How To Start A Scrapbook Club

Keep It Tight

No less than 3-5 members, no more than 10. Too few people and you may as well be watching chick-flick movies, bring out your favorite korea-novelas and passing around potato chips. Too many, and it ceases being a scrapbook club and officially becomes a shindig! Unless, of course, that is exactly what you meant to do all along, you naughty scallywag.

Talk To Your Local Art / Paper Store

Art stores like Paper Market / Made With Love run their own scrapbook clubs and workshops, but they’re also invaluable if you’re starting your own. Smaller independent clubs will often have staff members who specialize in clubs. It’s worth making an appointment with them to see what they can offer you. Depending on the shop, some can even host your club in their workshops/stores, or hold mini presentations of new product releases that might suit you for next month’s projects. Some shops can organize discounts if you’re a member.

Same Bat-Time, Same Bat-Channel

Find a day of the week that suits everyone’s schedules and doesn’t conflict with yoga classes, jobs or band practices. First Monday night of each month that sort of thing. Then stick with it. Unless it’s just a fad they why the hell are you putting a club for?

Call the Shots

It’s bit painful to say this, but democracy doesn’t always work. (See: current affairs on Philippine Democracy). Scrapbook clubs nominate their lead designer of the month, which will appoint the theme and color scheme of the month. But this approach inevitably ends in heartache and horror. I’ve seen people bring in their own designs and preferred color scheme, some people are drawn to subtle dainty designs while others aim for the hot flashy ones. Members will compare, stare and judge each other’s color selection and even add in the personality data linked to each hue, and this may lead to personality clashes . As the organizer, call the shots and determine the color scheme or theme of the month, if you want to make a vote stick to the winning theme even if it’s Goth or way too bizarre  for someone else’s taste.

Be Diverse

Over the course of  6-9 months, there’s plenty of room for design themes. Go for something completely different every time, and each month I am sure there is something festive happening that you can use as inspiration. Move from Valentine’s to Spring themes to Summer and the list goes on.  Aim to consider designs and themes from different countries and culture, especially if you’re living in a heavily multi-racial influenced nation; there so much inspiration around you.

Cast for Conflict

You’ll never please everyone, so don’t aim to. Don’t aim to please yourself either. Some may have a slightly different interpretations over themes and designs, in short we all have our “own and unique” style… and think back what is the sole purpose of putting a club anyway? To share and Inspire, not to dwell on ill feelings and start a cat fight.

Blog It

Share your work, your ideas and well the photos documenting the results of your she-bang collab-projects, a lot of people nowadays resort to D-I-Ys, and somehow want to get their inner Martha Stewart known.. some even make profit out of their scrapbook shindig, plus it’s also a great way to invite more people, create diversity or exchange ideas.

Have Fun

This is scrapbook club, not a boring seminar. Good scrapbook clubs involve good music, some food and a good cuppa. Go to your partner workshop or if you’re hosting the club at someone’s house, make everyone bring food and drinks to share. The sign of a good club is when everyone goes home, equally intoxicated with joy and filled with creative mojo.

 

 

Inspired by B. Law's How To Start a Book Club

The Story of Hana

I was advised to write down the stories I tell my kids during bedtime... so I am attempting to pen it down a notebook so they could keep it despite of my horrible handwriting... but I realised that might take longer to finish so, now, I am taking advantage of the this thing called technology, and type the stories first, this version would be great since they wouldn't have to squint all the time while reading these stories, hehe. well here is one... let me know what you think?

See you loves,
D.

The Story of Hana
For my children, so they will know the ways to wonder.

There is a girl named Hana who lives with her mother by the sea.

Hana loves to take walks by the shore with her mother, they will spend early mornings listening to the waves crashing on the rocks nearby and birds chirping flying high. And in the afternoons, she will pick up shells of different textures along the beach; there are smooth shells, and rough ones. She will feel the surface of each shell with her hands, when the shell is soft she will rub it gently on her face enjoying the cool and smooth feel… after that she will place  them inside her sling bag.

She would bring the shells home and add it to her collection, she will give her favorite finds to her mother, her mother makes and sells crafts in her small gift shop. The best sellers are the colorful dream catchers and chimes made of shells, her mother will decorate the dream catchers with the shells that Hana have found.

