Baby LO nr 2 of..... many?

Deck of Me - July 2007

Prompts:
week 26: Celebrating Daughters. Here I am with my sisters and mother on her 65th birthday.
week 27: Junk Mail. During my pregnancy I got sooo much (junk) mail about all kinds of babystuff....
week 28: Goal of the week. Finally call a friend that I haven't spoken to in a looong while.
week 29: Define Perfection. A walk on the beach with DH, drinking cappucino and eating snacks afterwards.
week 30: Count your blessings. A caring mother, a super DH, Great sister, and getting pregnant without any medical help.

Studio Daphnat 2008!! - Paper Tearing Technique

I am happy to post the first Studio DaphNat of 2008.. hopefully the first of many :-)

The supplies for this week:
- Masking Tape
- Gel medium
- Patterned Paper / Text Paper.... any paper will do actually, just try what works for you

All you have to do is glue your paper (using gel medium) to your cardstock / canvas or whatever you are working on. Apply some masking tape. After a few minutes you can tear the tape off your background and it will reveal the other side of the page that you glued on. When you are using text paper you will see all the words reversed.
That's all! You will have a fantastic background! You can even make it even more fantastic using a thin wash of acrylic paint or rub your distress ink pad over it or whatever way you find to add some colour to it if necessary.
This technique was inspired by Claudine Hellmuth (again :-)...).

If you need some more explanation, go check out Nat's blog.. she has filmed the whole process. Enjoy it!

Deck of Me - June 2007

I have finished them all...I am just too lazy scanning and posting them...

My cards for June:

#22 - prompt "what would you like to learn?" - play the piano...but I need patience for that...LOL

#23 - prompt "right now" - 14 weeks pregnant.... "right here, right now" (click the link for the best evolution video ever ;-)...).

#24 - prompt "Remember When" - Every year when I am in London for work we stay in a hotel very near to Kensington Palace, where Princess Diana lived. And every year I am surprised and amazed about the quantity of messages / flowers and other stuff people leave at the gate. Every year I wonder... will this go on forever? How long will it take for people to stop mourning. Anyway..it fascinates me and I have to go there every time..

#25 - prompt "a photo that means something to you" - you won't see me like this on a lot of pictures... on most of my holiday pictures you see me lying on a beach bed...with a book..doing nothing. So this pictures is really special to me LOL! On top of the highest point in Fuerteventura... a trip which took us like 2,5 hours.. we totally underestimated it. Let's just say I suffered some mood swings during the trip...but I was very happy to get to the top! This holiday was also the first for Michiel and I together :-). We both have great memories!

Happy Birthday Nicole

Well then...

.... here it is: my very first baby layout!
I remember chatting online with Nat when I was pregnant and I told her that I was afraid to bore everyone with baby layouts once the baby was born.
She told me: "You are so going to make a lot of baby layouts!"...
And damn...she's right!
So...if you get bored in a few weeks/months....don't come here anymore... LOL














Supplies (from top to bottom)
- handmade on glossy paper with ecoline on a versamark resist
- 7 Gypsies tag
- Hambly transparancy
- Stars on the left are cut from a Scenic Route sheet
- Big Star on the right; colored with ecoline and then heat embossed with pink powder
- Little stars stamped (Purple Onion) with Versamark and colored with Perfect Pearls
- The name is cut out from the birth announcement card
- Letter paper is from Scenic Route
- Handmade scallops on a Rouge de Garance sheet.
- Background is stamped with acrylic paint and bubble wrap

Happy Birthday Charlotte!!

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 :-)....