Happy Christmas !

(photo credit)

I hope Santa has brought you nice things to scrap !

Simon Says Stamp haul

I am a big believer of giving your own self monthly treats. It makes all the hard work bearable knowing at the beginning of every month I have something special to look forward to. Actually, the thought of all that money going to bills and taxes makes me want to splurge even more.

This month, I chose scrapbook bits galore! I saw a great review from ZettiBetti about Simon Says Stamp and tried it. International orders over $150.00 you get free postage - an absolute bargain considering their prices are quite competitive.

Prima flowers, Graphic 45's Renaissance Faire 12x12's and Tattered Angels Glimmer Chips are my faves in this batch!

Jason only had one comment (he's been saying this a lot lately!) : "I see you buying but not making."

I can't help it - I want them all !

Always Vintage

I completed this last week but somehow forgot to post it. Not a productive week so far as scrapping is concerned because of all the Christmas prep and the madness that comes with it. After a day's carefully planned shopping, I can say I am DONE. Time to relax, turn the TV off (so as NOT be enticed to buy more stuff) and have a cup of tea.

The tags were from the Fashionista range of Graphic 45 and the fabulous lace was from Bluemoon Scrapbooking. Flowers are Prima of course!

The story of this tag is one of discovery.
Not one thing I did in this tag turned out as I excepted.

First, I stamped the script upside down. Second, the lion stamp bled coz the tag was still wet. It was my first time with Tim Holtz' ink blender so I got a little carried away, hence the sharp lines at the sides as well. Third, I wanted to emboss the lion but somehow the embossing powder worked everywhere else but the lion. Lastly, after taking out the Perfect Pearls from the packaging and chosen a pot, I opened said pot on the wrong end so I ended up with glimmer powder all over the tag and my work mat. The reverse side was just as messy - I went nuts using the crackle paint, remembering Tim Holtz putting on layers and layers of it in his tutorial. It's so thick, the tag seems so rubbery. It turned out quite unique!

To Steph and Louise

(photo credit)
OMG! I opened my blog to find comments from two of my most fave scrapbook idols (Steph and Louise) on MY blog. Yes, THIS blog. They both said lovely things about my work, encouraged me to carry on and just have fun scrapping. What a pleasant surprise!

Thank you!

Bluemoon Scrapbooking haul

My first Bluemoon Scrapbooking haul.

On my days off, my get -up could rival a hobo. Pajamas in puppy prints, brown socks, pink slippers, jumper riddled with stains and a Pebbles Flintstone hair. I don't have to care - it's my day off. The polished business woman 5 days a week is forgotten and reduced to a TV/Internet drone/slob.

So anyway, I'm in my fashion choice of the day when the door buzzed. I ran to grab my dressing gown from across the hall and answered the door. A big box was handed to me by a disgruntled man who was rightly annoyed because it took me ages to answer the door. If I had more time, I would have gargled mouthwash and put a decent face on.

I first took a picture of the box with my name on it (how sad is that!), opened the box and found some lovely goodies. I thought of taking a video like a professional scrapbook person so I could post and share to my ONE follower (thank you for your support, baby ko. I will cook your favourite food always). I can't seem to manage to save the 2 videos I made. I kept on putting the stuff in and out of the box while the annoying red flashing on my Blackberry does not make sense and won't stop (is it recording yet??).

I will try again but for now, this is all I can show off. I may have to set it up properly, otherwise one will hear a mixture of an Ugly Betty episode, traffic and washing machine.

Tunbridge Wells

Taken while waiting for my ride back to Brighton. Many meetings held in this hotel but never stayed in this room longer than ten minutes. Lovely period features.
How come we can't have meetings in this room, Wesley? (Me to my boss)

Nothing's Stopping Me From Scrapping

Despite feeling under the weather today, I managed to distract myself from the aches and pains of the flu, by scrapping. I got to apply a paper flower embossing technique by Velma and this time I have more stuff to play with.

Mini Envelopes

I made several envelopes a week ago but somehow the project didn't get my creative juices flowing. I went back to it several times this week and it's very BLAH. Even looking at it here in my blog makes me go BLEGH.

I'll set these aside for now and hopefully I will get some sort of use for them in the future.

Craft Fair Jems

No rain nor wind could make me miss the Brighton Craft Fair today. It's only on for 3 days (20, 21 and 22 Nov) so I thought I'd check it out for kicks. There were lots of stalls dedicated to arts and crafts. I must admit I felt (and looked!) like a fish out of water within the first 15 minutes of getting there. The last thing on my mind was to look for gift options and I was prepared to be blown away.

Well, there were definitely lots of shiny pretty things and interesting mediums. Jewellery designers dominated the scene with some really unconventional work. What caught my eye was fabric art by a nice lady named Seiwa Cunningham. Check out her website and you'll see. In my newbie term, she does fabric collage/scrapbook.

Where do I now find the time to look for tutorials? I might have to squeeze them between scrapbooking and reading "The Lost Symbol".

Pocket Album

This is my first completed scrapbook ever. I found a link on the tutorial from steffogal1's blog. Starting small increases the chances of completion, especially for someone like me who gets insanely focused on completion and does not believe in procrastination (except for the boring bits in life - dishes and laundry).

On one intense discussions on art, I came to realise that being creative is mostly about the journey and discovery.... that it is ok NOT to plan every detail and for it NOT to make sense.... AT ALL..

