Things I Love

I've been hauling alot lately and majority of the stuffs are things that I've been wanting. So other than the heartaches i am having, i am still glad i got them because they are awesome. Gonna share them with you and I hope you will find something that you like too. :)

No. 1 - ATG Runner

This is one big tape runner that i am still getting use to. I am currently using a Tombo Tape Runner but it is real expensive at the rate i am using and it actually doesn't stick as well as this ATG probably due to the humid weather in Singapore. This ATG is bought by my boyfriend for my EARLY EARLY birthday present. Hee.. my birthday is only in September. =p But whatever it is, i want this badly~~

No. 2 - Junior T-Sq Ruler

I've been searching this high and low in Singapore and i can't find it anywhere! I was only able to find huge ass ones in Artfriend. You must be wondering whats so great about this ruler right?! HA! If you don't know.. i always draw my lines horizontally upwards or downwards which is not what I want because i want to draw lines that are perpendicular to the side! So this is a life saver for me. Finally, i am so glad Maple Treehouse decided to bring them in! 3 Cheers for them!

No. 3 - Gamsol Odourless Mineral Spirit

I gave up hope wanting to buy Prisma Color Pencils because the price of it is toooooo expensive. 24 colors for $60plus. =O i end up buying Fiber Castells ones to play with this blending solution. This is a blending agent to create watercolor-like effect on your colored images. i hope it looks better than watercolor effects! I've yet to play with it.. but i'm looking forward to it! There's another brand for this blending solution called Sansodor found in Artfriend, but i heard it always run out. You may youtube this technique..

No. 4 - Limited Edition Distress Ink (Summer, Spring)

At one shot, i got the Summer and Spring colors because they are really unique from the other colors in the distress ink palettes. And now i am missing the Autumn Colors because somehow, everytime when i look at it, it doesn't super appeal to me to spend that money. Hopefully i will win it somewhere in a Destash or RAK post. haha..

No. 5 - Fiskars Trimmer

Another BIG TOY! When i say big is because i really don't have that much space in my room to keep big items.. and i try to be as organized as possible. And because this is new and it's like a precious baby to me, i can't just try to squeeze it into a hole on my table or have things stack above it. Anyway, got this at 40% off from Joann.com and it is really a great deal since you can't really find this in SG. And i swear by this trimmer because the blade is so much better than my Popular $15 trimmer. The wire track makes cutting precise! Invest in one!

Among the above mentioned items.. i also got more washi tapes, twines, stamps and a few 6x6 paper pads. I decided to put all my new un-used items into a paper bag. I will go to this paper bag when i need to play with something new and it also reminds me that i shouldn't buy more because i haven't played with the items i recently bought. I shall not keep buying and putting them away into my organized boxes. Hope this method helps. 

P/S: I actually had this similar post typed out yesterday and i saved it as draft. But when i came in today, i clicked on a wrong button and everything was wiped out! Sad sad sad! But i still wanted to share these with you although my writing is messy and my thoughts are everywhere.

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1st Workshop

Celebrated Scrappin' Love 2nd birthday on Sunday with 3 other lovely ladies at Cat Socrates. The cafe was a very nice place to scrap and you do not have to pay extra to use the tables. Just order some drinks and you are free to use the tables for projects. If you do not want to scrap outside, the shop sells alot of other crafty stuff too! E.g. Lomo postcards, binded books and stamps. It was a great discovery to me.

I ever bought twines from Scrappin' Love before and she provided a great service. Recently, she did a facebook event to allow others to stand a chance to win either goodie bags or a free suitcase workshop in conjunction to her eshop's 2nd birthday. So i was the winner for the suitcase workshop! *jumps*

Super thrilled and excited to be able to attend my first ever workshop and this workshop wasn't intimidating at all. She was a good teacher and the whole process was comfortable too. Probably i should save more and attend another class in a LSS. hee. Whatever it is, i have one wish striked off my bucket list. ;)

We only had the time to finish the suitcase and the basics of the mini album. So my homework is to paste all the photos and include the journaling. Will share it when it is done. Hopefully by end of this week!

