tagged!

Iris tagged me so...here are 7 random facts about me:

1. many people won't believe this, not even those who know me well, but I am actually shy. i'd rather stay home than party although i would go if invited.

2. i enjoy time alone. sitting meditation is something i'd like to be able to do regularly but my current situation usually prevents it.

3. hikain ako. but people never suspect it because i'm so malikot and being asthmatic never stops me from being as active as i want to be...for as long as my inhalers are with me.

4. my little shih tzu, Tashi loves me to pieces and i love him back. he constantly follows me everywhere in the house.

5. when i was young, red was my favorite color. then it became orange. then yellow. now, it's green. cuttlebug green! and i love green tea.

6. sunflowers are my favorite flowers. they are big, loud, and cheerful. And they always look at the sunny, bright side.

7. i also like butterflies. some say they symbolize death. to me, they are a symbol of transformation and breaking free from the mold. i like them so much i got one tattooed on me.

now, i have to tag 7 other friends who must also say 7 random facts about themselves. i am tagging Lee, Christine, Joanne, Hanna, Ella, Cabbie, and Tin. happy blogging ladies! this is actually cool, i think, coz we get to know each other a bit more :-D

hooray for freebies!

the past two days were ticklishly happy for me. last thursday, my prize (for just being at the top 3) arrived via Air21 from Nette of My Little Attic. deliciously juicy-colored Fancy Pants papers, thickers and stuff here....oooohhh yeah....

then yesterday, Friday, i renewed my magazine subscription of Simple Scrapbooks. Cherry of Emerald Headway sent me these goodies: back issues of mags i like! and these issues are not that old, too. they're April 2007 issues. i requested digital camera mags aside from scrapbooking ones and my favorite yoga read.

subscribing for mags in the Philippines is a lot more expensive than getting a subscription in the US and having it sent here but i think the instant gratification of getting them quick and counting the cost of these freebies make up for that. will be renewing my Creating Keepsakes subscription soon....yey, yey, yey...more mags my way.

father's day LO

i wanted to do a card project last Saturday for hubby but work kept me at the computer. i was itching to put use the oh, so lovely new Prima paper kits that came in at my store, Simply Scrappy, couple of weeks back. by the end of the day, i was a bit freer so i thought i'd check out my pics on Adobe Elements for a possible weekend LO as well. I saw this picture of Erwin and Raj and thought I'd tweak it a bit on Photoshop. it seemed to call out for a drama quote so i searched for one and found it. by the time I was done, the picture looked like this and was practically calling out to be scrapped already so i printed it out on my trusty Epson. hmm, maybe an father's day LO was just as good as a card. i didn't quite finish on saturday evening due to some glittering snags i hit. i finally ditched glitter and did embossing, again, ala-Iris style, and finished on Sunday. Still in time for father's day.

click to enlarge

i remember asking Iris a few months back how she did her favorite script stamping that seemed to go on to the edge of the page. she told me how and what stamp it was (Hero Arts Old French Manuscript) so i set about to searching for it and found it. i was finally able to test drive it here. i often scrutinize idol Iris's techniques on her LOs and saw she does embossing on the patterned paper. lovely technique! this is what i did here. here is the embossing detail up close.

click to enlarge

deconstruction:
Prima paper kit (Aurora Collection), Prima Journalist chipboard stickers (mermaid and butterflies) 7gypsies photo turns, Sizzix die cut letters (Cherish and Boxed Brush), rickrack, Fastenater staples, stamping and heat embossing techniques using Ranger gold embossing powder and clear embossing inkpad, Simply Scrappy Deckler for paper tearing.

Items available at Simply Scrappy ScrapArts store used in this project are:
Prima paper kit (Aurora Collection), Fastenated stapler and staples, Ranger gold embossing powder and clear embossing inkpad, Ranger Distress inkpad (Frayed Burlap), Simply Scrappy Deckler and Stitching Guide.

what would IRIS do?

it seems Nita and i have been friends way too long (29 years by now) that we are often on the same wavelength. last week, bespren Nita was on self-pity mode after viewing Iris Uy's online album at webshots. See her funny thoughts here at her blog at how Iris scared off her scrapping muse. At the same time, I was at home also trying to put together an LO. I was looking at the picture I wanted to scrap and thought to myself "what would Iris do?" so with that in mind, and a prayer directed at my scrapping goddess Iris, i started picking out papers and cutting and pasting paper and of course, lace! Here's the result:

click to enlarge

it may be a long ways from something my idol would accomplish but i'm pretty happy i captured the romantic feel i so love about her work. Thanks idol Iris for the inspiration.

