Yes, Virginia....

A Card with Ribbon Tabs

2012-02-16T08:00:00.002-05:00

Today's card was prompted by the CREATE Blog Challenge (ribbon tabs). I find that I don't use ribbons enough since tying ribbons is really not my forte. BUT ribbon tabs? I think I can handle that!!

I had this stamp Farmer's Market for a while now. This rooster image made the first debut in my blog! As you can see, I used the stamp-kissing technique with the Envelope Pattern. That way it makes the image more interesting. The sentiment is from SRM Stickers. I love how the ribbon tabs add the pizazz to this card! AND.....Did you know that I ALSO submit this card for the last Stamp It publication call? Well, it's another reject!! I still like it a lot. And thank you for the wonderful comments about my previous post about DT/submissions. I really appreciate your encouraging and heartfelt comments.

Next week I am taking a small blog break. I have been blogging feverishly since the start of the New Year. Dr. John jokingly said that I am tiring my followers out! He sure HAS a point! However, there will be CAS-ual Fridays and Lily Pad posts coming up, so please stay tuned!

Facing Rejection

2012-02-15T13:15:00.009-05:00

One of the challenges when you enter the card-making challenges and pub submission call is facing rejection. Yes,...you know what I am talking about! I must say that I am dealing with it better as I go along. As the time goes by, my skin has grown thicker and thicker...and thicker.

I don't jump up easily on the chance to apply to some design teams. However, just not too long ago, I did apply to The Twinery DT and I was not picked. ~~( I guess I suck at using the twines from The Twinery?)~~ And guess what? My latest selected Stamp It card that was picked has ---lo and behold---TWINES (a few of my published cards have THE twines...come to think of it)! Surprisingly, I didn't feel too bad about not getting picked for the Twinery DT. Guess I didn't want it as badly as I thought....or perhaps the sheer rejection was just part of the whole deal. Yup, I am still here--blogging away about it. It's kind of liberating actually to be able to share my thoughts with you.

Still, it is not all that easy to see your card that you created from the heart not getting picked or noticed. Instead of feeling sad and sorry, I am sharing a card today that is one of the many rejects from my card submissions (using paint). The stamps are from Hero Arts Farmer's Market. The sentiment is from SRM Stickers. As you may know now, they are my go-to supplies.

I honestly believe as long as you are passionate about what you do, it really doesn't matter what the outcome is ( yes, it stings a little...but do tell yourself that EVERY time you get a rejection, OK?). Just ask Jeremy Lin. Yup, I have gone Lin-sane on this kid who conquers the barriers of the stereotype of NBA basketball players. He is truly an underdog and I simply love the energy that Lin brings into the NBA. Hey, if you can get a 50-year old Asian lady super excited about watching basketball game, your. job. is. done! It's the little things that count. Thanks for visiting me here!

OLW #78

2012-02-14T01:00:00.009-05:00

This week's One Layer Wednesday is all about Circles, Circles, Everywhere. I decided to do a little "exercise" and join the fun.

I think a little masking really creates a great focal point and leaves room for a bit of Oomph! This is my 2nd attempt of this design. The first time I went overboard on circles. ( I think I had close to 20 circles!!).

On another note (not card-related), my daughter Stephanie has been caught up with the Linsanity lately . This Jeremy Lin is the new break-out basketball star/phenom in NBA. Stephanie thinks he is simply awesome in all his playing and mostly, he lives his Christian faith out in public....AND he is Taiwanese American. (I'm from Taiwan originally)

A conversation between me and Dr. John
(watching a You Tube video of Lin's playing)

Dr. John: Hey, he is wearing no. 17...my number! (Dr. John's birthday is on the 17th)

V: Sure, I think Jeremy and I are related!

Dr. John: Yeah?

V: we are both Taiwanese!

Dr. John: Sure, you also got the tall genes!( I am 5 feet 3--with heels!)

V.: No chocolate for you!

Happy Valentine's Day!

edited: Feb. 12--11:36pm

Check this out!! I am officially LIN-Sane!

Runway Inspired Challenge #5

2012-02-13T00:00:00.002-05:00

The 2012 Spring fashion is upon use again...what's a card-maker to do? I am jumping on the creative wagon over Runway Inspired Challenge #5 to honor Spring.

For me, it was truly a challenge to come up with something very light, soft and subtle. After playing with a stamps, I decided to use vellum and butterfly to interpret the light colors and hues in this gorgeous photo.

In order to capture the light in the inspired photo, I stamped partial Envelop Pattern for the square and embossed the the butterfly stamp (from Lauderdale Floral ) in white over blue vellum. I also did some scoring to mimic the skirt of the model. I chose the sentiment from SRM Stickers (Faith) because it seems perfect for this design. I am thankful to God in many things...creating for the fun is one of the many blessing I have. Have a blessed day!

From Zero to Hero!

2012-02-12T00:00:00.010-05:00

One of the best things about card-making is to turn the a piece of "waste" into something that you can actually use again! Case in point, I had these envelopes left from previous project (see here)

I still have quite a few left on my craft desk...what to do? I turn one into a pocket card!

EVERYTHING will almost always look good when you pluck a butterfly on it....?

Not sure if this fits the theme of Moxie Fab World Challenge (see Around The House challenge), but I am entering it just for the fun of it. Anyhow I hope this will make you look at the everyday household items with a different perspective!

edited: I thought this card is such a ~~ho hum~~ ordinary project and that no one is going to notice! However, with all the wonderfully positive feedback and responses, I am overwhelmed and I will now try to come up with more ways to use. those. envelopes! So please stay tuned!

The Die Cutting Challenge

2012-02-11T00:00:00.010-05:00

When I first stumble back into card-making in the fall of 2009, the biggest purchase was a Cuttlebug. Once I had that machine, I felt---INVINCIBLE! That is still true to this day! Although there are many more fancy die cut machines that came to the market since, the little good old "bug" is still alive and kicking and running.

Today is my chance to pay homage to that little wonderful machine. I am sharing a card that I made with diecut/stamp from Hero Arts. I am entering this card for Moxie Fab World's Die-Cutting Challenge ( my last one was the little umbrella card ) and Hero Arts Challenge (see here )

With the butterfly diecut, the design can not get any more simple! I thoroughly enjoyed making this card and felt that I had achieved something "major"!! It's all because of the little machine that could!

Card stock:Bazzill Basics, white (Recollections), Grenadine Layering Paper by Hero Arts

Pattern paper:senora from indie bloom Collection from Basic Grey

Stamp:Butterfly from Antique Engraving by Hero Arts-Sizzix

Ink:Distress Ink (Vintage Photo) by Ranger

Accents: SRMPress (sentiment), pearls (Hero Arts), Liquid Pearls Dimensional Paint(Platinum Pearl, Buttercup), Stickles by Rangers, 3 D-dots (E K Success)

I am happy to report that a card of mine got picked up from the Stamp It (Paper Crafts) submissions. It was a last-minute card that I made on the last day of submission!! So...that just tells you that you never know what Paper Crafts is looking for. ANY card has a fair chance to be picked! I am sharing this A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes (video) with you ( which I posted in Paper Crafts Facebook upon getting the good news). This was how I felt when I received the happy acceptance e-mail from PC ( my other Prince Charming)!!

This is a SWEET photo that my daughter Stephanie took.

Thought this might make you feel...happy!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge # 39

2012-02-10T00:01:00.019-05:00

Hello, it's CAS-ual Fridays Challenge time! I am excited about this one as I LOVE paper-piecing! Don't you? If you have colorful paper, pattern paper...it's time to get them out to play!

Our sponsor is: The Craft's Meow

I had this set called In Tandem. I stamped the tandem as the background and paper pieced the pin wheels with Basic Grey (Out of Print) paper.

I also added the white gel pen details and really like the effect is gives. So....I hope this will get you in the mood to play and join the fun challenge! Please link up your CAS project to CAS-ual Fridays by Feb 15 Midnight Eastern Time. Can't wait to see your creation!

Valentine's Day Card!

2012-02-09T00:00:00.041-05:00

Just sharing a Valentine's Day card that I made for the CREATE Blog.
Even though I made a lot of love-related cards lately, there is not one specifically for Valentine's Day.

Last week I received some new Hero Arts stamps and yummy Basic Grey paper !! It was HEAVEN! One of the new goodies is the pattern paper called Little Black Dress from Basic Grey. Let me tell ya, this collection is sleek and gorgeous....and yes, it's like a little secret weapon! The rich deep dark colors from the paper really sets the tone for this card. So it happens that I can enter this to the Basic Grey Flickr Friends: Hearts gallery. The heart stamp I used is from Friend, You're the Best. One stamp pretty much does it all (background and main images)

Stamping on pattern paper is one of my favorite things to do. The SRM Stickers come in really handy for the design. I just added that on the side of the stamped image. And the little word "chosen" on the heart? It was an after thought. I had a little bit of sentiment sticker left, so I thought:" why not? " and applied it to the heart.

With all the new stamps, I made a few very last minute submissions to the latest Stamp It (by Paper Crafts). Yesterday over Paper Crafts Facebook, I saw one of my very cards on their table (squeal!!)--meaning there is a small chance to be picked!!! I thought that I may be delusional, so I got my son David to take a peek for me AND he thinks it's MY card! I now am eager to find out if it made the cut!!!

CAS-ual Fridays' new challenge is up next! I think you will love it to pieces ;)

Tuesday Trigger ( Fancy Schmancy)

2012-02-08T00:00:00.007-05:00

It's been a while since I played Tuesday Trigger (details here). The latest one is just too delicious to pass up.

I took the doily, color combo, textures into my design. I embossed the Starburst Lace and added the die cut (with Untitled Word Shadow). The punched-out butterflies are from Cosmo Cricket paper. Here is my interpretation.

The gorgeous lacy ribbons is from my sweet HA Flickr friend Cheiron . I really like how it added the interest against the brown. I had to re-do the love image. Originally it was the same hot pink as the layering card stock, but I find all the pink were too glaring, so I embossed the image over Bazzill Basics (watermelon). It is easier on the eyes now, I think. Thanks so much for stopping by!

OLW #77

2012-02-07T12:30:00.015-05:00

It's been a while since I played One Layer Wednesday. I made a last minute card to enter the challenge just for the fun of it. Happy Birdie is the theme. Now I am still in love with this Merriest Christmas Wish stamp and I can't just tuck it away yet.

Here are some photos to show you how I made the card. First I did some masking. You can't beat that FREE Tylenol sticky pad (sourced from Dr. John's office)!

The new inks from Hero Arts are FABULOUS! If you need some new ones, I highly recommend them!

The first two tries weren't so good. The edges and inking were not perfect.

Finally I got a better result on the 3rd try. As for these two not-so-good images, I will punch out a circle or a large square and re-purpose them. So they are definitely NOT a waste!

Thanks so much for your comments on my umbrella card yesterday. I was overwhelmed by the positive responses and sweet comments. What can I say? You make me want to be a better stamper :)

edited: After I posted this, I realized the sentiment should be for "birthday" for the OLW Challenge!! Ah well...I was too eager to share and forgot that little detail!

Take on Die Cutting Challenge!

2012-02-06T00:00:00.010-05:00

I simply LOVE making cards from the scraps of my diecut. Yes, scraps! Today I am sharing a card that was made with leftover from a previous project (see here ). To keep the challenge spirit going, I am entering the moxie Fab World's Die Cutting Challenge.

This is what I started out with. I tried out different materials for the umbrella handles (see descriptions in the photo)

When I layered the oval diecut over the scraps...I had the "A-ha" moment! Did you spy a paper clip? Yup, the yellow "handle" is made from a large yellow paper clip. I cut off the excess with a pair of dull scissors and used the curvy part for the handle. I guess this also fits the challenge Around House Challenge

Did you know how I came about the idea? When I was working on this card,I was quickly summoned to work as a temp at Dr. John's office. I was not terribly happy about the interruption! So I went. While I minded the front desk and waited for him to see the patients, I took at look at the front desk drawer--there it is, a big yellow paper clip! I found my "umbrella handle" (SCORE!).

