Challenge at Butterfly Crafts - book inspiration

Supplies: Patterned paper: Sassafras, Cardstock: DCWV(green), Stickers: American Crafts. Others: Cork paper, felt

The challenge over at Butterfly Crafts is to do a layout inspired by a book. My favourite book as a child was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. There was something decidedly magical about being beautiful and being loved by everyone (except the evil stepmother). Oh well, I'm a dreamer.

Anyway, I decided to use my treasured Sassafras paper (which I had been hoarding for a few months) for this LO. My nephew is at an age where he's fascinated by all living things and generally loves to spend time outdoors so I cut a silhouette from his photo and placed him in the midst of all the action. The animals were cut from the various Sassafras paper (hard, hard work!). The grass was cut from cardstock (Quickutz die). I used cork paper for the trunk of the tree and felt from Queen & Co for the leaves. The entire layout was first done on cardstock, then cut out and adhered onto clear acrylic (not apparent in photo because the LO was scanned).


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Basic Grey Challenge - texture

Supplies: Patterned paper: Basic Grey (Offbeat/unexpected), Bazzill cardstock (Brown & white). Others: Fiskars lace border punch, Imaginisce bird stamp, Stickles, Ribbon, Brown ink

This is the card I made for the challenge over at Basic Grey Challenges. Yes! There are people very enthusiastic about Basic Grey and they've set up a blog challenge site. This week's challenge is to use texture.

I used my Cuttlebug embossing folder on white cardstock, then painted with watercolor crayons. Light blue stickles was added around the edges. I added "grass" cut from green cardstock to add more texture to the piece. The bird in the center was propped up with 3D dots. The piece was then adhered to Basic Grey Offbeat/Unexpected paper and then to brown cardstock. Stitching was done the perimeter with pink thread. The birds were stamped on cream cardstock with brown ink, then painted a little with watercolor crayons. The "Hi" sentiment were individual letter brads. Brown ribbon with white stitching was adhered to the base to serve as the "ground" for the birds to stand on. I used the Fiskars lace border punch and then adhered white cardstock to the back so that the intricate lace design could be seen more clearly.

*Edited* Beginner's luck! Just found out that I won this week's challenge ! :)



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Thursday 13 - 13 things I've learnt as a 3-month old blogger

1. Blogging is hard hard work.... it requires effort and some level of commitment to keep at it. It takes up more time than what I initially thought it would...linking to posts, inserting pictures, writing meaningful posts. Blogger's help function isn't really very comprehensive and a google search isn't very helpful if you can't narrow down the focus. I stumbled and struggled a little to get started even though I grew up with computers and the internet.

2. Blogging is a two-way street. Participation in other blogs through commenting is important because it shows appreciation for other bloggers' opinions/posts. That said, I do comment only when I feel I can offer something of value that is relevant to the type of issues being discussed. Or sometimes, if the author explicitly asks visitors to say "hi" . I now spend half my "blogging time" reading other people's blogs, learning about what I like and what I don't and appreciating other bloggers' efforts to engage their audience. Respect begets respect, right?

3. That I dig the comments people leave me. Seriously. I've never been the attention-seeking sort but this fuels my narcissistic side somewhat. To think I wanted to disable the comment function...what was I thinking? Of course, people have been nice so far...

4. Succeeding as a blogger is like most things in life - it takes time and practice. I can only get better at it. If I keep at it.When I read about the demise of the world's oldest blogger, I knew that this shouldn't be an excuse..given life expectancy rates, I have a good 80 years to get better at this, right? Blogs are a work in progress. Always.

5. That I need to make the effort to be objective. Sure, it's my blog and I should be able to express my opinions. But I should also be mindful that there are others reading who may not agree with me because our social realities are different. Culture. Religion. Age. And a whole load of other things.

6. That after reading so many blogs, I want to be REAL and be able to relate to people's life in a meaningful way. I did put some thought into last week's post about 13 good things about the economic downturn but it could be better if I wrote it in a more personal way..it could have been a good dialogue for discussion especially since it is something that is affecting everybody. See #12.

