Trendy Trees and Taken with Teal by Stampin Up and me

And here it is: One of my favorite tea's. Mighty Leaf Organic African Nectar tea..
So yummy! Wish I could brew you a cup and we could chat about our favorite stamp sets and crea techniques.

Good Tuesday morning to you! Welcome to my blog and thanks for stopping by.

• Last evening our dear friends moved in with us. We have an extra room in our basement, so while they are doing their renovations in the house next door, they are living with us. Oh how fun! We are already loving it. The kids are so tickled about it. They now have 2 little girls of their own age to play with, even in the morning when they're still in their pyjama's. Can it get any better? Soon they will be our neighbours.. I feel blessed to have such good friends coming to live so close to us.

After everyone was asleep in their warm and snugly beds, I went to my craft room.. Most of the day I had been cleaning and preparing the house for our friends to move in :) and I just had to create something. I had been looking at the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge #182 of this week and I so wanted to play. And so I did. Together with my favorite cup of Mighty Leaf Organic Nectar tea and some real honey I went to the basement and sat down. And this is what I came up with.

• As a base I used the Take with teal card stock. I layered it with some retired Stampin Up DSP. I also dry embossed the Kiwi Kiss card stock with my lattice embossing folder. I love texture on my cards and with my Big Shot it takes me only a couple of seconds.
• I am sure you recognize the Trendy Trees images from Stampin Up. I hope I am not boring you with them, but I so love to use this stamp set.
• I used the Stampin Up scallop border punch to raise the cuteness factor on my card :) Just kiddin.. But what a fun punch is that.. I should use it more often.

Well.. I gotta run. I promised Rachel to make a puzzle with her, before we have to go.

Bless you today.

Inky hugs, Pauline

Friends Fur-ever by Stampin Up and me

Aaahh.. one of my favorite Mighty Leaf cup of teas! Can you guess which one it is ?

Good Sunday morning dear you.

If you're reading this post in the Netherlands, then I know it is already evening. Well good evening to you :) Leuk dat je weer even om een hoekje komt kijken.

I am so excited, that I am meeting more card making-blogging friends in Holland. There are some of the sweetest people out there that have amazing blogs and leave me the most encouraging comments. I will introduce you to some of them. You will be so welcome on their sites and you will not regret browsing around on their blogs. I promise.

• http://carooskaartjes.blogspot.com/ (I love Caro's style, and she is a great tutor, you should see her paper projects.. Wow!!)
• http://peetjes-freubelsite.blogspot.com/ (This dear woman is so creative.. and I love her humor)
• http://creasandra75.blogspot.com/ (Sandra is such a sweet heart.. she has beautiful cards and is great with coloring her images.. I hope one day I can be that good. )
• http://alittlebitofthethingsienjoy.blogspot.com/ (Stella's creativity is so sweet, she is great with colors and layers and she is so sweet in leaving comments on my blog)
• http://schnauzercrafts.blogspot.com/ (I know Christy, you're not dutch but you're the sweetest thing! Hugs from me)
• http://stampinanne.blogspot.com/ (hi babe, I just had to put you here as well.. I would love for people to find your blog. They will love your work)
• http://kreamiek.blogspot.com This beautiful blog is from Annemiek. She can so think outside of the box. She has great ideas and I love the color choices she puts together.

Give them a big hug from me :)

Today I created this card for the Stampin Sisters in Christ card Challenge #80. There theme of the week is..

• For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also. (Matthew 6:21.)

They encouraged us to make a card which would show what we treasure in life.. Well that's not hard for me. Of course.. my love for God is number one! and I love all the special people that are part of my life. My family, my friends far and close, I love our home, I love my cup of teas ;) I love so many animals (I love cats and dogs) and chocolate. Well it was hard to cramp it all in one card. But he.. I tried right :)

• I used some of the images of the Friends Fur-ever stamp set from Stampin Up.. (#120504 - $31.95) It is so darn cute.. And it is so easy to create fun cards with it.
• I also used the newest 'Eat chocolate' stamp set from Stampin Up.. I hadn't inked it up before.. But wow do I love it. those images are so well done. A big (((((hug)))))) for the creator of that one!
• I used lots of bling and punches.. 'Easy peasy, mom!', my daughter would say.

