A pretty blue tag in 10 minutes!

There's something terribly satisfying about creating something pretty in a short time. :)

1. Pick out a patterned paper from your scrap bin. Adhere to tag. (1 minute)

2. Stamp a swirly stamp on top and bottom of tag. (2 minutes)

3. Use a distressor tool on edges of tag. (1 minute)

4. Punch out tag hole. Affix wrinkle ribbon. (1 minute)

5. Quickly decide on embellishment cluster configuration. Adhere lace, tulle, pearls, leaf and bloom with a glue gun. (4 minutes)

6. Add bling to leaf. Apply stickles to center of bloom for extra sparkle. (1 minute)

There you have it...a pretty blue tag in 10 minutes! :)

P/s: Happy week ahead friends...come play along with my guest Savannah's challenge!

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Happy birthday Sparkle Creations! :)

Hello there friends! Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps is celebrating her 3rd birthday with 4 new releases and a fabulous blog hop! 

There are TEN single stamp prizes along the way and ONE lucky winner will win the ENTIRE July release! All you need to do is leave some love at every stop along the hop. You have until 11:59 PM EST on Sunday to leave comments for a chance to win! Winners will be announced on the SCRS blog on Monday. :)

I used the image of London Charlotte because just last week, I was in Sydney enjoying winter [there was a clock tower like this too! :)].

Residual mist on the background, my fave grid sticky tape and lace, a little paper-piecing and Copic colouring..

P/s: Happy weekend friends! :)

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My latest love...sticky tape from the hardware store...:)

Have you met my latest love? It's the sticky grid tape from the hardware store courtesy of my friend Lizzy Hill...:)

It's some plaster tape or something...white and flat with a sticky back....that you can add yummy mediums over! I've used it on all 3 projects showcased on my blog this week! :)

Playing along with the challenge at Runway Inspired. :)

P/s: Come play along with my guest Savannah's challenge and LESSology Challenge #27: Packaging Central.

*Edited* This card was a Fabulous Fashionista at Runway Inspired.

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Q&A: Managing time and money for your artistic expression

Back in May, I asked if you had any burning craft-related questions. Today the discussion is on the time and money spent on artistic expression...based on questions posed by Anupuma Choudary, Tone-Lill and Helen Tilbury.

It is definitely hard to strike a balance between time and money. Having some guidelines for yourself can help...

1. Buy local where possible.

I am lucky to have scrapbooking and craft supplies stores locally. They might not offer really good deals but they allow me to buy what I need. And to replenish them when the supplies run out. 

It does limit the quantity I can ideally own....but it forces me to buy what I really LOVE instead of what I like.  

I don't spend a lot of time surfing the web to find the "best deals". I rarely buy online unless there's free shipping OR if it's a tool I can't get locally. I try to buy stuff I can't get locally when I travel.

2. Stop buying the pre-made embellishments.

Unless they are on offer and are too cheap to pass up like 50cent embellishments [Hello Kaisercraft outlet store! *LOL*].

Part of the artistic expression is doing it yourself so ready-made embellishments are sort of like cheating right? [Okay, they are pricey for me locally and I don't like my projects to be matchy matchy]. 

That said, whenever I get them for free [winning a challenge, RAK or design team stuff], I'm like, "Yay! What a time-saver!"

3. Look beyond a craft store for supplies.

Cast your net a little wider for creative ways to stretch your cash...

Hardware store. Kitchen supplies. Stationery store. They are way cheaper and add more character to your projects. And of course, upcycle where possible.

4. Don't skimp on essentials.

If there's anything to spend good money on, it's tools.

You don't need every fancy tool there is in the market. Do your research, ask friends and buy tools that would suit your crafting style. For instance, if you are technologically challenged, maybe use a conventional die-cutting machine instead of a digital cutting machine. Trust me. The white elephant takes up a lot of space and just sits there, mocking at you.

5. Decide on quality versus quantity.


 You don't NEED every single colour. Not cardstock. Not ink. Not ribbon. Not anything. You are an artist...you can improvise! I like to buy neutrals.

Buy the quantity you need, not because it's cheaper to buy more. Unless it's a staple. Because you will get bored with an item and it's only cheap if you use the item, not if it sits there and collects dust. 

Always go for the best quality you are willing to spend. Artist-grade acrylics are pricey but the pigments are so rich, you end up using less. And the smaller packaging helps with the storage issue as well.

