Fairly Fabulous Creations

Last chance

2011-04-06T16:00:00.002+02:00

to update your feed. I've moved on to www.almhoej.com I'll delete this blog in a few days.

New blog

2010-11-16T16:42:00.000+01:00

I've moved on to another blog - hurry over there to get the freebie

http://jeanet-a.blogspot.com/

The color purple

2010-07-23T16:28:00.005+02:00

I love purple. There's no other color that calms me as much and my absolute favorite place in my garden is to sit at the stairs up to the house next to my flowerbed filled with lavenders. The sight and the smell can clear away any trouble I might be having. But for some reason I seldom use it when I scrap. Well that was until now.
Another one who loves purple is a fellow DET alumni. She got married this past weekend and although I for obvious reasons couldn't be there I was lucky enough to get to scrap one of the many photos taken. Here's a free tip for you. Want to be sure you have a lot of scrap worthy photos from your party? Invite a group of scrappers!
For both layouts I used the kit that DSP designer Lauren Bavin made especially for the wedding. Her Love's Dream Value Collection. It is absolutely stunning and I know that it will be a kit I'll use over and over again.

There's no shortcut to success

2010-07-15T12:04:00.011+02:00

Sometimes I find it difficult to be such a perfectionist but I took a trip down memory lane today and realised that perhaps it's only a good thing. I've been a wannabe designer for about two years now and some of you old followers of this blog might remember that I've gone through a number of blog names and styles.

I made my first kit back in March 2008 under the name 'The Basic Scrap'. A fabulous collection of badly extracted photos that I had run some kind of filter on. To add to the overall look of quality I had made some flat papers and of course just recolored them so I could fill up the kit. Lord what was I thinking? Well actually I know what I was thinking... I thought I was the top of the pop with this kit.
Moving on to the days of 'Just scrap me silly'. I had just discovered the glorious world of actions and never had a kit been easier to make. So I did a whole series of 'Jack & Jill'. I thought I was really rocking the digital scrap world with this new style and felt so proud. I couldn't wait for someone out there to discover my abilities and couldn't believe they couldn't see what I saw. I understand fully today. In fact if there's anything I don't understand today it is why I was obviously so ignorant.
After this I sort of lost courage and began to realise that perhaps I just didn't have what it takes and I turned my attention back to being a scrapper, not a designer. And I had two fantastic terms at the best and most competitive creative team out there. I really found my own individual style as a scrapper during that period and perhaps that's what ultimately encouraged me to give designing a try once more. From first hand I knew what I definitely didn't want to do. No actions, no bad extractions, no recoloring. But I can tell you now, that there are miles between knowing what you don't want to to - to knowing what you do want and I've pretty much used all of 2010 on finding out where I was heading.

This is my latest completed kit - and I love it. It is not going to revolutionize the scrap world in any way, but it is the best I've ever done. Gone are all the bad 'want-to-sound-cool' names. It is just plain Jeanet A these days.
I even managed to get a layout done which I never could with my earlier attempts. Back then I didn't understand that. I was an okay scrapper and my kits as I've just shown you were fabulous. Then why didn't they work? I know the answer to that question now. They didn't work because they were awful.
I'm probably working more on my designs these days then my scrapping. I've read a million tutorials and books and finally realised that if you want to be good, like really good, at something, then there are no shortcuts, at least not for me - and for the time being I remain just a wannabe designer.

Template Heaven 005

2010-05-31T20:00:00.005+02:00

Right now I'm so tired I can hardly stay awake long enough to write this. It has been an exhausting day at work and when I got home and just needed to upload the file I almost gave up since Media Fire which I usually use didn't work. But here it is... finally, based on one of my absolute favorite layouts.
Products: Yours Trulee Value Collection by Marcee Duggar & Maskee Set 1 Large Clipping Masks by Marcee Duggar

Products: Little Explorer by Nicole Young

And here's your freebie.

Download here

Enjoy

Template Heaven 004

2010-05-24T18:39:00.004+02:00

I used to be so bad at making layouts with more then one photo and these days it seems that it is all I'm making, and even when I only use one photo I still manage to make it look like more. It's funny to look at how my style has changed since I began my scrapping adventure. In the beginning I only used one photo and filled the page with it, these days I'm using lots of photos and keeping them small. I think the real change came after I got layouts printed for the first time and I realized that even if I made the photos smaller, they would still be pretty big - oh and journaling doesn't need to be more then a size 14 at the most, even if it looks pretty small on your screen, it is still very readable.

Another thing that helped me think about my style, is working with templates and speaking of which here's your freebie template this week.

The template this week I made back in March after spending a great day at the beach playing and taking too many photos that I desperately wanted to scrap. I used Mandy by Meryl Bartho, Mandy Page AOP by Meryl Bartho, Kaybutler Page Kit by Meryl Bartho, Stitched With Love Basics by Meryl Bartho & Hang The Alpha - Custom Chipboard by Meryl Bartho

For the second layout I used Brushed On Watercolour by Lauren Bavin, not only for blending the photo but also to blend two backgrounds together. The white one seemed too plain and the purple too much, but the combination of them is just right!
The white paper is from Lovee Grungee Back Pack by Marcee Duggar, there's a word art from Wordee Deluxe Word Art Set 4 by Marcee Duggar and the rest is from Passionfruit Purple Page Kit by Suzanne C Walker

Which just leaves the freebie preview. I hope you'll find it useful

Download right here

See ya next Monday

Template Heaven 003

2010-05-17T19:37:00.004+02:00

It's Monday and you know what that means. A new freebie template!

But before we get to that I wanted to share a bit of music with you. On Danish television there's an ad running at the moment which uses this beautiful song which I kept singing to myself so of course I had to look it up and the full song is even more amazing then just the little part they are using in the ad.

Every word of this song reminds me of every dream I ever had as a child and on hand it makes me kind of sad because I remember all the unfulfilled dreams. On the other it is a beautiful reminder of dreams in general and the courage to follow them. Oh I could listen to this song all day long.

But back to your freebie. The first layout is a brand new one which I just finished this afternoon. I'm slowly, very slowly, coming back to my routine with a layout a day. I used This I Promise by Tina Chambers, This I Promise by Tina Chambers, Heartbeats page kit by Tina Chambers, Stitched With Love Basics by Meryl Bartho & Photoshop and PSE Text Paths Set 3 by Lauren Bavin. The cute boy is of course my friend Susanne's cute son from when we had dinner with them a couple of weeks ago. For this layout I turned the template and moved the photos together to one cluster.

The second layout I made for my swap partner Heather. I used I Wanna Play Too Value Collection by Kim Liddiard & Play All Day Value Collection by Elizabeth Weaver which you might remember from last weeks template. I love the DSP value collections. They are such a great deal.

And here's the template freebie. I would love if you left a comment on my blog if you download. I can see how many download my freebies, but I would love to hear from you as well. It would be nice to know who it is that is stopping by my blog.

Download here

And since I've managed to upload a template for you two weeks in a row now I won't hesitate but to promise, that there'll be a new freebie template next Monday.

Sick dog means freebie for you

2010-05-14T12:26:00.006+02:00

We were supposed to enjoy a couple of days off work together but like always sometime came up. Our poor doggy got sick Tuesday and he's kept us pretty busy, running back and forward to let him out in the garden, trying to pursued him to drink a little and just in general keeping an eye on him.

Fever and vomiting for such a small dog can be quite exhausting for both dog and owner and we've been forced to stay at home. He seems to be getting better but he still sleeps a lot. Probably dreaming off a cuddle with my husband whenever he gets home again.
We weren't even up this morning before the first work related call came for my husband and within an hour it was ringing so much that he simply ignored it before rushing off to fix whatever the situation was this time. So much for some time together.

At least it gives me some guilt free computer time which is always nice. So this week I've got an extra freebie for you. I used my freebie Template no 2 and a kit I've been working on. Some days I don't think I'll ever finish enough kits to actually apply somewhere as a designer but that's just another thing to fight with when being a perfectionist.

Hopefully somewhere out there in the big world it is Spring so you have photos to use with this. Enjoy!

Download here

Template Heaven 002

2010-05-10T18:37:00.008+02:00

When I named my last freebie Template no 1 it was with every intention to give you another, but life got in the way, which seems to happen a lot to me. But here it is, finally and like the last time I've already used it - for two different layouts.

The first one is using the new mega Military Mega Kit by DSP Designers. If you have family members in the military or scrap heritage, you'll need this kit.

I don't scrap nearly as many heritage layouts as I would like. I love history and often find myself going too much into details that doesn't refer particularly to my own family but to the events of the time. So making heritage layouts always takes longer for me then any other type of layouts. I constantly want to know more.

The other layout was much easier. It took 15 minutes at the most but I still love it just as much as the other layout. Of course it always helps the scrapping along when you are inspired and have a template to work from. You'll notice that none of my layouts are an exact use of the template. My inspiration came from these two new kits I Wanna Play Too Value Collection by Kim Liddiard & Play All Day Value Collection by Elizabeth Weaver. I love the colors and fantastic playful design of these kits and since I saw them in the store I had this song from Aladdin in my head - A Whole New World, so picking the photos to use wasn't hard at all

So here's the download link for the template. I hope you'll find it useful - and I'll try to be back next Monday with a new template.

Download here

Do you swap?

2010-02-22T17:57:00.001+01:00

I have taken part in a million different challenges since I began digi scrapping but the one I always return to and love the most, is digital swaps. Basically you pair up with someone else and swap photos to scrap for each other.

I love it because not only do you get a set of brand new photos (something new always triggers my creativity) but you also get an exclusive look into someone else life. It's not so much the layouts in them selves. It's the fact that we can sit all over the world, in different time zones and feel passionate about the same thing and want to do our absolute best with this small portion of their life - for someone who would have been a stranger if it wasn't for scrapping.

