Parental Guidance is Advised

Here are a few more of my fave shots taken during the Real Life photo session I did with the Bermudezes.

Look! No hands! - Anybody up for the challenge?

Oh my gosh!

-jeff

Family Layouts

I finished this layout last night. The Sassafras papers and the Sakura Souffle pen are part of my kits from Scrapbukan. I enjoyed doodling using the white pen. At first, the white pen looks transparent. It took awhile for the white marks to show. The result -- beautiful and fantastic!

Title: My New Life

Materials used: Sassafras Lass Serendipity papers (Blue Boutique - Extravagent, Exuberant, Crimson Dots and Delicate; Scrumptious - Raspberry Ripple and Delectable), Sakura white Souffle pen, and American Crafts Mini Marks Frank rub ons (courtesy of Scrapbukan),Bazill cardstock, brads, 7Gypsies 97% complete stickers, twill, Bazill ribbon brads, Zig Writer pen

Hidden journaling (pull the flower to reveal the tag): After I got married in 2003, I didn’t know I’d have a life far from what I have envisioned for myself. I became pregnant 3 months after marriage. I stopped from working and stayed at home doing most of the chores. Nine months later, I gave birth and exclusively breastfed my son, Ethan. I stayed at home and looked after the welfare of my family. I’ve been a stay at home mom for more than 2 years … for me it’s such a long time already. Sometimes, I have to fight boredom. Sometimes, I feel I am losing my self esteem. It was a tough decision but I know … I am happy, I am fulfilled and I am blessed. Just one look at my 2 boys, I know, I made the right decision.

I finished this layout last week. These are photos of my "Family". It looks a lot different now since we have Jeff and Ethan as additional members. I still miss my dad, mom and brother sooo much. We now live in different houses and we don't see each other often. But I know for a fact, we will always remain as a family.

Title: Family

Materials used: Sassafras Lass Serendipity papers (Scrumptious-Green Apple, Delectable) (Blue Boutique-Exuberant)(courtesy of Scrapbukan), white cardstock, SEI cardstock letter stickers, BasicGrey flourishes rub ons, blings, American Crafts felt flowers, Colorbox ink, 7Gypsies stickers, brads and Zig Writer pen

Our Dominant Intelligence

Pia and I tried this blog thingy we saw in Ria's blog. Here are the results... the first one is mine, the second describes Pia. Pia can't believe the result she got - Well, I think she's just in a state of denial. Hehehe.

Your Dominant Intelligence is Spatial Intelligence

You've got a good sense of space and how the world around you looks. You can close your eyes and "see" images. You have innate artistic talent. An eye for color and shapes, you're also a natural designer. Since you think in pictures, visual aids and demonstartions help you learn best. You would make a good navigator, sculptor, visual artist, inventor, architect, interior designer, or engineer.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

Your Dominant Intelligence is Interpersonal Intelligence

You shine in your ability to realate to and understand others. Good at seeing others' points of view, you get how people think and feel. You have an uncanny ability to sense true feelings, intentions, and motivations. A natural born leader, you are great at teaching and mediating conflict. You would make a good counselor, salesperson, politician, or business person.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

Pia and Jeff

The Heat is On!!!

It's summer once again! Time for vacations, outings and most of all swimming!!! Don't forget to take photos of the details of summer - kids splashing water, details of the places you'd visit, etc.

Speaking of photos, I bet you still have summer photos from last year waiting to be scrapped?! Well, you're not alone on that. I figured out I needed to start scrapping again our summer vacation photos!

So, here's a layout I made using Fancy Pants Chi Chi papers to highlight the different activities we did last summer. I layered two Heidi Swapp flowers and applied glitters so that it'll look like the sun. I used the FP Biggest chipboard for the splash of water. To make it look more like water, I applied clear glitter and blings on it! I have to tell you that I really had fun doing this layout!

Materials used: Fancy Pants Chi Chi (Carefree, Inspire and Unique), Fancy Pants Biggest Board - Flourishes (splash of water), Bazill cardstocks (Mulberry-Aqua Blue/Torquoise) (yellow orange) (Hot Pink), Making Memories paint and glitter (for the chipboard), blings, Heidi Swapp flowers, buttons, Zig writer pen, chipboard, letter stickers/Editing software: Adobe Photoshop CS

-pia

Real Life Photo Session with Liza and Family

Yesterday I did a Real Life photo session with Liza Bermudez and family. I had lots of fun during this shoot... These people are great! Am sharing with you some of the photos I took. Will try to upload more soon. Thanks for looking!

CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW

-jeff

I'm on PageMaps!!!

I have been frequenting PageMaps for the past year. I get inspiration from the wonderful layout sketches as well as the sample layouts made by the contributors. I often wonder if I could contribute too to this site. Last February I finally had the courage to write Becky Fleck (the site owner). I sent her the link to my layout gallery and told her I wanted to contribute to her site. She agreed and explained that she usually picks the contributors on a monthly basis.

