RAK My World

Recently, Marj Velarde sent a call to fellow PS members to make a slide show of their scrapnook and stash. In return, she will be generously raffling off scrapbooking supplies to 5 lucky winners who complied. Which was very timely for me since I was in the process of rearranging my scrap area. What I didn't expect was my reaction when I started taking the pictures. I am not sure if it was intended by Marj, but all of a sudden I was made aware of the volume of stash I have already acquired. It literally made me stop taking pictures and sit down to think about it. By the next day, I have strengthened my resolve not to buy any more stuff until I have used 80% of my stamps, paint, dies and tools. I have also decided to stop buying any embellishments and finally buy myself clothes which God knows I desperately need. As for the PPS, I promise to buy only those that has no similar theme in my stash and/or I intend to scrap immediately because I already have an available picture for it. Now, the question is, can I keep these resolutions? Well see...

Thank you very much, Marj for the wake-up call :D

San Francisco

Well, whaddayaknow, this time, it ain't a scraplift - hehehe. Plus, I got to use some of those trinkets in the $1 bag of buttons and mismatched jewelries I bought from a flea market on a trip from Chicago. I've been hoarding this bag for years so I'm thrilled that my being a pack rat finally paid off.

By the way, notice that nameplate which I turned sideways? It is made of aluminum. In order to distress it and turn it to pewter grey, I got myself a sponge and lightly dipped it in black Staz-On. Then I dabbed it onto the silver nameplate leaving a speckled effect which is really kewl - I liked it! :D Give it a try, you'd be surprised how easy it is.

Hidden Journaling Reads: It was supposed to be a family trip but for Alain and I, it felt like a long-overdue honeymoon. Out of all the places we went to, San Francisco is the one place we held dearest to our heart. We both adore the quaint rows of houses, sloping streets, cable cars, picture windows with a cat perched on it drinking in the sun and its beautiful, cold weather. It felt like we were both transported back in time and we were like the cat drinking in every minute of it. Even now, whenever I close my eyes, I can almost smell the cinnamon and orange-peel potpourri which permeates the hallway of the Cartwright Hotel where we stayed in. We both yearn to come back someday, just the two of us to rekindle our romance with San Francisco and fall in love with each other all over again.

Materials Used: DCWV white core CS; Rusty Pickle Mayflower PPS (Priscilla Mullins; Myles Standish; Capt. William Bradford); Prima flower; Craft Express chipboard alphabet; Tres Jolie Tres Bien play card; MM Acrylic Paint; Staz-On.

Other Materials Used: Railway tickets; paper crimper; cotton lace; brass embelise; silver nameplate; U.S. coins; ribbons.

Sensitive

I was preparing for the Kaya 4 challenge so I decided to do a layout to try the techniques I intended to use for the actual entry. This may seem like a simple page but the procedure is somewhat tedious. If there is one problem I have, it is the grouping of items. Since the Kaya challenge involves ephemera, I thought it would be interesting to do a collage.

Since, like I said, this is primarily a test-LO, I decided not to give myself a hard time and simply scraplifted from Pagemaps' August issue. This was originally interpreted by Becky Fleck in a 8.5"x11" format. I converted it to 12"x12" but had to make adjustments. Good thing the flower I used was big enough to extend and cover the empty space on the side. I entitled it "Sensitive" because Biscuit has this adorably, sensitive face. Very expressive (in my own biased opinion, that is - LOL).

Journaling Reads: You had to have a heart of stone not to fall in love with a face like this.

Techniques Used: Collage; Distressing; Sewing; Paper tearing; Crackle-finish.

Materials Used: 7 Gypsies PPS; Rusty Pickle PPS; DCWV white-core CS; Craft Express alphabet chipboard; K&Co. chipboard; Prima flower; MM Brads; Staz-On; Dymo tape; Crackle medium; Acrylic paint; Brass embellies; Ribbons; Buttons; Metal bookplate.
Other Materials: Simply Scrappy deckler and sewing template.

Read

I am so loving Simply Scrappy's circle template, as well as, Craft Express' chipboard alphabet. In fact, I have been using these two items for three consecutive LOs already. Au's template definitely made scrapping easier for me, it saves me a lot of time and I'm thrilled with the result everytime. As for the chipboard alphabet, I love the dimension it creates on my page and I liked the fact that I can paint it any color that would match my LO. But as they say, one must have diversity in life... perhaps for my next LO, I'll challenge myself to use Au's folder template instead. Can't wait to go back to the drawing board :D

Journaling Reads: If there's one thing I wish to nurture in you, it would be the love for reading. Books will allow you to travel in exotic and mystical places. It can take you back in time or zoom you far into the future. You'll get an insight on other people's lives and will surely enlighten you on a lot of subjects. It thrills me to imagine what you can discover in them and can't wait for you to experience these for yourself.

