{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!

here it is: the sorry-i-have-not-been-blogging catch-up post

otherwise known as: i don't have a life, and everything i have done in 4 months can fit in one post...

let me see.... birthday? no. nothing. christmas? nah. new year? no. boring...

oh yes! *brightens...* car!

  

after 4 months of waiting, nissan still didn't have stock of the car i wanted. but a friend knew of someone who was emigrating, who had one to sell! yaaay!

 

i really love my car, even though it is white...

and it is a 2l, where i was waiting for a 1.6l. it was about 18 months old, and had very low km's.

unfortunately it also already has been damaged in a bumper-bashing in december. the damage is about R20 000. but i am insured, so it will be fixed soon...

and i love it, love it, love it! and it was a lot less stressful and emotional than when i bought francois' car.

and francois passed his BA Politics (Hons) with honours! he wanted to move to cape town to do his masters degree at UCT, but nothing seemed to fall into place as far as the arrangements are concerned. so he is going back to UJ this year. and he is getting a few bursaries and incentives. he is disappointed because he was looking forward to living in cape town, but i'm sure that he is making the right choice.

as my reasons for not blogging? that will have to wait for another post.

and thank you for your lovely comments on my previous post. i did nt realise that you missed me so much. :-)

love, jacki

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

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

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

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

and the winner is...

tada...!

tracy, stefanie and carla each win either 20 butterflies OR an edit of 3 photos, after commenting on this post.

and toni wins butterflies AND a photo edit!

please email me and tell me which you choose, and i'll tell you what i need.

boy, i'm going to be editing a LOT in the next few days....

thanks for playing!

this layout was designed by the very talented rose, and adapted by liza, to teach this week:

each page has 2 flaps, and under each flap are lots more photos, notes, receipts, etc.

rose and liza both did a month in review, but it could be used for an overseas trip, a holiday, a birthday party, or anything that has a lot of photos. we even thought it might be nice for a wedding count-down, where you can show your hair-trials, dress fitting, choosing the flowers, etc. everything leading up to the big day.

it is also a great page for using your left-overs, letters, paper scraps, and single embellishments.

thanks rose and liza for an interesting layout!

 

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

praying mantis

on sunday sean got a new little friend.

"hey, little friend. nice to meet you!"

"let's see you up close"...

 

"oooh, you are tickling me!"

 

"let's pray together, my friend".

and to prove that i actually do some work around here...

what do you mean scrapbooking isn't work? it is for me - i have a scrapbooking shop.

it was another tough day at the office...

 

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

graduation....

i took the photos from francois' graduation, and used them on the paper i 'quilted' as i showed here.

 

the left side of the layout shows francois' dad, ronnie, at his graduation in 1985. he got a B COM (Accounting) degree. and the next year a B COM (Hons). he was a chartered accountant.

the right side of the layout shows francois where he got his BA (Politics and Economics) degree. he is almost finished with his BA (Hons) in Economics, so we will get more pics to scrap soon.

so, father and son graduated at the same university. and they are the same age in these pics. me? well, i still look the same, just different hair...

 

you see how scrapbooking lets you tell a story?

do you also see that once again i used no 'graduation' themed paper or embellishments? and no flowers or butterflies. i used great restraint.

 

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

ron...

i used the photo i edited and used as part of my creative cropping photoshop tutorial on this layout:

it is ron, the man's dad. do you recognise the paper strips, and the letters that spell 'ron'? they are leftovers from jenni bowlin's layout that we made at the scrapbooking convention, as shown here.

i did zig-zag stitching around the outer edges of the layout in black cotton. the tape that says '3 metre' i found somewhere in the man's workshop. a whole roll...

i'm going to the scrappink event on saturday. are you also going?

i think there is a big storm coming, so i'm rushing off to get home before i get soaked.

 

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

i'm having computer problems at the shop. it's either a worm/virus, or my hard drive is packing up. i'm not sure which to hope for...

for the last few days i've had all sorts of problems, then it's one thing, then it's another. on saturday i could not get my internet connection to work. francois tweaked and fiddled, and now the internet works, but is is very slow.

late yesterday afternoon we did a sales transaction as usual on the point of sale software, and a few minutes later we could not get in to cash up, and i have not been able to get in since. uggg! i can scream in frustration!

so, now i'm using a pen, invoice book and calculator point of sale system. slow, but fail-proof. the only virus that can affect it is when i sneeze on it...

i did do backups about 10 days ago, and i can backup almost everything again now, but i'm afraid to plug in my external hard drive, in case i infect that. it seems to me, in my expert opinion, as though a worm is making it's way through my system, slowly corrupting files. my anti-virus software did a scan last week, and picked up malicious software, and quarantined the files. that was it's last heroic deed, because now it won't work anymore either...

*sigh!* i am a hair's breadth away from formatting the whole damn thing!

recently liza presented a workshop with paper piecing. here is what laetitia did:

 

and here is ineke's version of the same thing:

 

here is a close-up of ineke's owl. isn't he a gorgeous fella?...

 

he is handmade from scraps of paper.

in my shop, we pride ourselves on the fact that we adapt each layout according to the client's style, taste and photos. no 2 layouts are the same. it is more work for the teacher, but it is also more creative, and more rewarding to see lots of different versions, and lots of happy clients.

anyway, i'm off to fiddle more on my computer. pray i don't crash the entire system...

