Papercrafting & Travels

Waltzing Mouse Stamps Blog Party - 17.03.2012

2012-03-18T02:56:00.000+08:00

Happy St Patrick's Day!! We don't formally celebrate St Patrick's Day in Malaysia, but I think there is a small Irish community here that does, and Irish restaurants in the city have special events on this day. I would love to visit Ireland someday and experience how the Day is celebrated...that would be Awesome!

Following the theme of the Blog Party, I have a card in shades of green. It's a simple design and I used the set Candy Jar Christmas - Fillers and sentiment from Say It Loud. I coloured the candies with Copic Markers (YG11, YG25, YG61, YG63, YG00, G00, G000) and the lid is inked with Memento Bamboo Leaves. I adhered some Baker's Twine just underneath the lid of the jar and a bow with a gemstone. The top section of the card was embossed with a SU Embossing folder (Square Lattice) and the sentiment is stamped on the patterned paper. To finish off the card, I added some flourish pearls and a tiny prima flower.

And, here's a little St Patrick's card using the Shamrock and St Patrick's Day label freebies at Waltzing Mouse's site:

Thank you for visiting me today. Do visit the Waltzing Mouse blog for the list of Blog participants.

Enjoy the Blog Party!
Kary

Unity Friends with Flair (16.03.2012)

2012-03-16T15:44:00.005+08:00

Happy Friday! So glad to join in today's Unity Friends With Flair post. My card inspiration is from this Unity KOM sketch challenge:

and, here's my card:

I pulled out one of the earliest KOMs I purchased - June 2010 for this card. I just love the cute birds on the tree branch, and they look ready to cheer anyone's day. I coloured the birds with Copic markers and the tiny hearts are from the sentiment below. I stamped a whole bunch of them, coloured and cut them out and randomly adhered them to the card. I used Viva Decor Glitter-Liner (Holo Iridescent) all around the frame on the cardbase for some interest. I love this glitter liner as it does not dry flat on the card.

In my last FWF post 2 weeks ago, I promised to pick out a winner from the comments, but in my haste to pack up and leave for my trip, I forgot to announce the winner. I had random.org pick out a winner...and it is...

Ruby said...

I want to congratulate you as well. Your card is beautiful. I must check out this magazine as I have not seen it before this. Thanks for sharing your good news and magazine pages.
February 25, 2012 12:42 AM

Congrats, Ruby!!! Please email me your details and I will mail out the Itty Bittys to you.

Thanks for visiting today. Be sure to check out the Unity blog for all the FWF participants today.

Have a great day!!

Kary

Inspired Stamps - Scripture Sentiment

2012-03-15T20:00:00.001+08:00

I'm finally back from a two week vacation and it feels like I've been away from stamping for so long ;-) Today's Inspired Stamps inspiration is to use a favourite Scripture sentiment on a card/project. I have chosen the Scripture sentiment with a verse from Psalm 119:11 from the set "His Word" - I love this set.

Here's the card:

I wanted to add a little interest to the Scripture sentiment and I hope you like how it turned out. I diecut a piece of white cardstock and stamped the sentiment in the centre with brown ink. With the help of a stamp positioner, I worked out exactly the placement of sentiment on the red house die-cut and stamped the sentiment using white pigment ink. Then I adhered it using pop dots onto the sentiment piece. I just love the little heart in the centre of the red house die-cut.

Don't forget this week is a great time to be shopping at Inspired Stamps store as there is a voucher you can use to get 40% off one stamp set.

And, for more awesome inspiration, be sure to visit the blogs of the rest of the Design Team and the Inspired Stamps blog.

Have a lovely day!

Kary

Inspired Stamps - Easter Card

2012-03-08T20:00:00.000+08:00

This week the Inspired Stamps focus is on Easter/Scripture projects. I was inspired to make an Easter card!

The Stamp sets I used for the card are Be Still Silhouettes (the corner vine), 1" Flowers (the pink flowers) and Perfect Sentiments (sentiment). The corner vine was stamped with Memento Bamboo Leaves onto a script cardstock. I selected two tiny flowers from the 1" Flowers set, stamped them onto white cardstock and coloured with Copic Markers RV00 and RV23. The flowers were cut out and adhered on the vine. The cross was made from 2 strips of kraft cardstock measuring 2-1/2 x 3/4" and 3-5/8 x 3/4" and embossed with a Woodgrain Impression plate. A die-cut heart was adhered on the cross with some foam adhesive. I added some white dash lines on the cross with a white gel pen as well as on the edges of the cardbase with a black pen. To finish off the card, I added three tiny pearls just underneath the sentiment.

Hope you like the card idea, and be sure to visit the Design team blogs for more inspiration.

Have a blessed day!
Kary

A Happy Birthday

2012-03-06T16:13:00.001+08:00

It's another Birthday card to share today. I love this happy MFT Pure Innocence - Sunshiny Day set, and I thought the happy colours of Echo Park's Splash papers go so well with the stamped image. The cute PI was stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa and coloured with Copic Markers. I used the Spellbinders Wonky Rectangles to cut and emboss the image piece. On the red cardstock just behind the stamped image, I stamped the word celebrate with white pigment ink so that it didn't look too bare. The sentiment was from PI Birthday Princess set cut with the Oval tab Die-namics.

This is another of my pre-scheduled posting. Hope you like the card.

Have a gorgeous day!!
Kary

Happy Bird-day!

2012-03-04T10:54:00.001+08:00

I made this card a little while back and realised I've never shared it on my blog. I can't recall what inspired me to it, cos this card has more patterned papers on it than usual {LOL!}, but I kinda like how it turned out. The stamp sets used are from Paper Smooches (My Peeps - bird and Sentiment Sampler - sentiment) and the seam binding was inked with Milled Lavender Distress Stain.

It's the last week of my vacation already, and how time flies! Wishing you a Lovely day!

Cheers
Kary

Inspired Stamps - Shape Up

2012-03-01T20:00:00.021+08:00

It's Thursday with Inspired Stamps, and the theme this week is "Shape Up". Antoinette challenged us to use shapes on our project today. I've decided to go CAS and the stamp sets I used are the new Journal Shapes and the 1" Flowers sets.

Stamp set : Journal shapes

The card measures 4.25 x 4.25". I used the checker shape stamp from the set above and created a border for the card. The sentiment just above the border is also from the same set. To add a little colour to the card, I stamped the tiny rose from 1" Flowers set three times and coloured them with Copic markers (R21, R22, R24, E03, E05).

The bottom of the cardstock was punched with a Scallop border punch and I added some Viva Decor pearls on it.

Don't forget to check out all the other creative ideas from the Design Team & the Inspired Stamps blog.

Have a great week!
Kary

Unity Friends with Flair (24.02.2012) & A Giveaway

2012-02-24T14:16:00.000+08:00

Happy Friday is here again! I have a card and a piece of happy news to share. First of all, the card - recently I bought some Ippity stamps for the first time. It was really nice to see them all on Unity's website, and the ability to combine orders is great.

The image & sentiment are from the Ippity sets "What Matters Most" and "Devoted". The house is coloured with Copic Markers (YG03, YG05, RV23, RV25, RV29, BG10, BG0000, E00, E02, E21, E23, E25, E04, E31), and patterned paper from Crate Paper - Farmhouse.

My happy news is my cards have been published in this latest issue of Australian Cardmaking, Stamping & Papercraft! Truly overjoyed ;)

Here are some pics from the pages in the magazine:

Unity stamps by Jillibean Soup & Papers by Jillibean Soup

I never thought my cards would ever be published, and it's a great feeling to hold a magazine with your contribution.

And...for making you read this long post, I'd like to offer a little giveaway - I have 2 Unity Itty Bittys to give away for a lucky commenter. Just leave me a comment and I'll pick a name on Sunday before I leave for my vacation. Good luck!

Thanks for visiting me today. Have a Lovely weekend!
Kary

Inspired Stamps - 1 Stamp, 3 Ways

2012-02-23T20:00:00.043+08:00

Hello again! The Design Team's assignment today for Inspired Stamps February Favourites is to use a Scripture Sentiment in 3 Ways. This is so practical because it's always great to see the potential possibilities for every stamp set we have.

The Scripture sentiment I've chosen for all my projects is Matthew 1:23. It's a 2"x2" and a great value at $3.99 each. On my first project, I had the Scripture Sentiment as the focal image of the card. I must admit, I seldom make the effort to do so, as I always tend to use image stamps. Maybe it's because I love to colour too much {smiles}.

Stamp sets used : Matthew 1:23, Lovely Lace, Paper : Webster's Pages

This card was quite easy to put together. The Scripture sentiment was cut out using Spellbinders Classic Circles and I adhered it on top of the Lovely Lace doily, which was stamped on white cardstock with Memento Angel Pink. The doily was cut out and the edges of the doily inked with Memento Angel Pink and Desert Sand. Because I stamped the doily on white cardstock, I decided the white areas on the doily needed some colour and I used Copic E00, to match the background paper. Then I added a die-cut flower and some ribbon & the stacked butterflies to finish off the card.

Stamps sets : Matthew 1:23, David's Shepherd Paper : Webster's Pages

On this card, I used the Scripture sentiment with an image. I was thinking Christmas when I made this card. I coloured the shepherd boy with Copic Markers (BG10, BG11, BG13, B60, B63, B66, E30, E31, E33, E35, R20, E11).

On my last project, I decided to make a simple tag. On this tag, I split up the Scripture Sentiment into 3 sections. It's quite easy to achieve this, with the masking technique. You can either ink only the portion of the stamp which you need or you can use a piece of paper on your cardstock to mask off the words you don't want to show on the tag. Another method is to cut up the clear stamps and use each strip to stamp on the cardstock separately. Either way, it works just fine.

I hope you like the above projects & I'd love to see your ideas if you'd like to play along with us. Just leave me a comment when you do, and I'll be sure to visit your blog.

Now, please head over to the Design Team members' blogs to see their fabulous projects.

Thanks so much for coming by today.
Kary

Simple Things (MFTWSC59)

2012-02-22T03:07:00.003+08:00

Sometimes it's the simple things in life that make us happiest. Some years ago, I went on a trip staying with the natives in the most remote parts of my homeland. Some of the places we visited were without electricity and running water, and without a school nor medical supplies. I learnt that life can be so full and happy without the sophisticated gadgets and abundance which sometimes clutter our lives. The smiles on the children's faces and how their eyes lit up receiving the simplest gifts we brought really touched my heart. Of all the places I have travelled to, this experience was most unforgettable.

I guess the sentiment on this card says it all. I kept the card really simple and with minimal colouring - that's some restraint on my part {grin}. The stamp set is from MFT Pure Innocence Feeling Froggy, and the papers are from Studio Calico's Autumn Press.

The card follows this sketch:

Have a "Simple" and Lovely day!
Kary

WMS Sketch #85 - Celebrate

2012-02-20T20:34:00.002+08:00

Recognise the rose? I was on a roll stamping the roses from WMS Roses In Bloom set and colouring them in different colours. Sure is fun to be able to create your own shade of rose. This rose is the larger flower in the stamp set, and I coloured it with Copic Markers (YR23, E00, E000, E02, E15)

Here's the completed card:

I used the paper from Webster's Pages Hollywood Vogue and I love that it came with the beautiful flowers and the phrase Live Your Dreams. I added the sentiment from Say It Loud which goes pretty well with the phrase. At the bottom of the sentiment is a strip of lace. I punched two tiny butterflies from white cardstock coloured with Copic marker E00 to match the rose.

My card follows the sketch (flipped anti-clockwise) this week on WMS (a little loosely, I think):

Thanks for visiting me. Have a great week!
Kary

Waltzing Mouse Stamps Blog Party - 17.02.2012

2012-02-18T02:46:00.003+08:00

Hello Friends! It's time for this month's WMS Blog Party, and the theme is Looking forward to Spring. Springtime brings to mind beautiful blooms and it's a great time to get out the camera.

For my card, I used my all-time favourite set of Waltzing Mouse stamps, Roses In Bloom. I love roses and it's great to be able to colour the rose in any shade I like. I used Copic Markers for the rose (Petals - R01, R20, R22 ; Flower centre - E00, E02, YR23, E15).

Just underneath the rose, is a stamp from the set Very Vintage Labels 18, I stamped it with Memento Rhubarb Stalk, and cut it out with Labels 18. I also stamped the grid background stamp from the set Off Beat Backgrounds in Memento Angel Pink just for some added texture.

Here's the card:

The sentiment is from Eat Cake, another favourite set of mine, heat embossed in white. The sentiment was stamped in the same polka dot brown & pink paper and placed a little off to the left for some interest but not to take the eye away from the rose focal image. I added a lace trim, an aqua ribbon & some pearls to finish off the card.

I hope you like the card. Please click here for more WMS Inspiration and Fabulous creations.

