Posing for Once

I love love love this Restoration line from Crate Paper. So vintagy and not overly sweet, so my style....and I had been salivating over it since I saw the CHA sneaks some time ago. It was definitely one of my must haves for the new CHA release! Oh and my new strategy for my purchases these days is to use up my purchases as soon as I bring them home so that I will not hoard and forget those ideas brimming in my head when I bought them! Lol.

Lots of cutting here to get the doilies that were laid up at the sides and layered to get some dimension and texture the layout. This layout was inspired by Inspired Blueprints Sketch #54. Whenever I run into an inspiration block, I always surf around sketch blogs to get some headstart...

The journalling reads:
You were always shy and reserved.
So it took me by surprise
That you wanted to pose for me
And have me photographed you.
Perhaps its your way of getting off the dinner table?

And that pretty much sums up how this picture came about. Scrapbooking to me is about preserving my memories in a more creative way. It forces me to do something in my free time at home and have a de-stress option. It allows me to do something about the tons of pictures I have taken and best of all, it allows me to reminisce and remember about events long past that I thought I have forgotten as I go through the pictures again and again...It is a hobby, an addiction in a way, but not an obession, I hope. And with that, I just want to enjoy this hobby and not get overly caught up with applying for DTs or publications...and maybe I think my works are not up to mark yet??? Anyhow, a hobby is meant to be fun and enjoyable and I certainly do not want to be stressed out by a hobby, right?

I will always hold you.

I have been busy using up my new buys from my LSS, Made With Love. Can anyone guess the big hole in my wallet from all these? Sigh, and I always feel that I dun have enough or lack something when planning my layouts. LOL.

The papers are from Prima's Jack n Jill range. Basically, its everything Prima here, from the felt fence which I only cut out the upper portions and cut it up before attaching it to look like a gate; to the flowers to the pebbles. There is a mix of new and slightly older (but not too long ago, just last CHA) flowers used here. The paper butterflies are so yummy and dreamy...they are my favourite now!

Pictures of the kids at a studio shoot. Adah kissing her brother. I really hate those lazy Chinese photographers! They refused to move their bums to get better angles of the kids and these 2 were the best from the lot which had the two kids together. Now that I am reading up and playing with photography a little, I realised how much I overpaid these lousy 'professional' photographers then.

Journey

I actually forgot to post this layout! I like this range of Kraft papers from MME. Its called Life Stories and its really vintagy...This photo of Asher was taken at TCC, Keppel Bay. That place is so beautiful for photo taking. Asher was intrigued by the yachts parked in their bays and was very eager to go down the the parking berths but there was a gate to lock out curious minds like ours! So I managed to get this shot while he was admiring the yachts.

As I was going through the pictures that I took for the day, I realised some day, Asher will embark on his own journey too and I have to learn to let him go and explore with my blessings and support.

The tag was made by wrapping with Tim Holtz tissue tape and blended with distress and alcohol inks. I like how the blending and fading of the green and blue colors gave a bright yet vintagy feel to the tag!

YOU

When I was browsing through the new Prima papers at my LSS, I had already imagined this layout in my mind. That's what I try to do these days to ensure that I buy papers that I am sure I will use to cut down wastage and save some $$$ here and there. But with the little amount I saved on papers, I spent more than 3 times of that on the new Prima arrivals!!! Has anyone seen their new range of flowers, vines, felt gates, iron-ons, pebbles, stamps and crystal swirls??? I could hardly breath as I drove down to the LSS to ensure that I get my hands on these arrivals before they ran out. After 2 weeks, my drawer was over flowing with Prima flowers!

This photo of Adah was taken 2 years ago by a friend in Shanghai. It was mid-autumn festival and the weather was still pretty warm then, so we managed to get some good outdoor shots around our compound. She still had some baby fats around her face then...

Anyhow, I enjoyed the distressing for the frame around her photo. I also used some Versamagic chalk ink for the frame. I always like the dreamy feel that this chalk ink gives...For the remaining areas around the frame, I added cut-outs from the paper and rub-ons. The rub-ons are really yummy but they seem to break a tad too easily. Then I added the vine and flowers and swirls. I like fabric flowers cos I think they tend to soften the look of the layout, so yummy...

Live. Laugh. Love

This is one of my favourite layouts. I dunno what came over me when I was at the LSS last Thursday. I had already shortlisted the papers that I want to buy when I was looking at the CHA sneaks from the various manufacturer. I was saving for Websters Pages (everything!, I keep telling myself I have too much of their papers but just cannot resist), Crate Paper- Restoration (vintagy and sweet), Pink Paislee's Anthology and School Days, Prima (almost everything, fom papers to canvas to flowers!), so when I saw the new arrivals comprised of MME and G45 papers, I told myself to go slow. Then when I was at the store, I lost it and grabbed almost the entire set of G45 Steampunk collection!

Then that very night as I was trying to start on the layout, I was filled with remorse. The green colors are so bright and uniquely turquoise, the flowers are hardly of the soft shades I am used to, and I dun think I have embellishments to go with the papers. Of course, the 'embellishments' part is pure whining from a shopaholic- scrapper! Lols! So I had my diffiulties when starting out with the G45 papers but perhaps that was why there was a sense of satisfaction when I thought I had achieved the look I had wanted to...

