Happy 15th Birthday Jarryd!

My 2nd son turned 15 on the 25th April...Anzac Day holiday. He's a lucky boy being born on a public holiday....no school on his birthday!! It was amazing that the hospital booked me in for a caesar on a public holiday....at least 2 months before he was born...even surgeons get rostered to work on a public holiday....that kinda sucks for the surgeon huh? You'd think that after all those years of study...being a big shot doc and all and still have to work on a public holiday....not that I'm complaining at all.

Anyways....he had a lovely day...he went out with friends all day and came back in time for dinner with family. My in laws came for dinner as well which was great. Menu was chosen by Jarryd as per tradition.....filipino noodles (pancit), chicken schnitzel and caesar salad. Dessert was 'The Amazing Chocolate cake'....which is an idiot proof 9 min moist chocolate cake which cooks in the microwave.

Ok....back to scrapping....I have done a few things over the last couple of days. Both were for online challenges at EB. The last of 5 challenges posted last Friday...so gotta be proud of myself for finishing what I committed to last friday night.

One of the challenges was to do an OTP item which is flat....originally called for a Canvas...but extended to include anything flat. Since starting to do 8.5x11 pages....I have been looking around for an album....no luck (yah...me too Shirls!).....especially when I decided that my BOM layouts now will be 8.5x11....I still have some 12x12 layouts...so decided to make my own BOM which can also double as a portfolio if I want to use it as that. This item is also my trend watch layout for another online forum M4M. This lo was inspired by this shop window....big no no to take photos in a shopping centre...particularly of a shop window....so I had to use Jeromel was my decoy. LOL

Inspired by:











And this is my creation...complete with sequinned flowers:



Anyways.....have to rush off to work now.....I have something else to show....but will do that tonight after work. Thanks for looking!!

Paint my Love & My Daddy

Joseph put our Michael Learns to Rock VCD on in the loungeroom on Saturday and listening to it brought back so many memories. When this song came on.....it totally inspired me with it's lyrics and immediately thought of doing this for my BOM challenge and do an artsy fartsy painted background.

This is one of our favourite songs from the album which was popular waaaay back in the 90's........by Michael learns to Rock which is a European group that was huge in Asia...but I believe not so popular in Australia.

Paint my love
you should paint my love
it's the picture of a thousand sunsets
it's the freedom of a thousand doves
Baby you should paint my love

Since you came into my life
the days before all fade to black and white
Since you came into my life
Everything has changed

I am soooo not artistic at all...and this was my 2nd try. My first try didn't sit right with me....at 1am I nudged Mich on messenger and after a short discussion in which we criticised the layout to bits......I binned it and started again. I am much happier with this layout......simple, meaningful and colourful.

Do you like the heart??? It's from the Fancy Pants swirls pack...and I coated it with Derivan Matisse Red Dimensional Paint......then when it was dry...put some rub ons on it. It's sooo pretty and shiny. Love the Dimensional Paint.

I did this Daddy lo last night for an online forum sketch challenge. Decided that since I have done a few on my mother....tee hee...better do one for my Dad too......so he doesn't feel left out or feel that I favour my mother. It was hard finding photos of Dad and myself because Dad was the avid photographer in the family. Dad was always into his gadgets....for a chinese man in the 1960's...he was pretty up to date....he had his camera...his various other gadgets...his first car was a Morris Minor....pretty cool huh. I guess he got quite a bit of influence from the time he spent in London as well when he was doing his course. In fact....if my parents had not gone to London...they wouldn't be parents. Mum had a prolapsed uterus...so a lot of miscarriages before the proper diagnosis was made in London....a simple operation and then they had me!! Anyways....love the papers I chose for this layout....I got Mich to do the chinese characters on her computer for me. I only know very very few words in Chinese as I was english educated (sad huh!).

