Valerie's ethnicity is a mixture of Filipino, Chinese and Spanish descent. She also comes from a family of prominent artists. Some famous Barredos from her dad's side include Repertory Philippines icon Baby Barredo and uncle Gabriel “Gabby” Barredo the sculptor. There's also Maniya “Honey” Barredo the first Filipino prima ballerina in the world, cousin Maya Barredo who played Kim the U.K. production of Miss Saigon and was recently part of the cast of Lion King, AND the original Kim - Ms. Lea Salonga who is Valerie's aunt! It's no wonder then where she gets her artistic genes.

Unfortunately though, there is no one else in her family that she is aware of who scrapbooks. But that may change pretty soon. Her daughter Lauren has developed quite an interest in the craft and often scraps right by her side in her scrap studio.

Most of her father's side of the family still live in Manila . The last time Valerie visited Manila was back in 1999. Sadly though, Valerie has no immediate plans to visit Manila any time soon.

Valerie does admit that what she misses most about the Philippines are having domestic help and of course, the FOOD. Growing up in South San Francisco helped alleviate the food cravings since Filipino food was always readily available there. But she has never missed the food more than ever after moving to Indiana.

IN HER OWN WORDS...

Valerie tells us all about her “love affair” with scrapbooking. From her early scrapping stages, to her style and technique, her inspiration, personal favorites, future plans, plus a special message to all Filipino scrappers.

SCRAPBOOKING - How it all began

I discovered scrapbooking in late 2000 after my daughter Lauren was born. I was invited to a Creative Memories workshop and was instantly hooked to the hobby.   By then, I was a stay-at-home mom taking hundreds of photos each month (like all proud mommies) and was clueless about how to preserve them.   I've been artsy and crafty since childhood, so when scrapbooking was introduced to me, it was right up my alley.
In the beginning, I used primarily all CM products and the look of my pages was astoundingly different.  I scrapped the way I was shown at the initial workshop.  Shortly, after I had a bit more exposure to the different products that were out there, my style slowly evolved.

After some encouragement from scrappers in my first online scrapbooking forum, I started submitting my work to magazines.  My very first published page is one titled “Heavenly,” featuring my daughter with angel wings.  The issue was the former Ivy Cottage Creations (now Scrapbook Trends), Feb/Mar 2002.  From that point, I started to frequently submit more of my layouts, and more pages were requested.

HOW I SCRAPBOOK– My Style

Sometimes, I feel like I don't really have a distinct style.  Do I?  It is still changing.  Although I wish I was, I am not a simple and fast scrapper by any means.   My style is artistic, creative, and fun.  Creating a good mix of patterned paper combinations and using a variety of products (even from different lines) are what I consider my strong points.  I strive to have great photos (still improving) and meaningful, beyond-the-who-what
where-when journaling in my pages.  

I also love to add dimension to my pages by adding just the right amount of an assortment of embellishments (or I make my own) and texture.  I am crazy about ribbon.  I also love chipboard, rub-ons, and flowers.  Each and every project I create is given tremendous importance, regardless of size or purpose, with even the smallest detail thought through.  

I am still constantly improving my journaling.  After all, this is what my children and future generations will be reading.  I want them to know ME, my thoughts, what meant to me, including ordinary things that occurred. The one thing that I decided on recently for my pages is the importance of handwritten journaling.

I've always known it was important but the ease of computer journaling always seemed more convenient, easier to correct & tailor to fit your pages, and it's neater in appearance. I'd like to design more of my pages using my own hand-journaling. 

THE PROCESS – Creating a Layout

There really isn't a fixed formula that I follow when I get started with a layout. It most definitely starts with the photos.  I usually have the best outcome when I scrap photos I am excited about (such as my kids) and use products I am excited about.

In normal circumstances, the photos dictate my paper and embellishment choices.  I shuffle papers around quite a bit until I am happy with their positioning.  If the design doesn't come to me right away, I will go back to it the next day (if time permits).  It's amazing how differently you see things with the same pair of eyes but on another day.

At times, I will start with the journaling and everything else will fall into place. That's it.  No magic formula.  No sketching out.  Just plain ol' hope-for-the-best & we-shall-see-outcome.