Confetti by Pinterest

There has been so many inspiring projects using confetti lately. I found this pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/38139928063917940/ and thought it would be fun to try and do something similar. I stitched my conetti up in a vellum pouch and also let some spill out onto the page. I used glue to stick them down indiviually. A bit time and energy consuming but I down know how else to make them stick exactly where I want them.

I've got a material list up in my 2peas gallery if you want to know what I used. The arrow stamp is from the SC Field guide kit.

/Magdalena

Sunday sketch

This week I made the layout for the Sunday sketch at the Studio Calico blog. I loved the sketch I was sent. This is it:

I stuck pretty close to the sketch. I used a photo of my son from Christmas Eve. He's a huge Star Wars fan, and had asked for some action figures for Christmas. I don't think he actually expected to get any, because he was almost in shock at getting THREE of them. He just sat there and smiled. Adorable! This is my layout "Happy happy":

This is my first time EVER using the embossing fan I got for Christmas. It was so much fun. I really like how it looks.

/Magdalena

CHA challenges at Studio Calico

Starting this Saturday and running a week are the CHA challenges at Studio Calico. There are 10 different challenges created by different members of the DT, and each one has a prize of a $5 SC shop credit. If you take part in all 10 challenges you could win a prize of $50 worth of products from the new SC lines!!! I find it a good idea to keep track of my challenges. I could do it in a notebook or I could do it right here, maybe for someone else to enjoy as well. I will list the challenges here, and during the week I will update this post as I make new projects. My plan is to make all 10 challenges. Are you with me?
The challenges:

Nik's Journaling Spot challenge My CHA-ganza challenge is to use a JOURNALING SPOT/CARD on a layout/project!!
Same as for Susan's and Dawn's challenges
Stephanie's doily challenge That's right DOILIES. you all know i hoard doilies and use them on almost everything. now it's your turn. use a doily on a layout or card. use all of a doily, part of a doily, or use a doily as a mask. punch, mist, scrunch, ruffle, layer. any doily, any way.

Lisa's Mask Challenge
Use a diecut (pre made, or make your own!) as a mask for mist or paint.

Susan's get punchy challenge
Get Punchy with a Card! Use 4 or more different punches to create, embellish, or adorn a card!

Laura's challenge
use journaling from something you've written electronically (a text, e-mail, tweet, facebook status, blog post, anything!)

Dawn's diecut washi challenge Dawn's Die Cut Washi Challenge -- die cut washi covered card stock to create washi shapes to use on a card/layout!! can use scissors or a punch too.
Same as Nik's and Susan's challenges

Davinie's stitching challenge Time to put that needle and thread to good use. Using either your sewing machine or a needle and thread, use stitchery to create texture or an embellishment for your layout or card. Not sure what I mean? Check out my "A Moment" layout from the County Fair gallery.

Jen's layering challenge
I want to see as many layers as possible on your page for this challenge! Layer paper, embellishments, ribbon, pictures, whatever works for you. Can't wait to see what you come up with!
For now it's the same layout as the one for Steph's doily challenge. We'll see if I get the time to make another one special for this.

Kelly N's challenge
Use a circular photo, buttons, and polka dots on your layout

Tina's stamping challenge You must use a minimum of 2 stamps AND make it your focal point. Let's get inky!

Happy creating!
/Magdalena

Marker mayhem

I love this picture of my kids taken at gramma's house. I left them alone for a few minutes, and this is what they both looked like afterwards. My son said he got tattoos just like daddy. I couldn't help laughing. Luckily it was waterbased markers so everything but the green came out easily.

Materials: Studio Calico COUNTY FAIR kit and add-ons Ringtoss and Photo booth, plus Mister Huey's in Dewey, Hot Dog and Lemonade.

