Welcome baby

School breaks up tomorrow! I will be on holiday for a whole month, can't wait
My 4 year old granddaughter came home on Tuesday with very strict instructions. Her teacher is having a little baby boy during the holidays and she thinks that I should make her some 'cupcake socks'. If you have grandchildren you will know that instructions like that can not be ignored. So off I went, bought the socks and made the cupcakes.


You can't give somebody socks but no shoes, so we 'had' to buy the cutest little blue shoes too. I made a box to put them in. Paper is Bazzil and Scrapsheets. The stamped image is from Uppikit and it was coloured with my Copics.

Of course, no gift is complete without a card. So Hannah chose the image that had to go on top. Again one from Uppikit, coloured with Copics. The Flower and brad is from Enmarc and the ribbon from my local haberdashery store.

Here is the complete set. Hannah thinks her ouma is the coolest. Isn't it amazing that our grandchildren think we are super heroes that can do anything they ask? I dread the day I can not deliver.

Happy Birthday beautiful, beautiful girl!

Today my little girl is 22! I can hardly believe that 22 years have passed since she was born. I made her a gift set for her birthday. The card is made with paper and flowers from Prima marketing. Cardstock is Bazzil and brad is from Enmarc. The image was coloured with my Copics. The birthday card had money in, with the instruction that the money may only be used to travel with!


Here is the gift set. Couldn't have chosen better images or sentiments for her. She is crazy about shoes, any shoes! Even her Sport shoes have to be special. We gave her a book she has wanted to read for a long time and I made a box to put it in. The bookmark is metal and has the Irish blessing engraved on it, I made a little envelope to put it in. The shoe was coloured with Copics and I used Flowersoft (must admit, after a lukewarm start it is growing on me).




And here she is - the birthday girl! Call me prejudiced, but I think she is beautiful! I am so proud to be her mother. She has taught me so much. In spite of suffering from Epilepsy, she has never, ever let it stand in her way, she has used it to prove that not only can you lead a normal life, you can lead an exceptional life! In that little body lives a giant. She plays Water Polo for South Africa, her province (Gauteng) and her University. She had a devastating injury last year that kept her from playing Netball for a year, but she never gave up and trained so hard to be back stronger than ever. She is the most honest person I know. She is the most giving person I have ever met, traveling with food in the car, just in case she sees a beggar on the streetcorner. She coaches sport to young children and never holds back. Love you Ankie - Have a great life darling and never stop being the amazing person you are!

So many new babies coming!

This card was made for a fellow teacher who will have her little baby boy during the holidays. I just love this stamp, but because it was bought locally and our shops never tell you who the manufacturer is, I have no idea who it is made by! (It is so frustrating.)The paper is from a local South African company, Queen of Hearts and the cardstock is Bazzil. The flower is a paper rose that I picked apart and reassembled using a bead cap that was flattened and a brad by Enmarc. It was the first time ever that I used Flowersoft and I am still deciding if I like it. The image was coloured with my beloved Copics. Ribbon is from the local Habby store.





Here is a close up of the image. Are those little Angels not the cutest?

A close up of the flower. I love that little charm, found it at a craft show recently and true to form, no manufacturer mentioned.

This card fits in with the Sunday Stamptacular Challenge, because, as usual, I decorated the inside too. There are a lot of little tags so that all the teachers have somewhere to sign and write a message. Don't you like the little dummy stamp? At least I know that one was made by Uppikit.

Have you seen these fantastic candies?

Look over here. She is giving away a Slice machine! Yes, you read right, a Slice MACHINE!! Go there right now and enter- no wait, don't enter, I want it!!!! http://keepsakesbymelissa.blogspot.com/2009/07/my-blogaversary-giveaway.html

How about this one? 72 Copics!!!! If you have always wanted to buy some more, here is your chance -http://charmedcrafts.blogspot.com/2009/07/another-blog-candy-with-twist.html

Why it is such an honour to be a Saint.

