Cherry Wings

This is why I am so busy...

2011-12-09T00:47:00.001Z

Hello blog friends!

Gosh! It is nearly Christmas and I am so so so behind with my Christmas cards and here is why- because... it is my daughter Jasmine's 6th birthday soon!!

I have been busy making the brithday invitations. Then party bags, cup cakes, and the cake will soon be on the production line. Oh my goodness and all these have to be done before this Sunday! Wish me luck!

No more wasting time, I just want to quickly share these invitations with you. With lots of help from my daughters colouring the images, here is what I came up with:

I've actually made more than three but don't know how to fit them all in one picture. But you get the idea! Both my daughters said they like all the fairies to be different and I guess why not?! So they have used their own artistic skills to colour and make each fairy unique in their own way. Here are a couple of the cards in close up.

And a medium close up photo of another card:

The fairy image is designed and drawn by myself. I am lucky enough to have had this image made into a rubber stamp by Elzybells, which unfortunately is closed now. The image is stamped onto white card and die cut by using Spellbinder labels nineteen. It has then been chalked while still in the die for definition.

This one has been coloured in by my eldest daughter Aimee. I love the way she created the stripy top and just used simple lines for the skirt. She also added extra lines around the star which made it really shine.

This one is coloured by Jasmine. I love this bright and colourful fairy. I have added Stickles Crystal glitter glue on all stars and flowers on the head.

Oh.. forgot to mention the inside of the card. I have printed all the party details on the computer. (For privacy reasons I used Photoshop to remove some of the details.) I cut these to size and punched a half circle on the right hand side. Then I simply attached double sided tape on three sides so that it became a pocket for the RSVP slip.

WOW! I don't think I have ever added so many photos in one post. Hope you have not been bombarded too much with all these pictures. I certainly enjoyed making these invitations with my daughters. Thank you for reading, if you managed to get this far down. Hope you all have a nice weekend.

Yes, Virginia... Happy Birthday!

2011-12-04T23:58:00.001Z

Hello everyone!

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Virgina Lu is celebrating her 50th birthday on 9th of December and she is holding a virtual birthday party here at Yes, Virginia. Everyone is invited to join the birthday fun!

I've only knew Virginia for a few months. Her blog is very inspiring with lots of wonderful cards and her family stories always make me smile. So here it is, Virginia, my card for you. Hope you like it.

The main stamped image is from Precious Moment. For some reason I don't think Precious Moment stamps are available in the UK. (If anyone knows where I can buy them in the UK, please let me know. I just adore them!!) This stamp, given by a good friend of mine, came all the way from Taiwan. I guess it has a special meaning to use it on a card for Virginia - a blog friend also from Taiwan! Here is a close up photo of the main image.

This image was coloured by Copic marker and water colour pencils. I have added glitters on the flowers and bow on the hair, but I don't think it shows up on the photo. I have also made a small charm and added the Chinese word "珍惜" meaning cherish on the bottom right.

For this card, I have followed the sketch from Quixotic Paperie Sketch Challenge - No. 2 but rotated it 180 degrees.

Happy 50th Birthday, Virginia!!

May all your wishes come true & have a great day!

Hugs,

Christmas Cards with Wreath

2011-11-25T19:24:00.001Z

Hi friends!

I am slacking off big time this month with my blogging. Naughty, naughty! Well... there is life outside the blog world and it is usually so busy that you just cannot ignore it!

Anyway, I would first like to say welcome to my two new followers: Mary J and Sandra_how. I will promise to blog more often to share more cards.

OK, better get on with it. I am sharing two cards with you today. Yes, not one but TWO. I got this Christmas stamp set which comes free with docrafts Creativity! magazine issue 23. I was impressed by the magazine example as it uses one small holly stamp to create a wreath. I have always admired those people who can think 'out of the box'. Hence, I have to give it a try by recreating the example. So here it is.

I made a circle aperture card and stamped around the edge of the aperture with the small holly image. I also stamped additional holly images on to a spare white card, then cut and decoupaged them with foam pads. This will give some dimension. After this I stamped the robin and bow on to white card, coloured, cut and then attached them onto the wreath. Finally, the text was stamped, cut and attached with foam pads at the base of the card. Here is a closer look of the card.

I was pretty happy with the result. But hey! I can't just recreate what they did in the magazine. I had this other idea of my own using the same technique. The wreath around the aperture is just too huge. It took me ages to stamp and colour all those leaves and berries. Not to mention those extra holly leaves for decoupaging. Cutting them out nearly killed me!! So here is the other card I made.

I decided to make a smaller wreath, thinking that it might be easier and quicker. However, it didn't turn out as I wished because I decided to cut the whole wreath out!! Why did I do that?? All those little pointy holly leaves... my hand hurts even more after all that cutting. But I have to say it turned out quite nice. Do you think? Worth the effort!! The wreath and robin were attached on an embossed card with foam pads. Then I added a red ribbon and bow to finish the card. Just to add some texture, I have attached some beads on some of the berries and glitters on others. Here is another picture of the card close up.

Can you believe that? It will be Christmas in less than a month. Although this is a great idea to use a small holly stamp to create a wreath, I guess, due to the time it takes, I will not make another one like it this year. Have you finished all your Christmas cards? I am way behind. Quick and easy Christmas card designs are what I am looking for at the moment. Any suggestions?!

I will be entering my small wreath card in the following challenges:

Goylou's Inimitability- Christmas with a Wreath Twist
ABC DT Challenge- A Christmas Card Challenge

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Clean and Simple Card

2011-10-30T19:38:00.002Z

Hello my friends!

Doesn't it get dark a lot quicker, now we are officially not in the British summer time!! Daylight time has shortened and that is just so depressing.

Yesterday we went to my sister-in-law's place to celebrate her coming birthday on Monday. I spent the morning making the card and then rushed out to town to get her a present and rushed back to wrap the present. (Yes, not very organised. Everything is last minute!) After all this effort.......... what do we do? Everyone in my family jumped into the car trying to get to the party on time and no one picked up the card and present that were sitting at the bottom of the stairs and assumed one of the others had picked it up. The thing is, none of us realised it until we were nearly there. Oh dear~ That was embarrassing! Walking in without card and present in hand. My husband had to make another trip this morning to do a special delivery.

Anyway, glad the card and present have now landed in the right place. So here it is, a glance at the card.

I am joining The Play Date Cafe Challenge PDCC 105 and using the below colours as inspiration-

Kraft/Taupe...Flesh...Cadet Blue

I am also entering The Sugar Bowl Challenge 70 - Maria Therese's Sketch and using the optional theme Clean and Simple.

I am pretty happy with the card. I love the colour combination! Will definitely try this combo again. This is my first attempt to make a clean and simple style card. For me, it is not that easy to leave a huge white space untouched. I hope I am not doing too bad as a first timer.

Here is another photo for a closer look.

The stamped image is coloured with Copic markers. I used a piece of Retro Flowers Oilcloth pattern paper, which was cut out from the Cath Kidston catalogue, to paper piece the dress. The sentiment is from Clearly Hand Stamped set by Crafter's Companion. Then I hand stitched the border. (I do have a sewing machine but never use it to stitch cards. I guess I am just too lazy to take the machine out! ) Crystal Stickles glitter glue has been applied on the flower on her head and the fabric flowers.

That's it for now. Weekend just goes too quick but hope you all had a nice one! Enjoy the rest of your evening.

Long Forgotten Die

2011-10-24T21:42:00.001+01:00

Hello there!

If you were here yesterday, you will be asking "so how is the lemon and poppy seeds cake?" Well, hubby loves it, but my daughter Aimee certainly doesn't like it. She said it is too "lemony"!! My final verdict is......... it is DELICIOUS! The moist cake texture has a lovely tangy lemon syrup mix with the fragrance of poppy seeds. Gosh, it is like heaven! Wish you could all taste it!

Now back to card making. As a crafter, I bet we all have way too many tools, gadgets, stamps, papers etc. If you are like me, who loves to buy buy buy, over time you might forget what you have bought. I think it is about time that we all looked deep into our drawers to see what we've got and haven't yet used.

I have had this Sizzix Birthday Girl Sizzlits die for ages. (I think I bought it when it was on sale and it was really cheap. We all love a bargain don't we?! ) It was stored in my craft box and long been forgotten. Finally, after tidying up the other day it has again seen the light of day. I can't believe that I hadn't even opened it. So here it is, using this die for the very first time, a card for my daughter's friend's birthday.

Did I tell you that I like to personalise cards? I like to add the recipient's name on the card if I can. Here is a closer look.

She looks so happy. How can I forget her?! I feel happy now that I made this card. At least I have not wasted my £££ ! And to have accidently found a new die, well, that has to be a great surprise!!

That's it for now. (Can't believe that I posted for two continuous days!) Enjoy the rest of your evening and hope you accidently find a new item which you have not used before too!

My first Mojo Monday card!

2011-10-23T23:48:00.002+01:00

Good evening all,

Hope you all had a good day today. I've had a very productive day. Apart from making a card, I've also made some oatmeal and raisins biscuits and a lemon and poppy seeds cake. One of my mum's friends gave me this oatmeal biscuits recipe ages ago and I never had the chance to make them. My mum kept saying how lovely they were. And hey, no kidding, they are the nicest biscuits I have ever tasted for a long long time. As for the lemon and poppy seeds cake, I just fancied it and found this recipe from the internet. God knows what it will taste like! It has a layer of lemon syrup on top. Apparently you have to leave it for 12 hours before slicing and eating it. I will let you know tomorrow.

Okay, better stop waffling. I am sure this is what you come here for - a glance at my card. Well, I hope so! So here it is, a Christmas card (not the first Christmas card I made this year but certainly the first Christmas card I share on the blog this year).

I am not sure if this card is too crowded. (Maybe I should use a larger card blank?) The green background paper is from Papermania: Naughty and Nice Christmas pack and the cream paper is from Forever Friends: Cosy Christmas pack. The round sentiment image is from Paula Pascual: Filled with Flowers stamp set which I bought recently. This is a great stamp set. I have been playing with it and I will have to show you some of the cards which I made with this set next time.

