Thursday Swirlydoos

While my DD stayed in Upper Austria with my mother for a week, she had a professional photo taken. I really like it, even though it does not represent her personality at all. She is a whirlwind! 

I used the May Swirlydoos Kit with the wonderful botanique papers from Donna Salazar. The big pink flower was a gift from Ozmagi (Thanks!!!!) 

I based it on Creative Scrappers 214. 

This is the upper right corner. A mix of Prima Meadow Lark, Kaisercraft  

I treated the swirl with crackle paint and sparkles.

 And here is the title with the layering.

Thanks for stopping by!

All the best, 

Elisabeth

Wednesday

Growing up is quite hard - DD is the sweetest big sister but at the same time it is not always easy for her. Having been by herself for 6 years, the change has been a dramatic one. No wonder that sometimes she is trying to define herself again and again, testing all limits and exploring all boundaries. Hence the title BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. She is a very smart, sweet, outgoing, energetic girl and we love her endlessly.

I based this layout on Get Creative June 15th sketch.

I followed it with just a few exceptions.

Here are some details.

For the doily, I punched a circle, stamped on it with white ink.

I stitched around the sides and poked little holes following the paper's pattern for increased texture.

I fussy cut the little garland on top.

And combined some lace with a string.

Just a quick photo, showing DS favorite spot. He loves to be carried around and refuses the stroller.

Thanks for stopping by!

All the best,

Elisabeth

Sunday

It's official! DD is on summer break. 58 days to come. I am looking forward to spending lots of time with DH and my kids but at the same time, I am curious how it will work out. This is the first time, that the two kids will spend such a long time together. 

DS is getting so mobile. He is scooting backwards and then has this surprised look on his face: Look Mami where I am! 

I used the May Swirlydoos Kit with the fabulous Botanique papers from Donna Salazar. Blue and Yellow are my absolute favorite colors (also my wedding colors, a million years ago!). 

Here are some close ups. 

I made a garland out of the flowers and added some handwritten journaling. 

 For the title, I used the DIY thickers, added microbeads and glimmermisted them to match the paper. 

I based it on sketch Nr 213 from Creative Srappers. 

Thanks for stopping by!

All the best, 

Elisabeth

Thursday Bo Bunny

I had a bit of time and I started scrapping the photos from the baptism. Here is the family - we have a similar photo from the baptism of DD as well as from our wedding! 

I used the Bo Bunny Sketch challenge with the Country Garden line. The soft blues matched perfectly the shirts and the greens worked great with the trees in the background. 

It took me several attempts to finish this layout. It just would not sit. This was my first try. 

I liked the title - I am usually one who just does a title and not has many ideas but here I made an effort to play with it. The dot on the i is actually a pearl. 

This is my second attempt. I added the zva swirls and the flowers. as well as the hanging chrytstal to the left of the photo. I am much happier with this version. The first one seemed a bit "naked". 

Here is the sketch of Juliana Michaels. I tried to stay pretty close to the sketch, since it is so beautifully balanced.

Thanks for stopping by!

All the best, 

Elisabeth

Wednesday

And more Thank You cards! This time, I based them on CPS #270. You can see that I used the same basic idea, just varied a few details. 

Here is the sketch 

I used my last bits and pieces of the Prima Meadow Lark series. What a fabulous line! I can't wait to see what Prima has in stock for the upcoming CHA.

My little girl had her end of year party at school today. It was sooo hot! And my little boy has learnt to slide backwards. This morning he got stuck between the dining room table and chairs. His puzzled look was priceless.

Thanks for stopping by!

All the best, 

Elisabeth

Tuesday

Still working on my Thank You cards. Here is  one based on the sketch by Artful Delight! 

I made several which look almost the same. I used the Bo Bunny Chocolate Dots and the London Market papers. 

Today, I got a CD rom with photos from Kindergarden.  There are 72 photos on it! I guess, I better stock up on school related papers. Which one is your favorite school paper?

Thanks for stopping by!

All the best, 

Elisabeth

Monday

We are back in Vienna after a wonderful weekend full of celebrations. Now it is time to write all these thank you cards. I started with this one. Based on CardPatterns 170 and I used the Swirlydoos May Kit. 

