What a wonderful day I had yesterday!

I must say, I am really enjoying using digi images. This one was a freebie that I found. Can't find the link now, so if you recognise it, please let me know so that I can give the proper credit. I coloured her with my trusty Copics. The papers are Bazzil and Kaisercraft. Ribbon and flowers were all from my stash.
The inside of the card has a whole lot of tags again, because it is for the birthday club. I am loving the blue and brown combo!
I had such a lovely day yesterday. I took a drive out to the other side of Jhb, (OK, not quite the other side), but I still had to go through Giloolies, and anybody that knows anything about the roads in Gauteng will tell you to avoid that as far as possible.
I went to meet Paola, and what a lovely morning I spent with her. I was only going to see what stamps she had and leave after a few minutes, but we ended up chatting for hours. Sorry Paola, I hope you were able to get everything done!
While I was on the way to Paola, I got a phone call from Serena at the Scrapbook Company. My Cuttlebug was ready to be collected!!! Mine broke!!!!! Can you believe it? I have never heard of anybody else who has ever managed that. It worked the one minute and the next minute - no cracking noise, not even a whimper - it just stopped working! I only bought the !@#* thing in November last year. I phoned the Scrapbook Company, only to hear that there is no garantee! I wanted to cry, but the young man, I think his name is Eugene, was very sympathetic and offered to replace it for me at cost! If you live in Pretoria, please support them, we need people like them around!
They ordered a new one for me and I collected it yesterday. Now I am a happy camper again. Best of all? I am now the proud owner of a pink Cuttlebug. On the way home I stopped and hunted for some Nestability dies. I found them, so you see - a very nice day indeed! Made a new friend, got some new toys and had time to play too!
Looks like the whole weekend is going to be great. The Bulls won!! Yay!! Top of the log = AGAIN! GO BULLS!!
Have a great Sunday. If the sun shines tomorrow, I will take pictures of my very over the top fairy card.

An award and Elizabeth liked my card!

I recieved this lovely award from Amanda a while ago, thank you!(so sorry it took so long to post about it)

Your cell phone? Blackberry
Your hair? Other people think its dark blonde, but if toy ask my hairdresser, Andrew, he would tell you it is grey!
Your mother? The wisest, most dynamic woman I ever knew. Miss her SO MUCH!!!
Your father? The most patient man that ever lived. Miss him too!
Your favourite food ? Food
Your dream last night? Nothing I can remember.
Your favorite drink? Tab Lots of it
Your dream/goal? To be on a design team and to have some of my work published one day. Long term? Never to do any harm to anybody.
What room are you in? Computer room
Your hobby? Stamping, scrapping, most hobbies have been tried at some time.
Your fear? Fear itself
Where do you want to be in 6 years? LRight here with the people I love!
Where were you last night? Home.
Something that you aren't? Sulky
Muffins? Too healthy!
Wish list item? A lens for my camera. To go to CHA one day. A Harley Davidson.
Where did you grow up? Everywhere, Born in Pretoria, went to school in every province, matriculated in Germiston, graduated from RAU. (My dad worked in the banking industry – we were transferred a LOT!)
Last thing you did? Drank Tab
What are you wearing? White Capri’s and red and white blouse, no shoes!.
Your TV? Only watch 7de Laan.
Your Pets? A Jack Russel, Gunther, a Dashie called Coco and a parrot called Chicken.
Friends? Few, but fantastic!.
Your life? In God’s hands.
Your mood? Happy
Missing someone? My parents!
Vehicle? Hyunday I20
Something you're not wearing? Shoes
Your favorite store? Any scrapshop. .
Your favorite color? Green
When was the last time you laughed? This morning.
Last time you cried? Last night, watching ‘Pay it forward’ for the 100th time.
Your best friend? My husband
One place that you go to over and over? Sxhool.
Facebook? Yes, only recently and I don’t get the hype.
Favorite place to eat? Werner’s Bistro


Now I am supposed to pass this on to 5 people. That's very hard! I would love to pass it on to everybody who reads my blog and hasn't recieved this award yet.

Then, I got the most wonderful news last week. I often use the work of Elizabeth Dulemba in my cards and last week she asked me if she could showcase my Valentines card on her website. Are you kidding me? Would I mind?! I was doing one of my famous happy dances when I read that.

I love Mo's images!

