FALL FESTIVAL CROP at MOJO ...

PLEASE join me here this weekend ...

"Now that fall has arrived, we've decided to have a "Fall Festival" crop here at ScrappinMojo. The fun begins Friday, December 4 with an 8 PM game of bingo leading into our weekend crop Saturday and Sunday. The first quick scrap will be posted at 9 AM, so don't be late. So tell the family you're in cognito for the weekend, grab your adhesive and papers and join us for a weekend of Fall Festivities. Hope to see you there!  THE MOJO CREW"

There are some awesome challenges (some really quick and easy) with RAKS, games and loads of fun!!!

I am hosting two EASY Challenges ... here is a little sneak of the one ...

Hope to see you there!!

Love,

A HUGE GIVEAWAY ....

All Scrapbook Steals is giving away this awesome prize ...

so go along here and enter NOW!!!!

P.S.  They have steals of the week which include some of my favourite products ... like the new Imaginisce Polar Fleece line and the Fancy Pants Happy Holidays line ... too gorgeous ...

IMAGINISCE vs GLUE ARTS ..

There is a friendly competition going on between Imaginisce and Glue Arts so pop on over their Facebook Walls, become a Fan and maybe you will be the lucky winner of prizes to the value of $300 ...

SCRAP FRIENDZY ...

is having a COUNTDOWN TO THE HOLIDAYS CROP this weekend ... lots of prizes, games and FUN!!! So go here to join in ...

WEBSTER'S PAGES are ...

having a 12 Days of Christmas Crop so be sure to join them for fantastic Christmas Gift Ideas and inspiration for the Holidays ...  They are also looking for a Guest Designer and entries will be taken from this Crop so if you love Webster's Pages join them NOW ...

OK ... close your eyes and ..... IMAGINISCE ...

cute and cuddly Polar Bears ...

posh pink Poodles ...

planes, trains and automobiles ...

sprinkles, cupcakes and sugary delights ...

rattling skeletons and black cats ...

fairytales, castles, princesses and tiaras ...

now OPEN YOUR EYES .... and come share an amazing journey with me where we will get to experience Polar Bears, Poodles, Planes and Princesses, together with sprinkles and skeletons ...

I am super excited to let you all know that I was selected as a Design Team Member for Imaginisce, a Utah based Corporation, run by a colour blind guy ... Yeah ... for real!!!

I am so humbled (and soooooo excited - I have been grinning for just over 24 hours ... tee hee ...) to be included with an amazingly talented group of girls from the United States, Japan, Singapore, Canada, Australia and Brazil ... WHOA!!!

Please go along to the Imaginisce Blog and congratulate my fellow-DT Members (wow, it feels good saying that!!)

You can also visit their website here to find a store near you so that you can get your hands on these awesome products ...

AND ... if you join them on Facebook, just for being there you may win some FREE product ... they are incredibly generous and have random giveaways ALL THE TIME to thank you for visiting them ... so don't hesitate, sign up as a Follwer now ...

This is truly a dream come true for me and I am flipping out BIG TIME ... I cannot sit still and have pinch marks on my hands just to make sure I'm awake and not having another of my "I want to be FAMOUS" dreams .... tee hee ...

Thank you IMAGINISCE for this opportunity ... I can't wait to start creating especially for YOU ...

Love,

P.S.  Here is a blinkie for you gals to put on your blogs - if Imaginisce sees it, you could win AGAIN ...

WOZA 2010 ...

As I write this there are 216 days until the FIFA SOCCER WORLD CUP 2010 ... yikes!!!  It seems to have come so quickly ...

Now don't get me wrong, I am so not a Soccer Fan ... but the Stadium! ... aaaah ... the Stadum is awesome.  I have a "thing" for gorgeous buildings .... old and new ...

There has been so much controversy over this building - most people, myself included, (though what I know about building, finance blah blah blah is just about ZIP) saw this as a waste of our hard-earned ratepaying money, especially since we thought it would only be used for a period of 6 weeks during the 2010 World Cup but as I have seen it climb higher and higher and get prettier and prettier (of course, prettiness is a MUST - how can I scrap an ugly building??? tee hee) I see that it will bring many sporting and other opportunities (tourists = revenue) to our City.  I also believe that we may be able to bid for the 2014 Olympic Games - how awesome is that????

