Joy

I just love this picture of 33-month old DS.  In all of the the pictures taken of him at this time, he was holding a greeting card.  He must have felt very special to receive a big one from us.  It was like a very important treasure.  It went wherever he went.

When I make a layout, I just keep on going, picking out the pieces from different ziploc bags until I am satisfied with what I have. I didn't have time to jot down the different scrapbooking supplies I used; nor will I have time to do so in the future. Mine is just to cut and glue and be happy I'm done with a page.

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!

Stitch Me A Song

I get to be the February challenger for the Kaya! All Filipino scrapbookers...wherever on this wonderful planet you are... are invited to join this challenge.

February is love month [I just made that up, just 'cuz Valentine's Day is embedded somewhere in those 28 days]. So the challenge is all about making a loving layout about the thing, or people you love using a love song or two [3 is maximum]. Use any scrapbooking style you have but for this challenge, you have to use stitches! Real ones - hand- or machine- made. Because of this requirement, only traditional scrapbookers can join the challenge. But then, Lee suggested to have the digital scrapbookers join, too. I am also a digital scrapbooker so I don't want to disregard my fellow digi-scrappers. So, OK, digital scrapbookers, you, too can join the challenge!

The stitching technique might be a little intimidating, perhaps because they look so complex and too time consuming. Those were my thoughts when I saw super beautiful layouts using real stitches! So I challenged myself to make one and I love it! The technique I used is very simple. Perhaps using the sewing machine would have been simpler but I was too lazy to pull that out.

Here's how I did my stitches:

I used supplies that are pre-holed - like the journaling tags which I "unscrewed" from the wire that bound them together, and the canary yellow border with the tiny little holes in them.

I arranged my layout on black cardstock and took pictures so that I will know how to put them back together again. I glued just the tips of the first layers in place so that when I make the holes on the black cardstock, they won't be moving out of place. I found a 12" cube styrofoam cooler and used that as my table [I did my work on the floor while watching NCIS]. I punched the holes with a big safety pin, going through each hole of the journaling tags and through the black cardstock. Then I stitched away! It is really so easy and not so time-consuming. I finished this LO in one night. The longest part was planning the layout - it took me days and several headaches!

As for the picture, I placed one of the journaling tags on one edge and punched holes through the picture, through the journaling tag behind it, and through the black cardstock. Of course I glued two corners of the picture first so it won't move out of place.

The hardest one to do was the swirl with the string of pearls along its side. I have previously glued this swirl on 2 layers of white cardstock to give it some dimension. It wasn't my plan, during that time to sew the beads along side it, so boring holes through it was really, really painstakingly-slow. But it's all worth it!

My original title was Cherish by Kool and the Gang. But since I only chose a few lines from the song and I love the lyrics of It’s Easy for Me to Say sang by Clint Black and Linda Hartman Black, I wrote the entire lyrics on another journal tag. I opted to use "I Love You" for the title instead of "Easy for Me To Say". The real title probably would have been a better choice but I ran out of space and didn't have smaller fonts to use. TFS!

Pieces of Me - Challenge #19-2

This picture was taken during our trip to Toronto. No wonder the kids were quiet. I turned around and this is what I saw! Thank goodness for Marj's challenge I was able to come up with an idea of how to put this on paper! This challenge is all about the use of negative space. I love how this turned out. I would love to keep this as my own style but that would cost me lots of albums [LOL!] I already have a huge back log of unmounted pictures, and what I'd really want to do right now is cram them all on a few pages just to get done!

But that won't be any fun now, would it?


These are pieces of me, born 12 years apart. Looking at them now, it seems DD has caught up in maturity with her big brother. I am so proud of these kids!

The crocheted doily gave the layout a dreamy look. I have to start making smaller crocheted flowers to use. There was a time I crafted lots of bead bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. I have so many left-over beads that I want to incorporate into my layouts. I like how this turned out. Perhaps there will be more beads used in the future! It will be fun for my kids and their kids to look at my layouts and talk not just about the pictures but also how I crafted the embellishments I used!

Supplies used: Background paper [Basic Grey's Granola]; strips of paper [Basic Grey's 8x8 Boxer pad]; crocheted doily, flower [Prima], journaling tag [Making Memories' Note Worthy], rhinestone stickers, glass beads [Bead Gallery], hemp cord [Jewelry Design], journal tag [My Mind's Eye Laundry Line]; thicker foam dots used under the photo [United Manufacturer's Supplies]; thinner foam squares used on the title [Miss Elizabeth]; permanent orange marker [Bic].

