I Rub U

It feels so good to do a traditional LO! February seems so unproductive compared to January because I've been working on a Digital scrapbook/yearbook for Nadya's class...for free! What did I get myself into???

Here's a LO using some adorable stamps from My Favorite Things care of Little Monkeys. And to keep in theme with the ongoing economic crisis, how much thriftier can you get when you use the negative portion of letter stickers for background paper???



Title: I Rub U

Materials: DCWV cardstock, American Crafts stickers, My Favorite Things stamp, Tsukineko inks, Zig and Uniball Signo pens, Fancy Pants felt heart, misc bling

Journaling: Apo Lola Lydia gives Bianca a kiss (Nov 2006). But when you really look at it, it’s not your average pucker. There is something in the way that grandparents (and in this case, great-grandparents) kiss their grandkids. It’s sort of a “stop and smell the roses kind of kiss”, where you can actually see them savouring every moment that the child is in their arms, and would rather not let go. I wonder what goes through their minds when they do this? Do they look back on their childhood? Does it make them long for their own youth? Or do all grandkids just smell so delicious that you want to eat them up? Whatever it is, we all know that a grandparent’s kiss is their way of saying...I Rub U

And speaking of Little Monkeys, Susan just released 2 more adorable color sets:

Tropical Getaway

Sweetheart

Do check out the Little Monkeys site for more details!

My Heart's Desires

A little late for V-Day, I know but each time I look at this LO, I am reminded of how lucky I am to have these 4 beautiful people in my life.

This is another LO using the Feb 2009 kit from Scrap'n Supply Shack.


This LO was inspired by the song "As the Deer" which was sang during Luis' 1st Holy Communion last December. This song just kept playing in my head as I created this LO.

As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after thee
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship thee

REFRAIN:

You alone are my strength, my shield
To you alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship thee

You're my friend and you are my brother
Even though you are a king
I love you more than any other
So much more than anything - REFRAIN

I want you more than gold or silver,
only you can satisfy.
You alone are the real joygiver
and the apple of my eye. - REFRAIN

And can I just say that I love my new Threading Water Punch from Fiskars and want to get all their new punches?????

Scrap N Supply Shack Feb 09 LOs

Here are my 1st 3 LOs for the Feb Kit of Scrap'N Supply Shack. The kit features Webster's Pages and as what always happens when I work with these papers, I find myself trying to bring out my "inner-Iris" (Babao-Uy, for those not in the loop) -- haha!

Not sure if there are any more kits left, but here is what the Feb kit looks like.

I love how these LOs turned out (considering I only got my kit yesterday) and the best part is, these photos have been waiting to be scrapped for over a year...little did I know that this kit would bring them out of hiding.

Creata-A-Cupcake

Some of my kids' favorite toys that they haven't outgrown are wooden pretend food with velcro attachments by Melissa and Doug. These toys are cool because you can pretend to slice the food items and stack them up to create food to order. They have the bread set, some vegetables and their ultimate favorite is a birthday cake set. They love to pretend that it's someone's birthday and make a cake for the "celebrant".

Nadya saw these cupcake stamps from Unity Stamp Co. hen they arrived and immediately wanted to make her own cupcakes. This I thought was cool because although I do have a cake-decorating sideline, cleaning up after the kids make their own cupcakes is not always fun. So what's the next best thing to decorating real cupcakes? Try out my "Create-A-Cupcake" play set and find out!

• First, I stamped, colored, and cut-out the different pieces -- cupcakes, icing, candles, flowers, cherries.
• Then I laminated each piece (having my own laminating machine is very handy).
• Lastly, I attached a small piece of Cling-On Mounting foam (the kind you use for unmounted stamps) behind each piece.

And that's it! By using the cling foam, they can make as many variations as there are pieces -- and since I have the stamps, we can always add more pieces to the set.

