School and Scrapping Don't Mix

I am so sorry, blog. I have been a big bad blogger - two and a half months of silence? Not good. But I do have a good excuse - blame it all on school.

As you might know, at the encouragement (more like competitive egging) of my DH, I decided to go back to school last June. It was a choice between getting another Master's, this time in Creative Writing, or going for a doctorate since I already have a Master's. I decided that for the same length of time and the same amount of work, might as well go for the higher degree.

I have very pleasant memories of my graduate studies. Academically, I had better grades than when I was a college undergraduate. I was active in extra-curricular activities (student council and school paper) and I was working at the same time. Everything seemed so easy. So I thought post-graduate was going to be a breeze.

Or not. The past three years, my world revolved around my family, my home and my scrapbooking. It has been years since I read an academic paper. And even more years since I received my Master's. Being inside the classroom again, and not as a parent accompanying her child this time, was quite a culture shock. Everything seemed so...academic.

As the semester progressed, my scrap stuff made way for xeroxed articles. Instead of reading for fun and relaxation, I started reading for recitations and examinations. While I am a voracious reader, there were many times when I fell asleep reading the likes of Wilson, Waldo, Sen and Foucault. Blog-writing had to be set aside for book reviews and annotated bibliographies.

I missed scrapbooking so much that many times, I would sketch layouts or write my journaling in class, while the professor droned on and on about ethics and law. And then there was the feeling that I wasn't good enough. What was a SAHM like me doing in school with classmates from the World Bank, United Nations, Congress, state universities? Many times, I felt like signing the blue slip and dropping out.

But the thought of DH's smug face kept me on. I couldn't bear to quit because I knew I would never hear the end of it from him. He of the 1.18 average. Plus, the tuition fee was much more than I expected so I couldn't let it go to waste.

And so I toiled on...every paper finished was a milestone. And like every milestone, it always seemed there was another waiting around the corner. Every exam taken and passed was a validation. Near the end of the semester, I finally started believing I could do this. I could be a doctor (cue thunder and lightning!)

Yesterday, I finally saw my PA Theory grade online. Our professor was very strict and exacting. I wasn't expecting a high grade especially after the final exam. I was the first one to finish in class because there wasn't anything more I could write in answer to the three essay questions. I had to wait two more hours for my classmates to finish. It wasn't looking good. So I was resigned to a low grade.

And then surprise, surprise! I got a much higher grade than I expected. I literally exploded out of my chair as I began to shout for DH to look at my grade. I felt all the stress and the fatigue of the past two weeks of cramming flow out of my body. I did it! I passed with flying colors! I have proven that at my age, I can still cram like the best of them. Woo-hoo!

Next week is enrolment for the second semester and I think I will be lining up for more pain and torture again. In the meantime, I hope to scrap and blog. I've got lots of memories lined up and I still have to blog about the final outcome of the Idol contest. Stay tuned.

Pick of the Week

Idol Cookie chose my layout Ain't No Princess as her POTW. Check out the announcement here.


I've been joining the Scrappinmoms Idol Contests since it's first year (2007) and this is the first time I got picked as POTW. I think I can now graciously retire from Idol. Hahaha.

Thank you, Cookie. And I must also thank Marj for being my sounding board as I was preparing for this round. She was the first one to laugh at my journaling, which to date, is still hidden from my DH. :-)

Just 4 More Days

For you to avail of the early bird fee for the My Little Attic and Scrapbook Hawaii's ScrapJam happening on October 3, 2009. After August 20 you will have to pay the regular price. Think about all the good scrap stuff that you can pay with the difference! Almost everyday, Marisa is posting all the delightful new arrivals at her blog. Go check it out and drool. Just make sure your wallet doesn't get wet. LOL.

For more details about the ScrapJam, click here. Hope to see you there!

Chanelling a Princess

The last and final challenge at ScrappinMoms Idol was to look at our inner selves and ask, what if I were a Disney princess. We were also asked to use at least one photo of ourselves, and at least three scrapbooking techniques.

Now, I have never thought of myself as a princess, Disney or otherwise. The closest I ever got to pretending I was royalty was when I played "Miss Universe" with neighborhood kids. I used to pretend to be Miss Aruba. This was during the seventies when the Miss Universe pageant was held here in the Philippines. Miss Aruba wasn't crowned winner but I guess she must have left quite an impression to have us girls fighting over the chance to be her. I also remember fights as to who would play Star Ranger Five with my cousins - we were two girls and three boys - and Star Ranger 5 was the only girl. Not to mention she had a heart on her helmet. Sometimes, I'd be Star Ranger Three just to keep the peace.

But anyway, for this layout, I finished the journaling first, but was quite stumped with how to execute it. Until, after days of staring at DCWV's Once Upon A Time stack, which I was saving for my daughters, something clicked, and this is one of those layouts were everything seemed to fall into place.

