[Uniko Studio] March Revisited Blog Hop - Beautiful Blooms I

Hello everyone! We are having a blog hop revisiting one of Uniko Studio's popular sets Beautiful Blooms I. Except this month we have a small twist since Bev is releasing some fabulous dies to go with the set. I was so excited to hear this, since those flowers always are begging to be cut - and this is just so much easier :)

  

Since the dies didn't reach me in time, I have created a card with just the re-visited stamp set. I was running off to my best friend's bridal shower and her colors are dark, royal purple. This was just the right amount of inspiration to get my started.

Forgive the lighting on the picture. It's completely off, and since I am not in possession of the card, I couldn't take another picture.


Stamps: (Beautiful Blooms I) Uniko Studio; (Big Day - Additions) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Royal Velvet, Plum Pudding) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Versamark) Tsukineko; (Perfect Match Hybrid Ink - Fresh Snow)
Embellishments: (Pearls - 3mm, 5mm) Mark Richards; (Stamp 'n Stuff Embossing Power - White Opaque) Stampendous!

I decided to emboss the sentiment with white embossing powder. Then I layered a bunch of white blooms with white hybrid ink, and chose to emboss the one white bloom to give it some layers. I was also trying to "shade" the flower in by sprinkling some embossing powder onto the sides.



A few pearls to finish the look. I will have to post up the wedding invites that I did for this shower, and you'll see how I kept it all in the same color scheme and style.



Hope you feel inspired with some samples. Make sure to stop by Stacey's and Gayatri's blog since this is the last blog hop - I will be so sad to see these two lovely girls go. They have been a true inspiration and I really enjoyed sharing an opportunity to design along side them.

On a more happy note, we also have one other person joining us - Gillian. I'm so glad to see join the team. Your Uniko Studio work has been really impressive thus far and I hope the rest of the fan base is just as equally excited.

Back to housekeeping: Bev is going to draw a winner for the stamp set AND the designer dies. In the meantime, I'm sending you off to fabulous, amazing Stacey.

Here the whole list for easy navigation ...

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

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

Congratulations Bev - a Special Bridal Shower Blog Hop

Hello everyone! A few of us girls wanted to throw our lovely Beverly Parish a fun little virtual Bridal Shower Blog Hop. Just because we all don't live in the same time zone, country, or continent, doesn't mean we can't use this social platform to do what we'd have done in person! 

You should be hopping over here from the ever so talented Nicki. This girl is just so creative.

My little bridal shower card is inspired by the colors of Uniko Studio. What better way to pay ode to Bev and her exciting next chapter in life by throwing together some aqua, pink and gray goodness and using her Beautiful Blooms I set?


Stamps: (All Occasion Sentiments #3,  Beautiful Blooms I) Uniko Studio
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Sweet Blush) Papertrey Ink; (Follow Your Heart - Be Amazing) My Mind's Eye
Ink: (Memento - Tuxedo Black) Tsukineko; (Jenni Bowlin - No. 1 Chewing Gum) Ranger
Embellishments: (Heidi Swapp Color Shine - Gold) Pink Paislee; (Boy Crazy - Enamel Dots) My Mind's Eye

From the first picture, it looks like my Blooms are dirty or stained. Ha! I was trying to add a little bit of special sheen and tried to give it some gold. The next picture depicts this slightly better, bur it looks completely different in person.



Happy happy Moments, Bev! I wish you nothing but happiness, the perfect day, and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I will be thinking of you and we can't wait to see pictures of you and your lovely dress (and your lovely man). He's very lucky to have you in his life :)

Next up is Stacey. Enjoy ...!

Here the whole list for easy navigation ...

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

Again, all the best to this lovely couple!

For the Bride & Groom - a Chalkboard Wedding Gift

Hello there. We had a crazy past couple of weeks, which explains the "silence" on the blog. We have been rotating from the Princeton Animal Vet to the Northstar Vet Hospital with Jojo. She has been going through a spell where she doesn't eat, drink and has gotten so dehydrated and so weak she couldn't even walk or roll over from her back. It's breaking our hearts that we don't know what's ailing her and we hope that this time around they can come up with a diagnosis. She is currently still in the ICU and any prayers that you can send our ways would be greatly appreciated. 

But I am here to share with you a little chalk-board inspiration that I worked on. It was a present for my girlfriend's wedding. We are gifting them a 1-hr photo shoot and I wanted to create a hand-made little gift certificate. Here is what the chalkboard-part looks like.


