Merry Christmas My Friends and Blog Vacation

Merry Christmas, Everyone! I wish for all of you to have a merry and bright Christmas filled with love, joy and happiness!!! Thank you for stopping my blog and always being so kind with your comments. I am very grateful for all the blessings in my life including all of you!!

I'll be on blog vacation until January. A few of my family from Hawaii will be here to visit us in California so I will be spending time with them. We'll also be spending time with them in Disneyland for New Years. . . I may pop in and blog our pictures with them if I can find the time.

Again, Merry Christmas my friends!!

MIA - Card Inspired On Blog Vacation!!

Hi Everyone! You're asking, "where are you, Maria"? LOL! Actually, I've been MIA on this end of the world because I've been working on primarily rubber stamping projects and no "scrappy cards or scrapbooking projects" so I've been posting my work on my Stampin Inspirations blog site. Stop by and see what I've been doing there!!

I'll be back on this side in January. I really want to get back to doing my scrappy projects and especially, creating scrapbook layouts and mini albums. I have a lot of photos to work with.

Hope you all have a beautiful Christmas and a great start with the New Year!!

Blog Candy Winner

I added the extra entries for posting my candy on your blog which added the total entries to 147. . .through Random.org. . .the random number chosen was 144. Number 144 on the list was Stephenie!!

Blog Candy winner: Congratulations Stephenie of "Stephie's Space"
Please email me you snail mail!!!

Cinema Saturday Creative Challenge # 9 - The Sound of Music

Hi Everyone! Whoohoo! I created a card for Sankari and Brooke's Cinema Saturday Creative Challenge #9 - The Sound of Music!! I've been wanting to play since they started their challenge blog! Well, I finally stuck to the plan and created this card. Sankari will be proud of me! LOL!

I posted my card on this blog site rather on Stampin Inspirations because there is absolutely no rubber stamping on this card. I had computer generated the sentiment and the dresses are scrapbook embellishments by Jolee's by You.

This week's challenge is to create a card based on the movie "The Sound of Music". Oooh, one of my favorite movies. I don't like to watch a movie more than once but "The Sound of Music" is an exception. I think I've watched this movie at least once every year since I first saw it as a child. Really! I guess because well, it's one of those movies that is shown on TV every year and we also have the DVD.

Although I love all the songs in the movie, one of my favorite is "So Long, Farewell" so my sentiment on my card is based on that song. It has sad undertone to the song but there's a sense of innocence to it from a child's point of view. I also love the song "Edelweiss". . .both sad but beautiful songs.

I created this card with the dresses because I really loved the pretty dresses that Maria and the girls wore and the dresses on my card reminded me of them. I wanted the card to be somewhat elegant so I kept the design colors at a minimal.

I would have preferred a different colored dress or color combo but these dress embellishments were the only ones I had.

Anyway. . .be sure to stop by and check out the challenges! They are really fun!!

Card Details:

Papers: SU Lovely Lilac (I think), Orchid Opulence, Glossy White Cardstock

Accessories; Jolee's By You scrapbook embellishments, Satin ribbon, Silver Metallic Cord, Blue Moon metal charm, SU Ticket Corner Punch, CB embossing folders

Scor-Pal Christmas Magazine - CD Holder/Mini Album

Hi Everyone!! Gosh, I haven't posted on this blog for a while now. I've been so busy with life and I've only had time to post on my Stampin Inspirations blog site. I hope after the holidays, I'll find more time to create "scrappy" projects. This site has no "rubber stamping" cards and projects and it's primarily where I post scrapbook projects, scrappy cards, and other non-stamping related projects.

In the mean time, I just wanted to share this project that I had initially created for my Stampin Inspirations Club site but had submitted for the Scor-pal Christmas Magazine Be sure to stop by and check out the fun projects that you can create with the Scor-pal. You can find the tutorial of this CD Holder/Mini Album at Scor-pal's website: Click Here. It's a really easy and fun project that you can create as a gift for friends and family, not only for Christmas, but through out the year. I think it's great to give to family especially if you want to share photos of your new baby. It's a great party favor as well. . .that is, I think so. . .:) To learn more about Scor-pal, click on the button below:

This is the case opened up and it's a mini album/CD case. It's a fun way to share your photos with family.

