scrappassion

An Award That Makes Me Smile

I received this award from my new friend Eileen Bellomo, met during the Artful Voyage to Mexico, with Tim Holtz and Wendy Vecchi. I'm very happy and truly honored that she gave it to me along with other 4 blogs. Now it's my job to award 5 blogs that make me smile. Without further ado here they are:

Elina -  she's one of the funniest girls I've ever met and her blog just describes her personality: always bubbling and full of things going on. She's very talented and very innovative in her scrapbooking. She's my best Greek friend!

Lisa - she's my scrapping friend from Australia. I just love reading her blog, and her photos are gorgeous! Her stories of her trips and journeys are fabulous.

Letizia - she creates fantastic ATCs. I just love to browse her blog and admire all her masterpieces. Because of her I started to do ATCs but they are not for me. I stopped after creating ONE series :)

Denise - I love to read Denise's blog. She is so funny and some of her stories just crack me up. She writes mainly in English on her blog but on Fridays her posts are in French and some other time she writes in Spanish. So good for me to practice my dormient French and even poorer Spanish! Other than that she's a very talented scrapbooking instructor and I have had the great pleasure of attending her classes and will do that in the near future again. Love her projects!

Ronda - last but not least is Ronda Palazzari's blog. I've gotten to know her through Cocoa Daisy forum where she is a Daisy Diva. She's truly talented and I love to read her blog. There's always something new and interesting going on there.

There are many other blogs that I like and that put a smile on my face, but I had to choose 5.

Now the second part of this award: I have to tell 5 things about me that you probably don't know about me:

1. When I sleep I have to have one foot out of the covers and sheets otherwise I feel like I'm suffocating.

2. I translate the soap opera Days of Our Lives for the Finnish TV.

3. I've worked at a cemetary (planting flowers and taking care of the lawns), in an icecream booth, at a concert hall (taking people's coats), delivering telegrams and as a phone operator.

4. I am a translator in French language but have not been using French for 30 years.

5. Next year I'll celebrate with my hubby our 28th wedding anniversary.

Enjoy - Nov 1st challenge

I've created this layout for TheStudio's Nov 1st Challenge.

We had to use a sketch, some glimmer and the journaling had to be about something we wish or hope for. I flipped the sketch, used two different glimmer mists and my journaling says: I hope that you will always have the desire to launch into new things without any fear.

Daddy's Girl

This layout is all about layering: I used Heidi Swapp Mask, gesso, stamping, magic mesh, cotton ribbon, diecuts, staples, buttons, flowers, a black Glaze pen and patterned papers to create layers.

The papers are from the fabulous BG collection "Marrakech" , I used my new INKADINKADO stamps and Tim Holtz's game spinner, American Crafts thickers and some SEI perforated tickets. These are all new. From my older stash I used Distress Ink, the Prima flowers, BG buttons, MM alpha rub-on (LOVE THEM), gesso and dymo.

Instead of gesso I probably should have just used white paint because the cardstock warped a little bit too much but I wanted to give it more dimension.

I'm so very happy about how this layout turned out. The photo was taken on Kristina's last day at home before she left for New Zealand. She's truly Daddy's girl!

some details

    

    

Sfida OMS

"3 is company" è il titolo del mio layout che ho creato per la sfida su OMS. Questo mese la sfida consiste nello scrapliftare un LO di Tobina.

"3 is company" is the title of my layout that I created for the OMS challenge. This month we have to scraplift one of Tobina's layouts.

Questa è la mia interpretazione.This is my page.

Ho usato le nuovissime carte di Basic Gray "Nook & Pantry" che sono bellissime. Gli abbellimenti sono i diecut di Crate Paper e i doilies della SEI. I chipboard lettere sono di Crate Paper e di American Crafts.

Bubbles

Un'altro layout seguendo gli sketch di Inspired Blueprints. Questo è il numero 32.

I created this layout following Inspired Blueprints sketch # 32

e questa è la mia interpretazione.

This is my interpretation.

Last port-of-call Cabo San Lucas

Il porto che mi è piaciuto più di tutti. Venerdì mattina quando siamo attraccati questa è la vista che ci offriva Cabo San Lucas.

This was by far the best port-of-call for me. This is how Cabo San Lucas welcomed us on Friday morning.

These are the tenders which transport cruisers back and forth.

Just a fun and colorful ad at port.

Our excursion was Sun & Fun Snorkel Cruise and this was our cruise boat.

First we cruised along the shoreline of Baja California Sur to Playa del Amor, Lover's Beach, which is on the Sea of Cortez side. Here you can swim and snorkel. On the opposite side (on the Pacific Ocean) is the Playa del Divorcio, where it's strongly advised against swimming and snorkeling due to the waves and currents.

Landìs End (Finisterra) is the southernmost point of the Baja California. Its rock formation is quite unique.

