Happy 30:th!!!

Today I'm off celebrating my 30:th birthday and I thought you would get something nice to look at meanwhile (since you're not getting any cake ;)

Here's my card I made for the whiff of joy challenge blog this week. So those of you who go there have already seen it, not as detailed though. It was a sketch with the middle part shaped like a gate. I instantly thought of this stamp, Charlotte with mailbox, when I saw the sketch. This is the first time I've used this stamp that I got last week and these papers from Basic Grey. I got the stamp and a bunch of Moonlight whispers Kraftin' Kimmie stamps last week.. I bought them at stamp and create and I can seriously recommend the shop. It's run by Lacey and it's seriously one of the best shopping experiences I've had. She is so helpful and I managed to buy during a special she had which made the stamps even cheaper since I'm always looking for great deals. The shipping was great and fast and especially great to Sweden (And no, I'm not getting anything out of advertising, lol)
The text stamp that says "love inside" is from a set of stamps I won as candy. Worked great with this card! I made the envelope by colouring plain white card I use for my stamped images with almond promarker I think it was (same as for the mailbox). Then I stamped on it, added the black lines and dabbed black ink around the edges to make it stand out. I also added a shade under the "flap".

Ribbons that were originally white and that I coloured in with promarkers to fit perfectly:

Hearts were cut out with different dies and punches and I sandpapered some of them to get that white border.

Hope you've liked my card. Now I'm off to bed so I can actually get up tomorrow to celebrate and not sleep away the whole birthday, lol. Although if it's any day you should be able to do exactly what you want it's your b-day, right?

Ok, now I seriously have to go. Hoping to make it to bed before 3am. It's 2.42...
:D

Last day of my 20-somethings...

Actually it's a little over an hour until midnight, but I was born 1.50pm so I still have some hours left :D It feels a bit weird. Nothing will really change - it's a day just like any other, but still....
A friend of mine read about a man that did something new every 10 years. One decade he worked for some big company, the next he travelled and so on. Don't remember the details, but it sounded like a great idea. According to him it was easier to set goals for yourself if you have a tighter timeframe instead of: "sometime in the future I would like to..." I think there is a lot of truth in that. Despite everything I am quite proud of myself and what I've achieved. I still have one big dream that I keep thinking about:
going to Australia and diving in the bareer reef (before it disappears!), swimming with dolphins and cuddling with koalas and wallabies (my fav stuffed animal is a kangaroo) There is no doubt in my mind that I will achieve that in my thirties.


So here's how I'm thinking: 
my 20:ties were all about finding myself, finding my place in the world in relation to it and to my fiancée. A lot of fear of not doing the right thing, making the "right" choices, finding what it is that really makes me tick. Having a few jobs that I didn't really enjoy and were not so good at. But at least they made me realize what I didn't want to do and what I was NOT good at. Then finally finding something I loved: studying art and developing more crafting skills and also being nicer to myself, not having to be so perfect all the time. And just over a year ago where I started this blog and came in contact with all of YOU wonderful people from all over the world, bringing a smile on my face and not making me feel so alone.

Now for my thirties I'm focusing more on my career - continuing studying psychology and maybe letting it be my careerchoice? (it's about time, lol) Travelling more, being as happy as I am and definatelly continuing blogging and developing my crafting skills. Maybe sometime in the future I'll write a book or have a tutorial blog - who knows. With you as my support I feel like I can do anything! Sheesh, now I'm almost looking forward to tomorrow instead of dreading it, lol.

Yesterday and today I got some more birthday cards - the last ones before my actual b-day. I know there are some more on the way, but these are the last ones right on time.  I'm really getting them from all over the world!

The first one is from Andrea in Germany. She also included a magnolia stamp that I've been wanting to have, but was too cheap to buy, lol. Thank you so much Andrea! Love the colours on this card and the beads on a string are brilliant! Love the little embossed hearts too.

Next, a card from Linda, Sweden. I love that it looks like the kitty is holding the same flower she has put in the right lower corner. Almost like a real memorbilia. Fab colouring too. Love the ribbons and flowers.

Last but not least - the card that dropped in today was from Elsina in Israel.I really like the motif and the smaller sized card. Fab colours too. Did you notice that the girl's dress is the same pattern (but smaller) than the background paper? Just gorgeous.

I'll be back after the weekend with at least one great project. Sweetpea stamps are having a new great release from the Elaine Cox series and I'm working on something very cute. I can't reveal much, but I will say this: you will think it's a HOOT!

Great news!