I guess working at the office was a good thing after all (LOL)! The dotted background was first stamped in Faded Jean Distress Ink, then I applied the Perfect Pearl Dimensional Glue for the added shine and dimensions. I colored the sentiment with copics for added colors!

Thank you for brightening my day by visiting me here!

Edited: After seeing this blog post, Dr. John :"Hey! There's my yellow paper clip! I have been looking all over for it!" (yeah....right:)

What is Dr. John thinking?

2012-02-04T12:00:00.002-05:00

Quite a few of you asked me about Dr. John....whatever happened to his wise-cracking remarks and jokes!? Apparently this feature seems to be missed! Well, here it is today!

After blogging about how to use the scraps for stamping (details here), I told him how "brilliant" my idea was since that post generated a lot of comments and feedback! He then leaned over and said:" No need for new stamps! You can make your own magic from now on"!! I had to laugh on that one! (it's NOT going to happen)!

Here is a blog post excerpt from my daughter Stephanie about our own style of humor

har har
My Mom was the class clown growing up. She entertained her classmates by imitating teachers behind their backs and she starred in various high school plays including a role as the Emperor in The Emperor’s New Clothes.
My Dad has a reputation for his witty remarks and one-liners. He is a regular guest on my Mom’s blog Yes, Virginia… where he has his own feature titled “What is Dr. John thinking?”. The ladies call him a “keeper” and I have to admit that I often quote him on facebook.
My brother also has quite the sense of humor. He can be both witty and silly - a combination of our parents humor all in one. No one makes me laugh as much as he does.
As for myself, I have a knack for talking like a hillbilly. Today I said “my bad” with said accent and it cracked my Mom up.
…now is it just me or did someone here get the short end of the stick?!

conversations overheard in my household:

On getting driver's license

David:	I need to get my G license.
Mom:	No you don't. You have legs!
Dr. John:	All you really need is a thumb.

On the advantage about stamping instead of skiing

David: My friend's Dad got a concussion while skiing...

Virginia: That is too bad! See, that's why it is BEST to stamp in the winter time. You can never injure yourself!

Stephanie: NOT true, you can still hurt yourself...

David: Yeah, ...like paper cut!

Stephanie: Exacto knife!!
Virginia: Well, that's the "risk" I am willing to take....

Dr. John: Paper trimmer!!!

Stephanie: Hot glue gun!.... And you can squish your hand in Cuttlebug!

David: And that blower dryer....

Virginia: Blow dryer!? Oh, you mean heat embossing tool (LOL)! It's SAFE!

Dr. John: What if you emboss while you take a shower!!!!?? You can get electrocuted!

.........pause...laughter!!

As you and I....and Dr. John can all agree: "Laughter is the best medicine"!!
Lastly I am sharing what I did with my "scraps".

Yup, don't throw the extra stamped images away.... it actually looks good on the cover!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge # 38

2012-02-03T00:01:00.125-05:00

It's CAS-ual Fridays time! We had amazing entries from last week's challenge--125 of them! This week is going to be another SUPAH fun challenge! We are in the mood for MOVIES since it's Oscar time soon! Got any favorites? New or old ones?

The theme: On the Red Carpet- The nominations are in for the 84th Academy Awards to be held later this month.We would love to see what movie inspires you....

The challenge: Create a CAS project inspired by a movie-ANY movie.

Sponsor: Simon Says Stamps

The prize: SSS gift card AND a guest design spot as the temp for Cas-ual Fridays (awesome, huh?)

I LOVE romantic comedies! So when I found out about the latest romantic comedy Midnight in Paris by Woody Allen, I am all the more intrigued to see it. It's one of the nominated movies for best picture in this year's Academy Award! (Check out the trailer here ) No, I haven't seen it yet, but it's on my MUST-do list! I took the inspiration from the movie poster....

here is my version

I simply masked all borders and layered the stamping and make it look like a post card. I was eager to use my newly ordered Newsprint Eiffel Tower. But it's too bad that the stamp didn't come yet. So I resorted to an old favorite Paris and a new set You're the Best. I think it worked! I mean, Paris is Paris no matter how you envision it or what stamp set you use....it's romantic! I am sharing two photos of me and Dr. John in Paris back in 2008.

This one was taken at the top of Arch de Triomphe. You can see Eiffel Tower in the background

We'd love to go back again!

I can't wait to see what you create! Please link up your CAS/project to CAS-ual Fridays by Feb. 8, Wednesday Midnight Eastern Time. I will be....
coming to a ~~movie theater~~ blog near you!

Cards with Many Hearts

2012-02-01T12:00:00.003-05:00

I love making cards with hearts these days...perhaps it's the cold weather, or maybe it's because Valentine's Day is coming up soon!? Anyhow I am sharing a card prompted by CREATE Blog (cards with more than 6 hearts). I thought of this card design out of the blue --pretty original, huh? My son David used to LOVE playing the tic tac toe with me when he was little. He usually won more often than I did! Don't you love seeing your kids win!?

Stamps: You're the Best by Hero Arts, SRM Stickers (LOVE), Basic Grey paper

BIG thanks to all of you for being part of the blog hop for Cath, whether you posted a card or leave us bloggers a sweet comment or two, YOU had made the hop a success!

This is what Cath wrote in her Facebook yesterday.
Just one of the many, many reasons why I love my job. I've said it before and I'll say it again, card makers are some of the most thoughtful people on the planet. Thank you Virginia and Lorena--I feel so incredibly loved. :)

I feel so blessed, too! xoxo

For Cath (sans CHA) with Love Blog Hop

2012-01-31T00:00:00.110-05:00

As many of you will know, Moxie Fab World's Cath Edvalson (Trends Editor of Paper Crafts) won't be able to attend CHA next week due to a nasty pain in one of her shoulders. So... to cheer her up and thank her for "bringing" all of us to CHA with her during these past years, I thought we could surprise her with a blog hop.....

The above was what Lorena wrote for our Facebook event. My sweet blog friend Lorena first Flickr mailed me about her idea (she already has Susan Opel's OK) and before you know it, with a little input and help from me, a blog hop was born within an hour!

Here we are today to share our creations to cheer Cath up! Any Get Well Soon/Feel Better/Sending hugs... cards/creations are much appreciated. After all, Cath has done so much for us card-makers over at Moxie Fab World, this is a great way to show her our appreciation and love!

I used this cute Penguin Doc stamp from the Memory Box and made this card with some Japanese Washi tape, Hero Arts Heart stamp and SRM stickers (sentiment).

You can skip this part if you want---> Cath encouraged me when I first started submitting cards to the challenges over at Moxie Fab challenges back in 2010. I was feeling frustrated after many attempts with poor results. So I wrote her an e-mail (!!) ---the nerve I had!! Cath took her precious time to write me a lengthy e-mail in return. She encouraged me to keep the submissions coming and to just keep having FUN.... That e-mail alone made a huge difference to me in my little card world! So thank you very much for that, Cath! I hope your shoulder condition will greatly improve and that the specialist has the wisdom to solve this nasty shoulder pain and come up with a great treatment plan. With this card, I hope to make your day a bit brighter!

With or without you being at CHA, you are always the moxie fab Cath!!

Please enjoy the blog hops from all the talented and sweet card-makers all over the world! Big thanks to Lorena-my partner in ~~"crime"~~ hop! Please link up your project post with the inLinkz if you made one already! If not, there is still time to join!

LESSology Guest Design (Challenge #10)

2012-01-30T00:01:00.052-05:00

It is my absolutely pleasure to share my guest design work with you today. Back at the end of December, I was so excited when Yvonne over LESSology invited me to guest design for the Jan. Theme Floral Delight. Well, that time is here!

If you don't know much LESSology, you will love it once you know what this challenge blog is all about. This ingenious logo says it all. I love love these two girls and their work!

That's right, it's about upcycling and altered art! As you may know, I love upcycling and this gives me the extra push to expand my horizon! The Challenge #10 Floral Delight sounds like FUN, huh? Fabric blooms? Paper flowers? You can make any floral cards/projects with your spectacular floral creations! Here is my take...

Can you guess what's the material that I used for the flower?

I used Godiva Chocolate Candy wrap for this card. The stem and leaves were stamped and the bottom part of the card was dry embossed. Since the candy wrap is very strong and pliable, it was easy to turn it into a flower. I merely cut the top part into strips! Love the effect that it gives! Next is a photo of the supplies that I used.

Instructions:

1. Emboss flower over a piece of card board in Martha Stewart Red Embossing Powder and then cut out carefully. (note: choose a simple shape flower for easy cutting)

2. Light stamped background in Distress Ink (Scattered Straw) and then apply flower to card stock with thin strip of double-sided tape

3. Punch out small flower and roll the ric rac for the flower center.

4. Apply Glossy Accent to secure the flower.

5. Apply SRM Sticker over Hero Arts Grenadine layering paper and make a banner

6. Apply white and yellow Dimensional Glue to the flowers for interest

Here is the close up

So what do you think? Join the fun with me over LESSology! I bet you will come up with ideas that will amaze you!

Lastly, I thought these two cards are perfect for the Moxie Fab World's Around The House Challenge. Sure, why not!?

Did You Know....

2012-01-29T12:30:00.003-05:00

.....that you can use the "scraps" from the stamp package? Huh!? Here is my little "discovery" while making an impromptu card this Sunday morning.... I felt that I NEED to make something, something for FUN. This challenge over CASE Study (challenge #75) really strike my fancy! After looking at the my stamps, I realize I ~~NEED~~ want a strip of rubbah!And look what I did! I cut off the excess of this cling set's negative strip and voila! There is my strip of rubber!!

Here is the result

Lately I am in a rainbow mood...perhaps the winter blah is getting to me and I crave for colors. So thanks for letting me share my little "fix"! I'll be back tomorrow with a guest design post!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge # 37

2012-01-27T00:01:00.046-05:00

Hello! It's CAS-ual Fridays! I am loving the themes that we have. This week is a sketch challenge!

Our sponsor: Sweet N Sassy stamps

Here is my take:

Supplies used: Alphabet Pattern, Type(sentiment) by Hero Arts, Peppermint Polly by Penny Black, SRM Stickers We've Got you Borders, buttons, twines (The Twinery), Scalloped Rectangle (Spellbinders), copics

Hope you love this sweet card! I had so much fun making it! Please link up your CAS project to CAS-ual Fridays by Wednesday Feb. 1 Eastern time! I can't wait to see what you create!

More Cutting and Trimming!

2012-01-26T00:00:00.035-05:00

Have you ever stumbled on an idea and then after exploring some more, you just couldn't stop thinking about the other possibilities? Well, this was the case for me with the Martha Stewart Trimmer.I am also entering this card for the Moxie Fab World's Cutting and Trimming Challenge.

After making this card, I couldn't let go of the idea and this time...I want to think BIG. I want to make a BIG flower! So here is the result after playing with the trimmer.

Since the trimmer is so easy to use, I actually trimmed some of the paper twice!

You may notice that from the tall and fine "grass".

Supplies: Hero Arts Untitled Word Shadow, Basic Grey (Out of Print), SRM Stickers, ric rac, gems

Thank you for stopping by!

Party In A Bag!

2012-01-25T03:00:00.003-05:00

Today is the day to share the latest release from SRM Stickers. It's called "Party In a Bag"! I think it's such a brilliant idea. In this day and age, who wouldn't want to make some party favors and invites quick and easy? These new stickers really make the task effortless!

Starting with some fun and yummy invitations, I used the Scalloped Rectangles and Oval diecuts (from Spellbinders) to create a purse-like treat bags. I packaged them with the salt water candy-- YUM! Now who can say no to a party invite like this?

A close-up

Next is the party table display! I used long bread sticks for the tubes and make them the centerpiece at the party table. With the Party Time Stickers, this takes little time to create! The windmills party sticks were from Pier 1 Import. I think the possibilities for the stick toppers are endless !

Lastly, I made some cards with the stickers. They can be any birthday cards or thank-you cards for AFTER-party!

The party in a Bag comes with 4 envelops and cards.

I hope this project will inspired you to create quick and easy party projects.

