How many projects do you work on at any one time?

If you haven't already noticed.....I work on multiple projects at any one time. Which is why you sometimes see the same papers or embellishments on multiple projects. I try to insert some of my "spare" projects [usually publication rejects] or a Tips post to break up the monotony so that you wouldn't notice...*LOL* How many projects do you work on at any one time?

I find it a lot more efficient to do similar activities in one sitting. Like misting a few backgrounds or colouring a few images.

It reduces the clean-up time substantially and having ready-made backgrounds can really speed up the process when you have limited time but really want to complete a project.

My card was inspired by the sketch at Some Odd Girl. :)

How many projects do you work on at any one time?

Supplies: Making memories patterned paper, Some Odd Girl image, Copics, Imaginarium Designs chipboard, twine.

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A whimsical scene....

One of the places I like to bring my nephews to is the fish farm. They love checking out the tanks of different fishes and getting to "choose" the fishes that we eventually bring home. [They don't really get to choose...they just think they do...*LOL*]

I created a whimsical scene with corrugated cardboard, misted gauze, chipboard, twine, bird paper clip and a fun pig embellishment [from an old keychain...I covered up the hole with the "happy" text....is it too obvious? *LOL*]. 

I was inspired by the sketch at Scrap Friends.


Supplies: Bo Bunny patterned papers, Maya mists, Crafter's Workshop templates, American Crafts thickers, twine, chipboard, brown pen, gauze, corrugated cardboard, bird paper clip, pig embellishment.

*Edited* This layout made Top 5 at Scrap Friends! :)

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Has Happy New Year Emily been arrested by the fashion police for being too matchy matchy? *LOL*

Today's Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps release is Happy New Year Emily. Can you see how happy she is? That's because she hasn't been arrested by the fashion police for being too matchy matchy! *LOL*

Wouldn't she be a lovely addition to your rubber stamp collection? You have a chance to win her by leaving a comment in this post as well as all the SCRS designers' blogs [listed below]. You have till midnight EST. The winner will be announced on the SCRS blog on Monday.

Danielle Lounds Denice Bartucci - December Guest Designer Joni Wilson Kim Yu Piali Biswas Shaela Odd Simonne Clay Sparkle Smith Stephanie Kraft Yvonne Yam

Supplies: Basic Grey patterned papers, American Crafts glitter cardstock, Copics, button, twine.

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Want to win for yourself a Chinese New Year Rin rubber stamp?

Hello friends! It's time for another Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps release. Isn't Chinese New Year Rin just adorable? She seems to be dressed in a traditional wedding dress though, complete with headgear! *LOL*

I coloured her with Copics, paper-pieced her dress and headgear and set her against a glittered blue sky...[hehe...trying to use up my glittered cardstock]. 

Want to win for yourself a Chinese New Year Rin rubber stamp? Just leave a comment this post and all the other SCRS designers' blogs [listed below] for your chance. You have until midnight EST and the lucky winner will be announced on the SCRS blog on Monday.

Danielle Lounds Denice Bartucci - December Guest Designer Joni Wilson Kim Yu Piali Biswas Shaela Odd Simonne Clay Sparkle Smith Stephanie Kraft Yvonne Yam

Supplies: American Crafts glittered cardstock, Basic Grey patterned papers, Copics, pearls.

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Hooked on paint....:)

There's something magical about putting paint on canvas. I can't believe it took me so long to get hooked on paint. The misconception is that it is messy and you will get paint everywhere. At least, that's what I thought since many artists tend to show us their painted hands. *LOL* Which was why I started with mists. You get the randomness of paint with the easy clean-up.

But it's surprisingly not as messy as what I initially thought ....[trust me, I can do this without messing up my manicure *LOL*] and you have more control over where the paint goes and drips. And all I need to clean up is my craft mat and my palette knife [Yep....too lazy to wash paint brushes..hehe]. 

A canvas for my bloggy pal Julie. :)

Supplies: 4 x 4 canvas, Daler-Rowney acrylic paints and gesso, Claudine Hellmuth gel medium, Tim Holtz game piece, 7 Gypsies sticker, Golden glass bead gel, bling, pearls, button, wrapping tissue, paper blooms, netting from vegetable packaging

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Hmmm...I wonder if this store is worth "undressing" for...*winks*

I remember my first trip to Europe in winter....all bundled up like a burrito. :) It wasn't fun to go shopping at all....when you had to remove layers of clothing when you enter [super toasty in the store with the heater on]...and put them back on when you leave. 

When we saw a street full of little stores, my sister and I devised a system. We would take turns to enter each store and hand signal to indicate if the store was worth "undressing" for. *LOL*

A quick card for the latest challenge at Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps.  I used Snowbunny Lucy. Isn't she sweet?

Supplies: Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps image - Snowbunny Lucy - and sentiment, Echo Park patterned paper, American Crafts glitter cardstock, Copics, twine, ribbon.

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Guest designer at Imaginarium Designs! :)

Hello friends! I was invited to be guest designer over at Imaginarium Designs this month and they sent me some fun chipboard to play! Yay! :) 

My dad got a new camera - Nikon V1 - so I got to take it for a test-drive with the nephews as we headed off to the playground....

I know people tend to layer chipboard and create fun clusters. I think they can stand out on their own with just a coat of paint [Okay...you got me. These are new paint colours that I just had to use...*LOL*]

Supplies: My Mind's Eye patterned papers, Imaginarium Designs chipboard, Golden glass bead gel, Daler-Rowney acrylic paint, black pen, buttons, twine, staples.

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How to make pretty beaded pins!

Sometimes when I feel like multi-tasking while watching TV, I make my own embellishments. Like these pretty beaded pins.