I get excited every time I realize just how small the world is. Somehow it makes it feel like a less lonely place, right?

If you want to join in on the fun next time, look here around March 1st when the next sign up thread will come up. You have a week to sign up and then 3 weeks to swap photos and make the layout for your partner. I hope to see you there.

Template Heaven 001

2010-02-19T11:15:00.007+01:00

Do you use templates? I did when I first started out scrapping but it didn't take me long to feel like they were in reality limiting my own creativity instead of helping it along. I didn't feel like the finished layout was my layout, but the product of someone else creativity.

This was only until I understood, that a template doesn't only have one look. You can flip it, add to it, only use parts of it and so on and so on. For most scrappers this might seem obvious but to me this was quite the revelation and it has helped me to make some of my best and quickest done layouts. And lets face it, we all want to do well – and do it fast, right?

Here's two different uses of the same template and neither of them are an exact version of the original template. For the first layout I added an extra layer to the template so instead of it being a multiple photo template I only used one photo and filled the original layers with background papers.

For the second layout I duplicated all my layers and resized this group a bit. I then took both groups and moved them to opposite sides of the layout to fit in even more photos.

Now it is your turn. Download the template and find your own style while using it. Feel free to come back here and link it once you've finished your layout, I'd love to see what you've come up with.

Download it here

The end of something, the beginning.... of what?

2010-02-18T12:22:00.007+01:00

As a member of a creative team I often struggle with the fact that I mostly scrap in boyish colors. Apart from nature and the occasional layout about my self I make layouts about my husband, my dog, my friends' adorable son, Xander, who's the star of many of my more recent layouts and recently my two godsons Alexander & Victor.
So February has been a tough month for me with all these purple and pink kits out there because of Valentines and perhaps that's why I'm secretly beginning to look a bit forward to the end of March when my current DET term ends. (Which reminds me - if you want a scrapping experience of a lifetime - the sign up is now open for the DET contest starting March 1st. Find it right here) It is really an amazing experience and I'm so glad that I did it - both times because I've learned so much. But like always the end of something makes me wonder what to do next.

Obviously there's the whole designing thing. It seems like I've talked about it forever and really done nothing about it, but I guess that has something to do with having ridiculous high expectations to myself.
But then there's everything else. Work, family life - sometimes just breathing seems like a challenge. I thought last year that is was going to be a year of change but change never came and the more time passes, the more I realize that my life won't change, if I don't. I'll be 30 in a couple of months and I'm still as confused as when I was 20. Life isn't supposed to be like that, right?
I've had an offer, which could very well be the thing I'm supposed to do. The thing that will make all this make sense and I've been thinking a lot about it, but seriously I think, I need to stop thinking and just do! But I'm afraid to fail.
How do you get rid of that fear, how do you move on? Any advice would really be appreciated.

That's just beachy...

2010-01-29T17:44:00.004+01:00

I just had a look back on my blog entries and realised I haven't mentioned my design dreams since August. Well they are still very much alive although I'm still not sure if I'll ever be able to make kits on command. I haven't even been able to finish any SNL kits these past two months, not feeling up to using the kit theme or color scheme. But I still design. Here's the latest kit I did.

I even got a layout made with it which is so unsual for me. And if I can't scrap with my own kits then how could I expect others to do it?

Apart from that life is as much the same as it was in August. I'm still a member of the world's best creative team at Digital Scrapbook Place (I might be a bit partial on that one, so forgive me), still enjoying married life and still looking for a new job instead of the one I have right now.

Ready or not... Here I come

2010-01-01T23:51:00.003+01:00

We don't really have any New Years tradition any longer. I'm not even sure we ever had any besides from year after year being together with the same group of people and usually getting too much to drink. You know the usual NY's parties in your early 20s. But it all changed when we got the dog. He just doesn't like fireworks and we are supposed to always look out for him, including NY's eve. So recent years we've been home. A nice relaxed dinner (with still too much to drink) with a few friends. A lot of smalltalk and just a wonderful evening in generel.

Last night was exactly like that. We all had a great evening (even the dog seemed to relax just a bit more then earlier) As I woke up this morning I felt ready to meet a new year with whatever the challenges it will give. I think I'm ready for 2010, only question is - is 2010 ready for me?

A glorious new world

2009-11-06T01:04:00.002+01:00

When I grew up, living out at the countryside, we had two television channels and the second one didn’t even come until 1988. We could listen to one of the four state owned radio stations and sometimes on particular clear days the local station from the nearest big town 20 something kilometers away. There was no Internet available. Cell phones were still so big and expensive that no one I knew had one.

As I sat on the bus on my way to work today, listening to my favorite US radio station I came to realize what a revolution we’ve been through these past 20 years. The fact alone that I’m able to sit in a moving bus and navigate my way around all kinds of international radio stations and still have better quality then the old state stations says a lot about just how far we’ve come.

And on that note I might as well confess it right now – I’m totally addicted to my Iphone. I listen to music, play games, write notes and tape random ideas for later use. I take photos and send my husband photos of the dog while he’s at work. I twitter, facebook and keep up with the latest events at my favorite websites. I call friends and stay in touch via mail and text messages. I even wrote this blog post during breaks at work!

When I grew up I never imagined myself doing any of these things but for the younger generations they’ll never know a world without it. I once read an interview with some guy that argued that in reality all technology was at a standstill. We were only finding new ways to use existing technology. This might be true but what a glorious new world these new ways have created.

It doesn’t take something new to create a revolution, just a different way of looking at something old.

Keeping warm

2009-11-03T00:37:00.001+01:00

My husband keeps telling me that I’m just being foolish. To put on an extra sweater or go for a walk. But there are limits to how many sweaters I can wear and go for a walk every five minutes and nothing else will be done that day. The truth, although he’ll never admit it, is that our house is ice cold these days. We are experiencing seriously bad weather even for the season and the heat isn’t turned up enough.
What can however make me warm is that panic attack I had this morning as I turned on my computer or should I say - tried to turn it on. Nothing happened. Absolutely NOTHING! Can you imagine my panic? I’m still not quite sure what happened but one thing is certain it is in need of good spring cleaning! So much stuff and so little space isn’t the best of combinations. I’ve spend the day getting up to date with my backups and drinking lots of tea to keep me warm and once I’m actually brave enough to agree to do it, I’ll have my computer re-installed.

But the never-ending fear is what if something unexpected happens to my back up in the meantime?

The morning after

2009-11-01T15:22:00.001+01:00

There’s something so incredible sad about the morning after a great evening spend with friends. You spend the day before excited about getting to see your friends, shopping, cleaning, getting dinner ready and walking the dog so he can spend the evening sleeping.
The evening passes faster then you would ever expect it to. You eat, laugh and talk like you’ll never meet again and suddenly you are saying goodbye in the doorway and they’ll leave into the darkness of the night.
And then you wake up the morning after to this sight. I call it the glass graveyard. They stand like lonely monuments in the cold light of the morning only accompanied by the candles that burned out hours ago and tell their stories about another great evening.

It’s only Sunday afternoon and I’m already missing Saturday nights.

It's more like a series of events...

2009-10-30T01:43:00.001+01:00

Blog Prompt: Of the major events that have happened in your lifetime, what do you feel has had the most impact on you and how?

What is a major event? Where does it start and where does it end? What about all those small things that lead up to the so called big event? Don’t they count and who’s to say they don’t have as big a role on the impact as the major event?

I’ll give you an example. Meeting my husband was a major event. One of those you might even call life altering. But to meet my husband I had to call a friend I hadn’t seen in six months. I wouldn’t have called her if it wasn’t because that the guy I fancied at the time had suddenly decided to spend his Saturday evening differently then planned and I needed someone to entertain me. But then again, I wouldn’t have been involved with that guy in any way if I hadn’t sad & drunk said that a guy like him would make a great rebound guy after a failed relationship, to a mutual friend. And I would certainly never have said that if things had gone differently in my old relationship, a relationship that cost me my friendship with the first mentioned friend.

You are beginning to understand where I’m heading, right? I can’t say exactly what step on my way to true love (and it still is after 8 years together) had the most impact on my life. One thing wouldn’t have happened without the other.

Music that makes me go...

2009-10-29T00:24:00.005+01:00

I saw this on another blog and had to do it as well. I'm a huge music lover and truely believes that music can enhance or even alter my mood.

PERSONAL
Top 40s at the moment:
That's going to be a Danish song. I can listen to this over and over again the entire day and still feel a little bit in love with the song. It's Rasmus Seebach with Glad igen (Happy again)

Songs that give you spirit when you are down:
I can not hear this and not get a huge smile on my lips. It has such a lovely beat. It's Natalie Imbruglia with Glorious

Wedding:
Faith Hill - The Way You Love Me
It's the song my husband and I danced our first dance (after the traditional wedding walz) to at our wedding.

Sexy:
Don't ask me why but the first song that I think of is Marvin Gaye - Lets get it on

Quickly followed by Justin Timberlake & Ciara with Love Sex Magic

I hate my ex songs:
Sara Bareilles - Gravity
I know the obvious pick would be some angry song but this song reminds me so much of an old ex and reminds me every time why I ended up hating him as much as I did back then...

But in the end Trisha Yearwoods I would have loved you anyway works too. Because at the time of my life it really didn't matter how he treated me. I neeeded him to be able to move on and be ready for the next big love. 'For a moment in time' I loved him.

R&B night....

Excentric:
Bodies with Robbie Williams, because lets face it. No matter how hot the guy is, he is just as excentric! And this number is no exception.

