PAGE PLANNER TEMPLATE

Cost: R35 (inclusive of colour photo of Xmas layout below)

I designed this page planner stencil with the novice scrapbooker in mind. This page planner gives the novice as well as the experienced scrapper an opportunity to attempt a layout on their own without having to attend a scrapbooking lesson.

What you see is what you get. A double page layout can be created by mirroring the stencil or alternating the orientation of the stencil on the left and right hand side of a double page layout.

Let me know what you think.

Xmas 2006

Zander and Alisha Nel

- Off to create another page planner

SCRAPPING EXTRAVAGANZA AT MAKARANGA GARDEN LODGE

- Saturday, 27 January 2007

Well, as can be seen below, all the planning and hard work that I have put into this scrapping day for my students since the beginning of October 2006, have paid off. The delegates had a serious relaxing day filled with fun, chatting, good food, good company and some serious productive scrapping.

Delegates proudly posing with their Tote'Ally Cool Bags:

From top left to right:

Rayna Winson, Shelley Candiotes, Kerry Harper, Kerry Harper, Kerryn Hulland, Lynn Hulland, Sharon Sweet, Suzette Witteveen, Lisa Galligher, Samantha Wright and Linda Stuart.

.../continued

This was the layout I presented in the morning.

AN ODE TO DESIRE

I am probably the worst public speaker out there and decided to ask Michelle my assistant (the famous walker, see previous post), who I know is very good with words to write a scrapbooking poem or story that she could read as an introduction to my scrapbooking day. Oh, she said: "I think I will write an ode." "Mmm" I said. "But no one has died." "No" she said. "Its like just writing someone's life story". "Okay" I responded. "That will be great."

I was quite embarrassed by the ode, but moved as well. Michelle I am glad that this is the way you perceive me. You summed 'me' up in a nutshell - if I must say so myself. I am very honoured. Here's the ode:

Married for 22 years

To a man named Conroy

He really is

Her price and joy

Blending with nature

She is at her best

Doing hikes with Conroy

Putting their endurance to the test

In the garden

She has a great plan

For the perfect layout

Of their indigenous land

Her full time job

Is bookkeeper/PA

Working from 8 to 5

At AlexanderCox every day

Bedazzled beader

Is her latest description

For this hobby

No need for a prescription!

"Doing Life" is a

Daily job

And she regularly

Updates us on her blog

Can't decide whether she

Is a walker or a jogger

So I guess we'll just have

To call her a "Wogger"

The blue room

Is the place to be

Tuesday to Saturday

You all and me.

Churning out layouts

She's really exceptionally good

So that we can all create a superb scrapbook

Putting together layouts using buttons and split pins

Some of her students really create a din

A chocoholic I would never have guessed

Her favourite chocolate I think a Cadbury's PS

The word is out

There's a Teacha's pet

Is it you or maybe you?

Guess we'll just have to take a bet

The totally cool bag

Is the order of the day

Not being colour coded

Well, a forfeit you'll just have to pay

Organizing scrapdays

Like a good teacha should

New layouts and prizes

They're always really good

So from all of us

Thanks for this day

Three cheers for Desire

Hip, hip, hip hooray!

3 BOYS

This was the afternoon layout I presented.

Another version I did of the afternoon layout I presented.

This is Linda Stuart's version of the layout that I presented in the afternoon. These photos just had soooo much character, I had to show it to you.

TOTE'ALLY COOL WINNERS

GROUP

GROUP

THE CRAZY BUNCH

These pictures were taken from the balcony directly outside the conference room by a very handsome conference co-ordinator, Vaughn.

DELEGATES

A SNAPSHOT STOPS A MOMENT FROM RUNNING AWAY

From top left to right:

Delegates engrossed, Michelle Ramsay (my assistant for the day), ME,

Middle Far Right: Hard to believe, but Charmian MacKenzie arrived for the day cheerfully geared up with an odd pair of shoes which of course had her turning to the shade of a tomatoe quite often throughout the day - One can never be too eager to get at your next Scrapping Day!

