Tuesday 14 June 2011

CCG 196 Golden Days and a birthday card

Monday came and went and so did Tuesday. These next few weeks up till Midsummer (24 June) will be completely hysterical at work, everything has to be finished before the Swedish summer hols set in. It doesn't leave as much time for scrapping or for commenting as I would like, so I apologize in advance for my at times seeming absence.

Anyhow. Last Friday saw the release of beautiful summery palette 196 over at CCG; don't you just love the names Debbi and Janet came up with!

This week's Designer Challenge: Focus on Topic - What do you love about summer? So what is your favorite thing to do? How do you enjoy your summer? Such a broad topic, hope you have fun with it! Create a project - layout or card, using this themed topic. Cardmakers can create a fun summer card!!! The Designers made a fabulous job this week, I hope you are inspired!
A little note: Grease is one of my all-time favorite movies, this challenge week is dedicated to Jeff Conaway, the actor who played Kenickie, Danny Zuko's best friend. He passed away May 27, 2011.


Swedish winter sets in at the end of October and doesn't release its icy grip till March, it gets pitch black at 3 o'clock in the afternoon and people hybernate, desperately dreaming of spring and summer to come. No wonder Scandinavians live life at triple speed during June-July and August just to savour every single second of the light and warmth. So asking what I love about summer or how I spend it is pushing my happy button!

I love that its light, almost 24 hours a day. Living where I do, also means a lot of my life is focused on every aspect of water; being in it, on it, by it, near it. The first day of my vacation is blissful, I'm letting my feet out of their high heels, I'm not wearing any make-up, I take long leisurely breakfasts, stay up as late as I want, and ... finally I get to read all the books that have been waiting to be read. Summer is just a long string of Golden Days.

196_Golden Days-main 4000px

I chose this photo of my MIL (to the left) and her SIL half a century ago, because it shows them doing exactly what I do today; loving the sun, the scent of green grass, flowers and enjoying a perfect summers day.

196_Golden Days 2 - 4000px

Here I have cut strips of cardboard rather than used a square of it to mimic the ground and placed scrunched up torn pieces from an old book in between the cardboard strips as symbols of the books I read. The two text strips say the same, the one in English says "Reading books in the hammock". A daisy of course, the typical summer flower.

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More flowers of course. The torn out threads of muslin is like the white fluff of dandelions that fly about in the summer. I'm really letting my hair out! The buttons are for unbuttoning my office clothes and stepping into my baggy comfy shorts.

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The splatter of TA mist in Patina is for the omnipresent water and the strip of canvas for the garden umbrellas and sails.

196_Golden Days 6 -4000px

I used these papers because I think they are pretty and have both a summery, maritime and old-worldy feel to them. All of them, except the teal one, which is white cardstock that I have misted in TA Patina, are from Swedish designer Maja. Same lines that I used in my previous LO 195 Paradise. Oh yes, and the scattered petals and stamens are there because I was cutting up a Prima flower and dropped the whole thing on my page. Thought it looked rather whimsical so I decided to stick them down where they had more or less ended. I matted the photo in black and hand stitched on the photo and on one of the papers. Black card stock used as well.

Yesterday was the 60th birthday of one of my colleagues at work and I had been asked by the other ladies to make a card that we could leave together with our present. Margareta, as her name is, loves flowers so with the scraps I still had sitting on our kitchen table after having made the page for OUAS' 1 June challenge, I made this:

Grattis Margareta JUN2011-main

The papers are K&Co Julianna and the sunflowers I bought at John Lewis' haberdashery department in Oxford Street, London. The doily is from Chip Chop Shop and the tiny glazed brad is BG Curio. "Grattis" means "congrats" in Swedish.

Grattis Margareta JUN2011-2

Thank you so much for your visit and for bearing with my ramblings! Hope you have a good rest of the week, take care all of ya!

xoxox Eila

14 comments:

  1. For en fantastisk nydelig LO du har laget!! Så lekkert med bølgepappen og gamle boksider. Og misten oppi hjørnet! Forresten et herlig bilde av to damer som virkelig nyter sommeren :)
    Herlig kort du har laget også.
    Ønsker deg en fortsatt fin (og hektisk) uke!
    Klem

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  2. wauw beautiful page great layering and so many cool details .Love the color combo ...but time i need more than 24 hours..lol..
    Sweet card you made to love how yout put the flowers and leaves..
    have a lovely day byebye<lean

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  3. What a glorious page just love all the distressing and the GM and the layers and most of all the photo ...what a keepsake

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  4. Wow! Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous lo! Love the layers and what you used on this...just absolutely fab! That card is beautiful as well!

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  5. For en fantastisk flott LO!!! Elsker den! Helt nydelig med alle lagene, og den lille dæsjen med blått innimellom! Og bildet.....er jo bare supert! :)
    Ha en fin kveld, Eila.
    Klem Brit

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  6. Wht a work of ssewing... great great! Like this!

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  7. Eila...I'm completely awestruck by the top layout, featuring the pics of your mother-in-law and her sis-in-law...your use of corrugated cardboard is stunningly beautiful, as well as a wonderful way of adding touch-me texture to the piece! I also love the way you incorporated the scrap of lace! Breathtaking!

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  8. Beautiful layout and gorgeous card. Love your blog wall paper as well. I have to agree the days just get away from us. Don't get half as much achieved as I would like.

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  9. Both your layout and card are simply superb! I really love all the texture and dimension on your layout. Love the circular design with the doilie center and stitching...love the cluster of flowers, the fab B&W photo...and I especially love your crumpled book paper and card strips...as I said on CCG, I think you're incredibly clever to use this to represent all the books you've read. It adds such wonderful dimension and it's such an interesting element on your page. Really, well done! I hear you with regards to work commitments...I too am working like a maniac, and so I'm starting to fall behind with commenting. :) Finding time to scrap is becoming some what of a challenge and a squeeze these days. Anywayz...good luck with all your work and take care.

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  10. I for one look forward to your ramblings my dear friend! Oooh you make those Swedish summers sound so delightful that I don't think you should scrap or blog for 3 months - just take the time off to enjoy the incredible season! I love your layout & think the CCG colour combos are always so tasteful & classy, especially the pale shades that I so love. Such beauty & significance in this piece too & what a pretty card for your colleague. Love your real doily there. I finally located some in Australia & ordered them online so very excited to receive those! Happy scrapping for tomorrow :)

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  11. Eila, thunsed "thank you" : I have the K and C° papers.. at home. I buy this paper at scrappapier... thank you!!!
    hughs
    a good day for you

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  12. Hi Eila, busy as bees we seem to be but still we find the time to follow our passion to scrap LOL! Love this one for CCG so stunning, love all the elements and once again a fantastic old picture. Your card is gorgeous love the flowers and leaves, so pretty. Hope you get some time this weekend to scrap and enjoy life Doreen x

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  13. This has to be one of my favorites from your gallery, Eila! I adore this page and the photograph is fabulous.

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  14. I LOVE IT!!! Beautiful!!!! love the vintage photo and what you did with the corrugate and the paper book...Super Cool detail..love it!!! and the clusters flowers with buttons, the papers, the stitching, the crochet doilies...well as you see I love everything here...Beautiful work my friend!!!! HUGS!!!! :D

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