Just Ducky!

Here's a sweet little 4.25 x 4.25 inch card. The duck is from the PTI Bitty Blessings set & the "just ducky" is A Muse. I used Stampin' Up Wild Wasabi cardstock/striped grosgrain and Amy Butler designer paper.

I wanted to share some other Christmas cards that I received:

This is a sparkle-licious card ala Ivy Pink!
Isn't this Season's Greetings card super elegant? Love the bling...it is from Savitri over at Scrappin and Stampin with Savitri.

This FABulously rich colored card is from Jenn Diaz of Stamps and all that Jazz.
How Sweet is this "let it SNOW" card?! It really is quite glitter-licious in person ala Jane of Whoopsie Daisy!

I'll finish up my sharing the gorgeous cards I received tomorrow....

make a wish!

I made this card for a co-worker of mine. I knew that I was going to make this for her after spotting Elena's of The Stamping Shac version. Dang, that girl can mask...you know me and my bling, I did that to help the transition of the police and the cake...if you check out Elena's version, hers is perfection. I had already made a mistake on an earlier version on my precious Fabriano...I couldn't bear the thought of another one going into the scrap dungeon. Here's the funny thing, the birthday girl said it would have been even better if the police dude didn't have a shirt on {good grief....that would mean hand drawing...etc...I stamp for petey sakes because I can't draw...rolling my eyes!}. The Police hat and shirt are paper pieced...I learned that from my earlier version...coloring in with copics just wasn't cutting it...I had to resort to fussy cutting. I finished off the cake with my signo white gel pen...all the images are ala A Muse.

Crazy Tasty

I was trying to figure out a snappy title and then spotted "Crazy Tasty" on the Spam can..lol. I was truly inspired when I saw Jenn's FABulous altered spam can on Kiyomi Krafts. I asked my Mom to save her cans for me {I never buy the stuff but eat the stuff when my mom makes Spam Musubi}. I realize that there is a HUGE population that feels nauseous at the thought of Spam but maybe it's because I'm Asian? I know it's huge in Hawaii {back me up my Asian peeps, either living in Hawaii or living on the mainland}. Anywho's, this isn't about Spam but the container..lol.

This is truly an inspired project for me...the paper rosette is ala Angie over at schwooo! I have to say that Stampin' Up cardstock makes the construction of the rosette a little challenging...next time I'll use thinner DP. You can't seem to see them, but on the Amy Butler DP that I used to wrap around the can, there are tiny pomegranate colored flowers...that's why I used my Stampin' Up Purely Pomegranate stitched grosgrain.

How can anyone resist my new Hero Arts Japanese Dolls? I was actually fussing with the cards forever...really. I was trying to do something like Lisa Spangler's card on the Hero Arts Blog. I had to come to terms with the fact that her card is much larger than the 3x3 cards I was working with. It just wasn't going to happen. So I opted for clean & simple. I used Amy Butler solid celery textured paper and inked up my Stampin' Up Bamboo II with my Memento Pear Tart ink. The ribbon is ala May Arts....super clean & crisp!

I stamped the dolls with Memento Tuxedo black and then followed up the solid black areas with my black Copic marker. Their faces are colored in with Baby Skin Pink{e21} and their cheeks are Light Pink {rv21}.

My Mom gave me 2 cans on Christmas AND said that she wanted one back, decorated...I see how that woman works..lol. I'll be giving this to her on New Year's Day...oshogatsu...a day that we celebrate with tons of yummish Japanese food.

Blog Candy Alert!

Check out Toni's blog, Whimiscal Thoughts for some FABulous blog candy!!!

Saturday Finds!

I received a sweet email from Elaine over at A Place for Ink. She sounded all calm and then drops the "SEI is having a 75% off sale"....

Here's the link: SEI

**have fun, I sure did**

Here are some other online shops having monsta sales:

Paper Source

Martha Stewart Crafts

(okay, her shipping is outrageous but if you're like me and love ribbon...it's still a great deal)

scrapgal.com

(use coupon code christmas08 to get 40% off/spend $70 & get free shipping)

This year was the first for me, no retail shopping on the 26th...I did it all online

bring on the happiness....

