t.g.i.f and Happy {Lunar} New Year! :freebie too:

Thank goodness it's Friday. And Happy New Year - year of the Ox. My sister Gina was born in the year of the Ox. Moo.

Synopsis, my friends? Life is good. :)

-met up with some new friends at a local Chinese buffet for Lunar New Year
-Amanda's homeschooling is going swimmingly. It's exciting to see my little one grasping the concepts of fractions and geometry so readily. Amanda's latest interest is astronomy, as you will see in this drawing she made:


(do you need a translation? clockwise: Mars, Uranus, Moon, Pluto {she says is now a little dwarfy planet}, Daddy Planet, Abby Planet, Amanda Planet, Neptune, Sun, Mommy Planet, Saturn, and Venus)
-Abigail is now an adoring fan of the shows Caillou and Curious George
-made an astoundingly delicious balsamic vinegar reduction sauce the other day. It made for an even tastier chicken and veggie pasta! Ah, the wonderful internet is my favorite cookbook...
-finishing up post-processing on my first wedding shoot
-sore from yesterday's weight training class - it's aptly called "Chisel". Since I have shelved my goal of running the Race to Robie Creek because of my knees, I'm focusing on strengthening my knees and ankles. And core. And arms. Who am I kidding, everything. I've found a good 11-year-old running partner too. Jeremy, are you reading this?
-Ron set up the new 52" in our family room. TV has not been this fun in a long time! Abigail is able to unpause the Media Center (DVR) already - another nerd is in our midst!
-gearing up to paint the rest of my kitchen
-finishing up some projects for friends
-one of my projects was featured in a publication, The Daily Scrapper. You can snag this freebie there:







-some layouts from the past month or so:











-made a "feelings" notebook for Amanda, so she and I can communicate about things that are on her mind. The rule is that she can write in it whatever she wants when she's feeling a certain sentiment, whether she's angry with me over something or excited/nervous/happy with other things. Then I respond to her. Occasionally, I add entries too:












(created for the hybrid feature in ScrapMatters' January newsletter)

Whew, this is one loooooonnnnnnng post. You deserve a good weekend for plodding through my mind's mumbo jumbo~

Speed of light - (freebie alert)

What a jam-packed month. My intention isn't to do this drive-by blogging every time I have a freeibe, but it will have to do for now. :) Most of you that frequent this blog are digi artists, so I hope you won't mind this. But those of you that tolerate the digi stuff because you're our friends and family - that's dedication. Thanks for that. I think I will have some gigantic posts in the future that actually have some personally meaningful content....

Here's the freebie!




Have a wonderful Sunday!

A cool gift idea -

I am the hybrid editor and contributor for the ScrapMatters Newsletter, and last month, I got a chance to share a project I think would make a great Christmas gift (or for any occasion, for that matter).

Andilynn Designs' Flora Brushes are so lovely - they screamed for something more than to be used on a normal digital layout. So, I decided to embellish this old turtleneck my daughter had in her closet:



You can actually embellish textile, really. On bags, blankets, you name it.

Here are some supplies you'll need:


Open an 8.5"x11" document in Photoshop and place an image of choice. I offset the brush to the right:


You'll be printing the above image on the paper side of freezer paper. The easiest way to do this is to cut a piece of freezer paper 8.5"x11" and adhere it to a regular piece of paper. Use double-sided tape on the WAXY side.


Once the design is printed on the freezer paper, you will cut it out using your Xacto knife. My design was very intricate, so it took me forever:






Don't forget to keep the negative space pieces. Because my pieces were tiny, I collected them in this cup and numbered each piece:


Now iron the freezer paper onto your garment. Do you see where I noted the placement of the negative pieces?




Place a piece of freezer paper under the place you will be painting, then lightly load your brush and stipple the area (If you add textile medium to your acrylic paint, I hear the design will last through many more wash cycles without fading):


Peel off the freezer paper design once the paint is dry:


And voila, you're done:

Memoir of days spent well

Over the river and through the woods...
...to Grandparents' house we go! Ron and the girls tagged along with me when I went up north for work, and together we had a chance to visit Ron's parents, Ngeen-Ngeen and Yeh-Yeh. (For those of you familiar with the Nick Jr. cartoon, Ni Hao Kai-Lan, you know that Yeh-Yeh means "grandfather". And yes, the other word means "grandmother".)

Here is Amanda at the first rest stop, where she nervously sat near the caution sign:


From L to R: Abigail, Ngeen-Ngeen, Amanda, Daddy, and Yeh-Yeh


We had a chance to visit with some old friends, K and her son, N:



She lives right next to the hotel we were staying at! K was Amanda's infant room teacher, and my co-worker.

