Farm update!

It takes time. It takes an awful lot of time. But slowly we are getting there. Life gets in the way, work gets in the way, and that's just the way it is sometimes. I can't wait until the day we can finally move into our little farmhouse, but that day most likely won't be here until sometime next summer.

We are, however, pretty close to finishing the bedroom! Everything has turned out just the way I wanted it, and it will be fab once it's done. This is the wall we covered with new panelling, and here is also the door that we found in the barn, now with a fresh coat of paint and that distressed look I love so much. This door will eventually serve as a headboard in here.
There are a few things left to do - put up cornices, build in the new IKEA cupboards, put in a new door and fix a curtain rod (I'm thinking of maybe using one of the old rods we found in the barn, previously used for drying hay. I think that would look really cool.) Oh, and I think I am going to write something on the panel wall too- a poem or something. I just haven't figured out what yet. Maybe I'll cover a wall with old dictionary paper. I have tons of ideas, and I am so anxious to get started on all of this! But, like I said, it all takes time.

Sweetness

Today I have a couple of projects with Pink Paislee's collection Sweetness to show you. I made these for Scraplagret.

The first one is a little gift box with a lamp post and and a bench on top. This is one of those times that I get an idea and I can't shake it, so I just have to try it. I felt like making a lamp post, and this is it. I've used a lot of my favourite Tim Holtz tissue tape here. I LOVE that tape, it's so versatile, and one roll lasts like forever!
Here's the bench. Actually, Agnes so wanted to help out, so she made a drawing of a board that she said I could use as a template and she told me to write on the piece of paper that "this board is mommy's forever, but daddy can borrow it sometimes". Isn't that terribly sweet of her?

Here's the top of the lamp post. It was actually the Tim Holtz bauble inside that inspired me to make it.

Speaking of Agnes - here's a photo if her at age 1.5, with her auntie Anna. Agnes was so tiny back then! It's hard to believe now three years later, when she is running around on long skinny legs with pigtails in her hair. They just grow so fast!

Oh, and by the way, the photos of the gift box were taken last week. It was still greenish outside then. Now it's all covered in really thick snow, and it's freezing cold. And I love it! I just wish they could plough the roads a little better, because it's no fun driving to and from work in all this snow!

Motorboys

A couple of weeks ago, I got a delivery from Scrap Within Reach with their two brand new collections, and I houldn't help myself from diving head first into the goodies and create a little. This is part of the outcome - a layout with a photo of my two motorboys.

It's approaching fast!

Christmas, that is! Wow, I wonder where on earth November went? I know, I know, there's still almost half of it left, but the days are flying past so quickly! I mean, normally I can't wait for November to be over, but this year, it's ridiculous how busy I am and how little time I have left to do things I really want to do. And at the same time, I try to prepare what most likely will be the last Christmas we will ever celebrate in this house. I want it to be special, something to always remember.

I am dying to start decking the halls, but I realize it's still way to early, and I try hard to restrain myself in that matter. However, if you make a Christmas thing that isn't all that Christmas-y, then it must be OK to put it up, right? Even though it's still only November, right? So, I took out my Graphic 45 Christmas Past Deluxe Edition papers and made this garland.
"Kom änglar" is Swedish for Come Angels, and that is the title of a song I love very much, by Swedish singer/songwriter Lars Winnerbäck. You can listen to it here.

And I'm ready for the angels to come now, and bring some Christmas spirit to our house!

See, it didn't thake that long until my next post. I think my break from blogging is now officially over :)

It's not as if I haven't been scrapping...

Because I have. A lot. I have my assignments to do, and my deadlines to keep. It's just the bloggin part that has been bothering me. I have had so little time on my hands, and I have chosen to use the time I have to create instead of writing about what I already have created. More creating, less writing. That's what makes me happy. It's as simple as that. However, although it has been really nice with a break from blogging and hanging out on the message boards and all, I've missed it all. And I've missed all of you people I get to meet out there. So here I am, determined to at least jump onto the MBs once or twice a week, and do something asbout this blog once in a while too.

