A walk in nature.

Hello friends!
Well today the kids went back to school. Can't say I enjoyed getting up before the crack of dawn!
We enjoyed our small 3 week vacation and spent the last day of it on Friday walking around a pretty estate.
Here are some photos from it.



Funny, have been to this place often and never read this plaques, until today...
Quite interesting! In connection with the tree below.

.

Been busy cleaning, making cushions and revamping some old curtains for our guest bedroom. Still lot's to do. Decided to go country-cottage- shabby-chic kind for a kind of feel in there, with lot's of floral, and pastel shades.

Anyway just a short post for today, got to go and bring the washing in now!

Snow adventure

Thanks for all the nice comments on my vacation pics. Always good to hear from you!

On Saturday we took the opportunity to go up the mountain to see the snow. The trail is quite a hectic one only accessible by 4 x4 with low range. (which hubby has). We have only done this once before, two years ago when we took our kids to see the snow for the first time. Actually it was my hubby's first time in the snow too!

I was just as freaked out going up the mountain. I don't like heights! But the view from the top and the fun is totally worth it.
It took us just over to drive their from our campsite and another hour to get up the trail only to spend less than an hour at the top of the mountain! But it is still worth it. It was a lot colder this time so we didn't stay as long.

Armed ourselves...

And threw a few snowballs at each other...


And of course built snowmen
Unfortunately school holidays are finished. School starts again on Monday. Not looking forward to the early-rising when it's cold and dark still. It's so boring. I love having my kids at home, I love being able to sleep in, and I love knowing we don't "have to" be anywhere or rush off somewhere. It's been a busy holiday but a nice one. I am looking forward to some "me-time" though as I haven't been able to do much in the way of creating pretty much anything.

One thing I did finish is my son's blanket. I decided to just end it, after all, I wanted him to still get the blanket during his childhood!! It is a rather large lap blanket but the nice thing is that I think as he grows, each year, I will add a few more rounds to it. I kinda like that idea...

*will reveal soon*

The stripey blanket is STILL in progress...as I said, I haven't had any time to work on my projects. I was hoping to have it finished by now but I haven't been very good in sticking to one project. Since starting the stripey blanket I started a few other projects and finished a few but did not stick to just working on the blanket. Was hoping to have it done by this winter, but alas....it will only be ready I think for next winter. ..

Hope you're having a fab day!

Caravan weekend

Hello friends
It's been a while since I posted I know.
I contemplated it often...but in somehow in between catching the only bit of warm rays, entertaining the kids, cleaning and packing to go away and then going away for 4 days...I just never got around to it!

So I am back!

I had a busy week last week with shopping, packing and cleaning and sorting out the caravan.
We left Thursday afternoon. We went away to a place only an hour and a bit away from us...but so different from where we live! Even the weather was vastly cooler with SNOW! (well only on the mountains!) A place called "Slanghoek" which is Afrikaans for "snake corner".

{yes I wondered about the name but didn't care too much to find out why it was called that!}
Here is our caravan with tent all set up.
Just about to make eggs and bacon for breakfast!
Below is the stream that runs through the campsite.
With a lovely swing bring over it! {there is our site right across from the bridge}



Each campsite has it's own "abultions" a little wendy house complete with shower, loo and basin. And hot water! Inside the little bathroom {the usual daddy-long-legs spiders in the corners but other than that, quite clean as far as campsite toilets go!}

On the outside a sink for washing dishes and hot water! {yay!}
Here I am on the bridge.On the resort they have a putt-putt course which is really cool as it starts at the bottom of the mountain and slowly winds it's way to the top where you are greeted by this amazing view that makes all the bad holes worth it!

And here is the view from the top!
In the distance by the trees is the campsite.


There are a lot more photos and more of SNOW. But I will show you some more tomorrow!
Thanks for popping by and I love to read your comments!

To Market, to market.....

Hello fair maidens...
I just couldn't resist holding back this bit of exciting news that I have known for a while now, but up until yesterday was not 100% sure if we had the thumbs up....so time to share...

