Best friends

Hi peeps! Last week was a bit rough for me. Had to deal with some dramarama courtersy of some people. But, among all of what happened, two moments happened that I won't forget.

First one happened on Thursday. I was so upset about something that someone said and sent an email to my girl, Leslie. Just 2 short sentences to vent off. Next thing I knew, she called & sang this silly but super cute diddle of how much she loves me. She made me laugh and cried at the same time. I laughed because she cracks me up, I cried cause I feel so blessed that I have such a thoughtful friend who when she thought it was bad, immediately call me just to make sure I am okay and just to show she cares.

The second one happened on Friday. Out of the blue, my other girlfriend, Deb called. I consider her like my sister. We're both not the type that chat a lot on the phone, but when we do catch up it's always like no gap, if you know what I mean. Anyway, she called because that morning as she was thinking about all the important people in her life, she realized that I am the only person that truly, truly her very best friend, who would always be there for her, regardles of where life take us and that she is so thankful to have me. Peeps, I love my girlfriend and I know how they feel about me. But, it's always nice to actually hear it.

I am glad to know that I've been a good friend. I don't have a big circle of friend, but the ones that I do have and really close to me, I love them and they're amazing. The kind of friend that you know you can call at 2 o'clock in the morning and you know they'll be there for you (mm... we do set regulation to what kind of call we would entertain at that hours, emergency, life changing kind). So, today's post dedicated to my girlfriends who I love so much and are the best of friends to have. I am grateful and thankful to have them in my life.

Sorry for the long chatter, just have to share that. Please let me know if I chat too much. :) On to card, shall we? For today's card I used CPS Sketch 180, which kind of similar to Card patterns 77. And the colors inspired by Simon Say Stamp Summer Time Blue challenge. This is my first Tiddy Inks digi stamp. I saw her at Donna Mikasa's blog and fell in love with the image immediately. She looks so spunky & I like that.

Back at the CHA, one of my best purchase was the Sakura Glitter pens. I tried it at a make & take at one of the booth and have to have it. Here's an up-close of the card, so you can see what I am talking about.

You see the outline of her skirt, how it has some shine/glitter to it. That's courtesy of Sakura Glitter pen. That pen rolls so smooth and add subtle glitter. Hard to show on pic, but in real life, it add amazing details to your image. Must have if you love glitters!

I'm entering this card for a few challenges. Now, in case you wondering how did I do that. Peeps, I am not that crazy to check what challenges are out there. I usually make a card based only on one or two challenges and then after it's done, I just see what other challenge it fits. Otherwise it's almost impossible to follow and trying to fit all the different challenge in 1 card. My motto: keep it simple & easy. :)

Okie dokie, may this week be a super duper great week for you all. Hugs, Vera

Edited: for spelling & grammar correction. English is my 2nd language. Thanks for understanding. :)

Challenges:

Character Cafe: Bright & sparkly

Secret Crafter Challenge 96: Little girl

Stamp Something: Fairy tale

The Pink Elephant: Ribbon & sparkles

Your Next Stamp: Birthday

Wee Memories Challenge #18

Ahh... Saturday. Me likey. I think we're about done with our bathroom renovation project. Looking forward to have our shower back. We started this project at the end of May and finally about to finish. Yay!! Have the shower door installed today and then do the painting and we'll be done!!

Hubby and been working on making our home pretty for about 3 years. We did most of the work ourselves. But, I guess typical home builder, when it come to your own homes, the pace is definitely much slower than if it someone else house. Now, we're almost done and it feels great. We enjoy our house so much more and knowing we did it, make me feel proud, too.

Anyway, enough chit chat. Today I have new Wee Memories challenge for you. It's all about "BUTTON, BRAD, OR BLING". Create a project using either one of the item or all 3 if you want.

We're sponsored by Oh My Crafts! and the prize is 10 Cuttlebug Folders. To enter the challenge & for the prize detail check out Wee Memories blog. You'll find many inspirations as well from the talented girls in our DT.

Don't forget that you have till Tuesday to leave comments on my Mami Doodles Blog Hop post from yesterday for a chance to win some digi stamps. Have super duper great weekend peeps! Hugs, Vera

Also entering this card for these challenges:

Sweet Stampin: Use Your Favorite Stamp

Fab & Funky: Use Your Favorite Color

Your Next Stamp: Birthday

I Did It Creation: Anything Goes

Mami Doodles Blog Hop & Blog Candy

Hi all! Happy Friday!  At Mami Doodles we're welcoming 3 new members to our DT and to celebrate we're doing a blog hop! If you come Lily's blog, then  you're on the right track. Otherwise, below I put the link for all the DT for you to hop to!