 

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

butterfly fever...

 

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

 

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

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

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

 

and more butterflies here.

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

loren, and trouble in blog-land...

christina, this post is especially for you...

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

love, jacki

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

convention layouts: margie romney-aslett

margie represented making memories, and she presented 3 single page layouts that i converted into 2 double layouts.

the paper on the outside looks a lot pinker than it is.

i am not one of those people who feels that a layout of a boy/man may not have any flowers on it whatsoever. the flowers i used are blue and green. how do you feel about using flowers, ribbon and a little pink on 'guy' layouts?

 

the journaling says:

hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,

hundreds of bees in the purple clover, hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,

but only one MOTHER the wide world over.

george connor, found on quotegarden.

i see that quite a few of my bloggy friends are posting their finished layouts. stefanie, sophia, and others.

 

you can download a free school digital scrapkit here. thanks annette for the heads-up.

are you as confused as i am about all the drama in south africa's politics? you can find out a little more about kgalema motlanthe, who is apparently our new president, here.

 

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

single pages...

for the RAK i announced on this post, my random number generator picked number 5, so that means comment no 5 wins. that is cathy!

cathy, email me 3-5 nice, close-up photos of you, preferably alone.

edited to add: to see what cathy said about this, look here. and to see what i did with her photos, see here.

we don't scrap single pages often, but we need them for the front and back of our albums. i did a total scraplift of this layout, and nicky and cheryl were inspired by mine. (when i am back in the shop, i will edit this post, and credit the person i scraplifted from.)

please note that the bottom left corner was left open for journaling. that is why it looks a little unbalanced.

here is cheryl's page. this is a photo of her. what a babe!..

the one below was made by nicky, as a front page of an album of her son.

 

and this one is mine. the journaling says: i finished school in 1984. this photo was taken in january 1985, just before i went to university. i was 18 years old and standing on the edge of my life...

 

as i was scrapping this page, i kept wondering what i would tell this young girl. (would she even listen?) that may be a nice theme for a LO one day - a letter of advice to the 'young' me. what would you say to the young you?

love, jacki

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

convention layouts..

so, it turns out, being (sort of) up to date is no fun at all. last night there was a workshop in my shop, and the girls were scrapping. antoinette is the teacher, and i just (wo)man the till. and i had no blogposts to read. and no emails to catch up with. sure, there is always work to do, but this is thursday evening, for goodness sake! so, iv'e changed my mind. please post? lots of posts! and please comment?

the man's father was in america on holiday, visiting his step-daughter, when he had a stroke, probably sunday/monday. he was flown back, and landed on wednesday afternoon, and taken straight to hospital. yesterday evening they operated on his brain, to stop the bleeding. it was a tough time for him, his family, and for us all. he is in ICU now, and stable. just before the weekend i made this gift for his wife, for her birthday. i used the photo i made for my creative cropping tutorial:

   

hey ron, you have to stick around a little longer, we still need you!

on a lighter note, here are the layouts i have made so far from the south african scrapbooking convention:

 

this is from jenni bowlin's class.

the next 2 are single pages, from rachael scholz's class.

 

journaling: no matter how old you get, you will always be my baby.

 

journaling: once upon a time there was a beautiful princess called anika.

thanks rach, i really enjoyed your layouts! i'll be scraplifting them again soon!

i made a photo-album with all my convention photos in it on my blog, in the left column, here.

look what i got! the magazine launched by celine navarro. it is in french, but i can look at the pictures. i love it! the layouts are more artistic, different.

 

for those of you who have been watching it, i will definitely be hitting the 10 000 visitors mark today. wow! 10 000 visitors? wow!  so, time for another RAK! the last one worked well, so i am going to do it again. if you leave a comment on this post, between now and sunday, you will go into the draw to win a photo-makeover, like the one you see here. i edited jodi's photos yesterday, she won the last RAK. she hasn't responded yet, so i don't know if she is happy...

 

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

carla

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

love, jacki

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

heritage..

more butterflies...

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

 

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

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

 

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

verjaarsdag...

the afrikaans word 'verjaarsdag' means 'birthday'.

here is a layout i scrapped on friday. the photos are of francois's 11^th birthday, in 1997:

i haven't made cards in quite a while, so i thought i would use the scraps and make some. i used card positioning systems sketch #78:

see the sewing? it's my current addiction.

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

these cards were featured on card positioning systems

thoughts...

friday:

at what time of the morning do you accept that your cleaning lady is not going to come today? when do you stop hoping? at what time do you stop ignoring the mess? when do you stop pretending not to notice?

during your 12pm coffee break, that's when...

i'm in such a creative mood! i've been scrapping. those of you who read this blog often, know that this has become a rather rare occurrance. i've been busy lately, and i have kinda caught up with some things, for now, and finished some projects, and done a little spring-cleaning. so, today i thought i deserved a little break, and i would do some scrapping...

then the cleaning lady didn't come. so, what am i doing? scrapping? no, cleaning...

saturday:

i have discovered the sewing machine. there has been one in the shop for ever, but once i tried using it, and it made a mess. tension, the experts said... so, it had been sitting there, gathering dust. then, a few weeks ago, antoinette hauled it out for a workshop. and it seemed to work fine. so, i thought i'd try again. now, i want to sew everything! we did quite a bit of sewing in the workshop today, and with great results.

this is a layout by amy, a 9 year old first-time scrapper, in today's workshop. she is a daughter of a dear friend, donna:

isn't it beautiful? keep it up, amy! it's a pity the photos never do justice to the real thing.

we have been having such beautiful, warm, spring weather. august is often nicer than september. what is the weather like where you are? 

