I've been dressed up for Christmas!

Hey look, i started to dress up for Christmas. I know, I know this kind a late, I should have done this in early of November just like the others. But it's not too late. Look at me, I got a Christmas hat. Santa gave this to me just now! Last night, I chatted with Santa and I made a request for a new Christmas hat and he delivered it to my blog instantly. Do I look cute with my Christmas hat on?

What about my background? Yes, it's been dressed up also. I preferred to have big soft polka-dotted background in preparation for New Year (this is what i have learned from my mother that polka dots are good fortune in the coming year). If you are still looking for my previous background, don't worry it will be back by January 01, 2011.

What does Santa doing in my header? Well, he just whispered me that he wants to stay in my blog in return of the favor of the Christmas hat he has given me (I don't know either that Santa is demanding for a favor in return**LOL). Anyway it's not bad because he is cute, quite shy that's why he preferred to hide behind my sofa.

So, why don't you make a chat with Santa and request something for your blog? Who knows, he might be online and able to connect with you. Believe me, Santa is the most generous person I've ever known. But be ready because he will request for a stay in your blog. Just accommodate him because he can make your blog more glorious this Holiday season.

Santa also visits me at Dress Up Your Blogs. This time he reveals himself. Come and see what's he doing:

Hope you like my holiday blogwear now. My next dress up will be in Valentine so watch out for my blogwear on heart's day. It is already on the making. For now, advance Merry Christmas to all and let's give love everyday.

Frame Me Please!

If you have not been yet to my digital scrapbooking blog, perhaps you haven't seen these creations of mine. Today, I want to share to you some of my design frames which I created quite long time now but some are just recent. I am so fascinated with photo frames that is why I love experimenting to create something unique and different and of course useful in digital designs.

Most of these digital design frames are available for free download and even tutorials are available too.

Weaving Cadres
Tutorial on How to Make Weaving Cadres is also available.
Download this frame here

Spreading Cadres

Download this frame here


Download this frame here


Stapled Cadres
Tutorial on How to Make Fancy Staple Wire is also available.

Download this frame here

Rubiks Photo Cube
Tutorial on How to Make Rubiks Photo Cube is also available.

Photo Disk
Tutorial on How to Make Disk Photo Effect is also available.

Folded Frame
Tutorial on How to Make Folded Frame is also available.

These are some of my funny but exciting digital designs. If you want to see more of these, please feel to visit my digital scrapbooking and I would be very glad to see you dropping by there. Hope you like them and thank you for looking.

Have a happy weekend to all!

Collection Fever - Used Recharge Cards

What shall I do with these used phone cards? I don't know. I am just "sick" and not tired of collecting things although sometimes the things I used to collect are total scrap. That is why I called myself a "scrapper"..... a digital scrapper.

I have started collecting these used mobile recharge cards three years ago, the first time I enter Taiwan. At first I never had an intention of collecting these cards because in the first place they were of no use after all. But because I have a tendency to be a collector of everything, I decided not to dispose and keep them instead. These were the cards where me and my husband used for almost three years. They are more than 150 recharge cards in all. There are times I am thinking and I even ask my husband what is the best thing to do with these scraps. I can't even display them or make income out of them, instead they only remind of how much $$ we have spent for such cards but of course they were worth because we used those cards to call our kids in the Philippines.

Until now I am still keeping our used recharge cards because who knows, these could make something big in the future. So, what can you suggest to make these cards, let us say, of good and creative use? (aside from throwing them away!)

I am thinking of making a hanging wind chime out of them; making holes by puncher and hang them together by ring binders. What do you think? Hope you can give me some ideas, too.

Think, think, and think more, Grace....

Doraemon - The Lucky Stars

Last weekend, I tried to look for another paper strips for my lucky stars. I was totally run out and I have to look again for another packs. And for the first time, I saw some sets of Doraemon paper strips and I was jumping for excitement because I love Doraemon so much and I want him to be my lucky stars.

I am pretty confident, everybody knows Doraemon. He is a friend and servant robotic cat of Nobita Nobi in a Japanese anime series. I have known and started following Doraemon since in my elementary years. I remember there was a local TV series translated into a Tagalog version of this anime cartoon and I watched it every afternoon. (Image above courtesy of Wallpaper Nephco.com)

I wanted to buy a dozen of this pack but unfortunately three design colors are available; blue, violet, and yellow. I bought three packs for a while and just get back to that store (even with the same colors) if I run out again (but hoping to have another design colors when I get back). These sets differ from my previous paper strips because they are little bit larger in width. They are more floppy than my usual paper strips but still they are so cute and very attractive. This is the first time I bought this kind of paper strip size for my lucky stars. I am more comfortable folding the smaller paper strips but this size is not that bad, as a matter of fact, lucky stars are even look bumpy and visible.

