Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to Coffee Lovers Blog Hop! As the title shown, this hop if for everyone who's a coffee lover. So, get ready, grab your favorite cup of coffee and have fun celebrating National Coffee Day and browsing coffee related creativity!

I do have a favorite mug that I love to use and for those who's been following me for awhile, you can guess it, it's a pug cup! LOL... our family just a wee bit obsessed with pug. And, yep, we collect those Starbucks cup as well. Whenever we travel, we always try to get Starbucks cup from that city/country. I also have several kind of favorite coffee. In the summer I love ice latte with a shot of hazelnut or Baskin Robbins cappuccino blast. In the winter, I love hot cappuccino with lots of cinnamon sprinkle on top.

Sadly, nowadays, I have to limit my coffee intake due to health stuff. Trust me... it wasn't easy. There's day when my boss come in with Starbucks coffee in his hand and I'd look at it longingly. I still drink coffee now & then to keep me sane, but no longer the strong coffee like I used to, more like the watered down one.

When I first cut down, the sentiment like on my card totally rang true! Hah...

LOL... yep there's morning when I feel like saying this sentiment. And,that first sip of coffee can make a difference!! I simply love the taste and smell of coffee. Oh... in case you want this coffee sentiment stamp, it's from Riley & Company.

Well, there's many blog for you to hop over. So, I'll keep my post short. For complete list of the participants please go to Chaitali's blog. And... psstt.... there's lots of giveaway, too. 

Thank you so much for stopping by here. I can't wait to see what the other coffee lover make. :)

Paper Smooches Grateful For You

Hi all. Happy Sunday. I am back with another Paper Smooches challenge. This time it's the designer drafts challenge, which is to create a card using this sketch.

And, here's my interpretation of the sketch using Paper Smooches Reflections & Blossoming Buds set.

When I saw the sketch, I know I wanted to do it one layer style. I only had to re-do it once. Hah... The first one, I already finished the flower part and messed it up when I stamped the sentiment. And, there's no way to cover it up. So, restart all over again. :)

Hope you will play along. To enter the challenge and for all the details go HERE. Meanwhile, for more inspirations please check out what the SPARKS team has created. Thank you Paper Smooches for having me as a guest designer this month.

Katie Gehring

Lori Tecler

Lynn Mangan

Vera Wirianta Yates

Savannah O'Gwynn 

You Are So Loved

Yay for Friday! Is it 5 o'clock, yet? Hah... I am so ready for weekend already. After all I have several stamp sets that waiting for me and quite a few to do list.

Well, for today, I want to share this card that I made using a bunch of Wplus9 sets. Their floral sets are definitely my favorite. I love how their sets work together. Actually this card was one of the card that I submitted for Card Creations and it' didn't get picked up. I did get 7 cards picked up for this edition though, which I am super thrilled. Card Creations has special place in my heart since my very 1st publication was for Card Creations back in 2011.

I love the way this card turned out. 

Supply list:
Stamps: Wplus9 Fresh Cut Containers, More Fresh Cuts,
Flora & Fauna 2, Hand Lettered Thank You
Dies: Wplus9 Flora & Fauna 2

I wish we have hummingbird where I live. They're so pretty. I used to see them back when I was living in Lake Jackson, TX. They're pretty mesmerizing to watch.

BTW, you can get all Wplus9 new releases at i {heart} papers and they also just got quite a few new paper pads in. Check out all the new items HERE.

That's all for me today. Hope your Friday be a fabulous one! 

Riley & Company Blog Hop

Hi everyone and welcome to Riley & Company new release party! We are releasing 49 new funny bones sentiments and they are now in store. You should arrive here from Kendra Decota blog.

Let me start with a sweet card. I just love this sweet sentiment. It's so well written.  I combine it with heart stencil to capture the meaning on this sentiment.

Now, a fun card! This second card... is  totally me. I am not a cook. I am blessed to have a husband who knows how to cook and not mind doing it. If cooking being leave up to me, I can tell you we'll be skinny and hungry a lot! Hah...  ;)

To celebrate this new releases, Riley & Company has some special offer going on:

Special # 1: Buythe entire unmounted set of 49 new Funny Bones (3 full plates) for only $125 (save $120). Please note that this special offer not available to wholesale customers. Lmit one per customr. Offer ends October 12, 2014.

Special # 2: You can also get a set of 3 FREE Funny Bones stamps (our choice) and a limited edition logo stamp during this release with an order of $30 ormore (before tax) in the first 24 hours of the release! (One per customer please.)

