Scrappy Mum of Two

From 2 to 3

2012-01-31T14:06:00.004+08:00

From 2 to 3...most of you readers would probably know by now that we have a new addition into our family, so I guess the layouts will most likely revolve around her for the time being! Lol! The hubster is reliving the days of parenthood and I suppose with age and experience, he seems to be enjoying it better this time round. In fact, he says we should have a baby again once this princess outgrows her cuteness! That's fathers for you, they leave the worrying, education and discipline to the mothers and just have fun doing the enjoyable stuff like feeding, bathing (and then leaving the dressing up struggle to mum again), cooing and hugging...

Anyway, this photo was taken when I was about 34 weeks pregnant. The two older kids were always excited about meimei's arrival then, had great plans for hospital visits and what they would do when meimei's home. Adah was always feeling for the baby's kicks and Asher kept asking when baby would be out so that Mummy can carry him again! This was a fun photoshoot that we did at home on our own and I love the cheekiness in this pic!

Lots of Websters Pages goodness here from the older collections. It's amazing how much stuff I have bought and hoarded over the last 3 years of scrapping! The bird's nest is from Melissa Frances and I painted over it. The pink birds are from Prima and misted. The bright flower and aqua floral ribbon are from Websters Pages too!

Some close-ups...

A Review of 2011

2012-01-17T12:04:00.003+08:00

So many fellow scrappers I know have been committed to doing PAD (Photo-A-Day) layouts. Honestly, it seems exciting and fun and even as I look over their layouts, I share their sense of satisfaction at reliving all those simple daily moments. As for me, I am too lazy to carry a camera around, even though I have my Iphone! But I definitely still do appreciate the goodness that God has showered my family and me with in the past year and I completed this 2011 layout just before I delivered my little Anna last year.

This is my Photo-A-Month layout for 2011. I want to document some of the most important events that we have been through last year. Adah's first foray into Primary school in Jan, our discovery that we are pregnant in Feb, Asher's and Daddy's birthdays in March and April, our trip to Hongkong in June, our 10 year ROM anniversary in Nov and Anna's arrival in Dec!

I thought the layout looked a little cluttered and tried to seperate the months by the gridlines made using aqua baker's twine from Pink Paislee. I tried to use up as much of my old stash as possible before I go into the new CHA buying frenzy again this year, so you see some paper cut-outs and embellies from Glitz Design, Basic Grey, Prima, and Websters.

Chinese New Year is in a week's time and this is the first year that I am so ill-prepared for it. We hardly get visitors but it is still fun to buy those snacks and tidbits and new clothes and stuff around the house but I am hardly free these days...not that I am complaining, I simply love the smell of a baby's breath and am relishing every moment with Anna before she grows into a little girl like Adah. Well, here's to wishing everyone a Blessed, Happy and Prosperous New Year and may all your dreams be fulfilled!

Goodbye 2011 Hello 2012

2012-01-04T15:52:00.003+08:00

Some news update. We have a new lovely addition to our family- Baby A3. She's a lovely little princess and the two older kids are delighted to have her around, both fighting to play the role of older protective sibling.

The not-so-good news was Adah and Asher are both down with HFMD even before my confinement period is over. For Singaporean Chinese, new mothers generally observe a month of staying home, resting and eating certain foods to nourish and rest the body after delivery. But this period has certainly been very stressful with the kids falling sick after Christmas and they were not able to make it to school this week, after I tried to 'hype up' the back-to-school-fun. Sighs...sadly too, I sat out my birthday and christmas at home while the hubster brought the two older kids out, thinking that was the best gift to me, letting me have some peace, quiet and rest.

Well, my confinement's almost over and I just pray that baby and myself will be safe from the HFMD. I am thankful for God's grace upon Adah and Asher that they are finally eating some foods after days of not eating and crying in pain. Church members have been calling and praying for us too. It may be a rocky start to 2012 but I am thankful that the good Lord has shown His goodness to our family.

I hope to settle into a routine with the 3A kids and start scrapping soon... How I miss my own me-time...

Christmas came early!

2011-12-05T17:00:00.001+08:00

Christmas definitely arrived earlier in our household this year. The Christmas shopping started way back in October. I have never enjoyed the conveniences of internet shopping as much as! Nothing beats selecting and comparing prices from the comfort of your home. I was put off internet shopping previously because your credit card gets charged first and you never know the quality of the goods you receive. There were still some hiccups here and there but I must say, the general consumer experience that I have had from these internet shop owners are really good so far. And so, I had all these gifts wrapped up and ready even before end November in anticipation of Baby A3's arrival!

What else have I been busy with? The full month party favours were rushed out and completed last week. I made some 4 by 4 inches notebooks and happily used up a great portion of my stash! There's a first month baby album for A3, my pregnancy journal is almost completed now and I made another Maya Road trinket box frame for the kiddos, along with a few more layouts. I guess this is my last burst of energy before A3 comes along. I will take my time to share all my little projects later on since I anticipate I may have nothing to share for a while...

It's now a wait game and if I don't get to come in here or meet up with some of you, Early Blessed Christmas and Happy New Year!

Boys will be Boys

2011-11-28T10:10:00.000+08:00

It's my turn to share over at Made With Love again.That's my-not-so-little-boy in the picture. He is developing quite a character of his own now, having his own opinions, getting so chatty, arguing and fighting back against his elder sister and wanting to be heard these days. Even the helper says he has changed from that quiet, gentle and yielding little boy to quite a character these days!

I have been disciplined in my purchases recently or maybe I am just going through a 'nesting' phase and have been trying to declutter instead of adding more to my stash, so this layout is completed using my crate paper purchases from earlier on in the year. This is the 'Toy Box' collection and Asher loves it as much as I did. In fact, he helped to pick out the chipboard pieces to embellish the layout. He was so enthusiastic that I had to stop him from pasting the 'dinosaurs' and 'rockets' onto the layout when I was not paying attention!

I painted the left side of the layout using yellow acrylic paint over the wall mask from Prima's new range of masks. Then, I cut off part of the Hambly transparency and layered it over the base cardstock and then added part of the 'books' cut out from the 'Toy Box' collection. I kinda like the end result of the layering...The rest of the layout was completed with journalling cut-outs and chipboards from the same collection with help from Asher!

Some close-ups. I love that little windmill over there!

I couldn't resist adding a buttons to 'balance' an empty void on the layout and I tied some baker's twine onto them for a simple 'spice-it-up'!

Waiting for Christmas!!!

2011-11-14T22:58:00.002+08:00

Nope, nope, nope...the baby's not out yet though I am walking like a penguin already and I feel larger than an elephant and everyone keeps looking at me knowingly and goes,'Anytime soon right?'

I am not due for another 3 weeks I hope so that I can finish up the projects and layouts I have in mind. A Maya Road shadowbox, showcasing the 3 kiddos. I will have to add the pictures of Baby A3 later on and a couple of layouts to complete the year...I had in mind a huge plan to create an advent calendar for the two older ones but it seems quite impossible now. The school holidays start for Adah this Thursday and I have shifted Asher to a half day program at school, so it means I have less time for myself now since the kids are with me almost all the time and I really do want to spend time with them as much as possible before A3 arrives and gets all my attention for a while.

Well...2 cards finished for Made With Love. They will be on display at the store soon.

The first- A Christmas card. I always loved stamping and coloring in. I used my Copic markers here and I always find coloring and blending a fast and therapuetic way to have some time on my own. It doesn't command full attention from me and I don't get as irritated as when I am distracted from my scrapbooking when the kids call out for me. They are usually intrigued by what I am coloring and start darwing, stamping and coloring along with me!

The stamp is actually an old Sugar Nellie stamp which I had purchased long before any of the local stores here brought in. I still love the nostalgic feel of the image and I added some stickles to brighten up the whole look of the card.

The second card can be used for as a wedding anniversary card or a wedding congratulatory card. I used my leftovers from Crate Paper and the shiny cardstock from AC to die-cut the butterfly. Thanks to Pooi for highly recommending the AC glitter cardstock during one of our crops earlier on. Took her advice and got quite a few of them in different colors but my fav are the silver and gold ones currently! Very suitable for the season...

Ok...this is a short post. Hopefully I can squeeze in some layouts here before I go into labor! ;-)

Made With Love DT Assignment - Take That Step

2011-10-31T10:14:00.003+08:00

This layout is for my DT Assignment for Made With Love this week. The hubster brought the kids to the zoo on Saturday and I had the house and study room all to myself. It feels weird to be able to focus on scrapping and crafting completely after having to juggle the hobby amidst household chores and two noisy kids...so it took awhile for me to get started! Lol.

The papers in this layout are from My Mind's Eye- Stell & Rose Collection. Love love love the soft hues of blue and pink in this collection! And I actually used the sketch from Pencil Lines to get me started, though I rotated the sketch a little.

I distressed the edges of the papers with my cutter and inked the edges. For once, I didn't have curious supervision and little fingers from the kids so it was kind of therapuetic as I distressed away watching online videos at the same time!

Some close-ups. The chandelier and the ornate frame are from Dusty Attic. Dusty Attic makes the most gorgeous laser cut chipboard pieces! I painted the chandelier with white paint and then brished Glitter Glam in Bronze over it. As for the ornate frame, I chose to leave it as it is...

It has been a peaceful and crafty week for me since Adah's exams are over and we are taking a break from the books....I will be sharing some cards that I have created for Made With Love soon! Check back...

Baby Girl Album

2011-10-24T10:53:00.006+08:00

Another week of silence as the eldest girl sat for her year-end tests in the last 2 weeks. I had been screaming my head off for her Maths. I really dun understand it. Different schools have varying standards and the assessment books that I bought for her to practise are so much more difficult than what she has been taught, and I see her frustration as she gets confused at the end of reading every story sum!

Anyhow, it was a good break last week as we spent 4 days at home because of the Primary 6 exams marking days. I was able to complete a mini first month album for Baby A3 as Adah did her revision next to me. Despite the challenges of coaching her, I guess I will always remember moments like these when she sits next to me, me crafting and she writing away. Despite her rebellion and stubborness, she really does have a special place in my heart...sighs...

I have been hoarding this Pink Paislee album for the longest time, so I decided to prepare something in advance for baby's first month celebration. I will just need to add in baby's pictures then since I expect to be very busy after she's out!

The album is completed using mainly Crate Paper's Emma Shoppe collection. I was so crazy over the collection that I bought almost the entire set of papers and embellishments and I had so much leftovers despite using up quite a bit for my layouts.

The front cover of the album. I added the aqua blue ribbon to tie the front and back covers together so that the album can be closed after I add in the photos and embellishments. The wooden doily from Maya Road was misted with Tattered Angels mist and I love the strong red it turned out, though the sample was more pinky looking.

Some of my favorite pages in the album...

Believe

2011-10-09T21:40:00.005+08:00

I was in the mood for some scrapping last week and completed this over the weekend. We set up a little studio at home to take pictures and I got the kids to test my camera. We ended up taking lots of goofy pictures and I love this most. Asher has always adored his older sister since young and he is always looking out for her to play with him, but she is getting older and is sometimes uncomfortable with his passionate hugs and kisses! Lol.

Played with some mediums here. Misted the cardstock with Tattered Angels Sky Blue mist over a Prima mask and dripped huge red droplets randomly. I painted the birds and leaves on the Dusty Attic tree vine and added Glimmer Glaze on the birds, so they kinda shine when you take a closer look. Those cloud rub-ons are from Studio Calico, and they are just so simple and beautiful. The transparency and butterflies song sheet are from Glitz and the rest are from my ever growing Prima stash. I tried to control the buying so you will probably see lots of repeated flowers on my coming layouts.

I always say scrapping is a hobby that is so opposite to my principles. I dun like waste and yet I hoard SB stash. I dun like spoiling the environment and yet I am always buying paper and more stuff to add onto my layouts...sigh...so it has to be about control now...

Some close ups...

9 Months

2011-10-03T11:01:00.003+08:00

Just to share my current ongoing project...a pregnancy journal documenting the 9 months of journey with my little A3. When I had the elder two, I was not keen on scrapping at all. I was working and busy climbing the corporate ladder, meeting career goals and trying to juggle a family life with kids as the same time. Life slowed down a lot only when we moved to Shanghai and that was when I picked up this hobby...

It's amazing how a slower pace of life changes a person. I used to be very practical, unwilling to spend on anything that is of little practical use but now as I look back, scrapping not only provides an outlet from the mundane everyday life revolving around kids, it also helps me in documenting my blessings and feelings along the way, much of which we forget as we get caught up in life pursuits again (and in my case, my domestic responsibilities)

And from scrapping, I moved onto photography to capture every precious moment with the kids. I am so eager to embark on this newfound interest but many times, the guilt creeps in when I get totally engrossed in spending too much time on my interests and Adah's grades at school take a tumble. Then, just as I thought I can spend more time on scrapping and photography after somewhat finding a balance to domestic chores and motherly duties, I am now heavy with Baby A3 and soon we can expect more changes in our lives before we settle back into a routine again.

But for now, I just remind myself to slow down, enjoy every bit of this journey with baby and the kids, enjoy my interests instead of meeting datelines for DTs or classes or challenges and I find myself cherishing my moments with the kids and my hobbies more...

So presenting my yet- to- be- completed (but-hopefully-soon-and already-zuttered-waiting-to-be-bound-up) journal album.

Some close-ups

Thank you for continually coming in to read my posts and check on my progress. I am grateful for all the comments left behind and kind words when I meet some of you in person at the store. It used to irk me whenever I am an ardent blog follower of someone and he/she goes missing for ages and don't update but now I am one of those! Lols!!!! I am hoping to prepare some more layouts and a canvas for baby's full month and hopefully baby's first year album in advance, leaving only the photos to be added in. But that could be a bit too ambitious ya?

Hold On

2011-09-24T23:12:00.003+08:00

I finally got back to scrapping after such a long break. Sometimes, taking a break really does rejuvenate the body and 'scrapping soul'! I had to submit this assignment for Made With Love this week and was 'forced' to come up with something to meet the deadline. And to my surprise, I was actually excited about scrapping again after stopping it for about a month. I even had some ideas brewing in my head as I tried to conceptualise what I want to present on my LO.

Using a mixture of Prima papers from their recent Pixie Glen and Romantique collection, I came up with the follwing layout. I wanted to 'replicate' a garden scene that matches the photo I took along Clarke Quay, outisde the Parliament House carpark. It's a nice place for photo-taking and the kids were happy to run around and stare at the chinese boats and gaudy shophouses on the opposite bank on a weekend.

I rubbed TH distress ink in olive green over the Prima wall mask and poured embossing powder over it to heat emboss the resulting image. Then, I cut out and distressed the 'frame' for the layout.The rest of the embellishments were from the new Prima resin, flowers and cut-outs from the papers.

Definitely satisfying and fun after playing with all the mediums and cutting away in the peace of the night...I doubt I have much chance to enjoy these when A3 is here! LOL!

Close-Ups

Down and out

2011-09-20T09:51:00.003+08:00

I started teaching my new class at Made With Love 2 weeks ago during the September holidays. I was looking forward to it after a long break from teaching and meeting new faces. It was a simple 3 layout class with lots of interactive elements on each layout and I had intentionally minimise the use of mediums and fussy cutting because I knew I would not be up to the standing and demonstrations for a long stretch...

But after the first lesson on Monday, I came down with flu the next day. I practically slept out the whole of Tuesday and ended up going to class on Saturday with a blocked nose! I sounded so nasal that I wondered how the class could understand me? I was so thankful that it was the September holidays and the hubster had taken leave to spend some time with the kids, otherwise I do not think I would have recovered in time.

Then the last class I had was last Saturday. I stood for the whole of 3.5 hours, hardly sitting down until towards the end when some of the faster scrappers left. And my back was hurting with a spilting pain all the way to the bum! I barely made the drive back to the swimming pool near my place to pick up the hubster and kids who were at their swimming class because I do not think I can walk any further from the multi storey carpark back to our flat. And I had to rest out the whole of Sunday thereafter because I could hardly sit or stand straight...

