made~by~linda

New Design....takes time

2011-01-24T15:25:00.000+01:00

So I'm playing around with a new design but it's not entirely to my taste right now. Hope it will all look fab in no time :-).........wishful thinking.

Happy New Year

2010-12-31T20:16:00.000+01:00

Carrots

2010-12-30T20:13:00.000+01:00

Merel had her first 'dinner' tonight: carrots. She really likes it :-)

Boxing day

2010-12-26T22:00:00.000+01:00

We just had a great day today. Jogging pants and no make-up, just relaxing, reading books, watch a movie, lots of cuddling with the kids and of course some really nice wine and French cheese. I just love those days when you don´t have to go out and just have a great time as a family.
Here are some photos I took yesterday and today. Hope you all had a really good Christmas as well.

Merel in her Christmas outfit

This one took a while because Lars didn´t want to smile......

and Merel looks like she´s in shock....haha..

Little happy face

Lars the builder. He was helping Jeroen to put together a cupboard (not Ikea this time)

Love you to the moon and back

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T20:35:00.000+01:00

For unto us a child is born, onto us a son is given,

and the government will be upon his shoulders.

And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God,

The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9: 6)

Being busy with all the preparations and decorations we can so easy forget what Christmas is really about. I hope you will also take some time to reflect on the miracle that happened so long ago that God in all His love gave his only son to the world for us.
Have a great Christmas and I hope you will enjoy the time with family and friends.

Sweetest girl

2010-12-14T20:51:00.000+01:00

Merel 6 months old.

Christmas wreath

2010-12-10T14:55:00.000+01:00

This is the Christmas wreath I made with my sister yesterday. It has little lights wrapped around it as well. Just love doing this. I also made one for my mum and MIL.

Christmas decorations

2010-12-08T14:51:00.003+01:00

As we don't have room for a tree this year I'm going to put up some other decorations for Christmas. I am going to make a wreath with my sister tomorrow and I'm also waiting for the postman who will hopefully bring my wooden letters I ordered a few weeks ago. Keep you posted!

This is what I just made this afternoon.

Sinterklaas

2010-12-05T20:49:00.001+01:00

It was Sinterklaas evening today. Sint and Piet came to visit and brought presents. We had a great time and Lars went to sit next to Sinterklaas (with dad) to show his Car's watch and little Merel even sat on Sint his lap. The kids were spoiled with lots of presents and Lars didn't want to go to bed tonight. He was not tired and wanted to play. We took him to bed and he slept within 5 minutes......

Fruit

2010-12-04T13:10:00.000+01:00

Merel is almost 6 months now so we gave her fruit for the first time today. She wasn't sure what to think of it. At first she was smiling but after a while she had an expression on her face like: what are you giving me now??.....haha very funny.

First snow

2010-12-03T14:19:00.000+01:00

For Merel it's the first time she's been in the snow. I had to take some photos of them together all wrapped up against the cold today.

32 today

2010-11-28T13:59:00.000+01:00

It's Jeroen's birthday today......32 :-). You are the best & I love you to pieces. Happy birthday!!

Two little Zwarte Pietjes

2010-11-19T11:39:00.001+01:00

My two little Zwarte Pietjes

First Sinterklaas for Merel. Doesn't she look cute with the baret?

Schoen zetten

2010-11-17T20:08:00.005+01:00

I'm going to do this post in Dutch as it is a bit easier.....
Lars mocht vanavond z'n schoen zetten. In het Sinterklaasjournaal is de Huis Piet alle sleutels verloren in het pepernotendeeg. Dus natuurlijk hadden wij ook een sleutel gevonden in onze zak met pepernoten. Lars heeft 'm in z'n schoen gedaan zodat Zwarte Piet de sleutel zou vinden. Hij vindt het helemaal spannend om z'n schoen te zetten en is ook heel hard aan het zingen. 's Ochtends vroeg is het ook echt schattig hoe oprecht blij hij is met het cadeautje wat hij in z'n schoen vindt. Heel schattig.

Sinterklaas arrived

2010-11-13T17:19:00.000+01:00

Sinterklaas arrived in the Netherlands today. Lars understands so much more that he did last year. He can even sing some of the songs now. We watched the Sint on television in the morning and in the afternoon we went to see him 'for real'. Lars was really brave as he shaked Sinterklaas his hand. Something that he absolutely didn't want to do last year.

Waiting....and waiting with Maartje & Mees

Do I see Sinterklaas & Zwarte Piet around the corner?

Music Pieten

Sinterklaas on Americo

Sinterklaas wreath

2010-11-13T14:10:00.002+01:00

I made this Sinterklaas wreath and put on the outside of our front door. It looks great!

So.....

