I have a Husky, some bragging, a word for 2011 and a Happy New Year!

Today is the last day of 2010.

2010 has been a good year for me and my family in many ways, I'm gratefull and my thoughts and prayers go to those who have struggled and have been challenged over the year, financially, mentally and when in comes to health issues.


My word for the year
My word for 2010 was Simplify. I felt my life was quite cluttered and that we spent to much time on uneccesary stuff. So I made a list with some priorities. I'm not going to be too personal, but some of things we changed were quite easy to do and caused a great impact on our daily life: planning meals and shopping, getting rid of energy sucking commitments, unsubscribe to magazines that never were read and we have tried to stop hoarding. I looked through my freezer yesterday, before going out shopping, and was happy to see it was almost empty: this means we know what we have and what we need, and we will not spend money on food we already have when going out for groceries. Simplifying our everyday life has surely saved us some money during this last year.

For 2011 I have chosen Health as my word. I (and my closest family) are by good health right now, but mentally and physically, and I want it to stay that way. So we will focuse on eating good and right, being active and outdoor, having good conversations, working up good realations with people around us and push away the negative ones, take the time to invite people etc etc.


So what about you, have you found your word for 2011 yet?


I have a Husky
My husky is camouflaged as an English Cocker Spaniel. I took her with us today when we went out cross country skiing. She has been with us on earlier occations, but I had forgotten how good she is at, and how much she loves, pulling. The cool part is that she is MY pull dog, she doesn't pull the kids or the husband, the way she pulls me. The snow is dry and cold right now, so she doesn't get those nasty ice lumps in her fur and paws, and it surely it's a good way to exercise her - after all she is a part of the family and therefor the word health goes for her too :-)

So here we are: DS8, his buddy, my husky and me in the end of the string.

The brag part of this post
It was sad, but had to be like that, when we shut down the sketch challenge blog CISter's Stylish Sketches at the beginning of the year. Suddenly I found myself without any scrapping assignments, but it was good, too - I could fool around and do whatever I wanted to. So I participated in challenges etc, worked on finding my own scrapping identity and went all "happy go lucky". My big dream came true when I became a part of MyScrapbookNook's DT in August. For some reason RL also needed me at the same time, so there was little time for working with challenges this autumn. But the last month I had so much mojo, and in fact planty of time, too, so I jumped on the challenge wagon again. And I must admit I feel very proud and honored when I have seen my name "on print". Here are a few:

The layout Snow - It's a winter thing got a honorable mention and was featured on the manufactorer My Mind's Eyes blog (and I got a HUGE prize package in the mail yesterday, thank you MME)

The layout Den store juletrejakta (The big Christmas Tree Hunt) was picked as a fav and featured over at the Norwegian sketch challenge blog Skissedilla

The layout Fregner (Freckles) got an honorable mention at the multiple photo challenge blog Get Picky (Australia)

Let's hope the new year starts as good as the old one ended, scrapwise :-)

I'll finish this post by sending a big Thank You to all of you who have made the year 2010 such a happy year for me. Thank you for all the comments, the mails and anything else. Just the fact that you pop in to see what I am up to, make my days! Therefore:

I wish all of you

A Happy 2011.

I have a cordless mouse!

I was kind of disgusted when I arrived at our work barack (right now I work at a construction site out in the woods) last monday and discovered that we had had visitors. The scroller at my Roller Mouse was chewed on as well as the main bar, and when I tried to log into the computer the T and the G on the keyboard was stuck together. Somebody had used it as a toilet...

The intruder showed up at lunch time on Tusday again and he wasn't shy at all. I thought he (I assume it's a boy, no girls wold pee and pooh on a key board, right?) would run away as soon as he saw me, but no. Even when my co workers showed up with cameras with flashes, he just run arpund on my desk, like he was all alone.

Anywhere, here he is, my cordless mouse. We call him Little Vegard, named after my boss (why is a totally different story which I'm not sharing in public *lol*), but his official name is Apodemus flavicollis (Yellow Necked Mouse - Skogmus in Norwgian). The journaling is about what I already have told you :-)

This layout was made by the lovely December 1th sketch from Stuck?!. Head over to Stuck?! to see it and play - there are endless possibilities and make sure to leave the Creative Team some love!

