Sweet As Sugar

I instantly fell in love with Basic Grey's Sugar Rush Line. I love the range of colors that are not too bright but still evoke a very happy and warm feeling. I think I am getting better at using BG products. I was able to complete the following projects in one sitting. Yay!

I have this photo of Ariel which I took using my lensbaby. I loved it and wanted to scrap it so badly. And then I have this paper, Cinnamon Bear, which I fell in love with and wanted to use the moment I saw it. Both are a bit busy so I had to find a way to make it work. I decided to mat the photo with Jelly Beans paper (I used the back) to make it stand out against the busy background. I distressed the edges of the paper with chalk ink to define it against the busy backdrop. And because the base paper has such gorgeous colors that I want to show, I opted for a simple layout with a lot of white space.

To avoid cluttering the page, I opted for hidden journaling which I inserted behind the photo.

I used the matching Sticker Elements to embellish the page. I used the tree branch horizontally as a perch for the bird instead of vertically, which I thought was very clever. LOL! I used foam adhesive on the bird and some parts of the branch for dimension. The title was from the Mini Monograms of the same line.

I added a few more elements on the upper left portion of the page to balance the grouping of elements on the lower right portion. Here, I used foam adhesive on one heart to add dimension. The red pearls add touch of elegance and texture.

For this next layout, I used Candy Hearts as base. I thought it brings out the greens in the photo. I brought out my cardstock (Bazzil) stash and found one that I can use for this layout. I then cut out a strip from the Jelly Beans paper, and some patterns from Peanut Brittle paper. I arranged the cut out patterns on the cardstock, right side down, and sprayed the cardstock with Shimmerz - Bamboo Leaf.

I also decided on a hidden journaling since the page is already very busy. I added a bit of Diamond Glaze on the heart at the center of the flower for a bit of dimension. It's not that visible in the photo but it's there.

I also added Diamond Glaze on the circle with heart to make it look like an epoxy sticker (again, not that visible in this photo). The bird was adhered using foam tape. I thought the die cut sticker that says "today is: absolutely perfect" just captures how I felt at the time the photo was taken.

I also cut out a pattern from Bottle Caps paper. After starting on one pattern, I realized it's too hard! It's that plant at the lower left side of the photo. But since I've already started cutting, I decided to just finish one. So there it is! The butterfly was cut using Slice.

The sparkly stuff are mica flakes. My favorite element here is THE TURTLE! Isn't it the cutest?
I used white Thickers for the title which I painted a bit with Antique Lace Shimmerz which I absolutely love (photo is horrible though), and topped with a bit of mica flakes.

After the layouts, I decided to use the leftover scraps for cards. I made two 5x7 cards from the scraps. The paper here is Bottle Caps - I used both sides! I cut one piece which is slightly smaller than the base card, and another one that is even smaller. I just layered the papers on the card and embellished with Rub Ons and a stamped butterfly which I colored with a marker. I used red pearls to embellish the card.

I used foam adhesive on the butterfly wings to add dimension.

This one has the same basic design, using both sides of Peanut Brittle paper. I stamped the sentiment on a strip of paper and perched the owl on it. I used googly eyes (is that what they are called?) on the stamped image to make it more fun. I gave this card to a colleague who recently lost her sister in a tragic fire and my note was a bit serious so the cute and fun owl sort of lightens the mood of the card.

I also adhered the owl using foam adhesive to make it three-dimensional.

I really enjoyed making the layouts and cards! I was so inspired by the papers and I found it easy to use them on my projects.

Basic Grey Sugar Rush line and Shimmerz are now available at My Little Attic. I was told only a few items are left so better hurry and get some before they are gone.

Thanks for looking!

So Blessed

The photo is the inspiration for this layout. It was a candid shot of myself and Ariel taken by my friend and fellow scrapper Karen. This was taken during last year's Hot Air Balloon Festival. It was indeed a blessing to be able to enjoy the festival with good friends.

I used June Bug papers for this layout. I think I'm getting used to the bright colors and bold patterns. Don't you just love the colors on the base paper? It looks like a painting. It's colorful, but not loud. It's very soft and feminine.


I did some hand cutting on this page. I used foam adhesives on some of the cut outs to add dimension to the page.

I also used Rock Candy Stickles on the flower cut outs and chipboard hearts to add shine and texture.

Here's another close look at the details.

