October 26th, 2007

It’s been a week since the last entry! What’s up? Well, something weird is happening with my body. Somehow I have developed an allergy to something that has yet to be found. It all started at the beginning of this month… just a harmless little itchiness above my left wrist. But then I noticed a splatter of tiny reddish bumps there. Hmmm. Insect bites? I didn’t give it much thought until a few days later when I noticed similar itch and bumps on my right arm, above the wrist - almost symmetrical to the left one! Within a week, it got so much worse - all the way up my arms…

So I’ve been to a doctor twice and to a dermatologist once. So far none of the medication seems to really work. The new medication did ease off the bumps but new ones still appearing here and there… Spreading to my legs and parts of my body. Never mind how my skin looks now… I know one day it will smooth itself out. But maaan… it’s so itchy all over! Although I know that everything must come to an end which means this itchiness will come to an end one day, it is still a royal PITA indeed! What’s worse, it disturb my sleep too so I’m not getting enough sleep although I go to bed early (an achievement for me, the chronic night owl!).

The thing with allergy is that there are thousands of possible allergen. To pin point exactly what it is could take a lot of time, time and resources. So for cases like me - which considered to be not so bad, most doctors would just choose the take the short cut. That is, easing off the allergic reaction without really knowing the cause of it.

Now, allergy could happen suddenly. Things or food that you have been having all your life could out of the blue become allergen. Your body simply decided to react badly to them. I’m worried that this is the case with my allergy because I can’t recall having anything new/unusual around the time I first got the itchiness. Then the possibilities are wide open… it could be anything! Although… according to the dermatologist, judging from my itchiness it doesn’t seem to be from food. Food allergy usually give wider reaction, i.e. retching, dizziness, swelling and such. So I guess my condition is not so bad indeed.

But still… what could it be the cause? A mystery to solve! If I don’t know what it is, then I can’t do anything to prevent it from happening again! And trust me, it’s a royal PITA to have this itch all over your body!

Ohkay. Enough about that unpleasant subject. Let’s move on to something more useful and fun! Have you heard about TrailFire? I found out about it from Heidi of DigiscrapInfo.com. You can read about it here. It looks like a useful thing to implement so I gave it a try!

I’ve always wanted to see how my kits are being used by my customers (you!) and from time to time I’m lucky enough to see them on public galleries such as DST or SBB. Some of you would give me links or even uploaded your layouts to Ztampfest Gallery. But what if we could build a list of layouts done using certain kits that everyone can add to and view! This will create a good inspiration source too!

For example, here I made a trail for Phrench Phoebe Layouts:
http://trailfire.com/fhung/trailview/48120

If you’re registered at TrailFire, you can add to the list! See how easy it is done. I like the nifty buttons - very clever! In the future, I might add more trails for each kit so if you need more inspirations for using certain kits, just visit the trail and you can see various layouts from various sites, not limited to Ztampfest or DST or SBB or wherever:).

I’ve also created this trail: Mac Tips’n Tricks - for Mac users like me. I hope they will find it useful!

To see all the Trails that I’ve created so far, you can visit: http://trailfire.com/fhung/. I’m still building them. I think that over time it could be a handy valuable cross-reference vault that is accessible from anywhere on the net :).

And speaking of Mac… Leopard is unleashed today! I’ve been waiting for it for so long! You know what my plan is? I’m going to get myself a top of the line iMac. 24″. 2.8 GHz. 4 GB RAM. 1 TB HD space. Yes, I need a really powerful machine for my kind of work. Large display will help too! I’ve been doubting over whether to get a desktop or not since the last time I was using desktop was in 1998, on a PC. After much reconsideration… I decided that yes, a desktop will work best for me. So as soon as the iMac is shipped with Leopard inside, I’ll place an order at Fortress. What is Fortress? It is an electronic shop chain in Hong Kong that offers 2-year interest free installment plans when you spend over HKD 2,000 (USD 255). Isn’t it just great? That’s my secret why it seems so easy for me to just decide: “I want the top of of the line iMac available out there!” :D.

Now… the Ztampfans Challenges. I’ve made a boo boo which you can read about in Ztampfans Group @ FaceBook. But more importantly, the voting is now begun! Go there and vote for your favorite layout! The lucky winner will get a $20 Gift Certificate to be used at http://ScrapSupply.com!

And I made a new layout today using my new halloween stuff:

Halloween at DB, 2006

Well, that’s it for now! TEO is just back with chocolates and DVDs for the weekend! He’s cooking dinner now - I’d better go to the kitchen and harass him a bit ;).