Mami Doodles is created by the talented Elisa. Her designs are cute and whimsical. You can check out & purchase her lovely designs here. Besides the blog hop, we also have new challenge you can join. The challenge is "DIFFERENT SHAPE". Create a card in any shape besides the typical rectangle or square. The winner of the challenge will WIN 3 DIGI STAMPS (the 3 newest images) plus one of your choice.

I made 3 cards for the hop & the challenge. First one using Rosie (she's a freebie, you can get her here). Isn't she just adorable? Entering this card for Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge 35 as well.

                         

Now, we can't do blog hop without doing any blog candy, right? For your chance to win BLOG CANDY, visit and comment on each of design team members' blogs by Tuesday, August 17, 2010. Leave a comment here on my blog and you could win cute Li'l Sinead (you'll receive 2 images, one Sinead with freckles & one without freckles).

Here's my card using Li'l Sinead that I combined with the cute owl as well. I'm also making this card for Cute Card Thursday Challenge 125: Tree-mendous.

And one last card. It's rectangle, but still consider it different, cause the way it open. Wanna know a secret? LOL, at first I thought the challenge was different fold. Since I already made it, why not share it, right?

Now, how about hopping around, join our "different shape" challenge, & increase your chance on winning some digi stamps? Remember, you have until next Tuesday 12 noon to enter the giveaway and winners will be posted on Wednesday. Here's a list of all the DT members.

Claudia

Deirdre

Elisa B

Jackie

Lily

Vera -- me

Trinh

Mami Doodles

Peeps, don't forget you have till midnight to tonight to enter Wee Memories' Butterfly challenge! Have a great weekend everyone! Ciaoo....

Paper Play Week 32 & DDSB Challenge

First of all, I want to thank you to all of you for your lovely comments through the blog, twitter, email, and facebook regarding my post from yesterday as Making Memories guest designer. I truly appreciate your supports. I am so humble and grateful to have many of you cheering for me. So blessed. :)

Today, I have two new challenges for you today. First up is my card for Paper Play Challenge. This week theme is "Bon Voyage".  For my card, I totally go in the fun & cute direction. As you know, Lawn Fawn is one of my favorite. Especially after I met Kelly, I love her products even more. I love supporting genuinely nice people. :)

I made the card using 2S4Y sketch & CPS 179 (they're almost the same). The idea of the punched cloud is inspired by Belinda Chang's card here (thanks for the inspiration, Belinda). Created the car using Papertrey Ink stamp & matching car die. The idea of the bunnies driving the car is from the Kia car advertisement (I think it's Kia, if I am wrong, sorry) where the hamsters looking so cool and tapping their fingers to the music while riding around town. Love fun commercial. 

                               

Unfortunately, I am missing the bunny from my Lawn Fawn set. So, I had to draw the bunnies myself to match the Fawn Lawn critters. I love the cheerfulness this card conveys.

Next, is my card for Digi Doodle Shop's Best Challenge. This week we're sponsored by Daisy Doodles and the challenge theme is flowers. Please stop by here for the challenge & prize detail. Here's my card following Card Pattern 76 sketch.
 

Hope you can join both challenges! Don't forget to check out all the DT blogs for more inspirations. I am looking forward to seeing your creations. Have a great Thursday! 

Making Memories Guest Designer

Hi peeps. Today I am the guest designer at Making Memories blog. So excited and grateful to have this opportunity to create some projects for them. For my projects I get to play with Making Memories Panorama set. Love it!! I created 4 projects total, although easily I could make more. I have another layout already in progress. Can't stop playing with this set!

For details on all the project please check Making Memories Blog. Would so appreciate it if you would leave some love on their blog as well as over here. I really appreciate everyone's support. 

Here's my layout that I created for Making Memories. This layout is of my trip to Pulau Penyu (Turtle Island) when I was on vacation in Bali with my mom and my brother, Jerry in 2006. This place is a turtle preservation habitat and only reachable by boat. It was an amazing experience to be so upclose and learned about the turtles. I handwritten the journal and your eyes didn't trick you, I do have small hand writing. :)

Next, I have the travel journal. I love how my travel journal turned out. The patterned paper itself is gorgeous. All the embellishments were created from the cut out from one of the patterned paper. I attached the two small embellishements that has the word "How Time Flies" and "Joy" using pop dots and added thread to close the journal. The pop-dot provide a space for the thread to go around.

Now, the cards. I simply love how this first card look. The patterned paper was so gorgeous and has beautiful shine to it.

Here's the second card. The car is made using Papertrey Ink stamp & matching die. I really used that one patterned paper that has all these embossed signs. Except for the above card, I use something from this patterned paper to decorate all the projects.

