Nothing but scrap!

5 more days...

And I will be coming home. I am so excited to see my family and friends again. This trip is actually an advance birthday gift from my parents who also promised to take me to this waterfall in Amadeo, Cavite that they have discovered (I smell photo op!). It's also very timely since it's my nephew Justin's 4th birthday celebration on the weekend that I will be home. It's also my favorite boss and very good friend Vivian's birthday who promised to treat me to a scrumptious meal at Contis (never been... I know...).

As I have mentioned on my previous post, I had a very hard September both personally and professionally. I thank God that I was able to come past the obstacles that came my way, but I did have a few meltdowns in the confines of my office space that worried my manager and officemates (I know they thought I was going to lose it any second now). My crying spells were so bad that my mom was already begging me to pack my things and go home for good. While that prospect at that time seemed irresistable, I knew that it was the easy way out. Obstacles are there for a reason and I knew that I had to face it head-on. I had to be strong for the sake of my parents, I know that they worry so much for my well being especially in this situation where I am far away from home standing by myself with nobody to turn to if things get ugly. I've leaned so many lessons in this experience and most of it painful, but you know the old adage 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' surely is true. I am a fighter now.

So I've moved to another place (yet again). I like it here - from my window I can see the park, it's sunny, accessible to places, and my housemates are really cool. In my case, I have to be wary of people I meet especially a fellow countryman/woman. My last housemates - to put it mildly - are arrogant, self-absorbed, greedy people, spawns of the devil who have no real decency in their bone. And although I want to rid myself of any hatred as it can only give you wrinkles, I just boil everytime I think of them. They are robbers of money and spirit. I know someday that what they did to me will come back to them tenfold. I know that it is very un-Christian to think of evil things to these three people, forgive me I am only human and my imagination can go up to the hills most of the time. So let's not discuss them any further.

I want to fill my life with love and music and flowers and chocolates... I am so crushing on him right now:

Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry VIII

Go see The Tudors and you'll get what I mean (and Henry Cavill is hot-hot as well). If these kind of men do not turn you on, at least watch the show for the entertainment value (not as historically accurate as I would have hoped compared to the book The Wives of Henry VIII - yep! that's the nerd in me..).

And I will not let this post pass without sharing anything about scrapbooking. Here are some layouts I made:

boys

boys

Materials: May Studio Calico Kit

so i wonder

Materials: Cardstock: Bazill; Patterned Papers: American Crafts; Chipboard: American Crafts, Maya Road; Overlay: Hambly; Sticker: 7gypsies; Paint: Making Memories; Others: American Crafts Pen, UTEE, Glossy Accents, Perfect Pearls

I am currently finishing a BAB for the Prima Contest. Imagine winning USD600 worth of flowers? Sweet!

Til next time!

Be Right Back

9:06 PM | 1 Comments

I have much explaining to do for my long absence.
I'm currently packing up and moving to another apartment because my housemates from hell have been so unbearable that I've decided to leave this hell hole.. All I can say is that they don't know who they're messing with and I hope for their sake that they'll continuously watch their backs for safety from now on. Karma's a bitch you guys.
I'm itching to cut and paste but I've already packed most of my stuff and they were the first to be transferred - all packed and sealed. So I can't wait til October 1 to be reunited with them again.
Visit me again soon :)

It's August already?!?

9:01 PM | 4 Comments

The next thing you know we'll be hearing Christmas carols again!

Last week out of boredom, I went to this place that I read in Leena's blog where she had a pictorial with her husband. I figured I'd go to this place and have a pictorial myself (alone - my friends were too busy doing i-don't-know what..) so I google-d the place and went there myself. Except for a couple of pedestrians and motorists, the place was quite deserted (nevermind that I was taking photos of myself - they may have thought that I was crazy or whatever). Still practicing with my photography and I'm still using my 50mm lens.

There are more pictures from where this came from (haha) so it'll keep me busy for a couple of weeks.

me today

me today

All materials are from the Scarlet Lime July kit (gotta love SEI's Poppy Line).

there's gotta be more to life

there's gotta be more to life

Materials: Patterned papers, stickers and glitter: Making Memories; Cardstock: Bazzil; Chipboards: Cosmo Cricket & American Crafts; Alpha Stickers: American Crafts; Transparency: Hambly; Damask Stamp: Heidi Swapp; Others: This and That from June Scarlet Lime, UTEE, DMC, Glossy Accents

I was also able to finish the journal from the Studio Calico add on from May. I've enjoyed doing this journal that when I was finished, I have no idea what I was going to use it for (probably secret spending for my scraps... haha).

