MY SMI Challenge entries

Well, after 6 rounds in the challenge, I got wacked hehehe
My first reaction was like... an ice-cold water was thrown out at me, my knees felt like jellies and I thought for a minute there that I misread the names of the final 12 contestants. But no, it's clear as daylight.

Finally, I was out of the ball game.

Hayyyy... I didn't know what to do, if I'd cry or what.
I'd be a hypocrite if I say I didn't mind.
I did mind. But my head asked the question right away.. "WHY?????!?!??!?!?!"
So I head off to the gallery and looked at the first entry my mouse clicked (will not say which one hehehe). I wasn't really looking, I was just staring at my monitor. Hmmm what's wrong with my layout??
My eyes averted to the journaling part and looked at the layout as a WHOLE... and THEN it HIT me... hmmmm, ok now I know :D I was thinking to leave comments on all the layouts but KABOOM!!! my pc died. what the F!@(?!? The power went out, again for the nth time!!! grrr...

To continue with my sentiments.... hehehe
It may be sad and bittersweet to say, but I know which part of my layout made me at the bottom 3 of the finalists. Well, I don't really know what the judges thought and how they scored us but in my opinion, there is really something lacking in my final entry. I am not saying these things to kid myself, no I am not that kind of person. There has to be something, lacking (not wrong) with what I did (for A CHALLENGE). I tried to explain to some of my friends (who were as devasted as well) how, I think, my entry didn't make it. And I guess (I hope) they understood. After contemplating for over several hours, there were thoughts like, "Shocks, I should have made that, this..", "Why didn't I do that instead??" and a lot more.. but then again, it's finished and I have to learn my lesson from whatever I did NOT DO to make it at the final 12.

I am not looking at my final entry as a failure, I am looking at it as a beacon of hope (ah, naks.. lalim!!! hahaha!!) and a source of inspiration to improve and be better in what I love doing. It may have not won or made me one of the final 12 but it has served its purpose, it enlightened and inspired me :D

Hay naku tama na ang drama (enough of that drama) hahaha Finally I will be able to post my entries here in my blog :D

Elimination round: Scraplift your idol. My idol is CD Muckosky.

Round 1: Cardstock only challenge

Round 2: One color only challenge. This was my first POTW.

Round 3: Altered Chopping Board_Key/bills holder. My second POTW.

Round 4: Significant photo

Round 5: No photos allowed challenge, scrap memorabilia or ephemera.

Last but not the least...

Round 6 entry: Life, challenges and lessons learned.

Desiderata for Scrapbookers
(with my sincerest apologies to Max Ehrmann, Lee Imao)


Go placidly amid the aisles of Michael’s and Archivers,
and remember what peace there may be in knowing that
you do not have to have everything.

As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all scrapbooking salespersons
and store owners. (That 10% discount is your reward.)

Speak your comments on LOs quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the newbies;
they too have something to share.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
(Somehow, all that comes to mind are Au and Nita.
And the exact opposite is true. They are loud
and spirited, but hardly annoying.)

If you compare your layouts with others’ layouts,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser layouts than yours.

Enjoy your finished layouts as well as the process.

Keep interested in your own stories, however humble;
they are real possessions that should be scrapped in time.

Exercise caution in buying scrapping supplies;
for the world is full of trends.
But let this not blind you to what a good sale is;
many stores strive for 49% discounts;
and everywhere the web is full of online stores with free shipping.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign scrapbooking styles.
Neither be cynical about your layout;
for in the face of losing at challenges
your acid-free materials are as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of other more experienced scrapbookers
but do not gracefully surrender the things that make you, you.

Nurture kindred scrapbooking spirits to crop with.
But do not distress yourself with trying to “keep up”.
Many fears are born of fatigue and wanting.
Beyond EBs and crop parties,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a scrapbooker of the universe,
no less than the Memory Makers Masters and the CK Scrapbookers of the Year;
you have a right to scrap.
And whether or not it is as clear as a Hambly transparency to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding like an accordion album.

Therefore be at peace with your partners,
whatever s/he may think of your scrapbooking,
and whether in Scrapfests or Scrapmeets,
in the noisy confusion of shopping keep peace with your wallet.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Scrap it.
Strive to be real.