And I have to admit, my blogging today has something to do with receiving a kit full of sheer beauty last week. It's the Nook November kit, with the Circa 1934 collection from Cosmo Cricket. This could very well be it - the BEST Nook kit ever. And what could be better than using it to make a couple of pages about the best children ever.
I had to pull out some old, already printed photos for these layouts, because sadly, my printer has died... or something. It just lost the connection to the computer, and I can't restore it, no matter what I do. Sad...

Anyway, this is what I have for you today, and I have tons of stuff on my computer to show you too, so I'll be back. Soon. :)

The difference of paint.

We are slowly making progress on the farm. The barn and outhoses are really run down and worn, but the good thing about that is that every little improvement you make looks HUGE. Like this one. Take the garage, add some paint and voila, it looks completely different!

Before:
After:

And then you will have to imagine what it will look like once the barge board on top turns white. Huge difference, huh?

Here's another wall that needs painting... But that will be a later project. I just have to show you the cute old chair P found beneath tons of old dusty straw on the hayloft. There was one more, unfortunatly too rickety to use. It might not be very wise to sit on this one either, but at least it's good for holding a flower pot. And there might just be a table to go with it, tucked away in one of the sheds, but that shed is very much inhabited by mice, so I have no intention to go in there and check... ugh. I'll be back soon with some scrappy projects, promise :)

A quick little card

My little girl has a birthday party to go to on Saturday, and she wanted me to make a card for her friend. Also, I stumbled across a challenge at Love My Tapes, so I made this card for that challenge.

My little big project ♥

This is it. This is the reason my blog has been silent-ish lately. This is the big project I am going to dive head first into, accompanied by my family. This is our dream, and it has finally come true. This is our new little countryside farmhouse. It is true, one can fall head over heels in love with a place. This house isn't special in any way, it's pretty small, old (100 years old, to be precise) and not very nice at all inside (renovated in the 70s... you know, orange carpets, brown window cases... ugh). We have driven past it a thousand times without really noticing it, never thinking that it would be a nice place to live. And then it's suddenly up for sale. We check it out, and kaboom. We just know. This is it. This is where we are going to live. Eventually.

And you can't have a farmhouse without a farm, can you? Barns, sheds, fields, woods, meadows... We have the lot. Although... it's not in the best of states. Not by far. But I kind of like old ramshackle barns, and I like the look of old weather-worn wood. Too bad we can't keep it like this for ever. The barn would eventually fall if we tried. There will be new planks replacing the old rotten ones, and there will be paint... a lot of it. We will be busy, for sure, I mainly with the inside of the house, and P with the barns, the woods and everything else. And we will be happy taking care of this old place. And no, I do not intend to turn this blog into one of those interior decorating blogs, even though I love looking through them. This is, and will remain, mainly a scrapblog. But don't be surprised if I sneak in a few photos of our projects every now and then. Consider it altering. I've altered houses before, just not big ones. I'm leaving you today with a detail of one of the windows of the barn. Don't you just love it?

//Jenny

What a week...

This has been a week full of worries, and unfortunately, things did not exactly turn out the way we wanted them this week. So, today, when all is said and done, I feel like a balloon that lost all of the air inside... I guess you all know that feeling. Well, one can put it like this: our weekend just opened up, and we decided to do the best with it, so tomorrow we are taking the kids out for some adventure... They will hopefully be really pleased with their old boring parents for once, because this summer has not been much fun for them, poor little ones. P and I have been so busy, and it was all going to come to an end today, but that didn't happen.

Anyway, here's a balloon that didn't lose air. It's made with the brand new yummylicious Steampunk Debutante collection from Graphic 45. Can you not love this? The colors, the patterns, everything about this collection is just so gorgeous!!! And I'm so lucky to be on the Graphic 45 DT and actually have these papers in hand, not just drooling over them on the screen, like I have so many times before.
See those gears and stuff? Sometimes having a 7-year-old boy that collects stuff can come in pretty handy, because I bribed him into give me some of his stash. LOL.

