Who would've thought, I'd see my handwriting produced on T-Shirts for a very special occasion? A friend of mine approached me to calligraphy two words she'd need for an upcoming bridal party. It was a very simple thing to do to write down "BRIDE" and "SQUAD" for her. But most importantly, it also gave me the opportunity to play around with the #ProcreateApp for Ipad. Something I have not gotten the chance to do lately. It didn't take long, and a few tweaks on thickness later we had the final design down pat. I'm attaching below a photo of the final product. I'm really happy I got the opportunity to do this. And I find it even more special that is made someone's night something to remember.
Remember: Keep on Creating.
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As i mentioned in my previous post, I'm getting a hang of Photoshop and my new tool the Wacom Intuos Draw tablet. I'm almost done with my online lessons and I feel like I'm getting the hang of it slowly. Same with the wacom, which I've only used a couple of times. So I thought that this would be a perfect time to send out a FREE PRINTABLE!! I dont know about you but I'm a list kind of girl. I have a list for everything: movies i need to watch, things i need to buy and most importantly a TO DO list! So I dont lose track of all these things, I keep them all in a handy notebook. (Calligraphy Ink friendly of course! In case I want to beautify with my pens and such.) Which is why the free printable this time around is a TO DO LIST. The theme is more like a "grocery" feel because I know I have to buy necessities soon. But you can use it for just about anything. Plus, it's very satisfying to tick off an accomplished task -- hence the boxes on the left hand side. Dont you feel productive, when at the end of the day, all your TO DOs have been checked of? Size of the printable is our regular short bond paper (8.5 x 11 inches) so you shouldnt have any trouble printing this using house printers. Hope you enjoy the little freebie!! :) I've also included guidelines for easy cutting. As a tip, you guys can even print a couple of them (say 10 pages making 20 pieces), cut and using some padding glue to make a TO DO pad. You'd have a ready supply of these lists handy for last minute items. Or keep them inside your handbag. That's it for now. Enjoy!
Summer is finally over with school starting everywhere. The past 2 weeks, harassed parents braved the rush to buy notebooks, pencils, books, papers, etc for their kids. Meanwhile, in the spirit of learning, I've decided to brush up on what little I know about Photoshop and learn some more. Note the photo header? That was entirely done in Photoshop!! Pat on the back and applause please. In the past I've relied heavily on Mac application Preview for all my "design" needs. If things got complicated there was always the ever reliable PowerPoint. But I couldnt rely on both forever. Especially when Ive been getting requests for Wedding Suites. I decided it was time for me swallow my fear (and confusion) and finally learn Photoshop. Luckily, a blog I follow offered "beginner" classes online. If you're like me head on over to Lindsey Bugbee's site to enroll yourself in her class. It really is for the beginner -- such as myself-- and even has homework and quizzes you must pass in order to move forward. Don't worry, it isnt super difficult. Plus there's a 70 page e-book you can download to help you along the way. Im currently only on the 3rd lesson (of five) and feel that I've learned so much! In fact, I was able to finish my first wedding invite, and after 2 tries they liked the finished product! Additionally, before bidding Summer farewell, Hubby and I went on our own small vacation to neighboring countries. It was all really for a reunion, H's SSEAYP class was celebrating it's 10th anniversary. So 30 (or so) Participating Youths from ASEAN countries plus family trooped to Bali for a weekend of reconnecting, fun, sun and sea. I've never been to Bali but have read on the beauty of the Island. It didnt disappoint of course! The group had team building activities in the rice paddies --- really getting down and dirty! We also took in the culture by watching the Kechak Dance in Uluwatu. And on our free day, we both visited the waterpark where the world's longest waterslide is located. (Can you imagine the adrenaline??) Soo much fun I tell you! As a side trip we visited Singapore as well where I hoarded on craft stuff. I was able to join in the #emboss trend by buying embossing powder and pen. Here is a piece I made last night from the craft haul. Theres a really satisfaction watching the powder melt from the heat gun. Some chemical reaction is definitely happening there! Yesterday, was officially the last day of summer for many people and Independence Day for the Philippines. We decided to spend it doing outdoor stuff. So H & I mountain biked up Mayon Volcano. It's been a while since I last sat on the saddle so going uphill, there were times I just pushed my bike instead of pedaling. But, the highlight was the view and the downhill experience. A bit hair-raising in some parts where I almost slipped but all-in-all very enjoyable. In the late afternoon, along with the in-laws, we trooped to the Beach to beat off the heat. The waters were quite clear so we decided to free dive. I'm happy to announce Im back to free-dive form. No nasal congestion to get in the way of equalizing. Surprised myself when I was able to go down over 30 Feet in one single breath and check out the artificial reef in Bacacay Gulf. Makes me want to dive again -- SOON. hahaha
So these are the updates for now. As the quote above says "Always be Creating". :) A few posts back I posted how I got planner-envy with some of the people I follow on IG. They make it look so easy to beautify their daily notebook companions when here I am struggling to make mine remotely "artistic". But luckily I've got a weapon in my hand that has helped me become a fraction better at "planner-ing" than I used to. It's the SILHOUETTE CURIO. Ever since I saw the Silhouette Cameo come out years ago, I wanted one. But I had always told myself that it was a frivolous expense and what did I need a plotter-cutter for anyway? But when Silhouette came out with the Curio- a machine that not only can cut but can emboss, deboss, stipple and etch as well -- I was HOOKED! My Curio has been with me since late last year, but I have not had the chance to completely play with it until this planner phase of my crafting career kicked in. Now with the Curio I could put different unique stickers in my planner and all of it would be hand made and cut at home!