Thanks for visiting me. Enjoy the Blog Party!!
Kary

Unity Friends with Flair (17.2.2012)

2012-02-17T18:08:00.001+08:00

So glad Friday is here again. Just a simple card today - using the Itty Bitty So Blessed, and the matching papers from Simple Stories Generations. I stamped the image directly onto the patterned paper and coloured it with Copics (E02, E30, E31, E33, BG0000). I'm persevering in my quest, to use all my uninked stamp sets and patterned papers in my stash ;) I wonder how long this will last though {grins}

Have some free time or in need of some inspiration? Check out all the fabulous Unity Friends with Flair projects here, there's a prize too for leaving comments.

Thanks for visiting me. Have a lovely day!!
Kary

Love You Dearly

2012-02-15T18:39:00.001+08:00

Hello! Since it's Valentine's week, here's another "love" themed card. My card above was inspired by the photo on the current Paper Smooches Sparks' challenge.

I was inspired by the canvas texture on the photo, the sweet pink felt heart and the stitching. Pretty obvious, isn't it? I coloured the image from Chubby Chum Pals with Copics (Bear - R22, R21, R00; Cap - R24, R22, R20) and adhered two small "shifty" eyes on the image. The sentiment was from Pretty Phrases set, and I stamped it with Memento Rich Cocoa and Rhubarb Stalk inks.

The kraft background was embossed with a Sizzix embossing folder (I can't recall the name) and inked with some white pigment ink. The felt heart was cut using Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Hearts die and the pink cardstock with Spellbinders Classic Hearts die. It's been a long time since I did any hand stitching and I must say it was rather therapeutic ;)

Thanks for coming by. Wishing you a lovely day!
Kary

Let's Dance

2012-02-14T15:43:00.000+08:00

I recently made this card for a friend who enjoys dancing with her husband. I thought it would be a nice Valentine's card. The dancing couple's image is from MFT stamp set May I Have This Dance and the Eiffel Tower from the set Who's That Parisian Girl. I paper pieced her dress with My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Madison Aveneue paper and coloured the rest of the image with Copic Markers (Skin - E000, E01, E13, E31; Man's attire - C01, R85, R89, E43, E74, E77, E49; Background - E00, E93). I added the Skyline border in background just off to the side (but..did you notice my paper was cut upside down? {lol})

I just had to decorate the inside as well, because May I Have This Dance set comes with so many gorgeous sentiments.

I stamped the sentiment with Versamark and heat embossed it with detail white embossing powder, on a dark chocolate cardstock. The hearts were cut with Hearts a Plenty Die-namics, the larger heart with patterned paper & the smaller heart from with glittered red felt.

This card follows the sketch this week at MFT, I flipped the sketch sideways:

Have a happy, happy Valentine's day!!
Kary

Inspired Stamps - 1" Flowers

2012-02-13T20:00:00.001+08:00

Hello Friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! I'm sharing a special post today focusing on Inspired Stamps 1" Flowers stamp set.

These tiny images are so fun to work with. They are perfect for creating cute little focal images on a card or using them to create pretty backgrounds, as well as working with stamping/inking techniques.

I went with a Clean & Simple design. Here's my card:

The 1" flowers were stamped on white cardstock, and coloured with Copic markers. I die-cut a window on the card front and did some piercing along the shaped window. The flowers image was adhered just behind the window with 1/16" foam adhesive. I stamped a sentiment just underneath the window with the set Inspired Stampers' Favorite Collection #2. This is an easy design and could easily be mass produced for a card set.

Speaking of card set, I have one to share using the 1" Flowers set:

These cards measures 4.25x4.25". I used the Neenah Desert Storm cardstock with patterned paper from Lily Bee Design (Picket fence) and some brown and pink cardstocks. It's so easy to mix and match the flowers to the stem and leaves or the vase. Add a little glitter to the stamped images for some interest, and using a simple layout and you'll have a great card set.

Here's a photo of the card gift set:

I hope you like the above ideas.

Thanks for visiting me. Do have a wonderful week!
Kary

Unity Friends with Flair (10.2.2012)

2012-02-10T18:18:00.001+08:00

Happy Friday!! It's been a long week for me, and I'm so glad for Friday. I have a fun card to share, using a set from my favourite Unity line by Phyllis Harris. When I first saw this stamp set Happiness is..., I knew I had to have it {smiles}. What is one of your earliest childhood memories? Well, I suppose you can easily guess mine - yupe, it's waiting for my turn to get on the swing!

I decided to keep this card really simple so the eye is drawn to the girl on the swing. The girl image was stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa, and the Clouds with Memento Summer Sky. The images are coloured with Copic markers - Skin (E000, E01, E13), Shoes & blouse (RV02, RV10, RV13), Shorts (BG72, BG75, BG78), Hair (E21, E35, E99), Swing (E35, E40, E43, E44), Clouds (BG0000). Patterned papers by Lily Bee Design - Head Over Heels.

Here's another view:

Be sure to head over to the Unity blog for more inspiration from the Unity peeps.

Thanks for visiting me. Have a lovely day!!

Kary

Inspired Stamps - Character Artwork

2012-02-09T20:00:00.001+08:00

It's a month long of February Favourites at Inspired Stamps. This week the focus is on Character Artwork, and I'm sharing a card using the sweet HLO girl - His Little Ones : Girl Studying. She's a 2"x3" character and she fits perfectly on any card, and is a great set to use with your colouring tools.

The girl image was stamped on X-Press It paper with Memento Rich Cocoa, and coloured with Copic Markers - Skin (E000, E01, E13, R21), Book (C1), Outfit (R02, R05, R08, C1), Hair (E99, E35, E21). The patterned papers are from Studio Calico's Autumn Press 6x6 pad. I've not added a sentiment on the card yet, but I'm thinking any of the Scripture sentiment sets Inspired Stamps has on the online store would go so well with this card. I'm really partial to the 2x2 sentiment stamps ;)

Please remember to check out the Awesome projects the rest of the girls are showcasing today:

and

Thanks for visiting me.

Kary

All Heart

2012-02-06T20:49:00.002+08:00

Happy Monday!! It's the 15th day of Chinese New Year today. Tradition has it that the day is associated with finding a life partner - the single girls will head to the river and throw mandarin oranges into it and the single guys will be collecting these oranges further down the stream. I don't really know if the story is true, but it's a nice one.

I have a cute heart shaped window card (or shadow box card) to share today. I made the card, with measurements from the Layered Heart Die-namics. I used the sweet PI boy from "I Love You This Big" stamp set. The boy was coloured with Copic markers and I paper-pieced his pants with some patterned paper. The Copics markers used are : Skin - E13, E01, E000; Shoes - BG72, BG75, BG78; Sweatshirt - G00, G000, G02; Heart - R32, R35, R37, R39. I added some Sparkly Fluff (Rockstar Red) onto the heart for some sparkle and dimension. The sentiment was stamped on patterned paper and cut out using First Place Award Ribbon Die-namics, and I cut another strip slightly larger for the mat. The patterned papers are from My Mind's Eye - Lost & Found II, Breeze.

Did you know that MFT has a Guest Designer contest every month? For the month of February, the contest is Stamp Your Heart Out. I thought I'd submit an entry this month just for fun. I reckon my cards are always too simple but it's nice just to try.

Thanks for visiting today.
Have a great week!!
Kary

Unity Friends with Flair (03.02.2012)

2012-02-04T10:13:00.000+08:00

Here's my CAS card for the Unity Friends with Flair post ;) After a long day, I just wasn't keen on colouring. Some days are like so, isn't it? I love this Itty Bitty sentiment and the little bird on it. Be sure to check out the rest of the Unity peeps' fabulous creations all here on the Unity blog.

Thanks for visiting me.

Have a great weekend!!
Kary

Inspired Stamps - Favourite Set

2012-02-02T20:00:00.000+08:00

The Inspired Stamps DT are showcasing their favourite stamp sets today. I had a really hard time choosing just one set. I've wanted to make a Snowglobe for the longest time, and I think I found a way to do it while showcasing one of my favourite Inspired Stamps set, 1" Snowmen.

This is a set which I've used a lot, on Christmas cards and also general everyday cards. On my card today, I selected the Snowman with the cute hearts and placed him in the Snowglobe. To complete the scene behind the Snowman, I added cutouts of the silhouette houses from the set Me and My House, and the snowflakes from Let It Snow. The houses were stamped using Memento London Fog and the snowflakes with Memento Summer Sky inks. The sentiment is from Winter Ruth set and I used papers from Echo Park's Winter Park 6x6 pad.

It's a fun card to make, and I hope you try it. Please click on the links below to discover the favourite sets the Design Team members are showcasing today:

Amber

Have a great day!

Kary

You're in my Thoughts

2012-02-02T12:41:00.002+08:00

Hello Friends! Today I have a card for the Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #151. I love this sketch and I felt all it needed was a pretty patterned paper and a simple image and sentiment.

I used the flower image from Your Ways, and the sentiment from Labels of Love. The flower was coloured with Copics R32, R35, R37, R29 and G000 for the outline. The pretty patterned paper is from Webster's Pages Country Estate 6x6 and dies from Spellbinders Floral Doily Motifs and Classic Circles.

Thanks for stopping by.
Kary

Bonjour!

2012-01-30T21:39:00.000+08:00

Doesn't everybody love Paris? It's certainly a charming city to visit, and unforgettable. Today, I'm playing along a sketch challenge, at SFYTT, for the first time. I think it's a good incentive to help me ink up my much neglected stamps.

Here's the card:

All images and sentiment are from MFT's Who's That Parisian Girl set. The main image is coloured using Copic markers ( Skin - E000, E11, E01, E21; Dress, Shoes & Bag - C1, C3, C5, R01, R02; Background BG0000, E43, E42, E41) with some paper piecing. All patterned papers are from My Mind's Eye Lost & Found II Sunshine 6x6 pad. The sentiment was stamped on Spellbinders Floral Doily Motif die, and stacked on top of 2 Perfect Petal Trio Die-namics.

I'm also submitting this to the Simon Says Stamp challenge, Anything Goes.

Have a great day!
Kary

Silver Fairy

2012-01-30T15:22:00.001+08:00

What do you look for when shopping for stamps? On the one hand, I love simple images for quick cards but I'm also attracted to the pretty stamps which need colouring. When I first started stamping, I stayed away from open images stamps, but, eversince I started collecting Copic markers, I'm finding that I love a good challenge in colouring. Always happy to practise colouring, and to look forward to your feedback & suggestions, so I can further improve.

I've had this Silver Fairy stamp for several months, and this is my first attempt at colouring it. Frankly, I'm a little intimidated by the image, but I reckon this is a "passable" attempt {lol}.

The image was coloured with Copic Markers and I'm sorry I didn't write down the colours. The sentiment is from another Whimsy Stamps set Birthday Letter Seals. Here's another view, and hopefully you can see a little sparkle on the card from my Atyou Spica Clear Glitter pen.

I'm submitting this for the Whimsy Stamps Challenge this week, Pearls or Blings.

Thanks for coming by today. Have a great week!!
Kary

Just a little Note...

2012-01-29T19:43:00.000+08:00

Happy Sunday! I hope your weekend is going great. I received the new MFT January VIP kit yesterday, and I just had to ink up this Pure Innocence Violin Girl. She is so adorable!

The PI girl was stamped on the larger doily of the Open Scallop Doily Duo Die-namics, and coloured with Copic markers - Skin (E50, E01, E13), Dress (R81, R83, R85, R89), Violin (E44, E43, E42) & Hair (E18, E99, E21). I didn't have the right cardstock colour for matting, so I coloured the edges of a white cardstock with Copic marker B97. I used the same effect with for the two border strips cut with the Little Open Scallop Strip Die-namics as well. The patterned papers are from Echo Park's Times & Seasons. The felt flower and leaves are created using MFT's felt Strawberry Ice Cream and Sour Apple with the Rolled Scallop Flower Die-namics and the leaves from Upsy Daisy Die-namics.

The card was made following this MFT sketch:

Here's a fun trivia - according to the Chinese calendar, the seventh day of the Chinese New Year is Everyone's birthday!! I don't know much about the history of it, but, here's wishing all of you a Blessed Birthday, and a year filled with much joy and happiness!!

Enjoy!

Kary

Unity Friends with Flair (27.1.2012)

2012-01-27T14:32:00.000+08:00

Wow, it's Friday again. Yay! I have 2 cards to share today for the Unity Friends with Flair post. I've not played the Unity challenges for sometime, so I'm doing both this week :-)

The first card follows the Unity KOM Jan challenge sketch. I just couldn't find good lighting for the photo somehow. I used the image and sentiment from Dec 2011 KOM. Added lots of pop dots behind the centre of the sentiment and the patterned paper for some dimension ;)

The second card is for Unity's New Beginnings challenge. I inked up my Itty Bittys, Authentique On {This} Journey Together and Simple Stories Life Bingo.

Keeping this post short, so you can check out all the other wonderful creations from all the Friends with Flair participants.