Close-Ups








My little girl, growing up way too fast and rebellious. She drives me up the wall with her antics, ideas and retorts, but she is like a little shadow of me. That rebellious streak feels a tad too much like me, and how do I tell her it may not be good for her? Maybe she has to find out for herself, just like the way I did, but my role is to forewarn her the dangers of negative characteristics she should try not to adopt???

Anyhow, I have been scrapping actively for about a year now. My styles have definitely evolved and I am still very interested to play with different mediums. So I am resolving to include more mediums in my layouts, just like the different dimension and added interest to a layout when using them.

GDT Layout for Made With Love- Fly Away

This other layout for MWL is done using the leftover papers from the previous layout. The photo shows Asher at Pasir Ris Park blowing bubbles. He loves playing with bubbles and water! My little boy is growing up fast and comes up with all sorts of funny retorts!

I did some masking using a TIm Holtz mask and distressed inks. Then I layered the flags on the left sides and rolled them up a little for some dimension. I kept this layout relatively simple because the center portion is already very colorful! But I popped up some parts with the die-cut stickers and kaisercraft rhinestones and I love the look!Echo Park's range of papers are really sweet and versatile to match around. I have some old stash from My Little Shoebox and Cosmo Cricket which I think will be a good match!


Close-ups...

GDT Layout for Made With Love

My LSS Made With Love kindly prepared a kit for me for my stint as the guest designer comprising of the latest papers from Echo Park. They were cheery, colorful and gorgeous and I had been wanting to do up some layouts that are more colorful and bright instead of my usual vintagy, shabby look. So it was a pleasant surprise and I was very excited to start on my layouts once I laid my hands on them last week

First Layout- Take Time to Smile, using papers from Life is Good and A Walk in the Park collections from Echo Park. There was lots of misting here using Maya Turquoise and Gold Metallic Mists, along with Tattered Angels Cherry Blossom Mist. The last color is not the obvious but you can see a light pink tone framing the upper part of the photos together with the orangy mists. Then I created heavier droplets using the turquoise color. There was also lots of distressing done on the frame for the layout and I used one of my favourite stamps on the layout too! Its actually a fairy stamp from Stamp It but with all the layering, it looks like a butterfly side profile instead. I also rolled up the petals of the flower stickers for extra dimension. Yummy!



Close- Ups

That baby in the photo is my girl Adah. She will soon be 6 this november and the shots were taken exactly on her 1 year old birthday. Time flies...I will be posting another layout tomorrow using the Echo Park papers which were left over. Do check back!

Mini Album - Love

This is the mini album that I made for a sweet girlfriend of mine. She has been through a lot with her first child who is also an equally sweet little girl. In my opinion, she is one of the most hands-on and loving mothers I have ever known and I am blessed to know her. She is encouraging, shares her parenting tips and is not shy to ask for advice too. It's her birthday this national day and I made this little token for her.

A collage of some of the details in the album...


Finally, a picture that I took for her n her hubby. They are expecting another little girl. Wishing her and her family all the best.

The arrival of a new life brings forth new hope...

Guest DT

Yay! Yay! Yay! I have been invited by my LSS Made With Love to be their Guest DT member for August and September! Whooo hoo!!! I can't help yelping for joy when Aida contacted me. And when I met up with Aida to collect the pack for designing, I was so excited! I was just not myself that day, kept talking non-stop...I usually dun chatter away but I was really flattered and excited to meet some of the DT members whose blogs I have been stalking for so long. It's like meeting celebrities for the first time except they are very very good scrappers and very friendly too!

I have started working on a layout and will share it as soon as I can. Will be uploading the pics of a mini album that I have done for a dear friend once I am done editing...Have a good weekend!

You Light Up My Life

My little girl really lights up my life. She can be so trying and difficult at times with her persistent and outspoken nature but she brought out the best and the worst in me. She has shown me how much more I can handle as a mother and pushed me beyond what I thought I could achieve as a mum. She is my constant companion and she's like my little shadow, sometimes even pouring out sensible words of advice that one would never expect from a six- year-old- to be... I love her so much and I just want to say sorry to her for those moments of outburts from me when I hurt her with harsh words or when I am just plainly frustrated when the going gets too tough and tiring for me as a SAHM. Sometimes she leaves me with no breathing space because she is interested in almost everything I do, but without her, the house gets a little too quiet and she really does stuff that makes me so extremely proud of her!!!

Anyhow, enough of raving about my own little girl. Which mother isn't proud of their own offspring? Lolss

A layout completed with papers and vellum from Websters Pages...Woah...I like vellum, the translucent look against paper and the textures they give if you distress them a little...and I tried punching out the butterflies from vellum and they do look so fluttery when you layer them! One of those satisfying projects done quickly and efficiently. I had more time last week cos I caught a cold and cut my toe while cleaning the toilet so the hubster had to take leave to handle the kids. I had more time to myself cos his way of handling them is to bring them out and tire them out so they would go to bed early! Lols

The layout.

Details close up.