Thanks for sharing Mommy Lee :)

My first TWO layouts for MY LITTLE ATTIC

It was a super surprise when Ms. Nette of My Little Attic (MLA) asked me to be her FIRST (ever) DT... yeah, IMAGINE ME :D always unexpecting...
I didn't know who to tell about the news, I had to wait for the confirmation first and had to supress the excitement further until the Sept. newsletter of MLA is released. So, I patiently did.. for just a few hours I think?? LOL!! I HAD TO TELL SOMEONE!! I'M gonna be insane if I don't! hahaha So, I texted a couple of friends and yes, they were super excited for me too! :D

So, here are the first 2 layouts I did for MY LITTLE ATTIC and I wanna share it with you. Used Stella Ruby and Perhaps papers here all available over at MY LITTLE ATTIC!

Beauty


Favorite Giraffe Ride
(Removed for publication)

Thanks for looking! :D

Pastels and Florals FREEBIE

Would like to apologize for the delay of my upload of this promised FREEBIE my dear friens!! My internet connection is kind of wonky right now and large sized files are stinking hard to upload... please please more patience oki doki?? :) I know it's not a stunning creation but I've worked hard on it and as simple as it may be, I am really happy whenever someone would ask for a link/copy.

Thanks a lot for reading this and for droppin' by :D

WHEW! One LAST round!

I antipicate the results, yeah I admit :) WHO wouldn't??
But not the "suffocating feeling" everytime I open the SCRAPPIN MOMS IDOL CHALLENGE page to view who the "lucky" contestants are. Again, friends, I AM NOT EXAGGERATING ok?? No matter how we say, "COOL... HAVE FUN..." the feeling is as intense as the first time in the Elimination round. In fact, for me, I did not feel any "suffocation factor" in the very first round. No vertigo.. no heartburns in the elimination round (OBER NA un ha! lol!!). As we finish one entry to another, the excitement escalates, I don't know if I'd pray to be in or out.. hayyyyyyyyyyy!!! But I am THANKFUL, that I am still in the last of the rounds until the FINALS... WILL I MAKE IT UNTIL THE END?? Goodluck to all of the 15 challengers :) (that includes me hehe)

Hmmm only God knows. No matter what happens, I am still happy I did join this challenge. It's really a different level of challenge and though difficult and really tiring (NO MATTER HOW I PUT IN MY HEAD TO STAY COOL and REMEMBER TO HAVE FUN hehehe), it's heartwarming to be praised or commented on by my friends. For me, that's the true reward. Whether I make it to the finals or not, I am still what I am.. making and preserving memories of MY LIFE to last a lifetime... (sana hehehe)

Thanks for reading this my friends :)

1,2,3,4

1 Photo,2 Fabrics, 3 word title and 4 embellishments.

That's what ROUND 5 of SMI is all about.
We have a week to make our entries and I did mine for over a day.. no no no, I take that back hehehe not a day or so... it's less than 24 hours I think?!?! Again, not OA, I have people to prove that lol!!

Anyways, "STICK with it" is my entry- you have to go over Scrappin Moms' gallery to see it :)

If in any case I don't make it to the next round ok lang hahaha I'm running out of ideas and this round made my head empty ata lol!!! the reason why I wasn't able to make an lo right away was... I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE SIGNIFICANT to me..how absurd is that!?!?!? I was staring at my scrapping table and the unopened cigarette pack kept on "appearing" in my head. I thought one of my "bad angels" is urging me OPEN it lol!!! it's when I was rummaging through my cabinet and boxes and drawers that the idea HIT me! :D "kablam! kaboink! swooosh!!!" (o diba with matching sound effects pa hehehe CORNY!!!)

Why my unopened cigarette pack?? WHY NOT!!!??? yeah, why not?? so far it is the most significant THING in my life right now.. it's a 7-year-worth REMEMBRANCE for me. no not remembrance, REMINDER. bear in mind, this is FOR ME. IT's MY REMINDER for MYSELF ok?? some people might be offended or something but It was really a struggle for me to stop. I felt like an addict already Lol!! (not kidding!!) I wake up 2 in the morning TO SMOKE guys... now THAT's something to be ashamed of... and, I have plans too like having a family and I am feeling guilty already for my husband has stopped smoking too (well, SABI NYA!! hahaha). What does it have to do with having a family?? Well, my OB tells me it might be a FACTOR (sbi ko lang might but it is I guess) contributing with my "problem". No need to elaborate, just... leave it like that! LOL!!