7. That I should include relevant links in my posts. This can sometimes help readers understand your posts and add credibility to the issues you are addressing. This is something I'm doing right now in this post..:)

8. That it is not quantity but the quality. Blog readers have discerning tastes...afterall, there are many blogs to pick and choose from so they definitely expect content of a certain quality. To a certain extent, I think blogging is really about reinventing journalism. In the internet age, you don't need to be a good writer to blog. There are a lot of blogs that offer visual stimulation/inspiration like the photo memes I discovered this week - Ruby Tuesday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday and Skywatch Friday. Interesting stuff that I intend to try out.

9. I should be more focused on my blog posts. I find it confusing when some bloggers cover many things in one post...sometimes I get so lost, I give up reading altogether. My intent is not to be a prolific blogger but to be a proficient one. Does this make sense?

10. That I still don't understand a lot of things that are associated with the blogosphere...Twitter (I really don't get this phenomenon, am I missing out?), Technorati (this is supposed to help my blog get noticed and searched but is it necessary?), Trackback (how does this work?). Honestly, I still don't know how to link a direct URL within a comment box.

11. That there are a lot of blog tools available for FREE. But what are the tools I really need? I don't want to focus on all the bells and whistles and create a beautiful blog with no real content. So at this time, I'm still trying to fine-tune and narrow the scope of what my blog should be about.

12. It is important to be yourself. I realized that the blogs I gravitate to are not those who write in the impersonal, third person voice but those who are excited, engaged and sometimes enraged about things in life...because that's life..Some of these bloggers are people like Aimee McEwen whose blog is really a reflection of her fun, artistic side (I can feel her excitement as I read her posts and her original artwork is amazing), Kirsty Wiseman, who is able to describe her daily living and artistic pursuits with wry Brit humour (she's really funny and she writes very well), Nic Howard, who blogs about everday living and scrapbooking in New Zealand (her layouts are true to life and she's funny too). And through Thursday 13, I've discovered Anthony North who writes about everything with "an offbeat style" while retaining "a high level of rationality" (his own words) - his writing is profound and I haven't left a comment because I honestly don't know what I can add! And also, I did like Rian Fike's piece on squids - I find his blog fascinating and in his own words "completely controlled by chaotic creativity". That said, I am still defining who I am and trying to find my own voice in the blogosphere. When I first started, it was just about having a channel to take part in creative challenges, now it has evolved and I want it to encompass my other interests as well.

13. That I've made some "mistakes". (a) Like not responding to comments. Because behind every comment is a real person, with opinions and feelings. If someone took time to write something, I should at least let them know "hey, I hear you!". (I started doing this just this week...after I discovered I could redirect the comments to my email account and respond directly to the commenter...I know I know..you must be thinking "duh"! So, I'm on a gentle learning curve...appreciate some help here.) Right now, the comments are manageable but I'm wondering how this is going to be possible when the numbers increase?? (b)Not subscribing to a whole list of other stuff (see #10 & #11) which is a chicken and egg thing. Help! (c) Not choosing a fantastic blog address that tells readers exactly what it is all about but instead chose one with my initial and last name (yeah..boring..)..this I think I can salvage when I can finally think of a fancy all-encompassing name for a blog.

Thanks for reading my list. Please feel free to share with me your experiences on blogging, I'm keen to learn! Check the rest of the Thursday 13 participants, they have interesting things to share! Pin It

Card Patterns Sketch #7 - Enjoy Life card

This is Card Patterns Sketch #7. My first time playing here. Yay!


Here's my take...




I had fun creating this quick card using my Graphic 45 scraps, a stamped bird (Imaginisce), ribbon, stickers and a brad. I'm beginning to see why they are so many cardmakers around. It is less time-consuming than a scrapbook page and you feel a sense of accomplishment when you are done...I'll be making more cards!! I shall try embossing next..


Supplies

Graphic 45 papers, black cardstock, stamped bird (Imaginisce), puffy round stickers (EK Success), letter sitckers (Provocraft), ribbon, brad (Imaginisce), threading water border punch (Fiskars) Pin It

#24 The Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge

I've discovered so many challenge sites of late and I must say, they've helped me in so many ways - titling, choosing colours, layouts and using my scraps more efficiently.

