Happy Ho-ho-Holidays!

Thanks to Ria and the ScrappinMoms for giving me the opportunity to make a layout for the December issue of Scrapbytes. 

This pic was taken December 2006, Josh loves icing and he knew we were watching him trying to sneak up to the yule log. . . the photos we took were not too great, it was more like "hurry, grab the camera!" :-) So I decided to cut the pics in portions and focus on certain areas of the photos instead. I think it worked somewhat alright :-) 

I found a cool technique in an old issue of Somerset, where the artist melted the sides of a sheet of overlay. I saw the same technique in one of Mitch Sy's sweet layouts too, I had a blast melting the sides of my Hambly. . . although i did look sort of odd hovering over a candle :-P

Btw, this is my first Christmas layout . . . ever! I've never really made any holiday layouts, maybe because I didn't really have a lot of holiday photos either. So this year, I vow to take more Christmassy pics :-)

A SWEET CHRISTMAS

Journaling:

You just couldn't wait to get your hands on that yummy yule log. It must have been that NAUGHTY look or those CHUBBY fingers sneaking up on the cake that gave you away! --- Josh, Christmas 2006

Materials:

Paper -- Ki Pop Culture Teal, Webster's Candy Cane, K&Co. Peppermint Twist, Cosmo Cricket Be Good, Shipping Tags, Hambly Mini Graph White, Chipboard

Rub Ons-- American Crafts jane

Stamps -- Provocrafts Circa 18 Pts., Technique Tuesdays Provence

Ink/Pen/Paint -- Colorbox brown, Zig black 05, Pen Touch Gold, Signo White, Twinkling H20 Bashful Blue, Stickles Crystal and Fruit Punch, Aqualip Black

Embellies -- Autumn Leaves buttons Rhonna Christmas and Indian Summer, Polka dot ribbon, natural fiber ricrac and satin twine

Catch Up LO's

So it's been a while since I posted Layouts, to which this blog was supposed to be dedicated to in the first place LOL :-) here are a couple i've done in the past months, just a bit of this and that . . . enjoy!

Mitch's Scrap Challenge

It was the last leg of SM idol and the friday girls and I set out to try our hand making a LO under a 1 hour time limit. Thanks to Mitch! for preparing the papers for us :-) our theme was "Confess" but apparently I deviated from it heehee Incidentally, although Cabbie wasn't able to join us she apparently timed herself and finished in 30 minutes! Can I just say it, Cabbie! Grrrrrr! :-)

Visual Creations Hambly Challenge

I tried my hand at Mitch's Hambly challenge. I super love Hambly, having discovered the brand 2 years ago in a small crafts store in Guam . . . i'm so glad Mitch carried this line :-) This LO is about my sister's kids, my super cute niece Ocean Lily and my new nephew, Chus Andres! Chalk it up to my sis for unique baby names :-) 

KAYA LO

I missed November's Kaya Challenge, for the first time!!! I will return with a vengance :-) For the meantime, this LO is Super Donna's Kaya Challenge to use just the basics . . . no stamps, no oft used scrapbook tools and materials. Just CS, pens, paint, pretty much that's it. I had no idea how dependent I was on rub-ons, bling, stickers, etc. until this challenge. I had alot of fun making it though, it's just one of those mother-daughter days which I always enjoyed . . . even the arguing!

BitterSWEET

** IV Free Josh, spent the rainy days pre-occupied with Origami

I know most of us have children and God forbid any of your kids have Diabetes, but it plays to be safe. So please indulge me as I relay my story and perhaps you may pick up a thing or two :-)

I had feelings of guilt, how I could have not detected Josh's condition early. But my doctor reminded me, that Josh must have had Diabetes in his genes but there were no symptoms so I should not feel bad. A virus or infection could have triggered his Diabetes to come out this early; there were instances where a healthy, non-diabetic child had German Measles and shortly after that had symptoms of diabetes. Incidentally, Josh had hand, foot and mouth disease earlier this year. History wise, there is only one Type 1 diabetic in our family and it's my lola's nephew while josh's paternal side, had Type 2. I read in Diabetic books referring to possible causes such as protein found in cow's milk and even medicine administered for Pneumonia, which J0sh was confined for at the age of 2. Either way, diabetes is here to stay.

Around a month ago, Josh had began to wet his bed. He was 6 years old at that time and way past the bed wetting stage, at first we thought it was the stress of school (Maybs, you know what i'm talking about :-) because he began waking up with a wet bed around exam week. Josh is in first grade, and I could only assume how overwhelming it was they would have 2 or more quizzes in a day and the things they have to memorize was crazy! Anyway, we had consulted the doctor in time for the sem break and the doc mentioned that since we're on vacation to observe if josh would still wet his bed, after all he should be more relaxed. Sure enough he never wet his bed the whole 5 days we were away and seemed normal.

But soon as we got back to Manila, his frequent urination was suspicious. Often urinating more in the evenings, he would go to the bathroom before going to sleep, he would wake up at midnight and even around 2am to pee and STILL woke up with a wet bed. And we noticed that he began to lose weight, not to mention he could chug down a small bottle of mineral water and still be thirsty afterwards. So we went back to the doctor 6 days before his 7th birthday (Nov. 16th). The doc asked for a urinalysis and to my Tita's insistence also a blood test (thank goodness!) and that's when his sugar was +4, when the normal sugar if i'm not mistaken should be in the negatives (tama ba dra. Rita?). I called my doctor and he said to rush josh to the ER thank God talaga he was doing his rounds on a sunday! When they got josh's blood sugar it was a shocking 373 (normal I believe is 80-110)! He was also Ketoacidotic as well, which meant he had high ketones that could lead to a diabetic coma. So the doctors had to rush and administer IV and insulin.

As a friend of mine said, in times like these how often that we as parents want to take our childs place. It couldn't be more true.

As I was told, being diabetic can also constrict the veins, that's why it was so difficult for them to insert an IV on Josh. Can you believe they tried 7, count them, SEVEN times! He was good about it, didn't cry but got fed up on the 7th try. They ended up having the IV on his left foot and a second line (just in case they needed it) waiting on the right hand.

By that evening, his sugar level went down but through the course of our stay in Makati Med we experienced low blood sugar of 54 which wasn't good either. How many times have I wished that as he lay down on his hospital bed, it was me instead of him going through all those nasty pricks and shots.

