LOOOOOOVE it!

Sunday, 16 September 2007Wednesday, 24 September 2008 / LivE / Leave a comment

Wooooohooooo!!! I am sooooo happy!!! I just discovered something!!!

But first, let’s talk about happy things:

I confess. I am a kid at heart. The simplest things can make me jump for joy. (Case in point: everytime my husband comes through the front door at the end of his work day, it’s all I can do to keep myself from jumping up and bounding over to him lest I seem like an over-eager puppy! 😆 )

What are the things that put a silly grin or a contented smile on your face? What makes every pore in your being ooze with happiness? Make a list! Post it in my comments space here! And then, if you’ve got energy left over, go and scrap about it! (And then give me a link so I can put it up here on my blog!) Wouldn’t that be great?

What makes me happy? Simple things. Today, after having tried to log onto my blog unsuccessfully for the past 8 hours, the first thing that would probably come out of my mouth is: being able to log on to my blog so I can release the freebie that I’ve worked so hard on. 😀

Seriously though, top on my Happy List: my faith, my family (husband and five sons, always in that order 🙂 ), my friends (and very high on that sublist is my playground family at Jessica’s).

LIFE makes me happy, being alive, being a wife to my wonderful husband (can’t imagine ever being happy with any other man), being a mom to my five sons (can’t imagine ever being happy with any other five kids).

My camera makes me happy, especially when after days of taking a zillion photos that I’m pretty happy with, I get one or two or even three that make me suck in my breath and say “woooooow.” (Doesn’t happen often, so this type of happy moment is often accompanied by a grateful look thrown up to the heavens).

Digi-scrapping makes me happy. Designing makes me happy. Giving away my designs to my very appreciative and supportive friends makes me happy.

Helping others always, always makes me happy. Making people laugh makes me happy. (Hmmm, kind of makes me sound like I used to be a clown in my past life)

Painting with oil, and the freedom to wipe my brushes onto my old paint-stained jeans, makes me happy.

Playing games with my kids, hugging them, looking at them… heck, anything that has to do with my kids makes me happy. (Okay, I’ve connected happiness with family three times already; that says a lot, don’t you think? haha)

Finding digital freebies, especially commercial use freebies (ooohhhhh wheeee!!!), makes me happy.

Reading great books makes me happy.

Writing makes me happy, especially when the words flow so smoothly and effortlessly. Happy, happy, happy!

Standing under the shower and feeling squeaky clean after always makes me happy.

And I could go on and on. Because I’m just a really happy girl at heart.

And if there’s something else that makes me really happy, another absolute happy-necessity in my life, it’s discovery. Discovering new things, discovering how to make things work better, discovering new friends, discovering the special in the ordinary: these make me happy.

And like the great wise men of old say, your happiness always doubles when you share it with others.

So here’s my latest happy discovery that I totally want to share with you:

A few weeks back, Jessica so wonderfully shared with us a tip that she discovered about how to scroll through different font types in PSE without having to hit the font type each time to see how it would look on your typed text. (It’s a great tip; go check it out!!!) I tried it but I couldn’t make it work for me… (definitely user-error, where the user is me). 😆

Well, here’s my happy discovery! If you have a scroll wheel on your mouse, it works in place of the up and down arrow keys! Woohoo! (And here is also where I got to correct my user-error! I found out what my wrong move was! I had done all that Jessica instructed, except that when I got to the part of the font type dropdown menu, I hit the arrow keys BEFORE i clicked on any font type. No wonder it wasn’t working for me! I realized I had to click on any font FIRST on the font type list, and THEN hit the arrow keys–or, joy of joys, get my scroll wheel to do the up and down work! Okay, this may be what many of you would consider a duh moment of mine, but can I tell you how great it feels to have that “duuuh” transform into “eureka” ? hahahaha!!! )

So that’s my happy discovery. Not a big one, and certainly not an original one (credit goes to Jessica for that), but just discovering that I could make it work… well! Yeehaw! That’s a great thing! 😛

Now, let’s get to your happy lists: What’s on them? Write as much as you want, make your post as long as you wish–I love reading what you have to say 😉

In the meantime, I’ll be working on uploading a new surprise for you!

