Sheena's card

Happy belated birthday to my good bloggie friend, Sheena!

For my creation for her, I wanted to use more muted colors as I noticed that Sheena rarely uses bright ones (which is more my style). Just goes to show you that when you try/ think outside of the box, it pays off. Because I really like how Birthday Gretel came out.

And I love how she has short hair like Sheena's :). Sheena has been a great friend ever since we formed our Team International Ink at the TGF Royal Battle contest. She is always so sweet - commenting on my blog and sending me cards for my birthday and when we bought our house.

Thanks, hon! Sorry your card was late! Hope you have gotten it by now!

Girl Power

Good Friday morning, everyone!

My Studio Calico kit came and I was inspired to make a lay-out. Found these old pictures of my girlfriends and thought it'd be perfect with Sunghee's girly TGF soldier.

Sunghee made a tank during the end of our Royal Battle term to show our strength as International Ink (although we didn't win). Sunghee's links aren't working at the moment, otherwise I'd link her creative and oh-so-cool battle tank.

Anyway, for those of you who didn't know, Sunghee sent me a whole bunch of her 3D projects a couple of months ago. Wasn't that sweet? I used them to decorate for the candy bar at my son's bday party but unfortunately, they did not last. I saved some of the images to 'recycle.' (With SG's permission of course).

As for our TGF team, International Ink, I'm happy to say that Sunghee, Sheena, Tanya, Stephanie, and I still keep in touch. It's nice to have bloggy girlfriends who support your craft and give you tips on both stamping and life!

And if you haven't noticed, there, in the layout, is my biggest supporter (& enabler) friend of all -- Jo (in red), who got me started on TGF stamps and Copic Markers!

In a couple of months, we get to become Copic certified. They're finally coming to our side of town, yippee!!!

Anyway, I am going off on TOO MANY tangents! Back to the lay-out:





Lots of Studio Calico with Dear Lizzy and punches!

And this girl get-together is so funny and inspirational! I think all women should do this!!

Have a wonderful weekend! I'll be working but will catch up on your blogs next week!

I'm Proud to Be a Geek!

**Hello! This is my second post of the day! Please go here for my first one!***

Just wanted to add a quick note to please, please vote for my friend, Sheena's 'Your Anya' at the TGF blog. Her Geek Girl Anya is so cute and represents sweet, geeky girls like me! LOL!

You can vote for her here in the next five hours.



When I was growing up, I was called a nerd, dork, geek...you name it. I had braces and glasses. I skipped the fifth grade. I got straight A's. It bothered me then. But it doesn't bother me now. Having been teased has left me really empathetic and kind towards others. I almost always root for the underdogs. And you know what, most of those 'geeks' in high school or middle school are the most successful and beautiful people now.

And plus, if you don't know me by now, well you should know that I'm proud to be geeky. I feel wonderful having graduated with honors from college, having a thorough knowledge in math & science, knowing a bit about art! Geeks are now chic!

Sheena's Geek Girl would make an amazing Anya! Hope you vote!

Love,

Happy Mama's Day.

Hey everybody! Happy Mother's Day!

Facebook status of the day:
"I thank the Lord for giving me the hardest but most rewarding job! A special shout out to new mommies, preggies, and single mamas! I'm blessed to be a mommy to the most amazing, funniest 11-mo-old! Here's to being a nurse, doctor, nutritionist, chef, police, housekeeper, recreational therapist, teacher, stylist, accountant, publicist, all in one!!!! Never appreciated my own Mom (& mom-in-law) as much as I do now!"

Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I'd be a mom. The oldest of four, I was always the baby-sitter & I've always loved kids.

Hope you all have a great day! I woke up to this --



So sweet of G to get me a card from Mattie too. And I got this lovely necklace (in my favorite teal box). I told him what I wanted but you know sometimes (ok, most of the time), you have to tell men what to do. haha!