Inspiration: Becky Fleck's Page Map July 2007

Materials Used: Prima Petal Poetry pps (Lyrical, Refrain and Prose); Bazzill cs; Prima flowers; Craft Express chipboard alphabet; Hero Arts' Italian Poetry rubber stamp; Colorbox Copper Swift pigment ink; Artline Pen.

Other Materials: Simply Scrappy circle template; Cotton lace; ribbon; brass embellishments; rhinestone; acrylic paint.

Chasing Bubbles

Have you ever had that experience wherein after attaching the series of pictures to your LO, you find the lines separating the pictures to be distracting? Also, there might be items in the picture you wish wasn't there, or worse, you made a mistake just before putting the finishing touches to your LO. This happens to me once in a while (oh all right, a lot 'more' than once), and my usual solution for this dilemma are either create a distraction or camouflage the annoying item. In this LO, you will notice that I intentionally overlapped the swirl on the lines separating the pictures. Additionally, I placed a circle cut-out on the uneven grass line (Nita laments: "it was almost perfect, the last 2 pictures have already aligned - Bah!"). These are diversionary tactics I employ to hide an imperfection in the picture or the LO. Just make sure though that the camouflage wouldn't over-power the pictures or else it would defeat the purpose. Now I just hope I didn't over-power mine ~ LOL. Tell me what you think :D

Journaling Reads: Follow your dreams as you would chase these bubbles, with flight on your feet and joy in your heart.

Materials Used: WRMK Precious Metal Pewter Press Cinta & Jardin pps; Bazzill cs; Daisy D's journaling cardstock; Craft Express chipboard alphabet; Reeve's glitter glue; Acrylic Paint; 2mm thk. Daris Foamies.

Other Materials: Simply Scrappy circle template; Funky Brush Sizzlits alphabet.

Simply Because

I have been scraplifting since April of this year and happily contented about it. I must admit, I've never been as productive and creative as when I embraced this approach. It helps me get started and propel me to finish an LO in no time. As Jana Lillie puts it in Creative Keepsakes, "(scraplifting is) the art of taking someone else's good idea for a page, accent or technique and adapting it for your own creation. You look like a genius - and you don't have to break a sweat. What's not to love?" I totally agree :D (Thanks Lee, for the quote)

Journaling Reads: This picture is begging to be scrapped simply because you looked adorable in it.

Inspiration: Becky Fleck's June 2006 Page Map sketch.

Materials Used: Daisy D's Playground Plaid and Sidewalk Chalk Plaid pps; Heidi Swapp Hibiscus foam stamp; Memory Makers Magnetic Stamp (Rummage); Craft Express chipboard alphabet; Imaginations Camp Grandma stickers.

Other Materials: Simply Scrappy Circle Template; Acrylic paint; Pigment Ink; Embossing powder; Ribbons; Colored staple wire.

The Process:

1. Cut out the scalloped edge using the smallest circle in Simply Scrappy's circle template.

2. Lightly pencil a circle outline and use it as a guide for foam stamping the hibiscus flowers using acrylic paint. Then attach the picture w/c was outlined w/ white acrylic paint and stamp the corner w/ more hibiscus flowers. (By the way, don't do what I did... as expected, I was in a hurry again to stick my components together that I neglected to paint the edges of the photo 'before' attaching it. Doh! I was forced to mask the paper outside of the photo with magic tape before using a brush to paint the white outline on the picture. Important note: run the magic tape on your clothes several times to lessen the stickiness before using it to mask the paper)

3. Paint the chipboard alphabet with lavender acylic paint. Let it dry and attach w/ liquid glue to the page.

4. Use alphabet stickers to spell out the sub-title.

5. Use pigment ink and alphabet rubber stamp for the journaling. Then sprinkle w/ embossing powder and set w/ heat gun.

6. For the finishing touch, attach 3 different ribbons using colored staple wire.

Construction Process of Mini Album

STEP 1: Cut several pieces of Canson cs 5"x6", this will comprise the pages of your mini-album. Score 1" from the bottom leaving 5"x5" for your pictures and decorative elements. Embellish back-to-back as desired but leave the 1" section undecorated.

STEP 2: Put all the 5"x6" pages together and pierce 5 holes just below the scored portion. Place mini-brads on the 5 holes and secure at the back.

STEP 3: Cut Section A and B according to the sizes indicated above. Score and fold along dotted lines.