Fregner - Freckles

When I browse the layouts I have made this year, there seems to be more with DS8 than with DS11. It might be because DS8 is more around, and stick his stuff up in the camera whenever possible. He is also the kind of kid who is creative and make lots of things, so it's easy to get him on film. DS11 is more of an action boy, and it's hard to take his photos as he a) as often makes funny faces when he sees a camera or b) is on long distance (tell me, how many long distance golf photos can I scrap?).

Do you have it that way too? Find that one kid is on more pages than the other?

When we went tree hunting last weekend (see post below), I finally got DS11 to stand still long enough so I could have a photo shot with him. I noticed he gets freckles so quickly when he spend time outdoors and he looks so cute (but don't tell him I used the C-word). I apologize it doesn't show very good on the image below, but you can trust me on it. I find taking photos of photos very hard, btw. The skin tones on the original photo tend to turn orange on the second photo. Any tips?

This layout is made with sketch #3 at GetPicky. Head over for a great 4 photo sketch! Thank you Tanya &co for another great challenge!






Most materials from MyScrapbooknook March Kit

Jeg har et juletre! I have a Christmas Tree!

Egenfanget! Tradisjonen tro.
Bildene er fra årets jakt, og layouten basert på den superkule Skissedillaskisse #91.

We have cought it ourself. We're true to our tradition *lol*
The photos are from this year's hunt, and the layout is based on the super cool Skissedilla sketch #91








Minstebarnet er en kløpper når det gjelder klipp og lim. Nå den siste uken før jul har han masseprodusert modellfly i papir, skrevet ut fra nettet, og de har selvfølgelig fått hedersplass i juletreet. Til størstebarnets store ergrelse.

DS8 is a very crafty boy. The last week before Christmas he mass prodused paper air plane models, downloaded from the big web world. And of course he has given them a focal spot in the Christmas tree. Juletrepynt = Christmas Tree Ornaments.

Born on Dec 24th!

Har du sett den søte hunden på bildet øverst i høyre kolonne på bloggen min? Det er Timanka's Christmas Wonder, til daglig kalt Scoobie. Hun ble født selveste jualften i 2004 og det er derav oppdretternavnet :-) Scoobie er faktisk ganske pen, i tillegg til å være veldig deilig.

Da jeg fikk se juleskissen til Scrappehuset, fikk jeg lyst å gjøre noe jeg nesten aldri ellers gjør: bruke bling og blomster. Så det har jeg gjort. På juleskissen er det lagt opp til tre bilder, men jeg valgte i stedet å bruke tre mønsterark her og så bruke ett stort lagt over. MyScrapbookNook's desember kit var bare perfekt, det eneste jeg har lagt til er bling og blomster.

Have you noticed the cute dog on top of the right column in this blog? That dog is Timanka's Christmas Wonder, but we just call her Scoobie. She was born on Christmas Eve in 2004, hence the breeder's name :-) In fact, she is a very pretty dog, but she is a real cutie pie as well.

When I spotted the Christmas sketch over at Scrappehuset, I got this urge to play with stuff I hardly touch - bling and flowers. So I did. On the sketch there is room for three photos, but I chose to use pps here instead and then mount a larger photo on top. MyScrapbooknook's December kit was perfect, all I added was the bling and the flowers.








Jeg vet de siste dagen før julaften blir hektiske, så jeg lager nok ikke noe nytt innlegg her før det, så da vil jeg bare benytte anledningen til å ønske

I know the last days before Christmas Eve will be busy, so I don't think there will be any new posts on this blog for the next days. I therefor want to wish you all

En riktig god jul!!!

A merry, merry Christmas!

Christmas preparations

The advent time is busy in our house. I bet it's busy at your place too in December?

We went tree hunting in the woods yesterday, the gifts are all wrapped, we have started decorating the house (in Norway we don't start as early as in other parts of the world)- and we have tasted the aquavite, a must with traditional Norwegian yule meals.

DS11 made some saffran rolls for St Lucia Day (December 13th) and we all made ginger breads at my mum's house last weekend. Here are some photos to prove it :-)

Original sketch by LG for MyscrapbookNook

Most materials for these layouts were found in MyScrapbookNook's awesome December Kit.

So, what about you, are you prepared for the holidays?

Marilyn Monroe was wrong!

