Last weekend...

I was so inspired to scrap that I finished four layouts in a day. These are easy layouts to make so I'm sure anyone can do the same. The first one was using BG June Bug papers which you can see in my last post.

Then, I opened my Stucio Calico Kit cabinet and was overwhelmed with bags and bags of unused kits. I thought it's about time to make a dent on my kits. So here I made three layouts using 2 kits. The first two was from the August Kit "Over the Rainbow".

My choice for the kit was inspired by the photo below. I love the photo and it showed four of us 30 something ladies having fun like teenagers (we're still very young at heart). The happy colors of the kit was perfect for this happy photo, and I thought the hot air balloon pattern complements the jump shot. I used a Kraft cardstock as base here and just cut patterns from the papers. No special techniques here. Just cutting and gluing.


I used foam adhesive in one of the balloons. I also doodled on the title for a stitched look.

The next one was inspired by the paper with "My Favorite Guy" printed on it. Who else will fit this paper but my hubby. Since our printers our busted, I just searched my stash for printed photos and saw this which I thought would be great for this layout. Good thing I had this printed in black and white so it works well with any color.


For this one I did a little misting. I sprayed copper mist on the chipboards for a metallic look. then I tied a crepe paper ribbon on the small chipboard for a softer touch.

The last layout was made using the "Director's Cut" Add On from the July Kit (Documentary). The papers and embellishments are travel-themed. Good thing I had prints from my Malaysia trip. I love this photo! I mounted the camera on a tripod, adjusted the aperture and shutter speed, then asked my friend (who I met in Kuala Lumpur during that trip) to help me get the right angle and release the shutter. We tried several poses and really had a great time capturing photos. This one is my favorite among the set.


When I used the alphas included in the kit, it got lost in the background. So I doodled on the alphas to make them stand out against the background. Here's a closer look.

Working with kits sure makes it a lot easier to scrap! And I love Studio Calico Kits!

Thanks for looking!

5-4-3-2-1 zero

I made this layout over the weekend. Very quick and simple. 1 cardstock (Bazzil), 1 sheet of rub-ons (Luxe Designs), 1 set of Vinyl Thickers (American Crafts), 1 Coke Cap (EK Success), 2 pens (Sakura Souffle and Staedler Triplus), zero sugar! Haha.


The photos were taken at the Clique Booth during the Coke zero press launch. The layout was inspired by Joanne Yap's sketch.

Scrap Marathon

Three weeks ago, I scrapped liked a maniac and finished 8 spreads in less than 24 hours. I started Saturday afternoon. Took an hour off to have dinner with hubby, then scrapped til midnight. I woke up at 9am and scrapped til 2pm, with two breaks in between for breakfast and lunch. The layouts are actually part of an album I made for a friend. It took me two years to finish. That weekend was the last stretch so I was really inspired to finish them. I'd like to share some of my favorite pages from that album.

The 80's Rock

On top of my inbox yesterday was Cabbie's email congratulating me and Candy. For what? I had a moment of panic trying to think what I might have possibly done to win anything. It took a while for me to remember the Studio Azul sketch challenge. Anyway, to make the long story short, I won!!! Yahoo! Thanks Mia and Tin for this cool challenge. And thanks Au for the great sketch that inpired me to create using the January Supernova Kit.

Here it is!

Kit Materials include:

Patterned Papers: Tinkering Ink Blur, Luxe Design Bustier

American Crafts Thickers, Celebration, Sprinkles

Assorted Autumn Leaves, Mod Techno Pop buttons

Maya Road, Supernova, Chipboard

Circle embellys, sparkly Orange

Circle embellys, sparkly Blue

3 feet circle trim, silver

Why this was a challenge for me?

First challenge. What picture to use? In my mind, I cannot use any of our outdoor photos here. I don't have wacky baby photos in stock. So, I scoured my photo folders for that perfect photo and I came up with our 8o's Christmas party photos - just as bold, just as bright, and just as fun. Perfect!

Second challenge. No cardstock. Given the big, bright, bold colors and prints, I need cardstock! But I can't use one because part of the rule was to use the kit and only the kit. So, I improvised by printing the photos with white borders. That should make it pop amid the busy pattern of the background papers. Then, I painted strips of patterned paper with yellow paint (paint is allowed!) so I have something to journal on.

