Lesson Learned

My family and I just came back from from a fantastic weekend! We attended the beautiful and very intimate wedding of my cousin at Calaruega then proceeded to Hacienda Isabella for the fantastic reception. Both places were absolutely beautiful! The scenery around Calaruega and the chapel itself was so beautiful, I wanted to cry! And as we walked around Hacienda Isabella, I kept wishing and praying that we'd win the lotto so that we'd have our own dream place away from the city as well.

So where are the pictures, you ask? Well, I checked my camera paraphernalia the night before because I knew I'd take tons of beautiful pictures. Things to check: camera, camera battery, flash, flash battery, remote... all CHECK! When we got to the chapel I was all excited and got everything ready. My cousin was just starting to march into the chapel.... Ready, set, turn on my camera.... Whoa!

NO CF CARD!

And why do I bother writing about this? Well, I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. And I do believe there's a lesson to be learned here somewhere. lol!!!!

postscript: Our family stayed overnight at a beautiful bed & breakfast place in Tagaytay City. We then visited Moon Garden (sigh!!) for luch. Will write about this next time, after I steal some photos from my brother, Arthur, who brough along his Nikon.

Last Summer Layouts

Oooohhh, methinks I opened a Pandora's box because of my last post. Please let me correct any notion that I am referring to a particular person/s. If you feel alluded to, I'm very, very sorry but I actually just wrote about who else, but.... ME! lol! My previous post is a REAL story! I bought a Cutterpede when I was perfectly happy with the scissors I got from National Bookstore. I was also using a CARL paper trimmer which by the way does an excellent job but I still bought the MM Precision cutter. They did cost an arm & a leg but I've been very happy with them and never regretted making those decisions.

However, after several years of scrapping, I have to admit that I've also made a few uhm, shall we say, wrong "investments". Todate, I think my worst purchase was the Basic Grey Notch & Die Cutting Tool. I think I just used it twice and haven't touched it since! I'm also ashamed to admit that I bought a few Sizzix dies that I don't even touch now. Anybody out there want to share their booboo buys? Please let me know. I'd feel much better knowing that I'm not alone. lol!!!

Speaking of going back to basics, may I just share a very simple layout using Fiskars Textures Plates. It might seem jurassic to some but I thoroughly enjoyed using my stylus and dry embossing the design on the paper. Anyone have these babies buried deep in their scrap drawer? Why don't you take them out and play with them? Made a total lot of difference for me! Oh, I used GCD Studios for this layout. Please check them out at Lasting Impressions.

Here's a closer look. I just glued the string in a wavy pattern, cut out triangle for the ribbon and voila!

If sometimes you find the cost of having pictures developed a bit steep, why not try editing a series of photos and converging them in 4r or 3r sizes. As an example, the series of photos here of my DS putting on this shirt was captured in just two 4r pictures. Think of the big savings you can make by using your photo editing programs!
The above layout used Pink Paislee and Sassafras papers. Please check them out at Lasting Impressions.

Back to Basics

Show me a scrapper and I'll show you a person who's really into gadgets. And maybe trends? When a newbie scrapper dives into the craft of scrapbooking she'll need the essential tools: scissors, adhesives, cutter & ruler, most probably purchased from the neighborhood bookstore. She hurries home in gleeful ecstacy with the precious stash and gets right down to serious business. After delving deep into the creative process as evidenced (hopefully) by a handful of layouts, the newbie then decides that her tools need to be upgraded. And pronto! The perfectly good pair of scissors will be exchanged for one with a pointed tip, non-stick blades, spring action and comfort grip for ergonomic comfort. How else can she precision cut through the intricate design on the patterned paper? Never mind if it costs an arm & a leg. Besides, at the last crop she went to at the LSS everyone was using it!


And don't let me get started on the cutter. When I started scrapping in 2005, everyone brought along the single-bladed portable paper trimmer to crops. Then it quickly evolved: self-sharpening blades, multi-shaped blades, magnetic surfaces, foldable, etc. Now there are guillotine cutters which guaranty to effortlessly cut through wads of paper, including your fingernails & fingers if you're not careful....OUCH! The downside? It's humongous, weighs a ton and takes up all the surface space of your cropping area. Oh well, you'll argue with anyone who dares that it's STILL a good buy and hence takes up a special corner in your already crowded scrapping nook.

