Cosmo love...

Yip, i fall in love with every range of Cosmo Cricket!!! Unfortunately they are not available all the time in our local shops, any way, used this range again on Chantel's Engagement Album. I loved making this book (although i had only 2 evenings and one afternoon) to finish it. I always get these "brilliant ideas" on no.99 and usually there is hardly enough time to finish. I made this in the form of a Guest Book, the pages are filled with little envelopes with tags where all the guests could write letters and sign their names. Such a fun idea and it worked wonderful, i also took pictures of all the guests attending the Engagement Party, but I must still add the pics to the tags.

This morning Wilna asked the question, what makes life worth living?, it got me thinking.....
God formed me in His Divine Mind, He had a purpose for me being here, living this life with my husband, children, family and friends. I am here for a reason, not just by accident, and so are you!! Our purpose is to serve Him, be His children, and that alone, should be reason enough to make life worth living!
Untill tomorrow...
k
xx

Life on the farm...

is incredible!! I love everything about nature, and for a large part of my life i lived on a farm as a child, now my children are blessed to experience the same! We worked so hard on the house, took us forever to paint the inside, now they are busy with the outside, once it is finished, i'll post some pictures! For now, i want to share my first movie with you, photos are from the last photo shoot with my son and my two nieces, Chantal and Stephanie. I took these pictures two weeks ago, a day before Chantal's engagement, on the farm in one of the fields. Enjoy the beautiful mountains in the pictures, we are totally surrounded by them, amazing to see God's creation, perfectly created, just like us!!

May God bless you today, and may you experience the comfort of the Holy Spirit in it's fullness!!
love
k
xx

It's me...

i am so sorry, but i am burning to share all that has been happening to me lately with you all, but for some or other reason, i cannot seem to upload any photo's, any help out there???
be blessed
k
xx

i am so alive!!!

and thank you so very much for all of you who missed me, i am so sorry for not at least leaving you a note to tell you about all the changes in my life!
We are moving in three days time, so, most of my stuff are packed, and i had to complete so many things for the new magazine i am working for!!! Be patient with me for a few more weeks, then i'll be unpacked and online again, we are moving to a farm (i am so blessed) and i still have to sort out 3G card or something to get the Internet running again in my new home. God has been so faithful in all His promises to us as a family, i want to shout it out from the rooftops!
I will post pictures of our new home, thank you for being patient with me, and i also miss communicating with all of you so much!
take care, i will visit your blogs and let you know when i am up and running again!
all my love
karin
xx

why i love paint...

cause i have to paint!! seriously, one of the previous houses we stayed in was really every room a different colour! i've calmed down a bit, but just a bit, now i paint as much as i can in my scrapbooking, and i love it!!
made this page for Gemma, after reading one of God's promises to me again this morning, and this is my prayer for her, that this will be true in her life one day!
Jeremiah 29

For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope!

Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for me with all your heart!

And I will be find by you, declares the Lord!!
This promise has pulled me through some really tough times, and i remind God constantly of this promise!!
Seek Him with ALL YOUR HEART and every promise in the Bible is yours,
He is such an awesome Father!

all my love
coveredinpaintkarin
xx

calling out to you and me...

He has fire in His eyes, and a sword in His hand,
Riding a white horse across this land,
Calling out to you and me...
"Will you ride with me!"
and i say, "YES, YES LORD, i'll ride with Thee!"

Isn't this AMAZING???
I've been listening to this song the whole week, and unfortunately for those around me, i've been singing along every time!!
it's not all i've been doing, made some cards...













Not really my style, but i had to make an example of a certain technique, just dunno what i'm going to do with all these cards!! lol

Have you been grateful today?
i am grateful for God's financial provision, for the food on our table today, for being healthy, for being loved by my family and friends, for my work, for the rain we had today, and for God's children listening to His Voice!! Today all the glory to Him who provides for His children!!
looking for me? - i am out riding on a white horse with my Lord!
love
k
xx

tag-a-long

on my journey... i'm preparing an article for a scrapbook magazine, and i loved making these tags today! i'll give you a sneak preview...
This was truly a wonderful Sunday, Bouts and I both teach Sunday School, and today we had class together! It was very cold, (well, for Tzaneen anyway) and we decided to sit outside in the sun. So, we all lined up against the wall, sat like ducks in a row, bathing in the sun and discussed 1 Corinthians, it was amazing! Very interesting book in the Bible, and because the people of Corinth were from different religions, this often caused problems in the church, and created a need for Paul to write this letter!

