Making it to the Graphic 45 Design Team for the 2nd Year

Oh Yes!!! I'm on the Graphic 45 DT for the second year!!! Yeah!!! I'm still absorbing the news though... Last night I struggled to sleep as I'm thinking how to complete one of my May assignments which I intend to make a tutorial out of it... Partly is also 'cos of the excitement for this DT announcement... 

Well, I guess it's due to the lack of sleep or my brain is still in Scatterland, I forgot about this completely till the various FB notifications from my fellow g45 DT members... Given the fact I placed my milk in the freezer this morning, indeed I was reacting a little slow today... Holly Heck!!! It seriously caught me by surprise and shocked me till my heart skipped a beat the moment I saw my name on the list... Goodness!!! I'm still in frozen moment... Join me in this excitement and welcome this year DT...

Arlene Cuevas - USA

Belly Lau - China

Brit Sviggum - Norway

Danielle Copley - USA

Donna Espiritu - Saudi Arabia

Ginny Nemchak - USA

Joanne Bain - Australia

Katie Zoey Ho - Singapore (That's ME!! Holly Heck!!!)

Lori Williams - USA

Maggi Harding - USA

Mariusz Gierszewski - Poland

Robin Shakoor - USA

Solange Marques - Brazil

Tanya Dudkina - Russia

Tati Scrap - Spain

Graphic 45 Ambassadors

(This is an invitation-only program for educators. What amazing artists and teachers on this list!)

Alberto Juarez Diaz - Spain

Clare Charvill - UK

Jane Tregenza - Australia

Jim Hankins - USA

Laura Denison - USA

Pardon me, I seriously feel like a slow poke today...

Getting excited is one thing, the next most exciting thing is I can boggle my creative brain cells for another good year with Graphic 45... As pervertic as I could be, I pinkies and thumbies swear that I'll be bringing more interesting projects that will blow you away... This week new paperlines preview is just insane!!! Look at this year Halloween collection - Rare Oddities!!! How crazy can this be?!? I wanted to build a curio shop diorama since beginning of last year using the Olde Curiosity Shoppe collection but for whatever hell reasons I didn't attempt, and now being part of the DT again for the 2nd year, there's absolutely no reasons for not doing one up... Wow!! I'm all maxed out but I love it... Hope over to their blog here and here for the preview... You will not regret it...

I shall see you guys very soon again... 

Smooches... XOXO

Safari Trunk Boutique Diorama

Besides being a coffee freak, I'm equally a freak in imagining doing certain things in unusual places such as shopping for my favourite trunk in a Safari park. Presenting here my ideal Safari Trunk Boutique diorama which is on this week's Alpha Stamps newsletter project highlight using this month kit.

Used a bazillion of Alpha Stamps' supplies plus those greens and other supplies I've been keeping for God knows what the hell I'm hoarding for, I transformed a small wooden box into a wooden chest using Tim Holtz wood grain stencil and painted it over with various shades of brown. Added a layer of bushes and dumped some branches and fern garlands at the top. To finish off, I added on claw feet and lion head door knocker. Oooo how cool is that!!! I love these new Graphic 45 staples!!! They simply match this theme so well. Don't you feel Safa-rish-ing? 

There's 2 level in this boutique, level 1 is for men; all sort of explorer stuffs while level 2 is for women!! Fashion parade in front of the mirror and have a comfortable rest on a nice chair, ladies are only interested for bags isn't it? What's more to this diorama is I can hold it with one hand. Feels like I'm owning this whole Safari Trunk Boutique all by myself. Added a 3D giraffe nibbling the leaves off the branches, as well as some little pocket watch charm, binoculars and ornate key on the other end of the branch. This just spice up the entire Safari scene. I have a step-by-step tutorial in how to make this 3D giraffe from the collage sheet at the bottom of this entry. A full list of supplies follows by.

Happy trunk shopping. And I hope you have a wonderful day ahead.

The entire view of Safari Trunk Boutique. This diorama is available HERE.

The tree branches and greens at the top.

The main entrance of the Safari Trunk Boutique.

A closer look at the fallen charms.

A shawl, folding newspapers and a passport of a lady traveller.

Explorer stuffs all men will love...

Tutorial in making 3D giraffe from Out of Africa collage sheet

Step 1: Create a mirror image of the giraffe. You can reverse the image within Adobe Acrobat by following the instructions HERE if you've the software... Otherwise you can reverse the image using Microsoft Word by taking a snapshot of the giraffe on Adobe Reader, paste the image onto a word document, copy and make another copy and flip the image horizontally (under Picture Tool > Rotate). 

