What I got for Christmas 2019

Hello friends! Just wanted to share what I got for Christmas 2019 (before it gets to February 2020..hehehe).

Yep, I got makeup and fragrances...(do I smell and look bad???*LOL*)

What did you get for Christmas???


Happy weekend friends!

Mixed Media Thursday - my latest mixed media painting on canvas

One of my half-done projects has been resting on my easel stand for a really long time. Occasionally, I would feel inspired to throw some inks and paints on this mixed media canvas. But it was one of those projects that never quite seem finished. Do you have any projects like that?

Since we had a long CNY weekend break, I decided to tackle this canvas ONE last time and just finish it. And I did (Yay...go me! *High fives all around*)

I'm actually pretty happy with how it turned out. What do you think?

CNY 2020 dessert table

Photo courtesy of Tim Isaac

So I baked a ton this CNY - all the auspicious-sounding cookies/tarts/cakes for luck/prosperity. Here's a pic of my dessert table (that my cousin-in-law took before anyone "attacked" the food.) with just some of the stuff I baked (because there wasn't enough space to put everything. *LOL*).

In case you were wondering, I baked:

1. Pineapple tarts

2. Peanut cookies

3. Almond cookies

4. Chocolate chip cookies (using Julie's recipe..thanks sweet friend!)
5. Green tea white chocolate cookies
6. Almond tuile
7. Mango cheesecake
8. Pineapple frangipane tart
9. XO fruitcake

Yep...the KitchenAid mixer and oven worked really hard for me. *winks*

Layout Tuesday - E with sweet Luna

My sweet niece Luna came by during the first day of CNY 2020 all dressed up to match my CNY decorations so I made my sister E take photos with her. *LOL*

Awww....don't they look sweet?

It was hard to get a shot of her actually looking at the camera but I finally did! *Yay! Go me!*

I chuckled when I saw this shot of cheeky Luna smiling but not looking at the camera on purpose so I had to include it on the layout. *winks*

Since my CNY decorations are still up, I went with red packets to help me incorporate the CNY vibe on the layout.

Playing along with The Studio Challenges.

Make Stuff Monday - CNY lanterns

Hello friends! This year I made fewer lanterns for CNY (because of the rat problem).

Last year, I made some 2 tier lanterns which looked really beautiful but pretty much fell apart every few days. So this year I went with a simpler version.

And also made some fish lanterns.

Happy week ahead friends!

What's in my backup art supply stash?

Even though I love to try out new art supplies, I do stand by my tried and tested art supply stash. So much that I have a backup stash of them. Because it would drive me nuts if I can't purchase them immediately when my current supply runs out. *winks*

1. Tombow Pit Multi2 glue

This has been my fave glue for a really long time. It has two dispensers - one for fine tip application and another for larger areas. When you adhere immediately after application, it is a strong adhesive. When you allow the glue to get tacky before adhering, you get a reposition-able adhesive hold.

2. Faber Castell Pitt Artist Big Brush Pen in white

This pen features India ink that is lightfast, waterproof, permanent, acid-free and pH neutral which means that it works on a wide variety of surfaces. I use it in my final layers of mixed media drawing/painting.

These tend to sell out pretty quickly in my local bookstore so I pick one up whenever I see one. The inks last very long but the tips of the marker wear out quickly if you mark them on rough surfaces.

3. Uni-Posca Ultra-Fine marker.

This water-based pigment ink is lightfast and water-resistant. Plus it write on virtually any surface. I use this for highlights on my face drawings.

The only drawback is that it isn't refillable...and it gets a little expensive if you keep using them up!

4. Prismacolor Premier White Colored Pencil

I use this for highlights and blending so I run through these really quickly. I tend to buy a few at a go so that I can put one in each of my pencil cases.

5. Faber Castell Perfection 7058 Eraser Pencil with brush

I love this white hard eraser that can be sharpened for detailed erasing. The brush end is perfect for cleaning up any eraser remnants.

6.  Faber Castell kneadable eraser

Yep. Another eraser. :) I remember how I thought the store sold me a faulty product because it was so soft and squishy. It is soft so that you can knead it to erase specific shapes on a drawing. I use it to lighten graphite marks on my sketches.

The gray ones are always out of stock so I buy a few backups. I'm sure it will work as well in the other colours but I just love the gray ones. (I know I'm weird...*LOL*).