{Love} & Brothers

Did another layout tonight on my parent's wedding photo. My mother has her own wedding photo album...but a few years back....she found some extra ones and gave my sister and I a few photos each. Since then...they've been sitting in an album...and lately I have this urge to scrap them.....they're such lovely classic photos. I wish I had some nice wedding photos like these....I adore sepia/b&w photos....such a timeless classic appeal.

Had to do a b&w layout for a virtual crop....so chose this photo. I have this thing for white cs atm...and wanted to use urban couture for the wedding layout. So decided to cut the flowers out of urban couture...and would you believe it....my hands started shaking...like it was a sin to cut up urban couture!!!! Sheesh.....got over that one quickly....tee hee.

It was hard to think up a title for this layout....or rather any of my parents wedding photos. Bit of a background...my parents are still married...but not together.......my father is in Brunei while Mum is here with me. Very confusing...but the main thing is that they both love us all very much. I respect them for the choices they made and I love them so much. But it just makes it soo difficult to choose layout titles. I can't use - Forever, Eternity, Hope...etc Hahaha! Any ideas?



Also did another layout today....for an Earth Day Challenge. Basically....can only use cardstock...no PP at all (to save trees - lol)...and must include fabric. So I did a layout on my hubby Joseph and his brother Brice.

A quickie from me tonight....lol

Tee hee...did a speedy gonzales layout. A stash of Christina Cole stuff was delivered today and I was itching to do a layout with it. Anyways...I opened the box containing my photos and there sitting on top of the pile was the perfect photo. All up this layout took me 5 mins......and I could do so much more to it...but in my eyes...it is perfect as it is....I love it's simplicity......the focus is on the photo.....it is just too precious for words and embellishments.

I've been tagged....

Thanks Shirls...this is my first ever tag too!! Tee hee....bit overwhelming and nearly forgot to do it.
Ok....5 things about someone

I have to do the source of my greatest inspiration.....Michelle W.

1. Her blog is sooo interesting...this girl has the gift of the gab and is soooo sweet.
2. Michelle's layouts are absolutely fabulous....always something new, funky, colourful and outstanding.
3. Her Rock On layout had me frantically looking everywhere for epoxy stickers. End up spending a small fortune with a US scrapping store...my first time. Package arrived today...so will do layouts soon!!
4. She's on the DT for Prima which makes such delicious flowers......have to admit..there is one design that I don't like.
5. Michelle is such a doting mother to beautiful Cassandra. You go girl!!!

Ok....I am tagging..
Aida Edmary Marr Sri Clara

Done....all finished!!

Cute Kid

Another layout using my hubby's baby photos....this is the last baby photo...so sad....he only has so few baby photos. I am hoping that when we go to the Philippines....some of his relatives might have some photos of him that I can beg for. I only have another 3 more photos of him as a boy to scrap with.

My amazing son....

Yesterday I brought home a vegie box from work for Jeromel to play with....he's the type of child who is the happiest when he has scissors, sticky tape, textas, crayons, empty boxes, egg cartons to play with...these things keep him busy for hours. Very into arts and crafts...I guess he takes after me. This is his creation today and I am just gobsmacked...

He made a rocket ship....front panel has a steering wheel, tv, various other gadgets that make the rocket go.








The back has his name....the 'hot' things were the fire comes up....and he even made a licence plate....tee hee....so imaginative. He made the white circles out of paper plates.








Even space explorers get hungry......so he has a cup of lemonade and some macca's chips....tee hee...macca's in outer space...rofl. This is the same panel as the steering wheel....it just flips up....sort of like an aeroplane. tee hee






His left hand panel....is windows....that is his daddy waving goodbye and good luck.

This is his right hand panel with lots of buttons to press.

Thanks for looking!!!!

I am NOT a CHOCOHOLIC

Quick little layout started yesterday and finished off this morning for a M4M challenge....had to do a layout for BOM starting with I AM NOT. LOL...after lots of soul searching....I decided to do a fun layout.