Materials: Cardstock - Bazzil Basics; Patterned Paper – Basic Grey June Bug (Corsage, Crazy Quilt, Park Bench); Chipboard Stickers – Chatterbox; Others – Rock Candy Stickles, Chalk Ink, Floss

How to:

1. Mat photo on white cardstock. Apply chalk ink that matches the photo.
2. Cut a 4” x 12” strip from Crazy Quilt Paper. Adhere photo on the lower portion of the paper.
3. Apply adhesive along the top and bottom edges of the strip of Crazy Quilt paper and along the right edge of photo. Adhere on a sheet of Corsage paper (I used the back).
4. Cut patterns from the Park Bench paper. Insert along the edges of the Crazy Quilt strip, using foam adhesive on some cut-outs to add dimension.
5. Apply stickles on some of the flower cut-outs.
6. Adhere the title.
7. Embellish the page with chipboard stickers. Thread floss through the chipboard buttons for texture and dimension.

Basic Grey papers are available at My Little Attic. A little birdie told me that awesome stuffs are coming soon, so check the MLA site often for new surprises.

Thanks for looking!

Baguio 2006: A Mini Album

I recently discovered our photos from our Baguio trip in 2006. I just have to scrap them - I was 20lbs lighter then! Anyway, I thought it would be the album to use the Wisteria papers in. So here it is.

Cover: Album - Basic Grey Tabbed Chocolate Chip Album, Wisteria Papers (Cornflower, Jardin, French Topiary), Chipboard – Bazzil Chips, Paint – Making Memories, Alpha Stickers – Making Memories, Bling – BG Bling it on and Prima

Here I painted the cover with green acrylic paint. I punched lots of butterflies and you'll see more inside the album. The title was cut using the Slice.

A close up on the beaded embellishment. I actually made this butterfly during that Baguio Trip so I thought it would be good to use it in the album.


Page 1: Wisteria Paper (Cornflower), Chipboard – Wisteria Chip Sticker Shapes, Cardstock – Bazzil

I typed the journaling on cardstock and highlighted some words by using a different font from the rest of the text and making them bigger.

Page 2: Wisterial Papers (Jardin, Cornflower), Bling – BG Bling it On, Cardstock – Bazzil

I typed the journaling again and highlighted some words. This is one of my favorite photos in the set. Ariel took a photo of me while I was beading - the butterfly on the cover was one of the embellishments I made that time.

I cut the flower from some of the scraps, colored a portion of it and added bling on the center.

Page 3: Wisteria Paper (Cornflower), Chipboard – Bazzil Chips, Cardstock – Bazzil, Others – Paint, Shimmer Mist, Liquid Pearls

The journaling on the right side was printed just like in the previous pages. The strips of words on the left were stamped on cardstock. The crown and flourish were done by using a rub-on adhesive and rubbing gold foil on the pattern. I painted the base green just like the cover of the album.

Page 4: Wisteria Paper (French Topiary), Chipboard – Bazzil Chips, Cardstock – Bazzil, Others – Paint, Ink, Perfect Pearls

This is definitely my favorite photo in the set. Journaling was handwritten on this page. The flower and flourish chipboards were painted using paint dabbers. Then I stamped on the flower using a glue pad after which I dusted perfect pearls to bring out the stamped image.

Page 5: Wisteria Paper (White Dynasty), Chipboard – Bazzil Chips, Cardstock – Bazzil, Others – Paint, Stickles, Alpha Stickers

This is a very simple page. I simply used stickers for the journaling. I just did a bit of cutting - the flowers were cut from scraps of the same paper and then I layered them on top of the flower patterns.

Page 6: Wisteria Paper (Garden Patio), Chipboard – Wisteria Chip Sticker Shapes, Others – Vellum

I printed the journaling again but this time on vellum so that the pattern behind still shows through. Then I just embellished with chipboards. It's not obvious in the photo but the flower center was dotted with Stickles.

Page 7: Wisteria Papers (Stone Wall, Garden Patio), Chipboard – Wisteria Chip Sticker Shapes, Bling – BG Bling It On

More butterflies and bling on this page. No special techniques here.

This is actually the "negative" from a butterfly chipboard (you'll see it on the last page) which I adhered on a piece of patterned paper.

Page 8: Wisteria Paper (White Dynasty), Bling – BG Bling It On

The lovely rub-on on the right side of the page is actually BG Bling It On which I absolutely fell in love with. I thought the rub-on and bling combo adds a nice touch to the page.

