What happened next...?? 2011 in pictures....

Oh, I guess it's been a while.... I'm not sure anyone comes "in" here anymore, but that's ok. I will do a quickish (or probably very looong) post about what's been going on since my last post just because I like to look back on my blog to see what and when we've done things... like a diary.... so I guess this post is kind of just for keeping the continuity of the "story" going.... (mostly for myself). I'll try to keep it short....;)

APRIL:

Just after buying the house here in Norway, we finally managed to sell our house in Scotland. So in April we took a trip over the pond to make our Scottish house ready for the new owners. It was a while since we visited last, so the grass really needed cutting.... I think hubby struggled a bit...

The girls really enjoyed beeing back in Scotland, especially Maja Siobhan, who miss Scotland, the house and her Scottish friends a lot.

We had a lovely "last" weekend in our house in Armadale/Bathgate, and we had some lovely years in Scotland, so it was very sad to say goodbye to our house....

Spring is a very nice time in Scotland.... just look at this marvellous tree....

MAY:

Packing everything in boxes.... need I say more....??

....and then unpacking the boxes....

Our new house has a loooovely garden, a huge decking and a couple of trees too many... I wanted these two trees to be taken down because they made the entrance to our decking too narrow...

... so my dad (with good help from Susie) helped us with our tree problem....

... it looks sooooo much better now don't you think....

My mother brought a couple of berry bushes... red currants and blueberries. I planted them behind the house in one of the already existing vegetable patches...

JUNE:

At the end of June we bought a new car. We got the car just in time for our holiday. And when I say just in time, I mean JUST in time... we only had a few hours to spare before the ferry left for Denmark.... It was nice to try out the new car right away.... driving through Denmark to Germany, where we, after a couple of days on our own, met up with my parents and their camper van. The girls and my parents slept inside the van, while hubby and I slept on an airbed in the front tent. Worked out great!

We had a great couple of weeks together, enjoying camping life, and especially the pool...

JULY:

Mid July, my mum and dad treated the whole family, incl. my brother, to a week in Rhodes, Greece. You'd think we'd had enough of each other during our camping trip... a few of our friends thought we were crazy spending almost all summer with my parents... lol... but you can't really say no to a free trip abroad.

The hotel was very nice. This is the view from our balcony....We spent quite a few hours in or around that pool. Thank you mum and dad for an absolutely lovely holiday!

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Well, back home we had some work waiting for us... When we bought the house it came with a very nice, big play house in the garden. But the colour was all wrong, so we decided to paint it the same colour as the house. This is (almost) what it looked like before (hubby has started sanding the walls and putting up new window sills.)

....and here Maja is putting the final touches to her (and Susie's) house. Looks goooood:)

AUGUST:

You didn't think that was all the travelling we did this year, did you?? Well, if you did, you were wrong... Early August, the girls and I went to the north of Norway. I was invited to my cousins wedding. Hubby was working, and I couldn't get anyone to look after the girls while I went up north, so I brought them with me. Since they weren't really invited to the wedding (I could bring them if I was really stuck), I got my aunt to pick them up from the airport outside Harstad and take them home with her, while I took the bus a few hours further north... I was a bit concerned how the girls would take being stuck with my aunt that they don't know very well while I left, but I shouldn't have worried. She has a small, very cute dog, and that did the trick... lol...

After the wedding, I managed to visit my uncle for his 50'th birthday. He lives halfway between my aunt and the wedding place. And then I spent a few days with my aunt, her dog and the girls before we flew back home.

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A few days after coming back home, we started doing up a room in our basement. Hubby has always wanted a bar at home, and we thought this room would be good....The bar will go in the left side of the top picture, and the sofa, beneath the window in the picture below... nice??Everyone is helping out...

SEPTEMBER:

After closing the cracks in the walls and painting them, hubby started laying down a new floor.

And this is how far we had come when the pressure in our central heater became too high and flooded the room with water....We had to take everything out, rip up the floor, leave the floor boards to dry and do it all over again... Hubby was not happy, and he has now cut the pipes from the central heating so they won't flood this room if the pressure gets too high again....

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Maja also participated in her first riding contest this month. She was riding Lille Sky. Sooo much fun!

OCTOBER:

We're not quite finished travelling yet. We spent the autumn holidays at my parents cabin. During the first weekend, there was a market there with lots of little booths selling crafts. There were also different activities to participate in. One of them being stacking the most soda crates on top of each other.... Maja, being the daredevil she is, wanted to try this out... She came 2nd with 23 crates on top of each other... (She's crazy... lol...)

We also had time for some fishing.... the weather being quite wet didn't stop us. We didn't get any fish though.

October was also the month we, or rather Maja, got a pet. The sweetest, kindest hamster you've ever seen. He's called Dott.

We also finished the bar in October! This is what it looks like now when we've "moved in". Do you recognize the room?? We're so pleased with how it turned out, and we've spent quite a few evenings down there.

We got a sofa bed from one of my mum's friends, that we put in the bar as well, so now we can have people staying over. I think this is the only bar I know where you're not just allowed to sleep in the bar, but encouraged to do so too... lol...

