Card for my Dad

Hi Bloglanders

I made these cards a few years ago but decided to zuss one up as a "thank you card" for my dad. He always gifts us with money for Christmas and as he is still a firm believer in snail mail, I got my "card box" out. The outside looks like this:

I used leftover pictures from a seaside family holiday, die cut frames, an office paperclip and a few scraps. DONE.  I've counted - 10 layers and that's not counting the inside:

A Grand total of  14!! When we write family "thank you" notes, we each do a page and I stitch it inside the card. Sort of like a mini folder. Don't you think it would be great to receive a whole stack of  letters in one pretty card??

And then I saw the SimonSaysStamp Wednesday Challenge:  

ADD A LITTLE TEXTURE

Hop over to see what the rest of Blogland did. I'm off to get the boys (and girl) to write their messages. Thanks for looking at my blog today. Have fun and remember to try something new - TODAY!!

Sunday Summery Week 8

Hello Bloglanders

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!! Wynand went on a business trip last week which left me with the office, house and boys. Pieter and his Princess are moving to Cape Town so - I HATE moving. The worst part is that everything they don't need, comes back home and I have to sort / store / re-purpose.

On 'n brighter note. I started this layout last year but only finished it today. Have you ever journalled before you do the embellishments. My 1st attempt:

The paper is from Studio Calico, the die cuts from Wilna Furstenberg, the embellishments from American Crafts and my butterfly flair from A Flair for Buttons.  I'll be linking this project to the Paper Issues challenge It's Hip to be Square

Every month I sit down and journal about what is happening in our lives, our home, the business and other things of interest. I've never done one of these 4x4 Project Life pages but loved how it turned out!! I added the embellishments on top of the page protector. It's great if it slightly overlaps the pocket. Gives a bit of dimension and interest.

While Wynand was away, I worked day and night to finish our bedroom's blinds and curtains. Another project done:

The room looks bright, airy and the sunshine is streaming through the windows. I can keep the Roman blind open and close the see through curtains for privacy if needed. Next up, I'm going to do something about the courtyard in front of our bedroom. Watch this space!

My next project is the laundry room.  I started with some wall art. Maybe you can help me decide - coloured or chalkboard?

I made this project to link to the Craftaholics Anonymous Friday Link party.

Once again, mine is in Afrikaans, my home language and it says wash, dry, iron, fold and repeat.  I added laundry symbols to add interest and to make it different from all the versions I've seen on Pinterest. My inspiration actually came from a course I did @ Big Picture Classes where we had to use symbols on a layout. You can read all about my previous effort here.

And I had to send a card to my mum's friend who turned 80. I'm not a "cardie" but I do send handmade cards and use lots of tags on my pressies. Therefore, when everything is out, I do a few to clean up my desk and recycle some leftovers.  This one was left from this batch. I just added a card to the back of the tag, a sentiment and it was ready to be mailed off.

Busy week!! And my table is still full of projects. I'm slip covering a chair, we are going camping, Wynand has a "to do list" for "MOTLAPPER" (I've explained in this post who she is), Pieter's move is this weekend and they are moving into their first "own" home. The Princess has asked me to make her curtains - 32 metres of black velvet.  I'm off to have my eyes tested - all that BLACK!!

Well, I'll do ANYTHING for my children and how bad can black velvet curtains be??  I'll tell once it's done. Just keep checking back and all will be revealed here on Play as U Go.

That's it from Hamman HQ. Enjoy your week and have lots of FUN!

Sunday Summery Week 7/2015

Hello Bloglanders

I KNOW ..................... it's Tuesday but still ............................ I don't want to miss a week. And this is what I did:

Spend a lot of time "Valentine crafting".

I re-used most of my items from years gone by but it was worth keeping it!! For Wynand I made this little sticky note file and for my little friends these party favours.

I slip covered a chair but my production came to a halt when we had a power failure so this one will have to stand over to week 8. Watch this space - I'm going to have an awesome, purple chair!!

And I worked like mad on my PL pages.

Then I ran out of the little circle embellishments from Simple Stories and couldn't get any more online SO, I made my own ............................... in Afrikaans!!

These are sort of summery, love and fun but I'm planning to do some more with other themes. My templates are done, I can just change the images and fill patterns. As easy as that!

Here you can see what I did:

On the left you can see my SNAP inspiration. I printed my artwork on 6x4 cards, punched it out with my Creative Memories small circle punch (didn't even know I still had one!!) and it's done. I even mad a few bigger ones to decorate my little storage containers. Watch this space, you will see them again.

And I couldn't wait to use them:

I decorated my Friday the 13th and Valentine's day pages with them.  On the left is an Amy Tangerine quote that I received for signing up for the handbook.  It's so important to make something of every single day, every minute and every second. I love to have it on hand as a reminder.

And I baked a jam roll. It's Wynand's favourite and it turned out perfect. It's the easiest recipe - I've been using it since primary school. If you want the recipe, just get it here

.
I had a blogpost up over at Craft Storage Ideas about storing Planner Goodies. Hop over and read all about it. Just click here.

