Au Scraps

scrapbooking again!

2011-10-10T17:30:00.021+08:00

it's been a loooong hiatus... but, once again, i am back. i've learned to appreciate the fact that there will always be times when life will get too hectic or i will get too lazy to blog. i almost always bounce back though, so here i am again.

My good friends, Tin and Mitch, organized a Scrap Laureat fairly recently and this has helped enormously to reboot my sleeping scrapbooking mojo. She also sent me a new Studio Azul kit to guest as part of the DT (design team) for one of her latest kits, along with Nita as a scrap-buddy. Will post those layouts/mini album when i'm done, hopefully soon. for now, i am posting some layouts i've finished these past couple of months but have not posted yet.

this layout was done to test run the Scrap Laureat table. the photo came off my iPhone and was printed impromptu because Tin also generously provided us with a printer (Tin does EVERYTHING generously!) for the testing day. i think it turned out pretty well for someone who hasn't touch glue and paper in a really long time :-)

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the two layouts above are all about my analog obsessions: collecting typewriters and vinyl records. they are supposed to be part of a series of 4, the others being vintage cameras and fountain pens. i also love old rotary telephones and--a recent offshoot of collecting typewriters-- vintage typewriter ribbon tins. but that's a recent "thing" for me and it's for another story.

i also tried doing, for the first time, some technique on this layout that i picked up from friends Ime Oranga and Cabbie Lopez. it's sort of a masking technique with molding paste. the effect is those 3D ornate borders you see on the layout. thanks Ime for lending me some Liquitex molding paste too! :-)

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i have a friend and fellow scrapbooker i admire a lot, Christine Villacarlos, we playfully dubbed CV. she scrapbooks very fast and and makes painless and refreshing, elegantly designed layouts. she is practically a complete opposite to me. i do fussy pages and usually with not a lot of white space. on this layout, it tried (very hard!) to do it her way. lo and behold, i did finish very quickly and i liked the result too!

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i've unearthed a project that i wanted to do just before i dropped scrapbooking for the nth time. it was these photo of my youngest daughter and son getting acquainted with a catterpillar from our small front yard. though i'd finally finish it up.

i've added a hidden journaling message for them. i like little surprises like these. hopefully, they will appreciate sometime in the future. it reads:

we found this catterpillar--among a few others--right on our front garden. you guys were a little apprehensive to touch it at first but after i handled it and showed you how, you became braver and even found it cute!

i hope you always keep that sense of wonder and curiosity of the things in your world, my babies. because, just like that little caterpillar you held in your hand, you are a future butterfly and will spread you wings, far and wide!

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found this picture among our lot of vacation photos when we went to Baguio. when i took the snapshot, i didn't plan to capture my little boy, Raj, as he was bickering at Reine about some little thing. but i thought his facial expression was so funny, i just had to get it printed and scrapbooked! the journaling reads:

it's really funny how you two silly kids carry on. you probably fight at least 10 times a day, saying all sorts of ridiculous things you likely picked up from Spongebob. yet, you always make up 5 mins. later, playing like nothing happened. i hope you keep this spirit of resilience and your good humor till you grow up because no matter what you do or say, you are irrevocably, undeniably and inevitably, FAMILY.

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used the Studio Azul Blue Mumushka kit for this layout. journaling reads:

two teeth fell out, almost one after the other, leaving you with a couple of gaps on your...well, not-so-pearly whites. But even with this gaps, you still gamely pose for me without a trace of self-consciousness. i love this about you. you were never overly vain anyway. besides, there's really no need to be. even with two front teeth missing, you are still so pretty.

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so there's a rundown of my scrapbooking goings-on these past few weeks. i am definitely back. hopefully, the mojo stays for a long, long time this cycle. i will be posting (hopefully soon) about the great weekend i just had with my scrappin' girlfriends at Tagaytay and the uber nice Studio Azul kit called Picture Perfect i'm scrapping with this past week! till next!

heirloom angel tree topper

2010-12-05T20:43:00.015+08:00

i like making things to hang on our xmas tree and i've made several over the years. i combine them with commercial ones because i can't make them fast enough to fill up the tree and of course, there are busy years. one of those i've made, i think around '05 or '06, is an angel tree topper. i just like angels better than the usual star. or maybe i just like angels, period. this is why my kids have the names that they do now. i used to have a store-bought one but i ditched it after it got too old and dingy. i then found a pattern for a crocheted angel but i can't remember where. maybe it's in one of my books or on the internet. i'm sharing it here even if it's an old project because i just refurbished today. being several years old, it has also gotten dingy. fortunately, crocheted items can be washed so i took it apart to wash it, put it all back and gave it new wings.

here it is piece by piece.

i'm particularly proud of this because it is a pretty detailed thread crochet having a scallopped hem and collar. i used a creamy gold speckled thread for it combined with white thread for accents...

and it has this nice puffed, princess sleeves.

this is the doll form that goes inside the dress...

and this is the hairpiece done with popcorn stitching.

since the wings were not fabric and cannot be washed, i decided to just make a new one using some scrapbooking stuff. these are some Maya Road chipboard flourishes, Tim Holtz grungeboard wings and some white felt fabric.

i painted those with black acrylic paint, and then gold. then i glittered the top part of the wing with Ice Stickles. i attached those to the white felt and sew that on the back of the dress. i wasn't able to photograph the process because i got too engrossed. so i'm just showing the finished wings after i put the angel back together :-)

she also holds this bead-and-wire bouquet that actually holds a symbolism for me. notice that there are 3 big heart beads and 2 small ones that are in different elevations. they represent my 5 children. topmost is my eldest boy followed by the next 2 sisters. the 2 small hearts are my 2 youngest kids. i often refer to them as Batch1 and Batch 2 because of the big gap in age between the 2 "batches".

here she is in full view, still on the crafting table.

and here she is on the tree, watching over the family...

after all these years, i haven't even named her yet. hmmm, maybe i should. any suggestions?

my december daily+1st ever video blog = feelingera!

2010-12-01T15:14:00.013+08:00

i've always wanted to try out video blogging. all my idols do it... Cathy Z, Ali E... etc. of course, they are cooler BY FAR but a bloggin' girl's gotta try this out sometime. besides, this is how i understood the instructions on doing the December Daily so i kinda figured that this is the best way to show it too.

you HAVE to forgive my nervous twitches and mannerisms, the repeated ok's and ahh's and the ugly hands. it's sort of protracted and disorganized but charge that to inexperience also. plus i do feel more than just a bit silly doing it. worse, i just did this by the seat of my pants with no plan whatsoever. perhaps i should have planned first what i was going to say. hopefully, it gets better next time. if you ever get yourself to finish it, virtual hugs to you! thanks for watching!

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P.S. Alby asked me kasi and i forgot to mention pala. i made the printed pages' template with Adobe Illustrator. Tin actually gave us a template for the Ali Edwards format but i wanted to print 4by6 photos on my printer since there are ready photo paper available from National that i could use. hence, i made my own instead :-D gotta thank Tin also for the rest of the other templates. mwahhhh! :-*

cousins and friends

2010-11-19T16:17:00.003+08:00

since last saturday's scrap session, i still was in the mood for some more cutting and pasting considering i had photos printed out that i intended to scrap. unfortunately, work had to get done first so i had to put scrapping on hold. i finally had a few moments to myself last night and here was the output.

i vowed to make my scrapbooking more simple these days so i would get more pages done. unfortunately, i still couldn't just cut and paste. i have a compulsive need to turn paper and embellishments round and round my layout before i commit to glueing it down for an extended amount of time. weird, i know! is this indicative of something psychological/freudian/jungian?... indecisiveness, fear of commitment, fear of making mistakes, making mountains out of molehills. i don't know. at least i attempt to understand myself, even through something as inconsequential as scrapbooking. i do believe we will all benefit if we occasionally analyze ourselves and our hidden motivations and underlying emotions. i don't think we serve ourselves well if we think we are always right. a healthy dose of self-doubt is sometimes just what we need. ok, i'm rambling again. but who knows, this will probably make sense to someone out there.

back to the layout. this one still took maybe a couple or so hours. yup, fast scrapbooking is still an elusive goal for me. i just have to keep trying.

sisters

2010-11-13T16:37:00.009+08:00

ok so i've missed a couple of S3's (or 4?) but i'm back and i've been up to some scrappiness even then! went to a mini book/techniques class the other Saturday with Cabbie and Ime teaching and discovered the wonders of molding paste. but since i have no photos for that one yet, i'll hold off on the story for another day.

yesterday was one fine day with regards to scrapbooking and, of course, eating! how can one keep sugar and calories away with friends like Tin and Mitch! because we were a bit "bitin" on scrapping the previous Saturday, we agreed to meet at Mitch's again yesterday, Friday. it seems our Mitchgirl is on a mojo roll not only with scrapbooking but with baking as well. she treated us to her yummy homemade tart apple pie and heavenly freshly baked cinnamon rolls which we smothered with here mix of sweet cream cheese and butter spread. talk about fat and sugar! just to make you envious, here are some pics i snapped with my phonecam. :-D

so, we had all that while i attempted to scrap between mouthfuls of pastry. luckily, i was able to do a couple of layouts. Lee did 2 also while Cabbie finished 3 albeit coming in late. Nita didn't scrap but cut us some pretty Tim Holts diecut birds. however all that does not hold a candle to Mitch's whopping 9 layouts! it's even more amazing considering she would occasionally stop and go out to check on her baking goodies. i don't know how she does it!

here are my output for yesterday's session.

Mitch has some really gorgeous, glittered MME papers and these are what i used here. because they are already so beautiful, it made it quicker to move along with a page. i didn't want to load them with much more. so there... hopefully, i shall be scrapping some more this weekend. till next!

i did it!

2010-10-12T13:32:00.009+08:00

i was bloghopping quite a bit this past week hoping to find inspiration from one of my scrapbooking idols. therefore, i had to take a peek into my scrappin' diva/goddess/idol Cathy Zielske's blog. i always pick up something there and even if i don't, she is always a fun read. at that time, she had just started a new blog feature called "make a page Monday". i mulled about it for a while and thought yeah... that can work for me too. it was a Sunday then and i thought that since Sundays are usually a free day for me it would be a great time to scrap something. so i thought i can call it... wait for it...

brilliant eh?... ok, so i am heavily borrowing from the goddess of scrap but she will probably forgive me because she is 'the' CZ :-D however, unlike her, i don't have free templates to give away on Mondays, and unlike her--she intends to do the scrapbooking anyday of the week but post it on Mondays--i will have scrap on Sundays (or Saturdays if that happens to be more convenient). i just thought it was kinda fun to do something on certain days of the week... like... maybe i'll do an ATC Tuesday ... and a Film Friday as a photography activity... there's an existing Bokeh Wednesday on Flickr so maybe i'll do that too. that's the general inspiration idea. hey, it's a plan, right?

thus far, it has borne a modicum of result. yep, a full scrapbook page! to be honest, i really thought i didn't know how to do it anymore. but there's nothing like a sketch to get a girl-who's-lost-her-scrapbook-juju to get started again. i really, really hope it gets easier from here. we'll see.

here's a link to the sketch from the October edition of Pagemaps that gave me a little push. the resulting page is this.

i swiped these photos from the Facebook album of Othello because just wanted to test how big i can print the low res files with still acceptable quality. as you can see, it wasn't too big. but at least that gave me something to put on a scrapbook page.

this was the first time i ever went to Vigan and it was such fun! especially since it was with this motley group of photography classmates we now call Core, plus Art and Erwin. the only one missing here is Rowell. we actually spent just an afternoon there since we were in Ilocos Norte the entire 3 days we were up North of Luzon because we went there to see the Pamulinawen Festival. this trip actually merits an entire album so maybe i'll do that too sometime.

so... here's to more scrapbook pages ahead... i can feel it... it's the rekindling of an old relationship :-D i'm keeping my fingers crossed.

simplicity

2010-10-05T20:35:00.007+08:00

i heard it was World Cardmaking Day last Saturday, Oct 2. don't exactly know if that was true but it was a great excuse to make some. i also really needed to use at least some of my newly acquired toys. yes, new. and that, after i swore NOT to buy any more because some of my "old" stuff hasn't even seen action yet. but then again, i needed motivation to start scrapping again. hence i needed to shop. just a teeny bit. i DID promise myself NOT to go overboard... to just pick up maybe one toy... so guess what? i went overboard. now i think i spent the money i was saving up to watch that Adam Lambert concert. arrrrghhh... i hope i can still go watch it. i have a feeling though that i might just have to miss it. maybe it's just as well. can't bring a camera to the venue anyway. maybe i'll just wait for it to come on TV. hey, do yah hear something? probably just my heart breaking... :-(

anyhoo, back to those cards. i was able to make just a couple because i was out with Nita the whole afternoon to evening of Saturday. boy did we have a grand time! too grand i forgot to take photos even with my cellphone. i think we really just enjoyed the moment. of course scrap shopping was first on the agenda, then we went to eat at this place called Ristras (thanks to Vivian for pointing out the place to us!) where we had a big (and i mean BIG!) "wet" burrito. next time, i have to remember to take a photo. we have to go back there anyway :-D then we went for a Swedish massage! yey! we were kinda hungry again after that so we ate at Cantonese Soup Kitchen. totally yummy CTK soup and hot shrimp salad. how's that for a great Saturday!

oh yeah... the cards.

the two cards on top i did a few months back but didn't post and the two below, i made Saturday night to early Sunday since i couldn't sleep yet. these cards are pretty simple. i like them that way because it's easier to fit them in an envelop if i want to send them by mail. i do love the way artsy but bulky cards look but even if i could make one, i might not get myself to give them away! hence, quick and simple is the way to go for me.

here's a closer look at each. i'll also share the key products i used on each in case some reader wants to find 'em.

here the stampin' lovelies i used for the two birthday cards above. i totally love these Design Block stamps from Hero Arts. i'd buy them all if only i can afford them. :-D these are from several seasons back but i really don't have anything much that are 'new'. unless new means 'unused'...

these two are called Birds And Branch and Birthday.

next one is the first card i did on the actual World Cardmaking Day. if you're not a crafter, you're probably laughing at that. but us crafters, we take that seriously. :-D

key products i used here are these: this EK Success Arrow Border edger punch (i love these punches, they're so sharp and crisp) and the winged heart from Autumn Leaves Gypsy Style clear stamp (it's so old, i can't find a link)

next card is this.

i actually made this card just so i can use my newly acquired Martha Stewart Around the Page punches called Woodland Branch edge and Bird & Branch. in case you're uninitiated and curious as to how to use them, here is the instruction sheet from the MS website. you can also search around in YouTube for vids on how to use 'em.

the other 2 products are stamps from a couple of sets. the bird is from Inkadinkado Birds Galore set and the words are from Tim Holtz SA set called Mini Muse.

since these cards are pretty simple with straightforward techniques most crafters are well acquainted with like stamping and embossing, there's only one more "oomph" factor i can share. it's just a simple sewing technique but i think it adds a lot of personality to any craft project.

hopefully you can have access to a sewing machine with special stitches. above is just a simple straight stitch but i change to zigzag midway and then change back again to straight. i repeated it several times as i completed the edges around the card.

above is also a sewing technique but i did 2 rows of stitching, one straight and the other is a feather stitch.

but what's really cool are these variegated threads i used here. this is quilting and sewing thread from YLI i got from Ebay. i can't find them anywhere here in Manila. i initially bought them for quilting but they're seeing more action in papercrafting. well, ain't that a surprise...

so there... hope you liked my little warm-up-to-scrapbooking project. hopefully the next project is a scrapbook page already.

it's time

2010-09-29T11:40:00.009+08:00

just so i feel like i have a new beginning, i changed my blog's look. whatchatink? is it pretty enough for a new start? some people like starting with a new blog but i like history. i like things that have a past. the quirkier, the better.

however, i have no new scrapbooking projects yet. i have just come out of one WHOLE year of school-- photography school to be exact. i have just completed a Diploma Course in Professional Photography at the College of Saint Benilde School of Design and Arts. ain't that a mouthful. can't you see i'm trying to impress yah! :-D anyhoo, that's another story for another blog entry, perhaps on my other blog AuWasHere. i shall toot when i get to write that one. but please do visit that blog too.

since i needed a new post just to get my feet wet, i scrounged my HD for something to blab without having to first do a new project. i seem to remember i have a couple of layouts i haven't posted yet. well, i found it. so here:

funny thing, that hairstyle is not my 'do anymore. it's been THAT long. this one i did for that last (and only...hopefully there's one again soon!) trip to Tin's family vacation house at the Tagaytay Highlands. it was supposed to be a scrapbooking marathon, but i came up with only one layout, slow scrapbooker that i am. but i have since changed my hair :-D so maybe i'll scrap about that sometime. this is how i look now...

heheheh... so, like my new look?.... kidding! this was for a conceptual portrait school project where we had to put ourselves on a movie poster. story here. yep, kinda fun.

oh, there's one more unposted layout i found on the HD. this was used as sample LO for the Scrapbuffet event that was hosted by Studio Azul... so long ago... sigh... it's a 10-minuter, really. but i think i took an hour on it. i should do more of this quickie layouts. even with my now old and outdated stash. at least, that would get me to fill more of the waiting scrapbook albums i purchased 'on sale' quite some time ago. and more importantly, i'd be documenting life again. and THAT is what scrapbooking is all about anyway.

getting into the swing of things

2009-04-23T09:16:00.012+08:00

being dormant for practically half a year can get one rusty but really... once a scrapbooker, always a scrapbooker... i do have to give credit to attending the Scrapjam and recent mini-meets at Visual Creations to get me going again, plus, of course, the scrapbookers' perennial source of pleasure and inspiration -- retail therapy! If one gets more stash, one has to justify the purchase. So here is a product of the recent get together at Mitch's VC. Thanks to Mitch for thinking up challenges just to get the juice going. She made us do a layout using only dotted paper AND provided the paper and embellies for it. As part of the challenge, we also had to use stamping and make it prominent on the layout. Great excuse for putting my under-utilized (but well-loved) stamps to good use. of course i wasn't able to finish it at Mitch's so i completed it at home.

