A SC Sunday Sketch

I'm home with a bad case of tonsilitis. Terribly painful. I had this page scrapped before the fever hit. It's made for this week's Studio Calico Sunday sketch, that looks like this:

I started out by flipping the page vertically, putting the photo on top. I then decided I wanted my circles in a non symmetrical pattern. I cut squares of paper and laid them out. Then I took a punched circle and traced around it where I wanted the circles to go. I then punched the different papers. After I punched the circles I couldn't decide what to do:



I considered dimensional adhesive, leaving the circles bare or switching the patterns around. I decided on dimensional adhesive, but I'm thinking I'm going to try the other alternatives as well. I think they all would look cool.

So this is the finished layout telling the story of all the Christmas preparations, and then the waiting. Presents under the tree. The MNCD is the initials of everyone in my family.

Happy New Years to you all!
/Magdalena

Reused photo

I loved this photo of my DH and kids that I used for Day 3 in my DD, that I wanted to scrap it as well. I used the Brooklyn Flea main kit stamp. The ink I used for the tree stump stamp is Faded linen distress ink. I wanted it pale, but it turned out a little paler than I intended. I stamped the leaves on the fab Amy Tan green polkadot PP, and cut them out. Then I used green thread to stitch branches.

I forgot if I've shared this layout or not. It's mostly made with pieces from the Studio Calico Handmade kit.The bird stamp is from the Field Guide Meadow Lark add-on. The other stamps are Ali Edwards.

Merry Christmas!
/Magdalena

DD days 15-19

This project is making me feel good for two reasons. One: I've kept up! Two: I'm using SO much stuff from my stash. I don't have a huge stash compared to most scrappers, but I do have a whole file of unused papers. Since I became a SC subber, I just don't use them. Other embellies and alphas and such make it into my kit projects, but the papers don't. It stresses me a bit that I've spent money on something I'm not using. So this DD thing is perfect!

Day 15: My son was home for 5 days with a fever. He really loves his Lego Star Wars game, and he's very good at it despite being only 3 y.o. Mostly he prefers to play with his father, since I'm not always able to help out if he gets stuck...
Since it's Thursday it's time for another page protector. The straw ornament is from IKEA. I got a big box full, and they're in several versions. I've used them for layouts and giftwrapping for years. We still have a whole bunch left for our tree. I'm really happy about adding the cloves. They smell yummy and Christmassy! I also bought a few cinnamon sticks but they were too bulky to add.

Day 16: This week has really been the week for finally getting the things I've been stressing about done. This evening was gift wrapping. It took me 3 hs. Ugh! And we haven't even gotten that many Christmas gifts, since we just bought a house. Yeah, that kinda drains your bank account :D

Day 17: See, we keep getting things done! Time to decorate the tree. My husband took pictures while me and the kids hung the ornaments but we kept getting in the way and the pics weren't good. I kinda regretted adding that chipboard tree, but oh well.

Day 18: This was the last day my husband had off before Christmas Eve (which is when Swedes celebrate Christmas) so we had to go grocery shopping. We also had to get some last minute Christmas gifts for each other, so we went for the grocery store at the Mall. We'd heard it was absolutely horrible there the day before, with lines going in and out of the parking lot. We dropped the kids off at my mom's. Our son still running a fever, poor thing. We get to the Mall, find parking and go inside prepared for the worst. And it's wonderful in there. Not crowded at all, nice and calm. No lines. We got our gifts. Made time for coffee(well, Diet Coke for me. I'm not grown up yet...)and a cookie at the bakery. Then went grocery shopping, and was able to pick the kids up almost an hour early.

This is my fave spread so far. I love the photos from the store. That's my husband in the middle pushing our shopping cart in the parkinglot while the first decent snowfall for December starts. I love that rack of wreaths I found outside the entrance.

Day 19: I only have a 20 minute walk to work, so I get a little exercise every day.This was my view walking home in the afternoon. I did not add the blue lighting. It was there on it's own. The photo makes it look more country than it is. There's a bus stop just on the left, and an intersection on the right. I noticed the mist in the field and waited for a pause in the traffic. Lovely!

Thanks for stopping by!
/Magdalena

Aaaaand sum more DD pages again

 Day 11: I'm really loving Ali Edwards digital templates. I've been using them for almost every day. For Advent Third we had some friends come over to celebrate. Unfortunately all the people pics turned out bad, so I only had food photos to document the day.