Inspired Stamps - All About Love

2012-01-26T20:00:00.001+08:00

It's all about LOVE, this week at Inspired Stamps! For my card, I just couldn't resist using Winter Ruth and have her hold a red heart in her hands. I paired her with the sentiment from the Inspired Stampers Favorite Collection #2.

This little card measures 4"x4.5". I stamped Winter Ruth on the cardbase, just off the card a little, then stamped her hands holding the heart. Winter Ruth was coloured with Copic Markers - Tree (YG91, YG93, YG95, YG97, YG99, E35, E47), Ruth's boots, heart & ear muffs (R22, R24, R27), Ruth's outfit (RV63, RV66, RV69, RV91, RV93, RV95, R00, R01), Hair (E97, E35, E30), Skin (E000, E01, E13). The cardstock was scored and folded such that one panel was 4" and the other panel 4.5". To cover up the Copics bleed on the inside of the card, I added a red cardstock with scalloped borders adhered to the front panel of the card and a strip of patterned paper. The sentiment circle was stamped and cut out with a circle Spellbinders die, and coloured with Copics R00, R01, R02.

Now, head over to see the Fabulous projects the rest of the DT has in store for you - I've listed the links below, just click on their names and Enjoy the hop!!

Amber

Have a great day!
Kary

StampTV Challenge

2012-01-23T23:10:00.000+08:00

Hello Friends! It's an auspicious day on the Chinese calendar today - it marks the beginning of Spring and the celebration of Chinese New Year (CNY). Although my family does not keep to many Chinese traditions, we do celebrate CNY and it's a time of the year, where we do lots of baking, cooking, etc.

Today is also special day for me, because I'm hosting a Challenge for the first time at StampTV! Pretty nervous about it, and yet so very excited!! I hope you will visit StampTV and join the challenge. Since, it is CNY, I thought it might be fun to have a challenge related to the celebration.

Check out the challenge & some background information here, and please join me for some fun, and you might win a Gina K stamp set!

Here's my card for the challenge :

I used Stamps from Theresa Momber's Dogwood and Butterfly stamp set (I LOVE this set!!), and papers from My Mind's Eye Love Me 6x6 pad. The images were coloured with Copic Markers, and on the butterfly, I added some Glossy Accents for added interest. Here's another look at the card:

For more info, please click on the link to StampTV where you'll find details of the challenge. I really look forward to see you at StampTV and can't wait to see what you create.

Enjoy today, wherever you are.
Kary

Happy Birthday

2012-01-21T21:49:00.001+08:00

It was my brother's birthday yesterday... I can't believe how time has flown. It seems just like yesterday when he was only a kid, and now he's not so young anymore. ;) For his birthday card, I pulled out another stamp which I've had for awhile, which has not seen ink. I reckon this Fred Bear stamp is really him - he has some serious travel bug in him.

The card was rather loosely based on the MFT sketch MFTWSC55. I used papers from Echo Park's A Boy's Life. The Fred Bear image (from Fred Bear takes a Hike set) was coloured with Copic Markers E31, E33, E35, E37 and to create a little texture I poured some Colourless Blender on a terry towel and dabbed it onto the image. I kinda like this effect! To add some interest I added a wooden button with the Game Spinner from Tim Holtz at the bottom of the card. I think my brother was quite happy with the card.

The card was based on this MFT sketch:

It's almost Chinese New Year, where I am. Tomorrow night, it's a reunion dinner night and we will be cooking almost the whole day ;) I'll be back on Monday (Chinese New Year) with a bit of exciting news.

Have a Happy Weekend!!
Kary

(Products used : Stamps - MFT Fred Bear Takes a Hike, First Class Friend (sentiment), Die-namics - Tag, You're It, Oval Tab, Inks - Memento Rich Cocoa, Copic markers, Papers - Echo Park A Boy's Life & Dots & Stripes Candy shoppe, PTI cardstock, X-press It Paper, Woodend Button (Prima), Tim Holtz Game Spinner)

Unity Friends with Flair (20.1.2012) - Card Set

2012-01-20T20:43:00.000+08:00

Friday means it's Unity Friends with Flair post. There's lots of inspiration always - just click to visit the Unity blog for the list of participants today, and enjoy the hop.

It's a Card Set from me today. Nothing fancy but just a clean and simple design. I used stamps from the sets "The Time is Now" and "Live what you Love" and the sentiment from "Dutch Mustard Soup". Here's a closer look at one of the cards:

These are really quick to make and a perfect gift to give away. This set is for a friend I'm meeting later tonight. I stamped the sentiment on the red patterned paper and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. The images on the card are stamped with various Memento inks and cut out with various Spellbinders dies. The front of the card was embossed with a Sizzix embossing folder.

Have a wonderful weekend!!
Kary

Inspired Stamps - Desk Calendar

2012-01-19T20:00:00.003+08:00

Hello Friends! Today at Inspired Stamps, the DT will be sharing a project with Nature & Scripture. I made a little easel calendar project using the Inspired Stamps set Ask, Seek, Knock. The verse from Luke is a favourite of mine from young, and I wanted it on this mini calendar which I can place on my desk.

I just couldn't get a very good picture of the Scripture sentiment, but hopefully you can read it. The tree was stamped on white cardstock and coloured with Copic Markers (Tree - E29, E25, E99, E33 and E53; Grass - YG91, YG93, YG95). I was keen to try out this marker combination after watching several videos on youtube (incidentally, I learnt a lot on how to colour with Copics from youtube - there are lots of good videos available). The little birdhouse was stamped on the same cardstock and again on a small piece of cardstock. I coloured both of them using Copics RV10, RV63 and RV66, E04, R22, R24, R27, R29 and cut out the image on the small piece of cardstock and adhered it with pop dots onto the piece with the tree image. I added some brown Baker's Twine to the string above the birdhouse.

Here's how the calendar looks when opened:

And, now, please click on the names of the DT on my sidebar to see their wonderful projects or visit the Inspired Stamps blog for more info.

Thanks for coming by today.

Have a beautiful day!
Kary

WMS Blog Party 17.01.12

2012-01-17T22:55:00.002+08:00

I'm joining the Waltzing Mouse Blog Party today! The theme for today's party is "Sweet Things". When I saw this, all I could think of was a Tea Party... I wonder why. So, here's an invitation to a Tea Party... I'm not sure when it will eventuate, but wouldn't that be so fun?

I had a little struggle trying to get the colours right, to match the background that I had already stamped with the Chevron stamp from Off Beat Backgrounds set. Somedays I start a card with no planning ;( - I won't ever recommend doing so {lol}. The sentiment and the teacup are from Afternoon Tea Sentiments set, and papers from Echo Park. The card shape is cut with Tim Holtz's Vintage Cabinet Card die.

Be sure to check out the Waltzing Mouse blog for all the participants today.

Enjoy the Party!!
Kary

Jump for Joy

2012-01-15T01:54:00.000+08:00

I adore this MFT Pure Innocence set Jump For Joy. It transported me back to the days when I had so much fun skipping with my friends. I can't do those tricks anymore these days.. ;-)

The little girl is coloured with Copic Markers (Skin - E000, E01, E11, E13, R21; Hair - E21, E35, E57; Dress & Shoes - YR02, YR04, YR07, YR09; Rope handle - R29; Shadow - C1) and the patterned papers are from Crate Paper Farmhouse 6x6 pad. I split up the sentiments and stamped the first three words on the Mini Pennant diecuts (coloured with Copic Markers E57, YR00 & BG11), and the rest on the Ticket Tab diecut. In between the two patterned papers I added a strip cut with the Crown Border die-namics.

Here's the card:

It was based on the MFT Sketch :

Hope your weekend is going great!! Have a good one!
Kary

Unity Friends with Flair (13.1.2012)

2012-01-13T20:01:00.002+08:00

Hello Friends! I'm so glad it's Friday because it's time for some awesome inspiration from the Unity peeps. Check out all the participants here, and comment along and you could win some Unity goodies.

On my card today, is one of my favourite Unity sets ever - "Your Wings Exist" by Phyllis Harris. I love how carefree this little girl is, taking in the nature around her. Something I really miss, living in the city.

I coloured her with Copic Markers (Skin - E0000, E000, E11, E13; Hair - E21, E11, E15, E09; Dress - RV21, RV23, RV14; Grass - YG61, YG63, YG65; Ground - YG91, E31; Background - BG0000). The seam binding is dyed using Spun Sugar Distress Ink refill diluted with water. The patterned papers are from Crate Paper's Random 6x6 pad.

Thanks for visiting me today. Have fun & enjoy the blog hop.

Smiles,
Kary

Supplies - Unity set "Your Wings Exist", Copic Markers, Neenah Solar White cardstock, Crate Paper - Random, Spellbinders Labels 12 & Fleur De Lis Squares, Seam binding, pearl.

Inspired Stamps January Release Sneak Peek

2012-01-11T20:00:00.003+08:00

Welcome to the Inspired Stamps January Release Sneak Peek! Today, Amber and I will be sharing some sneaks of a new set called "Draw Near". It's a beautiful set with very useful sentiments including Scripture sentiments and a gorgeous image. The sneak peeks are happening the whole of this week and Friday noon time, all the new releases will be available on the Inspired Stamps store.

I am excited to share with you 2 projects from the "Draw Near" set. The first is a slightly more elaborate card with colouring. I stamped the girl image using the X-press It Blending cardstock and coloured her with copic markers (Skin - E000, E11, E31, R21; Lips - R32; Eyes - E21, YG23; Hair - E21, E35, E37, E57; Attire - V000, V12, V15, B41, B45). The image was cut out using Spellbinders Circle die and I sponged some Distress Ink Tumbled Glass around the edges, and layered it on the two of the Spellbinders Ironwork Motifs diecuts. The patterned papers are from BasicGrey Picadilly 6x6.

My second card is simple, it's a card which you can make in about 15 minutes or less. Just choose a pretty patterned paper and let the sentiment be the main focal image.

There are just so many possibilities with these scripture sentiments and they are so great for encouragement cards. I had such fun with it and I hope you'll check it out. The patterned papers are from Fancy Pants Summer's End 6x6.

Thank you for coming by today. Remember to visit Amber's blog to see her gorgeous project too and the Inspired Stamps blog for more info.

Kary

Thank You card (MFTWSC53)

2012-01-09T16:50:00.001+08:00

Last year, I did 25 out of the 52 sketches posted by My Favorite Things. It was fun, and I know the number because we were asked to count on this post at Splitcoaststampers.

Hoping to do better this year, and so, here's the first MFT challenge card for this year:

based on this sketch:

I used the MFT Stamps & Die-namics set Always Time for Tea, and and the die-namics set Dainty Doily Duo for the card. I added some Viva Decor Pearl Pen Lilac to the flower centres on the tea pot and some Sakura clear glitter pen to give it some sparkle. The papers are from Lily Bee Design Head over Heels - love this line!

If you are playing along with this challenge, I'd LOVE to see your card.

Have a great day!
Kary

Thinking of You

2012-01-09T01:23:00.000+08:00

An item on my "wishlist" (or you could say resolution) for 2012, is to be more diligent in using up my craft supplies as well as to ink every stamp I have in my stash. I reckon it's a little ambitious but guess I have to try. One great way is to make more effort to participate in challenges ;-)

So, here's the card:

based on this WMS Sketch :

I used papers from Webster's Pages 6x6 pad and stamps from Waltzing Mouse "Roses in Bloom", "Very Vintage Labels 18" and sentiment from "Say It Loud". The rose is coloured with copic markers R21, R22, R24, YR20 & R30 and adhered with pop dots onto the the Vintage Label. The label was inked with Memento Angel Pink and rocked with Memento Rhubarb Stalk on the edges. I added some fancy strings of pearls for some added interest.

Here's a close up of the rose:

Hope you're having a great day!
Kary

Hello 2012!!

2012-01-06T21:17:00.000+08:00

Dear Friends, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year celebrations! Didn't the year 2011 go by so quickly, especially the month of December. We had a great time over Christmas and it was especially lovely that my parents get to spend time with all their children. After Christmas, I went to Bangkok to meet up with some friends, to celebrate a dear friend's birthday, and to experience the New Year celebration in a different country. So, I guess you could say 2011 ended in a most memorable way - I had good company, great food and wonderful shopping!!

Now that things are back to normal here, it's nice to be able to join the Unity Friends with Flair once again.
Here's my card:

2011 has been a difficult year, in many ways, for our family, nevertheless, we are not short of God's grace and goodness. And, I'm thankful for being able to stamp and colour for it brings much joy. I hope it shows in this card that there's always hope in this life.

Thanks for visiting. Your comments always bring a smile to my face.

Have an awesome day!!
Kary

Stamp : Unity Itty Bitty Little Girl Believes
Papers : Cream & Canyon brown cardstock, Fancy Pants Love Story 6x6 pad
Ink : Memento & Copic Markers
Other : Papertrey Ink die Spiral Notebook

Happy New Year!!

