What Kind of Intelligence Do I Have?

While taking a break from my work, I chanced upon Ria's blog. Its partly correct for me but I tell you, I will never be a good dancer nor an actor. A firefighter, maybe in my next life! :)

People say I am creative...but for me, I believe we were all born CREATIVE. Its just that when we grow older, we tend to look at things logically - like there should be an explanation for everything.

In high school, I was "influenced" to take up Computer Science since that was the "trend", so I can go abroad and earn $$. In high school, I excel in Math and so I believed Comp. Sci is for me.

I never thought I'll have Math subjects in all the 12 terms (4 years) or so in my course until I saw my course flowchart! But I did still pursue the course until the day I put up my own business while doing my thesis that I realized I should have taken Business Management course or Fine Arts since I was already graphic designing then! I wanted to shift courses but my parents will kill me. I only have 12 units left in Comp. Sci.

But I guess, the "artist" in me triumphed over the "logical" part of me because I am here - designing invitations, product development and scrapbooking! I just happen to realize that I am indeed creative after spending 12+ terms in Computer Science!

Bottomline is, do what you love to do. Life is not a straight line but a series of straights & curves, ups & downs, swirls & doodles that if you put it in a painting, it is one interesting portrait that is uniquely yours.

Your Dominant Intelligence is Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence

You are naturally athletic and coordinated, good at making your mind and body work together. Sports are fun and easy for you, especially those requiring good hand - eye coordination. There's also a good chance you're a great dancer, or good at expressing yourself through body language. You learn best by doing, and you feel like you've always got to be moving (even if it's just your hands). You would make a good athlete, physical education teaches, dancer, actor, firefighter, or artisan.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

"Live life creatively."

Finding My Place Under the (Philippine) Sun

A friend of mine texted me last Friday morning (March 16) telling me that he saw me on the Inquirer. Ha?! I was surprised! "May napatay ba ako?!", I asked. "Hinde. Andun ka sa 'the person above-mentioned is no longer connected with this company!", he joked. :)

So, I drove and looked for the nearest newsstand to buy myself a copy of the Inquirer. And yes, there I was! It IS ME. I didn't expect that the article would land on the Inquirer. The correspondent, Ms. Donna Virola, interviewed me on the last day at the last hour of the Tagaytay Bridal Fair last Feb.26. It was NOT planned. She just happened to pass by Brahma Kumaris's booth and there she noticed my booth. She asked my staff where I was and when I came back, next thing I know is that we are having a conversation under the stairs!

It was a hush-hush interview plus she ran out of battery on her digicam after snapping 2 pictures of mine! She just told me that the article will appear on a CALABARZON daily and might be on the Inquirer. That is, if PDI will choose it.

Among the 3 articles that featured me (ME Magazine, Feb. 2005; Entrepreneur Phils., Sept. 2006), this is the one that captured the WHOLE OF ME. From my sago't gulaman days to macaroons, to my depression, it is ME. And I am not ashamed to let you know that that is how I started. :)

I received emails, calls and SMS from different people that day telling me how they were inspired by the article about my simple beginnings. I am happy to know that somehow my story inspired some people and has given them hope that THEY,TOO, WILL FIND THEIR PLACE UNDER THE SUN.

You can view the article online at http://business.inquirer.net/money/features/view_article.php?article_id=55151

Airees
"Live life creatively!"

Vcoy's 6th Birthday

We were not able to celebrate Vcoy's 6th birthday last March 10 because of the Wedding Expo. However, we had dinner at Mall of Asia together with the "hunnies" & "tita" at a Chinese restaurant. When we asked him what gift does he want for his birthday, he just asked us to play with him at Timezone. What else to play but Jurassic Park!

He absolutely loves anything about dinosaurs. He somehow graduated from "Thomas and Friends" but I know Thomas will always be his first love. :) We also gifted him a dinosaur skeleton toy which he also loves. His birthday was not as grand but we know that he enjoyed his birthday.

But... he also asked us if he can celebrate his birthday with his classmates. And so right after the Wedding Expo, Tuesday, we had a small party together with his classmates and teacher in school. It was simple...just packed snacks with spaghetti cooked by yours truly, chocolate cupcakes, baked lovingly by Ate Let, hotdogs & marshmallow, juice and chocolate lollipops which were made by Ate Cathy & Kuya Toto. :) Vcoy personally asked for a Red Ribbon Chocolate Mousse for his birthday cake. I just bought a safari cake decor (no dinosaurs available) and we just put 2 small dinos from his toys! Daddy sponsored the cake. We all had fun making his birthday special in our own little way.

