Mel's Creative Corner

Penne Pasta on the Fly!

2012-01-25T16:48:00.000-08:00

Yum! My newest creation:

Mini Penne Pasta with Dilled Baby Carrots in Fresh Basil Tomato Sauce

As a personal goal for 2012, I've decided to:

try a new recipe each month (didn't say I couldn't be the creator ;))
update my creative blog at least once a week.
post about my cooking

I thought it tasted delicious and not all that bad for you :). Just trying to clean out the fridge for another personal goal of 2012, reaching my goal weight! Need to start with a clean slate with better food planning. I had good options but they need to be organized. Organization is a step closer to completely our goals!

A Stampin' Success Inspiration

2012-01-22T18:12:00.001-08:00

Made this after seeing a very similar layout in this month's Stampin' Success from Stampin' Up. Just thought I'd make my own version with my favorite color and stamp sets. Elements of Style is really worth the investment, I've used this set in so many things!

Shop SU products:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

What to do?!

2012-01-17T17:58:00.000-08:00

The saying that goes somewhere along the lines of-- you'll never know how much or how important something is to you until you no longer have it or them...well it's true. Among many things, my computer was one of those objects in my life. When it was unwillingly harassed by a deadly virus last Saturday and rendered close to useless.... I was lost. Football kept my weekend going a bit (Go Niners!) but there's only so much weekend television one can consume before becoming just as brain dead as your dying computer.

When I was bored project #1 (last piece of inspiration I saw before the death of my computer).
Some stuff from this year's ocassion's mini.

It's funny, a little more than a decade ago, computers were these giant machines that one used to type papers or documents (if even that) and that was it. How dependent we've become on them. My beautiful Adobe programs! Pictures to upload! Creative inspirations from the world wide web! All inaccessible! The horror of it. Inspiration and color palettes from my own head? Thinking? What is that??!

When I was bored project #2 (sometime during the day).
Some retired stuff from last year's ocassion's mini.

Anyways, very proud that I didn't dish out $200 to get my computer flushed out, I fixed it myself with advice from a few people :). It was still a very mellow weekend without it anyhow, may that never happen again.

When I was bored project #3
Wanted to try out the frosted window trick I saw on splitcoaststampers (from memory...)

Occasions Mini 2012!

2012-01-04T16:53:00.001-08:00

It's finally here!

The wait is over! Come check out the new catalog!

SU Occasions Mini 2012 Sneak Peek #6

2012-01-01T13:12:00.000-08:00

Sale-a-brate Good Times, Come on!

One more last sneak peek(s)! Was only going to be one card but in an attempt to show off all the sale-a-bration items... it became too busy looking so I split it into 2 cards :).

featuring:
stamp set: fresh vintage, (sale-a-bration 2012!) hand-penned, and french foliage (retired)
designer paper: everyday enchantment (sale-a-bration 2012!)
embellishments: everyday enchantment ribbon & brad pack (sale-a-bration 2012!)

featuring:
stamp set: fresh vintage (sale-a-bration 2012!) loving thoughts
designer paper: everyday enchantment (sale-a-bration 2012!)
embellishments: everyday enchantment ribbon & brad pack (sale-a-bration 2012!)

Shop SU products:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

SU Occasions Mini 2012 Sneak Peek #5

2011-12-30T16:08:00.001-08:00

Work's been a little crazy these last couple of weeks and as a result, very little time for crafting but I try. This is probably the last sneak peek I will be able to squeeze in before the new catalog is released next Wednesday (Jan 4th 2012!) but we'll see, I might have time to crank out another sample this new years weekend.

featuring:
framelit dies: labels collection
stamp set: Rue Des Fleurs, Mixed Bunch
designer paper: everyday enchantment (sale-a-bration 2012!)

Shop SU products:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

Another Cake Story: Brownie Balls!

2011-12-22T17:17:00.001-08:00

These were actually unplanned.... me and a coworker were baking brownies to bring into work however when they came out of the oven, the brownies were such delicious gooiness that we couldn't cut them into little serving squares... such a tragedy! Then I realized they sort of had the same consistency as my cakes balls...so solution: Brownie balls!

I think they turned out well :)

SU Occasions Mini 2012 Sneak Peek #4

2011-12-20T20:23:00.001-08:00

This card turned out a little different than I had imagined it...oh well. I was trying to play with the idea of iris twist so I can show off some of the new designer series paper in the sale-a-bration catalog but the colors are too similar and they sort of blended into each other...

Hopefully the close up shot will help show the different patterns a little better :). Enjoy!

featuring:
framelit dies: labels collection
stamp set: apothecary art, loving thoughts
designer paper: everyday enchantment (sale-a-bration 2012!)

Shop SU products:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

SU Occasions Mini 2012 Sneak Peek #3

2011-12-16T21:05:00.000-08:00

This one is a quickie I whipped up, but it does a good job displaying the new floral punch coordinated stamp set. Threw on a little bit of glitter and some greenery and there we have it!

featuring:
punch: blossom punch
stamp set: mixed bunch, loving thoughts, and array of sunshine
designer paper: everyday enchantment (sale-a-bration 2012!)