Step 2: Print and fussy cut the giraffes out. In order to "strengthen" the giraffes, backed the print outs by gluing them over a piece of cardstock before fussy cutting. This can be omitted if you had printed them on a heavy weigh paper. Distress the edges if preferred.

Step 3: Paint or distress the backing cardstock with black paint or black soot distress ink. You will only need to do this if you are using a light colour cardstock as backing or you've printed on a heavy weight paper. Otherwise, backing with a black cardstock will conveniently save this step.

Step 4: Build a 1/4" block by stacking a few medium weigh chipboards. I often keep scraps of my chipboards so that I can use them for functions as such.

Step 5: Paint the edges with some black paint.

Step 6: Glue the block onto one of the giraffe as shown.

Step 7: Sandwich the block by gluing the other giraffe. 

Make sure they are match in symmetry.

Step 8: Glue the heads together as shown.

This will eliminate the illusion of having a double-head creature.

And you are done!!! Here is one proud standing 3D giraffe.

Supplies List:

• April Vintage Vagabond Kit
• Out of Africa Collage Sheet
• Vintage Travel Tags & Hardware Collage Sheet
• Steamer Trunk Parts Collage Sheet 
• Haunted Ship Travel Collage Sheet 
• 2mm Brass Flat Back Studs
• 3mm Brass Flat Back Studs
• Faux Suede Sheets
• Bronze Binoculars Charm
• 1” Bronze Keys
• Narrow Gold Fleur Dresden Borders
• Fancy Chipboard Corners
• Wood Flourish Frames
• Glittered Mini Seed Pods in Gold
• Violet Cherry Blossom Garland 
• Tim Holtz Damask Regal Flourish Embossing Folders
• Tim Holtz Wood Grain Stencil
• Golden Rod Sticklers 
• Alphabet Baby Beads
• Moss Sheet
• E6000
• White Gesso
• Molding Paste
• PU Varnish
• Kraft Cardstock
• Graphic 45 Claw Feet
• Graphic 45 Lion Head Door Knockers
• Dusty Attic Chipboard (mini chairs & atc frame)
• Twiddleybitz Chipboard (flourish corners)
• Martha Stewart Craft Paint (chestnut brown)
• Daler Rowney System 3 Acrylic Paint (burnt umber no. 233, pale gold no. 708)
• Own Stash (pocket watch charm, modeling foliage, faux tree branches, fern roping garland, jute twine, mirror sheet)

Graphic 45 Gilded Lily Sneak Peeks and DT Tag Exchange 2015

What's coming up next is this absolutely gorgeous Marie Antoinette inspired, Baroque vintage style collection by Graphic 45... I absolutely adore this Gilded Lily collection!!! And what's so amazing about this collection is that my suggestion of seeing a Victorian/Baroque paperline come true... I've never seen a company that truly value every of their DT members so much and take in their suggestions so seriously besides gifting us generous pack of their products and other goodies... Being part of their DT is just simply jaw dropping and utterly speechless... 

Even before the new 2015/16 DT announcement (which is this coming Thursday), I already have tons of project ideas at the back of my mind... I shamelessly admit I hope to see myself in the list again so that I can greedily get another year of goodies... This is just mind blowing and I can't wait to work with this collection... 

Hop over to their blog here and here for more sneaky peeks...

Very soon my very first year with Graphic 45 will end this May and surely I'll miss my fellow DT members... Because the team will be disbanded soon, somewhere this January, one of our fellow teammies Nichola Battilana suggested a tag exchange and a few of us decided to do this for a little keepsake before our team disbands this end May... As sad as it is, I wish we can never part...

Here are the several ATC tags I've made for them... Still obsess with crates, I'm bringing them onto these tags and I hope they will happy when they receive their crushed packages... They'll need to uncrush to see their tags...

Just Be A Carefree Beauty

After my very first art journal attempt, this is my 2nd attempt... Although this is not really one of my strengths, I'm learning to cope with such restricted 2D art... I can't really build things up or else I'm unable to close my journal... 

Getting away from 3D art seriously tie me up in a certain way... Yet I'm curious enough to try something else... It's often easier for me to think of a theme and create on a 3D platform which often appeals to me most... I do sucks on 2D I realize... I may start to dislike it but it does explore and broaden my other creative perspective... Because it is that "restrictive", I don't actually have "much" choices but to "force" myself to utilize my other aspect of creativity... As a budding artist, I just have to try and re-learn everything...