Journaling:
ME: Reine, give me a pose... I'm testing my new lens.
Reine: [thinks a while then pulls her bangs across her face]
Reine: here, Mama...
ME: what's that?
Reine: EMO, mama...
ME: huh? [clicks anyway]

where do 5-year-olds learn those anyway? in case you're wondering what "emo" means (like me) here's what Wiki says it is.

Materials used: assorted dotted paper, Prima flowers, Autumn Leaves letter stamps, Image Tree letter stamps, velvet rickrack, Quickutz swirly dies, Radiant Rain glimmer mists.

speaking of stamps, i recently acquired one, Hero Arts Kanji Poem, which was put to VERY good use. my first ever paid scrappy work! i've done this for friends before but this is the first time i'm getting money for it. i was commissioned to do 60 pcs. of debut invites in a Japanese-style theme. couldn't be timelier as i am in an oriental mood.

This is my prototype and currently completing 59 more. so... here's hoping these projects help me STAY in the scrapping swing.

scrapjam @ clarkfield

2009-04-06T16:31:00.015+08:00

hey! finally a reason to post! been a bit busy with life and photography such that i lost my mojo for a while. i've been itching to get to my glue and cutter for a few weeks now so i decided that going on a scrapbooking slumber party is probably the best way to get the juice flowing. i think i'm more than a bit rusty because it took me a long while to get the engines going but i'm only too happy that i completed a layout. here's what i finished over at the scrapjam.

there were also some projects that we got to do, a couple of mini albums and 3 cards (i failed to complete the other card which is why there's only 2 on my picture. these were totally stress-free activities because all we had to do was follow instructions on how to construct them. just pure fun. i especially love the little project made from a single sheet of 12 by 12 that turns into 7 page minibook with little pockets.

fabulous PANiZZa

before we even got to Clarkfield, we already planned to eat at C' Italian. friends Nita and Lee highly recommend the place kasi masarap daw talaga... so delicious it haunts you, as Nita puts it. i was curious so as soon as we put down our things when we reached out destination, we headed out again. the actual fine dine restaurant was outside of Clarkfield's premises but there was a C'Italian deli inside. we opted to eat there. and goodness...they were right! their specialty, called a Panizza (i'm guessing it is called such because it is a cross between a panini and a pizza) is absolutely scrumptious!

it is served as a pizza on a plate but sliced in strips instead of the usual triangular shapes. it comes together with a bowl of alfalfa and arugula.

i followed Nita's instructions on how to eat it one takes a strip slice, puts the alfalfa and arugula on top and rolls the whole thing up so it looks like the pic below.

of course, when one wolfs down a lunch like that, one needs to wash it down with something so we had italian fruit sodas. mine is strawberry.

we also had a cheese platter which had 3 kinds of cheese which i could not identify except for the swiss cheese that had holes, some crispy grapes, walnuts and bread. there was also a couple of delectably exotic salads (at least to me). they were so yummy i forgot to take photos of them except for this one.

are you hungry yet? the only thing i don't like about all of the these is the price. the average price of a dish at C' Italian there would be around Php 450.00 but i guess something as good as that definitely has a premium.

scrapjammin' with friends

time inside the villa was spent on scrap shopping, project making and eating. i was so engrossed i forgot to take photos. as a matter of fact, once i was inside the villa after lunch, i didn't even venture outdoors till the next day.

that night too, we were the last people to go up to the rooms to retire-- around 1:30 am. i wasn't even sleepy yet so i took a couple or so beers (kasalanan ng kunsintidor na Yoyin! hehe...) up to the room to help me sleep. i don't usually fall asleep easily in a strange, new place so sakto yun. We chatted a while over the beer and Jack and Jill potato chips then it was beddy bye.

next day, after breakfast, we had a few minutes to spare before we started the mini album projects so we went out to take some photos. that was the first time i emerged from house and out of the scrapbooking mode.

the street fronting the villa we were staying at

lampost at a nearby park

feeble attempt at an HDR photo

i love the treelined walks. uy, may naglalakad!...

...si bespren pala!

after this, we had to turn back to make it to the lessons in time. we finished a couple of minis just before lunch and then it was time to take a group shot before we need to pack up and head home.

the jammers ...

...the jammers in their true from!

except for my bad tummy, the weekend retreat was totally fun. the ride home was pretty uneventful. a last hurrah was eating a Zapata's, a Mexican restaurant that reminded me of Tia Maria in Manila. It's another eating-spot-cum-watering-hole must-visit place this part of Pampanga. don't know if i forgot to take photos there due to the disturbed tummy or the yummy tacos i ate anyway inspite of it.

having seen the Clark villas and these 2 restaurants, i'm now looking forward to the next Hot Air Balloon Festival. i plan to do a sleepover with the family that time around so here's a loud shout-out to Yoyin: i'll be baaack! :-D and to Scrapbooks Hawaii, thanks for the cool scrappin' weekend!

dreams of Provence

2009-04-06T10:41:00.006+08:00

what person who have even the slightest dreams of traveling the planet has not included in her list of places to visit the South of France? since i had my first taste of travel outside of this little group islands i call home, i couldn't stop thinking of which places to see next. a European vacation tops the list and if i were to choose where to go first, it would be on a lovely beach holiday in Provence.

so i went on the net to do some searching on this area. even if i cannot just hop on a plane soon does not mean i cannot start my research on my next dream vacation. after all, they say the first step to making dreams come true is to visualize it. since budget is always the first concern in planning trips, i have to find someplace that i could afford the soonest. and this is how i came across self catering holidays in Mallemort en Provence.

hotels are always an expensive alternative especially for family trips. hotel rooms usually have strict limits as to how many it can people it can sleep understandably because of a very limited space. therefore, house rentals are a better and cheaper alternative especially for a big family like mine. not only is there more space for my kids to play in, there's also more privacy because i don't have to worry about who goes into the hotel room to do housekeeping.

looking through the choices available on the net from the smaller 2-bedroom houses to large fairy tale villas in Mallemort, i couldn't help but be awed by the lovely French countryside photos. it's truly looks like one gets a sampling of decadent French living at luxurious Mallemort with proximity to the Pont Royale golf course and the French Riviera (Cote d'Azur) which is famed for being health vacation resorts for the British since the 18th century. it is also a favorite area for artists like Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. Now that decides it for me! This definitely one spot that goes on my bucket list.

photo mosaic

2008-12-30T21:31:00.010+08:00

i haven't been much of a scrapbooker lately. photography has overtaken what little extra time i have. you can probably say i'm more than a little obssessed with it these days. hence, i haven't been posting much here on my scrapbooking blog. hopefully, with the new year coming in, there'd be more of a balance of activities between the two hobbies i love most.

anyway, before the year ends, let me just share with you a mosaic of a project i just did a "test run" of. it's actually my Project 365 that got aborted. story on my other blog. i intend to relaunch at the start of the coming year so till then, i hope you enjoy what i have accomplished thus far. Mosaic was generated using one of BigHugeLabs.com's Flickr toys, Mosaic Maker.

1. progenitor - 1/365, 2. softly - 2/365, 3. nose in book - 3/365, 4. kagat - 4/365, 5. basils - 5/365, 6. fab fabrics - 6/365, 7. joyful - 7/365, 8. prickly - 8/365, 9. feelin high - 9/365, 10. smilin thru - 10/365, 11. the mothman: up close and personal - 11/365, 12. plaza sta cruz - 12/365, 13. cable sunset - 13/365, 14. leaves and sky - 14/365, 15. 168 sa divisoria - 15/365, 16. reine's row - 16/365

1. smiling moon - 21/365, 2. vintagey - 22/365, 3. 23-365 blown by a book, 4. 24-365 spectators at the mall, 5. 25-365 to the new sm city skyway, 6. 26-365 dirty dawg, 7. 27-365 friends, 8. 28-365 phan at dusk, 9. 1221 IR view from my balconahe, 10. 1220 first infrared, 11. 1218 paper butterflies on the ceiling, 12. 1218 light trails, 13. 1217 pinktone, 14. 1216 workshy at Trinoma, 15. 1215 fire flowers, 16. 1214 moon bokeh through bougainvilla

looking forward to a wonderful NEW YEAR for ALL of us!

shopping gets wiki-ed!

2008-12-16T03:01:00.006+08:00

The first time i heard the term "wiki", it was attached to the word "-pedia". Everytime I google something, the results invariably include a weblink to a wikipedia page and these are the ones i often click on first. The results are comprehensive and often with referenced photos to make it more relevant. I'm not sure if I get how this works exactly but I do understand that a "wiki" is a very useful piece of software some web genius developed to make finding information on the web easier. Wiki software collects information from all over the net via some kind of webcrawler and compiles them for the researcher (or googler) to find in one simple and useful page.

Now imagine this technology working for the shopper. I think this part is the most interesting to readers here since scrapbookers (or almost any person with an XX pair of chromosome, for that matter) are such notorious shoppers. So I am happy to point the way to ShopWiki.com. This is definitely one place on the web you would appreciate having at your furiously typing fingertips. Go ahead and try it. Search for something to shop. Enter a brand, article or item you would like to find anywhere in the world and it turns up results plus matching photos to make your search experience even better. As a concrete example, here's one on a lamp search. Not only does it turn up a variety of lamp classification to help organize your search but clicking each segment educates you as well on the details of lighting fixtures! Talk about informed shopping. :-D

I think this is especially useful at this time when most people are crazy shopping for xmas gifts both for the officemate at the next cubicle or the loved one on another continent. It is great as an idea starter at the very least whether or not directly used for online shopping. Shopwiki.com is a definitive tool for the guerilla shopper's arsenal.

golden

2008-11-04T10:18:00.010+08:00

being disorganized can really get me in a fix. i had the photos for this job months ago but had to do it in a rush when Lee reminded me she has to send it to its owner already. this layout was for the benefit auction for the Carmelite nuns held months ago. thanks Lizzie for entrusting this layout to me. i hope you like it.

i had attacks of misty nostalgia as i was doing this layout. we had a golden retriever the family called Mozart just a couple of years ago. he was 10 years old and very geriatric by the time we lost him. in his heyday, he was a very frisky big ole dog who was a friend to all the cats in the house. when Kara was 2 or 3, she would "horsie" ride him and he wouldn't mind. she would pull his hair and he wouldn't even blink. goldens are very patient dogs and the only way they might hurt you is if he inadvertently steps on you! the only setback with goldens is that they shed a lot. for years, we had dustbunnies all over the house in orangey fur. even the inside of my computer had orange fur when it gets an occasional cleaning.

Mozart's old Dogster page is here in case you want to take a peek. it's what i do when i miss him.

juju's back...

2008-10-03T22:44:00.005+08:00

for now, at least... and i hope it doesn't leave soon. nothing like good ole pressure for the juju to come back to life. i was already getting worried because the scrapping juice has been dry for so long it was getting ridiculous! but with the Scrapfest coming up, i knew Tin needed some more layouts for the Studio Azul booth display. good thing also that the midweek holiday came up at an opportune time. below are couple of layouts i finally got around to complete with the kit Thisaway.

the idea to do this layout just hit me when Raj came up for his saturday morning snuggle. there are no early morning weekday snuggles since he started schooling and morning have since been filled with crying for more sleep or coaxing a sleepy boy to finish breakfast. anyway, the camera was right there sitting on the desk that morning. so i paused for a while from my furious typing on the computer to take out the camera's remote. i approximated our position and voila! and oh yeah, big thanks to Nita too for lending me her Embellish mag to get me going. the inspiration for this one came from a layout there. i'll check tomorrow for the appropriate credits.

Materials used: Studio Azul Thisaway kit, white cardstock, stamp from the kit with Colorbox ink and copper embossing powder, MM acrylic paints to color chipboard letters, buttons, eyelets, Cropadile II, MM dater

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i just love the vibrant colors of this particular Studio Azul kit. just perfect for my 2 young and perky boys: Raj and Tashi. you can click on the photos to enlarge and read the journaling.

Materials used: Studio Azul Thisaway kit, MM acrylic paint to color chipboard letters from the kit, MM metal tag ring, computer and Eras font for journaling.

been bad

2008-09-23T13:55:00.002+08:00

in a sense, that is. for one thing, i'm still bad on the scrapbooking corner. still no layouts for the looooongest time. the scrapbooking juju just dried up! Nita says the best cure for it daw is for me to set down the camera first...hehehe... i think she could be right on that, too.

also, i just got me some bad-ass new tats. story here if you likey. warning to the delicate, though. it's not really gory, but it ain't pretty either. but hey, that does not even hold a candle to the truly bad-ass (and ultra COOL!) people i got shots of at this year's Dutdutan '08, the annual Philippine Tattoo Expo. check them out here.

and just because we're at it and this is a scrapbooking blog anyways, let me share with you a scrapbooking link to Inked Scrapbookers. Nina showed me this a few months ago and Cabbie reminded me of it when she heard of me getting new tats. glad to know i'm not so alone in being a tad... uhhhh... different. :-D

if you've extra time, please also visit my photo-a-day blog: http://aulim.vox.com

thanks and have a cool, scrappin' day!

sistah!

2008-08-21T08:43:00.008+08:00

you have to forgive me my scrapbooking sisters... i've been soooo bad on the scrapbooking front. practically no output for weeks! my cutter and glue mojo went out the window but came in through the door. only, it went straight for my Nikon. i think it was because of my anticipation building up as the Photo Summit '08 approached. i was registered in this event maybe around 2 months before so you can imagine my excitement as the date neared. it was really every bit as fun and enlightening as i expected, too. my story on that here.

anyhoo, below is the last project i did scrapwise. i have to get back pronto on the scrapbooking scheme of things because the photos and the papers are piling up. perhaps the upcoming EB this weekend at Visual Creations is just what i need to get me in the scrapping mood.

when i saw the Studio Azul May kit, i immediately thought of this sisters mini album project because it was so girly! i have always wanted to do one just to remind my girls that sisterhood is one of the strongest bonds despite the fact that you want to strangle your female sibling occasionally. hehehe... even if i don't have a sister, it kinda reminds me of my relationship with bestfriend Nita. i'm sure she will agree :-D

Materials used: Studio Azul May kit, regular heavy chipboard as base for pages then coated with Mod Podge acidfree for acidity protection, Making Memories round tagmaker rims, assorted ribbons, Zutter Bind-it -All, varicolored thread and sewing machine for the small tag, Marvy gigapunch, Catslife press stamp, computer and various fonts, UTEE, QK letter dies.

Artful Blogging Challenge on www.bookoto.com

2008-08-06T01:21:00.011+08:00

how can i not join when it presents a magnificent opportunity to win some of those cool Artful Blogging magazines? great idea for a challenge by the 2 beautiful ladies of www.bookoto.com , Julie and Sheryl! looking forward to more of these challenges and thanks for bringing in those wonderful books too. here's my entry:

1. What is your blog name and what's with the name?
My Simply Scrappy Life

Tagline: All My {S}crap: I'm so full of it!

I came up with the name because I see myself living a relatively simple and uncomplicated life albeit quite busy. Since I like not just scrapbooking but also quilting, I included the word "scrappy" in the title because the hobbies I love deal mostly with scraps of paper and fabric. It also pertains to the fact that showcasing my scrapbook pages here shows sneak peeks into the "scraps" of my life.

2. How was your banner/header created (include all credits)?
Since I am a sentimental person and this banner is the first one I ever created so I never changed it since my blog's original incarnation 2 years ago. I created the header for this blog at the time when headers weren't too common yet and I wasn't very familiar with how to do it. I wanted the blog to be personal so I took a photo of my messy scrapbooking desk, cropped and sized it to be the same as the header size from the Rounders template of blogspot.I used Adobe Photoshop for this and the typography. It features my blog's tagline (or secondary title). I'm actually poking fun at myself with it. Since I blab on my posts regarding my life and scrapbooking, I say I am truly full of (s)crap! :-D

3. What is your blog about? Why did you create it?
This blog was created about 2 years ago when I started to scrapbook seriously. Originally, this blog was created to document and share my progress in scrapbooking AND quilting. However, i rarely have the chance to do quilting these days so it is mostly scrapbooking. Secondly, it also aims to share whatever tips and techniques I pick-up while learning these crafts most especially to the scrapbooking friends I have made along the way.

popping in...

2008-07-30T20:13:00.007+08:00

been a while friends!... i have to admit my absence has been mostly due to playing just as much as working these past few weeks. my little free time is now divided between the MM cutter+ UHU glue combo and my well-loved Nikon. yup, i'm still crazy infatuated with photography. as a matter of fact, i have gotten daring lately and tried my mettle at shooting nudes. my experience on that here at my other blog.

since the photos are piling up and scrapbooking was my initial motivation for winging it with photography anyways, i always go back to my scrappin' toys even if i occasionally get distracted with other things. sharing with you here are the few pages i have completed lately (thanks to Studio Azul) that i am so belatedly posting.

Again, this is one of the rare layouts for hubby. i was quite happy to find the chance to document their friendship. just like Nita and I, these guys have been good friends since high school and we saw each other through all those years, from the time we were all single, through marriage, and raising children. long time friendships are indeed good reasons to celebrate and document.

Materials used: Studio Azul April Kit Going Postal, Autumn Leaves stamps, Collage Press stamps, Versacolor inkpads, Quickutz dies.

