Spotted Tuesday: Welcoming New Year

1st row from left:

Eat, drink and be merry drink stirrers by ideachic

Longevity Symbol wall decal by blankcanvasdesigns

2010 Giclee Calendar by joojoo

PEP TALKERS you are strong Ceramic Motivational Ornament by aphroditescanvas


2nd row from left:

2010 Zenbelly Planner by Zenbelly

Printable Photo Greeting Card by kottageon5th

AlteredRolodex Filing System by craftycrew

Weekly Planner 2010 - Cowboys with Red and White Polka Dot by luxfordst

Little Bird

Finally I got a chance to use this bird stamp. Isn't it adorable?



Merry Christmas everyone! Enjoy this most wonderful time of the year with family and friends! Indulge those scrumptious sweets and chocolates.

Spotted Tuesday: Jingle Bells

Still in Christmas Spirit, what is better than finding those festive and adorable bells?


Row 1 from the left:

Jingle Bell Cluster Earrings in Red and Green by SarasCreations
Sara just told me that all of her Holiday earrings will be on sale for 25% off on December 24 - 27, with FREE world wide shipping. All of my jewelry always comes in a hand folded decorative paper box, ready for gifting.

30mm Pink and Blue Owls bell charm pendants - 5 pc set by delishbeads


Row 2 from the left:

Jingle Bell in Gold bracelet by mpaperarts

Christmas Holiday Jingle Bell Napkin Holder Ring by hempbybrenda

Wanted!

If you've been following my blog, you know that on the past couple of Tuedays, I've been featuring Etsy artisans. For Spotted Tuesday, I come up with a theme and search fabulous handmade items in Etsy.

In 2010, I have also decided to dedicate one day to do a full feature of an Etsy artist: Saturday Artisans. At the moment I focus on Etsy site, but you never know if you will see artists from other sites :-) This is one of my ways paying back to the handmade community and support other artists.

I have started searching for artists to be featured and found some great artists but I'm still looking for more, after all there is 52 weeks in a year :-)

You can nominate yourself, or if you know a wonderful Etsy artist who I should feature, please let me know. Here are some important criteria to be featured in my blog:

• Must have great customer service, first and foremost. Friendliness and going above and beyond are keys to successful business. If I don't see that in you then I don't think I can refer my readers to your shop. I want my friends to really enjoy their buying experience and I need to have the confidence that they will get that from your shop.
  
• Have at least 30 listed items in your shop in order to provide a good variety of products to choose from.
• Have great pictures: clear and crisp.
• Optional: Sponsoring a giveaway is greatly appreciated

So how to contact me? You can convo me, send me a message at twitter, or even leave a comment here. But hurry, the New Year is just around the corner!

Not Martha Stewart . . .

Oh how I want to be like Martha Stewart. Or perhaps to just have a tiny bit of her talents.

I can cook. I actually enjoy cooking! But baking? Well, I haven't had so much time to bake. I'm talking about baking some cakes. Cooking is more a daily chore which I have to do or my family won't eat. Lol. While baking, on the other hand, is something that I don't do much unless I feel of doing.

For Ethan's birthday, I planned to bake his birthday cake. I chose to make cupcakes because I thought that's the easiest to make. Plus my Mom gave me this cupcake recipe book recently and I really wanted to make a use of it. As you know, we just moved in to our new place. I didn't even have all the basic tools and ingredients, i.e. baking pan, cup measurement, flour, butter, chocolate, icing sugar etc. I had to borrow baking pan and cup measurement from a friend who happens to be a neighbour. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) my plan changed in a last minute. We had to meet some friends the day of the party. Long story short, we decided to buy a cake and bake the cupcakes on another day since I already had all the ingredients.

So...a few weeks after that (you know, I had to make the time) I baked cupcakes. And they turned out like this (below).

Hahaha, laugh as much as you want :-) I know what I am getting into by posting this. When I took these pictures, DH asked why would I take pictures of them if they turned out bad. I said, well, I am not only sharing my beautiful cards but also my failure in baking cupcakes.

