Best Wishes

Today is my SIL birthday. Actually most of the time I just refer to her as my sister. :) Gina dated my brother back when they were still in high school and I was taken with her from the very first moment I met her. I was 12 and if I remember correctly it was close to my birthday and she gave me a small white teddy bear that I still have to this day. Yep, she got me with that small ( but smart) gesture. Hah...

Besides, like my younger brother said, once she entered our life, we have ammunition against our big brother, Jeff. Cause since then, whenever he's being  bossy to us, lol, we'd tell on him. And you don't want to looks bad in front of your girlfriend, right??? 

Anyway, I just want to wish my dear sister a very happy birthday. She is currently busy baking like crazy in preparation for the Ramadhan celebration in Indonesia. She started her own bakery last year and it's been growing steadily. I wish her all the very best as she's pursuing her dream.

And, for  this post I think this card is perfect.

I made this card using the flower from Deasy Designs set called Floral Fusion. Deasy Designs is a new company started by my dear friend Melania Deasy & Laurel Beard. Check out the store and you'll find some really cute stamps. Here's a look at what come with this gorgeous flower set. I love the big flowers.

                                                 

Enjoy the last day of July! Stay cool. :)

Perfect Day

So, how are you loving the Olympic so far? I love the Olympic. Watching the opening is definitely a must for me. And, I know many people probably bored at watching the athletes marching through during the opening, but I actually love watching that part.

Behind each of the athlete is hard work, dedication, discipline, sacrifice. And, some of these athletes, especially the ones from third world country, have some of the most amazing stories. Many of them don't have fancy facilities to train at and some come despite their country political turmoil. Simply said, I love amazing human courage story. I admire these people so much.

And yes, I spent the weekend watching the Olympic. It was a perfect weekend for me.

Now, enough Olympic babbling and let me share you my card for Avocado Arts using August new set, called Perfectly Perfect Day.

The ribbon on the bottom of the tree is my newest ribbon from May Arts. I love this ribbon! I think it's a perfect match for this image.

Check out what my team mates created using this fun set.

Ashley Harris
Cristal Hobbs
Becky Oehlers

AJ Otto

Latisha Yoast

Hope you have a perfect day! :)

Purging Sale

Hi everyone. I've been cleaning up my happy place again and have filled up 1 medium priority mail box with lots of goodies. Inside you can find at least 100 patterned paper from various manufacturer, including American Crafts, SEI, Making Memories, Imaginisce, KI Memories, Doodlebug, Cosmo Cricket, etc. Some are old papers, but they're still awesome. :)

Besides the patterned papers, the box also contained a pad of Graphic 45 (I think I only used 2 sheets from the whole pad),  Bazzill cardstocks, Amcerican Crafts embellishments, some acrylic stamp sets (there's at least 4 brand new PSA Essentials stamp sets, which has retail value of $60), Unity rubber stamps, Sweet Stamp Shop stamps, various May Arts ribbons, etc.

The craft goodies in this box is ready to find a new place. For $60 this can be yours. (Price includes Priority Mail Shipping. US only. No international orders. Paypal preferred.) 

I tried hard to put variety of stuff in this box. Please email me if you're interested or if you have any question. Thank you for helping me in cleaning my supplies. :)

Camera Card

This past couple days I am down with sore throat. Hoping it wouldn't continue into coughing fit that hubby just had. All I wanna do is just curled up on a the couch and snuggled with my pup. Alas... no rest this week. At work, I am overseeing the purchasing and payable for about 30 houses that our company is building. Basically, I handle almost everything that paper work related. So, needless to say, I cannot afford being sick.

Haven't make many cards either this past couple of weeks. Just a bit here and there. Not complaining though. There's certain sense of satisfaction in getting things done and right now I am also learning some accounting stuff that get my brain going all over the place. Am always excited when I learn something new that I know would be useful. :)

Anyway, I want to share this card. I think my brother, Jerry, who is a photographer would love this card. And, with that gnome popping through the lens, how could you not smile? Making this for Paper Crafts July shaped card challenge. It fits the summer theme as well, since summer = vacation time = picture taking time. That's my logic. Hah.

