Scrapbook Page Maps

I have known about Page Maps since I started scrapbooking but it wasnt't until recently that I started fully utilizing them. It was an amalgamation of many things, including the fact that the sketches now tell you the size of the photos needed. No more guesswork! No more taking out my magnifying glass and ruler, trying to convert the small sketch into 12x12 scale. There was also the realization on my part that if I wanted to make a dent on my scrapbooking backlog, I will have to make more multi-photo layouts. And I do not want to waste my time trying to determine photo size, placement, etc., when I can have the experts do that for me. I'd rather be playing with my paper and tools than just moving things around endlessly, hoping that things will fall into place...eventually.

One might ask, why would I need to buy Becky Fleck's Page Maps book, when I can go to www.pagemaps.com for her sketches or just wait for her regular column at Memory Makers? Why indeed?

Well, for starters, the book includes 60 never-before seen sketches. It is also unlikely these sketches will be used in the website or in the magazine. So the only chance you have of seeing these sketches is if you get the book. Second, you don't have to waste ink printing out the sketches and accompanying sample layouts, they're all here for you in a durable ring-bound book that you can lay flat on your table as you scrap. No more worrying that your book binding might fall apart. Or putting your cell phone on a page so you won't lose your place. And third, you get more inspiration from the many amazing layouts, and tips and techniques included in the book.

Becky Fleck explains her, and her guest artists' approach to the sketches, which you cannot find in the website. She gives tips on how to make the sketch your own. Also scattered throughout the book are step-by-step instructions on how some techniques were used in the layouts. The layouts also want me to bring out my scrapbooking tools and start scrapping, right here, right now.

One thing I look for when I buy scrapbooking books - do the layouts call to me to scraplift them in part or in full? (Might just be a technique, an accent, etc.) I know that some scrapbooking purists don't think highly of scraplifting or basing their layouts on sketches. Maybe, they just do not understand it's value. In fact, when my DH bought the book for me, he texted me to make sure it was the book I wanted. Bakit daw puro diagram ang laman ng libro. Well, I said, those diagrams make my scrapbooking life easier. And contrary to purist belief, they jumpstart my creativity instead of stifling them. Following a sketch doesn't mean being boxed in.

For instance, there are 60 sketches in the book. But there are 140 layouts by amazing artists. 60 sketches = 140 layouts. And no layout exactly or even remotely alike. The math doesn't seem right, does it? Well, it only proves the versality of sketches. A single sketch can be interpreted many ways, depending on how you use it. You can flip it, rotate it, keep it as is, change the elements as you see fit. You can convert a 12x12 into an 8 1/2 by 11, or even a spread into just one page. The sketch may have been provided for you but you, the scrapbooker still has to decide on which photos, papers, embellishments, etc., to use. You still have to make sure everything goes well together, and that is where the fun lies.

If you are not still convinced, the book also includes a set of travel-sized cards that you can easily bring to scrapping sessions. You do not have to bring the book, unless you want to show off to your friends that you have the latest Becky Fleck.

Scrapbook Page Maps: Sketches for Creative Layouts
Author: Becky Fleck, 2008
Publisher: Memory Makers Books
MSRP: $24.99

Workshop with the Carmelite Sisters

Sunday morning (May 18), Candy, Nita and I went to Sta. Ignacia, Tarlac, to fulfill a promise to the Carmelites that we were going to teach them the rudiments of scrapbooking and cardmaking. Unfortunately, the other members of the volunteer team couldn't be with us due to prior commitments. We were worried about the weather at first because of the storms but when I texted Sister Teresa in the morning, she said there was no trace of the storm in their area. It was clear skies and promised to be a beautiful day.

And a beautiful day it was. While it was rainy in Manila, as soon as we were on the expressway going to the north, we were met with blue skies. It was a pleasant trip with Candy driving and Nita and I giving her (mis)directions. Wink-wink.

When Candy opened the back of her van to unload the scrapbooking materials that were donated by very generous scrapbookers from Manila, I was speechless. The van was filled with boxes and bags of materials. Even the sisters were amazed. They couldn't believe that all these stuff came from a group of people who met online and share a common passion for scrapbooking. Again, many thanks to everyone who gave their time, money, books, magazines and materials for this cause. I will not mention names anymore lest I forget anyone. There are so many of you and may your tribe increase a hundred-fold.

Anyway, we used their small chapel as our scrap area. When we opened some of the bags, we saw unassembled kits (perhaps from previous scrap activities) that were perfect for giving the ten sisters a hands-on workshop. Nita conducted an impromptu workshop using these kits. She really is a good teacher because she selflessly shares everything she knows about scrapbooking. The sisters, on the other hand, listened intently to her every word, and followed her instructions with excitement.

