First Card making group @ my cbd church

I am kind of nervous as cause I will lead the first card making group in my church this Saturday. Well, I am not sure who is coming, but I pray that this session going to bring everyone together, build better relationship and use the skill to bless others! I won't be "teaching", I will just lead :)

I plan to set a theme - THANK YOU CARD - and start with a simple sketch of layout and let them explore by themselves. I never lead a group yet (except my colleagues - which is for FUN), that's why kind of nervous :) This is the sketch that i can think of (the most basic layout i think). Is this a good way to do it this way? Any suggestions?

I really want to say THANK YOU to Liza as she is a very nice and kind lady - who always use her skill to bless others. She is an inspiration to me.

This is the little invitation card i sent to them in this church. The card i used - is a card i learn from Liza - that is why i would love to use this card as an invitation to everyone.

A gift for Maggie

My friend of mine - Maggie - is leaving us for good this Thursday. Last night i was thinking of making her a card - but i ended up made a "customised" bookmark with her name on it - MAGGIE. I used cross stitch to make this bookmark and using the colours of Red and Orange (she said Red is her favourite). After 40 mins, i completed this bookmark and decided to make a nice packaging for it rather than wrap with a simple wrapping paper. I used 10 mins to mix and match and here comes the simple way of wrapping the gift with matching colour paper. I used tracing paper - to give the effect of see through the gift.

I am quite happy that i could complete all these in 1 hour time. I thank God that i still manage to reach office ontime although i slept late last night. I will meet Maggie for dinner tonight. I hope she likes my gift.

First Card Making Group @ AUSSINO

My staff in Beijing branch always curious about how i made those cards. So i promised to bring some simple tools to the office today and have a relaxing card making time with them after 30mins lunch. We did it! I demonstrated some simple skills and ideas in making simple card. These are what i made in 5 mins time. I told them.. Keep it simple!

After the 5 mins, they were so excited and started to create owns card. They did it manually and i love seeing them enjoy making cards. These are their 1st cards! i feel so happy for them! I think Jian Xin (the middle guy) did quite good job though. If you can see the detail of the card, he is good in toning for stamping!

It is actually a good way to release stress as well and i think i will organized this more in the future for them. Use the skill and the tools to bless others! Yay!

My Daily Working Place

I was thinking of taking photos of my work-place for card making - but i failed casue i reach home quite late normally. However, i plan to do it this saturday or sunday. Hee, the place is in a mess though :) However, I took these photos of my daily office few days ago... sharing with all of you :) ha! the Big fan - is something extra :p Sometime i just wanna have the feeling of "moving wind" and i will use that. It helps in creating ideas though :P

Doraemon - is a Japanese character. He is very smart and always find solutions easily. He has everything in his pocket. Everyone called me Doraemon - i hope is because of this reason. :) Well i know... i am as chubby as Doraemon as well :)

The other corner of this room - is ... super messy! So.. better keep don't show :p

Work time! :) It is Thursday....

INSPIRE - Randy

Inspire Brand: AUSSINO's middle range bedding. Target market: Young adults! The colours is FUN and brilliant. And.... mostly - repeat pattern (ops, i am not trying to advertise ya). However, when i was working on an advertisement, i saw this Inspire bedding and it inspired me to make a simple card out from the colours from this bedding - Randy. I took out my colour papers and started to mix and match. Well, i hope to find silhouette style stamps from my toolbox - but i failed. However, here the outcome. I believe i can do better. I added on a small piece of straw weave casue i accidentally saw the beach hat which selected as props for photoshooting the bedding :p

Before i went to bed, i saw few loose pieces in my little tray. I decided to use it to make a simple card - in case i accidentally throw away one day. Because of the lighting in my house is more to yellowish, i matched the wrong colour :p That's why i try to avoid making cards at night. However, i am going to send this card to my friend today, so i will still shoot a photo and keep as memory. Oh, the coconut tree is also accessory from Tibet!

I won't have time for cards these few days. So sad :( However i wanna make an invitation card for my church pastor, to invite he and his wife to my house for lunch this Saturday! I know i am going to cook Malaysia food for them and i hope they like it!

