another altered art

these are wooden chopping board, made as key holders. i made these as gifts for our godmothers.

i miss scrapping!

these are the latest scrap i made as gifts for my friends. i made these last july. these plus a couple of altered chopping boards (which i will post soon) are the only scrap that i made this year :( since i'm on leave, i am planning to finish so many albums that were put on hold...i am also planning to start doing my christmas gifts for family and friends, the scrappy anna way. i'm so bad in meeting deadlines but i do hope to finish, even just the gifts. that's quite a lot and being the moody scrapper that i am, i'm crossing my fingers, sana matapos ko lahat! goodluck na lang sa akin ;)

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i wonder why there are 2 versions of the slide? hmmm.... baka may mali akong napindot!

"i-nan"

that's how euan says his name. cute noh?! this month he started saying his name, associating things to him, like if he sees his diapers, he would say, "mama, 'i-nan'?" or if he sees his clothes, he would say "i-nan?!" he is so cute! and smart! and if there's one thing that i also find funny (and wierd) is his fondness for his blanket. when he turned one, he would always look for his "nu-not" (kumot)! and so whenever he drinks his milk or gets sleepy, he would always say, "mama, nu-not!"
euan is growing up fast right before my eyes. it makes me happy to see him learning new words, doing things on his own, like getting his slippers or shoes, throwing things in the trash can (like my hair clips, buti na lang hindi cell phone!)
and he knows how to get mad too! saying things that we don't understand but you know it from the tone of his voice and the look of his eyes that he is angry. i don't know how i will be able to correct it but as much as possible we don't raise our voices and whenever he show his angry mood, we would always try to pacify him. i hope we are doing the right thing. and i hope that this is just a phase that would pass by...
hay, it's really hard to raise up a toddler! tiring! but at the end of the day, nothing beats a kiss, a hug, a "voo-voo" (i love u!), and the mere mention of "mama" from euan. that in the world is the sweetest thing, enough to blow all those tiredness away. :)

i'm a SAHM!

due to thickened endometrial stripe, i recently underwent a fractional D&C as recommended by my OB. so now i am on maternity leave which makes me a stay-at-home-mom! though i have limitations with my usual activities due to the minor procedure, i get to enjoy being with euan for 2 months the most, yey!

new hobby

Richie and I are starting out with this new hobby. Recently we bought a Nikon D40 DSLR (after much of my prodding, really). Actually it is really my goal to capture great photos of my family since I’m into scrap booking. That’s why I wanted so badly to have a good camera. What I didn’t realize is that photography is equally a demanding hobby as scrap booking! Both needs much of your time and devotion to learn the ropes before you can be satisfied with the results of your efforts. So in order to nurture my yet-to-be-discovered talent in photography, I have started my quest by reading photography books and articles. So far, here’s what I learned:

1. Know your gear. Read the manual of your camera. Unless you do, you won’t be able to maximize the great potentials of your gear. Your camera should be your best bud so you have to be familiar with all its settings, modes, etc, before you can take that perfect shot. I have read my manual a couple of times and that perfect shot is still elusive. I am not yet satisfied with my photos although I am happy to be able to manipulate my gear in bringing out how I wanted my subject to be. Which leads me to point # 2.

2. Compose your subject. Photos are like stories, it tells you something. And in almost all cases, the story depends on the person behind the lens. As they say, “It’s in the Indian, not the pana.” No matter how great or advanced your camera is, if you don’t know how to use it and don’t have an eye for detail, it won’t work. I have a tendency to be “shutter-happy” at times that’s why most of my photos are not clutter-free. I always remind myself a dozen times over that just like in writing, I always have to compose my pictures before pressing that shutter. More often I just press that shutter unmindful of the background or the condition just to capture my son’s moments. Sadly most of the photos are not so good or sometimes, there's this perfect moment for a great photograph and by the time I got the camera, the moment's gone. Maybe i just have to wait for Euan to get a little older so it would be easy for him to pose for the camera.

3. Rule of thirds. This is also related to point #2 and is a great help in composing your subject. It's like putting your subject in an imaginary matrix. It somewhat leads the eye to your subject thus creating a strong focal point of your photo.

So far, those are the things that i remembered and I still have a lot of learning to do. I have tons of reading materials and still have to practice (and experiment) on most of my shots. But one of the things that i like about this hobby is that it makes me appreciate the things around me. Now I am always on the lookout for that beautiful sunset, the greenest grasses, the flowers in bloom, or even the ants at work! kahit nga barbed wire pwede! basta anything that catches my attention :) Hirap pala maging photographer... It really takes great skill and sensitivity to be one, and I wanted to give it a shot!

for more sample photos click here.

a fresh start

i decided to create a new blog...have been so delinquent in creating posts lately...and after all that has happened in my life, i feel that i just need a fresh start... to write my fleeting thoughts, to share the simple things that I delight in - straight from the heart.