Candles at CCC.

Hi all!

For this week's challenge at Christmas Card Challenges (#25), make a Holiday or Winter-themed card with candles. This was quite a challenge for me as I didn't own any stamps or images with a candle in it.

I ended up using this Taylored Expressions stamps called Treasure Life and made one jar into a candle. Tee hee!



Sometimes, you have to improvise. I didn't have any paper with a candle on it either. My next step would've been to adhere a real (small) candle on a card :).

I got to use my scraps too. Not to mention, this was a stamped image that I was storing for a couple of years already!

Have a spectacular Sunday! Hope you get to visit the CCC blog for more info and DT inspiration!

Treasures

When I saw the new Taylored Expressions Treasure Life stamps, I screamed! Mind you, I am supposed to be on a stamping budget, but I knew that I just had to HAVE those cute jars!

I am a big collector of many things so I thought this stamp set was perfect for me. Especially since we have a new home. And I knew that I wanted to make Sunghee's thank you card using these stamps.

Did you know what this girl sent me for my birthday? (Ok, she claimed she didn't know it was my special day but the fact that she sent me these thoughtful goodies around that time is sweet enough!). Lemme show you....







Aren't those (& she) AMAZING?!!! She originally made them for her blog and mommy group's newsletter. I really loved them and asked if I could buy some off of her. The sweet friend that she is, she sent me a package of them with these and this!!!!

Sunghee, you are wonderful! I am so lucky to have you as my friend! Anyway, I'm sorry that my thank you card is less than par. I see all my mistakes already.

Wanted to keep the card pretty simple to showcase the stamps. I also got the TE shelf stamp. Colored them with Copics and hand-wrote the sentiment.

Now I need to host another tea party for my new accessories!!

XO,

Give Thanks

Ok, here's the last card I made with my left-over tags.

Used the October TE Key Ingredients kit's PP. Added the ribbon and flower from the actual favor.

One cannot have enough thank you cards, am i right? :)

Sorry, for my super quick cards and posts. I'm hoping that November will be a better month for me. I am dying to make more cards and color with my Copics.

In the meantime, here's a sneak peek of MK's possible costume: BUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Of course, he hates it!



I am going to be the Red Queen of Hearts....isn't this a great accompaniment? :)
I'm trying to get my hubby to be the Mad Hatter!

TE's Blast From The Past Customer Blog Hop

Welcome to my blog, everybody~!

Am super excited to be part of the third customer blog hop at Taylored Expressions!



An optional challenge was to use Sankari's sketch so I thought I'd try it!



Used these cuties from Whales In Love A La Carte set. They are adorable! I've colored them with my Copics and added some Craft-T metallic Rub-ons. I also tried Rachel's shading tips from Color Me Copic. I was used to blending from light to dark so it was refreshing to try this new technique!

I used PP from KI Memories and Cosmo Cricket. The ribbon is from My Little Shoebox. Those whimsical chipboards are also from Cosmo Cricket! The punch is from Martha Stewart.

Please stop by and see the rest of the customers' STELLAR creations!!



Thanks for stopping by,

No Regrets

I got cancelled from work yesterday.

The census was low and there were too many nurses on. So they called off the ones they didn't need. Sometimes, we put our names on a list for this reason. But other times (like yesterday), you don't have a choice.

It was sort of a blessing in disguise. I did not get paid but I had gotten some ME time. My babe was at his Grandma's and I had twelve hours to myself. It was great! :) Sometimes you just need that .... although I could've really used the money.

Last week, a co-worker got cancelled unexpectedly. She later told me she was glad because her cat had passed that day. She had the cat for 16 years and was her 'baby.' :(

So I made her this card. None of my stamps called out to me. (And even if they did, I still don't have my ink pads...). So I made another imageless card. I find that I enjoy making these as well.

Used my previous October Key Ingredients kit from Taylored Expressions for the CS, ribbon, butterfly, and PP. The flowers are from Prima and Gauche Alchemy.

