Rate it

Hello Bloglanders

I hope you are having a wonderful week. EVERYWHERE on the interwebs I see SPRING but down under in Sunny SA we are having a very dry fall. No time to mope - our winters a mild and this year we wish and pray for lots of rain. Hope to get some soon as all the dams are VERY low and if we do not get rain soon, we will run out of water. No joke - NO WATER.

Let me show you another page from my Travel Journal:

The spread on the right is a digital Project Life page printed onto 4x4 photo paper. I think I did it while standing in the Post Office rows!!

I totally love my new stamp set "rate it". It's from Studio L2E. I've seen it on one of the SimonSaysStamp Challenges and just had to have it. Living down under we love to travel, camp, visit restaurants and hotels - OK, doesn't anyone??. After such a visit, I normally write down a few notes in my Travel Journal - price, quality, where, when, etc. With this stamp, it's just SO much fun. I punched out the stars for rating as well as the "i eat" stamped image. That one is from Evalicious. I just LOVE travel related things!!

The car and caravan was done with my Silhouette, the man love woman stamp from Amy Tangerine and the tent from L2E "rate it" as well.

And a close-up:

And another one!

That's it!! I'm off to do some more exploring. Please come back to play and all will be revealed. If you want to see what the rest of Blogland did with the SimonSaysStamp Wednesday challenge -

Use More Than One Die Or Punch

just click here.

Have a wonderful week!! AND ...............................

Happy 1st of November!!

Hello Bloglanders

I'm BACK!!! Most probably I won't be blogging as often as I used to but I'll try to get at least one post up every week. It's not that I don't craft - NO!!! I do. I just got tired of taking pics, "talking" to you and not hearing anything back. It's sort of one dimensional!!

I do plan to go towards videos but first I'll have to figure all that out. If any of you know of "how to" videos, PLEASE leave me links in the comments.

Another thing - I'll be using real scraps in my future scrapping projects. No big deal if something from my stash slips in but I'll be focusing on what I've got - my punches, stamps, wrapping paper, brochures, printing and Silhouette. This all is because I want to have less worldly goodies around me.

OK, let me show you what I've done last week:

First up is my planner page:

I just love this "quote". I got it on Pinterest and then found out that it was done by one of my FAVE's Amy Tangerine. (you can get the link from my Pinterest board here) The whole page evolved around it. The stamped labels are from Kelly Purkey (another FAVE), the diecuts and washi from my stash. Underneath the quote is a bit of wrapping paper.

As I love this planner page so much, I'm submitting it to the SimonSaysStamp Wednesday challenge - ANYTHING GOES. Hop over there to see what the rest of Blogland did.

And a close-up:

And my Project Life Page for week 40 and 41:

Since my son's accident I haven't had a lot of time to spend on my Project Life pages but I still want to capture what we did. So, I'm mostly using Collect cards to keep track. On the bottom right, I've used a picture of my Sweet peas as a filler card. I love pictures more than shop bought stuff so, if you have it, why not use it??

I'm still using my 6x12 alum and on this picture I have 2 weeks side by side. Love all the pictures and the info. On the picture next to the Sweat peas I'm waiting on my son trying on shirts in Woolworth's. He still can't fasten the small buttons so I had to go with to do that for him.  A year from now, he would be fully recovered but I'll still have this pic to remind me to be thankful that he survived the accident and has the opportunity to fully recover.

Next up - some sewing:

My mom died less than a year ago and while she was sick a carer looked after her. Mum made me promise to make something for Gerda's baby's christening. SO, "baby" Gerda got his little white christening suit.

I made it from white, raw silk. The blue tartan bow is just to add some "boyishness" to the outfit. While at it I want to wish them well for the christening this coming weekend.

Last but not lease, a 6x12 layout as well as a Project Life page. Both my boys are 28 years old. One of their classmates recently got married. Pieter was the bestman and Wernich the MC. It is very special as today it's 4 months since Wernich's accident. We never in our wildest dreams would have thought that he would be MC at a friend's wedding after spending a whole month in ICU. Here they are - both my boys:

I used Letter Glow to add the background picture (a photo of roses in my garden) and text.  Printed. Done. Here you can see the 6x12 Layout on the left and the PL page on the right.

More detail:

That's it!! I'm off to get that video sorted as I'm sure you would have loved to see how all this came together. Watch this space and all will be revealed.

Thanks for looking at my blog. Have a wonderful day and a thankful November.

Travel Journal 2016

Hi there Bloglanders

Did you try out my ideas about "scrapping" with your phone? If you missed out, scroll down and give it a GO!!

Today I'm sharing a page from my Travellers Notebook. Down under in Sunny SA it's summer - hot and dry. Therefore, we spend most of our time out of doors camping and having alfresco dinners. And ice cold West Coast Sauvignon Blanc - of course!!

This is what my page looked like before I added the photos and embellishments.


I don't use Copic markers but have a few in my stash - used every single one that I own on this page. Around the edges is a bit of Navy Simply Kelly ink.

And here it is:

Once again I edited, collaged and journalled with my phone, printed 1x 6x4 picture, cut it apart and added a few embellishments. They are all "home made" and part of my PL stash for 2016. My quest is to streamline my process, spend less money and hoard nothing.

The second page has most of my notes and a map.

 And a few close-ups:

I use this embellishment a lot. It's from an Amy Tangerine stamp set. I made it into a print and cut file for my Silhouette as my stamping skills are awful. This way, I add one whenever I do a Silhouette project and have some space left on my page.

That's it. Another project done and dusted. Everything recorded in one place. Should I want to check back for info or pic's - it's all in my Travel Journal.

Thanks for looking at my blog today. Have a GREAT weekend and please come back to play!

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!!

"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!!

Sunday Summery Week 21

Hello Bloglanders

Today I'm here to share the recap of my Week 21.  I baked and I cooked!!! One of the things I'm trying to do this year is to try out more new recipes.  At LEAST once a week I page through magazines and cookbooks to find something new to try.

As I have a LOT of birthdays coming up, I decided to use my baking skills to create edible gifts. My sister's twin boys are turning 14 and as they both love coconut, I made tubs of Hertzoggies for each of them. Of course the third boy is getting one as well!!!!!!!

I even made customized tags with a rugby theme. I think this would be as much "gilyness" a 14-year-old would tolerate from his aunt.

I've put their names on the front of the "rugby shirts" and on the back it says "happy birthday".  I does look like real rugby jersey's doesn't it?

Here you can see it on the cookie tub:

My  mum is turning 77 on Sunday and even though she is getting a non edible gift, I did some cookies and rusks for her as well. Have a look at my cookie stash:

And I owed a friend of Wernich's a "thank-you-gift" and when I heard she wanted a water bottle for the office, I got hold of one immediately.

We have a glass factory in Stellenbosch and as I had to get some more solar lamps, I got the water bottle as well. It's beautiful, isn't it??

And the factory shop wrapped everything in white tissue paper, making it easier for me just to add a belly band, some twine and a handmade card. I used the inspiration from SimonSaysStamp's Wednesday Blog for this pressie.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

For the belly band, I used scrap copy paper from the office, black spray paint from Wynand's workshop
and a houndstooth stencil from my stash. I love how it turned out and it didn't cost me a thing!! Better even - I plan to use the same stencil on a layout SOON ................................ watch back and all will be revealed.

And the layout it's going on???? It's a free download from Amy Tangerine as part of her Design on Time series. Hop over and get one for yourself. Maybe we can compare notes .......... or rather - layouts!!

I'm off to get some work done. Next week I'm going on holiday and there is a LOT to be done before that. Thankfully, all my baking is done! Thanks for looking at my blog and please come back to play.