I'll share the journaling first because I really had fun writing it:

I'm no SNOW WHITE. I can't sing to save my own life. much less, attract Prince Charming.
I'm no CINDERELLA. I've never been good at household chores.
I'm no POCAHONTAS either. I don't talk to trees.
I can't be ARIEL. I can't swim and I prefer to eat seafood, not make them friends.
I could be SLEEPING BEAUTY. I'd rather be snoozing than doing above-mentioned household chores.
There's a bit of BELLE in me. We both love books and we're both in love with a Beast. (Hi, honey!)
I could pass for MULAN. We're both Asian and we put our families first.
Or maybe I'm a JASMINE - not afraid to speak her own mind and seek out new adventures.
Could be I'm TIANA...still waiting for my frog to turn into a Prince. (Hi again, honey!)
But then again, I don't need to be a princess to live this fairy tale life I'm living now.

And here's the layout using ageing, distressing, inking, hand stitching, beading, stamping, tearing, hidden journaling, handcutting.

Ain't No Princess




And with that, seven weeks after, six layouts and a mini-album created, I and nine others move on to the final round - on the spot scrapping on August 29. Visit the gallery and be impressed by sheer talent once again.

The Latest on ScrapJam

Have you seen the latest about the ScrapJam in October 3, 2009? Lots of new arrivals and sponsors from well-known companies like Bella Blvd., Crate Paper, and Bo Bunny, to name a few. Check out the Scrapbooks Hawaii blog for more yummy details.


In the meantime, there's still time to register for this event with the cheaper early bird fee accepted until August 20.

ScrapJam in Manila

I haven't missed any ScrapJam by My Little Attic and Scrapbooks Hawaii and I'm not about to start now. But...time got away with me and before I knew it, the deadline for registration was past. Thank goodness, the deadline was extended to August 20.

So scrappers, you still have time to join the event. If it's anything like the previous ScrapJams, we are guaranteed a rockin' good time.

Visit here for more information. See you on October 3!

Book-Inspired

Round 5 of the Idol contest was all about mini-albums inspired by a book. I saw all the books I've ever read flash before my eyes before I settled for a book trilogy that has special meaning to me and DH.

I'm talking about Nick Bantock's Griffin and Sabine trilogy. The books invite readers to examine handmade postcards and open colorful envelopes as they are drawn into the world of Griffin Moss and Sabine Strohem. DH invited me to read the book when we first met. And when we got married, he made postcards artfully depicting our courtship for our wedding invitations.

I used the postcards in the mini-album, and like Nick Bantock made envelopes, art works (in ATCs) and lots of stamped images. Taking the book theme further, I used the five parts of a story line.

Subtitle: The Story Line (first page)
Postcard 1 - Freedom Bar (where we first met)
Layout 1 - Expositon (Setting the Stage)


Journaling:
So, after you showed me your Millenium Falcon, you asked me if I liked books. I said yes, and you asked if I've read Griffin andSabine. And when I said no, you said you'd lend it to me and even brought the books to my apartment. Later, I realised this was yourstandard pick-up line. I'm glad when you asked me what thought, I said, "I didn't get it." That left more an impression on you than any other because you were used to being told the book was "beautiful" or "touching."

Postcard 2 - Caliraya
Layout 2 - Rising Action (Conflict and complications)
ATC 1 - Escape
Journaling - hidden, sorry, too personal to share

Postcard 3 - Batad
Layout 3 - Climax (The highest point of interest. Turning point.)
ATC 2 - Journey
Journaling:
Almost 3 hours of hiking (only because we needed lots of rest stops), being alone together far from the maddening crowd - we learned alot about ourselves and where we want to be.


Layout 4 - Falling Action (Wrapping up.)
ATC 3 - Travel
Layout 5 - Envelope with old letters (The events andcomplications begin to resolve themselves.)
Postcard 4 - Little Chapel of the Child JesusLayout 6 - Denoument (The final outcome. Conclusion.)



Last Page - The story continues...
Close-up of my Artist Trading Cards (ATCs)


While I quickly settled on my theme concept when the challenge was announced, I was only able to execute everything the night before the deadline. I had to prioritize school work and that meant not sleeping at all on Wednesday! Since my body was craving sleep, I punched the paper wrong side up. And it was a text paper! I had to start measuring again. For the first time, I appreciated my Purple Cow cutter.

My scrap table was a mess...the floor leading to the bathroom was a mess...my mind was a mess... At one point, my hands were shaking so much I couldn't insert the ball chain in the chipboard hole. But all's well that ends well, and I finally got to use my Zutter Bind-it-All which I bought about a month ago. Yey for me!