The inspiration prompt from Get Picky this time, was some words by Marilyn Monroe - you find the words on the hand written part on the layout below.

When I read the words, I couldn't help thinking of these aweful photos of me, taken in June on a windy beach *lol* Got to have some self irony, right?




All materials from MyScrapbooknook Dec kit except metal charm and twine.

It's a winter thing!

Snow. It's a winter thing. Quite obvious.



And this year it came early - and have stayed so far.
And it's cold. For the last weeks we have had 12-14F/-10-14C - steady.
So it's going to be a long winter...


This summer was cold, too. I haven't been paler since I was new born, I think.

I browsed some travel agencies today. And I ordered a trip for my family. To the Canary Islands. In february! Oh, yeah! I finally get to wear to shorts I bought in May *lol*
It's my Christmas present for myself!




But the kids are happy with the snow:









All materials from MyScrapbooknook December kit except red buttons.

This layout is based on the sketch challenge at the MME blog. What is there not to love about that challenge?

Last year's Christmas photos

It's about time to have them scrapped. New papers always makes it easier *lol*

Tell me, why is it so difficult to scrap Christmas photos?






All materials from MyScrapbooknook December kit

My Scrapbooknook December kit!

Here it is, in all it's beauty! Click on image to see even better!




I have played with it. A lot. And it seems I never get to the bottom of the pile of papers and embellies. It's endless. I think I'll have Christmas papers for the next decade! Yippie!

Did you notice the rain dears on the bottom? Those are there because we have a card color challenge for you in the forum :-)

Click on button on side bar if you want to know more about the kit or the forum - or here :-)

All I want for Christmas...

I can not believe it's just three weeks until Christmas. I'm not prepared at all!

The December kit from MyScrapbooknook provided us with beautiful papers and chipboard elements from the MME Holly Jolly line (I'll show you the whole kit in my next post). As soon as I saw the Pencillines sketch #215, I knew what I was going to use some of it for - this layout with Ponky the grown up (?) kitten, sitting in the window, wanting a tweety bird...

Pizza party

Birthdays are hard to scrap, in my opinion: the kids are all over the place and hard to take a picture of. For DS8's birthay layout, I chose to focus on the cake because of that, and then the food theme was given for DS11's birthday layout too (there are only five days between their birthdays).

The Cosmo Cricket "Circa 1934" which came with MyScrapbooknook's November kit, was once again perfect for boy's layouts. OMG, that line can be used for so many purposes! The inspiration for the design of this layout was Creative Scrappers' Sketch #129.

Jeg suger når det gjelder mist....

... men jeg ruler når det kommer til rub ons!!! ha, ha, ha!

I suck when we talking misting, but I rule when it comes to using rub ons. ha, ha, ha!


Se på Skisse nr 87 hos Skissedilla. Den bare skriker etter rubons, ikke sant?
Have a look at sketch #87 at Skissedilla, it is just screaming for rub ons, right?

Minstebarnet bare digger alt som har med Halloween å gjøre. Og han fikser mesteparten av pyntingen selv! Gullungen...

DS8 has a crush on everything Halloween related. And he do most of the decorations himself. Bless his cotton socks!




Er ikke disse papirene fra SEI's On The Beach serie perfecte til Halloween? Det handler om å ta fra hva man har. Noen filtfigurer fra Nille gjorde det lille ekstra :-)

Aren't the SEI On The Beach collection just perfect for Halloween layouts? It's all about taking what one have, right? Some felt stickers from the local dollar shop was all I needed to add :-)

Just scraps left...

... OMG, I cannot believe I spent the whole MyScrapbookNook November Kit already. It's probably because the CC Circa 1934 collection rocks and it's so fun to work with (keep an eye on this blog - I have more to show you). But I'm not tossing the last scraps away: I collect them in a page protector and squuese even more layouts out of the kit and collection by turning into a more graphic style.

Sometimes I feel like I'm a twin. Or slightly shizofren. I need to do layouts that fill out the whole page - and I need to do pages that are more minimalistic and graphic in style.Like this one. I never stop beeing amazed that the same range of papers can be used for both styles. So what about you, do you feel shizofren some times, too?

