Pretty box for my Magnolia's!

Loes gave me this chipboard flower box before Christmas but I never had the time to sit down and decide what I wanted it for! But yesterday I suddenly decided that it was a perfect 'home' for my Magnolia stamps so I set to work painting and altering it until it looked like this!! I have painted inside sunflower yellow and added paper around the rim and bottom as well, and then I got this gorgeous frill from the market this morning and hey presto! it was done! It is nice to have them on the desk and in a pretty box, so that I can just pick one up when I am in the mood to start another project! What d'you think; like it?

sneak peaks...

Here are 2 tiny corners from the project I have created for Scrapfever...but I am not saying any more!! Look out for the shopping list on the forum this week ladies, and then it is a question of counting down the weeks til 1st march!!!

What a storm last night! It kept us awake with all the noise on the roof and the wind and the rain etc. Now it is beautifully sunny and warm in the living room, but there is a downside too - you see all the dust and cat hairs on the floor!!! I have swiffered but that is all as it will all be back tomorrow and I don't want to really get it sparkling until the weekend when we have visitors and then the workshop etc. Takes up too much scrapping time if I am TOO diligent!!!! I did iron this morning but only because I am spreading my housework over the week so that it does not consume too much of my day. I have Asthma so this works best for me. And it is not my favourite past-time.......maybe there is a scrap in there somewhere...jobs we hate doing!!!!!

But now I am going to get back to the task in hand upstairs and SCRAP!!!!

coming along nicely thanks!

Oh, I am happy with my efforts this morning! I am ALMOST done with the design for the Scrapfever crop on 1st March!!! I am giving a workshop with a mini-something.....shh......and it is nearly completed. I have taken lots of photos along the process so that it is clear to follow, and I only have to finish the last element today and I can start writing up the materials and toold needed etc and voila! I will try the free download I have for the new paintshop pro program which will reduce the size of my photos, and then I can maybe, next month, add a few sneak peaks here??.... It is stormy and cold and a day for staying home or going to the hills or beach for a 'blow'. As usual my menfolk are still sleeping and I and the cats are enjoying the morning peace. Such a valuable time of the day for me. I am awake, creative and able to concentrate!!!! It slowly goes downhill as the day progresses though! So while the time is available I am checking through the long list of blogs and sites and blogging and now I am going to my scraproom..............for as long as possible! I want to get a new shelf up today and rearrange the LO's etc on the walls ready for next week, and I have to do the tax stuff.............................necessary but totally NOT my thing! bye, bye...

spring fever!!!

'It may be raining outside but in my heart...' I'm sure that is a songtext....but hey, never mind! It is only January and I already feel the rush of spring through my bones, and why?...so many exciting things on the horizon!!!!! they don't include a holiday (like all the other tickers I have seen counting down to exotic destinations!!!) but lots of new ideas and products and secret plans for a new wending in my workshop life.....wonderful! It gives a great sense of creativity, and I especially enjoyed myself yesterday when someone was so enthusistic about everything I scrap. That does one so much good!! All very positive vibes as they say!!!! And I have heard a whisper that I have been given some sugar nellie stamps for my birthday next month......look at www.funkykits.co.uk and you can find them there ladies. Rather the same as the magnolias but different faces. Do you agree that the magnolia's remind you of the MOOMINS? Anyone remember that series from our youth? I used to love it myself and I think it is why I find the stamps so sweet....they tap into my childhood memories! And on this early saturday morning I am downloading the trial version of the new paintshop pro which includes being able to reduce the size of pixels etc which is what I desperately need all the time for Scrapfever and the blog. So I am going to try that later on...but first I need to have my shower and get dressed!!! Everyone else is asleep here but I wanted to feed the cats and get some quiet time here before we start on all the other weekend jobs that are on our list! So enjoy the weekend and happy blogging!!

more Magnolias!

