Some creative juices flowing...

So for all my creative cardmaking and scrapbooking friends out there...I know...it has been a long while since I put anything creative on the blog so this entry is just for you!

On Friday and Saturday I was at a craft market in Dubai prompting scrapbooking and cardmaking and you cannot believe how many South Africans I met popping past the stall. It was a lot of fun but exhausting. I was there from 12h00 - 19h00 on both days and I taught a class doing a Tag Card Booklet - three people on Friday and two on Saturday. It was a lot of fun and it reminded me of my teaching days back home! When I come back from "summer break" I am hoping to get classes up and running here as there has been a lot of interest.

The tag card booklet consists of the following:

• 2 pieces of chipboard/frameboard for your cover measuring 8 x 12.5 cm. You will then need to cut two pieces of scrapbooking paper or cardstock to cover these pieces that are slightly larger. On one of the pieces attach a ribbon across.
• Cut cardstock to measure 12 cm x 30 cm (the black piece in this picture) and a piece of patterned paper to measure 7.5 cm x 30 cm. Put these two pieces together and measuring at 7.5 cm intervals score a line from top to bottom (on a ruler across this should be at 7.5 cm / 15 cm / 22.5 cm).
• Put a strip of double sided tape along the length of the cardstock measuring 12 cm x 30 cm and strips along the scored lines on the patterned paper. Put the patterned paper onto the black carstock, this will create pockets. Fold the scored lines. Working from the left side fold the cardstock in, the next fold will be behind (creating a valley).A
• Attach the back of the folded pockes (right side of the cardstock) to the ribbon piece of chipboard/frameboard (your covers).
• Carefully attach the front piece by aligning it with the back piece.
• Embellish the front cover and then tie the ribbon.
• The tags were creating by cutting cardstock to measure 5 cm x 9 cm and then cutting off a piece of either side to create the tag. Embellish the tags.

Hope this all make sense! Very quick instructions. All I can say is "good luck!" and if something is not making sense email me! Would love to see your creations so once you have made them please scan and email them to me.

The other creative thing I was up to was making door hangers (the type you find at hotels that say "do not disturb!") for my two nieces, Ella-Rose and Madison Grace for their rooms. The template I just made up and then just embellished them using scrapbooking paper and ribbon.
It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed making them.

Okay I am off to be more creative so watch this space!

Our first Dubai Party!

Logan...the guest of honour and Bryce

On Thursday night we hosted our first party in Dubai in honour of Logans birthday (any excuse to have a party). We invited all our friends in Dubai (and that is not many, well...not as many as we have in Cape Town!) and my brothers and sister-in-laws and a lot of fun was had - I had fun anway not sure about everyone else!

It was roasting that evening so much so that we couldn't even go outside (unforunately for the smokers they had to endure the heat!) so we had snacks and drinks inside! A braai (aka barbeque) or a potjie (aka "pot of stew" made on a fire) were out of the question otherwise Peter would have melted into nothingness!

Well, after most people left around 10pm we had our friends Bruce, Celeste, Yolandi and Darryl staying for a long while after (until 02h00). We ended up having a ball singing karaoke (using your imagination) - our hands as mikes - belting out the words to 80/90's music and dancing the night away. We were in hysterics most of the time, especially with Darryl who was in his element when he heard a song of Snaps called the " Rythm of the night" and the likes - he said he hadn't heard "top treffers!" like these in a long time (only if you come from South Africa you can relate and especially if you lived through the 80's and early 90's as a teenager!). Well, that just had me going, I haven't heard that saying in years! Which got us reminiscing about old times! Awesome party and lots of fun! Not sure what the neighbours thought!! So here are some pics of everyone having fun!

Anyone flying over Dubai soon? Please can you throw a bucket of water out your window...desperate to see some rain coming out of the sky sometime! (Just had a look online and it is 31 degrees with 79 % humidity at 21h00 at night - tomorrow is 40 degrees during the day - humidity off the charts!)

Sue and Andy
Me, Darryl & Celeste

Peter Darryl & Celeste - the professionals!

Hip hip hooray...it is Logan's Birthday

Hello, well all I can say is that I cannot believe we are now sitting in June 2008! Where has this year gone! So today we are celebrating Logan's birthday, he turns 4 (he is telling everyone that is asking him that he is 1!) Confused child...maybe!

