My third entry for LIM this week

Hello dear bloggers,

Here is a card I have made for Less is More using scrap pieces lying around on my table... 

The squares have been punched out of a Starbucks take away cup!!!

I just stuck some roses on them which were lying on my table since a while ago as could not come up with a design!

 Less is More opened up mind and this is what I came up with...

I think Less is More is good for my mind and body!!! Lol.

The sentiment is hand written and the label  (which was also lying around) has been distressed with wild honey to match with the card.

Below is a picture of the scraps lying around on my table... 

Catch you later.

Hugs,

Monica

DT card for Unstampabelles

Hello sweet bloggers,

Here is a DT card I made for the

Unstampabelles March challenge

the theme of which is 

Easter  - bonus technique - extra folds.

The bunny has been made with my CB circle nesties, Mc Gill and Carla craft punches - the details on how to make it are here... 

I just added some googly eyes and a ribbon to dress up the bunny. 

I coloured in her paws with my colour pencils as I did not have a smaller sized oval nestie label. 

For the inners of the ears, I just cut the oval label into two and shaped it a bit with my scissors. I have used pop up foam dots to mount the bunny. The bunny has been sponged with TH distressed ink -  spun sugar.

The little pink flowers are from a lace - I cut out each flower individually and stuck it on the border. 

The border punches are from Martha Stewart. 

The Easter eggs are from my dear friend, Sandra. Thank you!!!

Have a nice Thursday!

Hugs,

Monica

Second entry for Less is More

Hello lovely bloggers,

Here is another card I made with left overs of a previous creation... the leaves were just gathering dust on my table so I decided to use them.

I have used pearlised baby pink card stock which looks pretty different in the picture...

Rather simple card which does not need much explanation... 

I am going to submit this for Less is More - use your scraps

Am a big fan of Less is More - just after my heart and hands!!! Lol.

Hugs,

Monica

Award from dear Sandra

            

Hello sweet bloggers,

I am a bit late in posting this award from my dear friend, Sandra.

I am more than honoured to receive it and
thank you, Sandra! 

The LIEBSTER BLOG AWARD is used to show appreciation of smaller blogs (under 200 followers) and to help spread readership and joy.

As part of the tradition the award is to be passed along to five other blogs that have motivated and inspired me.

It comes from the German meaning Dearest or Beloved, but can also mean Favourite.

To accept the Award you must: 

1.  Link back to the persons blog who gave it to you, and thank them.

2.  Post it on your blog.

3.  Give to five other Bloggers who you appreciate and value.

4.  Leave a comment on the five blogs you choose and let them know.

I would like to nominate the following blogs for this award:

Sasha - http://sashas-inspirations.blogspot.com/

Bea - http://beadeesblog.blogspot.com/

Jane -  http://janes-creations.blogspot.com/

Ursula - http://ursulauphof.blogspot.com/

Susan - http://susiestacey.blogspot.com/

Have a nice Monday.

Hugs,

Monica

CAS card with scraps lying around

Hello my sweet bloggers,

I made this super simple and quick card last night using scraps lying around on my table...

Supplies:

Base card stock - textured white

Bird border punch - MS

Red border punch - EK Success

Check ribbon - Amercan craft

I quite liked it - simple and sweet and not much stress on my hands or neck...

I am going to submit this card for Less is More - use up your scraps!




Thanks to a suggestion given by one of you kind souls out there I am trying to punch and stamp with my feet and it seems to be working out fairly well. Thanks so much... You opened my mind. And lifted my spirits!!! Lol.

Have a good weekend.

Hugs,

Monica

Commissioned card

Hello lovely bloggers,

Hope you all are well and happy...

Here is a card I have made for someone's mum...

This picture was taken on my phone and for some reason it has a mind of it's own and I could not rotate it horizontally much as I tried. In the end I gave up - so you have to imagine the card is horizontal and not vertical.

Supplies:

Base card stock - pale metallic pink

Border punch - MS sponged with distressed ink

Flower - hand made including the crocheted one

Leaves - leaf punch

Sentiment - hand written

Ribbon and crystal - from stash

I am entering this into the following challenge:

http://audsentimentschallengeblog.blogspot.com/ - use happy
http://paperplaychallenges.blogspot.com/ - for a mother
http://www.sarahhurleychallenges.blogspot.com/ - die cuts
http://paperprettiesblog.blogspot.com/ - punches and die cuts


Thanks for all your kind and healing words. Will visit shortly...

Hugs,

Monica

A card with a friend...