STEP 4: Attach Section A to the 5"x6" pages and Section B by using 3 pieces of decorative brads. Make sure to pierce the brads all the way to Section B as indicated on the 'Side View' figure above. By the way, when you put the 5"x6" pages against Section B, you'll notice that there will be more than a 1/2" gap at the bottom. That's alright considering these will be covered later by the back portion of Section A.

STEP 5: Attach the back portion of Section A to B using liquid glue or glue dots to hide the folded legs of the 3 decorative brads (see 'Back View') and your mini-album is finished :D

First Mini Album

My sister who lives abroad had been asking me for new copies of my daughter's pictures. Since my two other sisters are flying in to visit her, I thought what better way to send her the pictures than present it in a mini album format. That way, she will be able to see my handiwork and who knows, it might even encourage her to send me scrap stuff as 'pasalubong' - hehehe.

But since I've kept putting it off for so long, before I knew it, I was only left last week to finish the project. Initially, I planned to use my scrap materials to do the mini album. But since I printed all my pictures in colored, I had a very difficult time restricting the color of the pps and ended up with various and non-related theme and colors. While doing the 3rd page, I got so frustrated I decided to scratch the whole thing and start anew. This time, I restricted myself to 3 sheets of pps. But since I only have 1 sheet of each pps, I have to find ways to make sure that I will have enough for all the pages and the cover, as well. To top it off, I only had 2 nights left to finish the task so I decided to forego with any journaling. I also decided not to use any stamping or distressing techniques and just concentrate on cutting and pasting the components. But I think the biggest help in simplifying my task was my decision to reprint all the pictures in black and white. That really took a load off my back.

Album Size: 5"x6-1/2" Matchbook type.

Materials Used: MME Tres Jolie pps 1) "Smile" Stripe/Corall Papier 2) "Love" Damask/Light Rose Papier 3) "Birthday Girl" Floral/Light Rose Papier; Canson cs as base paper; Kelly Panacci stickers; Rebecca Sower stickers; MM vintage brads.

Others: Simply Scrappy square template; corner rounder; ribbons; brass and gold embellies.

Stolen Moments

You were right all along, Nina... Iris Uy is herself the muse. She left a message on my blog last weekend, so you can just imagine how ecstatic I was (can you imagine my tail wagging all over the place? That's how thrilled I was!). Anyway, she got me so hyped up, I was able to finish this LO I scraplifted from Page Maps. Initially, it was the scallops that got me interested. Since I've been intending to try doing one for a long while, I decided to scraplift that section of the LO. The arrangement of the pps was from Becky Fleck's sketch. As for the rest of the inspiration, it was Iris-borne - hehehe.

Do feel free to critique my work. For once, I'd really like to hear what people honestly think can improve the subject LO. It may make you feel a bit uncomfortable telling me your opinion, but hey, if it will improve my work, wouldn't you like to help out? Thanks in advance to the brave ones who will step forward. I really appreciate your effort.

Hidden Journaling Reads: Being a working mother, I live a harried and stressful life. But for half an hour everyday… just before I set off to work, I get to have this window of opportunity to have my daughter all to myself. And for a brief moment, my daughter and I get lost in a world of ‘a-foo-foo’ (octopus), ‘e-pen’ (airplane) and ‘ebysees’ (ABC). We would either draw pictures or read a book. We also get to play hide and seek or sing and dance. I would make up short ditties and sing silly songs for her. She, on the other hand would clap at my senseless stories or do an interpretative dance to my tuneless racket. It is great to discover a captive audience during these stolen moments. And for a short instance, time really does stand still for the both of us.

Materials Used: BG Phoebe Sausalito pps; Telegraph Hill pps; The Presidio pps; Bazzill cs; Kelly Panacci stickers; Prima flowers; Stamp-N Stuff Embossing Tinsel (Copper); Tres Jolie Tres Bien “Play” Card.

Others: Brass embellishment; Swarovski crystals; white acrylic paint; Sizzix Funky Brush alphabet; cotton lace; mini-brads.

The Process: First, I used the pinking and mini-scallop decorative blade of the Carl trimmer to edge the Telegraph Hill and The Presidio pps, and adhered them to the Sausalito cs. Then, instead of matting the picture, I chose to distress the edges with acrylic paint. Before liberally swiping the foam brush on edges of the picture, I dabbed it several times on a dry tissue to take off majority of the acrylic paint. This is to give the picture that weathered yet dreamy soft edges.

After which, I moved on to estimate the area to be covered by the scrolls and cut a 4”x12” Bazzill cs. Then I lightly sketched the scrolls free-hand using a pencil. It is okay to have the initial sketch uneven after all, it is simply a guide and you can later smooth out the edge when you cut it with a pair of scissors. Since I will later be covering the scrolls with embossing tinsels (copper), I intentionally drew and cut the swirls in three separate sections (you can do four if you feel it will make it easier for you to handle).