Things are really going for me lately. First I got chosen guest designer for the whiff of joy challenge blog, then I found out I was chosen top five passionista at the promarker blog with my sweetpea card. And finally yesterday, I got a mail from Katharina - the owner of whiff of joy - asking me if I would want to make a tutorial for the woj tutorial blog with my bookmark cart! I'm on cloud nine at the moment... :)

Bookmark cart

 little bit late, but better late than never, right? I want to show you the project I made for the whiff of joy challenge blog this week. I took more and better pics so you will get a better look.

The challenge was "coffee and cream". I made a cart with bookmarks:

The images are coloured with oilpencils and a kind of alcohol rubber to make the colours smear. Love this new medium and it's especially great for colouring animals, don't you think? The shapes are cut out with nestabilities and I coloured a plain white silkribbon with "caramel" promarker to make it match the animals perfectly. The sentiment on the front of the cart worked great for the theme aswell.

 

I added a bunch of tags where you could write the reciepent's name.

 

The bookmarks are wrapped around grill sticks. I put some doublesided tape on top and bottom of the sticks to make the bookmarks stick. It took me a while to figure out how to make them stand up. It was the best solution I think. 

If you make something inspired by this let me know so I can come and take a look. If you want to know how to make something like this yourself - let me know and I'll make a tutorial. It's not hard to make this yourself and it would make a great going-away gift!

My birthday cards

Just a quick note letting you know that I have replied to everyone that mailed me for my address. If I haven't, please e-mail me again. I might have missed it due to the computer virus I had earlier.

I'll be back maybe tomorrow with pics of my project for the whiff of joy challenge blog. I've been shopping today and had a make-up done from l'oreal which was quite fun. I'm very inspired to craft at the moment which is good. The only problem is that I don't know what to do first, lol. When I sit on the sofa making jewelry and I need something from my corner I go there to get it. Then I see something I need to colour and do that instead - at least until I need something there too and come across my sewing project...LOL

More birthday mail

Wohoo, these past few days I've gotten FOUR lovely cards.
The first one is from Lynn in the US. Love the dekadent look of it and glitter! Don't you just love glitter?

Second card is from Maria in Norway. I really like the dryembossed and inked sentiment. The flower really makes the card stand out.

The inside is just as nice as the outside:

Third card is all the way from Australia. There were some really cute kangaroo postage stamps on the envelope. I've always wanted to go to Australia, it's my dreamplace no1. Maybe for my 40:th b-day? Love how different this card is. The sentiment is on vellum, the butterfly is embossed as is the background card. Just brilliant.

 

There was also a little giftie in there:

Last, but not least a card from Yara. We belong to the same house mouse yahoo group and have "known" eachother for years. I think I'm on some kind of birthday list of hers because every now and then I get a card out of the blue. Love the colours and the embossed panel. Think I have to "lift" (aka steal, lol) this layout. Really like how it's put together from different panels.

Thanks a lot ladies. I'm really happy for the cards. It brightens my day to get up and see envelopes on the floor in the hallway (we get our mail through a slot in the door)

Valentine earrings

Today (and a bit of yesterday) I've been working on my guest designer project for the whiff of joy challenge blog. Can't show it yet, but will do that tomorrow when my project goes up. I'll also take better pics straight away and post here. I'm sure you'll love it!

So you won't feel disappointed today I will show you a pair of earrings I made for myself for Valentine's. I whipped them up while I did my necklace, but forgot to show them to you. The pearls are a bit whiter than they look here and match the silver beautifully. Darn it, I really need that daylight lightbulb NOW!!!

March blogcandy

I'll be updating this list as I enter the candies. This was just a notepad for me that I'm now sharing with you. If you find candies that I haven't put up here, please leave a comment with a link and I'll update this list.

Don't forget my big celebration candy. Click HERE to go straight to that post. Ends 13:th.

particraft will be giving away three prizes when they reach 600 folllowers.

'Cheryl is celebrating her first blogoversary with her first candy. Ends 1:st and here's what you can win:

'Agnes  is celebrating her birthday with a candy. Ends 2:nd.

Vanessa has a fabulous papercandy. Ends 3:rd.

'Jacare is celebrating her one year blogoversary. Ends 3:rd.

Kat has finally put together a candy and photographed it in daylight (just like me!) Ends 4:th.

Hanna is celebrating reaching almost 20,000 hits and for having over 200 followers. She's doing that with her first candy. Ends 5:th.

Stempelijentje has a cute magnolia candy . Ends  5:th.

'Scrapka 5:th.

Stampi is sharing her stuff since it's better to give than recieve, right? Ends 5:th.

 Pretty pink posh is having a big sizzix candy donated by Maria from "it's cheaper than therapy" (LOL) Ends 6:th.

Coco is celebrating reaching 16,000 hits. Ends 6:th.

Prillig  is celebrating 25,000 hits by giving away a stampalphabet. Ends 7:th.

Jennyis giving away a jewlry-set made by her friend to celebrate 75,000 hits. Ends 7:th.