2010-11-11T22:14:00.001+01:00

I'm really sorry it has been such a long time. I'm a really bad blogger I'm afraid. I will make an effort to update more often but with two kids time seems to go so fast. Little Merel is 5 months old. I can hardly believe it. She likes to follow what's happening around her and is a very happy baby.

So here's an update of some photos of our little cutie pie. The one in the black dress was taken in September the other one in November. She's got this funny thing sticking out her tongue...hahaha...

Photo update

2010-08-19T17:08:00.002+02:00

Just a little photo update on Merel. Have been scrapping this week but haven't finished anything....yet. Our little girl is growing fast and we're getting more smiles and some 'talking' everyday.

Smile

2010-08-04T13:43:00.000+02:00

Yes, she a happy little girl giving us lots of smiles. Time goes by so fast and she's 8 weeks old already. Still eats and sleeps very well. She's up to size 62 now. Next week she will be measured and weighed again so I'm very curious.

I just love how Lars and Merel look at eachother. Children have this way of connecting that we grown ups don't have.

Hope to be creative this week. Haven't done anything in a while but have so many ideas. Keep you posted.

Tasteful

2010-07-25T22:24:00.002+02:00

I made this heart for the wardrobe in Merel's room yesterday. I have these great new scissors to cut the scalloped border. As finishing touch I added some ribbon, buttons and a little pink rose. Very easy to make!

On Saturday I always try to bake something and what is the best thing when baking a cake.....?? Eating the dough of course. Lars even tried to dip the whisk back in the bowl to have so more dough. Hahaha....smart action. He loved helping out. Together we weighed all the ingredients and he added everything to the bowl (even the eggs!).

And stealing some raisins........when he thinks mum is not looking.......

There's nothing left of the cake and I totally forgot to take a picture when it came out of the oven but I can assure it tasted very good!!
Hope you all had a great weekend.

Beautiful

2010-07-22T21:14:00.002+02:00

Just an update of my little beautiful girl. She's 6 weeks old already and it goes so fast. I just thought this photo was so funny....looks like she's daydreaming. I'm glad is little bit cooler outside at the moment as it's been really hot. Gives us a little bit more engery to do things. I also have so many pretty clothes for Merel that she hasn't worn yet because of the heat. So it is dress up time tomorrow :-)

And something else......the hydrangea is in full bloom at the moment. We have several bushes in the garden. As the accent colour in the livingroom is blue I cut some blue flowers to put in a vase on the table. It looks really pretty.

Bingo album

2010-07-21T21:49:00.003+02:00

I also made this photo album for my mums' 60th birthday last December. I found some great old b/w photographs. I used the JB Bingo Album for this and added a lot of Prima flowers and bling and all sorts of vintage items from my own stock!

Phototray

2010-07-20T22:28:00.001+02:00

I made this phototray last December (!) as a gift for my mums' 60th birthday and I totally forgot to put this on my blog. I was reminded today when I gott mails with some previews for the CHA and saw that Tim Holtz and Maya Road have both developed a shadowbox.

I bought this only for 2 euro at the thriftshop :-). I added photos of the grandchildren and also added some specific items that are specific for that child. I have to make a new one soon as there are 2 new grandchildren this year.

Decorations

2010-07-16T13:41:00.002+02:00

To celebrate the birth of Merel I made this flag banner to hang in the livingroom. The flags are made from different sorts of pink fabric. I made a template and cut out all the fabric (they are all double sided). Stiched it together and decorated them (textile glue is fab!) with all sorts of ribbons, lace and flowers.

I made this wreath to announce the birth of Merel and put in on the front door. First I wrapped white cotton around the wreath and after that I added pink tulle. I decorated it with pink flowers (just put a pin through) and cut out the hearts with my slice. The little bears I found somewhere in my stuff. The heart I bought a while ago and the letters I cut out with the slice and glued them to the heart.
TFL!

Cuties

2010-07-13T21:50:00.000+02:00

Just sharing a few photos today. I just adore this sweet little face. Way to cute!! It is hard to tell him off when he's naughty and looks up to you with this angel face or even winks at me. He just knows it!! I'm just so happy that he's adjusting so well to having a little baby sister. He's very protective and wants to hold and cuddle her all the time.

Merel is 5 weeks already. She's getting chubby cheeks and luckily the warmth hasn't bothered here to much. She even sleeps through the night for a week now so that gives mum and dad some rest as well :-).

Dutch clogs

2010-07-12T14:03:00.001+02:00

My aunt Eveline came to visit last Friday and she made Merel these beautiful and cute little clogs. She used the colours and images from Merels' birth card and I think it's gorgeous. She and her daughter Naomi have a website Lief & Lot. Take a look they make so many pretty things.

