A charming textured card

Don't you LOVE it when a project you've envisioned in your mind actually turned out way easier than expected? *winks*

Meet my charming textured card which took less than 30 minutes. :)

My initial idea was to apply white light modeling paste on the watercolour card base with a stencil and then do a little misting. But I was out of the light modeling paste so I went with Liquitex ceramic stucco instead. Even though I had planned to go over the textured design with white gesso, I kind of liked the raw, gray look of the ceramic stucco....so I just went with it!

While the paste was drying, I pulled out my Maya Road embellishments to create my cluster...then took out my trusty hot glue gun to put them all together.

Not too shabby for 30 minutes eh?

If you are interested in these fabulous Maya Road charms, head over to the Maya Road shop for 30% off all charms this month. Just key in the code CHARMED at checkout.

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Pages from my travel journal..

Okay, so I only managed the Contents Page of my travel journal...but that's still progress right? Considering the fact that I'm a few years behind in my travel documentation...*LOL*

I decide that I would start with 2017 and eventually work my way back. Well, that's the big plan. We shall see how that goes...*haha*

So I've been to 8 cities so far which I've listed on the left page. I've left some space on the right page to fill in for the next half of the year.

Love that I can fit the little bits and pieces from my stash in....diecuts, fussy cut elements and washi tape. And yes, I used an October Afternoon roller stamp too (yay, go me!).

The next few pages will include photos, I promise! *winks*

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Everybody loves cheesecake...:)

Everybody loves cheesecake...at least everyone in my family. :)

I only bake cheesecake on special occasions like birthdays because it takes so much time...from prep to baking to cooling and chilling. The chilling part is the worst because everybody would ask, "Can we eat the cheesecake yet?" *winks*

Check out nephew #3...he can't take his eyes off grandpa's birthday cheesecake! *LOL*

I included this candid shot because I could see the joy on my dad's face having his grandkids by his side. :)

I had so much fun putting this layout together with the little bits and pieces in my stash.

Pretty happy about emptying out some of my Ranger Stickles collection (just 10+ bottles more to go...haha).

Yes, I also worked on my American Crafts Thickers collection.

I had to throw in a few buttons too. :)

Playing along with Stuck?! Sketches.

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Hello sunshine...card for 2017 Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

So I visited an organic coffee farm when I was in Bali two weeks ago. 

It was an interesting experience for a new coffee drinker like me - learning about harvesting the coffee beans, processing, drying and roasting. 

Of course, Indonesia is most famous for Kopi Luwak - coffee that includes partly digested coffee cherries eaten and defecated by the Asian Palm Civet. I saw some of the civets in cages and they looked so sad. Apparently, with the popularity of Kopi Luwak, wild civets are greatly hunted and housed in small cages. Really cruel.

So I'll be sticking to my regular animal cruelty-free coffee.

 Joining in the fun with the 2017 Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop.

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Before and after the playground

Playing is such hard work...according to The Gangster Gang (aka niece + nephews) and depicted by the before and after photos. *winks*

Before: fresh-faced, happy and not sweaty.

After: Too tired to pose and extremely sweaty. Plus smelly.

*LOL*

Yes, I am now tackling the ribbon stash too....they are like buttons....I never add to them but they never seem to dwindle despite usage. Can anyone relate???

Mixing up the textures here with a felt bloom, a paper bloom, washi tape, lace trim, chipboard, buttons, paper clip and twine.

I like to have a mix of textures on my pages but the elements are relatively flattish.

Slipped in a few of those Basic Grey birds...

Playing along with Stuck?! Sketches.

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Double page spread for Maya Road/Simple Stories swap

This week is the Maya Road/Simple Stories swap and there is a chance to win a $20 gift certificate if you leave a comment on any of the posts this week at the Maya Road blog.

I created a double page spread using the Simple Stories Summer Days collection and Maya Road goodies.

You all know that when I create double page spreads, I like to make them standalone pages in case they ever got separated. ;) But I use similar elements on both pages to ensure cohesiveness.

The spread features a  recent family vacation to Bali, Indonesia. Notice the propped up photo? Well, I had to print that photo 3 times because I kept spilling glue on it....and decided to use them all. 

I was pretty happy with this Simple Stories Summer Days collection because of the bright and happy colours that was just perfect for my vacation photos. :)

And they coordinate really well with Maya Road diecuts and wood embellishments. :) 

In case you were wondering about the photo, I was tea/coffee tasting at the organic coffee farm.

We had to don these sarongs over our clothes (as seen on my mum and sister) before we could enter to visit the Spring Temple.

And my dad got his first pair of Oakley...he was posing in the store! *LOL*

Don't forget to stop by the Maya Road blog to leave a comment for your chance at a $20 gift certificate!

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How to incorporate humour in your layouts...9 ideas

So, the underlying theme in my family layouts is always humour. Sometimes in the photos captured, the embellishments used, the stories leading to the layouts...you know, real life. Others may have scrapbook albums that are stunning in the artistry of embellishing, mine just gets people laughing out loud. And that's the way I like it. :) Here are 9 ideas for incorporating humour in your layouts....from the 2013 archives. :)

I've been checking you out

1. Reimagine the themed papers.

On this layout, I used Valentine's Day papers to tell the story about the hunt for my birthday cake.

This is real life

2. Just use the real-life photos.

Kids will never tire of making silly faces at the camera so instead of tearing your hair out trying to get them to cooperate for a nice fake photo, why not just use the ones that reflect real life? *winks*

Meet the master of disguise

3. Capture the micro-expressions.

You never know what you can capture when you catch the young ones at play.

How to create a fun mixed media layout with your birthday photos

4. Use consecutive photos to tell the story.

So it was hard to get everyone to cooperate here...*LOL*

The NT$19 store

5. Capture shopping moments.

Especially when you try out stuff you probably would buy but will have a good laugh at the store. ;)

The Squid Squad

6. Food-eating moments.

Incorporate fun food-eating highlights like this one of all of us eating squid. Note the title.

The story about the day we went to watch Monsters University

7. A re-enactment is totally okay.

So this was the day we were supposed to go see a movie and when it was time to go, the car wouldn't start and it was parked in front of the other available car. Then the tow truck came and saved the day. The photos of the nephew looking sad were re-enacted after we came back from the movies. ⇩

Finally...a decent photo of the nephews

8. Include the outtakes.

The outtakes are the best!

Photoshoot gone awry

9. Create a fun "scene".

Well, it doesn't even have to make sense...just throw in some birds and flowers and cute kids!

There you have it...9 ways to incorporate humour in your layouts. What about you? Do you incorporate humour in your layouts?

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