The cardstock, papers, and embellishments for this project are all from the "I Wish - Simply Scrappin' Kit' . This kit comes with everything you need to create several scrapbook pages, mini albums, and cards. I really love the design of the designer paper in this kit. The size of the CD case is 5 x 5".

I decided to keep the design simple because I wanted to finish this project quickly. You can create this project in an hour because all the stickers are already cut out and ready to stick on your project.




The color combo for this project is "Real Red", "Old Olive" and "Chocolate Chip". Such a pretty color combo.

The picture to the left is of me and my husband.






As you can see, there are a lot of pages to add lots of pictures.




Anyway, if you decide to try out this project, let me know what you think!! Hope you like it!!




















Project Details:

Stamp set: Snow Swirl, A Holly, Jolly Christmas
Papers: I Wish Simply Scrappin Kit, Textured Real Red, Old Olive cardstock from the kit.
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Old Olive
Accessories: Designer button, Alpine, CD, CD label, Scallop Edge Punch

Blog 2nd Anniversary and Blog Candy!!

LOL! I'm posting this blog candy on all of my blogs. Only one entry will apply. . .you may choose any of my blog to comment but only one entry will apply for all blogs.

Hey Everyone!!! Friday, December 5th is my Blog 2nd Anniversary! I was going to wait until the 5th to announce the blog candy but I want to get the package out before the Christmas rush kicks in. The blog candy will run from from December 3rd (today) and will end on Wednesday, December 10th, 12:00 midnight PST. The blog candy is open to US and Canadian residents only. I'm sorry for the International readers, I hate doing customs at the post-office. It's painful!

It's been such a wonderful 2 years of crafting and blogging and especially meeting such wonderful people who I would never have met if it wasn't for this fabulous world of blogging. Thank you for inspiring me, entertaining me, and just being kind and encouraging. I, especially, appreciate my regular blog readers who always comment with such kind words. . .you brighten my day when ever I receive your comments or emails!!

Whenever I visit a blog, I ALWAYS read what the blogger writes. That is one reason why I take a long time to make my rounds as far as commenting your blogs. I actually read what you write and I like to comment on what your talk about. I not only enjoy the beautiful work that you post on your blogs, but I especially enjoy reading what you have to say.

• So here's the deal. . .one entry per person.
  Comment on this post by linking a blog that you regularly like to READ. . .not because of their beautiful art work but because you like what they write aside from the subject of card making, scrapbooking, or any art work. Tell me why you like to read this person's blog. The blog don't have to be stamping, cardmaking, scrapbooking related. . .any blog applies. I will, in time, follow those links and read them myself as well.
• Please leave a comment on this blog. . .do not email me because I cannot keep track of my emails! LOL!!
• Everyday until the blog candy ends next Wednesday. . .I'll add a new item in addition to what is pictured and listed below. This is just the start of the prizes!! Whoohoo!!
• Link this blog candy on your blog and you'll receive an extra entry. Please let me know on your comment that you'll be linking this blog candy on your blog. Thanks!!

One winner will be RANDOMLY chosen and announced on Thursday, December 11th. If the winner do not respond within 48 hours, I will choose a new winner because I want to get the package mailed out as soon as possible.

Here is the list of items so far:

1. Marcella by K&CO rubber stamp set (Happy Occasion)
2. High Hopes rubber stamp (Birdies Fried - Snowlady)
3. CD Tin Case for altering
4. Kaleidacolor Rainbow Dye Ink (Spectrum)
5. Making Memories Charmed Plaques (Mini Bugs)
6. Making Memories Tagged Squares
7. Lasting Impressions Buttons
8. Pressed Petals Monday Metal self-adhesive frames
9. Jolee's Boutique Sticker Collage
10. Heidi Grace Alpha Chipboard Stickers with Flocking (Snowflake Park)
11. Heidi Grace Rub-ons
12. Heidi Grace Shape decorations Plastic Embellishments (Vineyard)
13. My Moments Peel n' Stick
14. Jolee's by You Kid Gift Bag
15. Sticko Stuffed Ups Adhesive Envelopes
16. Making Memories Boho Chic Ephemera Stickers

17. Prima Flowers

18. K&Company Metal Art

19. Jolee by You Fumky Spiral embellishment

20. Holiday Clear Stamps

21. Favorite Finds Shell Buttons

22. Best Occasion Foil Chipboard Accents

Be sure to check back daily to see what else I've added to the prize. Good luck!!