The li'l gnome is glued to the inside of the card and I made it popped through the opening. Sigh, this gnome makes me smile. Every time. I think it would be cool  to have a thumb size gnome friend. I never have imaginary friend growing up, but if I had, I would want one that's cute and tiny like this. Okay, that must be the Nyquil speaking.

Time to go to bed. Yep, this time I'll just have my post go up in the evening rather than waiting till morning. With Nyquil in my system the bed is calling. :)

Moxie Fab Stamp It!

Super duper last minute entries for Moxie Fab Stamp It! week challenges. I am telling you, these days my job is keeping my mind going at 100mph. So, needless to say as much as I plan on entering early, reality say otherwise. :)

Making this fun card for Moxie Fab Birthday challenge.

The candle is real candle. And, it fits perfectly inside the crab's claw. :)

Next, is a thank you card for Moxie Fab Thank You card challenge. This card is inspired by my team mate, JJ Bolton. You can check out her tutorial HERE.

Now, time to get back  to work. Yep, I am taking work home today.  Good thing I love my job. :)

Happy Rooster Card

Where did last week went? I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. Hubby and I did chores around the house and catching up on movies. I think this past weekend is the first in a long while where I chill out a lot and actually finished watching 4 movies, including The Vow, which made me cry and This Means War which made me laugh. I love Reese Whiterspoon.

Anyway, to start this week I want to share a bright, cheerful color congratulations card. I love this new set called Poultry In Motion from There She Goes Stamp. I mean this set is CUTE! It has sentiment for every occasion but in a punny way. :)

The sun background is perfect for the crowing rooster, don't you  think? This rooster just make me smile. I think this is such a happy card. I am entering this card to Moxie Fab Stamp It! Week Congratulations Card challenge.

Hope this card bring smile to your week and I wish you all a wonderful week.

License To Drive

Last weekend, my niece, Maddy stopped by for a chat and I am reminded again and again how fast time flies. When I first met her, she was only 10 and shorter than me. Fast forward 5 years, she's of course much taller than me (which when she first pointed it out to me, I told her it's not that hard to do, since I am vertically challenge, hah!) and she's going to high school!!

My niece has good head on her shoulder. LOL, back when we had the big lottery going on and her dad asked what she would do with the money if she won, she said she'd use it to pay for her school tuition. I was like, this kid is amazing, what 15 years old would ever think that way? 

She's smart (she's in honor roll program), has amazing voice (she sang in the Houston Opera), and has a look like a model. And... she knows how to apply makeup properly. Which means it looks like a professional applied her make up and it still looks natural.

I am gushing about her, because I am so proud of her. And, I do love her to pieces. I know, it's still a year away before she'd get her own car, but I thought I prepared ahead for the occasion by making this fun card. :) Besides as she excitedly mention she got her learner's permit now.

This card is so much fun to make. I used transparency for the windshield. I used purple for the hearts since that's her favorite color. 

Am entering this card for Moxie Fab Stamp It! Week Congratulations card challenge.

And, before I go, as you know I am trying for a second term with May Arts ribbon. On THIS blog post, they're showing all of the finalist creations including mine. Would you pretty please leave comment on the blog post to let them know that you'd like to me to stay for a second term? And just for doing this, you'll be entered for May Arts giveaway. You can see all the detail on the post. Thank you again for all your support & kind words.

Lawnscaping Inspiration Challenge

Happy Monday, everyone. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I started my weekend with a happy email. I have 7 cards accepted for publication. I am super duper excited about this. Saturday morning, my girlfriend and I went for a pedicure followed by a bit of hard work of helping her moving some stuff.