This is my last official DT assignment with the SRM Stickers (wahhhhaaa....). This one-year SRM party has come to an END for me today! It's been absolutely a blast for me to be on this amazing team. I am sharing my final thoughts on being with the SRM DT over the SRM Blog. I would really really appreciate that you leave me a comment over there as my final DT good-bye!

Love Always

2012-01-24T00:30:00.015-05:00

Do you still have Christmas stamps hanging around? Well, I have one card that's made with Christmas stamp AND it's for love/Valentine's Day! Here is a thinking of you card that I previously made with Merriest Christmas Wishes!

Card stock:Bazzill Basics

Cling stamp:Merriest Christmas Wishes (Hero Arts)

Ink:Versamark, Tim Holtz distress Ink (Vintage Photo, Antique Linen)

Embossing powder:Martha Stewart Pastel (pink)

Fiber: EarthRibbons (Hero Arts)

Tool: FiskarScalloped Border Punch, Distress Ink Applicator

Accents: SRMPress (Fancy Sticker Sentiment, Love), Recollections Adhesive Rhinestones,Glossy Accent

I think most stamps are versatile. It all depends how you used it...it could be the change of colors or sentiment. The stamps can pretty much work any way you like it. When I buy stamps, I like to think of ways to use them. The more versatile ones, the more likely I would get them!

Other than the card talk, here's something that my daughter wrote about her love for her 17-year old bother David in her blog. Her entry made me think and really warmed my heart! With Stephanie's permission, I am sharing it with you. It's perfectly fitting with today's card "Love Always".

O brother
I am unabashed when it comes to showing my affection for my younger brother David. For the last few months my desktop background has been a picture of him from his toddler years. I will fight him on the couch on a regular basis til he gives up and reluctantly allows me to hug him around the waist. I love him openly to the point that it’s embarrassing for him, but isn’t that part of the job description for any big sister?
The problem is that I also judge no one as harshly as I judge him. I harp on him for not being sociable enough, sensitive enough, religious enough, talkative enough, popular enough, creative enough…the list could go on forever and I’m not proud of it. I expect a lot from him because I say I want him to be the best that he can be - but then again, who am I to say what his best is? What kind of example am I setting by being self-righteous and impossible to please? Surely not that of a loving and supportive sister.
You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgement seat. (Romans 14:10)
I need to put my faith in the Lord that HE will guide and mold my brother into the man that God has purposed him to become, not me. I have often told David that he is immature; but in fact, I am the one who has been immature for not recognizing and praising the gifts that God has already placed in David. I know that David doesn’t read my blog but I pray that he would forgive me for all the times I have been unreasonable. I promise to be better. In fact I’m coming downstairs right now to hug you so hard that your insides hurt.
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. (Romans 15:7)

(I cried after I read it.)
I will be back tomorrow for my LAST SRM DT assignment. I can't believe the one-year term with SRM Stickers DT is coming to an end. Times flies when you are having fun!

Poor Girl's Stamp-a-ma-Jig!

2012-01-23T00:00:00.033-05:00

I had some discovery fun and would love to share with you today. Thanks to a comment from my dear blog friend Anita R. who reminded me that I can make my own Stamp-A-Ma-Jig with Lego! That got me really thinking...I have TONS of Lego! I went to the basement (it used to be my kids' playground) and looked around. Right way, I spotted a "skyscraper" kind of plastic toy and "ding"-there is my stamp-a-ma-jig! I used duct tape to keep it in position.

Here I used a wooden stamp to show you how I did it.

First I stamped the butterfly in orange, then I colored the edges of the butterfly in black. I cleaned the excess black ink off with a cotton swab. Then STAMP! You then have an orange butterfly with the black outline!

Since I am a participant of this on line CAS class,

I was inspired to make a color block background with the sponge applicator.

The sentiment is from SRM Stickers. I simply applied it over the ribbons (the brown ribbon in the middle was layered over the yellow). Add the pearls. I also used this same approach with this set of blue/pink bird cards.

I am going to keep this Poor Girl's Stamp-A-Ma-Jig in use. I love it when I can make my own , just so I can use the saved money for something else. Wouldn't you love that, too? Maybe you can make one yourself if you haven't tried. Any L-shaped block will do. Dollar store is a good source if you don't have small kids' toys like I do. Have FUN!
And... thanks, Anita!!

Runway Inspired Challenge #4

2012-01-21T18:00:00.014-05:00

What do you think about this inspiration photo from Runway Inspired Challenge #4!? Delicious, isn't it? Right now the temperature is way low and we are fully covered with snow outside. These rainbow colors sure is a beautiful sight to see. Feeling so inspired, I made a card with the one set of Clean and Simple stamps (sponsor of this challenge) that I have.

I swiped the small rectangular pigment dye inks ( from Color Box) over the white paper to create a colorful background. I chose bright green to highlight the entire the design and that's why I only colored the paint brush in green. The sentiment was colored with copics. So I finally got my dosage of colors today. Now I need to get back to the exercise routine...yes, I had ~~slacked~~ fallen off the 30- min-a- day routine a few times now, but the point is to get back on it, right!? We've got to stay on the positive side!

Lastly, thank you so much for the wonderful responses to the Virginia's View Challenge # 1 over Lily Pad. We have so many beautiful entries already! I love it when the photo inspires....such as this colorful runway photo! Enjoy your day!

NEW-Lily Pad Cards Challenge!

2012-01-20T05:00:00.019-05:00

This is my 2nd post for Jan. 20. If you are looking for CAS-ual Fridays Challenge, please go here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The BIG day is finally here! I have some VERY exciting news to share with you! That is, I was invited to be part of the Lily Pad Cards Team! Every month I will be hosting a photo inspiration challenge over Lily Pad, yes, hosting!! If you know me well, you know that I love photo inspirations. This is definitely a dream come true! I just want to sincerely thank Vicky and Deborah for having me on board! It truly is an honor! Also I want to welcome two incoming DT that will be introduced today--the talented and sweet Barb Engler and Karin A.(Peppermint Patty's Papercraft)
Here is the list our Lily Pad Dream Team:

Kathy R. (The Daily Marker)

Lin B. (Sending Hugs)

Nancy K. (Happy Heart Studio)

Latrice M. ( Any Occasions)

Please stop over the Pad to check out the other DT's inspiring cards and perhaps leave me some welcoming remarks (hint, hint)!!? Thanks in advance!
Here is the inspiration photo to get you started. Details here!

Our sponsor: Penny Black Stamps
The challenge. Make a NEW card using the photo above as your inspiration. There are no product restrictions, and you can enter as many cards as you wish as long as they were not made before today’s date.
The prize. The lucky winner will receive two clear stamp sets of her choice from Penny Black .

I chose my favorite PB stamp called Peppermint Polly which is a fun and versatile image to work with!

and came up with this card

I used the heart-shaped like flower petals and created a little bouquet of hearts! With some masking and scoring, I created a panel as a background and left the center in lighter shade or almost colorless. I embossed the little girl Polly in pink and colored her in copic markers. I kind of like how the entire color scheme fits together. The inspiration photo's colors are simply amazing! You can take the colors, sketch and theme into your very own creation and make something unique! The possibilities are endless. There is absolutely no right or wrong, you can interpret the photo however you see fit!

I hope you can join the fun with us at Lily Pad Cards and I look forward to many fun challenges ahead!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge # 36

2012-01-20T00:01:00.008-05:00

Welcome to CAS-ual Fridays Challenge! The theme this week is Penguin Suit! In honor of Penguin Awareness Day on January 20th, please create a Black and White CAS project. Now isn't that FUN? ANYONE can make a black and white card really!

Sponsor: Cindy Coutts

Here is my take of the Black and white card

The bold pattern stamp from the Sweet Threads Thank You really speaks volumes! I just play along with the simple stamping and added a bit of borders , gems and faux stitching! Voila!
I hope to see your take in this black and white challenge. Please link up your CAS card/project here by Jan. 25, Wednesday Midnight Eastern Time. Got some stamps and black ink? You are all set to PLAY!

Hurry back later today, I have an exciting announcement to make :)

A Card with Rolled Paper

2012-01-19T00:00:00.026-05:00

Have you tried rolled paper in your paper-crafting? I haven't! I was prompted by CREATE blog (see here ) to make a card with rolled paper! I was fascinated with the concept and did a little "research". Namely, type in the Google key word "rolled paper" and you'll see tons of inspiration! I was very much inspired by the images I saw!

And here is a card that I came up with!

As you can see, I used my new favorite Newsprint Bird stamp and Basic Grey paper for the touches of background. I rolled the kraft paper and built the twigs/branches for the rustic feel. The sentiment is from SRM Sticker's latest release. Add some gems, voila! I know I will come up with more ideas with rolled paper! So this will not be the last with them :)

Longwood Garden Visit

2012-01-18T08:00:00.006-05:00

As you may remember, my family and I were in Philadelphia to visit my brother-in-law's place this past Christmas. They live only 15 min. drive from the famous Longwood Gardens. We almost always pay a visit there every time we are in Philly. This past visit was another awesome one! If you want to take a break from viewing cards and enjoy some flower/garden photos, this post is for YOU!

(photo credit: my daughter Stephanie took all the amazing close-up shots )

the most beautiful restroom hallway....

Thank you for the visit :)

The Punches Challenge--and a Winner!

2012-01-17T12:00:00.017-05:00

Thank you, thank you, thank you for leaving me wonderful, heartfelt and sweet comments during the Hero Arts Hostess Blog Hop . I really appreciate that you took the time and give me your feedback. I am also surprised that everyone has such different favorites with my 4 card designs. In a way, I am even more delighted as there are no BAD cards since the vote counts are not that far off! I re-read all the comments and here is the most favored card:

No. 1: Spring Dream--86 votes

No. 2: True Friend (Blue/Pink Bird)--61 votes

No. 3: Friend (Untitled Word Shadow)--55 votes

No. 4: Newsprint Bird (paper-weaving)--50 votes

"no strong opinion/love them all": 95 votes

So there you have it! Without further ado, I now announce the winner of this cling stamp giveaway.

The random.org chose....(drum roll please!!)
Sorry for not being able to show the Random.org. widget here.
(out of 347 comments) the winning no. is 224

pcmsaid...: oh virginia, i'm having a hard time picking between #2 and #4....; January 12, 2012 10:58 PM

Congrats! Please e-mail me your postal address, and this stamp will be on its way to your happy craft desk!

Lastly, I will share a card that I made with circle stamp and a circle punch.

I will enter this for the The Punches Challenge over the Moxie Fab World. I used the back of some circle stamps that I have and made these patterns. The little punched out circles really enhance the design. I also embossed the small circles at the bottom and added some gems. The sentiment is from SRM stickers. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Cutting and Trimming Challenge!

2012-01-16T14:00:00.022-05:00

I love my Martha Stewart Fringe Scissors! This somewhat heavy gadget was MAILED to me by my VERY dear friend Karen P. from Michigan. Imagine how much the postage cost?! I find myself not using it to its full potential as I used it mostly for "trimming grass"( like this card). When I saw the Cutting and Trimming Challenge from the Moxie Fab World, I knew I need to get my thinking cap on and get it out to play.

I am also inspired by Kristina Werner's CAS class to make my own flower with the window layout (from Day 6), so here is the result....

I pieced 2-3 strips of cutout from the fringes and formed 2 circles. Then I curled up the end with the toothpick. The double-sided BG paper is perfect for the curled-up effect! Lastly, I added the button and gems!

Supplies: You're The Best from Hero Arts, Twines (from The Twinery), circles (Spellbinders), Basic Grey Paper, Martha Stewart Fringe Scissors

I will be back tomorrow with the cling stamp giveaway result! Thank you for tirelessly commenting in my blog. YOU ARE the BEST!

Negative Die Cutting (A Reject)!

2012-01-15T10:00:00.003-05:00

A rejection card doesn't make me mad or sad...well, it is disappointing when your think you make the BEST card ever (ok, that's never happen), and then it was not accepted. I am sharing a reject card today from a previous Paper Crafts submission call. Even though it was not selected for publication, I still love it as it is the first time I used a diecut/ stamp combo in a cool and different way--now THAT is something worth celebrating, right?