Journalling reads:

Proof:
1. I do not obsess or dream about chocolates
2. I do not like ALL chocolate
3. I do not have to eat eat chocolates everyday

VERDICT: I am not addicted to chocolates and therefore not a CHOCOHOLIC

BUT: I love good quality chocolate, there is a big difference. In actual fact, I am a chocolate snob. Good chocolate should be dark, smooth, slightly bitter, not overly sweet and not have nuts or soft centres. Don't mess with a good thing. Definately quality over quantity. Chocolate should be firm and melt slowly, tantalising my tastebuds until my mouth and tongue is covered with molten chocolate...my eyes close in delight...my brain stops in a moment of paralysing stupor. Chocolate has to do all that and more to make it on my 'to die' for list. 1.Haighs 2. Lindt 3. Terry's 4. Max Brenner's


This was such a fun layout to do....I HAD to buy props for my photo....lol...luckily I already had my Max Brenner's chocolate drops for my suckao....so just had to get a Terry's orange and a Lindt dark chocolate bunny as easter pressies for hubby and me! LOL...not enough time for a mad dash into Haighs to pick up some chocs for the photoshoot. When I was setting up for my photoshoot....Joseph had to come over and start directing...so I left him in charge of the photoshoot...with specific instructions to make sure that in the photo...can see the glow of the candle and the hot chocolate in the suckao. Being the perfectionist he is...he got out the big camera tripod...adjusted lighting....and 20 mins later....I had toooo many photos to choose from and an overly hot hot chocolate. LOL...was nice that he got involved and helped me with my layout.

Truly though....I am not a chocoholic......I like very few chocolates and am ultra fussy.......I can talk chocolate with you for hours........but when I go out.....I choose coffee over hot chocolate (maybe ordered hot chocolate only about 6 times in my life). I would choose tiramisu, pavlova, sticky date pudding over chocolate cake. I've never had a chocolate fondue or anything from a chocolate fountain.....because ....I think...the chocolate can't be that good if they can melt so much of it. Hahaha....tee hee...and those things are usually milk chocolate...not my choc of choice. I would choose to have a small square of fantastic dark chocolate than a bar of milk chocolate. For milk chocolate...my one and only weakness is a Whittaker's Peanut Slab. Since my son is allergic to peanuts...it is something that I haven't indulged in for a long long time.

Am I fussy???????????

[joy] My mother's wedding photo lo

Have had this wedding photo of my Mum for a long time now.....and yesterday was inspired to scrap with it ........painstakingly patiently hand cut 3 d flower that just adds that vavavoom effect to the layout. With the scrolls and the brackets....they have had gold paint dry brushed on it...can't tell on the photo.

Easter..........

We had our family easter get together today....every year for donkey years now....we gather for Good Friday prayers with Joseph's family. They are catholics and every good friday....they do the passion of Christ and the 7 last words of Christ prayers after lunch...and it is timed to finish at 3pm as that is the time that Christ died. It's a meaningful prayer and a beautiful tradition and I love it....I love family time....I love it that we all get to read part of the prayer.....I love it when they sing the traditional Filipino songs although I don't understand much of it. I love family traditions full stop. We all take turns in hosting this prayer....we hosted last year...this year in Joseph's Aunty's place...and we were there at 10.30am and came home at 11.30pm. Long but fun day.

Every friday during Lent....we don't eat meat on Friday...and Good Friday is no exception...we eat seafood and usually everyone has their special dish to make. We have brunch together before prayers...then after prayers...we all cook together...each making their special dish...then we have dinner together. Beautiful tradition.

For about 5 years now...I have been making Pasta Marinara with the freshest marinara mix...full of fish, calamari, prawns, mussells, fresh tomatoes, spring onion and garlic....and with the best egg fettucine that i can buy. The family can't get enough of it...and to keep it special...I only make it for them once a year....tee hee....at home...for my little family...we probably have it about 4 times a year. Today, when we went out to buy marinara mix....there was none...all SOLD OUT!!! So sad....frozen simply will not do...I will not cook pasta marinara just for the sake of making it with frozen pre-cooked seafood....NO WAY! So...I reverted back to an old old family favourite.....CHILLI CRABS! Done with black bean sauce, white wine, garlic, ginger and yummy chilli. I spent a small fortune on female blue swimmer crabs and cooked a huge potful. Out of all the food on the table for dinner....my crabs was finished first.......absolutely delish and utterly more-ish. I always eat the scrump-deli-umptious sauce with rice first...then after that...the actual crab. FINGER LICKING GOOD. Someone brought 4 dozen of huge oysters....we had an absolute feast as there are only 5 people who eat oysters...so I pigged out on oysters and chilli crab...didn't eat anything else.