Makati Medical had a Diabetic Center, which oriented patients and family members about the illness, footcare, how to administer insulin and nutrition as well. During our first day of the orientation as I was overwhelmed by all the information, the supervisor of the center said a Type 1 will be sitting in with us. I assumed it was a parent of another child much like mine, when I saw a pretty twentysomething. Apparently she's had Type 1 at around the age of 6. The day after, I met a doctor who was a Type 1 since age 11. I take it as God's way of saying "Don't worry. You see? All these people are happy and healthy, and Josh can be just like them." Even now, I keep that vision in mind that Josh can live with his Diabetes and still enjoy life if not better.

We are very fortunate to be able to have a nurse round the clock now to help us watch over josh, just yesterday he had a bout of hypoglycemia his sugar level was down to 52 when he was in school. Good thing our nurse reacted quickly and gave him some fruit juice which quickly raised his blood sugar, thank God that he never had symptoms.

When you see Josh now he's not the usual chubby ball (as we love to call him), but still healthy, kulit and super talkative. No one would suspect that Josh was diabetic, he's just like any hyperactive 7 year old boy.

It's a totally different lifestyle now, especially in the food department. Josh was released from the hospital Thursday afternoon, that morning I rushed to the grocery to stock up after all, we removed every sinful thing in our kitchen.

I hardly felt depressed when Josh was confined, not until that moment when I was walking down the aisles of Landmark. I love to cook and bake, and Josh is my constant baking apprentice and avid food fan. Seeing all the food he loved and that he could not have any of it not for a while anyway, really got to me. I know, it's weird isn't it? And of all places to feel depressed was on aisle 20 amid the Chips Ahoy and Oreos! So now my pantry is stocked with sugar free treats given only during the prescribed time and counted per piece.

And so as I type this post, I have bought every book I can find about Diabetes, gone to every site I can Google about Type 1 Diabetes, have made josh's meal plan (counting the calories, fat, etc.), have constantly checked his feet daily since footcare is important for diabetics, administered insulin (which is twice a day), have to coax him to have his fingers pricked to test for his blood sugar 5 times a day, have arranged with Josh's school for his care, and all the while burden wasn't in the picture.

My tita says that its as simple as a mother's love for her child. All the pressure is thrown out the window, because all we have in our minds is for our children tot be fine.

To those who sent text messages, dropped by to visit Josh, who posted at the SE and PS groups and gave their words of encouragements and prayers . . . thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Taking the IDOL Journey Part 2

I have been preparing a list for the past two weeks on what to bring to the Scrapfest. I've started packing since Monday, by Friday afternoon i've realized i've packed almost a third of my scrap supplies! My dear scrapping buddies knows this, when I say HEEE-HAWWW!!!

I never felt any tension until Friday evening, we had no idea what the kits contained only the possible themes. I had arrived early at the Scrapfest . . . for LUNCH! LOL which was held at Max's in Scout Tuazon. I though I was in the twilight zone when I saw empty seats only to realize everyone was huddled among the suppliers on once side of the room! whew!

All the Idol finalists were situated comfortably at one end of the function room, we were given plenty of space 4 to a table to be exact. I was seated with Nita, which made me really happy to have a famliar face there! And Dra. Rita and Darlene whom I just met. Luckily for Nita and I, we were seated with medical professionals so I assume we had dibs in case we had an anxiety attack!

I don't recall chewing my fried chicken more so swallowing it! Lunch went by like a blur, good thing I had 11 other ladies who were feeling as antsy as I were. Pia finally got as settled down for the last hour prior to the challenge. Ria passed around the kits, and lo and behold! Among the papers and embellys we were given ACRYLIC sheets!!! Yes, AU oblivious ka talaga! hehe

Within that hour everyone planned their layouts but no one was allowed to cut paper, etc. just plan and buy what we needed. I sat for a long while, racking my brain and telling myself not to panic! I think I found myself for a moment with empty tables beside me, my butt was glued to my seat! It was only the last 15 minutes when I got up to buy a sticker and clear alphas.

Finally, Pia announced the start of the crop! To tell you the truth, i SORT of had an idea what I wanted to do but when I plan a layout I always change it along the way . . . and sometimes drastically! I'm glad the girls suggested we bring our iPods, so i whipped mine out with Chill Out music blaring. And I do mean blaring so I could drown out every sound I could hear. I started out with a pretty decent and CLEAN area, when we were down to the last 10 minutes everything just went chaotic.

Then I told myself that's it! I did my best, i'm done! When I looked up Nita was the first to submit her LO! You go girl! Nita has always been saying how she was a slow scrapper, to see her great work as the first to go up the stage was a real feat :-) After Nita I just had to let go of my acrylic sheet, anymore longer and that thing would melt in my hands! A few more moments everyone was going up the stage displaying all their works on the center stage. The last person I saw still busily fiddling with her LO was Cabbie.

We were given our snacks and was finally able to shop in our right minds! I think Mia and I could have just fainted after that stress! But nothing a little shopping wouldn't cure :-) Art and Josh dropped by to pick me up and they gamely stayed until the end, even if the little boy was so hungry he drank 3 glasses of iced tea! It really meant alot to me that they were there, it helped calm my nerves too. While we were on stage, I could see Josh jumping up and down with both thumbs up!!!

The ScrappinMoms started off by announcing the winners of the challenges of the day and ended with the finale, the SM Idol! We were all asked to pile up the stage and stand behind our LO's. They called the Pick of the Weeks first, which I am fortunate enough to be a part of being picked by no less than the master herself, Iris! And so, it was THE moment. Pia JUST had to do everyting a la American Idol style which made my butterflies go nuts!!!

6 names were called in front . . . I was beside Nita and I could not breathe because we were not called! Apparently, we were the last 6 who were safe!!! ARRRRGGGH!!! Next, three names were called . . . god I could have peed!!! Au, Cabbie and I were STILL not called!!! And OMG! We were the final threeee! That's it, I think I could have called it a night. But noooo, they had to hold us in suspense! Double ARRGGGHHHH!!!

Flor, ooopsee, Liza pala hehe made a speech for our dear Scrapping Queen Bee, Joanne. . . which left us in tears, especially for those who knew Joanne as a great, great person.

Ms. Congeniality herself was teary eyed, she's moving to Australia real soon and she will be sorely missed. I don't think I could have gotten this far without her encouragement and I could not have taken the step towards putting up Studio Azul along with Mia, without her advice. Thanks to scrapping, I have met some wonderful women and men (that's you Papa Jeff!) and as I included in my intro . . . who shares my passion, who knows that Basic Grey ISN'T a color and that there's more to glue than ELMER's.

