Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Scrapbooks exchange

When we began, I was preggy with Jerome and I had Jacob who was bearly 1 year old then... I was shopping blindly and didnt know what was good to buy,... It was Ann Imperial who was back then our shopping diva/adviser for products.... Now its someone else -- sino kaya -- bato bato sa langit -- matamaan man wag magagalit!

I was lucky to host few of the EB back in Rockwell when I stayed with my brother and boy the Rizal units were big ! HUGE.. and my house in Pilar Village too!

Its nice to reminisce how far our scrap group has come... how friendships blossomed, how talents have bloomed on their own. Now its a duly noted day off of moms to be with scrapping friends, to chika, to learn, to hang and to eat too.. I am so optimistic we will get bigger one day and that Scrapfests wont be just 100 ppl but say 500 to 1000 ppl,.. Lord if you hear me, thats my fervent wish GOD!

If only I can wave my magic wand and hypnotize ppl to start scrapbooking and show them the great benefits 10 to 20 years later, dont you think ppl will take notice....


Or if I can convince the suppliers of the US to take notice of the talents here because there so many innovative and eye popping layouts that turn up during challenges.. At times you think -- how in heavens name did she think of that !

So i began writing this post with nearly 2 kids right -- Jacob and Jerome -- hahah in this last pic hosted by My little Attic -- i was preggy with Jorel !

Monday, March 19, 2007

Haribon event by MSW


I had to attend the MSW Haribon Event and do their scrap challenge,.. boy, it wasn't easy -- nakaka pressure then you have to sit with colors experts Ria and Pia who are better than me with mixing colors, haaay and so I was even more tense to come up with a good combination. (nakakatakot katabi si Pia -- she is a different person pag pressured wahhhhhhhh!)

I even did a Miriam Quiambao trip and fell on my chunky easy traveller suitcase (I didnt know what to bring) because earlier when I passed by the exhibit the only thing that called at me was a photo grasshopper on a flower,.. Carrie's husband Din who took the photo was around too so all the more presured to justice on his beatiful shot !

And when they announced my name to draw my pic and get my shadow box and I had opened the envelope just before my desk and suitcase -- I freaked out!!! The grasshopper's eyes were staring at me ! hahahha oh di ba comedy pa ako ! Of course, everyone saw that...... good thing Mr Jeff Lopez didn't see me and snap a pic or else its super embarrasing !

It was a challenging activity alright and I am happy to have joined,.. thank you Iris for vacating her spot and letting me fill her place,..

Saturday, March 17, 2007

I met a new friend....


I am so lucky to have met a new friend who has the same passions, children and scrapbooking. I am sure she can some how help our scrapbooking industry gain ground in the metropolis,... at first meeting I was a little nervous, after all I had wanted to work with them in our Scrapfest event and secondly I wanted so much to have paper craft or scrapbooking on magazine spreads locally. You can say that it was my way of helping also those untapped scrapbookers who dont know where to begin and create more awareness that we can create beautiful scrapbooks and altered art pieces even with a budget (since there is a minsconception that it is an expensive hobby).

Everyone meet my new friend. Mrs Dedet Reyes Panabi of Working MOM (an ABS CBN Publishing mag). I submitted some work for her yesterday and I was again nervous and when her face lit up with simple thing I did, whoa! I felt my heart leap. Little things make me happy you know! What's more I was asked to do a project and I could have done cartwheels right there and then ! This is a happy day.... and we are shooting it on WEDNESDAY!

I am also happy to get reply emails from so many groups I have sent information to about the Scrapfest. And whether accepted or rejected they took time to read my email. I guess I just have to keep at it and keep letting them know about us here in the PHILS. Lord give us the strength to organize our event and help us source generous hearts that will provide success and enjoyement in our event!

Friday, March 16, 2007

highs and lows of life

Lets begin with my rollercoaster of emotions, a friends kid was operated on and recovered, a friend's dad died, then my friend's cutest son ever -- has left us and I know he is heaven now.. my oh my,... how can ones' heart bear such pain.. no parent should ever see their kids suffer... endure intense pain, face adversities at a young age.. if only we can just take the pain away, if only we can catch whatever sickness that inflicts them.. if only we just let them smile all day and not let them sob uncontrollably.... if only we could be the 'sieve' to rule out all bad experiences so they just merely enjoy life as children... However, that's the natural course of life, we should be thankful we are given the chance to be with our loved ones.. we live on borrowed time yes and for our kids, we act as mere stewards until such time that God reclaims them as his angels, as his own.. we take comfort that they are ok and living in paradise.

I guess everything is a match if you feel so sad for few days, then there are days that we get to feel fulfillment and unexplainable happiness... I wrote this because of some fantastic developments in my scrap group, Scrappin moms, our on a roll (sheer excitement) preps for Scrapfest and the rallying of my egroup Scrapbooks Xchange (during our darkest week),...... I hope for their sake it gets published(submitted it in magazine abroad),.. that the world (U.S.) knows how well our scrapping community here has developed,... both on a personal level and on a creative level.... I hope people will not think this is to brag or to give myself prestige,.. If it gets published -- it would tell that we, here in the Philippines are fantastic scrappers and that we belong in a community that truly has heart and we care...here's what I wrote....

