Christmas is here!

Finally! Our tree is out and decorated! Our first Christmas in the new house.

Our tree looked tiny ( the ceiling is much higher here compared to the old apartment) so it's now sitting on a low stool. Maybe we'll get a larger one next year...

It is almost mid-December and we are just getting into the spirit of Christmas! Things have just been crazy busy in this household, and we haven't had the time to think about Christmas until now. 

I am put to shame, especially by those friends who are making their December album ( you know who you are). I wouldn't know where to start! 

Let's see...we've had:

Sarah's swimming gala, 

Been to KL for Sarah's ISAKL swim meet, 

Had a farewell party for a friend who's headed back to Australia with her family, 

Sarah's school had a visit from Santa today...who arrived in style in a fire truck! Pressies for all, even Andrew!

Emily had a band concert last night where she made her debut performance on the trombone,

I've started on our summer holiday album ( 5 months late, but at least it's getting done)...and feeling a bit out of depth with it. What started out as a mini album is morphing and looks like it will become a book!

Andrew's presents are wrapped and under the tree already...

The girls will each write their wish list on a tag which we'll hang on the tree...a new tradition we started last year...

Maybe I'll make an album of 'The best of 2008'...I'll just have to go through the 1000+ photos we have taken this year and pick out the most memorable!

Book of Words

I used Sheila's idea from the Smidapaper site and made a minibook called 'Book of Words' for Emily. 

It's filled with words of encouragement, little snippets of advice, some photos, and is meant to be a guide of sorts, as she embarks on this awkward journey of becoming a teenager: finding herself, gaining the confidence to be the person she wants to be...all part of growing up!

I hope she will read it over and over again, whenever she hits hurdles, or just needs a little confidence boost, and that she will gain fresh insights into herself each time she does.

Lady of Leisure

I used to work 10 hour days, sometimes longer, with a couple of 24 hour shifts thrown in for good measure. 

I've since swapped that for 24 hour days, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. I wear many hats, running the gamut from chauffeur to cook to teacher to babysitter, all under the guise of 'Mum'.

So it's a source of great amusement when people assume that I'm a lady of leisure, now that I no longer have a 'proper' job. 

One of the things I ended up doing recently was help paint the backdrop for a concert

 at school. This was a photo a friend, and fellow 'lady of leisure', snapped one day :

So...proof at last that being a stay-at-home mum isn't all lunches and beauty salons...it's more doing whatever it takes for your kids, even if it means painting one handed and looking a total mess!

Who are your Friends?

I recently made a minibook dedicated to friends for a class at Smidapaper to be held in November.  

It is a tribute to some of my closest friends...the ones who accept me for who I am, the ones I can talk to about anything, the ones who I can truly be frank and open with. 

Some of them I've known just a short while, some practically forever! I am lucky to be able to call these wonderful people friends, and to show, in a small way, how much I value their friendship.

This is even more significant as my soon to be teenage daughter has been having a rocky time with some of her friends. A common enough problem amongst teenagers, I know, but to one whose loyalties are being tested, or is experiencing firsthand  how fickle some friendships can be...it can be a very painful time.

I hope I have been able to impress on her the importance of believing in herself, the importance of choosing her friends wisely... those who love her for who she is, not what she can do for them, who are a positive influence on her,  and whose friendship she will treasure, perhaps for a lifetime.

A Room With a View

Retreat - noun : a quiet or secluded place in which one can rest and relax

 This is my retreat - the room at the top floor of

 our new place, fitted out with floor-to-ceiling cupboards, all in white, accented with blue curtains for a splash of colour. There IS a view of the sea, but it is gradually getting obscured...pretty soon the view will be of a high rise...sigh.

 

This is where all my 'stuff' is. This is my office...scrapping room...art studio...library...even a place to nap ( I have put in a day bed which so far has seen occasional use by Andrew)

This is where I creep up to at night when the little one is asleep, the only time I get to scrap nowadays, it seems.

This is where Sarah and I hide out when she has a project that requires that special touch of extra creativity. Usually, this means raiding my scrapbooking or art supply stash ( a current favourite is glimmer mist).

