*Artistry* ~ Let's Scrap Sketch 10-1-15

Well, Hello there My Dear Arty Scrappy Friends!

It is so nice to see you again!

I'm so sorry that my blog post has been a bit "late" today, after the reveal on the Let's Scrap blog...

we have been out doing our last minute shopping for my DD#1's Matric Dance tomorrow night...

so there are MUCH excitement going on in our house at the moment!!   :-D

This week I would like to share with you my Design Team layout for the Let's Scrap Sketch #10-1-15... *Artistry*.

As any Mom, I think my kids are BEAUTIFUL AND AWESOME AND AMAZING AND all the WONDERFUL things they can be, so I am no different!!!  My DD#1 just looked so beautiful to me in these natural and spontaneous photos, we went out for the day and she decided to wear red lipstick and she looked AMAZING and so PERFECT!!  And yet again, I realized how blessed I am to be her Mom and what a FANTASTIC Artist God is for "designing" our beautiful children and blessing us with them. ♥♥♥

 *Artistry*

 I used the Bo Bunny range: Star-Crossed.  It was totally perfect for the idea I had.

And here is some close ups of the layout...

I used thick white porous cardstock to make the stars by applying some red and black Distress Inks onto my craft sheet, spraying it with water and then putting the paper onto the ink without "rubbing".  After it has dried, I used some silver ink to spray over it.

I also used silver Stickles for the stars on the circles.

I do believe that it is VERY VERY important to use your own handwriting, so that one day, this very special handwriting, belonging to only one person in the whole wide world,

can be remembered forever.

I still have a few things with my Dear Grandmother Jopie's handwriting on and imagine her fingers holding the pen and writing the way only she could.

How special is that???

 

 Thank you so much for looking & I surely hope you visit again soon!!

The fabulous Let's Scrap Sketches are published every 1st and 15th of the month,

so do come and play with us,

there are some FANTASTIC prizes up for grabs from our awesome sponsors!

Have a Great Day!!

Hugs

*~Erica~*

*~Let's Scrap Sketch #9-15-15~* Undefined

Good Morning to All my Arty Scrappy Friends

I surely hope that you are doing well today!  I am doing fabulous as Spring is here, the sun is shining beautifully, we had some lovely rain, our garden is green and the birds are singing cheerfully, what can be better than nature at it's best???

Today I would like to share with you my DT work at Let's Scrap this week...
called:
*Undefined*.

The dictionary's definition for Undefined, is the following:

1.

without fixed limits; indefinite in form, extent, or application:

undefined authority; undefined feelings of sadness.

2.

not given meaning or significance, as by a definition; not defined or explained:

an undefined term.

It is a sensitive topic to me... but the fact remains that we all go through a lot of trials and tribulations throughout our lifetime, and I have been no different to any other human on this earth...  I have had more than my fair share. Living life is not always moonshine and roses {we wish!!}. We go through difficult times and hardships.  But... LIFE IS STILL AMAZING!!!

 This quote describes LIFE so beautifully:

Well, life is just not always easy or enjoyable or amazing.

I do know that I will never be defined.  I will never understand.  I will never know why I am me.  I just know that I have been put on earth for a reason and that I do not always know what that reason is, but God has a plan with me which only I can fulfill.

The whole idea is that the things we have gone through, should not define us.  I am kind of a free spirit.  Have always had problems fitting in and by now realized IT IS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN, which is just FINE with me. It actually makes me VERY HAPPY to know that I am on this journey and I alone can be who I am.

These lyrics of the Alanis Morrissette song {she is my most FAVOURITE female artist of all time!}: "Hand In My Pocket", always makes me smile.  It reminds me that I am OKAY being me.  That I am only human and just as long as I am trying my best, I am okay with that.  The most important thing to me, is that God knows my heart, He sees me for me and He knows I am doing the best I can.

And that is just fine fine fine!

And... I will NEVER EVER have it all figured out!?!

Here is the lyrics to this amazing song which I journaled about at the back of my layout:

But... I cannot relate to all of these elements... eg. I am tall, not all that young anymore, hate smoking & definitely not very sane most of the time, but you get the idea!? ;-)

"Hand In My Pocket"
Alanis Morrissette



"I'm broke but I'm happy

I'm poor but I'm kind
I'm short but I'm healthy, yeah
I'm high but I'm grounded
I'm sane but I'm overwhelmed
I'm lost but I'm hopeful baby
What it all comes down to
Is that everything's gonna be fine fine fine
'cause I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is giving a high five
I feel drunk but I'm sober
I'm young and I'm underpaid
I'm tired but I'm working, yeah
I care but I'm restless
I'm here but I'm really gone
I'm wrong and I'm sorry baby

What it all comes down to
Is that everything's gonna be quite alright
'cause I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is flicking a cigarette
And what it all comes down to
Is that I haven't got it all figured out just yet
'cause I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is giving the peace sign
I'm free but I'm focused
I'm green but I'm wise
I'm hard but I'm friendly baby
I'm sad but I'm laughing
I'm brave but I'm chickensh*t
I'm sick but I'm pretty baby

And what it all boils down to
Is that no one's really got it figured out just yet
'cause I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is playing the piano
And what it all comes down to my friends
Is that everything's just fine fine fine
'cause I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is hailing a taxi cab."