So if you ask my friend T & I if we regret getting cancelled, we'd both say no.

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

Now unto a similar topic.

I'm in my early 30s (*gasp!*, I revealed my age!!!), married for two years, have a 13-month-old toddler, living in suburbia, about to buy a new home, settled in my career.....

Nice, right?

Sure I'm thankful for my blessings.

But even though I swore to live my life without any regrets, I always wished that I traveled more.

And when I saw this trailer, I think about it more often....



Eat, Pray, Love will be coming out to theaters soon. I can't wait to see the movie. I love Julia Roberts. I thought the book was just ok, but I do love the lessons behind it.

Find yourself, let go of everyday stresses, revel on what's really important, experience different cultures, taste international cuisine, see the world.

I think I'll plan a trip to Europe with some of my friends. Start early enough so that there'll be no excuses :).

Thanks for visiting!

Traveling Best Friends

Happy Hump Day, folks!

I just love making cards out of non-traditional ephemera. I was at Borders' the other day and found the cutest print. Girlfriends traveling together in lots of different places. Reminds me of when I'd go on vacation with my friends.

I used one of the tags to make this card. Used the ruffle from Sunghee and cut out the scalloped edge from a Taylored Expressions invoice.

Hope you have a wonderful one!

Summer Days

hello ladies & gents,

summer days have blessed my family with tons of fun activities. but they haven't left me with much crafting time.

this weekend, though, i got to make a couple of simple cards.

here's one made out of my Taylored Expressions kits scraps. (which i renewed btw! -- i realized that i use it a lot!).

TE Customer Blog Hop Part Deux

Good morning, and welcome to Taylored Expressions' Blast from the Past Customer Bloghop. This is actually my second time participating, and it's so much fun!



I chose this stamped image from their Cuppie Love Scenes. Seems like a lot of my friends have been welcomed with blessings ... new love, engagement, a bun in the oven :). So I thought my hand-written sentiment would be fitting!

I kept it pretty simple and used CS, PP, and ribbon from a Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients kit. The sticker tags are from October Afternoon.

Hope you visit the rest of the players!



Love,

Cool couples

A good friend asked me to make her hubby a card. It's to thank him for being a wonderful hubby especially now that she's a bit hormonal (they are expecting). She chose characters from the Roll Call kit at TGF to represent her and her hubby. I'm not sure if you can see it but I did some highlighting on Odette's belly for that little bump.

It's nice to be making another sale :).

Speaking of cool couples, I just adore them (& their kids). But what I really ADORE are the bikes!

from Child Mode



They are Taga bikes-- three-wheeled stroller bikes. I think it'll be so fun for both the parent and the child!! Aaaacccck!!! I want one!!! I better start saving soon because they cost almost $1500!

I think it's worth it though. I bought a bike about six-seven years ago and it was around $900. This one is much safer and convenient than those tent-like things you put on the back of your bike to carry the little tykes behind you (or even the little seat you place on the front).

Lemme see if my DH will go for it....hee hee hee!

Love,




P.S. Supplies -

CS, PP, Rub-on: Taylored Expressions May Key Ingredients kit. (Pebbles Treehouse)
Scrappers Floss: Close to my Heart.
Chipboard sentiments: Basic Grey.
Misc: buttons, Copics, Gina K CS.

Little birdies

Good Tuesday morning to you all!

I decided to finally break into my May Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients kit. Everything from the card is from this kit, with the exception of the twine, bird bead, and decorative tape (which are from Etsy packaging and the bird cage tape is from Torendi).

This TE kit features Pebbles Treehouse items, which are all very cute. The little birdies are actually rub-ons. Adorable, aren't they?

I had to make the hard decision of not renewing my subscription. I had to choose between TE and Studio Calico. I just feel that I could do more with SC as it'll have enough for both scrapbook lay-outs and cards. Plus, their Design Team always leave me in AWE of what they create with the kit!