Measurements

2010-07-07T16:32:00.000+02:00

This lady is now 59 cm long and weighs 5 kg. So she's doing very well!! It is not the best photo but you get the idea. You see the funny curling she does with her toes....haha....her dad does the same thing. I think that it's so funny!!

Merel 4 weeks old

2010-07-05T22:08:00.001+02:00

Just a little update with some photos of Merel. She's 4 weeks old now and time flies by. Tomorrow she's going to measured and weighed so I'm really curious how much she's gained.

Merels' room

2010-07-04T22:52:00.005+02:00

I bought and made a few things for Merels' room. I was looking for a wardrobe but the ones I liked were all ridicoulsly expensive. So I bought this one at Marktplaats and painted it white. Changed the door knobs to pink with white dots and added this red and white adhesive plastic to the doors to make it stand out more.

I bought the lampshades for her chandelier at Xenos and changed the decorations to my own taste. Again if you buy them all decorated it will cost you an arm and a leg but if you do it yourself is much more fun and very easy to do. I bought the ribbons in several shops and used textile glue to stick it to the shades. The deer I got from this great book from Ariadne which is full of ideas for decorating your childs room. I copied it and cut it out of felt.

The canvas is again the same deer cut out of felt and decorated with fabric and ribbon.

The birdhouse was plain wood and decorated with left over wallpaper, ribbon, fabric and of course a bird! It has got a musicbox inside with the Brahms lullaby. I got the idea from a website called Hip Handwerk. You can find the free description here (sorry only in Dutch).

Diaper cake

2010-07-03T20:18:00.001+02:00

My sister made this gorgeous diaper cake. She put some Spanish dancing shoes on top that she bought in Valencia. Love it!!

Great-grandmother

2010-06-22T16:14:00.001+02:00

This is a photo of Merel with here great-grandmother Rieka. She's 88 years old now and this is not her first great grand child but it is the first girl!! She knitted these really cute baby booties for Merel.

Pretty little lady

2010-06-13T20:59:00.001+02:00

I just can't believe that this little lady is going to be a week old tomorrow. Time seems to go so fast. She's doing great. Sleeps well, loves to eat and burp and loves to cuddle. We have a really good first week. I must say it is more relaxed now because you know a little bit what to expect than when you get a first baby. We also have an incredible maternity help called Ina. She spoils us and I am just so glad she's has helped us out the last week.

Lars has also adjusted great. He loves to give his little sister cuddles and kisses. He also is a great help when changing diapers, giving Merel a bath or during feeding time. I'm so proud of my little boy.

I will leave you with a few cute pictures of Merel.

My first dress

Time for my bath

Card birth Merel

2010-06-09T13:40:00.001+02:00

This is the card to announce Merels' birth. I wanted something pink and love the combination of the vintage but still contemporary look. I searched for a long time but finally found what I was looking for on the site of Saakje.

Our beautiful daughter Merel is born

2010-06-08T21:40:00.001+02:00

Born on Monday 7 June 2010 our beautiful daughter * Merel Lynn Emma * at 10.15 am and she weighs 4295 grams. Absolutely adorable and so very sweet. We are very much in love and feel so blessed by this little miracle.

Lars is also a very proud big brother and wants to cuddle and kiss his little sister the whole time.

Lars 3 years old today

2010-05-14T19:44:00.000+02:00

My 'little' boy turnes 3 today. He is growing up so fast. Happy birthday little pickle. Love you to pieces.

Back from holiday

2010-05-08T18:33:00.000+02:00

We just got back from a week in Landal Germany yesterday. It was nice to get away with the three of us. Lars had a great time in the swimmingpool and playgroud and it was nice to relax. We had some sunshine and some rain but most of the times it was dry.
Here are some pictures to share.

My maternity leave has officially started so time to do the last things before our little baby arrives in this world. I've got a few things on my To Do list :-).

Have a great day.

Prima flowers and more

2010-02-28T13:43:00.001+01:00

Prima has some exciting secret which they will reveal soon. Can't wait for more yumminess as the lines they've shown at CHA are gorgeous. In the meantime they are giving away a huge prize pack tomorrow. So go over here Prima: now and enter the contest!!

The funny things you say

2010-02-21T16:28:00.000+01:00

I made this layout of Lars now at two years old and it's about all the funny things he says in his own language. I used the gorgeous Report Card line by October Afternoon. I think it's so pretty.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend! TFL

Trakkele (tractor)

2010-02-08T14:03:00.001+01:00

I made this page with the gorgeous Farm Fresh line from October Afternoon. The wheel came of a tractor he played with but broke down. It's a photo from Lars when we went to a goat farm in Amstelveen last year May. He didn't like the little goats much because they where all around him and came way to close. But outside was a big playground where he had a great time and also an old tractor where he could sit on. In his own language he called it a 'trakkele'. There was so much to see around him. We just had a great time.