Stamps: (Big Day - Additions, Ovals - Classic Frames, Cameo To Go) Neat & Tangled
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - True Black) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Memento - Tuxedo Black, London Fog) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (Gelly Roll - White) Sakura; (Border Punch - Postage Stamps) Fiskars

I created a portrat with his and hers. In hindsight I could have used the Cameo Creations, but this hopefully brings the point across that it's a portrait session for the bride & groom.



This part we then added into a wedding frame and wrapped into a gift. (I haven't figured out how to take a picture of glossy things from straight ahead without getting myself into the picture).



Here is a picture of the frame from an angle - a little cleaner and nicer.



I hope to get my December Daily sometime done and get underway with my Project Life 2013 album. Anyone else not done with those? Ahh - I'm always catching up it seems!

[The Ribbon Reel] Challenge #41 - Crochet

Hello everyone! My first post back since Hurrican Sandy... and I'm here with a treat for you. I'm here guest designing with The Ribbon Reel. Keilly and the rest of the team have been so generous to offer me a spot. This challenge demands (Crochet Lace or Crochet Flower) + Button + (Ribbon or Lace). 

So I decided to try my hand at creating a lace dress as a card for a wedding greeting card.


Stamps: (You're Lovely, Fancy Flourishes & Scallops & Dots, Big Day Additions) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Dark Chocolate, Aqua Mist) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Versamark) Tsukineko; (Jenni Bowlin - No. 11 Brown Sugar) Ranger;
Embellishments: (Lace Tape - White, Cream) Decollections; (Vintage Button - Dark Chocolate; Bakers Twine - Dark Chocolate) Papertrey Ink; (5th Avenue - Sophia Trims) Making Memories; (Precision Pen 05 - Brown) American Crafts; (Crystal Stickers - Pearls) Mark Richards; (Say It With Crystals - Swirls Cream) Prima Marketing

I inked up a piece of scrap card stock and stamped on the dress. Then I layered the crochet trim one row by row on with the cream, and the top with the white. Brilliantly, the top corset portion is the same as on the dress form, so I was able to stamp off the top part of the wedding dress with it. Then I carefully inked the crochet lace again with the ink and added some pearls to the top.



The background is stamped in Versamark with some flourishes. I love the soft but elegant look that the background leaves. The trim is the perfect shade of aqua that I found in my stash. A bit of twine & button topped with a pearl and a beautiful pearl swirl, and the whole card is kinda done. Just a quick, elegant sentiment to tie the whole card together...



Make sure to stop by the rest of The Ribbon Reel's team...These girls are a whole lot of talent! And thank you again, Keilly, for letting me part of this fun experience!


And since Linda over at Catered Crop is having an "Arsenic & Old Lace Recipe Swap" challenge, I would like to add my little card into this challenge round. Thanks for peeking!

[Mami Doodles] Challenge #40 - Altered Item or Home Decor

Happy Friday, Everyone! I am enjoying my first day off from work for the rest of the year ;) It is also a great way to get caught up on everything that's been dragging...like this blog post ;)

Last week we had a Mami Doodle challenge: Altered Item / Home Decor. My project is actually a Christmas present for two very special friends, who were wed this past summer. If you remember this blog post, then you can see why I chose to alter the frame the way I did. It's for the same couple :) And you know my slight obsession with matchy-matchy...


Stamps: (Love Tree) Mami Doodles; (Victorian Alphabet, Big Blooms - Chrysanthemums, Big Day Additions) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: (tissue paper) Recycled stash
Ink: (Versamark, Brilliance - Pearlescent Sky Blue, Memento - London Fog) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Detail Embossing Powder - Black) Ranger

I started by measuring out the frame and centering the sentiment, stamped off the watermark and then embossed it in black for some extra shine.



Then I repeated the same for the date, and stamped off some Chrysanthemums in the same/similar shades of the same card. I actually chose London Fog, rather than embossing silver powered, and a shade of blue that is similar to the Papertrey Ink Spring Rain paper.



I added the Love Tree to this frame. The digi parallels the picture of the wedding couple in front of the tree, and thought this was a nice touch. What do you think?



A closer look at the beautiful digi. I kind of had some creative liberties with outlining the couple. I made their mouth angles be a little more smiley than the actually digi. I hope Elisa doesn't mind...



I hope the couple really enjoys this. Last I checked they didn't have a picture of their wedding in their home yet, and I thought this might help them jump-start on capturing the wedding day.



