Thursday, March 27, 2014

Green Fingers

Happy Friday lovely friends!

It's been a very long week for youngest and me as he came down with a week-long fever and bronchitis, and I had a close call with a slippery toilet floor and considered myself fortunate to get off with only bruises on the knees.

Anyway, finally found the time to share Part 2 of my DT reveal with Blue Fern Studios for this month. It's a canvas I created for a special couple, and as per the bride's request, it's in mint green!


Some close ups:


Layering with a piece from Ever After Frame set. I used about four different shades of green watercolors on this for a marbled look, followed by stamping and heat embossing.


I used the Marrakesh Panel and the in betweens from Bits of Honey in my background. The Marrakesh Panel I painted with paints from 13@rts.


In this cluster, I used two pieces from the Jeweled Trinkets set. I snipped of the chains on either end of one of the pieces and used it as a centre for one of the flowers. On the ends of each motif, I added a dab of dimensional paint and topped the centre with a gem.

Well, that's all I have to share for now. Lots of deadlines looming ahead and there are class samples waiting to be finished. Happy creating this weekend!

love,










Tuesday, March 25, 2014

the big day - DT work for Blue Fern Studios

(just an update, I've taken the LO and close-ups out as it's being published. Everything will be back to normal after July)

Hello everyone! We're almost at the end of March, can you believe it?!

Today I have a layout I created for Blue Fern Studios using their beautiful paper collection "Blue Fern Garden". I cannot get enough of this paper line - the colors are soft and shabby and just perfect for my mixed media projects. I'm also trying to do a huge project where I take photos that I have scrapped before and re-style them - something like a now-and-then sort of thing. And here is the "then":


This was made more than 3 years ago. I was already a mixed media wannabe back then but had no idea where to start out and there were very few tutorials back then. See if you can spot the different mediums I used (there are at least two). Now, anyone can have access to so many online workshops and tutorials, and mixed media classes are a popular choice at scrapbook stores as well.
And this is the remake using Blue Fern Gardens:


How different is that? I can't say which is my favourite because they each represent different stages of my learning journey. But I do love the various products available in the market now that helps a scrapper make his/her page unique. It's interesting to see how the industry has evolved and I'm so glad to be part of it at this point.

Some close-ups:


 I've used the Rose Bouquet chippie, what a beautiful piece!  I used one half of the chippie for this corner cluster. I covered it with gesso and painted it over with some Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals and Color Shots. After that I randomly sprinkled clear embossing powder and heat set them. The result is a very uneven texture with small drops of embossed surface looking like dew. Lastly I patted some Shimmerz Dazzlers over the leaves and flowers. In this cluster, I have also tucked the key piece from Romantic Page Dangles under my photo and I only did simple heat embossing.


These papers are gorgeous and I mentioned this in a previous post. My go-to supply has always been regular gesso but when I got these papers, I really wanted the patterns to show up so now clear gesso is a must-have for me. It gives me the same water-color effect because it works like regular gesso but you don't lose the designs on the paper itself. I used plenty of LSGs and 13@rts paints on the background, followed a thin layer of texture paste on different stencils just for interest.


The other half of the Rose Bouquet. You can see the speckled effect of the heat embossing on the flowers more clearly here. For my title I used "The Big Day" from "Wedding Words" and painted it with three different greens before heat embossing it. 

And this is all I have for today. If you have now-and-then projects of your photos, do share it with me!
Until then, happy scrapping!

love,

Sunday, March 23, 2014

and the winner is....


You said:


Thank you so much for supporting Off The Rails Scrapbooking in our first blog hop, and thank you for your support on both my blog and YouTube channel. Please email me your mailing address at sunnyjeli@gmail.com. And thanks to everyone who so gamely played along!

love, Jelissa

Saturday, March 15, 2014

OUAS March sketch

Happy weekend!
I back again to share my DT work for Once Upon A... Sketch. Absolutely love this month's journalling theme because the past few months have been so tumultuous, I spent a lot of time mulling over choices in life (yes, I'm an introspect).  But before that, here are the challenge details:

Journalling Theme: be inspired by this quote..

You are free to interpret our theme ANY WAY you like. It is for your inspiration and this theme word DOES NOT need to be part of your title or journalling. But please make sure your layout is based on the sketch below and includes journalling (hidden journalling is fine). Acceptable journalling is MORE than just a sentence, or generic writing such as date/place etc. It needs to be present and at least 3 lines long. Remember, hidden journalling (under a photo/tag or behind your page) is perfectly fine but please DO let us know in your post where your journalling is! 