And after prodding my hubby to wake up and begging, he eventually got me a 'snack-in-bed.' My sisters are cooking brunch so I'm not supposed to eat a full breakfast yet :).

As for the card, sorry if it's a bit blurry. Used the elephant stamp from TGF's Circus set. And my favorite part is the decorative circus packing tape I recently got from Torendi. It's so freaking cute!

Love,

Pardon my rrrraaammmblinnnng....

It's Manic Monday again, folks! Hope you're enjoying it anyway.

It's been gorgeous the last couple of days here in Northern Cali. Wanted to make a matching spring card for today's post!

Featuring Fairy Manga from the Sugar Nellie line. Thought she was an angel though because of those wings!

CS is from American Crafts, PP from Basic Grey and kol laj, brads from Dear Lizzy.

I have been doing quick, simple cards lately. Hope you all don't mind. I've got lots of things going on. But I don't feel right when I don't make cards at least 3 times a week! He he!

I even have an entry for Rockin' Rebel 2 at CA&F. It's very simple and quick, and an exact copy of one of the cards I've already made.

Going into it with just having fun in mind and some friendly competition though. Learned my lesson with TGF's Royal Battle. I think I got really into it and was really hyped on the thought of a possible win and then, CRASH! But hey, that's part of life, isn't it?

Thank you for all of you who voted and supported the game (especially our team!)! I told myself not to play any challenges for a while because despite sounding like a sore loser, well, I was really bummed to be honest with you (hey, that's what a blog is for, right? I'm supposed to talk about feelings and not just supplies here).

But I'm not gonna let that stop me any longer because I really REALLY enjoyed the game! And meeting my new friends- Tanya, Sheena, & Stephanie and getting to know Sunghee better - was really priceless. (heee hee, my nickname in high school was Corny Corinne :), i wonder why).

A friend on facebook wrote a quote "When you expect nothing, you always receive a lot" as her status. I'm going to do that with this challenge. Seeing people's takes on their Anyas/WS/Ians as their favorite stars had me ROLLING ON THE FLOOR! I can't wait to finish my entry & join in on the FUN!

But I don't completely agree with that quote though. (*WARNING* Serious tone ahead...). The rest of it goes, "No matter how little you receive, if you expected even less, you will be happy."

It wouldn't be right going through life, expecting nothing from everybody. Or even thinking positively for that matter.

Anyway, this was supposed to be a fast post. Thanks for listening to me ramble, kikiki (<----that's my soft laughter). Have a good one! Peace out!

Am Crying...

**This is my second post of the day. Please scroll down for my first one.**



Did I ever tell you that I cry easily?

I do.

Why, during the months leading up to our wedding, I was a mess. Just crying at the drop of a hat.

We had the routine guidance and counseling meetings with our priest, and I'd cry at almost every meeting. Father Luke would ask why I chose my DH as my partner, I would cry. Then it was how would religion help your marriage, and I'd cry. And then, it was what is the best lesson you could give your future children, and I'd bawl!!

Then, it came time for my bachelorette and bridal shower. Again, when I made my thank you speeches, my friends and fam would whisper under their breaths "here it comes." And no matter how I tried to suppress those tears, my voice would quiver from the start, my throat would choke up, and the dam would just burst.

I got better and then I got pregnant. And still I cry easily.

Today, the UPS man dropped off a package at my door. I smiled when I saw who it was from.

Sunghee had agreed to my request of allowing me to print pictures of her carnival creations. My baby will have his first birthday in June and his theme is a circus. I just love Sunghee's projects and I thought her pics would be great on the walls.

And then she said she'd send the creations themselves to me. Isn't that SO sweet? Really, really NICE! She wouldn't let me pay for them; she even said no to shipping. OMG, I love her!!!!

So when I opened the package and saw these, I started tearing....


