{scraps of jacki's life}

liza scraps with harmonie products..

recently, i got an email from a company called harmonie, based in canada. they make scrapbooking and stamping products. they asked if they could send me a sample scrapbooking kit to use.

what a question! i said yes! it was quite exciting, getting a mystery package in the mail! when the kit came, it was quite tropical. as i had no 'island holiday' photos, i gave the pack to liza, who had just come from her holiday in mozambique.

the pack contained a number of patterned papers, a die-cut sheet of paper, some ribbon, a pack of colourful buttons, an alphabet, some chipboard elements, a pack of travel-related stamps and a perspex embellishment.

 

liza enjoyed working with these products, and they do her photos justice!

thanks harmonie!

 

edited to add: you can see liza's layout featured in their gallery here. if you look carefully, you will see sophia allison's layout there too!

creative projects...

i took this photo in the shop last week.

i had 3 creative projects on the go at the same time.

the girls who regularly come to the wednesday morning scrapbooking class, wanted to go to a mosaicing class. and since i have wanted to try it for ages, i tagged along. this is my first project, and i loved it.

i also stained this tray. it is the same tea tray i have blogged about before here and here. and i have mentioned this layout i made of this photo of me when i was 18 years old here.

and finally, i scrap-lifted this layout from chantal. these photos of my mom were taken at the photoshoot by amelia.

all in all a very creative week!

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

spring fever again...

last year on spring day i posted this on my blog. it quickly turned out to be one of the most popular posts on my blog ever.

this year i cannot do anything to top it. and since it still makes me happy, and many of you have not seen it, so i thought i would repeat it. recycling? regifting? or just plain lazy?...

just so you know, i live in the southern hemisphere, and 1 september is a celebration of spring day.

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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!

linda's jewellery

a friend of mine, linda, makes beautiful jewellery. she sells them on the internet here. photos never do any justice to the real thing, but i as i am always looking for excuses to play with my camera and photoshop, i offered to photograph them for her. it was a new challenge.

she did not pay me to advertise them for her, but i had the photos, and i thought they would make an eye-pleasing blogpost..

love, jacki

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

tea tray...

liza presented her workshop last week, where the girls made the tea trays i showed here and here.

 

each one painted her tray a different colour. ineke and i had fun photographing each other photographing the trays.

here is jeanette's tray.

this one was made by laetitia for a friend.

 

chantelle made this one.

 

marianne did one of her son's baby pic.

 

and ineke made this one with a beautiful photo she took of a bird.

 

here is the photo ineke took of me photographing her...

this was one of those workshops where everybody's project was beautiful. thanks liza!

 

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

tea tray...

as i mentioned in the previous post, liza scrapped this tea tray for a class next week. 

it has glass over it, but i took it out as the glare off it made it difficult to take good photos. a standard 12x12 layout fits inside it, so it makes a great 'frame'. as the glass just pops out, you can display your latest layout every week.

if you wanted to make it more 'permanent', you could put a little silicone between the glass and the wood, so it is more spill-proof.

 

the trays are made for me by a local supplier, the same guy who makes the layout frames. they are made of plywood, that stuff that they make the goods from that you decoupage. liza limewashed it with blue and white paint, and then distressed it. finally she varnished it.

they make great gifts. we might repeat the class before mothers-day.

 

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

this post got a mention on scrapscene here

dear diary...

liza scrapped her diary last year:

not every page, but where it was someone's birthday, or a special occasion, she scrapped something.

it made the diary very interesting!

this year, she will remove all the scrapped items from last year's diary and stick them into this year's diary, and she will scrap some new items for 2009.

this way, in a few years time, almost every page will have something scrapped on it.

nice idea, isn't it?

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

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

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

christmas book...

yesterday i went to a class with melani. we did a christmas book. it was really a lovely morning, thanks melani. you can see what she said about it here.

melani is a wonderful person, and one of the most talented scrappers i have ever met! i love attending her workshops, as her style is so artistic and informal and different. shabby chic.

she sometimes needs my help on her blog, and i am so relieved, because at least there is something that i'm better at. in almost everything else she is just amazingly awesome...

thanks melani, for letting me learn from you a little sometimes!

after i left melani i had to run lots of errands, and my car's airconditioner is out of order. i nearly died in this intense heat! i was not feeling well when i got home last night, i think i had a mild case of heatstroke.

over the weekend, freak winds during a storm, blew a large shack that is temporarily stored on our property, quite a few meters in the air, before dumping it it on it's roof.

 

the right arrow shows where it stood. the mess you see around it, is actually where the man stores scrap metal, and building materials. not quite a tornado, but freaky for us.

and the night before, someone came through out electric fence, and stole 4 of our sheep.

interesting times...

