Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Love Mini Album for Paul & Ica


It took quite some time to finish this album, Paul & Ica's wedding took place in Dec. 2011.  I can't even remember when I actually started the process of making this mini album, but I suppose that the idea came to me shortly after the wedding.  In my stash of scrappy stuff, I had this chipboard album that spells out "LOVE" and I thought it would be appropriate for a wedding themed album.  The next step was choosing the patterned paper and embellishments that would go into the album.  After I had covered all the chipboard and put in some basic embellishments, it sat untouched for a long time.  I haven't had any pictures printed yet, and when I found that the pictures were already ready for saving and printing, there were just soooo many that it was difficult to choose which ones would go nicely with the album. When I finally had the pictures printed (it took months before I got it done), I was held back by inertia.  I don't know if I was feeling overwhelmed, or I was simply looking for inspiration, but I just couldn't get started again.  But as I was eyeing all my piles of unfinished projects, I thought, why not?  I had planned on giving this album as a birthday gift to either my brother or his wife, but the birthdays have come and gone and the album was just sitting in my room, begging to be finished.  So I just did it.  And I already gave the album to the newly weds about two weeks ago. :-)









 


Materials: Chipboard album (Bare Basics), paper (solids - Star Paper Corporation; patterned paper - KI Memories & Paper Reflections), paint (Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint), embellishments (All About Scrapbooking - ribbons, trim, skeleton leaf, feathers, fabric flowers, gem stickers; Craft World - paper flowers; Hallmark - sentiment stickers, K & Company - die cuts; Making Memories - glitter chipboard flourish; Michaels - ribbon; Papemelroti - foam die cuts; Simple Joys/Regalong Pambahay - ribbon flowers; Yellow Violet House - tickets), others - vintage buttons, ribbons, font (French Script).

Life is Sweet


I challenged myself (and I guess I've been thinking about it since early this morning) to do another interpretation of Sketch #6 from the Filipino Scrapbookers Challenge Blog.  The object is to use the same sketch, the same set of pictures, the same stamps, but give the layout a completely different feel.  If you've seen my previous entry (click here to check it out), you'll find that it's simple and a bit formal (lots of florals, monochromatic and also very structured)... quite appropriate for wedding photos.  For this one, I wanted it to be more playful.  So I used bold colors (mostly pink, to get as close to monochromatic as it could) and put many of the elements askew.  I curled up the edges of the pennants on the banner to make them look more dimensional (and also a bit realistic, like they're flapping in the wind).  I also rotated the sketch 90 degrees clockwise.  Best of all, I used up a lot of scraps for this one - the only new stuff I used were the mini-brads and the embossed frame, which I've had in my stash for a long time now, it's just great that I get to use them finally.  This is actually a bit of a stretch for me making something that looks less structured and carefree, but I look at it and it just makes me feel happy.

Materials:  Patterned paper (Colorbok and assorted scraps), embossed frame (Papemelroti), cardstock, mini-brads, gem and letter stickers (All About Scrapbooking), border sticker (K & Company), pen (Faber-Castell), ink (Studio G & Tsukineko), tools - border punch (Fiskars & Martha Stewart Crafts).

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Mr. & Mrs.

I recently finished a long overdue mini album for my brother and sister-in-law.  It's all about their wedding and I used a chipboard mini album that spells out "LOVE", which I've had in my stash for a long time now (will post an entry about it soon).  In any case, when I was done with the album, I still had plenty of pictures left.  So I thought to use the leftover pics and how fortunate that part of my prize as randomly drawn winner at the Filipino Scrapbookers Challenge Blog last July, was a wedding themed patterned paper stack from Hot Off the Press (btw, many thanks to Memory Lane Store for the prize). 

I've had the idea for this layout for about a week now but didn't really get to work on it 'til today.  The wedding themed papers were great and I thought it would be nice to do a very simple monochromatic page for this one.  The wedding pictures already looked great that I really didn't want to embellish the page too much and mainly did a literal translation of the sketch by Melissa Bonifacio for Challenge #6 at the Filipino Scrapbookers Challenge Blog.


I actually finished three different projects today, so I'm a bit drained.  But quite grateful that I did get to finish this one.  I hope I have time tomorrow to do some more.