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

window on the world...

i have shown this layout before, but it is always so great to see what others do with it. we used chipboard products made by wilpro, a local company.

this layout was made by laetitia. she scrapped photos of her trip to greece.

 

she was a scrapper before she went on her trip, so she took photos of the pebbles on the beach, and brought home some of the pebbles, to make a shakerbox. you can find a tutorial on how to make a shakerbox here.

we all agreed that this was the best shakerbox we had ever seen. she even covered the sides of the shakerbox with strips of the photo of the pebbles.

here is liza's take on it:

see how she used the same elements, yet it has a totally different feel. and here is another peek at mine:

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

opa arie

by the way, the tape measure accross the page is not stuck skew, i cropped the photo skew.

this is a layout i made with the photos of my paternal grandfather, arie bakker. he married 'tante janny' after my grandmother died. he died in 2001, just before his 91st birthday. she moved back to holland after he died, and i have not seen her since. i was very fond of her. if you look closely, you can see i did some sewing, on the darker paper, and accross the flowers. i meant to do a title, but could not find an alphabet that did it for me, and did not think of anything to say. maybe i will add it later. or maybe you could suggest a title in the comments?

lately, i have been wanting to scrap simply, understated, white space. not good for a shop owner, i should be 'advertising' stock. and i have been wanting to journal more.

i once read that if people page through your album, and still ask questions, you have not journaled enough. someone somewhere (i read a lot, and widely, so i often cannot remember where i read things) said recently that she threw an old photo album away because although it had nice photos, and it must have meant a lot to someone once, and although the people in the photos were probably family, it meant nothing to her personally, as she had no clue as to who the people were. . you see, it is not about the photos alone. it is about the stories. about the histories. as you page through your album, ask yourself if it will mean anything to a future generation. or will someone just throw it away some day, because she has no clue who the people in your album are?

love, jacki

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

sean's school photos, and a linky-day keeps work-blues at bay... what?...

i made this layout last week, after being inspired by a layout by the amazing, the talented, the nicest melani. i used those boring school photos. i love the way the 2 pattern papers (queen of hearts and 7 gypsies) go together! this is the kind of layout that the shop-owner in me does not approve of. it has very little 'product' on it. only paper, mainly. not a big sales booster. also, notice that although it is a school layout, it has no school embellishments/paper etc. but i am enjoying it, it makes my eyes happy.. edited to add: i taught this layout in our workshop today (saturday), and although everyone's layout was different, they were all beautiful!  that is what makes scrapbooking so rewarding!

blogging in bed again. thought i'd have a linky day, to keep you from your work, and so avoiding those work-day blues. it sure beats solitaire... remember to open an excel spreadsheet in another window, so you can switch to it quickly when the boss walks by... just my contribution to the productivity in your office. remember when tetris came out? it seems like a million years ago. at the time, it was said that it was invented in russia, to decrease productivity in the west. i think it worked, too...

i have found 2 new blogs that i would like to kick of my 'blog of the moment' feature with. i enjoyed visiting them: my marrakesh is about a woman who is living in morocco. also, i enjoyed 37 days, that asks the question, what if you had 37 days left to live? the third blog that i'd like to highlight, is one i have been visiting often, for quite a few months, and is in my blogroll. yet, christine middlekamp is always worth a visit. there is so much scrapbooking inspiration there, and real life, too. tell me what you think of these blogs, i'd love to know!

next, go to jessica sprague. she is an awesome source of photoshop-inspiration. see her tutorial for making your photos 'pop'. also, i found a link on her blog to a photography article on 5 ways to hold your veiwer's attention. in fact, the website that the article is on, beyond megapixels, is a good site to visit if you are a photography fan.

then, if you have taken the digital photo, and photoshopped it, then you can digitally scrap it by using the free digital scrapbook kit you can find on that great site shutterfly.

if you have not done so, visit the south african scrapbook convention's website, and book. on the booking form, where they say 'group' tell glenda you are with scrappin times, and she will put you in our group. it really is a great event. and glenda is great too...

tomorrow is madiba - nelson mandela's  90th birthday.

i have not forgotton about the brillante weblog award. i will pass it on soon, i promise! in the meantime, please nominate any blog you read and love. i would like to make it democratic.

if you follow any of these links, leave a comment to tell me what you liked. also, on those blogs, leave a comment and tell them jacki sent you. comments are good. comments are what bloggers blog for. bloggers loooove comments. i know i do. don't know how to comment? just look directly below this post. there you will find the word 'comment'. just click on the word, and it will take you to a comment form. easy! even blondes from benoni can do it...

anyway, i'd better get out of bed, and get ready to go to work. i finished another scrapbook layout last night. seems i got my mojo back!