You need not worry if the three edges do not meet perfectly because it will later be covered by the big Prima flower. After cutting them out, I started with the smallest scroll and dabbed it in the clear embossing pad. Next, I sprinkled the embossing powder and melted it with the heat gun. On the first pass, majority of the embossing tinsels were blown away by the heat gun leaving patches of unevenly melted sections on the cardstock. Since I thought I already ruined it, there was no harm in making it any worse and repeated the process like I would do with a UTEE. Surprisingly, the second layer of embossing powder adhered better on the scroll. Perhaps because the embossing pad liquid were not absorbed by the smoothed out surface of the embossed cs. I did the same on the remaining two sections of the swirl but I noticed that the biggest one needed a third layer. It was a great discovery for me that if I make a mistake on one layer, I can just continue heating it with the gun and prayed that the next layer will make it look better, which it did. By the way, I found it better for me to melt the powder if I laid the scrolls flat on a magazine or folded newspaper. That way, I can protect the surface of my working area from any stray melted powders.

Next, I used the Sizzlits Funky Brush die to spell out the title and individually embossed the letters with the same embossing powder. Since the letters were much smaller than the scrolls, they were blown away by the strong heated air of the gun. To hold them in place, I used a pair of long-handled tweezers (not to pin them down but) as a wedge along both side the letters so when I apply the strong heated air, the small letters may move a little but will not be blown or tipped over by the gun. As with the scrolls, I noticed that the letters too needed at least two to three applications of the embossing powder. Now here’s a tip, it is better to position the heat gun directly downward. That way, the strong air will push the scrolls or letters towards the newspaper and not blow it sideways. I must also inform you to expect light smoke to emanate from the melting powder and just glide the gun slowly to the next area as soon as you see the powder turn shiny.

After almost giving up from the tedious effort of individually embossing the letters, I gladly moved on to cutting the 4” diameter Prima flower in half. I used one to cover the ends of the sectioned scrolls. The other half I adhered to the top section of the Tres Jolie Tres Bien “Play” Card which contains my journaling. But first, I cut the top section of the card to follow the stamped design and glued two sizes of Swarovski crystal on selected ends of the swirl design. Then I glued the picture on the base pps and slid the card underneath the top section of the picture. Finally, I cut the cotton-lace to size and pinned them to the pps using mini-brads as a finishing touch.

Now here’s the most important part: After gluing all the components and embellishments together, allow yourself to do your very own version of “The Jig” as you sway towards the ref for a much-deserved can of coke or chunk of chocolate. Do not forget, too, to pat yourself at the back between each swigs of coke or bites of delicious chocolate. Then you can go ahead and call your best friends to brag about your newest LO.

Cousins

During the weekend, I visited the online album of Iris Uy just to see her new LOs. Halfway through, I was already in awe and a pang of self-pity was creeping in. By the time I finished, I was muttering to myself: “My LOs looks like Sugar-Honey-Iced-Tea. I know nothing… nothing!” Her album definitely has a humbling effect on me and I was left questioning my capability as a scrap booker. That night, I decided to do an LO but my muse had abandoned me altogether. She must have been driven out in shame by Iris’ work of arts. I sat for 2-1/2 hours staring at the picture I have printed earlier and the papers I have chosen the day before. Nothing came to me. I looked up at the wall clock and it said 12 midnight, and I haven’t even cut a piece of paper yet. Finally I said to myself: “Oh heck, you’re not as good an artist as Iris, but who’s to stop you from getting inspirations from her work.” So I cut the first piece of paper to commit myself.

I noted that Iris has this fondness for putting a bunch of flowers on one corner of the photo so I decided to duplicate that. She’s also fearless about using a dark background and I decided to experiment on that as well. The outcome is nothing close compared to hers, but it’s mine. And for now, I’ll have to be content with that. But it wouldn’t stop me from continuing to aspire and practice (a whole lot) so at least my LOs would look less of a Sugar-Honey-Iced-Tea next to hers. Thank you for the inspiration Iris. I only wish I’d be half as good as you in the future.

Hidden Journaling Reads: I just love this picture of you with your favorite cousin, Nadia. It clearly shows how much you enjoy her company. Now, mind you, your Di-Tsi Nadia is an imp and she just loves toying with you – but you never seem to mind. I guess deep down inside you know she adores you and you are only too happy to do what she asks.