So no layout to share, nothing completed, just this little bit of ranting and sharing about my SB class...I am now convinced that the October class will be my last, given my stamina and state of pregnancy. Just to clarify, I am not a physically weak kind of person...I worked till the day before I delivered my first in a hectic banking environment. I resigned only 2 months before my second was due and was still carrying and rocking the older girl to sleep the day I delivered my second and even now with the third, I am driving around 4 hours a day to send the kiddos to school, walking to and fro the carpark which is some distance away and handling all the household errands and grocery shopping still...I think its just age. I hate to admit it but I am getting old ;-(

Teachers' Day Gifts

2011-09-04T22:50:00.002+08:00

Just a quick one to pop in and say 'hi' and share the handmade mini albums/ notebooks that I have made for the kids' teachers for Teachers' Day! And that was what I had been busy with every weekend for the last two months. I know I am not a fast scrapper so I had started early and I managed to complete just in time...phew...looks like I have to start my Christmas pressies early too!!!!

I got the kids to stamp on some kraft tags, color the images and write out their messages to their teachers and inserted them into the notebooks. After all, they had to participate somehow right? Lol!

Now that I am hooked onto making albums, I am starting on a small project of my own to create a pregnancy journal to record my thoughts during this period. I must say this pregnancy is a roller coaster ride with stress from coaching a child in primary school and spending time with my little boy who has been the baby for the last 4.5 years!

I will be doing 4 classes this month on BoBunny'S Et cetra collection before I go into seclusion for a while to await baby's arrival and attend to the kiddos thereafter, so hope to see some of you there and say 'bye' for a while...

Class Sneaks For September 2011

2011-08-27T23:17:00.005+08:00

Here am I, blogging and killing time as I await the results of our Presidential Election. Singaporeans got to vote twice this year, once for the Government Election earlier on and now for the President...

I promised my LSS that I will do another class before I go on sabbatical leave in preparation for the arrival of Baby A3. And I am so thankful that I managed to rush out the class samples over the last few days. I had been wanting to do another canvas class but given the timeline and my bulging tummy (it's really difficult to bend and squat and clear up mediums now! You get the picture? Lol!), I decided to do a layouts class instead.

And in the midst of brainstorming for ideas, I decided to create something interactive. You know I always like to personalise my layouts, be it with a small touch of mediums, stitching or something handmade. But scrapping to me is about preserving memories and most importantly, journalling down my thoughts so that I will not forget those precious moments in time. So, I wanted something interactive where I can hide more photos that speak of the moments and write down my innermost feelings.

And I ended up with 3 layouts, of which one even contains a simple mini album!I chose to use Bo Bunny's latest collection- Et Cetra. At first I felt the papers were too vintage looking and rich in earth tones, but as I played along, I am surprised at how versatile they can be! Here's sharing some of the sneaks...

Layout 1 contains a hidden mini album that can hold up to another 9 pages of small photos or journalling...

Layout 2 comprises of a slider which can slide out to reveal your secret journalling...

Layout 3 is made up of a card that unfolds to more pictures or words...

I had fun creating this and for the ladies who have attended my previous classes, you probably know by now that this scrapper practically leaves no embellishment or paper un-used! So you get enough to embellish and create all your layouts and mini album! Hope to see you around before I 'disappear' for a long time...

Mama's Little Boy

2011-08-22T17:25:00.003+08:00

Woo hoo!!!! I'm on a high after completing the following layout. This month has been really busy, busy, busy! I have been rushing to complete Teacher's Day gifts, class samples for next month,craft masks for Adah's class performance and getting stuff ready for Baby A3!

The following layout was completed in 2 hours and I hardly get even a minute to myself these days, so I was so pleased and satisfied after completing this layout! It's simpler than my usual fussy cutting style, but still layered...These days, I am adopting a look which I think is more neatly layered but yet includes little touches of experimenting like the stitching, stamping or adding of mediums to my work. I guess it has to do with my schedule and the rest that I need more these days. It's really just scrap-stick-go for me these days...(I am not whining but I expect it may just get worse when A3 is here, so I am definitely cherishing my little pockets of freedom!Lol!)

I took the following sketch from Pencil Lines Sketch #250. I still love banners and they just brighten up any page! The pictures of Asher were taken in an underground train station in Hongkong. Love how the patterns on the MME's Line and Dandy Paper match the mosaic tiles in the background!

I had cut out two circles, and stitched around the border with brown DMC thread from Daiso. I do not have any circle cutters so they had to be drawn with a compass and cut out. I also handstitched the stitches randomly, but this time, I used a needle to poke the threading holes first.

I couldn't resist getting the embellishments from this collection. They are just too cute, bright and cheerful!

Thanks for coming by my humble blog! Have a great week ahead!

August Challenge at Made With Love

2011-08-15T21:28:00.004+08:00

It's my turn to host the DT challenge over at Made With Love this week and I have decided to set a recipe challenge for our local scrappers. We often visit sketch sites or have scraplift challenges. A recipe challenge is basically the same as any other challlenge except that there are various 'ingredients' within the recipe that the scarpper must fulfill to meet the challenge criteria. So, I have named my challenge as the 1-2-3-4 recipe challenge!

You need to have all of the following 'ingredients' on your layout.
1 medium (of any kind, paint, inks, mists. In my layout, I painted gold mica flakes on the MF frame and used Versamagic Brown ink over the mask)
2 photos
3 ribbons (Ribbons of any form, tulle, lace, velvet, satin, etc. Ok...and I cheated here, I used the same lace ribbon twice, one for the border and one for the top but there's no restriction on this, right? Lol ;-P )
4 embellishments
5 words or more on your layout (You can use this in your title too!)

This is the layout that I have came up with for the challenge, titled,'Gentle Reminders'. Lately, I have been yelling at my girl a lot. Not just 'a lot' but 'A LOT'! Some days, I seriously dunno how to handle her anymore with her rebellion and stubborness and retorts. I have tried time-outs, no tv, scolding and even spanking once or twice but still she remains unchanged. I dunno how to control myself and it's really bad for baby A3, I know...so I just have to scrap a gentle reminder to myself to learn to be tolerant and patient and loving though sometimes I feel like yanking someone's head off!

Close-ups. The frame painted with gold mica flakes and the Prima crystal that I added onto the tulle ribbon.

Love those rub-ons from Kaiser Craft. I got like almost the entire set. Talk about de-stashing...sighs...

Happy National Day Singapore

2011-08-09T13:51:00.003+08:00

This is the second National Day that we are spending in Singapore. Words cannot describe the homesickness whenever Singaporeans are on public holiday and celebrating away on 9th August when we were away in Shanghai. The kids now have a better awareness of National Day especially since both of them have had celebrations in their respective schools, and I am comforted that they know more about the country they were born in and belong to.

I hope the kids will 'remember'. There are lots to remember about for them- the alienation of being foreigners in a different country (though we may have simlar cultures), the blessedness of living in a safe and stable country, the comforts that Singapore has to offer and most importantly, they must remember to be thankful for all that!

Lots of fun in creating this layout using old and new stuff from Crate Paper. I splattered some white paint on the background. It's been a while since I took out my mediums to 'play'!Lots of layering as usual, but a really fast layout once the white paint is dried as I assembled everything together.

Do join in the National Day challenge over at Made With Love. There are 3 prizes to be won. One winner will be chosen by the MWL DT and the other 2 winners will be randomly picked. Ooohhh...lots of excitement plus the CHA orders are shipping inover the next few weeks! Looks like Christmas has arrived early on our shores! Lol!

Once again, Happy National Day to all Singaporeans!

We Saw Mickey!

2011-08-02T10:05:00.003+08:00

Life really does get in the way (literally!) Baby A3 is on her way and Mummy here is just getting too exhausted to get any scrapping done. I dread to think of how I am going to cope with a primary school going child who needs help with her school work, an active 5 year old, attention seeking boy and a little baby when she's out.

I have tried to get started early on preparing Teachers' Day gifts but I have put together only 3 out of 8 albums and a photo frame I am preparing. I have not yet 'zuttered' my 3 albums yet, so they are 'unassembled'. Anyhow, here's sharing a layout that I completed a couple of weeks ago on our Hongkong Disneyland Trip. I just realised that last month was the first month after I had gotten my DSLR that I had not taken any photos of my two kids!Sighs...

The papers were from S.E.I. I rarely use this brand of papers but this range was just too cheery to miss and I like all the amusement park icons that they have added for this range! And I also love this set of Technique Tuesday's stamps. The quotes are simply meaningful and I am so looking forward to more new arrivals from them when they reach our shores soon. CHA products are already on their way! Yippee!!

I gotta go and get the eldest ready for school soon. Please do hang around and drop in. This hassled mama is still trying to work things out and cope though it's baby no. 3....

One For You, One For Me

2011-07-11T11:45:00.002+08:00

Oopsss!!! Anyone still coming in here to check for updates??? I am sorry for *missing in action* for the past week. My apologies, but with the kids going back to school after their June break, the driving tires me out easily again, especially now that I have a little bump to carry about till December...I do miss crafting lots but I have decided that I need to get started on my Teacher's Day presents and August challenge that I am hosting over at MWL given the speed that I am scrapping now...;-(

This is for my assignment over at MWL this week. Have you ever tried scrapping with multiple photos? A single photo is always easy to layer with papers and embellish but ultimately, scrapping is about presevering the moments and sometimes, multiple photos just tell the story on its own, like in this case of the kids sharing their snacks at Hongkong Disneyland. I first took out a packet of biscuit sticks to share among them but they finished it up so quickly and asked for more! Then the elder sister who gets very meticulous when the two are faced with their favourite stuffs, took over the division of assets. Lol!

The papers are from Websters Pages- Ladies & Gents' collection and Country Estate. I love the vellum that Websters Pages produced. The cut-outs add a subtle touch to the layouts and I tried crumbling up a vellum page before scrapping on it and it gives a different texture and adds dimension too! A very versatile material which sadly many companies have stopped manufacturing.

Some close-ups so that you can see the layering better...

The chipboard is from Dusty Attic. I mounted the photo on the chipboard base to matt it and then added the frame to draw attention to the most important photo! This is one way of making your core photo stand out when you have a series of photos from a single occasion to share.

Love that petal from Websters. So soft and subtle... ...The lollipop and leaves were pulled out from an older Websters Pages Petals pack from last year's collection! I rearranged them and paired them up with the yellow flower on this LO.

So Fun!

2011-06-26T16:24:00.004+08:00

I finally scrapped something after almost a month of not getting near my papers and mediums and scrappy stuff! There was a rush of joy as I finally put together a layout after the hubster brought the kids out for a swim and lunch. Thank God for the hands-on daddy!

As the June holidays draw to an end over this weekend, I find myself beginning to miss the kids already. When they are around, I am kept busy on my toes and the house is so noisy with their shouting and laughter and my screams. However, when the kids are at school, I find myself wondering if they are coping alright, eating well and handling any situation properly?

Anyhow, presenting my first layout in a month! (Hope I have turned too 'rusty' here...)

I scrapped a photo of the kids with Buzz Lightyear at Hongkong Disneyland. Asher loves this character, and sometimes even sign off as 'Buzz Lightyear' on his homework. The kids really enjoyed Disneyland though it was a smaller theme park and we visited the park for 2 days since we had a discounted 2-day pass to the park. The hubster and I just trudged our tired legs along with them, following them to the various station games they were interested in playing.

I used another sketch from Creative Scrappers for this layout again and modified it a little. The papers were from S.E.I and had just arrived at MWL last week. I was delighted to find the series of amusement park- themed papers which were a perfect match for my disneyland photos!

Some close-ups...lots of layering of papers and embellies as usual...I love that little ferris wheel wooden sticker. I had gotten the sticker from Tokyu Hands 2 years ago when we visited Osaka! Lol, what a hoarder I am!

Some puffies and rubber stickers from K.I and K & Co. that I have been hoarding forever too!

Crate Paper - Emma Collection

2011-06-18T22:05:00.007+08:00

Hellooo!!! Anybody still coming by here???

I have been really really busy in the last two weeks. School's out for the older one and I have been nursing a bad sinus cold that developed into a terrible cough. I have been waking up several times a night coughing or by the two kids who suddenly have problems sleeping through. They have started to have very active imagination of monsters and ghosts lurking behind the curtains. And finally, I met with an accident on the road just a few days ago while rushing to send Asher to school.

I am thankful for His mercy and protection. It was not serious and Asher was not a bit shocked. He thought I had driven the car into a hole!!! Anyhow, it has taught me a lesson and I have resolved to rest early as I need to drive so often on the road and a patient and well- rested mummmy is a happy mummy to the kids too.

This ia a recent layout I have scrapped of Adah using Emma's Collection from Crate Paper. I love this collection, just the right amount of floral and vintage! And that girl is certainly growing fast. I am so thankful for this matured and responsible girl even though she does have a fair amount of tantrums and retort. I can always count on her help and support whenever I need it even though she may not be able to execute them perfectly. After all, she is 6 going on 7 only!

A close-up of the layering I have done. I used Sketch #155 from Creative Scrappers for the layout. Sketch sites are my go-to sites to get a headstart whenever I get a scrapping block...and there's just so much talent out there that I am reminded to be humble and be alert to new trends.

I have been slow in scrapping and taking pictures lately. It's a chore having to lug the kids' stuff and the DSLR around whenever we head out for outings during this holidays. I usually bring the kids about on my own and having to watch over two active monsters and take care of my camera baby is just too tedious. Also I have been planning activities for them daily.
Mondays - Outings
Tuesdays - Cooking @ Home. We have done baking and pizzas.
Wednesdays - Water Play and Kung Fu in the evenings.
Thursdays - Bible Class and Art n Craft
Fridays - Outings or Outdoor Play.

I am runnign out of ideas. Any suggestions please?

Crate Paper- Toy Story Collection

2011-06-06T10:22:00.004+08:00

We are back from our Hongkong trip! It was fun though I came down with flu just a day before we left for Hongkong. Thank God by the time we were at the Disneyland Resort, I was recovering and I am really happy to see the kids enjoying themselves so much despite the hot, hot, hot weather. I feel blessed whenever I see their father being hands-on with the kids, monkeying around with them and accompanying them on rides despite his tiredness. He may not be the best care-giver but he is definitely the playful parent between us and I am amazed at how he keeps up his energy levels entertaining the kids!

I completed this layout for Made With Love before we left for our holiday. This is Asher, sitting contentedly at the the top of a slide at the playground near our place and blowing bubbles away. I used Crate Paper's Toy Story Collection and added a Melissa Frances frame to draw attention to my favourite pic. I also used the Tim Holtz ribbon and film tape, love how versatile they are especially on my boy's layouts!

I had distressed the frame with blue Versamagic ink, Tim Holtz distressed inks in blue and tied on the metal charm with blue baker's twine.

This is a really simple layout, put together quickly in less than three hours. I don't like flowers on boy's layout and I kept the embellishing simple as I did not want to take away the attention from the vintage toys background paper.

Thanks for coming by to visit! Have a great week ahead and enjoy the June holidays!

Beauty

2011-05-28T22:41:00.002+08:00

Yes, that's my girl. She looks so grown-up now but she's only all of 6+ years old. When she is in her school uniform, she still looks like a kid and she seems thinner these days or has grown lanky.

The encouragement from being featured over at Websters Pages gave me some courage to post this layout that I had done some time back. I was getting mojo-less but still tried to scrap and this was what I came out with. I took a break from scrapping, just relaxed, stayed away from scrap blogs, read a lot of trashy novels, watched TV and did everything except scrap. I am happy to say that the mojo is slowly returning and I am so looking forward to our family trip to Hongkong. The kids have been looking forward to it because of Disneyland and they have been on their best behaviour in case their incentive trip is denied! Lol!

Anyway, back to the layout. How do one scrap the papers from Websters Pages without any little bit of cutting? Sometimes I do tire of cutting and layering, but somehow I always find my layouts somehwat similar. Perhaps this is what is known as style?