Finally got some scrapping done

2010-02-03T21:44:00.000+01:00

I haven't had time to work on any layouts for a long time. So I was glad to finish this one I made of Jeroen. My naked chef :-). This photo was taken during our holiday in France and was Jeroens' first BBQ experience. The food was yummie.

This photo of Lars was taken during the summer. We went to the playground and he had a great time playing with the sand and water (he was soaking wet when we went home). I used the great Webster papers for this layout.

And more snow...........

2010-02-01T20:14:00.003+01:00

Lars and I had a great day in the snow today. The snow just doesn't stop falling.

Our little baby at 21 weeks

2010-01-29T22:58:00.001+01:00

Today we had the 20 weeks ultrasound. I thought it was at 9.15 in the morning so we were waiting and then it turned out to be 9.15 in the evening. So we had to wait all day!! And people that know me know that I'm not a very patient person.
It was so great to see that the baby is growing and developing well. They check all the major organs and it was all looking good. The baby was very busy and kept turning from left to right so it was sometimes a bit difficult to get a good shot :-). We are thankful that all is looking so good.

My first car.....

2010-01-20T18:50:00.001+01:00

We had to take our car to the garage today. As my cousin Pieter works there he said to bring the camera and take some photos of Lars in a Porsche. As you can see he really does like the car :-). Start saving more in you piggy bank!!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-29T16:45:00.002+01:00

The whole family together for Christmas dinner 2009. Two grandchildren on the way so we have to take a new picture next year.

My little boy is growing up so fast!!

2009-12-22T21:58:00.000+01:00

Lars had his Christmas dinner together with all the toddlers at the day care centre today. They even had a three course meal. So sweet.
His big bed arrived also today. He almost didn't fit in his cot anymore and with a new baby on the way it was time to buy him a new one. But......he looks so small in it but oh so sweet. He's got a new duvet cover with a frog. I took some photos before he got to sleep tonight. He had to get used to this new situation but I just checked on him and he's sound a sleep.

More snow pictures

2009-12-20T14:41:00.001+01:00

It's absolutely amazing how much snow fell today. Lars absolutely had a blast playing outside (and so has his dad.....hahaha....). Here a few pictures.

It is snowing......

2009-12-18T15:27:00.001+01:00

We woke up and it had snowed yesterday and this morning as well. A beautiful white world. It is so gorgeous. Lars woke up and saw that it snowed and kept asking if he could play outside (about 50 times that is.....). So I took a couple of photos early in the morning. We are expecting more tonight so I will have to get my old sled from my parents house.

Baby news

2009-12-17T15:21:00.000+01:00

Yes!! We are expecting a little new member to the Van Steensel clan. We are very happy that Lars will have a little brother or sister next year June. I'm 15 weeks already and getting back more energy every day and feeling very good.

Happy birthday!!

2009-12-09T15:12:00.000+01:00

My beautiful mom turned 60 today. I just can't believe it. She is such a lovely, sweet and gorgeous lady. Both on the inside and the outside. Happy birthday. I love you so much!!

Sinterklaas evening

2009-12-06T14:29:00.002+01:00

Yesterday, on the 5th of December, we celebratef the birthday of Sinterklaas and all the kids receive presents. We celebrated this at my SIL and had a great time. Sinterklaas and the music Piet stopped by and Sinterklaas checked his big red book to say something nice to the kids.

Lars was a bit scared when they came in but in the end he went up to Sinterklaas to get a present and eventually when they left he even shaked their hands!!

Sinterklaas wreath

2009-11-15T14:18:00.000+01:00

I made this Sinterklaas wreath to put on the outside of the front door. There are not many decorations available so I made this one myself. Very proud :-).

Sinterklaas arrived

2009-11-14T13:55:00.001+01:00

Sinterklaas arrived in the Netherlands today. Lars was very excited. We watched him on television in the morning and in the afternoon we went to Loosdrecht. Lars was waving and shouting but in the end he didn't want to shake hands with Sinterklaas and his Zwarte Pieten. It is still a bit scary when you are two years old!

On top

2009-11-01T14:13:00.003+01:00

I'm so sorry it has been such a long time since I've updated my blog... Too busy with all sorts of things and just not enough time to scrap (unfortunately). I finished this layout a while ago. I was inspired by a layout made by Ingvild.
It's a picture of Lars taken during our holiday in France this year. Just started a new layout today so I hope I can finish this soon. Take care & TFL!

