I’m noticing a whole new style emerging , lots of white space, paint strokes, ink splatters, small photos, almost monochromatic with bits of colour. Tara Anderson and Kaori Watanabe do it nicely.Very arty. Nice!
Back at my desk, though , I reach for my favourite pastel and shabby palette, old lace, blooms, gingham… a bit of fabric tape. Some call it ‘granny style’ but I’d like to think it’s ‘modern vintage.’ Still loving Crate Paper, My Mind’s Eye and October Afternoon…

mother’s day love

celebrating being together for a long, long time by starting a new 8×8 album. old people do things like this too =)

Looking through my project life album makes me smile and while I’m a few weeks behind I am so glad that I’m doing this.
Some weeks are quieter with less stuff going on, that’s when I go around the house taking photos of my favorite tea cup drying or stopping by the pharmacy to buy some medicine. These little things all add to the story of our lives and when flipping through the album it really feels like my life is a book, of words and pictures and moments.

I’m also doing a pretty good job using up my stash, all the hoarded treasures are slowly resurfacing and meeting... Read More

I was telling you that I-Mei and I started on Project Life this year. Inspired by Ali Edwards, this project captures 365 days of our ordinary lives. It’s amazing watching the stories come together and makes the journaling, photo taking and all the effort involved more than worthwhile. You may think that you have nothing much to recored, maybe you do the same things every week, go to school, or work… but isn’t that what life is all about? Doing the same things, maybe but the joy and the challenge is in finding the extraordinary in the daily tasks that we go about doing, and remembering them for the gifts that they are. The food we eat: maybe the gratitude we feel for being able to eat mostly what we want most of the time. Hanging out with family. Sending the kids to school. Your daily... Read More

Yes, it has been a long while since I’ve been here! Things were a little hectic with the store closing, relocating and then having to make a couple hundred Christmas cards for the bazaar. Fun & exhausting. Christmas came and with it, family. Nice and not as exhausting, but still busy.

We then took a trip home to see my mama and to celebrate her 81st. And while we weren’t looking, Chinese New Year snuck up, bringing more family. Really nice. By which time I was starting to get into the groove of not working. People started to ask when we would reopen the store and I’d stare blankly at a spot just six inches from where they were… haha.

Anyway, with the new year I-Mei & I embarked separately, but simultaneously on “Project Life”... Read More

Dear smidapaper friends,

As it comes closer to our last day at Straits Quay, which is on Nov 24th. I thought I might take a little time to update you on what will be happening. First though, I really must thank you all for making it a great year for us. I remember it being a time full of anticipation and hope, this time last year, flash forward a year and we are getting ready to pack up the store. A lot of you have asked ‘why?’ and all I can say is that we made the difficult decision based on a lot of reasons and while I prefer not to dwell on the negatives, there are some positives that came out of it and getting to know and serve all of you, has been a huge happy one. I hope that stumbling upon smidapaper has brought joy and added value to your journey.

By now... Read More

How easy it is to neglect one’s blog when life is so full of things that need immediate attention and the things that bring joy and comfort slide into the ‘I’ll get to it, can’t you see I’m busy’ pile. Time waits… not.

Recently I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. Even more than usual. (smile) You might have heard that the store will be closing next month. I’ve been asked if we will open again in another location, but right now, I’m not sure. There is no time to reflect or to thoughtfully plan. It has been a whole lot of ‘doing’ and I’m looking forward to some quiet. And some solace. This is kind of a sad thing.

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When i first started this blog it was meant to highlight creative things. Somehow though, scrapbooking is so much wrapped around an expression of self and a record of the daily , the story of our grand and ordinary lives. How do you share the creative alone when the very essence of this art is to tell a story. As in all stories, this one has a plot. In fact, as it unfolded, it became more of a play. So of course there were actors, lead & supporting. Director and stage hands.A hero . Maybe more than one. Bad guys, definitely more than one. If only to make the story more colorful . From humble beginnings the story evolved and in the last act, everyone was transported to a grand set.

