My Fancy Pants prize package

This is my second good news yesterday, the first one being is the ACOT CT Spotlight. I received my prize package from Fancy Pants. I joined their online contest last August and was lucky to be one of the winners!

I got the whole True Collection (papers, rub ons and ribbons) yipee!!! I also got another set of rub ons, buttons (yummy!), posies (crochet flowers) and the pins (I've been wanting to have these!)

I can't wait to use my new stuff. Thanks Jodi of FP!

-Pia

ACOT Creative Team Spotlight (again!!!)

I have just opened my blog when I saw Geng's message at my chatterbox. She said I did it again at ACOT. Curious, I opened the link she gave me. I was surprised to find my layout, Bloom featured at the CT Spotlight. This is the second time my layout was picked!

CT Spotlight is a monthly feature at ACOT in which the Creative Team will put the spotlight on superior layouts that have caught their eye in the gallery (this is what the intro paragraph says hehehe).

Here's what the CT says about my layout:

Jackie Pettit says: "I love the colors, the flowers and buttons up the side. Gorgeous photo!"

FairyMouseMom says: "I love how those flowers grab your attention...and then have you look directly at the photo."

4peasinourpod says: "I saw this layout and immediately hit the save button! The small but striking title, the flowers, the diamonds...it is work of art!"

Laura Fiore says: "Such beautiful floral work on this one. Pia's layouts always have great artistic balance!"

Beth-W says: "The photo here is gorgeous and I love the subtle colors and design that make it shine."

nun69 says: "The flowers are the perfect embellishment for this page and that little bit of red gives it that extra punch!"

bamablue says: "I love the use of flowers on this layout - the little checkboard piece behind the picture with those little flowers is just precious! And the buttons in the flowers up the side!"

suslvgeo says: "Love the use of different shapes. The diamonds, flowers, and stripes work so well here! Love the frame around the pic as well as the letters used to spell the title!"

Last month, it was also Geng who informed me that my layout, Mine was featured at the CT Spotlight. What makes me even happier is that the layouts chosen are my Daisy Bucket layouts!

Thanks ACOT for this wonderful oppurtunity to share my work. And of course, thanks to Geng for being the bearer of good news for the second time already!

You may also view the announcement here.

-Pia

Saturday Crop Night

After almost a month of no househelp, I wasn't able to scrap a layout. It was so frustrating since I needed to finish my layouts for Scrapbukan and Daisy Bucket. Last Saturday was my first time to finally scrap again after the long hiatus! Believe me it wasn't easy, it was like I'm a newbie in scrapping!

These are some of the layouts I finished during the crop night at Ria's house last Saturday (read more about our crop night in her blog). I truly enjoyed my stay ... if only we can do this more often. Part of me wanted to go home that night because I missed my baby, Ethan, yet part of me too wanted to stay because this rarely happens. Besides, I wasn't sure if I can still scrap at home.

Technically I finished 5 layouts - 2 are for Arlene (our birthday gifts for her) and 3 are personal ones. I only managed to ask Arlene to leave me this layout I made for her daughter, Reese since I promised her I will submit it to the Daisy Bucket gallery. I can't post the LO I made for Scrapbukan yet until Sahrie posts it on her site.

I'm not so happy with this layout but my only compensation is that I finally was able to scrap this picture of Ethan taken last Christmas!

This one is my favorite. The title is actually from the movie, Madagascar. I couldn't help but use that on this LO since I remember the penguins kept on saying those lines, "Just smile and wave boys, smile and wave!"

Special thanks to Liza for cutting the waves!

Thanks Ria, Arlene, Iris, Bjay, Kitkat, Joanne, Liza and April for that memorable night! I'm not sure if I can still attend the next ones ... will surely be missing a lot!

Layout Credits:

Title: Bloom

Materials used: Daisy Bucket - Astor Park pps (Madison, Quincy, Clay, Emilie, and Cass), MM chipboard, Colorbox ink, buttons, Zig Writer, Daisy D's rub ons and cotton twill letters

Title: Am I Still on Santa's List?

Materials used: Daisy Bucket - Wrapped Wishes (Twinkling Lights, Frosty's Buttons), American Crafts Thickers and rub ons, Sakura Aqualip and Zig Writer pens, blings, MM pebble brads - courtesy of Scrapbukan and Bazzill cs

Title: Just Smile 'n Wave

To make the title, I drew the letters and colored it with color pencil.