December 4th - I added a container full of Prima Flowers!

Here are the additional items I promised to add to the blog candy!! Whoohoo!!

K&Company Metal Art

Jolee by You Fumky Spiral embellishment

Holiday Clear Stamps

Favorite Finds Shell Buttons

Best Occasion Foil Chipboard Accents

I'm Back from my Trip!!

Hey, Everyone!! I'm back from my trip to Yosemite! Oh, gosh I had so much fun!! I cannot begin to tell you how beautiful it was. If you've never visited Yosemite, I do highly recommend it. There's a lot of things to do and it's like being somewhere so unlike the concrete world we live in. Nature is so beautiful!!

Anyway, I'm trying my darn hardest to get back in the swing of things. I'm glad you're still around. I'll post something here soon!! Hope you all had a fun Thanksgiving!!!

Blog Vacation & Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!!! I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with your loved ones. Thank you for being such great blog readers, blog commenters, and blog friends!!

I just wanted to let you know that I'm on a blog vacation because we're spending Thanksgiving and the weekend at Yosemite!!

I'll be posting pictures of our trip on Stampin Inspirations if you care to view them!!

See you when I get back!!

Noel Card

Hi Everyone!! Wow, it's been almost a week since I last posted on this site. I've been busy working on a few rubber stamping projects on my other blogs so i didn't have the time to create any scrappy projects but I decided to allot some time to create something for this blog!!

Hey. . .I've been a really good girl!! I haven't bought any designer paper for almost a month! No way! Yup!! I also haven't bought any new embellishment. Actually this chipboard images and alphabet was the last item I bought. It's a package of DCWV Chritmas chipboards.

I've noticed that I've been primarily making 5.5x5.5" square cards lately. It's because there's a larger area to add more things. Sometimes it's hard to fit embellishments like alphas and large images on a 4.25 x 5.5" card.

Do you see the silver cord? Well I wanted to create something different so I tied bows on the cord. . .they sorta look like flowers. I like it because it's something I've never done before.

Anyway. .. if I don't post on this blog. . .it's usually because I have obligations for my two other blogs like my stamp club and my design team obligations but I'll make an effort to squeeze in some time to make some scrappy projects!!

Hope y'all have a fabulous weekend!!

Card Details:

Papers: My Minds Eye designer paper, SU Baroque Burgundy, Speckled White cardstock

Accessories: Fiskar Cloud Scissors, DCWV Christmas chipboards, Organdy ribbon, Silver cord

Paper Craft Planet

Hey Everyone!! I just wanted to share this new website for paper crafters! If you haven't heard of it yet. . .well, click on the links below and come and see what's going on! There's a lot of stuff going on and what's great is we can all interact with one another! So fun!!

Don't forget to add me as your friend!!

View my page on Paper Craft Planet: An Online Community for Paper Crafters




Visit Paper Craft Planet: An Online Community for Paper Crafters

Card over a Card Card! LOL!

Hello Everyone!! I haven't posted here for a few days! Gosh, it was a busy day today . . .I cleaned the house all day because we had guest over earlier this evening. I actually cleaned the house thoroughly. Imagine that! I even cleaned our wood floor! LOL! Too funny! Our floor isn't dirty because we don't walk with our shoes in the house but I'm happy that I mopped it anyway. It's so clean, you can eat off of it. Just kidding!

Anyway. . .just a simple card that I made a week ago and forgot to post. I had cut the flower out using a template (I think). Honestly, I can't remember. I know it can't be a punch so I must have used a template. This is what happens when you don't post your cards right away. . .you can't remember how you created the card.

I stamped some swirly image on to the flowers then layered them then topped it off with a Prima flower and rhinestone flower.

Anyway. . .I had a few 3.x3" cards that didn't come with any envelopes. It came from a scrapbooking value pack. Because it didn't come with envelopes, I decided to attach it to a 5.5 x 5.5" square card used it as a card over a card sort of design.

