SOUTH AFRICA .... PART 1

Hello .... Hello ..... it has been a while, hasn't it !!!!
We have just returned from the most wonderful visit home ...... I wish it could have gone on forever. We got to spend time with Family. The kids got to be with their cousins, Aunts, Uncles and Granny and Pappie .... It was truly a very happy time for all of us. Visits like this, really do reinforce to me, that people in times gone by, had it right, Families were never meant to live thousands of miles apart from one another.

As I don't have anything crafty to share with you, or the inclination or desire to create anything at the moment, I thought I'd take you on a pictorial tour of Home. We'll have to do it in parts, as there's a lot to show you. So pack your suitcase, and board a plane with me, and join me on a holiday you'll never forget .......

Our home for the month. My parents live on an Estate, on the shores of the Hartebeespoort Dam. It is gorgeous and very tranquil. Boy Child was in his element of course, as he could fish to his hearts content.

Our second week in South Africa, saw us head off for a week of camping in the Kruger National Park. This game reserve is world renown. Mom and Dad, spend a lot of time visiting the game reserves of Africa .... some more remote than others. Hubby and I (and the kids when they were younger, and don't remember), visited Kruger a number of times when we lived in SA, but never did we see as much as what we saw this visit ...... we were soooo spoilt.

 White Rhino .... these animals are magnificently huge, and are under huge threat by poachers, who poach them for their horns. There is a strong possibility, that unless conservation efforts really work, our grandchildren may never see these awesome animals.

 Cape Buffalo .... we sat for about 20 mins one day, as a herd of over 500 of them crossed the road, to reach the river, to drink. The noise of their hooves, and their breathing was fantastic.

 My favorite - African Elephant. Kruger has a very healthy elephant population. We saw lots of ellie herds, a lot of them had young too.

 Cheetah - we were very lucky to see them. They were obviously not hungry, because there were Impala grazing all around them. They were enjoying the last of the days sun.

 Magnificent, and oh so VERY special. I had never seen leopard in the wild before this. They're elusive and very difficult to see. They spend their days up in the trees sleeping, while they hunt at night. We saw them 3 times this visit !!!! This picture was taken, just as the sun was going down, and he was getting ready to head out hunting for the night. While we were watching him, he let out the most magnificent roar ....... Awesome, Awesome, Awesome !!!
We saw lion too, but the pictures weren't great. So first time ever for me, that completed the Big Five in one visit.

As if that wasn't enough, we saw some other rarities ......
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 Painted Wild Dog ...... a phenomenal sighting ...

  Spotted Hyena ..... we had one that walked around the boundary fence of our campsite each night.
Others weren't so rare, but are still so beautiful to see ...

 Warthog.

 Kudu.

 Giraffe.

Zebra and Impala.

The birdlife, was just as magnificent ...

 A ground Hornbill.

 Crested Barbett .... This little guy hung around our campsite with us.

 Yellowbilled Hornbill.

 White Fronted Beeater

 Pied Kingfisher

Bateleur Eagle

We spent whole days in the car, driving around the park. It is massive. It would take many many hours (not doable in a day) to cross the park from top to bottom or side to side. There are views all around you, so breathtaking.

 Our home for the week. Dad and I at breakfast time.

These pictures are just a few of the hundreds we took this past month. South Africa is beautiful, and diverse (we'll head to the coast tomorrow). Sure, it has its problems, but so does everywhere else. They say that once Africa runs through your veins it never leaves ......... Never was a statement more true !!!!

PROJECT BAG ...

In approximately 48 hours, the kids and myself will be jetting off, to spend a month with my Dad and Mom back home, in South Africa. As you can well imagine, the excitement levels in this house, are currently at fever pitch !!!
The jetting off part of this adventure, translates to around 36 hours (there and back) of time in the air ..... a fact that terrifies me, as I'm deathly afraid of flying. Luckily Girl Child knows the drill, when it comes to her Mama :-) That 36 hours also translates to some wonderful, can be doing nothing else, crafty time. I decided the other day, while I was making sure I had enough yarn and the correct size needles to take with me - before I even gave my clothing a thought - that I must truly be a craftaholic !!!!
This will be my time, to try and meet my goal of 6 scarves, for The Pink Scarf Project.
Now all of the pretty, pink knitting, needs a pretty project bags of its own to be tucked away in .........

I LOVE Ikea ... especially their kitchen linens. This bag started off life, as a dishtowel !!! Who would ever dream of drying dishes with something so pretty?
I folded it in half, and seamed the bottom and side ..... big bonus was, that the seams were already neatly finished. I made a casing using bias tape, that I opened up, and ironed flat. I threaded two lengths of ribbon through to act as the drawstring.
I decided to box the corners, just to give it a little more shape.
Instead of knotting the ends of the ribbon, I finished them off, by crocheting teeny little flowers and leaves (pattern HERE ....thanks Lucy !!!), and sewing them onto the ends.

 The perfect little finishing touch I thought.

Here it is, with its current resident ..... The Romantic Ruffled Scarf (pattern HERE). There are currently 1260 stitches (yes, you read correctly), on that circular needle ..... each row takes some knitting !!! It has been a very fun project to knit though.
I anticipate my project bag will have many adventures in the coming month .... a visit to the beach, and another to Kruger National Park ..... Oh, I can barely wait !!!!

Another quick knitting project that I finished up, was this pair of washcloths (pattern HERE). This is definately my new favorite washcloth pattern. I used I Love That Cotton yarn - I like it a lot. Until now I've always used Lilys Peaches and Cream yarn, which I've found tends to be very rough (and quite harsh on the fingers), this is certainly not the case with this yarn - I found it quite silky soft to work with.

I added these to my Mother In Laws birthday gift.
I think this waffle weave pattern would also make a great pattern for a  mans scarf  ..... I already have a recipient in mind.

On that note, I must return to packing the suitcases ....... until next time .....

CARDS FOR ALL OCCASIONS ....

What do you give someone as a birthday gift, when they have it all ......
I guess you cant go wrong with something practical, so some Handmade Greetings Cards For All Occasions, was what it was to be. They'll be packaged individually with their envelope, in a cello card bag (mine should arrive in the mail tomorrow). I'll make a pretty box to house them, and there you have it ..... the gift that keeps on giving, in a way :-)

The Thank You Cards ...

The Anniversary Cards ...

The Blank (Use For Any Occasion) Cards ...

And lastly, the Birthday Cards .....

I started off, with plain, white 5"x 7" blanks for most of the cards. If I used another color base, I kept it to a 5" x 7" size. It just makes it easier to have them all a uniform size, for when I package them. From there, I decided on the design I wanted. Most of the cards were made using rubber stamps and paper punches. I did use my Cricut for the odd card, but not too many of them. I got a lot of the ideas off of Pinterest - it has a wealth of ideas.

I'm really quite chuffed with how they all turned out, and I hope the recipient likes them.

Time now to go and make Hubby, his Fathers Day dinner of choice :-) Hope you've spent time today making your Dad's and Hubby's feel special ..... It is their day after all !!!

Until next time ....... Take Care.