Sunday, February 27

I Adore You



Hello dear reader! I thought I might end the month of February with a love-dovey card. A few weeks ago, I joined Oh My Craft's Valentine haiku contest on Facebook, and they picked mine as one of the winners. For my prize, I got a Doodlebug Designs bundle, which I used for this card:




Materials used:
  • cardstock/dp: Doodlebug Designs, Costco, DCWV, leftovers
  • image/sentiment: The Greeting Farm, Studio G
  • ink: Tsukineko, Copics
  • tools: Martha Stewart edge punch, Spellbinders, heat gun, Big Shot
  • embellishments: Doodlebug Designs, ribbon, rhinestones (Keiser Craft)
  • adhesive: Scotch, The Paper Studio, mounting tape
  • misc.: embossing powder (Inkadinkado)
Thank you Oh My Crafts for my goodies!

Guess what? National Craft Month starts tomorrow... woot! That means everyday crafting for me. And that also means I'm inviting you to join me in creating, and have a chance to win some blog candy at the end of the month. This year's NCM, I'm joining forces with another crafty friend Claire, in giving away blog candies. She already has some previews of her goodies to be given away (click here to see). But I'll reveal the details about our NCM blog candy tomorrow.

'Til then!


Friday, February 25

Chinese Sun Catcher

Hello dear reader!  It's back to my normal routine.  TGIF!

While we were in Animal Kingdom in Disney World, I saw this book in the Asian area:


It's a booklet of Chinese designs printed on vellum, ready to color and make sun catchers out of them. 


The instruction says you can use any medium from crayons, pens, acrylic, water color, tempera or oil paint.  For my first try, I used Copics.

One thing I learned is that it is hard to blend Copics on vellum.  The instruction said it will look better if you color both sides, but I just colored only one side to see how it looks like.  And yes, I was lazy too... hee hee!

This is my final product:



I punched the around a big circle with a Martha Stewart jumbo corner punch.  Then added flower sequins for final touches.

This is how it looks with light shining through:



Materials used:

cardstock:  CostCo
ink:  Copics
tools:  Martha Stewart
embellishments:  Prima, flower sequins
adhesive:  Zots

I'll try other mediums next time, and see which one works best.

'Til next blog!


Thursday, February 24

Catch of the Day

Hello everyone!  Time sure flies...  it's already been 4 weeks since I became a part of Creative Vision's Design Team 5.  Woot!  Again, I would like to thank Ms. Laura for giving me a chance to share my talent through her wonderful stamps.

I Just came back from a 9-day vacation down in warm and sunny Florida.  During our trip, we bought a pack of key lime taffy, which was my inspiration for today's project:


The heat embossed image and sentiment are from the Hooked On Fishing set.
  

Meanwhile, the paper bowl is a type of origami, made from a sheet of 8 x 8 cardstock.  I focused on tropical colors to remind me of the nice and sunny weather from way down south.
  

Materials used:

cardstock:  ColorBok
image/sentiment:  Creative Vision "Hooked on Fishing"
ink:  Tsukineko
tools:  Spellbinders, Big Shot, heat gun
embellishments:  mini clothespins, leftover ribbon
adhesive:  Scotch, Zots
misc.:  embossing powder (American Crafts), chenile pipe cleaner

 'Til next blog!

Monday, February 21

Craft Discoveries in Epcot

Hello reader! As I have mentioned in a previous blog entry, I was on vacation for 9 days. It was my first time to see Florida and we sure enjoyed it - from Disney World to the wonderful beaches. But that's not what I want to talk about. I want to share with you some craft discoveries during my trip.

Well, I have to say that most of what I'll be sharing is from Epcot in Disney World. This park reminded me so much of the World Expo (The first and only one I've seen is in Aichi, Japan. The latest one was in Shanghai China.). Only Epcot has only 11 pavillions. Three of them showcased some wonderful and interesting crafts.
In Itally Pavillion, I was in awe of these beautiful masks. They were handmade by artisans with paper mache. The guy in charge was pretty strict and didn't want customers to touch the masks. This is because the natural oil in our hands can damage the quality of the masks. There were so many beautiful designs, but they were too pricey for me. Good thing the artisan allowed me to take a photo.