LINK

That's it!! I've done a lot!! And I've got some unfinished projects on my craft desk.  Check back and I'll share it right here on Play as U GO. Until we meet again ............................... have FUN and remember to try something new - TODAY!

My #1 Valentine

Hello Bloglanders

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and Valentine's Day.  In the shops I see that all things Valentine are on sale today and the shelves already filled to the brim with Easter goodies. But I decided to show you what I made for Wynand  on Valentine's day.

A mini sticky note folder. Here you can see what I mean:

We use a lot of sticky notes in the office and they are all over the place. I didn't even buy new ones - just hunted down the stash and now it's all in one place, neatly filed away.

This "some bunny loves u" is my favourite stamp. I have used it on numerous occasions. While all the stamping goodies were out, I did a few more. They will go towards cards, tags and my Personal Planner.

My inspiration came from the SimonSaysStamp Wednesday challenge -

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL

and I'm sure my little bunny folder will feel right at home over there. Hop over and see what the rest of Blogland did.

Thanks for visiting my blog today. Have a GREAT week and please check back as we will have lots more fun here on Play as U GO.

Happy Valentine's Day

Good morning and happy Saturday to you all!!

While looking for some non edible Valentine's Day inspiration on Pinterest I stumbled upon the most beautiful subway art.  But I'm Afrikaans ............................... , my family is Afrikaans ................................... and my friends are Afrikaans. So, I made my own!!

To all my fellow South Africans - "Geniet" and to my English speaking friends, this post says it all if you are looking for "lovely" Subway Art - Enjoy.

Have a GREAT day, do something special, have FUN and make some more memories.

PS. If you are looking for more "Afrikaans Subway Arikaans, just click on the here.

                LINK                             LINK                             LINK                                 LINK

Valentine Inspiration

Hello Bloglanders

I hope you are having a happy Friday the 13th and if things are not going your way - kick up your heels - tomorrow is Valentine's day and you deserve some fun!! Spread some LOVE.

I'm always looking for non-edible Valentine favours for my family. Don't ask me why, but I think it's because I like things to last more than a day. And these are ones that I found on Pinterest:

This one knocked my socks off!!

LINK

And you blow me away:

LINK

Colouring-in is the new flavour of the month @ Hamman HQ:

LINK

My family IS exSTRAWordinary.

LINK

Lego for the little (and not so little) ones:

LINK

Staying with the kiddos:

LINK

Something "BEE" themed:

LINK

NEVER enough pens and pencils @ Hamman HQ:

LINK

Most of the time I'll do a subway print for to zuss up my house. Of course mine will be in Afrikaans as it is my home language and if you check back tomorrow, I'll gladly share my effort. This is the one that inspired me:

LINK

I love to recycle and notepads are ALWAYS useful:

LINK

For those of you who got down to business months ago - let's hear what you did!  Leave me a comment and for those of you who are rushing around to finish projects (like IMPERFECT ME) - good luck and keep going.

Have a great weekend and remember to have FUN and to try something new - TODAY!

Amy Tangerine Handbook

Hello Bloglanders

I haven't forgotten about the non-edible Valentine Favours!! BUT, I started on  my Amy Tangerine handbook and it was SO fun ............ and I didn't do anything else.

Here is mine:

LINK

I really love it. You hop over to the Amy Tangerine Blog, sign up for the handbook, get it delivered to your inbox, print it and - the sky's the limit. Amy and Jamie show their versions on video. And for the very, very first time I used the "#" and Instagram!!!  It was SO funny - I asked my friend Google how it worked and a video came up.  The guy started the video with "so mum, this is how you do it". Made my day that I'm not the only one asking my friend's help.

I'll get back to Valentine's Day some time soon but in the meantime, page #2 is printed and ready to go.  Have fun and check back - I'll show once it's done.

Edible Valentine Favours

Hi there Bloglanders

It's only 4 days until Valentine's day!!  Normally, I don't spend money on the occasion but do try to make life special for my loved ones.

This week I helped a little friend doing Valentine favours for her classmates and in the process I did some for my friends as well. Here they are:

It's Afrikaans (my home language) and means something like "You make my heart skip a beat (pop)". Popcorn is cheap and we filled more than 20 favour bags and had some to pop and eat!

I told you so!

Normally I pack a basket with nice goodies for dinner and Wynand and I would have it outside on our porch.  I was hopping around Pinterest earlier today to see what's new in Blogland and this year it was the non edible versions that took my fancy.  I'll do an inspiration board an show you what I loved. Check back tomorrow and all will be revealed. 

Another project finished - I'm off to get some more done. Thanks for visiting my blog and have a happy day.

PS. To my fellow Afrikaans speaking Bloglanders, if you want to make your own printable or use mine, here it is:

Sunday Summery Week 7

Hello Bloglanders

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!! Wynand went "winemaking" @ the West Coast and I stayed at home to get some admin and chores done.  So, we spent the weekend outside, visiting friends, doing a barbecue, swimming and catching up.

