A Little Update on Caring Hearts Card Drive

Hi peeps. I've been getting a bunch of email lately asking about Caring Hearts Card Drive. So, I thought I post here to answer everyone as well as mentioning some changes to the card drive.

Yes, I will hold the card drive again this year. This year, I am doing the card drive in honor & in memory of Sean Wilkerson. He's Christy Wilkerson's brother who passed away just this past week. If you remember, last year, Christy helped with collecting the cards for the card drive.

Sean's family requested that people do act of kindness to others in his memory, because Sean himself was a guy who did many kind things to others and I couldn't think of a better way to honor that request than by continuing this card drive in his memory.

The card drive will start in October. Not right now. This is just an update.

Now, I know many of you work in advance and I would like to mention that this year we requested that people limit the card they send to maximum 100 cards per person.

Before anyone get upset, please let me explain my reason. A couple months ago my one and only niece from my side of the family was diagnosed with Leukemia. She is only 5 years old & currently going through intensive chemo. I am planning to visit her in Singapore where she's being treated.

As you can imagine, this is devastating news for our family & we are rallying behind her to get her beat this.

Also, I have business trip that required me to go out of the country during the card drive. So, we decided to do this change to help keep things manageable and to keep my sanity. My niece well being and being with my family is my priority and yes, I have to maintain my full time job as well.

There are a lot of works behind the scene for the card drive and all my helpers are doing this voluntarily outside our full time job, etc. The only way we can continue is by making changes when necessary.

I hope you all understand. This would be our 9 years doing the card rive and I can't thank you enough for your continuous support. We have grown so much from our 1st year. From only 750 cards to over 64,000 cards.

Your contribution touch people lives whether we know them or not. Thank you for your understanding and stay tune for the card drive announcement on Oct. 1, 2018.

 "Together we can change the world, just one random act of kindness at a time. " Ron Hall

Loose Watercolor Floral Cards

So, about 2-3 weeks ago I took a loose watercolor class at Skillshare and let me just say that I am hooked! I have shared these cards on my Instagram, but haven't share it here on my blog. 

This blue floral card was my 2nd watercolor drawing and the 1st that I made into a card. When I did this, I didn't start with any sketch. I just went with it. I was applying hubby's word of wisdom here, go big or go home. Hah!!

I did messed up a bit and that's the part that I ended up covering with the butterflies. Yep, butterflies to the rescue.

Next, is this loose bouquet. This time I used the chickadees from one of The Ton stamp set to help enhance the card and sentiment from Papertrey Ink. It's one of my favorite card!

When I started each panel, I literally started with no plan. Sometimes it's a good thing, sometime not. Hah... It becomes a problem when trying to figure out what sentiment fit with the image. I don't want to have too many empty space or have the sentiment  make it too crowded. For this reason, Papertrey Ink Choose Joy set becomes one of my favorite set to pair with my watercolor drawing.

I am still learning. By the way, if you're interested to sign up for Skillshare class, if you sign up through my link you can get the first 2 months free and I get 1 month free. They have all kind of classes, beyond art and crafts. And, if it's not for you, you can cancel. No commitment, no penalty. Just thought I share it here. You get 2 months free and I got extra 1 month free. Win, win right?

Well, that's all for now. Hope you enjoy these cards. Have a lovely weekend, peeps. <3

SugarPea Designs Sweet Peek Day 5

Yay!! Today is the day, peeps. All the new sets from SugarPea Designs will be available later today in the store!! What's on your must have list?

Hold on, we still have more to share. Introducing Eucalyptus Wreath, Grateful Greetings & Grateful dies. The Eucalyptus Wreath is a beautiful & elegant set that can be used for all kind of occasions.

My card is pretty simple. I die cut my panel using SugarCut Postage Stamp from previous release, then stamped the wreath and colored it with Copic. And, of course, I just have to add some shimmer to it. Anything is better with a little shimmer, no? 

And, I love that the Grateful Greetings set allows you to customize what you're grateful for. Definitely a must have set.

Would you like to win the Eucalyptus Wreath stamp set? Simply leave a comment on SugarPea blog and earn extra entry by leaving comments of the DT blog along the way as well. It’s that easy!! You have all week to comment and winners will be announced on Sunday, August 26th.

The SugarPea team has created some amazing and creative inspiration for you using the products featured here today. Please can visit each of our designers’ blogs below for details on their projects. I hope you enjoy our new release celebration & happy shopping! Cheers...

Amy Kolling

Amy Rohl

Becky Pearce

Laura Volpes

Lea Lawson

Kelly Lunceford

Kerin Sylvester

Raluca Vezeteu

Simonne Clay

Tatiana Trafimovich

you are here --> Vera Yates <-- you are here

Our Special Guests:

Ruth Andrews

Martha Tucker

SugarPea Designs Sweet Peek Day 4

Hi peeps! Phew... we're getting there. Day 4 of SugarPea Designs fall release is here. One more day to go!!

