SCRAP & CROCHET RETREAT

Alison arranged a Scrap & Crochet Retreat / Staycation for us from 8 - 13 June 2021.

She drew up an awesome itinerary ...

Tuesday 8 June: We arrived Ali's house at 8, unpacked, had a quick coffee and snack then embarked on a 'road-trip' to New Kayo Bazaar in Krugersdorp - We desperately needed to purchase more wool 😂😂😂😂😂 and anyone who knows about this wool shop knows that it is absolutely STUNNING.  We stopped at Our Coffee Shop in Rock Cottage on our way home and had a delicious Chicken Curry and did some crocheting.  Back home and more crocheting until dinner ~ we  had veggie soup made by my Mom.

Wednesday 9 June: Leisurely morning then off to meet our friend Tanya at The Culinary Table in Lanseria.  We had a stunning time crocheting and catching up with Tanya who we hadn't seen in ages.  Veggie soup for dinner and crocheting until lights out.

Thursday 10 June: Ali referred me to an amazing lady, Anne, who does great massages so we popped there for an appointment at 9 and then met Lara at Mugg & Bean in Clearwater Mall for a crochet and lunch date - we had awesome buttermilk chicken burgers but were sorely disappointed in their coffee 😟 - first time EVER for me!!!  Lara started a new blanket while we were there and really motored along.  Leonie, Ali and I are working on the same pattern with different colours and they are looking stunning.

 

 

Friday 11 June:  We had a crocheting brunch at Fresh Earth Cafe in Blairgowrie.  I had a delicious Thai Quinoa Salad (Quinoa cooked in Thai spice, mixed green beans, red pepper, onion, cucumber, lettuce, sliced paw paw, honey roasted cashews, coconut flakes and fresh coriander with Thai yogurt dressing). 

 

Saturday 12 June: We met Sharon Jansen (our 4th member of the Woolly Mammoths Crochet Group) at Blandford Lodge in Northriding for a crochet and lunch date.  We had fun crocheting however were very disappointed in the service and the food - neither Leonie nor Sharon had been there before and Ali and I were very disappointed that this was their first experience.  The weather was beautiful so we got to sit outside under the trees.

Sunday 13 June: We had a beautiful morning of crocheting and breakfast at Syringa Cafe in Bromhof.  They have two new additions to the family - miniature goats who are too cute.  Before we left Ali and I had to have a peanut butter and banana milkshake.   When we got home it was time to start packing up.

Other things we got done during the week ... We exercised twice with Ali's personal trainer ... eeeekkkk I am so out of shape!!!! / We went for a walk in Ali's area - so nice to be able to walk somewhere safe /  We did scrapbook a bit - I got 12 pages done / We rested ~ As a result of load-shedding we were in bed by 10 most nights and took our mornings gently.

THANKS FOR AN AWESOME WEEK ALI!!!!

 

MOTHERS DAY 2021

 

 Place: Silver Birch @ Lifestyle Garden Centre, Randburg

Why: Mother's Day

Who: Some of the family

We had a wonderfully relaxed breakfast this morning to celebrate Mothers Day.

Unfortunately Noleen and her family and Steph's parents didn't join us.

My beautiful son Connor ... The reason I am called "Mom" and my daughter-in-law Steph

My nephew Wesley and his Mom - my sister Norma

A gran and her two very tall grandsons

My Mom, me, my little sister Wendy and my younger sister Norma

At my Mom's age I believe she has one of these capes in her cupboard!!!

A MOTHER'S LOVE CAPTURED!!!

My beautiful son Connor got married today ... My niece Salma shared this photo that she took with me.

I look at my boy like this often but it has never been captured before ... I am a proud Mom!!!

When Connor and Steph had been dating for a year she gave Connor the watch he is wearing as it reminded him of his Grampa James and he wore it today in Memory of his Grampa.  Such a beautiful tribute.

MADAM & EVE on their way to a wedding!!!

 Mom and Sheron looking really smart for Connor's Wedding.

Sheron had this beautiful outfit made for the wedding ~ She said that she had to look good for her boy's wedding.

