{scraps of jacki's life}

now...

i have been playing with photoshop again. i just love it! i have been doing jessica sprague's photo editing course. i am going to learn about brushes next!

i pop into the cuttlebug challenge blog from time to time, to get some ideas and inspiration. their challenge for this week brought my butterfly post to mind, so i entered it. that post is still one of the most popular ones i ever did.

i am part of typepad's beta team, and i have been using typepad's new design for quite some time now. and i am very happy. but best of all is the AWESOME stats. their stats were not too bad to start off with, but now they are great.

for some reason i have been getting fewer comments lately. are you not talking to me anymore? i also often visit your blog without commenting, so i'm guilty too. but i have been trying a little harder, because i have been missing the conversation. please talk to me...

anyway, i have not had much to say on my blog since i started playing 'bricks breaking' on facebook and hanging out on twitter a few weeks ago. i wonder if that has anything to do with it?... nah! so, i stole this of my new blog-friend wenchy's blog, so i at least had something to post here today. besides, it seems to be list-season i blogland, so you cannot judge me as you probably did a list-thingy this week too...

1) Are your parents married or divorced?
married. 44 years last week.

2) Are you a vegetarian?
no. i like oxtail too much.

3) Do you believe in Heaven?
oh yes!

4) Have you ever come close to dying?
no. I may have wanted to, but no. (sorry wenchy. here i even stole your answer too. i stoop to great depths to provide great comic content to my loyal readers)

5) What jewelry do you wear?
chunky costume jewelry. i get bored quickly, and i don't have a rich lover. (yet)

6) Favorite time of day?
lunchtime...

7) Do you eat the stems of broccoli?
jip!

8) Do you wear makeup?
yes. always. never used to when i was younger.

9) Ever have plastic surgery?
yes. i need all the help i can get.

10) Do you color your hair?
of course. i am not as blonde as i pretend to be.

11) What do you wear to bed?
PJ's.

12) Have you ever done anything illegal?
who wants to know? who do you work for? are you wearing a wire?

13) Can you roll your tongue?
yes. why would anyone want to know that?

14) Do You Tweeze your eyebrows?
no. it shows.

15) What kind of sneakers?
crocs. i don't wear sneakers, as i don't do excersise.

16) Do you still own vinyl?
No.

17) What is your hair color?
who knows? i have not seen my hair color in years. greyer than i would like, though...

18) Future child’s name?
huh?

19) Do you snore?
of course not! that would be very unsexy! don't believe anything the man tells you...

20) If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be?
new york. london. paris. cape town.  

21) Do you sleep with stuffed animals?
no. only the man, a jack russel puppy under the blankets, and 1-3 cats on top of the blankets. there is no space for stuffed animals.

22) If you won the lottery? …
i would pay my debt. and the rest? they would have to wait. just kidding. travel. fix my house.

23) Gold or silver?
silver. and silver-colored. see #5.

24) Hamburger or hot dog?
chinese. pizza. fish and chips.

25) If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Ice Cream. I declare it to be a food. (sorry wenchy! i could not come up with a better answer)

26) City, beach or country?
country. i love the bush. i just have to be within an hour's drive of a woollies, though. and have a good internet signal.

27) What was the last thing you touched?

*jacki scratches her head, thinking*

28) Where did you eat last?
here. now. salad for lunch over the keyboard.

29) When’s the last time you cried?
i cry often. cannot be more than a few days ago.

30) Do you read blogs?
Yes. all the time.

31) Would you ever go out dressed like the opposite sex?
probably not.

32) Ever been involved with the police?
i have been living with an ex-cop for 6 years. does that count?

33) What’s your favorite shampoo, conditioner and soap?
whatever is on special at clicks. times are tough..

34) Do you talk in your sleep?
I don’t know. i am asleep, aren't i?

35) Ocean or pool?
neither. toilet.

36) What’s your favorite song at the moment?
the theme song from sponge bob square pants.

37) What is your favorite color(s)?
eyes - blue. money - blue. to wear - black.

39 Ever met anyone famous?
ramblerclive. oh, wait. i have never actually 'met' him. heidi swapp. stacy julian. tim holtz. karen forster. donna downey. oh shucks, now i have to find links to all their blogs...

40) Do you feel that you’ve had a truly successful life?
no. not yet. 

41) Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it?
twirl.

42) Ricki Lake or Oprah?
jerry springer.

43)Basketball or Football?
neither.

44) How long do your showers last?
10-15 mins.

45) Automatic or do you drive a stick?
love automatic. then i can sms while i'm driving..

46) Cake or ice cream?
Ice cream cake.  (thanks again, wenchy. it seems we have something in common)

47) Are you self-conscious?
yes.

48) Have you ever drank so much you threw up?
no.

49) Have you ever given money to a tramp?
yes.

50) Have you been in love?
oh yes!

51) Where do you wish you were?
with my family.

52) Are you wearing socks?
yes. and slippers too. at work. what can i say - it's cold!

53) Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?
fortunately not.

54) Can you tango?
no.

55) Last gift you received?
a kiss.

56) Last sport you played?
scrapbooking.

57) Things you spend a lot of money on?
groceries.

58) Where do you live?
on a plot in benoni, south africa.

59) Where were you born?
windhoek, namibia.

60) Last wedding attended?
can't remember.

61) Favorite alcoholic drink?
red wine.

62) What’d you do last weekend?
went away with the entire extended family, to middelburg.

63) Most hated food(s)?
hate food? i didn't know it was possible.

64) What’s your least fav chore?
ironing.

65) Can you sing?
yes. not very well, though. but i do. all the time.

66) Last person you instant messaged?
hayley. on twitter.

67) Last place you went on holiday?
holiday? i'm self-employed, in the retail industry. no holidays. alas.

68) Favorite regular drink?
water. coffee.

69) Current crush?
my man!

and thus endeth todays intelligent blog post.

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

without words...

here are some photos of what we are doing this weekend away in mpumalanga:

eduard:

marni:

 

tian:

eduard, sean and francois - 3 birthdays in one week:

 

love, jacki

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

becoming a teenager...

happy 13th birthday sean!

i don't know that much about when he was born, as i was not there. but i do know that he is a kind and gentle boy, and that my life is better for having known him for the last 6+ years.

on sunday he brought us breakfast in bed, and when i asked why, he told me that it was 'evil stepmother's day'.

thank you sean, for enriching my life. without you i would not be a stepmother, evil or otherwise. and my life would have been poorer for it.

you can read what i have blogged about him before here.

tonight we are going out to supper and a surprise. typical scrapbooker/blogger, i saw a photo-op earlier in the week. and tomorrow we are going away for the weekend. with my entire, extended family. who are all already there.

and i am taking tonight, friday, saturday and monday off. wow! i hope the economy survives.

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

happy birthday!

today is francois' birthday.

23 years ago tonight, my son was born. he was such a cute baby, with LOTS of hair...

he was born at 22h30, weighed 4.01kg and was 53cm long. he was unplanned, but not unwelcome!

and this is what he looks like now:

he has become a beautiful young man.

i scrapped this quick and simple layout this week, with the photos taken of him at the photoshoot in may, by amelia.

i used treasures and colormates cardstock, pattern paper from paper explosion's wedding collection (south african), a little scrap of 7 gypsies paper, rub on alphas and ribbons from my stash, silver photocorners. and my 2 most trusty scrapbooking tools: my black pen and my stapler.

all along the border of the cardstock, i repeated morse code for i love you.

he is away with his grandparents, so i don't see him today.

happy birthday francois! i love you, and your father would have been proud of the man you have become.