 

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

peace is restored in blog-land

i explained in the previous post what my blogging problem was. i could not get my payment through. if my payment had gone through in august, when i started trying, it would have cost me about R100 less than it cost me when it did eventually went through, as our Rand had gone into a bit of a free-fall against the US$. in august it was about R7,50 for a dollar, and now it is about R9,20! uggg! this added to my annoyance, as R100 extra is quite a lot of money.

i never expected any credits or financial compensation, but i yesterday i got an email telling me that typepad would give me a $25 credit towards my next payment. do appreciate it! the $25 more than covers the increase in fees due to the exchange rate. thank you so much!

i am in the service industry myself, and this has just proved to me once again that there will always be complaints and unhappy customers. but, the way you deal with them makes the difference in how they perceive you. often a previously unhappy customer treated well, will be a more loyal customer in the future. at least a complaining customer gives you the opportunity to do something about the problem, a customer that just goes away unhappy is one lost forever...

thanks to typepad for your support! i am happy again!

i also have to mention that when i started blogging, i tried blogger. i actually had a blogger blog, and had it running for about 2 weeks. and i could not get it to work. i had all sorts of problems, on my shop's computer, and at home. and i asked them for help quite a few times, but never got any response. so, i moved to typepad, and have been happy ever since, bar this issue. whenever i have asked for any help on any issue, typepad has responded, mostly on the same day, and they have always tried to resolve my problems, even with the billing issue.

so, i'm all paid up for another year, and oil has been poured on stormy waters. besides, moving a blog is almost impossible. so, back to full-steam blogging! it will take more than this issue to get me to shut up...

 

i made this watch more than 2 years ago, from instructions in the creative reflections magazine. i still love it, but i don't wear it as all the ribbons get scratchy. so it hangs in the shop.

 

i'm off to conquer my inbox, and hopefully do some scrapping.

 

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

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

tutorial - fold an origami box using scrapbook paper

today i will show you step by step how to fold an origami box with your scrapbooking paper. you do not need any glue! it is easier than it looks. i found it in the december 07 issue of creating keepsakes magazine, and i have folded it countless times since then.

you need 2 sheets of paper. THEY HAVE TO BE SQUARE. they can be any size, but for the purposes of this demo, i will use 1 sheet of 'pattern' paper for the lid - 30cmx30cm or 12'x12'. use paper that goes with your theme.

the second sheet of paper, for the bottom, has to be a little smaller. i made mine 29cmx29cm or 11.5'x11.5'.

  put your paper 'nice' side down. fold it in half horizontally.

open it back up, turn the paper 90 degrees, and fold in half again. open up again. you will have a folded cross in the middle as shown.

fold the corners inwards to the middle of the paper. leave them folded in.

 

leaving the corners folded in, fold the left side and then the right side into the middle. 

folding each side in, open out again, turn the paper 90 degrees, and repeat, until all 4 sides have been folded in.

open 2 corners diagonal to each other, and leave 2 folded in. point the one open corner toward you. lift the 2 sides of the box upwards as shown.

holding the 2 edges up, use your 2 forefingers and coax the corner folds inwards. this will pull the third edge upwards. 

you might have to fiddle a little, sometimes it takes a little trial and error to get it to work. just be patient. fold the top corner into the box.

fold in the last edge the same way.

using the slightly smaller matching paper, fold another box the same way for the bottom. the smaller box will the fit neatly inside the lid.

now you can decorate the box as you like.

wendy lent me her hands in these photos. she does beauty therapy, but she is actually a very talented box-folding assistant.

you can see how i folded several different sized boxes at christmas time here.  and you can see another example here.

if for whatever reason you do not understand these instructions, please email me, or leave a comment, and i will email you back.

also let me know if it did work, and email me photos of what you did with your box!

find more papercrafting, scrapbooking and photoshop tutorials here.

 

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

this post was linked to by: scrapscene

thanks janine, i had a great time!

janine used to attend our wednesday morning workshops. then she moved to seattle, USA, in january 2008. she is here for a week long visit, and came to present the workshop this wednesday morning.

we made this very nice book/folder. here is mine. remember that it has no photos yet. i have edited and saved the photos, and will print them and add them soon.

thanks janine! i had a great time, and i love my little book! please visit again soon!

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

surviving ronnie-week, and what i did for twelve-of-twelve

it started yesterday morning as a crankiness, and a distracted feeling. there was a tightening in the solar plexus. a little later the crankiness became irritation, the distraction became a full blown inability to concentrate, and the tightening became a stomach ache. it felt as though nothing was going right, and everything was a battle. a headache started to form. the neck muscles started to bunch, and the jaw began to tighten. the breathing became shallower, and the heartbeat quicker. at about 2pm, when i went to fetch sean from school, i was in the middle of an anxiety attack. i had to go to the bank, and wait in the queue, and while i was standing there i realized what was happening and tried to calm myself. when i got home, i took a painkiller with a muscle relaxant, and relaxed a little.