Shop SU products:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

SU Occasions Mini 2012 Sneak Peek #2

2011-12-10T15:50:00.001-08:00

Be excited if you love the Big Shot and its numerous dies because in this new upcoming catalog SU is introducing Framelits Dies!

featuring:
framelits die: labels collection
stamp set: welcome christmas, petite pairs (SU 2011-2012 catalog)

Shop SU products:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

SU Occasions Mini 2012 Sneak Peek!!

2011-12-09T18:31:00.000-08:00

That's right! It's about that time again for another new mini catalog release from Stampin' Up (Jan 4, 2012, mark those calendars!) which means you've come to the right place to get a glimpse at some of those new and exciting products! This will be one of the many posts to come, featuring something from the new catalog, so stay tune and keep checking back for more sneak peaks!

It's all about the die cuts and punches!

featuring:
large sizzlit die: paper doily
punch: blossom punch
stamp set: mixed bunch (only a small piece is shown, more later)

Shop SU products:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

Another Cake Story: Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake!

2011-11-26T14:35:00.001-08:00

I promise this is the last of my pumpkin pie/cheesecake madness...last experiment :P

A combination of cheesecake and pumpkin pie. 2 layers, one consist of pumpkin pie (clearly the top layer) and the second, bottom, layer consisting of cheesecake. You'd think its much like the pumpkin cheese cake...but not really. This has its own character. Whatever floats one boat I suppose. A success overall, but I still prefer my pumpkin cheesecake over all the 3 types of baked desserts from this weekend. Yum!

Another Cake Story: Pumpkin Cheesecake!!

2011-11-25T17:11:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin Cheesecake!
How could I resist? Its been a baking drought after all...plus I had a little bit of batter leftover from the pumpkin pie I made yesterday (mentioned in previous post) so why waste good material?
Pumpkin pie batter + cheesecake batter = delicious airy goodness! Somewhere in between a mousse/cheesecake and a pumpkin pie...Oh so GOOD!

it's a little cracked on top...but that was only because I got too excited and took it out of the oven too quickly... almost perfect! GRr :P

Best Pumpkin Pie!

2011-11-25T09:54:00.000-08:00

HAPPY (POST) THANKSGIVING!

Now what's a Thanksgiving without any pumpkin pie right!? Actually I was just really in the mood to bake some pumpkin pie... and Thanksgiving is just the excuse to make some. I've made pumpkin pie in the past with a different recipe, but I have to say, the one I came up with this time around is GOLD (at least I think so)! Recipes in the past were straight out of a cookbook which I didn't bother lugging back with me to my parent's house so I thought, internet...eh who needs a cookbook really?! Turns out there's like a billion recipes for pumpkin pie and none of them were quiet what I remembered it to be...So I went HERE looked at the recipe and gave it my own tweak because I felt that it lacked something (besides a recipe for the crust).

Long story short(er), here is my version of a pumpkin pie recipe complete with a crust recipe as well : CLICK!

Try it and let me know if its good or not! :)

Vegetarian Risotto! (with Soy Chorizo, Say What!?)

2011-11-20T18:54:00.000-08:00

It's been too long hasn't it?! At least for me it has, I missed being in the kitchen!
Well the lack of food creations are because I am in the middle of relocating (employed again, Woot!). I have finally flocked away from home (yay!)...and realized simple things like toilet paper and cooking oil doesn't just fall out of the sky... Things we take for granted right?

Anyways, seeing how the weather is starting to reach that unbearable coldness once again, the boring sandwiches I've been living on just doesn't cut it in this weather. I want something WARM. My solution (and have been craving ever since I saw that arborio rice I packed for the move) is a nice warm bowl of risotto!

Normally risotto is jam packed with creamy deliciousness and very little nutritional value...seeing how my diet has been rocky this last month due to the move, I decided, let's cut the crap (aka heavy cream and butter) and make it more nutritional and delicious too.

So here's what you need:
Will make about 3-4 servings (1 cup serving size)
1 cup of arborio rice
2 tablespoon of olive oil (I used garlic infused and skipped having to mince the garlic...lazy? yes but effective)
black pepper (optional for seasoning)
1/2 an onion (chopped)
1 zucchini (recipe called for 1 cup, I don't have my measuring cups with me, so 1 whole zucchini it shall be)
1 cup of carrots (I skipped this...figured I overdid the zucchini...but up to you)
3-4 cups of chicken broth (I used 4 cups...but that might be because I had a little more rice than the recipe called for...again, no real measuring device)
1/4 of the soy chorizo from trader joe's (optional, I just wanted some protein in my dish; FYI the casing is not edible as I had thought because I apparently don't like to read the packaging carefully and threw the plastic casing into my risotto...yum! plastic!) or any type of meat/meat substitute will do (use about 3-4oz, a standard serving of protein).