And then there is Hallowe'en in Wonderland... another must-have. It's already in shops, so what are you waiting for? Go buy!

I made a pop-up card with these papers. The little playing cards come from one of the papers in the 8X8" paper pad, and they are so darn cute! I love it that these papers come in both 12X12" and 8X8", because the smaller ones are perfect for cards. You can also see a few items from the Staples collection - the new line of G45 embellishments - the flowers, the trims and the TEA letters. Gorgeous, aren't they?

Here's the inside of the card where I've used a mix of cut-out designs and tags:

So, that's it for today. It's way past bedtime here, and it will be a busy day tomorrow. Have a great weekend, everyone!

More August kit!

First of all, those of you who have arrived for the Nook bloghop, just scroll down to find the post about it. And yay, keep those comments coming! I love reading every one of them, and you can win a fabulous prize, right?

So, I have something huge coming up, and thus I need to really work on those assignments I have and finish up as many of them as possible right now. I don't have much time to actually write, so without further ado, I'm just going to show you what else I made from the fabulous Nook August kit:

My Scrapbook Nook bloghop!

You should arrive here from Nicole Martel's blog. If you didn't - start at the blog of Leah Killian and go from there, to make sure you don't miss out on a clue!

Check out the monthly inspiration from My Scrapbook Nook Kits AND YOU MIGHT EVEN WIN ONE FOR YOURSELF! Our kits are packed with the latest and greatest scrapbooking products, all perfectly coordinated to save you time. These kits are a great value, always only $28 and always with a $15 to 35% discount! This month's kit features brand new Sassafrass Lass Indie Girl, and matching goodies from Jenni Bowlin, Basic Grey and other brands you know and trust!

Our message board and gallery are hopping and loaded with ideas on how to create with your kit, as well as step by step instructions on tons of great layouts and cards!

Now, Here's how you WIN!

Leave a comment on each design team member's blog for your chance to win past kits, Quickutz dies and gift certificates to the Nook store. One winner from each blog will be drawn randomly. The more comments you leave, the more chances to win.

The prize that I am giving away to one lucky blog hopper is a $50 Quickutz collection!!!

Then, you collect one word from each blog to form a sentence that will answer this question:

What's the scrappy cure for the summertime blues?

My clue for you is: scrappy

When you've collected all the words, piece them together to form a sentence and then go to our message board and send a personal message (pm) to Leah with your guess.
One person with the correct answer will be drawn at random and win the grand prize, a 3-month subscription to the kit club here at My Scrapbook Nook. Now, how about that?

All winners will be announced at the message board after the end of the hop.

Good luck! And remember:
Don't wait to create!
Join the kit club today! If you sign up for a 1 year subscription you'll receive a free kit to start and after a year you will receive your 13th kit for free, too.

Now, the next stop on this bloghop is a very sweet and very talented girl: Amy Coose! Hop on over and se what she's up to.

And I'm leaving you with a brand new layout with the brand new August kit, with a brand new photo of my sassy, sweet and extremely funny and loving daughter. Let me tell you, this kit is totally droolworthy! Be sure to grab one and see for yourself! Here is the kit club page where you order your kits. And dont forget your chance to become a member of the DT. Read more about it at our message board.

What's up at the Nook?

There is surely a lot going on at My Scrapbook Nook right now. First of all, this lovely kit is on its way out. It's loaded with pretty stuff! Yes, it's Sassafras' lovely line Indie Girl. I really look forward to working with this kit. I haven't been into Sassafras for a long time, but this collection made me swoon.
Second, we're having a bloghop really soon! There are fabulous prizes, so be sure to tag along.And last but not least, definitely not least, the opportunity is once again here to apply for the wonderful Nook DT! It is the best DT to be on, really! Read all about the call here, and apply. APPLY! You have absolutely nothing to lose, and who knows, you might be the one who get to inspire us with loveliness from the kit for six months to come.

Something old...