Some close-ups. Have I mentioned before that I love love love the fabric tags? Adds a different sort of textures that softens the whole 'paper' look immediately.

Some pleating for dimension.

The June hols are finally here! I have never looked forward so much to June since I left school. Lol! Have a good break, everyone!

I am featured over at Websters Pages!

2011-05-26T19:55:00.002+08:00

My layout 'Treasure' has been chosen as Banner of the Week over at Websters Pages! It may be nothing to many experienced or much publicised scrappers but for me, it is indeed a very valuable encouragement that the Lord has sent my way. I had been feeling mojo-less and it took me almost 2 weeks to complete this layout and another which I had mentioned in a previous post. So with the encouragement and appreciation from other friends and fellow scrappers which has came my way, I am more motivated to continue my crafting hobby.

Websters Pages has indeed evolved into a very dynamic and exciting company over the years. Even though they have a very distinct design line, they have been coming up with new products and their latest Trendsetter collection is a big change from their previous lines. Do hope over to their ning site to take a look at the gallery and participate in the forum. I have made many friends there and I am so humbled when I look at other ladies' work. It's just inspiring and exciting as you can literally feel the vibes in the forum!

Class Sneaks for June/ July Class at Made With Love

2011-05-22T23:45:00.003+08:00

These are the sneaks for my new class at Made With Love, featuring all the latest Prima products from Winter CHA. There are the canvas mistables, crystal flower vine, trinket charms, lace and flowers. Basically, it's all about Primas. We will be making an album using the Maya Road Birdcage Album and it's really suitable for themes on family, love, relationship. After all, we are gonna be playing with 'birds'and flowers', so the album is going to look a little vintage, a little romantic and a little shabby.Lols!

Hope to see you ladies around during class!

Websters Pages

2011-05-17T21:41:00.003+08:00

I have been churning out layouts quite consistently since last October. So it has almost been a good 6 months of 'production'. There were nights when I can complete 2 layouts at a go and feel immense pride and pleasure after that. Then suddenly, all mojo just disappeared. 'Poof!' and everything went up in the air... So I stopped scrapping for a while. I continued to buy but I was hardly excited by the huge sales and discounts going on while other fellow scrappers were cramming all sorts of stuff into their baskets.

I bought my favourite Websters Pages when their lines hit the store some weeks back. I was so so so excited during the CHA sneaks but when I finally held the papers in my hands, I just did not know what to do. So it is really not an exageration to say that I took almost 2 weeks to complete the two layouts below. I left the uncompleted layout on my desk and adding a little by little when I walked past and felt like it... I suppose there are still traces of my usual style, fussy cutting, layering,flowers, blings and laces.

That piece of Websters Pages whimsy thread was from a previous launch though, but I thought the color was a perfect match and added it in. I also cut up the vellum page and added the cut-outs in between the layers. I love the fabric tickets and almost ended up buying from all four collections!

This is another simple layout that I created of my boy, using the die-cut page. It's really simple as it is a boy's layout and I really do not want to over-do with the flowers anymore as there are already floral prints on the die-cut paper itself. I merely added the leftover cut-outs from the vellum and papers I used in the layout above.

Thanks for popping by my blog. It looks like my birdcage album class for June may be postponed as the album has not been sent out yet. It's being re-produced as there was a shortage after it was too quickly snapped up by fellow scrappers everywhere...So do continue to look out for any updates!

Fun Memories- For Made With Love

2011-05-09T16:03:00.001+08:00

I have to confess...I am a Prima hoarder. If there's anything worth a fortune in my house, it has to be my Prima collection. I have an entire drawer overflowing with Prima canvas, flowers, leaves, vines, charms and crystals. It's so bad that I dread to open the drawer because 1) I am filled with guilt at how much I have spent and 2) It's getting more and more difficult to find stuff and 3) close the drawer after I have spent at least 10 minutes searching for that particular Prima item I remember I owe.

It must be an open secret at Made With Love, otherwise Aida would not have assigned this week's product focus to me. And it's all about Prima!!!Lol. I had some scraps leftover from my Prima Madeline papers which I could not bear to throw away, so I used them on this layout, combining with the crystal lace and ribbon to form a background on the white cardstock. As usual, I can't resist misting and splattering a little paint over the white cardstock to 'liven' the look a little.

I used a canvas tag to matt the photos onto and the large aqua flower was from Prima's recent CHA ribbon collection. I topped it off with a 3-dimensional flower center from Prima.

The charms there, are the new products from Prima's recent CHA. Prima came up with various metal trinkets and embellishments, good for embellishing, mixed media and even for jewellery making!

Another one of my Prima faves is the flocked rub-ons. The texture is amazing! I love the embossed look and feel of the felt when I run my fingers over the rub-ons and I wish I had gottten more of them... They are so versatile and can even be used with other product lines!

Thanks for poppong by my blog and I am so excited to be designing a class for Made With Love, using fully Prima goodness on a birdcage album from Maya Road. There will be nothing but the latest Prima, Prima and more Prima products to play with in this class! The class will commence in June and sneaks will be up soon! Stay tuned.

Layout for MapleTreehouse

2011-05-02T22:19:00.006+08:00

Some time ago, Sylvia from Maple TreeHouse wrote to me, offering to sponsor some materials for a layout for me to share on her blog. I was very flattered and Sylvia was really nice and friendly in our e-mail exchanges, even though we have never met before. I was looking forward to seeing the postman and received my goodies, carefully bubble-wrapped and packaged 2 days later. I was definitely impressed by Sylvia's efficiency, as most sponsors do need to take some time admidst their busy schedules, in getting their supplies delivered to you.

Sylvia sent me some papers, a pack of flowers and a pack of half-pearls. The flowers are pearls are Maple Treehouse's very own in-house products and I am thrilled at being offered a chance to use them on my creations! I went monochromatic on my layout and cards and this is the first time I kept using colors to a minimum! Just the simple, classy black, white and greys and it was amazing how versatile and well-coordinated the color collections that Maple Treehouse had organised their products into!

This is the first layout I had created with the papers and the flower petals from this collection. The half pearls and blings were a perfect finish for that extra touch to the small flowers and chandelier rub-ons.

A close- up of the embellishments...

With the leftover papers and embellishments, I was even able to create 2 cards and some rosettes cut-out from the Sizzix Die. So yummy and perfectly romantic...

A closer look on the two cards...

Once again, my heartfelt thanks to Sylvia of Maple Treehouse for generously offering these goodies for my 'scrapping consumption'. I had a fun time playing with them over the long weekend and you will definitely will seeing more of those pearls and blings on my layouts to come! Can't wait for another long weekend this week to create again...

Laughter

2011-04-29T18:59:00.000+08:00

I wish we only need to report for work and go to school on a 4-day week. That means an extended weekend, more family time and more scrappin'time! I feel so blessed that in the past few weeks, I was able to scrap more and my mojo just kept on running. I think a lot has to do with having an efficient and responsible helper around now. She is not perfect and has her shortcomings but which one of us is totally perfect? I always remind myself that here in Singapore, we should be thankful that we can employ domestic help, else many of us will be struggling with work, family and caring for kids...I am sure without such help, the country's birth rate will dwindle further...

This is another layout that I had completed over the Easter weekend, combining the latest line from Pink Paislee's Daily Junque and some of my leftovers from last year's Sweetness and Old School.

I cut out parts of the paper from Daily Junque and Sweetness, and assembled the parts on the white cardstock which I had misted with Tattered Angels' Viva Pink Glimmer Mist. I just had to add a bit of Prima to my layout, the laces and the sweet beaded vine which I cut up and rearranged it to spread out under the red metal charm, the little rosettes and leaves.

The red metal charm was from last year's School Days collection. I pulled off the epoxy sticker on it and cut out the Daily Junque papers to fit into the space left behind. Then I added the 'Laughter' metal charm from The Girls' Paperie to it. You can see the close-up below.

I punched out the birds resting on the vine and added them together with the flower cut-outs and the doily to the top left. The doily was from Pink Paislee's Parisan Anthology collection. I cut it out and misted it in blue. Love love love that shade!

Once again, thanks for coming by my humble blog. Singapore's going to have her elections soon and we have to cast our votes for our estate. A lot of excitement going on around here! And since Adah's school is goign to be used as a polling center, she is having another short week next week. Yippee!

Warning Long post with lots of pictures.

2011-04-24T18:06:00.000+08:00

I took a number of pictures for this little altered project that I have completed over the week. I had lots of fun converting two 20 by 20 cm canvas into a shadow box frame and now it's happily displayed in my living area. I will probably admire it for a while more before I decide to bring it down to MWL for display.Lols!

This is the front of the first canvas board. I painted the canvas boards yellow and added gold mica flakes from Golden at the borders. This was followed by lots of fussy cutting of the papers from Basic Grey's Curio collection, before layering teh cut-outs on to form a garden scene. I also added chipbard stickers, Prima felt gate,a hambly ornate cut-out and the green ribbon from Websters Pages to complete the look.

This is the second canvas and I opted for a similar look as the first. There was also lots of fussy cutting and layering.

Finally, when the two canvas boards were completed, I attached them together using hinges. This is how it looks placed together. I loved how the gold mica flakes caught the sunlight and sparkled under the light when I was taking the pictures. It really adds a different touch to the look.

I then embellished the interior of the 'shadow boxes' now, adding on my favorite Prima laces to the border. I wanted to cover up the staples used to fasten the canvas onto the wood. For the 'shadow box' on the left, I added a family picture from our trip to Australia last October. That was the latest family photo we had. The rest of the time I was usually the photographer!

I added Prima flowers, flocked rub-ons and Say-it-in Crystals Swirls to embellish the photo. Converting that back part of the canvas into a shadow box meant that I had some depth to play with though I had to be mindful that the shadow boxes can still be closed together after all that layering and embellishing.For the 'shadow box' on the right, I cut out a piece of cardstock and converted it into a holder for a mini album that I made.

This is the mini album book that I had made to be stored inside the shadow box. It contains all my favourite pictures from our trip together. It's my first time creating a mini book and I opted to sew it together using a thick piece of felt string. Definitely fun to see the end result! I think I will be exploring other ways to create mini-books soon! I also had to remember to go easy on the embellishing and not create too much 'bulk' as it had to fit into the thickness of the shadow box...

Did you see the lovely Prima bird and birdcage Prima charms that I have tied onto the book? They are prefect for such projects and mixed media work. I have used up my current pack of charms and I will have to check out MWL to stock up. Hopefully there will be a stray pack of two still lying around...fingers crossed...

This is the interior of the canvas boards, converted into shadow boxes, fully assembled! I was so happy after completing this, I could shout for joy!

Some close-ups...

Pink Paislee- Daily Junque / The World is Yours to CREATE

2011-04-21T21:57:00.003+08:00

I have been good the past few weeks. I scrapped almost immediately and every new collection that I had bought! I feel less guilt now since the stuff are put to use but I have neglected on practising my photography after the last shoot I did for my girlfriend's baby and I have not been taking pictures of my own kiddos! (Note to self: I MUST take more pictures of Adah and Asher.)

I scrapped this using Pink Paislee's Daily Junque collection. I like this collection. The colors are bright and filled with vintage reminders, the typewriter, the tiny spray of flowers, the banners, the bicycle and the colorful bird. This collection is so versatile for scrapping almost anything, summer pictures, holidays, daily stuff etc. Pink Paislee really outdid themselves again! Then again, I always end up swooning almost every new collection from CHA...Lols!

Just a very simple layout this time with cut-outs mainly from the 12 x 12 journalling diecut sheet. I lined up the banners and added another one from Jenni Bowlin across the top right hand corner to form part of the title. The school badge was from one of Pink Paislee's collection last year- School Days. I had a tough time cutting out the badge from their transparency because it was so thick! Woah..I definitely grew some muscles after that. The cute little bicycle was from Tattered Angels.

Here's some close-up shots.

The little row of rosettes is from Tim Holtz and I brushed on Glimmer Glaze in brown and Pink. I cannot resist adding a little mixed media stuff into my layouts these days. Just some simple efforts but I feel it makes my layout truly mine and personalised.

I brushed on Ranger's Distressed Cackle Paint in clear crystal onto the chipboard bird to get this cracking effect. I liked how it turned out...When using mediums, I usally try to let them dry overnight as I believe natural drying brings out the effects better. Also, I am too lazy to bring out my hot gun or hair dryer. And I like the surprise that awaits me when I wake up in the morning and rush out to check out my layout and run my fingers over these stuff! Such an addiction...tsk tsk tsk...

Using up old stash- My Little Shoebox

2011-04-17T11:42:00.007+08:00

I was trying to sort out my stash two weeks ago and wanted to sell or RAK away some items that I used to buy on impulse. Sadly, after two days of taking things out and packing them back in again, I am not much better from where I started with. It does not help that you have a young daughter at home who coos over every piece of paper you are sorting through and keeps telling you to keep that because she can use it for her own scrapbooking and art projects! Wonder where that DNA came from? Lols!

Anyway, I found some papers from My Little Shoebox amongst my paper stash and decided to use them up. So I ended up with a layout, 2 cards and an altered frame from the leftover scraps in a night and I was so so so proud of myself after that! This is the layout that I had created for my girl. She was 6 when the pictures were taken. Everytime I go through the photos to select for scrapping, I can't help thinking where did all the time go to? She just grew overnight from that cranky baby to this young, fiesty lady.

I cut up the die-cut paper to fit into the top corner and also cut out some flowers from another paper to use as embellishments. The photos were matted ontp a journalling card from Prima. How versatile is that! I also used one of the new Prima crystal lace as the border below the photos, together with the rosette ribbon trim from Websters Pages. A close-up of the layered flowers, with Prima flowers, a glittery butterfly from old stash and a new charm from Bo Bunny.

This is the altered frame measuring 4 by 4 inches. I bought the frame from Daiso, a thrift store here, and mixed in some clear granular gel with yellow acrylic paint and painted it onto the frame before sticking on the paper cut-outs. The trees and the clouds were from Maya Road tree chipboards and they were a good fit for the papers too. The wordings were stamped on from an old Unity stamp. I added some stickles onto the birds and tree trunks for some 'bling' and the flower petals were from Prima and had been in my stash forever too!

With the leftover papers, I made two simple cards. Such a high from a scrappy, inspired weekend! Thanks for coming by and have a good week ahead!

Crate Paper

2011-04-10T15:30:00.001+08:00

When the Crate Paper collections hit the shelves 2 weeks ago, I rushed down to Made With Love to get them immediately! I had saw the CHA sneaks and was already crazy over the new collections- Emma Shoppe, Toy Story and Potrait. I wanted to get the full collections for all three (yes, everything in them!) but since I had just spent a mini fortune on a new camera lens and flash, I decided I just had to be more selective on my scrapbooking purchases, especially since I am hoping to get another lens at the end of the year.

The chipboard elements for the 3 collections are must-haves and I went through each of the papers carefully to make sure I choose those that I am sure I would use. I got some layered stickers for Emma's Shoppe and Toy Story because they are just too adorable! And of course, everything else from the Potrait Collection. Sometimes, I wonder how I became such a hoarder given that I always like to de-clutter and throw out my other stuff regularly. If a thief breaks into my house, I only have my camera and scrapbooking stuff for him! Lols!

So these are the two layouts that I did using the new collections. The first one, 10 years is from my most favourite of the three collection, Potrait. It's to remember our tenth year anniversary of registering our marriage in November this year. We hardly have any pictures of us together and after the kids came along, we only wanted to snap away at them. We managed to get a few couple shots taken by a lady photographer in Shanghai before we left and finally I have a chance to scrap some couple photos instead of the kids.

For the second layout, using the Toy Story Collection, I scrapped photos of Asher at 10 months old. I brought him to a studio to have some shots taken and they provided this cute soldier romper for him to wear. I painted the background with some gesso to draw emphasis to the photo. I also used a border punch on the yellow cardstock but purposely painted some gesso over it for a rugged look when part of the border broke due to my inexperience with handling the punch!