Can you believe that it is already the 26th? I forgot to schedule a post for today...had my pics all ready but started surfing for after-Christmas sales online...here it is already 7 a.m....I won't tell you when I started surfing but let's just say I didn't buy anything...what? *LOL* I hope everyone had a magnificent Christmas...I sure did and mine works into the weekend/next week...love it when that happens :)

Okay, onto the cards...I came across some old SEI papers. I love the stuff because it is reversible and heavy'ish. These 2 cards highlight both patterns...I've been drawn to this card design...been seeing it everywhere. The colored panels are on dimensionals which gives it an extra *something* dontcha think? Yuppers, that would be my Stampin' Up Cool Caribbean...took some out of the 'ole hoarding vault LOL.

It's great to when your kids say: "This is the best Christmas ever!". I'm looking forward to receiving what Mrs. Claus has picked out for me...She happened to find some FABulous deals on crafty stuff Unfortunately the goods probably won't start rolling in until next week...but hey, it'll be the never ending Christmas...it's all good.

Merry Christmas II

I wanted to share some other cards that I've received:

This is actually from my very first crafting mentor...hopefully she will see this. I use to work with "T" years ago...she's super busy with her own catering business...along with customer greetings...being a mom...wife....

This is from a fellow stamp club member...{Hi J!} I received an a-dorable picture of her beautiful kids too!!!
Yes ladies, I was the lucky duck that received this Monsta card from the one, the only...llaurenb over at...all the GOOD blog names were taken. That Lauren ALWAYS has me cracking up!

Wooo Hoooo...I won blog candy from thee Jennifer McGuire! I fell in love with her a-dorable owl card which enabled me to buy the sweet Hero Arts owl:

I also went ahead and bought the sweet trio of Japanese dolls when I was totally inspired by this fabulous card by Lisa Spangler on the Hero Arts Blog.
I hope you all are having a very Merry Christmas!!!

**Merry Christmas!!**

For some reason it seems like this year has really flown by...I can't believe that it is Christmas. There is something about receiving handmade cards...I {heart} it...obviously since I have an obession for making them :) I wanted to share some of the ones that I've received recently:

This is from Judy, she is actually the Mom of one of my really good friends {Hey P!}. Not only is she a papercrafter but she is a spectacular quilter!

This gorgeous creation would be ala Rose Ann of Paper Delights....blue and red....one of my current fav color combo's...and the sweet gal wrote her greeting on a sticky note so I can re-use it...ha, I'm not going to :) Keeping it for myself!

This Joy {filled} card is ala Latisha of A Busy Little Craftee Bee. She always has magnificent ribbons & bows!

This Merry Christmas card in all of it's green glory is from Julia of Create with Me. It is simply gorgeous with all it's texture...

I hope that you all are having a spectacular Christmas, spending it with the peeps that you love...I am.

you bring me....JOY

This is the Basic Grey Stepped Chipboard Album. Whew, who would have thought it would take as long as it took me to finish it. I actually kept the chipboard pages and removed the cardstock ones. I'm an instant gratification paper artist :) Too many pages is just too intimidating for me to complete or think of. I covered the pages with Periphery. I was going to type that it is one of my favorites but let's be realistic, there isn't anything that Basic Grey produces that I don't like. I have to mention that the brown flower is actually thanks to Catherine's coffee filter flower tut on InkSomnia.

The album consists of a total of 4 pages including the cover.

Cover: The chipboard letters are Basic Grey and the velvet ric rac is ala Jody Morrow of Confessions of a Ribbon Addict.
Page 2: Bingo card is ala Jenni Bowlin, K&Co Twinkle Type & vintage paper, aha! The star brad is ala Julia Stainton's blog candy winnings :)



I will "fill in" this page...the newsprint is actually from a "free" paper that Starbucks gives out...

