{scraps of jacki's life}

marni

i scrapped!

after an extended absence, i have found my scrapbooking mojo.

it is too soon to tell if it was temporary, or if it is back to stay..

as you see, i used a transparent butterfly, and some gauzy flowers. and stitching. as always there is stitching. the pattern paper is basic grey, and the cardstock is treasures and colormates.

the photos are of marni, you can see one of them here.

i thought i had forgotten how to scrap.

now, if only my blogging mojo could come back...

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapboook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

interior decorator...

a decorator came into the shop today. she did some re-arranging.

 

she felt that the butterflies needed to make a bigger impact.

 

she thought that they would make a striking statement if they were packed in rows on the floor, from the door.

 

she spent quite some time ensuring that the fung shui of the shop was right.

 

she has quite a talent!

 

you need her services too? her name is carli, and she is the daughter of my sister.

although, everytime people ask her, she says her name is 'liefie' (lovey).

she is right!

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

20 000...

i'm so excited!

today, my hit counter passed 20 000 hits, since i started this blog on 14 september 2007. wow! wow! wow!

first i would like to thank GOD, without HIM i would not be here. i would also like to thank you, who reads this. THANK YOU! then i would like to thank my parents, my man, and my kids at home. i would also like to thank my grade 11 computer-science teacher. thanks to my internet service provider, m-web, and my blog service provider, typepad, and my hit-stats provider, sitemeter. i would also like to thank...

ok, so i have been watching all the award ceremonies on tv, including the golden globe awards yesterday.

where was i?

oh yes. to celebrate, i will do a RAK.

so, if you comment on this blogpost between now and sunday 18 january, you will be entered in a random draw. and you can win.

there will be 3 winners. you can choose, i will either send you 30 butterflies, like these, and these, no matter where you live. or i will edit 3 of your photos for you, like i did here and here.

also, if you mention this giveaway on your blog, and leave a comment with a link to that post here in the comments, i will enter you in a seperate draw, where you can win butterflies AND a photo-edit.

so, click on the word 'comment' that appears under this, and every post, and send me some love! (you can read more about leaving a comment here).

 

this is a digital layout i scrapped of jomien. she is my friend's daughter. the photo was taken by rina. the paper and embellishments i used are from shabby princess. the border around the photo is from jessica sprague.

 

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

wedding

on saturday evening there was a wedding in the terrace restaurant upstairs in the northvilla terrace centre, where my shop is.

i made a guest book for the couple. i used a little 7 gypsies 6"x6" file.

they wanted understated. if she is a scrapbooker, she can add pages for her photos between the pages with the guest's comments.

i used the fruit of the Spirit as a theme, as mentioned in the Bible here:

Galatians 5:22:
^"22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,"

instead of table numbers, i put these little cards on the tables. the main table was 'love'.

at the entrance of the restaurant was an easel, with these cards on, with the guest list.

down the isle in the wine cellar - where the ceremony was held, and on the dance floor in the restaurant, i scattered 250 black, white and red butterflies.

congratulations, john and trish. may your life together be blessed!

 

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop. benoni, gauteng, south africa

i'm still around..

i have been such a bad blogger lately. i have been distracted.

i have days in the shop where i get one visitor after the other - very nice, i appreciate it!, but then i get nothing else done. i have also been giving a quote for a wedding, to make place cards etc. a lot of work so i'm not sure whether i should hope i get the job, or not. i have to work so much harder at the moment to make less money, as is the case with almost everyone across the world at this time.

and it has been soooo hot these last days. we have been having lots of sticky days, and i wilt in the heat.

we got a new neighbor in the centre last week. 

dominique opened a little organic shop.

 

she sells gorgeous soaps and lemonade and baby products.

it smells so wonderful in there. of sugar and spice and all things nice. lavender and spices and vanilla and wood.

 

she made these light fittings herself. if you look carefully, you will see a certain blogger's 'trademark' flying below one of the lights....

 

she even has a little organic menu. we were hoping for toasted cheese and tomato, but she says bread is bad for us...

welcome to the neighborhood, dominique! i hope you do well here.

 

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

gift box

wednesday morning a girl came into the shop, and asked if i sell gift boxes. i said "no, but i can fold you one"...

within minutes i folded her one, using these instructions for folding an origami box. i used a smaller square of paper, 20cm x 20cm. the box was just the right size to hold a jewellery box, that was to hold 2 rings for an engagement. using a hat pin, i fastened a charm and a translucent butterfly to the box, and there we are!

 

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMEs scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

butterflies with meaning...

so butterflies have accidentally become my 'thing'. my unintentional 'trademark'. all as a result of this post, that was unexpectedly linked to from all sorts of blogs from all over the world.

last week i found a link to me here. and she had a link that suddenly gave the butterflies a meaning.