I totally love the harmonica in this song!!!!!  One of my favourite parts of the music... I had a little harmonica when I was a child, playing it until the keys started falling out... Made up songs by the dozens... ;-)

This is the fab Let's Scrap Sketch...

#9-15-15

 

And this is my layout:

*Undefined*

Some close ups...

Keys are symbols of opening and closing.  Keys and locks go together like milk and cookies.

To me this key without lock represents my freedom in being me.

 The 3 tickets: Dream, Hope & Soar.... has been punched... this means that these tickets have been used... I have Dreamed {big time!}, I have experienced Hope....  I have Soared like an Eagle high up in the sky.  {And I surely believe I will again!}
And yes, I am an absolutely hopeless Dreamer.

You will see that a lot of the papers are torn, folded and distressed... to me this means all the things in my life that has been lost and painful.  Thus, it is all messy.  Nothing's perfect.

The butterfly right at the top has been fussy cut to fit over the card.
Hope.

I used some Tim Holtz letter stickers for the title and the "E" is the only one in red...
"E" for my name.

Do you notice the butterfly on my nose?  The story behind this is: when my DD#2 was younger, she used to catch butterflies in the garden and make them a lovely "fairytale" home in our old fish tank... That is how this pretty little butterfly landed on my nose... :-)

Which makes this so very special to me, is that I read that the butterfly is a symbol of the soul.

"Butterflies are the power of air, the ability to float upon a breeze. It represents the never-ending cycle of life and self-transformation.  Butterflies appear to dance as they flitter among the flowers. They remind us not to take things so seriously within our lives. They awaken a sense of lightness and joy. They remind us to get up and move, for if you do not move, you cannot dance.

Butterflies bring color and joy with them.  The butterfly will teach you that growth and change do not have to be traumatic. Change can occur as gently and as joyfully as one wishes."

{www.pure-spirit.com}

I Photoshopped the photo as I liked the artistic feel to it...  The photo was taken by one of the very first iPhones I owned a few years back and the quality is not all that good, but I do like how it turned out.  To me, it's not the most "perfect photo" but the most "perfect moment" that counts.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post... please do follow my blog, you will see the Follow button in the right column...

 And do please hop on over to our Let's Scrap Sketches blog, have some fun & play along...
I can't wait to see what you create!! :-)

Well, now that you know all my deepest, darkest secrets, I hope you enjoyed the layout about my Undefinity. {Is that a word???} ;-)

 

Have a Fantastic Day!!

Hugs

~*Erica~*

*~Feeling Sketchy Card #128~* PARTY

Hi there to All my Arty Scrappy Friends!

I surely hope that you are having a fabulous day where ever you are!

I made this card a few days ago with the fun sketch back at Feeling Sketchy...

I do really enjoy the process of making cards... Almost "short & sweet" if you know what I mean! 

Some close ups... 

I used some Color Bloom Spray Mist in Warn Leather {just LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!} and Stickles for the bling off cause.

I distressed some thin white ribbon with a few different colours of Tim Holtz' Distress Inks... and my DD#2 threaded it through the eyelets for me.

I used a range from Pink Paislee / House of Three I have had in my stash for quite a few years now... Such a beautiful range and I really did buy a full pack of these so I have enough to keep me busy for a while...

It is the Soiree Range and on Pink Paislee's website it looks like it's release date was in 2011!

I hope you enjoyed looking!

Have a Wonderful Day!

Hugs

*~Erica~*

*~Let's Scrap DT Layout - **WELCOME CUPCAKE**~*

Hi there to All my Dear Arty Scrappy Friends!

I am so very excited to announce that I have been chosen to be part of the Let's Scrap Design Team again!!  It is so lovely to have this FANTASTIC opportunity to be part of this fabulous team again!!

 Thank you Cathy van de Bruinhorst & Valerie Thorpe!

I would also like to say congrats to all my fellow DT Members, I am so looking forward to working with you and enjoying your lovely scrapbook layouts!

