RAK My Scrapbooking World

I almost went with the Eric Clapton song that goes "Before you accuse me, take a look at yourself..." Hehe. But I think the songs I finally chose are more apt and fun to boot.

Thank you, Marj for this interesting RAK. I'm glad I did it, not only for the opportunity to win a prize, but also because I got a good inventory of my scrapbooking stuff. I hope to open and use my tools more often, and to make a significant dent on my stash of papers. Here's to more scrapbooking layouts and albums.

The Man Who Would Be President

Just heard the news that Senator Mar Roxas will be the Liberal Party's bet for the presidency year 2010. Dang!

I met Mar Roxas many years ago when he was a neophyte congressman. It was actually a job interview. His fraternity sister who was my colleague at the DOTC arranged with his fraternity brother (you know how it goes) to get me a job interview. I wasn't very comfortable with the arrangement because I wasn't sure if he was really looking for additional staff at that time or he just granted me the interview because of his friends. And at that time I wasn't sure if I wanted to work in Congress again. But I went anyway, so as not to let the persons who recommended me down. Nakakahiya naman sa kanila, they went through all that trouble.

Sen. Roxas was quite gracious and he did seem interested in my qualifications, particularly my being a congressional fellow. He asked me questions relating to policy and legislation, and I think I was able to give him the right answers until...

He asked me about what I thought of the foreign debt situation in the country. Now, back in the 90s, I was a card-carrying member of the Freedom from Debt Coalition, and Mar Roxas, was well, a Wharton-educated economist. So we debated. He was on one side, and I was on the other side. Now, debate is good, but if you and a legislator are to work well together, it helps if you have the same beliefs. Apparently, we didn't. That debate ended with him asking me if I had a credit card, and I said smugly, "No, I don't." By that time I was already wishing I was out of there.

Things turned from bad to worse, when he asked me, "What do you think of Miriam Defensor-Santiago? (Miriam ran and lost the presidency, she insists, due to massive cheating to FVR. At the time she was making alot of noise about the issue.) I answered emphatically, "Miriam is a very intelligent person and she would have made a good president but there comes a time when enough is enough." Oooppppssss...the words haven't fully come out of my mouth when I remembered they were from the same party and he was a staunch supporter of Miriam. Double ooopppsss.

Congressman Roxas became a cabinet secretary, reinvented himself to Mr. Palengke, garnered the highest number of votes that made him Senator and now, he might possibly be the next president of the Philippines.

Dang! I should have said "Yes, I have a credit card" and "Miriam is the greatest!"

I Have the Personality of a Cartoon

Well, it could be worse. I know someone who has the personality of a box. :-)

When I was single, I related so much to Cathy. I wonder what this test would reveal. It should be fun.

A group of investigators got together and analyzed the personalities of well known and modern cartoon characters. The information that was gathered was made into this test.

Answer all the questions (only 10) with what describes you best, add up all your Points (which are next to the answer that you choose) at the end and look for your results.

I will highlight my answers in bold.

1. Which one of the following describes the perfect date?
.a) Candlelight dinner (4 pts.)
.b) Fun/Theme Park (2 pts.) - in fact, one of my DH and mine's first memorable date was at Enchanted Kingdom. Another was hiking in the Batad rice terraces.
.c) Painting in the park (5 pts)
.d) Rock concert (1 pt.)
.e) Going to the movies (3 pts.)

2. What is your favorite type of music?
.a) Rock and Roll (2 pts.)
.b) Alternative (1 pt.)
.c) Soft Rock (4 pts.)
.d) Country (5 pts.)
.e) Pop ( 3 pts)

3. What type of movies= do you prefer?
.a) Comedy (2 pts.)
.b) Horror (1 pt.)
.c) Musical (3 pts.)
.d) Romance (4 pts.)
.e) Documentary (5 pts.)

4.. Which one of these occupations would you choose if you only could choose one of these?
.a) Waiter (4 pts.)
.b) Professional Sports Player (5 pts.) - yeah, and then I'd ran for office or maybe just keep on rolling in the moolah!
.c) Teacher (3 pts.)
d) Police (2 pts.)
.e) Cashier (1 pt)

5 . What do you do with your spare time?
.a) Exercise (5 pts.)
.b) Read (4 pts.)
.c) Watch television (2 pts.)
.d) Listen to music (1 pt.)
.e) Sleep (3 pts.)