The Word i do want to share with you today is in Isaiah 26:3

You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind (both its inclination and its character) is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You and hopes confidently in You,
so, trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him) forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock (the Rock of Ages)

Oh wow!! these are powerful words, pray, live and breathe them this week, let them be part of who you are and true in every thing you do!

The best part of this day, however, was my visit to my friend, Claire's blog, please visit her and see this wonderful gift she has given me!! I feel spoiled and loved today because of you Claire, thank you so much. Would all my blog readers please be so kind as to leave her a message and tell her what a good heart she has?? I thank you!

from a "committed to my God" girl
k
xx

It is all about Family...

The most important thing in this world is our Families, and i want to stand with Joshua!

Joshua 24:15
and if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell, but
as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!

Regardless of what other people may think, serving and following God really is the only way to live a fulfilling, victorious life!
Do not let anyone steal from you what Jesus died to give you - freedom - freedom to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit for you as an individual! - Joyce Meyer

Oh, my heart just overflows with love and gratitude for my family, if living this life is like a writing a song, my family is the melody to already perfect words of love!


Please remember every day to pray for your Family, i do feel that it is the most vulnerable place in every person's life, and we need to trust in the Lord to protect us! This third kit that i've designed is my visible prayer to God to protect and bless my Family!
a hug and a kiss
k
xx

i received a letter...

in the post today!!!!! All the way from America, my friend Jen (aka Zoey's Mom) send me an authentic birthday card!!!! I totally love it! Thank you so much Jen, you made my day!
I was so inspired that i went digging in all my stuff to make cards, and i found these two cards, made them last year September at the Scrapbook Expo! Oh please, post a letter to somebody you know today, it is an incredible feeling to receive an actual hand written letter again, and not just email, you are truly a star Jen!
An amazing thing happened, one of my pages featured on the Making Memories Blog and i did not even see it, thanks Jen for letting me know!

I found Jabez's prayer again this week, and it changed me all over again!

1 Chronicles 4:10
Jabez cried to the God of Israel saying: Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and You would keep me from evil so it might not hurt me!
And God granted his request

so simple, and yet to powerful!! my prayer for you this week, is that you will pray this with a pure heart for yourself and your families, and that God will grant your request!
love from a blessed girl with enlarged borders!!
k
xx

His beloved...

Psalm 127 says:
It is vain for you to rise up early, to take rest late, to eat the bread of {anxious} toil - for He gives {Blessings} to His beloved in sleep

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. We may be able to build, but what we build will not last if God is not involved in it. He is our Partner in life, and as such, He desires to be a part of everything we do. God is interested in every facet of our lives. Believing that truth is the beginning of an exciting journey with Him - Joyce Meyer

Oh, my heart is completely filled with these words, so true and amazing, i want to read this every day, and not only for my marriage, but i want it to be true in every thing i do!
This is the second kit i designed, and this time it is "17 years in review", the "then" and "now".
i don't say this often enough, i am thankful to a wonderful Lord, who blessed me with my family, i am His beloved, He gives me blessings in my sleep!
my cup runneth over
k
xx

God is good!

and it is amazing just how good!! We found the perfect charming little house, right in the middle of town for our new offices, came to us very unexpectedly, and that after all the estate agents in this town tried to get it for years!! I love, love this house, i think over seventy years old, and we are now restoring it to former glory!! We have really worked very hard this week, and i was just to tired every night to scrapbook or write my blog, forgive me!
But, this weekend, i am alone, all the men in this house are going to a farm very, very far from here to hunt, they are so excited, SO AM I, cause i am going to lock the gate and just CREATE!!
This page here is the second page of a double layout, and you know me, i find a new technique and and use it obsessively until i find the next new thing to do. At the moment it is layering, the whole collage thing fascinates me tremendously, and i love the look.
i pray that you will be protected, and cherished by God for the rest of this week, and that if you are maybe down and a bit depressed by your circumstances, that you will find joy and comfort in His Word, just sit down and read, the answer is there!
hang on, and i love all of you!
k
xx

what i know

after 17 years if marriage,
love is very hard work, but the reward in the end is worth everything!
To have is marriage without God is not even worth the effort!!
Having children with the man you love, is the most fulfilling thing in this world!
Only take advice from a man who listens to God!
Give everything you have, you will receive so much more!
True love, is accepting each other just as you are!
Happiness comes from within, it is not something somebody can give you!
Faith is the foundation of any relationship!
Broken trust can heal, if you truly want it to!
To love is a choice, and not a feeling!
Laughter heals all pain!
signing off with gratitude...
k
xx