Part of the fun in scrapping for me is to finding ways to correct the mistakes made here and there. I always share with my classes that only when there are mistakes, then it feels truly handmade! Lols, my own crazy set of thinking!

I am hoping to get a bit more scrapping done since it's pouring now and it doesn't look like we can get out of the house to the playground anytime soon. Have a great week ahead!

Made With Love DT Crop- Maya Road Apple Chipboard Album

2011-04-04T22:39:00.007+08:00

I went for a DT Crop at Made With Love yesterday. We were supposed to come up with projects for display around the store and I chose this apple shaped chipboard album. There were butterflies and strawberries and trees albums for us to choose from but out of convenience. Lol! I didn't want to be cutting odd edges of papers for the album and this was the easiest shape I could find.

It was fun chatting with the other ladies, eating and laughing as we worked away. Actually, I hardly ate as I was sneezing away as I cut. The sneezing started since I was at church in the morning and I was focusing on trying to complete as much as I could in the 2.5 hours that I had for the crop, as I was rushing off to do another newborn shoot for my girlfriend. I misted the tops of all the apples on both sides and then cut out heart shaped papers to fit the rest of the chipboard. The rest was just layering and embellishing.

I am so humbled as I saw the other ladies at work. Aida painted and glittered her album cover and it was a pretty, shiny surface. Swee Ching took pains to cut precisely and sand every one of the romper chipboard she had chosen. Wendy was painting and sewing away. Pooi and Piradee were so focused and completed their projects the fastest in their usual styles, Pooi with her cheery and layered look and Piradee with her classic and elegant look. And Esther had such a beautiful bird banner! Sometimes, I am so envious of their talents and wish I could come up with such creativity too!

Well, I didn't finish up in time and had to rush off but I packed back some embellishments and finished the rest in the night...just lots of cutting and pasting and adding stickles here and there. Wonder what kind of style is mine? Thanks for popping by. Do leave a comment so that I can also visit your blogs and learn from you too!

Mist, Misting & Mistables!

2011-04-04T15:30:00.000+08:00

For my assignment scheduled at Made With Love this week, I was assigned to use Mists on my project. Mists are one of my favourite mediums to 'spruce' up a plain layout immediately. They add color and with different techniques, you can achieve a variety of looks, blotchy patches, droplets, big blobs etc. I was also itching to use the Prima mistables after I had bought them for some time when the Prima stuff just flooded the shelves a few weeks ago, so this is it! I misted on the Pink Paislee- House of Three paper with various ink colors, before layering with the rest of the stuff. I used a layer paper from Glitz Design and attached a lace around die-cut from Prima's Madeline paper line. I also cut out part of the Prima packaging from the Prima Mistables and attached it down. Then I started to mist on the flower, leaves and swirl cut-out from the mistables sheet. When the cut-outs were dry, I was pleasantly surprised at the how the cut-outs rolled up. Wow! That gave texture and dimension immediately! I cut out the flowers and rolled it up such that it looked 3-dimensional and folded the petals back to 'open' it up. After which, I used Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze to outline the flower petals and draw on the swirl.

I added Prima flower centers to the middle of the two smaller flowers and as the larger flower also had a deeper hollow, I dripped Glossy Accents into the hollow and filled it up with beads before finally adding a crystal stick-on. Love the final outcome after all that experimenting! I also added a doily that I had cut-out and misted from another Pink Paislee- House of Three Parisan Anthology paper and inserted it below the flowers. The wooden butterflies were from Studio Calico which I had tried misting with before and they really take on the colors well, but I decided not to mist them in the end for this layout as I preferred a 'naked' feel and decided to add some crystals on it. A side profile of the layout...now I am wondering how to store this layout. But I guess that would have to wait as the layout is down at the store for display.

Call me Buzz Lightyear

2011-04-02T22:35:00.002+08:00

Honestly, I never paid much attention to BoBunny's products until they came up with the Gabrielle collection which I had used for my first class at Made with Love. But I was very impressed with their recent CHA collections and couldn't resist getting this cute 'Blast off' line as I wanted to record Asher's obsession with the Buzz Lightyear character from Toy Story.

Lots of fussy cutting from this line and layering, and I was happy that I was starting to use more 'cute prints' patterned paper than those floral, vintage papers. I used to buy bright, cheery papers like these before but after I had accumulated too much stash, I decided to cut down and be selective with my purchases but I miss doing these kind of layouts too! Sometimes, I get tired of seeing the same style on my layouts and I will switch around for a while to get renewed mojo. I hope you like what you see here.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

More Butterflies?

2011-03-28T15:45:00.004+08:00

I completed this layout on Saturday night. I usually stay up on Friday and Saturday nights to get my scrapping done. I like the peace and I am left to scrap without interuptions of 'Mummy' requests from the kids...So I will be cutting, snipping, pasting, arranging while listening/ watching to the tv or youtube. This came from Pink Paislee's Butterfly Garden line. More butterflies and you thought I would have had enough after BoBunny's Gabrielle collection for my class! Lol. I cut out part of the top sheet of patterned paper, tore the vertical sides, rolled it over and distressed using some pink chalk ink. Lots of fussy cutting and layering of the elements to get this 'garden' look. The patterns on the paper really resemble the beautiful garden outside the cottage of a farm we visited in Australia. It was like a scene out of Enid Blyton's fairytale come alive, with colorful flowers growing everywhere, even on the walls of the cottage!

Can't resist showing the close-ups of these cut-outs. I am feeling so satisfied after all that cutting!

And that charm there, is simply darling!

Boys will be Boys

2011-03-26T22:08:00.006+08:00

My Mind's Eye is another one of my favorite line. Their designs are so classy and timeless and they always come up with co-ordinating boy and girl lines. Honestly, if I had a huge scrap room and huge storage space, I will be hoarding every paper out there in the market! Lol!

I used the new Stella & Rose- Hattie line for the following layout. There are a total of 4 lines in the Stella & Rose collections, all so pretty and versatile for various themes! Anyhow, the colors in the Hattie line are definitely more boyish with its greens, blues and browns and I lapped up the collection so that I can create more layouts for Asher.

I traced the shape of a bracket die-cut onto the pattern paper, cut it into two and layered the two layers over each other. I also distressed the edges of the paper with a paper distresser and inked it before folding the corner and attaching it down with a brad.

I pleated a strip of the pattern paper to give the layout some dimension before adding the rest of the embellishments.

Overall, the layout looks very simple but there are my signature details here and there. Thanks for looking and have a good weekend!

Banner of the Week at Websters Pages!

2011-03-22T10:12:00.003+08:00

My layout has been chosen as Banner of the Week over at Websters Pages!

I am really flattered as Websters Pages is one of my favorite brands (which most of you may well know by now!) All these little bits of encouragement really do help to brighten the days, especially when it's gloomy and raining over at this end of Singapore!

So may the showers and new blooms of spring chase away the gloom over Japan's tragedy. My heart and prayers go out to my favorite country.

I have been featured!

2011-03-15T22:57:00.002+08:00

Wow!!! I was babysitting my little niece the entire evening, neglecting my own two little monkeys and was bushed out by the time the contented parents (who finally had some couple time on their own) came home. I walked back home (our apartments are only 2 blocks apart) to find an email in my inbox, telling me that I have been highlighted on Club CK blog!

Wowz! Club CK has a huge forum and the talent there is plentiful. Lots on inspiration daily and yet my layout was highlighted in their post, along with several other very inspiring layouts. Thank you so much! This came as a timely encouragement especially when I am a person who constantly doubts if my layouts are beautiful enough to be shared. I have also met several people in the past week who have been so encouraging with their comments and I am blessed to know these new, yet very sincere friends through this hobby.

My first class kicks off this Friday, am not so nervous yet but I am so sure I'll have a sleepless night before...hahaha...I am quite shy actually (though I talk a lot here) but definitely more than willing to share what I know, so for people attending my class, please feel free to ask me anything you may want to know. I may not have all the answers but hopefully I can inspire in one way or another!

Just Be (Who You Are)

2011-03-14T08:07:00.007+08:00

Last week was a productive week. By my standards, anything more than one layout is productive and I managed to squeeze out 2, had a very enjoyable week with Adah who is on a one-week school holiday break, taught the first two scrapbooking and altered art classes at Made With Love and scheduled in 2 photography shoots!

One of the ladies who attended the class asked me how I usually start off on a layout. For me, I usually scrap about my kids. So, the moment captured on camera and the significance behind that photo is the most important thing that I want to remember and record on paper. I usually start off with the photo I want to scrap first, then pick the papers and then edit my photos to suit the papers. Sometimes, I go for a saturated look, sometimes a vintage look depending on my look and the feel of the papers.

But for this series of Websters Pages which I wanted to scrap immediately once I lay my hands on it, I started going through my photos to find one that will suit the papers. I usually scrap my girl's photos for Websters Pages as the papers are more floral, but the minute I saw this photo of my boy, I knew it would be a perfect match!Love the patch of little yellow flowers behind my boy in the photo!

This is the Spring Market line and the details are not too floral or girly to be used for a boy's layout. I cut out the sign post from one of the papers, some of the flowers from the vellum and outlined the petals of the row of brown flowers with a cutter, and rolled them up for a 'pop- up' look.The fabric tag was from an older line from Websters too. It says 'be yourself', hence my title,' Just be who you are'.

A close-up of the layout.

I can't wait for Websters' new lines to arrive. Totally in love over the Ladies and Gents' line and the Countryside line too! The new florettes, the sparklers and the new yummy embellishments that they have came up with for this CHA are so, so, so beautiful. Can't wait to lay my hands on them, lol!

I also want to say 'Thank You' to all the ladies who attended my class on Friday and Saturday. I am really very, very, very flattered and humbled by your comments. We had a lot of fun, cutting first and then 'modified' the samples to fit photos, to cover up mistakes or to suit personal tastes. I had a great time meeting everyone in class! I did not expect such a good response, given that it was my first class. 2 ladies flew in from Indonesia to attend and there was another who waited very early outside the store before it opened, hoping for a dropout from the fully-booked class so that she could attend.

Once again, thank you for attending my class and I hope to see you ladies again soon!

It is in You - Prima's March BAP

2011-03-13T23:03:00.003+08:00

I created this LO to participate in Prima's March BAP. I am now a fan of their monthly BAP. Their sketches are really fun and versatile and the Prima's design team really work wonders every month.

This LO was created with Prima's Madeline Line! I love love love this line. It's my favorite amongst those released this CHA. The colors are just so rich and sophisticated, and they just scream 'smart elegance'. Can you check out the amount of new Prima releases on this LO? The papers, the flocked rub-ons, the lace and crystals and the flowers...You can guess by now that I have a huge hole in my pocket just from getting my hands on all these new Primas. I even bought those vintage charms and I have not used them yet because I just can't bear to...

I love quotes. I think most of them are so wise and timely reminders in our daily lives. 'True beauty lies within'- a reminder that I would like Adah to keep within her. That beauty is but skin deep and when she eventually grows up into a young lady, she will not fall prey to worldly ideals of beauty and learn to develop her own very attractive character.

A side picture of the LO. Am so totally in love over that red... and those fluffy flowers, gotta get more of them, love their textures! I can just drown in a bed of Prima goodness! Lols!!!

7G Printer's Tray for Baby Danielle

2011-03-08T13:46:00.003+08:00

I created this Printer's Tray for my baby niece, Danielle as a gift for her full- month celebration. She has such big round eyes and a nice curious smile, if she's not yelling to be carried. She is definitely doted upon by many. Adah and Asher are the only grandchildren on my brother's side of the family before Danielle's arrival and these two monsters have already outgrown their cutesy stages long ago. And Danielle is the first grandchild on my sis-in- law's side of the family, so there was much excitement and amusement over this tiny thing when she arrived.

I am proud of those photos on the tray. I took them when Danielle was 5 days old, nervously. It's my second time practising on a newborn, but this time I had more props, photoshop and an idea of what I wanted to shoot and surprisingly, my grouchy brother was game to try out the angles. That's his hand holding out Danielle in the middle of the tray.

Lots of layering there on the rest of cubicles on the tray which are not filled with photos. My usual, sweet, girly touches. After all, Danielle is a little girl. Love the bright felt butterfly which I had stashed up for a long time from Basic Grey long time ago. It's finally put to use. I used Websters Pages for most of the background papers, stuck on with glitter Mod Podge and embellished mainly with my leftover chipboards from Crate Paper's Restoration line. I added an envelope from G45so that my sis-in-law can write down her birth details and keep it there. I am sure those memories would stay with her for a long time.

School holidays for Adah start this Friday. I am so looking forward to it and having the two kids spend more time with each other. Hopefully I get more scrapping time in between and I have 2 photoshoots requested from my girlfriends of their kids. I am looking forward to having some more nice pictures to share and scrap!

By the way, Swee Ching mentioned that most of the slots for my 'Fly Butterflies Fly' class at Made With Love have been taken up. Thank you so so much everybody for your support, and I hope I will not disappoint and that I will get enough time to interact with everyone and know you all better. There will be lots of cutting, so I hope we can complete the class on time! ;-P For those who have not been able to get a slot, you can always put your name on the reservation list and if we have any spare kits at class!

So Much Fun for Made With Love

2011-02-27T21:41:00.004+08:00

I can never get sick of going through the photos from our Aussie trip in October last year. We took a whooping 2000 photos and everytime I go back to that folder to see the photos, I find another few scrap-worthy ones...

This week, we were assigned to play with distress inks and paints. I have been researching and playing with more mediums lately and they are really fun, fun, fun! Only drawback is the layouts take a little longer to complete because I prefer to wait for the mediums to dry naturally instead of using a heat gun...but it suits me fine because I have lesser time to scrap now, about 2 hours of free time a day, and I want to read, blog, study photography...

Back to the layout, I misted a piece of cardboard with blue mist first and then mixed some yellow acrylic paint with a clear granular gel to spread it on the bottom part of the cardboard. This gives it a grainy look and feel when dry and I wanted it to look like part of the beach. I also sprayed with some brown mist when it is halfway through drying to give it some extra dimension.

Next I took an old transparency from MME and dabbed onto it with aqua alcohol ink around the border. After some fussy cutting on my favourite paper manufacturer, Websters Pages (Seaside Retreat), I layered the papers and am quite happy with the final look. It didn't take me very long to get this done, except for the waiting time for the cardboard to dry.

Btw, I have already submitted my class samples at the store. Please feel free to take a look. This layout is also on display, go ahead and take a look at the textures if you happen to visit the store. I have discovered a new 'toy' in scrapping.

Sneaks for My First Class at Made With Love

2011-02-26T13:51:00.007+08:00

To be honest, I am in a brain dead state as I am typing away this. I went to bed at 5 am in the morning and got up at 8.45 am again. I wanted to sleep in but was disturbed by 2 phone calls and I am up. I am a light sleeper so I can hardly get back to sleep again and am now wide-eyed awake though the brain is not responding to anything.

I started on my layout late last night after receiving my BoBunny Gabrielle class kit from Made With Love. So the truth is out, I am having my own class in March! I was at first initmidated when Swee Ching first approached me with the idea of designing a class around this line. Every paper was filled with details and there were butterflies everywhere which I couldn't bear to cut out.

Surprisingly, once I started playing with the papers after prinitng out my photos, the ideas just came to mind on what to do. I was hoping to share 1 canvas display and 2 layouts with the class and I wanted to challenge myself by including my boy's photo for this obviously very girlish line.

So if anyone is keen to learn how to play with mediums on canvas, layering and how to make the best use of your papers, do register yourself at Made With Love once the newsletter for March is out. I will be bringing down the class samples for display at #03-33 on Monday and you may want to take a look at what you will be completing in class.

I am so jittery and nervous about the class actually, so show me your support, yeah?

Moments Like These

2011-02-21T13:23:00.004+08:00

I created this LO for Prima's February BAP. Once I saw the sketch, I already had in mind what I wanted for the heart to appear like. Lots of textures and fun! I used MS Word to create a longish heart and then printed it out on paper. Cut it out, trace onto my patterned paper and cut again. (P.S Can anyone teach me a faster and easier method than this?) I am still learning where Photoshop is concerned, else I would have created a heart that is unsymmetrical on both sides for a more dramatic look!

