Preikestolen, Norway

Here are a few more pictures from my adventures in Norway. I went hiking with some of my cousins to a very popular spot - Preikestolen. It is a 604m high mountain above the Lysefjord. I am still in awe that I actually went out on its surface at the top. I don't like heights.


We stopped for a picture before we started our trek because I knew that in a few minutes I would be sweating like crazy. Don't we all still look so happy here?!


There were endless rocks to climb up... and then down on the way back!


Then 3 or 4 times on the trail, there were these wooden walkways over the marsh. This is my cousin, Roald.


Almost there... the view was already breathtaking and I wasn't even at the top yet!



With my cousin, Siren... thumbs up that we made it to the top!


This was so hard to do. I know I have a big smile on my face, but I could hardly look over the edge. Such a long way down....


No matter which way we looked when we were up there, we found incredible views.



About a week before this, I broke my toe (well, how can you really know a toe is broken.. it went all shades of purple and hurt like crazy to put pressure on. Even putting these shoes on hurt. One the way up this hike, I curled the toes of my right foot so my pinky didn't have any pressure on it. If it wasn't broken, I'd be surprised!) so I was happy to get these feet to the top. But I knew that I wouldn't have this kind of opportunity again (at least not for a long time... 3 weeks in Europe without kids? I couldn't believe this trip happened in the first place! My husband is so great!) and that's why I didn't want to say no just for a baby toe!

Left - Andreas... Right - me :)


It blows me away that every year more than 120,000 people hike this trail to the top, and nobody has fallen off. (Except for base jumping, which more often happens down the fjord a ways, but has taken place at Preikestolen, too). I have seen much lesser trails roped off in Canada because they think it's too dangerous.

This doesn't look too bad, eh? Well, I couldn't look down sitting like this. We were on the edge, that you can see in the following picture.


For the picture above, Siren stood here (see below) and zoomed across to the pulpit where we were sitting. That was scarier than looking over the edge for me.




Again, this is my cousin, Roald. I tried to talk him out of this, but he wouldn't listen ;) Someone said I sounded like a mother! Hahaha... well, I am a mother, and if I ever see my kids doing something like this, I won't be too happy! But I did feel slightly better with Terje close by him.


I highly recommend this hike... if you live in the area, or not, it is worth it!

Open House - Wednesday

Just a reminder that my Open House is this Wednesday evening from 7 - 9:30.

Come on out and browse the new catalogue*

Last chance to get Summer mini catalogue products

*(catalogues will be available for $10,
or free with purchase of $25 or more.
1 catalogue per person).

Free make and takes

Retired products for sale

Coffee and snacks

Bring a friend!

Email me if you need directions to my house

Hope to see you then!

My Great-Aunt is a scrapbooker...

While we were in Norway, I was delighted to discover that my great-aunt (my Morfar's sister) is a scrapbooker. She proudly showed the books that she has put together, some with photos and journaling, and some with saved goodies like newspaper clippings and other special memories. It was so fun to go through these and see her creativity, and the things that have meant enough to her to save over the years, and share with others.






Then, we went for a walk, and I took this picture of my great-aunt, my mom and my aunt... and, do you know my first thought? "I can't wait to scrapbook this photo!"

Some crafty ladies (and guys :) in Norway...

One of the things my aunt mentioned before we headed off to Norway was that she wanted to get into cardmaking. And, that others there are into scrapbooking. So... I made sure to save some room in my suitcase for some stamps and ink to take along for gifts. We had an evening of creating cards with all the girls, and the boys thought it looked like so much fun that they even jumped into make some!





Look how many got made!!

Trip of a lifetime...

I am home. My mom and I had such an amazing trip to Norway, and we are safely home again now. Thanks mom, for a great trip! Tusen Takk to all the people who we met and stayed with and ate with and laughed with in Norway. Thank you so much for making our trip one to remember for always.

Over the next while, I will post pictures and stories from our trip. I took 2361 pictures, so I promise I won't show them all, but I will share some of them!!

We met so many great people, and so many relatives. I think I am possibly related to half of Norway!! Even just while we were standing in the square shopping, we met so many people that were related to us. That was such a different experience. We were introduced to them by another cousin who was with us at the time. She would say, "Oh, here's a cousin of yours" or "this is your grandma's first cousin" etc. I met my uncle for the first time on this trip, and saw many people who have visited us in Canada before. We met 1st, 2nd and 3rd cousins all once or twice removed, as well as great aunts and uncles that I've never met before, and the list goes on!

