It's Advent!!!

It's the first of advent. Finally! It is the day when November darknes has to give in to bright, cozy December, and all the lit windows light up the dark world outside. The kids and I have spent the day baking gingerbread and saffron bread, and we have started decorating the house a little bit for Christmas. I love this time of the year! I just wish I had more time to be creative now, but as we're closing in on the end of the term, things are very busy at work too right now.

Here's one of the corners of our hall earlier this evening. Please ignore the tangled cords under the table, you have to keep phones and stuff somewhere, unfortunately... I bought the lantern at a sale last week, and I love it! I chose between this one and a shabby white one, but now I'm really happy I decided on this one. I painted the canvases a couple of years ago, and on the white one there is a message to Santa. that the children in this house have been good, and deserve their presents.

And here's the first candle lit. I've used Grungeboard numbers, which I've painted with silver Maya Mist, and then attached them with some black metal cord wrapped around the candle. Easy peasy, and cute.

And now it's time to start using this one, a little Christmas recipe book I've made as one of this month's projects with my Bind-It-All. I've used these beautiful Maja Design papers, so perfect for a project like this!

This book has dividers to separate different kinds of recipes from one another. I'm having one for candy, one for cookies and cakes and then the rest for different kinds of Christmas-related food. I've just started filling it out, and there's lots of papers to write on (cheap, white paper for the printer) Here's one of my favourite recipes. I've planned to add photos later on.

So, Happy first of Advent, dear blog readers!

I love the Cover Alls!

Kazan's sketch 14

Do you guys know what my Monday ritual is? It's getting home from work, eat, spend a couple of hours with the kids before bedtime and then, when all is calm, I go into my scraproom and enter the land of magic... which is 2 sketches 4 you, of course :o) I'm seriously addicted to Kazan's and Laura's sketches! This week's sketch was just as fab as usual, and here's my take:

I'm equally addicted to The Slice, and I've used it for the white frame. It's so easy to grab it from the shelf, turn it on and just go! It needs no preparation and hardly no room on my desk, which there isn't much anyway.

I want to say thank you to all of those who take the time to leave a little comment each week. I'm so happy for all of them, and it really means a lot to me. Thank you also to those of you who give me the occasional award and challenge as well. I hope you don't think I'm ungrateful for not being quick about passing them on (I will, eventually). It's just that I try to combine being a full time teacher with being a mum and taking care of the home as well, plus trying to find some precious crafting time, and I guess you all know how difficult that is. So I try to spend a little less time here at the computer, which means less blogging and no time for answering questionnaires and such things. I'll try to find some time for that during the holidays.

Have a great week, all of you, and happy Thanksgiving, to those of you who celebrate that.

Guest designer for The Nook

I'm really honoured to be one of Novembers guest designers at The Nook. I ordered most of this month's add-ons with my kit too, so it was a full package that showed up a couple of weeks ago. And of course I had to make a Bind-It-All mini, especially when I saw the really cute felt borders in the kit, which would make great edges for the pages. I decided to make the book about Albin and all the funny little things he says. He has so many thoughts and ideas right now, about kisses, his future and about sience.

I love the colours of this kit a lot, and I managed to find some photos of Albin in a matching t-shirt. One of the great tings about this kit is that the colours fit both girly layouts and boy layouts. So I could use it for both of my kids.

Here's a little girlier layout I made with an old picture of Agnes. The picture is out of focus, and half her head is cut of, but it's still a very dear picture to me, because it's the only one I managed to capture of her taking her first steps. After taking this photo, I had to put the camera away quickly, since she collapsed into my arms. But I think she took for or five steps that first time, and the photo tells just how happy she is about that. The title says "Look what I can do", and I've used raw grungeboard letters, which I've sprayed with a little pearl glimmer mist.

Then it was father's day here in Sweden, and this kit was pefect for those kinds of cards too. Just take a look at this gorgeous ribbon!
I made these little notepads too, with some of the grunge board shapes and some Maya Road chipboard hearts. I'm really happy about how these turned out. They make perfect little gifts, and one of them is going to find a new home tomorrow (if I can only remember to bring it to work with me)

Laura's sketch 13

I'm still in quite a bit of a shock about the package I received earlier today, and I'm trying to figure out where to start! There's so much I want to do, so many things I want to try... So while I was thinking, I made a card from Laura's sketch at 2 sketches 4 you:
I've used my new stamps, Grunge Collection, from the Norwegian company Stempelglede, for the flowers and the black swirl border behind the ribbon. I'm in love with these stamps! They are so beautiful.

Early visit from Santa

Yes, it must have been Santa who rang the doorbell an hour ago... But he was disguised as a postman and he was driving a big yellow truck. Anyway, this is what he brought me:

Just look at all this stuff! Just for me! I'm going to have so much fun with this, I'll tell you that! And here's the Pink Lady in all her spendour, and with all her little pink friends.
And I'm not the only one who got excited about this delivery... Agnes was really happy about a new box to hide in, and Albin was happy about the bubble wrap with biiig bubbles he found in there.