LOL, I know we got it backwards. It supposed to be hard work first then some pampering, right? Then in the afternoon we picked up her little girl from her parents place and boy, did we have a blast. I think this weekend, hubby showed me his secret skill. He came up with most creative play to entertain any kid and before we know it he got the best uncle award. :) 

Anyway, card wise, I did take it a bit easy this weekend. After a month of working on tons of card, it's nice to finally able to take a little break, even if it's just for a couple nights.

But, today I am back with a card for Lawnscaping Inspiration challenge sponsored by Lawn Fawn.

And, here's a look at my card. I really love the way this card turned out.  The colors works so well  together and that platypus.... how cute is he? I have a platypus stuff animal. I said "have" because believe it or not I still have it. It's in my mom's care at the moment. :) 

Hope you will join us on this fun, cheerful challenge. Please check out the DT creations HERE. Thank you so much for stopping by here and may your week starts off wonderfully.

Avocado Arts

Happy Sunday everyone. Today, the Avocado Arts team is showing more projects using the July release set Bold Creations and in our projects you can see some sneak peek from the up coming August set.

Let's take a look, shall we?

I used the wire stamp from Bold Creations set to create the fun border. I had so much fun playing with it, that I decided to create a second card with the same look, but using softer, lighter color and change the sentiment. I love the font combo on this sentiment.

Today, I plan to do some reading and chill out. The past month I've been pushing myself so much in making submissions, DT work and CHA projects, that this weekend is the first weekend, where I feel caught up and can take a breath. 

Please check out the Avocado Arts Pit Crew blog to see what they created. Have a blessed Sunday everyone.

Teri Anderson

Emily Branch

Kelley Eubanks

Ashley Harris

Cristal Hobbs

Emily Leiphart

Julie Masse

Becky Oehlers

AJ Otto

Vera Yates <------ you are here

Latisha Yoast

May Arts Project

Hello there lovely peeps. As some of you may have known, this past year I've been on May Arts DT and I truly love being part of their DT. This time, I made it again to their top finalist for 2013-2013 term and today, I am sharing a project that I am  hoping will get me selected to be part of their DT again.

 As you already know May Arts carries so many beautiful ribbons that you can use for all kind of projects. For me, my favorite kind of projects is the ones that related to card making of course.

This time, I am sharing a card that utilizes three different kinds of ribbons. I think when people think of ribbons on card, we tend to immediately think of bow. But, the truth is we can use ribbons on card in many different way. You can use it to create your own embellishment, as border, as background, etc.

Here’s a look at my card using ribbons and no bow in sight. :)

My supply list to make this card:
- Cardstock
- Flower & leaves from Avocado Arts Thoughts & Smiles set
- Sentiment from Avery Elle Framed Fonts set
- Papertrey Ink Smokey Shadow Inkpad
- May Arts Lace Ribbon (390-38-09)
- May Arts Sheer Dots Ribbon (JD46)
- May Arts Grosgrain Ivory Stripe (RG17)
- Helmar 450 Quick dry Adhesive

How to:
1. Cut a panel slightly smaller than the card base. Adhere the grosgrain ivory stripe ribbon, tucking the end behind the panel.
2. Run a thin line of glue on the bottom of the grosgrain ribbon and layer the lace ribbon. Trim it to match the edge of the panel.  Adhere panel to card.
3. Make a ring or wreath base by cutting a circle with an opening on the inside. My wreath size is 3-7/8 and the inside opening is about 2 inch wide. And, don’t throw away the inside circle. Stamp it with sentiment and adhere to the ribbon border. Helmar 450 Quick adhesive is awesome for this kind of project.
4. Wrap sheer dots ribbon on the ring. I simply add a dot of adhesive at the starting point and then just wrap the ribbon around the ring. Add another dab of adhesive to secure the end. Adhere ribbon wreath to card.
5. Stamp flower and leaves, color (I used watercolor marker to color the leaves and copic marker for the flower), fussy cut them, and adhere to the side of the wreath. I only glue the bottom part of the leaves and leave the top part free for extra dimension.

