Last day of July 2010 Blog Giveaway!!!


Hello there my lovely readers!

My goodness! How time flies so fast! It's already the last day of my blog giveaway!!

Looks like this time around not many are participating, perhaps because the cards I'm giving away this time around has no pop ups??? That could be one of the reasons........ but it's ok hehehehe.....I don't mind....I'm just happy that there are people out there who are still interested in my giveaway and always giving me the support. Thank you so much.....you guys have no idea how much this means to me.  I really really appreciate it!

For those out there who have not yet joined in......do give it a try.....who knows....this could be your lucky entry! hehe! :) It's open for all bloggers and twitters around the world. The giveaway ends at 11.59pm tonight!!!! Quick!!! Click on this link HERE to go to the post for you to join in the giveaway. All the best to participants and have a good weekend everyone!

Quilled heart pattern #7

V032
Yes! Finally I've done the 7th quilled heart card today! Yay! It's a combination of yellow, orange and red....very striking indeed....very bright! :)

So now it's all done....I've got 7 different color combination of quilled heart cards to be given away by the end of this month. Phew! I guess I won't be making anymore new ones for a short while after this because I need to concentrate on other designs I've got planned for the rest of the month. I can't believe soon it's going to be end of July.....August drawing near.....time sure flies fast these days....before you know it, it's already end of the year hehe....scary! There's so many things to do....so little time. Will I be able to make it on time..? Only God knows....we can plan....but only God will determine what's going to happen. Hope things will run smoothly for all of us. :)

Quilled heart pattern #6

V031
Gosh....this is my sixth quilled heart pattern card hehehe.....I have one more quilled heart card to make for the giveaway. And I think I already have an idea of what color combination I'm gonna use for the 7th one :). I'm getting better at arranging the round quilled paper to form the heart shape. I remember the first few hearts I made were out of shape! LOL! It's so funny when I look back at the photos of them. The more I practice at it, the more comfortable I get at making them. It becomes easy over time. :)

I really like the colors I chose for this heart. A mix of cool greens and soft pink and soft purple. Like flowers and leaves mix together in a heart. I'm just playing around with the colors I have and see how it matches. There's just so many other combination to try out. I'm loving it! :)

Featured article in Berita Harian - Minda


I was contacted again by Miss Khairunnisa, who is the Berita Harian journalist a couple of weeks back to provide an article for the Berita Harian's Minda section again this week. Actually I was a bit lost for ideas for the DIY article. I kept thinking and thinking what shall I share with everyone this time around. So, I decided to share about the quilling technique so that school teachers and students can benefit from the article.

I've already blogged about the quilling technique here in this blog recently, especially about how to make your own quilling tool. Check it out HERE. In the paper article, there isn't enough space to put all the photos I submitted for the quilling technique. So for those who are a bit lost when reading the paper article, you can just view that blog post to get a clearer picture on how to make your own quilling tool. Once you can make your own quilling tool, you can easily do the quilling decorations on bookmarks and greeting cards. :)

Thank you again to Miss Khairunnisa for giving me an opportunity to co-write a DIY article for Berita Harian. I really appreciate it!  It's pretty challenging to write in Bahasa Melayu.....but I gave it my best shot! Hope the article can benefit a lot of people who are interested to learn new craft techniques and be able to try it out themselves in the comfort of their own home. :)

Red quilled owl

RED QUILLED OWL

I got a little crazy and made the owl red in color! LOL! I just wanted to see what it looks like if the owl was made using red paper black paper. Usually the color for owls would be in earth tones....but I simply wanted to see if it would look good with this combination.What do you think?? Does it look ok to you? Somehow I still prefer the earth tone combination as it looks more natural.

I haven't done the codes for the quilled owls yet.......nor have I done the envelopes for them either. I'm just experimenting with the idea for a while. I will be uploading the photos of the set of cards and envelopes once I'm done experimenting hehehehe......

My first quilled owl card!