Page 3: ledger paper ala Jenni Bowlin, the silver alpha ala Making Memories, the "&" rub on is Hambly, the pearl K&Co, the heart stamp is Hampton Arts and the flower is Prima.

Okay, you're going to laugh...the glittery heart is the sticky side of a mailing label...I couldn't find my packing tape. Inside the envy is a little Ynote {smiles}. It's snug inside the envy so I sewed the grosgrain ribbon onto the note and it can be easily retrieved by pulling up on the ribbon.

Page 4: ric rac from Jody Morrow {see cover page}, flower by prima, misc bling, k&co paper clip, chipboard numbers by Basic Grey

I'm pretty pleased with the outcome but have a feeling I'll fuss over it until it gets to "d"...I'm one of those peeps that likes to step away from a project and analyze it with "fresh eyes"...lol.

**Merry Christmas Eve!**

Gift Cards....

I'm a huge fan of gift cards...both giving and receiving..lol. It is the "one size fits all, get what you really want" mentality. To some peeps it seems impersonal BUT I do make sure that the gift card "vessel" is personalized to them or at least to the gift card.

Typically I've altered tins by adhering the paper directly onto the tin itself. Well, I happened to see Dawn McVey's fabulous tin {okay, what doesn't she make that isn't fabulous?!}. This is when I can honestly say that I need all 500+ subscriptions in my Google reader because I truly soak up inspiration...I don't just have paper crafting blogs, I also have letterpress, home decor/design, wedding {no, I'm not getting married but they are filled with fabulous color combos and invitations}, photography {okay, I even have one that is "Stuff Asian People Like"...although at times it can be crude, it is absolutely hilarious}. I really like the idea of the belly band, it can easily slide off and on, great for re-gifting :)

This tin uses Basic Grey Cupcake, Stampin' Up Baja Breeze & Riding Hood Red. I actually cut out the 3 icecream cones as an after-thought {thanks to llaurenb over at all the GOOD blog names were taken, she would be the queen of fussy cutting!}. I added some crystal effects on the icecream scoops. That makes up for the lack of glitter! The ribbon trim is something that I've had forever, bought it off of the sale rack at J's...for only $1...should have stocked up :). I made the tin so that it could double up as a tree ornament...I'll pop it on my Mom's tree when we go over for Christmas. This is for my Brother and his gf....hmmm....I wonder what could be inside? Let's just say that they are big fans of this place.

This tin uses...oh I don't know...maybe Basic Grey Figgy Pudding? This tin is for my most wonderful Mom :) I've loved the pieced trees that I've been seeing and this Stampin' Up Tin {from the special they had in November} is the perfect size to really highlight some of the fabulous patterns in Figgy Pudding. I glitterized around the trees and the red panel. I blinged the trees up too...couldn't help it...I kept adding more and more :)

I know that my Mom and Brother are NOT regular readers of my blog...my luck they will tap into it this week :) So that being said, I decline to say what is stashed in my Mom's tin....you'll have to guess..lol.

Birthday Wallet

I tell you, this weather we've been experiencing has been plaguing us since mid-December. That's when we were suppose to get together to celebrate one of my older brother's birthday. In a way, it's been to my advantage since I didn't make him anything prior to the original celebration date :) I was inspired to make a birthday wallet via her majesty Julie Ebersole {JulieHRR}. Her version uses my well hoarded madeira paper {obviously I'm still keeping it well hoarded..lol!}. I decided to use my favorite speckletone kraft. The a-dorable epoxy "Make a Wish" sticker is by Creative Imaginations..opening the package almost made me pass out, the aroma was overwhelming. I originally bought the package of stickers to make cards for my sweet 'lil 1 year old nephew...I'm glad I didn't..they were stinky-guy-pan {an Amy'ism}...they are definitely okay to use for a 44 year old's birthday card though...heck we grew up consuming large quantities of MSG and raw eggs...what is a little toxic epoxy aroma? *LOL*

I matched up the RABOM ribbon to the itunes gift card...I also bought him a Home Depot card {you can see that orange peeking out}...that's why I designed the wallet like I did...I didn't want the blazing orange yelling out to him :) It's really for the honey-do list's...I decided to keep the embellishing to clean & simple..it is a wallet for a dude, and I doubt he'd want his all "dolled up"!

