Beautiful Autumn

It's Autumn! DH's favorite time of the year - because it is so colorful.  I like it too because it looks like it's the time that everything comes out to life, every creature showing their beautiful plumes!  The only thing about Autumn that makes me sad is what comes after.... cold, cold, WINTER!!!

But in the mean time, I have to enjoy every moment of Autumn, which is cool, windy, sometimes, cold.  I've made 2 layouts using Cay's Beautiful Autumn kit.  Just look at the rich, warm colors!

DD and her cousin Stephanie [the birthday celebrant] were both born in Autumn. For years, they've been celebrating their birthdays dressed in Halloween costumes, and of course you can just imagine the eerily cute layouts I've been making. But for the past 4 years, no costume parties...just typical teen parties.


What's special about this picture is that it seems each cousin caught up within the hands of Time.  Where one was still a baby and the other still toddling around, 3 were already playing with make-believe make-up and such.  Look at them now! They seem to be all of the same age!  Why are they in such a hurry to grow up?

Those freezing Autumn nights didn't deter these adoring fans to watch a home game.  With Cay's Beautiful Autumn kit layouts can be made with pictures taken indoors and outdoors.

TFL!!

Alexandra's Garden

Cay's Alexandra's Garden Kit is fun to play with! I did a lot of layering in this layout! It's good that I found the perfect background picture for it.  The picture was taken from the Chicago Botanic Garden last Spring, and DD's picture was taken at the food court in Starved Rock, IL.  It was perfect that she was seated on a bench and I replaced it with one of the bench elements that came with the kit! 

Below is a preview of Alexandra's Garden.  Just look at it! I haven't even used all of the elements for my layouts.  There are just so many beautiful flowers it took me a long time to choose which ones to use!

Thank you Cay, for a wonderful design! and TFL.

Sensational Layouts

Well, Cay has been a very busy bee. She just whips up one kit after another, watches her stores, and had time to prepare to give away freebies. So head on to Cay's and grab those freebies while they are available!

And here the latest LOs I made using Cay's latest Sensation Kit. These pictures were taken during DD's Home Coming. The kit is just perfect for the occassion.

DD's best friends... of course they have to have their pictures taken by their cars. Did they really plan this? Get the dresses that match their car?!

The last LO is a closeup of the BFFs. It so happened that this LO is almost the same as Donna's LO. Great minds think alike, eh Donna?

Hope you enjoyed these as much as I did! TFL!!

Secrets

I'm back from whatever it was I was busy with these days. I found out that I do enjoy digital scrapbooking so much and that I missed creating! I missed my computer!

Here's anotherLO I made using Cay's Beachin' Fun Kit. Just to prove that the kit isn't solely for beach layouts. I've re-sized and re-colored a few items to match the most of the colors I used. The border is from one of the templates I made using shapes from Photoshop. I also used paper tearing and I hope it really does look like torn paper. I have yet to master this technique!

Also, I can't take credit for the design...I scraplifted this from Yukari.

 Thanks for looking.

Beachin' Fun

Here are a couple of layouts I made using Cay's Beachin' Fun Kit. Hope you like them.

...and here's that fun kit from Cays Creation Designs.

TFL.

Happy Birthday, Lee

...and many, many more...

Supplies used: Cay's Ice Diamond; recolored background paper and crown; positioned diamonds on butterfly's body; yellow flowers by CraftFairy.

If All of the Raindrops...

Alright, I'm guilty... guilty of using the diamond elements (from Cay's Designs Ice Diamond kit) again. They just reminded me of rain.

I wanted to make an LO where DD is enjoying a shower of diamonds so I started searching for the perfect picture and I found this!


She wasn't holding an umbrella in this picture but I managed to scrounge around for a picture of an umbrella. I think the umbrella gave the complete story that it's raining diamonds and flowers.


Then I remembered a happy little tune she learned in pre-school, which she taught me. I changed the words a little bit and made that my journaling.