NOVEMBER:

November came, and went without much more to say about that...

DECEMBER:
We had a sad ending to the year as my dear mother in law passed away. She was such a good person, always smiling and joking, and always putting other people before herself. We will miss you sooo much, Magda.

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Well, life must go on, and Christmas is waiting for no one. We chopped our Christmas tree in our own garden this year! If you scroll back up and look at the photo of the vegetable patch with the berry bushes, you can see this tree in the background...

I guess that's about it... well, at least the bits I could remember....

Finally: Happy New Year to all of you from the four of us!

Ok, so this wasn't really a shortish post... If you're still here, thanks for looking:)

Gone shopping....

Would you believe... We bought a house yesterday!! Eeeeek! I'm so excited! Oh, my gosh, yesterday was one of the most exciting days of my life... bidding to get my dreamhouse. I think there were a few people wanting this house, cos the price tag just went up and up... and just as I was about to give up, I had the highest bid, and got the house!!
The worst part of the whole shebang is that hubby hasn't even seen the house.... just the photos.... Ok, so I guess I'm a bit crazy, using a few million Norwegian kroner on a house that I'm the only person in the family that have seen on the inside.... but I guess they just have to trust me... lol... at least hubby will have a double garage for his motorbikes and the car...
And look at the humongous decking.... cant wait for summer barbeques out here....

Oh, and the kitchen..... say no more!

...it even has a fireplace! Just gotta love it!

And there is the most beautiful fireplace in the living room as well...

We'll be moving sometime in May, I believe.... can't wait!

Jessamine....

Just a quick post tonight as it's getting late...
Main image is Twisted Sister "Jessamine" by Sweet November stamps. I just looove her. I think I'm in love with all of Amy Young's Sweet November stamps. Have to get me some of her princesses soon too.... Aaanyway... Jessamine and all the turquoise on my card is coloured with Promarkers. Flourishes on the background is by Panduro. I have also used a MS punch, some Tilda DP,and a little bit of bling. Oh, and some Stickles on Jessamine's tights and headband.

I'm entering this card into these challenges:

Sketch Saturday- challenge #140 - Sketch

Stamptacular Sunday challenge- #96 - Whateva!

I love Promarkers- #51- Anything goes

ATS Wednesdays Challenge- week 65- Anything goes.

Green and blue lion....

As I said a couple of posts down, I was home from work with a poorly child for two and a half days last week.... that gave me a little bit of cardmaking time while she was sleeping the fever off...
I just love this little lion freebie by Meljen's design. Soo cute and perfect for baby cards. This time I have used my green/lime and blue Promarkers to colour in with. I also attempted a double slider card. This card doesn't open up like "normal" cards, but you have to pull that little ribbon above the lion, and two panels slide out above and below the image.... like this:

Neat, eh? See how it works on one of my other double slider cards HERE.

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I'm entering this card in these challenges:

A Spoon Full of Sugar- challenge 135 - blue & green

Stamp Something- Cute something challenge

Allsorts challenge blog- week 87- male/boy

Our Creative Corner- Three musketeers Colour challenge
Creative Craft World- Cute & Cuddly Card Challenge

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Thanks for looking!

Made in 2010!

After looking through my blogposts for the last year, it looks like all the crafty stuff I've done is making cards... but that's not the case... I guess I've just forgotten to blog about all the other things I've made. Most of my cards are made for some challenge or other, and have to be blogged right away... other things have to wait... but not anymore. Here are some of the things I made in 2010:

Some new outfits for my girls' Barbie dolls. I have made a few more skirts and blouses, but I don't have a photo of them. I found all the patterns HERE somewhere.

Back in March, I knitted some mittens for my mum and for Maja. I also made some for Susie, but they were never shown... but here they are. Susie picked the colours herself, and she has used them a lot.

I've had this white yarn in my stash for ages. I inherited three full balls and two used ones of this when my grandmother died 16 years ago. This yarn must be quite old. It's called Annie, and is made by L/L Hovland Ullvarefabrikk. The factory was dismantled in 1989, so my "guess" is that this yarn is 22 years old... probably older....

After being in my stash for that long, I thought it was about time I used it for something. I decided to knit myself a Dream Shrug. I used this quite a lot over my strappy tops last summer. I have also made one of these for Maja/Susie (they had to share one), but again, no picture.

I'm not sure these frames are worth showing, but here they are anyway. They are made of a piece of cardboard, old newspapers, glue and some acrylic paints.... Quite fun to make actually!

My cheap laundry basket from IKEA was falling apart last summer, so instead of buying a new one I decided to rip off the old plastic basket, keep the frame and sew a new fabric "basket". I love it! (before on the left, after on the right...)

I have also been digging into my stash of beads. I have mostly made knitting markers, but I sold or gave them all away before I managed to take some pictures... silly me! I managed to take some really bad photos of a couple of earrings I made though... I gave these to my hubby to use as a gift in his work's advent calendar.

I started knitting this scarf back in April, but never finished it until November... Scarves are sooo boring to knit! Love the pattern and the colours of this though. I found the pattern for this at Ravelry.

