29 days of giving!

oh dear i accidentally deleted my whole post when it was nearly finished, bummer!

okay so again....

hi everyone!

fisrt i would just like to tell you about http://www.29gifts.org/, it's a 29 day giving challenge i joined, i came across it while blog hopping and signed up straight away! i like to think i give every day anyway, as a mother we do give every day but that doesn't really count, it does, but you know what i mean. it's not all about money, giving is also letting someone come on to the road in front of you, letting someone pass you in the line at the supermarket, making someone a cup of tea, holding doors open, picking up a lost glove, going out of the way of a mum with a stoller, .... little things that might just makes someone's day! and be honest, it does feel good to give doesn't it! well i joined this challenge just to be a bit more aware, it is important to give, that is my belief anyway.

I still feel the flu in my body, my head still aches, my throat still hurts, my joints ache and my ear is still thumping but okay i suppose it will pass and i'm hoping it was a good flu aznd will be so kind as not to come back all this Winter!!! i 'm hoping!!!

i haven't been very busy, i've actually done a bit of reading, watched some tv, that doesn't happen very often!

but i did make this layout with the December sketch for Hobbyfarm where i'm a designteam member

i finished all my Xmas cards for my list, it was a long list so i made lots of similar cards yet not one the same! and i'll be sending them all out this week, well nearly all of them, i still need a few addresses. i'll be putting all the names in a hat this week and letting my youngest draw a name for the Xmas present, who knows? it might just be your name! i don't know if i will announce it on my blog or let the lucky person just be suprised, hummmm what shall i do?

i also made this single ATC, not much of a job hihi! but a hint of my Xmas cards!!!!

i'm working on something with Claudine Hellmuth's sticky-back canvas! it's cool but i'm not showing until it's finished and i'll be giving it in workshop soon!

ah before i forget, i have a few dates for my workshops at Hobbyfarm!!! the first will be on 21st of February 2009 we will be doing this decorated teabox, covering 8 great techniques on Adirondack Alcoholinks, Dye inks, brayering, metal embossing,... really worth joining! it's a brilliant workshop even if i say so myself hihi! if you would like to join don't wait too long, some places are already taken and i know that my workshops fill really fast once the word is out at Hobbyfarm, so you are warned, sign up now if you want your chance to join me on this "Be Rangerized" journey!!!

also 21 of March i'll be doing a Clearbook filled with techniques on Alcoholinks, blending, mixing, details, different methodes of applying and loads of ideas for layout, embellishments and so much more, too much to mention and too much to miss so sign up as soon as you get the chance!

2 more dates are set for my workshop at Hobbyfarm: 18 April and 13 June, i don't exactly know what we will be doing then but probably a beeswax collage and altered art, i will work out more details and come back on it.

so!!! i'm off to do some TIM tags!!! you know what TIM tags are? if not!!! ooooh dear!!! go check out his blog befoer you do anything else!!!!! and see the most beautiful techniques on Xmas tags ever! he is genius!!! he really is! i still feel so honoured and blessed to have spent two full days of learning from him at Ranger U, and from Claudine and Suze!!!!

it's been a good year!!!!

ps if you see typos!! !well it's because my hands are kind of letting me down, they are aching and i can tell when i'm typing that my fingers react later than they should ans letters get switched or i even hit the wrong key with funny word as a result, please read through them :-) i try to fix them when i notice but sometimes they slip my sight...

have the most wonderful day!!!!

i recieved a lovely award!

I recieved this award from Kenneth a young belgian scrapper who attends many of my workshops, no! i'm not saying he stalks me hihi! one might think so though :-), go check out his

blog.

What the award stands for:This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY- nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement . Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to 8 bloggers who may then pass it on.

i did some blog hopping and would like to invite you to go to these blogs, so i'm passing my award on to:

http://thekathrynwheel.blogspot.com/

http://auslorri.blogspot.com/

http://littleblackscrapcat.blogspot.com/

http://suziblu.typepad.com/a_lovely_dream/

http://michelleward.typepad.com/michelleward/

http://herminesplace.wordpress.com/

http://donnadowney.typepad.com/simply_me/

http://siansbitsandpieces.blogspot.com/

all talented people worth visiting!

i'm still feeling the effects of this flu! my body seems to be aching all over but never the less i'm not one to sit still for long so i've been busy, i painted a few more layers to my daughter's Gothic Petite Doll, it's not finished but this is what it looks like so far, pretty spooky don't you think?

what else? ahhh i made some Xmas stuff for Hobbyfarm

okay! it's Wednesday! that means half day school for the kids so i'm off to spend time with my kids and dress up the Xmas tree! i must must must admit that i realllllly prefer to dress the tree by myself, it has to be the way i want it ! i'm a terrible mama when it comes to letting them help me with the tree! i know i should be more relaxed about it but i want the tree to be perfectly neatly dressed...do you think the'd enjoy WATCHING me do the tree??? hihi! maybe if there are cartoons on tv....