BROWN QUILLED OWL



A great pal of mine, CC, from US ordered a few owl cards from me last year. I have already posted to her some of them and I still owe her a few more. She ordered from me this owl card design, HB017 which she adores so much. So I made those for her but left the inside blank as she requested coz she wanted to write her own personal wishes inside. The cards are meant to be given to her family....and the owl is their family totem. Cool huh? My family don't have a totem.....if we had one...I wonder what would it be? hehehe!

She suggested that I make a variety of designs for the owl cards.....not just one particular design for her....or maybe use the same design but change the colors. I liked the idea! So, after posting her some of the order, I decided to make other owl card designs for her. I thought of making the owl cards using the quilling technique. I'm so glad that she loved the idea! At the time I didn't even know how to go about it as I have never done an owl before using the quilling technique. So I made some research online to see if there were any quilled owl designs that I can try out. But most of the designs are so complicated to do and  is so time consuming to make them. The easier ones I found are just too simple and were not to my liking. In the end, I decided to designed my own quilled owl.....quite a simple one as well but took me quite some time to get it just the right shape that I love. It was fun though to try out so many shapes and sizes of quilled owls....I love experimenting with the shapes. :)

I was also confused with the color combination......I just didn't know what color to use. So in the end I tried the brown with black combination first. And I loved it! As you can see, this layout is almost the same as HB017 except there are no pine leaves around it and the owl is quite small in size. I used a much good quality paper as the base of the card, a metallic bronze paper which I love. I like to keep  the layout simple.......no ribbons or glitters or sequins or anything for that matter........just paper and those cute wobbly eyes that my other great pal, Sandi, gave me! hehehe! Love them! At last, I've found another design where I can use those cute wobbly eyes hehehe! I've already made other quilled owls in other color combination......and I will publish them here soon for all to see! :)

Quilled heart pattern #5

V030

I'm so excited with this quilled heart card's color combination. :) I call it my Dunkin' Donut color combo! LOL! Coz these two colors (orange and dark pink) combination is the color of their logo. I simply love it as the colors are so cheerful and bright!

So far I've already created 5 different color combination and I have to do 2 more to add to my quilled heart pattern card collection. I need 7 different color types for the blog giveaway this month.

I did the quilling technique here using the bamboo skewer that I turned into a quilling tool. I simply love using it lately. The bamboo skewer is quite long in length, so there is ample space for me to grip my fingers on it unlike my metal quilling tool that is so small and short in length.

Can't wait to be making more of these quilled hearts with different color combination soon! :)

Handmade bamboo stick quilling tool

I've been receiving a lot of inquiries regarding quilling tools ever since I started experimenting with the quilling technique. Many of my readers inquired from me about where they can buy them, how much they cost and etc etc etc.  For those living in Malaysia, it is pretty difficult for us to get these quilling tools as most  of these quilling tools are sold in Kuala Lumpur. A lot of people are not able to travel and go to craft stores  in Kuala Lumpur to purchase these tools themselves. Sometimes the quilling tools itself is out of stock. 

So, one day I decided to try and make my own handmade slotted quilling tool. For those who are not aware of the different types of quilling tools, there are two types that I know of. One is the slotted type and the other is the needle type quilling tool. So I'm gonna be teaching you how to make the slotted type because I think this one is a much easier quilling tool to use whenever I do my quilling.  

I made this simple tutorial for a paper article. I hope it gets accepted. :) The article is in Malay language.....so I won't be publishing it here, but I'm sharing with you some of the photos I submitted for the article. The article is about a simple tutorial on how to decorate your paper bookmark with quilling flowers and leaves. I also showed how to make the quilling tool using a bamboo skewer that we all use to make Satay with. :)


As you can see from the photo above, I start making the quilling tool by cutting off the sharp end of the bamboo skewer using a sharp razor blade. Then I  carefully made a straight cut at the center of it to make a space for the slot.


Do be careful when cutting it as you can break it if you are not careful and gentle with it. The cut made by the razor blade is quite narrow and perhaps too narrow to slide a paper strip between it. So take a metal ruler and try to widen the slot by forcing it between the center of the slot as per photo above. You will get the result as the photo you see above if you put the ruler in between it like so.