Have a wonderful weekend, Everyone! Wish me luck so the allergy will go away soon!

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October 19th, 2007

Just a quick post - I’m suffering from a new allergy that keeps me scratching all over! It’s not pretty! But anyway… I managed to get the Ztampf! MINI Crafty Calendar 2008 Kit ready for you :). It is available in US English and Global English versions.

The original collapsible desk-calendar great for super special gifts that last the whole year and then some! Now in Mini Vertical: the size of the finished calendar is 5.25″ x 7.50″ with the Stand Folder (the size of the calendar pages themselves is 5″ x 7.25″). Create fully customized keepsakes to give for Christmas, New Year, Valentine’s Days, Birthdays, Anniversaries, Just Because…

Ztampf! MINI CraftyCalendar 2008 Kit

Ztampf! MINI CraftyCalendar 2008 Kit

Ztampf! MINI CraftyCalendar 2008 Kit

Ztampf! MINI CraftyCalendar 2008 Kit

Click any of the images above to see it in the shop - there are more preview images there.

NOTES:
You can print and assemble your CraftyCalendar at home and the binding can be done at your local output/copying center i.e. Kinko, Staples, Costco, etc. The material for the Stand/Folder is 0.5 mm thick mounting board which you can get from your local craft supply/stationery shop. More detailed information is provided in the Instructions Booklet.

If you would like to do your own binding, check out the small Bind-It-All machine - available from ScrapSupply.com. To get the Bind-It-All Detailed User Guide (not included in the purchase of the machine itself), just click here.

Enjoy crafting your super special calendars!
I’d be very happy to see your creations in the gallery :).

Have a fabulous weekend, Everyone!

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October 16th, 2007

First off, the Ztampfever No. 27 has been released! Have you subscribed yet?

Did you know that you can read previous editions from this page here: http://ztampf.com/ztampfever.html? Just scroll down to the Archive section. You might not be able to enjoy past coupons, but a few direct download links would still be there ;). Some people found the newsletter layout to be inspiring too :).

Have you heard? The Ztampf! Weekly Challenges has ended and of course, after much agonizing choosing between so many amazingly gorgeous layouts, we’ve got the winners!

THE GRAND PRIZE WINNER IS… MamaCrina with “Once Upon A Time“!
Congratulations!

The Winners for the Week 4 Challenge:
• First Communion by LynnZant
• Fairy Dreaming by 5Angels
• Lissy by Sternrakete
Click here for the complete list of winners.

Those of you loving the challenges, worry not! We’re going to have fun bi-weekly challenges over at Ztampfans Group starting this Thursday, 18 Oct. 2007. How does it work? A new challenge will be posted every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month. The challenges, requirements and prizes will be varied but ANY ONE is ALWAYS welcome to play and to vote. Participants may post as many layouts as they wish.

Participants will have 1 week to upload their layouts with the following week dedicated for voting time. Anyone may vote but only 1 vote is allowed per challenge. The Layout that received the most votes will win. The winner will be announced along with the posting of the next challenge.

What do you think? Interested to play? You will need to join Facebook first. Don’t worry, it is super easy and fun! It could be addicting though, so be warned ;). Once you’ve joined, look for my name Lie Fhung or Ztampfans Group.

Now… the brand new stuff:


And the Deutsche Version of the Ztampf! 5×7 Card Calendar 2008 Kit is now available:

Is that all? Nope! I’ve received my Bind-It-All machine last week and I’ve used it to bind my newest Crafty Calendar Kit coming up to the shop by this weekend! It took some practice to make a perfect binding though, so I advise you to make a mock-up calendar set to practice with. Later you can use this as a guide/example. Here’s a sneak peek for the new Crafty Calendar Kit. Most of the kit is down, I just need to work on the illustrated Instructions Booklet.

COMING SOON : Mini-Vertical Ztampf! Crafty Calendar 2008 Kit

I used the Centering method with 6 holes so that I can have 4 Calendars made from just 1 Double-O Wire binding. Yup, I am a thrifty gal at heart! But it looks good that way, isn’t it?

The Bind-It-All machine will be perfect for the regular size Ztampf! Crafty Calendars too! Get yours from my favorite shop here. In my experience, all orders come with a tiny pack of m&m’s ;). I haven’t shopped there much since I’ve gone digi though…

That’s it for today. Now I need to get some lunch and if I am lucky I might be able to catch a nap too! (Only had about 3.5 hours of sleep last night!).

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