Sara Sandberg

Another Fab Extravaganza!!

What a fantastic weekend!!!  The fun started on Saturday when I picked up Jill and Elaine (Katya on the forum) from the ferry.  (It wasn't fun before that as we were moving the contents of Max and Nicole's bedrooms from the landing where it had all been while their rooms were decorated!!!)  It was a glorious sunny day, and they were easily convinced to join me at Gunwharf Quay for a cold beer by the water!!  And a quick visit to the Paper Mill there!  (I haven't been there for years, and was a bit shocked to see that the price hadn't gone up - but the box that you fill with card was less than half as deep!!!)

The next day we were up bright and early and set off to the Craft Barn - arriving nice and early and getting font row seats in front of Malcolm and Jean from Crafty Individuals demonstration.  What a lovely start to the day!  They are such nice people, and showed us some beautiful things!  We met up with Yasmin and Marion from the forum - this was such a treat for me as I have never met them in real life before - and they are such lovely, lovely ladies!  And then Pam (Nanna on the forum), Liz Gale, Rukhshana, Netti and Hilda were there, and it was all just one big lovely chatty, crafty, huggy mass!!! 

We did a workshop together, and I apologise to the other three ladies doing the workshop too - they seemed a bit stunned!!!   My camera skills failed at the first hurdle - note to self, when charging your camera battery remember to turn it on at the wall!!!  So I've pinched Pam's photos to show you!

Left to right - Jill, Hilda, Yasmin, Elaine (Katya), me, Liz, Neti, Pam (Nanna) and Marion.  The best, most fun group of ladies you will ever meet!

 

Here we have Jill, Elaine (Katya), Me, Pam (Nanna) and Yasmin.

Other highlights of the day were seeing the lovely Isa demonstrating - I am just off out to get a 'sample' tile from the tile shop!  Check out her blog to see why!!!  And also the lovely Leandra from Paper Artsy. 

It was such a fun time, I am now counting the days until the next Craft Barn Extravaganza!  This time we plan to stay over - why don't you come too??!!!

A huge thank you to all the lovely ladies who made that such a special day.

Phew, it's out!!!

The magazine that is!!!  What with the kids being home on school holidays, and going to Denmark, it was a tight squeeze on time!  It's a funny thing - I always start an issue with projects in mind, and as the magazine progresses, it never ends up with the original projects - I always get sparks of ideas that take over!!

This issue was no exception - I was going to make a Home shaped card - and then I just got carried away, and it turned into a Home book, filled with nooks and crannies and secret messages!!

 

I hope you enjoy it.  I have to say my favourite page is this one;

 

The opaque texture on it was such fun to do.  I had seen it on the page of a circle journal a friend showed me.  Unfortunately, there was no name on the page, and we had no way of finding out how to do the effect.  I kept it in mind, and kept trying different things - and then one day I got it!!!  The thicker the layer, the more cloudy it is, so you can get great effects with it.  You'll have to read the mag to find out what it is!!!

And my favourite message is this one;

 

I have a lovely little row of slippers here no where I was testing out dffeent texures for the top!!

GCSE results day tomorrow!!!  Holly is a good girl though, she worked hard and did her best, and that's all you can ask.  Whatever the results are, I'm proud of her and know she couldn't have done more.

More quilling tips!!

You can by special quilling mats which have different sized holes in for you to put your coil in before glueing - this makes sure that all your coiled circles are the same size.  A cheaper alternative is this little plastic stencil that you will find in any stationery shop.

 

I squeezed these circles at one end to make a tear drop shape, and these made up the petals for this flower.

 

These techniques are the same used for the sheep too;

 

Just squeeze your circles into different shapes to make up any design you like!

Bring back quilling!!!!

What has happened to quilling?!  It seems to have gone out of fashion!!!  Why don't you join me in having a little play?

 

I just made this little quilled cupcake, and wanted to show you that you don't need any special tools to do quilling.

 

I took a cocktail stick and carefully cut a slit in one end.

 

I cut a half centimetre strip of paper, and pulled it between my thumb and a round handle to get it in the mood for coiling!

 

Then I stuck one end in the cocktails stick slit and coiled the paper round.

 

I slid the coiled paper off the stick, and placed it on my work surface, where it unravelled a bit.

 

I glued the end, and stuck it down.

 

  

Now I carefully squeezed on end of the circle.

 

The cherry was made in the same way, only moulding the spiral around my fingertip for the final shaping stage.

 

I'll be back soon with some more quilling tips!

3 Weddings and a Spooky Time!!!

Well, one Wedding and two Golden Weddings to be precise!!  These were made from templates in the Time for Crafting E-Mag - ones which I use a lot at this time of year!!!

 

I just threw that picture in as I know some of you are expecting creative things from this blog!!!  What I am itching to tell you about though is a super spooky experience we just had in Denmark.

In WW2 the Germans built The Atlantic Wall- a series of bunkers built along the coast stretching from Norway down through France, as a means of defense from an attack from the UK coastline.  Our holiday home was on a beautiful white sand beach, on the West Coast of Denmark, which had these bunkers along the coast.  Most were very well preserved, despite stories of Danish people forced to build these bunkers putting salt in with the building materials in the hope it would weaken them.

 

Most were small structures, but it was very exciting to come across this one, with a passageway clearly visible from the door to explore!!!  The bunker had subsided into the sand, so once inside, the floor was a severe slope!!!  And pitch black!!  Yes, I was pooping myself!!!  I sent the kids in first, of course!!

 

As you clambered into the shaft, you could see this 'window' - and realised there was another room inside!  Now you have to remember, the flash of the camera makes this a bright light picture - but at the time it wasn't at all!  We had a very weak torch, and were fumbling around in the dark - struggling to keep our footing on a steep slope covered in sand!