________________________________________

yup! Reine had hair so thin she didn't get her first haircut till she was 4!

Materials used: Studio Azul May Kit Spring Shower, Quickutz dies Beauty Queen, computer font Impact, sewing machine, buttons

________________________________________

Nita's daughter Sam and my Reine romping around with our shih tzu, Tashi.

Materials used: Studio Azul May Kit Spring Shower, kraft cardstock, MM foam stamps, Distress Crackle paint, buttons

a mini for Kara

2008-07-07T18:30:00.006+08:00

my elder daughters sometimes feign tampo, whenever i make layouts for their 2 younger siblings. "lagi na lang sila!", they would kid me. "well", i would retort, "mas cute sila e..." however, it was just time to make one for Kara especially since she just graduated from elementary. with great grades too--which totally inspires this proud mama for this project. below is the result:

Materials used: Studio Azul April Kit Going Postal, Simply Scrappy acrylic mini album (Visual Creations carry them) organza ribbons, Sizzix filmstrip and ticket dies, Stampin Up label and spiral punches, EK Corner punch, Fiskars border punch, ATB labelmaker and Dymo tape, Autumn Leaves stamps, Collage Press stamps, Catslife Press stamps, Ancient Page dye inks, Distress Inks, Pebble Inc. chalks

there's no getting away with it...

2008-06-27T20:18:00.006+08:00

i can't believe how some people would think they can just lift something off somebody else's blog, put it up on their public site and think they can get away with it. what's worse in this case is that the photos lifted were used for commercial gain.

sample of some of the many misappropriated layouts posted on their site

yesterday, a good friend Pia posted on our scrapbookers' egroups Pinoyscrapbookers and Scrapbooks Exchange warning us to watermark our photos. this was because they had just discovered that the photos and album layouts her pro photographer husband Jeff took for clients' events coverage were lifted from their blog, shootandscrap.blogspot.com and was displayed without permission, in a Multiply account used for a similar events coverage business: idigitalprod.multiply.com

some comments praising the layouts...plus Jeff's displeased remark

upon confrontation with the issue, all the owner of the account did was block them off multiply and delete their messages. so Jeff phoned them and demanded that the photos be taken down. but it was not before Jeff had confirmed that they claim to their potential clients that the photos and layouts are idigitalprod's work. he found out because he ASKED the person he was talking to before he identified himself...and their answer was a brazen YES: yes, they took the photos and yes, they made the layouts!

the photos were subsquently taken off the idigitalfraud...er...prod multiply site but perhaps a public apology is in order in this case. bitter pill to swallow? yes, but probably the best cure for amnesia on what copyright infringement means.

hooked on minis

2008-06-06T10:08:00.016+08:00

i love mini albums. well, at least i loved the thought of making one. i especially like those that my friend Cabbie churns out so effortlessly. i like the fact that they contain compact stories and that they are not just tactile--the act of turning pages makes them interactive too, with each turn of the page unveiling little creative surprises. i totally dig that. so i started buying blank ones, each time with a resolution to start it. however, the only thing i managed to start was accumulating them blank books. i realized--maybe after the 10th one or so--that the reason i haven't done one yet is because i am so daunted by the planning of it. it just seemed to take too long to collect the photos and decide what to put on each page before i could even start to cut a single sheet of paper...or maybe i was over analyzing it, i don't know.

it took a little challenge from friend Mitch of Visual Creations to break me out of my mini album disability. she invited us one night to bring several small photos for a mystery project. i had a feeling it was a mini album. since i didn't want pressure, printed out small photos that weren't too important and that i could just as easily use for a multiphoto, regular 12by12 layout. true enough, when Mitch unveiled the mystery project that Saturday night, it was a mini album. so ok, i thought, at least this would get my feet wet. and also, she had started it already by giving us several sheets of paper that were already cut-up into 6by6's...and then she introduced us to this cute little thing--the Zutter Bind-It-All.

i have heard about it and saw pics on the net but never gave it so much as a second glance. i thought it wasn't much different from the ones at National Bookstore. wrong! other than the fact that it was totally cute in teal, it was also well built even for it's compact size. the ones at NBS can only cut paper and light chipboard at most, but this little baby will punch holes through the heaviest chipboard and even old CD's and light acrylic, too. now that sold it to me!

now, couple that with the fact that i was able to complete my first ever mini album thanks to Mitch, what do you think happened next? yup, just gotta have it! was able to score it from Vi's Lasting Impression almost the moment it was announced to have landed. i think Vi had that baby in stock for a whole couple of days!...haha!

below are photos of my first mini. i think i'm hopelessly hooked now.

Goofy Cousins

[after swimming and dinner, init na ang ulo ng little boy]
Raj: "waaaahhh... antok na ko...wahhhh..."

Raj: "yoko sa yo!!!"
Jas: "may bubulong ako sa yo..."
Jas: "bibiyan kita ng candy..."

Jas: "basta smile ka muna..."

Raj: "candy?"
Jas: "kaya smile na...S M I L E!"

S M I L E - pinilit ang smile--asim!

a typical Raj and Jas interaction

going simple

2008-06-02T15:58:00.006+08:00

i've always had an appreciation for the clean and crisp style such as that of my scrapbooking idol Cathy Zielski. locally, i also have quite an admiration for Studio Azul "blue lady" Christine V. and i've always wanted to emulate their streamlined scrapbooking style. even my magazine subscription is with Simple Scrapbooks rather than Creating Keepsakes. yet it's funny that even if i start out intending to do clean and simple, i usually end up with cluttered, colorful, highly embellished layouts. so i eventually traded my Zielski books for the collage ones because i have since embraced that i might always be the cluttered person i really am.

however, since life has been reaaaaally busy these past months and yet scrapping has to go on (of course scrapbooking HAS to go on!), it gives me more reason to go simple and graphic. perhaps it is also an expression of my gut reaction to simplify life. and why not, maybe eventually, i would finally win the battle with clutter.

layouts using Studio Azul's April Kit "Going Postal"

na-TAG!

2008-06-02T09:46:00.010+08:00

i often miss answering tags so while i still remember, i'm doing this na. both bjay and pam tagged me so here goes.

1. link back to the person who tagged you.

2. post these rules in your blog.

3. share six (6) unimportant things about yourself.

4. tag six (6) people at the end of your entry.

*** i love kilawin! especially talaba (oysters) and tuna

*** i'm a tv junkie

*** i can't swim but would love to learn sometime

*** i like spending some time alone with myself. it helps me rejuvenate.

*** in college, my sport was track and field

*** i tried to be vegetarian and failed...maybe i'll try again sometime.

now tagging dianne, tin, helga, sym, gaye, and dinah

SA scrap a master challenge

2008-06-01T14:56:00.007+08:00

big, big congratulations to Lee and Me-Anne for winning the latest challenge by Studio Azul: the Scrap-A-Master challenge! the challenge was to scraplift this layout by Making Memories Master Iris Uy. their layouts are just as wonderful inspirations as the master's layouts herself.

here is my version of the my idol Iris's layout using SA's February kit.

this is a layout for daughter Gabey who just graduated high school and is moving on to bigger and better things in her life.

scrapfest!

2008-05-23T14:51:00.004+08:00

i have to confess, i am still crazy infatuated with photography so much that my excitement to go to the Scrapfest stems not from wanting to do some scrapbooking but rather to capture moments with scrapbookers in their natural environment...amidst scrapbook stuff and suppliers galore.

probably it was incidental too that the new lens i was (lovingly) harping on hubby to get for me finally got a go signal from him on that very same morning. didn't waste time that day and i was instantly at Hidalgo in Quiapo to pick me one. but that's another story to be found here naman.

so here are the harvests of that day from my cheap, yet trusty Nikon using those new lenses. i hope you enjoy viewing these because i absolutely had fun shooting them.

if you would like to get a photo from this set, you are welcome to visit my flickr acct here so you can get the hi-res, printable image. you can only access it via this guest pass: http://www.flickr.com/gp/7428945@N06/57M62x . TO GET the hi-res file, click on the little icon on top of the photo that says "ALL SIZES". Then pick Original Size, then Download Original Size.

creeping out from under a rock...

2008-05-09T19:34:00.007+08:00

hi all! i haven't been to my blogs in a while and i haven't been active in the scrapbooking yahoogroups, PS and SE either...i've been, well, busy. some of the happenings in my life lately were not so great. for one thing, Nanay was in the hospital for several days due to an accident. this was quite a blow physically, emotionally and financially especially since the next school year and therefore enrollment is coming up. however, not all was dark. there were still some bright patches. i've been growing with my camera and photography and am trying to practice more. i had scrimped up some to finally attend a photography workshop and after that, i chased after one of the Philippines' most colorful festivals, the Aliwan. please check out my stories and photos HERE if you've got some time to kill.

style?!?

2008-04-15T19:36:00.020+08:00

i am always stumped when asked with the question: what is your scrapbooking style? i have tried analyzing what mine is but i quickly realized i don't really have one. i often envy people who have clearly defined styles because i think that is the hallmark of a good designer. after all, the divas i adore all have distinct styles. we all know Elsie Flannigan's fun and funky look, Cathy Zielski's clean and crisp style, even Iris Uy's romantic and highly detailed signature. i'd like to emulate them but somehow, i just can't stick to one style. perhaps i like playing with my big girl toys too much. or maybe i am reading too many 'look' books at once such that i get influenced by all of them. then again, maybe doing the work i do just made me too malleable to the design whims of our customers. whatever it maybe, i have to admit i enjoy constantly switching flavors be it with the food i eat or the creative things i do. it's just that it stumps me when i have to answer the question, what is your scrapbooking style? so to this, i just answer "eclectic"... heehee... whatever that means!

among the 'styles' i enjoy are:

vintagey/shabby/collageyMaterials used: Studio Azul kit (Prima Paintables, Prima notepad, Daisy Ds rubons and paper, buttons, American Crafts Thickers), Twinkling H2Os, metallic embossing powders, Versamark ink refill, printed butterfly, MM brad, Around the Block labeller

with lots of sewing or fabrics
Materials used: Studio Azul kit (all patterned papers used here, AC Thickers, buttons), rickracks and ribbons from Divi, Sizzix letter dies, sewing machine and variegated thread.

linear/graphic
Materials used: Studio Azul kit (patterned paper, AC Thickers), Quickutz letter dies, computer and printer for journaling and white letter printing.

fun/funky
Materials used: Studio Azul January kit (patterned papers, AC Thickers, grid clear stamp), Sizzix die (heart), foamies, ATB labeller, Image Tree letter rubberstamps

clean and crisp/graphic

{Pinoyscrapbookers' Kaya blog entry for March}

Materials used: Bazzill cardstock, AC patterned paper(stripes), handcut letters, Quickutz letter dies, computer and printer, blings from Divisoria, glitter glue

among these, i have fun with the messy styles the most but love the crisp look best of all. i think it will be a long time before i can settle on just one style...or maybe it will never happen. one thing is for certain though, scrapbooking will always be a fun, mercurial journey for me.

know no boundaries

2008-03-22T16:34:00.014+08:00

this layout was done as a March GDT task for Visual Creations. i so love Mitch for giving me the chance to play with those wildly gorgeous Marah Johnson papers. i have always wanted to do some layouts about my tats and piercings but i have always put it at the backburner. especially on the subject of the tongue piercing--i couldn't figure out a way to present it such that it will not look indecent (haha!)

so when this particular paper came along, i knew i wanted to give the piercing layout a shot. however, the other challenge was that this paper was actually in the Lovestruck line and originally looked like this. it had the word Love written across the top left! but i wanted to retain the feel of the paper so i didn't want to cut it up. so i took out some acrylic paints (3 shades) and a couple of Distress Inks to erase out the word and brighten up the entire paper. then i stamped out the word KNOW and added some aluminum window screen to complete my title: Know No Boundaries"...perfect for showcasing a wild tongue-out picture! haha!

i also wanted to brighten up the word Wild Side so i thought of embossing it with some bright red embossing powder. the trick was using an embossing pen to follow the shape of the letters so i can put the powder on it. i so love my Zig embossing marker now since i discovered this trick to emboss non-stamped spot images.

this is the effect

{click to enlarge}

i put my journaling on a pull-out behind the photo.

and it reads like this:

i say...“Boundaries are for sissies! Well, ok…although I am ACTUALLY a big sissy for pain, I don't let that stop me. Before I get a piercing or a tattoo, I circle the shop for quite a bit, trying to muster the courage to go ahead and do it. Why do I still do it? Mostly because, I love how the look rocks (and shocks!) and but also because I like the self-challenge of going ahead and doing something I am totally scared of doing.

Not pain, not fear, not age, and certainly not other people's opinions are boundaries for me…just as long as I don't hurt anybody else, I like rocking my world a bit. It keeps life interesting for me.”

BTW, i lost the tongue piercing a while back. i had a mouth sore so i took it out for maybe 5 days. the hole closed up on me despite that fact that it was over a year old. i intend to get another one though some time soon because making this layout made me miss it more.

That's it...thanks for viewing :-D

a couple of sneaks

2008-03-22T16:14:00.006+08:00

i have a couple more Studio Azul LO's unposted yet. one for the Jan kit and the other for the Feb kit. here are the sneak peeks:

i hope to share with you the full LO sometime soon... :-D

life spots: round robin layout

2008-03-13T19:09:00.006+08:00

several months ago, CV or Christine V. threw the idea of a round robin game to the members of the Pinoyscrapbookers yahoogroups. read about it here where it was featured in Scrapbytes (the Scrappin' Moms ezine). it was such a fun game even if it took a several months to complete. i would definitely join in again should there be a 2nd round.

it so happened also that on the date i received the layout from Zabeth (the person who handed me down the LO to scraplift from), i was chatting with CV on YM. our topic lead us to how cool and funny Cathy Zielski is and then CV pointed me to an entry on CZ's blog...which led me to another blog called Twelve on the 12th. those were my sparks of inspiration for this layout. love the concept! (i used 9 photos instead of 12 because 9 is my favorite number) now, it is one of my most favorites LOs to date. i love the idea behind it! so real life. i think this would be one of those layouts i would love to look at in the future because it is like a little time capsule. yup, i am promising myself to repeat this layout every so often from now on.

layouts with the Studio Azul February kit

2008-03-13T18:40:00.006+08:00

i am so attracted to simple, graphic lines these days so i gave it a whirl here. what's funny is that i find it soooo difficult not to fill up space with embellishment! does this mean that i am a naturally messy person?!

Journaling reads: you little babies are my second shot at motherhood. when i first had your elder siblings, mama was quite young. it was eight years after your di-tsi was born that i had you Reine, and then you Raj, only less that 2 years after that. i must admit, i am a different mother from the one who raised Kiko, Gabey and Kara. being older has brought more maturity, more involvement. i breastfed you both longer that the few short months that i did my first three children. although, your siblings are good kids themselves, i am hoping to do a better job with the both of you. although i still work a lot, i’d like to think i give more attention to you now because i realize that time will not wait for me. i have to be here...now... because you simply grow up too fast. I love you, my babies.

_____________________________________

i think we will definitely have to stop breastfeeding by the time the next school year hits becauseRaj will have start schooling already. this is why these moments are so precious now and are must-scrap moments for me.

Journaling reads: Since Raj nonw only breastfeeds at night, he would often "negotiate" with me and say this line when he needs comforting. It means he will snuggle up to me, suckle at the breast then, i count 1,2,3. At 3, he releases the nipple. That shor moment calms him down and he give me a grateful smile. I find this totally cute and funny!

webster's page entry

2008-03-13T18:24:00.005+08:00

this is my entry to Lasting Impression's Webster's Pages challenge. it's another rare layout of hubby who seems to be photograph-challenged. or maybe he just does his goofy poses whenever his family is around because on this "normal" looking photo, he was with his buddies. anyhoo, i enjoyed doing this one because these days, love letters between us are practically non-existent...after 20 years of marriage, it feels...i dunno, maybe a bit corny. at least for the kind of couple that we are. we were never the mushy, romantic couple even during our unmarried years. however, on the scrapbook page, it just felt right to bare my feelings. go figure. and bestfriend Nita had a great big laugh about it!

just learned to do youtube

2008-03-10T21:30:00.005+08:00

yey! finally learned how to grab videos from the handycam and how to upload to youtube! didn't know it was so simple after all. so i'm giving it a whirl here and on my other blog. these videos are not from the handycam though but directly from the cellphone. didn't know youtube will directly process the mp4 file format from a Nokia till now. really cool.

this video was an interview by some guys from Net25 for a show called Tribe last year on a scrapbooking segment. the video was sent to me by my nephew Jasper who tried to watch the show very quietly so he can get a good capture. i was totally thrilled to see myself on TV! hahaha...i would love to get my hands on a clearer copy but i'm too lazy to call the network for it. hmmm...maybe i will one of these days.

why i love epson printers

2008-02-28T22:53:00.000+08:00

i have been hooked to Epson printers since maybe the mid-90's. before that, i used Canon printers. but because i am always after the best resolution for photo printing, i like Epson over other printers. they are usually always the first one to invent the industry standard for the highest resolution. then the other brands play catch-up to them.

the only time i chose Canon over Epson was maybe in the early 90's because it was Canon who first invented separate ink cartridges per color (which is therefore more economical), then they invented the first wide format desktop printer. but since Epson caught up to that too, i never went back to Canon. i am not really saying that Epson is always the best brand or has the best models. the market and the industry is too fluid to ever presume so. i am just saying this according to and with relevance to my experience so you have to take this advice with a grain of salt. besides, i will not get a red centavo to promote Epson's brand.

i have friends who have asked me several times which brand i would recommend so i decided to blog about it. this is always my FIRST advice to them. Whatever brand you may want to buy, IF photo printing is your main purpose, get a printer that has at least 6-color inks ( therefore it would have 6 ink cartridges) . this means it should have the usual 4: cyan, magenta, yellow and black, plus 2 more cartridges for light cyan and light magenta. why? because this will provide the photo print that has the closest approximation to a photo lab print. if you have big bucks, there are also printers that has 8-color inks which is even better.

my Epson is the R230. it has a resolution of 1440 dpi x 5760 dpi. i got it about 2 years ago for about PHP6,500.00. however, the better choice these days in the economical photo printer range is the R290 (which Cabbie says retails for PHP9,000) because it now has what Epson labels Claria inks. this means the ink formulation is acceptably archival (which Epson claims would last 100-200 years before it starts to fade depending on light exposure and other factors). remember, these are tests are done via controlled simulated lab conditions since Epson has not been around that long to really test in actual chronology. but i will take their word for it.

another thing you might want to look into when purchasing your printer is the ink droplet size which Epson measures in picoliters (pl). the smaller the droplet size, the finer your photos will look. for example, my R230 has a minimum droplet size of 3 pl. Cabbie's R290 will go as small as 1.5 pl. so the droplets are almost half the size of mine meaning this is definitely better. however, unless you have a killer eye for this detail, it is almost undetectable--almost.

if you ask me what my dream printer is, it is still the Epson R1800. this is a wide format printer that will print your 12 by 12 digi-layouts in full size because it is actually 13 in. wide. it also has what Epson labels UltraChrome Hi-Gloss® archival inks which is even glossier than Claria and is water resistant. this is also the model that has 8-color cartridges. what is stopping me from getting it is the price. it retails for about PHP39,000.00. another printer model locally available that prints wide is the R1290. it is a lot cheaper but it does not have archival inks if that matters to you that much.