Hope you like the projects. I was so giddy when Making Memories asked me if I'd be interested to be their guest designer and I hope I didn't disappoint them. If you find me through their blog please let me know. I love reading your comments and appreciate them very much.

Also, Friday, Mami Doodles will be hosting our first blog hop & there will be digi stamp giveaway. I'll have all the details on Friday! Have a super duper great hump day peeps. Hugs, Vera.

Hedgehog & Bird Cards

I am thrilled to find out that my ribbon fish card (see my blog header) caught the eye of the May Arts peeps. They chose my card as the winning card for "Ribbon on Card Contest". I almost missed the announcement here.  Thank goodness, I checked my planner. LOL, yes, I am one of those people that have planner, but sometime forgot to check it.

As far as I can remember I always have either a journal or a planner, and I always have the good intention of being organized by writing things down. I am good at that. I am just not that good at actually checking the planner on time. :) What can I say, everybody have their ditzy moment, right?!

Today, I have 2 cards for you. The first card, is for Clean & Simple FTL 102 and for Paper Cutz Challenge 53, which is to use monkey, squirrel, or hedgehog. Also entering this card for:
Cute Card Thursday 124: Whateva
Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge 35: Anything Goes

If you have followed me for awhile, then you know I am partial to hedgehog. Why?? See the cute critter on the pic below.

Peeps, for you who haven't meet my smallest baby, here's Coco the hedgehog. I got her for Christmas 2008. She tends to be grumpy when you just woke her up. But, once she know it's me or hubby, she'll relax and all her quills will be down. Isn't she adorable? I am not sure how old she is. Found her through the rescue place. Anyway, this cute face is the reason I love hedgehog, the real thing and the stamps.

Now the second card is inspired by Embellish Magazine Color Challenge & bird. This pic came out kind of washed. I'll have to take new pic and change the pic later this evening.

And tomorrow, I'll be the guest designer at Making Memories blog. I have several stuff to share with you. Please come by tomorrow and if you stop by here today, please take the time to leave a comment. I read all the comments and really appreciate every single one of them. Have a great blessed day!

Taylored Expressions Card

Hi all, how's your weekend? I hope you had a pleasant & enjoyable weekend. It was quite a busy weekend for me. Saturday, I finished my project for Making Memories. They'll be sharing my projects on their blog this Wednesday. So excited for the opportunity to create for them.

Sunday, I met my girlfriends, Joy & Les for brunch and a movie. We were going to see Salt, but ended up watching Step Up in 3D instead. LOL, yes we're cheesy like that. My girlfriend, Joy loves to dance and pretty much as soon as the movie start and the first song playing, she can't help but start moving to the song. It was entertaining movie and the dance movement was just amazing. I wish I could dance like that! :)

Then in the evening, I get to play in my messy scrapbook room. Right now, I have stuff everywhere. On the table and on the floor. Anyway, at CHA, I bought this cute stamp from Taylored Expressions. My 1st Taylored Expressions stamp ever! And decided to play along their Taylored Expressions Sketch 123 challenge.  This is their sketch:

And here's my card:

I just love how adorable this stamp looks. Colored the image with Copic markers. Sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. Pattern paper are from my scrap stash. I am really going to try my hardest to use up my scrap isntead of keep cutting the new ones. Trying to be more green here. :)

I am also entering this card for these other challenges:

Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge 35 - Anything Goes

Cute Card Thursday #124 - Whateva

Dutch Dare Chalenge 29 - Anything Goes

Have a great Monday! May your week start wonderfully! Hugs, Vera.

Wee Memories Challenge #17

Aah... Saturday. Don't you just love weekend? I plan to be quite productive today. Some of my plans include going to the library, finish my project for Making Memories, taking pic for a tutorial, cleaning the house, and organize my scrabook room. Although in all honesty, I doubt the last one will happen. LOL. Seem like I always have the good intention to organize it, but as soon as I start pulling stuff out it's all a mess again.

I have new card for you for Wee Memories Challenge. This time our challenge theme is "BUTTERFLIES".  For my card I used Papertrey Ink butterfly set. The layout for this card is inspired by Maylee (Cas-tastic DT) card. Their challenge is to case their design team and I just love the way Maylee's card look.

I sure love dots. I think I love them more now than I ever did. I used to buy only stripes patterned paper. It started from Bo Bunny Dots paper, then with Papertrey Ink Dots Background set, and now I just love patterned paper that has dots. They're just so pretty and fun.

If you have some crafty time plan please, join us at Wee Memories Challenge! Check the blog to see all the DT works. These gals will inspire you with their adorable cards. I am so lucky to be working along these talented ladies. Hope your weekend is filled with all the good stuff!

