A Beautiful Blog...

For some great eye-candy and inspiration visit Olavas Blog

Another fab site is Gipsybazar

What am I doing this weekend?

We are in the middle of a bad heatwave and its rather difficult to do anything in this weather, however, today I plan to get started on my Life Organiser Journal.  I received Jennifer Louden's book - The Life Organiser - for Christmas and its AWESOME!  So I purchased a new journal yesterday and plan to do the prompts and exercises in the book once  a week (as they are given in weekly segments).  I will keep you updated on this project.  Today we also need to tidy out the garage to make a space for my son's car.  My Gardener is here today and will help us with this- thank goodness.  (The lawn mowing will just have to wait till next weekend!)  I also have to go into town for my mom sometime this morning.  I will rest in the afternoon (the norm for me) and then cook supper (spagetti bolognaise tonight) , wash dishes and hopefully catch up on some reading!

"Small steps eventually add up to many small Victories."

Scrapbooking Inspiration

Hello all you wonderful creative people !  Here is a sneak peek.  This is tomorrow's Scrapbook lesson.
I have used a beautiful patterned background sheet from "The Pocket full of Posies" range from Provo Craft.
For the handbag I used a Bazzill Basics apricot pink cardstock sheet, some paper flowers, pink ricrac, leaves, stickers and some gorgeous die-cut butterflies :

(please feel free to leave a comment at the end of this post :o)

"If nothing ever changed - there would be no butterflies..."
(anon)

Scrapbook Friday...

This is tomorrow's scrapbooking lesson :

Its made in four separate sections and then glued onto one background piece.  Click on the photo to see a larger image.  I was very bold with my colours this week:  cherry red and brite lime green - who knew it could look so good??! Also I used black and white photos which I haven't done for a while- and its quite refreshing!!!!

This weekend I will be posting some more of my art journal pages and also some great art journalling links that I have found.  WATCH THIS SPACE :oD

Have you ever asked yourself this question: 

                       "What am I HOPING for?"

Its weekend again. . .

A little bit of scrap booking inspiration for you.  This is the page I did with my class yesterday.
Its a fun use of smallish scraps of patterned paper and ribbons, lace, ric-rac etc plus some buttons and flowers for fun.....

And here is (part of)  my absolutely gorgeous blessings banner that was a project for my Creative Kismet e-course. I am soooo thrilled with this project.  It was GREAT fun to do and I will definitely be making more of  these!

The grand essentials to HAPPINESS are:

Something to DO

Something to LOVE 

               and

Something to HOPE for.

-Joseph Addison-

Each Second. . .

"Each second you can be reborn.  Each second there can be a new beginning.  It is choice.  It is YOUR choice." - Clearwater-

I am learning and gaining so much from the creative e-course that I signed up for that I feel like a new season of my life has just begun. And its a great feeling.  Make a choice today that pulls your life in a new direction - a new beginning.  It can be a small choice (like mine) or a big choice.  Just go ahead and do it.  You are sure to be blessed.  (challenged probably too - but blessed !!!)

 This is me working on one of the projects for my e-course.  I may not look like I am having much fun because I am so focused on what I am doing - but really its tons of fun - I havent had this much fun since I was 8 !!!! :o)


Today I am sharing a scrapbook page that I did of my doggies.  I love the "saying" on this page.  My dogs do add another dimension to my life - one  I would be much poorer for not having in my life.

It says:  "Dogs are not my whole world . . . but they make my world whole !"

Our New "Baby" . . .

Lots of photos today of  our new dog: BEAR.  We adopted him from the SPCA.  He was found locked in a room in a yard and starving.  He has been at the SPCA for a month.  You can tell he is still rather skinny from the photos but we will "feed him up".  He looks very mean but is really very gentle and affectionate with us.  However, I dont think anyone will just walk into the yard with him on guard!  We only got him yesterday so there is still a lot of adjusting for him to do.  He has to get used to the other dogs , I think he was an "only dog" where he lived before. We do not know anything about his previous owners or his previous life.  We think he's a boerboel-ridgeback cross.  and we estimate him to be about 4 years old.

I had quite a challenge trying to get him to pose for me...

Now for something arty....

Yesterday's scrapbooking class was great fun.  I used some of the techniques that I have been learning in my Creative E-Course...  painting, stencilling and "decoupage"  (Thanks for the inspiration Regina!!)
This is the page we created:

And this week my scrapbooking class money went to the purchasing of a range of new paints that I need to complete my assignments for my creative e-course.  And what fun it was to choose all these lovely colours:

It's going to be a happy creative weekend. . . . . .

10 Things . . .

Here's my list of 10 THINGS I'M LOVING RIGHT NOW...

1. My Calendula plants starting to bloom
2. Codeword puzzles (quite addictive)
3. My electric blanket (its mid-winter here)
4. A new book "Beyond Talent" by JC Maxwell
5. Eating more fresh vegetables (steamed)
6. Starting my CREATIVEKISMET e-course (yay!)
7. Earning extra money at my new part-time job
8. A coffee & hot chocolate mixture i make (which I have become slightly addicted to)
9. Country Living magazine - the British Edition
10. BLOGGING !!!!

What is on your 10 THINGS list this month?

"I dont think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains."

(Anne Frank 1929)

Today is Friday - the day I teach my scrapbooking class.
This is the page we are going to be creating today:

(detail of the hand-sewn flowers that embellish the page in a very unique way.)