Bev's Bouncing Baby Boys Blog Hop

Today we are celebrating huge huge huge milestone in dear Bev's, owner of Uniko Studio and sweet dear friend. She became a mum just a few days ago to two beautiful boy twins and we want to celebrate this momentous occasion with a small blog hop. So some of us design team girls have hijacked her blog ;)

So here is a card to wish the mum and dad all the best...

Josh and Ben are very, very lucky to have you both as parents. And I know you will be make an amazing mum. You are kind, sweet, loving, patient, and generous...and all of these qualities will the key ingredients to raising those boys!



Remember to get some sleep and enjoy every moment. I hear they grow up fast ;)



Here a list of the girls joining on the blog hop for easy hopping. 

• Uniko Studio Blog
• Amber
• Kerry
• N@ Ali
• Erika
• Nicki
• Gillian
• Ren-Yi

For all of those who love Bev as much as we do and want to join in on the fun, head back to the Uniko Studio Blog - because there is a link up for all of you join in and the link up will remain open for a month. We know everyone is getting back into the swing of things with school starting up and coming back from vacation, but you will have plenty of time to join in on the fun. Spread the word, too, while you're at it? :)

Danielle's Special Delivery Blog Hop - Special Delivery

Hello there - today is a special blog hop for a special someone. Danielle from Neat & Tangled is one the sweetest persons I have ever met. And we are getting together to celebrate her sweet self and the delivery of Baby Everlyn. I can't wait to see pictures! And all the best wishes to you, Danielle, and the rest of the family.

You should be hopping over from talented, amazing Christine Drogt, who organized all of this!

Initially I wanted to make a card with lots of Neat & Tangled products, but I started to make a baby onesie and ended up making a card to match. Here it is

This onesie is super easy to make. Just find a shape as a template, adhere some heat bond to the fabric, trace around it and then you have yourself a fun appliqué. Then just iron the appliqué onto the onesie. If anyone is interested, i can make a tutorial... it's so easy peasy and we used this technique at the recent baby shower I organized.



I ended up making a matching card out of complimentary fabric. This fabric is just glued down onto some card stock, and then onto some wood veneer pattern paper. The rest is just some fun white doodling to go along with the white sentiment. So that's all from my side. Your next stop is Miriam Prantner - another amazing, talented designer. She even designed a few sets for Neat & Tangled ;)



Here the entire blog list in its entirety for easy of navigation...

• Neat and Tangled 
• Amy Kolling
• Jessica Pascarella
• Evgenia Petzer
• Ashley Marcu
• Yana Smakula
• Linda Trace
• June Houck
• Betty J.
• Amy Tsuruta
• Anna Kossakovskaya
• Barb Murphy
• Tracy Ercole
• Mary Dawn Quirindongo
• Heather Ruwe
• Mayuri
• Christine Drogt
• Ren-Yi Lo (you are here)
• Miriam Prantner

Hope you enjoyed hopping along on this fun occasion!

[Uniko Studio] Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner - Uniko Studio November Blog Hop

Hello everyone! This revisited blog hop must have been amaze-balls, because I got so many sweet lovely comments. Thank you so much for your lovely remarks. I will try to visit you back in the next few days. 

So I asked random.org to draw a winner...

That makes cm my winner over here for £10 Gift Certificate. Please contact Beverely by emailing her: beverley [at] unikostudio [dot] com.

Remember to check everyone's blog too, cause you might have won over there:

• Uniko Studio Blog (Bev)
• Aimes
• Amber
• Erika
• Gayatri
• Nicki
• Ren-Yi (you are here)
• Stacey
• Taheerah
• Guest Designer N@Ali

I hope you had fun, just as much as we have had. We will be drawing a winner for our USC #4 on November 17, and we have a new fabulous challenge for you starting on Nov 18! See you soon!

[Uniko Studio] November Blog Hop - Label Love: Christmas Revisited

Hello everyone! October's release just slipped right past me. Between my crazy travel schedule, the manufacturers, international shipping and the postman, it was one of those unfortunately "not going to happen" moments. But I hope to get to play for a bit and I will be posting a few projects revisiting the recent release.

Today, however, I am going way back into the recent past, and am showing off an oldie-but-goodie set. A big drum roll for Label Love: Christmas.