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

ma en pa...

i scrapped this layout this week:

the photos are of my mom and dad. i took them in november 2008, and i posted them on my blog here. the photos of this layout do not do it justice.

i found it rather difficult to fill the space on this layout, as i had challenged myself to not use any flowers. since i found this very difficult i have now proven that i can do this, i am not challenging myself like that again...

the inspiration came from celine navarro, you can see her layout here. the page on the right is a 90 degree flip of the page on the left.

i used treasures and colormates, jenni bowlin's ledger paper, 7 gypsies 'elgin' paper, and 7 gypsies rubons, heidi swapp ghost hearts and her awesome distressing tool, and words and alphas from wilpro. also 2 stickers from karen forster's anniversary range.

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

busy, busy, busy...

i was reading this post by the talented artist and gifted wordsmith kelly rae roberts, who's blog is so beautiful and thought-provoking and interesting to visit. she was writing about how she was feeling 'blah'.

in fact, she said this: the truth is is that the last couple of days have made this week feel very very long. i'm a tad on the grumpy side, and a whole lot of restless. i start painting, i stop painting. i start reading, i stop reading. i start writing, i stop. and on and on. like one big giant unsatisfying circle of blah. you know how it goes. sometimes, it is what it is. even when we have nothing to complain about. even when life is going very well. even when a bad mood is just simply a bad mood without any complications attached. i'm trying to let. it. go. 

and it got me thinking.

we, modern man and women, especially those of us living in cities, have this urge to be productive. all the time. every day. we used to only be able to work at work, and overtime was an exception in peak times. now we work long hours. and have computers at home, and we work and check emails and make phone calls after hours too, and over weekends. and on holiday. we even check in from our cellphones.

and we multi-task. we cook while checking our kids' homework, we make phone calls while we drive, and we type that report while watching tv. time spent waiting in the car at the school or at the doctor's rooms is spent reading reports. we go to bed late and get up early, to make the most of our day. we use our social time networking with clients and marketing ourselves.

'wasting time' is frowned upon. computer games, watching tv, facebook and scrapbooking are scoffed at, as they are empty pastimes. housewives and full-time mothers are seen as 'ladies of leisure' and they do not get much respect. even when we go on holiday, we have to be active, out and about all day, entertaining ourselves and the children. when we sleep late and read and watch dvd's we are called lazy. students are expected to take jobs in the holidays. we even medicate depression and grief and exhaustion and trauma, and tell each other to 'pull yourself together' or get therapy when it takes too long.

as scrapbookers, we call ourselves 'memory keepers' or 'story tellers' or 'family historians', so we can justify the time and expense we 'waste' on our hobby. what happened to just playing or creating or having fun or relaxing?

why? i spend long hours a day in my shop. today i'm on a 14 hour shift, and there is no lunch or teatime. yet when someone walks in and catches me playing solitaire or on facebook, they always have something to say. and i feel guilty!

GOD created the dark, so we could rest at night, but we invented light bulbs and electricity, so we could do more. GOD created sleep, so we could rest, but we invented alarm clocks, so we could do more. GOD created seasons, so there would be a growing time and a resting time, but we invented hot-houses and heaters and fertilisers, so we could do more. GOD created sore muscles and tiredness, so we could stop working and rest, but we invented painkillers and energy boosters and caffeine and mood-boosters so we could do more.

why do we sell this to each other, and why do we buy this ourselves?

when i was reading kelly rae's blogpost, my thought was that she is probably just a little tired. and needs some downtime.

growing seasons should be followed by resting seasons. work periods should be followed by rest periods. over-exertion should be followed by healing. that is how it was designed. even when i work a while on my computer, it needs a few minutes to process and save the information. and so should i!

so. i am going to spend some time being creative. i am going to spend some time watching the sun go down, while processing and saving my work of the day. i am going to spend some time lying on the couch, watching recorded episodes of desperate housewives. i am going to sleep in and chat to my family and waste time. and not feel guilty!

now, i am going to spend some time with a cup of coffee, and play solitaire. and then i'm going to work again - reading blogs and playing on facebook and twitter. and it is not wasting time. it is networking and marketing. that is my story, and i'm sticking to it...

...i am blogging. and scrapping. after a long absence of inspiration. which kind of proves my point, doesn't it?...

 

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

photoshoot - my family

here is harrison ford my dad, jan:

and another of him:

my mom and dad:

my mom, lottie:

francois and my mom have always been very close:

francois up close:

mother and son:

mother and daughter:

i wanted the man and sean to be in the photographs too, but it was just after the man's surgery, and he could not drive, so he could not get to the shop. we will have other photos taken soon.

i posted these and other photos to amelia's blog too. and i posted more photos taken on that day on her blog here.

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

alice in wonderland

alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, "and what is the use of a book", thought alice, "without pictures or conversations?" so she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a white rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her.

and so the story begins, with alice following the rabbit, and falling down the rabbit hole, and emerging in a place called wonderland, where many silly and funny characters reside, and where they do all kinds of weird and wonderful and unexpected things...

often when i plug in my modem, and open my google reader, and start reading, following one link after the other, i too fall down the rabbit hole, and emerge in a place called wonderland, where many silly and funny characters reside, and where they do all kinds of weird and wonderful and unexpected things...

although i have been a very bad blogger lately, i have been reading blogs, and so i thought i would share with you some of the silly and funny characters that have been keeping me entertained in wonderland lately.

there has been a thought-provoking church debate going on at rambler, allie and mel's places. go. read. comment. (be nice). but most of all, think! all three are very interesting blogs anyway, local, and totally worth reading!

shadow project- photography with a humorous twist

fun cartoons with the internet in general and social networking in particular as a theme

speaking of social networking, you can find me on twitter and on facebook. you can also become a follower of this blog on facebook here.

i found some scrapbook inspiration from celine navarro, heidi swapp and donna downey this week, triggering ideas that translate into something else. sometimes a creative journey starts with just a spark..

although i have been a bad blogger, so you have not noticed it, i bought this e-book, and i am working through it slowly. i can definitely recommend it, if you are a blogger.

jessica sprague is hosting a free photo-editing class. you can get more info here. so, those of you who keep telling me you don't know where to start, go register! her classes are always good.

read this post by jodi, read it all the way through. there is a wonderful nugget of wisdom and insight in that story.

a comment i made on helen's blog, about ordering expensive scrapbooking kits from overseas versus buying at your local scrapbooking shop, sparked quite a few interesting responses. you can read the post here, and remember to check out the comments! thanks helen, for hosting the impromptu debate!

both helen and stefanie recently blogged about playing this game: you go to google, and type 'in what your name wants'. and you have a giggle at what is returned. here is 'what jacki wants':

little jackie wants to be the universe's biggest star

jackie-o wants to smash mos def

jackie wants a pre-nup

jackie-o wants to be your baby-mama

jackie wants to plan jason's wedding (the bachelor 13)

jackie wants you to want me

jackie-o wants to host the next big brother series

jackie wants 2 hot dogs on flickr

user jacki no longer wants to receive mail

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

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

the lights are on, but nobody is home...

before life interrupts again, i thought i would get a blogpost up early today.

*jacki spends a few minutes staring at the blinking cursor and the blank space before her, sighs, and leaves to go to facebook*

i cannot think of anything interesting to say today. so, rather than fill this space with nonsense, i will just leave without saying anything...

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

gingerbread man

run, run, as fast as you can, you can't catch me, i'm the gingerbread man...

is your life like mine? running, running, as fast as i can, trying to catch an elusive gingerbread man..

Now chase him old woman, now chase him old man
Chase him, yes chase him as fast as you can!
Through the garden and out the gate,
Catch him right now, before it's too late. 
The gingerbread man, he's out of the pan! ...

