Exploring styles: The Minimalist

Whether you have been crafting for a long time or are still a newbie, one question often comes to mind:" What is my style?" Oh well, I still don't know my style. You know I seem to like to dabble in everything...*LOL* Shall we explore the minimalist style?

Minimalist: Person who favours using less. "White space" is often the main design element. Embellishments are added in small doses and often to enhance brevity of thought and draw the eye to the photo/s.

The traditional minimalist.

Three strips of patterned paper serve as the mat for the two photos.
The title is the journaling.
The strip of ribbon help guide the eye from left to right.
The two flowers reflect the two people in the photos.
The tulle reflects the bride's veil.
The buckle and bling add a little bit of sparkle.


 

The mixed media minimalist.

A focal point characterized by one colour palette.
A single photo. In black and white.
Subtle textures: the sanded background on the photo, the texture paste on the base, tulle and trim.
Few embellishments: a silver ribbon tab, a date sticker, a button, canvas letters, stickers.

                   


The neutral minimalist.

A mainly neutral colour palette enhanced by pops of red to guide the eye around the page.
Design elements like the circular motif and rectangle are repeated in a small doses.
The subtle chevron motif helps to "frame" the layout.
White space represented by the kraft cardstock.






The fussy-cutter minimalist.

Fussy-cut elements. Semi-adhered to create texture without bulkiness.
Pops of coloured single-layer embellishments keep focus on photos.
Lots of white space.

So, what do you think? Are you a minimalist? Am I a minimalist? Let me know in the comments section. :)

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Do blondes have more fun?

I have thought of going blonde on more than one occasion. Just for fun. But my hairstylist said that it's not for lazy people like me. *LOL* I'm a wash-and-go kind of girl. No blow-drying or styling. I even skip highlights because I would need to go for touch-ups. Vanity and laziness are not mutually exclusive though...*winks* 

Oh well, the images on my card can be blondes. *winks*

Just sharing my card for the latest challenge at Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps. :)
Also linking to the World Card Making Day Week at Moxie Fab World.

Supplies: American Crafts patterned papers, Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps image - Autumn Rin, EAD Designs sentiment sticker, Ranger stickles, Copics, leather tag, twine, button, washi tape.

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For the love of breakfast...

Are you a day person or a night person? I am so a day person. When night falls, I get sleepy. *LOL* So breakfast is the most important meal of the day for me. I love a hearty breakfast. :) Try making me skip it....see how cranky I get...*winks* [Yeah....I have to eat something before brunch...]

This layout features the yummy breakfast I had in Melbourne. N°35 serves a great Eggs Benedict and blueberry pancakes. :)

Playing along with the anything goes challenge over at Challenge Me Happy.

Supplies: My Mind's Eye patterned papers, Crafter's Workshop template, Maya mists, American Crafts thickers, crochet blooms, brown pen, brads.

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How to create quick and stylish scrapbook pages.

I know it's hard to find a huge junk of time to scrapbook. The thought of pulling out supplies, sitting down to create and then cleaning up after can be a pain. Sometimes I'd rather do something else...or nothing at all. *LOL*  That said, I do have a system for creating quick and stylish [by my standards...hehe] scrapbook pages [without the need for a major cleanup *winks*].

1. Stick to what has worked before.

Go ahead. Scraplift yourself. The scrapbook police aren't going to slap you with a fine! *LOL*
These 3 pages use the same cute fussy-cut critters from Imaginisce. My background style has evolved but I still like to have my critters sit on a horizontal line. :)
Cute elements work well on pages featuring kids. So use them again [and again.].




2. Keep it simple.

Forget the over-styled and over-layered look that manufacturers like because it means more product sales. Stick to basic things that are always in style....a little texture, pops of colour and cute photos.




3. When in doubt, go with a grid.

A grid format is great way to achieve balance. You can have imaginary grid lines and place your elements within those grids. It always works.

 

4. Use patterned papers with built-in designs.

I love patterned papers with built-in designs like journal blocks. All I need to do is "play" up those designs with dimensional elements like brads, buttons, flowers and ribbons.


 

5. Embrace "white space" as a design element.

There's a reason why we feel claustrophobic in a small and cluttered space...your eyes don't know where to rest. Same thing when it comes to layout design. "White space" helps to guide your eye to the main elements on your project. A great way to style your layout without the need for a lot of embellishments.