'Becca is celebrating her blogoversary. Ends 7:th.

Amy  7

Carole  7

'Kath is celebrating her first blogoversary with a big candy. Ends 9:th.

Vanessa is having another fab candy. Ends 10:th.

Lilla kolonistugan  is giving away three prizes, wonderful soaps, an easteregg and doilies. Ends 12:th.

'Spyder  has a fun candy where she wants you to guess how many flowers there are in her container. Ends 12:th.

Jacque has a great magnolia candy. Ends noon 12:th

'Scrap the art  is a new challenge blog that will go live with their first challenge on my 30:th b-day :) -13:th. That's also the day the candy ends.

claire 13:th

tamminnie has a celabration candy that will go to one lucky winner. Ends14:th 6pm GMT

Ruthie  13

Gårdsromantik  is giving away three beautiful prizes on her blog. She has a lot of beautiful things in her shop: http://www.gardsromantik.se/ The winners of the candy will be presented on march 14:th.

Kirsty has a candy with stamps and promarkers. She calls it tiiny, but I think it's fab! If you've ever wanted to try promarkers make sure to sign up. Ends 13:th.

Sally has a great candy that's been sponsored by icopic - a copic retailer. There will be two lucky winners so don't miss to sign up. Ends 14:th.

Dianne  is celebrating spring and life. Her candy ends noon 14:th.

LScrapbooking are giving away 500 sek to their shop. Ends 14:th.

Agneta 14

Donna's den  14

Net is having a belated birthday candy. Ends 14:th.

c de design is giving away three prizes, one of them a ring in her own design. Ends 9pm 15:th.

Maria meholder has a belated candy on her blog. Ends 15:th

Denise  will be having two winners in her fantastic candy that ends15:th

Mette  is celebrating 10,000 hits with a lovely candy. Ends 15:th.

Maria  is celebrating 25,000 hits by giving away two candies. First prize is this make-up bag. Ends 15:th

'Fröken vit  is giving away two beautiful tops and soaps. Vandy ends 15:th.

'Andrea  is having a having a Darkroom door Blog candy giveaway sponsored by Ali-craft. Ends 15:th.

Cheryl is also celebrating her birthday on the 13:th and has a candy in honour of that (and a bunch of other things) Ends 15:th.

'Penni is having a candy to celebrate her husband's big 4-0 birthday. Ends 16:th.

'Tara  is also having a birthday candy as I do, but she's celebrating 40. Her candy ends when she turns 40 - 17:th.

(')Michelle  is having a candy in honour of St Patrick's day. Ends17:th

'Jacque  is giving away a bunch of flowers and a sweet magnolia stamp. Ends noon 18:th

'Becca  18

'Annelie  wants you to guess how many buttons there are in her jar in order to get her candy. Ends 19:th.


'Scrapptorget  are celebrating whooping 50,000 visitors! They are having a fab candy that's sponsored by handarbeta. Candy ends19:th.

'Jude  is having some sprintime sweet stuff on her blog. Ends19:th

'Imagination crafts  19

'Bev 19

'Shawne is giving away $100 to clear dollar stamps. Her candy ends 20:th

'Mandy  has a lovely candy to say thank you to all her followers. Ends 20:th.

'Sanna  20

Dawny has some cute stamps and papers in her candy. Ends 20:th.

Melissa  is giving away two wonderful candies, here's one of them. Ends 21:st.

Shaz is giving away stamps that she's designed - 30 in total. Winner will be drawn 22:nd.

Lacey  is having her weekly candy. This time she's giving away a cute stamp from greeting farm and some ribbon. Ends 23:rd.

Jodi  is giving away some greeting farm goodies. Ends 24:th.

Norma  is celebrating her blogoversary with a lovely candy. Ends 25:th.

Jacqui is thanking everyone that comments with a candy. Ends 25:th.

Maria Therese  is giving away some yummy whiff of joy candy. Winner will be drawn 28:th.

Cuddly buddly 28:th.

Chelsea is celebrating 300 followers. Her candy ends 29:th.

Jude 29


Handarbeta  are giving away a brand new epic 6 to one lucky winner so hurry and sign up. Ends30:th

Raven  30

Ane Lene  30

Ria  midnight 30:th

Paula  30

Francesca  midnight 30:th.

Holley  is giving away a whole sheet of sweetpea stamps. Ends 31:st.

Sandie  31 GMT

Wilfreda 31

Jak  31

Leanne  31

Durvina  31

Malin  31

Katarina  31

Milnie  31

Anette 31:st

Gonny 31

Ginger 31

Michelle  31

Jonna  31

Mona  is celebrating 10,000 hits with a lovely candy. Ends 31:st

Meredith  - ends when she reaches 100 followers and 20,000 hits