So, with the perfect photo and a bit of plain paper to rest the eyes on, I created the layout. One thing I love about this layout is the 80's title. I used the circle embellies and buttons to create the number 8 and the star chipboard negative for the zero. I thought that was clever. Rare moment of creativity there. Haha!

What I love most about this are the photos. I actually used two. The main photo, and the smaller one which I cut into 3 pieces. This is one of my favorite photos in Coke. Such a fun moment for all of us at Marketing.

A gift for Joanne

I'm an introvert. Many people, specially those close to me, find it difficult to believe. But that's true! Sure I can be very talkative and loud, and I tend to talk fast. But underneath the loud voice, I'm actually a very shy person. I'm not the type who would walk up to a perfect stranger and say "Hi, my name is Alby, and you are...?" Unless that stranger comes up to me first or someone introduces us to each other, we'll remain strangers even if we spend the whole day in the same room. Proof of that is the fact that I've lived in the same condo unit for the last 8 years and I have not managed to get to know a single neighbor, save for two doctors whom I am forced to get acquainted with due to emergencies. Oh, I got to know Gina, the pomeranian who lives a few doors from our unit. I also work better when left alone. Most of my favorite layouts are done in the quiet confines of my scrap corner in Cavite. I've had the chance of scrappping with friends and I managed to come up with decent layouts. But it's never easy.

Joanne Yap, is so unlike me. Sure she is just as chatty. But she can also walk up to a room full of strangers and be friends with them in a blink of an eye. I can't remember the exact moment we met. It was in last year's Scrapfest 2. Before I know it, we've been chatting regularly on the net. She is just as chatty virtually as she is in person. She is so passionate about scrapping and she unselfishly shares her passion with anyone who cares to listen. I guess I am one of those people whose life she touched one way or another. I'm just thankful for the privilege of calling her a friend.

Since she is migrating to Australia in a few days time, some of the local scrappers decided to give her a send-off party last weekend at the Pacific Plaza Condominium in Ayala Ave., Makati. It was a lot of fun - games, great food, and of course, a lot of chit chats with fellow scrappers. As a gift, we made 8x8 layouts compiled in an album, to send Joanne off with love. I made a digital layout which was printed and inserted in the album. Here's the layout I made, using the Michelle Coleman Antique Garden Kit - my first purchased digital kit c/o Diane Mirabilles' RAK (Thanks Diane!). I used a picture taken during last year's MLA Scrap Party, the only one I could find with me and Joanne in it. I hope you like it Joanne!

A Mini-Album Despedida Gift

Ariel, my hubby, is my biggest fan. Proof of this is when he volunteered me to make the scrapbook despedida gift for his colleague who will be assigned to Thailand. Here is the scrapbook I made for Pia. There are three sections:

1) Memories - a small collection of photos that will hopefully remind her of her life at Unilever Philippines.
2) Survival Tips - some tips on how to survive her stint in Thailand
3) Messages from friends - a pocket where tags with messages from colleagues are inserted.

Here is the finished product. I hope Pia likes it.

A Despedida Gift for Anna

A friend of mine, who was also a former direct report, recently moved to Singapore to pursue a career opportunity. Before she left, I organized a despedida dinner for her. I also made a mini-album so she will remember her days here with us.

The album and the box

I bought the box from Airees. I just changed the ribbon and adhered a sticker in front of the box. The sticker reads "May the memories we make record the life that we live".

For the cover, I used 3 Bugs In A Rug alpha dies. I adhered it to cardboard and cut to shape for a sturdier monogram. I tied a ribbon to it. I also adhered stickers (Brenda Walton) and embossed paper to tie the cover to the pages inside.

Front panel

I made the accordion from scratch using the Brenda Walton 6 x 6 papers from K & Company. I embellished it using Stickers To Go and File Folders from the same line. I connected the 6x6 papers with a strip of Bazzil Cardstock.

Pages of the front panel

I made folders and pockets where our friends can insert tags (which I also made) with their messages on it.

Back panel

The front and back cover were done by cutting a slightly larger square (6.5x6.5) from cardboard (I checked that they are acid free). Then I covered them with 3 Bugs In A Rug patterned papers (the 6x6 Brenda Walton paper won't fit anymore).

Pages of the back panel

For this mini album, I was able to use my embossing folders (Cuttlebug and Big Impressions), and my cut and emboss Photo Corners which I so love!!!

To unify the look, I placed photo corners on all four corners of each page. I also inked all the edges and used brown as my unifying color.

I hope my friend Anna liked this little gift.