magazine work and christmas spirit.

I am so not ready for Christmas to be here again. every year it comes around *no surprise there - but it just seems like it is here too quickly each and every year. i have been busy with Christmas projects and articles since July so i am sort of done right now. all i want for Christmas is peace on earth, for people to stop gossiping, stop making fun of others, stop with all the pettiness going on and just do something nice for someone who doesn't owe you anything. i am trying to do my part and just do something nice for someone who doesn't deserve it - the quote that constantly plays on my mind...."because everyone is fighting their own battle". it doesn't make their battle more or less important than yours - it just means that you actually don't know what the next person you meet is going through so why add to the agony of life. lets be nice again!let God shine through  us again!
I had the privelage of doing some simple Christmas crafts for The Christmas Magazine this year. a publication dedicated to shopping ideas, gifts, recipes and crafts to keep the kids busy. it is available from most outlets so why not take a look - you may be inspired.
and then as we wind down towards December, with 2 class sessions behind us for Scrapbookex and 1 left in Cape Town on December 8th - i can't wait to share the projects with you. i simply loved working with the beautiful product and meeting up with some wonderful and familiar faces. i am always so happy to see so many dedicated scrappers still loving the craft and still loving what i do, learning some small techniques that have a BIG impact. i still love teaching! i am also toying with the idea of another December Daily album and am hoping to get some product this week, which puts me behind schedule already - and i can't decide if i should clear my work table first from months and months of project stuff or just work around and in between the mess and dust? mmmm priorities.

juggling a creative life.

it's been a juggling act around here lately. why is it that everything always happens at the same time and then the dry spells step in. but it's all good in the end. but i have to admit that has been trying times as i get my act together in getting everything done. my apologies to *Elsie (and all the other known and unknown visitors) loyal visitors who have been lurking and there it was...a great big nothing to read or view. in between being busy our internet connection (yes same old same old) has been awful. those are the times i really miss living in the great big city. well here i am and i promise to be a better blogger at least until the end of the year.
but i have been creative and thankful for everything and everyone in my life. like the layout below shows, i really am thankful for the little things, 'cause they are the big things in my life. and nothing depicts that more beautifully than the Simple Stories range of patterned papers. simple to work with and yet so beautiful!
details on the layout include punched leaves, sewing, fussy cut flowers (as fussy as i am willing to), and of course signature sewing...
their stickers are beautiful and easy to combine - layer them on top of each other for a fun dimensional look - but so effective. the stickers sheets offer loads of images and are great for card making too.
i have also been playing with some scraps from my deisng team pack from Scrapbook Studio JBay.
it's a quick and easy card using scraps, beautiful prima flowers, buttons and book paper folded into several layers.
so here's to blogging for a few minutes, living a creative life, and juggling the little things to make it all stick together and trying to fit into the bigger scheme of things. hope you have a creative and thankful week ahead.

inky bits on a layout over at scrapbookchallenges.

it's time for another stunning sketch over at scrapbook challenges. i LOVE it! and more importantly i love how my layout turned out and i got to tell a story - just an ordinary everyday simple story. and that is what it is all about.
for my technique this week i used a beautiful number stamp combined with distress stain, water and perfect pearls. i lvoe the artistic look and feel of it...
plain and simple chipboard letters left bare and glazed...
and another pic of my stamped image.
hope you have an awesome week. hop on over to scrapbook challenges to see more samples and what the design team came up with - plus there is a single page version of the sketch for you to indulge in.

a new cuttlebug layout.

i have been man down this weekend with a shoulder out of its socket*ouch* and flu and no voice. by Monday i felt awful but life goes on. i did manage to get another layout done for scrapbook challenges. the sketch called for loads of photos but i used loads of patterned paper scraps and my cuttlebug. i simple love how it turned out.
a crate chipboard cupcake sits on top of an embossed piece.
loads of different embossing folders used together on a single layout.
more chipboard, inking and buttons alongside with pretty patterns and colours.
and for my title i used *letraset* - yip those ancient old rub-on letters, and they still worked.
i love how easy the cuttlebug works. the embossing folders really come to life when they are teamed up with techniques, inks and pretty patterned papers. here's wishing you a creative week ahead. thanks for popping in and saying hi!

a layout uploaded.

i have been a bit quiet around the web - we have had some beautiful rain, and some not so beautiful hail storms that have affected our internet connection so much i could hardly upload anything. mails have been a nightmare - but it seems to be better as the earth starts drying around us. but i must say i really love the rain - our farm is covered in green and looks amazing!
a couple of weeks a go we had a challenge over at the scrapbook challenges website. it was a fun one and i joined in. the challenge was to take a layout from a featured member and scraplift it. i chose a simple single page layout and turned it into a double page layout - since this is my preferred size for scrapping. and i love how it turned out.for more info on the layout i scraplifted you can visit the scrapbook challenges website! I of course used my favourite things on the layout - old postage stamps, stamping, embossing, inking and patterned papers. i also threw in a new favourite - washi tapes.
some beautiful clock works by teresa collins
patterned papers by kaisercraft, prima and teresa coillins - simply gorgeous!
and i have a new and renewed love for my cuttlebug and embossing!
hope you are having a creative week!

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