There you have it - my current backup art supply stash. Clearly I need to get the attention of the folks at Faber Castell since I'm buying a lot of their stuff...hehehe. :)

What about you? What's in your backup art supply stash?

A page from the recipe planner - Guiness chocolate cake

So Nigella Lawson's Guiness Chocolate Cake is the Yam family's current fave chocolate cake until the family baker (aka me) finds another winning recipe. I've made it 3 times in Nov/Dec 2019. Twice with cream cheese frosting. And once with chocolate buttercream frosting.

The cake is damp and rich and very chocolatey. I did make an adjustment to the sugar content for the recipe because I don't like my cakes too sweet. Especially cakes that are served with frosting. (Personally, I find that you can reduce the sugar by at least 1/3 without compromising the integrity of the final cake.)

My sister was pretty excited about her Guiness Chocolate Cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. She actually asked me to take a photo of her with the cake (yep, I didn't even have to ask!)...which was perfect for my recipe planner. *LOL*

Do you have a fave chocolate cake recipe? Share it with me! ;)

Some days you just want to play with colour...a page from my sketchbook

A quick share today - a colourful eye from my sketchbook. :)

Hope you are having a great week so far my friends!

How to create a double page spread...a tutorial

A double page spread is a great way to either fit in more photos or incorporate larger photos while still having space to embellish your spread in a pleasing manner. However, it can be intimidating because you are working on covering a much larger surface and you want the pages to relate to each other in a cohesive manner.

If you are new to creating double page spreads, the easiest way to start is to use the same base paper - either the same colour cardstock or 2 sheets of patterned paper of the same design.

On this layout, I went with 2 sheets of patterned paper of the same design. I used a more muted base paper to really make the photos pop.

Extra tip #1: You can use different base patterned papers if you don't have 2 sheets of the same design. As long as they coordinate, they would be pleasing to the eye.

Extra tip #2: Use papers from a paper pack because they are designed to coordinate.

To ensure continuity between the pages, I used the same elements on both pages. Like the houndstooth paper and the Christmas lights. I matched up the Christmas lights at the center to tie the pages together.

I find it much easier to work on one page at a time instead of both pages simultaneously because I like my pages to be able to stand alone if they ever got separated. Also, working on a single page makes the task at hand a little less daunting.

Once I'm happy with the general layout of both pages, then I work on deliberate ways to tie the spread together through embellishments.

Photos don't have to be put in the same position on both pages. Here on this page, I tilted one of the photos to create more interest (and make it less noticeable as the photos are of different sizes...hehe).

Repeated elements on both pages help guide the eye from left to right, contributing to the overall cohesiveness of the pages.  Like the tags on both pages. Even though they are not exactly the same, they are quite similar (twine and cupcake). Or the ribbon tabs. And wax seals.

I also anchored the pages by adding a strip of yellow cardstock plus red washi tape at the bottom left  (page 1) and top right (page 2) edges to help with the cohesiveness of the overall design.

I used pops of red on both pages to help guide the eye along  the pages as well.

There you have it..how to create a double page...according to me. *winks*

Do you like creating double page spreads? What is your modus operandi for creating great double page spreads? Please share!

Make Stuff Monday: I may have a rat problem. *winks*

The Chinese Lunar New Year is just round the corner. And since the upcoming year is the Year of the Rat, I googled CNY decor and found this cute YouTube tutorial on how to make a rat out of ang pow (red packets).

Of course, I went with bigger ears, bigger googly eyes, bigger whiskers and used a pipe cleaner for the tail because I'm not very good at following tutorials (*The crafter in me thinks I can wing it much better..hehe*). But look at this rat, isn't it cute???

Now I may have a rat problem because everyone wants 2 (apparently, 1 is not enough because it might get lonely..*winks*). And for the first time ever, I have had to say, "I can't. I'm out of googly eyes! " *hahaha*

This week's quick card using paper scraps

The quest to make a significant dent in the paper scrap pile continues! *winks*

Here is this week's quick card using my paper scrap stash.

As always, I went with a lot of colour and pattern....I did add a piece of kraft cardstock to help "break up" the patterns.

Happy weekend friends! :)

P/s: It's the last weekend before CNY 2020 so I'll be busy baking and decorating on Saturday and Sunday. Can't wait to share the cute decor stuff I made. See you on Monday! ;)