6. Which one of the following colors do you like best?
.a) Yellow (1 pt.)
.b) White (5 pts.)
.c) Sky Blue (3 pts.)
.d) Dark Blue (2 pts.)
.e) Red (4 pts.)

7. What do you prefer to eat?
.a) Snow (3 pts.)
.b) Pizza (2 pts.)
.c) Sushi (1 pt.)
.d) Pasta (4 pts.)
.e) Salad (5 pts.)

8 What is your favorite holiday?
.a) Halloween (1 pt.)
.b) Christmas (3 pts.)
c) New Year (2 pts.)
.d) Valentine’s Day (4 pts.)
.e) Thanksgiving (5 pts.)

9. If you could go to one of these places which one would it be?
.a) Paris (4 pts)
.b) Spain (5 pts)
.c) Las Vegas (1 pt)
.d) Hawaii (4 pts)
.e) Hollywood (3 pts)

10. With which of the following would you prefer to spend time with?
.a) Someone Smart (5 pts.)
.b) Someone attractive (2 pts.)
.c) Someone who likes to Party (1 pt.)
.d) Someone who always has fun (3 pts.)
.e) Someone very sentimental (4 pts.)
Now add up your points and find out the answer you have been waiting for!

Very interesting to see ‘who’ your friends are!

(10-16 points) You are Garfield :
You are very comfortable, easy going, and you definitely know how to have fun but sometimes you take it to an extreme. You always know what you are doing and you are always in control of your life. Others may not see things as you do, but that doesn’t mean that you always have to do what is right. Try to remember, your happy spirit may hurt you or others.

(17-23 points) You are Snoopy:
You are fun, you are very cool and popular. You always know what’s in and you are never are out of style You are good at knowing how to satisfy everyone else. You have probably disappeared for a few days more than once but you always come home with the family values that you learned Being married and having children are important to you, but only after you have had your share of fun times.

(24-28 points) You are Elmo:
You have lots of friends and you are also popular, always willing to give advice and help out a person in need. You are very optimistic and you always see the bright side of things. Some good advice: try not to be too much of a dreamer. Dreaming too big could cause many conflicts in
your life.

(29-35 points) You are Sponge Bob Square Pants:
You are the classic person that everyone loves. You are the best friend that anyone could ever have and never wants to lose. You never cause harm to anyone and they would never not understand your feelings. Life is a journey, it’s funny and calm for the most part. Stay away from traitors and jealous people, and you will be stress free.

(36-43 points) You are Charlie Brown:
You are tender, you fall in love quickly but you are also very serious about all relationships. You are a family person. You call your Mom every Sunday. You have many friends and may occasionally forget a few Birthdays. Don’t let your passion confuse you with reality.

(44-50 points) You are Dexter:
You are smart and definitely a thinker… Every situation is fronted with a plan. You have a brilliant mind. You demonstrate very strong family principles. You maintain a stable routine but never ignore a bad situation when it comes. Try to do less over thinking every once in a
while to spice things up a bit with spontaneity!

Wow! It's what the KiDS and I have always known -
I'm a GOOFY GOOBER YEAH!!!

Guilty Pleasures

Before we proceed with the unveiling of the contents of my balikbayan boxes, I have several disclaimers to make:

• Not all two and a half boxes contained my stuff. Neither are they all filled with scrapbooking materials.
• I bought these items intermittently in a course of one year. I'm sure that I spent less than most of you did in the past year.
  
• Some of the contents were given my sister and friends, and I am grateful to them for indulging me in this hobby.

I counted 3 Sizzlits alphabets (Funky Brush, Cherish, Funky Brush), 3 original alphabars (uppercase Pigeon-Toed Charms, lowercase Doodle Block, complete set of Doodle Tag), 21 various shapes die-cuts, 2 Sizzix Bigz (I hope they work with my Cuttlebug), 3 Sizzlits, 3 embossing folders. Where in my scraproom will I find room for these?

Three K.I. Memories kits worth P500 each, containing over 600 pieces of paper, stickers, and ribbons. The design may not be the latest trend but this would be great for making albums.


Provocraft slabs, again, good for making coordinating albums and cards.


DCWV stacks - Once Upon A Time, Old World, Far East, Glitter, Pocketful of Posies and Luxury Stack. I am loving the papers of the Luxury Stack so much that I wish I had more wedding photos.


Making Memories and Li'l Davis foam stamps, self-adhesive foam stamps (certainly will come useful to my goal of making more LOs with dimension), foam flowers - lots of them.