I sure love the main stamped image. Isn't he cute?! The stamp is free from the Quick Cards made easy magazine. It is coloured by Copic Ciao marker pens and die cut by using Spellbinder labels nineteen. I paper pieced the doggy's jacket and applied crystal Stickles glitter glue on the hat. Here is a better look of the image.

I think I am just in time to enter this card to Mojo Monday 211. This will be my first time to play along with the Mojo challenge. Here is this week's sketch:

School day tomorrow, better go off to sleep now. Good night and thanks for stopping by.

OH NO.... What have I done!!

2011-10-21T23:07:00.000+01:00

Oh no, oh no, oh no!!!!

I don't know what I have done but I have lost my original template and a lot of links and information. Now my blog looks so ugly!! Help!!

Not so happy

Update:
Phew....... I found the original template and I think I got my blog back. I panicked and nearly cried earlier on. So to cheer me up a bit, I thought I would change the background to give it a new look.

Birthday Card (for a 6-year-old)

2011-10-21T12:14:00.000+01:00

Good afternoon, everyone!

I didn't let you wait too long this time, did I?! Thank you for the lovely messages and welcome to my new follower Virginia. These really encourage me to blog more often. Go Julie go! Keep on blogging!

My daughter is going to her best firend's birthday party tomorrow. So I made this card. Do you think it looks too "mature" for a 6-year-old girl?!

I got this fairy stamp free from the Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine last year and never used it. She was meant to be a Christmas fairy holding a snow flake but since this is a birthday card I asked my daughter to choose a different image. So she chose a little teddy bear for the fairy to hold. The ticket sentiment is from Whimsy Stamps.

Here is a close up of the fairy.

I coloured the image with Copic Ciao marker pens and applied glitter on her wings to make it shine. I always find it difficult to colour wings. Never know what colour to use. Any suggestions? So what do you think of this card? I like it, just don't know if the birthday girl will like it too?

I haven't joined any card challenges for a long while and think it's about time that I should start participating in them again. Thus, I am entering this card for the two challenges below:

The Cutie Pie Challenge #3- Recipe:
Lilac/Silver tones
Fairy image (Hope my fairy image is cute enough!)
Lace/ Ribbon
Glitter
3 Buttons/ Flowers

Quixotic Paperie Sketch Challenge #1: (For my card I have rotated the sketch.)

Thanks for reading. Have a good day!

I am back.... REALLY!

2011-10-16T21:20:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone (if there is anyone out there reading this?!),

After a long break (I had a lovely summer holiday back home in Taiwan) and a good repair (our computer is now fixed and runs very fast), I am now back in touch with blogland. Although I have not been blogging for a while, that does not mean I have stopped making cards and being creative. Now I have more cards than ever to share with you all! I have also been reading a lot of your blogs so I am "secretly" following the card making trend.

Well, enough of me talking. Hope this card will be a good start. It is a card which I made for my dad's birthday not long ago. The tea pot and tea cup stamped images are from Elzybells. The sentiment, tea bag and tea cup (on the envelope) images are from TPC Studio- Coffee Cafe clear stamps set.

This is a mechanical slider card which was featured in Quick Card made easy magazine issue 91. I just love cards that move!! The actual mechanism is not that hard to follow and assemble but it took me a while to figure out how to make it to rotate in the direction I wanted. But I did it in the end, hooray!

Here is a close up of the card. See a hot cuppa tea just being poured?! I just love how it moves!!

Now I bet you can't wait to see it in motion. So here it is, demostrated by my daugter by pulling the slider to make the tea pot pour.

I hope you enjoyed my first comeback post today and it will not take me too long to share another card with you again.

Have a good evening.

I am back!

2011-04-28T18:52:00.028+01:00

Hello! I am back! (Haven't got time to fix our newer computer so let's see how well this old computer will cope with blogging!)

During the Easter holiday we went to London for a few days. We went to visit Bocketts Farm Park in the beautiful Surrey countryside. Spring is certainly here! Warm sunshine and gentle breezes. The weather was great! Saw newborn lambs, as young as one day old, piglets and goats. They are so small and cute! Kids love feeding and handling the animals. There are lots of activities such as pony rides and there is even a piglet race. It is a very nice place to go and I would recommend it if you are around the area. Then we took our girls to Legoland in Windsor the next day. Another great day! It is a really good theme park for younger children. On our final day, we had to go and visit Westminster Abbey where Prince William and Kate will be married tomorrow. Gosh! The whole area is full of media press. Cameras, journalists and reporters everywhere!! I sure had some relaxing and fun days!

Now back to card making projects. Before we went on our short Easter holiday, we attended a family wedding. I just love weddings! You get the chance to dress up, have a few drinks and laughs with people and of course get the chance to do a bit of boogieing!! Hee hee!

And I made this wedding card for the bride and groom.

This is my first time to make a side step card. Needs a bit of measuring, cutting and scoring but it is actually quite easy to make. I used some red papers on each step to make it look like the bride and groom are walking down the red carpet. ^_^ The bride and groom stamp is from Elzybells (which unfortunately has been closed down) and I coloured it with Copic Ciao marker pens. The text on the left hand side, the name and the date, are created by using individual alphabet stamps, individual alphabet peel offs and transfer stickers. The swirl stamped images are from TPC Studio - Fancy Flourish, which I stamped with Brilliance Ink in Pearlescent Sky Blue colour. It is also my first time to make those ribbon flowers at the bottom left hand side. It is a shame that I forgot to take a close up photo of them. You can find the flower making tutorial here.

We were not quite sure what to buy for the happy couple so we decided to be more practical and bought them a gift card. To make the present more interesting, I made this gift card holder:

It is quick and simple to make. This is what it looks like when you undo the ribbon and open it:

The bottom section with the flap is where you can insert your gift card. I accidentally found this tutorial on You Tube and it is a great way to wrap up your gift card.

Well, I guess that's it from me for now. Hey! My old computer still works although uploading photos is a bit slow. But I am not complaining at least I can still blog!! ^_^

Enjoy the rest of your day!

Boo hoo... my computer died!

2011-04-18T21:37:00.000+01:00

Sorry for not posting for a while as the hard drive on our computer is dead!! Can't even start the computer!! While we try to get that sorted we dug out our old SLOW computer. Well... at least we've got a computer to use so that I can still keep in touch with the World Wide Web!! ^_^

A lot of my card photos are saved on the broken hard drive and I can't access it. I am so gutted! Anyway, hopefully I will be back on track soon to "slowly" upload some card pictures to share.

Hope you all have a good day!

Just dropped by...

2011-03-31T00:51:00.000+01:00

Half way through the week already! Where has this week gone?!

I have finally completed this card. This simple design suits me this week as I had a busy weekend last week and the weekdays, so far, are not much better either.

For this card, I have used the sketch from Get Sketchy Card Challenge #80.

To suit my digi stamp, I have flipped the sketch so my image is on the right. This is the first time I have used digi stamp. This image "Lydia goes Shopping" is free from Little Claire Designs. You can download it from here. I had fun colouring her. Here is a close up of Lydia.

For this card, I have also used one of my favourite colour combinations- pink and green. Lydia's scarf and belt are meant to be green but somehow it turned out to be blue in the photo?? I think I need more practice on my photo taking skills! ^_^ I will be entering this card in Little Claire's Designs: Challenge 3 - Pink & Green too.

If you just dropped by, I would like to say hope you enjoyed this post and have a happy day!

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge

2011-03-22T22:27:00.002Z

Hope you all had a nice Tuesday!

I am having a go at taking part in the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge #39. I do not have a Waltzingmouse stamp but after seeing the sketch I just thought I had to have a try at this. Here is the sketch:

To join in the challenge, the Waltzingmouse stamp image is not required. However, I would certainly love to win one. Bunting is so hot in the card making world at the moment. Never thought of using them on my card but hey, everything has its first time. So here is my card for the challenge:

It is my brother-in-law's birthday today. Unfortunately we are not able to deliver this card and his present to him today due to a rescheduled dentist appointment. I have attached the bunting on a blue string with red buttons at each end. Buttons are the trend at the moment too! I love to personalise my card so I placed my brother-in-law's name on the bunting. The Little Cake Shoppe (Trio Delight) stamp image is from Papermania. I have stamped and coloured these yummy cup cakes with Copic pens. Then decorated them with Crystal Stickles and Crystal Lacquer. Finally, I finished off the card by stapling short pieces of ribbon behind the image and stamping the sentiment "Time for cake" on the top left hand corner.

My daughter is certainly sold on the bunting design and said this is the best card that I have ever made. I am chuffed!

Enjoy the rest of the night~

Thinking of you

2011-03-16T22:13:00.000Z

Good evening everyone, I hope you all had a good day!

I want to share this card, which I made last night, with you. I am really pleased with this card. In fact, I am loving it!! ^_^

For the layout I have used Just Magnolia: Week 97 - Bev's Sketch. Here is the sketch:

I have slightly altered the sketch but you can still see all the elements in it.

For this card, I have used Nellie Snellen's Multi Frames set MFD 005 for my Tilda with rose image. So I will be entering this card in Magnolia Stamp Lovers: Die Cut Challenge. I have coloured Tilda with Copic marker pens and paper piecing her dress with My Mind's Eye- quite contrary Summer paper. I have added glitter glue on both Tilda's wing and rose.

On the edge of the circle, I have added 3 small flower embellishments with coordinated coloured gems in the middle. This will fit in with Papertake Weekly Challenge: Trio Challenge - 3 of something.

For Totally Tilda Challenge #18: Tilda with Chipboard, I have added this lovely butterfly chipboard on the top right hand corner. I have enhanced the butterfly by adding the clear crystal glitter glue on its inner wings and the red coloured glitter glue on its outer edge.