Because this is our get together...family members were giving out easter eggs/rabbits today. My two older boys...just because they are 6 foot tall and are taller than everyone else....only got easter chocolate from one family member. FFS...they are 16 and 14 years old...they're still kids although they look like young men........ok...it's not that they need it......they don't.....it's not that I am petty.....definately not that....it's just that....it's the thought that counts and I hate it when family members overlook the fact that I have 3 children...not just a little one. The little one gets chocolate from everyone....and they all know that he is anaphylactic to peanuts. Grrrr.....so every chocolate he gets....he has to hand over to us...so that we can check it. This is his first year of eating chocolate too....and he LOVES it....what kid doesn't right??? He's fantastic though....when we read the ingredients and we tell him that he can't have it....he's still cheerful and says that he will give it to his brothers.

This is what happened to him when we went out to dinner one night...our dinner didn't contain any peanuts...but maybe the previous diner had satay or something and there was some oil residue on the table. He merely rubbed his eyes as he was tired and this happened to him...Scary huh??? Because of the severity of his allergy (anaphylaxis).....we have to carry around an Epipen (adrenaline injection) with us where ever we go. We have one at home, one in the car and one in his medicine bag which goes everywhere. We've never had to use it...thank god...and we hope we never have to.

I've rambled on enough..........

This is a photo of my 3 boys.........a canvas I did of their 2005 Christmas.....aren't my boys gorgeous? I'm utterly biased though...lol

Friends

Very quick little layout to complete the M4M GG scraplift challenge for April. I adore this photo of Jessica and Jeromel. Taken at playdays during Jessica's birthday party.

The journalling reads
Jeromel & Jessica, both of you share such special friendship. You are both so different with opposite tastes but yet such great friends. When Jessica comes over, she's more than happy to dress up as Batman or Spiderman and play boy games. When you go to Jessicas, you happily play tea parties & Mummy, Daddy and Baby games. I hope your friendship continues to blossom and grow.

Jeromel and Jessica have known each other since they were babies. They're a year apart but you'd never know it. Kylie and I love getting the kids together every couple of weeks for a play...and every month of our Pancake Parlour lunches. It's a great friendship where the mothers are such great friends who share so much in common and now our kids are good friends too. Blessed!

Yes....I scrapped!!!

After a big catch up with chores and other obligations, and finding mojo, I finally got a chance to scrap on Sunday....just two simple layouts...GG scraplift challenges for M4M.These photos were taken and printed in October and have been on my scrapping table since that time. Finally got a chance to scrap them and at the same time use up some of those Z chipboard alphas that have been accumulating. There is some hidden journalling in the matchbook on the top right hand corner. It talks about how Jeromel was still sucking his thumb at 4 years old. He was learning not to suck his thumb to go to sleep...but when he is in a deep sleep....his thumb finds it's way back into his mouth. He's so cute. He doesn't suck his thumb anymore...so those photos are quite precious.

I've also had this photo for a very long time and found it hard trying to scrap a boy with 3 girls...I didn't have very many girly embellishments and wasn't comfortable with doing a boyish page when the girls outweigh my handsome little one. And....I also wanted an excuse to go out and buy those girly stuff....tee hee....I had a lot of fun doing this page and making it funky and colourful. I found it soo therapeutic to doodle.

Teenage parties and gate crashers....

