I was so impressed by out featured artist @everythingamylsmith‘s {Flat Lay} last month, that I wanted to challenge myself to step out of my comfort zone and to do something a little different. So I asked the blog team to try the art of {Flat Lay}. I have never done a {Flat Lay}, but this was a lot of fun. Thinking up the different themes and how they relate to me. It was definitely an endeavor to draw on who I am. Of course, me on top of a tall stepladder is never a good thing, but I survived the experience with a few pictures to show.

I hope you enjoy this theme this month.

Writing is a lost art. I remember growing up we did not have internet. In fact, we did not have computers. And yes, I know that I am dating myself, but it is what it is. What we had was the run of the mill snail mail. And I had pen friends. So many of them, that if I had really put my mind to saving my money, I could have traveled to every country in Europe, to Scandinavia, and throughout the UK and I would have had a friend in at least 1, maybe 2 cities in each country, along with a whole lot of family in the UK. I remember waiting, impatiently, for the mail to arrive. There would be a one page letter. When I think about it now, it is almost anti climatic, but in those days it was awesome. What happened to all those pen friends, I have no idea, but today I am still friends with my very first pen friend, Andrew who lived in England, and my Danish pen friend, Lone. Both came over to South Africa to stay with us. Lone when I was in my early 20’s and Andrew when I was married. If you haven’t written a letter for a while, grab a card, and bless someone with some kind words. It will make their day.

Coffee is something I love, but my body hates. I loved the idea of the coffee beans spilling out of the packet and into the cup. So I went to the local Fresh Market and found some Jamaican Blue coffee beans (the kind Richard likes). I have to be honest, the smell is divine and I would love to just pour myself a cup of coffee. Probably I could sit and sniff it for a while and get my fix, but to drink it is like poison for my system.

Many years ago, around 2012, Richard had a group of Portuguese guys come over on business, and he decided to host them one evening for dinner and just give them time out of the hotel room. They were great fun, but the memory of my kitchen floor is something that keeps coming back to me. As the evening progressed, the stickier my floor became. So what were they making – caipirinha. What do you need – limes, sugar, Cachaça, and ice. There was a lot of work that went into the making of this drink, and I think the more that were made, the more that was spilled on my floor. We all had a great evening, and that made it worth the cleaning of the sticky floor before I went to bed.

A couple of weeks ago we went on a staff retreat. This is the second year we have been to this location, and I have to confess I love it. It is art with wood. You pick a project and when you arrive you are shown your project and you have to make sure that the wording on your stencil is correct. Then you begin by sanding your project, then staining your project, then doing a wash of some sort, then adding your stencil (which is an art in itself), and then painting the stencil, waxing your project, and finally adding the hardware. We got to do that all in 2 hours. This flat lay was taken in the staining process. I loved the end results and was able to gift it to my daughter and her husband. I have decided I would like to go back there again and do a 3 hour project. That way I will get myself a nice charcuterie board.

So, tea time is my thing. I can drink tea till the cows come home, as my mother would say. For the most part I love Red tea or as South Africans call it, Rooibos tea. I have been drinking it for years. Every so often, I will pull out vanilla tea, and a lot of memories of my dear friend Gavin, and on occasion Earl Gray Tea. For this flat lay I tried to color coordinate the theme. I had a small tray handy. I raided my cupboard for a sweater and a scarf. I pulled out two of my mothers pass me on’s – the cake plate, and the tea cup. Found the scrabble tiles. Dug out the candles. Borrowed the pine cones from the arrangement in the kitchen. I had bought some tulips to use, but by the time I got to shooting this project the tulips were dying and I had to go and buy some more, but I loved using the dead leaves as well. A nightly habit for me is tea and my book. It is a way for me to destress and let go of the day. Sometimes I destress too late into the night, and then the lack of sleep becomes my stress point, but Friday is just around the corner. The whole project was placed on the carpet in my office, which blended with the colors in the theme.

Last but not least is my wishful thinking. In 2018, Amy and Daniel got married in our back garden in a small and intimate wedding ceremony. Amy had lost contact with her friends as a result of being overseas for almost 3 years, and Daniel’s family could not travel out for the wedding. Their plan was to go to his family the following year. However, that was postponed due to his legal US paperwork. In 2020, covid happened and we could not go. In 2021, Richard was diagnosed with melanoma, and covid was spiking in Europe again. In addition Amy was pregnant and was too far along for traveling. Luka was born in December. So we are now 4 years later, and have still not got back to Macedonia.

However, It’s official, Amy and Daniel have booked their tickets, and the date for their family and friends reception is set for mid July. They want us to go with, and I very much want to go. Richard wants to wait for the results of his Pet Scan, which is at the end of May, before we book our tickets. So I am praying that he has nothing to worry about and that we get to do some traveling in July. This flat lay is me prepared to travel. Of course there is so many things to do, but I am working on them in anticipation of us traveling. Aside from the reception, and spending time in Daniel’s home town and meeting the family, Luka being baptized, there are plans to go to Ohrid, which is on the lake, and to the capital Skopje. I am excited about the thought of traveling, and seeing new places. I tried learning the language when we first talked about going and then it kind of fell by the wayside. I have all of 2 words right now – hello – Zdravo, and goodbye – chow (although that is not what google tells me).

This is a circle blog and as I mentioned, we have some very talented ladies in the group. The sneak peaks are stunning and I cannot wait to see the rest. Take some time to follow the links and see what they have for you this month. My incredibly talented friend Kathrine of Cobert Photography up next is up next. I can’t wait to see what she has to share. You can see more of her work by clicking on her Facebook and  Instagram pages. Definitely check out her incredible art.

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