17 years, and he's still the one!

yip, 17 years of marriage today, and he is still the one i love!! lots of laughter, lots of tears, lots of love and lots of fighting, but still together and happy! the best thing of these 17 years are two precious boys, and i must admit, being away from home without them was very nice and romantic, but, did we miss them!!!! We came back on Friday, but they left of a church camp on Thursday, we will only see them tomorrow, i can't begin to tell you how much they are missed!!
i have to start with a "thank you" to my sister-in-love, for making all the arrangements for us to go away, i know she helped my darling husband, and from me to both of them, from the bottom of my heart, i loved every moment! we went to Crystal Springs , a Mountain Lodge near Pilgrims Rest! What a fantastic place!
We kept the fireplace burning all night, since it was cold, spend
some time in the heated indoor pool and hiking in the Mountains (realized we need to exercise more) I loved browsing through all the little shops in Pilgrims Rest, the whole town declared a Monument, in memory of the gold rush during the late 1800's and early 1900's. Amazing place, full of history and charm! All i can say, it turned out to be the best birthday and wedding anniversary ever!!

By the way, i've been tagged by Crafty Chris, 7 random facts/habits about myself, here goes!!

1. Orange is my favourite colour and my favourite fruit

2. my favourite actor is Andy Garcia, not a better looking man alive in this
world! (sorry to my DH)

3. i love animals more than people

4. i cannot keep a secret, i tell them all to my husband (if you don't mind him
knowing your secret, you can tell me)

5. i hardly ever cook, my husband does all the cooking (he loves it)

6. i will marry my husband again.

7. i love the Lord, and He is the most precious relationship in my life, above my
husband and above my children!

i in return choose to tag Lara, Claire, Tasha, Judith, Esther, and Lisa!
so, ladies, let us see those nasty habits!!
take care this wonderful weekend,
with love and a kiss in the Mountains
k
xx

it's my birthday!!

First time in 17 years, a birthday without my husband!! i woke this morning at 5, cried a river of tears, not because i miss my hubby, but because today is the first birthday that i realized, never again will my Dad or Mom phone me on my birthday. i always phoned them very early in the morning on the day of my birthday, and when they answered, i sang to myself. it was always such a joke between us!! will there ever be a day that i don't miss them so much??
and then, my husband phoned, (he is away on a church camp)and i cried some more, and then i was ok. He is definitely home sick, phoned 4 times today!! the kids and i left Tzaneen at 6 this morning, Nino played rugby in Pietersburg, about 100km from here, they won 29-6, such a nice gift on my birthday!
Jolene, Amaro and Gemma arrived at 3 o'clock this afternoon, i can't believe how much Gemma changed since my last visit to them, they grow a mile a minute!
then, the most funny thing happened, a few of my friends planned a surprise birthday party for me, since all our husbands are at the same camp! very nice, except the invitations to my surprise party went out on sms, and by accident they send it to me too!! i wish you could see their faces when they arrived at our house, and the table was set, all ready for the pizza and cake!! it was so funny, we laughed for the first 20 minutes non stop!!
in the end, it turned out to be a fantastic day, and although i feel like an orphan, and had to endure a birthday without my fantastic husband, i realized that God blessed me with a loving family, and wonderful friends. To all of you who remembered, and left me comments, i love you!!
my cup runneth over...
love
k
xx

is it wrong?

to be this proud of your own child. We spend the rest of the day on Sunday after church at this beautiful place not far from Tzaneen, it is the largest Baobab tree in the Southern Hemisphere, breathtakingly beautiful! This is my 14 year old son, riding this 4wheeler like a professional, apart from closing my eyes every time i take a picture, cause i am so scared for him, my heart just filled with pride looking at him! To me, he is beautiful, i love how tall and proud he is, and most of all, i love his sense of humour!