And… there you have it a beautiful card that uses 3 different kind of ribbon.  I love the way this card turns out because even though I used more than one ribbon it doesn’t look busy. In fact it has a clean & modern look.  

I hope you enjoy this project and be inspired to use ribbons in your projects. Thank you so much for stopping by here and have a fabulous day.

Rainbow Fairy

Hi peeps. Today I am back with another image from Some Odd Girl July Digi Release. Here's a look at Rainbow Fairy.

Don't you just love her sweet expression? I spray and dab some mist on the background to reinforce the coloring theme.

LOL, somehow seeing her sweet face, I have 2 thoughts flashing in my mind right away. One, you know how much I love color, when I see a stash of colors, whether it's marker or paper, my expression definitely not calm like this. It's more like big eyes with giddiness & squealing eekkk... pretty colors!!

The second image in my head is that of a toddler playing with markers and drawing all over the wall and when the parents came in he/she would have this angelic look as if saying, "See how talented I am and how good I am at entertaining myself? I draw picture for you, mommy." Hah....

The DT gals has created some fabby samples. Please check them out HERE and who knows you could be lucky person to win  this image.

I am trying to come out from feeling lazy right now. It's been raining a lot in Houston in t he past few days and as much as I love gloomy weather for snuggling, I am ready for some sunshine, especially for the drive to work!! Hope you have a sunshiny day!

Gina K. Designs Inspirational Blog Hop

For SP & Company blog hop post please scroll down or click HERE.

Hi everyone and welcome to Gina K. Designs fabulous Inspiration Blog Hop!!! I am so thrilled to finally able to share my first project for Becky Oehlers Stamps Through Gina K. Designs.


Today we will inspire you with many beautiful ideas! And as you hop around today , please make sure to leave a comment on each of blog because we will choose a few random comments and those stampers will each win a grab bag of deeply etched, pre-cut Gina K. Designs stamps! To see the full list of winners check the Big News forum at Stamp TV a couple of days after the hops!!

Here's a look at Becky's I Do! set (by the way this set is available in CLEAR and in RUBBER stamps form. So, you can choose whichever fit your preference best):

This set is just what I needed as I don't have any wedding set in my stash. Of course, for my card I go for CAS style. :) 

I love the clean design of this stamp set. The hexagon border is so versatile. And the plus, the equal symbol, and the parenthesis can be used with so many other stamp sets. LOVE! 

I'll keep my post short as I know you have many more blogs to hop to. Here's a complete list of the blogs and have fun hopping around! :) 

Becky Oehlers

Gina K

Theresa Momber: Illustrator of Tropical Nature

AJ Otto

Cathy Tidwell

Deb Felts

Giovanna Smith

Jimmi Mayo

Lee Murphy
Lori McAree
Melanie Muenchinge
Sharon Harnist
Suzanne Dean
Tina Gilliland
Vicki Dutcher

SP & Company Blog Hop

Hi everyone and welcome to SP & Company blog hop. This month's color is Royal Blue! After you're done hopping around today, please make sure you play along with this month's Royal Blue challenge (click here for details) for a chance to win some amazing SP and Company prizes!


And, here's a look at my royal blue card that I made using SP & Company Swirly Doos set. I am sooo loving this color combination, by the way. :)

Are you itching to win some stuff???!!! Then don't forget that the random prize patrol is watching! Leave a comment on every blog to be eligible for the prizes!! The more blogs you comment on, the better your chances are of winning something fun!

Make sure you check out the SP Blog to see what Samantha did with the new stamps! And don't forget to hop around to each Design Team Member's blog - there are brand new projects with the stamps that came out TODAY to inspire you!

Here is the list of designers that will inspire you today:

Chrissie
Vicki 
Kelli
Michelle
Amber
Vera

Weekend & Blossom Fairy

Good morning and happy Monday everyone. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Hubby and I had a mini getaway and spent the weekend  with friends at Lake Conroe, north of Houston. It's also our first time taking Ollie & Eli on a getaway trip. To make the doggies comfortable for the trip, hubby turned the back of my car into one huge doggy bed.