Hello sweet bloggers,

I had a friend over for some crafting fun... and this is what we made. 

We used wall paper on a metallic cream card stock and the butterflies were punched out of the same wall paper. The sentiment is hand written - you did not need to guess that. Lol.

I am trying to keep my cards very basic in order to rest my hands.

Below is my friend with the card... wonder what is sweeter? Her smile or the card???

I am going to enter this card in
Make it Monday - anything goes.

Thanks for visiting and I will come by soon.

Hugs,

Monica

Half way DT card for Unstampabelles

Hello lovely people,

Hope you are well and happily crafting away...

This is a half way DT card for Unstampabelles 

the theme of which is 

RECYCLE.

I have made this card using bits of an old birthday invitation card... 

Thomas and the two borders have been cut out of the invite.

Supplies:

Base card - white

Image - cut out from the invitation

Borders - also cut out from the invitation

Clouds - stickers (kind courtesy - dear Terry)

Balloons - stash

Thomas and the balloons have been popped up using foam dots. I have to take Aleeza to a birthday party and may give this to the birthday boy. Thomas and boys - can't go wrong there!

I am also going to enter this card in Make it Monday - anything goes.

Catch you later.

Hugs,

Monica

Wedding card

Hello lovely bloggers,

Hope you all are doing well...

I made this card last night for a wedding reception that we are going to attend tonight... The groom is Dutch while the bride is Indonesian...

Supplies:

Base card stock - pearly pink

Cake stamp - Docrafts

Heat embossing  - with white embossing powder

Dry embossing - CB on pearly silver grey paper

Flowers - Carla craft punch (used pop up white glitter glue for centres which does not show in picture)

Butterfly - Carla craft punch

Hearts - Carla craft punch (According to Zeenya there should have been more hearts...)

Lace - from stash

Got to take Zeenya out shopping now... she is 12 and I must learn to treat her like a teenager!!! These kids are so different from what we were as twelve-year-olds.

Will catch up with my visits later.

Hugs,

Monica

My spirits are bright and soon I will be in sight...

Hello you lovely, thoughtful people out there,

I thought I must do a special post to thank you for all those healing and loving comments you have been leaving me. It means so much to me... specially because my spirits seemed to take a beating for the last week or so.

The first doctor I saw kind of made me feel like a crumpled tissue paper because he did not comfort me in any way, rather, he just plainly said that I should not use my heavy punches and that I should delegate it to someone... (Zeenya is more than unwilling to do any craft work and she has enough homework to do, so I cannot pressurise her into  child labour - Lol!)

I took a second opinion from another doctor who said that it was not a ganglion but a small bone that was jutting out... he even tried to push it in but that did not work. 

 After doing some research on the Internet, I learned that a Chiropractic may be of help to me so off I marched to one and lo and behold! He has asked me to rest my hands for a week and keep away from heavy usage. The Chiro also felt that it was a ganglion but I am not really bothered now because my hands are in the right hands now.. (Pun not intended!)

To cut a long story short, I had my first ultrasound treatment today... and hopefully I will be on the mend soon. But my spirits are already mended and that is what matters most, right?

Sorry for that long medical bulletin but I was so touched with all the tender, loving care (TLC) you good hearted souls have given me that I thought I must do a post to thank you all. And the waffling happened along with it. Lol.

Thanks again for putting up with this long story.

Hugs and I will soon be visiting you all as well,

Monica

DT card for Unstampabelles

Hello dear bloggers,

Thank you very, very much for all those kind and loving wishes... 

Soon I should be on the mend.

Here is my DT card for the 

February challenge of UnstampaBelles 

 Theme - 

Recycle, Eco Craft, Frugal bonus technique Paper Bead.

Any form of paper creation will be accepted as long as NO STAMPS (Digital or Rubber) have been used (this includes sentiments).

IDEAS: quilling, parchment, stickers, boxes, books, cards, scrap pages, etc.
You can find our rules here for further information.

Our sponsor this month is the lovely Anne from 

For the DP, I have recycled a newspaper print of a special kind of Batik (which is a type of hand printing on fabric with wax and natural colours.) This Batik was on display at the Jakarta Textile Museum last year and I have been saving the newspaper cutting for over six months... not too long considering I can hoard for as long as 10 years if not more!!! Lol.
The edges of the paper have been hand torn and the round nesties have been punched out of scraps of paper lying around on my table. The smaller nestie was the same size as the bigger one but I have used my deckle edged scissors to trimit to it's new size. 


The flowers are handmade as you can well guess and the leaves have been cut manually from scrap crepe paper. The ribbon is from my stash while the crystals are from Prima.

