Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Metal Embossing, anyone?

I found this book at 40% off at the National Bookstore Sale in MegaMall last week. Since then, I've been obsessing on the art of metal embossing.

I haven't tried doing this yet, although I've dabbled in paper embossing. I was so intrigued by the idea of manipulating sheets of metal to decorate practically anything! I am so partial to silver and pewter in decor because I feel it lends to an atmosphere of vintage, elegant lifestyle. After going through the first few pages of the book, I said to myself, "I can do this!"

Yesterday, I was able to purchase beginning tools and materials on-line. I am one step closer to playing with this artform. I am so excited, my brain is working overtime in planning projects involving metal embossing!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Cloud's Silver Lining in Scor-It

If you're read my Scrappin' Moms Idol3 post, I said I was very disappointed with how I tackled the Idol Finals Challenge (scroll down for the reasons behind it). Still, I was happy with the LO I was able to make in that grueling 4 hours.

This same LO entitled "(If I Were a Boy) We Wouldn't Be 5 Girls" (a mouthful!) is going to be displayed in the Scor-It website and newsletter at http://www.scorit.com/ next week! Tim Hammonds loved the idea of using the Mini Scor-It board to scor horizontal and diagonal lines on both the cardstock and the main photo! In fact, he asked me to do a Project of the Month for December and I've accepted! WOW! WOW! WOW! Just shows, every cloud does have a silver lining!

I decided to get the Mini Scor-It because I wanted something that was small enough to bring around if I wanted to use it on crop-meets. Truth is, I wasn't disappointed at all! It was a no-brainer to use and it really looked very sturdy. I'm just beginning to realize the many possibilities this tool can actually do.

What are you waiting for, ladies? Get your own Scor-It now!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Artz de Scrap Altered Lantern




The latest challenge at Artz de Scrap is to alter a lantern. I bought this copper candle lantern a year ago and I thought that with a little alteration, it could be used to showcase photos of my son. I took off the colored glass from their arched panes from the inside and inserted the photos. I also used Perfect Pearls Aged Patina (blue) on the lantern to match the flowers and lace. This is a perfect way to reuse lanterns and make them part of the living room decor.

To see the other DT's lanterns, do visit the Artz de Scrap website here.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Scrappin' Moms Idol Finals LO


Here's my take on the Finals of the Scrappin' Moms Idol3 last Saturday, Aug.29. The challenge itself was quite difficult, with 5 required patterned papers, 2 required cloths, required pins, clear buttons and flowers. There were also several items included in the challenge packet like card stock, etc. The theme was based on a song by Beyonce called "If I Were a Boy."

I'm quite proud of what I was able to make for the challenge. We were given 4 hours to make the LO and by the 2nd hour, I was starting to hate my LO. It's because it turned out quite dull. I didn't think I could pull it off and make it presentable. I decided that instead of giving up, I'll see it through. Wonder of wonders, it came out pretty well, something very "me."

Unfortunately, I didn't make top 3. That honor goes to my dear friends Lee, Diane and last but not the least, Bjay, who won as the Scrappin' Moms Idol this year. I actually was 4th in the top 10. And as soon as I got eliminated in the top 3, I knew why--- I didn't follow the rules.

The rules were not really listed down. It was just mentioned to us a few minutes before we started. Since there were many rules and materials to take note of, I actually forgot that one of the rules is that a big percentage of the score is based on the amount of patterned papers used. That meant we had to use quite a lot of it on the LO. My mistake is that I used the accompanying grey cardstock in the kit, not required in the challenge, as my base and used the pps for matting the photos, instead of them being center stage. I completely forgot that patterned paper percentage rule.

The patterned papers themselves were really very difficult to use. There was a light yellow, a golden yellow, a black & white, a purple and a seagreen patterned paper. Together, they didn't really blend quite well. The LO became really a very big challenge when it was coupled with the black & white patterned cloth and the black gabardine cloth (Yup, the one used for men's tailored pants!). I think I pulled off the papers and cloth well in the LO. But since I used the grey card stock inside the kit, I basically sealed my doom.

I didn't know it at the time I was working on the LO. In fact, I was quite happy to have the new Mini-Scor It to play with. I scored my main photo, making it appear to have raised bumps and scratches all around, and I scored one side of the grey card stock with uneven parallel lines as well as diagonal lines. When I sprayed 2 colors of Glimmer Mist, then rubbed walnut ink all around the LO, and later added white crackle paint, the scoring on the card stock popped out. I was so proud of that! I really thought during the first 2 hours that I wouldn't be able to pull it off but with a little perseverance, it paid off!

Finishing in the top 5 however, was a big thing. Last year, I couldn't even finish the LO properly because I got cold feet in making the Christmas LO given patterned papers. I really don't know but I think I might be patterned paper-challenged. Namimili ako ng papel! I often would use card stock instead of patterned papers in most of my LOs. My thinking is that, I can do more with card stock than with patterned papers. And since the Finals was about the patterned papers, I just couldn't make myself use them well.

Still, after the Scrapfest ended, I couldn't help but kick myself mentally on the butt. I could have used the golden yellow paper as the basic paper instead of the card stock, just painted grey or white on the side I wanted to score and the LO just might have been good enough to reach top 3. I really could have. But when I look back, I actually said to myself, "But I'm not a yellow type of person!" Hence, it wasn't automatic for me to use the yellow patterned paper. In fact, in the few times I did use yellow, I would use a patterned paper that looked like an artist's canvas that had splotches of paint for texture, not patterns of flowers or scrolls even.

That's when I realized, maybe I really am not meant for the Idol thing. I'm picky with my papers. I pick my papers to suit my personality. Although I didn't win, in the end, I realized that the only person to whom I'm answerable to is myself. As an artist, I owe myself only that, never mind the world. I did this for myself. That's why I'm happy with the LO I made. It is worthy of going into my albums.

To the Finalists of Scrappin' Moms Idol3, congratulations! Making that LO was really extremely difficult to do and we all deserve a pat on the back for even completing it. To Diane and Lee, you proved your mettle in the challenge and I deeply feel you deserve the accolades. And to Idol Bjay, you have always been one of my idols and I'm really happy your immense talents are now recognized. I am truly honored to be a friend and a co-scrapper. Bow ako sa iyo, Idol Bjay!

Title: If I were a boy, we wouldn't be 5 Girls.

Photos show the latest photo of us 5 Bonoan Girls, plus individual photos.
Journal: As the eldest, had I been a boy, we wouldn't be 5 girls. In the end, my parents got their wish. We are all strong-willed and independent --- like boys. And, we can be just as dirty.

Techniques used: Using Mini-Scor It on the photo and on the left side of the card stock; using crackle paint for texture and to highlight the scored side; rubbing walnut ink on the sides of the LO; hand-tearing the sides of the LO and inserting the patterned cloth on some torn sides; stamping on the clear buttons; spraying Suede (brown) and Dew Drop (bluish silver) Glimmer Mist on the sides of the LO for highlights; masking lace using Deep Plum Glimmer Mist; distressing edges of the photo matting using a blade cutter.