.../continued

DELEGATES

HAPPY SCRAPPERS:

From top left to right:

Kerryn Hulland, Lynn Hulland, Tracy van Zyl, Kerry Harper,

Linda Campbell, Cheryl Gwillam, Karen van Staden,

Lesley Stewart, Brenda Moon, Linda Stuart, Shelley Candiotes,

Rayna Winson, Tarryn Ballard, Denise Pienaar, Robyn Keulder,

Carolyn Lynn and Sheila Corfe

.../continued

DELEGATES

CHEERFUL DELEGATES AT WORK:

From top left to right:

Robyn Keulder, Nicola Jennings, Vaune Milne, Debby van Lennep,

Chris Senekal, Tish Pereira, Cheryl Zunckel, Jan Bosch,

Sophia Allison, Gail Stefano, Ellie Griffiths, Jenny Reid,

Carol Friedman, Louise Rash, Kathrine McKeon, Charmian MacKenzie, Lisa Galligher and Karyn Blackbeard

.../continued

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

GRAND PRIZE WINNER: LINDA CAMPBELL

The grand prize was determined by having the delegates guessing the number of brads in a sealed bottle. Linda's guess was within 5 of the correct number. She was totally ecstatic with being the winner of this fantastic scrapping hamper filled with an endless variety of products. Tears were flowing freely. Linda said that she could not believe her luck. She never wins anything and in a matter of two days she has won a R500 voucher at a photo lab and then this huge prize. What is also special about her winning this prize is that her sister Cheryl and mum Gladys also are avid scrappers and they often scrap together - which means that they now can all share the lovely goodies when creating their pages.

A BIG thank you to the sponsors who made this grand prize possible. they were: Absolutely Scraptacular (Cathy Duncan), Scrapping Fever (Sharon Sweet) and Designers Notes (Claire McGeer).

TOTE'ALLY COOL BAGS

From top left to right:

Beverley Dow (The Green Mamba), Jenny Reid, Brenda Moon

and Sheila Corfe

.../continued

SCRAPBOOKER AKA FAMOUS RACE WALKER - Thursday, 25 January 2007 Michelle Ramsay, DOING LIFE's notorious commentator with the scary long signature, one of my first scrapbooking students and good friend has at last earned some recognition for all the long and hard km's she has done so diligently in walking/running races over the past decade.

The RUNNER'S WORLD magazine has in their latest issue published a picture of Michelle finishing the Postnet Marathon in Pietermaritzburg – standing under the finish sign. That was the year that she completed her 5th 42.2km Postnet Marathon and received her permanent number, being one of a handful of walkers to have achieved this. Its like getting 'the freedom of the city'!

Her finishing time for the 42.2km was 5h57

Runner's World have used it in their full page advert!!! So yours truly can now also say that she knows a famous athlete.

Above is the Runners World ad, with the actual picture where Michelle finished the race and the picture where she received her plaque (consisting of a bronze, silver and gold medal on a wooden plaque stating “last official finisher”) for being the last official finisher of that specific race. There were 7 runners behind her who did not finish within the 6 hour cut off time. It is usually very satisfying for a walker to finish in front of a runner and one usually feel like shouting out 'EAT MY DUST!'

- Having been put to shame I am off to catch up on my walking/running distance

WEDDING PRESENT FOR THE VAN NIEKERKS - Sunday, 21 January 2007 The Coghill Avenue guard (see pic of lizard in previous post) has been taking his guarding duty very seriously since featuring on DOING LIFE and decided to become the blue room students' own personal body guard. Yes, this has astonishingly become evident when a student picked up a light box from the ground, and there 'SCRAP' (nicknamed by the scrapping students) was staring her down. SCRAP stood on guard for the whole duration of the three-hour lesson.

So Kathy, you probably guessed right. After the lesson I desperately required your evacuation service. Please send me a quote to have on hand for future emergencies. Between me and Conroy we sjoed SCRAP out onto the patio with the aid of old trusty broom. SCRAP must have overnighted on the patio because on Sunday morning he was on guard at the patio door. Most of Sunday was spent creating this layout for Ockie and Lenie, the wedding gift I promised them.

Off to finalise a few minors for my scrapday at makaranga this coming weekend. Watch this space for bumper news regarding this day!

