25 Winter WISHES

Mission Accomplished!

At the beginning of this year, I secretly wanted to complete all 12 tags of 2014 this year and I made it!  Yes, I usually finished my tag on the last day of the month but this time I made it a few days before the end of the month!

I don't actually have 25 winter wishes.  It's just that I thought it could be read as "25 winter wishes" after completing the tag.  LOL.

The most exciting part for me is the use of frosted.  It is like a rather opaque transparency.  So cool!  I didn't have all the tools that Tim used on his tag but I immediately thought of the reverse stamp sets.  I stamped it on the back side of the frosted film then the words are no longer reverse.  I think it is one of the easiest ways to use these reverse stamps.  Love it!

I am on my way to my family reunion trip and will enjoy family time for the rest of the year (and early next year).  I look forward to seeing everyone but I'm not sure if I can handle the outdoor activities. 

May you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy 2015!

Dimensional Christmas card

Just a quick post to share a Christmas card for Lawnscaping Challenge:

I like this card because of the dimension.  Each layer of the Christmas tree is heightened by some foam tape.  In addition, the star was also three-dimensional.  I folded three of the identical stars in half and stuck them together.  Did I mention that the sentiment is quasi-dimensional too?  I heat embossed it with Liquid Platinum embossing powder.  Love that silver color.  The background is once again the awesome Lawn Fawn Snow Day paper.  I just casually layered a few of my scrap pieces to become the background and it looks just fine!

My card is entering the Lawnscaping Challenge - 96 Merry Christmas:

Will this card by the last Christmas card of the year? 

Even though I don't need any more Christmas cards, I love making them as I find them most fun and enjoyable.  I'll probably continue to make them, but not sharing them here.  We'll see a love card for a change very soon.

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!

Using scraps!

I've made these two super simple Christmas cards here and that paper depicting a winter scene was about half sheet of the patterned paper.  Today I'm sharing a card that I'm using up the other half, and other scraps in the Lawn Fawn Snow Day paper pack:

It is essentially another easy peasy creation.  The background was just strips of patterned paper of various widths.  Then I added two die cut bunnies and a sentiment to finish it off.  I am not good at Copic coloring but gave it a try nevertheless.  I was hoping that the recipient would not pay too much attention to these two bunnies because they are just the bigger version of the same bunny in the patterned paper.  This is one big advantage to use supplies from the same brand.  LOL.

If you have great tips for your scraps of patterned paper, please share!

I'm linking up my card to the following:
Whimsy Stamps - Anything Goes
Inspiration Destination - Anything Goes
Fresh Brewed Designs - Anything Christmas
Creative Moments - Anything Goes/Winter
The Crafter's Cafe - Christmas/Holiday

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Crafting!

Wow! Another 5-minute Christmas card!

If you are still making your last-minute Christmas cards, this will be a great idea for you.  It requires minimal supplies but it gives you a wow effect because of the sparkles:

I die cut the Lawn Fawn Stitched Snowflakes die in three colors of glitter paper.   Before I stuck them onto the card, I put a thin thread behind each of them.  The last step was to silver emboss the sentiment onto the card.  The panel was lifted up by foam tape for some dimension.

If you'd like to simplify it, try one color of glitter paper, or even plain cardstock.  Instead of silver embossing the sentiment, try silver ink or just stamp it in black.  I bet it will still be looking great!

Who says a quick card can't be great at the same time?

I'm linking up my card to the following:
Sparkle and Sprinkle - glitter, embossing powder and/or flocking
Stamp and Create - Anything Christmas
My Creative Moments - Anything Christmas or winter
Through the Purple Haze - Use a Sentiment

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Crafting!

15-minute Christmas card

Today I'm sharing a step-up card from yesterday's card:

It is really just a tiny step up from yesterday's card.  The extra step I did was to add some patterned paper to the card base.  Again I must express how adorable the Lawn Fawn Snow Day paper pack is.  The coordinating colors and patterns help making cards faster!  Other than that, I simply inked up the stamps in the same colors (two shades of green, brown and red), then die cut the Scripty Joy die with my die-cutting machine.

This time the wreath is smaller than that on yesterday's card.  I just started with a smaller circle (1 1/4", compared to 1 3/4" on yesterday's card) in the middle then stamped the sprigs, pine cones and berries around that circle.

Do you like this step-up version or the simpler version from yesterday better?

I'm linking up my card to the following:

Crafty Sentiments - Christmas

Cuttin and Stampin - Christmas

Cuttlebug Mania - Anything Christmas

Party Time Tuesdays - Anything Goes

Through the Craft Room door - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Crafting!

Last-minute Christmas card

Need some more ideas for your last-minute Christmas cards?  I have a very simple card for you today.

Simple enough, right?

