Thursday, September 26, 2013

Old ideas - new layouts!

Hello!
Just a quick post to show my two layouts from last night! You know the designs from before, I'm re-using the ones I hold dear :)
 
This first layout is about the fact that we visit the DIY shop / building store alot.
 
 
This layout is about the kids coming home from their summer trip with their aunt and grandparents to a amusement park / zoo. I have no photos from that trip so I had to tell the story with the photo of the kids coming home as tired as two kids can ever be :) 
 
 
Have a nice day!
// Åsa 

Friday, September 20, 2013

Bulking up!

Hello!
Yesterday I got my package with the albums from Slöjddetaljer. At the same time I had ordered a carving set and stamp material for making my own hand carved rubber stamps. I haven't had the opportunity to try it out yet but I'm planning what to start with and how I'll approach the whole thing.
 
 
I bought three black, fabric covered, post bound albums and during the evening I started moving my homeless layouts into them and I did the way I normally do. I add 30 page protectors to each album and make the screws longer with the extenders and then I started adding my layouts... Oh, boy!
 
I can't do it like that anymore! My new layering & embellishment methods are totally bulking up the layouts so when I had 20 layouts in the album it was full! I tried adding an extra extender but the album became whobbly and super heavy! Oh well, at least I'm very pleased with my layouts eventhough they take up more room. I'll grow out of my album shelves faster than I had expected :)
 
Now I've got good news! The week after next week I'm off from work! I'm having a crafting week at home without kids (they'll be at day care, like normal days)! Other people go to crops and scrapbooking retreats but I will have my own retreat at home! Yippie! I don't even have to pack my bags! Hubby is joining me on this luxurious adventure at home and work on his painting. We have also planned to eat unhealthy and go for walks, hand in hand, at least once every day :) I'm feeling a bit mischievous!
 
Have a lovely weekend!
// Åsa
 

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Remembering summer

Good morning!
Today I'm sharing two summer layouts as a contrast to the current weather situation. It has been raining for two days now and then I mean R A I N I N G! It is dark outside and it kind of turned autumn over night. Only a couple of weeks ago it was summer and so warm! But that is September in a nut shell, it can go either way. Anyway, let's travel back in time to May and June when summer was just starting and the sun was shining

First is the May layout. I had been down town on my lunch buying a pair of new sun glasses and on my way back to work I took a selfie with the mobile camera. I used The Pier paper collection and some PL-cards. I stamped with my new roller stamp around the edge and made my own labels for extra layering. I used the kitchen selfadhesive freezer labels and matted them with left over cardstock peices and cut around the edges and chalked.
 
 
This second layot has a story from my point of view that is even more than the three most important people in my life sitting in a boat. I might as well tell you, as therapy. I grew up in a small village by the coast  and the most beautiful archipelago i Sweden. We had a sailing boat and it was my second home from May until November growing up. In April 2005 my dad was diagnosed with cancer and he died on June the same year. The boat was sold and I lost not only my father, but also everything we had together sailing and spending time at sea exploring the archipelago. I litterally hadn't been on a boat since 2004 when I stepped onto this little motor boat belonging to my mum's new life partner. I had been looking forward to this for so long and it was just as amazing as I had expected! I took so many photos and I have made paper copies of MANY! You will see alot of this boat trip in the blog in the future and now you know why this is so important to me. I totally recommend the links above, they are both in English, and they have beautiful photos!
 
 
The papers are from Carta Bella's Beach Boardwalk collection. I've used the same washi technique as I described yesterday to create the small banners.
 
I hope you will have a lovely day!
//Åsa
 
 

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Sunset layout on a rainy day

Hello!
Today I'm up with a layout featuring a lovely photo taken from my living room window in June. It was taken with my mobile phone camera and I'm quite impressed with the colors. I'm not sure I could have taken that photo with my SLR!
 
 
I wanted to use my washi on this layout but I was pretty convinced I didn't want the transparent effect so I taped the washi on a piece of white paper and cut it out. I like the effect.  
 
Have a nice day!
// Åsa

Monday, September 16, 2013

Lovely weekend!

Hello!
The weekend has been lovely. We have gotten so many things done including some major gardening house cleaning! And...*drum roll*... I have been scrapbooking ! I actually made lots of layouts but I've decided to post one at a time since I'm not sure how much I'll be able to scrap during the week and I really want to post blog posts every day, because it is something that makes me happy during the day!
 
Today I'm sharing a layout with a photo that is only a couple of weeks old, atken on August 28th. I color coded the keys on my daughter's little keyboard and then I wrote the "code" for a couple of songs she know well - and then I watched her play songs for the first time on her own. It was a  moment of pride for both me and her.
 
