you & me (tag mini book)

i can't believe it! it will be december in a few days and i still have a lot to prepare for the christmas season.  i better start preparing my shopping list already.  oh my! so little time to prepare.

talk about presents, clariz had a post birthday treat for the ac barkada last saturday at tourne at the fort.  it was a fun lunch over good food and good company.  time spent with my college friends are almost always never enough. imagine non-stop chitchat and laughter for almost 4 hours!  

anyways, here's the gift i gave to clariz. this is a tag mini book which is one of my favorite creations. i like creating this minis as gifts for friends. the mini was predominantly orange, her fave color. i'm glad she loved it!

nelo

last saturday was nelo's birthday. he's in his late 30's already, as in nearing the end of it. lol!

we celebrated his birthday quite simply. it was just lunch with family. we attended mass late in the afternoon. and, waited for the earth hour at 8:30pm. another year to be thankful for everything.

here's a layout for nelo i created a few weeks before his birthday.

journal:
Kind, patient and loving.
A responsible son, a good friend and a supportive husband.
You are a hard worker who believes in your principles and what is just.
You help out others as much as you can.
Though you may be short tempered at times, never did you raise a hand to hurt anybody.
Good-natured, funny and warm, you never fail to make me laugh even in the most trying times.
You are your own person, uniquely you…

materials used: a walk down memory lane "he said" march kit

hello blog!

it's been ages since i last updated my blog. i missed blogging and sharing my work but as they say, life happens. i've been so busy with work that i had to really prioritize. remember, i need a source of funds for my scrapbooking! lol!

so, what have i been up to the past weeks...
- finished layouts for my march dt assignment for a walk down memory lane
- finished assignments for journaling junkie and the pretty committee
- created a mini album for cloe who just recently resigned
- prepared for the tvc production for our client
- finished a few things here and there for the family and for our house

there's still much to do for work considering the upcoming long holiday. but i am slowly coping and hopefully can get back to the groove of things by next week. whew!

again, hello and i am back. lol!

by the way, it's nelo's birthday tomorrow. no big celebration or anything. simple lunch with family. i'll cook carbonara and some baby potatoes tomorrow. we'll just order the chicken to match the pasta. hmm, i think my mom will also cook pochero. oh no, i forgot to tell her to prepare sago & gulaman too. I better remind her tonight.

before i leave, i'd like to share with you a layout i did for the pretty committee. this is for the march challenge. topic was to create an all green layout and about how lucky we are. have a great weekend everyone!

title: lucky as can be

materials used:
cardstock - bazzill; patterned paper - basic grey; stamps, chipboard - fancy pants; alpha - american crafts, making memories; ink - brilliance; chipboard - basic grey; sticker - 7gypsies; others - glitter, lace

thankful @ 35

yes, i am that young!

the past year has been an eventful year for me and my family.

my dad had a stroke on my birthday last year.

we had to move out of our house to make way for our new house.

building a new house meant a big dent on our finances. it is still creating a dent or should i say, a big crater in our financial worries.

the painful process of getting back to the ob for a work-up to try our hand again at having a baby.

despite all these worries and travails last year, i believe there is still much to be thankful for...

my dad recuperated from the stroke with no major effects on him physically.

despite the financial constraint, our house is already up. it's the finishing that we have to work on now. still, we're quite happy that we now have a home to live in.

despite the negative results, i still know that in due time, He will bless us with another baby. and that our most fervent wish will soon be granted.

continued good health for me and my family. there's the occasional flu and colds but at least nothing major.

friends and family who've been so generous to help out in the time of our need. without them, we don't know how far we could have stretched the budget further.

friends gained and maintained through the same passion for scrapbooking.

an opportunity to design and be recognized somehow for the art you create.

an opportunity to share with others what you love to do through our group.

a supportive husband who's always there beside me.

he cheers me on in the things that i strive for. he consoles me when i'm feeling down and lost. he directs me when i am swaying away from the path. he loves me unconditionally even at times when i seem to much to handle.

a family who understands me no matter what. parents who have been with me through all the ups & downs of my life. they who also gives me their unconditional love.

yes, there is much to be thankful for for the past year.

thankful that after the rain, the sun still shines through.

thankful that He never fails us. if at times i end up feeling like He's not there, He reminds me one way or the other of His presence.

as i face another year ahead, i pray that He continue to be with me. to guide me each day, to show me the right path, to be the savior that He is. i pray that He continue to lay His guiding hands on me and my family.

and, may He hear the most fervent wish my heart longs for.

really, i am thankful @ 35...

just a few more days

and i can't wait! no grand plans really. hopefully by that time we can move in to our house already, although it's not yet really finished.

still, i hope it's going to be a happy day compared to what happened last year.

happy birthday bros

both my brothers celebrate their birthdays this august.

paulo celebrated his last august 7 and obet is celebrating his today.

this is one of those rare moments when we're together in a picture.