Materials Used: Bazzill cs; Kaleidoscope “Make A Wish” pps; Kaleidoscope “Princess” Flower pps; Craft Express Glitter Stickers; Kimberly Hodges Embossed Stickers; 7 Gypsies Happiness Card.
Others: Kulascel Ultimate Circle; MM Brads; Ribbon; Sizzlits Roundabout alphabet; Colorbox Chalk Ink.

Sweetheart

I have to say, this month’s PS challenge left me stumped for days. On top of which, my husband has been bullying me to do a lay-out of his ‘sports’ bike. He refuses to have it called a motorcycle (eyes rolling). Eventually, when the idea came to me, it was so simple to execute. For the title, I intentionally chose a mushy theme so that when people see it and my husband they would automatically connect the two. Until you read the journaling, that is.

Journaling Reads: Alain may call me ‘love’, but this baby right here is his ‘sweetheart’. It’s a Kawasaki KRR SSR model 2002, 150 cc sport bike and powered by KIPS. He bought this over a year ago and he is always tickled pink whenever the topic comes around to his it. He can discuss its attributes for hours and tell you in details about his plans for its improvement. If you want to make his day, all you needed to do is mention something nice about his bike. He has no intention whatsoever to sell his baby but it gives him joy whenever somebody comes forward to bid him for it. He keeps it spotless and shiny at all times and he feels antsy whenever he sees a speck of dirt on it, which I guess is why he never rides it if there’s any hint of a drizzle. His main highlight for the week is to clean his baby. For him, it’s not enough to just wipe it dry. He takes out a blower to dry it thoroughly. It’s a good thing we have a covered garage, or I’m sure he’ll be dragging it inside our living room. And I dare not ask, but I bet he even has a pet name for it. I can only smile when I see him with his bike. I feel it’s a good thing that Alain has something to inspire and keep him entertained. And I have to admit, nothing makes him happier and contented than to dote on his sweetheart.

Materials Used: White Bazzill CS; Rouge de Garance Cupidon PPS; CorelDRAW Graphic Suites X3; Adobe Photoshop CS2.
Fonts Used: Scriptina and Arial (title); Rockwell (Journaling).

The Process: I used the magic wand tool in Photoshop to mask segments of the picture I want to retain colored, then inversed the selection and converted the rest of the picture in black and white. I attained this by adjusting the hue and saturation to zero. Then I used CorelDRAW to crop and size the pictures before printing them out. I also used Corel to reverse print the title and journaling in white Bazzil CS. Since my printer can only accommodate a maximum size of 8” width paper, I had to cut the Bazzil CS to 6” and printed the journaling on one panel and the title on the other one. The next problem was putting the two back together without making the joint obvious. To detract attention from the joint and draw it towards the picture, I matted the photos in white CS. When placed on top of the black background, the matted photo gave a dramatic impact that you’ll hardly notice the line cutting across on top of the LO. As for the joint on the middle part, I camouflaged it behind the 4x6 picture and small matted photo. When I stepped back to view the end result, I found it too stark and masculine. I thought I needed something to soften it up a little and balance the flourish of the Scriptina font. I achieved this by cutting a ½” strip of Rouge de Garance pps and using it as a finishing touch above the journaling. Inasmuch as I am tempted to put in more embellishment, I have to draw myself back and leave it as it is. By the way, I am not in the least techno savvy, I have my bestfriend Au to thank for teaching me the ropes on Corel and Photoshop.

The Difficult Process

Thank you Lee, Christine, Ella and Jenn for your heart-warming comments. Lee was actually looking for the process of my last LO. I tried holding it back so as not to let anyone know how clumsy I am when it comes to scrapping. But since you liked it, you gave me enough courage to spill the beans, so to speak.

First of all, it is no secret that I am a confessed scrap lifter. I got the inspiration of my last LO from an article of Renae Clark in Memory Makers’ magazine February 2007 issue. What everyone doesn’t know though is that I’m notoriously stingy when it comes to my scrapbook materials. Just to show you how far gone I am about this quirky habit, look at the back of my LO (see left). I know, I’m just making life difficult for myself but I do find thrills in saving up scraps for my next project. They do call this hobby ‘scrap’ booking, right?

Moving on to my confession: After cutting out and setting aside all the sections which are supposedly covered by the other pps, I get over-zealous to re-assemble the pieces back together. Which leads me to a recurring pitfall: Due to my eagerness, I usually forget to distress or ink the edges of the pps. By the time I realize it, the pieces are permanently stuck together. Being used to this dilemma, I quickly go into what I call my let’s-see-you-get-yourself-out-of-this-mess mode.

My usual solution for this blunder is to tape the sides of the cs I wish to protect from the ink. But before sticking the magic tape to the cs, I run it through my clothes several times so as to make it less tacky. Since I cannot swipe the stamp pad, I use a dabbing motion to slowly ink the side of the pps. Using the pointed tip of the Petal Point Colorbox stamp pad, I do a finishing swipe on the outermost edges to make it darker. I then remove the tape and do a little dance of joy for yet another successful recovery.

