Summer Love with Maja Design

Hello friends!

Summer is upon us! Although here in Singapore, it's nearly summer all year round. Right now, I'm enjoying a nice, cold bowl of iced fruits in syrup, catching up on summer dessert recipes, and attempting to bake a cake for the little one's birthday in a couple of days.

While all that is going on, I've a sweet, sweet treat from Maja Design to share with you. Marie has drawn up a gorgeous collection for summer and it's unbelievably cute! Today's project is one of the many that I've made from her Summer Crush collection and I can't stop making more. Here's a step-by-step on how I made the layout.

Step 1:
Summer is all about fun right? So I had these mini rosettes made using papers from the Summer Crush collection with one of my Sizzix dies and they are just too cute.



Step 2:

For some reason, straws came to mind as well and I rolled these up. Just lightly spritz with water to make the heavy patterned paper easier to roll and glue down the edges with Glossy Accents. I then brushed the ends with gel medium and dipped it into gold embossing powder.

Step 3:

I primed these chipboards from Blue Fern Studios and painted them. For the title "Love", I used 13@rts' Metallic Pink and Raspberry matt paint and blended them. For the arrow, I applied Shimmerz Texturez in Patina and went over with a layer of Silks Glaze in African Jade.

Step 4:

Assembling my paper layers and embellishments together so that I can start working on my background.

Step 5:

Spread a very thin layer of gesso over the area where I wanted to work on, followed by some stenciling with modeling paste to follow the general flow of my layout. I constantly placed my paper layers down as a guide over the stencil to see where else I should add the modeling paste.

Step 6:
Misting with Tattered Angels' Glimmer Mist (Trunk Bay) and watering it down. Some parts I painted straight from the bottle for gradations in tone. Finish with some random stamping, and start gluing everything away!




Here is the completed page:

Love the summery feel this piece has! But I have a confession - I cheated on the photo because it was taken in fall during our Perth trip. But it was the perfect kind of weather which I wish Singapore would have in summer (or throughout the year for that matter!) - balmy temperatures, refreshing breeze, blue skies dotted by little white clouds, and that amazing picnic in the park... I deliberately chose the patterned paper with the sunburst because it adds to the composition - sun rays radiating out from my main cluster and that pattern is repeated in my mini rosettes.

More details in the close-ups:

Lots of touching up with mediums.  I made more splashes with 13@rts Light Turquoise chalk mist all over the page, followed by Acrylic Splash! Ink in white. 

Everything was also given a dab of gesso for a vintage washed out look, followed by African Jade Silk glaze. And lastly, a generous patting of a yummy paste made from Gold Pearl paint and 13@rts Magic powder.

Loving the patterns and colors from the Summer Crush collection.

Another floral cluster with a metal piece and some resins.

That's all I have for today. Thanks for dropping by!

love,

Moments in Time with Blue Fern Studios

Hi everyone!

Where has all the time gone to? We're already in the month of May and I'm happy to share a layout I created for Blue Fern Studios using the gorgeous new Deja Vu collection.

Here is the project:

I picked these papers from the collection as they matched the colors from my photo quite perfectly. It's one of the very few of me with my kids as I'm usually the one behind the camera.

Here are some close-ups:

Layering gorgeous Blue Fern Studios chipboards with the papers and burlap. I had used quite a number of mediums for this page and the chipboards and some of you have already asked for the colors as well. There will be a full list at the end of this post.

More details here. I'm so glad that my LSS finally brought back the clear crackle medium from Ranger's. So far, it's the best I've used.  Just remember to seal it with gel as the cracks form as they can fall off easily.

My title piece, from "Petite Cartes", and more layering with chipboard, papers and lace.

Creating a velvet texture on my leaves using 13@rts new product - Magic Powder. 

My usual floral cluster.

Some details of the lace and chipboard, which I colored to look like the background paper.

Mini tags made from "Petite Cartes" cut-out.

