Kreativ Blogger Award

I really feel so honored to get this award from my friend, ANN! Thank you so much! Ann has an amazing blog and she's super creative and crafty, so if you haven't checked out her site, it's definitely worth the visit.

I, myself, have really come to enjoy the blogging, so I appreciate you all for taking the time to come by and read my blog...or at least look at the pictures! {smile}

The rules for this award are:

1. Thank the person that nominated you for this award.
2. Copy logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link the person's blog that nominated you for this award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post a link to the 7 you nominated.
7.Leave a comment on each blog to let them know they are nominated.


Here are my 7 nominees...
1. Jane
2. Dawn
3. Winter
4. Elizabeth
5. Melissa
6. Tina
7. Liz

All of these ladies have quite a talent for papercrafting - I've found LOTS of inspiration perusing there blog pages!

Seven things you might find interesting about me.
1. I've been happily married to my dear hubby for about as long as I have been happily stamping (it'll be 9 years on August 12!). My first stamp project was making our table numbers for our wedding reception, using my first set, the Definitely Decorative Hydrangeas.
2. I grew up in Irvine, CA.
3. I love to travel and feel very lucky to have visited 13 countries so far.
4. My first job out of college was doing laboratory stem cell research at UCLA.
5. I'm Filipino and I have a thing for purses and shoes. It's in the genes.
6. I've run 3 marathons and hope to do a 4th one next year.
7. I didn't like cats growing up, but now am a proud owner of a big kitty named Oliver, and he's a love!

Hey - it's Freebie Friday!

Hello there and happy Friday! This week is actually Freebie Friday 30! My goodness! I think being on vacation threw me off in my count and when I double checked, it is in fact already the 30th Freebie Friday. So, are you ready for this week's Freebie?This stamp set was one of the Sale-a-bration stamp sets from earlier this year. Isn't it cute? What's great about it is that 3 of the images coordinate perfectly with Stampin'Up!'s punches! These are:

Scallop Circle
Full Heart
5-Petal Flower

All you need to do to play is leave me a comment on this post with your email address or blog url (basically, enough information so I can contact you) by Midnight Saturday, August 1st. The winner will be announced on Monday, so you can also check back then. Wow - can you believe it'll already be August tomorrow?

You can leave me a comment about anything, or you can answer this question: What's been your favorite memory so far this summer? I can't wait to read your comments - it'll be great to see what fun stuff you all have been up to!

Have a great day! Bye for now.

New Pals Paper Arts Challenge

Hi there! In my blurfing today, I discovered that Mary Fish and her Pretty Pals have created a new color challenge. Well, I'm a big fan of Mary Fish, so I was inspired to create a card and play along! I had looked at the colors earlier today, and thought that they were all in colors..and then went from my memory to create my card. Here are the colors:So, I got 2 out of the 3 colors right, but the third one is close enough, I think. I used Soft Suede instead of Chocolate Chip - and I can't believe I missed that, since I LOVE the Chocolate Chip! Oh well. Here's my card:Whaddya think? How do you like my flower? It's made out of felt and I created it using the Flower Folds die and the Scallops #2 die. I even sewed on the pearls in the middle from the Pretties kit! (Check me out, huh!...that Janome is making a sewer out of me yet! Hand-stitched even!)

Here's how the pieces look - I used 2 felt pieces from the smallest flower on the Flower Folds die and one felt piece of the small scallops die on the Scallop Circle #2 die:
If you're wondering why there's only one pearl in the picture, it's because I was only planning to use one at first, but when I actually stitched it on, I thought 3 would fill the center a little better. These felt flowers are a lot of fun to make. Plus, they'd also make great embellishments on t-shirts, tanks, or other sewing projects!

{Recipe}:
* Wings of Friendship stamp set
* Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay, Soft Suede and Whisper White cardstock; DSP
* Melon Mambo Ink pad
* Flower folds Bigz XL die and Scallop #2 die, Leaves sizzlit, and the Big Shot, of course
* Scallop oval, Wide oval punches, Pretties kit, and Melon Mambo grosgrain ribbon
* Bright pink felt from Michaels

Thanks for visiting - I appreciate you coming by!