This is a project that took even longer to finish.... I'm not quite sure exactly when I started knitting it, but I know I still lived with my parents... I moved out back in 95.... so it has taken a few... ehm... years to finish. I must say to my defense that it was stuffed away in a basement with all our other stuff in Norway the 8,5 years we lived in Scotland.... but still....

I have also made a reusable, reversible Swiffer cover. I was tired of buying new ones all the time, and this is more environment friendly as well. It's made from acrylic yarn as that tends to create static that makes dust and hair cling. It was fun and easy to crochet, and it works really well. I'm definately going to make more of these! This is also a Ravelry pattern.

The last thing I'm showing is a new dishcloth for my kitchen... Nice and bright colours, 100% cotton. Pattern is HERE.

I think I've already blogged the baby blanket I made for my new niece... didn't I? *opening a new window to check*... Yes I did. (I have made another one of these blankets for a friend at work, but I'll show that later... guess I've shared enough today....).

Well.... that's all folks... as they say in the cartoons... lol...

Friday Sketchers #137

I've been home from work with a very warm little girl today and half of yesterday... last night her temperature reached 40 degrees... poor little thing. She's a little bit better today though. I find it really hard to stay home from work at the moment. I just started in my new position, and I have a thousand things to think about. How will the pupils get all their homework when I'm not there to sort everything out...? lol.... Well, I hope the person that have to take my class tomorrow will understand the plans I've written for her...

This card is for these challenges:
Friday Sketchers sketch #137
I love Promarkers - #49 - keep it sweet and simple
Stamp Something - anything goes

The image is a digi freebie by Meljen's designs. I thought it was perfect for a "Welcome baby girl" card. I have used Promarkers to colour in, and there is some stickles around the edges of the image and text panels and also some on the flower petals.

Thanks for looking!

Christmas cards....

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my readers (if there's still anyone coming around). I know... I've been a really bad blogger the last few months... sorry...

I never got around to blog about the Christmas cards I made for Christmas.... so, better late than never, right? (Click on picture for larger view.)
These first three were coloured with watercolours. It's been ages since I played with my watercolours, and I had lots of fun. The stamps are by Panduro.

On the next three, I used my Promarkers to colour in. I also stamped some of the backgrounds (hearts, snowflakes and swirls).

I have used Promarkers on the left one here as well. Stamp is one of the twisted sisters by Sweet November stamps. The right one is made with different stamps, all by Panduro.

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Then I ran out of time, and had to make a batch of quick cards...

I used the same lay out as on my previous card, paper from the same set, and there's no colouring in on these ones, just stamping to make everything a bit quicker. I didn't have enough cards to send to all the people I wanted, so I guess I have to start earlier this year....
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Christmas was spent with my parents in Kristiansand. The girls really enjoyed being with them for a longer period of time. We even got to spend a couple of days more than intended as I got the flu and wouldn't even think about sitting in a car for over four hours to get home on the day we had planned... so hubby took all the presents with him in the car and drove home to go to work, and the girls and I stayed a while longer and flew back home.

I guess flying wasn't the best idea, really.... because when I got home, I got a really bad ear ache, and I have been almost deaf since new years eve.... I think my hearing is a bit better today, but can't say for sure since the house is all quiet....

Spider Henry for Nicklas

Susie is going to her "boyfriend's" birthday party next week, and she wanted Spider Henry on the card.... Image is coloured with Promarkers. Text is handdrawn by me and the web in the background is a freebie from Tiddly Inks I downloaded a while back (can't find the url for it though).

I'm entering it in
Sketch Saturday challenge 131 - sketch
Cute Card Thursday- challenge 141- the blues

Happy news: I'm an aunt!

On the 21st October my brother and his girlfriend had their first baby! A sweet little girl. It's all so exciting! And I'm finally a proper aunt. My hubby's nieces and nephew are all grown up, so it is really fun to have a baby in the family again.
I have knittet a blanket for my little niece. The pattern is from Garnstudio, and you can find it HERE. I have used 100% meriono wool for this blanket, and it took almost 5 balls of yarn to fininsh it. It was really fun to knit with all the different patterns.

Of course I had to make a card too.... I know my brother and girlfriend doesn't really care for pink, but there is no way one can make a "welcome baby girl" card without any pink on it, is there?? (please agree with me on this one... lol...)

I didn't want to hide the blanket in the wrapping, so I just wrappet a piece of craft paper around and tied it with some shiny ribbon....

I really hope they can use the blanket, and I wish them all the best with the new little one! What an exciting time they are going through....

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Sorry for the lack of blog posts lately. After I started working every day, I just don't have the energy.... and I don't want to spend my short evenings on the computer. I even forget to check my e-mails every day too....

Pearl Tidepool

Just a quick post to enter this card in the Papertake Weekly Challenge - Your favourite challenge from the past 3 years. I have used sketch #27, which I felt was perfect for this cute mermaid image by Sweet November Stamps. I'm also entering it in The Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge #104 - distressing.

Well, I'm off to bed as I'm gettin up early tomorrow for work. Sorry for the bad colours... it's so hard to get it right in lamp light... Thanks for looking.