Materials used: Scenic Route Metropolis (Carter Drive, Johnson St.), Sakura Aqualip pen, buttons, AAS fish brads, Uniball Signo white pen, Faber Castel water color pencil

All photos by Jeff Lopez

-Pia

Me @ {29} - Collage Press layout from Scrapbukan

I'm not really fond of answering "tagged" questions that are circulating among blogs. For someone who finds it so hard to write, I don't enjoy such. But I realized these questions are also a way of knowing oneself! So I thought of a creative way of incorporating them on my layout. I answered a few of the questions posted at Cynthia's blog. And since the name of the game is "tag you're it", I thought of using almost all of the tags included in my Collage Press kit from Scrapbukan.

I enjoyed creating the handcut flowers and using the color pink! These are things I don't normally include in my layouts!

Materials used: Collage Press – Fresh (Paisley, Blooms, and Vines), die cuts and tags, American Crafts Greenhouse foam and plastic flowers and Typehouse plastic punctuation - courtesy of Scrapbukan, Bazzill cardstock, Brenda Walton chipboard (M and E), BasicGrey bock alpha chipboard (29), Simply Scrappy acrylic brackets, buttons, Zig Writer pen, Pebeo glitter touch, Li’l Davis paint (green), Reeves acrylic paint, DMC embroidery floss, felt ribbons, and fabric flowers

Photography by Jeff Lopez

-Pia

Independent {BasicGrey Infuse}

Here's a layout I made for Scrapbukan using BasicGrey Infuse.

It's about Ethan being independent. The photo was taken a year ago after he turned two. I finally scrapped that photo - atleast before he turns three on Monday hehehe.

By the way, I tried to make this a monochromatic layout. I finished this 2 weeks before the Scrappin' Moms Idol's monochromatic challenge - I wanted to try if it will be difficult to do. Unfortunately, I only noticed that some of the pps I used have brown patterns on it!

Materials used: BasicGrey Infuse - Extract, Invest, Condense and Seethe, BG Sweet Meat Mini monograms and BG fibers (courtesy of Scrapbukan), Making Memories paint, Karen Foster Loppy brads, felt ribbons, Sakura Aqualip, Zig Writer and Uniball Signo pens, buttons, green cardstock and We R Memory Keepers folder tab for the hidden journaling

Photography by Jeff Lopez

Hidden Journaling:

You don't want me to brush your teeth. You don't want me to hold your spoon when you eat. You want to do things on your own. You’d often tell me, “Ako na, ako na!”, whenever I’ll do things for you.

You choose the food you want to eat. You tell me what video you’d like to watch. You pick the toy you’d like to buy. And more often than not you’d don’t appreciate being told what to do.

It seems obvious you want things your way. You have become so independent since you turned two.

I feel sad you have needed me lesser each day yet I also feel a sense of pride whenever you show signs of independence.

Ethan, please remember that mommy will always be here for you as you grow … even if you need me less.

-Pia

The Scrappin' Moms Idol Contest

Congrats again to the top 12 finalists ... Cabbie, Au, Tin, Cookie, Nita, Issa, Diane, Lee, Cors, Mia, Rita and Darlene! From the bottom of my heart, I'd like to thank each of you for participating in this year's Scrappin' Moms Idol!

I cannot fully explain how I was feeling last Saturday. I literally wanted to go home so I won't be judging any of the awesome layouts created in 3 hours by these ladies hehehe. I feel there was so much responsibility given to the Scrappin' Moms, ang hirap to judge. Everytime I was about to write down a score, I stop and think if the score I was about to give is something the scrapper deserves. I wanted to be fair and just to everyone. What was even more difficult is that we only have a limited time to judge the layouts.

After I gave the scores to April, I knew everything is no longer within any of the Scrappin' Moms' hands. As what we've mentioned before, the 60% total of the scores are from the 6 rounds of the Idol Contest. Every round from the past weeks counts a lot in contributing to each participant's final score. The remaining 40% are from the finale challenge. The scores are accumulative so everybody has a fair chance of winning.

When April handed me the results, I was stunned! Not because the winners don't deserve to win but because I think I lost the courage to announce hehehe. If I was to announce a good news, I knew too there's some bad news (if it could be considered as one) to go with it too. It was only I, April, Sienna and Jeff who know about the winners ... the rest of the moms do not have a single idea!

I've seen all the top 30 participants from the very first round and I've seen how each did their best in this contest. I'm happy to know that even if there were many complains (; D) as we go along the contest, everybody had a learning and enjoyable experience.

So, the time came for me to announce who the Idol is ... my tears started to flow. I'm sorry about that - mixed emotions perhaps! I think I need to confess I'm really iyakin hehehe. The idea of building up the excitement and announcement mala-American Idol was really my idea but right then and there I thought it wasn't a good idea after all ... mukhang ako yata mahihimatay hahaha!