TIP: you may have noticed by now that the Epson series that are made for photos usually start with the letter "R". those models that start with a "C" are office printers. they can print photos too but the quality is not as good as those that start with "R".

On Epson INKS:
Ria brought up that her Epson clogged. i had experience with that, too. there are only 2 reasons why that happens. the FIRST is: ink refills. don't get me wrong. i LIKE ink refills. i had the Epson C59 which i outfitted with a refillable ink system. it saved me a whole lot on ink costs especially since i have 3 kids that has lots of assignments that need printing. i bought the C59 for PHP 2,300.00. it eventually clogged because of the refills. when using refills, KNOW that after a while, you will have to throw the printer out and get a new one. but for the low price of the printer and the low cost of the refills, it was worth the savings on original cartridges. i have already printed hundreds of documents before it died.

the SECOND reason is: fake inks. these are the ones you buy thinking that they are originals but they are not. i once bought some from a reputable store in Megamall. i did not know they were fakes because they LOOKED like originals, complete with seals and holographic stickers. the only time i discovered they were fake was when i brought my printer to the service center. they proved it to me by simply putting in original ones and running a couple of print head cleaning cycles. the printer worked perfectly from then on. so if you bought fake inks, no amount of head cleaning will unclog it. as a matter of fact, it could even damage the printer more.

which bring me to the next topic--print heads. with Epson, the ink cartridge is less expensive. than HPs. this is because everytime you buy an HP cartridge, you are also buying a new print head. Epson's print head comes with the printer instead of the ink cartridge. if you ask me, i prefer it this way. the head will last long enough if you do not abuse the printer (such as inserting too thick or too rough paper OR using refills). another common mistake is thinking not using the printer too much will make it last longer. actually, if you do not use the printer for too long, the print heads will clog also. so you have to make sure you use the printer or run a cleaning cycle maybe at least once a week.

savings tip: if you want to use your printer for office docs only, go ahead and get a cheap printer and use refills. then throw out the printer when it eventually clogs up. but NEVER use refills for your photo printer if you want the best color output and want it to last longer.

what is a chip resetter?

this is a hot, HOT tip for Epson users. and i think this is one of the best reasons to get an Epson photo printer--chip resetters! you see, Epson has gotten wise (and maybe a little greedy) with regards to the ink refills. they know you save a lot even if it will eventually damage your printer and you do not get the best looking output. so they outfitted their ink cartridges with a microchip. what does this do?

long ago, the computer "senses" ink levels because they are timed. the computer actually just approximates ink level by tracking how many pages you have printed and reports a certain ink level amount. when the ink level reaches empty, it tells you to change cartridges. however, this is inaccurate. usually, there is still some ink in the cartridge even if the computer says it is empty. i used to circumvent this by simply reinserting the cartridge back and pushing the button that indicates i have changed it. with the new microchipped inks, this does not work anymore. even if you reinsert the cartridge, the computer will know it is still the old one and will refuse to print.

this is where the chip resetter is useful. it works by touching the cartridge chip to the resetter. a red light will blink and when it turns green, the cartridges microchip is reset. this means that when you reinsert the "run out" cartridge, the printer will "think" that it is new and will start a cleaning cycle and then show up on the printer as a FULL ink cartridge. in my experience, the cartridge is actually still half full to one fourth full when it reports it has run out. this actually translates to many, many more pages. so you can imagine how much savings you will gain. the R230 cartridge costs PHP 585.00 would you like to throw out even one fourth of that? probably not.

chip resetters may be bought from some stores in Greenhills. it would cost maybe around PHP500.00. just remember that these are NOT from Epson so don't look for them in the big Epson dealer stores. look for them in the smaller general computer stores. ask for the one specific to your printer model because they are cartridge-specific.

minor setback to using chip resetters: once the cartridge is reset, the printer "thinks" that it is full when it is really not. you have to expect that at some point in time, it WILL run out while the printer reports to you otherwise. you will know so because the latest photo you are printing suddenly looks off-color. it is at this time that you change to a fresh cartridge. also, it is a good idea to keep track of the cartridges you have reset already by marking them (maybe with a permanent pen on the actual cartridge) so you do not lose track (like me!) of which ones are already reset. anyway, once you replace the run out (yet wrongly-reported-to-be-half-full cartridge) one, the printer will report it to be full again.

that's it!...i hope that helps with the decision-making. happy printer hunting!

the rose

2008-02-24T11:37:00.017+08:00

every valentine's day, since maybe 15 or so years ago, we hardly ever go out to celebrate on the day itself. traffic is usually horrible on this day specially in the vicinities of restaurants and nightspots such as Timog Ave. or Makati Ave. and waiting out a long queues at restaurants is not our idea of romance. so we would either go out on the day before or the day after valentine's or--heaven forbid, for new lovers out there--not even go out at all. but it's always a great idea to have some lovin' fun, valentine's day or no...and so we do.

i hit this bright idea courtesy of Joyleen and Cabbie. i was hitching a ride in Joy's car with, Nita, and Zabeth a couple of days before Valentine's. We had just come from scrapshopping at Helen's. Joy pulled out this intriguing rose Cabbie bought from her for hubby Ro. my eyes widened as i made out the details of the big white flower. it was no rose! the flower head was a bundled up brief (or boxers?) and i burst out laughing. i thought that was pretty ingenious so i planned to make one. but if you don't have the time or the inclination to make one, just buy from Joy's friend here. it definitely looks better than mine does.

anyways, the next day, i bought a long stemmed fake rose at Crossings for P80 something and a pair of Jockeys for P150. i was looking for a red one but they didn't have it. i found a white one with a red garter and settled for that. i experimented with the ingenious folding to make the rose head but i just couldn't get it right! finally, i just rolled it up the best way i could and tied a ribbon around it to stop it from unrolling. Yep, it would have been really easier to just buy it.

had fun fiddling with it though (at least at the beginning) and i seemed to have made hubby happy with it as you can see here. did i get anything for valentine's? no mam i didn't! but that's ok, he's getting the credit card bills soon and i'd have to maybe duck...or, hopefully, he would remember i was sweet enough to give him this on valentine's day so i wouldn't have to.

circle scallop punch

2008-02-21T16:11:00.007+08:00

got this tool from Ella H. when she visited the Philippines a few weeks ago. Ella is a Stampin Up demonstrator and i wish i could've met her personally. unfortunately, (or fortunately, since that might have meant more damage to the wallet) i was not available on the day she met up with Nita. anyways, i was so happy with my purchase such that i immediately found use for it. since this thingy is not exactly cheap, i thought it would be great to use it for more than just scallop circles. a quick search of the net showed this. it's called tea bag folding. this is my resulting card with the technique.

i thought that was pretty cool technique and good use for the scallop punch. of course, a regular circle punch is also usable for the same project, too. as long as it is big enough to fold. i have two more toys i got from Ella: the embossing pad (which one uses so there are less stray embossing powder on the paper surface) and the color spritzer. took me a while to decide on buying that one but i finally gave in. i knew i'd be kicking myself if i didn't get it and wanted it later when Ella is not around anymore. so till next order, Ella. i hope you had as much fun in the Philippines as i had using my new toys from you. will post projects on them the soonest.

cabbie tagged me

2008-02-21T09:46:00.007+08:00

A: The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.

B: Each player answers the questions about themselves.

C: At the end of the post, the player then tag 3 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

10 years ago: i was a graphic designer and had my own little graphic design company.

Things on my to-do list today: finish layouts for a museum in ayala, type quotations for a design company client, make deposits for helen and nette :-D

What I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire:
probably live the same way i am living right now (with a few minor upgrades people wouldn't even notice) and just be an anonymous philantropist (since i won't have to work my ass off anymore). also, maybe travel just a bit more with the family.

3 of my bad habits:
forgetting to burp silently in public, late night TV, compulsive scrapshopping

3 places I have lived:
manila and qc only e...

5 jobs that I have had:
aerobics instructor in the early 80's (ok, don't laugh!), mcdonald's crew person as a student in college and then when i graduated became one of those supervisors in blue there, training supervisor for a music instrument company, insurance agent, graphic designer

5 Things people don't know about me:
gosh, this is hard...i'm an open book! let's see...
- i like trying (almost!)anything at least once...even if it scares me.
- if pushed too hard, i can fly off the handle (spectacular fireworks...road rage style) though this is rare.
- i wanted five kids when i was yet unmarried, changed my mind when i was, but still got the five kids...mostly accidentally!
- i can smell out a rat...i pride myself for being an excellent judge of character (most of the time, at least) especially of men...thus far, i've distinguished which are the good ones...and this includes the one i married.
- i'm a sucker for people with a great sense of humor and people who can play musical instruments.

so there, now i tag COOKIE, JOYLEEN and PIA

colorful

2008-02-15T15:43:00.015+08:00

i still needed to do one more Studio Azul project but i was just too excited. so i emailed these to Tin and Mia and i was happy they liked it. these projects are not my usual stuff because the papers were...well...different! in a good way that is. but it was nonetheless a challenge. it reminded me of my BG Obscure papers which i excitedly bought as soon as they came out but have never touched yet. i'm that way when i like the papers a lot. i'm too afraid to use them lest i ruin them.

but since this is a DT project, i can hardly put it off, of course. i just had to be brave enough to cut. one of the papers that i like a lot but didn't know what to do with is this Andy Warhol-ish print. i simply couldn't get myself to cut it. so i decided to play it up instead. and this is the result.

materials used: Quickutz Metro SkinniMini and Studio Classic, Provocraft Rolling Stamp Circa 18pts, Luxe Designs Bustier Bowie from the Studio Azul kit

being this colorful, it reminded me of the Cyndi Lauper song. if i were to dedicate it to anyone, it would be my best friend Nita. and since i met her in 1978, come June of this year, we would be 30 years together. i pretty much know her inside out and she knows me as well. so yes, this song fits the bill on how i feel about her. and it's also totally worth the 3 nights i worked on cutting sticking all those letters...geeez, and i thought it would be a simple LO!

the next project was totally a fluke. i didn't exactly know it would turn out this well. i wanted to do a project with no pictures so i thought it would be a great time to break out that clock i bought (more like ambushed) from Cookie at the last PS EB where she did a demo on altering clocks. for this one i used just one back-to-back patterned paper. i thought the rub-on from the kit would be perfect for the center of the clock to set-off the hands. i was also happy to ffinally find use for my Making Memories grommet tool. the big eyelets were a perfect accessory to make the number markers.

materials used: Tinkering Ink Spin paper and Luxe Designs There's the Rub rubons from the Studio Azul kit, bling and buttons also from the kit, Making Memories grommets and grommet tool, Quickutz Metro SkinniMini

one thing i can really say about kits is that they are soooo much fun to use. kits make you go out of your comfort zone and try out new things. couple that with the surprise of getting a package every month gives me the exciting, tingly feeling of opening a Christmas present everytime.

20 years and still lovestruck

2008-02-09T15:07:00.000+08:00

here's the complete page of my layout for Visual Creations using the Marah Johnson papers Lovestruck line which i totally adore. it is currently the cover LO for the February issue of Scrapbytes e-zine.

i was totally lucky to find a half decent picture of us together especially with hubby's penchant for goofing up in photos. it wasn't perfect because this was just taken as a quickie pose while we were dining with the family at a chinese restaurant in Roxas Blvd. good thing a little Photoshop magic fixes it all. yup, we have just celebrated 20 years of married bliss (or at least as close to bliss as it gets :-D) just late last year. i'm looking forward to 120 more. if you ask hubby, he will always say the contract expires by the 25th year. hehehe. he started quipping this when we attended my brother's 25th wedding ceremonies and noticed that the couple signed a contract in front of the priest after the mass. "ay...puede palang hindi pumirma ulit!" he whispered to me. hah! i know him too well though, he can't live without me {wink}...

other materials used: MJ suede flower, MJ flying heart brad, MJ naked chipboard painted with Making Memories acrylic paint, MJ chipboard sticker (fate), Prima flowers, lace and buttons from Divisoria, Making Memories Jersey foam stamp, AC Thickers sprayed with Radiant Rain shimmer mist, QK Sophisticate dies, Adobe Photoshop, chalks for colorizing the photo

dream vacation

2008-02-08T09:32:00.000+08:00

who wouldn't be dreaming of seeing Europe (particularly Spain) one day? i know i do. i'd love to see their amazing architecture, immerse myself in the richly archaic culture, and get a taste of authentic Catalonian cuisine that i can only glimpse from the limited restaurants serving such here in Manila. With names of places like Costa Brava, Alicante and Barcelona Las Ramblas, it is enough to evoke emotions of lovely Spanish senoritas and dashing, handsome hombres.

looking through the multitude of tourist options of a Spanish vacation, i learned that they not only have sundrenched coastal beaches but also an interesting mix of medieval districts and Modernism architectures by Gaudi and Domenech which have been declared World Heritage sites all in an urban and cosmopolitan setting.

this is why it is great to find out that the dream vacation is not necessarily expensive. there are websites now with a collection of cheap hotels that can help the traveller choose and book just from where he/she sits. One such site is http://www.cheaperthanhotels.co.uk/ where one can choose package tours that are inclusive of cheap airline fares and inexpensive hotels such as Costa Brava Hotels, Benidorm Hotels, Costa del Sol Hotels, Alicante Hotels, and Barcelona La Ramblas Hotels. browsing through this site shows a dizzying array of choices for the budgeted traveller. even if my own dream vacation might still take a long time coming because of spending too much on paper and scrapper tools, i should start browsing through these so i can start savin' up for it.

Marah Johnson...and a sneakie...

2008-02-05T17:15:00.000+08:00

this layout was made using the lovely, edgy Marah Johnson papers' Lovestruck line from Visual Creations. i soooooo adore those papers--and the designer! i think everytime she comes out with a new line, i drool. too bad her Intentions line was never carried here in the Philippines by any scrapbook store. i think the store owners are a bit overwhelmed by her edginess and get a tad worried that people might not like it. but Marah J. is actually one or two seasons ahead of her time. she is the first designer i saw who came out with the rock kind of design. then a couple of seasons later, DCWV came up with a similar kind of design, Rockstar.

this season, she is doing Asian Fusion. totally hot! i hope the scrap suppliers here bring them in. and please, oh please, if any one is reading, i STILL want the Live with Passion line even if they are from 2 seasons ago.

here's my sneakie, by the way. 'love those new Prima flowers. i scored them from Mitch's store, too. the dotted one and the newprint one came in a beautiful tin can you can alter or use as is. of course, since the tin is deep, the flowers are actually padded up and doesn't contain as many as it looks. but i'm not complaining 'cause i love the pretty tin.

another product i'm currently crazy about it Radiant Rain Shimmer spray. they have the same colors as Twinkling H20s because they are from the same company. i think i use them lately on every other layout! it just adds pizzazz to whatever. here, i used it on the letters. they look like goldleafing! i just love the effect.

will post the full LO as soon as Scrapbytes Feb is up. it is the cover layout (LO) for this month's issue.

lovin' Elsie

2008-02-04T21:43:00.000+08:00

i have always liked Elsie Flannigan's style so when her paper line, Love Elsie, came out, i wanted to get some. but i did not. somehow, it didn't move me enough to pick some up. or maybe i just busted all my money on the Basic Greys that came out about the same time so i didn't have any more dough to get some Elsies.

when the Zoe line came out and Mitch at Visual Creations started a challenge on it, i just couldn't hold out on myself anymore. especially since the rules stated that the LO had to be entirely made of the Zoe line. it's probably just as well. this is one of the fastest LOs i've ever done because i couldn't put too much on it. the only thing that took longer here were the diecut letters which i painted with Making Memories acrylics and the embossed dog which were all cut from Love Elsie cardstock. i was totally itching to load some more on it! boy, i really regretted not getting some of those pretty Love Elsie ribbons!

the theme for the challenge is scrapbooking plan for 2008, so i have officially committed to myself on this LO, my target number of projects this year. let's just see now if i can stick with the plan, Stan.

thermoplastic coolness

2008-02-01T22:57:00.000+08:00

saw this tumbler at Starbucks. there were many designs but of course, i will always take the one i can customize. P395.00 each. not really cheap but not too bad. it is made of clear plastic and the bottom screws off. the paper inside comes off and serves as a template for something you can make yourself. i thought i'd give this to hubby for a birthday gift. he needs one to hold his coffee at the office, but being plastic, i hesitated. so i asked the cashier if it can hold hot drinks. and his response was that it was thermoplastic, it would keep hot drinks warm for 2 hours. cool!...or i should say, hot!...

it so happened i just scored some Chatterbox papers from Mia for cheapskate prices. she was unloading her overstuffed stash baskets and i was looking for cheap papers i can make into cards. those were perfect for this project. i barely had time to make something so thishad to be a quickie-hour-project. i needed something i could cut with out being stressed. the photos i used were in my excess-photo basket. cut-cut, glue, stick! voila! here's the finished project.

it's leakproof and totally washable. nice. hmmm...i think i'm gonna go get some more. one for myself and some to make more cool gifts with.

blogsvertise

2008-02-01T20:16:00.000+08:00

after some deliberation, i have finally taken the plunge. it would be great to get paid for blogging. what prompted me? Paypal!

i recently bought some Quickutz dies (Beauty Queen alphas! wishlist item come true!) on Ebay and as i made the payment, i noticed a new Paypal banner, they make payouts in Philippine pesos! how cool. and recently, i had been toying with the idea of earning via something i would be glad to do anyway (and that is blogging) but i have always thought that payout is a hassle. however, i thought...hmmm...paypal money for ebay - not a bad reason to blog for pay, even if in dollars. so when i saw the peso payout, i took that as a sign. so i went googling for what options i have that may make me earn a bit on the side via the ol' blog.