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to spend quite as much time up here as I imagined...in a typical day, I don't often get to sit down for a cup of tea, let alone bring it up to the top floor...and I'm usually accompanied by at least one of the children drawing on the floor, or working at the desk. But that's the beauty of this room, we can all be up there, each doing our own thing,  and it still feels restful.

Those Shades

Looking through our holiday photos, trying to decide which ones to print, it struck me that our not so little girl is truly becoming a young lady. 

For a couple of years now, she's been shooting up, and is almost as tall as I am now, but up until this summer, she was still very much a kid. One that enjoyed going to theme parks, zoos, playgrounds, and was happiest lounging around in her oldest tee and comfy shorts. A kid that always used to run away from the camera cos she was too shy to have her photo taken!

This summer, Emily metamorphosed into a glamorous young lady, helped along in part, by a certain pair of shades that she found in a little store in Stratford-upon-Avon. She wouldn't be parted from them, wearing them in rain or shine; and was frequently caught posing for the camera!

Suddenly, it seemed, going to parks was just too uncool, preferring shopping as a pastime. 

Sigh...I guess this is just the start of things to come...I can see makeup and boyfriends looming in the not too distant future...

Old Friends

The last month has just flown by! Since our return from Manila we've had the usual busy run up to end of term for the kids, moved house ( took us 3 weeks to pack all our stuff...just how much junk can be accummulated in 4 years is unbelievable!), and taken a 2 week trip to England.

The pace has been hectic, so it was really nice to be able to take a break ( we left 3 days after moving in...piles of boxes still unpacked, faulty plumbing and all) and just enjoy having time to ourselves as a family.

The highlight of our trip was meeting up with old friends and just catching up ( with some sightseeing and shopping thrown in, of course). 

My roommate from boarding school had invited us to her wedding and it was fantastic to be able to catch with her, and our group of friends from 20 years ago! The girls were mortified when photos were passed around - th

ey couldn't believe how weird mum and her friends looked at 18 years old!

I also managed to catch up with a couple of my closest friends from University, so it was a trip full of reminiscing about old times, as well as catching up with all we have done. 

We have all moved on, to different parts of the world, added spouses and for some, children, and a few extra pounds...but just for a few hours, it felt like nothing had changed, and the 15 to 20 years since we last saw each other just melted away.

No doubt we will try to stay in touch, but sometimes life just gets in the way...we have our families, routines, jobs...everything that keeps us so busy. But that's ok, cos I know that these lovely people will always be friends of mine, and maybe we'll get to meet up again in the not too distant future.

So Proud

Well, we're back home after the most exciting 3 days of sports!

Our little girl did us proud...

We were a bit worried about her in the beginning...2 days before the team set off to Manila, she had been hit on the head with a T-Ball bat, and had needed stitches...she was bruised and her confidence a little shaken...

But when it came down to actually participating in the Games, she gave it all she got! She ran, jumped, batted, swam, kicked...and was rewarded with 1 silver medal and 4 bronze medals!

We cheered until we were hoarse, and took loads of photos and videos! Now comes the hard part...sifting through all the photos and putting them all in an album...I'm hoping it won't take me another year to get it all done this time.

FOBISSEA Games Again!

So here we are in Manila, eagerly awaiting the start of this year's Games...

Last year we were in Seoul, we took lots of pictures and they were sitting around...yet another project that never got started...until I realised a few

 weeks ago that it was now 1 year later, and we were about to set off on the next trip for the Games! That motivated me to get going on the FOBISSEA album, and I finally finished it a few days ago...just in time, cos I'm sure we'll be taking a whole bunch of photos this year too!

Back to my (art) Roots

Before I started scrapping, I was making cards...and before I started making cards, I was painting...not in a professional capacity, mind you, just something I have always loved, right from when I was a kid.
Sure, I've kept on painting even after Andrew was born ( though maybe not as often as I'd have liked), but the last few months I've really not picked up a brush at all ( except for a foam brush, for a scrapping project or two). Not because my passion for scrapping has replaced my love for painting...rather it has been a case of logistics.
I scrap and make cards in my office ( read bedroom) after the children go to bed, and I'm within easy reach whenever Andrew wakes for a feed. My art studio ( aka little corner, together with a few giant swim floats, a pushchair, and a stack of spare chairs) is downstairs, and just too crowded now ( when did all this stuff take over my art space, anyway???)
This month, I've been determined to make painting a priority again, and reclaimed my art space (well kind of...I banned the swim floats from my space and it's really made a difference!
I've started on not one, but two paintings! Ambitious? Well, I've never been known to do things by halves!

