December Daily: album preview

Just like last year  I am documenting December by doing a December Daily.
December Daily  is a project developed by Ali Edwards.
It is al about documenting the 25 days leading up to Christmas.
I personally document the whole of december, so that includes the days after christmas.

I try to have the basic album ready before december 1st.
I was insanely busy the last few weeks so I just kept putting it off. And now, with december 1st looming I really had to get going.
I picked up supplies everywhere. From small cheap dump-stores to ordering it online from a scrap-book store. I also had some bits and pieces left over from last years album.Which you can see HERE.

As you can see , last year I went all out and used lots of patterned papers. I found however that the patterns sometimes clashed with the pictures. And all that pattern didn't leave much room for using embellishments and other stuff.

So this year I decided to start with a much simpler ablum. I used 160 gramm white paper, made a simple front and back cover and used some binderrings to keep it all together.
I've stocked up on lots of embellishments, stamps, several block of patterned paper and a pack of SNAP-cards. This way I match the paper and decoration I want to use to the pictures.

* front cover

 

* several different stamps, 

a big pad of black ink and a set of christmas-Hero Art inks

                                               

* bits and pieces left over from last year

* SNAP cards; christmast edition

*sparkles, stickers, tags, brads, ribbon and glitters

* 4 different blocks of patterned papers

* This used to be a 12x12 sheet from This &That Christmas

I keep everything nicely organised in a small basket I keep within reach. This way I can grab it and work on it when I have the time. And not need to search for my supplies everythime.

Now, all I need to do is charge my camera battery and i'm ready.

Bring on December!!!!!

Are you ready to document your December?

Week in the life; the album

In September I participated in week in the life
(You can read about it here)
After taking lots of pictures and blogging about it next step was to make an album of it.
I really wanted to do the album in project life-style.
But I didn't have enough inserts, no album to put the inserts in and no photoshop skills to resize the pictures.
So I had the pictures printend out and they sat on my desk for weeks.

For those of you who have been reading along here for longer know I have a very difficult time with finishing projects. But all of those unfinished projects have  tendency to weigh heavy on my mind.
And with the december daily challenge looming I really wantend to have this project finished before december1st.

So I gatherd some supplies (from my very sad little stash) and sat down to get it done.

Supplies I used:
* some bycicle-paper from a paperblock bought at a cheap store
* yellow ribbon
*  Thickers "Emerald"
* Cut & Paste stickers from Jen Allyson Charm "bliss"and "care free"
* alphabet stamps from HEMA

I originally wanted to bind the whole album together with binderrings. But they are soooo hard to find. You can only order them online. But since all the online scrapbook stores charge huge prices for shipping below a certain amount. Binderrings cost almost nothing, so you need to order a ridiculous amount of them.
So Nico suggested to use ribbon.
It's not ideal but with my next scrapbook-order I will order some binderrings.

I've kept the day-pages simple. I just stamped the day on them and used a sticker to decorate it a bit.
The pictures are a mix of 10x15 cm and 10x10 cm.
I just punched holes in them and made a stack of them.

So with the week in the life thing all sorted out wan wrapped up I'm ready for the december daily challenge!

Goodbye Keyser

Monday usually is currently-challenge day . But current events meant that I wasn't in the mood to fill in a card...

Yesterday we had to say goodbye to our big white doggie-friend Keyser. 

for more pictures of Keyser you can go HERE!

We adopted Keyser 3 years ago from a shelter in Zaandam. We already had a dog , Bachera (who passed away last year) and we where looking for a doggie-friend for her. The shelter told us Bachera was a Dogo Argetino ( she probably was a dogo x bull terriër mix) and since we really like the breed we decided to get a male too.
After some searching online we found Keyser in a shelter nearby. So we took Bachera and went to meet Keyser. When we arrived at the shelter they had Keyser in an outdoor run. The first thing that struck us was his size. He was huge!! 50 kilo's and as big as a small horse. The second thing was how dignified he looked. Like he was the king of the world. His name befitted him, Keyser is dutch for "emperor".

Bachera and Keyser took a long time to get used to each other but they could have so much fun together.

