Monday, December 29, 2008

CPS #97

I forgot to make a card for one of my parents' best friends. He is having his birthday today and I wasn't able to send a card in time. Actually....I hadn't made one until early this afternoon. I hopped over to the CPS blog for some inspiration and used their latest sketch #97 for this card. My parents picked up my card on their way to their friend's birthday party so they can hand it over personally. I made a cute mini album this weekend with some Melissa Frances and Making Memories papers. The scraps were used on this card.



Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper Patterned paper: Melissa Frances, Making Memories Paperie Tools: Sizzix Big Shot, Sizzix Stars die, QuicKutz Maddie Anne Alphabet Ink: VersaColor Pinecone #171 Other: twine, button, chipboard

I am off from work, and enjoy spending time with our girls, scrapping and baking. At the end of this week I will be leaving for France to spend 4 days (well, actually 2 days as it takes a day to get there) with my co-workers in the snow.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

CPS #96

We had quite a relaxing Christmas day. While the girls were playing with My Little Pony and Playmobil Eric took pictures for his photography class assignment and I had some time to scrap. I was really late sending Xmas cards this year and still have to send some cards. *blush* It doesn't make sense anymore to scrap any Xmas cards, so instead I made a few New Year cards like this one. This card is based on CPS sketch #96.



Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper Patterned paper: October Afternoon Good Sheer Letters: American Crafts Foam Thickers Daiquiri Tools: Cuttlebug Cut & Emboss Ice Crystal, sewing machine Other: Ranger Stickles, button

Around 4pm we went to my parents' place for dinner. My brother and SIL came over too. My mom had made us a delicious 3-course meal. We went home at 9.15pm. Tomorrow we will have dinner at my MILs.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

6

Today our little girl - who is not so little anymore - is turning 6. My vacation officially started today, and I had hoped to sleep in a little, but no way......Sanne was calling us at 6.50am asking when we would come into her room with the birthday gifts. :) We bought her My Little Pony Ponyville Sweet Sundae Amusement Park and Ponyville Popcorn Movie Theater. I also made her a card based on Kazan's Sketch 16 over at 2 Sketches 4 You.



Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Cardstock Patterned paper: Sassafras Lass Letters: American Crafts Foam Thickers Daiquiri Tools: Martha Stewart Doily Lace punch, QuicKutz Cookie Cutter Nesting Flowers, EK Success Flower Retro small punch Other: Karen Foster Scrappers Floss, pom pom ribbon, button, Ranger Stickles

Last Friday I went over to Mandy's place for a scrap date. It was quite a long time since we saw each other, so we had lots to talk about. We did not only talk, but also scrapped. Yes...we really did! Mandy made a beautiful Xmas canvas, and I made two cards which I can't show you yet. Mandy has been working on her December Daily and hadn't taken a picture that day, so we had her hubby Steven taken some silly pictures of us. What do you think.......naughty or nice?



O, and last Sunday I was in the mood for baking cupcakes again. Of course I can't eat them all myself so I made them for my co-workers and they liked them a lot.



I would like to wish you and your loved ones a.....

Merry Christmas

Saturday, December 20, 2008

CPS#95 Reader Spotlight, 2S4Y & Xmas CC

I was quite surprised to find out this evening that Linda Beeson from Card Positioning Systems chose me (and my CPS#95 card) to put in the Reader Spotlight this week. You can read more about it here. Thanks for your sweet words, Linda.

It feels like my creativity has already taken a break for the holidays. I can hardly come up with card designs myself, but fortunately there are some great sketch sites like my favorite one....2 Sketches 4 You. I missed a few sketches, but I am catching up. Earlier this week I made this card based on Kazan's Sketch 15. I sent the card to my dear friend Hanneke. She is such a sweet person and very special to me. She lives an hour and a half away from me so we hardly see other. BUT......we e-mail each other daily. Not just one e-mail, but lots of e-mails a day. We always have something to talk about.



Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper Patterned paper: Scenic Route Garland Ribbon: Bo Bunny Rub-ons: Imaginisce Merry Christmas Tools: Sizzix Big Shot, Sizzix Stars die Ink: VersaColor Pinecone #171 Other: chipboard

Last Wednesday I made 12 Xmas cupcakes using my new mixer. They were so YUMMY! Instead of a Xmas card I gave my 2 bosses each 4 cupcakes and they both liked the gift.



ETA: Alicia from ShortCuts is having a FROST-y giveaway. She is going to give away FREE Frosted Card Blanks to five (5) lucky readers. Hop over to the ShortCuts blog and leave a comment here.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your weekend.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Happy Bday

My SIL Lisette is having her birthday today. Happy Birthday, Lisette. Wishing you a lovely day!

I sent her this card, and hopefully it arrived in time. I followed Laura's Sketch 14 over at 2 Sketches 4 You for this card. I am a bit behind on the 2S4Y sketches, but this way I am catching up.



Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper Patterned paper: Pink Paislee Sweet Cake Letters: American Crafts Chipboard Thickers, Making Memories Alphabet Rub-ons Heidi Black Button: Rusty Pickle Flower: Prima Marketing Tools: Fiskars Embossing Border Punch, EK Success Retro Flower Punch Large, Sizzix Oval Bookplates die Other: ribbon, cord, Hotfix crystal rhinestones, Ranger Liquid Pearls

Tonight I am going to scrap with Mandy. It has been a while since we saw each other so it will be nice to catch up. Not sure if we get a lot of scrapping done......I think we have too much to talk about.

Have a nice weekend!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

CPS #95

December is quite busy with our two girls having their birthday in this month too. Each year I tell myself to start early on all activities, preparations, treats, etc. but I didn't manage to do so this year. I am sooooo behind on everything. I haven't even bought a Xmas tree yet, and haven't written and mailed out any of the Xmas cards. Still have to make a few cards. Pfew..... I created some cards yesterday. It felt like my creativity was gone and I couldn't come up with a design myself. Fortunately there are many sketch blogs on the world wide web, so I hopped over to Card Positioning Systems for some inspiration. I followed sketch #95 for this card.



Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper Patterned paper: October Afternoon Good Sheer Rub-ons: October Afternoon Stamps: Melissa Frances Clear Stamps Tools: Sizzix Big Shot, Cuttlebut Cut & Embossing Ice Crystal, QuicKutz Nesting Flowers Cookie Cutter, EK Success circle punch, sewing machine Other: Ranger Stickles Frosted Lace, button

My sweet friend Carla surprised me with a watermark. Thanks, girl. You're the best!

O, and look what I bought myself yesterday...



It was on special offer as of yesterday, but I didn't have time to go to the store. Fortunately my mom and dad were so kind to go and get one for me. Isn't that sweet? If all goes well I will receive my order for cupcake ingredients and tools today, so that means......cupcake time this weekend!

Monday, December 15, 2008

October Afternoon Cards

I have been working on the last Xmas cards and some birthday cards, but can't show you anything yet. I will show them on my blog as soon as they are received by our family and friends. For now I will leave you with three October Afternoon cards that were published in the Dutch magazine Cards Only #3.



Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper Patterned paper: October Afternoon Night Light Rub-ons: Making Memories Alphabet Rub-ons Providence Tools: Sizzix Big Shot, Sizzix Stars die Other: chipboard, Zig Memory System Millennium Pen Black



Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper Patterned paper: October Afternoon Detours, Daydream Chipboard: Maya Road Fresh Chipboard Library, Doodlebug sugar coated adhesive chipboard Tools: Sizzix Big Shot, QuicKutz Photo Corner RS-0471, sewing machine Other: ribbon



Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper Patterned paper: October Afternoon Night Light Flower: Prima Marketing Flowers Button: Rusty Pickle Letters: Heidi Swapp Chipboard Alphabet Newsprint Stamps: Hero Arts clear stamps Happy Greetings Tools: Sizzix Big Shot, Sizzix Paper Sculpting Daisy die, sewing machine Ink: VersaColor Pinecone #171 Other: bookpage, cord

Have a wonderful day!

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Winner Blogoversary RAK

I picked a winner for the blogoversary RAK this morning. Well....I used the Random Integer Generator to pick a winner for me. And the winner is.....



....and that is Berdien. Congrats, girl! Please e-mail me your address and I will send the RAK to you this week.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Friday, December 12, 2008

Happy Birthday, and 2S4Y Bonus Sketch

Today Fleur is turning 8 years old. Boy....does time fly. We surprised her with the Polly Pocket Mega Mall, and a few Littlest Pet Shop animals this morning. Of course I also made her a card. I used a clear card base from ShortCuts and Pink Paislee's Sweet Cake PPs. Remember that you can still get a 20% discount on ShortCuts products. Details and the coupon code can be found here.



Supplies: ShortCuts clear card base Cardstock: Core'dinations ColorCore Patterned papers: Pink Paislee Sweet Cakes, Postcards Rub-ons: Making Memories Heidi Black Button: Rusty Pickle Flower: Prima Marketing Tools: Martha Stewart Doily Lace punch, EK Success Circle punch Other: cord, ribbon

I also made a card for a colleague who had a baby boy last Wednesday. I used the bonus sketch that Heidi Van Laar designed for 2 Sketches 4 You this week. It is so good to play along with 2 Sketches 4 You again.



Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper Patterned paper: October Afternoon Hometown Tools: Sizzix BigShot machine, Sizzix Circles die, Sizzix Stars die, Martha Stewart ZigZag punch, Crop-a-Dile Letters: American Crafts Chipboard Thickers, Making Memories Alphabet Rub-ons Ribbon: BoBunny Ink: VersaColor Pinecone #171 Other: large eyelets, chipboard

Today is the last day you can sign up for my RAK. If you want a chance to win leave a comment here.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

CPS #94

Thank you all so much for the sweet comments on my blogoversary and ShortCuts DT position. You make me smile....all day!!