So here it is! A pocket scrapbook made up of bits, both old and new, paper, metal, plastic, feather and fabric...

Have a nice cozy Tuesday!

Scrapping Week

(photo credit)

I've had a few days off work and looked forward to a week of serious scrapping. That means, I can make as much mess as I can without the chore of putting it all back. Yey! I was designated a small (and I mean tinny) area for my "craps" (as my lovely partner in crime likes to put it).

I started the week with a the biggest scrap haul I've done within the Brighton area. There were a few discoveries, like I know it's worth visiting Clarke's, WHSmith and British Bookstores every week for new items and sales. I still think Brighton needs a proper scrapbook store. I looked on line and the nearest store is at the furthest part of Sussex.

I find it amusing that when I hit town I no longer charge into clothing stores, especially if there is a massive SALE sign on the window. Instead, I power-walked my way into stationery shops and browse the paper section, feeling delightfully at home with pre-teens nagging their moms for glitter and ribbons and middle-aged women on their next card-making haul.

The scrap pages below are from a chipboard page I split into two. I'm still mastering the skill of eyelet setting. I'm sure my neighbours do not appreciate the hammering, try as I might to do it with some sort of rhythm.

Enjoy!

Rainy Sunday

More Scraps

Before and After

Before...

After...

I recently received my first Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads in Tattered Rose and Vintage Photo. Jason and I had a go using the techniques in Tim's tutorials . The following morning, I found it stamped with pretty corners.

The other bits were from a spending spree at Clarke's that does a wider range of scrapbook materials than WHSmith. Lovely.

Scrapbooking is My New Thing

Since I am on an artistic streak, thought I'd have a go at scrapbooking. I came across a scrapbooking blog by a SAHM (stay at home mom) named Marion. That was about a week ago. Between work and a few days Jason stopped by before leaving for another painting project, I watched You Tube tutorials and read blogs until the wee hours of the morning.

Last night I sketched some of my favorite designs. I got hungry a little after midnight, hence the plate next to my sketch book!

So today I went to town to get materials. It is a shame the shop that actually supplies craft materials (and cheap too!) is closed on Sundays. I even strategically planned my route so that it's my last stop. But when I got to the front door and saw it shut I was closer to home and couldn't really be bothered to go back to the mosh pit that is Brighton on a Sunday afternoon.

Here are the goodies ! The Scrap Pad To Go got me excited. The prints featured my favourite colours with rustic, slightly distressed look and all pages are printed on both sides. WHSmith does not have a lot of choices and the prices are quite dear but it offers a little bit of everything - stamps, inks, glitter, cutting machines, ribbons and tools.

I also bought an old book full of aged and yellowed pages, stickers, glue and cheap envelopes.

Like the mad woman that I am, I got everything out and made a mess. That way I could figure out what I'd want to do with the stuff available. The small uncovered area on my floor was where I sat cross-legged throughout the time with a cup of tea of course.

I found a bingo card in the 99p store made of chipboard and figured it may work as a starter scrapbook. I cut about 5 pages of plain coloured paper, folded the sides and used the clip to bind. This way, I could easily work on the pages individually and not waste the expensive paper in case I make a mistake.

After all of that fuss and mess, I managed to do just ONE page!

CeeMae Mood: YES! I can draw!

Black Beads

My Sunday project turned into a Monday project. For some reason I was under the impression it's Sunday today and was about to rush to the nearest car boot sale to mooch for junk. Then I remembered a house full of children under 6, the smell of fried chicken and the chatter of 50 Filipinos in my mum's living room -- my nephew's 4th birthday (Scobby Doo - ish) yesterday.

I made these to go with my work clothes.

CeeMae Mood: Will and Grace Season 4

DCs for me

I've always believed trainers are for sporty types, of which I am definitely not. Plus, no heels mean pulling a calf muscle and tripping half of the time. The ones I own are purely for comfort especially worn for long trips involving running around catching trains. I have a pair of kids white and a pair of black trainers - nothing exciting. Then one fine day I saw these on a shop display and fell in love with them! The colours and detail are cool enough (autumn!) without being too girly. They are very comfy too so definitely looking forward to my next long trip! x

Sunday Musing

(photo credit)

After another busy working week, I find myself yet again drawn to pretty and delicate things much like the pictures above. Eversince I consciously decided to get a hobby and do something creative to fill my days off (not that I get a lot!), a different layer of my personality emerged. And that layer is proving to be a complete opposite of the structured, no-nonsense, big boss, ice queen being that is ME 60 hours a week.

No, I am not hearing voices in my head. Well, not yet anyway ...(queue X-Files theme....)

I still don't know what this blog is going to be about. At the moment it's all a mixture of stuff I like and my jewellery. There's so much I want to do -- jewellery, paper, packaging and stamps. Bring on Sundays.

CeeMae Mood: High School Musical (figure that!) x

Japanese Prints

Some samples of antique Japanese prints.

They've Arrived!

Brass jewellery bits from Etsy arrived today! Having the day off made it much better. I love the colour and they were made from surprisingly light metal. They're so versatile I made these in no time at all!

The background is one of 5 wallpaper samples I received yesterday as freebies. It took me ages to design the borders, having to switch applications from web tutorial windows and trying them out on this picture. Enjoy!

CeeMae Mood: Scrubs Season 4 - Ted: "It won't smooth down!" x