HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLOTTE

Book Tag

Last night... I was already in bed... reading... but I felt the urge to do some websurfing. So I got the laptop, got back to bed and checked my email. Francine had tagged me... hoping it was not the same ABC tag that Charlotte en Marianne send me and that I still have not posted yet...(sorry!) I openened her blog and saw the following:

1. Grab the book closest to you.
2. Open to page 123, go down to the fourth sentence.
3. Post the text of the following 3 sentences on your blog.
4. Name of the author and book.
5. Tag three people of your own.


Since I was in bed this was a happy coincidence, because as you can see there are a ton of books next to or in my bed :). I am usually reading 2 or 3 books at the same time; some fiction, some non-fiction (see the bottom). Do you see the black fluffy thing sticking out on the right side? It is the tail of "Het grote boek van de Poezenkrant". This book is a must have for every cat lover! In the front you see a Milan Kundera classic "The unbearable lightness of being", which I am reading for the 2nd time now after 16 years! Somehow the book isn't as interesting to me as the first time. Maybe it was a mistake to start reading it again, it takes away a lot of the magic. I had such beautiful memories of this book; so everyone who has not yet read it you must do so. It really is a literature classic.
I also read biographies; Maria Callas, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Hitler. But I prefer to read these on the couch instead of in bed. Close to the window my latest purchased books: the latest Arnon Grunberg, "Tirza". At the moment he is my favorite Dutch writer. Love his cynical sense of (jewish?) humour :).
And I bought "On Beauty" from Zadie Smith. Also next to my bed "The Big Book of Sudoku"......Love sudoku!

But the book that was close to me when i read Francine's tag was the following book, also recently purchased: "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" by Marisha Pessl. Check out the "trailer" for this book and see what it is all about.I have only recently started reading but I must finish 2 other books first....I am sooooo hard on myself :)














I do not only have books next to my pillow... when you lift the pillows you see this. And Danielle... the Ali Edwards book I borrowed from you? It has been there too!"















But now, on to the tag:
The book closest to me was "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" - Marisha Pessl.
The next 3 sentences after the fourth sentence on page 123 say:

"A tidal wave of nausea was starting to flood my stomach and there was nothing I could do to stop it. It was like the black seawater overtaking a crimson Titanic stateroom, as recounted in one of Dad's favorite autobiographies of all time, the gripping eyewitness account Black in My Mind, Yellow in My Legs (1943) by Herbert J. D. Lascowitz, who finally, in his ninety-seventh year, came clean about his Machiavellian behavior aboard the legendary ocean liner, admitting he strangled an unidentified woman, stripped her body, donned her clothes in order to pretend he was a woman with child, thereby securing a choice spot for himself on one of two remaining lifeboats. I tried to roll over and stand, but the carpet and the couch swerved upward and then, as shocking as lightning striking inches from my shoes, I was sick: cartoonishly sick all over the table and the carpet and the paisley couch by the fireplace and Jade's black leather Dior sandals, even on the coffee-table book, Thank God for the Telephoto Lens: Backyard Photos of the Stars (Miller 2002). "

I love this book and can't wait till I reach page 123 :)
Hope this was what you had in mind Francine, when you tagged me?
Now...everyone...run to a bookstore to buy this book. It is available in Dutch too, but I always prefer to read the original version.

I will tag Mirjam, Nathalie & Charlotte

HAPPY NEW YEAR

DT projects

Since I do not have to work for 2 weeks...well only 10 days left now :(.... I have plenty of time to scrap and relax :)
I am working on several different projects which I will not show until they are completely finished.
So for now I will share 2 projects I made earlier this month for Memory Lane Scrapbooking

The first project is an altered block.
I first painted it with paint dabbers (thanks Monique :)!)
stamped on it with a contrasting colour with this stamp.
I then attached love-couples from a TopHat Design collagesheet to the block using Gel Medium from Golden.
Adhered some Chipboard letters and nailed the love bird on top of it.
The butterflies are rubons.





















The other project is a 3d wooden box from Ikea. I showed a different project with this idea before. This one was made for the December Challenge of MLS, we had to make a project/LO using only Christmas articles....
Of course I used some PP...but only from Basic Grey's Christmas line.

