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"The more you pay attention, the more you have a watchful heart, the more life will open up and offer you opportunities"
                                                                ** David Whyte **

I'm working on having a watchful heart.  I'm working on paying attention to what's really important and ignoring the rest.

I have two one-page layouts to share with you today.  Both very simple, using scraps of paper.  Love them. 

Today I

Today I sipped hot coffee and read a few pages in my novel

Today I did some early morning shopping for a bridal shower and a Christmas gift box for a special little girl

Today I chatted on the phone to my friend in Durban

Today I caught up on  few recorded programs on my PVR

Today I ate caramel yogurt and fresh pineapple

Today I slowed right down and had an afternoon snooze

Today I wished that the weekend was just a bit longer than only 2 days

Today I wanted to do so much more than I actually did

Today I was comforted and inspired by Joel Osteen

Today I wondered what 2012 holds, what ups and downs and ordinary everyday moments

Mixed media artwork

A while ago, I started dabbling in art journalling, but I'm far too structured and orderly and neat to be able to create anything really meaningful.  I need to loosen up!  In lots of different ways. 

So I took the day off on Monday to attend a mixed media class at the seedpod studio in Broadacres. I loved it.  I learnt a lot of techniques that can be used in my art journalling, and I discovered lots of 'new to me' products that I've never used before, things like gesso and scumble glaze.  The course is based on the work of Kelly Rae Roberts.

the seedpod studio

my work in progress

Michelle helps me with the eyes

my masterpiece

a few of the other artworks

I made this to remind myself that at heart, I am an artist, NOT a corporate slave

Weekend in review

As my life seems to spin out of control with Rose-Marie's illness, family dramas and the usual end-of-year chaos at work, I reach more and more for crafts to soothe my battered soul.  Paper and photo's and stories comfort me.

This was my weekend...

the first Christmas mince pies of the season.  perfect with hot coffee.

I spent the day scrapping with some of the Scrap Addicts on Saturday

5 pages for a page challenge that the Scrap Addicts are doing for December

the theme is a page "all about me".  will share the details after 12 December

I am warming to the idea of having buttons on a scrap page.

I'm am a reforming 'button on a scrap page hater'

making some tags for the Scrap Addicts gift bags for our Christmas Scrapathon

the summer rains have finally arrived

I lay down on the grass for a while on Sunday. 

a rare photo of miss Bella at kitty eye level.

the white flecks in her usually black face are signs of extreme stress.

the vet and I are monitoring her.  poor baby

as usual, my angel is chilled and playful and inquisitive.

love you miss Ruby

Mini album to share

I adore mini albums as a form of introspection and personal journalling, as catch-alls for photo's that I love but won't make it onto a 12x12 scrap page, and mostly as gifts for other people.  This mini album was a snapshot of my life at a certain date - August 2007.  It's very personal to me.  It is so meaningful for me to look back on my life at times, to understand who I am, to ponder how I have grown, and how I will continue to grow and change.  I hope that it inspires you to do some looking back and looking forwards on a scrap page.

A parcel from the post office

It's no secret, I LOVE books.  A big box of books from the post office is pure joy to me.  I maintain that I never have enough time to do all the nothing that I want to, to take the many long walks that I want to, and to read all the books that I want to.

I love these book quotes...

"Wicked people never have time for reading. It’s one of the reasons for their wickedness"
                                          ** Lemony Snicket **

"If you go home with somebody and they don’t have books in their house, don’t sleep with them. I think that’s very important"
                                          ** John Waters **

"The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – that you’d thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you’ve never met, maybe even someone long dead. And it’s as if a hand has come out, and taken yours" 

                                                                          ** Alan Bennett **

"It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it" 

                                                 ** Oscar Wilde **

a few copies of a book I love, to share as gifts

Miss Ruby is delighted at the prospect of a new box.  Not all boxes are equal. 

One must have many different boxes scattered around the house. 

Boxes which mom regularly falls over. 

a few books to encourage my new interest in art journalling

a delicious pile of new books

Aaah, the joy of a new box...purrr...

Go take a look at Mary Ann Moss' blog.  She has just been on a gorgeous solitary reading retreat.  That is such an awesome idea.  I have added a reading retreat to my bucket list.  Must do this sometime.  Soon.

What are YOU reading right now?

Weekend roundup

Home | On Friday evening, an Estate Agent came to see me about MAYBE selling my home.  I'm very happy in my little townhouse, so I won't put it onto the market until I'm sure that there's something out there that I really like in the Boskruin area

Spa day |  I took my sisters Rose-Marie and Caron for some pampering at Life Day Spa in Fourways.  This was Rosie's 50th birthday gift from me.  I didn't love the spa (it's very busy and quite disorganised); my favourite spa is still Soulstice Day Spa at Silverstar Casino

Rosie and I

Rosie wanted her toenails painted blue - LOL!

Caron and I after our massages - smeared full of oil and very relaxed

Sunday  |  It was hot, hot, HOT!  The coolest place was on the couch, catching the breeze blowing from the front to the back door.  I did 2 pages in the mini album for my mom, and started working on the Scrap Addicts challenge for December - we are all doing 5 pages entitled "all about me"

11 things on 11/11/11

1. Meals : SERV'D are delivering my dinners for the whole of November.  I love the convenience of not having to cook every night.  The meals are ok, not as great as they look on the website.  It's all good



 2. Hair : 2 hairstyles in 1 week.  Yep - I have permed my usually very straight hair.  I haven't had a perm in many years.  The lotion still smells like rotten eggs!  I'm not sure that I love the perm, but hair grows, so no big deal

 3. Shoes : I love Tsonga, Froggie and Green Cross shoes.  These gorgeous leather beauties are by Tsonga, shoes that are handstitched by women in Kwa-Zulu Natal

 4. Fitness : after a very active holiday in Italy, I crashed when I got back home with a monster workload waiting for me.  I'm slowly starting to move more again

5. Reading : I love books that have an African theme.  The books by Alexander McCall Smith about the 'No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" are all wonderful

6. Sipping : I'm loving the new cappuchino cafe latte from Woolworths - best served ice cold in the summer heat

7.  Creative : I'm creating a mini album for my mom as part of her Christmas gift.  I love working in this small size

8.  Embossing : why don't I have a heat embossing machine??  Can't believe that I never bought one years ago when all my friends got theirs!  I have fallen in love with the embossing effect, and now I'm battling to buy a heat embossing machine.  Sooo frustrating!

9.  Christmas gifts : I'm slowly working on getting all the gifts that I want for my special people.  These Consol glass jars have a chalk board on the side to write sweet messages on.  These jars will be filled with yummy sweets and given to my employees 

10. New diary : I LOVE a new diary.  It holds so much potential and possibility and hope for the new year.  What will I do in 2012, where will I go, what lunches with friends and spa days will I enjoy.

11 : Love : and finally, I'm so in love with my kitties.  This is miss Ruby.  I battle to get any photo's of miss Bella, because she is so shy.  My kitties give me unconditional love, they are my companions,  they make me laugh and they really do comfort me when things get crazy in my life.  LOVE you babies!

Have a great 11/11/11!