1 week ago.......

Studio DaphNat - Sculpting with Gel Medium

This time Nat and I chose a somewhat labour intensive technique; it takes several days for your project to dry fully so if you plan on making some short term, don't try this one.

Take your time and will get great results.. hopefully hehe!

For some time now I have 2 traditional photo albums lying around, which I planned to use for my wedding pictures and my honeymoon (now 2,5 years ago). The linnen cover and the colour made me buy them...but I wanted to get rid of the embossed words in the cover. So.....when I ran into this technique in this book I knew I wanted to use it to cover up the words.

And so I started:
Step 1: Cover your project with gesso.
Step 2: Add a thin layer of acrylic paint.
Step 3: Add 3 dimensional object to your project.
Step 4: Cover this completely with extra heavy gel medium.
Step 5: Wait a few days until the project is fully dry.
Step 6: To finish: add another thin wash of acrylic paint to the project.

The pictures suck because of the dark weather... circumstances for taking a good picture are not that good..but you get the point I think. I might change the photo album cover later on... because I like the result..but not enough. haha!

Hope you like the technique.. I think that this one also needs some more practice. The point is to make 3 dimensional projects with extra heavy gel medium. Just have fun and don't be afraid to experiment and throw away the results when you don't like it. Just start over!

Now go over to Nat's site to see if she like the technique or not and what she did with it!

Global Perspectives # 2 - Your Background

I am really starting to like maternity leave and wish it would last forever (without the big belly of course hehe...).
I finally have the time again to join different challenges and take my time to create a layout without any hurry or obligation. The latest challenge blog that I really love is Global Perspectives. If you haven't checked it out yet... do so.. you won't be dissapointed!

The layout took quite some time.
What I did was the following:

I scanned some old pictures, changed them to sepia colour in photoshop and printed them on thin photo quality inkjet paper.
Then I transferred them to watercolour paper with Golden Gel Medium, which this time worked perfectly! The background consists of various layers of Ranger Distress Ink that I used over a Heidi Swapp mask. I thought the colours were the too bright so I added a thin layer of gesso over it.
The layout still needed some more darker colours for more contrast so I made a border with my favorite Vivid Ink colour: Coffee Bean! (The perfect brown colour).
With gouache paint I coloured a bit of the backgrounds of the inkjet transfers.

What else is on it? Dymo tape, on the left and right some other tape, scraps of Daisy D paper and a text stamp I received with the latest "Get Inspired Kit".
I am not too sure I like the result, but I had a lot of fun making it. Especially the colouring of the transfers was great! I will add this layout to the album I am making for the baby.

Be on the lookout for a new Studio DaphNat technique today or tomorrow :-)

Deck of Me - May 2007 - #18 / #19 / #20 / #21

Here are my cards for the month of May....
On #18, with the prompt "nature", I used a BamPop bird and a piece of the crinckle plastic technique, Nat and I tried last March.

On card #19 I described my hate for suprise party's, so don't ever throw me one!!!
The prompt for that week was "suprise".

The next card, #20, is the first card I made about my pregnancy. I was 10 weeks and some days pregnant at the time. The prompt was "change" and I described how you can already feel your body changing, but you cannot see anything yet on the outside!

The last card is about my word for 2007 (remember this layout?. Emily used the prompt "qualities you aspire"... Well... I am working on it ever since :-).

MLS blog - Dare # 27

You might have noticed already that the Dutch Dare blog has changed to the MLS Dare blog.yes...I have to remove the Dutch Dare banner from my sidebar... from my 2 peas account.... etc.)On this new blog, Memory Lane also promotes all the great goodies from the shop, so check out the site regularly or subscribe to the newsletter and you'll get an update automatically.





Anyway... this weeks challenge on the blog was "to make something for someone".I made this card for my eldest sister.On the background I used Scenic Route paper.The stamped image was made like this:first I stamped the butterflies with Versamark on to Chromolux paper.Then I brayered some dye ink from Vivid over the butterflies so they appear in the background. To finish I stamped the flowergirls on it with Stazon.

Deck of Me - April 2007 - #15 / #16 / #17

Finally..... I managed to finish all my Deck of Me art journaling cards and I will post them by the month.
The last Deck of Me card I posted was on May 3.

So...the prompt for card # 15 was "Parents"... well... what shall I say.
For card #16 someone else had to contribute to your deck of cards. I used a note that DH left for me in the hallway...when he went to work and I slept till late ;-).
The prompt for card #17 was "your bedroom".

