Newspaper Xmas card

This week the Dutch Dares' challenge is: "newspaper" or "daily paper". Inspired by  a technique I found on Pinterest I created this Christmas card:

How you do this:
A very simple, inexpensive and quick card, but I rather like the look of it! What you do is you fold the newspaper in half, cut half a Christmas tree on the folded side (through several layers of paper), place the pile of half trees on the folded side of the paper again, cut around the tree once more (bit bigger than the original tree), fold the pile of trees open, machine stitch through the middle and adhere to a piece of cardstock! Stitch around the cardstock and stamp a sentiment! That's it, a 5 minute card!

The stamp I used is from myStampBOX.

If you want to see what the other Dutch Dares dt members created, hop over to the DD blog! and if you feel inspired by all the ideas, why not play along and who knows .... you might be the winner of Petra's RAKor maybe our next guest designer.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend!
Monique

Christmas cards using myStampBOX stamps!

My last projects for myStampBOX: a set of Christmas cards! I think this snowman is so sweet, I just have to use it again and again....

Both the snowman, the stick and the sentiment are stamps from myStampBOX!

As of October 1st my assignment for myStampBOX is finished. I'm very sorry to say goodbye to the team as it was one of the nicest teams I've ever been on!! but, it's time to move on.... who knows what the future will bring?!!!

Thanks for looking!
Hugs, Monique

Blog swap at myStampBOX and Core'dinations!

Today the blog swap started between myStampBOX and Core'dinations!!

Have a look at both blogs and leave a comment to win a prize!!

Here's my contribution to the blog swap:

I used the stamp sets "Lines of Life" and "Happy Birthday" from myStampBOX and cardstock from the Core'dinations Cosmo Cricket set.

Now hop over to the blogs of myStampBOX and Core'dinations and leave your comment!!

Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you back soon!

Hugs,
Monique

MyStampBOX blogpost!

Last Friday it was my (monthly) turn to showcase my projects on the blog of MyStampBOX.

Last month I received a whole bunch of new stamp sets from Bettina and they were so cute I just had to use them straight away!!! They are so versatile, I could use them on every single layout and card I create!

With the stamp sets “Review Time” and "Mini Alpha Small Box" I created this layout about my son’s book party at school! The subject of Mats' class was the book "Pluk van de Petteflet" (Annie M.G. Schmidt). In The Netherlands every child has (or knows) this book, but I have no idea if it's translated. Mats was dressed like the "heen-en-weer wolf.

some details:

and some super cute embellishments from My Little Bit of Whimsy:

Don't you just love this birdie??? It's Dolly the dove from the book.

And just for fun I created a birthday card, using the set "Lines of Life":

 
The papers are from a DCWV paper stack my dh bought me when he was in the US last month.
 
Apart from these wonderful stamp sets I used the Helmar Adhesive Runner Bettina sent me. Helmar is one of the product partners from myStampBOX and I got to play with their adhesives for the very first time. And you know what??? I discovered it’s the best adhesive I EVER used!!
 
Thanks for stopping by and hope you'll have a wonderful Sunday!
Hugs,
Monique

Too early for Xmas??

It probably is!! (Stacey Michaud asked herself this question, but that was about Halloween....)

But as the weather is so awful right now, I was in the mood to use the merry snowman stamp from myStampBOX which Bettina just sent me. He's soooo cute!!

Look:

He's from the stampset "Merry Mr. Snowman", which you can find in the myStampBOX store.

The paper he's stamped on is from Kiki Art, one of the product partners of myStampBOX!

If you want to see what the other designers created with their stamps, have a look at the myStampBOX blog!

Hugs,
Monique

I'm so sorry....

... that I didn't get on the DT of My Scrapbook Nook :-( BUT check out the girls who did make it!!! It's such a great team Leah has chosen!!! Can't wait to see what they'll create with the kits in future!!!! Hilde & Mahlin, if you read this, congrats girls!!! So happy for you both!!!

On to the next topic: myStampBOX!

Last Tuesday it was my turn to post on their blog and this is what I made:

For this layout of my youngest I used one of the butterfly stamps from the “Colorful Companions” set for my background. I stamped it various times with Versamark ink so the butterflies wouldn’t be too obvious and therefore just perfect for a background.

Furthermore I used a few flowers from the “Abundant Blossoms” set and the filmstrip from the “Snapshot” set for a little journaling.

I also used my tools from Epiphany Crafts to create the heart in the word "home".