Now for this particular LO, no sooner had I taken myself out of a sticky situation, I quickly jumped in to another one. I had this bright idea to use the reverse side of the Scrapbook Walls plaid pps as a matt for my photo. So I went and cut the matt from my LO ‘horizontally’. Only to realize later that when I re-attach the matted photo ‘vertically’, there would be a 1-1/2” gap on the side. (Doh!)

It’s a good thing I remembered that I have some mulberry paper. It was a gift from my sister over 5 years ago when I initially started scrap booking. I never got the nerve to use it till now so I was amazed at how easy it was to use. All I did was cut it to size, wet the edges and pinched off the wet section, leaving a softly, frayed edges.

I then move on to attach my big prima flower. While adjusting the ribbon, I was again struck with a bright idea: Why not cut off two petals on each side of the flower? This way, the ribbon can lay flat on the paper. Without thinking much about it, I snipped off the petals. (Double-Doh!) The ribbon did lay flat but the flower looked really odd. It’s a good thing I was able to re-attach the petals and simply hid my mistake behind a chipboard tag.

Now, mind you, not all of my boo-boos are entirely my fault. Sometimes it was purely bad luck. As is the case with the rub-ons unintentionally sticking smack, right center on the glued photograph. I tried using magic tape to pick up the renegade rub-on but I only ended up pushing it in and ruining my glossy picture (Oh, man!).

I eventually decided to reprint my photograph. By now, Murphy’s Law was going on overtime: I somehow cropped the picture 1/4 of an inch smaller than the original one, so I cannot overlap it onto the ruined photo (Aarrrgh). Good thing I had a spark of inspiration from CH Herrin. I tilted the photo and made it seem like I intentionally planned all along to super-impose the 2 identical pictures (Whew! Thanks CH).

Tired yet rejuvenated by the sight of a finished LO, I reflected on what I went through. On hind-sight, I believe it is a good thing I made all these mistakes because, one, I got to discover new techniques for distressing (not just myself but the paper, as well). Two, I was forced to use my mulberry paper. Three, I got creative in order to hide all my mistakes – and best of all, my LO looked better than I initially intended it to be. Now, isn’t that a happy ending?

First Love

My eldest brother, Henry, is the father of two full-grown young ladies. He has always been very affectionate of his daughters and they both think he is the best father in the world.

When Sam came to our family, he instinctively formed a special bond with my daughter. I often see them playing together and he never gets tired of her childish antics. In fact, his main highlight of the day is to tell me an anecdote about my own daughter, which is so heart-warming.

I thought of creating this LO to celebrate their special bond and to show him how much I appreciate his sincere affection for my daughter.

Journaling Reads: If you ask me: Mama, who is my first love? Then I would have to say: It is your Aku’ (you sweetly pronounce it as A-du’). He comes by several times daily just to see you and you are always delighted to see him. He plays with you and introduces you to a lot of new things like the bubbles, plastic balloon, his cellular phone and other fun stuff. You are always digging into his shirt pocket and he always allows you to crumple every piece of note you find in it. You are both enamored with each other and you never seem to get tired of his company. He thinks you are the smartest baby in the world and you think the world of him. His affection for you is immeasurable and I do believe you love him the same.

Materials Used: BG Blush Milk Chocolate cs; Scrapbook Walls Olive Den Plaid pps; Kaleidoscope pps; White vellum w/ gold flecks; Prima flowers; Brenda Walton chipboards; Mulberry paper.

Others: Simply Scrappy Deckler; BG Phoebe alphabet stickers; Mini-brads; Ribbons; Brass Buckle.

Play

Whew! Don't you notice how the days pass so quickly when you are busy? Before you know it, another week is over. In fact, I almost didn’t make it to my quota of 1 LO this week. It’s a good thing I had some quiet time last night and got to finish this in one sitting. This LO was done pretty quick (by my standard, that is) because I already got inspirations from Au’s tilted LO using BG Scarlett Letter. What motivated me further was Lee’s Mother’s Day LO. And oh, the inspiration for the three picture layout was also scraplifted from Valerie Salmon's tilted LO which I saw in the slide show of her gotscketch blog.

This may seem like simple but I really got to enjoy this one because like the title suggested, I got to play with it as I went along. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Joann for her great tip on using Foamies. It really did add dimension and interest to what might have been a flat layout. Thank you ladies for your inspirations.

Techniques Used: Distressing and paper cutting.

