Love

The other day I gave my printer its drink so spent some great hours printing digi images in one sitting. I have fallen in love with digi images from last year but just recently I become hooked. It amaze me to see some of my talented friends and bloggers who designed gorgeous creations {cards} from digi images. They have given me some inspirations as well as giving me chances to upgrade my coloring technique.

I have made a center step card which is one of my favorite folds. My eldest daughter thought that that is exciting she stayed up last night to learn the folding technique and make lots of base cards for my use.

How nice of her!

I'm so glad you drop by today. Have a lovely day and always!
Hugs!

I would like to enter this card for the following challenges:

1. Scrapbook Stamp Society {Blog Candy}

2. Just Keep On Creating {Challenge #1 Anything Goes}

Deco Box ~ Garden Party

Hello again! It's been so long I haven't been making any altered art so today I spent a couple of hours finishing off my decorative box. I'm a very "green" person, I save useful things I know can  use for crafting some day.

Just two weeks ago we celebrated our son's 11th birthday on the 15th day of April. Daddy bought him a cake from the bakery and I thought the sturdy cake cardboard box is perfect for making my own box for a garden party theme challenge hosted by Alda Stevens from Flying Unicorn this entire month.

For this challenge, we can either make cards, tags, layout, altered and/or digital. For each creation, Alda has required us to fulfil 'eleven must have'...1) Must use 3 minimum patterned papers. (2) One butterfly. (3) One bird. (4) Use some ribbons/trims. (5) A fence. (6) A sign.

(7) Twig/vine. (8) Three flowers (9) Leaves (10) Tea-cup (11) Birdhouse/birdcage.

 I don't have problem with the ten items except one that is tea-cup! I don't have a stamp neither a tea-cup picture I can alter. Also I just don't have free moment to browse the net for freebies {tea-cup digi images precisely}. It's funny Lili {my supportive chatty sister on the phone!} and I even discussed about tea-cup; she planned to cut out a tea-cup shape off her 12x12 pp, lol. The tea-cup is main reason why I took this long to deco my box! Then couple days ago I remembered the wall hanging craft I bought at the border between Malaysia and Thailand many years ago. This craft that holds keys has a miniature tea-cup and teapot! I thought why not? Isn't my china tea-cup looks smashing on the lid?

Notice the sign on the right? I almost forgot the sign after placing everything and ready to take photos when I just remembered the sign! At this point I remember Anis (my second daughter) made some lollipop flowers for me from DMC skeins last month. I didn't think twice and wrote down 'welcome' on a tiny piece of cardstock. Her sister 'Alyaa offered to glue it down for me. Awesome!

I love that fence! Made it from toothpicks {new ones of course} =D Almost all the items used are from my stash except the trim is newly bought yesterday!

Materials used: Kaisercraft patterned papers, Ranger's disstress ink, Prima flowers and birdcage.

This is really a fun project I made for 'Alyaa and will make another one for Anis.  

I'm so glad to be able to reuse, reduce and rescue just anything I feel useful!

Go green...save our planet! 

I'm so happy you drop by today! Thanks for your time!

Hugs!

{BCF} Best Cousins Forever

It is time again to share my layout. Let's Scrap has a new weekly challenge running this week based on a lovely sketch by Cheri O'Neill. I wanted my layout to be clean cut this time although I tried to skip sewing but that's just so impossible!

I wanted to stay true to the sketch and keep my creation simple. Pretty sketch eh =D

I especially like the 5x7 framed photo because I personally feel it is the focal point of the layout. I sew the photo border so yes, it is framed, lol. My focal point is the mango tree my Dad planted in 1999! Over the years it produced sweet mangos for us and as the tree grew bigger and bigger, my Dad thought it'd be fascinating to build a tree house but it was a big job and Dad was not in his best of health to do major carpentary work anymore. Somehow he saw off the big ladder to shorten it and put it against the tree tied with iron rod, bolts and nuts to allow his grandchildren climb the tree and play! His only warning was BE CAREFUL!

Sadly, the mango tree is gone now!

  

This young lady cousins' ultimate hobby is climbing the mango tree for escapism and free their soul! They are not afraid of height at all {count me in, hehe}. Whenever the girls are missing in the house, we know where to find them! 'Alyaa and Zahra' have been close buddies and bonded right from the start. Zahra' met 'Alyaa in the second week of January 2000; just a few days after my first child 'Alyaa was born. Zahra' was just 3 1/2 months old then and knows nothing of course. The first four months of 'Alyaa's babyhood, my sister Lili constantly took the opportunity to return to our parents so she can see me and talk crafts and her daughter Zahra' can play with her newborn cousin. I spent the four months at my parents for confinement before I moved to join my husband. The girls often meet up during school breaks, otherwise they get in touch via phone calls or write to each other.