Anyway, I saw it with lights on for the first time the other evening and I was so impressed - it is breathtakingly beautiful.  In fact, my 13-year old son reckons "it should be declared one the Wonders of the World because it is magnificent" ... bless his little heart ...

Here is a pic of what the Stadium will look like at night, when complete ...

This is an LO I did some time ago ... you can see that the Stadium was still pretty far from complete here ... the picture was taken from uShaka Beach on the morning (very very early morning) of the East Coast Radio Big Walk, which left me with more blisters than I could count ... tee hee ...

It is truly a spectacular sight and I am so proud to be a South African during these times of progress when the International spotlight is on us ... it gives me great hope for the future of our country ...

FYI ...

• 1.   WOZA means "come" in Zulu ...
• 2.   There will be a Cable Car running along the Arch which will have spectacular views of Durban and its surrounds as well as the Ocean ... "imaginisce" the moon reflecting on the waves and you will be able to see for miles ... ooohh ... I can't wait ...
• 3.   If you want some more info on the Stadium, go take a look here ...

Hope you enjoyed the little History lesson ... tee hee ...

I'M IN .... ARE YOU????

I have registered for Jessica's FREE CLASS ... HAVE YOU???  Go here NOW ... her classes are ALWAYS really good ...

Love,

MY SISTER GOT MARRIED ...

My sister got married AGES ago (well, on the 12th September, which I guess is now nearly two months gone ... sigh ... TIME ...) ..

Anyway, thought I'd post a few pics (I didn't want to post straight after the wedding as I thought I would give her time to post on FaceBook etc) ...

So, here is my gorgeous sister ...

and her daughter, Caitie ... too cute ...

and me playing in the trees ... mmmm ...

ENJOY!!!

Love,

YOU COULD WIN THIS ...

Pop on over here to stand a chance to win this (you've gotta be in it to win it!!) ...

I haven't blogged in soooo long ... I see BLOGGER has made some changes ... ALL GOOD ... love their new easy to use posting ...

GOOD LUCK!!

Love,

IT WAS AWESOME ...

Well, the SA Scrapbook Convention has been and gone and it was fantastic!!! I wondered how Glenda was going to beat the Tim Holtz/Jayme Shepard day in May and ... well, she DID IT!!!

WE HAD FUN! FUN! FUN! (L-R Me, Sophia, Jacqui)

The organisation was very impressive ... very smooth running and professional with all our wants and needs taken care of ...

AND THEN WE HAD SOME MORE FUN!!!!

The classes were amazing - I can honestly say that I learnt alot - seriously, ALOT ...

The supplies were mind-blowing ... so much was given to us over the two-day conference ... WOW!!! I feel like I had a birthday party ....

Here are a few pics of the weekend ...

(me with the Glitz Girls Erin and Laura - they were soooo sweet - and super talented)

(We met Amanda Dovey (first on left) - a fellow blogger from Johannesburg - she is awesome and we had loads of laughs)

(with Tracie Hudson from Prima ... WOW!!)

(with Jowilna Nolte who taught the KI Memories Class - learnt alot - thanks, Jo)

(the girls with Mike Stevens from American Crafts - WOW!! He was soooo generous and really sweet telling lots of jokes ...)

THANKS SO MUCH GLENDA ... we will definitely be attending next year's event ...

AND A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR HELPER, Janette - you were great ... THANK YOU!!!

Keep an eye on this link for next year's event - you seriously don't want to miss out!!!


Love,

BIRTHDAY BASH ...

Come join me at ScrapFriendzy this month for a month-long Birthday Bash ... challenges, prizes, loads of fun ...

Say I sent you and I get more Points ... PLEASE ...

Love,

I AM SO EXCITED ...

I made Guest Designer for November at Your Memories by Design with this LO ...

