A mailbox and clean space....

Christmas is here very soon. Thanking God for making our Christmas Holidays happy and full of peace despite not being able to go home to Philippines. He know we needed to stay this time for something important too. He gives us the grace to see it through, even while missing our family so much.

Being busy with my projects and a lot of of other different things in my planner helps :)

I have a tutorial at the Sizzix blog on how to alter this mailbox for my sons with Tim Holtz ShadowPress Debossing Folders and Sizzix Classroom Series dies. Go check it out! :) 

And oh... today I am so happy of my little achievement... a  very clean and re-organized space :) It feels sooo good!

















Coming back tomorrow with a very beautiful sharing :) See yah!

workspace

Hi fellow crafters! This is where I work.. at my home! At  our dining room to be more specific. lol. I call this my happy place and I would like to welcome you all here... 

To see more of my craft space, go to Craft Storage Ideas  coz I am guest posting for them today. You will know how I organized my space, what kind of budget I had and many other stuff.. I shared lots of detailed photos over there so check it all out HERE.

Where do you work? Leave me a link of your workspace and I will go visit you soon.. I'd like to see your "happy place" too :)) 

ATC from trash

Introducing... my little bowl of trash treasures! I have this on my desk. It holds little papers, those extra papers I can't afford to throw away (hands-up all hoarders!). It's always been so useful. It helps me "finish" my projects.  Do you have those moments too?  When you think you have done EVERYTHING but you look at your layout/card and you feel it's not enough? It happens to me and when it does, I turn to this bowl take whatever and make it into hearts, tab, tag, arrow, etc.. and add it somewhere in my layout... and then I'll be satisfied.

Today I will share with you how I used this bowl for something else.. 

CHALLENGE: To make four (artist trading cards) ATCs for Sookie, Marix, CJ and me using anything and everything IN THIS BOWL without lifting my butt. So here's how it went: 

| 8:49 AM |

I cut 4 white cardstock as my ATC base (ok, I can't find an ATC in this bowl so I had to lift my butt and get it somewhere some  challenge rules need to be broken)

| 9:10 AM |

I hand cut  banners, arrow, hearts and wrote "make today awesome" on the cards.. now I need paste them (I had to stand up again to take those sequins, and my pen. Sorry I couldn't help it. I guess next time I had to really get ready before challenging myself. Lol!)

| 9:39 AM |

After a few interruptions courtesy of Miguel who asks me endless questions and the Starhub guy who changed the cable something something, I managed to stitch the banners, pasted all the little details and draw some broken lines. Done! 

I had less than an hour of scrapping fun before it's time for me to attend to other matters named Rujim and Miguel. But before I go, here's the winner of my NSD giveaway: 

Congratulations Lili! Please PM me here with your address so I can send the goodies. To all who joined me, thank you! I will visit your blogs soon. Love, Gen :)

Just Happy In My Happy Place :)

Thanks to those who responded to the giveaway. It is still open, please visit here.  Okay. I am happy now :) Because at this point in my life. I am doing what I love.

• being with the kids at home
• and being with them in school anytime they need me there 
• doing my crafts
• teaching without having to leave the house
• planning menu
• cleaning and organizing
• taking photos
• keeping in touch with loved ones
• making gifts
• wrapping gifts
• selling
• blogging
• managing my online shoppe, ThoughtfulCrafts

Life is short. I must do my passion now. I must spend more time with the kids now. I must do the little things now. Even when it means, having to try to live really simply. Having to walk to the market everyday because it's cheaper than going to Cold Storage. Having to take the bus. Having to stay at home for the weekend. Having to love and appreciate what I already have. And forget about what I wish to have. 

But aren't these the things that really give us genuine joy? The little things? 

So I am happy. Thankful to dear hubby for being so supportive and responsible for providing us our needs and some wants at times :) Even more thankful to him for going with me to the Autism Partnership seminar last Saturday. I like going to talks with him. Maybe because it is in such event we met first. 2002 Singles for Christ International Leaders Conference. Haha! Sweet.

Most of all, I thank him for taking the boys out for swimming. So I could do my thing ... 

... happy ladies in my happy place! :)

... busy hands! 

... don't you just love the beautiful mess? :)

... finished layouts. Thank you ladies! :)

Yes. We scrapped! ThoughtfulCrafts' very first workshop was a blast! Thank you Mariae, Joan, Evie and Alice for being the first to respond to my invitation... can't wait for next time.

So I am happy. I am blessed. Not because I have a lot. I am happy because I have learned to appreciate the little, the simple and the now. I pray that I will stay this way :)

how do you do it?

How do you try to keep or bring back your mojo?  After being away for long, I found myself a little "lost" despite my being happy to be in my happy place once again. One of the remedies that usually works for me is a new magazine ... thank you Sheng! :)

Then I found in one of the pages the exact same cupcake holder I have... and a lot more cool ideas :) see some of my  happy place make-over : 

... this got me working, and in fact I have finished some layouts already! 

I would love to hear how you call your mojo back... Please share! :) 

creative space

Hi! In the middle of packing for our trip... then suddenly I realized I will be away for almost a month... quite a long time to be away from my little haven, which I share with my kids...  So I grabbed my camera and took some photos...

... at least I can just take a peek at my blog and  see it once in a while! =) 

new home

It's not our home yet, we are still renting. But hubby and I are hopeful that in time, He will provide us :) I will let you know if that happens! Meanwhile, I'm loving our new place....
Especially this...

 

... makes me so inspired to create... but the whole house (and a gallon of Dettol) is calling my name. So fixing my 'haven' in between unpacking and cleaning and sorting is such a treat :)


I have got lots of plans for this room ... but I always remind myself, it must be God's plan, not mine. Because lately, He has been extremely generous to me and my family. And I believe it's because we said yes to His plans.  Eventhough at first it felt like it was not what we wanted, but in the end He surprised us with blessings, things and happenings beyond our hopes... He is the potter, we are the clay. 

Happy to share with you the very first project I made in my new room (I mean, our room. Coz I share this room with my boys, it's their playroom too, lol) It's a birthday card for our little sister, Juris.

      Happy Birthday Juris! We love you! :)