It adds a bit of sparkle, texture and dimension on the page. It's also very easy to use.

Page 9: Wisteria Paper (Stone Wall), Chipboard – Wisteria Chip Sticker Shapes, Bling – BG Bling It On

There's the butterfly chipboard! Can you see another Bling It On on the page? I scattered the rub-ons and bling across the page.

Here's the full album again.

All the Basic Grey products featured here are available at My Little Attic.

Thanks for looking!

More Basic Grey Marrakech Projects

Did you know that My Little Attic is one of the first, if not THE first, local store to bring Basic Grey to the Philippine shores? I fell in love with BG when I first started scrapping and soon I began hoarding the papers. Lily Kate was among my all time favorite lines. I still have a few papers left from my hoard (I used to buy 2 of each sheet!). I also still have Motifica and Skate Shop papers from my first few purchases. Now, I'm happy to be using some of Basic Grey's newer lines. One of these is the Marrakech line. I've already shared some projects at the MLA blog and also a few posts back in this blog (see it here and here). Here are a few more projects I created using the papers and chipboards of Marrakech.

First off is a 12 x 12 layout called East Mebon. I used a photo taken during our trip to Cambodia. When I saw the Darjeelings paper, I knew right away which photo I would use.


I stamped the journaling block and added hand-written journaling.

That photo corner is actually a chipboard covered with cardstock and stamped on.

Here are the materials used for this layout:
Patterned Papers – Basic Grey Marakech (Darjeelings, Honeybush, Elderflower), Cardstock – Bazzil, Chipboards – Basic Grey Marakech and Bazzil Chips

And here's how I made it:

• Ink edges of cardstock using chalk ink.
• Cut an 11” strip from Honeybush paper. Ink edges.
• Cut an 11 ¾” strip from Elderflower paper. Ink edges.
• Cut pattern from Darjeelings paper. Ink edges.
• Assemble and adhere the strips of paper on the cardstock.
• Stamp journaling block on green cardstock.
• Cover corner chipboard with green cardstock. Cut to shape. Stamp flourish on the covered chipboard.
• Adhere journaling block, photo and chipboards.
• Adhere title.
• Write journaling.

The next layout is called Ocean Adventure. The photo was taken while dolphin watching in Dumaguete. While the papers are not those typically used for summer or beach layouts, I decided to give it a try since the colors match my and Ariel's shirts.


I added sparkle, dimension and texture using Stickles.

I also used stickles on the flower centers. And as always, I did a bot of stamping on my page.

Here are the materials I used for this layout:
Patterned Papers – Basic Grey Marakech (Elderflower, Masala Bella, Honeybush), Cardstock – Bazzil (red), Chipboards – Basic Grey Marakech, Stickles

And here's how I made it:

• Distress edges of red cardstock with dye ink.
• Cut Honeybush paper into 7.5 x 12 and distress with dye ink.
• Cut flower patterns from Masala Bella paper. Distress edges with dye ink.
• Adhere photo at an angle on the top portion of the red cardstock.
• Adhere patterns cut from the Masala Bella paper as well as chipboards on both sides of the photo.
• Adhere the Honeybush paper on the bottom portion of the layout, overlapping on a portion of the photo.
• Cut a strip of Elderflower cardstock and distress edges with ink. Adhere on top of the Honeybush paper leaving a small margin above.
• Cut the title from the Masala Bella paper using Slice. Distress with ink to darken and increase contrast. Adhere on the layout.
• Stamp a journaling block on the patterned paper using dye ink. Write the journaling.
• Apply dots using Stickles on flower centers and across the Elderflower strip.

Finally, I made a card using scraps of paper leftover from the layouts.


My favorite element in the card is the butterfly that was stamped and embossed on vellum.

Here are the materials used for this card:
Materials: Card, Patterned Papers – Basic Grey Marakech (Vanilla Chai, Calming Moon), Ribbon – Basic Grey, RubOns – Autumn Leaves

And here's how I made the card:

• Cut a 2 x 7 strip from Vanilla Chai paper. Distress with dye ink and adhere to bottom of card.
• Punch a design along the border of the Calming Moon paper. Cut into 2 strips of 1 x 7 and .5 x 7. Distress the strips with dye ink. Adhere the wider strip on top of the Vanilla Chai paper and the narrower strip on the topmost portion of the card.
• Stamp a butterfly image using pigment ink on the card.
• Stamp flourish patterns on the card using Glue Pad and dust with Perfect Pearls.
• Stamp another butterfly using embossing ink on a piece of vellum. Pour copper embossing powder on the stamped image and heat until the powder has been embossed. Cut along the pattern and fold wings. Adhere the body using dimensional adhesive directly on top of the other butterfly image.
• Apply greeting RubOns on the card.
• Adhere ribbon on the card.