Everyone was so welcoming, and we felt the hospitality and generosity of everyone constantly. The food was amazing, the sights were unbelievable and the coffee pot never rested!


Food... amazing. This was a welcome cake that my aunt made. It is covered in marzipan, which I happen to love!!


Yummmm.... these little guys were at our welcome party, too!


This was from our early morning flight between Norway and Holland. Loved it that I got a window seat!




Fresh seafood was in abundance. I loved it!




A dip in the North Sea... brrrr... but very refreshing on a hot day, and I got over the coldness of the water pretty quickly.


More pictures to come - thanks for stopping by! Hope you have all been having a great summer so far!

Birdie Thanks

By the time this card posts, (this is the last of my scheduled posts) I should be home again from Norway... so, this is a special "Thank you so much" card dedicated to the great hospitality of my family in Norway.


Stay tuned for my pictures (I'm sure there will be many!) and posts about my trip to Norway.... once I'm over jet lag :)

Happy Anniversary!

It was the Summer of '69.......

More than just Bryan Adams can sing about that great summer, and the history made in the summer of '69. My mom and dad tied the knot August 16th of that year, and it was a strong knot that can't be broken.

Happy 42nd anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Later this year, Steve and I will celebrate our 10th anniversary, and when I asked him what we should do to celebrate, he jokingly said, "well, you're going to Norway with your mom!" I think that is more fittingly what my dad should say to my mom, because here we are, on the other side of the world, and he is at home without her on their anniversary - probably eating chicken noodle soup. Hope you're having a great day, dad. We'll see you soon!!

I know that some of these photos have appeared in my posts before, but I still love these snapshots of my parents together.



This is where it all began... the lighthouse at the end of the breakwater in Victoria - my dad proposed and she was speechless. So half an hour later, he asked again! hahah! I guess she thought she'd answered him. So she made sure she said "yes" out loud that time!!


August 16, 1969. So cute! They've hardly changed a bit!

New Purse

Before I left for Norway, I wanted to make a new purse to take along. It needed to be big enough to fit my camera, wallet, some paperwork (tickets/passport, etc) and a book, as well as a light sweater. It also couldn't be too big, because otherwise I might not be allowed that plus a carry on bag!!

The pattern that I (loosely) used can be seen HERE. I say "loosely" because who am I kidding? I don't think I've ever followed a pattern from start to finish... I guess I get sidetracked, or make a mistake and just try to fix it without having to seam rip... Or I don't cut my fabric quite right, so it ends up being a modification. Another reason I often don't follow patterns is that there are sometimes just too many words to read. I like following the pictures!! But, I have to say I quite like how my bag turned out, and perhaps I should just say I got the idea from this site. My dimensions are totally different, but if you want to make a bag like this, I recommend you follow this gal's pattern because she put a lot of work into the tutorial, and isn't it nice that she shared her pattern, free, online for everyone to enjoy!? Thanks for sharing :)

I got my new goodies from Stampin' Up! just in time before I left, and was able to sew my purse. The SU! fabric, called Timeless Portrait, was almost enough to make the whole purse, but because of the direction of the design in one pattern, I had to add a couple strips of a black I had on hand. So, the following pics are the SU! fabric.



Here's the finished purse....

Bzzzzzzz!

Bees are really in right now. Sounds funny, I know... but they are. They are popular on children's clothing (that's REALLY odd to me, because bees hurt people) home decor, scrapbook pages, stamp sets, purses, etc. They are very striking to look at, but at the same time, when they decide to strike, look out!

Already this summer, a friend of ours got attacked by bees and ended up with 14 stings. The poor guy is going to have a phobia for the rest of his life.

But, back to the image of bees. There is something about black and yellow together that just appeals. here are some bees that I've just left as line art, but they still intrigue me.


I popped a couple cut out bees off the card in this next one. Thought it gave them an illusion of movement. Don't read too much into the red colouring... these are just your regular bees :)

Nice and Neutral

Bees, birds and bird cages, along with a vintage feel... these are things that you will find in many crafting lines right now. I love the vintage sets that Stampin' Up! has out right now, and I am the proud owner of several of them, including the set that this card was made from:

Nature Walk (w-116998, c-120495)

Simple Lines

I love it when a stamp can stand alone. This is one of my favourite stamps of all time. It is from the set Concerto, and it was the very first stamp set I bought from Stampin' Up!. It was retired several years ago. I love that I can stamp it in black and leave it alone, or I can colour it in and give it a whole new look, but that isn't necessary because it is such a strong stamp all on its own.