Yeah, they do quarrel (both are headstrong, pfft); sometimes one goes sulky; the other would come forward complaining; one throws tantrum in the north; the other heads to south :( Both Lili and I never take sides except giving advices; we let them solve their own problems. Before we know it, they become best friends again! Isn't that normal?

My first intention was to create a title that writes BFF but 'Alyaa suggested BCF as she thought that would identify the actual relationship and outsiders don't have to question at all. I listened to her {when you think you know everything, kids are normally smarter than you are!}.

Spent a minute pondering what to write for the journal and the fact files came to mind! I think it's better to do their fact files than a write up as I prefered a clean cut layout so my journal must be clean cut too :) 'Alyaa was happy to see the finished layout when she got home from school. She loves the fact files so much...phew!

This paper flower is my new love, lol. I read a post by my friend  Desire on her blog recently and fell in love with her paper flower instantly. It's so easy to make.

HERE'S MY TUTORIAL

 

Looks cute huh! I hope you will try it out. Believe me; it's easy and quick!

   

What a sweet picture to reminisce! I hope the girls will keep in constant touch for as long as they live. I am so sure my girl will treasure this special layout I made for her keepsake...already she's liking it. Coming soon is a layout featuring her brother...he has been patiently waiting!!

Thank you for dropping by today. Have a great day. Hugs!

Create Your Own Happiness

It's that time again for another cardmaking! Presenting today's creation is a vintage easel card. I love making easel card but vintage, very rare, lol. Once again Let's Scrap offers weekly challenge this week and I managed to create a card between my hectic schedule...here's my take on the sketch. 

Lately I have become addicted to digi images after been stamping all the while. My sister Lili has been telling me over a thousand times {from last year} about digi images but I said, "...nah, not now, I like stamping better!" I need something different however {to keep me alive, lol} so this week has watched me in extravaganza mojo browsing for digi images {way to go and I'm hooked!}. I downloaded the butterfly image from Free Vintage Digital Stamp. I just love it! A good friend of mine Desire Fourie  has offered the freebie sentiment for download on her blog {thanks}.

Here's the sketch DebbyD designed for 4-18-12 weekly challenge.

Isn't that awesome? Now you know why I go vintage...smile.

I used Copic Markers to fill in the butterfly.

I sew the ribbon with my trusty sewing machine {always loving it!}. The flower paper is just amazing and easy to make {thanking Desire again for sharing!}. I will have the tutorial coming up on my next post...stay tune...

Materials used: Kaisercraft (patterned papers, ink, Sweet Nothing Collectable), Ranger's disstress ink, Close To My Heart (brads), Copic Markers, others from my stash

I hope you will have a great day today and don't forget to remember to create your own happiness your own way. Hugs!

Paradise in Gram's Garden

It has been a busy week for me but it doesn't stop me from creating a layout in my brain for a DT Challenge I had planned to partake. Eniko DeLisle is one of my teammates in the Let's Scrap Design Team and she has challenged everyone to create a journal layout with 5W's that is the basic of journalism {other than 1H}. I find this interesting as it reminds me the core subject {journalism} I studied back in university days. The 5W's are WHO, WHEN, WHY, WHAT and WHERE so this is HOW I did my layout based on a sketch.

These photos have been in the ordinary album for eight years and I love these photos so much because firstly, I was the photographer, lol, and secondly, I've been meaning to scrap these photos of my beloved father and my children but never seem to do so until I read that Eniko has stated flowers for the theme {not an option though}. Well, I love flowers and remembered these photos I took in mid-February 2004 several days after I gave birth to my second daughter Anis on February 3, 2004. I stayed with my parents in Melaka and felt so blessed to have my parents looking after me and my children during confinement. 

I love being home; the home I grew up and spent my childhood. Mom and Dad had spent hours creating a beautiful garden even before we moved to this bungalow in the early 80's. We had to wait until it was time to move. Dad loved greenery and green plants more and we all know Mom and orchids can't be seperated! They made a good pair and thankfully both of them were keen gardeners. I feel fortunate to get this same interest and have learnt many aspects of gardening from them. Being in their garden allows a serenity feeling. Mom's orchids were always in full bloom, she knows all her plants so well; they're her babies :) Whenever I'm home, all I care to do is pull the weeds and enjoy the paradise my parents have created. There's no place like home!

I have chosen this wonderful sketch by Cheri O'Neill to make this flowery layout:

I love the big circle but my circle cutter can't give me the size I wanted so I used my dinner plate to make the circle, lol.