Let's start with the simple supplies:  It involved only one stamp set and one die - Deck the Halls from Lawn Fawn and Scripty joy die from Lawn Fawn as well.  I have used two green ink pads, one brown and one red.  Finally it's red cardstock, some really cool Craft-A-Board from Ellen Hutson (more on that later), and heavy duty white cardstock for card base.

I first started out with a 1 3/4" circle (size doesn't matter, but I'd suggest at least 1") which is used as a guide for me to stamp the wreath.  I know that some people like to trace a circle with pencil and stamp on it but I am trying to skip one step there.  I have had some terrible experience in erasing the circle / guide in my other cards so tho the extent possible I'll try to skip that step.

I started with the pine cones, then the pine sprigs in the lighter green.  Yup, then when I inked it in the darker shade I didn't have to clean my stamp (time-saving trick indeed!).  I finished off the wreath with some red berries then the stamping is complete.

I die cut the word joy with two layers of Craft-A Board and two layers of red cardstock.  Just wanted to give it some dimension, if you are trying to finish it in 5 minutes, skip that.  I added the Wink of Stella shimmer on top of the die cut and sealed the shimmer with glossy accent.  The part that took the longest time was definitely the drying time for the glossy accent.  Again, if you are in a hurry, skip that party.

It is my first time using the Craft-A-Board from Ellen Hutson.  I vaguely remember that it was on Jennifer McGuire's Favorite Crafty Things last year (or even the year before) but I just never got a chance to try that out.  It is really sturdy and is perfect for layering die cuts.  Even though I could stick more layers of cardstocks together to achieve the dimension, this is much faster and easier.

I have another card which is a step up version of today's card.  Will share that with you soon!

This card is entering the following:
Artistic Inspiration - Anything Goes/Snow
Crafty Boots - Merry Christmas
Crafty Cardmakers - Christmas
Get Creative - Christmas
The Crazy Challenge - Christmas

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Crafting!

5-minute Christmas Cards!

Have you finished all your Christmas cards?  If not, I'd suggest that you challenge yourself to finish cards within a very short time.

I've mentioned that I like 6x6 paper pads for Christmas cards and when I flipped through the Lawn Fawn Snow Day petite paper pack, I found two identical sheets that are perfect for making a card by just layering that sheet on cardstock:

The patterned paper has created a beautiful snow scene and all I did was to emboss the sentiment Merry Christmas in green then layered them on brown and green cardstock.  It is a 5" x 7" card.  Easy peasy, right?

I have made another one that is almost identical except this time I embossed the greeting in red:

I think the red sentiment pops a lot more and gives this card a more modern look while the first one is more traditional. 

What actually prompted me to make these two cards was that my nickname in my family was somehow related to bunnies.  That was years ago when I was 5 or even younger.  That explains why I'm a big sucker for bunny stamps, paper and embellishments.  My family doesn't call me that nickname anymore but I know that a card with a bunny on it will bring everyone a smile. 

Do you buy supplies for that reason too?

I'm entering my card to the following challenges:
Brown Sugar - Winter
A Crafty Mess - Anything Goes/Christmas
Crafts 4 Eternity - Winter
Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
Fussy and Fancy - Happy Holidays
Jingle Belles - Christmas

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Crafting!

A Window Card

Just a quick post today sharing a window card, which is also a Christmas card!  Even though I am done with making cards for friends and family, I continue to make them.  Not only do I feel that Christmas brings magic to the season, I feel that making Christmas cards brings magic to my home!

Sometimes I like to use my cards as Christmas decorations for my home too!  I put them on a string and separate them with cloth pins (painted in red or green) and hang the string across my windows.  It's kinda cheesy and old-fashioned but that reminds me of what my family used to do when I was very little.  That fond memory always brings me warmth.

Onto today's card, just a clean and simple window card.  I've totally enjoyed working with the 6x6 paper pad from Lawn Fawn.  It helps me make Christmas cards so quickly and easily!  I literally whipped up a few cards within an hour.

The most tricky part of this card was to line up the circle die on all three layers.  I first die cut the circle on two patterned papers because they are thinner and a pass can cut through both of them, then I lined them up onto the card base, and ran through three layers at the same time.  Because the cut was already made on the patterned papers, the circle die would not affect them but cut through the card based.

I added a strip of green paper across the banner so the snowflake has a place to hold onto.  Another option would be using fishing cord or beading wire for the snowflakes.  I haven't done beading for a while so my those supplies are nowhere to be found.  I'm happy with the green strip with white embossed greeting anyway.

My card is entering the following challenges:
A girl who crafts - Christmas
Always something creative - Christmas
Crafts Galore Encore challenge - Christmas and anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut Challenge - Christmas

Thanks for stopping by!

12 Tags of 2014 - November

Just a quick post to show my not-so-successful November tag here:

I knew that I'd be playing the 12 tags rather late, so I bought the snowflake die + embossing folder set instead of the leaf set. 