Hope you play along. We are leaving this challenge open for a while, so you have until January, 13, 2012. If you need some inspiration, check out the many DT's work and then make a fun project for your home. Perfect way to ring in the new year with something new...

[DYSU] Challenge #48 - Ribbon

Hello DYSU-ers and lovely readers! I'm back from a wonderful vacation. However, my biological clock is pretty messed up. It's currently 545a and I have been up for the past one hour or so. So I mind as well get some blogging done, right? ;)

This week we have a great challenge:Ribbon. I have massive amounts of ribbon at home, and there is so many things you can do with it, including weaving, tying a bow, wrapping something up with it, making a flower, creating a cute little tag hanger...the options are endless.

I went back to the basics, since I was in need of another wedding card, and let the ribbon speak for itself. I hope you like it...


Stamps: (Lace Starbust Rubber Stamp) Hero Arts
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Aqua Mist) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Jenni Bowlin - No. 10 Malted Milk) Ranger
Embellishments: (Portrait Collection: Accent Cuts, Sticker Borders) Crate Paper; (Designer Brads - Claire) SEI; (Spool 'o Ribbon - Cream Lace) Offray

Here an up-close look on the little pretty lace bow. 



Anyways, I am thinking of heading in early to work...If I hurry I can be there at 6a ;) In the meantime, go check out the other marvelous creations from the DYSU girls. I know you have tons of ribbon, so come play along :)

Our sponsors this week:

Stamp Fairy Winner’s Choice of 3 Digis

Copic Markers Scrapbooking 6 Copic Ciao Markers (North/South America) Martha Stewart punch (rest of the world)

Sparkle Creations Charlotte with a Rose and Scooter Chloe

[DYSU] Challenge #46 - Splash of Blue

Hello girls! It's almost the end of the week and I'm a few more days closer to my vacation! Yay! But today we have a challenge to use a Splash of Blue on your cards, paper projects or anything else...

I am using one of my favorite The Craft's Meow stamps from Nina B Designs and created a card that fits almost all occasions, be it for a wedding congrats, a quick hello, or a way to thank someone.


Stamps: (Nina B Designs - Simply Delightful) The Craft's Meow
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Kraft) Papertrey Ink; (Sweetbay) Memory Box Co
Ink: (Memento - London Fog, Tuxedo Black; Versamark) Tsukineko; (Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Antique Linen) Ranger
Embellishments: (Very Vintage Buttons - White; Saddle Stitch Ribbon - True Black) Papertrey Inks; (Embossing Powder - Ebony) Martha Stewart

It has a quirky vintage but also modern feel. Vintage modern! Does that even exist? I took some blue pattern paper from Memory Box Co and stamped the doily flower on it. I wanted one black one to stand out and decided to anchor it on the corner.



A nice elegant black embossing for the sentiment and a thick, elegant saddle stitch ribbon to make a nice statement. I also inked up the edges with some Antique Linen to soften the pattern paper.



I found this shimmery button in my mix of White buttons from my Very Vintage Papertrey stash, and it reminded me like mother of pearl. It's quite divine and decided it makes a great finishing touch. What do you think?

Don't forget to visit the other DYSU girls and see how they added their version of a splash of blue. Then come and play along, since prizes are are stake, as well as bragging rights :) Since it's time for holiday cards production, there is plenty of way to make this inspiration fit, such as blue snowflakes, blue skies, some non-traditional Christmas colors, Hanukkah...you name it!

Our sponsors this week:

Robyn's Fetish Winner’s Choice of EITHER 5 digital stamps OR 4 digital stamps and 1 paper pack

Mami Doodles 4 Digital Images

Raindrop Echo Drops Winner’s Choice of 4 Digi Sentiment Sets

Celebrate Foreverness

June is the month of weddings, and the rule seem to apply to my social calendar - two weddings within three weeks. One was even in Europe. I'll share pictures when I get all of their permission :) I promise...

So when Scrap Our Stash's June Challenge was to use Something new, Something old, Something borrowed, Something blue, I was really happy to hear the wedding theme.

For my card, I used new, blue cardstock from PTI, an old (but favorite) Waltzingmouse stamp set, and the idea to use that stamp set on a wedding card was borrowed from a friend. Ok, I realize I'm stretching that last bit, but you'll let me get away with it, right? ;)


Stamps: (Big Blooms - Chrysanthemums, Say It Loud) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Spring Rain, True Black) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Memento - London Fog) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Super Fine Detail Embossing Powder - Silver; Perfect Pearls - Perfect Pearl) Ranger; (Tiny Twinkles) Taylored Expressions

I wanted to mimic background paper with a metallic sheen, and thought to stamp the chrysanthemums in grey outline, but brush the solid flowers with some pearls.



