My new embossing folder from Helen

Hello bloggers,

Here is a card I have made with an embossing folder sent by Helen to me. I really like it, thank you so much. I have used old paper to sponge the edges and have stuck bee stickers made out of felt along with green ribbon at the bottom. I did think of a sentiment like Just Bee-cause but let it be this way for reasons of flexibility.

I will enter this card in:

http://4kraftygirlzchallenges.blogspot.co.uk/ - anything goes

http://craftyribbonschallenge.blogspot.com/ - anything goes with ribbon

Wishing you a happy weekend,

Monica 

A super quickie

Hello dear bloggers,

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Hanukkah to all those who celebrate it. I am grateful to my followers and all the kindness that has come my way ever since I started this blog. 

Here is another super quickie... just ribbon and a gigantic 3D sticker with lots of bling on it and some scoring to finish it off.

I will enter this card in:
http://lexiscreations.blogspot.com/ - Christmas

http://paperplaytime.blogspot.com/ - anything goes
http://artisticinspirationschallenges.blogspot.co.uk/ - anything goes

Peace

Hello dear bloggers,

Every Wednesday is Manyano Day for me and a group of friends. Manyano means a circle of sisters in Afrikaans and it was started by a South African lady who used to live in Jakarta. I am lucky to be a part of this very special group that meets every Wednesday for yoga, fabulous home cooked potluck, meditation, Angel card reading followed by an interesting Ted Talk or a movie. Not to mention the tea and cake that we eat to help our girths expand, lol. It is indeed one of the nicest days of the week for me and I look forward to it rather excitedly.

Now to my card -  I have used fancy gift wrap to cover the card stock and a Sizzix die cut for the sentiment. The paper is actually a subtle gold but in the picture it decided to look dull and muddy. The gold stars are stickers and the organza ribbon is from my stash.

I will enter this card in:

http://ppp-makeitmonday.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://artisticinspirationschallenges.blogspot.co.uk/ - anything goes

http://cardsformen.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

Wish you a happy Wednesday,

Monica 

A quick birthday card

Hello sweet peeps,

Here is another quick card to show you today. I have made it for a friend of Aleeza's who has her birthday today. Aleeza could not go to her party as it is a weekday and with the traffic here, it was a bit impractical. Beside she had a trial for a swim lesson as well. I did feel bad that she could not socialize but had to be practical.

The happy birthday sentiment is a ribbon and the die cut hearts are from Wonder House Japan. They cut so smoothly and with such ease - honestly one of the best brands I have seen. I have used very bright and sparkly pink and white checquered paper for the hearts and that makes the card quite girly, I think which is just what I wanted.

I will enter this card in:

http://craftycardmakers.blogspot.co.uk/- CAS

http://ppp-makeitmonday.blogspot.com/ - always anything goes

http://paperplaytime.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

Off to bed now. Catch you tomorrow,

Monica 

The perfect pear

Hello sweet bloggers,

Here is a quick post from me to show you my latest card. I am trying to get better at colouring so here is my take. I made the card without flowers and then as an afterthought decided to overload it with flowers which are handmade by yours truly. I could have done better with the leaves around the flowers, I think. I cannot remember the name of the rubber stamp but do recollect that I got rather cheap. The woollen yarn and embroidery thread is from my stash and the embossing folder is one of my fave. The scalloped nestie hiding behind the round one has been die cut out of a brochure.

Without the overload

With the overload 

I will enter this card in:

http://ppp-makeitmonday.blogspot.com/ - always anything goes

http://challenges4everybody.blogspot.co.uk/ - anything goes

http://dreamvalleychallenges.blogspot.com/ - CAS

http://scribbleandscrapcrafts.blogspot.co.uk/ - always anything goes
http://casethissketch.blogspot.com/ - sketch
http://craftycardmakers.blogspot.co.uk/ - CAS

Happy Monday,

Monica 

Partially Recycled

Hello sweet peeps,

This card I have to show you today is not a Christmas card... a relief, isn't that. Lol.

The printed paper with hearts is actually a postcard and I have used ribbon to cover up the empty space on the right. The pink nestie is also from the packaging of an embossing folder while the blue nestie was sent by Shirley-Anne. The cute chipboard teddy and hearts were sent by Sandra. There is a tiny tag on the image which says, 'With Love' which is ideal with the image.