Incidentally this card was made before I developed problems with my hand - just to confirm that I am obeying the doctor's orders. Lol.

Will come and visit you soon - am trying to get some physio-therapy appointments so that my hands can be sorted. Am getting serious withdrawal symptoms without being able to blog.

Thanks for bearing with me...

Hugs,

Monica

Featured blogger

Hello lovely bloggers,

It is time for my regular monthly feature and this time the beautiful blogger is Beadee of  http://beadeesblog.blogspot.com

She makes great cards - clean, simple, uncluttered and elegant. Her posts often have  a dose of humour in them and that makes them all the more interesting to read.

And she always leaves me such lovely comments. 

So happy to have you as a blog buddie! Keep making those wonderful nestie cards while I rest my hands... 

Hugs,

Monica

Going to be out of action temporarily...

Hello lovely bloggers,

Just a short post to tell you that I have a ganglion (a swelling which comes about after the fluid oozes out of  a joint) on my left wrist.

 This is the hand I use a great deal to punch (me being ambidextrous) so it seems that it is under great stress.

The doctor has asked me not to use pressure with my left hand... how can he say that when crafting is my first love... He meant I should not use my beloved punches. If only he knew how much I am in love with my craft punches. I have been using them for well over 11 years and it is just natural wear and tear. Maybe I should try and make cards which do not make me exert any kind of pressure. 

On second  thoughts however, I will try and rest my left hand so that it improves... It is not an uncommon occurence though and often times there is no pain. Sadly in my case there is a fair amount of pain. So rest I must, I guess.

I will try and visit you all however after the pain subsides.

Until then I am this wounded soldier trying to be brave about not being able to make my beloved cards!!! 

Only you crafters would empathise with me... never mind.

Ciao and hugs,

Monica

PS: Not a nice way to start the beginning of the month, right?

A simple birthday card...

 Hello lovely bloggers,

Can you believe that January is at it's end... my God, isn't it amazing how these years are passing by. Really, it is the age of digital technology in no unsurest form.

Now to my card... Very simple and childish as my mojo is not very active these days.

The papers are from the book store close by. The gift and cake border punch is from Ek Success and so is the bubble border punch. The butterflies are what were left behind from a MS border punch - waste really but they looked so dainty that I thought I must recycle them. The ribbon is from my stash.

Will come and visit you all now...

Hugs,

Monica

Pictures of Bali

Hello lovely people,

I thought I must share some pictures of our short and sweet trip to Bali...

Paddy fields below - that was the view from our room. I felt I could watch it forever - coming from busy, busy Jakarta it felt like paradise!

Flora and Fauna in the hotel 

Aren't the flowers below unusual? See how the red flowers come out of white ones. Interesting, isn't that? On the left, one can spot two buds (waiting to blossom) still inside the bigger white flowers.

More flora in the hotel garden...

The day bed in our room ...

Close up of the wood carving above... all carved by hand. Balinese people are amazingly talented!

 Check out the carving on the study table - so intricate, isn't it? Model insisted on being photographed and I did not have the heart to ask her to stay out of the picture.

This is the foyer of a room close to ours... I get fascinated by Buddha images - they kind of relax me!

Aleeza outside one of the smaller side gates of the Bali palace. They still have a king and queen living there!

 This is a butterfly that fluttered into our room... dear hubby tried to help it to find it's freedom from the bondage of our room but sadly he damaged it's wings as you can see on the top left.

This butterfly stayed in the room all those two days that we were there and passed away minutes before we left...  I kind of felt I had to give it an honourable tribute hence the picture. We don't get to see many butterflies in Jakarta so it was very special for me...

Wish I had a better zoom lens to make my tribute more worthy.

Hope you enjoyed viewing Bali through my phone camera...

TGIF again!

Hugs,

Monica

Mizuhuki from a Japanese friend

Hello there,

Just a quick post to share what a dear Japanese friend brought for me from Japan... it is a paper crane, yes, it is made of paper!!!  The craft is called MIZUHUKI which is the tradition of making handicrafts out of paper.

The picture does not do enough justice to it  - it is just so delicate and pretty. This friend knows that I make cards so she thought this would be an ideal thing to give me and sure it is. I am fascinated! Japanese art and crafts have held great interest for me ever since I was a little girl and my dad brought home a traditional Japanese doll dressed in a pretty silk kimono. We had it for many, many years and now I wonder where it is. Funny how some childhood memories get sharper with time...