Here's what need to be done:

prep the veggies (chop, dice, mince, etc, whatever you like)
throw the chicken broth into a pan to bring to a shimmer (after it boils and shimmers, you may keep it shimmering or turn off the heat)
add 1 Tbsp oil to a sauce pan, throw onions and veggies into the pan and saute until golden brown and then add rice and remaining oil into pan (cook for about 5-10 mins) until rice is lightly browned.
Once the rice has been slightly cooked in oil, start adding the chicken broth to the rice mixture 1 cup at a time. Make sure the previous cup is fully absorbed by the rice before adding the next cup. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. This process should take about 20-30 minutes depending on how attentive you are :). While trying to watch a football game and cooking... my risotto took a little longer... :P

Now your turn! Have fun and enjoy!

November Collections

2011-11-07T18:18:00.000-08:00

For everything GIVE THANKS!

Before we realize, Thanksgiving is approaching once again. Seems only like yesterday when we were enjoying the warm days of summer, and now fall is fully upon us with winter close behind. What better way to welcome the new season than with a few creative projects?
With Fall comes Love

materials:
stampin' up:
very vanilla, early espresso, more mustard, crazy cajun cardstock
leaves of a tree, hand-penned holidays stamp set ( SU 2011 holiday mini catalog)
early espresso, more mustard, garden green, crazy cajun ink

Season's Greetings!

materials:
stampin' up:
garden green, whisper white cardstock
curly cute, stitched stockings stamp set ( SU 2011 -2012 catalog)
garden green ink

A new way to give thanks

materials:
stampin' up:
pool party cardstock
its a wrap holiday wraps stamp set (new SU 2011 holiday mini catalog)
chocolate chip white ink

Giving More Thanks

materials:

stampin' up:
basic black, whisper white, lucky limeade, pumpkin pie cardstock
gently falling, perfectly penned stamp set ( SU 2011 holiday mini catalog)
pumpkin pie, pool party, chocolate chip ink

Shop SU products:
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/
add me as your demonstrator and get preferred pricing

October Collection

2011-10-04T15:41:00.000-07:00

HALLOWEEN! HALLOWEEN! HALLOWEEN!

CANDY! CANDY!
COSTUMES!!

Best time of the year and what better way to start the celebration with a little creative Stampin' Up session with my upline and fellow crafters.

Treat or Treat...or BOTH!

materials:
stampin' up:
very vanilla, basic black cardstock
piece of poison stamp set ( SU 2011 holiday mini catalog)
pick you poison designer series paper (SU 2011 holiday mini catalog)
basic black, pumpkin pie ink

Floating on Spooky All Hallow's Eve

materials:
stampin' up:
rich razzleberry, basic black, whisper white cardstock
out on a limb stamp set ( SU 2011 holiday mini catalog)
basic black, rich razzleberry, pumpkin pie ink

CANDY! CANDY! CANDY!

materials:
stampin' up:
basic black, whisper white, tangerine tango cardstock
spooky bingo bits stamp set (new SU 2011-2012 catalog)
basic black, rich razzleberry, pumpkin pie, craft whisper white ink

Batty for Treats! EEK!

materials:

stampin' up:
basic black cardstock (bat)
glimmer brads (bat eyes)
sizzix petal cones die (bat body)
spiderweb embossing folder (bat wing)
its a wrap holidays stamp set ( SU 2011 holiday mini catalog)
basic black, pumpkin pie ink

Shop SU products:
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/
add me as your demonstrator and get preferred pricing

September Collection

2011-09-18T16:06:00.000-07:00

Just another usual monthly gathering of Stampin' Up fans and their upline :)

Birthday Snails

materials:
stampin' up:
very vanilla, early espresso, calypso coral cardstock
button buddies stamp set (new SU 2011-2012 catalog)
happiest birthday wishes stamp set (new hostess SU 2011-2012 catalog)
early espresso ink

Birthday Cakes

materials:
stampin' up:
basic gray, pool party, calypso coral cardstock
easy events stamp set (new SU 2011-2012 catalog)
basic gray, pool party, calypso coral ink

Simply Wonderful

materials:
stampin' up:
island indigo, whisper white, river rock, more mustard cardstock
fruit and flower stamp set (new SU 2011-2012 catalog)
friendly phrases stamp set (new SU 2011-2012 catalog)
cherry cobbler scallop dot ribbon (new SU 2011-2012 catalog)
cherry cobbler, island indigo, garden green ink

Congrats!

materials:
stampin' up:
rich razzleberry, basic black, river rock, whisper white cardstock
triple treat flower stamp (new SU 2011-2012 catalog)
basic black, rich razzleberry ink

Shop SU products:
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/
add me as your demonstrator and get preferred pricing

Halloween Shortbread Cookies!

2011-09-10T15:52:00.001-07:00

Saw this set of Linzer Halloween cookie cutters at JoAnn and I just couldn't resist. Decided to whip up a batch of my shortbread cookies so I can play with the cutters. Let's just say Halloween came early in the kitchen this year :)

Sandwiched in between the shortbread cookies is a dark chocolate nutella filling with some green candy melt swirls for the spirit of Halloween.

Another Cake Story: Cheesecakes Galore!!

2011-09-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

Since I've already conquered the regular cheesecake recipe, I thought its time to expand out to different cheesecake flavors. The experiment came out with some mixed results.

