Episode 30: Stamp Carving Update

I've been trying to keep up with one of my New Years resolutions lately! I just ordered a bunch of rubber blocks online. Hope I get more comfortable with carving soon so I can start bring them into my Etsy shop. So excited for that day to come!

 Here are 2 stamps that I created this week :) 

Kitty Paper Edge Stamp:

I thought this would be a super cute stamp to try to create. It looks like the kitty is peeking over your paper's line.

Umbrella Stamp:

Thanks for reading~

Episode 29: New Year, New Goals

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Just like probably everyone else out there, I, too, made resolutions for 2014. Here are mine:

1. Write a blog entry twice a month

2. Focus more on my Etsy shop

3. Create at least one YouTube video per month. (Going to try to aim for 2)

I'd also say "exercise everyday", but I'm going to be realistic and not even say it because we all know that one doesn't last too long! haha. Hopefully I'll remember to exercise at least one a week though :)

So for the new year, I'm excited to say that I picked up a new hobby. And as you can probably tell from the picture above, it has to do with stamping! I discovered rubber stamp carving around late November to early December, actually. It looked so awesome so I started surfing the internet for blogs and YouTube videos on how to carve stamps. Unfortunately I didn't find too many videos or blogs that went into great detail about this hobby. I wanted to learn the technique of carving with an knife rather than the popular Speedball tools. I was only able to find a few videos in Cantonese that showed this technique, which was quite disappointing. I suppose I will have to slowly learn how to properly do this on my own! This wasn't my first attempt at carving a stamp. I tested it out with smaller & simpler designs before.. well, here is the final result below:

The tools I used:

I must say that it came out better than I expected! It's a stamp for my Etsy shop. I wanted to make something that I can print onto all of my thank you cards. How does it look? I didn't carve this out of the proper rubber blocks though. I bought the Polymer Erasers from Target to test out before I carved from the real stuff. It is quite pricey! I think for my next stamps, I'll attempt at carving from the rubber blocks. I bought one off eBay for about $7. If I ever start selling stamps in my shop, I think I'll buy the thicker blocks from Blicks Art Store though. They have a discount online if you buy in bulk and it seems sturdier than the eBay ones.. although the eBay ones come in such pretty colors!

As I mentioned, I want to focus more on my shop in 2014. I hope to one day be able to turn this little hobby shop into a full-time job. I'm trying to find a new direction to take my shop - something that I can do everyday and not ever get sick of it. It's such a hard decision because I can't possibly have like 4 different focuses on my shop. I think at most I can do is 2.. decisions decisions! Hopefully I'll have an answer for myself by the end of 2014. :)

That's all I have for today!

See you next time~

Episode 28: October 2013 BarkBox

Hihi. I'm back with another BarkBox post! :) This month's box was super exciting as it was HALLOWEEN THEMED! There's also a coupon on Wrapp, which is an app that can be found in Google Play or the Apple App Store, which gives you $19 off your box & I believe it comes with a box of Halloween treats.

So lets begin! Penny was very excited when I opened the box. The first thing that she tried to grab wasn't the treats though - it was the doll, surprisingly.

Pet Qwerks - Chevron Bear toy

This doll was super cute! I wanted it for myself haha. It has 2 squeakers, one at the head and one on the belly. Penny loves dolls with the squeakers for some reason. Maybe because she can use them to catch our attention... But like I said, this was the first thing she went for. I was trying to take this picture and she kept trying to steal it. Eventually she got really impatient and started barking at me. haha. Looks like I need to be more efficient at picture taking so she doesn't have to wait so long!

Superior Farms - Lamb Ears

I was hesitant about this one, i'll be honest. Penny was never a fan of these dried chews. Her patience is very low so normally, she would just chew on it for a few minutes and it would sit there forever... alone. But this one surprised me. I gave it to her, thinking she would ignore it after a while. But 5 minutes passed, then 10 minutes, then 20... and she was still at it. I went to look for it an hour later and it was gone! This must've been the tastiest chew she's ever had for her to actually eat it. 