As I was working on a post for Craft Storage Ideas, I had to clean up my desk before my next project and I stumbled upon this piece of packaging  - recycled and now it's part of my Personal Planner. Perfect for summer days down under in Sunny SA.

The spare stickers got filed away in my Planner File:

On the left you can see the stickers and on the right my washi filing for my planner.  I'll tell you exactly how I did it later this week. Check back and all will be revealed right here on Play as U GO!!

I received a gift certificate for TYPO and went shopping.  They are really expensive and I don't normally buy there but I totally LOVED what they have and even more, it was wonderful filling up on some stash.  For the past year I had a philosophy of  "waste not, want not"  and therefore didn't buy anything. Here are 2 of the things that I bought:



A mini, mini stamp set and some stencils in a tin. One of the things I want to try out this year is doodling.  As I'm no artist, I thought the stencils would come in handy. I also like that they are small enough to fit into a 6x4 plastic pocket to take along in my Planner File. Even though the stamps are the perfect size for using on my Planner pages, I can't get them out of the wooden box.  You will see them again as I'm planning to make them more accessible.

And some sewing - a little black dress for my friend Marelize's daughter. These pictures are the inspiration. In the end we went with something much simpler -  I'll show once I get pictures of her wearing the actual dress.

.
And I had the pictures of our European holiday printed. 125 of them!!! As I have so many pics, I'll do some hidden journaling and just fill the pockets with lots and lots and LOTS of pictures. See what I mean?

Oh, I wish I could spend the whole week at my craft table!! But, like most of you I have to earn a living so, off to my admin it is. However, I'll be back to share some more crafting fun with you right here.

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

December Daily Album

Happy Wednesday to you all!!

As Promised, my December Daily Album:

I've used an idea, printables and a die cut from Wilna Furstenber's Heartfelt Christmas Workshop. Before we left on holiday, I bought the course and whenever we had to wait on an airport or had some free time, I digged in and enjoyed some GREAT creativity.

I didn't have gold spray paint so I used acrylic. The effect is beautiful - the grainy texture of the old file comes through and the cream die cut is to die for! One of my new year's resolutions is try my hand at more page backgrounds and this one is first on my "to do" list. Just look at the little Christmas tree on the bottom right of the file - love it.

I must admit, I was a bit scared by the intricate design but my Silhouette did a wonderful job. As I said, I'm doing this one again!

That's it from me. I'm off to get some office admin done. Have a great day and remember to try something new ........................ and thanks for looking at my blog!

Sunday Summary Week 1-5

Hello Bloglanders

Can you believe it's the 1st of February and week 6 already??? I couldn't believe my eyes when I marked down the weeks for my January PL.  As I'm already behind schedule, I decided to do week 1-5 in one go.

When I made my New Year's resolutions, I decided to make a weekly checklist. I've printed a few. Every Sunday I make a list on the back of my card of what I want to achieve that week and when the week's done, I write the actual on the front.

Then, when I do my Sunday Summary, I can just add pictures. And this is what I did this week:

I tried a few recipes:

A roasted Halloumi salad, Hertzog cookies and fried onion rings. I used the same batter for my onion rings that I normally do for my Sweet and Sour chicken. Get my recipe here. I feel like a Masterchef!!

And I did some sewing:

4 Tops and pants sets for my mum. Here you can see my sewing scrapbook with the patterns and fabrics used:

And on my craft table:

I worked on a post for Craft Storage Ideas - we are having a Bloghop in March and I'm rather proud of my project.  Keep watching back and all will be revealed.

Finally, my December Daily Album is finished:

I will do a separate post later this week - I love how it turned out!! The die cuts, printables and idea came from Wilna Furstenberg's Heartfelt Christmas Workshop. 

And I sorted my European trip memorabilia. I can't help it - I collect bits and bobs as I go but this time round, I decided to take a pic of what I have, give away what I'm not going to use and do a PL spread with what's left.

My favorite was the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. You can see the admission tickets on the first picture, bottom right. I also bought the most beautiful sunflower paper clips there. It is in a little tin just above the tickets. 

Over the weekend I've sorted all the holiday pictures and I'll start on my PL pages next weekend if we don't go camping. Talking about that - we swopped our off road trailer for a caravan.  Her name is "MOTLAPPER". Sorry, it's Afrikaans but I'll try to explain. When Pieter was small he didn't know the difference between a moth and a butterfly so he came up with a combination of both the words MOT (=MOTH) + LAPPER (a butterfly is a "skoenlapper" in Afrikaans). I suppose if you do the same in english, it would be a MOTHFLY.

So I made some summery, camping,  MOTLAPPER stickers for my Personal Planner:

I used the "print and cut" function and some white sticker paper from Silhouette. It worked like a charm - I'll be making some more ....................................... so easy. You will see them again when I share some of my Planner pages.

That's it. I'm off to get some rest. It's a new month and the office is VERY busy. Tomorrow I'll have to be in front of my computer all day long getting our admin done. In the meantime, have a GREAT week and check back as I'll show my beautiful DD on Tuesday. Of course, I'll share the inside info right here on Play as U Go!

Thanks for looking at my blog today and remember to try something new - TODAY!