On my Craft tablet

Hello crafters.

I have had a MASSIVE few weeks and I most certainly did burn out mentally, physically and emotionally. The latter is not a good place to be for someone who has depression. 

Over the Easter weekend I was in no so great shape and noticed I had this layout sitting on my craft table which has been there for over a month. With the intention of trying to get myself back in a better mental state I actually got it finished and I LIKED IT! 

Over the year there have been many studies talking about art therapy helping people with depression and other mental health issues. I for one find it deeply beneficial as it was the entire reason for starting scrapbooking. I have been doing art all my life from painting to textiles and fashion and jewelry. Scrapbooking for me indulges my  Stationary Obsession as well as the creative expression. With scrapbooking you are usually working with a photo, I tend to emotionally connect with the image and the moment or a memory around the photo, for me this helps focus the mind. However it is important to choose the right photo as scrapbooking a picture of my dead mother would have been a disaster.  

The weekend after I did this layout I did two other layouts which I still need to take photos of, hopefully this weekend. 

What does scrapbooking or paper crafting do for you, tell your story, I would love to hear.

Wood embellishments and Chippies

Today I thought I would do a showcase of projects I have done showing the use of wood embellishments or chippies. I use a lot of kaisercraft wood embellishments mostly because I wood at the Adelaide Outlet and bought a heap of them before I left. It isn't that I favor wood embellishments  just a matter of accessibility and convenience. I have seen some chippies I would LOVE to get my hands on and do some projects for, which is likely to happen at some point in the future. Some of my favorite projects are:

Some techniques used on these projects are simple painting, using embossing powder, and glassy accents to have a lovely varnished look. 

Mini Album: The Shindig

I made a mini album for a friend who was visiting her sister last month in Perth. The purpose of the visit was a rather special celebration, and after the sister saw the mini album I had made, she wanted one for the photos of her celebration. This is what I made for her.

Challenge Accepted : You Show Me Yours

So, I got roped into a scrap challenged (thanks to Heather and Margaret) held by Lucy Muraca from RedChiChi and it's called 'You Show Me Yours'.  Lucy sends out an image to each participant and they use it to create whatever they wish.  It sounded like a bit of fun so I thought I would join in. 

LUCY EXPLAINS 

What are the rules?

I send you a new image once a month, you scrap it.

That's it!

You put it up on your blog, and link back to this blog.

You also link other participants.

Simply their names which I can pass onto you.

Easy, peasy.

Sound like something you want to join, let me know...

Here is the image.

I decided to take a break from essay writing and sit and watch a lecture on Genetic Behaviour and ended up creating this...

Although what I created wasn't much usual style, I am still rather pleased with the outcome. More so for the fact that I was using paper I really didn't like and is not at all something I can generally work with. 

Some of the other participants of the challenge are:

Helen Wallace http://texturesandtales.blogspot.com.au/

Emma Straface http://emisjustagirlwithideas.blogspot.com.au/

Heather Jacob http://heatherartandlife.blogspot.com.au/ 

Patricia Basson http://patriciabasson.blogspot.com.au/

Lucy Muraca www.red-chichi.blogspot.com

Christina Panetsou http://myembellisheddaydream.blogspot.com.au/

Jennifer Paris Waugh http://allformyprincess.blogspot.com.au/

Margy Milsud http://margyspapergames.blogspot.com.au/

Kerry-Jean Watson www.kerryjeanwatson.com (ME)

A Brother's Birthday

My brother is another year older today. I decided to give him the mini album I made a few months back, and put some old family photos in it for him. 

And then there is the card...

I didn't realise until after I sent off the mini and the card that there were a lot of hot air balloons in this years theme for my brother.

Family Album: The Huggy Bear.

From what I remember of the story, my mother knitted this jumper with a zipper down the front. She didn't take not of the sizing instruction and made the jumper about 5 sizes to big for her. It was then nicknamed the Huggy Bear jumper and was later passed on to my father. I don't know what ever happened to the jumper in the end, but it was a family member for some years, making its appearance during winter.

Family Album: Group photo

Something a little bit different: Kodamas

I am a very big Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki having watched nearly all their animated movies. I recently introduced a few young friends to Studio Ghibli animation and realised I have forgotten about a project I wanted to do years ago.

One of the movies was Princess Mononoke  which is a lovely film. In the movie there are tree spirits called Kodama  which are part of Japanese folk lore. Miyazaki characterized them for his film as these white humanoids that have have little bobble heads. I wanted to sculpt little ones from polymer clay. I was able to find glow in the dark Sculpey III and ended up making these little guys. 

 

Family Album: Father and Son

Father and some bonding, there are a number of these photos in the collection I have.  My brother doesn't look at all interested in what my father is actually saying, but instead is entirely captured by being pulled along.