I also made another project, a photo frame:

As it was so terribly hot here in The Netherlands (and I really had had enough of the sun!) I decided on one of my winter photos taken in Disneyland Paris.

For this frame I used three different stamps from the “Road Trip” set (the tag, part of the title and the circle bottom left).

I had so much fun creating these projects and sure hope you’ve enjoyed them too!

Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you back soon!
Hugs, Monique

(My) Project Day at myStampBOX!

Today it's my turn to post on the blog of myStampBOX!! I would really appreciate it if you had a look and left me a comment!!

Here's a sneak of one of my projects.... if you want to see them in whole hop over to the mSB blog!!

Hugs,
Monique

The Scrappiest new design team and a new sketch!!

Wohoo, I'm allowed to stay on the new design team of The Scrappiest (and Liz had more than 100 applicants, omg!!) I'm so happy because I LOVE Liz' sketches!!

Here's the new sketch for this week:

And here's my take on it:

I turned the sketch upside down cause that worked better for me! The photos are from 6 years ago ... Manon is only 7 years old and looks so cute (she still does)!

For this page I used the De Lovely line from Cosmo Cricket again, stamps from myStampBOX (abundant blossoms) and epoxy shapes from Epiphany Crafts. I also used my Cuttlebug embossing border "caged bird" which I bought last Saturday (the brown bird cages in the top left corner). Love those!!

I haven't been able to use embossing folders before but last Saturday Angelique gave me her "old" Epic and I could finally buy some of those cute embossing folders too!! How sweet is that!! So happy with it!!

Right, back to the sketch.... if you have time to do the sketch and link it to the blog, then maybe you'll be the one to win the kit from Crazy Daisy Kits!!! And if you want to see who made the new design team have a look at this blogpost!!! and honestly the new team is amazing!! So many talented ladies in this group, I feel really honored to be part of this group!

Thanks for stopping by and see you back soon!!

.... btw did you see who the Guest Designer is at Nikki Sivils this month???? (doing a happy dance!!)

Hugs, Monique

ScrapStreet Magazine.com & an award!

Today the new issue of ScrapStreet Magazine.com is online and I'm in it!!! Here's a sneak of the layout that's in it: (I have to wait until the 1st of the next month before I can show you the whole layout... )

This was the very first project I created for myStampBOX!!

HERE is the link to the magazine and you'll find me on page 12!!! Wohoo!!

Furthermore I received this award from Romy:

Thanks Romy!! I'm very happy with it!! Although.... it came with the assignment to tell 5 random things about yourself....

Hmmm, well okay, here goes:

1. I love autumn and winter and I don't care very much for the summer.
2. I love reading! Ever since I was a little girl I read (every spare moment of the day!) ....
3. I can be very snappy and short tempered, especially when I'm tired or stressed for time.
4. I'm in HR and have come to the conclusion I don't like it anymore (at all!!).
5. I would love to go and live in California, but alas, no real autumn/winters there, but a cute little cottage Cornwall/Devon will do too!

So, now you know me a (little) bit better! The next thing is to decide who I'm going to give this award to.... This I find very hard!! I would love to give it to all of you, but in the end decided on these talented ladies:

• Mieke (of course)
• Vicki
• Angie Blom
• Jill Hildebrand
• Scoobie/Hilde

Can't wait to read their random info about themselves... :-)

And what have you been up to this weekend??? Except from redecorating our bedroom (bleh! not done yet..) I've been scrapping! Big surprise, huh? I finished a layout for Inkido (yes, I did it!!) and one for myStampBOX (it's up on the blog, but will be published on the 10th of August... you'll have to be patient).

And now I'm off to bed (and finish "The Girl Who Played With Fire" by Stieg Larsson).
Hugs, Monique

My challenge on myStampBOX!

For those of you who missed it, here's the challenge I posted on the blog of myStampBOX last week:

I decided on a challenge based on advertisements and photos I found in random magazines lying around my house. I get my inspiration from a lot of things and magazines are definitely high on my list of sources of inspiration!

The inspiration for the first project I created comes from this advertisement I found in a home decor magazine: a black & white collage with a little splash of red:

I created this card using lots of black & white & a little red and stamps from “Colorful Companions” (the butterfly), “En Cette Occasion” (the sentiment) and “Seal It!” (the little heart). The butterfly is heat embossed with some white embossing powder. Love it!!

the embossed butterfly:

Then the second advertisement I used, is this one:

What attracted me to this advertisement are many things: the design, the many details, the colours…., well everything really.