It is inevitable to start thinking of Christmas, right?


Stamps: (Label Love: Christmas) Uniko Studio
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Smokey Shadow, Vintage Cream) Papertrey Ink; (Summer Stories) Teresa Collins
Ink: (Memento - London Fog) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Summer Stories - Sticker Accessory Sheet) Teresa Collins

This is just a simple cute card with some good old fashion paper layers. And I thought this would be a fun take on non-traditional Christmas / Winter holiday colors. You know what this card really needs? Wink of Stella...Yeah, I have totally fallen in love with this medium, and totally need one. It's so going on the wish list ;)



Hope you feel inspired to get your crafting up and going again.

And if I remember correctly, Bev is going to draw a winner for each stamp set revisited or a gift card. On my blog you can win a £10 Gift Certificate. So remember to comment along the way. You have until Nov 14. In the meantime, I'm sending you off to fabulous, amazing Stacey.

Here the whole list for easy navigation ...

• Uniko Studio Blog (Bev)
• Aimes
• Amber
• Erika
• Gayatri
• Nicki
• Ren-Yi (you are here)
• Stacey
• Taheerah
• Guest Designer N@Ali

I hope you like what you're seeing. Hope to see your creations soon!

Moxie Fab! Thanks - Blog Hop

Hello there - hopefully you're coming from Eva Dobila's blog. And if not, you might want to start from the beginning at the Moxie Fab World. Grab a cuppa, or two, and a sandwich. It is a long ride...it's a huge virtual "flash mob" style celebration for a very special someone: Cath Edvalson.

Dear Cath - 

In a nutshell, Thank you, Cath, for everything you have done! I have been a fan since the first time a friend pointed me to your blog. As a newbie in the card making and stamping world, your blog posts were always a sure source of inspiration and "what's currently going on." I love that I had a place to see great visual inspirations, find talented (and new to me) designers that became my source of inspiration, and a place to see your prediction of up and coming trends come through. You, my dear, gave me a community that wasn't bound by a type of crafting style, a community based on fandom for a manufacturer, or a poor of people who shared the same challenge interest. You were all of it. And you were always the first place I would look to.

Do you know how much you are loved? At least a blog hop with 285 people. Only you can pull a flash mob like this together. And that's just the beginning. 

On that note, do you know how much *I* love you...? (sorry for the poor photo quality...stuck on a business trip and pulled this card off the iphone)

Let me just say, I don't like to share my crispy bacon strips! ;) The flip side of course is how much I will miss you... hella lot. Your wittiness, your honesty, your keen eye for up and coming trends. You are my go-to gal. I will miss your face, but as the banner says, you will always be my Moxie Fab World. You know, old habits die hard!

We are celebrating you today as an iconic person of this stamping community today. You have given us so much, and I can't wait for you to do things for yourself. This job was hopefully fun but also hard work and time. So, Cath, thank you again for everything you have done.

Stay Moxie-Fabulous. I look forward to seeing you in the blog world, under a new catchy Cath name...no pressure there ;)

Yours truly,
smallhanded me

Off you go to Jessica Shelton-Buffa.

Caring Hearts Card Drive - a Blog Hop

Hello lovelies! I hope you're hopping over here from Sarah's blog. If not, please start from the beginning at Vera's blog, because the line-up of ladies and their inspiration is phenomenal.

ave you heard of this fabulous Card Drive? It's something that Vera Yates throws together every year. Sometimes with the help of dear friends, other times just solo. How she does it - it's beyond me! But she takes the time around one of the busiest time of the month. But I am absolutely excited that Tina Schrof and Anita from Canada are helping to be additional collection stations for this card drive.

This card drive is near and dear to my heart. Every year my local Assisted Living home has been the lucky recipient of these cards, and it's just fabulous to see smiles spread on their faces. It's really a hard, rough time for those older folks around the holidays. So these cards bring a little cheer into their lives. I will have to post those pictures later no the blog here. So check back...

