First layout done with printed papers & flower from Sassafrass Lass. Flower brads from my stash - not sure who makes them. When my children were younger we used to live in a place where the neighbourhood was really stuck-up and unfriendly. So on days like Halloween it was really sad because there was nothing. This year I tried to organise a little something but as you can see only a handful of kids showed up. Lily still talks about how sad it all was!
Second layout is done with Club Scrap Caribbean kit, chipboard label and a rub on. Ribbons from my stash. Photos from one of our many many trips to Phuket. So I just wrote about how I love that little cap Lily is wearing and how it was almost impossible to get her keep anything on her head.
P.S. Both layout designs inspired from the current CK magazine. And since I am running late today, I'll skip the video. Have a great weekend, everyone!
All layouts done with Club Scrap Heritage III kit from June 2001. Other products are alpha stickers, liquid pearls and 7 Gypsies journalling tag. All layout designs inspired by layouts in various CK magazines.
Joe and I were in NYC mid December 1999. It was an amazing experience ~ New York all decked out for Christmas. The lights, the festive air, the shopping, the biting cold ~ we loved it all! We spent three awesome days in this amazing city and came away with really special memories. Unfortunately we did not have a chance to go to see Lady Liberty so we made do with a replica in front of a shop ... LOL!
******* Coffee Art - it is all the rage these days. Now, I'd rather have my coffee plain and steaming hot, than fancy and cold, but this is still worth a look-see.
I am making puff pastry today for the first time - wish me luck! So I managed to do just this one layout. Club Scrap Old South kit. QK alphabets & Heidi Swapp chipboard alphas. 2 tiny white rub-ons.
Today's video is a favourite of mine - a slightly longer one to make up for just one layout ... LOL! And I know that you Jane Austen fans will love this one ... the best Mr. Darcy till date!
First layout uses Club Scrap Fruit & Vine kit, rub ons, swirly stamps & some doodling. The big red oval was supposed to be a balloon but it now looks like an egg ... LOL! Layout design inspired by one in the current CK.
Second layout uses mostly card stock because of the large number of photographs. Alpha stamps by Art Warehouse and the numbers are those foam letters that look great but smell funny. I managed to fit in 14 photographs! And a pretty crazy party that was too!!
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The Tonight Show by Jay Leno is something perhaps most of you watch. But there are some segments that are just worth watching again and again ... especially if they have such eye candy!! That's Josh Duhamel, BTW.
First layout done with Club Scrap 'Key to my Heart' kit. I believe this has to be the most difficult CS kit I have used till date. And since I was doing 'double paper' subscription those days I have a lot of this kit!!
Second layout done with a kit from Scrapgoods. QK alphabets, Art Warehouse alpha & photo corner stamps. The black round thing is a rub on.
It is now just over a week that we got back from Europe. I am over my jet lag, cleaned out the house, attended to all the piled up mail and now am finally into my regular rhythm. It is wonderful to travel, but it sure is great to get back home!
We usually eat a continental breakfast - very light & quick. But on Sundays we indulge ourselves. Yesterday I made these scrambled eggs for breakfast. And everyone loved them! So I decided to share it for those of you who enjoy spending time in the kitchen :-)
First layout done with papers from Club Scrap. Not sure which kit the brown paper is from. The yellow is from the County Fair kit. Imagination Project rub-on alphabets, swirl stamps from Art Warehouse Limited Edition, 7 Gypsies journaling card and a chipboard flower, coloured & stamped with Brilliance inks. Ribbon is from my stash. Design copied from a layout in a CK magazine.
Second layout uses a Scrapgoods kit. Could not figure out who makes the papers because the little strips were removed by the Club - Daisy D's maybe a guess but I cannot be sure. Art Warehouse stickers, Thickers alphas, Swirly stamps (Rhonna Farrer I think) and a ribbon, again from my stash. One of Becky Higgins' sketches.