Simply thinking of you

Hello there! I'm trying to figure out my swap prototype(s) for convention next week and this is one of the thoughts I finally put to paper. I've been wanting to use the Woodgrain background stamp with an In Color color scheme, so I thought an owl would be a perfect acessory for this stamp set, along with a little leafy branch.

I was also trying to go for something clean, yet simple that I can quickly mass produce (procrastinator that I am!). What do you think? Would you trade with me? I would love to hear your feedback!

I'll check in with you later....time to get ready for work. Have a great day! Toodles for now.

Double Challenge Card!

Yay! I got to do some stamping tonight! After seeing Dawn McVey's Raspberry Suite Challenge #13 and this week's Mojo Monday 97 sketch challenge, I was inspired to incorporate the 2 into another double challenge card. How do you like the little sneak peek of my card so far? Here are the Challenges so you can take a look at my inspiration:

I really like the color combo Dawn picked out. I translated these colors the the following Stampin'Up! colors: Certainly Celery, Real Red, Cameo Coral, and Whisper White. It's another bright and summery color scheme that makes me smile! Here's my full card - I hope you like it!
For the middle of the flower, I used a technique that Dawn had shared on her blog a little while ago about snipping a little wedge out of the scallops on the scallop circle and I even went a step further and did it to one layer of the flower folds flower. I used the second smallest flower on the Flower Folds die. For the flower center, I used the trio flower punch and created mini flowerettes with swiss dots in the center that I dotted in with Real Red marker.

{Recipe}:
All Supplies Stampin'Up!, except border punch
* Certainly Celery, Real Red, Cameo Coral, and Whisper White cardstock
* Certainly Celery, Real Red, Cameo Coral Classic Ink Pads, Real Red marker
* Circle Circus stamp set
* Flower Folds Bigz XL die cut
* Scallop Circle, Trio flowers, Modern Label and 1/4" circle punches
* Real Red Polka dot grosgrain ribbon (used the back side), Playground button, hemp twine, Signo Gel pen
* Fiskars border punch

Thanks so much for popping by! It's bedtime for me, so I'll catch you guys tomorrow. Bye for now ;)

Fun Mail!

Going through the mail when you get back from vacation can be a tedious task, but I was pleasantly surprised when I came across two very sweet cards from my Freebie Friday winners! Thank you so much, Cam and Jenny for sending me such beautiful cards! I hope you don't mind that I'm sharing them on my blog :)

You are both very talented gals - thanks a bunch!

I'm hoping to carve out some time later today to do some stamping. I'm feeling a little out of practice. I do know that I need to get started on my swaps for convention next week! If you're going, let me know by leaving me a comment so maybe we can in person. I would definitely love to meet you!

Have a great day! Ciao for now.

Deal of the Week - from July 27-31

Hi again! Here's this week's Deal of the Week - if you don't have this punch already, it's a great time to buy :)

This punch is not just for Valentine's day - you can use it year round!

It's Monday and I'm back on the Mainland

Good morning all! Oh how I wish I was typing up today's post at my little spot in the picture above, but sadly, I'm back from vacation and I'm still trying to adjust back from island time. We took the red eye on Saturday night and got back early yesterday, so I feel like going back to sleep a little more this morning! But alas, it's back to work today, so I will need to fire up and get my day going.

Well, as I wake up and have my first cup of coffee this morning, how about we find out who the winner is for Freebie Friday 27?! Are you ready? The winner for this week is: Lucky number 14, who happens to be Priscilla! Congrats, Priscilla A.! Thank you all so much for playing! ;) There are a couple of you that asked me questions, and I will answer those this week.

In the meantime, I hope you have a great day and I'll check in with you guys a bit later today. Have a great one!

EDIT: OOPS! I posted the wrong snapshot for the winner above - my bad! It really is 14, but I was clearly struggling this morning when I created the post and attached the wrong week's snapshot...will update tonight. my apologies ;)

EDIT UPDATE #2: Corrected the Random.Org picture! {YAY!}

Wow - it's Friday....already

Hi all. I can't believe it's Friday already. It sure seems to come faster when you're on vacation! Oh well. Since it IS FRIDAY, that means it's a FREEBIE FRIDAY! This week, I'm gonna give away the Swirls and Scribbles sizzlit:

All you need to do is leave me a comment on this post with your email address or blog url (basically, enough information so I can contact you) by Midnight Saturday, July 25th. The winner will be announced on Monday's blog post, so you can check back then.