love, jacki

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

tannie muis - time and about magazine issue 8

i have just spent the entire morning reading blogs. i have tons of work to do, which makes reading blogs soooo much more fun. i wish i could make blogging my full-time job. then i could call this morning 'research'. mind you, if blogging was my job, i would probably spend the entire morning filing and doing admin, since anything is always better than working... having said that, i made scrapbooking my full-time job, and look how much scrapbooking i am doing lately.

i want to introduce a feature here, a kind of a blog of the week. except, i don't want to commit myself to a weekly thing. so i will call it a blog of the moment. it can be any blog. anything you like. tell me who you read. and i will tell you who i find. ok?

i have a new baby in the house. sean got a little jack russell puppy for his birthday. it is sooo cute! and demands attention all the time. it has spent the morning lying on my lap, sleeping in my blanket.

a while ago, time and about magazine asked me to participate in their 'inspiration' challenge. it appears in the current magazine, issue #8. it follows on the previous time i had a layout published. does being published twice entitle me to say i have been published a couple of times?... :) here is what it is about:

when francois was little, he used to refer to the 'tannie muis', instead of the 'tande muis'. this is afrikaans for the tooth fairy.

i made a shakerbox containing his baby teeth! i have wanted to do that for ages. it seemed to me to be a logical place to store them. so much better than in a used plastic pill container in my panty drawer...

you can find a tutorial on how to make a shakerbox here.

 

on the journaling tag i wrote this (translated from afrikaans):

"you always talked about 'tannie muis' (aunty mouse) instead of 'tande muis' (tooth fairy). when you were about 7 or 8, you declared one day that you no longer believed in the tooth fairy. yet, you spent the entire afternoon putting the tooth in a jungle oats box, on cotton wool, with a note. and then you created a trail from the front door to your room, with letters and arrows, in case the tooth fairy could not find the way. you were too afraid to not believe.

it is a pity that i did not scrap then. because then i would still have all the notes and lots of photos. fortunately, i did keep all your teeth, so now i can at least scrap the only 2 'toothless' photos, and the teeth, and the story." 

along with the layout, we also had to create something else. i made these three cards. i used my revolutionary, world-famous, ground-breaking (not!) method of cutting 3 cards from one sheet of cardstock.

here is the magazine, in case you want to rush out and buy it, mom...

and here is what we got as the source of inspiration. see if you could do anything better with it...

every time i get to this point in my post, the whole typepad screen crashes, and i have to open typepad again, get to this post and try to go on. and then it happens again. when will i learn to save continuously? fortunately, i have an amazing command of HTML. i can insert <br>. that's it. that's all i know. but it has helped a million times. maybe soon i could do a tutorial on this...

in the meantime, however, i am sooo late to fetch sean from school. so i have to rush!

love, jackie

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

motherhood by liza, and my version of it

i'm coming to you today from a very cold south africa! it is rather dark, and there is an icy wind blowing. ideal scrapping weather...

this is a layout created by liza.

here is my take on it:

it was fun to do. each block can be decorated differently.

the journaling says: "i have so much fun playing with photoshop. it gives me the opportunity to turn an ordinary photo into something special".

man, it felt good to be scrapping again! thanks liza, for the inspiration!

for a nice tutorial on making paper flowers, visit kim here.

i found this site, that has maps, and this one shows scrapbook shops. i am proud to say that i am their first scrapbooking shop in africa! maybe they think i am the only scrapbooking shop in africa..

well, i'm off to make some hot chololate...

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

this post was linked to by kim watson

friendship - liza, and happy birthday elsa!

last week i was a good blogger. but this week i have been scrapping, and that has not happened so much lately. so i'm playing while i'm all inspired...

the above layout was done by liza. i will be showing mine later in the week. now that i have some...

my dear friend elsa, who visits this blog often from dhahran, saudi arabia, celebrated her birthday yesterday. elsa, i thought of you all day, but i did not go online at all yesterday. i did not even plug in my modem! so, here is a late HAPPY BIRTHDAY! i hope you had a special day, and i hope you have a blessed year. and thanks for being such a supporter. i have friends in benoni that i hear from less often than i hear from you...

i have an inspiration. francois would say "it came to me in a series of dreams". i have a scrapping-related idea. it has to bubble a little bit. it is not my idea originally, i saw something in a magazine that created a spark. of course, i do not have all the stuff i need, or i would not be blogging, i would be scrapping. it feels like my head is going to burst with this idea, i am so excited...

i'm off to photograph my recent layouts!

 

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

precious memories

i have been a little quiet, haven't i? did anybody miss me?

i have been busy making a photoshop tutorial that i will post tomorrow or so, about creating a softer look for your photos. this is for people like me, who need a lot of softening to look good...

my sister, carla, lives in australia, and my parents have gone to visit her for the first time. my brother, andre, and his wife, cornelia, are in france. andre just completed some simulator training there. he is a pilot. so, with more than half my family out of the country, i'm feeling pretty left behind. only paula and i are left here.

as i am writing this, i am listening to the news. oy, it's bad... xenophobic violence, record high fuel prices that are going to rise further, and interest rates that are also rising. tough times ahead! staying positive has become quite a challenge in this beautiful country.

i have had this layout ready to post for a while, but the pictures do little justice to it.

 

this layout was made in a class by wilpro.