i am now officially in what i call ronnie-week. it starts on the 14th, on his birthday. it continues past the 19th, the anniversary of his death, and only ends on the 26th, the date of the funeral. actually more than a week then... and it always hits me harder than i expect. that's not quite true. these days i have learned to expect that it hits me harder that i expect. so i expect it. but, even if you expect it to be difficult, it is still difficult.

thanks to all of you who sent me messages, emails, and comments of support. i appreciate it. i am ok, i really am. i'm not writing about all this because i'm overwhelmed, but, as i have said before, because it is my way of processing, of thinking it through. and, as wonderful as the manis, and while i can really talk to him about anything, this is something that he doesn't really want to share with me. he gives me space, and i spare him the details.

so, on a lighter note, i thought i would share my photos i took on saturday, for the twelve-of-twelve thing i wrote about on friday.

here are 12 photos taken on saturday 12 april 2008. they tell the story of my day. they are not 'pretty' or well shot, or of some memorable moments, just an ordinary day in my life. that is the point.

 

i got up at 07h12. a little later than i should.

 

it was dark outside, and raining hard.

 

the chickens and ducks and turkeys were making a noise, as they do every morning, as they were waiting for their breakfast. it is so special to hear them every morning! they live right outside the bedroom window.

 

the man pulled the pillow over his head, and swore loudly when he saw me pointing the camera at him. this is not so special to hear in the morning...

 

sean was lying in his bed, reading his harry potter book. he is not a big reader, so i love this!

 

in the shop, liza had a class.

 

as i left the shop in the afternoon, i looked back to take a photo of the centre. it was sunny then.

 

i put the finishing touches to the tin i made for tian, for his birthday.

 

and finished his card too.

 

we had frozen pizzas for supper, that we add extra toppings to before we pop them in the oven.

 

the man fell asleep on the couch, as usual.

 

i HATE photos of myself, and this one is no exception. but, the rules of twelve-of-twelve say that you have to include a photo of yourself. it is about MY day, after all..

i went to bed earlyish, about 10pm. and i didn't see francois at all until after i was in bed.

so you see, an ordinary day. an ordinarily happy day. but in light of the fact that i am this week remembering the day my husband died, i have learned that an ordinary day is great!

 
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES

travel mini book - theresa mariuzzi

 

one of our clients, theresa mariuzzi, made this chipboard travel mini book. she documented her trip to italy in 2003. the word 'travel' is spelled out in the chipboard. she decorated each page with ribbons and fibers, buttons and flowers.

 

some of her photos flap up or open up, to show extra photos or journaling. she also added business cards and pamphlets of the hotels she stayed in.
 
 

the mini book is held together with 3 large rings, which makes it easy to turn the pages, even if it gets a little 'fat'.

 

this is her first attempt at a mini book, but she did a brilliant job! she still needs to fill in dates and place names and little notes before it is complete.

 

can you imagine how amazing this little book would be on her coffee table? she did justice to her wonderful trip.

 

the chipboard book is made by enmarc. they make books in english and afrikaans, with all sorts of words.


jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES

this post was linked to by: scrapscene

scrapbooking tutorial - how to make a shakerbox

  
stephanie, one of our clients, attended a class by liza recently, and she made the round shakerbox we use in these photos.

you can put anything in a shakerbox, but, as you can tell from the name, it will move around inside the 'box'. so, use beads, small embellishments, sand, coins, keys. i even used my son's baby teeth!

  

a shakerbox can have any shape. stephanie made a round one. you need a base - it will be visible so use something that goes with your theme, a piece of transparency, and something for the top 'frame'. also, you need some foamcore or foamtape to raise the top part. ink, paint and distress as you want. you can tie a ribbon around the top frame.

cut the foamcore, if you are using this, in the desired shape. this lifts the 2 layers, creating a 'pocket' between them. ink too, if desired.

 
turn the top 'frame' upside down. place the transparency down over it. stick it down properly. remember when sticking a shakerbox together, do not leave any gaps at all, as the contents of the box can slip through the gap. if you are making a box to contain fine beads and sand, be extra careful to stick every little millimetre down.

using the foam tape or foamcore, stick this to the upside down frame, hiding it behind the frame so you cannot see it from above through the transparency. trim till neat. remember, the transparency comes between the frame and the foam.

place the base down, arrange the contents on top, and place the raised frame over it. don't stick yet. check that it is raised enough for the contents to move around freely inside. if it is too low, add more foam, if it fits, ink the sides of the foam to make it blend into your colour scheme, and stick it down properly, once again checking that there are no gaps.

pick up the box, and shake it about, checking that nothing slips out. then use it where you want it.

remember, you are making the whole shakerbox seperately first, before you stick it onto your layout. if something goes wrong, you can re-do it, until you are happy. so relax and experiment!

 
the 'scrappin times' shakerbox was made by liza. she used a sizzex machine to cut out the letters from cardstock, and then used the negative to make the shakerbox.

if you are unsure of anything, contact me, and i will gladly help you.

you can find another example of a shakerbox here. and here.

you can find other scrapbooking, papercraft and photoshop tutorials here.