These wooden chairs, with their strange upholstery are very old and slightly out of the norm. The whole set ~ 2 arm chairs and a 3 seater, are rockers! They belong to my MIL from her trousseau ~ that is at least 50 years. And for many summers past all the kids have spent enjoyable evenings rocking on these. They used to occupy the pride of place in the main living room in front of the TV. But with a few compulsive rockers in the household we had to put up with continuous creaking while we tried to watch the news. So three years ago, when we redecorated the house, I changed the upholstery and moved them to the children's den. This way everyone is happy!!
Lily at the playground. And yes, back then I could really squat!
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A Japanese prank ... I'll have to be careful the next time I visit there ... LOL! Been very lucky till now. They have all been perfectly behaved but this sort of thing is contagious, I believe :-)
First layout done with Club Scrap Outdoors kit from 2000. Heidi Swapp chipboard alphas, sei buttons, tabbed letters, and Art Warehouse and MSE rubber stamps helped complete a layout that I started in 2001. Yes, for me this has to be a record! I started this layout in 2001 and it took me 6 years to complete. The oldest element is little 'stones' corner I created with a technique learnt back then. I remember achy fingers from tearing little rounds and ovals from thick Club Scrap card stock ~ I had to use this piece since I worked so hard on it! The newest element has to be the tab on the side with 'Summer 01' on it. All pulled together today with some stitching and a design from a CK magazine.
So, how long have you sat on a layout? LOL!!
Second layout uses (I'll fill in later - too tired to go down & check supplies now! LOL!) The rub on phrase is from DCWV. Not sure who makes the chipboard flower but it is part of a set in 12 X 12 format. I coloured the flower white and then stamped with inks from CTMH and a Stampendous cube. Design inspired by Ali Edwards.
Ricky testing the waters of the Nure (kind of rhymes with 'Murray') river near our home on a very hot summer afternoon. The water is always ice cold and we have to keep away from the river bed after the rains for fear of flash floods. But that day was perfect in every way!
Lily, pleased as punch with her new 'Minnie Mouse' pyjamas. This was the first Disney outfit she received as a gift and she fell in love with it. She would wear it almost every night. We had to sneak it away for washing. And years later even when she could not fit into it any more, she refused to part with it! Actually Lily is quite the pack rat and does not like getting rid of any of her clothes, but we did have an especially hard time with these PJs.
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David Sedaris on Dave Letterman. This clip is 5 minutes long but worth listening to, I think. He is very good!
First layout done with Club Scrap Heritage II kit from June 2000. 7 Gypsies quote panel, a rub on, chipboard swirl, Rhonna Farrer swirl stamps, Gelatin alpha stamps & Penny Black alpha stamps.
Second layout uses paper by Heidi Grace, Heidi Swapp chipboard alphas, MSE alpha stamps and 7 Gypsies stickers.
Is it not strange how, if you wait for a while before scrapping some photographs, circumstances change completely? I'll admit that I waited more than a 'while'. These photographs are from a Christmas dinner in 2000 in Italy. This is a work related gathering and so I guess I was not too excited to scrap the event. Another boring dinner. And the photos did not really turn out that nice. All very blah and so the photos got pushed to the back of the box. Now when I look at these photos I am amazed at how things turned sour. Everything just disintegrated (work related, nothing personal). And so I had to finally scrap these photos because I had a story to tell. Not such a nice tale either therefore the red 'Void' as an indication of negativity.
Lily learning how to roller blade.
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Luc's first lemon
And the Fruitcake lady - she has me in splits!! What a pity I never saw her shows and so Viva You Tube!
First layout uses Club Scrap 'Oriental' kit. Making Memories foam alpha stamps, ribbon, chipboard flourish and hand painted swirls done with the French curves set.
Second layout uses paper from Basic Grey & Carolees Creation (the punched rounds). Buttons are from sei and again Making Memories foam alpha stamps, Heidi Swapp silhouettes, and ribbon. Used the French curves again to make the lines for journalling. Design from a layout in a CK magazine.
Lily's first ever trip to the beautiful island of Phuket in Thailand. This was also her first holiday with her cousins. Love the last 3 photos of them sharing a Sprite! Anyway, both Lily & I fell sick the day we arrived in Phuket. So we spent six days in our room. On the seventh day we were well enough to step out. We had to leave the next day ... LOL! Anyway, we had good fun just that last day.