Your Dog's Diner - Mutt Meatball Mix

This was a very interesting product for me, but not really my cup of tea. It requires quite a lot of effort just to make some meatball treats. It's definitely something new that I can try, but knowing my dog, she doesn't like very herby products. (She's having a hard time finishing the pizza biscuits from last box) I'll have to find a day to put in the effort to make this! Dry treats are definitely better as they last longer and don't require any cooking. :)

Baker's Best - Goat Liver chips

These were a hit with Penny. They're basically just chips. Very crispy chips! It seems like there's a layer of white powdery stuff over them. I'm not sure what that is. But hey, at least Penny approves. That's all that matters, right?

Fruitables - Halloween Share Packs

And.... lastly, we have the Halloween Share Pack! These were just adorable! There's 8 packs, 4 blueberry & pumpkin and 4 apple & pumpkin. Penny really liked them on the first day, probably because it was new stuff... now she doesn't really eat them unless it's the last treat (it still beats the pizza biscuits though LOL) They smell exactly like you would imagine to, but with hints of cinnamon. 

Overall verdict? This was definitely a good box. :) I'm more than just satisfied with this one and I'll bet Penny feels the same way. After seeing this one, I can't wait to see what the Christmas one will turn out to be like!

Episode 27: September 2013 Barkbox

My (actually Penny's) very first BarkBox Subscription Box :)

This post is long overdue, but I haven't had time to put it up till now. So without further ado, let me tell you about my first BarkBox experience. They have subscriptions for 3 types of dogs: small/toy size, medium size and large size dogs. I have a Shih-tzu that's about 14lbs so she definitely falls into the small/toy dogs category. I purchased a 6 month subscription which was $114, but I used a $12 off your purchase coupon from Wrapp, so I paid $112 for 6 months. 

I was super excited to receive my first Barkbox. There are different items every month, so its always going to be a surprise. I was looking at the last 2 months before I decided to purchase. I must say, I was a little disappointed with the items this time. I was hoping for treats that were made out of meats, as those are Penny's favorites. So let me review each item that I got for you:

Episode 26: Life Updates, [Sanrio] My Melody Tutorial & My Unfulfilled Promise

I'M SO SORRY :(

I know I almost disappeared from the internet for the last 3 weeks. I let you guys down-- actually, I let myself down as well. I didn't keep my promise to blog at least once a week. A lot of things have been happening the last few weeks, which has caused me to feel really overwhelmed. Several of my close family members have been getting really sick lately and I just got into an auto accident, so it's been a constant in and out of the hospital :( All the unfortunate things come at once! Hopefully I will recover from my pain soon so I can get back on track with my life soon and fulfill the promise that I made 3 weeks prior. Thanks for hanging in there with me ♥

On a brighter note, I finally have a video up! This was pre-recorded about 2 weeks before though, just didn't get the time to edit it till now. Maybe this video will lighten up everyone's spirits more with its cuteness! I'm starting a Sanrio themed charm series on my channel so I hope you guys will enjoy it. :) I wanted to start off this series with My Melody because she's my favorite atm. I haven't decided on which characters I will make yet -- maybe if my subbies request enough characters, I'll just leave it up to them! haha. I was definitely thinking of making Kerropi and Badtz-Maru though. Please let me know if you have any other suggestions. You can watch the first video of this series below.

Until next time,

Angela 

Episode 25: Two Polymer Clay Tutorials (Minnie Mouse Cupcake & Lemon Meringue Pie) and Updates!

Okay so I lied. :( I didn't update once a week. I'm sorry! I will get my act together really soon because.........

I officially have a job!

It has definitely been a stressful month for me, with all the job hunting and interviews. But now, all those worries are over and I can finally set a routine for myself every day. My work hours are from 9AM-6PM, which means I will not be able to film on the weekdays anymore. :( (unless I film with my yellow lights..) I'll probably have to reserve a day over the weekend to film a video so I have the weekdays after work to edit them. 