And Nita, we have something even better to drool over! Iris now has a blog... oooo, yeah! I'm putting my bib on now.

deconstruction:
K&Co paper as base. Bazzill cardstock (java) to matt the photo. Photoshop CS2 to edit the photo, EK Corner Adorner (slot wrought iron) for corner trim. Making Memories Kraft for the dotted paper. Bazill Blooms with letter brad from AAS, K&Co Words and Sayings chipboard, lace, small safety pin with starfish charm, a small sigay shell from the beach and a heart button also from AAS, transparency printed on the computer for the quotation and attached with Making Memories mini brads in metallic, metal tag frame, Prima flowers and buttons.

Items available at Simply Scrappy ScrapArts store used in this project are:
Bazzill cardstocks, Prima flowers (green), Bazzill Blooms (vanilla), MM Metallic brads, EK Corner Adorner.

yeehaa...

i made it as one of top 3 winners of My Little Attic's Fancy Pants Challenge called the Colors of Summer. it's always sweet to get scrapbooking goodies as a reward for something i would love to do anyway...yey! this is the LO that made it:

Ms Leah Fung commented this about it:

"There are so many great elements to this page - lots of fun ideas that other scrapbookers can use too. First off, I love the composition - I like how everything is at an angle which immediately adds vivacity to the layout. I like how the large strip of patterned paper extends off both sides of the smaller patterned paper used in the background. There are lots of fun embellishments on her layout too but the photo is clearly the focal point of the page. I also like how she tucked part of the flower behind the photo and added the black flourishes above and below the journaling and in the lower corner of the page. The title and sentiment of this layout is great too! Side note: I also loved her Sand Sational page!!"

Even if it was not the grand prize LO, I'm so thrilled! Nice cap to my day!

Congratulations to the grand prize winner Carrie and Diane who also made top three. You deserve it ladies!

miss-hit!

if you've been to the Pinoyscrapbookers' Kaya blog, you've probably seen this one. this is my response to the challenge issued: Black, White and a Pint of Color. i chose brown as my color so i can include some metal embellishments in the LO.

i'm pretty happy with how this turned out because despite some misses, i just happen to hit a perfect solution for it. for example, that picture of me was taken by daughter Gabey last time we were out at the mall. when she showed it to me, i told her it wasn't good because it looked like i was posing. when she saw that it eventually ended up here on this LO, she laughed at me and told me with a victorious grin "kala ko ba panget?" well, it just so happened it was perfect for the effect is wanted--like i was looking up at the butterfly.

second "miss" was on this very same picture: my little boy's head was right in front of me and would be clearly visible if i cut the pic into an oval. good thing that spot was right on for some Prima flowers!

then, i happily stamped some musical notes on to white cardstock...perfect, i thought. i then proceeded to tearing the side them distressing them with some gray chalk. as i was positioning it on the paper, i realized, i should have torn the other side! oh heck! then it just simply has to go upside down because i'm too lazy to repeat it already.

In my excitement, I forgot to put down credits on the LO for the quotation. It is by Jim Rohn and I got it from the 54 Challenges book by Elsie Flannigan.

Technique and process how this was done posted here as part of the entry to the PS blog.

well done LO

here's another one i did towards the end of May specially for Scrapbytes's June 2007 issue. i was tasked by Ria to do an article on Scrapbooking School Memorabilia. it's been a while since i've done an LO with a school theme so it was probably just the prompt i needed to do one.

last school closing, DD Kara received a Best in Math award (hindi nagmana ang ina! i'm so poor in math..hahaha). she has always been a consistently good student but Mama has not been a good and consistent scrapper so this is the first among her certificates that i have been able to scrap. here's the result.

click to enlarge

since i used BG papers and a BG sketch (from their May newsletter) for this project, i decided to try again and upload it to the BG gallery. it was also then that i found out my name has been dropped already from their gallery. fortunately they accepted this project to be featured there so i'm back in. yey!