Last week, I "played" with Photoshop Elements and tried to make his birthday invites. I enjoyed using it... so easy... much easier than Photoshop CS though it has lesser features but OK if you will just edit pictures or make a digital scrapbook layout. Here is my try in making a digital invite using Elements:

After making the layout, transferred it to my flash drive and drove myself to the nearest Fuji - wahlah! Done! Made my life easier. :)

Wedding Expo Philippines 10th Edition

We are on the last preps for the biggest, most comprehensive & longest-running wedding fair in the country "Wedding Expo Philippines 10th Edition". May we invite you to come and visit our booth and see our newest collection and our bestsellers.

And in celebration with the event's 10th Edition, we wanted to make this wedding fair truly SPECIAL: we are giving not just 10% but 20% DISCOUNT (for orders of 100pcs & above) for ON-SITE BOOKING PLUS a very useful FREEBIE and 25 pcs. PERSONALIZED & EMBOSSED THANK YOU CARDS with ENVELOPE.

Even if you order less than 100pcs. (at least 50 though), you will still get 10% DISCOUNT and our freebie.

In case you cannot book on-site, you still have until December to order from us and you still get 5% DISCOUNT. Walang talo! :)

And why should you consider us to make your invites?

- Unique = No 2 handmade paper sheets are the same thus each invitation possesses uniqueness from the paper up to the embedded materials.

- Handmade = each invitation is lovingly done by passionate artists with no formal training (but full of passion!) to bring out the "person" in every creation. It is time to give premium to handmade creations. Why? Because these are done by people, not machines!

- Environment-friendly = our papers are TREE-FREE, meaning, no trees were cut to make paper. They are made from waste cogon grasses, salago & abaca which is abundant in our place of production. Production of paper is monitored by the DENR to see to it that the process does not sacrifice the environment. We are committed to sustainable development and to taking care of our environment.

- Social Responsibility = When you order from us, it is not only us that we benefit from your payment but also the people who are working to make the handmade papers and their families. You provide them a livelihood to alleviate them from poverty. And when you patronize our Philippine-made products, you fuel the growth of MSME's (micro, small & medium enterprises) thus, improve the Philippine economy.

We may not produce the smoothest or embossed lettering nor the perfect invitation, but we can assure you that each one is lovingly done by hand that is really made JUST FOR YOU with the hope that you will also learn to appreciate Pinoy products and be proud of it!

See you at the Expo!

Airees :)

"Live life creatively!"

Another Try at Digital Scrapbooking

I love scrapbooking! Its not just the yummy papers and embellishments but the STORY behind the pictures. I feel that I have the responsibility to preserve our family's precious memories so that my kids and future generations will know who we are and how we lived our lives in our time.

With "traditional" scrapbooking, I use acid free papers & a thousand and 1 embellishments! You can ask my fellow scrapbookers and for sure each has her own story to tell - from hoarding scrapbooking supplies to having her own scrap room, to scrap challenges and EBs.

But now, I am trying my hands on digital scrapbooking. All elements such as papers, ribbons, and almost all of the embellishments we use on traditional scrapbooking also have their "digital" counterpart. They are equally YUMMY! ;) - the only thing is that digital is FLAT - you cannot feel the ribbons nor the textures of the paper. But feeling flat doesn't mean seeing flat. A lot of digital designers are now making real-life elements that you can hardly tell it is digital.

I made my first digital layout last year. After that, nah... I just lost the momentum. I still wanted to work with my hands getting all the glue and paints all over... to have all the paper scraps under my table but in the end, a physical layout for my family to enjoy looking at.

But when I tried using Photoshop Elements, hmmm... I had second thoughts. With its easy interface, even a novice scrapbooker can start making digital layouts in a jiffy. So without further adeu, here are 2 of my layouts (they are just kits though I added a few touches):



















Credits to ShabbyPrincess.com Olivia digital kit (1st pic) and twopeasinabucket.com for the 2nd pic). Photos taken by me & V (they are our guinea pigs! thanks c & m!)
Hopefully next time I'll do better than these 2. :)

One satisfied client, one happy me!

I got an email this morning from my client in Australia. I was surprised to know that she already got her invitations which I sent last Tuesday. Thanks to FedEx's efficient service, the package came right on time (1 day earlier pa!) and it is in good condition. :)

What made me happy is the email she sent me:

"Hi Airees,

I received the invitations and mass booklets yesterday. I have to say, that you did a marvelous job with them.. Calvin and I both love the invitations and cant wait to start giving them out tomorrow :)

Also, the colour ended up being EXACTLY what I had in mind and it matches my theme perfectly so thank you so much for that.