....Run, run, as fast as you can
You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man 
I'm the gingerbread man and I'm out of the pan! 

you can see the whole poem here.

this past week has been very busy, too much so. i haven't had much time for anything, let alone blog.

running, running after an uncatchable gingerbread man, something that doesn't even have lasting value...

anyway, rozanne recently blogged about how she uses google calendar to organise her life. so, i gave it a try, and i'm am very impressed. i am not going to write about the details, she explains it all very well. all i can say is that it is very user friendly.

on it i created a shop calendar, and i made it public. so my clients can see it here. it will be featured on my blog permanently, and updated constantly. planning a little ahead may make me feel a little more in control.

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

ps: i got the idea of the gingerbread man from kayla lamoreaux. something she said here got me thinking about it.

on buying a car, and letting go...

last saturday afternoon, exactly a week ago, when i closed the shop, i had a thought that i had not looked at buying a nissan for either myself or francois, or for both of us. we both need a car. i had looked at almost everything else, but not nissan. so i drove to the dealer, hoping to still catch them open. they were not.

so on monday francois and i went there, and we test drove some cars. we decided against the tiida for francois, because it was too expensive and a little too big.

on tuesday evening a different dealer stopped at my shop, and brought red tiida to show me. it is almost new, and in a good condition, with low mileage, for a good price. it was either a good deal, or too good to be true. so on wednesday i arranged for the car to go to the AA for a full test, which it passed with flying colours.

on thursday the man and francois, and my dad, saw the car. and they approved.

on friday the car was serviced, cleaned, fitted with a new windscreen, and insured. francois got the car late on friday.

phew! what a week! last saturday we were no closer to buying a car, and now it is all over, bar some administrative things.

the process this week went by in a whirlwind. i found it quite stressful, and the whole week i had a lump in the pit of my stomach. this morning, during a quiet minute, i reflected a little, gathered my thoughts...

...and there, deep inside, under the tension, and the relief of having it all done, fluttered a teeny butterfly. wondering what it was, i discovered, to my surprise, a little pride.

a pride in doing it myself.

look, i had a lot of help, input, and many, many opinions, from the man, francois, family and friends. but mainly, it was a project driven by me. arranged by me. organised by me. and looking back, i am quite proud that i pulled it off.

i also spent a few minutes wondering why buying a car seemed so difficult and stressful to me, when it seems to be so easy to others. and i realised that it is because most people finance their cars, and get used to a Rx per month car payment. when they buy a new car, they re-finance, and just continue with the monthly car payment. so same cost, new car.

for me, it is a new cost, and it is a lot of money for something that rapidly loses it's value. i have also had bad experiences with my jeep, that is a huge expense to maintain. i am a little scarred, and traumatised.

and also, there is an emotional reason. our current cars are our last big, visible, tangible link to ronnie. he chose and bought the 'old' cars. selling them, and driving different cars, will remove yet another daily reminder of him.

letting go turned out to be a little more emotional than i expected.

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

boy, meet car...

here is francois' old car:

he was due for an upgrade.

and here is the first glimpse of francois' new car:

it is not completely new, just new for him:

 

it is a nissan tiida.

he is ready to drive it for the first time...

so shiny and clean...

oh, is this where the engine goes?

may you have many years of problem free motoring!

 

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

a challenge...

 how many did you find? tell me in the comments. so far i'm on 17 20 24, but i'm still working on it.

if, like me, you cannot resist a puzzle, you can download and print it from here.

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

dear customer...

please allow me a few minutes to talk to you.

even if you are not a customer of my shop, you are still a customer somewhere, so this is for you too..

i know that you come to my shop, and you see the same stock all the time. i know that there are empty gaps on the shelves that take a long time to be filled. i know that there are items that you want, that i have not stocked in months.

i know that. in fact, i am painfully aware of it.

i also know that you are getting frustrated, and bored, and are popping in less often, and shopping elsewhere. i know that you are complaining to your friends. i know that you are not coming back.

but please understand.

i know that you have much less money to spend in my shop. i know that you are leaving your credit card at home, and that your income is not going very far anymore. i know that your bond and groceries and school fees have to be paid before you can spend money here. i know that you are scrapbooking less, and using your stash, and simplifying your layouts because you have to stick to a smaller budget.

i know that. in fact, i'm painfully aware of it.

but, please understand. the same applies to me.

if you spend less, i make less. if you don't pop in, my sales drop. if you stay away, my income is less.

i am not saying that it is your responsibility to spend money in my shop. i'm not implying that it is your fault. i'm not thinking that it is your job to help me out. not at all!

all i'm asking is for is your understanding. and some patience.

please remember that my rent and telephone bill and bank fees also have to be paid before i can buy stock. you have to know that i am working harder and longer, and stressing more, because i too have to stick to a smaller budget.

so, please understand.

i have to admit that if i could just close my doors today, and walk away, i would. because spending time with my family, and having a little time for myself, and being home, would be so much less stressful at this time. but i have a long time left on my lease, and a landlord who does not compromise.

so, please understand.

i am still here. and, unless things get even worse, i will still be here for a while. besides, what else would i do? and when things get better, and they will, i will be ready, and open, and trading, and buying stock, when so many other businesses went away.

so, dear customer, let's make a deal: i will understand your posistion, and you will understand mine. i will respect your need to save money, and you will know that that filling my shelves is a challenge.

i will empathise with you, and you will be patient with me. we will support each other, and help each other, and be honest with each other.

and we will drink no-name brand tea and eat cheaper biscuits, and create layouts that cost less. we will use our stash, and finish projects before we start new ones, and use more creativity and fewer products, and we will not complain and be negative.

well, maybe a little. sometimes. for a little while...

thanks

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

this is good..

they played this this morning on 94.7's rude awakening radio show this morning. it was so good that i just had to hear it again, so i googled it.

and how about that guy with the cigarette inside the plane? are there still airlines that allow smoking, or is it a very old video?

if the video does not work, follow this link.

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

thankful thursdays: 'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.'

i have had this sitting in my email inbox for months, and today - on ascension day, i decided to put it here, for me to be reminded of it from time to time.

today i am thankful that HE conquered everlasting death, so i may have life.

Malachi 3:3 says: 'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.'

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: 'He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.' She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?' He smiled at her and answered, 'Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it.'

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

isn't it awesome how much detail there is in a short little sentence that we normally read over?...

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

news on the pain...

just a quick update on the man's shoulder:

he is in a lot of pain. much more than last time. i'm not sure why. maybe it was a bigger procedure than last time? maybe because it was the second surgery in 2 weeks? the pain blocker that they inject also only lasted a few hours this time, instead of the 2.5 days of last time. and it is quite a bit colder than 2 weeks ago.

last night he really felt overwhelmed. for the first time. he was difficult and grumpy and whiny. he just could not get comfortable, and the pain killers did not help.

thanks for all your good wishes and support, both here and on facebook. i know things will be a little better every day.

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

on mojo and a shoulder, and other things we are missing...

• my blogging mojo seems to have gone the way of my scrapbooking mojo. both gone.


• if you see either of them, capture them and return them, please? there will be a reward...


• and they will be punished. for going AWOL.


• the man went in for another operation on his shoulder today. to fix whatever came loose after the previous reconstruction. a re-reconstruction. he, quite literally, had a screw loose! let's hope there will be more success this time.


• and he has to stay overnight in the hospital. and i miss him while he is there!


• he has become rather handy with one arm, and is doing almost everything himself, with one hand, and his teeth.


• he has not driven in more than 2 weeks, and he is either home-bound, or i have to drive him where he wants to be. thankfully his mom is helping out with picking sean up from school and taking him home. that would have been our biggest crisis, otherwise.


• on mondays i have the day 'off'. that means running around like a crazy person, trying to get the entire week's errands/shopping/chores done. these last 2 mondays i had the man along, and we ran his errands too. yesterday we went to pick 'n pay (a supermarket/grocery store) for a few things. sean was with us by that time. and we spent ages there. browsing. can you believe it. browsing in a supermarket.