There you have it. 5 ways to create quick and stylish pages. What do you think?

P/s: Check out the Tips tab for more scrapbooking ideas. :)

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I love cute little things.

 

I love cute little things.

There's just something appealing about mini things that make you go, "Awwww......".
Yeah, I love hanging around those stationery stores that sell cute things.
I never buy anything because, you know, I'm a grown woman..*winks*[but I'm secretly happy when people give me cute stuff *LOL*]

Found a little kraft notepad and decorated it with some scrap paper and trim. :)

Supplies: My Mind's Eye patterned paper and ric rac, Maya Road trim, Jenni Bowlin button, crochet bloom, pearls.

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An upcycled compact mirror case...

 

I admit. I'm lazy. I may have a ton of things in my handbag but they don't include makeup. I do have a lipstick in there somewhere...I'm sure. *winks* I always marvel at ladies who bring an arsenal of makeup out and do touch-ups in the ladies' room. That takes dedication. *LOL* 

Since I only apply my makeup once in the morning, it takes me a really really long time to finish a standard size compact before it expires. I thought I could put one to good use with a little patterned paper, washi tape, button and stickles....

Then I added some beads and photo of my nephews....and now it is grandma's little brag book. She whips it out when she reapplies her lipstick...:)

Supplies: American Crafts patterned papers, Ranger stickles and glossy accents, Fancy Pants star felt, washi tape, corrugated cardstock, button, plastic embellishment, compact mirror case.

P/s: If you have some fun ideas for using mirrors, come join in the fun at LESSology Challenge #19: Mirror, mirror on the wall! :)

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Inside the mind of a mixed media wannabe-artist...

Ever wonder what really goes on inside the mind of a mixed media wannabe-artist?? *winks*

"Okay. Blank canvas. What shall I do with you?" 

"Hmmm...some wrapping tissue?"

[Starts scrunching and adhering wrapping tissue with gel medium to base of canvas]

"Okay, let's bring out the paints for a party!" [Imaginary party music plays in head as she mixes her paints with glaze]

[5 minutes later] 

"Uh oh...too many paints came to the party. It looks like a crazy person did this."

Urgh! What can I do to save this?" [Drums fingers on desk, may start biting nails any minute now]

[Lightbulb comes on!] 

"Templates and mediums!" [Dramatic music plays in the background....]

"Okay, now it doesn't look so terrible."

"I so want to use this number template...maybe with some mist?"

[Sprays some black mist.]

"Not bad, not bad. Looking pretty good now."

"Maybe just a wee bit more colour..." [Adds paint to canvas enthusiastically.]

"Shit! Now it's looking like crap again! Come on woman, think! What can you do, what can you do?" 

[5 minutes and 2 cookies later...]

"Gesso to the rescue!" [Applies gesso to palm of hand and starts putting it randomly on canvas...]

"Phew! Good save! No more paint!"

"It's missing something though...a focal point. Maybe some flowers. I so need to use up those paper blooms. Maybe a pop of bright colour..." 

"Now it looks like the flowers are just floating...hmmmm...what can I do? Paint some stems!"

[Paints stems with a paintbrush] 

"Now it's ruined again! What did I say? No more paint! Okay, cover it up with a little gesso."

"Much better now." 

"Rub-ons! I can try rub-ons!" [Applies rub-ons...]

"Looking good...looking good" [Bruno Mars croons, "Girl, you're amazing...just the way you are...."]

"Now, I just have to add the name and I'm all done..." 

Supplies: Crafter's Workshop templates, Golden coarse molding paste and fiber paste, Maya mists, Daley Rowney acrylic paints, Basic Grey rub-ons and brads, Prima canvas letters, wrapping tissue, gesso, 6x6 canvas.

P/s: I made this canvas for my bloggy pal Lavina. Come play along with my guest Colleen's shabby chic challenge...it ends on Friday! :)

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The story of the flustered aunt...

So last Saturday was an aunt's worst nightmare [okay...I have been known to exaggerate a wee bit...*LOL*]. 

3 nephews + 1 niece + super crowded playground with 15 other kids = 1 flustered aunt! 

It was so hard to keep track of my gangster gang! *winks*

But smiling faces like this one makes it all worthwhile. [This layout features nephew #2 back in July. ] 

Playing along with Bird is the word and OUAS + CSI. My evidence: bird, leaves, star, rub-ons. My testimony: Journal on photo.

