My blog did not die...!

My blog is not dead... I promise! Things have just been a bit hectic and I've been pretty tired. I don't know if I can still blame the surgery...? Perhaps I can. I guess it does take some energy for the body to heal. I'm feeling pretty good, but removing the bandages (I kept them until yesterday because I felt safe with them on) actually made me a bit more sore. Perhaps that's only in my head and I'll adjust soon. :)

I've also wasted too much energy lately, trying to convince one of our local politicians that I am right and he is wrong. ;) I haven't been in such a frustrating situation many times before and walking around trying to come up with fabulous arguments for the next e-mail all day long, is not the best way to achieve happiness and joy in your life... :) but at least I am trying my best to make a change, and I guess that's worth a lot.

Luckily, I have some scrapping for you today as well! :) I created this pink layout for Scrapgalen, using the Glitz "Pretty in Pink" papers. I used gesso, acrylic paint and glimmer mist and glam from Tattered Angels for my background.

Tattered Angels March layout...

Here are the projects I made for Tattered Angels this month... first a layout using the colours of my painting from yesterday - green and blue... :) I splattered Glimmer Glam (Mermaid and Organic Garden) over my background. The cheese cloth was misted with Chalkboard Glimmer Mist Banana Pudding and Glimmer Mist Key Lime Pie.

I painted the plastic flower embellishment with Glimmer Glam Mermaid and misted the lace with Key Lime Pie.

For my next layout I misted the background with three different colours of Glimmer Mist - Dark Denim, Cinnamon and Gold. I also added some gesso using a stencil from Crafter's Workshop, and then applied more mist.

This photo of me, Alva and Linus makes me happy and sad at the same time. How fast they are growing....! How is it that I hardly remember what it was like when they were this small? The title says "too fast"... and the chipboard letters were misted with Dark Denim.

For my third layout I coloured some fabric, using Chalkboard Glimmer Mist Strawberry Shortcake and Glimmer Mist Patina. I splattered some Glimmer Glam over the background and coloured the metal flower with Glimmer Glaze.

Linus was doing his reading homework, reading out loud to Alva.

Green and blue...

Another painting... the one that I like the most so far, since the beginning of BIG... I believe I learned a lot when painting this... about me and about what I like.

Tuva and I are home alone again today. I managed to get Alva and Linus to daycare and school this morning, and it's so nice to feel better. The bandages are supposed to come off tomorrow... and that's a bit scary... but I'll probably be ok. :)

painting...

I'm not feeling entirely like myself again, but it's moving forward... :) I've been painting BIG again today... not sure where this is heading, but I'm trying not to think too much, mostly enjoying the process.

Siblings...

I used the bright and bold Alora collection from Bo Bunny for this layout, made for Scrapgalen. I cut out bigger and smaller circles, and the tiny leaves, from the paper Burst. The swirl and the bird are cute chipboard decorations and the flower is a button, also from Bo Bunny, Alora. The letter stickers are Prima - one of those fabulous huge sheets with sooo many stickers!

A bit tired and sore...

Yesterday I had my stomach decorated with four new holes... ;) I had my gall bladder removed and the little stones that have been causing me trouble are now safe in a little jar at my desk, rather than in my stomach.

I was able to go home on the same day as the surgery (yesterday) and I was feeling better than I expected, only a few hours after they said good night and anaesthesized me. When waking up I first felt the exact same pain that made me end up at the emergency ward at the hospital only 2,5 weeks ago, when I had a horrible gall stone attack. I didn't like that feeling, not at all... and I was a bit worried until it disappeared and was replaced with a more general soreness.

I was able to sleep pretty ok tonight and today I am pretty sore, and also tired and a bit dizzy, but still feeling kind of ok. Johan is staying at home for a few days, taking care of the kids, and it feels good to be able to rest and recover properly.

More layouts...

...using the Cocoa Daisy March kit.

Alva is suddenly reading and it's so amazing watching her learning. She is reading things everywhere we go and she's also been writing lots this winter. I stamped some letters on these cute chipboard tags and stamped the arrow from the CD kit, on some patterned paper.

Here is a very happy Tuva in her big sister's room. I have a feeling that she is going to love her siblings' rooms more and more, as she grows. :) I added some green Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist to my background.