The sad part is that my dear friend is relocating back to Japan! That is the flip side of these expat assignments - you make friends and then when you get close, it is time to say good-bye! The good part is that there is always somebody nice waiting out there. So I am always on the look out. Lol.

Below is the middle of the crane - sorry that the bird is pointing in a different direction. I have rested it on the beautiful box that it was packed in. By the time I loaded the picture on to the blog, the bird mysteriously changed direction. Trust me, it did! Lol.

Thanks for visiting and I would love to hear what you think of this amazing paper craft called Mizuhuki.

Hugs,

Monica

A quick card for my next charity batch...

Hello lovely bloggers,

Here is a quick card I made last night - just stuck some printed paper and ribbon, crystal and three butterflies which were punched out of crumpled and distressed paper. I was quite happy with the way it turned out.

Am going to enter this card in MIM - anything goes.

Will come and do my rounds tonight...

See you soon,

Monica

We were away to blissful Bali!

Hello lovely bloggers,

We just got back from Bali yesterday... it is just an hour's flight from Jakarta so I decided that we needed this short break (less than 48 hours). And was it wonderful... we stayed amongst paddy fields and it just felt so good to look at those green fields! And we stayed in the Art district which is my favourite. Got to see some real creative little boutiques as well. What else could a little crafter hope for?

 I kind of needed this change because life was been a bit bumpy but am all rejuvenated now. Ate yummy, freshly prepared food as well (with no canned additions). 

Sorry that I could not comment but soon I will! Still gotta do the laundry - but blogging is far more attractive!!! 

It is 10.22 pm and past my bed time, however some commenting must be done before I can retire to a good night's sleep. Lol.

Hugs,

Monica

Half way post for UnstampaBelles DT

Hello lovely bloggers,

Hope you have had a good week...

This is a card I churned out this morning for UnstampaBelles DT.

The challenge involves no stamps or digis and the theme this month is anything goes.

The inspiration of this card came from my special blog buddy Sandra who sent me a card similar to this one a while ago. Thank you, Sandra!

 I wove a mauve silk cord through a Spell binder  nestie and attached my home-made flower on to it. 

The "create a border punch" is from MS (not very clear in the picture but quite pretty in real life). The DP is unknown and the feathers and ribbon are from my stash. The crystal is from Prima.

I seem to be getting deprived of my mojo of late... hopefully it will come back soon.

Thank God it is Friday!

For those of you celebrating Chinese New Year, here is wishing you a wonderful year. May the dragon shine in on you...

Hugs,

Monica

Aleeza's Mickey Mouse and my card

Hello lovely bloggers,

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods... It is rainy season here so it can get quite icky and sticky when it rains...

A friend of mine gave Aleeza this doodle board and here is the Mickey Mouse she drew... She seemed quite happy with her effort and I managed to capture her expressions on camera!

Now to my card - 

I have used a Penny Black stamp called Up and About and coloured it with my water colour pencils. I do think that my colouring is getting better... I really want to learn how to do shading though.

The edges of the images have been sponged with milled lavender.

I have added a bit of glitter to the bouquet that the girl is carrying and also to my handmade flowers. The paper lace has been punched out of an MS border punch. 

I have used this stamp earlier but just seem to never tire of it. And every card that I make with it just sells so quickly. 

Am entering this card in

MIM - Anything goes
and
Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Anything goes

Will try and do my rounds soon - gotta read to Aleeza now since it is close to her bed time.

See you soon.

Hugs, 

Monica

My first card with a digital image!

Hello bloggers,

Hope you are all well and healthy... 

Thank God it's Friday!

 Here is a card I made from the digi-images I won in May, 2011 from  http://deliciousdoodlesblog.blogspot.com/ 

 when my card was featured

 in MIM.
And am using the image after so many months - better late than never. They are such neat images - all four of them that I have been saving them.

This image was such a saviour for me because a close friend asked me to make a card for her Godson with a cricket theme and for the life of me, I would not have known what to do if it wasn't for this image.

Rather simple card but I hope my friend likes it.

Thanks for all the lovely comments on my previous post.

Have a good weekend and I will come and visit you all soon.

Hugs,

Monica

Featured Blogger

Hello bloggers,

I hope you have had a good start to your week. We have settled back in pretty well though I have not started crafting yet... My craft room still needs a bit of cleaning up before I can put up pictures of the new set up.

I am a bit behind with my monthly post on Featured Blogger - travelling and all that excitement of the holiday season to say the least kept me nicely occupied.

Rae of http://aoneofakinddesignbyrachel.blogspot.com/ is my pick of the month.