 

In an effort to remember them, Holocaust Museum Houston is collecting
1.5 million handmade butterflies.

The butterflies will eventually comprise a breath-taking exhibition, currently scheduled for Spring 2012, for all to remember.

you can read more about it here. as a shop, we are going to participate, and make and send some butterflies.

i'm busy scrapping and catching up with my email and reading all your blogs.

 

 

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

bye bye butterflies...

see these butterflies? they are getting ready to fly far, far away, across the atlantic ocean, all the way to the USA.

beth saw these butterflies in this post, and asked me to send her some. it took a while, because they had to first come out of their little eggs. but, they are ready, and will be leaving shortly. because they are young butterflies, and their wings are made of paper, they will be flying by airmail...

*edited to add: i mailed them this morning (sat), beth. they should board the plane on tuesday or wednesday, provided their passports are in order.i don't know when they will get to your house, they might take the scenic route. i hope they don't gat airsick on the way...*

i could not log on to the internet this morning, so i closed microsoft explorer, and gave firefox a try. my son francois has been nagging me for ages. so far, so good. which one do you use?

unfortunately, i will not be going to the scrappink event after all, as there was no space for me! ha! they are gonna miss me! *sigh*! i was so looking forward to sitting down and scrapping. oh well, next time maybe..

i have been designing a business card for myself, using my still new digital scrapbooking skills. i love how it came out!

now i have to find someone who will print them for me.

 

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

new cards

i have been making some more cards. i used sketch #85 from card positioning systems as inspiration:

i like to use scraps from my layouts so my cards 'match' my layouts, and these cards go with the butterfly layout i showed before. so, i scrapped the butterflies, then blogged about the butterflies, then scrapped the blogpost, then blogged about scrapping the blogpost. then i also made cards that 'match' the layout, and then blogged about the cards...

sorry. this just amuses me no end. just skip to the next bit while i sit and giggle here...

i would have used butterflies on the cards, but my cuttlebug butterfly template is worn out! it is so blunt, it won't cut through anymore. look, it did cut way over 1000 butterflies in 6 weeks, so i suppose it is ready to retire. i'll have to get a new one soon.

that is real sewing you see. i 'quilted' little blocks of scrap paper. i have even been so inspired by this sketch, that i'm using the 'quilting' effect on a layout too. it is not finished, but here is a sneak peek:

i also made some christmas cards using that sketch, but that is another post for another time.

 

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

butterfly fever...

 

remember the fun little butterfly post i did recently? well, it was unexpectedly popular, so i printed the photos and the text, and scrapped the blogpost.

 

i put some of the butterflies i made that day on the layout. i just had fun with it.

so, i scrapped the butterflies, then i blogged about the butterflies, and then i scrapped the blogpost about the butterflies, and now i'm blogging about the scrapping of the blogging of the butterflies. (en die groen gras groei daar om) do you know what i mean? because i have confused myself! this circle could go on forever...

aren't you just so relieved that i managed to sort out my blogging issues? 'cause now i can write insightful blogposts like this for another year...

 

and more butterflies here.

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbooking shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

loren, and trouble in blog-land...

christina, this post is especially for you...

this layout was done by one of my clients, loren, in a workshop i presented recently. this layout was originally designed by liza. her version and mine can be seen here.

 

the couple in the photo are loren's grandparents. this layout is hauntingly beautiful, simple and soft and romantic. as usual, the photo does not do it justice.

i have to thank you for your sweet comments on my post yesterday. it's so nice to have you all popping in, and to know that if something were to happen to me, someone would notice. even if it took a whole week before anybody missed me... :-) thanks ineke, tracy, stefanie, cathy, loraine, jacqui, hayley and sophia. you are so sweet!

from end august i have been trying repeatedly, constantly, to pay my blog subscription fee. there was a problem with it, and my card details would not go through. it was the same account i used last year, just a new card with a new expiry date and security code. my bank told me that they saw the transaction, and approved it, they even gave me an authorization code so typepad could try to put it through manually. during a 6 week long constant conversation with them about it in my help ticket, typepad admitted that the problem was on their side, and they promised that they would not suspend my blog. but on tuesday they did. my blog was suspended as though i was a tardy payer!

eventually, in desperation and frustration, i borrowed someone's credit card, and paid using that. so, now my blog is re-instated. my happy relationship with typepad has not been re-instated though, i'm still soooo annoyed and grumpy!

if my payment had gone through the first time i tried, it would have cost me about R100 less, as the rand has weakened considerably in the last 2 months against the dollar. so, all in all, this experience has cost me a lot of money, even more time and aggravation, and has tainted my blogging experience. uggg!