And i really do hope my friends (the smoking lot) will appreciate this decision I came up with. Friends pa rin tau ha?? hahaha Sometimes, there are choices we have to make and it's a struggle to live with it. And I am very happy and proud with myself for sticking with this stop-smoking thing.

I didn't make this as topic just for the sake of having somethig to enter in the challenge. I made it my topic because of what it means to MY LIFE. and i believe, that's what scrapbooking is all about.. documenting EVERYDAY lives. may it be the most mundane or the most extravagant or the whatever "MOST" in our lives hehe

the fact that it has happened to me is enough reason already. it's my life, period.

Thanks for reading this guys.. not venting or anything.. just MY THOUGHTS. :)

1000 HITS!

Oh man, I didn't see when my blog reached the 1000th visit!!!
I was havin' a silent countdown actually and it looks like a lot visited me for the past two days..wow THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO DROPPED BY!!! yey!!!

And as a token of my appreciation, I am having another digi-freebie! hahaha
I hope you find this exciting lol!!!
But since I am having a difficult time uploading (and downloading) as of the moment I'd just EMAIL the files to whoever want 'em UNTIL THIS WEEK ONLY, then I will upload it in 4share later this week (hopefully hehehe).
All 12x12 at 300dpi, 6 pcs in total. And here's a preview...i'll just call it pastels and florals :D

Another NEWS!

Boy, the weeks that passed gave me a LOT of things to think about.
Of course, on top of everything else about scrapbooking, I still have my family to prioritize. :)
Yes I know how to manage my time and prioritize (no matter how much my mom will disagree hahaha),so I was kind of MIA (as Marj puts it) for the last two days (well, just almost).

But my my my... I never thought MYSCRAPWORKS would have some (more) good news for me!

Well, just check out MSW's article "3D". I just want y'all to read it THERE for yourselves hehehe
And after reading it, I hope you find in your hearts to understand why I HYPERVENTILATED a while ago ok? lol! And that I am not over-reacting :)

That's just it for now :)
See yah guys around...

ps: working on some digi-papers too.. for a future freebie upload, hopefully :)

POTW (pick of the week)... AGAIN!!!

Yes, you read it right my friends!
My fourth entry to the SMI challenge, ALTERED WOOD CHOPPING BLOCK turned KEY and BILLS holder was the Pick Of The Week!

This time, nobody texted me hehe
SO, imagine my SURPRISE when I SAW my emails congratulating ME as POTW (yet,again)! It was really unexpected on my part because THERE WERE LOTS OF SPECTACULAR ALTERED ENTRIES, I AM TELLING YOU!! And I really thought my entry has no chance to be picked among those very creative entries.. WOW!! Really wow!!! hahaha
I have never hyperventilated in my entire life and I THINK a few minutes after reading all the mails and checking the Moms' site (if it's really true hahaha), I DID! Not OA but I really felt it was hard to breath, just for a while ok?!?!
Besides,I have no one here to share it with, the joy leaping in my chest and the squeal wanting to come out of my throat! hahaha
{My mom and SIL (and my fireball niece, CHESKA) were all sound asleep already hehe}

Ms Connie Tameling DT member of Daisy Bucket Designs and Scrappin' Trends was the guest judge for the previous round and boy, how I loved all the wonderful words she said to my work and why she chose it as POTW. :) Thanks Ms. Connie!!! (check out her blog)

Please please HEAD to the Scrappin Moms site and take a look at all the wonderful altered items my fellow idol movers did.. you will certainly find lots of inspiring works that you might want to try for yourself. I sure did find them very CREATIVE and USEFUL.

Well, as the saying goes in Filipino, "Wag kang magsalita ng tapos," I am taking back what I said that I WILL NEVER ALTER ANYTHING AGAIN because this round made me realize to never look in everything the same way again! hahaha

Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it. :)