DIY Scratch Cards

Hello everyone!

It's been a while since I've posted a DIY tutorial and there is a fun project I had been wanting to share with you. This project was part of my best friend's 21st birthday gift so I had to hold on this post for a while. Some time last year I was just scrolling through Pinterest and I came across a project where the receiver had to scratch off the cards to find out what their gift was. I thought it was a really interesting project and I wanted to put my own spin to it. 

These scratch cards are all categorised according to different emotions. For instance, if my best friend is overwhelmed with happiness she gets to scratch one of the happy cards. They contain a mixture of quotes and personal messages. I made a few different types which will be shared in another post. 

In this tutorial, I will share with you how to create this "scratch off" effect on any type of scratch cards. For this project, you would need:

Cards

There are a few printables available online for you to download and print out. If you are interested to see how mine looks like, leave a comment!

- Clear Contact Paper or Clear Tape
- Acrylic Paint (I used gold and silver)
- Paintbrush or Sponge
- Dishwasher liquid
- Scissors

Now, let's get started!

1. Cut out some contact paper or clear tape to cover the part that needs to be scratched out.

2. Gently cover the area that you want your receiver to scratch off.

3. Mix your acrylic paint with dishwasher liquid. 

The ratio is about 2:1 (for every 2 drops of paint, you would need 1 drop of dishwasher liquid). 

Mix them gently as you do not want too much bubbles forming.

This step is optional. 

I pasted some tape over the card as I wanted the painted area to be clean and neat. I could not find paper tape in my house so I used paper tabs instead. It definitely was not as effective as a paper tape, but it did a decent job.

4. Using a paintbrush or sponge apply the paint and dishwasher mixture over the area.

I used a sponge as it was more even as compared to the paintbrushes I had on hand. Do not worry if you can still see through the words. I applied 2-3 coats to completely cover the area. 

Once you are done, leave it to dry and it will look something like this.

In the image the first card is not completely covered due to the insufficient paint and bright lighting.

This is a fun project where you can do with a group of friends or family. There are so many different occasions where you can do this. For example, Birthdays, Mothers' Day, Fathers' Day, Parties and etc. If you did try out this project, tag me in any of the social media platform because I love seeing different versions of this project.

Get creative and have fun! 

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Best Personal Blender for Smoothies

Hello everyone!

We can't deny how unpredictable the weather in Singapore can be. One moment it is raining and the next moment it is so sunny. But no matter how hot or chilly the weather is, one thing I enjoy having is some cold smoothie. 

As this is the fasting month, my mum and I like preparing some drinks for the family when we break our fast when the sun sets. Today, it is not gonna be a post on diy or recipe but it is a post to introduce this awesome personal blender that would come in really handy at any time of the day or season. 

TADA! Introducing the Naturai Personal Blender (NPB600i).

PS: The background was too crowded so I edited it. *winks*

This is how the packaging looks like. It comes in 2 different colours, green and red. This was a gift from my aunt and she got me the green one and I'm really loving the whole look.

Some details of the product that is found on the packaging.

It's been a week since my aunt got me this personal blender and I finally decided to use it today. My dad's friend had sent some mangoes from India and let me tell you mangoes from India got to be the best. Whenever the season comes we get a box full of them have mango feast that will last for about 2-3 weeks. So, my mum wanted to cut them but realized it was too soft. boooo!

That's when we decided to make a smoothie and finally check out the blender.

It comes in 2 different sizes, 600ml and 300ml. All you have to do is put in any fruits or vegetables of your choice.

If you like add some milk and honey for a creamy taste. I do not have an exact measurement, I just poured according to my feel. I was using low fat milk.

Then you fasten the blending blade to the bottle and place it on the machine.

This is the most simple step. Just hold the pulse button until the ingredients are fully combined. I think the whole product looks too cute.

The best part about this product is that you do not have to transfer it to another glass or bottle to chill it in the fridge.

Simply replace the blending tool cap with the bottle cap. Doesn't that make your life so much easier?

This blender is specially for making smoothies or juices and not for designed to blend any meat, dough or mashed potatoes. I have been using the blender that my mum uses to make sauces and chutney to make smoothies. It is rather inconvenient because of the extra washing so that the remaining traces of the spices won't stick to my smoothie ingredients. 