- Off to enjoy a sundowner

Coghill Avenue's guard on standby.

PS: Kathy no need for evacuation yet!

2007 RESOLUTIONS - Sunday 14 January 2007 Well, about the only New Year's resolution made by yours truly for 2007, is not to make any resolution public knowledge. That way no one will know whether you have achieved your resolutions or not - mmm clever I would say. It was Conroy's birthday on Friday (12/1/2007) and we celebrated it with dinner at Giuseppe's at the Heritage Market in Hillcrest.

I went for an 8km walk at Run & Walk for Life at 6am on Saturday morning and came home to a welcoming soak in the tub, Whilst soaking my aches and pains away, the phone rang. Conroy passed a towel first for me to dry my hands and announced that Ulrike (my hair stylist) is on the phone. 'Hello Desire, how are you?' 'I am fine thank you.' I replied whilst my mind was in overdraft thinking up various reasons why Ulrike will phone me at 8:10am on a Saturday. 'I have got you down for an appointment at 8am this morning.' 'Um ah um .... I don't think I have got anything down in my diary, but I will quickly check.' I replied whilst summonsing Conroy to bring my diary. I quickly paged through the Saturdays in January and February and no hair appointment stared at me. 'Sorry, Ulrike, I don't have anything written down in my diary, but could you give me 10 minutes and I will be there.' 'That's fine, see you just now.' So after one of the fastest bath hopping and dress hopping sessions, I made it into Ulrike's studio in 15 minutes flat. So now the greys are put on hold for a while.

After my hair fiasco we went for brunch (me hosting hubby for his birthday) at our latest favourite breakfast hangout - 'The View' in Bothas Hill. For us it is by far a better overall experience than at 'Pot 'n Kettle', where there is absolute no attention to detail. The tablecloths are always dirty - so much so that we usually turn the tablecloth over ourselves. The chairs are dirty and old so too the crockery which also are riddled with cracks and the tables are squashed next to each other.

'The View' do justice to its name with stunning views over the 1000 hills of KwaZulu Natal. Everything is neat and clean and the wooden tables and seats are placed well apart on various terraces, affording privacy. The food are not extraordinary, but the bonus is that even breakfast comes with a pancake instead of toast. Their speciality are the traditional 'boere' pancakes. Now and then one do wait a bit for the food to arrive.

Breathtaking view over the 1000 hills from our table.

The View's resident Leopard in disguise.

Various terraces at 'The View'.

The rest of Saturday was spent developing some photos at Photoworld in Hillcrest (very good service and quality). I also started my Xmas 2006 layout.

This morning the alarm annoyingly went off at 4:30am to wake us for the Ronnie Davel 16km cross-country race through forest in Hilton, just outside of Pietermaritzburg. The weather was a little hot, but otherwise perfect. Conroy did the race with me which we ran and walked. ... Michelle, what happened to my pacesetter? ... Afterwards we had a brunch at a coffee shop situated in 'The Quarry' shopping centre in Hilton. Nursing some slightly sore and tired muscles at the moment.

Here's another Jewellery Set I made during the Xmas break.

- Over and out for now

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED - Monday, 1 January 2007 No rest for the wicked. No hiding from the wicked either. The 'wicked' I am referring to here are the 'outside walker' Michelle and my 'darling' husband Conroy. Conroy gallantly strided into the Blue Room where I was busy churning out new layouts, triumphantly flashing a printout of an entry on Doing Life some time ago. You probably guessed, yes the '5 Missions Impossible' entry. Being the last day of 2006, he thought he would just do a quick check-up on me as to how many of the missions I have actually accomplished. He was politely informed that the '10 layout'-mission was just about to be nailed on the head. Oh, he says and 'what about the the '5kg loss'-mission? 'What do you mean?', I snapped back. 'Do you imply that I am fat?' (I was thinking to myself) and replied: 'I have not weighed myself yet' (now that was quick thinking, I thought).

So here's the proof that the '10 layout'-mission was accomplished:

It is hard to believe that at 10 months Zander has undergone two open heart surgeries as well as a hip operation. He is such a happy chappy. The only sign of his ordeals are the various scars on his little body.

- The not so wicked signing off