Brittish:
Anything works here. Almost anything but from the more recent british singers I really like Pixie Lott

Adorable:
I started with a Danish song and I'll end with another one. This is 17 year old Basim with the song to his father that has cancer. The song is about his fear of loosing him, he sings that heaven has too many angels and that he needs him here. That time is the best he give him. It is such an adorable song.

Keeping busy

2009-10-05T21:18:00.005+02:00

Suddenly I found myself caught up in the DET contest at DSP and finishing my kits for SNL and totally forgot about coming back here and update. Well where do I begin?
I made it back on the Digital Elite Team at Digital Scrapbook Place and for those of you that don't know it, the DET is the Creative Team for the entire store at DSP. It was a really hard contest this time and as we entered the last round I felt that it would be okay if I didn't make the team. So I was extremely excited when I made the team. So I've been busy scrapping and absolutely love being back and getting to scrap with all kinds of kits.
Here's a few of my layouts so far.

Fresh N New Mega kit by DSP Designers

Tropical Dreams by Heidi Kuester

Toad-ily Inspired Blendable Paper Kit by Kim Liddiard Famous Authors: Oliver Wendell Holmes word art by Tina Chambers

I've even had time to finish my SNL kit for October already. The theme was Teen Grunge and the colors were very bright and funky. I didn't think I'd finish so fast but I actually made this in an afternoon. And I love how it turned out

It's Marcee's birthday...

2009-09-18T13:03:00.006+02:00

Which at DSP means you get 29% off on her products so if you're not already familar with her products this is a great oppertunity to get started. Here are just some of my many favorite Marcee products.

I use her clipping masks all the time and often find new ways of using her word arts over and over again as page fillers. Her kits are full of great papers and elements so realistic that you want to reach out and touch them. I actually look at her products every single time I sit by my computer because I have these 3 layouts hanging on the wall behind my screen.
Several of her products are simply digital must haves so go and find all of her products here and start shopping. Sale Ends Midnight EST
Happy birthday Marcee!

My Sunshine

2009-09-17T11:05:00.004+02:00

Here's my splash of color on a cloudy day. I'm fighting a beginning winter blues at the moment. It's the most beautiful time of the year but it so hard to deal with the darkness. Luckily there's always scrapping to turn to. I'm always more productive during the winter.
Products: (Image is clickable)

From bad to perfect!

2009-09-08T00:42:00.008+02:00

Not all photos turn out well but sometimes the motive is simply too good to ignore. Like a photo I took on a recent trip to the beach with my husband and dog. They were walking out in the water along the beach and I really wanted to use it, so I worked a lot on this layout.

In the end it wasn't as much about using the photo as it was to show the mood/feeling of that particular evening. This is just as much scrapping to me as showing a photo or writing about an event. It is truely small pieces of art that reflects my life.

Products: Main kit: Outer Banks by Tina Chambers Sun reflections: Frog King Forest by Nicole Young Moon & Fog: Nighttime At The Fairy Glen Element Set by Nicole Young Stars and clouds: Forever In Never Never Page Kit by Nicole Young & the blog freebie

Winner of Trendsetters 2009

2009-09-01T13:52:00.006+02:00

I still can't quite believe it but I won the Trendsetters contest at DSP. There were so many great layouts and many I considered being a lot more creative then my entries so I didn't really expect anything. These are the 3 layouts I did during the contest.

The next DET contest started today and I've been considering if I should sign up again for the past month or two. I had hoped that my job situation would have been different by now but nothing has changed and as for designing I still don't live up to my own quality expectations so I've got plenty of time and with a little encouragement I signed up last night. So now the competition is on. Around 70 has signed up for the 10 spots on the team so it'll be interesting to see who makes the team this time.
I'll be taking this one round at the time. We've gotten the first kit which is a really beautiful one and I had my layout done fairly quickly but I'll need to sit on it for a while if for nothing else to make sure that I'm not breaking any of the rules.

Fairytale QP

2009-08-24T20:17:00.004+02:00

It's been a while and all sorts of things has happened in my life. Every morning I've told myself that this was going to be the day where I got the blog updated again but I haven't been all smiles and laughter lately so I figured I might as well not do it.

But today I've got a freebie for you. I'm working on a kit at the moment using a color swatch the DSP designers are using at the moment to make a series of kits that match in colors. (Check out that challenge here) I wanted to give it a try myself after not having done any designing for some time. I suddenly felt very limited that I only had PSE 5.0 to use and thought I might as well give up. But here I am again, not really able to give up entirely.

So enjoy your freebie. Download here

Do you believe in signs?

2009-08-06T22:22:00.000+02:00

I’ve fought it for so long. I really don’t want to believe in signs because for me that means admitting to that there’s more between heaven and earth and it is not for us to totally understand. And I feel the most comfortable when I understand what’s going on around me.

When I turned on the TV this morning, the show ‘The Doctors’ were on and they were talking about how to know if you were having a heart attack. Later as I was reading there was a character in the book that died of heart failure. I should have known that something was up. I had similar experiences when both my grandmother and my father died.

Today Thursday August 6, 2009 my youngest aunt died. My youngest aunt who wasn’t even 50 yet died after having cardiac arrest. She was sitting at the kitchen table and had just finished playing a game with my uncle who was making jokes. They were talking about the trip they were going to make next week. Life was good. And then she just died – totally out of the blue.

And I just don’t understand. I don’t understand how a woman who was sitting in my garden not two weeks ago feeling better then ever could just die.

Everything we needed...

2009-07-31T13:05:00.005+02:00

Blog Prompt: Today is Mutt’s Day. Do you prefer a mutt or a purebred animal? Why?

I wouldn't say I prefer a mutt or a purebred but when we got to the point where we started looking for a dog we both knew what was important was that we got a dog that was happy and healthy and since we had both seen quite a few purebred dogs with health issues we perhaps not knowingly looked for a mutt. Another thing that was important to us was that we wanted to give a dog that really needed a home a place to be. It breaks our hearts to see how some people buy dogs when then are cute puppies and then just give up on them once they've grown into size. A dog is a serious commitment. So we picked up our dog at a shelter or perhaps we should say that the owner picked out the dog for us. We went there with an appointment to meet another dog but once we had talked for a bit with the owner she recommended we met Fido. A cross between a Labrador and a Springer Spaniel. It was love at first sight and we took him home later that same day and have not regretted it a single time since. He is happy and healthy and everything we wanted and didn't know we needed in a dog.

Products: A Gypsy Tale 2 Page Kit by Nicole Young A Gypsy Tale Add On Pack by Nicole Young Gypsy Tale by Nicole Young Just Junky 2 Kit by Nicole Young

Christmas Planner Draft

2009-07-31T12:49:00.001+02:00

Webfrau from DSP has run a challenge this week as part of the Christmas in July celebrations to make a Christmas Planner and since I’m always behind around Christmas especially in the Christmas card department I jumped onboard hoping that I’ll be a bit more prepared this year. Well as it turned out I’m already behind and didn’t get to finish my planner before the week was over. Oh well – I guess December is still what 3 months away? So there’s still time to finish it.

I’ve used a regular A4 binder and divided it into six different categories: Calendar, Christmas cards (including an address index), Gifts, Economy, Recipes and Notes. The notes section is intended for a bit of daily journaling in December which will make the Christmas scrap album so much easier to do once December is over. I’m not completely satisfied with the look of the planner yet but I guess that’s just because I haven’t had time to tweak it as much as I usually do. I’ll be sure to remember to update here once I’ve got it done. Hopefully that’ll happen sometime before Christmas

A digital must have: Plastic Pockets by Erica Belton

2009-07-30T17:59:00.003+02:00

Every now and then I find new products in the digital world that I simply must have. Not because I know what I want to use them for right here and now but I know it’ll be something I’ll use over and over again.
Once I saw Erica Belton's new Plastic Pocket overlays I knew these were going into the category of must haves. Using them is probably the closest I’ll ever get to doing anything hybrid. They look incredible real and are so easy to work with.

She’s made nine different ones (and if you hurry you can get them on sale) and I got them all to make a mini album with photos from a recent trip to the Zoo. The album will practically make it self, be done in no time and look fantastic! I’m so excited about these and only wish that I had thought of them myself.

Get them all right here

I've used kits by Meryl Bartho for the Zoo layouts

Dreams of Pasta Carbonara

2009-07-29T13:10:00.003+02:00

Blog Prompt: Today is National Lasagna Day. Do you like Italian food? What is your favorite Italian dish?

When I was younger I lived just down the street from the best Italian restaurant I’ve ever been to. The atmosphere was always warm and inviting. The food was beyond delicious and the wines superb. Of course the company was always perfect as well. I went there with friends, first dates and various boyfriends over the years. I loved the place so much. When I returned to the town after living elsewhere for a couple of years I was very sad to see that the owners had sold the restaurant and the new cook was no where near the old standard and I never went back again. Somehow I didn’t want the memory of the good old days ruined by lousy food. Today the restaurant is turned into an ice cream bar.

But let’s step back to the food. The amazing Italian food, that got me into the restaurant in the first place. For some reason I always ended up eating the same thing; Pasta Carbonara. The yummiest dish of them all with the pasta, bacon and cream served with just a pinch of chopped parsley. Hmm, I suddenly know what I want to make for dinner tonight.

A new side of scrapping ...

2009-07-27T18:30:00.003+02:00

... at least for me. I'm terrible at getting my layouts printed. I keep telling myself I won't do it until I've finished a year, an special occation, a certain story or whatever it is I'm scrapping. I think that of all the layouts I've made so far I've only had around 1% printed. One of the main reasons for this was that I had to get it done at a store and somehow I felt like I couldn't be bothered getting the files uploaded (I know, it's no excuse!) So not long before my birthday I asked my husband to find a printer for me. Cheap to buy AND cheap to use; which isn't the easiest thing in the world. It wasn't exactly a b-day wish since I didn't want him to spend that much money on it but guess what he did.