I also altered a tin lunchbox that used to hold chipboard die-cuts (K & Co.) to keep all the pieces in. Now my kids can create as many cupcakes as they want, without mom having to clean up after them...or even worse, having to eat all the cupcakes!

Cupcake Clips with Unity Stamps!

Have you seen Unity Stamps? They sent us Design Monkeys a few sets and I got these adorable cupcake stamps to work with. These cupcakes are huge and offer so many possibilities for scrapbooking and crafts!

For my 1st project, I decided to make these cute cupcake clips with a matching notepad -- I think my kids' teachers will love to get these for Valentine's Day!

Materials Needed: cupcake stamps, Staz-on ink, shrink plastic, permanent markers, oven toaster, wax paper, glue gun, paper clips

Instructions:

1. Stamp cupcakes on shrink plastic with Staz-On ink.
2. Color the image with permanent markers.
3. Cut-out the cupcakes.
4. Lay on wax paper and put in oven toaster. Image will curl then flatten again, which is the sign that they are done shrinking.
5. Attach to paper clips with glue gun.

Stay tuned to my blog for my 2nd project with these adorable stamps!

For those interested in making their own paper clips, I got my shrink plastic from Vivian at Lasting Impression.

On Your Own

Here's another LO for Absolument Scrap.

Title: On Your Own

Materials: Patterned Papers - Basic Grey; Journaling Paper - Prima; Die-cut - Daisy Ds; Rub-ons - Basic Grey, Daisy Ds; Glitter Alpha - Making Memories; Stamp - Absolument Scrap; Ink - Tsukineko;

Journaling: It was the 1st time you went on the bridge by yourself. I forced myself to stay behind, resisting the urge to follow you in case you changed your mind. But you said you could do it... and so you did! Congratulations my big brave boy! Jan 3, 2009

Got these awards from 2 creative friends -- Michelle and Janis -- thanks girls!

I need to mention 5 addictions and pass these on to 5 fab bloggers.

I am addicted to:

1. scrapbooking
2. shopping - clothes & shoes (when I feel thin) and scrap stuff (when I feel fat)
3. coffee in the morning -- I'm too lazy to brew coffee for one so I subsist on Maxwell House 3-in-1 Sugar-free
4. Extra-Joss Grape flavor to drink the rest of the day
5. checking my email every few minutes -- when I really need to get some scrapping done, I have to turn off my laptop!

I am passing these on to:

1. Pia and Jeff
2. Helga
3. Maybs
4. Mia Castrillo
5. Em Magpoc

What Number Am I?

It's been a while since I've filled out any of these quizzes. Funny, how this result doesn't surprise me.

You Are 1: The Reformer

You're a responsible person - with a clear sense of right and wrong. High standards are important to you, and you do everything to meet them. You are your own worst critic, feeling ashamed if you're not perfect. You have uncompromising integrity, and people expect you to be fair. At Your Best: You are hopeful, honest, and inspiring. You bring out the best in humanity. At Your Worst: You are intolerant, judgmental, and picky. Your Fixation: Resentment Your Primary Fear: Being corrupt. Your Primary Desire: To be good. Other Number 1's: Al Gore, Martha Stewart, Gandhi, Celene Dion, and Spock from Star Trek.

What Number Are You?

I've joked before that people can call me "Martha", the wanna-be that I am, so this result is really uncanny... don't you agree?

Flower Fairy

Here's a LO for Lasting Impression using beautiful papers by Webster's Pages. Webster's papers always bring out the romantic in me -- I always end up reaching for my ribbon/lace box and vintage embellishments.

These photos were taken during a Working Mom shoot for the October 2007 Halloween issue. Nadya didn't really want to have her face painted, but had no choice because she wanted to appear in the magazine! She is so showbiz!

