Puzzle

I did another workshop, I made a puzzle of a photograph. Placed the puzzle picture on a photograph of a table.
Looks very realistic doesn't it? I learn a lot about photoshop techniques and it is also fun!

Computercrash

Last Thursday my computer crashed! I got a blue screen and whatever I tried, it didn't come to life. My computer was rather new, from November last year so I still got warrenty. Hopefully I get him back next Tuesday. Luckily I have an old computer, not as fast and it misses all of my scrapstuff but it works! I decided to try some workshops I saw in Photoshop magazine and here is the result of one. In the magazine it looks more beautiful so I think I must have done something wrong, but as you don't know what it has to look like....

Scrapaneers

Lately I didn't feel like blogging. There are many reasons, but none of them is really an excuse, lol. We have been very busy with our upcoming renovation of our house. We had to buy a new kitchen and bathroom, I never realized that this would be so difficult. It will be a choice for at least twenty years! But I think we did well. They will start a week from now, so exciting.
We also went away for two weeks to Tuscany, Italy. We rented an appartment in a little place called Limité sull Arno. We had lovely weather and we visited cities like Florence, Pisa and Siena.We had a great time.
And now, back to normal, working again and of course scrapping again! I started with Allstar digital scrapbooking techniques at Scrapaneers.com, 8 videolessons including some starting material. I just did lesson one, techniques with gradients, and I love it. In this page I used a gradient as a clipping mask, never thought of doing that, it works great!

Materials I used are by Kokon Scrap-Art, Red Ivy Designs, Rucola Designs, Tangie Baxter, Alexis Designs, Aylin Designs, Yaya and Ptite Souris.

Kaleidoscope

Wow, I didn't realize it but it has been a while ago that I blogged. I really don't know why, I just was busy with other things and I forgot.
We have big plans for a renovation of our house. Our garage and scullery will be pulled down. On the same place we are going to build a new bathroom, bedroom and a new scullery. At the same time we will build a new garage in the backyard. When this all is finished we will get a new kitchen. It will be a mess the coming time but I'm thrilled when I think about it when it's finished. I will keep you informed!

The subject of this blogmessage is Kaleidoscope. It is the name of a brandnew kit by Alessandra Designs. Available at A cherry on top and Digitals.
Alessandra is a wonderful designer, she never uses CU-stuff, everything in her kits is made by herself.

Lilla Fiore

I didn't realise it but it has been more than a week ago I blogged! The only excuse that I have is that I'm very busy finishing my album of our journey to America. It is almost finished so now it's time for my designers again :-)
The latest kit by Alessandra Designs is Lilla Fiore. The kit is available at Digitals. It is a sweet kit in very girly colors, pink, orange, purple in various shades.
Perfect for all kind of photo's! In my LO I used a photo of a wonderful door in Autun, a beautiful town in Burgundy, France.

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Happy Easter

I woke up early this morning and decided to paint some eggs for you!
Happy easter everybody!

Snow

When I woke up this morning and looked outside I saw it was snowing again! I stopped counting but it must be the tenth time. Oh how I hate this. It is not that I hate snow, but I hate the fact that is snows, it last one or two days before it is gone and after a few days it starts snowing again. They say it is springtime, I see the daffodils carefully peek above the grass, but it is so cold! I want sunny days, I want to wear skirts, I want to sit on a terrace......

Chicks & ducks

Berna Datema made a wonderful Easter collection. It is called Chicks & ducks and is available at Scrapbookgraphics. As all kits by Berna it is packed full of beautiful elements, lots of papers, borders, clusters, overlays and an alpha! This kit can be used for several occasions, not only for your Easter scraps. To prove this I made two pages, both have nothing to do with Easter.

Grandma's Breezeway

Grandma's Breezeway is the latest kit by Kathryn Estry. It is a large bundle with lots of elements, paper, torn papers, clusters, frames and an alpha. I love the colorcombination: green with turqoise! The kit is available at Digitals, Gotta Pixel, and Scrapbook Bytes. I love this kit so much, I made three layouts with it and no doubt about it I'm going to use it again!

Port of call, Japan

This is week 11 and I just made week 9 for the Art Journal Caravan. I wanted to keep up but as you notice I didn't succeed, LOL. Still two to go before Friday.
After Great Britain and France, port of call this month is Japan. My first page is about Japan, Land of the rising sun!
Everything I used is out of the March collection by Tangie Baxter.

Workshop

I love template challenges, especially when you have a scrap dip templates get you out. This template by Lindsay Jane Designs is awesome. You can download it for free at Gotta Pixel. The challenge is till 31st of March. For this challenge I flipped the template and used photo's I made at a workshop digital photography. Papers and elements are from Terry Trail by Kathryn Estry.

