tracychong

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T00:41:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by desireux.

To all the Moms out there!

Pretty paper accents

2009-04-23T21:36:00.001-07:00

Color scheme, originally uploaded by desireux.

Here's another card for Mother's Day on May 10th. I'm always thinking of ways to give my cards a subtle hint of color- classy and not too flashy. I have a stash of pretty papers and decided play around with giving my latest cards some color accents. This pretty blue paper is by Martha Stewart and I like how the blue really goes well with the warm chocolate.

No earthquakes this year

2009-04-18T23:26:00.001-07:00

carefree for a moment, originally uploaded by desireux.

Compared to last year with the midwestern earthquake, this year was *peaceful* but still as meaningful. I passed my Preliminary Examinations (a major milestone in my graduate program) two days ago, and today Pop-Ups by tracychong has been online for two years.

The day I had my prelims was a very nice day, so I had a mushroom bagel, a cold bottle of vitamin water, and just sat outside slowly eating my lunch. At that time I was too tired to be overjoyed but it was so nice to just be able to sit in the sun savoring a little carefree moment. I was happy with the way my prelims went, but if I were to do it again, I would definitely handle the preparations differently. I was juggling experiments and writing at the same time right up to a few days before I had to submit my proposal and that really took a toll on me. I would have enjoyed the writing process much more and produced a better piece of work if I had just concentrated on the writing. I'm glad that I can concentrate now on experiments, I received some suggestions during the presentation and I'm so excited to try them out.

Moving on to the pop-up cards, yay for two years, thanks to the most awesome new owners of the pop-ups- you have no idea how happy I am reading the feedback that you take time to leave, many times it has made a not-so-nice day much better. To the other person behind this pop-up venture, you still continue to surprise me with your best-selling ideas, I always enjoy our discussions, thanks so much for everything!

Still can't decide which I like best.

2009-04-17T22:03:00.001-07:00

Still can't decide which I like best., originally uploaded by desireux.

More frozen yogurt. Looks like almost every entry here mentions frozen yogurt :P

I think I prefer the firmer texture of Cold Stone's. Coco mero's has a nice green tea one. Although I still like the tart taste of plain yogurt.

I've got to wake up early for class tomorrow, yes, on a Saturday .. and will probably spend the weekend working on pop-ups for a wedding. Hope to play some football though!

Have a good weekend everyone!

Thanks, Mom ... you're the BEST!

2009-04-13T23:02:00.001-07:00

Thanks, Mom ... you're the BEST!, originally uploaded by desireux.

Mother's Day is less than a month away. I really should mail my Mother's Day card to my mom so that it reaches her by May 10th. This year I decided to be a little bolder with colors, hence the pink+green combo. I'm loving the colors but I think my favorite part are the two tiny hearts :)

Anyway, it's almost my bed time but I'm so looking forward to tomorrow. There's a new frozen yogurt place in town and it's opening at 10 am! Breakfast may be pushing it but I'm definitely having yogurt for lunch. It's going to be a self-serve place where you dispense your own yogurt and then top it up with goodies. Yums!

Happy Easter

2009-04-11T17:07:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter, originally uploaded by desireux.

Wishing all of you a lovely weekend ~

Hello April, Hello Spring.

2009-03-31T23:52:00.001-07:00

Hello April, Hello Spring., originally uploaded by desireux.

Here's wishing you an April that's filled with sunny skies, yummy treats, baby animals and all pretty things.

These few days ice-cream has been constantly on my mind! The best custard in town, Jarling's Custard Cup is open for the season. My favorite is the plain and simple vanilla sundae + cold fudge. Then one Friday during spring break, my lab-mate suggested going to get ice-cream. So, off we went to Cold Stone. I haven't always been a fan of Cold Stone, I've actually been there only once before this trip because I find their ice-cream very sweet. But ... I tried their tart and tangy frozen yogurt + white chocolate chips and it was SO good. It tasted just home-made yogurt, just frozen, and the tangy-ness combined with the sweetness was just perfect. Guess what, I started craving it the whole weekend, and ended up having more on Sunday :P

Experimenting with frames.

2009-03-31T03:44:00.001-07:00

Experimenting with frames., originally uploaded by desireux.

Here's the rest of the lolspeak cards. From now onwards, I think i'm going to upload photos in this collage-frame-format. I'm liking the float-y effect.

Just spring and I'm enjoying ice-cream

2009-03-22T22:10:00.001-07:00

Just spring and I'm enjoying ice-cream, originally uploaded by desireux.

My oh my, it's already the third week of March. The past two weeks have just been a big blur... late late nights in lab, coming home past midnight, then tending to my beloved pop-ups. My preliminary examination (big exam in the middle of grad school) is less than a month away and part of it is writing a proposal (which is due in a few days!).

Fortunately the weather has been rather spring-y, and I've managed to squeeze little moments of joy like enjoying a sherbert popsicle on the quad. It's amazing how little things like this can help maintain one's sanity. And ... this weekend I also spent a little time at the mall! What a wonderful two hours it was. The highlight of my shopping adventure was finding the perfect jumper. I was just about to leave the store when Taylor Swift's Love Story started playing, so I just hung around to listen to it. It was there and then where I spotted the jumper. It was exactly what I had imagined the perfect jumper to be! Of course I had to get it :)

Anyway, back to pop-ups. I'm also working on my Mother's Day collection so it should be up before the end of March.

Ok, signing off now, and off to bed so that I can wake up fresh and ready to write. Happy Monday everyone!

My new stash arrived!

2009-03-01T20:20:00.001-08:00

My new stash arrived!, originally uploaded by desireux.

My spring colors have arrived! They are SO happy looking. I've already made some very fresh looking spring-themed pop-up cards (think bunnys, lots of greens, bees ..) and they are up in the store. Very excited! Actual photos will follow soon.

kthxbai

2009-02-26T22:42:00.001-08:00

, originally uploaded by desireux.

As previously hinted :)

Sunday Stew

2009-02-22T22:05:00.001-08:00

Sunday Stew, originally uploaded by desireux.

I woke up kind of earlier than expected this morning and decided to get started on my beef stew. I've been more fond of potatoes than usual this past week or so, thus added sweet potatoes and normal red skinned potatoes. After about 7 hours in the crock pot, the potatoes were so nice. They still held their shape but were soft and so satisfying! I still have mashed potatoes in the fridge, whole uncooked potatoes on the kitchen counter, and a bag of baby potatoes with 4 cheese sauce ready to be microwaved. I guess this week is potato week?

If you are interested in what else is in the stew, just click on the photo, I've listed the ingredients on my flickr page.

Ok, goodnight. I know my Monday will be super busy just because I was supposed to work on a lab presentation this weekend but didn't. Hope your week goes well!

i miss u <3

2009-02-18T20:34:00.001-08:00

, originally uploaded by desireux.

Love is missing someone whenever you're apart,
but somehow feeling warm inside because you're close in heart.
~Kay Knudsen

I found this quote through google, pretty sweet isn't it?

Besides this newest addition to the store, I also have 3 cards for my new category "geekery". I've always been a fan of I Can Has Cheezburger?® and the cats never fail to make me laugh. And .... although some of you may think I'm pretty serious, sometimes I do go "O Hai" ... oh no, did I just reveal that I go "O Hai" just for fun? Anyway, do stop by the store to check out the new cards if you can guess what they are. Photos will follow soon!

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T10:57:00.001-08:00

V-day / Heart day, originally uploaded by desireux.

How did you spend your Valentine's Day?

I spent the day in class learning about new venture formation as part of my module on Entrepreneurial Strategies and Technology Management. It isn't the most romantic thing to do, but I thought the topics covered today were quite interesting. Plus, in the spirit of Valentine's Day, the professor made some analogies which I found pretty funny, like how starting a successful business is like finding a wife- you may encounter quite a few no's but all you need is one YES!

a few days of beautiful

2009-02-12T20:58:00.001-08:00

Sunflowers make me smile, originally uploaded by desireux.