Blogsvertise was among the top of the list for being a good venue to get paid via blogging. and it was so easy to get in and register as a blogger. i just clicked on the link from the website with the reviews and that was that. i am awaiting approval of this blog for the moment.

so what does one need to do to start potential earnings? simply write reviews of assigned advertisers. i thought it was great that one does not have to do an "all praises" write-up. one can review, compliment or even complain about their advertiser. i think that feature is important to me. i have to be honest in whatever i am reviewing even if i am getting paid to do it. perhaps even more importantly so. and then, one has to have at least 3 links to their website -- just as i am doing here now.

so there, i hope you read up what i would be reviewing here should i be approved. and hopefully too, i get more ammunition to do even more ebaying :-D

going digi

2008-01-29T01:37:00.000+08:00

nope...not really...haha. i am definitely not a digital scrapbooker. i enjoy playing with real paper and glue and tools too much. but darned Prima Hybrid is making me rethink my conviction. just go see here at www.primahybrid.com. digital and real paper and embellishments now match! how much longer can i resist? with my perennial lack of time, digital or hybrid, rather, is starting to sound (and look) reaaaally good.

a perfect example is my situation with this month's Kaya challenge. i'd love to do this one to boot considering it's practically creative visualization, a technique to make one's wishes or aspirations to come true. but it is due already and i have not started just a few hours before i was to submit it. good thing i am in a contemplating on digital the past few days so i remembered that this is probably the only way to go if i want to make it to the deadline.

hmmm...maybe i should do this more often...the few more hours spent in front of the computer wasn't so bad. and i keep remembering that really nice album Joyleen showed us. it was a compilation of all her digi LOs printed and slipped into album protectors. verrry cool really when put all together like that!

i haven't bought any digital kits yet. for this project, i just used some old freebie downloads i have from way back when digital was just starting to crop up. i think i might succumb very soon though.

getting sketchy

2008-01-25T01:23:00.000+08:00

a few weeks ago, Tin mentioned Studio Azul is going to do a sketch challenge and asked if i can do one. cool idea, i thought. i often do sketches for myself with pencil and paper just before embarking on an LO. i also usually stray from my own sketch as the LO gets done. so when asked to do both a sketch and an LO to match, i felt a bit nervous. but i thought hey, i think it would be fun to assemble one digitally too, and not just on paper with pencil. here is the result which you can also find here.

did this sketch based on the materials inside Studio Azul's January kit, SuperNova. i tried hard not to stray too far from my own sketch. below is the resulting LO.

the 4-month old baby monkey is my nephew Mike's pet. it is soooo cute!
Raj was so intrigued by it but was afraid of it and wouldn't even touch it.
Journaling reads: Raj was so afraid of the monkey but liked the little plush toy. Little did he know, the real one was sneaking up behind him...
Incidentally, Raj was born in the Chinese zodiac year of the Monkey. :-D

i had fun doing this LO and excitedly submitted it to Tin and Mia. before, i heard comments from them, i saw the LO and sketch posted. i suddenly had an anxiety attack. oh my! my little sketch is now officially challenge material. would people like it? i really, truly hope my scrapping friends would find it useful. and i'd love to see people use it and tweak it around to come up with LOs i haven't even thought of with it. good luck to all who join! surely, the SA prizes at stake would be worth it! Challenge mechanics here.

cards, cards....

2008-01-20T16:55:00.000+08:00

i'm not much of a card maker but i think i should do more of them. for one thing, it's great to give and receive them in the age of emails. they're truly personal and seems to pack more of a hug or a kiss. i did a few just before the year ended and some early this year as you may check out here.

Nina had a blog party and she had questions one has to answer in order to join. part of it was to send in some projects with examples of the answer. i realized, i didn't have any to show for by way of the techniques. so i thought i would do a quickie project and above is the resulting card. it was inspired by one of the cards i saw made by Ms. Marian using alcohol inks. i didn't have glossy cardstock so i thought i'd UTEE (ultra thick embossing enamel) regular cardstock and then use alcohol inks on it for the background.

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this one i made for my nephew, Caspen, last December. i wanted to go to his party but schedules were criss-crossed at the time. i so sent this one to him deliver my birthday wishes.

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those Cuttlebug embossing folders are really so nice. here is another one i did for my inaanak, Lyza, who is visiting from Australia. she graduated from college with a Nursing degree.

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this one was my entry to the Kaya challenge 8 last December. i gave it to Lyza too so she can take it back home to OZ for her parents. i miss my good friends Jojo and Beth!...somehow, this one just seems to be the perfect card for them send with my hugs and kisses.

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these two are part of my Studio Azul projects. they'd be great for giving out next year since i was only able to work on them way past Xmas! now i have a headstart for the next holiday season...

peek-a-boo!

2008-01-20T14:33:00.000+08:00

these LOs are now posted at the Studio Azul site so check 'em there as well so you can also take a peek at the cool and edgy January kit that's currently shipping.

this is a photo of my inaanak...cutie-pie 'no!...i asked Nita for a photo since i have few Christmas-sy ones. i really like big edge-to-edge pics because they make such huge impact but i had 2 problems. first was that this one was taken in a dimly lit place so enlarging it was a bit of a stretch. still, i think it was worth it for the cool shot so i went ahead and just did some photoshopping to make it suitable and enlarged it. next problem is that i have a regular A4 printer which means i can only do photos to about 11 inches. since this is a 12 by 12, my work-around was to print it in 2 segments. the splice is hidden by the green and red ribbon...nice tip, eh! btw, i think i was inspired here by one of the Pagemaps sketches though it was pretty subconscious...hahahah...i was surprised when i took a peek recently that it almost matches the first sketch!...talk about a retentive memory that forgets all about it :-D

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found this as a was looking for xmas pics to scrap. forgot to date it but this one was taken in December 2002. i really needed to scrap it because it was one of Reine's milestones. this one is a photo of the day we discovered her very first tooth. most of my kids gets their first teeth late so she is 10 months old here and was taken with a camera phone in all the excitement. it got lost among all the photos i have so i'm glad to finally find it and scrap it.

i used Radiant Rain shimmer spray here on the cardstock. i just love that product! i gives just about anything some glitz and pizzazz be it patterned paper, cardstock or even non-paper items! it really sticks and doesn't come off so you also have to be careful of overspray. some of my walls already glimmer. :-D

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i think this is my favorite LO thus far. it makes me happy just by looking at it. this one will be framed and displayed and perhaps shelved in my scrapbook next year AFTER it gets replaced with a new family photo. i think from on, i am making it a family tradition: December 26 shall be Family-Photo Shoot-at-a-Studio Day.

xmas LO teasers...

2008-01-09T19:44:00.000+08:00

whew! finally accomplished 3 LOs for Studio Azul...and these are actually my first 3 for the year. thanks heavens for these kits! if i didn't have it, i doubt i could accomplish these at all this quick. makes me wonder if i really can accomplish my resolution of 2 layouts a week if i was working on non-kit papers. sigh. i really must re-examine my scrapping habits. i take too long deciding to paste things down, i think. but i am really happy and excited to share this nonetheless. watch out for the entire LOs soon at the Studio Azul blogsite along with Mia and Tin's beautiful work!

welcoming 2008

2008-01-07T10:44:00.000+08:00

hello and HAPPY NEW YEAR to all!!! am just starting to go out of the holiday break. it doesn't feel like a "break" really, there was so much to do! holiday shopping, reunions, xmas parties, things to cook, never ending shopping and wrapping...it was sooo draining! i wasn't able to do ANY scrapping till the 2nd of January, when all finally winded down...for a day! i did get in some scrapping then but to date have only 2 1/2 completed LOs for Studio Azul...will post them soon as they get done.

for now, i'm sharing our FIRST ever sit-in, studio-shot family pictures. this took a looong time coming--about 20 years late! since we had our first baby, i have always asked hubby that we take some time to take annual "formal" family photos but there were so many excuses to put it off. i have much to thank Val Salmon for giving me a magnificent incentive to go ahead an do it -- the Kaya 8 challenge for December where we needed a family photo to do the greeting card sketch. it was also lucky that i passed by this cozy-looking photo studio called Pic-A-Boo at The Block as i was doing some last minute xmas shopping at Toy Kingdom. their rates are quite reasonable and there are no membership fees. the package for 3 5R shots cost just under PHP1000.00 with unlimited posing. they have a pretty cool studio and i saw lots of costumes that would probably make fun baby (and adult) shots.

i immediately made appointments --yes, now i have to make "appointments" with my damulags just to get them all together on the same day--with the kids and hubby for the 26th (or else!) it was also great family bonding time because we also had a blast posing and picking out the pics for printing. here are the results. too bad they don't sell the high resolution jpgs. we ended up with 2 packages because we liked so many of the shots!

guess which photo made it to a frame to be proudly displayed at the living room? :-D

happily blue

2007-12-14T07:31:00.000+08:00

those kits are soooo worth it! twice now, whenever Mia sends me their wonderful kits, i get all excited and kilig. you get papers for different manufacturers and they are all coordinated with matching embellishments (buttons, ribbons, rubons chipboard, even thingamajigs yeyeyey!) and there is also an acrylic stamp monthly...how cool is that! it's definitely not hard to make LOs look yummy because you get most of what you need all matching and if you get the add -on kits...that makes it even better. plus, it may even CURB your scrap spending...you don't need to buy a whole set of papers or embellishments to get to that one that makes the LO in your head complete. here are my takes on the November kit.

i dream of...

you know me, i just very occasionally do intricate cutwork, but this paper was just ASKING to be cut! just look at it, practically NO flower design overlaps! how can i resist...

also, this layout is special to me. i had these 3 photos since SM Idol finals because we were asked to prepare for 3 themes. this was my prepared photos for the My Dream theme. i have been meaning to scrap them but fail to do so for some reason or another. so when my first Studio Azul kit came and it was called Passage to India, i took it as a sign! even the rich oranges and greens of this kit match the photo. Nita even points out, hey, wasn't it the Dalai Lama who literally did to a passage to India!

the Dalai Lama's picture was taken from this book i had: Stages of Meditation: Training the Mind for Wisdom (it's a great read...and would probably be even better if practiced!). i scanned the book and edited with Photoshop CS to remove the letters. that was fussy photoshopping and took me all of a day! then i asked bestfriend Nita to take my picture with a white sheet as a background. again, with some ps manipulation, i took the background of the HHDL's pic, flipped it and made it my background so it would look like we were at the same place. lastly, i added the same color overcast to both pictures so it would look more realistic.

they say creative visualization sometimes works to make wishes come true, i consider this is my effort at it. :-D

of friendships and scrapbooks
these pictures were taken by Jeff Lopez and i just love it! it is the culmination of one of the most grueling challenges i have taken on thus far in my scrapbooking world. i love it because it show the end result: a bonding between people who were otherwise living in separate worlds but who came together just because of a hobby turned passion.

when i first saw the Prima Paintables paper, i thought to myself, THIS would be an interesting challenge. and, my oh my, it was! i have always wanted to learn to use watercolors but except for small card projects, i have really very little experience in it. this is a 12x12. i was so afraid i'd ruin it but once i got warmed up, i couldn't put it down! it was totally freewheelin' but i loved the end result. now, i want more of it!

oh, brother...
our scrapbooking is a way not only to preserve memories but to also leave messages or reminders to our children. this is layout contains my short yet important message for them. the title and the journaling on the arrow are actually lyrics from an old song...

...but the arrow with the hinge flips to reveal the message inside:

-------the--stitch--itch-------

you might have noticed by now that i love stitching my LO's . i even have a Simply Scrappy product called the Deckler and Stitching Guide for some manual stitching. however, i find that stitching via a sewing machine makes this activity faster. it also gives me a good excuse to play with my new toy. so for the above layout, i did some experimenting with the decorative stitches of my Janome and here is the result before i used it on the above LO:

even without fancy stitching, simply using different color threads makes a lot of impact. below is another example of some cool effects done with sewing. this LO is from one of the SMIdol challenges which i did with just regular, straight stitches. it's really easy and very forgiving. no need for perfectly aligned stitches.

try it sometime. it's a cool way to learn a new skill if you're not stitching yet or a fine way to use an old sewing machine for more than just making clothes or curtains.

sneakypeeky

2007-12-05T18:25:00.000+08:00

Studio Azul November kit called Passage to India

when i got my first kit for DT duty for Studio Azul, i was so thrilled! it is sooooo lovely! the colors were rich and the content--the buttons, the papers, the Prima Paintables, and the damask clear stamp--oooweee, they were all so yummy i can eat them. good thing i was not hungry!

i wasn't sure if i was allowed to post it then so i kept quiet till i can clear it with the bosses (hi Tin and Mia!). but since the kit is out, i can sneak a bit of a peek of the LOs i made with them. watch for the whole LOs showing at the Studio Azul blog soon together with the equally scrappy tandem of T and M's LOs...

the DaisyDs paper was just begging to be cut! i don't do cutwork much but i just had to succumb to this one...so i channelled my inner Joanne Y. :-D

this one was my adventure into using the Prima Paintables paper and some watercolor pencils...it was certainly daunting but i love the effect and the challenge
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sew happy

2007-11-30T09:23:00.000+08:00

an old love rekindled
when i first named this blog "all my scrap" and even when my little sidebiz was named Simply Scrappy, it was with the view to not only venture into scrapbooking but also into an earlier interest in another sort of scrappy hobby: QUILTING. i have never gotten past the beginner stage and i have tried very few projects in this hobby not because i lack interest but because i also encountered the same problems as i did with scrapbooking-- the lack of tools and materials. No, i don't mean the fabrics because there is an abundance of this in what has also become a scrapbooking destination, Divisoria, but mostly of the cutting tools and of a very important component of any hobby, i think: some friends/support group to bounce ideas off. inspite of this, my desire to quilt refused to die. here are some of my previous attempts at it.

this table runner is my first ever quilted project

picture on top: i am so proud of this full queen-sized quilt despite the fact it is is still unfinished. it is lacks the final touch--the binder (the edging). i started it when i was 7 months pregnant with Reine. i remember being sooo big and heavy while basting this project that i was having a hard time, but i was so excited and determined to finish it! unfortunately, i didn't complete the quilting because i gave birth before i finished.

an opportunity presents
when hubby had to go on a trip to the U.S. last week and since he still owed me my anniversary gift, my first instinct was to ask him to get me a Cricut. however, just before he left, i changed my mind. i wanted a new sewing machine. i am getting a hankering lately to quilt again. i did already have a trusty, old Brother sewing machine where i have sewn my few attempts at piecing quilt tops, and as you may have also noticed, some LOs, but i wanted a machine that can do the actual quilting. For the uninitiated, the creation of quilts have 2 main segments: first is the piecing of the quilt top, and second is the sewing of the quilt "sandwich" (top, batting and bottom). this may be done by hand and the beauty of the handquilted creation may be preferred by some but for someone like me who is perennially time-strapped, doing the quilting with a machine is probably the only way to go.

a few days before hubby left, i suddenly remembered this very nice lady, Johanna, who i met at one of the industrial exhibits my husband and i occasionally attend at the World Trade Center at the CCP complex. Her company sells Janome sewing machines and this is also where i saw the sewing machine i longed and pined for, the Janome 10000 (which later had even better siblings the 10001, and now the 11000). This machine is the sewists' dream! it is a top of the line, computerized embroidery, quilting, sewing mean machine that even comes with a colored touchscreen control! it has over a hundred decorative stitches and embroiders monograms, patches, appliques and even does logos. however, i just couldn't afford it since it costs about P12oK. since we met about 5 years ago, i thought she might have new models already and wanted to ask her if she had the $250 kind i saw on Ebay that i was shooting for hubby to get to me. she didn't but we had a pleasant exchange about all things quilting. it was then that it occurred to me that i did have someone right here who can not only be a quilting buddy but a quilting resource as well. it was then that i encouraged her to set up a quilting yahoogroup for us pinoys. we are hoping other "hidden" enthusiasts will eventually find us.

dreams do come true...sorta...
to make this little story short, i am now the proud owner of my very own sewing, quilting, embroidering mean machine. and i got it for a very, very good price deal. although i am still not able to afford my dream Janome 11000, i was able to acquire (actually more like "extort" from dear hubby) the Janome 9500. i had the brochure of this machine pinned to the side of my computer some years ago because i heard this is good inspiration to achieve your dreams through visualization. heck, i should've pinned up a higher model! i'm not really complaining though because this is also a computerized machine with more features than i can even handle at this time. however, it has less bells and whistles than the 10001 or the 11000. An example is it's touchscreen which is monochrome instead of colored. but, it has all of the features i need to accomplish my quilting goals so i am one happy momma! since it does mean embroidery too, i am inspired to do that now also. you can probably tell by looking at how many thread colors i have suddenly acquired. you can also see here my first attempt at it.

this is why i took no time sequestering another nook in our already congested home as my new sewing area. i finally took out my stash of scraps from out of my tampipi and neatly stacked them so i can easily access it for projects soon to come. hopefully, i can take this hobby to the next level. as a matter of fact, with this machine's capability, i can even make a modest sideline out of doing monograms and personalizations or coporate logo patches. that is, IF i can still find the time for that. (do i really need sleep? :-D) and can you guess already how my LOs will look from here on? and hey, i think i have an good excuse to explore mixed media collage! :-D below are more brag pics of my new baby...

my new sewing nook...
i'm betting this wouldn't be as neat once i start some serious sewing!

the top of the machine opens to reveal the bobbin winding and threading area. just look at the many decorative stitches this baby has: it has 98 decorative stitches and 90 built-in embroidery designs plus 3 monogram fonts! however, more embroidery designs and fonts may be added via the computer. my inner geek finds that waaay cool!

the top also hides the additional machine feet--this baby comes with 10 feet in the package already

no knobs! it's touchscreen to pick out decorative stitches or shift to embroidery mode

i love this auto-threading feature. a pull of the lever and voila! no more fiddling and saliva-wetting of thread ends...hehehe...great for bad eyes like mine.

the tool essentials are also incorporated for easy access. yet this detaches so i have a free-arm for sewing and embroidering tight spots like sleeves.