2011-12-29T20:00:00.001+08:00

Today the Inspired Stamps Design Team is sharing a New Year project. At the end of every year, it's a good time to reflect on the year that is ending, as well as to make plans or resolutions for the New Year, what we hope to achieve, change, focus or work on. With this in mind, I made a little album/notebook which can be kept in the bag with lots of pockets and lined pages, to record what my thoughts for 2012.

The book measures 4"x4", and I've used the coasters (which Antoinette kindly sent) as the album covers. For the pages, I used some notecards cut to size and adhered with patterned papers. The corners are rounded using the 3/8" Corner Chomper. I made little tabs for the pages using leftover papers. The patterned papers are also from the pack Antoinette sent.

The image and Scripture verse on the cover is from the Inspired Stamps set Be Still Silhouettes. I stamped the image and verse on watercolour paper and heat embossed it. Then I added the colours using Distress Inks with perfect pearls and spritzed some Glimmer mists for added shimmer.

Here are some photos of the Album pages:

Be sure to visit the Inspired Stamps blog to check out the Awesome projects the Design Team girls are sharing today or by clicking on their names on my sidebar.

I'll be back in January for the Inspired Stamps sneak peek. Have a Safe and Blessed New Year!!

A Season to Celebrate

2011-12-23T18:03:00.000+08:00

Dear Friends, this is my last FWF post for 2011. I've had a blast this year with FWFand am so thankful for the inspiration that you have shared with me. Earlier this week, I received this lovely Itty Bitty Scripture sentiment in the mail. I had to use it on the card today. The card is simple, I used several Memento Markers (Rhubarb Stalk, Pear Tart, Bahama Blue & Tuxedo Black) for the sentiment and stamped it on a white cardstock. The star & heart images are from the free kit, "We Treasure You" (see kit image below) with KOM Dec 2011. They are inked with Memento Rich Cocoa and stamped twice on the cardbase without reinking. If you like this kit, you might want to sign up for the KOM club today.

Merry Christmas! During this festive season as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, may your hearts be filled with cheer and may you experience the wondrous love of God.

Warmest Wishes

HLO Winter Girl Treat Box

2011-12-22T20:00:00.001+08:00

As Christmas draws near, we are getting all set with some handmade Christmas treat boxes for friends and relations. There's lots of chocolates waiting in the refrigerator to fill the treat boxes - that's the downside living in a warm climate, the chocolates tend to melt when left outside ;-).

For this treat box, I stamped and coloured HLO Winter Girl with Copic Markers, I think she looks adorable in purple. The papers are from Graphic 45's Christmas Past, and I decorated the box with Viva Decor pearl pens.

The box measures 4-1/8" x 4-1/8" square. I adhered the lilac satin ribbons across the lid of the box, and the Winter Girl image was cut using Classic Scallop Circle layered on a Lacey Square die-cut. The sentiment from Winter Ruth, was stamped on separate die-cuts and placed on the lid as shown.

Here is another view of the box.

Thank you for visiting today. I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you a Blessed Christmas and a wonderful time celebrating with your family and loved ones.

God Bless

Happiness Is...

2011-12-18T10:35:00.001+08:00

As I was colouring this image, I thought to myself, hmmm...this is how I would define "Happiness" - a stamp and some Copic markers!! I love how sweet this little girl is, and how contented she looks with her bucket of roses. I love the sentiment, and it's so true, isn't it - Happiness can be found in the smallest of things.

This card is going out to a friend who is celebrating her birthday soon. We haven't seen each other for a long while, so, I'm really looking forward to meet her and I'm hoping she will like this card.

I hope you'll have a fabulous weekend!! I'm going to make more cards, as I have stamps coming out of my ears..shhh... hehe.

This card is also for the current Whimsy Stamps challenge.

Hugs

Stamps : Whimsy Stamps - Wee Florist, Magical Mini Letter Seals
Paper : GKD Pure Luxury cardstock - Cranberry tart, My Mind's Eye Love Me 6x6 pad
Ink : Memento Tuxedo Black

Sunflower Girl

2011-12-17T17:40:00.001+08:00

Hello! After some tidying up my craft cabinet yesterday, I sat down and looked at all the supplies I've splurged on the past two months. I think I should seriously spend time to use and play with what's in the stash {LOL}. And so, here's a card for the MFT Sketch Challenge.

Introducing Sunflower Girl - this is one PI girl that has not seen ink till now. I love the sentiments on this set, they are perfect for a happy card. Somehow the photo doesn't capture the true colours of the card today. Well, I guess I need to figure it out {grin}. The patterned papers are all from My Mind's Eye Love Me collection - LOVE this 6x6! And, here's the sketch:

Hope you like the card, and hope your day is Beautiful!

Stamps : MFT Pure Innocence Sunflower Girl
Paper : My Mind's Eye Love Me 6x6 pad, Hero Arts Layering paper Grenadine & Blue cardstock
Die-namics : Open Bracket border & Sweet Stack
Copics : E000, E01, E13, B000, B00, BG0000, Y13, Y15, Y17, R32, R35, R39, YG61, YG67, YG01

Stately Flower 1

2011-12-16T10:02:00.001+08:00

Do you have a favourite subject that you love to photograph? Mine would be flowers!! My happiest moment was when I visited Keukenhof, near Amsterdam. I went a little mad, taking hundreds of photos of just flowers. So, guess you could imagine my excitement, when I saw Melanie Muenchinger had a new stamp set called Stately Flowers 1! It's the first in the series of all the state flowers in the US.

Lately the mailman has been taking his sweet time delivering my letters and orders. I've been having one of those low mojo days but when this set arrived, I couldn't keep up with the ideas in my head.

First, a gift card holder - I selected the poppy image and stamped it on X-press It Blending card using Memento Rich Cocoa. I've been meaning to tell you that for softer images, and especially for skin, I prefer to stamp with Memento Rich Cocoa - it gives a much softer tone outline compared to Tuxedo Black. The poppy was coloured with R01, R02, R05, R08, the flower centre with YR12, YR07 and Atyou Spica Yellow and the stem & leaves with YG99, YG95, YG91

On the inside I added a sentiment that came along in the set, and you can see the pop up flap holding the sample gift card. The patterned papers are from Crate Paper, Farmhouse 6x6 pad.

My second card is a CAS, with some die-cuts, fancy trim and a button.

I hope you'll check out Melanie's new set, and if you live in the US, there's a free download for you (at StampTV) to customise the names of the 50 states which coordinates with the stamp set.

Well, I'm looking forward to the coming set with the hibiscus (incidentally, it's the flower of Hawaii), because, that's the national flower of my country.

See you!

Inspired Stamps Christmas Projects

2011-12-15T20:00:00.025+08:00

Welcome back to this week's Inspired Stamps post, all about Christmas! Today I have a couple of projects to share. First, is a Christmas card, using His Little Ones - Winter Boy & Ask, Seek, Knock sets.

I stamped the tree image from the Ask, Seek, Knock stamp set with Versamark on white cardstock, and heat embossed it using white embossing powder. The tree was coloured using Distress Inks direct-to-paper technique. To give it a little shimmer, I brushed some Perfect Pearls powder on the tree, and spritzed some water to set it. Once dry, I added some gems to the tree. The HLO Winter Boy was coloured with Copic markers and Atyou Spica pens for some sparkle. Then it was time to cut out the images and assemble the card.

Next, is a simple tag idea. First I embossed the tag using a Snowflake embossing folder and then inked some Distress Inks over it (I used Evergreen Bough & Festive Berries). The Snowman, from Let It Snow set, was stamped on white cardstock, coloured with Copic markers and I applied some Glossy Accents & glitter on the buttons and top of his hat. The sentiment was stamped using Label Maker Alphabet set.

Hope you like these projects, and don't forget there is a special running till end of the week at the Inspired Stamps store, see below for the coupon code:

And, now, please head over to the Inspired Stamps blog or click on the Design Team's list at my sidebar for more wonderful Christmas ideas from the Design Team.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the hop!

It's Your Big Day

2011-12-14T17:00:00.000+08:00

The end of the year seems to be a season for weddings, and this weekend the family has a wedding to attend. For Chinese families, weddings are usually huge affairs with hundreds of guests. Maybe it's a little like the Greek wedding movie ;-) It'll be like a family reunion - some cousins I've not seen in years will be there, and I guess we have quite some catching up to do.

Traditionally all wedding cards are red, but today most people are no longer superstitious and so it's acceptable to give cards in any colour. Here's the card:

I used the stamps from Cameo Creations, Ovals - Classic Frames and sentiment from Say It Loud. The patterned papers are from Lily Bee's Picket Fence. My card follows this week's Waltzing Mouse sketch #77:

Thanks for visiting me. As always, I love reading all your comments and hear what you think.

Have a great day!

Thank You Card

2011-12-11T20:18:00.002+08:00

Isn't she adorable? I just LOVE every single Pure Innocence girl stamp set and I wish I could own them all ;-) This little girl is holding the Chrysanthemum which is my birthday month flower.

I've coloured her with Copic markers (Skin - E000, E01, E13; Shoes & Socks - R32, R35, R37, R00, R01; Hair - E21, E23, E25; Flower - YR00, YR04, YR07, YG99, YG93, YG 63; Shadows on her dress - N1, Outline - BG0000) and her dress is paper pieced with my new favourite from Lily Bee Design - Head over Heels collection.

The card follows the current MFT sketch MFTWSC49 (below) and hope you will play along.

Well, that's most of what I did today, plus sorting and tidying up my craft mess. Hope you get time to be crafty this weekend!

Stamps : My Favorite Things Pure Innocence Chrysanthemum, Tag - You're It
Die-namics : MFT Tag-You're It, Mini Rolled Roses, Oval Tab, Faux Crochet Border
Ink : Memento Rich Cocoa & Cantaloupe
Paper : Hero Arts Layering paper Poppy, Lily Bee Design Head over Heels 6x6 pad, Neenah cardstock
Other : Seam Binding (dyed with Distress Stain Dried Marigold), Uni-ball Signo broad white gel pen

A Painting and A Card

2011-12-10T22:05:00.000+08:00

Hello! How's your weekend going - I hope you are having a wonderful one. I have been catching up on sleep and just enjoying a quiet day.

As you know my birthday was last month and I'm excited to share a cool present I received. I reckon it's one of the BEST presents ever. I've been nudging a friend of mine to start painting again, and after a year, he finally did it! Here it is :

He said he's pretty "rusty" but I think it's a marvellous job! I love the colours of autumn and the photo does not do justice to the real thing. The colours are beautiful and I love that he added a favourite colour of mine - teal, into the painting. Gorgeous, isn't it?

Well, I can't paint, but the painting did inspire me to create a scene card with one of my newest Paper Smooches' set Promenade. Nothing like the fabulous painting but I tried to use some similar colours on the card.

Here's a close-up:

I used Copic markers to colour the images, and tried a different technique for the pot plants. Perhaps the light & shadows didn't quite work out the way I planned {grin}. The clouds image was from the set Forest Whimsy. I cut and popped up one of the clouds, and the awning just above the door - just for some interest.

Have a Lovely weekend!

Unity Friends with Flair (09.12.2011)

2011-12-09T21:17:00.000+08:00

What a busy week it's been, I'm glad Friday is here. Time for Unity FWF! Be sure to visit the Unity blog and check out the list of participants today - it's something I always look forward to.

It's a CAS card - it's pretty fun to make a really simple card sometimes. I used the stamps from KOM Nov 2011 here, and some quick colouring with copic markers (RV29 - houses, B00 - cars, R35 & R37 - heart).

I reckon this card qualifies for the KOM Sketch challenge this month as well. It's a really nice sketch this month and so many possibilities.

That's it from me... Let's go hopping!

Take care,

HLO Winter Girl

2011-12-08T20:00:00.002+08:00

Today I have an Inspired Stamps Christmas card to share. This card is one of my favourites, I love the bright colours and the cute Winter Girl. I simply Adore all the Inspired Stamps HLO characters. They are so much fun and perfect for paper piecing or colouring.

I coloured HLO Winter Girl with copic markers (see list below) and used a Spellbinders circle die to diecut the image. Then I added some sponging around the edges of the card using Distress Ink Evergreen Bough and adhere it to two other stacked die-cuts from Labels 9 and Picot Edge die. All papers are from Echo Park Holly Jolly Christmas. The sentiment is from Winter Ruth set, and I split the words so they fit on the card. Before placing the stamped image & sentiment onto the cardbase, I tied a red organza ribbon around the card and secure it with Baker's twine and adhered a green button with Glossy Accents. The finished card measures 4.25 x 4.25" and opens upwards.

Don't forget to Register at the Inspired Stamps store as Antoinette is having a secret stamp giveaway - read all about it here.

Now, it's time to visit the Inspired Stamps blog for more inspiration from the Design Team. Enjoy the hop.

Have a great day!

