Watch the video below for easy instructions on how to re-purpose the featured wildlife artwork to create an A5 greeting card.

* Remove the page by unfastening the wing nuts and removing the top layer of the wooden binder. Remove the top page.
* Flip the page over so that the artwork is facing down.
* Locate the big, blank white block - this is going to become the inside of your greeting card. All you need to do is cut all along the solid line.
* Find the dotted lines on the long edges of the rectangle that you just cut out. These are our folding guides.
* Fold along the dotted lines, match the corners and gently press down.

Watch this video for easy instructions on how to re-purposed your calendar to create a collection of useful items, including gift tags, a bookmark and filing dividers (perfect for bookkeeping!).

All you need to do is simply cut along all the solid lines!

Working our way from the top to the bottom of the page, you'll see:

Two gift tags, already punched with holes, so they are ideal for adding to a gift with a ribbon.

Just below that is a filing divider. This is really great for your bookkeeping! The length of the divider is the same as a standard A4 page, so you can paste it to the edge of a piece of scrap paper or craft board and write the month on the little tab to make the section easily accessible in a file.

Below the filing divider is a bookmark. This makes for a really nice gift, especially at Christmas when you need a bunch of stocking fillers! Punch a hole in one of the short edges, add a ribbon and even some small beads to beautify it. Write a note, a loved one’s name or a special quote to personalise it.

Cut out the reflection section! Keep it as an affirmation to yourself, or pay it forward!

At the bottom right, there are two more really pretty greeting cards flanking the inspirational quote that’s featured on the front of the calendar page. Again, if you’ve gained all you can from it, pass it along to someone that will love it!

Did you know that the custom-made binder/hanger was hand-made using recycled oak wine barrel inserts (used to flavour and stabilise wine in barrels)? Even this can be re-used in different ways:

We designed the hanger/binder to marry perfectly with things that most people already have in their home: Standard A4 paper and a regular old two-hole-punch!

Use it to add extra flare to your next important work document or school project, or simply to file important paperwork at home. Make sure to give your document a nice, big left margin so that the binder doesn't cover any important wording.

If you’re a list-person like me (tick!), and you have a billion pieces of paper lying around with important things written on (and you just know you’re going to forget where you wrote down that thing)… Punch holes in some scrap paper (save the planet!) to create a handy scratch pad for notes, doodles, your shopping list, goal setting……

And finally, the hanger/binder has magnets embedded in the back. Use it on your fridge to hold photos, your shopping or To Do list, important memos or notes, or even to display some cherished mementos or art! The two pieces of wood fit together pretty snugly, so you don’t even have to punch holes into everything.

Watch the video below for some more fun ideas on alternative ways to "upcycle" your calendar.

File divider:

* Get creative while scrap booking, putting together a photo album or even in your journal to separate months.
* For students or my fellow birders: Trim down the divider as needed and paste it in your book to easily find sections.

Book mark:

* Cut in two/three to create two gift tags. Use a hole punch if you’re going the ribbon route, or simply use some tape to add it to a gift.
*Paste two bookmarks together back-to-back to create a colourful double-sided bookmark.
* Cut in strips to use as markers for your indoor herb garden (full disclaimer - the paper won’t last forever. Because, you know, it’s paper!).
* In January, when you have to cover 3000 school books, write your child’s name on it in khoki and use it as a pretty name tag. Pair it with newspaper (saving the planet, people!), decorated with your child’s handprints or a potato stencil pattern. This is such a fun family project!

Framing your artwork using one of our hand-crafted wooden frames is as easy as one, two, three!

Q: Can I use sticky tape to keep the artwork in place?
A: Yes! Although the grey board and flexi-points should suffice in holding the artwork in place, it is possible that the artwork might slip out of place. So if you would like to use sticky tape to secure the artwork, you can absolutely do this! Make sure to use acid free tape, or the tape will eventually burn the paper!

Q: Why didn't you add tape to the framing kit?
A: I decided against adding framing tape in your kit, because I wanted to make it as easy as possible to switch out artworks. Attempting to remove framers tape (the kind that pro framers use to fix an artwork to the mount board) is challenging and often damages the mount board. Knowing that many of my clients would want to reuse the frames for different artworks or photos over time, I wanted to protect the integrity of the mount board and make the process of switching out artworks as simple as possible.