Now you can start quilling the paper strips using the bamboo quilling tool. I personally love using this bamboo quilling tool to make my quilled creations. This is because the length of the tool is very comfortable for me to handle compared to the small sized quilling tool I bought at the craft store. It is so small and short in length which makes it difficult for me to hold it when I start to quill the paper. So this bamboo quilling tool is my favourite quilling tool to use these days! :)



As you can see from the photo above, these are the quilled flowers and leaves I made using the bamboo quilling tool. The result you get from using a cheap bamboo skewer is the same as you'll get when you use an expensive quilling tool. I wish I had figured out how to make this earlier.....could have saved my money from buying the quilling tool! hehehe!


Here is the simple quilled bookmark I made for the paper article. It's meant to teach school kids how to make a simple decoration on a paper bookmark. School teachers can really benefit from this article......so I hope that it gets accepted! For those out there who are teachers....you can teach your students how to make their own quilling tool and start quilling! All the best!! :)

Pop up Chef!

GL001

I've never made a good luck card yet.....so this is my first one to be added in my card collection. This was a request from a friend of mine. Actually I had stopped taking custom made orders. But just this one time only I'm taking it, and no more after this. My brain just cannot tolerate it hahahahha. Yup....ideas are not coming out as much as they should and I worry that it might not come up to my customer's expectations. Therefore I prefer to just make designs where I can freely do whatever I want to do. 

In this design, I had to make a pop up Chef.......the person receiving this card is a Chef....he is going to an interview at Unilever.....and is asked to do 10 types of meals that mainly consists of pizzas and burgers within 1 hour and 30 minutes. That's why there are images of pizzas and burgers on the card and inside the card, plus the Unilever logo and 1.5 hours wording hehehehehe.....actually I didn't really know how to arrange them inside the card. So I just simply put them where I thought was appropriate. I wish I could have done a better job....unfortunately my brain is not functioning properly these days. LOL!

At first I wanted to make the pizzas and the burgers from scratch, but I realise that it will take so much of time and not sure if it will look nice. So I looked for images of pizzas and burgers online and printed them. Then I glued them on pieces of foam to give it some dimension. I really love that effect. Looking at those pizzas and burgers really makes me hungry! I haven't eaten pizzas for quite a while now...makes me wanna go get some soon! LOL!


Giveaway Scout


I received an invitation yesterday to add my blog giveaway to this giveaway website. Giveaway Scout is a unique giveaway search engine that scans thousands of blogs to discover up to date giveaways, sweepstakes and contests every day. By joining them we can also get updates on high value giveaways in all categories: fashion, appliances, gadgets and more.

They will publish our giveaways on their own multiple channels:
- Website
- Newsletter
- Twitter
- Facebook 
- Widget network

We can get more exposure to our blog and giveaways. And the best part is that it's 100% free of charge! :)

Go this link to find out more :).

Quilled heart pattern #4

V029

Yes! Another quilled heart pattern card :). Lately.....I'm only interested in making these quilling card designs.  I call it my therapy card. LOL! It's like a form of meditation. Yup....this is how I meditate these days. Whenever I'm feeling stressed out or blue, I would start making this....hehehehe.  I love combining the different colors of quilled paper to form the shape of a heart. Plus, I don't really have to worry about the sizes of the quilled paper. It can be any size I like, as long as when I combine all of them, they will form the shape of a heart. :)

This time around I use colors that are suitable for men. Hues of browns and blues. :) This card will be given away to one of the lucky winners of my July 2010 Blog Giveaway. I still have to think about what are the other color combination that I can do for this giveaway since I need to make 7 of them......I already have 2 more in progress. Hope to share it with everyone here soon :).

Prizes posted!


Guess what? I've just finished making all the cards for last month's giveaway yesterday.......yup....I'm super  duper slow these days....I can't make them fast enough. But then again.....the cards are in fact quite a handful to make and I tried my level best to get them done as nicely as possible. I know it's super duper late......but I'm glad I got them done and posted all of them today to all the winners. I hope all the cards arrive safely to them.....I always worry about the delivery hehehe.