Studio DaphNat - Resin Fresco Results

Remember I wasn't too happy about my results for the
last Studio DaphNat technique?
Well... I tried it again, and this time I just love it:








To achieve this result I used a big Heidi Swapp mask on a piece of leftover cardstock and covered it with Versamark. Got busy with the UTEE and the heatgun. Used 2 different colours of acrylic paint, white soft pastels and babywipes to wash the soft pastel and some paint away. Didn't like the effect so I used a white oil pastel instead. Well... I went wild and I loved the result! I also used this piece of paper for my new banner!

For today's layout I cut it in squares and rectangles as a frame for the photo of my cat, who loves to be outdoor on the balcony. The quote I used is from Alber Schweitzer and reads "there are only 2 ways to escape the sadness of daily life: music and cats"... :-).

So if you have some spare time, try this technique, you can do whatever you like as Nat and I showed you. Wanna see what Nat's results look like? Then visit her blog for more inspiration!

Happy Sunday!

Cool project!

HERE

Happy Birthday Dutch Dares!

1 year ago... we started the Dutch Dare blog and although I am currently no longer a part of the DT, I am still sooo proud that our challenge blog is now celebrating their first anniversary :-).

For this 1st anniversary the challenge was to be creative with the number "1". And so I took this opportunity to celebrate my 1st pregnancy ever!

EDITED:
The photo effect was done like this:
In photoshop I turned the photo's to black & white and played a bit with the exposure levels. Then I copied the layer and with this copy I started to play a little with different filters until I found one that I really liked. To finish I changed the opacity to see just enough of the underlying 1st layer.
I printed the photo's on a transparency and attached them to the BG paper.
Of course I could have also printed them directly on the PP... but when I started printing I had a different idea of how the layout would be.

You make me smile :-) award

Sweet Christiane, who I have "met" through Nat, gave me this "You make me smile" award. I am very honoured! Thank you Christiane!

I will give the award now to my first "blogbuddy" ever: Malou Nelson!
I love visiting her blog; the way she writes and the amount of pictures she shows on her blog make you feel like you are there with her! Whenever I visit her blog... I feel more happy afterwards :-).

Global Perspectives #1 - Hollands Glorie?

Finally there is a new challenge blog that actually asks something from you beyond the usual topics people scrap about normally. Check it out HERE to see what it is all about.

For the first challenge they asked to tell something about your own country:
On my layout you see a collage of typical dutch things; some of which I like, some of which I don't like. As an illustration to this double feeling I have, I used the lyrics from a Dutch song called "Het land van.." ( The land of.."). This song is about all the good and the bad things that Holland has to offer to its people. The title I used (Hollands glorie?) means something like "The best of Holland?".

I think in the end I am proud to be Dutch (and no Rita...I will not join your new political group LOL).. but there are also quite a few things that irritate me daily when I see it on the news.

(EDITED)
Here are some links, following the numbers on the pictures / in my journaling:
1) Marihuana: In Holland this drug is not illegal; I like it to have a choice without being thrown in jail. More info about the typical Dutch drug policy can be found in this article on Wikipedia

2)Windmills: something for tourists... they like them a lot
More info HERE

3)Pim Fortuyn: the Netherlands' first modern age political assassination. I didn't like his ideas, but am still wondering what would have happened if he had won the elections (this would have happened if he had not been killed). More info on him and his idea HERE

4) Theo van Gogh: another controversial man, like Pim Fortuyn. On the day of his murder and the weeks after the whole country was in shock and I think a lot of people were in fear of a big explosion of Muslim violence. Luckily this did not happen. I liked Theo's sense of humour, although sometimes he was really really rude, especially about Islam. An extensive article on him HERE

5) Bugaboo: I love this product. I think it is a good example of a really strong brand that conquers the world. It even appeared in "Sex in the City", and Gwybet Paltrow has it too. I am proud that it is a Dutch product. Of course I have bought one too for my mini-me...second hand though... it is sooo expensive. Check out their website.

6) Febo: Typical Dutch warm snacks "from the Wall"... You throw in 1 euro, open the little door and there is your snack... Imagine this...a whole wall full of little doors with snacks behind it. That's the Febo experience! I love to go there sometimes...they also sell the best French Fries :-).

7) Burka Babes: a really funny comic with comments about Islam and the role of muslim women in Dutch Society. Hilarious book! These burka babes have a lot humour!

8) De Zwaan (The Swan): Officially called the Erasmusbrug, this fantastic piece of architecture is stunning..or at least I think so! I don't really like Rotterdam (living in Amsterdam myself ;-)...)but they have some great architectural sites to visit!