 
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES

this post was linked to by: scrapscene

scrapbooking tutorial - how to ink/distress the edges of your paper

this is my 99th post!

today i'm posting my first mini-tutorial. people who come to workshops in my shop, know how to do this, but there are many people who read this blog, who don't have access to workshops. so, this one is for you!

you can use any ink. we like to use fluid chalk, from colorbox, but it really doesn't matter. ink stays wetter for longer than fluid chalk, so if you are going to emboss, or do some technique, then maybe you should use ink. but for the purposes of inking the edges of paper as shown today, it doesn't matter which you use.

i like to hold the paper still, and move the ink pad. to create a narrow, more subtle, sharper edge, you hold the ink pad almost up straight against the edge of the paper, as shown. we use this when we want a subtle effect, or if there is a large contrast between the colour of the ink and the paper, or if you are new at this and a little nervous. you can see on the photo what the result is.

if you want the inking/distressing to be more visible, you change the angle of the ink pad, so that it is flatter against the paper. you make smudges that go deeper into the paper, as shown.

you can also rub the ink pad over the surface of the paper, to distress it. this makes it look older and rougher.

 
the whole idea is to experiment with it. take a scrap of paper, and play around. if you want to buy just one ink to start off with, i suggest you get a brown one, as this goes with any colour scheme. you can also use the little ink pads on your stamps, by rubbing the ink over the stamp pad to cover it with the ink.

why do we ink the edges? it creates interest, it creates contrast, it softens the edges, it hides rough or less that straight edges, it gives it an aged look. most of us who ink, ink the edges of almost everything. just take a look at the layouts i have posted in the past, and you will see.

you could also scrunch the paper up in a ball, and pat the paper all over with the ink pad. open up and scrunch again, and ink again. repeat until you get the desired effect. then flatten the paper out, and use. you could iron it first, to get it flatter, if you wish.
 
remember that you should store your all your inks and chalks upside-down, as gravity draws the ink to the surface of the pad, where you need it to be. if you have lots of inks in your kit, you could wet your finger with the ink, and 'stamp' the bottom of the ink pad with it. then you can see the colours at a glance, without having to turn them all over. maybe the ink manufacturers should redesign the packaging so that they are stored upside down automatically?

tell me if you ink, and if you use ink in interesting ways. also tell me if you learned something, or if you would like me to show you anything else.

you can read other scrapbooking, papercraft and photoshop tutorials here.

love, jacki

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES

this post was linked to by: scrapscene, scraprio

invitations, and a card

i made this card with sketch #56 on card positioning systems, a cardmaking website.  i love using their sketches for cards, as it gives me an idea, but leaves me free to make it my own.

linda made these invitations for a client:

this is what they look like inside. it is for a girl's party.

thanks for the positive response to my question yesterday, when i asked if you would like it if i did mini-tutorials. one of my clients, janine, who moved to USA in january, said she loved the idea of doing a scrap class in her pajamas! as long as you brush your teeth first, janine... that's what i love about the internet, i could be teaching the class in my pajamas too, if i wanted to!

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES

family, liza, diana, champagne roadshow

this little book was made by liza for her classes. it is really beautiful! she used a chipboard 'bookworm' made by enmarc, a south african scrapbook product manufacturer. inside she has tags and photos.

diana is one of my clients. she made this layout:

it is so colorful. not the colours she usually scraps in. she did this layout in a class by antoinette.

i have been suffering from 'scrapper's block'. i have done almost no scrapbooking in the last few weeks.i scrap in the evenings and early morning hours, and i have been too tired lately. but, i have a challenge to do for time & about magazine, so i suppose i need to get out of this slump.

GOD sent me a blessing yesterday in the form of melani. thanks doll for the surprise! i loved it! a also found the email address of an old friend, and gave her the address of this blog, so annemarie, if you are reading this - haai my ou maaki! ek dink so dikwels aan jou. and nicky's friend, louise i think, hello. i hear you read here often. please introduce yourself in the comments.

i have heard lots and lots of praise for the champagne roadshow. ineke, cheryl, liza, nicky, louise, gail and chantelle had a wonderful time. congrats to all who arranged it! i hear that south african scrapbooking events are of incredibly high standards, and all the international teachers are always very impressed. leah fung and aubrey harns, the girls loved it! thank you! liza, gail, ineke and cheryl spent saturday afternoon in the shop, working on their 'homework'. here are some photos that i got from ineke:

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES

shoes, and happy anniversary!

linda made these cute little shoes from paper.

we found them on lovebugscrapbooking. there are templates there too, and detailed instructions. also look at melissa frances, she has more adorable examples. you can visit scrapbookinghohenlohe too, for more ideas of what you can do with them.