Tonight, I drove Jarryd to a birthday party at about 8.30pm with strict instructions not to go anywhere else and that I will pick him up at midnight as we had agreed or he could call earlier if the party finished early. When we got there....there were about 20 kids sitting outside the gate...spilling onto the footpath....like they were loitering there! Again...repeated my instructions and felt more at ease when a few of Jarryd's friends came outside and told me that the kids outside were not invited. I wish I could have gone up to the door and said hello to the parents and just checked that things were ok...but that is a big no no for a parent of a teen to do. My son would have been mortified....so I did what a cool parents was supposed to do...said bye, have fun and see you at midnight.

When I went to pick him up, I was glad to see that there were no kids hanging around outside. I was a couple of minutes early...and he came out right on time with a friend Michael.....asking if I would be able to drive Michael home. This party is only 5 mins away from home and Michael's house is not on the way home...but not a huge detour either....so no probs at all. On the way....they were telling me....like excited 14 year olds how there were gate crashers....how only 20 or so kids were invited but double or more the amount came and were turned away by the birthday girl's mother. But instead of going away...the gate crashers sat outside the house for a couple of hours before the girl's mother threatened to call the police. They said how the party was a bit boring...at 14...they don't dance....lol....so they had dance music on....talked above the dance music, ate and drank. A true tween party. LOL

After dropping Michael home, I interrogated a little more...very gently of course....and found out that the birthday girl's mother was the only adult present....wtf......what kind of parent will willingly deal with 20+ teenagers on her own??? A very brave one....she underestimated big time!!! I also found out that Michael was going to walk home with another friend...but that friend went to another party...so Michael was going to walk home alone. This is not a short walk...this is a half hour walk....at midnight....in the dark and the cold. What kind of parent let's their 14 year old child walk home in the middle of the night???

Joseph and I are very protective parents....we hope we are not stifling parents...but we are protective....we want to know where our kids are....who they are with....how they will get there...how and when they will come home...etc Isn't that what all parents do? We need to know these things! From the time they are born....we've had our Mummy/Daddy radars up and running.....we have to know where our kids are and we need to know that they are safe. We let our kids attend parties, sleepovers and even the occasional all night cyber cafe lan games sessions. We take them there and we pick them up. We will drive their friends home as well and lately....we seem to have been doing that a lot....driving teenagers home in the middle of the night. And the big question always seems to be....Don't these kids feel that they can call their parents to pick them up in the middle of the night? Don't these parents ASK how their kids are going to get home??? Or maybe Joseph and I have become the designated taxi drivers for our son's friends? If there are a few kids there...we always ask if they need a lift home...we always offer.....I would worry if I knew kids were walking home in the middle of the night. I would feel guilty!! And these kids.....they're very comfortable in our people mover...never any uncomfortable silence...they just all sit in the back (we have a 7 seater)...and chatter away...telling us what they've been up to and then chattering away among themselves...and the sweet thing is they call me Mum.

So....are we too over protective as parents? Or are some other parents more lax? At what age do you let go and let them get themselves home? I kind of thought ....when they start driving and can get themselves home. And even then...I want them to be able to call us and say "Mum, I've been drinking...I don't think I should drive...can you come and pick me up?"....even if it is at 3am....even if they are 30....I don't care... I will go and pick them up.....I want them to be able to call me at any time....I need them to be able to count on me...depend on me. It's all part of being a parent isn't it??? WDYT??

Desperate Housewife!!

Autumn has begun ...and it has rained everyday...so the laundry has piled up....my laundry hamper was full.....the lid can't even close anymore...and usually when it is full....3 loads later...I am done. But this week...I have done so many loads and still can't see the bottom of the laundry hamper. Honestly...how much can 2 adults, 2 teens and one child go through??? I think someone has put a magic spell on it and it has become the bottomless pit!! In despair....during my daily chat with Michelle....I mentioned how that even during the sunniest of days....perfect laundry weather....I can trick myself into saying....I have done ALL my laundry...just because my hamper is EMPTY.....but it's all an illusion.....because there is always something that needs to be washed. An empty laundry hamper is only temporary.....very temporary...until someone has a shower and throw in their dirty clothes or changes their socks or uses a face washer. AND even when the laundry hamper is empty and I have told everyone in the household to keep it empty for a few hours so that I can truly bask in the glory that I am up to date in the laundry department..........deep down....I know that the sheets or towels need changing....something needs to be washed.