• normally grocery shopping is a chore, something i don't particularly enjoy. but as we were walking out, i thought about how fun that was, and how nice a day it had been. running errands. grocery shopping. together.


• when we came home, we made supper together. the man made chips (with one arm), i made steak, and sean made eggs. there were no vegetables in sight...


• and i realised again that the simple things can be so joyful, if you do them together. with the ones you love.


• on another note. i still have no new car. but today a salesman came to show me, and let me test-drive, the new kia soul. very new. it has not even been launched in south africa yet. 


• it is different. unusual. certainly not pretty. but the price is right. oh, the confusion...


• and my new laptop is out of order. i cannot believe it, i have had it for less than 2 months! it has also been in hospital for more than a week now. so tonight there is no man, and no computer. i'll just have to spend the evening with michael schofield and his friends..

 

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

us...

sometimes i have so much to blog about, and sometimes i can think of nothing to say. this seems to be one of those quiet weeks.

the man went for a shoulder operation tuesday before last. over the weekend he started to complain of more pain. on wednesday he managed to squeeze himself in for a early appointment to the doctor, and something inside the shoulder has come loose. so on tuesday he is getting operated on again. and the healing process is pushed back by 2 weeks...

the biggest problem with the shoulder is that the man cannot drive. so i have to take sean to school, and take the man everywhere.

this has added some strain to my days..

here is another photo from the photoshoot, of francois and myself.

*edited to add: are you a coldplay fan? you can download their album leftrightleftrightleft FOR FREE here. i did, and i'm listening right now...*

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

mom and dad

i just wanted to post this photo of my mom and dad, taken by amelia at saturday's photoshoot.

why?

'cause it makes me smile...

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

photoshoot saturday...

they came to the shop on saturday. each in their appointed time. all groomed and painted and gorgeous. some alone, and some with reluctant family members.

they all spent their few minutes in front of amelia and rika's cameras. they smiled and posed, and their images were captured on many camera cards, to be saved on disks. this day, this look, this time frozen for ever...

ineke

cathy and aaron

you can see what cathy said about the photoshoot here.

prieur

dirk

christina

cheryl

rene

laetitia and wilhelm

of course, these people were there too:

these are just a fraction of the many gigs' worth of photos taken on the day. dontcha think i have beautiful clients?

thanks amelia, we had lots of fun!

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

8 things...

i have been tagged to do this at least 3 times, so best i do it, or be kicked out of blogland forever...

8 Things that I am Looking forward to:

1.  making soups and stews in winter
2. time!
3. improving our home and especially the kitchen
4. having a man who isn't a doesn't have pain
5. having a dependable car that i can enjoy
6. the economy improving, and while i'm asking, world peace
7. a quiet weekend
8. a social life. wait, those last 2 contradict each other, don't they? i' a complicated girl...

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. got up early to drive sean to school in the dark and rain
2. made mother's day cards
3. blogged
4. twittered, and twittered some more. i'm productive that way!
   
5. paid some bills
6. watched desperate housewives and fringe on tv
7. caught up with emails and blogs
   
8. fussed over the man with his sore shoulder

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:

1. travel
2. have more time to do things i like
3. get my scrapbooking mojo back
4. design wesbsites (or blogs) for an income
5. write for an income
6. earn an income
7. buy an expensive awesome camera and take better photos

8 Shows I Watch:

1. desperate housewives
2. grey's anatomy
3. big bang theory
4. the mentalist
5. facebook - let's be honest, it is the world's biggest soap opera
6. CSI - love all of them!
7. brothers and sisters
8. 2 and a half men

8 People I'm Tagging:

1. you
2. you
3. you
4. you
5. you
6. you
7. you get it...
8. you


for the life of me i cannot get the papragraphs to align properly. so let's just pretend that it was intended to be this way, ok?

 

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

making cards, and a facelift for typepad...

i have been making these mother's day cards, to sell in the shop.

i am on typepad's beta team, which means that we get to test all new typepad products before they get rolled out to the other users. and i can tell you that there is a major facelift on the way.

as with all changes, it takes some getting used to. since it is quite a dramatic change, it takes a while to find your way around. and, as with all changes, there will be complaints.

but, after the initial confusion, i must say that is looks good. i think the improvements make all the changes worth the initial inconvenience. i'm working in the 'new' version now, and it works well.

i need to blog about tim holtz and the convention, but i have had so many things going on at the same time.

my man had a shoulder operation on tuesday. he is doing well, but in some pain. and the worst is that he cannot drive! that makes life very difficult. but before we know it, it will be over...

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

i heart technology!

i have been a bad blogger this week, there has just been so much going on.

my man had an operation on his shoulder yesterday, after it dislocated 6 times in about 8 months. 5 trips to the emergency room, and 3 times it had to be put back in it's socket in theatre under anesthetic. eventually the doctor agreed that it could not go on this way, so he did the surgery yesterday. and unexpectedly, the man had to stay in the hospital overnight.

i don't have time for a proper blog post, as he has let me know i can pick him up now.

i am sitting in my local mugg and bean, a coffee shop, having breakfast and coffee, and surfing the www on my laptop using my free wi-fi minutes. the internet is super fast, so i will keep it in mind for the end of the month, when i get capped. i am a mweb client, so i get 300 free wi-fi minutes per month.

i just love technology. and i'm sure these other people in the coffee shop think i'm this very powerful and important business woman. it's great!

by the way, while i typed this i noticed that certain words in my post are being underlined in red, and if i right-click on them, the spell checker suggests alternative spelling. thanks typepad, for making the spell-checker so much easier to use! just one thing, though. maybe you should include the word 'typepad' in your dictionary...

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

buying a car...

as most of you know by now, i'm trying to buy a car. for myself, and for francois. i was finding this a difficult choice, until i saw this video. now, i'm convinced, i am buying a hyundai!

Hyundai Assurance Commercial - watch more funny videos




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

today...

i thought i would do a link-post. because i know you hate surfing the web. or love it, and don't need any motivation to follow all these links.

i love following links. i love it when i really surf the web, wandering aimlessly, following links like little signposts, losing hours of my life and emerging a little disorientated and blinking against the light, to find the house in chaos and the family hungry. like alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole, and finding wonderland, with lots of crazy and interesting people.

maybe it's just me.

sometimes through a link or 2, you find these beautiful, inspiring and sometimes sad stories on the web. this one is worth a visit, and makes me appreciate my life.

i have linked to this before, but because mother's day is coming up, i will bring it up again. if you are in need of inspiration for the making of a card for your mum, watch this. and if you are a man, watch it too. and if you own a man, then it is for you. even if you just know a man, you should watch it. it's funny!

if you are a digital scrapper, or just collect digital scrapbooking goodies, like me, here is a gorgeous freebie. thanks summer!

i found this website, that gives you all sorts of design freebies. there are some gems.

i started wilna and kayla's 'bling out your blog' course yesterday. you can still join me, if you wish. it is for bloggers on typepad and on blogger. you will learn all about templates and gadgets and widgets and photo albums. i'm practicing on amelia's blog, and my just jacki blog, and of course on the one you are on now.

if you are interested in starting a typepad blog, email me, or leave a comment, and i will give you a 10% discount code. yeah!

my grandmother, Pauline Sophia Straatman, would have been 100 years old on 20 april 2009. to commemorate, my aunt wrote a piece about her. i saved it here.

