You Make Me Smile!

this tag from diane made me smile.

so i'm giving back a smile to those who left a note on my box, and yes,

made me smile: airees, cabbie & ria.

~0~

(bjay & julie: the moment you 'launch' your blogs,

consider yourselves tagged, ok?)

~0~

oh, i'm also tagging my friend bea 'coz she always makes me smile.

Moving to the Final Round

never in my wild imagination did it ever occur to me that i'd reach the last and final round of scrappinmoms idol contest.

i've never been the adventurous and engaging type, yet i ventured to join on last minute. to have gone through the past seven, gruelling weeks was more than adventure in itself.

the night before deadline day of round 6, i couldn't take a decent picture of my spread layout. hubby had to adjust the droplight above our dining table to provide the correct lighting (as if we know what it is). after several fixing here and there, i submitted my entry.

but lo and behold! while the 14 entries were already uploaded, mine was nowhere. my immediate reaction was that i didn't beat the 1pm deadline (as were the deadlines in the previous rounds). since i'm not good at following instructions, i thought the deadline was moved earlier and i wasn't able to read it. i thought. i thought. i thought.

good thing, april was online and i mustered the courage to ask where my entry could have been. she also didn't notice that my entry wasn't uploaded yet. in a while, she ym'd me that pia was already fixing it (oh, ty dearies!).

that was around past 2pm, thursday, sept. 20.

i got to visit the site again close before midnight. another lo and behold! when i clicked the contestants' gallery, my pathetic ID picture was still there.

my initial reaction? oh, i'm not worthy. my co-contestants from the elimination round of 36 are all amazingly talented, and to have been streamlined to 12 and still keep up, is truly unbelievable. for that, i'm deeply humbled.

in two weeks, i'll be doing LIVE my last hurrah for idol amidst my IDOLS. oh i hope the srappinmoms reserves an ambulance to standby at max's come scrapfest day.

in retrospect, i ask myself: if i can turn back the time, will i join the mom's extra challenge contest? maybe not, considering the self-imposed extreme pressure i went through; or maybe yes, considering the many lessons i learned.....ok, i'm leaning towards the latter because i remembered again TIFFANY TILLMAN's comment on my making it to top 30 after i chose to lift her (blog entry on aug. 21 below). it's truly the best pat on the shoulder an idol can give to a fan. for all these, thank you, thank you srappinmoms!

another retrospect: if i can turn back the time, i'll surely submit a much better ID picture, good enough to last 'til the final round.

~0~

on a lighter note, i've just been to scrapbukan's 3rd anniv. / SE eb at luna gardens - - - in fulfillment of my oath to breath and relax at least before the scrapfest.

true of scrapbukan events, the affair was fun-perfect, what with the shopping goodies, food, games (of which our group didn't win but still worth it), loots & prizes....speaking of which, each one of us get to go home some papers & flower embellies. and i won a raffled brag bag! if she gets to read this: thanks so much for your generosity sahrie!

hmmmm...i'll keep this pretty bag within sight

so that it won't follow the fate of my michael's tote

w/c remained quiet in hiding for 1 year!

One Last Round

in 4 days, the 6th and last of the scrappinmoms idol rounds would have been posted for judging. i can almost hear the clock ticking real fast, and my mind can't figure what my entry will look like.

i didn't even expect that i'll make it to top 15. i guess it pays to follow what my heart dictates. i can't even say i have my style. my output really depends on my mood, the pictures, the papers....oh everything. i can''t even stick to a decent sketch.

of the last 5 rounds (+ elimination round), my ephemera entry hit me hard. writing the journal brought me to tears. it's never easy going back to a sad memory. i'm just overwhelmed now that i moved to the last round.

now, i need all the guts i can muster.

I'm Two!!!

i just found out today that this blog actually turned 2 y.o. on sept. 2. how fast time flies.

oh, here's hubby's look-a-like nephew LA, do the sign. peace everyone!

and please dear blog, bear with me.

Inventory

if there's one thing that a scrapbooker needs to do other than creating masterpieces, and yes, shopping, it would be to learn the art of inventory.

i am guilty of not doing this myself, i mean regularly. the first time i did, i found that, aside from several papers, i haven't used these yet:

my mm setter. why? my hammer comes in handy.

oh, don't get me wrong. this surely do an excellent job.

it's just that i kept it somewhere & totally forgot about it.

so this toy is now within reach so it can do me some action next time.

this cutie-pie tote. but hey, we have the license to collect shoes & bags, right?

~0~

pray God, husband doesn't read this, or else.....

Now on to Round 5

for the past 4 weeks that i've been struggling to survive the scrappinmoms' rounds, i had the hardest time taking a photo of my object for my round 4 layout - - - an inanimate object. my utter lack of luck continued to my taking a photo of the layout itself. there was an instance that i wanted to quit. good thing, a clear mind and guts prevailed because, yes, i moved to round 5.

now, i'm facing another concept so foreign to my mind: ephemera.

meanwhile, i'll have to enjoy the weekend first. not that i'm not enjoying my idol ride. it's just that i can't sleep 'til i have a definite concept in mind. don't ask now if i was able to sleep last night.

Passed Round 3 - - - Wheew!

i thought i'd see the end of the line while i was struggling to alter my favorite towel into a hanging magazine holder for the alter challenge of round 3. i guess, the scrappinmoms should re-name this contest to extra challenge instead!

my co-challengers are a creative bunch. my! i'm just amazed. creativity oozed to the max. i'm so proud to be among them, and honestly, i'm humbled. i feel like, do i really belong to this talented group of ladies?

oh well, after pricked and swollen fingers, my reward was a move to round 4. isn't it amazing? i'll be posting my round 4 entry after this. i can only hope for the best.

i'm pretending to be brave *sigh*.