9) Tulips: Aren't they the most beautiful flower you have ever seen? I love the simplicity of this flower! They are my favorites.

10) Bicycles: the weather doesn't matter..Dutch people hop on their bike..... I just ride my bicycle in the summer, for fun trips and picnics :-).

11)Traffic Jams: a rapidly growing problem..I hate it!

12) National Soccer Team: when they play..almost everybody wears something "orange".

For more info on The Netherlands.. check out this Wikipedia article.

TFL!

Studio DaphNat - Resin Fresco Technique

Okay, sometimes you try a new technique and you immediately get sucked into it...loving the results and claiming this is definitely your new favorite technique. Other times you try something new and you see the possibilities of the technique but the results are a bit dissapointing....
Today's technique was of the last category for me: I know I have to try it again to get a better result...and I was certainly inspired by Nat's outcome of it!
So I suggest you take a look at her blog now to see how it is done, and just have a quick look at my results to see how NOT to do it LOL...

Anyway..... I will try to make some more of these backgrounds to see if can achieve such wonderful results as Nat.

Maternity Leave = Scrap Time

Yep.....my maternity leave started this week.... I have not yet done a lot of scrapping but I intend to do so... as soon as we have more or less cleaned/tidied our appartment.......

Anyway...I had some time to make a Dutch Dare. This time the challenge was to use 9! pictures on your layout. Luckily I now found a great way to get rid of a lot of the soccer photo's I took during a match we saw in Stuttgart, Germany during the World Championships in 2006. The weekend we spend there was fantastic, with a visit to the Porsche museum, the Stuttgart Zoo (Wilhelma)....which is definetely the best zoo I have ever been to...and perfect weather! Nice beer there too :-)

Studio DaphNat - Canvas Paper Technique results

What a great technique! Supereasy and I totally love the result..it doesn't look like a photo anymore :-)
Check out what Nat did with her results!

Studio DaphNat - Photo on Canvas Paper

This weeks Studio DaphNat is about a technique with unlimited possibilities.
The basics:
Print a black & white picture onto acrylic canvaspaper (you might need to "help" your inkjetprinter a little bit with this paper).
When you have done this, all you have to do is choose from an unlimited number of possibilities to add colour to your picture. You can think of acrylic paint/paintdabbers, watercolour paint, wax crayons, Ecoline, soft pastels, distress ink, good old colour pencils.......well.... you get the point.
Just add colour by choosing one of these colouring methods or try to combine them for maximum effect!

To colour this one I used watercolour paint and wax crayons.

For this picture I used Distress Ink, soft pastels and walnut ink.


WARNING: make sure not to wet your photo too much, the colours of the printing may run!

Now go and try this one yourself, but not before finding some more inspiration on Nat's Blog

Bye Bye DT

as of October 1st, I quit the MLS designteam. Of course this didn't come as a big suprise, since I wasn't very active for the team in the last few months.
And I expect this will not change in the next half year at least :-), so I decided to quit.
Now I can just scrap when I feel like it, without feeling the pressure to make something for the team, which was difficult sometimes, although the pressure was just in my head....
And now...only 8,5 weeks left until Due-Day... can't wait to see what Mini-Me looks like. For some prenatal shots of Mini-Me...check out my non-scrap blog www.daffieonline.blogspot.com. This is the place where you can find out anything baby-related, that is... if you are interested.

At the moment I am working on a new technique for Studio DaphNat... and I am looking forward to a Prenatal Crop I am organizing for the MLS DT girls at my place :-)....

MLS challenge September sneakie!

For the MLS DT september challenge we had to use the following products:

• Scenic Route Kraft paper
• Creative Imaginations Comics Paper
• Karen Foster Paper

Especially the comics paper is really cool!
The results of the DT challenge will be visible on the MLS website at the end of the month, when everybody is finished..... but I jsut couldn't wait to show you a sneakie of the comics paper

Studio DaphNat - Versamark Resist Result

Remember the technique with Versamark Nat and I showed you 2 weeks ago?
Today I made this very late birthday card with it..... one of you will receive it in the mail one of these days :-)

Surprise, surprise....

...for the first time in weeks...ahum...months.... I finished a Dutch Dare on time!
So check out the Dutch Dare blog tomorrow for the latest dare!

...or not to scrap

It is obviously clear that because of my pregnancy my activities concering scrapbooking have reached a level below zero....

The enthusiasm is not that big at the moment and I am suffering from a lack of creative ideas.