Stamps : Inspired Stamps His Little Ones - Winter Girl, Winter Ruth

Paper : Echo Park Holly Jolly Christmas 6x6 pad

Ink : Memento Rich Cocoa, Distress Ink Evergreen Bough

Copic Markers : Skin (E000, E02, E13, R21), Eyes (YG25), Hair (Y11, Y21, YR23, YR24), Outfit (RV02, RV04, R32, R35, R37, R39), Shoes (C3, C5, C9)

Monday cards & A Winner!!

2011-12-05T21:25:00.000+08:00

Hi Friends! It's Monday and the start of another new week. This is the week to get all Christmas cards mailed. I am determined to get really organised and finish what is required. These are my recent creations - I guess you could say they are based on the same layout/sketch.

I am seriously in love with the Lily Bee Jingle papers, most of my Christmas cards are made using them. And, I used the same sentiment & image stamps and dies from Taylored Expressions - Wreath of Joy, Seasonal Wreath Die & Basic Bow Die.

Now, to announce the final Winner of my Birthday Giveaway. Instead of checking through all comments, I decided to just take the comments from the first post of the week (as of midnight Sunday my timezone), and then have random.org to pick out a number. Then I'll check that the person has commented on all my postings. So... here's the result:

From the 15 comments on this post, random.org picked out Commentor No. 1, and so... the prize goes to...

Wendy ten Hove

Hoi, Wendy, Big Congrats for winning the Spellbinders Wonky Rectangles dies!! Woo-hoo, I know you have been wanting them, and I am SO glad your number was chosen. And because you are a follower, I'll be sending you a special something too. I'll let that be a surprise.

Thank you, Everyone, for sharing the Birthday celebration month with me. Your kind words and comments have meant a lot. I hope you'll be back to visit soon.

Have a Happy Week!!

Stamps : Taylored Expressions Wreaths of Joy, The Craft's Meow Timeless Tags (the sentiment frame on the second card)

Dies : Taylored Expressions Seasonal Wreath, Basic Bow

Paper : Lily Bee Design Jingle 6x6 pad

Ink : Memento Tuxedo Black & Bamboo Leaves

WMS Challenge #76 and a Tag

2011-12-04T21:01:00.000+08:00

The weekend is almost over, and my craft desk is still messy waiting to be organised. I thought I should finish a few cards and then get to it. Here are two of the projects I managed to do today:

It's a day of stamping & exploring some new techniques. Here's my shaped card using the Spellbinders Picot edge circle die. Just a sentiment and a piece of patterned paper and some embellishments. The only big effort on this card is the Chinese good-luck knot holding the card together. I've had this book on knots for a long time and out of the blue I felt like learning how to tie the Chinese knots. I thought it's rather cute to have a Chinese twist to this Christmas card.

My card was based on this Waltzing Mouse sketch:

Since I was pulling out my WM stamps, I may as well make a tag too for Claire's challenge. I think I went a little overboard decorating this tag {grin}:

First I inked up the tag with Distress Inks and a spritz of my own mix of perfect pearls to give it some shimmer. When everything was dry I embossed the tag with the holly embossing folder. Then lots of stamping using Nordic Winter on a pink cardstock for the pleats at the bottom and to make the flower. I even stamped on the seam binding to match..hehe.
Some close ups:

What do you think? No colouring this weekend, which feels odd.

I'll be back tomorrow with the winner for my last Giveaway prize(s). See you soon.

Stamps : WMS Nordic Winter, Compliments of the Season, Candy Jar Christmas fillers
Paper : Echo Park Holly Jolly Christmas
Ink : Memento Rich Cocoa & Rhubarb Stalk, Distress Inks Evergreen Bough, Spun Sugar, Tumbled Glass, Festive Berries, Shabby Shutters
Other : Perfect Pearls, Sizzix Embossing folder, Spellbinders Picot Edge Circle & Labels 4, Seam Binding, Fiskars Postage edge punch, MFT die-namics Rolled flower & Retro Rolled flower, Prima flowers

Unity Friends with Flair (02.12.2011)

2011-12-03T10:10:00.001+08:00

Hello Weekend! It's Saturday morning where I am, and I'm glad for the weekend. Nothing planned, just hope to have a good rest. I made this card late last night - for some reason, I wanted to use the flower block image from KOM Sep 2011 with a stamp-a-ma-jig ;-)

Here's a close up pic:

I used Stickles on the dots of the image blocks and coloured the sentiment with colourpencils and went over it with a clear glitter pen. I added a strip of tape just above and below the twine, and poured some fine glitter on the top strip and chunky Champagne glitter on the bottom strip. The patterned paper was cut with a Wonky Scallop border and pleated.

Hope you'll remember to swing by the Unity Blog to see all the Amazing ideas the participants will be sharing today, and you might win some Unity goodies.

Thanks for visiting me today. Don't forget to check out my final Giveaway post - for a chance to win the Spellbinders Wonky Rectangles!!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Hi

2011-12-02T21:33:00.000+08:00

Sometimes you see a picture and lots of happy thoughts come to mind. Here's the picture I'm referring to... isn't it a happy scene? My favourite colour is blue and there's just enough blue here to bring smiles...

Of late, I've been pretty in love with Paper Smooches, I think the happy stamp images stir something within me. Here's my take of the above Sparks challenge:

I used the images to mimic the frames on the wall, and coloured them with some of the colours I see in the picture. I use the following images - the sun, heart, apple and gingerbread man from FOLKal Points with the toast from Wake Up, and sentiment from My Peeps. The images were coloured with Copic Markers ( Toast & sentiment - BG02 & YG11, Sun - Y06 &Y08, Apple - B91, B93, YG01, YG07, E97 & colourless blender, Gingerbread man - E93, E97 & R21, Heart - R22 & R24). On the white cardstock I added two score lines with my Scor-buddy to mimic the skirting on the wall, and added patterned paper (BasicGrey Picadilly) below it.

To make the images pop, I added Glossy Accents on them. Finally I added some faux stitches, pearls and twines to finish off the card.

Hope you like the card & do participate in the challenge - I'd love to see your take too.

Thanks for visiting today.

Inspired Stamps Sneak Peek #3

2011-11-30T20:00:00.016+08:00

Hello! Welcome to the Inspired Stamps Sneak Peek #3. Today, I'm so excited to share with you a card using Inspired Stamps' latest HLO Winter Boy. I LOVE this little guy, and he will be on sale NOON time this Friday, together with all the other wonderful new sets.
Here's my card:

I tore two strips of white cardstock to create the snow landscape & inked the edges with Distress Ink Tumbled Glass. The HLO Winter Boy was coloured with Copic markers (Cap - R32, R35, R37; Skin - E000, E02, E11, R21; Scarf- YG03, YG17; Outfit & shoes - B91, B93, B95, B99; Hair - Y21, Y26, Y38) & cut out and adhered to the cardbase with pop dots. I added some glitter to the boy's scarf using a glue pen and fine glitter & attached a tiny bling to the centre of the snowflake he holds. The tiny snowman in the background is from the 1" Snowmen set which goes so well with the scene created (Copics: Outfit - R22, B91; Nose - Y38). The sentiment is from Winter Ruth set and the snowflakes from Let It Snow set.

I hope you like the card. Don't forget to visit Jenn and Amber to see their Amazing samples today and also the Inspired Stamps blog.

Hugs!

Gingerbread man mini cards

2011-11-29T23:25:00.001+08:00

Over here at our home, Christmas is a really simple celebration. My mum has donated our old tree to a church together with all the ornaments a few years ago, and we've never had a tree since. I guess a miniature tree does not count ;) The family is always together for Christmas and we'd go out to a local restaurant for Christmas dinner. I'd probably bake a cake and some shortbread cookies, but that's it. So, I've never had to make any place cards for the dinner table...well... maybe someday.

For this week's Waltzing Mouse Sketch challenge, I made little cards measuring 3.75x4" which could be used as a place card or a note card. I've not put any sentiment on the cards so I could decide later how to use them, maybe on the presents.

Here's a close up pic:

I really love the Nordic Winter designs and how great the patterns look when stamped on a plain cardstock. I stamped the background with Memento Rhubarb Stalk ink and the patterned paper is from Echo Park Christmas Dots & Stripes. The Gingerbread man is from the set Candy Jar Christmas, another favourite set of mine. The cards were based on this sketch:

Thanks for visiting me today. Don't forget to comment along this week to win in my last week of Birthday Giveaway.

Have a great day!

Stamps : WMS Nordic Winter & Candy Jar Christmas
Paper : Echo Park Paper Christmas Dots & Stripes
Ink : Memento Rhubarb Stalk & Potter's Clay
Other : MFT Well Worn Greetings Die-namics, American Crafts Precision pen (black) 0.3, i-rock & lace.

Giveaway Week 5 & Winner!!

2011-11-28T17:35:00.001+08:00

Hello Friends! I can't believe we're at the last week of November, which means it's also the last week of my Birthday Giveaway. Thank you so much for your kind & sweet comments the past few weeks - I can't tell you how fun it has been for me. Be sure to visit me this whole week, as I'll have some exciting prizes for you.

But, first, I have a card to share. This card was made for the MFT sketch challenge this week. I think this Pure Innocence girl is one of my favourite Christmas stamps. It's a little challenging to colour her esp with the candle, and I still need more practice.

And, here's another view:

So, here's the bit that everyone is waiting for - This week's Giveaway item is sponsored by Inspiration Emporium. I am so amazed by the generosity of Joy Kennedy - I had ordered some products from IE's online store and when the order arrived I discovered an additional item sent in error. I wrote to Joy and she suggested that I give it away on my blog. So awesome! For those of you who live outside the US, I would suggest you check out Inspiration Emporium as their overseas shipping is the BEST! So, here's the prize for this week - Spellbinders Wonky Rectangles dies!!

The rule is really easy - be sure to comment on every post this week to qualify to win this set of dies. As per the previous weeks, if the winner is a follower of my blog, there will be an additional prize. I'll leave that as a surprise once again, but you're going to love it.

Thank you everyone who participated last week. Random.org helped me picked a number from all comments from last week. The winner for Week 3 giveaway is....

lisa arana!!

Woo-hoo, Congrats Lisa!! You win the Inspired Stamps set! I have emailed you and look forward to hear from you.

Thanks to some of you who wrote to me offering feedback and what you'd like to see. I'll work on it and hopefully be able to do more next year. December is a crazy month and so is January as we'll be celebrating Chinese New Year, and I guess it's the busiest time for my family.

Have a great week!

Stamp : My Favorite Things Pure Innocence Christmas Caroler

Paper : Echo Park Holly Jolly Christmas

Ink : Distress Ink Ripe Persimmon, Memento Rich Cocoa

Other : MFT Die-namics Crown border, i-rock glam rocks, Spellbinders Labels 10, Stampendous Champagne Crushed Glass Glitter, Scor-tape, seam binding

Copic Markers : Hair - Y26, Y11, YR23, Boots - R32, R35, R39, Skin - E000, E01, E11, Dress - shadows C1.

Unity Friends with Flair (25.11.2011)

2011-11-26T00:22:00.001+08:00

Happy Friday! I never realised that Black Friday is such a huge shopping day online (for me, anyway). This is probably the first year I'm crazy shopping for craft supplies on bargains. Hence, I didn't have much time to make a card, and a tag was all I managed to complete for the Unity FWF today.

The snowman on the tag is probably my favourite image in the latest Nov KOM - I wish there's snow right here so I can have a snowman just like him at my doorstep. Wishful thinking, right? He was coloured with Spica glitter pens (Red, Melon, Turquoise, Gold & Orange) and Copic markers (R32, R35, R81, R83, R00,YR00, Y00, BG000, G00, G02).

The tag was embossed with the Tim Holtz Woodgrain embossing folder, and sponged with Distress Inks Frayed Burlap, Evergreen Bough and Iced Spruce, and Perfect Pearls Gold for some shimmer. The patterned paper is from Echo Park Holly Jolly Christmas and the tissue tape is from Tim Holtz.

I'm also submitting this tag for the current Unity Let It Snow challenge, found here.

Happy Shopping, everyone, and have a Great weekend!!

p.s. Don't forget to check out my Giveaway post here, for your chance to win some stamps!

Forest Friends

2011-11-24T18:15:00.000+08:00

Hi Friends! I can't believe how fast the week's gone. This is a short post - I made this card for the Taylored Expressions challenge TESC150. I just can't get enough of these cute forest cuties from Woodland Winter.

Taking this opportunity to say Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends in the US!! I pray that you will have a Wonderful time with your families and loved ones. Just enjoy each other's company, and of course all the delicious food too.

Don't forget to comment this week for your chance to win - read all about it here.