Unfortunately I don't have the foil sheet that Tim Holtz used on his tag, so I tried using whatever I have on hand.  The distress glitter wasn't the best choice.  But the good news is that I could die cut a huge "NOEL" from a mirror sheet and stick it across the snowflake so the failure on the snowflake isn't that obvious.  LOL.

Go check out other entries at Tim Holtz's 12 tags of 2014.  You will find loads of inspiration there!
Thanks for stopping by!

It's beginning to look a lot like CHRISTMAS!

Don't you think it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas?  We already celebrated Thanksgiving and some of you may have grabbed the best deals on Black Friday, and today is the last day of November, which means that Christmas is less than a month away! 

I have most of my Christmas cards done and have to start mailing them out next week.  Many of my cards will be sent to friends and relatives overseas so it is not early at all.  My local celebration is starting the first weekend of December so those bulky cards for local friends will be given out at that occasion.  We all wish we had more time for card and gift preparation, don't we?

But I've learned that most people who receive my card do not care if the cards are not "publication-worthy."  They are happy to receive the card and never notice that the inks have smudged or if the placement of the snowflakes does not follow the rule of three.  To the contrary, many of them ooh and ah and wonder how certain things were done.  I said most people because most people in my life are not crafty.  For my crafty friends I do pay more attention to the details.  But I'll say, all cards were made from my heart!

I'm sharing a card today that was inspired by Day 3 of Kristina Werner's Holiday Card Series 2014.  I love her sky background and have to try it out myself:

I love it so much that I've actually made two!  I made one starting from the lightest color (bottom, Antique Linen) and the other starting from the darkest color (the top, Black Soot).  I would think that it is natural to start from the lightest but guess what?  I like the one starting from Black Soot better.  I think that one has colors blended much better but that could be due to the practice from my first attempt.  Looks like I'll have to make a third one to decide which is the better way to go.  LOL.

I'm entering the card to the following:
Catered Crop - Anything Goes
613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes
Amusing Challenge - Anything Goes
Weekly Christmas Card Challenges - Anything Goes
Crafting When We Can - Clean and Simple
Craft to Celebrate - Waiting for Christmas
My Perfect Life - Christmas

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Turkey Day everyone!

I am grateful for a lot of things and I'll share those that are craft-related here.

First, I am grateful that I have easy access to craft supplies.  There are a lot of wonderful companies that manufacture craft supplies of excellent qualities, and I understand that those who live in certain parts of the world do not have quick and easy access to them.

Second, I am grateful that the crafting world is a wonderful community.  Many papercrafters love to create hand-made gifts for others and preserve memories by scrapbooking.  They are some of the greatest and kindest people in my life.

I am grateful for each of you that stopped by my little blog and spend time with me.  This blog has always been my "creative diary" and I'm thankful that you are here to leave me kind words and comments.

I've made a simple card for today:

I'll admit that any simple card could take me ages to finish.  For this card, the longest time was spent on creating the background - I used Cricut Explore and Close to My Heart Artiste cartridge to cut the leaves.  The next challenge was the big leaf you see on the left.  I've tried many many leave images as I wanted to do some coloring so badly.  Unfortunately none of them went well so I opted to die cut this one from the Stitched Leaves set from Lawn Fawn.  For the last step I added a banner with an embossed sentiment to finish off the card.

I'm entering my card to the following:
4 Crafty Chicks - Die cuts
Crafty Creations - Embossing
Inspiration Destination - Anything Goes
Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge - Anything Goes
Crafty Sentiments - Die cuts
Bitten by the Bug 2 - Thanksgiving

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Crafting!

Hello Deer

It seems that it has been forever since I last entered any card challenge.  I miss challenges!  I miss my craft desk!  There has been quite a few impromptu visits from friends and relatives and thus I have not been able to sit at my craft desk and create.  I'm back, even though it will be a short window between now and Thanksgiving.  Are you ready for the holiday season?

I have not got everything ready but I have decided that that if I can't finish everything, everything will still be just fine.  This season is about being thankful for what we have, not about focusing on what we forgot to prepare.  I am thankful that everyone in my family feels the same way.

Now onto today's card.  I wanted to make a Christmas card and started with the sketch from Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge:

Do you see the subtle stars in the background?  That got me into thinking what to do for the longest time.  I first wanted to use a stencil but most of my stencils are too small.  I thought about using patterned paper but I couldn't decide which one to use.  Finally I thought I could use one of the overlays in the Cricut Artbooking cartridge.  I tried out the star overlay and it worked very well!

I've added a deer die cut from Maggie Holmes Open Book collection.  When I bought it I could never imagine that I would be using it at all.  I like everything else in the die set but that deer.  How nice I could put it on a Christmas card!  That reminds me to go through my stash again because what I didn't like before could make me feel different now.

