* new freebie friday * some new stuff *

Since mothersday is just around the corner, today there is again a freebie for mothersday. I already finished my card, but have not used my own wordart for it, so maybe I will try my hand at another one. (Specially since yesterday some new grat papers arrived! :) )
Hope you enjoy the freebie and please leave a comment when you download, thank you.

As I said yesterday some new papers arrived. Going green from Basic Grey, Jazmyne from Bo Bunny & from October afternoon The trift shop & Fly a kit. Since I haven't made a layout in ages, I bought smaller paper pads except for Bo Bunny sicne there isn't any. Wish they did, because I love most of there papers. And some lovely flowers.

Anywayz, I am looking forward tocreating with them. But first some household jobs need to be done.

* brrr.... it's cold outside *

I was planning on writing this blogpost last Sunday, but I hadn't had the time, I was only able to upload the photo's and thought I would write it the next day. It never happened. I was busy this week and not feeling too well - looks like I will have the flue again this winter. And besides that the room were the pc is, is extremely cold this time of year with -8 degrees since there is no central heating.
Anyway this weekend it was snowing, the first snow of this winter. I took these shots at Saturday when there wasn't too much snow yet, but it was freezing cold with -8 or something like that. The landscape was lovely. I also received after some long waiting my parcel from Creatief Scrapwork: some nice flowers from Kaiserkraft. I *adore* these. Specially the pink ones since I seem to be having lots of papers with pink in them.

And I got some stuff from Scrapbookdepot; some nice Studio G x mas stamps. I love those tiny little stamps, so easy to use on cards and tags, letterstickers, some bling, some more flowers and glue dots.

I created some X mas like wallpapers for my PC background as well. This one is my fav and it is proudly placed as wallpaper. Don't you love Benji?

With these long winter days, I love to read. I have recently finished a novel from Simone van der Vlugt, Het laatste offer. A novel that reads like an adventure story, a nice change. Now I am reading Iris Johansen Pandora's Daughter.

This week I had no time what so ever to create a layout or even a card or tag. With the holidays I do have some more time, but I am not sure if there will be time to create anything.

* eskimo kisses *

Yep, yesterday my parcel from Hobbycompleet arrived and yes the BG papers are just as yummy as I expected them to be. (only 1 design I don't like, but with a pad you don't get to choose) So lovely to start on my Christmas cards now!
I also bought some say it in crystals swirls. A first for me, but they are truly gorgeous and very usable for cards if you cut them smaller. And some new journaling sprouts, thankfully they were still there. The calender ones are already sold out... too bad, but these are so nice to add to cards or just a bit of text to layouts. I am off to create my first cards....... :)

* Benji * Shopping & Sale *

Friday I went to my aunt of course with camera because it was so very long ago that I shot some photos of my favorite dog :)
Doesn't he look beautiful and cut?
It is always very difficult to get him decent in shots, always is help needed in a way of distraction. Most of the time when he sees me with the camera he turns his back on me. He is a little camera shy :) Of course I brought him a new bone to chew on so he is one happy dog! Yesterday I went shopping and for the first time I was able to save some money by buying clothes in sale!! This never happens to me normally so I was very happy. It are basics so I can wear them longer than just this summer/autumn

First some t shirst from Esprit with 30% discount on normal price- some beautiful purple/fuchsia and 2 whites. Then I found some basic tops with special price if you buy 2. Well, you can never make a mistake in buying white tops, total saved 3 euro's.

Then I bought a blue stripe blouse and beige spencer @ The Sting with sale prices. (The white shirst from Esprit look very good under the beige spencer btw)

Unfortunately the blue blouse is already washed and hanging to dry so I can wear it tomorrow so I have no photo. Will make up for this later.

Besides sale items I bought a grey spencer and a grey sleeveless vest with pink wybers with 2 pink blouses (very good to combine with all my grey vests, spencers and sweaters) and I bought 2 white blouses since the ones I have now and worn for years are too big. Besides these are much more beautiful. I also got me earlier this week a grey vest @ H&M. Will show photo later.