Time for work :)

Keep It Short and Simple = K.I.S.S

When i was with O&M advertising company, my Creative Director told me "Marlene, can you K.I.S.S.?!" I was like "Ops, i am just a teenager and you... em... em...." Then he said "Marlene, KISS = Keep it Short and Simple!" I try to apply KISS in all of my designs today, even card making.

Tagline - Short

Design - Simple

I have to admit that, i am not good in designing something complicated. (not that my strength is to keep it simple :p) Therefore, my cards are just.. Simple :)

While watching Olympic - women's table tennis Final - Singapore vs China, i was searching for a "small piece" of paper that could be used tonight as my challenge. I found this piece of stripe paper. It is a loose piece given by Liza. The size is about 12cm x 16cm. I told myself - I am going to make 3 cards using this precious 12 x 16cm paper. First, i created this! Something SUPER simple, right? I used the cherry stamp from "All through the year" and Cherish from "Warm Words". Both are from SU!

I decided to play with Brown - currently my favourite colour. I coloured the 1/3 of the flower from "Close as a memory" from SU and stamped on an ivory card from SU as well. I really wanted to say Thank you to my friend, Liza, who gave me some nice cardstocks before she left back to USA. Here comes the outcome :) The little piece of paper is fully utilized. Oh, Thanks to Alyssa who left a message at Stampinkub.com and gave me "hints"' on how to edge my card!

I challenge myself for another simple card using brown as background. Brown and Blue, Brown and Pink - just simple and nice... [i do think so :)] The stamps i used: Sweet Shapes and Wonderful Words.

Before i went to bed, i saw this cute ribbon - a gift from Sheerah from Malaysia. I recall that I promised to make a card using the ribbon given by her. So, here comes a cuttie card :p (never make this kind of "theme" before. However, I plan to give to my little brother- jiaxen - whose birthday is in October. Too early to prepare... ? Well, if i can make a better one, i will replace it.

I was kind of inspired by one of my company's bedding design before i decided to sleep just now. Arg.. is late now.. i will do it tomorrow! Hope to share with you though :)

Good night...

marlene

Another Brown Collections

It was quite late when i made this card. I found this "straw weave" paper that i bought from Shanghai during my business trip from my paper box and decided to explore the way of making card using this. I did some research on how people use these simple stamps from SU. So, i stamped with choco chip colour, cut and paste and Taadaah!

I receveid a suggestion about edging my card with my ink pad! I will try that tonight :)

Joy To D World Part II

It is weirld to make christmas card at this month. Well, i have to make 200 cards (as i mentioned before), so i started to explore more cards using same papers. Well, i have very very very limited christmas paper and i really don't know where can i get more papers for christmas. I hope i could explore how to make pattern of Christmas using the stamps i have. Hm,... will try that on tuesday night.

I was busy with church activities today. Church service, small group, lunch together with brother and sisters... and i have very limited time tonight to make cards. However, i manage to make 5 simple Christmas cards tonight. Ops, time to talk about my card.

Ha, obviously the papers used very "familiar" in my blog right? Ha,.. these are the papers for Christmas that i have. I used only 2 type of papers in this card: American Crafts - Christmas pipers Piping and KI Memories 1966 Joyful All Mine. Yap, i sew them and ... stamp with the word JOY from Su Love & Joy and add on white emboss powder - and emboss it. Hee Hee. Add on ribbon and bingo! However, i find this layout a little bit - too traditional :) Hm... should explore more.

This looks simple, but it takes time for me to figure out how to make it. First i stamp a Christmas tree on a piece of red paper and emboss it. The Christmas stamp is from Judi Kins - GK2651. I think it is from Taiwan. After sew it with a small piece of KI Memories 1966 Joyful All Mine, i add on ribbon and a Tibetan silver decoration to enhance the design.

Accidentally saw another small piece of paper from around the block and decided to use it to make a 5 mins card. Hm.. the outcome is just ok :)

I will be busy with work these few days. I hope i have time for this hobby :) I really enjoy making cards.

Brown and Blue

Brown and blue = trendy. I accidentally saw a very small loose piece of paper given by Liza and decided to use that to to make a simple card tonight. The paper is special - with velvet embossing texture. I love this paper very much. Too bad, i have very limited punch and stamps, so i remain using the Thank you stamp from SU - Lovely Labels. This stamp is really precious to me :) I added on a chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon.