Anyway, they raised for a little while and then sunk. Agrr. I googled and found a few things that can cause the sinking. It could be the temperature that wasn't stable. It could also mean that I need to leave it at the oven a bit longer. It could be that I beat the mixed it too much or too little. It could be that I filled the tin too much of batter not leaving it enough room to expand. It could be that they didn't not have enough raising agents as well. Ironically, I intentionally chose a recipe that doesn't require the use of baking soda, thinking that one less ingredient off the list makes things easier. I learned my lesson on that one.

I made a few batches and tried to incorporate some of the suggestions above. Not much luck as you can see. The last batch was hard as stones.

But, it's not all bad. Ethan seemed to enjoy eating them just as much he enjoyed helping me beating the mix. And DH said the taste is not too bad except they're a bit too sweet.


I was planning to give some to my friend who lent me the pan and so on. At the end, I chose not too. I think it's better if I helped her throwing these myself. They are edible (somewhat) but they're just not Cupcakes.

Let me end this post with something better and more memorable, a card that I made this morning.

Spotted Tuesday: Oh Christmas Tree

I LOVE Christmas. And what better to find than beautiful handmade items where Christmas Spirit comes alive.

So sit down, have a cup of tea, enjoy these Christmas Trees eand click on each of these links below where you can find more breath-taking arts.

Row 1 from the left:

Upcycled-Corduroy Christmas Tree Ornaments by Blakeswork

Retro Christmas Tree Ornament by alinahayes

Eloise Christmas Bird Hand Carved Rubber Stamp by Corrabelle


Row 2 from the left:

Christmas Tree Goat Milk Handmade Soap by SweetSallysSoaps

Coupon Book - MERRY CHRISTMAS by fookadesigns

Color Explosion...Tree ... fused art glass pendant by jochris12


Row 3 from the left:

Milkweed Pod Evergreen Christmas Tree by ZienOnMain

Holiday Trees Collar by CollarsByDesign

EcoCuff - Sparkling Holiday Tree on White Leather Band by greenbelts

Decoupaged Clothespin Clips

I can't remember posting my decoupaged clothespin clips. I guess it must have slipped my mind. Oops!

For the longest time, my shop announcement and business cards saying I have greeting cards and other papercrafts available and yet only greeting cards available, and okay...maybe some tags :-)

So without further a due, now I have decoupaged clothespin clips. They're just fun to make and yet functional.


What can you use them for, you're asking?
Use them to close up your chip bag, hold few sheets of paper together to get organize at office/ home, hold place card setting for a party, or attach your gift tag to it as part of present decoration.


Each clothespin clip is embellished with beautiful scrapbooking paper on both sides. They are decoupaged and sealed a few times to ensure they last longer (they're not waste resistant!).

With the price that is so reasonable, there is no reason for you not to grab a set or two and start to add a splash in your home or office.

I made a few more sets last night with scramptious designs and will list them once I have natural light to take picture with. It snowed a bit by the way this morning. Can't wait for a white christmas!

Ethan Turning Two

This is a so-belated post of my son's birthday. Ethan turned two in mid of November. We were just so busy and posting these pictures had slipped away from my mind.


We decided not to have a big party as well this year, similar to his first birthday. Afterall, he had no clue about birthdays yet. This year as we are in Canada, we celebrated his 2nd birthday with a simple family dinner with my side of family: my parents, my sister and brother's families. Read about his first birthday here. It was a nice family gathering.

I can't believe he's TWO now. I do get more hugs and kisses as he can understand in showing his emotion :-) but we all know that these smooches won't last too long. As he grows bigger and older, he will be less generous in giving me this kind of affection, so I'll be sure to enjoy this while I can and preserve this in my memory for years to come.

I'm glad I have the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom for him for these past two years. It gives me the opportunity to see him growing up and achieving his milestones. Happy Birthday, Ethan, my pride and joy!

Spotted Tuesday: Baby, It's Cold Outside

Last year, around this time of year, I complained about how hot the weather was. Too hot that having two air conditioners on in our bedroom wasn't enough. If you've been following my blog, you know that I was in Indonesia, being jealous of you guys who 'enjoyed' the cold weather and the snow. Lol, I know that my friends who lived in North America, complained about how crazy cold the weather was.