Materials: American Craft Bookshelf pps; polka-dot pps; Scrapbook Walls Poolhouse stripe pps; Brenda Walton chipboards; Teri Martin Swoosh Lower Case sticker; MM Mixed Font foam stamps; 2mm thk Daris Foamies.

Others: White and violet acrylic paint; EK Success Tag Types; Ribbon.

The Process: While laying out the pictures on the polka dot pps, I noticed that I may need to matt them in white cs to emphasize the photos and echo the white in the floral and polka dot pps. However, I was feeling stingy about using a big portion of the cs just to show a thin matting on all sides. So instead, I decided to distress the pictures with white acrylic paint to simulate the matting, which worked pretty well.

I then superimposed the Bookshelf and Poolhouse stripes pps and simultaneously cut the two in a slant. Why did I opt to cut the stripes in a slant? Because if I only cut a strip of the Poolhouse stripes pps, the 12” length will not be sufficient to reach both ends of the base paper when placed in a diagonal position.

After adhering all three pps, I cut-out several flowers in various sizes and colors from the Bookshelf pps. When I laid them on the paper, I noticed that they looked flat and uninteresting. So I decided to cut some Daris foamies and stick them behind the cut-out flowers to give them height and dimension. Next, I did the same thing with the ampersand which I drew free-hand from the back of the stripe pps and later cut-out.

If you happen to think that the cut-out flowers were all randomly placed on the page, you are mistaken. The group of small flowers on the middle of the page is strategically placed there to cover up an unwanted background in the lower left-hand picture. I decided to cover them up because not only are the plastic garbage bin on the background unsightly, they are also distracting the attention from the pictures.

I used violet acrylic paint on the MM Mixed Font foam stamps and slightly super-imposed it onto the main picture and base pps. Next, I individually glued the Brenda Walton chipboards and attached the cut flowers on the page. To create visual balance between the multiple floral pps on the left-hand side of the page, I placed the title, word journaling, and the biggest and darkest colored flower on the right-hand side of the LO.

As a final touch, I placed a jump ring on the circular tag, stamped it with the date and thread a ribbon on the ring before attaching on the lower left-hand side of the page.

So Radiant

Here is one LO I did over the weekend. It is scraplifted from BG’s April issue of Basic Inspiration by Melisa Goh.

Journaling Reads:
This has to be my most favorite pictures of us to date. You look so happy, you glow – and I could not help but bask in your radiance. I love you so much, Sam. I hope you’ll always remember that.

Materials Used: Blush charmed cs; Blush Boyfriend and Tease pps; Bazzill cs; 7 Gypsies pps; Prima flowers; Color Box Ink; Roundabout font; Sizzix Sidekick machine; Black Artline Acid-free pen
Others: Ribbon; Cotton Lace; Buttons and Charms

Process: Inked edges of Blush Boyfriend and Tease pps with dark brown ink before adhering to Charmed cs. Placed cotton lace on top of pps and cs before adhering white Bazzill cs as mat. Laced black ribbon through cotton lace then over the white cs and tied a knot over the cotton lace. Adhered photos on the white cs and the prima flowers on the pps. Added the journaling on 7 Gypsies pps, and the buttons and charm as a final touch.

My Obsession

Below is my entry for the PS Blog’s very first challenge. Just in case any of you scrapbook magazine subscribers are wondering why this LO looks familiar, that’s because it is a scraplift of the table of contents of Creating Keepsakes magazine (see left).

As for the photo collage, I got the inspiration from a wall display of Banco de Oro’s West Avenue Branch. When I saw it at the back of the New Accounts section, I was struck with the ingenuity of the photographer and decided: hey, this would be a good idea for an LO. So here you have it :D

Journaling Reads:

Call me quirky, but whenever I hear the words compartments, organizers and storage systems – I get goose bumps and that pleasurable tickling sensation at the pit of my stomach. Yes, I’m obsessed with containers especially the clear or opaque ones.

I would swoon over gifts of travel pouches and keep myself entertained for hours shopping in the plastic house ware departments. I also take pride in using ordinary kitchen or hardware storage systems in unconventional ways – I fondly call it ‘thinking outside the box’ (pun intended).

I would buy stuff with the premise: I’m sure I’d be able to find a use for it later. Needless to say, I have an assortment of containers in my cabinet waiting for the perfect use for it in the future. It’s a compulsion I couldn’t resist. Perhaps there is truth after all to my best friend’s theory that the reason I love to scrapbook in the first place is because I get to organize the materials in neat pile of boxes.

Another motivating factor for me to hoard containers is that I’m an incurable pack rat. The cheaper and queerer an item is, especially if it looks romantically old – it will be in my basket faster than you can say “garbage”. With my wide variety of knick knacks, it is but understandable that I have to own an assortment of organizers and storage materials. So you see, it is not just merely an obsession, it is clearly a necessity.

