Violin vs. Guitar

May 22nd, 2013 Pixie Blogger

I was with my friend when he went online shopping for ghs guitar strings at Guitar Center and it reminded me that I need to replace the stings of my violin. I’m actually thinking about selling it and then maybe just buying a guitar instead. I have it for years now but never used it. One of the strings broke when my cousin tried to play song… maybe because it hadn’t been used for a long time.

I’m thinking about it selling it because it’s just sitting in my room, collecting dust. I can’t find the time (and the budget) to enroll at a music school right now, so, I’m thinking that at least the guitar is easier to learn on my own. Plus, I have friends who can teach me how to play the guitar. What do you think?

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Musical Instruments

May 20th, 2013 Pixie Blogger

Been learning a lot about musical instruments lately since I’m hanging around much my friend who is in a band. He and his bandmates are trying to tech me little about their instruments. The drummer even let me take a peek when he was looking at the paiste cymbals from musicians friend that he’s planning on buying.

It’s pretty interesting, really, but what’s more interesting is if I’ll be able to really learn and play the instruments. Should take those guitar lessons soon.

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Accent Wall Project

May 15th, 2013 Pixie Blogger

My room is now newly painted but it still looks like it’s lacking because of this one bare wall. I’m thinking of turning it into an accent wall but I haven’t decided yet what to do with it. One plan is to buy one of those wall stickers. I went to the Japanese dollar store but could not find a design I want, so, I’m thinking of putting up some of my favorite photos instead. Yes, I’m thinking of printing posters and surrounding them with smaller prints. It’s about time I get to put my lomography shots to use, don’t you think?

I asked my friends if they know a poster printing company which they can recommend and a few of them mentioned Shortrunposters. I checked their site and was glad to see that they’re offering custom poster printing at a very affordable price. Their cost is actually the cheapest I have seen. I also read the testimonials of those who have tried their services and there’s nothing but positive reviews. You can visit the site here.

They offer two sizes for the posters, 18×24 and 24×36. I’m thinking about having three 18×24 posters printed and then the rest are the smaller prints. The bare wall is not that big after all. They also offer other options like if you want the posters with lamination and if you want it mounted on white foam core or with calendar slides. I think I want my posters with lamination to make it more durable and weather-proof. Still thinking about whether I want them mounted, though. I can’t wait to order my posters. It’s very easy to do to. I will just create an account on their site, choose the size of my poster and other options like lamination and mounting, upload the photo to be used (they have a guide about the file requirements and restrictions), pick shipping options, and I’m done.

I can’t wait to get started with my accent wall project!

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2013.05.10 Freebie Hunt

May 10th, 2013 Pixie Blogger

Have you guys gotten over iNSD yet? I didn’t go shopping but I’m still organizing all the freebies that I’ve downloaded. That was a lot of freebies last weekend. Thanks to all the designers for their generosity!

Like I’ve mentioned on my last freebie hunt, I’ve found an easier way to do the hunt which is Pinterest. Problem is Pineterest doesn’t pin from Facebook, so, what I do is I pin just the image of the kit and then post the link on the description. Now, here’s this week’s freebie hunt. For those of you who don’t have an account with Pinterest, don’t worry because you can still view the boards even without an account.

Happy downloading!

Tags: digital scrapbooking feebies, free digiscrap kit, free kit, freebie hunt

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Labels

May 10th, 2013 Pixie Blogger

One thing that attracts me when buying products is the packaging. The prettier the packaging, the more I want to buy it. And what contributes the most to the packaging, of course, is the label. I love, love, love pretty labels. The prettier the label, the better. (I love anything pretty!) I myself love labels, especially personalized stickers. I don’t really have much use for them since I don’t like sticking stuff on my things but I love them (and collect them) nevertheless. Weird, huh? Well, like I said, I love pretty things.

Anyways, I once helped a friend design custom printed labels for her small business. She is selling baked goodies like cakes, muffins, cupcakes and cookies. It was really fun especially since I’m dealing with yummy goodies! We know this store that prints personalized labels but they were too expensive even if we ordered in bulk, so, we asked other business owners where they have their labels printed. A couple suggested we check out Frontier Label. They offer top quality custom printed labels and stickers at competitive prices. They have a huge variety of sizes in stock, 1268 and counting. It’s actually more convenient than going to the sticker store because we can buy online and reorder anytime online, too. Plus, they also offer optional overnight delivery. Saves us time and gas money compared to going to the store to pick the labels after they’re done printing them. Huge savings here. They have better customer service, too. You can chat with them live or call them.

I looked through their site and loved that they have this section called “Label Artwork Help.” I checked it out and it contains information about printing labels and stickers. It is very heplful for designers like me because it has all the info that I need when designing the labels or stickers. Nice one!

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New Hobby

May 8th, 2013 Pixie Blogger

I’m starting a new hobby soon… no, it’s not yoga but I’d love it to be it. My friend bought some yoga accessories from http://www.yogaaccessories.com and she kept convincing me to do yoga. I’d love to but I don’t think I’m ready for it, yet. I’ll have to consult with my doctor first, too, if it’s safe for someone with multiple slipped disks like me.

Anyways, the new hobby that I’m taking about (aside from postcard collecting ) is calligraphy. I actually started doing calligraphy when I was in high school but that was all play for me then. I want to get serious this time. I already bought some supplies to get me started, like what I’ve mentioned on my previous post.