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Reviews

Requested by Sam to do a review on the inks that i bought from M3H the other time. It is a good opportunity for me to try out the inks and some untouched stamps that i bought too. Pretty glad i decided to do a review because i found out some new insights. The above are the stamps i used for stamping. The wording block is to show you how fine the inks can get. The leaf image is by Tim Holtz and i picked this to test my ink because i wanted to test the stamp too. The last one is an American Craft acrylic stamp set which i bought it because it was cheap.


Image from all the inks. I use Versafine Onyx Black for all my normal stamping and watercoloring. For the Ancient Page Foxglove, i experience that it had ran out of ink. Weird thing is, it is a brand new ink pad! Thankfully, the Ancient Page ink pads all came with reinkers. So after reinking, i stamped again and forgot to write the description at the bottom.

Took a short video because the photo didn't seem to show the "correct" tone of color. It is actually quite vibrant. While stamping the American Craft ones, i realize the quality is not as good as Penny Black or Lawn Fawn's stamps. The AC stamps could not capture the colors well and one of the image was defected too. To be honest, I have another AC stamp set and i experience the same problem the last time too. So disappointed.

Lastly, i can't help but notice the twine quality difference between SewEasy and DoodleBug. I didn't buy the seweasy kit because i don't like the idea of having the roller to pierce holes then use a needle to stitch myself. I rather get a sewing machine then~ Anyway, M3H is having sales for their kit, so you can consider getting one urself to play around. haha.. In my opinion, the seweasy twines are dull in color and the texture is more course and rough. I believe i won't buy seweasy twines anymore and will rather go for doodlebug ones or even Maya Road. But no matter what, it was $5 for the 3 colors i bought. So i will still say it was a good deal. :)

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M3H Clearance

3 Cheers to M3H (Maple Treehouse) as they are moving out to a more convenient location at IMM. Even though its an office space but at least i know i get to visit Daiso and m3h at the same time. So as they are waiting to move out, they are also having a clearance sales and it's a good time to grab things! Went down on Thursday evening to pick up my prize that i won during their Xmas challenge (yes, its delayed and i've been so busy). There were some pattern papers that i've kept away already and supposed to have 2 bottles of MS glitters but i really really hate glitters that sticks around (as mentioned in this post), so i requested from the owners if i could change for something of the same value and they immediately suggested to change for the Ancient Page inks. Hee! i don't mind - ink pad plus reinker. Good deal!


On top of the 2 colors i chose for my prize, i got another one at $12 along with archival ink and picket fence distress stain because they were on 30%-40% off too!


Finally parted my money for honey be scissors at $15 and more twines at $5 per pack. Cant remember scrubbi's price but i decided to try it cause i've been having a hard time getting glues, esp hot glues, off my hands. =/


I've seen so many people use maple leaves stamp to do so many amazing things online and i've decided to own my first tim holtz's stamp. Love it cause its on sale too! TGF stamp was pre-ordered and i went down to collect too. More watercoloring to come!


$24 for this 8x8 paper pad. Not sure if its cheap but it was a style that i am willing to try. ;)

M3H are offering even more products on sale now. My eyes are set on the $2.10 EK Success Foam Squares and $2 Cats Eye Pigment ink by ColorBox!!


Went down to PM last friday and i got to catch up with their weekly release goodies.


DCWV released their all time famous "Once Upon A Time" PP again and i went down to the stall to grab their smaller size pad. (i have the 8x8 one already and i'm using them for my 21st birthday album)


Grab this 2 punch at 40% off and it is very heavy! I carried all the way home and i played with it. However, i had a hard time punching all the shapes out properly. Bf helped me too and he couldnt do it properly too. So we figured that it was faulty and i carried it back again ytd wanting to change new ones!! So heavy~~~~~~~ The PM sales lady decided to test it out and she got to punch it out beautifully!! She was smaller size than me lar! >.< Turn out it was probably the way i had punched it.

Not sure if you guys will be getting it or have the same problem as me. But here are some tips.
Tip 1: your table should be on a lower level so more body weight will be used to punch it.
Tip 2: The heels of ur hand should be aimed slightly towards the middle of the punch and not at the end of it.