Not only did Sunghee send me her beloved Carnival creations for the TGF Royal Battle (which I think we should've won by the way :)), she sent me so much more!!! She sent me the International Ink tank. And this, I love this pagoda and hot air balloon! There are others, but I haven't really touched them since the baby is right here.

How lucky am I to have such great friends in the stamping world?

And I've always admired Sunghee's awesome talent. But she is just the most generous and funny person!! And you should see these up close! They are all so much cuter in person! LOVE THEM!

I will take pics when they're up at the party! Thank you soo much, Sunghee! My question for the rest of you folks is what do you think I should do as a thank you gift? (Haha, SG, I'm not 'paying' you, I'm giving you a gift back!).

And I believe Sunghee will be opening up a shop soon. She already has a Wine Box template for sale here. Thanks again, chica! You don't know how much this all meant to me!!

This made up for the kind of 'crying' I had earlier:



First I was laughing because he's using my Copics as a sword. Kinda looks like He-Man.



And then I look again and he's figured out how to open them!!! DAAAAAAAAAAAAANGGGGIITTTTT!!! I found several ink stains on the crib. Oh well, my own fault.

Ok, I'm off to play with my new goodies. And tear up some more.






P.S. I forgot to tell you about my card. Used Maisy Ketto for the stamp (stamped on kraft-like paper). CS is from Bazzill. Brads are from Dear Lizzy. Fabric is from Torendi.

WINNERS!!!!

**this is my second post for today. please go here for the first post***

FOLKS, ARE YOU REAAAADDDY???

For my blog candy, I went to a free number generator ...

And the winner is ....... *DRUM ROLL PLEASE*****

# 20!!!!!!!

Lisa said...
Happy Birthday and thanks for the chance to win!!

Lisa, please email me your address! I'll mail the goodies at the beginning of this week!

Thanks, everyone, for playing along and greeting me birthday wishes!

--------------------------------------------------------------

For the Royal Battle at TGF, we are at the final round! Thanks so much for supporting International Ink these past five weeks!



These beautiful creations were done by Sheena. Sheena has worked on these for the past three plus days, has gotten sick, and has taken time off from work! Luckily, she's got such a supportive hubby (and teammates, of course!).

And don't ya just wanna say WOW WOW WOW?! These boxes have drawers on all four sides! The drawer pulls have flowers or baseballs! On Ian's 'field,' there is grass and a glove charm, even its own advertisement that says "GO TEAM!" And do you see that Sheena has even made a Batter Anya ATC in one of the drawers? She's done such an amazing job!

Then you look at the girly box and WHOA!!!! It's a ballet studio.. complete with a MIRROR and a BAR!!! There are even towels!! And oooh-la-la, a handsome partner (Prince Ian) to boot! Sheena is also very detailed. You may not be able to see it here, but in the reflection of the mirror, Anya's back is complete and colored!

(i apologize if i'm scaring you by how hyper i am... am wired from drinking diet coke!)

So please! If you see all the hard work my teammate has done and if you like all the details she added to this project, vote for us on the blog.

Voting is only for today (24 hours after the final projects are up). You only have one vote, and the poll is on the TGF blog.

I believe that my team has a REALLY good chance of winning. My teammates and I have worked diligently and hard. I am not saying that the other teams deserve it any less. But I believe we have been very creative and unique with our projects. I hope you agree!

And thank you sooo much for all of those who have voted and supported us! Go all the way, International Ink!!!

XO,

Happy Birthday, Tanya!

Good Tuesday morning to y'all! Happy birthday to my new friend in blogland, Tanya! Tanya is my teammate in the TGF Royal Battle. Thank you all for your support! We're hoping to move on to Round 5!

Made a card using the gatefold technique. It was a lot of fun! The above pic is when the card is partially open. The pic below is when it's fully closed (had to use my candles to hold it :)).



Here's a pic of the inside:



Used my new Chef Jules stamp from In Style. I must say that although I love my favorite stamps -- Anya -- I REALLY love coloring in the big eyes of these Anime ones. So adorable!