As you all know I spent the last few days of last week in Bloemfontein, supporting the school where I teach's Drum Majorettes. This was my first nationals as a Saints supporter, I have spent many a nationals as coach of the Sunward Park Cheerleaders and never dreamed that I would end up such a big Saint.
There is a lot of jealousy around the country, because for the last 33 years Saint has been almost unbeatable. When they came second at Nationals last year they were faced with a lot of name calling and downright nastiness from some of the other teams. I find that very sad, because I always feel that we allow our children to do sport, because we want to teach them some very valuable lessons, not least of which is how to lose with dignity and that they do sport for the love of the game and not to win! Winning is a good feeling, of course, but it should never be everything. ( Sorry! I will get off my little soap box now!)
The first picture is one I took while the girls were training - as you can see the parents trained just as hard as they did! They were practcing war cries and having so much fun that I soon found myself amongst them, singing and cheering with them.

The next picture is one I took while the girls were listening to a speech by their trainer, Alan Donaldson. What a man! He is such a role model to all the girls and inspires them to give just that little bit more when they think that they can not possibly carry on! The shirts say it all.

The next picture is very bad, but I think you will be able to just make out all the trophies that the girls won at the Indoor competition. They won every category except for Mace, where they came 4th. The squad in the red and black track suits is us.

This brings us to why I feel so honoured to be part of the Saint Dominic's Family. From the first moment I spent watching the competition from the stands I knew why these girls were so succesful. Their parents are FANTASTIC! Not only were they all wearing the Saints track suits and singing war cries and bashing empty bottles filled with stones to make a noise, but they were doing it for every squad that marched that came from Gauteng (the province we live in). I have to tell you I have never been so cold in my whole life! During the outdoor competition, it was -1 degrees on the stands, so getting up was a BIG effort!

They never once lost enthusiasm and when they relised that I did not own antything red to wear, I had about 20 offers from people to lend me some of their jackets.

Our girls were on top form and brought home every trophy there was on offer. Their leader dropped her mace at the beginning of the big outdoor march and hit herself on the head. She told us later that she felt herself falling when she heard one of her team mates tell her, "Come on Kelly, You can't go down, we need you! You CAN do it! Get up, get up, just do it!" She said that is what made her carry on and finish the march. She continued to march and did the whole routine with her eyes closed, because she was to dizzy when she opened her eyes! She didn't miss another beat and was named the national leader of the year!

We stayed at a game lodge and these buck were lying just outside our rooms one morning. How amazing is that?

Going to Bloemfontein!

I have been very busy this last week. Made quite a few cards, some for orders and some just playing around. I even finished a few scrapbook pages and did all my marking. Impressive if I may say so!
The first card was made for the Stamptacular Sunday challenge. This weeks challenge is to make a Christmas card. I have had this beautiful Angel for a while and thought she would make a really beautiful Christmas card. Papers are Bazzil and some Mulberry handmade papers I found in an art shop. The image was coloured with my Copics and then glitterified (there's that word again!) with Making Memories glitter glue. Flowers are from Enmarc and the charm from the local Beadshop.



The next card was a real challenge for me. A friend asked me to make a Math card. It is for the Maths teacher's birthday and she wanted one of the cards that I make with all the tags on the inside for people to sign. I didn't know where to start, but then I found this stamp at Paper Crazy and saw the video on Stamp TV with the tecnique, can't remember what it is called now, but it just all worked really well and I love the results.The tags are all different shapes.
Paper is 7 Gypsies and Bazzil and I used some raffia to tie around the card and eyelets. The chalks i've had for ages, can't remember who made it and ink is versa mark.

Now for the title of this post! I am going to Bloemfontein for the next few days to watch the Drummie Nationals. I am the official representative from the school and I am looking forward to it. The only thing that worries me a bit is that the weather forcast for Bloem was minus 1 the last few days, so I might just freeze to death if I am not careful.

My phone was stolen sometime this afternoon. I am so angry I can spit! I had to take my husbands car to the panel beaters this afternoon and went to the Mall for some last minute shopping, so it could have been anywhere. My only hope is that I left it at the panelbeaters and some honest person finds it and returns it to me. It is such an inconveniance to go away from home and my family and not to have a phone.

Stamptacular Sunday challenge - I just made it!

I made this card on Sunday, but the week has been so crazy that I haven't had time to take a photograph. The image is another one that I found in my friend's box of discarded stamps. (I am so scared she is going to come and ask to have them back!) The ink is Colorbox , the paper is from Bazzil and Scrapsheets and the wooden buttons are from the local habby shop.

Thought it would be appropriate to do an African card, seeing that I live in South Africa.