Another layout about Ricky's problem. Eye contact - or rather the lack of it. He did not like looking at anyone. So we learnt to speak in short sentences, easy things and started every sentence with 'Look at me' or 'Can you look me in the eye?' It took years of patience and love and understanding but now this problem is almost imperceptible.
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This guy draws monsters daily. This is number 19. Check out the others too. Very creative!
Both layouts done for a challenge on the Scrapologie board. The layout required the following: Fibre, 3 Epoxy stickers, Buttons, Chipboard (but not alphas), Flower (only one) and the word NOW. I had a problem with the Epoxy stickers - I had only the words by Danelle Johnson. Took a bit of thinking which I do not like doing much ;-)
The first layout uses Club Scrap Caribbean kit from Feb 2000. I bent the Epoxy sticker rule very slightly. The '2000' is actually 3 stickers. The big photo turn is chipboard.
Second layout is done with a kit from Scrapologie. Papers include Basic Grey Phoebe, Heidi Grace Cupcakes, K& Co Amy Butler designs. Design copied from a layout by Joy Uzarraga.
Tactile problems are usually an issue with children with Autism. Ricky had a hard time with messy play. He even disliked washing his hands very early on ~ he disliked the feel of soap. Therapy helped a lot and when he was four we finally managed to take him to the beach and play a bit with some sand and water! You can see from his face that he is not completely comfortable. But I was so happy that he tried! It was a big step for all of us.
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This boy can dance! If anyone can dance that well in a suit like that, he deserves to have all the little ladies go ga-ga over him ... and the older ladies too, perhaps? LOL!!
And a beautiful ad from the Japan Ad Council about encouraging children in their creativity:
I want to thank everyone for the lovely messages saying I would be missed and wishing me a wonderful summer. In case you are wondering why I am still here :-) its because I actually leave on the 4th of July. Because I do not like flying, I guess I am all tensed up already!!
First layout uses Club Scrap Fruit & Vine kit from September 2001. Photo turn from 7 Gypsies, Hero Arts alpha stamps and SU Vine & leaves 2-step stamps. Design inspired from a layout in a CK magazine.
Second layout uses Chatterbox & Paper Salon papers. White 'Artsy Doodles' rub-ons are from Maisy Mo Designs. All from a kit by Scrapologie. Design by Jessica Sprague.
If these photographs are to be believed it would appear that Ricky really liked fruit. And ice cream. The reality was that to get him to hold the watermelon and take one bite I had to threaten him with 'No TV today'! And even though he does eat apples, it is a struggle every time. And this was the first time I got Ricky to try ice cream. He hated the cold feeling in his mouth and never touched it before this. While I am still trying to get him to eat fruit as often as possible, I was very happy when he refused to eat ice creams ... LOL!
A quote from Ellen DeGeneres : So many questions, most of them are 'Why?'
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A really simple Antipasto dish : Calabrese Lollipops:
As some of you may know, soon I'll be taking a blogging break and it'll be for a couple of months. This is because I will be away for summer. I will still be crafting but portable crafts like cross stitch and paper filigree. And so before I head off from Hong Kong, I am putting my work in order and this leaves me with little time for scrapbooking :-(
First layout done with Club Scrap Weekender kit from September 2000. Also brads from the Art Warehouse line, Penny Black stamps, French Curves and flowers from my stash. 'Memories' is a rub on from Daisy D's. Layout inspired by one in the current CK magazine.
Second layout uses paper from sei and Zany stickers from 7 Gypsies. Some chipboard embellishments ~ not sure who makes them.
Summer 2001: Just some random memories. This was the year I took Ricky's therapist, Soma with us to Italy so that she could work with him through the summer holidays. And one of my helpers ran off to become an illegal immigrant in Italy ~ lots of hassles with that. And my then future sis-in-law flew in from Ukraine. But she could not fly directly to Italy. So she took a flight to Barcelona in Spain. So we drove there to pick her up and bring her back to spend summer with us in Italy. And in the photos my mother-in-law, aunt, Ricky, Soma & I in the central Piazza of the town where we live during the year. Summer we escape to the mountains to avoid the heat of the plains.
