Where has the time gone?

Hi there to all my wonderful readers. I know, this spot in ‘Blogland’ has been so so quiet – please forgive me.

This year has simply forged ahead leaving anyone slower than a bullet train standing on the platform! Have you also found that unless you rushed around, you simply could not make it to the train on time?

Now Santa’s about to arrive! On a train? Perhaps not, but I would guess that he too would have to keep up with the times and add a motor or two to his sleigh to speed up Rudolph and company.

We haven’t yet put up our tree. My son, just this minute, came to ask if we can put it up. My train is slowing down towards the station now, so I am more in the mood for some Christmas spirit, so I guess today will be the tree day.

This year I’ve had an amazing opportunity to get back into designing! I have begun designing scrapbook papers for a local company and am thrilled to say that 3 collections have already been printed. A Christmas range, a soft floral themed range and a beach range.

I am so enjoying designing again and working with Lorna, the owner of Scrap Collections is such a pleasure! Do pop by the Scrap Collections blog here and the website here.

What a feeling to actually see my designs in print!

Here are the 3 collections along with some layouts designed with the paper:

CHRISTMAS COLLECTION 2012:

 

Layout by Michelle van Wyk

PURE BLISS COLLECTION 2012:

 

 

Layout by Michelle van Wyk

layout by Nikki Preece

BEACHES COLLECTION 2012:

Layout by Lisa (Memory Shed)

Layout by Michelle van Wyk

To all you crazy cut & glue, ink & punching people out there, do let me know what you think of these papers. I would also welcome any ideas for colour schemes or themes!

Today I have a fun printable to share with you. It’s an A4 size sign. So simply click on it to enlarge, save to your computer and then print it out onto A4 size white cardstock and pop into a frame or hang it up with ribbon.

Enjoy preparing for this fabulous festive time!

Till next time

Homemade lemonade

Our lemon trees had quite a few lemons on them so I decided the new blossoms (& resulting fruit) may get a boost if I snip off all the fruit still on the trees.

I arranged them all prettily in a bowl in my kitchen with a few clusters of leaves too. Decor made simple! Later I discovered there was no juice at home for the kids to drink, so I thought of those lemons decorating my kitchen table… & decided “Have lemons? Make lemonade!”

(I didn’t pick this many lemons! I took this photo on our recent holiday to Franschhoek in the Western Cape at a gorgeous guest farm called Babylonstoren)

Here’s the recipe:

Homemade Lemonade

1 cup sugar (either caster sugar or granulated)

1 cup water

1 cup of lemon juice                                                                                                

Hint :  freshly squeezed lemon juice is much nicer than the one from a bottle! You’ll need approximately 4 lemons for 1 cup.

Method:

Place the sugar & water in a small saucepan and heat until the sugar dissolves. (It dissolves quicker than you think).

Add the lemon juice.

Place all in a jug and add 4 cups of cold water. Chill in the fridge.

Delicious served with ice, lemon slices & a few sprigs of mint.

 

This recipe really take a few minutes to make and my kids love it!! They keep asking for more!

So …….. If life gives you lemons, make lemonade!!

Snow in Pretoria?

Today was such fun!

“This has been the bestest day ever” my son, Reece proclaimed earlier when he saw snow for the first time in his 11 years. I have never seen snow here in Pretoria before in my lifetime – so this has been special.

I had been hearing about the snow in Johannesburg this morning and was amazed when I drove out our estate gate to see snow flakes falling!

I picked Reece up at school and was driving him to the orthodontist and the weather was growing steadily worse and suddenly, we were in snow. The more we drove, the more it snowed.

The best part was how it seemed to put an instant good-humoured smile on everyone’s faces. The cars were full of people grinning in awe at a spectacle we simply never see here.

Cold? Who cares?! It’s such fun!

As I drove home again, the trees were dusted in downy white flakes and the ground was a pretty wonderland. Unfortunately it melted fairly quickly, but it certainly was fun while it lasted.

Reece even had his head out the skylight roof of the car and was so impressed when he popped back in again with snowflakes in his hair.

My dad took some photos of our house and garden while I was out:

Judith has never seen snow before.

