The reworked mixed media girl on wood panel

April 2016

November 2018

It was a challenge to rework this particular mixed media girl I did back in April 2016 because she was done on a wood panel so you have to work with the grain of the wood in order for your colorants to show up.

I used acrylic paints for her skin and inks for her features. 

Then I went in with some Faber Castell gelatos and Prismacolor pencils for the details.

I also replaced the yellow flower with a white one and added a pearl trim on her ruffled top.

What do you think?

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The upcycled Pringles can (a quick tutorial)

So the other day Nephew #1 was eating chips out of a Pringles can when he spied me looking at him. 

"Would you like some?" he offered.

"Nope. Just pass me the can when you're done!"I told him.

Yep. As always, Eyeing the packaging. *LOL*

I measured and cut a sheet of Christmas patterned paper (Photo Play Paper) and adhered to the Pringles can (I used my trusty Xyron Creative Station of course).

I used my paper scraps to add a little more interest to the top and bottom of the can. 

Next I "framed" a deer head and finished with some word die-cuts.

There you have it. A super-quick upcycled Pringles can...perfect for some Christmas candy. :)

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The girl from my sketchbook who drove me nuts!

Meet the girl from my sketchbook who drove me nuts. Seriously. 

For some reason, she never looked "right" to me. At first I thought it was her eyes. Then her lips. Then her jawline. And her hairline. *LOL*

After multiple layers of coloured pencils, I think she now looks somewhat decent (that's my story and I'm sticking to it!*winks*).

What about you? Have you ever worked on a project that drove you nuts because you just couldn't get it "right"?

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Workspace Wednesday: November 2018 edition

Yes friends, besides the Christmas projects I have to get cracking on (see yesterday's post: Flashback Christmas), I am also frantically trying to get the gallery wall of my creative space completed. Rather than "kill" herself making many small projects, your girl here bought herself a 20x20 canvas in a feeble attempt to cover more gallery wall space with a single piece of artwork.

It could be genius. Or a total disaster of course, *LOL*

Here's how the canvas is looking after I threw acrylic paints, inks and water at it. :)

Happy Wednesday!

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Flashback Christmas...20 projects to get you into Christmas mode

Well friends, it's that time of the year again. If you haven't gotten your shopping done or your cards made. you should be in panic mode right about now. Like I am. Because things need to be mailed out in the first week of December to have it remotely arrive before Christmas. In 2018. *winks*

Anyway, to get me into Christmas mode, I revisited some of my old Christmas projects to see if I could get some much-needed inspiration. Since I was at it, I thought I should just share them with you, in case you were in panic mode like me. *LOL*

An upcycled tea box with Xyron and Doodlebug products

Getting into Christmas mode

A holiday decor project with Xyron

An upcycled tin  box of Christmas cards

A decorated Christmas tree and coordinating canvas

Holiday gift set with Xyron and Heidi Swapp

Happy merry everything!

Gift-wrapped boxes with Xyron

A Christmas gift box using a packaging box and Christmas cake decorations for Xyron

5 minute Christmas card

When I went crazy with my Maya Road dies..

A cardboard Christmas tag

I finally made some Christmas cards

Tag on gift box

Quick Christmas gift bags

A Christmas gift box in September

The result of makeup shopping

Projects for Maya Road/Chameleon Pens Swap...tutorials included

A Christmas card for the Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

A trio of clean and simple Christmas cards

There you have it....20 Christmas project ideas to help you (actually me...hehe) get into Christmas mode. As always, all projects are linked to their original posts (some include tutorials).

P/s: Who's all prepared for Christmas?

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Mixing patterns on a layout

As the year edges closer to the end, I find myself frantically trying to scrapbook the photos on my phone lest I fall further behind. And of course, trying my best to dwindle the ever-growing (using stash creates more stash!) scrap paper pile. It gets a little disheartening when you haven't bought any new patterned papers for years (not counting the ones obtained via design team collaborations) but just can't seem to finish up your existing stash. :(

However, I do still enjoy scrapbooking my family memories immensely. Especially when I challenge myself to be "clever" and incorporate bits of humour amidst the mix of patterns n a layout. *winks*

Here on this layout (which features my mum with my nephew celebrating this year's Mid-Autumn Festival by carrying a lantern in a neighbourhood walk), I tried to incorporate rather elaborate patterned papers together while minimizing the use of plain papers to help break up the busy patterns.

I think the word die-cuts + stickers do help to divert the eye from the busy patterns to the photos.

Playing along with The Studio Challenges.

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New additions (October 2018 edition)

So I'm a little late but here are new stuff I got in October 2018!

First up...Kokuyo Drawing Markers. These are solid drawing graphic marker pens with a cool translucent finish. I had a lot of fun playing with the tester pens at Tokyo Hands so I bought a few home too. Love that I can just buy refills when I use them up. :)

I'm currently loving my new wood watch! Except for the part where I had to remove parts from the strap to fit my wrist. Seriously. I had to watch a YouTube tutorial on how to do it. *LOL*

Yes, it's a men's watch. I like my watch faces big!

And I finally got myself some marble contact paper! Woohoo! More faux marblizing projects to come but the first "victim" was a white foam board that had seen better days. It looks so much more "expensive" now. *winks* Also, check out my first attempt at a cheese plate. [Note: the avocado, tomatoes and banana are props.]

Last but not least, art supplies for the face of course.

What have you bought lately?

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