Looking Forward

How's everybody doing? Ready for 2011? Can't believe a new decade is about to unfold. How exciting is that? Well, I am most definitely ready for all the things to come -- good & bad -- because I come equipped with my new Canon Selphy CP800. It's hubby's Christmas gift.


Isn't he something?! Well, even without the Selphy he is just amazing, I tell ya.

Now, along with my handy dandy and very user friendly Canon IXY Digital 820 IS, I will be able to document my 2011 more efficiently.

You see, ever since we entered the digital world I've developed this bad habit of taking lots (tons is more like it since I had to get an external memory to store them in) of pictures, uploading them in my laptop, maybe sharing some to family and friends via Facebook, but never have any of them printed. Of course I always mean to, but I suppose procastination in this matter is also another bad habit of mine...hahaha.

So, expect more scrapbooking shares from me this coming year which by the way is how I got into card making in the first place. I do hope I can inspire you to sort and organize your photos and chronicle your life's journey as well.

Happy New Year everyone! Be happy because life is good!!!

'Tis The Season

A very good morning to everyone! Woke up at 4 am today to attend the final Misa de Gallo in our village. Feels really good to have completed the 9 consecutive dawn masses, a Novena to Mama Mary, the mother of our Savior. Now, I am most definitely ready for Christmas.

So, before it gets crazy busy in our home I would like to wish all of you, my blog friends, a very Merry Christmas. Thank you also for your comments and suggestions. I enjoy reading them. Knowing that my creations are appreciated by many all over the world really makes me happy. You guys are just awesome!


Here's my last Christmas offering for the year 2010. I made them especially for my friends. I sprayed some shimmer mist in the cardstock to make them more elegant and Christmassy. Too bad the photo didn't capture their twinkle and glimmer. Sigh!


My inspiration for this piece was the gift I received from a friend. She gave me some moist and chewy Food for the Gods that were bundled up in red Japanese paper and gold mesh then tied up with raffia, paper & organza riboons. It was so pretty that I was tempted not to open it. Hahahaha!!!


Well, that's all for now. Enjoy your time with your families and friends. Life is good!

Merry Bundles

Hey blog peeps! A couple more sleeps and Christmas will be here. That means it's crunch time for all you folks who are not yet done with your Christmas shopping. And I say "Good luck!" because it's a jungle out there nowadays.

Yup! Yup! Traffic is at its worse. Finding good parking is a bummer. Check out counters are a constant neverending lines. Sorry for sounding like a sourpuss. Am just keeping it real.

My point is that in the midst of all this holiday madness try not to lose your cool. It's so easy to snap at the saleslady who is totally ignorant of the products she's selling or curse the hell out at the imbecile guy who took your parking space. I've done both and believe me it doesn't help and is soooo not worth it It'll just ruin your day. So, just take a deep breath, smile and walk away.

Now, here's something merry to smile about.


It's Dasher on centerstage.


I got the idea for this project from Melissa Phillips. Visit her blog and be inspired as well.


Look at all the pretty Christmas bundles I made. All the Christmas paper scraps from previous projects were put to good use. Gotta love that!

Neanderthal No More

Men are often depicted as untidy, unorganized and unappreciative of the finer things in life. However, many of you will agree with me that most of the male population nowadays do not subscribe to this kind of living any longer. On the contrary, they have become as vain as the women. Just look at all the ads on the telly on all sorts of skin and body products that are specifically designed for them. Mind boggling indeed!

I figured this change in their self image should transcend in their work life. Hence, I came up with a notepad with stripes and argyle design.


It is very useful and yet attractively masculine enough to be seen atop any man's desk.


A nice and practical gift for the men in your life for any occasion.

Not Necessarily

Red. Green. Gold.

These are the colors commonly associated with the Yuletide Season. But you know me; always wanting to be different. So, I thought to myself, "Why not pink?"

So, here's what a Pink Christmas looks like.


A glassine bag all dolled up with a tag, a ribbon and a glitterized mini wooden clothespin.


Luveeeet!!!

And if you feel the same please feel free to leave a comment. Your suggestions are most welcome as well.

Happy Monday!

Dasher

Today's share is a simple card with clean lines.


I love the simplicity of this stamp. I stamped the image on white background and used just enough red to get that Christmassy feeling. Then I added a couple of red crystals to highlight the fluidity and gracefulness of its antlers.

Well, that's it from me today. Thank you for dropping by.