Take care,

Chubby Chums Thank You

2011-11-22T11:00:00.002+08:00

I have a fun Thank You card today - I made this card last night, and I think it's a colour combo which was challenging for me. I was so eager to use this Paper Smooches set Chubby Chums cos it was what came to mind when I saw the Sparks Challenge pic this week:

What do you think? Any good? Just let me know...I can take it {grins}
Here's the full pic of the card:

Stamps : Paper Smooches Chubby Chums, FOLKal Points
Copics used : C1, C3, C5, C9, BG11, BG13, YG00, YG91 & YG93
Papers : Echo Park Victoria Gardens & Dots & Stripes Christmas collection, Aqua Mist cardstock & Latte Layering Papers

Hope you like the card, & have a Great day!!

Week 4 Giveaway & A Winner!!

2011-11-21T21:11:00.002+08:00

Welcome to Week 4 Giveaway!! How was your weekend? I hope you had a wonderful time and did something really fun. My card today is CAS, one which I hardly make these days. When I started cardmaking, it was the style that I enjoyed most. It was fun to make this card, and to be reminded of what I loved so much in my early days of stamping.

This week, I have an extra set of Inspired Stamps set "1 inch Snowmen" (Thanks to Antoinette the owner of Inspired Stamps) to give away:

It's a really cute set which I adore, and I think you'll find it's so fun & easy to work with.

And, as always, here's a bonus prize - if you are my Blog Follower, I'll throw in another stamp set, which will be revealed next week when I announce the winner (shhh... I think it's a great set).

The rule is really simple, to qualify, just comment on my posts this week. Just for this week, the more posts you comment, the more chances you'll have. Good luck!!

Ok, here's the part you've been waiting for - Week 3's Winner goes to...

MaxineD

Congrats, Maxine!! I have emailed you and will be sending you your prizes soon. Since you are my blog follower, you get this Unity set as well. I hope you'll enjoy them.

An early Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends in the US. I hope you'll have a wonderful time with family and friends. There's indeed so much to be thankful for in this life.

Hugs

With All My Heart

2011-11-19T23:59:00.000+08:00

Hi Friends! Today is Inspired Stamps' Birthday, and to celebrate the day, Antoinette has something awesome in store for all and giveaways (6 prizes!!). Please check out the Inspired Stamps Blog or Inspired Stamps Facebook page and join the celebration.

The card above is my first Inspired Stamps card which I've not shared before. I simply adore Mark Praying and the sentiment. He's coloured with Copic Markers and the papers are from Graphic 45. I'm keeping this post really short so you can go check out the special announcement.

Don't forget to comment on ALL my blog posts (Mon-Fri) this week to be in the draw for the Unity prize - click here for all the details. You have till tomorrow before I draw a winner.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Unity Friends with Flair (18.11.2011)

2011-11-18T21:36:00.000+08:00

It's Friday! What are your plans for the weekend? Whatever they are, I hope you'll have an awesome time. I'm hoping for some time to do the Christmas projects I've been neglecting.

Here's my card for today:

Just received my November KOM yesterday, and decided to make a card with the KOM sketch (see below). I think it's a simple card to piece together - just stamping, paper piecing and a little sponging and colouring the card is done.

Please don't forget to check out the Unity blog for all the participants this week, and comment along as you could win some Unity goodies. Plus, if you want to win a set of Unity stamps or two, please check out my Giveaway post here. You have till Sunday to comment and on Monday I'll draw a winner and we'll have a new Giveaway again.

I'll be back tomorrow with an Inspired Stamp Birthday celebration post.

Have a fabulous day!

Stamps : KOM Nov 2011
Paper : Echo Park Holly Jolly Christmas
Ink : Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers E41, E42, BG13, BG32, BG0000, RV13, Distress Inks Tumbled Glass, Stormy Sky & Spun Sugar
Other : Spellbinders Wonky Rectangles, Ribbon, Twine, Sizzix embossing folder - Snowflakes

Cupcake for a Birthday Girl

2011-11-18T17:26:00.001+08:00

Hi! Today, I have a special birthday card for a wonderful talented lady who has really inspired me. She will be celebrating her 50th Birthday next month and she has issued an invitation for her blog readers to join her virtual party. She is Virginia Lu... and you can read all about her birthday party here (there's some goodies she wants to share too). Happy Birthday in advance, Virginia!!

Here's my card for you :

I was thinking that if we live in the same place, I'd bring you a cupcake, but since we are thousands of miles away, I'd just have to settle for a cupcake card. I hope you like the card, Virginia.

Here's a look at the flower using Glitter Red felt

My card follows the MFT sketch found here:

Thanks for coming by today, and please visit Virginia to wish her Happy Birthday.

Smiles...

Stamps : MFT Pure Innocence Hello Cupcake & WTG You Take The Cake (sentiment)
Paper : Echo Park Victoria Gardens, Hero Arts Layering papers
Ink : Memento Rich Cocoa
Copics : Dress & Shoes (R39, R37, R35, R32), Cupcake (RV00, RV10, RV11, B91, B93, B95, Y06, YR04, R39, R37, R35), Skin (E000, E01, E11), Hair (E21, E23, E25)
Others : MFT die-namics Prima Donna Petals & Crown border, i-rock, Spellbinders Labels 8, Glitter Red felt

Inspired Stamps Blog Hop

2011-11-17T21:00:00.006+08:00

Hi, and welcome to the Inspired Stamps Blog Hop. If you have come from Jenn's blog you are in the right place, and if you didn't start at the beginning of the hop, make sure you head to the Inspired Stamps blog for all the details. You wouldn't want to miss any of the wonderful inspiration the Design Team has to share.

The Design Team's assignment this week is to create a Christmas focused Tag. For my tag, I've chosen to use the HLO : Christmas Boy image. He is really so cute, and I love the ornament he holds in his hands.

Here's the tag:

Stamp the HLO Christmas Boy on white cardstock and colour him with copic markers : Skin (E000, E01, E13, R21) Hair (E31, E22, E35, E37) Ornament (YG11, Y13, YG17, Y21) Outfit (B93, B95, B97, B99, E40, E42, E43). Add some sparkle onto the ornament with Atyou Spica Clear marker.

Cut the patterned paper to size and punch both the ends with a border punch, then adhere it to the tag. Emboss the middle section of the tag where the pattern paper is, with an embossing folder, I used a snowflake folder. Spritz some Glimmer Mists (Bahama Blue & Mel's Diner) on the doily and adhere it to the tag as shown. Adhere the cut out image of the HLO Christmas Boy on the doily. Add a sparkly ric rac trim at the bottom section of the tag and some baker's twine above it, and tie a bow, and add a glittery dot on the bow. Stamp the Merry Christmas sentiment on some ledger paper and cut it down to size and adhere it just above the doily (I added some white faux stitches but I think it would look better with real sewn stitches). To add some texture to the tag, I added some Flower soft (Polar white) at the top and bottom ends of the tag. Finally, adhere a chipboard glittery snowflake with a gem stone in the centre on the top right corner of the tag and a ribbon through the top of the tag (I dyed my own seam binding using Tattered Rose Distress Ink).

Here's a closer look - hope you can see the Flower soft, and the embossed section of the patterned paper.

Thanks so much for joining us, and I hope you have been inspired by what you've seen. I'm the last stop of the blog hop today, but, don't forget to head to the Inspired Stamps blog and leave a comment for your chance to win some prizes.

Take care, and have a great day!

Twas the Night before Christmas

2011-11-17T16:00:00.004+08:00

Welcome to the Waltzing Mouse Blog Waltz! I'm excited that this month's theme is Christmas, which is my favourite season to be stamping & making cards.

I remember the first time I saw this stamp set, it brought back some wonderful memories of my childhood years when I first read the poem. If you have not seen this set before, do check out the Waltzing Mouse store - there are some gorgeous samples there. It's an amazing set!

I had so much fun putting this card together:

I made a tri-fold card which measures 3.75 x 5.5" when folded. On the front panel I stamped the label stamp and the windows on a patterned paper which I had earlier stamped with the poem text. To add a little interest, I coloured in a little scene of a Christmas tree behind the windows.

On the second panel, I stamped the text, and distressed it with Distress Ink Scattered Straw. For the third panel, I stamped the wreath & berries onto the patterned paper, and adhered the label with the window that can be opened. I struggled a little with this window, cos technically it should open the opposite way, if you know what I mean {lol}.

Here's the scene when the window is opened:

I added some Rock Candy clear stickles onto the Santa & reindeers image but I can't get a good photo to show the what it looks like in real life {grins} but you get the idea, right?

Just decided to add in another card, wanting to play the sketch challenge this week.

based on this sketch :

And here's a close up look at the card:

I used an embossing folder and then sponged some white ink on the embossed areas. I stamped and white embossed the border at the bottom using Nordic Winter. The silhouette and frame is from Cameo Creations and the sentiment from Candy Jar Christmas.

I hope you like the cards. Don't forget to check out the wonderful inspiration from everyone participating in the Blog Waltz today - you can find list of all the participants here.

Plus, don't forget to check out my Blog Candy post here.

Enjoy the hop!
Kary

Taylored Expressions - Blast From the Past Blog Hop (16 Nov)

2011-11-16T23:59:00.006+08:00

Hello Friends! I'm glad to be participating again in the Taylored Expressions Blast from the Past Blog Hop. The theme for today's hop is "Thankful".

I wanted to ink up my Green Acres set, to create a happy scene for a Thank You card. That's the plan anyway cos would you believe it, I've never been on a farm before!
Here's the attempt:

I think this might be the first card I've made in a long while without any embellishments nor die-cuts. Just stamping and colouring. It's so relaxing to just colour the images and see the scene come to life. I didn't have the right Thank You sentiment, so I had to use the sentiment from Sunflower Wreath and the tree peeking from the side is from Love Grows Here. I do apologise for using two images from the newer sets to complete my farm scene.

Here's another look at the stamped images:

For copics fan, here are the markers I used:
Barn & hay (R39, R37, R35, E19, E17, E15, E13, Y21, Y26), Tractor (YG01, YG03, YG25, C01, C03, C05, C09), Farmer (C01, C03, E19, E15, E13, BG72, BG75, B91, B93, B95, E000, E01, E31, R20), Chicken (YR18, YR17, YR15, YR13, BG72), Fence (E17, E15, E13), Tree (YG01, YG03, YG25, E15)

To finish off the card, I did some sponging around the stamped piece, using Memento Summer Sky on the top half and Memento New Sprout on the bottom half and adhered it to a Cranberry cardstock.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the hop.

Giveaway Week 3 & A Winner!!

2011-11-14T14:08:00.004+08:00

Hello! I hope you had a wonderful weekend, with much rest and time to craft. I had quite a scary weekend - my dad wasn't well on Saturday evening and we spent 5 hours in the hospital ER. Thankfully, his blood pressure stabilised and after some MRI and blood tests, I could bring him home. Sunday was spent recuperating for all of us.. ;-)

Today, I have another card from Wee Stamps that I really love, Sweet Blossom. I thought she would look rather sweet in soft shades.

The girl was stamped on Neenah cardstock and coloured with Copics (I'm sorry I didn't record down the colours I've used). The background paper is from My Mind's Eye Madison Avenue and pearls from Zva Creative. Here's another view of the card:

The image was cut using Spellbinders Labels Twenty Two and sponged with Distress Ink Tattered Rose. I hope you like the card.

Ok, continuing with the Birthday Month Giveway... I can't believe we're onto Week 3! I have another stamp set for this week by Unity. It's one of my favourite sets, and I have a spare one:

The rules are the same. Just comment on ALL my posts this week (just from Mon to Fri), and you will be in the draw. And if the Winner is a follower of my blog, you'll get an additional Unity set. I'll reveal the set next week, when I announce the winner, just as a little surprise.

I was feeling a little tired last night, so I decided to put everyone who commented last week on any of my posts in the draw, and have random.org pick out a number. So... the winner of Week 2 Giveway is...

Lindsey!!!

Congrats, Lindsey!! You win the Paper Girl stamp set, and since you are a follower of my blog, you get an additional prize, this Gina K stamp set.

I have emailed you, and the prizes will be on its way to you soon.

Stay tuned, Friends, as I have more attractive prizes next week as well a set of Spellbinders dies on the last week of November.

Take care, and have a great week!

A Joyful Heart

2011-11-11T14:49:00.000+08:00

I love this sweet image of Brandy & Emma - from the set Good Morning. With a smashing dog like Brandy, what more could a little girl ask for? I've never owned any pets growing up and I almost wished I had a dog. We could have had so much fun together {smiles}.

I've coloured the images with Copics and sponged the edges with Distress Ink Wild Honey. The patterned paper is BasicGrey Picadilly. Here's the list of Copic markers used - Skin (E000, E01, E13, R21), Bed (E44, E43, E42, YR12, YR15, YR18), Pillow, blanket & Pjs (Y17, Y15, Y13, B41, B45), Hair (E35, E33, Y11), Dog (E25, E23, E21).

Since I'm on the roll, I'll share another Brandy & Emma card. I used the set called Bubbles of Fun. Blowing soap bubbles was the most fun thing to do when I was a kid. Just something about making bubbles and seeing them float away.