Q: How can I seal the reverse of the frame?
A: Usually, when you have something professionally framed, the reverse of the artwork should be sealed with brown paper or special framers tape. Again, to keep things simple and easy, I decided against doing this. It is a) tricky to do without the right tools and materials and b) makes the process of switching out artworks a real pain.

If you are not planning on switching out the artwork for a long, looong time to come, it is a good idea to seal the reverse of the frame to keep dust to a minimum. Simply use broad packaging tape (brown or clear) and stick it down all around the back of the frame to cover the gap between the wooden frame and the grey board. Use a screw driver to temporarily remove the crocodile hook, and put it back when you're done.

Q: I want to switch out the artwork, but the crocodile hook is on the wrong side! Now what?
A: These frames were specially created to display the artwork from my wildlife calendar, and they are all landscape in orientation (horizontally cropped). If you would like to frame something that has a portrait orientation (vertically cropped), you can easily unscrew the crocodile hook and change its position using a screwdriver (pine is very soft!), thus changing the orientation of your frame.

My 2025 wildlife calendar's theme is "Move!", and features a collection of 12 South African creatures doing something mesmerizingly dynamic!

Each one of these watercolour pieces took on average three weeks to create (yikes!). I always use a reference photo to work from, without which this level of detail would not be possible. I am indebted to the amazing photographers that have graciously allowed me to use their work!Below, you can learn a bit more about each artwork. My newer pieces include an impressive time lapse video of the entire creation process, which is really fun to watch! I share some of the creative process in my blog - the inspiration behind the piece; the challenges; amusing incidents attached to the creation... Always a fun read, and I share pics of the process too! Most of these pieces are available in my online shop as limited edition, fine art prints, and some of the bespoke originals are also still looking for their forever homes...

“Dash”

African Swamphen
Porphyrio madagascariensis

“Joy”

African wild dog
Lycaon pictus

“Seeing Red”

Red hartebeest
Alcelaphus buselaphus caama

“Splash!”

African lion
Panthera leo

“Necking II”

Giraffe
Giraffa giraffa

“Jump!”

Cape Rock Thrush female
Monticola rupestris

“Frolic”

Leopard
Panthera pardus

“Launch”

Bateleur
Terathopius ecaudatus

“The Duel”

Cape Sugarbird
Promerops cafer

“Mouth-watering”

Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus amphibius

“Necking III”

Giraffe
Giraffa giraffa

“Empathy”

African elephant
Loxodonta africana

My 2024 wildlife calendar featured a collection of 12 "Little Guys": Just a few of the unsung, often unnoticed or ignored heroes from the South African animal kingdom.

What I loved most about creating these pieces, is the fact that they are not creatures that you would often see represented in art. Even though they are not the Big Five, they are worth celebrating!

Each one of these watercolour pieces took on average three weeks to create (yikes!). I always use a reference photo to work from, without which this level of detail would not be possible. I am indebted to the amazing photographers that have graciously allowed me to use their work!

Below, you can learn a bit more about each artwork. My newer pieces include an impressive time lapse video of the entire creation process, which is really fun to watch! I share some of the creative process in my blog - the inspiration behind the piece; the challenges; amusing incidents attached to the creation... Always a fun read, and I share pics of the process too! All of these pieces are available in my online shop as limited edition, fine art prints, and some of the bespoke originals are also still looking for their forever homes...

"Small Packages"

Pygmy Falcon
Polihierax semitorquatus

“5 O’Clock Shadow”

Warthog
Phacochoerus africanus

“Bright Eyes”

Lesser Bushbaby
Galago moholi

“Lookout”

Suricate (Meerkat)
Suricata suricatta

“Nit-picking”

Cape Fox
Vulpes chama

“Nosy”

Rock Elephant Shrew (Sengi)
Elephantulus myurus

“The Waiting Game”

Malachite Kingfisher
Corythornis cristatus

“Whisker Me Away”

African Wild Cat
Felis silvestris

“Suutjies Trap”

Cape Dwarf Chameleon
Bradypodion pumilum

“Almost Home”

Aardvark
Orycteropus afer

“Awake”

Pearl-spotted Owlet
Glaucidium perlatum

“Padkos”

Flightless Dung Beetle
Circellium bacchus