The winner of this challenge, as voted by the Design Team will be invited to come back in May as our Guest Designer. They will also win the main prize from one of our main sponsors.

Our first March main sponsor is...



Scraps of Elegance offers monthly kits designed for the scrapbook artist with a style on the romantic side... shabby chic, vintage, elegant. We also have on online store combined with our Sister Club, Scraps of Darkness, a fun and friendly forum with monthly challenges and swaps, and tutorials from our wonderful designers and educators. We hope we will inspire you to Create Something Beautiful Today! 
Please click HERE to be directed to the website.

Scraps of Elegance kit club is donating...

Our second main sponsor for March is...

Whichcraft do you do? Whichcraft offers unique laser cut wooden embellishments and items to alter.  Based in Australia, Whichcraft started as a hobby for Kerry and has now progressed to a zibbet store, youtube channel and facebook page. New designs and product developement are ongoing so there is always something new coming out. Stock is kept on hand so orders are packed and shipped quickly and efficiently and Kerry's customer service is second to none! Offering some custom cutting and flat rate international shipping worldwide Whichcraft has something for you, no matter Whichcraft you do!

Whichcraft has donated a minimum of AUS$40.00 prize pack with free postage to anywhere in the world for one of our winners!



Now here are some more AMAZING prizes donated by our wonderful permanent sponsors for 2014.

First up is our Facebook sponsor. Please don't forget to upload your entry to our Facebook Page HERE for your chance to win this price..

13arts is donating 10 colours of their gorgeous paint tubs , in your choice of colours, with free domestic and international postage. 

7 Dots Studio will donate a prize pack full of their product valued at US$50.00 with free domestic and international postage. 

The Flying Unicorn online store is donating a US$50.00 gift voucher to spend at their store !


2Crafty Chipboard is donating a chipboard pack to the value of AUS$50.00 with free domestic and international postage

Swirlydoos kit club is donating their monthly kit valued at US$36.50 with free domestic and international postage

Die-namites dies is donating a prize pack to the value of US$30.00 with free domestic and international postage


Lindy's Stamp Gang Store
Lindy's Stamp Gang is donating a US$20.00 gift voucher with free domestic and international shipping..



Scrappers Garden online store is donating a prize pack to the value of AU$20.00 with free domestic and international postage

Scrapbooking Fantasies is donating a ribbon pack valued at over AU$20.00 plus with free domestic and international shipping 

Wiff Of Joy stamps is donating 1 stamp set from the Stephanie Schütze Design collection stamps valued at  EUR14.90 with free domestic AND international postage. 


And my take on it:


Firstly, I want to thank all my readers and followers for being so patient with my long blog posts. I put so much of my heart and thoughts into these layouts, it wouldn't seem fair to you guys if I don't explain the story behind it. As it is, this one has a story of it's own too.

I love OUAS' sketches and journalling themes, not only because they are beautiful and so fun, but also it forces me to think about the work before I start on it. For this one, I had to look into myself and ask, "How have I done it right? Would I have done it differently?" There has been so many changes over the last few months and these questions have never been more relevant. Either way, I have come to terms with myself that I am who God has made me. I realise there is also a rebel in me who learns the rules just so she can break them one by one.

So! Now that I've got that off my chest, here are some close ups:


I first did some layering with paper strips and resist canvas. For the colors, I used lots of 13@rts goodies for this layout. After spraying on the mists, I moved them around the page by adding some water, and also subsequently painting some of the 13@rts paints in. Some fun tips you can try: Keep the paint fluid with occasional dabs of water and move them around until you get the effect you like. Darker colors can be lightened simply by adding water. I also like to add splatters and flecks to the page for interest. Usually, these are either colors that stand out (eg. neon pink) or dark so that you can see the contrast even though the specks are small. I then toned some parts of the painted background down by dabbing gesso with a sponge.


I've used the butterfly piece from Blue Fern Studios' Flutter Page Dangles by painting in the pink and stamping over. In the close up above, you can also see another chippie piece I used from the Ever After frame set covered with ebony embossing powder. The other frame in the close-up below was treated differently. I painted it with gold paint from 13@rts, stamped some script and covered it with crackle medium. I've also used some flowers from Green Tara - the wild rose in white I misted with mint green mist from 13@rts and I brushed gesso over the Primula, apple blossoms, azaleas and cherry blossoms.


The banner strips were cut out from a tag I tucked behind the chipboard frame (it's a big tag) and I used it to mat my title.

So that's all I have for today. Before I go, I leave you a very famous quote from the original Rebel without a cause himself, the talented Mr James Dean, from whom I got the quote for my journalling.

“Remember:
Life is short, break the rules (they were made to be broken)
Forgive quickly, kiss slowly
Love truly, laugh uncontrollably
And never regret anything that makes you smile.
The clouds are lined with silver and the glass is half full (though the answers won't be found at the bottom)
Don't sweat the small stuff,
You are who you are meant to be,
Dance as if no one's watching,
Love as if it's all you know,
Dream as if you'll live forever, 
Live as if you'll die today” 


regardless of what they say, live long and prosper anyway!
Love,


Friday, March 14, 2014

Blog Hopping Fun with Off The Rails Scrapbooking!

Happy Friday lovely readers! Aren't you glad the weekend is here? 
The husband and me are going on a movie date later to catch 300: Rise of an Empire. With the boys still growing up, it's so hard to get some time off on our own. What do you do on your date nights?

I have two really exciting news to share today. Firstly, it's the fantastic news that I've been invited to join the team at Off the Rails Scrapbooking! The girls on this team are phenomenal and all stars in their own right. So, so honoured to be working alongside them! But because there are still some loose ends to tie up, I won't be contributing to the blog just yet. I will definitely update again when I start being useful.

And the second piece of exciting news is that Off the Rails Scrapbooking challenge blog is having their very first blog hop!


And the rules to win a prize at this blog hop are very simple:

1. Create a layout based on any 4 embellishments from the DT members' favourite in the blog hop list (see below).
2. Link up your creation back to Off the Rails Scrapbooking.
3. In your blog post, mention which 4 embellishments you are using, and the DT members that you got the inspiration from.
4. Follow OTRS and all of the DT members' blogs.
5. Leave a comment on your blog post, as well as OTRS' that you've completed the blog hop.

And this is what you stand to win from our lovely sponsor Graphic 45:
The entire By the Sea collection!! Which includes the following:
One 12x12 Pad
One 8x8 Pad
One sheet of stickers
One sheet of die cuts
One set of chipboards

Graphic 45 is an award-winning scrapbook and paper crafting company. We offer vintage inspired crafting products that capture the flamboyant style of the 1920's and 30's - with vibrant color, irresistible texture and imaginative design to create products with decades-old appeal that's both fresh and familiar. Let our products inspire your next scrapbook layout, card, album or home decor project.

And this is the blog hop list:


Other than the grand prize, I have also a little RAK for one lucky random person who follows both my blog and my YouTube channel. So do leave a comment below to say that you've done both. The blog hop runs from 14th to 21st March so you have plenty of time. I'll be drawing a random winner and announcing it on 22nd March.

So without further ado, this is what I've created for this blog hop using my favourite chipboard from Blue Fern Studios.


Admittedly I'm not very good at card-making and this is one of my few attempts to. And of course, it has to be mixed media :p

Some close-ups:


Using the circles group panel from BFS. I find panels absolutely perfect for matting photos, creating layers as well as incorporating them into backgrounds. And some lovely Green Tara flowers and ribbon for a feminine touch. 


Some masking with texture paste, stamping and misting.

Yes, you guessed right. Whenever I have scant details it means there's a video tutorial in the post. And you can watch it here to see how I created this mixed media card.


Well, before I sign off, don't forget the blog hop! The next person after me is Wendy O'Keeffe so please drop by her blog and leave some love! That's all for now, happy hopping!!

love,

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Guest Designer at 13@rts, and a double challenge entry!

Good day everyone! If you're checking in for the first time, welcome! If you've been a regular visitor, I hope you like the new facelift! There's a reason for this, and I hope to reveal it soon :)

Today's post is a very busy one because I've packed so much into one. Firstly, I've won first place (together with the super-talented Georgia Heald) over at 13 arts and I've been invited as a guest designer for their March challenge. And here it is: to create something (LO, card, journal whatever) with a mixed media background, but without any patterned paper. Sounds like fun eh? And since I have quite a bit of time on hand, I decided to combine this with the March challenges over at Scrap Around the World and the newly remade The Color Rooms:



That's the mood board from SATW, and as my son would say, "Mummy! Your favourite color!"


And that's the palette for this month. Quite perfectly matched! And this is my take on the three challenges:


I was clearly inspired by the pink and flowers from the SATW moodboard as this LO featured the cherry blossoms I shot ad nauseum while in Okinawa. The paint brush made me decide to work with the lovely matt paints from 13@rts into my background to create a watercolor effect. 

The typewriter.... now, that's a whole story by itself. Typewriters always make me want to do journaling and I was quite filled with emotion during the creation of this layout. Some of you may know, "A dream of spring" is the last book in the "Song of Ice and Fire" series, a fantasy epic I've been following both in print and on screen (it's also known as Game of Thrones). It has yet to be published, but it promises that all the conflicts and war we have seen and read so far will be resolved and at long last, the cold dreary winter will end (as the wise men in the series like to say, "a long summer always meant a long winter to come"). Plus, there was the on-going conflict in Ukraine and the subsequent invasion by Russia. I've never been through war, but I've seen enough documentaries and read enough war stories to not wish it upon anyone. Just like the blooming of the cherry blossoms means that winter is almost over and Spring is near, I pray that the situation will come to a peaceful end. Our world is full of beauty; if only people can stop surrounding themselves with violence and live for what is beautiful and precious. Besides, I'm also quite sure my friends in the USA and Canada experiencing the polar vortex have had way too many dreams of spring!

I've pretty much followed the color palette as well and as for the recycled junk mail, I didn't really have any. But I was inspired by the little pile of letters with stamps on the typewriter in the SATW mood board so I used the Polish stamps that came with my 13@rts parcel. Lovely!

Some closeups:


Gorgeous Blue Fern Studios chippy in the background (Circle Group panel) which I snipped off a small bit. I re-used the in-between circle chippies by painting and stamping them.


Texture fun! Resist canvas, dry-wall tape, texture paste and some tiny beads in the circles. Some stamping and heat-embossing on a piece of product package which I used to mat the photo.


A very meaningful haiku for journalling - "the cure for the raucous world, the late cherry blossoms".

And these are what I used to create my layout:

That's all I have for now. I hope to be back within the week with some exciting news, and also a chance to win something (again!). Until then, I leave you with a poem my 4-yo has been reciting:

春 眠 不 觉 晓,
处 处 闻 啼 鸟。
夜 来 风 雨 声,
花 落 知 多 少。 

love,

ps. see here for translation and meaning.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

BFS March Sketch

Hello folks, how fast time flies. We are already in the third month of 2014! Today is exciting because we are going to a wedding where my eldest will be page boy for the very first time. I'm hoping to get some nice pictures of him for memories (and you all know that's just an excuse for more scrapping). 

But before that, let me share with you the layout I've done for Blue Fern Studios March Sketch Challenge. Below is the beautiful sketch by Michelle Singh: 


The winner will be randomly drawn and this lucky person will stand to win a batch of BFS's new chipboard goodies!


And my take on it using the fabulous new line from BFS - Blue Fern Garden. I've flipped the sketch to have the title on the top:


Yes, it is another vacation photo - our second stop on our first day at a sea salt factory. The factory wasn't much - most of it was closed - but the scenery around was breath-taking. Since the oldies were occupied with the gift shop, I took the boys out for some fresh air and happy photo-taking.

Some close-ups:


Love the new Beaded Strings chippie from Blue Fern Studios. Like the graduated rings, it's just perfect for framing photos. I've misted mine here and added some epoxy baubles and dimensional paints. I also tucked in a piece of the Shabby Brick Bits behind the photo.


Love the new papers from Blue Fern Garden, especially the "Calling Cards" paper which has so many elements for cutting out and layering, as well as words that you can use for both titles and little sentiments.


I've used the "Treasure the Moment" chippie for my title, misting it with two different blues to get a graduated tone effect. I also fussy-cut out a corner from "In Bloom" paper and layered it beneath banners made from the extra strips of paper at the bottom of the patterned paper. Don't throw those away!

That's all I have for today. Now that the dust has more or less settled and I'm spending a bit more time at home, I hope to get more active on the blog and whip up more fun stuff in the studio. There are still decisions to be made about where my life will go from now - in fact I'm a little blown away by how doors have opened - these are not easy decisions but I'm trusting God to lead. 

Until I see you again, keep calm and carry on creating!
love,