New Year

Posted on | December 16, 2010 | 7 Comments

New anything is always exciting. A new date, a new house, a new baby, a new page, or a new year. To some it’s a chance to start over again, a new beginning. After the newness fades we’d struggle, get bored, get steady, or still be very excited about it.

Those who’s followed my blog for a few years probably remember that I don’t do resolutions. I just have goals. On Jan. 1st this year I listed the below goals. I have 15 more days until 2011 and I need to see what I haven’t done…

~~Keep my sanity throughout our big move to the UK~~
~~Keep a positive attitude while trying to adjust to our new home (and the military)~~
~~Adjust well to unemployment~~
Be a good housewife if it comes to me staying at home
~~Try to see if I can get my Ph.D. while in the UK~~
Craft more varieties of things if I end up staying at home
~~Keep up with my technical skills if I end up not working in my field~~
Take more naps if I end up staying at home
~~Cook more food from scratch~~
~~Be a better photographer~~
Be less sarcastic and ~~more sweet~~
Try to learn to beat around the bush more
Try not to be online while in the bathroom

Hmm… The housewife thing… uhm yeah… a housekeeper for my Christmas present, please!! On crafting… ha! Some high hopes there {::SMILES}. Naps… I think I’ve taken four naps since I’ve been here. Sarcasm… well, it’s just me and between it and my bluntness, I’m special. No bushes for me! And last… come on, you all do it too!!! The housewife thing is the hardest for me; I just hate housework. SUCKS! I had a hard time adjusting to being at home too but now all’s great.

2011 is just around the corner and for some reason I am very excited about it. It’s a new year and a new beginning for new goals. I also want to pick a new one little word. This year’s word is journey. Perfect, right? This year has been a gigantic journey and I, we, love every bit of it. Last, project 365. I’ve been keeping up with this, it’s been esp. easier since I got a new smartphone with a camera but sometimes it’s a struggle because we didn’t do anything interesting that day in my opinion. Due to the many different cameras I gave up sharing, plus there were some personal pics, e.g. bathtub pics of the girls, and I quit that half way through it. For 2011 I want to use something else instead of the blog.

Nuff rambling about 2010/2011 goals… on to the page…

Ok, so it was REAAAALLY hard to scrap with just three colors. Even though I had other pretty pattern paper I had no embellishments that’d fit really well with the pictures. I think though, when it’s scrapbooking and doing a color challenge it’s ok to cheat a bit here and there because sometimes it’s very hard to avoid colors outside the required ones, e.g. a bit of green on leaves.

Here’s a close-up of the pics. All were my attempts to capture her different expressions that she made for the camera. All but the butterfl came from a Crate Paper kit. The butterfly was created using an SU die and sparkled up with some Stickles.

Alright, that’s it. Off to think of my 2011 word and some goals. Until next time!

Jingling Bells…

Posted on | December 15, 2010 | 5 Comments

It’s 10 more days until Christmas!!! Even though I’m not quite in the Christmas spirit (yeah, bah humbug me!) I do look forward to it. Although we did decorate the inside of our home as usual (nothing extravagant) we should have also decorated the outside. Our neighborhood is somewhat lit up and one of the neighbor said it started because the Americans who used to live in our house started it. Hubby and I did some back and forth talk on going all the way (Santa with reindeers on rooftop and lighting up the tree) but after looking at the house (the roof) and feeling how cold it was (we were in our car) we looked at each other and said: Nah. I don’t know if you remember this video or not but if you pay attention our Christmas lights were still up and the video was taken months after Christmas.

Imagine Santa and the whole gang up on our roof all year long ha ha ha…

Anyhow, despite my missing holiday spirit I do have a Christmasy card to share today. Everything here but the tinsels, twine, stamp and acrylic is by Pebbles Inc. The pattern paper was from the Cats and Dogs line. Even though the other side of the blue are cute images of cats the side I used is just perfect for Christmas. Add a splash of red and voila!

Do visit Pebbles blog today for more holiday inspiration and for a complete list of the materials I used!!

Here’s a little close-up of the tag. I had to make the picture a bit darker so that you can see the sparkles on the cage and star. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the dimensional chipboard stickers and I think the Cats and Dogs line is my favorite from their fall release!!

Until next time!

Happiness…

Posted on | December 13, 2010 | 5 Comments

Is a lot of things. From simple things, like a hug and kiss in the morning, or a once in a lifetime event, like birth or true love. Lately I’ve been extremely happy. Last week I woke up to a sprinkle of snow and when I looked out the window my heart skipped a bit. Even though it looked cold outside I was feeling warm and fuzzy. Another day I was driving through the little villages to the base and I was all smiles. Being home with the girls and hubby is wonderful. M totally loves it and Jovie… well she doesn’t remember daycare but each time she crawls on my lap to be read to I know she’s one happy girl. Oddly hubby loves my SAH gig despite the fact that I still clean like crap and I don’t cook (or clean) everyday. I especially love that he’d sit on his chair in my craft room while I edit pictures, scrapbook, stamp, or just move things around in hopes for a more organized/clean room. Hubby’s attitude makes me very happy because I didn’t grow up in this kind of environment which was why I was leary about staying/working from home (also the reason why I never wanted to date an Asian guy… I know, I know, they’re not all old fashion). But, hubby’s awesome so I’m one lucky gal!

I think I’ve been really happy because I am working again, living in Europe and still be able to stay home with my family. I don’t have a new job but I’ve been on hiatus from teaching since the summer term so getting back at it gives my brain more things to do besides daily chores. I have a few little projects too here and there and I’ve been busier. It really is a great feeling to be able to do the things you love without the pressure of money. It’s nice to get some of course but I think it’s a nicer feeling to know that I’m doing all that I’m doing for the love of it and still be able to be a lifelong learner (and you don’t have to be in school to do this).

It really is a blessing to be able to do the things you love to do without any sort of pressure!!

Page details:

I created the above using some fabulous goodies from Scarlet Lime’s December main kit. LOVE the glimmer mist!! In the kit there were a couple masking pieces and the bird is so so pretty!!

TIP: To get the splattered look, after misting/spraying, use a heat gun.

I tried to keep the page simple to highlight the bird and the three little pictures of Miss M. I thought the page was a bit whimsical with the little pieces of embellishments here and there.

These these flowers I cut out from a pattern paper. I was feeling a bit motivated {:SMILES}.

Alright, more later and have a great Monday!!

It’s Saturday!!

Posted on | December 11, 2010 | 9 Comments

I didn’t think I’d get excited about the weekend after being a work-at-home-mom but I do cause on weekends I can sleep in! Even though Jovie cries a few times at night she’s a late waker upper, just like her sis, so we all can sleep until 10 a.m. here and there although on average Jovie wakes up at 9 a.m. Lately though, even if she wakes up at 8 a.m. I can just give her milk and some books and she’ll happily drink and “read” for an hour or so… sometimes she’ll even go back to bed! Jovie LOOOOOOOVES her books! I’ll share a picture sometimes of how she’d fall asleep!

Today I have a little card using the new Waltzingmouse sketch, number 27. Do play with the Mice cause there’s an awesome prize for one lucky participant!

My mom made me the center flower piece. She’s the crafty one in the family. Although we have different taste she’s the one who encouraged my love for pretty things. She loves clothes, jewelry and just anything a girl can wear. That’s why she got into sewing. She didn’t have a fat pocket book to buy all the clothes she’d love to wear so she’d make them. Since I was in junior high my mom has owned a very successful custom dress making business in Indonesia. When she came to visit a few years ago she taught me how to make some handmade flowers from ribbons but I’m not very good at it. The whole stitching as you go always messes my flower up. She tried to teach me how to sew too but I’m just not good at it either. When I visited her in Indonesia I got fired from sewing buttons on… she was short on people one day and she regretted that she asked me because the outfit looked like crap after I put the buttons on. I had to remove them all and my mom redid them… ahhh… I’d love to be better though. Imagining all the cute things I can make!!!

Well, that’s it! Enjoy your weekend!!

Materials:

Stamps: Waltzingmouse Victorian Frippery and Teeny Trees
Card stock: Stampin’ Up!
Accessories: Seam binding, Martha Stewart butterfly punch, rhinestones, handmade flower, Tattered Angels glimmer mist, sewing machine, and lace

Hiring!

Posted on | December 9, 2010 | 5 Comments

I need a new model. My current one has been going on strike (a lot) lately… or I have to hike up the price before she would let me take photographs of her. Usually I’d get a back or her moving a lot (she knows I prefer her staying still since I use her to experiment) but today I got the above.

My backup model is not reliable. Maybe in a few months she’ll be better but right now she’s as uncooperative as my main girl.

Aaaahhh… I guess she doesn’t know that it’s harder nowadays to find a job. I should probably use the unemployment rate to reason with her! The thing is, she’s really good at modeling for me… on good days that is.

Well, gotta go and think of ways to get my girls to be ready on demand when the black box wants some action. Also, I just received my new lens (after almost a month in the mail) and want to do more photo editing from today’s session and play with some Photoshop editing and actions. I’m not quite getting the feel I want and it’s frustrating!! The lens itself is gorgeous. Love it to pieces! See how creamy the background is on the photo above? Aaaaaah… all the savings was worth it!! I’ll post something crafty tomorrow! Until then!!