Just as the rain...

starts pouring in, my creative juices start flowing in, too! Thanks to the encouragement of friends and a challenge I am slowly getting my groove back. If not for hobby-biz, I will still be scrapping today, haha! But I also need to take care of my biz because it supports my scrapbooking & the people working with me.

I managed to finish my entry for the Scrappin Mom's Idol contest 1.5 hrs before the deadline. I guess my brain works faster and efficiently when there is a deadline! hehe. After uploading my simple layout (this is all I can squeeze from my brain!), my office is a mess - lots of stuff lying around, strips of paper, adhesives, ribbons! Haay!!! All this mess for just 1 layout???!!! So, I decided, I'll take the day off from work and just scrap 1 more or even 2 para sulit naman yung kalat ko! Maybe this is one thing that keeps me from scrapping - I hate cleaning the mess, putting back my stuff to their places. If only I can just leave all my stuff as is without having to worry about my kids messing up with my scissors, adhesives, papers....haaayyyy, I can scrap anytime the creative juice kicks in!

And so I made another layout - pics from my kids' Halloween Party in school last year. I got to use my supplies that have been there for quite some time. I only noticed that the sticker border is shorter than 12"! Nah, forget the OC-ness! My kids are happy when they saw the layout and to me that is the BEST PART of all!

A BIG THANK YOU to all who emailed me, left msg on cbox & gallery for encouraging me to scrapbook and continue working on my website. Salamat po!!!

And how about my website???? I didn't work on it since last Saturday (went out of town with hubby & friends for 3 days) and have not touched it since then. That is why I scrapbooked - to take a break from what happened and to recharge. But I'm not giving up...will work on it again soon.. no one else will do it for me anyway. :)

I wanted to cry.......

In fact, I am sobbing as I type this blog. :( huhuhu... After working on about 28 pages and 6 days, I just found out I made a terrible mistake on my website!!! I used layers instead of tables and now I had to resize almost everything, reposition and tons of copy/pasting to do to display it correctly. Most of the pages were not done from templates so I have to edit it one by one.... I feel so stupid but what can I do? I took up a 2-day Dreamweaver course 5 years ago and just "re-learned" it last week? waaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! yoko na!!!!

So I guess I won't be uploading my new site tomorrow....its impossible for me unless I plan to kill myself. Sorry.....

:(

After 5 years...

I will finally be uploading my new website this week!

It took me a long time to decide whether to have it done by someone else or not. I've inquired some web designers in the past but I'm afraid I will just give them headache because of my ever-changing concept for my site. Believe me, every year, I come up with a new design for my website, make a few pages but never got to upload it! Its like, I wanted to have this and that feature but I end up with the same website. Then I realized its like scrapbooking - its impossible for me to have my scrapbooks done by someone else! (and hubby agrees! :) )

Finally, I decided I needed to do something about it, right here, right now. So last Friday, July 27, I started working 12 hours straight doing my first few pages. I like the design better - simpler and more manageable.

Take a peek of my home page. I will upload it (finish or not finish, pass your papers!) by Friday, August 3.

So this is what keeps me quiet these days...no scrapping, no Monday mosaic. I am dead serious on finally uploading my website. :)

Monday Mosaic

I'm back with my Monday Mosaic. Been busy for the past week with drafts & designs...busy and tired but I felt productive...just don't ask me about my scrapbooking! Zero, wah, nadah. :(

Have you realized that July is almost over and just one month and it will be the start of "ber" months??? Next thing you know 2007 is over. So far, what have you accomplished or for the past 7 months? :)

(Top-bottom, left-right)

Row #1

(1) Going through some paper samples sent to me by Kichi Inc. who I met at the National Stationery Show. They've got really nice printed Japanese papers :); (2) Tried a contemporary design for a Save-the-Date card for a client. This is not digital though - layers of handmade paper & photo; (3) Our new product offering for give-aways: digitally-designed handmade ref magnets - I combined digital design with handmade materials to come up with a small but useful give-away for any occasion...one that will not gather dust in your home. ;) (4) New sample for a client with additional translucent vellum overlay

