my life - perfectly imperfect

Happy LOVE day!

2012-02-13T21:50:00.000-08:00

1. topped with a tiny little heart, 2. Starbucks Love, 3. Untitled, 4. spring-y, 5. rock throwing, 6. Sand Art, 7. "Childhood is the most beautiful of all life's seasons." ~Author Unknown, 8. preserving fall, 9. in a jar, 10. tread lightly, 11. I need this today. Maybe you do too?, 12. apparently this is february, 13. Untitled14. Not available15. Not available16. Not available

a little something i made for some co-workers :)

i got the twine and glassinebags from lovely monika from her etsy shop!

I wish you all hugs & kisses on LOVE day and everyday!

Magic Monday

2012-02-13T12:01:00.000-08:00

finally i have the time to sit down and do a magic monday post.

i have been thinking about magic alot lately. trying to see magic when it happens just like that. here is some random thoughts:

- i shared a lot of love ideas during my blogging week at WCS last week, but my favorite post was fridays where i shared a few random acts of kindness ideas. i have done a few of those and it always feels abit like i have butterflies in my stomach when i do. and that time a few years ago, when my daughter and me found a message in a bottle at the beach was one of the times when i have been on the recieving end of something magical and random :)

- i have a board at pinterest where i have pinned things that mean magic to me and it makes me so happy to just scroll through the images.

- i really try to look at life like this...

Take Twelve | February ~ the photos

2012-02-13T08:38:00.000-08:00

Yay! here are my photos for the Ella`s Take Twelve photography and scrapbooking challenge. this month i decided to go with the color challenge that you can find in the Guided Inspiration kit. color does make me so very happy and i went around my house to find color. i did find it, right?!

I will be back soon with my layout for this month!

if you have your layout ready, go to Ella and upload it for a chance to win some goodies!

ps. a magic monday post is coming very soon!

Project Life | week 6

2012-02-12T11:57:00.000-08:00

here is my spread for week 6. i kept it pretty simple because i just had to much going on this week.

on monday, we had a photowalk me and my daughter. it was freezing, but fun! tuesday we buried my grandmother. the fullmoon on tuesday was amazing. and we celebrated my husbands birthday.

i used the "white" space on the photo to do my journaling.

i got a lovely package from my friend monika stuffed with all sorts of paper goodies! and i included her card here. i forgot to take a photo of it but that top left slot is a flip pocket and underneath i s her note. on dalai lamas facebook feed (i know!) he shared (ok, probably not him) this great quote

"The human capacity to care for others isn’t something trivial or something to be taken for granted. Rather, it is something we should cherish. Compassion is a marvel of human nature, a precious inner resource, and the foundation of our well-being and the harmony of our societies. If we seek happiness for ourselves, we should practice compassion: and if we seek happiness for others, we should also practice compassion."

and i wanted to have that in my week spread somehow. i ended up printing it on a journaling card by Crystal Wilkerson and i also added a digital brush by Ali Edwards.

next to that i added one of the pins i have made to my words i love board on pinterest.

i wrote a little week in review thing and i like how it turned out!

i printed a few of my instgram photos from the week on a 4x6 card.

as you can see on my spread photo, i have a insert this week too. i wanted to have this mosaic i made with photos i took on tuesday at my grandmother funeral. on the back i journaled.

that´s it folks.

Take Twelve time!

2012-02-12T02:26:00.000-08:00

it is time again! today is february 12th and it is time to get those cameras out to Take Twelve for Ellas Take Twelve photography and scrapbooking challenge!

Go to this blog post and upload your photos/layouts and you will have a chance to win goodies from Stampin' Up!

Happy Snapping!

I posted a click. post at WCS

2012-02-11T04:14:00.000-08:00

I know that I have hosted the blog the entire week, but I had to share a Click. post too!

Today I have the coolest challenge for you all. While pinning away over at Pinterest I came over this pin.

[photo from Brenda Acuncius Photography]

See how brilliant this is?! Your challenge is to follow your kid around (or any other person that you love!) and shoot photos of what they typically do on a normal day. Just add a short caption to the photos and you have recorded a day in the life just like that! Awesome! And you could easily use the photos to make a minialbum titled: A day in the life of...

I am so doing this myself! Yes, I am challenging you and me both to do this! We can do it! And don´t forget to share your photos with us!

Peace & Love

Ps. This blog is another example of snapping everyday photos and adding short captions.

Scrapbooking just for me!

2012-02-09T05:58:00.000-08:00

lately i have been making stuff mostly for assignments, so it feels so good to share some scrapbooking that i made just because!

to go with my love theme during my blogging week at the Write Click Scrapbook blog, i made this layout above just listing stuff i love right now. i used a pretty patterned paper from Creative Club and added a strip of a patterned paper from Imaginisce. i printed a instagram photo and typed out my journaling on my typewriter. i love how the list and photo look, so i might use that again soon :)

this next one is me just declaring that i in fact love love, hearts and romance :) i used an online tool to take some photobooth type photos. the journaling tag and the happy day tag is from a digital kit called Joy ride from Cosmo Cricket.

this last layout is my absolute favorite right now. i love the circle patterned paper from Studio Calico!

i journaled right on the paper with my typewriter and added some stuff here and there.

the journaling is about how my daughter just started her last semester in 6th grade. which means she still have this semester in her current school here on the island, then in the autumn she will be attending school on the mainland. it also means she is getting big...

what have you created just because lately?

Valentine downloads!

2012-02-08T03:28:00.000-08:00

Hop on over to Write Click Scrapbook where I have shared a few free downloads to make cute Valentine cards and treat toppers!

Ps. i am sharing a few new layouts tomorrow!

Love week at Write Click Scrapbook

2012-02-06T05:24:00.000-08:00

yep, it starts today, the love week that i am hosting on the Write Click Scrapbook blog! come visit me and see some inspiration for handmade Valentine home decor!

