Celebrate "Happy Birthday"

A big HELLO to my two new followers Tammy Ortiz and Loretta {thank you ladies}. My weekend was hectic; my kiddies had classes on Saturday {{{yikes}}}. Sunday was somewhat relaxing however despite many hours spent organizing my stash and manage to make a card in the evening. It's a tri-fold card precisely to fill my sister-in-law's request whose son's birthday falls on the 14th day of March. To those who often visit my blog knows how much I adore fancy fold technique. This card is no exception; I enjoy making it so much and hoping my nephew who is turning 11 will love this robotic card.

Materials used: Kaisercraft (K-Bots patterned paper & 'Happy Birthday' rub-ons), Copic, Tim Holtz distress ink, 'Celebrate' sentiment from TLC, Crop-a-Dile, others from my stash

...some close-up photos...  

 I think the robots look so sweet =)

I filled in the sentiment dots with Copic; can't do without coloring!

 There you have it. Keep smiling and thanks for your visit. 

I would love this robot to enter these challenges:

1. Pause Dream Enjoy Challenges : For The Boys
2. Challenges 4 Everybody : Anything Goes

Hugs and smiles,

Follow Your Dreams

Hi there! March 6 holds a special place in my eldest sister's heart because it's her birthday today. To mark this occasion I made this card for her and can hardly wait to mail it out but it takes several days to reach her for sure so I "posted" this card to her office email just before I blog this; y2k technology is superb, voila :}

 Materials used:  digi image by My Heart Pieces Digital Stamp, patterned papers (One Imagination), Copic Sketch, Martha Stewart punch, sentiment from Ginger's House, Kaisercraft green blooms, Prima bling, Crop-a-Dile, handmade roses by me and others from my stash

...here's some up-close pictures...

Words of wisdom has always been my favorite sentiment.

The roses are made from ribbon. 

She's a lovely image eh...reminds me of my childhood!

Sometimes my sister has questions for me like "How do you that?" "How did you do it?" so I for once decided to share with you behind the scene story of how I often reuse, recycle and reduce...okay the latter seldom works because the more I try to reduce, the more scraps I collect every single moment I play with papers. Waste not want yes; I keep bits and teeny weeny patterned paper scraps in the box  below. I tell you it has explode many times...hihi.

Every time I plan for card making, I like to quickly "browse" the right scraps for color coordination and able to reduce some scraps for the day.

  Then I start to assemble them on the stepper card below. Easy peasy when I got the right stuff :)

Hope my little bit of "waste not want yes" gives you some inspirations.

Off I go now to take this card into these challenges:
1. Tammy Scrapin Corner : Challenge #52 "Red+Green+Ribbon"
2. Love To Create : Challenge #55 "Pick 2 items to use on card" {die cuts/ribbon/twine/pearls/distressing/sentiment ~ I chose ribbon & sentiment}
3. Crafter's Digital Art Center : Anything Goes
4. Digi Darla's Challenges ~ DD#52 "Green Cards"
5. Make It Monday ~ Anything Goes

Thank you and have a nice day.
Hugs and smiles,

Smile Bright and My DT News

Hello everyone! March has arrived and my plan this month is to scrap every day to feed my soul. Let's see if it works (I know my sister is reading this and smiling =). Without further ado, here's my little piece of wonderful news I would like to share with you. Last month, I received an email from Lady Anne asking me if I would like to join in her design team at Lady Anne's Challenges. I was over the moon yet feel very humble with her sweet offer. This is my first time being a DT for a challenge blog and the fact that I love entering challenges, I knew this would be a good experience in both learning the task given and the chance participating as well. I sincerely thank Lady Anne for her patience answering my questions via endless emails with lots of smiles.

Presently the stamp challenge is running the entire month. You have until March 31 to link your entry 

HERE. Prize for this challenge will be 2 digital images sponsored by Crafting With Jack. 

Here is my first DT card for Lady Anne's Challenges using Crafting With Jack digi flower images.

Adoring center step card as always. I love flowers so fill it up with Copic.

Sentiment is from Ginger's House.

Cute as buttons...ahhh, I love them, lol.

There you have it. Looking forward to seeing your participation.

I am also taking this card into these challenges:

1. Make It Monday : Linky Party #130 Anything Goes
2. Addicted To Stamps Challenge  : Lots of Flowers
3. Challenges 4 Everybody : Challenge #15 Anything Goes
4. Crafter's Digital Art Center : Anything Goes
5. My Grafico : Challenge #144 Anything Goes

I'll be back soon.

Hugs and smiles,

You Are My Sweetheart

Hello there! I feel so happy with my end result of today's layout after spending about six hours in the making process at probably three sittings; first stop to make breakfast for my two girls and continue and second stop to take my sweet Anis the girl pictured in this layout to afternoon school and bought blue ribbon and blue thread along the way as this mind kept changing while making this layout. I finished it off at third sitting after I sew the border and quickly make the blue roses; hence why I bought ribbon and thread! 

