Best wishes for 2013

Christmas is over, New Year is about to come. These days feel a bit odd. Looking back at 2012 and looking forward to 2013. It is an in-between period. But I've got holiday and time to relax and that makes these days also great! I try to read your blog posts, but forgive me if I don't leave comments on all posts as it will take a bit too much time. I read most of the blogs in a feed and I think I have read almost all of the posts. I have seen many beautiful cards for Christmas!

I didn't make any Christmas card this year, I sent only a few cards which I bought in a shop. But I'd like to wish some people a happy New Year with a handmade card. So this morning I grabbed my stuf and a paper pad of Glitz design and designed a few cards. I love the CAS idea!



I stitched the centre of the doily and added buttons for the final touch. The sentiments is from PTI. It is really hard to take pictures on these gloomy days, but waiting for sunshine will take too long I guess.

I wish you all the best for 2013. May it be a creative and inspiring year! Thank you for visiting my blog and for all your lovely comments in 2012 even when I got some long breaks in posting due to studies and work. I have appreciated it!



Sweet

I promised you the second card I made, again with Summer Fresh. I haven't used the flower dies of Marianne Design not that much and I have a lot of felt of the Hot Air Balloon project left. The dies are perfect for felt flowers.

The weekend has started! Hopefully it will be a  few relaxed days! Enjoy it!

Celebrate!

The sun peeped quickly through the clouds here and I had just enough time to take a picture of two cards I made. It is really a hard time for photography these days. The card I'd like to show you today is made with Summer Fresh by Simple Stories. It is still on my desk as I didn't do that much with the papers since I ordered it. Of course no summer journals and sentiments in November, but the patterned papers are very useable in all kind of situations. I used two stickers from the same line and that made a card without any stamping!

Today is a studyday. After finishing this post I will hurry up to pick up the books I need. And this afternoon I will wait for the postman. Yesterday I treated myself  with a paper pad of Glitz Cashmere Dame and Tattered Angels Glimmer mist. I have seen so many beautiful projects with spatters, I'm curious if I can do something with it myself! 

Thanks for stopping by and see you back soon with the other card I've made!

Lift Challenge #30

After a long time I finally made a card! I saw the lift challenge # 30 and it challenged me for sure! I don't like to work with white cardstock, that's why I decided to distress the white parts and put it on kraft. I'm sorry I used again the 'hanging out' stamp set (hopefully it won't be boring for you), but is is perfect for this card. I gave the card a twist by adding twine and a button as the card was a bit too empty in my opinion. 

 

That's it for today! Thanks for coming by and I hope to see you back soon! 

London!

Autumn break is over and we are looking back on a splendid week in London! What a great city! It was our first visit, so we behaved like real tourists with a Lonely Packet in our hand and saw all the highlights of the city and a few more things, like Pimlico Road Market and Notting Hill. As you probably know I am a teacher of English, so it was a must to see all the famous places. That made us having less time for visiting the non-touristic parts in town. So, we have to go back and visit the nice little shops and markets, finding vintage things and great shops another time. But lucky me, we had time left for shopping at Cath Kidston and I have bought a beautiful polka dot school bag!
Of course we have taken many pictures. I'd like to share a few with you to give you an impression.

For my students I made a short video to show them the well known places. 

Well, that's it for today! Hopefully I can visit your blogs as soon as possible, but it is a bit busy at the moment.  

Challenge Judith/Gerdine #6

First, thank you for all your lovely comments on my previous post about the hot-air-balloon-mobile. A couple of hours after posting it we heard that a little nephew was born. We presented the mobile that evening and our brother and sister in law were very happy with it!

Today the last card of the second round for challenging each other with a specific paper line. I challenged Judith and myself for this post to use a bingo card of Simple Stories's Summer Fresh. Judith told me a bit of the papers she has used, so I could use them as well. This is the result:

Judith and I really enjoyed these challenges. And who knows, maybe a follow up will come? 

Do you like to know which card Judith made? Hop over to her blog. 

Hot air balloons mobile

A few posts ago I gave you a preview of a project I was working at. Yesterday I finished the project and I like to show you some more pictures. It was a bit hard to take pictures as I don't have a good spot to hang up the mobile. So I used our lamp as a standard!

Now we have to wait for the birth of the new owner of this mobile. By the way, you can find the pattern and tutorial on 'Craftiness is not optional'. This blog is really worth visiting! I bought felt at the website of De Viltwinkel. Good quality and the felt is sold with matching embroidery floss. Perfect!

 Do you see the monkey on the picture above? It is a so called sock monkey. I didn't know the story about this monkey until I made a quilt as a baby present for the eldest child of our brother- and sister-in- law. I asked my sister in law to look for a pattern and fabric she liked and she came up with a fabric line of Moda with the monkeys. I made this quilt: (I know the quality of the pictures could be better, but the pictures are taken long time ago...)