The challenge over at The Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge is to use your favourite colours on your card. I love RED and BLUE. Made this card from my scraps (yay!) A really quick card to make. Used my Fiskars border punch in place of patterned paper. The cork paper added some texture to the piece. The cupcake was cut out from patterned paper (Sassafras). The stickers were a mix because I didn't have enough from a set to form the entire word but they turned out pretty okay :).

This is my first time playing at SCSC. I saw a lot of beautiful cards - many of these cardmakers are advanced stampers - so inspiring. Right now, I'm just making cards from leftover scraps and stickers even though I have quite a number of stamps. I really should start incorporating stamps in my cards. I'll try next week...


Supplies

Bazzill cardstock, Sassafras, cork paper, EK success & Provocraft stickers Pin It

Scrapping out loud challenge/ Inspired by Amelie

The Scrapping Out Loud challenge this week is to use the lyrics from the song "That's what friends are for".

I used the line, "For good times and bad times" on this layout about the bond I share with my sister. The focus was on the journaling so I used a small photo for this layout.

*Edited*
Just discovered that the challenge over at Inspired by Amelie is to cut out your journaling or use journaling strips which I did in this LO (yay!). This is my first time participating in this challenge blog...really loved the movie...I've watched every movie that starred Audrey Tautou since then :)


Supplies

Patterned paper: Basic Grey
Felt frame: Fancy Pants
Chipboard letters: Heidi Swapp
Stickers: Provocraft, American Crafts
Others: Ribbon, metal accents

* Edited* This layout was a fave at Inspired by Amelie! :) Pin It

Cinema Saturday Creative Challenge - Charlie and the chocolate factory

This week's Cinema Saturday Creative Challenge is the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Roald Dahl and Johnny Depp. Nuff said.



I used my Graphic 45 papers for this. Had this mailbox in my stash for the longest time. Finally got round to decorating it. Not much in terms of technique, just a lot of laborious work...adhering all the bling...




Supplies:

Graphic 45 paper, ribbons, bling, alcohol ink (gold), buttons, frame, stickers (Toga), charms Pin It

Scrap your crap - recycle challenge

Supplies: Patterned paper, box, black paint, bling, pearls, felt, leather flower

Trying out this challenge site called Scrap Your Crap. This month's challenge is to RECYCLE.

This was an old wooden box which I painted black. I adhered a piece of scrap floral paper to the
lid then attached the leather embroidered flower.





The flower and leaves were "saved" from an old
pair of Camper shoes - the rubber soles of the shoes had given way but the rest of the leather parts were still in good condition so I cut them out. I adhered bling and pearls around the perimeter of the box. The swirl felt was a small leftover piece from another project. Pin It

Caardvarks challenge

This is my first time taking part in Caardvarks. My friend K, was nice enough to use her scraps to cut me beautiful borders using her Quickkutz machine. They are really useful to help put a quick card together. I used 2 of them for this. Added a floral button and 'princess' sticker.

Supplies

Patterned paper, Bazzill cardstock, sticker, button Pin It

CPS108

This is my take on Card Positioning Systems CPS 108. Just a simple card using my scraps.


Supplies:

Basic Grey, Bazzill cardstock, ribbon, EK Success stickers, Quickkutz diecut, slot punch Pin It

Mix It Up with Scrapping The Music

I've combined Mixer #11 at Mix It Up with this week's Scrapping The Music challenge. The mixers are to scrap about inanimate objects and have a title of at least 6 words while the song at Scrapping The Music is "We will rock you".

This layout is about the RED TRAIN I bought for my nephews when I was in Thailand in 2007. By the looks of it, it is pretty ordinary. It doesn't run on batteries. It doesn't boast of the bells and whistles of modern (read: technologically advanced) toys. Yet, this little train has amazing appeal for the kids and have provided countless hours of self-entertainment. Sure, they have been distracted by newer toys but they never tire of this little red train. So, this little red train really rocks. I had to give it its own speech bubble...painted it white and stitched around it...



I also used some stash from Tinkering Ink (the felt tag and rubons) which really matched the Basic Grey Paper....Mixed chipboard and some stickers for the title.





