Interrupting our regularly scheduled creative sharing to show you what my sister got me from Japan! :)
Monday
Workspace Monday - new stuff from Japan!
Interrupting our regularly scheduled creative sharing to show you what my sister got me from Japan! :)
Thursday
Thursday's desk - an eye drawing and my latest manicure
Haven't had much time for drawing this week...so I'm sharing just this single eye drawing and my latest manicure! Decided to skip the extensions this time and just use my natural nails (which grow fast but cannot survive the cooking and washing I do on a daily basis).
Have a great Easter weekend friends!
Tuesday
Tuesday's desk - more pages from the gratitude journal
Been having lots of fun playing with print effects on my photo printer. With so much going on the photos, I've kept the embellishments really simple...just washi tape and one fussy-cut element on each page.:)
This page was all about discovering the Chinese restaurant at the hotel I was staying at. It was surprisingly good and I would dine there again.:)
And this page was all about my new Starbucks reusable hot beverage container (tea for this one...I have another one for coffee). Love all the hearts on my printed photo. :)
Monday
Mixed Media Monday - sweetheart paper bag
Didn't feel like digging through my paper scraps so I just went with random stuff around my desk..even took out some highly-neglected coloured mists, buttons and bling. Note to self: It was fun...do it again soon!
Friday
Friday's desk - more eye drawings on toned tan paper
It has been challenging using this toned tan paper to draw the eye. At first I thought maybe using a more waxy coloured pencil would help so I tried using Prismacolor pencils for this eye. But I would quite get the details in (which was why I stopped using them in the first place).
So I went back to my trusty Holbeins. And this looks so much better right?
Just need to work on some blending around the eye socket I think. Always a learning process. :)
Enjoy your weekend friends!
Thursday
Workspace Wednesday - birthday pressies 2025
As usual, my sister got me kitchen supplies for my birthday. *LOL*
I've used them all, multiple times (yay, go me!) actually. But the game changer is the pressure cooker. I've made braised pork belly twice, beef stew twice and pork bone soup once. All using just a fraction of the time I would spend using conventional cooking pots. The girl might actually make time for art! *winks*
Do you have a pressure cooker?
Tuesday
More pages from the 2024 gratitude journal
Can you tell that I'm having so much fun with my printed photos?
This page is about my cherry blossom nails for CNY. Really love how they turned out.
This one is just me enjoying a meal at one of my fave restaurants in Hanoi.
Monday
Make Stuff Monday - a decorated black box
Decided to play with lots of colours on the decorated box...
Started with this sturdy black box.
Really just a mish mash mix of really old stuff which I really really want to use up. Some of the pieces didn't quite "match" so I used a black pen to add some line work.
Happy Monday friends!
Thursday
Another week, another upcycled envelope
This time the receipt came in this envelope..which had to be up cycled immediately of course. *winks*
Just another mish mash piece...with scrap bits and stickers...and finished with pearl mist.::)
Wednesday
Workspace Wednesday - back to eye drawing after a break
It's been a while but guess who is back to eye drawing? *winks*
Just a few pages left in this old tan sketchbook so I thought I should quickly finish her up with some eye drawings. The paper isn't that great for layering colours so the line marks are obvious and not blended. Guess I need more practice. :)
Tuesday
Tuesday's desk - pages from the gratitude journal
This page is all about this new gratitude journal and cover. Added the floral "frame" and got it printed on the photo. Added a washi tape strip, a leaf and typewriter with florals to complete this super fast page.
This page is all about my cute little teapot strainer...which I was excited about but actually forgot to use it. *off to make a cup of tea* Don't you just love the cool effects on the printed photo?
Thursday
Tips on paper bag decorating (Part 3)
Hello friends! It's been a while since I shared Tips on paper bag decorating Part 1 and Part 2. And here is Part 3!
Especially when the paper bag is this cute to begin with. Just keep the base design and cover up the brand name with some simple elements.:)
2. Try a splattering of little elements across the bag.
Sometimes there isn't a need for a main focal point. Just place the elements in a way that would draw the eye across. On this bag, I added texture, interest and flow just by tearing the top of the patterned paper and putting small elements across it to guide the eye.
3. Repeat elements help to create a cohesive look.
Sometimes you tend to go overboard with the decorative elements (talking about me of course...*winks), but you can ensure a cohesive look and feel with repeated elements placed in a "triangle". I repeated the birds and butterflies on this bag.
4. Keep it simple.
There isn't a need to use many elements to decorate a paper bag, especially a small one. Here I only decorated the bottom half of the paper bag, using the top half as my "white space" to give the design a little more "drama".
5. Use a graphic design to draw the eye.
Here the bold patterned paper helped to ground the elements and lead the eye to the focal point. By adding elements to "close" the triangle, the overall design feels more cohesive and complete.
There you have it. Tips on paper bag decorating (Part 3).
Tuesday
A homemade spread in Penang
Few people offer to make me a home-cooked meal...usually I'm the one doing the cooking. But my Penang bestie invited me over for a homemade spread two weeks ago. :)
So grateful to have a soul sister in a neighbouring country who put in thought, effort and love in making me feel like I deserve to be spoiled a little. :)
Monday
Monday's page from the gratitude journal - seafood curry
So I've been really having fun with the new "frames" and "overcoats" features when printing my photos with my Selphy QX10 printer for my gratitude journal. It's in its 6th year and still working well. I am tempted to get the new Selphy QX20 printer which can print both square and card size photos...but I shall be good for now. *winks*
Anyway, one of the best things about doing your gratitude journal the year after is that you can really look back on what worked in the previous year that you could possibly try again this year...like this seafood curry dish...which everyone loved and it was relatively easy to make.
Anything to save a little time and my sanity really helps. As you know, I'm the primary caregiver for my folks who both have dementia (and other ailments). There are good days and bad days and it's been really really tough for the last 2 years. And I know it might get worse and I would need help. Until then. For now, I'm doing my best to keep them as independent as they can be while making sure I stay mentally and physically strong for the road ahead.
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