 Day 12: The journaling you can't read on the right talks about us trying to get a decent photo for our Christmas Greetings to send out. Ugh! It's always chaotic. This year the kids decided karate is superfun and suitable for a Christmas card... It took some friends pointing out to me that the pictures are fun and happy, before I actually started to like this particular photo. And with the Ali quote "play and have good cheer" it's perfect!

 Day 13: The morning started with the annual Saint Lucia celebration at the kids pre-school. We didn't know the Saint Lucia gear was supposed to go on OVER the regular winter clothes... So our son stood out in his rainy day overalls with a santa cap. And our daughter had her ginger bread man hat on. Oh well.

Day 14: This page was made for the Studio Calico LOAW challenge to lift a DT member from the December Gallery. I lifted Tina Aszmus's LO "Still..."

/Magdalena

Finally something other than DD

I've finally had time to do some scrapping besides my December Daily. This layout uses the December Studio Calico kit Brooklyn Flea. Love the colours!

/Magdalena

December Daily days 6-10

Posting two days in a row! I have a few more DD pages to share. Again I've got a list of materials up on my Studio Calico Gallery. See link in post below!

Day 6: For the large photo I've used some of Ali Edwards' overlays that you can buy from Designer Digitals. These are from "Holiday Word Art". The journaling is about the weather that is everything but Christmasy at the moment. All too common in this part of Sweden unfortunately. I'm still hoping for a turn downwards in temperature and some snow. Or LOTS!

Day 7: This day we got a tiny dusting of snow. Happy kids! Underneath the photo is my sons wish list for Christmas.

Day 8: Picking the kids up from pre-school. For once they were in their overalls. Other days they're mostly in raincoats.
On the right is the second multi-pocket page protector. I used a woodgrain stamp on the chipboard stars, in JBS Seed Packet ink. I love how they turned out.

Day 9: I have no regular day 9 page here. My son spent the night at Gramma's, that's the journaling on the Ormolu "Today" card. He had a few early Christmas gifts with him back home. I photographed them and tucked the pictures in the Maya Road envelope. Again I LOVE those green Amy Tan letter stickers!

Day 10: We spent the day cooking and baking for Sunday, when some friends were coming over for Advent Third. Another Ali Edwards digital in this photo. I have to share the recipe for these amazing spicy nuts I made. Swedes go here! For the rest of you here's the recipe:

Spicy Nuts

• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3 tbs granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggwhites
• 2 cups mixed nuts

1. Heat oven to 400* F. 
2. Mix spices, sugar and salt. Lightly whip the eggwhites and mix with spices. Add the nuts. Stir.
3. Spread the nuts onto an oven tin and roast in oven for about 20 minutes. Open oven and stir every 5 minutes. Let cool.

I stamped the journaling around the photo as a frame. It's about how I cheated on this page... The photos of my son eating cake batter are over a year old, and I stole the title (a play with words) from a free recipe book I found in our grocery store. The large photo on the right is of the Red Velvet Cake I made this day. For that recipe in Swedish look here!

/Magdalena

December Daily days 2-5 made over

YES! I have been working on my DD, I just haven't been posting about it. I was looking through my album I wasn't liking what I was seeing. It didn't feel like me. It was too simple somehow. I went back and added and remade a few parts of days 2-5. Here it is:

I have a post about these pages up on my Studio Calico gallery, with much of the supply list on there. Most of what I use in the DD is from my stash, but I've added a few pices that are more "Christmasy". Such as the October Afternoon Holliday Style chipboard pieces and miscellany, and an amazing Maya Road mixed pieces package. Love that! I shopped at Molly's Scrapbooking for those.
/Magdalena

The ghost of Christmas past

I'll be sharing a few more DD pages on Monday. Until then I found this old photo, that I wanted to share with you. This is me and my most beloved Gramma on Christmas Eve in 1975.