Eli as usual is a good traveler and Ollie with the help of Benadryl surprised us by doing well, too. Usually she tends to freak out. :) Our friend Lori, got us a place right on the water and from our bedroom window, we can see the light house.

We were pretty determined to get some fish that we even went fishing on the rain. It was only a sprinkle, so it wasn't bad at all. In fact this probably our only time to say we felt cold in Texas in the summer. Thank you, Carlton & Lori for the wonderful, fun, and awesome weekend!!

Anyway, we came back home on Sunday and I spent the whole Sunday evening catching up on things. I stayed up way too late and this morning I am struggling to get up. Not helping that Eli woke me up several times during the night.

One of the card that I finished is this beautiful Blossom Fairy card using the gorgeous fairy from Some Odd Girl July release. There's total of 4 cute and beautiful fairies, so check out Some Odd Girl blog each day to see the reveal.

I just love fairies images. :) Please check out Some Odd Girl blog for more inspiration and samples by the DT.

I'll be back tomorrow with 2 blog hops!! Hope your week starts off wonderfully.

Happy 4th

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July celebration! I spent my day fighting allergy & runny nose. Well, actually I wasn't sure whether it's allergy or the beginning of a cold since hubby just got one earlier in the week.

Let just said I struggled all day long to keep my eyes open and I look like Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. Hubby practically had to drag me to watch the firework show because I was sooo not feeling like stepping out of the house. But, since literally we only have to walk for 5 minutes to get to the best spot, I ended up agreeing to go. And, I am glad I did, because our town do give an amazing firework display.

Anyway, just want to share a quick card I made for PSA Essentials that was shared on PSA Stamp Camp yesterday. 

Have a blessed day everyone!

Two Peas In A Bucket Free Shipping

Hi all. Just want to let you know the special Free Shipping deal that's going on at Two Peas In A Bucket. I am their affiliate and if you shop through me, I get commission. :) Hey, a girl need to fund her craft expense, right?

If you want to shop through me simply click on the Two Peas badge on the right side of my blog or you can also click on this badge. They keep track of any shopping that's done from clicking from my blog. The free shipping code is: SHIPAT40.

Have fun shopping.

Friendship

I think having a true friend is a treasure. A true friends that will be there not only during the good time but in bad time as well. Made this card for one of my girlfriend just to show her that I appreciate her. This card was posted on SP& Company blog last week, HERE.

Speaking about friends, I like this poem below. It's a great reminder about people & friendship.


People always come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.

When someone is in your life for a REASON,
it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty,
or to provide you with guidance and support,
to aid you physically, emotionally, or even spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend to you, and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrong doing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they just walk away.
Sometimes they act up or out and force you to take a stand.

What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on.

When people come into your life for a SEASON,
it is because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn.
They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.
And like Spring turns to Summer and Summer to Fall, 
the season eventually ends.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;
those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person/people (anyway);
and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas in your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Lawnscaping Use Dimension

Good morning everyone. Hope you all have a wonderful  weekend. We have new challenge to use dimension at Lawnscaping sponsored by Simon Says Stamp.

    

And, here's my card. I used pop-dots for the flowers for my dimension. 

Just to clarify, the sentiment is not from Lawn Fawn, they're are from Avery Elle, a new company I just found. Love the sentiment style so much, that I couldn't pass the chance to use it right away. :)

It's been so crayyyzeee busy at my end, that even when I go to bed my brain keep churning out idea for cards. Looking forward to this short week. Day off on Wednesday and weekend on the lake with my friend, Lori & her family. The hubbies will go fishing, the wifeys will be chillin' out. Although I do hope I can get on the boat a bit and catch a fish or two. I love fishing, just don't love the 100 degree weather.

Anyway, have a great week everyone and don't forget to check out what the DT gals has created for this challenge HERE. The new girls on the team will knock your socks off with their fab creations.