Apart from being able to print my layouts now the printer has also opened an entirely different side of scrapping that I had yet to explore. Making cards! And this is my first attempt. Having to cut and fold reminded me why I'd never tried paper scrapping but I'm quite happy with the result.

Products: I've used various products by Nicole Young and Tina Chambers, both Digital Scrapbook Place

Layout: Go Fish

2009-07-26T17:34:00.004+02:00

Christmas in July began yesterday and I already feel like I'm hopelessly behind on the challenges. There are so many at DSP and the ladies there kept busy all day yesterday scrapping and filling up the gallery while I was celebrating my husband's 30th birthday. I woke up this morning feeling just a tiny bit hung over and figured I'd never get anything done today but after a lot of salt and sugar and a good nap I felt better. So this is my first CIJ challenge layout done.
I used Christmas Magic Page Kit by Meryl Bartho which is brand new at the DSP store and so incredible beautiful. I absolutely love all those flowers which might not be so Christmas like but combine it with a bit of glitter and a bit of ivy and you've got the look.

I hope to get to do many more challenges during the week long celebration but I'm short on time this week as well so we'll just have to wait and see.

I'm so excited...

2009-07-16T14:04:00.005+02:00

about how my Nordic Christmas kit turned out. Oh I love all the sparkly bits and the glass ball took me like forever to make but I'm really happy with the way it turned out.
Furthermore I was up the entire night writing which I haven't done in so long. I've felt so uninspired and was at a point where I couldn't even construct a sentence (I still can't in English but that's an entirely different story) And tomorrow is my husbands last day at work before 3 weeks of vacation. So there's plenty to be excited about.

We don't have many plans for the vacation. We are off to Germany on Tuesday for a bit of shopping for the birthday party next weekend and we've talked about taking a few days in our old hometown Aarhus. But apart from that I think we are just going to take each day as it comes. Perhaps catch up on a couple of movies, go to the beach and just relax.

It's Christmas in July...

2009-07-15T00:14:00.003+02:00

... or at least it will be soon at my favorite digital scrapbooking site DSP. There's already so many things planned for the week long celebration starting with a 24 hour chat. I hate to miss the chats and all the fun it usually is to be a part of but that particular day we are having guests all day celebrating my husband's 30th birthday. His birthday was in April but we haven't been able to find a free weekend until now. With me working every other weekend we rarely have a weekend with no plans. I knew when we set the date that it would take the focus away from my b-day which is next week but I had no idea that it would be completely forgotten. I'm not saying I expect gifts but no one has asked me what I want for my b-day. Not even my husband or my mother or my husband's grandmother whom I'm very close with despite that she talked about my birthday just earlier today. It is very, very weird and I can't shake the feeling that they are all up to something or perhaps they have just forgotten it. Time will show I guess.

Okay back to the whole Christmas in July thing. I'm usually very excited about the products the DSP designers make but I have yet to find a Christmas kit there (or anywhere else for that matter) that match my Christmas photos. Most Christmas kits are red, green and dark blue and my home is none of these colors around Christmas (apart from the green tree of course). That's the reason why I still haven't gotten my Christmas layouts from last Christmas done and let's face it - before we know it it's December again and a new set of photos will be taken.

It’ll be photos showing my favorite ornaments in soft blue shades, teal, purple and silver. So with this in mind I’ve started working on a new kit which for now is called Nordic Christmas.

I even listened to Christmas music yesterday as I started to work on it – just to get in the spirit. But I must admit that the kit isn’t the easiest I’ve done yet. Since I’m not traditional in my Christmas decorations I’m having a hard time deciding which things so go in the kit. So in many ways I’m back where I started. I still don’t have that perfect Christmas kit but at least I got one layout done with my Advent decoration (which was my first ever – seems to be the year of many firsts).

So if you have any suggestions for stuff to go in the kit or better yet know of a kit that might be suitable (think modern, soft almost pastel colors and lots of bling) give me a hint. I’ll greatly appreciate it.

3rd place winner

2009-07-02T09:22:00.001+02:00

Playing in the sunset , originally uploaded by Almhoej.

Exciting news to wake up to on another warm day in Denmark. My photo won a 3rd place in a Flickr group voting. The theme for contest was bridges over water. There were some incredible beautiful photos among the entries so I didn't really think I had any chance.

El Hacienda

2009-07-01T16:15:00.005+02:00

I've been super productive so far this week. I've made five layouts already and a kit. It's been a while since I've had so much work done.
It is hot, hot, hot in Denmark at the moment so I started working with a summer color scheme and somehow ended with this mexican theme. Just think about it, sitting there in the shadows, sipping cold margaritas. Beats working in the garden which was my alternative to designing.
For some reason it wasn't too difficult to decide on how to spend the afternoon.

Statistically Challenged

2009-06-27T20:49:00.002+02:00

I love numbers! So when I opened the gallery at DSP today I noticed a bit of statistic that I had to look a bit closer at. Here’s what I found:

There are 278,263 photos in the gallery and there has been made 1,454,523 comments which mean that on average every layout should have at least 5 comments.
There have been 50,682,339 views which on average means that each layout gets viewed 35 times but only every 7th person comment on the viewed layout.
There are 152,425 users which mean that every member on average has two photos in their gallery but the top ten posters counts for more then 5% alone with nearly 16,000 photos in the gallery.
22% of all the photos are in the Challenge galleries which mean that every 5th uploaded photo is for a challenge.
42% of the challenge layouts are in the designer challenge galleries which mean that every 11th photo uploaded is for a designer challenge.
Doing challenges is a good thing if you like more comments since layouts for challenges on average gets approx. 7 comments which is two more then the overall average.
Our Queen of scrapping Mars is the number one poster in the gallery with 2,249 photos which mean that since she joined in September 2005 she has on average made more then four layouts every week!! Now how many of you can match that? I just did the math on my own gallery and I can barely make an average of 3 every week since I joined in 2006.

I had to use that knowledge for something, so I've started a challenge (since everyone loves a good challenge) at DSP. You can check it out here!

Statistically Challenged

Can a fairy be bald?

2009-06-26T23:19:00.004+02:00

I've spend almost 3 days on the frame. I keep saving it as a png file just to go back and work more on it. I keep finding new things I can adjust and seriously it would have been so much faster if I had just made one flower and then duplicated it but no, I obviously don't know how to keep it simple.

I'm still waiting to find out what the featured element will be for SNL#51 but with just 3 elements 'done' there's plenty of room for more. Have you noticed that I keep avoiding making the actually fairy? I've started it a couple of times. Get an okay face done but then it goes wrong when I try to add hair. Can a fairy be bald?

SNL51: Fairies?!!? Oh no!

2009-06-24T01:56:00.003+02:00

The theme for the July edition of SNL is going to be fairies and today the vote began on the colors and there seems to be a winner already so inspired by the color palette and the theme I've started working on a kit.
I don't make many fantasy layouts myself so I'm expecting to have troubles with the theme. The fairy wings and the stars overlay is just about as far as my imagination will stretch right now. It's probably a good thing I've started early on this one.

My two new best friends

2009-06-23T01:59:00.006+02:00

I'd like you meet my two new best friends. They are called Burn Tool and Dodge Tool. I knew of their exsistence a month ago but I seldom used the burn tool and never the dodge tool. Now I can't imagine how I got by without using them. It's amazing how many details you can 'paint' on a plain flat color, like all the shadows and highlights on these flowers.

Oh and perhaps this is a good time to mention an old best friend, my Wacom Bamboo Fun pen. I almost gave up using it when I first got it, didn't really think I could control it but these days I've totally given up on a regular mouse and use the pen all the time. Another big help in these design attempts.

Bedtime inspiration

2009-06-20T00:31:00.002+02:00

I stared at my computer screen all morning, trying to get something done but felt so unispired. I was seriously beginning to think that all creativity had left me. So I spend the afternoon and evening reading. On my way to bed I just wanted to check my emails and I'm not sure why but I suddenly had an idea and opened my Elements to continue the work on my sea kit. Remember this is a work in progress. I'm sure I can do so much more work on the bridge but right now I'm actually feeling quite happy about it.

And now I really should be going to bed. :)

It's been a rewarding year

2009-06-18T11:47:00.010+02:00

It is that time of the year again. Where we put on our best dresses (and bodies ;)) and go to the Scrappy Awards at DSP. I've been anxiously awaiting this event because for me it celebrates my first true anniversary as a scrapper. Sure I had done some before but it wasn't really until last year when I entered a layout just for the fun of it (although there was nothing fun about the layout) and actually won for Best Journaling.

It wasn't as much the winning part that excited me the most, as it were all the words of encouragements that followed. I had never experienced so many people actually care about what I was doing. Something I had really missed up until that point. Slowly I grew as a scrapper over the summer and much to my own surprise got a place at the world's best creative team, Digital Elite Team, after a tough competition in September.

I confess to crying tears of joy the day I got my first layout inducted to the Hall of Fame. And crying tears of pain after just finishing the layout that was so difficult for me to do. And that has pretty much been the theme of my scrapping this past year. From time to time I've felt strong enough to deal with some of those hard stories I need to get down on paper for future generations to understand my family's history. Stories are supposed to be told not just the good parts but also all those filled with bittersweet memories.

In many ways this has been a year full of life altering decessions and although I'm not proud of all them and I'm certain a few people have felt let down by me, I'm sure that at some point they will feel as the right ones because I do believe that I'm slowly moving towards something that I was meant to do whatever that may be.

