First Christmas Tag Swap!

Have you ever made something so cute that you just couldn't stand yourself? I don't often feel that way about my creations, but that's how I feel about these tags I made for my BFF, Kyoko's, first tag swap!!! My partner was ManLe of Pineapple Cove and when I asked Kyoko who her partner was, she made a sad face and said that she didn't have a partner because everyone was already paired up! So sad yeah?!? So of course I instantly became her partner! What are best friends for, right? Here's what I made ...

Close up view (so stinkin cute!) ...

Back of tag ...

Please visit Kyoko's blog as she's taking sign ups for the September Tag Swap now! Hope you have a chance to play! It's so much fun!

"One of the secrets of life is to keep your friends within hugging distance." Anonymous

Karber Challenge #3

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend - I sure did! Well, since it's Monday, it's time for another challenge from Karber Digital Images! Don't forget to check out their blog for all the deets, and become a follower so you'll be kept up to date on all the upcoming challenges! This week's challenge is to make a thank you card. I used "Lei Millie" and you can find her here.

Hope you will find some time to enter this week's challenge! Thanks for stopping by and until next time, take care.

"To speak painful truth through loving words - that is friendship." Henry Ward Beech

My August OCS Card

Happy Monday all! I just finished my OCS card for my partner Claudia and wanted to share it with you. If she reads my posts, she'll see it before she gets it, but that's ok! I'll post a picture of her card as soon as I receive it.

This month's challenge was to make an asian-themed card. Here's what I came up with ...

The sketch was adapted from an old Mojo Monday sketch. Close up of my coins and pearls ...

I think this may be only the second time I've decorated the inside of a card.

Well, that's it for today. I still need to work on my tags for Kyoko's tag swap, a M&T project for a get together this weekend, some RAKs and more challenge cards. I sure am glad that my mojo has finally returned! Thanks for stopping by and until next time, take care!

"Every time we encourage others, we give them a transfusion of courage." Chuck Swindoll

Karber Challenge #2

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you all enjoyed your weekend! I sure did ... I can't believe that it's almost the end of August! Gee, where did this month go ...

Anyhoo, this week's Karber Challenge is to make a birthday card! I used Karber's digital image called "Gift Millie", and the sketch challenge from Tamiko's. You can pick up Gift Millie and many other super cute images at the Karber Shop here. Here's what I came up with ...

If you haven't had a chance to check out the Karber Challenge Blog, please do so and also become a follower! I know there will be lots of fun challenges in the coming weeks and I hope you have a chance to play along! Have a great week everyone and until next time, take care.

"Be kind. Remember that everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." Harry Thompson

Wild Flower Wednesday Challenge #29

I'm really starting to enjoy all these different challenges on various blogs. I made this card for the Wild Flower Wednesday Challenge #29. Can you tell from my card what the challenge was? It's obvious to me because I know what it is, but I guess maybe it's a little hard to tell. The challenge this week was POLKA DOTS! Ok, so this was a real challenge for me. I'm not one to really use polka dots on my cards, but ... I'm really liking the way this card turned out!



I used Beach Ivy from The Wild Flower Patch "Fun In The Sun" set, and added polka dots to her hat, her beach bag, and her bathing suit bottom.



Do you see that shiny layer of DP? It's made by TPC Studio and it's called Undersea Adventures Bubbles. I bought a stash of it from a girlfriend and have some to give away! It's a 12x12 sheet which I will cut into four six-inch squares and mail to you, if you're interested. I have 15 sheets to give away, so comment on this post and let me know if you'd like a sheet!

The color of the paper is actually blue and green, but because it's almost like a mirror, when you turn it a certain way, all the colors of the rainbow come out! It's really neat!

I'll be posting my August OCS and my tags for my Tag Swap partners in a couple of days. Thanks for stopping by and until next time, take care!

