~~ Pencil-Lines & stuff ~~

Pencil-Lines sketch #227 – created with the new “Sweetheart”-papers from 3ndypapir :) Oh, and some Hambly, old letters from Heidi Swapp & American Crafts and a sheet of Crate Paper (the striped one), as well as a tag from Elle’s Studio :) The image is taken w/my iPhone at the library – they have a nice little section for kids w/this chairhousethingie :)

The paperflowers are cut from a sheet of the green paper in “Sweetheart” and layered – same thing w/the angel..

I like that there’s no need to edit the images when taking pictures w/my iPhone – they’re usually edited already, either with filters (I love Instagram & Hipstamatic) or by using the editingprogs TiltShiftGen or Filterstorm. And – for my needs – just printing them small-ish, they’re just perfect and prints beautifully. I also like the Pocketbooth-app (Amalie loves this one), but haven’t tried to print out these images yet.

 

I’ve also felt the itch to take more pictures of my kids w/the DSLR & edit them, it’s actually very fun and rewarding doing so…I think I’ll aim to get better at this..

 

27.02.11:

listening: to Amalie singing various tunes
eating: our new dinner-fave (throw diced rutabaga, carrot, potatoes, garlic, onions together w/meat (tonight we did shreds of leftover-chicken&diced vossakorv), some water, some cream and broth), let simmer for an hour or more – until the rutabaga is soft..mmm,.. add either World’s Best Dinner Rolls or English Muffins (we had the latter, I froze some from last time & it’s still so very yummy when thawed&reheated in the oven) – lovely!
drinking: tap water
wearing: some old cord-pants and a purple knit jacket.
feeling: stuffed & tired! :p & looking through some babysession-piccies and getting excited for next week’s babysession!
weather: blah blah – this one is such a boring q – good thing there’s only one more day left of this “feelings”-thing! ;p
wanting: not much – two cakes already baked (I went for this for the chocolate one and this as the base for the marzipan-one) – all I need now is tomorrow’s pizza&hotdog-baking to go just as smooth :)
needing: I dunno..maybe a glass of wine just to commend that I’ve been such a good baker today? ;p
thinking: how weird..tomorrow my oldest turns 10…yikes! (and how unfair for him that because I’ve been such a bad planner for his bday I’ve decided to try get better when it’s Amalies turn in a few months…ofcourse it remains to be seen whether I actually manage to get better at planning stuff, but still…)
enjoying: being done w/todays chores..
wondering: is it weird buying vanilla beans on ebay? (just say no :p)

 

pattyo Said,

1:38 AM

I think the card is perfect! Share the recipe for oreo muffins, although I guess the measurements would be different from what I know.

Thank you! :) The Oreo Muffins can be found here (in Norwegian); here’s the English translation (she originally got the recipe from her US sister-in-law, so it should be easy to reverse the measurements):

Oreo Cupcakes

1 stick of butter
3 large egg whites
1 cup milk
2 cups (all purpose) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
0.85 cup (caster?) sugar (this one was difficult, it says 190gram sugar, but it doesn’t translate into anything “smooth” US-wise like the other measurements)

45 oreo cookies

 

Start with taking apart the oreo-cookies – place the part w/the white filling filling-side-up in the muffin-forms. Bat the butter airy, add milk+vanilla, then flour/baking powder/salt – continue mixing – add sugar – mix/bat for approx 2 minutes – add egg whites – bat/mix for 2minutes at high speed – then add the rest of the oreo-cookies (which’s broken into 2 or 4 halves and lightly mixed with a bit flour).

Put in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 350F

 

We’ve eaten it w/o frosting (delicious), but am thinking that next time I’ll try the frosting she mentions in the reciepe:

21 oz philadelphia
1 stick of butter
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 cups icing sugar (hmm or is it confectioners sugar? Very very finely grounded sugar..)
roughly grounded oreo-cookies w/o cream

 

ok..my little girlie yellin at me, I’m supposed to introduce her to Sound of Music, gotta run! ;p

Ps. The design team call for Pencil-Lines ends tomorrow – don’t forget to get your application in :) It’s a wonderful team to work with, I’m going to miss them lots!