Pearl Ex powders (can't wait to experiment more with these powders), rubber stamps, Stickles, Martha Stewart glitters (yummy), ribbons, scissors, tool kit, corner puncher, acrylic paints that I can let my KiDS have as they were so cheap.


Manang Marissa also sent me these unused plastic test tubes (she used to work as a clinical researcher). Perfect for storing glitters, UTEE, embossing powders that you plan to share. If you want some of these, just leave a comment here. I think I can spare five per person and I'm sure Manang won't mind. Good only while supplies last.

See, not much, isn't it? I know some scrappers who have more stuff in their boxes. Tee-hee.

Sneak Peek

The whole week, from our studio-office, I would call our helper and ask, "Have the boxes arrived yet?" I'm sure I sounded like a broken record, or at the very least like my kulit KiDS when we are on a long road trip. Before we left the studio at around 7:30 pm last Friday, I called up Ate again to ask if they (you know what) have arrived. She answered in the negative, as usual.

Thus, it was a very happy surprise when I saw three balikbayan boxes in our garage when we arrived around 8 pm. Woo-hoo... I was so excited! I wanted to rush in, tear open the packaging tape and dive into the boxes. But I had to restrain myself (admirably, I might add) because I had committed to attending the mini-EB at Nita's place. I was already late as it was.

So amidst a lot of ribbing from my DH, he drove me to the EB venue where I finally met Me-Anne. I was expecting to do a lot of cutting to help Mitch prepare the mini-kits for the PS EB but they had already finished that. So to take my mind off my boxes, I persuaded the others to go to Au's house to look at the stuff she planned to put up on sale.

Major disaster for the budget and the wallet. It did take my mind off the boxes though. For awhile.

DH fetched me at around 12:30, and we got home around 1:30 am. And although we have to be up at 5 am the next day (Scouting Investiture at the school), I opened all the boxes, neatly placing all the scrapbooking stuff on top of our stereo.

What I saw astounded me, and for a brief moment, my conscience bothered me, how could I have accumulated so much stuff? I'm sure when I get to play that feeling will disappear. For now, I am literally living with guilty pleasures.

This day has been full (I've had only 4 hours of sleep). A long-winded meeting for the volunteer work I am doing followed after the investiture, and the traffic today is totally unbelievable. I still had to prepare for the EB tomorrow, so my EQ will still be placed under severe test. I hope tomorrow night, after the EB, and a work-related dinner meeting, I will finally be able to play. If, the KiDS did their homeworks as instructed. Otherwise, I will be one grumpy mommy.

A Productive Week

The past week was a welcome respite for all of us. No school, no homeworks, scrap time for Mommy. Yeah! I finished four layouts in my newly-organized scraproom. No more running up and down the house to get stuff that I need. And the bonus is, the KiDS stayed with me most of the time. They just played and read in the outer room which serves us our library. Yup! they forgot about TV. Toys and books are strewn everywhere but it's a small price to pay for some quality time together. With Mama getting some actual scrapping done.

PIGGY TALES CHALLENGE

Ever After

Journaling:
A mother's wish - that the three of you grow to be strong ang healthy, sensitive and considerate, loving and respectful, smart and successful. But my most fervent wish is something straight out of a fairy tale. That when the world seems large and scary, you will always be there for each other. Like the three little pigs. Or the seven dwarves. So that in the end, I could sincerely say, and they LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER!

Materials:
PPS - Goldilocks, Broken Chair, Porridge, 7 Gypsies; Chipboard - Fancy Pants; Sticker - Craft Express; Stamp - Autumn Leaves, Gel-a-tins; Ink - Tsukineko; Colorbox; Photo Turns - All About Scrapbooking; Brads - Oriental Trading; Pen - Uniball Signo; Misc - ribbons.

The Process:

As promised, I used Walnut Ink (Eucalyptus) for the first time, to color the ribbon (originally beige) green. I learned that one long spray is better than several spurts. And that lifting the ink at least 3 inches from the object gives a finer (not blotchy) mist. There was also a very pretty negative of the lace left on the scratch paper I used giving me an idea for next time.

Ink finally touched my Gelatins and Autumn Leaves stamps. I tried to emboss the title but it turned out too thin (I don't know what I did wrong) so I just stamped it with Brilliance ink pad. I added dimension to the title by mounting them on DH's scrap illustration boards. I tested the surface and it's acid-free, but to be safe, when you cut the board (the pulp inside might not be acid-free), seal the sides with acrylic paint.