"To speak painful truth through loving words - that is friendship." Henry Ward Beech

Tiddly Inks Challenge #17

Tiddly Inks Challenge #17 is to create a card inspired by your favorite summer movie. Well, my faithful followers, you should all know what MY favorite summer movie was/is. If you guessed ECLIPSE, you're absolutely correct! I went to the midnight opening with my hubby and some friends, saw it again the very next day with my sister, and then saw it once more that weekend with more friends! Yes, I believe I can safely say that ECLIPSE was my favorite summer movie!!!

I used the Tiddly Inks image "Stand Out In A Crowd" for my ECLIPSE inspired card. I wasn't too sure about using this background paper, but I think it turned out ok. The more I look at it, the more it's growing on me. Check out the Tiddly Inks Challenge Blog here for more info on Challenge #17.



I have a few more projects I'm working on so I hope you'll come back soon. Until next time, take care.

"Rare as true love is, true friendship is still rarer." Francois De La Rochefoucauld

SEPTEMBER OCS SIGN UP

Happy Sunday everyone! It's time to sign up for the September One Card Swap! Thanks to all of you for keeping this swap alive - you are all very talented ladies! If you know anyone who might be interested in playing, please have them sign up. The PERPETUAL PLAYERS are listed below:

Kyoko
Teri
Tamiko
Michelle U.
Joy U.
Janice M.
Grace W.
Kelli B.
Teresa M.
Brenda B.
Gail W.
McCine
Cindy A.
Chris D.
Claudia
North Shore Craft Girl
Dori T.
Shani Kulani
Sharon B.
Sherri M.
Janis K.
Jayne C.
Mary B.
Jodi
Jamee
Denise
Colleen K.
Jenny S.
Joni H.
Kim Y.

If you ARE NOT able to play in September, please let me know. The deadline to sign up is AUGUST 30, 2010. Since summer is almost over, let's create a summer themed card. I can't wait to see all your wonderful creations! Thanks for playing and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll have a few new players this month (Joy S., Debi from Hilo, Leanne?) Have a wonderful day and until next time, take care.

"Our journeys through life are brightened by the acts of kindness and caring of the friends we make along the way." Unknown

Island Girls Summer Social #2

What an awesome day! I had so much fun at the Island Girls Summer Social #2, organized by Teri of Big Ideas From A Little Girl. I know she's been working her butt off for this gathering and I want to thank her for doing such a great job!

One of the fun things we did today was a card contest and all of the cards received are going to be donated to a local charity. Such a great idea! Since our sponsor for the Social was Tamiko's, we were to make a card using her colors, pink, green and black. Here's what I created:


Once again I used my Cricut and the Create A Critter cartridge. I'm not sure you can see it, but the pink layer is actually glitter paper from Doodlebug and I love it! In case you didn't know this about me, I LOVE PIGGIES! So of course I had to use this cutie patootie! And look at her little happy face flag! It's so cute I can't stand it!!!

Before I share the projects we made, I have to show you a picture of the food we had ...



Salad, spring rolls, fried saimin (super ono!), garlic chicken, teriyaki meatballs, and deep fried mushrooms. See my dessert in the background? Man, that brownie was so fudgy!!! Mmm, good!

On to the projects. We made four things. First up, this cute treat box, using the Big Shot Pro. Such a silly looking pumpkin yeah? I love his missing teeth and his googly eyes!

Next up is this adorable panda card! It came together super quick because the panda was made using the 3M Post-it Brand Craft Paper. This paper definitely makes your Cricut projects super fast!

The last projects were a couple of gift card holders. Check out the GCH on the left - I thought the flowers were cut from a die, but it's actually a Martha Stewart punch! I gotta get me one of those ...

Hope you all enjoyed your day as much as I did! I got to meet some bloggers that I've never had the chance to meet in person, made some new friends, and also got to catch up with some old ones. Until next time, take care and I leave you with this ...