I'm painting BIG...

I'm taking an online class with Connie Hozvicka, of Dirty Footprints Studio. I'm painting BIG and I hope to be painting fearlessly, too. :) So far... all I know is that I'm having so much fun and that I'm so very happy to be painting!

Cocoa Daisy April Sneak...

It's looking fabulous, isn't it...?!!!

Add ons:

And the stamps:

Cocoa Daisy March layouts

I've just spent some time cleaning my keyboard, after a little accident involving acrylic paint... :P I think I've decided to move the paints a little further away from the computer... hehe... I was lucky this time, but it wouldn't be such a fab thing if I spilled the water container out the next time. Luckily, the keyboard is working just fine now!

Here are some of the layouts I made with the Cocoa Daisy March kit.

I love the bullseye stamp so much! And I love these 10 little toes so much, too... :)

Here I used the bullseye stamp together with some gesso.

Vem får jag träffa i maj?

I början av maj är det dags för en underbar, pysslig helg igen! Den 5-6 maj samlas en hel drös med härliga pysslare i Engelska skolan i Järfälla utanför Stockholm. Det kommer att croppas för fullt under både lördagen och söndagen och parallellt med crop-pysslandet finns det fem olika kurser att välja bland. Kursledare är de oerhört kreativa och begåvade Nathalie Kalbach (Tyskland), Christy Tomlinson (USA) och Ingvild Bolme (Norge).

Läs en intervju med Nathalie Kalbach här.

Det är inte ofta vi har så spännande kursledare på plats i Sverige, så jag hoppas att alla som är intresserade tar chansen att hoppa på den här träffen! Kurserna kostar en slant, men det är så himla fiffigt att man kan välja den eller de kurser man är mest intresserad av och man behöver alltså inte köpa ett helt "jättepaket". Dessutom tror jag att den inspiration man får med sig efter att ha gått en live-kurs med en erfaren och superduperduktig kursledare är svår att slå! Det handlar både om att lära sig tekniker som man sedan kan använda och modifiera och anpassa i allt sitt pysslande, om att se ett "proffs" arbeta och om att smittas av och dela den kreativa energin med alla andra härliga kursdeltagare!

Läs mer här!

Jag hoppas att vi ses i maj!

KOMA 2012

Jag hade en alldeles underbar helg på KOMA, Kolbäcks pysselmaraton. Vi pysslade, skrattade, pratade, pysslade ännu mer, åt god mat, fick massage, pysslade, pratade och skrattade ännu mer. Det är inte klokt vad mycket positiv energi jag fick av helgen tillsammans med alla härliga människor! Puss på er allihop!

Tusen tack till arrangörerna, alla som var där och pysslade, kocken, massören och så klart till de otroligt generösa sponsorerna:

Scrapbruket
Hobby och Hantverk - som jag vann ett supergeneröst pris från - TACK!
Scrapgalen
Kristinas Scrapbooking
Pagoni
Kreativa dagar
Strömsholms vandrarhem

Jag gjorde en hel hög med layouter, bland annat dessa två. Den första gjordes till en "bingo-utmaning".

Den andra gjorde jag efter en skiss som söta Zarah ritat. Jag bara älskar de här fina lapparna som barnen skrev för att skydda sina godisskålar... "Rör ej. Värkligen inte tjejer." och "Rör  ej. Värkligen inte Lius."

Simple, simple, simple...

I love this new collection from My Mind's Eye so much! I created a very simple layout for Scrapgalen, creating my own banner using my sewing machine and the cut out doilies. The drips are drips of Glimmer Mist.

Cocoa Daisy Blog Hop Winner..!

Thank you sooooo much to everyone who stopped by during the Cocoa Daisy Blog Hop this weekend!

The winner of the stamp set is:

nomorelittlemonkeys sa...

Your card is gorgeous! Thanks for the chance to win!

11 mars 2012 18:48

Please e-mail me your address at zoegakatten(at)yahoo(dot)se and I'll pass them on to Christine so that she can get the stamps out to you! Congratulations!