Pasted the heart onto the paper and stitched around it using colored floss from Daiso and then mixed some clear gel with the paint and dripped haphazardly around a slanted outline of the heart. I left it to dry overnight and the textures were amazing when I checked on the LO in the morning.

The rest of the embellishing is created by fussy cutting flowers from the Prima papers and lining them together with the bird vine which I had cut up too. Did u spot the new Prima flocked rub-ons on the LO? Fantastic feel and a different look. Finally I added a tulle ribbon on the twine just to soften the colors a little.

Definitely had lots of fun creating this. Do play along at Prima and leave me your comments! Would love to hear your feedback!

Have a good week ahead.

Simple is the new chic!

2011-02-15T11:10:00.004+08:00

I did a couple of layouts over the Chinese New Year week, mostly like the above. Lots of white space, misting and layering of the embellishments and paper. They are quite a change from the usual girly layering that I always end up on my layouts. I liked how it turned out because the overall look is still quite classy and most of all, such layouts allow me to use up the odd piece of paper and remaining elements from a collection that I always end up with after my fussy cutting and layering!!!

And if I need a little extra touch here or there, it forces me to go through my ever-increasing stash and cross- coordinate between brands, colors and patterns. In short, I have to think a bit more and I like that little challenges to myself. I am a person who gets bored easily so these little things keep me fascinated on scrapping. Otherwise, I may turn into my little girl who likes to try out new things but have no sustained interest in anything and my scrapping hobby has garnered too much investment to give up now! Lols!

What else have I been busy with the past few days? This little one just blew my mind away...

She's my new little niece and I did some newborn photography shots for her! She's gorgeous right? And I am thankful to her parents who were so sporting and fun with her photo shoot!

Wedding Canvas

2011-02-05T10:47:00.000+08:00

This is a canvas that I made for a dear girlfriend of mine. In fact, I have known her for 18 years and her husband for 14 years. It's amazing how time flies isn't it? If you work backwards, that means we have known each other since we were teens in high school.Wow!

And after 10 years of courtship, the two of them have finally decided to settle down and tie the knot and all of us were so excited and happy for them. Most of us have already been married for a few years and already have kids, so it has been awhile since the last wedding in our group of friends.

My girlfriend is not the typical girly girl kind of lady. In fact, all our kids are kinda afraid of her because she is so stern with them and she doesn't bother to do the 'goo goo' 'ga ga' talk with them. That's why I did not use any peach or pink or red or silver for their wedding canvas.

I painted the background green by mixing two paint colors from Making Memories and ended up with this shade. Then i distressed the side with Glitter Glam in Turqoise.Then I arranged the photos and matted them over the Basic Grey lace cardstock. Once the placement of the photos were settled, the embellishing was much easier...

By the way, I took the pics for her in the canvas and I was really glad that I had a chance to play with my camera and photoshop software...I feel that nice pics do make scrapping easier even though it's really the memories behind them that counts! Thanks for stopping by and do leave some love so that I know who you are...Happy Chinese New Year!

And Baby Makes 3- Mini Album

2011-02-04T10:14:00.006+08:00

Gong Xi Fa Xi Cai! 恭喜发财！Blessed Chinese New Year！It's Chinese New Year over here in Singapore. It is a big event for the Chinese as they make preparations to welcome the new and exit the old. And it's HUGE in China. We used to have 10 days of holidays when we were located in Shanghai! And in the midst of Chinese New Year preparations, I had created this mini album over the weekend. It's madness with crowds everywhere. People were just buying and buying and even the supermarket ran short on shopping trolleys. I was contented to stay home and craft. ;-)

This is the front cover of the album, created using Echo Park papers and Cardstock stickers. It's for a girlfriend who is expecting her first baby and she is not into cutesy colors! I kept the album relatively simple because she is a fellow scrapper too and she journals a lot, so I wanted it flat so that it is easier for her to write and add her own pictures and embellishments.

Mini Albums are the best way to use up those papers I have been hoarding forever! Lols.

A close-up of the cute little charm I have added and tied on using the white lace ribbon.

Some of the inside pages!

Growing Up

2011-01-23T15:12:00.002+08:00

Growing up is not easy, but u will be fine. Just something that I want to say to my little girl as she takes her first steps into formal schooling. This will be the start of her academic challenges as the rat race starts. But life is not just about school results and eventually, she will go through more experiences, emotional swings and learn about life's lessons along the way. The going may be tough, but I want to tell her that no matter what, everything will turn out fine with God watching out for her and her family to give her support.

I dug into one of my favourite lines from Basic Grey's Curio. The prints are so 'peranankan' looking and I totally adore them. Lots of layering of papers and the fabric rose ribbon is from American Crafts. Its so totally red 'red', you know what I mean? Kind of Christmas-y red but I find it suitable for the prints here. I also cut out the bird cage from Tim Holtz Sizzix Die and distressed it a little using brown copic markers. I then added the vintage elements from Making Memories and layered with the chipboards from Curio's line. I intentionally had the the bird out of placement with the cage. Kind of signifying my girl's taking off...hahaha...so corny right?

Life is settling into a routine now, but it is indeed tiring to drive out 4 times a day, clocking at least 80km each day. And most times, I have to rush from errand to errand, so driving is indeed driving me crazy and I am EXHAUSTED from all that rush at the end of the day that I can hardly open my eyes...and sadly, I have already gotten two traffic offence summons. I miss my scrapping but will try to complete at least 1 layout a week. I was so happy to attend Iris Babao Uy's class at Made With Love last week. She is so talented, sweet and pretty! It's unimaginable that I actually have a chance to meet my scrapping idol in person and I am really thankful to Swee Ching, Elvira, Sandra and the rest of the Made With Love team for making all these workshops possible...Hopefully, I have some good news to announce in February!

Miss U So So Much for Made With Love

2011-01-17T10:00:00.000+08:00

'I miss you so so much......' That is what the little boy will say whenever he doesn't see any of us for some time. Some time varies from 30 mins to 3 hours. Ever since Adah has started Primary 1, the two kids see each other for less than 3 hours on weekdays as both are in different sessions. It is taking the boy some time to adjust to life without a playmate and everytime he picks his sister up from school, this is what he says to her. It makes all of us go soft and even cranky and tired Adah will be nicer to him and hug him.

For this week's assignment from Made With Love, we are to feature mediums. I used a paper from Pink Paislee's Parisan Anthology for the background and started by blending in the distressed ink (tumbled glass) for the border.Then I sprayed all over with the Maya Mist (Buttermilk Mist). Definitely lots of fun and therapeutic in a way as you feel the 'woo-sh' from the spray! Lol!

I stamped the background ledger stamp onto the paper with Glimmer Glam (Copper Kettle). It gives a nice, shiny, sparkly, look and the details from the stamp are not compromised! As for the swirl from Pink Paislee's Artisan Elements, I embossed it with clear embossing powder before painting it with Glitter Glam (Copper Kettle) and Glitter Glaze (Cowboy). The end result- a light brown with a red/orangy tint. Still enjoying the fun, I decided to swipe lightly Glitter Glam (Copper Kettle and Pink Lady) over the row of white rosettes.

The mediums used.

Definitely lots of fun playing with the paints and inks and glazes here! Remember to have a heat gun around. It comes in handy when you need a quick drying time. For me, I completed the project in parts over the week cos I was too bushed out from chauffeuring the two monsters from 2 sessions. I lost count of the number of times I drive out in a day to pick them and run errands! And in my impatience to get the the embossing done quickly, I decided to use the hair dryer that was conveniently lying around after the kids' shower and it blew the embossing powder all over my study room and scrap stuff when I switched on to the highest temperature and fan speed! Yikes! Lots of cleaning up after a long day but that's all the part of the fun of scrapping and life!

Once Upon A SpringTime

2011-01-09T17:35:00.003+08:00

I am sniffing away as I am typing this...It's been a rough start to the new year, with Adah sick over Christmas, followed by Asher and now, me! Adah started primary school on Tuesday and the first day went on fine for her. I was more stressed at the presentations to the parents. The school was already emphasizing on academic curriculum, year-end examinations and continual assessments during classroom learning.

However, on the second and third day, Adah cried as I dropped her off and it really broke my heart as she finally confessed that she was nervous and scared around the 'big' school. Friday went on better. I managed to get a better grasp of the new timings and routine and we left the house early and Adah was visibly more relaxed, chatting away to me as I drove. It's really nice to listen to her banter and it makes me feel like we are friends instead of the horrible-disciplinarian- mother and rebellious-stubborn-daughter relationship.

I love love love this set of vintagy papers from Graphic 45. The colors are soft and muted and I personally think it's quite a change from their previous collections released in 2010 which were more sophisticated looking and with bright, vibrant colors. Those little bunnies and fairys are so so so adorable and when I first saw the collection, I knew I would be using it for a 'siblings' layout.

I cut out a frame from the papers, as well as the bunnies and fairys, distressed the papers with VersaMagic Chalk Ink in pink and added the Prima twine which matched perfectly in colors! Lots of fussy cutting and I added a Martha Stewart punched out gate, laces and just the keyhole embeliishment from Tim Holtz and the key from 7G.

That's all I have to share for now. Scrapping has been a little slow lately with Christmas/ New Year celebrations, new changes as Adah starts formal schooling and me sick. But I am sure things will be back on track as soon as we work out a new routine...Check back soon...

Goodbye 2010! Hello 2011!!!

2010-12-31T23:57:00.004+08:00

Happy New Year!!! We are just minutes away from a new year...2010 just flew by for me..there were so many changes and adjustments and challenges that I found myself screaming for more time all the time. It's so strange. When I was a young kid studying, the years seem to drag by, and I never seem to graduate. But once I graduated from uni and started working, time seemed to be moving at a faster pace. After I became a mum, time accelerates at such a fearful speed that I have to sprint along with the days (and I am not as fit as before now, so...sighs...)

Anyway, I wanted to share some of the projects I have been up to in the past weeks. Yummlicious Websters goodness. Is it any surprise that I am a fan of anything Websters? Well, I altered a flat canvas board into a hanging home display piece using lots of Websters stuff on it. The papers, the netting and the trim. I love how this display turned out after I added the birdcage stand to it with prima flowers twined around it! It was meant as a gift for someone but I couldn't bear to let it go after that, so I think I will make another similar one for her soon!

This is another layout using Websters- Wonderfall collection. Adah really loves the swing, so this is another one of her on the swing in school on her 6th birthday. There is just something about swings, isn't it? The rush as it takes you up in the air and the adrenalin as you come falling back again, just like the challenges and pits you face in life! I have to confess that I love swings too, just that these days I am too busy shooting the kids or pushing them to be on it myself!Lol.

I actually made those flowers by cutting up the vintage netting from Websters into small squares and heating them over a flame. The sides just curl up and gives the flowers a nice dimension. I cut out squares but you can try with circles or ovals for a different look. And dun worry about the size, you can piece the pieces together and try to curl the sides with your fingers into your desired shape. Use a little spray starch if you wanna keep the shape.

Well, that's all for today. Once again, a very Happy New year!

A Little Mention

2010-12-19T07:56:00.003+08:00

Well...I have been a little busy doing up some projects which can't be shared yet cos' they are christmas presents meant for others and the recipents have not seen them yet so I dun wanna spoil the surprise! I just wanna drop in and say 'BLESSED CHRISTMAS'! You can tell christmas is my favourite time of the year! Lol.

Just a little nice news to share, I was mentioned over at Prima's blog here for my take on Prima's BAP November Challenge. It's my first attempt at their monthly challenge and I am glad that even though I did not win, my layout was highlighted on their blog!

As I get older, I find that the years just fly by, especially 2010. There were big changes for me, on the family front and scrapping front too. The move back from Shanghai, settling in, preparing Adah for Primary 1 (Yucks, I hate the thought of her growing up!), coping with a helper, then without a helper, getting back into scrapping and joining MWL as their design team member. It has not been an easy year but by God's grace and mercy, I made it through and I really have a lot of blessings along the way to be thankful for. I will be spending some time thinking through my goals for 2011 as we enter the last days of 2010. In the meantime, MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR.

'Memories of You' Canvas for Made With Love's DT Assignment

2010-12-13T13:13:00.000+08:00

For this week's assignment at Made With Love, we had to use mediums on our work. I decided to do up a canvas instead. It was a comfortable size that I found at the bookstore in our neighbourhood, 10 x 10 inches and I thought I'll give it a try and I love, love, love the end look of it!

I stamped butterfly swirls from Inkadinkado's clear stamps all around the edge of the canvas. I used gesso for this as I wanted the stamped images to 'resist' the alcohol inks that I had planned to use. You may have to stamp in more gesso in order for the images to show up against a darker colored background. It was really experimental for me as it was my first attempt with these inks on canvas, so I dripped some drops of 'Pink Sherbet' alcohol ink onto a dabber and tried to rub it into/ onto the canvas. The ink turned out so red on the canvas that the stamped images hardly showed up, so I used the alcohol blending solution and dripped onto the canvas directly and then used a sponge to rub it outwards. I somehow got the hang of it and ended up dripping lightly spots of alcohol ink directly onto the canvas and blended it out instead!

A close-up so that you can see the stamped swirls...

I then sprayed the rest of the canvas lightly with yellow Maya Mist and then splattered some blue and red spots on the canvas using Tattered Angels Mists. After the canvas was dried (it didn't really take long), it was the embellishing bit with laces, felt leaves, flowers, crystals, blings and ribbons all from Prima! I also used a stamp from Basic Grey to stamp in the title, 'Memories of You' and embossed it with dark brown embossing powder! I added some punched-out butterflies and rubbed on some gold stickles onto the little rosettes for the finishing touches.

By the way, the journaling reads,' Swing Me, Upon the broken tire...'. It's a lyric from 'Kiss Me' by Sixpence None The Richer...I used it cos Adah was swinging in the pics though much of the swing has been cropped out. And finally, a picture of the mediums used...

Lil Big Boy using Pencil Lines Sketch #216

2010-12-12T12:40:00.000+08:00

I managed to finish this layout last night as I was staying up to monitor Adah's temperature. The poor girl woke up lively and active as usual, did some painting and exercises in the morning but she started to complain of a sore throat after her nap. She said she was alright to go swimming but she threw up after that and in the evening, she developed a temperature and it stayed around 38.5 despite the fever medicine. I wanted to be sure she was alright and her temperature does not spike up again in the night, so I stayed up a little later than usual and had this layout done in the meantime!

I used Asher's pictures from our holiday again. He was sitting on a log in a village called Sassafras after our train ride and was sill excited over sitting in 'the Thomas train'. I used the sketch #216 from Pencil Lines here and the guest designer this week happens to be none other than my fellow DT member from Made with Love, Piradee! Pencil Lines has the most versatile sketches and I like the layers here (very my style, isn't it? Lol!).

I used the latest collection from Basic Grey- Curio. Its my favourite line this year, together with Crate Paper's Restoration line. I like the deep browns and reds in this range and it is so 'use-able' on both boys' n girls' layouts! I cut out and trimmed away part of the lace cardstock for the bottom part of the layout before layering the embellishments over. I also added a floral ribbon from Tim Holtz and spritzed it with sprays from Tattered Angels and Studio Calico to get the browns on it. The vine was from Prima and was trimmed down too and the key from Tattered Angels just complete the whole look!

Some close-ups as usual:

(P.S. Love the pair of birds, seem like they are talking to each other, like Asher n Me! Hahaha...)

RAK and a new blog page!

2010-12-09T10:19:00.000+08:00

Yes, I have been busy lately. Tis the season to be jolly and I love Christmas! Actually, I enjoy the preparations of Christmas, looking at those decor, shopping for gifts, SALES and preparing gifts! I have received a couple of hand made customised gift orders, so I thought I shall start up a Customised Gift Ideas page (the link is right at the top of my blog) to showcase some of the orders I have done...