You can leave me a comment about anything, or you can ask me a question and I'll try my best to answer them in my blog next week (as long as they're blog appropriate!).

Thanks for stopping by!

Day trip to Waimea Canyon

Yesterday we went up to Waimea Canyon, which is basically the Grand Canyon of Kauai. It's pretty cool! Here's a quick look: Isn't this canyon amazing?
Here's a view from the Kalalau Lookout - we were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of it before it got enveloped in fog and clouds! This is the bird's eye view of the trail hike we did earlier in the week.
We capped off the day with a luau. Since it was a little rainy yesterday, they had the luau indoors...oh well! It was still a great show.

That's all for now...time for me to head down to the beach! Aloha!

Highlights from the Kalalau Trail

Hi peeps! Today, I thought I'd do a quick share of some pics from our hike we did on Monday. Michael and I have done this hike the 4 out of 5 times we've been to Kauai and it always has a way of kicking our butts, but the view throughout is amazing. It's the start of the Kalalau trail that takes you to a beach, and then to a waterfall, which comes out to an 8 mile out-and-back route. The one time we didn't do it was on our last trip a couple years ago, where we did a different hike with my bro, which was slightly tougher (as in, there was a point where I thought we were gonna fall off the cliff!) and longer, but had equally breathtaking views of the NaPali coast. In either case, as hard as the hikes were, the payoff was definitely worth it! Here's a picture of Michael and I - still looking fresh and energized after probably .25 miles into our hike!
Since most of the hike wraps around the NaPali coast, the hike is super scenic. Here we are with Michael's sister, Erin and boyfriend Kyle.
We made it to the beach! This is 2 miles into the hike!
What a pretty little beach, huh!
After 2 more miles, this is the breathtaking waterfall we reach.
Michael and my father-in-law had fun swimming and exploring under the falls. Erin and Kyle made it into the water, too.
After 8 miles and 7 hrs later, here are my in-laws at the finish. Triumphant!

That's all for today - hope you all have a great one!

Happy Monday! Freebie Friday Winner time..

What a glorious Monday it is - especially when you're on vacation - {wink}! Ready for the Freebie Friday winner? This week's little tissue cozy giveaway goes to...
Lucky number 6, who happens to be Maureen! Congrats Maureen! Please email me your info so I can send you your goodie! Disclaimer - I will be sending your goodie out next Monday, since I'm gone this week ;)

Thank you all for playing - have a great day!

Aloha from Kauai!

Hi all! Greetings from Kauai! We're on a family vacation with my hubby's family. We arrived yesterday afternoon, and it's been fantastic so far! It's a beautiful day here, with some intermittent clouds, as you can see from the photo above, which I took while I was on a walk this morning with my mother-in-law. This is the spot where we saw a couple of turtles, though I don't think I got them in this picture. We all got up so early today, due to the 3 hr time difference, that we headed out to the beach...at 7 am. It's only a little after 11 here, but it feels like we've done a lot already.

Anyway, I wanted to let you all know that I will probably be posting a little erratically this week (but how can you blame me?...this is hardly a place to be sitting in front of your computer!) I'll do my best to post photos here and there. Probably not too many cards this week, but maybe I'll have a day of retrospectives from the past...we'll see. Hope you enjoy your day...you can bet I'll be enjoying mine ;)

Mahalo!

Happy Freebie Friday 28!

Wow! This Friday came really quick! Or, maybe it's cuz the time went by so fast since I've been so preoccupied and enamored with my new little sewing machine. Heehee. Can you take a guess as to what today's Freebie might be? It's one of my new favorite sewing projects! Here it is: A handmade original by me - a Tissue Holder, embellished with the Flower Folds flowers :) The color reminded me of the new In Color, Dusty Durango with a hint of In Color Alumnus, Groovy Guava. Hope you like it! Who can't use a cute little tissue holder in their purse or car!

Here are some quick instructions, for those of you out there that might want to try your hand at making your own tissue cozy!