 

sean had civvies day at school today. they could dress in anything, as long as it reflected the theme "wacky wednesday". he is wearing different shoes and socks, over his sweater he is wearing a scarf and his school tie, and half his hair is flat and the other half spiky.

of course, if he wanted to be really wacky, he could have combed his hair and worn matching clothes, but he chose not to be that different... :-)

i look at that child every day, but only when i opened those photos on my computer this morning, did i realise how tall he is getting.

it took me 3 days just to get this post out. so many distractions. whew!

now i can start working on the next one..

 

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

voting day...

• today is voting day in south africa. it is also a public holiday, but i am working, there is no rest for the retailers.


• i will vote on my way home later, because the queues were too long this morning.


• i am really enjoying all the status updates on facebook today, as one after the other of my friends are reporting that they have voted. there really seems to be quite a festive feel around today.


• it being a day off, but because i am working, i decided that today would be the day that i figured out how to use twitter. i have had an account for months, but i never got it before. now i see the light. i think.


• tell me in the comments if you twitter. and who you follow.


• do you have a blog? wilna and kayla are presenting a class called bling out your blog. it is for people who have a blogger, typepad or wordpress blog. or if you have no blog, and want to start one, they will help you too.


• it is like an extreme makeover for your blog. whiten, brighten, nip and tuck.


• would you like to start a blog? are you considering typepad? (you should. i love them. and although they cost a little, they also offer a lot).


• if you leave a comment, and tell me you want a blog, i will give you a 10% discount code. so you save on the annual fee.


• then, once you have the blog up and running, you can follow wilna's course.


• on saturday 9 may there will be a photoshoot at my shop. you do not have to be a scrapbooker to have your photos taken. you have to book a 15 minute slot, and cost is R100 for those 15 minutes.


• the photographer is amelia, who's photos you can see if you scroll down a little on this blog. she also has a new blog here

look who arrived at our house last week. this mama had twins. awww sweet! just in time for christmas lunch...

...just kidding!

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

yet another thought-provoking post...

i have been feeling rather intimidated lately by all these bloggers who manage to have a busy career and a model family and a life, and still manage to write an inspiring, entertaining and well written blog post every day. with perfectly edited photos.

so, i am writing a blog post today, whether i have something to say or not. just so you think i have it all together too.

...um...

...ah...

*scratch head and sigh*

no. nothing.

sorry.

oh yes. the man is home safe and sound from his long road trip from cape town to johannesburg. and i did not worry once! after this long and somewhat embarrassing post, i am doing great! shows you, a problem shared is a problem halved.

and i am SO SICK of pondering the same, age-old, never-ending question: what am i going to make for supper?

are you also so very gatvol (sick and tired) of this daily dilemma?

ok. i'm done.

i will be back tomorrow with yet another super-intelligent post. i know you are beside yourself with anticipation.

and if you came here because you followed a link from my facebook profile to what you were told was another thought-provoking post: you are a victim of misleading advertising. sorry for wasting your time.

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

boys will be boys..

i have become quite a walking car encyclopedia.

i have learned a lot about cars in the past few weeks. i can hold a conversation, comparing cars and their specs, and their price versus value for money. i was chatting to a car dealer today, holding my own completely, and i even heard the words 'power versus weight ratio' coming out of my mouth! i was channeling that guy from top gear!...

...i think. i have never watched top gear.

seriously, i'm most guys fantasy. i can compare a tuscon with a sportage, and compare the prices of automatic versus manual. i know which are korean, and which are japanese, and which are american, and which are german. i know that which car is under warranty for how long, and i know which has the longest maintenance plan. i can debate about whether buying new is better than buying secondhand. i even know about fuel efficiency and carbon emissions and ENCAP safety ratings!

ugh! i hate that!

i know many guys who, the moment they drive their new car off the lot, start looking at what they would like to buy next. but i am one of those people who would drive a car for ever. i have no real desire to buy a new car. i find the whole thing quite stressful.

but i must. i have been spending more on my and francois' cars per year to fix them, than some people pay in installments.

so, i'm looking for a car. and talking to everyone about it.

the thing is that everyone has an opinion. a strong opinion. and everyone knows someone who is the best guy to buy a car from. and heaven forbid i do not follow his advice! i can see that there are many 'i told you so' s in my future...

 

as sean and i were leaving the shop today, we found this in the parking lot. of course, no 12.5 year old's life is complete if he has no photos of this amazing experience, to show his friends.

as he was posing (with my car keys in his hand, not the ferrari's) for photos next to the car, the owner came out. and he made sean's day week year.

 

he insisted that sean get in, in the driver's seat. sean, who is normally quite shy, was squealing in delight...

 

then the guy made him scoot over, and gave him a lift to the exit of the parking lot.

 

sean got out with shaky legs. and when we got in my dirty, old, uncool car, he said, in a tiny voice...

...'i think i'm going to pass out'...

by the way: it is a ferrari 612 Scaglietti.

it shares its naturally aspirated 5.7 L (5748 cc) V12 engine with the 575M Maranello. The Tipo F133E engine produces 397 kW (533 hp) at 7250 rpm and 588 N·m (433 ft·lbf) at 5250 rpm with a compression ratio of 11.2:1. The car is capable of 315 km/h (195 mph) and has a 100 km/h time of 4.3 seconds. It comes with two six speed transmission options: a conventional manual or the F1A semi-automatic paddle shift system, a much refined version of the F1 system in the 360.

just kidding. that info came from here and here. i have no idea what that means.

i think sean may just be excited to go to school tomorrow, for a change!

love, jacki

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

bulletpoints...

• this a feel good story, if ever there was one. rambler, i dare you to watch this without shedding a tear...


• i couldn't watch it without shedding a tear.


• i'm doing fine. very well in fact. the concerns i blogged about are gone! thanks for letting me plaster all my issues all over your computer screen. it helped.


• both francois' and my cars are giving lots of problems. so we are shopping for cars. i test-drove the getz for him and the tuscon for me today.


• i am ** years old, and i have never has a say in what i drive. this time i making the choice myself. and i find myself wishing someone else would make the choice for me. the pressure!


• if you are a font-a-holic, like me, you can find some free fonts here.


• you can get a free digital scrapbooking kit here. thanks kayla!


• my 9-year old nephew tian was bitten by a snake over the weekend. a brown one. he is fine, so apparently it is not a poisonous one. it seems the snake was not too happy with being caught...


• i have run out of night cream. i am aging visibly as the collagen biosphere levels in my dermis layer are dropping fast!


• i just heard that my uncle has 3 pregnant daughters! he has 4 grandkids now, but by the end of the year he will have 7!


• my 93 year old gran wants a cellphone. she wants to send smsses. wait until i tell her she can facebook from her phone. maybe she will want to twitter too.

look who i shared a shower with over the weekend!

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

it is that time of year...

i often say this blog is form of therapy. a place for processing my thoughts and emotions. well today's post is one of those. so please excuse me as i have a little emotional meltdown.

this week is ronnie week. it is that week that starts on the 14th april with what would have been ronnie's 46th birthday, had he not died. the week ends on the 19th april, the day of his death 7 years ago.

this is a difficult time for me every year. you would think it would get easier as time goes by, and it does too, but as always the days leading up to this week are intense.

now, to make matters worse this week, i also have to face my biggest fear. i have blogged about it before. we all go through life with that wonderful gift of denial, that conviction that 'it can't happen to me'. well it did. and when it did, i lost that conviction. it did happen to me. and now, i can never shake that fear that it can happen to me again. and i know how blindingly devastating and suffocatingly dark "it' can be.

in fact, i am not even going to go there...

this week the man is on the road again. on thursday he is flying down to cape town, and driving back up. he is bringing up a very ill family member to johannesburg. and you know that his being on the road for such a long period is very, very difficult for me, as you can read here.

so, i have to deal with both issues in one week. the re-living of the death of my husband ronnie, and my fear of something happening to my man. a double whammy. or maybe a big, final test? i hope so..

