3 Christmas Cards in 1 Night

I thought I won't be able to make Christmas cards this year.  I was already trying to remember where my stock of store-bought cards are.  But I guess if you're a crafter, nothing can stop you from making handmade cards, especially at this time of the year.

But before I continue, I'd like to say thank you to Christine, Ingeborg and Claire for the goodies I received recently.  It has been pretty hectic at work, and the goodies took the stress away.  I will post the photos later this week, however you can see what Christine sent me here.  Let me show you my appreciation by giving you ladies a big virtual hug: 

(((((Christine, Ingeborg, Claire)))))

I have made ten cards this weekend.  And tonight, I was able to make three cards:

I'm proud to say that I was able to make use of a lot of my scrap paper/cardstock.  I got to use my Copic Markers and popcorn pens.  And I was able to play with Coredinations card stock for the first time and I love it!  So far, I have been stamping with my wood-mounted stamps.  In the next batch, I'll be playing with my Christmas clear stamps.  You can see the other 10 Christmas cards I've made here.  I'm giving myself until this week to create more cards.  Then it's mailing time!

Before I retire for the night, I'd also like to share with you the inchies I got from Lisa's inchie swap this month.  Aren't they adorable?

'Till next blog!

Review: Scrapbook Play

I have read so many magazines, including special issue ones, but I have never enjoyed reading them as much as I had fun reading Scrapbook Play. It is a special issue magazine released by Simple Scrapbooks late this year. 

The "playful" description fits this magazine straight to the bat. It has tons of ideas, trivia, tips, tricks, quizes, and so much more. I love the websites they recommend because you can use them for your scrapbook pages, or just want to have some fun browsing the internet during a boring moment. I also like the part where you get to know more about the scrapbookers who make Simple Scrapbooks possible, like that of Stacy Julian and Cathy Zielske. It felt like I was with them while reading each page. I will definitely read this magazine again, and follow all those prompts for my future scrapbook pages. Kudos to Simple Scrapbooks for a really fun special issue! 

More New Additions

I have been procrastinating about the Bind-It-All (blue) by Zutter, since it first came out a few years ago.  I know it would be really cool to actually make your own albums of any size and shape, but I was just not that impressed with it. 

But when they came out with the new and improved Version 2.0 (pink), I decided to take the plunge.  I bought my pink Bind-It-All at my local scrapbook store, The Paper Manor, in support of their first anniversary (thanks for the BoBunny Bag!).  After that, I really didn't have the chance to open and play with it. 

But I finally did last night. 

People who know me know how I am with paper.  I just can't throw them away.  And even at work, it's a pain for me to waste paper.  So I have been saving these scrap copy paper for a while, and when I had enough, I brought them home.  I decided these scrap paper will be a part of my first BIA project.

Beforehand, I already watched the video tutorial of BIA in their official website.  So the "hands on" wasn't hard for me.  I love the "centerline punching method" and the fact that I can punch holes even on thick chipboard.    Because of the overall thickness of my project, I had to punch a bunch of pages at a time.  And despite that, the holes still line up perfectly when all the pages are put together.  In this project, I used the 1 inch binder rings, and it was very easy to bind all pages and back & front cover.  Overall, I can say that the BIA is not really hard to operate.

If you notice, the corners of my scrap pad are round.  If you're thinking that I corner punched each page, you're wrong.  In fact, I can't corner punch a thick chipboard with an ordinary corner rounder.  But the fun fact is that I did corner punch the "entire" pad, including the front and back chipboard cover.  And it was possible with another newly acquired tool which is called

The Paper Gator from Around the Block.  With this tool, you can punch 100 sheets of paper and whatever thick material all at once. 

And just to be clear, you don't punch per page, but up to 100 sheets or any similar thickness, chipboard, plastic sheets and even wood.  And what's more, it doesn't require effort to punch at all.  You can actually invert the blade to cut ticket corners, and there are other blades you can purchase separately like the 45 degree angle corner.  I happen to purchase mine from QVC because they have the best deal and their package already includes 3 blades of different radius sizes.

