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!