Around here

My brother Robbie and his wife Tonia visited recently.  Here is Miss Elizabeth writing letters to her Nanna and Doc, to Bubby and Granny, to Kataryn, to my 'bestest Ali', and to mommy and daddy...

The peanut butter craze continues...Snickers peanut butter squares and Beyers peanut butter slab are horribly addictive

My paternal Granny used to crochet a lot.  It's such an old fashioned thing to do.  I've been wanting to crochet again.  I'm really not good at it, but one can learn a lot on youtube.  A scarf may emerge from this bundle of wool.

I've been playing with some art journalling.  A bit of this and a bit of that.  I'll share more later...

What have you been up to lately?

Little box of happiness

This little box of happiness arrived in the post recently...

Lots and lots of beautiful washi tape.  And then I added the little box to my existing box of washi tape, so that they could all live happily together...

and this is one of the ways that I use my gorgeous washi tape - making pretty journalling cards.  I just stick strips of tape around the edge of cardstock, and I have a customised journalling block for my scrapbook layouts.  More happiness.

Charity scrap day

The last few days have been a bit cooler than the last several weeks of scorching heat.  It's now officially Autumn in South Africa, and I'm really looking forward to the cooler weather.

 

My friend Lynn and I attended a charity scrap day on Saturday, and completed 2 lovely pages.

 

this booklet has lots of space for photos.  I'm not sure yet what photos I'll use on this layout... 

Reading list

this is what's on my bedside table right now...

• The Art Journal Workshop by Traci Bunkers
• The Seed by Jon Gordon
• Songs of my Life slightly out of tune by Susan Dintino
• Where do I go from here? by Miriam Neff

What are you reading?

Mixed Media artwork

I signed up for the Brave Girl Art School recently, and this is one of the mixed media pieces that I completed.  These artworks and online courses are a lesson in letting go of my perfectionist tendencies.  I need a lot more practice in getting my hands dirty and colouring outside the lines and being brave about making my own rules for my life.

Garden show

I visited the garden show at Lifestyle Garden Center in Johannesburg, and I'm inspired by these beautiful gardens...

 

 

Peanut butter frozen yogurt

Thanks to Maryann Moss, I have a tub of peanut butter frozen yogurt waiting for me at home in my freezer.  I looove peanut butter.  I don't like eating it on its own with a spoon (as some people like to do), but I adore it in milkshakes and biscuits and chocolates and stirfry sauces... so I had to try the frozen yogurt version.  I think you're going to really like this...

 

It tastes a lot better than it looks.  Promise

CHOCOLATE PEANUTBUTTER FROZEN YOGURT

Ingredients

• 1 tin condensed milk
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (I added a lot more than just half a cup!)
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 cups nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

Directions

• In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together condensed milk, peanut butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
• With mixer on low, beat in yogurt, milk, and cocoa powder until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.
• Freeze until firm but scoopable, about 4 hours, beating with an electric mixer every hour (I got to 3 hours and forgot about it, no harm done)