Supplies: American Crafts patterned papers and thickers, Crafter's Workshop template, Maya mists, SRM sticker, Unity stamp, washi tape, buttons, ribbon, rub-ons, felt embellishments, black pen, white pen.

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The sweetest dog ever...

So I finally summoned enough courage to download and scrap photographs of my dog Chandler [taken 4 days before he went to doggy heaven :(].....Yeah...I was in denial for a while..he was the sweetest dog ever. 

I was inspired by the challenge at Scrap it with a Song and the combined challenges of OUAS +CSI.

My evidence:  birds, flowers,  newsprint pattern, dog accent, misting.

My testimony: Document a pet. 

Supplies: Echo Park patterned papers, Crafter's Workshop templates, Prima template, canvas letters and paper bloom, Maya mists and wood embellishment, Golden fiber paste, Karen Foster dog stickers, SRM sticker sentiment, birdcage cut with Cricut, brads, ribbon, lace, button, twine, white pen.

P/s: Some reminders:

1. This is the last weekend to play along with LESSology Challenge #18: It's a Wrap! :)
2. Don't forget about my guest Colleen's shabby chic challenge which ends next Friday.
3. Have a fabulous weekend friends! :)

*Edited* This layout made Top 3 at Scrap It with a Song!

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How to choose the "right" photos for your layouts.

My photos are not perfect. Sometimes I don't even manage to capture that unforgettable moment because I was busy savouring it instead of fiddling with my camera. I take a quick shot after the moment [Okay it could be days after the moment...same place, still counts! *LOL*] to use it to support the wonderful story of that amazing moment. Most of the time I make do with what I have captured and try to creatively weave my story with clever crops/editing/cover-ups. *winks*

Here are 5 suggestions on how to choose the "right" photos for your layouts.




1. Put together a series of "in-action" shots.

So my niece got some pretty hand-me-downs from her cousin and my intention was to do a fashion shoot type spread [Okay....so I'm the idealistic aunt who initially thought I could "direct" a 9 month old.]. It ended up being a series of funny expressions instead. Still fun. And still showcased the pretty hand-me-downs. :)



2. Play up a blurred shot.

Sometimes when all you have is ONE blurry shot, consider making it black and white [a lot more forgiving] and play with filters and shadows to make the most of the photo. My sister and I were at Universal Studios and were evidently more interested in playing than posing for the perfect shot. *LOL* So, I crop the photo close and wrote some of my journaling on a dark spot in the photo. And then embellished like crazy around the photo in bright colours. Were you distracted? :)




3. Have fun with consecutive customary pose shots.

In most celebrations, there's the customary [read: cheesy] pose shots where not everybody is looking at the camera at the same time [someone blinks, someone's mouth is wide open etc]. Personally I like to include consecutive shots and play up one almost perfect shot. Here, the nephews were woken up at 6.30am in the morning to cut their grandpa's birthday cake.... I used 2 black and white photos and 2 coloured photos to create interest. And added those cute ducks as distraction too! *LOL*


 

4. Make the cropping seem intentional.

I was laughing so hard when taking shots of my nephews playing with the yam plants that I didn't take full shots of the plants they were posing with. So I made the photo the focal point and created a whole scene around it. Notice that the scarecrow is wearing green...yeah...I can be sneaky...*winks*

5. Use composite shots to tell your story.

So my intention was to take shots of my nephew and niece posing with their grandma but I couldn't get everybody to cooperate. So I ended up using composite shots taken throughout the day to help tell my story.

There you have it. 5 ways to choose the "right" photos for your layouts. What do you think? What other tips do you have?

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Shopping is really hard work...*LOL*

I confess. Whenever I go on a trip, I don't count calories. I just eat what I want. :)
There's nothing I like more than hot chocolate and a red velvet cupcake.
Especially after doing really hard work. Like shopping. *High fives all around*

I love map paper. This was scanned and printed on kraft paper [my travel pages are all 8.5x11]. Playing along with the challenge at Skissedilla.

Supplies: Bo Bunny patterned papers, Imaginisce road trip embellishment, Balzer Designs stamps, Jenni Bowlin letter stickers, brown pen, tag, twine, map printed on kraft, ribbon, car brad.

P/s: Come play along with my guest Colleen's shabby chic challenge! :)

*Edited* I made Top 3 over at Skissedilla! :)

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