Hooray for clean and simple! :)

I find myself gravitating towards the clean and simple style these days. It is not an easy style to master I must say...I often have to stop myself from piling on more stuff...*LOL* It does help me to use up my bits of scrap though...hooray! :)

I was inspired by Moxie Fab World's Beautiful Borders challenge. :)

Supplies: Kraft cardstock, Pink Paislee patterned paper, Martha Stewart edge punch and butterfly punch, pearl embellishment, wrinkle ribbon, Adorn It letter stickers.

P/s: Don't forget about my guest Ujjwal's embossing challenge which ends tomorrow! :)

3 ways to use up your ribbon scraps! :)

Today I'm sharing 3 ways to use up your ribbon scraps! :) I love to use ribbon and sometimes I find myself with really small pieces of ribbon that are too short to do anything elaborate with but seem a tad wasteful to throw away...ever had this dilemma? 

1. For a slightly longer piece of ribbon, tie a small bow and adhere to page with a brad. 

2. Consolidate the shorter ones for a really fun banner! They don't even need to match!

3. Use a patterned ribbon as a cool border!

There you have it, 3 ways to use up your ribbon scraps! :) I was inspired by Sketchy Thursdays. :)

[This layout was created for my friend Spardha and features her, her sister and their father.]

Supplies: Patterned paper: American Crafts, Maya Mists, buttons, Prima canvas letters, SRM stickers, thread. 

P/s: Don't forget about my guest Ujjwal's embossing challenge...it ends on Friday! :)

*Edited* This layout was a Sketchy Thursdays fave! :)

Gifting with Angi Barrs! :)

 

My guest today is my sweet friend Angi Barrs of Angi & Cokie Designs. Angi has a sweet and simple design style that speaks to those who enjoy loads of colour and cuteness in their projects! I particularly love how she alters gift bags and adds sweet touches to personalize them and makes them super special for the recipients! Angi is hosting a gifting challenge and sponsoring a great RAK! :)

Let's have a look at her kawaii gallery!

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Hello fellow crafters, I'm Angi Barrs (also known as the Cokie Pop lady). I am so honored to guest design at Do More With Less.

I live in Terrific Texas! I'm a mom of 2 wonderful daughters and work full-time as a school teacher. I also love to bake and eat way too many sweets (cheesecake is my fave). I also love fur babies. I'm on the hunt for a new puppy this summer. :)

I love using recycled & upcycled materials in my designs. I always make my own gift bags and boxes. Who needs store bought gifting when you can make your own? I like to use a a lot of different textures and colors when dressing up my gifting containers. You will find that using Kraft & paper bags is the easiest and most practical to design with. I hope you enjoy my fun twist on gifting. 

 

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Now, who wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of these goodies, right? Ready to play along? Link your newly created Gifting Creations via InLinkz (located at the end of the post) by Friday July 15 for your chance to win an awesome prize pack from Creative Charms and Really Reasonable Ribbon! :)

As always, please leave a little love for my guest Angi!

Sweet baby Sophie! :)

Hello friends! :) How about a sweet baby layout to start the week? :) I finally got to see my niece Sophie in the pink onesie I got her...[yeah..complete with pink tulle...if only she had more hair! *LOL*] and she gave me some spectacular smiles! :)

I was inspired by the sketch at Creative Scrappers.

Supplies: EK Success, Teresa Collins and Pink Paislee patterned papers, SRM stickers, Martha Stewart edge punch, American Crafts puffy stickers, 7 Gypsies metal tab, ribbon, black pen, brads.

I have the ability to look very pathetic...*winks*

So we recently celebrated my dad's birthday with a fun movie....[Kungfu Panda 2!]...and free popcorn and drinks....my mother wanted me to use my "charm" after we got really crappy service at the counter... My "charm" is actually the ability to look very pathetic...like a hurt little puppy...*winks* ...works like a charm! :) The supervisor gave us a free pass to everything we could eat at the snack counter! *LOL*

 

Prima canvas letters. Shrink plastic butterflies [click to see shrink plastic tutorial]

I was inspired by Once upon a ...sketch.

Supplies: Prima papers and canvas letters, Fontwerks stamps, shrink plastic, tags, burlap.

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Thanks to all who played along with my guest Kirsty's crepe paper challenge! I left the difficult task of choosing the winner to Kirsty...:)

In Kirsty's words..."I would pick Ujjwal for her effort and beautiful creation!"

Congratulations to you Ujjwal! :)

I have amazing friends! :)

Back in April, I won a spot in an amazing Donna Downey class and got to meet her in person! :)

A little fussy cutting and misting. The photo was printed on canvas.

The title for the piece was inspired by the challenge at Bird is the word.

Supplies: Crate Paper, Maya Mists, wrinkle ribbon, button, floral metal embellishment, white pen, canvas paper.

P/s:  And thanks to you my amazing friends who voted for me...

