Christmas in February

Guess what?!?!?  I can see my craft desk now... woot!!!  I can now sense some craftivity happening soon... but for now I want to concentrate on blogging.  It's starting to slow down now that my sister's on her 3rd week in our snowy neck of the woods. 

I did mention that I took a trip a few weeks ago.  And when I got back, a box was waiting for me in my planet.  It was from crafty friend Claire.  I was excited to see what's inside, but it took a few more days until I got to open it.  Now, they are spread on my craft desk and I'm really enjoying the view.  I just want to share with you her wonderful work as I clear the floor of my planet.

Let's start with this beautiful handmade card:

Followed by two sets of Christmas Cards:

And two sets of tags:

Aren't they beautiful?!?!?  Now I'm all set for Christmas this year.  There are other fun stuff in the box, but I'm keeping them for myself for now.  Thanks a big bunch Claire!

'Til next blog!

Thanks

No, I haven't finished cleaning my planet.  The farthest I got was assembling my ArtBin Satchel cube and vacuuming the clear areas of the floor.  Thanks to my sister, my Copic markers are now organized.  But just the same, my craft desk is still a mess, and there are still stuff everywhere.

But that didn't stop me from making a card tonight.  It's for a co-worker who taught me and my sister how to ski last week.  I've lived here for almost 5 years, and I have never tried to ski.  If not for my sister visiting, I wouldn't have tried.  And guess what???  I actually enjoyed it.  And even though my sister hit a tree, she had more fun than I did.

Since we're giving the card to a guy, I wanted to make it as simple as possible.  I was relieved to find background paper in my stash that had a skiing theme.

Materials used:

cardstock/dp:  DCWV, Wassau, leftovers

image/sentiment:  Stampin' Up, River City

ink:  Stampin' Up, Tsukineko

tools:  Janome Sew Mini, heat gun

embellishments:  buttons, spiral paper clip

misc.:  Inkadinkado embossing powder

adhesive:  Scotch, Glue Dots, mounting tape

 'Til next blog!

Warm Tied

Hello crafty friends!  The other night, we had my crafty artiste friend Bean come over for some girl fun.  My sister is visiting from the Philippines, and she cooked some very good Carbonara.  We enjoyed that with nice fruity wine, followed by a Dance Central session on Kinect and karaoke.  Bean brought 2 tie blankets she made... they're beautiful!  I mentioned that I have this tie blanket kit which I acquired back in Japan at least 5 years ago.  I never got around to it.  Bean came to the rescue and showed me how to put it together.

Now that I know how to make tie blankets, I think I can make some more in the future.  Thanks Bean!

When I left for my California trip, my planet was already a total mess.  Finally today, I have some time to clean my disastrous planet while doing laundry because my sister's engrossed in watching Hell's Kitchen on DVD.  I haven't started yet, because I wanted to update my blog first.  And before I start to work and give my planet some TLC, let me show you its present state.

Don't worry my planet... I'm now here to rescue you!!!

'Til next blog...

Quickie Treat

Hello everyone!  This is going to be really short.  I made some Valentine treat bags to give to co-workers tomorrow.  I'm so glad that my sister is here to help me out.  This is one of my favorite treat bags to make because it's quick and easy.  I have seen many versions of this, and the best tutorial I would say is the one from Splitcoaststampers (click here to see).

Materials used:

cardstock/dp:  vellum, ColorBok, leftovers

image/sentiment:  Deadbeat Designs

ink:  Tsukineko, Ranger

tools:  Spellbinders, EK Success punch

embellishment:  ribbon (American Crafts)

misc.:  embossing powder (Ranger), Shimmer Spritz

adhesive:  Scotch, mounting tape

'Til next blog!

Another Copic Post

Don't you just hate it when you accidentally delete something on your blog?  Well, I did.  I posted about my Copic Intermediate Certification Class in Anaheim on the day itself.  And now it's gone (sad face).  I have to learn the hard way about posting from an android phone.

So here I am over two weeks later, posting about my experience in this really great class.  Now that I finally have time to look through my SD card, I'm ready for a comeback. 

Since I was going to be in Anaheim to see my family, I thought it was a good opportunity to take the Intermediate Certification Class that was scheduled in the area.  For me to take it here in Michigan, I have to drive almost 4 hours one way to get to the venue.  I just had to grab the chance.  I was really relieved that there were some spots left despite me signing up quite close to the date of the class. 

It all took place in Red Lion Hotel:

Since I was going to ride the plane, I didn't bring any of my markers.  I knew, based from the Standard Certification Class, that there would be markers available for use.  I wasn't surprised however, when I saw some of the attendees who brought their markers with them.  I did wish that I brought my own though. 

The class was to be taught by Sherrie Siemens, who is one of the popular names in the card making/stamping industry.  She's from Canada, and she makes awesome work. 

Before the class, I was kinda hoping that Marianne Walker would be present somehow because of the Winter CHA that was going to take place the next day.  And when I did see her as I entered the function room, I got more excited about what I can learn.  We were going to have two top notch Copic instructors.  Who wouldn't want that?!?

After getting my Copic goodies and picking a spot in the room, I got to pick a name tag which I looooveee:

Marianne took the floor first, explaining about the Intermediate Certification Class as a whole.  At this stage, we should already know and be comfortable with the basics as they will be tackling more about the advanced stuff.

Marianne and Sherrie took turns in teaching the different segments of the class, which started at 9 am and lasted until 8 pm. 

But it doesn't end there.  At the end of the class, Marianne and Sherrie gave each one of us a very wonderful surprise - a Copic Carrying Case.

It comes with a long strap and 6 buckets inside:

One bucket can hold so many markers.  What's in this particular bucket here already carries most of my Sketch markers.  I guess I still have a long way to go as far as collecting Copics is concerned.

And you know what made this class extra special?  It's the calligraphy on our certificates.  One of the attendees does calligraphy, and she offered to write our names on the certificates.  I never really found out who she was, but I would like to thank her for doing such an awesome job.

If you are going to ask me if taking this class is worth it, for somebody like me who never had any type of formal art education, yes it definitely is.  I learned so much in this class, and the hands on teaching method was definitely a plus.

'Til next blog!