Row #2

(5 & 6) Finished invites for a client and now ready for delivery; (7) Invitation design for an 80th Birthday for a new client; (8) Bought myself Bob Ong's 2nd book - "Bakit Baliktad Magbasa ng Libro ang mga Pilipino" - spent my Sunday afternoon laughing out loud till my abs tightened! Such a good book with lots of (common) sense for every Pinoy! :)

Row #3

(9) Got my Dud a copy of (again) Bob Ong's 1st book A B N K K B S N P L Ako! I'm sure he'll have loads of fun reading this hilarious-but-with-sense book. (10-12) Some pictures taken last Saturday at Serendra, Fort Bonifacio. Its our first time to there and we tried Cupcakes by Sonja. For me, it was a bit sweeter than Magnolia Bakery in New York City where Sonja apparently worked and got the idea.

Row #4

(13) Got 2 new magazines to read this week! Haay! Kelan kaya ako makakapag-scrapbook????!!!! (14) I read Pottery Barn's catalog which I got last April for some ideas on our new booth design for Wedding Expo Phils. in September. Eye candy! (15) Made some sketches for our booth at the Wedding Expo. Now I need to find someone who will make this into reality! (16) I bought a shirt & blouse at Just G. & Penshoppe last week and their tags caught my eye. Cute color combos and I like the texture of the Penshoppe tag. Lately I noticed my mug beside my printer is overflowing with tags of shirts, blouses, & pants that I bought for the past months! I'm thinking of making a mini album for these. :)

That's it, pansit! :)

Have a great week ahead of you!

No Monday Mosaic this week...

Been busy for the past days, replying to my email backlogs and designing.

A funny conversation between my 2 kids while playing spiderman game on the internet last Sunday:

coy: "How do you do that???" (tells my 6 y/o son to my 5 y/o daughter)

lui: "You just ipit it! You know, ipit the keyboard!!

Filipino: Ipit (in English = press)

Haha! :)

On Autumn and Aging

While I was taking a picture of a new design for my client, I noticed the beauty of a pressed maple leaf that my Dud sent me from the States. You see, every fall season in the US, I ask my Dud to send me maple leaves (pressed between pages of a magazine) for my invitations! The first time he did that was when he was at Central Park in New York. He told me that he got some stares from the people around, maybe wondering if he's crazy or having Alzheimer's! I was touched by his experience because he did that for me even if people thought he was crazy. :) Behind that maple leaf, is my father's love for me and his support to my sometimes-crazy ideas.

But yesterday, a different thought crossed my mind. As I look at color of the maple leaf, I began to think about aging in people. Our youth is as vibrant as the green leaves of a maple tree in spring. But as we age, the color of our lives become richer just as the maple leaves turn to a shade of yellow to orange to brown and deep red. It may not be full of energy as the green leaf but the changing shades represent the phases in life that we go through.

By autumn, these leaves will eventually fall just like when we reach our old age, our body will deteriorate. But it doesn't end there...by this time, the color of a maple leaf is deeper and that makes autumn, autumn just as our lives are now richer, deeper and as colorful as the autumn leaves.

For May...

This is for you. I hope this helps. Amateur video courtesy of my nanny. :)

Tell me and I'll forget;

Show me and I may remember;

Involve me and I'll understand.

Chinese Proverb

Monday Mosaic

Happy Monday! Just want to share with you another mosaic I made today. I'm loving these mosaics coz it makes it easier for me to share snippets of my life through these pictures.

(Top to bottom, left to right):

(1) A draft of the invitation we are working on this week. Don't be deceived by the looks of this invite... "nakukulot ang buhok ko jan!" or lets just say, it is challenging. :);

(2) Sunday morning (July 8), I let Loui play on my laptop. I was browsing the MOMA site (Museum Of Modern Art) when she saw an interactive tour of the Museum. So I let her browse the site while I try to read. I was surprised when she showed me the "collage" she made! She spelled out her nickname "LOUI". I printed it right away and showed it to her dad. We were both amazed at how such a young age, she is showing signs of great interest in the arts. :)

(3) I managed to read 3 past issues of Creating Keepsakes that I haven't opened since May! Great stuff! Lots of inspiration! I'm having an inspiration overload! Now I really got to work on my scrapbook! So much backlog!