Mango Cheesecake

Would've been perfect if I used more than one mango, unfortunately I only had ONE mango in the whole house when I was making it...now we know, stock up. Texture was perfect: smooth, light, and fluffy.

Dark Chocolate with Oreo Cheesecake

I meant to make something that was suppose to be about 60-70% dark chocolate...however, might've went overboard and landed myself with a cheesecake that was 80-90% dark...needless to say it became a little bitter. Note to self: less cocoa powder, don't let the color trick you.

Baileys Cheesecake

Let's just say I got a little overexcited with the Baileys and perhaps gave it a shot too much. Sometimes less is more.

The Classic
You can't go wrong with the classic. Perfect as always.

Until next time... Perfection requires trial and errors and I'm well on my way :).

Macarons!!

2011-09-01T22:27:00.000-07:00

So proud! I have successfully made a batch of macarons with matcha green tea filling :). Well they look decent anyways....but I had some minor setbacks which I will discuss later...photos first! Sometimes I think I bake just so I can take some pretty pictures...

These look presentable don't they? Well sometimes I think looks are quite deceiving and in this case it is :P. Unlike most people who seem to have problems with getting the glossy shell or the little pie feet or having cracks on the outer shell...I experienced none of that. In fact on the outside, they look great! Inside...well that's up for discussion.

several issues I may still have to work out:

getting the temperature for baking them just right: baking in a toaster oven is tricky business...luckily they baked ok but I had some that were slightly brown on top...but was not baked enough on the inside (too gooey) which means the temp was too high. I was already playing with the baking temp. One good thing about a toaster oven, even if its a recipe for ONE batch, I have to break it into separate batches to bake because it doesn't fit. As expected the last mini batch I had was the best one...though still a little gooey, but at least the came off the parchment paper ok.
toooo sweet!! I'm pretty sure its not suppose to be so sweet... Not sure if this is because they weren't fully baked or I just had to much sugar (I followed the recipe, although there are so many different ones, I followed the particular one I was using...)
getting the meringue to the perfect consistency: worried that I'd over beat my egg whites, I became too cautious...so naturally the opposite happens...I under beat...first rounds of egg whites never made it to the oven because it was so runny. Second round (pictured above) came out pretty decent but I think I can still beat it a little more. It might've play a role in the issues I've mentioned above.

In conclusion, this will be a continued experience. More updates later as I try to conquer the macarons! I also ran across a rather useful blog about making macarons (BraveTart), its a useful reference tool to go to.

Until next time...Macarons!

SU Holiday Mini 2011 Catalog now LIVE!

2011-09-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

Holiday Mini Catalog Now LIVE!
Sept 1, 2011- Jan 3, 2012

Newest item! Check out what all the fuss is all about!

simply scored: scoring board

Stampin' Up's own scoring system: 12"x12" board includes a dual tip stylus, 3 simply scored place markers, and even a small storage compartment.

Shop SU products:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

Another Cake Story: Cake Balls, The Happy Ending!

2011-08-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

Finally after spending a week in my itty bitty kitchen space I finally finished making the cake balls for a wedding gig I picked up back in April (Congrats to the new happy couple!). To my greatest surprise, these cake balls got a lot more compliments than I had thought they would, apparently better tasting than the samples I made before :). I guess the tweak in the frosting recipe to make them less sweet worked! Anyways after much struggles, here is the completed cake ball favors:
The cake ball recipe I found at Bakerella (blog of the writer of Cake Pops) and the not so sweet cream cheese frosting recipe I derived from a few recipes. I'm nowhere near being a cake ball expert BUT I think I had enough "problems" come up during this whole process that I was able to be one step closer to becoming an expert.

A few words of advice:

Work in a cool environment. Possible issues: candy melts will take longer to cool and harden/set. Cake balls that have been chilled in the freezer or fridge will quickly condense creating water droplets on the cake balls and when mixed with the candy melt will render the candy melts useless (cannot be used for coating). Solution: If and when water droplets appear, used a paper towel to pat dry before dripping into candy melt. Also if you work in a cooler environment (early in the morning/later in the evening for summertime), condensation will happen slower and water droplets will be less likely to form and you can avoid this extra step altogether.
Make sure not to overheat the candy melts. Possible issues: candy melt will become lumpy and very hard to work with. Solution: There are 2 ways to insure the candy melt is at a good consistency. First when heating the candy melt (microwave) heat in 15 sec intervals, usually 30 seconds should do the trick, depending on the medium you put the candy melt in. If the candy melt appears to not be completely melted, keep stirring, usually that will help melt the rest of it. Never microwave until everything is completely melted, then you might run into overheating. Second: if you have already reached an overheated state, add/mix some vegetable oil to the candy melt and stir until its smooth again. You may add oil even if its not overheated just to thin the candy melt out slightly so it becomes easier to dip.
Make sure the chilled cake balls are not too cold. Possible issue: If cake balls are too cold when you dip into the candy melt, later the candy coating might crack. Solution: Let the chilled cake balls sit out at room temperature for about 15 mins before coating them in candy melt. Unfortunately once the coating is cracked, there is no fixing it (at least I have not found a way to).
Coat quickly. Possible issues: the cake balls are chilled so that they don't start falling apart while you are dipping it into the warm candy melt, however, because candy melt is warm, it can quickly warm the cake balls and cause the cake ball to shed off cake pieces into the candy melt stock. If that happens then cake lumps might get incorporated into other cake balls that you may be dipping into the candy melt. Solution: I wish I can tell you a quick fix, but this one you have to get the feel for, my suggestion is try to get the cake balls completely covered in 15-20 seconds.
Find the right tool. Best cake ball dipping tool is when making a cake pop because you have a lollipop stick you can use. For me on the other hand, I had to make cake balls which means it should be coated all the way around. After experimenting/struggling with a number of tools (toothpicks, skewers, forks, etc) to perfect the nicely even coating, I settled for a spoon and a Wilton dipping fork. I believe everyone has their ways, so those are just a few suggestions.