it has been 6 months since i've started blogging. i have written 91 posts in this time. when i started this blog, i thought that i would use it as a kind of shop 'newsletter' to my clients, informing them of upcoming events, what classes were coming up, new products, and news and photos of what we have been doing. but soon i realized that most of my clients were not visiting this blog, and in fact, less that 10% of the readers of this blog are even in south africa. this meant that i had to re-focus, and re-think what i had to do and say here.

gradually but steadily the number of hits/visits per day increased. this means that i must be doing something right, although it is mostly a trial and error thing. and it's one thing to get a visit, it is another to get that person to come back again... it has been a challenge, a learning curve, and a lot of fun! first i worked at getting more visits, then i got the little map, and i love to see the little red dots appearing as you read here from places i dream of visiting. now, i get a kick of seeing this blog climbing slowly but steadily up the ranks of amatomu, a south african blog directory.

most of all, i love getting your comments. those are what makes blogging so unique. i enjoy hearing from you, i appreciate that you took the time to say 'hello' to me. so, i want to say 'hi' to wilna furstenburg, cathy sanders, gloumarie, caro, linda koen, diana engelbrecht, carla - sis, kim lewthwaite, donna downey, gerty pieterse, liza le grange, retha van der watt, elsa niksch, annette scholtz, paula oosthuizen - other sis, kelly rae roberts, tami mayberry - she designed sketch #55 that i referred to in the previous post, jackie gallagher, rachael scholz, lara cousins, lea lawson, anabelle o'malley, and especially {{drum roll}} ineke van dijk, rené real, mathilda rudolph and janine verster. did you see some of the names of the girls who's blogs i read often? these are the people who have commented on this blog in the last 6 months, some of you regularly. thank you, thank you, thank you! and to you who read this blog often, but have never commented, please do so now. it is time to stop lurking, and to introduce yourself. i would love to meet you! jy ook, melani!

please, all of you, leave a comment and tell me what you like about this blog, and how you found me. tell me what you would like to see here in the next 6 months. help me to make this a happy place...

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES

mini book - friends

this is a wonderful chipboard book from enmarc - a great south african company. they make a great veriety of products. linda made up this book called 'friends'.

later this week, i will give you a sneak peek of the beautiful 'family' book liza made for her classes coming up, also from enmarc.

melani from paper crazy made a stunning mini book from scratch. take a look, it's beautiful, and inspiring and easy.

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES

making cards

this week's sketch on card positioning systems is this:

CPS #53

and this is what i did while i was watching the oscars:

the card on the right, the one for lois, is for wilna's request for a card for her friend lois, who is sick. you can also still participate, get more info from wilna's blog.

i used only scraps, as usual. to me that is part of the challenge. the left card is done with daisyd's patterned papers, treasures cardstock, a making memories rim and brad, and the flower is from prima. i sanded and the inked the edges of the patterned papers.

the right card is on deep blue cardstock from treasures, the flowers are from prima, and the brads are making memories, the circle is part of a chipboard flourish pack, also from making memories. the red check is from fab scraps, and i think the circles are from scrapbook walls (chatterbox).

i make the cards without sentiments on them. i store them in a tin. then, when i need them, i choose a card, and use rub-ons or stickers to make it a birthday or sympathy or thank you card. so, though they are still rather unadorned now, they will be a little more jazzed up when i give them. i write inside with a gold or silver or coloured gel pen. that's if i can bring myself to give them away...

i have some more things brewing in my life, will let you know later! amazing how creative i get when month-end is looming...

hope you are having a creative day!

love, jacki

SCRAPPIN TIMES / scrappintimes

this post was linked to by: card posistioning systems

surfing the web

if you have never heard of grungeboard, remember the word, as you will hear a lot of it! it is similar to chipboard, but stronger.

i found this gorgeous tag on tim holtz's website.

step by step instructions on how to make it can be found here. take a look, it's inspiring!

and if your screen is dirty - click here. really, give it a try!

and if you neeed a new blog to read, like we have nothing better to do with our time, meet the funny, talented, entertaining (drum roll) pioneer woman. her blog is mainly about photography and life on a ranch. you see, we need to learn about that. she also has another blog, about cooking. now that is something we really need to know! just reading the recipes is enough to make you put on weight. and she takes photos of every step. so even idiots like me can do it! wow, you really, really have to take a look.

i guess you could say today's blog is very educational. yesterday i found something awesome, and i'll show you next week, and give you the links. i promise, it is cool. and i'm trying it out for you, like some kind of consumer journalist, so you will know if it works. the things i do for you...

and i found a place where i found lots of cool pictures, like the coffee and birthday cake, and the beach. i downloaded lots! i am going to use all mine first, and then, if you ask nicely, i'll tell you where i got them. but i want to be the cool one for now... i said 'found' and 'cool' and 'lots' twice each in this paragraph. i think there is some rule against this.

ok, if you loved todays links - you will love them, you will - let me know. i searched the web for you. i read and linked and surfed and looked high and low. just for you! so, the very least you can do in return, is leave a bloody comment. is that so much to ask.... oh my, i think i just channeled that pioneer woman...

love, jacki

SCRAPPIN TIMES / scrappintimes

notebook, and happy birthday carla!

