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.

Bye, February!

The Love Month of February is about to end but we it's still a bit chilly, specially in the early mornings. My friend has a fool-proof, reliable prediction that once Chinese New Year comes, the summer winds will start to make its grand entrance. Well, my friend needs to check again. Not only is it still chilly, it's also been RAINING!!!

Here are a few more layouts I made for Lasting Impression for the month of February. The theme is still Valentine's but well it really should be a year-round theme for everyone!
Photos for the 1st & 2nd layouts are by Yours, truly while the pictures for the 3rd layout are by Dominic Barrios, an up and coming wedding photograper connected with Imagine Nation. Thanks, Doms, for the prenups pictures taken at the La Mesa Watershed! (no laughter in the house, please...)

Please check Lasting Impression's gallery for the credits to these layouts. Thanks so much for looking!

I'm OK, Mama!

Those are Gabriel's reassuring words to me everytime he gets into an accident. I've always found it amusing how he finds comfort in plastering a band-aid on his OUCHIE. Sometimes, it's really just a slight bump or a harmless scratch but a band-aid is still a must.

I'm proud to say that DS is no cry-baby. A "major" ouchie just requires Mama's kiss & hug after application of immediate first-aid, of course. A soft whimper, a worried frown, Mama's tender kiss..... then he'll go "I'm OK, Mama". Off to another adventure!

Materials courtesy of Lasting Impression. Please check out their shop for more ideas!

I'm on Youtube!!!

Last December, I had to do an interview for Lasting Impression because its owner, Vivian Uy, was unavailable at that time. This clip was shown about the second week of February this year in the United States on GMA Pinoy TV. Hopefully, viewers there would know that we also have a fast-growing scrapping community here in the Philippines.

In behalf of Vivian, we'd like to extend a big thanks to Ms. April Lim for making this all happen. Cheers to all scrappers!

Not Junk at All!

Before 2007 ended, Junkitz announced that it would be closing its doors. This was sad news because a lot of scrappers loved Junkitz' designs. The good thing though is that Junkitz' designers, Kenny & Stacey, are right now working with Inque Boutique stamps! Personally, I love Junkitz, particularly its vibrant Salsa and School Days lines. The School Days line is perfect for my DS who started pre-school this schoolyear and is off to big school next!

So here it is.... a layout I made of my DS (again!) in this P.E. uniform. I remember how excited and proud he was when he donned his T-shirt and jogging pants for the first time. Of course, he obliged Mama with a pose.

Here's another layout using Junkitz' School Days line of my DS blowing out the candle on during his last birthday. Sigh.... I just love the wonderful expressions I caught on Gabriel's face!

Please check out the Junkitz line available at Lasting Impression.

Scenic Route Layouts

Here is a layout I made of my niece, Anabelle. This girl is just as sweet as nice little girls get. Just the right combination for Scenic Route's Loveland papers. The colors of Scenic Route's newest line are just gorgeous: hot pink, strawberry red, yummy raspberry & cool green. Just right for a sweet little girl. Oh, and if you're looking for papers for Valentine's Day projects, this is THE one!

Please checkout Lasting Impression's gallery for the list of materials used. Thanks so much for looking!

And speaking of Valentine'Day projects, here's a layout I made of DH using the Scenic Route Loveland line. Scenic Route Materials courtesy of Lasting Impression. Happy Valentine's Day!

Layouts from the Studio Azul November Kit

Here are some layouts I completed using Studio Azul's November Kit. I absolutely love the gorgeous colors of this kit. Congratulations, Mia & Tin!

For my 3rd LO, I wanted the brads to match my color scheme so I got a couple of Biggie brads, sanded them (I just used an extra nail file), painted with acrylic paint, UTEED ... and voila!

I'd like to try my hand at cardmaking with the rest of the paper. I still have to muster enough courage to paint on the Prima Paintables though...

Other materials: Heidi Grace rub-ons (thanks, Iris!), Prima, Scenic Route, 7gypsies clip, UTEE, MM acrylic paint, DCWV cardstock, Craft Express Alphabet Stickers, Sizzix, Cuttlebug.