And here is the start to finish video of how I put this whole page together:

List of mediums:

13@rts - Matt paint (Lavender, Mahogany), Metallic Paint (Purple), modeling paste, sand grit, Pastel Mist (Lavender), Splash! Acrylic Ink (White)

Shimmerz - Inklingz (Coral Reef, Pugnacious Purple, Spotlight White, Tarnished Treasure)

Lindy's Stamp Gang - Magicals (Bells of Ireland Green, Lucky Shamrock Green)

Rangers - Distress Paint (Mustard)

Colorarte - Twinking H2O (Alfafa)

And with a new month, it's a new sketch challenge too! Michele Singh has designed the following sketch and do check out the design team's lovely interpretations of it!

And that's all I have for today. Have a great day ahead!

love,

February Mood Board Reveal 2 for OTRS

Hello friends!

In again today with a little card I made for the Feb mood board challenge over at Off the Rails Scrapbooking. Here's the gorgeously colored mood board:

Below is how I put everything together.

Step 1

I started off with a sheet of white cardstock (12" x 6") and folded it into half. Taking some papers from Maja Design, I trimmed them further into 2 sizes for layering - 5.75" x 5.75", and 5" x 5". Distress the edges and ink them.

Step 2

Take some distress stain and paint (I used the same shade) and color the edges of the white cardstock. Ink the edges again.

Step 3

Adhere the 3 layers together. I also added some twine underneath the second layer for a nice little bow later. Twine also because I saw the balloons in the image and the strings they were drifting from.

Step 4

To make my floral paper a little more interesting, I added some modeling paste over a stencil.

Step 5

And some splatters of color by mixing paint with liquid medium, both from 13@rts.

Step 6

Adding a die cut doily with the edges inked.

Step 7

Scrounge up a piece of canvas cloth and glue it onto the card, followed by pompom trim. I added the canvas for a fabric texture, which I figured the lady in the image must have been a fashionista (from the oversized sunnies of course!). Pompoms because they look like cute little balloons.

Step 8

Colored a piece of mini flourish chipboard (Blue Fern Studios) with a few different types of pigments. Assemble everything else (flowers, embellishments etc) and voila!

You can see the purple, deep red, pink and just a tiny bit of green. 

I didn't have anything stickers with "awesome" in it, so I guess being yourself is another way of being awesome :D

The Eiffel Towel trinket was just begging to be used after being hoarded for so long!

So that's all I have for today. Do check in with the blog for more details on the challenge!

love,

You & Me for Blue Fern Studios

Hello friends!

We are now into the second month of 2015 and it's my turn on the Blue Fern Studios blog today to share my creations with their fabulous products. For today's post, I'm going back to my favourite collection Ombre Dreams.

Here is the layout I made of my two boys (who else?):

As usual, layering different BFS chipboard pieces and papers from the Ombre Dreams collection. As you watch the video, you would also have noticed that I changed the order of my workflow. Instead of working on the background first, I am now starting with the chipboards then my layers, so that I can use that bit for working out the best way to create the background. 

Some close-ups:

And here is my start-to-finish video:

List of supplies:

Blue Fern Studios - Ombre Dreams papers, Graduated Squares chipboard, Printers Bits

13arts - modeling paste, Violet pearl mist, Lavendar pastel mist, Ayeeda paint (Black), liquid medium

Wendy Vecchi - embossing paste

Liquitex - clear gesso

Shimmerz - Inklingz

Lindy's Stamp Gang - Magicals (Purple Teal)

Prima Marketing - flowers, other embellishments, stamps

And don't forget BFS' monthly sketch challenge is now open! Here's the sketch:

Check out the blog for more inspiration from the DT and hurry get your entries in for your chance to win a lovely prize pack!

That's all I have for today, thanks for dropping by!

love,

My First Reveal for Scrap Around the World

Hello everyone and welcome to the first weekend of 2015!

I'm so excited today not just because it's a new year with new beginnings, but I have for you today, my first reveal with the challenge blog Scrap Around the World.

Those of you who have visited my blog long enough would know that this is one of the first challenge blogs I took part, and subsequently won and was featured in. And I'm so, so glad that Helen had asked me to join her group of awesomely talented girls.