Project Life | week 5

2012-02-05T12:28:00.000-08:00

welcome to week 5 of my project life album!

ok, first page. i journaled about my husbands work and how he had important meetings on monday. me and my daughter both wrote a few notes for him on the bathroom mirror where we usually leave eachother messages.

next photo is from when my daughter recieved a package full of make up = made her day!

the 4th photo actually has a story about how cold it has been this week (-21 the other night!). the story is underneath the photo as i used a flip pocket.

a small insert this week.

you can see the back of the insert here. just some instas.

the second page is simple this week.

both the first and second slot is a flip pocket with journaling underneath the photo. the first one is about me working on some projects. and the second is about me feeling a bit blue this week.

the last pocket i used to list what wedid this weekend.

From pin to reality

2012-02-02T23:52:00.000-08:00

link to pin

this image just jumped out on me about a week ago, and now i see it everywhere on pinterest. i had another errand to the city and i bought a small canvas and painted it black. i haven´t measured it, but i am pretty sure it is 15 x 15cm.

one evening infront of the TV i took a bunch of old magazines and began to cut out the letters to i love you about a million times ;)

then the next day i lined all the letters up and painted a strip on the canvas with glue and choose my letters row by row. when i was happy i added a coat of clear glue all over the canvas as a seal.

i am all giddy with the result and plan on making a few variations of this!

since last time i have started a new board at pinterest where i save all my from pin to reality projects. check it out!

i am working on the last details of my blog hosting week at Write Click Scrapbook that start on monday. it will be all love themed! i hope to see you there!

Re-Scrap 2012 | February

2012-02-02T06:42:00.000-08:00

here are the three older layouts that will work as inspiration for 3 new layouts in the month of february.

page first posted in 2009.

first posted here in 2009.

also first posted in 2009.

this is a post related to one of my 2012 projects.

Write Click Scrapbook | February gallery

2012-02-01T07:41:00.000-08:00

for february´s gallery we all created projects with a musical theme. i chose to create a page with my current playlist. i think it is a great way to preserve life right now. here is the goods for this digital page:

materials digital template (Crystal Wilkerson, Notebook template #1-4) + patterned papers (Crystal Wilkerson, Funky Christmas + Cosmo Cricket, Ever After and Mr. Campy paper packs) + embellishment (Cosmo Cricket + Crystal Wilkerson) + fonts (Blackout, Book Antiqua, Travelling Type)

i have made pages with music lyrics before: read more here about this layout!

a CJ entry to Maries CJ back in the day :)

slipping through my fingers lyrics ♥

do you scrap with inspiration from music?

Magic Monday

2012-01-30T10:02:00.000-08:00

this monday i have a list over small things that meant magic to me;

* i had the experience of amazing energy last tuesday. some of you know already that i suffer from depression and anxiety and that my energy level is the one thing that always is low. but i actually stopped and thought about how energetic i felt even though i had extra things both monday and tuesday and that usually makes me even more tired. it was pure magic.

* i got a few extra special emails last week that made me feel so good about myself, them and the world in general.

sunsets like these.

and living in a place on earth where the traffic stops regularly for these guys :)

have you experienced magic lately?

Project life | week 4

2012-01-29T04:53:00.000-08:00

here is my 4th week of project life.

as you can see from my spread i have a few extra pages this week; two actually.

i backed my inserts with some yummy new papers. the first two slots are backed with Studio Calico Flower bed paper. i read a really good short article in a magazine late sunday night last week and cut it out right away and added it to my first page.

the foam thickers are from American Crafts called Custard (the link goes to the white version) and the smile tag is from a Cocoa Daisy kit . i journaled about my monday at a computer meeting for work to the left and backed my journaling card and instgram photo on a Amy Tangerine patterned paper called Scatter Sunshine.

i got a haircut on tuesday and sneaked a photo there too :) the journaling is written on a piece of Sassafras paper called Sweetly smitten.

here is my first extra page which is a free download from ali edwards for her week in the life project. i printed the page for tuesday and filled in what i did during the day.

(if anyone spots the typo, i saw it now!)

as i was fast asleep during the last times there, i added a filler card from the clementine edition sold at jessicasprauge.com.

the second insert is a page protector that had 8 smaller slots that i trimmed down to 4. i added a few more of the journaling cards i bought at lilypad which i love! and also a free digital kit from erica hernandez that i downloaded from 2peas.

again i used different cards from the Clementine edition and the Lilypad.

i got a suprise package from cocoa daisy this week and wanted to include the cute tag and business card they included.

i took a screenshot of my pinterest at one point this week and just added it in there too.

the right upper slot is about how cold it has been this week.

and the last slot is featuring midnight in paris that i saw saturday night.

there you have it, my 4th week!

from pin to reality ~ epic fail

2012-01-28T03:28:00.000-08:00

i thought i´d amuse you all with a from pin to reality project that failed. yes, they do that from time to time, don´t they!

link

ok, so i set out to make the fairly simple craft of crayon hearts. it is a craft that i have wanted to do forever.

ok, so if i had the photo from pinterest infront of me while setting out to do this, i would have NOT shaved the crayons for crying out loud! it stuck to everything and i even got a blister from the knife ;)

you see the mess, right? anyway, i did this pan and another one in plastic that you can spot in the first photo.

yup! not oven safe. hehe...

the shattered hearts are from the above photo and the others are from the other pan, which are ok i guess but not thick enough to be worth the work really...:(

if i do make this craft again i am just chopping the wax crayons up and maybe use a deeper pan :)

Re-scrap 2012 | january

2012-01-26T22:02:00.000-08:00

january is coming to an end and that means i am going to share my new pages that are based on 3 older ones.

here is the older layout

this is what i did this month. not a direct copy i know, but i did have the old layout in mind :)

here is the second old page.

isn´t it funny i chose wintery photos for both layouts!

i used bighugelabs.com to create the mosaic and left the large box in the middle blank so i could add in my title.

and here is the third and last old layout.

as you can see this is more directly inspired by the older layout. the photo is of me and my sisters coffeecups that shows three different colors which really represent us as sisters; we are so different from eachother.

well, i really enjoyed this project and will be sharing februarys layouts that i will have as inspiration to re-scrap!

