KAYA 22 - Fields of Gold

I loved this song from the moment I heard it sung by Sting. It was written by Sting for his wife. For me, it evokes a long life of love and companionship. It's something I'm looking forward to as we mature.

Journal: Growing old together, seeing time pass with joined hands in our fields of gold, in a song that withstands time.

FIELDS OF GOLD by Sting

...Will you stay with me, will you be my love,
Among the fields of barley.
Will forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we lie in fields of gold.

...Many years have passed since those summer days
Among the fields of barley.
See the children run as the sun goes down
Among the fields of gold....

I used a plain yellow ochre cs and stamped all over, first with StazOn black and olive green, then embossed same stamp in black and in gold. Distressing was made by rubbing walnut ink and by rolling and tearing the sides. Also, by rubbing more walnut ink where the stamping was made, I created an illusion of more plants in the background. To hold the photo and the song in tracing paper, I cross-stitched silver thread at strategic places around them. I also sewed clear and amber glass beads together with miscellaneous dried grain stalks for added interest. Photo was also altered in Lightroom to age its look.

Materials: Bazzill cs, Thickers Shoebox alpha, Carolina's lace and ribbon, Kotex silver thread, Elit tracing paper, miscellaneous glass beads (clear and amber), StazOn black & olive, VersaMark Watermark, PA embossing powder in gold and in black, Tsukineko Walnut Ink. Stamp used: Stamper's Anonymous Tim Holtz Collection Nature's Discovery 049.

Honored to be Scrapbooking.com's Blog of the Week!

I am very honored to be chosen as Blog of the Week by Jami Petersen for Scrapbooking.com's newsletter starting this Monday, March 2, 2009. I really don't know how or why but I am humbled.

3rd Frugal Scrapper LO - Hiding in Mommy's Closet

As if 2 LOs for Prima's Frugal Challenge isn't enough, I just had to try and see if I can still use other Prima packagings for the challenge. This time I used a Prima Say It In Crystals paper packaging for the polka-dot paper in the middle, plus the Prima Viola felt design and its backing. I cut the Viola in half lengthwise so that the black felt was separated into two. Then I used the backing of the Viola, cut it lengthwise as well, then used spray mount to stick them. By sticking together a half Viola felt and a half Viola backing, I was able to make a very interesting patterned background on my plain white cardstock. I also hid part of the title "HIDING" with the white lace ribbon, trimmed it with black cotton thread for more ooomph, then placed the "D" on top of it, just for fun.

I'm really glad I did this challenge. I just wanted to prove to myself that using unconventional materials for scrapbooking can really be done. Of course, making 3 LOs just for this challenge is a feat in itself.

Journal: Hiding in Mommy's closet is so much fun but only if I am found.

Materials: Prima packaging: Say It in Crystals cardboard, Viola adhesive backing. Bazzill white cs, Prima Viola Die-cut Art Strips cut in half lengthwise; Thickers Shoebox alphas; Prima flowers grey; Carolina's white ribbon; misc. black cotton thread; StazOn white and black; VersaCraft 182 real black, Pigma micron 05 pen black. Stamp used: Prima Dreamer.

Techniques used: stamping, rubbing walnut ink, distressing sides of LO, inking alphas, sewing black thread through white ribbon, handwritten journal, sepia photo.

2nd Prima Fruggal Scrapper LO- Hurt

Here's the 2nd LO I made for the Prima Frugal Scrapper LO Challenge, entitled Hurt. I used a Prima Dreamer Clear Stamps paper packaging, plus it's transparent plastic window and the 2 plastic fasteners. I made some sort of frame with the paper packaging but I hand-torn a square hole in the middle of it. I cut the transparent window into a square, used alcohol inks to color the sides then stamped on it. The alcohol ink I used was Stream, almost the exact shade of the Prima Flirty Little Secret Frock pp which I made as the base. I adhered the photo with double-sided tape behind the handmade transparency. Then I hand-torn another square hole on the Frock pp. This is why the photo looks like it floats on the transparency. To finish it off, I distressed the edges of the pp by rolling and hand-tearing the edges, then rubbed walnut ink all around the sides. For the alphas, I used Prima Rue 88 but I covered it with Ranger Distress Crackle Paint in Aged Mahogany.