Thank God I have a very supportive husband. He even cancelled his morning meeting so I can use the laptop before he had to leave for work.

And my reward for all that hard work? I get to move on to the next challenge and make something Disney Princess-like. Ugh! That will be hard when my favorite is The Paper Bag Princess. If you have a daughter or a favorite niece, you really should get her this book.)

BTW, you have to visit the gallery. Everyone did such an awesome job with their mini-albums. Simply amazing!

All Play and No Work

...makes me an impoverished scrapper.

Last week's challenge was all about playing. The Scrappinmoms encouraged us to play with our photos, title, paper and embellishments. I took the directive seriously and I think I kinda overdid it.

I found it hard at first because I'm not your average technique kind of girl. But then I took it as a sign to break out all the alcohol inks, shimmering mists, embossing powders, distress inks, etc., that I have been hoarding. In the end, I think I had way too much fun. So here it is:

Journaling:
Lucky you! Papa is an avid toy collector. He bought these Star Wars toys before you were even born. The night we first met, he was showing off his Millenium Falcon. (Hehehe. Really!) But unlike other toy collectors, he doesn't care about "mint in box." He lets you play with his toys because toys are for playing. And really, your Papa is just a kid at heart.


My title is a pun of Darth Vader's famous line to his son "Luke, I am your father!!! "I chose photos showing my husband and kids playing. I especially love the expression on my husband's face as he played (with zooming noises - too bad it can't be captured on paper) with the Tie Fighters. I also painted the edges of my photos with white acrylic paint for definition.


One paper was originally orange, I poured random drops of blue, green, yellow, violet and sand Shimmering Mists on top of the paper, covered it with bond paper, and then using a brayer, I smoothed over the surface, helping the liquid underneath spread. This changed the color of the paper to different shiny shades. I used the altered paper as a mat for my photos. The other paper, I simply added Crystal Stickles to the stars to make glittered paper.

Side Note on the BG paper: When I showed it to DH he said I wasted the paper. In other words, it was ugly. I shouldn't have mixed too many colors on an orange pallette as it made everything look muddy. I had a half-mind to start all over but I decided not to waste the paper. And hey, it kinda look like one of those BG paper from the Motifica line, don't you agree? :-)


I wanted different font sizes to imitate the opening credits of Star Wars. Since I used alphas from different manufacturers, I painted them all blue for unity and covered them with UTEE for an epoxy look. I dabbed different colors of alcohol inks and pearl metallics on the stars for a shiny marbled finish. The frame was initially a boring white so I colored it using Spicy Marmalade Distress Stamp, covered it with bronze Perfect Pearls for shine, and using the tip of a round paint brush, dabbed white acrylic paint on the surface. Originally gold, I painted the brads yellow, dipped them in Clear Polysparkle embossing powder,and set them with a heat gun. They're now like shiny yellow stars.

I'm sure the judges had a hard time judging this round as everything in the gallery is simply amazing. I think I may have managed to squeeze through to the next round by the tip of my acrylic-stained fingernails.

The next round is all about making a mini-album that's inspired by a book. Quite apt as I struggle to write one book review and one oral report (due Tuesday) and two annotated bibliographies (due Wednesday). I hope I meet all my deadlines next week.

Such a Cutie!

Eight photos in a layout yet keeping in mind white space? Arggghhhh... It's enough to drive a scrapper like me crazy. I am not into multi-photos and I think white space hates me.

But as they say challenges are here to make your life miserable err...stronger. So here's my take on the Scrappinmoms Idol Round 3 - Space It Out!


This is my first Jasper layout. We love this Maltese to bits and pieces. He's such a cutie, isn't he? Sometimes we call him Jasperoni, Jasperoo-roo, Jazz, Jassy, Jasper Poo-Poo, Jasper Poopie. My yaya's little girl can't pronounce Jasper so he's Popo to her.

Such a cutie. The SEI papers and embellishments I used are way cute, too, And certainly made mixing and matching very easy.

See the rest of the gallery here. Everyone did a fine job on this one.

I made it to the next round, and it's all about altering. Wish me luck.

Bear Hugs

Round 2 Challenge at Scrappinmoms Idol was all about reducing (one CS and 1 PPS), re-using (use at least one item twice, each time, in a different way), and recycle (repurpose a scrapbooking material).

REDUCE
I used 1 PPS (K & Co.) as my background and 1 CS (Pioneer) for my title, journaling and swirls. I simply recolored the white cardstock using various distress inks.


RE-USE:
The item I chose to use and -re-use is a white lace. Inspired by the lace pattern of my paper, I used my lace as a mask. I then used the lace, which has been colored by my walnut ink as a ribbon. I attached it to my recycled frame (see below). It's not easy working with walnut ink because it could get blotchy and dries up quickly. So with bated breath and a quick prayer, I sprayed on my lace and am happy it turned up well. I accidentally discovered this effect some time ago when I was tinting my other laces a vintagey color.