Supplies

Patterned paper: Basic Grey, Sassafras
Bazzill cardstock
Chipboard: American Crafts
Stickers: American Crafts, Toga, Adorn It
Felt tag and rubons: Tinkering Ink
Others: white paint, orange thread, transparency (journaling block) Pin It

Thursday 13

13 Good things about the economic downturn

1. People are unconsciously becoming more green. I see people bringing water from home instead of buying bottled water. And packed lunches. And taking fewer plastic bags because they are buying less.

2. People are getting more exercise. Best way to cope with stress is to sweat it out.

3. Bargains galore! If there's something you've been hankering after and you can afford it, now the best time to buy!

4. Conspicuous consumption has taken a backseat. Yay! Buy only what you need. Is there a need to be showy?

5. Consumers finally know the extent of retail markups. I thought I knew...now I really know.

6. (Hopefully) Better service everywhere. We all want this.

7. A deeper appreciation of FAMILY and FRIENDS.

8. A desire to find REAL MEANING in life. There has to be more to life than working to feed consumption.

9. People are finding CREATIVE ways of spending their time. Using things they already own or just taking a walk and appreciating nature.

10. Businesses that add genuine value to the supply chain will survive.

11. Best time to be a creative entrepreneur. Especially if your value preposition is cost efficient.

12. People will realize that it does not take a lot (of money) to be happy.

13. We will really see the BEST COMPANIES IN THE WORLD TO WORK FOR. A corporation is nothing without its employees and this is the best time to demonstrate its appreciation. Some transparency will help. It would really suck to go to work everyday worrying about what's going to happen next.
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Hello - Scrapping the music challenge

Here's my take on this week's Scrapping the Music challenge...

A message to my friends to "keep in touch".

Used my Graphic 45 scraps for this...I cut out the typewriter, phone and camera and mounted on clear acrylic...cut "windows" out of the cardstock, inserted eyelets, then attached the acrylic pieces with brown thread. The photo (taken in San Francisco) was matted on red cardstock and Basic Grey patterned paper. A black ribbon with white stitching was tied in a bow.





Supplies

Patterned paper: Graphic 45, Basic Grey
Cardstock: Bazzill
Stickers: EK Success, Adorn It
Others: Ribbon, thread, eyelets, Pageframes acrylic Pin It

The Creative Type challenge - Stitching

The challenge over at Creative Type is stitching - my favorite thing these days...yay! I'm on a roll this week...taking part for the first time in yet another challenge...:)

Photos were taken last year...my young nephew enjoying some tub time. I stamped the word "Play" with an Autumn Leaves stamp, then stitched over the letters. Text was printed on transparency, then adhered to cardstock.


Supplies

Patterned paper: Scenic Route
Stamps: Autumn Leaves, October Afternoon
Others: Ribbon, photo turns, chipboard label, brads Pin It

Challenges - Scrap Mojo, Punk Rock Scrappers & Scrapping Out Loud

A couple of interesting challenges rolled into one.

Over at the new challenge site Punk Rock Scrappers, you are supposed to scrap something unique about you. I would like to think that I have a sense of humor and am pretty opinionated..:)

I'm also trying out challenge #31 over at Scrap Mojo - What would you do if you ruled the world? I decided that this picture of me looking pretty smug would be pretty apt. Then the gals at Scrapping Out Loud decided that this week's challenge is to use black and one other colour. How cool is that? I've always used black as an accent so this time I decided to use black as my background. My other colour is pink (a colour I'm embracing this year). The tiara's clear ( so technically not a colour right? :) with pink rhinestones. I'm really digging this tiara/crown since I thought it looked pretty good on a previous layout I did recently.



Lots of hand stitching...around the photo and stars...


Supplies

Paper: Black & Pink cardstock
Chipboard letters: Pressed Petals
Stickers: Adorn IT
Brads (to attach tiara to paper): American Crafts
Others: Tiara/princess crown, thread, clear star bling (on tiara), Sakura Micron 08, Making Memories stamps, Brilliance ink in Graphic Black

* Edited* This layout was one of the faves over at Scrap Mojo! :) Pin It