But what if you don't have a Curio or a cutter plotter, is everything lost? NO WAY!! Just because you dont have a Silhouette doesnt mean you cant make your own stickers as well. Which is why I'm going to tell you how you can do it yourself with very little spending. And, in the spirit of generosity I am also throwing away a "free printable" of my own below. (PS: Another reason why I'm so excited to share with you this sticker printable is because I conquered my fear of Photoshop and was able to make this completely on my own with the help of stock images of course!)
So what do you need to get your own stickers? Well the obvious is sticker paper and a printer, but another crucial piece is an EXACTO KNIFE. If you cant get one a small cutter would do, but I would advise getting the knife because it's going to make your life easier. They are quite inexpensive and available in the local National Book Store. First off you download the printable below. Do this by CLICKING HERE to be able to get the file from Google Docs. Then open the image in your computer using any photo viewing (and editing) software. If you want to adjust the sizing go ahead. Also if you are a whiz at photoshop you can tweak the images too. But for the basics just open the image and print using your printer. If your printer has color options it would be nice to pick vibrant just so the colors really pop. Another thing, wait for the ink to dry before you start cutting. I didnt wait and some of my stickers got smudged which was a total bummer on my part. So PATIENCE IS KEY! After you've printed on sticker paper get out the Exacto Knife. It would be better to have a cutting mat, but if you dont just make sure you have something underneath the sticker paper so you wont damage the working surface. Slowly but steadily trace out the images with your exacto knife do this until you have completely cut out the stickers. Once you've done them all have fun sticking them on your planner or wherever you like! Don't forget to give a shout out on IG (using @sab_adventures) if you have photos using the stickers. I'd really like to see how you've applied them. In any case thanks much for visiting and allowing me to share this creative brain-fart with the internet world. ENJOY! One of the first cuisines I got introduced to was JAPANESE. It would be such a treat if we could eat in a jap resto when I was younger. I have always loved Japanese food -- it would probably be one of the first exotic cuisines I got to taste. Exotic in the sense that it wasnt normal fare at home. As a kid my favorite would always be miso soup and Ebi Tempura. No fail, that was my go-to order when we would have Family dinners at Okasan (a restaurant along Madrigal Avenue, Alabang). But as I got older, I've begun experimenting on other dishes and have grown to love sushi, teriyaki, ramen and Katsudon. Which bring us to the topic of this blog post. One afternoon, I was craving for Japanese food and Katsudon came to mind. I thought to myself, why not try to make it from scratch? How hard could it be? (I was also going through a DIY phase where I wanted to handcraft, handmake, hand whatever everything!). Again, the internet proved to be a vast resource and I was able to pluck a relatively simple recipe. The next item was to source the ingredients. Friends of mine recently opened an Oriental Grocery here in L.A. (Legazpi, Albay) and had in stock things I would need. If you want to make this -- or other oriental recipes check out DyLeeShious along Rizal Avenue. It's a play on all their last names which is why it's spelled that way, nevertheless food there IS delicious so check it out. To cut the suspense, here is the recipe and a few of my tips: Ingredients:
The rest of the recipe goes like this:
It's a fairly simple recipe and it only took me 30 minutes tops to make! No kidding! This could be in the running for Jamie Oliver's meals. And the hubby loved it so that's a plus. Of course, the finish product didnt have the plating skills of Master Chef contestants but what maters is the taste -- which my number one critic (the hubby) said was AWESOME! If I can make this, so can you. So try it at home. Serve with chopsticks too if you want it to really be authentic. I've got photos below of what my FIRST TRY looked like. haha Maybe with a little practice it would look more presentable. |
Who is sab_adventures?I have always wanted to write. This will now be a creative outlet-- home to all my arts and crafts. So feel free to browse around my everyday adventures. Interests
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November 2016
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