The five days zipped by mercilessly, and before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye and pile into the car for the five-hour trip home. (For those friends in the area we didn't get a chance to see, please forgive us! Too much to do in very little time. We'll be back soon!)

The first two hours, all three girls snoozed while Ron drove. The next two hours we played games and listened to kids' songs ad nauseum. The last hour was rough on the Crabigail. Poor thing wailed most of the way home. But ah, so good to be home!

Amanda's debut
Amanda performed at her first recital a few weeks ago. Here she is, doing her thing:

Amanda and her fabulous piano teacher, Ms. Kelly:

I think she might have been the youngest participant - she certainly was the smallest. But oh-so plucky! :)

Miscellaneous
I was pretty excited to hear that one of my layouts was published in the April 08 edition of Bella Scraps Magazine. I received a copy, and I had to check for myself for proof! Cool.

More layouts to share:

(click on any image in this post to enlarge)

Go here for layout credits. Photo frame is from the Moonrise at Waikiki Oscraps Mega Kit.

Overdue tag

(image from Cheri's blog. Thanks, Cheri!)

I've been tagged again... twice. And it's been over a month! So Liv and Deb, I'm finally paying my dues! :)

.....
These are the rules: You must post the rules before you give your answers.You must list one fact about yourself for each letter of your middle name. Each fact must begin with that letter. If you don’t have a middle name, just use your maiden name. After you’ve been tagged, you need to up-date your blog with your middle name and answers. At the end of your post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they’ve been tagged and need to read your blog for details.
.....

I'll be using my Korean name, Haejung, since I don't have a middle name:

H: Hoarder of things - be it digital scrapbooking items, recipes, articles, sweet little girl outfits, or nice boxes
A: as in Type A! My personality suits me just fine, thank you very much. :)
E: Energetic - I'm full throttle most of the time...
J: I'm a joyful, happy gal. Unless you take my food away, of course.
U: Unending amount of ideas spout from my wee brain!!!! Especially as I try to fall aseep.
N: Notorious for starting grand plans, then leaving them half done.
G: Still growing - in mind, heart, spirit.

Okay, passing the baton to the next seven: Kim, Amy, Ann, Cheri, Nicky, Jen, and April!

I was so moved when I found this quote - it inspired this LO:


credits: Jessica Sprague's Home Away From Home Kit, Stereofidelic font

(click for larger image)

"Abeejo"

What in the world does the title mean, you ask yourself. It's our little Abby's way of saying her own name. We're able to recognize some of her words now. And she loves to dance and sing when Ron turns on his crazy music. :) She's also a water baby - so much so that she and I will be taking a Mommy and Me swim class at the local Rec Center.

Thank you for your well wishes - the antibiotics and rest have done me a world of good. My energy level is still low, but I am doing well otherwise. Life is good!

Some of my latest layouts:




Amanda's friend Emma had a tea party this week along with some other gymnastics friends, and my, what a sumptuous fete it was! Both for the stomach and eyes. :) The girls were giddy with excitement not only to be with one another but to use real tea sets.

Here is a layout of the day's events:


And look what emerged from the digital camera - this photo of Emma's sister! Wouldn't she be perfect for a Baby Gap contract?


(Click on images to enlarge)

For layout credits, click here.

Absent no more

Ah, it's good to be back. Had to take a hiatus to finish some things up.

Learning environment at home

We've been considering homeschooling as an option for Amanda's kindergarten if she doesn't get into one of three local charter schools. To be honest, homeschooling sounds so exciting yet scary at the same time - not because I think Amanda would suffer socially (this is one of those ignorant assumptions about homeschooling that we should all throw out the window), but because I don't know if I can carry it out the way I conceptualize it in my own brain. So, I've decided to give it a "test run" until July. Regardless of what type of schooling situation Amanda gets to be a part, you'd better believe I'll be all over it. And supplementing her schooling with a strong learning environment at home is a goal I wish to gift to both children.

New curriculum? Check.
Excited little Amanda? Check.
Organization? Oh Lord, please help me.... :)

Some layouts

Here's one I did using my friend Liv's Esteban Adventure Kit:


And one using Andilynn Designs' Waiting For Summer Kit:


Credits here for this next layout:


Using Lisa Habisreutinger's Springalicious Kit:



Thank goodness for warmer weather!

Ron and the girls have been going out to our neighborhood park regularly to take advantage of the nice weather we've had. I decided to follow along on Saturday:





Abigail has let us know that she wouldn't mind taking residence at the park. Look how happy she is there:



And it's a good thing the weather is allowing us some outside time, because folks, we have a climber on our hands, and the house is slowly falling apart:


Abby likes life on the kitchen counter and tries everything in her power to be there.

(Click for larger images!)