And if spreading joy is not incentive enough, there are prizes for this hop (and even bigger prizes for the Card Drive itself) by the following lovely & generous sponsors:

• Avery Elle
• Clearly Besotted Stamp
• Ellen Hutson
• Fresh Squeezed Stamp
• Hero Arts
• Inspiration Emporium
• Lawn Fawn
• Li'l Inker Designs
• May Arts
• My Favorite Thing
• Newton Nook & Design
• Online Classes
• Paper Smooches
• Simon Says Stamps
• Studio Calico
• Tim Holtz
• There She Goes Stamp
• The Twinery

Just comment along the blog hop to be a lucky winner. You have until Tuesday Nov 12, 11:59p EST. The list is at the bottom of this post for easy navigation. But before I get to that, here is a card with some Mama Elephant goodies



Stamps: (No Peeking) Mama Elephant
Paper: (Perfect Match Card Stock - Smokey Shadow, Vintage Cream) Papetrey Ink
Ink: (Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Antique Linen, Vintage Photo; Jenni Bowlin - No. 1 Chewing Gum) Ranger; (Creative Color - Bubblegum) Mama Elephant; (Perfect Match Pigment Ink - Vintage Cream) Papertrey Ink; (Memento - Tuxedo Black) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Signo White Gel Pen) Uniball; (Mister Huey - Pinstripe; Mister Huey's Masks - Bubbles) Studio Calico; (Rustic Cream Twine) Papertrey Ink

I thought I'd try this chalkboard look and see if I can vintage up these Mama Elephant designs. Here is a closer look at the tag. The cute little dear was fussy cut and colored with Vintage Photo and Chewing Gum.



Edging the tag with some Vintage Photo softens the tag.



I still think this little deer is pretty darn cute, and hope that it will bring a smile to the lovely old folks. You're off to our last stop Newton's Nook. 

And in case you would like the whole blog hop list for easy navigation:

• Vera Yates
• Avery Elle
• Kimberly Crawford
• Emily Branch
• Paper Smooches
• Kim Kesti
• Aj Otto
• Joscelyne Cutchens
• Wendy Morris
• Emily Leiphart
• Jennifer McGuire
• Simon Says Stamp
• Tiffany Johnson
• Li’l Inker Designs
• Alicia Thelin
• Alyssa Scritchfield
• Isha Gupta 
• Jen Carter 
• Sarah Jay 
• Suzanne Dahlberg 
• Lawn Fawn
• Latisha Yoast
• Teri Anderson
• Fresh Squeezed Stamp
• Anita Recksiedler
• Sarah Moerman
• Ren-Yi Lo (<-- you are here) 
• Newton’s Nook Designs

And please consider making or donating some holiday cards to this awesome card drive. Major thanks to Tina and Anita for helping collect, and a big "You Rock" to Vera for doing this again. Let this card drive be awesome!

[Little Tangles] Challenge #19 - Let's Eat Cake: A Big Birthday Blog Bash

Hi everyone! Are you having a blast so far with our Birthday Bash event? I'm so excited that people are really chatting it up over there, and linking to our many challenges and spreading the word.

Today is extra special day for our Birthday Bash Midway mark...

We are challenging you with a Eat Cake challenge. Fear not if you don't have the right stamps. Don't forget you might have pretty chipboard die cuts or stickers lying around. Or you can grab a free cake digi or sentiment over there.

So I'm your last blog stop. If you made it all the way from my lovely, dear, kind friend June Houck, then you haven't missed anything. If you have tho, check the list below and make sure to start from the beginning. It will be worth your while.

Here is my "Eat Cake" contribution for today


Stamps: (Sketchy Cupcakes, Ink Splash, Everyday Circles) Neat & Tangled
Paper: (Roundabout Card Kit: (Solar White) Athens Paper) Studio Calico; (My Girl) American Craft
Ink: (Brilliance - Galaxy Gold; Memento - Tuxedo Black, London Fog) Tsukineko; (Jenni Bowlin - No. 4 Chewing Gum) Ranger
Embellishments: (Sequins - Raspberry Red Satin, Lemon Satin) Neat & Tangled; (Roundabout Card Kit: (Star Stick Pins) Maya Road; Navie Pier Add-on Kit: (The Pier Slide Frames) Crate Paper) Studio Calico

There you have it. Just threw together some gold Happy circles along with pink ink splashes down. Made a cute little cuppie cake with sprinkles (or sequins in this case), and added a Star Stick pin with a "Enjoy" banner.