Special # 3: And..... as an added bonus, FREE SHIPPING for every order from Thursday 9 pm CST until Sunday night at midnight CST. Just enter FREESHIP

What?? Giveaway?? Of course... there's giveaway as well. Riley & Company is offering $20 gift certificate to Riley & Company online store! Simply leave comment on the Riley & Company blog post during the hop to be entered for the chance to win.

Let's get going shall we. From here please hop on over to Heather Bolli. Thanks so much for stopping by here.

Frances

Kendra

Vera <-- you are here

Heather

Stephanie

Jackie

Kerin

Kelly

Monica

Sandye

Joy

Riley & Company New Release Day 4

And... the fun continue with more sneak peeks from this quarter new releases from Riley & Company. This time, I am using the Check List sentiment. Hm... how many kids (or adults) do you think who would totally say this?? ;)

I am pretty good kid, so I would never get the "I'm getting coal aren't I?" Hah... Am pretty sure even my mom would agree to this. Be back tomorrow with the blog hop. And.. psst... there will also be giveaway with the hop. So, come back & join us tomorrow. Happy hump day!

Happy News

Yay... I finally can spill the bean! No, I am not pregnant. And, no we're not getting a new puppy (although this one could change at any moment). I've been asked to join.... drum roll.... the fabulous Purple Onion Design team! I am just as happy as jellybeans. So excited to finally able to share this.

You know how much I love cute critters, right?? I mean, me + cute critter stamp is like peanut butter & jelly. Like cheesecake & my tummy. Like pug & me. Hah... in case you didn't notice, my pug & me is very tight.

A few months ago I was guest designing for them and again recently during their summer sale. So, when Michelle asked me if I'd like to join the team, I was like yes, yes, yes. Working with cute stuff makes me happy and I think it totally show on my projects.

Here's a bunny card I made to celebrate this happy announcement.

I am still smiling every time I think of the fact that I get to join a company that offer so much cuteness. Looks like you'll get to see more cuteness from my blog. :)

Thank you for letting me share my happy news and I'm looking forward to share tons of cuteness. Cheers....

Riley & Company New Release Day 3

Hah... For today's card I can think of several friends who would use this sentiment. 

The inside of the card finished with "Forget it. I'll buy  my own present!"

I hope you enjoy the sneak peeks from Riley & Company. 49 new stamps coming out in two days!! And, if you've been a fan of Riley & Company, you know they will have some sweet stamps and many hilarious ones. We'll have a blog hop on Thursday and unveil all the new stamps. So, join us on Thursday, will you.

Riley & Company New Release Day 2

 Aahhh ... Monday. This weekend is way too short. I guess the saying, "So mmany stamps, so little time" is true. Hah... Yes, I have several new sets that waiting for me to play with.

However, this week is Riley & Company new release week, so I continue playing with the new stamps that Riley & Company sent me. As much as I prefer sending sweet cards to my friends, sometime it's fun to send a funny one. Like this one...

I have some girlfriends who I know would appreciate this card. ;) Not much needed for this card. The wine bottle says it all, right? To make the wine bottle shiny, I cover it with glossy accent.

I'll be back tomorrow with a fun announcement that I've been waiting to share. :)

Riley & Company New Release Day 1

Hello there and happy Sunday. I am popping in today to share a card I made for Riley & Company new releases. This week they will be releasing 49 new stamps and all will be available starting Thursday, September 25.

One of my favorite is this big & bold Christmas sentiment.

This card is super quick to make. Perfect for mass produce. Added a few sequins for festivity and taa...daa... you're done. I love the watercolor look.

Well, that's all for me today. By the way... come Tuesday, I have a fun announcement to make. Stay tune. Enjoy your Sunday!

Birthday Bunnies

The weather on my neck of the wood been gloomy, so I feel the need to make card with some cheerful colors to brighten my mood.

I fell in love with this Echo Park Camera & Happy dies the moment I saw it and I don't know why it took me so long to finally play with it. Does that ever happen to you, where you love a set or dies so much, yet, when you first get it, you don't quite know what to make. It's such a cute shape and I had fun creating this interactive card. Here's the card with the pull out piece tucked in.

And, here's with the piece being pulled out.

Gah.... these bunnies from Lawn Fawn Snow Day totally captured my heart. What can I say... I love bunnies. After all, I was born on the bunny year. ;) But, seriously don't you think they're so darn cute?! The bold stripe patterned paper is from Teresa Collins Daily Stories paper pad. Finished with the word birthday from Paper Smooches Sentiment Sampler.

To stop the pull out piece from totally sliding out, I used a button (you could also use a penny) on top of the pull out piece and pop-dots on camera, right under the word happy. The pop-dots stop the button. thus preventing the paper from completely being pulled out.