Family Album: Grandmother

As mentioned in a previous entry, my grandmother was in her late 60's when I was born, and as a result I only really ever knew her as an elderly lady. It was only in 2006 that I saw photos of her as a young woman. Here she is middle aged and sitting for some family portraits. I will post up some other photos of Amy Olwage (nee Viljoen) when I get around to doing the layouts.

Family Album: Group Shot

In this photo from left to right

Eric Olwage (M Grandfather), Peggy Watson (P Grandmother), Micheal Watson (P Uncle), Halcyon Olwage (Mother), Raymond Watson (Father), Amy Olwage (M Grandmother) and Ryan Watson (P Grandfather)

I think this was taken in the late 60's or maybe 1970 I am not sure. 

Family Album: Halcyon Mignon Olwage

It is a little odd looking at photos of a parent when they were 2 1/2 years old. You don't think of your parents as 2 1/2 because well they are your parents, to you they are an adult and have always been an adult. Then the rational mind steps in and goes, "Think about it genius!" I guess for me, I never saw these photos until I was in my late 20's and mother mother hadn't really changed much since i was born because she was my mother and I was around her a lot of the time. The metal frame that is around the one photo is the original frame that the picture was in. I think my grand mother kept it next to her bed and I felt it was important to keep the photos with the the frame, it seemed right. 

Family Album: Memories, Memories Mother

Let me start by saying these two pages were difficult to do, for a few reasons. These are a couple photos that survived of my parents wedding in June 1973, 40 years ago this past weekend. I say survived because my parents separated and divorced in 2000 when I was 21 after which my mother disposed of the "Wedding album". I had mixed feeling about doing these pages as the marriage ended, however in the end I felt it was necessary to include the event in their prospective files as it was a significant moment. In saying that, no I will not be doing a "Divorce" page for each of my parents, that would just be in bad taste.

One story I recall my mother telling me about her wedding was her mother's totally dismay of the fact that my mother is NOT wearing a wedding dress but rather an all in one cat suit with flared pant legs. I never saw the outfit as my mother was not the sentimental type, however she did keep the lace jacket that she wore over the top of the outfit. My mother was a self proclaimed tom boy and never submitted to feminine ways of make up and dresses.  All that a side she did look stunning on her wedding day, she wore that big smile the whole time from what I can recall of the photos.

Family Album: Smiles

I don't have much to say about this layout, apart from I like it. in the photo is my brother, myself and my mother. 

I do miss my mother.

Family Album: Generations

My maternal grandparents were born in 1904 and 1905, my mother was born in 1946 and Danial, my brother and I, were born in the mid to late 1970's by which time my grandparents were in there late 60's. There was a massive generational gap between us and most of the time we seemed alien to my grandparents. As my grandparents live in Johannesburg and my family in Port Elizabeth, we saw my grandparents maybe once or twice a year. It was a 12 hours car ride from PE to Jo'burg and flying in South Africa at the time  was not financially doable. I didn't know Doodie and Ou poppie (what we called them) very well but they were family, I understand now that there were a lot of hardships in both their lives that were never spoken of, mostly because in the time they grew up it wasn't the done thing to talk. I wish I had of  known them then the way I know them now. I do love this photo of us.

Family Album: Grandfather

I found this lovely photograph of my mother father as a young man. His full name is Adriaan Johannes Van Niekerk Olwage but we all knew him as Eric or Oupoppie. When I saw the photo, I knew I wanted to do a layout that was simple but complimented the photograph. I am so happy with how this has turned out and know it will look wonderful in my grandfathers file.

Family Album: Family

So this last weekend I had two solid days of crafting, which was wonderful. After completing some study assignments and lectures I felt it was I was very much deserving of some creative escapism. So, movies were chosen and snacks were bought and I plonked my self down in front of the TV for Saturday and Sunday and crafted away. I was able to complete 10 full pages, the aim wasn't to create master pieces, but to get pages done. I am very happy with all the 10 pages I did and was able to get through a good chunk of stock that it seems I had been accumulating.

In this photo is my immediate family; mother, father, brother and myself, also my paternal grandparents. I have very vague recollection of the day but nothing specific as we did these photo sessions annually. I am starting to get more comfortable with using flowers in my layouts, most because I have a draw full of flowers that really need to be used.

Family Album: Happily Ever After

Danial and I used to get totally immersed in fantasy world play, something that the current generation I think is missing out on. Here we are in our rather large living room playing with Lego and race cars and video tapes and cassette tapes... and of course me in my Winnie the Pooh dance costume from a show I had recently done. I assure you we are having a great time.

For some reason I am not very happy with this layout and how it turned out. It feels very chaotic to me and rather unsophisticated. HOWEVER, I have come to a very strong belief that not all my layouts and works have to be master pieces and this layout will still go in to a file for either my self or my brother. I may not like this layout but I accept it for what it is and will leave it at that.