Finally, Liza turned over the floor back to Pia and called the three of us up front. Crazy Pia had to ask each of us if we had what it takes to be an SM Idol!! All I could say was "SANA?!" Ngyek!
Just to be there, with two great friends and scrappers was enough for me.

Afterwhich Pia announced that the name she will be calling out is the SM Idol and the two left behind were the runners-up. To tell you the truth, I was thinking to myself "cabbie? au? cabbie? au?" these two are far better scrappers and artists that I am. They are not afraid to experiment, i'm just a newbie beside these two! When I heard CABBIE's name called I was crazy-happy!!!

Cabbie is the quiet type and they were teasing her to show some emotion!!! But that's how she is, she shows her enigmatic self through her craft and that is enough to WOW anyone. Au and Cabbie are one of the underrated scrappers that go outside the scrapping box, and it has been an honor to have been beside them.

The Idol Journey is not for the faint hearted, but I don't think I speak for myself when I say this, I don't think I would last this far either. I can't wait for next years batch of new Idols, and dear reader, I hope you join if you haven't already. Despite our occassional WTF?! and confusion what layout to do next, if I were to turn back the clock I would join again in a heartbeat!

Earlier in my blog I mentioned I just wanted to see how far I was going to last, and this is my icing on my cake. During lunch Darlene mentioned there comes a time when we just have to discover how far we can go, to push ourselves whether artistically, physically, etc. I joined Idol not to win, I just want to push myself to be better at my craft. I'm glad I took this journey, because along the way I grew as a scrapper and most importantly, forged friendships to last a lifetime.

That evening, as I tucked Josh in bed we were both still. I thought he was already asleep, when all of a sudden he turns around to me and whispers, "Mommy, I have a gift to tell you." "What?" I gamely say, "Congratulations, Mommy." and he leaves me with a kiss before going back to sleep. This couldn't have been a more perfect day.



Journaling:
Saturday, October 6, 2007
I'm ecstatic to say I have been a part of the most memorable scrapping experience ever! Since day ONE everyone did their best and our layouts have truly become our trophies. From 39 wonderful scrappers down to the finaly 12, after 2 months of elimination rounds it all boiled down to the last 3 hours! I believe it took the best of our experiences as scrappers and as artists in our own right.

Our very own Cabbie won, the very first IDOL!!! And that made me doubly proud to be in the company of such inspiring women. Kudos goes to the Scrappinmoms and the Scrapping Queen Bee herself, Joanne, for coming up with such an ingenious challenge. I think it will be quite a while before I koin a challenge series, but at least I can say, BEEN THERE, DONT THAT! ... and damn, i'm proud!

Digital Software: Adobe Photoshop CS2

Digital Layout Elements: Rhonna Farrer -- Spring Frippery Journaling Spot, Ribbon and Paper / Tia Bennet --haPEA birthday tag / Amy Teets Pier 49, Photo stamp and ribbon & SunPorch felt flower/ Anita Stergiou - Straw Kiss Elements / Shabby Princess Organic stitching, vintage florals, dot ribbon & Marshmallows

Taking the IDOL Journey Part 1

I never thought that two months had gone by so fast.
It felt as if it was yesterday when the ScrappinMom's announced the ScrappinMoms Idol Challenge and Joanne texting me to join. Never in my wildest dreams as a scrapper have I thought I would survive! As Nita mentioned, it's our comfort zone. . . to be happily scrapping as we please, which is how it should be. But if we want to advance in our craft I guess there comes a time when we just have to push ourselves to the limit.

My mom was hospitalized the week of the Elimination Round, I really wasn't in the mood and as I kept on telling Mia my mojo was on the low side. But nonetheless, after much prodding (thanks Mia!) I relented and gave in. It was a respite really, to take the pressure off mom being sick even for a little bit. And on that fateful day began a scrapper's whirlwind.

Every week for two months, my scrapping schedule was always the same:

Wednesday: Panic . . . as I stare blankly at my empty craft table. Thursday at 1:00pm was the deadline to upload our layouts, and I often have board meetings on Thursdays. Need I say more?
Thursday: Looking like a racoon from staying up late making my layout, I finally email the challenge requirements. Just 24 hours to hold my breath and perhaps the only "break" from total brain drain for the upcoming challenge IF I was still in the running. Watch the SM Idol gallery like a hawk until it's updated! And I often marvel at the beautiful creations of all my co-contestants and say to myself . . . that's IT!!! this is my last round!

Friday: 12:00AM i'm watching the contestants gallery, ever so slowly scrolling down and screech to find my picture still there! My last name starts with a Y, all my life i've always been at the end of the list, the last seat in class, pretty much always at the end. The SM Idol Contestant Gallery was no different, although they did base it on the first name . . . my real name starts with a K, but everyone knows me as Tin. Apparently, that didn't help either. Later in the day, the next challenge is issued and met with WTF?! And so my sleepless nights begins once more!

Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday:
In the Evenings ---- I scrap in my dreams. I kid you not. I'm a night owl and I have insomnia so I often force myself to sleep so I can get up early in the morning. I excercise like a maniac during the day so i'm out like a light by 12, only to wake up at 2 or 3AM wide-eyed and think to myself: OMG! I could stitch on my Hambly's! I lay awake for another hour or so, imagining the sketch in my head. I fall asleep thinking if I my Infuse papers will work with Scenic Route stickers.

Early in the AM --- Wake up, groggy from a nights sleep filled with sketches and ideas I head off for work. . . sneaking in studying sketches by the famous scraping diva's and plotting out my layout on Photoshop. I design slippers for our company, so if they were to find me with Photoshop open I could always pass it off as work hehe ssshhhhh!

By mid-afternoon --- As I return from work or if it were a weekend from a day out with the kids, I attempt to catch a bit of the afternoon sun to take the required photos. Or, if my 17-year old daughter was in the mood, have her take photos for me. Child exploitation? I think not. *wink wink* start 'em young I always say!

Bedtime --- settle in to sleep in my comfy bed and start to doze off then wake up only to realize it's . . . Wednesday!!!! Start the crazy process all over again. . .

Good news, Great news!

The GOOD NEWS

Another thursday has passed and another WTF!!??? Peace tayo ScrappinMoms hehe

After the ALL Cardstock challenge for Round 2 (you can see my LO here and Donna's beautiful Pick of the Week LO here) my co-challengers and I finally made it to Round 3 of ScrappinMoms Idol. Everyone did such great work, and it always saddens me not to see three great scrappers in the list.