6. Organize and re-organize your supplies regularly.

As an artist honing your craft, you will evolve. And so will the way you use supplies. Storing them the way you use them saves you time from searching for what you need and leaves the precious time for creating art! 

7. Work on multiple projects at a time.

Working on several projects at a time saves you time from taking out your supplies and cleanup.

Layouts: I tend to create 5 - 6 backgrounds at a time. Since they tend to be mixed media, I can quickly work on another while one is drying. 

Cards/tags: I rarely use new sheets of patterned paper or supplies for these...just with the scraps left over from layouts.

Altered projects: Same as layouts...I work on several at a time because mediums take time to dry. I have about 5 - 6 projects in varying different stages. When I get stuck on one, I work on another. When I have less time to craft, I choose a project that is 3/4 done and try to "make it work!". 

I try to do the best possible work given the time and supply constraint. It's okay to shoot for an A instead of an A+ all the time. The average is still an A right? *winks*

8. Make use of little snippets of time. 


Weekdays: I craft for about 2 hours in the evenings 3 days a week before bedtime...I sleep at 10pm. I consider organizing my supplies as crafting too...*winks*  6 hours

I wake up at about 5am to reply emails, work on online DT commitments and comment on blogs till about 7am. 10 hours

Saturday: Housework in the morning.  The niece and nephews come over at lunchtime. They would play with their toys until they get bored....then they come to my room to see what "entertainment" I have for them. We would usually watch a DVD movie [I get 2 hours of fussy-cutting time]...the two older boys have tablets to play with when the 2 younger ones nap for 3 hours [apparently I own a magical bed...]. Then if the weather permits, we would go to the playground or visit the fish farm and then come back home for dinner.  5 hours

Sunday: Craft till 6pm unless there's some family outing. Get projects photographed before the sun sets. Edit photos. If possible, get Monday's blog post pre-scheduled.  8 hours

Monday morning: Get rest of the week's posts pre-scheduled. My blog posts are generally very short. Return comments left over the weekend.

9. Use a calendar and plan your schedule.

I use Google calendar. It syncs with my phone so I don't miss any deadlines. 

I only aim to post on weekdays even though I can definitely do quick projects and post over the weekends too. Instead, I keep them as "spare" projects for times when I don't have time to craft. And I also want my regular commenters to "rest" over the weekend. 

I usually get my DT work done by the end of the prior month so I get a chance to play with online challenges if I can.  If I have to travel, I have to "work harder" to get more projects done. For instance, I went on a 2-week vacation with my family back in March. I started working on my March projects in January. 

It does seem like it's a lot of work but once you establish a workable routine, you become very efficient.

10. Accept that you can't be everywhere and do everything. 

Can I do more? Sure...but it would mean less sleep and less of a social/family life. As much as I want people to see my work and grow my following, there are limits to what I can and what I am willing to do. I still want to have a social life! *winks* 

I don't post my work on galleries except for DT work because it would mean I need to leave comments on galleries too. Likewise I don't post a lot on Facebook too.  The blog post links are automated. If I do post, it's because I'm waiting for someone who's late or I'm travelling and get excited over free wifi access! *LOL* I created a Facebook Fan Page only because I can pre-schedule posts for up to 6 months in advance and it's a way to share with online friends who have fallen off the blogging bandwagon.

I turn off almost all notifications on social media sites so I minimize the number of emails I get.  You know how overwhelming emails can get.

These days, I hardly submit to calls that require "never-been-seen" projects unless it's a specific request by a publication. It takes a lot of time and effort to create specifically for a call. And it also takes time to pack and ship projects. That said, I'm hoping to be in every major publication at least once though...*winks*

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What about you? What are your time and money-saving tips?


P/s: If this post has been informative for you, please share it with your friends. Thanks! :)

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Nothing like some girly time...

I've been enjoying the girly time I spend with my niece....she loves to look at my stash and proceeds to tell me which are the ones that are "pretty"....The other day, she entertained herself by playing with my lace and trims for an hour! *LOL*

When she's happy, I get to take photos of us...*winks*

 I used two masks - one with mists and one with fiber paste. 

Playing along with the colour and stencils challenge at 13Arts.

P/s: Are you one of our winners in the Let's Get Trendy Now!3 challenges?