I tied the ribbon in a way that there wasn't any knot.  I punched two holes on the front then loop the ribbon through from the front, and criss-crossed it at the back, then thread it through to the front again.  I used to do it a lot on invitation cards but I doubt that I ever did it on other cards.  I guess I will do it more often though, I really like that I adds quite a bit of dimension but not as much bulk as a regular knot or bow.

In addition to entering my card to Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge, I'm also entering it to the following:
Crafty Calendar - It's all about Christmas
CHNC - Getting Ready for Christmas
We Do Doobadoo - Christmas
My Perfect Life - Christmas
Stamping Sensations - Simply Christmas

 

 

 

Mass production again

Even though I say mass production, I normally do not make more than 4 copies of the same card.  I like to switch up things a little bit to give it a new look, or at the very least, a different look.

The cards I am sharing today are almost identical, except for the color of the background.  Do you like the red background better or the green background better?

I first made the green one:

Then I thought I could make it in a different color so I went to grab my red cardstock to make this:

I wish I had some green baker's twine then the two cards could be a true mirror image of each other.  Oh well, red baker's twine is just as fine.

Here's a collage of both of them:

I can't decide which one I like better.  What about you?

I'm entering my card to the following:
Christmas stampin' all year long - Anything Goes
Completely Christmas - Anything Goes
Creative Corner - It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Fun with Shapes and More - Christmas

Thanks for stopping by!

You Warm My Heart

I have a simple Christmas/Holiday card to share today.  :)  It is really simple but it took me a long time to finish it.

For this card, I started with the products I wanted to use:  the snowman stamp set and the Stitched Hillside border die from Lawn Fawn.  Naturally I would love to create a scene.  So I first created the snowbanks with the die, then added the snowman on it.  The snowman told me in a very sad voice that he was very lonely so I wanted to add some more to it.  I tried various things - trees next to him, a bird, another snowman but nothing seem to cheer him up.

Finally I  tried to add some snowflakes in the background and bingo!  That's exactly what the snowman wanted.  With the snowflakes the card looks a lot more lively.  The snowman is happy now!

I could have never imagined that this card could take me so long to finish.  It was a fun process nonetheless and I hope the card recipient will like it.

My card is entering the following challenges:
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
A Random Fan - Red, White and Green
Creative Card Crew - Christmas Joy
Our Daily Bread - Holiday
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
Party Time Tuesdays - Anything Goes
Dream Valley - Getting Ready for Christmas
Crafty Cardmakers - die cuts

Thanks for stopping by!

12 Tags of 2014 - October

Happy Halloween everyone!

I'm afraid on this day I'm bringing you not anything Halloween but a Christmas tag.  Again I procrastinated to make my 12 Tags of 2014 - October until the very last minute.  But, better late than never!

For this tag I've played with some of my new goodies:  Sizzix Merry Christmas stamp and die set, the spray stain (I am using iced spruce, picket fence and evergreen bough here) and the Styled Woodlands stamp set. 

My first impression of spray stain is that it is quite a big bottle (not complaining here but I imagined that it was smaller) and it is very easy to use.  It dries quickly too (otherwise the tag won't be ready before midnight today).  I've only got a few colors for this tag but am looking forward to try a couple more.

Thanks so much for stopping by and Happy Crafting!

Mass production - Christmas cards

Even though I love to create one of a kind cards, there are times that I mass produce cards.  My friend M volunteers at a local senior center and she asks if I could give her some cards for the members to write to their family.  For a good cause like this I am more than happy to oblige.  Who doesn't like it when our hobby turns into something meaningful like this?

But alas, I don't always have a big stash ready.  So mass production is the key here.  People say that a good pair of shoes will take you to good places.  I'd add that a good sketch will help you mass produce good-looking cards. :)

I shared a Halloween card a few days ago that used the My Favorite Things Blueprints die set 13.  Today I'm sharing 4 almost identical cards using the same sketch.

First one is one that says "Wishing you the Merriest Christmas".  I added some silver sequins on its side:

The second one is this one with this nice font saying "Season's Greetings".  This time I added some blings:

Then there is one that says "Christmas Joy" and I put some star sequins next to it:

Finally this one says "Merry and Bright."  I really like the big "&" and I added some pearl sequins on the banner:

Even though they are all so similar to each other, I wouldn't think it wasn't fun to make them.  I didn't feel it was repetitive either.  They each have a unique sentiment and unique embellishments.  They are still quite different!  

Here's a collage of all four cards together:

I'm glad that I'm using all four stamps in this Close to My Heart set called Merriest Christmas.  Nothing makes me feel better than loving all stamps in one set and using them all at once!  If you are into making cards using readily made kits, you may want to try the Cut Above Holiday Card kit or the Cut Above Christmas Card kit.  If you'd like a little more stamping, I recommend the Close to My Heart Cardmaking Workshops on the Go Snowhaven kit.

