Simple Engagement...

This week is FLYING by! We spent the holiday weekend in GA visiting with my twin sister and her family. She is due soon with her 2nd child and we are all getting excited to welcome Kate into the world! I only wish my family and I lived closer, the goodbyes are always hard. My oldest daughter is also beginning her new journey to Kindergarten and its bittersweet for my hubby and I. I know it will get easier, she's just the first and its new for all of us!

Anyhoo, what I really came here for tonight was to update my blog! All of my new postings were gifts and some had to be shipped, so I had to hold out and not give them away on my blog. This simple engagement card was for a dear friend who is now a Fiancee! I brought out some old goodies for this one! The quilt pattern on the bottom is from PTI-guide lines and I stamped them out on PTI-glitter cs. And fitting-for-the-occasion was my Bella bride to be! I always like the "Tiffany Blue" for wedding cards and gifts so I went along those color lines to finish out the card. OOOOH, look how SPARKLY she is! Once I color in my images with copic markers, I like to go back over them with my Spica glitter pens. These pens add a TON of sparkle with even the lightest of touches.I finally have my "Behind the Seams" feature coming up! Hopefully the fence guy (they are coming back to finish what they were "supposed" to do!) is quick tomorrow because Momma has a fun post to share:)

BIG THANK YOU & Some Fun Invites...

Susan (susiestampalot) said...
hey dawn, this is super adorable! what a cute idea! copic coloring ink---Palette Noir from Superior (papertrey sells it) or Brilliance Graphite Black from Tsukineko. and yes--just say no to the glossy paper!! again i'll send you to papertrey for their white cardstock--NONE better and perfect for copics. it's all i use! i hope this helps and i hope you don't think it too presumptuous of me to give you such a strong opinion. it's just what works for me!!! hugs, sus

Susie---Thank you so much for helping me out with this issue! You are the best:) I do have the PTI cardstock on hand, which I use quite often, just was using the wrong CS for copic coloring. I was totally going to buy the Palette Noir from PTI as well, but there was no refills in stock, so I opted for the True Black they sell...which totally did not work well at all...it smeared really bad. Soooo, back to ordering the Palette Noir to give it a try! Again, thanks for taking the time and helping me out...you ROCK!


Flipfloppingmamma said...
Where did you get the paper for these? Especially the strawberry one...LOVE IT!

Flip (I totally should ask her "real" name eh?)--is referring to the paper I used in THIS post with the post-it pads. The strawberry paper is from the Sonoma-Scenic Route line which I purchased at Archiver's in GA, but I'm sure any of their stores will carry it. The other papers I used in that post were older papers I just had in my stash and needed to use up.


Aside from the fundraising work I've been doing, I've also been busy doing a few things for some close friends and I thought I'd share them with you all. Invitations are probably one of my favorite (besides altering things!) crafting projects to work on. I especially enjoy doing baby announcements...kind of like getting my baby fix, but without the kid "actually" being here...lol There are several different orders I was working on, but figured I'd just throw all the invite samples on one post! Using my PTI-Garden of Life set I decided to add some depth to the flowers by stamping a separate rose in the center and used pop dots for a 3-D effect. I also added some crystal stickles for sparkle.
Now she's a beauty if I may say so myself! Its been a while since I've inked up my Bella Stamps and I remembered having this one in my stash. I colored her with my copic markers and to "ground" the image I simply added a little cool grey color on the bottom..Because I couldn't seem to use just ONE set on this design, I combined several of my PTI sets. The sets include: Damask Designs, Polka Dot Basics (the smallest dot in the set), With Sympathy-Loss of a Child (the little pair of feet). I really like the color combo here as well! Some more PTI (yes, I love their stamps!) goodness!
This is the Verve Set I can't seem to put down. I've been using the butterfly in this set A LOT, but decided to use the flower for a change!
There are lots of little girls being born around me and I think I might just copy one of these designs to use for my new niece who is set to arrive in July! I will go ahead and make these up for my Sister and make sure the envelopes are pre-stamped with postage...she knows I'm good like that and it's one less thing she'll have to tend to after bringing Katelyn home!

"Rate My Post"...