"The greatest blessing is a pleasant friend." Horace

Another cute bag (I think it is)

I've made this Box in a Bag several times before, but I changed the one I made today just a little bit. This great project is from Split Coast Stampers and was created by Diana Gibbs. This is such a quick and easy bag/box to make that if you haven't tried it, I hope you will!


Side view ...

Thanks for stopping by and leaving such sweet comments for me! I really appreciate every single one of them! I very recently received a lovely book from a special friend. It's called "Friendship Is A Blessing" and I'd like to share some of the quotes from the book with you at the end of my blog posts. Until next time, take care.

"Women don't just have friends. We have soulmates ... and that is powerful compensation for life's other hardships." Alarie Tennille

Lollipop Crafts Challenge #3

Wow! Second post today - is it gonna snow in Hawaii?!? Hahaha! I crack myself up ... anyhoo, Lollipop Crafts is having Challenge #3 this week and it's all about pets! Check out the details for this challenge here.

Before I get to my card, I'd like to share something with you ... my son has allergies to animals (as well as many other things) so we were never able to have a furry pet around the house. Recently his doctor said we could start exposing him to animals (and the other allergans) to get his immune system in check. So ... he just started volunteering at an animal hospital/shelter this week! He doesn't hate it ... but at least all his comments have been more positive than negative. Just today I got my tetanus shot so I can volunteer as well! Since we can't have a dog or cat in our home just yet, volunteering at the hospital/shelter is the next best thing! Don't you agree?

Ok, on to my card for the challenge. I went through my stamp collection and couldn't find a single stamp of a dog or cat that I wanted to use. So I decided to use my trusty old Cricut and the Create A Critter cartridge. Look at that little pet food bowl! So cute! I stamped the background paper with some clear stamps from a stamp set I found at Pricebusters. Hey, Kyoko, doesn't she look like your Bella?

I've had a productive day today and I feel like there's more I can create so I better hop to it! Thanks for stopping by and leaving all your wonderful and encouraging comments! I really appreciate your taking the time out to do so! Until next time, take care!

Cute bag

I found this tutorial for a double pocket bag last August on Split Coast Stampers, and the creator of this bag is Jenn Diercks. I've been wanting to make this for a while, but was a little nervous. Boy! I can't believe how easy it was to make! This bag is the perfect size to put some goodies in for a special someone. And that's exactly what I'm going to do!

Side view ...

Close up of the front ...

Thanks for visiting today and hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Until next time, take care.

More blogs to check out!

Here are a couple more blogs that I'd like to encourage you to check out. These ladies are players in the monthly One Card Swap ("OCS") that I have been hosting since May. If you haven't had a chance to play, the sign up for the September OCS will be coming up soon, so keep an eye out for that post.

Love My 4 J's. Claudia started her blog late last year and has created some wonderful projects - from cards to mini albums to a diaper cake even! Please stop by her blog and give her a warm welcome to Blogland!

North Shore Craft Girl. This "Crafty Girl" started her blog earlier this year and like Claudia, is an amazing crafter. I was lucky enough to meet her one day at a local craft store and I hope we can craft together again! Head on over to NSCG's blog and give her some Aloha!

BTW, I finished stamping and assembling my son's favors last night for his graduation party coming up in a couple of weeks. Definitely nothing fancy - you know me, SIMPLE! I'll take pix of them after I complete the assembly which won't be until the Friday before his party. I don't want the candy to melt in this hot Hawaiian weather!

I'm off to work - have a great day everyone! And until we meet again, take care.

Some news & a challenge!

Hey all! Happy Monday! Shall I give you the news first or the challenge? Hmm ... well, they're actually related so I'll just tell you! Remember in my last post I told you about a new shop that Berenice has opened up with her friend Karla? Just in case you missed it, the new on-line shop is called Karber Shop. It's full of really cute digi images and I hope you'll stop by and pick some up. Karber will also be having weekly challenges, starting today. Head on over to their challenge blog HERE for all the details of the first challenge and don't forget to become a follower!

So you must be wondering why I have the entire Twilight Saga picture below ...



