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*.

I Survived Round 2!

i had been meaning to stop posting about the weekly rounds of the scrappin' moms idol contest and just wait when i'll be finally able to post my entries (in the event i'm booted out or after the finals - - whichever comes first, haha!), but i just can't. you see, i made it to round 3.

i'm just overwhelmed considering that i had a hard time with the round 2 'only one color' challenge.

now, i'm on to the alter challenge. so help me God.

My Idol in the House & Moving to Round 2!

i got the biggest surprise of my life when i opened my mail during the wee hours of wednesday, aug. 15 to see that there's a comment for moderation on my blog. lo & behold....it came from tiffany!!!!! yes, THE tiffany tillman whose work i lifted for the elimination round of scrappinmoms' idol contest.

immediately, i sent her a message to return her sweet gesture. i just had to tell her that i'm deeply honored for her 'visit', & if only for her comment, i'm already a winner.

the 'high' must have lifted me to finish my round 1 stock on cardstock entry to beat the deadline, again.

i belatedly learned on friday afternoon that i moved to round 2 - - - which makes me on top 27! God is sooo goood.

I'm on Top 30!

not the world's richest though.

but a more rewarding feat - - - you can visit http://www.scrappinmoms.net/scrappinmomsidol/ . the rest of the story is there.

i really didn't plan to join the challenge, but something told me why not? and so, close to midnight before the elimination round deadline, with the 'scraplift your idol' challenge and tiffany tillman ( http://simplytiffany.squarespace.com/ ) in mind, i scoured through my pictures but didn't find among my file that would suit this tifffany's layout entitled shonuff.

exasperated, my eyes chanced upon a picture frame atop our sturdy baul. yes, i got it! i had a picture to scrap at last. to cut the long story short, with the above inspiration, i finished my layout like a breeze, at 2am, deadline day.

2 days later, i learned that my tiffany-inspired layout got me to top 30. i was plainly stunned. thankful. blessed.

as i'm writing this, i have less than 48 hours to create my round 1 'stuck on cardstock' entry. believe me i'm running nuts. but it's fun. i'm keeping in mind that i'm already a winner for making it to the elimination round. and even if i did not, i think i'd still feel the same. because it's no joke to compete with the great scrappers around. to have landed in the top 30 is a bonus. if i'd move further, it will be A BONUS.

note: following contest rules, we are prohibited from posting our layouts anywhere else during the contest period while the contestant is still in the running. so you'll have to search through the scrappinmoms gallery to check all the awesome works of my fellow scrappers.

Layout - Bea

at the scrapfest last may, the main challenge was to do a 12x12 layout using cherry arte papers. since the paper assigned to me didn't match the pictures i brought, i hurried to the canon selphy booth to have pictures developed. i opted for my niece bea's pictures i took in cagpajo farm.

from there i rushed to honey's buzy bee booth to look for a cherry arte paper. with the time i spent at the canon booth, sorting through buzy bee, deciding how my layout will look like & cutting the paper, it seemed like i wasn't joining a time-pressured challenge. i didn't want to submit an untitled layout so i went home with my unfinished work.

2 1/2 months later, i put on the title, inked the edges & figured, this has to be the finished layout simply titled bea (sweet as sugar) :

materials: bazzill yellow & pink cs, provo craft fuschia cs,

cherry arte angel-cutie pie pp, cherry arte chipboard,

provo craft sticker outline for the latters b-e-a,

sakura pen, inkadinkado green ink, eyelets,

button, dmc thread

He's Finally Mine!

so you thought i'm having a clandestine affair? God forbid, no.

yes, i have a new "he" in my life now. but he's a machine. a cutting machine. boy, i've long waited for him to arrive. finally, he's here:

my cricut!

with my cricut came more freebies:

fiskars scissors, uhu glue & 360 pieces patterned papers. cool.

[dear uncle, auntie & ching: thank you, thank you, thank you.]

Tickle Me Pls

that is what i felt when my sister sent me this picture:

a scrapper's haven right in richmond

which makes me wonder with sheer excitement what in heavens did she hoard for me. bwahahaha!

i'm such a geek.

Blues

not the feeling, but the bags.

last week, two friends (who don't know each other) gave me blue bags: a leather liz claiborne and a sporty girbaud.

happy, happy me.