Here are three samples of the stars I made from these packs. I will start folding again during my free time. I love the colors and the texture of this pack so I am looking for more colors of this pack. My big transparent feeding jar is almost overflowing so I have to look for another jar for my lucky stars. Next time, I will show you my jar and imagine how many lucky stars I already made.

If you want to see how to make these origami lucky stars, please visit my post How to Make Origami Lucky Stars. And if you want to read more about my lucky stars, you can visit The Beginning of my Lucky Stars blog post.

Hope you like my another set of lucky stars. Hopefully, I can make some tips or tutorial on how to make or create paper strips of your own out of your colored magazine pages to be used as a start for your lucky star folding. Just get back to this page and I will try to make such for you.

Happy folding everybody!

Sometimes the world travels around us!

Wait! Don't be confused with my blog title. It is indeed that the world is traveling around us, sometimes (huh!). Everybody loves to travel, right? And If I would be asked I want to travel and see the different beautiful places around the globe but unfortunately we don't have the chance to travel and we don't have enough resources to do such leisure. But if I become rich, traveling around the world would be the first one in my list.

But for the meantime that we cannot travel around the world, I will let the world travels around us instead. How can this be possible? Photoshop answers.

Let me first look for the most qualified picture of ours. This is the original capture when we had our one weekend at Fisherman's Warf in Danshui, Taipei. The place is so beautiful, very relaxing although there are so many people walking around.

I picked this one because the background is not too complicated to crop. Yes, I have to extract ourselves from the background. And after my very successful extracting, here we are now and waiting for the world to visit us.

Come with us and see how the world travels around us. For our first destination, Great Wall of China. Yipeee!

I just resized our cropped photo, adjust little bit the brightness, add a slight shadow and there we are standing in the Great Wall of China.

After China, we posed in front of big Colosseum in Rome, Italy. What a wonderful view (as if we really been there!). Can you still see us?

We looked so small here because the photographer took the shot in a far distance...LOL. I just saw this Colosseum in my school books. It's like a dream come true.

For the last destination, my ever dream place to visit, Paris, with the Eiffel Tower. This is my most favorite one. The Eiffel Tower captured so perfectly here, so with us (wink!).

This is so weird isn't it? Traveling in different place but wearing the same smile, same clothes and even the same posed. I can't wait to post these pictures in my Facebook.

And last night, I asked my husband, "Where do you want to go this Christmas?" He simply replied, "I want to go to White House and meet Pres. Obama." So that's it, you know now where we are going next?

Join our fun!

Be Connected this Christmas and get chance to win Blackberry Curve

Okay, this is the day I am waiting. After almost two weeks in the making, my first Sulit's Christmas card has now come to life. This may look simple but I think it's cute. I made it with full of passion and enthusiasm.

Celebrate Christmas 2010 with Sulit.com.ph, the leading online classified ads and buy and sell website in the Philippines.

I personally love my choice of color in this card. The concept has been made for almost two weeks but the implementation is done for one whole day only (overtime). I made this in Photoshop's Animation with more than 60 time frames. In the end, I got a very satisfying animated Christmas card intended for Sulit's Christmas Card Making Contest.

I also provided this static or jpeg version of this animated card:

Do you love my Christmas card? Be my Viral Poster and get chance to win Blackberry Curve at Sulit. Yes, you will just post my card in your blog, give me the link where you posted it, and you will have the chance to win in the raffle draw for Blackberry Curve.

Here's how:

1. I made it easy for you. Just copy and paste the code I have provided below anywhere in your blog on or before November 30th, whether in your blog post or as your widget.

For animated version:
<div style="text-align: center;"><p> Check out <a href="http://www.graceincreativelife.com">Grace's Christmas Card Entry</a> for Sulit's Christmas Card Making Contest.</p><br/><a href="http://www.sulit.com.ph/"><img src="http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/aa409/dressupyourblogs/own%20template/digitalretouching_xmascard_400x300.gif" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a><br/>Celebrate Christmas 2010 with <a href="http://www.sulit.com.ph/">Sulit.com.ph</a>, the leading online classified ads and buy and sell website in the Philippines.

For static/jpeg version:
<div style="text-align: center;"><p> Check out <a href="http://www.graceincreativelife.com">Grace's Christmas Card Entry</a> for Sulit's Christmas Card Making Contest.</p><br/><a href="http://www.sulit.com.ph/"><img src="http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/aa409/dressupyourblogs/own%20template/card1_400x300_static.jpg" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a><br/>Celebrate Christmas 2010 with <a href="http://www.sulit.com.ph/">Sulit.com.ph</a>, the leading online classified ads and buy and sell website in the Philippines.