Materials used: Bazzill & Canson cardstock ; Scrapbook Walls Butter Dots and Sky & Spruce Stripes ; Elmer’s Craft Bond glue ; Carla Craft corner rounder ; Coluzzle craft knife, cutting pad and circle template.

The Process: One at a time, cut 4 different pieces of 4”x5” photo into 1”x1” and re-assemble immediately before moving on to the next picture. After all photos are cut, put together into a collage of photo mosaic. Using a ribbed white Bazzill cardstock as a base, I took advantage of the vertical ribbing of the cardstock as a guide in aligning the 1”x1” photo. Additionally, I used Elmer’s Craft Bond to adhere the photo mosaic on the cardstock. Since it is a slow drying glue, I was able to move the picture around a bit while eye-balling the alignment. Next, reverse-print the title and date in plain white Bazzill cardstock and cut to size. Using the actual glued photo mosaic, I penciled the desired height for the different colored cs & pps components. Before gluing them to the ribbed cs, I used Carla Craft corner rounder for the four edges. Finally, using the Coluzzle circle template, I cut a 2” dia. circle on a 5th photo and glued it on top of the date and journaling cs as a finishing touch.

Dog Day Afternoon

As Au once said, if I were a dog, I’d be a Golden Retriever. Hey, I am a sociable person. I am the sort who talks to a total stranger in an elevator if there’s a lull of silence. I would chat with taxi drivers, the next person on a grocery check-out counter and I couldn’t even resist saying good evening to passers by in our subdivision whenever I was out smoking a stick. Sometimes, my husband would tell me, “you don’t have to say good evening to everybody… it’s not like you’re running for barangay councilor”. But it’s an irresistible urge, like wagging my tail.

Anyway, the other day I was in the area of West Avenue on an errand. On the way back, I decided to drop by the National Bookstore at Quezon Avenue for some scrap necessities (all our purchases are necessary, right ladies?). Anyway, while I was on the payment line, I noticed two women in their late 20’s ahead of me animatedly chatting away. As the second woman placed her purchase on the counter, I noticed she was paying for an embossing powder and an acrylic block. As expected, I got all bouncy and excited. I thought: hey, scrappers – I can probably invite them in Pinoyscrapbookers. So I eagerly waited for a break in their conversation and gave my best opening line: “I see you’re scrappers” with a matching wide grin. The woman turned to me and gave me a blank look which would stop a puppy on its track. Can you imagine me with my tail abruptly freezing mid-wag and the ball dropping from my jaw? To ease my embarrassment and in a futile attempt to make myself look less of a creep, I raised my right hand with all the scrap materials as if to say: "I’m a scrapper too, see". She then turned right back to face her companion and continued with their conversation. On the way back to the car, I couldn’t help rationalizing to myself: that’s okey Nita, they’re probably not scrappers to begin with – and they sure aren’t pet-lovers either.

I called up my best friend as soon as I got back to the office and we got to laugh about it which at least brought the wag back on my tail. Ah well, I guess that’s just one of the perils of butt sniffing in a dog’s life.

Reluctant Blogger

My bestfriend Aurie had always been encouraging me to get a blogger account but I always fended her off with excuses, such as, "I have nothing to say", "what will I put in it?" and "I'm too busy". But lately, she has invited me to be in the core team of the Pinoyscrapbookers blog spot. She said that it's "necessary" for me to get a blogger's account. Which makes me think sometimes, "did she finally find the perfect excuse to get me into this?" Well, I'm here. So I might as well make the best out of it. Now, I'm fairly new in this blogging thingy, and knowing my personality, it'll take me a long while before I get used to it. You see, I'm the sort of person who likes keeping to myself and never liked being put on the fore-front to be criticized, you know? Oh heck, let's call a spade, a spade: I have very low self-esteem. There - it's out in the open. Oh, I'm quite competitive alright but it's usually work-related. They call me The Dragon Lady behind my back, would you believe? Though I don't think it's meant to be a compliment. LOL. But when it comes to my personal life, I'd rather stay in my comfort zone, thank-you-very-much. In fact, that's exactly why I love having Aurie as my bestfriend. She takes all the risks and does all the crazy stuff, giving anybody who dares come between her that devil-may-care attitude. I just love it! Because of her, I get to tag along with the wild ride. I get to do things I'm too afraid to even imagine. I get to be care-free and I'm loving it. Which brings us back to this blog thingy - Now knowing it's Aurie who pushed me into this and given her track record with me... there's a very big chance that I might just start liking this.