A Playmate

that is what husband had over the weekend - - - his 7-month old cutie pie nephew, dwayne.

they look so alike that we wish he is ours :)

Missing My Sister

...but happy she finally set foot in b.c.

here she is beside the 2010 winter olympics teaser

funny, i used to sing her to sleep when she was a baby. in retrospect, i realized that what i used to do was to carry her and swing my arms vigorously so that she'd get dizzy and...yes, sleep. now, we'd burst into laughter whenever i'd remind her of this ploy.

ours is a typical sister relationship - - - me the over protective and she the pasaway.

oh i'm happy of the many opportunities that lies ahead.

my ever sociable sister: barely 2 weeks,

she already attended the phil. day celebration,

and proud to be a true-blooded waray

What's Cooking?

the summer season is almost over and i still have loads of memories to put unto thee, my blog.

i'm lazy. no, i'm afraid to upload pictures meanwhile that pc at home is not yet dsl-connected. which makes me wonder: does it really take ages for pldt &/or its contractor (pldt's lame excuse) to do the job? oh well, seems like.

~0~

and what's cooking, huh?

a new baby, er a baby gadget is arriving in 30 days! run forex run. and quick please.

this i don't want to wait for ages.

To: My Man

...who is a year older today.

your birthday always reminds me of how lucky i am to have you - - -

despite my tantrums, moodswings, shopping binges,

and lots of imperfections, you continue to love, love,

and love me even more.

thank you dear. like i often say, i shall forever be behind you.

may you always be blessed. haPpy bIrtHdaY!

~ your sweety

{disclaimer: i still have to hear husband call me this,

though in his mobile, he refers to me as his sweety :> }

Merry Month of May

another leaf has been turned yesterday. yah, i'm a year older.

hubby & i, w/ my sister in tow heard mass at shrine of jesus & shared dinner at superbowl of china. of course, their crispy noodles had to be served for 'long life'. quiet celebration huh. and while i was changing into my night wear (yah, i do <"sigh">) & hubby was staring (yah, he still do), he said something to the effect that he has an "old", sexy wife now. hmmmp kapal. of course i didn't like the old part, to think that we are of the same age. in 16 days, i'll have the chance to tell him that i like my older husband more.

~~~

in 2 days, husband & i will be flying to samar again, this time, to exercise our right to suffrage, & to help our aunt win, ehem, again. and since the activity will tire us to the hilt, we opted to stay for 4 days more after may 14, and will fly back on may 19 in time for the scrapfest at makati parks & gardens {pray heavens that PAL will be on time}. and oh, my overseas sister is arriving home this month while another sister is leaving. it's really a mix-full of emotions. truly a merry month!

Look of Summer

i wish life is like this year-round.

carefree. cool yet humid. laidback.

ahhh....summer here you are!


still, even before husband & i could do our first summer pose, he got busy on the phone. but i wasn't deterred from dropping my jaw. oh poor hubby. i figure it was another office emergency. yes, even when on vacation.

A Marathon in December

breaking from what appears to be a blog hiatus last month, here is a rather late entry of what i was up to in december. yes, i marathoned a 30-page album in time for my aunt's visit in january.

the pictures means a lot to my aunt - - - during her 3 sons' toddler years, she had them enrolled in music & thereafter formed a band (golden chain - - they were popular in b.c. during the 80's). i had to make sure the album chronicles the band's events (oh, i had a hard time guessing which comes first 'coz my aunt didn't put notes in most of the pictures).

so that explains the lack of journaling (for which reason, i encouraged my aunt to put the journaling herself).

my consolation: she was so happy when she saw the final product. thanks God she's not hard to please. it must be the 'love' i put into the layouts that she saw.

{i beg for indulgence as i have yet to do some marathon learning on how to stitch while scanning; meanwhile, i've to rely on my dependable digicam}

It's Time to Match

i happen to have a husband who doesn't give roses or chocolates on valentines day. we'd just eat outside & ever since our lives depended on emails, we send each other mails to say how long we have been 'celebrating' valentines together.

this year though, he thought of buying us gifts - - - these:
















next year, i bet it'll be a matching squared fossils ; )