As huge as he was, inside that big dog was a tiny little lap dog. Keyser was a big cuddle-bug ,  loved sitting in your lap and lying in bed with us on sunday mornings. He also love to run on the beach or the woods. He was a friendly giant towards people and  was very gentle with kids.
If you asked him a question he would always resopnd with a collection of sounds that you can only describe as a mix between the sounds a seal and a cow makes.

When we adopted Keyser he was already 8 years old. But he was stille young at heart and didn't really showed his age.When Bachera passed away ( very unexpectedly) last year he needed a new friend so we adopted Abby. He instantly got along with Abby, eventhough she was so very young (she is only 2 years old). We hestitated a bit if we should adopt her because we weren't shure he could keep up with her. But he could play with her forever. They would bounce around in the garden, run together on the beach.. even sleep together on the couch.
Keyser loved the garden. He could spend hours in the summer just laying in the grass. And even in winter would always demand to be let in the garden. Just for a small inspection-round of "his"garden.
 He was madly in love with Nico. He would recognise the sound of our car and would alwasy run towards the door making his signature howling sounds.

But over the summer Keyser started having some issues with walking. And over the past 2 months he steadily became worse. He began showing his age. He was on strong painkillers for a while but last week his kindeys started failing too.. When he began losing control of his bladder we knew it was time to let him go.
Having to take him to the vet yesterday was the hardest thing I ever had to do.
He passed away very peacefully.
He was 11,5 years old.

Today the house is empty without him.
No big doggie-face to greet you when you come into the room.. No more typical Keyser-howling...
He was very loved and will ben very much missed..

Blog-Love

Today I want to share some of my favorite blogs with you.

*The Nerd Nest
if I ever become a parent I want to be just as awesome as Megan and Jake. I love how they still are themselves and be parents.
I love reading about their day-to-day life.

* RuKristin
I love all of her memory-keeping projects. I followed her "Find your voice" workshop this summer (still have to finish it though) And she is the creator of the awesome little Currently Cards.

* Elise Blaha
I love the design of her blog. Clean and simple; easy to read.
My favortie posts are those about her decorating the house and the keeping of plants.

* Lou Niestadt
I recently read her first book. Well actually it's more of an art journal. I don't know if it's available in english yet.. She inspired me to start drawing again..

* Geninne's art blog
She lives in the most fabulous houses built by her very talented husband. Her sense of interior design is awesome. And her drawings are magical. Plus; she takes beautifull pictures of it all.

These are some of my daily/weekly must-reads.
What blogs do you read?

What's in my bag?

My favorite group on Flickr is the What's in my bag? group. I love seeing what other people consider essential to carry with them. I find that the content of somebody's bag gives a very good insight into someones personality.

This is a picture of what's in my bag right now..

* my planner
* a notebook
* elizabeth arden 8 hour lipbalm
* Body shop handsanitizer
* an assortment of different pens
* some usem notecards
* an umbrella
* a pouch with lipglosses, painkillers, a nailfile and other girly-things
* a coinpouch
* handcream
* usb cord
* an old mint tin stuffed with headphones
* my passport in a cute cover
* nailclippers and a mirror in a small red with polkadots pouch
* a tissue pouch
* a shopping bag
* my spare bike key with a budda keychain
* a stray lipgloss
* the black Björn Borg bag was a christmas gift from my boyfriend 2 years ago

What do you carry in your bag?

Currently 18.11.2013

I am taking a moment to record the right-now

50 questions part II

I'm back with the second part of the 50 questions interview..
You can find the first 25 questions here..

26. What’s something that amazes you?
When I look into the night sky and see all the stars..

27. Do you prefer that people shoot straight with you or temper their words? Why?it depends on the message they’re trying to convey. When I am an unstable mess I prefer to be treated with some care. But the message needs to be clear.

28. Where’s your favourite place to take an out-of-town guest?
Bagles & Beans; a cute little coffee-place. Or The Beiaard; a very cozy beer-café.