 

This is what we found at the end of the passageway - only we couldn't see it like that at the time, all we could see was black!!  Some Danish people then joined us, and told us about a Danish Treasure Hunt - apparently there are hundreds of treasures hidden all over Denmark - and one is hidden here!  All they knew was that it was on the North Wall of the bunker!   Which meant we had to go into these rooms!!  You would not believe how aware you are of the dark enveloping in behind you as you stumble into these rooms!!!

 

This is Holly taking a photo of herself!!!  Any way, after a while, the Danish man got very excited - he had fund the treasure!!!  It consists of a plastic box, that has a few bits and bobs in, and a small toy.  The rule is, you have to bring a small toy with you to swap with the toy that is inside, then sign your name in the little book enclosed.

 

Now, we only had a crappy little torch, but the Danish man had none, so he was very grateful to us as he would never have found the treasure alone!! (actually, he had his 3 year old petrified daughter with him!!!)

Oh my goodness!!!  I was completely spooked in there!!  The steep slopey floor, musty smell and surrounding darkness - and thoughts of soldiers being there for real years ago!  I was so relieved to get back to those steps getting us out of there!!!

  

And don't be fooled by that bright sunny picture at the front - the wind was vicious!!  As we got to the top of the steps we had to cover our heads from the sand blowing layers of skin away!!!

What a fantastic experience!!!  Wow!!!

Fun in Denmark

After a dodgy start we have had a wonderful holiday in Denmark.  The weather wasn't brilliant, but the scenery was so fantastic, it didn't matter.  I'll tell you the story of the journey in a minute!!  First the pictures.

As you know, I take part in CJ's online photography workshops.  These workshops have taught me so much - if you want to learn how to take great photos, check out CJ's blog for up and coming workshops.

 

This beach was just a step away from the house we were staying in, with hardly a soul on it! 

 

Even the kids enjoyed walking for miles with this fantastic scenery around them!

 

I think the best way to describe the journey is to just show you the text messages I was sending my friends along the way!

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Missed ferry!  Been very good and not mentioned I wanted to leave earlier!  Drawn a timeline and not looking back!  We are now at tunnel and driving there!  13 hours in a car together!!! X x x

 

At least we won’t catch swine flu on the ferry!! X x x

 

It’s our anniversary tomorrow!  X x x

 

Eventually found hotel at 2 am.  Up at 7 to start our journey!!  Haven’t mentioned anniversary!!  Think I’ve still got the receipt for present at home somewhere!! X x

An hour into the journey there were loud distraught sobs from the back as Holly discovered she had left her favourite cuddly toy at the hotel!  Fortunately we passed a place called Wankum that made everyone smile again!!  X x x

Feeling more relaxed now – the flash of the second speed camera seems to have slowed Jesper down!!! X x x

 

It’s an interesting fact that after sitting nearly stationary on a German motorway for 5 hours, listening to kids playing I Spy is nearly as infuriating as hearing them argue!  It’s another interesting fact that shoving a whole bar of Caramac in your mouth in one go takes that feeling away instantly and all is good!! X x x

 

We’re here!!!  At last!!!  Skol!  Have a good week!!  Thanks for sharing the pain!! 

x x x

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I'm pleased to report that Holly's cuddly toy travelled in style air mail home!!!

Happy Birthday Nicole!

Today is Nicole's 15th Birthday!!  Happy Birthday Nicole!!!  Unbelievable that we still get woken up at 6 am on birthdays!!!

 

This is a pot I made for her - it was originally a body cream pot.  If you'd like more information on how I made it, I have added it as an extra project in Issue 10 of the Time for Crafting E-Mag - which is out today! 

I am very excited about the new issue - I have updated it's look and the way it works - I hope you all enjoy it.

Golden Wedding Card

It's been a funny old week - starting off with me tucked up in bed not well - and having to miss lunch with my mates!!!  I only get to go out to lunch once every few months, so I was well peeved!!!  Max was very excited as he hoped I had swine flu - he worked out that if it was, he'd have 2 weeks off school, which would take him up to the school holidays!!!  Fortunately for me, and unfortunately for him, it wasn't!!! 

So back up and bouncing now - and made a Golden Wedding card today for Mum to give to her friends.  I made this template for Issue 2 of the Time for Crafting Magazine, and it's one of my favourites.  Good for engagement, wedding, and anniversaries.

 

I am working my socks off to get the mag finished for next week.  I have updated the whole look of it, and the way it works to make it quicker for those on dial up.  Thank goodness it's raining - no sunshine to distract me from my work!!!

Holly's Prom!

Last night was Holly's prom - and what an exciting evening it was for us!

 

She'd bought her dress from E-bay!!!  Handmade by someone in China, and it fitted like a glove!

 

Tori did her hair for her, and it looked just stunning!

 

Her friends all met and they travelled in the bright yellow Botley mini bus together! They all looked amazing in their finery!

 

The atmosphere ot the De Vere was just incredible!  Lines of limousines waiting to arrive, and also every mode of transport you can imagine filled with prom attendees!!!  Motor bikes, army cars, fire engine, double decker bus - it was just amazing!!!

 

Holly looked beautiful, and was just on a real high!!!

 

and here she is with her gorgeous Dad!

I was a bit anti the concept of a prom, but that was just a fantastic experience for all of us!!!!

Honey I shrunk Max!!!!

It's been a busy week in the Sandberg household!  We have had four international students with us - which has been great fun!  They were all lovely, the weather was lovely, and it has been a fantastic week - but I will not miss making 7 lunchboxes every day!!!!

And so, later than intented, I only got to this week's photography project today, but thanks to Holly and Max, we got some good shots!