Sassy "H"

This has to be an all time record for me...3 blog posts in 1 day? I was going to postpone this until tomorrow but I've already scheduled all my posts through Christmas in anticipation of the storm that went through our area last night/this morning. I was afraid we were going to lose power....knock on wood, so far so good. Anyways, I decided to go ahead and share this in the event that someone else might be inspired by this post over at Splitcoaststampers, Help Hannah with her Wish. Thanks to Susan of One4Joy daily for bringing it to my attention.

There is something so cheery about Sassafras papers, it always makes me smile and I'm crossing my fingers that it will make Hannah smile. I used the CPS sketch 96, I've been really enjoying their sketches and have been trying to play along on a weekly basis. This week's sketch makes it easy to highlight my Sassafras hoarded stash :) Definitely a glitter'licious card...I decided to use my thin red liner tape around the edge of the Pink Passion panel to adhere the glitter. I also glitterized the brackets...what could be better than k&co Twinkle Type?! This is actually a ginormous card...8.5 x 5.5. I don't know if you noticed but on the heart panel, I stamped "Let it Snow"!". Gotta love the Stampin' Up Tiny Talk set...

Okay, off to clean up the glittery mess...Stay Warm and make someone's day!

FROST-y Giveaway!

Check out the ShortCuts blog for a

FROST-y Giveway!!!

How could I resist as it is Frosty here in the Pacific Northwest?!

**cute monster**

Such a fun little quiz:

Your Cute Monster Says Your Inner Demon is Sensitivity

You are a giving, open, loving person. You truly want the world to be a better place. You appreciate what you have in life. You are very content. You are very sensitive, and your sensitivity can be a double edged sword. People think you're cute because you're generous. You are easy to love - it's part of your charm.

The Cute Monster Test

Saturday Finds!

Okay, how many of you use Google Reader? I just tapped onto the "trends" option and look what I found out about myself:

From your 512 subscriptions, over the last 30 days you read 8,245 items, starred 161 items

Okay, how many of you are thinking that I'm a nut'ola for having 512 subscriptions and how many of you are thinking {waving your hand} "That ain't nothin'!"...lol.

Well, I found something interesting via Real Simple. It is a free online website called Evernote.com, you can organize articles and web pages. Real Simple calls it a virtual scrapbook, they have a web clipper to drag things into your online notebook. How fabulous is that? I'm huge on "starring" things via Google Reader {obviously when you read my stats} but it is a pain'ola to try to find the blog entries. Does anyone use this? I'd love to hear your feedback on it!

Check out Real Simple's Paper Construction Gallery...how would you love that job?

Well, they are forecasting 90+ mph winds in my neck of the woods...hoping that I won't lose power but if you don't hear from me, you'll know why :)

Hau`oli Lā Hānau!!

Happy Snowy Friday!!!

Are you wondering what "Hau`oli Lā Hānau!!" means? It is "Happy Birthday!!" in Hawaiian! We celebrated a co-worker's birthday on Tuesday. Debbie is from Hawaii so I knew that I was going to use my a-dorable Imaginisce Penguin Chick and A Shore Thing coordinating papers. Her bikini top and flower are colored in with my Stampin' Up Cameo Coral marker. Her hula skirt is Memento Pear Tart, yes it has a glitter-licious waist band :) One of the gal's in the office {actually there is more than one but...} is a cooking/baking guru. Upon the Birthday Girl's request, she made a Chantilly Cake. It looked delish...I didn't partake in that part of the festivities because 1. I assure you that last Saturday I consumed enough calories for the rest of the year and 2. I'm lactose-intolerant and didn't have any meds with me...enough said about that :)

I tell you, this cold front made the kids/me miss school/work 4 days this week...yes, it is that bad. In a pinch, we can walk to the grocery store but luckily it hasn't gotten to that point {I'm one of those gal's that is always cold..even with sweaters on}. The kids are lovin' the weather...me? I don't like not being able to just "hop in my car" kwim? I just have a smidge more Christmas shopping to do that I haven't been able to get to because of the snow...Realistically if it doesn't get done it's okay but, I'd love to just get it completed.