RECYCLE:
The excess from my Making Memories dingbat foam stamps was the perfect size (5x7) to make a frame for my photo. First, I painted it with gesso, then used crackle paint to simulate wood grain. It frames my photo perfectly.

Other Materials Used:
Flowers - Prima; Brads, Oriental Trading; Paint - Making Memories; Chipboards - Basic Grey; Pen - Sakura; Adhesives- Saunders, Plaid; Tools - Cuttlebug, Quickutz; Inks - Ranger, sukineko; Chalks - Craf-T.

Journaling:
Loa Tita has taken care of your Papa ever since he was a baby. Now she's taking care of you, too. She indulges your every whim. She cooks your favorite foods and makes your clothes. She even made dresses for Penny, your teddy bear. Such caring is lovingly rewarded with lots of hugs and kisses.

My co-participants went all out being innovative and creative. I invite you to view their artworks here.

TFL!

Alphabet Soup

I just uploaded my Kaya entry. Thanks to Roxannee for the challenge. I think this is the first time I used mixed alphabets in my layout. While I have tried mixed fonts in my title, this is the first that I tried the same technique per word. I did color the word "blue" with different shades of blue for some kind of unity.

Here's the full layout. I was inspired by a sketch by Becky Fleck, but used two instead of just one photo.


A close up of my two of my THREE journaling spots which read:

DH bought me this bike so we can share a hobby. I'm glad that after 12 years of marriage, he still wants us to do things together. I'm not a confident biker and I try his patience but we still have fun and keep fit together. (5/1/2009)

I used to have a red bike in the 1980s. I rode it at the athletic field in front of our house. I loved the speed and the wind in my hair. Now, on my blue bike, I feel like a kid again.

Blue bike = P3,075.00
Dinner at Shopping Center = P250.00
Biking in U.P. = free and priceless!


I had a lot to say, so at the back of my layout, I added more journaling. That's two more pages of a small notebook, back to back. I'm putting more premium on journaling these days. I was specially inspired by this man. I am not sure I will be doing another layout about my bikes anytime soon. And doing this layout unleashed a deluge of memories that I just had to write them down before I forget them.


Notice that stamp on the upper right-hand corner? All my layouts have this - it provides info on the date of the photo, place it was taken, who are on the photo and their ages (while I may have the date as part of the layout, I don't want to be counting years and asking, "how old were they here?"), and the date I finished the layout. The date of my journaling is usually at the end of the journal.

Really, the back of your layouts (even if they have "holes" like mine) is precious real estate, for things you want to add but can't accommodate in the overall design. You can also put a pouch for extra photos, ephemera, souvenir items, CDs, here. Cool, isn't it?

Gone to Pieces

Week 1 Challenge at ScrappinMoms Idol Season 3 - Paper Piecing. There was a bit of confusion about that at first because some people thought it was Paper PIERCING. I was so "huh?" when my friend, Candy, told me she hates it because her hands were sore for days after doing a project. I wondered what she had been piecing to make them so. There were also some who thought it to be the same as cutting out patterns from paper and layering them to form a new embellishment. An honest mistake especially now that making sceneries in layouts is so popular.

So anyway, I knew right away that I would do a layout about my KiDS' obsession with Pokemon. I searched in the internet for patterns but didn't find any. I decided my best option was to xerox a Pokemon coloring book to use as templates. So when we went to the mall on Saturday afternoon, I xeroxed several copies of the word Pokemon, Butterfree (my concession to having a butterfly in my layout) and of course, that yellow electrifying cutie - Pikachu. I also bought a pack of Pokemon trading cards for the silver and gold coins that I thought would look great on my LO. (I didn't use them in the end, but I did use the box they came in and the Mewtwo Pokemon card which neither of my KiDS had in their collection. I thought it's fairer for all of them if I just added it in my layout. That decision may have averted a full-scale Pokemon war at home. LOL.)



Sunday evening, I started doing my title, which had 3 layers of colors, dark blue, violet and yellow. I only finished the bottom layer. Monday was busy so I only got to work on the letters P,O, and K. I had classes on Tuesday (wrote the journaling while my professor droned on and on about the bourgeiosie). I spent Wednesday studying and writing an annotated bibliography. Just trying to make sense of what I was reading took all my brain power, such that before I headed off to class at 5 pm, I had a pounding headache. It was so bad I had to take an Advil.



