Shoot and Scrap: 12/01/2007

Thursday, December 20, 2007

New Blog Header

I think everybody would agree with me when I say our blog header looks lovely! That's because our dear friend who's a talented paper and digital scrapper made this for us ... Diane Miraballes!

Thanks Diane for this! Leslie's ulit tayo pagluwas mo hehehe! We really love what you did on our header at salamat sayo sa wakas napalitan na header namin hahaha!

Our Christmas photo for this year (the one with reindeer headbands) was taken by another friend, Meng Lim! It's very seldom that we have beautiful pictures as a family ... thanks to you Meng for providing us one!

Header Layout credits: Be Merry Digi Kit from Two Peas in a Bucket
Blog Header Designer: Diane Miraballes
Header photos (2nd and 3rd) by Liza Bermudez and Meng Lim

Christmas Tag

I saw this on Diane's blog. She didn't tag me but since I love Christmas and it has been so crazy around the house lately, I just want to sit down and answer this hehehe.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I extremely enjoy wrapping gifts, no gift bags for me!

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial tree, it was only once when we had a real one - I love the smell but I didn't like cleaning up all those falling leaves!

3. When do you put up the tree? Sadly, we don't have a tree this year : (

4. When do you take the tree down? 1st week of January (only when we have a tree)

5. Do you like egg nog? nope

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Kitchen toys

7. Hardest person to buy for? my in laws ... they have everything already ... I think.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Jeff and Ethan - I know exactly what they want and need!

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I love to receive mail Christmas cards although I don't really give ones hehehe

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? none

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Any Christmas movie is okay with me : )

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Last minute shopper ako eh ... in short wala kasing money to buy gifts hehehe

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Guilty : (

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? nothing in particular ... lahat naman masarap eh

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear Lights

17. Favorite Christmas song? I love the Christmas songs of the Jackson 5 (I'm that old I think!), it brings back Christmas childhood memories.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? travel as in namamasko! : D

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer’s? Rudof and Vixen - the only two I could remember : )

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Eve

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? heavy traffic

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? red

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? new pair of jeans - I couldn't fit into my old ones!, new shoes, new bag, a new wallet (Hope Santa reads this!) and of course world peace!

26. Who is most likely to respond to this?

27. Who is least likely to respond to this?

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

My name in CK

My friend, Iris called me a week ago gasping, her voice trembling with excitement. Knowing her, there must be some good news. She asked me if I have a copy of Creating Keepsakes January 2008 issue, I told her I borrowed Arlene's copy. She wanted me to get the copy and turn to page 114 and insisted I get it immediately! Hay! Kaloka itong si Iris! I told her I'm in a moving car and the magazine is at the back of the car - I couldn't get it at the moment but she really insisted I get it. I told her, "Sis, nasa CK ka na din?" But she replied, "Hindi ako!!!". Ok so kung hindi siya, who could it be? I knew I have browsed that issue already and I have not seen any Filipina scrappers' work. Sobrang naintriga na ako, I moved to the back of the car (take note, umaandar yung car huh!)

I turned to page 114 and look what I found ...

Here's a closer look of what I found:

I screamed! There wasn't any layout but my name was there. And for me, that is enough that Vanessa Hoy of CK took notice of my work! Thanks Vanessa!

And thanks too for the bearer of good news, my sis - Iris who always encourages me to keep on sending layouts to CK! At syempre, ang sistah ko posted the good news at our e-group hehehe:

Congratulations to our very own PIA SALEM LOPEZ!!!!

I don't usually read articles in the magazines but just look through the layouts. For some reason, the layout "Imagine" caught my eye, and then I was drawn towards the column at the bottom of the layout mentioning the scrappers whose submissions caught Vanessa Hoy's (Senior Editor of CK) eye... and andun ang pangalan ni PIA!!!! Sabi ko nga talaga pang CK ang style nya.... Great photos, clean and strong design, striking colors, baga eye catching talaga! Ayan na nga napansin na sya ni Vanessa Hoy! Kaya tuloy tuloy na yan. :)

-Pia

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

The "Boss" is back! (Andyan na si Boss! hehehe)

After a few months of being in the U. S., "The Boss" is finally home!

Here is "The Boss"! Buti pa siya nakapunta na sa U.S. hehehe. Kidding aside, my most awaited book arrived Thursday afternoon - I was so excited to get it from the post office. I've waited for months to finally see the book printed. This is my first published work!!!

Thanks to Eileen Aber of Memory Makers for sending this to me and for all the communications we've had before the book was printed.

Iba pala ang feeling pagnakita mo yung work mo in print! Hay heaven!

Layout title: {The Boss}
Materials used: BasicGrey Color Me Silly, Bazzill cs, We 'r Memory Keepers, 7 Gypsies sticker, Gin X coasters, ribbons, buttons, DMC embroidery floss, Uniball Signo , Sakura and Zig Writer pens, Editing software: Adobe Photoshop CS

Photography by Jeff Lopez

-Pia

Monday, December 10, 2007

Not Your Usual Ribbons

What do you usually do with your gift tags - those small and cute cards and tags placed on top of your presents? I have to admit I keep those cards every year and I try to include them in my layouts - after all they're mementos to keep and cherish!

Here's what I did: I created a slit/pocket under the small presents so I can insert the gift cards. To give the presents a 3D look, I used foam squares to adhere them. And since the overall theme of this layout is all about gifts, I thought of "wrapping small presents" too with small pieces of paper and tying the presents with ribbons! I thought of using the paper line's name as my title too.

I used the Wrapped Wishes Collection, Ribbon Elements and Clearly Petite Alpha and Image Stamps to create this layout.

The ribbons are so versatile, I was able to cut them into strips - quilled, folded and curled them up! They're like "paper" so it wasn't hard to adhere. The second and last present from the left have "quilled" ribbons on them! While the third and the sixth presents have curled ribbons.

other materials used: Bazzill cardstock, buttons, BasicGrey alpha stickers, Uniball Signo pen, and brads

Photography by Jeff Lopez

-Pia

Saturday, December 08, 2007

Ryle Patrick's 16th Birthday

I'm used to covering birthday parties for children and kids but when asked to cover a party for a teenager... I never imagined that it could be twice as fun especially with these folks. Well, the fun and easy part is, every which direction I point my camera people automatically strike a pose with big big smiles on their faces. Hehe. Patrick, his cousins, relatives, classmates and almost all the guests, most especially his dad, are way too cool! Checkout how they dressed up the venue and setup the stage for this "Hawaiian Luau" themed party - cooool huh! From the centerpieces, the hanging lamps, to the necklaces they give each guest as they enter... simply awesome! : )

Ok... when album making time came, it actually - almost made me go nuts - thinking of a design and layout that would eventually come at par with the cool photos I took of the cool folks during that cool party. Hehehe. Well, I think it's pretty obvious from my layouts below where I got my inspiration... nope, it's not from one of Pia's scrapbook papers... If you guessed a particular brand of soda... well, correct! I got inspired by this wall advertisement I saw when I was driving along C-5. So that's where it all started - I actually made a design quite similar to the soda ad. Cool huh?!

To Patrick, his parents and Deborah... thank you very much for getting our services, and for your trust and your patience.

You may click on any of the layout for a larger view. Thanks for looking. Enjoy!