Now, I will be concentrating on the next giveaway.....thank God this time around, the design is less complicated hehehe.. Soon, as months pass by, I will need to make more and more prizes for winners. I really have to figure out how to do it as it will be really time consuming. I hope I will come up with good ideas soon :). Please pray for me ya! I really want to make my wish come true!

Fully booked for month of July

Hello! :)

I have a very important announcement today for everyone regarding orders of cards from my card blog. Truly sorry to inform everybody that I will not be able to take anymore orders at the moment as I am currently fully booked with orders till end of this month.

I will be open for orders again on 1st of August 2010. Please be informed as well that I will no longer be taking custom made orders till further notice. If you are interested to order cards from me, you can browse my card catalog here and search for card designs that you might be interested in. Do take note of the card codes and email them to me. I shall email you back the prices of each card plus price for the delivery as well. 

Truly sorry for any inconvenience caused.....and thank you so much for your kind understanding.

XOXO,
LIN

July 2010 Blog Giveaway!!!


Hello my lovely readers!

It is that time of the month again when I hold a blog giveaway for my loyal readers :) For this month, since it is the month of July, month number 7.....so that means there will be 7 lucky winners who will be chosen this time around. :) For this month....I am so very very busy.....in fact I'm almost fully booked for the month.....but since this is something that I promised myself that I will do this year.....so I will do it no matter how busy I am. The prizes may be arriving to the winners a bit later than usual....but I promise you it will reach you by hook or by crook. :) A promise is a promise! :)

Those 7 lucky winners this month will be receiving each one a quilled heart card just like the photo you see above.....in various colors. No pop ups this time around....sorry ya. I plan to make them in 7 different color combination. So each one will receive a different colored quilled heart shape card. I only have 3 color combination here to show you , but I will be making more for you to see later. I will also be giving away 7 ribbon beaded bookmarks from my bookmark collection in my bead blog --->  ANILZA BEADS.

Prizes for July 2010 Blog Giveaway:
7 quilled heart cards
7 ribbon beaded bookmarks

Rules on how to participate in this blog giveaway is quite simple. Just follow the guidelines below to entitle yourself as a participant.

Here is how you can win the lovely prizes. You can earn an entry by following the simple steps below....

--- >For Bloggers..... you must be my follower . If you are already a follower in my blog, then  you are eligible to join.

----->For Twitters..... Be my follower in Twitter! :)

----->  Leave a comment on this post by writing your name and your valid/active email  
    address. Let me know if you are following my blog or my twitter.

-----> For Bloggers.....YOU MUST WRITE about this blog giveaway at your own respective blog and include the photo you see above in it as well. Don't just put the photo of the prize at your blog. You have to at least write about what the photo is about.  Then, link your post to this blog giveaway.  PLEASE add the URL link of your blog post in your comment area as well so that I can easily go and visit and read your post at your respective blog.


-----> For Twitters......YOU MUST TWEET about this blog giveaway as often as you can. :)


Ok! Those are the simple steps that you need to do in order to get an entry in this blog giveaway. Those who fail to follow will not be included in the lucky draw list. This giveaway ends on the 31st of July 2010 at 11.59pm. 7 lucky winners will be chosen by a lucky draw and the names of the winners will be announced on the on the first week of August 2010......All the best of luck to all participants! Thank you!!! :)

XOXO,
Lin

Quilled flowers and heart combo

HB079

I'm pretty excited today......hehehe....and it's all because for the first time, I was able to put my blog link on my photos :). Finally! I know it's nothing much....it's not watermark....it's just something I learned how to do when I went to the course I attended last month whereby I was taught to put words in images. I'm a bit of a slow learner in all this.....but in the end, I did it! I hope this would prevent people from copying my artwork here. It has happened many many times whereby people would copy my photos here and paste them in their blogs and never even giving credit to me at all for my hard work......instead they claim that the cards were made by them. That really upsets me. But I know God sees what they have done to me and I believe that God is fair to all his subjects. They will get their punishment for what they have done. :(

Ok....now lets talk about the birthday card hehe. This card is for my Mom's good friend, Auntie Rubitah. She has been a very good customer to me ever since I moved back to Alor Setar. Her birthday is coming soon and my Mom asked me to make a birthday card for her. Actually I was quite lost for ideas......but I remember that she loved orange and red color and my Mom wanted quilling patterns on the card. So that's how I got those colors and patterns for the card  :) I combined hearts and flowers together because I couldn't decide which one I should concentrate on......so I did both! hehehe! 