Journal (Studio Calico May add-on)

Material from the Studio Calico May add-on

Thanks for looking and have a blessed week ahead!

Reasons to smile

10:21 PM | 2 Comments

This is something I made for the Label Tulip anniversary challenge. I paid homage to Leena Loh because I really love her work..

reasons to smile

Materials - Patterned papers: My Mind's Eye, Basic Grey, Autumn Leaves; Chipboard alpha: Chatterbox; Stamp: Autumn Leaves; Stamping Ink: Versafine & Tim Holtz; Flourish and glitter: Doodlebug Designs; Mirror: Heidi Swapp; Paint: Making Memories; Die cut felt: Prima; Others: Stickles and American Crafts pen

I am loving Heather Bailey so much! Love the vibrant print and color. The new stamps of Autumn Leaves are just as gorgeous. I'm churning more layouts using these products.

I also started a couple of layouts using the SEI Poppy line... Love those as well - the reds and the blues and silvers.. And they have a paper named Pearl! How very cool is that? :)

Scrap fast, scrap slow

9:26 PM | 4 Comments

I feel that there is quite an improvement on my scrapping time lately. I can actually finish layouts over the weekend. I've always enjoyed the luxury of time when it comes to scrapbooking - I am a la-di-dah kind-of scrapper, no pressures just taking my sweet time.

I am subscribed to Label Tulip and I've so far received the May and June kits. I love the LT kits! I feel like it's so easy to work with it. I feel guilty (sometimes...) because it takes me a while to finally open the kits and play with it. I try to at least make 2 layouts out of the kits that I am currently subscribed to, and I know that I have to maximize these kits since I've cut my LSS visits to just twice a month (a whole lot of restraining since some CHA summer goodies are already available for picking - ugh! Will I be able to refuse the Heather Bailey paper and stamps?)

This layout is actually my slow scrapping - took me two days to finish..

look here

look here

Material: June LT kit; Others material - Stamps: Fontwerks; Stamping Inks: Tim Holtz and Staz-On; Rhinestones: Prima; Felt Shapes: KI Memories; Button: Daisy Ds; Epoxy Sticker: Sei; Paint: Making Memories; Pen: American Crafts; Patterned paper: Cosmo Cricket; Ribbons and staple wire

My fast scrapping is a record - even for me. I finished this layout in 3 hours! It turned out quite freestyle - I love the simplicity and whimsy of this layout.

all you wanted

all you wanted

Materials: May LT kit; Others - Buttons: Autumn Leaves; Ribbon: May Arts; Alpha Sticker: Doodlebug Designs; Pen: American Crafts; Stickles

Have a great week!

You fell asleep here...

10:06 PM | 0 Comments

Was my first thought when I wanted a really clever name for the bookmark I was going to make. But I will be saving that for a future project (I actually stumbled upon a website about a bookmark saying just that, but age got the best of me and I forgot where in cyberspace I saw that).

Bookmark

Materials: Cardstock: Bazzill; Alpha Stickers: Doodlebug Design and Making Memories; Sheer flowers: Maya Road; Felt Flower: KI Memories; Stamp: Purple Onion Designs; Stamping Ink: Tsukineko; Brad: Making Memories; Ribbon: May Arts
* finally got to use the Fiskars puncher

Sure there are ready made bookmarks for purchase anywhere, why not buy? I just wanted to do my own (what with a ton of scraps laying around).

Notice I've now watermark-ed my pic.. It's just protection if in case somebody was insane enough to grab photos of stuff that I have made. We can never be too safe now - what with the technology and transparency we have on the internet. Most - if not all - of us are sharing our work in good faith but some of us can fall prey to predators and leechers (it's sick and unacceptable but it does happen). So my friends, watermark before you become a victim.

So I've finally picked up a book again. A few posts ago, I mentioned about 'Dreams from my father' by Barack Obama and I finally snagged a copy from my friendly Harris bookstore. I did go a li'l wild and picked up these as well:

An excerpt from 'Me talk pretty one day'

'The Italian was attempting to answer the teacher's latest question when the Moroccan student interrupted, shouting, "Excuse me, but what's an Easter?" The teacher called upon the rest of us to explain. "It is a party for the little boy of God who call his self Jesus. He die one day and then he go above of my head to live with your father. He weared of himself the long hair and after he die, the first day he come back here for to say hello to the peoples. He nice, the Jesus."