How i started cards making?

Wow, i received quite a few of encouragements and i wanna say THANK YOU! Well, i decided to show you my 1st creation, which i think... i hide it under table :p Well, some i sent to my friends :)

Middle of May, the time when i get my first scallop and round punch from Liza, i decided to make card that night. I printed out the names of my friends and punch it out to stick on my card. I totally forgot what paper i used - i just try to search from the paper that i got from my friend, and mix and match. With limited tools, this is my first creation! Ah...it is quite disappointing... so i decided not to make cards after that...

Early June, when i realized i am running our of birthday card for my friends. So i took out my tools and started to make cards for my friends. I told myself - i am going to make few cards. Well,... this is the outcome.

I realized i have to post out 10 cards in June for my friends' birthday and i don't have enough at this moment, so i made another men's card.

After that i keep all my tools.

One day, a friend called from Malaysia and said - he likes the card i made. He encouraged me to make more to bless others. This is the time... the "spark" of card making started :)

The journey begins....

Simply Paper

Tomorrow is the Olympic opening day. Yay! We will have a day off @ Beijing. I was so excited and spent sometime planning what to do on the 080808 day :) I know, i am going to make more cards on that day! :) I played with paper last night.

Aha.. this is a birthday card for a guy friend.

Obviously is for girl! She is my colleague at singapore.

I quite like the colours of this card.

Which one is for you? Nah.... soon you will know :)

Thank You Card

I worked in a bedding company - AUSSINO, as a designer. If you are interested in my company, visit www.aussino.com. Well, we had Fall Winter launch last few weeks and lots of my staff and colleagues helping me to make this event success! I decided to make them Thank you card.

It just happened that i received this stamp few weeks ago. So i manage to come out with this design.

I am so happy that my company's factory manage to provide me this pretty ribbons! they are grosgrain in pink with brown pokka dots! And it is so cheap! :)

Liza is the one who tough me how to make this card using her tools from stampin up.

I tried this last night, playing with embossing powder. Ah..... the outcome not too nice but i will put more effort in this!

I am Sorry

You won't believe this.
I made this card the night before Tuesday and i received a news that my friend's sister-in-law pass away the day itself. God just prepared me a card to write some words to my friend.

This is the card. The stamps are from stampin-up.

Simple Birthday Card - easy as One Two Three

Honestly, it is not easy to make the cards below.
1st - it takes time to select the suitable paper.
2nd - it takes time to select the colour.
3rd - it takes time to "control" the sewing machine. Argh... i am not good in sewing!

however, i manage to make some cards for my friends who were born in the month of August.

The paper from BasicGrey is nice enough. It makes the card perfect. In order to allow the paper to stand up, i added on words and a brad only. A piece of Basic Grey 15cm x15cm card allowed me to make 1.5 cards. So, i added on other papers to make the card on right.

Another from Basic Grey.

And another....

Just simple arrangement + simple stitches - i think it looks good enough.

Joy to D World

Yes, it is about Christmas. For me, making cards make me happy and joyful. Every year, i will design and print up too 200 Christmas cards in order to share the Christmas joy with my Christian and Non-Christian friends. This year, i decided to handmade them.

In i case i couldn't finish making them on time, i decided to make the cards starting last week. These are my first trial.

This is combination of 3 types of papers (front and back) that i bought at shanghai. The paper i used - American crafts - Christmas - Partridge in a pear Tree, Pipers piping and Rudolf.

By using the same paper, i manage to create another design. I am using colour pencil to fill in the colour, as i am still waiting for my watercolour marker from Stampin-up.

And another...

And another...

Well, you might receive the card this season!

Will explore more! :) It is very hard to import papers from USA to China (although i am Malaysian). I hope i could play with Stamps rather than papers in the future.

Welcome to D World

I am a new baby in card making world :) I started my card making 2 months ago.Well, in order to welcome myself as a new born baby in this world, i made few baby cards using the paper given by my good friend, Liza. She is Stampin-Up Demonstrator and she is the one who inspired me to be a better card maker.

This is for baby boy. The girls' are in pink.

The baby girls' card.

I did some interesting design for the past few weeks and will upload it soon!
I hope you like my card. Give me comments if you can :) Comments help me to improve my design.