2. Send me the link to where you posted the card. Your link will be your entry for the raffle draw for all the viral posters who can win Blackberry Curve. You can post your link in the comments below.

3. Done. You are now counted as viral poster. But take note, if you have been a viral poster for any Christmas card entry for Sulit, you are no longer qualified to be my viral poster since one blog per viral post only is allowed.

So for all who have a kind heart to help me to be my viral posters here is my token of appreciation to all of you. I will be giving you a free photo wrap frame with your photo for you to use in your blog for your About Me or for any purpose. Choose one from any frame below and send me your photo in my email grace@graceincreativelife.com and I will send it back to you the frame you have chosen with your photo in it. Note: I am not giving the frames themselves but finished ones.

These frames are larger in original with size width of 200px-250px. You can just re-size it to fit your needs or just inform me so that I can do it for you. Remember, I only offer this free service to all who want to be my viral posters. So, come be my viral poster and enjoy these chances that come your way!

See my second Christmas Card entry
See my third Christmas Card entry

See my fourth Christmas Card entry

Merry Christmas in advance!

My TOP 5 Creative Designing Tools

I want to share to you my TOP 5 creative designing tools which I really can't live without. These are the things that become part of my daily creative life.

TOP 1 My computer/laptop. This is the master of all my "crimes" in designing. Since I started to learn to design and create designs of my own, my computer has become my partner in making my life creatively in digital. I put this as Top1 because my Photoshop (although only CS3) will not be possible without my computer (obviously!). You can read more about my computer/laptop in the my previous blog post My Poor Laptop.

TOP 2 My Transcend 500GB External Drive. Why I put this in the second slot? Because this is where my (super) large files are being stored. I only stored limited files in my laptop to save memory and loading speed so I really need this not only as backup but I also treat my external drive as my main drive. But I always see to it that I do regular DVD burning for backup for all the files and data stored in it. I also include in this slot my two USB flash drive, both Transcend (2GB and 1GB).

TOP 3 My Sony Cybershot 14.1MP SteadyShot DSC W320. Okay I am a kind of late when it comes to digital camera. But this point-and-shoot camera of mine has a very excellent resolution and printing result. Having a 14.1 megapixels is already a something for me and actually not bad. But I still have this great desire to have a DSLR even the Canon EOS 550D. As a matter of fact I am starting to save budget just to have this model sometime in next year hopefully. This is not my priority but it is included in my wish list.

TOP 4 My Lexmark X2650 Color 3 in 1 Printer/Scanner. For my TOP 4 is my 3-in-1 printer/scanner/copier from Lexmark. I do much in scanning than printing. I often scan my photos, my designing stuff like my ribbons and buttons and other paper to get some paper texture (to be used as overlay). This is the best about having my scanner because I love to have digital papers with real paper texture.

TOP 5 Digital Images. I give special attention to all my digital images and I am organizing them according to what they belong. I have separate folder for all the images I used for my digital scrapbooking, for my blog designing, for all my purchased images and stock photos. I am creating my own digital images but I am also purchasing license for some. I love purchasing stock images at Fotolia, while I have tons of illustrator graphics which I bought in CDs and organized them in my CD pack.

So there you have it, my Top5 creative designing tools. What about you, do you have your own TOP5 of things which you cannot live without? I would be so glad to hear about it. Hope you can share or blog about it, too.

Happy weekend everybody!

My Poor Laptop

I have been using my Acer laptop for almost three years now without problems and complain about its hardware or any installed software except for being too small for me to see clearly all the designs I am making. My laptop is Acer Aspire 2920z with 12.1" monitor screen, really small isn't it? I started to desire on a much bigger monitor size two years ago when I started my digital scrapbooking. Actually, we have desktop at home and two laptops, one for me and one for my husband. I love the 15" HP notebook of my husband but I cannot use it because he is using it in the office most of the time. While the desktop, he is the one who uses it at night so I don't have choice but to use my laptop.

I told my husband I want to buy a new desktop for myself, the one with a much bigger monitor than my notebook. But I came to have a second thought because that would be impractical on my part to buy a new one if my laptop is still working and functioning properly. Besides, I bought this notebook in a costly price so I couldn't take this thing away that easy. I bought this for NT30,000 (Php42,000) three years ago. So here is the idea that both my husband and I agreed. Instead of buying a whole new unit, we decided to buy a new LCD monitor for our desktop and the old LCD monitor will be mine and will connect to my laptop to become the main monitor instead. Pretty cool, actually. I like this idea.

So this is now my working table having my 19" LCD monitor together with my Lexmark Printer/Scanner.