Here is another close-up photo to show the sentiment from Clearly Hand Stamped designed by 3Birds. As I want a subtle effect for the sentiment, I have stamped it in Brilliance pearlescent Sky Blue ink which blends in well with the blue background paper. A piece of thin pink ribbon and a blue beaded chain were added at the bottom of the card to finish off, I think, beautifully!!

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you like the card as much as I do.

Have a good night~

Celebrate YOU

2011-03-13T10:59:00.000Z

Good morning! It is a dull Sunday morning here in the midlands of the UK. But hey! It is still weekend so not complaining!! ^_^

We are going to have some Chinese later tonight to celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday. So here is the card which I made for him.

I have used the sketch from the Get Sketchy Card Challenge #78:

This sketch is simple to follow. It is a clean design and is great for a man's card. Also I love the blue and orange colour combination, they look quite masculine too huh?

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday~

The Sugar Bowl Challenge 54 - Lilian's Sketch

2011-03-07T23:59:00.000Z

Being a working mum, it is always nice to be able to find a little bit of "ME" time to do the things I love!

I have made this card over the weekend by using The Sugar Bowl Challenge 54 - Lilian's Sketch with the theme of clean & simple:

In my personal view, clean & simple in card making is not easy. It is a skill of knowing when to stop; knowing which embelishments to pick and add, as there are so many on the market. The temptation is to add them all on one card. So I hope my card here is clean & simple to suit all pink loving princesses!

I have simply embossed 2 pieces of white card for the top and bottom area. Added 3 fabric squares in the middle. Then added two fabric/ ribbon roses on both left and right squares. For the center main image I used Copic Pens to colour Gorjuss Girl and paper piecing the dress. I believe it is a card full of textures!

Have a lovely sleep everyone!

Partying soon

2011-02-18T01:02:00.000Z

We have recently been invited to a wedding evening reception by my hubby's cousin. His daughter will be married in April this year. I love weddings!! Another chance to dress up, party and have fun! Just can't wait!

My friend Erin has recently recommend this Get Sketchy Card Challenge website. So I thought I would give their latest sketch #74 a go. Here is the sketch. A very simple sketch.

So I have made this card for accepting their wedding invite. It is very difficult to photograph this card. I tried many times, without flash it is blur and with flash the shining pearlescent paper just reflects the light. This is as good as I can get.

I always find simple sketch/ designs difficult. I admire people who can make clean, simple but powerful cards. I hope you like this card. My hubby said it looks better than their wedding evening invitation. Not sure if it is true or he simply said that because he loves me!!

Bed time now. Sweet dreams!

Year of Rabbit

2011-02-02T21:36:00.001Z

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

It will be the Year of the Rabbit this year. Just for fun, here is some information I found online for Rabbit year 2011:

"Chinese Horoscope for 2011

There are many famous people born in the year of The Rabbit such as Angelina Jolie, Albert Einstein, Tiger Woods and Frank Sinatra etc. As per 2011 Chinese horoscope, 2011 is going to be relatively calmer than the last year, both on the world scene, as well as on a personal level. Those people who are born in other compatible Chinese zodiac signs will also find 2011 very productive and fulfilling. These signs compatible with the rabbit are – the sheep, the dog and the pig. Those born under other signs might suffer, depending on how flexible they are in 2011. Those who can tactfully negotiate complex personal or business issues may also attain similar good luck enjoyed by rabbits and those compatible with them in 2011."

So here I am to share the card I made for my family:

Funnily enough... although I am Chinese, from Taiwan, I've never made an oriental card before. This is actually the first time! I think I have not done it too bad huh?! ^_^ I am pretty lucky to be fluent in Mandarin and know how to write Chinese characters. So I do not need to rely on using peel offs or stamps for Chinese words. I've used the traditional red and gold colours with a bit of black. Made a little firecracker and a gold tassel at the end. It looks like the firecraker is lit.... watch out, cover your ears and wait for them to go BANG!! ^_^ Hee hee!

Wish my family and my friends all the best for the coming year. Gong Xi Fa Chi!

Love,

Goo-goo Ga-ga

2011-01-28T21:43:00.000Z

Recently many friends around me are either expecting or have just given birth. Therefore, I thought I would share two of my baby congratulations cards which I made last year.

My colleague was leaving work to go on maternity leave so I made her this card to wish her all the best. I just love this stamp image - a happy, proud mum!

I like to add the recipient's name on card, just to make it a little bit special. I have also stamped the front of the envelope with this cute heart safety pin. All stamps are from Elzybells, which unfortunately has closed down.

Inside the card, I continued with the heart safety pin images. I coloured the pins by using a gold sparkly gel pen. The hearts are coloured in red with glitter glue added for extra sparkle. This baby stamp image is so cute! (Also from Elzybells.) The little tag at the top is blank so that you can add any message you like.

The idea, for the next baby card, was taken from the Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine issue 78. I like to make mechanism cards. The fun of being able to interact with the card always amazes me. First when you look at this card, there is not much going on. I used the template that comes with the magazine, followed the instruction and made this baby pram. The wheels are attached by brads so they are moveable too. There is a tab at the right hand size of the card and once you pull it......

...... this is what happens.......

The baby sticks his head out and also reveals the message "Congratulations"! I had so much fun making this card and just couldn't stop pulling the tab in and out. Another day, I would like to use this mechanism and make other cards like a little mouse coming out of its mouse hole or a fairy popping out behind a mushroom. So many ideas and so little time to make cards! Do you have any other ideas?

My First Card for 2011

2011-01-11T23:06:00.004Z

Happy New Year! Hope you all had a nice and relaxing Christmas and New Year break.

I told myself that I should make more cards and blog more this year. Is that my New Year resolution?! I guess it is! ^_^

So here it is - my first card for this year.

I will be entering this card in The Sugar Bowl Challenge 50 by following the below sketch and using the optional theme- embossing.

I will also be entering this card in The Play Date Cafe Challenge #63 by using grass green, gold and silver colours. At first I didn't think that these colours would work together. However, after making this card, I now quite like the colour combination. Unfortunately I don't think my photo captures the true colour of the girl's socks. (Everything else pretty much matches the colour of the card in reality but just the colour of the socks somehow came out different. It is very strange!) It was meant to be two different shades of greens but they came out as blues.

Finally, I will be entering this card in the Papertake Weekly Challenge - Anything Goes with optional to add lace to my work.

I am very happy with my first card of the year. The colours make this card look very elegant and the sketch is simple and easy to work with. I hope you like it too!

Toread - Legendary Tiny Nymph Toread

2010-11-24T11:50:00.000Z

Got a day off work today!! Woo-Hoo!

I did mention in my last post that I will share some of my Xmas cards this year. I bought these decoupage papers probably...... 4 years ago in Taiwan. As they are so so SO cute, I kind of want to keep them as they are and have the urge to keep them to myself and not wanting to share them. Since they are in my possession for 4 years now, I thought it was a bit silly just to keep them in the drawer and it is about time that I make good use of them and turn them into pretty cards. These cute nymph like creatures are made by Toread Co., Ltd. from The Netherlands. You can purchase them from http://www.jalekro.com/ or if you search under "Toread decoupage" I am sure you will be able to find an online shop that sells these.

Alright, I shall not keep you waiting any longer. Here are the cards I made this year by using the Toread decoupage papers. Sadly none of these cards are with me any more, as they appear to be quite popular and I sold them all!! (I should be happy that they all found good homes!)

This is Poya

This is Comge

This is Happy

This is Flora

Comge again

And my favourite Kissmas card - Happy and Flora

Luckily I still have a couple of Toread Xmas sheets left and loads of none Xmas Toread decoupage sheets. I am sure I will use them to make cards again (when I can stand the separation! ).

Have a great day!

Abracadabra~

2010-11-21T12:26:00.000Z

Hi, It has been a long time since I last blogged. Although there is little movement on my blog world, I have not stopped. I have been busy making Christmas cards to sell and to fulfil my Christmas card orders. Now, I start to think "When can I start to make MY Christmas cards for my own family and friends?!" Well, I am sure I will somehow fit this in my busy life.

I thought I would share this magic colour card with you today. (This is what I call it, if anyone knows a proper name for it, let me know!) I saw this technique in children's story books before, but never thought of applying them to cards until I received a birthday card from my friend Erin this year. She made me an amazing card by using this technique. I loved it so much and I just had to recreate it. (Sorry Erin, I had to take your card apart to reveal the secret!) So here it is, a birthday card for my mum with the same technique. The front of the card shows just the outline of Tilda which was stamped on clear acetate. I used mainly reds, oranges, yellows and gold to reflect the autumn theme.

And here is the picture of the card pulled half way which begins to reveal the message and colour.

Finally, here is the picture when the card is fully pulled out to show Tilda in full colour.

Isn't this amazing? Very magical!

When my mum received the card, she couldn't resist to show all her friends. Apparently, they all gathered around their patch work table to study and discuss how the card was made. I hope you like this card too.

Thanks for stopping by and I shall share some of my Christmas cards with you soon. Have a good Sunday

Frothy Beer

2010-10-03T11:53:00.001+01:00

After receiving the Big Shot as my birthday present, I bought my first ever Nellie Snellen Multi Frame Die (MFD0005). Gosh! Now I know what I missed before I had Big Shot! These dies cut intricate and beautiful frames. I spent a while experimenting with them.

I made this card for my dad's birthday. Just had to use one of the die cutting frames for this card. When it comes to cards for men, it is always a struggle. I thought, since I used my faviourite beads and wires to make a bottle and a glass last time, maybe I would try to use beads and wires again to make a frothy mug of beer.

So how did I do with this beer? It took few goes for my husband to finally guess it but my daughter immediately said it is a mug with bubbles coming out at the top. (Well, I guess for a seven year old she doesn't know her drinks yet!! Hee hee!) I think it is not too bad for a first attempt!

Anyway, Happy Birthday Dad! I know this card is late but my warm wishes to you are bigger than ever. Hope you had a great and enjoyable day. Love ya!

A birthday card and a new birthday toy

2010-09-20T00:28:00.000+01:00

Sorry that I have not posted lately. I decided to give myself a little break as it is my birthday this month!!