I also bought a math notebook which I’ll use to practice, I think the grid paper will help a lot. I have this old Speedball book and will start with that one. Plus, I have a few calligraphy books in pdf form which I think will help me get started.

Looks like a plan, huh?

Tags: calligraphy

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A Little Spring Cleaning

May 5th, 2013 Pixie Blogger

Yes, I’m doing a little spring cleaning both in real life and virtually.

I’m cleaning my cabinet and getting rid of clothes that I don’t use anymore. I’m also trying to get rid of the mold smell in one of the cabinets. By the way, if you’re doing the same as me, you might want to buy a mold killer here, they have a wide variety. I also bought a small plastic cabinet with drawers where I’m going to put some of my art and craft supplies.

Next is the virtual spring cleaning. My hard disk is running out of space and I need to free up some space soon for it not to run slow. I have a lot of video files and scrapbooking stuff that are just waiting for me to organize and backup, so, I’m starting with those. That’s about 400gb… good luck me!

After the spring cleaning, I want to carve some rubber stamps again. I remember I bought these huge erasers but haven’t use a single one, yet. Also I bought me some calligraphy supplies and I want to start learning it soon. Care to join me?

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iNSD 2013 Freebie Hunt

May 4th, 2013 Pixie Blogger

It’s been a while since I last did a freebie hunt. Did you miss is? I now found a way to make the process easier and faster for me… Pinterest! Yep, I’ll be pinning those freebies so I don’t have to edit the previews anymore. Also, below are previews linked to the starting points of various blog/Facebook hops. Some of those included in the hops are also pinned on Pinterest, but not all. I suggest you still check the hops because Pinterest doesn’t allow pinning from Facebook. Happy iNSD and happy downloading!

Freebies I pinned on Pinterest (still pinning )

Scrapflower

For the Pixels and Company hop, you’ll need to collect letters/numbers for the coupon code to be used to buy the kit.

Here’s a different hop, also by P&Co., but this time for the journal cards. Again, you’ll need to find the letters/numbers for the coupon code.

May 2013 DigiScrap Parade. You can find all the previews here.

SugarHillCo

MScraps

Scrap Orchard

 Ginger Scraps

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Dry Ice Blasting

May 3rd, 2013 Pixie Blogger

If your business involves dry ice blasting or if you’re looking for a dry ice blaster, IceTech can help you. They offer a wide range of dry ice blasting machines and accessories which can help you cover different dry ice blasting applications, from simple to complicated tasks. Their products are guaranteed to be high quality, reliable, ergonomic, multifunctional, easy to operate, and cost and time saving. You can see products here with this link.

For those of you who are not familiar with dry ice blasting, it is a blasting method that uses small and compact dry ice pellets as the blasting material. It is designed to replace traditional blasting methods using sand, glass or plastic. This method is perfect for removing coatings such as adhesives, varnish, oil, grease, coal dust, soot, mould release agents, etc.

Dry ice blasting is cleaner to use compared to the other abrasive agents because the dry ice evaporates on contact with the surface to be cleaned. It is also much safer to use. It is considered to be more environmentally friendly since it does not produce any waste product, which is always a big plus in today’s pollution aware society. Here are some other advantages of using dry ice blasting. Machines do not need to be dismantled to be cleaned using this method which drastically reduces a company’s downtime. Another thing is, this method is non-abrasive. Surfaces are treated very gently so wear and tear is avoided. Amazing isn’t it?

Seriously, I hope most companies will shift to dry ice blasting. Not only is it cost-efficient but is also offers other benefits that other blasting methods don’t. Like I mentioned earlier, it is friendly to the environment because dry ice is non-toxic. No hazardous chemicals or solvents are used in dry ice blasting. Another important benefit is that the machine operator’s health is safe because exposure to hazardous fumes during cleaning is avoided.

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HOT!

April 26th, 2013 Pixie Blogger

It is scorching hot this summer, I am perspiring everywhere. I perspire even when I’m just sitting down and I’ve even discovered parts of my body which I didn’t know could perspire. Haha! How I wish we had jacuzzi bathtubs in our house, because I’d love to soak in one right now and stay there for hours, it would feel so refreshing. I would love a swimming pool even more, but we don’t have the space for one so I’d settle for the bathtub. I can just imagine it now … me, entirely covered with bubbles while reading a book and listening to my favorite songs … complete with yellow rubber duckies floating around me. I even imagine giving my dog Bailey a bath in it. It’s free to imagine, right?

Well, what I’m imagining just could come true. I was doing some online window shopping when I saw these whirlpool baths on sale at whirlpoolbathtubs.com. The discounts are huge, so I told my mom about it. On the site they have a lot of products to view, and they’re amazing! Anyway, she said it’s perfect timing because she’ll be receiving her retirement bonus soon and she might buy a couple of whirlpool baths as a retirement gift for herself and for all of us at home. Our bathrooms, after all, are built and ready to have the bathtubs installed.

We already told the kids about it, and they were ecstatic when they heard the good news. I’m super excited myself, too, and I can’t wait! It’s really perfect especially since the weather seems to get worse every year, and I’m predicting that next summer will be even hotter than this year’s. Plus, I really need a spot where I can relax and de-stress after a long week of hard work… working with design is really mentally draining, I’m telling you, and I need to de-stress and recharge regularly for my brain to keep on functioning.

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