For two weeks now, I am enjoying my designing at night unlike before when I am using my laptop. And by the way, I connect also a separate keyboard and mouse, so without looking to my poor laptop I can imagine that I am having a CPU tower under my table. The cables that are now being connected to my laptop just to setup this idea.: the charger, the VGA cable, mouse and keyboard USB; and on the right side, the network cable and laptop fan or my external drive.

By the way, the one we have bought is the 24" Vizio LCD TV monitor. So, two birds at one shot, we have a new LCD computer monitor, at the same time we have a TV just enough to watch for a better screen size....cool!

Now you see me, now you don't

When I was scanning my camera to delete some old captures, I saw two of my husband’s images which he never mentioned to me that he captured himself in bed as if he was disappearing. Weird! So I just told him, “Okay let me play with your images”. Since he was trying to make himself to make such weird idea, I made this one for him:

I don’t know if this make sense but I find it cute and funny. I never thought of doing that for myself but my husband did. Someday when I have more time, I will try to make one for myself also***LOL!

If you want to ask me how I did such transition…. by simple Photoshop animation!

Target Images - Not Available

This is just a very quick post. It's already 9:30 in the evening in my place and I had a very exhausting Saturday due to some appointments and priorities. My husband and I went to my favorite store where I usually purchase my licensed digital graphics to look for some images to be used in the ongoing Christmas card making contest as Sulit. I was very disappointed because the images I was looking for were not available. So this made me feel frustrated. I have to make a change of plan in the concept that I have prepared in mind for two weeks. But in the end I got what I need and hopefully these images could work according to my satisfaction. In the end, I went home with a smile even with a little depression because it only means that I have to start over again with new concepts of Christmas card for my entry.

Anyway to cheer up my disappointing Saturday, I will share instead the design layouts I have made and posted in my Digital Retouching blog last Thursday. Look at these layouts, I find these so cute and colorful. I used the photos of my niece, Cady. I made these templates, I guess, two months ago but only now that I will be releasing them for free (..for life!). You can visit my digital scrapbooking blog because I am giving these four templates (quickpages) for free download. I just want to remind you that these are in large size (3600x3600, 300dpi), fit for 12"x12" printing. If you want to use them using your own photos and add in your online gallery, do resize them to 600x600, 72dpi.

I posted these layout in my Digital Retouching blog. You can visit the rest of the layouts in my Layout gallery page. You are free to download these quickpages so that you can use them with your own photos. Don't worry, these freebies will never retire.

Have fun, enjoy, and hope you like them! Happy weekend to all!

Collection Fever - Tiny Creatures

I am so fascinated with these little tiny creatures. They are of no use but I love to collect them. I love seeing them at the top of my CPU. They are not ceramic. They are merely made from plastic. Their sizes are almost just the same with my thumb.

I did not bought them. They aren't gift either. They are just free items from the convenient store near in our place. The store is called, Family Mart (like Seven Eleven). For every purchase of NT$50 (more or less Php70), you are given 1 sticker. And for every 20 pieces of stickers, you are entitled to get one free miniature of something like this. Did you know that it takes time for me to accumulate 20 stickers? I got these six pieces more or less for one year but still I am hoping to get more of this in the coming months. So far I have more than 20 pieces of stickers now which are ready to be claimed for another kind of free souvenir item. This coming weekend, I will go and redeem another little guy to be added in this parade of tiny creatures.

I want that eyes, too!

Okay, I admit I was born with natural black eyes (and I am happy for that). But I want to have these eyes like the ones from Elizabeth Taylor (special thanks to toptenz.net for the picture). I love Elizabeth Taylor's eyes eventhough I have not seen any of her movies but I love her aristocratic and Egyptian beauty. Even in my wildest dream, I don't have any chance of having eyes like her. She has a bluish but little greenish eyes and they were looking so perfectly and naturally made. I don't want to try wearing contact lens for I am not comfortable of having them in my eyes. I prefer to use my traditional eye glasses.

But I have my own simple in digital way of making my black eyes into blue ones. Yehey! I love it very much. As a matter of fact I am exploring the colors of my eyes from time to time and see how I look (curious!).

Check me out here. I can see myself having a pair of blue eyes...a little retouch and there I have it, a lady with blue eyes. Although I did not look like Elizabeth's eyes, at least in my own digital way, I can make it possible.

Here is another one. Of course, this by the power of Photoshop. If you want to know how I made this blue eyes effect in Photoshop, you can visit my Photoshop Tutorials posted in my Digital Retouching site. If you find difficulty in following the steps, please don't hesitate to contact me, I would be very willing to help. So, try one with your eyes. Try having green eyes. They look great also like one from Angelina Jolie (my most favorite female actress). Just don't explore with having red eyes, that would be scary! But if you are planning to scare somebody this halloween, having red eyes would be perfect...**LOL.