Ps2. Norwegians, look at this! Nathalie Kalbach and Wenche Wold are going to teach at this upcoming Papirfesten! Nat is a wonderful, amazingly creative soul whose classes really have to be experienced, and if you’re into cardmaking I’m sure Wenche could show you a thing or two! Really contemplating going, but with so much going on at that time I’m not sure if I really can, sigh….maybe….?

~~ ..and a card for Skissedilla #100 ~~

I fell in love with this sketch (whose (which?) filename is named 83, which might indicate it’s sketch #83 :p), thinking it’d be perfect as a carddesign. Now, the original idea I had for a card based on this one fell through (stupid sucky card :p), but I refused to give up, so…hm…not sure what I actually think of this card, as I started adding buttons and brads stuff just kept piling up and I’m thinking it’s a bit too much/over the top, but whatev, I’m tired of projects that doesn’t turn out the way I want, and I was pretty determined to add a card to this #100 celebration of Skissedilla, so here ya go… :p

And yes, this is yet another result of this personal vendetta against hoarding – this time I figured I’d use a few of the buttons and brads just piling up (check out this awesome home decor by Jen Jockisch for inspo for the mix of brads&buttons, only, hers is 1000x better ofc), scraps lying on my desk (the Hambly Screenprints-transparency+the white cardboard…that’s the advantage of having a messy desk..you’ll always find scraps for projects), tag from Elle’s Studio (love this one, I want more of these!) plus this rouge de garance (what happened to that brand, anyone knows?) paper which was stashed w/my Sassafras-papers and left behind when I cleaned up the Sassafras-papers (from last project, see below)…which made me remember having lots of rdg-diecuts in a box, resulting in the paper-flower+butterflies.. (um right…all of this info is oh, so interesting…cough..I’ll stop now)

listening: To my husband’s cousins band, For Emma on MySpace (They’re based in Montpellier, France, so if you’re from around there & have the chance – go book/hear them :) They’ll play in Elverum & Oslo sometimes this summer too, for those of you who’ll be around there ;p)
eating: oreo-muffins :) …while the chicken is getting yummified in the oven..
drinking: warm tea w/honey
wearing: purple today :p
feeling: tired..just wanna go curl up in my bed atm..
weather: grey..no rain today it seems, though..
wanting: to get better at preparing things..
needing: to shop for Monday..
thinking: how weird it is that we became parents ten years ago (soon)..
enjoying: the fact that it’s weekend and I don’t really have to do much
wondering: when this ski world championship will be over (please let it be soon) and how much an impact does this championship actually have across the globe..? Ski isn’t that huge, is it..? Anyone?

~Sasha Farina~ Said,

1:14 PM

dramaqueen reporting for duty.. ! haaahaa!! i love that layout, not sure what but i feel it's special!
give us your real hair color - with real camera.. not iphone. or use photobooth? I wanna see!!

Oh, for gods sake, shaddap woman! ;p
(I actually think I’m brave enough showing three photos of myself in one post ‘cause…I don’t like photos of myself in general…so I consider this years quota for me-photos on the blog filled! ;p)

 

banglamarie Said,

1:41 PM

lekker layout! Inspirerende! Tror snart jeg må begynne å scrappe igjen.
Neste treff med papirer og ikke garn?? hm....
Uvant men lekkert med pannelugg :o)
Fine du og fine Amalie :o)

 

Definitivt papir! =)

 

Ha en fortsatt fin-fin helg! :)

~~Hurra for Skissedilla #100 ~~

Hooray for the Norwegian sketch-site Skissedilla, which recently celebrated 100 weeks (&sketches). Well, not really 100 sketches, but rather 99, as they decided to scrap older sketches for their 100th week :p

Congratulations, Skissedilla! I figured I had to join this one, and found this wonderful sketch by Carrin:

I’m not quite sure which number it is, but the filename says 12.. :p

Once again I grabbed old stuff I had lying (hoarding is bad, folks! ;p) around – mostly Sassafras (the patterned papers – plus one strip of Pink Paislee that was lying on the table), Love, Elsie (look! the epoxy-sticker! love these, having a hard time actually using them though – need to get better at this!) and rub-ons from Hambly Screenprints.

