My Little Piece of Heaven

**** Please go HERE for my Craft Room ReDo Blog Candy. ****





After 10+ years of crafting outta those big tupperware storage boxes, I have my very own craft room!!!!

Granted, one corner will be my hubby's office and we're also trying to fit in a mini-home gym in there, but isn't she a beaut???



It's near the front of the house, so I wanted more of a clean look and not so much a scrapbooking room. Of course, I don't think the paper rack is helping much, haha! So that's why I got those white boxes to make them look more uniform.



The big shelf/ table combo is from Ikea. I like how during the daytime, I could put a chair and face out the window and then be able to switch it to the other side at night (maybe put a TV in there somewhere?).



My favorite parts are the two rolling cabinets in the corner. They fit a lot of paper. Most of my design paper are 12 x 12, and they're perfect for them! I sometimes put together a card or lay-out without actually adhering the elements down. I like how I could just open up one of the cabinets and slide them in to finish later on. In those cabinets, I sort my DP either by brand (Basic Grey, Hambly) or by theme (nature, baby/kids).



The supplies I have the most of are papers and embellishments. I'll get back to the embellies later. Here are the other storage places -- the rolling rack of folders and the paper rack (mostly cardstock). And you see the rectangular light green boxes with the oval windows? Those are where my Studio Calico kits or Taylored Expressions kits go. I don't think I'll be disassembling them anytime soon.



The white bins are labeled but things are just kind of thrown in there. I do like the look of apothecary so if I find nice clear bottles/ vases, I may throw in some of my ribbons or buttons in there.

Here's an example of what it looks like inside... these are my tins full of brads/ eyelets. I also have beads and paperclips.



Not quite done. I'd love to buy another cabinet or shelf for the middle part where the green seats are. In the above pic with Mattie, there's a kiddie table made out of cardboard that I'd love to incorporate so my sons can craft with me. :)

I still need to put up a bulletin board and my inspirational pics too. Maybe a rug and some curtains. And if you noticed the little white shelves hold no Copics.



That's because I put them in these little portable containers and lug them whichever room I'm in (usually the family room or kitchen). I ended up buying the new portable bag at the Copics website, and am very excited to get it!

So there it is... it took my so long to clean and sort stuff out. I'd love to see your craft room too!!!

Tata!!!

Innocence of Childhood

*sings (again) It's just another Manic Monday, oh-wo-oh. I wish it was Sunday. Cuz that's my fun day!****

Any of you watch The Sing-Off? I've been on an 80's kick ever since they did the guilty pleasures episodes last week. I've been seeing "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" and that Flashdance song all weekend! My sons and hubby are sick of 'em, he he!

Well, am sad to say that I didn't get any crafting done this weekend (boo). It's such a therapeutic thing for me to do. I really enjoy my ME time, like most of you could relate. It's my escape from the daily grind of life. I really needed it this weekend because there were lots of drama (uggh). But I won't get into that here...no need for extra negativity.

I did, however, get lots of cleaning and purging done in my craft room. For those of you who didn't know, we moved into this house over a year ago but I'm only getting to my craft room this month. I'm actually very excited because we got new furniture for it. I've been scrapping/ crafting for over a decade and it's my first time having a room dedicated to my hobby. I've always managed to just live out of those giant tupperware bins & craft wherever it's convenient, be it our coffee table or the couch.

Anyway, I found lots of stuff to throw away, get excited about, and donate. I'll be donating a lot to the play room at work -- I work at a hospital and there's a room specifically for kids to play and make art projects in. I also put aside a lot of stuff for a future blog candy -- things I never used, got duplicates of, or "vintage" goodies (a.k.a. "older" stuff)that are just delicately used. Stay tuned!

I also got to take pics of lay-outs for my Sunday FlashBack projects. I'm cheating here and posting about one now even though it's Monday. I just love these pages and couldn't wait to share them again.



The little girl is one of my dearest friend M's daughter. I've watched her grow up, and she is such a darling little girl, beautiful on the inside as well as the outside. So talented and smart and funny like her mama. We had taken a trip to Lake Tahoe and got to stay at our friend's cabin.