Sparkles and Twinkles Holiday Kits

Hi crafting peeps! How's everybody? Well, I've been busy filling in the Christmas orders I've been getting and I have had no time to write in my blog. So sorry =( But please check out some of my for sale creations on Paperworks' Facebook page. Items are available in limited quantity so hurry up and place your orders.

My recent project are packaging kits that you can easily assemble and use for all your Christmas gift wrapping.


Each kit is filled with lots of sparkling goodies that you can put together or use separately. Here's a sample on how you can add a bit of twinkling personality to your gifts.


Store bought gifts are made more special because a little of your time and effort went into them and the recipient will surely take note of this.

Trivia

As the term implies, a birthday is the the day or anniversary of the particular day on which a person was born according to Wikipedia. So, that would make mine October 15.

Forty-two years ago I was born in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga. Since my birth coincided with the Feast day of St. Teresa of Avila (1515-82) my parents named me Theresa Janette as it was the customary practice of Roman Catholics at that time to name their children after saints.

Now, why Jaygirl? Hmmm....let's see.

My dad who longed for a boy for his firstborn nicknamed me TJ. However, my sister, born a year after me, had a difficult time pronouncing the T before the J and would instead call out "J! J!" to get my attention. Family members mimicked her. Therefore, the monicker stucked and evolved into 'Jay-Jay'.

Years after when I attended college in U.P. Manila I made friends with a group of people and one of them was named Jay, too. Everytime someone would call out "Jay" both of us would always look up simultaneously. Thus, to prevent further confusion, our friends started calling him 'Jayboy' and me 'Jaygirl'.

I hope you enjoyed that bit of trivia about me. Now here's another one. What is meant by the term Tiffany Blue? Well, it refers to the protected blue color trademark of the world reknowned New York City jewelry store Tiffany and Co. whoose products reek of pure elegance.


As a challenge I used the photo above as my inpiration to make my very own Tiffany favor boxes.


Simple. Clean. Elegant.

Fair Weather

Wow! Can you believe it? Mr. Sun is actually beaming down on us today. This is defintiely a welcome respite after a week long of gloomy skies, howling winds and torrential rains brought on by Super-typhoon Juan (international code name: Megi).

Many of our "kababayans" in Northern Luzon like Cagayan, Isabela and Baguio City were greatly affected. Many of their homes were submerged by the flood waters and their livelihood of rice and corn crops destroyed. Sadly, many even perished.

According to the weather forecasters, another typhoon, codenamed "Katring", may enter the Phillipine territory by this afternoon. So, before it arrives, here's a bright and cheerful card to help us enjoy this wonderful weather.


I just love the bright colors on this paper. They remind me of the tropical flavored Skittles which are my son's favorite. Immediately after I saw them I knew that a fun and quirky card is the only way to go.



Did I succeed?

My Rock

What do you do when you are upset or worried? Do you scream? Do you cry? Or do you just stay under the covers until everything gets better or goes away?

Yesterday when I received the sad news that a very dear friend of mine had a massive stroke and was in critical condition, I cried and cried. But soon after I prayed and prayed because prayers have always been my source of comfort whenever I am troubled. Talking to God and sharing with Him my worries and heartaches brings a kind of calmness in me that nothing else can.

When I woke up this morning my friend's condition still hasn't changed. Yet, I knew that all will be well in God's gracious time. So, instead of wallowing in my sorrow I busied myself.

And by the time I finished this personalized stationery set with its coordinating bag, I received great news that my dearest friend had awoken and now reacts with a shake or nod.


Answered prayers indeed!!!

Start of Something Big

October is almost over and so far I've only two posts for this month. It's not that I have nothing to share. On the contrary my head is filled with pages of stories to tell you, but I just haven't had time to compose my thoughts and type away. So, please bear with me if I ramble today.

I am proud to inform all of you that Paperworks was invited last September 29 to guest in ANC's Shop Talk, a show that features entrepreneurs. It was a very exciting and nerve racking experience to be interviewed on live tv. I posted some behind the scene photos in Paperworks' Facebook page so please check them out. I will also try to post the video once I figure out how.

With the help of my family & friends, blog and Facebook, I've received plenty of orders for my paper creations. Trying to complete the Christmas orders that I've gotten and at the same time stocking up on all sorts of card bundles are what's kept me quiet and busy.

Now, here's one of the things that's kept me pre-occupied, a pack of Christmas cards which I cased from Michelle Wooderson.