Scrapping Gal

Yesterday was an exciting day for scrappers at Smidapaper...we had a special guest teacher, Kah-mei Smith from Fontwerks, who taught 2 very inspiring and creative classes! The participants made 1 lovely minibook in each class, and there were a couple of hardy scrappers who attended both classes, so they were scrapping all day long!

I had signed Sarah up for the easier of the 2 classes as a birthday gift to her as she is such a keen scrapper, but I must say I had my doubts as to whether she would be able to cope in what was essentially an adult's scrapping class. I have attended such classes before, and I know the pace can be fast and furious...a challenge to even the most seasoned scrapper!

I must say I was very proud of Sarah ...
She had the photo list earlier in the week, picked out the photos she needed, made sure I got them printed in the correct sizes;
She went through the tool list as well, helping me pack all the tools she would need, and labelled them.

Yesterday morning she was up bright and early, raring to go!
At the class she set out all her tools neatly and waited patiently for class to start ( normally she's a little jumping bean in the mornings, but I think she was restraining herself).




Sarah coped really well...she kept up with the pace, did almost everything herself ( just needed a little help with the more difficult techniques) and ended up with a beautiful minibook dedicated to her little brother, Andrew ( 'the best and cutest little brother on the world').
I am proud of you Sarah, you are definitely a great scrapping gal!

In Control...sort of...

This has been a month of frantic creativity for me...layouts and projects for next month's classes, samples for the new store, finally completing my 'I Scrapbook because...' layout, even teaching a class this month ( not something I've had a chance to do much in the last few months once Andrew stopped wanting to sit quietly in his bouncer).
Amidst all this, I felt myself losing my grip...not literally, but with respect to the ideas swimming around in my head. I hated losing track of a thought for a project, or a great idea I had just 10 minutes ago...cos I was running around with the kids, doing the millions of things they HAD to do RIGHT NOW, MUM! I was starting to dream about layouts cos I was thinking about them just before I fell asleep!
I finally solved the problem ( I think), by keeping a notebook by my bedside which I then carried around with me. I've since gone through 3 already! Not fancy expensive notebooks, mind you, just old ones the kids had lying around unused ( I admit to even using a 'Strawberry Shortcake' notebook...I have no shame).
All I had to do when a great idea struck me was to whip out the book, and scribble the idea down. It could be a layout design sketch, journaling prompts, colour scheme, paper choices...anything really. When I found myself without a notebook once, I ended up typing it straight into my laptop ( which luckily, I happened to have on hand that day).
When I finally sat down to work on a project, I could then look through my notes and pick out ideas that I particularly liked, or try different designs out to see what worked.
So far this has helped keep my brain ( and my desk) relatively clutter free, and I'm better able to get started on creating, instead of wasting time shuffling papers and embellishments around. I also spend less time looking for tools as I can gather everything I think I'll need around me, before even starting.
Am I in control now? Mostly...though some days no amount of planning seems to help, whatsoever! On these days, I still just wing it.

Coffee Bean Anyone?

I am a self-confessed coffee addict. I'm not addicted to the caffeine, mind you ( most of the time I drink decaf since I'm still nursing), I just love the taste and aroma of coffee.

But I didn't realise quite how often I'm at Coffee Bean ( a stone's throw from where I live, which makes it impossible NOT to be a frequent customer) until I saw Andrew with his favourite treat from Coffee Bean - NO NOT coffee, of course - a Vanilla ice-blend! He absolutely loves it, and often will fight his sisters for a taste of theirs!

Definitely a photo worth scrapping...

I Love Scrapbooking Because...

I finally found some photos I liked for my 'reasons I love scrapbooking layout! I chose some pics of previous layouts, and one of pages in progress. 

It was hard to combine so many very different photos together, but after much deliberation, I decided to go for a black background, and the fun , funky colours of Ki's Pop Culture. Just LOVE the die cut paper!