This is perhaps not the best photo showing Ricky's eccentric nature but as I was looking through my stash I saw these stickers by 7 Gypsies and I realised that each and every one of these were perfect for the way Ricky is - funny, wacky, zany, quirky. So be expecting more 'Zany' layouts as and when I can find some goofy photos of this son of mine!! LOL!
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This is a really cool computer program that uses physics to allow you to draw objects and have them interact with each other. It's hard to explain. You need to see it to understand.
I like advertising. From a business person's viewpoint I believe it is necessary in the world we live in. And I actually really enjoy some of the smarter ones. But it is important to be aware of how we are bombarded with these ads and the manner in which it affects us. So here is the other side's point of view, which is always good to know because there is much truth in it too!
First layout done with Club Scrap Winter Wonderland kit. Stamp of woodland creatures painted with watercolour pencils. Hero Arts 'postage' stamps & QK alphabet. This kit came with sticky journalling panels. I never liked them. But now I am finding them great to use for cutting out alphabets! Corner rounder in use again!!!
Second layout uses 7 Gypsies paper, Thickers alphabets, MM foam stamps & chipboard from unknown source, painted with gold acrylic ink. Everything from a kit by Scrapologie.
This layout is for Ricky's album ~ Christmas of 1999.
This layout is of Lily and my mother. They always spend a lot of time together. I love this photo of Lily explaining the 'Puzzle' series of books from Usborne to my mum. The kids love these books! They have every one from the series. We have the books for at least 9 years and both Lily & Ricky still pick them up for a read!! I recommend them wholeheartedly! And yes, they call their grandma 'Didu' or shortened even more, just 'Du'.
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Turn up the volume and prepare to be amazed! If this does not give you the goosebumps and bring a tear to your eye, I don't know what will!
And just because he makes me smile, even though I have seen this video so many times!
First layout done with Club Scrap Tie Dye kit from January 2003. Basic Grey notch tool and the scallop scissors. Design by kelbuckley from CK Gallery.
Second layout is a kit from Scrapologie, with papers from Essentials by Kate. Heidi Swapp chipboard alphas. 7 Gypsies tag. Ribbons from ANM. Design from a CK magazine.
I want to share a gift album I did. In 2005 I took my mother and an aunt to London for 5 days. My MIL was also supposed to come but then the bombs exploded and she decided to cancel. We were in London exactly a week after the explosions and hats off to Londoners for the way they handled everything. We had a lovely time!
I originally made this gift album for my mother in English. Then I scanned the pages and used Adobe Photoshop to change the titles and journalling to Italian. I then printed these out and gave the second album to my aunt.
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Video for today is a very popular one which shows Matt dancing in all the most incredible places. It's called 'Where the hell is Matt?' and deserves to be posted just because it is such a cool video!
This next video is very strange!! I thought pelicans ate only fish!!
First layout with Club Scrap Caribbean kit from Feb 2000. Some alpha stamps and Scenic Route chipboard alphas. For the first time, after 7 years of having this kit I finally used the two Sanford water colour pencils to do some doodling!
Second layout uses MOD paper by Autumn Leaves. Alpha rub-ons from EK Success and alpha rubber stamps from CTMH and Hero Arts. Design inspired from layout by lej at the CK Gallery.
Ricky was born in Italy in January. It was freezing so we decided to go to the seaside which was slightly more bracing. We spent almost three months at Bordighera, a beautiful seaside town near the border with France. While I stayed at home taking care of my new born, Lily went to the beach every day with her Nonna and Nonno. She made friends and also managed to catch a horrid bug, which she brought home and promptly gave to her brother!
Needless to say, every time I look at these photos I remember what it is like to have a month old baby and a 3 year old both sick with severe bronchitis. I do not think I ever want to return to this place again. Pity, because the artichokes there are awesome!!
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Traffic in India!! Yup ... it's like this in most cities. Especially the smaller ones. The following version has its playback speed increased to scare folks even more. You can see the original one here.
And a colour card trick. Very cool - watch the explanation!