Aspiring Dreamer

I'm loving the digital supplies at Little Dreamer Designs. I bought four kits for $2.00 each. These were made by new Dreamers and they are so lovely. Here are a few more layouts I made using Little Dreamer Designs kits.

My Hidden Journals

My sister, Lee, came up with this month's idea for the Pinoyscrapbookers' Kaya! Challenge. See here for details of the challenge.

I am mostly a digital scrapbooker for the reason of convenience. Anyway, digital layouts are excluded from this challenge. I think because my sister thinks that digital layouts won't meet 2 of the requirements:

1) the hidden journaling component

I don't see any problem with the hidden journaling component. It is hidden anyway. True, the time comes when the recipient has to take out the sealed message. And you probably have blurted out loud... "How in the world are they going to do that with a digital layout?!"

I don't know how other digital scrapbookers save their layouts, but this is how I preserve mine.

I have hidden journals and messages behind my pictures.



Credits: Coralie's Fanciful Kit: journaling tag, blue ribbon, swirls, butterflies; Avril's Karine Kit: paper, flowers, mat; fonts used: Fonts: Depressionist Three & Freestyle script

See where there are those tags and pieces of paper peeking out at the side? Those are not just there as part of the decoration.



Credits: All supplies used are from ScrapFamily;fonts used - Fajita ICG & Chubby Trail

Those are where my journals are written. Journals that may not aesthetically go well with my layout have they been written out there in the open.



Credits: KSharonk's Faded freebie mini kit [recolored blue flowers into yellow; Miss ViVi's swirls from Kit A Vende; Fonts: Free style Script & Palace Script MT

Most of my layouts have hidden stories of what happened during that day. Not just who are in the picture, where it was taken, what the occasion was, who didn't show up, who messed up, who was funny, who cried, but also my inner most thoughts and feelings.

Lately, I have been making these hidden journals a little conspicuous... and not so conspicuous... see that greenish piece of mat behind the picture? There's journaling right behind there!



Angela Sharrow - A Spring Garden QP; flowers & swirls added from Avril's kit
Yellow bow is from one of Angela Sharrow's QP; Font: Edwardian Script

So now, the answer to the million dollar question... how will one be able to read those journals?

I save my digital layouts in two different versions. One in jpeg version so I can upload them easily in galleries; and the other in psd version where some of the layers are preserved as separate from the rest. I don't merge or flatten all my images. Then I burn my digital layouts onto DVDs.

So in the future, when any of my loved ones want to know what's with the picture, they insert the DVD into the computer, open the file, and with the use of the mouse, drag out the hidden journal to read it. Since by this time the files are read-only, there is no fear of messing up the arrangement of my layouts. When they are done reading, whether they return the note back in its original position or not, it will go back to how it was saved. Ready to be pulled out and read again.

I showed my daughter how this works so she will be aware of what to do.

2) recipient to be able to touch and feel the components of the scrapbook page.

Well, this one is a winner. No matter how much they'd touch the monitor, they won't feel anything but the warm smoothness of the screen. But still, my journals will keep them informed; they will feel the thoughts I will leave behind; they will be touched with the love I have for them.

If you think this digital scrapbooking idea is awesome, something you will consider to use on your future layouts, please drop me a line. I'd like to know what you think. TFL.

Hooked

I am so digitally hooked! In my line of work, I'm in front of the computer almost 6.5 hours a day. When I get home, after dinner, I am plopped in front of the TV "listening" to CSI while digitally scrapbooking pictures.

Here are a few I've made the last week.



Credits: PetaBoardman-Girls Wear Blue Too bg ppr, crumpled notebook ppr, paper used as background for the title, blue frame re-colored orange; AneczkaW- Flowers
Font: Rock It!



Credits: Anja John's kit Blogparty. flowers extracted from one of the bg pprs.
Font: Gigi



Credits: DaleAnnCubbage LittleDreamerDesigns; Font: Freestyle Script



Credits: Mrs B - LittleDreamerDesigns - Spring Romance kit and Wildflower doodle
Fonts - Edwardian Script and Times New Roman