DS8 made Christmas cards at his grandma's last year (Nope, I still haven't finished scrapping all the 2009 Christmas pictures yet *lol*)

Boys & Toys

Please tell me, you who have girls: are they just as addicted to high tech toys as boys are? how come my boys know the expression "apps" but don't know the meaning of the words "tidy up"? *lol*

And they use so many of their toys at the same time. At these photos the telly is on, DS11 is playing with his iPad (bought for the money he got for his b-day), head phones on not to disturb his brother, while DS8 is surfing the internet while listening to music on his android mobilephone (I know, he is spoiled, but he got the phone for his birthday) - the telly still on.

And please tell me: how many high tech gadgets and devices do a boy need to be happy? Is the answer my dad had the right one: "Just one more - always"

I got the idea to this layout when I saw Sketch #2 over at Get Picky! Please head over and have a look at their sketch and the DT work and leave them some love: they rock!!!

Ladies circa 1934 meet Supermoms circa 2010

I was happy to see the new Cosmo Cricket realease Circa 1934: Some how it reminds me of the collection Forever After, which is my forever favourite CC collection. And I was even more happy when I found out that Circa 1934 was part of MyScapbooknook's November Kit!!!

I have two sons, so most of my layouts are masculine. But I had some photos of us Super Moms going tree climbing which was perfect for the papers and accents from this collection. I love the contrast between the pretty Circa 1934 ladies and us super moms wearing helmuts and outdoor gear. And the colors of the paper collection - perfect!

This layout is my take on the Sister Scrapbook sketch challenge over at the Pagemaps blog. If you haven't tried out the sketch, you should - it's just great working with and gives a lot of opportunities!

I is a razor

Hunden min er ikke akkurat kjent for sin lynende intelligens, men mer for å være blond, dum og deilig. Og innmari blid. Og glad i folk. Og av en eller annen grunn så ser hun det som sin oppgave å barbere gubben. Det her helt sant: Hiver han seg på sofaen ubarbert, ja så er hun der på et blunk og prøver å knipe av ham skjeggstubbene. Jeg lurer ofte på hva hun tenker...

My dog is not known as beeing the most intelligent dog in the neighbourhood, but more as a blond bimbo. But she is very cute. And happy. And she loves people. And for some reason, she believe it's her duty to shave hubby. It's true - if he vegitates on the coach, unshaved, she jumps into his lap and tries to nib of those tiny hairs. I often wonder what's spinning around in her head *lol*

Denne layouten er laget til utfordring nr 86 hos Skissedilla, en flott skisse det var skikkelig moro å jobbe med og jeg har brukt november kitet fra MyScrapbooknook. I dette kitet var det noen "Artisan elements" fra Pink Paisley jeg aldri har prøvd før (det er det som er moro med kitene, å bli påtvunget noe nytt). De var helt hvite og litt kjedelige, så jeg fikset dem opp med litt StazOn... Her er noen detaljer fra layouten.

This layout was made for sketch challenge #86 at Skissedilla, a fun sketch I loved playing with, and I have used MyScrapbookook November Kit. In this kit there was some "Artisan Elements" from Pink Paisley I never have tried out (that's the fun part of the kits, you are forced to try some new stuff, right?). they were plain white, a little boring, so I freshed them up with some StazOn. Here are some details from the layout.

Takk for at du tok deg tid til å titte .-)
Thank you for taking time to visit me :-)

Stål i ben og armer?

In English below the image :-)


Jeg har vært i klatrepark. Sånn der opp i og mellom trærne med sele og hjelm og sikring både foran og bak. Moro? Ja jøss, men jeg kjenner jeg ikke er tjue lenger :-) På slutten av dagen hadde jeg ikke armmuskler igjen og "klatret"med albuekroken. Og da blir man seende slik ut:







Laget ettter Skissedillaskisse nr 85. Papir fra MyScrapbooknooks august kit (SassafrasLass), bølgepappfigurer fra Jillibean Soup (MyScrapbooknooks oktober Kit), rubons fra Basic Grey



I have been climbing in this activity park. You know, up in and from tree to tree, with helmut and straps, secured both in front and back. Fun? Sure, but I now know I'm not twenty any more *lol* In the end of the day I didn't have any arm muscles left and had to "climb" with the elbow hook. The prize is looking like I do on the photo above...

Another baby is growing up...

