Inspiration

Two Page Layouts

Thank you for your lovely comments and wishes for my dh! There's some questions about how to go about printing the two page layouts as the photos go down the middle of it. Good question! I was wondering about it myself too! :P

I was thinking after the layout is done, I'll resize the photoshop canvas to 12X12, save one half of it as jpeg, then the other, and try to make sure I've got it sliced neatly at the right place. I haven't tried it yet, and I intend to print it into a shutterfly book eventually, and I know that between the pages, the way shutterfly does it, the pictures at the middle of the double page will be slightly "hidden". That's why I chose a scenery shot to go down the middle, instead of a shot of person, so I won't mind the distortion so much!

Will appreciate if anyone else has a better idea of how this can be done? Cos I do think I'm gonna do a lot more the double pages, they are so useful for trip photos, and do look so good like a centre spread!

Oh, and I do want to show you a few amazing layouts I've had the opportunity to get permission to share here, you can tell which inspired my double page forays!

Here's two increble pages by Kari, yummy cookies and a yummy time the children must have had!

Here's a page by Jazzmint, of her incredibly cute daughter,

And this cutie page is by Kotrine:

Thank you ladies for sharing your layouts with us!

Have a blessed day!

Been Busy

Been Busy

DH fractured his hand on the eve of Chinese New Year! It was quite a shock as he had to go for surgery that very night and had to miss the family's reunion dinner. Thankfully he could come home the next day and we still managed to celebrate most of the holidays as planned. It was a refreshing change though as I had to help him with some daily stuff, and it is a change from being the usually dependent me! :) Here's a layout to remember this time!
Credits: Frames, and all papers from ksharonk's various lovely kits!
Our home was quite spiffed up for the holidays so it was a good time to take some pictures, and I wanted to capture the little touches that grace our home during this time. It is great to have some of the traditional foods, decorations, and things up, the one time in the year our family get more connected with our culture. As our country become more modern and cosmopolitan, I feel a need to give my boys greater sense of our culture and traditions. Here's one for the record

Credits: Background paper, and note paper by Ksharonk, and frames by Kim Hill
And am finally scrapping the 2nd day of our US trip spent in Annapolis. My first try at a double page layout, I liked that all the photos could fit in! Unfortunately I don't know how to make this image appear larger than this! Credits: Paper from Weeds&Wildflowers' A Better Me, twine by Natalie Design, buttons and stitching by Donna Rafferty, alpha by Kristal Hartley, and flower clip by Carol Abram.

This is now available as a set in the store here

Happy Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year!

In two days we celebrate the Chinese New Year, which is on 7 Feb this year! We're very busy spring-cleaning, decorating, cooking, and getting ready for all the visiting and visitors and all the merry-making! We have the tradition of getting new clothes (from top to toe) for everyone, mostly in shades of red, and also the giving of Hong Baos (red packets or gifts of cash) to children and the not yet married. So you can imagine how excited the children are, they get a windfall, but we still manage to get most of it into their college funds!

In cosmopolitan Singapore we live very modern lives so this is a great time to get closer to our roots and enjoy lots of family time with our extended families.

So, a short post today, just completed this layout, almost similar to the last one, and still of Great Falls Park!! Haha, just couldn't pass up on the lovely photos! And that gave me a thought, I should have worked them as double page layouts! Well, next up! ;)

Credits: Background paper by TraciKing, Brown paper by Scarletheelsmedia, strip of journaling by Christina Renee, joined paper strips (re-colored) by SarahJones, flower by Serendipity Street , cross stitches by Annie Manning , letters by MissScraps (recolored) .

This is now available as a set in the store here

We made it

We made it!

Well, Ryan made it through his camp and so did we- without going down to visit him at camp, though we were terribly tempted to when he did not call for three days!! We found that he actually tried to call, but at nearly midnight and we had gone to bed!! It is unbelievable that the camp made them stay up that late!!

When dh went to pick him up for home, he walked right past Ryan because he had become so dark and 'burnt'. Dh asked how was camp, and Ryan answered"on a scale of ten, two", and when asked why, said "the instructors sprouted vulgarities".... dear me! It is adventure camp, and meant to toughen them up, but still, no need for vulgarities! Still, he had fun, and we are sooooo proud that he survived it - all cool, and such. :)

I've been reading this awesome book and want to HIGHLY recommend it to you all:

Art Journals & Creative Healing by Sharon Soneff. Sharon and many other artists have made fastastically beautiful journals that are wonders of journaling and healing. I was totally blessed and inspired and at times in tears reading it. You must get your hands on a copy if you can! If I may quote Sharon from the book: " ... journals. Sometimes incredibly artful and detailed, other times modestly simple and scrawled, these journals have brought me revelation, calm, solace, and circumspection. A work-in-progress journal is the perfect complement to my work-in-progress life, bringing me continuous, work-in-progress restorative health." Wow. May you be blessed too.