For the PP, I used Doodlebug Design Inc and Junkitz. The sticker inside is Love Elsie and the sentiment is hand-written.

toodles,




P.S. Have a great birthday, Tanya!

Round 4 at TGF's Royal Battle .... & Coriander

Happy Sunday to everyone! Today's post will be quick.

My card today features Coriander from the Sweet November line at ATS. I think she is the most beautiful out of Amy's fairies.

Thought she has sort of a pensive expression, so I paired her up with some kol laj writing behind her. I also used up a scrap of PP, flower from Prima, and the stamped piece of clay & clear overlay are also from kol laj. Also added some Craft-T metallic rub-ons to her wings to make them sparkle!

We are on ROUND 4 at The Greeting Farm's Royal Battle. You can view everyone's work at the Gallery.

I think the entries are quite lovely, but I have to say that our team, International Ink's entry is the most creative and detailed. Here's Sunghee's STELLAR take on the challenge of making candy packaging:



I suggest you even take a closer look by going to Sunghee's blog post for today. She has a lot more pictures and descriptions. Let me tell you, this girl is THE BOMB ... especially when making altered projects.

I am so amazed by her talent, and I'm not just saying this because she is my friend and teammate. For those of you who are familiar with her work and follow her blog, you know what I'm talking about! :)

If you agree that Sunghee's creation is the best, please vote for us by leaving a comment here. We are having technical difficulties so the main picture is not showing :(. But if you click on the link below the picture, you'd get to view it on Sunghee's blog.

If you aren't a registered user at the Gallery, you can register here with just an email. Thank you sooo much!!!!

GOOOOOOOOOOO INTERNATIONAL INK!!!!!

Cards & Pictures

Hello ladies (& gents)! Happy Sunday to you! Hope you all are having a fabulous weekend so far!

My card today is for the TGF's Farm Fresh Friday challenge of Spring Cleaning. Use up something you forgot you had or something that you were going to throw away.

I had totally forgotten about those special brad combos (forgot the name). They are from Making Memories. Thought the hardware is perfect for a 'boy' card.

This card is for my good friend, R. R & I have been friends since our first year of college. We had been best friends, in fact I called him my "Kuya" which means big brother. We shared interests in Japanese Anime, college life, and beginning our Nursing careers. We lost touch around Senior year, but had gotten to be friends last summer. Now we talk and share advice on our children, family life, and our Nursing careers :).

Thought I'd try my hand on including pictures in my cards again. That was my trademark before I discovered stamping last year. Here are pics of my thank you cards for my friends during my bachelorette in Vegas two years ago:



Right in the middle is JoBoogie (fun times, BFF!). I may do more of these since I miss incorporating pics!

And last, but definitely not least... here's International Ink's Round 3 submission. Tanya did such a beautiful scrapbook lay-out of her daughters.



The two Miss Anyas are just perfectly proportioned and colored. The ruffled trim & stitching are fabulous for the girly-theme. There are so many small details that I appreciate as well ... like the sayings running down behind the paper and pics. And the little jewels on the bottom left. Please vote for our team by leaving a comment here. (Thank you SOO much for the views and votes last week as well. I really appreciate it!)

And lastly, check out Tanya's awesome video on coloring skin tone at Practical Scrappers. Faces are the most difficult for me to color but her video has shed some light! I just need to get more Copics... LOL!

Spring Love

Happy Easter everybody! I hope you are all having a wonderful day so far!

So here is my entry for the Royal Battle at TGF. It's Round 2, and the challenge is to make an easel card. You can vote for it HERE.

Our team, International Ink, really wants to win. And I really REALLY want that stamp set so I'm not above begging... PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE.. LOL! I am down on my knees! Hehehe!