In order to keep up the celebratory spirit, now I am entering this card for Moxie Fab World's Die Cutting Challenge. I love how the butterflies and the pattern paper complimenting each other. It is rather easy to make--which is the best part! If you have those stamps/diecut set, you will definitely have many ways to explore the possibilities! Time to get them out to PLAY!
edited: my dear blog friend Erin alerted me about CASE Study challenge. The theme was to use negative die cutting, so I am entering it for the first time over the CASE Study as well! Yay, how AWESOME!

Card stock:We R Memory Keepers (textured), white (Recollections)

Patternpaper: mural from indie bloom Collections from Basic Grey

Stamps:Butterfly (Antique Engraving) by Hero Arts-Sizzix, Sentiment from Good thoughtsby Hero Arts

Ink:Distress Ink (Peel Paint, Spiced Marmalade, Vintage Photo), Hero Hue (Dye Ink,Black)

Accents:gems by Hero Arts, 3 D Pop Dots by EK success

Tools:Cuttlebug

You never know, a reject can still be the cool one in some sort of special way!!

City Crafter Challenge # 91

2012-01-14T00:00:00.017-05:00

I was most intrigued by the City Crafter's latest challenge--Back to Black. It is to make a card or project incorporating Any Black Silhouette image (details here ). Immediately I want to reach out to the new silhouette stamp called Spring Dream .

Do you all started out with the most basic tool? A black ink pad!? I know I did! It's likely the FIRST craft item you buy when you start stamping. This is it! My interpretation of back to black.

I think it's a happy result because the stamp image depicts such a fun and innocent time. This card really reminds me of the childhood time when there was no incessant interruptions/distractions of internet, text-messaging, video games...AND Facebook.

Where is the time when all you need is a big tree and wide open space in the park with no stranger lurking around? Please play with the little ones if you have any around you. OR at least encourage them to run wild.... Yes, WILD (wild but safe). It's good for them :)

There is still time to enter to win over Hero Arts Blog and my 2012 cling stamp giveaway here. You just might be the lucky one! Thanks so much for stopping by!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge # 35

2012-01-13T00:01:00.043-05:00

Hello, welcome to CAS-ual Fridays challenge. Our theme is Highs and Lows. Please Use scallops in your CAS design
Sponsor: Annabelle Stamps

Here is my take of Highs and Lows

For my card, I used two scalloped border punches to make the borders. I used Basic Grey's Indie Bloom paper. The small butterflies are from Hero Arts' Antique Engravings stamp/diecut set. These diecut/stamp sets really make the task (cutting out the small butterflies) SO easy!

This is a simple challenge with lots of fun! I hope you share your "highs and lows" with us! Please link up your CAS card/projects at CAS-ual Fridays !

A reminder, if you haven't checked out the Hero Arts Blog (here), be sure to comment as there is a Hero Arts Cling Stamp giveaway (details here)!! Have a GREAT weekend!

Hero Arts Hostess Blog Hop (and a cling stamp giveaway!)

2012-01-12T08:55:00.004-05:00

Welcome to Hero Arts Hostess Blog hop (Day 4). If you come from the UBER talented Kathy Raccosin's The Daily Marker blog (I need to remind you to pick up your jaw after seeing her work), then you are at the right place! If you just get started, never fear! This is where the party begins!

Please note:

Hero Arts will be awarding prizes from randomly drawn comments. For a chance to win, simply comment on ANY of the stops along the hop on ANY day, including each day’s starting post at the Hero Club Blog. The more comments you leave, the better your chance of winning!

If you find a broken link, you'll find a master list of the hop links at the Hero Club Blog. Also, please report broken links to Tami.

Let's get the party started, shall we?
The first card is made with this sweet stamp

called Spring Dream

The image is full of intricate details. There is little need to have the card elaborately embellished. I simply use the "Emboss Resist" technique. First I embossed the image in white and then added the colors with Tim Holtz Distress Inks (Antique Linen, Vintage Photo, Faded Jeans, Broken China, Spiced Marmalade and Scattered Straw). It kind of looks like a painting, isn't it?! It truly is a stamper's dream to own this "Spring Dream"!

My 2nd card is more of a clean and simple style. The stamps I used is from this set called Untitled Word Shadow.

The images are stylish, contemporary and gorgeous! I think they are going to be very versatile for making tags, projects and cards! You can see another example of this stamp used here

I also added a small butterfly (and gems) from Antique Flowers and Butterflies to create some interest.
My 3rd card(s) are made with these lovely stamps called Newsprint Bird and True Friends

I made two cards with the same design. The ribbons and gems are from Hero Arts.

Stamping the bird in Worn Lipstick and Faded Jeans first, I inked the edges of the stamp in Hero Hue (Black) and then stamped over the colored images. I don't own a Stamp-a-ma-jig, but it's totally do-able without it.

Lastly, I made a simple and bright card with just the Newsprint Bird and a bit of paper-weaving. By stamping on patter paper such as Basic Grey, it gives you an instant and pretty color palette that is pleasing to the eyes!

My heartfelt thanks to Hero Arts for inviting us former hostesses to be part of this blog hop. I truly enjoyed playing with these new 2012 stamps as they are made with the best quality and made in USA! To thank you for taking the time to stop by my blog, I am giving away this cling set called Greetings from the 2012 catalog.

Please leave a comment and tell me which is your favorite card (#1 Spring Dream, #2 Word Shadow or #3 blue/pink Newsprint Bird, #4 Newsprint Bird with paper-weaving) in this post by Jan. 15 Sunday Midnight Eastern Time. And don't forget that your comments will also be in the Hero Arts Blog hop drawing as well (double YAY for that!!). You do not have to be a follower to be in the draw for this cling stamp, but I would appreciate it if you become one. The winner of this cling stamp will be announced here in this blog on Jan 17! I will take a tally and share the result of which one is the most favorite card featured today!

Your next hop is Sue's Inky Fingers--a must see! Please check out the rest of the stops and I promise that you will be SO glad that you hopped!

Cards with Bird, Butterflies and Flowers

2012-01-11T08:00:00.002-05:00

Thanks to CREATE Blog challenge, I made a card with BIRDS! Can't. stop.making .cards. with Newsprint. Bird! Trust me, there are more to come!

The challenge called for 3 flowers, 2 butterflies and 1 bird. I purposely made this card fairly flat for easy mailing. The oval brown diecut was recycled from the tax envelope. I used the same paper to make the butterflies with the Martha Stewart Butterfly punch. I stamped the bird onto Hero Art's Eggshell card stock and adhere directly on top.

Lastly, here is my Scramble challenge card over last weekend. The theme was to use pattern paper.

Please click on the photo and you can read all the descriptions about this card over Flicker. If you like seeing more Hero Arts cards, then you MUST stop by this Thursday....it's going to be SUPER FUN!

Clean and Simple Card Making Class

2012-01-10T11:05:00.013-05:00

Did you know about this Clean and Simple card-making Class (details here)? I am taking it and it has been FUN! Today I am sharing the cards I made from watching the video tutorials and learning a few tips from the pros like Jennifer McGuire , Julie Ebersole and Kristina Werner.

On Day 1 of the class (class runs from Jan 9-23), there were three sketches. I was inspired to make two! Here is CAS #1

I used the smaller stamps from this Friend-You're The Best. Here I created the background with some masking (use a 3" x3" sticky note). For the hearts, I used the Stickles for the glitter effect.

For the 2nd card, I created the background colors by inking the ink pads (Hero Art's Soft Blossom and Soft Apricot ) onto paper.

This new stamp Untitled Word Shadow is perfect for this design! I will keep this post super short! Thanks for stopping by!

Runway Inspired Challenge #3

2012-01-09T12:00:00.018-05:00

I am loving the photo from Runway Inspired Challenge #3 (details here),

so I HAD to make a card to join the fun. The black and white stripes looks très chic together. I reached out this set called You Are The Best and did some pattern stamping...

After some more stamping, this is what I came up with. By utilizing the 2nd generation stamping in a row, I then stamp the 1st generation ribbon images OVER them to create the unique pattern.

I also used the Lawn Fawn Stamp clear to see for the main image. After my initial stamping, the card looks cold, lifeless and uninteresting. So I decided to add a bit of the paper-pleating with Basic Grey (Basic White) Paper. Not sure if it looks more interesting, but it does look more pleasing to me :)

Thank you so much for stopping by! I have some exciting events planned and am looking forward to sharing with you later this month AND this week! Ciao!

Manly Birthday Card!

2012-01-08T00:00:00.012-05:00

I have this new stamp (well, there will be many more to come) called Newsprint Bird from Hero Arts. I had to make a card for my dear friend's hubby. He is turning 60! This stamp seems to be the perfect choice!

Since 60 is a big milestone, I want to highlight the age. So I got my handy dandy SRM Stickers (see white number) out and...ta-da! There will be major Hero Arts stamp posting coming up later this week. You definitely do not want to miss it!

For the SRM Calendar Sticker giveaway, the random winner is
Linda R.said...
Those are soooo cute. What a cute idea!!
January 3, 2012 3:41 PM (over SRM Blog
Please e-mail me your postal address and I will send you the SRM Stickers! Thanks, everyone, for your wonderful support!

Purse Card with Twines (and Scraps)!

2012-01-07T00:00:00.053-05:00

Have you ever come up with a ~~silly~~ small idea and then it turn into a not-so-bad idea? Well, that sort of happened to me the other day. I was gathering my diecut scraps with the Circled Scalloped Borders. There were SO many of them and it seem to be a waste to toss them away. So I thought :"what can I do with them?" DING! So it all started with this circle....

Then it slowly evolved into this....
I simply layered the scalloped borders and ran them through with the circle Spellbinders!

The border at the bottom and tag are from Basic Grey's indie bloom Collection. They are strips of stickers and I also used SRM Sticker for the sentiment! The stamp is from Hero Art's Sweet Thread Thank You . The bold and striking pattern seems to be perfect for this design. I also glued the twines for the handle and I added the twines (from The Twinery) for the label! I am entering this card for Ribbon Carousel Challenge #34 (Anything Goes). You should check out that challenge if you haven't! The DT rocks!

Isn't crafting FUN? I love that when a small idea turning into a FUN idea!

In case you are wondering if I am still doing my share of 30 min. of exercise a day routine as my 2012 resolution....well, guess what!!? I had lost 3 lbs!! Not bad for a week's work! Yay, go me!

Dr. John: "At this rate, you can beat the BIGGEST Loser on TV!"

Virginia: "ha-ha-haha (sarcastically)---not funny!"

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge # 34

2012-01-06T00:01:00.008-05:00

Hello, welcome to our very FIRST CAS-ual Fridays challenge in 2012! Please read carefully...

The winner of this challenge will guest design with us CAS--ual Fridays girls for a week in Feb. 2012! How does that sound? FUN, huh?

Sponsor: Simon Says Stamps

The challenge is to chip off the Ol' board-use chipboard in your CAS creation.

Here is my take:

I used a butterfly chip board and painted it with Tim Holtz Paint Dauber. After the chip board is dry, I glazed the border with Liquid Pearl dimensional Glue. LOVE that effect, don't you?

Please link up your CAS card in CAS-ual Fridays before Jan. 11 Wednesday 2012, midnight Eastern Time. Can't wait to see your creation!

Another NEW Stamp!

2012-01-05T00:00:00.014-05:00

I have been using this set called FRIEND-you are the best. However, this is the first time I used the scalloped heart image. It is so delicate and it begged me to use it with vellum (thanks to the challenge in CREATE Blog). Since Hero Arts is having the monthly challenge with the theme of love, I will enter the challenge just for fun!

Here is my take on vellum and the new image

I embossed the bottom half of the white card stock and stamped two hearts side by side. Then I added the stamped vellum heart and used pop dots for the added dimension. The SRM stickers (sentiment) was applied directly over the vellum. The translucency adds a lovely feel to the card. Hope you like it!

Since Wee Memories is having a challenge using NEW things (new techniques, stamps, products,...etc), I thought I would entered since I am using a new stamp!

