In The News - Paper and Embellishment Kit - My Color is Beautiful Art, Gifts, Fairs and Birthdays!

Well the paper packs are finally ready to send out, and are finding their way to some special homes.  I was glad I have been able to offer them as a gift for signing up to My Color is Beautiful Art Course.  As part of my lesson we will be working on a canvas, and some of the things in the pack will come in handy.

You will also be able to make other things with the materials in the Kit and each week on a Tuesday I will be showing you just how far the resources will stretch and what you can make.

Included in the pack a selection of:

Paper ephemera

Patterned and hand painted papers

Handmade paper

Die cuts

Ribbons

Findings

Handmade Stencils

Beads and embellishments and much more!

CLICK HERE to sign up for the course and receive your 

FREE PAPER AND EMBELLISHMENT KIT

IF YOU HAVE ALREADY SIGNED UP FOR THE COURSE DON'T WORRY!

I created another kit, with many of the items above but a whole lot more that you can purchase for $9.99 or £6.41 aprox which will include postage and packaging!

The packs are waiting to find creative homes - it could be yours, and there is so much you can do with them! Check out the tutorials I will be doing on Tuesday!

Click on the buy now button to purchase 

Other things to report this week is the EEC Christmas Fair, I had a stall there and it was great to see so many people come out and support.  It was a lovely family event that they put on each year, and lot of preparation and hard work is done by Angie Ng and her team.

I have been working on some mini wall hangings which you will get to see closer over the weekend and they make great gifts.

My stall at the Christmas Fair

We had quite a number of people sign up to win..

 Crafting with Nature in a Weekend: Over Twenty-five Inspirational Projects 

and we have picked out a winner who should get their book next week.

Best thing above all is that we still have our mum here with us and she sees another birthday.  We take a moment to remember our loved ones who are not with us and the gift of life that we have alongside the opportunity we have to make a difference each and every day.  Everyone came round to mums along with the grandchildren who helped her celebrate, catch up and eat cake!

Mum making the most of life.....

Stay blessed and be a blessing!

Why August is one of the best months!

I think that August is one of the best months there is, I know those born in the 11 other months might have an alternative view, but when you really sit down and think about it you will have to agree that August beats the rest hands down.

Ok I guess I am going to have to clarify my comments, but think about it - with August your in the height of the summer, all the flowers are blooming, it is associated with holidays, the schools are off, you get to spend some quality time with friends and loved ones, the bbq's come out and the air is filled with laughter, Pimms and dogs barking playfully!

What if it were all possible?

I don't really drink Pimms and we don't have a dog, but it is a restful month, one for reflection before you get back into the back end of the year with September.  Another reason, and you probably guessed from the start is that I was born in August, and therefore have a birthday coming up.

It is going to be a big one and I have been reflecting on where I am in my journey, how far I have to go, what twists and turns are coming up, sometimes I feel as if I am one of those people with spinning plates and I have to keep them all going, and you are constantly looking to see if there are anymore plates that will be added.  I don't think I will have anything big, but celebrate with family and friends, something small...thought the 'Kensington Roof Gardens' would have been a lovely venue and is on my wish list!!!  I have restarted my exercise routine, and have promised myself that I will treat me as if I were my best friend rather than taking myself for granted, let alone let anyone else.

There are a few more weeks to go and I will be doing something special online during that week here on my blog, so do come back.  I have been playing with supplies and have made this journal, quite a playful journal will see me write my dreams and visions and hopes for the future within its pages..

Celebration playful Journal

It has a piece cut out of the front cover and I drew and pasted a picture there. It is a ring bound journal and the flowers and butterflies are made from fimo clay and it has fluffy wool and wooden beads decorating it!

Inside is a mixture of watercolour paper and decorated paper to use as the mood takes me.

The bird at the back is a reminder to let go of those things that you have no control over and focus on shining that light, and asking that question...'What if it were all possible'!....yes August is one of the best months cause I was born..Blessings to all, and what ever month you were born in you are pretty special as well!

Gratitude's and Celebration - You are Beautiful! - Week 18

Gratitude's and Celebration - Beautiful

You are Beautiful!

Today is a very special day for me.  

My son Sekani turns 18 years old!  

The time has indeed gone quickly and he has grown up so fast.  He has been a joy, obviously mixed with the ups and downs of teenage life!

 My wish has been that he is confident, uses his gifts and talents and steps out boldly into life with enthusiasm and excitement.

He is indeed a beautiful young man.

 Today I am grateful for his life and we celebrate all that he is and all that he is yet to become.

As this week draws to a close can you think of the beautiful things in your life. Do leave a comment and have a blessed weekend!

If you want to see how I made the journal (click here)

Time for Cake...

Alan blowing out the candles with my niece Symphonie looking on

Alan celebrated his birthday a couple of weeks ago and I had decided to get him a cake.  The local supermarket doesn’t have much choice of wheat free cakes so I went to the health food shop instead who had a larger selection, but nothing that visually looked like a ‘celebration cake’.  I ended up getting a Crimbles stem ginger cake, It didn’t look like a birthday cake so I glamed it up a bit and decorate it with some icing.  Not having done this before I wanted to keep it as simple as possible and got the ‘ready to roll’ variety.

What I didn’t bargain for was how much I would enjoy decorating the cake.  I guess it was about being creative, so with the icing, a bit of imagination and colour, anything is possible!

I got some lettering, hearts, sprinkles and got to work.  I even made a mini version of Alan reading his favourite book....the Bible.  I was so surprised at how easy it was and how effective it can be...I know I'm by no means an expert now!.  I improvised a bit and used marmalade to stick the icing but it added a lovely taste to the stem ginger pieces in the cake, in fact it tasted delicious and if you get a chance you should check out some of Mrs Crimbles products. They have also got gluten free recipes.

Taking a stroll down memory lane I thought about growing up as a child and the baking my mum would do...... Mum would bake her famous Fruit Cakes - a moist to the touch cake with flavours that complimented each other in a taste explosion in your mouth.  She baked when we were little and carried on up until around 2000 when dementia began to take hold.  She would put all the ingredients together effortlessly without recipes, holding the secrets in her head.  The cakes would come out perfectly all the time. 

We would argue as kids who would get the bowl or the spoon that that she used to mixed the ingredients as you knew this would taste equally divine, the bowl was the preferred option.  In those days we didn’t have problems with salmonella poisoning or we never heard about it.  I remember us getting excited with anticipation as the baking smells wafted through the sun drenched kitchen, the exotic smells of the nutmeg, mixed spices, vanilla essence and the wine soaked fruit that made the cake so moist.  We longed for it to be cooked and knew mum would let us taste a slice of the not-yet-cooled cake.  When she wasn’t baking cakes she made cupcakes, buns, breads, pies, you name it she could put her hand to it.  When I left home I tried to continue the baking family tradition, but as life took over, the tradition dwindled.  Every now and then I feel the urge to bake and have my sultanas and raisins pre-soaked in wine waiting....

I guess now that I can no longer eat wheat I will experiment with the other flour products you can get, and try out some of the recipes from my book, maybe a cake from scratch is due.....

My son’s birthday is coming up and I’ve brought some supplies to have a go with the baking and decorating, so then I’ll be able to taste the cake as well, will let you know how I get on!