More Cards and Day 1 of My Rebirth

Hi Friends!!  I think I talked about my "Rebirth". . .or did I talk about it on FB. . .I need to read my last post...haha!  I can't remember.  I think I've lost a few brain cells!!  Although I love eating and eating out at restaurants . . .I'm a serious Foodie, I've come to realize that I have become gluttonous and sadly, have become a bit chunky from all of the yummy food I've eaten in the past.  But part of what make my life fun is eating out.  My friend and I discussed cooking at each other's houses to try out new recipes but I hate the mess.  Maybe we can still eat out but maybe test out salads instead!

Anyway back to my rebirth. . .I don't know why I started talking about food again. . .I can't even control my thoughts when it comes to food.  Well, I decided to start exercising regularly again and focus on eating healthy.  I haven't exercised in months. . .and well, my bulging tummy is evidence that I better get my butt moving or I no longer will be able to see my toes.

When I say rebirth, it also includes other aspects of my life. . .I've had original goals set but because I've gone through some sort of happy mood hiatus, well. . .I sort of let go of some of those goals but I'd love to restart them again.  I started my new life adventure yesterday. . .starting off with jumping on the treadmill.  I actually saw my stomach shrink a little. . .not really but it's good to fool myself once in a while!!  It'll keep me motivated. . .hehe!

In addition to exercising. .I stopped by the grocery store and bought lots of veggies and fruits.  I even cleaned out my frig and pantry of fatty food.  They were expired anyway so I needed to throw them out but my plan is to not refill them with unhealthy food so it was a great way to start off my rebirth!

I'm not very organized with my goals right now . . .but I'll start off with exercising and eating healthy first. . .my little brain can't handle too many ideas at once....LOL!  

BTW. . .I did work on a few cards.  My goal with my cards is to not only use every stamp I own and sell those I no longer want but to use up embellishments as well.  I have so many dew drops, Prima flowers and designer papers, it's ridiculous!

I wish I was more decisive on what to get rid of. . .one day I want to keep them, the next day I want to get rid of them.  I need to stop being so wishy-washy.  

Oh my gosh. . .I'm rambling again.  Okay. . .I'll stop here.  Once I'm able to be more organized with my goals, I'll talk about them more.  BTW, today is day 2 of my "Rebirth". . .and the goal for today and this day forward is to eat less starchy food. . ooh, this will be hard because I literally eat rice every single day (because I'm Asian) . .as a matter of fact every single day of my life. . .rice has been a staple.  This will be one habit that will be hard to break.  I'll set a goal of eating rice only 3 times a week.  I think I can manage that.

Well that's it for today!  Hope you all have a lovely day!!

Etsy Shop: Inspired & Unscripted

Like my Facebook Page

 

Friendship Card and Kick Starting My LIfe

 Just a simple card I made with a long retired Stampin Up set "Old Friends".  This is one stamp set that I used a few times.  My plan is to go through my rubber stamps and use each one at least once then sort through them and decide which ones I'm going to sell and which I'm going to keep.

By using the stamp or with some not use, I'll get a "feel" on whether it's time to let it go.  There are some stamps that I'll probably keep forever and there are quite a bunch that I'm now wondering why I purchased them in the first place.  LOL!

I actually wrote a long story about something that has been plaguing me for the past few months but decided it was too personal and deleted what I wrote.  It was too long of a story anyway.  

I have a few plans to kick start my life starting this coming week.  In January I did not create a new year resolution which I normally do every year because for some reason or another,  I was in a weird mood at the beginning of the year.  Actually it started in October.  I became a pessimist when I've always been an optimist.  I lost something inside of me for some odd reason.  I don't even know why or how it happened.  I just suddenly felt like it was useless to set goals because they won't work out anyway. . .blah, blah, blah.  Very moody, I tell ya! I even stopped FBing which for those who are on my FB know I'm a crazy FBooker who post about everything and anything. . .and for that to stop, well something is wrong.  

But the good news, I think I'm beginning to wake up from my deep slumber. I think my normal self is emerging again. .. hence, my blogging again.  Besides, I think I do better in accomplishing goals when I write them down publicly, whether it's on FB or my blog so I think I'm going to blog or FB whatever it is I'm going to do.  It's nothing crafty. . .sorry.  It's more about life changes.. . .like living a healthier lifestyle, career, life adventures and maybea  little bit of crafting here and there. . .:)

 

Anyway, that's it for today.  Hope you all have  a wonderful weekend.