Here are my latest 3 cards but I took the photos quite early this morning so the light is not doing them real justice, sorry! Might re-take them later on........the first one I adore! I was busy cutting out the leaves etc and the flowers from the design paper and that looks great; worth the effort and time! The middle one is the completed version of the one I added earlier, and I like the flowers etc and the swirl! I usually cut out my own swirls after having hand-drawn them but this is a punch! Lastly I like the way I was able to cut out the dress from the same paper and 'match' her outfit to the card exactly. Reminded me of dressing my Patch doll many, many years ago; loved it!! I can make all different dresses etc for my Magnolias!!!! I am going to make the wellington boots more plasticky today by adding the glaze over them, will give a more wellie-like look don't you agree? One of these cards takes longer to make than one of my LO's Ineke!!! Colouring in the stamp and then fiddling around with the small paper bits and pieces...takes ages! BUT! Now you have to convince me that I can send these cards to the intended recipients 'cos I want to keep them all --agh!!!! I have real difficulty parting with the cards or altered projects that I have loved making and feel happiest with the result. Does anyone else have this problem too?

I am giving my first workshop of the year on 20th January. Four ladies who want to learn to scrap, so a lovely day for me too. I get such a kick from seeing them go from 'chat, chat' to absolute concentration by the middle of the afternoon! This is the moment when they start to actually scrap for themselves once the techniques have all been tried and mastered sufficiently enough for them to start on a LO. They are coming quite a distance to do this with me so I feel very honoured. I do warn them about the addiction....................but add that it is a very healthy and rewarding one!!! And one that keeps getting more and more interesting which is the thing I appreciate about Scrapping. Keeps the old grey cells busy doesn't it ladies?!

Time to scrap!!!! Have a wonderful day creating. x

Side by side digital and paper layouts!

Earlier in a post I challenged my friend Ineke to do a digital scrap of one of my recent photos and I would make a paper one; and these are the results! Our styles are not so different I think, and we have both chosen the colours to emphasize the photo and the frostiness of it all!! We have both gone for swirls (who doesn't?!) and similar embellishments etc. I find it fascinating how 'real' digi-scrapping looks, and the effects Ineke achieves are beautiful. I just prefer to get my hands on all that luvverly jubberly!!!!! What do you think folks? We'd like to hear your comments.

Yesterday Loes and I were back in sport mode and managed to last one hour....before retreating to her house for our first "Scrap 'n Chat" of the year!!! (you've heard of Stitch 'n bitch? Well this is MY VERSION of that!!!) One thing led to another but I am going to give you all the 'golden tip' before they sell out: Check out www.artjourney.nl and the last artjourney day photos and you will see people using the technique "spin and splash" - which we all remember from our younger days, right?....we were taken with this idea so decided to see where we could buy it.................and yes, we have got them!!! At the moment they are on offer in INTERTOYS for 10,99euro instead of 14,99euro and are called Glitterspin. Haven't yet tried it out ( got to get batteries) but it looks interesting with the alcohol inks and distressing we are planning to do soon. So hurry along there ladies, it is a technique you will see more of this year I am certain, and the price will only rise once the shops see there is a demand for it!!!! You have been tipped!!!!

Oh yes, I found some MAGNOLIA stamps!!!

I finally got around to visiting Paulines Hobby Paradise in Heerhugowaard yesterday with Peter, and what did I find???? MAGNOLIA'S!!!!!! I was so happy! Peter treated me to a belated Christmas present so I had 4 stamps plus the fence one which is always handy....and set to work! I have made two cards; the 1st and 3rd one here are completed, and the middle one I started before I took a shower this morning ( mad or what?!) but have not got any further yet. I want to upload them to the forum on Scrapfever, but if the programme is still not working I hope you find them here ladies! It is totally absorbing making the cards and deciding what and where and which paper etc. Takes ages but it is better than sitting idle any day! I do make myself go downstairs in the evening to continue my knitting as that needs a lot of time....and it is for the winter months so better stick at it! But glorious to have stumbled across a supplier so near to me...can't wait to show Loes tomorrow, but I think we are more likely to find ourselves in front of the computer drooling over artjourney...and hopefully ordering the tape dispenser for Loes' album of CHINA. Yes, we are going to start it at last. She spent 4 weeks there last year and has millions of photos to choose from for her album. It will be so different working with eastern images after being so absorbed with Christmas. I told her about the site on the phone yesterday so I am sure Loes will have already looked!!! But the engrossing problem of the day is Peters: how to set my new workshop agenda on my site!!! He had a lesson from Jos but seems to have forgotten what to do...but being a typical male he cannot admit this and ASK JOS AGAIN!!! He has to spend hours trying to fingure it out himself, cussing as he goes, and getting so frustrated with himself. I think females are better at holding up our hands and saying 'help', don't you?....no danger of us losing our manhood/masculinity/macho-ness at all!!!

