Challenge Yourself

Last December, I joined the Scrappin Mom's 1-2-3 Challenge. It proved a liberating and rewarding experience. I learned to let go of my fears and insecurities (well, at least, some of them) and was rewarded by a layout that I would never have done otherwise.

This January, the challenge is to scrap your travel photos. Hmmm...where to start? Too many travel photos. Finally, decided on a photo of me and DH in front of the Taj Mahal, drafted the journaling, printed out the photo, planned the layout (not necessarily in that order). I had even chosen the patterned papers. 7 Gypsies had papers called Mumbai, Sultan, etc. Just perfect for the olde worlde feel that I wanted my layout to exude.

Meantime, the deadline looms larger. On the last day, I finally stopped delaying and put my plan into action. I was so frustrated that the papers I had in mind didn't work with the photo. I wasted hours trying to make it fit, it just didn't. Maybe if it were in black and white. But I didn't want to print another copy. Sayang naman the photo I already have. So I literally threw my hands in the air and grabbed the few SEI paper I had (special prize goes to the best LO using SEI products). I don't have that many to choose from, so that was easy. Took me less than an hour to put everything together once I made a commitment.

So, here is how it came out. So different from what I had in mind. It won't win any awards, but just finishing it and sending it in was a big enough reward for me. This is LO #10 of 10. Wow! I'm in the two-digits.



Materials Used:

SEI Stitches cardstock; SEI serenity vellum; AMM Twill ribbon; phrase cafe sticker; Deja Views Fresh Verse; charms; MM foam stamps for the corner design (added some prisma glitter); acrylic stamps for the title. Photoshop CS2 for the Taj Mahal photo with text prints. The texts are actual descriptions of Taj Mahal written by poets and historian through the centuries. Scanned my Philippine passport and Indian visa.

Journaling: Standing on the bank of the River Yamuna, the Taj Mahal stands tall and beautiful. Built by an Emperor for his princess wife, it is truly a tribute to beauty and love. We were lucky enough to be there on a full moon. Like a jewel, the Taj sparkled in the moonlight when the semi-precious stones inlaid in the white marble caught in the moon's glow. It was, like our love, truly magical.

A bit of background. My DH and I had a chance to visit India last November 2003. I went for a work-related conference in New Delhi. My DH got bored just hanging around so he took the train to Jaipur and stayed there for three days. On the weekend of the conference, our office brought all the participants to visit the pride of Agra - the Taj Mahal. My office paid for everything, except my husband's personal expenses (Jaipur trip included) and his airfare. He was seated in economy so I just threw him cocktail peanuts from my lofty perch in business class. Haha.