Of course, once I put everything together, there was very little room left for journalling ( the most essential bit), so I layered it over my photos! 

Andrew's First Year - The Complete Story!

About 4 months ago, I embarked on a project...a mini album titled Andrew's First Year. 

As he was only 8 months old at the time, I had to pre-assemble the layouts for the remaining 4 months, so that I could just insert the photos at every month. 

It was the first time I had attempted a prospective project, 

so I didn't want to make it too complicated.

I used matching products for the entire album and a template for 

the pages, which meant that it was quick and extremely 'doable' to complete all 12 months worth of pages in a few hours.

Well...Andrew is now 1 year old, and I've put in the last photos!

I've also added quite a bit of journaling...not the usual milestones type of information...I figure I'll be putting that into my 12x12 album...but more anecdotal type of journaling. 

I really wanted this album to be a personal memoir of his relationship with his sisters, as well as the little quirks in his character and behaviour which make him the lovable, and much loved, little boy that he is.

Oh yes, he is starting to be less of a baby, and more of a little boy already...and a really cheeky, mischievous boy at that! 

5 Reasons to Love Scrapbooking

If you've been visiting the Smidapaper website, you'll know that we recently put out a 'Love x 5' layout challenge.

For those that haven't already seen it, I chose to make a page documenting the 5 types of Mac computers we love right now. Pretty geeky huh? It was different though, to make a page about things we like, rather than what we are like, but interesting too.

I initially wanted to make a layout about the '5 reasons I Love Scrapbooking', but couldn't find photos that I liked enough to use on the page. I'm going to have to put this page idea on hold until I find/take the photos I want. But in the meantime, here are my 5 reasons anyway:

1. I love that I'm giving my family a tangible piece of our lives, not just memories which might fade. 

2. I love that by putting heartfelt journaling on my pages, my family are able to share a part of me that may not otherwise be apparent.

3. I love that scrapbbooking gives me the freedom to explore my creativity...after all, there are no judges, and the toughest critic is myself. The family seem to love them all, even those that include what they feel are 'embarrassing photos of them!

4. I love that I can turn to scrapbooking as therapy in my crazy, hectic life...to ground me, and more often than not, help put things into perspective.

5. Last, but not least, I love the fact that my enthusiasm for scrapbooking has led to my meeting and becoming friends with a fantastic group of people ( you all know who you are)! 

 

 So even if you don't participate in our challenge, or even if you don't scrap, why not see if you can come up with 5 reasons why you love something/ someone, or 5 things that you love right now.

What? No Posts?

It's been a while since my last post and I know it sounds lame, but I just haven't felt that I've done anything momentous in this time. Not that nothing has been happening in our lives...on the contrary, it's been busier than ever at the Tan household.

We've had :

~ Trials for the school's sports teams- jubilation when one got selected, acceptance ( or was it feigned indifference) by the other  when she didn't

~ Trials for the school swim squad - tears when one didn't get selected, and matter of fact acceptance (again) by the other that did

~ Emily's school residential trip to Sabah

 

~ Chinese New Year came and went in a flurry of activity, mixed with a good dose of drama ( I've always maintained that there's nothing like a festive holiday like this to create stress and cause generally civilised people to become emotional wrecks!)

~ Andrew celebrated his first birthday just this week  ( no big 'do' like the girls wanted, just a casual, cosy family gathering)

~ We've travelled to KL 2 consecutive weekends to support Sarah in Athletics and Soccer 

etc etc

BUT

I've done precious little scrapping...which I feel kinda guilty about cos there's so much going on, but so little recording of it, partly because there's not been any photos of some of these events, (and too many to choose from at others!) and partly cos I just haven't been able to make the time to sit down and create.

 Somehow, blogging for me goes hand in hand with scrapping...what goes into my pages ends up on this blog, and vice versa...and since I've not been churning out the pages as quickly as events have been occurring, there's been a lull in the blogging!

I think I've got to get used to blogging as a separate entity, more like a diary?!