Materials:  Patterned paper (Hot Off the Press Paper Pizazz Sheets), flowers (Craft World & Yellow Violet House), gem/pearl stickers (All About Scrapbooking), glitter die cuts (Making Memories), stamps (Making Memories & Crafty Secrets), ink (Versafine & Tim Holtz Distress Ink), pen (Dong-A), others - metal charm, lace.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Handmade Birthday Cards

After I finish a layout or some other type of crafty project, I have a bunch of scraps that I simply cannot throw out.  I keep them all to use in other projects, but the easiest way to finish up those scraps it to use them on cards.  Apart from the cardstock, this card is made from scraps.  So those tiny pieces of adhesive patterned paper still got some use, since making the pennants for the banner didn't require large chunks of paper.  The border on the bottom comes from a narrow strip of patterned paper left over from a layout I did a while ago.  I hand stitched the string for the banner and wrote the greeting right on top of it.  I made this card almost two months ago, but did not upload it 'til now.  And would've forgotten about altogether it if I hadn't made this next card for a dear friend of mine.

  

This card is actually more than a week late (my friend's birthday was last Sept. 14th).  Though I had planned on making it way before, everything just got crazy hectic at work and I just didn't have the time to make it until last night.  This is inspired by the movie "Up", which my friend really loves, and I've actually seen layouts online that are similar.  The balloons are punched out from assorted scraps of patterned paper/cardstock.  I've put glossy accents on some of them to give them more dimension and a balloon-y kinda feel.  I cut out cloud shapes from scratch paper that I used as masks.  I simply pressed the white inkpad into the cardstock base and blotted the extra ink with paper towel to even it out.  The sentiment inside reads: "Our wish for you is that everything will be on the UP & UP this year and in the years to come." 


Materials:  Cardstock (All About Scrapbooking), pen (Uni), ink pad (Fancy Ink Box), others - embroidery floss, assorted patterned paper & cardstock, tools - border punch (Fiskars), craft punch (CarlaCraft), and stamp (Crafty Secrets).

Saturday, September 15, 2012

My Shining Star


This is cutting it real close.  I had planned to make this layout about my sister and her baby girl a while ago.  With such as sweet picture, how can I go wrong?  But since I've been so terribly busy with work since September started, the few times I had a moment to spare, I wasn't feeling inspired enough.  So here's to beating deadlines... my entry for Challenge #5 at the Filipino Scrapbookers Challenge Blog.

Sentiment:  "All the dreams I prayed you'd be are all the things you are.  You were once my little girl and now my shining star."

Materials:  Patterned paper (Colorbok), ribbons (All About Scrapbooking), flowers (Craft World, Yellow Violet House, All About Scrapbooking), others - vellum sentiment.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Page Remake: Little One


I did this one, if I remember correctly, back in May (when things haven't gotten so busy yet).  It's just so amazing that this precious little baby is almost a teenager now.  Their family moved away a few months after his christening.  And although we exchanged phone calls, emails, and Christmas cards, and even got to see each other a few times, I must confess that I have to do a better job of keeping in touch.  Time just goes by so fast.  Before you know it, Connor's probably finished college, gotten married, and having babies of his own.  Well, hopefully, not anytime soon!

Supplies:  Cardstock (All About Scrapbooking), paper (Creative Imaginations), flowers (Prima w/ Glimmer Mist), fabric tape (Shallow Grass), ribbon and foam letter stickers (All About Scrapbooking), rub-ons (UBL).  Others - rhinestone gems, frame recycled from first version of the page.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Page Remake: Birthday Buddies


We're well into September by now and one of the things that stand out about this month is that a big bunch of people that I know celebrate their birthdays in Sept.  In my family alone, there's my eldest nephew, my sister, my paternal grandmother, my maternal grandfather, and of course, Vicenta.  Among my friends they are probably too many to count right now.  But here is a layout about a small subset of those, who I spent a lot of time with during grad school.  And though we don't get to celebrate birthdays together anymore (I miss these guys so much), here's to wishing they're always happy and memorable!

Supplies:  Cardstock (All About Scrapbooking), stickers (EK Success & Making Memories), rub-ons (All About Scrapbooking).  Others - ribbon (recycled from a gift), journaling block (shimmery paper scrap), letter rub-ons.