If my Gramma would be alive today she would be 98 years old. She passed away at the age of 91. She faced many hardships in her life and lost her father, her husband, her first grandchild and her son (my father) in tragic ways. I was all she had left, and we were very close. Her home was my favorite place to be when I was growing up. She always gave me fresh sheets to sleep in, cooked all my favorite meals and in the summer she would go out and pick raspberries while I still slept, so I could have them with breakfast. She was also an incredibly talented knitter. I would draw pictures for her and she would knit the pattern onto to sweaters for me to wear. In her old days it was my turn to return the favor and care for her, which I did for many years. I have nothing but happy memories of you sweet Gramma and I miss you so.

love Magdalena

December Daily day 2-5

Day 2: All I want 4 Christmas

Journaling reads: Happy children and a healthy family * a home to enjoy * peace of mind * SNOW * sleep * hot tea, a good book and a snuggly blanket * to be inspired * a sunny vacation trip * time to create * cold beer with good friends *

Day 3: Goofing with dad



I used an Ali Edwards 6x8 template for the full size photo. On the right is a bunch of tags from our shopping trip for the day.

Day 4: The second Sunday of advent

On the left is another Ali Edwards 6x8 template.On the right the journaling says: "Advent sweets in the kitchen. A cold and rainy busride to Gramma's. Beautiful oranges on great grandpa's handmade wooden plate. Walking the dog during sunset. Christmas lights on the promanade in our beautiful city."

Day 5: Routine Monday

The journaling reads: "6 am: Time to wake up for mommy and DS. DH and DS eat breakfast and watch kiddie TV. 6.30: Mommy is ready and wakes up DD the sleepyhead and comes downstairs. DH leaves for work. 7.30: We get dressed and walk to pre-school, and then work. 2 pm: Mommy gets off work and picks the kids up at pre-school. We walk home and have a fruit snack and watch a movie. 5 pm: Dinner's ready and daddy comes home. Kids play or watch a movie. 7.30: Bed time with a story and a song. Mom and dad take turns putting kids to bed."

I hope you enjoyed my pages, and come back again to see the rest!

/Magdalena

How to fold a bag

DD Day 1

I actually finished the intro pages and Day 1 yesterday. I took the book with me to work to photograph it. The lighting is so much better there. Not that I'm ever home during the few hours of daylight in December anyways. I bought Ali Edwards' December Daily 6x8 Layered Templates. I was a bit nervous about it, because I really don't know how to use Photoshop, but it was dummy proof! I decided to put a full size photo with the Remember template on the inside of the cover:

I also figured out what I want to use the SMASH Calendar Pocket for. I used some Washi and a Technique Tuesday polkadot stamp to dress it up. I'm not done embellishing it. I'm waiting for my SC venéer asterisks to arrive! The photo is of my daughter baking saffron buns:

I added one of the advent calendar bags my kids opened on the First of December:

Day 1:

The journaling reads: "The day before when we were shopping for groceries DS found these little boxes with a doll and a puppy inside. He was begging me to buy them, and I finally agreed. I said they weren't allowed to play with them just yet, and they accepted this. That evening I traded what was in bag #1 for the dolls and puppies. You were both delighted (and surprised!) to find them in your calendar bags the next morning."

They really had NO clue that's where the dolls went. I love still having such small children. It won't be long before they'll be ahead of me, and the days of easy and happy surprises are gone. Enjoy the weekend, and don't forget to document the ordinary days of December.

/Magdalena

Ready for December First

The lights are up, the advent calendars are waiting for excited children to wake up, Santa's done his Christmas shopping... We're ready for December to begin.

I love this special Santa figure a friend of mine made for me. Some friends and I all made up silly Hillbilly nicknames for ourselves and Majban was mine.

I'll most likely be sharing my first DD pages on Monady, so come back then!

/Magdalena

Creative type challenge

I made this layout for the current Creative Type challenge. Scrap the best advice you've ever gotten. This is mine:

Materials: SC "Handmade" kit, stamp from SC "Field Guide" add-on, Ali Edwards stamp set, SMASH date stamp, Fancy Pants transparancy, Fiskars "Apron lace" punch, Martha Stewart "Sunburst" punch


/Magdalena

December Daily foundation pages done!

December Daily foundation pages, a set on Flickr.

Last night I finished all my number pages. Then I punched holes and bound them together with some Tim Holtz D-rings. They feel a little big right now, but I figure I need to leave some space for filling up the album.

If you have seen the pages I posted earlier you'll notice a few changes. The biggest change I made from ,my original plans is that I will not add any craft calendar pages at all. I'll just add my photos and journaling to the number pages. If I need additional space on some dates, I'll add extra pages then.

I didn't worry about stiching or brads going through the paper because I'll just cover them with photos later. And yes, I did notice that the pages 17 and 18 were in the wrong order. I'll fix that, too.

Here are all the pages in my Flickr Gallery!