The song is by Aimee Leigh


If all of the raindrops were lemon drops and gumdrops
Oh, what a rain that would be
I'd stand outside with my mouth open wide
Singing " Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah"
If all of the raindrops were lemon drops and gumdrops
Oh, what a rain that would be

If all of the sunbeams were jellybeans and ice creams
Oh, what a sun that would be
I'd stand outside with my mouth open wide
Singing "Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah"
If all of the sunbeams were jellybeans and ice creams
Oh what a sun that would be

If all of the snowflakes were chocolate bars and milkshakes
Oh what a snow that would be
I'd stand outside with my mouth open wide
Singing "Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah"
If all of the snowflakes were chocolate bars and milkshakes
Oh what a snow that would be

If all the mosquitoes were nacho cheese Doritos
Oh what a bug that would be
I'd stand outside with my mouth open wide
Singing "ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah"
If all the mosquitoes were nacho cheese Doritos
Oh, what a bug that would be

If all the tornadoes were French fried potatoes
Oh what a wind that would be
I'd stand outside with my mouth open wide
Singing "ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah"
If all the tornadoes were French fried potatoes
Oh what a wind that would be
Ah, ah, ah, what a world this would be.

And you can listen to the tune here... I tell you, it's a very catchy song...

http://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/song/showsong.asp?docid=626



TFL.

Ice Diamond

This is Cay's latest kit showcased in her blog. Visit her blog and see the lovely LOs the other DTs made using this kit! Truly amazing!

There are more than 70 elements in this kit which you can combine any which way you want. I'm sure each layout will be uniquely beautiful!

She even has a freebie from this kit. Thanks, Cay!

I enjoyed making LOs using this kit.

TFL

Best Friends, Like Diamonds, Are Forever

Best friends since the 7th grade, they hug and squeal every time they see each other, like it's been a thousand years since they last did...when in fact it was just a few hours ago!

Distance did not make their hearts forget. Every opportunity they got (holidays, school breaks, etc.), they have to meet, go to the movies, have a party, sleep over at someone's house and catch up with what ever BFFs talk about. Truth be told, whenever they meet here at home, I don't hear any conversations, just bursts of laughter...like laughter is their own language, and they have mastered it so.

Each is a unique diamond, giving another meaning to they saying "diamond is a girl's best friend". Theirs is a friendship unbreakable and sparkling. Theirs is a bond more precious than anything on this earth.... and may it remain that way.

The kit I used is called Ice Diamond and it's from Cay's Designs. It is so sparklingly delicious! It makes even the simplest layout look elegant and complicated! Of course, I love bling so, from out of the many elements that came with this kit [I think there were more than 70 of them!] I opted to use the diamonds over and over again!

TFL!

My [Little] Prince

These are my layouts using Cay's "My Little Prince Kit".

The first one is of my sister-in-law, Maria Theresa Ibarra, she now bears my maiden name. I still can't get over this... that someone has my name! But I am glad she's the one and not anyone else.

This picture was taken during her son's baptism. I made this layout for her in time for Mother's Day. I used one of Cay's round mat template freebie. I had to cut it in half and separate the two because if I had to change the shape from round to oval, the decorative flower-edge will become distorted. A blue button came with the kit. I extracted the face of the baby and a crown and pasted these on the buttons. I did the same thing with the word art - instead of using it as one single embellishment, I made it look like it's on the button.

If you take a closer look to the bow, I added dimension to the knot so it will look like the safety pin was really hooked through it.

Journaling on the teddy bear reads: Dear Jan Rafael, we don't know you yet. But we love you. You are new beginnings, new life; you are family. The gift of tomorrow belongs to you [quoted from Judy Janish].

The next layout is again, that of Jan. I had to borrow baby boy pictures from my brother as my son's baby pictures are of poor quality. We didn't have digi-cams during the time he was born. Even the negatives were no longer good.

To subdue the white pattern on the background paper I re-colored it green and added red for a splash of color.