Title: Flower Fairy

Materials: Patterned Papers - Webster's Pages; Sticker Labels - Jenni Bowlin, 7 Gypsies; Pin - EK Success; Clip - Scrapworks; Metal Alpha - Jo-ann; Pen - American Crafts; Flower Bling - Chatterbox; Dragonfly transparency - MME; misc lace;

Journaling: Nadya, Aug 2007; Working Mom shoot

On another note, I was saddened by the announcement that Simple Scrapbooks magazine will cease publication after the May/June 2009 issue. It served as inspiration for many beginning scrapbookers, and even as my style has evolved, I always go back to my simple roots. I am glad that, at least, I got the chance to be a Simple Gal in the Jul/Aug 2008 issue. Simple Scrapbooks will surely be missed!

Here's a LO for Absolument Scrap using new Prima papers.

Title: Check It Out!

Materials: Patterned Papers - Prima; Chipboard Alpha - Buzz and Bloom; Pens - Zig, Uniball Signo; Paint - Making Memories; Stamp - Absolument Scrap; Ink - Tsukineko; Rub-ons - Basic Grey;

Journaling: Bianca checks out what's outside lola's room in Canyon Woods. 010209

Scrap N Supply Shack Jan LOs

My kit arrived late again this month, possibly due to the holidays. I just got it from the PO this am and worked straight to finish 3 LO and a door hanger project. Whew! I'm so glad I still had unscrapped pics from our trip to the US last year which were a perfect fit for this month's kit.


Title: I Love Snow

Journaling: Nadya is our winter child. She loves the cold weather and can play in the snow longer than anyone. 122807;

Materials: Patterned Paper - Fancy Pants; Cardstock - DCWV; Alpha, Pen & Ribbon - American Crafts; Chipboard - Maya Road; Flower, button, paint, jewel brad - Making Memories; Embossing powder - Ranger; Ink - Versamark

Title: 1st Snow

Journaling: This was the 1st time Bianca had ever seen snow and nothing was gonna stop her from playing, not even the cold she was nursing. 122807;

Materials: Patterned Paper - Fancy Pants; Sheer Ribbon, Chipboard & Sheer Snowflake - Maya Road; Alpha & Pen - American Crafts; Glimmer Mist; ink, brad

Title: Play Ball

Materials: Cardstock - DCWV; Patterned Paper & Transparency - Fancy Pants; Buttons & Clip - Making Memories; Alpha - American Crafts; Ink - Clearsnap; Pen - Zig;

Journaling: Luis, 122807, Glen Ellyn, IL

Project: Today Door Hanger

Materials: patterned papers from Fancy Pants "Arctic Chill" collection, Maya Road flower calendar turn, Making Memories "Poolside Paperie" collection flowers, American Crafts Thickers and ribbon; brads, door hanger, misc fiber; Clearsnap ink

I am still on a roll at the start of 2009, including these 3 latest LOs, I have finished 18 LOs already! That's averaging 1.5 LOs a day -- woohoo!

I guess my resolution to keep things simple is working...I only hope this continues because I still have so much stuff and photos to go through.

Rolling with the New Year!

If yesterday is any indication, I'm going to need to stock up on albums asap! I got 3 LOs and 1 project done in 24 hours. I haven't scrapped in what seems like forever and when I started it seemed like I've forgotten how to do it...but it felt sooooooooooooo goooooooood to get something done!

As with every New Year, I have some resolutions, but limited them to only 2 -- which should have a major impact on my output:

1. Keep it Simple - I will still delve into techniques-based LOs, but I will stop trying to re-invent the wheel with each and every LO.
2. Use Up My Stash - 'nuf said

And here they are:
Title: Little Charmer

Journaling: Is this a classic "Where did the time go?" picture or what? You are barely three years old in this photo -- yet each time I look at it, it's like the future flashes before my eyes! You look so grown-up I can't see any of the baby fat! But whatever else changes as you grow older, I know that you will always be the Little Charmer that you are -- being able to melt the hardest of hearts & have them eating out of your hand in no time! I love you baby girl! Mommy, Jan. 3, 2009;