You might be wondering ... flowers... sunflowers in Urbana-Champaign in early February? Well, we didn't have sunflowers but we did have just lovely weather. I could walk around campus in just a cardigan and go to a basketball game with just a hoodie, and that was enough to make me so happy.

Feelings and Pop-Ups

2009-02-03T22:30:00.001-08:00

Central Park, originally uploaded by desireux.

Today, I wrote a very sweet message in one of my pop-up cards on behalf of a lovely lady. It made me feel very touched, and it was so heart warming to think of people expressing their feelings for one another through the pop-up cards. Definitely an awww moment!

Anyway, it's time to sleep. Enjoy the beautiful winter scenery of Central Park in New York!

Lovebirds

2009-02-02T22:05:00.001-08:00

Lovebirds, originally uploaded by desireux.

First of all, thanks for the comments on my personal assistant. SLM was right ... she is a tiny bottle of water for me to seal my envelopes. Now, eating too much glue would not be good for my health, would it?

This is another of my designs for Valentine's Day. My darling lovebirds. I always wonder when I see real life lovebirds ... what they feel, if they really love each other or if it's just instinct that causes them to snuggle against each other.

Behind the scenes: My personal assistant

2009-01-25T12:15:00.001-08:00

My personal assistant ^-^, originally uploaded by desireux.

Meet my adorable personal assistant, who plays a very important role at Pop-Up Central- where all my pop-up cards come to life. She is barely two inches tall, but is crucial in ensuring all of you get your pop-ups safe and sound. Anyone care to guess what she does?

Watching the inauguration

2009-01-20T21:51:00.001-08:00

Lying on the Quad, originally uploaded by desireux.

Today, the sixth floor gathered in the seminar room to watch the inauguration of the 44th president, Barack Obama. It was rather memorable moment.

Year of the Ox

2009-01-19T22:48:00.001-08:00

Year of the Ox, originally uploaded by desireux.

My friend has been asking me to make him some Chinese New Year cards with a cute ox because it's the year of the ox based on the chinese zodiac. So I sketched out the ox, gave it a lil' touch-of-cuteness, and even gave them either a flower or bandana depending on if the card was for a girl or guy.

On another note, I would like to give a shout out to Wanwisa from the blog Modern Vintage Designs who did a lovely (and huge!) feature on my pop-up cards. Thank you very much! The concept of her blog is very cool, and her "About me" page tells a very interesting story of she went from planning her own wedding to actually making the switch to the wedding industry, and is having so much fun planning more celebrations.

Updated: My Portfolio

2009-01-15T22:41:00.000-08:00

Hi dearest readers. Hope you are warmer than I am over here :)

Anyway, I've just updated my custom pop-up card portfolio to include my latest wedding projects and a few other fun ones over the past months. To visit me, click this link. I would love to hear what you think so feel free to leave me a comment here. It'll be very much appreciated!

It's getting cold in here ...

2009-01-14T19:22:00.001-08:00

Looks like a gnomes playground, originally uploaded by desireux.

I stopped by the oriental store today to get something for my Tom Yam noodle soup. Ended up buying some frozen raw oysters, and they tasted so good in the hot broth, especially in the cold, cold weather.

Outside the oriental store, they have these tiny lamp posts, about 2 feet tall amongst miniature pine trees. Even though it was freezing, the whole area looked like a playground for fairies or gnomes with the warm glowing lights. So pretty!

My fingers are so cold now typing this. Even with heat on (and I'm wearing 5 layers of clothes!) it is still very cold inside my apartment. It's now 2 F (-17C) and the feel like temperature is -17F (-27C). How crazy is that? There is a wind chill warning and it's only going to get colder tomorrow. Oh dear.

Boy meets Girl

2009-01-12T20:44:00.001-08:00

, originally uploaded by desireux.

This is another new design from this year's Valentine's Day collection.

Somehow, this pop-up card really reminds me of the 1991 movie My Girl starring Macaulay Culkin. Have you watched it? It remains one of my favorite movies of all time even though I watched it only once years ago! It's that memorable. I remember crying and feeling so touched. I love the song too, also titled My Girl by The Temptations and have it on my "making cards" playlist.

Hummingbirds

2009-01-07T21:39:00.001-08:00

Fluttering here and there, originally uploaded by desireux.

So here it is, the final version of my fluttering hummingbirds. Definitely looks much cleaner and less cluttered. With the previous version , I kept feeling that something was not right, but now I'm very happy with it.

As for photographing the pop-ups, I'm experimenting with using a plain white backdrop for a fresher look. I've found it works well for some cards but not others. Anyway, now my Etsy store has a combination of photos using both the new backdrop and my usual black/grey gradient one.

This card is part of my Valentine's Day collection of pop-up cards, which you can find here.

More color, please ...

2009-01-02T12:06:00.001-08:00

, originally uploaded by desireux.

This year you'll be seeing a much more colorful me.

I'll use more colors in my pop-up cards.

I'm going to include more color in my outfits, right now I'm loving reds.

and shoes.. oh yes, colorful shoes :)

Welcoming the New Year

2008-12-31T20:13:00.001-08:00

Happy 2009, originally uploaded by desireux.

Hello 2009!

I'm welcoming the new year with many great memories from 2008. Thank you very much for all the love and support during the past year.

Cheers, and here's wishing you a great year ahead!

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-22T22:51:00.001-08:00

Colors for Christmas, originally uploaded by desireux.

Merry Christmas, Season's Greetings and Happy Holidays to all of you. I hope you have a lovely time where ever you are.

I will be in New York for Christmas, really excited, its my first time visiting the Big Apple!

Btw, those cookies are delicious! They are from this Martha Stewart recipe. This batch of cookies were for Nick, who kindly requested them for his students. So sweet of him!

Decisions, decisions, decisions ...

2008-12-21T23:13:00.001-08:00

Sneak Preview ... , originally uploaded by desireux.

Hmmm.... I don't know if I should keep the top two love birds, or just go with the bottom ones. I love how the top ones look suspended in the air, especially with their wings outspread but I'm worried it looks too busy.

And... I don't know if I should keep this design in red or stay with my usual white 180 degree cards. I really like how bold it looks with black, but on the other hand white looks clean and bright.

Thoughts anyone?

Roast Chicken & Avocado Black Peppercorn Ranch Naan

2008-12-16T21:52:00.001-08:00

Roast Chicken & Avocado Black Peppercorn Ranch Naan, originally uploaded by desireux.

Yummy, yummy. There's always extra when I have a whole roast chicken, and this is one of my favorite ways to savor the leftovers. I cut the meat into smallish bits, including the skin (for that sinful bit of goodness). I then layer it on to naan (a type of flat bread), followed by a generous helping of avocados (because I LOVE them), Black Peppercorn Ranch dressing, a sprinkling of crushed peppercorns and sliced cheese. Put it under the broiler till the cheese starts to bubble.

The best thing is that this "recipe" is so flexible ... you can substitute the bread using pizza dough, pita bread, tortillas, you get the idea. If ranch dressing is not your cup of tea, I'm sure your favorite dressing will taste just as good.

Flowers in my hair

2008-12-13T22:37:00.001-08:00

i dreamt of flowers in my hair, originally uploaded by desireux.

Last night I dreamt of flowers in my hair. It was sweet, someone came up to me, gently tucked a stalk of tiny flowers in my hair, and walked away.

Show me your tree ...

2008-12-08T21:38:00.001-08:00

A very Chrismas-y Christmas card, originally uploaded by desireux.

Show me your Christmas trees :) I love looking at photos of Christmas trees so if you have already set yours up for the year do leave a link in the comments section and I'll hop over to visit.