Today, we're introducing a fun Birthday Balloons set along with a matching Balloon dies.

Somehow, when I look at the balloons, the first thing that came to my mind was it'd be fun to put it together with the pup-stronout. Hah... I know it's not a word, I just made it up. Why not, right?

For the background I dropped some alcohol inks on a felt pad and wipe it back & forth on Yupo paper. Then I simply stamped, colored & die cut the puppy and Saturnus. For the balloons I stamped & heat embossed it on Yupo paper and then added the alcohol ink.

Would you like to win the Birthday Balloons stamp set? Leave a comment on SugarPea blog and earn extra entry by leaving comments of the DT blog along the way as well. It’s that easy!! You have all week to comment and winners will be announced on Sunday, August 26th.

Our team has some amazing and creative inspiration for you using the products featured here today. You can visit each of our designers’ blogs below for details on their projects. Thank you so much for stopping by here & hope you enjoy what you've seen so far. Cheers...

Amy Kolling

Amy Rohl

Becky Pearce

Laura Volpes

Lea Lawson

Kelly Lunceford

Kerin Sylvester

Raluca Vezeteu

Simonne Clay

Tatiana Trafimovich

you are here --> Vera Yates <-- you are here

Our Special Guests:

Ruth Andrews

Martha Tucker

SugarPea Designs Sweet Peek Day 3

Hi peeps, and welcome to Day 3 of SugarPea Designs Fall Product Release! We still have quite a few things up in our sleeves to share.

Now, I am a huge fan of story that involves dragons. From the Eragon series to Games of Thrones. So, needless to say, when I saw the Darling Dragons set I squealed with delight. Oh, and to have uber cute bat with glasses??? Bonus! We also have another cute set, called Bewitched (I will showcase his set next week on SPD blog).

For my card, I started by stamping the dragon on the stool directly on the panel. Colored with Copic. The other dragon I stamped, colored, die cut and adhere to the panel with foam adhesive. I couldn't resist the cute bats, so of course, I just had to add them to the card. Since I am not a fan of scary Halloween stuff, I go full blast with cute & decided to make it even more cheerful by sprinkling some sequins mix.

What a cute pair of baby dragons, right? I simply adore this set. 

Now, how would you like to win the Bewitched stamp set? Leave a comment on SugarPea blog and earn extra entry by leaving comments of the DT blog along the way as well. It’s that easy!! You have all week to comment and winners will be announced on Sunday, August 26th.

Our team has some amazing and creative inspiration for you using the products featured here today. You can visit each of our designers’ blogs below for details on their projects. Thank you so much for stopping by here & hope you love what you've seen so far. Cheers...

Amy Kolling

Amy Rohl

Becky Pearce

Laura Volpes

Lea Lawson

Kelly Lunceford

Kerin Sylvester

Raluca Vezeteu

Simonne Clay

Tatiana Trafimovich

you are here --> Vera Yates <-- you are here

Our Special Guests:

Ruth Andrews

Martha Tucker

SugarPea Designs Sweet Peek Day 2

Hi peeps! How's it going? Welcome to day 2 of SugarPea Designs fall release week. 

Today, we are please to introduce Seeing Stars set. This is a set that could easily be used for many occassions, from birthday to congratulations to everyday card. Like for my card below, I made it with hubby in mind. It's a just because card. You don't always need a reason to give cards out, right?

I started by dropping some watercolors on my background panel, let it dry and then used the Star Dust dies on it. Adhere the panel to the card base. Next, I stamped & heat embossed the polka dot star and colored it with mix of distress oxide inks. Die cut and adhere to the card base with foam adhesive. Finished by adding sentiment & some pretty sequins.

Working on this card make me realize that star is actually one of those image that I rarely use on my card. For the life of me, I can't remember if I actually have ever made a card with a star as the main focus. Hah!

Here's a look at the set along with the Stacked Stars dies.

And, did you know that SugarPea has incentive program as well? Place an order* of $60 or more (excluding discounts and shipping) and you will receive To The Moon & Back stamp set, FREE WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!!

*This Sweet Incentive promotion begins Friday, August 24th at 6 PM EST. This promotion will not be applied to any orders placed prior to and only while supplies last. It is not necessary to add the Sweet Incentive promotional item to your cart or enter a coupon code, it will be automatically included on all qualifying orders!

Would you like to win the Seeing Stars stamp set? Leave a comment on SugarPea Blog. It’s that easy! You have all week to comment! Winners will be announced on Sunday, August 26th

The SugarPea team has some amazing and creative inspiration for you using the new sets. You can visit each of our designers’ blogs below for details on their projects. And while you’re there be sure to leave a sweet comment for them, giving you an extra entry to win today’s giveaway prize.