anyway, there is a reason why i'm telling you this. i have found in the past that putting it out here, on my blog, works for me. i need to yank it out of the dark, moist, fertile folds of my heart, where it can grow and fester and multiply, and expose it to the cold light of day, where it will wither and die. i need to expose it, i need to think and write and read and edit and process it out, so it has no more hold over me. somehow saying it out loud, putting it out here, and telling you about it, exposes the fear for the parasite it is, and helps me to conquer it.

and now that it is written here, i am going to pray over it. and ask you to pray for me too. and then i am going to lay it at the foot of HIS cross. and turn around, and walk away, and leave it there. and whenever those dark thoughts try to tell me how big the fear is, i can tell the fear how big my GOD is.

because i trust that GOD has a plan for my life, and even if that plan includes the worst, as it has in the past, HE will never let me walk that path alone, HE will carry me, as HE has always done.

as i write this, i feel the tears build up in me. but they are not the tears of sadness and defeat, they are the tears of relief, and the tears of cleansing.

it is not a coincidence that this week was preceded by easter. i was reminded this past weekend that for those of us who believe and call HIS name, HE has already overcome the darkness and everlasting death, so i may have everlasting life in HIM. the message of easter is that of overcoming. and i will carry that message forward in me this week.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

i started to write this post on sunday, and then left it in it's raw, emotional form. then i edited and worked on it today. and can tell you that i already feel better. the moment i wrote this down on sunday, it was out of me, and i felt victorious. the demons were exorcised.

in closing i want to say this: i did not write this because i need sympathy. also, remember that although this is on my mind, it is not the only thing going on in my life. i am fine. i am happy. i have dealt with this issue, and i am dealing with this issue. there is no reason to be worried or concerned about me. at all. i promise!

i often say this blog is form of therapy. a place for processing thoughts and emotions. well today's post is one of those. so thanks for excusing me as i had a little emotional meltdown...

 

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

i wish you a....

last year i did a easter 'egg' hunt, which is like a blog-hop, where you can find little treasures. this year i am doing something similar.

see the theme? a blog-hop? like a bunny? an easter bunny? and you will find little shiny treasures, less fattening but no less fabulous than lindt easter eggs...

sorry. it's lame, i know.

yet, it will also be different to last years hunt.

why? because all the blogs i'm 'hopping' to, are just plain fun. good writing. 'normal issues'. motherhood. life. worries. insecurities. and no scrapbooking.

first, i thought we could start with allie. her post hidden for finding is about the true meaning of easter. i love her quiet, shy little blog.

as always, wilna has a spiritual message too.

then we pop over to shiny, who has written a letter to the pope. you will love her writing. i do!

for mommy-issues you may, or may not, relate to, pop in to mommyismoody. she writes so well, even if i can't really relate to her life. so does tallnlucky. finslippy also writes mainly about motherhood, but she is sooo funny!

for photography that is just art, visit tara whitney. for beautiful art and introspective writing, visit kelly rae.

and i know i said no scrapbooking, but since tim holtz will be here in south africa at the end of the month, and he made an interesting easter tag, he gets an honorable mention...

it took me days to get this post this far. sometimes there are so many distractions, that nothing goes fast. so, i thought i would leave it here, and get it posted, before easter is gone and forgotton.

 

John 3:16

love, jacki

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

i don't know how it happened...

but it did.

somehow, time flew by. and before i knew it, it is thursday. again. and it has been almost a week since my last blogpost.

how did that happen? does time fly by in your life too?

anyway, in south africa we are at the start of long-weekend season. this was a 4 day week, so will next week, because of the easter weekend. the week after we have our national elections, so there is a holiday. on a wednesday. the week after that has 3 days, as monday 27 april is 'freedom day' and friday 1 may is 'workersday'.

unfortunately, as i am a retailer, i should be open on public holidays. they are prime shopping days! and as nobody wants to work on a holiday, it is i, business owner and sucker, who is working on those days.

so, if you are on the area, and you are off on those days, please come and spend lots of money in my shop. so it is worth my while? thanks.

also coming up is that fun time of the year for me, that time i call 'ronnie-week'. i can already feel the dread building up in me. 14 april is his birthday, and 19 april is the day he died. 7 years ago. you would think it would get easier...

on the 25th march i wrote a blogpost, and said i would draw a winner from the comments. and the winner is sophia! sophs, drop me an email, and tell me if you want a photo-edit, or a blinkie.

and remember that tim holtz is coming to visit south africa. the johannesburg convention on 1 may is sold out, but there is still space available in cape town on 25 april, and durban on 3 may. you can get more info here. and for a glimpse of what makes this guy so great, you can look here and here.

i want to wish you all a happy easter. and do remember that it is all about Christ's great gift to us. and hot cross buns and lindt easter bunnies....

and here is another photo taken by amelia at the photoshoot last week.

these are my friends. we have shared each other's lives for almost 20 years! this older photo of us was taken many years ago.

2 of the girls in the older pic have moved away. and one new one has since joined our group. and no less than 5 of the 9 girls in the older photo have lost their husbands since that photo was taken. we could almost call ourselves the 'black widows' club..

you can see what i wrote about these girls here and here. and you can see the individual photos taken on that day here and here.

 

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

just a quickie...

i'm a little sleepy, i'm having a friday afternoon energy crash, i just want to get home and do nothing at all...

anyway, i just popped in to tell you that you can download this awesome free digital kit by summer here.

and as soon as i regain some energy, i will pick a winner from this giveaway. in the meantime, you can still comment, and qualify for the prize.

and check out the well-deserved praise blog-friend and south african girl candice is getting over at two peas.

if you are a reader of this blog, and you are on facebook, then you can click here to follow this blog, or in the 'follow this blog on facebook'  link in the right sidebar. this is not a separate blog, it is just a little group or community of people who follow this blog. it asks nothing further of you, but it is great for me to know who you are, that's all! it reminds me of the friends i have, in those 'nobody loves me' moments.

what, you don't have those moments?

if you have your own blog, you can link it on facebook here. it all part of networking... and if you are not my facebook friend yet, you can meet me here. i don't throw pigs or send drinks, i promise! 

every time i re-read this post, i find more silly typos. i cannot concentrate. so, i'm leaving for now.

 

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

photoshoot continued...

as promised yesterday, here are some more photos from the photoshoot:

there were some gorgeous photos.

and, because some of you were wondering, i was also there:

funny though. my photos weren't so gorgeous...

...but i have issues!

the photographer, amelia, is available in the east rand, and pretoria.

she really brought everyone's inner model out.

next, i'll show some of the group shots!

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

photoshoot friday...

on friday my friend amelia came, and we had a photoshoot here at the shop.

amelia is a photographer. she came with a ton of props.

we had so much fun, and it shows in the photos..

here are just a fraction of the photos she took.

i'll post some more tomorrow.

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

photoshop tutorial : aging your photos

it is probably ridiculous, to take a perfectly fine, recent, good quality photo, and make it look aged and distressed. i mean, other people take their really old photos, and refresh them to make them look 'newer' and better.. but i have always been a little different.

to me, photoshop is also an expression of my creativity. so although i love 'normal' photos, i also really enjoy the creative process that is photoshop.

sometimes i like to open a photo in photoshop, and just play around with it. that is the best way to learn anything anyway. and this is something i discovered while playing.

i will show you what i do. this is not the 'right' way, or even the best way. it is just the way i played and experimented and stumbled to create this:

this is carli. this photo was taken 80 years ago end of last year. she is unwrapping christmas gifts. it actually looked like this:

 

it is cute this way too.

here we go:

open a photo that you want to experiment with in photoshop. i use photoshop elements 6, but any version should work similarly. do basic crops and edits. i like to save the image at this stage, before i work on it further, so i have the 'original but improved' version.

when i save an image, i like to be specific with the name. i will call the one with the basic edits something like 'carli'. then i might change to sepia, and save it as 'carli sepia'. then i might add a frame, and call it 'carli sepia frame', and so forth. it just makes it easier for me to find the right photo when i need it, especially if i didn't like a specific edit. sometimes i call it 'carli a' and then 'carli b', 'carli c' etc. each save has a further edit.

now, open a new layer. decide if you want to change your photo to black and white, or to sepia. play with both, if you don't like it, go back a step or delete the layer, and try the other.