Got home at around 9 pm, had a late dinner and fell fast asleep. I woke up at 1:30 am and started working on my layout. Cutting was really quite a mindless task that I actually felt relaxed. Before I knew it, I was assembling my paper pieces. I have to thank Kokoyu Dot and Roller for making adhering so easy. I also chose just one patterned paper so I wouldn't get stressed trying to layer. By the time I was finished, it was time to wake up my KiDS. Surprisingly, I wasn't feeling sleepy or tired at all. At 6:30, I happily sent off my KiDS to school and my entry to the Scrappin Moms.

The gallery has many other amazing entries, but I want to highlight this one:



Candy took paper piecing to the next level and made this mosaic. No wonder her hands hurt! That girl is crazy to the max. And I mean that in a very nice way.

BTW, I made it to the next round and now I have to "Reduce, Re-Use and Recycle" in between tons of reading, another annotated bibliography and working on a website consultancy project. If I could just Refuse....

I-Translate Mo

You know why I'm online so early... Well, I'm not really waiting to find out who gets eliminated today at the Scrappin Moms Idol contest. Nah...I'm doing online research. It's just accident that my fingers keep on refreshing a particular site.

And while I was "researching", I chanced upon Tim Holtz's schedule for CKU-Japan. That's the closest CKU comes to Manila, so mentally going through my list of friends in Japan, I started dreaming. But then I couldn't read the announcement. So I tried Google Translator and it gave me this:

2009 Workshop Iskedyul:

JULY 2009 Hulyo 2009
Carson Stamp Convention Carson stamp Convention
DEMO & MAKE/TAKE
DEMO & GUMAGAWA / TAKE
July 11th-12th , 2009 11-12 Hulyo, 2009
Casron, CA. Casron, CA.
{click here for more info.} (i-click dito para sa karagdagang impormasyon.)

The Queen's Ink
Ang Reyna ng tinta
August 15th-16th, 2009 Agosto 15-16, 2009
Savage, MD. Savage, MD.
{click here for more info.} (i-click dito para sa karagdagang impormasyon.)

Creative Escape
Creative makatakas
August 27th-29th, 2009 August 27th-29th, 2009
Chandler, AZ. Chandler, AZ.
{click here for more info.} (i-click dito para sa karagdagang impormasyon.)

SEPTEMBER 2009 Septiyembre 2009
Ink About It
Tungkol sa tinta Ito
August 11th-12th, 2009 August 11th-12th, 2009
Westford, MA. Westford, MA.
{click here for more info.} (i-click dito para sa karagdagang impormasyon.)

OCTOBER 2009 Oktubre 2009
Artful Voyage in Mexico
Higad maglayas sa Mexico
October 11th-18th , 2009 Oktubre 11th-18th, 2009
Mexico Mehiko
{click here for more info.} (i-click dito para sa karagdagang impormasyon.)

I'm especially interested in the caterpillar in Mexico workshop. Wonder if Tim Holtz used alcohol or distress inks. Maybe he hammered the poor bug to death using his textured hammer. Boink boink!

Somebody post the results already, please.

NOTE: In Tagalog, higad has nothing to do with art. LOL.

Adventure in Pearl

Well, thanks to Janis, I made another layout for this month. For Kaya, she challenged us to use pearls, her birthstone (and mine), in our layouts, and here's what I came up with.


Journaling:
These are the magic years, and therefore, magic days, and therefore, magic moments. - Anonymous

Materials Used:
CS - DCWS; PPS - Heidi Grace; Alphas - American Crafts; Diecut - K & Co.; Flowers - Prima; Chipboards - Maya Road; Paint - Ranger; Stamping Ink - Colorbox; Pen - Sakura; Adhesives - Ranger, Saunders.

I didn't have too many pearl embellishments. So it was a lucky break (?) when one of my pearl necklaces broke - my daughters were playing with it. I still have to have it re-strung but I don't think one bead would be missed. I used it for the center of my flower. I also used seed pearls I bought in one of my many trips to the south to form loops around the flower.


I don't often use crackle paint but I love how this one turned out. I used Ranger Tattered Rose and then dabbed it with red-violet Colorbox inkpad.


This is based on a Page Map so I was able to finish it quickly. The longest part was waiting for the crackle paint and the adhesive I used to attach the pearls to dry.

TFL. N ow back to writing that blasted annotated bibliography. Oopppsss...I still have to actually read something before I can do any annotating. Oh, scrap!

Irony

Unlike last year, there wasn't much discussion this time.

Me: Do you think I should join Idol again?
DH: Wag na...di ba nag-aaral ka na? Concentrate on your studies.
Me: Yun na nga, eh. I might be so focused on my studies I might not have time to scrap. With the challenge, I am forced to make time for at least one layout each week.
DH: Hmmmm....
Me: Uh-hmmm...

And that was that. The next day, the day before the deadline, I sat down to make my layout using this ad inspiration.