And last but not least.... is a layout of my Prince. This is my son, all grown up... 6' tall and still single and available [he'll probably hate me for announcing that he is, hihihi]. His pictures as a young boy are now faded because I stored them in those !!! magnetic albums. Although I've been able to salvage a lot of them through Photoshop, the quality is not as good as digi-cams.

I made it look like I threaded the ribbon through the chains of the heart charms and recolored a few other things. The boy icon and crown is from Photoshop. The template used for the mat is put together by CraftFairy.

Journaling reads: If you can't be a highway, be a trail. If you can't be the sun, be a star. It's not by size that you win or lose, be the best of what you are.

TFL!

Supermom Layouts

The digi supplies used here are from Cay's SuperMom Kit. I first made an LO for my sister, Lee, for Mother's Day. She is one of the supermoms I know. Just reading her blog and viewing her pictures make me stare in awe! All the activities her kids do, places they have to go, her stories about being with her husband on business trips...! Then she comes up with beautiful traditional layouts that take more time to make than digital layouts! Where does she find the time to do all that? Has she found a way to "keep time in a bottle"? I need some of that time!

With her LO I erased parts of the blue paper that came with the kit to give it a torn/tattered look. To say the least, I was satisfied with what I did. The design of the paper made it easy. I folded a corner using another piece of paper in the kit. Sadly, I forgot how to do a fold that looks real - you know, one with the shadows and dimensions. I have to bring out my photoshop tutorial book sometime to review techniques I haven't done in a long time.

A few days after, I decided to make an LO of Super Mommy. She is really a supermom. She took care of 8 kids of her own, took care of my siblings' kids also, and I'm sure the grandchildren are being looked after as well.

This picture was taken when she and Dad spent a few years with us in the U.S. Looking at this picture tears me up. It was taken a few days before they left for the Philippines and I have not hugged her since. It also reminds me of what she said.

She was on the sofa crocheting baby blankies [it's her therapy because she had a stroke sometime ago and lost full use of her right arm]. I told her how my kids are growing old and pretty soon we'll be empty nesters; and I blurted out wondering if any of the two kids will take me in and take care of me when I am really, really old. She stopped crocheting, looked me in the eye and said, "if only I would still be alive when you grow old, I will take care of you." I will be hearing echoes of those words for the rest of my life! I love you, Mommy! I miss you!!!



And who says that this kit is just for super mumsies?! Here's a playful one I made for my Babycakes. This is DD when she was 6 years old. I still call her Babycakes. In fact, when I call her on the phone [or when she calls me], as soon as I hear her voice, I have to sing Babycakes [to the tune of Baby Face]. She patiently waits until I'm done. Patiently, I say because I am soooo out of tune!

I discovered some blings in Cay's kit. Yeah... discovered. The kit is huge I can't get to see everything in detail right away! I re-sized and re-colored the bling to fit my purpose. And have you noticed the ribbon I used? that's the very same heart ribbon that came with the kit, except that I replaced the hearts with blings [I hope Cay doesn't mind. I just love to play around with digital supplies!].

Now, I have to post Cay's blinkie so you can find your way to her blog. It goes right here!
where is it? It doesn't seem to work. I will have to try again this PM. Hubby needs help killing the weeds! TFL!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter one and all!!!

I will be celebrating mine with family and friends - just for eats right after church. The kids [or teens] slept over at Jessica's house, then we will all meet at Emy's house for a little gathering [I really mean idle gossiping]. The men.... well, they will be bored. So perhaps they will all go back home to sleep. The kids... they will be bored too if there is nothing to watch on TV and I don't think Emy has video games at her house. So the kids will probably spend time in the park across the street and do what kids love best or maybe hang out at Gurnee Mills. As for us women.... it's scrapbooking time, yeyyyyyyyy!!!!

Cay has templates available at her blog. One of them is a freebie! Thank you, Cay! Have a wonderful Easter!