The papers on this layout is from one of my own page kits that I made from scraps and stash the other week. The background is an old Basic Grey paper and it set the color scheme for my other scraps. I added green. Then I went crazy with layering in a diagonal design.
 
 
I found my old MM magnetic stamps and stamped the words I, CAN, MELODY, MUSIC, NOTES and PLAY randomly around the block and I added exclamation marks where I thought they added something to the layout and the words.
 
The brown wood veneers made the diagonal stronger and I chalked all the papers and pieces before gluing them down.
 
I'm really pleased with the result! I hope you all will have a nice day!
//Åsa

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Getting there!

Good morning!
I have so many planned layouts on my desk, plans that I really want to carry out but now I have found this wonderful site called Counterfeit Kit Challenge from recommendeations here in the comment box in my blog. I really want to try that!
 
They decide on a current kit fom one of the big popular kit companies and then "counterfeit" that kit with supplies they already have at home. Everyone get their own kits but with inspiration from the same source. I'd like to do this and see how it would affect my creativity. When I have made kits before they have become so large it has never been much of a challenge, more a way to save time not needing to flip through all my supplies.
 
I watch alot of videos on You Tube, my favourites are with Nicole Jones and Shimelle Laine and they often use kits until there are nothing more than tiny fibers of papers left. Now I want to try this and see if it is fun. But first I need to scrap at least some of the plans I have made and continue working on improving my embellishing skills.
 
Today I share two layouts made with 6''x6'' papers. I'm really pleased with the alpha stickers I bought from Simple Stories! They are great and the word stickers that came with are perfect! They can be used all the time, very versatile and just the right size. The same kind of stickers from MME are just as good and I'm so happy I bought them!
 
 
This layout is the first in the album for my cousin's son and it is a photo from the hospital bed when he is only minutes old. I love the background!! I used the sunburst technique and it has become one of my favorites! The cards are not adhered to the page so if my cousin would like to ad some notes about his birth she can do that. It was fun to use the corrugated cardboard latters, they are ancient! 
 
  
I hope you'll have a nice day! Take care and scrap on!
//Åsa

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Hexies!


Good morning!
Clean and simple with hexagons and photos from Mulle Meck activity center / play house. I love the metal cogwheels and I've been hoarding these for quite some while. Now I saw that Prima are making them as wood veneers and I need to get my hands on those (...and many more from the new line)!

 
 

The hexagons are from the Yearbook collection from Studio Calico, the 6''x6'' version.
 
Right now I'm in great need of scrapbook time or some evening energy. Coffee isn't enough! I really want to get started with the project for my cousin's son and I have so many ideas! I got the paper copies on Friday and I will have to be a bit creative because some are of very poor sharpness. Perhaps I even need to order them from printing again, in a smaller size... Either way it will be a challenge for me and my multi photo thinking.
 
The other day I realized that I neeed to visit IKEA! They have these lovely paper clips that I've had such problem to find in Sweden! These are 29 SEK (app.4,15 US$) for 40 clips. I also like these sticky notes for 9 SEK (app.1.29 US$) per package. Don't you just love IKEA?!?
 
Have a nice day!
//Åsa
 

Thursday, September 5, 2013

My pirate!

Good morning!
Today I'm sharing a layout made with four papers from the 6''x6'' paper pad Down By The Shore by Fancy Pants.  
 
I placed a large piece of white paper as a foundation for the photos, instead of matting them. I ended up covering most of that white with my layering but I think it gave the effect I was looking for, especially after I lined it with my black pen. I went for the diagonal layout design this time, added some stars, some washi and a flair from Stephanie together with bits and pieces from my stash of journaling cards and labels.
 
I made a tiny title, which is really unusual for me, and I like the result alot! Those BG alphas were a really good purchase!
 
 
Yesterday I finally got that paper copy order out so I'll soon be able to start working on the album for my cousin's son. Perhaps that will give me the extra spark of energy that keeps me going after the kids have gone to sleep at night. It is soooo easy to just drop dead on the couch.
 
Have a nice day!
// Åsa
 
PS. Yes, I confess - but only to you guys - I was thinking of this page already when I bought that dress with stripes and small red anchors, and I bought the collection pad to match her dress, but don't tell anyone  ;) 
 
 
 

Monday, September 2, 2013

Can I have some TIME!?!

Good morning!
I wish I had more time! Scrapbooking is so much fun and I'd like to do it more! I also wish I had time for letter writing. Time is always a problem. Yesterday I finished this layout that I started last week. I used my new PL-cards and the 6''x6'' paper pad from Basic Grey's collection Kneehighs.
 
 
Yesterday I prepared a new order for paper copies since I just recieved the photo files from my cousin so that I can get started on the album for her son. I will order paper copies from July and August and it will be super fun to scrapbooking them! If I could only find the time!!!
 
Take care - and may scrapbooking time be with you!
//Åsa