Here's what I was thinking about:

Sunday: Film

Monday - Tuesday: Edit
Wednesday: Upload video

Thursday: New blog post

which leaves me with Friday night and Saturday to relax. :)

It definitely sounds ideal, but I'll have to actually go with it and see how it works out. Hopefully I won't be too exhausted from work. I also plan on hitting the gym for an hour after work a few times a week. Probably Monday, Wednesday and Fridays... I'm gonna need a gym buddy. I've never gone to one alone. lmao. I'm a big CHICKENNNN.

So anyways, I have TWO tutorials for you guys today! The first one is a Polymer Clay Minnie Mouse Cupcake Tutorial. If you follow me on YouTube and you've already seen it, thank you ♥ If not... then here it is! Check it outtttt.

It was my very first polymer clay tutorial so please excuse the horrible focusing and such. -.-" It was probably more work trying to film it than actually making it because I couldn't figure out how I wanted the set up to be, how to properly film it so you can see all the details and such. BUT... I pretty much have it figured out now in my new tutorial for the Lemon Meringue Pie!

I decided to film this because it was.... NATIONAL LEMON MERINGUE PIE DAY (August 15)! haha. I was totally unaware of these kind of days until it was National Cheesecake Day on July 30th and restaurants and bakeries were offering 50% off all cheesecakes! So I got curious and decided to look up what other national dessert days there are and lo and behold... almost every day is a national day for some kind of dessert/food! So I was thinking about doing tutorials for popular desserts so we can all learn something new! :) yay!

So yeah, please like and subscribe if you liked these videos! :) Feel free to request tutorials and I'll see if I can take on your challenge! ;) Let me know in the comments below (or in my videos) what you thought and/or how I can improve future tutorials.

Thanks so much♥

Angela

Episode 24: Minute Styles - 4 Corduroy Pants Pairings

It's been a while since I last made a YouTube video and even longer  since I last blogged! I've been so caught up the last 2 weeks applying to jobs and going to interviews. No excuse for the time before that though! haha. I was just enjoying my summer. :) But now I'm back and I will be blogging at least once a week! (and produce a video)

For my latest video, I did a pairings video on the new corduroy pants I purchased at H&M for only $2.50! How great of a deal is that?! Corduroy always appeared old fashioned to me before, but seeing a pair of pants for $2.50 was something I just couldn't pass up. So, I decided to get them and see what I can wear with them. They're black (I also purchased a pair of dark blue ones) so it makes it a lot easier to wear. I think black is definitely a great entry into a style that's out of your comfort zone. It's not too flashy and definitely leaves a lot of leeway for you to play around with different textures/styles.

Without further ado, lets get started with my pairings!

Watch my video here: 

Outfit 1: Chic 

Gold Sequin Blouse (Forever21) with nude pumps

This outfit is great for going out on a date. The sequins and pumps give off a very feminine and 'formal' feel while the corduroy texture tones it down a bit to a more casual feel.

Outfit 2: Edgy

Pleather Peplum Top (Zara) with nude pumps

When I was pairing this outfit, I immediately thought of Nikita. It gives off a very fierce vibe, which is nice once in a while. :) The 'deep' V-neck area brings out a very sexy feel as well. I think this outfit is perfect for those clubbing days!

Outfit 3: After Work

Shell Tank (Loft) with two tone flats

Got a date right after work and no time to change outfits? You could just keep the top you're wearing and put on the corduroy pants for a more relaxed look and you're all ready for your date! You still look polished, but comfortable at the same time.

Outfit 4: Casual

Chambray Shirt (Forever21) with flipflops

This look is perfect for going to class, chilling with your friends, or just a casual outing. Best of all, it's super comfortable. I think the colors also go really well together.

Hope you're having a super day and I'll see you in my next post!

Angela