 

Etsy Shop: Inspired & Unscripted

 Like my Facebook Page 

 

A Card and a Little Rant

I haven't used this little cutie image by The Greeting Farm in such a long time.  I think I only used her once. . .pretty sad of me.  Actually, I have a gazillion rubber stamps that I may have used only once or never at all.  I'm pretty ashamed of myself sometimes. . .to have wasted so much money on craft stuff.  I've spent so much money on craft items it would probably make your head spin if you knew how much.  Fortunately, the money spent weren't money stolen from what could have been my daughter's college fund, life essentials, trip or vacation money or anything of that sort.  The money I used were bonus money or play money that I could use for anything. . .and I used them on craft stuff rather than say a designer bag or clothes.  But. . .I do know quite a few people who complain about how little money they have or they don't have enough money to pay for their children's college tuition or go on a trip but when you look at all the junk they've accumulated, like inside their craft room, it's packed with rubber stamps, scrapbook paper, crafting tools and whatnot, not to judge but. . .well. . .

Anyhoo. . .we all have our obsessions I guess.  I haven't really bought any new craft items for over a year other than the minimum amount I need to purchase for a Stampin Up club I'm in.  I don't visit the craft store much anymore and actually have no desire to do so which is quite amazing.  A year ago, I could not control myself from visiting a craft store at least once or twice a week. Someone had to literally chain me down to keep me from buying a craft item. LOL!

It's not that I don't spend money on anything pleasurable.  I still do but I spend my money geared more so in terms of life experience.  For example concert tickets, visiting Disneyland, paying for gas to drive to the coast or some sort of event that I've always wanted to attend.  I now desire life experiences more.  

I have so much junk in my garage and at a storage facility. . .stuff I didn't want to bring into the house I moved into a few months ago.  I am so overwhelmed as to what to do with all the stuff.  I can't even think straight when I look into the garage and I shudder when I think about visiting the storage place.  I do need to get rid of them but many of the items are valuable items. . .valuable for perhaps someone else, but not me.    The problem is I can't just donate them because they are expensive items.  Ugggh!  The dilemma.  My goal I guess in the next few months is to try to sell them. . .most or many of the items are "electronics" and well, I am so not tech savvy.  I'm at the basic level when it comes to techie things and I really don't care to elevate myself to being even a little  more tech savvy.  If I can call or answer my cell phone, text someone and post pictures on to Facebook . . .that's the extent of my desire to use my cell phone.  I know my daughter lives off of her cell phone that she carries it everywhere with her.  Most times, I don't even know where I left my cell phone.  People are always calling me and leaving messages and wondering if I'm ignoring them.  The truth is I don't know where I last left my cell phone and most times, I accidentally come across it a few days later. . .LOL!

Anyway. . .just my rant for the day.  I think I'll work on a few more cards today and maybe sort through some of my craft items and start selling the ones that no longer ring my bell!!

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

 

Etsy Shop: Inspired & Unscripted

Like my Facebook Page 

 

Revamped Card and Itty Bitty Earthquake

Revamping old cards. . .do you do that from time to time?  I have a bunch of cards that I made in the past and when I look at them today, my reaction sometimes is "meh".  It's either the layout, the embellishment, the image, or the sentiment that I don't like about the card.  But I think . . .what a shame to throw the cards in the junk pile to never be looked at again and what a waste of time and materials to do such a thing.

Sooo. .. .my solution is to grab parts of what I like of certain cards that I've made in the past and create a completely new card.  For this card in particular, I didn't like my original layout and the sentiment.  Actually, there was no sentiment to begin with.  I also didn't like the designer paper that I used for the card so I took part of the background image and pulled it off from one card, took the image from another card, added the embellishment and sentiment. . .whala! a completely new card that I actually like.

I have a bunch of cards that needs a re-do and if I have the mojo to do it this week, I may re-vamp a few more cards.  