Christmas is over......

...... but my Christmas tree is here to stay for AT LEAST another 2 weeks :)

I love to lie on the couch...with a book and the lights of the tree lighting up the living room (or at least they are supposed to do so...have to buy more lights for next year).

I love to look out of my window and see all the Christmas lighting in the neighbourhood. It is always such a dissapointment when it is time to remove the tree.. and all the other decorations... this makes me feel a little depressed....

But for now... I am still enjoying the Holiday season and so is my cat

Sneak Peek

of the new Dutch Dare...which will be posted on the Dutch Dare blog tomorrow.

Hope everybody has enjoyed Christmas....I know I have.....went to sleep at 3.30 AM after having a really nice Japanese sushi dinner at my place with some friends and a lot of sake :)

Will take a nap now.....hihi.

This is just one of the Christmas cards I made...

using the collagesheets of Top Hat Design and Basic Grey Dasher.

wanna see more?

Check out all my Christmas Cards here

My Elfamorphosis

Thanks to Malou I just made a total elf of myself.

Check me out by clicking this link and turn up the volume!
Don't laugh too hard!

And be careful, this might be contagious......

Time flies....

... when you are not having fun at work :).

Anyway... besides working I have been busy working on some stuff for the Memory Lane Design Team; the monthly DT challenge... an altered block.
These can be seen soon on the Memory Lane website.
And of course I have also been working on Dutch Dare #3... which will be posted on the Dutch Dare blog tomorrow morning! Just click on the Dutch Dare blinkie on the right and you will see the latest Dutch Dare LO's!

To make you all a little bit curious...my LO for this weeks Dutch Dare was inspired by this painting:

Collage on Canvas

For the 80st birthday of my father in law I made this collage on 30x30 cm canvas; inspired by techniques seen in the collage discovery books of Claudine Hellmuth.

When you click on her books in the sidebar you will be redirected to her website and have a look at her art. These books are an absolute must for everyone who plays with paper and scissors... great and mostly easy to do techniques can be found in these books.














I used 3 layers of patterned paper, Golden gel medium, masking tape, Amsterdam acrylic paint, paper kitchen towels, a transparancy and and a printed inkjet photo. and notice the little Hambly touch on the left....

I am not suprised at all...........

You are The Fool

The Fool is the card of infinite possibilities. The bag on the staff indicates that he has all he need to do or be anything he wants, he has only to stop and unpack. He is on his way to a brand new beginning. But the card carries a little bark of warning as well. Stop daydreaming and fantasising and watch your step, lest you fall and end up looking the fool.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

I have tarot cards at home... and I used to draw one card each day... and guess which card I drew 7 out of 10 times?.....
I stopped reading the cards because I got too nervous of it....

Retrospective #5 & Dutch Dare #2

What a busy week I've had.... but not busy with work thank god!
Last Sunday we had the first DT meeting of Memory Lane. It was so fun to meet all the girls in real life.. also a bit strange because you already have the feeling you know them because we had some online meetings on MSN before.

Anyway for the DT meeting we agreed to make a circle journal; we had to make 8 introduction pages about ourselves to give to the other DT members on Sunday... Well.. what can I say. There were only 3 girls who finished them all...and surprise suprise.. I wasn't one of them hihi!
When everybody is done we will all have a book with different pages from all the DT members. A fun idea!

I have also been working on the 2nd Dutch Dare! Also a last minute project of course.. but with a great outcome. Check out www.dutchdares.blogspot.com or click on the blinkie in my sidebar to see what this weeks dare is about and all the LO's of the other DT members. Feel free to play along with these dares. Everyone can play and there is a RAK involved!

For the Retrospective Challenge #5 I made the following LO:



Check out the website of Nat to see all the beautiful interpretations of this challenge. And if you are not already playing along, you should definitely do so. These challenges are such a great way to use your old pictures.. and they also give the opportunity for some reflection haha...I mean.. I feel really good looking at this LO... wow.. these summers in Playa d'Aro were GREAT!