I just adore Mo Manning's images. They are so easy to colour and they all make me smile. I wish I could afford to buy them all. This one is a freebie from Mo's group on Paper Craft Planet. This card was made for the Birthday club at school and it has about 20 tags on the inside for everybody to sign as usual. Cardstock is Bazzil and dp is Basic Grey Porcelain and a piece from my scrap box. Ribbon is from my stash and the flower is a white one that I spritzed with someGlimmer Mist.

Just look at this little girl! Isn't she just adorable? I coloured her with my Copic markers. I tried to photograph the shimmer on the rose, but I am afraid it is not showing up very well. I am very proud of the fact that I could get such a close up shot in focus though. :)

Enjoy your Sunday. I am still on a roll, making cards like a demon.

Having so much fun!

I have been playing with my new stash. Nothing like new stamps to get your mojo going. All Cardstock is Bazzil. All stamps are from the wonderful blog candy that I won, thanks again Patty! The first card is very simple, just a couple of Basic Grey flourish stamps from my stash and then two butterflies that I coloured with my Copics while I was at the hairdresser earlier today.
A close up shot of one of the butterflies that I glitterified with some diamond stickles.

The next is a little owl that came in the box from Texas. Isn't he adorable? The sentiment says: A wise man once said... follow your dreams, except the one where you end up at work in your underwear!

Next one says: Age is just a number, and mine is UNLISTED! Both cards were made with DP from the blogcandy. Ribbon and brads from my stash.

I just absolutely LOVE the image in the next card. She reminds me of myself. 'Old', but a lot of fun. No ways am I going to be sitting in a rocking chair waiting to die. The flowers are white ones from my stash that I coloured with my Copics. Don't think I will ever buy any coloured flowers ever again.

A close up of the little old lady. Cute huh?

Have a great weekend everybody, I am making cards like there is no tomorrow.

Doing the Happy Dance!!!!

Look what arrived in the mail!! I am so excited. It is a good thing that nobody is here when i get home from school to witness my silly little victory dance when i recieve one of those little white cards from the post office saying: There is a parcel too large to be delivered waiting for you."
I nearly died when I realised it was already past 5 in the afternoon and I would have to wait till the next day after school before I could get it.
It was so worth the wait. It was the blog candy I won at Lindy Stamper's blog last year. (remember I live in Africa, it takes a lot longer to get here than anywhere else in the world).
Just look at how generous she is. Thank You Patty, thank you, thank you. You have made my day, week, month, actually I think you have made my year.
Some of those stamps are just too funny. I have already made some cards with them and will try to upload them tomorrow.
I have just spent the last 4 hours scrapping with my buddies and it is very late. I think I will have to read this post again tomorrow to make sure it actually makes any sense.

Happy Valentine's day.

The party was last night, so I can finally show you the invitations I made for my friend's sister. She chose this one and asked me to make 70. All paper is Bazzil. The embossing was done with my Cuttlebug. The heart stamp is a freebie I got from a Brittish magazine about a year ago..
Here they are! About half of the invitations on my carpet. Still can't believe just how much work it was.

Apart from the invitations, I also made all the placemats, place name cards, Table numbers, serviette rings and a seating plan. I am waiting for some photo's. Hopefully I will have them soon and then I will show you.

Felt so sorry for them yesterday. We woke up to no electricity. (I live in Africa, remember!) I knew that they still had to make all the food for the party, so I went next door and told her to come over to my house to cook the food. I invested in a gas stove about ten years ago - the best thing I ever did! My poor neighbour has pneumonia and still had to make all the food all by herself, Her sister, the one that was actually doing the party for her boyfriend, went to have her hair done! I had to take my granddaughter to a party so I really could not stay to help. That left my poor husband helping out as much as he could. If it was not for my dear Constance (our domestic helper), I don't know what would have happened.

When I got home from the party, they were almost finished. DH told me later that the sister came home from the hairdresser, promptly had a panic attack and left!!!

Amazing how some people get everybody else to do their work and then end up getting panic attacks from all the pressure and hard work. I had no time to have any kind of attack, I was too busy and her poor sister, who should actually have been hospitalised, did not have time for that nonsense either.

Two Valentines cards and what I was afraid to share.

A while ago I discovered the wonderful work of Elizabeth Dulemba. I realised that they would make awesome cards and have used quite a few of her images. Just look at this cupid. Isn't he just adorable?

This card was made for my DS. He saw the image that I had coloured and found the paper in my stash. Then he asked if I thought it would make a cute card? How is a mother to say no then? The paper is left over from another project over a year ago. The hearts were cut with my Cricut Expression and the smaller dots were done with my Cuttlebug. The glittered dots are juat glue dots covered in glitter. Ribbon is from my stash and all Cardstock is Bazzil. The images were coloured with my Copics.