All in all quite some money spend, but I can combine everything together and add to items I already have, so money well spend.

Now let autumn begin :)

* Doily Lace * Scrapshopping * Openairmuseum * Published*

Friday afternoon my parcel from Dolls arrived, filled with delicious papers from:
Bo Bunny Abbey Road My Mind's Eye Pretty Please

And last but so not the least October Afternoon Cherry Hill & Ducks in a Row. I sooooo wanted these papers and after months (literally months) of waiting they started arriving in the shops so I could order them.

I really must stop ordering papers now, my paper drawer is filled almost to the top, it's time to start scrapping those layouts and cards. But now I need to find the time to do so.
(and yet here I come again with a great punch I wanted for so long time; doily lace punch from Martha Stewart and this week it arrived from Scrapbookdepot. I am so happy with it and dying to use it together with the mini thickers on some cards.)

So it will be high time to print out some photo's. I already printed the easter photo's and collected them earlier this week since I knew they would be perfect for the Ducks in a Row papers. The Boomkamp Garden photo's will be great with Bo Bunny and My Minds Eye. I have no firm destination yet for the Cherry Hill papers but it will surely come.

Yesterday we went to the openairmuseum in Arnhem.

Even though we left the house @ 9.00 am and only returned at 6.00 pm, and spend like 4 1/2 hours in the museum we have not seen everything by far. I spoke to a lady there who was coming for the second time but even then she had not seen everything. She told she also went in winter last time and she was lucky because there was real snow. How beautiful the sight must have been!

Well, now the sight was also beautiful. Look at the small impression below:

I have to admit that I was broken when I came home; my back was killing me and it felt like it would spit in two. I also had a little headache, which I think was not so because of the heat (22 degrees) but more of the night before when the neightbours dogs have been barking all night and keeping me awake. I went to bed straight after dinner around 07.00 pm and slept this morning until 09.00 am! 14 hours of solid sleep and I am feeling good again :)

I am leaving you with a link to my card in Scrapstreet of June. It's a fathersday card made with Jillibean soup papers.

For the next issues I haven't created anything. I seem to have little time at the moment. However I am still planning to make some projects for Scrap n Art and really need to get some scrapping down. I have finished some layouts which I have not blogged about and am behind my weekly card of Jaaroverzicht as well.....

If I could only buy some more time.... more hours in a day.... more days in a weekend....

* Boomkamp Gardens * scrapshopping * Reading * DVD *

WARNING, HUGE photo overload.
I have enjoyed this verrrrry long weekend so much. Only Friday afternoon, was my afternoon off and I wasn't feeling to well. Still I managed to do some grocery shopping and chores.
Satuerday, we wanted to go to Los Hoes in Ootmarsum, however the train was having delay after delay so we would be underway long, long time so we decided to do something else. Instead we went to Boomkamp Gardens. I have never been there before, but it was sure worth the while and I am planning to go there again next month.
Just look at the beautiful photo's to see for yourself. There were 55 inspirational gardens to visit and we had a shortage of time to see everything well. Not all gardens were to my liking but some of them were amazing.
Like the Colonial Garden.

Or the Bentheimer Garden.

I loved the waterfalls, don't you?

The flowers were very beautiful and I tried to do some creative shots.

Also Saturday my parcel from scrapbookdepot arrived with yummy papers from Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday - backside:

Frontside:

And delicious Zinnia - backside:

Frontside:

And another Fiskars punch - Apron lace and some flowers and pearly brads, so nice for cards.

I must admit I already ordered more. *blush* Also the Martha Stewart punched arrived at my favorite store and I am so wanting to have doily lace. I would already have it if my order at Scrapdelight would not have gone missing with DHL.

Tomorrow I will arrange the payment so I hope it will still arrive this week at my doorstep.