What kind of cardmaker are you?  Does the holiday season change your crafting habit?  Happy Crafting!

I'm linking my card to the following:

ABC Christmas - very Merry Christmas

Paper Minutes - Christmas and red

4 Crafty Chicks - Anything Goes

Aud Sentiments Challenge - two or three word sentiments

Are you ready for Halloween?

Are you ready for Halloween?  I am!

I am sharing a clean and simple, quick and easy Halloween card today:

Thanks to the My Favorite Things Blueprint die set, this card came together really easily.  The picture above may not be able to show the details on the striped panel, but the stitching edge is really nice and neat!  I used the Blueprint set 13 here and this beautiful card sketch came together within seconds.  The best part?  I have not even used all of the dies and I know I am going to explore the possibilities!

The paper came from an older Close to My Heart kit called Spellbound.  The kit was intended to make party favors and cupcake liners and such, but who says that it is limited to party decor?  It is equally great on cards. :)

I'm linking up my card to the following:
Die Cuttin' Divas - Happy Halloween
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
Crafty Card Makers and More - Die cuts
Dream Valley - Halloween
The Pink Elephant - Anything Goes
Through the Purple Haze - Halloween

Thanks for stopping by!

Hoppy Halloween

I was away from blogging as the clumsy me got myself in a minor injury in the gym.  Fortunately it was nothing serious and I am recovering slowly.  My body suffers from pain but I think the inconvenience is a bigger pain.  I've learned that while exercise is good I should not push myself too much because even though I was able to finish the program, I was too exhausted to keep my balance then trip over something.  What a joke.

I finally got well enough to do some crafting and I gotta catch up on the Halloween cards for my friends' kids.  This was the first one made:

It was made with a lot of Lawn Fawn goodies - the card base, the Hoppy Halloween stamp set, the Starry backdrops, Sweater Weather die, Grassy border die and Stitched Party Banners die.

Guess what?  I finally tried playing with Copic markers!  I know, I am extremely late to the party.  I am beginning with a tiny collection but am already making a long wishlist for Christmas!  I had so much fun coloring the carrots, the moon and the bunny's cape.  Too bad I only had one grey marker and I had no idea how to color the bunny.  I simply added some shades on him and stuck him down with foam dots to give him some dimension.

I've used distress inks to create the starry sky.  There are four shades of blue: Broken China, Salty Ocean, Stormy Sky and Chipped Sapphire.  I did the same with the hoppy halloween banner but the gradation of colors is much more obvious in the sky.

Now I gotta go back to make more Halloween cards before it's too late.

I'm entering my card to the following challenges:
613 Avenue - Anything Goes
Addicted to Stamps - Anything Goes
Sentimental Sundays - Too cute to spook
A gem of a challenge - Create a Scene
Crafting At the Weekend - Anything Goes
Pumpkin Spice - Halloween
Sweet Stampin' - Halloween
Treasured Times Stamps - Anything Goes
Fairy Tale Challenge - Halloween
Simply Create Too - Halloween

Thanks for stopping by!

Creating my own PL card

I mentioned yesterday that I have not made an investment on project life yet, as I am just starting out and I have "just more than enough" scrapbooking supplies.  I admit that having one of those 3x4 or 4x6 cards handy for an accent or a journaling box is convenient, but I'll wait and see if I am really into it before I jump on the bandwagon.

When I made this layout I wished I had one of those 4x6 cards ready.  Then the four 4x6 could get the square nice and complete.  I didn't have one so I went to cut one out from the patterned paper.  It turned out just as cute as I would imagine:

Normally I would put another horizontal 4x6 picture to the top right corner, but too bad, I only got three pictures developed.  So I made my own Project Life card as a journaling box in this layout.  I like that the patterned paper has two dangling hearts and it looks so naturally like a readily available Project Life card.

The title of the layout is Brunch at The Park.  I've split it to two rows and cut it in two fonts.  "Brunch at" was die cut with Lawn Fawn's Louie's ABCs dies and "the park" with Lawn Fawn's Cole's ABCs dies.  These two are my favorite alphabet die sets.  These alphabets were die cut from two different sheets of patterned paper in the Sweater Weather collection, but I tried to match "the park" with  the same color as those two dangling hearts and "the brunch" with the square in the middle.  Speaking of which, it was actually trimmed down from another sheet of patterned paper with 3x4 journaling cards.

I always love using patterned paper in the same collection - everything is coordinating and that gives the color-challenged me a big relief. :)

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Crafting!

Scrapbooking & Project Life

Happy Hump Day!

Oops it has been a week since I last posted on my blog.  Where did my time go?  Well, a series of off-site meetings at work is taking quite a lot of my time, making crafting difficult.  Then, for the various times I've tried blogging, I could not even log in.  If I was fortunate enough to log in, I could not upload pictures.  Argh!

