Party!

DD celebrated her 6th birthday last week. It was a bit of a challenge to organize it (DS was only 3 weeks old) but it worked out just fine. I kept it very simple - just traditional party games (such as hit the pot, potatoe run, stop dance etc) and I did buy the cake this time and just decorated it. My wonderful sister took my DS for a long walk, we timed the party around his breastfeeding times. The girls had a great time and it was important for DD to still have a party.


I used the sketch from Creative Scrappers 192 and used the lace and linen stack by DCWV. A bit of Prima flowers and a punch and I was done.

Thanks for stopping by!
All the best,
Elisabeth

First Smile °°°SWIRLYDOOS°°°

Two days ago, we saw the first smile of Michael. What a milestone! Now it is even MORE fun to play with him. We tickle his cheek to get him to react. Ahhhh, sooo sweet!



I used a sketch from pencillines over at the Scrapqueens for the January sketch challenge.

Not sure why the flower turned green in the photo. In real life, it has the same color as the cardstock. Really strange!

Thanks for stopping by!
All the best,
Elisabeth

Hug °°°Swirlydoos°°° Frosted Designs

These photos were taken during the birthday celebration of my sweet DD. I used the current sketch from Frosted Designs for this layout and the January Kit from Swirlydoos.




I love being a SAHM for the moment, although there is not as much time in the day as I wish! Taking DD to and from school takes 3 hours, breastfeeding DS takes an hour every 3 to 4 hours, a bit of housework and the day is already over. I do make time for a little scrapping, just to keep my sanity. We are still trying to figure out a rhythm - I guess at 4 weeks, this is not possible yet. So, I just play it by ear - not easy for me who loves to write lists and plan the day and the week in advance.

Thanks for stopping by!
All the best,
Elisabeth

Happy Pencilllines SWIRLYDOOS

My sweet girl celebrated her 6th birthday. As you can see, she LOVED her party! She is such a happy girl and we are so thankful to be her parents.


I based this LO on a sketch by pencillines.


I used again the January kit from Swirlydoos. AND I finally got a sewing machine! I am so happy about that. I used it just a little bit since I am not very good with it yet, but I am sure that will change soon.

No post without a new photo of our little sweetheart. My heart melts every time he tries to smile at me....
Thanks for stopping by!
All the best,
Elisabeth

Hugs °°° Swirlydoos°°° and Page Maps

I so enjoy being a new mom again. It is a bit of a challenge to balance the attention between my two sweet kids but so far we are doing well. I had 7 little girls over for DDs birthday party. We had a lot of fun but boy was I tired by the end of the afternoon.

Here and there I manage to steal 15 minutes to scrap.


This LO os based on Page Maps. Here is the sketch:

All items are from the January kit plus a few extra from past kits. I had fun playing around with the tattered angles mists. I love how the flower turned out with the three different mists.

Thanks for stopping by!
All the best,
Elisabeth

All bundled up °°°SWIRLYDOOS°°°

I finally had some time to play with the January kit from Swirlydoos. Angelica was kind enough to post an "anatomy of a layout" guide. I find that I learn so much when I scraplift other people's work. Thanks Angelica! I love the Snowfall collection from Bo Bunny. It is so pretty and versatile.


We had our very first pediatrician visit with little Michael. Sarah is already a professional, she loves going to the doctor (because she always gets to choose a little gift afterwards) and I am so thankful that both kids are healthy as can be. Little Michi has put on a pound in just two weeks and has grown almost an inch.

My "little" girl turned 6! I cannot believe it - my little baby is growing up so fast.


This photo makes my heart melt. Sarah is the perfect big sister.


Thanks for stopping by.
All the best,
Elisabeth

The visitors -Sketch support

This layout was a real challenge - I hardly ever do 2pagers and since I had to accommodate 10 pictures, I tried a clean and simple approach. Not sure if I like it, but at least the moment is documented.



I had to convert all the photos to black and white since none of the colors matched each other. In the hospital, Michi and I had lots of visitors! It was amazing to see everybody getting those googly eyes when they first saw the baby. Everybody wanted to hold him, it was just so sweet.

I used the Sketch support #24 sketch for this layout.
Thanks for stopping by!
All the best,
Elisabeth

Believe °°°Swirlydoos°°°

One more Christmas layout. On Christmas Eve we had lots of fun taking pictures in front of the Christmas tree. Since all my sisters had to have a "girls only" photo, the boys did the same. We laughed so hard that it took about 20 pictures to get one decent shot.

I based it on the "sketch along Tuesday" Nr 32 by Frosted Designs.

Thanks for stopping by!
All the best,
Elisabeth

Tips for faster scrapping and Christmas Layout

With the arrival of my little sweetie, I need to budget my time carefully. Since I still want to get some srapping done, here is what works for me

• use a kit
• use a sketch (here I used #190 from Creative Scrappers)
  
• switch off facebook, email, skype etc to really focus on the LO.
  
• use fast embellishments such as stickers, brads, trinkets , rub ons, flower vines, etc
• use glue, which does not have to dry
  
• stay away from paint, stitching etc
  
• use pre-made titles
• journal by hand

This layout took 40 minutes to make. While it is not an amazing piece of art, it still preserves the memory of a special Christmas (aka the walrus Christmas) and I had some "me time" which I need for my mental health.

What are your tips for faster scrapping? I would love to read about them!!!

Thanks for stopping by.

All the best,

Elisabeth

Silent Night °°°Swirlydoos°°°

This is our DS, 5 days old. I guess the title is also a bit of wishful thinking! So far everything is going well. I do try very hard to get some "ME" time every day so I wont crash and burn .

I am keeping my LOs rather simple these days - this only took 35 minutes to do. I guess the focus is on documenting the moment and keeping my sanity. Scrapbooking is the best anti stress medicine for me.

I based this LO on sketch 264 from pencil lines.

Thanks for stopping by!
All the best,
Elisabeth

Cookies! Swirlydoos

I am trying to get some of my Christmas photos done. We have a nice tradition: Dec 8th is a public holiday in Austria and whoever of my family is in Vienna meets at my sister's house to bake cookies together. Every year, my sweet DD helps and each year she helps a bit longer.




I used the Swirlydoos December kit and based the LO on the January sketch of Artful Delight.



Thanks for stopping by!
All the best,
Elisabeth

Little Angel °°° SWIRLYDOOS°°°

Finally my long awaited December kit arrived. It was stuck in customs and took for ever!!!! Ithis LO is based on the monthly sketch challenge. The title "engerl" means little angel.


Thanks for stopping by.
All the best,
Elisabeth

First layout of Michael

Last month, I finished all the preparations for the arrival of our little Michael. I also made this LO, all I had to do is add the photo. Lots of the blue goodies came from the give away from Natasha. THANKS!!!!

So far, he is a really good baby - sleeps a lot, drinks without problems and keeps his crying to an absolute minimum. Let's hope that he will stay this way.

I am very thankful that my mother came from Australia to help out. She takes DD to "cool" places, helped with taking the tree down, helps out with the household. I am a really lucky girl.

Thanks for stopping by!
All the best,
Elisabeth

READ! and Bo Bunny Sketch challenge

Wow, time flies. A week ago, I was rushed to the hospital and now we are all home, adapting to our new life as a bigger family.
DD is the best big sister one can wish for. She is a great helper and loves him to pieces. In our family, reading has top priority. Just the night before the birth, I finished this LO, using the sketch from Bo Bunny. I used the Welcome Home collection, one of my favorites.

The light is not great but the challenge closes in a few hours and our weather is not cooperating! In reality, the colors are so much more beautiful.
Thanks for stopping by!
All the best,
Elisabeth