Why I like scrapbooking

Many people don't get why some of us scrapbook. While there be many reasons why some fellow scrappers spend their time doing layouts and everything related, for me at the end there is just one reason: to express myself using the best way I can, and that is using paper and glue and everything in between. I am not good with words, as you may know by now, but paper is a medium that allows me to say things (dance too, but lasts only a few minutes). By doing a layout, selecting a picture, some coloured papers and a design I am expressing what I feel, who I love and what it matters.
And this layout is a proof of that, of how proud I am of Omar, my husband.

Mini Albums

This is one of my all time favorites magazine projects. It was for Quick and Crafty. I used SEI papers, love the retro colours and feel of them. Also they are doublesided and heavyweight (for being patterned paper), so it's perfect for a tag book.
I like to keep my mini scrapbooks in boxes so they are protected. I make them to measure using an M&F board so it matches perfectly with its contents.
I used a Zip'e Slim Tag die to cut lots of tags out of different patterned papers. I decided to print all my journalling on acetate and then cut it and stick down to the plain card. It worked!

The pages inside alternate between patterned tags, journaling ones and the photos (in this order). I finished them off with some ribbon, paper blossoms and stickers from SEI. 

A recent Picture

I realized just now that there isn't a photo of me in the blog. Not that I am too proud of my face or anything like that, it is just that I am a visual person, I like to see the faces of the people I am talking to or reading about. So here it goes.
(It was taken by my hubby in Prague in September.)

The photos

Here there are, as I said before, the photos of my Around the World album.
I bought the album in Papier+, a lovely shop in Paris.

On the front there is a rubon from 7Gypsies and a piece of plain Basic Grey. On the spine I stuck a woven label that reads Bon Vogaye which is made by Me and My Big Ideas.

On the inside is plain pages, no protectors, in a off white textured paper as a base.

I have to say that the great influence behind this album is Ali Edwards.
This two pages are from a weekend break in Lisbon last year. One of the easiest ways to scrap for me is using the colour blocking technique, which is provably in every page through out the album.
All the stamps are from Autumn Leaves, the new clear sets, both the journalling spots and the swirls.
The fisrt pages I made were the ones for Istanbul, which was the more recent trip (ironies of us scrappers). I wanted the feel of a journal so I printed some lines with the computer. Then I cut different plain Basic Grey papers to fit inside and attached them. Then, it's the tricky but fun part of embellishing and stamping. 

Some projects

There are some days that are very productive and some others that aren't. Well my life is filled with the latter ones. I try hard, although it may be not hard enough,
to be more industrious and I seem to fail daily. But, and this is a happy but, the recent days have been a good change. I have finish tidying my studio, which for those of you who haven't been in is tiny, and I feel great about it. I know where the stuff is, the non essential is hard to reach and the where-is-it and need-it-all-the-time stuff is easily reached.
Also, I have almost finished an small (not mini though) album in which i just put photos of our trips. You see, Omar and I travel quite a lot and because of that I end up with thousands of photos, most of which are quite nice. To scrap them all in albums would take me a lifetime, so I have opted for an easier way of displaying them. If I can I will post later on some of the photos of this project.
In other news, next weekend I am going to Spain for over a week. I am excited but also nervous all my family will be there and they are fantastic but intense!

Almost a month, yet again

I really want to write more. I have no excuse but work, us crafters are so busy before Christmas, I mean really all those cards and projects to make.
But I found this site and it is so cool, it needs to be check out. Specially the face recognition!

Busy yet calm

It is funny. I like to go for a few days to Mallorca, just enough to see my friends and family and eat and buy good food. But that's about it. Anything longer it's too much.
Life back in the UK is good, busy with work and with our little (or not so little) cat Wasabi. Right now I am preparing a dress for the Craft Show that is going to be on the NEC Hobbycrafts in November. I have loads of ideas, but they don't seem to work that well. fingers crossed.

About a month and some days later

The power of friendship is powerful, no doubt. It just lifts you up, and, altough it may not be the cure it's certanly a good medicine. My tiredness of crafting is almost totally gone. I am excited again about the creative process. Maybe the reason is because I spent a lovely evening with Saffa
or maybe it's because right now I am in Spain, mallorca, visiting my parents. Who knows?
Since the last post I have been in three different countries and one of them was a new one for me. Omar and I visit Prague and it is beautiful. Perfect size, small and pretty with loads to do. It's just a pity that there are so many tourist. Wait, I was a tourist there too.
The following week I joined Omar in Paris. I didn't do much, just my regular paper shopping trip to rue Louis-Philippe. But I did have one of the best spanish style hot chocolates at Ladoure (my spelling is bad) and at Angelina. Both of them great, although maybe the former was a tiny little bit better. Ah, and this time I check the ForumLes Halles shopping centre. Nothing new or really exciting, just the H&M and Mango's that you can find anywhere else.
And now I am in Mallorca. Really beautiful, a little bit too builded up.

Too much {uninspired-tiredness}

By chance I have read this blog. And, boy, todays entry it's just how I feel right now. But I don't think I will sell my stuff, it is still too precious for me and provably it will always be.
Most of these days I am tired of the crafting backtabbing. I don't know how, but I keep feeling that there is so much of it, and it's just not going away. Mostly I think it comes from the huge egos that few crafters seem to have, but also the envy on how they look at your success. And of course, all this affects my love and need for crafts. I don't enjoy as much as I used to seeting and creating new things, I need to make an effort to do this things. And because for me it's not a hobby but a job, I can't afford to be in this uninspired-tiredness situation.
But, who knows, maybe tomorrow I'll wake up in a crafty mood!

100 happy things

I recently read an article where Ali Edwards (scrapbook artist) had a layout which listed a 100 things that make her happy. I tried, my list still is open (40 things to go), but just making it it make me happy.