Anyway, it seems like everything is finally working just fine.  Want to see my first project life spread?  I know that project life has been around (correction: popular) for quite a while but I have been busy in the card-making department and wasn't really paying much attention to it.  Recently I am getting back to mini-albums and scrapbooking and I thought I could give it a try.     I will be honest that I won't be doing it regularly to document my weekly life.  I wish I had that discipline.  But I think I could try this as part of my scrapbooking process.  I did try it out and I like it.

There are just about millions of project life products on the market.  The only one I got was the sheet protectors.  LOL.  You have no idea how much I was resisting the temptation to buy the gazillions of cute products!  As I am just starting out, I'll try to minimize my purchase.  Further, even though I am really interested in many of the core kits and mini kits, I'd love to use my scrapbooking supplies for project life.  For one, haven't I got more than enough for my layouts?  Secondly, I am not too appealed to the rounded corners of the project life cards.

For my first project life spread, I've chosen pictures I took in September and the cutouts from the new Lawn Fawn Sweater Weather collection:

I totally love these cutouts - they are great accent pieces and journaling cards!  I think I'm supposed to put more journaling cards to the 3x4 pockets?  I opted to cut my 4x6 picture in half and put them in the pockets.  Not bad, huh?

After making this project life spread, I also made a traditional scrapbook page.  It is a picture I took in a Vietnamese restaurant last winter.  The story behind this is that as we had no idea what to order, we told the waiter we wanted that "good looking quiche-looking  dish" on the table behind us.  Try say it fast three times and you know what i mean!  I came to know that it is called Banh Khot:

Sorry about the glare of the photo.  I found a new place at home to take pictures but at this new spot I had to use flash.  I hope you could still see the little pancake cups with shrimps.  It was delish and I had to make a page about it!  I've tried a new thing for the background: I cut the patterned paper into strips and pieced them into chevrons.  It was quite a time consuming process but for a page about Banh Khot?  I think it's absolutely worth it!

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!

12 Tags of 2014 - September

Ms. Procrastination is waiting until last minute to submit her 12 Tags of 2014 - September.  Well, have I ever submitted my work early?  LOL.

I am just hours away from the closing of the link so I'll be short here.

I followed Tim's instructions to create the green background, then stamped the cupcake in Archival Ink.  Using the remaining portion of my glossy cardstock, I inked it up with some bright color alcohol inks.  I punched out dozens of circles using my 1/4" punch to create these confetti.  It's fun!

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!

(Easy) Scrapbooking makes me happy

I wish I had all day long to create my scrapbook layouts but I don't.  The only time I get to craft is weekends.  I still squeeze in as much time as possible to craft.  Scrapbook pages can be tricky as they tend to take longer time to finish, compared to cards and tags.

So I must say that I appreciate simple scrapbooking.  Today I am sharing one that didn't take me too long:

I finally figured out a way to take a picture of a two-page layout.  Yay!  But I haven't figured out how to do it without flash to avoid the glare.  Sorry. 

To me, the first step of easy/simple scrapbooking is to print the pictures in 4x6 and 4x6 only.  Every time I develop my photos I upload a big volume without even sorting through them carefully.  Had I spent time to decide what size to print before I hit that "checkout" button, I could have spent days just to print the pictures.  (On that note, I did seriously consider buying a photo printer at home, but thus far it has not happened and I have moved onto becoming interested in other "toys.") 

The next step of easy/simple scrapbooking is to use the pictures as is.   Unless the composition of the picture is truly an eyesore, I tend to keep the picture as is.  The same size of each picture does not add interest to the page and many of you may think that it is equivalent to a boring layout.  But hey, my goal here is to have some creative fun and get my page done.  It's okay for me to have a rather plain layout.  This time I was just lucky that I got six pictures taken from this event, where four of them are landscape and two of them are vertical.  I just simply put them in a symmetrical manner over two pages.  I didn't even have a photo mat.  That's easy (or lazy). 

Choosing the perfect patterned paper and cardstock could be time-consuming because I just have too much to choose from!  I'm glad that I do have quite a good system to organize my paper and so even though I have a lot of paper, I just need to take out what I think would be a good match and confirm that it will work fine with the pictures.  You know, what I have in mind could be drastically different from the reality.

I sometimes do journaling next but this time I added embellishment before journaling.  This is the fun part.  I love adding bits and pieces to a layout!  For a layout like this, I'd keep the embellishment minimum because I'd like the focus to be on the pictures.  There are six pictures and I do want each one of them shine.

Journaling on this layout will have to be quite short.  I want to keep the balance of the layout so I only have two small boxes for journaling.  Well, I'll just have to keep my journaling concise.

That concludes my journey of easy/simple scrapbooking.  I had a fun time making this page and I think years later, whoever looks at this page wouldn't know that it is "easy."

Thanks for stopping by!