52 photos in 52 weeks 2012 ~ roundup #1

2012-01-25T23:32:00.000-08:00

yes! it is time for my very first 52 photos in 52 weeks 2012 roundup post! so far there are many that have joined in on the ride and that is so much fun! after the first few weeks of technical problems, i think we have sorted it all out :)

we have had 3 themes already new, shine and community which is this weeks theme. i made a mosaic with the photos from the flickr group that goes with the first theme; new.

1. Week 1 2012 "new", 2. Week 1 - New, 3. 52:1 New, 4. A New Day, 5. Imperfect front cover copy, 6. week 1/52 - NEW, 7. 1/52 New day, 8. Week 1 - New, 9. 52:1 New, 10. Untitled, 11. 1/52 .... My fantastic Christmas Pressie :), 12. New...Week 1 of 52, 13. Week 1 of 52: New, 14. New, 15. New, 16. Week 1: New, 17. 1:52 - NEW - Two new lenses, 18. 52 Photos 2012, 19. New 52, 20. P52: new, 21. New1of52, 22. 1/52: NEW, 23. Wk1-New, 24. 1-5225. Not available

(some of the members have opted out to be included in mosaics made at bighugelabs.com that is why they are not showing up here.)

just look at how different we interpret the same theme; new family photo, new shoes, new day, new kittens, new goals...that is so much of why i love to have a public project like this!

while out walking with the dogs and my husband i snapped this photo where everything felt new and fresh.

for week two we chose the theme: shine

Robert McPherren wanted to catch a sense of "it is my time to shine" and he nails it!

PlusForHeidi posted this darling photo for the same theme and how sparkly is that sweet girl!

slcphc found rays of sunshine, which by the way is one of my favorite things :)

me, i took a photo of my word for 2012 in a shiny way! and it got picked up by shutter sisters that included it in their one word video!

(thanks patti for letting me know it was up!)

One Word from Christine Sneddon on Vimeo.

i didn´t have time to catch a good "community" photo this week, but this photo reminds we of how we gathered around my grandmother as she passed away. me and my sisters went to a quick lunch and all had different colors in our coffeecups!

that is it for now, oh and next weeks theme is: rest another one of my favorite things :)

a featured layout on Ella :)

2012-01-24T22:25:00.000-08:00

i wanted to show you a layout that is included in the latest Ella zine,

Terrific two-pagers written by Amy Sorensen for Ella publishing.

i have found myself often doing one pagers most of the time, but i am not afraid of a little two-pager action :)

"Don’t be afraid to mass all of your photographs into just one space, bumping edges up to edges. This creates an undeniable visual appeal: eyes are immediately drawn to the photos because as a block they are cohesive. You’ll notice in Lisa Ottosson’s layout that your eyes move immediately to the four photos. It’s only after you’ve admired them all that you notice other items." - Amy

do you make two-pagers?

magic monday

2012-01-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

i know that you would think that last week wasn´t a whole lot of magic, with my grandmother passing away. but it all got me thinking about those support words i added to my 2012 word. this post will be based on some of those words.

we gathered around my grandmothers hospital bed for 3 days. cousins, children, grandchildren...we quietly sat around following the slow-pace that was her room. from monday to tuesday she got dramatically worse and we had to embrace the fact that we had strted a big wait, the wait for her last breath. on tuesday evening i had a feeling and decided to stay the night and after a pretty scary episode that night she finally could breath a bit better and we both slept for about 2 hours. i woke up to her not breathing. she started again pretty soon, but the nurses told me to phone the others. again we gathered around her. she went in and out of breathing all day long and it was all exhausting. i almost didn´t leave her side for 20 hours and at one time it almost felt like a delivery. you know a long, long delivery, but not where you can ask for a c-section!

it was a balance between me wishing she would just go, because i knew it would be best for her, and just feeling heartbroken about her struggle. after a long day as we huddled around her petting her cheek, hair and arm she took her last breath. it might sound very harse or strange, but when i realized she wasn´t going to breath again, i kissed her forehead, said i love you and goodnight and said to myself: i am done here.

i had given my full attention both physically and emotionally to this woman that desperatly needed me and now she didn´t anymore. after hugging my mom, i stepped out of the room, quietly walked out of the ward, sat on the floor and cried.

and as i write this and as i have reflected before, i do see magic in these days; a long talk i had with her on monday afternoon, being there with her when she had a terrible time tuesday night, as she said to me in a daze don´t go anywhere. and mostly the magic of being there for her, making her more comfortable by adding oxygen, meds or even just turning her in bed. the magic of all of us huddeling around the woman that had loved us so much. it was magic that she didn´t pass before my grandfather got there an hour earlier. for me it was magical to nurse her as she had nursed me so many times when i was a child.

it might sound crazy, but it was magic.