I hope you enjoy today's card. Do you like making interactive card? I love to do it now & then. Let me know if you get inspired to create one and I'll check out your post. Happy Friday!

Wicked

Hi there crafty peeps. Today is my day at A Jillian Vance Design. I have a sweet & cute Halloween card to share there. Here's a sneak peek of my card. You can see the full card HERE. Check it out, will you.

Oh, and I want to do a quick shout out to my little brother, Jerry Aurum who is launching his latest photography book titled On White today with an exhibition and photography workshop! Really wish I could be there to celebrate him. But, he knows that I always cheering on him and so very proud of him.

This book took him 6 years to complete and I so cannot wait to see it. I already have 1 book reserved for me (Hah... the benefit of being his sister {wink}), but I guess I'll have to wait till someone come here before I get to see it in person. To Jerry, best of luck and may this book be a success just like the others. Love ya.....

Getting Ready To Be Jolly

Hi peeps. Happy Tuesday. My blog been a bit neglected his past week isn't it. I wish I could blog more often, but sometime things just happens. :) I am getting ready for Caring Hearts card Drive, which this year will be celebrating quite a milestone. It's our 5th year!!

Jennifer McGuire and I are working on details, getting prizes, sponsors, etc. If you know anyone who might be interested to sponsor (we definitely need help with shipping cost) or donate prizes, please let me know.

Anyway, last night I did manage to squeeze in a card for Riley & Company challenge. This week our challenge theme is off the edge and here's what I made.

Super quick & simple. Yes, I already start working on Christmas cards. With the card drive coming soon, it's not too early for me to start working on Christmas cards. Yes, I don't just collect the cards, I also participate and add my own cards as much as I can. :)

Stay tune for more info on the card drive. It will starts in 2 weeks!

Missing You Fox

Gah... this week flew by so fast. Can't believe it's already  Thursday. Yesterday, I wasn't feeling that great and I literally had to push myself to finish my work day. However, when I get home, I was delighted to find happy mail from i {heart} papers waiting for me.

I was hoping to get super creative as I usually do when I get new goodies in. Alas... my body wouldn't cooperate. I am still in that stage where you might get really sick or you might not. Right before bed, I decided that I need to at least try one of the set.

As always, when time is short or in this case, I wasn't sure how long I could stay up, I resort to simple card. I literally get this Avery Elle More Stories set because of  the fox. I just love its sweet look. 

On this card, I mixed watercolor and chalk. I used watercolor on the fox and use chalk to color the background. The strip of patterned paper on the bottom is from Lawn Fawn Hello Sunshine 6x6 paper pad.

I am entering this card to Moxie Fab Foxy Foxes challenge.

Well, that's all from me. Crossing fingers that I won't get sick, so I can play more with the new goodies. LOL, I got my priority right, right? Hah....

Paper Smooches Anything Goes

  

Hi everyone and happy Sunday. I am so excited to be invited to join Paper Smooches SPARKS  for September. I have designed for them previously and they're such a great team to work with. So, when they asked if I could help out as one of their team member recuperate, of course I said yes. And, lucky for me, this week challenge is Anything Goes! My kind of challenge. ;)  

I know I've been a bit obsessed with the Blossoming Buds set. Today's card is proof. Hah...

I stamped the blossoms directly on the patterned paper from Teresa Collins Daily Stories paper pad. Sometime I forgot to try this technique (to stamp on patterned paper) as I tend to stamp on cardstock. Totally need to remember to do this again.

Well, that's all from me today. Don't forget to stop by the Paper Smooches SPARKS blog for more details. For more inspiration, please check out my team mates  blog. Thanks so much for stopping by here.

Katie Gehring

Lori Tecler

Lynn Mangan

Savannah O'Gwynn 

You Sweet Thing

have you noticed how many cute stamps coming out this September? Seriously, my wish list just keep getting longer.

Thankfully, now & then I got lucky and win free set. Like this You're So Sweet set from Simon Says Stamp, I won it from their FB Stamptember giveaway. Last night, I finally get to play with it and I made this for Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember Stamp It Challenge.

Totally scream summer, right? Every time I see fruit sets, I can't help but thinking of all the various fruits from my home country that I miss. Indonesia has so many different kind of fruits that I just couldn't find here in the States. Hah... I guess that's why whenever I go home, besides the excitement of seeing my family, my brain is filled with food and fruit images. Yum...

Okay... enough food or fruit talking. I am getting hungry just thinking about it and it's still early in the morning.

Oh yes... yesterday was my day at A Jillian Vance Design and I shared a pretty card there. You can check it out HERE. And, today is my day at i {heart} papers. Check out my flower card HERE. That's it from me today. May your day be a bright, cheery one.