Now all I have to do is figure out how to tie the ribbon! Calvin and I were practising last night but we just couldn't get it to look like the photo you had sent..We might need to practice a little bit more ;-)

Thanks again and it was great doing business with you :) - Natasha Peters"

More than the money that a client pays for my invitations, it is the TRUST that I really am thankful. As for Natasha, the trust she gave was enormous - she fully paid before the production started and to think we haven't met personally and she is NOT a Filipino. Truly, I am at awe with people who still give their trust even online. And for that, I am thankful and happy.

....Life is good to me today..... :)

Brown - the new black??

Mid-year of 2006, I began my "love affair" with the color brown. You can practically pair it with any color like pink, hot pink, aqua, sky blue, orange, gold, apple green, ecru, to name a few. At first, some people it is odd and not fit for a wedding motif but guess what? Brown (or Espresso) is now one of the color trends for 2007.

I just finished this tri-fold invite in brown and green. Actually, the color motif is espresso, gold and green. We had the paper custom-designed by adding some gold threads. I like the way it turned out and I am happy that the bride & her family is satisfied.

Our signature beaded butterfly in gold beads and wire added a the final touch for this invite.

Somewhere beyond the sea....

Just a quick post.

While I was cleaning my office (so I can finally start working on new designs! I need to do this... I can't seem to concentrate if my office looks like there was tsunami!), I pulled out my laptop and played this song. It lightens my load somehow and puts a smile on my face....I don't know why....it could be the beat or the lyrics...whatever it is...it is all GOOD. :)

Beyond the Sea

Somewhere beyond the sea

Somewhere waiting for me

My lover stands on golden sands

And watches the ships that go sailing

Somewhere beyond the sea

She's there watching for me

If I could fly like birds on high

Then straight to her arms I'd go sailing

It's far beyond the stars

It's near beyond the moon

I know beyond a doubt

My heart will lead me there soon

We'll meet beyond the shore

We'll kiss just like before

Happy we will be beyond the sea

And never again I'll go sailing

I know beyond a doubt

My heart will lead me there soon

We'll meet, I know we'll meet beyond the shore

We'll kiss just as before

Happy we will be beyond the sea

And never again I'll go sailing

No more sailing

So long, sailing, sailing, no more sailing

Good-bye, farewell my friend, no more sailing

So long sailing, no more sailing

No more, farewell..

No more sailing

I hope you are all well. Its so depressing knowing people important to you or to your friends are sick. If you can, please whisper a prayer for them, so they may be all well in God's grace.

Thanks.

Plum + Gold = Elegance

2 weeks ago, a classmate of mine in high school contacted me to make her invitations. When she came up with her motif, I knew it will make an elegant invitation.
She wanted it simple but elegant. Sometimes, people see handmade paper as very casual or informal and they don't think it will make an elegant invitation. But I want them to look at our paper in a different perspective this time....I love how the dark shade of plum blended with gold - it made the gold beaded butterfly stand out all the more!

For the accents on the left side of the invite, lately, I'm into pearls and laces because I see them as symbols of elegance, of royalty. And since I'm a 3D person (I can't stop myself from adding something 3D on my invites! It feels "bland" and flat if it has no 3D embellishment.)

My old number is back!

After 5 long days of calling Globe's customer service and believing that they will restore my line immediately, I passed by The Hub yesterday. They just found out that SM City Sta. Rosa Globe Business Center entered a WRONG (as in a totally different number!) serial number from my SIM! I swear, if I have a heart problem, I'd die on the spot! Their customer service couldn't explain what's wrong with my SIM and always promises that my line would be back. If I had not gone to the Hub, I'd be waiting in vain and lots of lost clients!

Imagine what carelessness (or stupidity for that matter!) can do.

I thank Mr. Lloyd Santos of The Hub Glorietta for bearing with me. Even before I flare up, I told him not to take it personally. I am just pissed off with the person/people who entered the wrong serial number BUT I told him it is unacceptable for me to wait another 2 DAYS for the sim to get activated. NO WAY!

So, he went back and called up their Engineering Department and within 30 minutes I have a signal! I guess sometimes it pays to be the "other side" of Airees at times like this. :)

So, this is my OTHER number (though I am still keeping the 521... for the meantime, just in case...) +63917.8132821

I hope this will be the last of the not-so-good 3's that happened to me last week.....

I wish you all well.