Hmmm...and with all the buying, I think it will be very soon before I put on my own garage sale page too! Lol!

Anyway, Madscrapper, you were the winner of my previous RAK but I have not yet heard from you. If you still have not contacted my by 24th December, then I will post up the RAK for another drawing.

In the meantime, I shall be doing another RAK to celebrate my completion of the new blog page/shop! Please leave your comments for me and I will post up pictures of my RAK soon. My dear brother has borrowed my lens so I got to wait till this weekend when he is back to take photos and post! Also do check back next week as my assignment for Made With Love is due and I will be sharing a canvas that I have made!

I will be back soon, bringing the kids to see the Christmas lights along Orchard Road tonight and for some bit of shopping! Enjoy and brisk in the Christmas season!

My Princess

2010-12-06T13:26:00.000+08:00

I am so sorry that I had been missing in action for so long! I had been busy, busy and busy chauffeuring Adah for her graduation concert rehearsals, attending primary 1 orientation, getting her stuff ready for school and dealing with all the changes in schedules while handling another sleep deprived, attention seeking little boy who claims to be Buzz Lightyear now! On top of that, I had been getting some orders from family and friends for some customised gifts, so there was hardly any time left for my own personal scrapping. No complaints, I like being busy ;-)

I used one of the sketches from Pagemap's November sketches. You can check it up under the archives if you want to look for older sketches. These photos of Adah were taken during her graduation concert at Jubilee Hall. I was hiding behind my DSLR and gulping away to stop my tears from flowing everytime I see her on stage. My little baby all grown up! And she is still singing the songs after the performance and Asher knows the songs by heart too. Asher must be Adah's biggest fan! He was so excited during the concert and we had to stop him from calling out to his sister all the time!

I combined two lines from Imaginisce for this layout, one from the previous 'A Fairytale Collection' line and another from the new 'Enchanted' line. The blooms were from Websters Pages and I thought it matched the greens in this line very well. The butterfly was cut out from a Sizzix die on the Big Shot machine and I used foam for it (thanks to Wendy's recommendation!)

Some close-ups of the layering...I just love how sweet this collection is and my girlfriend also bought a paper stack to start on some layotus for her baby girl due next March!

Thanks for coming by to visit my humble blog! I appreciate your visits and please do leave me a comment so that I can visit yours too! Have a good week ahead...I love December cos I can smell Christmas in the air!!!

Inspired Blueprints Sketch #60- Baby No More

2010-11-19T10:58:00.000+08:00

This is the latest sketch from Inspired Blueprints. Have you ever checked out their gallery and blog? Full of talented scrappers there!

And this is my take on it. I badly wanted to dig into Basic Grey's Marjolaine line as it has nice calming tones of blue and strong greens, very suitable for layouts for boys, and I tend to have more pinks and peaches in my stash. The greens in this line were quite dark and strong but I realised that they were a match with the greenery of the photos we took in Australia during our Ocean Road trip, so I scrapped another pic of Asher from our Aussie trip again! I suspect there are a lot more of our vacation pics related layout to be coming.Lol.

Basic Grey produces the prettiest lace cardstock all the time! I just had to cut into mine and use part of it to matt the photo on. To keep the green a little 'toned down', I stuck the cardstock over it so that it doesn't overwhelm the whole layout. As for the circle, I cut it out from another paper and adhered white lace to the border to give it some dimension before I attached the photo and embellishments. I added stickles to the petals of the flowers to 'brighten' the look a little too, and of course a few crystals for a little 'bling'!

A close-up. My usual style of layering the embellishments...Aida said in my DT post that I have a layered style but honestly, I do not know my style also??? If anyone is reading, can you please leave a comment and tell me what my style is? I think I am shabby chic but I like layers and sometimes I go for clean lines too cos' I am a neat freak and I dun like messes.

And a side profile of the layout where you can see the 'layering' better.
And a very very very happy birthday to my favourite LSS, Made With Love! They are 7 this year. May there be many more good years to come! The store is having some fantastic offers in celebration of their 7th birthday, so do head down for a look. (Psst, I have been down almost every week since February.)

Thanks for being with me and have a good weekend!

Experiencing Spring and RAK winner

2010-11-15T10:16:00.000+08:00

I completed this layout over the weekend for Prima's November BAP challenge. There are so many photos from our Aussie trip that I love and I just want to scrap them all! Hahaha...the good weather really makes the pictures stand out, unlike the cloudy and/or rainy weather over the Singapore skies these days. It's the end of the year, and its cooler with the rains and wind, so I am not complaining except for the poorer lighting conditions for the pictures!

The Jack and Jill collection from Prima has such soft and pastel colors. The little children, puppy, ladybugs and birds are all so adorable looking! Anyhow, I cut out the paper with the daisies first and wanted to matt it with the green one below but I had used part of it in an earlier layout and somehow I managed to cut out 4 rectangles, pieced them together got the lines covered with the embellishing! Very proud of myself after that, lols!

The pictures show Adah fiddling with the little spring blooms that we saw in Australia. We hardly see such flora n fauna here so she was also awed by nature's beauty. I used the long Prima vine as the base for the swirl and filled in the empty spaces with the rest of the sunflowers, flowers, leaves and a tag from Prima too. The butterfly has been in the drawer for ages and now it's finally used as I wanted a big embellishment to make it look more 'dramatic'. Actually I still have a lot more these butterflies when I went through my 'designated' Prima drawer. My stash is getting too scary...I also brushed a little of pink Tattered Angels glossy glam over the white flowers, before finishing it off with Prima's Say It In Crystals.

The layering...

The cute epoxy button that goes oh-so-well with my blue thickers!

And now, the reveal for the winner of my RAK...

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Congratulations, Mad Scrapper! Please e-mail me at adeline_lal@yahoo.com to arrange for your pick-up!

And I am off to a busy week of chauffeuring again. The girl's got her rehearsals and pratices before her graduation concert next week. I'm sure I will be bawling my eyes out from the audience when I see her perform...

Enjoy using Creative Scrappers Sketch #129

2010-11-09T23:50:00.000+08:00

Wow! It's been a long long time since I was able to blog hop around sketch sites and challenge blogs to create a sketch. Thank God for the IPhone, now I try to surf whenever I am free, at home or outdoors! So I have managed to catch up a bit of my blog-hopping and Creative Scrappers is one site I like to go to for quick and easy sketches to help me get a head start! Btw, I really love how cheery and colorful the site looks and the talent there is enormous! I am really humbled when I see all these beautiful works on display.

Anyhow, I have been meaning to scrap this photo of Adah for the longest time and is jsut waiting for the right papers, I suppose. And finally, MME's Line and Dandy line is so apt for this photo! With a sketch, and the 'perfect' papers, it didn't take me long to complete this.

The flowers at the bottom were cut-out using the Big Shot machine. I trimmed the flowers a little as they still had their stems attached. Hope you like it as much as I do! Gotta go off to bed now cos my eyes are closing as I am typing! Will be back soon with the winner for RAK, but in the meantime, please feel free to add your comments here since I have not picked a winner yet!

2 new layouts for Made With Love

2010-11-07T00:11:00.000+08:00

I had a productive time last week churning out 2 layouts on top of organising Adah's birthday party and running down to MWL to grab Basic Grey's Curio line. I like being busy as it keeps me on my toes and gives me a high to get my tasks accomplished!

This week, I was assigned to work with rub-ons for my DT assignment at Made With Love. And rub-ons are my favorite! I use them on almost every layout cos of their versatility. It can be hidden under layering to cover up an odd empty space, rub-on quotes also add that special touch to a layout and define the theme revolving around it and when you are in need of some dimension, just add glossy accent onto it and it looks like an epoxy sticker popping off the page!

Some close-ups.
I added glossy accent onto the little boy riding the trike! The words, 'Super star' were rubbed-on and I added the dimensional sticker on it.

Rub-ons work on all surfaces and in this case, the metal cap. I also painted the cap with Shimmerz after covering it in alcohol inks.

Rub-on wordings framing that chipboard sticker there. The title ' Dirt Magnet' again added with glossy accent to give it dimension.

I cut out some stars and stuck them on with dimensional foam to 'pop' them off the page!

Is there any doubt that this new line from Basic Grey is my favorite? I just had to rush down to get it once it hit the store!Love the vintage feel of this line and the floral and bohemian designs on the papers. I had a tough time deciding between getting the full paper pack (and adding more to my stash!)and getting loose sheets. I almost bought the entire co-ordinating embellishments too!

I was inspired by Sketch #211 over at Pencil Lines, and used the photos from our recent trip to Australia. This was Adah sitting on the ledge of the Puffing Billy train during the ride. The colors were also inspired by Palette #31 of The Color Room. I do not have a green color mist so I used the turqoise color from Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist instead.

Some more close-ups!

A little tweet!

2010-11-02T16:07:00.000+08:00

My layout below was featured on Webster's Pages Gallery!

Thank you Websters for being so kind to feature my humble works, especially when I am such a big Websters fan. Half of my accumulated stash belongs to Websters and I wish I have double of everything, one to swoon and run my fingers over again and again and another to cut and scrap!

Also, please remember to participate in my RAK. Leave a comment in the post below so that I can drop you some love too! Thanks!

A new layout and a giveaway!

2010-11-01T11:20:00.000+08:00

The laundry from our vacation is finally cleared and ironed, the unpacking is done, the photos uploaded onto facebook and finally, I can get back to my scrapping! Moving back to Singapore and being on MWL's DT means I can access the latest new arrivals every Thursday and I am horrified at how much stash I have accumulated since our move back in February. I almost need another new set of cabinets and my exisiting cabinet's drawers can hardly be shut in already! Lol!

Anyhow, I have to use up my stash quickly and I have sworn off anymore buying! This photo is one of my favourites from our recent vacation. The kids have made up a new song that just goes,'Friends Forever' (repeat 10 times at least!) whenever I ask them to pose with their arms around each other. Lol! I love love love the greenery and drier weather in Australia. The kids were not screamish about sitting on the grass or logs as they were mostly dry unlike Singapore's greenery which is always wet from the rain and humidity.

I used lots of yummy Websters Pages, Wonderfall collection here and twined the yellow lace around the vintage netting, also from Websters. Lots of cut outs as usual from their papers and their vellum sheet too. With websters' papers, I usually just do a lot of cutting and use them to embellish, saves me the trouble of searching through my stash for stuff that I always cant seem to find and turn up when I dun need them! Again, the consequences of over stashing!!!

Some close-ups! Love how the little trolley adds a vintage child-like charm to the layout and the kiddos have a similar one at home that they use to transport their toys around!
Twined lace and netting, with Prima's crystals for a little 'bling'.

I love that little bird there...so sweet...

And finally, thanks for reading to the end! As promised, I will be doing a RAK giveaway to share my joy of being on MWL's DT! Papers from Echo Park and flowers from Prima and those purple and white flowers there were bought in Shanghai, very pretty! I haven't seen them around here yet...Leave a comment for me and I will try to find some time to leave some love on your blogs too. I'll get my most helpful assistant, Adah to pick a winner next Monday!

Extremely GOOD News and a layout!

2010-10-26T23:04:00.000+08:00

We are back from our Aussie holiday! The weather was fantastic, except for the first and last days when it rained. I can't complain when we had blue skies, cool weather and bright sunny days which made photo taking such a breeze! We ended up with 2188 photos and even though it was a hassle carrying the camera load around all the time, I had no regrets!

And I have a piece of good news which I had been bursting to share. I am now on the Design Team for my favourite LSS, Made With Love. I had been guesting for them in August and September and when Aida emailed me to be on their design team, I was over the moon! It's like a dream come true, designing for a LSS and my favourite too! So in order to celebrate, I will be doing a giveaway in my next post!

I managed to complete a layout in the midst of unpacking and doing our laundry from our trip. I used Webster Pages, latest Hollywood Vogue papers. They are my favourite line so far, so sweet and soft and yet still very glam and diva-like at the same time!

I cut up the die cut paper into two and layered them together with ribbons. I also misted the top half of the cardstock to create the soft pink tones. I then cut up the paper to create a floral frame around the photo, embellishing with Prima's Say it in Crystals. I also found a piece of felt amongst my craft materials and ran it through the Big Shot with Tim Holtz Alterations, Tattered Florals die to create those beautiful layered flowers! So pretty and versatile!

Close-Ups:

I am dozing off soon...do check back for more updates! Nites!

Asher's First Drawing

2010-10-11T18:08:00.000+08:00

Fresh from the oven, I just completed this layout in the morning! A very simple one done within 1 hour. This is a colored photocopy of Asher's first drawing of our family. I had to reduce it slightly as he drew on an A4 piece of paper. Time flies, I really had no idea when Asher started to learn how to draw these stick figures until he produced it to me!

I used the papers from Pink Paislee's School Days Collection and this dark green piece of paper was perfect for Asher's drawing printed on white paper. And Pink Paislee manufactured co-ordinating rub-ons, canvas border stickers, felt layered stickers, transparencies and lots of other co-ordinating embellishments. I almost went crazy picking out what I wanted! At every CHA event, the manufacturers just seem to outdo their previous products...and it keeps me wanting more and more! Bad for the wallet!

We will be taking a short trip to Gold Coast and Melbourne later in the week. I had big plans to do up a travel album before we leave so that I can come back and print out my favourite pics and attach in those receipts and tickets I love to keep from our trips but nothing done yet...So I guess that albumn has to wait because once we are back, I'll have to organise Adah's birthday party too!

Do check back ya...I'll try to post my layouts if I get any 'quickies' done over the next few days.

Start of a Journey

2010-10-09T10:00:00.000+08:00

That was Asher learning how to stand up with support and making weak attempts to walk with help. It is amazing how fast the kids grow from helpless babies to toddlers within a year. I love the stages from 10 months to 24 months. The kids are more expressive and passionate with their feelings, they argue lesser and you are still the center of their adoration!

I had used mainly products from My Mind's Eye, Lost and Found collection. So vintagy and 'glamourous' with all that glitter on their papers!I used Prima's new range of masks and randomly blended with distress inks all over to form the background to matt the photos of asher in, then layered the embellishments simply to get the final layout.

I also enjoyed painting and then sponging the Pink Paislee's flourish from Artisan Elements. I also added Tattered Angels Glimmer Glam in Copper Kettle to it to add some dimension. You can really see the 'glimmer' from an angle! Also used lots of rub-ons from 7 Gypsies here...
I'll be sharing a piece of good news very soon I hope!!! Can't wait to announce it and all I can hint at is, it' s like a dream come true...

My Little Soldier

2010-10-01T22:19:00.000+08:00

It's Crate Paper- Restoration goodness again! I love, love, love how versatile the papers from this range are and I finally found a series of vintage papers that are not too girly for using on my boy's layout! Just check out the splashes of red, blue and green on the layout that goes-oh-so-well together! I was even able to sneak in some flowers and doilies and yet the overall look was still acceptable...

I enjoyed layering the lace border stickers for a different look. First, I stuck on the two bottom most borders, allowing the second to overlap the first. Then I stuck on the red cardstock that I had intended to use to mat the photo. I intentionally rolled up the ends for extra dimension, then layered the two other yellow and orange borders on the red cardstock. I also cut out a strip of the red cardstock and inverted the other side over to stick on the top to form another layer.

Yummy...the patterns and colors in this range are just too versatile and pretty that I had a diffcult time choosing my favourites to use...

Some close-ups...

An extra tweet!

2010-09-29T10:14:00.000+08:00

I was featured over at Crate Paper's Feature Tuesday here! It's been encouraging especially when I have been feeling down and exhausted recently from all the drama at home and wondering if I can spend the time on my craft better on the kids or family. But then again, for a full- time, 24/7 stay- at- home mum, there is hardly any outlet, and little things like this feature and being selected for Banner of the Week at Websters really makes me happy and over the moon! ;-)

Sometimes I wonder why I spend so much on this craft, and then where do I store my increasingly layered and bulky layouts especially when I am really a minimalist. I hardly hoard anything. Most stuff are thrown out of the house once they are old, spoilt or if I cannot find a reason to recycle them and I usually make purchases out of needs than impulse. But scrapping just turns me into a shoppaholic! I cannot help swooning over every product out there and I start to have this bad habit of wanting to have the full set of everything I {heart}. Sighs...speaking of which I am already looking forward to thursday's new arrivals at MWL.