Anyway, for my Christmas tree pop-up card this year, I decided to go with a more traditional theme of red, gold and green. I like how vibrant it looks and in the coming year, i'm going to try to incorporate more color into my pop-ups. So instead of having 99% of my pop-ups cut on a white background, you might be seeing more color!

It's up!

2008-12-06T19:45:00.001-08:00

It's up!, originally uploaded by desireux.

I just set up my Christmas tree. Love the red sparkly lights and shiny baubles. And my little handmade polymer clay ornaments. I'm thinking of making some more ornaments this year, maybe with felt. Laura aka Lupin, has some lovely tutorials for felt ornaments on her blog, like this one to make a Christmas Pudding. She also has the loveliest felt ornaments in her Etsy store so head over if you would like some lovelies for your tree this year.

Stevy Snowman goes to Hawaii

2008-12-04T23:50:00.001-08:00

Stevy Snowman goes to Hawaii, originally uploaded by desireux.

Another fun project :)

Happy Friday everyone!

A fir branch, a beaver and snowflakes

2008-12-01T19:20:00.001-08:00

A fir branch and a beaver, originally uploaded by desireux.

Once in a while I will receive a request for a card that just makes me smile. My latest one involved a beaver, a fir branch and snowflakes. It was a fun project :)

Wow

2008-11-30T21:34:00.000-08:00

I was about to head to bed last night when I just had to check the front page of Etsy. It was a beautiful front page, all sunny and yellow in contrast to the snow outside (yes, we had our first heavy snowfall, yay!), but one item stood out and made me go "Wow!". I clicked on the photo and it led me to one of the most amazing shops I've stumbled upon on Etsy.

In her store SprattersandJayne, yarn artist Rachael has the the biggest cowls I've seen! I love how she photographs them, they look so warm and cozy, perfect for the coming winter months. Even better still, they are adorned with the HUGE wooden buttons that are oh-so-adorable.

Happy Thanksgiving to you

2008-11-27T13:49:00.001-08:00

Trimmings, originally uploaded by desireux.

This year will be a quiet Thanksgiving for me. November just flew by, it has been a very busy time of the year for both science and art projects. So yes, tonight I'm looking forward to a quiet dinner at my favorite chinese buffet and then a movie.

Teeny-Weeny ones

2008-11-15T22:39:00.001-08:00

One lonely heart, originally uploaded by desireux.

My latest project involves cutting out tons of teeny-weeny letters. I always smile when I see LittlePut of Etsy's description of her location: Paper Coated in Portland. I feel you, LittlePut! With this project, I find the letters on my clothes, on the floor, in my sheets, and boy, do they have the ability to wander from room to room!

When two become one

2008-11-11T21:11:00.001-08:00

When two become one, originally uploaded by desireux.

I was making more of Red Nosed Rudolph when I noticed how cute they were before I glued them together.

Transient Beauty

2008-11-06T20:05:00.001-08:00

Transient Beauty, originally uploaded by desireux.

The beauty of autumnal colors is often short lived. One day, everything around you is a warm gold, but it takes no more than a gusty afternoon and all you have left are naked branches. I was glad I walked a little slower to lunch on Tuesday.

The weather in Urbana-Champaign was lovely a few days ago. Even though it was November, I could wear my shorts out. It felt like I was in California! Even though I was feeling rather tired this week, the perfect weather and gorgeous colors were enough to make me smile. Today however was a day of thunderstorms. All the pretty colors were on the floor in muddy puddles. Soon the trees will be bare and cold, but winter has its own beauty, and it's approaching fast.

Snow Crystals in November

2008-11-04T21:48:00.001-08:00

Pure and Peaceful, originally uploaded by desireux.

I finally made my snowflakes pop-up card :) This design took me quite some time, from the snowflake illustration to joining the snowflakes to make the intricate "network" of snowflakes at the top of the arch and finally putting the piece together.

One of the challenges of making pop-up cards is that one has to always think of the cutting step or the assembly step while proceeding with the illustration. The illustration has to look good as a cut-out, meaning that one has to think of it in terms of negative and positive spaces.

After the card is made, another challenge would be the photography of the card. I find these 180 degree cards easier to photograph because they are clearly three dimensional. However, for the 90 degree cards, the cards need to be at an angle where you can see the "pop up". This is an aspect which is important too, because I want my pop-ups to not only look good in person but in photographs too. This is why I even envision the photo taking process at the designing stage of the pop-up.

I have my Snow Crystals pop-up card on Etsy now, together with the rest of my 2009 Holiday Collection which I will post of more in days to come. Meanwhile, hope November goes well for all of you!

A Summary of Little Pleasures: Soap, Football, Happy Owners & A Flattened Turkey

2008-10-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

I received DennisAnderson's Jasmine Soap Bar (that pretty pink soap in the first photo) a few weeks ago. It has been sitting on the little table beside my bed, its scent just tempting me to use it! Finally, this weekend I felt like pampering myself, so I opened it up even though my present bar of soap was still about three quarters of the way through. The oatmeal side was just the right roughness and I had such a lovely time scrubbing away.

On Saturday, I was at the Homecoming Game. Although the Fighting Illini lost to the Gophers, the atmosphere was so full of energy! The last few minutes kept me on my feet, cheering on top of my lungs.. hoping for just one more touchdown from the Illinois side. It didn't happen though :) Even so, I had a nice time. It's just a great feeling seeing so many people wearing orange, uniting to support their team.

Another little pleasure is the feedback I've been receiving for the Halloween Pop-Ups. Their new owners are pleased with them and it always makes me smile to hear that.

On Sunday, I was browsing through Treasuries on Etsy and came across this amazing shop. I've seen Polymer Clay used in many creative ways, but this one made me go wow! Robin, from NothingLikeIt makes coasters, and these are no ordinary coasters. They are clever, cute and colorful! The toasters are 'flattened' critters and they have the funniest sayings on them. One of my favorites would have to be the flattened turkey in the photo which says "Eat More Ham!" :P

Go Illini

2008-10-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

I finally managed to get a ticket for the Illini vs Minnesota tomorrow morning. It's our Homecoming game, and it's going to be very exciting in Memorial Stadium.

The Mummy

2008-10-09T00:03:00.001-07:00

The Mummy, originally uploaded by desireux.

I have a friend who LOVES the Mummy. Probably should give her this card for Halloween :)

The Mummy takes longer to make compared to most of my pop-ups because he needs to be wrapped! I use double sided tape on white paper, cut them into strips, and slowly bundle up this mummy. Initially I wanted to make the whole card into a 'tomb' shape, but after a few prototypes of various sizes, it still looked much better as a rectangle.

Today I went to a career cafe where alumni from different scientific fields outside academia meet with graduate students and post docs for a round table type discussion. My first session was with a scientist working in a start up and it was very enlightening talking to him. Although I'm a few years away from graduation, I'm starting to go to different career events or fairs to get an idea of what lies outside the 'grad school' world. I enjoy meeting people and hearing their experiences in the industry and the different paths they took to get there. Some are really passionate about their jobs and talk about the satisfaction being directly involved in bringing a product to the market. I can relate to that and love that feeling, having a product that will directly impact the customer- be it designing a card that will make someone very happy or working on a drug that will improve someone's quality of life.

Meow!

2008-10-05T20:45:00.001-07:00

Meow!, originally uploaded by desireux.

This kitty has been getting some attention over the weekend. Some lovely Etsians, curlyfrysc , AzureGrackle and recycledideas have featured An Encounter with a Cat in their treasuries.

This card is constructed based on my basic arch for 180 degree pop-up cards, but is different in that the tree branches in each arch is not identical to the other. This gives the overlapping branches more depth, making it even more interesting visually. One of the new owners of my pop-up cards mentioned that she enjoyed playing with the shadows cast by by the cuts and it really made me happy to hear that. When I am making the cards or taking photographs of them, my illumination is a pretty strong halogen lamp and I too enjoy looking at the interplay of light and shadow.