I sure will miss TE though! Their products are always so well-presented and organized!

Chic Circus Wear

Hola!

With baby boy's -- soon to be toddler boy :( -- first birthday party coming up, I haven't been able to make a lot of cards. My stamp collection is growing by the minute, and the postman/ UPS/ Fed Ex guys & I are almost on a first name basis. Lots and lots of stamps and party decorations are arriving.

I've been itching to create, especially since I still keep up with my fave blogs. I managed to make this one in five minutes. Mind you, there's no stamping or coloring but I like how it came out anyway.

The CS & PP are made from Taylored Expressions' March Key Ingredients kit. The brads & stickers are from the Dollar store. I added some ink to make it more graphic.

So the Lion baby (he's always growling - it's pretty funny) will be having a circus-themed party, & I've been figuring out what to wear. Discovering The Sartorialist and Garance Dore have given me lots of inspiration.

From Anthropologie:

Love the military-like embellishments!

And I'm truly excited! Second Sister is making me a custom circus necklace (here's an example of her designs).


Now to look for a top hat :)....

And Sandra showed me this little cutie the other day:



From mycobocek

I LOVE!!!!! It would be so cute as MK's cake topper. But, alas, it does not come cheap.


XoXo,

TE's Blast From the Past Blog Hop

Good Tuesday morning everyone! It's time for Taylored Expressions' first ever customer blog hop!



So we are supposed to use TE stamps released in 2008-2009. I couldn't help but use this opportunity to make a Christmas card out of the cuppies from Home Sweet Home and Season's Sweetings. Don't they make a cute crowd of carolers? :)

I wanted to be a bit different from the other participants. LOL! Hope there aren't too many of us who are doing Christmas cards for this blog hop in May!

I actually got these images from a swap with Sunghee-- thanks so much!

To fit all five cuppies, I've decided to make a HUGE card. Used lots of Love Elsie and some Basic Grey. I cut out the stamped images of snowflakes and 'popped' them out. Added stickles for that icicle effect!

I hope you are all having fun with the blog hop!! Make sure you visit the blogs of the other TE customers -- 55 have signed up!

Toodles,

Smile (despite that 'stache!).

Hi everyone! Hope you are all having a great Thursday!

I've got a super quick card for you today. In fact, there's no stamping involved. I've used a Sassafras sticker and used goodies from my April Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients kit.

Today's errands will consist of:

1. Mailing out Mattie's invitations. (i'll show you tomorrow).
2. Booking the balloon twister.
3. Booking a jumper (hard to guess-timate how many kids can make it).
4. Ordering the cake.

Geez, planning your baby's first bday party reminds me of wedding-planning. A lot of people ask why it's such a big event for someone who won't remember any of it. I think it might be cultural-- a Filipino thing. Hope you're not tired of my sharing all the details!

So for the invitations, my sis and I collaborated. It'll be on tomorrow's post, but lemme show you one of my fave pics from the photo shoot that I did with Matthew.



Buwahahahahahaha!!!! this is too funny! the theme is a vintage circus. we were trying to put on the fake mustache and his facial expression is hilarious!

Have an awesome day!

Banners & Party Planning...

I've been wanting to put a watermark on my pictures for this blog for awhile now. Actually, I want to do it for most of my pictures online too (like Facebook!).

Thanks so much, Sheena, for showing me such a simple and easy way of doing it. I'm going to play around with it a bit over the next few weeks until I find one that I really like. I'm also going to be changing around my header as well.

Today's card features another one of Taylored Expressions' a la carte stamps. I just love the size of this one! I used the cardstock, PP, buttons, and ribbon from TE's April Key Ingredients kit. And then aside from the buttons, my favorite part is the banner sticker from Sassafras.

You may have noticed that banners are the trend right now. Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing pics of my future projects -- one of them being making a banner for my son's 1st bday party.

