My quest to use up my patterned papers...

My obsession with mixed media has me using very little patterned paper lately. So not helping with my quest to use up my patterned papers...*winks*  

I thought to myself, "Why not scrapbook just using patterned papers and not use any mediums at all?" .... [it was soooooo hard...I really wanted to mist or use gesso to break up the patterns... *LOL*]

The conclusion? I love using just patterned papers, stickers and rub-ons. This page came together in under 30 minutes because I didn't need to wait for mediums to dry. And I used up quite a bit of patterned papers! Yay! *High fives all around*

How to create your own supply list tutorial.

So, what's on my craft desk?

So on Monday I posted this picture of my craft desk on my Facebook Fan Page and it went viral for some strange reason...*LOL*. Want to know what's inside each drawer and on each shelf? *winks*

1. Faber Castell watercolour pencils and Papercrafter crayons.

2. My drawer of Faber Castell Artist Big Brush Pens. [Awesome for colouring stamps and chipboard.]

3. This bag consists of mostly tools - fabric scissors, pen knife, Tim Holtz scissors, EK Success precision scissors, staplers, paper piercer as well as my Derwent watercolour crayons [I buy them individually so I have only a handful].

4. Here I have all my fave markers and pens and glue. Zigg pens, Sakura gelly roll and micron pens, loads of Sharpies and Tombow glue.

5. This shelf consists of my glaze medium, stamp cleaners and mist bottles of Faber Castell Gelatos.

6. These two shelves are a mix of the various mists I have - Maya mists, Tattered Angels mists, Studio Calico's Mr Huey's [I hate the bottles they come in because they always leak at the opening so about halfway through a bottle, I pour them into clear mist bottles and label them. Love that they are uniform and take up less space.] and my own concoctions.

7. & 8. Rubber stamps. Since they are in clear view, I use them more often. [Clear stamps need to be stored away from light so my clear stamps are in a box under my desk.]

9. My Copics. I don't have many. If you notice, I tend to buy things only in colours I like. :)

10. Faber Castell Gelatos [yummy!] and PITT pens [Love how they write on glossy photos though I mostly use the black].

11. Ranger distress stains and other Ranger mediums.

12. Inks - I don't have many because I tend to use only black and brown.

13. My clear box of rub-ons. [I only have this box of rub-ons but it's taking a really long time to finish them!]

14. These are clear boxes with round containers for all my little knick knacks like charms and brads, sorted by colour.

15. Paint brushes and palette knives.

16. Acrylic paint - Mostly Daler-Rowney with some Goldens.

17. My wooden drawers are a mix of StazOn inks, Ranger stickles, PearlEx, twine and paper clips - things I use frequently.

18. The top shelf consists of paper ephemera - journal cards, tags, cut-out overlays [perfect for adding little bits of interest on a project] plus new Sharpies. The bottom shelf contains more frequently used mediums - Ranger Crackle Paint in rock candy, Golden crackle paste, fiber paste, glass bead gel, gel medium.

There you have it. My craft desk. What do you think?

I love having windows in my art journal

I have been enjoying the windows in my art journal. :)

It adds that little bit of extra interest because I can incorporate some dimensional objects....like the headband on my niece...:)

It has been quite challenging to add only flat things on the page [otherwise the book can't close completely flat].....stickers and rub-ons to the rescue! :) 

How to create your own supply list tutorial.

Dream mixed media canvas

So I found another place to "unload" my paper scraps....on my canvas! :)

Can you spot the squares I punched out from paper scraps? And the paper leaves from the Japanese restaurant? They add such fun texture eh?

How to create a supply list tutorial.

P/s: Happy week ahead friends...come play along with my guest Keren's challenge and LESSology Challenge #22: How Charming! :)

A vintage tag with old book paper

 

My recent obsession with windows in my art journals has resulted in little stacks of old book paper. Perfect for tackling the text paper challenge posed by my guest blogger Keren. 

Can you spot the subtle hint of text from the old book paper underneath the mist and crackle paint?

How to create a supply list tutorial.

Playing along with the glitter challenge at City Crafter.

P/s: Happy weekend friends. If you have time, play along with LESSology Challenge #22: How Charming!

When do you glue everything down?

So, are you the sort who glues everything down at the very end? Or as you go along?
I would fiddle with a few elements and once I'm happy with the placement, I adhere them to the base. Personally, I find that with the main elements glued down, I finish a card much faster because I have fewer elements to play with [unless I want to rip a hole in the card *LOL*]. Then I would add a little bit of texture and dimension for interest...like the twine and chipboard here. 