 

i know it is difficult to see, but on the chipboard heart is a stack of chipboard puzzle pieces. some are glittered, some have dimensional glaze on them, and some are plain.



i have ordered stock of this, and will be teaching this layout in a few weeks time.

how are you doing? tell me, i really want to know!

 

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

generations

i did some more digital scrapbooking yesterday. every time i try, i learn a little more. about digital scrapbooking, and about photoshop.

my mother and my son are actually the best of friends, and they love to go out together. they go to movies, art movies, museums and the theater.  francois is very mature for his age, and my mom is very young for her age, so they don't seem to be from different generations at all.

most of what i used was from the 'dinner party' range, a freebie from shabby princess. the frame around the photos is also from them, from the 'festival' range. the tag is from shutterfly, from michelle coleman's 'renewal' range. the font is my own handwriting that was made into a computer font by allie hoopes. you can read all about it here.

all the digital scrapbooking kits i have at this time are freebies. i am still new at this, and didn't want to rush out and spend money on stuff i might not use, so it is nice to be able to use the freebies. i do have my eye on some things i have to buy, but even those are under $8.

a lot of people have been asking what the point is with digital scrapbooking, especially someone tactile like me, who is really only happy when there is glue under my nails, and ink on my fingers. but i find it difficult to scrap in the shop, as there are too many distractions and interruptions. so, playing around on my computer is easier. and, i am learning lots about photoshop at the same time. also, by printing frames on my photos, or embellishments that i cannot find elsewhere, i can add to my paper scrapping. then, i could use it for those photos i might put on my blog, but never actually scrap. and finally, it gives so many design options. i could make really cool business cards and pamphlets and invitations and blog pages, etc, with the elements and skills i got with digital scrapping. besides, i was not really doing anything productive between 9pm and midnight, so i have all this time for yet another addiction...

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

my mom - by liza

this layout was made by liza, who is one of the teachers in my shop. the theme for this month is 'mother' - quite a surprise, ain't it..., and she made this layout to celebrate that. the tags she used for a few journaling lines, and the book at the bottom on the right hand page, opens up for more space for that letter to mom.

i got another mention on scrapscene, thanks angie! it is always so exciting to get hits from there, the visitors to this blog come from such diverse and interesting places! we are truly becoming a global village.

thanks for all your positive comments on the blogpost with the photoshop tutorial. i sometimes feel intimidated by some websites and their tutorials, and i tried to make mine as user-friendly as possible. i am a photoshop beginner, and i hope that we can learn this together. it is only through trial and error that we master a new skill, and i really hope to inspire all of you who have told me you have had photoshop for months/years and don't know where to start, to not just read the tutorial, but to actually do it! please let me know how it turned out, and if you manage to do it, send me the link to your blogpost, or email me your result. i would love some feedback.

you know what gets me? my 21 year old watches 3 video photoshop tutorials, plays with the software for 3 hours, and already he knows so much more than me. doncha just hate it when that happens? all i can hope to achieve is to stay ahead of my 11 year old.

glenda gave me a gift of the kit of the heidi swapp mirror album that heidi presented at the scrapbooking convention on 1 may. quite a few of the girls from my shop attended this convention. i started working on it straight away, and i loved it. it is meant to be a journal about 'me', and i decided to make it an inspiration journal, a place where i write all the bible texts and quotes from people that inspire me. so, when the day seems a little dark, i can page through that and i can be reminded of all my blessings, including the blessing of heidi swapp's inspiring talent, and glenda's thoughtfulness, and of course of GOD's eternal grace. i will show photos of it soon.

now, before i can go to sleep, i have to watch the final double episode of desperate housewives. i'm halfway through, and won't be able to sleep if i don't see the end...

love, jacki

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbooking shop

digital scrapbooking - my new addiction...

i had sooo much fun this morning. i did my first real digital scrapbooking! i downloaded a few free digital kits this week, and now i got to play with them:

the couple are mariska and ian. mariska is my cousin. all the digital goodies are from shabby princess, the promise collection, except the frame around the photo, that is from shutterfly, michelle coleman, renewal. did you see there are even staples in there?

i must say, my eye does miss the inking around the edges of the paper, and the sanding of the edges of the photo. and i miss having ink under my fingernails. but i did have fun. i do need to ask, if i don't have a blog, what do i do with this now?

as i mentioned before, i am part of typepad's beta team. we have been testing all sorts of new features for a few weeks, to iron out the bugs. so, if you are a blogger with typepad, you will be getting these features within the next few days. there are a few improvements, and they are quite easy to use. enjoy them!

 

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbooking shop

great-grandmother

 

isn't this beautiful?

liza made this single page. the photo is of her great-grandmother. she used colormates cardstock, rose-petal vellum from worldwin papers, a strip of paper for the swirl from creative imaginations, scallop circle paper from making memories' animal crackers range, and the background paper is from my mind's eye. the flowers we sell loose, and are from different companies. she put the page together in about an hour, and she used a plate from the kitchen for the circle of vellum. inking around the edges when you hand-cut a circle, softens the edges, so you don't see if it is a little uneven.

there is nothing difficult about this page, it is just the combination of colours and papers that make it so striking. you cannot see this on this photo, but she wrote by hand on the red cardstock the name of the beautiful woman from days gone by. what a nice tribute!

just out of interest, i did some photoshopping on the photo of this layout. the original photo as i got it from the camera looks like this:

















photoshop is my friend....