So here we are a year later and it is time for the Scrappies once more. This year I'm nominated in four categories and I still feel as surprised as I did last year, not really believing that someone actually like what I make. This is not saying that scrapping is my life, I'm merely saying that scrapping has become a symbol of everything else going on in my life. So this anniversary is truely a milestone and I'm thankful for all the experiences I've had and people I've met this past year and of course I can't help but to think about where I'll be in life a year from now...

Another kit in the making...

2009-06-15T23:59:00.005+02:00

Remember my post from the other day with the photos of the sky I thought would make some great overlays for papers?

Well I was right and I'm slowly working towards another complete kit. It doesn't even have a working title yet but I'm sure the theme of the kit is already pretty obvious.

As much as I like the way the cloudy papers look it is nothing compared to how I feel about the stones/rocks. I love how they turned out.

Bird brush by Obsidian Dawn

Sweet Moments

2009-06-15T10:25:00.003+02:00

I'm almost ashamed to admit this but there are times where I'm almost jealous of the bond between my husband and my dog. They are without a doubt each others best friends and nothing or no one can get between them.

I took these photos one day after my husband had just gotten home from a long day at work and Buller clearly had a lot of things he needed to tell him. I guess it is only fair that they get some quality time alone after all I spend all day alone with Buller.

The Credits:
Gypsy Tale by Nicole Young
Gypsy Tale 2 by Nicole Young (BLOG FREEBIE!)
Maskee Set 2 Large Clipping Masks by Marcee Duggar Clustered Up word art by Tina Chambers
Along these Lines: Happy by Tina Chambers

The Cutest

2009-06-11T13:13:00.004+02:00

Isn't he just the cutest? You can almost tell he is concentrating really hard on the water. Some of our best hours are spend at the beach with our dog. Hopefully the summer will soon return so we can get out there again.

Products: My own stuff

Bath Time Blues Freebie

2009-06-09T21:01:00.006+02:00

Oh wait what is this? Another kit freebie within the same week? That is so unlike me! *lol*

It has been raining all day long and I've been home alone so there was not much else for me to do then to finish this kit. I made the frame and blue paper a long time ago and then got stuck. Now that is done I want you guys to have it so it doesn't just gather dust on my harddrive.

Enjoy and I hate to ask this, but if you download please leave me a message. I so appreciate it.

Download here

Getting better

2009-06-09T11:26:00.009+02:00

I think I'm done with the SNL June kit but like always I need a few days to think about it. But today I wanted to show you this.

One thing is that I seem to have more fun designing, another is that I'm finally able to see myself that I'm improving. I realised it while I was finishing the last element for the kit. Not long ago I would have stopped after making the branch look like the left one, thinking it looked pretty good. Now with a bit more training it looks like the one to the right.

Sure it takes a lot longer but I'm slowly moving towards quality instead of quantity. Slowly, very slowly that is! And perhaps that's what is holding me back the most. I hate being slow at anything and would much rather not do it then. I really need to start focusing more on details. It took me forever to get that skill when it comes to scrapping, hopefully it'll show in my design soon as well.

How's the weather?

2009-06-08T23:45:00.002+02:00

How's the weather?, originally uploaded by Almhoej.

I started taking some photos of the sky today thinking they could make some pretty good overlays for backgrounds but ended up using it as my photo of the day. I've never seen so many different clouds at one time in the sky. It was an incredible sight. It never really rained and although the sun wasn't too visible I can still feel the burn in my face after spending the afternoon outside.

During these cold rainy days...

2009-06-08T00:31:00.001+02:00

it's good to be able to look back at warmer days which were to my dog's delight spend at the beach. Hopefully he'll be able to go for a swim again soon.

Giggle Boy

2009-06-05T12:25:00.006+02:00

For those of you unfamilar with Nicole Young's CAF-E challenge at DSP you really should check it out. Every week (sometimes two weeks) she has a featured kit and gives away a freebie on her blog that coordinates with the featured kit. If you use them you get a third product from her for free that coordinates with the two first. That's like buy one - get two for free. How awesome is that? And her products are always beautiful.

Giggleland Page Kit by Nicole Young & the coordinating blog freebie Giggleland 2

This week's featured kit is a kit I've used before. Her Giggleland is such a delightful little kit for those adorable Summer photos we all have. The above layout is made with both the kit and the blog freebie and the cute little boy is my friends' son Xander.

So hurry over to Nicole's blog and pick up the freebie, buy the kit at DSP and start creating!

Have a great weekend everyone.

Just one element to go...

2009-06-05T09:59:00.004+02:00

I'm almost done with my kit contribution for this months SNL. I've learned so many new things while making this and although this is far from perfect I'm still quite satisfied with the way it is turning out. The theme this month is Butterfly Garden and the focus element is wood. I've definitely focused on wood in all kinds of ways. I'm not 100% satisfied with the bench but I think it is the best I can do with my skills at the moment.

Now I just got to figure out what the last element should be... Any suggestions?

Peony in bloom

2009-06-04T21:37:00.002+02:00

Peony in bloom, originally uploaded by Almhoej.

We had a few days with almost Summer like temperatures but after last weekend we were supposed to get non stop rain. I'm still waiting for the rain. We've had a few showers but not nearly enough considering we are still trying to get the lawn to grow after last winter's digging adventures in both front and backyard.
Hopefully soon we'll see a good combination of rain and sunshine so the garden will be in full bloom before we are having celebrating my husband's 30th birthday later this summer with a garden party.
But until then I can enjoy the sight of my beautiful peony in bloom reflecting the sunlight.

Timeless freebie

2009-06-04T00:23:00.003+02:00

I updated the look of my blog today and inspired by the new color theme I made you a little something. No, it's not a quickpage again. This time I'm going to go and ahead and give you the kit. I hope you'll enjoy using this one and like always - a simple thank you is always greatly appreciated. It's what keeps me trying to design. Who knows one day I might even show up at some store.

Download: Part 1 & Part 2

Extraordinary Me! Judge Me

2009-06-03T16:37:00.006+02:00

I've been running a challenge for some months now at Digital Scrapbook Place called Extraordinary Me! It's focusing on the one person we tend to leave out of our scrapbooks, ourselves naturally. The EM! challenge focuses on our thoughts, hopes, fears and dreams and each month I give a prompt to work with.

The June edition is now up and is called Judge Me! and this month it is for the courageous scrappers because I’m asking you to find out what people’s first impression of you is.

You can find out much more about the challenge here and I hope to see a lot of fabulous layouts since I know the digi scrapping world is full of courageous scrappers.

Here's my own take on the challenge

Products: A look Through the Window Page Kit by Meryl Bartho & A look Through the Window Two Page Kit by Meryl Bartho

Layout of the Day at DSP- Create Your Own Story

2009-06-01T16:51:00.000+02:00

Layout of the Day -- Create Your Own Story

Busy, busy, busy

2009-05-29T14:23:00.003+02:00

I haven't had a chance to update here lately. I've been busy looking for a new job and scrapping. I got a bit overwhelmed with the possible layouts I could make when I returned from London that it put my creativity on hold for a bit. But I think I'm back on track.

Here's a few of my latest layouts

Credits: Cassidee Page Kit Cassidee Back Pack by Marcee Duggar Maskee Set 4 Large Clipping Masks by Marcee Duggar

Credits:
Basically Black Page Kit by Lauren Bavin Essentially Ebony Page Kit by Lauren Bavin WA: Infinite Imagination Wordart Pack by Nicole Young (Part of the May Club Digital – get it while you can!!) Ribbon and diamond flower: Floral Finery by Lauren Bavin Also available at the Scraps of fun - Flowers CD by DSP Designers or choose the Scraps of fun - Flowers Downloadable version by DSP Designers Frame: Spring Mega kit by DSP Designers Maskee Set 2 Large Clipping Masks by Marcee Duggar

At the same time I've begun working on the kit for the June version of SNL. The voting is still on about the colors but I'm guessing this will win so I wanted to get started while I was running high on inspiration. But it's a slow work. The bench alone took me the longest time to get together.

Eurovision Extravaganza - Semifinale 2

2009-05-14T10:11:00.001+02:00

Okay it's time for my top ten for the last semi finale. I got 6 out of 10 in the first so that wasn't too bad. I had Switzerland and Andorra as my top two and neither of them made it to the final but I wasn't too upset. They both delivered weak vocal performances, Switzerland because he apparently just couldn't sing and Andorra because her voice wasn't up to full speed.

So lets see how many of my top ten for the second semi finale will actually make it. Here it is.