Now for the part where I bear my soul. I won't be offended if you stop reading now I promise. As some of you know, I have had some health issues over the last few years. I was finally diagnosed with acute Asthma about a year ago and since I have been treated for that my health has really improved.

About a month ago, actually, come to think about it, it has been longer, I started with a blocked nose while we were on holiday. I had very bad sinusitis, it eventually got so bad that I could not sleep any more, because the moment I lay down, I could literally not breathe. When I finally fell asleep from sheer exhaustion, I would snore so badly my DH could not sleep.

In the mean time the blocked nose got steadily worse, to the point where I was having difficulty breathing during the day. I knew that I should see a doctor, but I was too scared. Scared that it would be something far worse than Asthma. My mom died of lung cancer and my dad 10 months later fom Emphyzemia, so I have a very real fear of suffocating to death like they did. I know, I know, I don't smoke and I have never even tried to smoke and they were both chain smokers, but... what about all the scary stories you hear about second hand smoking?

DH has been begging me for weeks to PLEAAASE go to the dr. But stubborn me refused. Its just a cold, I am not going to the dr for a common cold.
Yesterday, as I am about to leave school to come home, my phone rings. It is DH. Where are you? he says. What does he think, where could I be? its 2 o'clock in the afternoon, I tell him. Where do you think I am?(Poor man, not easy having a conversation with a grumpy woman not feeling well.) Why? Then comes the shocker. I am waiting for you at home. At home? DH? He NEVER takes off work for anything. Why? Because my dear wife, I am taking you to the doctor. I could have killed him with my bare hands.

To make a long story short. We went and yes, it was just a cold. A cold that has been neglected. With the result that I have polips (sp?) growing in my nose that is preventing any air from getting in my lungs. The only way to effectively treat it? Cortizone!! Don't you just hate that thought? When they first started treating the Asthma, I was on large dosis of Cortizone and I picked up 15 kilos in three weeks!!! I moaned and told the docter that I really didn't want that to happen again. His comment? Do you want to be thin or do you want to breathe? I asked if it was too much to be both? He just looked at me and DH said, she wants to breathe, just give it to her. ( gotta love a man that doesn't mind a wife that looks like Humpty Dumpty as long as she breathes)

So dear friends. I will be rather huge in six months time, but the dr. assures me I will be breathing. The only way to cure it? Leave the East Rand and move to the Coast! Not possible right now, but if I should win the Lotto or Powerball, well.... then we will be there in a flash - wait.... do I have to actually buy a ticket to win?

If you made it to read right up to here, thank you for listening to my ramblings. Isn't it funny how silly our fears are when we actually write them down?

Good news is, I slept like a baby last night and woke up breathing! How cool is that?

Has it been more than a week????

I can't believe it has been a whole week since my last post! But, come to think of it, I am so tired it feels like more than a week since I have slept. LOL I have got a horrible head cold, so my breathing is really bad at the moment.
I have been very busy at school with tests, new grade 10's that need to learn how my head works (or doesn't work) prize giving etc. etc. Then of course there is never a dull moment at a school. Always something happening.
I have also been asked by a friend to make invitations for her BF's birthday party. He is turning 46 or something like that. Made her two samples and gave them to her two weeks ago so that he could decide which one he wanted. She arrives at my house last Monday to tell me which one and then proceeds to tell me she needs 70 invitations (Who invites 140 people to his 46th birthday party?) and can she please pick them up on Thursday. I hardly slept, but they are finished. Phones me the next day to ask me to make 140 place mats and 140 place cards for the party on the 13th of Feb. I am almost done, but don't think I want to see another piece of black cardstock as long as I live. Worst part is, I am not even getting paid for this one - at least she is paying for the materials. Don't ask - I offered, not thinking it would be such a big job.
I found the most wonderful site with digi images. It is called Bugaboo. Just the name makes me smile. She does the most wonderful images for 'old' people like my friends and I. I used one of them on this card. Don't you just love the image and the sentiment?
Cardstock is Bazzil and the papers are My Minds Eye. The image was coloured with my Copics. The inside has tags as usual, because it is for somebody in the Birthday club.

Hopefully things will slowly start to calm down and then I will post more regularly.

Please remember my blogging friend Lynette and her son Wynand in your prayers.