Personally, I just want to see how far i'm going to make it, it's a challenge I find within myself and not necessarily with the rest of the challengers. There's so much great camaraderie and the best part is, we have each other to complain to with the brain-draining challenges the ScrappinMoms come up with :-)

We have until August 30th to come up with an altered item :-( I have never altered anything out of the ordinary, i've been racking my brain, the internet and my books and have come up with a couple of probable ideas. . . Tampons are a household item anyway right? :-)

















Images care of TamponCrafts (yes, there IS such a website), sooo I have a choice of a blowgun, christmas lights and a pan flute. Oh, wait the rules say I have to use 3 more non-scrapbooking item! Oooooh well, guess have to junk the tampon idea. . . back to the old drawing board :-D

The GREAT NEWS

As an avid reader and subscriber of Memory Makers, I was so happy to have received an email with a list of the 2008 Memory Makers Masters with none other than our very own IRIS !!!!

Iris's Shabby chic pages, oozing with talent and passion and still remains humble despite all her recognitions . . . she is one scrapping diva! IRIS, you rock! Hece, i have joined your fan club with the affirmation of Ria's blinkie hehe :-) Can't wait to receive my MM issues more than ever now!

Maxing out my MAC :-)

Hi all! I'm just trying to max out my .Mac account, so I tried out the web gallery.

When you have nothing better to do and is just click happy, please do drop on by the StickyTins Gallery and give me your feedbacks if it's easy to view or not.

Otherwise, it's byebye gallery :-) Thanks very much for your time!

I was tagged again :-) with a cutie pink tag too!

Thanks Donna for tagging me, now I have these cutie blog tags too :-) i'm tagging 5 other Rockin' bloggers too . . . Mia, Cabbie, Lee, Mitch and Joanne.

To those I just tagged, Just click on image above and pay it forward :-)

What have I gotten myself into?!

A month ago, Joanne announced the ScrappinMoms Idol challenge. It's a 2-month long contest, with challenges every week. At the time the first elmination round was going to start, was the time my mom was still in the hospital so I wasn't sure I was going to make it. Good thing with support from my family and encouragement from Joanne and Mia I made my layout on the nick of time. Fortunately, i've made it (as of today) past Round 1.

We are not allowed to post our layouts as long as we're in the contest, but we were allowed to post links to our layouts so here they are:

Elimination Round
Round 1: Stuck on Cardstock

Round 2 is still ongoing, and it really is a doozy! Round 2 is to make a MONOCHROMATIC layout. Funny though, I thought it was due this Tuesday so I was cramming for time Monday evening only to find out it was due Thursday! LOL Nevertheless, feeling a bit under the weather, scrapping my pages helped me take my mind off how I was feeling :-)

At the start of the challenge I was thinking "What have I gotten myself into??!!!" The pressure of the challenge and to come up with a unique layout is really nerve wracking. But in this short time, I learned alot about myself. It's amusing to see how far I will last, but more so that for someone like me (with a short attention span!) i'm surprisingly sticking it out! And I also discovered how well I manage under pressure, considering all my pages were made a day before the deadine!

Kudos to the ScrappinMoms for coming up with such an ingenious contest :-) And ofcourse to the rest of my co-contestants whether still in the running or not, congratulations for coming up with heartfelt, wonderful layouts :-)

Tag, YOUR it!

Utang ko na TAG for Au, Donna and Mia who tagged me, ayan ha 3-in-1 hehe :-)

7 Random Facts about yours truly:

1. I'm an Allergy monster --- my morning starts with the sniffles and an occassional sneeze out of the shower. A little dust or change in temperature may at times make my eyes water and give me a bout of atchoos :-) Curtains, rugs, furry stuff (as long as i doesn't shed i'm ok :-), dust, weather/temp changes are my curses :-) and Kleenex is my best friend.


2. I know how to butcher :-) --- just chickens that is hehe not that I plan to make a career out of it. I blame it on my alma mater, OB Montessori has Agriculture class for its grade school students. Because of this for 7 years I learned how to create an aquarium, pot plants, plant mustard seeds and yes, even butcher chickens complete with using boiling water to remove the feathers.

3. I'm a Chocoholic --- despite whatever excercise I try to come do, despite what diet I try to follow, chocolates are the end of it all. My kitchen ref has all the healthy happy stuff, but in the den just right by my scrap table I have a small ref with (horrors!) chocolates :-) As of this very moment i'm stuck at home with Pharyngitis, a really bad cold and bouts of fever but i just had to have my chocolate fix last night. Hence, had to have someone go out and get me a Starbucks Brownie :-) Yummy!

4. I have a sweet tooth --- in no particular order my often choice of dessert are chocolate chip cookies, pannacota, cheesecake, key lime pie and brownies :-) and if you brought me to a buffet, I often eye the dessert table first.

5. I'm Organized, NOT! --- I love to fix and organize my files, my bills, my books, scrap supplies and paper. But for the life of me, no matter how I fix my things between a week to a month it always ends up just as messy as I started with if not worse!

6. I get bored easily --- that or I have a short attention span :-/ I like learning new things and I love to experiment.


7. I'm musically inclined . . . NOT! again :-) --- I have had my hand at the classical guitar, electric guitar, drums, piano, took pop singing lessons and opera. Again, that short attention span prevailed hence, i haven't mastered much. As they say, Jack of All trades and Master of None :-) .... hmmmm should make a page out this one.

Catch Up 3: Quiet Hallways

August 1, 2007
A little over a week after my birthday, my Mom had to be rushed to the Emergency Room of Makati Medical Center. Luckily our family had a stay-in nurse and assesed the situation and decided to call me at around 1am that we should bring Mom to the ER. My mom and I live no more than 5 minutes (10 if you count the traffic) apart, so it was easy for us to pick her up. Mom was sweating profusely and was awfully pale when I saw her, as soon as we brought her to the hospital that's when all the tests and medication was administered. Mommy had Pneumonia and a fever, so she had to be admitted immediately. She was fine though, a bit weak but still talkative as ever.

We had stayed for the rest of the day and went home at night to rest, when the early the next morning as I was getting ready to go visit mom I had an urgent call from our family doctor. Moms blood pressure dropped to 50/0!!! Who would have known that from a simple case of Pneumonia it would have been this bad?! Thank God for doctors, to that I commend the doctors and nurses of Makati Med for taking care of my mom so well.