/Madgalena

Creative process

I love Amy Tan's blog posts when she shares the creative process on one of her layouts. I'm no Amy Tan (although we do share the same birthday...) but I like the idea and decided to make a post of my own.
Here's a layout I made for one of the LOAW challenges at the SC forum this month. It's about submitting a project you made. I chose the use of wooden elements.
I wanted a gridbased layout, so I started out like this:

I picked up the green from the Kesi'art polkadot PP, and embossed the number stamp in the opposite corner:

Then I added the wood veneer frame painted with Pony Mister Huey and the photo.

Last I placed out the title and embellishments. I thought the butterfly and plane went well with the "Let your mind soar" journaling.

Materials: SC January kit County Fair with add-ons Ringtoss and Photo Booth, plus SC wood veneer frames and Mister Huey in Pony.
/Magdalena

Pinterest inspiration

I love Pinterest for when your inspiration runs low. This layout was inspired by a Pin I found. Unfortunately I can't find the image again! Apparently I only copied it into my image file on the laptop, but didn't repin it. Silly! I'm pretty sure I found it on Tina Aszmus Pinterest board, though.

Materials: Studio Calico County Fair Main kit, and the add-ons Ringtoss and Photo Booth

If you'd like to follow me on Pinterest here's my board: http://pinterest.com/rockermorsan/

Thanks for stopping by! 

/Magdalena

Thoughts on working with Studio Calico kits

I'm really looking forwards to the February class at Studio Calico: Stretch your kit with Amy Tan. It's already got me thinking on what I need to do to make the most of my Studio Calico kits. My biggest issue with them has been that I have been feeling stressful about not using up the old ones before the new one arrives. I've had a gnawing feeling I should have made more and better layouts with the past kits. I sat down and thought of ways to remedy this.
I'm starting the new year by:

• Photographing every layout I make, instead of just the ones I plan to publish in my online galleries. I will make a file in my laptop for each kit. That way I can go back and see how many and which layouts I've made every month.
• Printing out the kit contents of the main and the add-ons I get, and mark off the items I've used.
• Accepting that I won't like every piece of a kit. Not everything will be me. And it's ok not to use those items, even if I paid for them! (Hello, Basic Grey chipboard shapes...)
• Allowing myself to get rid of products I've only used part of. I've put pressure on myself to use EVERY button and EVERY sticker on the sheet. If I've used a slice of the paper I liked and a handful of those pretty buttons, they were worth their price!
• Making a list of what to do and what not to do, when making layouts I like. What have I done right in my past layouts? And when have the layouts ended up in the trash (ahem, using paint...)and thereby wasting good product?

/Magdalena

January kit has arrived!

The Studio Calico January kit County Fair arrived yesterday. Yay! I got 3 add-ons. I have never done that before, but the add-ons this time was SO amazing. And the stamps!

The Main is not my favorite, but the woodgrain washi and the exclusive veneer alphas are wonderful. I really like the entire first add-on, but the Kesi Art PP is NICE.

I really went back and forth with the third add-on, but decided to get it because of the stamp and the MME numbers PP. The Pebbles candy dots are cute too. The fourth add-on is also loved in total! If I should pick something it's the stamp, the corrugated alphas, the Ormolu fabric swatches and the camera overlay.

And here's my first layout:

I used County Fair, add-ons 1 & 4 and Mister Huey's in Clay and Lemonade.
/Magdalena

Diving back in

I'm so ready for the Studio Calico January kit to arrive! Right now I'm diving back into some of my older kits. I managed to kill Paper Moon, with one more layout. I also made two more from Boardwalk, and these two from Handmade:

My Handmade PP is literally down to scraps. This small sliver was all I had left of the Crate woodgrain paper. You know you like a paper when you've hung on to such a small piece of it :D I still have some of the embellies left, so I'm on the fence what to do with it. Is it dead or not? I kinda don't want it to be, because I loved, loved, loved this one!