Lastly, I decided to emboss the greeting and one of the chrysanthemums in embossed silver, to give it that extra wedding feel. It fits perfectly to this wedding's colors - heh, I would know, since I picked out the bridal bouquet & cake (among other things ;) A few more blue little gems and I call this done - simple & elegant.



So, come join in on our Scrap Our Stash's June challenge. You have almost two weeks to throw something together that fits the theme. It does not have to be wedding-related. If you need more inspiration, check out the rest of the Design Team's work!

Just Married...

I've been swamped with weddings that either have occurred or are getting ready to happen. It's been a wonderful year for many of my friends to tie the knot and I am so lucky to be part of it. So when I hear this week's PaperPlay Challenge theme - Blossoms & Blooms - I knew it was the perfect setup to create something wedding-ish. This week we are being sponsored by Whiff of Joy. Unfortunately, I don't own any of this company's great stamps, but one lucky player gets to win a stamp set :) Isn't that exciting?

So without further ado, here's my Blossoms & Blooms card with a wedding twist:


Stamps: (Roses In Bloom) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Aqua Mist) Papertrey Ink;
Ink: (Versamark) Tsukineko; (Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Antique Linen) Ranger
Embellishments: (Stamp 'n Stuff White Opaque Embossing Powder) Stampendous!; (Phrases - Portrait Collection) Crate Paper

This card reminded me (yet again) that I wanted to add Detail White embossing powder to my shopping list! Grrr... but I think this card came out pretty nice. It's Tiffany's & Co. meet Vintage, right?



An up close look on this brilliant sentiment. I love the font - so classic. And Portrait Collection is really one of the Crate Paper collection I can't get enough of. I scored some at The Craft's Meow, which offers great customer service & super ship time. About a year ago, I was a in-store shopper; now I just get my supplies online, cause it is so much easier (and I can't wait to get the cool stuff :)

Alas, I'd like to enter this card into this week's Wee Memories challenge. The theme is "Stamp It" - always a good excuse to dust those rubber or acrylic ones off, right?

Anyways - hope you feel inspired by the card. Go check out the other creations by the lovely PaperPlay Design Team. I really love working with this bunch of super fun & supportive gals. And they always come up with some brilliant designs. I bet after you have completed your blog hopping, you'll be sure to play along. Because blossoms & blooms can go on any kind of card!

To Lynn & Norman

Have you seen the latest and greatest Embellish Magazine Challenge? This posted just screams yummy from top to bottom. Two of my favorite things are on this poster: music & food, specifically these yummy macaroons.

This posted brought back a delicious memory of macarons that I had tasted about a year ago in San Francisco. Some of you might know the Ferry Building Market Place in San Francisco. Located inside is the most delightful little bakery and confectionary store called Miette. It is always rather difficult to choose which treat to go for, but in the end the Macarons are my go-to choice. Airy, light in texture, and full of bursting flavor is how i remember them.

Funny enough, I'll be in San Francisco soon enough to attend a wedding, so I might have to swing by and have another delightful bite! In the meantime, here is the aforementioned wedding's card that I have created, using the delicious inspiration mentioned above. 


Stamps: (Musical Backgrounds, Victorian Alphabet) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Kraft, Dark Chocolate, Raspberry Fizz, Spring Moss, Plum Pudding) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Perfect Match Pigment Ink - Raspberry Fizz, Spring Moss, Plum Pudding) Papertrey Ink; (Versamark) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Perfect Pearls - Perfect Pearls, Super Fine Embossing Powder - Silver) Ranger; (Steel Dies - Signature Series: Butterfly ) Papertrey Ink

I stamped on the musical background onto the butterflies and decided to ink the edges of the butterflies with the matching inks. Each butterfly has a little gem in the middle to give it that little finish. Isn't it cute? I like how cheery they look.



To make the card a tad more special I decided to create a background of more musical notes onto the kraft and dusted with my Perfect Pearl. I love how it looks silvery on the the kraft - a little subtle shimmer to up the elegance on this spring wedding card!



To personalize this card, I decided to heat emboss the couple's name on here. A slow and tedious lining up process, but I'm pretty happy with the way it came out. I had all these nightmare of it turning out crooked and uneven since the brown card stock was horrible to line up.