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If it takes 3 hours to complete a one photo layout, then depending on the number of photos you take and would like to scrap, it could take forever to scrap them all. Just a thought. (smile) Well, you have to start somewhere, and scrapbooking is such a therapeutic thing to do on your day off.

This layout was made mostly with product from Crate Paper’s newest collections, Random & Farmhouse. There are a few things I’m loving about these two collections. The rich and intense colors for a start. I’ve taken a real liking to using some of their less busy patterns as my layout base.Like this... Read More

The mini accordion kit has become a tradition at smidapaper since the very first one was created for Valentine’s day 2011. The idea was to present new paper lovers with an almost DIY kit that wouldn’t overwhelm . The 3x3in kit is small, to be sure but it sufficiently holds your memories, your thoughts or your affection if you chose to give it away to someone much loved. The past 3 kits were a treat! For one, I had a nice reprieve from having to crack my head and come up with a new and fresh take on this beloved mini and two, because I had the pleasure of being surprised and impressed by the creative wit and charm of the last 3 designers.
Alas, it was once again my turn, and when the last of Karyn’s & Gareth’s kits were gone, I was still hard pressed to come up with a new... Read More

You never know how much you need your kitchen until you don’t have it! Our home is sealed off at the corridor to our kitchen and every time we need to wash something we have to go through the garden and around the house to get to the kitchen from the front door, then back again , carrying assorted necessities . Kind of like going to the river to get water, I imagine. So our living and dining areas are stuffed with kitchen stuff. This madness will go on for a week or so, more and that’s just the wiring & plumbing and tiles. But after all the mess, I will have a new kitchen. =)

It hasn’t... Read More

While looking at I-Mei’s travel pics I couldn’t help but reminisce about my very own youth. I think I might start a new blog about mid life and all the joy and struggle that come with it. Maybe share some lessons I’ve learnt along the way. Anyway, I took this photo outside the Chanel store in Melbourne. One of many photos standing outside one Chanel store or other. I think I must like their storefronts. Anyway, I was musing about how I used to wonder how old people feel. Well now I’m older I have some answers. And I speak for myself when I say that while a lot changes, a lot remains the same. And while I’m rambling , this ol gal has a tiny bit of advice for you. How fun, I’m old enough to do that. Never regret. Make your choices carefully and then do the best you can. Life is... Read More

This was my original blog post for Friday but for some reason got lost in cyberspace. A random gathering of I-Mei’s travel photos in a simple maya Road mini chip board album. Just paper and rubons and a very modest bit of embellishment. I I love using edge punchers on my projects, this one from Martha Stewart Crafts. My collection of punches is ever growing and they are one of my favorite tools to use. Can’t wait for the new shipment to come in.

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Here are the first of the Lost & Found Two projects. I made the first card for Philip, as usual struggling to make a masculine card . When I was done I made a second similar card for the store. It’s hard for me to express the emotion attached to this simple card. Maybe two words. Celebrate. Thankful. Hmm, maybe those words fall short.

Ming came home for a movie date with Papa. While I worked last night , Philip went through a couple of his titles from his neglected DVD collection. There were a few nice meals involved. Simple things, =)

Birthdays often bring us to a... Read More

Hello crafty people ! I’ve discovered that crafting & blogging, like exercise (moan) needs discipline. Miss a week and it is really hard to get back into the groove, Really , really! And when you do try to get back that rhythm, well it feels a little heavy, draggy. Then once you keep at it for a while , and the endorphins and all the other happy hormones start zooming then you’re on a roll. I wish I could say that’s where I am, but sadly, I’m not quite in the zone yet. The first card I have to share with you, started as a good idea and in the end, it was missing something a few days I just left it. I had fun using my new thread to sew the pieces together . Before this, I only had the white thread that came with the machine.

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