I keep my personal thoughts and feelings in a private journal, but I feel comfortable and happy sharing our family photo journals on the blog. Here's # 2 of our first day in Washington. (Boy have I got a long way to go with scrapping this trip!)

Credits: paper by Jessica Bolton, white journaling spot by sclingerman, hearts by Christina Renee, frame by Lori Barnhurst, ribbon by Sun & Jan, brown journaling spot by Toni Berman

Just in case you were wondering, I had always been making the layouts first, based on what photos I selected and their sizes, then I simply punched out the photos and saved them as templates. I find it a lot easier and more creative this way :)

Carena left me a great suggestion to include a jpeg preview in the zip file, which I did, and I remembered to include a terms of use too. Thanks Carena! However, I'm not sure about the suggestion to set up an email subscriber box on the blog yet, just feels a bit intrusive sending my blog posts into your emails! I'm just happy if you like to come over and visit a while.

Oh, and here's the link to the template, thanks to so many of you who left me love all the time! This is now available as a set in the store here

Ryan's Birthday Prayer

Ryan's Birthday Prayer
I just completed it! I really liked how it turned out too! A layout for Ryan's 11th birthday. He's growing up so quickly we are feeling in awe and almost in shock. Tomorrow in fact he leaves for adventure camp, kayaking, abseiling, and all that including camping outdoors in tents. I'm rather nervous as it is his first time away from home by himself. But he is totally cool and excited. We gave him one of our old phones and I said you have to call home once a day and if you don't I'm coming right down to pay you a visit, and then he totally freaked out. hehe! I'm sure he'd call! :)

The journaling reads:
On your 11th birthday we are amazed and in awe at how far God has brought you! We thank Him for your sweet obedient nature, your intelligence, the discipline and hardwork you put into your schoolwork. We also thank God for the other side of your personality that we see blossoming, the funny you, your wacky sense of humour, the newly opinion-ated you, full of comments and pre-teen takes on everything! We think we need prayer too, ‘cos we are not prepared for how quickly you are growing up! We ask the Lord to bless you with great friendships, and a great year in school. We pray that you will get many opportunities to try out all kinds of things,and grow your independence and confidence!
Most of all we pray that you will grow in your faith and knowledge of your God and Saviour, that you will walk with Him as you enter this next new phase in your life, begin your adventure with your hand in His. Amen
Credits: Paper, messy stitch, denim crown from Lori Barnhurst's Kid Couture, star by sclingerman, tabs by Christina ReneeThis is now available as a set in the store here
Let me know what you think, i love hearing from you all!

Birthday Prayer

Birthday Prayer

We're too busily living our busy lives!! Last week the boys celebrated their 9th and 11th birthday respectively. Their birthdays are 4 days apart but we always celebrate together. We had a little party with our closest friends and the boys' grandparents. When I asked them what party games they wanted to play, Jared asked for Scrabble, and Ryan said Taboo and Pictionary. That's when I know they are definitely grown up, or at least not my little boys anymore!! Here are some photos:
And I want to record the birthday prayer dh and I pray for each of them, here's the one for Jared: Journaling reads:
on your 9th birthday, we thank God for giving you to our family, for your talents and creativity, for your sense of humour, your exhuberance, how you run into everything, never walk; how strongly you feel about things, never without opinions; how you are always interesting, never dull! We pray that the Lord will give us wisdom as your parents, and patience too! We pray that you will develop self-control and discipline, that will allow you to achieve your dreams, although these seem so unnecessaryto you now. We ask God to bless you with a good year in school, for good friends and teachers and an enjoyable time. Most of all we pray that you will grow in faith and personal relationship with your God, who made you and know you and has wonderful plans in store for you. Amen

Credits: Background paper by SandeKrieger from Memory Maker, Happy button from Scrapgirls, stitched heart by Sliva

Made it into a template - they are polaroid style this time because I wanted to give each of the photos a description, hope they come in useful for you!

This is now available as a set in the store here

Inspiration

Look at these Layouts!