I will enter this card in:

http://brownsugarchallenge.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://sisteractcardchallenge.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://totallypapercrafts.blogspot.com/ - add a bow

http://4kraftygirlzchallenges.blogspot.co.uk/ - anything goes

Happy Sunday,

Monica

Shiny, shiny card

Hello kind peeps,

Here is another quick card for the last order of six cards from my friend who landed up buying seven cards instead. She liked my simple creations and am so glad that she did.

This card is made with the same holographic tape that belonged to Zeenya. The silvery stars were lying in my sticker folder for the longest time. The image is from a beautiful set of stickers sent by my dear blog buddy Sandra. The red and silver layers behind the image is adhesive holographic paper from my stash. The sentiment is a clear stamp which was also sent by Sandra. I loved making these red and white cards - they were quick and not at all tiring for my over strained fingers.

I will enter this card in:

http://brownsugarchallenge.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://crafts4eternity.blogspot.com/ - glitter and sparkle

http://deliciousdoodleschallenge.blogspot.com/ - no designer paper

Happy weekend,

Monica 

Card Making in Aleeza's Class this Morning

Hello bloggers,

Today was a busy morning for me in Aleeza's school. They had a book character day and the kids had to be like in a fancy dress. Aleeza agreed to being  a princess and I found Zeenya's princess gown from seven years ago. Boy, did she cry non-stop when I dressed her up this morning. She found the clothes far too uncomfortable and the tap of tears just would not close. I could even manage a decent picture of hers.

I did a card making session for the kids today which was full of smiles and joy. Most of the girls wanted to make cards except one boy who seemed rather keen. Down below are pictures of the kids. Oh what a beautiful age this is - the hugs come so easily and freely.

TGIF,

Monica 

Zeenya turned 14 yesterday

Hello lovely bloggers,

Yesterday was Zeenya's 14th birthday - her friends spoiled her rotten and one of the boys in her group actually baked brownies for her and got them to school. She did not want a gift from us which really impressed me. I gave her a card with money inside and got a lovely cake and flowers for her. 

Down below is the card - made in five minutes really. 

This is the cake - I asked the chef not to use colour in the flowers so she made cream coloured roses.

The two sisters - apologies for poor picture quality and I did not even care to lay the cake on to a proper plate :-)

Happy Wednesday,

Monica

Poinsettias

Hello sweet bloggers,

When ever I want cards real quick I resort to a layout of three symmetrical images... So here it is. I had to stick gold ribbon on all four sides since the paper was slightly bigger than embossing folder.  I had stuck a layer of red card stock under the punched flower and a rhinestone in the centre of each of them.

I will enter this card in:

http://ppp-makeitmonday.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

Wish you a happy Tuesday,

Monica 

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way

Hello lovely peeps,

We had a reunion for Aleeza with some of her friends and their mums on Sunday. We took the kids to Pizza Express for lunch and it was just so nice to see how happy the kids were to see Aleeza and vice versa. They met after a gap of almost six months and there was lots of fun and laughter. 

Here is another card which was part of the large order. I have used red card stock as the base and stuck shiny paper on it which I crumpled and crushed to give it more texture. The green paper is fancy gift wrap while the bells are toppers from Arthur Dailey - a budget store which I found in Melbourne. The red and gold organza ribbon is from my stash. I actually added two gold rhinestones in the bells but forgot to click a picture with them. 

This is a picture of the three girls in her previous class. There were 16 boys and just three girls in the class!!! 

Here are more of them, enjoying their pizzas. In the mirror, you can see the reflection of us mums. Oh how sweet is this age.

This is Aleeza at home last night modelling her rather colourful doll which she got as a present from her buddies. The doll is called Dee. What a co-incidence that is because one of her fave teachers in her previous school is called Dee and her present teacher's last name is Dee.

I will enter my card in:

http://ppp-makeitmonday.blogspot.com/  - always anything goes

Happy week ahead,

Monica

With love at Christmas

Hello lovely peeps,

A Christmas card to show you yet again - the gift boxes and sentiment are from the same set of clear stamps sent to me by Sandra. I have coloured in the image with Prisma pencils which has been cut out and popped on dimensional foam tape. I have also stuck tiny star in the centre of the bows on the pressies. I had to use this pretty ribbon to camouflage the strips of paper which were pasted at a crooked angle. It is pearlized paper and looks nicer in real life. The star stickers on the top and bottom finish it off. This is another flat card and I am not too fond of it to be honest.

I will enter this card in:

http://scrapping4funchallenges.blogspot.ca/ - anything goes

http://sisteractcardchallenge.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

Happy Saturday,

Monica 

Yay, another order for six cards

Hello dear bloggers,

Thanks for the kind words on my last post - means the world to me, you know :-)

Here is card to show you for another order of six cards from a dear friend. She wants flat cards as she would like to send them by snail mail. A few years ago I would have struggled with making such cards but now I seem to be getting fairly confident at them.

I have used part of the embossing folder and stuck silver stickers and a layered snowflake using three different kinds of punches and paper as well. The holographic tape is actually Zeenya's and I have conveniently smuggled it. Lol.

I will enter this card in:
http://4kraftygirlzchallenges.blogspot.co.uk/ - anything goes

http://www.4craftychicks.blogspot.com/ - snowflakes
http://crimbo-crackers.blogspot.com/ - Christmas words
http://dianamlarson.blogspot.com/ - words of encouragment

TGIF,

Monica 

Red and Gold

Hello sweet bloggers,

Yesterday evening was lovely - some close friends and I went to a fusion restaurant for dinner to bid farewell to a dear friend who is relocating back to Melbourne with her hubby after living in Indonesia for 17 years. We had a great time with good food, drink and lots of laughter. 

As you know, I have sold enough cards to continue supporting the five kids which I did last year. And I have been lucky enough to have another USD 170 left over which may increase to USD 200. I am thinking of donating this amount to Red Cross in Philippines for the victims of the recent storm tragedy. It is a small amount but am sure it will help in some way. And thank you, dear bloggers for all that you do for me. It makes me stay motivated to do what I am doing.

Here is my card to show you today - the base is a browny gold paper and the red layer is handmade paper from India and the dull gold is fancy gift wrap embossed with my pretty snowflake folder. The ribbon looks even prettier in real life and the crystal you see in the centre is from Kaiser.

Down below is a shot of the 30 cards all packed and ready to be delivered.

Happy Thursday,

Monica 

Snowflake

Hello sweet bloggers,

The order for 30 cards is almost done and I will hand it over tomorrow to my friend who asked for them. It is time to give my fingers some rest now that I have turned out over 50 cards in the last three weeks.
This card has a window and vellum behind it and I have popped the top layer on foam dots after scoring them. You may wonder how many times I am going to use this JOY sentiment, well, I just love it so. The snowflake (MS I think) has been punched from a gloss silver cardstock and so has the sentiment. The rhinestones finish it off nicely.

I will enter this card in:

http://inkspirationalchallenges.blogspot.com/ - white on white

http://ppp-makeitmonday.blogspot.com/ - always anything goes

Wish you a happy Tuesday,

Monica 

Peace

Hello sweet peeps,

Honestly blogging is one of the nicest things that happened to me and that makes my life so good.

Down below is another CAS card made with my newly acquired Peace die cut from Sizzix. The paper is super fancy gift wrap and over the MS snowflakes I have used Glossy Accents which cannot really be seen in the picture. The silver crystals finish off the card which I do seem to like very much.

I will enter this card in:

http://ppp-makeitmonday.blogspot.com/ - always anything goes

Catch you later,

Monica 

Joy

Hello bloggers,

Here is a card made with one of my new dies from Sizzix which have probably retired but are still considered new here. Lol. I have used pearly white paper for the die cut and the poinsettias have been fussy cut from a larger sheet. I have used a negative for the window and have popped it up with foam tape. The ribbon and crystals are from my stash.

I will enter this card in the following challenges:

http://2sisterschallengeblog.blogspot.com/ - Christmas sparkle

http://allsortschallenge.blogspot.com/ - white on white

http://craftycalendarchallenge.blogspot.com/ - all things Christmas

Happy Sunday,

Monica

Sherry on Christmas

Hello sweet bloggers,

Here is another card for the same order which has beautiful crinkled grey and gold paper from India. The topper is from my stash and so is the ribbon. I love how this card turned out so beautiful in minutes.

I will enter this card in:
http://sisteractcardchallenge.blogspot.com/ - anything goes
http://scrapping4funchallenges.blogspot.ca/ - anything goes

Wishing you a happy weekend,

Monica 

White on White

Hello bloggers,

This is an aperture card and I have stuck acetate in the aperture and added another card stock with an aperture over the acetate  to to give it a neat appearance from inside. The Christmas tree has been die cut (from Wonder House) and so is the sentiment which has been stuck with double sided foam tape. The pearls are from my stash - not sure whether I need to stick a pearl in the centre of the alphabet O.

I do like this CAS beauty a great deal.

I will enter this card in the following challenges:

http://ppp-makeitmonday.blogspot.com/ - always anything goes

http://bearlymine-challenges.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://lejdesignschallengeblog.blogspot.co.uk/ - anything goes

See you later,

Monica 

Merry Christmas

Hello lovely bloggers,

Here is my card to show you for today quite similar to the one I made some weeks ago. The paper is fancy gift wrap and the grey is actually a matt silver which doesn't show in the picture. I have used a clear stamp the name of which has slipped off my mind. I have used foam glue dots to prop up the image after cutting it and mounting it on another round nestie.  Silver crystals from my stash and a few lines of scoring at the bottom finished off the card. I like the way I did the thin strips at the bottom.

I will enter this card in:

http://ppp-makeitmonday.blogspot.com/ - always anything goes

http://bearlymine-challenges.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://www.craftysentiments.blogspot.com/ - for the guys

http://lejdesignschallengeblog.blogspot.co.uk/ - monochromatic

Off to comment now,

Monica 

With love at Christmas

Hello sweet peeps,

I made 9 cards this morning!!! And now have another 8 to go and I will be done with my order of 30 cards. 

Down below is a card I made with a clear stamp set sent by dear Sandra to me all the way from the UK. I have coloured the image with Prisma pencils.  I have layered the white image on shiny blue paper. The crushed red paper you see is actually printer paper that has been moistened with water, crumpled and then dabbed with black water colour paint. Zeenya and I did it many years ago, when she was all of six and now she is almost 14!
The washi tape is from my stash and so are the rhine stones. The sentiment is from the same set of clear stamps. 

I will enter this card in:

http://ppp-makeitmonday.blogspot.com/ - always anything goes

Wish you a happy Tuesday,

Monica 

Christmas is coming...

Hello dear bloggers,

Diwali is over and it certainly did leave a sweet after taste with all the decoration, celebration, food, fun and laughter.

Now back to my Christmas order of 30 cards. Here is a card similar to the one I posted a while ago. The image is from a clear set of stamps from Hero Arts and the sentiment which I have used a million times is a die cut from Wonder House. The colouring is done with Prisma pencils and I have used silver pop up fabric glitter to make tiny snow flakes. 

I will enter this card in:

http://challenges4everybody.blogspot.co.uk/ - always anything goes

http://ppp-makeitmonday.blogspot.com/ - always anything goes

http://craftycalendarchallenge.blogspot.com/ - all things Christmas

See you later,

Monica 

Another Diwali card

Hello sweet bloggers,

I have still not begun on my Christmas order as we have been having lots of fun decorating our home with Rangoli (floor decoration done with coloured rice or flower petals) and distributing chocolates to as many people in our complex specially the staff.

Here is another Diwali card that I made last week. The paper came from Terry. I touched it up with my Sakura gold gel pen and added sequins sent by Sandra and my card was ready.

Catch you later,

Monica 

Sunflower

Hello sweet peeps,

Here is my card to show you today... It has been recycled from a health shop brochure cover. Just added ribbon to it and it was done. Sent it to Aleeza's mail box in class a couple of days ago and the kids loved it. 

We had a Diwali celebration in Aleeza's class and it was fun with henna tattoos, nail polish for the girls, music, dance and Indian snacks. The kids had a great time but I could not take any pictures. This was taken by the other mum who helped me. The colourful Rangoli on the round table was done by her with coloured rice, rose petals and jasmine buds. Apologies that the picture cannot be enlarged (goes all fuzzy).

This is my Rangoli decoration at home done with curry leaves, rose petals and jasmine buds.

To all those who celebrate Diwali, here is wishing you a happy and blessed Diwali.

Love,

Monica