I stamped a sentiment on the inside of the 3.x3" card.

Anyway, nothing much else to talk about today. Maybe I'll be more chatty next time!

Hope y'all have a fabulous weekend!!

Card Details:

Paper: CTMH, Colorbok 3x3 card, SU Certainly Celery, Orchard Opulence

Ink: SU Certainly Celery

Accessories: Flower rhinestone (JoAnns)

Quicky Christmas Card

Hi Everyone! Happy Veterans Day! Just a quick post for today. I made this card a few days ago. Just a simple card. . .my attempt once again to use up my Prima flowers. Gotta use them up so I can buy more. LOL!

I don't know if you notice something funny about my card but. . .I just realized the designer paper's orientation is upside down. Notice in the right top corner. . .the deer and the dove is upside down!! LOL! Don't you just hate that!

Anyway. . .nothing much to say about this card. I think the only thing I want to mention is the sentiment. . .I typed it out on my computer. It's a fast and easy way to create sentiments for your cards! Try it out. . .it's much cheaper than "buying" stickers or trying to find just the right sentiment for your cards!

Card Details:

Paper: My Minds Eye designer paper, SU Baroque Burgundy, White

Accessories: Prima flowers, White buttons, Martha Steward Border Punch, Organdy ribbon

CASE'd My Own Card Again

Happy Friday, Everyone! It's been several days since I last posted. . . .gosh, time flies so quickly. Is it because I'm having fun or that I'm getting older? I wonder. . .does time fly faster when you're older? When I was in my 20s or even younger, I don't recall time flying this quickly. I'm sure I was having fun back then but I always remember wishing that Friday would come quicker. Now, I wish it was still Monday. Funny, how that works, huh!

Remember on my last post, I said that I CASE'd 2 cards because a customer wanted me to recreate cards I made and posted a long, long time ago! Like I said, I don't typically duplicate cards because usually I don't have a bulk of similar papers and embellishments. So In this case, I had to do a few modifications to my original card. My original card is the first card at the top.

This card to the right is the CASE'd card. As you can see, the paper and few of the embellishments are different but the basic layout and design is the same.

I couldn't find the stamp that I used for the first card so I had to use a different sentiment stamp. I dug through a pile of sentiment stamps and could not find the stamp that I used for my original card.

That's another reason why I don't like to duplicate my cards. . .many times, in order to create the same card, I have to dig through all my stuff to look for the original materials that I used. It's a pain in the you know what to do that so argggh! I'm not the most organized individual, therefore, it takes longer to recreate a card than it is to randomly make a card. If you know what I mean. . .

Anyway, I hope y'all have a fabulous Friday. I hope today will be a productive one! I haven't been very productive lately.

Until next time!!

Card Details:

Stamp: Michaels $1 stamp

Paper: DCWV Fall Stack, Beige, Green, Burgundy cardstock (unknown)

Accessories: Cuttlebug die (flowers), Jolee's By You, Scallop ruler (unknown), Making Memories Eyelets, Organdy Ribbon

CASE'd My Own Card

Hi Everyone!! For the past cards I've posted, I thought something was odd about the quality of my pictures. . .sort of grainy. Well, on Friday, my daughter asked me to drop off her camera to school because she forgot to bring it (the exact same camera as mine) and I couldn't find it in her room. While in my craft room, I realized I had 2 cameras and lo' and behold, one of them was my daughter's camera. For the past few weeks, I was using her camera which is on a lower quality setting. Now it makes all the sense in the world. I couldn't figure out why the pictures looked the way they did and I was beginning to think it was blogger that was having a problem.

Anyway. . .now to my card! I actually CASE'd one of my old cards because I had a customer who wanted me to make the same card for her. Do you know I don't like recreating my cards because many times, I don't have the same materials so I usually don't agree to duplicate a card. Well, I agreed anyway. Luckily, I found similar materials that I could recreate the card.

Are you the same way? I rarely make duplicate cards. . .when I do, it's because I know I have the materials available to make more than one or two duplicate cards.

I also made another card that this person requested. . .again, I CASE'd a card I made months ago. This time, I didn't have any of the materials that were on my original card but I made it as close as possible as the original card. I'll post it next time.