Here is a list of these amazingly talented ladies with links to their blogs:

Roulien Stahnke 
my-scrappy-story.blogspot.com 

  

Laura Kram

laurakram.blogspot.com 

Ada Nicholls

adaskits.blogspot.com

Rebecca Daly 

kylesscrappymom.blogspot.ca

Astrid Logtenberg

 www.bearfamilysscraps.blogspot.nl

  

Suzanne Pipitone

cricutcraftingrammy.blogspot.com  

Rhoda Henderson

rhodidodisramblings.blogspot.com 

Barbara Barkelew Greenberg

 barbgreenberg.blogspot.com  

Savanna Lea Wills Carson

 savannascraps.blogspot.com  

Stephanie Thompson Johnson

sthom97093.blogspot.com 

Katy Donaldson Taylor

www.scrappinkaty.blogspot.com  

Lisa-Marie Watling

 bluebirdscrapper.blogspot.com 

So today is our very first day on the DT and this is my first layout designed for the term!

Here is the fabulous Let's Scrap DT sketch we had the opportunity to work with designed by the ever so talented Michelle van Wyk...

My layout...

*WELCOME CUPCAKE*

 I really enjoyed being able to use lots and lots of photos and getting to scrap this super special visit we had with two of my much loved cousins Amelia & Lelani a few days after Lelani's beautiful baby girl Lumay was born.  My DD#2 enjoyed every moment spent with this sweet little baby who looks just like a tiny porcelain doll.

I found the gorgeous Kaisercraft Tea Party Collection at the Helderfontein Scrapbook event a few weeks ago and just couldn't resist.  The "Hello Cupcake" frase made me think of a sweet little baby right away.  The pretty flowers I had in my stash {as always I have lots of flowers in my stash, actually I do not ever have enough!?!} and off cause I had to use a lot of Stickles Glitter to round things off. :-)

Thank you so much for looking, I surely hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed creating this layout with much LOVE!!

Remember to join us at Let's Scrap and play along with this amazing sketch!

Have a Wonderful Day!! ♥

*~Hugs~*

Erica

*~Life is Sweet with You~* Card

Hi there!

I created this card today from this weeks very funky Card Sketch Challenge #127 at
Feeling Sketchy:

 

I enjoyed playing along and hope to see you again soon!!

Have a great day!

{{{Hugs}}}

*~Erica~*

*~Angus Babe & Let's Scrap Sketch #8-15-15~*

Good Morning My Dear Scrappy Arty Friends!

I surely hope you are doing well!

Spring is in the air here in South Africa and I even started doing some gardening... 

I am actually still waiting for the cold to return, as August is just a teeny bit early for Spring here...

It usually only starts mid September... but no one is complaining!

We had a lovely drive out to one of my favourite places:
Hartbeespoort in the North West Province on Sunday

(yes, another layout on it's way - the pics have already been printed)

and I bought this beauty at the Jasmyn Farm Stall... 

An absolute beauty of a Geranium... I grew up calling it a Malva, and still love that name...
It is not just beautiful for the eyes to see, but I rather like the distinct smell.

Lucky me to have found her! ;-)

 Well, this week I would like to share with you this very versatile sketch from Let's Scrap.

 I have been wanting to scrap my 3 dear pups of 9 months old...
So this one is the first of a few you are going to see of them. ;-)

We were filled with terrible sadness after our dear bullterrier Tiger died of bladder cancer in the age of 10 in October 2014.

This is Tiger.. Such a handsome & soft hearted boy...

We loved him dearly & he will always live in my heart. ♥

Tiger as a sweet & naughty pup ;-)

In his younger years...

10 years old ♥

 

So for about 2 months our house and garden were so quiet...

We woke up on 20 December 2014, decided we would like to give "a" rescue pup a home forever and drove to Wollies Animal Project in Pretoria North.  As we walked in, this little cutie just arrived at the shelter.  Off cause, we fell in love right away!!!
My DD#1 immediately called him Angus... and it suits him to a T!

...and the lady said... there are some more pups at the back if you would like to see them...
the rest is history!!!

Well, back to Angus for now: he has an absolute heart of gold with the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes

This is him... our Dear Angus...

And a BABE he is, believe me if I tell you that!! ♥

Let's Scrap Sketch # 8-15-15

My Layout all about *Angus Babe*

 

He was sleeping & playing on the couch & used my crocheted granny square cushion as a pillow, off cause this is the most comfy cushion in the lounge & there seem to be no others like it!?!

Here is some close ups...

As I am on a bit of a "rampage" to finish WIP's and use up what I have, I went right there into the archives again for these papers... I remembered that I had some "old" doggy papers from a layout I did in a class about 10 years ago... These papers are very thin and tears easily, so I had to be quite careful.  The paw brads were also in my stash for many years and the same with the 7 Gypsies stickers...