What I love about this lay-out is how simple it is (compared to my usual style). I made use of negative space. I adore the pic of I's playing in the sand and water, such a tender moment of innocence and fun. I took these pics with a film camera (gasp! it had been four years ago!) and ordered the sepia tone for both a dramatic and subdued effect, does that make sense? LOL.



I got the supplies from a kit, although I don't remember which one. The papers are from Sassafras and I just really liked how I included a puka-shell necklace. The sequined border is awesome and the title was inspired from the movie that came out that year.



Here's another l.o. of I, this time very different although the papers are from the same line and brand. The touches of red in the B & W pics were cool, I thought. I really do miss taking pictures with film. Alice's blog really inspires me to do it again.

This page is a bit busier but still has the same effect, I thought. I am sure rocking that white pen, haha!

This post has gotten longer than I intended. Thanks for reading this far. One more thing I wanted to add... I have posted about these lay-outs before, but just didn't get to highlight them. They were shown with multiple cards and other pages -- thought I'd share again with a bit of explanation :).

If you are curious, here are the old posts (click for the first one and the second one).

See you back here tonight for this week's Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps Challenge.

Cheerio,

Currents at our Home

Hi all!

TGIF! We've been busy this past week, and unfortunately, I don't think I would be able to have a post/ card/ creation everyday. So today, I thought I'd show you recent happenings with my fam.

First, I'm so excited to say that my craft room is underway (finally!). Here's a before picture.






Hopefully, in about a month, I'll be showing you an after picture (that is my goal length of time).

Also, somebody started pre-school. Here's MK showing his new doggie bag from Cate & Levi. I got it on sale from Gilt.com, and I must say that I love how the backpack is from natural and reclaimed materials. And that it is handmade. And for my Canadian friends, how lovely that this company is from your side!



Here are a few more pics of Mattie during the actual day.

Mattie, you were so excited at the mention of playing with other kids. On the first day, you cried most of the day and wouldn't let go of your jacket because it was your safety item. And mama's heart was broken when I heard this. But during the subsequent day, you cried for only ten minutes and joined in on the sing and dance circle. And I was elated. I tear up at the thought of how fast you are growing up. If it were only up to me, I would keep you here at home for one more year because I know once you start school, you'll be away for half the day. But I know that this is the right thing for you right now. I see how happy you are playing with other kids. The slide is your favorite in the playground. You are more verbal than ever and have new words. I know you'll be making lots of friends and learning so much! And I am glad it's only part-time so I could still enjoy you and not feel that you are already starting school at such a young age.

I better get cracking on ordering some pics...looks like I've got some scrapping to do! :)

Thanks for visiting, everybody!!

Art Inspiration & a Survey

*** If you're looking for Jo's Birthday Blog Hop and/ or to win MULTIPLE blog candies, please go HERE! ***




Good Tuesday morning, everybody!

It may mean going back to work after the long Labor Day weekend holiday for some of you. For me, it marks the midway point of my maternity leave... BOO!

Sure I miss my job, my co-workers, and my patients. But it also means less craft time, and I'm sure you'll agree that that kinda blows!

Anyway, no card today but I've got some inspiration and some random ramblings for y'all!

Some of you know that we had moved into a new home. It's been a year since then, and I'm sad to say that my craft room hasn't really changed much from this. Except the bins and boxes got moved alongside the walls :).

I told myself I'd get it organized during my leave (or as my friends who do not have kids call it, "vacation"), but that's not realistic really in our household of a toddler and a new baby. And procrastination, lack of funds, and lots of excuses, LOL.

What I am looking forward to going back to my job would be the full paycheck though. That means I'll be closer to affording my dream craft room :). Heck, I'm just grateful to have my own space after so long!