When I try to think of how far my scrapbooking has gone and the great relationships I have formed, I sit here and say to myself "WOW". I am Filipina girl who grew up in Australia and coming back to the Philippines in 1997 (upon meeting my then boyfriend now my husband of 7 years), I had nobody to rely on here in terms of close relationships. I had no immediate family or a close set of friends to help me adjust.

Having been married in 2000, it didnt help my social life since it was only a Newlyweds group that I belong to and of course, that being virtual -- you hardly see this people you read about.

But now as I write this, you can say I am simply flabergasted to think that I can help contribute to a thriving industry of scrapbooking here and at the same time, meet lovely ladies. Some of these ladies became my 'kumares' a Tagalog term you use to say that your girlfriend is your child's god parent. We hold sacred that kind of relationship because as Catholics we choose them to be like second parents to our children.
I never get days off having started building a family in 2003 when my boys Jacob, Jerome and Jorel came year after year. However, my husband Patrick had to accept my self imposed 'time out' from domesticity, to attend my scrapping EB (eyeball) day, where we gather in one club house at a location, center to all members of Scrapbooks Exchange egroup. Every month we hold this meet-up as a venue to learn more techniques, share our new layouts, teach others, and even share our wealth of die cutters and dies. We live in a country where scrapbooking isn't as common yet nor do every scrapper own the latest scrapbooking tools. And so our so called 'day off'', we share what we have with friends. Its amazing, these monthly meetings started in my own house with 6 friends and one little girl Gaby (I have pictures to prove it). Now our egroup has blossomed 20 over 200 members. Thank GOD too, our scrapbook suppliers have mushroomed to be online resellers and another egroup too exists, Pinoy scrapbookers which is thriving in passion and talent in scrapbooking.

I cannot credit myself for singlehandedly strengthening this hobby in our country. However I feel that I have been deemed an 'accomplished scrapper' because my passion for scrapbooking has in fact rubbed off on other people. I have inspired people to make time for their families' legacies. Amazingly, I have inspired others to open up their own online scrapbooking stores. Personally, I would go as far as giving away free supplies to new scrappers, helping them choose materials or merely helping them do a first layout. I sit on the computer using a messenger, talking scrap talk and helping people edit journalling, or adding pizzaz on their pages. I guess scrapbooking changed my life because it made me more generous at heart than what I was 4-5 years ago. I guess I term its as my 'pay it forward' act, because a lot of those I have helped, has in turn helped others... As a mother, it made me more attentive to detail, to ensure I keep those important milestones of my family's life. And not even that, you can call me a magician too,.. some of my kid's shots are not so great pictures but they are now presented better because of the scrapbooking skills I have learned.

My writing has even improved and I have dabbled in writing for local magazines doing craft tutorials (in English and Tagalog) or design. With the formation of my group,
www.scrappinmoms.net with three other mommy friends, Mia, April and SL and I are even able to provide an online magazine on our website called 'Scrapbytes' geared for new scrappers. I contribute articles there alongside other generous and talented scrappers. We hold scrapbooking conventions for scrapbookers here twice a year.. and all this for our love for scrapbooking.

What's more, scrapbooking gave my being 'stay at home mom' more dimension. I can play host during scrapbooking events on weekends, initiate virtual scrap talk on chat. I even have been featured with my group on tv, talking about our beautiful hobby. I was even part of a make over feature of my scraproom with a local magazine. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think paper would let me do that as mommy who is just crazy over he boys and crazy over papers and embellishments.

Best of all, I have also helped bring the scrapbookers closer, bridge gaps and help in providing a support group where people commune in good and bad times. We share so many experiences as first time parents, as married women and as women of substance. If I was to say what I love the most about scrapbooking, its the friendship that has blossomed in my quest to be the historian of my family. For that I am thankful to GOD, because scrapbooking might just be a hobby to others but to me, its a life mission to preserve memories and catalyst to build beautiful friendships that would last a life time. WOW!

Monday, March 5, 2007

A time out for Patrick and I


Our Singapore trip March 1-7, 2007
WE never go on vacations without the kids, if we did it was only a few days,... its our first real time out more than 4 days away from the kids.. it was our time out to celebrate our fruitful 7 years... nothing planned, we just went out together, ate together, talk and spent quality time, just me and him..
Funny we tried to shop today and was reminded our tax refund years ago now we can't even do that because we hardly shopped. Hhahaha either that or we just gone thrifty!


We just bought the kids a few things and me a few pair of pants from G2000' U2 line but Patrick didnt reach the Takashimaya sale when we went there that day,.. but being the no frills guy he is, its ok he doesnt have anything new or branded. I guess its really the OC in me that really wants to sink my teeth into bout his dress sense...hahhahahaha!


We had a relaxing time just lazing away, we enjoyed hearing our kids on the phone too because its a change now because they try to converse now when they hear our voices.. goes to show how time has flown by and how grown up our kids are!


Thank god for this time together.

Details of our pics:
First 2 are pics of our nice hotel room at Royal Scotts just off Scotts and Orchard.
Third shot was when Jovy, Joanna, Sarah, Julia and Mom visited us at our hotel (not in picture is Jovy's hubby John and Patrick.
The rest are my younger brother's beautiful condo, his view and his living room
he recently bought in Singapore -- it felt like being a hotel still !

The Yaps strutting their stuff

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