Just crossing my fingers that the spring wedding pair will love it. If not, I'll go drown my misery in a Macaron ;) Do you have special memories of certain foods from your travels? If so, what are they?

Happy Foreverness

I attended my first Indian wedding this past weekend. It was very exciting, since I was not familiar with the rituals and steps. The priest that they selected was perfect, since he explained everything in English to many unfamiliar with the ceremony. The wedding couple was very gorgeous (I'll post a picture if I get permission :)

So the wedding card was inspired by the next Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge and their wedding invitation.

The wedding invitation were very elaborate and beautiful, with a color scheme of silver and green.


Stamps: Victorian Fripperie, Fancy Phrases (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Paper: Paper Basics Card Stock - White (Papertrey Ink); Basic Card Stock - White (Recollections)
Ink: Earth Elements - Garden Green (Stamping Up!)
Embellishments: Embossing Powder - Evergreen (Martha Stewart); Essential Colors Glitter Set - Sterling (Martha Stewart); Say it With Crystals (Prima)

A close up for the sentiment that spells out "Happy Foreverness" and the heat embossed pattern in the background.



Isn't that a cute sentiment?!

Something Old, Something New...

Something old, something new;
Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.

One of my fun girlfriends was back in town, and we went bridal shopping for her upcoming wedding. Did I mention she'll be getting married in a castle? So not missing this one, even if it means flying across the pond. Anyways, one fun element when talking about accessorizing for her gown was thinking how she was going to make sure she had herself covered with "something old, new, borrowed and blue." Before you know it, these four elements were repeating themselves in my head - over and over like a rhythmic chant.

So what happens when you add "rhythmic chant" and this visual?

Yup - the fact that there were four layers or elements in the card was the first characteristic that jumped out. And the only characteristic, since I fell into my obsessive design behavior right after that. Four sketch elements - four bridal elements!


Stamps: Victorian Fripperie (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Paper: Paper Basics Card Stock - White (Papertrey Ink); Basic Card Stock - White (Recollections); Wausau Crinkles Card Stock - Beige (Creative Collections); Porcelain (Basic Grey)
Ink: Earth Elements - Chocolate Chip (Stamping Up!); Tea Dye Duo - Chai (Papertrey Ink)
Embellishments: Rhinestones (Recollection); Nestabilities - Labels One, Standards Circle Small (Spellbinders); Stamp 'n Stuff Embossing Powder - Detail Clear (Stampendous!); 1/8" Ribbon - Brown (Offray); General Purpose Thread - Beige (Coats & Clark); Double-ended Art Markers - True Blue (Prismacolor); Gelly Roll Classic - White (Sakura); Point 88 - Art No. 88/45 (Stabilo); Hand-made beaded Necklace

The neatest part is that this card made me push my comfort zones. Scrappy cards aren't my thing, but here is how I tried to satisfy the elements:

• Old: inked up the outer layer with my Tea Dye ink; used the sewing machine to run a stitch along the border (since old things tend to need mending?); ran my thumb across the edges of to distress it
• New: chose white, fresh card stock, which symbolizes new; heat embossed with clear on a lace design to give it a (new) shiny look (see picture below for a better close-up shot)
• Borrowed: this one was the brain teaser of the day: i wanted to include something - a pair of earrings (but I don't remember if my girlfriend had her ears pierced) or something personal from my jewelry stash; the "borrowed" is kind of a loose term here, since she may keep this cute necklace. It is hand-made by another dear friend that also knows the bride-to-be, and I have had it and worn it for a while now. I bundled it with some ribbon; ran it through with a tag through a punched hole, and voila - a gift that is detachable. Does it pass for "borrowed"?
• Blue: a nice juice blue rhinestone; no heat embossing on the circle, since it's not new (See below in picture for texture difference.)

So Victorian Fripperie was my obvious choice, since the Bride-to-be has been in love with lace veils, lace dresses, the lacy-vintage look. So what else screams lace? The dimensions of the card was worked backwards based on the circle stamp in the Victorian Fripperie set, since I knew I wanted to end with that beautiful stamp.

And another close up of all the uneven, sloppy hand-written sentiments.


Maybe Claire will take mercy on me and create a sentiment for "Brides-to-be" Best a tongue-in-cheek kind, with a few sweet sentiments in between. Yeah - one of those customers with endless wishes - but one is allowed to wish ;)

What kind of stamp sets do you wish for that you haven't seen out there?