10: Cyprus - Christina Metaxa with Firefly
From Cyprus comes another teenager, 17 y.o. Christina Metaxa with the song Firefly written by her older brother. I’m not totally overwhelmed by her voice. It’s sweet but a bit pitchy at times and she might be 17 but she’s going on 57 with her performance. But I do have hopes for this song. It’s one of those songs that the live performance can make or break. If she really delivers on stage and let the audience feel her sweetness they might be more inclined to vote for her. A bit above average, but still average.
Music: 3/5 Voice: 2/5 Likability: 4/5 Overall score: 3/5

9: Ukraine - Svetlana Loboda with Be my Valentine
From Ukraine comes perhaps the most interesting entry this year. This song will divide the voters in Europe between those who love it and those who hate. There really isn’t any middle ground here. I find it very refreshing and expect an amazing outrages performance.
Music: 4/5 Voice: 3/5 Likability: 4/5 Overall score: 3,67/5

8: Norway - Alexander Rybak with Fairytale
Born in Belarus and grown up in Norway 23 year old Alexander Rybak has the looks of an Eastern European and the charms of a Scandinavian. All over the www people are guessing this will be the winner song of the Eurovision 2009 and although I wouldn’t hold it against our Norwegian friends to win this year I’m just not as excited as the rest of the world. The song, the lyrics and the guy is very likable but it just doesn’t do it for me. I’m not blown away with this performance or the song and am still looking to find an answer to why Europe apparently loves this guy so much.
Music: 3/5 Voice:3/5 Likability: 5/5 Overall score: 3,67/5

7: Hungary - Zoli Ádok with Dance with me
It seems like the second semifinale will be full of hot men (I’m so glad they’ll send this live in Denmark). From Hungary we have Zoli Adok that encourages us to dance with me. And you’ll feel like dancing. It’s a good upbeat number with a good singer. It’s high quality stuff and I’m sure we’ll see an awesome live show from him with some funny twists.
Music:3/5 Voice: 4/5 Likability: 5/5 Overall score: 4/5

6. Albania - Kejsi Tola with Carry Me in Your Dreams
From Albania we’ll see one of the youngest contestants this year. 17 year old Kejsi Tola sings an upbeat number called Carry Me In Your Dreams which is a rather catchy song. Before the 3 minute song is over you’ll be able to sing a long (which is a huge Eurovision factor for me) and yet it doesn’t get boring despite the repeating chorus. It is probably one of the strongest songs this year.
Music: 5/5 Voice: 3/5 Likability: 4/5 Overall score: 4/5

5: Greece - Sakis Rouvas with This is our night
How do I say this right? He’s HOT!!! It’s not always as much about the song as the singer and this Sakis from Greece is really yummy. And it doesn’t hurt of course that he’s got an okay voice and performs with an okay pop song. I expect an awesome live performance from him and that will turn an okay song into something spectacular. Some might remember him from his 2004 Eurovision entry Shake it, a song I still listen to, where he came in third. Maria from A*Teens as some of you might know said on a Swedish programme that she didn't really like how he seems to be so aware of how cute he is. I totally disagree. There's nothing wrong with having confidence when you are performing for millions of viewers across Europe.
Music: 3/5 Voice: 4/5 Likability: 5/5 Overall score: 4/5

4: Denmark - Brinck with Believe Again
I shouldn’t really rate the Danish entry since I’m sure to be a bit biased about it. First of all because it is from Denmark but mostly because it’s Brinck singing the song Believe Again. I’ve loved Brinck since before I even knew his name. He’s got an amazing rough voice full of emotions and the song co-written by Ronan Keating is a good choice for him. But if I have to be critical on anything it would probably be that it’s a song we heard a million times before. There’s not much new about apart from the cute guy singing it. I have some concerns about his live performance not his vocal but his act. I found it a bit boring at the Danish competition and I hope he’s had some dance lessons since then and will get off that chair. Perhaps he should take some lessons from a previous Danish contestant Drama Queen. But it really is a good solid song with an awesome singer so I have faith in him.
Music: 4/5 Voice: 5/5 Likability: 4/5 Overall score: 4,33/5

3: Azerbaijan - Aysel & Arash with Always
From Azerbaijan comes the duo AySel & Arash with the song Always. The song is a now classic mix of traditional rhythms and dance music but what separates them from the rest are the fact that they can actually sing. Especially AySel has a rather good voice and I wish she would have done a bit more singing and a little less hip dancing but she looks great doing both. There’s not much renewing about the song but it works just as it is.
Music: 5/5 Voice: 5/5 Likability: 4/5 Overall score: 4,67/5

2: Estonia - Urban Symphony with Rändajad
Urban Symfony from Estonia is one of the strongest performances this year. Everytime I hear it I get goose bumps and a sudden urge to cry because it is so incredible beautiful. The lead singers voice is an instrument in it self and behind that heavy black bangs lies a beautiful soul you just want to know better. I could listen to this song none stop all day long. Superb, nothing short of superb.
Music: 5/5 Voice: 5/5 Likability: 5/5 Overall score: 5/5

1: Lithuania - Sasha Son with Love
One word: WOW! The song from Lithuania is absolutely fantastic. It’s an awesome singer and the lyrics and melody are so beautiful. It’s a little song of freedom. It’s a little song of hope. It’s little song with a great impact on me. “For the pain that I had for the fame that I got was for what?” Oh my freaking God. The singer Sasha Son has always written the song but he is so much more then a singer/song writer. He is a STAR. But I fear this might not be Eurovision style enough.
Music: 5/5 Voice: 5/5 Likability: 5/5 Overall score: 5/5

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T10:07:00.003+02:00

Here's a little freebie for you.

Download here

It's a magical world

2009-05-08T15:02:00.003+02:00

It's been a while since my last freebie here at the blog so I made you a little something with a kit I'm working on these days. For some reason I just really love bold colors at the moment.

Enjoy and don't forget to leave a little note so I know you've been here :)

Download here

Eurovision Extravaganza - Semifinale 1

2009-05-08T12:44:00.002+02:00

Okay my time schedule was totally ruined by life and my daily update has now been delayed for a few days. So here's my top ten list for the first semi finale. These are the ones I want to see make it to the finale.

# 10: Czech Republic - Gipsy.cz with Aven Romale
To be honest I’m a bit bewildered about the Czech entry this year. It’s a bit cabaret meeting wannabe rapper. It has rhythm but if it had been song by Dusty the singing turkey from last years competition I wouldn’t have been a bit surprised. Because it really feels like a joke with the lead singer running around on stage in his superman costume and the Amy Winehouse lookalike on the violin. It’s a bad joke but I can’t help to smile a little. Just a little.
Music: 2/5 Voice: 1/5 Likability: 3/5 Overall score: 2/5

# 9: Iceland - Yohanna with Is it true?
Iceland has impressed me the last couple of years but have done really bad in the competition which just proves that the Eurovision is like X Factor. It isn’t enough to sing well and sing good songs if you don’t have that extra. This years entry Is it true is good. It’s easy listening and don’t require a lot of commitment. The singer is a delight but that extra is missing.
Music: 3/5 Voice: 3/5 Likability: 1/5 Overall score: 2,33/5

# 8: Belarus - Petr Elfimov with Eyes That Never Lie
He looks like something out of the 80s. He performs like someone stuck in the 80s but he also sounds like the 80s which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Petr Elfimov from Belarus delivers a good pop/rock song that definitely would make me turn up the sound to let it fill my living room. Or turn it up so much that I could leave the room and still hear it and not have to look at him. We all know that looks matters. It’s not enough to just have a good song (but then again the Olsen Brothers won in 2000). I don’t think it’s a winner song but I hope he’ll at least get the opportunity to sing in the finals.
Music: 3/5 Voice: 3/5 Likability: 1/5 Overall score: 2,33/5

# 7: Montenegro - Andrea Demirovic with Just Get Out of My Life
From Montenegro comes Andrea Demirovic with the song Just Get Out of My Life which makes me thinks of the good old Abba days. The beat is good, the lyrics catchy and the girl colorful. It’s a true Eurovision classic but perhaps a bit boring in the long run. It takes more these days to write a winner song then the inspiration from former Eurovision hits and this entry ends up pretty average
Music: 3/5 Voice: 3/5 Likability: 3/5 Overall score: 3/5

# 6: Malta - Chiara with What If We
From Malta comes the singer Chiara again (again) with the song What if we? Her song from the 2005 Eurovision, Angel, is one of those I still listen to. She’s has an amazing voice and the lyrics this year is beautiful. She is possibly one the biggest singer the Eurovision has ever seen but Malta seems to have stuck in the late 90s when it comes to making Eurovision songs and I think that will prevent this song to receive the recognition it so truly deserves.
Music: 2/5 Voice: 5/5 Likability: 3/5 Overall score: 3,33/5

#5: Sweden - Malena with La Voix
This is a winning recipe that Sweden has used a lot of times before but for some reason they keep exciting the European audience and I think they will again this year. They are bringing opera to the Eurovision combined with a good dance rhythm and a bunch of lovely boys to look at. If you like big songs, you’ll like this one. I know I do and the more I hear it the more I love it. But is the European audience ready for Malena?
Music: 2/5 Voice: 5/5 Likability: 3/5 Overall score: 3,33/5

#4: Bosnia & Herzegovina - Regina with Bistra Voda
Bosnia & Herzegovina has delivered several decent songs to the Eurovision these past few years and this year is no different. I really like the first 1:15 in the song Bistra Voda but then as the song would benefit greatly from changing pace nothing happens. I hate that in a song when they lead up to something big and then leave me unsatisfied. It kills any love for the song I might have had. When that is said, it is still a pretty good song but it could have been so much better. The lead singer is very likable and their approach to the whole thing is likable as well and that helps them in the overall score.
Music: 3/5 Voice: 3/5 Likability: 5/5 Overall score: 3,67/5

# 3: Armenia - Inga & Anush with Jan Jan
Armenia will be represented this year by Anush and Inga Arshakyan with the song Jan Jan. I’ve heard the song in a couple of different versions. The live and the recorded version and the difference between the two make me wonder just how good singers the two of them are. They have a strong song with a good likable beat that will serve as a translation to all of us who doesn’t understand the lyrics. I really like this song but I’m not convinced that Anush and Inga will be able to really deliver on stage live.
Music: 5/5 Voice: 3/5 Likability: 4/5 Overall score: 4/5

# 2: Andorra - Susanne Georgi with La Teva Decisió
From Andorra comes Susanne Georgi with the song La Teva Decisió (Get A Life). Susanne is from Denmark but has lived in Andorra for the past 13 years. Together with her sister she was the voice behind one of the 90s inescapable hits “Dub I Dub” and just like that song her entry for this Eurovision is one of those annoying little songs that you really want to hate but can’t help to sing to yourself. The song resembles Susanne’s quirky charm and I expect she’ll be able to deliver with great persuasion on the stage at the first semi finale.
Music: 4/5 Voice: 4/5 Likability: 5/5 Overall score: 4,34/5

# 1: Switzerland - Lovebugs with The Highest Heights
Finally a song that ‘wow’ me in the first Semi final. From Switzerland comes Lovebugs with the song The highest heights. There’s no doubt that these guys get their inspiration from some of the biggest bands ever, Coldplay for the more recent ones and Nirvana for an older one. The Nirvana part should be looked for in his voice not just in his look. Good lyrics, good melody, good flow. I love this song.
Music: 5/5 Voice: 5/5 Likability: 4/5 Overall score: 4,67/5

Overall there are some decent entries in the first semi finale but the real treasures are to be found in the second.