First, I will share a birthday card with you. I made this for my colleague's birthday. With all the pinks and reds, you can say it is a very girly card alright!

My friend, who is into patch work, gave me a bag full of material samples. These fabrics are fantastic. They come pre-cut in little squares and contain all sorts of colours and patterns that you can think of. I think they are just the right size for card making. For this card, I stuck 3 fabric squares on the left hand side. This will give some texture to the card and also compliments the dress stamp image. I also used metalic gold thread to add a few simple stiches on the tag.

Birthday greeting message is stamped on vellum and then attached by tiny eyelets. I also used gold wire to make a small hanger for the dress. Here is another photo for a closer look.

I think the card is full of details and textures. I do like it!

Now for the big news.... (well, to me it is a big one!) I finally got my black and pink Big Shot as my birthday present! Woo Hoo!

My lovely husband decided to buy this wonderful present for me this year. I started with the small Sizzix Tagalong machine and loved it. But as time went on, all I could see is more and more fancy and brilliant large dies, embossing folders in the market but I just couldn't use these in my small die cutting machine. So I wished and wished that one day someone will buy me one as a gift and here it is. My own Big Shot! (Thank you darling!!) I know many of you already have one (I am a bit late on this huh?!) but at this moment I am just so excited!! Particularlly we had to wait nearly 4 weeks before our order arrived! Gosh! Can't wait to use embossing folders and dies like Nestability. Well, now I just need someone to buy me those for gifts!! Hee hee!

Another photo of MY cute Big Shot. Just loving it, even before I play with it! ^_^

Oh~ by the way, if any new crafters out there are interested in the small Tagalong die cutting maching by Sizzix, please do email me. Mine is for sale. (Will go on eaby sometime too.) It is a great starter machine for anyone who is new to crafting or wants to have a go at die cutting but does not want to splash out on an expensive machine.

Hope you had a great weekend~

Cheers!

2010-08-24T01:29:00.000+01:00

Here is a card I made for my brother-in-law. I used beads and wires to create this wine bottle and glass embellishment. I love beads and wires!!

I am entering this card for the following 2 challenges:

The Play Date Cafe Challenge PDCC43: Lime greens, lighter shades of blue and greens
I like this colour combination. Very refreshing!

Papertake Weekly Challenge Sketch #46: This sketch is very simple and clean.

I used handmade paper this time as I like the feathering effect from the paper fibre. I also added some gems and glitters above the glass. Just to give the card some shine!

Really like this male card! And Happy Birthday Marvin! Have a great day tomorrow!

Happy 3rd birthday!

2010-08-21T01:01:00.002+01:00

Where has the time gone?! My friend's little boy is now 3 years old. I can't believe that!

Since I made my last card, I fell in love with the colour combination which was on The Play Date Cafe challenge 42: dark brown, green and beige. Hence, I thought I will use these colours again and made this card.

I also used this George stamp image from Elzybells again. All boys like dinosaurs right? (Dragons = Dinosaurs???) I have also used the sketch from Friday Sketchers #115:

And yes, I am slightly late for posting this to be able to enter the challenge. Hey! But never mind, it is the fun I had making this card that's most important. Do you like my shining shield?! Here is a closer look at it:

I really enjoyed making this card. Particularly, I quite like my shield and the oldy font I chose for personalising this card.

Have a nice day!

Blog Candy from Pink Gem

2010-08-19T12:09:00.003+01:00

Hello! Yes I am off work today hence a post in the morning. Woo-Hoo!

Just want to say Janet is giving away some blog candy on Pink Gem Blog. It contains:

ProMarker Pen Set 'Garden Design'
'Lenny Lion' stamp from Pink Gem Designs

'Peek-a-Boo Marvin' stamp from Pink Gen Designs

I use Copic markers but never use ProMarkers before. However, I wouldn't mind winning them and try them out!!

One card, two challenges

2010-08-17T03:08:00.002+01:00

I made this card last Friday for my neighbour's little boy's 6th birthday. All kids had a great time at the Hollywood Bowl playing two games of bowling!

This is the first time I used this George stamp from Elzybells. Sadly Elzybells is closing down and all their stamps are 50% off. Unfortunately George is now out of stock. But if you like their stamps, you better be quick. As you need to get them while you can!

OK, back to the card. I used water colour pencils to colour in the stamped image. All background papers and border are from Cardmaking and Papercraft's free summer paper and docraft's Daisy & Dandelion Picnic Patch collection. Here is a closer look of the image:

I am entering this card for Cardmaking and Papercraft's Sketch Challenge. The sketch is quite easy to follow and I like it.

I am also entering The Play Date Cafe Challenge 42 by using the colour combination of dark brown, green and beige. I have to say for a million years I would never use these colours together. Now I made this card and I think I am starting to like these colours together. Quite masculine, great to use on men's cards!

It's getting really late now. Better get off to bed. Sweet dreams!

Happy Father's Day , Dad!

2010-08-08T11:00:00.001+01:00

It's Father's Day today in Taiwan. I made this card for my dad nearly a week ago and I hope it has arrived on time by airmail!!

I am sure you all agree that it is difficult to make men's cards. For a few days I couldn't make my mind up as to which image or style I should make. In the end, I decided to use a few of my daughters recent photos to make the card. Since my dad hasn't seen them for three years, I am sure he will appreciate the card! This is the first time I have used photos on a card. I quite like it! These are the strawberries which we grew in our garden this summer. It was quite lucky that I found this brown backing paper in my card stash. The lime green boarder and 2 large strawberries just coordinate with the photos so well!

I had to make this card into an easel card. It is one of those cards that should be displayed on the mantlepiece. Hee hee! Here is another photo from the side. The strawberry boarder at the bottom is quite cute too.

I used peel offs for the greetings and added green coloured gems along the lime green boarder.

This time I thought I will try acetate for the card. I used white coloured ink to stamp the swirl image and I've also used white colour ink to stamp 3 stars and placed peel off alphabets in each star that reads Dad. I think acetate always gives the card another dimension
.

Hope dad will like this card and I am sure mum will find a place to display it somewhere in the house proudly!!

Happy Father's Day, Dad! Hope you have a wonderful day!

Love,

Vintage Card

2010-08-06T11:37:00.001+01:00

I missed Just Magnolia Challenge 65- Vintage and just missed Challenge 66 - Bev's Sketch but I'm determined to have a go at making a Vintage card by using Bev's sketch. I guess I will have to be quicker with my posting next time, since I made the card a few days ago already! So here is my card:

This is my first time ever making a Vintage card. Hope I have achieved the look. I have torn and scrunched up the script backing paper. I used brown ink to ink the edge, dabbed all over the scrunched paper to pick up the creases which should give the paper that old look.
Here is a close up picture:

I have used the computer to type and print out the text. I think it goes well with this Tilda image!

This is also my first time using lace on card. Lace seems to be quite popular at the moment. I do like the effect and I shall be using it again. I have also used paper piecing for Tilda's dress and made my own flower by punching out flower shapes and attached white pearls in the middle.

I am using this card to enter the Wild Orchid Challenge: Challenge 2 - Lovely Lace. Hope my first attempt at a vintage card is a success!

Have a nice day!

Suspension Card

2010-08-04T01:30:00.002+01:00

It's been a short while since my last post. I have met two of my high school friends in Cambridge last Saturday. We had such a great time. It has been a good 10 to 15 years since I last saw them! WOW! Time flies and looking back at it, it's kind of scary!

I have been busy making cards over the last few days and now all I need is to find the time to post them! So I will start with a quick and short post today.

I made this card for my neighbour's little boy's third birthday last week. On the most recent August issue of Quick Cards magazine, it has featured a suspension card under their Card School project. It has been a while since I last made a suspension card, so I thought I will give it another go.

The stamped image of Bentley Bear blowing candles is from a free stamp set which came with Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine. Text and number have been stamped by using Stampendous - a la Mode lower case alphabet set.

I just love the movable element , with its spinning centre, on a suspension card. It's fun, it spins and it's eye-catching! Here is a picture of the greeting on the other side.

It certainly impressed my neighbour and her little boy!

Smiles,

Have a sweet birthday, Sis!

2010-07-24T01:01:00.005+01:00

My oh, my oh, my!! I am so excited that I successfully made the Magical Marquee card! If you want to have a go too, you can follow Jan Tink's video tutorial HERE! I should have just followed the measurements on the tutorial but nope I had to create my own larger size and that is when it gets a bit complicated! It took me a while to measure it all up and most important to test that it works. So here is my card:
Recently my little sister has been really into baking cakes and I think this cute cupcake making Tilda is just the perfect image for her. Copic marker pens have been used for colouring Tilda. I have again used My Mind's Eye summer paper for paper piecing Tilda's dress. Text (Wishing you a birthday...) and background roses are from Taylored Expressions - For the Love of Cupcakes.

Here it is when the card is half opened. The magical part is that you can start to see the "yellow text curtains" gradually open up to reveal a tiny diamond shaped window.

And here it is when it is fully opened. Lots of yummy cupcakes appear from the diamond shaped window with the greetings saying "filled with cupcakes!".

Here is a close up view. All cupcakes have either been coloured in by using Copic marker pens or gel pens. Also they have been decorated with either crystal Stickles or Crystal Lacquer, just to make them more scrumptious!

Well, can I hear you say that it is really not that magical when you can't see it in action?! So with a little fairy dust, here it is my Magical Marquee card in motion (My first video clip! It is a bit pink... I don't have the software to adjust the colour. Anyone know any free software to do so?)

Happy Birthday, Fan! Hope you had a great and wonderful day! I hope you all like this card just as much as I'm loving it! Hee hee!

Have a magical day!

Relax... Have a nice cup of tea!

2010-07-20T20:51:00.007+01:00

Hi there! I am trying to catch up with my blogging. So I will be sharing some of my old cards in the next few days (or weeks?! Hee hee!) which I didn't have the chance to post before.

For this card I have used the Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #109.