The pop up idea.....came spontaneously........didn't even plan it.....I just did what came to my mind at the moment. The quilled flowers were very simple patterns.....nothing fancy. I had to keep it simple as I was running out of time. I have quite a lot of cards to make by Monday. So, I just did it as fast as I can and at the same time tried my level best to make it look good :). I'm so glad that my Mom loved it. I think she loved it mostly because of the colors! LOL!

Quilled heart pattern #3

 V028 


I'm loving this quilled heart pattern #3 :). The color combination of this heart is one of my favorites....pink and green just like the quilled roses card I made for the recent blog giveaway. This time around I made sure I drew the shape of the heart on the card before I glue and arrange the quilled pieces on the card. This way the lines will guide me and the shape of the heart will not look crooked on the sides like the quilled heart I made recently. 

The card is blank on the inside but has a soft pink paper inserted in it for writing your own personal wishes. This note card is suitable to be given to your loved one or even to your own family member for that matter that you love so dearly......or even to your best friend! :) 

Work in progress....


I am feeling a little guilty here because I haven't finished making all the cards for last month's giveaway yet hhuhuhuhu...... The cards are still in progress and hopefully I can post the cards to the winners latest by this coming Saturday. Winners..... I hope you all can be patient in waiting for the gifts to arrive to you :( Truly sorry......I'm trying my level best to get them done as fast as I can.......I only two hands.....and such a big ambition to make this giveaway work out as planned hahahaha......oh well....by hook or by crook, I'll get them done for you. Don't worry ya guys!

At the same time, I'm also busy thinking of what I should make for the July 2010 Blog Giveaway. I still don't have any idea yet what kind of design that I want to do. LOST!!!! But I need to think of a design latest by this week and start doing the giveaway next week on Monday....I hope God will give me some inspiration soon hehehehehe! ;) This giveaway thingy is part of my bucket list and I really want to make it work.....it's something that I've wanted to do for a long time and I hope things will run smoothly until end of this year. :)

Quilled heart pattern...

V027

I can't help it! heheeh! I just had to do this! I just love to do this quilled heart card! ;) It has become one of my favourite design since I started quilling. Although it looks pretty simple, but it is actually quite time consuming. But because it's a small card, it does not take as long as making a quilled heart on a half A4 size card. I like it coz it's small and cute and straight to the point. No fancy stuff on it.....it's just paper...lots and lots of quilled paper formed into the shape of a heart.

I've done this design before on the V025 card except that the color combination is different there. I've already sold that one to a customer of mine. It's definitely one of a kind because, in this kind of design, there will never be one that is exactly the same. Because the shapes of the quilled paper in the heart are different and so is the arrangement, therefore making each card very special. :)

When I started to do this purple quilled heart, I forgot to do the outline of the form first....I just kept adding the quilled paper on the card one by one until it looks like a heart. But as you can see, the form is a little crooked on the sides of the heart......it doesn't look perfect....but I love it all the same. I've figured out how to make it look better the next time I do this and in fact I've already made one more similar design but with different tones of colors. I love it coz this way I can mix and match several colors into one shape or form.

This note card is blank on the inside, but has a soft purple color paper inserted inside for writing your personal wishes. If anyone is interested in purchasing this one of a kind heart quilled heart, do let me know. First come first serve basis! ;)

Featured Post

How to make two tone tear drop shape quilling flowers

We are coming close to mid February and I'm blogging about something that I did last January! LOL! It's been a month sin...