By the way, we had a little earthquake this morning here in Southern California.. . .a 5.1 magnitude located in Anza, not to far from where I live.  My cat got a bit excited and started freaking out a little. . .me, I sort of sat in my chair and decided that the house wasn't going to cave in on me so I didn't do anything.  People in California have a tendency to be nonchalant about earthquakes because it happens so often.  Anyhoo, I read that it's not a good idea to run out of the house and it's best to stay put inside and go under a table. . .not sure.  Maybe I should do my homework in the case the big one happens one day.  I actually don't know what to do if a major earthquake occurs.  I am so unprepared.

 

Anyway, that's all for now.  

Etsy Shop: Inspired & Unscripted

Like my Facebook Page 

 

My Weird Habit

Okay don't laugh.  This is a weird subject but I don't know. . .about a few months ago, I got into the habit of trying to squeeze whiteheads off my face.  I don't know how it started but I would touch my face and I would feel something rough on my face. . .like a small bump.  I then would try to scratch or squeeze it off my face.  I would typically do this while I'm doing idyl things like watching television.  

It started to become a habit. . .I almost did it sub-consciously.  The problem with this habit is because I'm not doing it in front of a mirror, I sometimes don't realize what I'm actually doing to my skin.  Later when I look in the mirror, I realize I've scratched off my skin.

I don't know. . maybe I have psychological issues. . LOL!  I started to have little scars on my face. . .nothing really bad but well, I never had scars on my face in the past so it began to disturb me.  One day while browsing through Little Tokyo in LA, I came across a store that sold various Asian beauty products and there was this tool (shown above).  It's a whitehead/blackhead pore squeezing tool.

OMG!  The answer to my face picking!  Problem is I've become somewhat obsessed with squeezing the whiteheads out.  I don't have blackheads so all that is squeezed out are these white things.  I think most of you know what I'm talking about.  I know. . .gross.  It's not that I had a lot of whiteheads but I just became fascinated with it.  I can't believe I'm telling ya' all about this but I just find it so hilarious.

Anyway, luckily I've come to realize that I am destroying my skin and have stopped being so obsessed with it!   But, the good news, this tool really really works and is very handy if you want to squeeze out a blackhead or whitehead.  It's cleaner than using your nails to squeeze them out.  

I'm fortunate that I don't have many pimples. . .and my skin is in fairly good condition considering what I've been doing to it.  I do highly  recommend this tool  . . .just don't get weird about it like I did.
 

Here is a tutorial on how to use the tool:

That's it for today.  I created a few cards today. . .I'll post them tomorrow.  I still need to take photos of them.

Hope ya' all had a wonderful weekend!

Etsy Shop: Inspired & Unscripted

Like my Facebook Page

 

Drivng and Conquering Fears

I don't remember if I've ever shared this photo.  It's a photo of my daughter at the Santa Monica Pier in LA.  It's one of my favorite picture, not of just my daughter but as a whole.  When I took the picture I primarily was focusing on my daughter then later realized that I had taken a photo of the whole pier in the background much to my delight!

The photo was taken during the summer.  I haven't been back to Santa Monica Pier since summer because it's been too cold to ride our bikes there.  The purpose of going to the pier was to ride our bikes from the pier to Venice Beach.  There is a very nice bike path that leads to Venice Beach which is about 2 miles or so away.

If you ever visit LA, it's something you might want to consider doing.  Although we bring our own bikes, they do rent bicycles there.  I love Venice Beach. . .just to people watch.  It's one of the most interesting places to just hang out and watch the strangest of all people.  LOL!  It's a very interesting place.  They have lots of restaurants, street entertainment, quirky shops, and of course, the people that hang out there. 

I've been living in California for approximately 8 years and for the past 7 years, I was a little fearful of driving outside of my town by myself.  I would do it on occasion but more out of necessity.  I think it's because I was really never the driver whenever we drove to LA or San Diego.  After my husband passed away last year, if I want to drive anywhere outside of my town, I now have to do it my self.  

You see, I'm originally from Hawaii where the speed limit is 55 mph on the freeway.  The traffic is rather mild compared to California, especially the Orange County and LA area.  The driving experience in California is very unique in that drivers are rather impatient and they drive really fast.  They're also not very nice.  Although the speed limit on the freeway is 65 to 70 mph, no one really drives at that speed.  More commonly, people drive at around 75 to 85 mph which quite honestly, freaked me out.  I was not accustomed to driving at that speed.