(4) Finally wrote my TO-DO list for the week (and month) on my "new" Starbucks planner. How can I resist buying this collectible for just Php150 even if its half of the year already?! Even my practical hubby also got one! Besides, an idea popped in today on what I can do with this planner that will last for a long time. ;)

(5) I'm soooo loving this site! Makes color combination so much easier!!! Eye candy, too! I'm beginning to think about what paints to use on our walls; the cardstocks that I'm going to use on my layouts. :)

(6) Started out this week with paying the bills. My mom used to remind us when we were young not to pay or shell out money on Mondays for some superstitious belief. But for me, its like making things right at the start of the week, don't you think? :) At least I got a rebate from Digitel. :)

(7) A friend commissioned me to dress up my kraft letters as a gift for her friend's son who will have a birthday party this coming weekend. Will post the finished product after.

(8) Made sketches for 2 new clients so I can finally make the samples for them plus the other one pending by tomorrow. Need to finish these by Tuesday.

(9) I gave Loui a new set of pastel pens for her Spray Art and she played with it this afternoon. I can see that she is becoming a freestyle artist. Way to go, Loui!

We ended that day watching the Transformers (again!) this time with the kids. I love Bumblebee & Optimus Prime! :)

That's it for now. Have to rest...tomorrow's a busy day for me.....

Checked!

This year I saw myself accomplishing a lot of my to-do's on my 101-things-to-do-before-i-die list. Its not that I am being morbid here (although I am!) but somehow the list keeps me focused on what I want to do in my life...how I want to live my life the way God intended me to be. Hindi po ako nagpapakabanal dito pero sa sarili ko, ito ang mga bagay na sa aking palagay ay magiging makabuluhan ang buhay ko. (In English: "I don't intend to be a candidate for sainthood but rather, this is what I think my life would be more meaningful.")

It's been a year since we last sorted our stuff (especially the kids' clothes, toys & some books) and packed them away for charity. I've been wanting to donate our stuff but I wanted to give them to an orphanage since I know the babies and kids will really need them.

When I came back from my trip, I promised myself that I will do it now - not next year, not when I have some spare time. Plus, I wanted my kids to learn at this age that it is OK to give and not always to receive and that they are blessed because they have parents and the orphans don't that is why we need to help them.

I learned somewhere that there is an orphanage in Tagaytay run by nuns. I just didn't know where. So I searched the internet and found an article by Ms. Deedee Sytangco about the Agustinian sisters that take care of abandoned babies. I emailed Ms. Sytangco and she gave me the contact person and number of the orphanage.

So I called up and got to talk with Sr. Carmen & Sr. Yoly and asked them if it is ok for them to accept donations like used clothes and toys. They said that I am very welcome to do so and they really appreciate it. So we scheduled our trip to Tagaytay this afternoon with 2 of my staff and my 2 kids. I briefed them earlier why are we going to the orphanage and asked if it is ok with them to give away their toys. They were excited!

We traveled through heavy rains & thunder! It was burning hot in Laguna when we left though. The sisters texted me to drive slowly and that they are praying for our safe trip. :) With that and my prayer before we left the house didn't leave a room for fear that something might happen to us.

We met Sr. Yoly and the 22 kids with ages ranging from 3 weeks old to 8 years old. They were already having early dinner then and some just arrived from a nearby public school. My eldest son shared his dinosaur book with the older girls while my little girl just kept quiet. I guess she was overwhelmed by the number of kids and she knows that they don't have parents. Maybe a lot of things are going on her mind so I just let her be.

Sr. Yoly shared bits of stories of how the kids end up in their care. One smaller-than-a-normal-2-yr.-old boy caught my attention. He was so small. Sr. told me that he is a son of a 12 year old girl! Whaaatt???? I cannot imagine how someone, not even a teenager, would bear a child. INCEST. I was shocked and I can't help but feel sorry for the girl and the baby boy.

Some of the kids were abandoned after birth in the hospitals, one was found by a streetsweeper along a sidewalk left alone by her parents, there were twins left by the parents who cannot feed them. A 7-month old boy is waiting for his mother to serve her sentence in correctional. These and some stories I only thought I'd only see in TV opened my eyes to reality.

