stuck in a bilingual dilemma ..

I'm working on a scrapbook album right now that is bilingual (English and Mandarin).

Many people I know scrapbook in two languages, and most of them switch from one language to the other - one page in English, for example, the other in French or German or Spanish. But I'm hoping to make this entire album, every single page, bilingual so that both families can read and enjoy each page.

Including bilingual journaling on each layout isn't a problem. I've been asking Xinxin to translate the journaling and she writes it out in Mandarin for me. What I've been struggling with are the page titles. The English title looks professional and trendy, spelled out with fancy letter stickers, but the Mandarin title is always handwritten or printed off onto cardstock because I haven't been able to find ANY Mandarin character stickers. I've searched high and low .. at Michaels, online, at my local scrapbook store, on Etsy ... and I'm still empty-handed. There are lots of stamps, but no stickers. So discouraging!

Do any of you scrapbook in more than one language? If so, what do you do when one language seems to dominate over the other? And pleeeeaaaassseeee if anybody has any creative ideas on how I can spruce up my Mandarin titles, let me know!

xo

Christmas Sneak Peeks

Let me just begin by saying that it is cold here in Vancouver. Very cold. Bleeping cold. Cold like I'm sitting here in my office wearing mitts and a scarf kind of cold. Yo, Mother Nature - did you miss the fact that we've got palm trees everywhere?! Take your freezing temperatures and your frost and your ridiculous wind chill elsewhere please. Brrrrrrrr!

Now that I've got that off my chest, I'd like to warm things up by sharing a few sneak peeks of my Christmas in the City tree. Obviously the tree isn't up yet but I have pulled out my box of ornaments in preparation. Here are some of my favorites:

New York City taxi cab, loaded up with presents. Love it.

(purchased at Pier 1 Imports)

Zebra print bulb because y'all know I love zebra print.

(Purchased at Pier 1 Imports)

And, I'm not gonna lie, this last one is my favorite ....

City skyline ornament, made by yours truly!

Last Friday night was girls' night and we decided to branch out from our usual routine of board games and chick flicks and make some Christmas crafts instead. I, being the self-proclaimed "Martha Stewart wannabe" of the group, was in charge of coming up with the craft idea. Turns out, making your own Christmas bulbs is easy peasy.

I bought some clear glass ornaments at Michaels and busted out my glitter, Sharpie pens, acrylic paint and self-adhesive rhinestones and bling. We all had a blast getting creative and everyone came up with really unique, clever designs.

That's it for now. I'm off to grab a coffee from Starbucks.

-xoxo-

Morning Routine #2

Here is the layout I made with the journaling I wrote for prompt #3 ... I'm sorry the quality of this photo is so crappy, but my camera's broken (boo!) so I had to use my cell phone camera. I think you can still get the general gist of the layout, though -

I wish I had a better photo to share, but oh well. That will have to do for now. Maybe at the end of the class, I'll dedicate one blog post all of the layouts I've managed to do. Fingers crossed I'm able to have my camera fixed by then!

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. It was a beautiful fall weekend here in Vancouver, which was *such* an unexpected blessing since it rained all day, everyday, all week long.

xoxo

Kioshi ♥

OK, so I have a little confession. Since moving to Vancouver, I haven't really felt creative much. Oh sure, I checked out the local scrapbook stores and bought a few items but I've only scrapped two layouts since moving here. I know - the shame! But yesterday I was browsing around on the Scrapbook Star site and saw that the new Basic Grey collection had arrived ... and it was love at first sight! Purple and gray is my FAVORITE color combination, so it's no wonder I'm head over heels for this collection. I decided to splurge and bought the paper collection pack:

The flower blooms ...

... and the matching buttons!!

These lovely spring goodies are scheduled to arrive at my apartment on April 1st, just in time for Easter! So excited to get back into the scrapbook groove.

xox

Scrapbook Road Trip

Yesterday afternoon, I got a sudden urge to be adventurous and decided to find the closest scrapbook store to my apartment. Turns out, that store is Scrapbook Warehouse on Oak Street. After a few phone calls and a look at the BC Transit website, I was on a bus headed down Granville Street toward the store. It took about 35 minutes to get there and luckily I didn't get lost! The store was small, especially for a "warehouse", but the staff was friendly and I did manage to walk away with some goodies:

xox

My Beautiful Family ...