Pure

2009-08-22T14:57:00.003+02:00

I finished this layout last night for a contest on AMM. I had great fun working on this one. You had to use two things: lace and a vintage image. I used a lace handkerchief that I bought at a flee market in France last year and the vintage image on the left is from an old ladies magazine (Libelle) of 1937. In the background I used some piano paper, music paper, tags and some different pieces of paper. The buttons are also vintage. On the swirl I used crackle paint to give it an old look and added some Prima bling, flowers and some other embellishments. On the right I've made a tag with a special message for Lars.
I love this photo of Lars! My husband took it during our holiday in France this year. TFL!

Blow Bubbles

2009-08-16T20:27:00.005+02:00

It has been a gorgeous sunny weekend. Just relaxed and enjoyed family life! I even found some time to scrap.
As I was reorganizing some of my scrap supplies I came across these papers 'Bridgeport' from SEI (part of the March kit at AMM) and thought they would fit these pictures very well. I handstitched the border and cut out some of the patterns from these papers.
I distressed the title with sandpaper and typed the journaling on a really old and beautiful typewriter (found that one on Marktplaats a while ago - it has these original old typewriter keys...gorgeous!!). It reads: Easter Monday 2009: first searching for chocolate eggs in the garden of grandpa Reinier and grandma Anja. After that Grandma gave you a beautiful bubble blower. At first you found it a bit difficult but all of sudden you realized how to do it. I love the proud smile on your face. Great fun together with grandpa. TFL!

Sweet hearts

2009-08-01T14:00:00.003+02:00

This is my take on the challenge at OLW. Word up this time is sweet. I love this photo where Lars puts his arms around Jeroen. He is growing up so fast!!
I used the beautiful Webster's Paper for this. I cut out all the different strips of paper and sewed them back together using two different stitches. I also made a frame out of corrugated cardboard and painted it white to give it a weathered look. The cute little blue butterflies I bought at AMM.
TFL! I love your comments!

Watch out......!!

2009-07-26T14:45:00.004+02:00

My FIL works for the police. So this morning we went there after church to take some pictures. Luckily the weather was really good. At first Lars was a bit scared but that didn't take long.
How cool are these??

I love your smile

2009-07-19T11:45:00.004+02:00

For this layout I used the gorgeous Webster's paper. I just love this picture of Lars and the look in his eyes when he smiles. I also used some ephemera I found on a brocante market in France during our holiday. I made the rosette myself out of ribbon and I love how it turned out. TFL!

Movie star

2009-06-29T14:36:00.003+02:00

Sorry it has been a while. In the meantime we have been on holiday to France and we had a great time. Love the French cheese and rose and enjoyed spending time together as a family. Nice and relaxed!!

I started this layout before I went on holiday but was only able to finish it untill yesterday. It is a great picture of my cousin Mees in the swimmingpool during our holiday in France last year. I hardly ever use yellow but I think it works really well and makes this a sunny layout.

Well I just set up the swimmingpool for Lars when he comes out of bed but I think I will enjoy it as well as it is really hot today :-). Have a good day!!

Lars 2 years old today!

2009-05-14T21:35:00.003+02:00

Our little boy is 2 years old today!! Time seems to go so fast. We had a great birthday party this afternoon with family and friends. Luckily the weather was good so we did the celebration outside. Lars is such a sweet little boy. Really developing his own personality, learning more and more each day. He loves to read and cuddle. I love you sweety!!

Girls' day out

2009-04-30T20:16:00.005+02:00

Wow this new stiched paper from Prima is almost to gorgeous to use. Love it!! I also adore the new flowers and vines.

This photo was taken during our holiday in France last year. We rented a house in the Provence with the whole family. As you mums know, it is always busy with kids around. We girls (my sisters, mum and me) decided to leave the kids with the men and go out for the day.
First we went to Orange and had a nice coffee break with pie and of course some shopping afterwards. After that we drove to this beautiful French restaurant in the middle of nowhere where we had lunch outside on the terrace. This was such a good day. It gave us the time to relax, catch up and have some really in depth conversations all this accompanied by a good glass of white wine and no one to look after but ourselves. We should do this more often!!

So sweet

2009-04-24T20:32:00.003+02:00

This is a picture of me and Lars taken in the zoo last September. Again I used the Sassafras papers, I really like the new vintage line. Also used the gorgeous new flower and felt branch from Prima. TFL!

Soccer mates

2009-04-05T20:11:00.006+02:00

Lars loves the play with a ball outside. And he is very happy if Gijs is there as well because then they can 'play' together. He's running after the ball and really tries to kick it in the right direction. He really looks up to his big friend Gijs. This photo was taken during the summer of 2008 when Lars just started to walk!

I used the new Sassafras papers for this. I found it a bit hard to begin with because I normally don't use bright colours in my layout..... but in the end I think the combination of this photo and paper works really well. TFL.

Free vintage photo ~ kiss goodnight

2009-03-28T14:46:00.005+01:00

I found this photo (postcard) on a flea market a while ago. I love all these old vintage items and little treasures you can find there.