I was really happy and grateful that my aunt got this for my as I have been saving to get this blender that I saw in Tangs. If I am not wrong, I saw it for $80 but I must say it is a reasonable price because of the whole concept and convenience. Moreover, it comes in 2 different sizes allowing you to make 2 different smoothies at the same time with minimal time and water wastage. If you are staying in Singapore, look out for any sale from John Little/Tangs/Robinsons because I am sure they will be selling it at a cheaper price. Plus it comes with a 1-year warranty.

I found this user manual online just in case you couldn't understand how this works. 

Click here for user manual. 

Click here for pricing details.

If you are staying outside of Singapore, I found some similar machines that can be found in Target or Amazon.com. Check out the links below.

Oster Personal Blender

Tribest Personal Blender

I would like to mention that no one paid me to do this. Even though I am using it for the first time, I personally felt that this was an adorable and useful product that people would enjoy using because of its convenience. 

Update (6 October 2013): I have been using this blender for about 3 months already. Although usage is not high, it is working really well for me and the multi-purpose function is still so awesome!

If you were to travel and wanted to bring a smoothie making machine, this would definitely be an ideal choice. It is also a great gift idea for your loved ones or anyone who loves making smoothies. 

So, get yourself one now and make some smoothies!

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DIY Explosion Box Card

Hello Everyone! This post might have an overload of photographs but I hope you will enjoy them because personally I am very satisfied with how the pictures had turned out. Previously, I had shared about some DIY Mini Birthday Cards and I had mentioned that I had presented them in an Explosion Box Card. I may have repeated this before, but it was an absolute joy doing this particular birthday project. I must admit that this took slightly longer than expected due to lack of inspiration. But when I looked at the final product and witnessed the reaction of my best friend when she received it, I knew that all the time spent on it was so worthwhile.

I made a short video (tried to make it as short as possible) to show how it looks like when it is opened up. Before I spoil it any further, please watch the video before scrolling down the pictures because the effect won't be there!

My DSLR was low in battery and I couldn't find my charger which sucks big time because I am sure the video quality would have been so much more promising. Nevertheless, I took some pictures with my iPhone 4S which I really love and it turned out presentable too. So, I made 3 layers in total, no particular reason why. Unlike most explosion boxes I didn't glue the bottom together because I had printed too many photographs so I decided to use the base for photographs. Also, it would be easier to view each flap more conveniently and the mini cards can be taken out easily as well. 

Click here if you didn't read the post on my DIY Mini Birthday Cards.

I decided not to do a tutorial because there are so many other amazing tutorials and I would just like to share some ideas if you decide to make one yourself. My outer box is about 4.5in x 4.5in (11.5cm x 11.5cm). The main reason for the box is to hold my mini cards and I wanted to make it as colourful as possible to signify how enthusiastic and positive Roslina is, but at the same time not make it look over done. Allow me to take you through the layers.

I kept the outer look simple so that when it opens up it will be a pleasant surprise.

This is how the first layer looks like when it is opened up.

Initially I wanted to put this on the cover but it did not go well with the whole floral feel so I decided to place on the middle and it fitted nicely. This was done in Photoshop, it is really simple to make and it doesn't take so much of your time. You can even choose to print this in a bigger size and give this as a birthday card.

I bought most of the cardstocks from Paper Market (they have one at Plaza Singapura and Vivocity). I made an opening so that I can slot in my card. I tried to match the cards according to the colours used on each flap.

At first, I decided to attach one card on one flap but this turned out bigger than expected so I was able to slot in 2 instead.

This is one of my favourite flap. I saw something similar when I was searching for inspiration on the internet. The caption says "Wishing you bags and bags of happiness..."

This is the second box. I love the silhouette portraits and I was so happy the way it turned out. 

This layer had more of blues and greens and the colour combinations looked so pretty.

I love this flap because first I think the card is cute and the translucent card holder gives a very nice effect. 

I love everything about this flap, from the rinestones, lace border, picture (you the the point when I say everything).

Poloroid inspired flap and I happened to have a card stock which went really really well with the mini card. yay!