Here is the mood board :

and the rules of engagement:

This is the layout I've created, using the gorgeously shabby papers from Maja Design, another new team that I'm starting with this year. Love just how perfectly their papers match the shabby romantic mood board Karita has designed.

My inspiration came from the colors, the clocks with Roman numerals, the roses (LOVE those) and the keys. 

Some close-ups:

My floral cluster containing my title, where I lightly altered the flowers with some Shimmerz Inklingz. I die cut the leaves out from Vintage Summer Basics and dabbed gesso randomly for a touch of shabbiness.

Layers and layers of papers. Tucked in between is a piece cut out from the Rose Border chipboard from Blue Fern Studios. I've colored it with a mixture of Inklingz, Ayeeda Matte Paint and Distress Paint.

Another Poppy collage chipboard (also from BFS) altered the same way. For the honeycomb parts, I painted with Pewter Distress Crackle paint, followed by dabs of Patina glaze to achieve more shabbiness.

Some gorgeous fussy cut roses and clocks from Vintage Summer Basics.

From this month onwards, there will be ELEVEN prizes up for grabs so if you have time this weekend, why not put together a little project that might just win you a fabulous pack and a shot at a guest designer spot? Below are the amazing stuff you get to win:

ALL OUR PRIZES ALWAYS INCLUDE FREE INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE!!

1ST PRIZE

OVER $50 worth of product from 7 Dots Studio!
EXACTLY AS SHOWN BELOW

7 Dots Studio was born from dreams & for dreams. 

We are a European scrapbooking manufacturer of high 

quality scrapbooking products – paper, stickers, die-cuts,

 collage sheets, 6x6 pads, collection kits &chipboard.

Our collections are created by amazingly talented artists - 

from clean, graphic designs to mixed-media, grungy collage look. 

What you can always be sure of are high quality & thickness

 of our papers, which makes them perfect for all kinds of media.

 Among our products you will also find clear stamp sets coordinating 

with our collections to make them even more interesting & versatile.

We are amazingly happy & feel very blessed to see how much

 our products are loved by crafters & artists all around the world!

If you would like to see more awesome inspiration from our design team

please visit our blog HERE, our Facebook  page HERE & follow us on

Twitter HERE, Pinterest HERE & Instagram {7DOTSSTUDIO}.

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2ND PRIZE

$35 worth of CHIPBOARD from 2Crafty Chipboard
{not necessarily exactly what is shown below but a GREAT selection!}

2Crafty Chipboard is an Australian owned & operated manufacturer & wholesaler 

of laser cut chipboard products, located in Sydney, Australia.  We have been

 in operation since October 2006 & have more than 1 000 designs on offer.

We pride ourselves on quality products that are versatile & up to date with 

market trends, as well as offering unbeatable customer service, 

with quick turnaround of jobs large & small. Visit our website HERE.

We are happy to quote on personalised jobs, whether it be a single title for a 
customer, or large jobs for retreats, classes etc.  If you are a retail business 

& would like to stock our range of unique products, please contact us

 for more information.  Please see further details on our blog HERE!

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3RD PRIZE

$30 worth of product from 13@rts
{A selection of the products shown below}

13arts is a Polish manufacturer specialising in scrapbook papers, 

embellishments & artistic mediums. See our store HERE where

we ship worldwide!  Our blog HERE is full of inspiration & we

 have a monthly challenge where all our welcome!

Follow us on Instagram HERE, Twitter HERE & Facebook

 HERE & remember to follow us on Pinterest HERE too!!

---------------------------------

4TH PRIZE

$25 gift certificate from Creative Embellishments!

Creative Embellishments is a family owned company created by

Michael & Nicolle Kramer, a husband & wife team who design

 & manufacture unique, high quality chipboard, wood, rubber stamps 

& flair products.  We have been in operation since September 2013. 

It is our mission to offer fun & inspiring products that can be added to

 any project to bring out your inner creativity! In the near future we will 

be expanding into other mediums such as acrylic & stencil embellishments.

