for looking at my blog. Have a GREAT day and please check back as I'll be sharing the mini book I made for her as well. Of course I made one for myself but that's a story for another day.

I've got a Crisis!!

Hi there Bloglanders,

I told you that my mum is very sick and will most probably not survive 2015 and therefor, I'll be blogging less for a while. I do craft but just don't get to taking pictures and writing posts. It's not that I have to look after my mother full time - she has a carer BUT with running our own business, my own  family and home added to the crisis, my days are just not long enough. To top it all, she lives 4 hours drive from me so, every trip there takes nearly a full working day out of my week!!

For some time now, I've tried to do it all but now I'm giving UP. When I have time, I'll be BACK but if all else fails, you know that I'm still here, crafting on, reading blogposts, trying new things and getting inspired while I just hang in there ..................................

Thank you SO much for understanding.

Play as U Paint

Good morning Bloglanders

I hope you are having a FAB week. I got into my Summer prep as we had the most wonderful, sunny weather over the weekend and then it started to rain ................................

Plan B. I left all my summer goodies on my craft desk, got a fire going in the fireplace and started painting and coloring.  With all these coloring books around, there is no excuse not to be creative!! As I'm sorting through stuff that I want to keep and purge  in an attempt to downscale, I stumbled upon these watercolour mini paintings that I've done and decided to frame it.

It's not perfect - but then, I'm not a "painter". (Actually I'm a winemaker!) and up on the wall nobody will even notice my imperfections.

Did you see??? .................................. I even signed my work-of-art!!  Let me tell you how easy it was.  I got butterfly images from a book, made pencil drawings on watercolour paper and started painting. As easy as that.  I fitted 4 images onto 1 x A4 sheet of watercolour paper and will show the rest of the collection once I've got them framed.  My frames are shop bought and should I wish to change the images in future, it will be easy.

This week I'm submitting my work-of-art to the SimonSaysStamp Wednesday challenge: 

                               NO DESIGNER PAPER

Easy challenge. It's SO hard to get designer paper down under in Sunny SA that we tend to DIY anyway!!

If you have enough on your walls, my butterfly would work just as well on a card or tag. Just stamp a sentiment and you're good to go.

Thanks for looking at my blog today. I'll be back later this week with the rest of my butterfly collection. In the meantime, have FUN and craft on.

Bracelet Revamp

Good morning Bloglanders

Today I'm here to share my bracelet revamp.  Wynand and I went camping over the weekend ...............

Totally awesome!! Lots of time to read, sleep, eat, hike and think creative thoughts.  As as always, I packed something to do. This time I took a cheap bracelet and decided to give it a new lease on life. Here is my "before" pic:

An my equipment:

Now - I'm NOT a "beader" but I went through my sewing stash and got a whole lot of usable left-overs. Also, the tools are the standard ones that I keep to bend and cut whenever needed. Everything went into an VERY old Tupperware holder. Yes, my son actually used this in pre-school and he's 28 years old!! I just gave it a good wash in my dishwasher and it looks brand, spanking new.

The strawberries and Pomegranate mocktail is just part of my summer repertoire - you will meet them again in my pictures.

Back to my bracelet. I just cut the elastic on the original bracelet and threaded everything I wanted into a new one. Done!!

And a close-up:

Now my bracelet is much bulkier and I love the silver with pops of pinkish red beads. Much more my style! Best part is that it didn't cost me anything.

Well, I'm  off to do some much needed sewing. As you can see from my pictures, it's spring down under in Sunny SA and I need some spring / summer clothes. I went through my Pinterest pins (under Prinses and Clothes)  and made a moodboard of what I think would fit / look good on me. Want a peek?

I'm starting off with the top left one. There is still black fabric in my stash from the 8 x bridesmaid dresses I made for my son's wedding - will be perfect!! Remember the wedding????

What a wonderful day!

That's it!! I'll be back to share my progress. In the meantime, have fun and thanks for looking at Play as U GO.