I have finished quite some books over the last few weeks;

Douglas Preston; Het monster van Florence

Donald McCraig's Rhett, de weg naar Scarlet.

And Saskia Noort's 40 a collection of colums she wrote for libelle and such - a very funny and quick read.

I have started with James Patterson's Cross Country yesterday and it will be a good novel filled to the rim with suspense.

Also since very very long time I have watched a DVD which I picked up @ the library on Friday last. War of the Worlds after a novel of H.G. Wells with Tom Cruise and produced by Steven Spielberg. The world is being taken over by aliens but after a lot of destruction they suddenly die because they cannot breath our air. It was a nice movie and only the ending was a anti-climax.

So I am planning also to watch some more movies from now on, I am waiting for Australia to arrive for me @ the library.

* Scrapdelight goodies * layout * JO09 * macro lens *

Yesterday it was as warm as it can get in summer; around 22 degrees. So already really hot for me. @ morning I went to the city; bought a new pair of summer shoes @ scapino and a new aqua blouse @ H&M. Love it and am soooo happy wiht the summer shoes, till now I wore the boots from winter, but it was really getting too warm for me.

In the afternoon I went also shopping with mom. We both bought a pair of summer shoes (so my second pair :D) white "wolky like shoes" and again @ Scapino. We went into the better shoe stores as well (Schuurmans Schoenen, Tiptoe) but found nothing to our liking so happy we found at least one pair (leather and at a decent price) shoes. And I also bought a new jeans. I gave up loosing my 3 kilo's after X Mas. I cannot seem to get ride of it and I found a new series of Jeans at my favorite store which fits quite well. (With the previous line Sabrine, I fell between 2 sizes, one to small and one to big. With this new line Sanne, I buy a larger size but the cutting is some what smaller so it fits ok.)

Late in the afternoon I sat in the sun for about an hour or so. Not long and it was after 16.00 but still I had to pay with serious headache afterwards. The night was a hell and this morning I woke with even more headache than yesterday evening. I took 2 paracetamols and it's over 3 hours later and finally I am feeling better. So no more sun tanning for me. I am completely over that. the nice brown tan isn't worth getting headaches everytime, so i will simply stay pale. (Mayby try some bodylotion with self tanning creme)

On to more, nicer stuff :)
Friday last, my parcel from ScrapDelight arrived with the latest goodies I ordered. Unfortunately they forgot my Doily lace punch and the hotfix stones were still unpacked after a fair , so that will be send later.
First some puffy thickers, they are thick and shiny, so more bling to add to a layout. There was no black so I went for white and brown. My Mind's Eye; Maggie May from the Penny Lane line.

My Mind's Eye; Tiny Dancer as well from the Penny Lane line.

And finally the yummy minestrone papers from Jillibean Soup. Wonderful new manufacturer. These papers are great for fall photo's which lacked inspiration because I had so many layouts made already with Basic Grey Ambrosia papers. Now I can continue with the photo's and use the puffy brown thickers with them. :)

Next I want to show a layout I made with some left overs from the Bittersweet papers from Basic Grey. I only bought 4 papers from that line; made 4 layouts with it, many, many cards, made some altered items with them and still not all is gone. I still have some scraps for a card or 2. Will try to use it today for a "new baby Girl" card.

And as well the latest card I made this week after work for the Jaaroverzicht 2009. I used another freebie "Friends" from Designs by Krista. Just simply adore all her work.

Recently I have been doing research for a new lens for my camera. Specially now with all the blooms and nice weather, I want to buy a macro lens; i have been looking into 3 lenses but still cannot made op my mind which one to choose:

* tamron 90 mm F2.8

* tamron 180mm F3.5

* tokina 100 mm F2.8

Also not all internet shops have all the lenses on stock and I really don't want to wait too long with ordering, because I want to use it this spring & summer. Also I don't want to spend too much on the lens since I am not sure if Marco photography is something I am really getting into.