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

swim star

 

i did this layout a week or 2 ago. it is of ronnie and francois in a swimming pool. on the middle photo on the left, you can also see my brother, andre, and sister, carla. the baby in the photo is francois, who is almost 22 years old now...

there is really nothing difficult about this layout, the colours and fun patterned paper are really what make it. i used chipboard stars and the chipboard alphas are from wilpro. the cardstock is from colormates and treasures, the rub-ons are from urban lily. the patterned paper is stuck down so well, that i cannot see who it is from.


 

this is for cornelia, who had a bit of a scare last week, and is still traumatised after her first mammogram. thankfully, it all turned out well!

 
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbooking shop

family times

 

i scrapped this page this week. it was inspired by a page by my amazingly talented and inspiring friend melani at paper crazy. those photos are of my family, and were taken more than 30 years ago.



with the rainy, cold and cloudy weather we have been having, i have to take the photos of the layouts with the flash, so sorry for the reflection. here are some close ups:

 

the flap that says 'eternity... etc' opens up. there are tags behind it.



the little booklets with the striped paper also open up.

as usual, the photos do not do justice to the real thing...

 
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES

a good weekend, and thank you chantal

this weekend i was feeling flu-ish and a little blue, so i spent saturday and sunday at home, pottering around in the house, sleeping, reading and watching tv. it was just what i needed!

then, yesterday - monday 21 april, was my dear friend chantal's birthday, and she took me to a scrapbooking traders day presented by wilpro in pretoria. we spent the day scrapbooking. we got 3 projects, and i finished this one:

 

thanks colette, for the nice day and inspiration!

 

chantal is a wonderful, warm friend. she is a caring, sharing and giving person, generous to a fault! she has been a blessing to me since i met her. she is always spoiling others. she just needs to learn to receive as well as she gives..

chantal also has a scrapbooking shop, so it is always such a pleasure to be able to talk to her, complain about things, share trade tips, help each other out, pass on information about stock and suppliers, etc. she is indeed a true friend!

i had a wonderful time. thanks for being such a good friend!

 
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES

outrageous party, scrapbooking convention 1 may 2008

in the beginning of every year, i sit with the old and the new diaries, and transfer birthday and anniversary dates. in 2002 it was no different. i sat with the old diary, and started to copy all the important info into the new diary. but, for some reason - i cannot remember why, i was interrupted, and did not finish this task.

the last entry in my diary for 2002 read 'saskia'. saskia is my cousin. i had written down her birthday on the 19th of april. from the 20th of april there were no further entries. ronnie died on 19 april. how wierd is that? my life as i knew it changed on 19 april, and the pages of the diary of my life were suddenly blank...

 

usually during this 'ronnie-week', i scrap a page or 2 with photos of him. so yesterday i scrapped this page of ronnie and i, and tito and desire going to an 'outrageous' party in 1998. i used a becky sketch i found in the april issue of creating keepsakes magazine.

i have been wanting to scrap with 'white space' for quite a while now, but before i know it, i have filled the whole page. so, i used this sketch to 'force' me to leave some areas open. i really enjoyed this page, and i think i will use this sketch again soon.

i got this email from the scrapbooking convention:
We are so excited! We have just received the Heidi Swapp kits ... you are going to blown away with the projects they have lined up for you. Heidi will be debuting her mirror album which is packed with chandeliers, mirrors, ribbon and loads of bits and pieces. Janet's class is a 12x12 album and you will complete 4 pages and decorate the outside of the album with the world traveler line. Log onto the website, www.scrapbookex.co.za for more information and class requirements.
This is a day of spoiling, pampering and enjoyment!
See you at either Summer Place on 1 May or at Spier on 3 May!

Take care,
The SA Scrapbook Convention Team

 
ps. if you are very observant, you might have noticed some subtle changes to the look of my blog. typepad is planning lots of improvements. i'm part of their beta-team, which means i have been testing the improvements for a week or 2. there are a few glitches, which is why people like me test it first, but it is going to be great! also, if you are on facebook, and are a blogger, look out for the 'blog-it' feature which is just being launched. i'm sure you will love it!

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES

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

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

time and about magazine

time & about magazine has just increased their quality and credibility. why? because they published one of my layouts, that's why! you see, i've been published once, and it has already gone to my head...

this is really exciting!

 

the man hates to be photographed. and he is never really that interested in my scrapbooking. on saturday, we went to the hobby expo, and while we were there i popped it to time & about's stand, to pick up my shop's issues of this magazine. and when i showed him this page, he winced. but, on the way home, i asked him to stop off at the shop so i could put the magazines on the shelf for monday. he asked me to please take one home, so he could show sean. and on sunday, when his dad came for tea, he showed him. o, so now that it's published you are interested... his only regret is that he is not the centerfold!

here is a closer look at what appeared in time & about magazine, issue #7:

 

 

i converted these photos to black and white, and printed them on textured paper to create a canvas look. did i mention how much i love this amazing guy?

now, please pop in to the shop, and get this excellent magazine, before my mother and his mother buy them all...

