Why you need a variety of art supplies for mixed media...*winks*

When it comes to mixed media, using a variety of art supplies may aid you in completing your artwork more quickly. Or in my case, help avert a disaster...*winks*

I started with a gessoed background in my altered book art journal [See the paintbrush lines? Use a sponge to apply your gesso for a smoother finish.] I drew an eye with an Inktense pencil, then used a waterbrush to activate the colour. After that, I decided to draw a nose and mouth to complete the face. The white Posca paint pen was used for highlights.

So, just a few days ago, I wanted to have a little creative time before bed. I decided against drawing the other eye in because I know the symmetry would drive me crazy [Usually, if I'm drawing a face, I work on both eyes concurrently] so I went in with some new Liquitex inks and Dylusions ink sprays. And then I used a leaf stencil with gesso over it. I was pretty happy with it at this point so off to bed I went.

But when I got up the next morning, the white stencilled and gessoed portion had all turned purplish pink - the Dylusions ink sprays had bled through all the white. So last night, I did a little "repair" work with Daler Rowney heavy body paints. The face was also freshened up with Sennelier Oil Pastels and coloured pencils.

I kind of like the dreamy effect even though on hindsight, drawing in the other eye would probably take less time *LOL*.  

Playing along with Creative Artist Mixed Media Challenge.

Drawing practice

So my cousin's husband has been flooding his social media feed with pictures of this little cutie. How adorable is this little boy, right? Well, his auntie [aka me] decided to attempt to do a pencil drawing of him. I say attempt because I know it doesn't really look like him...*LOL*

My mum was like..."Why did you make the 5 month old kid look like an old man?"

Haha...oh well, I guess it's back to more drawing practice. :)

Another "let's throw stuff on it" card....*winks*

Well, friends who are tackling the scrap pile, you know the struggle is real.
Every time you use something from the scrap pile, there is a small voice inside of you that says, "Yes!" but then there's that other much much louder voice that mocks at you, "That has not made a dent in your scrap pile! Haha!"

Which of course gets you to head back to your scrap pile [because that devil's advocate preys on your insecurities...so evil right?] and fish for something else to throw on your already done card....*winks*

And also serves as my lame excuse for this "let's throw stuff on it" card. *LOL*

I started with a Stencil Girl stencil + fiber paste on watercolour paper. Next, I went in with some Dylusions spray inks. After that, I went into my scrap pile to find something that would match my colour palette. I found the fussy-cut bird cage, then the frame. And of course, I wanted to use the lace from an old bra for a little peekaboo effect. Then, I decided it needed some sparkle, so I thought I should add some bling...but of course, the bling had to sit on something pretty so I added mica flakes. Then a paper bloom.....et cetera and 45 minutes, I had my "let's throw stuff on it" card done! :)

P/s: Happy week ahead friends!

A card for the Fall Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

I decided to whip up a quick card today to play along with the Fall Coffee Lovers Blog Hop. Any excuse to use my new coffee inspired dies from Maya Road. *winks*

Yes, the disparate elements are all from my scrap pile...[which is slowly dwindling... I may be in denial...haha]

Happy weekend friends! :)

Learning with grandpa

My niece S really loves spending time with her grandpa. She would happily sit on his lap for hours. :)

I caught her learning to write her Chinese name with grandpa the other day....

Such a sweet moment. :)

I pretty much glued down my matted photos and started adding little bits from my scrap pile...like the fussy cut flowers and the cute girl with her teddy bear. And then adding texture with the lace and dimensional embellishments.

I also started to tackle my American Crafts thickers stash....I don't know about yours but mine have all fallen off their sticker sheets and are just a huge mess! You would probably see some interesting layout titles soon as I try to use them up. *LOL*

Playing along with The Studio Challenges.

Mr Can't Wait To Play...*winks*

Nephew #3 is Mr Can't Wait To Play. Whenever he comes over, he would race through lunch to maximize his play time with his toys. :)

The sword [pictured] is one of his faves. Of course, his aunt [aka me] had to include The Power Puff Girls in the photo because they are cute! But check out that fake smile on J's face. *winks*

In contrast, he eats his dinner really slowly. He's the last one at the table because he thinks he has to go home after dinner so he tries to drag dinner out for as long as possible! *LOL*

Still working through the scrap pile...evidently. Not sure how the hot air balloons fit in but I just went with it because it's my mish mash style...haha!

Playing along with Stuck?! Sketches.

A super quick decorated box [minus the drying time...]*winks*

You know how excited I get when I get hold of a nice sturdy packaging box that I can put my own spin on...

I started with this lovely black packaging box [In case you were curious, I bought myself a silk pillowcase...it's supposed to prevent wrinkles and lines on your face - I reckon I should start before I get any wrinkles, right? *winks*]....

I applied Liquitex black lava medium [which dries glossy] with The Crafter's Workshop stencil...and just waited for it to dry naturally [It's best to let your mediums dry naturally instead of using a heat gun. You never know how toxic the fumes can get.].

Once it was dry, I adhered the blooms and leaves with a hot glue gun. And there you have it: a super quick decorated box! It doesn't get easier than this! :)

A vintage-inspired birthday tag

Yes, a box from Book Depository arrived last week...so I got working on a tag! Somehow cardboard boxes always get me in a tag-making mood. *winks*

It's one of those huge tags...because I love to pack on the embellishments on my tags. :)

It's got bits of everything I love. What do you think?

Celebrating July's mahjong marvels...

Back in July, some members of the Yam family enjoyed extraordinary luck on the mahjong front. Which had to be documented. Obviously. *winks*

My sister's mahjong marvel was getting the 13 Wonders while my brother won his game with the first card that was discarded...yeah, I was still arranging my cards when it happened...shortest game ever!

Still working with bits and pieces from my scrap pile. And yes, I used Christmas themed stickers here too! :)

Playing along with Stuck?! Sketches.

An altered box project for Maya Road and Xyron swap...:)

Maya Road and Xyron are having a swap this week with fabulous projects from both design teams. My project is an altered box. :)

I love the pull-out boxes that Kikki K planners come in. It's usually white with some little patterns on the top and a burst of colour in the pull-out part...like the bright yellow on this box. Which helped to determine the colour scheme of my altered box.

I was pretty happy to find a stack of kraft patterned papers from My Mind's Eye in my stash so I went with a plaid piece that seemed to coordinate well with my box and embellishments. I cut it to size and ran it through my Xyron Creative Station. This is still the best way to get an even layer of adhesive on your patterned papers.:)

The small and flat elements were ran through the Xyron sticker maker. And the Maya Road dimensional embellishments were glued down with a hot glue gun.

And yes, I had one of those epic die-cutting days with my new Maya Road dies so you'll be seeing a lot of those word sentiments in future projects. *winks*

Do pop on by the Maya Road blog this week and comment for your chance at a Follow Your Bliss kit.