We couldn't stay longer as it was getting foggy outside. My son wanted to play some more with the kids but I only told him we will come back again some other time. It was a short visit but it was meaningful in a lot of ways: I checked my list; my kids and staff were able to meet the kids and spent even just a little time with them; our stuff were put to good use rather than left in storage to rot; and just as we are blessed may we be a blessing to others as well. To whom much is given, much is expected.

Monday Mosaics

I'm starting the 2nd half of the year with Monday Mosaics - random photos that give a peek into my everyday life. I'll make this a weekly thing for me (hopefully!)


First 3 rows: some designs I finished last week for 6 clients. Last photo was taken this morning when we were packing the invites for delivery tomorrow.

Last row: I wanted to show my Dud how his orchids are "still alive" with beautiful flowers. 3rd pic are piles of cut-sized handmade papers ready for printing today. Last photo is my new "baby" - an HP Colored Laser printer - now we can print COLORED on translucent vellum!

Still got tons of work to do, my office is not that messy anymore but I still lack space for my stuff (I'm still working on it....). Zero scrapping activity....I'm soooo inspired with all the layouts of Iris, Pia, Ria, Cabbie and the rest of SE & PS scrapbookers but I just don't have the TIME right now. :(

I've been tagged!

Oooopps, Christine V. tagged me.

Here are the rules: Each player starts with 7 random facts about themselves on their Blog. People who are tagged need to blog 7 facts about themselves and post the rules as well. At the end of their blog list 7 people you are tagging. Let them know that they are tagged by leaving them a comment.

So here it is....7 Random Facts About Me

1. I cannot sleep unless the bed sheet is crisp, no wrinkles and tight-fit onto the bed.

2. I don't eat foods with ketchup and/or mayonnaise.

3. I practically live on Post-Its (and it should be the 3M brand of Post-Its) - they are my "expanded memory"!

4. When I was in 3rd year HS, I baked 1,000 pcs. of macaroons to supply the JS Prom in my mom's school. I bought my first Tretorn sneakers from the money I earned from that venture.

5. I am a rightie but I can only wash the dishes using my left hand to hold the sponge. Same with opening a Coke bottle.

6. I cannot swallow a pill or my vitamin supplements without any food (esp. chocolates).

7. I have a "101 things to-do-before-I-die list".

There you go.... I enjoyed reading other friends' random facts. I'm tagging Ria, Pia, Iris, Au, Donna, Joanne & Cabbie. I guess they have all been tagged already but it was fun getting to know a little bit of them. :)

I'm on a creative rut!

Been sluggish for the past days...with migraine attack & mounting (s)crap stuff in my office, my mind cannot work properly! With designs and proofs to submit to my clients, I need to find some "inspiration". But where???? I don't know. Tagaytay is always on my mind for the past days, I don't know why. I want to hike, run, walk, whatever! I miss my long, tiring walks in the streets of NY!


Anyway, its been a daily "ritual" for me to visit my favorite blogs especially Ali E. And this is what I learned from her: to make a mosaic. :)



Now, this makes me want to CREATE again.... Hopefully on my next blog entry, it will be an exciting one.

"Live life creatively."

Good to be back home...

I arrived safely on June 3, 530am via PAL. It was a long and tiring 15-hour journey but all worth it. Had interesting conversations with 2 of my "seatmates" during the flight. I believe all the people we meet everyday, even for just a few minutes or hours, are meant to leave a mark on usin one way or another...

Anyway, after 3 hours, I'm off to the 2nd day of Philippine Wedding Summit as an exhibitor. Rampa ano! Thanks to my ever-supportive husband & staff who took my place during the first day. The fair went well but really, I am dying to come home and take a rest! Around 5pm, I began to feel sleepy because of the change in my timezone but with my husband to keep me from sleeping, I finished the fair wide awake. haha!

I "declared" this week will be a "No Work" week! I want to spend some time with my kids especially that my daughter just turned 5 last June 5. But with all the unpacking and putting everything in its place, I think it became an unofficial work week instead!

