About Me

My name is Erica and I am a Scrapaholic, Artaholic, Photoholic & Crochetaholic. 

I enjoy it tremendously working with fellow artists from all over the world and love to experience the different views, cultures and lives which are depicted through photographs, scrapbooking & art. 

I have been taking photos since I can remember and started Scrapbooking in 2004. {In 2003 I did a Cake Decorating course and a friend showed me her Scrapbook and suggested that I first finish with the Cake Decorating, as I would totally be hooked once I started Scrapbooking…. She was so right!!}

I was born on 2 April in Pretoria, South Africa and am an only child to Eric & Jopie.

I absolutely adore my Family!!  My hubby Sean is my Soulmate and we have been married for 21 years and together for 26 years.  He is definitely my Better Half and supports me in everything I do and in all my art ventures.  He has a way of coming into my art room and quietly watching over my shoulder, giving me his opinion on a scrapbook layout or art piece and I love to listen to his commentary!!  We have 2 lovely Girls.  They are my life & I love spending time with them.  I try to be present in their lives every day and watching them grow up has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done.  They are both very artistic and make art with me and also love to take Photos, Scrapbook & Paint.  I have taught them to Crochet & to Sew, something they enjoyed tremendously.  I believe that our kids need to learn as much as they can from us so that they can help themselves one day & also so that these wonderful crafts can be handed down generation to generation.

Some of my other F.A.V.O.U.R.I.T.E. things to do are Mixed Media Art, Art Journaling, Mosaic,  Sugar Art and Playing Chef. 

I love paint & inks on my hands and Mixed Media Art has also been a wonderful journey for me and I have done several online classes with Melody Ross {Soul Restoration 1 & 2, Body Restoration, Soul Book & busy with Brave Girls Art School}  and with Christy Tomlinson {She Art, Your Living Canvas & enrolled for Art of Wild Abandonment and hope to start with it soon}.  These classes have been so fulfilling and extremely knowledgeable.

 I have a great art room which I absolutely love & enjoy tremendously!!  I don’t always spend as much time there as I would like, but I try to spend some of my mornings there when my kids are at school.  Our afternoons are a bit hectic and I only get to sit down again after dinner.  Anyway, it was our old garage which was never really used,  we put in a window, made it part of the house and converted it into my room, as my stuff was totally taking over the house.  It is a very sunny & light room and it's painted & colour washed in green & blue on the one wall and in 2 shades of pink on the other wall.  My girls say now it’s the best room in the house and I tend to agree with them!!

  

We have been staying in an old house built in the 1950’s with a large garden for the last 14 years and are always “working” on our house.  I am not the best gardener {believe me, I’ve tried!}, but I love spending time in my garden.   I have a very soft spot for animals and we have 3 adorable Rescue Pups called: Angus {a dashchund}, Rocky {a Fox Terrier} & Jolie {the sweetest little mixed breed girl}, 2 spoiled Cockatiels: Kuifie & Tweety Birdy, 2 Budgies: Lime & Turquoise, a Hamster: Hammy and a lot of Rabbits {I have lost count!}.

I love using Hipstamatic & Instagram on my iPhone and if I don't have my "old, over the hill"
{and no I don't have a 4x4 truck - sorry, private joke ;-P}
Nikon, I am always taking photos of something. UPDATE: Guess what I got for my Bday this year??? A BEAUTIFUL Nikon D3200, I am so HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!!!!!
 Anyway, I have been looked at very funny for taking photos of my food etc., but I don’t mind really.

Talk about food: I also love playing Chef, so one of my passions is the Culinary Arts.   At the Cake Decorating course I did, I learned to make Wedding Cakes and all kinds of cake decorating techniques.  Cupcakes are close to my heart and I would also love to learn more about The Art of Chocolate and off cause do some more Chef classes.  I enjoyed the FBI Chef School's CupCake classes I attended tremendously, but would still love to learn more, as always!
 I have had the wonderful opportunity to visit Prue Leith Chef School to take photographs of cakes decorated by their students and enjoyed every moment!!  Makes me think… I should definitely scrapbook those cakes {and my own creations!}!!

One of my biggest dreams is to travel and see the world, and off cause, take photos and scrap those photos!! 

Please join me here on my special little piece of cyber space and follow my blog,
I would love to have you there!!

My Facebook Artist page can be found under: Erica Joannie's Art

Twitter: EricaJoannie @ Erica Joannie
Instagram: Erica Joannie
Pinterest Erica Joannie 

YouTube Erica Joannie

My Resume

Formal Training as a Librarian ~ 1991

UNISA Classes in Psychology, Afrikaans & Russian ~ 1993

Fine Art Classes ~ 1995

1 Year Cake Decorating Course ~ 2003

CupCake Course at FBI Chef School ~ 2013/14

Scrapbook & Mixed Media Teacher for Adults & Children

Attended Various Scrapbook Classes from 2004

Delegate at SA Scrapbook Convention 2005 to 2014

Scrapbook Teacher Training ~ 2007

Let's Scrap Design Team ~
December 2011 to April 2012
April to August 2013 
April to August 2014
September 2015 to February 2016

  

Classes in Various Arts & Crafts Techniques: Mosaic, Painting, Beads

Various Mixed Media & Art Journalling Online Classes

Photography Course ~ 2007

Portrait Photography Course ~ 2007

South African Photo & Film Expo ~ 2011 & 2012

Published various layouts in Scrapping & Kie and Scrap Affairs

Finalist in the SA Scrapbook Convention's Charity Scrap Challenge with *Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries*, published in Scrapping & Kie, 2012

Published an Afrikaans Children's Story in "Baba & Kleuter" Magazine ~ 2003

Photo Journalism ~ Various Publications in Newspapers & Magazines on School News ~ 2007 to present

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