In my future craft haven, I already know that I'll be putting up frames (or at least a bulletin board) of some art inspiration. Shown above are pics that I bought from my favorite artists in the craft world:

1. Elsie Larson (formerly known as Elsie Flannigan), from Red Velvet/ Love, Elsie line from KI Memories.

2. My good bloggy friend, Amy Young from A Thousand Sheets of Paper & Sweet November stamps.

3. Kristy Dalman of Some Odd Girl.

Aren't their art prints and homemade cards just phenomenal?!! They all provide art inspiration for me and that works a lot for my craft mojo! How about you, who or what do you find most inspiring? I'd love to hear!

And totally unrelated, but I came upon this fun A-Z survey from Kristy's blog. I LURRRVVVE filling these out so I hope you get to play along. Make sure you post a self-portrait too and tell me that you've done it so I can come check it out.


(technically taken last month but you don't want to see me now at 3 am)

A - Z Survey.

A. age: Let's just say I'm in my early 30's :P

B. bed size: King. Love how it's so big and comfy!

C. chore you hate: Washing the dishes and cleaning the toilet. I'm so lucky that my hubby loves to clean! :)

D. dogs: I prefer them over cats except for Hello Kitty, haha! My sibs all have doggies so I get my pet fix that way.

E. essential start to your day: Breakfast! Without it, I get so cranky!

F. favourite colour: It changes every season, but my favorite color combo is green, orange, and pink.

G. gold or silver: Silver.

H. height: Short, a l'il over five feet! (shut up, Jo!)

I. instruments you play: I had piano lessons since school age but haven't kept up with it unfortunately.

J. job title: Registered nurse, mommy, wifey...

K. kids: 2, and my dream would be a third one that's a girl!

L. live: Bay Area, California.

M. maiden name: Reyes. I miss that name.

N. nicknames: Dooks, Corn chips, Crunchee, Yen, LadyGirl...

O. overnight hospital stays: 3. Two when I was preggers/ in labor and one as a child.

Q. quote: Love Life and Life Will Love You Back - by Arthur Rubenstein. I also love anything by Kahlil Gibran.

R. righty or lefty: Righty.

S. siblings: 2 sis, 1 bro.

T. time you wake up: With a new baby, I am up every 3-4 hours. *yawn*

U. university attended: college in California. I have a bachelor's degree and dream to have my master's someday.

V. vegetables you dislike: That bitter lettuce, I always forget the name. Brussel sprouts, yuck. You know I won't be making my kids eat those LOL!

W. what makes you run late: Getting the kids ready/ packing the diaper bag. Facebook (buwhahahaha!) and the internet.

X. x-rays: Multiple. From my teeth to my arm.

Y. yummy food: Right now, I'm craving some breakfast (a Filipino dish called Tocilog) but I probably won't eat till 8 or 9 or so, phoooey.

Z. zoo animal favourite: I always love watching the little critters -- frogs, butterflies, lizards.

Toot-a-loo!

My Own Space (to be!)

Taken from my handy iPhone.

The computer is finally working and hooked up. Thought I'd show you the 'before' pic of my craft-room-to-be.

Please excuse the mess. But I'm super excited about this room as I've never posted about my work space before. That's because I never had one! See the bins?? I always worked out of them.

And the small clear ones with purple tops? They currently hold my stamps.

Am thrilled to finally have a scrapbooking room. Today, I googled 'scrapbooking room furniture' on my phone. Good Lawddddd!!! :)

Anybody out there have better tips?

To tell you the truth, I'd like a room that is inspiring but doesn't quite look like a scrapbooking room.

I love April's studio here: (these are her pics and are from her blog)

And Lizzy's (this pic is hers and from her blog)

I love where her ribbons are kept and those cabinets!

I need to call back my painters and re-paint my room those colors -- robin's egg???

I would feel so inspired and relaxed with that color! Problem is, my room would be right next to the living room. There is no door, just a doorway and so, the color wouldn't match the living room decor.

Ok, I'll shut up now. I know there are worse dilemma in the world right now. Am just grateful for our new house!

Maybe I could paint one wall ????? :)

Speaking of supplies and inspiration, did you know about the 1000 sheets of paper blog candy from Amy?



Click on her name for more info!!!

XOXO,