{Instructions}

Supplies:
* 4 pieces of 5 3/4" x 4" rectangle fabric
* Thread
* Sewing Machine
* embellishments (your choice)

1. fold 2 of these pieces with the right side facing out, then iron down so you have a nice crease (these are the 2 flaps)
2. put the layers together:
-bottom layer face down
-next layer face up
-arrange your 2 folded pieces on top, so that the crease side is in the middle, open side on the edge
-now sew along all 4 sides about 1/4" from the edge
-turn inside out, and viola - you're done!

Back to the Freebie Friday giveaway...Are you ready to play? Now, all you need to do is leave me a comment on this post with your email address or blog url (basically, enough information so I can contact you) by Midnight Saturday, July 18th. The winner will be announced on Monday's blog post, so you can check back then.

You can leave me a comment about anything or you can answer the following question: What is your most coveted household appliance or item (non-crafting, that is)? I borrowed this question from one of the blogs I visit, but now can't remember which one - so forgive me, fellow blogger, for not giving propper props. You can email me privately and I'd be happy to share and send folks your way ;)

Raspberry Suite Challenge 12

Hey there - I'm up late tonight! I think I've become a Raspberry Suite and Kwerner Color Challenge junkie! This time, it was Dawn who posted the colors for her Raspberry Challenge and once I saw it, the colors reminded me of an Orchid, which led me to thinking about Hawaii and my upcoming vacation. Funny how my train of thought flows, huh? Well, here are Dawn's colors for this week's challenge so you can see for yourself what I'm talking about!:And here's a full view of my card (still hooked on the stitching!). The colors I used are Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Certainly Celery, and Very Vanilla:Besides the sewing I've recently embraced, I seem to be in a die cut and punches sort of mode with my cards this week. Or maybe I should call it "sentiment stamping" :) In any case, I was really happy with how this card came out. I have to give props to Amy at TsurutaDesigns for providing me the color block and polka dot ribbon design inspiration on my card. It's amazing how a variety of visual cues influence your own designs. I guess that's why I love blurfing just as much as I enjoy blogging - it feeds my creative soul. Thanks for peeking in :)

Have a great night!

Kwerner Color Inspiration Challenge 56

Hey there! When Kristina posted her challenge yesterday, I know I had to play, but I gotta tell ya - I had a little trouble getting a card together with this color scheme. Don't get me wrong - I love the color palette...I just struggled with a theme to pull all these colors together! Here's what we're working with:See - the colors are fun - aren't they? There's just a lot of them that cover quite a range in the color spectrum! So here's the card I came up with: Whaddayathink? I like it, but not sure I'm quite loving it yet...maybe it will grow on me. It was good practice on my Janome, though, that's for sure! And, I did have fun with all the different elements - as you can tell, this card is heavy on the Big Shot and light on the stamping ;) Here's a close up - I even used the texturz plate for the background that you can kinda see here. I got to use the polka dot acetate sheet, too, and my gorgeous NEW Real Red Polka Dot ribbon! Now, for the recipe (all supplies SU! except where noted):

*Real Red, Ballet Blue, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery, and Whisper White cardsstock
*Real Red Classic stamp pad
*Beautiful Butterflies and Flower Layers dies; Stampin'Up Backgrounds Texturz plate
*Certainly Celery grosgrain ribbon, Real Red polka dot grosgrain ribbon
*Modern Label punch, large oval punch, corduroy buttons, flower brad, polka dot acetate sheet
*non SU supplies: Fiskars border punch, thread

Thanks for visiting today! Have a good one ;)

Sharing some new supplies to my sewing arsenal

I'm sure you've gathered that I'm on my newfound sewing kick, so I thought I'd take today's post to share a few things I've added to my sewing arsenal. As I had mentioned earlier this week, I took the plunge and purchased the Janome Sew Mini online at Hancock Fabrics. Here's the box it came in - no exterior packaging - I found it on my doorstep just like that. For $39.99 (with tax and shipping, that really means about $51ish), I think it's definitely worth it! I lucked out and got it on sale. I think it's normally around $60ish. Now imagine me - stamper, papercrafter, occasional hobby jewelry maker/designer - getting into yet another hobby {sewing}. Unfathomable, right? That's what my dear husband said {smile}. Well, I tell you - these darn talented papercrafting bloggers just made me do it! I've oohed and ahhed for months now at all these beatiful stitched card projects! I had no choice but to learn to SEW! So, of course, I head over to JoAnn's and get a few basic supplies.