I thought the details of the title font didn't show up much. I used this color PPS and ink to keep with the overall colors of the LO. Maybe I should have used a darker ink, like black? DH thinks the E looks like an I. What do you think?

*********

Well, somehow, the Piggy Tales papers had me thinking of far-away lands, happily ever afters and princesses. Like my little Sarah.

The Petulant Princess

Journaling:
ONCE UPON A TIME there lived a beautiful princess. She was kind, sweet and smart. But she had her many lightning moods. One moment she was happy and gay, smiling and laughing. The next, she was sad, angry, and throwing tantrums. Her Royal Family never knew what to expect. THE END.

(Idea for beginning and ending the journaling with Once.../The End in a different font from the main write-up came from Vicki Boutin.)

Materials:
CS- DCWV; PPS - Porridge, Cozy Cottage; Rubons - Hambly; Stickers - Creative Imagination, ProvoCraft; Thread - DMC; Flowers - Prima; Buttons - Foofala; Stamp - Autumn Leaves; Ink - Tsukineko; Sticklers; Uniball Signo.

The Process:

I finally got to use my stash of alphabet stickers, hahaha. And the Basic Grey Notch and Die tool which I've had for awhile. I used it to make scallops around the circle. To add texture, I stiched (I never stitch in real life!) the arrow which I cut out from the PPS. I thought it would move the eye towards the photo.

I was worried that the colorful photo won't work with the muted PPS at first, but I didn't want to print one in black and white (umandar na naman ang kakuriputan), so I just went for it. After all, Ali Edwards said in her book about patterned papers, your colors do not have to be the exact same shade. Take the greens in this LO. It worked out well, specially after I added the flowers. Six Primas in one LO? Gasp!

I used Stickler over the stamped AL swirls. I thought when it dried it would have volume like Pebeo. It's not as thick but I liked how you really get glitters and not just dried glue with a few scattered glitters.

I am really happy with this layout. I like the photo itself and the colors of the flowers. (Thanks Nita for persuading me to get that box of Primas.) I liked especially how all the elements worked out together, seemingly on their own. No sketch or other layout followed. I just let the paper talk to me. Usually, I'm just the one who talks or bursts into song. LOL.

**********

HAMBLY SCREEN PRINT CHALLENGE

I just couldn't say no to Mitch of Visual Creations so the night before the deadline, I found myself staring at my few Hamblys. I had frames, alpha stickers, journaling bits, mini-graph, none of the same color or the same feel. So at the last minute, I was at Mitch's store buying rubons that I thought would work with old photos I had.

Yup, these photos are pre-digital era so pardon the faded colors and the background clutter. No time to scan and photoshop. I'm on a deadline here. But really, I'm happy that I was able to save these photos from those horrible magnetic albums.

Para masulit yung transparency I made a back to back layout. The minig-graph background is actually clear. I should have taken a photo instead of scanning the layout so it will show.

Hangin Out (front)

Journaling:
Diego at almost six months, saying, "Lemme outta here, please..."

Materials:
Transparency - Hambly; Rubons - Hambly, Daisy Ds; Papers - Daisy Ds; Pen - American Crafts, Zig; Buttons - Japan Homes; Thread - DMC; Others - Ranger Glossy Accents, Making Memories brad.

The Process:
I tried using Glossy Accents to add dimension to the title. It is more apparent (pun intended) IRL.

*********

Sci-Fi Fan

Journaling:
My Papa loves to collect toys. He is also a Star Wars and Star Trek fan. Like him, I love toys like spaceships and robots. I am so happy that he lets me play with his toys outside their boxes.

Materials:
Transparency - Hambly; Rubons - Hambly; Papers - Bam Pop, Daisy Ds; Diecuts - Bam Pop, Daisy Ds; Pen - American Crafts; Buttons - Japan Homes; Stickers - Joann Crafts

The Process:
I had to make sure that the elements on this side exactly match the edges on the other side.

Photos of the Hambly LOs. Can you see clearly now? LOL.

That's my red scrap table right in front of the window. I have a nice view of my neighbors' rusty corrugated rooftops when I scrap. :-)



*********

And this last layout is one I actually did for the elimination round of the Idol challenge. It's a scraplift of Vicki Boutin.

Taste

Journaling:
You were not born with a silver spoon in your mouth, but when you had your first meal (Cerelac), Lola Mama and I used her silver bowl and silver spoon. If you can't be born with it, eat with it.