A Pre-Valentine Story

The Christmas dust hasn't even settled and what do I see popping up here and there? Hearts!!! Valentines Day is near so I'd like to share a very simple layout I made last August. It really is so simple I was able to finish everything, including the journaling in 30 minutes! I will cherish this though forever because it will always remind me of my sweet little boy.

One of my DS' favorite projects in preschool is making cards. Once, his teacher cut out hearts for the students to paint & draw on. Maybe he enjoyed this a lot so he asked his yaya to cut out hearts for him using old calendars which I always keep for his "canvass".

He came up to me and said that they were all mine. Of course, I quickly scrapped them and here it is. My DS painted the hearts with his own stash of acrylic paint. If you actually look at the back part of the hearts, you'll see the photo displayed on the old calendar. I hope this keeps!

Isn't he so sweet!

More Xmas Layouts

No way will I pass up Autumn Leaves' A Rhonna Christmas line. As always, AL lives up to its reputation of having beautifully designed papers. Rhonna Farrer's designs are simple yet so elegant. Her trademark swirls coupled with her bright, funky colors make these papers a real standout.

Here's a layout with my youngest DS, Gabriel, using AL papers. The picture was taken by my eldest DS, David, on Christmas day.

Thank you all for looking! Please check out Lasting Impression gallery for the materials used for this layout.

Christmas Layouts

Talk about delinquent! I still have a few of Christmas 2006 pictures that I need to scrap. So before I get buried under Xmas 2007's new set of pictures, I decided to scrap my backlog pictures using new papers!

For this layout, I used Lasting Impression's new line of Websters Pages papers. The company is a relatively new one which offers beautiful papers. For those into cardmaking, this paper is THE choice for it's thick cardstock quality and double-sided design.

And now maybe I can start scrapping our Christmas 2007 pictures. As an experiment, I tried to veer away from the traditional red & green Xmas colors. Quite happy that I experimented with non-Christmas colors! Love the teals and oranges of 7gypsies' Pretoria line!!

Please check out Lasting Impression's gallery for the credits here and here. Thanks for looking. Cheers to the New Year!

Scrapping Group, anyone????

For my December Scrapbytes contribution, I submitted (whew!! finally) an article about a group of uber-talented ladies that I scrap with. These ladies are the most gracious, kind-hearted people I've ever met. Boy, do I consider myself lucky to have met these precious ladies and even get to scrap with them once in a while.

I've heard someone say on several occasions that give or take a few deviants, scrappers are the best people to get along with. They definitely rate high on the social scale and even rate higher in the philantrophy department. Ask help from a scrapper and they'll welcome you with arms wide open and stash/toolbox opened even wider.

Well, I guess it's because we mostly understand each other. A true-blue scrapper will swoon along with you as you admire the newest patterned paper available in our local scrapbook stores. Only a scrapper will cheer you on & generously give valuable advise on how to make your layout look better. And as Tin Yao succinctly puts it, only scrappers know that Basic Grey is not just another color in the color wheel.

As this post finally ends, this has become a delayed thanksgiving of sorts.... To ALL my scrapper friends, esp. the ScrappinMoms, to everyone I've met along the way, a big warm thank you for all the kind words, gracious smiles and endless generosity you sent my way.

You can catch the article here. Cheers!

Credits: Color My World Digital Kit by Rhonna Farrer from 2peasinabucket.com

T'is the Season for......Christmas Layouts

Don't want to start a panic but are you aware that there are only 32 days to go before Christmas???!!!! Eeeekkk! I haven't started any shopping. Don't even have a list. The decors aren't even up yet. (Bad Mama!)

Oh, but I did have time to make a couple of Xmas layouts for Lasting Impression. (Wink, wink)

This is my first time to use Cosmo Cricket papers and I must say, I found this line absolutely divine! Initially though, I found it intimidating because quite frankly, it just wasn't my style. Well, I'd like to think it came out nicely though.

