Sara Sandberg

Clouds and Altered Dominoes!

Do you like cloud watching?! I constantly do it - and my family then have to study the sky and try to work out how on earth I could see something in what to them is just a fluffy white cloud!

But there is no mistaking this fierce creature about to bite the cloud in front!

Then a crocodile appeared at the bottom of the sky!

And there was definitely something mousy about this one!

Did you see the pictures of the fabulous domino swap our Cardmaking Paradise members took part in? If you missed them, you can see them here. They are all stunning, and I think it's the best swap collection yet from our talented ladies.

This one was made by Yasmin.

News from the Sandberg household this week is a bit dark! We had a power cut yesterday that started at 11.30 - which is fine, we often have them, and they don't last long. It stopped being fine when my laptop ran out of battery though - I was absorbed in creating a new template! And it wasn't funny when a call I had scheduled to a friend in the US couldn't be made with no laptop and internet!

However, I had a hair appointment in the afternoon, so at least I would get a cup of tea and be warm there. Until I realised my car was in the garage, behind the electric garage door! So I couldn't get out! I bet the hairdressers have never had a call before saying "I can't get out, we have a power cut and my car is stuck in the garage!"

The kids arrived home from school/college and gradually realised as they turned on computers, lights, kettle that life without electricity was boring! Gradually though, everyone settled down. We watched the beautiful sunset, then Max and I filled up the firewood basket and made a lovely fire. As the darkness fell Nicole filled the house with lit candles, while I kept my mobile close ready to call the firebrigade!!! Nicole's answer to anything is to sit in the bath for four hours, which she did even though she had to walk up and down stairs with saucepans full of hot water!!! Max and I enjoyed watching the fire in the candle light. In fact, when the power came on later that evening, Max asked if we could still turn all the lights off and pretend the power was still off! So they realised there is life without electricity after all - but thank goodness we could all get up this morning and turn our computers on again!

My husband comes home from his skiing holiday tomorrow, so all will be back to normal (whatever that is!!!). And I have the most lovely project for you all next week - I can't wait to share it with you!

Have a lovely weekend!

Smiles,

Valentines Day Cards

Happy Valentines Day! I finally finished the triple heart easel card I was making for Jesper. You will have seen the beginning of it in the project at Cardmaking Paradise - it is turning out to be one of my favourite designs!

I was so wrapped up in making it, I tied the bow and cut the ribbons so that it looked lovely - and then realised I hadn't written in it!!! I didn't want to untie the ribbon, so I thought I'd leave it for Jesper to open, and then write in it when he wasn't looking!

I also made this one to send to Holly at Uni.

The project is here if you would like to make one of these cards - it's really quick and easy to do!

I hope you are all having a day filled with love!

Smiles,

Domestic Goddess in training!!!

It was two of our lovely forum ladies birthdays this week, Pam and Netti, so I decided to do something different than a card for them. We have decorations for Christmas - I think we should have some for birthdays too!

The domino swap we are doing at the moment at Cardmaking Paradise has me hooked - I just can't leave them alone!

I have used a picture I took on holiday at Christmas, and cropped and sized it for the domino.

You should see the fantastic dominoes that are being sent from all around the world for the swap!  The deadline is the 17th, so there's still time to join in if you want to!  And not long to wait to see the pictures!

Our Design Team have come up trumps again with the new project on the site. Below is Lainey's example;

If you have children to entertain over half term they will love this! You will find the project here.

In the Sandberg household; Nicole is going to visit Holly at university this weekend, so I have been doing my wannabe domestic goddess thing, and made pots and pots of butternut squash soup and chilli for her to take up and fill Holly's freezer with! A lesson I learnt though, is that if you are going to try to be a domestic goddess to the extent that you even put an apron on, make sure the ties aren't hanging down when you go for a wee!  Too much information?!! Sorry!!!  I'm a long way from being Nigella that's for sure!

Have a lovely weekend! Enjoy the new project.

Smiles,

Triple Heart Easel Card

I think I'm going to have to give up showers! I call my shower cubicle my thinking chamber, and it's just working overtime at the moment! So there I was this week putting a project online, when a new idea perfect for valentines day popped into my head while I was in my thinking chamber! Lainey very kindly made some fantastic examples of the design, Di created the mtc and Studio files, and just 3 days later it was online!

It's very easy to cut out and put together, so come along and give it a go! You will find the project here.

We have a bit of a dilemma in the Sandberg family at the moment. We have our holiday at Christmas time, and are just booking our 2012 trip. However, I have just read that the world is going to end on the 21st December - and that's the date we were going to go! So - do we go the day before and at least have one rum punch, do we carry on with that date and risk having nothing for the plane to land on - and do we bother booking a return flight??!!!  I wonder if the people making these predictions have predicted anything after that date!? After all, to do so would be to admit they don't really know, to not make any further predictions leaves them with no further attention! As I am typing this on my computer that wasn't effected by the millenium bug that was predicted at the turn of the century, I  am not actually too worried!

We had a lovely day at my sister's farm at the weekend.

The cousins love being together, and my sister even managed to rustle up enough bikes for them all to ride!

Have a great week everyone, and enjoy the new project.

Smiles,

Wow! Look at this work of art!

As you may know, we are holding a domino swap on the site at the moment, and so I am getting some interesting shaped packages arriving in the post from around the world. One arrived in quite a big box from New Zealand - but on Wednesday the most humungous box was delivered!  And when I discovered what was in the box my eyes nearly popped off their little stalks!!!

This is probably just under half a metre high, and is thick wood. Netti bought it from a gift shop, and altered it as a gift for me! How kind is that?! I am so touched, she is such a talented crafter - it's amazing to have something so wonderful made for me!

There is so much attention to detail on it. You can see what the tree looked like originally on Netti's Blog. Basically, it was an almost luminous green all over! Look how beautiful it is now!

And not just on one side - both sides are like this!

Even the base is given special attention with this lovely stencilling. Thank you Netti so much for this fabulous gift. I am really touched.

Other news this week is that we have a new project on the site - a simple way of adding a frame to a card to finish it off nicely. It also shows you how a way of using the photos we have on the site.

You will find the project here.

News on the Sandberg Family front is that all equipment is up and running or replaced, so we are released from washing up duties! Actually, there wasn't really a 'we' about washing up duties! 'I' am now released from washing up duties!

I took the girls to see James Morrison a year or so ago at Wembly Arena and we had a lovely time - so when Holly saw he was playing at Southampton Guildhall she asked if she could get tickets for us to go and see him. The tickets arrived this week - and I quickly spotted they were for standing in the stalls. It made me realise that although the inside remains 21, the outside is rebelling as my first thought was that I wanted to sit down to watch him!!! I then realised that the minute we walked in there, the girls would abandon me to work their way to the front, and I would be stood there like Billy No Mates by myself!

I mentioned this to Nicole, who agreed this was exactly what would happen (she even said she had been thinking that we should go in separate cars!!) but said "Never mind Mum, you can just stand there and nod your head and sway like you usually do when you are enjoying the music and don't know the words!"  I shot her an indignant look - and then realised she is right, that is exactly what I do!!!

I have received my samples from the Design Team for next weeks project, and can't wait to show you!

Have a great weekend!

Smiles,