i like interactive pages with hidden journaling pull-outs and page turns and this is one of those. the black and white picture opens to this:

click to enlarge

deconstruction:
Bazzill cardstock(*cs) in Pinecone (brown) as background, BG Scarlet's Letter papers, black and gold lace trim from Divisoria, Prima flowers in green and red attached with black and gold Making Memories brads from the Metallic value pack. B/W photo was matted with green Canson cs. Corner interest was added to it using EK Success Corner Adorner (slot wrought iron) and then matted again with the black cs to which Making Memories hinges were attached. Title is from the BG letter sticker sheet that was applied with Ranger Glossy Accents dimensional glue for shine and a more 3D look.

additional techniques done:

Be Constant slider: BG die cut tag from the page kit stamped with words BE CONSTANT using MM Magnetic stamps Providence letters and Brilliance inkpad in Moonlight White. it was then laminated with 3 layers of UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Powder) and mounted on black cardstock. the edges of this black cs had also been edge distressed via gold embossing powder to echo the gold on the lace.

Certificate: i couldn't find a way to attractively display the actual certificate so i decided to scan, reduce and print it instead. this was attached to the black hinged cs where i also placed a strip of scrap green vellum just to add visual interest.

Distressed scallop paper: this paper was crumpled, inked with Ranger's Distress ink, sprayed with water to spread the ink around and then ironed (as in plantsa) to dry and straighten it out again. I got this technique from a Tim Holtz tip here.

Hinges recolored: my hinges were beige but i wanted them in gold. I simply painted them with Making Memories Acrylic Paint in gold.

Items available at Simply Scrappy ScrapArts store used in this project are:
Bazzill cardstocks, Ranger Distress ink Frayed Burlap, Making Memories Magnetic stamps and letters (Providence), gold embossing powder, Prima flowers, MM Metallic brads, Ranger Glossy Accents, Ranger UTEE, vellum, EK Corner Adorner, Making Memories hinges.

Lucky LO

even if May had been a very busy month, i still found a few precious moments to do some scrapping. i have to do some creative work to at least keep my sanity. here is an LO is did a few weeks ago that was intended to be the 2nd page of a spread for the LO i did as the first challenge for the PS Kaya Blog.

siempre, since the left page was about me, the receiver of the gift, the right page naman is about hubby Erwin, the giver. i was so happy about my gift, i had to do another page about it with him. especially since i saw there were two pictures among the first few ones i took with the brand new camera that struck me as a 'scrappable' moment. but the thing is, i can't show you those pictures--at least not on this blog! they're kinda Rated PG kasi...(those pictures explain why the title is "Lucky"). they are really funny and significant to me though and i really wanted to put them in my album so, to preserve the "prettiness" of the LO, i hid them under a folder.

in case you are wondering, yes, those letters were cut from a magazine and pasted like a ransom note. are they acid-free? i really don't know but i thought this is one of those moments when breaking the rules for artistic license is called for! :-D

deconstruction:
the background paper is plain Bazzill lt.brown colored cardstock distressed with Walnut ink and MM acrylic paints (Spotlight, Shopping Bag, Manila). harlequin print was stamped on using Teresa Collins Junkitz foam stamp and Ranger Distress Inkpad in Frayed Burlap. picture laid on top of Sizzix Filmstrip die cut.

title "Lucky" stamped on red Bazzill CS distressed again with MM acrylic paint Chocolate then stamped letters using MM foam stamps Philadephia. then they were cut individually. subtitle were pieces of letters cut from a magazine.

folder was cut with a Coluzzle knife and Folders template. distressing with MM acrylic paint Shopping Bag, Gold and Spotlight. decorated with torn paper with a foiled heart print from Sandylion, cut-out camera picture, plastic frame from Carolina's, key charm with stitched ribbon, and twill ribbon stamped with words CONFIDENTIAL FILE using Provocraft Rolling Stamp Circa 12 pts. Dymo printed LIFT FLAP added as finishing touch.

as embellishment, buttons and rubberstamped and heat-embossed butterflies were added and raised using pop-up adhesives.

hidden journalling under a photo inside the folder is a 7gypsies tag embellished with fibers tied with a heart and star charm.