There is still no cure for the common birthday.  ~John Glenn

it is my baby sister carla's birthday tomorrow, but as she lives way far away in melbourne, australia, her birthday has already started. happy birthday, sis! i hope you get spoiled today, and i wish you an incedible year!

below is a little notebook i made some months ago. it is a wonderfully cheap way of making a great gift, and you get to use your scraps. i prefer to use modge podge on my books, as it makes them more durable. books are meant to be handled, after all. the back spine is covered by gaffertape (7gypsies), to make it flexible, yet sturdy.

i entered in a scrapbooking competition at itty bitty scrap shack. now, for round 2, i have to scrap a single page, using only 1 sheet cardstock, 2 patterened papers, alphabet letters and handwritten journaling. that's it. no ribbons, no flowers, no inking/painting, nothing! what a challenge! i have started working on it, but boy, it is difficult! besides, i'm not used to scrapping a single page. just the challenge i needed... i'd better get back to work.

love, jacki

SCRAPPIN TIMES 

reflective thursday

let's try this again...

iv'e been finding a lot of gems online today, so i thought i would share some of the e-nspiration with you today.

on kelly rae roberts's blog i found this great quote: "The greatest gift you can give to somebody is your own personal development. I used to say, 'If you will take care of me, I will take care of you.' Now I say, "I will take care of me for you, if you will take care of you for me." (Jim Rohn). kelly rae is one of my favourite blogs to visit. she is an awesome artist, but she also writes so beautifully. she manages to share so much of herself, puts her heart in it, and makes me want to reach out and hug her when i read her posts. she is an inspiration to me, i strive to be the kind of soulful blogger she is. she constantly tries to grow and be a better person, and her art and her blog are a part of that journey. and, even if you visit her blog just to see her art, you have already made a trip worthwhile.

jody is such an inspiring person! as i get to know more about her and her life, by reading some of her older blogposts, i see that GOD has blessed her by giving her the ability to find meaning and growth in even the most painful and terrible situations. and He has given her the ability to inspire countless people through her difficult journey. i love the way that she can show that although they miss teagan, and they are sad for wyndham, they are also happy, and blessed, and fulfilled. she has lived one of probably every person's worst nightmares, and she shows us that ordinary families can survive this - sometimes barely - through the strength that GOD gives us every day. i pray for them.

i'm saving this after each paragraph's edits now. it's slow, but at least i'm starting to get somewhere...

as most of you know, i lost my husband, ronnie, almost 6 years ago. 6 years is a long time, and i have made a good life, with a very wonderful man, since then. sometimes people get upset when they see me having moved on. they want to see more grieving. but, one can grieve and be happy at the same time. and just because they don't see the pain all the time, it doesn't mean it is not there. it is, and it makes the happiness all the better, because i know now how special that happiness is. i have learned to appreciate the small things. i know i have to cherish the moments, and i do, all the time!

mostly these days, i find myself often missing the now-things. i wonder what he would have thought about our son's life, what he would have been doing today, what success he would have achieved in his career, what he would have thought about my business venture, etc. the 'if-he-was-here-now' things. especially with francois' milestones. as he is getting his degree soon, i will be facing that empty spot in my heart once again. i know he would have been so proud of what his son is achieving, and the beautiful, intelligent, witty, deep thinking young man he is becoming. i miss the conversations we would have been having about all this. {{sigh}}

save...

on a lighter note: on 8 march you can join the champagne roadshow in johannesburg. tickets cost R1100. this is for a full day, 4 scrapbooking classes. leah fung is one of the teachers. it is going to be a must-attend day. just the products you receive alone are worth R2050! check out the details here. come on, book now, and then let me know when you have booked. you will regret it if you don't!

then, on wilna's blog, i found a link to this layout. isn't it a great idea? i'm gonna do that one soon!

speaking of wilna: iv'e finished my first valentines project. i really enjoyed it, and thought it alone was worth the +/- R119 i spent on the class fee. and there are 3 more projects to do! thanks doll, for all the hard work you put into making it totally worthwhile!

now i have to upload the photos again... let's hope...

that took ages! save...

oops! operation timed out. have to try again. frustration levels spiking, but determined to get this finished, so it's done!

because this book will be on dispaly in my shop for a while, i am not writing on the tags yet. it is meant to be a love letter. i did find 2 beautiful love poems here.

phew! almost finished...

thank you for your comments and emails. i have been getting lots of hits on my blog lately, and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and excited inside.

love, jacki

SCRAPPIN TIMES

eduard sparrius, and the crying game

Heavy hearts, like heavy clouds in the sky, are best relieved by the letting of a little water.  ~Antoine Rivarol

i cry. i am one of those people who cry. about anything. when the couple run in slow motion across the beach in a cigarette advert, i cry. when someone else in the room cries, i cry. every friday night when i watch extreme home makeover, i cry. one year, toyota invited ronnie and myself to sun city. they had this huge do in the superbowl. there were dancers with lit torches, and music and smoke, and with great drama and fanfare they flipped the lightswitch, and launched a brand new toyota truck. the tears were streaming down my cheeks...