...something blue. That is the name of one of the lines from Swedish manufacturer Magnolia, and I got the opportunity to work with them for Scraplagret last month. The name suggests wedding, but there's nothing that says you have to use wedding photos for these papers, because they can be used for just about everything.

I made a layout about my little girlie. This is one of the photos I snapped of her on Midsummer's eve. I really like the soft colors of these papers! I ran a vintage action on the photo to make it a little bit softer as well, to match.
The next project I made was this little box, which my son ordered to give to his girlfriend. When I showed it to him, he thought the outside was OK, but I really, really needed to decorate the inside too. Can you believe that? My seven-year-old son actually gave me a reprimand, told me that what I made wasn't good enough, and wanted me to change it! LOL!

But who am I to resist his request? Of course I decorated the inside of the lid for him, with a castle, just as he demanded.

I also got a roll of Tim Holtz' tissue paper tape. I absolutely loved it! What a wonderful product, and how versatile it is! I made a set of four cards, where I tried to use the tissue paper in four different ways.

On this first card I made a flower out of it. Since the tape is sticky on the back, I took some potato starch on a paintbrush and brushed the back of it after I had put the flower together, to prevent it from sticking onto the card.

On the next card I used it as a background.

Here I made a tissue paper ruffle. Once again I brushed some starch on to the back of the tape.

And here I just put it on, and wrinkled it a bit while doing so, to create some texture to the card.

And other than that, I've been really busy with CHA assignments for Graphic 45, which I will show you as soon as I can, and with preparing for another thing, a huge thing which I can't tell you anything about just yet, but which will keep me fairly busy for months and years to come :) Let's just say it's the biggest project I've ever got involved in, and it's not even scraprelated...

Card Sketch Tuesdays at The Nook

Today, we are kicking off with a card sketch at the Nook messageboard. We will post a new sketch each Tuesday, and would like to see as many takes as possible! I just posted the first sketch, and here is the card I made from it. with the fabulous July kit! If you want to join in on the fun, here is the thread.

Hello Sunshine!!!

You know, I'm not the bright-color-bold-pattern type of girl. Not in any way. I prefer soft, muted colors and find it extremely difficult to work with things that are too bright and busy. So let's just say I had mixed emotions about the July kit from My Scrapbook Nook. Until I dug into it, that is. Because now, after five (!) layouts, I don't have anything at all against bright colors. Not if they are in such a well-matched kit as this one.

First of all, here's a photo of my mischievous girl. Ste's often up to no good, and she often has that cheeky look on her face that I managed to capture yesterday on this photo. This is also a photo from yesterday. I just love to watch my little guy walking! He just strolls along like there isn't one single thing that troubles him in this world. Just imagine being so relaxed and light-hearted, and being able to look at everyone he meets with an open mind. There's really nothing that bothers him. He is so tolerant towards everybody, and doesn't even notice things about people that others might have trouble with. He doesn't get impressed with kids trying to be "cool" in one way or the other, those things just don't do it for him. He sees people for who they are, not "what" they try to be. The title translated to English is "There he goes".

Little sisters are not only annoying troublemakers. Once in a while, you can also learn something from them. Agnes, when she doesn't get what she wants, she bursts into a choir of PLEASE... It's please, please, please, please, with the cutest voice such a little creature can produce, and with a slightly tilted head, and she is almost completely irresistible... almost. So, big brother thought it might be a great idea to adapt that kind of approach to mommy and daddy when it's something he wants really bad. Accordingly, the word PLEASE is now heard a lot in our house. Sometimes, when it's something they both want, things can get next to unbareable. However, none of them seems to yet have realized that it doesn't work. A no is still a no even after 20-30 please...Here is a very old photo of Agnes on a carousel ride with daddy. She was only one year old, and it seems like it's ages ago! Look at her, how completely absorbed she was by the wonders of the carousel. She did not know where to look, she just tried to take it all in at once.And then the last one, for now, there might be more, with a photo of a blue-yellow girl eating a blue-yellow cookie on a blue-yellow day. The photo was taken on the 6th of June, our national day.