But knowing I had to drive my self if I wanted to do anything outside of my little town (well, not so little . . I live in a fairly large town) I began driving to LA and San Diego which are both about an hour or so away from where I live.  After several trips, it became a lot easier and less nerve-wracking to the point that I no longer have any anxiety driving anywhere.  It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  

Luckily my desire for adventure was stronger that my fear of driving or I would have been stuck in this little town I live in.  I now want to drive to Orange County, LA and San Diego all the time because there are so many fun things to do there.   I learned a lot from this experience.  Sometimes our fear are conjured up by our own imagination, that in reality it's not at all what we imagine it to be.  If we don't take the risk, even if only once, we'll never know what wonderful experiences we could be having.  

Anyway, I think I'm going to create a few cards today.  I want to drive out somewhere today but unfortunately, with the price of gas the way it is, I have to stay put.  It's very frustrating.  Well, I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday.  Until next time!!

Etsy Shop: Inspired & Unscripted

 Like my Facebook Page 

 

Hello! I'm Back

Hi Everyone!  Gosh, it's been a while. . .I last posted about 3 months ago.  Life is still the same but different as well.  I still do craft from time to time.  Not as often as I used to.  I even considered not blogging anymore and thought of closing down this blog.  But. . .I decided not to.  I've invested years on this blog and my other blog "Card Inspired"; therefore, I'll just keep both of them open.  I'm actually quite surprised that people still visit Card Inspired because I haven't blogged on that site for over 4 years.  I guess as long as there is Google, someone will land on that blog from time to time.

What have I been up to, you ask?  Honestly. . .a lot!  I recently saw Pink and Lady Gaga in concert!  Had a blast seeing them.  I love concerts. . .but concerts are costly so I think I may need to cut down on attending them.  I'll attend the ones that I really, really badly want to see.  I thought of attending Beyonce's concert.  I love her but not that much so I decided to skip her. I may attend Green Day and Maroon 5. . .not sure yet. 

Oh dear. . .am I just rambling on.  Yeah, I am huh? Sorry. . . I just don't want to think too hard on what to write. . . just whatever is on my mind.  Sometimes thinking takes too much effort.. . .LOL!    I do want to say that I'm going to be transitioning my blog to more of a personal blog and not just a "crafting" blog.  First of all, I don't craft as often as I used to.  Secondly, my life no longer revolves around crafting and I have a lot of other interest that I prefer to blog about.  I always had a lot of other things I was interested in but I felt my blog was focused on crafting so I kept my blog focused on that.  I tend to be the type of person that like to keep things confined into little boxes. . .not because I'm an organized person, I'm actually quite the opposite, very unorganized as a matter of fact.  By segregating things, it helps to keep my self in check or life would be crazy and chaotic.  

I did do some crafting the past few months and I posted a few that I did make.  Nothing special. . .just same ole', same ole.  My card making has slowly been going down hill. . . I basically use the same layout with pretty much the same design but in my opinion, with a different image, designer paper, and sentiment, a card can look totally different even with a similar layout. 

What else is there to talk about. . .I guess I'll go back to discussing what my plans are for this blog.  I'll be posting photos. . .I do like taking photos of life in general.  People on my Facebook know that of me.  I tend to post a lot of food on my Facebook, hehe!   I also like to do a lot of outside activities, visiting different places, trying out new hobbies or interest (which I normally don't stick to), just lots of other things.  I also am very interested in anything Asian because well, I'm Asian. . .things like Asian dramas (primarily Korean dramas), KPOP music, Asian food, stuff like that.  I'd like to share some of them with you. Who knows, you may start to find interest in them as well.  I also like to explore the different things to do in California and take photos of them.  I don't know. .. there are just so many things that life has to offer. . ..might as well try them all if possible, right?  You only have one chance in life, might as well live it!

Anyway. . .that's it for today!  I hope you are all doing well!  Hope to blog again soon!

By the way, I still have my Etsy Shop that I am trying to re-stock with new cards.  Hopefully, I'll be focused enough to make a few more cards and other things in the near future.

Etsy Shop: Inspired & Unscripted

Like my Facebook Page