What a weekend...!

Oh. My. Gosh.  I know it's a bit early in the week for me to be blogging but... 


The bad news...on thursday evening my hubby's car died as he got home. Not a problem, I'm not working at the moment, so he borrows mine on friday morning. The SNAFU occurs later as I'm on my way to pick up my girls from school... MY car starts making funny noises...so I check with my mechanic friend whether it's a drivable noise or not...his face said everything! So we go from 2 cars to 0 cars in 12 hours and I have a hair appointment and children and a husband to fetch...!
Andrew now has a new car battery (R900 later...ouch) and mine is going in tomorrow for 2 days to have the cambelt changed (double ouch!) 

On the good side, spring has finally arrived here at home, we've had the most glorious weather this weekend! So to celebrate Spring (and because I had no car so couldn't go anywhere), I finished my Spring tangle! It was inspired by Shelly Beauch...I just love her tangles!

Spring...tangles used: florz, fescu, pendrills, squid, jetties, munchin (and some others I don't know the names of!)

 

 

 Chat later

Pennyb

 

A Whale of a time!

Spring is in the air and the whales are here!!

It's one of my favourite times of the year... we get the Southern Right whales all around our coastline, but particularly on the Indian Ocean side, calving. It's the most magnificent thing to be driving along or walking on the beach and 100-200m away, are these magestic creatures "frolicking" in the water. I was sitting in a coffee shop on saturday (having coffee, strangely enough...) while my eldest was at surfing watching this whale playing. 

A Southern Right Whale "Sailing"

The Diva's challenge this week was to make a Pinwheel for Peace...and today just happens to be the International Day of Peace. I visited the Pinwheels for Peace site (courtesy of The Diva) and loved all the colourful pinwheels with messages from all the children, so my tangle this week was inspired by these children's creations.

My gannet's school uniform is going through a transformation at the moment...after 60+ years, it's being updated, with the Primary and High School having the same basics. It looks so smart! Here are both my girls in their new uniform! (For summer, the stockings change to white socks..easy peasy...and the shirt underneath is a "golf shirt" worn out!)

Michaela (youngest gannet) and Caitlin (eldest gannet) in their new uniforms!

Have a wonderfully creative week everyone,

Pennyb

...and a big HELLO to everyone!

So we're supposed to be experiencing Spring at the moment...I think the great weather person out there has decided to punish us for the Indian Summer we had in the middle of winter...it cold and rainy...still!

The Diva's challenge this week was LOVE in remembrance of the 11 Sept tragedy that hit New York 10 years ago, and a very fitting challenge it is. Thoughts to all my new friends in USA on this sad day.

Weather aside, onto creative things....I Mooka'd a heart about 2 months ago in my Moleskin sketchbook and then got stuck...but challenge #39 has now evolved from said heart.

Challenge #39: All you need is love

I've also played around with paradox...having done it for the first time in the previous challenge...I was determined to get my head around the curves of the pattern! (Thanks again to the Enthusiastic artist for her wonderful tutorial!)

Paradox-icated!

School sport has come to an end for the term - finally - so afternoons are a bit more relaxed for now! Excpet Nippers has started again...so we spend every sunday at the beach (I can think of worse things sometmes :))  I've taken a photo from the mountain of Fish Hoek Beach for my new friends, so they can perhaps understand why we spend so much time there...the Life Saving club is the large grey building...where we spend most of summer!

Fish Hoek beach on the False Bay coast on a windless day!

Especially for Terri....my brother started the whole "gannet" thing...he was staying with us for the weekend with his son, and the 3 kids spoke and ate non-stop, the whole day...so they were called gannets, because gannets are very noisy birds that eat all day!!

Keep creating

Pennyb

Bokkie Day!

And so it begins...Go Bokke Go! 

Having finally got over Soccer World Cup fever, we are entering Rugby World Cup Mayhem...every Friday is Bokkie Day here at home - even the gannets are going to school dressed in green and gold! So instead of rugby and braais, we have rugby and breakfast for the next few months ...or so! 

Me in my hubbies Bokke Jersey, because it's too small for him!

 

 Challenge #38 was a real challenge - no pun intended... - I've NEVER done Paradox before! I did, as was suggested by the Diva, go to the Enthusiastic Artist's Tutuorial, and ...voila...my tangle! Thank you Margaret for helping me out!