The frame and the "birthday" sentiment is just a nice way to offset and ground everything.



Hope it tickles and that you will consider playing along. Also make sure to visit the Little Tangles blog again to make sure you read through the amazing prizes for this blog hop. 

Here is the reader's digest version.

• Enter the challenge for a chance to win a stamp set of your choice (the usual deal)
• You have until Sept 1, 11:55p Eastern Time to link up. More helpful rules at the end of the blog post.
• Comment along the blog hop for a chance to win one of two $5 gift certificates
• Lastly, comment along the blog hop for a chance to win the Entire Neat & Tangled Stamp collection designed to date. If you have one, some, or all stamps in the collection, pay it forward and spread the Neat & Tangled love!

• You have until August 24, 11:59p Eastern Time to comment.

So what are you waiting for? Go through the list and make sure you didn't miss a blog to comment on! :)

Blog Hop List

Danielle Walls

Suzanne Dahlberg

Katie Gehring

Heather Hoffman

Mary Dawn Quirindongo

Linda Trace

Laurie Willison

LT GDT Tracy Ercole

Amy Tsurata

Barb Murphy

Charlene Bopp

June Houck

Ren-Yi Lo
Little Tangles

A few helpful things to remember:

• Challenge ends Sept 1, 2013, 11:59p EST; Check back for the winners
• Prize is ONE Neat & Tangled Stamp set of your choice to a random player
• Neat & Tangled stamps are not required on your entry, but we would love to see you use them. If you would like to use some Neat & Tangled products but haven't had a chance to buy any, we have a couple of freebies on the Little Tangles site. Enjoy!

[Uniko Studio] June Design Team Blog Hop - Label Love: Thank You Revisited

Hello everyone! Did you land here from the amazing Nicki? I'm going to apologize in advance that I will not have a card to showcase today. The house renovations on the second floor is taking longer than expected and my Uniko Studio stamps are nicely packed in a box within a larger box, which is behind a bunch of other boxes. 

On a bigger note, one of our girls on the DT has a birthday today. So a huge happy birthday shoutout to my teamie Amber. I wish you nothing but happiness, health and loads of crafty mojo in the next year to come! Make sure to hop over to her and leave her some extra love!

But the rest of the stellar team has some great inspiration for you, so I hope you will continue blog hopping through the Uniko Studio line up that shows off Love Label: Thank You.

And if I remember correctly, Bev is going to draw a winner to win this stamp set from among the blog hop, so remember to comment along the way. In the meantime, I'm sending you off to our stop Stacey and don't forget to leave extra love for our guest designer.

Here the whole list for easy navigation ...

• Uniko Studio Blog (Bev)
• Aimes
• Amber
• Erika
• Gayatri
• Nicki
• Ren-Yi (you are here)
• Stacey
• Taheera

I hope you like what you're seeing. And we can't wait to see your creations on our Flickr group!

[Uniko Studio] Design Team Blog Hop - Extra Time Revisited

Good morning, everyone! I can't believe we're already on Day 11 of the new year. Since arriving home I had all these to-do's and I have been meaning to stop by this blog space to wish everyone a happy new year. Instead I am still trying to figure out New Year cards with Florian and they still haven't been shipped off to the print shop. Go figure... It's only Month One and I already feel behind...anyone else out there?

But I'm here to start today's post with some brilliant news. Yours truly have been inducted into the ::drum roll:: ...Uniko Studio Design Team. Yep - a full teamie that will be showcasing you everything from clear stamps down to the digi sets. So this is going to be an exciting year for me as well as for Uniko Studio. I think I'm still pinching myself over Bev's decision (which she had told me over Christmas break) since I will be designing along side a bunch of talented girls, some of which are Moxie Fabbers, Paper Idol Finalist...as you see I feel quite overwhelmed by this privilege.

Today we're here on a blog hop to revisit an oldie but goodie stamp set called "Extra Time" - ahh the irony that I feel like I'm already behind, and Bev chose this stamp set! You'll be nearing the end of the line of eye candy and should be hopping over from Nicki. If not, feel free to start at the beginning. 