Super long post and hopefully someone will find this information helpful. Happy baking and good luck! :)

Do I Hear Wedding Bells?

2011-08-23T18:39:00.000-07:00

Seems like the number of weddings have increased recently (in my eyes anyways). Perhaps I'm just sitting at the right age frame where people are starting to settle down and start a family.

Time sure flies.
In all the wedding madness, my friend asked me to make some wedding cards for her to give away and I thought I'd share those creations here:

Card #1

main ingredients: elements of style, petite pair stamp sets, black embossing powder, melon mambo
I'm very fond of this one....not sure why but its very simple and clean yet detailed at the same time. Almost didn't want to give it away....perhaps I'll make a similar one another time.

Card #2
main ingredients: elements of style, teeny tiny wishes stamp sets, real red, variety of ink color
This one is featured in one of my technique videos (inking with baby wipes). Seems very fitting for her particular request.

Card #3main ingredients: to have and to hold, ever after, creative elements stamp sets, melon mambo
Another simple design. I bought this stamp set because it was so cute... but never really had the chance to use it...well this is the perfect excuse! :)

Shop SU products:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

SU Holiday Mini 2011 Preview #4

2011-08-18T11:41:00.000-07:00

I saw this technique in the Sept issue of Stampin' Success by Stampin' Up and I had to recreate one for myself. So many things you can create with the twist box so I decided to kill 2 birds with one stone: make the twist box and share another preview item.

featuring:
christmas lodge stamp set
designer velvet ribbon

Shop SU products:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

Another Cake Story: Treadcakes 2011!

2011-08-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

Busy weekend as me and my friends try to crank out a cake for the Threadcakes contest (due today!) but after some sweat and tears, here is our proud finished product:

Based on "Sushi" shirt design

view our entry on Threadcakes!

Another Cake Story: Mango Mousse Cake!

2011-08-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

After a long long break from my mini toaster oven, I decided it was time to whip out that mixer and make a mess in the kitchen!

Mango Mousse Cake!
deliciousness!

I've always wanted to replicate a mango mousse cake that many Asian bakeries sell...
1. because they are delicious
2. because having to go buy a little piece for $3-$4 each time is just uneconomical (not to mention the gas I'd have to pay to get to a bakery)
3. because it'll be a great challenge to play with a new recipe :)
4. because I just miss baking.

The mango mousse I decided to use the same technique as for the cheesecake from a previous experiment. Only difference this time is I used fresh mangoes instead of frozen ones; taste and quality SO much better! I highly recommend using fresh mangoes if mangoes are in season. As for the cake, I used a chiffon cake recipe in my Better Homes cookbook but I also found one online during my research that contains more or less the same ingredients and directions. The results were more than what I had intended, amazing! :).

SU Holiday Mini 2011 Preview #3

2011-08-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

Another Halloween card made using the Out on a Limb stamp set

I decided to use the new embossing folder template here as well. Its called snow burst...ideally used for holiday cards, but who's to say I can't use it here right? :P

and the inside of the card:

That should cover all the images from this stamp set. Again sentiments are from other sets, some retired and some not.

Shop SU products:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

SU Holiday Mini 2011 Preview #2

2011-08-08T16:10:00.000-07:00

Here is another card made with another great stamp set from the new holiday mini coming out in Sept.

featuring:
Christmas Lodge

A card inspired by a card I made previously in the past, keeping things simple and elegant.
Enjoy!

Shop SU products:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

August Collection

2011-08-07T21:13:00.000-07:00

Great day and great gatherings in early August will result in some great creations!

Here's this month's cards from my upline's SU hosting party:

Cute as a Button: A card for a good friend

materials:

stampin' up:
crumb cake, whisper white, early espresso, perfect plum cardstock
button buddies stamp set (new SU 2011-2012 catalog)
friendly phrases stamp set (new SU 2011-2012 catalog)
houndstooth embossing folder (new SU 2011-2012 catalog)
early espresso, perfect plum, certainly celery ink

Always Interesting: Always Happiness card

(telescope technique)

materials:

stampin' up:
whisper white, melon mambo, tempting turquoise cardstock
happy greetings stamp set (SU summer mini, ends Aug 31st)
bold blossoms stamp set (SU summer mini, ends Aug 31st)
old olive, calypso coral, melon mambo, tempting turquoise ink