The colors are a bit off -  the weather has just been so weird -  sorry about that. 

The christening was great. DS was soooo good, despite the heat wave and we all had a good time. Here are some photos. 

 

My mother had picked the corn flowers and the daisies in the fields in the area. She made the beautiful wreath, which we then put on the grave of my grandparents. 

DD was a real princess with flowers in her hair and DS wore the family gown from 1887. I thought that was pretty cool.

This little guy is my godchild. He made us laugh. All the kids lit their baptism candles but he kept blowing it out again and again and again. Finally his mom gave up.

So, on to making more thank you cards! 

Thanks for stopping by!

All the best, 

Elisabeth

Thursday Preparations for the Christening

Goodness, what a week! My big girl is in Upper Austria with my mother to enjoy a special Nonna - Sarah time. So I thought, I would get loads done from my to-do list....ha ha ha. I was called in to work for a very important meeting (I am on maternity leave right now), we had unexpected guests, Michi had finally outgrown the crib and I had move him to his big bed, the car needed to get fixed (ouch - expensive) and a doctor's visit for DS as well. My to do list is even longer by now!

We leave tomorrow to go to Upper Austria to celebrate my DS Christening. The last 3 days, I have put in a lot of time to get these finished. They look simple and yet with the constant interruptions, it took a long time.

These are the place cards  for the dinner after the ceremony.

And this is the program for the church service.

And here is my sweet boy in his BIG bed.

So - my break is over and I have to start packing our bags! 

Thanks for stopping by!

All the best, 

Elisabeth

Friday

Creative Scrappers had another beautiful sketch which inspired me to this layout. 

Here is the sketch. I had to flip it and I replaced the circles with cowboy items.

 

One reason I love scrapbooking is that it reminds me of the positive sides of the people. It reminds me how sweet and smart my DD can be and makes me forget the tantrum she just threw because she did not want to do her German homework, it reminds me how wonderful it is to have my DS, even if all I did this morning was feed, diaper, clean up his spit up, change him, rock him and start over again. It reminds me of how much I love my DH even if communication breaks down and we both "know" it is the others person fault! Life is not easy but scrapbooking helps me to focus on the positive parts.

Do you know this photo? Life is not a movie, marriage is not "happily ever after" and having kids is not a Pampers commercial.

One minute my kids are playing nicely together, the next they are both screaming and throwing tantrums. 

Isn't life great?

Thanks for stopping by!

All the best, 

Elisabeth

Thursday

It's almost the end of the school year! I am the class parent of DDs grade Primary Grade class. I started collecting money from the other parents for an end of year gift for our wonderful teachers when one mother asked when she could sign the card....... silence on my side......I had forgotten about the card! So, here are the fastest, giant cards! I had 45 minutes to make these two, hence the simple design. 

I used the Bo Bunny card sketch and the Ambrosia line. 

Here is the sketch. 

Since I am staying home for a year, I can do lots of fun activities with the kids. I have started going baby swimming with DS and I have taken DD to the giant ferries wheel. 

I am a bit worried how it will all work out when I will go back to work in January. I signed the contract for the day care yesterday. The "daymother" is a wonderful lady - DD was with her for 3 years and my niece as well. At least I know that DS will have a great time with her.

Thanks for stopping by, 

All the best, 

Elisabeth

Sunday

I had some time to participate in the Once Upon A Sketch Challenge. A sketch and a special birthday. Well, my special birthday was the one of my son, 5 months ago. 

The sketch for this layout looks like this: 

There is hidden journaling behind the photo. It says: We have waited so long for this birthday. First, I could not get pregnant, then the miscarriage in Sept 2010. Finally, 7 months later, I was pregnant again. But in the next 9 months, I had to be hospitalized 3 times, each time we feared that we would lose our baby. Then the traumatic birth with the ambulance and an emergency caesaria. Finally, Michi was here and totally health! 

Here is a close-up of the handmade flower:

Here, I played with Fabscraps: First I chalked it, then I misted it for additional glimmer. 

For the papers, I used Pink Paislee London Market.

Thanks for stopping by.

All the best, 

Elisabeth