Amy Kolling

Amy Rohl

Becky Pearce

Laura Volpes

Lea Lawson

Kelly Lunceford

Kerin Sylvester

Raluca Vezeteu

Simonne Clay

Tatiana Trafimovich

you are here -- Vera Yates -- you are here

Our Special Guests:

Ruth Andrews

Martha Tucker

Thank you so much for joining us for Day 2 of sneak peeks! REMEMBER!! The entire Summer Product Release will be available for purchase on Friday, August 24th, 6PM EST.

SugarPea Designs Sweet Peek Day 1

Hi peeps & welcome to day 1 of SugarPea Designs fall release celebration. We have some out of this world cute sets for this release. Let's get on with it, shall we?

Today, we are introducing To Infinity & Beyond stamp & dies set and Star Dust dies. When I saw this stamp set, I think of my nephews. So, Ii made my card with them in mind. Gotta love the pup!!

For my card, I used the distress oxide ink pads to create the background. I simply swipe several ink pads on my glass mat, spray it with water and then rub the watercolor cardstock panel on it. This is such a fun & quick way to create fun background.

Next, I stamped, colored & die-cut the images & adhered them to the card with foam adhesive. I also covered the helmet with glossy accent for finishing touches.

Below you can  take a look at the stamp set. How cute are those planets??

Would you like to win the To Infinity & Beyond stamp set? Leave a comment on SugarPea blog. It’s that easy! You have all week to comment! Winners will be announced on Sunday, August 26, 2018 on SugarPea blog.

The sweet peas have created fantastic projects for this release. Please visit each of our designers’ blogs below for details on their projects. And while you’re there be sure to leave a sweet comment for us, giving you an extra entry to win today’s giveaway prize. Thank you for stopping by here & may your week starts off wonderfully. Cheers.

Amy Kolling

Amy Rohl 

Becky Pearce 

Laura Volpes 

Lea Lawson 

Kelly Lunceford 

Kerin Sylvester 

Raluca Vezeteu 

Simonne Clay 

Tatiana Trafimovich 

Vera Yates -- you are here

Special Guests: 

Martha Tucker 

Ruth Andrews

You Color My World

Hi peeps. Happy Monday. Today I want to share this card that I made inspired by the classsic View Master toy. I remember loving this toy & always have fun viewing the various reel.

I actually made this card long time ago for a submission & I realized that I never share this card. Can't let that happen, right? 

I cut the circle using Silhouette Cameo and then I traced out all the opening, so I know where to stamp my images. I love Panda, maybe because when I was growing up the most famous panda back then was named Lingling. Same as my name. :) So, for this one I used Mama Elephant Pandamonium & they're are just perfect for the opening.

Looking at some classic toys, I can't help but wonder if kids nowadays still know these toys. I think our kids this day spend so much time on gadgets & are missing out on a lot of classic toys that feed your imagination & sense of wonder. Maybe I am old school in certain way. Hah!

Well peeps, that's all from me today. May your weeks starts off wonderfully. Cheers....

Honey Bee Stamps Bee Bold Blog Hop

Hi everyone! Welcome to Honey Bee Stamps Bee Bold Blog Hop. All the new release sets from Honey Bee are now available in store and today we have line up several fun & creative projects for your inspiration using the new sets. 

If you've been following my blog, you know that I am a big time animal lover. Needless to say, when I saw the No Probllama, I did a happy squealing. Hah! This llama is so darn cute! 

For my card, I keep it clean & semi simple. After I stamped & colored the llama, I die cut the sentiment on the panel using Bee Bold Alphabet dies. Then, I trace the opening on a piece of cardstock and inked it with distress oxide inks. I put this piece behind the letter opening. Adhere the panel with foam tape. Finish by adding some sequins from Cloudy Day sequin mix.

Okay, on to the next card. This time, I am using Frappe Shake Card dies. Now, you can use this dies to make frappe shape card, or you could cut it in half and use it on normal rectangle card. In all honesty, I was going to do the shape card, but I messed up the coloring and since I don't like to waste paper, I decided to just cut it and use the still blank site & start over. :)

I inked the cardstock with distess oxide ink and then run my wet watercolor brush over it to kind of soften the colors & the blending. Once it dry, I die cut the "thankful" sentiment. And then stamp the sentiment from Grateful set. I also use the Sentiment Banner dies to highlight the word friendship. I sprinkle some Candlelight confetti mix to mimick the bubble tea look, which is one of my favorite drink.

GIVEAWAY:

Woot, woot! Honey Bee is giving away two $50 gift certificate to the store. All you need to do is leave a comment on each blog for a chance to win. Winners will be announced on HERE of the Honey Bee blog on August 10th.
Well peeps, now grab your favorite drink and hop along with us. Thank you for stopping by here and enjoy the hop. Below is a list of today's hop participants. Make sure you check out Honey Bee blog again tomorrow for round 2 of the hop. Happy Friday!

Honey Bee Stamps
Vera Yates
JoAnn Danchik
Galina Filippenko
Lisa Cisneros
Carol Hintermeier
Ilda Dias
Carly Minner