The Arch (El Arco) is the passage to the Pacific. On this side is the Sea of Cortez and on the other side is the Pacific Ocean.

Land's End from the Pacific side. On the background Playa El Médano, the most popular beach on the Baja California, right beside the harbor.

Getting near Chileno Bay

Snorkeling at Chileno Bay

Playa Chileno

First time snorkeling for Giulia, Valentina and Martha. I tried it for the second time and didn't like it any better than the first time. It's just not for me!

This was more me: free margaritas onboard :)

Valentina and Martha ended up dancing onboard.

Last glance at Cabo.

And this is my last update on the Artful Voyage to Mexico. What a cruise!!!!!

Inspired by Wendy + other projects

La domenica scorsa la figlia dei nostri amici si è laureata. Le ho fatto una card prendendo ispirazione da  Wendy Vecchi. Ho usato i suoi timbri favolosi di Studio 490 by Stampers Anonymous,  il grungepaper di Tim Holtz, Distress Inks, cardstock nero e kraft ed un pezzettino di merletto.

Last Sunday our friends' daughter graduated from university. The card I created for her was inspired by Wendy Vecchi. I used her fabulous stamps Studio 490 by Stampers Anonymous and some grungepaper from Tim Holtz,Distress Inks, some black and kraft cardstock and a piece of lace.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ho prodotto altri 3 layout questi giorni: 2 sono per l'album del 2007 (mesi gennaio ed ottobre) e l'ultimo è un layout su Andrea che si sta divertendo con i pantaloni del padre. Ho timbrato il titolo "enjoy the journey" con il timbro di Tim Holtz, che ho comprato al Market place sulla nave, direttamente sulla foto usando lo staz-on nero.

I've created 2 layouts for my 2007  year-in-a-review album (January and October) and the last layout is of Andrea who is goofing around in his dad's jeans. I stamped the title with Tim Holtz's stamp "enjoy the journey" which I bought at the Market place on the ship, directly on the photo with black staz-on.

 
Valentina, Andrea and I have all our birthday in January.

 
One of the scariest moments of my life when Kristina had a motor scooter accident which could have been fatal.

Puerto Vallarta

Che avventura! Avevamo scelto l'escursione Jeep Safari and Beach adventure e lo era davvero!

What an adventure! We had chosen Jeep Safari and Beach adventure and we had the time of our lives!

We started out by admiring on the dock Rosita, the parakeet. Here Rosita is with Martha.

Here Rosita is with Elina. I think they didn't click - or at least Rosita didn't: she pooped on Elina! Bad Bird!

Our jeep

  and our fearless driver Elina!

and our tour guide Pepè

 

We went off-road to go into the mountains of Sierra Madre and we were given bandanas.(could keep them as souvenirs!) The dust was everywhere.

We visited a village where the ninos offered us yarn bracelets made by them.

On the way back we stopped at a tequila factory and learned how tequila is made. This is blue agave, the plant out of which tequila is made.

Only the core or the fruit, the pina, which resembles a giant pineapple is used for tequila.

After the process of shredding, crushing, pressing the juice and letting it ferment, the tequila is distilled for the first time. After the second time it is diluted and bottled and we have Silver tequila. Reposado is obtained from tequila which has aged in an oak barrell minimum 2 months but less than a year. Anejo has aged from 1 to 3 years in an oak barrell. You could tell the difference in taste!

 

Arriva, abajo, al centro, para dentro!

My first margarita ever! It does have a smoky taste. Not bad but I didn't fall in love with it:)

Back to the city and the waterfront.

The beach was beautiful

Hand painted ceramic plates. Why didn't I buy one?? I bought a suitcase in Puerto Vallarta, I could have bought a plate!

 

Just passed by la Catédral Basìlica de la Inmaculada Concepcion

It's a long way to home from there!

Loved Puerto Vallarta.

Tomorrow Cabo San Lucas.

When did THIS happen?

Questo layout l'ho fatto per la sfida di scraplift su Cocoa Daisy

La prima foto è della fine di 1998 quando Kristina aveva 15 anni, Andrea solo 11 mesi e Valentina 13 anni. La seconda è stata scattata all'inizio di settembre di questo anno appena prima che Kristina partisse per la Nuova Zelanda. Hanno rispettivamente 26, 11 e 24 anni. Io mi chiedo dove è volato tutto questo tempo??

I made this layout for the Oct scraplift on Cocoa Daisy

The first photo was taken at the end of 1998 when Kristina was 15 years old, Andrea only 11 months and Valentina 13 years old. I took the second shot at the beginning of September of this year, right before Kristina moved to New Zealand. They are 26, 11 and 24 years old. I wonder where the time went???

and a detail of the layout

Registration open

for the exclusive scrapbooking event in Greece,
Cocoa Daisy Destinations MYKONOS 2010

more info here