Of course, I missed the deadline for entering this challenge. For some reason I found this sketch quite difficult. I think I struggled to find the right coloured paper, the right coloured pens, the right embellishments and basically struggled to find anything that would coordinate with each other.

This card is for my lovely sister. She does enjoy her teas!! I think this card turned out to be not too bad. Cup cake and the sentiment stamps are from Taylor Expressions- For the Love of Cupcakes. The tea cup and tea pot stamps are from Elzybells Art Stamps.

Got to take the kids to bed now. Hope I will stay awake for more card making later!! ^_^

Have a nice evening!

Just Magnolia

2010-07-19T22:46:00.019+01:00

Here is a thank you card which I made over the weekend for entering in the Just Magnolia Week 64 Challenge - Bev's sketch.

When I saw the sketch, I just fell in love with it! I flipped the sketch 180 degrees and it took me no time to create this card.
Tilda was coloured by Copic markers, Brushables pens and Sakura Glaze pens. I bought the pink beaded chain a while ago. It is very pretty but I never knew how and where to use it. Finally I got to use it this time! I pierced two small holes on card and pushed the first bead of the chain through the holes which hold the chain in place. I then used silicone glue to attach the beaded chain on card. Background paper is from "My Minds's Eye" which is my favorite at the moment.
I enjoyed making this card and I certainly will use this sketch again! Have a nice day!

Love,

With Love

2010-07-12T23:32:00.010+01:00

We just had the hottest days of the year last weekend. Temperatures in London hit 30.9 degrees on Saturday beating Athens, Sicily and Barcelona. Today it felt much cooler and finally we had some rain! Although I much preferred the sun, I do think our grass in the garden has needed some water.

I made a card over the weekend for The Sugar Bowl Challenge 38- Judy's Sketch with the optional theme of Scallops.

I rotated the sketch for my card and made a slight change. Instead of creating (or restricting) the Gojuss Girl image in a rectangular frame, I decided to cut the image out and let her sit freely. I then coloured the image with Copic marker pens. I also used paper piecing for the dress with the summer papers from "My Minds's Eye", which came free with this month's Cardmaking and Papercraft (Issue 81).

I think this card turned out to be quite nice. I hope you like it too! Thanks for stopping by.

It's fun making cards with you

2010-07-08T00:11:00.024+01:00

I love to do crafts with my daughters. Whether it's making models out of recycled boxes and toilet roll tubes or cutting shapes and images to make a pretty collage picture, we always have a great time! It is also a good chance to spend quality time with your children.

Whenever my eldest daughter, Aimee, (she is 7 now!) has been invited for a birthday party, she always says to me "Mummy, can we make a birthday card for my friend?" Quite often she decides on the colours and images etc, that she wants to use. She really has a definite opinion on how she likes to create her card, which is brilliant! Everything from the card layout/ composition to colouring, paper selections, choosing sentiments etc is well thought out. She has some ideas on how she would like her finished cards to look. Of course, sometimes she needs a bit of encouragement, suggestions and a bit of help in cutting and trimming. But, all in all, we do make good cards together.

Today I would like to share two of the birthday cards which she made (with a bit of mummy's help!)

For this first card we used Taylor Expressions - For the Love of Cupcakes stamp set and a free stamp set by Adam Pescott from the Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine. My daughter chose 2 main colours: pink and yellow. She also mentioned that she would like to use the stamp set to create 3 different cupcakes. So she tried stamping and was able to demonstrate a really good colouring technique too. Here is a close up of one of the cupcakes. She also added glitter to the rose and used Crystal Lacquer for the yellow topping, which added texture and shine.

While she was making the cupcakes, I helped to colour the cute doggy and did the paper piecing for the teddy bear.

I think we make a good team. Aimee definitely enjoyed making this card, particularly as she had the original idea for it!

The second birthday card here is mainly in pink and yellow too. (I wonder if this is her favorite colour combination?! ) For this card she helped to stamp the flower background and also colour the Gorjuss Girl image from Sugar Nellie. With a little tip on how to colour, I think she has done a fantastic job! Although some colours have accidentally strayed over the image outline Aimee said "It doesn't matter mummy, you can cut the girl out so you can't see that I've gone out of the line!" Clever girl! So that is exactly what I did! She also liked the paper piecing effect and decided to pick a redish pattern paper for the dress.

What do you think of these cards? Aimee has another party coming up soon. I think she really enjoyed colouring the Gorjuss Girl image this time. She even asked me "Can I make another card with the girl sitting sideways?" Mmm... maybe this time I will ask her to colour the whole image. Looks like another fun day is coming soon. I am so glad that we are able to share the same interest in making things. Have you shared your craft activities with your children or grandchildren yet?

Enjoy the fun!

The Start of Something New

2010-06-15T13:51:00.033+01:00

It's the popular wedding season again!

My neighbour ordered two wedding cards from me recently. One for her niece and one for her mum's granddaughter. She mentioned that she would like to have a wedding church/ bell design for her card and this is what I came up with:

I love beads and wires, therefore, I couldn't help but make a wedding bell charm out of gold and red seeded beads. This was then attached to the ribbon on the side. As the wedding theme colour was ivory and burgundy, I left the church image uncoloured and kept the card clean with just a few simple colours of pink, purple and burgundy. Of course, no card can be left without glitter and some bling! All church windows were decorated with crystal Stickles glitter glue and shiny gem stones added to the church door handles. I have to mention that I was so proud of myself for stamping the phrase "TO THE HAPPY COUPLE" directly on to the card without messing them up. I have these little alphabet rubber stamps, not like clear stamps, so you can't really see where you are stamping. So to be able to stamp them straight and clear I have to give myself a big applause for that!

Here is a picture of the inside of the card and the envelope design. And yes, as you can see, it is an easel card. I love easel cards! I have made a few and still like the fact that you can display the card so neatly. So I am not fed up of easel cards just yet!

For my neighbour's mum's card, she pretty much left me to come up with the design. The only requests she made concerned the colour and to ensure that the card was personalised with the wedding date and the bride and groom's name. Here is the card I made for her. I'm loving it!

I found this Stamp-n-Design with Lynn Pratt site with free template to make this card. I really enjoyed making this card. However, I struggled to find a suitable paper or card for the wedding dress. Finally this shimmery ivory card, embossed with swirls and roses, appeared in my local craft shop. I almost jumped and cheered when I saw it. It is just the perfect card for this wedding dress. When you touch the card, you notice that the patterns are raised with a velvety feel to it. Unfortunately, it didn't state what company this A4 card came from. Maybe I should find out from the shop next time so that I can share this information. Apart from ivory colour they also come in black, pink, purple, silvery white etc. I just want them all!!

Anyway, back to the wedding card. Again I used crystal Stickles to highlight the embossed pattern and various sized gem stones added around the neckline, the edge of the dress, centre of the bow tie and the shirt buttons. A silky burgundy ribbon added on the waist and suit collar and bow tie have also been cut out from burgundy card. Here is a close-up photo of the wedding dress.

Another close-up photo of the groom's suit.

This is the first time I ever made a gate fold card. Inside the card, my neighbour's mum had a wedding verse written especially for her granddaughter. That is very sweet! As the verse is quite long, I added punched ivory coloured paper on both sides in order to make a space for her mum and dad to write their own messages.

Just another photo of the card partly opened with the stamped envelope.

Many of you may have wondered why this blog has not been updated for a while? Well... I had a stressful time at work and for a period of time nothing seemed to be interesting, including card making!! How awful that sounds! Thank God to a bunch of lovely friends and colleagues, I have overcome the gloomy dark period and found sunshine once again. I guess everyone has that low moment in their lives and I am ready again to explore something new. Like a bride's new life as a wife; like my first gate fold card; like me planning to start something new!

Thank you for reading and have a great day!

Hugs,

Little people, big birthday

2010-02-19T22:20:00.016Z

I thought I would share some of the cards I made at the end of last year but didn't manage to post them on the blog. My friend commissioned me to make these cards for 4 little girls and boys all aged 4. As I have not used my Sizzix die cutting machine for a while I decided to make all these cards by using die cuts and gave my stamps a rest! So here they are:

I have used a simple sketch layout for this card - A main image, a quarter circle at the corner with text on top.
I have made a ballerina girl by using the Sizzix large doll. Dressed her up and used a short piece of feathery ribbon for her tutu. The beige background paper is a wallpaper sample from Laura Ashley which I highlighted with glitter glue on the flower pattern . The card was then decorated with pink liquid pearl, around the text, on the ballerina and the 3 gem stones on the top right hand corner.

The second card is very similar to the first one. I stuck to the same sketch layout but moved the quarter circle to the left bottom corner. Instead of an oval shaped text, I have used a round scalloped shape.
Again, I used a Laura Ashley wallpaper for the background. This time I used the Sizzix large doll to make a fairy by raising the doll on top of the butterfly die cut with foam pads. Then I made a fairy wand by using pink wire and a star button. The doll has also been decorated with white liquid pearl and 3 gem stones attached on top right hand corner.

Out of the 4 cards I am showing today, the next one has to be my favorite. I still used the same sketch layout but this time the quarter circle was moved to the top right hand corner. I embossed the quarter circle to give texture to the moon. I drew, hand cut and layered the rocket together. White liquid pearl was used around the rocket so that they would look like metal bolts.
Instead of using the Sizzix large doll this time, I used the Sizzix Bitty doll (smaller in size). The astronaut's helmet was cut out from acetate and then white gel pen was used to outline the helmet. Little gem stones have also been applied around the rocket window. I think this is quite a nice card for a little boy!

Last but not least, a choo-choo train. I didn't have a die for a train, so I hand drew, cut and assembled the train myself. Then I filled the train with a present, teddy bear and balloon made using die cuts.
Again, white liquid pearl was used to decorate around the train and glitter glue was applied to the balloon.

So, what do you think of all these cards? I do like to personalise each individual card with the recipient's name to make them feel just that extra special. Have a good day and I will talk to you soon.

What time is it....... Party Time!