Liz Landing

As you know I a member of the creative team of Kathryn Estry. Kathryn decided to name one of her kits each month after a member of her CT. This month one of her kits is called Liz Landing. I have to wait till October to have a kit named after me :-)
Liz landing is a kit packed with elements and papers in soft colors, yellow, green, blue and red. There are also a matching alpha, clusters, torn papers and word art, available at Gotta Pixel.

Question

Port of call of the Art journal Caravan for March is Japan. But I still have one layout of France to show you. Word of the week was Question and I used the word as well as the Quickity Split, use 16 tiny polka dots, two bold words, stitches and an ephemera border. I always try to find a quote regarding the given word said by a person of the country we're in. This time a quote by the famous french writer Albert Camus.

For credits click here.

Date night

Kathryn Estry made this wonderful kit called Date night. Available at Scrapbook bytes, Digitals and Gotta Pixel. It is packed with lovely elements in pink, light purple and orange. Suitable for all kind of photo's, even weddingphoto's

I made two layouts. For one I used photo's we made in Ronda (Spain). During a walk we saw these two little puppys who came from under a fence. Full of joy, looking for some fun. Their mother didn't like it, but she was to big to crawl under this fence. She was barking loud to protect her puppys.

For the other layout I used photo's made at the wedding of my collegue. Don't they look pretty?

Love @Cape Cod

Love @Cape Cod is the latest kit by Studio Berna Datema! I love her designs, I use all of her kits over and over. Also very suitable to use for the Art journal caravan! This kit is available at Scrapbook Graphics.
Berna herself wrote about this kit: Cape Cod, who is not intrigued by its beauty, the turquoise of the ocean, the charm of the cottages, the calmth of ancient times with light houses, and old wooden piers, the harbours and the little boats that float on the water so peacefully? The seagulls that cry their songs over the Sound and the Wind that echoes and erodes.

Unfortunately I have never been there myself, but I fell in love with all the pictures and beautiful video's that I've whatched about it. That's why I called this collection Love @ Cape Cod.

I made two pages with this kit, but I'm sure I'm going to do more!

My Teddybears

Last week I bought this paintingsoftware Artrage! This is such fun. I absolutely can't draw or paint, but with this software anyone can! Just download a picture or one of your own photo's and paint it over!
I give you a warning, this is so addictive! I made this cute little bear and I made a page around it.

Here is the text:
I love teddybears, here I am with my first bear, it is a present for my first birthday! Unfortunately I don't have him anymore. At the back you see Tommy, my latest bear. He sits on my desk at work, always by my side. The little bear in the middle, I made it myself, isn't he cute?

For credits click here.

Livi's smile

Livi's smile is an other adorable kit by Kathryn Estry. This kit is named after her nine month old granddaughter Livi. It is full of soft colored papers and elements. This kit is just perfect to scrap all your childrens photo's. This kit is available at Scrapbook Bytes. There are also extra's available like alpha's, borders and torn papers.
I made two pages, for one I used a babyphoto of myself! When this picture was taken I was just one day old! Let me think, 58 years ago!

I love you more

I love you more is the latest kit made by Kathryn Estry. It is hardly to avoid, all new kits and layouts have something to do with Valantine's day. This kit has lovely soft colors like yellow, pink and orange. It is available at Gottapixel.

I made two LO's with it. In both LO's I used photo's I have on my computer for a long time. I really don't know by whom they are. So if anyone knows, please give me a message.

Love

Port of call of The Art Journal Caravan is still France! When you think of France and especially Paris you think of love! With Valantinesday next thursday it is no coincidence that the word for this week happens to be LOVE!
I found this quote of George Sand, a french authoress, born in Paris in 1804. She said "There is only one happiness in life, to love and to be loved"
I used it in the quickity split (it gets you started in 10 minutes or less), take polka dots, gears, stitches and a silhoutte for your page.

For credits click here.

Paris

It is already the fifth week of the Art Journal Caravan. We started in the United Kingdom and are now heading to France. When you speak about France you first have to think about Paris, city of lights but also city of love. I've been to Paris a few times and I love this city, it is so much alive!
In my page I used a photo in the background of "La Louvre", with the glass pyramid in front. And speaking of Paris of course I may not forget the famous Eiffeltower.
For all credits click here.

Eye love you

Berna Datema has released new borders and frames; eye love you old photo, available at Scrapbookgraphics. You can't have enough of the basic elements like borders and photoframes. These borders and frames can be used with all kind of photo's but I think old photo's are perfect!

I used an old photo of my grandparents. I think this photo is made in 1920.

Institute for Sound and Vision

Yesterday we visited the Institute for Sound and Vision in Hilversum.

The Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision (‘Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid’) is a cultural-historical organization of national interest. It collects, preserves and opens the audiovisual heritage for as many users as possible.
Sound and Vision (‘Beeld en Geluid’) has one of the largest audiovisual archives in Europe. The institute manages over 70 percent of the Dutch audiovisual heritage. The collection contains more than 750.000 hours of television, radio, music and film from the beginning in 1898 until today.

The Experience shows the wonderful world of television. Temporary exhibitions also take place here. Visitors can read the news, be a real star on stage or act in a soap opera. Dutch radio and television personalities virtually show the visitors around in the world of radio and TV. They get a glimpse behind the scenes and learn about life in the spotlights. While the kids are singing, dancing, producing or acting, parents and grandparents can sit down in an easy chair and enjoy the video and audio material from the thirties until now.

We had a great day!

United States Capitol

My scrapfriend, Scrappie Irene, wrote a tutorial a while ago for Oscraps to transform a photo partly in a sketch and partly in a watercolor painting. Not every photo is suitable, you have to try with different photo's to see what effect it gives.
Today I tried this tutorial with a photo I made of the United States Capitol.

Background paper and elements are from the kit Icedancer by Kathryn Estry.

Natural beauty

It is CAKE (Create a kit event) at Digitals. Every designer created small kits with papers and elements for only $ 1,50 each. All in the same colors, so it gives you the freedom to create your own custom mega kit from your choice of coordinating sets.
The colors are perfect for clean elegant pages, winter layouts and much more.

From the sets of Kathryn Estry's Natural beauty I made two pages.

Open

Already week 4 for the Art Journal Caravan. Port of call is still the United Kingdom.
I chose again for the word of the week, this time it is "OPEN"
I found a quote on the internet of the Scottish whiskey distiller Thomas R. Dewar.
"Minds are like parachutes, they only function when open" So true!

For credits click HERE.

Bryant park

In New York we visited ofcourse Central Park, the most famous park of Manhattan. But there is another park, not as big as Central Park, but so wonderful and peaceful. There is also an ice skatingrink and I don't know if it is always there, all kind of little shops where you could buy all kind of art objects, culinary treats, Christmas decorations, etc.
We visited this park in the evening and it was so much fun!

Credits: Don't eat the daisies by Alexis Designs.

Angel Place

The latest kit of Kathryn Estry is called Angel Place. It are minikits in the same colorswatch. Angel Place is available at Scrapbook-Bytes. There is also a set with torn papers, fancy papers, overlay stamps and an alpha.
The kit is named after one of Kathryn's Creative Team Members, Angel Place is that pretty kit you can use for any photo. The colors lend themselves to feminine and masculine, and there are elements included for a good variety of layouts.

The unsolved mystery

Port of call of the Art Journal Caravan is still the United Kingdom. Word of the week is mystery. One of the most interesting mysteries in my opinion is Stonehenge. Experts from all over the world tried to find out what the purpose of Stonehenge was. The latest discovery was that Stonehenge has wonderful acoustics. Maybe it was used for musical performances, a prehistoric discotheque? Was it one of the first crematoria, a timeclock, a healingplace like Lourdes nowadays or a place where they kept sacred rituals? Maybe it was just a piece of prehistoric art. Maybe they will never find out.

For credits click here.

Freebie

For the Design it [Color challenge] at Gotta Pixel I designed a minikit. Subject had to something with "new beginnings" or "resolutions". There was also a colortheme. In the past I have tried to design some elements and papers but never a (mini)kit. This was my first attempt. And I'm not quite sure but I think it will be my last. Not really my thing designing.
I show you here what I made of it and if you like it you can download it here! I've been busy with for quite some time, so if you download it, please leave a message :-)

And this is a page I made with it.

Tiffany Anne

Tiffany Anne is a kit inspired by the Tiffany glass technique and is available at Scrapbook-Bytes. Ofcourse you can scrap all kind of photo's with this kit, but as it happens I have a wonderful little angel made of Tiffany glass. My late neighbor made this especially for me. It is very precious to me.

Little Cuties

Kathryn Estry has made two new kits. One of them is Little Cuties. A great kit in the colors green, blue and beige. It is about little birds. Kathryn loves to create figures with long eyelashes, it gives the a cute look. I made one page with a photo of a bird, but you can use the kit for all kind of photo's. The kit is available at Digitals, Gottapixel and Scrapbook-Bytes. Besides the kit there are also an alpha, borders and overlaystamps available.

Review 2012

For a challenge at GottaPixel I made this review of 2012. The photo's placed at the different months are really taken in that month.
The template is by WordArtWorld and the papers and elements are from the kit Golden sunrise by Kathryn Estry.