THANK YOU, Catherine ... x0x0x

The Challenge was to use each of these shapes on one LO - circle, oval, square, rectangle and star. All the shapes, except the stars, were in the form of journaling stickers from 7 Gypsies ...

Pop on over and join their forum and challenges .... loads of fun, lots of inspiration and awesome girls ...

Love,

awesome giveaway ...

Visit Sophs and I in our Scrap{a}Tale Kingdom for a very generous giveway ...

Go HERE .... NOW ... you won't want to miss out ...

Love,

WHO WANTS TO JOIN ME??

I am looking for 6 girls to subscribe to this Kit Club with me, starting on the 1st November 2009 ...

I will be ordering the main Flavour of the Month Kit every month, which if we take a 3- or 6-month subscription, is $21.95 per month PLUS shipping of $42 (for 6 kits) so we are effectively looking at $21.95 + $7 = $28.95/month each ... according to our Rand today that would equate to about R217.00 per month ...

I think this is so worth it and what I love about this kit is that you get co-ordinating papers and embellies from 4 different manufactures every month ... this is especially great if you want to enter Competitions that stipulate that you use a specific Manufacturer's products on your Layout ...

Another benefit is that you can add a few of their other kits (eg. Double Shot Kit or Embellishment Kit or Stamp Kit) for that month into the parcel at no extra cost for shipping - you will only pay the cost of the extra kit ...

Please let me know as soon as possible.

Love,

I AM SO {NOT} GOING TO BE MARTHA STEWART ... seems it's bad for your health ...

The Girl in a Whirl (originally by Vicki Gunther)

Look at me, look at me, look at me now!
You could do what I do if you only knew how.
I scrapbook my memories one hour each day;
I bake, I upholster, I scrub, and I pray.
I straighten my craft room nicely and neatly;
I speak to my little ones gently and sweetly.
I help in their classrooms! I sew all they wear!
I drive them to practice! I cut all their hair!
On all their school subjects I am an authority;
I teach them to organize life by priority.
I draw and I paint! I bless with my talents!
My toilets all sparkle! My checkbooks all balance!
Each week every child gets a one-on-one date;
I attend all my meetings (on time! never late!)
I'm practicing my serve of the tennis ball,
But that is not all! Oh, no. That is not all ...

I track my bad habits 'til each is abolished;
Our bed sheets are ironed! My toenails are polished!
Our family get togethers are always delightful;
I teach my children lessons both fun and insightful.
I do exercise faithfully, too.
It's easy to do all the things that I do!
I rise each day early, refreshed and awake;
I take my friends the things that I bake!
I read to my children! I help all my neighbors!
I bless the community, too, with my labors.
I grow herbs and I cook menus gourmet;
I never procrastinate, I never delay!
I chart resolutions and check off each goal;
Each night I take my husband for a nice stroll.
I can home-grow produce each summer and fall.
But that is not all! Oh, no. That is not all ...

I write in my journal! I conduct a youth choir!
Each day, I write 'thank you's' to those I admire.
My kids will be responsible by the age of fourteen!
They all get straight A's! And their bedrooms are clean!
I have a home business to help make some money;
I always look beautifully groomed for my honey.
I go to the gym at least once a week;
I change the car's tires! I fix the sink's leak!
I grind my own wheat and I bake all our bread;
I have all our meals planned out six months ahead.
keep our pantry stocked with every supply;
My shopping for Christmas is done by July!


That is what the girl said, then she dropped dead!

... tee hee ...

Love,

awwww .... I am TRULY blessed ...

I just adore Bryce's Grade 7 Teacher, Mrs Naicker - she is truly a special lady and knows just how to "click" with these teens ... Today he came home from school with a piece of paper and this was what was written on it (spelled as it was written) ...

1. You are so funny

2. You are cool

3. Your awesum and funny

4. You're a top bra

5. Your over tops!

6. You are so calm about everything

7. You are intellegent

8. You are always cool and friendly. You help other people even though you are not so close to them. I like that about a friend. From ......