TEMPORARY MOBILE #

My mobile phone was stolen at the Asian Hospital where I was confined last Monday-Wednesday. I was undergoing an EEG test at the lower ground when the incident happened. Someone entered my room and stole my phone. Long story....

Anyway, you may contact me thru this number until Globe restores my old number into my new SIM which is taking them sooooooooooooooooooo long! Isa pa yang Globe na yan! 4 days na wala pa din signal SIM ko!

Here's my other number: 0917-5214688

I'm off to Tagaytay for our last day of Kasalang Filipino 2007.

Kasalang Filipino 2007

I am inviting all of you to come and visit our booth at the Kasalang Filipino 2007 at Tagaytay Country Hotel, Olivarez Plaza, Rotonda, Tagaytay City on February 23-25, 2007 - 11am-8pm.

We will showcase our new designs for 2007 and some of our bestsellers. :) Special discount and freebies will be given for on-site booking.

Lastly, may I invite you also to the Wedding Expo Philippines 10th Edition on March 10-11, 2007 at the PICC Forum, CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City.

Dressed Up Monograms

I was invited by a good friend, Iris of SparkUp Planners, to hold a workshop at the Glorietta Homezone Area last February 17. I worked with one of our products, the naked monograms and dressed them up with patterned papers, acrylic paint. But this time, Iris suggested that I include some pictures to extend the use of the monogram further - as a photo decor.

I used the frame die cuts-to-go by K & Co. and some too-small-shots that I have of my daughter. These shots were put to good use since they just fit right to the frame.

This project is so easy to do. You might want to try them. These are perfect unique gifts for your loved ones. Just get a naked monogram (of course, from us!), some acrylic paint (for the sides of the letter so you wont have to cover it with patterned paper), patterned paper, and some embellishments.

Trace the naked letter at the back of the patterned paper. Remember to mark each side of the letter with 1 or 2 and its corresponding number on the patterned paper so you will have the exact pattern for each side. Cut and set aside.

Paint the sides of the naked letter first. Don't worry about getting the pain over the front and back side of the letter since you will cover these with patterned paper.

When dried, adhere the traced pattern to the corresponding sides. You may want to use sand paper on the sides to make the edges smooth.

Embellish!

Thankful!

I am finally posting the journaling I made on my layout for the MLA Challenge. I deferred posting it coz I still have to know the results of my tests. And now that I can say I am fine - there's nothing serious about my health (just have to learn to manage stress so it doesn't add more pressure to my cervical spine), I want to share with you the "things" I am grateful for.


But first, I want to thank all of you (you know who you are) who prayed for me during the time that I was in the hospital. Now I know I have a long way to go to fulfill God's plan for me and to take some time to slow down and relax and "literally smell the flowers" to appreciate more of this life. :)

Journaling:

February 18, 2007 - I am doing this layout a day before I undergo several tests at the Asian Hospital tomorrow afternoon. I will be staying there for 2 days to finish all the tests and hopefully be home by Wednesday. I don’t know what will happen next nor what the results would be.

I was advised by my neurologist to undergo MRI to examine my brain! I’ve been suffering from what I believe a migraine for about 5 years now but 2 years after I fell from the stairs, I had a “regular” migraine attacks and stronger intensity running down to my right shoulder. I finally had the guts to have myself examined by a neurologist after I realized that I have my kids to take care of and I needed to be alive for them! :)

As of now, I don’t feel anything except the nagging pain on my neck. I only think that the tests will just be a routine check-up and I will be fine. Perhaps, I am not that afraid yet, for I know God has the ultimate plan for my life and I know that He knows my kids need me for now...

But, My Little Attic’s challenge to make a layout for myself and what are the “things” I am grateful for INSPIRED me to make one. Funny, one thing that crossed my mind to make this layout is that if ever I’ll undergo a surgery or what, and I might have to lose my memory, at least I have a record of what I am grateful for and what the heck I am doing in this life! :) Yeah, I know, I am morbid. But its not impossible, right?

So, to my family, whatever happens to me and my memory, remind me of these 3 “things” that I am forever grateful to have:

ALBUMS - Its not the album per se that I am grateful but what they contain: my family, friends and the people I worked with, the relationships I have with them, for the lessons in life that each one taught me and for that, I have become the person I am right now.

INVITATIONS, BOOKS & MAGAZINES, TOOLS - They symbolize the talents that I have that God gave me. And because of this, it has become my passion and the passion led me to create works of art that I get to share with the people around me and has somehow brought joy and inspiration to them. I am grateful for the life I live right now because I have developed my self-esteem, found my own place under the sun, and my self-worth.