I am Sketchy Thursdays July Guest Design Team Member! Yay! :)

Thank you my friends! :)

You, my bloggy pals, made me a little teary-eyed yesterday. Thank you for casting a vote for me over at Sketchy Thursdays....it means a lot to me! :) [If you still haven't voted, voting's still open for another 10 hours! *winks*]

A super quick card to share...incorporating the "thank you" theme at the Bows and Berries blog and the colour-blocking challenge at CAS-ual Fridays.

Supplies: Echo Park patterned paper, Bows and Berries digi image, Copics, thread.

P/s: Come play along with my guest Ujjwal's embossing challenge! :)

Eyewear

It's always bright and sunny in Singapore so appropriate eyewear is very important [and my excuse for owning at least 15 pairs of sunglasses - mostly Oakleys *LOL*]

A little fussy-cutting and baker's twine.

A punched edge, ribbon and stickers.

I used the sketch on the Cosmo Cricket blog! :)

Supplies: Cosmo Cricket patterned papers, baker's twine, Martha Stewart edge punch, 7 Gypsies stickers, Heidi Swapp letters, black Sharpie.

P/s: I made Top 5 in Sketchy Thursdays July GDT contest! Would really love for you to vote for me! Thanks! :)

A mixed media canvas panel! :)

Hello friends! :) Today I'm sharing a mixed media canvas panel. :) 

I started by adhering some old music paper and gesso....then played with some paints and masks..:)

Some rub-ons...

I added some texture and subtle sparkle all over by using Ranger Crackle Paint in Rock Candy.

It was pretty therapeutic to work on this canvas panel. I usually craft on Sundays but I actually worked on this for a few minutes every night, building the layers gradually and letting them dry naturally. Can you spot my doodling? *winks*

Supplies: 9 x12 canvas panel, Gauche Alchemy plastic mesh as a mask, Prima mask, Maya Mists, Golden paints, Ranger distress inks, Ranger crackle paint and stickles in Rock Candy, bubble wrap, Making Memories foam stamps, old music paper, rub-ons, Sharpies.

An embossed card! :)

Just a quick embossed card to share today! :) I wanted to play along with Moxie Fab World's I'm Sew Excited challenge.... A bloom made from vintage dress patterns and some upcycled, embossed and alcohol-inked soda can panels. :)

Supplies: Soda can, Cuttlebug embossing folders, alcohol ink in copper, Brilliance ink in gold, Prima canvas letters, vintage dress patterns, brads, thread, bling.

Have a fabulous weekend friends! Don't forget about my guest Ujjwal's embossing challenge! :)

So you want to be a guest blogger? *winks*

Hello kindred spirits! Since a lot of you expressed how much you enjoyed the guest posts, tutorials and challenges, I thought that there might be some of you out there wondering

 how I "choose" guest bloggers to feature on my blog...*winks*

What am I looking for in a guest blogger? 

1. Someone with a unique style.

I'm particularly drawn to people with styles radically different from my own. Whether you are new to the crafting world or a veteran, I believe everyone has something of value to share with others.

2. Someone with an online presence.

Someone who maintains a blog with regular creative project posts and actively engages in the craft blogging community [through commenting and playing online challenges].

3. Someone who follows my blog and leaves comments.

The rationale for this is simple. If you already know who I am and at least like my work, the possibility of you accepting my invitation is high... *winks* Like most people, rejection is hard for me...*LOL*

So far the acceptance rate is 100%! :)

My Modus Operandi

If you regularly comment on my blog, you know that I do return visits. That's when I start checking out your work. If I don't already follow your blog, I will follow your blog before sending you an email invitation to be a guest on my blog. So if you see my face on your Followers widget, you just might be getting an email from me! *winks*

A final note

Seriously though, I never expected this Guest Blogger feature to run this long [18th months !]. It is actually a lot of work to plan, coordinate and put together a guest post. I'm grateful to each and every one of my guests who have taken time out of their busy schedule to partake in my little feature. And thanks to my regular challenge players too. You make the effort worthwhile.

Okay, this was supposed to be an informational post and it's getting a little sappy...*LOL*

Supplies: Echo Park Paper, wrinkle ribbon, bottle cap, glossy accents, Gauche Alchemy embellishments, baker's twine, Cosmo Cricket stickers.

P/s: Don't forget about my guest Kirsty's crepe paper challenge! It ends on Friday!

Have you seen the Jersey Boys? :)

I really enjoyed watching the musical JERSEY BOYS. :) Have you seen it?

[JERSEY BOYS is the story of how four boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time.] 

It was thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end!

Yes, the photos have nothing to do with the musical...[the before and after photos actually!] *LOL* I tend to forget to take pictures when I'm enjoying myself and feel silly about "staging" a photo after.

Inspired by the sketch at My Mind's Eye and the challenge at The Studio to use diecuts.

Supplies: Patterned papers, chipboard letters, diecuts and trims are all from My Mind's Eye, thread, brads, tags, stickers, distress inks and stickles.

P/s: I would really love for you to play along with my guest Kirsty's crepe paper challenge! It ends on Friday! :)