Plus – this calendar-tag from Elle’s Studio – I’ve not used it because in my mind I thought it said 2011 on it, and I was like, gotta save it then! But for this project I thought – oh heck – let’s use it and just cover up the 11 part of 2011 w/the photo – when I noticed it did say 2010 after all. Cough. Plus! See the starburst-punch? Lovesit. It punches through cardboard and – wait for it – transparencies as well! Like cutting through butter – gotta love it :) I think I have an idea what to do w/the punch next :) Just need some time to scrap – it’s been sacred lately w/so much going on around here :(

I also found another sketch I think will be perfect for a card, I’ll see if I can find some time to scrap tomorrow…

 

25.02.11:

listening: Nightwish (LOVE “Bye Bye Beautiful”)
eating: nothing yet…have chocolate-rolls & Oreo-muffins on the way, though!
drinking: 3 cups of coffee so far….
wearing: same as yesterday, will change for tonight though
feeling: antsy..
weather: Grey, rainy & somewhat windy..
wanting: to scrap…but….work calls..this time, on my thesis :p
needing: hairproducts for straight, no-frizzy hair
thinking: that I’ll pay the local hairdressers a visit hunting for hairproducts soon..support your local businesses & all :p
enjoying: the music
wondering: how tonight will be – taking approx 8 boys (and a little girl) to go bowling..

Anna Said,

11:48 AM

WOW your blog is looking good. I have been reading it for a while now through Google reader and hadn't seen the changes you have done over here. You are one of my fav visits. Keep it up you are great !

Thank you :)

ParentesFantomet Said,

10:47 PM

Gubban så kul!
Jeg digger og PostSecret, likte spesielt godt den med vedkommende som stammer, gir håp for verden. *klem*

PostSecret er en av ukens faste höjdare :)

pattyo Said,

1:02 AM

Love how the scallops make the layout pop. Thanks for the tip on scalloping a brad. Streaks put in the hair here are called highlights.

Gotcha! Thanks :) And thanks for the tip on poems.com :)

pattyo Said,

1:02 AM

Oh, forgot--post a photo of your new 'do.

Mari Said,

8:21 AM

hello, show us the new haircut!!! You can't tell about it two times in a row, without showing!:)
hugs!

Riiiight…um..alright, you asked for it…iPhone-images incoming from the whole process :p

Haircut done, coloring+highlights next..

Amalie also got her hair cut..

Love her hair when short (easier for us and her, see her amazing bedhair-photo here :p) + I think she looks like Amelie (from the French movie)/a cute pixie w/short hair :)

Me…

Me again…w/ponytails like them Asian girls on gomtv.net haha..*cough*

 

Have a nice weekend :)

Lights, camera... | Neenah Children's Photography

Action!

Drew was such a good boy while I was testing my lighting setup in my studio last weekend.



I have some cute shots in the processing cue of a wonderful little fairy from Mequon.

~~ Thursday Tutorial: Add Scallops! ~~

I’m continuing diggin’ thru my various tutorials previously written for other blogs/sites. Todays tutorial was created for an event at the Minneriket-forum back in 2008, a Norwegian forum for scrapbooking.

It looks like the original post is lost, but I still have the images, so I’ll just write the text anew (plus, it was originally written in Norwegian anyways :)).

It’s quite simple adding instant interest by just adding scallops to your projects. Take this layout for instance – to the left is the original one without scallops, and to the right, the finished version w/scallops added :) It does add quite the difference, don’t you think?