Christmas Pages

I've finally completed my Christmas pages! Even though I haven't used all the photos we took ( not by a looong shot), I've created pages about the festive season just past that I really want to treasure.
One of these is the number of 'firsts' that occurred the of Christmas 2007 - the first christmas in a new apartment, Andrew's first christmas, the first time for the girls to have wish lists... I felt these were all important thing to be documented, and important for us to be able to look back upon...

I wanted to include all 3 photos, which didn't leave much room for journaling (the essence of this page), so I created a little booklet and hid it behind one of the photos.

Another is a page which I've been meaning to create for a while now. It documents the way my family traditionally celebrate Christmas, and how these traditions have changed over the years.

I started off intending to make a mini book for my journaling and photos, but it evolved and became almost an album in it's own right! I can only just fit the page into my album!

I feel Iike I've really achieved something with these pages...being able to pass on a small part of our history on to the children. Hopefully they'll read the journaling and be able to remember Christmas as it was spent in 2007.

Pictureless Scrapbooking?

I have no photos!
Well that's not entirely true. I have tons of photos. But recently, they're all of Andrew. He must be the most photographed baby in town.
Admittedly he is way cuter than the rest of us, and he actually likes posing for the camera! The girls run away as soon as I whip out my camera, and can't be persuaded to be photographed in spite of my threats that there will be no pages of them if there are no nice photos.
The only photos I have of them are of the back of their heads, or a blurry profile as they are turning away.
I may have to resort to documenting this time of their lives without photos, or at least without photos of them, just the things that are important to them at this age.
Getting a photo of Jon is no less difficult. He hates having his photo taken, and much prefers to be behind the camera. Me? Let's just say I can count the nice photos of myself on one hand...With Valentine's Day looming on the horizon, I've been looking through my store of photos on the computer for some nice pics of the two of us to put into a mini-book/album. It came as no surprise to find that I could count the number of photos of just the two of us taken in the last 3 years on the fingers of 1 hand!
Sigh... scrapbooking this family is definitely way more difficult than most, and is certainly putting my journaling skills to the test!

Things To Do

These are the piles of photos I have been meaning to scrap. There are more in my photo library I haven't even gotten round to printing.
These are the books and magazines I have been meaning to read.
My desk is a mess of papers, adhesives, the beginnings of projects ( no pic...too embarrassing...looks like a hurricane hit my desk...you get the idea).
It used to be that I was the super organised one. My to-do list usually never had items pending for more than a couple of days...I used to devour books and magazines as quickly as I bought them...my desk was cleared as soon a project was completed. And I did complete projects. Methodically, systematically, one at a time.
Now it seems I never have enough time in the day (or night) for all these things that I want to do.

I am learning some strategies for maximising my scrapbooking time:
1. Scraplifting - let someone else do the work of coming up with a layout design, and make it my own by tweaking the design a little, using different papers and embellishments;
2. Making double-page layouts - I can get more photos on 2 pages;
3. Using coordinating papers and embellishments/kits - takes all the guesswork out of putting together a page!

But making a dent in my stack of reading material? Cleaning my desk? That's another story (or 2) altogether...

Take Time To Journal

" Without pictures, our words will still be valued by our descendants a hundred years from now, but without words, the pictures will be meaningless."

This is a quote from a magazine that caught my eye immediately! It's so true...without journaling, a scrapbook is just a photo album. Without heartfelt journaling, our pictures may not mean very much.

All too often, it's just easier to evade the task of journaling and make do with a catchy title and a few scribbled lines. Sure, it can make the story behind the pictures clearer, but it doesn't reveal what's truly important...what made us take that picture in the first place?,,,why was it important enough to scrap?...all the little things about that particular time or place, no matter how trivial it may seem now, that will be treasured by our descendants, because it will give them insight as to who we are, what is dear to our hearts...and for the subjects of our pages, it will be THEIR story...a token of our love for them...an invaluable source of knowledge about their lives.

Most people hesitate to journal because they don't like their handwriting. I haven't got the best handwriting in the world either, but it's mine, and it's unique!

I urge you all to take the time to journal...on your scrapbook pages, in a diary, whatever works for you. For those of you who truly hate your writing...there's always the computer!

So here's my new year's resolution - to journal more...to journal meaningfully, fearlessly, from the heart.