*Edited* I won the challenge at 13 Arts. :)

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So the gold obsession continues...*winks*

Eh....so the gold obsession continues...got myself some new gold mediums to play with...:)

I adhered some lace, pearls and button...then went crazy with all my gold coloured mediums! *LOL*

Love the sparkle! :)

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

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Dream big canvas with Blue Fern Studios chipboard

You know that I love bold bright colours....so I decided to challenge myself to work with a much more subtle colour palette....pretty much devoid of colour..*LOL*

I started by distressing the patterned papers and stamping in white. The Blue Fern Studios chipboard was painted with gesso and clear crackle paint. I added some translucent beads for a dreamy feel.

The Blue Fern Studios 'dream big' chipboard was first painted with gesso and then a pearlescent tinting. The resin bird also had a coat of pearlescent tinting. Some white mica flakes and glass bead gel were added for sparkle. I finished with a coat of PearlEx and gum arabic for overall sheen. 

So, what do you think? Can I work a subtle colour palette or should I stick to bright bold colours?  *winks*

P/s: I'm behind in commenting because I'm travelling this week...promise to catch up soon friends! Happy weekend! :)

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Happy little miss sunshine with her milk-drinking pig! :)

Meet happy little miss sunshine [aka niece S] who loves my stuffed pig [yep...mine...she gets to cuddle it though...*winks*]....

On this day, she was pretty entertained by the fact that the plastic cup could cover the pig's snout...like it was drinking milk...."so funny..."

Lots of fun with naked chipboard from Blue Fern Studios and yummy SRM stickers! :)

P/s: Are you one of the Let's Get Trendy Now!3 winners?

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Masking your stamps with Savannah O'Gwynn

My guest today is sweet Savannah O'Gwynn of Savannah Land 2. Savannah is a whiz at stamping along with mixing and matching patterned papers. She makes the cutest cards with the sweetest sentiments that she creates from combining stamp sets. Her style is fun and fresh and draws "Awwws" every single time I visit her blog. Today, she shares with us her fave technique - masking and stamping stamp sets. She is also hosting an awesome challenge with a fabulous prize for one lucky player! 

But first, let's admire a sampling of her body of work...

My name is Savannah O'Gwynn, also known as Sav. My love of all things crafty started at a young age. I began to stamp and create my own cards back in 2009 and started my blog {www.savannahland2.blogspot.com} shortly after that. I create videos each week to share fun techniques, tips, and tricks that I use for each of my designs. My style has changed these past few months-- I used to be very layered and used LOTS of embellishments/etc. I was Fun/Graphic mostly. I do dabble in other styles every so often (like CAS or Shabby/Chic)... but my new favorite styles are Freestyle/Collage and CAKS (cute and kind of simple)! My favorite craft is creating cards and gift card holders-- it brings great joy to see the appreciation, love, and surprise as the recipient opens up a handmade card. I also enjoy singing and leading worship with my husband. Music and crafts are my life :)

My fave technique: mixing and matching stamp sets (specifically sentiment sets) to create my own sentiment/

I know that this technique is a bit labor intensive but the result is totally worth it. You can maximize your stamps by using this technique! This technique is really simple...

1. Use masking tape (or clear tape, blue painters tape, etc) to cover parts of the stamp that you don't want to use 2. Ink up your stamp 3. Remove tape (and check to make sure the part of the image/word that you want to use is the only part with ink) 4. Stamp.

Watch this video showing my technique of masking to create my own sentiment.

My challenge is to create anything using the MASKING technique-- when I say masking, I'm talking about masking sentiments and images to create your own design or word. 

I'm giving away one of my favorite stamp sets from Paper Smooches, Hope and pink ribbons (5 1 yard lengths). I had a friend at the age of 23 go through a double mastectomy, as well as other friends and family members with cancer. So this set means a lot to me since Kim donates 50% of each Hope set sold to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

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Ready to play along? Please link your newly created creations featuring the masking technique to create your own design or word via Inlinkz [located at the end of the post] by Friday August 9. 11.55pm (GMT +8).

As always. please leave a little love for my guest Savannah. :)

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Another messy background....and a challenge winner!

So I had a little fun creating this messy background...Prima masks, Golden fiber paste, Neolcolor II crayons. Daler-Rowney liquid acrylics and gesso....

Used my patterned paper scraps and distressed the edges to create textured layers....a really great way to use up those oddly shaped scraps while keeping your page relatively flat.. *winks*

Littlest nephew J.... still cheeky as ever...:)

Playing along with the challenges at Inkido and Sketchbook 365. 

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Thank you to those who played along with my guest Tone-Lill's challenge. She picked a winner...

Pallavi

Tone-Lill also wanted to give away a second RAK to ...

Suman

Congratulations to Pallavi and Suman, please email me your mailing details. :)

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