He was so excited for this day to arrive. I had to count it in the number of sleeps for him and we we started from about 7 sleeps and then after I said 2 more sleeps to him two days ago and he said, "Mom, one sleep and then another sleep and then it is my birfday!" Glad, he has the concept of counting now at 4! Last night, he said that when he get his presents he is going to have a big smile on his face! So cute they are when little people can understand the concept of birthdays! All Logan wants is a play-play quad bike! So we bought him a real one - well, actually a battery operated one. He was so excited when he saw the box with a big grin on his face. He got up this morning at 06h00 (yuck!) and opened his presents (except the quad bike which we gave to him this evening so Dad could put it together and spend time with him). We went out to lunch and Peter managed to join us as well as our friends Celeste, Sue and Luke and then Logan went back with Peter to work which was so nice for him to spend some time with his Dad!
Having lunch!Painting a shark! My new quad bike!

So the mercury is hitting around 40 degrees or more a everyday now (today predictions is 40 degrees with 66 % humidity but I got into the car this afternoon and it was 45!), with the humidity not yet off the charts but if feels like it for me (everyone just keeps reminding me that it will just get hotter - I don't know if I will cope!) I am looking forward to going home for winter!
I am very happy to say that I will be home with the boys around 12 July (so look out family and friends, we are going to party up a storm!) Really looking forward to our six weeks back home and on the first day it rains I think I might just stand out there for about an hour to draw in the water and coldness! Can't wait!

So off to bed - a very exhausting day (for a change!)

The new arrival...

...of our niece, Madison Grace on 25 May 2008 at 18h45. An absolutely beautiful baby girl weighing in at 3.780 kilograms. Fiona - you go girl!!! The birth was done naturally and I mean naturally! No epidural or spinal block!

Some pics of Madison

Congrats Row, Fi on the birth of your baby girl! We are so glad to here to share this joyful occassion with you.

I will be back soon to update you on some cards I made recently...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Today my dearly beloved mother turned ... okay Mom I won't tell them how old you are! A milestone birthday though and the saddest part is that myself and my two brothers could not be there to celebrate with her as we are all sitting in Dubai! Sorry Mom but you know we would be there if we could! We will all make it up to you when we see you soon! Enjoy your time with other part of the family and your party!

You were always there as we grew up

You're as lovely as they come

In the lottery of life, we got the best

We're so proud that you're our Mum

You didn't study for this job

Or have to pass an exam

So how come you turned out to be

The World's Greatest Mum.

So Mom...I want to thank you for your patience... your encouragement... your strength... your generosity... and your unconditional love...love you always! Happy Birthday and may you have many, many more!!!


That was then...16 years old



This is now... mmm...still will keep you all guessing!

Well...life has been a tad bit busy!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY MOM! Also to all those Mother's celebrating I hope you got thoroughly spoilt!

Yep! Surprisingly enough it has all been go, go, go the last couple of days which makes life more interesting in Dubai! So, firstly the drivers license saga... I am pleased to announce I am now a legal driver in the UAE! Peter, the boys and myself drove through back to Abu Dhabi on Thursday (now a week ago!), I had a sense of de ja vu! I could not believe we had to do this trip again but after going through the process and now having the right documents it took about 2 hours to eventually have this id card in my hand! The proof...


On Friday (also a week ago now!) afternoon we went to a South African Freedom Day celebration at a hotel called the Le Meridian Mina Seyahi. What a blast! I was so homesick! We meet our one and only SA friends, Bruce and Celeste there and drank in true South African style! It was extremely hot and humid and the venue was running out of alcoholic drinks...I mean, really people, do you not know that South Africans have a reputation for drinking!!! There was a potjiekos competition, Johnny Clegg and the likes blaring out the speakers, over 2 000 expat South Africans mingled around, drinking, drinking and did I mention drinking! The afternoon also included a drumming session (Bryce also enjoyed a session!), lots of South African accents and a buffet including lots of salad and meat! Peter eventually dragged me away at 20h30! We were expecting my Aunt Gwen and Uncle Tommy from Glasgow on their way back to South Africa after visiting my cousin Cheryl in Edinburgh for almost 8 weeks. Aunty Gwen was lucky enough (and so was Cheryl) to meet Prince Charles on this trip! Anyway, we were expecting them to arrive at 00h30 in the morning so we eventually got to bed at 02h00! So a very long day (although we did nape between 21h30 and 00h00 before leaving for the airport - lucky for Peter's alarm on his cell phone because mine didn't go off otherwise my aunt and uncle will still be stranded at the airport!)




Peter went off to work on Saturday while I took my Aunt and Uncle to the "Mall of Emirates" - a huge shopping centre situated about 10 minutes from us and it also has Ski Dubai, the hugest indoor skiing slope in the world. Peter had Sunday off so we went to briefly have a look at the beach, do a bit more shopping and take pics of the Burj Al Arab. Monday morning I braved the Dubai traffic and drove my aunt and uncle back to the Airport - driving in Dubai is a real experience and you have to have eyes literally in the back of your head as there are some shocking drivers out there! Anyway, I got there and back safely which is what counts! It was so nice to have you here Aunty Gwen and Uncle Tommy - miss you already - see you July!