Project Life ~ week 2+3

2012-01-22T07:06:00.000-08:00

ok, lets get the party started shall we! i am sharing week 2 and 3 of my project life album today, since i didn´t have time earlier this week.

here is the first page of week 2. on the upper left corner i just added an Ali E digital brush (called Winter brushes) to a photo. and also added a journalstrip across.

i have used my camera phone alot these weeks and i am loving how easily i can capture our moments throughout the day. and to print them is just so very easy.

i wanted to add my january photos from the Take Twelve, so printed the mosaic i had previously made and added it to an extra page protector.

here is the other side of the insert where i used Valorie Wibbens pockets squared freebie from lilypad to print my instagrams for this week.

here is page 2. in the right lower corner i made a collage of photos my daughter took while she was at her dads for the weekend.

these are the other products i have used this week:

Ali Edwards For the love of love brushes

Becky Higgins Turquoise edition journaling cards

Becky Higgins Clementine edition, filler cards and journaling cards

week 3

for my first page of this week, i included the story about how my grandmother passed away. it took up several days this week.

i printed a facebook template to add the facebook love i have recieved this week ♥

as i had a long story, i added an extra pocket for some extra journaling (flip pockets like these.) but i just made it myself.

the second page has stories from the weekend. i got some happy mail this week and a great message from the universe.

i went with my daughter to ride and my husband studied english and worked on a assignment for a political party he is envolved in.

more products from this week:

Becky Higgins Clementine last page, journaling and filler cards

Ali Edwards one little week free download

Pockets no. 4 from lilypad

here´s to next week!

Take Twelve | January page

2012-01-20T07:05:00.000-08:00

finally i have some time to show you my layout that i did with my very first Take Twelve photography and scrapbooking challenge photos from January 12th.

here is my wonky photo of my layout ;)

i was inspired by one of the templates in the Take Twelve Guided Inspiration Kit and also used one of the journaling cards that you can find in the kit.

i created a border on the background paper with some heart washi tape and a studio calico stamp. i also stamped a tag with a camera stamp from photojojo. the heart thought bubble is part of what i have in store for my blog hosting week at Write Click Scrapbook beginning on February 6th!

go here for links to the other team members layouts!

i wanted to thank you again for all your thought, prayers and cyber hugs ♥

Scrap you teen ~ from WCS

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

this week Amy Sorensen has hosted the Write Click Scrapbook blog with theme scrap your teens. and although my teen is just barely one, she has teen tendencies already :)

i contributed to Amys week with two layouts.

the first was featured on day 1 and here i have shared (in the pocket) things i see that my daughter has in common with me when i was her age. Amy shares tips to take away from each layout that she features. here is the ones for this layout:

Idea Take Away Get in the photos with your teenagers. I know. This is hard! You feel self conscious and you wish you weighed less or your hair looked better or your teeth were whiter. But, trust me. It doesn’t matter. Even if you feel silly—ask someone else to take the photos. (If you have more than one teen? Hand over your camera. Their perspective on you will surprise you!) Think about it: do you have any photos of yourself as a teen with your mom? I have precious few, and I wish I had more, and if you don’t do this, your teen will one day be an adult with the same impossible wish.

the second is up today. the challenge was to capture the simple, everyday details. i shared this layout that is titled life with a(an almost) teenager:

"Life with an almost teenager is: full of joy, emotions and is a bit

loud. One or two ‘awkward’ questions and sleepy mornings also

occur."

Amy says:

Idea Take Away Actually, there are two for this layout! First. Notice the big pennant Lisa uses as an anchor for her journaling space? I love that and am totally going to steal her idea. I’m a firm believer that journaling spaces are too often overlooked as a design element. We slap down the journaling and get it over with! But if you add some embellishment, shape, detail, color, or texture, your journaling becomes more visually important—and more likely to be read!

The second idea take away is Lisa’s photo choice. Teenager’s lives now are so dominated by easy accessibility to technology! (I don’t know about you, but I didn’t own my own camera until my twenties.) Raid your teen’s memory card or cell phone pics for some images. Their perspective on the world is so unique and revealing.

go check the entire week out!

i am back and some Take Tweleve stuff

2012-01-19T07:54:00.000-08:00

thank you so much for your thought and hugs that i have recieved though cyberspace this week. i held my grandmothers hand for well over 12 hours until she passed away yesterday afternoon. needless to say we are all very sad, but also relived that she is in a better place now where she is not ill anymore.

♥

during my absence the Take Twelve Team posted their first layouts using the January photos! mine will be up here on the blog by friday or saturday, but you should really check out the others!

be back soon!

unexpected absence

2012-01-16T09:51:00.000-08:00

i just wanted you to know that i have to be with family right now and will be back at the computer later this wee with magic monday, layouts and my first Take Twelve layout!

peace & love

my first Take Twelve

2012-01-13T09:07:00.000-08:00

here is a quick show of my Take Twelve shots from yesterday!

i am doing my layout this weekend and will do a proper post soon!

did you Take Twelve photography and scrapbooking challenge?

i put up a tumblr where i share my instagram photos, if you´d like to see :)

It is the 12th!

2012-01-11T22:40:00.000-08:00

yes, it the 12th and it is time to do the very first Take Twelve photos!

are you in?

from pin to reality

2012-01-11T04:31:00.000-08:00

finally i can post yet another post where i have made something i have pinned on pinterest to reality!

this time i have used a pin made to my words i love board. a board where i keep posters, quotes and sayings that really stroke a cordwith me.

(link)

i love to think i can just breathe everything, good and bad, in and just give out love instead of being mad, irritated or sad.

and this is what i made. i painted a canvas black and used black foam stickers to spell out the words. it was rather hard to photograph in a good way. but i am sure you get it; black on black.

i do love how it turned out!

__________________________

click here for more pin to reality posts!

some exciting news!