Johanna even threw in some Janome Digest magazines for project inspirations. i'm in sewist's heaven!

Marj's scrap-bukingan RAK

2007-11-28T21:54:00.000+08:00

yes friends, buking nga that i am not an organized person! unfortunately, organizing only occurs to me out of necessity--i only find the need for it when i can't find things already. bestfriend Nita on the other hand lives to organize. i even suspect she got into scrapbooking for the many little things one has to find a home for. i'm sure you'll love her organized scrap space when she gets to post it at her blog.

i finally found a few moments to take some pics of my stuff but not to tidy things up before i shot them so you see everything with accompanying dust {wide grin}. neither am i in the mood to get picture pretty shots because hubby took my Nikon with him on his trip. somehow, my borrowed point and shoot doesn't put me in the mood to get good shots. so what you see here are "raw"--it's how my space really looks on a daily basis--one big mess. i had half a mind to give up on taking pics for shame but one more glance at the prizes at stake made me abandon even that. so here it goes, Marj...bahala na...

long time...

2007-11-26T13:01:00.000+08:00

i know...it's been a while since i've blogged! i'll be making entries very soon but in the meantime, i just wanna share with you slide.com 's cool new feature...well ok, it may have been there for quite a while but i discovered it just days ago. it now has songs from hot new artists and it even comes with a You Tube link so you can watch a little clip, if you like, as you are bloghopping. i also like the fact that now that it is linked, the song completes (as opposed to segments only) and that it does not loop (which gives me LSS-last song syndrome-you know, like when the song also loops in your head all day).

so i changed old my song to this one by Daughtry (whose songs i really like) and especially this one "Over You" because i am also a Smallville fan. not to mention that Tom Welling who plays Clark Kent is among my list of hot cuties! {insert kilig squeal here}. so i suggest you also click on the video link if you like either. enjoy!

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and speaking of You Tube, i would also like to share this hot, HOT new product by another of my favorites in the scrapbooking world, Tim Holtz...GRUNGEBOARD!

i don't know about you but this one has me drooling. can't wait till it gets to here!

little tip on watching and listening: since you cannot watch the video and listen to the music at the same time, you need to either let the song finish first before playing the Tim Holtz youtube video or you can pause the song first by clicking at the slide's youtube section (bottom right) and hit the little PAUSE button that appears when the song's video enlarges. then you can click the Tim Holtz window to start it.
another tip on watching You Tube videos: if your connection is slow and makes the video irritatingly choppy, click on the PLAY button then as it starts, press the PAUSE button. this will make the video load first. notice the gray progress bar moving along. when that is fully loaded, restart the video. it would then play smoothly.

taking 'clear page' photos

2007-11-05T21:12:00.000+08:00

i made this layout as an entry to the Visual Creations Hambly challenge. i thought it would be cool to join it since i've been hooked on making clear pages right after the SMIdol Scrapfest contest made me get over my fear of using them. after making this page though, i found it equally challenging to take pictures of them! i stuck the transparent LO on black fabric which i hung on our room divider. but being all glossy, it was hard to get a good angle that eliminates the glare. i almost always take LO photos near the window because the natural light makes the color come up better and the glitters or bling also show up better. however, where there are lots of light, there are also lots of glare. here was my first shot of it.

so i called my trusty assistant to stand on a chair and hold up a white sheet by the window. that did the trick! no more glare because it diffused the light and removed the reflection of the grills from the window. however, i was still not too happy with the result because i thought it just made the LO look like it was made with black graph printed PPS when i wanted to show the transparency as you can see on this photo here.

so i tried again. this time, i propped the flexible Hambly transparency background on a clear 12 by 12 acrylic sheet so it would be stiff enough to stand. i could have used a plate stand to prop the LO up but i didn't have one so i stacked throw pillows up and covered them all up with a white fabric sheet. the pillows weren't high enough so our blue sofa was peeking through but perhaps that added to the effect of showing the transparency better. the slight setback is that colors are a little less saturated because i had to move away from the better window light and had to make do with the florescent lighting. but i guess the overall effect is probably better.

although i have used Hambly Prints but twice yet, i actually like them a lot. i think they are also a natural complement to my clear acrylic sheet products, too. i have several sheets of Hamblys but have hardly used whole sheets of it yet on one layout. so when the challenge rule was to use 2 Hambly products, i found it totally difficult! well, ok... it was probably due to the fact that i did not want to use one all up on a single LO kasi sayang, e. after all, they are quite pricey... at least for kuripots like me. but i keep getting stuck so i finally gave in. i used 2 whole sheets here, one Hambly paper print (Big Vintage Circle) and a transparency print (Mini Graph) as the base. despite it, i kinda liked the way it turned out. it looks different from what i usually do and i got to try something new (this is the first time i tried printing the focal photo on transparency). i probably never would have thought to do it this way so i say hurray for difficult challenges :-D

my kaya 6 back to basic entry: wacky girl

2007-11-05T20:35:00.000+08:00

this one was totally difficult. especially for the spoiled-for-choice-of-embellisments-and-tools scrapbookers like me, going back to basics with just cardstock and pens/watercolors scrapbooking was suprisingly, totally NOT easy! but again, being the puzzle-lover that i am, i was torn between kissing Donna for giving me something to boggle my mind with or strangling her for...well... the same reason.

again, after all's been said and done, it was actually cool doing this one. for one thing, it makes me appreciate my accumulation of CS and makes me happy that i used mostly my scraps here.

thanks again Wonder Donna for cooking up that extra challenging Kaya blog call and for making up that funny intro story. will kiss you now when we meet again soon... :-D

naka-TAG-oo...

2007-11-02T10:34:00.000+08:00

been remiss answering my tags with all the goings-on so since it's a holiday today, i will get up to speed on them right now.

This tag i got from Cookie, Roxannee and Helga:

Instructions: Each player starts with 7 random habits/facts about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

7 random facts about me:
1. i love gardening but i hardly do any since i went crazy for scrapbooking
2. i am a chocoholic.
3. i keep wishing i have more time to read and do all the crafting i want
4. i would like to be more organized but mess just seems to follow me
5. i aim to go to the gym everyday but i haven't been there for months
6. i dream of a new computerized sewing machine: the Janome 11000 and i want to quilt again
7. did i mention i love chocolate? :-D

A - Age: 41
B - Band Listening To Right Now: Maroon 5
C - Career: entrepreneur
D - Drink or Smoke: i've quit smoking 6 years ago and i now drink coffee, milo, or lemonade
E - Easiest Friends To Talk To: my friends since highschool, Nita and Tess
G - Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms: Gummy bears
H - Have a Boyfriend: yes, my hubby of 20 years
I - In love: of course!
J- Junk Food You Like: PIZZA!
K- kids: 5
L - Longest Ride Ever: ride? to Baguio lang yata!
N - Names For Your Future Kids: ayoko na!!!
O - One Wish You Have Now: win the lottery
P - Phobias: roaches
Q - Favorite Quote: dream as if you'll live forever. live as if you'll die today. - james dean
R - Reasons To Smile: my baby Raj's funny antics and new scrap stuff
S - Sleeping Hours: iba-iba but often after 12 am
T - Time You Woke Up: today, 8 am
U - Unknown Fact About You: i'm really shy...(maniwala na kayo pls)
V - Vegetable You Hate: ampalaya
W - Worst Habit: can't save money
X - X-rays You’ve Had: chest
Y - Yummy Foods: sus madami ito: pasta, salads, steak, cake, green tea, sushi...
Z - Zodiac Sign: aries

and i got this fabulous tag from the FaAaaBULOUS Donna:

and this SMiLE tag from Idol Cabbie:

thanks sistah, you make me smile too (and go ooooh and wow, too!) whenever i visit you blog and see you on Fridays...:-D

i hope i have not forgotten any other tags...if i have, please remind me ha... and to YOU reading this, consider yourself tagged with any of the above.

cabin fever part 2: blue lady

2007-10-29T14:43:00.000+08:00

not everything was all bad for me the past week. despite the lows (missing Joanne's despedida and my baby boy catching dengue), i think i hit a great big high, too--perhaps as high as they come scrapwise. i won the DT spot for Studio Azul! Ooooweee! so now i am officially a Blue Lady for the next 6 months. Nita was kidding me that the title doesn’t suit me at all. for one thing, hindi daw ako “lady”. secondly daw, my color is hardly the calm and serene blue. i am more of the “green” kind daw kasi...loka talaga itong bespren ko e.

i was hesitant at first in putting in an entry and i wasn’t sure if i had enough time to make the deadline. Mia and Tin were asking friends to join and when i got some messages from Tin and a call from Mia, i gave it serious thought. i realized also that i had a possible entry already almost done. there was this layout i haven’t posted yet that answers to their requirements. i just needed to tweak it a bit and it would be ready. i initially made it as an entry for the Kaya 5 challenge but it didn’t make the deadline. that was probably serendipitous. here it is.

i love it when i am able to use my scraps. although most papers here came from BG’s Infuse line, i also used here some Prima paper and K&Co scraps from previous projects.

Journaling reads:
The best things i admire most about my mother are her courage, her tenacity, and her dark head of hair. Despite being 73, she still has mildly salt and pepper hair which she does not even bother to dye. I certainly hope physical attributes as well as strength of character are genetically transmittable :-D

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this stint is my first ever DT duty and, heck, am i ever so nervous! however, at the same time i am excited especially since Studio Azul's kits are oh, so yummy! i hope i do it justice. thanks so, so much Tin and Mia for giving me a chance. here is a blinkie i got from Tin. to borrow from my lookalike (ahem!), Paris H., "That's hot!"

cabin fever part1: joanne

2007-10-28T18:23:00.000+08:00

2 days in the hospital with my dengue-stricken little boy is giving me a bad case of cabin fever. been wanting to do some blogging but unfortunately, the room where we are is too far from the wifi transmitters so i cannot connect to the net. fortunately, the computer occasionally picks up an unsecured transmitter and i can do some "sneaky" internet time.

the past week has some pretty steep highs and lows for me. one of the lows is being bummed out for not being able to see Joanne one last time before she shipped out to Australia. i was sick then and hubby wouldn't let me out. so to at least have some "Joanne" time that same day while all my friends were spending real time with her, i went to work on the project i intended to give her before she left. the Scrappin Moms had given out a bulletin that they were going to present her with an album of 8 by 8 layouts and anyone who wanted to send her off with one can submit on that day. since i wasn't able to work on it that week due to being sick, i thought that same day as the despedida party (where i was not at) was the best time to do it. it was the closest thing to a hug i could give her personally. i sent it later by mail.
it's an 8by8 clear acrylic which i hope she can hang somewhere in her new home (your new scraproom, maybe?). i felt it had to be an acrylic project so Joanne can clearly associate it with me :-D i put our 'together' picture hidden so she can decide to put it up without me being in the way.

hugs to you my dearest Joanne. i think you clearly remember how you have been instrumental in all things scrapbooking in my life -- from the time we met at Scrapfest 1 to my memorable SMI journey-- and how you fanned my scrapping addictions. no matter what i say, you know i don't regret a single moment of all that. soooo glad i met you. and even if you are far from me physically, i know the friendship will go on. maybe one of these days, i will give you a hug in person again.

sick...

2007-10-19T22:23:00.000+08:00

been sick most of the week (fever due to strep throat) and i am not happy i probably cannot make it to friend Joanne's despedida in Makati tomorrow. and speaking of sick, you might like to visit my other blog to see my nonscrapbooking thoughts. a warning though--it's not a happy post after today's explosion at glorietta. my heart goes out to those caught in that tragedy.

inque me up!

2007-10-12T10:09:00.000+08:00

the moment i set eyes on these babies, i knew i was doomed...i think they are next big thing in rubberstamps. why? these rubberstamps by Inque Boutique come in cuuute colors (not just the usual red or black): green, violet, pink, blue rubber colors AND they have an image index at the back so, even if they are not clear, when you mount them on acrylic blocks, you can approximate where your image will go. of course the ubiquitous clear stamps available these days are easier to position being ultra clear but i would prefer to invest my money on RUBBERstamps hearing that they actually last longer than the clear ones. oh, and speaking of money, these cool, cute, compact rubberstamps are CHEAPER too! how can it get better than that? Mitch retails the big ones for PHP600.00 each, the midsize ones are PHP175.00 and the small square ones are PHP50.00 each! you will definitely go home with more than one!

so yesterday, Nita and i lie in wait, ready to pounce, at the fresh shipment that we heard might arrive at Mitch's place. under threat of her life (haha!), we had instructed Mitch (owner of Visual Creations) to call or text as soon as they come. as soon as the text came, Nita and i flew!

these stamps are soooo worth it's price. don't forget to get your Simply Scrappy acrylic blocks, if you don't already have them, to mount these stamps. Mitch has those too. i suggest you run to the store now or you won't catch 'em. happy stamping!

scrapfest 4 Xperience

2007-10-09T17:30:00.000+08:00

truly an Xperience because scrapbooking-wise -- it was eXtreme! the day started out quite inanely with me carrying an absurd amount of luggage--1 big rolling suitcase, an overnight bag for my Cuttlebug, 2 shoulder totes, 1 bursting AMM tool tote and 1 big box with Simply Scrappy merchandise for Visual Creations. Tin was kidding the day before that we would probably look like donkeys and i think we did.

i was making a lot of friendly talk and having a good time meeting people i only see during events but nagging deep inside was a little fear for the upcoming face-off between the SMIdol participants. of course seeing some shopping goodies worked a long way in keeping my mind off my apprehension.

after lunch, we were called to settle. the contest was about to start. they passed us our mystery kits. Liz announced at the mic prior to this that she was expecting a loud squeal from me when we see our kits and i then understood why. the big lot of 12 by 12 clear acrylic sheets the Scrappin Moms ordered from me were to be used on us! it didn't occur to me then because April took down names and quantities at Scrapbukan's event so i thought this order was for them.

we were given 1 hr to plan and shop for the LO and 3 hrs to scrap it. this was my first time to do a project on a clear page ever even if this was a Simply Scrappy product because it was new. i haven't even launched it yet and the Scrappin Moms had the first order. so we had this kit that also contained 3 2sided patterned papers (PPS) 1 yellow flower, 4 eyelets and a strip of black adhesive fabric. my first reaction other than the surprise at the acrylic was thankfulness that the colors were oranges and greens. it was because i took a risk with the photos i brought to scrap. although i desaturated the colors making them more easy to blend with colored PPS, there was a prominent color, a reddish orange because of the santan flower. it was great that my photos will not clash with the PPs given to us.

my heavy luggage was not for naught after all because i was able to use the embellishments i brought along (laces, eyelets, ribbons and journaling cards). but the key tool i used for this particular project was my Crop-a-dile! ooooo...i can just kiss it! Pia said "...maximize the full creative potential of the acrylic"-- and because of the Cropadile, i was able to do that because this tool cuts through the acrylic! with a clear base (the acrylic), double sided PPS and eyelets in the kit, it occured to me that i can maximize the creative potential by using BOTH sides of the acrylic since the 2-sided paper will show through on the back side, too! the technique was to limit the use of glue and this was how the Cropadile was important. i would attach via eyelets so the backside will be clean. another challenge here was how to position everything such that the backside will be as utilitarian and pretty as the front side. it was NOT easy because there were positions that looked good in front but looked off at the back. but, again, it felt like a puzzle to me and that was the key to get me really going for it.

luckily, in good time, i was able to figure out the self-imposed puzzle. the pieces fell into place and i started assembling. the 3 hours went by so fast but i was able to glue down the last flower before time was up! i made it! i had low hopes of winning when Scrapfest started because i failed my practice LO time. this is why finishing was my ONLY personal goal (i felt it would be worse not to finish at all) and that being so, i already felt like a winner! the game was done for me right then already because i conquered my own weakness. i was so elated...and i had a back-to-back LO which made me proud of myself. here is my finished entry:

here is the front side...