Car issue

Pheww, I had quite a day yesterday. On our way to work (hubby and I carpool, since we work for the same company), in the middle of the HOV lane, suddenly my car battery light went on. I was like, what's going on? First thought, the light was just acting up. Next thing we know, the temperature light went on, followed by another light, etc., with all  the warning sound beeping. I looked at the temp needle it was all the way to H. Not close to, but all the way up there!

I freaked out, and asked hubby if he thinks our car going to blow up. Who knows, all  the warning lights were on. He said exit the carpool line as soon as we can. Anyway, we found a parking spot, turned off the car, called AAA. Love them, by the way. While waiting, we checked the car, try to re-start it after a while, now it's totally dead. Mind you, it's Texas, so even 8.30am, it was smoking hot, peeps! Was not fun! I do thank my guardian angel for watching over us, cause if we had not stop when we did, we would have fried our transmission completely.

Needless to say, called the boss and asked for day off so we can take care of the car and do some car shopping. We've been thinking of getting a new car, but was hoping that we can still get another year on my "Bu" (that's what a friend of ours called my Chevy Malibu Max). No such luck. By the end of the day, I am the proud owner of a new Hyundai Tucson. What really sold us on the car is really their 10 years or 100,000 miles warranty. I am not too happy about having a car payment, but we need dependable car. Now, from Bu to Blue. That's what I decided to call my new ride "Blue". I chose a bluish silver colors instead of plain silver and I thought it looks nice. Hopefully this wouldn't interfere with my stamping budget. LOL, I got my priority here, people! It was a stressful day.

Let's move on to cards, shall we? When I met Paulina from DeNami Design at CHA, I told her now that I know about DeNami and their cute stamp, I will start entering their challenge. Their latest challenge is all about glitters. She does love glitters. I think most of her card sample at CHA has glitters and they were awesome. So, here's my card for DeNami Product Challenge 3 in combination with Moxie Fab Signs of Peace Challenge.

I used my Silhouette to cut the peace signs & colord them with Copic. I thought this card turned out pretty cute! Totally adore that turtle. I really, really love anything turtle related. Except for when my car was moving like a turtle! :) Oh yeah, the idea for this card was that those stacked peace signs supposed to be birthday cake with the turtle as the cake topper. That was the idea for this groovy birthday cake card. 

Then, on Facebook, Samantha Walker who designed for Silhouette has a challenge to create a project using her design. I love her cute design, so of course I have to join & play along. :) Here's my card using her cute car design and CPS sketch 178. I think yesterday car issue made me think of making a card that has car on it. LOL.

Hope you like both of the cards I have for today. Tomorrow, I'll have new fun challenge for you from Wee Memories. Come back tomorrow & join us. Have a super duper great Friday! Hugs, Vera.

Paper Play & DDSB Challenge

Thursday!! Yay... I am so ready for the weekend already. How about you peeps? This week has been such whirlwind. Between the stress from work, me PMS-ing, it just simply been quite a week. Definitely counting the hours to Friday 5pm. I'll probably hang out with my girl friend this weekend and I'm looking forward to that!

Anyway, I have two new challenges for you today. The first one is from Paper Play Challenges. By the way, last week we did anything goes challenge, we had 444 entries. I think by day 3 of the challenge we had almost 300?? That's scary and awesome at the same time. LOL, scary in the meaning of the amount of blog we had to cheack out. Awesome because it's nic eto see you gals loves our challenges. :)

Now, this week our challenge is to create a project using 2 patterned paper, 3 flowers, 1 ribbon, and a charm. We're sponsored by Stitchy Bear Stamps who provided us with some digi stamp to play with. I chose their fairy image.

I didn't have a small charm  to use, so I used my Making Memories charm. It's a bit big, so instead of dangling it, I put it off to the side of the flower. See that white heart peeking out? The charm was silver, but I dabbed it with white inkpad & embossed it with clear embossing powder to seal the color in. I also added stitches all around the border.

My other challenge is Digi Doodle Shop's Best (DDSB) challenge. Easy peasy challenge. Create a card using your favorite stamp. Since I'm representing DDSB, of course I picked my favorite stamp from their line, which is this cute owl. He's just so cute! I used Mojo Monday sketch 150 for this card.

I rubbed some chalks on the circle area to create a soft shading. The patterned papers are from Kaiser Krafts and the sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. And of course, I had to use the wiggly eyes for the owl to make him look even cuter.

I hope you will join me for Paper Play & DDSB challenges. Have a super duper great Thursday! And, if you live in super hot area like me, try to stay cool!