I just love this photo of her, her face says it all :

I keep looking at the horizon waiting hoping for some more dark clouds….and trying to keep warm!!

Life & art

 

So enjoying drawing with my new Prismacolor coloured pencils.

So enjoying playing with my new Canon Macro lens! (f2.8 60mm)

Sometimes I draw without an eraser.

 

of feathers & birds…

I have taken flight!

As I said before, I’ve been enjoying some amazing art classes online recently.

Here are my first drawings I’ve done for Creativity in Flight :

These are all of the same European Roller, but each drawn slightly differently…

Pencil drawing:

Pencil sketch:

Contour drawing in ink (pen & waterproof ink)

Pen & ink drawing with hatching & cross-hatching:

Through these drawings, I’ve discovered two three things:

1) I so enjoy drawing birds!

2) I discovered ink! I love the feel of real pen & ink drawing- that is to say I bought a bottle of ink and a pen and dipped the pen in the ink and drew. The ink glides on the paper beautifully and I love the thought of using something that has been used for centuries! (And not as messy as I thought it would be!)

3) Practice! Each time I drew this bird, it became easier. Easier to see the shapes and lines & thus quicker to get it onto the paper. Food for thought!

Chat soon,  Vxx

Jumping right in…

I have jumped into this huge big pond of art journaling. I think I’m just managing to keep my head above water as it is overwhelming the number of ideas I have swimming around in my head.

The Joynal class I am taking with Jane Davenport is all about fairies and whimsical creatures. I altered an old storybook with gesso and collage:

and have done two ‘warm-up’ pages,

A face…

and a full figure…

It’s still quite new to me to draw out my head like this, but I am so enjoying experimenting!

Hope you all have a magical week!

Vxx

Art Journaling

I have been absorbed into the wonderful world of art journaling. Yes that’s where I’ve been – swept away into this magical colourful place and covered in coloured pencil scribblings, watercolours, ink and acrylic paint- oh, and tons of gesso!

I’ve been busy with a few online classes this year…

I heart drawing (Jane Davenport)

I then discovered that I should have done Supplies Me first –so I went backwards…

Then Jane started a new magical class on 30 April called Joynal…

These classes are so amazing and easy to follow along – click on the links to find out more.

I’ve also started 21 Secrets which features classes by 21 artists all sharing their passion for art journaling. (Jane Davenport also has a class there called “Frolicaholic”).

Then from 21 secrets I also found Gina Armfield and started an online live watercolour class called Creativity in Flight…

So now you know why I haven’t blogged much – I’ve been totally carried away by the artsy fairies.

Here’s a few pics of my art journal that I’ve started with for the Joynal class with Jane Davenport. I am having loads of fun being messy while transforming this old children’s book into my new art journal…

My plan is to finish Joynal and Creativity in Flight and then go back and complete the assignments for the other classes. Well, that’s the plan. I’m trying to discipline myself so I don’t go rushing into another class quite yet.

Will be sharing some of my artwork from these two classes soon…

Vxx

Can you say “Holidays”?

Yay! School holidays started today! I picked the kids up from school today at 11am and already felt a sense of relief.

4 weeks off bliss! No homework in the afternoons, no fetching & carrying to & from school (sometimes 3 or 4 times a day!), no school projects, just some pure fun! = HAPPY MOM!

This weekend is, of course, Easter. We’re at home, a quiet long weekend for us.

Tuesday we’re off to our little place of African heaven… The bushveld.

Hopefully we will see more of these beautiful prehistoric looking creatures…. I just love how this little baby is resting on his mommy’s back!

& this won’t happen again…(feb 2012)

the new, wider floodplain after the floods this summer…

Don’t you just love these faces?

You get the picture?

We’ll be back again after about a week, then we’ll relax at home until it’s my mom-in-law’s 80th birthday.

The whole family (the birthday girl + 5 kids + each of their spouses, + all 10 grandchildren= 21 in total) will be off for 3 days down to Umhlanga in Kwazulu Natal to a beautiful old hotel which was recently revamped …

I cannot wait to take photos of the beautiful lighthouse! (and I have to admit staying in such a gorgeous spot will be sublime!)

So this school holiday, we’ll have a bit of the bush and a bit of the beach – the best of both worlds – I can’t wait!