A fun-CHAstic Weekend!

Today, July 31 was a great Saturday. My SIL's (sisters-in-law) and i went to the CHA 2010 convention in Rosemont, Illinois. It was my first time to attend such an event and just like any newbie, i was super excited!

It was overwhelming to see a lot of eye candy. Every stop at an exhibitors booth was exciting... it was similar to opening a gift. So much anticipation of what's in store, no pun intended. The make and take projects were awesome! I was able to make a antique finished wooden decor with vinyl made with the cricut machine, several cards and a bracelet. It was worth more than the $12 convention fee. I was excited to meet Beate Johns of splitcoastampers.com - we added color to a stamped image using copic markers. It was nice to learn how to use new materials such as this. There was a booth on digital scrapbooking by JessicaSprague.com - i have been looking at some cardmakers using digital materials however, it was my first time to actually see and put it in action. I was amazed at how nice the project turned out.

Shopping was fun... stamps and inks, paper, stencils, fine glitter and embossing powder... wow, it hurt my pocket but we saw it coming, hahaha! Thanks to my ever supporting husband.

I am so looking forward to making new projects now that i have been formally inducted to the crafting world - hooray!

So, here is a picture of what i got from the convention: the make-and-takes and the buy-and-take. Pretty awesome. Looking forward to the next activity.

Blessings to you!

Curly Tops

I arrived in Chicago on May 5, 2010 with so much anticipation on what the Lord has in store for me. My days now are far from my sometimes very busy schedule as a Pediatrician in Manila. I am a proud stay-at-home wife to my loving husband, Gaddiel. It is not an easy task to manage a home... i truly know that now.

On a warm day of June 30, with all my tasks done, i decided to curl my hair with my pillow curlers. While waiting for it to set, i watched and listened to Lea Salonga via youtube. I watched clips of her concert last Dec. 12, 2009 - the most recent concert that i've seen with my parents and sister. It was one of her best concerts to date. Her voice has maintained its clarity and crispness after all these years. No wonder she is loved by audiences in the Philippines and abroad.

After 2 hours of my youtube experience, it was time to remove my curlers. To my surprise, my usual straight and stubborn hair curled. It curled so much that it made me laugh so hard. It was too funny that i had to show my husband. Being so inspired by Lea S. and Ai-ai de las Alas who did a very nice spiel, i felt like i was "Annie". I decided to sing and record the song"Tomorrow" and attached this photo then sent an audio postcard to my husband. He had a good laugh but told me he preferred my long, straight hair.

I love hearing Gaddiel laugh at my crazy antics. It's music to my ears. :)

Hero Arts Card #2

I love going to gardens and see all the flowers in bloom. I particularly like daisies, mums and sunflowers. I love them because they make me smile and feel lighthearted. I love seeing them sway with the gentle breeze.

Flowers give me so much inspiration in making cards. Most of the cards that i have made have flower themes. In this card, i made paper quilled sunflowers. Aren't they cute? It was quite a task to fringe the flowers but i adore how they turned out. It took me some time to complete this card and i'm happy with the finished product.

Thanks for looking. :)

A HEROic day!

I have always loved doing crafts and needlework... a little of this and a little of that. I have tried scrapbooking, counted crosstitch, paper quilling & stamping but never took it seriously. Until now... hahaha.

I came to the US to be with my husband and discovered the great and wonderful world of crafting. My sister in law took me to a couple of stores that sells merchandise for "crafty people". Yup... that's me. I was overwhelmed by the loads of stuffs that they carried. Then, i checked out websites and some blogs and wow... i was much more overwhelmed! So, to cure my curiosity on these matters, i put up my own blogsite and called it: "Cabbycraft".

A few days ago, i bought a clear stamp set from Hero arts and decided to check their website. I was so encouraged to make my own cards so here's what i came up with. I look forward to making more and learning new techniques. I am a newbie at this but hey... it's never too late to learn. Besides, i believe that life is a process of learning.

I made 2 cards using Hero Arts "Thinking of You" clear stamp set. I used the butterfly and the greetings. I stamped and embossed them with black embossing powder. I quilled sunflowers and mums, added an edgepunch arch lattice design from Martha stewart and some designer paper. I used red and white cardstock for the base and green for the matting.

Voila! Here are my cards... thanks for reading and i hope you enjoy viewing them.

Post Father's Day

It was father's day yesterday and it was an emotional one for me, being far apart from my Daddy. My Dad is 69 years old, still working - yes, you read it right, loves playing (and winning) golf, leads our church Deacons, loves gardening and planting trees, etc... There are 3 of u in the family with me being the middle child and first of 2 girls. I have always loved my dad despite his very protective nature and i know that he loves me so much.

I am married now for 1 year and 5 months to a wonderful man from the US - which is thousands of miles from where i originally come from, Manila. I miss home - my dad, mom, even our dog Chubby. It is difficult to be apart from people who we love dearly. As a physician, it scares me when i hear that they are sick and i couldn't be there. These are the struggles that i go through every now and then.

In all these, it is by God's grace that i can go through each day. Constantly entrusting to Him all my worries and fears. Each of us dread the day when our fathers and mothers will "go ahead" of us. But it is the inevitable fact of life. For the meantime, let us make the most of each day.. telling them that we love them and making them feel it as well. Let us make the most of what they teach us, because their wisdom is something that money cannot purchase.
Have a good day, my friend... Blessings to you and your father.