While sieving through the various ScrapFX chippies with my DT package, I came up with this "Just be a Carefree Beauty" title using various wordlets and shape embellishments... Initially wanted to use some feathers and wings but not sure what to do... Staring at the blank page, I was lost at start... So I re-look into my DT package again and found a Dandelion and some seed spores... And I thought this could be better than feathers and wings since Dandelion has a symbolic meaning of happiness and desire...The spreading seeds just make me feel carefree... And I decided to cut the feather off the "Just be" chippie...

As I excitedly gesso-ing my journal page and those chippies, the next step I need to do is to create a background... Happily took out several shades of pink and blue from Shimmerz, I was lost for the second time on what colour scheme to use exactly... Thinking of just using pink mainly ('cos I was too overly immersed with my pink Haute Couture petite fairies), I tried to get myself to think of a suitable colour theme that will match my title... I started misting and I screwed it... Before I started to feel frustrated, I gesso everything with an intention to redo everything... Surprisingly, as I spread the gesso down the page, the brushing down effect blends the colours and gives a series of nice vertical strokes giving a very nice shabby look... To add on some dimensions, I added some Shimmerz Dazzlerz and painted some blue and gold... At the end, I manage to achieve this unicorn colour scheme which I think it does matches well with my title, somehow... 

"Just be A Carefree Beauty" is a message to all girls and ladies to be carefree and just be a beauty yourself because you are worth it... I grew up without people telling me I'm beautiful the way I am and often being teased as ugly... Adults treated me very differently and my cuter sister and friends are often more well adored compared to me... Even at my era, I was often criticized on the way how I look... Moving forward to today's era, I've read and seen so many girls and ladies struggling to look good... The media influence of what is defined as a beauty greatly impact how everyone look at themselves... I wasn't spared either and I did struggle for a good hell 10 years before I could eventually accept the way I am... Be carefree and enjoy the beauty that's given to you... You will learn to appreciate the way you are.. 

Supplies:

• ScrapFX chippies (Dandelion, Seed Spores, Just Be, B Words, C Words, Mini Alphabets)
• Shimmerz Paints (Inklingz - Miner, miner, 49er, Pink-a-Boo, Creameez- Berry Hot, Ride the Tide, Spritz - Cotton Candy, Vibez - Sweet Heart, Texturez - Crushed Coral, Dazzelerz - Tutti Frutti)
• Prima Finnabair Don't Forget to Fly Cling Stamp
• Vintage Handwriting Rubber Stamp

La Petite Haute Couture

Oh yes it's the annual La Petite Haute Couture Faerrari Show that's happening... The Queen of Whatcha-NaNa Land cordially invites everyone for a preview of her latest 1739 wings collection... Not long long time ago, the Queen received a few pairs of naked skeleton wings from the city of Basin, land of Victoria Aussilia... Looking good with a flare appeal, the Queen decided to gather the town best artisans to furbish up the wings... Meticulously hand painted and plated with dust and gold, all are transformed into pieces of grandeur wings... Presenting these wings as a form of specimen to the Queen and she was indeed very pleased...

While the fairies were awe with the newly crafted wings, installing them on their petite bodies aren't an easy job... Irony are these little fairies, they love huge wings to flaunt their petite frames... Such a vanity! And here they are all winged up in their pink poofy dresses hand stitched by the renown haute couture dressmaker, Mademoiselle Nettlerlilie... Those glamorous millinery are freshly made from the freshest blooms harvests in town, handcrafted by Princess Petablooms... Join me to welcome these little sweeties and I hope you have a wonderful evening...

Smooches from the fairies...

XOXOXO

Change of my Blog URL

If you had noticed (or managed to come here correctly), my current blog URL (katiezgpaperworks.blogspot.com) is indeed shorter compared to my previous one (katsignerscrapbookingcafe.blogspot.com) and relates well with my blog title which I changed it somewhere in September last year... No more identity crisis and confusion... Whenever people ask me for my blog address, they will always freak out when I wrote the URL link down on the whiteboard... It was pretty long... And it has been quite a hassle to the extend that  I'll just get them to google my name instead as it's easier to search me this way over the internet... This actually brought me to a point that I should just change my blog URL for the better and for the sake of every human convenience... It makes my life much easier as well...