With all that made, I still have plenty of stuff left with my July kit. I guess that will keep me busy until August, when we will get some of Sassafras new Indie Girl to play with. Now, that is something I really look forward to, because that line is completely my cup of tea!

I hope your days are as sunny and bright as ours. I guess we will be hanging quite a lot by our new pool tomorrow. There will most likely be lots of opportunities then for more photos that I can use with what's left of my July kit.

A whole lot of Graphic 45!

Even though I'm on summer break, and shouldn't be having all that much to do, my days are still busy, busy, busy. But it's the fun kind of busy! I'm painting furniture, cleaning out cupboards, trowing away old junk, you know, all those things you seldom find time for when you work long hours. And the kids are having friends over to play too. I was supposed to lean back, put my feet up and relax this week, but I'm just going to have to put that off for a few more days. There are so many things I feel like doing right now. Plus I have a few scrap assignments keeping me busy as well :) And then there is a huge project coming up, hopefully in a few weeks, that will keep me busy for a long, long time, and that I can't wait to get started on!!! I'm so friggin' excited about that one. Will tell you all about it in a while, if things head in the direction I'm hoping for.

Here's what I made last month for Graphic 45.

Remember those dictionaries I said I'd alter? Here's another one. I crumbled, inked and misted the pages, and then I decorated with Le Romantique papers and tags, and a few goodies from Prima as well.

Here's a layout, also from Le Romantique. These photos are from Agnes' photo session at her daycare. Her hair was a total mess that day, but nevertheless, she is adorable, my little one ♥

Here I've used an older collection, Times Nouveau, combined with a little bit of A Proper Gentleman. I've been sitting on this photo of Albin and his grandmother for ages, and finally I scrapped it.

So, right now I'm planning for a late night of scrapping with the Nook July kit ♥, and Alice in Wonderland running on the computer to keep me company.

Have a nice weekend, everyone!

A great deal from My Scrapbook Nook

Attention all scrapbookers! Right now would be a very good time to start subscribing to My Scrapbook Nook kits, because this deal is too great to miss out on!

If you become a member starting June 23, you will get a free June kit, for as long as supplies last. You must sign up for 1 year, but then you will also receive your 13th kit for free. That means 2 free kits for signing up for one year!

This is what the July kit contains:

Hello Sunshine papers from Lilybee (2 of each sheet!)
1 sheet of Hello Sunshine die cuts
1 American Crafts Thickers alphabet
1 Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type alpha in red
1 Maya Road Laundry Line chipboard
8 Maya Road Pins in Red & White (Flowers)
2 Sheets Black Bazzill
1 Jenni Bowlin Butterfly Banner Set
1 Jenni Bowlin Journaling Cards
Handful of Coordinating Buttons
1 Pink Paislee Ribbon Pleat in Black & White

The July kit is valued at over $36 and retails at just $28. So, have you ever considered subscribing to these kits, now would definitely be a great time. :) Sign up here.

And now would also be a great time to show you my second layout from the June kit, but unfortunately, when I started editing the photos I'd taken of it, they were all blurry... And now it's too dark outside. I just have to get back to you with that one :)

Pink Paislee Starlight

Blogging again today, Not bad, eh? Let's see how long I can keep this up. But so far so good.

A while ago, I got some papers and stuff from Pink Paislee's latest line, Starlight, from Scraplagret. I love it! It's my favourite colours and perfect for both boys and girls. So here are two layouts from this line.

Today, I've cleared out the little box room that is attatched to my scrap room. It is absolutely full of junk, and I have nowhere else to put it. Too bad, because once it was more or less empty, I could see the possibilities to actually do something great in there, like putting up shelves and use it to store some of my stash. Perhaps add a little tabletop to it, and I could keep the sewing macine up permanently in there, not having to put it away every time I have used it. *Sigh* Oh well, if I ever find another hidden cubbyhole to hide away some of that junk in, I will do something about this one. If...