Ok...gotta get back to my cleaning and cooking and I think I'll do a small giveaway soon to share my joy and blessings! Check back...

Banner of the Week

2010-09-28T09:39:00.001+08:00

I know its a little early in the week and I have just updated my latest LO and I have no new ones to show yet but I just couldn't resist coming in here to give a little shout!

I have been featured over at Websters Pages Ning forum as Banner of the Week for my 'Lil Diva'layout below! Thank you! Thank you and thank you Websters n Dena! You have just made my day!

Lil Diva

2010-09-27T11:14:00.000+08:00

It's definitely not the first time I mention this... Websters Pages is my all time favorite, to-go-to for papers. I find it easy to layer and create shabby, garden scenes and most times, minimal embellishing is needed as the papers are so colorful and detailed already.

This layout is created using Websters Pages' new Hollywood range. When I read about the new arrivals on my LSS blog, my heart was palpitating at double speed. Finally, a chance to go on a shopping spree again! I made my way down really early because everytime Websters Pages hit the store, the popular ranges will be out of stock the same day!

I just had to find time over the weekend to dig through my new stash and start working on them straighaway! This layered scene was created with cut- outs from 3 sheets of paper and I matt the photos on the new vintage inspired netting. For extra dimension, I stuck on Prima's E-line crystals and pearls randomly on the flowers...I think dewdrops will do the trick too, adding some extra 'vivid-ness' to the flowers.

More close-ups on the layered embellishments, using bloomers and pins and some Tim Holtz film ribbon.

I do have a confession to make though...I hardly use Websters for my boy's layouts and Adah does have more layouts than Asher. I think it has to do with my preferred style, going flora and butterflies which in my opinion is too girly for boys, though I have seen some scrappers incorporating them into their boys' layouts. I must try to break out of this soon ;-)

Made with Love Guest DT- This is Me, 1 to 6

2010-09-22T10:32:00.001+08:00

Adah is turning 6 in November! It's amazing how time flies by as we plough through our daily routines. I always remember the moment she was born and the long nights of carrying a colicky, cranky, crying and tired baby up and down the corridor. She has indeed grown up a lot as I went through all the pictures of her in the past years.

Aida has prepared a kit for my Guest DT assignment over at Made With Love. Very sweet colors, browns and pinks and papers from American Crafts, Dear Lizzy- Enchanted Line. This was a big challenge for me as most of the papers were plain colored and the drama queen in me always go for patterned papers with lots of shabby layering!

But I wanted to have a layout charting Adah's growth over the years and actually, the papers I was assigned worked perfectly!And I had ideas brimming in my head in the past week but was distracted by the helper's issue. Anyhow, I am so glad that I got back to scrapping again and boy, was it difficult to get my mojo going again with all the drama and tiredness!Lol!

I started with misting my white cardstock with red colored glimmer mist but the photos and the flower cutouts did not show up very well against the misted background although I love the effect of it. That's when I came up with the idea of punching the sides of the papers with my Martha Stewart Doily Lace Punch and layering them so that the papers sort of 'blend' together with those I used for the grids.

I had masked parts of the brown cardstock so as to highlight the embossed dots on it. Also the main focus should be on Adah's latest picture, so it was highlighted with dimensional stickers and flower cut outs from the Enchanted line. Btw, Adah was wearing a T-shirt altered with Prima goodness in that pic! I left two grids without pics to embellish and as I was doing so, I thought how much my layout resembles a printers' tray.

Some close-ups of the embellies to share. I created that flower there with Maya Road's pleated ribbon, looks absolutely gorgeous, especially if its bigger and you flatten it out a little...

I am really really glad for the peace and 'normal-ity' back in our household. It may still be tiring as I have to juggle many hats at home albeit what many believed that stay home mums have the most relaxing job, but it helps to know that the Lord will not put me through any obstacle that He thinks is too tough for me to handle.

Terrible Week

2010-09-19T16:12:00.000+08:00

The week past was a terible week, nothing like what I would have expected. It started with us making a decision to get a helper from Indonesia to help us with the chores. Currently, I am managing ok with the kids on my own and the hubster also chips in to help occasionally when he's not too exhausted. I am happy and satisfied with the pace I am scrapping, 1 or 2 layouts a week. I am happy with the me-time I get while shopping and scrapping...it's not a lot but enough to keep me cheery! The kids are good and they often help out with hanging the laundry, simple tasks like putting away their toys and carrying their utensils to the sink for me to wash, bringing worn clothes to the pail or washing machine... I make these activities seem like fun for them and now, they are used to putting away stuff.

But when Adah starts primary school next year, we are uncertain of the new academic challenges she may face and I will like to spend more time with her. Also, she will be in the afternoon session and Asher in the morning. So we thought having a helper to relieve the chores will free up more time for me to spend with the kids, or so we thought...

5 days into bringing the helper home, she ran away while I sent the kids to school. As I picked her up just before the Hari Raya public holiday, I did not really start her on any chores except washing and ironing the laundry. We went out during the weekend and she was with us, so it came as a shock when I returned home on Tuesday morning after sending the kids to school to an empty, messy home and the helper gone.

I went to the police to lodge a report. She found my set of spare keys which I had forgotten about myself. There was a missing knife from the kitchen and she took off with unused bottles of toiletries, shower foam and all. Unlike what many would have thought, I did not scold her at all. I had been extremely patient and gentle with her. I am not a patient person by nature but with this helper, I was soft and willing to teach since I knew I was going to be home most times and she could always clear her doubts whenever she needed. I cooked for her since she said she could not cook and I handled all the meals for the family as well. So when she ran off, I could hardly understand what went wrong...There was a lot of frustration as being nice did not mean you get nice treatment or loyalty back from the helper and I felt betrayed in a way (although I dunno if betrayed is the right word to use since we hardly know each other in 5 days!) but the chaos she created for us and the anxiety was causing unnecessary stress.

She was found at the embassy. She claimed her husband had passed away. She did make a phone call home while she was with me but I do not understand advance Bahasa Indonesia. She will be returning home and we will not be getting another helper. It was too scary and we will just find some other way to cope. We do not need such disruption and stress in our lives and the children were not too comfortable with another helper too. They used to adore our ayi in China but just could not communicate with the Indon one.

The hubster and I had joked that we might try for number 3 if our helper was good but it looks like it may not materialise anymore. I have no layouts to share this week because we were thrown off balance. I spent the week cleaning and sanitising the house when I found ants and creepy crawlies where the helper slept. And the children and I tried to re-organise the house back to its original condition. Thank God she was with us for only 5 days!

What would you have done if you were me? Get another helper? If so, what are the criteria you will look out for? What are the options available?

Blessings From Above Album for Made With Love Guest DT Assignment

2010-09-12T23:23:00.001+08:00

Aida has requested a mini album for my Guest DT stint over at Made With Love and she has generously prepared a DCVW 8 x8 Mariposa paper kit for me, along with a Maya Road chipboard album. I had seen many other scrappers' works using the Mariposa range but strangely, I never had a chance to see the whole range of papers. Perhaps I was still in Shanghai back then and hardly had a chance to be so updated about scrapbooking porducts. But as I was looking through the papers, I was totally blown away by this range. It's timeless and classic. Butterflies and flowers are definitely here to stay. So I decided to make an album for a girly- girl galfriend of mine. Someone I had known for 20 years! Time really flies by and the memories of us cheering, 'sloggin' for our extra- curricular activities are still fresh in my mind.Lol...

There are 6 chipboard shapes in this album altogether, comprising of different lengths ending with scalloped and bracket edges. Thankfully, the first page did not pose much problems for me as I could use my Crop-a-dile for punching the little holes at the edge after I covered it with paper. Even as I chose out the album, I knew I wasn't going to cover the scalloped edges with paper and then painstakingly cut out the circles. This was too much work for a lazy and hassled stay home mum scrapper. So I painted Pages 3 and 5 with a turqoise color from Ranger Dabber Paint (Stream).

Almost immediately, I sprinkled my UTEE powder on the chipboard randomly and heated it over my cooker hob. (I was just too impatient to bring out my heat gun, and the length was good enough for me to hold over the small fire). To my delight, the UTEE powder took on a light lime green color as it was melting. After a while, I stopped the heating (Do not let the UTEE bubble over) and allowed it some time to cool. Still unsatisfied with the single color tone taken on by the UTEE, I brought out my distress inks in Broken China, Crushed Olive and Tattered Rose and randomly stamped over the entire embossed area and voila, nice marble-ly look. It doesn't look pretty at this stage withut embellishments but since I was adopting a Butterfly-Bird- Flower Theme, it will form part of the fauna background later on.

The rest of the pages as seen in the collage above are embellished with Prima flowers and butterflies, rub-ons, stamps and stickers, cut-outs from the papers and ribbons. Some of the flowers and embellishments were distressed with stickles for more dimension. I also painted on the chipboard bird, then covered it in clear cackle paint after it has dried and applied on some Tattered Angels glaze to emphasize the cracks. Pretty!

I had lots of fun creating this album and was able to experiment with my paints and distress inks and UTEE...a rare luxury as I rarely had time to scrap since I am a stay-home-mum and I got to do the cleaning on my own, I rarely did anything that might create a mess that I had to clean up after. Also it doesn't help when you have two curious monkeys watching you, preparing to imitate your work later on. But paints, inks and powder do add a different dimension to your projects and the textures are lovely. Do try it out! As for me, I have figured out a way. I kept a tall carton box where I do my painting and misting and embossing all my 'mess' is contained in there now! For sure, there will be more 'mess' in my future projects...

Happiness

2010-09-05T22:35:00.000+08:00

Happiness...is having you... I think the happiest day in the hubster's and my lives was the day our little girl was born. Meeting her for the first time, I remember the excitement and how much I was controlling to hold back my tears then as I held her for the first time. Time flies and she is now a rebellious six year old. She is still a mummy's girl, demanding for attention all the time. On many occasions, we had to discipline her and she must have felt very hurt and unloved then, not knowing that it pained us more to see her going in t he wrong ways...So that was why I created this layout, to remind her we love her a lot more than she thinks.

Lots of Crate Paper- Restoration here. This paper just makes me go soft and sigh everytime I hold the papers...And in the back of my head, I was already planning on another layout for Asher using what's left of the papers. I find this line so versatile and vintagy- pretty, and yet not in a sickly sweet way that I can use it on my boy too!

Close-Ups of the layering (P.S One of the basic rule of layouts that I have learnt is that you can use the triangle rule to balance out the embellishments!):

Posing for Once

2010-08-31T23:16:00.001+08:00

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.

2010-08-31T17:06:00.000+08:00

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

2010-08-28T18:01:00.000+08:00

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

2010-08-27T11:05:00.000+08:00

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

2010-08-16T16:56:00.000+08:00

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

2010-08-16T08:21:00.000+08:00

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

2010-08-14T21:21:00.000+08:00

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

2010-08-08T17:35:00.000+08:00

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

2010-08-08T00:55:00.001+08:00

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

2010-08-01T09:58:00.000+08:00

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.

Smile

2010-07-24T09:55:00.000+08:00

Managed to complete these 2 layouts over the psat 2 weeks. I am still figuring out how best to edit my photos. If I use Adobe Photoshop, the colors turn out really extreme dark/bright and retro looking and I am not sure how to change that. So I am back to using Picasa for convenience and quick uploading and hopefully more frequent blogging....

'My Little Star'using the new Basic Grey Oliver Lace Cardstock. The colors matches Asher's dark blue sweater perfectly. I dun think I will see him in such pullovers for a long time. This was taken in winter in Shanghai just before our return.

'Smile' using lots of Websters. I have been hoarding my papers from Websters pages for a long time and I really need to use them out. I have been checking out the new CHA sneak peeks and there are quite a number of paper lines I would like to have...so I have to clear out my stash quickly!!! This picture just makes me smile whenever I look at it. There is rarely such moments of peace and co-operation from the kids these days. But whenever I see this pic, I just feel good and blessed for these two monsters, so this layout is hanging on my wall now, to remind me to remember their cuteness and not their monsterous behaviour!

Pregnancy Journal

2010-07-23T16:26:00.000+08:00

I am bursting with excitement over a piece of good news but since the blessed couple does not want to share yet, I'll keep it a secret. But this pregnancy journal is a gift for them and its really pretty, the way it turned out. I am quite happy with all the internal pages except the front. Just dun like the brown color and I dunno why I chose it in the first place....

My favourite page is the one that says '9 months' with the bright red birds perched on the prima lace...Anyhow, I am now able to do a layout or a small project once a week, so I am quite happy about it. It takes me a week cos' I can only complete in small parts. I usually start crafting in the nights after clearing the housework and putting the kids to bed. By the time I am showered and ready to start, I am exhausted and too un-inspired. Scrapbooking will always remain a favourite activity but I have to remember that I have other priorities before that. Being too tired doesn't make me a nice mum and I dun want my kids to remember me as the grouchy, naggy tired mum.

Thick n Thin

2010-06-29T22:54:00.000+08:00

I have finally completed the album for the kids! Am very happy n satisfied with the overall results, even though it was mainly just putting together embellishments since the Melissa Frances chipboard album already has very pretty background images. I wanted something to record the children's friendship and dependence on each other for companionship and support and this young age!

The Cover.

The Last Page. Love the transparency there from Fancy Pants.

The inside pages...

I am ready to customise albums or handmade projects if anyone is keen on my works. Just e-mail me at adeline_lal[at]yahoo.com, and I will respond promptly!

Randomness

2010-06-19T21:57:00.000+08:00

Have not been up to any layouts last week. I attended Irene Tan's class at my local LSS last sunday. It was definitely exciting and fun! I was looking forward to the me-time away from chores and kids and learning some new techniques and the session definitely did not fail me. However, I must say that my actions and movements feel like the oldest in class even though I am sure I am one of the youngest! Sighs....Need to attend more of these classes to brush up my skills...Anyhow, I have managed to complete the album and here's how it looked like. I love it! Thanks to Irene for her teaching and sharing.

Also am in the midst of doing an album just on the kids alone. It's not yet completed but here's the front cover of it, and I'll share the inner pages once its completed...

I ran into Leena at the course last Sunday. She is so encouraging and so I am inspired to just take random shots and practice my photography...So here goes, the stack of clothes I have to iron and fold daily! LOLs! See u around again soon...Enjoy what's left of the weekend!

Backdated works

2010-06-02T23:29:00.000+08:00

I have not been idle...just that I hardly have time to be on the PC. ALso, I make a conscious effort now to switch on the PC only when I need it and not leave it on or in idle mode when not in use. It does make a difference now that we are back to paying for electricity and water on our own. And I dun remember Singapore being so hot previously, so we have decided to make a consious effort to conserve energy.

Some layouts I have been up to. Siblings inspired for MWL's challenge in April hosted by Leena. She is one talented lady with an eye for beauty and is an extremely creative scrapper and photographer. Speaking of which, she has just started her own photoblog too. Hop over for a look...this lady inspires!

And I dunno wats with the photo editing software on my laptop but the colors came out all weird and bright. Guess I will have to re-learn how to adjust them...can someone help me on this? Anyhow, back to the layout, its one of my favourites among those I have completed recently and its now framed up on the wall.

Another one on the kiddos, using my favourite papers from Websters. I really love my DSLR and finally I get a chance to dabble with photography, another one of my underlying wishes since college days. So I do try to take more photos of the kids to practise, but am still stuck with playing around the basics! Sighs...wish there's 48 hours in a day.

I made the banner for this which bore the tittle of my layout, Love. I likey! So bright and cheerful and a change from the cutting and romantic, vintagey chic look on my layouts, using my leftover papers from MME.