One thing I was excited to see in Epcot was the Japan Pavillion for two reasons. One is the food (although they didn't have ramen), and the other is the Japanese shop. I already had a shopping list in mind. But I didn't expect to see wonderful origami samples. One of them is the Flower Kusudama, which I have never seen before. The staff said that their kit was sold out, but she gave me a copy of the instructions. So I bought a pack of origami paper and tried to make one in our hotel room. The instructions were a little hard to follow despite the English translation, but I figured it out after a while. Here's my first try. I was lazy and only made 4 petals instead of the suggested 5.



And finally while in Mexico Pavillion, we chanced upon a glass art shop. It's pretty small but the details of the decortaive glass are really awesome. And in the middle of the shop, you can see the artist making a gecko design. I could stay there and keep watching, but of course DH is not going to do that.


I just wish I can learn all these kinds of arts and crafts. I know there are tons of them around the world and my one lifetime is not enough to even know about all of them. One can only wish.

'Til next blog!

Thursday, February 17

Hooked On Fishing

Hello everyone!  How's the weather in your location?  It has been very cold, snowy and windy in our part of Northern Michigan.  You may find this funny, but despite that, I still like winter.  However I'm starting to miss summer and a lot of fun activities we do during that time of the year.

Those are the things I was thinking of while making this card.  I was picturing weathered wood on the beach with fishermen's nets hanging on it.  And the stamps from Hooked On Fishing set was perfect for what I wanted to depict.



Materials used:

cardstock/dp:  The Paper Company, DCWV, Embassy, Fiskars
image/sentiment:  Creative Vision (Hooked On Fishing)
ink:  Tsukineko, Copics
tools:  Fiskars edge punch, Tim Holtz distressing tool
embellishment:  brads
misc.:  embossing powder (Ranger), shelf liner
adhesive:  Scotch, Zots, mounting tape

Well, a few more weeks and it's going to start warming up... I hope!

'Til next Thursday!

Monday, February 14

Monday

Hello crafty friends! My apologies for being "absent" for a while. I have been busy in real life, but will definitely be posting sometime this week. I hope everybody's doing great.

Blog with you soon!

Friday, February 11

Friday

Hello dear reader! Like I always say... TGIF!

I was in the mood for coloring with Copics, so I looked through my RAK images collection. I found this Hero Arts image, received from an image swap here in Multiply. Instead of coloring the image, I decided to do paper-piecing instead. The same image was stamped on white cardstock, and also on printed paper. I colored the skin, hair and accessories first, and then I cut the clothing from the printed paper, and adhered it to the one on white card stock.





Materials used:
  • cardstock/dp: Paper Reflections, CostCo, washi paper, Bazzil
  • image/sentiment: Hero Arts
  • ink: Copic
  • tools: Martha Stewart, Spellbinders, Big Shot
  • embellishments: rhinestone stickers (Studio G), flowers (Prima), brads
  • adhesive: Scotch, Zots, Fiskars, mounting tape
'Til next blog!

Thursday, February 10

Pills?

Hello everyone!  Today marks my second week with Creative Vision, and here is a card I made which features a stamp from the Sassy Happy Birthday II set.  If you want something out of the box, this is it.  It's one of the reaons why I like this set a lot.


I made my pills by cutting pieces from a piece of leftover dp.  I cut some of the pills in half, which I then adhered to some of the pills to achieve the capsule look.
 
Materials used:
cardstock/dp:  Fiskars, The Paper Company, leftovers
image/sentiment:  Creative Vision (Sassy Happy Birthday II)
ink:  Tsukineko, Ranger
tools:  EK Success edge punch, Sizzix pocket die, Spellbinders, Tim Holtz paper distresser
embellishments:  rhinestone adhesive:  Scotch, Fiskars, Zots

'Til next blog!