Four adorable Owls

2008-09-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

I made a batch of cards to include with the pop-up cards when they go to their new owners. They were very fun to make, and I think look much cuter than my previous black and white ones printed at Office Max. I found four hand stamps, each of an adorable owl and another that says "thank you". These go on one side, and on the other side, I have my info also stamped on. A few months ago, I saw a tutorial on The Storque on how to make business cards. It's here if you want to take a look. They used a customizable stamp and that was the first time I've heard of it. So, last weekend, I went to Staples and managed to find something similar. I'm very happy with it- not only is it customizable (you can change the letters many times), but it looks kind of "rustic", which matches my owls =)

I'm planning to do my own mini tutorial for these pink cards, so stay tuned!

Welcoming Fall

2008-09-27T22:08:00.001-07:00

Welcoming Fall, originally uploaded by desireux.

The weather forecast predicts that we will finally have "fall-like" temperatures in the coming week. Now, whether that is true or not is another story, but in between pop-ups and lab, I've managed to squeeze in a little bit of knitting. Having been more than a year since I picked up my needles, it took a few experimental casting-ons before I got the hang of it and could knit almost through feeling. My scarf (oh it is a lovely blue that will go really well with my maroon cardigan) is already about a foot and a half long, so hopefully sometime next week I can wear it =)

The pop-up card on the right is also in preparation for the cooler months ahead . It is an improved version of my Falling Leaves card designed last year. This one is waaay cooler- there's the cutest little blue bird perched on the fence. The cover is a warmer brown, makes the autumnal colors really pop!

Mr. Owl was on Explore!

2008-09-24T23:02:00.001-07:00

Mr. Owl's Haunted Castle, originally uploaded by desireux.

Mr. Owl was really thrilled to be on Flickr's Explore. I was just as thrilled. Of all my Halloween Pop-Ups he's my favorite!

The Sweetest Thing

2008-09-23T05:52:00.001-07:00

The Sweetest Thing, originally uploaded by desireux.

I received this in the mail, a really thoughtful thank you card. I read the message and it made me all warm and fuzzy inside *big smile*.

Experiment 10-31: The Results

2008-09-21T19:36:00.001-07:00

The EyeBall Experiment, originally uploaded by desireux.

After the teaser, here are the results of my experiment. My hypothesis held its ground, the eyeballs really do float in Pink Potion #5 =)

Initially I wanted to make an "eyeball" martini ... replacing the classic olive with an oh so juicy eyeball. But I've been toying with the idea of pop-up cards with colorful potions in various test tubes and beakers, so I thought why not incorporate it into a Halloween theme. After all, a crazy scientist with his potent chemicals, not to mention eyeballs! always makes a good horror show :P

This is also my first pop-up card where I've incorporated some hand-drawn elements onto the card itself. The red veins on the eyeballs are done with a red sharpie. I'm quite pleased with how they make the eyeballs a little bit more spooky.

Experiment 10-31

2008-09-14T12:07:00.001-07:00

A study of eyeball densitiy, originally uploaded by desireux.

Experiment 10-31.

Hypothesis: Eyeballs will float in Potion #5 (CH2COOH-PO4) and sink in Potion #876 (NH4-ClCH3).

Method: Harvest fresh eyeballs from your organism of choice. Prepare potions with extreme caution. Gently drop eyeballs into potions.

Results: Stay tuned!

[ No eyeballs were harmed in the making of "Experiment 10-31". Please do not attempt to make Potions #5 and #876 ]

Thank You!

2008-09-08T17:33:00.001-07:00

Thank You!, originally uploaded by desireux.

A big, warm thank you to TalliB and OldWaysForTheseDays for including i Love U in their beautiful treasuries.

Talli's Coffee and Berry color scheme gives such a energetic vibe (not to mention all that caffeine!), while I feel all warm and fuzzy looking at OldWay's No White After Labor Day.

Talli creates funky winter accessories so if you are looking to stand out from the crowd this cold season, do check out her Etsy store. OldWaysFor TheseDays has a love for vintage and it shows in her store filled with very pretty "rescued" vintage pieces.

Back in the Store ...

2008-09-03T22:11:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by desireux.

If you are looking for a special Eid ul-Fitr card for your family and friends this year, look no further. Just stop by Pop-Ups by tracychong , as they are once again making their annual appearance in the store. Featuring a pop-up mosque against a rich, plum background, this card is sure to impress!

All that glitters

2008-09-01T00:28:00.001-07:00

All that glitters, originally uploaded by desireux.

It's been a wonderfully productive weekend so far. I love three day weekends.

I woke up Saturday morning, feeling very happy that I could wake up without the alarm clock for two more days. Went to lab, and saw results that gave me hope. Finally, the long hours and multiple trouble shooting steps of the past few weeks are paying off. It was then off to a potluck BBQ with great food, old friends, new acquaintances and a short, fun game of frisbee. And great sunny weather!

I came home and continued working on a set of gold and wine pop-up wedding invitations. The color combination looks really classy, the bride-to-be has great taste! I'm in the finishing stages of this custom order and things are going great. Can't wait to see the rows of finished cards. I always get a thrill out of lining up the cards and admiring them before shipping them out =)

Before sleeping last night, I was in a semi-lucid state and ideas for my Halloween line of pop-up cards just kept coming. I love it when that happens. So today, I spent some time with the music playing in the background, lying on my bed, sketching them out. I can't wait to see them take a three dimensional form!

And yay, I can wake up late tomorrow ... life is good.

I've taken the plunge!

2008-08-25T22:02:00.000-07:00

To try handmade soaps. If I have to choose one handmade goodie on Etsy which I find so fascinating, it would be soap. Since I joined Etsy, I've admired from my computer screen the huge array of beautiful soaps. These talented soapers not only make gorgeous looking soap, but their pictures and descriptions almost make you want to eat them! You might be thinking .. eat them? No way... But with names like Coconut Mochi and Raspberry Walnut Panna Cotta (photo on the right), how can you resist?

Anyway, I just took my first handmade soap bath with my Tropical Style Hawaiian Black Sea Salt (photo on the left) from an Etsy seller, Savor. It was fun, I smell great and I'm loving it!

Off to the Windy City

2008-08-21T23:18:00.001-07:00

LOVE, originally uploaded by desireux.

I'll be playing tour guide in Chicago. Will be back hopefully with more photos and inspiration.

Meanwhile, have a good weekend with your loved ones, or spending time doing something you love!

I didn't reach the top ...

2008-08-18T22:31:00.001-07:00

I didn't reach the top ... , originally uploaded by desireux.

Tonight I went for a preview of the newly renovated ARC- Activities and Recreation center at my university. I've been waiting for nearly two years for this, but it's all worth it. Now I can swim outdoors (well, at least for one month plus) and go rock climbing. Aside from all the fancy strength and conditioning equipment, the climbing wall is a great new addition. It spans 4 stories- 34 feet, and they have proper shoes, harnesses, and helmets. When I tried it, they were staff belayers, but I don't know how it will be when it actually opens. I hope they continue to have them so that I don't have to go with a partner to climb. Anyway, it was not an easy climb and I didn't manage to reach the top. I reached a point where my feet and hands could not both reach the climbing holds and my arms didn't have enough strength to hoist myself up. But, I will go back and reach the top one day!

Little encounters during the day [or night]

2008-08-15T23:06:00.001-07:00

Zebra car?, originally uploaded by desireux.

My cell phone died last week, and I love my new one! It has a camera and bluetooth, which means that I can upload my photos very easily. My usual camera is a clunky-Olympus and it really isn't practical to carry with me everyday. For a short while I had a Canon Sd1000 which I loved. It was small and sleek but most importantly fit in my handbag. I carried it around taking photos of little bits and pieces of my life. Oh how I missed it when I gave it back to my brother.