Just grab big scalloped scissors (or trimmer or puncher) – cut scallops and trim them so you can add them behind the patterned paper. Push the paper somewhat upwards to add more interest (isn’t this a funny expression? “to add more interest” – I think it sounds somewhat funny..like, pretentious….but sometimes that’s just what it does sorta…ahwell..:p)

You can also add scallops to a brad by using a regular pair of scalloped scissors (mine’s from Fiskars). Attach brad to paper, cut around, and slit small cuts in between the scallops, add some ink and fold the now “petals” some.

My favorite way to use scalloped scissors however, is probably with die cuts/chipboard-shapes, like this one. Or with journaling-tags.

And if you wanna be fancy – punch holes onto the scalloped border after you’re done (remember – this was probably before the border-punches w/holes in them came out :p At least before I myself got them, as I haven’t bothered doing this since I got the borderpunches w/scallops & holes in them :p)

All the stuff here is from Fancy Pants Designs, by the way :)

 

24.02.11:

listening: “Vår beste dag” – Marit Larsen
eating: nothing atm..
drinking: coffee
wearing: my “channel your inner goddess” shirt :p
feeling: cold :/
weather: …..snow!? wth..
wanting: help
needing: help..pc acting up :(
thinking: that I’m starting to like my new haircut/do more :)
enjoying: some quiet time..finally..maybe I’ll even get to scrap some! :p
wondering: you iPhone-people w/PC, what do you use to organize the pictures with? I mean, I use LR3 to import the images to my PC, but I have to delete the images manually on the iPhone, which I often forget/is boring, hmm, what to use to easier delete stuff with? I don’t want to delete them all either, I want to be able to keep specific images etc..(like, delete stuff on the PC and have it sync w/the phone…wo actually deleting the imported-to-PC-images as well)

 

23.02.11:

listening: to the zergs :)
eating: my procrastinator-nutella-with-peanutbutter-muffins (am in the middle of writing an article and am sort of fighting with the words so I decided to just do something else for a bit….not that it really helped :( ) they’re yummy though!
drinking: cold coffee :p
wearing: um, my new haircut…WITH bangs! =) I haven’t had bangs since I was like, well, a child probably, I can’t really recall the last time I had bangs (then again, I can’t remember what I had for dinner two days ago…or what my children weighted/measured at their birth..which apparently sort of qualifies as a crime among mothers :p)….plus the hairdresser added some color+light strips (? what’s the word here?) to the hair….I’m trying to get accustomed to this new look, but I really do think I like it so far…
feeling: despite fighting words, pretty happy (bc of the hair + muffins)
weather: um…okayish..not so cold..still nice w/sun and stuff..
wanting: a good recipe on peanutbutter-cupcake…I loved this one, but it was pretty airy and sweet (I need to reduce the amount of sugar next time) – I want a more lunch-kind-of-muffin/cupcake..
needing: to finish this article I’m trying to write..
thinking: that it would be nice to have the words handed to oneself on a silver platter :p
enjoying: wallowing in selfpity ;p
wondering: why oh why do I still have those weird dreams >< I have a very amazing fantasy when asleep, that’s for sure :p

Chris & Tina's Victorian-City Wedding

Chris and Tina,
15 February 2011,
Hazeldene Hall,
Johannesburg

Chris and Tina got hitched two weeks ago at the beautiful Victorian-built Hazeldene Hall in old-city Jo'burg. We have photographed at a LOT of venues all over the country, but we were left speechless by this place. The building has been beautifully restored and almost all of the Victorian features and fittings are original - making the building a gorgeous, historical monument. It was so easy to photograph there. And we love old stuff.
Chris and Tina (or as their friends call them Christina - how awesome is that?!) are the quirkiest and bubbliest couple we've ever photographed. Not only are they two insanely good-looking people, but they are best-best mates and are constantly joking with each other - which means loads of big laughs. It was easy to photograph them too.

Thanks for an awesome wedding Christina - we had too much fun with you guys :)

love,
welovepictures