Challenge #38

 

I've found this African rural picture and was hit by a need to tangle it....so, I water-coloured it first and then tangled on top!

 

African Tangle

Tangles used (that I know of...): zander, facets, keeko, printemps, florz, shattuck, lilypads

 

Tomorrow is crunch day for the eldest gannet and her netball team...we have the district finals (4 districts: NSEW), and they won the South district...7 teams and a round robin to determine the top U12 netball team in the Western Cape...no pressure !

Happy creating

Pennyb

.

Happy Spring Day!

Hello again, and Happy Spring Day to all of you in the southern Hemisphere! In Cape Town, however, the weather is just reminding us that it can change...it's very windy, overcast and rather chilly with rain due tomorrow!(PS: it's raining now...we've decided it's the weather supporting Rhino Poaching Awareness month!)

I've had wonderful week tangle wise...my clay tiles came back from firing ...and they look stunning! I painted the whole tile with underglaze and then scratched out the tangles with a porcupine quill! I'm now going to do another set with exactly the same patterns, but the dark glaze on the white tile.

The pots are pinch pots...and the first ones I've ever made!

A close up of two of my tiles.

  
Challenge #37 - "Kiss my Grids" - is one of the quickest challenges I've done...I like the grid tangles and I used one of my favourite tangles with variations.

Challenge #37 using Bales

My hubby is due back from Amsterdam tomorrow morning, after being there a whole week on business, it will nice to have him home again. We've decided that next time he goes to Amsterdam, I'm going with him! Just imagine all those art galleries of famous people I can visit...

The eldest gannet is having surfing lessons on saturdays now is loving it! (See the collage below for proof - hee hee) Nippers has also started with winter training (for those who don't know, Nippers are U10, U12, U14 lifesavers in training), so our weekends are now being spent on the beach...roll on summer...and the sun!

Thanks to all the visitors I've had to my blog...I can't believe I've had 1000 visitors since I started! Thanks for all the wonderful comments you 've  made, I'm enjoying meeting you all! 

Keep crafting

Pennyb

Phew!

What a week! I am a very proud mom...my two gannets excelled themselves this week...the youngest played in her second netball match - ever - and the determination on her little face is precious. The eldest gannet and her team won all their matches for the season, and went to round 1 of the inter-zone playoffs...and won both their matches!! Round 2 is next week and then the finals! The eldest has also been "called back" by an American University group doing a movie using some of the Primary School children...holding thumbs!

Fish Hoek Primary U12 superstars!

Caitlin got her best goal average in this match!

Look at the determination on that precious face! (black and white team)

 
Challenge #36, from the Diva herself, had us trying out Assunta - Rick's "birthday tangle" to Maria. I wanted to try tangle a grid that got progressively bigger ...not sure I like mine, but here it is anyway!

Challenge #36

I was invited to the Culture and Service Awards at the high school last night...(I'm usually the organiser, so it was quite special) and was honoured by the principal at the end of the evening for the contribution I've made to Culture over the last 18 years. I was very touched and totally overwhelmed! It was a very special moment in my life, especially when some pupils came over and told me I had made a difference to them and that I was missed. 

So while this life chapter closes, another opens and I can start a whole new adventure...and as Abraham Lincoln once said "It's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years."

Pennyb

Creative Fun...

Hello everyone!

You remember last week I told you about a fabric bowl I was going to try... well...here it is!! It was really very easy to assemble and looks great! It's also fully reversible and hand-washable (I'm going to put in my washing machine this week just to see how that works). I HAVE to make some more!

What do you think?!

Onto tangles and things.....Challenge #35 by guest Challenger Margaret Bremner involved "a tile on a tile". I really liked this idea, because if you get the black and white contrast right, then your 2 tiles pop out!

Tangles used: eye-wa, florz, bales, sez, lilypads, hollibaugh and a sort-of-flux!

I'm now busy crocheting a sleeveless jersey with hood in a red/ochre/black etc speckled wool. Did you know that crocheting uses more wool than knitting?! I'm still making crocheted socks...everyone seems to want some as bedsocks! 

Went for a walk on the beach on Monday...the weather was so still but chilly...I tend to travel everywhere with my camera at the moment, and so had to take this photo...I know I said it last week, but I love where I live.

Fish Hoek Beach overlooking False Bay

And so, another weekend is around the corner adn more creative things beckon...

Enjoy

Pennyb