Etsy Inspired Challenge # 94

I love Etsyinspired Challenge Blog. Shopping at Etsy is definitely a place to get inspired! This week's EtsyInspired shop is Sand Box Studio . This shop specializes in funky and fun gift boxes, bags, and bunco games. This shop carries lots of bright and cheery items that are reusable. I was inspired by this Sunny Sunflower Farmer's Market Tote Bag. I tried to find a sunflower-like image....

This is what I came up with. The composition is so simple. It's just another excuse to use my latest favortie Hero Arts stamp set Bee Happy     

Some of you know my DD Stephanie (attending U. of Toronto) is doing her summer study in National University of Singapore in Environmental Studies. She is LOVING the experience.. the city sights, the country side...what's not to love!?  See how HAPPY Stephanie is in front of that food!?

 She embraces food ...just like her Mama :) Here's a food court photo she shared over her Facebook. I just had to show it off here! These are photos she took and put them in collage. YUM!!!!!

Don't go too far... I have a new challenge from Treehouse Stamps and BIG annoucement coming my way. As you can see, I'm keeping very busy with my card-making. I never knew I can be so addicted to blogging....well, you just can't turn the clock back now, can you ? Thank you for coming to say hi.

My Heartfelt Thanks to You!

(Warning! This is a long post full of amazing cards!)

What can be more touching than this? I got an unexpected flower delivery today. It turn out this beautiful bouquet of flowers are from my Hero Arts Hostess sistas! All of us live all over the place from Ontario, Michigan, Indiana, Alabama... to UK! I was simply speechless. A tear (ok, just a tear) rolled down my cheek after this beautiful sight! Thank you, Judy J., Deborah N., Lin B., Cathy A., Sarah M., Lucy A., Tiffany E, Kathy R. and last but not least, Karen P. I wish I could give you all a BIG BIG hug! I thank you for thinking of me during this time.

After saying my final good-bye to my Dad from my trip to Taiwan, I found myself with many beautiful and thoughtful cards pouring into my mailbox. These cards from friends, particularly from the Hero Arts Flickr Group, have graced my shelves. They brought me so much comfort. I've decided to share their cards with you and thank them for being such dear friends! It makes me smile as Judy Jung BOUGHT a pop-up card...I think she really wants to comfort me in a very special way :)

stampersuzz (Suzanne Czosek)

Sarah Moerman (sarahjane4kids)

Louise Charlton

Alice Wertz

Leesa Berry

Barbara Engler

Ashley Marcu

Kathy Wade

Cathy Andronicou

(What a SMART cookie you are, Cathy! )

Dawn Turley

Linda Wetterlin

Patty Yang (jaemom)

Lin BrandyBerry

I now have this beautiful bouquet of flowers and cards to remind me.... 

What a blessing to know you!

being with you....

You know me about food...I love them and I want to try them all. It's hard to believe that I have been back from Taiwan for more than a week now. After my father's funeral, I spent the rest of the week with my sister and niece Erica scouting for the perfect food whenever it's meal time.  I can only say that being with them is so much fun. Here's a card for that! 

I am sharing some food photos from my brief trip. Hot Pots are so popular.... even in the midst of hot June (30 C). Here's a milky version. I know...that sounds weird, but the taste was surprisingly GOOD! We each get our very own hot pot! All this for about $8 US!

My brother-in-law ordered the curry version with a plate of chicken and vegetables. It wasn't spicy...really yummy actually.

This was very delicious,too!

The following is another typical Taiwanese ice treat. These are the topping to go with the the very finely-shaved ice. The toppings usually are tapioca, fresh fruit, glutinous rice balls, red/green beans, ..etc.

Here's the fresh mango topping I had...SO good!

Here's a lunch my sister prepared...it was so healthful, I'd eat this everyday.

So it's sufficient to say ....

Wish you a great week ahead!

Digital Doodles (Butterfly)

 As a Digital Doodles member, I was given this butterfly image to create anything to join the challenge. This is hosted by the uber talented creator of Digital Doodles- Kathy Martin (you can get her kits here). This is my FINAL (3rd version).