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Etsy Roses & Trims

I've been real busy at work preparing for my upcoming roadshows and my exam papers. Stopped scrapping for the time being because all i want to do when i get home is to lie down and rest. I'll be back with more scrapping in March.

However, i am in the middle of online shopping. The above 3 websites are: iamroses.com and Pro31 and Karlas001 Etsy. I've spent the longest time looking for retailers to sell white/ivory mulberry flowers in large pack and low price. These websites sell them in pack of 100s and they sell very pretty trims and skeleton leaves too! The paper flowers sold in LSS are too overpriced and afterall, they are just papers!

I've just emailed Pro31 and iamroses asking about the shipping prices to Singapore. Hopefully it will be reasonable too. I understand that they send in those Mail Boxes that have S/M/L Sizes. I hope i can stuff alot of things into a S or M Size box since flowers and trims are quite light and can be "squeezed". I hope to pack as many stuff as possible so i can maximise the shipping cost!

If you happen to have purchased from them b4, let me know, yea?

I'll be back with more news soon!

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Circle Cutter

Circle cutter for $2 at Diaso! Yeahs! Thanks to Joan's recommendation, i'm so happy i finally can cut a proper circle.
Cuts 1cm-15cm circles and the blade is pretty sharpe. I used my cutting mat for cutting but there is a slight difficulty because the blade is like a pen-knife blade. So i've gotta turn my paper slightly while cutting. For $2, i don't mind turning abit of my paper. haha!




And of course i'm delighted that i can cut slim rim circles! hoho!!

A few days later, i saw this circle cutter on the "Recommended" shelf. *Satisfied*

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Update: OCN

After doing a review yesterday for On Cloud Nine, they were so efficient to post the review on their facebook and extend an awesome 15% discount to everyone out there as long as you type discount code 'MADEYLIM' during checkout to enjoy it! This coupon code is valid for 5 uses and up till 31/12/2011.

And of course upon hearing such a news, i immediately log on to their website and started to prepare what i want to get! haha.. i start early, think for some time then make my purchase. Just in case i make some impulse buying. But here's 3 Lawn Fawn stamps I've narrowed down... And few other items..

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On Cloud Nine

ohhhhh myyyyy goooooodnesssss... i simply love Lawn Fawn Stamps! They are SO SO SO cute yet not childish. If i could, i would want to collect all their stamp sets. Adorable! Aside from owning "Frosty Friends", i now own "On the Bend", "Sophie's Sentiments", "Harold's ABCs Stamp Set" and "Quinn's ABCs Stamp Set".

When i was looking for it about 2-3weeks ago, i didn't see PM carrying the older collection. However, i went to Lawn Fawn's Website and saw an online SB store (On Cloud Nine) that i haven't seen before. So i went to their website and was very skeptical about it because their blog was kinda quiet, products were limited but the FB was very active though. So I decided to drop them an email and they replied after 2 hours, which is very prompt! Wasn't sure who i was "chatting" with on the other side and there was no number, just an email address for their store. But i went ahead and ask if they had the above mentioned stamp sets because it wasn't on their website. They were so nice to let me know they could order from Lawn Fawn and how long it would take for them to receive. And when there was a slight delay, they immediately emailed me to let me know. This is what i called good service. On top of that, it is free shipping and it came in bubble wrapped envelope too.

I'm so glad to open my mailbox today and see the package in it. Happy meal in the mailbox! love love love. I also bought few other items because they are pretty too. All items were not exceptionally cheap because most of the time i have 40% off at PM. However, it saves the time for me to search up and down and some items are always OOS in LSS. If you are a crafter too, do visit www.OnCloudNine.sg cause you might find something that you like. ;)


Maya Road letter chipboards and Basic Grey paper pad.

Yes, i love alphabets. Can't get enough of them! They are so essential to make the whole LO look pretty.