My ode to time look like this: sticking with basic neutral colors, this card could be for any recipient - boy, girl, older or younger.


Stamps: (Extra Time) Uniko Studio
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Vintage Cream, Kraft) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Memento - Tuxedo Black) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Decorative Paper Tape - Numbers) Cavallini & Co; (Tim Holtz Idea-ology Decorative Tissue Tape - Sketchbook) Ranger; (Nestabilities - Standard Circles Small) Spellbinders; (1 1/2" Circle Punch) Marvy Uchida; (Metals - Circle Sticker) Mark Richards; (Acetate)

I added a bit of washi down as a layer to anchor my many clocks as a starting point. Then I stamped out the different face styles and then cut out the clocks with my nestabilities. The larger clocks fit perfectly into one of the metal frames. The smaller clocks are actually identical sizes to the larger ones, but I wanted to have varying circles in diameter. It breaks up the monotony. This is where my 1 1/2" circle punch came in super handy to make a smaller clock face.



In case you're wondering if the center clock looks a little shiny...I added a layer of clear acetate to make it a little extra special. I also popped a metal circle sticked onto the center and cut out some hands to finish it off. So this center face (which I popped onto some foam adhesives) has a few layers for some interest.



Hope you feel inspired to get your crafting up and going again. And if I remember correctly, Bev is going to draw a winner to win this stamp set from among the blog hop, so remember to comment along the way. In the meantime, I'm sending you off to our last stop Stacey.

Here the whole list for easy navigation ...

• Uniko Studio Blog (Bev)
• Aimes
• Amber
• Erika
• Gayatri
• Kerry
• Nicki
• Ren-Yi (you are here)
• Stacey

I hope you like what you're seeing. Until next time...(see what I did there? har dee har har ... )

[Scrapbook Steals] September Blog Hop - Glitter

Good morning, lovelies! It's Friday. And I'm breathing a sigh of relief. Can you hear it? Today I have a special post up for you. If you know me, you know I can't resist great crafty products. And if you know me even better, you know I can't resist a good sale. So what happens if you combine both of these loves? An addiction named Scrapbook Steals. This site have many a lovely products, including the whole line-ups of My Mind's Eye, Crate Paper, Studio Calico, October Afternoon...basically products that I love to use on projects, so this site really wins it for me.

When Scrapbook Steals was asking for guest designers, I thought "why not?!" Miraculously I got picked. So a big thank-you for letting me guest design with the Scrapbook Steals group. 

Today we're showcasing some yummy Martha Stewart glitters. Now, what girl doesn't like a little bit of bling or sparkle, right? We have a great line up of very talented girls bringing you some inspirations on how to stretch that glitter. If you followed along the blog hop, you should be arriving from sweet Julie's blog. If not, you might want to start from the beginning.

I have a few creations for you today, and I promise to post up a follow-up tutorial. I received three colors of Martha Stewart Iridescent glitter: cherry popsicle, ice cube, and sour apple - it screams Christmas, doesn't it?



So the one thing that sometimes makes me not a fan of glitter is that it gets everywhere. And when I mean everywhere, I mean everywhere...I think some of it came with me to work, some of it may even be stuck in between my keyboard keys. Sometimes I'm convinced I see a fleck of it in my hair or still attached to parts of me...but it might be the glitter paranoia speaking. So when I work with "messier" products, I like to be in as much control as possible. What does this mean? Contain it, tape it down... please just don't come off ;)

One of my favorite techniques is to combine glitter with scor tape. I will post up a step-by-step tutorial soon to show how you can get the glitter on and save yourself the mess...


Stamps: N/A
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Pure Poppy) Papertrey Ink; (Card stock) scrap bin
Ink: (Versamark) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Double Sided Ultra Sticky Clear Tape - 3.5mm) Stix2; (Perfect Pearls - Perfect Pearl) Ranger; (Iridescent Glitter - Cherry Popsicle, Sugar Cube) Martha Stewart; (Christmas Twine) The Twinery; (Alphabet Stickers) Prima; (Kris Kringle - Felt elements) SEI; (Nestabilities - Labels Eighteen) Spellbinders

I knew I wanted to make a peppermint striped color scheme and couldn't resist this little felt bird I had in my stash. A little alphas here, a bit of snowflake stamping & dusting with Perfect Pearls, and I pronounce this my first Christmas card of the year...The twine was actually a cool find by my DYSU buddy Jan, which we split three ways. A great frugal way to share some products, right? And twine is also so light to ship...