Hope your new year is going off with a great start! I have been a good girl and have kept up with the 30 min. a day routine so far. Only....361 days to go, that's all ;)

Save The Date

2012-01-04T02:05:00.002-05:00

City Crafter Challenge is having a Save the Date challenge.

I thought this is a perfect challenge to play for the new year. So here I am....made a card for "Save the Date"

April 16 is my daughter Stephanie's birthday! So I made this card with her special date in mind! And...her initial is S, the background's capital S seems perfect for this, too!

Cardstock:Bazzill Basics Paper; Pattern Paper: Manhattan from Social Club (CosmoCricket); Stamps: Type (Exclamation, Heart; Hero Arts), Friendship Definition(cling stamp from Hero Arts), Sew Artsy (Stitch line, Hero Arts); Dye Ink:Colorbox Pigment Ink (Citrus); Distress Ink: Spiced Marmalade, Vintage Photo byRanger ; Tools: Martha Stewart Craft 1" Scalloped Circle Craft Punch, TimHoltz Distress Ink Applicator; Accents: SRM Press (Express Yourself, EverydayLife; Mini calendar, 2012 Decorative), Gems (Hero Arts)

1 Make cardfrom card stock

2 StampFriendship Definition on upper pattern paper and stamp heart and exclamation onpunched out circles

3 Applysticker (mini calendar, save the date), stamp heart over date sticker andadhere to card stock

4 Stampstitch line and distress the edges

5 Add gemsnear the date

Now if you like the 2012 calendar stickers, please leave a comment in this post. For those who already left a comment in SRM Blog, your name is already in the drawing! Thank you so much for the support! I will pick a winner and send a sheet of SRM 2012 stickers to you! Please enter by Jan. 7 midnight Eastern Time! It's my small way of saying thank-you!

TUBESDAY From SRM Stickers!

2012-01-03T03:00:00.023-05:00

SRM is having a new feature on the blog. Every Tuesday SRM blog will feature tubes (minis, wands and regular tubes). It is my absolute pleasure to introduce the first TUBESday for 2012! I decided to make super simple Valentine tubes with doily.

With the stickers, it is so easy to decorate the tubes any way you like. The doily certainly is perfect and fast for these quick tubes!

I would really appreciate it if you can comment over SRM Blog for this post. While we are on the subject of making Valentine's cards/projects, here is a giveaway at my friend Cathy A.'s blog. Cathy is a designer over Penny Black's, I highly recommend you to follow her blog as she is so knowledgeable about stamping techniques and making altered projects! I have some more exciting things planned for this week's blog and I can't wait to share!

Caring Thoughts

2012-01-02T10:45:00.003-05:00

How is 2012 for you so far? As we are in the midst of winter now, I thought it will be appropriate to share a wintery card. This card was originally created for Paper Crafts Submission call (Winter Blue) and was a "reject"! So here I am, recycling it, sharing with you today. I am entering this for Simon Says Stamps (anything Goes Challenge). There are still two days left to enter (hint, hint)!!

Recollections(white and kraft card stock), Navy Blue( Bazzill, Bahamas), Hero Arts (Tree of The Season, Raindrop Background), TimHoltz Distress Ink (Weathered Wood, Faded Jeans), Hero Hue ribbons, RecollectionsGems, SRM Press (Wishing You Well)

1. Trimwhite card stock to 5 ½ x 4, one white square (2”x2”) and one navy blue square(2”x2”)

2. Swipe thewinter stamp over Weathered Wood ink for the top part, then the Faded Jeans forthe bottom part. Then stamp on to whitecard stock. Trim the image.

3. Stamp theRaindrop background onto the top half of the white card stock with Faded Jeans

4. Adherethe stamped tree to White square and layered it over the Navy Blue square.

5. Place andglue the ribbons in between the white and dotted background. Add Stickersentiment over the ribbons.

6. Place thestring of small gems along the ribbon. Add Stickles to the image and around thesquares.

I love the white space in this card. Do you? I am trying to keep up with my 30 min. a day of exercise....and..so far so good! Only 364 days to go (LOL)! I run and bike in my little home gym and may try to mix in a little aerobics! I will keep you posted ;)

Welcoming the New Year!

2011-12-31T11:00:00.015-05:00

I was talking to my daughter about New Year's resolution--an inevitable topic at this time of the year. Do you have one? Or a few? Stephanie suggested to me to exercise more. She even said that in order to make her happy and worry less for me ( for the long run) is to keep MYSELF healthy. I think this applies to anyone in any stage of life. It was suggested to me that I exercise 30. min. a. day. The key is just 30. min. a. day! This video called What is the Best Single Thing We Can Do For Our Health? is excellent and I think Dr. John wholeheartedly agrees! Preventive medicine is the key! I am going to work on that in the New Year and I will update you if I am even successful for a month! I can also break up the routine into 10 min. and do them three times if I have to. That sounds do-able!

Well, it's New Year's Eve and I am having company over for dinner party to count down to the New Year. I have nothing prepared yet (gasp!). I 'd better get cracking! SO.....this is my LAST post of 2011. I want to wish you a Happy and Healthy 2012!

This card was featured in CREATE Blog. For more information, please click on the photo for supplies and details.

I also want to take this chance to share my top 10 favorite cards of 2011. (not in any particular order). These cards "earned" their right to be my favorites as they are most FUN to make. They may not be the most successful ones (such as winning challenges or getting published-except the last one ), but I learn something special along the way.

You Rock

happy birthday

Merry and Bright

celebrate life

oh me, oh my

thank you

it's time to...celebrate!

just missing you

Merci

live, love, laugh

I hope you like them as much as I do! This past year, I have achieved my personal goals, namely, fulfilling my design team work, winning a few challenges, doing guest designs and even getting published!! I do not have any specific card-making "goals" for 2012, but I definitely want to continue to learn, share and create.
Thank you SO much for following up on my blog and give me your feedback tirelessly.
Wish you all the best in 2012!

updated at 6pm: for those who are wondering how my dinner plan is going. Things are under control! I have Salmon Dip, Smoked Salmon, Manhattan Style Clam Chowder, Fish and Chip ( instead of chips, we have Chinese sticky rice!), Vegetable/Fruit Salad, Lemon Squares (that David made)! My friend Linda is bringing her famous Chocolate Cake! We are ready to ring in the New Year!

Food Memories from Philly!

2011-12-30T00:15:00.003-05:00

As you may know, I was in Philadelphia for this past Christmas! Well, the visit to my brother-in-law's place was absolutely fabulous! It was all about food and food and more food. Lucky for us, my sister-in law (a true foodie herself) worked tirelessly and prepared us scrumptious meals. Without further ado, I will share some yummy photos with you. Caution: this may cause severe drooling!

When in Philly, you have to have ...."Philly Cheese Steaks" (our lunch)!

Hoagie! (I actually learned something about this submarine sandwich from the Wikipedia). It was so yummy!

The Christmas Eve feast is Seven Fishes . My sister-in-law Florence decided to follow the Italian tradition and modified it to 7 seafood--lucky us!!
First course--Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail

Custard with Crab Meat

This was the preparation of the Lobster Bisque.

The Lobster Bisque

Mixed Greens with Smoked Salmon

A large rind that's made with scallops and cream

Lobster Ravioli. My sister-in-law even made the pasta, cooked, cleaned the lobster herself. There is no short cut in this feast!

Baked Salt Fish

The fish was amazingly tender with all that salt covered

the last course

And just when you think you are FULL, there are desserts! Florence is famous for her Macarons! The cone-shaped cookies are called Krumkake (which David and I helped making with the Krumkake machine). They were filled with chocolate Mousse!

The Chocolate Molten Cake--divine!

This conclude the Christmas Eve dinner! There will be more scrumptious posts about food and a lovely visit to Longwood Gardens in the next few weeks! Hope you are "satisfied" for now :)

True Friend

2011-12-28T00:00:00.027-05:00

Dear all. Just taking a "break" from the aftermath of traveling during the holiday and popping in to say hi with a card. I hope you are not tired of this set that I used so often from this post (here and here).

Again, I embossed the image with ZING! (Mustard Seed) and then distressed it with Fire Brick, Barn door and Frayed Burlap (for edges). I finished the card with a ribbon (kindly made and sent to me by Donna M.). I love how the bow compliments the design. And then I added some subtle stamping, sentiment and pearls. That's it!

What's your New Year's Eve plan? My family have a tradition of getting together with our close friends. This year is MY turn to host. I got to think of the menu for the New Year's Eve Feast--FAST! Ciao!

LOVE Layout

2011-12-26T03:00:00.024-05:00

How was your Christmas? Mine is going swell as I am celebrating the holiday season with my family. I hope you find love and happiness in the new year. Today I am sharing a LOVE layout! We are truly blessed to have found each other from the other side of the world. (I am from Taiwan, and he was born and raised in Canada)

I used the non-traditional valentine colors for the layout with Fancy Sentiment (love)

Quick Cards- Love
We've Got Your Stickers- Forever

A close-up

Please stop by at SRM Stickers for more inspiration. Enjoy the special time with your love ones!

Merry Christmas....(and Thank You!)

2011-12-25T00:00:00.068-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Besides spending time with family, I will have lots to catch up. Thanks to your wonderful mails, I have received a huge pile of birthday cards. Each one of them is created with such loveliness! If I haven't dropped by your blogs, you know that I am buried in the mails :)

This year I had witnessed miracles working in my own family and life.

Psalm 107:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Big thanks to:
(in the order of dates of receiving)

Sarah M., Barb E., Cathy A.,Simone N., Piali B., Rachel K.,Cindy C.,Annette A., Brenda U.,Lin B.,Dawn T., Kerry L.,Lai-Yoke, Lynn M.,Trinh A.,Sharon D., Elizabeth E.,Barb M.,Alexandra S. M.,Tina B.,Amie H.,Donna B., Erin T.,Yvonne S., Dana C., Martha V.,Leni deu O., Clare P.,Nicky L., Kathy W., Alice W.,Anita R., Linda W., Anette H., Janet R., Savannah O., Marcy K.!!

Each one of you and your mails touched my heart deeply. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! I wish I could give you all a BIG hug and a stamp or two...but this will have to do--for now.
HUGS to all!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge # 33

2011-12-23T00:01:00.073-05:00

Hello there! Welcome to this year's LAST CAS-ual Fridays challenge! This is a TWO-week challenge as this will allow us to enjoy the Christmas holiday with friends and family.

For this week's theme, we ask you to create a CAS project using kraft and twine!

Our Sponsor is Market Street Stamps

Unfortunately the new stamp set generously provided by Market Street Stamps did not arrive in time for this post. thankfully they sent some of the DT a digie kit to work with. Here is my take.

I colored the flowers with red glitter gel pen and cut out the extra flowers for the dimension. This little card will come in handy as I have lots of thank-you cards to write. The twine and buttons just provide the lovely touches to this image. The yellow center was from Liquid Pearl Dimensional Glue (Buttercup). I am addicted to that stuff :)

I am looking forward to visiting my brother-in-law's place and spending time with family. I will be checking on your CAS projects from time to time. Please link up your work to CAS-ual Fridays by Jan 4, Wednesday 2012 Midnight Eastern time.
Lastly I wish you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS!
I will be back next with a layout after Christmas! Till then!

Last Minute Christmas Projects!

2011-12-22T11:55:00.022-05:00

Just sharing my altered Christmas project (using SRM's We've Got You Sticker-Merry)

Our Canadian government has sent us way too many government tax envelopes.... (we pay on line now!!). But sure, I love FREE envelopes!

I turned them into pockets for treats and gift card holders.

The entire set

Christmas Card Set using We've Got Your Sticker Plus-Christmas

I had received numerous cards from my birthday. Here is the list of friends that took the time to mail me in this busy time of the year. It really makes my birthday all that much more special!
THANK YOU!!
(in the order of dates of receiving)

Sarah M., Barb E., Cathy A.,Simone N., Erin T. Piali B., Rachel K.,Cindy C.,Annette A., Brenda U.,Lin B.,Dawn T., Kerry L.,Lai-Yoke, Lynn M.,Trinh A.,Sharon D., Elizabeth E.,Barb M.,Alexandra S. M.,Tina B.,Amie H.,Donna B., Yvonne S., Dana C., Martha V.,Leni deu O., Clare P.,Nicky L., Kathy W., Alice W.,Anita R., Linda W., Anette H., Janet R., Savannah O.Marcy K.!!