...this would be the post for all those fanatics(myself included!) that LOOOOOOOVE HGTV's Rate My Space. Actually, I love all the shows on HGTV, but this sweet request for a Teacher's Gift was done with a collaboration of previous posts. I try not to give Teacher's gifts that are OVERLOADED with apples because I have a sister who happens to be a Teacher, and I'm sure she has LOOOOADS and LOOOOOADS of apple memorabila...lol Most importanly, I always try to think of something they can use long term...notepads are always a terrific option:) That being said, I also made 2 more sets in this color combo for my Daughter's Teacher's since the supplies were already out! How bout' that HOT pink and black?? I think its kind of snazzy is you ask me!



Monogrammed tote...I use this monogram set ALOT because I think the front is classic in style! I will never part with it.
Little Post-it holder...I added a ring of Star Dust Stickles to the oval after I ran it thru with my nesty die.

Alrighty friends, this will be my LAST post until Jan. 5th! I'm going to be spending my time purging and creating with all my new supplies. And most importantly, spending snuggle time with my girls. I was trilled last night to get out some paper doll cut outs and put them together with the girls. They love bringing in there little Ikea table and crafting with Mommy...AND...I LOOOVE it every MORE!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with family and a prosperous New Year. This New Year's will be nice an quiet for us since we are no longer living in NYC. My hubby and I will be lucky if we make it that late, but hopefully with some yummy hot chocolate and popcorn we can ring in the New Year in our PJ's.

I look forward to sharing many more creations in the New Year!

Lastly, please remember those service members abroad who will not be sharing the Holidays with their loved ones! We love them ALL:)

Sincerely,

Dawn Chau

For a new friend...

Since moving into the new neighborhood, I have met many nice neighbors and its a wonderful melting pot! I decided to make a few gifts for them and since I was feeling the need to alter something, I decided on this chunky notebook. The notebook is the Five Star brand, and is thick, yet small enough to tuck in your purse. I also made some coordinating notecards to go with this set. The Cosmobella fit perfectly for Tonya, she is just a sassy little thing! I was going to put some sort of funny sentiment in the circle, but seeing as how I don't know her all that well yet, the monogram was probably a better choice. The patterned paper is from Crate Paper and I used both sides...the bottom half of the notebook is just the flip side of the patterned page. I used my PTI stamps to do the lines in Tea Leaves(Dew Drops) and then used my Black Spica Pen to draw the lines and dots...it really helped the green lines pop! The ribbon is from my scrap box and I adhered a couple of Making Memories brads to hold it in place. Now I just need to get this wrapped up and sent over!

Hmmm...I guess you all are trying to tell me something???

Ok ladies, I've had several of you let me know you've been stalking my blog and waiting for a new post...WELL, today is YOUR day!!! It has been a long time since I last posted! I will tell you in my absence, we have put many-a-mile on our van, purchased a home, and are now vacationing in Georgia! We just got in last night after a 10 hour drive from VA. The drive was ok...our 4 year old talked the ENTIRE drive and finally fell asleep the last 30 mintues!!! My hubby and I thought about taking the Dramamine ourselves...lol! Needless to say, the kids were good and the dog didn't even get car sick on this round:).

Soooo, here is a little gift ensemble I did for my older sisters birthday back in May. I try to encourage her to do the finer things in life...like baking from the box...lol This cute gift set was purchased at The Cracker Barrel while on my trip to Boston(soo, I'm not sure if you can still purchase it) a few months ago. The cupcake spatula was just too cute to leave behind! Once I picked out the goodies, all it really needed was a sassy little card and it was complete. I don't remember all the supplies I used, but all the paper is SU! and the ribbon is from Micheal's. I colored the Cup-Cake-A-Bella with my prisma color pencils and for some reason it looks a little blotchy in the photo...it blended very nice in person!

I really wanted to see if I could "mock" the scallops on the packaged container so I messed around with my Circle Nesty Dies and just went for it! I selected the colors that were nearest to the packaging and cut them into thin strips(about 1/2 inch for each color) before ahereing them to my notebook paper. You'll want to have them taped down to another sheet of paper so they don't slide when you run them thru your die machines. Once the circle was cut, I cut them in half again used 3 scallops for the card.

So I hope this holds you gals over until I'm back to regular posting again...lol I do have a few more things to share, but I will be spreading them out until we are setted again...hopefully by the 1st of August! Its been a little over a month since the movers came and its already getting annoying having to pack and re-pack for 4...lol! I did have a few questions asked while I was away, I will get those responses here on my blog within the week! I hope you all are enjoying your summer and had a wonderful Idependence Day!

Mojo Monday(or Friday in my case)...

