Dotty about Dots

I realise I have a thing for dots (see recent and previous birthday cards creations) - polka dots of various shades and hues ...

I don't suppose that has got to do with the fact that the scrapbook book of papers that I got a few months ago came with a few lovely pieces that's surreptitiously lead to my current dotty fancies ...(?)

Apple green - one of my favourite colours ....

Inside of card

Made couple more birthday cards today. Its another one of what I would term as 'mixed media' cards , with floral laces, buttons, ribbons and sheer frills added to embellish the card. Stuff I found from browsing through the local mom and pop sewing-ribbons-buttons wholesaler that I occassional pop into to stock up on nifty looking bits to add to my paper creations.

The latest nifty bits that I found are those sheer like frills they use to show at the end of sleeves or neck-line. Its a kind of ' frilly mini skirting' - (admittedly am not too familiar with sewing terminology nor sewing ...:P) used to soften the edges of the card (as seen in photos). I thought initially that the only way to adhere fabric bits to card was by sewing (blanched at how much I had to sew ... not forgetting how bad I am at that!) But like all creations, there is always an 'alternative method'!

All fabric bits were adhered to paper with SUPER glue!

Was careful not to glue fingers together ... ;)

These cards have a long postal journey to make - once their envelope is finished ... hopefully them floral/button/filly bits glued survive the tough journey.

Transforming 'croc box'

Inspired by Snazzy Jazzy's boxes transformations - I thought i could do the same for this particular shoe box that I've not had the heart to throw away. Its an 'ugly but beautifully recycled box' (as written on the back). I've been using box to store my ribbons that never seem to stay neat for long ... :P (you can actually see bits sticking out from box in the picture)

I didn't have a clue as to transformative design. The only idea I had in mind was the colour scheme. The girl-ish pastels of pinks and greens, a personal favourite - mainly because I've not had much chance in indulging in. (Presently with all nephews and godsons in my life - been working alot with baby blue). Began the project yesterday night by digging out whatever bits of paper that were of that colour scheme - including small scrapbits that i don't have the heart to throw away ... From that glorious mess you see (doesn't that remind one of hamster's nest?!?) I came up with this ....

Wasn't fussy. It was after all a creative experiment. So not having things matched our cut out to size wasn't much of an issue. Paper were off different textures and thickness - from flimsy wrapping paper to cardstock like. Also, I finally found some use for those some of the many fancy paper punchers that was acquired last year to make simple paper accents to embellish box. This is how croc box looks like now ...
You could say its a girly over-kill. But am quite please ... having enjoyed the rigours of experimentations and using up my scrap paper bits. :)

More August Projects : - Recycling bits ...

Been slowly (but surely!) working on compiling a 8' x 8 ' D-I-Y photo album of one of my vacation trips. The photos are of the album covers - made out of recycled cardboard boxes. This is how it all looked like before work is done ...

Cardboard taken from some packed item (if not mistaken it was from bedsheet packaging)

The front cover of mini-album presently looks like this ...Perhaps more embellishments and accents will be added later when inspiration strikes.

Front cover

Back cover

August creations

Some of the creative bits that were completed in August - just not been able to blog about them.

Yummy looking Birthday and Thank you cards

Grandma, the receipient of yummy looking birthday card

Leftover of birthday cake(s) - baked by yours truly ...

Finally ....!!!

My computer - on its last legs - coughed and grasped its final breath last month. They weren't joking when they allude that blue screen to one of 'death' ...

Hence the silence.

I thought i could resuscitate the laptop -more out of sentimental reasons (the machine's been with me through thick and thin for at least four years!) than anything else.... That's how much of files (and junk) that's been stored in its hard drive. And finally, when the tech guy could finally slot in the time to deal with yours truly's broken down pathetic machine (he probably thought it was more worth its while to to bin the machine), for hours he tried every trick up his sleeve, but alas to no avail.

The machine was truly dead.

Kaput.

That's when i finally realised that holding out hope for a revived laptop was one in vain and spent the weekend browsing through the computer shops and studying laptop brochures. Trying to figure out what the specifications that suits my needs and my budget. It was all quite fun - these days, one can get a whole lot more for much less! For a bargain hunter, that's really encouraging!

So here it is. My spankingly new HP laptop. I've got one with a dedicated graphics card - so can work better and faster with graphics - rather than push integrated graphic cards to the limit only having computer to frustratingly stall on me.

That's all in theory though. This new machine has yet to prove itself. Until the laptop proves how much it can do with this NVIDIA graphics card, I'll get down to writing reviews. ;)

Missed opportunity ...

Was in KL this week. The plan was when all more important priorites was settled and completed, I'd make a date with SnazzyJazzy (SJ - who got me scrapping in the first place) and we'd go scrapbooking shopping. With all careful planning set in place - where to meet, the time, the logistics ... I had to regretfully cancel.

Alas!! If not for this confounded cold that reduces one to snivelling putty - along with that horrid feelings of feeling ghastly, I would have been spending my Friday evening marvelling over the latest florishes, embellishments and papers in those lovely scrapbooking stores with SJ. Dinner was also part of the plans - but i reckon we'd probably spending less time savouring paper delicacies than the nourishing edible kind! I'd also be a heck lot poorer but alot happier ...

That was all part of my GRAND plan ... *heaves great sigh*

Instead, I had to get concierge get me a bottle of Actifed to stop running nose and Oral B to sooth out sore throat - while I spent my Friday evening in a sort of stoned out stupor, drifting in and out of sleep (thanks to Actifed that stops the nose running but knocks one out!).

Flight was early the following morning so there was no chance of rescheduling scrapbook shopping. Talk about a missed opportunity! Though have not exactly recovered ... (that sore throat has since blossomed into a hacking dry cough and nose is still blocked - gratefully no more uncomfortable sneezing)

I guess the alternative now is to get stuff from the local online scrapbook stores. I was so looking forward to be able to touch, feel and hold florishes, embellishments and papers in hands before deciding to buy 'em ... *SIGH*

Oh well, there's always next time ...

Non descript ramblings ...

I've been busy ... compiling a mini scrap album of trip to KK hence the lack of entry. So far my 8x8 inches album totals 23 page and there are still a few more photos to scrap. Once am down I'd take photos of all the mini pages i've done and the album i've put together (No fancy concertina stuff ... since there are LOTS of pages to compile!)

Apart from putting together album have been taking loads of pictures of nephew's and aodrably little puppies antics. Him and his mom have visited Kuching. As for puppies - its amazing how much they grow in mere weeks! (That should be a potential scrap project in the pipeline)

Which leaves me to my biggest lament - so much ambition, so little time!!

I suppose if I pushed myself to work faster to complete projects I could complete alot more with my given free time. But on the flipside, what use is there to stress oneself out over a pet hobby project? Hobbies are suppose to be fun. Scrapbooking absorbingly therapeutic to say the least. To churn out completed projects under a certain deadline would make scrapbooking more like work and less of an enjoyable hobby.

I really ought not to be complaining. Laying off actual scrapbooking for abit leaves me with opportunities to scan my environment for inspiration. Letting those ideas - stew and swirl for a bit before getting back to that present project of mine of putting together a mini album of trip to Sabah. The idea of album is to tell a tale from a 2.5 year old toddler ... :)

It's kind of like writing a non-ficitional story book ...