It has been almost 2 weeks ago since I scrapped anything. Can you believe it? It was just too busy with all kinds of things and activities. And above all....my scrap desk was a complete mess, so I first had to clear it out before I could scrap again. I really missed being creative. Earlier this week I made a card based on sketch #94 by Card Positioning Systems. This is my first CPS sketch, but definitely not my last one. For this card I used the Sublime PPs by Kaisercraft. The colors look much better IRL, but it is pretty hard to take a good picture when it's grey and rainy outside.




Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper Patterned paper: Kaisercraft Sublime Stamps: Melissa Frances Tools: Marvy Uchida Scalloped Oval punch, sewing machine Ink: Versafine Onyx Black Other: Hotfix crystal rhinestones, pom pom ribbon black

Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

TOOT! TOOOOOOOT!!!

I guess you can already tell what the excitement is all about, right? I made it to the ShortCuts Design Team!!! Needless to say, I am thrilled to be part of the team and to be able to work with the great ShortCuts products. I can hardly wait to start on my 6-month term and inspire you with my cards and other projects using the ShortCuts products. The other girls who made it to the Design Team are Joy Stagg, Melyssa Connolly and my sweet friend......Carla Peicheff. Congrats, girls!

If you are not familiar with the ShortCuts products yet you now have a chance to give it a try. As a special offer to my blog readers, ShortCuts is offering you a 20% discount*, when you place an order between now and December 16th!! Just visit their online store, enter the coupon code below when you check out and you will receive the discount as a refund when your order is processed!

Coupon Code: Welcome Ingrid 20

*Discount applies to product only, not shipping/handling.

If you email your order in, please make sure to note the coupon code in your email.

To celebrate my Design Team position I will add a few ShortCuts products to the RAK that I am giving away. If you would like to have a chance to win the RAK leave a comment here.

Have a wonderful day!

Monday, December 8, 2008

Happy Blogoversary!

It has been two years ago since I started this blog, so today I am celebrating my blog's second blogoversary. I would like to thank you all for frequenting my blog and leaving me such sweet comments. I really appreciate your comments and enjoy reading them. Therefore, I would like to give away a RAK. Leave me a comment no later than Friday December 12th by midnight CET. A winner will be drawn on Saturday.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Published Work

I got the new Scrapbook Magazine (#21) in the mail today. I was so thrilled to find out that the 3 layouts and 1 mini album I submitted made it all to the magazine. It is still a bit unreal for me to see my own work in a magazine. Unfortunately I can't showcase my recent projects, but now that the new magazine is out I do can show you the projects that were published in the October/November issue.

This is a mini album about Sanne and her friend Jet who went horse riding with Jet's dad and his colleague Hans. From the moment Sanne was invited the only thing she and Jet could talk about was horses, horses and......horses. The girls had a great time, and I was happy that Jet's dad took pictures that day.













Supplies: Rusty Pickle Cardboard Loose Leaf album Patterned paper: October Afternoon Detours, Daydream Rub-ons: Hambly Screen Prints rub-ons Out on a limb Letters: Making Memories tiny alphas brown ledger, American Crafts foam thickers, Doodlebug Loopy Love cardstock stickers, Pink Paislee Holly Doodle alphabet stickers Flowers: Prima Flowers Buttons: Rusty Pickle Stamps: Autumn Leaves clear stamps Sentiments, Provocraft Etcetera rolling stamp, Catslife Press Ribbon: Bo Bunny Tools: Heidi Swapp edge distresser, Fiskars Threading Water punch, EK Success flower punch, circle punch, sewing machine Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Vintage Sepia Other: pen Zig Memory System Millennium, stapler, Making Memories Noteworthy spiral notebook

The layout is about the books that I read during our 2-week vacation in France last summer. I love reading books, but hardly allow myself time to read as there are so many other things I want to do. So....during our vacations I always catch up on my pile of unread books.



Supplies: Patterned paper: Making Memories dessinpapier Passport, Noteworthy spiral notebook Flowers: Prima Marketing Buttons: Rusty Pickle Letters: Doodlebug Loopy Love cardstock stickers Tools: Cuttlebug machine, Cut & Emboss Butterflies Ink: VersaColor Pinecone Other: pen Zig Memory System Millennium, foamtape

Enjoy your weekend!

Friday, December 5, 2008

Cupcakes & Cakes

O my.....this week has been so BUSY. Phew....I didn't even have time to scrap. This week was all about cupcakes, cakes, presents, poems, and so on. Last Tuesday I did a workshop Cupcake Decoration. It was lots of fun, and I really like the cupcakes that I made. December 5th is Sinterklaas' Eve here in Holland, so the workshop's theme was Sinterklaas. I decorated 4 cupcakes based on the theme, but also wanted to try a few other techniques.



Fleur had her birthday party last Wednesday. She, Sanne and her friends went to Utrecht and made a Sinterklaas cake. This party was a huge success. The girls enjoyed themselves big time, and all their moms were enthusiastic about the cake. This evening we celebrate Sinterklaas' Eve and we finally get a chance to try the cake. Don't you just love my girls' cakes?



Well, off to prepare for Sinterklaas' Eve. Lots of excitement going on over here.