2010-02-08T11:45:00.016Z

Well, we certainly had a very busy weekend!

Friday the 5th was our daughter's 7th birthday and here is the card I made for her. She was very excited when she received the card.

Since I had the experience of making the birthday cake with beads and wire last time, I thought I would try to create my own bead design this time. So I came up with this cup cake design. It even has a cherry on the top! I am quite happy with the result. Here is a close up picture of the beaded cup cake.

If you are interested in trying beads and wire on cards, have a look at this book called 'Step-by-Step Bead Cards' by Kate MacFadyen. It is a good place to start. There are lots of projects in the book and the clear instructions make them easy to produce.

I actually took Friday off to prepare my daughter's birthday. I spent most of my time baking cakes and making up party bags for her birthday party on Saturday. On Friday night we had a home made chocolate lemon cake with poppy seeds to celebrate her birthday. (I have to say the cake was yummy!) Then on Saturday, we took her and her friends to a Wacky warehouse for an hours play and then McDonald's for lunch. This year she decided to have a "Cup cake and High School Musical" theme birthday. So I decided to make this birthday party a bit different by making my own cup cakes and party bags.

Each cup cake was decorated with High School Musical (HSM) images and sugar stars. Then they were wrapped individually with clear cellophane bags and red/ gold ribbons. Not only do these cup cakes look good but also they are a lot easier to hand out for people to take home.

For the party bags, I also used clear cellophane bags to fill with lots of sweeties, chocolates, HSM stickers, balloons and party toys. I quite like the fact that you can see what you will get in your party bag. Apart from the contents, the actual party bag costs next to nothing!! The bag was sealed by stapling a folded thick card to the opening. The folded cards were cut out from cereal boxes which were then covered with free Laura Ashley wall paper samples. I decorated the card with HSM images which were cut from various gift boxes and packages. A sentiment "Just for you" has also been stamped on white card, cut into circular scalloped shape and attached to the card. Before stapling the card to the bag, I fastened a gold piece of ribbon onto the card to make a handle. This is simply done by cutting two small slits located at the fold. Then I threaded the ribbon through the slits and tied a knot at each end of the ribbon. Here is a closer look at the party bag.

When my daughter handed out those cup cakes and party bags, people were impressed. You could hear "WOW" from everywhere!! It was a success!! Even one of the parents asked "Which shop did you buy these party bags from?" Ha! I then responded proudly "These are not shop bought. I made them!!" I was so chuffed!!

I hope you like my cup cakes and party bags as much as I do. I certainly will make these again, especially as they had turned out so good and that they were completely different to the usual cakes and party bags.

STAMPS: 1) Magnolia unmounted stamp- CC09 Chasing Tilda from Chasing Butterflies Collection 2009.
2) Papermania clear stamp- Just for You from Exclusive FREE Clear Stamps.
INK: Memento Tuxedo Black and Whispers permanent-waterproof black ink.
PAPER: Pink with green squared pattern paper is from Paperchase Scrapbook Pad- Pack 25 Paper Stack Pastels. Rest of the papers/ cards are from my own stash. Red flowery and black and white wall papers, used on party bags, are from Laura Ashley.
DIE CUT: Quickutz- RS-0017 Balloon
Others: Copic markers, seeded beads, wire, gems, clear glitter glue, decorative scalloped scissors, card candy and ribbons have also been used.

It's your DAY!

2010-02-04T01:52:00.006Z

Have I heard you saying "Back so quick?!" Yes, this will be my second post of the month and it is only the 4th!! I am trying to keep up with my new year resolution - update blog more often! Hee hee!

First I'd like to say "Happy Birthday" to my crafty pal Erin. Hope you have a great day. Enjoy and be happy! I made this card for her.

It's an easel card which uses a new card folding technique I have learnt. There are a lot of step by step video tutorials on YouTube. Just search by easel card or making an easel card, you will find clear instructions on how to make one. It is just a simple fold but I love the fact that your card is free standing and can be displayed easily. So no more excuses for putting hand made cards in the drawer. I think they deserve to be displayed! Here is a picture from the side.

And here is a closer look at the main card front.

The main stamped image is from Wild Rose Studio. It has been decoupaged to give the 3D effect. I used seed beads and wire to create the birthday cake which replaces the original 3 tiers birthday cake image on the stamp. I think my beaded birthday cake has added some texture to the card and I love it! Of course, the card cannot be completed without adding some glitter and gems to make it shine.

I punched both sides of the paper and attached it to the inside or base of the card. I added a monthly calendar and circled my friend's birthday. (I know, I know I had to start from February. But we still have 11 months to go through for the year!! ) This calendar not only acts as a stopper for the easel card but also provides functionality for the card. Then two little gems have been added to each side of the calendar. These should prevent the front of the card from slipping down after most of the calender sheets have been taken off.

I hope you like the card as I am quite impressed with it. Thanks for reading.

Hugs,

STAMPS: Wild Rose Studio- Girl with Cake.
INK: Memento Tuxedo Black.
PAPER: Purple pattern paper inside the card is from Daisy & Dandelion (docrafts)- Picnic Patch A5 Paper Collection. Rest of the papers/ cards are from my own stash.
DIE CUT: Swirl, Decorative #2 die from Sizzix Sizzlits Die Set 3PK- Decorative Swirls Set 656323.
Others: Copic markers, paper punch, seeded beads, wire, gems, clear glitter glue and pink liquid pearls have also been used.

You are invited...

2010-02-02T01:46:00.011Z

Hi all! Sorry for the lack of movement on this blog. Have been busy over the Christmas period and new year. Now everything is settling down, hope you will see me blogging more often.

Today I would like to share the birthday invitation cards which my daughter and I made together. Actually she designed the invitation! She came up with the layout, she chose the colours, she stamped, she coloured... she did most things. Then with mummy's little help and finishing touches, I think the invitation turned out really good.

All her friends who received the invitation were quite impressed with the card. We used the cute owl, flower and sentiment clear stamps, from the latest Papermania Honey & hugs set, for this card. I have only just discovered the flexibility of these clear stamps! I realised that stamps which are long and thin can easily be bent to create a curved or even a waved image. This is exactly what I have done here with "Fun Fun Fun!" and "Let's Party" sentiments. They create different looks which make it feel like you have a completely new set of stamps. I suggest you have a go with your existing clear stamps and try it out. You will love the new look!

Here is a closer look at the card.

The owl is stamped, coloured on white card and cut out. Then use eyelet, brad and string to attach the owl onto the card so it dangles, like it is flying! Underneath the owl is a yellow circular shaped card which has a cup cake stamped in the middle and the words "You are invited" hand written all around the circle. The cup cake has been coloured and decorated with glitter and pink liquid pearls. Oops... yes! Silly me who forgot to take a photo of that part to show you. So I guess you will just have to use your imagination for that.

Well, I hope you like the cards. We certainly had great fun making them.

Have a great day,

Slider/ Spinner card

2009-12-06T00:19:00.010Z

Hi, I bet you were all wondering where I've been? I have been busy fulfilling my Xmas card orders this year and I just ran out of time to blog. But here I am again. ^_^

Today, I am going to share my first slider card. I previously saw this project being shown in a card magazine and I have also found some tutorials on Youtube. Since then I have been dying to have a go! Soon after, I had a male birthday card order from my friend and she has asked for a space/ science fiction theme. So I decided this will be a good chance for me to incorporate this technique.

Here it is, my space rocket slider card.

I have found this font called "Distant Galaxy" on my computer. This is just perfect for my space/ science fiction theme as I instantly recognize this font as the Star Wars movie title font. I printed the recipient's name out and used it as a template to cut the letters out from the card. Then I used white liquid pearl to add little dots on each letter to make them look like bolts. I designed the rocket myself and assembled it together by using various coloured cards. The rocket was attached on a round foam pad which was sandwiched between two round stiff cards. (All tutorials have shown this technique by using two coins. However, I think two coins could add on to the weight of your card consequently increase your postage cost if you are mailing your card out. Using two stiff round cards works just as well as using coins.) This round foam pad slides along the cut out channel, which was raised up by more foam pads, from the base card. I believe you can use any shape foam pad to be sandwiched in along the channel. However, by using a round foam pad, this will also allow your image to spin round and round as it slides.

And.... this is what my original rocket does - slide and spin at the same time! But I thought a rocket will not be a rocket without a blasting flame. Thus, after adding yellow and red treads as 'flame', I guess the rocket became heavier on one side and the spinning mechanism did not work as good as before. But I am still proud of my first attempt at making this slider/ spinner card. I do not regret adding the 'flame' on as it really gives some texture to the card.

While the rocket slides (and spins a little) along the channel, it also reveals the greeting text message underneath. All the little stars and 'circular planets' are peel offs. Pearlescent cards have been used to give that little shine. And blue clear beads have also been used on the wire to hold the large star.

I love the card and the good news is my friend loved it too when she received it!

Hugs,

Walking down the isle

2009-10-29T01:18:00.024Z

My brother and sister-in-law got married at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. (I know my post is late again! ) All friends and family also had the chance to join their wedding, well, not in person but through Internet. It was great to see the wedding ceremony live online. Almost feel like we were there with them. I have just got to share this wedding card, I made for them, with you all. I am so so pleased with it and truly love this card myself.

I made this card with our 'October monthly challenge: moving card' in mind. See those two gold and pink butterflies fluttering by?! (I should have taken a video clip to show you!) My sister-in-law loves butterflies, hence, they are everywhere. In order to create a little movement, I attached two of the small butterflies on thin acetate strips so they could move back and forth like they are flying. They are great!
Here comes the bride and groom walking down the pink carpet isle. When the card expands, it reveals the bride and groom's names and the date of the wedding. And it just looks like the couple are walking down the isle. I am so loving it!

Here is another photo from the side view.

My card did travel all the way to Vegas and so my brother and sister-in-law were able to open it after the wedding ceremony. What response did I get?! Well, they love the card. It is good to know when someone loves my card as much as I do myself. Hee hee! Have a great day!