Wedding LO's continued

On the pictures; the band which I arranged for our party! The band members are all friends from my husband, with some of them he plays regularly.
Check out his website to listen to some music samples!
It was supposed to be a surprise for my husband that his friends would play at our wedding but unfortunately I was stupid enough to forward an email to him from the manager of the partylocation in which we also spoke about the band...
Only a few weeks ago I told one of the band members that my husband already knew about it... HA.. and they were thinking he was sooooooooooo surprised!

Look.....

... what I found in my mailbox!



An early Chrismas greeting card!
I saw it in the gallery on 2peas and left a comment that my mailbox would really enjoy this card!
Thank you very much Luv_My_Boyz! I love this card!!!!!!

Good news for Dutch Scrappers!

Have you been drooling all over the beautiful LO's made with Hambly that you have seen on sites like 2 peas in a bucket? Be sure to check out this link to see all the pieces of art created with Hambly!

Now is your chance to create such wonderful LO's yourself!
From now on you can order all your beautiful Hambly papers and overlays @ Memory Lane Scrapbooking!!!
So have a look and order some for yourself... and be sure to act quickly... I have a gut feeling that they will be sold out in no time!

Have fun scrapping and if you like you can send your creation to Memory Lane... your LO might be published on the website's gallery!

THE SECRET....

..... is online!!!!

Go check it out! HURRY!!!

Everybody likes secrets....

.....so if you are a curious person take a look here and leave a comment

Placed myself in my mom's shoes...

Patterned Paper Challenge # 16 - Like father like son

I just love how this LO turned out. The challenge was to create a striped background of several patterned papers. I had great difficulty combining papers this week. My first try is now staring at me from the garbage bin beneath my scraptable.... This is my 2nd try and I love it!

On the picture you see my husband and his father (who is nearly 80 years old!!!).
I printed out some characteristics that they share and glued them vertically to the bottom of the page as opposite to the horizontally placed "strips".
I guess I am not supposed to tell you this but my husband almost had tears in his eyes when I showed him this LO...hihi...

Patterned Paper Challenge # 9

This is a LO I did for the Patterned Paper Challenges, based on the 2nd book of Ali Edwards. Check them out and play along; they are fun! You can also play if you do not have the book. You can scrap about any subject you like, it is only about the use of patterned papers. Since I started these challenges I use them differently than I did before.

I am actually a bit late posting this one. I already had it done for quite a while, but lately I am not too active on posting... just scrapping and brainstorming with the new designteam! I am enjoying this a lot! We are making big plans which I cannot reveal yet but it will be a lot of fun! Great to see that when you come together in a group great things can happen!!

I also made a LO for the November Challenge for the Memory Lane Scrapbooking DT. Go check it out on the MLS website; it will not be posted here on my blog!

Hope everybody had a great weekend! I am bit tired since I went to several museums last night; it was the annual !Amsterdam Museumnight , with 40 museums / cultural institutions participating and opening until 02.00 AM on Sunday Morning. Take a look at my Dutch blog for some pictures.

I hope everybody has a good start for the coming week tomorrow! Back to work..blehhh

Diego & Frida - Art Inspiration Challenge How Dare You # 9

When I saw the latest challenge on the Aussie Challenge Blog How dare you I immediately ran to my bookshelf to grab one of the several FRIDA KAHLO books I have collected in the last few years.

My love for her art started during my time at the university (I studied Latin American history, culture & literature for 5 years) and has only grown since.
Last year I saw her work in London in TATE MODERN in real life and by standing in front of some of the painting my eyes just filled with tears. Not only because of the beauty and the craftsmanship of the paintings, but also because you just "feel" her paintings and experience all her suffering.....
Difficult to explain.... Just LOVE her work
Follow the links to find out more about her life and work.

The painting that I used for the Art Inspiration Challenge is only 13 x 8 centimeters big. It is definitely not my favorite Kahlo painting but it immediately gave me inspiration for the LO I made of me and my husband.
The text accompanying this painting in the exhibition catalogue reads as follows:
"In Diego and Frida Kahlo paints half of her own face and half of Rivera's joined together, suggesting that neither one is whole without the other. Yet, although they are portrayed as two halves of the same being, the parts are uncomfortably matched and therefore remain distinct from one another."
(ed. Emma Dexter & Tanya Barson;2005; Frida Kahlo; page 64.)