29. What’s one thing you’d rather pay someone to do than do yourself? Why?
If I had enough money I would pay someone to clean my house. I find it’s such a never-ending drama. One moment the house is clean, your laundry-basket is empty and there are no more dishes to do. And then..*poof*… there are dishes in the sink, laundry in the basket and dog-hair everywhere.

30. Do you have a catchphrase?
no..

31. What’s your reaction towards people who are outspoken about their beliefs? What conditions cause you to dislike or, conversely, enjoy talking with them?
I think it’s good for people to be sure of their opinion and who are able to voice it. However, I don’t like people who are trying to convert me (or others) aggressively to their beliefs. Without consideration for the beliefs people already have..

32. How and where do you prefer to study?
My study-days are long (ahum) behind me. But I prefer a clean and tidy desk. With some calm music, a snack or two and no interruptions.

33. What position do you sleep in?
Mostly on my left side.. I think..

34. What’s your all-time favourite town or city? Why?
to live in? I would say Haarlem. I lived there during my study and loved it. It had a nice selection of shops, it had a nice warm and friendly atmosphere, cute little bars and restaurants and was close to the beach (only 15 minutes by train) It’s also the place where I was on my own for the first time.

35. What are the top three qualities that draw you to someone new?
1. A friendly face
2. Something interesting to say
3. They need to have some wordly knowledge. Knowledge of how the world works..

36. How has your birth order/characteristics of siblings affected you?
I am the eldest and the only girl. It mostly meant that I wasn’t allowed to do thing my brothers where allowed to do later.. Other than that I can’t really think of anything…

37. If you could eliminate one weakness or limitation in your life, what would it be?
take the Fybromyalgia please…

38. If you could restore one broken relationship, which would it be?
With some of my highschool friends.

39. If you had to change your first name, what would you change it to?
Kitty =)

40. Do you believe ignorance is bliss? Why or why not?
No for sure! There is strength in knowledge. If you know about a problem you can do something about it. But with things like personal relationships. It can be better to not know what a colleague really thinks about you..

41. What do you consider unforgivable?
Lying and willing stupidity

42. Have you forgiven yourself for past personal failures? Why or why not?
No. I’ve learned to live with them but will sometimes come back to them and  think “why did I do that?!”

43. How difficult is it for you to forgive someone who refuses to apologize?
It depends on whether someone realises they were wrong and just can’t apologise or they really believe they weren’t wrong.

44.Do you hold any convictions that you would be willing to die for?
No, I am always willing to listen and consider another point of view.

45. To what extent do you trust people? Explain.
As someone who has been hurt several times by trusting the wrong people I have a hard time trusting just anyone.

46. In what area of your life are you immature?
Finance-wise. I have a very hard time staying on budget..

47. What was the best news you ever received?
That the house we currently live in was ours!

48. How difficult is it for you to be honest, even when your words may be hurtful or unpopular?
Even if my words are unpopular I have no problem to be honest. If I know they’re hurtful I will try to be kind while being honest.

49. When did you immediately click with someone you just met? Why? What was the long term result? Conversely, are you close with anyone now that you really disliked at first?
* what a hard question*
If I don’t like someone at first I will probably never like them. Which by default means that all the people I have a relationship with (excluding family) I instantly liked…

50. When do you find yourself singing?
Everywhere and always. In the shower, on my bike, at work, when I’m in the car.. Sometimes just a little humming.. Sometimes loudly singing along with the radio..

**************************************************************************

Keeping organised: the Birthday-chart

As you've read earlier I love to write cards and letters.
And what better occasion then a birthday to send a personal  card?

But I have lots of family-members and keeping track of the dates is not really my "thing"
So sometimes cards are late..
But not anymore!!

On an afternoon of random internet-hopping I came across THIS post on the Martha Steward website.
Basically it's a small list of alle the birthdays you want to remember you put somewhere handy.

I've made my own list because the one on Martha Steward's website was too small for me. I've put it next to my computerscreen. Once a month, ususally near the end of the month I sit down and write all the birthdaycards for the coming month.
Put on a stamp, a post-it with the date you need to mail it so it get's there on time, put the stack of cards near your keys and your done!