I must say that I like this one even better than the 1st entry. Of course, I had my doubts when I was just starting, especially when I couldn't stretch the Dreamer packaging enough to make almost 12x12. Also, I already alchol-inked and stamped on the handmade transparency before I realized I could actually adhere it onto a similar Prima pp (Thank you, Iris!)

Journal reads: When you're hurt, I am hurt; when you're sick, I feel sick. You feel it in your body. I feel it in my heart. You are a part of me that needs to heal.

Materials: Prima Dreamer Clear Stamps packaging (paper packaging, transparent plastic window, 2 plastic closures with cotton string); Prima Flirty Little Secret Frock; Prima Say It in Crystals; Prima Rue 88 Chipboard Alphas; Prima Essentials Flowers assorted; misc. bead garland in white and light blue restrung; Gelly Gems; Bo Bunny Bella Journee Brads; Carolina's lace; Winsor & Newton Galeria White Acrylic; Ranger Alcohol Inks Stream, Slate + Silver Mixative; Tsukineko Walnut Ink; Raner Distress Crackle Paint Aged Mahogany; StazOn black and white; Sailor Freshly Picked Pastel Collection Warm Cream Pen; Pigma Micron 01 black pen; Kotex silver thread. Stamps used: Prima Dance, Prima My Rose, Inque Boutique See D's Narrative Elements.

Techniques Used: hand-tearing and rolling, rubbing sides of LO with walnut ink, stamping, alcohol ink painting, crackle painting, sewing (to attach the bead garland), painting.

It's Out! I've been PUBLISHED!

I just received my Somerset Memories Feb-March 2009 issue and there it was, on page 24, WWII Love Letters! This is my first LO to be published and although I'm to receive a complimentary copy of that issue, I just had to make sure I have another copy to give to my dad!

This is about my grandfather's letters to my grandmother. Lolo Martin was a USAFFE officer, captured in Bataan during WWII, part of the infamous Death March. While incarcerated by the Japanese, he was able to send letters to Lola Chiching, telling about his life in Camp O'Donnell in Tarlac. He talked about the cruelty of the Japanese, the scarcity of food, and even asked her to send some and to even visit him. He said that he missed her and his 5 sons, all still very young to fully understand the attrocities of war. Despite the odds, they were able to send these love letters back and forth under the very nose of the Japanese soldiers.

What makes this LO special is also the fact that I used an actual letter scanned onto transparency as part of the background. This was made tricky by the fact that at that time, I could only use A4 transparency sheets. Still, with a little trick of the eye (a.k.a. some placement of ribbons and paper), I was able to pull it off together. The journal is hidden, like I usually prefer. It comes out when you pull the lower right hand corner flowers underneath my grandfather's photo.

I do so love this LO, possibly the best I've ever done. I hope there will be others just as good.

Hidden Journal reads: Lolo Martin was a POW soldier of the WWII Death March. Upon reaching Camp O’Donnell in Capas, Tarlac, my grandfather found ways to send letters, even money to my grandmother, Lola Chiching. These letters asked her to send food, medicines and supplies to him while imprisoned. She promptly responded. His letters showed that despite the war, lolo and lola corresponded, continued to make the best of the situation, pouring out their fears, hopes and sentiments in their love letters. These letters are now kept in a vault to preserve history of that very difficult period in their lives.

Materials: Bo Bunny pps, transparency of scanned letters, Provocraft Alphaletterz, All About Scrapbooking Glittered Alphas, MM Springtime brads, Bo Bunny lace, Mokuba black ribbon, Liquitex black acrylic paint.

To be featured in Scrapbooking.com Magazine's newsletter!

I recently got an email from no less than the editor of Scrapbooking.com Magazine's editor, Jami Petersen. She asked me if I'd be interested to have my blog featured in their newsletter! I was so awe-struck, I immediately said, "YES! YES! YES!" I don't know how they were able to get hold of my email address nor my blog. I don't even know if she's even seen this blog. Still, the thought that my blog will be seen by other people aside from my friends and scrapbuddies is way beyond cool. I wonder when this will be? Stay tuned!