Well, this year I'm expecting to see some snow. It'll be great to have a white christmas..It'll also be great to see Ethan play in the snow for the first time. The last time he saw snow was when he was only four months old and really, not much he could do with the snow at that age.

Below are beautiful handmade items which you can find at Etsy, perfect for this winter holidays theme.

Country Snowman Scrabble Pendant by jessejanes

Freezin' for a Reason Cards by mrsdstahl

Mistletoe Letterpress Ornament by sarahparrott825

Winter Sky Handspun Yarn by WeirdAndTwisted

Snowflake Necklace by SASessories

Holiday Photo Cards

I've done many custom orders before and I enjoyed everyone of them. The last custom order that I got involving photos. Now, that's different. I know that there are a lots of photo cards out there but not many with scrapbooking handmade style.

When a customer of mine asking me about creating holilday cards with having her daughter picture in it, I took the challenge! This would just be like scrapbooking, lol, only in a smaller scale.

Beautiful and fun holiday patterned papers are used, along with bazzill cardstocks as the base. As always, I use high quality materials.


And voila!! That's the picture of Ethan :-) I'd like to keep my customers' privacy.

2009 Klahanie Holiday Market

This week not only I was busy working on custom orders, but I've been busy preparing for the next craft fair that I'll be participating.

WHEN: Sunday, December 6: Noon - 4pm

WHERE: 501 Klahanie Drive, Port Moody at the Canoe Club

18 vendors, including childrens clothing and accessories, toddler food, jewelry, natural body products, paper goods, dog coats and collars, chocolate and caramel sauces and much much more!

So come and do your holiday shopping if you're in the Greater Vancouver Area!

On the side notes, this morning as I opened our blinds, I noticed the moon was still up there! It was 8 am or so. I don't see this too often, a sun and a moon at the same time, and find it quite neat actually. Anyway, I'm not sure if you can see the moon on the picture or not but you can click on the picture to enlarge it. It's on the left of the building. I had quite a hard time taking picture of it, hmm....maybe it's time to get a new camera :-)

Spotted Tueday: Communication

Happy Tuesday!

These past couple of days I'm reminded of how important communication is, good communication that it! Often times, we rather keep what bothers us to ourselves than saying it, thinking that keeping our mouth shut will prevent things to get worse. But sometimes, by not saying it causes further misunderstanding.

Above is a beautiful collection of handmade items you can find in Etsy related to this week theme: communication.

Row 1 from the left:
Conversation print by bluebicicletta
Keep In Touch necklace by dayslonggone

Row 2 from the left:
Radio Transmitter Tower necktie by toybreaker
Tooth Fairy by KillamCreative

You're invited to visit their shops for more gorgeous arts! Happy Holiday Shopping!

Tis Christmas Custom Order

Just quickly popping by before I put Ethan to bed. This weekend I completed a custom order on top what I had in the shop (Winter Wonderland set of cards above). Below are 6 more cards with similar theme.


And these adorable holiday tags.


I'll be working on a new project tonight. Can't wait to share with you!

Prepping For Cyber Monday

This year I'll take the opportunity to participate in the biggest online shopping event. If you're Etsy sellers like myself, perhaps you can take this opportunity to promote your shop as well. Etsy sends weekly digest to its sellers and this time they remind us to prep for Cyber Monday. You can find the details here.

Or if you're doing the holiday shopping then this is good news for you too!

I'm offering FREE SHIPPING to the US and Canada for all of my cards! I could not afford to offer free shipping to other countries but I'm offering Half Off. That's right the cost is on me. I have never done this before so we'll see how it goes.

What's even better is that you can start shopping now cause the sale is already on starting today! See you at my shop! Sale ends on Monday, November 30th.

Spotted Tuesday: Red for Everyone

Holiday is fast approaching and it reminds me of how beautiful color red is. Above is a beautiful collection of handmade items you can find in Etsy.