** some of my card-writing supplies

** my favorite stamp to use at the moment..

Do you send out birthday cards? And how you you make sure they arrive on time?

                                            

Currently :11.11.2013

Taking a moment to record the right-now.

50 good questions you should ask yourself

 

I am jumping on the 50-questions bandwagon.
**as seen on rukristin

Here we go:

1. What are your nicknames? What do you prefer to be called?
My nicknames are Nien, Niene or Nientje. I prefer to just be called Janine. But many people pronounce it as “Jeanine”

2. What books on your shelf are begging to be read?
Since I joined the liberary I pretty much stopped buying books. I only buy books I know I really love. I feel that, when I pay 20 + euro for a book, I have to finish it. Even if it doesn’t capitvate me.  But when I go to the library I try out new things.
At the moment the “to read” stack includes a spice-cookbook, “crocheting for cool girls”, sophie dahl seasons cookbook and Nigella Lawson “how to eat”

3. How often do you doodle? What do your doodles look like?
I mostly doodle whilst on the phone. Usually geometric patterns but sometimes I end up with what is called a “zentagle”.
At the moment I’m also taking part in “Doodle-a-day-….”.
It’s a list on Instagram of doodle-challenges. One for each day that month.

4. What do you do if you can’t sleep at night? Do you count sheep? Toss and Turn? Try to get up and do something productive?
I am a terrible sleeper. And I have always been. Sometimes 1001 ideas shoot through my mind and I can’t get them to stop. A trick a psychologist once told me: “try to relax your toes” I don’t exactly know how it works, but it works.
I don’t get up because I don’t want to wake my boyfriend.. So I usually just toss and turn until I finally fall asleep. Which leads to me having a nap the next afternoon..

 5. How many days could you last in solitary confinement? How would you do it?
It depends mostly on what I’ve got to work with.
Are there books? Music? Tv? Pens and paper? Then I could last quite some time..
But with only myself? I think I would drive myself nuts within one day!

6. Do you save old greeting cards and letters? Throw them away?
It depends on the occasion, type of card and person who send it. I still have the card that where send when my boyfriend and I moved in together. But I don’t keep all birthday cards. They are on display for several days and after a while end up in the recycling bin. I do keep all of the postcards I receive from Postcrossing.

7. Who is the biggest pack rat you know?
the people I work for as a domestic aid. Maybe it’s a generation thing? All things that might come in handy one day are kept and stored for that one day they might need it..

8. When making an entrance in to a party, do you make your presence known? Do you slip in and look for someone you know? Do you sneak in quietly and find a safe spot to roost?
I slip in. Greet the host and then find people I know. Then after observing how the party “flows” I either head home early or try to join interesting conversations..

9. What is your strongest sense? If you had to give one up, which would it be?
My strongest sense.. uhm.. my hearing..
but that is also the one I would give up. Sound quickly bothers me..

10. How many times a day do you look at yourself in the mirror?
if there is a mirror there I will look at it quickly. Just to check if everything is where it’s supposed to be..

11. What is the strangest thing you believed as a child?
I was a very smart kid. And my mom always explaned everything to us in a matter that we could understand.

12. What is one guilty pleasure you enjoy too much to give up?
Unhealthy food.. I should but I can’t..

13. Who performs the most random acts of kindness out of everyone you know?
Can I name myself? I just recently gave a random stranger 20 cents because he was short 20 cents for coffee..

14. How often do you read the newspaper? Which paper? Which sections?
 I don’t read a newspaper. I sometimes skim through one of those free newspapers you find on the train. Mostly to check my horoscope. I do try to watch the news once a day.
When I was small we had a newspaper at home. I used to read the back and some articles that interested me.
When I’m on vacation abroad I try to find a Dutch newspaper. It’s part of the holiday feeling. Then I read every little article and cut out interesting little thing to past in my travel journal. I recently found an article about a cow falling from the sky and crushing a car.

15. Which animals scare you most? Why?
I am not really scared of animals. I am more careful with some though.. like snakes, tarantula’s and stuff like that..