Like she said, it's a very easy peasy reliable layout.

Fun Work

Hey there! Yes, I am still here. I haven't gone off to the netherworld. I've just been pre-occuppied with a lot of things for the past days and also trying to recuperate from my weekend bazaar.

As I've mentioned in my last entry, Paperworks along with Jek, my cousin, teamed up with aklat eklat at Santa's Bewitched Christmas Bazaar spearheaded by Zonta Club of Muntinlupa at the Cuenca Covered Courts in Ayala, Alabang last October 2-3.

This was the very first bazaar Paperworks has joined. It sure was a great learning experience and a whole lot of fun albeit very tiring.

Day 1: Our booth was located inside

set-up


other for sale items

with friends who came to support us

Day 2: Our booth was transferred outside by the entrance

with my mom and friends

Jek doing her best to sell our goods to mom

handstamped monogram cards on the spot

Enzo busy with the clay art he bought

That's me showing my support to the booth next to us...lol!

Whew!

Good evening! Its's midnight and I just got home. It's been a very long day. I've been up since 4:30 am. I had to wake up early to get ready for my daughter's Confirmation because we had to be in school by 7 am. Soon right after I proceeded to the Santa's Bewitched Bazaar by Zonta in Ayala, Alabang. I stayed there until 7:30 pm and rushed to my niece's birthday dinner in the Commonwealth area. To all of you who are familiar with the places I mentioned, you know that all the travelling I did today was no joke.

I've a lot more stories to share with you, but I really need to get my zzzz's now. Tomorrow is another bazaar day. Wish me luck!

Spooky Nights

Happy Saturday friends! Oh how wonderful it is to sleep through the night with just the fresh cold breeze of Baguio to keep us cool and wake up to the sing-song chirping of the birds outside. These are just some of the simple luxuries a city girl like me wouldn't mind getting used to everyday.

For those of you who have not been to this side of the world, Baguio City is the summer capital of the Philippines. To our family, however, it is home away from home. Our house here is the one place where the whole clan can come together at one time to relax, unwind and just be happy.

Anyway, before I completely get lost in this enchanting place, I thought I'd share with you Mr. Bony Bones here dancing his way to some mayhem and mischief on Hallow's Eve.


He is the main character in these funky slider cards I concocted.


These black ravens and freaky tombstone keep him company inside.


Spooktacular!!!


Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Ghoulie-Goblin Tags

Five Little Pumpkins Sitting On A Gate
Anonymous

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate,
The first one said,
"Oh my, it's getting late."
The second one said,
"But we don't care."
The third one said,
"I see witches in the air."
The fourth one said,
"Let's run, and run, and run."
The fifth one said,
"Get ready for some fun."
Then whoosh went the wind,
and out went the lights,
And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight!

Hello friends! Can you tell that I'm really getting into the ghoulie-goblin spirit? That's why I couldn't resist sharing that darling of a poem and Mr. Pumpkin up there with you.

Now, let's get on with my second halloween offering! They are tags filled with spooky and yet funny halloween elements.


These tags are so versatile. They can turn plain glassine bags into these...


Inside each bag are two ordinary lollies, but with some orange curling ribbons and my ghoulie-goblin tags they become very extra special.


These packet of goodies will surely make anyone with a sweet tooth happy.

For questions or inquiries please email me at jtons1203@yahoo.com.

Trick or Treat

Happy Monday everybody! I am so excited to finally be able to share with you halloween projects I've been working on for the past week.

Here are 3" x 3" pumpkin orange treat bags that can cold a KitKat or two Hershey's nuggets. Aren't they adorable? Any child or grown-up will surely go batty after receiving one of these.


Check out the awesome stickers I embellished them with. Spoooooky cool, huh?!


That's all for today folks. Come back again tomorrow to see what else I have in store for you.

Just The Basics

"Life is hard enough without
having to carry excess baggage."
-J.P. Serrano

So, lighten your load.

Most often than not the simpler things are, the more fabulous they get.

A Fufulicious Affair

After months of planning and several visits to the center of the universe (wink! wink!), Andie's 1st birthday party finally arrived. The safari themed party was aptly held in Grilla last Sunday. There was an overflowing of food and BBZ.


Of course Paperworks was there to join in on the fun.


Here I am explaining to the kiddos how to design their scrapbook pages for Andie.


The embellishment buffet.


Artists hard at work.




The beginning of something...


WONDERFUL!