Forever in my Thoughts: Just for You card

materials:
stampin' up:
basic black, whisper white cardstock
forever young stamp set (new SU 2011-2012 catalog)
word play stamp set (SU 2011-2012 catalog)
basic black scallop dot ribbon (new SU 2011-2012 catalog)
basic black, melon mambo ink

A Simple Thanks Will Do

materials:
stampin' up:
rich razzleberry, olive green, whisper white cardstock
pocketful of posies designer series paper (new SU 2011-2012 catalog)
pretty postage stamp set (SU 2011-2012 catalog)
rich razzleberry ink

Shop SU products:
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/
add me as your demonstrator and get preferred pricing

SU Holiday Mini 2011 Preview

2011-08-05T19:19:00.001-07:00

I know it's been a few weeks...but things have been a little crazy at work...80 hr work week and we'll end it at that.

Anyhow, I'm coming back with a bang! With the new Holiday mini catalog quickly approaching, I decided its time for some previews. I only pre-ordered a few things this time, so there won't be that many previews but some better than none right? :)

Halloween Card
(a little early but couldn't resist the stamp set!)

featured stamp set: Out on a Limb
SU Holiday Mini 2011: release date Sept 1, 2011

The sentiments are from another stamp set(s) because this one doesn't have any, other than that all the other stamped images are from that set. There are a few more images from this set so maybe I'll make another card.

July Workshop kits available!

2011-07-18T03:07:00.000-07:00

After being 2 weeks behind, I finally managed to put together my workshop kit for July, yay!
Featuring items from the new catalog and introducing a new concept, I've decided to create projects each month according to a theme; pricing and offers are still the same as before: info here

theme: The Sweet Shop

goodies will include:
4 cards (2 designs, 2 each)
1 gift card holder
12 cupcake toppers

featured stamp sets:
Sweets for the Sweet
Friendly Phrases

To order SU products, visit:
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

Click on image for more detail.

Wooden Stamp sets Conversion to Clear Cling Mount!

2011-07-10T22:16:00.000-07:00

Hurray! Success!

Bye-bye wooden stamp sets, Hello clear cling mounts!

Unsatisfied with the video options I was given on how to convert mounted wooden stamp sets, I decided to make my own unique video to convert my wooden stamp sets to clear mounts to meet my own qualifications.

My Problem:

lots of videos show how to convert wood mounted stamps into clear mounts but all had the same issue, you can't tell what image you are stamping with until you actually turn the stamp over and look at the rubber part.... I don't like that, I like being able to see what everything is (not to mention a "blank" clear cling mount looks too much like an outcast from my other stamp sets (perhaps I have slight OCD...)

The Solution:

So simple! I've thought and thought about how I would get the image onto the "blank" side of the newly converted clear mount and then: BING! I solved the problem! Just take the wooden stamp before doing anything and ink it in some black StazOn ink and stamped the image onto the "cling" part of the foam that you will be using as your clear mount foam and BAM image is on the clear mount. No mess, no fuss, and no stickers!

The Video Tutorial
(of course, as promised)

July Collection

2011-07-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

The months are passing just too quickly! So soon I am here posting about another SU hosting party put together by my upline.

Presenting this month's goodies:

A Little Something to Celebrate Todaymaterials:

stampin' up:
basic black, whisper white cardstock
hello doily stamp (new SU 2011-2012 catalog)
perfectly penned stamp set (new SU 2011-2012 catalog)

basic black, craft black ink

Friends are the Best; here's how we show it!

materials:
stampin' up:
crumb cake, real red, marina mist, daffodil delight cardstock
just add cake designer series paper (new SU 2011-2012 catalog)
best of everything stamp set (new SU 2011-2012 catalog)
chocolate chip, marina mist ink

A Parade of Big Wishes

materials:
stampin' up:
pool party, calypso coral, island indigo, wisteria wonder cardstock
pennant parade stamp set (new SU 2011-2012 catalog)
petite pennant builder punch (new SU 2011-2012 catalog)
calypso coral ruffled ribbon (new SU 2011-2012 catalog)
island indigo, calypso coral, pool party ink

Just Hello

materials:
stampin' up:
pumpkin pie, melon mambo cardstock
flirtatious specialty designer series paper (new SU 2011-2012 catalog)
delicate doilies stamp set (new SU 2011-2012 catalog)
melon mambo ink

Shop SU products:
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/
add me as your demonstrator and get preferred pricing

Happy 4th of July Treats!

2011-07-04T17:43:00.000-07:00

Taking full advantage of this 3 day weekend again :).
Yesterday I stopped by Williams-Sonoma and picked up a Ebelskvier pan (this is what dangerous web surfing will do...) so I can try out this delicious recipe I found online:

Here is my finished product:

I was trying to aim for this Hong Kong egg puff snack but couldn't decide on what pan to get. Since I saw recipes for either pan, I decided on the Ebelskiver so I can make other stuff with it. The product doesn't taste like what I excepted HOWEVER it's still pretty yum. I put coconut in the middle. Maybe next time I go to HK I can get a egg puff machine... ($50 for a pan @ Williams-Sonoma is just a bit much for something that can only make one product)

snapshots:

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Independence Day!