Standing next to him Sunday in church, looking up at his face, i felt on top of the world, my heart exploding with love for our two boys, they turned out fine young men! If i sound terribly proud, it is because i am! i also know that many of you share the same feeling for your children, and i often remind myself that they are a gift from a loving God, and i want you all to pray with me tonight for the many children in this world who are abused and neglected, and to also pray for our own children, that God will protect and bless them!
i share with you this photo of the Baobab tree, pretty amazing to think that one tree can be this big. In the front, where the chairs are, there is an opening in the tree, and they actually serve refreshments in there, i must admit, a strange feeling to stand inside a tree! For those of you who still plan to visit South Africa, and the South African ladies, do treat yourself to plan a trip to see this wonder!


proud mom signing off
k
xx

Blue creativity....

i love it when i wake up very early in the morning, and while looking out on the garden, my mind starts forming a scrapbook page. these are normally the pages i love most!
this one lingered in my mind from yesterday, started last night to put everything together, and only got time to do the page this afternoon. i hardly ever use blue, still, i love the effect and made a mental note to self to use it more often.
Do you have a specific colour that you hardly ever use in scrapbooking? why?

Tread softly where the angels sleep, walk on air not to break the silence. Let your soul be lifted by their beauty and let your heart be filled with love, when you walk by softly where the angels sleep...
k
xx

made this page for Gemma a while ago, telling her all this...

i recently came to the conclusion that perfection is a state of the mind. I love that at this very moment in your life, perfection is not even a word in your vocabulary, not an issue at all! The most amazing thing of all is this, you are perfect, and so am I! Not perfect like the world out there defines, but a perfectly created girl, perfectly created by God!

Just like every other creature in this Universe, perfect in our own place and time. My prayer is that you will remember this as you grow older, to always judge yourself by God's standard, and not by man's. I pray that you will know the definition of perfection by the time you will discover the imperfect places on your body, when you look in the mirror and realize that cellulite is not a state of the mind, but a reality.
i want you to remember then that you are loved, with a perfectly Divine love!
with all my heart
k
xx
my email address: lasbotha@mweb.co.za

it's all about colour...

i went into a house today, painted in real European colours, and i truly loved it, perfect with the modern style of the house, very clean and neat. now, i learned something valuable today, you are either a bright colour person, or you are not! i am, i've known that all my life, but i also really like the white clean look, something that is not visa versa! People who prefer the white and simple look, really don't like bright colours, it is just to much for them. i got home, walked into my VERY GREEN AND ORANGE kitchen, a killer for the faint at heart, but boy, do i feel right at home here, so perfect in place with all the bright colours!
i love, love, love our home!
am i right in saying all this???? let me know....
love from the not so faint at heart
kolourful karin
xx

do you have a favourite page?

why do you scrapbook? i can think of a million reasons why i scrapbook, but in fact, there are only two!
1. i want to tell the story as i live it...
2. i have to create, everyday, not because i want to, but because i have to, it
comes from my heart, no choice in the matter!

So, now comes the big question, have you, in any form of scrapbooking, recorded the one thing in your life that you hardly, or never, talk about? have you told the secret? the one thing that maybe changed who you are, or define who you have become? scrapbook your story, even if it is just for yourself, put it down on paper, share with yourself....

today i looked through a few of my albums, reading the words i've written down, and when i got to this page, i stopped, these are my favourite pages, they live in a very special place in my heart!
i share them with you, most of you have seen them already, and i invite you all to do the same, show me your special pages!
lotsalovefrommyheart!
k
xx

it's a card!!

although i know that card making is an essential part of scrapbooking, i make only a few cards every now and then!! and then, when i do make them, i LOVE IT!!
this got me thinking (hard thing to do), we don't send birthday cards anymore, it is either a phone call or a visit on birthdays, no more letters or cards in the mail.