I am blessed to come from the most beautiful family on the face of the planet! Last night, we had a pre-Christmas dinner and mini goodbye party for me, and they gave me the most BEAUTIFUL scrapbook ever! Every member of my family made a page wishing me good luck, documenting their favorite memories with me so far, etc. It was so precious and it really meant the world to me. Here are some of the layouts ....

My talented momma made that one.

My 89 year-old Nana made the one on the left, my daddy made the one on the right.

My aunt and my uncles made these two layouts.

My two best friends Catherine & Jessica made me these layouts.

MY FAMILY ROCKS !!!!! I am going to miss everyone soooooo much.

xox

A Shabby Chic Christmas

I was very inspired by this card that I found over on Colleen's blog. I had some of that pretty My Mind's Eye paper with the Christmas trees left over from last year, and her card inspired me to pull it out of my scrap box and put it to good use.

Paper - Basic Grey (background) and My Mind's Eye (trees)
"Rock Candy" stickles
Merry Christmas Stamp - Hero Arts
Ink - Staz On
Circle Journaling Dot - Making Memories

I hope all of your holiday preparations are going well!
Just 5 days left !!!! WOOT.

Christmas Bags

Good morning everyone!

Just thought I'd share some holiday projects I've been working on. I'm on a tight budget this year and cute gift bags can cost anywhere from $2-$6 ... so I've been making my own gift bags using supplies from Wal Mart and the office supply store:


First, I purchased a pack of 10 brown paper bags at Wal Mart for $3. Then, I simply decorated them! I found some "Hello, My Name Is..." stickers at the office supply store and I had some "Naughty or Nice" stickers left over from last year. Throw in some tissue paper and add a little ribbon, and these bags are good to go!

I have to get back to writing essays now! urgh.
Have a wonderful Friday!
xox

Sparkle & Flock

If you've already written your letter to Santa, you might want to edit it a little because I recently discovered two items that every scrapbooker *must* put on their holiday wish list this year!!

First up ... Martha Stewart Flocking Powder. I was at Michaels a few weeks ago and the flocking powder was on sale so I bought a few bottles. Oh. My. Goodness - it's so much to fun to play with! Just cover a chipboard piece with some clear liquid glue, sprinkle some of the powder on top and gently shake off the excess. It gives your chipboard a soft, fuzzy texture.

Next .... Doodlebug Design Sugar Coating Glitter. I had been coveting this amazing glitter for months but couldn't bring myself to splurge on glitter that retails for $9.00 a pop. When they went on sale, I finally caved and got myself two bottles. *Be still my heart* I am a lover of all things sparkly, and I swear ... this is the best glitter I've ever used! Definitely worth every penny.


Here is a quick card I made using both the flocking powder and the glitter:

Trust me, the butterfly is *way* more sparkly in real life. I used pink flocking powder for the butterfly's body, then added glitter to the outline of the body. A few pearls and some ribbon and, tada! :o)

xox

playing the fame game.

Look what I finally got my hands on ....

... the winter 2010 issues of Canadian Scrapbooker magazine & Canadian Scrapbooker Basics! Why is this such a big deal for me??

Because 2 of my layouts were published in them!!! :oD

My cupcake layout (above) was published in Canadian Scrapbooker magazine and my sushi layout (below) was published in Canadian Scrapbooker Basics.

Sorry about the crappy pictures, but I was too excited to wait until I had proper sunlight to take the photos!! This is my first time being published in a scrapbooking magazine, and Canadian Scrapbooker is my favorite so I'm sooooooo proud.

You can pick up your copies at Scrapbook Star or through the Canadian Scrapbooker website. (And maybe, if you're really nice to me, I'll agree to autograph it for you! *Kidding*)

Moments

On Sunday, I had a lovely girls' day in with Jessica and Catherine. We chatted, scrapbooked, had a delicious pot-luck meal and then watched a movie. It was so much fun AND my creative mojo actually showed up!! It took me *forever* to finish this layout .... but I'm really happy with the end result!

products used ~
Cardstock - Coredinations
Papers - My Little Shoebox, Love Elsie and Making Memories
Letter Stickers - Sassafrass Lass
Bird Button - Paper Trail Studio (available here)
Best Friend Tag - Cosmo Cricket
Quote Sticker - Love Elsie
Pink Rhinestones - Kaiser
Heart Punch - Martha Stewart

Birthday Card

Here is a birthday card I made recently. The stamps are by Hero Arts and were colored in using Touch markers. The paper is by ScrapMode. I also used my new Fiskars border punch and my Cuttlebug swiss dot folder, as well as red Stickles and some Diamond Glaze on the heart.