I was really supposed to be reading "The Political Heritage: From Wilson to Waldo" but my mind kept wandering to scrapping and so I finally succumbed and came up with this in record time.


My first time to do masking, first time to use KI lace CS, first time to use Adirondack Dabber (made a neat discovery that unlike acrylic paint, if you apply it lightly, any design underneath would still show through), and first time to use Perfect Pearls to put some shine. And oh, look, I used old (circa 2001) photos.

Quite satisfied with the outcome of my scrapping after 3 weeks of drought, I finally focused on my readings. Which I didn't finish before it was time to leave for school, so I was glad classes were cancelled due to Typhoon Feria. Yipee! More time to scrap and since mojo was up, finished two more layouts.

I've been joining Idol since its first season. I can still remember the stress I went through, especially the first time. It got better last season although it was still a bit stressful. And now. I can't believe I'm planning to use the Idol competition to de-stress. Isn't that ironic?

I invite you to view the participants' gallery here. Lots of new faces and some old ones too. And as usual, awesome work.

Back to School

Summer vacation - the days of confused weather - is officially over. Last week, the KiDS went back to school. So that meant waking up at 5:00 in the morning to have them up and running. The days of homework have officially began.

The same is true for me as I decided to pursue further studies at the U.P. DH was encouraging me to enroll in the Creative Writing Masters program but I decided to go for my doctorate in Public Administration instead. I think I must have been temporarily insane.

In Theories of Administrative System, we are required to write one annotated bibliography of a book or an article each week until September 30, 2009. Not to mention the critical review papers and other requirements. That's like making one layout a week for the Scrappin Moms Idol Contest - do or die; pas or fail. Nerve-wracking.

I don't know yet the course requirements for the Seminar on the Administration of Political Development but I am thinking it would be just as heavy. Our visiting professor from Korea kept on telling us that we were an advanced group of students so more was expected from us. Well, maybe, my classmates are in that advanced category seeing that they are Vice-Chancellors of state universities, directors of government agencies, Commissioners, etc. But me, I am just a SAHM and when I was asked where I was connected, I could only say "I am connected to my husband and kids." Having said that I thought to myself that would make a great scrapbook layout.

And in truth, as Professor Kim droned on and on about a class field trip in Seoul at the end of the semester, I was designing layouts in my head. And of course, I was thinking that I should get good photos of the Seoul trip so I can make a mini-album.

Not a very good start I know. But I am hopeful that as my brain adjusts to the intellectual stimulation I would be able to submit reports that are not smudged with paint or put together with glue.

So help me God.

Two for Kaya!

This month, Kayang-kaya kaya? is celebrating its second anniversary. I can't believe it's been two years already. I don't think anyone expected the challenge blog to last this long. Anyway, in line with the celebrations, Yoyin and Scrapbooks Hawaii put up two challenges this month.

I was able to make a layout for the first challenge but wasn't able to upload it before the deadline because I had no internet connection. Sayang! But still, I am happy with the layout I made using just fabrics, ribbons and laces, as required by the challenge.

Mug Shots

This is Kahlo, my youngest, and sadly, the only one remaining willing to ham it up for her mom. Her older siblings just run away or cover their faces when they see me holding my camera.


Journaling:
Caught in the act of being silly.

Materials:
CS - DCWV; Ribbons - Making Memories, Oriental Trading; Laces - Divisoria; Chipboard/foam - American Crafts; Alpha stickers - Making Memories; Felt - Fancy Pants; Fabric - Kahlo's old blouse. Since this wasn't qualified for the challenge anyway, I added a butterfly cut out from a K & Co patterned paper at the last minute.

Two Crazy

DH sometimes calls me "crazy girl" and I snap back "stupid man" but that doesn't mean we don't love each other. Now I have that in writing cause I had him do the journaling. How sweet is that? BTW, did you notice the two Rs in "anniversary"? Italianni's has great food and service but they sure can't spell. LOL. But who am I to complain - that ice cream was free.


Journaling:
Yup, there's no doubt about it...this is for keeps!

Materials:
Cardstock - DCWV; PPS - Basic Grey, Making Memories; Diecuts - Maya Road, Basic Grey, American Crafts; Stamps - Bam Pop, Paper Salon, Ink - Colorbox; Metal embellishments - WRMK, Making Memories; Ribbons - Making Memories, unknown; Acrylic paints - Making Memories, Li'l Davis.

TFL! I hope my scrapbooking streak continues...

Gossip and Scrapbooking

So the past few weeks I've been a certified busy-body. Talk about multi-tasking. I think I may have successfully perfected the art of scrapping while watching TV (or is that the other way around?) And I have proven to my doubting DH that indeed I can watch trashy TV and still create beautiful layouts. Judge not a layout by its perfection but by the memories it contains. I'm scrapping beautiful memories, ergo, my layouts are beautiful hehehe.