Hana loves this activity but is always very sad because, there is one thing that she is lacking… no matter how beautiful her surrounding is, she cannot fully see them, for Hana is half blind. She cannot fully see how her mother weave the dream catchers nor the many happy colors of their strings. When Hana was 4 years old, she had a very high fever, and it had affected her eye sight, her sight diminished as time pass by, and by the age of 5… Hana had became half blind.

Despite of this, Hana is a very special girl, she have this unique ability to taste emotions and sounds and tell what their colors are. You might ask how and why can someone taste a sound, when sound simply don’t have taste, much more colors at all?

Hana discovered something odd about herself, it happened during the morning of her 7^th birthday. She discovered that she have special taste buds and special way of seeing sounds. On that morning, she heard her mother crying in the kitchen. She walked slowly towards the kitchen to ask the reason why. Her mother was cooking their breakfast, when Hana came nearer, instead of smelling and tasting the aroma of the food that her mother was preparing, she tasted something else; it was salty and bitter-sweet, it made Hana’s face frown, in her mind she could see that the colors were dark gray too and a little brown.

When she reached the kitchen, Hana spoke to mother “Mama, I can taste your tears from here… why are you crying? Are you sad about something?”. Startled, Hana’s mother quickly wiped her tears away as if Hana could really see her crying. “Do not worry dear, the onions I was chopping made my eyes water.” Replied Hana’s mother. Her mother thought and wondered, how could have Hana tasted her tears, or maybe she heard it quite unclear, so she asked Hana about this… “Hana, you said you can “taste” my tears?”, Hana turned her face towards her mother’s voice and replied; “Yes, I think I could… it was salty and a little bitter...”

“Well that is odd…” Hana’s mother thought, “how can my daughter taste the saline from my tears?”.

Her mother walked towards Hana and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Oh my sweet daughter, what a funny thing to say, now you made mama smile.” Hana looked up to her mother and said, “but I really could mama, now when you kiss me, it’s a sweet kind of taste and I can imagine it to be yellow!” Hana’s mother smiled, and hugged her tight… she wondered if this is right, or maybe her daughter was just imagining it. Her mother turned back into preparing breakfast and decide to set aside for a while what her daughter has just told her.

After breakfast Hana and her mother went outside for their morning walk by the shore, along the beach there were lots of people passing by, whether to sun bathe or simply go by their usual morning routines. They passed by a couple of neighbors, one of them smiled and said hello to Hana’s mother. Hana turned to her mother and said “Mama, it’s a citrusy sweet flavor!” that lady must be happy. Then after a short while another neighbor walked past, stomping his feet with an angry look, “Oh, this one tastes awful!” blurted Hana, “did that person look angry mama?” she asked. Hana’s mother didn’t reply but in her mind, she decided that her daughter needs to see a doctor. Hana’s mother was worried on this new condition… she don’t remember anything that had happened the day before, that might lead to Hana’s ability to taste sounds and people’s emotions.

At home that afternoon, Hana’s mother called the nearest hospital to inquire for a doctor, a specialist that may help answer her questions. She was advised to make an appointment to a child psychiatrist named  Dr. Andrea.

Dr. Andrea will help Hana figure out what is causing for her to taste emotions and sounds. The doctor spoke to Hana’s mother and settled a date for the appointment the following day.

The next morning, they both woke up early to prepare to see the doctor. On the way to the doctor’s clinic, Hana kept on describing to her mom the kind of tastes she has in her mouth: Sweet and citrusy when someone is happy; bland when someone’s mood is down; chocolate when she hears kids laughing; bitter when someone is angry, and salty when someone is crying.

At the clinic, Hana’s mother described to Dr. Andrea what Hana had been experiencing.  Dr. Andrea was fascinated with what she’s been told, this is quite a rare condition after all. The doctor told Hana’s mom that Hana has developed a sensory phenomenon called synesthesia, a condition in which one can perceive words and sounds in color and have a specific taste for the sounds.  The doctor assured Hana’s mother that although there is no treatment,  this is not a condition that she should worry about. Dr. Andrea added that it is also rare case because Hana is half blind… the doctor thinks that Hana might have this ability all long, but it had took her a while to realize that she has this gift. The doctor encouraged Hana’s mother to send her to a special school where they can help Hana grow her ability. Hearing all this from the doctor, Hana and her mom can now rest their minds. 