Goodbye Shanghai, Hello Singapore! A layout to remember the big day when we are finally heading back home. Looking back, I do have mixed feelings about this country which we have lived in for 3 years. The lifestyle is more relaxed and being away from family and friends, we have less interference in our lives too. I get really stressed when people start asking me where do we plan to send Adah to for primary school, whether she is ready, etc etc...Sometimes, I wish the kids will be stuck at this adorable age and not grow up!

Signficant- to mark Adah's 1 year old. She was such a diffcult and persistent baby that sometimes I wonder how I survived her infant days. But day after day, she grew and she finally turned one and seriously, no matter how diffcult your child is, a mother's love is still unconditional. (Even though, sometimes I think the kids dun think so when their mum is always screaming her head off at them!)

The first time you called mama. Again, another one of Adah's milestones. So I am finally catching up on Adah's first year album...That leaves Asher's to be done and considering the amount of photos I took of them...there are so much to be scrapped. Sometimes I look at the video clips we took of them back then and regret not taking more, as I really have forgotten how they were like back then already...

Hip hip Hooray!

2010-05-04T22:41:00.001+08:00

I was chosen as the featured designer over at Your Scrapbook Stash in the month of April. Every month the design team will vote from the contributors to their gallery and choose one to be the featured designer! Woo hoo!!! I am elated that my works are appreciated by such a talented team of girls, given that I haven't had much time to scrap recently.

Some days, I am so exhasuted and in the little bit of free time I have, I whip out my stash and I stare at them, mojo-less and sometimes disheartened at why I spend so much for a hobby that now I find no meaning in. Then on a good day when I can finally complete a layout, I feel so happy looking at the completed work and can't help feeling de-stressed and comforted that I have another piece to add to the scrapbook albums I intend to leave behind for the kids! Thus is the love-hate relationship I have with this hobby! LOL! And I know I have been so behind in my blogging that the few who do opo by are probably not here now! Nonetheless, I am going to pick myself up and re-start my scrapping and blogging. After an outburst at the kids, which left me guilty and the kids nonchalant, I have decided that I do need that small amount of time to myself, so hope to have more to share soon!

Flowers

2010-04-01T22:57:00.000+08:00

Flowers...flowers and more flowers...

The best part of coming back to Singapore is the local scrapbook store is so accessible now! That spells bad news for my wallet though ;-) So I have been to the LSS like 3 out of 5 weeks that I have been back and loaded up on lots of new Prima goodness.

It's also more difficult to find time to scrap now. I have to constantly remind myself that the kids and family are my biggest priority now, so I'd rather spend my free time with the kids while they are awake and around. Adah spends a full day at childcare because the lessons for K2 have been spread over the day, so there are no half days for K2 and I hardly get to spend time with her...

Anyhow, I managed to squeeze out these 2 layouts using my new buys! Primas, Websters, G45 papers and GCD studios...very vintage and they just go so well together...

This is Adah and the layout was inspired by Emeline's challenge over at MWL forum. She is getting tp be such a big girl now! And will be attending primary school next year! I totally adore this die-cut from Websters and I love how the orangy tones match Adah's top. The chipboard bird is from GCD studios and I had painted it over with cackle paint for a more textured look. And the butterflies from GCD are totally gorgeous and realistic too...

That's my boy, Asher...Lots of prima goodness on this layout too. I specially picked up some flowers in greens and blues for boys' layout. I thought butterflies were too girlish so I replaced them with birds instead! Used up my G45 papers from last year. I had to resist buying the new papers launched at CHA so that I can clear my existing stash and be more environmental friendly!

This layout was inspired by the sketch over at Pencillines. I now go for ready sketches to speed up my scrapping...hopefully we can settle in to our new routines soon and I can find some time if I am not too exhausted chasing after the kids and doing housework!

So we are back...

2010-03-24T21:53:00.000+08:00

Yes....we are back in Singapore and I'm blogging this from the comfort of my own home finally. It has been crazy trying to get the kids adjusted back to Singapore's weather and environment, moving into our house, unpacking 112 boxes delivered from Shanghai, etc etc...Sadly, Adah is dropping her cute accent of American English/ Singlish and Asher is refusing to speak chinese now!

Anyhows, just to share some layouts that I managed to get done in our last days in Shanghai. I managed to do another few since moving back but they hardly impressed me. I am feeling totally hot and bothered and mojo-less these days...

1) A Boy's Life (trying out some techniques learnt at Lee Nah's class, totally cool! She is one talented photographer and scrapper!)

2) Explore (Vintagy/ Retro attempt, I like trying different looks...yet to determine what is really my style but I like changes so I think I will change once I get too comfortable with one)

3) Diva and Shine (Adah's final christmas concert with Fortune Kindergarten. How cute she looked in that black ballet costume)

4) Three ( Again full of Prima's and Websters Goodness'. I have stocked up so much of Websters Pages that I got to quickly use them up before new stuff is out again!)

Goodbye Shanghai

2010-02-04T21:52:00.000+08:00

Well, we received news of a job posting for the hubster back in Singapore around christmas. At first, I disbelieved that it was really happening but it was true and the packers came by to pack and ship away all the stuff yesterday. I am really thankful to God for His providence and its amazing how He never fails to be there when we most needed him. So we are moving back to Singapore in abotu 2 weeks' time and I am sure I will be a regular at the local SB stores now!

This layout is for Made with Love- Sketch Challenge #2. I actually won Sketch Challenge #1 for my layout 'Making Waves'...WOO HOO!!! I was really delighted how scrappin has worked out for me. There were several DT calls that I was interested in but I resisted. With the move back to Singapore, I foresee I will be busy before with packing, after with unpacking and settling into a new lifestyle without a helper and fitting the two monsters in too. Scrapping is my hobby, something that belongs to me, helps me to de-stress and makes me happy, but as a wife and mum, I have other more important priorities and I must always remember that.

I managed to capture this shot with my new toy! A Canon 500D which the hubster bought for me for my birthday!!! So that was a moment of tenderness and warmth captured on eternity, and scrapped using Websters Pages...

And this is my 'Making Waves' layout which won me Sketch Challenge #1. My little boy has grown up so much now. I have been doing so many layouts for Adah that I feel so bad about not adding to Asher's album. I actually completed this in a night and am really over the moon that the DT members picked mine as the winning layout! There were so many talented entries too.

Scrap Inspire Create January/ February Challenges

2010-02-04T21:20:00.000+08:00

I am sorry that it has been a long time since I shared any of my works here. I have some news that I will sharing in my next post. But for those who still come by, I am still around, alive and kicking!!! I used to hate it when bloggers I regularly stalk do not update their blogs. I would think it irresposible that they have readers and do not bother to update on a regular basis, and now I have been missing in action for almost 2 months! My apologies again and now I do understand that life's circumstances can take us away from these tasks...

Back to the SIC challenges. For January, we were asked to draw inspiration from a magazine cover, and this is my take on it. I had to stare at the mag cover for a long time before inspo struck but once it did, the ideas definitely came flowing. Now I keep reminding myself to keep my eyes and mind open to things around me for inspiration.

A layout of me and hubby at some beach off Tanah Merah. The title is 'Man. Wife' and I actually use a bible verse, Genesis 2: 24 for my journalling and built it around the title. Love this to bits! Papers were all from Scarlet Lime kit from last year!

For February, I set the challenge for it and will be sponsoring a RAK! The challenge is to scrap a moment that touches you most and you must use either one of the following color combinations:
1) Blue and Brown
2) Pink and Brown
3) Black and Red
4) Blue and Silver

That is my little boy at 19 months old. He never fails to tug at my heartsrings with his gentle ways and the words he say. He is getting really cheeky these days but he still has that sensitivity beyond his years. He just has the ability to melt many aunties' and teachers' hearts and so I titled the layout- Such a Ladies' Charmer.

Blessed Christmas

2009-12-24T10:37:00.000+08:00

Blessed Christmas to all!!!

May we all have an enjoyable time, stuffing our stomachs, dieting and getting ready for the new year!

Scrap Inspire Create December Challenge

2009-12-06T21:27:00.000+08:00

FOR MY CHILDREN

For my children,
Whose hands are still so small,
They fit into mine to rely, and to hold so tight.

One day, you both will grow so tall,
And I will wonder if my job has been done right?
You will eventually reach out for the sky,
May you shine like the stars in the night.

Soon you will hold another hand,
Then embark on your new lives.
Soon you will also have small fingers to guide,
You will then realise what it's like.
The happiness and discouragement,
That comes with undconditional love;
Because of these blessings from above.

Will you then be back,
To clasp the wrinkled hands,
Filled with lines and crease
But once held yours with ease?

Written by Me (AAMummy), for the two children who have put me through so much tests, self examination and self doubt, yet there's no way my love for them will waver; and perhaps that's why there is also so much hurt and disappointment somtimes.

Canvas Art

2009-12-04T12:59:00.000+08:00

What have I been up to recently??? Rushing, rushing, rushing through the christmas pressies that I am supposed to make for family and friends before we leave for Singapore next Sunday morning. That is a total of 11 altered frames for the children's teachers and friends, 23 altered albums and 2 canvases. Then, there's the family gifts which I have yet to start on...sighs...I'm in trouble. Looks like there's no way I might be able to complete everything on time unless there are 48 hours in a day. And I think I have rushed through the pieces that I think I might just puke if there's another frame in sight for alteration! Has anyone felt that way before? Morale of the story: Might as well just start your hand made christmas pressies from the beginning of the year! 2 a month will be just nice in timing...Lols.

First Canvas I ever done. It's for LF. Our friendship goes back 19 years. OMG! It's been that long??? Well, the pics show her baby girl on her first year old birthday. I had to get a 40x30 cm canvas to accomodate so many photos. Hope she likes it. I like that rich pink color. I mixed that from poster paint. Only problem is I didn't seal the paint in, so there had better be no spills on the canvas.

Celebrate ONE

Second canvas for a girlfriend I met in Shanghai. She is also Singaporean and turned out to be the hubster's ex- uni classmate! What a small world? Anyway, I called it 'Ladies of the House' cos her mum is living with her to help take care of her 2 little gals. I like this canvas better though it turned out quite differently from the original concept I had in mind. I mixed the blue from poster paint but added gesso to seal in the colors. I like how 'arty' the gesso made the canvas background look. Wat a saver!

Ladies of the House

Pink Sketches #56

2009-11-29T22:12:00.000+08:00

This week's sketch over at Pink Sketches is a card sketch. iwas so versatile and I was so inspired that I came up with 2 cards. The first was the one that I originally submitted to Kelli for the DT's take and then later on in the night, I was just inspired to make another simple card and practise some coloring. I haven't been making cards for a looonnnggg time! To think that I used to plan to alternate a completed layout/ project with a card before I start on a new layout!

Decoupaged the christmas wreath there...the hubster brought it back for me from London. I went on a crazy online shopping spree for these craft materials and made him lug it back for me. This has to be my reward for handling his two monsters on my own for almost 2 weeks right?

The second simpler card but with the equally cute stamped image from Sugar Nellie. This range of stamps from them are really cute and somewat vintage...

Try out the sketch...It's still not too late to complete those christmas cards, I'm also rushing through my christmas pressies before we head back to Singapore for the hols this year. Yay!!! Some christmas cheer to look forward to.

Websters' Goodness

2009-11-29T20:17:00.000+08:00

Have I ever mentioned how much I like Webster's Pages? They really revamped the whole look of paper and their new ranges of paper just gets better...Below are some of the projects I made for their recent 12 Days of Christmas Online Crop. Just check out their gallery and you will be so amazed at the amount of talent out there. I am embarassed to even post sometimes but *shrugs* usually I cannot resist after so much work on the papers and I can't wait to hear feedback from other Websters scrappers and learn from them as well!

1) Daddy's Gal (Inspired by Wendy who shared on how to 'water n pleat' to distress the paper)
This wasn't an exact take on the challenge. Wendy shared on how to make a photo frame with their paper by first dipping it into water and then pleating it to form a frame around a corrugated cardboard. I was inspired by Wendy's gungho-ness in distressing the papers and how much textures the end result presents, so I crumpled my vellum from their Nature's Storybook range and mounted on a cream cardstock for background. I was so in love with the textures and the end look I achieved by further distressing with chalk ink and tearing!

Some Close-ups

2) 3 in 1 Project
Terri shared how she used one Webster's Pages paper and came up with 2 layouts and a card. The kids fell sick and I was running short of time to complete this project, otherwise I think I have enought leftover to scrap another layout. Anyhows, I managed to complete these over the late nights monitoring the children's temperatures. Lols!

1st Layout- Adore
The first wedding picture that I scrapped. This has to be our favorite shot where both of us look good together. I used only 2 papers from the Postcard from Paris range for all 3 of my projects! Wowweee, lots of $$$ savings here and I can use the rest to scrap Adah's flower girl pictures later on! Love the red roses in the layout, really matches that red and pink wedding dinner gown I wore.

Close- ups

2nd Layout- A Beautiful Life
I used the wordings on the paper as the tittle and used the Prima crystals to draw attention to it, and the aeroplane in the photo. Loved this shot even though you can't see our faces! (Maybe dats why that photo is so nice...hahaha!) Lots of cut-outs here also and I am so in love with the blues and reds in this range. Just eye-catching...

Close-ups

3rd- ATC Card
Made this cute little card from the leftovers...This always happen to me when using Websters. I lap up almost every flower or detail on their paper. Just pains me too much to even discard one tiny bit of their paper. Too pretty to go into the bin...

And my 1st layout "Adore" was Layout of the Week #55 over at Made With Love.*grins* Thank you for choosing me!

Scrappy Mum of Two

From 2 to 3

A Review of 2011

Goodbye 2011 Hello 2012

Christmas came early!

Boys will be Boys

Waiting for Christmas!!!

Made With Love DT Assignment - Take That Step

Baby Girl Album

Believe

9 Months

Hold On

Down and out

Teachers' Day Gifts

Class Sneaks For September 2011

Mama's Little Boy

August Challenge at Made With Love

Happy National Day Singapore

We Saw Mickey!

One For You, One For Me

So Fun!

Crate Paper - Emma Collection

Crate Paper- Toy Story Collection

Beauty

I am featured over at Websters Pages!

Class Sneaks for June/ July Class at Made With Love

Websters Pages

Fun Memories- For Made With Love

Layout for MapleTreehouse

Laughter

***Warning*** Long post with lots of pictures.

Pink Paislee- Daily Junque / The World is Yours to CREATE

Using up old stash- My Little Shoebox

Crate Paper

Made With Love DT Crop- Maya Road Apple Chipboard Album

Mist, Misting & Mistables!

Call me Buzz Lightyear

More Butterflies?

Boys will be Boys

Banner of the Week at Websters Pages!

I have been featured!

Just Be (Who You Are)

It is in You - Prima's March BAP

7G Printer's Tray for Baby Danielle

So Much Fun for Made With Love

Sneaks for My First Class at Made With Love

Moments Like These

Simple is the new chic!

Wedding Canvas

And Baby Makes 3- Mini Album

Growing Up

Miss U So So Much for Made With Love

Once Upon A SpringTime

Goodbye 2010! Hello 2011!!!

A Little Mention

'Memories of You' Canvas for Made With Love's DT Assignment

Lil Big Boy using Pencil Lines Sketch #216

RAK and a new blog page!

My Princess

Inspired Blueprints Sketch #60- Baby No More

Experiencing Spring and RAK winner

Enjoy using Creative Scrappers Sketch #129

2 new layouts for Made With Love

A little tweet!

A new layout and a giveaway!

Extremely GOOD News and a layout!

Asher's First Drawing

Start of a Journey

My Little Soldier

An extra tweet!

Banner of the Week

Lil Diva

Made with Love Guest DT- This is Me, 1 to 6

Terrible Week

Blessings From Above Album for Made With Love Guest DT Assignment

Happiness

Posing for Once

I will always hold you.

Journey

YOU

Warning Long post with lots of pictures.