Thanks, Mia Caniza and Ms. Marian King for lending me your Quickutz dies! They're to die for. Thanks to Ms. Vivian, too!

Dear Santa

Naughty or Nice

Materials Used: Cosmo Cricket Be Good Collection, Be Good Ornament Fashions, Die-cuts: Sizzix (Funky Brush alpha, bread tag), Quickutz Beauty Queen Alpha, chain link, ribbons, blings & gold glitter, Fancy Pants Stamps: From the Garden.

Pictures to Scrap

Last Sunday afternoon, I found my DS in the lanai blowing some bubbles. Btw, don't you welcome the change in the weather? Perfect for kites and bubbles!!! Of course, I quickly snapped some pictures for scrapping before DS gets soaking wet.

Oh, btw, DS here is still in his pj's because he's recuperating from a slight fever..."lagnat laki" only. And the green stuff you see in the background? Yep, those are Christmas decors waiting to be hung. I do the Xmas decors every year, sometimes overlapping it with the Halloween decor. Talk about kitschy style! This year though, I haven't brought myself to doing it. And it's almost December!!!!

Last week, my ever-efficient Yaya (bless her!) brought out from storage boxes & boxes of decor without being told. Hint, hint maybe? Hmmm, talk about subtle. he-hehhhehhe.. I should let them do it this year. Whaddya think?

Play Tag

Instructions: Each player starts with 7 random habits/facts about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged & to read your blog!

I start blogging and I immediately get tagged!! Har-har... I'm quite new to this blogging thingy so how do I do this? Copying the rules was easy enough but I feel a little lazy to think. So as in any game, I'll try to do a short cut. (I hope this counts.) For the Scrapfest 4 held in October 2007, I made a themed mini-album for Scrappinmoms. Aptly titled "I Confess", I guess this will do. For now.

An acetate sheet was used for the cover. I just stamped the title and brushed acrylic paint on the backside.




We all have our idiosyncracies.

Well, here goes nothing.....
1. I am a creature of habit. I like going to the same restaurants & order the same food. My mornings will not be complete if I don't get to sit in the lanai and finish reading the newspaper from cover to cover. I find comfort in the familiar things. There is order & routine in my daily life.

2. I'm no pushover. I've never been afraid to speak my mind, as long as I believe that I'm right & within reason. Not that I resort to temperamental outbursts. It is a desire in me to correct any wrong or fix any imbalance I see in life. Ignoring everyday glitches may be the easy way out for some but NOT for me!

3. I'm a chocoholic! I'll never say no to chocolates.

4. I'm pusong mamon (softie). I am easily moved. Happy endings, sad endings, even soppy commercials make me cry. I'm not naive though. I just enjoy a good cry.... once in a while.



5. I don't do PINK. Give me fuchsia, hot pink, magenta, even old rose instead! Sweet, tweetums baby pink is just not ME.



6. No smoking. Please, not on my hair, not on my clothes, nor on my skin. Spare my lungs, my body. Please, not in my space.



7. I used to hate coffee! Although I'm still not a regular drinker, I certainly can enjoy it now.

Maybe this can cover the rest....

Can a tag end with me? Well, I guess if you read this and you fill like playing this game, go ahead.... Btw, I missed out the alphabet song. Maybe later.

Thanks, Timi!!!

My Latest Layouts

Superman Needs Sugar

My Little Star

How can I say no to one of my idols, the divine Ria Mojica. She asked me to make a layout for the Scrapbytes E-zine October issue. The LO is to be based on a sketch provided by a fellow SE member, Emelyn Magpoc.

Thank you, Ems, for the sketch. Thanks, Ria!

Materials Used:

Superman: Karen Foster pp, Rusty Pickle chipboard, utee, Heidi Swapp rub-ons, Sizzix, yellow tag from my son's Bench t-shirt

My Little Star: Papers: Crate Paper, Rusty Pickle, 7 Gypsies; Rusty Pickle Chipboard; MM ribbon tag; utee; American Crafts rub-ons.