Tears are the safety valve of the heart when too much pressure is laid on it.  ~Albert Smith

shortly after ronnie died, i went on an antidepressant. this stopped me from crying. it was good, at the time. but when i was ready to go off the tablets, it was a relief to be able to cry again.

so, i cry. if you love me, you would accept that, right? when i am stressed, i cry a lot. i read somewhere that tears excrete some of the adrenaline in your system, and relieve some of the stress. unfortunately, mike hates it when i cry. he probably doesn't know how to deal with my tears. either that, or it's the fact that my face goes all red and blotchy and ugly that puts him off. he says he can't talk to me when i put on the waterworks. i can't talk without putting on the waterworks. so, you can see the problem? just when i need his support the most, just when i need a hug the most, he gets annoyed with me, and walks away. fortunately i get the hugs and support later.

What soap is for the body, tears are for the soul.  ~Jewish Proverb

what is the point of all this? how should i know? i just work here!

this week i have been extra blessed! besides the usual, daily blessings, we got 2 breaks that are answers to our prayers. so, lots of thankfulness in my heart at the moment. GOD does look after us. i am just too impatient..

here is a page i scrapped this weekend. eduard sparrius was my grandfather.

i used scenic route paper, 'laurel sail maker lane' and 'cape town devonport', and scenic route alphas. the tape measures are from 7 gypsies, and the tabs  from heidi swapp. i didn't do much else. no embellishments, or anything. the paper was so beautiful, that i felt it didn't need much else. the little girl in some of the photos is my mother. unfortunately, as today was a grey, cloudy day i had to use a flash, and it reflects in the photos, making them difficult to see.

these are the 'matching' cards i made with the scraps:

i have been working on my project from wilna's amazing valentines class. last night i was all unpacked and ready to work, when the power went off. the man thought i was insane when i scrapped by the light of the battery camping latern. even after the power came back on, i scrapped till 2am. the things we do for this craft... this project is not finished yet, but here is a sneak peek:

i'm tellin ya, it's going to be a great valentine's month, thanks to wilna!

love, jacki

SCRAPPIN TIMES

check this out, heidi swapp!

this is an amazing gift idea:

this interesting idea is from jowilna nolte, from imagine magazine. it appears in the january issue. she made the card/keyring on the right from the plastic packaging on the left. it is the bubble pack from heidi swapp chipboard circles, but you could use any packaging.

she opened the plastic and took out the cardboard backing and used that as a template. you could use any paper or a photo. if you are going to put something inside that can move around, as she did with the sweets, you may want to laminate the inside paper.

she stamped on the inside of the plastic with stazon ink. you can embellish as you wish, and then put a keyring through the hole.

is this clever, or what? is this 'out of the box' thinking, or thinking about the box?

imagine magazine is a new scrapbooking magazine on the south african market. it is doing very well. jowilna is the editor.

love, jacki

SCRAPPIN TIMES

2008 calendar

We will open the book.  Its pages are blank.  We are going to put words on them ourselves.  The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.  ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

we have been making these calendars as gifts. they stand on your desk, and if you are in an office and your desk faces the door, then the nice side faces you as you come in, and the functional side is towards you when you work. if you wish, you could take the calendar part off and replace it with a 2009 calendar next year.

the above examples were made by ineke, liza and laetitia. the kits are from wilpro, and we cannot keep up with the stock, they sell as fast as i can get them! next year i'll have to get lots more!

love, jacki

SCRAPPIN TIMES

christmas decorations

we have been folding these christmas gift boxes. they are made with one square of paper for the lid, and one square for the bottom, making scrapbooking paper ideal for this! the instructions are in the december issue of creating keepsakes magazine. they fold together, making the inside as pretty as the outside, and you don't need any glue! it is one of those projects that is easier than it looks. if you ask me, i will show you how to do it in 5 mins.

the christmas tags were inspired by an example in the december issue of time and about magazine.

happy crafting!

love, jacki

SCRAPPIN TIMES

liza's christmas tree

Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree.  In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.  ~Larry Wilde, The Merry Book of Christmas

liza made this tree, which acts as a decoration. as it is double sided, it can hang against a window. this was a very popular class, as it gave everyone the opportunity to be as creative as she wanted. also, it is a good way to use up all your scraps.