Look how clean the glitter lines up with the scor tape? I'm just tickled how this came out...more tips & tricks on another post, I promise!



My second card of today is a fun birthday card, using more glitter! And it's a fun little interactive card, because you can "shake it, shake it....like a polaroid picture." (If you can name the song and the artist...leave 'em in the comments ;)


Stamps: (Celebrate Special Edition) Studio Calico & Hero Arts
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Dark Chocolate, White, Aqua Mist; Stamper's Select Vellum) Papertrey Ink; (Acetate)
Ink: (Jenni Bowlin - No. 11 Brown Sugar) Ranger; (Perfect Match Pigment Ink - Hawaiian Shore) Papertrey Ink
Embellishments: (Iridescent Glitter - Sour Apple, Sugar Cube) Martha Stewart; (Saddle Stich Ribbon - Hawaiian Shore) Papertrey Ink; (Wood Veneers - Stars) Studio Calico; (Nestabilities - Standard Circles Small; Classic Scalloped Circles Small) Spellbinders; (Inkssentials - Glossy Accents) Ranger; (Cuttlebug A2 Embossing Folder - Swiss Dots) Provocraft; (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor

I can post up more detailed shots about how I put this little shaker card together if you're interested, but it's pretty straight forward. I created a pocket by cutting out two circles (larger than the window) in both acetate and vellum. After lining them up back to back, I sewed around the edge and left a little opening. Since I have always loved the color combination of aqua and a nice crisp granny-smith green, I filled the little pocket up with some glitter (of course), a few little wood stars and aqua confetti to make it a party inside the pocket.



The cupcake is stamped, colored with color pencils, and then finally iced with a layer of Sugar Cube glitter, followed by a nice generous layer of Glossy Accents. It gives the top layer of the cupcake a little more dimension by making it into an home-made (inexpensive) epoxy. A little bit of ribbon (that I stapled together), a fun little sentiment backed with vellum, and voila. Easy peasy card that you can make...and the best part? The glitter is contained ;)


Thanks for letting me share these two projects with you. I hope you enjoyed them.

Now off you go to the ever so talented Lisa. Just a small reminder that prizes are to be had. Leave a comment by Sunday September 16 11:59pm MST, and a lucky random winner from one of the eight blogs will be drawn to receive a $20 gift certificate. How awesome is that?

Here the blog hop details in case you get lost:

• (Scrapbook Steaks)
• (Erica Bass)
• (Julie Ann Cordero)
• Ren-Yi Lo <---------- you are here
• Lisa Bankes-Lahiff
• Neela Nalam
• Amy Brock Coose
• Becki Adams

On a last note, if you're a regular reader, don't forget to answer the survey in the top right panel. The second QuAC poll is up and if you want to link up and please feel free to participate in the first QuAC challenge  :)

[Waltzingmouse Blog Party] Have a Blast on Your Big Day...

Hello everyone! It's time for another party, and this time I planned ahead. I was so sad when the last two parties snuck up on me and I was so swamped with work that I didn't have any more time to create anything. This month's theme is very practical, because I always find myself running out of these... Birthday. Yep, those I never have on hand. My mum also decided to commission a card for a one year old boy. So I thought I better pull out my Half-pint Heroes... 


Stamps: (Way Out West, Half Pint Heroes) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock -Kraft) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Jenni Bowlin - No. 11 Brown Sugar) Ranger; (Versamark) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (3/8" Topnotch Twill Tape - Fine Linen) Papertrey Ink; (Yellow Airmail Washi) Freckled Fawn

All this new grunge hitting Waltzingmouse Stamps, made me want to make a "dirty" background. I tried stamping off the mountain range from Way Out West, and then stamping onto the card stock to get the lighter ones towards the top.

I colored this rocket up in some bright yellows & orange, and thought the yellow airmail washi could also double as "construction / warning" tape to draw some attention to the sentiment. I think it goes quite well with the rocket.