There you have it. Basic Grey products are available at My Little Attic.

Thanks for looking!

Scrapping my fave photo

When I got the Studio Calico July kit "Documentary", I knew I will use it to scrap my favorite photo. I just love the colors, the patterns and it's great for a travel photo. So I printed my photo a bit larger than usual - 5x7 - so it will be a strong focal point.

This photo was taken in PreRup, one of the temples in the Angkor region of Cambodia. It was already our third day and we have become more comfortable with our guide Sophal so we were game for some cheesy shots. I love the texture of the wall behind us and I love that we were looking at each other. I experimented a bit with some actions and I love how it turned out.

I used a light blue cardstock - I thought it matches our jeans. I distressed the edges of all papers with ink so they don't look flat.

For the flowers, I inserted some foam adhesives under the petals. Then I adhered the center and the petal tips on the paper.

I just love the stamp that came with the kit. I also love those perforated tickets. I made a little ATC here which I used to embellish the page. The camera and the stamp stamp (get it?) emphasized the travel theme. The little ticket I used on the ATC was sprayed with water, crumpled, straightened out and inked.

I also distressed the flowers with ink. I added a few more stamping (from October afternoon) and more perforated tickets. Can you see the fabrips across the paper just below the photo? I love the fab rips!

Thanks for looking!

Fabric Album Masterpiece (Warning: Lots of Photos)

Finally, after several weekends of getting my hands dirty, I completed my fabric album. I started this when I attended the class at Visual Creations. Thanks to Mitch, Cabbie and Iris for teaching us the techniques and for inspiring us with their lovely creations. Without further ado, I present my masterpiece (drumroll please)...


I used more techniques in this album than any other scrapbooking project I've made. Here you will see that I stamped some words and a bird image (October Afternoon). The cluster of flowers at the left is a Rub-On from October Afternoon. I love it. It adheres very easily on fabric.

Here I stamped words again. The felt thingy below is from Prima.

More stamping on top of the cover - the stamp is from the Build a Frame set of Prima.

Here's the whole album cover. The album came in plain canvas. I first primed it with Gesso. I discovered that the best way to do it evenly is by using a palette knife instead of a brush. The thick Gesso applies like butter. Piece of cake! After the Gesso has dried, I applied acrylic paints, first with a palette knife, then with a brush. Using a brush brings out the texture of the canvas. I used a wet on wet technique where in I applied yellow green first and without waiting for it to dry, I brushed on some blues and reds. Since the paint underneath is still wet, it was easy to blend them together.

This album is about how we spent our 8th anniversary which was last April 18, 2009. I stamped the date using VersaFine. The flowers are RubOns from OA.

This is the first inside page. The fabric album comes with 5 canvas pages and 5 page protectors. This page alone boasts of several techniques. Can you spot all of them?

First, I primed and brush-painted the canvas. Then, I used a butterfly mask and sprayed Radiant Rain on it. I love how it turned out! The chipboard was painted with crackle paint. After drying, I spritzed a bit of water and brushed Perfect Pearls on it for a bit of shimmer. I also stamped some words on the background.

The paper that says "a day in the Life" was distressed with well...Distress Ink using an Ink Blending Tool. I also inked the edges of the fabric tag which I stamped with "Ariel Alby". The punched butterflies were also distressed with ink.

Here, I applied acrylic paint mixed with gel medium using a palette knife. It left a nice rough texture on the canvas. I distressed the paper, lace cardstock and the border edges with ink. This was my first attempt at tearing the fabric - inspired by Iris' sample album. Note to self: do not tear fabric that has been primed. It didn't turn out as good as I wanted.

Here you can better see the texture made by the paint and gel medium mix. I journaled about our first activity wherein we had a bit of fun snorkeling in a nearby marine sanctuary.