Making cards!

I have an awful lot of birthdays in the first few months of the year so I have started making the cards today. And of course that meant that I was looking at stamp sites........and wow, did I discover a fab-u-lous one!!!! Everyone, check this one out immediately:

www.artjourney.nl It is superb and I want to buy everything! Another member of the Scrapfever forum told me about it as I was looking for Golden Gel medium etc and Gesso and everything necessary to make photo transfers, and they have it all. And the stamp choice is terrific.....the good thing is that the shop is about 200 kilometers from here otherwise I would have been heading their way by now! BUT! It is my birthday next month so please, please, please may I have lots of goodies from this site?????!!!! It would make me delirously happy!

My list was rocketing skywards when I decided I should stop adding up the cost...........but oh boy, I need such a lot of new supplies this year. What am I going to learn to do:

1. Transfer photos which I think is gorgeous and looks so easy...once you know how!

2. Try out Gesso, and more distressing techniques...thanks to Tim Holtz for this inspiration!

3. Practise with my Lumix camera and not always rely on the easy option of the 'pop it in the handbag' one I usually have on me!

4. Learn more skills with paintshop and hopefully get Lightroom this year too...

5. Experiement more with different scrap styles and techniques and try not to get boxed in with my own style too much.

6. Trust my ideas more.....stop comparing my work with others and enjoy what I create in peace and serenity and not the 'wish I could do that' hat on!

7. Enter more competitions for the fun of it!

8. Enjoy myself with this multi-faceted hobby of mine!!! It just keeps on getting better and better!!

9. Discover the way to order the stamps from Magnolia and attend the convention in Malmo if at all possible.....................8/9 march 2008. Get their stampkit at least a few times if I can afford it!

10. Scrap, stamp, photograph and stick to my hearts content!!!!!

Christmas and New Year over for another year!

Well we are safely back home after our Christmas away, have celebrated New Year and are back in work mode; well, Peter is! Tim is going swimming this afternoon with a couple of girls and I am catching up on the old blog! Happy New Year to one and all and a fine and safe 2008. Unfortunately our friend Lindsey was burgled on Sunday when she was not at home, and her computers, cameras and sentimental jewellery from her mother are now all stolen. Her conservatory was broken into and her inner door smashed and then the whole house ransacked. I cannot imagine what an awful shock that must have been for her. Luckily she and her cat Merlin were not at home so no-one was injured which is a blessing these days, but what it has spurred her on to do is to move in with Jerry and sell her house and get on with their lives together. I am sure this will be the best for them both in the longer term but it is a pity that such an important and happy decision should have been re-inforced by an awful act of theft. I will speak to Lindsey this week and hear all about it then, but this is just a big hug from me to her!!

Tim had a nice time over Christmas and was delighted with his chefs hat and cookery book for teenagers! The first two photos are from Christmas Day, trying to fathom out how to free the bottle of wine for his father! and reading his book. Then he was asleep on the ferry home, so sweet! We had bad luck in as much as the fast ferry hit a harbour wall in the storm on the 28th, and didn't run again so we had to re-think our plans and book a ferry at huge extra expense and wait at the docks for the ferry to take us on board. It was better in the end as we were home earlier which was nice, but it was a shame we had to alter our plans at the very last moment.

New Years Eve we did a Gourmet with Ann, Arjan, William, Lily and Sara, which was lovely. We seemed to eat everything which I think is always wonderful, and means it tasted ok, and we sang loudly along to Guus, played games, tried all Peter's drinks from his stash in the garage and tried to stay awake for the fireworks at midnight!!! That last hour is always such a struggle for me! Arjan and Tim had lots of fireworks to let off in the street which took about an hour, and after that we all went in and hurried off to bed! Tim gamely cleaned the street the following day which we were pleased about, thank you TIM! And now it is all back to normal with cleaning, ironing, working, and the usual everyday run of things. Having said that, we are blessed with a great life here and we do appreciate that our lot is far better than many others, so this year my resolution is to remember this every day, and always be aware of what I can do for others to make a small difference in their lives. However tiny it might be, it will be given with love and compassion and a desire to make the world a better place for everyone.