To see this project in detail, please click here.

I have always wanted to have the Tim Holtz Design Ruler since I first learned about it on the internet. A good ruler is one of my necessities as a crafter. My Zero Hero Centering Ruler is about to resign due to the several cuts on the edges. When I saw the Tim Holtz Design Ruler video on YouTube, I knew that would be the best replacement for my old ruler. But when it was released in the market, it was so hard to get a hold of. Everybody seemed to have been able to buy it except me. 

Finally, I had a chance to buy it from CreativePlayStamps a couple of weeks ago. When it arrived in the mail, I love everything about it - from the packaging to the actual product. This is what the packaging says:

".... a clear measuring stick with a straight edge and grid for drawing lines and measuring lengths, a metal strip for cutting, and evenly spaces holes for piercing."

 

















Everything I want in a ruler is now right in my hands! The lines are not only 1/4 inch increments, but 1/8 inch. And the piercing holes are also in 1/8" increments. And I love the fact that there's a metal edge made especially for cutting. I'm expecting this ruler will stay with me for a long time.

It's DECEMBER!!!

I can't believe how time flies.  It seems only weeks ago when I started my new job.  And now, it's December!  And to top it off, we don't have work today because of a winter storm.  That means more time to do more stuff!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We had our usual warm gathering at DMIL's house.  I made a popular Filipino dessert called Leche Flan.  Never mind the calories, at least for Thanksgiving, because my Leche Flan is good :D

What made this 4-day weekend extra special was our Black Friday shopping.  I won't tell you the details, but my main goal was to get the Cricut Expressions for $199.  Walmart was having that special only for Black Friday.  And I was very sure a lot of crafters will come and swoop them off the shelves in just a snap.  I had an option to buy the Expressions at CustomCrops a few days earlier for $209 with your choice of 2 cartridges and free shipping.  But I wanted to get the Expressions the traditional way - right in my hands from a brick and mortar store.  Going back to Walmart, as expected, the Expressions were all gone.  I was very disappointed.  But I had a Plan B.  We headed to Michael's, with the Walmart Black Friday brochure on hand.  I talked to the first Michael's employee and asked them if they would price match Walmart's price for the Cricut Expressions (while I was crossing my fingers and toes).  And right away, they said "Yes!  Let me go get it for you", with no other questions asked.  That made my Black Friday shopping.  I was very happy!  My new Cricut Expressions came with 2 cartridges:  Plantin' Schoolbook and Accent Essentials.  I played with my planet's new addition last night and it felt like I was a kid opening a present.  I like the new features and my favorite is the fact that I can cut bigger sizes (up to 23.5 inches).  I already have so many projects in mind.  But I still love my original "bug".  In fact, my two Cricuts are nestled side by side on my craft desk.  The Bug has the portability that the Expressions doesn't have.  There goes my Christmas present!

I was also able to buy 2 Martha Stewart edge punches using Joann's 50% coupon on each.  I can't wait to play with my Arch Lattice and Double Scallop.

That's what I like about Michael's.  Even though they don't put out discout coupons as much as Joann's, but they will let you use Joann's discount coupons in their store, and they price match with no questions asked.  More power to Michael's!  Woot!

And since it's 25 days before Christmas, let me share with you these burned-out light bulbs I altered into Christmas Ornaments.  I owe it to a famous Filipino celebrity, Ms. Sharon Cuneta, because she shared this project in a magazine-type TV show many years ago.  And since then, I never threw my burned out light bulbs.  All you need is acrylic paint, ribbon, adhesive and embellishment of your choice.  I love making these ornaments -  in fact they are hanging in my Christmas tree right now.  Check out more pictures by clicking here.

Also, take another glimpse of my November creations here.

If you missed Black Friday sales, don't fret because today is Cyber Monday.  Check out your favorite online stores and I'm sure they have specials meant for today.  Joann.com has really good Cyber Monday deals (including free shipping).