This layout is designed for the Colorful Creations Press Your Luck Game Board. 

How it works-

Around the game board there are several different challenges, behind each number is a challenge. You will pick a number between 1-20 and whatever challenge that number is behind will be your challenge.

Because I was born on September 9 and often consider 9 as my lucky number {chuckle} so I have chosen number 9 and the challenge is to follow the sketch below. I twist the sketch a little by placing the photo on the right side:

Materials used: Prima Marketing (Romantique Collection "Crumpet" patterned paper/Say It In Crystals bling/blooms), Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type alpha stickers, Kaisercraft (ink pad/wooden flourishes/clear stamp "English Rose"), Staz-On ink pad, Martha Stewart acrylic paint, others from my stash
 

...some close-up pictures...

I love working on the title...

...and stamping on these acid free drawing papers. I painted the butterfly and randomly stamp it up with brown ink pad. I especially adore the handmade blue roses...did them during phone conversation with my sister :)

It's raining (again...guess the rainy season has set in; fortunately we had enough sunshine this morning to dry my mountain high laundry, phew). Time to say bye for now so I can clean the mess on my dining table and set the table for dinner in a short while; meaning to say before my hubby gets home from work, hihi.

Thank you for visiting me today. I feel so happy and always in cloud nine every time I get visitors. I'll be back soon. 
Hugs and smiles,

My Heart Is Yours

Hello my friends and new followers! Time for another card today for a two shades of blue challenge organized by Besties Challenge blog. I have chosen two different blue Copics to color this sweetheart:

  Materials used: Bestie image by Sherri Baldy, Copic Sketch, Tattered Angel Glimmer Mist, Martha Stewart punch, Micia ink pad, sentiment from Ginger's House, Petaloo flowers, Quick Craft patterned paper and metal studs

I took this picture at night so it doesn't really look so blueish but some sort of greyish :)

Off to enter these challenges:
1. Besties Challenge : Challenge #6 Two shades of blue
2. Challenges 4 Everybody : Challenge #14 Anything Goes
3. Make It Monday : Challenge #128 Anything Goes
4. Crafty Sentiments Designs  : Fancy Folds
5. Divas by Design : Fancy Fold
6. Paper Makeup Stamps : Digi Makeover Challenge #76 Anything Goes
7. Lexi's Creations : Monochromatic
8. My Grafico : Challenge #145 Anything Goes
9. Joyful Stamper : Inspire Me Fridays 97 Anything Goes

Thank you so much for dropping by. 
Hugs and smiles,

My Blessings Happy Faces

Hi everyone! Today's make is a layout based on a sketch from Let's Get Shabby for its Challenge #42 and Design Team Call that attempted me to give it a go. I have been meaning to scrap my four blessings for ages but all I did with their photo so far was down size the picture to smaller pixel so it fits into the photo cube generator as seen on the right side bar...my children love to see themselves rolling 360 degrees. lol.  

Eventually here's my take: 

Materials used: Bo Bunny patterned paper, Tim Holtz distress ink, Martha Stewart punch/acrylic craft paint, Smooch, Kaisercraft stamp/wooden flourishes/ink pad/rub on, Prima flowers/bling, crochet flowers by Lili Sulastri and others from my stash

The sketch:

Isn't that a pretty shabby sketch!

...and here's some close-ups...

I used acrylic paint for the alpha first layer and touch up with water color, a bit of smooch and sponge up the egde.

My credit and sincere thank you to my sister Lili Sulastri for the crochet flowers. She's so good at it.

Eyelets and lacing are some of my favorite things.

I did the rub on at nearly mid-night and it's either the lighting was to dim or my eyes were sleepy thus the slip off of some letters...duh...but hey, that's art...hihi.

Can't do without personal note for my children. They are the reason I breath and scrap =D

Until the morning after. I always appreciate your visit and I will do my best to leave you some love whenever I get the chance to visit you. Keep smiling and may happiness be yours all the time.

Hugs and smiles,

My First Day At MRSM

Hey my friends! As mentioned in my previous post, my life was exceedingly hectic and pretty crucial on my end the past two weeks that I had to 'give-up' on my art world to make way for my eldest daughter 'Alyaa who was leaving home the first time to enroll into a boarding school last February 13. I have promised myself to snap her pictures as many as possible on registration day although I know she is already fed up of me taking her pictures...smile. Oh yes I sure did snap tons of pictures but unfortunately my little girl was getting restless during the principal's speech in the hall room. She refused anyone so I had to coax her and thought by showing her the photos in my digi-cam would help but she accidentally hit delete button and there goes half of the morning session photo shoot...I was frustrated! But a journalist will do what a journalist has got to do so I keep on snapping and ta-da...a layout is here to remind 'Alyaa of her first day at MRSM.  