How to create a supply list tutorial.

What about you? When do you glue everything down? At the very end or as you go along?

Do you plan your layouts?

Does it seem like I plan my layouts? Because I don't. *LOL*I usually start with a sketch from a challenge blog to aid me in the placement of the core elements.

Then I just add little bits and pieces on my desk or from my "save-it-for-a-rainy-day" stash.

How to create a supply list tutorial.

What about you? Do you plan your layouts?

Inspired by the sketch at My Mind's Eye.

The patterned paper mystery....

I pride myself on being very "controlled" when it comes to scrapbooking supplies. I don't buy paper packs. Because I have a tendency to get bored with the same pattern. I buy individual pieces that I really love from each collection and prefer to make my own embellishments from found objects.. And I haven't bought any patterned paper since September 2012. So why is it I'm still drowning in patterned papers? A real mystery eh? *LOL*

I had a lot of fun creating this little "scene" - my nephews and niece with their great-grandma and grand-aunt.  It's a composite of 2 photos actually. *winks*

How to create a supply list tutorial.

Inspired by the sketch at Skissedilla.

What do you do when you have mismatched ephemera?

What do you do when you have mismatched ephemera? That you really really really want to use up? And not a whole lot of time?

Why you apply the magic of spray gesso of course!

Check out the step-by-step tutorial on how to create a textured background with found ephemera at the Faber Castell Design Memory Craft blog.

How to create a supply list tutorial.

Random shots of the nephews + niece at the playground, :)

Meeting a kindred spirit... :)

I recently visited Kuala Lumpur and met up with bloggy pal Shahrul Niza. We hit it off instantly. :)

Lunch and an afternoon of sightseeing became 2 lunches, 2 teas, 1 afternoon of sight-seeing and 1 afternoon of mixed media play at a local scrapbooking store Scrappingville. :)

Always nice to meet a kindred spirit. We were like giggling schoolgirls every time we saw something pretty or yummy...like red velvet cake...:)

How to create a supply list tutorial.

I was inspired by the sketch at Skissedilla. 

P/s: Come play along with LESSology Challenge #22: How Charming! and my guest Keren Tamir's challenge. 

What do you do when you are too lazy to find a temporary home for your scraps?

What do you do when you are too lazy to find a temporary home for your scraps? Why you make a quick card of course! *winks*

I present to you my 5 minute card. For Valentine's Day. Made from the scraps on my craft table. Can you see the glass glitter sparkle on the overlay? [It hides the glue marks! *LOL*]

How to create a supply list tutorial.

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day friends! :)

Text + chipboard technique with Keren Tamir!

My guest today is the lovely Keren Tamir from Expressing from my heart and soul. Keren's style is dreamy, ethereal and so gorgeous. Each layout is filled with yummy textures, fabulous layers and oh-so-stunning use of beautiful blooms. It's always a visual feast when I visit her blog! A must-see if you love the shabby chic style! Today she is sharing her fave technique in a tutorial. She is also hosting a wonderful challenge with an amazing prize for one lucky player!

But first, let's swoon at her gorgeous gallery...

My name is Keren Tamir and I'm 38 years old. I am a wife to a wonderful husband who is very supportive of my scrapbooking and a mother of two amazing kids; a 11 year old boy and a 6 years old girl. I've been scrapbooking for 10 years and I mainly scrapbook about my family. I love to create and experiment with many different mediums and techniques.

My style is mainly Shabby chic. I use lots of flowers and vines in my projects. I also love using pastes and misting on my layouts. My style is always evolving and that’s one of the things I love about this art.

One of the main reasons I started scrapbooking was to preserve memories and photos for my children. However over the couple of years, I’ve started to enjoy another aspect of scrapbooking. I love the artistic outlet that it gives me. I love to create and I’m passionate about what I do. I'm really glad to be a GD at Lessology today. I'd like to share a fun tutorial about one of many favourite techniques!! I love working with Chipboard and always find innovative ways to alter it. Although this might not be new to some of you, I thought it to be fresh and inspiring. Hope you enjoy my tutorial and it inspires you to try it!!

My Challenge is to use a paper with words on your project. This can be done in any way you want. You can use a scrapbooking paper, a page from a book or from a dictionary. You may rip it, cut it or leave it whole. The possibilities are endless. Play along for your chance at this RAK:

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Ready to play along? Please share your newly created projects using text paper via InLinkz located at the end of the post by Friday March 8.

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