When it rains,

Friday, 14 September 2007Wednesday, 24 September 2008 / LivE / 6 Comments

it pours! That kind of sums up all the stuff that’s been begging for my attention these past few days. We’re wrapping up the August session of the Up&Running course of my friend Jessica Sprague (those who have not taken advantage of this wonderful journey can sign up for the next one… there’s one more to come at the end of this year, I think… read all about it on Jessica’s blog!), and the August girls taking the course have been so awesome, producing layouts with admirable (or should I say enviable as well? 😛 ) energy and productivity!!! I have yet to catch up writing my comments on all their wonderful layouts 😐 but I promise to get to that soon!

There have been a million other design-related things that have been shouting out for my attention (I have been procrastinating in favor of making freebies for all of you, my dear friends–which I have to admit felt more playful than the “required” project I had to do–something that has to do with a company’s brochure–and I was more in the mood to play than to work, teehee!). There’s also this book that my hubby and I are working on together with the top photographer in this country, which I’m dying to talk about but which I’m sworn to secrecy until it’s released 😉 … when I’m given the go-signal, you can be sure I’ll gleefully spill all to you here! 😆 And then of course, there’s real life (after all, I do have 5 kids and a hubby to attend to as well, hahaha!)

So anyway, this crazy long preface above is meant to encourage you to excuse me 😆 for not being able to post daily freebies, much as I have wanted to. But I promise I will continue to make freebies… just need to learn how to ride the seesaw (read: balance duties with playing) better. 😀

More freebies coming up soon, so keep visiting, okay? For today, I have the last of the Lavender Porch paper packs… there are 2 patterned papers and 1 solid paper, again all subtly textured. One of the patterned papers is a rougher version of the stripey medley freebie of some days back… just in case you have some use for a more textured version.

{ Click on preview for larger view }

Download them here, and don’t forget to leave me some comments! Oh and if you have certain themes or needs in mind, please DO write me in the comments here on my blog! I would love to hear what you like so that I can design with you in mind! (And you just might get freebies tailored to your need! 8) ) Zip password for the download is drizzle (since the blue paper makes me think of rain, which I love… as long as I don’t have to trudge in the puddles in my good shoes 😛 )

ETA: Sorry, link is no longer available.

Enjoy! And have a great day!

Have you seen this?

Wednesday, 12 September 2007Wednesday, 24 September 2008 / LivE / 7 Comments

Totally hilarious!!! I am no big fan of this kind of music, but I certainly am a big fan of the incredible imagination of the owner of these hands!!! 😀 And I envy him the extra time he has to think up this thing and actually see it to its fruition! (My eldest son’s comment: “He has too much time!” LOL!!!)

I actually think it’s time well spent, if only for the amusement he has contributed to my life today. 😀 (And to yours, if you bother to watch this… at the very least, it’s amusing… amazing to those like me, who are crazy enough to appreciate this kind of thing… and the more you watch it, the more hilarious it becomes… can’t lose with that now, can you? 😆 Plus, it is only fair that this guy be given high points for the unbelievable finger dexterity he possesses (go ahead, I dare you to try it yourself… I did and couldn’t keep up! hahaha! )

Here, judge for yourselves, and then let me know what you think about it.

FUNNY:

My 5-year-old J watched this video and held up his hands for me and said “Mama, can you write on my fingers so that I can also make them dance?” 😆

Out on the Porch

And now… for the latest in the Lavender Porch kit… a paper pack again. This time the pack contains 2 simple solid papers and 1 patterned paper, all subtly textured.

My dearest girlfriends (you know who you are), thank you again and again for the time you take to leave some love when you download. I can’t tell you enough how much it means to read your comments. (And it baffles me how there can be 26 downloads and only 8 comments… but I’m not complaining, I’m just… baffled 😯 ).

Click on preview for a larger view.

You can snag the papers HERE. Zip password is rainflower I hope you aren’t getting bored yet with this kit… if you are, please don’t hesitate to tell me so! 😛 You do know that I create FOR YOU, so naturally it matters in a huge way that you are happy with what you’re getting. Right then, please pass the comments! 😆

ETA: Sorry, link is no longer available.