Merry Christmas

I am back with another configurations box to share.  This time the theme is Christmas!

It is the cutest Christmas configurations box I could imagine!  This configurations box does not come with the frame.  The frame was actually made with grunge board strips on the side and a decorative edge cut for the top and bottom.  Because crackle paint is no longer available in colors, we used Clear Rock Candy crackle paint as the base then after the paint has dried, we painted distress paint to add color.  I further rubbed some walnut stain on top just to distress it.  It is so cool!  Thanks Richele for showing us all these cool tricks!

She had done a lot of prep work for the class.  For instance, she had dyed the trees in green.  We would have stayed in class forever otherwise.  We embellished the tree by adding snow, stars, ribbon, twines and baubles to the tree.  One of my favorite things in the big middle box is that there is faux snow.  The faux snow is rock candy distress glitter.  It looks like snow more than glitter to me!

To tell you the truth I have made a mistake.  See the word "Christmas" was abbreviated?  That's because I started the word "Merry" too low in the panel, and had I spelled Christmas in full, the two words would overlap and look awful.  This is not what I was hoping for but I guess I did fine when this "creative opportunity" happened.

I know we are months away from Christmas but I have already put this box in a rather discreet area of my home so I can secretly admire it every day. :)

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!

Relax

I am going to be away for a few days, so I won't be sharing any new creations.  But I'll still keep the blog updated.

Today I am sharing a configurations box with the theme of sea.  I put the wooden blocks "RELAX" next to the seahorse to remind myself to slow down:

I wish I had the talent to create something this pretty.  I took a class with Richele Christensen, one of the members of Tim Holtz's Creative Media Team in a local craft store and she showed us all the tricks to prepare this awesome configurations box.

What I really like is that she used the pinecone die to create the corals.  Such a clever idea!  And guess what?  We did put some real starfish into our box.  See the one on the top left corner of the box with the big seahorse?  That's a real starfish.  There's another real starfish in the second box on the left as well.  Next to that starfish is a real sand dollar.  So cute.  Oh, you will be interested in knowing that there are also shells in the third box on the left.  The bottom box on the right has several bottles.  One has sand and one has smaller shells.

Taking a class like this makes me feel the realistic experience in the sea.  I have learned quite a lot of techniques and I had an absolutely fun time with fellow students. 

I have always admired how others prepared their configurations box because I have been intimidated by it.  I am comfortable with cardmaking and scrapbooking, but this is something dimensional and is just beyond my comfort level.  After taking her class, I can't say I am now confident in making one myself, but I am more willing to attempt to make one.  I admit that I'm slow, but let me take one step at a time.  One day I'll be able to make one.  :)

I will be sharing another configurations box while I am away.  Stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Crafting!

Say Cheese!

I am very fortunate that I live in a place where there are several scrapbooking stores.  It is true that online shopping is convenient, but going in to a store and browse and touch all the goodies make a world of difference.  The fact that we could make it a fun shopping trip with fellow crafters is another plus. 

Another thing I like about local scrapbooking stores is that they host classes and workshops from time to time.  In 2014 alone I have taken a few and will be taking more next month.  Again, online classes seem to be convenient that we can watch the videos in our PJs at the comfort of our home, and I like taking them.  However, the human interaction part and the hands-on experience are elements of a live class that cannot be easily replaced.  Need further arguments to be convinced that taking live classes is fun?  That's getting to meet new people who share the same interest.  The camaraderie in a live class is what I truly enjoy. 

In May this year, I took a live class in a local scrapbooking store.  After that, some of us students took a picture and our smiles in the picture really capture the fun and enjoyment we had in class:

I rarely share scrapbook pages on my blog partly due to my frustration in taking a decent picture of the page. Guess what?  The time spent on taking a picture of the layout above is about half of the time that took me to finish the project.  No kidding.

Wait, I totally forgot to add my journaling.  What was I thinking?

This page is extremely simple.  Just paper and paper and paper.  I used the Sweater Weather collection from Lawn Fawn, then die cut the title from Louie's ABCs die set and Quinn's ABCs die set.  The only embellishment, if any, is the stars die cut from Lawn Fawn Stitched Journaling Card die set.  Does this sketch look familiar to you?  It's one of the super sketches from Kelly Purkey!

I wanted to share our smiles with you and hope that you will continue to support local business.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Crafting!

Identical cards again

A couple of days ago I made two cards that shared the same design.  I'm doing it again!  

This time I'm using the sketch from Mojo Monday 363:

I miss Mojo Monday challenges!  I wish I could participate more.  It's just that my craft time usually falls on the weekend so it is easier for me to play along the challenges that are posted mid-week or weekends.  I'm so glad that I got to play along this time.  It's a great sketch and I made two cards with it!

First up is the fall card:

I've also made a Christmas card with it:

I'm sorry that the Christmas card is so yellow.  This picture just does not do it justice (and I know that I should take a photography class!).  In reality it looks much nicer!  I like that the blue card base makes it more winter-y and interesting.