I'm getting alot of inspiration from trying out sketches here and there. This particular sketch is from Julie Tillman's Mojo Monday #32. I was dying to use this sweet little fairy and my friend Michelle hooked me up some some stamped images. Sorry, but I couldn't justify paying 9.00 shipping on a 6.00 stamp...lol Anyhoo, I have several more to play with when I need them. For this particular image I used 2 fairies and I cut out the "tu-tu" so I could have a 3-D effect. The fairy is colored with my prismacolors and gamsol. After I had the desired shades colored in, I put Diamond Stickles all over her. I used my finger to spread the stickles evenly so you don't get a bunch of clumps when she dries. You can tell there is a slight sparkle in the photo, but she is a shinin' for sure! The patterned paper is from Prima and I used both sides. I did a little sticthing as well before I matted the main image on SU! Certainly Celery. For a little final touch I added the dew drops and prima flowers with an adhesive pearl embellishment.

Longing for Spring...

I seem to use this basic layout alot lately. I really should take some more sketch challenges are start thinking outside the box. You can't go wrong with Veggiebella when your longing for Spring. I had a few extra images colored and leftover from a previous project so I decided to make this card up. The top half is stamped with my SU! paisley bg in certainly celery and the bottom half with patterned paper. I colored my bella with watercolor pencils and blended. She is framed with my rectangle nesty dies and completed with white satin ribbon. The sentiment is Karen Lockhart and the Dew Drops are from Ellen Hutson's shop.

Bella Card Tote...

Need something to put all these pretty Bella cards in?? Well....just scroll down and you can see what I made to hold them:)



TAH DAH!!! I had so much fun making the monogrammed totes that I wanted to play some more! You can scroll down to the previous post for a tutorial. I started with Old Olive base for the tote and used Frances Meyer pp. The Belly band is Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie(stitched) and attached with Joann's vintage brads. The ribbon is attached with sticky tape under the belly band. I used PTI "green thumb" for the sentiment and used my CM oval cutters and Marvy Mega scalloped punch. The cards are pretty much the same colors and stitching. The Bellas are colored with prismacolor pencils, gamsol, and paper stumps. I used my nestibility dies, plain rectangle & scalloped, and added some MM vintage brads. The sentiments are from My Favorite Things.

Bella Notebooks...

These are my spin on Michelle Wooderson's Bella Teacher Notebooks. I just wanted to change a few things based on materials I had available. These are also a great size to give as simple gifts for teachers. I also thought it might be cute if you use the teachers name in place of "take note". These are junior notebooks and can be purchased at any supply store. They were cut in half(a package of 6 were cut at one time) for a $2 fee.
While my sis was here over Christmas break she trekked to Manhattan with me to check out Lee's Art Shop. I was super excited that I could get all the new supplies I was wanting...IN ONE PLACE:) I purchased some gamsol, paper stumps, and a new set of Prismacolor pencils. You can tell the difference in this photo. The pink notebook on the left is done with regular watercolor pencils and a damp paintbrush. Then look at the notebook on the right...POP!! I love the richness of color and its incredibly vibrant. Gamsol and paper stumps are also a definite plus because they don't run like watercoloring with a watered brush.
I used a variety of patterned papers...really trying to use what I have on hand:) The Dewdrops are "Flame" and "Island Blossom" and adhered with crystal effects(a little goes along way). I used "take note" from Papertrey ink.

Happy Holidays & Special Bella Card Sets...

Wishing you and your families joy and happiness this holiday season!!! I just wanted to share a few of my favorite things in life...MY GIRLS and MY HUBBY! Although they are a handful at times, they also bring great joy, laughter, and tears(mostly happy of course!)to my life. I'm incredibly grateful to have a wonderful husband who is also a terrific father, even when he puts in 18 hr. days, 7 days a week, he always goes that extra mile to let us know just how much he loves us! I don't even know if he "spies" on my blog, but this is definitely the one I want him to "peek-in" on...teehee! Chan, you are my EVERYTHING! It's really not my place to put "family" happenings on my blog, however, its been incredibly challenging on us these last 2 years(only another military recruiters family would understand) and we have a busy New Year ahead of us. We are due for orders(military move) in early Spring and VERY eager to find where we are moving next. In anticipation for family arriving for the Christmas Holiday, I will be on break until after the New Year as we really want to spend as much time together as possible:) Enjoy the pics!