I decided take this wonderful 3 day weekend to make some cute cards:

Comfort Foods (retired):

Pretty much everything I used to make this card is retired already...but I had a sudden vision to create these (it's like a craving and must be satisfied); they turned out so cute!

Here is another card I made, inspired by the front cover of the new 2011-2012 Stampin' Up Catalog:

Shop SU products:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

Another Cake Story: Mango Mousse Cheesecake!

2011-07-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

Mango Mousse Cheesecake:

I finally got the consistency of the mousse right but unfortunately I didn't put enough mango puree in so there's only a very light hint of the mango in the mousse. My quick fix was to put a mango jelly layer on top to help give it more mango-ness. My friend also suggested fresh mangoes on top, so I decided to throw that on too. Can't call it mango with no mango flavor right?

Deliciousness! :)

and here's a couple of shots of just a plain mousse cheesecake:

Stampin' Up 2011-2012 Catalog is HERE!

2011-07-01T03:45:00.000-07:00

Stampin' Up Idea Book & Catalog 2011-2012
LIVE!
After the long wait, the time has finally arrived!

Need a catalog? Here's how

Already have a copy, well then what are we waiting for, LET'S SHOP!

Shop SU products:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

Another Cake Story: Marshmallow Fondant & Delicious Cupcakes!

2011-06-26T23:46:00.000-07:00

Yay to a very successful trial run of making marshmallow fondant!!
Of course none of this would've been possible if my wonderful friend (whom I went to visit in Santa Monica this weekend) wasn't already making some delicious cupcakes for a baby shower and graciously invited me to join the baking party.

A little bit of sugar, a little bit of flour + marshmallows! = some delicious products and awesome bonding time! She baked the cake and I made the fondant, what we like to call "Cake Success"!

Check it out! (more pics @ cami's blog)

marshmallow fondant
(it didn't look like a pile of goo!)

to go on some yummy lemon and too much chocolate cupcakes!

the perfect partnership! :)

Being Inspired...

2011-06-21T11:58:00.000-07:00

Spring and Summer is such a wonderful time for finding inspirations because everything around you is so full of colors: whether its that awesome dress sitting inside of H&M or that beautiful rose bush (in full bloom) at work, I just can't help glance around and think, Ooo!

Here is a card made following that "Oooo", was at the store the other day and saw an awesome notebook with similar designs....was very tempted to buy it but since I'm not in school anymore...there's no use for it :( sad. Oh well, I'll just make a card instead! :)

Perhaps its another sneak peak.

Background:
Whisper white crafts ink
My Friend, Sincere Salutations stamp sets
Card stock:
basic black, wisteria wonder, elegant eggplant
and I've been wanting to try this ruffling ribbon technique...turned out ok...although I'm still not very good at it. People say its easy but I had some trouble pulling that stray thread, you would think it wouldn't be a problem considering how easy it is to pull stray thread loose on my clothing (when I don't want to...). hmm...

Shop SU products:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

Semi SU 2011-2012 Catalog Sneak Peek

2011-06-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

Reason I say semi sneak peek is because I was making a card and happened to really like one of the new stamp sets (Perfect Words, hostess set) so I decided to share.

This is similar to a card I made before but a coworker liked it so much, I cranked out another one. Instead of making it exactly the same with the same stamp sets and such I decided to go with a brighter color palette and a different set of stamps:

main ingredients:
Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set, Elegant Eggplant and Wisteria Wonder ink, White embossing powder.

and finally the finish product, front and back and all tied up :)

Shop SU products:
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

Another Cake Story: Marble Cheesecake with a Twist!

2011-06-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

Nothing too special compared to last week's marble cheesecake except my coworker had requested some coconut in her cheesecake so, I toasted some semi sweet coconut shreds and added it into the batter when I went to bake:

Not bad right? It smelled so yummy... unfortunately since I'm giving that to my coworker I wasn't able to take pictures of it cut open (or taste it, boo...maybe she'll share)...perhaps next time when I have extra batter and can play with it.

A Happy Father's Day Tribute

2011-06-20T10:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!
A card made in celebration!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. My family is not the card giving, cake eating, or huge celebration type of people...and we hate waiting in line so we ended up buying food and eating it at the comforts of our own home :). Despite the no card giving...it was still a good excuse for me to make a card, how can I not?!

Here's another card made with the same color as the one above but different layout:

I used Old Olive and Bashful Blue as the cord colors in the card then threw on a mini library clip + heme string to give the card a little more depth. Stamped with The Best Dad Ever stamp set (summer 2011 mini).

Shop SU products:
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

Stampin' Up 2011-2012 Catalog Sneak Peeks Coming to a Close

2011-06-16T11:54:00.000-07:00

This will probably be the last preview sample I will be making for the new 2011-2012 catalog. The catalog's official release date is July 1st, however, if you have a demonstrator, or depending on your demonstrator, many will be able to get their copy of the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog on June 20th (which is next week!!)