Thank you to the wonderful ladies that kindly gave me permission to show their pages here, just look at these beautiful layouts!! I so love that we can all take a kit or a template, and always end up with something uniquely and wonderfully different! Most of all I get such a thrill each time I see one of the templates being used, it's so rewarding and also makes me feel like there's a connection between us :)

Here's a layout by JanMary in lovely fall colors and such fabulous photos!

And this calm and lovely composition is by Esther

And here's three by MirandaLea making monthly pages for her son, look at that fabulous smile!

And checkout this great page by Jools. I just love the red and how the photos went from far to near like he is scooting right up to you!

And I think this is my favorite, how much fun a lolli can be to a little girl! This page is by Heather!

And my own latest page - from the first day of our trip - even though it was already late Nov, we were treated to the last bit of Fall colors at Great Falls Park - again our first time seeing autumn colors - I can't begin to describe it, it must sound silly to you, but I was oohing and aahhing all day long , :) , couldn't help it, it was all so lovely.
Credits: Paper from Fall in Colors by Lili from Scrapartist, tag from Kawouette's ChocoNoisette, page curl by Flergs.This is now available as a set in the store here

Thank you I also want to thank everyone who left me such lovely feedback and encouragement, I'm honored and blessed that you're finding the templates useful and touched that some of you come back with a link to show your layouts to me! Actually I would love to post any of these layouts here, if you don't mind, let me know when you leave the link to your layouts. Sorry too as I think I

14th Anniversary

Into the New Year
It's the new year! For us here it is a hectic, back to school time. The boys started the new school year on 2 Jan, we are all adjusting to schedules again and it's surprisingly easy and even feels good.
In the last few days I was doing my "spring" cleaning and clearing space for new books and all, and found stuff and many ideas and much thoughts for scrapbooking! I hope I get to all of them, some of which involve:
- a pattern for one of my maternity dresses my friend made for me nine years ago
- the children's kindergarten art and works
- Jared's spelling book where he adds a little illustration for every word he spells!
- old passports - i'm thinking maybe scrapbook on the remaining empty pages?
- lots of magazine pages torn out for ideas for scrapbooking designs from when I was designing - it's making me feel like designing again - wow who knows?
- old letters from me to dh and vice versa - priceless!

When I read what I wrote in one of them it was what I needed for a layout for our 14th anniversaryCredits: Papers from Weeds & Wildflowers, word art by Designing on the edge, journaling strips, heart and flower by Christina Renee, frame by Mom to Niryza, snow flurry by Michelle Coleman.

And I completed a half completed layout from 2007. Haven't been able to start on the US holiday photos yet, it just seems like such a huge undertaking! Need to think about whether I will follow a theme, or color scheme, or what, oh, just been putting it off ! :) I'm sure I'll really enjoy scrapping them, just need to take it slowly!
Credits: Paper by Michelle Coleman, flower and swirls by Kim Christensen, tag by Dani Mogstad, and the alpha is by Krietz from Scraphead!This is now available as a set in the store here

Blessed Christmas and New Year

Blessed Christmas and New YearI'm sure you had a wonderful Christmas! I read some lovely words about Christmas that I would like to share with you! I believe these words are written by Phillip H. Barnhart, in a book "Christmas Is..."

"Christmas is God's love coming to everyone in Jesus Christ.
Christmas is God putting his arms of deep and far reaching love around the world and hugging it to Himself.
Christmas is God in the flesh, making tangible God's feelings about you.
You acknowledge such love when you put up your tree, decorate it with colors and shapes, and light it in joyful anticipation.
You honor such a gift when you choose particular presents for special people and give them in love and appreciation.
You affirm the coming of God in Christ when you read the story, sing the songs, listen to the Word, accept the truth, and feel the touch.
Christmas is knowing God loves you and comes to be with you.
Christmas is God in your heart."

I wish for all of you Christmas in your heart everyday!

We had a great time this Christmas spending time with our oldest and best friends, and in church worshiping. We are truly blessed.

I have been adding to my desktop layout with more holiday photos, this is how it looks now!Credits: Paper from Franziska's Whimsical Wonderland, flowers from Christina Renee's Art Fusion, ricrac by Miss Mint, but I can't remember where the Word Art is from? So sorry to the creator of this lovely word art, can anyone help me?
And I thought maybe someone will like to use the desktop template for their Christmas and holiday photos, so here it is!
This free template can be downloaded from the store here