During this post, I talked about doing a Peter Pan theme. But I watched the movie and I think it'll be more appropriate when he's older so that he could enjoy dressing up like a lost boy with his friends and walking the plank...LOL!

So i went with my second option and am doing a vintage circus. I really like the ideas here!! I've been scouring Etsy and I've been buying like crazy. I plan on making invitations (making one and doing copies), favors, and some of the decorations.



Have been experimenting since TGF doesn't have a male Circus Ian. Here's a rough alteration of Oliver & Circus Anya as Mattie. I may do it with Daddy Ian's head instead.... closer to his hair.

I'm also excited because Sunghee said I could print out her carnival pictures for our TGF Royal Battle Entry # 4. If you haven't seen them, you should check out her blog as they are AMAZING! Thank you everyone for the votes!

Sunghee has also graciously offered to help me if I decide to make her ferris wheel and merry-go-around. I would LOVE to learn how to do all that and I think the party people would just be in AWE. But I don't think I'm up to her talent level (yet :)), and plus I'm scared I'd be stretching myself out. Thanks anyway chica!

I've got about 9 more days of vacation left so I'm planning to get busy! Oh, and next weekend, we'll be taking similar pics of outfits like this:

source

GENIUS!!! AAAACCCK!!! OMG...I'd love to dress up like a circus master myself! Hehehe!

OMG, I think I've shared enough links, don't you think? :)

Have a great weekend!






P.S. You've got until midnight Pacific Standard time tonight to enter my blog candy giveaway for a chance to win this:



Notice that circus PP at the top? I have 9 others for the party :).

Humpback Whales

whales are my favorite animals. humpback whales to be exact.

i think my fascination with whales started when i watched a nature show about a man wanting to swim with them. i remember him saying that they were magical and beautiful. and now, it's become my dream too. i can just imagine how it would be like in the vast wide pit of the ocean, being in the same space as this huge creature. she would sing her serene songs, and i would feel a bit scared and peaceful at the same time.

it's on my bucket list even though i only swim well enough to survive on the beach or the pool (& would probably drown!). nonetheless, it's still a big fantasy of mine.

did you know that humpback whales nurse their calves for almost a year? i just found that out yesterday. So ironic that it was Earth Day. this makes me like them even more as this is a big goal of mine (less than two months away!).

and have you all seen this movie? it's a great one and very touching! i believe that keisha castle-hughes won an award for her role that year.

during our honeymoon in maui two years ago, we saw this beautiful sight from a helicopter ride.



even if they looked so tiny from up above, it was still breathtaking! i loved seeing them and thought of them as a family!

so back to the card for today... i knew that when i saw this stamp at taylored expressions, i had to have it! i used punched-out kol laj papers, love elsie stickers, buttons, martha stewart twine, and dear lizzy (american crafts) ribbon.

so TAG! you're it! i've talked about a couple of items on my bucket list today and yesterday. how about you - what's on yours?

XO,





p.s. i plan to get a tattoo of a whale in the future. anybody know of any good pictures out there? i'd like one that is a cross between a cartoon and the real thing. not so cutes-y, not too realistic.

Coffee anyone?

Happy Wednesday! So with all of the card-making I'm doing with Love Elsie and Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients, I have missed my kol laj papers. If you haven't seen them before, they are painted on papers or paper towels / fabrics and Traci Bautista is selling them as kits. I wish you could see it in person but the layers upon layers of color are just gorgeous!

I've used Coffee Kiki La Rue. She is so cute in her curlers and ruffled robe. Wish I looked that adorable upon waking!

And if you look closely, the cardstock & ribbon are from TE's March Key Ingredients kit. And the stickers are from Love Elsie :). Hey, I gotta use my scraps afterall!

Anyway, am really excited about the Glee cast being on Oprah today! Can't wait till 4 pm!!

Have a wonderful afternoon!