Sunday, January 20, 2008

Focus on Just 3 Wishes

Woo-pee!!! I finally began and finished my Kaya! layout last night. I took the opportunity to scrap while KiDS and DH were having their regular movie night downstairs. I did sneak in to get some popcorn but I resisted the temptation to sit down and watch with them.

With these layout, I tried several things.


I used an imperfect picture. It was taken by Kahlo. Unsteady 6-year old hands and dim indoor lighting equals blurry photo. But she was so excited to have taken a picture of me and for me to scrap it that I couldn't bear to disappoint her. I just worked with the photo to show that life happens so fast, sometimes everything is just a blur. We just have to take a deep breath and focus on the most important things. In this case, it's very important for me to make Kahlo happy.

I also followed DH's advise to use simple patterns and laid-back colors so that they will not overpower my blurred photo. Yup, sometimes I do listen to him.

I used black UTEE for the first time (I have only used clear UTEE before). It saved me from having to paint my chipboard first and it's really really glossy. I tried to crack the chipboards, even put them in the freezer then gently bent them to get that cracked effect, but it didn't work. I just ended up tearing the letter F into two. If anyone can tell me how to do it correctly, it will be much appreciated.


I used my Brenda Walton arcylic alphabet stamps again. When I first started scrapbooking in 2006, I didn't know that you were supposed to remove the plastic backing from acrylic stamps and attach them to an acrylic block. I attached the letters to my fingers using rolled up Scotch tape. Hahaha. Thanks to Pinoy Scrapbookers I learned the right way soon enough.

Notice the dimension in this LO? Padded the cut flower (thank God the pattern wasn't very intricate) with foam. The rest, I owe to the chipboards and wooden tiles from Oriental Trading.

I finally replaced my favorite Colorbox ink - Chestnut Roan - and I went trigger-happy inking all the edges. I used to be so careful when I inked, staying within the lines. But now it's liberating to know that inking is supposed to make your LO look kinda grungy. So what if it's not straight or clean?

So what are my three wishes?
1) To be published in a widely circulated magazine. (And I don't mean with a scrapbooking layout but to be published as a writer. Academic researches, not included.)
2) To receive an international scholarship or fellowship. (It was really a toss-up between another wish - To work for an international organization like the ADB or the UN - but it has got to be one or the other. I chose study before work.)
3) To win in the Philippine Lotto and be mortgage-free. ('nough said. Hehe.)

Materials Used:
Jenni Bowlin PPS; Scenic Route, Craft Express, Heidi Swapp chipboards; Oriental Trading Company wood tiles; Brenda Walton acrylic stamps; Colorbox chalk ink; black UTEE and sepia Ranger Glossy Accents; Darice foam; UHU glue; Adobe Photoshop CS and Bell font.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Lee, As usual your entries are always interesting reads. Great LO too.
Marian

marjorie said...

more! more! more! btw, did u emboss twice? before u put the letters in the freezer?if it still doesn't work, 3 words for you dear: "ranger crackle paint" then just emboss with utee...buy na! i think scrapbukan has it.

Christine said...

love the 'cracked' letter, Lee! I think it adds character to your page!!

Christine said...

CONGRATS on winning the first challenge for the year, Lee!!! Beautiful page, indeed! Good luck on those wishes!