Card Details:

Papers: DCWV designer paper

Accessories: Ribbon (Michaels), Heidi Swapp heart chipboard, Fiskar scallop border punch, JoAnn metal/vellum tag, JoAnn heart brads

Declaration!

Hi Everyone! I actually made this card a over a week ago but had forgotten to post it! Just a simple quicky card . . .I'm not sure I even like this card! Maybe that's the reason why I didn't post it right away.

What's with my title? Well. . .I decided to make a declaration and a promise to myself that I won't do the following things!

• I will not buy any more designer paper for at least 6 months.
• I will not buy any more ribbon for one year.
• I will not excessively buy rubber stamps unless I intend to use them within the same month I bought them. Did you note that I said "excessively". LOL! I cannot promise to not buy "any" stamps, just not buy them "excessively". Too funny!
• I will use more of my scrapbook embellishments on all my cards so I can get them down to a reasonable pile.
• I will use at least one "scrap" designer paper on every card I make from now on.

I have more that I should list but I cannot commit to them so I'll leave my list the way it is. I sometimes look through all the stuff I have and I feel a little ashamed that I still buy more. I'll tell you a story about why I think I buy a lot of "paper products". . .

I grew up as an only child and although I had loving parents. . .it would get lonely and boring at times being by myself. . .especially on rainy days or at night when I can't play with my friends. I had this thing about collecting notebooks and filler paper. Seriously. You know, those regular filler paper that you need for school.

My paper obsession started at a young age. I recall when I would get bored or lonely, I would write, write, write. . .basically, write about nothing. When I got a little older, I began using them to write journals. I would write about anything and everything about what ever was on my mind. I had kept my journals until I was about 24 years old. . .after I got married, I was afraid that my husband would read how pathetic I was growing up so I threw them all away.

I also had a bad experience of leaving a box of journals at my parents home and a relative got hold of one of my journals and told my parents of the contents. I also had another incident when I had moved in with an Aunt when I was attending college here in California (I'm originally from Hawaii) where she snooped into my diary and arggggh! It was a DISASTER! I was upset at my Aunt for being so mean to me that I wrote my feelings in my diary! Well, that went really bad after she read what I wrote about her. It wasn't really bad stuff, just "honest" stuff. Not realizing she had read my diary, she began commenting on things that I knew I've never expressed to her. I soon realized what happened and well. . .our relationship basically went South from that point on. Eventually, I moved out and lived with a friend.

Since that incident, I actually stopped writing in journals. It was a traumatizing experience to have loved ones read your most deepest thoughts and feeling so vulnerable afterwards. When I do write my thoughts down on paper. . .I throw the paper or rip the page out and throw it in the trash. Besides, I don't like half of the things I write anyway. . .it's usually things that I find so pathetic after reading them on a future date. I'm ashamed I even thought of those things. Okay, they're not "nasty" stuff just "stupid" stuff. . .I would ask myself after reading them later, "sheesh, why did I even think that way. . .such silliness."

Anyway. . .back to my paper fetish. When I got older. . .at the start of high school, I moved on to bigger and greater paper. . .I discovered "stationery" LOL! I would buy them by the boxes. I wouldn't even write or send them to anybody. I just liked having them. Okay. . .now, I'm beginning to sound NUTZ!!

Well. . .fast forward to 4 years ago when I discovered rubber stamping and scrapbooking!! Oh, my GAWWWD!! That was it! My paper dream had come true. . .lots and lots of papers and oh all of them were so PRETTTTTTTY!! Not only did I discover designer papers, there were ribbons, cardstocks, blank books, paper galore! Well, I was in paper heaven. I never knew all these stuff existed! LOL!

Well, 4 years later. . .I've come to the realization that I have over collected and hoarded my stuff like they'll all one day "poof" . . .disappear. I just like knowing I have a lot of them whether I use them or not. I mean it's not unusual for me considering I've been doing this all my life but now I'm beginning to wonder if I should see a shrink about this? LOL! I mean it's ridiculous.

Anyway. . .that's my story. By the way, it's 4:00 in the morning. . .I woke up early and I thought, wow. . .this will be a great opportunity to blog so here I am telling you my twisted story of my paper fetish!

Hope y'all have a fabulous weekend!!