Seriously, I'm really happy ... so happy Joanne thought of this contest! It was all worth it after all, di ba Scrappin' Moms? ; D

Visit this link for other Scrapfest photos.

All photos by Jeff Lopez

-Pia

The All New Scrappin' Moms

I have to admit it, days before the Scrapfest I was hoping time would slow down a bit! Don't get me wrong please, I mean I'm happy and in a way excited because it'll be my first Scrapfest wherein I'm part (real part) of the organizing committee. But oh boy it was more difficult than I ever imagined! If before I'd go to the Scrapfest because I want to learn, meet new and old scrappers alike, shop and simply enjoy the day, being part of Scrappin' Moms changed all that. Now, I think if everything will turn out the way we envisioned things to be. I think of ticket sales, I think of the Idol Contest, I think of everything and yes I even think of my attire hahaha!

Now, that Scrapfest 4 has finally ended, I can breathe and relax quite a bit (yup because Scrapfest in May will be next hehehe!). This event is the first venture of the new Scrappin' Moms. And yes, amidst the difficulties we encountered, it was a very memorable experience for me!

Ria and April already said their thank yous to all our sponsors, to those who helped us in the preparations and to the participants but the thank yous and the commendations have not been addressed to the people behind this fantastic event! So, please bear with me as I say my piece.

To our Ms. Congeniality, Joanne ... the dreamer of the group yet through her I wanted to believe in the power of dreams. She's the woman behind the 1st ever Scrappin' Moms Idol. She's the one who looks for sponsors - the reason why we had Canon as sponsor during the May Scrapfest and now Del Monte! The thought of her leaving for Australia a few weeks from now makes me wonder if we all can move on without her. I know when she gets there she needs to adjust, having three boys without any help must be really difficult for her. So that will mean we cannot bug her as often as we want to. To Joanne, we will surely miss you!

To the other prime mover of this group, April ... I have to tell you that I admire this woman very much! You probably don't see her talk often especially infront of an audience but I have to tell you that she's the woman behind all the leg works of Scrapfest! She oversees the ticket sales, the venue, the food, the kits, the sponsors, she's even the one uploading the Idol entries (it was only on the 2nd or 3rd round when Joanne, Liza and I helped her), she did the Scrapfest logo even the homepage for the Idol contest. I can go on and on for all the things she did for the Scrapfest! She's a real trooper! Oftentimes, I'm lost with my duties and I can always turn to her. And to top it all, April is working full time in an IT company! Whew, what a lady!

To our manager, Ria ... if there's one person who always thinks ahead, it'll be her. She tells us if something is not feasible, she checks everything making sure nothing will be missed out. She generously let us use her house everytime we have a meeting for the Scrapfest. She, together with Liza are the persons behind the mini album and the demo at the Scrapfest! I loved that album because it's very doable and is something new for everyone to try! Ria is also my savior, she bought the blouse I wore at the Scrapfest hahaha! Sabi ko na nga ba I can trust her style!

To Liza, our accounts manager hehehe (advertising ba ang dating?) ... if there's a question posted at the Idol forum, she's the person I bother hehehe kahit madaling araw na, together with April. She's also behind the mini album done during the demo. She's our ever reliable event host. Like April, she's also working full time in an advertising agency so you can just imagine how she handles all her duties!

To our muse and master, Iris ... our challenge master that is! If we need inputs regarding our challenges, we all of course consult the authority! I know she's a really busy person but she always see to it that she supports us even in spirit!

To Sienna, even though you rarely see this girl. She does her share too of course! She's our finance manager and one of our resident materials shopper (aside from April). She sourced out the materials needed for the challenge even though she was told about what she would buy only a few days before the Scrapfest.

And last but not the least, to Mia ... oh I know she feels bad that she didn't make it because she now lives in Cagayan de Oro. We feel the same too but as what she told me, "Someday we will all be complete again!" I believe her.

To our Scrappin' Dads, Jeff, Meng, Nelo, Buddy, Bryan, Patrick, Tom, and Mier! We know that we become a little busy at times but we are more than thankful for your unending love and support!

Allow me to mention these too; Jeff, thanks for all your help not just to me but to the whole group, I know that sometimes you feel I'm always busy with so many things but I'm grateful for your understanding, love and your mere presence in my life! Everything that you have done to let me know that you support me in my passion makes me appreciate you even more!

Meng, thank you for all your help ... we could not have been visible in the net if it weren't for your generosity. Thanks too for being our photographer during the Scrapfest!

To the Scrappin' Moms thanks again for making me part of this group! You have made me a better person and scrapper after this experience. I'm sorry for my shortcomings too! I look forward to our next events! Love you friends!

All photos by Jeff Lopez

-Pia