9. Your'e the bestest buddie

10. You're real funny

11. You are always quick in cricket

12. You are funny

13. You have been my son this year ... my big ... tall son. Love your hair, your personality and your sense of humour! When you have achieved belief in yourself ... I'll retire! Love you.

Each kid had their name written on the top of a piece of paper. Those papers were passed around the class and everyone had to write what they admire about that person whose name was on the top. Above were the comments on Bryce's sheet. I am so touched and I am so proud of him ... he is a "ONE IN A MILLION" ... yes, his teenage hormones sometimes get the better of him (AND ME!!!) but he is so sweet and thoughtful and kind and gentle and just awesome - I couldn't have asked for anything more in a son ...

BTW ... the last comment was from his teacher ... love ya, Mrs Naicker ...

And I love YOU, Bryce ... you are my best friend ...

Love from your momma
xxxx

ROFL ... like seriously ...

Pop on over to Stef's blog here for one of the funniest posts I have ever seen ...

I am soooo laughing out loud .... great big guffaws ... liked the Woo-Woo bit and the towle the size of a small country bit ...

Love,

JOURNALING JUNKIE's NEW CHALLENGE IS UP ...

Wanna win some scrappy yumminess (some Heidi Swapp-iness)???

Pop on over to Journaling Junkie and take part in this month's challenge (No. 62) ...

It is so much fun ...

P.S. You will see my take on it over the next couple of days ...

Love,

Don't FAINT ... breathe deeeep - 3rd post for the day ....

Just a quick post - check out this blog ... www.scrapbookfactoryshop.blogspot.com - divine online shopping ....

Love,

ANYBODY STILL INTERESTED???

Okay girls, it has taken a bit of courage to type this post ... I have been VERY VERY VERY slack in posting more of our Book of Me Challenges and for this I sincerely apologise ... please forgive me, {sometimes} I know not what I do, please forgive me ... (lyrics from Bryan Adams) ... tee hee ... - just being silly ...


I have however, kind of lost interest in posting ideas because of lack of participation .... NOW, don't get me wrong - this is SO NOT a criticism - I myself am WAAAAAY behind ....


Michelle has really been the only one to keep up with the Challenges ... THANK YOU, Michelle - in our defence (ie. the rest of us who are behind ... tee hee ...) Michelle is a Ninja-Scrapper ... Fast and unsuspecting ... tee hee ...


So, the gist really of this post is to let me know is anybody out there is still interested in me posting Book of Me Challenges ... don't they say "IF YOU BUILD IT THEY WILL COME"? (BTW, who are the "they" that always say these things??????? Are "they" family of Murphy as in Murphy's Law????)


If you would like me to continue posting Challenges please let me know by leaving a comment here and I will make every effort to keep them up to date ....


Also, if you have previously committed yourselves to these Challenges but find that LIFE gets in the way (which it seriously does ... so not pressure ...) please just let me know if you no longer want to participate ...


Now, I have to get my old A into G and work on mine because come HELL, SNOW (oh boy, been there ... done that ... - does this have some kind of meaning to my BOM Challenges ... tee hee ...), RAIN or HIGH WATERS, I WILL complete my BOOK OF ME ...


Take care.


Love,

THE RETURN OF THE INTREPID (read unprepared) TRAVELLER ...

Ok, I had a whole other post planned BUT as usual LIFE happens and this is what happened to me on the weekend ... weird, freaky, awesome, nasty, amazing, cold, thrilling, scary, freaked out ...

Like all great stories, let me start at the beginning ...

As usual (I am the Queen of double-bookings, even with a Diary - please say no more ... tee hee ...), I had double booked my Saturday morning ... was planning to join Sophs to celebrate her birthday at movies AND I was scheduled to teach a class in Umhlanga Rocks ... soooo, when I figured out that I had to make a choice, I asked Greg how I should go about it (sometimes he has some pretty good ideas and other times it's like asking a wooden door because men don't think like we do - it's simpler for them ... just get on with it - with not too much emotion ...) ...