I created this layout of my daughter and tried to capture the same carefree atmosphere of the photo above, using stamps from “Abundant Blossoms” (flowers), “Road Trip” (the suitcase, the stamp, the seal) and “Snapshot” (the photo camera and expression).

and some close-ups:

And then last but not least this advertisement caught my eye:

mainly because I love this green colour and love the combination with white. I used it to create this decoration for the present my son wants to give his teacher to thank her for two wonderful years.

For this last project I used the label stamp from the “Road Trip” set.

This is it!! I hope you liked it and if you decide to give this challenge a try don’t forget to post a link to your blog in the comments section of this post on the blog of myStampBOX!! I would love to see what you create!

Happy scrapping and see you next time!

Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you back soon!
Hugs, Monique

DT call at MyStampBOX!

ATTENTION ALL STAMPERS!

myStampBOX is looking for a few new Designers to join our team this Fall. If you are enthusiastic about our stamps, love to stamp and know a thing or two about blogging, you are the right match for us. We are interested in designers with a variety of styles who can creatively showcase myStampBOX designs in their cards, altered art and scrapbook layouts. No previous design team experience is necessary.

Here are the details for our call:

Term is 6 months from October 1st, 2010 to March 31st, 2011.

Team requirements:
* 4 projects per month
* 1 blog entry per month including good quality photos of a project and instructions/tutorial
* Upload all projects to the myStampBox website gallery and 2 other online galleries
* Submit at least 4 projects per term for submission to print magazines of your choice
* Occasionally help with additional design opportunities – new stamp sets, classes, newsletters, etc.

Team benefits:
*bio and picture on the website, with links to your blog
*a starter kit of stamp sets and additional stamp sets throughout your term
*other free scrapbooking supplies from product partners as they become available
*30% discount on purchased myStampBox stamps during your term

Include in your application:
*personal information (your name, address)
*a short paragraph about yourself and why you think you’d be a good fit for myStampBOX.
*link to your blog and gallery
*5 examples of your work showcasing your stamping ability and style

Call ends Sunday, August 16, 2010
International applicants are welcome to apply.

Send your application to bettina@mystampbox.com

myStampBOX website: http://www.mystampbox.com/

We can't wait to hear from you!

My post on the blog of myStampBOX!!

Good morning everyone!

Today it's my turn to post a challenge on the blog of myStampBOX!! I would LOVE for you to visit their blog to see what my challenge is and what I made and to {please} leave me a comment!!

Here's one of the three projects I created:

I made this for my son's teacher to thank her for two wonderful years.

Thanks for stopping by and see you again soon!
Hugs, Monique

New layout for The Scrappiest!

Last Monday it was time for a new sketch from Liz at The Scrappiest..... this is the sketch she sent us (the design team) a few weeks ago:

And this is my layout:

For this page I used a photo of Timothy which I have wanted to scrap for a long time!

For this page I used "Material Girl" from Cosmo Cricket (don't tell him I used a girl line for his photo!), letters from My Little Shoebox, butterfly stamp from myStampBOX, a lot of glimmer mist together with a doily (from my last holiday in France) and two ladybugs from My Little bit of Whimsy.

If you try this sketch too don't forget to link it to the The Scrappiest blog and you might have a chance to win a prize from Apron Strings. 

By the way, did you know Liz at The Scrappiest is having a DT call right at this moment???? If you love her sketches just as much as I do, why not give it a go??? Check it out HERE!

Thanks for stopping by and those of you who always leave me comments THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! You don't know how much I appreciate it!!

Hugs, Monique

Two layouts

There are two layouts I haven't shown you yet.

The first one is sketch #71 from The Scrappiest. Liz sent us this sketch:

And this is what I made with it:

Used my stash of Crate paper. I loved it when I saw it in our LSS, but found it a bit difficult to use... don't know why exactly. The colors are a bit matted while I prefer bright colors, maybe that's it? Well, there's enough left to try again!

If you want to try Liz' sketch too, don't forget to add it to Mr. Linky on the blog of The Scrappiest to be eligible to win a kit from Scrapbookdeals4u!

And then there's this layout:

I made it during a "My Scrapbook Nook" crop weekend. The challenge was "Create a layout within 30 minutes max". As a layout always takes me at least 1,5 hours, this was a REAL challenge for me!!

The rest of last week I've been busy with 3 projects for myStampBOX, but you'll have to wait until July 14 before you can see them.... but maybe a sneak peak wouldn't hurt.....

I really really {heart} those stamps! If you want to see what the other DT members create with their stamps, hop over for new - daily - inspiration on the blog of myStampBOX!!