Part of the reason why I didn't bust out the machine on day 1 was because I had NO THREAD! Sad, but true. So, after watching the tutorials on GinaK's StampTV over and over, I decide to get a few basic colors - neutrals and some brights - that I think would complement my card palette. I discovered that looking at thread could be overwhelming! So the spools in the picture are the ones that I went with for now.

Next was the fabric. Since I am embarking on this new hobby to augment my papercrafting, I figured little bits of fabric would do, and a whole bunch of felt, which I could also use for my big shot. This is my starter assortment. I'm sure you'll recognize the fabric I used for my Tissue Holder (or Tissue Cozy, as I fondly call my project). I got these squares that are 18"x21", which most people would call rectangles, but they were labeled as squares! Go figure. Anyway, this is all my sewing stuff. For starters. Let's hope I keep things under control and not get overbudget on yet another hobby! Though, I have to admit, I've enjoyed making a handful of those tissue cozies as my practice project :)

Thanks for letting me share - have a great day!

$85 Demonstrator Starter Kit starts today!

Are you a crafter that would love to get discounts on product and/or want to have a business opportunity that you're passionate about? Well, starting today through Aug 31st, Stampin'Up! is offering an $85 Demo Starter Kit that would give you all the tools you need to get your business started, AND it also comes with all the new In Colors and lots of other stuff! Read below to get all the details!

While anytime is a great time to join the Stampin' Up! family as a demonstrator, joining during July and August is especially sweet!

Starting your own Stampin' Up! business means free and discounted products, plus a little extra cash--and who couldn't use that? Plus, from July 15 - August 31, you can become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator for only $85!

The special, limited-time Mini Starter Kit contains many of the items you need to get started in your new business, including:

* For All You Do stamp set
* In Color Classic Stampin' Pads (6)
* Whisper White card stock (8-1/2" x 11")
* In Color assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11")
* Business forms and tools

Or if you want to buy the standard $199 Starter Kit, in addition to the supplies listed below, you'll get all six of the new In Color Classic Stampin' Pads and one pack of In Color assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11")--a $43 value! The standard Starter Kit includes:

* Five stamp sets
* A Stampin' Around wheel, handle, and ink cartridge
* Stampin' Pastels
* Card stock
* Eastern Blooms Décor Elements and applicator tool
* Five Classic Stampin' Pads
* VersaMark Pad
* Stampin' Scrub and Mist
* Blender pens
* SNAIL
* Business forms and tools

These special offers--the Mini Starter Kit and the In Color add-on to the standard Starter Kit--are only available for a limited time, so you must act fast!

{Benefits of Becoming a Demonstrator}
Whether you just love to stamp, or you want to grow a successful, thriving business, the Stampin' Up! opportunity is the right fit for you. Stampin' Up! demonstrators enjoy many benefits, with just a few listed below:

{Product discount}
Demonstrators get a 20 percent discount on all Stampin' Up! products, including stamp sets, paper, and accessories. It's a great way to support your love of stamping and paper crafting.
Extra income. You'll earn extra income based on your sales and recruiting--how much extra income is up to you. Maybe you just want enough income to pay the electric bill every month, or maybe your goal is bigger--the monthly payment for your new car--it's your decision! See the Compensation Table for more information.

{Flexible schedule}
This is your business, so you can put in as much (or as little) time as you'd like.

{Support from Stampin' Up!}
We love our demonstrators and it shows through our demonstrator support materials, including a monthly magazine, workshop ideas, and audio and video trainings on all kinds of topics available on our Demonstrator Web Site.

So what are you waiting for? Contact me TODAY to join the Stampin' Up! family!

I would love to have you on my team!

My Intro to sewing on fabric...