Well, I got to run.. Have a great day today or sleep well if you're on the other side of the ocean.

Inky hugs, Pauline

Designer Flower brads and some basic Rhinestones by Stampin Up and me

Good Saturday morning dear you. How is your day going?

• I feel like this is one of those mornings where I am trying to juggle 15 gillion things at once. But as usual it is just a beautiful chaos in our home. Our lovely kids are waking up way to early and with way to much noise for my lovely ears. then the kids want to eat breakfast, then the kids are having a bath. After that they need to get dressed, the they want to play and use their outside voices, inside this house ;) then they want a snack, but I want a shower. Then my dear husband is working on my steamed milk because his dear wife likes that better than just warmed up milk. This almost gets burned because one of the kids is not sharing something and starts screaming on the top of her lungs. Then I want to give Reuben a cuddle and tell him that he is such a good dancer, while Naomi tries to pull the hair of Rachel to get some attention.. Then our sweet Naomi is back with her hand full of markers which she intends to use on my lovely home decor. Yah.. Life in the Kolochuk home. You have to love it.

So, to escape this sweet chaos, I sneaked out of our kitchen and walked down the stairs to my little world of crafts. And as I finished my card that I had started late last night, I thought of what would be the 'best' moment for me to watch the news on Japan.. I have to admit, my heart doesn't do well when I see all that tragedy and destruction and sadness and fear in people. I thought for a second that I maybe shouldn't watch it all.. It is so depressing and I feel so powerless with it all.. But then again, I can't just ignore what is going on, in this world, that wouldn't be right... right? So I watched the news, after I finished my card..

To be honest... I don't even know what to say about it. It's just terrible.. And I wish I could do more than watch and pray and transfer money to people that are helping out there. But then again, I am a mom and I am needed here. I can't possible take the whole world on my shoulders..

So here I am.. the kids are doing their thing and I am posting my card for the day.. Like nothing happened. And I guess it's okay.. Not everything that I do in a day has to be that profound or meaningful!

I used the sketch from this weeks Mojo Monday Challenge #181 . I would have never come up with this design myself and I had to look at it many times before I had the courage to try it out. At this point, when I am writing this, there are already 228 people that have linked their blog to this Mojo Monday challenge #181. I loved seeing all their ideas. You should check it out, it's so fun.

• I hope you'll enjoy my version. I love how the Flower designer brads and the Basic Rhinestones from Stampin Up made this card so sparkly. All the layers of the Early Espresso, Crumb cake and the Baja Breeze card stock, really turned it onto a fun and happy card to send to one of my friends.

Well.. Life is waiting again. Have a beautiful day today.

Inky hugs, Pauline

Trendy Trees by Stampin Up and me

Hi dear you!

• How are you doing? I must say, that today I have a hard time with the 'writing-part' of my blog. Of course I want to say something like.. 'Happy Friday to you'. But on a day like this it seems so .. out of place!

I have been watching the news on Japan, where the earthquake and the Tsunami have hit. My heart goes out to all these people and their families and friends all over the world. It's so sad and so unbelievable. But the devastation is really happening out there. Oh Lord have mercy on them.

I find it so hard to continue with 'normal' life after watching these horrible images on tv. It makes everything so non-important. It is good that I have kids running around in my home that need my attention. They want to cuddle and play and eat and dress up and be silly.. they have no idea what is happening outside of their little world. They are just being kids, right?

That's why I posted a picture of them.. a picture with their smiles and their silliness all over it. They had so much fun and they really were the princesses in their own little world.

• I went to my little world in our home in Calgary and worked on this card. For the first time I used my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig tool from Stampin Up. I have owned this Trendy Trees set by Stampin Up for the last 2 years, but I have never EVER been able to line up these cute trees on any of my cards. It was always crooked.

But today I had a little 'celebration' happening in that tiny room of mine. I lined them up and it was so easy to do.. Wow!