Expect to see some more birthday cards in the near future as both my sister and my brother-in-law have birthdays coming up. :o)

Catherine and I had a wonderful evening of scrapbooking last night ... we ordered pizza, watched a chick flick, ate lots of candy corn, chatted about her wedding plans and listened to some great songs. I didn't get as much done as I hoped, but it was such fun to have a carefree girls' night in!

xox

Come'on .. Get Happy!

On Friday, Jemma posted this sketch over on the Scrapbook Star message board:


I don't usually use sketches to create scrapbook layouts, but I thought this particular one was really nice and I knew it would work perfectly with a page I've been trying to make for awhile now. Here's the page I made, using the sketch as inspiration:


Those two photos were taken back in high school. I wasn't a scrapbooker in high school, but that didn't stop my friends and I from taking TONS of photos ... I've managed to scrapbook most of them, but there are still a few left that need homes on pages. I always feel so good when I get a photo out of a shoebox and into a scrapbook album.

xox

A simple card ...

My sweet friend Michelle is hosting a contest over on her blog, Ready ... Set ... Let's Stamp! The challenge was to use a stamped image on a card, scrapbook layout or other art project. The prize was a $5 gift certificate for Stampin' Up stamps. Since I love stamps and already have my eye on a few from Stampin' Up's catalogue, I just had to play along!

Here is my entry for the contest .... a simple summer card ....

I used 2 stamps on this card - the quote is a stamp by Outlines and the butterfly is a new stamp by Technique Tuesday which I then embossed with gold glitter. The paper is from Basic Grey's Lemonade collection.

-xox-

Paying It Forward

One of my favorite non-profit organizations is Mercy Ministries Canada. They are a Christian organization that work with young women between the ages of 19-28 who are struggling with life-controlling problems including: eating disorders, self-harm, abuse, neglect, drug and alcohol addictions, depression and unplanned pregnancy. As a teenager, I struggled a lot with issues of self-esteem and self-image, so this organization touches me on a personal level. They have helped so many women across the country avoid some of the mistakes I made when I was younger.

They have recently introduced scrapbooking as part of their residential program. During their 6-month stay at the counselling center, the girls are given the opportunity to document their experience and transformation by scrapbooking. Because Mercy Ministries is solely supported by contributions and donations, they are always looking for people who are willing to send along some supplies.

I'm hoping to send off a big box of scrapbooking goodies by the end of the summer. If you have anything in your stash that you'd like to send to these girls, please let me know. It doesn't have to be "new" or expensive ... scraps of paper/cardstock are welcome! ... and it's the thought that counts the most.

-xox-

Etsy Share

OK, so I'll be honest: I'm a selfish Etsy shopper. I rarely tell people about great Etsy shops that I find because I'm paranoid that if I tell people about them all the goodies will sell out before I have a chance to order everything for myself. I know, I know ... doesn't make much sense, does it? However, this Etsy shop is sooooo lovely I couldn't help but post about it.

It's called Lilla Lotta and she specializes in beautiful handmade ribbon with really unique and whimsical designs. I ordered some last week and they arrived today in a cute little package from Paris and they are soooooo wonderful. I can't wait to play with them!

Have a wonderful weekend & happy shopping! xox

Keeping the Faith ...

Actually this post has nothing to do with faith, I'm just in love with the song and have it stuck in my head. As the rest of the world listens to Michael Jackson, I'm here listening to Billy Joel on repeat. "That's why I'm keeping the faith .. yeah, yeah, yeah keeping the faith" OK, OK. I'll move on.

Anybody remember this post where I went on and on about how much I loved the new Basic Grey Lemonade collection? Well today when I arrived at work, there it was - sitting on the shelves, looking all pretty and calling out to me. For the past few weeks I have been REALLY good about saving my money and putting money into my little "apartment fund" so that I can actually afford to move out of my parents' home once I graduate. But I must confess, I totally splurged on the Lemonade stuff. I bought paper, embellishments, matching cardstock - the whole nine yards. It was so much fun to do some good old fashioned shopping again, and I can't wait to create pages with my new goodies, but I won't be splurging again for awhile. It's time to get back to counting my pennies. As much as I love scrapbook stuff, a furnished apartment to live in is kinda nice too.