i've shared it before that we all have a love-hate relationship at times. we're just your average brothers & sister, one moment we're fighting, the other moment we're like the best of friends. i've taken care of these two all my life and though at times they think of me as the strict and sometimes cranky sister, i love them both deeply. we are family and i'll have it no other way.

so happy birthday to you bros! remember that i will always be here for the two of you.

make a wish

i joined a 6-week challenge over at the scrapbook site.

this is my entry for week #1 where we followed a sketch.

this is a photo of nelo & me during his birthday last march 28. i asked him to write the journal for this layout.

journal: Another year has passed as we celebrated my 38th birthday. It was a simple celebration – a dinner with you at Saisaki and a fun photo session to capture that special day. As I blew on that cupcake (a little surprise I got from you), I made a wish for us – continued good health and blessing for us and our families, the completion of our new house for a new beginnings, and may God bless us with another baby to complete our family. There is a lot to be thankful for in our life. I pray that He continues to guide us in the future… Nelo, March 28, 2008

materials used: patterned paper - prima (dude); cardstock - canson; chipboard - rusty pickle, basic grey, tim holtz; paper frills - doodlenug design; twinkling h2o's; transparency - dcwv

almost perfect

my birthday started off great today.

at 12:05 am, nelo woke me up with a birthday greeting while holding a box of sans rival complete with 3 candles. i didn't even notice the cake in the car when he picked me up from office yesterday. what a way to start the day.

no birthday leave for me so it was off to the office this morning. i was greeted by friends and i received a number of texts as well from friends near and far.

i left the office earlier today. we dropped by the church and gave thanks for the past year and prayed for another year blessed with good graces and guidance.

we were home by 6pm. the plan was to just have dinner at home with my family. my mom was preparing for dinner when we arrived and my dad was quite well. that was until 7pm.

i was inside the room when nelo called me and said dad slipped on the street. i went out and saw that most of the neighbors were helping him. apparently, he got dizzy and felt the surge of high blood pressure. and he slipped by the road. good thing some of the neighbors saw him and was able to assist immediately.

a friend of ours took his bp and it was 130/100. my brother decided to bring him to the hospital already lest his pressure shoots up some more.

it was a good decision. when they arrived at the hospital by 8pm, his bp was up to 171/100. and further increased to 180/110 by 9pm. they had to put dextrose on him along with some medication to lower his blood pressure.

he is already stable at the moment. my brother said he wants my dad confined overnight so his bp can be monitored. and i totally agree. they are just waiting for the results of his tests to determine what our next course of action should be.

what a way to cap off my birthday. i was hoping for a quiet "celebration" but i guess fate had something different in mind.

right now i am just grateful that my dad has stabilized already. and i just pray that he recovers soon. that is all i ask and pray for, for now.

happy birthday love!

as you turn another year older, i am grateful for having met you and being part of your life. we've been through tough times and you have been my anchor, making sure that i am able to hang on. your continued faith in what is still to come uplifts my spirit. i know what your heart desires right now. we've had her but he has other plans. as we wait for the day that another one will come, i wish you only the best coz i know you deserve it.

happy birthday love!

materials used: basic grey: patterend papers, mini-monograms, fibers; autumn leaves swirls 2 stamps; sakura aqualip pen, prima flowers; utee; sizzlits (&); dmc floss

celebrate once more

it's my dad's 61st birthday today.

we just decided to eat outside on his birthday. easier since no need to fuss about any food preparations. besides, instead of my mom feeling relaxed, she'll be tired just preparing the food.

so anyway, we went to mall of asia and had late lunch at mongkok. then we just strolled around the mall. it's my parent's first time at moa so no need to rush really.


since tomorrow will be chinese new year, we chanced upon this group who were doing calligraphy writing and tea leaf reading. we patiently waited to have our names written in chinese and our wish for the new year. it was actually fun seeing how this guy was writing down in calligraphy the names and the blessings. so cool.

the day was capped off by attending mass at the shrine across moa. it was also an anticipated mass already.

it was a nice way to spend the start of another year for my dad.

happy birthday daddy!

birthday gift

tita beth, one of our ninangs during our wedding, celebrated her 65th birthday last december 31. her birthday was supposed to be the folliwng day, january 1 but apparently they always celebrate it every new year's eve.

tita beth is the tita of joel, nelo's best friend, and he's really close to their family even before we met.

we were informed of the party 2 days ahead but we didn't have time to look for a gift anymore. nelo told me to just prepare a scrapbook layout for her and we'll place it in a shadowbox frame.

i only had 4 hours to do this layout. good thing we were able to find a good picture of her during our wedding. I just had it printed in a textured cardstock.

despite the limited time, i had fun doing the layout. it was the first time that i actually went to the extent of handcutting the flowers from the patterned paper. i was able to create a 3-dimensional look on the layout.

here it is:

materials used: patterned paper - inspirations by memory block; decorative corner puncher; deja view clear sticker; sizzlits font - nouveau; glitter glaze; foam tape

thankful

i just finished a mini-scrapbook album for nelo. glad i was able to finish it in time forour anniversary today as gf/bf.