People who know me well will know I'm also known as "katsigner" a nick that's with me for 15 years... I often represented myself as "katsigner", a pseudonym for all my creative works and online personal writing way before Facebook was born... Back then, I was always dreaming myself as a designer, hence I came up with "katsigner as a combination of my name "Katie" and the word "Designer", in hope one day I can be one... Gradually, this becomes a nick for all my social media platforms in today's 21st Century... 

The initial idea of setting up this "KatsignerScrapbookingCafe" blog was solely an interest base blog when I started to get my hands onto scrapbooking in 2008... Plus I'm also a very cafe person, I had this idea of able to scrap in a cafe, hence this long title... Pretty obvious, I was just plain lazy and too used on my nick that I came up with something so lame, so nonsensical and bloody long for a blog address... It didn't occur to me that I'll be venturing into this seriously and gradually wanting to "evolve" further to get myself an identity as an artist... This will eventually be a showcase of all my works and creations that what I put on top in my blog is something I shouldn't ignore... I can't be possibly expecting people to just call me by my nick or just come by my little scrapbooking cafe here, it's so uncool... Hahaha... Guess I'm just being critical on myself...

Well, finally the URL has changed and changing links around all my social media networks seems like a major project especially on Pinterest!!! I'm sorry that if you had pinned my pins previously, unfortunately a change of address in my pins will not reflect on yours, that's the flaw of Pinterest... However, my old blog address still exists, mainly as an informative channel for people to know about this change... 

Moving on, in near future there will be more artistic works coming from me and I can't wait to share...

A Flourish Layout...

I had this very beautiful Phalaenopsis orchid which I bought her back about 2 years back, and I had watched her bloomed beautifully during spring... As it was my very first orchid, I decided to capture the blooming process... 

For today Graphic 45 blog post, I'm sharing this Flourish layout using Time to Flourish paper collection using one of the pictures I had taken... Used the shabby chic drawer pull here as the pot for my orchid, as if I'm still growing her...

My Final Submission for Graphic 45 DT Call 2015/16

Finally it's all done up!!! For this year final submission for Graphic 45 DT Call, I'm doing up a tutorial instead of showcasing 3 projects. As my DT work is getting more compared to last year, my hands are tied-up with various projects and didn't have time to brainstorm 3 projects. However, my recent obsession on crates has prompted me to build quite a number of projects, including one project sheet for Graphic 45. Remember to subscribe to the newsletter to get your free project sheet.

Using the Graphic 45 Home Sweet Home collection together with some natural products, I'm going to show you how to alter a small wooden box into a realistic-looking vegetable crate and will be providing some interesting way to embellish and ideas... A list of supplies for this project is listed below this blog entry.

Grab a coffee, sit back and enjoy!!!

Supplies:

• Wooden Box
• Martha Steward Craft Paint (chestnut brown)
• Daler Rowney Acrylic Paint (burnt umber)
• Grafix Medium Weight Natural Chipboard (12" x 12")
• Graphic 45 Home Sweet Home Collection
• Graphic 45 Staples (stamped metal brads)
• Vesafine Pigmented Ink Pad (Onyx Black)
• Shredded Wood
• Faux Fern & Flowers
• Jute Twine
• Burlap Sheet

Steampunk Curiosity; An Altered Eyeglass Case

Steampunk is always one of my favourite themes, and surely I love almost everything that's steampunky... I've created several several grunge and steampunky altered art pieces - from perfume bottle, bookend to mobile case... Now, I'm taking my eyeglass case and turn it into another steampunky piece... 

I find eyeglass case bulky and troublesome though it's function is to protect your glasses... When certain objects don't look pleasing to me, instead of hating them I turn them into art pieces so that it will be visually appealing to me... Using quite a number of ScrapFX chippies and Shimmerz stuffs, I'm spreading glitter and jewel as well...  

Presenting here my new steampunky eyeglass case...

Supplies:

• ScrapFX Chippies (micro cogs, mini cogs, flying time, wordlets; C words, steampunk feather collage)
• Finnabair Mechanicals (leaves 2, mini flowers, washer #1)
• Prima Marketing Butterfly brads
• Tim Holtz Idea-ology (game spinners, word bands, washi tapes)
• Shimmerz Products (Inklingz - miner, miner, 49er, tarnished treasure, Shimmeringz -heavy metal, Coloringz - night moves)
• Script lettering stamp
• Gold & Black glitter
• Distress sticklers 

Remember to mention my name (Katie Zoey Ho) under Paypal checkout for a freebie should you shop at Shimmerz...