For every Dutch Dare or DT assignment I have to make I have to drag myself upstairs and squeeze a project out of my hardly-functioning brain. To try a new technique for Studio DaphNat is not that hard, since you just have to follow the instructions the in the book so this doesn't need any creative input from my side. But after 2 weeks, when I actually have to MAKE something with the results of the technique...that is when troubles begin..

I hope to be back in a scrapping mood when this little creativity-sucking creature has left my body and is lying in a crib watching mummy scrap :-).

Anyway... since I am not scrapping and spending most of my time on the couch... I decided to pick up knitting again. I actually stopped knitting when I started scrapping, so I still had tons of yarn lying around that needed to be turned into a sweater, a scarf....or.... a sheep! The first project I made for mini-me :-).

Knitting doesn't need any creative skill at all, you just have to follow the pattern and count the rows now and then.... So this is a perfect thing to do for pregnant women; you just don't have to think but you are still creating something. Of course it is a different story when you make you own design...which I will NOT do at this moment.

So expect a post about one of my knitting projects in between the occasional layouts I might post in the next 3 months.

Studio DaphNat - Versamark Resist Technique

This time it was Nat's turn to come up with a cool technique we could try for this weeks Studio Daphnat.
She came up with a Versamark Resist Technique that she saw in THIS BOOK.

Your shopping list for this weeks technique:

Stamps
Versamark stamp pad
Clear embossing powder
Heat gun
Iron
Paper
Acrylic Paint

Choose a surface and cover it with paint. I just used some cardstock leftovers and covered them with paintdabbers.
Wait for the paint to dry and stamp an image on to it using Versamark. Cover it with clear embossing powder and heat emboss it.
Use a dry brush to add 1 or more contrasting colours of acrylic paint to your surface. Again wait for it to dry and then the fun begins.
Cover it with a clean scrap of paper and apply a hot iron over it.
You will see that the paint will come of where you stamped with the Versamark, so that the underlying colour will show through.

Being pregnant and all (good excuse LOL) and having this thingie inside of me eating all of my brain, I totally forgot to make pictures of the process.
But I guess it is pretty clear and I am sure you can read all about it on Nat's blog.
Go check her out!

Weekend :-) / :-(

All week you are looking forward to the weekend and when it is finally there..you discover you are just as busy as the whole working week. On Saturday we usually do all the grocerie shopping for the whole week as well as all the cleaning. So...when we are finished we have about an hour to relax before we have to start cooking...do the dishes...(AGAIN!!!) etcetera.
Sunday is usually a "social" day, we visit family/friends or they visit us.
So sometimes the whole weekend passes without having time to do something for yourself... and I am very attached to time for myself.

Anyway.... this weekend is such a weekend that I have very little time to do something fun and relaxing for myself like scrapping for instance... but luckily Nat has come up with a very cool looking technique for studio DaphNat (which will be posted tomorrow), that doesn't take up too much time.. (I think). So check back tomorrow afternoon for a new technique!

Oh...and don't forget to check out the latest Dutch Dare, which was posted last wednesday. Just in case you have a weekend with not much to do... try the dare!

Studio Daphnat # 7 - RESULTS

The technique itself is very fun and easy to do....but when it comes to making something with your selfmade woven chipboard background...the problems begin...
So....I decided to make a background for my chipboard "carpet" because I loved it so much in itself, I wanted it to be to focus of my project.

I made a background with Ecoline in 3 colours (including gold) and I used coarse seasalt to get this effect.
Then I stamped with different stamps and Stazon colours on my chipboard strips and inked some of the edges with Cat's Eye ink, to make them stand out more.

What else did I use?
A fabric sample from a Chinese manufacturer I took home from my work, black velvet ribbon, 7 Gypsies red letter tape, Basic Grey Wholy Cow rub-ons, skeleton leaves, a piece of pink lace from my wedding bouquet, white ribbon.....
As a finishing touch I added some Gold Mica Flakes from Golden Paints on 3 places. I might add some of these flakes later on to the outside of the frame.

I am very pleased with the result! Go check out Nat's website to see what she made.

Dutch Dare #19.....

.... better late than never.
I am a little behind on all the dares as you may have noticed...but I'm getting there :-).
This layout shows me at 16 with a typical hairdo of the time.
I used the latest series from Basic Grey "Infuse".
Another series of papers that you must have if you are a real BG-lover!

Wanna have a laugh? Then check out the Dutch Dare blog and scroll down to see Dutch Dare 19.... and enjoy all the hairdo's of the rest of DT girls. that is..if you haven't seen them already.
