She had her hair done and when she was getting dressed one of the ladies who lives in the house where she stays said that she cannot possibly go out without make-up so she did her make-up for her.  This is the first time I have ever seen Sheron with make-up on.

 

BREAKFAST AND A NEW SUIT

Today is a public holiday 💃💃💃 ~ With the wedding fast approaching we met Connor at Clearwater Mall to go suit shopping for my hunny.  Connor came along for moral support and of course to spend time with us over breakfast. We had a lovely breakfast and of course I needed to take some photos ... Even if Connor was being a clown!!!!

This photo reminded me of a photo I have kept on my desk for the past MANY years ~ It was taken at one of Connor's birthday parties and I just LOVE it ...

 

 

LOVE THESE BOYS WITH ALL MY HEART!!!

💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝

ANOTHER PAGE DONE ...

So here is how I feel about my week > > > > > > > > > > > > >

My only highlight was when Richie and I ran out to The Glen on Thursday - only to find Post Net closed at 4 so we did the same thing on Friday after my two morning meetings.

Every day when I go into meetings / courses I crochet on a knee blanket I am making for Connor and then some evenings I work on it as well.  This week I mostly crocheted ... no scrapbooking done in the evenings :( .

So I was SUPER EXCITED for Friday afternoon to come around!!!!

So my new project waiting for me at my craft table on Friday night ~ an album for Jo's new god-son.  I sat and stared at the paper trying to figure out a front page ~ I always get VERY nervous when I start a project for someone (even felt that way when I started the album for Steph and Connor ... go figure!!!) but once I get going it is fine.  I couldn't figure out the front page so I gave myself a swift kick up the butt and started with a bath page.  My friend Cheryl sent me a photo of the page they were going to do in their group on Saturday so I decided to give it a go and I am very happy with how it turned out.

 My texture paste is getting a bit dry so I mixed it with some Little Birdie Sparkle Paste - Whipped Cream - which is a see through glitter paste which softened it up and I put it through a stencil to create some bubbles.

I have a bath stencil and the foam coming out of the bath was a scrap piece of textured paper I have had lying in my scraps box for a while.

I don't have photos for the layouts so will just be putting white mats for where I think the photos should go.

I then got going on the month pages ... I will do one 12 x 12 for a photo of the month and then a page with 6 pockets for other photos.

Yesterday morning I met Alison and Wendy at Chamdor in Deco Park to go wool shopping.  We then found some coffee at Berliner (and I got some lovely meat) and sat in the sun catching up.  What an awesome 'play date'.  We have to be creative at this time to be able to see each other.

When I got home I had lunch and went straight back to my craft table.  So now I am ready to do Month 1 ... I go into my stash of layout ideas and find this gorgeous page on my phone.  I choose papers and get going with the layout.  I decide to have a closer look at the photos on the layout and who do I see in the bottom photo but Andy Olivier ... This page is from my friend Lynette Olivier in Cape Town.  Thanks for the inspiration Lynette!!!! 

So here is my interpretation ... 

Month 2 ... I know I used this page recently for other photos but cannot for the life of me find that layout - It could have sparked an idea for a page.  It was just too cute not to use again.  I love how the page came out.

MONTH 3 ... I used this idea in Connor and Steph's book and converted it to a double layout.  I think it looks really cute as a page for a baby boy.  I am going to try and keep a bit of the orange pattern going throughout the book ... Just a circle of it somewhere on the page.  The placing of the holes to do the sewing is pretty difficult.  I have the circle on a piece of paper and when I place it on the page it is a kind of 'hit and miss' affair.  I make the holes for the first circle and sew it and then hope that I am placing the second circle in the right place and then I sew the second one.  I am hoping to find some kind of plastic that is big enough to do templates on.

I am sitting here in my pyjamas at 12h30 so I need to go and jump in the shower so that I can start scrapping after lunch.

Hope you have had a stunning weekend so far!!!

PAGES COMPLETED THIS WEEK

I have been pretty busy with my scrapbooking this week.  Finished all the holiday pages for Connor and Steph.

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My next project ~ Layouts for the book I am doing for Nats ... These are some photos of their stay in the Drakensberg after their wedding.  I will be posting the book to her once the post office opens again.

I LOVE how this front page came out.