I'm inspired

2009-05-06T00:05:00.007+02:00

I'm not sure what exactly happened but I've been so inspired these past few days and have two kits sort of finished. And here I was just about ready to give up entirely on the designing thing.

The first kit is using the color swatch and theme from this months SNL at DSP. There's a group of talented ladies there that each and every month contribuate to a mega kit and I haven't really been good at keeping up with them due to the lack of inspiration but this month I've finished something and in good time as well.

The second one is also inspired by the SNL group. It's to be given away when they celebrate they've been doing this for 50 months. That's 50 megakits. How cool is that? I really like how this turned out and is especially excited about the frames.

So now you tell me. Did my recent discovered inspiration pay off?

Eurovision day 6 & 7

2009-05-01T17:19:00.003+02:00

Life caught up with me and I didn't get to post yesterday so there's double up today.

Semi finale 1:

Now we know where Elvis has been hiding all these years. In Belgium under the name Patrick Ouchène or perhaps he is just a Copycat as his song is called. I’m a bit ambivalent about this song. It’s not bad but it’s not that good either. It gets boring before the first chorus is over and there isn’t any originality about this song. I’m disappointed!
Music: 2/5 Voice: 2/5 Likability: 1/5 Overall score: 1,67/5

I almost find it a shame that Finland isn’t entering this year with another rock number. The dance number Lose Control will surely fade into the background along with the ten other songs that sounds just like this and it will loose the battle due to weak singing performances. A good live performance might save it but it’s too much the same and too much computer and not enough song.
Music: 2/5 Voice: 1/5 Likability: 2/5 Overall score: 1,67/5

Semi finale 2:
Poland is sending the singer, Lidia Kopania, a beautiful young woman with a beautiful song called I don’t wanna leave. But that’s where the beauty ends for me. Poland has been one of those countries that these past years have grown each year with their entry but this year the song is ruined by not so great English. The accent is heavy and I feel confident that the song would have improved so much more if they had stayed true to their own language and simply tell the story with all the emotions Lidia obviously has. When that is said we’ve seen before that performers have had English classes before the big show so there’s hope for this song yet. Slim, but it’s there.
Music: 3/5 Voice: 2/5 Likability: 1/5 Overall score: 2/5

To be honest I’m not sure if the entry from Croatia this year is new or an old rerun from the 70s. At best it sounds like something you enjoy listening to being played by a homeless at a train station but quickly move away from. It is incredible boring and so is the singers. They are both very young and attractive but the whole act and singing abilities are so old fashioned that it drowns in the competition of more hip songs.
Music: 2/5 Voice: 2/5 Likability: 2/5 Overall score: 2/5

Eurovision day 5

2009-04-29T00:25:00.001+02:00

Day 5 of the Eurovision countdown.

Semi finale 1:
Portugal has gone back to basics and it fits them. The group Flor-De-Lis uses traditional Portuguese instruments. It all becomes a bit too typical and although the song is quite sweet and I like the singer and the way her voice compliments the instruments I’m just not excited. I applaud them for taking the chance and staying true to their own culture but the competition is hard and the voters not many with similar taste.
Music: 2/5 Voice: 2/5 Likability: 1/5 Overall score: 1,67/5

Semi finale 2:
Latvia will not be performing with a Latvian or English song this year. They will be singing in Russian. I think the Eurovision lost a part of its charm when everyone was allowed to sing in English and not only their own language and now it’s okay to sing in any language? How can we celebrate our cultural differences when it’s no longer possible to see or hear where the song comes from? When that is said I find the Latvian entry rather refreshing in the midst of hot young men singing their ballads. It’s so angry and once again proves that Latvia is a country of renewal and courage but I think it might be a bit too much for the majority and I applaud their courage but as a Eurovision song I hate it.
Music: 2/5 Voice: 2/5 Likability: 1/5 Overall score: 1,67/5

Eurovision day 4

2009-04-27T08:11:00.002+02:00

Although not too high scores this is actually already getting harder. Because the entries this year are in fact all close to good (which is huge coming from me) But here's the next two

Semi finale 1:
She wish… she looked like Shakira, sing like Shakira, danced like Shakira… but she really doesn’t. This is a cheap imitation and the whole song falls apart before the first minute is over. I honestly don’t know for the first time ever what I should say about this song. It is that indifferent to me.
Music: 1/5 Voice: 1/5 Likability: 1/5 Overall score: 1/5

Semi finale 2:
From Ireland, home of Johny Logan, comes the girl rock band Black Daisies with their song Et Cetera. It’s angry girl pop like Kate Perry but without the charm of her. Ireland is clearly trying to renew them in the Eurovision area and the song this year is so much better then last year but it is still not up to full speed.
Music: 2/5 Voice: 1/5 Likability: 1/5 Overall score: 1,33/5

Eurovision day 3

2009-04-26T08:22:00.003+02:00

Moving a step closer to some decent songs

Semi finale 1:
I bet the entry from Romania will be a huge hit in the Baltic countries this summer. But the song ‘The Balkan girls’ do not have a broad appeal despite being a pop/dance song. The singer’s accent is thick and might be the cause for a not so great singing voice and somehow hearing about the Balkan girls doesn't wow me in any way. It grows on me a bit everytime I hear it but at the Eurovision there's only one chance to shine.
Music: 1/5 Voice: 0/5 Likability: 1/5 Overall score: 0,67/5

Semi finale 2:
From the Netherlands come the 2 middle-aged guys and the somewhat younger partner in the band called The Toppers. The band made their success on doing medleys of old Eurovision songs and you can hear this in their entry, Shine. It is very typical, very old-fashioned and quite boring and I have serious doubts that they will make it to the finals. There’s no doubt that they can sing and both lyrics and melody are quite likable but in the end they seemed to have been caught in a time gap when it comes to style and that ruins a lot for this performance.
Music: 2/5 Voice:2/5 Likability: 0/5 Overall score: 1,33/5

Eurovision day 2

2009-04-25T07:58:00.003+02:00

Here's the next two Eurovision entries that is just a bit better then yesterdays but not really that much.

Semi finale 1: Bulgaria
I’ve read several places that this is the most misunderstood singer in this year’s competition so I’ve really tried to find something good in the Bulgarian entry this year. But the only good thing about Krassimir Avramov and his song Illusion is that it ends. After 3 awful minutes it finally ends. I just don’t get the song or the singer and having had Bulgaria as my favorites several times before because of their renewing approach to the Eurovision I am absolutely disappointed.
Music: 1/5 Voice: 0/5 Likability: 1/5 Overall score: 0,67/5

Semi finale 2: Slovakia
Slovakia tries one of the big Eurovision classics this year. The big ballad/duet. Unfortunately they don’t succeed. There’s a bit too much screaming and although his voice is the closest we’ll come to something pleasant, her voice totally overpowers the song. This would be a good time to make coffee. You will not miss out on anything. However as the scoring will reveal we have far many better songs in Semi finale 2 then in the first semi finale
Music: 2/5 Voice: 1/5 Likability: 0/5 Overall score: 1/5

Eurovision Extravaganza

2009-04-24T10:22:00.002+02:00

It is the time of the year again! In less then a month the Eurovision Song contest will take place in Moscow, Russia. I'm a huge Eurovision fanatic and I'm thrilled to see so many great entries this year. With the new voting systems this will be a very interesting year. So I'm going to use the time from now and until the first semi finale May 12th to introduce you to the songs starting from the bottom and moving up.

There'll be two semi finales this year so today I'm introducing the two songs I think are the worst from both semi finales. There are many great songs that compete for the first place but I didn't have any doubts about which ones I thought were the worst.

Semi finale 1: FYR Macedonia
If anyone has wondered what happened to Jon Bon Jovi I can now tell them that he’s moved to F.Y.R. Macedonia, has smoked a bit too much and now performs at the Eurovision with a song written by the local daycare. This doesn’t rock at all. It might have a better experience with a better singer but I feel the need to mute him.
Music: 1/5 Voice: 0/5 Likability: 0/5 Overall score: 0,33/5

Semi finale 2: Moldova
I’m not sure but isn’t this the same number they did last year? In the beginning when Eastern Europe came into the Eurovision family their sound was refreshing and inspiring. These days it has become an annoyance with too much screaming, too much jumping the stage and way too much lip stick. The entry from Moldova is a bathroom break number for me.
Music: 1/5 Voice: 0/5 Likability: 0/5 Overall score: 0,33/5

Exhausted

2009-04-22T14:03:00.008+02:00

We had a fabulous weekend in London. The weather was beautiful and quite warm and we both got home just a bit more red. The hotel was fabulous and they even gave us a free upgrade which meant we moved from the 3th floor to the 12th floor and a gorgeous view of London. We could easily have spend the entire weekend there just looking out at all the glorious sights such as the London Eye, Royal Albert Hall etc.
But of course we had to get out there and we walked for hours every day. When we returned to the hotel Sunday night we were both exhausted and our feet hurt so much that we decided to share a footbath in the tub. So we sat there on the edge of the tub soaking our feet, looking into the wall and talking about the day. It was the best way I can imagine ending a day.

