Scrappin' Moms Idol 3- Challenge 1 Pick of the Week

I was lucky enough to be chosen as Pick of the Week for Challenge # 1 Paper Piecing!!! Woohooh!!! This is a first time for me! I never thought I'd get chosen. Last year, I never got chosen once, so I must have done something really good this time. I'm on cloud nine, feeling so lucky to have been chosen. Even if I don't make it to the finals, this is enough for me. Besides, I don't know if I can keep churning out LOs that will meet the requirements with the challenges getting more difficult as the weeks pass.

To see the announcement and the LO entitled My Small World, please check it out here. Thank you very much, Idol Cabbie!

Mother's Day Card

I know, I know. I forgot to upload my Mother's Day Card. I am not a card maker really. Hence, when we recently had a scrapping session with friends here, a friend of ours, Alby, challenged us to make one. It gave me an excuse to make a card for my mom for the first time in what, 20-30 years?!!! Of course, the effort was well worth it because my mom was very surprised to find out that it was handmade by me.

I decided to use a number of stamps for both the card and the envelope. I wanted to use one of my "virgin" stamps, a BG Grow-a-Garden clear stamps of branches. By combining it with the leaves of the Stampin' Up Wild Rose, plus the En Francaise script, I was able to make a scene that turned out very feminine especially with the colors I used.

Materials: misc. card + envelope, miscellaneous paper flowers & leaves, Ancient Page Plum Wine, Color Box Moss Green, StazOn Olive Green, StazOn Brown. Stamps used: BG Grow-a-Garden, Stampin' Up Wild Rose, Stampin' Up En Francaise.

Techniques Used: Stamping, blending, dry embossing.

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.

Then and Now

I've never liked pink, yet I find myself draw to scrapping fuschia LOs, coupled with black and/or brown accents. Hmmm. Maybe I like this shade of pink more than I care to admit. I suppose, I really love the drama that this shade gives off.

This Peek Into Yesterday LO is a tribute to my mom and is actually the first time I've ever made one of her. This is perfect since her birthday is about to come up.There are two photos that show how she was in 1967 and another in 2008. I wanted to show that the years have been quite kind to her and that her beauty continues to endure.

I chose to focus on the rose for my tribute to her. I've had this DCWV single red rose pp that was screaming to be used. I placed this on top of a Bazzill purple cs, inked the sides black and put minimal embellishments so as not to cover the delicate background. I also adhered a famous Shakespeare quote on the rose: "...a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet." - Romeo and Juliet

Again, as is typical of my LOs, I hid the journal behind the photos. It reads:

The giving of the rose is our simple gesture to pay tribute to a wonderful lady who tended us,
nurtured us, supported us and loved us.

When she was a young mother, we gave her roses because it meant a gift to give from us on her special day. Seeing her smile, giving us a hug and saying “Thank you” were enough to make us feel that we made her happy.

When she matured to become a grandmother, we continued to give her roses. This time, the roses meant many things: gratitude, appreciation, awe, love and respect for her as matriarch of our family.

Yet, no matter how many roses we give now, we can never quite capture what we feel for her. The significance of the rose goes much deeper than mere beauty, much more fragrant than its sweet odor, much tender than its petals, much more penetrating than its thorns. The rose, like our mother, continues to bloom, captivate and entrance us. It is perfection personified. It is our mom, then and now.

Materials: Bazzill purple cs, DCWV single red rose, DCWV Rub-on DOODLES Flourish white, American Crafts Rub-ons Accents Book 2, Doodlebug Sugrad-coated Beetle Black Hopscotch alphas, WRMK Precious Metals Hardware Pewter Press, miscellaneous fuschia and black ribbons, Prima flowers, VersaCraft 182 Real Black, acetate, Elit tracing paper.

now.

Mother's Day Card

This is the first mother's day card I've ever made for my mom, can you believe that? Am not much of a card-maker and I really feel challenged to make one this time. I really have to make a LO for my mom too. She really deserves to have one just for her.

Journal: To the Lady who loves us all, You gave birth to us, raised us, disciplined us, guided us and supported each of us in everything we did. We owe you our lives and dreams. With your wisdom, generosity and care, we grew up to be the best we can be. You will always be our mentor, guide and moral compass. You will always be our mother. You will always be loved. Happy Mother's Day!
Love and kisses, Candy, Pie, Honey, Jam and Cherry

Joined in Time

For A Peek Into Yesterday's Becky Fleck's Pagemaps, Sketch Map#1, I made this LO of Galo and myself, about how a mother's connection to her child is strong and grows stronger in time.

The visible journal is a poem from George Eliot for ATB Passion. It reads: What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined... to strengthen each other...to be at one with each other in silent unspeakable MEMORIES.

Underneath the poem is the hidden journal which says: I've been waiting for you for so long, that when you finally did arrive, I could hardly believe it. The bond I felt with you was so strong, it was overwhelming. Yet, I now feel connected to you a million times more since then. Over the years, you made me your mother, and I made you my son. We are joined together. Time will only make our bond stronger.