EMBRACE each DAY
{DT Project Tammy's Scrapin Corner: Challenge #54}

This week our theme for Challenge #54 at Tammy's Scrapin Corner  is EASTER.  I used the Girl with Bunny image from Eureka.  You can purchase the image here. I have also used the Bunny with Flowers image from Eureka.  You can purchase the image here. The sentiment is  from DigiDarla.  

I have used Copics for all the colouring and I love the effect of the dots on her apron which was created with the Colourless Blender. The flourishes were stamped with Chiswick Acrylic Stamps.  The design papers are from FabScraps and Making Memories.

Hope you will play along this week - so come on link your Easter creations to Tammy's Scrapin Corner's Challenge No.54. Can't wait to see what you create.

Here's just a few pics of my {Doing Life's} stand at South Africa's biggest annual craft fair in Johannesburg, named Hobby-X.  It was the second time I have exhibited at this craft fair and am pleased to say that our sales were up by 25% from 2012 and we have met so many new scrapbookers.  Thanks to everyone who visited our stand, supported us or even just popped in to say hi, without you we would not have been successful.  Also a huge thank you to my dearest and loyal friend Michelle for all her help standing on her feet for 4 consecutive days and talking non-stop.

Off to link this creation to the following challenges:

• The Stamping Shack: Easter
• Creative Moments: Add a Sentimenthttp://melonheadzfriends.blogspot.com/
• Fab 'n Funky: Add a Sentiment
• Nutcrafters: Something Beginning with B (Bunny)
• The Paper Shelter: Easter
• Stampavie and More: Easter
• The Perfect Sentiment: Bling
• Aud Sentiments: Girl Power
• Chalk N Stock: Anything Goes just use Chalk (Chalked the Sentiment)
• Cute Card Thursday: Anything Goes
• DL.ART Thankful Thursday: Easter
• My Heart Pieces: Not to be Square
• Sincerely Yours Creations: Easter
• Digi Haven: Easter
• Avadares: Easter or or Spring
• Make it Monday: Anything goes
• Jellypark: Lots of Bunnies
• Simply Create Too: Easter/Bunnies
• Stampin for the Weekend: Child's Play
• Stempelsonnen: Easter
• A Gem of A Challenge: Easter or Spring
• Crafty Calender: Easter
• Di's Digi Designs: Easter/Spring
• Dynamic Duos: Colour Challenge (Black+Saffron)
• Little Claire's Designs: Cards with Folds
• My Sheri: Easter
• My Time to Craft: Bunnies
• One Stop Craft Challenge: Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin: Easter
• Challenges 4 Everybody: Anything Goes
• Glitter n Sparkle: Easter/Spring Colours
• Hobby Cutz: Easter
• Lacy Sunshine: Layer it Up
• No Matter Which Challenge: Anything Goes
• Sentimental Sundays: Anything Goes
• Broken Box Stock: Easter
• Eureka: What's in your Easter Basket
• The Cutie Pie: Easter
• Daisy Doodles Creative: Easter
• Digi Darla's: Easter/Spring
• Love to Create: Anything Goes
• Melonheadz: Easter or Spring
• Pause Dream Enjoy: Anything Goes
• Stamp with Fun: Anything Goes
• The Outlawz Monday Greeting Cards: Layer it Up
• The Pink Elephant: Easter
• The Shabby Tea Room: Anything Goes
• There She Goes: Anything Goes
• Victorine Stamps: Easter
• Whoopsi Daisy: Punch it Out (the little black flowers were create with a flower punch)

A huge welcome also to all my new Followers who have entered my 500-Follower Celebration give-away and also thank you to my loyal and faithful Followers who have also entered.  There is still time until 14 April 2013, to stand a chance to win one of the three $15 DigiStamps4Joy Gift Certificates.  So come on enter, you don't have anything to loose.

{Doing Life} @ Hobby-X 2012 : 1 to 4 March

This was a huge first for my little one-women business (always eagerly assisted by my dearest friend, Michelle).  Michelle and Shelley (my bookkeeper) flew up from Durban early last Wednesday morning and arrived at our home just before 9am.  We had a quick cuppa and then set off for the Coca Cola Dome in Randburg for set up.  

Everything was so well organised from registering as Exhibitors to arriving at our stand with all the furniture which was rented already inside.  Michelle's hubby, Dereck was also visiting Gauteng at the same time and helped us off loading and carrying everything to our stand.  Hubby and Dereck said their goodbyes and left us women to start moving the furniture and set up everything.  After about 75% done, we ran out of Prestik and made our way to the Northgate Shopping Centre across the road to have some lunch at Fego's and restocking on Prestik.  After lunch we finished setting up.  Locked our stand with the safety sail and left for Broadacres Super Spar for a late afternoon cuppa and cake.

We had an early night as we knew some hard work are ahead of us for the next four days.

Needless to say we were buggered on Sunday evening, but all worth it.  We had 108 cash sales and 61 credit card sales which in my view is excellent for such a small business.  It was also great having all the regulars from our previous three Your Family Arts & Crafts Expos at Emperors Palace revisiting us at Hobby-X with their little lists of templates and kits to make sure they don't duplicate with their latest purchase.  Thanks to all the regular Doing Lifers for making the effort to visit us and say hello - it really lifted the tired spirits. Thank you too, to the newcomers for your purchases and feedback. Also a huge thank you to my dear friends Michelle and Shelley for putting in three days leave at their full time work, to come and help {Doing Life}.  And then last, but not least, a huge thanks also to hubby for all the help and encouragement - without whom none of this would have been possible.  He even went and bought {Doing Life} a proper trolley on Saturday, for off-loading all the supplies to and from our stand.