When we visited the USA I saw this monkey in a quiltshop and I had to buy it! After finishing this quilt I had a few leftovers and when they expected their second child I made a bag for toys.

Their third child will get the mobile and the colours of the monkey fabric inspired me for choosing the felt. 

So, this project has been finished! On time! Let's start a new project. Maybe it is time for some cards?!

Thank you for hopping by! 

challenge Judith/Gerdine #5

Today again a challenge card! The challenge was: use seam binding and stitches! I love this ribbon and my sewing machine and Judith commented many times on the stitches. So, I challenged her to use it as well. And she did it in the past few week! It looked great! I used one of the journaling cards from Simple stories -  Summer Fresh which I matted on creme paper and a couple of different patterns. I needed a wedding card and as I didn't have a good sentiment for a wedding fitting in this card I used one the embellishments from this line. Maybe not really fair as Judith don't have these ones, but hopefully she will forgive me :) The sentiment is from PTI for a birthday, but I think it is usable for a wedding as well.

Head over to Judith's blog to see the card she has made! 

crochet

Today I share one of the other products which I sometimes make.
This morning I had a 'crochet meeting'. Chatting and crocheting is a perfect combination. Last week I saw the idea for a hair accessory on Margot's blog with a link for the pattern (thank you!). It was a perfect thing for one morning. Very easy and quickly made. Like Margot I made this one for our niece with a very thick ponytail.

You can find an easy tutorial here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Challenge Judith/Gerdine #4

Do you remember the challenge Judith and I did somewhere in June? Judith sent me some papers of a paper line and challenged me to work with. See this post. Now it is time for a follow-up. And it was my turn to choose a paper line. I know summer is over, but I'm still in love with Summer Fresh of Simple Stories and I thought it would be the perfect line for this challenge. It is a great line for matching papers, which I like. I challenged Judith with three tasks, to do with Summer Fresh.

Today the first one. The challenge was to use a Summer Fresh journaling card and create a mini card. Judith told me she used the journaling card with a denim background. I have chosen the same. And here is my card!

I added two strips of paper on the left. And made a kind of embellishment by putting a scalloped circle and two circles together with a flower and sentiment. In the upper right corner I added a half label die. 

Hop over to Judith's blog and see what she has made!

Thanks for coming by!

Van harte and other things...

I know, I'm neglecting my own blog and yours as well. It has been a long time ago since I posted the last card. In the meantime I didn't make a card, but one. Of course I'll show you this one. But in this post I'd like  to show you also a couple of other things I did in the previous week to give you a bit of insight in my life.

First the card. Made with October Afternoon's Sidewalk. Still pretty papers, but I thought it would be easier to use. I'm not really happy with the card. I miss something what the card can make more special, but I don't know what... (do you understand? ) But well, it is good enough to show here anyway :)

I'm busy with my job and studies, but also with another project. Here a kind of 'sneak peak'. I will show you more pictures when it is finished. And I have to hurry as it is a project for a new nephew or niece who will be born soon. If you follow me on pinterest, you maybe have seen the original project with tutorial. 

I told you before I like cooking. This is what I made last weekend with red unions, chicory and brie cheese. Delicious! You can find the recipe  here (sorry, only Dutch).

We've got a very old chair. It was a birthday present for my grandfather in 1954. During my student time this chair was with me in all the student rooms I lived in. After we got married it got a nice place in our living room. But I wasn't very happy with the fabric. I tried to make covers myself, but it didn't work well. A couple of weeks ago I met 'tante Peet' and she made beautiful covers. When she came over to my place for having a look on the chair she met our two cats as well. As an addition for the chair 'tante Peet' made them a toy! And both love it! And I'm in love with the little heart she made as a detail on the chair! 

Talking about our cats, Saar and Pien, they want to say hello to you as well! Both enjoying sunshine, watching each other, lazy and curious. And I was curious too, because what are they looking at?! 

Okay, that is it for today. I know it is another post as you are used to, but hopefully you liked it. I hope to show you cards very soon. I've got a very nice paper line waiting for me on my desk in my craft room, but till now I didn't find time to use it. But it has a summer theme and summer is almost over. So I have to hurry... 

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekend!

The first week at my school is over and went very well! I've got nice pupils and colleagues and the atmosphere is very positive. I've just finished preparations for next week, so my weekend has started!

Today I'd like to share  a quick card I made this week. I inked up my PTI's Garden Variety set and the grass stamp from Hanging out. The papers I used are from 4heures37.

Enjoy your weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Follow your heart...

I'm not quite sure if I agree with the text of this card, but the picture was too beautiful for not using :) I cut out this picture from a 12x12 paper of the MME Follow your heart line. I used scraps from the same line, some stitching and lace and one of my favorite birthday sentiments at the moment. The postmark stamp is from 'Eline's huis'.

Tomorrow I will give the very first lessons at my new school! I'm exited, but got also a bit of tension in my body... I'm sure I'll manage! I hope ;)

Thanks for hopping by!