But I'd like to take the last 3 days to slow down a bit...need some R&R to recharge and get back to the groove for we have lots of projects in the pipeline...need to do some overhauling in our systems and product development. So bear with me...will be back by next week.

I love this shot of a sample I made while in the US. I love how the stone served as a backdrop of my invitation.

It's Final.

We will be at the Philippine Wedding Summit on June 2-3, 2007 at the NBC Tent, The Fort. 10am-8pm

I will arrive from SFO on June 3 at 5 in the morning. I will be at the fair by Sunday. But on the first day, June 2, my staff and ever supportive husband will be there.

On-site booking will be accepted on both days but I suggest you book on the 2nd day so I can personally attend to your invite specs. We can always discuss the details even after the fair.

We are giving 20% discount for ON-SITE booking for 100pcs and above orders plus freebies. 10% for 50-99pcs. invitations and/or missalettes. We only require Php2,000 for the booking fee deductible on the balance.

We hope to see you there!

Event Update - Some changes....

There has been a change in our upcoming events. I decided to withdraw from the Philippine Wedding Summit due to our tight production schedule and my flight. We have to prioritize our production schedule and the quality of our products so we will be at the Wedding Expo Philippines September 2007 instead.

But we will be at the

SCRAPFEST on May 19, 2007 (10am - 5pm)

at the Makati Garden (along Pasig River - Guadalupe going to C5) by Scrappin' Moms

This is one event you cannot miss!

We will be selling our own line of Altering Items & Handmade Organizers such as kraft letters, accordion albums with matching boxes, photo cubes, flip-flops boxes, our Pampered Crafters (rotating tool caddy), 12x12 vertical paper holders, and handmade journals. Please see below:

Contact Number Update

To all those who have been calling our Manila line for the past lines surely wondered why we don't answer the call. Our phone line just kept on ringing on the callers end BUT ITS ACTUALLY DEAD on our side! Thanks to PT&T - after the super typhoon Milenyo (September 2006), they DID NOT bother to fix our line after numerous calls to them!

We apologize to all our clients & inquries for this problem. We finally have our new MANILA LINE so our Manila clients can call us locally.

Manila Line: (+632) 429-4832

Just blog-hopping on a Friday night....

I just had a nice chat over dinner with my cousin. Its the first time we were together since the day we were born! She grew up in the US and I in the Philippines. It was nice. It IS memorable for me. After all these years, I can say, we ARE cousins. :)

Oh well, when I came home to my sis' house (after I almost knocked on the wrong house! silly me, I still cannot remember my sister's house!), I just wanted to scrap or make some cards for the silent auction next week (a volunteer work for me at my nephew's school fair). But when I checked my blog, I got some hello's from a few friends. So I blog-hopped and enjoyed reading theirs...it is good...there's always something that you learn from each other....

I got this from Raissa's blog. Thought maybe I'd try it for myself and look what I've got:

You Should Be a Painter

You have the vision, patience, and skill to bring your unique visions to canvas.And you're even tempered enough not to cut your ear off in the process!

What Sort of Artist Should You Be?

At least now I know that I am not just "maARTe" to be an artist...maybe its really in my blood. :)

And here's another one that I like...its ME talaga, hehe!

Your Birthdate: March 21

You're a restless rebel with an unpredictable nature.Bright but unbridled, you tend to seek out wild experiences over new ideas.People are frustrated by your great potential, but you love your unconventional life.You're a heartbreaker. People get attached to you, and then you're gone. Your strength: Your thirst for adventure Your weakness: Not taking time for slow pleasures Your power color: Hot pink Your power symbol: Figure eight Your power month: March

http://www.blogthings.com/whatdoesyourbirthdatemeanquiz/">What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there!!!

"Live life creatively."

I'm off to National Stationery Show in New York

I feel like I'm working at a call center in the Philippines. Why? With a 15-hour difference in the Philippines and here in Northern California, I have to be awake in the evening to "work" with my staff - send drafts and designs, wait for approval of Philippine-based clients, confirm production. I usually sleep at 12am here (3pm in the Phils.) and should be awake by 630am to catch my husband by 930 Phil. time. When he sleeps at 12am (9am US time), I'm up and about to have breakfast and then resume my work like designing and emailing the sketches to my staff so the morning after, they have it already! So its like just 6.5 hrs of sleep!

