2014 Personal Planner sorted

Hello Bloglanders

I hope you are having a Wonderful Wednesday!! I didn't make a typo - I did sort out my 2014 planner this week.  My system works like this:  I use the cheapest A6 refill available. It fits into a "binder" (no brand, no name!) that I've had for more than 20 years!!! Yes, I got it from my very first boss and it still works perfectly. I like to have a page a day - enough to get everything in but still not too big for my bag.

End November I normally buy the refill and then put it in binder rings until the old one comes out on 1 January, gets decorated covers and is filed away in my "diary basket". I keep the basket on a shelf in my living room because I do check back.

And meet my 2014 decorate planner:

I started out with an idea from one of Wilna Furstenberg's art classes but mine turned out so differently that I don't even think she would want to be credited. Anyway, thanks Wilna for the inspiration! 

And the family:

Here you can see the past 3:

And while everything was out, I decided to decorate this year's planner a wee bit:

I normally don't do this but the Monday Challenge on the SimonSaysStamps is "Up in the Clouds" and I just didn't want to miss out on the fun.  So, I  decorated my page with die cut clouds (up in the clouds), houses, stickers, paper and washi . It was FUN!! 

As you can see on the right, I still use the menu planner from Monika Wright. Perfect size and more than enough space to do my planning. Hop over and download your own, free copy.

That's it, I've got lots more to do and will be back to share my crafting fun right here on Play as U GO. Thanks for looking at my blog today. Have a great day and remember to try something new.

Have a Heart

Good morning Bloglanders

I hope you are having a wonderful, sunny and loved Sunday! At Hamman HQ we are spending some time outside on our stoep, having a barbecue and a swim. It's HOT down under in Sunny SA.

Speaking of hot - the SimonSaysStamp challenge of the week is "Have a Heart". What more do you need to heat things up on your craft table?? Last year I made a kit of different heart themed things to keep on hand to pretty up my occasion and this year I decided to re-use my items and to duplicate the kit and gift a friend with one. The idea is to spread the love, isn't it?

And here is my "Have a Heart" kit:

"Have a Heart Kit": Ribbon, Washi, a handmade heart bunting, red vinyl die cuts, heart confetti, picnic cutlery sets, drawstring bags, straws and note cards.

I really did use what I had on hand. The confetti, heart bunting, straw toppers and paper spools for the ribbon, twine and washi are made from recycled scraps, the drawstring bags from offcuts of fabric and the rest came from my craft and kitchen stash. 

And here are what I made with the same kit last year:

      Cappuccino mugs          Heart bunting gift wrap        Drawstring gift bags       Recycled drink bottles

Just click on the names below the images to see the related posts.  If you want to have some more Valentine's fun, check back later this week as I'll be sharing more links. I do love occasions!!

Thanks for visiting my blog today. I really enjoyed having you over.  Have a GREAT week and remember to TRY SOMETHING NEW.

Catching Up

Hello Bloglanders

It's wonderful to be back in Blogland after an extended holiday. I loved every minute of it but now I'm very, very far behind schedule with everything. Most of all - after nearly 6 weeks I've got about 600 beautiful pictures waiting to be scrapped!!! And that is just what I'm going to do.

I've recycled an old beverage trolley into a Project Life station.

I've narrowed down the stuff that I'm going to use, packed it onto my trolley and now we travel throughout the house. Wherever the action is, my trolley and I go.

Here is the top layer:

Here I have my most used items like glue, ink, stamps, corner rounder, pens, etc. Once again I've used old laundry detergent holders to sort my stash. I'll put a post up later this week to show you how I do it.  What a GREAT feeling if you can re-use something that would have been thrown away!

And the middle layer:

Project Life cards, scrap cardstock cut into 3x4, 4x4 and 6x4 - ready to be used and a few embellishments.

Bottom:

A 12x12 box to keep all my leftovers and projects to go. You can see the mini book I'm making for a friend's birthday (X2) on top. I'm actually making two as one will be for myself. More about that later.

On the top layer I hang some of my tools.  I think this was meant to be for a tea towel on the drinks trolley but now I've got scissors and rulers there. Also, my most used stamps are mounted onto perspex blocks that my husband cut from offcuts of my architect son's projects. They are in a small tin together with a black stamp pad - on hand where I need it.

Those of you who know my crafting set-up will remember that my Craft Closet is actually VERY small and I'll never have this amount of stuff out while scrapping. Now my trolley just stands beside my craft desk and all is well. When not in use, I stash it in a corner and no valuable space is wasted. 

I'm also adding stuff to my personal planner on a daily basis and all this comes from the trolley. YES, I wheel it to my office as well! You can read all about my different work spaces here.

That's it. Another project to make my 2015 better and more organized. Thanks for looking at my blog today. Please check back as I'll be here with lots more crafting FUN.

Skinny Bags for Souvenirs

Hello Bloglanders

I'm happy to be back in Blogland!! We are still on vacation but I thought I would check in to show what I did with the souvenirs I bought abroad for family and friends.  BUT first:

To all of you, I wish that 2015 will exceed all your wildest dreams and expectations. And remember to have FUN and to try something new every day.

Now, back to my skinny bags.  This is what my souvenirs look like - packed and ready for delivery:

And this is how I made the bags
:


1. Use 1xA5 sheet of printed paper / cardstock.
2. Fold it back. I didn't even measure it - love to have the glue line off centre. Glue.
3. Fold the bottom over about half an inch. Glue. I cut away the corners just because it looks more "bag like" this way.
4. Do the same for the top but this time fold over about one and a half inch. I wanted a zig-zag edge and used scissors to cut it. Insert your small souvenir and glue shut.

I used paper from Keisercraft's Bonjour collection. As I only had half a sheet of each print left in my stash, I copied them onto recycled office paper.

Wanna know what's inside??? Of course I'll share:

I love them!!

I'm a bit behind schedule with my Project Life pages but once we get back home, I'll share my process as I catch up. In the meantime, I'll be back on Sunday with my first Summary of the new year.

Thanks for looking at my blog today. Have a GREAT Monday and remember to try something new - TODAY!!