While Nita was busy with her session, Candy and I put some semblance of order into the many materials we received. We tried to sort everything out, and with each unpacking of a bag or a box, we would exclaim, "ang ganda nito!" Good thing I just recently had much practice organizing my scrap stuff so I was still in organizing mode. In the end, we had at least two boxes of patterned paper and cardstock, several envelopes of scraps, dozens of scissors, regular and decorative, acrylic and rubber stamps that would make you drool, inkpads, embellishments, stickers, brads, flowers... I must confess, I never had this much stuff when I was starting out.

We had a simple but delicious lunch of fried chicken, pasta, salad and bagoong with two of the lay persons. I don't think the nuns are allowed to share a meal with us. After their chores and their prayers, we continued with our workshop, this time with Candy showing them how to make a simple layout. We would all have wanted to stay longer, but the nuns had to have their Sunday mass, and we also have a long trip back to Manila. So bitin! The sisters invited us to come again, and hopefully next time, there will be more of us who will share the art and love of scrapbooking and cardmaking with the Carmelites.

And oh, of course, coming home, we had to stop and have dinner at my favorite restaurant in Angeles City. Just scrumptious - the perfect ending to a perfect day.

P.S. - If you have 12x12 albums that you can spare, the sisters will certainly appreciate such donations, for the community history as well as for their own personal scrapbooks. Please contact any of us in Pinoy Scrapbookers. Thank you.

My Own Scrapfest 5

I missed one of the most awaited scrapbooking events of the year. Most of my friends went but I have many other things going on in my life right now that something had to give. So I decided not to attend Scrapfest 5. I think this and the very first Scrapfest are the only two that I've missed.

Instead, I had fun exploring the Manila Ocean Park with the KiDS. It was a great bonding time for us. We got four tickets for free. Thanks to Diego's quick eye. He caught the advertisement on TV last Friday that SkyCable was giving away free tickets to the first 75 callers. We were number 72 and I had to pick up the tickets that same day but it was all worth it. We were quite lucky as the tour was very organized - we had our own guide and there was a short program where prizes and snacks were given away by the organizers.

Still, I had a feeling I was missing out on some fun and excitement of the adult kind, so when I got home I decided to play with the stuff DH brought home for me. I pretended I had my own Scrapfest. We even had chicken (not Max's) for lunch.

Here are some of the stuff DH got me:

DH always goes to bookstores so I made sure that he got me Becky Fleck's Page Maps at Barnes and Noble. He also brought home my subscription copies of scrapbooking magazines that was addressed to my friend there. Early for once.

Some Colorbok and DCWV chipboard packs that are not on my list but are certainly appreciated. They were on sale so he got them.

Cardstocks for every season. And a Ki Memories kit. A scrapper can never have enough cardstock.


The Fiskar's circle punch and the controversial circle cutter. And an unexpected surprise - a Darice melting pot ! He said he got me the thing so that I can have my hands free while scrapping. So I won't have to hold a glue stick, I just have to simply dip any item that I have to adhere in the melting pot. So thoughtful, eh? I like those alphabet stamps, too.


He bought this discounted goodie bag from Joann's. Ssshhh...don't tell him it wasn't really a great buy. Some of the stickers were about fall, winter and snow tubing. And there were mini-envelopes in colors I can't use. But I didn't want to hurt his feelings cause he thought he got a bargain so I just oohed and aahhed.


And these are my prizes from A Peek Into Yesterday. They almost didn't make it home with DH because I gave Peek the wrong address. I assumed the family friends DH stayed with still lived in the same place. Good thing the package was forwarded to the post office and the family friend's son just happened to work there. I have to credit Pat, the owner of Peek, for being very patient with me as I tracked down my order.


And last, but not the least, yes, I did manage to sneak in some purchases from Joann.com at least a month before DH's trip. I addressed them to the same friend who receives my magazines for me. I couldn't resist the Heidi Swapp chipboards which were on sale then for less than $2.00.

Oh, happy day!

So Not a Cardmaker

When I woke up this morning, one of the first things I did was to check The Gauntlet's Card Challenge results. I was eliminated. Boo-hoo.

Well, it shouldn't have surprised me really. As I have said previously, I do not make cards. This is only the second card I've made as a scrapper. (Kaya's December Christmas card challenge was the first.) And this was a rush card, too. The deadline was May 17, midnight, CST. So Saturday at around 11:30 pm, after a tiring day at the Manila Ocean Park and a relaxing but lengthy dinner with old friends, I had to conceptualize and execute a card. I finished it in around 2 hours in between preparing my stuff for the Carmelites' workshop for Sunday.