 We also custom cut for individual orders & have a wholesale store for 

retailers, kit clubs & classes. Do your shopping HERE!  If you own a 

store register for our wholesale section HERE.  Be inspired by our blog

HERE & follow us on Instagram HERE & Youtube HERE.

----------------------------------

5TH PRIZE

$20 worth of product from UmWowStudio!
{based on a good selection of the goodies below!!}

UmWowStudio is an innovative embellishment company located in

 Las Vegas, Nevada.  With chipboard, flair & stencils currently in

 their product line (& more fun things on the way!) they span across

 all bits of paper crafting, including memory saving, card making,

 tags, stamping, mixed media, art journaling & more!

Shop with us HERE, follow our blog HERE & LIKE us on Facebook

HERE!  Follow our boards on Pinterest HERE & Youtube HERE!!

-------------------------------

6TH PRIZE

15 Euros worth of product from Scrap-Unlimited
{you will receive a surprise selection of BEAUTIFUL goodies!}

Scrap-Unlimited is a craft supplies manufacturer from The Netherlands,

creating  & selling the most amazing selection of embellishments for the

crafting industry.  We offer shabby chic, vintage & steampunk inspired 

embellishments, ribbon, flowers, metals, mini-books & mini novelty items.  

Check out our online store HERE for SO MUCH MORE!  

LIKE us on Facebook HERE & follow our highly

 inspirational blog HERE & our Pinterest board HERE.

-----------------------------------

7TH PRIZE

15 Euros gift voucher from Mixed Media Place

Mixed Media Place is a treasure chest of different media for creative minds,

carrying a wide variety of embellishments & tools to get your projects going. 

The world of mixed media is a place of limitless possibilities - we are here
 to help you to spread your wings & fly! Find our blog HERE, LIKE us on
Facebook HERE, follow our boards on Pinterest HERE & do your shopping HERE!

------------------------------------

8TH PRIZE

17.50 Euros worth of products from Danafix, France. 
{Exactly as shown below}  Ciao 5+1 set “Vampire Knights”.

www.copicmarqueurs.com is an online store 100% dedicated to all 

Copic products. All Copic products made & assembled by the European

 importer are available in stock & we offer fast, international delivery!

--------------------------------

9TH PRIZE

$15 worth of product from Studio75
{Exactly as shown below}

Studio75 is a  Polish manufacturer of scrapbooking papers & items 

such as chipboard albums, notebooks, spiral bindings & magnetic sheets.  

We have our own online store HERE, a bustling Facebook page HERE

 & a highly inspirational blog HERE - come & visit us - let's connect!

---------------------------

10TH PRIZE

Over $15 worth of product!!Courtesy of our design team!
{This month from me - Helen Tilbury}

Prize consists of a full pack of 5 inch doilies, airmail washi, a Prima stamp set,

K & Co. brads, Purple Pumpkin flairs & giant button, embroidered flourish,

Basic Grey bling rub-ons & Wycinanka Chipboard Christmas set. 

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RANDOM PRIZE

Scrapbook kit from SCRAPS OF ELEGANCE KIT CLUB
Random Winner will always receive the previous month's kit
from Scraps of Elegance, valued at a whopping $36.95!!

Scraps of Darkness & Scraps of Elegance are monthly scrapbook kit clubs
 that cater to scrapbookers who are looking for an alternative to what other 
kit clubs offer.  Our kits are designed for artists who wish to take scrapbooking
 to a level beyond.  We strive to include the latest & greatest items on the market
 that will enable you  to create not "just a layout", but a work of art. 

Visit our blog HERE,our Store HERE & sign up for our kits HERE & HERE!

Please LIKE us on Facebook HERE, follow our boards on Pinterest HERE ,

subscribe to our Youtube channel HERE & find our tutorials HERE!!

We would LOVE to connect with you!!!

------------------------------------------

The deadline for this challenge is  SATURDAY 31th JANUARY 2015.

And that's all I have for you today! Thank you for dropping by!

love,