Wednesday, February 9

Wonderful You

Hello reader! I am excited to show you my card for today because I got to use white embossing powder for the first time. This might seem funny to some of you, but I was really happy when I saw the white embossing popping out as I blast my image with a heat gun. I was like a kid discovering something new.

It was also my first time to use the Vintage Floral around the corner punch by Martha Stewart. Definitely an addition to my favorites.



Materials used:
cardstock/dp: Bazzil, leftovers
image/sentiment: Stampin' Up
ink: Tsukineko, Stampin' Up
tools: Martha Stewart around the corner punch, Spellbinders, Stampin' Up paper punch, Big Shot, heat gun
embellishments: pearls (Hero Arts), flowers (Bazzil, Prima, Forever In Time), brad
misc.: embossing powder (American Crafts)adhesive: Scotch, Zots, mounting tape

'Til next blog!

Monday, February 7

Paper Cake Video Tutorial

Hello reader!  This is going to be short and sweet.  I made a video tutorial this weekend which will give you an idea on how to make the Paper Cake I featured during Saturday's blog hop with Creative Vision.


You can view this on a bigger screen in my craft homepage.  Click here to see.

'Til next blog!

Sunday, February 6

Kisses

Hello reader! I had a good weekend, starting with yesterday's DT5 Blog Hop for Creative Vision. To those who joined in the fun... a BIG thank you! And congratulations to the winners as well.

Today was pretty productive. I worked on a video tutorial this afternoon while DH was at work. My dog was cooperative too and kept quiet during filming. And to make the long story short, it took a good part of my afternoon to shoot the video, and a big chunk of my evening in editing and uploading. And right now, it's still being processed by YouTube. So I don't think I'll be able to show you the video with this blog entry.

But I do have a new one to share, which is quite similar to yesterday's blog hop project (click here to see). Since Valentines Day is just around the corner, I figured to make something lovey-dovey.









Materials used:
  • cardstock/dp: DCWV, Embassy, Best Occasions, The Paper Company
  • image/sentiment: My Sentiments Exactly, Imaginisce
  • ink: Tsukineko
  • tools: Spellbinders, Big Shot, Martha Stewart scoring tool, heat gun
  • embellishments: Rhinestones
  • misc.: embossing powder (Ranger, American Crafts)
  • adhesive: Scotch, Zots, mounting tape
The video tutorial is coming up next.

'Til next blog!

Saturday, February 5

Creative Vision DT Blog Hop Today

Welcome to Creative Vision's Design Team 5 Blog Hop!



Together we will hop, hop, hop our way to each new member's blog as we showcase our collective talent.  Most probably, you just came from Molly's blog, and isn't her project so awesome?  But if you happen to visit my blog first, I suggest you start your hop with Creative Vision owner Laura's blog by clicking here.

Guess what?  Random prizes are awarded to bloggers who post comments.  Just make sure to become a follower of the Creative Vision Blog in order to be eligible for prizes.  Super easy!

And in celebration of DT5's First Blog Hop, I decided to make a Paper Cake featuring one of the stamps from the Sassy Happy Birthday II set.  I just love this edgy sentiment!





Materials used:
cardstock:  DCWV, leftovers
image/sentiment:  Creative Vision (Sassy Happy Birthday II)
ink:  Tsukineko
tools:  Spellbinders, Big Shot, Martha Stewart Score Board, bone folder
embellishments:  beads
misc.:  embossing powder (American Crafts), brown chenile stem
adhesive:  Scotch, mounting tape

I have never baked a cake before, and this is as far as I can go... haha!

Don't forget, you can be eligible for prizes in two easy steps:  leave comments during the blog hop, and follow the Creative Vision Blog.

The hopping doesn't end here... up next is SILKE

Thanks for hopping by!!!