From September I am going to selling at a local goods market here in my town!!

*eek. squeal*

I am terribly excited and nervous and anxious. "what if nobody buys my stuff?" Is the biggest question going through my head right now...

A dear friend of mine is going to be my partner for the craft market and together we have called our little "enterprise" -The Rosey Nest.
I will be selling all my homemade goodies-journals, tags, gift packing set, aprons, embellishments etc etc and she makes gorgeous knitted hats with cute owl faces on them and lovely shopping bags and a host of other things.

This is where we are going to be selling: Hathersage Farm


YAY!!! So I have two months to get my stock up and it's going to be work, work, work!! (but my kind of work is also play,play, play!!! hee hee, I get the best of both worlds, cos I love it!)

Have a fantabulous weekend! What you up to?

Surfer's Corner

It's been a busy week so far. The spiffying-up has continued, it seems, without letup.
When I embarked on this schmaintenance thing, I did not perceive that it would continue to haunt me, forcing me to re-examine every corner of my home with scrutinizing eyes...

*let this be a warning for all who "just want to spruce up a little something" in their home-once the bug bites, it digs its teeth in and refuses to let go!*

After much ado, and trying splashes of varying shades of teal on my wall and not quite deciding which I liked, or even if I did like it.

Just when I thought I would have to decide between "transcendant" or "rain forest", my mother-in-law came to the rescue *waving her magic paintbrush* , a paint so fabulous, so chic, so glamorous, so wild and free, I thought it too good to be true.

Meet "surfers Corner". A gorgeous paint color that is Environment friendly. (From Midas here in SA).
It has a zero-VOC (volatile organic compound). This I found interesting, *but if a bit of factual information on the environment and how paint affects it bores you, by all means skip this part!*
VOC reacts under the influence of sunlight and in the presence of nitrogen oxides to convert oxygen into ozone.
This paint uses Glycol-free colorants which helps to reduce the health hazards of paint and therefore is a "green" paint.


So there you have it~! Not only do I get a beautiful color paint, but I am helping the environment and my family's health by not using toxic paint. And let me tell you, it is wonderful to use-no fumes, no headaches! It covers amazingly and stretches far! I'm sold!

Moving on...
A few years ago while grazing chips and watching TV, our dining room light fixture came crashing to the floor, shattering into a million pieces and nearly caused me to go into cardiac arrest! Did I mention the "a few years ago" part? So finally...I got a new light fixture to match the oh-so-chic newly painted walls and skirtings and dado rails... It stood proudly on my dining room table while I oohed and aahed over it for two days (didn't have the right fitting to put it up!) and clicked away happily at the sunlight catching on the fake crystal pendants...


I got home today to find it hanging in all it's miniature splendor and grandeur (my sweet hubby had come home from work to hang it for me!)

ooohhh.....

aaa

Like I said...it's been a busy week so far...I also have been making some decoupaged frames and trying to achieve some type of picture "gallery" on a wall in my lounge. So far, so good but want to put up a lot more frames still.

A mix and match (or not matched!) kind of idea, with different frames and sizes. I wasn't planning on the whole "step" look that I accidentally achieved, but somewhere it is nice, although It won't stay like that when I add more frames.
Close up of the decoupaged frames.


These frames were really cheap, I got them on a sale for R9 each ($1.33 or 0.82£)
So if you can get frames really cheap, this is a great way to add some interest to plain frames. (and make them unique!)

And lastly, I managed to squeeze in some crochet and make a bunting with a pattern out of the June British Country Homes & Interiors



Hope you are having a good week so far. Drop in and tell me what you've been up to!

Ideas

It seems the maintenace shmaintenance thing rubbed off in other areas too and I decided to my blog needed a bit of sprucing up, a face-lift. So I have a new blog header, a new footer (scroll all the way to the end of the blog!) Made these two myself *ahem*
The cute little blog buttons I got for free from shabbyblogs. *thank you kindly*

So my little blog is looking rather gleaming too...