Hilarity... I almost guffawed in the bookstore when I read this..

On other scrappy news, our June SC Kit was short-shipped! Our add-ons were not shipped together with the main kit and we may have to wait for a few weeks for it to arrive. The May kit was short shipped as well and since we went crazy with the July add-ons, we are crossing our finger that this won't happen again.

Have a great week ahead!

The Middle Child

1:26 PM | 3 Comments

Here's another layout that I was able to finish last weekend..

the middle child

Justin is the second born son of my brother. He is three years old and had just started nursery school this year. We've noticed that since Terrence was born, he is always clamoring for the attention of the adults, which most of the time turns into a screaming fit with the parents, grandma, yaya and even from Kuya Wacky. Nevertheless, even with the crazy antics he sometimes pull-off, he is a really sweet kid..

the middle child

I did the hidden journaling in a playing card..

the middle child - hidden journaling

Materials - Patterned papers: Creative Imaginations, Cosmo Cricket, Basic Grey; Die cuts, epoxy tag & paint: Making memories; Gel blossom: Heidi Swapp; Velvet Alpha: American Crafts; Small alpha: Carolee's; Rub-on: Cosmo Cricket; Brads: JoAnn's; Rhinestones: Prima; Stamp: Purple Onion; Stamping Ink: Versafine; Others: Slick Writer, floss, metal butterfly, playing card and fabric from Qtea Kits

One of a Kind

11:53 PM | 1 Comments

Our bunso Terrence is at the stage where it is so easy to make him giggle...
Making rosettes is one of the things I've recently discovered. Google-it and find out how to make one, it makes your work a step more 'hand-made'.
I also used the Doodlebug Crushed Velvet Flock, still needs a little work though on how to make it more polished..

Once of a kind

Materials used - Patterned Papers: Creative Imaginations & Cosmo Cricket; Die Cut Paper: KI Memories; Transparency: Hambly; Buttons: Autumn Leaves; Epoxy Stickers: SEI; Rub-on: My Mind's Eye; Gel Heart: Heidi Swapp; Alpha Stickers: Carolee's; Stamp: Cat's Life Press; Stamping Ink: Versafine: Chipboard: Magistical Memories; Flock: Doodlebug Designs; Wood Flourish: Kaiser Crafts; Mirror Bird: Heidi Swapp; Others: Stickles, Zig Pen, floss and glittered tulle.

I remember...

10:18 PM | 0 Comments

Going to Universal Studios in LA and meeting Shrek..

* from my earlier scrapbook pages *

I hope he's doing fine after the fire that hit the theme park a few weeks back. I have some really fond memories there - wandering alone, queuing (?) to get into the Backdraft studios, drinking a liter of Coke from my Spongebob sipper, the crazy cool Mummy ride..
I heard and read that the studio lot where those sets that replicated the streets of New York, sets of Back to the Future, the semi-scary Jaws were badly damaged by the fire. I wonder if the set of Wisteria Lane from Desperate Housewives and the crashed plane from War of the Worlds were counted as casualties. Sayang naman...
I'm really grateful that I was able to go to this place.. I really hope to someday go back - and hopefully Universal Studios will be as glorious and magical as ever.

Tagged by Tin

12:41 PM | 0 Comments

Thanks Tin!

Here are the tagging rules:
1. Link back to the person who tagged you
2. Post these rules on your blog
3. Share six (6) unimportant things about yourself
4. Tag six (6) people at the end of your entry

Unimportant Facts about Me!

1 I use the Lush 'KARMA" soap as air freshener in my room (I hang it in the aircon and moisten it once a week to revive the smell)
2 I always wear my eternity ring in my left middle finger and feel restless when I'm without it
3 My mom and dad still calls me 'Baby'
4 I love PhoBac's Chicken Pho and spring rolls - and I have to have those at least once a week..
5 I miss driving in BF Paranaque (where I usually hang anytime of the week with my friends to eat dinner, drink coffee and buy 'DIBIDI')
6 I no longer wear shoes with heels (because of the minimum 1 hour walk/stand I have to endure on most days)

To those who have read this post, consider yourselves TAGGED! :)