Stay tuned for Dutch Dare 20 (it is already online on the dare blog of course)and the results of last weeks Studio DaphNat

Studio Daphnat # 7 - Chipboard Weaving Technique

It has been a while...since the last Studio DaphNat technique. Of course all this time that I was lying on the couch I had enough time to think of new technique Nat and I could try.
Going through all my scrap-books (I mean books about scrapbooking and creative techniques :-)..).
In a book set from Creating Keepsakes I found this chipboard weaving technique which looked really cool.




What you need for this technique:
- Chipboard
- Gesso
- Paint
- Items to make a structure in the wet gesso.

What to do:
Cut strips of chipboard in desired size, so you can weave them later on, when you are done painting etc.
Add a medium thick layer of gesso to your strips of chipboard and before it dries, make a structure in it with whatever item you choose. This can be a stamp or the back of a pencil or anything you can use to structure the still wet gesso.
If you are using a stamp, clean it immediately with water!! Don't wait or your stamp will be ruined for eternity!









Wait for the gesso to dry and then add paint to your chipboard design, rubbing it in with a babywipe (gives cool effects because of the oil) or a paper napkin.

When the paintlayer is dry you can start weaving!











I was really surprised at how quick you can make a fantastic background like this.
You should definitely try this done!
Now check out Nat's design! Have fun!

MLS challenge july

This is just 1 of a set of cards we had to make for the Memory Lane DT challenge in July, using the "Perfectly Posh" series from Tinkering Ink & Autumn Leaves clearstamps.
Want to see more? Check out the special gallery for the DT challenges HERE.




If you have been wanting to buy Autumn Leaves stamps, NOW is the time: they are on sale on the Memory Lane website; the whole month of August you get 25% discount :-)!!

As promised....

.....another blogpost!...
I am soooo busy doing nothing most of the time...just lying on the couch with my big belly and boobies.... getting up now and then to make myself a cup of tea or get some snacks from the kitchen :-).

But when I was not busy being a lazy pregnant woman, I have been busy negotiating about the price of a house we want to buy... but after 1,5 week we have been overbid by another buyer...or so the real estate guy tells us. Well... a lot of trouble and time for nothing. On to the next house.

Last week I was sick for great part of the week; a combination of a heavy cold and a really bad toothache! So I was stuck in my bed for 3 days and after that a few days of recovering. The bad thing about being pregnant is that they can't make any xray pictures at the dentist to see what is the problem and you are not allowed to take any aspirin; the only painkiller that really works for me. Luckily I feel better now!

Anyway....no time for scrapping lately, nor any creative feeling that forces me to go up to my scraproom and create some layouts... I feel like this baby is sucking all the creativity from me!
I will do my very best to do some scrapping in this week; I have to finish the latest Dutch Dare (which will be posted tomorrow). The topic this time is hilarious so take a look tomorrow on the Dutch Dare blog
.
Also expect a new technique from STUDIO DAPHNAT in the near future (yes dear Nat, I will email you asap :-)!)

The moment....

... you've all been waiting for: a new blogpost!
And not just an ordinary blogpost: I am proud to show you the results from a Studio
DaphNat technique, Natalie and I finished weeks ago.... (sorry schatz! Thanks for your patience :-)!!!)

I combined this Lo with a challenge on Angelique's blog: find out about this the challenge HERE.
On the photo's you see a pack of 100% biologically good eco-diapers....which of course are a little more expensive than the big well known brands, but since baby's are not very environmental-friendly, we thought we would make a good start buying this eco-diapers!



Expect more blog posts this week!

Dutch Dare inspiration...

.... found in the sixties..

Check out the Dutch Dare blog tomorrow to see my first lo in weeks :-)

Finding You # 3

Way behind...but getting there :-)
Decided to scan the pages before the journaling was added so you can all enjoy the background I made, and not looking at blurry text.

Inspired by the picture I chose to use for this weeks assignment, I decided to make my own background, not using any patterned papers this week.

First I coloured the background with watercolour paint. Then I added accents / changed the colours a bit by dabbing some Colorbox Cat's Eye ink on it.
Next I stamped on "the water" and "the beach" with Versamark ink and added some Perfect Pearls from Ranger to it to get this cool shiny metal effect.
I used my new Autumn Leaves Big Swirl stamps with silver colour Colorbox ink for the finishing touch.

The lettering on the left page are Autumn Leaves stamps also, and the white outlining of the letters was done with a white UNI POSCA pen.
These pens are a must have; if you wanna know more, then click on the link to see what they can do and to see the available colours