enough ranting. i spent time investigating blogger and moving my blog to them, so i know more about that. and i used all this extra time to do lots of scrapping, and i made cool cards. i have photographed them, and have lots of material for new posts to come.

love, jacki

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

cards

 

the 'shiny' butterflies are made from transparency, and embossed.

i wanted to make some cards today, as examples for a kids card-making class that i want to do next week, while the schools are on holiday. so, as always when i need card-making inspiration, i went to card positioning systems.

the sketch for this week looks like this:

 

for 3 of the 6 cards i made, i used this sketch, for 2 of them i flipped it over. it is hard to see, but i used the cuttlebug to do embossing. on the photo above, the left of the white card and the top of the black card have embossed flowers. i used little pearls as the hearts of the flowers. everything is embossed, a border on each card, all the paper squares, and all the butterflies.

 

the red card on the right, the bottom butterfly on the left, is made from transparency.

i could have done so much more to these cards, but i wanted to keep them low-budget, so the kids could do more cards for their money. besides, kids really want to do their own thing, they don't need me to give them any more that just a start.

i used 3 sheets of cardstock that mix-and-match. i cut them across 20cm (8') down, so i had 2 pieces, one 20x30cm (8'x12'), and one 10x30cm (4'x12'). then i cut them both in half, so i had 2x 20x15cm (8'x6') and 2x 10x15cm (4'x6'). the bigger pieces i folded in half, to make 2 cards, 6 in total, and the smaller pieces i used for the decorations of the cards.

to make 6 cards i used: 3x sheets of cardstock, 30x pearls, 2x flowers, 2x scraps of pattern paper, 1x A4 sheet of transparency. i used the cuttlebug to emboss everywhere.

you can read more about making those butterflies here.

 

these cards were featured on card positioning systems.

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

carla

i was going to blog some more about the convention, and i have a post half-done, but i am at home this morning, and my convention photos are on my computer at the shop. so, here is something different for today.

last week i did this LO. is was inspired by antoinette's class. i was feeling a little uninspired in the last few weeks, so it was either scraplifting or not scrapping at all.

 

i really enjoyed doing this page. and i'm happy with how it came out. see, more butterflies... carla is my baby sis, the one who lives in melbourne, australia.

it has taken days, but i'm finally getting a little caught up. first i read lots of the 153 unread blogposts in my google reader. then it took 2 days to wade through my inbox. it still needs more trimming, but at least i'm no longer too afraid to check my email. unfortunately, 2 days of springcleaning email meant my google reader got filled again... the shop's admin is also getting a little more up to date.

i managed to do a little scrapping on monday, and i'm hoping to do some more before the week is over. normally i'm a late-night scrapper/blogger, but after this hectic week iv'e been to tired at night to do anything, collapsing in bed much sooner than normal.

am i complaining? NO! i'm loving it! the convention is always a highlight for me, and being busy is so productive.

sophia, ineke and tracy, are you having fun with your cuttlebugs?

love, jacki

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbooking shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

heritage..

more butterflies...

 
this time liza made this layout with them. she used heritage photos. she inked the edges of the butterflies. you can also ink the raised/embossed areas of the butterfly, to make it more pronounced. the butterflies are made and embossed with a cuttlebug.

 

she also used little pearls that are flat on the one side.

september is heritage month in south africa, with 24 september being heritage day, a public holiday.

 

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

cuttlebug

if you live in south africa, and are wanting to buy a cuttlebug, just email me, and i'll give you a quote.

butterflies

 

as you can see, my current obsession with butterflies has not yet abated... i made this box according to the instructions i posted here. and just fixed the butterflies on using those brads. you will be seeing more of those butterflies in days to come, as we are all scrapping them. i am even scrapping my blog-post about the butterflies! (blogging about scrapping and then scrapping about blogging, i could keep myself busy forever...)

and more butterflies here.

 

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

spring fever...

something really weird happened in the shop today.

a whole swarm of paper butterflies just flew in the door.

and just in time for spring too.

they settled everywhere.

*get a room, butterflies...* you'll have to excuse some of those butterflies, but it is spring, after all...

 

some even flew out the door with toothpicks in their ass under their wings, and settled into the potted plants of all the other tenants in the center.

bizarre...

nobody knew where they came from...

it was a beautiful sight!

the butterflies were cut and embossed with the butterfly cuttlebug template

see some cards with these butterflies here, a layout with them here and here and here, and a gift box with them here. then i scrapped this blogpost, and blogged about scrapping the blogpost... whew!

and more butterflies here.

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

this post was featured on scrapscene and on scrapbookeronline and scrappertalk and gingerblue on 7 november 08. a mention of this post on two peas' messageboard caused a huge and unexpected spike in traffic. thanks!