This layout is based on Let's Scrap sketch this week:

The first time I saw it, I knew this sketch by Judy Rakes is suitable for my layout.

Some close-ups:

I used gesso for the die cut alphas, distress it and sponge it up with black ink.

I'm not exactly sure where the patterned paper is from but I love stripes for the banners.

Her younger sister Anis gave her one final hug before we bid her farewell that evening. It was a long day and everyone was somewhat exhausted but we all know she is well taken care of and 'Alyaa definitely knows why she is there! After endless struggle and sacrifice between her classes and sports training during her final year at primary school last year, yet it took her the final month prior to exam week to really study...as her mother, yes, I was nervous because sports kept her too busy and exhausted. I told her once: "Make sure you give me 5A's just the way you gave me those gold medals!" ...I'm grateful she passed with flying colors and made it to MRSM as that's her main target.
Photo below: 'Alyaa is 3rd from right front row during UPSR result day announcement

 MRSM is a prestige boarding school has various branches all over Malaysia that emphasize on sciences and mathematics. To get into MRSM, a student must obtain straight A's in the primary school finale exam UPSR {there are five core subjects altogether: Bahasa Malaysia Paper 1, Bahasa Malaysia Paper 2, English, Mathematics and Science}. Not only that, co-curricullum plays an important roll. The day 'Alyaa got her UPSR result {November 10, 2012}, my 'mother instinct' told me that the time has finally arrived for her to head on to her path in fulfilling her dreams and ambition. One of it is to further her secondary level at MRSM but first thing first, soon after she got her result, we went to MARA to get the pin number so we can apply online and she must sit for an interview and entrance exam on December 10, 2012 at MRSM Merbok {that was during the school year end holidays}. Then we waited and waited and waited for the result...meanwhile, she had started secondary level at an ordinary school SMK Che Tom in Form 1 beginning January 1 which was compulsory even though a candidate has applied for boarding schools.

After a long wait, the entrance exam was revealed on February 5. Her name was in the entrance list; we're so grateful and happy for her. I picked her up from school that evening {by the way she attended afternoon school session at SMK Che Tom} and her first question was: "Do I make it?" I showed her the printed letter and her remark was: "Pendang? Why not Merbok?" because her first choice was Merbok which is closer to home, lol. Pendang is about 45 minutes away which was her second choice. My answer to her was simple: "The further you go the more you get".

I wish I could give credit to the person who snapped this eagle view photograph I upload from Internet to show the entire building and greenery area but unfortunately I don't know who the photographer is. My sister Lili said this is a great place for a retreat. I couldn't agree more.
'Alyaa loves this new world of hers so much. She has asked me if it's okay to be active in sports like before. I said yeah sure, so long she maintains her CGPA :)

I hope this lengthy post didn't bore you though =D teeheehee. As of writing this, I am struggling with the heat. The weather is so hot and humid one needs lots of water. Having said that, it's almost time to fill up my poor stomach. Thank you for visiting me today and I truly appreciate.
  Hugs and smiles,

Off The Page - Wall Hanging

Hello everyone! I'm happy to share with you my first OTP this year...this is specially made for my eldest daughter 'Alyaa who left home {for the first time} yesterday to enroll into boarding school. It has always been her dream {her dream since Year 4 at primary school} to further her secondary studies at MRSM {Maktab Rendah Sains MARA}...there will be a write up about her tough times and success during her finale year at primary school in my next post {a layout of her momentous day is in the making..yes, I am back scrapping after a week and a half interval because we had lots of preparation to do before registration day yesterday}.

This wall hanging is a farewell gift for my daughter. I thought the sentiment from Ginger's House is super cool. 'Alyaa simply loves it and I knew right away this would be perfect for her to hang in her hostel room shared with three other girls.      

Materials used: Gesso, Tattered Angel Glimmer Mist, Kaisercraft butterfly stamp, Staz-On ink pad, sentiment from Ginger's House, lots of my kids' broken items and from my stash

Lots and lots of beads, buttons, and broken ones from hair clips; that blue polka dot flower was from her sister's hair clip and Anis wanted me to add it in between. 'Alyaa made the yellow roses soon after I bought some ribbons last year so I thought her handmade would be more meaningful for this project since this is made for her exclusively...lol...

 In the picture below, can you spot the black wheel with a star in it? That is from my son 'Arif's broken toy {an aeroplane}! As for the short 2B pencil was overly shadowed with gesso belongs to Anis. 

I really enjoyed creating this mixed media art and can hardly wait to start on another one pretty soon.

Thank you so much for visiting me today. You just brighten me up :)

Hugs and smiles,