Reserve your copy with me today! More Info

Now with all that "blah, blah, blah" out of the way, here is a sample I made with a hostess set that will be available for this coming year.

hostess set: Array of Sunshine

Unlike previous years, all hostess sets will be available to everyone with points accumulation rather than having different hostess levels. I'm very excited for this change because there's always one or 2 sets in level 3 that I only get to look at but can never get because I didn't make enough in sales...but no more! :)

Shop SU products:
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

More Stampin' Up 2011-2012 Catalog Sneak Peeks!

2011-06-16T01:01:00.000-07:00

Another preview from the new catalog:

Featuring:
Pennant Parade Stamp Set
Pocketful of Poises designer series paper
Petite Pennant Builder punch
Lace Border Ribbon punch
New InColor: Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder, Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Island Indigo

Blast from the Past items:
Create a Cupcake punch
Bring on the Cake stamp set

a close up of the ice creams I made using the new Petite Pennants Builder punch and Create a Cupcake punch. So versatile: with a dab of imagination the creations are limitless!

Shop SU products:
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

Remembering some more good times* (items*)

2011-06-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

To continue my tribute to those great retiring stamp sets, here is a sample made by another personal fav:

Friends 24-7and here is the card when opened:
I used a card technique called Joy-Fold (maybe I'll make a tutorial of it one day) and I loved how it opens up to reveal more so I was able to use all the stamp images from the set!

Remember last day to purchase retiring items is June 30th! Once they're gone, they're gone!

Shop SU products:
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

Stampin' Up 2011-2012 Catalog Sneak Peeks Contiunes

2011-06-13T10:53:00.000-07:00

It's always great to be able to play with new stuff and have everyone enjoy the creation at the same time. Despite having a jam packed schedule this weekend, I decide to crank out another sneak peek card for everyone. I know it's a very exciting time and so many people are anxious to see what's new.

Here is another one of those wonderful pieces I was able to put together using the new items from the upcoming catalog*** (click for info on how you can get your copy by June 20th!)

featured:
My Friend stamp set
Pocketful of Posies designer series paper
new InColor: Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder, Island Indigo

and here's another look:

Shop SU products:
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

Another Cake Story: Marble Cheesecake!

2011-06-12T21:27:00.000-07:00

Ok...so maybe not a true cake....but lets just make things easier (more for me than anyone else really :P) and group all cakes and their cousins into this category. There's been a slight baking drought for me since I've been focusing on making sneak peeks for Stampin' Up BUT I made time this weekend!

....actually my coworkers had been requesting cheesecakes for a while and I've finally decided its time to fulfill that request so... I was making cheesecakes anyways... had extra batter and decided to play :)

my slice, yum!

I put a teaspoon of Baileys and mixed some milk and cocoa powder to make the marbling effect.
Wish the Baileys flavor was stronger...perhaps next time I should switch to tablespoon :P.

That's all folks!

June Collections

2011-06-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful sunny Sunday! Long overdue, it's JUNE for crying out loud! I'm not much of a rain person unless I plan to be at home all day ...and even then I would prefer it to rain at night only...rain is a nice soothing sound to fall asleep to...

Anyways not here to talk about my weather preferences. Here are some wonderful cards we made @ today's SU party my upline hosted:

Oh Say, Can You See, AWESOME!: honoring upcoming 4th of July

materials:
stampin' up:
crumb cake, night of navy cardstock
land of the free stamp (summer mini, ends aug 31st)
not quite navy, real red ink

A shimmery birthday card!

materials:
stampin' up:
melon mambo,daffodil delight, pear pizzazz cardstock
frost white shimmer paint
a word for you stamp set
daffodil delight satin ribbon (retiring June 31st)
melon mambo ink

Small and Sweet: mini pinwheel birthday card

materials:
stampin' up:
chocolate chip, old olive, bashful blue cardstock
pretty postage stamp set (summer mini, ends aug 31st)
postage stamp punch (summer mini, ends aug 31st)
real red ink

Just Because....just because

materials:
stampin' up:
certainly celery, rich razzleberry cardstock
newsprint designer series paper (retiring June 31st)
notably ornate stamp set
rich razzleberry satin ribbon (retiring June 31st)
black embossing powder
rich razzleberry, basic black, and sahara sand ink

Shop SU products:
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/
add me as your demonstrator and get preferred pricing

Remembering the good times* (items*)

2011-06-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

As July draws nearer, the chapter for some stamp sets will come to a close. As a tribute I will be posting some finished samples stamped with retiring sets that I think should be part of everyone's collection (as they are one of my favorites)

therefore to start off this mini series:
Lots of Bots

and the inside:

I made this card a while back way before I became a demonstrator and it was one of my favorite projects...kept it for a while before finally deciding that it needs to fulfill its purpose :).

Shop SU products:
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/

Stampin' Up 2011-2012 Catalog Sneak Peeks

2011-06-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

The new SU 2011/2012 Idea Book & Catalog sneak peeks continue...

As promised, here is another sample preview of some new items:

featured:

Delicate Doilies stamp set
Four Frames Stamp set (coordinates with Decorative Label punch)
Lace Ribbon Border punch
New InColor: Island Indigo, Calypso Coral, Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade

Check back for more previews throughout the month of June!

Shop SU products:
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melindaleung/