If you don't have this tool. I so recommend it. And I'm not just saying that. Suddenly I have hope for a whole lot of stamp sets that I own. Please visit my online Stampin Up store to order one. I am positive that you will get so much good use out of this one! And with the Sale-a-Bration going on at SU, until the end of March you will receive a free stampset of your choice on any orders of $60 before taxes and shipping!

Inky hugs, Pauline

Build a Cup cake with the Cupcake punch by Stampin Up and me

Hi everyone.

Thanks for stopping by. Again it is such a treat to know that you take the time to hop over again. So welcome back!

• You know I think we are going to have an early Spring in Canada. I know, I know, you're right.. to be honest I have no clue what it's going to be.. But with our kids we are trying to look for the early signs of Spring. before I share with you what we saw, I like to introduce you to a silly holiday in the USA and Canada. And when I say silly.. I mean SILLY !!

Many Canadians take the time to observe Groundhog Day on February 2nd each year!

Thousands of years ago, people in the area of Europe now known as Germany, believed that the badger had the power to predict the coming of Spring. They watched the badger to know when to plant their crops. This tradition was brought over to the USA, predominantly in Pennsylvania, where it was the groundhog, not the badger, which makes these predictions. According to folklore, if the groundhog will sees it's shadow on february 2nd it will return to it's burrow, indicating that there will be six more weeks of winter. If it does not sees it's shadow, then Spring is on it's way.

This year Ontario's Wiarton Wille groundhog and Nova Scotia's Shubenacadie Sam groundhog did not see their shadows on Febr. 2nd. So according to them it will be an early Spring. (smile)

If you watch this holiday event on tv.. you see people all dressed up in old fashioned black clothes and high hats. They are only allowed to speak in the Pennsylvania German dialect and those who speak English have to pay a penalty, usually in the form of a dime or a nickel. There are lots of people with camera's trying to take a picture of the groundhog that comes out of some kind of hand made burrow.. It's fun, but silly..

• All that to say :) The other day I was watching with our kids, the bunnies that are hopping around our house.. And we noticed that this snow white bunny was changing color. His ears had turned all brown, but his body was still all white.. We got all excited, because to us that means Spring is coming. I know.. there is still every where snow.. but unlike the groundhog.. I think these brown ears are for real a sign of Spring coming, don't you think? We should start a new holiday. Bunny-ear-hop Day on March the 2nd.

I am just kiddin'. But I have to tell you, I am super excited that I think that we have hopped over the biggest Winter hoop this year..

For the cards today. I created these cards when I was over at my friends Diana's house. What a great time we had. We talked and created and we had the best Italian Cheese with tomatoes and crackers and herbs and spices.. Oh my was that ever good! I am adding this card into the Pals Paper Arts Challenge #84 There theme is is Spring! I am all for Spring. Afternoons in the early sun and having a cupcake in my hand and mouth :)

• I used my new Stampin Up Build a Cupcake Punch (#121807 - $26.61). I love it. I am sure that you too can whip up this adorable cupcake as well to sweeten your card or any paper crafting projects. Complete with frosting, cherry, a candle and sprinkles, you'll have a bunch of the pieces you need to decorate your cupcakes with scrumptious style for lots of different occasions.

I hope you'll enjoy the thought on these cards combined with the missing frosting :)

Inky hugs, Pauline

Punch bunch card by Stampin Up and the journey of Naomi's hips.

Naomi learning how to walk with her sister Rachel and friend and her brother Reuben behind her. Isn't it cute. I love it!

I love her littlle face.

Good morning dear you!

I hope your day is full of beautiful joys today! I have one in front of me. My 21 month old daughter Naomi Grace. Since a week she is actually able to walk. This is truly a miracle. She was born without hip sockets and her legs didn't have the length any bones should have to be able to reach her hips. They didn't even came near where here hips were supposed to be.