2012-01-10T08:07:00.000-08:00

i am so very happy to announce that i have been invited to the Take Twelve Team for Ella Publishing Co.'s new Take Twelve Photography and scrapbooking challenge!

i am so happy and proud! more about this in later posts.

yipiie!

the first scrapbooking post of 2012

2012-01-10T05:47:00.000-08:00

i thought i might share a few new layouts today.

this first one is a story of how i glanced over my shoulder at the dinner table at Christmas and saw my (almost) 4 year old neice handling the iphone like nobody´s buisness :) it´s extraordinary to me to think that she doesn´t know technology that isn´t instant and available. she is a child of her time and we are children of ours i guess.

just before my beloved printer died (it served me good the last 7 years!) i was able to print a few black and white photos from when i spend sometime with my princess nieces :)

these were taken with my new tripod and my husband behind the camera. i love that he allowed some white space so i could journal there :)

i rarely use patterned paper for my whole backgrounds but with black and white photos i think i can make it work better.

ok, i´ll see you back here tomorrow for a new from pin to reality post! yay!

magic monday

2012-01-09T06:22:00.000-08:00

i have seen flocks of birds before, naturally. but since this past autumn i have noticed them more and more. large flocks of birds that fly together almost like large flocks of fish together.

one day late last week i glanced out the livingroom window and saw this.

and i knew that i needed to get up from my seat and take a look. then i witnessed this.

and...it was magic.

i searched for flocks of birds and came upon this video that is great. just keep looking it gets better :)

project life week 1

2012-01-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

ok, maybe i should add a project to my 2012 project list...

i will attempt to make a diy project life project and here is my very first week.

i am using photo page protectors with 4 slots, so one week is 8 slots. on the first page i added 2 large photos and then journaling cards right next to them. i added the food we have eaten this week. and a magical moment i am sharing more about tomorrow.

the second page holds a few instax photos, the weather report, journaling and movie ticket stubs.

i had fun using small bits and pieces that were left overs from other projects and my sewing machine.

i look forward to see where this project takes me and i will also see how long i will keep it up. as for now i look forward to next week :)

and yes, i have tried the project life idea before, in may 2011. if you click over there you can see how i made my own page protectors and journaling cards. this time i have a few digital kits by becky higgins that i print and have a stash of on my desk.

thanks for the visit!

i wanted to let youall know i am working really hard on planning my next blog hosting week at Write Click Scrapbook and i am having way to much fun :) my week starts monday February 6th! i hope that you´ll join me! can you tell the theme? ;)

my word: magic

2012-01-03T03:10:00.001-08:00

not really magic monday, but i wanted to talk a bit about my word for 2012.

as i mentioned in a previous post, my word of the year is magic.

i love words. period. i could have chosen between a million words, but magic it is. speaking of words, i love reading kelles blog for her photos and stories, AND her words. she is perfect with words and how she discribe stuff beautifully. she is magic.

a few days ago i filled in a free download from susannah conway. it is basically really good questions around your word. for example:

how does your word make you feel?

my answer: excited, full of anticipation, ready to see with new eyes, ready to make magic.

if you lived and breathed your word every day in 2012, what would be different for you?

my answer: i would let go of petty stuff, be more aware, be more risktaking, do more spur of the moment things.

and she also wrote a few things like: this year i will say yes to:

i answered: life, living, magic, rising early in the morning, swimming in the lake, walking in the rain, singing loud, taking advise, thinking, seeing...

and something that made me happy was that she asked me to list 4 words that support my word. now, as i said before i love words! i did not chose only 4 :) here are the words that support my word:

victorious

sanctuary

slow-pace

dedicate

balancing

embrace

curled-up

celebrate

lingering

quietly

regaining

reflect

festive

gather

unmeasurable

passionately

gain

huddle

yes,all those words come from a few of kelles blog posts ♥

what´s your word?

Re-scrap 2012 | january

2012-01-03T01:24:00.000-08:00

ok, so lets get started shall we! here are the 3 old layouts that i will use as inspiration for new layouts this month!

{first posted in 2010}

{first posted in 2007}

you are welcome to join me if you´d like :)

2012 projects

2012-01-02T13:18:00.000-08:00

this is a project i have wanted to do for a long time. i sometime have troubles with design on my scrapbook pages. well, what troubles me is re-newing myself. i want to try new things, but i

don´t want to make pages that are not me. and i have done pages i really love, so i thought i´d make it a priority to choose 3 old layouts every month of the year and use them as inspiration for new pages. i mean, i am not re-scrapping the event or page, i am using the entire page and/or some elements of it to use as inspiration. i will share which 3 old layouts i am working with sometime the first week of the month. maybe you could draw some inspiration from them too?!

yes, i totally stole the idea of magic monday from the ever so lovely and clever elise blaha! i have chosen magic as my word for the year and i am making an effort to actually live with my word this time.

i hope to write a blog post about some magic i have experienced and post it on mondays.

this is a project from the ladies at Ella Publishing. they have a photo challenge to take 12 photos on the 12th of each month and templates for layouts! i am excited!

and lastly i am ofcourse doing the 52 photos project :)

if you would like to join in, just go ahead and join our flickr group!

what are your projects for this year?

Write Click Scrapbook ~ January gallery!

2012-01-01T13:53:00.000-08:00

our theme this month was "today". gosh that you can make so many things with that theme! i made 2 layouts.

first, i made a digital layout using Crystal Wilkersons Notebook template #1-4 and Funky Christmas kit. if you haven´t seen the Funky Christmas kit yet, jump on over and take a look! so many cute things in there, perfect for when you are going to make those holiday layouts now! for the journaling i used a title sentence: what i want to remember about today...and then listed the things i wanted to remember about the 24th of december. i am planning to print this page and put it in my regular paper layout album.

however, i am terribly impatient and when my beloved printer died on me the day before i wanted to print the digital layout, i made a paper version too :)

left side

right side

i also made a page where i listed the currents. i do this from time to time and love to look back at these pages!

now go check out the great gallery!

ps. i might be a little early posting the link, so check back during the day to find the launch post!

new years eve walk ~ a video

2012-01-01T08:25:00.000-08:00

from us to you ♥

2011-12-31T08:56:00.001-08:00

December mini ~ finito!