If you're a follower, you know that I just LOVE everything TWILIGHT, right? Here's the deal - Karber's first challenge is to create a TWILIGHT inspired card! Is that not a perfect challenge for me??? Of course I had to enter! I used Karber's EDWARD digi image on my card. I'm very happy with the way it turned out!

Oh! I almost forgot to tell you the NEWS! Berenice has asked me to be on the Design Team for Karber and I accepted! Funny how one door closes and another door opens ... Thanks Berenice, its an honor to be on your DT!

That's it for now people. I'm off to work and will be back later with more creations! Until next time, take care.

A new shop!

Hey ladies! I'm so happy to announce that my friend Berenice of Sweet Escape, has opened an on-line store with her friend Karla! The name of the store is Karber's Shop! Please take a minute to check out the super cute images that are available NOW! Berenice also has a new blog. You can check it out here and enter to win some blog candy too! Congratulations Berenice and much success to you and Karla on this very exciting adventure!

New blogs to visit!

Happy Saturday everyone! Hope you're enjoying your day wherever you may be. It's another scorcher here in the Islands, but it's BEAUTIFUL! As we say ... LUCKY YOU LIVE HAWAII! And I am so very lucky to live here.

I don't have any crafts in this post, but I would like to share some blogs with you! You may have already been to some or all of these, but I'd like to give a special "shout out" to these lovely ladies who I count among my blogging sisters! Here they are, in no particular order ...

Created by Gracie. Ms. Gracie is such a talented lady. When my BFF, Kyoko, and I started our blogs last year, Gracie was one of the first bloggers who welcomed me and sent me a RAK. I was so touched by her generosity and always looked forward to her wonderful creations. Gracie decided to take on some other responsibilities in her life and needed to cut down on the crafting/blogging for a while. However, now she is BACK and with a vengence! Welcome back to Blogland Sister! We all missed you (even though I saw you on FB quite often - heehee!)!

Sweet Craf-Tea Chick Bloggie Blog. This "chick" does some superb work. She's doesn't just make cards; mini books, tags, all kinds of paper crafts. I found Ms. Chick on You-Tube one night, showing off her various hauls. I was definitely impressed and thought, "hmm, this is my kind of shopper!" So, for all kinds of inspiration, check out Chicky's blog - it's wonderful! Welcome to Blogland Sweet Chicky!

Shani Kulani Kreations. Although I haven't met Shani in person yet, she's been playing in our monthly OCS for a while now. Please do check out her blog - she makes some very sweet cards, and they appeal to me especially, because they are clean and simple layouts. That's just my style! Love your creations girl! Keep up the great work and welcome to Blogland!

Finding My Groove. Ms. Leanne started her blog late last year, but I only recently found her. I don't know how I missed you Leanne! For those who haven't checked her out yet, she does some amazing work - you gotta see it. AND I love the fact that Leanne always makes time to stop and comment on my blog! Thanks girl! If you need some inspiration, head on over to Leanne's blog - you'll definitely get some and more! A belated welcome to Blogland Sister!

Well, that's it for now. I have guests coming over this evening and maybe going to see Kris and Keenan at the hospital after that. I can't wait! I'll be sharing more crafts with you soon! Thanks for stopping by and please check out these ladies when you have a chance! Until next time, take care.

My first ATC

Hey all! I've been wanting to make an ATC (Artist Trading Card) for a while now. Why? Because it's a good use of your scraps! And you know we all have TONS of scraps, right? Don't lie - I know you do! Anyway, I was checking out my groups on SNR and I found that 365 Cards was having an ATC challenge for Day 165! ATCs are very small and I found this quite challenging. The card is only 2.5 x 3.5 inches! This is what I came up with ...

My sweet blogging friend Liann gave me this awesome stamp as a RAK. It's definitely one of my favorite stamps in my collection! Everytime I look at it, it makes me smile!