For the page protectors, we were supplied with Hambly Screen Prints! Yes, the kit contains 5 whole sheets of Hambly transparancies! At first I didn't want to cut them but well...what the heck. For this one, I decided to paint the other side. Not completely though, such that parts of the page are still transparent.

This is the side that I painted. I applied a thin layer of acrylic paint so that the design still shows through.

I stamped some swirls on this page but it didn't turn out good, so I applied Stickles over the stamped image. It added a bit of texture and sparkle to the page. Here, I journaled about our brand new aquasocks.

See those inverted words and numbers? That's a technique called Paper Peeling - shared by Cabbie at the class. I had so much fun doing this. First, I primed the canvas and let it dry (a heat gun helps speed up the process). Then, I applied gel medium on the paper, over the design that I want to show on my canvas. Then I adhered it to the page and rub it with a bone folder until it dries up a bit. Then I lifted the paper and scrubbed on the top layer using my fingers. Voila! The bottom part stayed on the canvas. This works very nicely with words (book pages) and musical notes.

Here, I painted the the canvas with a thin layer of acrylic paint (mixed with water). While still wet, I dropped alcohol ink on the canvas. The white specs on the fabric are pearl mixatives.

See the red and orange dots? Those are alcohol ink drops. I also distressed the journaling card where I wrote about our trip to Balanan Lake.

Here, I painted on the acetate again. The flourishes were cut using the Basic Shapes 3 Design Card of Slice. I love it!

I didn't paint this side so the design on the Hambly transparency is visible. I cut two butterfly shapes using a Cuttlebug die. I distressed them and layed them on the page. I journaled about taking the boat across the lake under heavy downpour.

Here, I painted the entire page with acrylic-gel medium mix using a palette knife. I finally got to use my lace cardstock which has been gathering dust in my cabinet for months! I also love the photo of Ariel which I took while descending the treehouse which I captured in the journaling.

Here are details of the paint texture. The stamp still looks very clear even if the surface was rough.

I love this page! I love the blending of the brown and pink pain! I used a palette knife here but I didn't add gel medium so the surface was smooth.

It's not very clear in this photo but I brushed Perfect Pearls on the bird for a bit of shimmer. Here I wrote about our adventure going up to the water falls.

I painted the transparency again. Then I stamped on the upper left side of the photo using Staz On. The grungeboard shapes were painted then brushed with Perfect Pearls for a bit of shimmer.

Here, I cut the clouds free hand from white cardstock. Then I distressed the edges with blue ink. I love how it turned out! Oh and my 9-month old Just the Edges (Bazzil) and Paper Frills made their first ever appearance here. LOL!

I only primed and painted 2/3 of the page here as I intended to cut thorugh the fabric for a journaling pocket. I also used a mask and then sprayed the fabric with silver Radiant Rain.

The grungeboard shapes were painted brown and then stamped on using Glue Pad. I then brushed the stamped image with Perfect Pearls for a shimmery impression. My journaling is about how I surprised Ariel with a sunset cruise.

Here I only primed and painted the edges of the fabric page. I stamped all around the edges with VersaFine. The image is much better on the primed and painted surface than on the plain canvas.

I stamped two butterfly images on a cardstock, cut around the pattern and layed them on this page.

This time, I adhered the photo behind the transparency so that it is framed by the print on top of it. I painted some parts of the transparency where I adhered some Whispered Words from Prima and a label word from Creative Imaginations.

Behind the transparency, I adhered a piece of cardstock to cover the photo. I used the CS as mat to the two small photos and the fabric tag which I stamped on.

I forgot to distress the tag like what I did in the first page. Oh well...

Here, I painted the transparency with several layers of paint, except under the photo, to make it opaque. First was a coat of white. When dry, I sanded it lightly and applied blue paint. Then another coat of white.

The reason why I didn't paint under the photo in the previous page is because I adhered this photo on the other side so it is framed with the design on the transparency.

I first painted the border of this page using a paint-gel medium mixture. Then I used a mask and sprayed Radiant Rain on top. The flowers and butterflies were first painted with acrylic. Then stamped and embossed with copper powder. I love the design! The stems and leaves were painted with crackle paint.


The butterfly can be pulled up to reveal the journaling which is about our dinner. The tag was distressed and then stamped with journaling lines (Creative Imaginations). The butterfly was adhered with foam tape.

Finally, the last page. More painting, stamping and distressing.

I used the Americn Crafts Minimarks rubons here.

The end.