This is just a wooden cut out I found in a shop a while ago and loved it, all I did was chalk it with a little bit of  Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink and a Blending Tool as I wanted it to look natural and blend in with Angus' lovely brown skin. :-)

I do not think that Angus is as much the Lucky Dog as we are the Lucky Humans to have him as part of our family. ♥

I find animals, especially my dogs, to be an absolute pleasure to be around and AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL therapy.  No prejudice, no hate, no unkindness, no sarcasm...
Only love & acceptance & gratitude & kindness.

I do love all animals, but am a bit more of a dog person.
I have had 2 cats in my life and loved them dearly.
The one was a lovely black cat, I received as a gift from one of my favourite teachers in high school.  His name was: Kaitsicubib (not at all sure of the spelling, but that is what I called him, after a character in an Afrikaans television series that was shot in Namibia...
I wish I can remember what that series' name was, but it is a long time ago!? Anyone???)

This is Kaitsicubib & I in the 80's  :-)

 

My dogs, well, they are companions, friends, children, psychologists, circus pets, soulmates...
all in one!? ♥♥♥ 

I surely hope you enjoyed looking as much as I loved creating this very special layout for our Pet Album!

Have a Wonderful Tuesday!

{{{Hugs}}}

*~Erica~*

*~KewTie~*

Good Morning My Dear Arty Scrappy Friends

We are having some lovely sunny weather here in South Africa today... it almost feels like Spring is here, but I do know by trial & error that Winter has not passed yet and Spring will only be here in about 4-6 weeks, which is in September/October.  I cannot wait for the rain to come, for green green grass and flowers to bloom... such beauty Spring brings!!

I have been busy busy scrapbooking inbetween all the other things in life,
never a dull moment and always something to do! :-)

Today I would like to share with you my entry into this week's fabulous Let's Scrap sketch...

This is another beautiful sketch by Michelle van Wyk:
8-1-15

And this is my entry, called: "Kewtie"...

I played around with some white textured paint and a leaf stencil.
When dry, I used a little bit of blue mist.

Here are some close ups:

 I attended the LOVELY Helderfontein Scrapbook Event hosted by Scrapbook Studio from Jeffrey's Bay.  I will be doing a blog post on this event soon, so watch this space... 

I used some leftovers from our one class by Jowilna Nolte for this layout.  We used some fabulous distress ink techniques on these, with a hint of silver, as well as the embossing folder from Craft Concepts called "Stained Glass" {using the Cuttlebug to emboss}, so the embossed hexigons started out as plain white paper and this is the great effect it ended up with, something I am definitely using in my layouts & cards again!

The hexagon 3rd from the top in the middle has been done with only distress ink and some water, creating a "spongy" effect.

***

Here I used some old patterns to krinkle up in the left bottom part of the layout.
You will see the upside down "E" which is especially for my DD's name. :-)

 I was getting terribly creative with the name "Kewtie" and came up with a mixture of "Kewpie" and "Cutie"... instead of calling it Cutie Kewpie or something which makes it less interesting.
The cream sticker letters I used was in my stash from a previous scrapbook convention a few years ago and I dabbed some blue ink on it to make it stand out a bit more.

 

 I went on a hunt right at the back of my corner cupboard in my studio for these old albums to scrap these pics of my DD when she was 2 years old and enjoying every moment of washing this little Kewpie doll at the Moms & Tots Workshop where we used to go every Friday morning.  We had lots of fun there & lots of friends, some super special times I will never forget and which I would like to savour for her to look back on. On this photo is her friend Christo looking very interested in her do-abouts.  I think everytime we left there, that little dolly was all squeeky clean and bright! :-)

"Hey Diddle Diddle" was one of my DD's favourite rhimes so I had to use this!

Wow, and it gives me a splendid idea for another layout with this rhime as theme... Ahhhhh.....

I used a few cute flowers that was in my stash...
And did some fussy cutting... {Aijaijai, can't believe I did that to myself again!?}

 This layout is going straight into my DD's album, along with the other pics from back when she was 2 years old.  I have decided not to change that specific album, as it is already a "Project Life" like album... so maybe I already had the idea of doing Project Life but it had no name yet 17 years ago!  Anyway, I am "only" going to scrap some pics here and there and position them inbetween the pocket folders to make it more pretty for her to enjoy one day looking back on her life.

This is the "old" pocket pages... not at all bad! 

Thank you so much for visiting my blog!  I surely hope you enjoyed looking and I hope to see you back here again soon!

AND REMEMBER TO FOLLOW so you don't miss out on anything... just click on the right under FOLLOW ME!

Have a Fantastic Wednesday!

Hugs

Erica