So despite the fact that I've been addicted to gossip...Gossip Girls, that is, I finished a few layouts. I made these in between ogling Serena Van der Woodsen's cleavage and tsk-ing at Blair Waldorf's maneuverings.

Let's Pretend

The photos are not great and neither is the occasion, but I just had to scrap the story of how my little girls plotted to lie to the security guard at the hospital.


Journaling:
You wanted to come with us to visit Lola Mars in the UST Hospital but I was concerned about their rule that does not allow children below 10 years old to visit. So you said you can pretend to be 10. To test your readiness to lie, I asked:

Me: How old are you?
Sarah: I'm 10 years old!
Me (doubtfully): You don't look like you're 10.
Sarah (without hesitation): That's because I'm malnourished!
Kahlo: Me, me, ask me, ask me!
Me: You don't look 10.
Kahlo: That's because...I'm a...midget!

We all laughed at your celverness and excitement to visit Lolo. You managed to convince us to take you along. But at the hospital, the guard didn't even bother to check your ages at all. 10/19/08

Materials:
PPS - WRMK, Autumn Leaves; Ribbon - Autumn Leaves; Chipboards - American Crafts, Maya Road; Flowers - Prima; Stamp - Inka-dinka-doo, Autumn Leaves; Brads - Making Memories; Lace - unknown; Pen - Sakura; Paint - Ranger.

You Call Me Mimi

This is about Kahlo, who again, to be different from her siblings had to call me and her "Pipi" differently.


Journaling:
...because you think it's cute.

Quote:
"To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there." - Barbara Bush

Materials:
PPS - Inque Boutique; Chipboards - Basic Grey, K & Co,; Flowers and Lace - unknown; Photo Corner - WMRK; Sticker - 7 Gypsies; Paint and Ink - Ranger.

Squirrel Boy


Journaling:
You and I always argue over your habit of storing food in your cheeks when you eat. You stuff your mouth with food, move much of it to your right cheek and chew small pieces ever so slowly. I always ask you to limit the food in your mouth but you don't listen. I hope this is just a stage. I'd hate to be calling you squirrel man when you're an adult. It won't be so cute then, you know. 4/28/09

Materials:
CS- DCWV; PPS - October Afternoon; Stickers - Pebbles, Inc.; Stamp - Autumn Leaves; Adhesives - Ranger, Saunders; Pen - Sakura; Brads - Oriental Trading.

I hope to share a few more soon. In the meantime, excuse me while I go back to gossiping... Thanks for looking!

A Day in a Life

The past few days, the song Seasons of Love from the musical Rent has been a constant refrain in my head. Particularly, the lines "how do you measure, a day in a year..." I know that's because I have recently embarked on a project with friends to take at least one photo a day and share it with them in Flickr.

The group's purpose is to encourage each member to use their cameras and practice their photography skills (such as they are, in my case), as well as have something to draw layouts from. But will this endeavor increase the number of my layouts or just decrease the time I have for scrapbooking? Get back to me on that after a year. :-)

I had to take it two steps further and take at least one significant photo a day and post it in a blog dedicated to this project. If you have the time or inclination, do visit The Armchair Chronicler. Yup, I thought it's a nice touch to have armchair in all my blog titles. Hehehe.

On other news, I'd also like to share with you a layout I made last Sunday when these lovely ladies and I got together at Candy's.


We had fun making Mothers Day cards using stamps and flowers. You can't deny talent. These girls rocked their cards. I won't point out which one is mine anymore. Kakahiya. Hehehe.


Also got to taste Yellow Cab Pizza's Dear Darla (so-called after Darla of the Lil' Rascals cause it's served with arugula and Alfalfa, also the name of the boy who has a crush on Darla.) Hmmm...that confused even me. Anyway, it doesn't compare to C' Italian's panizza but it's good enough for a quick fix.


And despite the fun I was having, I was able to finish a layout about my mom and Sarah.

My Sweet Lola


I finally used the K & Co. papers from Manang Marissa. They're so beautiful I was hesitant to cut them up. Back-to-back pa so I couldn't decide which side to use. :-)

Thanks for reading and have a relaxing weekend everyone. Happy Mothers Day to all the moms!

RAK and Load

First off, happy blogoversary to Marix. Scrappalific.blogspot.com turns three this month. That's a lot of posts, words, and layouts. Congratulations, Marix for the inspiration you give us through your blog. Keep on posting.

And as part of her celebration, she is giving away some blog candy until May 17. But don't wait until the last minute cause you also have to share some crafty project that inspires you.

Here's one I found and can't wait to try. I found this at Virginia Nebel's blog. It's all about making the perfect scalloped square mat using Fiskar's Threading Water border punch which I'm pretty sure you have in your arsenal. Happy punching!