I tried to colour some reflection on the bubbles, not very successfully though. Here's a closer look at the card:

List of Copics used : Skin (E000, E01, E13, R21), Outfit (B00, B01, B97, R30, R32), Hair (E35, E33, E31), Dog (E25, E23, E21).

Well, that's it from me. Don't forget to check out the Unity blog and see the list of FWF participants this week. Hop along with us, and if you have a Unity project, just add your blog link and we can come visit. Just by commenting or by participating, you could win some Unity stamps.

Also, don't forget to comment on my posts this week for your chance to win a stamp set or.. more. Click here to read all about it.

Have fun!

Inspired Stamp HLO Christmas Girl

2011-11-10T20:00:00.003+08:00

Today at Inspired Stamps we are working with the new His Little Ones sets. I have chosen to use HLO Holly Jolly Christmas Girl on my card. HLO is a cute little set (size 2x3" sheet) with a fun character and sentiment. You can opt to colour the image, paper piece it or as it is. Either way, your project will look fabulous. Here's a look at the set I used:

Isn't she adorable? I coloured her with Copic markers and cut her out using Spellbinders Labels 22. I added some Sakura Glitter pen on the holly and berries, sponged the corners with Distress Ink Tumbled Glass (did I ever mention this is my favourite colour) and I also added a little outline around the girl with Copic Marker B0000. The sentiment was stamped on die-cut piece, and I did some piercing along the edge. I used a punch on the opposite ends of the sentiment and string Baker's twine around it and tied a bow at the right hand corner, and added pearls as shown. To add a little sparkle, I used Diamond Stickles on the patterned paper.

The sentiment was from the new Vintage Christmas set:

To finish off the card, I drew a frame around the patterned paper using my Copics Multiliner 0.3 black pen.

If you've been eyeing some sets from the Inspired Stamps store, now is a good time to purchase - check out this coupon code:

Please visit the Inspired Stamps blog for more inspiration from the Design Team or click on their names at the sidebar of my blog.

Thank you for visiting today. Have a wonderful day!

Stamps : Inspired Stamps HLO Holly Jolly Christmas Girl, Vintage Christmas

Paper : Webster's Pages Sweet Season 6x6 pad

Copic Markers : Hair (E21,, E23, E25), Skin (E13 E01, E50), Dress, Headband & Shoes (R22, R24, R29, R01, R02), Eyes (B000), Holly (YG03, YG17, TG97, Y21, R29)

Other : Red Baker's Twine, Spellbinders Label 22, MFT Polka Dot Greetings die-namics, Zva Creative pearls, Diamond Stickles, Distress Ink Tumbled Glass

WMS Challenge #72 and CASE competition

2011-11-09T19:42:00.000+08:00

I had to participate in this week's Waltzing Mouse sketch challenge because it's been a long time since I made a trifold card, and this was fun. My card is a simple one layer card, and I used the images from Candy Jar Christmas, and I coloured them with Colour pencils. (Sorry if the photo above seems dark, I couldn't find a good lighting today).

Here are some close up pics:

And the card was based on this sketch:

My second Christmas card is CASE-ing Tosha Leyendekker. I love the idea she shared on the Waltzing Mouse November SOAP Day 1 where she made wonderful treat bags with felt and kraft paper.

I loved the treat bag idea, and I thought I could use the same idea on a card as well.
Here's my take on Tosha's idea:

I used the same idea but I folded just the front panel, and inserted a tag into the holder. I decorated the front with Nordic Winter stamp set and Lily Bee Jingle papers. The sentiment is from Compliments of the Season and cut with Spellbinders Grommet Tags die.

Here's another look at the card with the tag:

As always, I look forward to your comments and feedback. Have a wonderful day!

p.s. Don't forget to comment this week for your chance to win a prize - more in this post.

Making A List

2011-11-09T10:08:00.000+08:00

Are you one who loves making a list? I'm not entirely sure I'm good at it, but it's become a necessity recently. Life gets busy and without a list, my brain doesn't remember things I'm supposed to. Today's card features the cute Pure Innocence girl who's busy writing her list of things to do. My card is based on the MFT sketch challenge last week. It's a great sketch, one I would definitely use again.

Here's the card:

Here's the list of Copics I used:
Skin : E50, E01, E13, R21 (a current favourite), Dress & shoes : R30, R32, List & Envelope : B00, B000, Hair : E21, E23, E25

Hope you like the card. Please don't forget to comment for your chance to win a stamp set, all the info are in this Giveaway post.

I'll be back tomorrow with an Inspired Stamps project. Have a great day!

Stamps : MFT Pure Innocence Making A List
Paper : Scraps in my stash from My Mind's Eye & BasicGrey, Brown cardstock
Ink : Memento Rich Cocoa & Distress Ink Tattered Rose
Other : White ribbon, MFT Die-namics Prima Donna Petals & Woodgrain Fence, Spellbinders Wonky Rectangles, Glittered White Felt, White gel pen

Daisy Doodle Challenge #46

2011-11-07T23:06:00.003+08:00

Hello again! I'm sharing a Christmas card with a beautiful Poinsettia digital image from Daisy Doodles. I printed the image on Copics X-press It Blending paper, and coloured the image using copic markers (R22, R24, R29, Y21 & Y17). I created a scored border on the kraft cardbase using my Scor-buddy and made 2 slits at the bottom to string the ribbon. The Season's Greetings sentiment was stamped all around the edge of the card. Then I cut out the Poinsettia image and adhered it to the cardbase with some pop dots and added some tiny blings to finish off the card.

Please join us for the Daisy Doodles challenge, it's Anything Goes with a Digi week, so it's a great challenge to play along. Please visit the Daisy Doodles blog for more inspiration from the Design Team.

Also, don't forget to check out this week's Giveaway post here.

Thanks, and have a great day!

Make A Wish & Winner of Week 1 Giveaway!!

2011-11-07T10:27:00.002+08:00

Welcome to Week 2 Giveaway! But first, I have a Birthday card to share - don't you love this sweet little girl? She is Wee Suzi from Wee Stamps, a little birthday treat for myself. (Some of you asked about my birthday, it was on Saturday 5 Nov - Guy Fawkes Day I'm told, no wonder I love fireworks!) The card is simple, with a sentiment from Paper Smooches. I must admit I bought the Chit Chat (Paper Smooches) set all because of this sentiment - I love it.

For Copics fans, I used the following markers:
Skin - E50, E01, E13 (tried this combo from Sherrie Siemens, she colours so beautifully)
Hair - E21, E23, E25
Flower pot - E93, E95, E97
Flowers & leaves - V12, V15, V17, YG01, YG03, YG05, YG00, E93
Present - RV00, RV02, RV04, YG01, E93
Ladybird - R39, R32
Dress - V12, V15, V17, Colourless blender

A close up pic :

Alright, here's the part everyone is waiting for this week. Week 2 Giveaway is another stamp set by The Girls' Paperie "Paper Girl". I picked this set because I think it has elements that one can use again and again, I love the ruler, the dress form, the key, etc.

The only rule to get into the draw is to leave comments on my posts this week. You don't need to be a follower of my blog to win this prize. However, I might get really generous and throw in an extra prize if the lucky commenter who wins is a follower of my blog. Hmm... actually, how about a Gina K stamp set for the winner who is also a follower? I think I'm going to let that be a surprise item. You have time to comment until Sunday 13 November (midnight my time zone - GMT + 8 hours), and I'll announce the winner on Monday 14 November.

I think I've kept you waiting a long time to announce the winner of Week 1's Prize. Checking through the comments, I did a random draw, and had random.org pick out a winner. Drum rolls... pprrrummmm (how does a drum roll sound?)
It's...

Christine Ang!!!

Woo-hoo!! Big Congrats, Christine !! And, since Christine is a follower of my blog, she wins the bonus prize, a $20 gift voucher as well!! Christine, I've emailed you already and will be sending out your prize soon.

There's still 4 more weeks in November, so that means 4 more chances! Good luck!!

Have a great week, everyone!

With Gratitude

2011-11-05T00:27:00.001+08:00

It's be a long time since I played the Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger. I was really inspired by the Beads and Baubles trigger this week. Here's the photo my card is based on:

I love the colours of the beads and baubles, and the way it's laid out. They reminded me so much of the Hero Arts Flower Swirl Vine stamp I have. I stamped the image on white cardstock, coloured the images with Copic Markers and sponged it with Distress Inks Tumbled Glass & Shabby Shutters on one side and Tattered Rose & Spun Sugar on the other side. Then I cut out the floral image and adhered it with pop dots on the printed paper. The sentiment was from Paper Smooches "Chit Chat" set.

Here's a closer look :

Thanks for visiting!

Have a great weekend!

Unity Friends with Flair (04.11.2011)

2011-11-04T13:33:00.005+08:00

Hello Unity Peeps! So glad it's Friday, I've been having a fun week of stamping and sharing some of my favourite stamps and techniques with you. Today I'm sharing a card with my latest favourite Unity stamp set, can anyone guess???

Here it is:

Yes! It's the latest set from Phyllis Harris featuring Brandy & Emma. I couldn't contain my excitement when I saw the new line, and I wrote to Andrea G at Unity to tell her Brandy & Emma sets are my kinda stamps! I'm sure all of you would agree that Andrea is the BEST Cust Service gal. Love her!!

Right, here's the stamp set:

Click on the image for link to the Unity store

A close-up pic of the card:

The sentiment was stamped and cut out with Spellbinders Wonky Rectangle die and coloured with Copic Markers BG10 & BG000. Pierced a hole at the top and tied some baker's twines through it.

Here's another look at the card:

Did I tell you that I got all the four sets? Yupe I did and will be inking them up soon. Had to take a break from Christmas cards to make this card. Haha... The patterned papers are from Lily Bee Memorandum collection.

Please visit the Unity blog for more wonderful inspiration from all the FWF participants this week.

And, be sure to comment on this post and don't forget to see my Month of Giveaways post here. Just comment on my posts this week for your chance to win a stamp set and also a bonus prize (you can read all about it on my Giveaway post).

Thank you SO much for coming by today. Your comments always bring a smile to my face and make my day.

Stamps : Unity - Brandy & Emma Constant Companions

Paper : Lily Bee Memorandum 6x6 pad

Ink : Memento Tuxedo Black & Copic Markers

Other : Spellbinders Labels 17 & Wonky Rectangle, Taylored Expression Border Scallop die (medium), i-rock, Gina K Red buttons,

Inspired Stamps Sneak Peek

2011-11-03T20:00:00.042+08:00

Hello Friends! Welcome to the Inspired Stamps Sneak Peek week! The new stamp sets are gorgeous, and they will be available for sale at the Inspired Stamps store on Friday 4 Nov!! There are lots of exciting events this week/month:

Be sure to leave comments from Tuesday to Friday this week, on one of the 4 Sneak Peek Posts on the Inspired Stamps blog, and you will be entered into one of the 4 drawings for the new stamp sets! JUST BY LEAVING A COMMENT ON THAT BLOG POST or ON INSPIRED STAMPS FACEBOOK PAGE!! If you let your friends know to stop by and comment, and if they win, you automatically win for referring them too!!
There is a FABULOUS Christmas Card Contest that will run all of November and there will be a WONDERFUL prize package for the winner! This will be combined with the BIG NEWS on this post!!
November is Inspired Stamps' Birthday Month - It's going be a special month planned for you including a BIG SAVINGS - see this coupon:

Aren't you excited? Ok, I have to say I went a bit overboard with excitement, so I have 3 cards to share today. Here's the first card using one of my favourite stamp sets from this release - Winter Ruth. I love that Ruth could be stamped with her hands in the pockets or holding an accessory (6 to choose from). I love the heart and so I've used that on my card.

My Winter Ruth is coloured with Copic Markers (Tree - E23 & E27, YG97, YG95 & YG93 Ruth's coat, boots - R02, R01, R20 & R21 Ruth's Stockings, Scarf, Heart - R39, R35 & R32 Skin - E000, E11 & E31 Hair - YR24, YR23 & YR 21 Snow - BG000), and the background is sponged with Distress Ink Tumbled Glass. Papers from Webster's Pages Sweet Season.

Next, I have a CAS card using the set Vintage Christmas, with the verse from John 3:16 in the shape of a tree which I love. I think this scripture sentiment can be used on a general card to encourage someone too.

A close up photo to show the score lines I did on this card. I did this yesterday (see this post) and kinda like the effect so made a few cards in one sitting.

And, here's my last card:

I used the silhouette image from Vintage Christmas, and used my Glimmer Mists on it for some shimmer. The papers are from My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Christmas.
Here are some close ups:

These sets are so versatile and easy to use to produce great cards. Be sure to check out the rest of Design Team's (click on their names on my sidebar) samples and also the Inspired Stamps blog for today's Sneak Peek.

Isn't it a wonderful coincidence that Inspired Stamps and I have the same birthday month? If you'd like to find out more about my Month of Giveaways, please check this blog post.

Thanks for visiting, and Have a Great day!!