...and this is the back side of the LO
the only things actually attached to this side is the picture,
the flowers and the blings. all the rest were from the front
showing through at the back

other than myself, i was soooooo proud of dearest friend Nita too! she even finished first among all of us. and this was a person who was almost as slow as i was! to top it off, her LO looked fabulous! right there and then i knew we both got what we went there for. we came. we saw (the kits). we conquered (ourselves). it cannot get much better than that!

when elimination time came, the fears came back all over again! and it was not because i was hoping to win any (i was already a winner in my book remember, no matter how the contest turns out) but the Scrappin Moms were so goooood at building suspense! they did the eliminations American Idol style with matching identical dialog "{names}, you are safe!"...aaarrrgghhh! so that's how it felt, standing on stage and being called this way! i tell you, it was emotional!

then when the final 3 were called and i was still standing there, i was floored! weeeee! that meant i had a secure prize to take home...hahahah! how's that for a capper to a wonderful day! Cabbie won the Grand Prize title and i couldn't be happier. she truly deserved it because all through out the rounds, she had great technique and outstanding layouts. not to mention that she is a very good friend and Friday night scrapmate. the other runner up is Tin, who is also a good friend and is someone i admire very much for her funny wit, sweet disposition and artistic talents. gosh, there's probably no better ending to this suspense-filled yet lovely day.

Pia kiddingly interviewing us why we should be the next idol

my fave shot of the day: the moment Cabbie wins! what a capture by Jeff Lopez

my great big bear hug from the IDOL!

the top 12 - segment 1

the top 12 - segment 2

"thesis defense": the scrappin moms asking as to explain our LO

the Picks of the Week awards

the Idol and Runners-Up with the Scrappin Moms

probably the only sad note to the whole exercise was that we had to say goodbye to a dear scrapper friend Joanne who is about to embark on a new life in Australia. i just have to console myself with the fact that the internet will at least be a way to keep in touch with her. Joanne is a visionary and celebrity in the local scrapbooking community and i know that even if she is far, she would probably still be making waves to "get the Filipinos on the scrapbooking map". indeed, if not for my fondness for Joanne, i would not even have joined the SMIdol challenges. i started out doing it for her but ended up doing it for myself and learning and overcoming my weaknesses along the way. and the best part of all is that i made friends and met more talented people who i would otherwise wouldn't have known had i been locked up in my own little scrapbooking world. but you see, this is how Joanne operates and touches other people. she is one true scrapbooking angel.

for sure, next year's Scrappin Moms Idol Challenge will be as exciting and knowing these ladies, they would probably outdo themselves. i shall be eagerly and happily watching the new batch then for sure. the Scrappin Moms will definitely take them for a great scrapping ride...and it's all so worth it.

photo credits: Jeff Lopez, Au Lim, Michelle Sonza

below are a recap of the LOs that got me to the finals. it can finally be posted.

practice LO

2007-10-09T16:29:00.000+08:00

since i knew my weakness was being too slow and because our little group was curious if we could finish at all, we made lambing to Mitch if she can play along with us and assemble for us a kit we can time ourselves with. fortunately, she humored us. big thanks to Visual Creations for having such a talented and sweet shop owner. the contents of the kit were 1 American Crafts paper (Artichoke), 1 Tres Jolie (Birthday Boy), 1 7Gypsies paper (Family Documents), 1 pc. 7G Typewriter Words (Grow) from the Baby set, and a piece of ribbon. the instructions were to use everything in the kit but you may add more. so to it, i added brown Bazzill CS as base and the lace. For scalloping the orange paper, i used the big scallop side of Simply Scrappy's Scalloper One template which may also be bought from Visual Creations. Here is the outcome:

i wanted to see if i can do it in under 3 hours. i failed because i finished in 3 hrs and 25 mins. i did learn though that i should not look at my neighbors' LO because it intimidates me (hahaha!) and that i should not think too much because it will slow me down. although i love the diecut letters, too (QK Studio), it's not a very good idea either if under time pressure, i think. although this is probably a borderline thing because Nita did diecuts on her idol entry at Scrapfest and it looked fabulous.

Journaling reads: Every mother doesn't want to see her child cry but I confess I find pleasure in being there to kiss his tears away and wrap my arms around him until he is ready to smile again.

fun at SE EB and Scrapbukan's sale

2007-10-08T15:56:00.000+08:00

i do not always go to EBs without my friend Nita since she is usually my ride. Nita was not available that day but ever since i read in Scrapbukan's post on the PS and SE groups that they have the new BG papers in and they are out on sale at SE's EB, i just had to go! (peace my SE friends, of course i wanted to see you too!). i really only wanted to get the Obscure line but i just couldn't resist the Recess set. i finally went home with some loose Mellow papers too! i just couldn't resist taking advantage of the discount given to SMIdol participants. now, if only i could scrap fast enough to finish all of them.

i really enjoyed having the chance to mingle and get to know better some lovely people. there was a game where we were grouped into 5's (but in my group's case, only 3) and were asked to pose for pics. those pics were printed immediately and we were asked to group scrap it with some kits and embellishments we hunted down in another game. it was so much fun! i loved spending the time with some very nice ladies: Dinah, Ria's SIL, and although i already knew Karen Co, it was the first time we spent a longer time together. we even won 2nd place with our group LO. i never realized a group scrap was so much fun. here is our LO which we did in an hour.
thanks Dinah for sending me the pic. it was a great day with you guys. and thanks to Ria too for lending us her stamps and inks that day.

the PS EB - sept.09.07

2007-10-08T15:26:00.000+08:00

i am more than a little behind on my blog posts so i shall now try to keep abreast. here are some pics from the PinoyScrapbookers' EB last September 9, 2007 at our usual venue in Pasig.

As usual, lots of fun here. Demos from Cabbie(altered art), Jeannie(folding mini album), Mitch (mini album) which we intend to do a step-by-step of on the next EB. i also did a mini demo on using crackle medium.

Studio Azul of Mia and Tin also launched their beautiful limited edition kits then. Those are must have ladies! Snag yourself some of those yummies.

ka-blagg!...

2007-10-04T19:42:00.000+08:00

this was probably the sound i made as i hit the floor after Lee broke the news to me. "Congrats Ms. POTW" she said"...you're Ali's pick of the week!" well ok, i did not fall down (ma-drama lang ako...hehehe) but i could have, being as surprised as i was. good thing i was in the office because i have to keep some composure. besides, i was only half-believing it. i have no proof yet that Lee was not kidding.

i run to the computer to get into the Scrappin Moms Idol website but no matter how i refresh the page, it won't load the updated Pick of the Week section. i called Lee again to ask if she wasn't pulling my leg. So she read to me what the column says:

this previously concealed picture is now unblurred after SMIC finals 10/10/07

a few minutes later, YM messages from Cabbie, Mia and Sym popped up the screen and messages other friends came through the cell. only then did i really start believing it. it's funny how other (nonscrapbooking) people cannot grasp what my excitement was all about but it's quite a different feeling knowing an Ali Edwards actually read and picked my LO. {squeeeeee...} it was even more pleasing since i really didn't expect much. all the entries were magnificent. there was so much heart, so many funny and touching stories. besides, i knew that my LO was one a judge might either like a lot or hate a lot...hahaha..."non-traditional" as it was with its extra-long journaling and daring pictures. i guess this was really just the luck of the draw kind of thing. Makes it really worth going boldie though...ahikhikhik!

but seriously, just the comments i got from people who said they were inspired by it were quite a reward already. an LO like this is not something i would probably willingly share under other circumstances but if someone out there somewhere is moved by it or benefits from it, i think THAT is an even bigger reward!

what a journey!

2007-10-01T17:56:00.000+08:00

i think i made personal scrapping milestones in the last 3 rounds of the SMIC (Scrappin Moms Idol Challenge). first off, in round 4, i finally achieved my only scrapbooking goal for this whole challenge: to at least go home with a prize. however, i consider it virtually impossible for me to dream for the grand prize. i have never finished an LO in one sitting, much less complete one in 3 hrs. and while being watched! arrgh! It's simply not in my "powers" to finish i think. so my only chance for a prize is to make Pick of the Week (POTW) in one of the rounds...and woohoo!...i made it with the LO My Nanay's Singer! my thanks to Ms. Anne Langpap for picking my LO. after this, i can be eliminated and still be happy about it. i have already made it to my goal.

this previously concealed picture is now unblurred after SMIC finals - 10/10/07

by the 5th round, i was running out of steam. i was about ready to throw in the towel because planning and executing these challenge LOs were taking up most of my free time. i wasn't even going to the gym anymore. what i did discover about myself though is that i just cannot give up. i always thought that if this gets too taxing, i can simply not submit an entry. but i couldn't do it. first of all, i was too curious if i could indeed come up with an answer to the difficult challenges. secondly, my pride won't let me. it was pride not my my creations but in the fact that i just cannot quit. i'd hate myself if i did. funny how one discovers bits about oneself in the most mundane things.

so i plod on with finishing the LO Taking Refuge. this one is special to me because this is about an important facet in my persona: my spirituality. i hesitated awhile. making it the topic of a page that will be shared with the general public is a little touchy i thought because...well...i am not sure how the audience will take it. but this is the topic that inspires me at that moment and candor is probably one of the traits i am known for by my close friends so i went ahead and hoped for the best. at the end of the day, it is my LO to keep and each time i complete one, it is like winning a prize in itself. also, the final result made me happy because i had a lovely receptacle for this important ephemera--the little pamphlet where my dharma name, given by the Rinpoche, was written.
perhaps this attack of openness carried over to the next round because this time around i was even more daring...more, well...open. round 6 challenge was about Life's Challenges and Joys and the Lessons These Teach You. Hands down, the topic for this was my Natural Childbirth experience. i was proud of myself for facing my fears in this experience and i have always wanted to scrap it. i thought i would be making it into a mini album one of these days but i would have to be content with a spread for this challenge. my big question was how to present it. that was the extra challenge because the pictures were ummm...well...bold, in more ways than one. hahaha.

again before i started, i hesitated just like my bestfriend Nita was hesitating about her LO's topic too. i dispensed her advise that i thought was best to follow myself: you never know whose life you will touch and inspire by your story. so let go do it! this is the outcome: A Natural Childbirth Journey. view here please. i hope you are not too queasy :-D

my babies on their birth days

here they are today...after eating Lipps candy...

round after round, dapitan finds, sew and sew

2007-09-06T19:25:00.000+08:00

i missed blogging! been quite a while since i updated! still adjusting to shuttling from home office to office office, plus i've made a commitment to myself that i will regularly go to the gym. on my other spare hours, i think up and execute weekly LOs for the Scrappin Moms Idol Challenge (SMIC). so all that pretty much takes all the time i have on my hands already. it makes me wonder again why there are not more that 24 hours to a day...or why a person needs to sleep.

speaking of the SMIC...those pretty moms seem to be working overtime trying to cook up ways to keep their challengers on their toes! round 2 was hard but i was pretty happy with myself at how my LO turned out. that's because it made me realize that doing a page all in one color is just a cool as doing one in many colors. it forced me to experiment things i would not normally try. the LO i did titled Green is here at this gallery.

rounds 3 was another brain buster...just asking for Altered Art (from scrapbookers!) weren't enough for them. they wanted the item for altering to be REPURPOSED! my entry was a clipboard turned to a fridge memoboard. but despite the mindboggling task, i can't get over how the pinay idols rose up to the challenge. the entries are ingenious! ogle the gallery here. i initially thought my clipboard idea wasn't too hot because i wanted to do some recycled art but again i felt good after i completed it. i discovered i liked altering and would like to do it again. HOT TIP! if you like to experiment in this too, you MUST visit Dapitan St. and find Suki Market where there is a minefield of cheap items one can alter or include in altering! i wish i had taken pics of the place. maybe on my next visit. but here are some things i scored there that i would like to alter.
the nicked wooden tray i got fot P150.00, candelabra for P150.00 also. the aluminum pot for P120.00 and the stones for P25.oo each. the tray is definitely for some kind of collage work, the candelabra might be a base for a lamp i for which the aluminum pot might serve as the shade. the stones? maybe as an embellishment. the operative word here is WHEN i would be able to execute....hahaha....

SMIC round 4. 1234. 1 photo. 2 fabrics. 3 word title. 4 embellishments. hah! i thought this was easier than the previous ones. boy, was i wrong! i never thought i put so many different stuff on my LOs until i needed to count them. the photo part was easy. i immediately knew i wanted to scrap my Nanay's sewing machine especially since there was fabric involved. problem was i knew the thing was in Bulacan and i don't have time to go there. when i asked Nanay, she told me it was sitting in the garahe because she had it refitted with a new cabinet. hahahaha....happy day! so i went to town with my camera on it...yey! the new cabinet was a letdown though because i wanted to photograph it with the old beat up one. but hey, it's there and some tweaks with Photoshop will make it suitable. i just wished the LO called for a multiphoto because i loved the details of the old machine.

the 3 word title was easy. My Nanay's Singer. when it came time to put everything together, limiting the embellishments and putting in 2 fabrics were what killed me! arrrghhh! took me till 3am to finally complete last night and i must have been really sleepy coz i put in the stamped "E" on my title backwards! eeekk! oh well...but a challenge is a challenge! it ain't a challenge if it was easy right?! but boy, it is really getting tiring are this point especially since there were no more long weekends unlike the past 2 weeks. but it is over and done with. see it here at the gallery among the many beautiful LOs of the other challengers. this race IS getting tighter. if i fall off any moment now, i won't be surprised.

Raj having fun. Vrooom, vroom...

round 1 is up...round 2 is on...

2007-08-19T22:09:00.000+08:00

i made it to the 27 who will go through to do round 2 of the Scrappin Moms Idol challenge. my entry is in this gallery and the title is BISCUIT- his daily fix. congratulations to everyone who made it too. to my friends who didn't, i'm sure you're half happy since the stress would be easing off. as for me, whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is something i still need to figure out being a reluctant challenger myself. one thing i am sure though is that the round 2 challenge has pushed my buttons. the challenge is to scrap using only one color and its shades...in short, monochromatic! and there's so many restrictions!

this is not an easy task for me being a "color" person. Joanne argues that "...simple lang naman ito e." to which my answer was, "that's the problem, i like complicating things"...heheheh....truly this round agitates me, though i mean that in a good way. i tickles my "problem-solving" fancy. even in philosophy class in college, i tend to like the logic problems. they're like puzzles. i couldn't leave them alone till i've figure it all out even if it takes me ages to do. and this monochromatic challenge is puzzling to me...what reason is there for me to scrap in one color when i have lots to play with and my mind is conditioned to do such? so there's the rub...

i don't know yet how i'm going to solve this but i'm working on it. my mind's been in whirl the past couple of days i couldn't sleep well. i am wide awake till 4 am trying to sleep and up by 6 or 7 am. i'm usually like this when i'm working on a project back when i worked as a graphic designer...maybe it's why this round excites me. it reminds me of solving design problems for demanding clients..hahaha...could it be i'm missing that kind of work?....naaaah...

now, since i have no graphic to insert here since we're not allowed to post our LOs on our blogs until we've been eliminated, i'll just insert this blinkie by Liza:

kinda cool, ain't it... thanks Liza!...

nakaka-senting Lolo LO...

2007-08-14T14:48:00.000+08:00

yes, i can't help but feel sentimental as i gathered the ephemera i needed to do this layout (LO). like many things in my life, once they are out of sight, they are also out of mind. so when i stumbled upon this picture of me and my lolo (which also happens to be the title of my LO entry for the Kaya challenge blog), haay...i can't help but sigh at our quaint poses and our fingers touching. i was suddenly besieged by nostalgia which was reinforced by handling these "Bagong Lipunan" bills and coins (even if i disliked the national leader whose signature appears on them)...ahhh, those were the days when the 1-peso and the 5-peso currencies were paper bills and not coins. if i had a 5-peso bill then, it was like having perhaps the equivalent of, ummm, a P50 bill, maybe even more. i remember being able to buy goodies with a 5 centavo coin and if i had several 1 centavo coins, i could still go to the nearby sari-sari store with them and come home with some candy. peso to dollar conversion rates in the 60s were around $1.00 to P2.00... makes me wonder for a moment, how did we get this way?---no more 1 centavo coin, valueless 5 centavos, obsolete 10 centavos...heck, the cost of minting these coins are worth more than their value so now we have foreigners who smuggle the coins out of the country so they can sell it for more---and then i remember the answer, we were plundered.

can you blame me for yearning for those old golden days?...of course...sans the memory of the dictator who also imposed Martial Law for 20 years and called it Bagong Lipunan...ok, i have run on too long and am wading into things beyond scrapbooking...maybe this topic is for my other blog already :-D

i am so challenged!