Obviously I was going to join Sophs but how was I going to let my students down without feeling a little bad???? To my surprise Greg said I wouldn't be going to either ... of course, Miss Independence rears her nasty little head at this juncture and yells "you don't tell me what I CAN and CAN'T do .... blah blah blah ..." Greg just calmly replies "you're not going to either ...". OMN (oh my nerves) by this stage I am just about to introduce my inner fire-breather when he says that he has booked for us to go up Sani Pass for the weekend .... Well, that quickly doused those little (HUGE) temper tantrum flames ... "awwww ... how sweet is he?" were my next thoughts .... quickly followed by "ooooh, I hope we see snow ..."

Ever heard of that little phrase "BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR 'COZ YOU JUST MIGHT GET IT!" ???? uh huh .... yup ... I got snowed in on the top of the mountain ... at this point you're probably laughing, heartless creatures that you are ... I can hear you ....

It would've been great IF ....

there was running water (the pipes were frozen) ie. no bathing water, no drinking water;

the toilets flushed (again, the pipes were frozen and you can imagine what the toilets looked like after a few days - revolting, putrid, I can't even re-visit the nightmare on this blog - ewwwwww .... - I am shuddering even as I type - imagine the worst and kind of double it - ewwww ...;

there was gas for heaters (16 below and we had no heaters ....) Greg, Bryce and I felt like little sausages all squashed together to try and conserve some heat ...;

I had really thought it was going to snow and had packed warmer clothes - I had no idea that it can get so cold - Bryce was supposed to have packed what I told him to - socks, warm jackets, track pants and jeans - he packed baggies ....;

It WAS GREAT because ...

This was my first time in snow and it sure snowed ... about knee deep in most places ... I was thrilled to see that as snowflakes land they are actually the shape of "snowflakes" - like the ones drawn on Aircons to depict the cold - AWESOME .... (ok, I probably still have brain freeze ... but I thought this was cool ...);

I built half a snowman with Bryce (we were too cold to continue out in the snow but we had fun ...);

I made a snow angel;

I had snowball fights with Greg and Bryce;

It was good family bonding time ...

We left Durban on Saturday morning with the intention of only spending one night at the top of Sani Pass in Lesotho. On the way up the mountain, which is 2874m above sea level (about 9400 feet), we noticed a bright glare on the mountains in the distance - we didn't for one minute think it was snow and I was completely finished when I realised it was in fact snow in the distance ... It was pretty hectic negotiating Sani Pass in the snow and several vehicles got stuck or had to turn around ...

My trusty little (V6 4l mind you) Fortuner made it up the mountain pretty easily - that may have had something to do with the driver ... Greg ... tee hee ...

It was stunning - lots of black rock sticking out of the snow ...

I was in Heaven ...

We awoke on Sunday morning to an emergency meeting in the lounge area ... we were informed that it had snowed heavily all night and we were not going to be able to leave the area - Sani Pass was a definite no go and travelling through Lesotho into the Free State (a 7 hour journey out of our way) was out of the question as there was a complete WHITE OUT. Didn't even know such a thing existed outside of the movies but we literally could not see infront of us so there was no way we could get off the mountain ... ok - no need to panic just yet ... until the Hotel Manager mentioned that we were looking at 4 days minimum and up to 10 days maximum ... no bathing for 4 - 10 days .... I don't think so ... unh uh .... not me ... not this week ...

Then he proceeded to tell us that there were two babies who may have to be airlifted out and the rest of us could try and hike down the mountain and have somebody meet us at the bottom to take us home. This would mean leaving our luggage and vehicle at the top of the Mountain until the Pass was clear when we could make a trip back and collect our goodies and vehicles ... I'm thinking at this stage that I would like another option please .....

My in-laws were with us and my mil has a heart condition ... she had been suffering a few pains on Saturday late afternoon and was battling with the altitude ... I mentioned this to the Manager as there was no way she would make it down the mountain and she only had meds for 4 days ... the Airforce was duly contacted and we were told that they would not be able to approach the Mountain until visibility cleared ... I was thinking this would be my way down the Mountain too ... just to hold my mil's hand of course .... tee hee ... I was not built to scale mountains and things ... I decided I would wait out the Helicopter rescue ...