Artz de Scrap Altered Cup

Here's my Valentine's altered project for Artz de Scrap. I call this The Cup Birdbath. I used a cream-colored melamine cup and saucer which I glued together with an empty plastic face cream container to give it more height. I used currant, slate and silver alcohol inks to cover the entire surface. Then I stamped plant images and text from Tim Holtz' Stampendous Collection using black StazOn. Then I trimmed the saucer and cup with laces, ribbons and sequined flowers.

To make the birds, I stuck scroll chipboards to the tail ends. I painted everything in white acrylic, then glued Leeho Clear Glitter on the birds' bodies. To the tail scroll and the wings, I dabbed currant with a drop of silver mixative all over. I discovered that chipboards are able to resist merely absorbing the alcohol ink when it is primed with acrylic first. Hence, the result is a paint-like finish that is shiny and full of dimension. After drying, I stamped text images on it with StazOn.

The result is a combination of grunge and elegance. My little boy wanted to play with the whole thing, despite the fact that it's pink all over! And I thought I didn't like pink?!

Do check out the Artz de Scrap Team's versions of the altered cup here.

Materials: cream-colored melamine cup and saucer set, empty plastic face cream container, Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Inks (silver mixative, currant, slate), Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Collection Nature's Discovery CMS 049, StazOn black, Maya Road birds and scrolls chipboards, Carolina's purple lace, black ribbon and sequin flowers.

Somerset Memories Valentine's issue Publication!

Finally, the wait is (almost) over! My LO entitled "World War II Love Letters" is published in the February 2009 issue of Somerset Memories! I can hardly wait to see it! They said they'll send my free copy of the issue, plus my original LO. I intend to frame this and give this to my dad.

I'm so excited since this is my first ever published work! I hope that this year will bring me some more luck in this field. One thing I can really say is that, it really is expensive to send original LOs abroad! If it were not for the fact that I'd like to see it in print, it was almost not worth it! But then again, who wouldn't want to see their work displayed and admired by others in a magazine?

If anyone has the issue, please do let me know. I'm dying to see it myself, even if it just merits a 1"x1" photograph! LOL!

Artz de Scrap Altered Project Valentine Teaser!

I just sent in my take for another altered project at Artz de Scrap. This one took me several days to do because I wanted to make it a little bit different. Watch out for the posting of the designers' takes on http://artzdescrap.blogspot.com/ This will definitely be something to watch our for!

Won Iris's Prima RAK!

Weeee!!! I just found out that I was one of the lucky ones to win a Prima RAK from Iris! I am so excited because Prima's new line is really spectacular! Aside from the always gorgeous flowers, they have now expanded their lines into almost everything! I can't wait to use them in my succeeding projects! Do check out her announcement in her blog. For that matter, do visit her blog for a whole gamut of very inspiring LOs and projects!

Altered File for Artz de Scrap and New Challenge

Here's my take for the altered file challenge at Artz de Scrap. I happened to have a file box that desperately needed a makeover. So when Liza Yet of Artz de Scrap mentioned altered files, I just had to use the box!

I used 4 Inque Boutique papers, cut them into strips, then glued them to the box in a vertical fashion. Then I used the Maya Road Scrolls, placed them across the strips and sprayed Tsukineko Walnut Ink on and around the scrolls. The beauty of masking and spraying ink is that even if the background pps aren't exact matches, it won't really matter! In fact, it provides a little more interest when you realize that the papers are not exact matches.

I then glued Carolina's vintage lace horizontally across the papers and finished the box with the same sprayed MR scrolls at the sides. For added interest, I used Carolina's cloth flowers as accents on the scrolls.

Do check out what the other designers made at the Artz de Scrap blog. Then do join the challenge there to make your own altered file! Goodluck!

Materials: Inque Boutique Memoirs # 60514 patterned papers, Maya Road Scrolls, Carolina's vintage-looking lace, Carolina's cloth flowers, Tsukineko Walnut Ink.