These cute cards really were a labor of love for me this Christmas. I have many things to be thankful for this Christmas, including the many folks who have supported and enjoyed my crafts. I made roughly 150(I stopped counting after the 1st 10...lol) of these particular cards as a special thank for their support. I kept them pretty basic since they were multiples. The paper is from Junkitz and I pulled the colors from the PP to color in the Bellas. The Bellas were given to me by a dear friend(& BIGGEST fan...wink wink!)Elizabeth. I love the bright/bold color combos and it really makes the Bella's not only look "cheery" but also makes the images really "POP". I also played with some more "Flame" Dew Drops that I glued on with a tiny bit of Crystal Effects. Nestibility dies were used for cutting out the sentiments and "popped" up with dimensionals.

Cupcakeabella:)

I couldn't wait to play with this new bella. I've been having an itch for cupcakes lately and would you believe it, I finally made cupcakes for the first time for my Hubby's bday last month? Now, don't get me wrong, its not that I can't bake, I just prefer doing layered cakes is all. I even got out my pastry bags to apply the frosting:) Soooo, for this card I started out with SU! chocolate chip base. The patterned paper is from Overten House Collections(EK success), and I added the SU! Pretty in Pink scalloped edge. The ribbon(May Arts) runs under the bottom of the focal image and is tied to the side. The bella image is colored with SU! re-inkers and watercolor pencils. I "boxed" her in by adding some stitching and placing a pearl(Ellen Hutson) on the tip of the cupcake. I know its hard to see in the photo, but I used my stardust glitter gel pen to color in the cupcake "foil" wrapper...very sparkly! Amuse twinkle stickers were added to the scalloped(SU! corner rounder)edges. The sentiment is also from Stamping Bella:) This color combo was inspired to a recent trip to Costco...anyone ever seen the book 500 Cupcakes?

I'm BAAACK!!

What a nice little break from blogging, which has given me plenty of time to stock up on blog postings:) I had a hard time picking a favorite today so I had Gracie pick one out! Funny how she picked out the "Cosmo"bella...lol If the base of the card looks familiar, its back several posts with PTI strawberries on it! I had made up several of these months ago, with the intention of stocking up on thank-you cards, but never got around to it! I was thumbing thru all the pre-made cards I have folded and thought this went perfect with my bella. The set up is pretty simple, but it was a little difficult sewing around the edges this time. I made a little boo-boo in the upper left hand corner, but hey, it gives it "character" right?? Thats what I love about homemade cards...each is ONE of a kind:) I also thought the image looked a little plain, so I just traced it with my cool grey copic marker and it really makers her stand-out! I thought I'd try to get pretty close with the copic marker again, even after using Stazon ink(mind you the image was watercolored before I left and has been sitting for almost two weeks), and I still had no bleeding with the alcohol ink. Sooo, I'm assuming its just how it dries that prevents bleeding?? Copics are definitely a learning curve I'm not quite ready for as I'm only using my grey marker...lol

BIG NEWS!!!! LONG POST....lol!

I've been so excited to share this ALL week and I got the "green light!" I'm thrilled to be on my first ever Design Team and this group is filled with many talented women. You will soon be seeing some of my work featured at:

GLUE-Art & Paper Studio


Design Team: I don't have all their webpages, but can't wait to see their work!

Suzy Haghighi
Susan Liles
Becky Swaiden
Dawn Chau
Taylor VanBruggen
Kris Hankins

A little footnote on this new venture:) I started this blog not only as a creative outlet, but just a little place where I could showcase my work. I have been crafty since I was little(remember puffy paint??...lol) and love to create new things. My family and close friends know how much I enjoy this and although it may sound corny, this truly is a dream come true for me:) Even after going to school and getting certified in something waaay off base from papercrafting, this truly is my passion and I love to share it! I also just wanted to add in a Thank You to a fellow blogger with FANTABULOUS work, Sharon Harnist, she is an incredible artist and was gracious enough to put up a PUB call on her blog! You've got to see her work!These are some fun notebooks I did on request for holiday Teacher Gifts. These notebooks can be purchased at any office supply store and are really easy to alter. Just uncoil, add paper, embellishments, wrap, and you have a nice gift to give. I made about a dozen of these and put them together in an assembly line. This is much easier than putting each one together individually, which really helps out when you have to start and stop:) They are pretty straight forward on design, I just added a little sewing for a more depth. Last of the Bella Week! I made two separate cards because I made a mistake on this one! Can ya find it?!!! Well, its on the bottom...see those silly "ticket" punch corners?? I thought I had my "corner" rounder in hand and went to town! So you can't just have one corner and try to fix it, so I just did up all of them...lol I was about to start over and do a new card, but I like my "imperfections" just the way they are:)
This was the original Bella card I started off with, but I thought the off white watercoloring paper looked funny with the BRIGHT white of the card base. And then it looked like it was missing some ribbon(hence the previous photo), so I made up the two cards and I like the variations!