Oh, for the good old days when people would stop Christmas shopping when they ran out of money.  ~Author Unknown

love, jacki

SCRAPPIN TIMES

linda's gift box

But it is a cold, lifeless business when you go to the shops to buy something, which does not represent your life and talent, but a goldsmith's.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Gifts," Essays, Second Series, 1844

linda has been very crafty lately. she has scrapped this box for her mother-in-law, as a treasure box. she has currently got an ice-cream tub on her dressing table, for all her treasures, so she desperately needs an upgrade... nice idea for a christmas gift!

A hug is a great gift - one size fits all, and it's easy to exchange.  ~Author Unknown

love, jacki

SCRAPPIN TIMES

christmas cards

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree:  the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.  ~Burton Hillis

here are some christmas cards that i made. there are 9 in total. i have made up kits that i am selling for R45, and each kit makes 6 cards. that comes to R7,50 per card. if you add some of your scraps, you can make more cards, and the cost per card will come down.

this is especially ideal for kids. i like my cards understatedly elegant, but if you like you could add bling, etc. if you have stamps, you could stamp on the outside or the inside. also, you could add stickers, glitter, etc.

i used 2 sheets of textured cardstock, 30cm x 30cm. i cut them into 3 strips each of 30cm x 10cm, making the basis for the 6 cards. then i just folded them, and played around! the kits have templates for the squares, trees and tags.

love, jacki

SCRAPPIN TIMES

treasure tin

Calvin and Hobbes: There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want.

i am in sooo much trouble!

i have been getting hatemail from some of you, as i have not blogged in a week... i told you, i can't blog and sleep and scrap...

this week i have been doing some scrapping. i finished a page that i have been busy with for ages. i am quite happy with the way it turned out. i will add a photo of it soon. i also started and finished reading a storybook by james patterson. sometimes i just need to lose myself in somebody else's fictitional life.

and i made a treasure tin for my cousin saskia, who is getting a stork tea tomorrow, on a sunday morning.... she is expecting a baby girl in january.

i used patterned paper on the tin that i covered with modge podge. to the last coat of podge i added a little glitter. then i just added some flowers, bling and ribbon. i put a chipboard tag on top. i like to put a large chipboard letter of the person i'm giving the tin to 's name on the top, but this little baby doesn't have a name yet. it is quick and easy to make, and inside i put a little photo album and a babygrow.

her mommy can put all those little treasures inside, such as her armbands from the hospital, the cards she gets, and all those first photos in the little album.

the little album i got from the kodak shop for only R16,95. I gave it 2 coats of modge podge to make it more finger friendly, and then just added a little glamour with flowers and a ribbon. it fits perfectly in the tin.

the albums come in yellow, green and blue, and i am also giving it to some non-scrappers for a christmas gift this year. scrappers don't need photo albums!

speaking of christmas gifts, that's another thing i have been working on - making gifts. some of my family members are getting homemade gifts for christmas this year. i will show them as i finish them.

i promise to try harder to blog more next week!

love, jacki

Advent Calendar

To scrap or not to scrap, what a silly question!

hi

last week linda hattingh, linda koen and liza all made advent calendars. so amazing how similar they are, and yet they are all completely different.

the layout on the left is liza's advent calendar. she used a green chipboard frame. each number was cut on 3 sides so they flap open. under the little flaps she put photos of her son, and little bible verses. when she is finished teaching her class, she will take it home and add some little gifts and clues for her son.

layout 2 is by linda koen. she used the same pattern paper as liza, but she cut the little blocks out and spread them over 2 sheets of green treasures paper. she made little bags from felt to put little gifts in.  behind the other numbers she will put clues for her son to follow to other gifts. as he opens each day's flap, she will take a photo of him, which she will stick behind the flap. so after christmas, she can place the double page in her album as a layout. she put a ribbon through each page so she could hang them on the wall while they act as an advent calendar.

layout 3 is done by linda hattingh. she used different paper, and put the calendar in a blue chipboard frame. behind the flaps that can open, she put little silver chocolate coins.

this is a good example of how each one worked with the same idea, and almost the same products, and came up with something completely different! all three these girls are awesome and inventive scrappers.

hope you are making time to scrap. remember to post a comment, and to join our group on facebook.

love, jacki

Frames

This simple, blank, cardboard frame, can be transformed into something special with some imagination. The sides flap open, so you can cover it with paper. Inside it is the size of one page, 30cm x 30cm. We suggest you see it as a whole, and scrap it as such, rather that finish the page, and try to make the frame match.

We used modge Podge on ours, to protect it from dust, as it has no glass.

You can use anything on your frame, as long as it is not too heavy. Lots of ribbon, lace and flowers add dimension to it. You can use several photos, but we found that using one special photo that was enlarged, was the most effective.

You can visit the Scrap 'n Frame website for more ideas in their Gallery.

The frame on the right was done by Linda Hattingh.