Second, head on over to Sarah's blog. She's fixing up her scrap space with organizers that I just covet. I would love to have one of those Making Memories tool caddy! Do pay her blog a visit and be inspired by the layouts and cards she makes. She has the cutest schnauzer, too. I just love how she puts captions in her photos and it feels like Maui is talking directly to you.

It's a rainy night here where I'm at. What is the world coming to? It should be the middle of summer. But anyway, it's a 3-day weekend so hope everyone has a fun and relaxing break despite the rains.

Layout Share

I think I found my scrapping groove. I setup a temporary scrap area in our bedroom (it's just too hot in the 3rd floor where my scrap room is) and I happily scrap away while the KiDS do their thing (read, play, draw, watch movies) as the air-con blasts cool air around us (no guilt trip about high electric bills).

I finally finished some LOs I started way back when.

Sweet S & K

My first time to make an LO with no journaling. It was very hard but I wanted this done so I just used a vellum quote. LOL.


So Adored

You just gotta adore that father-daughters bond. My first to try layering with torn papers, as inspired by Cookie.


Shine

Notice the stitching over the yellow swirls? I did that while I was waiting for my turn at the computer. Since it's summer break, we allow the KiDS more computer time.


I used all-Basic Grey paper cause when you're scrapping on the go, it's easier to grab a kit or a collection pack and work with it. TFL!

Scrapping with Friends

While I like scrapping at home where I have all my scrap stuff within easy reach, I also love going out to scrap with friends. I always learn a new thing or two from them, and nothing beats the bonding that happens as we scrap, tell jokes, exchange stories, eat, scrap shop. It's always so much fun and with the many things that happen, sometimes it's not at all unusual that you don't get to finish a layout at all. LOL. Thus, I made it my goal at every event to finish at least one LO.

Made in Clark Airbase, Angeles city at the Scrap Jam on April 4, 2009.

Cool Summer


Made last April 18 at Visual Creations, all PPS and flowers courtesy of Mitch.

Beautiful You


I'm looking forward to another scrap session with some friends in May. Can hardly wait.

Dalawang Kaya

This month's Kaya challenge is all about stamping. I realized yesterday when I took Candy's tip to organize my acrylic stamps in a 3-ring binder that I have too many stamps that haven't been used. I couldn't help it. They were all so cute and I had high hopes that creativity will follow once I had them in my possession. But thanks to Bjay's challenge, I "de-virginized" a few stamps yesterday.

Constant Changes


Journaling:
You used to listen to classical music at 98.7 The Master's Touch. Now you prefer Chico and Delamar's ramblings at Monster RX 93.1 FM.

You used to kiss and hug me without inhibitions. Now public displays of affection are taboo.

You used to reluctantly answer the phone when your classmates call you. Now you are asking, no, demanding for an i-phone.

But despite the changes brought about by your growing up, you still fight your sisters for the privilege of sleeping beside me at night. Some things will never change. But I still have to brace myself for constant changes.

Materials Used:
DCWV PPS; Heidi Swapp chipboards; Making Memories letter stickers; Sakura pen; Tsukineko and Ranger ink pads; Making Memories, Inque Boutique and Inkadinkado stamps, Daisy Ds rubons.

********

This next one is my entry to Alby's Hybrid challenge. I actually finished it a few hours before the deadline but wasn't able to upload it because DH invited me to catch the last full show of Watchmen with him. Now I couldn't very well deny him after slaving over a layout about him, di ba? This particular deadline had to wait. :-)


He's All That!


Journaling:
I admire how you decide on the things you want and relentlessly pursue them. The past 2-3 years you decided you want to write screenplays. You enrolled in a short course and within a year you've written a script that made it to the top 20 semi-finalists (out of 300+) in Cinemalaya 2007. You then wanted to be a film director so you enrolled under a famous director and you are now making that dream come true.

Materials Used:
PPS - American Crafts; Chipboards - DCWV, American Crafts; Stickers - 7 Gypsies; Pen - Sharpie, Sakura; Stamping Ink - Colorbox; Adobe Photoshop CS4 to include words in photo as well as for computerized journaling.

DH always looks for connections and significance in my layouts. For him, every little thing I put on a scrapbook page should have meaning. Therefore, a beach layout should have embellishments or papers reminiscent of the beach. I do not always subscribe to this school of thought. The papers I used for this LO, for instance, are from a kids' line. I was just too lazy to dig up other papers that might be suitable hehehe. But I guess, he can't help but look for connections, so when he asked if I chose the green CS for a background because it looked like a cutting mat (he goes through numbers of cutting mats in his work), I said, "Yes, of course. That was the intent." Not....

TFL!