Here's what my card-challenged self came up with.


Materials and techniques:
Prima paper cut into heart shape. Added Prisma glitter to some patterns on the paper. Inked edges with Clearsnap ink for definition. Adhere Prisma die cut with foam tape for dimension. Heat emboss Heidi Swapp stamp using Versamark and Ranger embossing powder. Cut out and adhere with foam tape. Mount whole heart on red fabric and lace.

I felt quite good when I finished it - hey, I made a card! But I guess it wasn't as good as the cards made by other participants in Scrapperie. Let's just say my gauntlet bit the dust but my knightly honor is intact. :-)

Me and My Mom

This is a layout I made for my Mommy in honor of Mothers' Day. I used only one patterned paper for this. I think layering would've been a bit much as extra paper, even if plain would have distracted from my photos. The simple elegance of the paper was just perfect.

The photo on the right is over-exposed. I tried to fix it in Photoshop but it didn't help much. But Mommy and I have so few photos together, this will have to do. For now.

I also experimented with microbeads (see photo corners). I saw it in a magazine and it looked really cool. I might have overdone the glue though as I used up more than half the tube of beads. I think it was meant to be used sparingly. So now I have to deal with these huge clumps of beads in my photos. And I have to practice making really swirly flourishes for next time. Cookie makes it look so easy!

4o Years


Journaling:
You were 40 years old when you had me - the same age I am now. We've had 40 years of a loving mother-daughter relationship despite the 40 years between us. 40 years is not enough. I want more.

Materials:
PPS - My Mind's Eye; Flowers - Prima; Buttons and metal brads - unknown; Chipboards - American Craft painted with Lil Davis acrylic paint; Fancy Pants stamp; Microbeads (unknown) adhered with Ranger Glossy Accents; Pebeo Fabric Paint; Making Memories metal tag; American Craft pen; Saunders Adhesive; Clearsnap Inkpad.

I don't know, maybe life was simpler and easier then, but I couldn't fathom having a child at 40. I can't imagine having a baby now! Would you believe I have a brother who's three years younger than me? So I salute my parents, especially my Mom, for raising us, and raising us well. I could only hope to be half as good a mom (and grandmom and great-grandmom) as she is.

Tag Time

Cabbie tagged me.

Here are the rules I’m supposed to follow.

1. Link back to the person that tagged you. (Done!)
2. Post these rules on your blog. (If you're reading this then I must have done something right.)
3. Share six unimportant things about yourself. (Nothing is ever unimportant about me. Hehehe.)

a. i sent out a message to the universe that i'm ready to work again and the universe is responding. (sweet!)
b. instead of attending scrapfest 5, i'm bringing my kids to manila ocean park tomorrow. on free tickets. (yeah!)
c. it's 10 pm and i haven't had dinner yet (not cool!)
d. dh got upset with me this afternoon. (not my fault!)
e. i missed most of this season's American Idol (and i survived)
f. i think these tags were invented by people who need back links to their blogs (LOL!)

4. Tag six people at the end of your entry. Next...

I am tagging Jenn, CH, Nita, Marissa, Cosette and Issa.

DH's Home

Christmas in the summer. Well, that's what it felt like when DH arrived home last Monday night. He brought home two balikbayan boxes full of toys (yes, scrapbooking and otherwise). The KiDS had a marvelous time diving into the boxes and surfacing with one toy or another. I dove in with them, too, lest they crumple my scrapbooking papers that I knew would be there, of course. I felt kinda guilty when I saw that most of the stuff were for us, but that quickly passed. Hehehe.

If you have been following this blog, you would know that I sent DH out on a mission. A mission to infiltrate all the Michaels' and Joann's stores in San Fernando Valley. You'd think that armed with photographs and descriptions, this would have been an easy task, but nooo.... Let me tell you why, and I assure you, it's not for his lack of trying.

1) The aforementioned scrapbooking stores don't necessarily have the same stock that you see in their online stores. In fact, I would guess that they have more stuff online. I should've taken the suggestion of a fellow scrapbooker and just ordered online and addressed it to where DH was going to stay. Unfortunately, DH was in the US for a very short time only and I was worried the shipment would not reach him before he had to leave.

2) Different branches have different stocks, and have different items on sale. If I were to believe DH, he visited around 4 Joann's and 1 Michaels. He said Michaels items were more expensive than Joann's.