Materials:
Paper - Basic Grey; Rubons - MAMBI; Chipboard - Scenic Route; Acrylic paint - Making Memories; Ink - Colorbox, Ranger.

Promises, Promises

I know it's not yet the new year but let me share with you some promises I made to myself.

1) I will not buy any more papers until I make a significant dent on my stash. Keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed.

2) I will be more experimental with the tools I already have. (More like, I will finally break out the tools from their boxes. Hehe.)

3) I will actually use the embellishments I had bought. Stop thinking magastos cause really, I had already paid for them and they're costing me more (think opportunity costs) not being used.

4) I will find ways to add more dimension and texture to my layouts.

5) I will take more pictures of our everyday life so I can scrap the seemingly mundane, too.

6) I will scrap more and be online less.

7) I will keep my stuff neat and organized.

8) I will continue to join challenges so I can improve my layouts, but not strive for perfection all the time.

9) I will remember that I am scrapping to remember and be remembered.

10) I will play and have fun.

Criticism, Self-Criticism

When I was in college, my org (student organization) had a process for resolving disputes and misunderstandings. We called it Criticism and Self-Criticism or CSC, for short. We would all sit down in an intimate circle and start by criticisizing ourselves, then the persons to the left and right of us. While the critic is talking, no one else is allowed to speak. The person being criticized should just listen, until his/her turn comes.

When we say criticism though, we mean constructive criticism. No personal attacks, or no critisizing just for the sake of putting another person down. I think this process has Marxist roots but in time, we used it to foster relationships between friends.

The process requires maturity and self-confidence. Maturity to accept your friends' critique and enough self-confidence to take it for what it is. A word of caution. This process should not be undertaken without those two basic requirements. I tried to apply this process in one of the offices I worked in before. It didn't work. Other staff took the comments about their performance as a personal affront such that instead of promoting inter-office relations, the atmosphere turned from bad to worse.

I have been thinking alot about CSC lately, in relation to scrapbooking. When we share our layouts with other scrappers, we always only mention the positive. And that is alright because certainly, we want to reinforce the good. Nobody ever mentions the negative though. What if, design-wise, we see ways that the layout could be improved, should we just close our eyes to that?

I recall that in Pinoy Scrapbookers, Au tried to start a trend of giving both positive and negative feedback to layouts shared in the group. Some brave scrappers came out to express their honest opinions, but it didn't really take. I guess, because, generally, we Filipinos cannot be so brutally honest, and as scrappers, we know most everyone in this community, and we don't want to say anything negative lest we hurt feelings.

But I, for one, would like your honest opinion. I would like to improve in this craft, and sometimes, I can be blind about my own layouts. I welcome your constructive criticism because I believe it is a way for me to learn and improve. So what do you say, shall we do this together?

Here is my CSC:

My strengths:

• My journaling (people say I'm a good writer, and I am thankful that I can get the message across).
• My photos (thanks to the advent of digital cameras I can take as many photos as I want, thus increasing the chances of getting really good ones).
• A working knowledge of Photoshop, enough to be able to crop, blur cluttered backgrounds and convert colored photos to black and white or sepia.
• A supportive family, a sister who unselfishly gives me scrapbooking stuff, a husband who encourages me, KiDS who cheer me on,
  
• Friends who unabashedly tell me what they think about my LOs, good or bad.

My weaknesses:

• My LOs don't have much texture
• LOs lacking in dimension
• I am afraid to experiment with new things and make mistakes kasi sayang
• I don't like using too many embellishments kasi magastos
• I don't use too many techniques kasi matrabaho (can you see the trend here? hahaha)
• I try to finish LOs in one seating while other very good scrappers I know take their time, letting ideas simmer and boil.
  

I am sure I missed something, so I would appreciate your thoughts about this. And next time I post my layouts, I really hope that you will be honest with me and give me both the good and the bad.

I'm So Excited

They were supposed to arrive last week but because of the holidays, Customs didn't release the balikbayan boxes. I was sooo looking forward to playing during the long break. Konting tulog na lang.

Thank you, Manang Marissa!!!

You Know You're A Scrapbook Addict If....

for their school pre-Halloween party, you dress up your DD as a scrapbook layout.

School Sarah

Home Sarah

We were hoping to get at least "Most Creative Costume" but non-scrapbookers actually thought she was a book. Or worse, an I.D. card. LOL.

Surprisingly, it was my other DD who won both Most Creative and Most Unique Costume Awards. See her costume here.