It was good in the beginning…

Tuesday, 11 September 2007Wednesday, 24 September 2008 / LivE / 10 Comments

but best now and growing even better each day. What am I talking about? 😀 Well, love… love between me and my gift from heaven aka my hubby. Also the multiplication of my kids: there was one, there were two, there were… five eventually (Love that they’re five rather than one or two or three or four, yeah!). 😀

Oh and yes, this too, this amazing song by Pete Yorn. I first saw it (long ago) on Cathy Zielske’s blog (link, as usual, on the right side) and was completely floored. It was like watching a scrapbook in video form. I don’t know if it’s weird of me to be thinking that way, but everytime I need some inspiration, I watch this video and then the creative juices flow. There’s something about the swirl-like lights and the butterflies and the photo editing and all the effects that make me think “scrapbook! layout!” (Or maybe I’m just a hopeless digital addict? LOL! :D)… And then there’s the music too, of course. I like all kinds of music (except the screaming and the wailing that some people try to pass on as music…not!) I think music makes the world a better place to live in. I love everything from classical to opera to pop to rock… yes, love rock (Pete Yorn’s kind of rock), especially when I need a push…

which I’ve been looking for lately. Or perhaps I should say I’ve been looking for a push in the right direction. I have a million and one things to do, all connected to art in one form or another (thank goodness!), and I need to stop playing and get down to business. Hence my resurrecting this song from my archives… and I am always amazed by it, so I wanted to share it with you, in case you haven’t seen it yet. (Gotta love a guy whose guitar carries the design of a violin, eh? I mean, how cool is that?)

So now, together with this “scrapbook! layout!”-screaming video comes the latest of the freebs: Lavender Porch elements!!! I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them (took quite some heavy playing around with these… not so easy to make, but fun, fun, fun… especially when creating with you, my dearest friends, in mind!) There are some jumbo elements there, I know (too big? I always prefer downsizing instead of upsizing… but then you knew that already, right? 😉 ) and the background of the preview is a bonus paper thrown in there… don’t know if you’ll like it, but it’s a bonus, so I guess it can’t hurt, huh? 😀

Click on the image for a larger view.

Thanks so much to my friends who take the time to leave such kind and encouraging comments. For those who hesitate, please don’t… :)… even if you have only a “TFS” to key in, that’s good enough for me! (and not too much to ask, I hope?) 😀

Download HERE. Zip password is buttonsup! (Kinda sounds like bottoms-up, eh? hahaha). Enjoy! More to come!

ETA: Sorry, link is no longer available.

Eenie MINI Miney Moe!

Saturday, 8 September 2007Wednesday, 24 September 2008 / LivE / 7 Comments

(Is that even the way it’s spelled? :D)

Well, finally, I’ve begun the work on the latest offering! A mini kit! (though I’m not even sure I can call it mini, because more and more ideas for digi stuff keep filling my mind as I play and experiment with this kit!) Initially, I had intended for this to be a little kit, you know, a few papers here and there, mixed up with a few elements here and there… but so far, I’ve only begun playing with the papers and already I have more than enough! 😀 I guess you could say I’m just digitally decadent! LOL!

This mini kit is named Lavender Porch, in honor of all my friends who like walking out on their porch barefoot on a cool early morning, holding a cup of hot coffee to warm their hands while gazing contentedly at the garden before them as they breathe the fresh air, and just smiling contentedly, thinking of how the most ordinary day can be such a miracle. Aaaah. That’s life. 🙂

So here’s the first offering of Lavender Porch. As usual, all items are created at 300ppi, all papers are sized at 12×12. These are 3 stripey, subtly textured papers (thanks to LPand3dogs for the commercial use textures I purchased!) Oh, and you’re looking at the basic color scheme of this kit, so I really hope you like the color combination! (Or I’m doomed! 😀 )

Download the papers HERE. The zip password is aaah! (yes, that’s three small A’s and an exclamation at the end 😉 ). Thank you in advance for the comments that you leave… 😉

ETA: Sorry, link is no longer available.

And since I’ve been experimenting a lot, I hope you will come back to pick up the results of all the playing I’ve been doing!

Rest well…

Thursday, 6 September 2007Wednesday, 24 September 2008 / LivE / 2 Comments

Mr. Luciano Pavarotti, rest well, my friend. A light has gone out in this world but another bright one has gone on in the heavens for eternity. May you find never-ending joy as you bring your beautiful music back to the bosom of our Lord and our Lady…

Threebie Freebie!!! :D

Thursday, 6 September 2007Wednesday, 24 September 2008 / LivE / 7 Comments

Freebie time, friends!!!