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES

antoinette, and blogging

behind the scenes on blogs, or on the blog itself, as you see in my left column, toward the bottom, you have a place where you can check the 'stats' of the blog. this tells us how many people visited this blog, and where they came from. what i mean is that it tells me the 'referring address'. so, if you typed in www.scrappintimes.typepad.com, you came from there, and if you found me by clicking a link on another website or blog that has a link to me, it gives me that website's address. don't worry, it doesn't tell me who you are... so, quite often, it tells me the hit came from 'google'. if i click on where it says 'google', it takes me to that screen, and shows me what that person 'googled'. this can be very interesting.

of the 6 hits i got from google in the past 24 hours, there was 'scrappin times', 'artist trading cards', 'allie hoopes own handwriting', and here is the weirdest for today: 'modge podge'. i checked, my blog was the 121st mention, on page 13! wow, what are the odds of that person finding me? once, i got a hit from 'post-christmas blues'. as i am quite a 'googler' myself, i find this info fascinating. it was very important that you know this. why? sommer. cause it's interesting to me, that's why!

the layout below was done by antoinette. she is one of the workshop teachers in the shop. i apologize for the quality of the photo.

i have told you about the following people before, but today i want to remind you to visit the following websites and blogs:

wilna furstenburg, especially read about 'a card for lois'.

jody ferlaak is inspiring and easy to read.

clean your screen. trust me, you need this! i hope you can get this link to work, because when i checked it now, it doesn't work. it worked before, i promise!

if you are a south african scrapper, read about the south african scrapbook convention.

if you are, or want to be a card maker, visit card positioning systems.

the march sketch is out on page maps.

and, last but certainly not least for today, you just have to visit the incredibly entertaining pioneer woman. oh, i wish i could write like her!

how are you today? please tell me.

paula

Sisters are different flowers from the same garden.  ~Author Unknown

this is my sister, paula. she doesn't live far, about 20 minutes drive away, but we don't see each other as much as we would like, because of our busy lives.

this is a very nice photo of her. i made this layout as an entry in a contest, at ittybittyscrapshack. alas, i fell out, but it is a very nice website to visit to look at some great, high quality layouts.

there were rules to this challenge. it had to be a single page layout. this is quite difficult for me, as i almost only do double pages. the we had to use the following: 2x patterned papers, 1x cardstock, buttons, alphabet letters and handwritten journaling. that's it. no inking, no stamping, no paint, no flowers, no ribbon, nothing else! i found this very difficult! but you must see what some of the people did. wow! click on 'round 1 entries' to see. i used daisy d's paper, colormates, and thickers letters. and old buttons.

liza decided yesterday to move the shop around. drastically! this was quite some work, but i must say, it looks good. very different, which is a good thing. everything looks new. there is even a corner for a gallery. this is besides the gallery we already have in the toilet... thanks liza and linda for your great ideas and hard work. it makes a nice change!

love, jacki

SCRAPPINTIMES / scrappintimes

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

home sweet home

Home is not where you live but where they understand you.  ~Christian Morgenstern

the above layout was created by liza. it is called 'home sweet home'. one of her regular workshop clients, sandra, saw something similar in a magazine, and asked her to make something for the workshop. liza came up with this. for the number 4 she photographed the number on a tile by her front door. to create this was a bit of a battle for liza. and now she doesn't really like this layout. yet, when it is displayed in the shop, almost all the clients remark on it. it seems to be one of her most popular workshops.

i also find that when a layout was a bit of a battle, and did not come easily, i don't seem to like the layout much. even when others compliment on it. do you also feel this way?

i have finished a layout and some cards. i should be able to upload them tomorrow.

also, i have been working on wilna's valentines project. it is going to be awesome!i am always quite able to express my feelings in writing. yet, when it comes to expressing feelings of love in writing, i simply can't find the words. so, doing these valentine's projects are quite a challenge for me in this regard. but i'm working on it.

love, jacki

SCRAPPIN TIMES

anika

You are worried about seeing him spend his early years in doing nothing.  What!  Is it nothing to be happy?  Nothing to skip, play, and run around all day long?  Never in his life will he be so busy again.  ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, 1762

isn't this sooo adorable? these are my sister paula's kids. ok, theo, your kids too. anika, carli and tian. it was anika and tian's first day of grade 1! they go to different schools, anika is in a girls school. isn't the blazer cute? and check out the gap in the teeth!

the layout below is of anika. one weekend away we asked the kids what they wanted to be when they grow up. the title of the page is: 'anika, wat wil jy eendag word?' - anika, what do you want to be someday? she answered 'a butterfly!' at my cousin mariska's wedding anika and marni were the flowergirls, and they dressed up with the wings. so, i thought i would use those photos to show her what she would look like when her dream comes true.

this page is busy, and the title is difficult to read, and nothing is really straight or symmetrical, but i love it! i think it is because of anika's beauty and attitude, that really comes through. you go girl, you already are a gorgeous butterfly!

love, jacki

SCRAPPIN TIMES

francois

Don't wait to make your son a great man - make him a great boy.  ~Author Unknown

 

this is still one of my favourite layouts. when francois was about 11 years old, his father and i took him fishing. it is not easy to see, but one of the photos shows evidence of the fact that he caught 2 fish at the same time! what a proud moment! the bottom left tag can open, and there is journaling inside. the word 'fishing' was stamped on cardstock with bleach. the edges of the page i dry-brushed with paint. the fab-scraps rub-on on one of the tags reads "give a boy a fish, and you can feed him for a day. teach a boy to fish, and you can get rid of him for a weekend".

now francois is 21 years old. he went back to university this week. his classes start next week. he is doing his honors in economics this year.  in a while i will have graduation photos to scrap, as he is getting his degree soon. his father would have been so proud! he lives on the campus in student village. these are like flats on the campus. great, everything is in walking distance. only senior students stay there. he was home for almost 3 months, so i am missing him like crazy! {{sob!}} but, the contents of my fridge and grocery cupboard are staying constant now, and the laundry basket is no longer overflowing...