• In the normal anatomy of the hip joint, the root (the tight bone) is connected to the pelvis at the hip joint. The almost spherical end of the femur head fits into the acetabulum (a concave socket located in the pelvis) The bony surface of the femur head and the of the acetabulum are covered by cartilage. While bones provide the strength necessary to support body weight, cartilage ensures a smooth fit and a wide range of motion.

So our Naomi had none of that happening. She had a condition called: 'Hip dysplasia'.

Since she was born we have been in and out the hospital for check-ups. X-rays, adjustments to her cast. But what we all hoped for, didn't happen at all for the first 8 months of her life. When we talked to her doctor at the end of 2009, he told us that we might had to prepare ourselves for operations and her being in a wheel chair if nothing would change.

The week after that appointment I felt so down..

• As you maybe know from reading my blog before, I am so aware that there is a God in Heaven. I adore Him, I love His Son Jesus and I have seen Him do miracles and believe me, I asked Him to touch Naomi's body. Big time. My family did, our friends did.. But that week , it was difficult.. For me and my family it was a road less traveled. Would our Naomi have to limp her way through life! I knew God would be with her. He created her and I know He thinks the world of her with or without hip sockets. & I have learned in life that it is not always perfect (smile) and I am okay with that! But for some reason as a mom I wanted the best for my daugther.. and I guess that is okay too.
  
• About 4 weeks later on a Sunday we went to the Bethany Chapel in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. At a certain moment during the service the pastor asked if there was anyone who needed some prayer. My dear mother in law Carolyn, touched my shoulder and whispered: ' Why don't we ask prayer for Naomi?' It only took us a couple of seconds to get ourselves organised and as a family we we went to the front and told that dear pastor and the man that was with him a short version of our story. ' And we would love for God to give our Naomi hips'. I ended.

It was short prayer. Nothing fancy. But it was such a Holy moment to me. I so felt God's presence. It is hard to put in words, but I knew He was there with us. The pastor blessed Naomi and he asked God to bring healing to her body. He blessed us as parents and thanked God for Who He was and still is!

• On that Tuesday I went back with Naomi to see doctor Harder in the Children's Hospital. She needed some adjustments done to her cast that kept everything into place. When I saw the doctor he said.. 'You know what, why don't we take another X-Ray, just to see what is going on in there'.

After an hour we went to see him again and to see what was going on in Naomi little body. My heart was racing.. I was so curious if anything had happened that Sunday or if it was still the same as about a month ago.

• The doctor turned his computer on and looked at the X-ray. Oh.. 'I think something went wrong in here'.. he said while he clicked some buttons on the computer and he went to the X-Ray from about a month ago. Well.. he said, we are in Naomi's file.. then he clicked to the newest X-Ray from that day.. and the looked and looked again.. then he looked at me and back at the computer. 'Well, I guess you don't need me anymore!' he said.. 'What do you mean?' I asked the doctor. 'Well, I am looking at the hips of a healthy child. I told you it would happen, I didn't think it could happen this fast.. but it did happen and she is okay.. She has hips! '

I couldn't even blink my eyes. 'Oh my goodness' I said.. That is so amazing! Thank You, God! And.. yes thank you Doctor Harder.. but oh my.. Thank you God.. Doctor Harder was just looking at the X-Ray. Why don't you come back in October of 2010. Just to see what the progress is.

And there I walked out with Naomi, no cast on her body. I was so thankful. I looked around at the people in the waiting room with their little ones. Some of them were in wheel chairs, others were limping and others were still so tiny that they were only wearing a double diaper to keep the legs apart. Our daughter has hips, I said to one couple who had the tiniest little thing in their arms. the woman looked at me and started to have tears in her eyes. I think God did it, I said to her as I walked out.

I so believe that with the amazing help of Doctor Harder at the Children's Hospital in Calgary and God speeding up the process of forming Naomi's hips, Naomi got better. And now a year later Naomi is walking all by her self. She can dance and she can chase us and she is loving it! And don't get me started on her brother and sister. They are tickled pink about this whole thing. And they are telling everyone who likes to hear. And as parents and family and friends we are joining them.

Wow, Thanks for hanging in there with me. You know, for all ready so long I wanted to share this with you. And I am so glad I now did this morning. I hope it will encourage you.