I forgot to take a picture of the front. This was really cute because it was designed like a mini book where you open it.

The middle where I managed to put the photographs that I had printed.

The last layer. I think the bicycles are really cute. *heart-shaped eyes emoji*

I had too many photos which I couldn't place it in the box. So I made a tiny green envelope and slot in all the photos that I had left.

Lastly.....

the cutest part of the card

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I made a tiny mail box with the remaining papers I had so that I can slot in my birthday message. I had so many ideas for this. I was thinking of putting a mini balloon but I had no helium gas. boooo! Then I thought of making a basket and put some flowers but it would be too small. Finally I settled on the mailbox which appeared really awesome.

Pardon me if I had complimented the work too much because I was so happy with the end product. There so many other great videos on YouTube. I saw a wedding explosion box where it looked like a Chapel which was really sweet. There was also one which was Halloween themed and it looked like a haunted house. It is really fun to make and there are so many occasions where you can present this. Feel free to comment and ask me any questions regarding this project. I will try my best help. Till then, have a great week ahead everyone!

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DIY Birthday Card Ideas

Hey! I have been blogging about food, food and more food so I thought I shall share some DIY ideas for a change.

 Is your friend's birthday around the corner? No idea what to get for your mum/sister/dad..(oh you get it)? Don't fret! Well, I love making my own gifts as compared to buying a gift from gift stores. I just feel that there's more sincerity and it will definitely be different from the other gifts that your friends or family members get because it's more personal. I was really happy with this particular birthday project for my bestfriend and I thought why not share some ideas since there's always birthdays around the corner.

There was once I had gone to Typo (Subsidiary of Cotton On) and they had this shelve where it displayed all these super adorable birthday cards. Obviously I was tempted to get one myself but I thought why not make some myself since it is more personalized and of course, CHEAPER. This project was really fun and the end product turned out to be amazing. I made 12 mini cards in total and it took me about 3 days to complete all of them. All you need for this project is Photoshop with  your favourite brush/font/pattern sets (I'm using the cs6 version) and lots and lots of inspiration and passion.

Side note: I got my most of my brushes and patterns from http://www.brusheezy.com/.

Check out http://www.dafont.com/ for a variety of fonts.

Before I say anything further, do take a look at my work!

I wanted it to be really cute so the measurement of the cards were 6cm by 7cm. It is a good idea because you can write a message at the back and the receiver can bring them wherever they want because it's really compact.

It can be also be used as wall decorations! I'm sure we don't like studying in a dull and boring space so you can choose to present it to them by decorating their space with these cute little motivation cards.

There were lots of moments where I ran out of ideas but thanks to Google, I managed to find some really pretty cards and cute messages to help me work with my designs.

"I moustache you a question. But I'll shave it for later." Hahahahaha, moustache puns are adorable.

Roslina loves balloons and she's a fan of leopard prints. So, that explains the leopard and the hot air balloon. You can play around with the subjects in the card according to your friend's/family members' likings.

 

Lastly, you cannot go wrong with simple flowers and MEMES. Memes are so cute and hilarious, you definitely got to add them in birthday cards.

I printed all 12 of them on an A4 size 250gsm matte paper for less than $2 at a local printing store and it all turned out great. If you were to go to a gift store or card store to purchase them individually it's gonna cost you way more.

There are so many ways to present these cards. I presented them in a self-made explosion box which I plan to share really soon. But you can choose to present it with a small cake, frame it up or even as simple as slotting it into a pretty envelope, it is totally up to your preference. Cards are so versatile because you can give them on so many occasions such as Valentine's Day, Birthday's, Graduation etc. I never get sick of cards because every time I get one it's different. A card will never go wrong and what is amazing is that it is personally made by you. Best part is, it is cheap and yet it has so much sincerity! 

I welcome any comments and questions on how to go on about doing this. Please credit if you were to repost any of the designs because I know watermark pictures are a pain and it destroys the picture. If you are interested in any of my designs, feel free to comment or contact me via FB/Twitter/Instagram/Email (click on the connect page on the top for more information) and I will try my best to get back to you guys. I hope you will have fun making your own! Ciaoz.

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