Thank you everyone for all the lovely comments yesterday about my Hero Arts Secret Mission. Do come back later for the latest CAS-ual Fridays challenge!

Did You Know....

2011-12-21T10:05:00.004-05:00

......that I was involved in the Hero Arts 2012 Stamps promotion in stores all over the world? Last night I saw a photo of a stamp store in Singapore and it has THIS very card on the store board!

My family called it the Hero Arts Secret Mission! Check this Hero Arts Video and stop the video at 0:43 and you'll see a romance card...cards that I made-all 170 of them! I could have made 200 (which is the ideal target), but the layering paper supplies ran out! It's a huge task that I will always remember and proud to be part of! This stamp called Friend-You're the Best
is the stamp that I worked with.

The design came from the uber talented Jennifer McGuire herself. It was a LOT of work to make the EXACT copy! It is very ornate and detailed. It's amazing that these stamped images can give you the instant print--so perfect and lasting!

Now you may ask...how did I get involved in all this? Well, it all started with a private invite e-mail from the one and only Jennifer McGuire! It was a bit of a shock, to say the least. Jennifer asked me along with some amazing and talented card-makers to make store board cards from the Hero Arts 2012 stamps. Now......can you say "no"? NOOOO, right? The thing is...you have to make lots and lots of them (target number-150 minimum). So that is the challenge. However, I persevered.

I made them in front of the TV for some part of them. The distressing part was somewhat fun. But the bows...oh. the bows! They were most ~~pain in the~~ painstaking! And then, there are a few rejects...the images were not stamped perfectly (oops!!)!

I adore this card's design, but it does require a lot cutting and layering. After seeing me feeling a little flustered and worried about the deadline, Dr. John quipped: "Would you consider outsourcing from China?" (grrrr...)

I worked in various stages....just chomping all the corners took me 3 hours! Good thing Sunday's evening shows were on, so it's not too bad at all :)

Now you know Glossy Accent works wonder as adhesive. But can you hold 5 of the bows down to dry in one sitting? No!! I pulled out my handy dandy wooden cloth pins! That was my brilliant ah-ha moment :) Finally it was coming along...

There were a few small glitches and hiccups...such as the time when I found out the Grenadine layering paper were missing from the supplies (Hero Arts sent them to me in 2 days!!).

.....the bows in lightest shade were a few short. So I improvised and made a few from the darker shade (see below)

Finally after less than a week (from receiving the supplies to sending them off ), the mission is complete!

I like to thank my family for eating the same bland food and being super understanding during that week. I pretty much wore my PJ 24/7 and kept up with the sweat shop worker's appearance. They know that I was on an important mission!
Would I do it all over again? Absolutely! Just don't ask my family :)

NEW Stamp!

2011-12-20T00:00:00.011-05:00

I have this new 2012 Hero Arts stamp set called Friends-You Are The Best. It is likely the most detailed and ornate stamp that I have ever seen. When you stamp the image, you instantly feel like you have created a MASTERPIECE! That is, to me, is the magic of stamping!

Not sure if you know...that I was involved in making cards with the newly released 2012 stamps for Hero Arts store boards. My next post is all about that "secret mission" (as my family dubs it). "Did you know...." feature is up next.

But first, I will share the card that I made with this lovely image with the two classic male and female figures dressed in haute cultur in the 16-17 Century. They are very ornate, detailed and elaborate. I must admit that it is somewhat a challenge to work with such a fancy stamp. BUT to make the stamp fit into that time period, I found that Mustard Yellow and dark brown make the perfect compliment for that design.

So....do you like it? If you are intrigued by this stamp design, then you MUST come back for more....just saying :)

Get Inspired by Home Decor

2011-12-19T00:00:00.037-05:00

I am taking the last minute plunge into the challenge for Get Inspired by Home Decor
from Moxie Fab World. In our family room, we also have a globe that is much like this one in the photo (we only have one earth, right?). It IS rather challenging to make a card from this inspiration, but if you know me, I always like a challenge. To me, card-making challenges are like little brain exercises and they are vital for my mental well-being. Well, enough said....

I used my all time favorite set Travel Journal and the sentiment from SRM Sticker.

I finally got a hard copy of the Jan/Feb 2012 Paper Crafts. I can't help jumping up and down when I saw the pages (p. 27 & p. 87) of my cards!! My son David thought I was a little cuckoo (LOL). Later Dr. John remarked after looking through the entire magazine: "...you know something? Paper Crafts likes simple cards. Absolutely no clutter". He is a wise man, isn't he?

Button Challenge

2011-12-18T00:00:00.002-05:00

If there is any crafty item that I can play all year around, it has to be BUTTONS. They can be incorporated into any themes, designs or seasons. Buttons can be the main theme for any design, they can also be the little embellishments. And lastly, they can give the card the WOW factor! I needed a break from making Christmas cards, so here is my all occasion card with buttons. I am entering this for Lily Pad Cards Challenge (details here ).

Card stock:White, kraft (Recollections), green (Bazzill), Grenadine Layering paper (HeroArts)

Stamps:Butterfly from Lauderdale Floral, leaf from Sweet Thread, sentiment from BigHugs, all by Hero Arts
EmbossingPower: Stampedous (white, detailed)
Ink:Versamark by Tsukineko, Distress Ink (Peel Paint) by Ranger
Accents:buttons (DeNami Design), 3 D-Dots (EK Success)

Make card from card stock
Stamp leaf in Peel Paint
Emboss butterfly and cut out, embossthe sentiment
Arrange and sew up the buttons
Pop dot the butterfly

Aren't those buttons "delicious"!?

Tuesday Trigger ( Partridge in a Pear Tree)

2011-12-17T00:00:00.025-05:00

Here is the latest installment of Moxie Fab World's Tuesday Trigger

The photo is from Crate and Barrel.

Isn't this a sweet image? The colors are so soft and muted. I also love the embroidery for the borders. Since I don't have a stamp or image of the Partridge in a Pear Tree, that still didn't stop me from taking the challenge. So I look through my stash and came up with a Hello card.

The flower ( from this set called Lauderale Floral ) and leaves were embossed in white and then colored with light copic markers. The metallic border for the flower was glazed over with Silver Liquid Pearl Dimensional Glue. I used a piece of silver Washi Tape and stamped the sentiment over. I am glad to have this little exercise from the Trigger to help me to get a little creative. I need a break from making Christmas cards! Hope you are getting your errands done before the holiday. My family and I will be spending Christmas at brother-in-law's place near Philly! I am so looking forward to it.

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge # 32

2011-12-16T00:01:00.056-05:00

Welcome to CAS-ual Fridays Challenge! I am so excited about the theme each week and this one is no exception. The challenge this week is to create a CAS card with a coordinating envelope.

Sherri Thompson is our Guest and Sponsor

I find that I am still short of Christmas card, so I decided to make a matching Christmas card and envelop! You can do the same and that way you get some work done as well!


	You have seen quite a few cards that I made with this stamp set called Happy Holidays ( in case you missed it, please see here and here and here) . Now I will send it off to someone special and that is step no. 3 for this challenge! Please link your card to CAS-ual Fridays by Wednesday Dec. 21 Midnight Eastern Time. Can't wait to see your matching card and envelope!

Christmas Tree Card

2011-12-15T00:00:00.005-05:00

This week's CREATE blog challenge is to create a card with Christmas trees as a focal point (details here). I came up with a simple card.

I love making the "snow hills". The paper-tearing is the fun part. With a little bit of Liquid Pearl Dimensional Glue and Stickles, they look pretty realistic to me!

I am posing with my first published card ( A Card A Day from Paper Crafts). I promise this is the last time I talk about my first published card :)

Well, the daylight was "harsh", next time I will have the photo taken in the darker shade (LOL)!

And... my daughter and I watched Barbara Walter's "2011's most Fascinating People" and here is Stephanie's blog post (kind of cruel but funny). With her permission, I copied and pasted here....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Regis did it, so can you

Currently watching Barbara Walter’s Ten Most Fascinating People of 2011. She just pulled Donald Trump’s hair to prove that it’s “real”. My Mom said she would have tugged a whole lot harder if she were Barbara haha.

Also, Pippa Middleton? Simon Cowell? Barbara, don’t take this the wrong way, but I think you should just retire.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Sorry Barbara!!)

A Pocket Card with a Digital Image

2011-12-13T02:30:00.000-05:00

A quick post about a pocket card that I made with Poetic Flower Printable recently. The idea and theme came from the current Hero Arts Challenge (details here ).

I printed out the large poetic flower and just went from there...

I basically I worked around the large flower image and designed a pocket to wrap around the card stock. It's super easy to do.

All I did was to make two score lines and glue the sides to the card stock and voila! The coloring was the same as I did with these cards .

The lacy accent is from SRM Sticker! The sentiment was embossed. I really like how it turned out. The cards do bring on the happy! Hope you are having fun, too!

Published Sketch Card by Paper Crafts

2011-12-13T02:00:00.001-05:00

I never think sketch is my forte. But what do you know!? My submission for the sketch to Jan/Feb 2012 issue in Paper Crafts made the cut! This is my 2nd pub and it felt ....absolutely fabulous! Some cards you worked so hard for it--in terms of design, colors, composition, but this one? It was my last minute submission to the call. I made it the day of deadline and...just went with it. You can find this card on P. 27 and I share the the sketch with my page buddy Jocelyn Olson

and here is Jocelyn's digital version of the same sketch

Card stock:Bazzill Basic Paper

Patternpaper: Basic Grey (Out of Print)

Stamps: HeroArts (Antique Engravings), Envelope Pattern

Inks:Adirondack (Espresso) by Ranger, Hero Arts Shadow Ink (Soft Sand)

SRM Stickers(Thinking of you), gemstones (Hero Arts), 3D –Dots (1/8”) by EK success

1. Make cardfrom card stock

2. StampEnvelop Pattern in shadow ink onto white card stock

3. Stampbutterfly on Basic Grey paper and cut out 2 butterflies

4. Cutstrips of paper from Basic Grey and adhere

5. Pop dotthe butterflies, add gems stones and sentiment

Thank you all once again for the birthday wishes. It truly was most memorable thanks to your support and love. The 2nd prize winner Donna M. from my party favor giveaway graciously offered to give away HER prize (how sweet is Donna!)! So the random. org picked #41 Kerry!

Congrats, Kerry! Please e-mail me your postal address, so I can send the goodies out to you! Thanks so much for stopping by.

edited note: this issue is going on sale on Dec. 13 (details here )! I have two pages in this issue (the other one is live, love and laugh ) and there is even a photo of me (squeal! Someone, pinch me please!)

Turning 5-0!

2011-12-09T17:35:00.003-05:00

Dear friends, Dec. 9th is finally here! I just turned 50!

Well, I still feel the same....the same old me. So nothing is going to change. One thing is for sure, I will not change a thing about myself (hopefully that is a good thing). One thing I can promise you is that I will stay true to myself and others. Simple promise to keep.
Here is an amazing video that was created by my SRM mentor/owner and friend Susan McShirley. This video comprises things I LOVE and what I am passionate about. It's been a BLESSING this year to be part of the SRM DT. HERE is the info for the new design team call if interested.

Without further ado, I now announce the three party guests (aka the random winners) from my virtual birthday party giveaway.
Below is a list with the winning links that were selected by InLinkz.

1 .	Jessi
2 .	Donna M.
3 .	Barb

Congratulations! Please send me an e-mail for your postal address and I will get the prizes out to you. For the one year subscription of the Paper Crafts, I also need your address, so I can get the order going. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart. It gives me a great pleasure to visit you and your blogs/sites. It is priceless.