Did you notice that the patterned paper I use here is the same as that here?  Someone just needs to clean up her craft desk.  LOL.

I'm linking up the fall card to:

1.  Mojo Monday challenge - see sketch above

2.  Crafting for All Seasons - Colors of Autumn

3.  Stampavie and more - Autumn Colors

4.  Creative Moments - Fall colors/Anything Goes

5.  Double Click - Anything Goes

I'm linking the Christmas card to:

1.  Add a Little Dazzle - Home for the Holidays/Anything Goes

2.  ABC Christmas - S for Something Festive

3.  Addicted to Stamps - Holidays

4.  Ruby's Rainbow - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Crafting!

Thankful for You

Yay!  My Close to My Heart Artfully Sent Cartridge is finally here!   I have not fully explored its possibilities but I have made a card with it.  I know many of us are excited with the 3-D cards but I am really drawn to the card front overlays so my first card with Artfully Sent was made with one of those:

I wanted to make a Thanksgiving card and so I pulled out all Fall-related supplies on my desk.  First, I cut the card base with that overlay using Kraft cardstock.  Then I stamped the Season of Thanks background stamp in bamboo ink on bamboo cardstock.  Voila the card base is done!

I must confess that I've scrap-lifted an element from Close to My Heart.  See the middle sentiment?  I basically copied it from the Workshops on the Go Pathfinding Cardmaking Kit.  I find this sentiment in this color combo so appealing and have decided to make a bunch of Thanksgiving cards using this!  Since I have the Workshops on the Go Pathfinding Cardmaking Kit out, I went on to see what other things I could use on my card.  I liked that arrow stamp and went on to ink it up in Olive and stamp it on Olive cardstock.  Yup, I am a big sucker for tone-on-tone stamping.  There are many stamping techniques that I like, but tone-on-tone stamping is definitely one of my faves.  I cut a banner out of the stamped Olive piece, added the Bronze Shimmer Trim and some Gold Sequins.  This card is done!

The arrival of this cartridge almost kept me up all night.  Just by flipping through the handbook made me smile.  So many ideas are flowing in my head right now.  All I ask for is having more than 24 hours in a day so I could spend more time playing with it. LOL.

If you'd like to learn more about the Artfully Sent Cartridge and Workshops on the Go, please visit here.

I'm linking up my card to the following challenges:
Bitten by the Bug - Anything Cricut
The Crafty Bloggers Network - Anything Goes
Crafty Boots - Anything Goes
Heart 2 Heart Challenges - What's your favorite technique?  (Tone-on-tone stamping, of course!)
Cardz 4 Guys - no patterned paper
Inky Chicks - Anything Goes
Card and scrap - Anything Goes
Stempelgarten - Autumn

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Crafting!

Two (almost) identical cards

Today I'm sharing two cards - one for fall and one for Christmas.  They are great for mass production!  I started with the fall card then went on to make the Christmas one.  I think this sketch/layout is just great for everything! 

This is the fall card:

By changing up the patterned paper and the focal image, I got this Christmas card:

Don't you think they are "identical"?  I know that they are not identical, but the sketch is definitely the same and because I use dies to cut the banner and the circle, the size of these elements is also the same.

I had a dream about the banners on this Lawn Fawn blog post.  In my dream I was making some very similar banners then I put them in my office.  The dream felt so realistic that I almost went to see if I had a similar project on my craft desk.  No, I'll have to make that happen myself.  I guess I'll make a banner that says "Gratitude" but I'll save that project for another day.  I still wanted to make something with the banner die so I made these two cards.  I always like to have more than one card made at the same time.  I have the dies and papers out, I may as well make two.  In this case, I switched up the paper and the focal image then I have one Fall and one Christmas card. :)

I can't explain why I didn't use the 6x6 paper pad but instead reached out for the 12 x 12 paper for these cards.  Now I gotta worry whether what I have left will be enough for my layouts.  I wonder how these cards will look like if I use the 6x6 paper.  Oh wait, if I do make them with 6x6 paper then I will have FOUR identical cards. LOL.

I am linking up the fall card to the following:
Lexi's Creations - Autumn Colors
Crafty Sentiments - Autumn Colors
Oldie but a goodie Challenge - Autumn (I used the leaf die, which has been sitting in my drawn un-loved for more than 6 months!)
Ladybug Crafts - Anything Goes
A Girl Who Crafts - Anything Goes
Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes

The Christmas card is linking up to the following:
Paper Creators Crafts - Early Christmas
Completely Christmas - Anything Goes
Crafting When We Can - Christmas come early
My Perfect Life - Anything Christmas
Craftyhazelnut Patterned Paper September Challenge - Anything Goes
Crafts Galore Encore - Make a Card

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Crafting!