Please feel free to use this photo for your own personal use and artwork. Please do not sell the image as part of a collage sheet or digital download. If you use this photo please post a link to your artwork in the comments section of this post so that we can all enjoy it.

I think spring will finally arrive in Holland as well. It is said we have a beautiful and sunny week ahead of us. I can do with some sunshine!!
Have a great weekend!

Chair with a view

2009-03-08T15:30:00.014+01:00

This photo was taken on our holiday in the Ardennen in Belgium last September We hired a great house that had magnificent views over the fields. We only had cows as neighbours and Lars absolutely loves them. After he woke up in the afternoon he had a drink an excellent view from his chair.

To create perspective I cut the Prima gate in two pieces. I used Sassafras and October Afternoon paper. Still in love with the Prima pebbles!

Fresh new look

2009-03-01T15:23:00.003+01:00

With Spring only three weeks away I thought it was time to freshen up the look of my blog!! It always looks very easy to do but it takes up more time than you think. But I'm glad it's done now and I'm very happy with the result. Hope you like it too. I finally started a new layout yesterday and hope that I can show this to you soon. Have a great day!!

Boe zegt de Koe

2009-02-08T15:37:00.007+01:00

Normally I do my titles in English but this one had to be in Dutch. Lars has this really cute t-shirt with a cow with his tongue hanging out his mouth. This is by far his most favourite shirt. Even if the shirt is in his drawer with the cow folded on the inside, he exactly points out that that is the shirt he wants to wear. When he has it on he always points towards his belly and then says: Boe. Very very sweet!

Gone to heaven

2009-01-24T14:07:00.009+01:00

My dear granddad 'opa Joh.' passed away at the age of 87 last Wednesday. I am glad that he doesn't have to suffer anymore but also very sad that I have to miss him. He is in a far better place than we can imagine: heaven! He will have no more pain and has received a new body and be with the love of his life oma Sari again.
When I think of all the beautiful moments and memories we shared I'm so glad you were my granddad. I will always cherish and remember them. Most of them with a smile and sometimes with a few tears.
For always 'je blonde engel'.

Invitations

2009-01-17T22:12:00.017+01:00

So I really needed to update my blog today!! I made two invitations. One for my mum who had her birthday in December and the other one for my dad who had his birthday at the beginning of January. As it is always hard to find presents we (my two sisters and I) wanted to take them out to dinner. So we already had my mums dinner party last December and we are going to have my dad's in a few weeks time.
I really have to get started on some other layouts as well as I have so much beautiful stuff that is just waiting for me to creative. Hope I can show you somethings soon.

(sorry try to upload my dad's invitation tomorrow...blogger @##%#@@$ keeps flipping the picture upside down and I don't know how to change this.....)

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-01T10:49:00.014+01:00

Happy New Year to all of you!

I found this beautiful poem what says it all!

Dear Lord, as this new year is born
I give it to Thy hand
Content to walk by faith what paths
I cannot understand.

Whatever coming days may bring
Of bitter loss, or gain,
Or every crown of happiness;
Should sorrow come, or pain,
Or, Lord, if all unknown to me

Thine angels hover near
To bear me to that farther shore
Before another year,
It matters not—my hand in Thine,
Thy light upon my face,

Thy boundless strength when I am weak,
Thy love and saving grace!
I only ask, loose not my hand,
Grip fast my soul, and be
My guiding light upon the path
Till, blind no more, I see!

by Martha Snell Nicholson

Playtime

2008-12-13T15:01:00.009+01:00

I made this layout a couple of days ago. It's about how Lars loves to play outside. His favourites at the moment are the slide and the swing. But he also loves to go out on his little bike. I used the gorgeous Graphic 45 Playtime on this layout.

Graphic 45

2008-12-12T09:44:00.003+01:00

I'm featured on the Graphic 45 blog. How cool is that?? I really love their papers as they have a great vintage look and are great to use. I'm really honoured. TFL!

Flea market

2008-12-07T22:07:00.004+01:00

Last Saturday I went to a flea market and I found some really lovely things. An old small gass stove in off white and a few old stamps, a childrens book by Rie Cramer, old letters and a happy families card game with the cutest pictures. I just love going to flea markets and finding these unexpected things! I have also been mounting all my rubber stamps today!! Preparing to have a very organised scrap room :-). I bought these scissors by Tim Holtz and they are great for cutting the mounting foam. Hope you all had a good weekend! Flea market finds:

New scraproom

2008-12-04T21:54:00.002+01:00

So I'm going to move my scraproom to our garden room downstairs (sounds posh doesn't it??). I can put a larger table in there and have much more storage space!! I have painted one wall red (twice) but it probably needs two more coatings. On the opposite wall I'm going to put wallpaper. I found this gorgeous wallpaper by Pip and it looks like this is made for scrappers. I hope to finish the decorations next week and move everything downstairs next weekend. I'll post some pics when it is finished. This is the wallpaper I bought:

Dream

2008-11-24T19:38:00.011+01:00

This photo was taken on a beautiful Sunday in October when we went for a walk in the woods. Lars loved all the leaves, twigs and had to pick up everything :-). Jeroen took this photo when he was staring and thinking about something.......sometimes it is such a shame that they can't talk yet. I used the beautiful Graphic 45 papers for this layout. I also love typewriter keys but I can't find them anywhere so I decided to make them myself. I used the die cut alphabet from Graphic 45 and glued them to cardboard. I made a silver line around the letter and used glossy accents to make them puffy and shiny.TFL!

Brave Boy

2008-11-21T13:50:00.013+01:00

I was in the hospital with Lars to check his ears last August. Because they were still a problem he had to have antibiotics. But before he started on this they had to take a blood sample so the doctor could check if the inflammation had gone better in a few weeks time. As a mum you don't really like it if they stick a needle in your child's arm especially when they are still this small. Luckily it went very fast and I thought he was a very brave little boy! He even got a diploma for bravery and two little puppets for comfort.

Sinterklaas arrived

2008-11-16T14:26:00.004+01:00

Sinterklaas arrived in the Netherlands yesterday. We went to see him in Loosdrecht. We cycled there......for me this was the first time and it went really well. Lars was in his seat at the front and kept pointing out cows that weren't there :-). He liked Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet from a distance but they better not come close. Doesn't he look cute in his Zwarte Piet outfit (thanks to Miriam!!).

Check this out!

2008-11-03T20:14:00.004+01:00

You can win some really gorgeous blog candy over at Beates blog: tags, prima flowers, ribbon, stamps and much much more. Go check her blog now as she makes gorgeous layouts as well!!

Giggle

2008-10-27T15:24:00.005+01:00

This is a photo of my little cousin Job. He turns 1 in December. My sister took this photo and when I saw it I had to scrap it because he is so cute!! I'm really starting to like yellow (did you notice :-). I made the branch out of corrugated cardboard and then applied distress ink. The journaling reads: Job I just adore you in this photo. You have a great smile and you love to laugh.We are so blessed with you. When I think back at last year when you where 3 weeks old and fighting to get better in hospital and your life was at risk. I now realize how thankful we are that you got better and that you are growing into this incredible cute and sweet boy. I thank God for His love and mercy and pray that He will guide you on your way true life. Love Linda. TFL!

Imagine

2008-10-26T14:03:00.004+01:00

I created this layout for the OLW challenge. I used this great paper from Creative Imaginations called Retro Boy and lots of other ephemera. The journaling reads: I just can't imagine you all grown-up. It is going fast enough as it is. You are 17 months old now and becoming a very happy toddler. Exploring the world even more now that you are walking. It is so great to see you moving around learning new things and words. You like to cuddle a lot. It is just great to see you grow up.....but not too fast please. Love you to bits mama x. TFL

Toooooott!!!!!!

2008-10-22T09:36:00.003+02:00

Just wanted to share because this is so cool. I was picked for the SIS TV Catwalk by Fashionista Jo-Anne te Raa. I'm really proud!!

Fall is here

2008-10-19T20:10:00.005+02:00

Last Sunday the weather was really beautiful it was sunny and warm for the time of year. In the afternoon we went for a walk in the woods. It is so beautiful when you see all the gorgeous fall colours. I love this time of year. Lars started walking two weeks ago so we took him out of his stroller and he loved picking things of the ground: leaves, twigs, pine cones..... That was so sweet! That was when I took the picture that I used in this layout. I LOVE this gorgeous Webster's paper. I so hope they are going to make a new Christmas paper line as well. I also (among so many other bits and pieces) used a postcard I bought at the flea market last week. TFL!

Flea Market

2008-10-12T14:31:00.006+02:00

This afternoon I went to a flea market in Hilversum. I bought so many nice bits and pieces!! Beautiful postcards, buttons, an old childrens book, stamps with butterflies and few really old magazines 'La mode du jour' out of 1924. This is so great I absolutely love it and it has some excellent old advertisements in it. I just had a great time. Can't wait to make a new layout with these items. Hope I can show you something soon.

Lunch break

2008-10-04T14:01:00.019+02:00

I'm so sorry it has been a while since my last post. I had some (virus) problems with my computer so I had to take it to the 'pc docter' and it took a while to fix but I finally got it back this week. I really got back into my scrap mojo last night so I finished this layout of Lars on a lunch break during our trip to France this summer. He is a typical boy. Loves to sit behind the wheel on dad's lap. I think it must be something genetical.... I cut out the patterns of the Sassafras papers and used some of the material of the AMM September kit. As I am not to keen on yellow I put brown ink on the alpha's to make them blend in more. TFL!