2011-12-30T11:29:00.000-08:00

i am done with my december mini! it was a fun and easy project.

read more about this here, here and here!

End of year favorites ~ layouts

2011-12-30T05:21:00.000-08:00

End of year favorites ~ blog posts

2011-12-29T12:23:00.001-08:00

granny square love

the very first pin to reality post.

my birthday post for my daughter

a happiness list

End of year favorites post ~ projects

2011-12-29T07:04:00.000-08:00

in january 2011 i had already decided to take one familyphoto every month of the year. it came to me when i was going to make our holiday card 2010 and i found 1 (ONE!) photo from the entire year of us all together. and i am forever grateful that i made it all 12 months!!!

look at that! i look at these and i feel so happy! and my family has been onboard for all these and we have had so much fun with this project!

as for the album, i just have a binder with page protectors where i put the photo and the words i wrote about us and that month. i also added some extra photos and other bits of pieces of our life that month.

do this project! i mean it, do it!

favorite project #2

i am so happy that i made some crafts into reality this past year! i love pinterest and i have had other ways of keeping craft ideas in the past, but it can so easily stay to just hoarding ideas, right?!

go here and see what i have done from pin to reality!

End of the year favorites ~ photos part 2

2011-12-27T23:44:00.000-08:00

july

august

october

november

these are a few of my favorite photos from the later part of the year. have you shared yours? add a link to the comments, i would love to visit!

tomorrow i am sharing my favorite projects from 2011!

End of the year favorites ~ photos part 1

2011-12-27T04:28:00.000-08:00

january

february

march

april

may

june

these are a few of my favorite photos from 2011. they make me smile :)

if you want to see more of my photos, you can go here to my flickr stream and here for more photos here on the blog!

post #2 comes tomorrow!

have a wonderful and fun day!

love peace and joy

2011-12-23T13:49:00.000-08:00

right now

2011-12-22T09:43:00.000-08:00

♥ right now we are franticly packing our car to go holidaying in gothenburg with family.

♥ right now we said merry christmas to our daughter who is not going to be with us for Christmas this year (she is with her biological father)

♥ right now i am wrapping last minute gifts

♥ right now we have fixed so that the cat-sitter has everything :)

♥ right now we are really looking forward to see family.

♥ right now i am busy with new years projects.

♥ right now i am planning some favorite posts for the days between Chrismas and New years here on the blog.

♥ right now i am wrapping some of the 2011 projects up and will give you an update soon.

♥ right now this is on repeat

♥ right now i am also planning to do some twixtmas fun next week!

♥ right now i am loving my christmas board on pinterest!

♥ right now i have to dash! i will be back tomorrow!

lucia and gingerbread

2011-12-20T08:27:00.000-08:00

i knew i wanted to create something simple for this photo of my daughter acting the role of st lucy. just a few words and that photo is ok with me. but then i grabbed the round patterned paper and it made everything pop!

i love to attend att least one lucia celebration every year and ofcourse this year was extra special!

we baked gingerbread cookies with a friend and her kids for the second year this week, and we are calling it a tradition now :)

i added a 2010/2011 photo to the top and attached it with a clip.

have a great day all!

52 photos in 52 weeks ~ recap

2011-12-19T07:38:00.000-08:00

I know that i say this alot, but i´ll say it again; how can time fly like this?! it seems a year can go by just like that *snapping fingers*. on january 1st this year, me and monika set out on a journey that seemed forever long: one photo every week for 52 weeks! we chose themes for the first couple of weeks and blogged about the project, to see if anyone else would like to join us. there sure were! we have a whopping 121 members in our flickr group!

as with many longterm projects (at least this applies to me!) the glow has been superbright and some weeks i have been slacking. but that is ok! even if i have been late posting my photos to he flickr group, i have still taken them all and soon i´ll have 52 awesome photos sitting in my 52 in 2011 photo folder. i say awesome maybe not because they are technically great, but awesome in the sense that there is a thought and story behind them all.

the active members in our flickr group have gone down, but that is also all ok. also, i know that both monika and i have a few "lurkers" :) welcome! we are very glad to have you!

what have i learned through this project?

well, that inspiration come and go, that some weeks i knew exactly what i would photograph, other weeks were though. i learned that life gets in the way of creative projects and it has to do, naturally. but i have also learned to work my theme into my daily life somehow.

what i would change?

hm...what would i have liked to be different? maybe i could have worked better with blogposts to go with the theme each thursday as we added our photos to the group...it would also be cool to have more discussion around the themes etc.

i asked patti, (one of our members that have made it through the whole year!) to share her experience with you all.

What have you learned through this project?
I have learned that a picture is not always as it seems. That one word can spark creativity in places where you never thought of before.
As each week's prompt became available, I would immediately do a mental check of my next week's activities to see where or how I could capture the "word". Some were obvious, but I tried as often as possible to think outside the normal or obvious. My hubby fell victim, I mean became a willing participant, for a lot of my shots.
I am exploring the world of photography more & more and this adventure helped me step outside of my normal boundaries on more than one occasion.

would you change anything?
Wow - I'm not sure that I would change anything. If changes were to be made it would be in my own personal processes of capturing the weekly prompt. I think having the prompt on Thursday's was great as it gave you time through the weekend to work on it, a time when you would be more likely to have your camera around, although I rarely go anywhere without mine.

what have you loved?
I love the shots from others.........and comments made on my own photos! I mean really, who doesn't love a little something-something type of praise? LOL!
Sometimes the perspective of others on a prompt made me stop & think, "why didn't I think of that?"
I love having a weekly assignment. It keeps my mind moving in all directions and gives me a goal to achieve, while learning more about my camera and the type of shots I like taking.