this is actually his birthday photos last march. but i only had time to finish it 2 weeks ago.

the album is actually simple. i used the mme kaleidoscope pps and focused mainly on the journalling. i also alterred the album cover since it was too plain initially. i love the results and i'm glad nelo liked it as well.

neglected updates

this blog has been neglected for the past few weeks primarily because of work.

coming off from a long vacation, it was hard trying to catch-up at work and all the projects and meeting that i had to attend to. everything just seems to be happening too fast that even writing on my blog just seems impossible to do. still, no regrets on my part. i've had my fair share of fun and so now it was time to be more serious at work.

so what have i been up to the past weeks?

first, we had an eb with our scrapper friend from canada, gem. i've known her from my two e-groups and she really is a very good scrapbook artist. aside from the chitchat we had with her at hard rock cafe, she brought along some of her mini-albums and showed it to us. wow! her work is fantastic. i would love to be able to get a chance to do something like that in the future.






















the following day, we attended jorel's 1st birthday celebration at westgrove in sta. rosa, laguna. joanne's preparation for his little boy's party was all worth it. although the place was far, there were a lot of guests who attended. and everyone had fun at the party.









and then mid-week after that, we attended ate tica's birthday party. we tried using the choco fountain that i bought. i followed the instructions i got from ria on the chocolate syrup preparation. everyone was already anticipating the fountain. but, when we tried turning it on, the machine won't churn!

apparently, i wasn't able to "lock" a part of the machine properly. anyway, all is well that ends well. the choco fountain finally started and it was such a hit! my nephews & nieces loved it including the other guests including the adults. i intend to us that fountain again for the next party.

lastly, last saturday, i was out for work the whole day attending the tv shoot for one of our upcoming projects. sadly, i can't mention it here until it starts airing. i'll just probably post it here when the material has been approved.

that's it! those are the updates in my life. hope to be able to update more often again.

a happy birthday

yesterday was my 33rd birthday. i wasn't actually planning on anything but my mom decided to prepare dinner and invite some of my cousins and my in-laws.

it was a fun dinner. my mom cooked some of her all-time favorite dishes like caldereta, dinuguan, and of course pansit. my brother cooked the chicken. and of course, there was the sago which my preggy cousin requested for.

side chika: we just found out the other day that my cousin was 1 month pregnant. that will be their 5th child and everyone is hoping that it will be a boy this time. their 3rd child is a boy. but on that side of my cousins, it's a girl-dominated world when it comes to children. i do pray that i'll be the next one getting pregnant.

so anyway, we just had the usual dinner chikahan and salo-salo. my antie dolly & agnes brought me a birthday cake. later on, when my in-laws arrived, they also brought me a birthday cake. well, i ended up with 2 cakes for my birthday and they're identical! hihihi!

it was fun seeing my nieces doing the honors of blowing the birthday cake on my behalf.

overall, it was a happy celebration. there are a lot of things that i am grateful for over the past year. i've been through some ups and downs and despite my own failures, the lord has been kind enough to still shower me with his blessings. i would have wanted more of that but in know he probably has his own plans. still, i am thankful.

aside from the usual guidance and good health for me & my family, i am really wishing and praying to him for only one thing. and i know he knows it already. i just have to wait for now for his special grace. he's probably telling me now, in due time my child, in due time.

surprise party

we attended last saturday a surprise birthday party organized by my friend joanna for her husband, andy. the venue was at gweilo's in eastwood. it was a small venue and you can consider that only close friends and associates were invited. there were only about 30 people there.

joanna was busy preparing for it for weeks and it was a close-guarded secret. invitations were sent via text and the continuous reminder to make it to the event. joanna was really bent on making that party a success.

and it was indeed a success! when joanna & andy entered the venue at 8pm, andy was surprised to see all these people waiting there for him.

side kwento: andy was supposed to arrive in the venue at 730 pm. joanna, along with her best friend, shiela, was already at gweilo's as early as 5pm fixing-up the place. by 6pm, joanna suddenly saw andy about to enter the venue! she almost panicked! imagine, a surprise party and the first guest to arrive is the celebrant! lol! apparently, andy saw joanna buying something in a store and called her cell. but, instead of answering it, joanna ignored the call and decided to return immediately to gweilo's. and so, andy followed her there thinking, why wasn't she answering the phone! hahaha! good thing joanna was a great "actress" and convinced andy it was nothing.

the evening's surprise didn't end there actually! well, andy & joanna had seen a concert a few weeks back where the dawn was playing. and andy loved the dawn! so joanna commissioned them to play in andy's party! andy was blindfolded before joanna announced who the band was and when andy saw them later, he was ecstatic.

needless to say, we all enjoyed the party! we all had fun especially the celebrant who, while giving his speech after the party, was almost teary-eyed over the precious gift given by joanna.

such a sweet gesture and it was indeed a priceless moment.