Where do I look for my creative inspiration, you ask? Well these days it is the CK magazines and the CK on-line gallery.
First layout done with Club Scrap Tiny Treasures kit. Not sure who makes the paper used in the second layout but it was in a Scrapgoods kit. Letters traced from Gin-X alpha stickers. Both layouts copied from the CK Gallery on-line. Designers: cayla73 and lej respectively.
Summer 1993: I took Lily to the mountains in Italy when she was still quite young. We spent all summer, from June to September there. Lily was a lovely baby. Usually I would strap her into the car seat (that is all I had with me in Italy) and keep her near me. She would follow me with those big eyes of hers while I did my chores. All I had to do was talk to her and she was content. The photo is of her and her cousin Valentina, a few months her senior. They were both absolutely adorable!!
Joe at the most important watch fair held at Basel in Switzerland. This year he did not see any famous people so I guess he settled for a photograph with the car instead ... :-)
And since some of you ladies asked ... here is Sete Gibernau sin su camisa. Now if only I knew the Spanish equivalent of hubba hubba ... LOL!
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A couple of wildlife videos today. The second one is long but I suggest you watch it if you have a couple of minutes. It is amazing!!
Today was a tough day. It has been raining non stop for a week now. And I left early morning for China and had to stay there till late afternoon. For work :-( and it was wet, dirty, humid, sticky ... yuck! And with all this it took longer to do what I had to so by the time I got home it was late. I decided this was a good time to try some high speed scrapping. So here are 2 layouts finished within an hour! Both inspired by layouts in the CK magazine.
First layout done with Club Scrap Country Fair kit. And QK alphabets. Used a pen to draw the outlines in lieu of matting. The 2 small merry go round stamps are colored in with acrylics.
Second layout uses paper lace by Doodlebug. Heidi Swapp chipboard alphas. And some colored brads.
Both layouts from our trip to Paris Disneyland in 1999. It was the first time Ricky was visiting Disneyland and his reaction was not positive, putting it mildly. It was a difficult three days for all of us. But we all have good memories despite Ricky not co-operating with Minnie Mouse ... LOL! He liked the car!!
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I am sure most of you have seen this during the Oscars but these performers are so good, I am sure you will enjoy watching them again.
And this video is doing the rounds now. So it is almost a must-see ... ROLF!! Listen, if you can, to the lyrics. Especially the end. It is a hoot!
First layout done with Club Scrap Evergreen kit. Some star brads. Some gold acrylic paint. And some stitching. From Christmas 1998.
Second layout is an old one. Could not manage to finish 2 today! Layout is of Lily & Ricky at the playground. Ribbon, rub-on title and number stickers. Cannot remember who makes the papers.
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Here is Middle Ages Tech Support!
And this guy solves the Rubik's cube in record time!
First layout done with Crate Papers Seaweed Collection and an Art Warehouse sticker.
Second layout done with Club Scrap Fruit & Vine kit from September 2001.
Summer 1992: My in-laws are usually not very adventurous folks and do not like to move out of the house too much. But this time my father in law decided he wanted to take me to a beautiful town called Santo Stefano d'Aveto near Genoa.
I was pregnant with Lily and in my first trimester. I did not have morning sickness but I could not handle the twisting and turning on the mountainous roads. So we stopped often, especially when we came across 'fontanas' or water springs. These are very common all over Italy and France (Evian and San Pellegrino come to mind). The water is sparkling clean and ice cold. the frequent stops helped me not get too sick during the drive.
Zio (uncle in Italian) Renato was so funny! He has a very dry humor and all through the trip he kept us in splits. Trust him to spot this tree and request us very seriously to take a photograph of him with the strange tree tumors!
Moto GP Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. Photos with Chris Vermeullen, Marco Melandri, Lucio C. Eliza P & a very interesting photo of Sete Gibernau. I have one of him without a shirt but I will not be sharing that one with you ladies ;-)
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I have to admit this bit of 'Mathematics' had my jaw dropping! A lot of thought must have gone into it! It is called 'Hillbilly Math'
And a really cool video about Stencil Graffiti Art:
