hongkong hangover

i can't believe it's december already! in a matter of days, another year would have passed and we'll be welcoming a new year once more.

our family did end november with a bang! we decided to spend the last 4 days of november in hongkong. we went there with my sil's family. there was a lot of walking in those 4 days but it was a lot of fun and we enjoyed every minute of it.

main stop for the trip was disneyland. it really is one of the happiest places on earth. it doesn't matter what your age is, you just feel like a kid all over again in that place. timing was a bit tight for us so we were not able to take any of the rides. but we did see the show attractions - the golden mickeys, the lion king and stitch encounter. we also saw the "it's a small world." met a few characters along the way, watched the disney parade and capped off the night with the fireworks display.

i can't fully describe the elation i feel when i am inside disneyland. it's like reality is suspended and everything is magical. sadly, the day had to end and it was back again to reality.

we also took the ngong ping 360. it was a cable ride that took us to the ngong ping village where the tian tan buddha statue is situated. we took the cable ride to reach the village, then walked past the village to the foot of the buddha. then it was 268 steps up to reach the buddha. my legs were aching as we were going up but the experience was incredible.

the cable car ride was a bit scary at first being up there and hanging mid-air, but after a while, you get to enjoy the view and savor the expanse of the horizon as the cable traverses towards the mountain. it is one of those things that you are glad to have experienced at least once in your lifetime.

it was a tiring, fun and enjoyable vacation. unfortunately, time was short that we were not able to visit the other attractions like the peak. will definitely put that on top of our list when we get the chance to visit hongkong once more.

here are some other photos during our trip. i'll have to post more of these over at my facebook account soon.

loving sister

here's my entry for journaling junkie's challenge #69.

this was a recipe challenge, we were to use a set number of patterned papers and embellishments in creating our layouts. i decided to use double sided patterned papers so i can maximize the design i wanted. in the photo are my nephews enzo and paul, and my niece pam.

journal:
"A sister is the best friend who leads her brother at every step."

Life wouldn't be the same without you for these two. You've given them support and encouragement in the absence of your mom and dad. You are their anchor, their protector. Continue to nurture them with your love. They are lucky and happy to have you as their sister.

materials used: cardstock - dcwv; patterned papers - pebbles, inc., basic grey, american crafts; die-cut - bella blvd.; rub-ons - daisy bucket; brads - making memories; bling - prima; alpha - creative imaginations, american crafts; ink - chalk box; others - thread

sweet sugar rush

i told you i have a few new layouts using sassafras goodness! i just really can't get enough of them!

this is my niece gabbie. she's really a charmer and such a cutie! these photos were a perfect match to the sassafras papers. and a big thanks to my friend april for giving me some of her scraps. i cut-out those images from one of the "me likey" collection papers. i even added googly eyes on them. really cute!

journal:
A cry baby but totally adorable and charming. Sweet and dandy for wanting that candy. Busy as a little bee, buzzing with delight and happy with her treats. A pocket full of candies, sweet, sugary and everything nice.

this is also for challenge 68 at journaling junkie. the prompt is to create a layout using mainly adjectives for your journal.

materials used: patterned paper - sassafras lass; alphas - american crafts, making memories; stamp - scarlet lime kit; pen - staedtler triplus; others - googly eyes

my brother's keeper

i just noticed lately in my new layouts that i've been using a lot sassafras papers. it's my current favorite and i love the fact that i can still mix and match their different lines together. even loved it more when they included their die-cut borders in the paper design. genius! those borders are just perfect if you want to spruce up your design a bit.

here's one layout using sassafras goodness! this was for journaling junkie's challenge #66. we were to create a layout about our relationship with our siblings.

i cut-off the "dream big" paper and layered it on top of the "full bloom" paper. i just aligned the color rays to make it appear like it was a single paper sheet. and i also added rub-on phrases on the rays as added descriptions for my brothers.


journaling:
It’s a love-hate relationship that I have with these two. What can you expect with three different personalities living together all their lives. Being the eldest doesn’t really help all the time. When you exert your authority, it’s either they listen or they argue with it. Add to it that I always want control and order, while these two employ a carefree and happy-go-lucky attitude. I know I also frustrate them at times with my personality as much as they do to me.

But despite our differences, I love these two. Yes, I sometimes wish they were different but that only happens when I’m really mad at them. They have really helped mold me to be the person that I am, the sister who continues to love and support them no matter what.

Yes we argue, we fight, we have disagreements. But we also laugh together, share stories, enjoy each other’s company, we support and we love. That is who we are. I will be the eldest sister that they can count on, supporting them as much as I can. I will continue to be my brother’s keeper.

materials used: cardstock - dcwv; patterned paper - sassafras lass; buttons - autumn leaves; rub-ons - creative imaginations, 7gypsies; stickers - pink paislee, 7gypsies; chipboard - heidi swapp; brads - 7gypsies, making memories; dmc floss

cherish these moments

here's a layout using photos of my mother-in-law and niece together. i apologize if the photos seem familiar. these shots are still part of the hundreds of photo taken during our family pictorial in 2007. my good friend jeff lopez was our photographer.

i myself am getting "tired" of these but there are really a lot of wonderful shots taken that day that i still have not been able to use for my scrapbooks.

anyway, with the exception of the base paper, all papers here were leftovers from my scraps. i still liked the end result. used this as my entry to the ad challenge #4 at dotty divas.

materials used: cardstock - ki memories; patterned paper - fancy pants, 7gypsies, webster's pages, jenni bowlin, bo bunny; transparency - hambly; rub-ons - daisy d's; sticker, brads - making memories; die-cut - 3bugs in a rug; ribbon

double trouble

here's another halloween layout using last year's photo.

aly and nelo went together dressed as cops & robbers. these costumes were hand-me-downs from bernard and christabel which they wore the year before last. aly had more fun with these costumes.

note that i cut the prima felt flowers to resemble spider's legs. then i added the googly eyes for that added touch.

materials used: patterned papers - scenic route, teresa collins; paper frill - doodlebug; journal tags & quote - teresa collins; felt flowers - prima; others - googly eyes

the fugitive

it's been almost a month since i've last posted anything here, that is if anybody noticed at all. lol! there are just a lot of things that i had to focus on more than blogging.

plus, i haven't been scrapping as much as i wanted to. my mojo just flew out the window and seems to have lost his way back. if not for pending deadlines, i wouldn't have been able to create even a few pages.

hopefully i can get my groove back and keep my blog updated a bit more regularly. here's a layout i should have shared last week in time for halloween. these photos were taken last year.


journal:
i know fugitives are supposed to be happy when they break out. but your face exudes a funny & hilarious demeanor. who would ever believe you are an actual prisoner. you don't fool me! (oct. 31 '08)

materials used: cardstock - bazzill; patterned paper - scenic route; chipboard - maya road; mask, grungeboard, journal tag - tim holtz; ink - brilliance; acrylic paint - making memories; brads - doodlebug; others - key charm