They are super easy to make. All you need a long pin, some pretty beads and glossy accents. I decide on a bead configuration I like, then add a little glossy accents to the contact points between the beads. I pin them upside down to a cushion over an open drawer till they dry.

Add them to cards for a lovely feminine touch. :)

P/s: Happy weekend friends! :)

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Social media can be so overwhelming....

 

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about Pinterest versus blogging. It's heartening to know that people still want to read my blog...*LOL* 

Seriously though, social media has really changed the way people communicate what they like. It's so much easier to click the "Like" button on Facebook when you are on the go rather than leave a meaningful comment on a blog. I'm guilty of that too when I'm pressed for time.

The truth is, social media can be so overwhelming. It is no longer a case of "You build it and they will come."  If you want people to see your work, you've to actively promote it via all the different channels. It's called casting a wide net....and seeing what fishes get caught...*winks* I pre-schedule my posts on my blog and my Facebook Fan Page every week. Everything else is automated from my blog. And that already takes up a whole LOT of time.... without taking into consideration the time that goes into creating the projects.

I marvel at people who write long blog posts or post multiple times a day and are always "on" some social media channel. Honestly, I can't keep up. Unless I give up my other life. And sleep. And become a zombie. *LOL*  What about you? Do you find social media overwhelming?  

P/s: Just an upcycled pillow box.

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The convenience factor...

So it turns out that I may be the super lazy kind of crafter. The bulk of my supplies used to be conveniently located at the doorway, just outside my bedroom. It wasn't a case of "out of sight, out of mind" since they are in open baskets which I see every single time I enter/leave my room. And yet, I find myself rummaging through supplies on my desk to complete my projects, neglecting the bulk of good stuff outside.

These days I've been using my punches a lot more simply because they are now conveniently located within my room after a recent supply reorganization [Hmmmm...I could potentially have a smaller butt if I did more "shopping" along my doorway! *LOL*]....

Just a layout of my niece and nephew. I was inspired by the sketch at Creative Scrappers and the song at Scrapping the Music.

Supplies: Basic Grey patterned papers, Crafter's Workshop template, Maya mists, Fiskars corner punch, EK Success circle punch, Imaginisce chipboard, SRM stickers, American Crafts foam thickers, Black Sharpie, buttons, black pen, white pen.

*Edited* This layout was a winner at Scrapping The Music. :)

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Exploring styles: Clash of the patterns

As you know, I haven't quite found my style yet. This happens when you are afflicted with the Shiny Object Syndrome. *LOL* But I do know that I love patterned papers. They are my go-to supply when I feel uninspired. They just make me happy. Last month, we explored the minimalist style. Shall we explore the clash of the patterns today? *winks*

Vary the visual weight of the patterns.

In design, visual weight relates to how heavy elements in a design are, relative to each other. Darker colours tend to be heavier so we tend use them in small doses. They are great for creating visual contrast and drawing attention to important elements. 

In this layout, the black from the men's suits and the scallop border are used to keep the focus on the photos. The colourful polka-dotted paper, with the small patterns and lighter colours, takes up less visual weight and is used to break up the "heaviness" of the red houndstooth paper. The buttons and paper blooms add small doses of colour to create interest.

Use textures to soften a pattern.

Here the background paper was really loud and bright. Adding some lace helped to tone it down and soften the pattern. Adding elements of different textures like the pearls and buttons help to create visual harmony.

Keep to the same colour family.

It is easy to mix and match patterns within the same colour family. I mixed several collections of American Crafts and Pebbles patterned papers in this layout. 




Keep patterns within a visual triangle.

Here I mixed patterned papers from 4 different paper manufacturers. The background woodgrain patterned paper is subtle and serves as "white space".  The black bow and the two stamped images form a visual triangle where the bulk of the patterns are.

So, what do you think? Do you like mixing patterns? Let me know in the comments section. :)

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I love to use mist residue to create backgrounds.

Some of my fave backgrounds are actually by-products of another project. You know how I love my stencils and mists? Well, misting on a stencil inevitably leads to some mists being left on the stencil. Washing it off is just plain wasteful so I always press a piece of cardstock on the misted stencil to soak up the mist residue. 

[pardon the phone photos]

Sometimes you get an abstract background that you get "dress" up a little....like I did with the splats! :)

I was inspired by the minimalist challenge at Kraft It Up. 

Supplies: Basic Grey patterned papers, Ranger distress stain (Barn Door), Crafter's Workshop template, mists, Jenni Bowlin stickers, brads, twine, brown pen.

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Keep calm and sparkle on....

"Keep calm and sparkle on...." she said to herself. "Don't be tempted by the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales."

Will she be able to resist temptation and not get a Cameo? *winks* 

Supplies: Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps image - Your highness Lucy, Crate Paper, Copics, Ranger stickles in rock candy, silver glitter, bling, corner rounder. 

http://www.sparklecreationsrubberstamps.com/

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Mahjong - the cure for a sprained ankle...

The reason why I spend so much time with the nephews and niece is because my mother, brother and sister-in-law are obsessed with playing mahjong. Yep, we are all "mahjong-trained" in this family to stave off Alzheimer's disease...*LOL* I'm what you call the "filler" player, taking over when someone else has to leave....we don't play with money though, just chips and the one-week glory of being the big winner!

So when my mother sprained her ankle for the very first time....we proposed playing mahjong to take her mind off the pain...

It worked like a charm! She didn't complain about the pain until the game ended. Mahjong - the cure for a sprained ankle. *winks*

I was inspired by the sketch at Skissedilla.

Supplies: Basic Grey patterned papers, American Crafts thickers, Ranger distress stains, Jenni Bowlin letter sticker, tags, buttons, pearls, brown pen, thread, butterfly embellishment.

*Edited* I am the winner over at Skissedilla! :)

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