Apparently mom just didn't just have Pneumonia but Kidney stones and an infection which messed up the whole thing along with her high blood sugar. Because of this she had to be fed via NGT (feeding tube via nostrils) and given an EndoTracheal tube so the right amount of oxygen could be administered. Due to her condition, she was sent to the ICU where we spent around a week.

August 22, 2007
I'm happy to say after more than 2 weeks in the hospital mom is doing fine, still hard headed with her food intake LOL and happily (although still weak) shopping again at Landmark and SM.

It was in the hallways of the ICU where the family convened to visit mom, where we prayed, where we told stories of how silly and funny mom can be, how she loved to eat hence the high blood sugar ;-), and it was in these hallways where I often sat alone before the rest of the family arrived. It gave me time to think and go through my life as well as my moms, how life can be taken away so fast and given back as fast too. We are not always given a second lease in life, we could have lost mom weeks ago. . . so to this day, I try to live up to those firsts as my ONLY chance.




THANK YOU to everyone who prayed for my mom, who offered their "get-well" and to the support of my friends and fellow scrappers. Without you guys I don't think I could have held up so well either :-)

Catch Up, Part 2: PhotoBUGS

July 18, 2007
A few units in Photography back in college helped me take better pictures later on, but still I can not claim to be at the least, an amateur. So I decided to bring, albeit drag :-) my daughter along to take photography classes under Jo Avila, who was also my former college professor.

We decided to take the once a week classes, Saturday being the most convenient. I really enjoyed the class, it was very informative and Jo Avila really knew his stiff. Often times there are photographers who master only one brand of camera, Jo knew the Nikon and Canon cameras like the back of his hand. Although he had a preference over the other, no one felt left out ina sense, since he addressed everyones technical needs.

One of our first assignments was to take photo of a Coke bottle as IF it wasn't a coke bottle. Wheels started to turn and gave me migraine just thinking of it! I was amused that he enjoyed the photo I took of my son, Josh and my Coke "bugs" :-) I had taped pipe cleaners on my coke bottles and arranged it on the floor, had Josh hold a Pepsi bottle at the background. After steadying myself on the floor shooting at floor level, I took a couple of shots and this I think was the best of the lot. Enjoy!

Pardon me, have to play Catch up!

What happend between my last post, our PS EB, photo classes a couple of little moments here and there and my birthday . . . just feels so fleeting :-( But life goes on, so i have to "catch up " on my blog so to speak.

After I had turned 3o, i think i unconciously didn't keep count LOL so there were days when I was asked how old I was I would be off by a year! But the birthdays can't escape you, especially when family dinners and coffee shop surprises remind you :-) Some say I may as well be 50 years old with what i've been through, but I owe it to the strength of the women in my family to keep me going and definitely NOT look 50!!!

And so July 23rd rolls along and I still thank the Lord for blessing me with a wonderful and supportive family, great friends and all in all despite the crazy ride I wouldn't change it for the world :-)

Digital Elements:
Tia Bennet Seals, Sassy by Rhonna Farrer

I have succumbed!!!

In the real world, weekdays are spent coordinating advertising materials for our shoes stores and designing for our slippers. In the real world, I spent more time with my laptop than sleeping. Adobe Photoshop CS2 and InDesign, along with Photos.Com, DeviantArt, Clipart.com, Computer Arts.com are my virtual barkada to name a few.



So when I return home, I can't wait to spend time getting my hands "dirty." Sticky glue, pulling rough twine, twisting wires and cutting up paper is my element. I sprinkle my digital skills on enhancing photos and printing out titles or journaling but often I stop there . . . after all, how much virtual-ity do i need (if there ever is such a word!).

I had spent the weekend in Tagaytay, it was cool and raining. I wanted to get some tennis in or any physical activity while we were out of town, but the weather was just enough to keep me in bed or stuck to my seat in the coffee shop. My digital camera was at the ready to capture at a moments notice and my little notepad along with scrap mags for instant inspiration for later scrapping. But in the end, as much as I was in a very relaxing atmosphere, I wanted to scrap! I didn't bring any of my scrap materials with me, and so I found myself staring at the ceiling . . . and deduced that I am dang bored! What to do, what to do . . .

Hmmmm, I haven't "cleaned" up my laptop in ages so I started arranging and re-arranging my folders when I happened upon a folder aptly named "DigiScraps." After clicking, I realized I had downloaded a couple of free digital scrap kits which I totally forgot about. Heeeey, now I CAN scrap! Oh, I didn't stop there. Luckily the country club had free wifi, so in true scrapaholic fashion, I whipped out my trusty (and squeaky clean) credit card and bought a couple of digital elements to add to my free ones.



Now if I can just keep myself from making digital scrap pages at work :-)

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LO: Sis
DIGITAL ELEMENTS: (Digitaldesigners.com) Kim Pertiet, Curled Photo Frame / Ecuts, Romantic Rose Frame, Tags and Notepad / Notepad, twine, blanket stitch and tag, Kim Hill, Juicy Fruit Elements / Bacnground paper Seasonal Sampler, Buttons, Smarshmallows & Amore, Shabby Princess (shabbyprincess.com) / Polka Dot Scallops, Rhona Fahrer, Spring
FONTS: Ballpark and Enchanted Prairie

JOURNALING:
Growing up apart was quite difficult, I remember how we used to trade handprints and even cut locks of hair before we parted. We never failed to keep in touch and despite the growin pains and gaps we've had in the past we've proven --- that being sisters is thicker than water.

Another day . . . another Hoard (sort of)

I've done my research, gone online to the Myscrapworks site and checked out the scrap stores they suggested for both Singapore and Kuala Lumpur; I also googled just to be safe. Upon arriving in Singapore, i couldn't help but get antsy about taking half a day to go scrap shopping. We were to stay in Singapore for 5 days before moving on to KL, day 1 passed, then 2, then 3 . . . omg! I was getting really nervous! I told my family that over my dead body am I leaving Singapore without going to at least ONE store! Thank goodness we had a "free" day, we all pretty much went our own ways to shop.

First stop was MADE WITH LOVE, http://www.madewithlove.com.sg Address: 68 Orchard Road Plaza Singapura Unit 03-21 Singapore 238839

According to an email from one of the MWL staff directions follow: "take the underground trains, you could always pop over to the Orchard Mass Rapid Transit(MRT) station which is just opposite the Marriot and stop at Dhoby Gaut MRT station which is just 2 stops away. Alternatively, you could walk over to the bus-stop in front off the Marriot Hotel and hop onto any bus that you find there that matches the ones that we've stated arrive at our door-step. It's just one straight road down to where we are from the bus stop at Marriot"

As long as you're on Orchard Rd. you can't miss it, or if you do get lost just ask a local and you'll easily find your way.