Here's a picture I think will make YOU smile. My friend, Pocket Edward, was keeping me company while I crafted tonight. He wanted to take a picture with my ATC and I warned him that people might start talking ... but he insisted. So, here it is! I wonder if he's trying to take the crown away from me? Hahahaha! Oh Edward you silly vampire ...

If you'd like to submit an ATC, head on over to 365 Cards and go for it! Use up those scraps you have and make a fun ATC! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you had a little chuckle from this post. I know I sure did! Until next time, take care.

Oh Bumble is Me ...

Hey friends! Sweet Margie is giving away some awesome candy to celebrate her 2nd anniversary as a blogger. Margie does fantastic work and if you're a follower, you know exactly what I'm talking about! Not only does she create beautiful cards, she also does some wonderful scrapbook layouts. Check out Margie's "bumble-y" blog here to see what I mean! While you're at it, check out the unbelievable candy she has up for grabs. I couldn't believe my eyeballs! Happy Anniversary Margie and here's looking forward to many, many more!

A TAG SWAP!

Hey all! My BFF, Kyoko, is finally getting her mojo back! Yipee! Yahoo! Hooray! She's taking sign ups for a monthly tag swap. Check out her blog here for all the deets. Hurry, hurry, hurry! It's gonna be a fun swap!

A birthday card and a thank you card

Hey all! Hope you all had a nice start to your week! Here are a couple of cards I made for some friends. Can you guess what kind of card this is? Does that cake give it away? If you guessed a birthday card, you would be right! I used Mellie, a digi stamp from InStyle Stamps. I really love the anime line of stamps that Virginia has in her store. Go check it out when you can. Since starting up my crafting again, I'm totally getting hooked on digi stamps! What am I gonna do with all my wood and cling stamps now???

I'm sure I don't have to tell you what kind of card this next one is. Made this one using Hippie Anya. I was very pleased with the way it turned out.

Well, that's it for today. I'm working on more cards for more challenges. If I don't post in the next couple of days, you'll know what I'm doing. Until we meet again, take care!

Tiddly Inks Challenge #15

Boy am I on a roll! I'm entering another challenge, which is ending in approximately 17 hours from now. The challenge is to make a card fit for a princess or queen. Here is my card for the Tiddly Inks Challenge #15. I used the "Drama Queen" image from Tiddly Inks and one of my favorite word stamps that I got from my friend Liann. It's perfect for this image, don't you think?

My mojo has definitely returned and I'm enjoying creating again. I was in a funk for such a long time, and I do believe that I'm finally back! Have a great week everyone, and thanks for stopping by!

Kris's Baby Shower Blog Hop!

Hey everyone! Welcome to Kris's Baby Shower Blog Hop! You should've gotten here from Cabio's blog. If not, you need to return to the Lollipop Crafts Blog to start the hop. Hope you're ready for a fun time! Well, as you know, our dear friend Kris will be welcoming a baby boy into her family very soon (if she hasn't already)! I am so honored to have been invited to participate in this "Shower" for Kris! This is the card I made for her ... I hope she likes it!






Now for the fun stuff ... what would a blog hop be without a sweet treat? Check out this awesome candy you have a chance to win by participating in this hop:

All you need to do is leave a comment on all the "shower participants" blogs for a chance to win! Since we're not sure if Kris is in the hospital, feel free to leave a comment on her last post and then end the hop back at the Lollipop Crafts Blog. The candy is hidden in one of the blogs - it's even a surprise to all of us! The blog hop ends on Saturday, August 14, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. PST and the winner will be announced on the Lollipop Crafts Blog on Sunday, August 15, 2010. So, don't forget ... leave a comment below and continue hopping on over to Cami's blog! Good luck to all and have fun!!!

June OCS cards - received and sent

So I'm a little late. But I am keeping my promise to post more, right? Right? Anyway, here are the cards from my June OCS partners, Kelli B. and Gail.

Kelli made a triple pop-up card, as you'll see below. She put so much work into this card! Thank you Kelli!