When is someone going to invent a space aged washing machine where you throw in all the dirty clothes without having to sort them into colours...and then magically....clean pressed and folded clothes will appear back in your wardrobe .......when I dream...I like to dream big!

So that's it...that's what I have been up to today....elbow deep in laundry matters....maybe tomorrow I will get to scrap........maybe tomorrow...mojo will come back after being off galivanting with those dancing bananas.

Removed for publication....

I received notification that two of my layouts will be in For Keeps and I didn't realise that I had to remove them from places that I posted as well....so apologies apologies.

very exciting for me to have my layouts in For Keeps.....It will be in the introducing section...which basically introduces a previously unpublished scrapper. The editor told me that I won't be in the mag until August which is a very long time for someone as impatient as I am but...still.....one thing ticked off my 'must do' list.

In the meantime...I have added a Flickr badge on the right hand side of my blog...you can click on that to see more of my layouts....done in the last couple of months.

Oh what a day!!!

This layout was done as a challenge in which we had to document a day in our life. I chose Tuesday because it is my busiest day. This was a last minute layout for me......my 2nd A4 layout....and since this is for my BOM....my BOM will be A4.

This leads me up to....what a day I had yesterday. I work as a nanny 3 days a week and yesterday....the baby was sick.....some sort of tummy bug. Had to change nappies many many times but the worst was the vomitting. I hate the smell of vomit....I will choose poo over vomit....I will choose garbage over vomit....give me any other smell and I will deal with it....vomit is a smell I can not cope with. O was so sick and his vomits were so explosive....like a volcano erupting....I was covered in vomit from shoulder all the way to my shoes. My pants were plastered to my legs. And I had no change of clothes...even if I did....I wouldn't have had time to change into them...too busy changing the baby, cleaning up the puddles of vomit everywhere....doing laundry etc. Worst work day EVER. When I came home....straight into the shower and then spritzed perfume all over me...and even then...I could still smell it....had to bury my nose into coffee beans. Anyone for coffee???

Ok...quick jump ahead...

quick jump ahead to my latest layouts....noteworthy layouts.....

Some are scraplift challenges as with M4M....Sri has been setting us scraplifting challenges so that we can work outside of our comfort zone and also try different techniques. We are going through the two peas garden girls ....doing a few a month....thanks Garden girls! Two peas is also a huge source of inspiration for me....it is there that I found Burberry Girl (Michelle) whose work I adore.....now I am addicted to her blog to. Would that classify me as a stalker???

Let me start with my scraplift of Michelle (BurberryGirl)....
This is one of my favourite layouts...my first A4 layouts....and was surprisingly quick and easy to do.
Ok...a few latest layouts....

I won!!

I entered the Scrapbook Creations Mini book challenge and won! For a long time, I've always wanted to do an altered puzzle and one day finally decided to bite the bullet and do it. It wasn't even specifically done for the mag challenge....or any other forum challenge....I just did it for me. I had a lot of fun putting it together in a few hours. A week later, I decided to enter it into the mini book challenge. And a few days later, Nurizz from a singaporean scrap forum told me that I won. I was sooo excited....was hoping it would get published in the magazine...but it doesn't look like it will happen because asides from my prize being sent out....they have not contacted me. This little win however made me even more determined to get one layout published this year.

The beginning of Joseph's album...

Joseph has only about half a dozen photos of his childhood....and most of them are the small sized ones...3x4 inches....so small....how to scrap?? If I stick with 12x12 layouts...then only one photo would be so lost on it. So I decided to make his album a 8x8 album. I had a lot of fun doing these super quick layouts....Joseph loves it and so does his Mum.