Let's play with patterns on a layout!

Yep, I got some fun shots of the Gangster Gang (aka niece + nephews) the other day...

They are usually more enthusiastic about taking photos once they have had a little fun...but of course, the perfect shot always eludes. *winks*

I really wanted to use the bright bold paper with the colourful trees (Echo Park Paper) so I started with that and just added more patterns to the mix.

Lots of fussy-cutting bits...:)

I did incorporate some cardstock to help the patterns pop a little...

Playing along with The Studio Challenges.

Pin It

What's new in my life: October 2019 edition

Hello friends! It's been a while since I last shared the new stuff in my life. Time for an update!

First up is this lovely happy mail I got from my sweet bloggy pal Julie. She sent me baking supplies along with handwritten recipes! Can't wait to bake!:)

Next up are some art supplies I got from my local art supply store Straits Art Co. I wanted to pick up some gesso and matte medium (my fave for adhering stuff) but they were out of stock. So I picked up some Liquitex inks (I load these in my waterbrushes for no cleanup painting/drawing) and replenished my staple black and white Prismacolor pencils. Personally, I find it ridiculous to replenish these locally at US$2 each when I can buy a 150 set at US$88 on Amazon. Oh well, I will use these sparingly. *LOL*

Another local art supply store had their annual sale and I picked up a set of pastel pencils. After the discount, it was about 50% cheaper to pick up the box set as opposed to buying individual pencils so I was pretty happy with my purchase. (Except for the fact that the pencils are still sitting in the box, untouched for 2 months and counting...just waiting for someone to give them some love. *hangs head down in shame*)

Two weeks ago, I picked up a wax seal set when I was in Penang.They were on sale of course. ;) I intend to use them for this year's Christmas card envelopes. Well, intention and execution are two different things. *hahaha*

I also picked up some future art supplies in the form of current earrings from Lovisa. These aren't the best quality...but they are an economical way of incorporating trends in your wardrobe.

Of late I've been more into haircare...so I picked up some at a recent Sephora sale as well as at a haircare event. A belated birthday gift card from my cousin helped tremendously. Thanks F!

So I scored these freebies from a Guerlain event at Sephora! Their international makeup artist was in town and I signed up for a free consultation...nobody else turned up for my session so I had a 1-on-1 session! I learned a lot of makeup tricks (I asked lots of questions...*winks*) which I'll be sure to apply to my portrait drawing/paintings. *hehehe*


Tell me, what's new in your life?

Pin It

Make Stuff Monday: Decorated Christmas gift bags (a quick tutorial)

Hello friends! Today I'm sharing 2 really quick decorated Christmas gift bags. :)

I started with a black Nars paper bag and a Clarins cardboard bag - freebies from brand events. :)

Choose patterned papers, cut to size and adhere to bags.

Then just embellish! I went with Christmas stickers and added some bling!

They are super quick to make and easy to store for last minute Christmas gifts.

Happy week ahead friends! :)

Pin It

Cheeky J

These days, nephew #3 never willingly lets me take a decent photo of him (eyes looking at camera and smiling). So the other day, I was pretty surprised when I asked him to take some photos with his sister and he readily agreed.

Not one to waste any opportunity for nice photos, I quickly took consecutive shots of the two of them.

Only when I zoomed in on the photos did I see that cheeky J did the "Loser" sign on the back of his sister's head. *hehehe*

No wonder he was being so "cooperative"! *LOL*

I was too lazy to cut the photo paper to size before I printed them and then decided that the white border worked great as photo mats. *winks*

Playing along with Let's Get Sketchy.

Pin It

Workspace Wednesday: October 2019 edition

The gallery wall in my creative space is filling up nicely....I think I might get it all done by the end of the year. *fingers and toes crossed while upbeat positive music plays in the background*

My space is part functional, part decorative and totally eclectic.
And in case any of the folks at 3M are reading this *winks*, totally put together with 3M hooks and velcro. :)

Pin It

Things that most crafters can relate to...part 2! *LOL*

Oh well, we all had a few laughs when I posted Things that most crafters can relate to... back in April. Here is Part 2! :)

You see accessories being sold at retail stores, gasp at the price tag and think "I can do it myself for a lot less."

The pearl headband was S$45.90/US$34 and the floral sliders were S$49.90/US$37. Should I attempt to make these? *winks*

You believe in child labour nurturing the young. Check out my young intern (aka niece) helping me out with my die-cutting. She gets "paid" with die-cuts of her choice. :)

There's always a new craft to try. Especially when the craft supply store is having a sale.

So I bought some weaving stuff at Spotlight when they were having a 72 hour storewide 30% discount. I mean I watched a couple of YouTube videos on weaving a wall hanging...this should be totally doable right? *meanwhile stash gets stored away till much much later...or maybe this weekend...hahaha*

You may have a free-with-purchase reusable tote bag problem. Okay....so this might just be a me problem. Especially the limited edition tote bags. Not that I actually use them. Clearly some of them are still in their packaging.

You can never have too much paper. And you dream of having your paper storage organized like the art supply store so that you can easily pick out the colour you want.:)

You are always on the lookout for pretty storage solutions for your ever-growing supplies. Clearly you are not getting rid of your supplies, might as well find some lovely way to store them, right? *winks*

(Insert Manufacturer name of choice) should sponsor you because you buy so much of their stuff.
For me, it should be 3M. There's a 3M hook in every possible nook. *hahaha*

You make your gift recipients take a photo with their pressies. And tell them the photo might appear in a blog post. *hehehe*

You love Daiso/Dollar Stores/bargain bins for inexpensive craft supplies.

Can you relate? *hahaha*

Pin It

Make Stuff Monday: Gold Christmas gift box

Hello friends! Today I'm sharing a quick (took longer to photograph the box than the time to decorate it) decorated Christmas box.

I started with the lovely box that my sweet friend Julie sent me. :)

Now I had grandeur plans of adding blooms and bling to the top of the box but decided to go the practical route...and kept the decorations minimal and somewhat flattish so that it is easy to store and transport if needed.

I cut a piece of gold foiled patterned paper and adhered it to the top of the box. Then I used a glittered diecut and layered a vintage Christmas sticker on top of it. I let the sticker cascade over the sides of the box to make it look more "sophisticated" than it actually was. *winks*

I finished the box by gluing some bling for some dimension and interest.

Happy week ahead friends! :)

Pin It