FAITH - Without this, I am nothing. Over the years, my relationship with my Creator has helped me go through what life has given me. I may not express my being a Catholic as much as other people would do, but the personal relationship with my Creator has been my source of strength - the reason for my being - and to Whom my life should be directed upon. It is a process and I take it one day at a time.....

Entry to MLA's Challenge

Just a quick post before I take some time off.

A layout about what I am grateful for. My journaling is hidden on the trifold pocket (too long!) but it is written from the *heart*.

I wish you all well!

EDITED: Layout and journaling above.

Tamang senti lang po....

Just a quick post here.

I love songs.... though sometimes the songs don't love my voice, I love how they touch you in your deepest emotions that sometimes you just don't know what words to express.

from the song Everything I Own by Bread:

"Is there someone you know, you're loving them so, but taking them all for granted? You may loose them one day, someone takes them away, and they don't hear the words you long to say?"

from one of my all-time fave song What a Wonderful World:

"I see babies cry, I watch them grow, they'll learn much more that I've ever known. And I think to myself: What a wonderful world!"

"Live life creatively."

Hapi Nyu Yi!!!!

It's Chinese New Year here in the Philippines. Though we are not Chinese (just Chinese-looking) we also take part in some of their traditions like wearing red for luck, fruits on our table, eating Tikoy and some fireworks, if ever we get to buy. :)

I've been reading (and following some) Feng Shui tips for quite some time and I guess it helps. I've read somewhere that Feng Shui is not a religious thing - it is more of scientific - harnessing the energy around us. But of course, even if one has a house full of Feng Shui paraphernalia making it to look like a store in Binondo, one cannot expect luck if he does not do good things especially to other people. Its just like Karma - there is no good or bad Karma - just Karma - "do unto others what you want others do unto you"; "the more you give, the more blessings to receive". That's simple, right? :)

So, to anyone reading this blog - I wish you well - good health and wealth, healthy relationships and most of all, may we all become better persons this year. Hapi Nyu Yi! :)

Fresh Upload, New Project

Hi everyone! I would like to invite you to drop by MyScrapworks.com - we've got lots of new articles and to-do projects for you.

Try it! :)

"Live life creatively."

Done!

I've been busy for the past days working on new designs for clients, meetings and ordering supplies online, thru SMS and taking a trip to DV (Divisoria)!!! Thank goodness for technology - ordering some supplies thru SMS or online and just have them delivered thru Air21 is more cost-effective and saves me time and energy.

Anyway, I am just glad to finally finish working on 2 designs for 2 clients. Though I still have more to do [2 of my friends will kill me if they read this because I haven't showed them their invites! ;) ], I felt relieved that I am done with these 2.

This is just a sneak peek of the invite for this "Victorian" bride. She has an eye for design and she loves a "lavish" design. She knows that the invitation is what gives her guests the first impression of her upcoming wedding and she wants to make sure that the guests will have an eye candy once they receive her invitation!

This 2nd invitation is quick. Even though inner invitation design (not shown here) is a bestseller, this is the first time I am working on these combinations and papers for this design. Still, I can say that the invitation will be uniquely-made for this couple.

Time to work on my next....

"Live life creatively."

My new "babies"

No I am not pregnant nor I have adopted a new "little monster"! :)

I knew sooner or later we will have to get this "baby" and I guess now is the right time. As new projects are due this month, we are faced with a situation - our "suki" cutter informed us that they will not be able to service our cutting and trimming needs because they are busy. You know, the printing presses are busy churning out tons of paper (poor trees....) for ballots and campaign materials because the national election is gonna push through in May. And so the day I dreaded came...

I had to make a quick decision. With hundreds of invites due and none of the papers are cut, production cannot move. Our clients are gonna kill me! :) So I called the sales agent and ordered my "baby".

I broke the bank for sure but its a HUGE relief for all of us because this baby really cuts through. Now, we don't have to worry about scheduling of cutting and I don't have to travel 30 minutes just to get to the cutter taking away 2.5 hrs at least of my time just watching and praying the cutter makes an accurate cut! We now have a faster production and turnaround time because this baby. She just sits here and ready anytime we need to make a clean cut!

For my other bebe, we've been eyeing this one since last year but we just couldn't afford it yet. I guess even in making real babies timing is just as important. Haha! And there you go! I am typing away this blog on my new bebe that I can bring along with me when I have meetings in Manila and still work on my vintage website@work in between. And hopefully, this bebe will be a big help on my work!

And so these are what I call my new babies! (minus the diapers, milk and poo!)

Airees
"Live life creatively."