So here's to Hobby-X 2013 - {Doing Life} was the 20th booking.

Aloe Reitzii's flowering in Summer
{January/February 2012}

Its busy stations here at the Fourie household with all the final prep for {Doing Life's} debut at Hobby-X 2012.  My dear friends Michelle and Shelley are flying up bright and early Wednesday morning for 5 days to help me setup and man our stand for the days, 1-4 March.  Excitement is definitely in the air.

We usually associate aloe flowers with Winter here in South Africa.  But this lovely Aloe Reitzii variety flowers in the middle of summer.  At the moment all of them are starting to or are flowering in our garden.  Hard to believe that something so vibrant colour wise, can stem from a little brown knob.  Nature truly never ceases to amaze.

Appreciate all your visits and lovely comments here at {Doing Life}.  Will be chatting to you soon.

Your Family Arts & Crafts Expo @ Emperors Palace

... a very uncomfortable experience

{4 to 6 November 2011}

My special friend Michelle once again flew up from Durban to come and help me for 3 days at the Xpo. Its the third time that {Doing Life} exhibited at this Expo. The previous two times it has been in the Centre Court at Emperors, but this time the organisers EventX could not secure a November date with Emperors and decided to host the Expo in a tent located in the parking area at Emperors. The exhibitors were promised that the tent is of world class standard and fully air conditioned.

It was the worst exhibiting experience we have had and hopefully we will never have to endure such a horrible experience again. On Friday there was a constant strong wind and the whole tent were rattling and shaking, causing a defining noise which made it nearly impossible to talk to potential clients. On Friday, the aircon outlet, in the form of long plastic bag tubes with holes linked to a machine outside the tent, dit not work at all. The heat was unbearable. This aircon outlet was only fixed during mid day on the Saturday. Needless to say, the gimmicky aircon did not make a difference at all and we were uncomfotably hot for the duration of the three days.

Arriving at 6:25am on the Friday, all the furniture we have paid for in full in July 2011 already were not at our stand and we had to wait until 7:45am to arrange this with Emperors security. And this after I sent an email complaint to the organisers after it happened at the previous Expo as well. I was told that the organisers cannot guarantee that all the furniture will be at our stand as they cannot police other exhibitors pinching our tables during Thursday-setup.

Not once during the 3-day Expo did any representative from the organisers, EventX, came to our stand to enquiry whether everything was in order and whether they could assist with anything. 2 days after the Expo the organisers had the odacity sending out the following general email (not even addressed personally to each exhibitor):

"... Dear Exhibitors, I would like to extend our sincerest apology for the weekend past at the Creative Arts and Crafts Expo with a Christmas Twist.

Firstly, we were not given a choice with EmperorsPalace to use the Centre Court in November, so our next best bet was to use a marquee in the parking lot, which to your surprise actually cost us more money than Centre Court Rental itself. The infrastructure, air systems, carpeting etc, normally all comes part of the venue hire, but in the marquee this was all an additional cost for us. For those of you that know our company it’s important to note, that there is absolutely no reason why we would want you to experience a bad show with us, because as long as you are happy and pleased with our expo’s it ensures us that we will have your business again next year. Nothing was spared in terms of the marketing this year, and in all honesty, there is no explanation as to why we had less feet, it couldn’t have been the marquee because the public were aware of it.

We can only apologize for the unpleasant experience we may have caused you in the marquee, and we are looking at a number of ways in which we can make it up to you going forward and return to a good long standing business relationship with you.

Rest assured that we will never host the expo in a marquee again, and should Emperors decline our booking in the main hall next November, it may be better for us not to host the show at all. July Expo will carry on as normal, and we will do everything in our power to re-establish your trust and faith in us as organizers. My sincerest apologies,..."

Apologies for the wining, but I just had to get it off my chest. The good news is that {Doing Life} wil be exhibiting at Hobby-X 1-4 March 2012.

ITS OFFICIAL DOING LIFE's online SHOPPE HAS BEEN LAUNCHED!!!!

- Monday, 10 September 2007

Click here http://doinglife.co.za/ and go and familiarise yourself with the look and feel. Browse to your heart's content. Remember new products will be added very frequently so make a note to pop in on a regular basis. Hope you like. Please test it out and pop me an email with any queries and/or constructive criticism or just if you feel like perhaps dishing out some praise ....

* Comprehensive kits for 12x12" (30x30cm) double page scrapbooking layouts {Incl comprehensive notes, paper, embellishments, picture of layout, template, etc.} {No fussing around for supplies and layout ideas} {Layouts incorporate a minimum of 10 photos per layout - use all those favourite photos on one layout} {One new kit each month}

* Unique Templates {The use of templates with a variety of shapes, facilitates in brainstorming layouts with a difference and utilising more photos on a layout}

* Page Planner Templates {What you see is, what you get. Use the template design as is for a pleasing well-balanced layout. No layout brainstorming required. Time saving.} See Flickers in sidebar on DOING LIFE for examples of layouts done with some of these templates.

* Light Boxes {30x30cm light boxes, fluorescent light fitting, perspex top, 3m cord and fitted plug} {Facilitates the use of templates to draw shapes on back of photos}

* Herma Adhesives {Dispensers, Refills, etc.}

* Photos of Template based Layouts

- DoingLife.co.za's Managing Director signing off