I’m also doing a pretty good job using up my stash, all the hoarded treasures are slowly resurfacing and meeting the light of day. Hello! There’s this paper I love with a watercolor-like image of a bicycle . Sadly I can’t remember which manufacturer made this paper…
And so the days continue to fly by. The store closed today for a month and just ahead are two graduations, a quick trip and a longer family reunion. I miss the old store but I’m happy to have a tiny piece of it and more time for the big and little things and the opportunity to be fully present along this journey, instead of rushing around and having two heads… ha ha! Having a choice must be the best gift one could ever have.

I’m visiting my scrap space more these days, not just to create but also to unclutter and organize stuff and sometimes just to dream. Maybe I’ll post some pictures sometime. Do you have a space you go to when you want to create? Send me a photo and tell me about it and about your creative process, I’m sure others would love to see and be inspired…

Then, of course the big events. Reunions, birthdays, travel. Hey, your life isn’t boring after all.

More than the photos, and the cute stickers and patterned paper, the point is to record the words. Words of your life. How it felt when you walked away form the thing that took up your whole heart. Ah Kong looking so frail yet holding up so well at the reunion. The things the people you love said, or did. Flowers from the market for no reason. Waking up and finding a breakfast treat. How your heart swelled when you noticed , again , how beautiful your children are. These are the things you want to remember. Write them down. You’ll be glad you did, when you leaf through the pages and see the story of your one brave and wonderful life, right before you. In words and in living colour.

If not for Project Life, I would not have taken this photo of my Mum & Aunty TIna. This was Mum’s birthday. She’s 81 and has survived cancer , way beyond the doctor’s expectation. She is a hero. Aunty Tina is 77. She works two jobs at two nursing homes with no plans to retire. Both women are widows and they live for other people. Awesome stuff!

If you’re thinking about doing this, it’s not too late. Start today. Take photos, keep a journal. Putting your week together will only take a couple of hours but the joy it will bring you will surely last a whole lifetime. Not so much scrapping or techniques involved, you’ll want to keep your pages slim and the words and pictures will tell most of the story, so this project works well for both for beginners and advanced scrappers. I’m going to ask I-Mei if she’ll share her Project Life experience. Have a great week!

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” . We’re working on Week 5 now and I’m sure I’ll share some more on this and also , if you haven’t heard of Project Life, I ‘ll tell you more in another post, but today, let’s turn our hearts to the season of love. I was inspired one morning and made 4 cards in one sitting. All four were of the same theme & colour mix. White, cream, kraft and deep red. Well, actually, one of them had a hint of pale teal. If you haven’t started on your Valentine projects, tomorrow’s a good time. I saw a lot of florists putting out their teddy bears and gift carts. As commercial as it has become, what’s the harm in doing something nice to make the people you love happy?

Happy Valentine’s Day to all.

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 you must be saying, ok, ok, get on with it, what happens to us? Well, not all the plans have been established at this point. In simple terms, I don’t know for sure if we will come back as a full fledged scrapbook store but I would like to introduce you to a new idea. ” Random SHOPPING DAYS! ”  What that means is that we will open for a few days month , At A DIFFERENT LOCATION so that you can still get your supplies and carry on crafting , keeping your memories and making meaningful cards & gifts. These SHOPPING DAYS will not be fixed days but will be decided monthly and then Posted On Our Blog or sent to your e mail  via SMIDA stories.

A week after we close, we will announce our SHOPPING DAYS for December, so check www.smidapaper.com for another update on December 1st. Ok, so that’s another smidapaper concept you will need to remember .” UPDATES ON THE BLOG! ”

So, two things to remember, ‘Shopping days ‘ and ‘updates on the blog’. In the meantime, there are still 4 more days to shop at our Straits Quay store and I know you will not want to miss the chance to gather some merry supplies for your holiday crafting . Thank you , thank you for all the kindness and encouragement. And for the inspiration. Don’t stop creating!

Till we meet again.

Sheila

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.

I felt like making a layout using a really old photo of me. I think this was when I was just a slight bit older than Sarah and a few years younger than Mei. This is why I love scrapbooking. This is the reason I do this. To hold a moment, past or present. To put thoughts or feelings in words. ‘Today I looked at this old photo of a younger me, i thought of all the things I’ve learned and experienced, all the places I’ve journeyed, whether in a plane or vessel, on wheels, or on foot or in my head and I pause at this point, if only for a brief respite from the busyness, long enough to be grateful, long enough to notice that I am in a good place and that I am still me” If I didn’t sit and scrap this, or write these words, they would escape. I would not remember them. But by scrapbooking, I can come back to this page and sometime later, even more than sometimes, I can revisit this place when I felt just this way. Awesome.

I have never used so many flowers on a single layout. Most are Prima. This little bit of vintage lace is from Mei, from her travels to Europe. Another butterfly from Crate Paper”s Random collection. The yellow and black polka dotted paper is from Graphic 45. Recently found treasure. I wish I had more! It was fun doing this one. I’m pleased that it turned out in true modern vintage style.

It has indeed been an interesting year. Are you ready to say November? In the week that I’ve made the announcement to close I have received so much feedback from people, that ranged from shocked to seriously sad, and I want to say to you guys, you are truly inspiring , and while this old lady needs some downtime, there will be more for you, just that the ‘what’ has not been established but the thoughts forming in my head are of a place of sharing, more than a place of commerce. As it comes together I will update, who knows, modern vintage style classes might be on the cards. For now, no promises, so no disappointments, I sure have had enough of those. But I believe it will be good.

If you’d like to keep updated on store happenings, visit smidapaper.com and sign up for smida stories, our newsletter. I have an update overdue I know, but I’m not sure what to tell everyone…in the meantime, there’s still a good 4 weeks of smidapaper shopping to go, a whole lot of heaving boxes and rearranging for me and then some christmas crafting for a charity bazaar we are taking part in ,December 9 & 10 plus a little puppy to house train. I think that before I can say November it might just be December. But I’ll try to pay attention to the details and hopefully drop in here from time to time to share some crafting and some life stories. If I don’t see you till November, I wish it will be a good one for you . Thanks for dropping by.

And with all stories or plays, there is an end. This story has played a long run.

I made this layout mostly with My Mind’s Eye paper from their Lost & Found 2 collection. I added bold embellishments from Crate paper’s Random collection and swirly bling from Prima somehow found its way to lend some glamour to the page. As if to celebrate the role of the subject and how precious a part of my life it has been. And it has.

We will begin to phase out the smidapaper story. If you have always wanted or thought about running a creative business, maybe you would like to talk to me or drop me a line. In the meantime, we will continue to serve with as much gusto as ever, right up until the time the curtain falls.

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 black and white chevron stripe print. The design is stylish, yet unobtrusive and leaves room to add bold color and embellishments. Also, pattern like this is neutral and yet lends character without taking focus away from your photo.

Although this looks like a photo of an ancient village, it is in fact an excerpt from acres of fabricated, fairy tale land. This whole property was built from scratch to resemble an ancient lanai kingdom, with all the splendor of a bygone era. As I walked past buildings resembling palaces through exquisite landscaping, horse drawn carriages and all, I couldn’t believe that I was truly in this place that I dreamed of visiting for 5 years. I took hundreds of pictures, not wanting to miss a single detail and I’m so glad I did, now and then going through the photos to once again behold the beauty of this magnificent place. (happy sigh)

I’m also loving all the chipboard accents from these two collections. From the interestingly shaped banners, to the sweet little index tab on the side of the photo and the roomy frame. Try using a frame for your title instead of your photo for an interesting change. I mixed alpha stickers from both collections for my title, and I’m thinking , maybe I should get some more.