STAMPS: Elzybells Art Stamps- Bride & groom (16-020).
INK: Memento Tuxedo Black.
Others: Cards, papers, ribbon and rub on alphabets from my own stash, Butterflies recycled from a given birthday card, Acetate and Copic Markers.

Happy Birthday Dad!

2009-10-25T00:36:00.016+01:00

Well... I know... My dad's birthday has gone past by already but I still would like to share the card I made for my dad with you.

And this is what it looks like when you open it:

I've seen this card style being made before and love the clever cutting and folding. However, I could never figure out how it was made. But I was put out of my misery on a special card demonstration day at my local craft store. Now I know how! I used some free die cut shapes of the little birdies, which comes with my craft magazine, to decorate this card. Although it is autumn already, the card still has that summer feeling with its green, blue and yellow colours. I guess I just want to hold on to summer a bit longer!! I am quite pleased with this card and so is my dad!! Hee hee!

I guess some of you are wondering: "SO... how do you make this card??" Well, to stop you crafters out there from wondering any longer, here is a picture indicating the measurements, where to cut and how to fold.

Sorry that the image seems to be really small. It is so small that you can't even read the text on it. But... I don't know how to make the image bigger?! Basically, the card size is 12" x 5 1/2". Score the card at 2", 4", 8" and 10". Then cut 1 1/2" from the top and bottom edge: from the 2" point to the 10" point (shown as the red coloured line). The rest will be just folding. Light blue lines indicate valley folds and the yellow lines are the mountain folds. Hope this helps. Once you manage the basics, I bet you will be able to apply this cutting and folding technique to any size card. Happy crafting!

Cherry Wings Challenge #2 - Moving Cards

2009-10-01T13:15:00.008+01:00

Hey! It is my turn now to set up this month's card challenge.

For October Challenge #2, I would like you to design card(s) which include something that MOVES. Just to give you a head start how about a shaker card? You can use beads, sequins that move around when you shake the card. Or how about a Waterfall card? Or just simply create a card that has jewels or charms dangling on the card?

Anything else? We want to see those groovy movements on your cards. Please do come and join me and Erin on this month's challenge. Leave a link of your cards in the comments below or email me with your card pictures. I will showcase all your works at the end of this month. Have fun with the move!

Showcase for Cherry Wings Challenge #1

2009-09-30T21:39:00.032+01:00

It's the last day of September today. (Where has the time gone?!) And it's our showcase time to share the results of our very 1st Cherry Wings Challenge- Mid Autumn Moon Festival Card. So here they are!

This is the card which my friend Erin came up with:

I love the warm autumn feeling from the orange, the yellow and the brown colours of her card. I especially love that backing paper. It does create that Moon Festival mood. When I asked her where she got that paper from, it turned out that it was only a leaflet from Starbucks. It just shows that you can use anything to make cards with your imagination! The love birds stamp, I believe, is the free gift stamp from the February Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine issue 62. (I know that because I have that stamp set too!! ) And don't you just love all that glitter reflecting the bright moonlight and shining everywhere! I love it!

Now.... here is my card or I should said cards:

I have to be honest, this has been a very hard challenge. I certainly needed the whole month to come up with this pair of cards. From the very beginning I knew I wanted to make a circular card, as it resembles the big round moon of the Moon Festival. I also knew that I wanted to use 9 gem stones to represent the 9 suns. But what image to put in the middle of my card I surely hadn't got a clue. Until one day, I came across these two Chinese figurines from a magazine and that was it. Everything seemed to come together so easily.

The small rounded moon behind the lady was punched out from a beauty magazine too. And I just couldn't resist sneakily placing my Jade Rabbit on the card with its fluffy tail. There is a saying in Chinese that people miss their family and friends even more during special holidays or festivals ("每逢佳節倍思親"). Therefore, I thought the "Miss You" sentiment suits the card well.

Once I made the card with the Chinese lady, I just couldn't stop to make another one with the Chinese gentleman. The only differences between these two are the main yellow backing paper and the colour of the gem stones. I ran out of the lighter yellow colour paper so had to use another deeper colour yellow paper! And to give the male card more of a masculine feel, I decided to use the strong red colour gem stones.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed seeing our 1st challenge results. I truly enjoyed making them. Please do come back tomorrow to find out what's in store for our 2nd challenge for the month of October.

Hugs,

Gorjuss Girl

2009-09-15T23:31:00.018+01:00

Got some time to take up another card challenge last week. Actually I finished the card over the weekend but just haven't had the time to post it on the blog. Luckily I am still in time for entering The Sugar Bowl Challenge 19- Marlene's Sketch and this time you will also need to include the colours pink and brown.

I love the combination of pink and brown. They just look so yummy together! Reminded me of a chocolate cupcake with pink icing! (Even better with a cherry on the top! ) So here is my card:

I have had this sitting Gorjuss Girl stamp for a while and I finally found a chance to use her for the very first time. The sketch is easy to follow and I am very happy with my colouring by using Copic Ciao markers. (Just on the dress and skin though. I only got a few of the pink and skin colours so far. I need more marker pens in my collection!! But for my first attempt, not bad colouring huh?!) I have also made my own little beaded pink and brown flower to decorate the card. It is my friend Jai's 40th birthday on the 21st and I hope she will like it.

Thanks for looking.

Elzybells Birthday Card

2009-09-07T23:17:00.008+01:00

Just want to share this card with you all.

I have used my winning "Life's a beach" stamp set from Elzybells to make this birthday card for my brother-in-law Marvin. There are a lot of stamps in this set but I just can't resist using this cute starfish stamp as my main image. I have coloured the starfish with chalk and added some shining gems. I have also raised the flower with foam pads to give more dimension. Finally the starfish has been layered on to another light blue card and on to a torn brown paper. The yellow flower boarder was created by using one of the stamps from this set too. Little drops of white opal Liquid Pearls have been added to the center of each flower. I have bought the FUN tags from my local store and I think they go quite well with this card.

I hope Marvin does like this card since my husband doesn't think that it looks like a man's card because of the flowers!! What do you think?

Hope you like it!

Cherry Wings Challenge #1

2009-09-02T21:39:00.007+01:00

Me and my craft buddy decided to set up a monthly challenge. A way to keep our hobby going and an excuse to make more cards. As we are both very busy mums, I think we shall be able to cope with one challenge a month! Hee hee!

So here you go, our very first challenge- make a Mid-Autumn Moon Festival theme card. First challenge set by my friend and... gosh! It is a difficult one. For those of you who are not familiar with the Moon Festival, here is a brief description from Wikipedia:

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, or in Chinese, Zhongqiu Jie (中秋節), is a popular harvest festival celebrated by Chinese people and Vietnamese people. In Malaysia and Singapore, it is also sometimes referred to as the Lantern Festival or Mooncake Festival.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar, which is usually around mid or late September in the Gregorian calendar. It is a date that parallels the autumn and spring Equinoxes of the solar calendar, when the moon is supposedly at its fullest and roundest. Farmers celebrate the end of the summer harvesting season on this date. Traditionally, on this day, Chinese family members and friends will gather to admire the bright mid-autumn harvest moon, and eat moon cakes and pomeloes together.

There are several traditional stories that go with the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival such as Chang'e, the Chinese goddess of the moon, the kind Jade Rabbit who lives at the Moon Palace, and Houyi the Archer who shot down nine suns.

This will be a very interesting challenge. I will be updating and sharing our cards soon when we have completed them. If this challenge tickles your fancy, you are very welcome to join us. You have the entire September to complete this challenge. If you ever participate, please do leave me a message below, email me your card or send me a link of your blog. We will definitely love to see what you have come up with!

Better get brainstorming and come up with some ideas.

Talk to you all soon.

You are growing up fast!

2009-09-01T21:48:00.030+01:00

I can't believe that my friend Erin's little boy is 2 years old now. Time just flies! He is such a sweet boy and his facial expression is just amazing. When it comes to crying, he is definitely an actor! Ha ha!

Instead of using stamp images, I thought I would use die cuts this time. I used Ellison Design- Teddy Bear #1 die by Stu Kilgour for this card. I have also used the same flourish backing paper to die cut teddy's tummy. (You can see the pattern on his tummy is the same as the flower on the left hand side.) As usual, you will find the personalised name at the bottom of the card.

The card was made based on the sketch from Friday Sketchers blog week 64 design.

I quite like this sketch. You can interpret it in different ways. Instead of keeping the card in square shape, I cut the front card into a semi-circular shape, as shown in the pink area. When you open the card, it reveals the 2nd teddy bear and the greetings.

I have also decorated the envelope by using Ellison Design- Balloons #2 by Stu Kilgour.

Apparently my friend said her son loved it so much when he received it that he wouldn't let go of the card. He nearly tore the teddy off from the front which was propped up by foam pads. Glad he loved it so much as I do! ^_^

Have a nice day!

You are 5 today!

2009-08-19T01:27:00.010+01:00

Why are cards for men/ boys so hard to make? They are just trying to be difficult!!

My daughters were invited to my neighbour's little boy's birthday party at the Hollywood Bowl. Even until the morning of the party I still couldn't think of what card to make him. I don't have any stamp images which are suitable for boys. (This will give me some excuses to stock up some robots, pirates, cowboys, astronauts, dinosaurs stamps etc. next time. ) All I've got for making kids' cards are stamps of teddy bears, die cuts of teddy bears, stickers of teddy bears which I think are a bit babyish for a 5 year old boy. Finally, in my craft stash, I found some leftover wrapping paper from before. Crafters never throw away anything and it is right. You never know when it will come in handy. I used the image on the wrapping paper and layered the 'thumbs up' dog to created a simple 3D decoupage. Even the Happy Birthday sentiment was cut out from the wrapping paper. It only took me a very short 30 mins to finish this card. Just in time for the party. I think this card is perfect for a 5 year old boy, what do you think? Thumbs up?!

It's a boy!