As for the engagement ring that had gone missing? It turned out that Dr. John took it to the jewelry store to have the ring re-sized. Not only he had it re-sized, he bought me a NEW diamond ring! It has THREE diamonds and each diamond is bigger than my original engagement ring!!! So there you have it! What can I say? Deep down Dr. John is a SWEETIE in his heart! He said the small diamond may get destroyed by Cuttlebug ( smart man, I'd say) AND he made sure that they are Canadian diamonds (so they are blood-free). Stephanie and David had this photo (that she took at Lake Louise) specially made into a canvas photo for our special year (25th anniversary, 50th birthday...all in one). Here is the link to their present.

My family and I are going to see the Muppet movie together and have a dinner out tonight. Very low key, but it's what I want. My dear girlfriend treated me to a gourmet breakfast this morning! Meanwhile I am doing a lot of blog hops! And over Facebook, there is a Paper Crafts party going on! I was one of the lucky 101 card designers to get a happy e-mail this early afternoon (SQUEAL)! My card will be published in the special edition of Volume 10 from PC! THIS is the kind of birthday that a girl like me can ever wish for! I thank you for all the warm wishes on my special day. HUGS to you all!

Here are some of my memorable photos...

They say 50 is the new 30s....I sure hope so ;)

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge # 31

2011-12-09T00:01:00.078-05:00

Yippee! it's my birthday today! And ....yes, Virgina, you are now ~~20, 30, 40,~~ 50 !
I will have a blog post about the winners from random drawing in my next post--coming up soon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But first, we must take care of business! It's Friday and time to play our CAS-ual Fridays!

This week's challenge is to use MIST. Please use misting product or technique
Misting Options:
• Use pre-made misting products available at your local or on-line retailer.
• Create spray mist using a mix of re-inkers and water squirted through a spray bottle.
• Create opaque splatters with a mix of acrylic paint and water flicked off a paintbrush.
• Add fine water droplets to your background of distress inked paper.
• Utilize an airbrush system or marker misting tool
• Channel your inner child and spray ink or paint from a brush onto paper by blowing through a straw

LOTS of possibilities, huh?
Our sponsor: The Sweet Stamp Shop

Being part of the DT, we were generously provided by the Sweet Stamp Shop a set to use in this project. I received this Scootin' By to use and I was so excited to mist it up....

I did some masking, yes, masking. I stamped the scooter on a post-it note and then cut it out. Then I placed the paper in a box and sprayed the entire card stock with the masking of the scooter on top. After the spraying, I stamped the scooter image in fire Brick red. Add the border, twines and sentiment details....that's it!

I hope this will help you get those misting bottles out and start spraying :) Please link up your card by Dec. 14, Wednesday, midnight Eastern Time to CAS-ual Fridays .

I will be back with the big 5-0 birthday post! Don't go far!

Runway Inspired Challenge

2011-12-07T15:05:00.003-05:00

Have you heard? There is a NEW challenge blog on the block! It's called runway inspired Challenge! I am most intrigued by the concept and I love love the idea of cards inspired by fashion!! Tres chic! Of course, I had to join the fun!

This first challenge is from Versace with this gorgeous photo.

My take

This is actually my 2nd card on the same design. I had to be a bit fussy about the stamped images since it is fairly CAS. EVERY little bit really makes a huge difference.
Here is the close-up

So what do you think? Isn't this FUN or what!? For more information about the supplies, please click on the card photo, it will take you to my Flickr site.

I am getting very excited about my birthday as I type...Last night I found my engagement ring MISSING! I SCREAMED out loud and it turned out Dr. John was doing something "special" with that ring. So I was told.... A BIGGER replacement with the diamond perhaps???? I can't wait. And I can't wait to see the new issue of Jan/Feb issue of Paper Crafts! It's my 2nd pub! And I can't wait to find out this Friday (on my 50th birthday) whether my card submissions make the cut to the special issue of Volume 10 Paper Crafts! Now THAT would be some present if my wishes come true! And I thank you for taking part in my virtual birthday party. It has been a BLAST to visit the guests and their super fabulous work!

I tell ya, I am excited!!!!!!!!

Mini Calendar

2011-12-06T13:30:00.003-05:00

edited: this is a re-post since the previous one didn't show up in Google Reader.

You know I love the SRM Sticker...but do you know I adore the SRM Calendar sticker? I had made a mini calendar album before and I am so inspired to make another. The SRM Sticker Mini Calendar and Year of Memories 2012 are the ones I used for this project.

It all started with some huge scraps of Hero Arts Grenadine Layering paper... (more about that later)

So in order to get these fantastic paper into good use, I came up with the idea of turning them into a calendar. Here are all the pages in one!

I know it will be hard to see them all. So here is Jan/Feb.

then March/Apr.

Then in July, we will hit the farmer's market!

I used the Twinery's twines for the holder for this calendar. Very low-tech, but it works!

This is a great way yo showcase the new stamps that I received lately.

All stamps are from Hero Arts. Thanks so much for looking!! Have you made any virtual birthday card lately? Time is running out! HURRY!

Birthday Gift Card

2011-12-04T00:00:00.017-05:00

This month's Hero Arts challenge is to create pocket card (details here ).

I came up with a very simple design for our staff's birthday gift card holder.

Card stock: Hero Hues (Sunshine, Hero Arts), Bazzill BasicsPaper

Pattern Paper: Basic Grey (Out of Print)

Wooden Stamp: Classic Bloom (Hero Arts)

Dye Ink: Adirondack Espresso (Ranger), Distress Ink: TimHoltz Distress Ink (Scattered Straw)

Tool: Copic Marker (Ciao, E31), Fiskars Micro Scissors

Accents: Liquid Pearls (Dimensional Pearlescent Paint(Ranger), SRM Press (Fancy Sticker Sentiments, Birthday), 3-D Dots (1/8”) by EKSuccess

1 Make card from cardstock, cut Basic Grey paper into strips

2 Stamp the flower with Scattered Straw over white cardstock, adhere to Hero Hue

3 Adhere Basic Grey strips over, glue both ends to cardstock(leave the middle part unglued)

4 Stamp the flower with Espresso over yellow (Basic Grey)paper, and then cut it out. Color the center with copic and add Liquid Pearl atcenter, let dry

5 Pop-dot the flower at centre, apply sentiment and insertgift card

I am also sharing the card that I made for the Scramble challenge over Hero Arts Flickr. Here is the inspiration photo.

My interpretation. This card took me about 40 minutes to make.

Lastly, I am sharing two unusual photos of me. I was hiking near Lake Louise this past summer...the mountains were absolutely majestic!

And yes, Virginia is going to be over the hills very soon. Just 5 more days! Please hop on the last minute party train here if you want to PARTY with me!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge # 30

2011-12-02T00:01:00.075-05:00

It's FRIDAY and you know the drill! It looks like a ton of fun, doesn't it? Our challenge over CAS-ual Friday is to play tic tac toe. Namely, you choose any 3 in a row, down or diagonal and create a project using those elements.

Our Sponsors: Paper Temptress

For my design, I chose the left row-scallops, green and stripes.

I used one of my latest Hero Arts stamps called You Are The Best . I stamped the stripey banners over Basic Grey's Indie Bloom paper (green on green). The circle was made with Spellbinder die and then stamped. I pop-dotted the image and added the SRM Sticker (Fancy Sentiment-thank you) and voila!

Hope you get time to play this week's challenge. I suggest you to copy the tic tac toe down and bring it to your craft desk and see which row you will take. I bet you will come up with many possibilities! Please link up your project to CAS-ual Fridays by Dec. 7, Wednesday midnight Eastern time. While you are at it, why not join my virtual birthday party (see here)? Yes, You can!

A little conversation between me and Dr. John

Dr. John: So...you are not going to make it to 50 then...only 6 more days!

V: Huh? What do you mean "make it" ? I feel FINE!

Dr. John: I meant your virtual birthday party guests!

V: Oh... that! Guess not..., I have 38 guests so far.

From Australia...with Love!

2011-11-30T14:30:00.004-05:00

Just a quick share about my mails and happenings....these utterly beautiful and thoughtful mail came yesterday! This delectable chocolate with the lovely message came all the way from Australia from my sweet blog friend Simone

Simone's darling card

The sweet Barb E.'s card is even more gorgeous in real life!

Super talented Cathy A. send BOTH birthday card and Christmas card to me and my family.All of us met in May 2010, in London (see London trip). It was truly a wonderful time to remember!

I did some quick kraft gift bag decoration.

Here is what I am working on-- Another calendar. This is a smaller calendar. I will share them starting next week.

I will be back for CAS-ual Friday next! There are still 8 more days to enter the Birthday celebration. BIG thanks to those who are part of the celebration! Looking forward to more!

Edited note: I had just received more birthday cards today (see birthday post). Thank you--Lin (#4), Annette (#9) Brenda U (# 14), Rachel (#23) and Cindy C. I love love love each one of them!

Another Hello Card!

2011-11-29T00:00:00.045-05:00

Hello!

Here is a Hello card.

Card stock:Kraft card Stock (Recollections) ,Pattern paper: Manhattan from Social Club,Cosmo Cricket, Clear stamp: Type (hero Arts), Cling stamp: FriendshipDefinition (Hero Arts) , Dye Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black, Fibres: May Arts. Accents:Hero Arts gemstones, Tim Holtz Distress Inks (Wild Honey, Vintage photo), 3DDots by EK Success, Glossy Accent

I am entering this for the Moxie Fab world's Pay It Forward Challenge (my 2nd entry). Lastly, I want to share funny photos of David and some yummy Japanese food from last weekend.
(photo credit: my daughter Stephanie)

David was lamenting: " "My calculus mark is going to drop to 96%". Quite an overachiever, eh?

My Seafood U-Don Noodle

Stephanie's favorite--"Too Much Love" Roll
Dr. John: "You always get the same thing."
Stephanie: "You can never have too much love." =)

And that was David Sunrise Sushi!

There is still one more week for taking part in my virtual birthday party (see here)! I hope you can find time to join the fun! I am still 40 something :)

New Stamps!

2011-11-27T00:00:00.012-05:00

In the last few weeks I am blessed to have received some new stamps from my Hero Arts win and I bought a few sets myself. For once, I feel like my stamps are not being inked up fast enough! Gone are the days when I had NO or few stamps! One of them I bought from Simon Says Stamps is Happy Holidays. I had made a few cards from this set (see here, here and here ). Today I am sharing the latest one!

This card is pretty simple and easy to make. There are just a few special things about it:
I stamped the trees in rocking motion (first in Bundled Sage, then in Peel Paint around the tree image) in order to achieve the different shades of green. Then I added the dimensions with pop dots. The sentiment was embossed. I love how this Nordic stitched looks! Want more inspiration? Check Nordic Stitching in Pinterest. And.... speaking of Nordic, my family and I are planning on going on a Baltic cruise in this coming summer (as part of my 50th birthday present!!)! I will be in Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Sweden & Russia!! How AWESOME is that!? I get excited just thinking about it :)

This stamp set is perfect for a non-sewer like me. I added one of my favorite things-faux stitching to give a more polished look! Lastly, I added the white Pearlescent Dimensional Liquid to the trees. Lovely stuff, isn't it?
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For my Crafty girl friend card giveaway (see here), the random winner is

#23 Maureen Morton said...

Thanks for reminding me of this great technique, Virginia. Love the happy colors! An iphone app?! Seriously, you DO get around, girlfriend! Thanks!

Please e-mail me your postal address, Maureen, so I can pop the card and some SRM Stickers in the mail for you!

Thank you, friends, for being such dedicated readers/followers to my blog! Every day I feel so encouraged by your positive feedback....you make me want to be a better blogger/stamper! HUGS to you all!

New Toy!

2011-11-25T00:00:00.031-05:00

Last week I bought a set of Die-namics mini Rolled Roses at the local scrapbooking store, and boy, are they ever "fun"!? After making a dozen of the roses, I was not completely pleased and then realized that I was not layering them correctly. So it happened I stumbled upon Kristina Werner's video (see Rolled roses). After watching the video, I finally had an "ah-ha" moment and got right to work...making more roses!

With a row of 8 mini roses, I decided to keep the card design super simple. It only needs to have sentiment, embossed pink heart and scalloped borders added! Here is the close-up!