But its pretty well that way, saving me from insanity of missing my family, home and my country terribly! Yes, I miss the Philippines - even if I'm just almost 2 weeks here, I already miss the traffic, pollution, hot weather. I miss the turon, popo, ensaymada merienda that we have everyday with my staff. I miss how I can go to SM easily or just buy watermelon on the roadside. Walang ganyan sa States!"

I'm staying a bit longer coz I am off to the National Stationery Show in New York on May 20-23, 2007. No, I am not an exhibitor (which I hope in the future), just an attendee, but I am so excited to be here! Its all about papers & stationeries - a must-attend-to fair for an invitation-maker like me. I hope to bring home lots of new finds and tons of inspiration from there. Its an eye-candy! I just hope by that time, the weather will be be friendly to this tropical Pinay. :)

For the meantime, work is still the name of my game....my therapy. :) I do go around and see places but mostly during weekends. On weekdays, its telecommuting. :) After this blog update, I'm off to work on my website and the upcoming Philippine Wedding Summit in June 2-3 at the NBC Tent, Fort Bonifacio Global City.

Will give you more updates soon.

"Live life creatively."

"Walang ganyan sa States!"

I finally had the time to update my blog! Been very busy even after the Wedding Expo in Pasadena, CA. But let me give you some comparison about the wedding fair in the US and in the Philippines.

I truly admire Pinoys' ingenuity when it comes to design and innovation. In every Wedding Expo I've joined, the venue becomes an elaborate display of Filipino suppliers' creativity! Ang galing! It's not that I'm bragging...I am just at awe at how really creative Pinoys are! Each and everyone of us...its in our blood...we just have to nurture it and show it to the world. :)

I don't know about American Wedding Fairs here since I haven't attended one, but I will only make a comparison between the fair I joined here in Pasadena and the Wedding Expo Phils. in the Philippines.

One disadvantage of Filipino suppliers from the Philippines is that we cannot bring a lot of stuff to decorate our booth. Like myself, I have to limit my stuff to just 1 balikbayan box since I still have to make room for my clothes on my luggage. I have to hand-carry my laptop plus a client's invitation order! Though, it may look as a disadvantage, but I consider it also as a CHALLENGE for us to make do of what we have. Anyway, in my case, I managed to bring most of my designs and just displayed them on 3 albums and a tarpaulin to hold some of my recent designs. That's it!

It was not as festive as in the Philippines....though I guess, its the first time to have a Philippine Wedding Expo here in the States, we cannot expect the same huge crowd in the Philippines...that is why I said it was not as festive as I expected.

For invitations, people here are used to just choose from the designs that we have. When they knew that we custom-design, at first, they thought that we are expensive! Its because IT REALLY IS expensive in the US to have a custom-designed invite plus it is HANDCRAFTED! So I had to tell them that this is how we work and that we are very affordable especially that their $$ have better mileage than our pesosesoses.

Other Pinoys think that we might have different prices if they order in the Philippines than here. They think that I might charge more in $$. Of course not! Its not the way I work and think about money. Same price, wherever.

Anyway, the 1st Philippine -Los Angeles Wedding Expo was a good exposure for Pinoy products, not just mine but for others as well. I hope this will not be the last but just a beginning for the Filipino wedding suppliers to shine globally. :)

Been busy....

I have lots of things to blog about but have little time to do so. Sorry.... Will post new pics of my designs soon.

Been busy preparing for our first Wedding Expo in the U.S. by Lavish! Events - "From this day forward..." The Lost Angeles-Philippine Wedding Expo in Pasadena Convention Center, California on April 14-15, 2007. Will regularly update this blog to keep you all posted. Meanwhile, you can still email me for your inquiries at imaginovation@yahoo.com. If you want to see our samples, our Manila Showroom is at:

The Meeting Place/Lily Flower Boutique
EDSA Shangri-LA Hotel, West Entrance
1 Garden Way, Mandaluyong City
Mondays-Saturdays 9am-6pm
+632-6345564 / +632-6345563

Will keep you posted!

"Live life creatively."