MWL was most impressive, the selling area was well utilized to store as much supplies as they could. And take note, MWL has new stuff arriving every week! So far, this is the sweetest store i've been in. The black walls are actually storage for paper! I was thinking, the paper choices were so few for such a big store. Then this lady (a customer) just slid the cabinet door and voila! more paper goodness. Not to mention the rows of embellys and stickers! I was going gaga! But I had to hold back as well, since I knew that the exchange rate in Singapore is much higher.

There also was the MWL Cafe, according to one of their friendly staff the wives usually have their husbands or kids stay in the cafe while they shop. How cool is that? After all, how can we shop seriously when we're constantly rushed. But then again, Plaza Singapura is a good sized mall so I told the fam to just leave me in MWL and text me when it was time to leave :-)

Next stop was LAINE'S PAPETERIE
http://www.laines.com.sg
510 Orchard Road Wheelock Place #03-13A

The great thing about Laine's is that it is on the upper floor of Borders! Another favorite haunt of mine. Laine's is much smaller than MWL but they did have items which the previous store did not carry, and that's where I saw a demo of the Quickutz Revolution. . . I had to stop myself from drooling.

Laine's had a nice selection of one of kind emebellys and punches which I really liked.

And so, I ended my day in Singapore by carefully storing all my paper in a Cropper Hopper and my embellys safely tucked in a shoe box. On to Kuala Lumpur . . .

KL was most impressive, the architecture and historical landmarks were remarkable. But as always, I was getting fidgety since we were going to be in Kl for a week. Day 1, day 2 . . . Day5!!! horrors! Finally, by day 6 we had another "free" day so I gathered the gang up and headed to One Utama shopping mall.

One Utama was HUGE! We weren't able to cover the whole mall but I was able to make a stop over at one scrap store.

Last Stop, CRAFT HAVEN
2nd Floor, One Utama
Kuala Lumpur

Craft Haven reminded me of SMILE here in Manila, although with slightly more craft related items along with the scrapbook supplies. I really didn't get a butt-load of stuff, just a couple of stickers and embellys. At least enough to make me satisfy my curiosity as to what KL can offer a scrapaholic.

And so, another summer has passed as I had ventured to my scrappy cravings. I know I lack the prices, soon as I find some of my receipts i'll post them. I guess they were too expensive for me to look at, more so remember haha! Hope you enjoyed my "tra-vails" :-)

BackSCRAPping Exposed!!!

A seasoned traveller will always lay out his or her clothes upon arriving at the hotel . . . a seasoned scrapper will always fish out her (or his) scrap box amid the tumbled toiletries and shoes. . . to my experience anyway :-)

Like clockwork during our vaca i find myself dragging aching, albeit *throbbing*, feet back to our hotel room after a day of sight seeing and other touristy stuff . . . after i've donned my PJ's i quietly settle myself on the hotel desk and commit to my adventure full of BS (that's Backpack Scrapping to you :-)

Sure I was tired, and the humidity of both Singapore and Malaysia didn't help either. But once I was in the scrapping zone (all scrappers know the "zone"), aches and pains were gone! I never knew scrapping could be so therapeutic . . . forget Bengay and Salonpas!

But i have to be honest, I snuck in a couple more supplies at the last minute. Additional rub-ons, a couple more papers and extra glue tape (for the Tombo) which i'm so thankful for since I ran out during the process. One of the hitches you may encounter is delayed scrapping. As much as I had wanted to make my pages real time there were just days I missed out and had to catch up but it wasn't as difficult as I thought. Not having to follow any "rules" it was quite fun and liberating.

The best part was that my family was so supportive, they contributed to my collection of ephemera and photos. It really helped having a Selphy around but even if you didn't have a compact photo printer the brochures, postcards, etc. were enough to convey your latest adventures.

So here are some tips to those who are willing to delve into BackScrapping :-)

1. Prepare, prepare, prepare. But then again, don't bring your entire scrap room either. Bring the essentials like your camera (forget everything else just not your cam!), scissors, glue, ruler, stapler, pens, mini puncher, embellys (brads, strips of ribbon), rub ons, stickers, scraps of paper, and your mini scrapbook ofcourse! I also brought a magazine along for instant inspiration, the only problem was chosing which one! If i missed out on anything, please refer to my previous article. It really helped I had a sturdy plastic box to store it all, i highly suggest it.

** A side tip, if you have a trip in a nearby place like Tagaytay, La Union, or even if you're spending overnight at a hotel or a friends place, I suggest you "practise" when you can. Luckily I had an overnight stay in Tagaytay prior to my flight, this helped me warm up somewhat. And that's when I knew i lacked some other essentials for my backscrapping.

2. Upon arriving at the airport of your destination, head on to the nearest tourist display where they hold maps, brochures, etc. The best part is, they're all free! Same goes for the hotels too.

3. Keep in mind wherever you are, try to take a couple of ephemera with you. Wrappers of candy, coasters, table napkins, matchbook covers, I even took the stickers they place around the luggage.


4. Be trigger happy! Other than the touristy stuff, I made a mental note to take shots of our luggage, signages, our feet dangling in the bus, I even took shots of the texture of this exquisite wall in our hotel. All those little things which we soon forget once we return home are just as essential as the landmarks.

5. Enjoy! I wouldn't want you to pay so much attention to your scrapping you forget to enjoy your whole trip. Both should be symbiotic, after all, that's why we scrap isn't it.

*** For more photos of my travel journal, please click on ONLINE ALBUMS (BackScrapping)

Summer Titles

Inspired by MLA's Summer LO Challenge, I happened upon a couple of sites with Summer Title suggestions:

BY ANDREA STEED, Scrapjazz.Com
Summer's Here
Summertime
Summer afternoon
Summer Sisters
Firefly Summer
A Summer Place
Dog Days of Summer
Endless Summer
Happy Summer Days
Here Comes Summer
Hot Fun in the Summertime
I know what you did last summer...
Oh, Those Summer Nights
Sizzlin' Summer
Summer at the Shore
The Long, Hot Summer
Heat Wave!
Fun in the Sun
Good Day Sunshine
A Slice of Summer
Hot, Hot, Hot
It’s a sunshiny day!
Let the Sun Shine In
Makin a Big Splash
Lil Swimmer
Splish, Splash
Summertime Blues
Beach Bum
Water Babies
Sail Away
Slip-n-Slide
Wet-n-Wild
At the Pool
Sprinkler Adventure
By the Shore
Seaside
Ocean of Love
Havin' a Blast
A Day in the Sun
Lickin' the Heat (popsicle pages anyone?)
Natural Beauty
Sun Dried
Beach Babes
Beach Boys
Waterbugs
Some Like it Hot
Cool in the Pool
What are you Wading for?
POOL (take a picture of kids holding 2 innertubes for the O's on POOL)
Friends by the Sea
Down By the Sea
Under the Sea
Shore is Fun
Popsicle Paradise
Relaxin
Water you doin?
Good Clean Fun

AND A COUPLE OF RANDOM Song Lists with summer, relaxing, and sun in mind, a mix of then and now :-) These make greeat Titles or the lyrics can work well with your LO's :-) Enjoy!

Summer of Love - B52's
Those Lazy Hazy Das of Summer - Nat King Cole
Summer Girls - LFO
Summer Breeze - Seals & Crofts
In the Summertime - Shaggy feat. Rayvon
The sunny side of the Street - Frank Sinatra
Sunlight - Kevyn Lettau
Good Morning Starshine - Oliver
All Summer Long - Beach Boys
Sh-Boom - The Crew Cuts
Vacation - Gogo's
Put your records on - Corrine Bailey Ray
Banana Pancakes - Jack Johnson
Summer Wind - Michael Buble
Summer Sunshine - The Corrs
Feels like summer again - Wallflowers
Sunshine after the rain - Natasha Thomas
Hey Look at the sun - Sitti
Sunday driving - Rivermaya
Sunrise - Norah Jones
Sunshine - Jojo
Music of the Son - Rihanna
Perfect Day - Paulo Santos
Perfect Day - Hoku
Sunshine - Gabrielle Rise

I have yet to participate in an EB or crop . . . . I have not attempted to bring my supplies to Tagaytay when we’re away for the weekend. . . so what makes me think that I can try and scrap during my summer vaca in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur?!

Blame it on a couple of magazine articles, one if which was Legacy by Somerset . The homemade mini album held brochures, tickets, even pictures printed at a local printing store and other sorts of ephemera. And it was totally wonderful! It captures those moments that you somehow forget when you get back home.

I will attempt to scrap and crop overseas, how I will do that I will never know. I know what you're thinking, why do I have to give myself a hard time when I can just jot things down in a journal and complete my pages when I get back to Manila? I always liked spur of the moment things and capturing the moment at its freshest, so backpack scrapping was the best solution!

I did my homework, I read through my usual scrap mags and Googled "Travel Scrapbooking" and all the other search words I can think of! Some links I found online, i'm sure you will be able to find more :

http://honeymoons.about.com/sitesearch.htm?terms=vacation%20travel%20scrapbook&SUName=honeymoons&TopNode=3398&type=1
http://www.takegreatpictures.com/HOME/Columns/Scrapbooking_-_Pictures/Details/travel_scrapbooking.fci

To top it off, I have my supplies up and ready a week before my flight. My clothes? Oh, I can pack that a day before. Yes, apparently I have my priorities straight (?).

Opting to bring and “baptize” my Mimi Travel Tote, I figured it would take too much space and I definitely could not bring it with me on board considering I had scissors in there! I can see it now, “Woman held by authorities, claims scissors is for scrapping!” No thanks! And so I found a plastic container lying around, it had a lid and lock with a tray and compartments, that will do just fine.

So here are the contents:

JOURNAL → I chose a journal that wasn’t too big or too small, my fault I threw away the paper it came with. But the size is just right for clippings, coasters and brochures as well as 4x6 pictures. Ofcourse, it’s archival safe, acid and lignin free. But I’m well aware that the brochures and other ephemera are not as “safe”.

CAMERA & PRINTER → any camera will do, it just so happens my daughter and I are photo hobbyists so we don’t mind lugging our Canon EOS 400D and Powershot A710. And my aunt so happens to have an old Canon Selphy 500 (compact photo printer that can print straight from the camera) so that’s just an added plus! But I believe if you don’t have a printer on hand you can always leave a space for pics later on.

PAPER → just to add some texture, I chose my papers based on my destination. Considering we’re going to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, I chose ornamental designs, bright and neutral papers. I really liked the DCWV paper packs with stickers and vellum with pre-printed words. Need I mention my handy dandy Zip lock for catching all those loose papers i'm sure I wil acquire!
Papers --- Basic Grey/K&Co. Scrapbook Designer Papers Motifica and Sublime, Time Coffey/K&Co. Travel/Vacation, DCWV Scrapbook Kit in a Stack Value Pack Travel


STICKERS → for dimension and contrast, it was quite difficult to find the right ones I really had to hold back and just choose the basics.
Stickers --- Marcela by Kay Embroidered Tags, Sticko Travel and Jolee’s Plane Trip

RUB ONS → I always include graphic elements and some additional sentiments in my layouts, so rub-ons would do the trick. I also brough alone my Li’l Davis rub-on tool, which works far more effectively than the popscicle sticks.
Rub-Ons --- Making Memories Remember and Journey, Sticko Bookworms and Fancy Pants


ADHESIVES → Admittedly I’m an adhesives (and sticker) junkie, hence my blog name StickyTins. . . but among all my “sticky” collections my Tombo supplies tops the list. I needed glue that can adhere to pictures, brochures and other thick materials like coasters and labels.
Adhesives --- Tombo Multi and Tombo Mono Adhesives

TOOLS and OTHERS → I have a supply of various shipping tags from Staples in the US of various sizes and they seemed like the perfect journaling tags as well as my handy post-its for notes. And ofcourse my essential pens and pencils.
Tools & Others → shipping tags, post-its, Fiskars trimmer, Art Gum eraser, Aqualip pens, Micron 01, Li’l Davis Rub-on Tool and pencil (no preference on the latter, whatever was the sharpest and easiest to bring; usually either a mechanical pencil or pencils with replaceable pointed lead so I could do without the bulky sharpener)


And so, the adventure begins! I should be back around the first week of May, I hope by then I can claim that I’m “full of BS” haha ☺ . . . a Backpack Scrapper that is . . . and hopefully I have something to show for it!

First Page

I began scrapbooking back in 2000 for the birth of my son, he's six years old now and his baby scrapbook is still stuck at 5 months old!
Back then I had a small 8 x 8 scrapbook, just last year I decided to relive my hobby and purchases some 12 x 12 scrap supplies. This page was my attempt at working with what I had, by this time I had a handful of scrap magazines to get inspiration from. But what I really wanted was a die cut machine, a QuickKutz, Sizzix, anything! When I found these pictures of my son sleeping, i was so happy that it would be a cinch to cut out a Z with my trusty precision Fiskars :-)
Josh ate alot and slept alot, just like any baby. However, if he ever started to doze off while he was being fed, any parent would naturally giving food since he was already asleep. But not Josh, whenever he felt we discontinued food service, he just bawled! And hence, eating and sleeping always went hand in hand.

Car Wash Boy

Summer of 2006 called for some ingenius way to pre occupy a hyperactive 5 year old boy. That said, a dirty car and some soapy water was all that we needed.

HAFA ADAI!

A three-hour flight and two hours ahead of Philippine time, i had arrived once more in my birthplace. Guam is a US territory, alot of Filipinos and Chomorros (native to Guam) as well as other Asians like Japanese, Koreans and Chinese abound in this little paradise. I liken Guam to Subic, but on a bigger scale. There are parts which are full of people and others are not, parts that have developed into high end boutiques and hotels, yet there are also areas that have abandoned buildings and houses. The beaches are great and the weather is no different than Manila without the pollution. Nonetheless, Guam has been home to my maternal side of the family for over 20 years.

After that brief history lesson, I have to get down to business and get scrappy! Guam has the basic necessities any shopaholic would love, Kmart (ladies & gents, it's open 24 hours!), Macy's, the local malls like Agana Shopping Mall, Micronesia Mall and GPO. But what tops my list is my search for scrapbook supplies, lucky me I found two good ones when I was in town for a visit a year ago. BEN FRANKLIN and BOONIE STAMPING (located inside China Arts Store).

Unfortunately this trip of mine, made me leave Ben Franklin a bit dissapointed (hence, i guess I forgot to take pics too). I was expecting alot of goodies this time around, but it seemed they have lessened their scrapbook supplies. BF is a crafts store, anything from textile to balsa wood, stamps to scrapbook paper, adhesives, even party supplies are displayed in its huge store area. But like I mentioned, there were less scrapbook items so I ended up buying more general crafts stuff like egg shaped wood, wooden hearts and some adhesives.

For General Crafts, you can drop by BEN FRANKLIN
141 Serenu Ave, Tamuning Guam
Tel: (671) 646-6995
**I hope my address is correct, I know how to get there but not necessarily the right address. You're welcome to post the right store location if I dont have the right one :-)



But as usual, BOONIE didn't let me down. I only saw Boonies gracious owner, Elaine for a brief moment when I dropped by, but her staff were as helpful as ever and the added fact that one of them was Pinay :-) Classes are also held at the store, too bad I wasn’t around to take some with her, they usually hold classes during the weekends.



Being a stamper before I got into scrapping, I naturally gravitated to the stamps once more. I was so happy to find Technique Tuesdays among the lot! My SO took the pictures, as usual I was busy taking all the stuff in.





Stamps abound, as well as papers in different racks around the store. China Arts is an oriental store selling rugs, oriental decorations and the like and Boonie is right smack in the middle of it. So among the Persian rugs are Bazzils, new Basic Grey papers, chipboards and other knick knacks I can find excuses to buy.





There were luscious ribbons and some Cropper Hopper ribbon spools and embellishment drawers, inkpads, rub ons, stickers and so much more :-)

And so it all boils down to price, as an example 12x12 paper can cause .75 cents a piece (roughly around Php36), ribbons like Basic Grey's Hang 10 is US$12 and Fancypants Pollen Dust Acrylic stamps is US$45. I agree with Mabelle of Myscrapworks, there are scrapbook stores that can compete with the prices abroad, but then again the stocks still vary. So I do the best thing, to just purchase items which I know are not available in Manila or may cost the same if I bought it online (without the long wait).

If you're ever in the area or you're planning to take a trip to Guam, you can contact Elaine and find out what classes they're offering or new stock she may have:

ELAINE LOW: China Arts / Boonie Stamping
617 West Marine Drive, Anigua, Guam
Tel: (671) 477-8145/46 Fax: (671) 472-8150
Email: booniestamping@gmail.com

I’m sure there are far larger stores in other states, especially with Michael's and Archivers! But in my humble Guam, this is my paradise.

Just a ME thing

Mama (she didn't want to be called Lola, don't ask me why) wanted to bring me to a dermatologist to remove them . . .

My son has this dislike for moles (don't ask me either) and he asked if what I had were moles? that's ALOT of moles! . . .

Friends offered aesthetic advice, rubbing lemon on my face (i'd rather have it with some salt and a shot of Cuervo :-), the latest freckle-relieving wonder, even the strongest SPF known to man (hmmm, steel armor comes to mind) . . .

Relatives would exclaim "Bakit dumami yan?" with gasps in the background . . .

I was ready to give in, to have my beloved freckles lasered, removed, even resorting to home TV shopping remedies (Rosehip anyone?) . . .

When my daughter just patiently said, "Mom, you'd look like anyone else without your freckles. It's just not you." Wise words from a 16 year old who has no ounce of vanity in her.

And so, i wear my freckly face proudly, a splash of SPF and here I come SUNSHINE!
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Entry to the MLA "We R Memory Keepers" Challenge: JUST A ME THING
Paper: WRMK Urban Windows --> Diner Hot Pad, Boho Chic Fancy Free, Boho Chic Luscious Lace, On the Dot Persimmon, Restoration Jacquard, Homemade Wild Blossoms, Peasant Bobbin
Ribbon: WRMK Urban Windows --> Boho Chic, On the Dot, Restoration
Embellishments: WRMK ---> extra large eyelets Earth Escape, We R Designers Inspiration
Others: staples, Fancy Pants large alphabets, acrylic paint, inkjet transparency, white tulle, gem stickers
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JOURNALING:
Tag 1: THANKS TO MY FRECKLES --- I know i've stayed out long enough goofing around in the playground with the kids, playing a great round of 18 holes, walking our cute but hyper poodle, taking in the sun and takiing long walks in the park...
Tag 2: THANKS TO MY FRECKLES --- I'm in the company of Lindsay Lohan, Howdy Doody, Archie Andrews, Lucille Ball, Dennis the Menace, Pippi Longstockings and a bunch of other "greats" ...
Tag 3: THANKS TO MY FRECKLES --- I stand out in a plain faced crowd ... it makes me different, even unique, some say it's a skin thing ... FRECKLES is a ME thing!!!