 I love her beautiful creations with clean and simple designs and all those lovely quotes she lovingly shares on her blog.

My spirits feel so much richer after visiting her space. And you will feel the same if not more...

Thanks, Rae, and may your love for craft and blogging continue! I love your style and am happy to be your follower.


Hugs,

Monica

Each New Day is a Blessing and so is BLOGGING!

Hello lovely bloggers,

Thanks so much for all the sweet comments on my last posts. Feels good to be back even though I am missing all that good food and love of friends and family.

This is a card I made to sell - however I gave it away to one of my mum's friends and she loved it.

Supplies:

Base card stock - metallic silver grey 

Stamp - Spellbinders

Woven ribbon - from the ribbon store close by to where we live

Organza ribbon - from stash

Crystals - Prima

Am going to enter this card into MIM (Make It Monday) - Anything Goes which is one of my fave challenge blogs. It was one of the first challenge blogs I discovered and the lady who runs it (Michelle) is one of the sweetest people in blogland. She helped me so much when I was a newbie... with how to link up a card to a challenge. Thank you, Michelle!

Have a great week ahead.

Hugs,

Monica

DT post for UnstampaBelles

Hello bloggers,

Here is my second post for the day and I am posting my first card as a DT member for UnstampaBelles, the theme of which is Anything Goes.

I just realized that I had to post my creation by January 2nd, but for some reason I had Janaury 7th in my head - not a very nice thing to happen when it is your first time as a DT! 

I have to say I am a bit embarrassed with myself - to say the least. Merry and the rest, do forgive me!

Anyway on to the details of the challenge:

.

NO STAMPS at all! No rubber, digis, sentiments, etc.!

You have until February 3rd to get your entries in and the new challenge will start on February 6th.

Our sponsor for this month is The MerryMade Store!


The picture below shows the prize on offer for this month!

Here is my DT card - better late than never!!!

Supplies:

Base card stock - black

Embossing - Cuttle bug

Flower - hand made

Ribbon - American Craft

Crystal - Prima

Catch you later...

Lots of love,

Monica

I am back!

Hello lovely bloggers,

Let me start by wishing you all a very happy and healthy 2012! May it bring all that you wish for...

We got back this afternoon after a hectic holiday in New Delhi where we spent Christmas and New Year's. We ate lots of good food, met up with family and friends and of course shopped till we dropped!

Sorry, could not take any pictures as I forgot to carry my camera and I had some issues with my phone so it's camera did not function either.

I have to say that I missed all my blog buddies terribly and am happy to be back.

Will come and visit you all soon.

Lots of love,

Monica

For Unstampabelles

 Hello bloggers,

I seem to have some free time at my hands so am blogging away.

I made this card a while ago while I was at Langkawi (Malaysia) as a tribute to the superb eco-friendly resort we stayed in...

I gathered most of the material from twigs and barks lying around the beach. 

Do not have the heart to sell it or give it away until I make some more of the same kind. 

I am going to enter this in Unstampabelles monthly challenge - Christmas

Close-up of the embellishments

Supplies:

Base card stock - handmade paper from India

Corrugated paper - from toothpaste packaging in the resort

Twigs - lying around near the beach

Bark at the bottom - same as above

Jute  string - from my stash

Bells -made with Carla craft punch using an old Indian wedding card

Crystal - from Prima

Leaves - made with Carla craft punch on construction paper

Do tell me what you think of my creation... I have to say I was pleased with it.

Hugs,

Monica

Am travelling...

Hello lovely people,

Just to let you know that I am travelling for the Christmas holidays and will be back in January... so I may not be able to visit your blogs. 

I will try and catch up when I get back...

Meanwhile here is wishing you all a very happy and healthy Christmas and New Year.

Catch you soon.

Hugs,

Monica

Aleeza's Christmas crafts in school

 Hello lovely crafters,

Before Christmas is over, let me show you what Aleeza made in school.

 I am sure the teachers helped a a great deal. 

But as you can see below, Santa has a kind of squint - so it must be her handiwork. She would not allow me to hang it on the Christmas tree so I thought I would just take pictures and show them to you. 

For the life of me, I could not understand why she would not allow me to hang it on the tree!!!

 Below is a wreath - most of the berries (red crepe paper) and gold fell off ... and it is the same story here about Aleeza not allowing me to hang it on the tree!

 Hope all your Christmas cards and gifts are done with...

I would have loved to send out Christmas cards but it would take well over a month from here and I am kind of saturated with card making for the time being...

Hugs,

Monica