2009-08-19T00:56:00.006+01:00

My friend Atsuko gave birth to a little baby boy more than a month ago. Only until a few days ago, I managed to visit her and baby Higen. Mum and baby are both doing well. Higen is so cute, content and certainly has a lot of hair!

I made this simple quick baby card to go with a small gift of baby outfit.

I like to personalise the card with the recipient's name on it. And of course, I had to use baby blue colour for a baby boy card. What else?! Little booties, little mittens, little bodysuit... everything little is just so cute! Babies are those special sparkly gems that fall from heaven!

Hugs,

You are the BEST

2009-08-18T23:05:00.014+01:00

Yeah, here is me trying to catch up with my posts again!

8th of August is our Father's Day in Taiwan and I made this card for my dad.

As you all know it is not that easy to make cards for men and I am quite pleased with this card. I accidentally came across this Inkspirations blog by Makeesha Byl. This blog is full of ideas, clear tutorials and Inkspirations challenges are held weekly. You should definitely go and visit! From this blog I found a very interesting and easy tutorial for making a Double Slider Card. So here is the result:

Pull out the slider and two cards appear at the same time from their pockets. I had great fun making this card. It sure is a surprise and has a WOW factor!

Hope my dad likes the card as he is the BEST dad anyone could have!

I am the winner!

2009-08-13T10:44:00.011+01:00

Woo Hoo!! I just can't believe it! I am the winner of yesterday's prize draw on Elzybell's Blog. (I have never won anything before!) I have won the latest summer released Life's a beach stamp set.

I had my eyes on these stamps already. Kept seeing all those lovely card samples created by using this stamp set. They are just so beautiful! Here is one of my favourite cards created by Elzybell's owner Elizabeth. Just look at those pretty shells and the card colour truly gives that warm sandy feeling. I can't wait to get hold of mine and play with them. Hopefully I will be able to create something to show you all soon!

Hee hee! I just can't stop smiling. Thank you Elizabeth for giving me a wonderful feeling all day long!

Hugs,

Tea Bag full of love

2009-08-10T00:46:00.022+01:00

My poor brother-in-law recently had an accident at a concert in the Nottingham arena. He fell down from those very steep stairs and broke his leg. He ended up having two operations due to some complications and nearly lost his leg!!

4 weeks after his operation, we finally got the chance to visit him at home. Along with a box of chocolates to cheer him up, I also made him a get well soon card and wished him to feel better soon.

The original idea I had in mind was to make a card with a stamp image or a charm or even just a picture of a pair of crutches. I didn't think it would be that difficult, but trust me I searched everywhere- my local craft shops, online shops, ebay and I just couldn't find an image of a broken leg in a cast or crutches! (I nearly drew one myself!) If any of you crafters out there know where I can get such stamp/ image/ embellishment, I would love to hear from you!

So the original idea was out of the window, I had to think of something else fast. I tried to get some inspiration by rummaging through my stamp collection. As soon as I found my new Elzybells tea pot and tea cup stamps, which I haven't had the chance to use yet, it was as if a light bulb just went bling and the card was completed in no time.

Based on A Spoon Full of Sugar challenge 60- sketch by Debbie:

Here is the card I made:

To go with the tea pot and tea cup, I used vellum to make the tea bag and punched out little heart shapes and sequins as my tea leaves. I wish this tea bag of love and sparkle will give my brother-in-law more energy and speed up the healing process.

Tea drinks, I love this idea!! Mmm.... might have some more cards coming up with this idea in mind!! (Am I teasing you?? You'll just have to wait! ^_^)

Happy Birthday Sis

2009-08-09T22:25:00.013+01:00

I know I am well behind with my posting but here I am now. I want to share this card with you today. It is a card I made especially for my little sister Fanli's birthday. She just loves mushrooms!!

I came across this wonderful Corner Bookmark Tutorial, from Jenny Moors' Stamping Moments blog, and I just fell in love with it. It is just so different from the ordinary oblong bookmark. I've used my newly bought Papermania Snag 'em Stamp Duos- mushrooms and fairy prince stamps, my beloved Magnolia Tilda stamp, along with my own stash of papers, cards and ribbons. I had to hand draw my own big mushroom in order for Tilda to sit on it. I guess my card didn't turn out too bad at all. You can remove the bookmark which will reveal a little message underneath it.

And here is a close up of the corner bookmark itself.

Not only has she got a card for her birthday, I hope this bookmark will accompany her while she is relaxing after work or on holiday reading her favourite books!

Happy Birthday Pop up card

2009-06-29T00:56:00.016+01:00

I know I am really late on posting this. This is a card I made last weekend for my friend David. It has been in the post already so at least my card won't be late!! Hee hee!! ^_^

Cards for men are always a challenge but I am quite pleased on how it turn out. I have used A spoon Full of Sugar: Challenge 56 - Sketch By MichelleO for the lay out.

The original 'Chasing Edwin' Magnolia stamp, from the Chasing Butterflies 2009 collection, Edwin is holding a net. I have cut out the net and replaced it with a champagne glass. I guess you can replaced it with any thing to suit the occasion.
For inside of the card I have tried a pop out birthday cake. This took me a while to made it. The idea came from my daughter's pop up children book. I have to be honest it is not as easy as it looks!

Well, I do love this card and most of all hope my friend will love it too!!

A special card for you~

2009-05-29T00:17:00.013+01:00

This is the second time I participate on Friday Sketchers challenge. This week's sketch is by Heidi from Norway:

I have enjoyed making this card and I think the sketch is great. I will sure use it again.

As my good friend Erin is going back to Taiwan tomorrow, I have made this leaving card for her and her family. I have paper pieced Tilda's dress and layered the oval shape and Tilda figure on sticky foam pads to give it a 3D look.

I hope she likes the card! It is so hard and sad to say goodbye...
We will give her our love and best wishes and know that she will be doing great in starting a new life in Taiwan. Take good care~

雅齡要加油哦~
真的很捨不得妳走,missing you already!
記得我們雖隔十萬八千里但也要保持不到三分鐘距離的友情喲!

For my Grandad...

2009-05-21T19:50:00.006+01:00

My beloved Grandad passed away on 8th May 2009. It was a shocking news as it all happened so quickly. I believe he had a good 89 years of life and my love will always stay with him. Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend his funeral in Taiwan. However, I made this card especially for him and luckily it arrived in time before his cremation. This card will be cremated with Grandad and I hope he has received it.

My Grandad loves orchids. He has a huge garden where he plants hundreds and hundreds of orchids. He also creates new breeds of orchids and won many awards. With sadness, I struggled to make the card as my mind has gone blank and no suitable craft material in hand. In the end, I made this simple card and hand drawn a picture of my Grandad's favourite flower- Orchid. Truly hope Grandad will like it.

卡片內容:

"Goodbye is the saddest word" -
"再見"是個最傷感的字，
那永恆的"不見"豈不令人更心碎！

希望這張我自製、自畫的蘭花卡片您會喜歡。
請您安穩的休息吧，不用擔憂！
原諒我們還在英國，但我們滿滿的想念和愛會一直伴隨您。
從遠方將我們思念的心情寄給您，
願您再上天看顧大家、祈福大家平安健康。

愛您的
外孫女君玲
外孫女婿 Mick
曾外孫女雅敏、婕敏敬上

My first challenge!

2009-05-21T03:48:00.041+01:00

This is the first time ever I have taken part in a blog challenge and the blog is:
Friday Sketchers Challenge Blog

Here is this week's sketch #52 by Claudia Rosa.

And here is my card.

This is a card for my sister-in-law Sharon. She loves pink and who doesn't! So I thought I would try the combination of pink and brown. I have used my new Magnolia 'Tilda with rose' stamp. It took me a while to finish this card as I made the heart shaped ribbon buckle myself. Threading and attaching those dangling beads took a bit of time too. However, I think it is well worth it.

Well, this is my first challenge and I certainly enjoyed it. I am sure this will not be the last! I am actually looking forward to the next sketch and if I have time maybe I will try other blog challenges too! Hope you like my card.

Debbie's Fab Candy!

2009-04-25T23:53:00.010+01:00

I accidently came across this. You need to check it out. This is the best candy I have ever seen! Debbie is celebrating her Blogoversary and she is giving us the chance to win all these:

Check Debbie's blog- Passion For Crafts right now. It will only last till Thursday 30th April.

Elzybells New Stamps Release ● Elzybells新印章出來了

2009-02-23T23:30:00.009Z

I have been too busy to start with my new blog. I should really start working on it! ^_^

Anyway, as this is a great news and I just had to come and tell you all. Elzybells' new stamps have been released today! There are 6 clear sets and 14 rubber stamps. They are so cute and these stamps are so versatile. Also those sentiments are very humorous, it surely will make the recipients laugh. My favourite set got to be "Hey cupcake", you can create your own cake for birthday card, for congratulation card, for any occasion. Have to get them!

Go and check it out yourself, you will love it! http://www.elzybells.co.uk/

太忙了, 都還沒真正開始這個新的Blog。真的該好好加油! ^_^

但先要告知一個好消息，Elzybells的新印章今天出來嘍!總共有6組透明章，14個橡膠章。通通都好可愛而且有多方面的用途。還有那些用語、祝賀詞都很幽默，一定會讓收到卡片的人會心一笑。我最愛的就是"Hey cupcake"那一套, 可以"做"自己喜歡的生日蛋糕、祝賀蛋糕、或任何節日都可以的吃的蛋糕卡片。一定要去買!

自己去瞧瞧吧，你一定也會喜歡的! http://www.elzybells.co.uk/

About Cherry Wings ● 關於櫻桃羽翼

2008-08-05T00:57:00.007+01:00

Finally, I have a blog for my cards! I know it looks bare at the moment but it is a start. This will be a place where I can share my hand-made cards, exchange ideas and give tips. Hopefully this will become somewhere you visit often too!

終於我的卡片有了個部落格!
我知道現在看起來空蕩蕩的但至少是個開始。
在這我可以分享我的手工卡片、交換點子、給予小技巧，
希望這也會成為你常常來逛的地方!