Do you still do that??i've decided to change that from today, i am going to send birthday cards to those i like, love, appreciate and admire, in the post, with a stamp and a postman to deliver! if you fall in the above category in my life, please email me your postal address, if you read this blog, please do the same cause then you definitely fall under friends!! Let me know who you are, and don't forget to send your birthday date also! please, please, please, i want to mail some cards!!
i made these cards for my friend Rachel's daughter, Danika, it is her 12th birthday today, and these are the invitations to her "dress-up" birthday party on Friday.
My sister-in-love, Anna was visiting over the Easter weekend, and she donated all the beads for the bracelets we beaded for the girls as part of the invitation. Danika send me some photo's of herself, all dressed-up, so that all the girls can see the theme and have an idea of what to wear, i think she looks stunning in her flower dress and hat!!

















i put the photo's on little tags in the invitations, so that her friends can use them afterwards as bookmarks, maybe put them in their Bibles to remember to pray for her! i hope that you enjoyed your Easter weekend, and that you were all blessed in a special way, and that you all remembered that Jesus died for us, so that we can have eternal life!
signing off with joy in my heart!
k
xx

God's gift...

to us is this beautiful earth. We live in the country, what a privilege, i'm not a city girl at all, and this is why...



i spend most of the day at this beautiful Game Lodge, and i still dream of Africa!
have a blessed Easter
k
xx

Why i love April...

Oh, how i love April, my favourite month of the year. I made this page today to celebrate this month, love the fat ladies, i had to draw it by hand from a picture! used some of my material paint to do this, and as usual i love the bright colours.

Why i love April...
1. It's my birthday
2. and my Wedding Anniversary
3. Easter
4. Holiday for our kids
5. Just before winter, it's the best weather. not so extremely hot anymore!

This year it is even more special, Bouts and i are going away for our wedding anniversary, alone!!! For the first time in 17 years we are going on a short holiday without our children, and you know what, i think they love the idea!
i hope that your April will be special too...
happy love
k
xx

it's nearly Easter again...

it's time for a new Easter page, this was my page from last year...
i love how life is a journey, and how we have no choice but to travel on this road. i love the dance i'm dancing at the moment, how i often loose my step, just to recover and in the end it is just perfect harmony...
in love with life
k
xx

itsa twoooooooo!

yip, it is time for class no. 2 on Designers Notes and again i'll give you a sneak preview....

This time it is not a double layout, but a mini album, made from scratch, and it is all about the glorious animals in our home. Do you also believe that animal lovers are good people??

Today has been a good day, I went with one of my agents to a beautiful Game Farm, we are working together on a client, so just remember, next time you want to buy/sell property, visit us! There was this amazing, totally tame warthog, still a baby, and so very cute!! He followed us around like a puppy, i don't think he has a clue that he is in fact a wild animal. I stood on the deck of one of the chalets, looking at the crocodiles bathing in the sun, and just realized once again, i love Africa, it is in my blood and part of who i am.

signing off with an attitude of gratitude
k
xx

i've done it!!!

i am now officially on my own with scrapbooking, designed the first scrapbook kit, and as from tomorrow, i'm selling!!
Good news to the Tzaneen ladies, the price of the kit includes a class fee, the class will be on Saturday, 31 March, but, the bad news is, there are only six kits available. So, unfortunately, the first six ladies that book are in!!
this is what it looks like....

i absolutely have to share this picture with you, this is my new favourite picture of my Hubby....

Please have a great day tomorrow.....i leave you with this!
Isaiah 42...I the Lord have called You for a righteous purpose and in righteousness, I will take You by the hand and will keep You, I will give You for a covenant to the people for a light to the nations, to open eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon....
I am the Lord, that is My Name, and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to graven images....
k
xx

i d'claire

that scrapbook weekends away rocks!! it was such fun, and i loved the logo - ladies from Designers Notes are Claire and Dee - hence - i d'claire it a huge success!!

Wow, check out this girl's review of the Bundu weekend, this is what i call detailed!!

it was such fun, i loved teaching to some amazing women and enjoyed even more attending a class for a change!! had a mini make-over and photo-shoot - i am in love with Klynt (can't wait to visit him at his Guest House later this year) for another scrapbook weekend away!!)he was just amazing as a make-up artist!
Then there was the ever so talented Estelle, who made us all look amazing in front of the camera, thank you Sweetie, you were great.
This is from my shoot....

since this is my better side, you must all please walk on your hands from now on...
i have to share the scrapbook pages, this was from Dee's class...











Claire helped us to make the most amazing window box, mine is already in my office on my desk, i'll take a picture later for everybody to see!
I designed this double layout, and loved teaching it...











All i can say is, make sure you don't miss out the next scrapbook weekend, i will let you know in time to book!
have a blessed day...
k
xx