Row 1 from the left:
Eco Dog Coat by anniessweatshop
Charm Bracelet by KatherineCooper
Venus Heart by LeelaBijou
Not Cute Leather Journal by Kreativlink
Fa La La Fiesta Ornament by tracybdesigns

Row 2 from the left:
Spot the Dot by copycrafts
Prayers for Children book by scissorsavvy
Scallop Bookmarks by nitestamper
Monkey Business T-shirt by clothmothclothing
Red Ballerina by dollb

Row 3 from the left:
Red Bird Magnets by prettyoriginals
Woman with Birds by Basho
Buddy the Compact Messenger by ThongbaiTatong
Maroon Beanie Hat by BeaCreative
Barn Red Vase by OldNewAgain

Using Scrap Papers to The Fullest

I think I said I love papers too many times. But do you know that I love them until they bec0me tiny pieces? This is one of my ways being GREEN and to save trees.

Here is a box where I store my scrap papers, thinking that I'll use them in my next projects. But I seem to be overpowered by them. These scrap papers tend to pile up real quick. Less than often, they're hardly used in the next projects.


So I decided a couple of days ago that I need to do something major about it. This also means that I need to spend major time doing it. I'm making TAGS. Tags in different sizes depending on what are available. All I need is a couple of punches: flower punch, corner punch, and hole punches. And of course, glue!



I made 100 Pretty Tags!! Woo Hoo!


They're great little tags that go in my packages to my sweet customers.

Etsy Greeting Team on ETSY FINDS

We made it!!

I'm a proud member of Etsy Greetings Team. This is one interactive helpful group. Great talented artists who are willing to share their knowledge.

From November 13 through November 15, artists from the EtsyGreetings Team will have special deals and goodies associated with purchases from their holiday collections.
I am participating in this event, and am offering
BUY 1 GET 1 HALF OFF (2nd item is 50% off, equal/less value) on any items at my shop.

This is one of my biggest sale so far.


Stop by the EtsyGreetings blog to see specials from over 40 great paper artists.

A Little Peek on My Shelf

If you've been reading my blog, you know that it has been over 5 months since our relocation to Canada. I left Indonesia at the end of May without bringing much of paper supplies. In fact, none. Also, I could only bring a handful of my stamps due to baggage constraint.

During the first couple of months, things were uncertain for us. We intended to live in Toronto for a change but ended up staying in Vancouver as DH got a job here. Less than a month ago, we moved out from my parents' house to our apartment where we can call our own space.

In these past few months, in spite of our major changes in our life, I was able to complete 2 wholesale orders, attended a craft fair, and running up my Etsy shop after a short absence (and boy, it's hard to get back in track!).

I'm slowly building my supplies again.

A stack of gorgeous patterned papers that are slowly piling up. Buying them are always fun, in exception of spending the money of course. I was not able to get my hands on these papers while we were in Indonesia. I could only buy scrap papers as that's what is mostly available on-line without paying ridiculously expensive shipping cost. The only way I could get 12 x12 papers was when I made a trip to Singapore. And yes, they're still expensive there but I was in need to fix my addiction!!


A-must-have bazzill cardstocks in different colors.


Networking is important! I was able to purchase these cardstocks at wholesale price through an Etsy Greetings team member.

I try to justify my spending: I need to make more money before buying more supplies. Don't tell my DH but I sometimes fail to do that. These stamps are all new. I haven't gotten a chance to play with them and yet I'm always tempted to buy more (who wouldn't, right?).

Give me a break, I've used some of these stamps. Once. Or twice. :-)

With the holidays approaching, could you guess what is on my W.I.S.H list? Or is it too early to make the list? Lol.

Too Cute for Christmas

I have asked my dear friend who is SO talented to do a custom Christmas images for me. Truly, I just adore her creations. You can visit her shop here.




The cards and tags are available at my shop. Custom orders are always welcome.

TGIF! Says Nat

I'm so glad to share with you that I was featured by Infinite, a Singapore-based company, started by 2-gals who are passionate about handmade. For details, please read here. You'll a bit more information about me and my cards :-) And if you're in Singapore, please come by at their shop and you'll find a bunch of great cards made by artists around the world.

Today I listed 2 more sets of tea bag holders, just in time for holidays. I had to deactive one set of tea bag holders simply because I screwed up making them this afternoon. I scored the paper too hard and ruined it, sadly :-( So yes, things are not always work as they should be. The good thing is that I can re-use the paper if I think creatively.