Over the weekend I'll post some great tips that I read about in my most recent Real Simple...love that mag!

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stamps: imaginisce penguin chick paper: stampin' up wild wasabi, imaginisce a shore thing ink: stampin' up cameo coral, memento pear tart & rich cocoa, signo white gel pen accessories: circle scallop punch, coluzzle, martha glue pen, dazzling diamonds, bling, prima flower, rabom ribbon

Warm Wishes...

Thanks to JenMarie, she reminded me that I needed to make a get well'ish card. Last week a very dear lady that I know was in the hospital for a couple days. She is back home but I wanted to let her know that I was thinking of her. The My Favorite Things "Bunny Slippers" set was screaming to be inked up. What could be more cheery than Amy Butler papers? I just {heart} her patterns and love to mix and match them up. Are you wondering where the glitter is?? It is around the scalloped oval :)

I was also inspired by Jennifer Pebbles. I bought a couple of these treats for my bosses...I was going to wrap them in some yummish ribbon and call it good {yup, the Stampin' up Riding Hood Red Grosgrain that you've been seeing alot here} but decided to use my KI Memories papers and the fabulous Top Note Die. I added some K&Co Twinkle Type and Stampin' Up Felt Flurries and Bam, a self-contained gift! The best part of it? They were super easy smeasy and what a difference a little paper and embellies make!

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Warm Wishes: stamps: mft bunny slippers paper: amy butler, stampin' up wild wasabi ink: memento rich cocoa, copic e21 baby skin pink accessories: martha glue pen, stampin' up dazzling diamonds, oval scallop punch, stampin' up scallop punch, signo white gel pen

Treats: stamps: a muse paper: ki memories ink: versafine vintage sepia accessories: stampin' up top note die, k&co twinkle type, stampin' up felt flurries, t $ spot bling, t treats

Figgy Thanks

Here's another 2.5 x 5.5 inch petite card!

Are you tired of Basic Grey's Figgy Pudding and/or Blue & Red....obviously, I'm not :) I made a handful of these little cards for my friends that came over for dinner on Saturday.

I took the remainder of my stash from my Holiday Gift Sale to work and the gals had a ball shopping. The good news? I've made enough to purchase my iPod touch {and basically cover my Dyson..my pink Dyson}. The bad news? My furnace konked out on me over the weekend but was really on the fritz Monday...it was a balmy 57 degrees in my home. It could have been definitely worse, I'm thankful that I had/have power. I know that everyone has been experiencing a cold snap. Long story short, my furnace repair was a couple hundred dollars...sigh.

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stamps: stampin' up teeny tinies ink: stampin' up riding hood red paper: basic grey figgy pudding, stampin' up riding hood red, speckletone kraft accessories: stampin' up striped grosgrain & felt flurry snowflake, k&co pearl.

Vintage Butterfly Boy

This poor little guy is really neglected...a sweet image by Paperbag Studios. It's a fun size card, 2.5 x 5.5 inches. I discovered the size ala the Jennifer McGuire's blog...well, I went to try to find her precious card and couldn't....anyways, she had a skinny'ish card and I winged the measurements. The vintage designer paper is from K&Co that I've had forever {it was on sale for only $0.25!}. See that butterfly (btw, she is on dimensionals)? I bought the Martha punch at A Muse when I was there for the cupcake social. I edged the butterfly with my black Twinklette pen, {I stocked up on them when the Rubber Soul Redmond store closed shop...btw, I miss them} it adds a nice touch of sparkle. I added the matte gold dew drops for bling...gotta have the bling :)