Have A Super Day

One cause that I hold dear to my heart is dog rescue. In October the local pug rescue group in Houston will  be holding their fund raising event and do silent auction. For the silent auction I will be donating a bunch of my cards. So, if you ever wonder what you can do with all your cards maybe you can donate them for your local rescue group for fund raising. You get to clean your card pile for a good cause. :)

Since it's still a few weeks away, I decided to make some more doggy related cards.

I made this card using the sketch provided for Riley & Company sketch challenge HERE. As always, i am struggling a bit when it comes to lots of layers. I am definitely a CAS girl at heart. I pretty much cringe every time I have to make cards with lots of layers. Hah...

I have a couple announcement coming up soon. So stay tune...

Creative Blog Hop

Happy September and happy Labor day! To start this month I am participating on a fun hop. Last Monday, a creative friend and fellow Gallery Idol gal May Sukyong tagged me in her post HERE to take part in the Creative Blog Hop. It is a never-ending blog hop which takes place on Mondays. Each blogger answers four questions about themselves and afterwards they tag two to three other creative bloggers. How fun is that! So, here we go.

1. What am I working on now?

I am currently working on submission call for Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking Card Creations Vol. 13 and on various different team assignments. I’ve been blessed with some opportunities to design for various companies and right now am designing for one of my favorite online store, i {heart} papers, A Jillian Vance Design, Riley & Company and another company that I literally just accepted the invitation to join their team this past week. The announcement will be made soon. Hint: they have cute stamps that are totally my style. Being on these teams means every week I always have something to work on.

This is where I do  my work. And, no, that desk rarely look clean like this. 99% of the time it's covered with stuff.

2. How does my work differ from others in my genre?

According to my friends, they can always tell which one is my card just by looking at them. So, I guess that means I do have a certain style. J I love making clean and simple cards. For me, white space is a must. The same goes for when I am scrapbooking. As for cute, what can I say, I love cute stuff. From when I was a toddler, I love everything cute, from stuff animals to stationary. And my love of cute stuff totally shows on my projects, especially when I work with critter images.  

Cheerful and bright is other words that often used to described my work. When I make my cards, I make it with the hope that it will brighten the day of whoever receives it. It actually took me a while to realize I am a bright color person. I used to think I am a pastel color kind of girl, but not anymore. I love colors and now I embrace that and yep... cheerful & bright would be the way I described my style.

Here's one of my card. Pretty  much captured those descriptions, right?

3. Why do I create what I do?

Simple, I do what I do because it makes me happy. I always love pretty papers. When I was in elementary school, I collected cute stationery. In junior high I started doodling and trying to do stuff with my pictures. And, soon after I moved to the States I found the joy of scrapbooking. Pretty much scrapbooking and card making are the only hobbies that stick with me. With scrapbooking I enjoy it because whenever I work on it, I am looking at stuff that makes me happy. My family, my dogs, my friends. I love preserving my family memories. But, I am a slow scrapbooker as I like to take my time when I am working on them.

Card making is my day to day creative outlet. I have a pretty fast pace and demanding job. I find making card relaxing. It helps me wind down and whenever I completed a card it gives me a sense of accomplishment, beside the fact that I just made something pretty that can make others happy (when they receive it).

4. How does my creative process work?

Very random. Depends on what I am working on. For design team projects I usually start with the stamp set and go from there. For submission projects, I tend to plan more. I usually would start with some sketch or written down idea on what I want to create and how I want to do it.

Pinterest is my favorite source of inspirations. Most of the time colors would get my attention first. Then pattern. But, many times I work with no idea whatsoever what I want to make. I just go with the flow. Oh... and I have to have audiobook on the background. I can’t create effectively when it’s quiet. Can’t do music either. I have to have good story going on while I am creating. Somehow it helps me focus. And,  yes, I can follow the story as well. Thank goodness for the library. I borrowed tons of audio book from them. 

Well, that's a little bit about me. I hope you  feel like you know me a bit better from this question & answer. And, now I'd like to introduce you to two of my creative friends.

Tiffany is the talented girl from iheartartblog.com! She's an Army wife and mama of 3 stationed at New Orleans, LA. She loves all things paper and ink, but have fallen madly deeply in love with mixed-media and anything die-cutting related! In her free time, she love to hit the gym or go for a run. 

Next, is Chaitali Narla from Cuts, Crop & Creativity. She's a Sr. Software Engineer in Test for Google (yes, THAT Google). She's a double whammy. Smart and creative. She also one of the stamp designer for Verve Stamps.

You're still with me to the end of this post? Awesome and thank you. Am really looking forward  to Tiffany & Chaitali post next Monday. Thank you so much for stopping by here. Hope you have a great Labor day!