I chose to do a scene on my card. I think they're my favorite kind of cards to make. Amy has served as an inspiration as she makes many amazing ones! For this, I chose the theme of Spring. It's refreshing, it's colorful, it's happy. A new beginning, that's what it stands for. Anya is in the neighborhood park .. the picnic banner, sunshine, and the garden surround her.

Another inspiration for this card is my husband. We started out as friends but it was during the springtime that we started dating. Before we became a couple, we used to ride our bikes a lot. We had a lot of fun (and funny) adventures in the neighborhood, the parks, and the nearby hills. We were always laughing and trying to keep up with one another :). Even when we had our minor injuries from falls, we laughed at first and then nursed each other. I tried to fit an Ian image on this card but there was no room :(.

Used 80s Anya because she is fun and looks like she'd be down for anything. Trimmed her poofy dress down -- here, it's actually a tunic because you can't go mountain biking in a dress, he he. Also took away less of her legwarmers as they may get caught into the chain of the bike :).

And because this is a big contest, I took out THE BIG GUNS! That's right, folks, my favorite lines are Love Elsie (KI Memories) and Dear Lizzy (American Crafts). There are three lovely fabrics on this easel card -- the sky, the picket fence/ banner, and the garden. I just love how fabric gives a different texture and dimension to a card.

The bike sticker is also a favorite (Dear Lizzy). Bikes always hold a dear place in my heart because of said story. My teammate, Sunghee, suggested adding brads to the bike spokes to tie in with the pink brads. I love how the brads also have texture. And if you look closely at the bike, you'll see notes :). And they sparkle!



The sentiment below is hand-written. To connect with the easel part of the card, I incorporated a small banner sticker and added a flower. The scrappers' floss is from Karen Foster.



Ok, I think that's it! Thanks so much for reading this long post! Seems like my blogging is really short or really long, LOL!

Toodles,




P.S. Anya has a bike helmet with her. It's just not pictured here :).

Happy Sunday!

So I'm vying for the quickest post ever :).

We're late for church so here goes.

Used Maisy Ketto for this card. And more of the Love Elsie collection (awesome adhesive fabric houses)! The letters are from My Little Shoebox.

And please don't forget to view and vote for Team International Ink
here at the Royal Battle. Here's Stephanie's lovely card!




Happy Sunday!!

Boy or Girl?

Hola everyone! A friend is preggie and her ultrasound to find out the gender of the babe happens to be on her birthday. Won't that be the most amazing gift??

I made her this card and it was easy-peasy. The babies are from TGF. The cardstock, heart PP, lined PP and ribbon are from the love kit at TE. The banner PP is from American Crafts (Dear Lizzie), and the stickers are from sassafras. Some of the banners have glitter on them but too bad you can't see them here.



On another note, the royal battle at TGF is on its way. Stephanie, our team leader, has done a wonderful job creating a card for the first challenge. It has yet to be put up. Hope you check it out later and vote for it! Go Team International Ink!!

Have a great Friday!

Curiouser and Curiouser

Hello, hello! So I've been to Wonderland and back...and now went to Wonderland again to see the adult Alice.

I must say that Tim Burton did a great job. I enjoyed the movie and it was visually stunning! Johnny Depp was fabulous! Although there was one part of the movie I was disappointed in. I was so looking forward to the tea party but it was so short. And it lacked the old one's pizzazz and antics. I would still recommend seeing it though.

Today's card is for the Oh, Alice! Picturing Wonderland challenge this week. It's a sketch and I've used Alice Drink Me stamp by Elaine Cox from Sweet Pea. I really like her drawings of Alice -- she looks so curious and innocent.



The patterned paper are from American Crafts (multicolored swirling stripes) and Basic Grey. The letter stickers are from My Little Shoebox and the button/brads are from Doodlebug Design Inc.

On another note, I'm excited to be part of a group for TGF's upcoming team challenges. Sunghee invited me, and Tanya, Sheena, and Stephanie are in our team! It's so cool to meet new people!

Have a great Sunday!