I also stamped the a sentiment on the twill ribbon. Twill by itself is great, it can be dressed up, or dressed down. It also acts like a blank canvas (especially the Fine Linen twill), don't you think?

So, I'm off to head to bed, but can't wait to see your lovely creations soon...Thanks so much for stopping by and enjoy the rest of what's left of this month! Summer is flying by so quickly, how will you make use of the remaining months?

[DYSU] Challenge #85 - Buttons Blog Hop

Good morning everyone! Are you arriving from my talented crafty UK-friend, Pauline? I bet she left you with some very inspiring takes on this week's challenge. If you aren't coming from Pauline's then I encourage you to start from the beginning. But let's get on with the show...

As you can see from the DYSU Blog, we are dedicating this blog hop to none other than the brilliant Meredith. Meredith's stint on the DYSU team was short & sweet, but I would not have wanted it any other way. She's super sweet to have around and always so encouraging. And from her projects (as you can tell) not too shabby - quite the contrary actually. Often they leave me with my jaw hanging: I'm green with envy on her coloring skills, especially when it comes to hair; other times it's the way she uses her materials in unique & creative ways; even more, she has this keen sense of color combos and pairs up not-so-obvious things together. May I borrow your brain sometime? I do want to know how she comes up with these stellar creations! No matter what images you throw at her, she makes them into master pieces! (and I would know since I threw some tough ones at her) That, my friends, is talent! Well, Meredith, thanks for being teamies for a while, and don't ever be stranger. You know where to find me...I'm sure we'll stay in touch! 

For this week I'm showcasing none other than Korin's Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. I love her images and the team is so kind.


Stamps: (Berry Sweet Cocoa, Elly & Friends) Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Pure Poppy, Spring Moss) Papertrey Ink; (Garden Variety) Cosmo Cricket
Ink: (Memento - Tuxedo Black) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (Ultrafine Prisma Glitter) Palette; (Stickled - Diamond) Ranger; (Border Punch - Upper Crest) Fiskars; (Vintage Buttons - Pure Poppy) Papertrey Ink; (Ribbon) Michael's 

My pattern paper almost seemed like an obvious choice when i was flipping through my older (ahem, hoarded) papers: Garden Variety...aren't the berries just perfect? I do love this green & red combo, and for once I'm not thinking Christmas! This card actually makes me think summer (although strawberry season has been long over). I also added buttons as my strawberries and gave them a Stickles treatment to match Cocoa's big, sparkly berry.



Hope it tickles (or sparkles). Now off you go to to see Wenche in Norway. Looks like you're bouncing between continents...getting dizzy yet? And in case you get lost, here is the full list...Remember to hop all the way to the end to say goodbye to Meredith! I'm sure I will be missing her inspirations!

• Archana (using Robyn's Fetish)
• Barb
• Denise (using Robyn's Fetish)
• Jan (using Digi Darla)
• Joan
• Guest Designer Marcy (using Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps)
• Mary
• Pandy
• Pauline
• Ren-Yi (using Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps) <-- you are here
• Wenche (using Digi Darla)
• Meredith

This week's sponsors:

Winner's Choice of 5 Digital Stamps

$10 Gift Certificate

Winner's Choice of 5 Digital Images

[Waltzingmouse Blog Party] Felt Like Saying Hi...

Hello everyone! It's time for another party with my favorite stamping company! In case you're new along, I hope you enjoy all the great inspiration you see from all the Waltzingmouse Fans. This blog party usually goes on the 17th of each month, but due to Claire's mum passing, it's been postponed to now. I would like to dedicate this blog hop and card-making session to the one and only Claire Brennan. Her mum is who we get to thank for Claire's artistic talent & passion, and from Claire's post, it seems like Claire's mum was quite an artist herself! So, it's only appropriate to dedicate a crafting event such as this blog party to these two amazing women, past & present.

This month we're getting down & crafty with Felt. I'm glad I got to sneak this card in... 