Materials: Patterned paper, Rub-ons - SEI; Cardstock - DCWV; Alpha Sticker - Pink Paislee; Stamp - Absolument Scrap; Metal Tags - Making Memorie' Pen - American Crafts; Ink - Clearsnap; Eyelet - Doodlebug

Title: Unsent

Journaling: Today is Jan. 4, 2009, and despite the fact that we had our Christmas photos taken on Nov. 16, 2008, I sent out a total of ZERO cards - nada, nil, zilch! Maybe next time I should have our photos taken in June! Christmas 2008;

Materials: Patterned Paper - Pink Paislee; Chipboard Alpha - Buzz and Bloom; Die-cut circles - Autumn Leaves; Chipboard heart - Chatterbox; Stamp - Absolument Scrap; Ink - Tsukineko; Paint - Ranger, Making Memories; Metal Tag - Making Memories; Pen - Zig

Title: Sitting Pretty

Journaling: Hands down Nicole and Bianca are the 2 most popular faces in the local scrapping scene -- Nicole more than Bianca -- duh! They are probably wondering why people they just met know so much about them -- another duh! haha! Photo, Mar 22, 2008;

Materials: Patterned paper - Pink Paislee, Sassafras Lass; Alphabet stickers - Pink Paislee; Stamp - Absolument Scrap; Ink - Tuskineko, Clearsnap; Ribbon, Pen - American Crafts

Project: Little Monkeys Stamp Storage

Materials: Paper & Metal Label Holder - Making Memories; Chipboard - Prima; Felt - Fancy Pants

Merry Christmas!

Yipee!!! I can finally say it and mean it since all the baking, shopping and wrapping are finally done! I'm not sure when I'll be able to post again...this is my calm before the storm for in a few hours we will embark on our annual 27-hour Christmas Party Parade --- 4 family get-togethers to go to beginning with Christmas Eve dinner.

Here are a few Christmas LOs I made a while back using pics from last year which we spent in Chicago.

Title: Yes?

Journaling: Not really, but this will have to do. Christmas '07;

Materials: Patterned Papers - Webster's Pages & Scenic Route; Rub-ons - Webster's Pages; Chipboard corner - Fancy Pants; Journaling tag - Jenny Bowlin; Flowers - Prima; Bling - Doodlebug; Pen - Zig; Clip - 7 Gypsies; Velvet alphabets - American Crafts; Stamp - Fontwerks; Ink - Fluid Chalk, Ancient Page; Misc - ribbon

These photos were taken exactly a year ago, right before we left for the afternoon Children's mass. If anyone knows how to get 3 kids to smile and look at the camera at the same time, please let me know asap.

Title: The Equalizer

Ever wonder why I have to starve myself before the onset of the Christmas season? It's because no matter how hard I try, it just isn't enough to keep me from gaining weight.

Journaling: Nothing amazes me more than the incredible power of food to bring people together. And this is no more evedent than during the Holiday season. Even when we try to remind people of the Reason for the Season, food still takes center-stage. This is why, for me, it is the great Equalizer -- everyone's reaction to seeing glorious food is the same, be they rich or poor, young or young at heart, they will ooh and aah and eat their fill, and all will be well in the world. Christmas 2007;

Materials: Bazzill cardstock, Scenic Route pp, Uniball Signo pen, Making Memories metal frame, American Crafts velvet stickers, misc rikrak and bling

This was my first, and so far, only attempt, at a gingerbread house. Needless to say, it was a disaster -- haha! Too bad I wasn't able to get a kit this year but I hope to try it out again sometime -- maybe with the mini kit first.
Title: Christmas Morning

Materials: Creative Imaginations pps and sticker die-cuts, American Crafts alphabets, Prima flowers and glitter stars, misc bling, Zig pen, Alphabet Negative Frames by ACBleser from Polka Dot Potato

My nephews and nieces are so well-behaved that they know not to go down to the living room until they are given the go signal at around 7:30am, giving all the adults to prepare before they open their gifts. Let's see if my kids can do this tomorrow....