I was away all weekend and I've had a wonderful time...! Chatting, meeting friends - old and new - and scrapping all weekend long. I feel so happy and inspired!

Cocoa Daisy Blog Hop

Welcome to the Cocoa Daisy Website Reveal & Blog Hop!

Cocoa Daisy has done some remodeling and updating, making our home a place you want to be. Drop in and see how our scrapbook home is your scrapbook home too!

To help celebrate, we are doing a blog hop and giveaway. Just leave a comment to be entered to win a set of all FOUR of this month's exclusive, sold out, Cocoa Daisy Stamps.

The celebration doesn't end there, we're also offering a couple of promotions for new subscribers:

1. Sign up for a 6 month kit subscription and you will recieve 20% off your first month's kit.

2. Sign up for a 6 month kit AND a 6 month stamp subscription and you will get 20% off your first month's kit and stamps PLUS an exclusive Cocoa Daisy Tote bag.

During this blog hop we have all created a sketch and a card and here is my simple sketch:

And my card... I've used the March kit and I for my background I stamped and embossed using one of the exclusive Cocoa Daisy stamps.

The Hop starts at the Cocoa Daisy site and here are all the participants:

Cocoa Daisy: http://www.cocoadaisy.com/blog/

Emily Pitts: http://emilypitts.blogspot.com/

Ronda Palazzari: http://rondapalazzari.typepad.com/

Jen Davis: http://livelifecreateart.blogspot.com/

Mandy Koeppen: http://mandykoeppen.blogspot.com/

Vicki Boutin: http://vickiboutin.typepad.com/

Alissa Fast: http://alissafast.typepad.com/

Lisa Saunders: http://scrappyfairies.blogspot.com/

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer: http://balzerdesigns.typepad.com/

Stephanie Wheeler: http://lrfloor.blogspot.com/

Kim Watson: http://kj-starre.blogspot.com/

Lisa Pace: http://lisapace.com/blog/

Anja Wade: http://missquiss.typepad.com/

Denise Morrison: http://kookaliciouslifeisyummy.blogspot.com/

Annabelle O'Malley: http://anabelleom.blogspot.com/

Anna Björklund: http://mymessyspot.blogspot.com/ - you are here

Sharmaine Kruijver: http://skruijver.blogspot.com/

Amy Tan: http://amytangerine.blogspot.com/

Diana Fisher: http://designbydiana.blogspot.com/

Nathalie Kalbach: http://nathaliesstudio.com/

Ali Edwards: http://aliedwards.com/blog/

I am still here...

Sorry for being so quiet! I am still here... but I've had a busy week! Tomorrow I'm taking off for a creative weekend together with a whole bunch of wonderful friends and I'm in the middle of a very chaotic packing process... =)

I know something fun will happen on the blog this weekend though... so make sure to check back! ;)

And because it's so much more fun with a photo. My baby girl... growing up so quickly!

Canvas...

Scrapgalen hade en mycket lyckad Cybercrop under förra veckan. Det var fantastiskt kul att se alla fina bidrag som trillade in!

Jag hade en bonusutmaning där man skulle skapa ett självporträtt och bland deltagarna lottade jag ut en liten tavla som jag pysslat ihop. Jag var allt lite nervös att ingen skulle vilja vara med, men det hade jag verkligen inte behövt vara...  Det kom in sååå fina bidrag! De var uppfinningsrika, roliga, vackra och smarta och jag blev så glad av att se dem allihop!

Här är den lilla tavlan jag gjorde. Den är 10x10x4 cm och det är ju synd att det inte syns på den här bilden hur fågeln glittrar! :)

A little stamp carving...

I finally got my hands on some "Speedy Carve", the material Julie recommends in her class Stamp Carving 101. It's sooo much easier to use than the "Soft Cut" I tried first and I'm looking forward to carving lots of stamps now. :)

I've watched all the videos in Julie's class and she's a great teacher. If you're interested in learning how to carve your own stamps - don't hesitate! :) I made a few stamps using the Soft Cut, but since I wasn't able to transfer images onto the Soft Cut-surface, it is to "slippery" and nothing sticks, I couldn't do all the assignments but patiently waited for some pink Speedy Carve to arrive. And now it's here and this is so much fun! :)