We saw so much, tried so many things and I was thrilled to share my love for this city with my husband but in the end we were really tired, having put too much into the schedule with just 3 short days there, so we were ready to go home. The photo is taken from Grosvenor Square just across Victoria Station where we had lunch from Pret before we headed to Kensington to pick up our lugguage from the hotel and go to Gatwick. Words can not descriebe how tired we were and how tempting it was to just lie back in the grass and sleep for a little while. I'm glad we resisted though or we might have missed our flight home.

I've got so many photos I want to scrap now and it is really hard to resist not scrapping all the time but today is my husband's 30th birthday and I can't imagine that's how he wants to spend the day. But I got one done this morning before he got out of bed with part of the view from the hotel. The text says: "In the dark of night – we dream of the adventures that still lie ahead." The signs says Fairyland & Dreamland.
Nighttime At the Fairy Glen by Nicole Young & the coordinating blog freebie Midnight In The Garden 2 Page Kit by Nicole Young Midnight In The Garden Add On Pack by Nicole Young

Update on scrapping

2009-04-16T12:56:00.007+02:00

With the coming of April my term as a DET member at Digital Scrapbook Place ended. I have loved every second of it but I'll admit that I felt a bit burned out in the end. No one pushes me as hard as I do myself and every month I pushed a little harder. I thought I was going to take a break once the term ended but I've been just as busy this month as the previous but somehow it is less stressful. I'm not pushing, I'm just creating and loving it.

Perhaps its the new freedom, perhaps its new inspiration, perhaps its the fact that I take more photos now then I have in a long time or perhaps its just that there's been some great challenges this month.

One of them is Robyn Gough's Graphically Challenged challenge which this month is to use only papers, brushes and text. No elements at all which I've found to be more a challenge then I first assumed. But I've loved the process. Here's one of the layouts I've done.

The Credits: Grey Day by Suzanne C. Walker & Grey Day Add-On Pack by Suzanne C Walker

I'm off to London in a couple of days and I so wish I had an extra day there so I could have gone to Brighton for the day. Its one of my favorite places ever. The city, the piers, the mood, the light. It is such an inspirational place and I hope to someday get the chance to show my husband what it is that I love so much about Brighton. (Oh and a summer home there would be great too *lol*)

I think this must be enough updating for one day. I'll be back with more updates when I get home from London and perhaps I'll even start blogging my 365 photos if I can keep up with them.

See ya'

Update on designing

2009-04-16T12:15:00.007+02:00

I'm a scrapper - not a designer. Never the less I've tried for the last month to create something but the only thing I've learned from it is that I have a whole new respect for the designers that makes new kits every week. Seriously - how do they do it? I love making papers and always end up with too many but when it comes to elements I'm lost. One thing is the skill which I'm certain I could learn just as I have with everything else but another thing is deciding what elements there should be. I've tried looking at my layouts and figure out what elements I like to use and I'm all over the place apparently *lol*

During my 6 months term on the best creative team ever, Digital Elite Team at Digital Scrapbook Place, I've learned so much and the most important thing to me has to find my own style as a scrapper. I do a bit of everything but I do find the most joy in graphic/freestyle layouts. Now if I was to try out this designer thing that seems like a natural step forward I would have to define myself again as a designer and I've been trying to force that which seems stupid considering how long it has taken me to find my style as a scrapper.

I can't decide if I have it in me or not and if I do what will my trademark be so I don't drown in the huge sea of designers there's out there? I think my main issue is that I'm so picky about the products I buy myself. If they aren't flawless I'll never go back to that designer again. And I expect the same of myself that I do with others despite that I know I'm just a newbie.

So here's a little preview of my attempts. Not sure how I feel about posting it online. And enough of the ramblings on design for this time.

King of Spring Quickpage

2009-03-11T13:38:00.004+01:00

I was looking for a kit I could use for a spring album with photos from my upcoming trip to London and couldn't find anything I liked. So I started putting something together myself. This is a little preview of where the kit is heading. I really like it so far.

Enjoy your freebie and don't forget to leave a little love. Download here

Elegant Evening QuickPage

2009-02-19T01:51:00.006+01:00

I'm so incredible busy at the moment but for good reason which I can't share with you just yet... But to help pass the time until I have more time for this blog here's another quickpage freebie for you!

I can't wait to read your comments ;) - Download here

Spring Morning

2009-01-29T00:49:00.007+01:00

I think - I hope that Spring is just around the corner now. It seems that the days are getting a little longer and a little warmer. A very little that is, I still prefer to stay inside but I actually got to do a little bit of clearing up in the garden today. It's a mess to say the least. Both in front of the house and in the back yard. We've had a lot of problems this winter with first water in the basement (=digging up the back yard), then we had to replace our heating system (=digging up the front yard) and then as I've mentioned we were suddenly without electricity around New Years Eve so they had to dig up the front yard again. 2008 was so not our year but I guess with all that digging 2009 will be as good a time as ever to finally start the big remodeling of the garden as we've had planned since we moved in 2 years ago. Lets hope we'll get a semi dry Summer.

From my office window I look straight at a huge old walnut tree and somewhere between checking emails at the office and doing some Spring cleaning in the garden I got inspired by this big beautiful tree. It is beautiful even without any leaves. So here's what my inspiration got me - and got you. Here's my Spring Morning Quick Page. Enjoy - and do remember to leave a comment, I love reading them.

Download here

Kærligheden

2009-01-28T01:33:00.002+01:00

På opfordring - her er lidt kærlighed til jer

Download her

Love Thee - the red collection

2009-01-26T03:03:00.003+01:00

I made a little paper back to go with yesterdays freebie, Love Thee. I hope you'll love the red just as much as I do. Valentines is coming up pretty soon so there'll be plenty of possibilities to use it.

Download expired

I'm still breathing....

2009-01-25T01:46:00.006+01:00

Just! Life has been so incredible busy but I figured it was time for a new freebie. Enjoy and while you are at it - a thank you is always appreciated.

Download expired

Godt Nytår

2008-12-30T11:51:00.004+01:00

Der skal da også lige være plads til en lille dansk hilsen og freebie. Der er alt for få danske word art på markedet og det er da sjovere at ønske godt nytår end Happe New Year ikke sandt?

Jeg håber I alle får et dejligt nytår. I kan downloade her

By the light of the computer screen..

2008-12-30T01:14:00.009+01:00

For the second night in a row we are without light in the house. There's still power in some of the outlets in the kitchen, thank God for that or I wouldn't even be able to be on the computer. All I would be able to do was sitting in the dark waiting for the morning to come and seriously it gets really dark here at night. So these past few hours I've been working with just a couple of candles burning and then of course the light from my computer. Inspired by the black out I made you a new quick page called - well Midnight, but now that I've got to think about it I really should have called it blackout.
Hopefully they'll be able to fix the problem tomorrow although they thought they had fixed it today. Seriously how uncool would it be to sit in a totally dark house on New Years eve? I guess I can see a little fun in it but still. What a great way to welcome your guests? 'Happy New Year, here's a flash light for your conveinence!' Not cool!
Oh and I just wanted to say thank you to those of you that has left me comments when downloading. I really appreciate them all (and I wouldn't mind more)
This will probably be my last post in 2008. Tomorrow I got to go to work and New Years Eve's day is usually just a little bit crazy here, running around trying to get everything ready for the guests.

Link expired - if you want it leave me a comment with your email

A beautiful Winters day

2008-12-28T16:37:00.004+01:00

It was such a beautiful day today. We went for a hike in the forest surrounding my town. In a remote corner of the forest way up a hill that was slippery due to the moist weather these past days we got a perfect view of the east part of the town with the church rising up in the middle of everything. It was such a perfect moment and I was so glad that I had brought the camera. Usual I have en tendency to forget it when those rare moments come by. So now that I finally got my photo I thought I'd share it with you.

Last day of Christmas

2008-12-26T12:27:00.007+01:00

... or so it feels. Tomorrow will just be another ordinairy Saturday and soon we'll be celebrating the new year. Honestly - I think time is moving much too fast. Couldn't we just slow down for a day or two?

I had a wonderful Christmas where I got the best Christmas gifts ever. A new laptop was on the top of my list and I got it so now I can scrap in the living room so I at least psychical is near my husband.

Today it is time for the annual Christmas lunch with the in-laws and I'll be leaving in a moment but I just wanted to give you a little freebie more. A girly girl backpack in beautiful shades of purple and soft pink. I hope you'll enjoy it and if you do, don't forget to leave behind a little love for me.

6 beautiful papers in 300dpi for your scrapping delight with a bit of flowers, butterflies and glitter! The download link will only be available for a limited time so don't forget to get it now! And direct your friends to my blog as well. There might be an element set for this later.

Link expired - if you want it leave me a comment with your email

A Winter's Tale QuickPage

2008-12-23T02:37:00.003+01:00

If you haven't already, please turn up the sound, sit back and just for a second forget all about the Christmas madness and enjoy the crisp sound of Michael Bublé. Trust me, you'll feel like a brand new person afterwards.

I've been running around like a mad woman these past few days. Getting everything ready for Christmas, a holiday that lasts 3 days in my house due to modern day complicated family structure. Generations of in-laws that just doesn't get along can really complicate any holiday.

So tonight after the first guests had left I really needed to sit down and relax. Clear my head and be a bit creative. It is such a great way to unwind after a long day. Well, a long day turned into a long night as well. It is almost 3 AM now and I really should be in my bed but I just wanted to get this blog started.

Oh it is such an exciting thing, a brand new blog, full of potential and unwritten posts. What to write, what to share. Will anyone even read it? And what could be a better way to start a new blog then with a freebie? And if you like it - I might even give you some more, so don't forget to bookmark the blog and leave me a little hello. Hello's are always nice, especially when you are just starting out.

Link expired - if you want it leave me a comment with your email