Son, you outgrew my lap, but never my heart.  ~Author Unknown

i am always looking out for quotes to put on my blog. last week i read something like: 'if you are not happy with what you've got, you won't be happy with what you get'. when i read it, i did not take much notice. but, it has been popping into my mind all the time. it really is something to think about. in this day and age, in this consumerist, disposable society, we always seem to want more, newer, better, faster, more expensive. maybe we should stop and think for a moment, and be happy with what we've got!

love, jacki

SCRAPPIN TIMES

carla

If you don't understand how a woman could both love her sister dearly and want to wring her neck at the same time, then you were probably an only child.  ~Linda Sunshine

this is the layout i made of my sister, carla. she is my baby sister, 7 years younger than i. paula and andre are in between. carla lives in australia, so we all miss her terribly! she is a gypsey, and travels the world. she has dreadlocks and peircings. she has tons of style and an artistic soul. she is sweet and gentle and wise and beautiful! {{hugs}} now that i have scrapped her, and see the layout in the shop every day, i miss her even more! i love you, sis!

i used colormates deep mostly mauve, bazzill pale gold, black cardstock, 7 gypsies requiem paper, bazzill blossoms, chipboard alphas, buttons and tapemeasure from my stash, and sisters stickers and the tag are from 7gypsies. i stamped on the flowers. i used dimensional glaze on the alphas.

if you scroll down a bit, you will see the card i made from the left-overs of this page. i made the card before i packed my stuff away.

A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves - a special kind of double.  ~Toni Morrison

love, jacki

SCRAPPIN TIMES

our family

You don't choose your family.  They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.  ~Desmond Tutu

this layout i scraplifted from a layout i saw on annette's blog, posted january 16, 08, under the title of 'jen wilson sale'.

the photos are of my family. i used colormates, pattern paper from K&Co, 7Gypsies and Making Memories. the metal flowers i bought loose ages ago, and the brads are cha ching brads from bazzill. i used a stamp to make the stems. the hearts are of cardstock, with Making Memories heart tag rims.

see how you can take an idea, and make it your own. and scraplifting is ok, as long as you give credit to the one you got the idea from. thank you, annette!

Family:  A social unit where the father is concerned with parking space, the children with outer space, and the mother with closet space.  ~Evan Esar

love, jacki

SCRAPPIN TIMES

vegetables again

in general, my children refuse to eat anything that hasn't danced on television. Erma Brombeck.

you know how sometimes you scrap a page, and the whole process, from beginning to end, is just a pleasure? it doesn't happen that often, but i just love how this one came out!

i used treasures and colormates cardstock, and the patterned paper, rub ons and embellishments are from karen forster. the flowers are from prima.

the wooden letters i bought loose at a shop, and painted with heidi swapp paint. i used a white gel pen to make the stitch effect. i love the little rub on snails!

on the little tag with the vegetables on it, tucked behind the photo,  i will write the story, as on the blog entry of early january. anyone interested in reading it, can pull it out.

as always, the photos don't do justice to the real thing. but this page will be one of my favourites for quite some time!

love, jacki

SCRAPPIN TIMES

'grow' again

There's nothing to match curling up with a good book when there's a repair job to be done around the house.  ~Joe Ryan

the same can be said about scrapbooking. the more other things i have to do, the more i enjoy scrapping!

here is the page i scrapped of my word for 2008. the writing on the right is a printout of my blog entry on 2 january, where i wrote about my reasons for choosing the word 'grow'.

i have been scrapping quite a lot these last few weeks. i am into the simple, understated at the moment. also, i have been standing while i scrap, i find i faff less then. the above page is of photos taken at my brother's wedding.

back to school tomorrow. good luck to the mommies with 'firsts'. remember to take lots of photos!

love, jacki

SCRAPPIN TIMES

plot life, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.  ~Oprah Winfrey

it is such a pleasure to live on a plot! yesterday afternoon my parents and my brother and his family came to visit, and we picked lots of fresh vegetables for them to take home.

little marni helped me so happily! she helped pick beans, gem squash, spinach, beetroot, onions and carrots. she also helped carry it all to the plastic tub.

when she saw what they were getting to take home, she jumped up and down, and said: "jaaay, we're getting food!". don't you feed your kids, boet? afterwards, she was quite happy to pose like a little supermodel! thanks, marni, for changing a chore into a happy memory. you made my day!

now, if this is not a good advert for healthier eating, i don't know what is..

what are you doing for new year? we are going to our neighbours, jannie and amelia. no roadblocks on the way home..

so, to all of you, happy new year! may 2008 bring many happy memories!

love, jacki

you can see the layout i scrapped with these photos here.