Scrappers can't get enough. They continue about their merry way creating art with their new-found tool. Until a new product comes along. They'll curiously look at it, investigate, then maybe try it out. Whoa! This is fantastic!!! I just have to have it!!! Then they'll fret, whine, obsess and justify the latest acquisition. Happiness is getting the new IT product! Well, for some....

In a perfect world (and a recession-free economy) it would be great to be able to continually upgrade one's gadgets and stash as new (and better) ones come along. Besides, it's all for the scrappers' good, right? Some may agree and quite a handful will argue with this. Who needs a new cutter when the old one works perfectly well? And what's the difference between your high-tech scissors from the ones your Mom used for all her crafts? Engaging in a discussion will be endless and arguing about it is pointless. To each his own, I always say.

Scrapbooking is a billion dollar industry and the last few years has seen its rise to stellar heights. Manufacturers and their design teams were falling over each other to offer the latest and the "best". And we, scrappers were only to willing to embrace these trends. But right now everyone feels the pinch and the scrapbooking industry is not exempt. When income is tight, the first to go are leisure & craft activities. And if consumption falls production quickly follows suit. At present, the industry is facing a major shakedown. Some major players have already closed shop or simply merged with other companies for survival. Rationalization is the name of the game. Just recently, one of my favorite magazines, Simple Scrapbooks, closed shop. Making Memories will follow suit by the end of the year. Wonder who's next?

So where to now, scrapper? Are we finally free from the manufacturers' "trends" and go down to the essence of scrapbooking? Don't despair because as long as there are memories, there'll be something to scrap about. One doesn't always need to have the newest product to be able to complete a beautiful layout. To each his own, again I say. And we can always go back to where we started: some talent, a lot of chutzpah and a good pair of scissors from the neighborhood bookstore.

See You All Soon!

Ever since we've been married, DH and I make it a point to just stay home during Holy Week. We've all heard horror stories about vacations taken during this time of the year. Crowded airports and kilometric traffic are just a few. Rather than sweat it out vacationing with the rest of Metro Manila we just stay put in Metro Manila.

Manila IS just the place to be! There's near zero traffic while everything else is just wonderfully peaceful and quiet. We'd usually hie off for an overnight stay at the beach then be back the next day but that's just about the longest we'd be out.

For us, nothing beats the comforts of home! Our activities include but are not limited to DVD marathons, all-chips buffet (with DH as instigator and me as hapless onlooker) or just plain chilling.

This year is different though. Tomorrow, our family will fly off to the Land of Kimchi. Hmmm.... a welcome change, I must admit. Just hope it won't be a stressful trip. See you all soon! I promise to take pictures!

Have a meaningful Holy Week! Happy vacation to all!

Center Time

This morning, I was parent assistant in youngest DS' Nursery Center Day where 3 parents from the batch talked about their professions. The 3 centers were: (tadah!) a zoo, a photo studio and a cartoon animation studio. One of the parents owns Avilon Zoo and their team brought in a menagerie of wonderful creatures. There was Jenny the orangutan (dressed in a pink blouse with matching pink Crocs!), an owl, a tortoise that kept peeing, a gecko, a parrot and rabbits. (Darn! I saw these animals on my way out so I have no pictures.)

Oh well, anyway I was just as excited about my assignment. Our very own class had the very talented photographer, Mr. Ken Go, who built a make-shift photo studio right in the classroom! Ehem, Mr. Go, can I have a few quick pointers, please? lol!

Needless to say all the boys had a blast listening to Ken as he showed the boys what he does for a living. He showed but a few of his works: menus, billboards, ads, parties and events. Gee, won't it be great to be doing what you really love? And earning a living from it?

As a bonus, Ken took shots of ALL the kids in groups of 5. The kids, and the teachers too, were so thrilled to see their images immediately on the TV monitor. Boy, you'll surely see which boys will grow up to be ham actors. lol!

Was too tired to peek into the cartoon animation studio but guess what? DS said that it was his favorite! Why am not surprised?

p.s. In case you're interested, Ken Go uses Nikon!