Now we're going out in the garden. Agnes is ill, so the kids and I are at home today. She is feeling a little better now, though, and the weather is lovely, so we are going to get some fresh air. And then I might consider trying out the Cover alls tonigh, I'm so curious about those!

DT-layouts for Katscrap

I got this amazing package from Katscrap the other day, and I couldn't help myself from digging into it right away. It was full of goodies from Crate and Fancy Pants, and loads of flowers and ribbons and stuff. I was blown away by the Valentine collection from FP, the colours are fantastic, and I have plenty left for som more projects later on.

This first layout is made from a die cut paper from Crate, and one of the Valentine papers. The journaling spot is a FP overlay. Lovely, isn't it? I've used my brand new ♥Slice♥ for the title, and I'm absolutely in love with that little thing. This font is from the Noteworthy card.
The big flowers are also cut out with the Slice, and also from the Noteworthy card. I've inked, embossed, and layered them to make them look fuller, and than I've given them a finishing touch with a little glimmer mist, but you can't see that in the photo.

I did get some of my favourite Maya Road pins in the kit too. The little note is from the back of one of the Valentine PPs.

The next layout is all Crate. I used the Slice to cut out the tag, the title and the brown flowers.

And here's the answer to the question in the title: "Where did the pacifier go?" And it's here. I'm such a mean mommy, I took one of Agnes' pacifiers and cut it up to use it on this layout. But she isn't supposed to use them at all anymore, and that's what the layouts is all about. She thinks we've sent them all off to Santa, and he's going to give her a doll house instead. She does ask for them once in a while, but it was a lot easier to take them away than I ever imagined.

The last one is about our little troll. Dont you just love the Fancy Pants overlay tree? I've used the Slice for the journaling spot (those shapes were the reason I bought the Noteworthy card. I just love them) and the title.

I cut the title from the same paper as the one I used for the frame on this layout. It's rather heavyweight and with a nice structure, so it's great to sand a little, just like I did with these letters. The Slice leaves the edge standing up just a little bit, which makes it perfect for sanding.

So, that's all for now, but I have a few more projects to add in a day or two.

Kortskissen #32

The sketch blog Kortskissen is up and running again, luckily, and there's a new sketch to work with. Here's my take.

Kortskissen har dragit igång igen efter att ha pausat ett tag, och det passar mig alldeles utmärkt! Här är min tolkning av veckans skiss. Den underbara julrutan hittar ni hos Mirabyll.

Kazan's sketch 13

The pile of Christmas cards here is getting higher and higher... luckily. It's soon time to start sending them off! I can't believe how quickly the weeks pass. Anyway, this one's made after Kazan's sketch this week at 2 sketches 4 you.

A couple of Christmas cards

I made a couple of cards for the cybercrop at Stellas this weekend, and here they are. This one was made for a sketch challenge.
This card was a bit tricky to make. It was supposed to be a Christmas card, but you weren't allowed to use the colours green, red or blue (I'd loove to sneak in just a little bit of blue on this one) and you had to use some metal decoration. So I made this card all brown and white (Making Memories Mocha, of course, and some Falala vellum). I used a hook and an eye on the ribbon for the metal part, plus a pin inside.This is the inside of the card. I've used yet another page from my old torn dictionary here.

Right now I have the beautiful November Nook kit plus most of the add-ons spread all over my desk. I'm lucky to have the opportunity to be GDT for the Nook this month and I looove this kit! It's absolutely gorgeous, just my colours! So I'm leaving you for tonight...

Laura's sketch 12

Another week, another sketch, and another fabulous designteam at 2 sketches 4 you. Yeah, I did apply (of course, who wouldn't?), but who could stand a chance against all that talent? Anyway, here's my take at this week's sketch:

A few new layouts

There's a cybercrop over at Stella's, and I've been busy for sure. Still working on my last couple of things, but so far it's been four layouts and two cards done this weekend.

This layout is for a challenge to use black and white only, not so easy, since I really really felt like sneaking in just a tiny red or blue detail, but I managed to keep myself from doing that, and this is the result. The journaling spot is from this girl, who makes the most fabulous things that she GIVES AWAY at her blog. Thank's Mirabyll, you're an angel!
And she had made a journaling spot in purple as well... Perfect for DD's Halloween dress. I have to confess... I made the spiderweb cake, got Agnes the witch outfit and took this picture only to be able to make something out of these papers and the glitter thickers... The lengths you go to to get a really nice layout, huh? lol.

And here's my cutie when he was only one. I can't believe how time flies. I've used papers and stuff from the MM Paperie Mocha line here, and I'm in love! I can't stop using this stuff! This is just gorgeous. The trims are to die for, really. I've bought stuff from Poolside and Rouge too, and they're equally fab. I'm not really a fan of green, but I might just have to get the Greenhouse line too... My wallet doesn't seem really happy right now.

Two little Pirate Princesses

I made this one for a contest... but then I managed to forget to submit it... typically me. Anyway, the stamps are from Stämpelboden, aren't they the cutest?