I re-size the butterfly and made it REALLY big. I think this is the biggest butterfly that I have ever made. It was kind of fun! I stamped two colors with Hero Arts Woodgrain Circle for the body and traced the metal wire with the image, then I added gems and the big pearl (colored in orange with copic marker). (edited note: after I uploaded and posted the card, I then found out the challenge requires to use OTHER Digital Doodles images to incorporate into the card/project! I quickly added the Party Banner to the butterfly trail. It kind of worked!?)

If interested, here are the  1st version and 2nd version. Which version do you like? I am addicted to SRM Stickers for the sentiment as you can tell.  Did you see the little Sakura/cherry blossom flowers? I got this flower punch from my trip to Taiwan. There are so many stationary store with all the cool paper supplies,  however, there are very few craft/scrapbooking supplies shops where my mom lives. I'm going to shop in the bigger cities as much as I can when I'm back to Taiwan in December. Anyhow this little craft punch was just $1 US. I knew I should have bought more!!

Moxie Fab- Bicycle

As I am getting back to the routines from my trip to Taiwan, I surfed the blogs and saw what I had missed. Then I noticed the challenge in Moxie Fab. I want to Ride My Bicycle. I jumped right to it ! Card-making is my therapy! After playing with the stamps for most of the afternoon and then fine tuning some more this morning, I am finally happy with the result. I used the coffee sleeves (NOT Starbucks this time) for the pebble-stone like road and added a few brads for the interest.

I can ride a bike as long as I can remember. It's such a convernient way of transportation. When I was growing up in southern part of Taiwan, I rode bike to schools, piano lesson, shopping and visit friends. I depended so heavily on my bicycle and you can say bicycles were my life line! It is still a vital way of transportation in most part of Asia. However, more and more people prefer motorcycles nowadays.

I saw SO many of them while I was in Taiwan last week. It's obvious that the air exhaust and the noise from the motorcycles are the pollutant in our lives.

 I wish we could go back to the basics! Well, maybe just a little.... We now used bicycle for exercise. Yes, strictly for exercise. Are you one of those, too?  I vowed to bike more this summer and I urge you to do the same. It's good for our body and soul : )

Hello, Darling (friends)!!

(flowers outside of the funeral hall)

It's been a few longs days since I communicated with you through my blog. I have returned safely from Taiwan on the 19th and had a special visit with my family and friends. I am so glad that I will be returning to Taiwan with my son David in December . So I didn't feel so sad when I left.

(the alter at the Buddist funeral service)

I was so dazed and grief-stricken during the funeral service. Not till a few days after the ceromony, I asked the funeral director whether the flowers were REAL. She reassured me that EVERY one of them is fresh and real!  It was a long journey back to Taiwan even though I was only gone for10 days.

 It is painful as I made this trip for my father's funeral. BUT with that said, I'm most grateful to make this trip and be there to see my Dad off.  He is in a BETTER place now.

I haven't had the time or mood to create just yet...hopefully in the next few days, I will get back to it. For now, I just want to share a few photos from my trip to Taiwan.

On the happier side, I had the chance to have some yummy food...

Get to spend some time with mom (in the far left) and her old friends (who are like aunts to me since I was a child)

Met up with my childhood friends (my sister in purple)

I got to meet my Hero Arts Flickr friend Tainan Jane who lives 45 min away from my hometown.

We were in Tainan (where Jane lives) for the world-famous street food. Here you see the Red Bean with Milky Ice. I would eat that all day if I could :)

The following is one of the many kinds of street food. It's my favorite-Shrimp Dumplings!  The wrapping was paper-thin with super scrumptious fillings and sauce. All that for $120 NT ($3US) for the two dishes!

I even got to sing Karaoke with my aunt and uncle. Such a lovely couple!

My dear college friend Claudia took a day off to come to my city for a visit!

(sister on my left and Claudia on my right). Special thanks to my older sister who took me everywhere. Here's she is with my pretty niece Erica

Most of all, I'm glad to be with my mom...

who is doing the best she can under the circumstances. Again, I thank you for all the thoughtful and hearfelt messages you sent me through your comments, e-mails, cards, snail mails....You have helped me HEAL during this difficult time. I'm glad to be back here sharing these memories with you.