16. Are you more likely to avoid conflict or engage it head-on? It depends on the person I am having a conflict with. And what the conflict is about. I am not very good at having conflicts. Especially with people I know..

 17. What was the most recent compliment you’ve received and savoured?I left a comment on the nerd nest blog and got a lovely reply from Megan.(I can’t find it so you’ll have to believe  me ;-) )

18. What is something about yourself that you hope will change, but probably never will?
My perfectionism..

19. Are you a creature of habit? Explain.
yes. It always takes me a while to adjust to changes. And during that adjustment time I am really not a happy bunny…

20. Are you high maintenance? Explain.
yes. *slightly ashamed to day* I can do without luxury but *need* certain things; like breakfast, a certain type of shampoo, handcream, hot tea... And I need space, quiet time to catch my breath and just be.

21. When was the last time you really pushed yourself to your physical limits?
Because I suffer from Fybomyalgia my physical limits are not that high. So I think it would be 2 weeks ago; I had a crochet-marathon. I really wanted to finish that one project. And I did. But it left me with painfull hands for days..

22. Do you have a whole lot of acquaintances or just a few very close friends? Why?
On social media I have lot of acquaintances. In real life I have a few close friends. I have a hard time letting people in.

23. Are you more inclined to “build your own empire” or unleash the potential of others?
What day are we talking about? I am more likely to help others. That’s my perfectionism kicking in again. I’m afraid my own project will not be good enough.

24. What’s a strange occurrence you’ve experienced but have never (or rarely) shared with anyone?
I love to talk with people about anything and everything. But something I rarely talk about is the fact that I’m very prone to getting depressed..

25. What do you think about more than anything else?What if I fail??

That's it for today.
Stay tuned for part II....

Doodle-a-day: October favorites

I used to draw..a lot.. I started with copying all sorts of stickers and pictures I saw. Then Life got in the way and during my study I didn't have very much time.
A few year ago I picked up my pencil again and found the "everyday matters" group om Flickr. I did some challenges but after a while I don't know.. I just stopped.

Fast forward to today.
A few weeks ago I picked up a book by Lou Niestadt. it talked about how to combine creating with everyday life. She writes how she draws every day. I knew I had to do that. But finding inspiration to draw every single day... pfff....
Then one day I saw the "doodle-a-day october" list on Instagram. An idea from the very talented @ellolovey.
Here was something I could do; a small doodle veryday and a list of topics was handend to you.
I have to admit I didn't draw everyday. Some day's I was so busy that I really forgot. But I did do all 31 drawings and finished only 2 days late. Yay for me!!
Being that some prompts were really "amercan culture"based and I live in Holland not all prompts were something I really could relate to. But that also made it somewhat of a challenge.
I'm not sharing all of them (If you really want to see them all, find me on Instagram @janineve1)
But these were my favorites:

** the 200 in the top right corner?

I was aiming for 2013.... 

I set myself some boundries at the start of the month. I could only use a black pen, no pencil or eraser. So mistakes I would just have to live with. The perfectionist in me will fus over hours with one single drawing if it gets the chance...

So these are my favorites form last month. I just started with the doodle-a-day November list. I will be back with my favorites in december.

But if you can't wait, follow me @janineve1 on Instagram =)

Currently 04.11.2013

Joining the currently-challenge and taking a moment to record the right-now..

What are you doing right now??

November is for...

.... wrapping up my "week in the life" by finishing the album.
     because it need to get done  before 2014 and december will be crazy busy with the december 
     daily thing.

.... starting "december daily" preperations by ordering supplies and making the basic album.
     Making the album ahead of time measn the only thing I have to do "daily" is take pictures, take         notes and decorate the pages..

... finally getting my hair cut.
    It's long overdue...

... going on a shopping-trip with a friend in Amsterdam

... taking my mom to our local craftstore for her birthday
    and get our hair done, drink coffee.... 

... having a games-night wih friends
    Munchkin, Magic, Monopoly, Career, Uno, Mah-Jongh and what-ever else we have..

... go to a ladies bingo-night with my mother-in-law

And what are your plans for november??