Look what I found!

I hoarded the old versions for ... what ... 7 years!  Now that I have replacements, I can use them as often as I like!
I haven't found the coloured ones though.I love these as they are easier to work with than rub-ons, yet have the same advantage of a clear background.  The smaller fonts are good for sub-titles and short journalling, much faster than printing out from the computer and neater than hand writing.

Made two layouts today - completely different style.

This first one features cut-outs from Graphic 45's Communique on Club Scrap's Gimme Me A Ring collection.

This next one practically scrapped itself. The gorgeous Sassafraslass paper needed only a few embellishments from Crate Paper Mia's Collection.
E had a blast playing with my old point and shoot. It still works, only it doesn't focus well. She loves hearing it click. She'll go around telling everyone and everything "Smaaa", wrinkling her face into a smile.

Most of her shots were of her pj's, her toes and the floor. This one is of her toys.
Here's one of me in motion-blur.
Here's her view of my scrapbooking supplies.
Now if I can get her started on scrapping her own layouts! Laugh!

Fashion and Scrapbooking (2)

Just random connections that I've been brooding over. In particular patterns and tones in clothes and scrapbooking supplies.

I look at the clothes in my wardrobe and I see tops and bottoms in solid colours. I have very few patterned pieces. I hardly wear patterns and when I do, I will match them with a solid-coloured coordinate. I can't carry off the look of all-over patterns. I even dress my girls in the same way. Hey, my walls, curtains and cushions are also solid blocks of deep colours.

I look at my scrapbooking stash, and what do I see? Lots of solid coloured cardstock and very few patterned papers. I gravitate towards papers and embellishments with deep, vibrant colours. Muted colours and pastel shades just don't appeal to me. It's difficult to use such colour palettes when the photos that I scrap are of people and things bearing jewel tones or brights.

While scrapper-friends are drooling over new releases from CHA and berating how to resist buying everything, I know how I'm going to curb my spending. By taking a cue from my blouse and bedsheet.

So, what appeals to you? How similar, or different, is it from your clothes and home decor?

Conversations

E:  mo ... (pointing at my face)

Me: Yes, mommy's mole

E: mo ... (pointing at comforter)

Me: Yes, Elmo

E: mo ... (pointing at comforter again)

Me: No, that's Bert

E: fie (flapping arms)

Me: That's bird, birds fly.  This is Bert, as in Ernie and Bert

How's that for a conversation with a limited vocabulary!  Laugh!

Fashion and Scrapbooking

Reading fashion magazine makes me feel like a failure. Firstly I lack the figure of those pencil-thin models. Secondly I can't afford the clothes and accessories of each season. A brief scan of local magazines while I was at the hairdresser confirmed that I will have to skip a month's lunches in order to look trendy for a day with an updated outfit (though it might help point #1 and #2 above).

So I learned to be contented with what's in my wardrobe and perk myself with one or two new items once in a while. I'll be happy if every year or three I get to dress up for a special occasion and look like a page from somewhere. On ordinary days, I can be found in my older-than-my-daughter blouse and skirt or worn-out and comfy t-shirt and bermudas.

Similarly, reading scrapbooking magazines can make me wonder about my lack of artistic flair and creativity as I compare my pages with those published. But I remind myself that my primary objective is to document memories.

There must necessarily be those "t-shirt and bermudas" equivalence of photos-and-cardstock-only pages. Only occasionally a page cries out to be decked up and I'll pull out blings, blossoms and buttons to adorn it. But I tell myself I will not lose the significance of that page to the embellishments. That's just me and my style. No offence to those who really have to flair for make every single page amazing and artistic.

So what are your pages like?

Experiment #1

Played with a sheet of Maya Road sheer and misted Red onto patterned paper.
Found lots of mist still on the sheer, so I laid a piece of kraft cardstock on top and pressed. Presto: second generation print.
For the third generation, I used a textured white cardstock. Poor choice.
Perhaps a fine mist of water would have activated the mist further for better results. More experimenting later.

Name Game

It's harder than it looks! Copy to your own note, erase my answers, enter yours, and tag ten people. Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following questions. They have to be real - nothing made up! If the person before you had the same first initial, you must use different answers. You cannot use any word twice and you can't use your name for the boy/girl name question.

Ok, to be fair, I'll use both T and E:

1. What is your name : Theng  /  Esther
2. A four Letter Word : Twin  /  Even
3. A boy's Name : Theodore  /  Ethan
4. A girl's Name : Tina  /  Eva
5. An occupation : Tailor  /  Engineer
6. A color : Teal  /  Eggplant
7. Something you'll wear : T-shirt  /  Earphones
9. A food : Tofu  /  Enchilada
10. Something found in the bathroom: Towel  /  Ear-digger
11. A place : Tuscany  /  East Coast Park
12. A reason for being late : TPE jam  /  ECP jam
13. Something you'd shout : Touchdown!  /  Eureka!!
14. A movie title : Transformers  /  Escape from Alcatraz
15. Something you drink : Tea  / Eggnog
16. A musical group : The Temptations  /  Eurythmics
17. An animal : Tiger  /  Echidna
18. A street name : Toa Payoh North  /  Eu Tong Sen Street
19. A type of car : Tucson  /  Escort
20. The title of a song : Take My Breath Away  /  Every Which Way But Loose

I'm not tagging anyone.  Go ahead and give your answers if you're reading this.

My Missing Trumpet

How do I do that? Show my strengths and achievements. It goes against my grain and all my upbringing to be humble and keep modest about my accomplishments if I have to impress the people around me. I've always rationalised that if others cannot see the good I've done, I'm no worse as a person. Now I'm told otherwise, that I should capitalise every "showtime" and make myself visible in order to get noticed, to get ahead. When have the rules changed? Am I wrong to play my own game and am I the one to blame when opportunities bypass me? I never learnt to blow my own trumpet!

Finished Venice

Calling Earth ...

Yes, I sort of disappeared from the surface of the earth. Well, more like buried under the rubble at home. Those nagging tasks long overdue since we moved in 3 months ago!

In the last two weeks, I have:

- lined the remaining kitchen shelves (overdue for 2 months)

- packed 8 bags of baby things to return or pay forward

- purged 3 baskets and 2 shelves worth of stuff

Just like the difficulty of losing the last five pounds in a diet, purging the last few boxes was a huge challenge. So I put my own wisdom to practice (What you cannot tidy, you hide) and rearranged some shelves strategically to hide a jumble of plastic stools, bags, boxes and knick-knacks.

I still have a storeroom packed to the gills. But nothing a huge picture over the window and a closed door cannot hide.