3) Not all the sales personnel know what they are selling. "If it's not in the racks, we don't have it." So, DH had to manually search for the items on my list. Kawawa naman siya, dinugo daw ang ilong niya sa Joann's Superstore. I though he was being sarcastic but our friend, Uncle Johnny told me on YM that it really happened. Hmmmm....must find really nice way to say thank you to DH then. :-)

He didn't get me all the items on my list, but he got me more than enough (must...say...thank you...in a very nice way.) He got me DCWV cardstocks which were on sale. A scrapper can never have enough cardstock. The horizontal paper organizers he got me didn't turn out so bad, although I think I will use them to store the discounted embellishments he got me. And oh, he did manage to get me the Fiskars punchers I asked him to buy. Although I am still not sure what I would do with the Fiskar's circle cutter.

I will try to post photos later, but in the meantime, with all he brought home for me, I feel it's almost okay that I am missing Scrapfest next week. Almost...not quite. Hehehe.

Do You Have the Look?

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Ride the Wave

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Taking Up the Gauntlet

I have to make a confession. I used to read a lot of historical romance novels. Some of my favorite authors were Kathleen Woodiwiss, Johanna Lindsey and Jude Devereaux. There was just something about the past - dashing knights in armor, ladies wearing cones (some fashion statement, eh?) on their head - that appealed to me.

So when Scrapperie issued a challenge called The Gauntlet, I just couldn't resist. In medieval-speak, a gauntlet is a glove worn by knights, and if they want to challenge another knight, they remove their glove and throw it down on the dusty arena. Thus, the expression, throwing down the gauntlet. If the challenge is accepted then the challenged takes up the gauntlet. And then the fighting for the fair maiden or for honor begins. Sometimes to the death.

I couldn't help but smile at the visions in my head of scrapbookers throwing their scissors or adhesives on a dusty floor to take on Scrapperie's progressive 7-round challenge. And much as I don't like progressive challenges (seriously, I don't think I can take any more pressure after Scrappin' Moms Idol), I just had to join this one.

So let the battle to the death, err...to the finish begin. I hope it doesn't get bloody. Don't point your scissors at me. :-)

Round 1 - An LO that tells a little bit about you, what makes you happy, sad, complete, whole, what you do when you're down or bored or when you just need time to think. Must not be of you being a wife or mom and must include real journaling (i.e., not just words like "scrapbooker", "friend", etc.)

And here's my take. I knew I'd make an LO about this as soon as I read the requirements.

DESSERT COMES FIRST


Journaling:
I believe that dessert should be served first at every meal. Cakes, ice cream, chocolates - anything sweet makes my day. Whether sad, happy, angry, everything is better with these yummy goodies. Yes, indeed, dessert comes first!

Materials:
CS - DCWV; PPS and Rubons - Fancy Pants; Stamps - Provocraft, Studio Azul; Ink - Tsukineko, Clearsnap; Brads - Oriental Trading; Diecuts - American Crafts; Pen - Zig; Adhesive - Saunders.

I apologise for the distortions on the layout, I still have to get a hang of photographing LOs instead of scanning them.

PS - If the photos make you hungry, that cake display was taken from one of my favorite pastry shops along Tomas Morato - Fleur de Lys. I find it extremely ironic that it's right beside Vicky Bello's liposuction clinic. LOL. And that's me gobbling down Cold Rock ice cream, and of course a morsel of my favorite Frango mints. Truth be told, the most difficult thing for me was not choosing papers but choosing which food photo to use. I have so many of them and each one brought back wonderful memories of delicious scents and tastes and being fully sated. Yummy.

There was no elimination in this round, so it's all onto the "anything but round, sqaure or rectangular Card Challenge" for us. Heaven help me, because I don't do cards. Wish me luck.

Happy Mother's Day To All

I woke up this morning to this:


Kahlo put this all together using her Jenga blocks while I and her siblings slept. She even put up the card she has been making for days above it.

Here's a photo of the card. She's now experimenting with pop-ups.


This is another card from Kahlo. Note the cute drawing of me and her.


Sarah and Kahlo have been working with fabric paints, glitters and beads the whole week, much to Ate Juliet's consternation. Below is Sarah's card. A great way to use my scraps, don't you think?


I don't know yet if Diego is making me anything, but he told me earlier today not to leave my scrap room. Something's a-brewing. Will keep you posted.

I think this is the first time that DH is not with us on Mother's Day. I chatted with him a bit this morning. And in a few hours, he will be boarding a plant to come home. Woo-hoo!!! Can't wait. Kasi I miss him, di ba? (Wink).