DS8 has birthday on November 4th, just five days later than his older brother. Will you beleive me if I tell you we have one week a year wich is very birthday focused?





This layout is made with MyScrapbookNooks fabolous November Kit (se post below for the full reveal). OMG, it is more jam packed than I could ever dream of. And it's the kind of kit which just scraps itself (don't you love the feeling?)

I also owe a big thank you to my fellow DT member Tanya and her friend Nikky over at GetPicky for their great inspiration challenge whixh gave me the idea for this layout. When I saw the image at the challenge, I thought of party, candies and candle lights and I picked the photo of DS8's birthday cake as the focal point on my layout. And who can resist adding a banner? Thank you again, Tanya and Nikky :-)

The Long Post About My Second Home - and an offer

As most of you know, I’m at My Scrapbook Nook’s DT. The DTs at “The Nook” has over the years included some of the most creative scrappers I have ever seen, and I’m so proud to be a part of this team. Not are the girls only talented, they are some of the most friendly, supportive people I have met – not just to the fellow DT members, but to anyone visiting the message board.
I don’t know if you have ever visited the Nook: the Kit Club, the shop, the whopping gallery or the friendly forum. I would like to introduce it to you: maybe you will find a second home, too, like I did?

DT leader Leah Killian put it s well on her blog, here is what she said (don’t miss the deal open until November 15th, please read carefully!):
You know any give-a-way I host just has to feature My Scrapbook Nook Kits. This is the kit this month, gorgeous Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934 (2 of each paper, chipboard, stickers), and beautifully matched My Mind’s Eye Brads, Pink Paislee Artistic Elements, Jenni Bowlin Butterflies, Jenni Bowlin Calendar Cards!

Now, this all retails at a whopping $37, but, for you, $28 at membership costs. No joke. I run a big portion of this company and we believe that everyone should be able to scrap and have fun, and it should be affordable. Because of this, I try to cram as many extra goodies and score as many good deals as possible when we load these kits up!
We also specialize in shipping internationally and do it for only $16 a month, which just cannot be beat. We know how to fill out a customs form to best serve your needs, and how to ship as quickly as possible. We will ship anywhere!
If you are not yet a member of our awesome kit club, have we got a deal for you! Anyone joining for a year will get the 13th month absolutely free, AND sign up by November 15th, and I will put a $15 credit on your account so you can shop add ons to your heart’s content! If you want this deal, you MUST e-mail me directly at everydaylou (at) yahoo (dot) com. If you have any questions, drop me a line as well.
Other benefits available to you are monthly member specials where you can get fun, new paper lines and collections at 30-40% off. Four or more step by step classes, a gallery with at least 40 kit ideas each month, free shipping on add ons, and a reserved kit with your name on it so you never miss a month because these babies sell out in a hurry!
Available to anyone who wants to hang out at the Nook is a great forum with friendly faces from all over the globe. You can talk scrap, chat about every day life, swap card ideas, participate in contests and challenges, and get sneak peeks on the kits. We are known as the friendliest place on the web, so if you are in need of some great internet friends, we accept nice people from everywhere! We also have an outstanding gallery where some of the most talented scrappers in the world share their stuff. It should be called Inspiration Central.
It is an extremely supportive community, and one that I love to spend time at.

Look at this great sketch DT member Trish Harwick provided us with in October.




And here is my take on it – I loved it so much and wanted to play, so I did, even if it wasn’t an assignment (papers: SEI).




So what do you say? Are you tempted to come over to visit us? Pop into the forum, browse the gallery or have a peek in the shop. And don’t forget Leah’s great offer as stated above.

Have a great week, btw!

Happy Birthday, M!

I cannot believe my little boy is 11 years old already. I still can recall him beeing a baby and a toddler. But I admit I don't miss the early mornings, the diapers and the pram. Life with an eleven years old is so much easier.

M has had this long blond hear for a few years, and every time I have suggested a crew cut, he has been very determined about keeping his long hair. Until three weeks ago when he desided that enough was enough - he wanted short hair. So he had his hair cut.

Man, he was the talk of the week at school. His class mates were in complete shock and had spoken about this at home as if it was THE thing. Micheal Jackson returning would not have been talked about that much *lol*.

And I have spent a fortune on hair styling products so he can have the "right look".