This has been such a fun experience and I really hope that it continues in the same format or even with some new twists in 2012. I've tried the 365 Challenge before - but I get overwhelmed and then just plain bored because I feel pressured to capture something amazing everyday.

thank you, patti! be sure to visit her photography website and her blog to read all the cool thoughts behind all her 52 photos!

what i ♥´d:

to meet new people! i have learned that through a mutual project, may it be a class, blog or a photoproject, people open up and embrace diversity and i love that we have had such a positive wibe!

and i love that i could suprise monika with an album with (almost) all both of our 52 photos!

(photo by monika!)

ok, so what is next?

both me and monika have had blogreaders and other friends ask if we could continue the 52 photos project. and we quickly decided that indeed there will be a 52 photos in 52 weeks 2.0 version starting on January 5th 2012! yay!

ofcourse the themes will be updated and monika has made a new blog button that you can grab and put on your blog!

new for 2012:

every thursday we will announce a new theme in the flickr group discussion area. on the last thursday of each month i´ll have a recap blog post where i´ll share both my and some of your photos. (note: if you don´t want me to show your images on my public blog, please let me know asap!) and some fun things from time to time. we had a fun little giveaway furing 2011 and i am sure we´ll make something happen in 2012 too :)

i´ll leave you with the downloadable theme list from 2011!

just so you can see them and perhaps use them for something else or what ever :)

thank you for this year!

End of the year favorites ~ blog posts

2011-12-18T10:45:00.000-08:00

granny square love

the very first pin to reality post.

my birthday post for my daughter

a happiness list

december moments mini - a video

2011-12-16T12:25:00.000-08:00

i found myself missing the good old december daily format, so i thought; crap, i have to do another one :)

it is not daily though and i am still doing my december mini :)

its a work in progress!

ps. apperently you might need to click through to the actual post to view the video, sorry!

scrapbooking shares

2011-12-13T04:14:00.000-08:00

my girl got her a job :) she sells newspapers on the weekends and so far so good. i snapped a photo of her on the night it was announced :) i made it easy on me for this layout and used one of ali edwards older templates and i wrote my journaling on my typewriter.

and sweet marta! she is growing by the minute and she is fiesty :) we lovingly call her terror! this photo was a perfect one to journal right on it!

the simple things #57

2011-12-11T11:19:00.001-08:00

"i love to decorate with you mom, i alsways look forward to it!"

yep, that´s enough to make this my favorite simple thing this week :)

happy jolly weekend

2011-12-09T22:24:00.001-08:00

happy jolly, originally uploaded by elisabet ottosson.

just wanted to wish you a lovely weekend and share some ofmy favorite holiday themed photos from flickr!

december mini - this week

2011-12-08T07:36:00.001-08:00

here is my first update on my december minibook. you can see the foundation pages here and here.

this is somewhat of an introduction page. i totally made a typo and tried to fix it in PSE :)

i added a few hearts and red details on this page.

here i added the Sunday photo + words from last sunday at Write Click Scrapbook.

i also shared my wishlist:

* film for my Instax camera

* A5 page protectors

* more storage bins for my craftroom

* chalkboard paint

* mini doilies

and time...could i please have some more time!

the list here is: it´s beginning to look a lot like Christmas when...

* my craftroom looks even messier than usual

* the star light shines in the window

* the blogs are filled with december dailies

* presents all wrapped up are piling up

12 tastes that remind me of Christmas:

* apples

* oranges

* satsumas

* hot chocolate

* nuts

* cherry sauce

* fudge

* ice chocolate

* glögg

* risgrynsgröt

* prickig korv

(i am still working on this list!) 12 scents that remind me of Christmas:

* cinnamon

* oranges

* candles

* wrapping paper

* sparkles

* fake trees

* real trees

my new necklace from the rusted chain. i ♥ it!

i have a short list of holiday movies on my must see list, and we did have the first Christmas movie night the other day watching Elf!

there you have a first update on my december mini.

from pin to reality - scarf wreath

2011-12-07T03:17:00.001-08:00

{source}

Monika shared a cute link on facebook a few days ago and i just knew that i needed to make a scarf wreath!

i had a basic nature wreath already and i was able go to the thriftstore and bought a borown knitted scarf (since we have a green house with brown trims).

this is the easiest craft i have made i think! which is lovely in a busy month like december, right?!

i just simple laid my scarf under the wreath and folded it in so it was tight around the wreath and stitched a couple of stitches to hold it in place.

when i got almost all around i tied a knot with the rest of the scarf. done!

sorry for the poor photos, but it gets dark so early nowadays :(

i added some mini ornaments to make it even more christmassy :)

from pin to reality - felted snowman

2011-12-05T20:18:00.001-08:00

(source)

yay! it´s time to show you another pin that has become reality! i pinned these cute guys a while ago and wanted to make something like them for christmas.

voila!

i handfelted the balls with warm water and dishwasher liquid. (side note: my black dog dixon got into my felt yarn before i got home from work one day and that is why there are traces of him mixed into the white yarn!)

i used embroidery thread and just single stitched the eyes and mouth. i was a bit worried about how to make the nose...i ended up sewing multiple stitches ontop of eachother with orange thread. it was so hard to photograph this step, but i hope that you get the picture.

i used some glittery silver thread to make the little crown and hat.

i attached the balls together with just a few stitches and then on the wooden holders with glue. the finishing touch was the tiny amount of blush :)

i think that they turned out pretty cute :)

i´ll be back tomorrow with another pin to reality!!!

the simple things #56

2011-12-04T09:09:00.001-08:00

while i was out for a quick drive this week, i passed a small café that has closed for winter. i had seen that this banner was out many times before, but this was the week when i stopped and took some photos. i love how it gives color to our grey world right now!

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for more simple things posts, click here!