Hi peeps! I've been having fun playing with my new Janome Mini. Yesterday, I shared my first sewn card, and today, I am gonna share my first "mini" project sewing on fabric. I say mini because it really was a small project! Let's see if you can figure out what it is: I stitched on the embroidered flowers (retired) and a button from my current favorite SU! designer button pack called "Playground." The finished project measures roughly 5 1/4" x 3 1/2". This is something that would hold an item that you might have in your purse. I don't think it's very common, but once I saw it, I thought it was a cute idea. Have you figured it out? Here it is again, with the item it would hold: It's a cute little tissue cozy! Isn't it adorable? I can't say I came up with it on my own - I got the idea from one of our college interns at the office who likes to sew and has encouraged me to try it out. I had asked her about some basic projects and she showed me the little tissue holder she made. I instantly thought it would be a great first project for me! Not only was it cute, but it was small, so if I messed up, I wouldn't have wasted a big piece of fabric! So, now that I've made this, of course I want to make MORE! Thanks for popping by today! I'd love to hear what you think about the project!

Mojo On a Pedestal

Hello there! Very exciting stuff today (at least for me)! Why? Well, the card I created for the Mojo 95 sketch was an ENORMOUS first for me - I actually SEWED on a card! Can you believe it? I'm still amazed and excited myself, since the only thing I've ever sewn was my 7th grade Home Ec project when I made a mouse pillow! I've seen so many cute cards that had incorporated some sort of stitching on it, so I did some research. I found that many crafters use the Janome Sew Mini, and found some great video tutorials on the GinaK StampTV site that I finally convinced myself to take the plunge and buy one. Luckily, I bought it during the 4th of July sale at Hancock Fabrics, so it was a great bargain at $39.99! After watching the instructional videos a handful of times, I felt ready to give it a whirl. Before I show you the card, here's the sketch for the week:
Now, here's the finished card I came up with - nothing too fancy or complicated, but the fact that there's stitching on it was very exciting for me!I am really happy with this color combo - it's so cheerful. I also love the new On a Pedestal stamp set - the images are so fun! Here's a picture of the cardstock pieces separately, so you can see what I did. Don't look too closely, though! I know my stitching needs practice!

Now for the recipe:
* On a Pedestal Stamp Set
* Razzleberry Lemonade DSP, Melon Mambo and Crushed Curry Textured cardstock, Shimmery White cardstock
* Soft Suede and Melon Mambo Classic Stamp pads, Rich Razzleberry Marker
* Scallop Square punch, Playground button, Very Vanilla brad, Crushed Curry Polka Dot Grosgrain ribbon

Thank you so much for stopping in today! Hope you have a good one! Bye for now ;)

Flower Folds Card

Here's a quick card idea using the Flower Folds die that I created for a co-worker who wanted a birthday card. Inside, the sentiment says "If friends were flowers I'd pick you...Happy Birthday!"

{Recipe}:
* Flower Folds Bigz XL die
* Crushed Curry textured cardstock, Cool Carribean (retired), Whisper White cardstock
* Georgia Peach DSP (retired), Razzleberry Lemonade DSP (NEW!)
* Sizzix texturz plate (this is part of the one I got for a deal at 3.99!)
* Playground buttons, Old Olive Grosgrain ribbon

Aren't the Flower Folds cool? I love the layered flower look - here I used the 2 smaller flower sizes (2 of the bigger one, and one of the smallest). Hope you like it! Have a great day!

Freebie Friday 27 Winner!

Good morning all! Hope you had a nice weekend. We had beautiful weather here, so we got some quality beach time! It was pretty crowded, since this was the first nice, warm and sunny weekend for us on the coast :)

Are you ready to find out who the Freebie Friday winner is? First, let me say that it was fun hearing about your favorite places. I was talking to my hubby about favorite places, and before I told him my favorite places, he told me his 3 and they were the same ones as mine! I don't have a special order for these 3 places, but I loved my visits to each one, and I couldn't really pick just one.

{My Fave Places}:
* Cinque Terre, Italy
* Seville, Spain
* Kauai

Ok - so let's get to this week's winner. The winner is:
Comment #10, who is jmniffer. Congratulations! Please email me your info so I can send you your goodie. Thanks all for playing another week of Freebie Friday and letting me get a chance to find out more about you!

Have a great day and I'll catch you all later!