Best Wishes

2011-11-03T17:35:00.000+08:00

Here's my card for the Waltzing Mouse Sketch challenge this week. I've kept the card pretty simple. The background was made with the Dainty Doilies 2 set stamped with a light lilac ink and the dress (from You're Lovely set) was paper-pieced with patterned paper (Pink Paislee Nantucket). A little shading was added with Copic Marker YG91 and the Colourless Blender. The sentiment is from Big Day Additions set. My card follows this sketch:

Here are some close ups:

I folded the lace trim into a bow and added a twine and cabachon with Glossy Accents

The dress was cut out leaving a slight border and adhered to card with pop dots

Thanks for looking, and please click here to see the awesome entries for this sketch challenge. There's still time to join this challenge if you are able to.

If you would like to participate in my Month of Giveaways, please click here. I'll be back later with an Inspired Stamps post.

Stamps : Waltzing Mouse Stamps Dainty Doilies 2, You're Lovely & Big Day Additions
Ink : Memento Rich Cocoa & Lulu Lavender
Paper : Cream & Lilac cardstock, Pink Paislee Nantucket 6x6 pad
Others : Hero Arts lace, jute twine, cabachon

Multi-stamp Backgrounds

2011-11-02T18:20:00.002+08:00

Happy Wednesday! I hope your week is going well. Do you own stamps that have not seen ink before? Lots of them? Frankly I do, and my mission this month is to ink up as many as I can.

Today's projects use the various Papertrey Ink stamps in my stash. I'm a big fan of Papertrey Ink but for some reason I've not used them as much as I ought to. To help me along, I've decided to play along with this week's Make It Monday which is all about Multi-stamp backgrounds.

On this card, I used stamps from the Mehndi Medallion & Delightful Doilies sets, and stamped them using various Memento inks. The sentiment stamps are from Tag-Its #1 set.

My second card is using the floral stamps from Daydreamer Set.

Here are some close-up photos, and hopefully you can see the scoring on the left and bottom corners of the card. I made one score and then flip the card and scored from the bottom of the card and then again from the right side up, for some interest and variation (so there's 2 debossed score lines and 1 embossed score line)

That's it today. Be back tomorrow for an Inspired Stamps sneak peek!!

(Don't forget to comment this week to win a prize - check out my Giveaway post found here.)

Have a great day!

Stamps : Papertrey Ink Mehndi Medallion, Delightful Doilies, Tag-Its #1, Daydreamer

Paper : PTI Autumn Rose cardstock, Green & Lilac cardstock

Inks : Memento Rhubarb Stalk, Cantaloupe, New Sprout, Lulu Lavender, Angel Pink, Versafine Toffee & Onyx Black

Other : White gel pen, The Twinery Baker's twines

Let's Chat

2011-11-01T12:30:00.000+08:00

(Click here for my November Giveaway Post! Don't forget to comment for a chance to win the prize this week.)

I am a sweets girl! I love all sorts of desserts and they are best shared with friends. I'm not sure if this is unique to Malaysia, but local hotels and some restaurants have afternoon buffets called High Tea where one can sample unlimited cakes and finger food which I absolutely enjoy.

This Daisy Doodles image reminds me so much of an afternoon of desserts and fun fellowship with friends.

The image was coloured with Copic Markers and the patterned paper is from Echo Park, Victoria Garden. The edges are sponged with Distress Ink Scattered Straw. For more inspiration from Daisy Doodles team, please click here. Don't forget, there's still time to play along the Halloween challenge at Daisy Doodles.

I hope you have a fun day!! Don't forget to comment, for your chance to win the giveaway on this post.

Christmas in Summer & Giveaway Week 1!!

2011-10-31T16:45:00.002+08:00

Hello! Welcome to the start of my November Birthday Month Giveaways!! More info at the bottom of this post, but, first, I have a summer Christmas card, especially for those of use who live near the equator and southern hemisphere. I used "Just for You" Jolinne image and paper pieced her dress with Lily Bee's Jingle papers. I'm glad to finally ink up this set that I've had for sometime {lol}.

Here are some close up pics:

Border die-namics Faux Crochet Border, and Oval Tab

MFT Die-namics Butterflies

My card is based on this MFT sketch:

And... here's the fun part - I've decided to start the month long of Giveaways today. November is my birthday month, and I think it's a great time to celebrate by rewarding the readers of my blog. It's very easy... all you need to do is comment on my posts the whole week and you will be in the draw. Every week I'll be giving away different prizes and some weeks I might throw in an additional item. I think it's more fun to be giving away smaller prizes rather than one big prize so more of you will have a chance to win something.

I am amazed that some of you are constant followers of my blog - I really appreciate your support & kind words. When I started blogging, I never thought anyone would be interested to read what I have to share, so I thank you for taking the time to visit each time and for your fabulous comments. It really makes my day, seriously. Ok, I think that's enough talk.. here's the prize:

Since My Favorite Things is one of my favourite stamp companies, I'm going to give away this MFT stamp set to the winner this week.

And, if the person who wins is a follower of my blog (from the google or networked blogs list), the person will also receive a $20 gift voucher to use at the MFT store. I guess you know what to do if you want both the prizes.. {grins}. The Week 1 giveaway will close on midnight Sunday night 6 Nov (my time zone, GMT +8hours). On Monday morning, I will pick a winner and announce it that day. Don't forget, you need to comment on my every post the whole week long to qualify.

Enjoy the week!

Simply Believe

2011-10-28T21:19:00.001+08:00

Hello Friends! How's your week been? I'm doing pretty good, making good progress with the Christmas cards. Just have to share this one with you today.

This card was made using everything Simple Stories. I love their 25 Days of Christmas papers and what better way than to use the matching stamps on the card! The cute stockings are from this Itty Bitty set called Simply Believe - so adorable isn't it?

Can you pick out another stamp set I used on the card? Yupe it's the numbers border at the bottom of the card, also another Simple Stories set named "A Simple Christmas".

Here's another look at the card:

Be sure to check out the Unity Blog for the list of all the Unity fans participating in today's Friends with Flair. Remember to leave some love when you visit as you could win some Unity stamps.

And... please don't forget to visit me next week (starting Tuesday) as I'll be giving away stuff every week in November - yupe, birthday month. You don't need to follow my blog to win the prizes, just join me for some fun.

Have a great day!

Season's Greetings

2011-10-28T16:41:00.000+08:00

I know, it's another Christmas card, but I hope you'll enjoy this one. I wanted this card to be a little special for a friend. It's a smaller sized card, measuring 4.25 x 4.25". Can you recognise the stamps I used? They are Cameo Creations, Oval Classic Frames and a greeting from Compliments of the Season set. The papers are from Lily Bee Design "Jingle" 6x6 pad. It's a fairly simple card but it took a little effort to line up the stamps and finding the right size Classic Ovals dies. The background piece was cut with the largest die of Labels 15, and the sentiment piece was cut using Labels 4 Small. I added a touch of colour to the sentiment and the cameo frames with Copic Marker BG10.

The card was made following the sketch this week at Waltzing Mouse's challenge. Here's the sketch:

And, here's a closer look at the card:

Thank you for stopping by, and Have a wonderful Friday!

Fun Fold Christmas Card

2011-10-27T20:00:00.007+08:00

Hello Friends! At Inspired Stamps, we are focusing on Fun Fold Christmas cards today. I haven't made a fun fold card in a long while, and after thinking about it for days I finally worked out one I was happy with.

I used the Inspired Stamps set Choir Boy/Angel and Nativity (sentiments) for the card. The finished card measures 4.5x4.5". Here are some pictures to show you how the card is folded and decorated.

Untie the silk ribbon, and open the top flap:

Open the horizontal folds, to the inside of the card.

On the inside left panel, I adhered the Scripture sentiment and a tiny die-cut star decorated with a tiny i-rock glam rock. The sentiment piece was sponged with Distress Inks Old Paper and Shabby Shutters and some faux stitch lines with a black pen.

On the inside right panel, I decorated it with die-cut snowflakes and tiny blings.

Here's a closer look at the stacked hearts and the cute HLO Choir Boy. He was coloured with Copic Markers (Skin - E000, E11, E31, R20 Hair - YR23, YR24, Y21, E31, E35 Shoes & Tunic - BG000, B91, B93) and adhered with some pop dots onto the hearts.

For list of products used and detailed instructions for making this card, please click here for the download, if you are interested.

Thanks for putting up with this long post. Please visit the Inspired Stamps Blog or click on the Design Team's names at the sidebar here, to check out what they are sharing today.

Have a great day!

Have A Lovely Day!

2011-10-26T00:36:00.000+08:00

I love simple sketches, because I'm just not good with anything complicated. What about you? Most of my card designs are pretty simple with one or two embellishments. The only constant is I love to have my images coloured, most of the time.

Today's card follows the sketch at Lily Pad Cards which incidentally is by Nina Brackett. And, I have used two of her stamp sets to create the card above - Lovely Birds & Timeless Tags (frame for sentiment). The patterned paper is Pink Paislee's Nantucket & Lily Bee Design Picket Fence.

Lily Pad Cards is giving away four of Nina's stamps sets, and they are Awesome! So, everyone should play along for a chance to win the sets. {grins}

I'll be back on Thursday for another Inspired Stamps inspiration.

See you!

Stamps : The Craft's Meow "Lovely Birds" & "Timeless Tags"
Paper : Pink Paislee Nantucket 6x6 pad, Brown cardstock, Lily Bee Design Picket Fence 6x6 pad
Ink : Memento Rich Cocoa
Copic Markers : Fence - E31, E33, E35; Bird - BG11, BG32; Sunflowers - YR24, Y15, Y17, colourless blender; Leaves - YG91, YG93, YG97; Bird house - E23, E21, E31; Background - BG0000
Other : Seam binding, Webster's Pages Sparklers

Woodland Christmas

2011-10-25T02:21:00.000+08:00

Hi! I'm making some progress with the Christmas cardmaking, aren't I? {grins} Today's card uses stamps from my current favourite Christmas stamp set - Taylored Expressions' Woodland Winter. I just love the forest animals, they are all so cute and a joy to colour. Although I have to say I was wishing for an airbrush set to colour the background.

Here's the sketch the card was based on:

There's still time to enter for this challenge if you'd like to. Just click here for all the details. It's a great sketch. If you are interested in the Copic markers and papers used, please see the bottom of this post.

Thanks for coming by.

Have a great day!

Stamps : Taylored Expression Woodland Winter & Wreaths of Joy (sentiment)
Paper : Jillibean Soup Christmas Eve Chowder 6x6 pad, Hero Arts layering paper - Grass
Ink : Memento Rich Cocoa & Tuxedo Black
Copic Markers : Tree (E27, E25, E21, YG05, YG93), Background BG0000, Deer & Fox (E11, E13, E27),
Deer's outfit (YG03, YG17, B12, B14, R32, R35, R37, C1), Fox's outfit (YG01, YG03, YG05, R32, R35, R37)
Other : The Twinery Baker's Twine Maraschino, i-rock crystals

Warm Thoughts

2011-10-24T02:13:00.002+08:00

Today, I have a card for the October Hero Arts contest. The challenge is to make a Holiday card using non-holiday stamps or based on one of the sketches given. I decided to give it a go and make a card which fits both the requirements.

My card is based on this sketch:

For the background, I pulled out all the tiny hearts I could find from all my Hero Arts stamps and a tiny star. Using Versamark, I stamped them on a white cardstock and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. For some colour, I sponged Distress Inks Tumbled Glass, Crushed Olive and Scattered Straw. Then I brushed some Perfect Pearls Blue Raspberry before the inks dry to give it a nice shimmer and set it with fine mists of water. When dry, I distressed the edges with Distress Ink Vintage Photo.

For the tree, I stamped the die-cut pieces using non-Holiday stamps Flower Swirl Vine on the tree pieces, and the trunk with a stamp from set You Are The Best. Then I added colour with Copic Markers YG91, YG93, YG95, R22, R29 & YG25 and assembled the tree by adhering the tree pieces onto the solid tree die-cut with pop dots. I spritzed some Perfect Pearls Mist on the finished tree and then added some Glossy Accents around the edges and threw some fine glitter on it.

Here's a closer look at the tree:

The sentiment is from the stamp set, Find Joy which is also a non-holiday stamp.

As always, I look forward to read your feedback and comments on the card. It's always so fun to read what you think.

Have a great week!

Stamps : Flower Swirl Vine & You Are the Best (Tree), Find Joy (sentiment), Background hearts from various different sets.

Inks : Distress Inks Tumbled Glass, Scattered Straw, Crushed Olive, Vintage Photo, Perfect Pearls Mist -Sunflower Sparkle
Paper : Lily Bee Design Jingle 6x6 pad, Kraft cardstock
Other : Taylored Expressions die Trim The Tree, Spellbinders Classic Scallop Oval, Sakura Pigma Micron Black & White gel pen, Hero Arts gems