Stamps: (Text It, Musical Backgrounds, Basket Additions) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Vintage Cream, Sweet Blush) Papertrey Ink; (Stella & Rose Gertie) My Mind's Eye
Ink: (Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Vintage Photo, Antique Linen; Jenni Bowlin - No. 11 Brown Sugar) Ranger
Embellishments: (Rainbow Felt - Gold, Orange, Shocking Pink) Kunin; (L'occitane Ribbon) Recycled Stash

Lots of my card have been lacking sentiments on my front recently. Must be getting lazy ;) But I also thought a punny statement inside that says..."Felt Like Saying Hi" was just perfect. I like to keep hand-written sentiments on the inside - still feeling shy about my penmanship.

I decided to make some rolled felt flowers. Since this year's fashion is all about the bold almost neon colors, I chose my three favorite brights out of my sample pile of felt. This felt is made my the Kunin Group and is made out of recyclable materials. I also had more of that L'Occitane ribbon lying on my desk and decided to snip off a few to make little leaves. If you read a few posts back, you may have read my up-cycling attempt with this ribbon.



The rest of the card is pretty simple. Stamped the musical background in Vintage Photo, created my square by using the Text It frame and added pattern paper. Then mounted the basket on foam dimensional and popped the flowers on there. After much deliberation I didn't like the Vintage Photo musical background - it was too dark. So pulled off the top most panel with the flowers and redid the background using Antique Linen on the Sweet Blush paper. Much better :)

So, I'm off to head to bed, but can't wait to see your lovely creations...In the meantime for the state-side girls, Happy Memorial Day weekend! We get an extra day off! To those who have a normal two-day weekend, I wish you a wonderful one too! Thanks so much for stopping by. Let me know what you're up to this weekend... and thank you in advance of your inspirations!

[Waltzingmouse Blog Party] New Beginnings

Hello everyone! It's time for my all-time favorite stamping event. This is one waltz or blog hop that got me addicted to stamping and paper crafting. The huge fun with the amazing girls and the amazing inspiration by all the Waltzingmouse fans and design team members that join in, really makes this a special place to get new ideas and ways to look at your stamps. I ran out of time last month so I didn't get to join, but this month I had my card done by April 7 - ten whopping days before it was due. That's because I checked the theme like a good lil girl...we're celebrating New Beginnings theme. I'm glad I finally got to have a moment at my crafting desk to whip it out. I hope you enjoy it!


Stamps: (Compact Sentiments; Sewing Box - Hugs, Chicken Wire) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Spring Moss, Lemon Zest) Papertrey Ink; (Nantucket Collection) Pink Paislee; (vintage cardstock) scrap
Ink: (Memento - London Fog) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Ribbons - Rose Trim) Prima; (Nestabilities - Classic Circle Scallops Small, Labels No. 18) Spellbinders; (Twill Ribbon - Lemon Zest) Papertrey Ink; (Embossing Floss) DMC

I am so in love with this Chicken Wire stamp. When I got my package of new goodies to play with, that was the first one I inked up and then inked up again about five more times after that. (I think it hasn't left my desk yet. Which stamp set has found a 'permanent' home on your crafting desk?) I made the rest inspired by the gray chicken wire on green card stock and the theme of new Baby, since so many of my friends are having their first child!



Sewing Box Hugs is the perfect stamp set to add a lil baby charm. I decided to stamp this little guy three times on some pattern paper, cut out each layer to stack him to give it a little bit of dimension. Then I paper pierced each stamped stitch along the pattern paper and then threaded each layer with some embossing floss. This card took so much hard labor and much love, that this will be going to a special family! ;) Adding the embossing floss around the perimeter of the bird takes patience and dedication - so don't dive into it thinking it'll be quick ... (yeah i don't know who would think that... ahem) but I do love the results: it's truly sewing box hugs :)

The ribbon trim from Prima and the Lemon Zest twill ribbon makes a great grounding element for the little bird and a separator to add the label panel for the sentiment. The label is a Labels No. 18 from Spellbinders that I cut into half. I wish the embossing on the label came through more...



Since I wanted this lil cute bird to pop more, I added a cream card stock from my scrap stash to make it pop a tad. The paper piercing around the scallop was probably me getting a little "paper piercing happy" after all that piercing from the bird ;)

Hope you love this little creation... I can't wait to see all of yours. In the meantime I want to hear what your go-to gift is for a new baby if the couple doesn't have a registry...I'll be making my rounds soon! Thanks for inspiring!