By late Sunday afternoon we decided that if conditions had worsened overnight, Greg, Bryce and my fil would hike down the Mountain on Monday morning and my mil and I would stay at the Top until either the snow melted, it cleared enough for us to be rescued, or we died from Hepatitis A B and Z from all the germs floating around the toilets ...

Because of the gas rations we didn't have a heater on Sunday night and just about froze to death even with 4 blankets and socks and sweaters etc. Yikes it gets cold up there ....

On Monday morning we awoke to blue skies and another meeting ... we could take a chance driving down the Mountain but we would have to drive in convoy - Hell yeah, I'm packed and ready to go ...

It took us about an hour to traverse about 4km down the Pass. It was so strange because you could literally stand with one foot in the snow and the other on "dry" ground ... crazy how it only snows to a certain point and then stops completely ...

I had an awesome weekend - most have commented on the adventure ... well, adventure this, people ... I would rather bungee jump than experience anything close to those toilets ever again ...

Will post more photos soon ...

Love,

Tracy

JOIN ME AT SUMMER CAMP ...

from the 13th - 17th July 2009. For more info go here ...

BLOG CANDY .... not EYE CANDY ... sigh ...

Pop on over to Sonia and win some awesome blog Candy ...

Love,

MICHELLE'S MEMENTO'S ...

Here is Michelle's contribution to BOM Challenge No. 15 - Boy do I wish I had all of her memento's - such special reminders of the special people in her life ... you are soooo lucky, Michelle and I am glad you got to document this important story ...

P.S. Sorry it took me so long to post ....

This is a documentation of these special memento's ...

Left page of layout:
Next to the doll - My Great Aunt Mary made all the clothes for this doll by hand. There is so much detail and all the seams and tucks were hand stitched.

Bottom left next to the earings - These earings were from my Great Aunt Mary. They are special to me because they came from her. Not quite my style.

Top right - I really like Imbuia ball and claw furniture and I got this cabinet from Dereck's mom.
Bottom right - Antique brooch and eternity ring. I got this from my Great Aunt Mary who lived in Eastbourne in England.

Bottom middle - Old fashioned engagement ring with 4 small diamonds. Sentimental as I got this from my Great Aunt Anne who lives in Canada.

Right page of layout:
Top left - The complete mini set of Shakespeare books. I got this from my Great Gran, Gagga who I never got to meet. She lived in Scotland.

Top right - Pastel tea set is what I got from my Gran Farquharson. She loved her tea and this reminds me so much of her. Too nice to use.

Middle - The desk I got from my Grandpa Farquharson and it has pride of place in my craft room. He always had lots of piles on it, but he alwys knew where things were.

Left - Bangles - a fond memory of my Gran Enger was the jingly sound of her bangles. Each grand daughter got one and I had mine melted down to make two.

Bottom - This Moorcroft bowl is a collectors item and is special because it came from my Gran Engler.

Bottom right - The green enamel pot is from Dereck's mom. Not to keep, but to make her famous ginger pudding.

Ok, now I am seriously embarrassed that I am so way behind on my BOM Challenges - will have to find some kind of motivation to get myself back on track ... mmm ... give me some ideas ...

Will post next Challenge shortly ...

Love,

EYE CANDY

No, not BLOG CANDY, something even a little yummier today (did I just say that??? - what????) ... tee hee ...

P.S. Just so you know ... he reminds me of my Greg with his dark sexy eyes, strong nose, gentle mouth ... mmm ... time to come home, Hun ....

tee hee ... naughty giggle ....

FREEBIES ARE ALWAYS GOOD ...

and this one is gonna be great ...

Join me in taking Jessica Sprague's FREE Photo Editing Class - Registration begins 22 June and class starts July 6th ...

Love,

P.S. A huge thank you to those who read and commented on my last post - THANK YOU for listening and for the support - I so appreciate it and I realise how much I have missed the blog fraternity and their caring - you girls ROCK ...