Stay tuned for a new layout for The Scrappiest coming tomorrow!!

Have a fab weekend and see you soon!!
Hugs, Monique

Oranje Boven!

Voor de nieuwe schets van Little Shop of Sketches heb ik deze layout gemaakt; eentje met foto's van ons weekendje met de (schoon)familie in Brabant. Oma had voor de vijf jongste kleinkinderen een oranje t-shirt gekocht, lief he?

The new sketch from Little Shop of Sketches is up!! a bit late but better late than never! For my layout I used photos from our family weekend away. My MIL bought these orange (soccer) t-shirts for the 5 youngest grandchildren and they loved it!

en wat close-ups:

Papier, vlinder en bloemen zijn van Prima Marketing, craft envelopje van Maya Road, klok van Heidi Swapp, stempels (op de tag en journaling labeltje) zijn van myStampBOX de "your story" set en letters van MLS, verder nog een onbekend knoopje en lintje.

Paper, butterfly and flowers are from Prima marketing, craft envelop is from Maya Road, clock is from Heidi Swapp, stamps (on the tag and the journaling label) are from myStampBOX (the "your story" set), the alpha letters are from MLS.

En dit is Tanya's schets:

and this is Tanya's sketch:

Mocht je willen zien wat de andere DT leden ervan gemaakt hebben, ga dan even naar het blog van Little Shop of Sketches!!

If you want to see the layouts of the other DT members please hop over to the Little Shop of Sketches blog.

Zo dit was het weer, ik ga genieten van het warme weer!

Hugs, Monique

Groetjes en tot snel,

Monique

myStampBOX blog hop!

elcome to the "Jump into Summer" Blog Hop with myStamp BOX and our preferred product partners (Helmar, PK Glitz and Kiki Art)!

If you have just happened upon my blog today, you may want to head to the start of the blog hop, the myStamp BOX blog

Here is our Summer Blog Hop schedule just in case you missed anyone:

myStamp BOX Blog

Virginie

Tracey

Cherie

Helmar Adhesives

Jing-Jing

Jolene

Monique = you're here!!

Eva

PK Glitz

Ellen

Maryfrances

Gudrun

Lynda

Jill

Kiki Art

Agata

Ally

back to the mystamp BOX blog

The challenge for this Blog Hop was to take anything that makes you think of Summer and create a project that fits the theme.

Here's what I created for you:

A card made with the "Abundant Blossoms" stamp set:

and a layout using the "Colorful Companions" stamp set! I used one of the butterflies to create a border for my photo, don't you just love this stamp???

details of the stamped border:

You participate in the blog hop by leaving a comment on each and every participating myStamp BOX designer's blog and all of our partner companies' blogs as well.

You have a chance to win a set of stamps sets!

Our partner companies will offer up a prize as well. So leave a comment on all the blog posts and then return to the mSB blog and tell us what your favourite project was along the way for a chance to win! Have fun!

Please hop along to the next blog which is Eva's: http://www.evascrap.blogspot.com/ and check out her Summery inspiration!

Have Fun!

Monique

First 6" x 12" layout!

On Little Shop of Sketches Tanya's new sketch went up!!

Here's sketch #64:

And here's my take on it:

and a few details:

Materials: PP and alphabet stickers: MME So Sophie, metal number: 7Gypsies, brad: Nikki Sivils, stamps: myStampBOX, flower: some old book paper.

The photo is of Manon's shoes.... she's always asking for new shoes because she really NEEDS them!! LOL! Girls!!

If you want to try the sketch too, don't forget to link it to the blog post on Little Shop of Sketches!!!

Furthermore there's a challenge going on over at "These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things". There are lots and lots of prizes to win (last time I looked 28!!!). The challenge this week is to scrap about..... right! SHOES!!!

This is it for now...

I'm going to enjoy my weekend and try to forget I didn't make Nikki Sivils' team :-(....

(did get an email from her telling me I made the top selection, just not the final selection; she's really a wonderful person :-))

Hugs, Monique

My "Stamping on my kids' wardrobe"-tutorial on myStampBOX!!!

Today it was my turn to post a tutorial on the blog of myStampBOX.

Did you see it??? I really loved doing this!!!

If you want to see how I did it, head over to myStampBOX!!

and please leave me a comment if you do!!

Mats is enjoying his new stamped shirt hugely!!

And you know what??? It's been in the washing machine a few times now and the shirt still looks perfect!!!

Thanks for stopping by and see you soon!

Hugs, Monique