In my LO I added words that express dualism; like day vs night; male vs female. So the journaling says what Frida wanted to say with her painting.
The title I used is from an old Eurythmics album..

Elsie Challenge #10

Fase 1 was fun... but nothing happened.. so now we move on the fase 2 and hopefully fase 3!

UPDATE 10/27/06:I think I should have given some extra information.... we are not yet making the baby... for me that would be "fase 3". For now we are both being checked if everything "works" the way it should work..LOL!
And the container you see on the picture is for my husband.. do I need to explain further?

A busy week

Last week was one of the busiest weeks of the year at work. We had to pack and ship all the orders that we received on the London Edge Trade Show.

Anyway, I still managed to do some scrapping.
You can see my first challenge for the
MLS Design Team posted here. The challenge was to let a cd cover inspire you for a LO. I more or less just lifted it....

On the LO you see me and Michiel looking towards a Cenote. If you want an experience you will never forget... book a holiday to Mexico and do a snorkeling tour in these cenotes. We have been swimming and snorkeling in cenotes on private land from old Maya families. This was soooo cool (actually.. the water was freezing!) and I can recommend it to everybody. Just have a look at the Cenote link for more info.

I made a LO for Francine (one of the DT members of MLS), who was celebrating her birthday last tuesday. I thought it was kind of difficult to make a LO for somebody you've never met but I'm pleased with the result.




Yesterday I went to a "goodbye party" of an ex colleague of mine. We have worked at the same company for a few years and yesterday it was her turn to say goodbye and to enjoy her new job.
I made this LO for her



A lot of other people from the company had made a LO for her.. and it was fun to see that there is scrapper in everybody; some of them had done a wonderful job cutting, pasting and journaling. So she left a big book full of memories!

Also some dissapointing news to share... I just bought Heidi Swapps new rolling stamps (date and year version).... and to be honest... it looks great but it is hard to use!
The rolling mechanism to switch the dates is soo hard to move that my thumb is numb now. I also have a rolling letter stamp from Making Memories and I have no problem whatsoever with the rolling mechanism... it turns without forcing it too much. I just hate when this happens. You unpack it, want to use, are feeling all happy... and then.. dissapointment because it is not working the way it should be working.

And apparently I should have read
this thread before I bought them...

HERO!!!

It has been beautiful weather all week ... and just today it was absolutely freezing... Only 12 degrees or so. For the runners this was ok although there was also a very cold wind. My fingers almost froze off while I was waiting for Dave to pass so I could shoot the picture at the right time.

OMG... How can you still be smiling after having runned 35 kilometers already?
Dave is definitely the hero of the day.. and maybe for the rest of the week.

For more marathon pictures; check out my dutch blog Daffie Online

Marathon Day!

Today my good friend Dave; creator of Oscar & Amber, will run the 42 kilometers of the Amsterdam Marathon!
(Be sure to check out the Oscar en Amber website and turn up the volume...)

I soooo hope he makes it. Will try to post a photo later... If I manage to take one from him

Check out all the details on this website.
Just press the english flag for the translated version.
For everybody outside of Holland, if you are interested you can also see the marathon via a live webcast! Maybe you recognize Dave; he is bald, tall and wears black.

Have a great sunday everybody!

I went..

... shopping today and found a lot of nice goodies!

They look real cute...

... but they smell awfull. The worst rubbersmell you can imagine? Yes that is what they smell like. The stamps I mean....
They are not Elsie's design (boehoe). And the text on some of the stamps is in French so...

I have only used this stamps on 1 LO until now.. and that is the LO I made for the
October Challenge from Memory Lane Scrapbooking.
Check out the site regularly to see if it already has been placed, because I will not show it here on my blog.

On this LO you do not see the stamping really good, so I will make a new one soon.

Enjoy your day!
It is Friday the 13th!

Stamps I won...

..... at the Elsie workshop last week.