The reason I'm going back into my past kits is the news of the Amy Tan class at SC. Read about it here! I really feel that making the most of a kit is something I want to learn. Just attack, make the most of it and be done with it. These not quite killed kits have really been gnawing on my mind! Now when I open them I see that there really isn't much more I can do with them, that I'll like. When all the good stuff is used up, what's the point of making projects from the leftovers that you know you're not going to like anyway? I really want to learn how to give it my best and then be able to move on without regrets. I'm hoping this is the class for me! Plus Amy Tan and Jen Jockisch in the same class - how could it go wrong!!??

Also I plan on getting the main ONLY in February. I know more people feel like me. In order to not have your stash build up too much, some shopping self-controle is needed. So now I've written it down here, and you can hold me to it! I know it will be SO hard when sneaks start.(Today!) In January I caved and got three add-ons. County Fair will never die, I tell you!

/Magdalena

December Daily pages 20-24

Again these pages have been done for a while. I'm just bad at photographing them and posting them on here. And I'm still on my penicillin as well.

Day 20: Left side is a collage of some of the Holiday greetings we've received. Inserted is the card we sent. Our little gingerbread girl and Santa boy.

Day 21: Last day of work for me, and last day of Pre-school for the kids. This is my Christmas gift from work. Coffee (which I don't drink, because I'm not that grown up yet...), tea, chocolates and cookies. To the right I've written down all the things we did that day.



Day 22: Since it's Thursday it's time for another page protector. I love these photos I took of the kids. It was their first day of a three week long break from pre-school, Christmas is around the corner and they were S-P-E-E-D-E-D. Running round and round the loop of our downstairs chasing each other. I mistakenly stamped the wrong date on the Ormolu journaling card. Oh well.

Day 23: We baked peppermint chocolate chip cookies. They looked pretty, but they tasted so-so, which is why I'm not leaving you with a recipe! The photo on the right is of my daughter eating a storebought grilled chicken leg for the first time ever. We rarely buy pre-fabricated food, but the day before Christmas Eve there was SO much to do and I was feeling lazy. I have NEVER seen anyone eat a chicken leg like she did. Ha! She was in heaven! So much for mama's homecooked food, right?!

Day 24: Christmas Eve, the day Swedes celebrate Christmas. I made a collage of the day's events. Mostly of our family opening gifts. My mother and brother stayed over. Lovely day!

I'll be adding an envelope with a list of the Christmas gifts we gave and received. I'll photograph it for my next post. Hopefully my last DD post for this time.

/Magdalena

Top 10 of '11

I love seeing these posts on everyone's blog so I felt obligated to make one as well. This is the first day I'm able to sit up at my PC long enough to blog. Eating penicillin and getting better. I'm too old to deal with these kid's diseases. Phew! Here are my 10 fave layouts of 2011, in no particular order.

Embrace the ordinary was part of a SC kit killer challenge to use at least 2 border punches:

Stick around is about my son's fave toy - a stick. I love the products on this one. The wood grain and my all time favourite letter stickers.I made it from an Alison Waken sketch at Elle's.

October 2011 I made this one for Magdas to show off the Pink Paislee transparancies, that ended up not really showing on the photo.

Wherever is another layout for Magdas, made to show off the OA Bording Pass line.

Cute Couple is a Maggie Holmes lift. I think it may have been one of her SC Board Walk kit layouts.

My happy place was made for a challenge at Molly's scrapbooking. First prize was a guest DT spot, which I won.

Like Pingu is a scraplift challenge for Molly's scrapbooking. It's so simple but I love this one!

5.2.08 is the date of my son's birth. I saw this design in a dream and had to try it.

You smile was inspired by a Sunday Sketch at SC. It was a layout by Laura Kurz, but way off the sketch, so I don't think I ended up entering it.

You've got a friend in me was inspired by Pinterest. There was a challenge at SC to scrap a lyric, could it have been a CHA challenge? I've tucked a sheet of the entire lyrics in one envelope and my journaling in the other.

Thanks for looking! Now leave a link so I can go check out yours!

/Magdalena