Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Challenge Thank You Card & My Asian Heritage Shop Talk

I made this card with two challenges in mind... the Scor-Pal Top to Bottom Challenge and JulieHRR's DTGD08 Challenge.
Sandra... thank you for your friendship and thinking of me!

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* Note - The butterfly is holding the card closed.

Stamp: Garden Flower / Fleur du jardin (Inkadinkado)
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Riding Hood Red, Memento Tuxedo Black
Markers: Barely Banana, Apricot Appeal, Almost Amethyst, Cameo Coral, Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Whisper White
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Dew Drops, mini glue dots, Quickie Glue Pen (Sakura), Dazzling Diamonds
Techniques: Rock-n-Roll, Gate Fold


One of my favorite sites to visit since discovering it recently is "My Asian Heritage". They had featured Amy from Tsuruta Designs earlier in the month and I have been going back ever since!

I am really honored that Angela took the time to showcase my blog on their
Shop Talk feature. Thank you, Angela and Ivy! Please stop by and check out the feature! SO cool! :)


Speaking of which, I have been tagged by Angela to go over the last 15 years of my life. Wow... 15 years. Okay... think back on the last 15 years of your life. What would you tell someone that you hadn’t seen or talked to for 15 years? How would you sum up your life? You get 10 bullet points. A list of 10 things to summarize you. At the end of your list, tag 5 more people and send on the love.

Well, to stay with Angela's theme, I have decided to list 10 Asian-related tibits from the last 15 years of my life. Here you go!

1) Favorite mini-snack: Arare ~ あられ crunchy, bite-size rice crackers flavored with soy sauce. Perfect snacks when you are on the go!
I used to eat these all the time too Photobucket That's right! Chocolate covered Pocky Sticks! Yum! I can munch on those all day long! Pocky also has a fun site (althought it's all in Japanese) where I found free dance lessons for my hip-hoppin' 3 year old. Just click on "Enjoy Street" and "Street Dance Lesson" and you too can learn to "lock, pop, and hip hop"! lol!


2) Favorite sweets: Japanese mochi 餅 , manju, and mochi ice cream.

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3) Favorite Asian country: Japan ~ I visited but it has been more than 15 years since I have been over there... MANY years more.


4) Favorite drink: Photobucket

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5) Favorite Asian goodies store: I love to shop at this stationery store... very similar to Kinokuniya, which is another favorite of mine. You can find reviews of MaiDo here.

MaiDo
378 Santana Row, #1125
San Jose, CA 95128
Ph. 408.213.1985


Here at Maido Stationery, we import and carry a wide array of products from Japan, from fine stationery to dolls and gift boxes made from beautiful, traditional Japanese washi paper. Many of our products are one-of-a-kind and rare items that are difficult or impossible to find anywhere outside of Japan.

Our stock of high-quality paper notebooks, as well as our extensive selection of writing utensils will satisfy all of your stationery andschool supply needs.

We also carry many unique character items and toys from San-X that are tremendously popular with both our young and adult customers alike.

Looking for a nice room decoration or relaxing aroma-therapy products? Come check out Maido's lines of Japanese incense and interior decorations.

Whether shopping for the perfect school supply or looking for a great gift idea, Maido is your one stop for high-end, unique, fun, and beautiful stationery and gift products from Japan.


6) Memorable vacation: Aloha! 4 years ago, Bruce and Beth got married at Turtle Bay and I got to be one of their unofficial wedding coordinators. First long plane ride with our little almost 1 year old.

No... we are not related to the Matsumotos' of the
Matsumoto Shave Ice

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Ko aloha makamae e ipo

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7) Memorable work experience: I used to be a English / Japanese speaking travel agent for Kintetsu International Travel at the San Francisco and San Jose branches.


8) Good effort but... I have not been on top of teaching my boys Japanese. They seem to understand me for the most part but they don't speak it. I will be probably be sending them to Japanese school on the weekends and they don't know it yet! lol!


9) Guilty pleasure: It used to be Karaoke when our good friend owned a beautiful Karaoke studio.


10) Best experience ever: Getting married at Hakone Gardens and the births of my 2 boys.

May 5, 2001

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Ken - March 2003

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Keiji - February 2005

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Thanks for walking down memory lane with me!

Dare to Get Dirty Challenge... JulieHRR Style!

If you have a chance, go check out the "Dare to Get Dirty 08" (DTGD08) challenges over at SCS.

One of my favorite Dirty Girl alumni, JulieHRR, hosted one of the terrific challenges.
Here's what she had to say:

One of my most favorite cards to make is a clean, simple white one!

I encourage you to try letting color, imagery, and just the right amount of embellishment shine on a simple white base!

Tips & hints:
Choose colors that compliment each other well--I typically use 3
Distribute the visual weight evenly for a sense of balance
Choose images that have a similar sense of style for a cohesive look
Allow your focal image to take center stage with limited, yet carefully select embellishments that support the mood and theme of the design



I had to go back and find my Simple Orchid card since it was perfect for this challenge:

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Stamp: Potted Plant (Hero Arts)
Markers: Almost Amethyst, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Apricot Appeal
Cardstock: Whisper White
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals


Then I inked up a brand new stamp that I bought recently called "Star Fire Kimono".

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Stamp: Star Fire Kimono (Judi-Kins)
Ink: Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, Pumpkin Pie
Cardstock: Whisper White
Accessories: Dew Drops (The Robin's Nest - Mens), Scor-Pal, Quickie Glue Pen (Sakura), Dazzling Diamonds (SU), mini glue dots

I inked up the stamp in Pacific Point. Then I stamped on scraps in Kiwi Kiss and Pumpkin Pie and cut out the maple leaves on the kimono. Scored a couple of times on each side with my handy dandy Scor-Pal. Used a couple of mini glue dots to attach the dew drops. Then I used a Quickie Glue Pen where I wanted to add some dazzle.


Happy stampin'!