 

that little brown apple is the button you click on to change to sepia, then click on 'apply' just below the apple. 

see, sepia! just below the 'apply' button, is a button that says 'opacity'. if you click on it, a slider appears. move the slider about, play with it and see what happens. a few of the colors from the photo below will start showing through. i like that it is a little pinker, a little warmer.

being pinker and warmer is always good...

i moved my slider to 80%, but you do what you like. if you are completely happy with the effect, then right click on the little photo to the right again, and click on 'flatten image'. if you want, you can save here.

remember that it works exactly the same in black and white.

now, let's play a little further.

when you have flattened your layers, you will have one sepia photo sitting in your editor, and no other layers.

 

now, right click on the layers, and select 'duplicate layer'. now you have 2 identical photos sitting above each other in the layer area. find the opacity slider, and start moving it down. you will not notice much difference, until you use the little eye icon next to the bottom layer, and switch that layer off. now you will see that the top layer is becoming transparent.

 

play around with the opacity slider, until you are happy with the effect. you can right click on the layers, select 'flatten layers' to see what it will look like, and if you are not satisfied, click on edit - unflatten layers, and your layers will pop up again, and you can play some more.

 

you see, it creates a beautifully soft effect.

a beautifully soft effect is quite flattering. i wish i could do that in the mirror in the mornings...

for a list of digital elements used in this post and elsewhere on this blog, look here.

please leave me a comment if you like this, or don't like this, or have something to add. thanks.

you can see my other photoshop tutorials here.

this post was linked to by scrapscene and photoshop pack

 

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

it's my party....

march has been quite a big month here at {scraps of jacki's life}.

first, we passed 1000 comments. 1000 times someone took the time and effort, to leave me a comment here. i cannot tell you how much i love and appreciate that!

then, my sitemeter counter passed 25 000 hits. wow! that means 24 000 people visited here without leaving a comment...

also, last week marked 18 months that i have been blogging.

to celebrate, we are going to have a party! with prizes!

between now and the end of march, if you leave a comment on THIS POST, and tell me how absolutely clever i am to be able to make blinkies, you will be in the draw to win your choice of the following:

a photo-edit. if you live within driving distance, i will invite you to a photo shoot, where my friend amelia will take your photos. but even if you don't, you can email me 4/5 good photos of yourself, and i will make them prettier! you can see examples of this all over this blog, like here and here.

OR

a free blog blinkie. if you have a blog, i will make you some blog-bling! you tell me what you need, and i'll make it for you!

i'm like a fairy godmother, making either you, or your blog pretty.

and if you happen to mention this on your own blog, and you leave me a link in the comments, you will get an extra entry in the draw. see what cathy said.

so, click on the word "comment" under this post, and leave me some love, and compliments, and laughs. who knows, if there are lots of comments, i might add another prize...

of course, it would have been an even better month if i had been a finalist in the south african blog awards. but, it was not meant to be, and we will give it another bash next year. but, you can hop over to the site, and see who the finalists are. and while you are there, vote for clive, who deservedly did make the finals.

 

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

my first layout...

a while ago, desire showed her first layouts on her blog. i thought i would blog about that too.

my sister-in-law, cornelia, started scrapping some years ago, and she kept nagging me to start too. so, on 12 april 2005, i joined her for a class taught by valinda, and did this:

all the photos are of ronnie. i refused to use patterned paper, as i thought it would be too busy. she helped me choose bazzill paper, and i thought it was weird that they would call blue paper 'basil', as i thought basil was green.

it was no coincidence that i started scrapbooking on 12 april, as it was the beginning of what i call 'ronnie week'. his birthday is 14 april, and he died 19 april, and that week is always very emotional for me. i thought it would be a good way to celebrate the memories of him.

i finished that layout of him that day, and i was totally hooked! so much so that i went to another shop the next morning, to attend another class, where i did this:

this layout shows photos of my son, francois, and was done on 13 april 2005.

the next one was this:

it also shows photos of ronnie, and was scrapped on 15 april...

initially, i dated my layouts, but then it became apparent that i wasn't doing much else, so i stopped that. (i didn't stop scrapping day and night, i just stopped dating the layout - less evidence...)

to all the scrapbookers reading this: i challenge you to also blog your first layouts, and to put a link to your post in the comments, so i can see it!

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

your father would have been proud, part 2...

i attended francois' graduation ceremony yesterday. he got

baccalaureus commercii cum honoribus (trade and development).

got it? me neither...

actually, it is B.Com (hons) Economics. which is kinda ironic, since he has a BA degree, that he got last year. this year he is studying his honors in international politics. and everybody asks the same question - the answer is no. politicians don't study politics. analysts, journalists and consultants do. politics is his true passion, the economics was just a little detour for background.

as always at occasions as this, ronnie is missed. he would have been so proud of his son.

your father would have been proud, part 1 here.

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

ready to go...

soduku, pencil, eraser - check.

phone on silent with facebook enabled - check.

camera with fresh batteries - check.

ok, i'm ready...

i'm going to francois' graduation ceremony at the university of johannesburg. he is getting his honors degree in economics. you can see my post of his graduation last year. and the layout i made with his and his father's graduation photos here.

those ceremonies are not particularly interesting, so i plan to do a lot of facebook surfing from my phone...

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

valentine's day 09...

we recently celebrated valentine's day in the shop:

thanks to carol, ineke, cheryl, donna, laetitia, tessa and liza, for your contribution to a great day!

and thanks to ineke for taking the photos, donna for the lasagne, and liza for all your hard work in making a fun mini-album project.

and on another note, i'm learning how to make blinkies:

cool huh?

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

friday the 13th..

• i'm going to do the list making thing again today, as it has been a long week, and i'm tired, and i really don't have the energy to string a long series of random thoughts together coherently.


• i don't have coherent random thoughts. they are just random.


• thanks for your positive response to my post dear spar people. the events actually happened last week, and i wrote the post that same evening. then i saved it as a draft, and spent a few days wondering if it was postable. i don't want this blog to be a place of complaining and ranting.


• instead, i want this blog to be a place where i talk incessantly about myself, my issues, my feelings, my scrapbooking (or lack thereof), my achievements. you know, the inconsequential minutiae of my boring life.


• “People have often described me as a blogger. I generally shy away from the term because, to me, bloggers are boring, self obsessed narcissists who use their website mainly as a means to discuss the inconsequential minutiae of their day to day lives.” (Anonymous)


• check out this free digital scrapbooking kit. it is awesome! thanks summer!
  


• i noticed that i was nearing 1000 comments on my blog, and i wanted to have a RAK to celebrate. but before i could, i had already passed the mark. so i went to the comments folder to see who no 1000 was, and saw that i had 270 spam comments in my spam folder! and it automatically gets emptied every 30 days. 270 spam comments in 30 days! thanks typepad, for picking them out automatically.


• the 1000th commenter was toni, incidentally. the same one who surprised me earlier this week.


• i really love that i have got 1000 comments that are not spam. wow! thanks you guys!


• i made this list on stacy julian's blog.


• sean has been sick at home from school all week. i would tell you what he has, but i can't spell it. he will be fine, though.