Write Click Scrapbook december gallery!

2011-12-01T09:56:00.001-08:00

gosh, can you believe that it is december already?! even though i love the holidays and prepare for them in november already, i am still always stumped that times flies.

for the WCS december gallery this month we all created something related to Holiday Homes. i did 3 layouts.

this is the first one that is straight in real life so help me God!

in my journaling i speak about the scents, sights and sounds that appear in our home during the holidays.

next, i made a layout about where my magic comes from aka my holiday idea binder :)

i fell in love with this layout, i like how it turned out.

i ♥ sparkle lights and i do tend to put them up early just because i love the light they give!

now, go check out the gallery!

ps. i was super excited to see this on Ella today :)

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for more posts about Write Click Scrapbook, click here!

and for more scrapbooking posts, click here!

from pin to reality ~ Christmas Cards

2011-11-30T04:55:00.001-08:00

source

welcome to another edition of from pin to reality! this is where i take the massive inspiration that is pinterest and actually make something! yay me :)

when i saw this card above i just knew that i wanted to make something similar for our Christmas cards this year. and since i am still going strong with this project where i take one family portrait a month in 2011, i had a few photos to choose from.

i choose this one

for a minute i was pondering going with this...

:) but no.

and this is my finished card!

here is how i did it:

first i uploaded the photo to picnik.com and converted it to black and white.

next, i clicked the text tab and began to write out the words MERRY CHRISTMAS one letter at the time. (1)

(2) your letter will be placed in the middle of the image in white. you can change the color over to the right. (3)

now, i am a member of picnik, paying a small fee every year to get to use their premium features, but i am pretty sure even if you are not a member you´ll still have a few choices of fonts for this. you change fonts right under where you write your letters!

also, you just drag your letter to move and change size.

if you want to you can also add a little holiday sticker :)

click the sticker tab (4) and scroll down to the Christmas stickers (5) and just click to choose. move it where you want to have it and change color too (6). for the finished card i showed above i did not use any stickers, but i did make a few versions of it and i made a special one for my hungarian speaking grandparents and added a sticker :)

i am happy with that one too :)

oh, yes next you just click the save and share tab (7) and save the image to your computer.

i did want to make that cool border and cut the card out, but it just didn´t work with my photo.

you can also make this is a photo editing program like photoshop or so.

and i need to tell you that i am not paid or anything by picnik.com to write this, i just love the site :)

i hope that you enjoyed this little idea!

__________________________________

click here for more pin to reality posts!

and you can follow me on pinterest here!

december mini part 2

2011-11-29T03:29:00.001-08:00

here are the rest of my december mini foundation pages! you can see part 1 here.

i have used both vintage sheet music and images from a classical vintage childrens book in my mini.

i also printed out this christmassy mosaic made from some of my favorite photos from my flickr contacts. you can find this mosaic here!

i am so happy that december starts tomorrow, because i really want to start filling this baby up :)

ps. come back tomorrow when i share how i made our holiday cards for this year! super easy, i promise!

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for more minibooks click here!

for more scrapbooking posts click here!

and for more Holiday crafts, click here!

december mini part 1

2011-11-29T03:23:00.001-08:00

so...there is a december mini this year too. i did have a few thoughts towards not doing one this year since i already have a few minis from past years that are not finished. this year i really needed something extra that made me want to do a december mini.

the spark came to me one night after i had seen a announcement from Ella publishing that they had a new List it! product. it was the Christmas edition and since i have the everyday version already i knew how great these products are. it is a pdf download with journaling spots in list forms about different things around Christmas like this one above, which i already filled in (i know i just couldn´t help myself!) so, my mini is based on 24 of the 92 lists in the download, one for each day in december up until Christmas Eve when we celebrate Christmas.

i have also included other stuff in the mini when i made my fundation pages this past weekend. like the quote from the beginning of the movie love actually, that i love ♥

but also some ali edwards Christmas brushes from designer digitals that i printed out on my printer.

the holiday photo checklist is a free download from my friend rebecca cooper!

yes, i have started a few lists ;)

come december i will fill the book up with photos and more embellishments.

i´ll go ahead and push that publish button now and share the rest of the pages in my next post!

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click here for more minibooks!

click here for more scrapbooking posts!

and here for more holiday projects!

a wcs challenge layout

2011-11-28T10:19:00.001-08:00

marie and erin challenged us to a speedy layout. here were the rules:

Put on the timer for 60 seconds and as fast as you an, grab some product-anything you might need for a layout and then sit down and get it done in 30 minutes or less.

you can see my products in the photo above.

a pretty simple layout about the 11-11-11!

ps. i am working hard on a blog post featuring my december mini! stay tuned!

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click here for more scrapbooking posts!

the simple things #55

2011-11-27T12:07:00.001-08:00

the scene this past thursday as we hosted a small thanksgiving dinner is my choice for this weeks simple thing.

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click here for all simple things posts!

my december minibook!

2011-11-27T06:09:00.001-08:00

i have also included other stuff in the mini when i made my fundation pages this past weekend. like the quote from the beginning of the movie love actually, that i love ♥

but also some ali edwards Christmas brushes from designer digitals that i printed out on my printer.

the holiday photo checklist is a free download from my friend rebecca cooper!

yes, i have started a few lists ;)

come december i will fill the book up with photos and more embellishments.

i´ll go ahead and push that publish button now and share the rest of the pages in my next post!

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click here for more minibooks!

click here for more scrapbooking posts!

and here for more holiday projects!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T07:03:00.001-08:00

after my awesome US experience last year when i celebrated thanksgiving for the first time, i had an itch to do something this year too. although we don´t normally celebrate thanksgiving in sweden, we are having a little gathering tonight. dinner, candles and carrotcake for dessert.

i hope everyone celebrating has a wonderful day!