This picture at the Burj Al Arab with Peter, Logan, Aunty Gwen and Uncle Tommy.
I have also been creative the last few days, making cards but will add them to the blog shortly so you can see. On Friday I went to an Art & Crafts day, did my first cardmaking workshop for one person but I suppose it is was a start! Got a few leads so lets see where that will "lead" me.

Anyway, that is it from me for a while...until later...

The saga continues...

Well, the good news is that I eventually got my resident visa! Woo hoo! Which now means that I can get my drivers license! Double woo hoo! Except...the saga continues...

Yesterday morning Peter and I went off to the Dubai traffic department to get my drivers license only to be told that they will not issue it because my resident visa is issued in Abu Dhabi, another UAE Emirate which is about 140 km's drive away. Peter's office is based in Abu Dhabi and therefore, the reason why it was issued there. Peter and I were absolute sure that there was a law that came through at the beginning of March that you can get your license issued in any Emirate but obviously not!

So Peter decides we will take the drive to Abu Dhabi after work as the Licensing Department in Abu Dhabi closes at 20h00. So if we left around 17h30 we should make it in time before they close. Well, how wrong were we! We did get there at around 18h45, got some forms in Arabic and trying to understand the procedure that the information desk was giving us we eventually find out from a very nice Emirate man that we need to get my driver's license typed into Arabic at a typing office. Okay! So off we rush to find a typing office - one thing about the UAE is that no one uses a physical address here - it blows my mind! Basically, if you follow that road, you will get a building and if you turn right there after the next building you will find it, etc. What more can I say...easy to find! No problem! Wrong again!

So off we head to a typing office, to get what we think are the right documents and head back to the Licensing Department at around 19h30 (traffic is a nightmare and isn't it so true that when you want a traffic light to change it takes forever!) only to be told by the very nice Emirate man that it is the wrong documents! So fustration reigns! We now have half an hour to get to the right typing office in the middle of Abu Dhabi city centre which is about a 10 km drive there and back and be back by 20h00! So we get back into the car and head off to try and find the right typing office! Well, you can just imagine how we were feeling at this stage! Peter and I both felt we were part of an amazing race team trying to find clues along the way, it is still hot at 33 degrees and traffic is still a nightmare! Well, as you can imagine, the odds were against us and we never made it in time. We only found the right typing offices - there was a whole street of them - behind that building that the Emirate man told us - after stopping off at various buildings, asking various people who had no clue what we were talking about, eventually after we were just about to give up Peter spoke to another typing office who graciously explained where we needed to be - two ladies, I must add and guess what! At 20h45 we found the right typing office! Unfortunately we did not make it back to the licensing department in time!

In all this going on we still had Logan and Bryce with us, moaning that they were hungry, irritable because they are confined to the car, they are tired and each time we keep trying to put them off to explain that we have to race again time to get what we need! We eventually only managed to get them supper at 21h00 and Peter and I had a much needed Cafe Latte from Starbucks! We left Abu Dhabi - mission not accomplished! We got home at 23h00 - so what can I say, tired and fustrated we have to put it down to an UAE experience which I am sure there will be many!
This was our second trip to Abu Dhabi - the first was last week Thursday to get visa's for my aunt and uncle visiting this weekend and I took pics of the Sheik Zayed Mosque. It is the third largest mosque in the world - beautiful building - facts about the mosque which has broken a few records:


The carpet laid out on the vast expanse is the "World's Largest Carpet" made by Iran's Carpet Company. The carpet measures 5,627 square meters, and was made by around 1,200 weavers, 20 technicians, and 30 workers. The weight of this carpet is 47 tons - 35 tons of wool, and 12 tons of cotton. There are 2,268,000 knots within the carpet.

• This mosque also holds the largest chandelier. There are seven imported chandeliers from Germany. The largest chandelier has a 10 meter diameter and a 15 meter height.
• The Mosque is large enough to accommodate more than 30,000 worshippers.
• There are four minarets on the four corners of the mosque which rise about 107 meters in height.
• There are 57 domes covering the outside yard and the main building as well. The couryard is paved with floral marble designs and measures about 17,000 square meters.

Abu Dhabi is a beautiful city and true to its Arabic influences. Unlike Dubai which has these huge high rise buildings, Abu Dhabi has only a few high rises in the main city centre.

So I will update with the continued saga...