5 Days To Go!

I can't believe that Christmas is only 5 days away! How could it have caught up with me so fast when I started planning for it in September??? And somehow, I now find myself planning to do more last-minute shopping next week -- like be at the mall when it opens to avoid the crowds and traffic!

I thought I would have more time to scrap since Luis didn't have any homework this month, but nada. There was Luis' 1st Holy Communion (for which I made stampitas and cookie favors), school Christmas parties, cupcake orders and other things that I now can't recall, but I know they had to be done at that time!

This Christmas Countdown took a whole 2 weeks to finish -- I started it on Dec. 6 and just finished today! It's so unlike me to take too long on a project -- which is why, tired and sleepy as I am, I really had to finish it already because I hate having unfinished business, so to speak.

But for anyone with young kids like mine, it is never too late to have a countdown. Each of my 3 kids ask me several times a day "How many more days before Christmas?" As if my answer will change within the same day -- haha! I love this project because I know I can really use it and show it off as well! Now if only I can find a way for them not to destroy it when they race to be the one to change the number each day so it can make it through several Christmases???

Materials: Chipboard Tree - Kaisercraft; Papers - Pink Paislee; Paint, Letter Stickers, Metal Signage and Lace - Making Memories; Chipboard Star - Jo-ann; Cookie Cutter Embellishments - Dress It Up; Stickles

Scrap 'N Shack December LOs

Whew! I finally got my kit last Thursday and rushed these 3 LOs in between Christmas shopping, attending to school stuff and watching Barbie and the Diamond Castle at the mall! I still have a project to do for the kit plus some cards for the Bonus Card Kit we got this month -- yipee!

Title: Love & Joy

Journaling: "What could be better than spending Christmas with the love of ly life?" Photos Nov '07; LO Dec '08;

Materials: Patterned Papers - Basic Grey, Little Yellow Bicycle, Making Memories; Foil Chipboard letters - American Crafts; Tiny Alpha Stickers - Making Memories; Ink - Tsukineko, Ranger; Journal Paper - Making Memories; Pen - Zig

Title: Reasons to be Merry

Materials: Patterned Paper - Making Memories; Flower - Heidi Swapp; Ribbon - American Crafts; Ink - Clearsnap; Foil Chipboard Alpha - American Crafts; Pen - Uniball Signo, Zig; Other - Dymo Caption Maker

Color-blocking is one of the 1st techniques I learned and something I turn to once in a while for quick pages with lots of photos. I took advantage of this very festive paper to show off pics from this year's Christmas photo shoot.

Title: Believe

Journaling: Bianca & Ethan check out the big present not knowing it's just a prop for the photo shoot. Nov. 30, 2007;

Materials: Patterned Papers - Making Memories, Basic Grey; Ink - Ranger; Leaves - Prima; Ribbon - American Crafts; Foil Chipboard Alpha - American Crafts; Journal Sticker - Jenni Bowlin; Rub-ons - Basic Grey; Brads - Making Memories; Journaling Sheet - Making Memories; Pen - Zig

2009 Calendar

This was one of the projects I submitted to the Chatterbox DT Audition. I loved the playing with these Together papers and the Artyliscious embellishments!

Christmas Cupcakes

I'm offering my cupcakes with my signature vanilla buttercream frosting again this year.

And now you can get my cupcakes in singles for easy and affordable gifts. They remind me of snow globes...don't you think?

The 12's and 6s come in the same size box, except that the 6s have a separator.

I have a new cake flavor to celebrate the holiday season -- Red Velvet Cake with the same Vanilla Buttercream Frosting! Trust me, this is yummy!!!


For whole cake designs, please check the sidebar on the left. Send me an email, SMS (0918-9146012) or leave a message in the box on the sidebar for orders or inquiries. For orders, please allow 3 working days before pick-up. No pick-ups from Dec 27-Jan 1.

Merry Christmas!!!