November already!

oh dear doesn't time fly!

i feel like the year has passed me by without me noticing it at all! of course that is not true when i stop to think harder, a lot did happen this year and of course the year is not over yet and i'm quick to start collecting a year's memories, i know!

and i'm already counting the days until i can put up the Xmas tree!

i 'm such a kid haha! honestly i can't wait to get my old nat king cole & dean martin cd out! old-fashioned Christmas songs, the kids hate them, i play them every year the whole month of December! exept for one year! they hid the cd!!!! i got a copy! and we were back! with a hohoho and a hahaha!

but hey, life does go fast you know! i'll be 41 next month and i still remember turning 40 only yesterday! i'm okay with it all, i'm just saying! i realize i have to live now and not tomorrow!

enough of talk like that! tanya, pull yourself together woman!!

i had a peaceful weekend, rainy weather, pretty gloomy and cold though, i got the fireplaces all lit here in the house, nice and cosy, the kids watching Disney films on dvd, the eldest glued to the computers! and me just having a play at my worktable as usual, i made 2 lay-outs for the Hobbyfarm challenge, i'm part of their Designteam so i make examples every month and people can join the Challenge, it's fun!

i liked the paper i got ot work with!

the idea was to follow a sketch! but if you know me! i see a line and i need to cross it! so maybe my lo's don't even resemble the sketch! well they do a little if you look hard enough :-)

this one is of my 16 year old daughter Debby and myself, photo taken this Summer out in the garden, we were making necklaces out on a blanket on the lawn, it was a great day!

this one is a picture of my youngest, Estée, she's 5 now but this an old picture, she was not yet 3 at the time, but i like the photo so much i wanted to use it for this project

what else did i do?... ah i started another petite doll, a Gothic one for Debby, she nagged me until i gave in, so now instead of shading a pretty face i need to do a corpse colour! what a challenge! but it's turning out fine i think, i'll show it once it's finished.

oh and i played with beeswax! i got this really cheap wooden chest and beeswaxed it! i used copper, red, black and pearl, i used a stylustool to get the wax on and then wooshed it around using my brand new Ranger heattool! i love my heat tool Sue! then buffed it up to an amazng shine! i love the shine of beeswax!!

i like the way it had turned out, i accidentally created some fun patterns, i'll probably add some Grungeboard letters and details and store my little blocks of wax in the chest.

oh yes! i took my son for his first drive on the motorway! i've been teaching him to drive for a few months now, i had to really due to my ankle! i can't drive!!! anyway! his first drive on the motorway, he had been dreading it and i wanted to put him out of his misery! and i did ! he did just fine! and he is so releaved to have done it now! and we drove to Stonemanor, an English store in Everberg, that's near Brussels! i little piece of England! i love it!!! no Flemish only English, only English and some US products, a real expat store!

i loaded up on the teabags, i hate the ones we get here in Belgium! i got lots of Cadbury's chocolate, fruit & nut, flakes, curlywurly, buttons,...!!! sure!!! also cheese, crumpets, a white loaf, thick sliced for the most wonderful toast! digestives with and without chocolate and i bought a beautiful old fashioned jar of Cadbury's biscuits with Crunchie and raspberry delight filling! OMG!!!! they are so deliccccc....

it was a good day! we came home all happy and it felt like Xmas (i know! it's not Xmas yet!!!)

i got the kid's chocolate-filled stockings for XMAS! well i had to!!!! they sell so quick there! :-)

okay i'm hungy now!!! oh it's way past lunchtime so i'm off to make myself a sandwich and a wonderful cup of tea :-)

have a wonderful day! and if you are a mom in Belgium you'll be as happy as i am that the school holiday is over !!! oh the peace and quiet.... i am so enjoying it!!!!