WHEW!!! This is the longest post EVER!!! I just had lots to share and I usually do my projects a few weeks ahead and then have it planned out when I want to post...so thats why alot is crammed into today! If you've read this far...your money is on its way...lol

Rub-A-Dub...

She sure looks comfy in that nice warm bubble bath...awwwww! These Bella stamps have become a favorite in my house and I generally buy them based on some part of my life...here I wish I had MORE time to take a relaxing bath, especially with two little ones tugging on me all day:) After I did this card, I realize I went overboard on the stitching, real AND faux...lol I see waaay too many lines when I look at it now! Anyhoo, she's still cute and I had fun with it! I started with a SU! Pixie Pink card base and matted some Prima paper. The prima paper is double sided, so I used the backside for the bottom half of the card. The Bella is stamped on watercolor paper and colored with SU! re-inkers and watercolor pencils. I used my new Grey Copic maker to add an outline to the Bella image and it really makes it "pop". I added some Diamond Stickles to the bath water and she really SPARKLES! I tucked some sage ribbon from Mike's around the middle and added Prima's with Amuse Twinkle Stickers. The sentiment on the bottom is done with my small and large Karen Foster Snap Stamps. I created the scalloped edge on the bottom with my SU! corner rounder...just take off the guide and VOILA!

This was the first card I tried out my new Copic markers on. I only purchased a soft grey and a skintone peach color, but I'm not too sure I like them. I dislike the fact that now I have to buy yet ANOTHER stamp pad to coincide with these inks. Using stazon ink and copics makes the black ink bleed out, although I learned if you don't get right on top of the image your ok?? Because these are alcohol based, they also have a very strong smell when working with them. As if I don't inhale enough of my Tim Holtz stamp cleaner...which also has a very "toxic" like smell, even though it says its "bubble-gum" flavor...lol Soooo, I'm not sure that I will purchase anymore of these markers...unless I'm able to take a class on them!

New Bella Card and Mingmei Munchies Winner....

Angel Wilde:

I have to agree with Linda, I am probably most like jammybella. As soon as I feel it's kosher enough, I am in my jammies for the night! I don't own a single bella. I've played with the images of others though and would love to have a few more to play with!!! they are so fun!!!
November 3, 2007 12:05 PM

Thanks to everyone who left a comment:) I loved all the responses...lots of PMS bellas out there too eh??...lol Angel please send me your snail address @ madscrapper24@yahoo.com and I will get your goodies out ASAP:)

Here is my first card to kick off Bella Week on my blog. As soon as I saw this Karen Lockart, "Gardener's know the best dirt" sentiment stamp(Ellen Hutson), I knew she'd fit perfect with Veggiebella. Veggie reminds me alot of Brea Van De Kamp, just missing a basket of fresh bisquits...lol I started off by watercoloring Bella with my watercolor pencils and SU! re-inkers. This SU! watercoloring paper is heavy weight and works well for folks like myself who have no idea what they are doing! I tend to get too much water on the paper then have to go back and add color...and repeat the steps several times before I get it right! After I colored her in, I went over the whole image with my Stardust glitter pen and she's really sparkly! I matted my Bella on SU! Ballet Blue and Certainly Celery and then sewed her on! The PP is from K&CO(Addison line) and I matted again(same colors) and sewed(see a new trend here??) her on as well! For the sentiment I cut my PP just right to give the effect of a "picket fence", added the sentiment, prima's, and an adhesive pearl(Ellen Hutson) which I added Diamond Stickles to for added sparkle. The photo is a little dark, even after doing some photoshop, but you can click on it for a better view:)

I'm having oodles of fun sewing my cards this week. I generally reserve my sewing machine for fabric ONLY, but caved in to try it on CS. I've read several reviews about sewing on cards and getting the needle all sticky with tape etc. My solution for this problem: just put your tape in the center of your CS and not on the edges:) I learned after the first run thru that there had to be an easier way...PRESTO!