This is the front of the card and it was tied with a ribbon to keep it closed.

Here's a shot of the triple pop up message! Neato!

This is the card I sent to Kelli, using one of my favorite things, flowers.

The cutie patootie panda card and bookmark were from my second OCS partner, Gail. I love the asian imagery Gail! Thank you so much!

This is the card I sent to Gail, using my favorite color purple, as the inspiration.


Thanks for stopping by and hope you all have a great week!

A basket and a shaker

A while ago I was invited to a couple of craft parties and decided to do the same M&T for both. Here is another easy project from Stamp TV. Gina K. designed this basket to use as a Mother's Day gift to hold some fresh flowers. Her basket was beautiful! I filled my basket with some bottles of Stickles so you can get a feel for the size of the basket. It can hold quite a bit of goodies!

While I am no longer on the Tamiko's Creative Team, this card was made for one of her challenges; it was to make a shaker card. Well, I had just about finished the card when I realized that I didn't make Lily into a shaker piece! What to do, what to do?!? The only thing I could think of was to make the "Fun in the Sun" sentiment into a shaker. Can you tell I got carried away pouring those micro beads out? Hahahaha! Oh well, it works.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all are enjoying some FUN IN THE SUN! Take care ...

Great graduation cards

I've met some great gals through this wonderful crafting/blogging journey of mine. They are the sweetest, kindest people you could ever hope to meet and I'm glad to call them my friends. Here are some awesome graduation cards they gave my son when he graduated from high school in May.

From Teri & family ...

From Joni & family ...

From Jodi & family ...

From Denise & family ...

Thank you so much ladies, for remembering Ryan on his special day!

Lollipop Crafts Challenge #1

Another post? But of course! I promised I would be posting more and crafting more, didn't I? Well, I made this card for the Lollipop Crafts Challenge #1, which ends today in about three hours! Since this was Lollipop's first challenge, it was an "Anything Goes" theme. I knew I wanted to use pink and brown but that's about it. Anyhoo, this is what I came up with ...

The image is from MelJen Designs, who is sponsoring Lollipop's 1st challenge. So cute yeah? I used Coordinations paper, embossed it with my Houndstooth Cuttlebug folder, and sanded the color off so the pink would show through. It's a simple layout and sassy too! Matches the name of my blog! Heehee! Thanks for stopping by and hope you're enjoying your weekend!

A Fun Day

Hey everyone! It's finally the weekend and I've made a decision about my blog. As you all know, I've been MIA off and on for a while now, and its because of an addiction I've been trying to fight. Some of you may have heard of it ... FACEBOOK! I've decided that I've been wasting too much time on that dreaded website and need to get back to creating and blogging. Thanks for all sticking by me during my absense.

Now, on to some posting! On July 4th, I had some friends over for a fun day of crafting. I chose this day because my friend Jenny (from Hilo) was gonna be in town and I wanted to get together and craft with her. She taught us how to make the side step card, which I'd been wanting to try and make for a while. She made it so simple and her instructions were very easy to follow! Thanks for the M&T Jenny! I'll definitely be making more of this type of card.

Since I was the "hostess", I figured I'd better do a M&T too. I found this easy to make box on Stamp TV. I totally love Gina K. and her videos. She has very easy to understand instructions and she's a great teacher!

Of course what would a crafting day be without some ono (delicious) food? Here's a sampling of what we had - Red, White & Blue manapua (since it was the Fourth of July), healthy veggies & dip, macaroni salad, chili and hotdogs, fried chicken and of course dessert, the most important part of the meal! We had some chocolate and apple Napples, vanilla ice cream and chocolate & peanut butter pie!!! Just delish!!!

Here are the girls busy working on their M&Ts and of course eating. I wish I took a picture of all the jewelry that Denise made! Check out her blog to see what she's been up to. OR, if you're on Facebook, she has an entire album full of her jewelry pictures!

A fun day was had by all! Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend everyone! More creations to come ... I promise!