So now I'm really enjoying my phone's camera, even though its only 1.3 mp. I used to think that having a good, fancy camera was extremely important, but not anymore. Yes, it is for taking photos of my pop-up cards or more "serious" photography, but to have a camera which you can just whip out and not miss out on those precious little moments [like a three-wheeled zebra car] is just as important.

Glued to the TV

2008-08-12T21:59:00.001-07:00

Statue of a lady, originally uploaded by desireux.

I was watching the Olympics for the past 3 hours. Women's gymnastics and men's swimming was going on. I always get this fuzzy feeling when I see the look of determination when the athletes perform, their big smile when they've finished a routine ... the hugs, the encouragement. It's so touching to see that look in their eyes when they are on the podium and the national anthem is played. And Michael Phelps was just amazing to watch :)

Not moon craters

2008-08-07T22:14:00.001-07:00

Craters, originally uploaded by desireux.

I was at Pebble Beach a few weeks ago. The rocks there were beautiful, they had craters of all shapes and sizes carved into them. These craters were filled with naturally polished pebbles of all shades of grey and brown, hence the name Pebble Beach. When I first got there, it was so cold and windy that I didn't really take the time to look around me. Then, as I started taking photos, I began to notice how amazing the patterns were. Each one was different and made me go 'wow' over and over again. Little things like this remind me how important it is to slow down and really pay attention to what goes on around me.

This Pebble Beach is not the one at Carmel. It's a San Mateo County Beach located near Pescadero. To see more photos of the lovely rocks and pebbles, clicking on the photo will take you to my Flickr set.

Back from a break

2008-07-29T20:30:00.001-07:00

Take 2, originally uploaded by desireux.

It was a nice month. I took time off from lab and from making pop-up cards to spend time with family and friends. It was a much needed break filled with mini-adventures and memorable moments.

The photo was taken at Pigeon Point Lighthouse, located on the California coast 50 miles south of San Francisco. I was dangling my legs over a cliff looking down at the very blue sea. The wind was so strong and it was quite chilly! I was in my hoodie, hugging myself for warmth and quite surprised that it could get so cold in the middle of summer :)

A Love Poem

2008-07-11T06:03:00.001-07:00

Updated: Loving You, originally uploaded by desireux.

If thou must love me, let it be for naught
Except for love's sake only. Do not say,
'I love her for her smile--her look--her way
Of speaking gently,--for a trick of thought
That falls in well with mine, and certes brought
A sense of pleasant ease on such a day'
For these things in themselves, Beloved, may
Be changed or change for thee--and love, so wrought,
May be unwrought so. Neither love me for
Thine own dear pity's wiping my cheeks dry:
A creature might forget to weep, who bore
Thy comfort long, and lose thy love thereby!
But love me for love's sake, that evermore
Thou may'st love on, through love's eternity.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

I love reading these 'messages' inside bottle caps, fortune cookies, and labels. This love poem was inside the wrapper of a bar of yummy chilies & cherries dark chocolate. One very sweet present I received once was a bottle of 365 notes, one to open each day. It was so much fun to open and I would even bring some along with me if I had to be out of town so that i wouldn't miss a day.

Elle the Baby Elephant

2008-07-02T21:21:00.001-07:00

Elle the Baby Elephant, originally uploaded by desireux.

Hi everyone, meet Elle the baby elephant. She was born on a quiet night in June. Elle has the cutest little toe nails and loves splashing around in the bathtub. Elle loves to munch on sweet, young branches of sugarcane. She brings love and joy to anyone she meets :D

i Love U too

2008-06-16T23:59:00.001-07:00

i Love U too, originally uploaded by desireux.

i Love U too is the 'girly' version of this Coffee and Cream colored one which made it to Flickr's Explore page sometime last week. I usually check my Flickr Stats each night before sleeping and I noticed a huge spike in traffic one day. After digging deeper, I found out the good news.

Anyway, as much as I like the Coffee and Cream one, I really love the color of this card. It's a Strawberry Pink and wrapped like a present with a Lime Green ribbon. When I was making this card, I was thinking how sweet it would be if a guy gave this card to a girl. I know I would be so touched, and I hope the lucky girl who receives this card feels that way too.

From the fortune cookie: Choices

2008-05-29T22:28:00.001-07:00

Originally uploaded by desireux

"Life is a series of choices. Today yours are good ones."

Well, tonight I decided not to make any pop-up cards, but instead edit and upload some macro photos of flowers and dandelions I took on my way back from lab yesterday. They are available here. And now I'm going to relax and continue reading Seth Godin's latest book- Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing Out of Sync? for half an hour before I sleep. How nice :)

Oh Cupcake!

2008-05-24T21:41:00.001-07:00

Oh Cupcake!
Originally uploaded by desireux

It's full blown cupcake fever. It started with my Strawberry Cupcake Pop-Up card, then a friend told me about this new cupcake store in downtown Champaign, to a "date" to make cupcakes for lab next Thursday (I'm so excited!), and a request for a cupcake pop-up card for birthday invitations ... and finally my first treasury which of course is about cupcakes! Here's my treasury Oh Cupcake!.

So, for those of you who don't know, a treasury is a curated collection of items from Etsy sellers. You can select the featured items according to a theme, or just include your favorite items. Anyone with an Etsy account can curate a treasury as explained here. I've always heard stories about people trying really hard to snag a treasury because you have to wait till some treasuries expire and the number falls below 333, but today, I was just browsing through and saw that it was going to happen in about 5 minutes! So, I just left my window open and lo and behold I managed to get one. It was really quite fun choosing the cupcakes to be in my treasury and I would probably try to get another treasury in the future.

Persepolis

2008-05-24T00:25:00.001-07:00

Persepolis
Originally uploaded by desireux

So what did I do for my birthday? I spent most of the night curled up in bed reading a present from a friend~ the book Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. I went to watch the movie a few weeks ago and loved the story, especially the graphics, so I was very pleasantly surprised when she gave me the book this morning. What a thoughtful present! It was raining so I picked the book up and finished it in one sitting. It is a comic book, and through her strong, unique illustrations and dialogs, Satrapi tells her story about growing up in Iran during the years of upheaval. It is a very poignant story, and she portrays a whole range of emotions threaded out with just the right amount of raw humor, making this book one of the best books I've read in a long time. The book is available here and this is the here if you are interested.

Strawberry Frosted Cupcake

2008-05-21T23:20:00.001-07:00

Strawberry Frosted Cupcake
Originally uploaded by desireux

Maybe my subconscious mind is telling me I miss the kitchen? I think the last dessert I baked was a cheesecake more than a year ago. Lately, I have been spending a little bit more time in the kitchen cooking dinners as opposed to eating out so maybe, just maybe.. I might bake something.

Anyway, this is my latest design. There's even a lemon creme one too! I'm thinking of "baking" some other flavors too depending on how well these are received. Rich chocolate, blueberry jam ... what would you like to have?

Sometimes you need to slow down.

2008-05-17T21:11:00.001-07:00

Originally uploaded by desireux

I seldom write about science, but this is special. I'm writing about the most annoying buffer to make: 5x Maleic Acid Buffer (MAB). Hopefully, these tips will spare some other graduate student some grief.

The thing about MAB buffer is that it starts of with a very low pH and you have to add sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to bring it up to around 7.5. This takes quite a lot of NaOH, but, once it reaches a certain point, the pH will increase very drastically. So yesterday, I was at around pH 7.0 and up to that point, adding about 5 pellets of NaOH would increase the pH by about 0.2. However, I found out the hard way that adding 5 pellets of NaOH to the solution when it was at 7.0 brought it up to 8.45!

This was not the first time though :) It has happened before, but MAB lasts quite long so each time I make it, I forget my "mistake" and repeat it. This time I made BIG BOLD notes beside my recipe. It will not happen again.

However, if this happens to you, fear not, just calculate the reagents needed for an extra 0.2 L and proceed with the pHing process as usual.

And here are some observations when I did mine:

The solution will be warm and cloudy. It will clear up at around pH 6.0. At this stage, the pH is still quite stable. From around 6.7, addition of 1 pellet of NaOH will bring the pH up 0.1.

At around pH 7.0, go VERY slowly, because the pH increases drastically at this point. It took just one pellet to go from 7.0 to 7.17 and another pellet to go to 7.4.

*Also, I've noticed that MAB can go bad easily if contaminated so I always aliquot it into a small bottle which I use from*

Thinking outside the box

2008-05-12T20:55:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day
Originally uploaded by desireux

This design was quite a tricky one. It looks simple, just like the Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary ones but initially the little apostrophe gave me some trouble.

For my pop-ups, I like to have my cut outs well anchored so they do not "hang freely". In this case, if I did a normal [ 's ] like the rest of the fonts, the apostrophe would only be joined to the top and if you can imagine, it would be able to swing up and down because it is not connected to the bottom. This creates a problem especially when you close the card because it can get squashed.

So, I was thinking of different ways to remedy it.. which led to complex ideas like using string to connect it! Then someone made a casual comment about thinking outside the box, and the 'aha' moment came soon after that. The current design completely by passes the freely hanging apostrophe, and looks rather charming too! It's not too cute for a man, and retains the elegance of this design. Reminds me of the sweetheart candy too :)

This card is available at tracychong.com if you would like to get one for your dad this Father's Day.

The day the ground shook

2008-04-19T22:04:00.001-07:00

Dancing Butterflies
Originally uploaded by desireux

Yesterday, April 18th, was a very significant day for me. Not only did an earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale hit the midwest, I passed my Qualifying Exams, and it was the first-year anniversary of tracychong.com.

I was awaken in the middle of the night by the glass mirrors on my cupboards rattling rather violently. I then realized that the soft board walls were moving! My first thought was earthquake, but I was kind of dazed and just looked at the shaking and waiting for it to stop. It felt quite long in my semi-conscious state but after it stopped I went back to sleep. On one hand, it felt like an earthquake, but then I never knew that there could be earthquakes in the midwest! The next morning in lab my labmate asked me if I felt the earthquake and I thought "wow, it was real! ... my first earthquake!"

Then, it was time for me to sit for my Qualifying Exam, the first major milestone in my doctorate program. I was nervous, but at the same time a little excited too- to present my research after two years as a graduate student and after a month and a half of intense writing and reading up on literature. Exactly halfway through my presentation, the projector started shaking and my slide on the screen was moving quite badly. Instantly the discussion shifted away from my slide to "Earthquake!". My first thought was "Wow, who gets an earthquake during their quals??" (I later found out it was an aftershock measuring 4.2). It was kind of funny too because there were some "ground breaking, earth shattering research jokes" :D

Anyway, I passed my quals. I was quite happy after presenting and after the professors on my committee told me I had passed. My committee posed many questions, suggestions, ideas and comments, and overall, I felt that those two hours were very beneficial. It was a great learning experience and I'm sure the suggestions will help my progress. Although it was a rather stressful period preparing for the quals, I'm glad the department makes it a milestone which we have to pass. It made me think about my project very carefully, plan what I want to achieve in the future, and more importantly read the literature. Before I started my preparation, I didn't really see the direction or purpose of my research, and definitely did not read enough. Now, I have a clear idea of what I want to achieve and can picture my plan. I'm excited!

Moving on to the pop-up cards, it's been a year since I first registered Pop-Ups by tracychong on Etsy. It's one of the best things I have done. When I first started making the pop-up cards, I didn't know what lay ahead. Looking back at the past 12 months, I see lots of hardwork, sacrifice, frustration, but what stands out the most is the immense satisfaction of designing, creating, seeing results from numerous hours of discussion and planning as well as hearing happy stories from the new owners of the pop-ups. A big thank you to everyone for their support (and to someone for putting up with all the zillion bits of little paper), and especially to my business partner, I could not have done it without you.

Mother's Day Cards

2008-04-13T21:46:00.001-07:00

Flower for Mom
Originally uploaded by desireux

Here are my pop-up cards for Mother's Day. As you can see, there are flowers, butterflies and ladybugs, all inspired by my latest obsession with potted plants in lab.

A short update on my plants: The gladiolus sprouts have become giant leaves! They are probably 3 feet tall now, and still in the pot on my indoor window ledge. If they grow any taller, I might have to transplant them outdoors. The tulips sprouts are just starting to become leaves. The sprouts are so fat they look like they are going to burst.

Coming soon: Mother's Day Pop-Up Cards

2008-03-30T23:37:00.001-07:00

Coming soon: Mother's Day Pop-Up Cards
Originally uploaded by desireux

I'm very excited to reveal my new designs for Mother's Day. Can anyone guess what the theme would be? (Hint: What's my latest obsession?)

On April 1st, do visit tracychong.com to see them :)

Have a good week everyone!

Gladiolus sprouts

2008-03-18T22:15:00.001-07:00

Here are my sprouting Gladiolus plants which I was so excited about. It's amazing how fast they grow. There are five sprouts now, I planted 8. Today my lab mate gave me an old indoor plant book which she got at the library. I think people are surprised at my sudden fascination with plants, but I really think they make the lab more cheerful and definitely more spring-y.

Here's my collection of potted plants in lab. Aren't they pretty?

Happy Days

2008-03-16T21:02:00.001-07:00

Make me smile
Originally uploaded by desireux

This weekend I bought two more plants to put in lab. A pot of blooming daffodils and a pot of lilies. The lilies were still buds, but that night one bud started to bloom.

Today I brought both plants into lab and I was so surprised to see my gladiolus (mentioned here) starting to sprout! I was so excited and smiling to myself. Luckily there was no one there *blush* :P

I'll bring my camera to lab tomorrow to take photos of the sprouts.

My budding Epiphyllum

2008-03-15T01:03:00.001-07:00

My budding Epiphyllum
Originally uploaded by desireux

Here's my Epiphyllum with its baby leaves which I blogged about here.

It's spring break but I won't be going anywhere far this year. Instead I'll be in lab writing my proposal for my qualifying exams, trying to get it done by Tuesday. It's great to be able to spend the next week writing/reading peacefully and not rushing around campus.

I'll also be working on my Mother's Day collection of pop-up cards which I will unveil in April. I might show a sneak preview before then ;)

Thanks!

2008-03-13T23:32:00.001-07:00

Thanks!
Originally uploaded by desireux

Today,
I am thankful for friends to laugh with.
I am thankful for lab mates who are a joy to work with.
I am thankful for the wonderful students I teach.
I am thankful for the very interesting class I'm taking.
I am thankful for the afternoon of warmth where I could go out in my cardigan and eat ice cream.
I am thankful for having to write my proposal and realizing the importance of reading past literature.
I am thankful for being able to create my pop-up cards.

Spring forward

2008-03-09T01:43:00.001-08:00

Originally uploaded by desireux

It's that time of the year when we lose an hour :(
Because of daylight saving time, it's now 4.38 am and I'm still awake.

Anyway, in anticipation of spring, I bought 2 pretty pots from the dollar store today. And some bulbs: 3 multi-colored tulips which are suppose to bloom in mid spring and 6 red gladiolus. Yay! I can't wait to get to lab on Monday and plant them and diligently water them.

For those of you who know me, you might be thinking.. hmmm.. Tracy.. plants??? Well, even I surprised myself at how excited I got when buying my new (to be) plants.

It all started when a lab mate gave me a little pot of African Violets. The majority of my colleagues in lab are plant lovers. Most have potted plants growing very well and even flowering, so it was very cool to have my own little plant to care for. Then, a few months ago, was the blooming of another lab mate's special Epiphyllum (photo shows it about to bloom) which I blogged about here. Anyway, she gave me a baby Epiphyllum plant and so one weekend I went to Meijer and bought two new pots to transplant my ever growing African Violet and the new Epiphyllum. And that's when I started going all plant lady like.

Wow, a whole entry on plants :P Well, there'll be more to come (and photos too!) since the Epiphyllum is growing new baby leaves because it's spring and it's really pretty.

Isn't it about time?

2008-03-06T21:22:00.001-08:00

Originally uploaded by desireux

We had hail / icy snow on Tuesday. I fell down twice walking to lab, wasn't even wearing my high heeled boots. Anyway, was feeling rather tired of the cold, wet weather.

Yesterday was ok, I could even wear a skirt/leggings :) Today was even nicer, sunny.. around -2 C during the day.

Then I reached home. Watched the Apprentice. Listened to weather updates: Another winter storm is approaching. Come on. Isn't it about time for some warmth??

The Story of "Ready, Aim ..."

2008-03-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

So here's the update on the Rubber Band challenge for InnovationWeek.

Here's the video and the story of the tournament.

First of all, I'm so happy. Ready, Aim ... received two extremely great prizes from the Illinois InnovationWeek.

The first is breakfast with Henry Petroski, a civil engineering professor, University of Illinois alumni and prolific author. He will be on campus for a Design Matters series lecture on March 11. Here are some of his books if you are interested. I plan to read The Toothpick: Technology and Culture before meeting him.

The second is a day at Ideo, an innovation and design firm. We'll be going to the one in Chicago. I'm really excited about this visit.

Now that it's over and prizes have been awarded, I can reveal what we did and the idea behind the project, as well as the value created.

Here's our project description:

Don't you wish your best guy friend had better aim in the toilet?

Well, we thought so too. And we thought people could do better with some target practice. So we got students from our university to play a game.

In "Ready, Aim ..." the students got to practice their aim with a rubber band– not a trivial task bitter winter cold of Urbana-Champaign! Not only did we give students a chance to have some fun, but we also managed to casually approach the "toilet" issue.

We cemented the concept by handing out tags that they could hang around their toilets. One guy, however, thought it was cool enough to hang in his car!

As for the value created, we were aiming for social value by using the rubber band as a vehicle to approach a sensitive topic, which will lead to cleaner toilets for everyone.

For other entries from all over the world, visit Stanford's eweek group on YouTube here.

Part III: Ready, Aim ...

2008-02-28T00:46:00.000-08:00

Our video's out. Check it out :)

Feel free to leave comments. Thanks!

For the story behind this video, please see my previous post:
Entrepreneurship week: The Rubber band

So what's up?

2008-02-24T22:40:00.001-08:00

So what's up?, originally uploaded by desireux.

* The story continues from here.*

Here's a little teaser for y'all.

We'll be at the Quad tomorrow (Monday, Feb 25) at noon doing our thing. Stop by to find out :)

Entrepreneurship week: The Rubber band

2008-02-23T22:38:00.001-08:00

Entrepreneurship week: The Rubber band, originally uploaded by desireux.

I'm taking part in the 2008 Innovation Tournament organized by Stanford University in conjunction with Entrepreneurship Week. The challenge is to create as much value as possible using rubber bands! The challenge is open to all students over the world. It's also InnovationWeek at my school, so this is one of the activities. We have 5 days to come up with an idea, implement it, and show it to the world in a 3 minute video on Youtube, this coming Thursday.

So I decided to join. The secret item was revealed Friday evening. Before I went to sleep last night, I thought about it and woke up with quite a few ideas. I could remember dreaming about rubber bands. It was weird because in my dream, buying a packet of rubber bands came with a free gift - a pair of Reebok sneakers! But no, that's not my grand idea :)

Anyway, I went to Staples, got my rubber bands, and spent today tossing around ideas with my team mate, writing, doodling, scribbling, but something just didn't seem right. Suddenly after dinner, I had an 'aha' moment, shared my idea, and instantly we knew it was the idea.

Tomorrow, I'll be trying to recruit at least one more team member and get ready to execute our plan on Monday.

Stay tuned for more updates! Meanwhile you can visit Stanford's eWeek website to learn more about this tournament, watch the Imagine It YouTube trailer and also see last year's winners for the secret item Post-It notes.

Green Beer for St. Patrick's Day

2008-02-18T20:22:00.001-08:00

Green Beer for St. Patrick's Day
Originally uploaded by desireux.

I haven't actually drank any green beer on St. Patrick's Day, but last Sunday I was driving, on my way paper hunting, when the image of green beer popped into my mind. So I bought the most 'Irish' green and came home and did this card.

I'm very happy with this card for two reasons. The first is that the whole card was designed in Illustrator. Since the end of 2007, I have been learning how to design in Illustrator and have been doing mostly straight lines so far. In this card, I managed to do nice curves and there were a few 'aha' moments that were very satisfying. This card took less than an hour to plot out in Illustrator, so things are definitely going in the right direction.

I tried to get a guide at the library but they only had Illustrator 9 (Visual Quickstart Guide) but I don't find it particularly useful, I've been learning just through trial and error. If anyone has a particularly good experience with a user guide for Illustrator CS2, I would really appreciate a recommendation.

Special for February

2008-02-17T11:22:00.001-08:00

Colorful :)
Originally uploaded by desireux.

* How do customers find my pop-up cards? *

That's one question I would love to know the answer to. I have profiles on several different sites like Trunkt, DeviantArt, TalentDatabase and IndiePublic plus this blog and Flickr, but what would really help would be knowing where to focus my marketing efforts on.

So, what I'm doing from now until March 10th would be to give a free set of gift tags for each purchase when a customer tells me where they stumbled upon Pop-Ups by tracychong.

Homemade caramel popcorn

2008-02-02T22:55:00.001-08:00

Homemade caramel popcorn
Originally uploaded by desireux.

I love my popcorn sweet. Popcorn in the US, especially the cinema ones and those that you pop yourself in the microwave come salty/buttery. It tastes so bland compared to the thick caramel ones I used to eat back home.

I've seen my mom make it when I was small. Tonight, after a phone chit-chat with her, I decided to go ahead and make my own with some tips on how to clean up from her. No regrets. It tastes so good.

So, to all you "I hate salty popcorn" people, here's my simple version of caramel corn.

1) Buy a packet of microwavable popcorn (mine was butter flavor) and pop according to instructions.

2) Pour about 1/3 cups of white sugar into a saucepan. I used a saucepan about 6 inches in diameter and 5 inches high.

3) Heat on the stove (medium-high heat) and stir. After a few minutes, the sugar will start to melt. Continue stirring to melt evenly.

4) Once the sugar has melted, quickly lift the pan off the stove and put in ~ 1/3 of the packet of popcorn and stir around to coat the popcorn with your caramel (melted sugar).

* I do the coating off the stove because there is a great tendency for the sugar to burn and you'll get bitter popcorn instead. Not nice.

* After coating, remove popcorn and fill pan with water and put on stove to boil. The residual sugar will melt into the water. This way you don't have to scape off the dried melted sugar. Pour away water, dry pan and repeat till you've finished coating all the popcorn.

*Estimated time of 1 packet: 20 minutes.

Share your popcorn. Tastes better that way =)

Saving the boxes

2008-02-02T21:24:00.001-08:00

Weekly routine
Originally uploaded by desireux.

I love grocery shopping. I usually do my shopping at Meijer. It's now my routine to go through all the groceries and anything that comes in a box will be opened. I'll just pack away the contents (they all have their inner bag, the food doesn't touch the box), and then flatten out the box, which will then be recycled as packaging for my pop-up cards. I'm happy to find a good use for all the cardboard, and I enjoy cutting them into the correct sizes, putting them into a ziplock baggie, with a name card, all ready to put a pop-up card in to ship out.

I Love You

2008-01-29T21:02:00.001-08:00

I Love You
Originally uploaded by desireux.

So here I am back again, after more than a month of silence. What have I been up to since my last post? I went to California, had 9 wonderful days, flew back and January just flew by!

It's just the first month of the year, but there's some exciting stuff going on. It's my first time teaching, and I'm loving the planning and seeing students happy when their experiments work. I'm taking my first business class and I've never been so excited about a class before. Tomorrow, we will start our first simulation called MarketPlace. For the next six weeks, we will execute a marketing strategy where we have to come up with a brand (we're selling computers!), figure out the pricing, media placement, distribution, sales force and get rated on customer satisfaction. Hopefully my little experience with tracychong on Etsy will help and what I learn in this class will be applicable to it too.

It's also my first Valentine's on Etsy, so I've launched a set of cards with something in mind for everyone. There's Loving You which features a kissing couple (aww!), perfect for romantic souls to Chain of Hearts which would be great for your best friend. And of course, there's the classic "I Love You" to spread the love =)

Merry Christmas

2007-12-24T23:05:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas
Originally uploaded by desireux.

Wishing you a blessed holiday season and a great year ahead.

Ps: Go easy on the eggnog :)

Front page yeah!

2007-12-18T20:33:00.001-08:00

Front page yeah!
Originally uploaded by desireux.

Starry Night made it to the front page of Etsy today. I'm not sure how long it was on, but saw it around 2.30 pm, and by 4 pm it was no more there. It's my first time ever being on the front page of Etsy so it was quite a thrill.

Thank you very much Terbear for including me in a treasury with all the beautiful paper art.

Click here and it'll take you to my flickr where you can see a larger image and admire the other creations on the front page.

Pasadena here I come

2007-12-13T17:02:00.001-08:00

Pasadena here I come
Originally uploaded by desireux.

I'm so excited!

I managed to get Rose Bowl tickets!

Initially when the tickets went on sale for the season ticket holders, there were a couple on Craigslist going for 500/pair. I thought they were a good deal but didn't get them.

So, on the 11th the ticket sales were open to the public. Around 23,000 tickets reserved by Illinois were already sold and there were only 2000+ left. I was contemplating going the night before to queue up, but then decided i wasn't willing to do so :P

Woke up at 6 something that morning, the weather was horrible. Cold icy rain.. so I snuggled in bed a little while more and then took the bus to Assembly Hall. Reached about 8am, expecting to see a long long line, but to my *joy* I saw that the line wasn't too long! A little smile was appearing on my face.

Although they were supposed to sell the tickets at 9am, they started early and by 8.20 am I was jumping up and down and calling my friend because I had the tickets (actually just receipt at that time) in hand.

This morning, the UPS guy came knocking and I tore open the envelope to see my shiny crisp tickets. I'm going to be in the Rose Bowl with 97,000 other fans. Hopefully I'll be with the other Illini fans, can't wait to go get a new orange shirt with maybe an orange hairband!

Can't wait!! .... but I've to get through two more finals. Yay.

Holiday Card Project 2007

2007-12-09T22:40:00.001-08:00

deviantART is organizing a Holiday card project where anyone can send in a greeting card to be given to people who are hospitalized during the holiday season. It's the fourth year they are doing this, it's a great way to bring a little cheer to patients in hospital.

The idea behind this project is to do something nice for others but if you still need another reason, deviantART members who submit a card will receive a months free subscription to deviantART and a chance to win prizes.

It's a easy way to make someone happy at this time of the year, so if you're interested (I hope you are!), read more here. The card has to reach by the 17th though, so it's probably best to send asap.

Chicago Thanksgiving Parade

2007-12-09T20:04:00.001-08:00

Big Yellow Bird with red tights :)
Originally uploaded by desireux.

I've finally edited this year's Thanksgiving photos and uploaded them to Flickr. This year I did something different. I visited Chicago to see the annual parade. It's been a tradition for the city since 1934, and also has large helium cartoon characters like the Macy's parade. It was my first time seeing these giants, so I was rather thrilled. The weather was so cold though, but it didn't seem to deter anyone.

For more photos you can see the whole set on my Flickr.

Things people do.

2007-12-08T19:33:00.001-08:00

:O
Originally uploaded by desireux.

I was going out this morning when I looked down at my car and saw this! One of my neighbors must have been too free/ too loving/ drunk!

The past two days were kind of snowy. But it was nice because for once, the 'feel like' temperature was actually warmer than the real temperature. It was -1 Celcuis but felt like 1 C. I couldn't have been happier after the few super freezing days. There's supposed to be freezing rain tonight and through the weekend, so that's not too good. Hopefully the roads won't be trecherous because I need to do groceries and run some errands.

Finals week is next week and it's going to be tough. I feel like I haven't had a chance to breathe since the beginning of October with school, experiments, the Halloween rush, a commission, Christmas ... But this winter break I think I need to go somewhere and do something fun just to re-charge for the next semester.

Anyway, I'm probably going to set up my Christmas tree tonight. Will post photos!

Red Nosed Rudolph

2007-12-01T00:53:00.001-08:00

Unveiled: 180 pop-up cards
Originally uploaded by desireux.

Here's little Rudolph with his nose so red ... :)
So this is a special holiday design from my new line of 180 degree pop-up greeting cards which I was so excited about yesterday. I've listed them on Etsy and hope others love him as much as I do!

These 180 degree pop-ups are made with a special technique, it lies totally flat on a surface so it functions very well as a lovely piece of decoration. I'll be uploading more designs so stay tuned.

Sneak Peak

2007-11-29T22:44:00.001-08:00

Sneak Peak
Originally uploaded by desireux.

On 1st December, I will be unveiling a new kind of pop-up for Christmas. I'm pretty excited because I've been working on the prototypes since a few months ago and finally they are all set to go!

They will be available on my Etsy, so do stop by and check them out. I'll be posting photos of them here too, so stay tuned!

Stevy Snowman

2007-11-26T20:16:00.001-08:00

Stevy Snowman
Originally uploaded by desireux.

So I've finally had time to design another holiday card, so here's my adorable Snowman affectionately known as Stevy. I had him in mind for quite some time and when I saw the scraps of red and white polka dot paper left over from the cover of some other designs, I knew it had to be his scarf. It's definitely something I myself would wear! I think this is the card which I'll make to send to my family and friends this Christmas.

The 300

2007-11-26T20:13:00.001-08:00

The 300
Originally uploaded by desireux.

For the past 22 nights, these 300 shimmery maroon lovelies have taken up my full attention. It was quite emotional parting with them, but they'll be going to wonderful people, so all's good. And as someone said, there'll be more ;)

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T23:25:00.001-08:00

Tommy Turkey
Originally uploaded by desireux.

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

Holiday Greeting Cards

2007-11-17T12:16:00.001-08:00

Christmas Tree Pop-Up Card
Originally uploaded by desireux.

I've started listing my holiday greeting cards on Etsy, and will be adding more designs over the next week. I'll also be offering them in sets, so do stop by if you like them.

I came across this article in the Storque about this MOO card competition. It's a cool idea, they are collecting images to make a People Powered Holiday Card store where anyone can submit images on flickr to be made into holiday cards. Even better still, to encourge submissions they are having a Super-Duper Holiday Card competition where the winners of different categories can win $2000. Go check it out!

Falling Leaves

2007-11-15T22:05:00.001-08:00

Originally uploaded by desireux.

Yesterday, I was walking along the quad at and I saw leaves every where just like my card! ... except maybe heaps and heaps more. It was really pretty too, there were two guys with powerful blowers blowing the leaves into piles, and the leaves were just flying here and there.