items available at Simply Scrappy ScrapArts store used in this project are:
Bazzill cardstock, Making Memories paints, Ranger Distress ink Frayed Burlap, Folder swivel-knife templates, Coluzzle knife, Making Memories foam stamps Philadelphia, Junkitz harlequin foam stamp, gold embossing powder, Provocraft Rolling Stamp Circa 12 pts., fibers

altered notebook sleeve

last week, i went to national bookstore podium (which is probably one of the few unclogged bookstores these days, back to school time kasi) to get my kids school supplies. i finally found stocks of the little Mead notebook i like to carry in my purse. i like it because, it's small, it has widely-ruled pages (i do not like narrow rules) and it is thick (has 200 pages). unfortunately, before i use them all up, they get all dirty and the corners get scrunched up from being tossed around in my messy purse. so i thought i'd make a sleeve for it.

i remembered Cabbie's envelope and card project made out of the Making Memories foam stamp plastic packaging. I still have some so i thought this might work for my purpose. since the container was bigger than the notebook, i had to cut it up so it would fit snugly. i simply retained one side of the plastic container with all its folded corners and duplicated it on the side i cut away. i then folded it to match the left side by scoring lines on the plastic so it would fold easily and crisply.

i had to duplicate the notches on the plastic so the sleeve will close up again. i thought this would be better than just gluing it back together. Walla! the notebook now has a sleeve...now on to altering it....

ok, i must admit i got too engrossed with the project to stop and take pictures while it was being done so let me just show you the finished project photos here and i shall just outline the process in case you are interested to know.

1. i used Mod Podge Clear Gloss to adhere the printed paper (cut to size with added margins for folding in) of the cut up plastic case. the paper i used here is some kind of pretty printed kraft wrapping paper.
2. then, also using the Mod Podge, i pasted the cut out paper with the words Enjoy the Journey, the vintage car, and the stamped and heat-embossed gold butterfly(which i had done in advance)
3. on the other side, i rubberstamped the musical notes with Ancient Page black dye ink then i stuck on the Craft Express butterfly sticker and the 3 Prima flowers with the AAS letter brads and the dragonfly brad.
4. i wanted the flowers to have a pearly sheen so i coated them a bit with Making Memories Pearl Acrylic Glaze.
5. glazed everything with Mod Podge Gloss.
6. i had an after thought of adding more stamping but since it had already been glazed, the dye ink i used on the paper earlier will not work anymore. hooray for StazOn (which will "stay on" any surface), i was able to add the French script stamping you see by the vintage car.
7. i then added the ribbons, adhering them first with Glue Dots to make them stay in place.
8. since i found out i liked a matt finish better, i used Mod Podge Matt-Acidfree Glaze instead as an all over final coating. i coated the ribbons with it too to seal and protect it from eventually fraying.
9. after several minutes of drying, i attached the strap with the notch using Fastenater staples. i made this strap by cutting out the section with the big notch on the flap of the Making Memories foam stamp plastic packaging since it already neatly locks with the hole on the front of the sleeve i made.

here's the backside

and here's the front with the notch

all done!...i have a pretty new notebook sleeve and giving myself a pat on the back for my first altered and Mod Podged project.

long time...

i'm baaaack....

i missed blogging. the month of may was quite busy for me. it's hard to juggle between a day job, entrepreneurship, and manage a full household that includes five kids. the previous scrapfest was exciting but preparations are always tiring for me and often, i don't get sleep just before an EB day or a major scrapping event. but thanks to the scrappin moms excellent organization (and everyone behind the Scrapfest), it was indeed a rewarding and smooth event.

Photos in this slideshow courtesy of Jeff Lopez

i also have much to thank my very helpful and pretty daughters Gabey and Kara who always help Mama out with Simply-Scrappy activities even if they would much prefer to hang out at the mall, surf the net, or slump in front of the TV. thanks also to Neneng, our 'ate' at home (Raj's yaya) who won't be able to protest anyway even if she would probably rather be with the very kulit Raj at home than selling scrap stuff :-D

and thanks also to my dear friend Nita, who took time off her own scrap shopping to help out during the selling frenzy. Bjay even commented Nita knew the prices of my stuff more than me!

prior to this event, store stuff came in. here are the pictures. i have been dreaming for the longest time to finally get www.simply-scrappy.com completely up and running but it seems impossible at the moment since i have to do it using my own steam. so for the meantime i shall just use this--my scrapping blog--to give my scrappy friends and patrons a heads up on some of the items available at our home store.

if you want to know more, please don't hesitate to give me a call. watch out for more product pics soon. will upload as i catch more time to take pics.

despite the deplorably short time i have for scrapping, i still managed to do some projects. will post them tomorrow. for now, i have to go get my Prison Break fix.