Thursday, February 3

Thanks

Here's something new. I was eating my last piece of brownie with almonds at work when a sliver of almond got stuck in my throat. It was so annoying. I tried everything and ate and drank everything I can think of, but that almond sure clings well. I guess I was so stressed that when I got home, I decided to take a nap. When I woke up, I had a spicy ramen soup and sang to the top of my lungs down the basement. Now I can't tell anymore if the almond is still there, or if my throat is irritated from everything it went through for me to get rid of the darn almond.

And because I'm still alive and kicking from my 2.5 hour nap, I decided to make a quick card. I'm so into my new Spellbinders dies lately, can you tell?





Materials used:
  • cardstock: DCWV, leftovers
  • image/sentiment: Stampin' Up
  • ink: Stampin' Up
  • tools: Spellbinders, Sizzix embossing folder, Stampin' Up Label punch, Big Shot, nail file
  • embellishments: brads
  • adhesive: Scotch, mounting tape
I hope you can join us tomorrow for the Creative Vision DT5 Blog Hop for some fun and prizes. All you need to do is leave comments and follow the Creative Vision Blog to be eligible to win. The blog hop will start here.

'Til next blog!

Precious One

Hello crafty reader!  Creative Vision starts featuring my projects today and every Thursday of the week for the next four months.  This is my first take on being a design team member for a stamping company, and I'm so glad it's for Creative Vision.... woot!!!  I'm excited to share with you my first project for Creative Vision DT5.
I call this one a hole-y card - using a variety of tools to achieve the look.  The stamp "Precious One" is from the Sentiment Singles Collection, which was embossed with distress powder.  Let me tell you a secret also.  The inked background was actually from a sheet of copy paper I used to protect my desk while inking cardstock for another project.  I liked the mix of colors, so it's now the background of this card:


 Materials used:
cardstock/dp:  Stampin' Up, Recollection, copy paper
image/sentiment:  Creative Vision "Precious One"
ink:  Tsukineko, Stampin' Up, Prismacolor pencils, Staedler
tools: edge and corner punches (Martha Stewart), piercing template (Lasting Impressions),
Tim Holtz ruler, Spellbinders dies
embellishments:  flowers (Forever in Time), rhinestones
adhesive:  Scotch, Zots, mounting tape
misc.:  Shimmer Spritz

And before I go, don't forget to join us in the Creative Vision Blog Hop this coming Saturday, February 5th.  And you know when there's a blog hop, there are prizes...  It's going to be fun!  Until then...

Tuesday, February 1

Spic and Span

Hello reader! A bunch of states in America are brasing for a big snow storm, and Michigan is one of them. So far, the weather forecast is saying that our area won't be affected as much as down state. I guess it won't be a snow day for us. I just hope that everybody in the affected areas is ready for this storm - and that they stay home.

Guess what? Creative Vision's DT5 starts today. If you have time, please visit the Creative Vision Blog and check out fun projects by DT5 members. They'll be featuring my projects for Creative Clear Stamps every Thursday. And I hope you can join in the fun in DT5's first Blog Hop this coming Saturday, February 5th.

I did mention a few blogs ago that I was going to share with you new pics of my craft room. It has been almost 2 years ago since I shared my craft room with you, and there has been some changes since then. And finally after so many yeras, I have also decided to let go of some of my craft supplies. Some of which are alpha stamps, ink pads, stickers, die cuts, and embellishments, among other things. I donated some of them to the art class at work for the students to use, and some of them will go to my RAK bin.

Right now, my planet's so orderly - the desk is clear, the carpet's vacuumed and everything is in its proper place. It makes me want to not create for a few days so I can enjoy the spic-and-span thing going on. And let me tell you a little secret - there are still several empty drawers and compartments, ready for future new stuff. Sssshhhh.

Check out more pictures of my planet by clicking here.

And if you have more time, check out my January 2011 creations by clicking here.

'Til next blog!