Nostalgic - the final installment (LOL!)

This still remains one of my favorite layouts despite it looking kinda amateur-looking(ish). Well, I was an amateur and this was the art of an amateur... so what can you expect? Ah, the first time I actually attempted serious stitching on papers!

I still fondly remembered that when I was 7 years old, I tried to make a Mothers' Day card for my mom, and I tried to stitch a heart on the construction paper (Yeah, I totally didn't know about the existence of scrapbooking supplies almost a decade ago!) and well, it was not that well-done... my mom even let out a comment that it looked more like a twisted oval instead of a heart when I tried to explain to her. Oh well!

Supplies:
Alphas: American Crafts, Making Memories
Patterned Papers: Basic Grey
Cardstock stickers: Basic Grey
Adhesives: Pop dots
Embroidery floss: Brandless (got it from my mom's sewing kit, ah-ha!)

So the stitching is still not that well-done here, but hey, given this is the first serious attempt I had tried stitching on paper, surely I deserve a pat on the back? Haha!, well, okay, the handmade claydolls in the layout is lovingly made by a best friend for me. She is really skilled in the arts of making these claydolls, which are oh-so-adorable. I used the Basic Grey "Sugared" collection because well, it's really sweet!

That's all for now. I don't think I can find any more old layouts to share. Btw, this layout is circa June 2008. So yeah, actually, till now, I am actually quite fond of this layout. :)

I will be back later to post some exciting news! (Well, exciting to me, at least... because it's my first time! Shhh.. you will hear back later! :D)

Oh and good news is, my mojo is finally returning. Working on some new creations right now! Can't wait to show you guys when I am done with them. The bad news is, I only have 5 days left till my vacation is over. :( Apparently, the government here refused to give us an extension of holidays despite the H1N1 virus spreading, albeit slowly. Yeah, I am getting kinda nutty over it. :P I mean, seriously, don't you want some extra days to just sit down on the couch/or computer chair for the matter of fact and do nothing?

Mojoless

A layout I did on a mojo-less day, approximately 10 days ago if I still remember correctly. You can't expect much, can you? Virtually made out of patterned papers, with minimal embellishments. Well, I am a big PP fan...

Didn't scan this in, captured this on my point and shoot with minimal editing to the contrast and everything... blah.

Supplies:
Patterned Papers: October Afternoon, Jenni Bowlin, Cosmo Cricket
Rub ons: Autumn Leaves (by Rhoanna Farrer)
Chipboard: Scenic Route
Ticket: Jenni Bowlin

On a bright note, it's 3 more months to my birthday, yay!

Nostalgia ~ a trip down the memory lane part 2!

Sorry for the fact that I've to interrupt my series of nostalgic posts on my old layouts which I have yet to show yet yesterday due to showing off a rushed-out layout, well uh, okay... taking a trip down my flickr pretty much does provokes a lot of memories!

As I skimmed through my flickr's photostream, unevitably, this layout below catches my eye, for a few reasons of course!:

Supplies:
Cardstock: Bazzill Basics
Patterned Papers: Making Memories
Cardstock Stickers: Basic Grey
Alphas: American Crafts

This was the layout that I manipulated/experimented with new techniques, scrapbooking styles. This layout, was inspired by Kerry Lynn :) She posted a layout of her daughter whereby she printed her daughter's picture on a kraft cardstock. Everybody should try this new technique, its so much fun, especially for people like me who has just ran out of photo papers, haha! As I'm not that skilled in the arts of restocking supplies (just take a look at my previous post as to how I finished up my white cardstock stack too!), just on the day I was doing up this layout, I ran out of photo paper (fret not, I've stocked up on this essential now!)

I did the same and printed my cousin, Petrina's picture onto kraft cardstock as well. :) It was also the first time I scrapped something the size of 6"x12". The process was refreshing yet slightly restrictive due to the small size at the same time, but overall, it was a good experience!

I tried to use minimal number of embellishments too, actually, most of them were just cardstock stickers from a pack of Basic Grey's collections. So yeah, you can consider it a failed attempt!

It's not one of my best layouts, of course, but at least, its one of my most unique one. :) By the way, while my scrapping mojo is taking itself out on a major vacation, at least the blogging mojo is back now to retrieve his throne. Hopefully I will continue blogging in a regular manner/timeframe now, haha!

Btw, yes, I submitted the layout below for the stacking titles challenge over at TwoPeas. Weird that it wouldn't show up on the challenge page even though I did tick it to post it for challenges though. Ah well, I am so sure I wouldn't win anyway, so why fret, heh!

Manicure!

Back to show a layout, I am on a blogging spree, wheeeee!