The "winning"LO's

As promised earlier I'll now show the LO's and an altered item that got me in the Memory Lane Design Team. In the sidebar you will find all the blogs of the other DT members and of course a link to the shop! I am really excited to be a part of this team, altough all my life I have been avoiding being a teammember of anything. Don't know why... I just looove to do things on my own. But I must admit... being all alone at the Elsie workshop last week, was a really strange experience since everyone there seemed to know eachother.
What I discovered afterwards was that 2 other MLS DT members were also there at the same time.... weird!


Before this workshop I had never scrapped in the presence of other people before... always on my own... with my paper and my scissors... and having a good time! Am I the only "lonely" scrapper?

About the workshop, I was a bit dissapointed. Of course it was fun to meet Elsie in real life but what I did there... I could easily have done it at home... would not have had to spend time and money and take a day off from work to go this workshop.
But... I won a set of stamps which got me featured on Elsies blog . Actually I won the book, but since I already had that she gave me stamps!
(Thank you FAUVE!)

Anyway... I am looking forward to meeting the new DT team, sharing ideas, inspiring eachother... and just having fun with a group of woman of more or less the same age!

And before I forget...:


I decorated this 3D wooden box from Ikea with Daisy D's paper in- and outside.
On the pictures; my mother and my sisters the day I was born and on my weddingday.


Here you see me on my weddingday... it looks like i am yelling to somebody... I have no idea what I was saying at this moment....


don't know why... but blogger won't upload the rest of my LO's. Maybe later.

I just heard.....

that I was chosen to be a Design Team Member of

Memory Lane Scrapbooking!

Great news! I was sooooooo ready for some good and happy things coming my way again!

I will later show you the LO's and an altered item that got me in the team!!

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY..........

Finally...

got some time to post some of the LO's I did over the last few weeks. I have been quite busy working.... and my internet connection isn't working as it should be... so that's why I have been a bad blogger lately...

I did this one for one of the Elsie challenges: "make your own chipboard embellisments". It shows my wedding bouquet and the moment my husband (to be) gave it to me; at this moment he saw me for the first time in my wedding dress!
On the left page I used some of the lace and the tulle that was part of my bouquet.







Had to make something with the new Basic Grey papers; my cats look very pretty with these papers!

My friends...

are moving to the States at the end of this month.
They are having a farewell party on Saturday night and as a surprise I set up a blog for them so that they can keep us up to date of all their ups and downs.
If you read this post, please take a look at their blog and leave them a comment to wish them luck or whatever. I think it will be fun to read for them

Pim & Maria do America

I'm back!

Got back today from working a few days in London.
Here's some pictures to get an idea what this trade fair looks like.
It is actually a trade fair like any other trade fair. The place to meet our customers and make new contacts and of course we are trying to sell as much as possible!
I bought (and ordered) some really nice clothing on the show.. will show pictures later. Some of the exhibitors are selling their samples at the end of the fair and since the last day is always a bit quiet, we consider this our shopping day!

-This is the view from our booth on to the ground floor.


-The right side of our booth, showing half of our collection.


-Instead of lunch, we have sweets and champagne, not just bubbly stuff but the real thing Moet & Chandon... of course this is to attract more customers and their children to our booth.. and it works!


-My sister (on the left) and Noortje (on the right) who helped us for these 3 days! They are both wearing clothing from our latest collection.

-This is me with one of my favorite customers. She has a store in Madrid

The fair was really good and fun! Unfortunately I never have time to go in to the city or do some shopping outside of the fair... so next time I will try to go to London 2 days before the show starts to visit some scrapbook stores and to actually see something more than the inside of my hotelroom, the taxi or the exhibition centre! If anyone can recommend a good scrapbook store in London, post a comment please!

Nutella = 2 years old!!

Nutella is our "oldest" cat... when we got her she was soooo sick that the vet thought she would not live very long. But with a lot of medication and TLC she survived and is now a very healthy and happy cat (with a trauma from her youth at the farm.....

Until next wednesday I will not be updating my blog(s) because I have to go to London for a few days to work here. 2 times a year we go here to meet our customers and to present our new collection of gothic clothing... and no... I do not wear it myself!