2007-08-14T12:07:00.000+08:00

it seems i do not get to make a scrap page these days unless its an imperative. if not for these challenges, i might not move along! but they can get stressful. and it thought this hobby was for de-stressing! however, once the page is done, it is always a proud moment for me, the sense of achievement is addictive.

and these days, one challenge so demanding is the Scrappin Moms Idol Challenge. it's a weekly elimination scrapping contest which culminates on the day of the Scrapfest. see their gallery here where my entry off to lala land with the thumbman is posted. it is my first time to join such precisely because i hate the stress. but how i can resist these charming moms' invitations especially since one dear member is about to leave the country? so Joanne, i must say, this one is for you. despite the stress, i have to admit, i am enjoying myself, too. i made it past the elimination round which makes me happy yet dreading at the same time...hahaha..talk about mixed emotions. which reminds me that i should be starting on the LO for Round 1 due on the 16th already! i only hope all these hoopla doesn't make me mentally challenged, instead!

rockin'

2007-08-14T10:08:00.000+08:00

thanks rockin' girl blogger Nina for sending me this. hey, i'm a Rockin Girl blogger now, too!

now, i understand i should relay this to five more so i'm tagging: Marix, Leirs, CH, Donna, and Cata. Just to say your blogs rock, gurrlss!

my kaya 3 entry and a card

2007-07-25T18:06:00.000+08:00

finally! i finished an LO for the Kaya challenge! i was actually contemplating on "cheating" a bit (again, due to busy skeds) by posting an old LO i have not yet posted anywhere but i thought the better of it. if an LO is the scrapper's best reward, then i wouldn't have a prize if i "cheated". since, i was lugging around a few photos intended to be scrapped since the PS EB, and which i brought again to the SE EB i attended at Mitch's place, i thought i'd go ahead and push through with it already. besides, the Pagemaps sketch that Liza threw in for a challenge during the SE EB would work for this particular LO, i thought. i started it last Sunday but it sat on my table till last night. i was feeling unwell, too. i think i caught the bug three of my kids already have. i finally finished it last night despite feeling feverish. see it at the Kaya blog f or details. one thing i love about this LO is that i got to use that newly acquired Hero Arts lace stamp which i embossed in red powder!

also, last week, right after the PS EB, i was really hot to use those pearlized pigment powders (Ranger Perfect Pearls and PearlEx) i have lying around. Mia's demo got me using them. here's the card i made with them.

i stamped the image on black Bazzill cardstock and embossed with clear powder. then, i painted the inside space with PearlEx wet with water to make a kind of watery paste just like how one would use water color. i then cut around it with decorative scissors and mounted it on the scrap green checkered paper which i painted with red Making Memories acrylic paint. to finish, i added the polka dot paper strip, added eyelets where i threaded raffia and tied a bow. quick and easy!

i think i shall be hooked on making cards if nothing else but to use up the accumulating scraps from LO projects. as a matter of fact i am swearing that i shall use ONLY scraps for my card projects! moreover, its a great creative outlet that can be completed in a single sitting. it takes less effort than conceptualizing a scrapbook page and i think, in the age of emails and the internet, hardly anyone sends snail-mailed cards anymore. so a handmade card is a wonderful way to tell someone you are thinking of them and that they mean a lot to you.

i was on TV!

2007-07-18T20:12:00.000+08:00

last month, someone from Net25 called me. she said she saw my site on the internet and asked if it was ok if she interviewed me for a TV segment on Tribe, a program on their channel. i was quite surprised, a bit afraid but a the same time i also wanted people to know more about this very fulfilling hobby and also quite excited for another bragging right to be on TV...hehehe...

it was finally aired last Sunday, 7pm but i wasn't even home to watch it. i came in from our EB and reached home just when the show had passed. there's a replay though on July 20, Friday at 7pm so if you are reading this and have the time to watch it, please do. many thanks! i hope i won't forget to watch too...haha!

PinoyScrapbookers' July 2007 EB

2007-07-18T19:58:00.000+08:00

fun, fun, fun day...lots of learning and yummy eats! this time around, the EB was centered on stamping because of the PS Kaya Blog challenge this month. i did a little lecture on different stamping inks. Tin showed us how to stamp using just bleach (as in Chlorox!) and the effect was sooo cool! Mia also did a demo with stamping using Perfect Pearls (to which I am now addicted to!) and Alby did a demo on using UTEE on chipboard monograms.

it was great to meet new faces, too! hello cookie and vanessa! and christine v. and babette g. showed up for the first time. had lotsa fun with all of you...see the pics below:

see you next month, peeps!

tidbits

2007-07-11T19:35:00.000+08:00

oooh yeah...before i forget...Scrapbytes July 2007 issue is up. i have an article there on how to make your own transparencies. be sure to catch it along with the many nice articles by scrapping friends in our community. everytime this online newsletter comes out, there is always a little tidbit in it that serves as an inspiration to me...this month, it is Ria's article where she says "there is no perfect LO... adopt an attitude where you will learn something new...you may not like what you end up with...learn from it and move on." i also like tips no 7 and no 8... just go over there now and read it.

and since i wasn't able to blog for some time, i have not posted yet about that little TV segment on Good Finds of the Lifestyle channel. Last Scrapfest there was a network crew who covered the event. they picked out vendors to interview and guess what...i was one of them! let me tell you i was so darn nervous but i couldn't say no to free advertising and a chance to appear on TV....hahahaha! if i only knew, i would've had my hair done and put some makeup on! Ria of Scrappin Moms put the segment on YouTube so watch below. This segment is so cool because it not only gives you a glimpse of the very lively scrapbooking community growing in the Philippines, it also has a short tutorial on the hobby. What are you waiting for...watch already! (if you are watching this from my blogspot site, you may want to turn off the music on my slideshow at the sidebar by clicking on the little speaker icon)

new stuff, a card and an LO...

2007-07-10T17:13:00.000+08:00

for the past couple of weeks, there were too many things going on in my schedule i couldn't even start to scrap. since a boxload of goodies for sale arrived at my home store the last week of June, i was literally aching to do some scrapping. aside from the things i had for sale, of course there were also some personal goodies inside and i was reaaaally looking forward to their arrival. one was my Toteally Cool Tote 2 and the other thing was my new rubberstamps! the tote is soooo cool indeed because it holds in all of the stuff i usually reach out for when doing a project and because it swivels (on a detachable magnetic lazy susan) it practically invites me to put back in whatever i take out of it. a lot less clutter on my space while working. it has so many pockets, garter bands, even a drawer (improved version than in the first edition of this bag) that i feel so well organized now. i do not misplace things anymore...really! and it holds a lot. if i move things around some more, i think the kitchen sink will fit in.

as for the stamps, i dare not put a picture here for fear hubby might stumble upon it so just wait for the occasional project where i might use it. however, despite all these incentives to start some project and no matter how i tried, i was drained by the end of the day, there were no creative juices left. but yeah, i still did manage a small card project for that week just to try a stamp. here it is:

for this card, i got to use one of the new stamps (the girl on the piano), my old music paper stamp, Cuttlebug D'vine Swirl A2 embossing folder and this cool tool called, Making Memories Stamping Die Set. i think this tool has been around a while because i hardly see it advertised anymore. but i loooove the unique look it lends to my project! what i used here is just a sheet of very thin brass i got from the hardware. one would need a hammer (the one already in a scrappers' bag used for setting eyelets) or the Making Memories Instant Setter to use it properly. i think i shall be making some more projects with this one.

with our highschool batch reunion finally done last weekend (was so much fun seeing old friends!), a big load off my mind also passed and first thing i did before even answering emails was to scrap! since i had some paper waiting for me intended for a challenge, that was the first one i tackled. here's the finished product:

this is one of the few times i finished an LO in a single night, from start of concept to finish. either i am improving or the papers and embellies were just too good that the LO fell so easily in place.

materials used:
Scenic Route papers, stickers and diecuts, 7gypsies photo turns, Sizzix die cut letters, metal embellishments, Making Memories acrylic paints and Creative Imaginations foam stamps, Bazzill cardstock, Ranger Distress inkpads

hopefully, i can complete one more before this week is done.

tagged!

2007-06-23T16:50:00.000+08:00

Iris tagged me so...here are 7 random facts about me:

1. many people won't believe this, not even those who know me well, but I am actually shy. i'd rather stay home than party although i would go if invited.

2. i enjoy time alone. sitting meditation is something i'd like to be able to do regularly but my current situation usually prevents it.

3. hikain ako. but people never suspect it because i'm so malikot and being asthmatic never stops me from being as active as i want to be...for as long as my inhalers are with me.

4. my little shih tzu, Tashi loves me to pieces and i love him back. he constantly follows me everywhere in the house.

5. when i was young, red was my favorite color. then it became orange. then yellow. now, it's green. cuttlebug green! and i love green tea.

6. sunflowers are my favorite flowers. they are big, loud, and cheerful. And they always look at the sunny, bright side.

7. i also like butterflies. some say they symbolize death. to me, they are a symbol of transformation and breaking free from the mold. i like them so much i got one tattooed on me.

now, i have to tag 7 other friends who must also say 7 random facts about themselves. i am tagging Lee, Christine, Joanne, Hanna, Ella, Cabbie, and Tin. happy blogging ladies! this is actually cool, i think, coz we get to know each other a bit more :-D

hooray for freebies!

2007-06-23T15:57:00.000+08:00

the past two days were ticklishly happy for me. last thursday, my prize (for just being at the top 3) arrived via Air21 from Nette of My Little Attic. deliciously juicy-colored Fancy Pants papers, thickers and stuff here....oooohhh yeah....

then yesterday, Friday, i renewed my magazine subscription of Simple Scrapbooks. Cherry of Emerald Headway sent me these goodies: back issues of mags i like! and these issues are not that old, too. they're April 2007 issues. i requested digital camera mags aside from scrapbooking ones and my favorite yoga read.

subscribing for mags in the Philippines is a lot more expensive than getting a subscription in the US and having it sent here but i think the instant gratification of getting them quick and counting the cost of these freebies make up for that. will be renewing my Creating Keepsakes subscription soon....yey, yey, yey...more mags my way.

father's day LO

2007-06-18T20:57:00.000+08:00

i wanted to do a card project last Saturday for hubby but work kept me at the computer. i was itching to put use the oh, so lovely new Prima paper kits that came in at my store, Simply Scrappy, couple of weeks back. by the end of the day, i was a bit freer so i thought i'd check out my pics on Adobe Elements for a possible weekend LO as well. I saw this picture of Erwin and Raj and thought I'd tweak it a bit on Photoshop. it seemed to call out for a drama quote so i searched for one and found it. by the time I was done, the picture looked like this and was practically calling out to be scrapped already so i printed it out on my trusty Epson. hmm, maybe an father's day LO was just as good as a card. i didn't quite finish on saturday evening due to some glittering snags i hit. i finally ditched glitter and did embossing, again, ala-Iris style, and finished on Sunday. Still in time for father's day.

click to enlarge

i remember asking Iris a few months back how she did her favorite script stamping that seemed to go on to the edge of the page. she told me how and what stamp it was (Hero Arts Old French Manuscript) so i set about to searching for it and found it. i was finally able to test drive it here. i often scrutinize idol Iris's techniques on her LOs and saw she does embossing on the patterned paper. lovely technique! this is what i did here. here is the embossing detail up close.

click to enlarge

deconstruction:
Prima paper kit (Aurora Collection), Prima Journalist chipboard stickers (mermaid and butterflies) 7gypsies photo turns, Sizzix die cut letters (Cherish and Boxed Brush), rickrack, Fastenater staples, stamping and heat embossing techniques using Ranger gold embossing powder and clear embossing inkpad, Simply Scrappy Deckler for paper tearing.

Items available at Simply Scrappy ScrapArts store used in this project are:
Prima paper kit (Aurora Collection), Fastenated stapler and staples, Ranger gold embossing powder and clear embossing inkpad, Ranger Distress inkpad (Frayed Burlap), Simply Scrappy Deckler and Stitching Guide.

what would IRIS do?

2007-06-16T12:15:00.000+08:00

it seems Nita and i have been friends way too long (29 years by now) that we are often on the same wavelength. last week, bespren Nita was on self-pity mode after viewing Iris Uy's online album at webshots. See her funny thoughts here at her blog at how Iris scared off her scrapping muse. At the same time, I was at home also trying to put together an LO. I was looking at the picture I wanted to scrap and thought to myself "what would Iris do?" so with that in mind, and a prayer directed at my scrapping goddess Iris, i started picking out papers and cutting and pasting paper and of course, lace! Here's the result:

click to enlarge

it may be a long ways from something my idol would accomplish but i'm pretty happy i captured the romantic feel i so love about her work. Thanks idol Iris for the inspiration.

And Nita, we have something even better to drool over! Iris now has a blog... oooo, yeah! I'm putting my bib on now.

deconstruction:
K&Co paper as base. Bazzill cardstock (java) to matt the photo. Photoshop CS2 to edit the photo, EK Corner Adorner (slot wrought iron) for corner trim. Making Memories Kraft for the dotted paper. Bazill Blooms with letter brad from AAS, K&Co Words and Sayings chipboard, lace, small safety pin with starfish charm, a small sigay shell from the beach and a heart button also from AAS, transparency printed on the computer for the quotation and attached with Making Memories mini brads in metallic, metal tag frame, Prima flowers and buttons.

Items available at Simply Scrappy ScrapArts store used in this project are:
Bazzill cardstocks, Prima flowers (green), Bazzill Blooms (vanilla), MM Metallic brads, EK Corner Adorner.

yeehaa...

2007-06-14T18:57:00.000+08:00

i made it as one of top 3 winners of My Little Attic's Fancy Pants Challenge called the Colors of Summer. it's always sweet to get scrapbooking goodies as a reward for something i would love to do anyway...yey! this is the LO that made it:

Ms Leah Fung commented this about it:

"There are so many great elements to this page - lots of fun ideas that other scrapbookers can use too. First off, I love the composition - I like how everything is at an angle which immediately adds vivacity to the layout. I like how the large strip of patterned paper extends off both sides of the smaller patterned paper used in the background. There are lots of fun embellishments on her layout too but the photo is clearly the focal point of the page. I also like how she tucked part of the flower behind the photo and added the black flourishes above and below the journaling and in the lower corner of the page. The title and sentiment of this layout is great too! Side note: I also loved her Sand Sational page!!"

Even if it was not the grand prize LO, I'm so thrilled! Nice cap to my day!

Congratulations to the grand prize winner Carrie and Diane who also made top three. You deserve it ladies!

miss-hit!

2007-06-14T10:33:00.000+08:00

if you've been to the Pinoyscrapbookers' Kaya blog, you've probably seen this one. this is my response to the challenge issued: Black, White and a Pint of Color. i chose brown as my color so i can include some metal embellishments in the LO.

i'm pretty happy with how this turned out because despite some misses, i just happen to hit a perfect solution for it. for example, that picture of me was taken by daughter Gabey last time we were out at the mall. when she showed it to me, i told her it wasn't good because it looked like i was posing. when she saw that it eventually ended up here on this LO, she laughed at me and told me with a victorious grin "kala ko ba panget?" well, it just so happened it was perfect for the effect is wanted--like i was looking up at the butterfly.

second "miss" was on this very same picture: my little boy's head was right in front of me and would be clearly visible if i cut the pic into an oval. good thing that spot was right on for some Prima flowers!

then, i happily stamped some musical notes on to white cardstock...perfect, i thought. i then proceeded to tearing the side them distressing them with some gray chalk. as i was positioning it on the paper, i realized, i should have torn the other side! oh heck! then it just simply has to go upside down because i'm too lazy to repeat it already.

In my excitement, I forgot to put down credits on the LO for the quotation. It is by Jim Rohn and I got it from the 54 Challenges book by Elsie Flannigan.

Technique and process how this was done posted here as part of the entry to the PS blog.

well done LO

2007-06-12T20:12:00.000+08:00

here's another one i did towards the end of May specially for Scrapbytes's June 2007 issue. i was tasked by Ria to do an article on Scrapbooking School Memorabilia. it's been a while since i've done an LO with a school theme so it was probably just the prompt i needed to do one.

last school closing, DD Kara received a Best in Math award (hindi nagmana ang ina! i'm so poor in math..hahaha). she has always been a consistently good student but Mama has not been a good and consistent scrapper so this is the first among her certificates that i have been able to scrap. here's the result.

click to enlarge

since i used BG papers and a BG sketch (from their May newsletter) for this project, i decided to try again and upload it to the BG gallery. it was also then that i found out my name has been dropped already from their gallery. fortunately they accepted this project to be featured there so i'm back in. yey!

i like interactive pages with hidden journaling pull-outs and page turns and this is one of those. the black and white picture opens to this:

click to enlarge

deconstruction:
Bazzill cardstock(*cs) in Pinecone (brown) as background, BG Scarlet's Letter papers, black and gold lace trim from Divisoria, Prima flowers in green and red attached with black and gold Making Memories brads from the Metallic value pack. B/W photo was matted with green Canson cs. Corner interest was added to it using EK Success Corner Adorner (slot wrought iron) and then matted again with the black cs to which Making Memories hinges were attached. Title is from the BG letter sticker sheet that was applied with Ranger Glossy Accents dimensional glue for shine and a more 3D look.

additional techniques done:

Be Constant slider: BG die cut tag from the page kit stamped with words BE CONSTANT using MM Magnetic stamps Providence letters and Brilliance inkpad in Moonlight White. it was then laminated with 3 layers of UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Powder) and mounted on black cardstock. the edges of this black cs had also been edge distressed via gold embossing powder to echo the gold on the lace.

Certificate: i couldn't find a way to attractively display the actual certificate so i decided to scan, reduce and print it instead. this was attached to the black hinged cs where i also placed a strip of scrap green vellum just to add visual interest.

Distressed scallop paper: this paper was crumpled, inked with Ranger's Distress ink, sprayed with water to spread the ink around and then ironed (as in plantsa) to dry and straighten it out again. I got this technique from a Tim Holtz tip here.

Hinges recolored: my hinges were beige but i wanted them in gold. I simply painted them with Making Memories Acrylic Paint in gold.

Items available at Simply Scrappy ScrapArts store used in this project are:
Bazzill cardstocks, Ranger Distress ink Frayed Burlap, Making Memories Magnetic stamps and letters (Providence), gold embossing powder, Prima flowers, MM Metallic brads, Ranger Glossy Accents, Ranger UTEE, vellum, EK Corner Adorner, Making Memories hinges.