Since I haven't posted a scrapbook layout in what feels like forever I thought I'd share this one:

I made it awhile ago (last year sometime). I had gone through boxes of older photos and came across this candid shot of a friend and I eating lunch together in our high school cafeteria. I have no idea who took the photo, or how I ended up with it, but when I saw it I knew I had to scrap it. When I hear horror stories about people's high school experience, I can't help but feel grateful that I always had good friends to hang out with and talk to, and that I never had to eat lunch in the cafeteria alone.

Ok, time to get back to Billy Joel ... "Ain't it wonderful to be alive when the rock'n'roll plays ... yeah ... that's why I'm keeping the faith ... yeah ... yeah, yeah, yeah ... keeping the faith .."

One Stitch @ A Time

I've been interested in learning to knit ever since I saw this post on Silje's blog. I thought that owl sweater she made was just *too cute* and couldn't wait to get my hands on some yarn and start playing. School got in the way, though, so I put knitting on my list of things to learn this summer. Last week while I was shopping for paint brushes in Omer DeSerres I came across some pretty yarn on sale. I ooohed and awwwed and was about to walk away when it hit me: "it's summertime. I have free time on my hands. I can learn this now!" So I filled up my basket and went straight to the cash.

Luckily for me, my neighbour Karen is really really good at knitting and she was kind enough to help me get started and gave me a little knitting lesson. It was really hard for me to get the hang of it at first, but I think I'm finally mastering the whole idea. This afternoon it was FREEZING here and was the perfect day to spend nestled up inside, so I made a pot of Earl Gray tea, popped in a mix tape that my cousin made for me (thanks Tara!) and spent my afternoon knitting away. Look how much progress I've made on my scarf:

Ok, so obviously I have a long way to go & you experienced knitters would probably laugh at how slow I go (I'm so scared I'm going to make a mistake and have to undo the whole thing) but I'm really proud of myself. I know I'm far from being able to make a fancy schmancy sweater like Silje, but hey! If I just continue one stitch at a time this pretty scarf will be ready to wear by winter.

Happy Sunday y'all.

xOx

so much to share ...

Hellloooo! I've got lots to share today. First of all, Jessica and I had a scrapbooking slumber party last night (in other words we scrapped until the wee hours of the morning) and I got quite a lot accomplished. I made this layout ....

Simple and not my usual style, but I am in love. The best part is that tomorrow night, Tara is coming over with her scrap stuff and I'll get to enjoy another night of girl talk and creativity. Can't wait! I just *LOVE* having artsy best friends!

In more scrapbook-related news, I am extremely excited to get the new Basic Grey Lemonade collection. I love the shades of pink, the cute embellishments, the vintage feel of it. It's going to be so perfect for my summer layouts. You can check out the whole collection here.

Last but not least: tonight I watched an awesome documentary on the evangelical Christian movement in Canada (thanks Jessica!). It was SO interesting ... totally unbiased journalism and it focused exclusively on the Canadian context. I leave you with this quote from one of the pastors:

"Often we make the mistake of trying to convince people to change so that God will love them. We forget that people only change when they realize that God loves them as they are."

Happy Monday everyone! xox

10 Things I ♥ Tuesday

... Scrapbook Edition !!

I thought, in honor of my scrappin' mojo having returned in full force, I would dedicate today's "10 Things I Love" list to some of my favorite things in the scrap world. Fun, eh?! So let's get started. They may not be essential to every scrapbooker, but if this was all I had to work with I'd be fine from here on out ~

1. Stamps: rubber or acrylic, I love 'em both.
2. Riff Raff Designs chipboard shapes. They're fantastic.

3. 8.5 x 11 is officially my new favorite size to work with.

4. My handwriting. I used to hate it and found it too messy, but now I include it on every layout.

5. Inks, all colors. I love inking the edges of my papers.

6. Love 3-D foam squares ... they add dimension to my layouts.

7. American Crafts. Hands down, my favorite manufacturer.

8. Kraft cardstock. I have dozens of colors of cardstock, but I always seem to reach for kraft no matter what kind of layout I'm working on.
9. Journaling tags. I usually include at least one on each layout.

10. Cute embellishments. {Especially cupcakes & ice-cream cones}

... speaking of cute embellishments, this heart pin is available in Natalie's etsy shop, aka Paper Trail Studio. How adorable does it look on my layout?!

xOxOx