Life Springs Forth

All right...! this is my favorite layout of all layouts this year! I've never done something like this before where the embellies are larger than the picture...but isn't it just perfect? It seems that the trees, flower, and the bush [yeah, the small tree is a bush] are part of my backyard!

This is from Cay's second It's Easter Kit. Told ya it's full of awesomeness! I enjoyed making this layout so much. I re-sized and re-colored the flowers to have colorful ones, I colored some of the leaves on the bush. With the use of one of the papers in this kit, I made a border using a template I made. I just love it!

These are the 2 kits from which I made my new layouts. Cay has them available in her blog. There are so many beautiful pieces in them. I had fun making my layouts . Check out the trees and the birdies! They are so awesome! Well, not just them trees and birdies...! Check out everything. She's got cool papers and other embellies which you can mix and match!

Renew

If I loved Cay's first It's Easter kit, I love the second one even more! Everything in this kit is just awesome!

My first LO using this kit is about renewal.


Journaling: There's this side of Easter that some people forget about. It's not just about bunnies and chicks and chocolates and such. It is the forgiveness of sins and renewal of life!

The pictures were taken during Jessica's Easter confirmation. She chose St. Christina as her patron saint and my daughter Christina as her sponsor. Frances Cardinal George, 8th Archbishop of Chicago officiated the Sacrament.

Easter Eggs-citement

After painting the eggs, Diego and Sarah went hunting for them. Hunting??! they're all spread out in the front and back yards... for lack of shrubbery at Xavier's new house.

Just like I said... the paper I used for the mat is one of my favorites, so I'm used it again....and oh, what fun to use the round frame for a basket. It was like an Easter egg hunt for me too, gathering the different eggs in this kit and putting them in the basket.

The other kids in this picture are Xavier's sisters and cousins. Xavier and family moved to California. Sarah and Diego went back to the Philippines. All the other kids live in the western suburbs... too far to go celebrate with them the following Easters after these pictures were taken. Ahhh... sweet memories...!

Supplies from Cay Creations

Take It from the Eggs-Perts

It's going to be Easter again. This year, there won't be any egg-hunting with kids. All the kids have grown up and are no longer really interested in coloring eggs and hunting for them. This year, I will just reminisce on Easters long gone.

As I was scanning negatives, I found these pictures in the computer. These were taken in 2005 when my sister, Lee, her kids, Diego and Sarah came to visit. It was fun to paint eggs once again!

This layout was put together using It's Easter Kit 1 by Cay Risholm. The yellow borders at the bottom and the journaling tag were made using two of the papers in the kit and two templates I made. The background paper is one of my favorites from this kit. I love the gridlines and the swirls. Fonts used: Chick, Quigley Wiggly, Bradley Hand ITC, and Vivaldi script.

Purple Is Your Pink

Christina's favorite color is purple, not pink! never pink!

Ever since she was a able to reach out for a toy, she always grabbed something purple. When we went to the mall, she'd zoom in to something purple. When out shopping for clothes, she'd pick out something purple.

Her clothes in these pictures look blue but they are really purple!


Cay Risholm's Pretty In Pink is really packed with fun! I enjoyed making the second LO so much, I want more! The stamped flowers with the green swirls made it so colorful! I cut a portion of the swirls and positioned them at different angles to give the LO more splash of green. I used one of the papers for my scalloped border. As for the fonts used for the title, I used the same alpha fonts that came with the kit, only I recolored them purple (from the purple bow) and pink (from the pink flower). I threaded the pink dotted ring through the brown ribbon. Perhaps I should have threaded 2 more..hmmm.... bright ideas just keep popping up! TFL!!!

Texting

Wherever they are... in the car, at home, during a party, you'll see them holding and fiddling with their phones. What is it with kids these days? They'd rather be texting than talking! Even my DD wants me to text her instead of phoning her. Thank goodness I have one of those phones with a keypad! I would have gone crazy if I didn't.

This is my first layout as one of the DT's for Cays Creation. This LO is made using Pretty in Pink kit. It was the easiest LO I've ever made.