• have any of you met clive yet? he used to be from benoni, he is really funny, and he has awesome shoes and a really famous shoulder. pop over and say hi, and don't forget to tell him i sent ya! and remember, you liked me first...


• this is really all i can think of today. so, i'm leaving to visit facebook, and make and print new gift vouchers for the shop.

 

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

dear spar people...

*spar is a supermarket chain in south africa*

i shop at your store in rynfield. at least twice a week. my man also shops there a few times a week.

this evening, i stopped there again for bread, milk and hamburger patties. and ice cream. my man had asked me to get him a carton of cigarettes. kent one.

i pause here a moment to tell you that when my man realised that he could not stop smoking, he switched to kent one. they are the lightest cigarettes on the market. the next one up, kent ultra, is considerably higher in tar and nicotine, and give him a sore chest and headaches.

this evening the cigarette counter lady (CL) says they are out of stock of kent one. i complain to her that they do not keep enough stock.

ME: you do not keep enough stock

CL: yes, we do

ME: no, you don't. you are out of stock.

CL: you can have kent ultra

ME: i don't want kent ultra. i want kent one. you don't keep enough stock. my man buys his cigarettes here, and 2/3 times a month you don't have stock. month after month. you don't keep enough stock!

CL: yes, we do. 

ME: no, you don't! *sigh* just give me kent ultra.

CL: um. we are out of stock...

ME: *very annoyed* can i see your manager?

i complain to the manager (MR) that they don't keep enough stock.

ME: you don't keep enough stock

MR: yes, we do

ME: no, you don't. you are out of stock

MR: yes, we do

ME: no! you don't! my man buys his cigarettes here, and 2/3 times a month you don't have stock. month after month. you don't keep enough stock.

ME: leave inconvenienced and angry, and determined not to shop there again

so. dear spar people

please tell your manager in rynfield that they don't keep enough stock. if they run out of kent one 2/3 times a month. month after month. they don't keep enough stock.

and. dear spar people

please tell your manager that the following would be an example of a better conversation to have with a client:

ME: 1 carton of kent one please

CL or MR: sorry. we are out of stock

ME: you don't keep enough stock. my man buys a carton every week, and you are out of stock 2/3 times a month, every month, month after month. you don't keep enough stock

CL or MR: oh, i'm so sorry to hear that! thank you for bringing that to my attention. i will look into it

ME: i would appreciate it if you ordered a little more, and kept enough stock

CL or MR: i apologise for your inconvenience. we are expecting stock tomorrow. shall i give you a call when it arrives, and keep a carton aside for you?

ME: thank you

CL or MR: i will ensure that we will increase our stock-order, so that you will not encounter this problem again. i apologise once more

ME: leave inconvenienced but placated and with renewed loyalty

*i know smoking is a very bad habit. so does the man.

and for the record - i don't smoke*

love, jacki

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

what an awesome surprise...

my facebook and blog friend from australia, toni, who i have never met before, sent me a surprise in the mail. she found my address in the side column.

i opened the box, and i found this:

 

a friendship kit. it is full of little goodies.

the card says:
a candle to light your way in the dark
an eraser to rub out your mistakes
a marble for when you feel like you're losing yours
a band-aid to heal your hurts
a dollar so you are never broke
a rubber-band to help you keep it all together
some bling to put a sparkle in your day
a tissue to dry your tears
a crown to remind you, you are a daughter of a king

xxx

she mailed it to me shortly after i blogged about the death of my friend henk.

wow toni. thanks for the wonderful surprise! i am touched and flattered that you would go to so much trouble. i love it!

you can see what toni said about this here.

love, jacki

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

no money. family to feed. please help...

in these tough economic times, i have decided to see how i can earn some extra money. i came up with some options:

1 - i can present scrapbooking workshops in places other than my own shop. i am prepared to fly economy class. if i have to. i do especially well in exotic, far-away places.

2 - i can help you start or improve your blog. i do know a little about blogging by now.

3 - i can edit your photos. in these digital days, you can just email them to me, and i will make you look beautiful! see here and here.

4 - i can do some freelance writing. it is this point i want to talk about today.

to get some freelance writing jobs, i have to prove my worth. i have to show my skills. and so this is kind of a cv.

• i passed grade 12 english with a distinction. i just missed a distinction in afrikaans. i can even write in dutch! and i know how to spell realize and apologize and color in american.
• during my one year at university, i studied BA Communications. i was going to major in journalism and marketing.
• i can spell. really well. i have a spell-checker, and i'm not afraid to use it. i also remember that 'i comes before e, except after c'.
• i can write about nothing.
• i realise that my lack of capitalization skills are suspect. i assure you that that is an illusion. when i type in microsoft word, capital letters are automatically inserted, and the spell-checker picks up the rest.
• besides, capital letters are so last season.
• i do, however, know the correct use of apostrophe's apostrophes the apostrophe. i can even spell it...
• i can report breaking news about current events, as you can see here. and here.
• and i am aware that one should not start one's sentence with 'and' or 'but'. but i choose to. it's my style.
• i have an abundant supply of !!!!, commas and points.... they come at no extra cost.
• i can write tutorials. especially about photoshop. this one alone gets hundreds of hits every month from google and from many other sites, like this one! and this one gets lots of hits too.
• i know the difference between .pdf, .jpeg, .psd, .doc, and how to create and convert them.
• i can write reviews about technical stuff, as you can see here.
• i know how to change fonts, and have lots to choose from.
• i can write a guest post for your blog. like i did here and here.
• i work well with a deadline. in fact, it is the only way i ever achieve anything!
• i am 2-for-the-price-of-one. i can write an article and provide the photos. you can see my brilliant action photography skills here.
• i can write and photograph recipes, as you can see here. 

going through all these skills, i am convinced that the writing jobs will be flooding in soon. now, please excuse me while i go to sit next to my inbox...

love, jacki

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

because you nagged...

...and you asked nicely. and because i managed to find the appropriate people to credit:

here is the layout that got me scrapping again, for the first time in months:

it is much more fiddly than i usually do, and i swore i would never do paper piecing...

anyway, the layout was designed by scrapin' a box. because i thought it was cute, and it is very different than my usual colour scheme and style, i didn't change a thing.

it was good to scrap again, and it was good to do something different, and it was good to be able to just do it without having to think too much about it.

now i have a problem: i don't have photos for it!

 

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

a little shock...

i will write more about this later today, but if you came in here to see the article about ronnie's aeroplane accident that appeared in today's beeld newspaper, you can read it here. if you want, you can find a printable version of the article here. it is in afrikaans, sorry!

it always surprises me how much it rattles me, even after all this time. the article contains nothing new. and nothing can bring ronnie and his 2 friends back!

people often email me to ask what happened. i should write a proper post about it some time. when i have the emotional strength to relive that day. soon. you can read bits about my journey in these posts.

you can see some of the original press reports of the accident here. and here and here in afrikaans.

of course, i had my best post ever all written out in my head for today. now i'm not sure i will be able to focus long enough to write it. darn! :-)

love, jacki

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

stop the presses!

i'm scrapping!

i have not scrapped since mid-november! and today i started a project again. granted, it's a paint-by-numbers type kit, that i bought this morning. but as i am practically a beginner again, i thought it might just kick-start my creativity...

i'm not really a kit person as i don't do well in following instructions, but this was completely different to my usual style and colour scheme, so i thought i might enjoy it. i cannot show it here, as it is not my own work.

instead, i'll show you my 'studio':

a 'design shrine'. an 'inspiration station'.

it is a little corner in the back of my shop. way too small, but at least i can put my stuff there, and leave a 'work-in-progress' lying out, ready to work on if i have a few minutes. behind my table is the kitchenette corner, and right at the back is the toilet.

anyway, please excuse me while i go work some more...

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