It is like the theme of this weeks Stampin Sisters Challenge #79: The grass withers, the flower fades. But the word of God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8).

God says that He is a God of hope and that's why we should have hope, right! In His dictionary the word 'Hopelessness' doesn't exist. So that is good. Keep the faith dear you! There is hope!

I created this card for the SS Challenge #79. they asked us to use a Flower stamp image.. And that's what I did.

Enjoy today! Enjoy tomorrow and don't let this day slip through your fingers. There is a plan for this day. I am positive!

Inky hugs, Pauline

Punch Bunch and Lattice die by Stampin Up and me

Hi dear you.

Welcome (back) to my blog, I love to have you vist.

• Did you notice on one of the photo's our 2 cuties? I so love that picture. I took it yesterday in the afternoon. My brother in the Netherlands sends us everyday a song that we can listen too. He has many (MANY) amazing cd's and our kids are in love with his music. When a new song comes in through the email, we sit down and the party starts. It is like a new tradition in our home. The kids start dancing, they pretend to know the song and sing a long with it and sometimes we talk about the song and the meaning of it. So fun.. They are so into it.. I had to take some pictures.

It is also such a great way to connect to my dear brother and for my kids to be reminded of the fact that they also have family in Holland :) They are still so young. But this sure helps!

Anyway..

• Okay.. On to my card of the day :) Don't you love how this card turned out. I am so pumped up about it.. Now go ahead and grap the following supplies and stamp along with me.
• I used the Stampin Up Taken with teal card stock + the Classic SU Ink to ink up the image from my new Sale-a-Bration set I earned with my $60 purchase at Stampin Up. The set is called 'Punch a Bunch'. It has 5 different images and they all fit in the Punches that SU also offers.
• I used the 'Latice die' (#115958 - $29.95) from Stampin Up and rolled it through my Big Shot to cut out that pretty background. Wow, I love it. And it was so easy-peasy.
• I used another layer of Daffodil Delight SU card stock to brighten up the card a bit.
• 4 pearls gave this card it's very classy look!

And it is soon again weekend! I hope it warms up a bit here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Enough of the -20 Celcius. I like to get out of the house and do something fun with the kids!

Have a great weekend everyone.

Inky hugs, Pauline

We're back and unpacked in winter wonderland.

Our Reuben all bundled up heading to school early in the morning. So different from last week, when we all walked in our Summer gear.. Sigh.. I miss the sun....

Hi dear you!

Wow, that took me a while to get back on track in this household. It has been almost a week ago that we came back home from Mexico and yesterday was the first day I took the time to create again. I loved it.. But it's not the same. I think I left my Mojo in the heat of the sun.

We had such a great time.. and we so miss Ray and Carolyn. They turned our holiday into a beautiful blast! They are the sweetest grand parents to our kids. I miss their presence and their love for all of us.

• I created this card for Malann and Nathan, our dear friends. I am going to give it to them with some fun spices I bought for them in Mexico!

When we came home late on Thursday night (Nathan picked us up from the airport) There were Tulips in our home to welcome us (Yes this means a lot to this Dutch woman) and there was milk in our empty fridge. They got us a bread and fruit and sandwich meat.. Now how thoughtful is that? I was just so touched by that simple gesture.. but it meant so much to me..that I didn't have to run to the grocery store the next morning. They are so so sweet to us. And the best thing is in about 2 weeks, we will be neighbours! Just perfect!

• I hope the photo I took does justice to this card.. because I dry embossed the card with the 'Elegant Bouguet embossing folder' from Stampin Up. Isn't it the cutest thing ever?
• I used the textured Peach Parfait cardstock from stampin Up as a base for this card. It just pops so nicely with the tempting Turquoise color, don't you think?
• The Basic grey from Stampin Up really gives it that elegant look, that I was going for.

Well.. I am in the middle of cleaning my oven.. What a project.. I sure need a shower after this finishing.. But it is sure worth it! I love a clean oven :)

Inky hugs, Pauline