At home, Hana tried to practice her newly discovered ability, she played some music and described to her mom the color and the tastes of the sounds. Hana felt she wanted to play a musical instrument so she can learn more… her mom promised to help her and hugged her daughter tight. Hana held pressed onto her mother’s chest; saw in her mind the happiest colors and in her mouth the sweetest taste.

The end.

DRAFT – 26 June 2014.

The Sea and I

Well hello there loves, it's been quiet on this side of the web....  you must be wondering what had been eating up Darelam... and a little curious on what have I been up to these days? I suppose I could recount the last 15 months but we would need a couple of weeks or (maybe) more to go through the events. But I believe that some moments in the past sometimes are better left untold, until the perfect moment to recount them arrives. I promise I will share with you some accounts of my journeys in the past year and a half but in the mean time, I want to talk about a place that is very close to my heart, no, it's not home but second to that... the sea.

I am not so sure if it is just a coincidence that I am born under the sign of fishes that I am drawn to the sea, with its many mysteries and the endless wonders. The colours from gold to gray to blue and aquamarine, I get so excited to see them that I make sure my girls get to know the sea... the sea have always been one of my main setting when I tell stories for my girls. In my stories,  I imagine lovers from different worlds emerge from the foamy shore to find their place in each others arms. Or sea creatures with wings hopping on top of the waves only to be captured by pirate men and then be saved by the brave hero. Alphie and Noa enjoyed these short sea tales I weave during bedtime, they listen with such enthusiasm that I myself at times caught within the story and get lost in the corals and maze of seaweeds.

When I was young I had this fascination with the sea and its creatures; each summer I would beg my mom or uncles to take me to the beach, and while there; I will get some sea water and examine it like a scientist, I would collect shells to bring home and imagine they came from a mermaid's necklace. My mom noticed how much I love doing this and hearing I want to work with dolphins and whales someday, that she bought me a children's encyclopedia about marine life. Oh how I adored that book ! I tried to memorize the contents; what the planktons are, different types of marine mammals, which ones can breathe both on land and water etc. In highschool I even put in marine biologist as an aspiration hehe, in college I would say it would be Marine Astronaut (lol).

I believe that the sea is within us; our emotions are like its waves, sometimes calm and some other times raging like a storm. Our thoughts are deep and rich whether with creativity or memories. Not to mention; our sweat is salty, and our bodies comprise of morethan 60% of water, the list goes on... !

Today, I live in this Island City, and the most I could get close to the sea or body of water is by a manmade beach and a river, but that's alright, the waters and waves calm me... and now I share that joy with my very own merfolks; two sweet mermaids who can run on sand and grass. Their voice call out to me with love, and they excite me and fill my heart with joy... much like the sea.

when I'm in love

When I am in love;

In my stomach butterflies dance,

In my chest my heart leaps from side to side

My mind wanders at midday to a dream.

When I am in love;

There is no doubt about it,

There is no hiding it,

My smile will give me away.

When I am in love;

I begin to have bouts of uncertainty,

Clouds of doubt begin to hang above me,

But I will pull the sun out from its hiding.

When I am in love;

I will not be able to contain my heart from leaping,

Each time the sweet sound of a name rings in the air,

And the butterflies dance over and over.

-d

Orasyon

Nasaan na kaya ang mga tikbalang? mga asuang at mangkukulam?
Ala-sais na at takip-silim; magmamadaling walisan ang bakuran, isasarang maigi ang pinto sa likuran, ni anino ng mga anghel ay di makakapuslit sa mahigpit na kandadong ilalagay.

Magoorasyon, luluhod, sa lahat ng santo'y tatawag; naway lampasan nila ang aking bubungan, naway huwag ako hayaang mamaluktot sa takot sa magdamag.


-darelam

Dear Paul

I never thought I would see these little cookie gems and get reminded of how you used to snatch them from me when we were kids...

You know, no matter how hard I resist, I can't help but smile on that sweet memory and sitting here, looking like a fool on the train. 10.10 was your day; you could've been 33, we could've been still snatching cookie gems at this age.

Although I miss you, I hope you enjoy your cookie gems in heaven.

J.