This card is perfect for any woman in your life that has an important relationship with you. I am entering this for the Moxie Fab World's Celebrating Relationship Challenge. There are still 13 days to join my virtual birthday party (see here ). I have enjoyed seeing each and every entry and I am looking forward to more!

12 Cards with SRM Fancy Sentiment

2011-11-23T03:00:00.124-05:00

As I look back this year's projects and cards, I must say that I feel so blessed to be part of the SRM Sticker DT! I know when I applied for the DT just about a year ago, I knew it will be an easy stretch to use these fabulous stickers for my cards and projects and I was so right (and also big thanks to former SRM DT Jing Jing's and Kathy Racoosin's encouragement). This DT really helps getting me out of my comfort zone! I had made tubes, wands, layouts and altered projects. It even prompted me to submit to publications. I never think I had a chance...until this year! And thankfully, I think I made SRM proud as I have 4 cards in Paper Crafts publications and they all have SRM Stickers! So big thanks to Susan (our super sweet and wonderful SRM owner) and Jenyfur (the ultra coordinator of our blog), you are the BEST! If you are interested in being part of the SRM DT, stay tuned! The new DT call is coming up very soon (hint, hint)!

Are you ready to see my 12 cards of Christmas? Yes, I made 12 cards from one sheet of SRM Stickers called Fancy Sentiment (retail for $3.00)

With this sheet, I came up with 12 cards. Are you ready?

Stamps: Lawn Fawn Ornate Ornaments

Stamps: Happy Holidays

By using kissing technique, I combined Music Background and Merriest Christmas Wishes

A close-up. I love the fact that they are very flat and mail-friendly.

And then I made some cute ones with Lawn Fawn's Pa-Rum-Pa-Pum-Pum

Here are the close-up

I also tried to make some rustic and neutral Christmas cards with Ornate Ornaments

details here

Lastly, I made a simple ornament card with the SRM Stickers (Yes, the lacy border is SRM Stickers)

So...do you like them? Hope these 12 cards inspire you to make some! Thanks so much for stopping by! If you can leave me a comment over SRM Blog , that will be super fabulous! Hope you have a great day! Now...there are just 15 days to join my birthday party! I am still 40 something... :)

Edited note: these cards were featured in Simon Says Stamps !

Celebrating Hobbies Challenge

2011-11-21T14:00:00.009-05:00

Hello! I am excited to share a card that I made with Clear and Simple Stamp and it was selected to be in the iphone App feature. You can find it here along with some fabulous inspiration from this site. It is scheduled to be release today!

Since it is a card for a crafty friend, I thought it would be perfect for the Moxie Fab World's Celebrating Hobbies Challenge

Sorry that the image is removed for publication.

I love using the BACKING of the clear stamps to create the images in assorted colors. They are all stamped with Tim Holtz Distress Inks. First I stamped the BACK of the images with colorful inks and then I stamped black dye ink over and that's it! {edited note: Please see Lisa Spangler's video (from Hero Arts) for detailed instruction}. The fun part is adding the twines for the oval sentiment.

I think this card will make any craft-y girlfriend super happy. I will pick someone from this post to send this card to. Would you like to be my crafty girlfriend (that color my world)? Just leave me a comment in this post by Friday midnight Eastern Time and it's simple as that!

My next post is ALL about SRM Stickers and cards (what else?). All 12 of them! Hope you've got time to check them out!

Did You Know...

2011-11-20T00:00:00.049-05:00

....what is Dr. John thinking?
About Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore's break-up (shared this over Facebook already)

Dr. John: So....I see that Ashton Kutcher is breaking up with Demi Moore... (reading the gossip news on the computer)

Me: There's your chance!!

Dr. John: Me? No! I don't even like Ashton Kutcher.

Me: Haha...VERY funny :)

About my daughter Stephanie' TA Marking....

Steph:	This marking is driving me crazy. Every misuse of a semi-colon is like gahh!
Dad:	Are you sure you want to be a prof?
Mom:	It's because you have OCD!
Steph:	Noooooo.
Dad:	It's because she's a perfectionist.
Steph:	.....Yeahh.
Dad:	It's the same thing. (Steph: ........oh..)

About my first publication on Paper Crafts (365 Cards A day)

Me: Yay! I bought a copy of Paper Crafts because I just can't wait for the official copy to come!

Dr. John: How much is that?

Me: I got it at Wal-Mart...just around $14 a copy!And that is a BARGAIN!

Dr. John: What!!!? Do they sell a page somewhere? All we need is P. 70!! Well, just a corner really...(heehee)!

Me: ....(giving him a dirty look)!

That Dr. John always cracks us up in our house!

I am also sharing a card that didn't make the cut for the last Paper Crafts submission call (May/June 2012). Luckily I did have one picked! I just submitted as many as I could and I really didn't think much about "Quality over Quantity" like I said I would in this post. Just go with it--it's my new motto! This card was based on the sketch provided by PC.

Hope this post brings you a smile. And if you don't know about my virtual birthday party, you definitely need to find out here. There are still 19 days left for you to join the fun!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge # 29

2011-11-18T00:01:00.051-05:00

Friday is here! Let's get our CAS-ual Friday Challenge started!

Please note that this is a TWO-week challenge. Since American Thanksgiving is almost here, we'd like to give you more time to spend time with family and friends. We hope that you can still find time to take part in this fun challenge.

Our sponsor: Trade Fish Designs

This lovely sketch was provided by one of our talented DT Karen B. I just love the simplicity of the sketch.

I used the Lawn Fawn Stamps (Ornate Ornament ) for this non-holiday card! I applied distress inks onto the back of the stamps to get the shape, and then I stamped the image over the shapes. Add some lace and glitter, voila! Those perfect Pearl accents are simply fun to play with. Hope this will get your creative juices flowing ...Please link up your card/project by November 30, Wednesday midnight Eastern Time at CAS-ual Fridays. Meanwhile, if you like to help me celebrate my upcoming ~~50th~~ birthday, here is the info that you can find out how to join the party!

I can't wait to see what you create!

Christmas card with Washi Tape

2011-11-17T00:00:00.015-05:00

This week's CREATE Blog challenge is to use washi tape in the card/project. I made a card for the same challenge before (see birthday card), but this time I decided to make a Christmas card with the same washi tape. Well, I have just 4 rolls of Washi tape, so it's not a lot of choices. BUT I am thankful for these precious Japanese Washi tapes. They were brought back by my daughter Stephanie while she had a summer exchange study in Singapore in 2010.

I created two ribbon banners with the Washi Tape. The top strip of Washi tape has bow design and it seems perfect for this card, too! The sentiment is from Hero Arts and the cute images are from Lawn Fawn. I colored the present and bear with color pencils and blended the colors with mineral spirit.

Have you checked out the birthday party event in my blog yet? Hope you can join the celebration. I am counting down the days to my birthday...can't believe that I am turning 50!!I feel like sharing a fun photo that my kids made for me on Mother's Day in 2008.

Aren't they sweet to make ME as the cover of the TIME magazine? As you can tell, David grew SO much in the last few years. Here is a more recent photo of my family in Feb. this year.

Good times! Thanks for allowing me to indulge in these photos!

Pay It Forward Challenge

2011-11-16T00:00:00.002-05:00

Among all the cards that I make, I think I make the most of hello cards. It is the easiest kind of cards to make. Since this type of cards can be totally random, it does not has to be complicated or fancy. When you send one to your old friend, he/she will know exactly where to pick up the pieces since last time you are in contact. Your new friend is certainly not expecting anything ( just yet) and will be thrilled to pieces to get a hello card.

I had made this card a while ago for Paper Crafts submission, it was not picked, sadly. It , however, remains to be one of my all time favorite cards. Today I decided to "recycle" it and enter it for the challenge over Moxie Fab's World for the "Pay It forward"Challenge.

My first publication is right here in this magazine (you did it on P.70).

Cardstock:white (Recollections), Blue (Martha Stewart, 8”x8” ,Pastel Paper pad); PatternPaper: Basic Grey (Out Of Print) 6’x6” pad; Cleat Stamp: sentiment from Type(Hero Arts); Ink: Versamark (Watermark Stamp Pad), Pastel Embossing Powder(Lady Bug) from Martha Stewart by EK Success ; Tools: Fiskars Micro Scissors; Accent: Gems (Hero Arts), SRM Press (Life isGood)

1. 1. Make card from cardstock

2. 2. Stamp hello sentiment with Versamarkink, emboss

3. 3. Cut out flowers form Out of Printcollection, Adhere to card stock

4. 4. Apply Sticker sentiment (“how’slife?”), add gems

Did you check out my birthday celebration post (see here or the top of the post)? I hope you can join the fun and help me celebrate this special milestone. It will mean so much to me. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Did You Know....(shh....I am turning...)

2011-11-14T00:00:00.026-05:00

...that I will be turning 50 in short 24 ~~years~~ days!? Since it's a BIG milestone for me, I would love to celebrate this special day with you--crafty friends and followers right HERE!

I am also taking this chance to share my FIRST published card "you did it"

If you know me and my creations, this card really depicts EXACTLY what I love--happy theme, use of coffee sleeves and twines...with a simple design. I am so happy that it is finally in print!

Here is what I am asking you to help me count down to my birthday --Dec. 9. What do you have to do? Please think HARD, very hard. .....if....

~my blog and cards inspire you in a creative way

~my cards or posts make you smile, even just a little

~ my cooking posts make you drool

~my travels, family pictures, family conversations, "Did you Know...", "What Would Dr. John Think?".....etc. make you laugh

~my comment speak to you and encourage you in any way....

....any at all. I want to know!

Here is the fun part....

You can grab this photo when you post

Please link up your post/card about it with the Inlinkz . You have to be a follower to my blog and ONE entry per person please. Your post can be just a few sentences about me/my blog OR better yet, you can make a virtual birthday card OR anything from me that inspire you. ....anything goes!

In order to thank you for taking part in this,
One random party guest will receive one year of Paper Crafts subscription.
TWO random party guests will receive an assorted prize pack (stamps, stickers, ribbons....GOODIES, value of $25)

It is my small way of saying thank-you. The winners will be announced on Dec. 10. I can't wait to stop by your blog/Flickr site and see what you create! If you have a Flickr account, please also add your card to Hero Arts Flickr Group to share.

Winner of the SRM Giveaway

2011-11-13T08:00:00.042-05:00

Thank you for the lovely comments for my SRM holiday place cards and party favor post! Winner of my SRM feature (see here) is....(drum roll, please)

Lilian Child

What a fun new tradition to start for the holiday table! Thanks for sharing this awesome idea!!

November 9, 2011 1:39 PM

Congrats, Lilian! please send me your address info, so I can get the prize out to you! Also I am sharing card that I made for Hero Arts Scramble Challenge. The theme is to use a holiday stamp for a non-holiday card! LOVE that idea, so here is my card...

This card was made under 30 min. For Trinh's Scramble challenge, I used CG377 Merriest Christmas Wishes for this non-holiday card. Sentiment is from SRM Stickers, HA ribbons, pearls

AND if you think there is MORE giveaway, then you are SO right!! My next post is going to be fun and exciting ( if I can say so myself)! Be right back! Here is a sneak peak....

and I have just the right music video to get the PARTY started!! Let's hear it from Kool and the Gang's C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-I-O-N!

Operation Write Home

2011-11-11T16:38:00.001-05:00

If you are looking for CAS-Friday's latest challenge, please scroll down or click here

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Today is November 11, I am joining my fellow SRM design team mates over SRM Blog (see here) to make our small contribution for OWH cards. The theme is to thank the veterans for their priceless service in protecting and peace-keeping. Here are a few that I made for this hop.

Cards with Hero Arts Stamps: It's a Parade, Musical Notes

Market Street Stamp, Basic Grey (Basic white paper)

Her Arts Stamps: Musical Walk, You're the Best (banners). All sentiments are from SRM Stickers.

For all the shipping details, please see Operation Write Home. For the specific types of cards of OWH, please check here . SRM Sticker Blog (see here ) and Hero Arts (see here) are all part of the OWH blog hop. There lots of inspirations and prizes planned for this special hop.

I have something very exciting planned for next week. Do stop by as you don't want to miss out on the fun. See you then!