Last month, she informed me that I will be on the April newsletter! She asked me what layout size I prefer as well as a second choice just in case (12x12, 12x12 spread, 8.5 x 11, or 8.5 x 11 dbl). Of course, my initial choice would be a 12x12, a spread would be a second one coz I have never tried 8.5 x 11. When she emailed me the sketch, my jaw dropped ... it was a spread! I know it's not going to be easy, it has been months since I last did a spread layout.

It was a relief when I finally emailed Becky my layout! On April 1, she sent the newsletter and I'm soo honored when I saw my layout under Becky's signature and on the first page of the newsletter! I couldn't believe my layout and my name are now side by side scrappers from another part of the world!

Click Image for Larger View

Thanks so much to Becky for giving me this oppurtunity and to my ever reliable friends at Scrapbooks Exchange especially to Arlene who has been very supportive of me and to Ria for all her inputs!

-pia

Dito Tayo sa Jollibee!!!

Two weeks ago, a client inquired through text if the chocolate fountain is available on March 18. She's Jozel Pajuelas (third from left), friend and neighbor of a former client, Ranch. She attended Ishi's birthday party and she immediately said she wanted the chocolate fountain for her nephew's birthday too! Wow, what a nice aunt she is, she gave a chocolate fountain as a birthday present!!!

After a few more text messages, she booked the said date. When I asked for the party's venue, Jozel said it's at Jollibee-Metropark. I was really puzzled and I have to ask her if Jollibee would allow a chocolate fountain in their restaurant. It took awhile before she texted back and when she did, she assured us that Jollibee agreed to!

On that day, Jeff and I arrived early for the 11 am party. The store manager saw us carrying fruits and she was looking as if we were carrying bombs (hehehe). She asked if those were for the party and of course I said yes. She asked me again if the one who booked the party informed them of that, I answered, "I guess so." Well, to make the long story a little shorter (mind you gulong-gulo na kami sa mga taga-Jollibee if they will really allow us to set up our fountain!) ... one of the crew approached us and said there was a miscommunication. Apparently when Jozel called him to inform him about the chocolate fountain, he thought Jozel was referring to a "fountain" for display! Oh my! I almost fainted! But since we were already in the venue, he said we can continue with the set up provided that the chocolate fountain would not be served among the kids especially the fruits before meal time! Oh alright ... now the kids who know about this chocolate treat were all lining up and asking if they could have some. Well, after awhile chocolate was served "but only for awhile". As soon as the games started, we were asked to stop serving. Oh well, I understand what the crew was trying to explain to us ... the kids might not eat their lunch because they're already full or what if anything happen, they might be held responsible for the food we served. I was waiting for them to ask me to sign a waiver. But they didn't. Jollibee parties are always short... now I'm worried the chocolate and the dippings would not be consumed. I actually feel for Jozel who will pay us in full but will not get her money's worth.

But guess what? We let the staff and crew taste our chocolate treats - grapes, melon, marshmallows and wafer sticks dipped in chocolate... and after that they were raving about it hahaha! They even said, "Ma'm, masarap pala"! A crew even went back and asked, "Ma'm pwede ko po bang ihingi yung manager ko. Pinatikim ko po kasi, masarap daw."

Oh don't get me wrong, the party at Jollibee was a fun experience. We were just amazed at how things progressed during the party. The crew from Jollibee were all helpful and I know where they were coming from, they just want to protect their name and their jobs. Well, in a way, what transpired brought out good results. The kids were very careful not to make a mess. They would even go back to ask us where they could throw their paper plates. So, after the party, there weren't anything the Jollibee crew cleaned up.

As for the leftover chocolate and dippings, of course we gave it to Jozel, after all she paid for it! And she should get her money's worth!

-pia

Haribon's People's Choice Award

I should have posted this weeks ago. I have soo much to blog about yet little time to write about them. Here's the layout I made for the Haribon Scrap Challenge. I have to tell you that this is one of the toughest challenges I have ever encountered, todate. The photo that I used in my layout was only given minutes before the challenge started. It wasn't easy.

I was getting frustrated while choosing the right papers and embellishments as I work on my project. To think, Arlene, a very good friend of mine volunteered to bring her scrapbook stuff and share it with me! You could just imagine that I brought out most of my papers, trying to match it with the photo I have. 45 minutes have passed (we were given 2 hours to complete our layouts) yet I decided to change the background paper I used.

After deliberating what quote to use and figuring out what embellishments will work for an "advocacy" scrapbook layout, I was able to finish it right on time. Good thing Ria helped me out with punching holes! Joanne lent me her tools too!

After that challenge, I realized two important things. One, if I wanted to do things ... I must do it on my own! Two, I will do whatever I want on my layout - it doesn't matter if it doesn't look good nor what other people might say about it.

A week after the said challenge, a good friend and My Little Attic store owner, Nette Madero called and inform me that I won as the People's Choice Award for the Scrap Chalelnge! Something I never expected!!! Thanks to those who helped me with this layout and for MyScrapWorks and Haribon for organizing this event!

Click on this link to see more pictures!

- pia