You & Me

2008-08-30T16:44:00.003+02:00

As I have a little boy I don't get to work with pink very often. Which is a real shame to me as it is my favourite colour. So I had a great time creating this layout. As I was wearing a pink shirt I thought it justified to use pink and of course the bling :-).

Soccer Fans

2008-08-29T15:38:00.003+02:00

This photo was taken during the European soccer competition of 2008. Of course you both had to wear your orange shirt when Holland was playing!! The paper is from October Afternoon which I just love. Aren't the little deer adorable.

In Awe

2008-08-20T14:31:00.005+02:00

I finished this layout yesterday evening. This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago when we visited the Children's Farm (Kinderboerderij). Lars just loved all the animals. He was leaning across the fence to stroke the rabbits and I took this photo when he looked up at me again. I just love all the bits and pieces from Prima. I also saw this scratching on photos a while ago on one of Hilde's layouts (thanks for the inspiration) and this was also demonstrated in one of the last webisodes on SisTV. Just love how the image stands out this way. I used this new scratching tool from Tim Holtz. He's got these great new products for distressing. TFL.

Let me see.....

2008-08-10T15:39:00.003+02:00

I discovered the sewing machine (thanks mom) and it's great. It is so much fun to use stitching on a layout. I did a curve stitching and attached the butterflies (again stitching...yep like it!!).

Be genuine

2008-08-03T10:52:00.004+02:00

I made this layout for the challenge on OLW. I used the envelop package of my Prima stamps as part of the background.

Lars' first birthday

2008-07-30T13:24:00.006+02:00

I started this mini a while ago when I was doing a workshop on clearalbums with my co scrappers Jacqueline and Marieke in Rotterdam. It was quite out of the box for me using all these really bright colours. It is really fun to do a clear album this time but it takes a lot of working out where to put things so it will also look nice on the other side. But I'm really happy the way it has turned out. I took so many pictures so at the end of the album there is a green pocket where I put the remaining pictures that didn't fit in the mini. Hope you like it. TFL.

What if...

2008-07-23T10:52:00.001+02:00

This layout I made for the challenge on OLW.

Live life & never stop dreaming

2008-07-20T14:39:00.005+02:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted anything in such a long time. I didn't have much inspiration to scrap these past months. Now back from holiday in France I have so many new ideas. I started this layout last Wednesday when I was scrapping with Jacqueline and Marieke. We had so much fun (also loved the glasses of rosé). This layout is especially for Lars. The journaling reads: Lars you are growing up so fast. Sometimes I just wonder what goes on in your little head. You are still too small to talk so I have no idea. I just wish that you will never stop dreaming. Believe in yourself, use your imagination and learn along the way. Put your faith in God and He will guide you on your journey in life. Just know that I will always love you! Love mama x

Lars 1 year old today!!

2008-05-14T22:04:00.004+02:00

My sweet little boy Lars became one year old today. Time has seemed to go so fast. It sure brought back some memories..... Don't you just love this photo. It was the first thing he did when I held his birthday cake in front of him.

I love you (2)

2008-05-14T21:57:00.002+02:00

This is the book I made for Mothersday for my mum. The same photos as the other one but a different layout.

I love you (1)

2008-05-12T17:15:00.003+02:00

I made this mini-album of Lars as a gift on Mothersday for my mil. I also made one for my mum but I forgot to take photos. I'll do it this week and put them up straight away.

My little star

2008-05-04T14:38:00.002+02:00

I made this layout for the flower challenge on AMM. There are some really cool challenges this weekend because of National Scrapbooking Day/Weekend. Go check it out.

Happy Times

2008-05-01T14:37:00.001+02:00

I hope everyone had a great Queensday!! I bought some really great toys for Lars on the 'vrijmarkt'. I also found a old game of Scrabble and I used the letters on my layout. This photo was taken on our holiday in Turkey two years ago.

We are family

2008-04-25T14:36:00.005+02:00

I took this photo at my parents house last year: Maartje, Mees and Lars. I love the tickers by AC!!

Funny Face

2008-04-20T14:36:00.002+02:00

I also started this layout during the workshop at Rotterdam. You had to stamp your own background on white cardstock. I think this turned out really well. This is also the first layout in which I used more than one photo. These really fit well together. Little funny face.

Sweet

2008-04-20T14:36:00.001+02:00

I went to a stamp workshop with my neighbour and fellow scrapper Marieke at Rotterdam last Saturday. I started with this layout. A picture of Maartje who proudly gives her little cousin Lars a bottle.