Material used:

pp: Kaisercraft {Sweet Nothings Collection}

corner punch: Martha Stewart

flowers: Prima

ink: Rangers for distress, Kaisercraft, StazOn, VersaFine

stamp: Heidi Grace (sentiment), Bitsy Stamps (flower), Kodomo (flower)

drawing block : Campap, Tulip

others from my stash 

I used my trusty printer to print the title. Isn't that a sweet title :) I also used my trusty sewing machine to sew the border and handstitched the mulberry paper after using the stitching ruler I won from Let's Sketch blog hop; a wonderful prize from Tamytha Jenkins {thank you my friend}.

I sponge up the circle drawing block with ink and stamped some flowers. Punching the edge with corner punch was tricky but it was worth it! Thanking Roulein for her awesome tutorial on corner punch at Let's Scrap. How amazing one humble punch can do extra work!

I love this flower lace! To add extra dimension, I added pearls.

This envelop is made for my hidden journal. I want my kids to read the journal and the story in the making of this layout when they feel like reminiscing the memory they had with their grandfather in the long run. What makes this envelope special is the use of the eyelet plier! I don't own a Crop-o-dile to set the eyelet but I used one with sentimental value; the one I have set my eyes since my childhood every time I watched my father set his eyelets.

This eyelet plier belongs to my father! This is exactly how he kept it in his storeroom amongst his huge collection of other thousands tools he bought while furthering his mechanical engineering studies at Royal Navy College in Manadon, Portsmouth, England back in late70's. Dad was a very organized person and he loved his stuff kept accordingly so we just had to be sure to put them right back at its place or we'd be in big trouble! For as long as I remember, I never use this plier at all but always watched him worked on his crafts using this stainless steel plier. I did ask him for it and he nodded! After Dad left the world on November 16, 2011; Mom asked me to look for something in the storeroom and suddenly I remember this plier. Dad had three huge heavy loaded boxes in the storeroom and I was patiently enough to search for this plier. Imagine my excitement when I found it but deep inside my heart was tearing apart! Dad being Dad, he had high appreciation for everything he owned, he kept it just the way he had bought it and I'll be sure to take very good care of it, just the way Dad did! This may sound weird but I can feel his hands touches mine when I use this eyelet plier!

I let my daughter 'Alyaa set the eyelet so I can photograph these pictures.



I wish you were here so I could thank you for this special gift you have left me Dad. I will always remember you and treasure everything you had given me. Above all, I miss you so much! May you rest in peace, amen! {Phew, for the first time I managed to do a write up of my father without tears}.

Thank you for visiting today and have a nice day.

Hugs!

Stroll

Hello there! It is time to share my newest layout today. I'm so glad you are here =D

Let's Scrap has a weekly sketch challenge and as a DT, my task is to create a layout based on an attractive sketch by Cheri O'Neill.

I admit I got a bit stuck at first as I couldn't decide on the patterned papers until I decided to use Webster's Pages and feel so satisfied with the outcome.  

This is the sketch done by Cheri O'Neill. I love the rain man character, so cute, but I replaced him with a big flower instead to match my daughter's outfit.

Materials used : Webster's Pages (Yatch Club), alphabet stickers from Webster's Pages, Prima flower, flying birdie and stamp from Kaiser, Ranger's distressed ink, Stickles, gingham fabric and buttons from my stash

I cut out a creamy cardstock into six squares, ink the edges, stamp a flower, sponge up with blue ink and adhered the letters each.

I don't like to sew at night time but this pink flower aka sunshine idea came to mind so I didn't wait any longer. I use one big flower (the only one huge Prima I have, would have been nicer with more petals though), shear the petals out and arrange them neatly before I patiently sew each and every petals. I would have written the journal but I just love the pink accent so I chose dymo lettering...voila! My journal is simple :)

I {have always} love{d} gingham red and white fabric since I was a child and so I make this flower to coordinate the gingham patterned paper and the jumper 'Alyaa wore. I love that button - a packet of lovely gift from my sister Lili Sulastri ~ thanks dearie :) 

The year: 2001. The girl: Nur 'Alyaa Sakinah (my firstborn aged 1+). The place: Pantai Merdeka, Kedah. The story: We love going to the beach and headed to Pantai Merdeka for an evening out. The story behind the scene: Pantai Merdeka has a special memory of me and my family back in the 70's. Our father used to take us here and I still remember the photo of Mom holding me when I was just a baby except I can't spot the rock Mom sat on =D.

Thank you for visiting today. Hugs!