Update: On Cloud Nine has extended a great offer of 15% discount to me and my friends when you purchase with them! Simply type discount code 'MADEYLIM' during checkout to enjoy the discount!  This coupon code is valid for you to use up to 5 checkout times. Expiring on 31/12/2011. What are you waiting for?! Time to get started on your Christmas cards and Presents to me.. hehe! 10q OCN.

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Maple Tree House

Hi guys! LOOK AT THE GOODIES ABOVE! Don't ask how much i spent in total cause i'm too shy to talk about it. BUT........ i'm really satisfied with it. These shall keep me going for making more Christmas cards.

The whole point of this post is that i SAVED ALOT even though there are a few negative thoughts along the way.

As you may know, there isn't alot of scrapbook stores in Singapore and the common ones like Paper Market and Made With Love have their prices marked up by ALOT! And i really mean alot because I'm going to share with you a website that i found. I am not doing an advertorial for them, but good things are worth sharing with friends, right?


Maple Tree House (M3h) houses the cheapest deal for scrapbooking items. Some items are pre-orders while some of them are available stocks. The pre-orders take about a month or 2. But its okay for me cause i can wait... and this time, i bought alot at a go so i was entitled free delivery to my doorstep at my destinated timeframe because they use a private courier company.


They were packed in bubblewrap envelope and when i opened it, it was like christmas to me! Except the fact that i burned a big hole in my pocket and i am still thinking of getting more stuff like the MS circle cutter! hehe.

Anyway, M3h provided an excellent customer service when i had so many questions! They answered all and it proved that they have excellent knowledge of their products. Thank you Keefe and Sylvia for all the tips.

I can't deny that some things are better to be bought after feeling and seeing in person but i don't like the idea of squeezing with people while i make comparisons and then i can't keep track of my expenses and have to carry the items home. So with the mentioned factors, i've decided that online shopping suits me better. UNLESS i need something urgently. Another plus point would be choosing the stamps. I like the idea of searching "birthday stamps" and have all the stamp sets appear infront of me instead of squirting up and down, opening drawers to find the right stamp sets.

On the website, there were so many deals here and there that i missed out their "50% off deal for every $45 spent" and i think i missed out ALOT of good stuff at that section. =( Makes me so sad because i could have gotten 6-8 items at 50% from that section! arghhhh.. careless me. I didn't see that section! There are so many pretty items in there!

I noticed that some items have increased in price since i last purchased them. But u can still save alot as compared to buying from a physical store out there. I do hope that M3h continue to maintain their low prices so i don't have to run around getting items.

Anyway, i had a little hard time with the courier company when i missed the knocking sound at my door and the phone call. So i called the person back requesting him to come back at night but when the clock stroked 9pm, no one was seen at my doorstep. Which kinda made me so angry because i could have gone out. Anyway, i called the person back and he totally forgot i called him in the afternoon, so he kept apologizing. I gave in and told him they could redeliver the next day between 8-10am. However, i'm not sure what went wrong because they delivered at 1130am instead. Argh! i had to wake up so early on a Saturday and sit by the boring TV to wait for them. Tried calling the toll-free hotline but no one answered. I checked the online tracking system and saw my parcel leave the branch only at 930am. Enough said - i don't know if i should blame myself for missing the delivery time or the courier company for screwing up. They had no feedback link on their website either.

BACK TO THE POINT...

I've made a few reviews on M3h website on a few items i bought. Making reviews along the way while i'm using them. Some items you could check would be the Ranger Craft Sheet,


Glossy Accents


Aqua Flo Brush (came in 3 brush sizes) - FYI, I had no prior experience in watercoloring.


Ranger's black diamond stickers - Look at the glitters!! so pretty and clustered together!


I bought this 6x6 paper pad at a very cheap price but no reviews on it because all papers are pretty to me. haha!

M3h is still growing and bringing more variety of items. Some stuff i look forward to would be their basic color cardstocks (e.g. from American Craft) because it is good for cardmaking or more paper pads or maybe Fiskers Punch series. oh yes, i'm eyeing on the Fiskers stamp press for my next haul. hehe~

I hope that after my exams or for my next month's haul, i can go down to their store to take a look and maybe have a chat with them since its not very far from my home. Till then, i hope you guys take care.

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