Supplies:
Alphas - Creative Imaginations
Stickers - American Crafts, Jenni Bowlin
Chipboard - Pink Paislee
Rub-ons - Autumn Leaves (Rhonna Farrer)
Journalling page - Making Memories
Mist - Glimmer Mist

I did this one real quick.
Really, within a span of 5 minutes, but yeah, I think you can see its rushed in this layout. All I did was to use the negative chipboard shape of my Pink Paislee topsiders and mist it. Add some of the shapes on, together with a few embellishments and then I called it a wrap. It's really trashy though...

I also only took the photo of the layout over the iPhone as my digital camera is not with me at the moment, le sigh. :( I have officially lost my mojo-ness, to the state that I can only churn out works of this quality. I am lamenting at that, realllll badly. :(

I'm also on my laptop right now, which means no photoshop, bleh. :( I always use photoshop to 'beautify' my photoraphs of the layouts because brightness, contrast, exposure, really do make a difference in presenting the layout!

I might replace the photograph with a newly scanned in tomorrow, I don't know, I just feel like sharing this one right now. Well yeah, weird lil' me I guess! :D

Mr/Mrs/Miss Mojo, pleaseee come backkk toooo meee sooon. :(
Btw, I was thinking of entering this for TwoPeas' weekly challenge of stacking the titles.But of course, I am having second thoughts about it for obvious reasons! :D

Edit [@ 3.54pm]: I just uploaded a new photograpph/scan of the layout, and hopefully, it looks more appealing now. There's a lot of 'bubbling' because I didn't use 'authentic' white cardstock. I just used the white side of a single-sided PP to do this... well, improvise when you've got nothing!

Maybe I can submit this for the TwoPeas challenge now, *laughs*:D

Nostalgia ~ down the memory lane - part 1

Does anybody wants to see my first SB Layout? It's so yucky that even I want to puke on it, but if I were to puke on it, it would be my mother's face I am puking on, so it wouldn't be that nice! Sorry mom, the above was just a joke! Haha. :)

Supplies:
Alpha - American Crafts
Patterned Papers - Basic Grey
Cardstock Stickers - Basic Grey
Crystals - Prima Marketing

This is a not-so-proud work of 2007/2008 *I can't remember when exactly it was*. Go ahead, laugh at it! I am sure all of our first layouts will look nothing like what we're working on right now... haha. But it was an awesome photograph of my mum putting on the final touches on her evening gown (my cousin was getting married on that night!) and you know, it's kinda rare at times that your mum looks fashionable, and therefore, it's a "document-able" subject. (Yes, I am aware there isn't a word like that!" haha. "Chic" was the adjective to describe my mother at that very moment. :)

Aw, how many of your first layouts was inspired by your mother?! Tell me, I am sure the figures is going to grow more inclined towards none!

I've more layouts from the past that I've yet to share yet, but I am working on scanning them in one by one and share with all of you guys. :) Just promise not to laugh, kay? :) Afterall, I was a beginner back then, and actually, still a beginner now. ;)

New blog layout

Yayyyy, I put on a new blog layout. :)
It's very different from before, I feel this one gives off a rusty, vintage kinda feel, but in a good way of course. :) Also added some graphics/blinkies over at the sidebar. :) All of them (layout & graphics) are from shabbyblogs.com, they really do offer some spankin' layout!

Thanks and do let me know how you feel about the blog's appearance now. :) I hope to maintain it and update as much as possible of course, but sometimes life just get caught up in the middle of nothingness

Something that looks like a bumblebee.

I've been digging this color combo, yellow and black! These 2 colors (yellow and black) really help to make each other pop even though they resemble the colors of, erhh, well, a bumblebee! (which suggests the name of today blog post's title! Heh!)

I haven't been blogging nor scrapping, which is a really bad sign, given that I am actually on school holidays right now. I should spend the time doing either one of them instead of being a couch potato. Once school starts right back again, I am guessing I will have no time for either of them due to school commitments, homework, yadahyadah. I guess y'all get the drift.

Okay, I know I should stop showing layouts' sneaks with no intention of ever showcasing the entire layout to the public. The truth is... I am that much of a lazy piggo to take the layout and photograph it in a nice way that it can fully displays all the details, and everything in a nice-ish or at least decent way. I am not good at photographing layouts and I doubt I will be in any time soon, so yeah.

Scanning isn't a problem in showing all the details decently, but it really is a major hassle to do all the necessary edits in Photoshop after scanning, because afterall, my scanner is not 12x12, and instead, the standard A4 size scanner. And I am a sucker for die-cut papers, especially scallops, so the scallops details often get cut off at the side no matter how I dealt with it, so hmm, the only solution is to take multiple scans and piece everything together in Photoshop. Now you know it isn't all that fun, and its actually well, very technical-ish. :(

This layout, I sorta went crazy with all the placement and everything. I used one of the Paislee pages that Pink Paislee snugly produced. I must say, its soooo versatile!

That said, I need to work on some birthday cards now (it's crazy as to how 4 out of my 6 best buds' birthdays fall in June/July!) as well as the impending Father Day's card... off to check out some mojo nowwww.