Two African Men

Good morning! 
Another lovely day today. I am planning more gardening and some prep for my workshop on Saturday.
Today on fb I got a friend anniversary memory from 5 years ago and thought it would be the ideal day to show this card.
People who speak to me will know that it doesn't take long before I start talking about my Kenyan friend!  He sent me a friend request 5 years ago today - I normally reject requests from men I don't know unless they are obviously interested in card making, but for some reason, I thought it would be interesting to have a friend in Africa, so I accepted it.  He messaged me and told me a bit about himself, he was a student and wanted to improve his English by chatting to me online.  I agreed, and so began our journey

He was painting amazing little pictures to go on cards which he was selling to help pay for his education, I asked him to send me some and was amazed at how lovely they were.  One thing led to another and I agreed to support him through his schooling.
Not only did we share a love of cards, but also a love of nature, his dream was to become a tour guide for a safari company, which must have seemed like an impossible dream for him, considering his situation.






That dream is coming true!  He is now at college to gain the necessary qualification to become a tour guide.  I am so proud to have helped turn his life around and improve his prospects.  He has some big dreams and I have every faith that they will come to pass, he is an amazing young man!








Those ladies who come to any workshops I do will also know that it doesn't take long before I start talking about the other African man in my life.  I had got into a bit of a rut with making cards until I saw him on TV...  I caught one of the first shows he did and was totally blown away with his techniques, the stamp designs but mostly the stencils - they are fantastic for creating backgrounds. I signed up for some online workshops which showed me a whole new approach to designing and something inside just 'pinged' and a whole new world opened up for me!  I went to some of his workshops and loved his energy and attitude and of course his art.  He and his team have inspired me so much and I am beyond excited to have been invited to join his new Hochanda Design Team.

Stamp set #125 and Planisphere die

This is my card using one stamp set and a new die.  The whole die cuts the world in amazing detail, but I chose to just use Africa on this occasion.

Thank you for making it to the end of this long post.
I hope you have a fabulous day
Janet xxx