So sorry for being remiss in keeping my blog updated these past few days… have been all tied up with design work (which is sort of related to scrapping but not really 😉 , if that makes any sense), trying to complete layouts challenges along with my darling U&R playmates (thanks, Lisa, for leading the pack!!!), doing some moderating duties, and well… all the kazillion things wives and mothers do in their real lives. 😀

But you, my friends, are always on my mind! So here, to make up for lost time, are three freebies rolled into one! 😀

The first is one that I actually made for my Photoshop Challenge layout. If you haven’t tried Jessica’s Photoshop Friday tutorials, you’re missing half of your life! Click on my link to her blog over there on the right —>>> and go to Photoshop Index and play, play, play!!!

The other two I just made because… well, have I told you I love words? I have? Okay then. 🙂

So here they are, all in black and white (as the comments I’ve received tell me that you prefer B&W wordart), 300 ppi, large-sized (about 6inches across) so that you can downsize as you wish. Here’s a tip that I tried with the thicker letters of the wordart… if you zoom in reeeal close, you can actually use the paint bucket tool to color the letters to your own liking. 😀 That way, you can change the colors of the individual words! Pretty neat, huh? Note that the font letters must be thick though, or the paint bucket will fill up your whole layout. Eek. 😕

Download the threebie freebie HERE… Zip password is quoteme Hope you like it and have fun! Don’t forget to leave some love on my blog! Thanks in advance!

ETA: Sorry, link is no longer available.

PS. I’m preparing a nice little new kit for you… stay tuned!!! 😉

PS. Couldn’t resist the play of words in the title “Quo(te) vadis” 😀 It’s Latin for “whither thou goest?”

How much is it, really?

Thursday, 6 September 2007Friday, 7 September 2007 / LivE / 1 Comment

photo by brunosub at stock.xchng Today was one of the days when I decided to open the papers instead of waiting for the news on TV or online… I have to say I was not happy I made that decision today.

First I came upon the news about a student of the University of the Philippines (where I attended university eons ago), who died from suspected fraternity hazing rites. 😡 I just don’t get it. What’s so great about risking your life to be counted among a group of so-called brothers who feel the need to hurt you before they welcome you into the family? There’s got to be something really, really twisted about that.

Then I read a front-page article on abortion in this country. I could’ve cried. I know this is a testy topic. But I’ve never kept silent on something that counts among my principles, and this is not going to be the first time I will speak out. Abortion is termination of life. Life. Life that does not belong to us, no matter it is transmitted through our humble bodies. We are not the Author of Life, God is. Only he has the right to give and the right to take away. He is generous enough to trust us with the soul of His child–His child! What do we do with that trust? It is a crime to murder children, men, and women on the street. What makes it acceptable to take the life of those who have no voice yet, who register their presence in this world with a tiny heartbeat hidden underneath their mother’s, who rely on their mothers to protect them until they can do so themselves? They have no fighting chance while they are hidden in the womb… does that mean that it is right for us to take over the reigns of their life, their future, their dreams, their mark on this world and puff it out, just like that? This is as much as I will say. It hurts me to the very bottom of my soul.

What is the price of life? Has it become such a common commodity that it is so easy to throw it away, senselessly?

Needless to say, I closed the papers, completely devoid of any desire to read any more. Ugh. Bad news, so early in the morning.

Sad news. Bleeech. 😦

I need Bert’s help

Monday, 3 September 2007Wednesday, 24 September 2008 / LivE / 2 Comments

I have been wanting to do a layout for weeks… but somehow my scrapping creative muse keeps playing hide and seek with me. So I’m calling on Bert to help me. Hopefully by the time he and Ernie finish singing, I’ll be in balloon-land. 😀

I love this song for its message and, even more, because it reminds me so much of my brother who’s 2 years older than me, and who now lives with his family way across the ocean in North America. (Sometimes I just get wistful for those times when he would pass by my house unannounced and ask for a cuppa joe). When we were kids, we would fight all the time, as siblings do when they are so close to each other in age. Then we grew up and fought less and supported each other more and shared secrets that only siblings do when they are so close to each other in age.

I can’t think of my brother without hearing this playing in the background (reminds me always of the time when, as kids, we would sing this together… I can’t remember though which of us was Ernie and which was Bert… I think I’d rather have been Ernie, hahaha 😀 )

Here. I hope you enjoy it as much as I (always) do. And keep your fingers crossed that I find my muse real soon. 😛