I know I have some readers who are not South African and I wanted to share with you one of my favorite local South African magazines. It is called Ideas. I buy this magazine every month without fail and have been doing so for many years. It always has something of interest in it every month.



Crafts, hobbies, sewing, knitting, crochet, gardening, business and financial advice, recipes and lots more. What is great about this magazine is that it stays clear of your trashy run-of-the-mill magazines that think sex is the only thing that sells. It is a real magazine, grounded, fresh and solid.
I think you would enjoy it .

*by the way I do not get any type of payment for saying this nor am I in any way affiliated with Ideas mag, it's just my opinion! *

You can download a digital version for cheap here.
Payable by credit card from any country. There is also a sneak peek at the mag!


Have a good weekend!

Craft and coffee

{Got this lovely idea from my friend Emma, a little fabric covered card-book with felt inside for storing your safety pins and sewing needles.}

It's been that kind of week...
At first Mr Sun was very becoming and graced our little corner of the world with his charm, warmth and comfort. He gladly shone for us, infusing into us some much needed Vitamin D and warming our ice-cold bones. But then after a few days, I think he got bored as we woke up yesterday morning to a sulky, sullen Mr Rain pounding on our windows and making great big sploshy noises.

This week I got stuck into some much needed home maintenance. The doors in the house where screaming for a face-lift, moaning that they hadn't had a botox injection for ages, years actually. Sadly, I had neglected their beauty routine.

So I spiffed them up with a new coat of white paint and thought "what the heck, since I am painting I might as well carry on" and painted all our dado rails and skirtings too.
Now they are all spiffy, white and gleaming with pride!

Of course you know how it is...once you start such things, other things get jealous and start to feel second best and you hear whispers like "HmfP! She did the doors, what about us walls?!"
And then you start to look around, through new eyes and see all kinds of things that need spiffy-upping and maintenance type things done to them....

So the walls are next...they need a new coat of paint too..

In the meantime between consuming large amounts of caffeince by way of coffee, I have been up to some crochet and making some Jar covers...*cos you know, they get cold too*.


The sweet little heart garland is from a friend of mine who came to visit today, bearing gifts...
Flowers, chocolate, crocheted goodness, jewelry...what more could a girl ask for?


Today I dabbled in my much neglected Photoshop and made a little blog header for anyone that wants it. You can right click on it and save to your PC. (it is much bigger than what it shows here!)

If you put it on your blog, please save my little blog button too and link back to my blog.
That's all I ask for. Thanks!
Have a spiffy kind of day!!

Re-draw of Blogaverssary prize no 1! {winner}

Well the lady who actually won this prize:
Did not respond and I gave her until yesterday to respond.
So I did a redraw of the entrants and congrats to...


pamdux

I have sent you an email!!

Vintage inspired scrapbook kits

It's been a cold, wet week so far, with nothing much to do but stay indoors.
Which leads to a busy bee creating all kinds of things.
Normally this entails a messy craft room, with things strewn about all over the place, resembling nothing short of a mini tornado having been in here.
Lot's of coffee, an over-active brain, cutting and sewing.

I am still waiting for the words "step away from the scissors"...

New stuff just uploaded into my Etsy shop.

My very own scrapbooking kits!
These are totally unique as almost everything in the kit is digitally designed by me using Photoshop and then printed out.

1) Bird set.
Available here



The Bird set contains:
9 papers which have printed onto high quality card and measure 20x20cm (8" x 8").
2 little cards,
4 journal cards,
5 tickets,
and 5 transparent cards
9 Birds are various vintage images printed onto card and hand cut.


2.) Rose set
available here

The rose set contains:
8 papers which have printed onto high quality card and measure 20x20cm (8" x 8").
7 labels,
4 journal cards,
7 tickets,
6 yoyo's and fabric flowers
4 little transparent cards




And some fun little sets, transparent envelope pockets.
With wording.
Some without wording.

And some with journal cards included.




Anyway I have a sick little girl at home too :( so it's back to playing Doctor!