**Darn it...I was trying to schedule this one for tomorrow...oh well, 2 posts in 1 day**

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stamps: paperbag studios paper: speckletone kraft, stampin' up very vanilla ink: versafine vintage sepia, twinklette pen accessories: dew drops, martha butterfly punch, stampin' up corner punch dealio

Shiver Snow person

Do you remember Merry Figgy and Beautiful Balsam? I made them for "d" to pick from along with this "lonnnnnng tall sally" as Susan of One4Joy calls them...
Seriously, who can resist a sparkly snow person? Can you believe that I'm still having fun with the most fabulous Basic Grey Figgy Pudding?? "D" ended up picking this Shiver Snow Person card and this one. {Smile}
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paper: basic grey figgy pudding, stampin' up riding hood red accessories: misc white twill, circle scallop punch, coluzzle {I'm probably the only one that uses this anymore...}, martha glue pen {still diggin' this!}, dazzling diamonds & signo white gel pen

Ms. Campy Birthday Owl

Happy Monday!!!

I thought I'd give you a break from Christmas cards...This is for the Card Positioning Systems Sketch 95. I love Cosmo Cricket's Mr. Campy line...soooo fun! {Oh Sheesh, it seems that Cosmo Cricket is coming out with fabric???!!!! shaking my head...I gotta learn to sew!} I {heart} Kim Hughes' work...I used her U R A Hoot set. Obviously Ms. Campy Owl just had a pedicure :) Her eyeshadow and toenail polish are super glitter'licious {but of course!}.

Another weekend *poof*! Where do the days go?? We went out to dinner on Friday night and saw Australia. I just have 2 words for you....

Hugh Jackman

On Saturday I had my friends over for our annual Holiday Gathering. I bought each of the girls a zippered pouch from the FABulous etsy shop FattsMaGee. Andrea of FattsMaGee picks out thee cutest fabrics...you all know how I love to look at fabric. I teamed it up with a set of cards... We all had such fun and we each had quite the stash of homemade laundry detergent/soup/cookies/lipbalm/body oil/bath salts/ice cream/ also a subscription to Veranda AND crocheting lessons! We've been trying to gear our gift exchanges to homemade items :) The evening was filled with tons of laughter and lots of poking fun at each other...hilarious stuff...all good :) Oh yeah, we all consumed enough calories to last us a lifetime....

Sunday was cold, windy and snowy...I stayed home and was creative all day long...it is sooo good for my soul.

Have a super week!

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stamps: kim hughes u r a hoot paper: cosmo cricket mr. campy, stampin' up chocolate chip ink: memento rich cocoa accessories: copics, martha glue pen, dazzling diamonds, stampin' up stitched wasabi grosgrain & janome

Saturday Finds!

Check out these a-dorable **free** tags/labels by {Inside A Black Apple}

**FREE** Printable card from Creature Comforts/Little Brown Pen {you're going love this!}

**Free** Pea kit at 2Peas ala Jennifer Pebbles

***Free is Good***

Happy Haul-a-Days Giveaway

Check out the fabulous blog candy Suzy has over at:

papermonkey.org

Beautiful Balsam

Happy Friday!!!

I was asked by "d" to make a couple cards for him...one for his Grandmother and another one for his Aunt. I have to be honest and say that I originally made my Merry Figgy card for him but decided that perhaps it was a bit too busy for his G-Ma and/or his Aunt :) What do you think about his one? I'm still having a ball with my Basic Grey Figgy Puddy...Love the Balsam paper, it's sooo elegant and rich looking. I orginally had the panel against the Stampin' Up Very Vanilla...I didn't like it so I added a smidge of Chocolate Chip. I've had the gorgeous Olive wired satin ribbon for years...bought it at a holiday show and recently started to really use it...

This weekend we are suppose to get some snow in the Pacific Northwest...hmmm....I have a jam packed weekend. I'm all for snow but not if I have to drive in the stuff.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!!

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stamps: stampin' up warmest regards paper: stampin' up very vanilla/chocolate chip, basic grey figgy pudding ink: versafine vintage sepia accessories: misc wired satin ribbon, janome