So I give to you my first born, 11 years old on the 29th of October:




Did you notice the hanger? It's an altered trouser hanger from IKEA. Here is a close up (all materials from the MyScrapbooknook October Kit except hanger):




Oh, I almost forgot. I was cleaning up my scrap place the other day when I found a plastic bag from the hair dresser. I was to toss it away, but had a look in it, and what did I find? A sling from DS11's long hair. The hairdresser had given it to me as a keepsake, and I had forgotten all about it. I sometimes feel my brain has a non stick coating! And now I need to find some way to incorporate the sling to the finished layout above. Any suggestions?

Play time!

Every time I get a Nook Kit in my hands it's like Christmas (Oh, please don't remind me that Christmas is only two months ahead of us) - Miss Leah really has an eye for how to put gorgous kits together. She does the hard work, so I, and all other kit members, just can sit down and play, play, play :-)

Someone else who knows how to make me want to play is my fellow DT member Tanya Tahir. Have you visited her new challenge blog Get Picky? For all you scrappers who like multiple photo layouts (or want to make them, but can't find a way to start), make sure you pay the blog a visit!

Their first challenge was to use this sketch and here is my take on it:

The story behind the layout: DS7 went downstairs one evening to get something to drink. He didn't return, so I went to look for him, but I couldn't find him. After a while I took a peek under a stack of garden furniture pillows laying on the coach, they were there so I could clean the floors, and what did I find? DS7 - sleeping.

Have you ever made a Swinging Shutter Layout?

This is my first!

I bought some page protectors for the purpose long time ago, thinking they would be perfect for those layouts with lots of photos. I mean, how can you possible put a whole day downtown Paris in a single pager? At least, I can't.

OK let's start with the front.






Did you notice the vertikal slit in the middle of the paper? No? Have a look again.

When you open the page in the middel - this is what you get (click on image to get a bigger one):




Genious, right?
I kept the middle pages flat to make sure the front pages would close properly .


All materials from MyScrapbooknook October kit

I saved my puppy from drowning!

OK, she's not a puppy any more. She is six, but she pretty much looks like a puppy and certainly acts like one.

Anyway. Sunday three weeks ago was a beautiful day and we took the dogs for a swim. We threw some sticks to them, but one of them was obviously to heavy and big for RL Scoobie. She started drifting away from the beach, but no way she would let the stick go.

In the the end the panic took her, and she just splashed around. I had no choice than getting my clothes off and swim out to get her, or she would have drowned. Don't forget: I live in Norway, we are heading winter here: I'm taking fall colors and - as I chose to call it - refreshing water.

Luckily, hubby was there with me. He had his camera. And took some pictures *lol*. And as lots of neighbours were on the beach, BBQing and fishing, I was happy I had pretty underwear on that day.

All materials are from the MyScrapbooknook October kit. If you want to know how I made this two pager layout, I have made a tutorial here.

Click on picture for a larger image:

September left overs

A few layouts made with the MyScrapbooknook September kit, and which I have forgotten to show. OMG, I just loved that kit: the mix of pink and girly colors and the more masculine, earth toned ones. I spent the most of the feminin papers for altered objects and cards (see posts below) and the earth tones for layouts.

BTW, I got my October kit today and I'm going to neglect kids and husband and dig in to the huge pile of goodies.


Anywhere, here are some layouts made with the September Kit:

DS7 and my brother, EuroDisney, May 2010







Taking a photo class in January:

World Card Making Day - and a few announcements!

Happy World Card Making Day everybody!


A lot of challenge blogs, manufactors and scrap communities are celebrating WCMD today, so are we at MyScrapbooknook as well. Please pop over to see the sketches and cards the DT has made for you to get your mojo flowing, join the challenges or just say hello!

Here is what I made:


The sketch:

My example




Feel free to use the sketch, but don't forget leave a comment with a link to your blog, so I can leave you some love!



MyScrapbooknook October Kit is here!

Take a look at this: It's yummie, right? To order, go here:

A new challenge blog!

My DT friend and multi talented Tanya Tahir, has with some of her firends started a challenge blog focusing on multi photo layouts. Go check them out - I'm so excited to see what they have up their sleeves!

Oh, I must not forget: They have a huge give away on their blog. Jump over to learn how you can win this: