Fluttering Hearts; Cards that Capture Love

I always wanted to create something monochromatically with a touch of colour. While such ideas can be easy to come by, the execution part sometimes can get a little challenging. Sieving through my existing stash, I found some supplies that I think I should refresh them by using them instead. The thought of fluttering hearts came to my mind recently. Adding wings and flutter bugs to hearts will be the way to go.

The use of Tim Holtz's Butterfly Frenzy Sizzlit die allows me to diecut a mega tons of butterflies of varying sizes at one pass through the machine. This made producing butterflies an easy task for this project. And this is the final look of the cards I made. 

Oh yes! I made 3 at the end with different sentiments on each card all handwritten by myself. These are mainly made from Tim Holtz older collections together with Spellbinders Love in Flight D-lites dies that have since retired. Though not available in most major craft stores, sometimes you can find them from various eBay or Etsy sellers. Here is a closer look on these cards individually.

I enjoy in making these monochromatic cards and decided to enter this entry for Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Furs or Feathers.

Cheers!

Below is a list of supplies I used to make this card. 

Clicking the links below will bring you to a new page.

• Tim Holtz Alterations Butterfly Frenzy Sizzlit (retired)
• Tim Holtz Alterations Texture Fades embossing folders in dot matrix, notebook and quilted (retired)
• Tim Holtz Reflection stamps (AMZ, AMZSG)
• Spellbinders Love in Flight D-Lite dies (retired)
• Versafine pigment ink in onyx black (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
• Neenah heavy weight 110lb classic crest solar white cardstocks (AMZ, AMZSG)
• A6 heavy weight 110lb white envelopes (AMZ, AMZSG)
• Astro Design 65lb crafting cardstocks in bright white (AMZ, AMZSG)
• Bearly Art precision craft glue (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)

Legend:

SB (Scrapbook.com), SPB (Spellbinders), AMZ (Amazon), AMZSG (Amazon.sg)

Compensated affiliated links used are at no cost to you, refer HERE for more information.

Always Here for You Cardmaking

In one of my recent hauls, I bought some Pinkfresh Studio (PFS) stamps with their coordinating dies and stencils wanting to try something different. To get myself into this cardmaking journey, I've made a card using PFS Artistic Dahlia stamp set for this month's challenge. 

Instead of stencilling over the florals with inks, I chose to watercolour them instead using my Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Pretty much enjoying the whole process that I decided to make a short reel for this (over at my various social media). And here is the final look of the card.

Adding some sparkles dots on the background using glitter glue from Ranger, including over the embossed sentiments 'Always here for you'.

In my next attempt, I'll be trying out stencilling using various dyed inks. 

Cheers!

Below is a list of supplies I used to make this card. 

Clicking the links below will bring you to a new page.

• Pinkfresh Studio Artistic Dahlia stamp
• Pinkfresh Studio Artistic Dahlia coordinating die set 
• Spellbinders Four Petal Floral 3D embossing folder (SPB, SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
• Versamark watermark ink (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
• Versafine pigment ink in onyx black (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
• Versacolor small ink pad in cyan (AMZ, AMZSG)
• Neenah heavy weight 110lb classic crest solar white cardstocks (AMZ, AMZSG)
• A6 heavy weight 110lb white envelopes (AMZ, AMZSG)
• Bearly Art precision craft glue (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
• MISTI stamping tool in black
• Faber Castell watercolour pencils set of 24 colours (AMZ, AMZSG)
• Ranger Ink Sticklers in golden rod
• Ranger Ink embossing powder in princess gold (SB, AMZ)

Legend:

SB (Scrapbook.com), SPB (Spellbinders), AMZ (Amazon), AMZSG (Amazon.sg)

Compensated affiliated links used are at no cost to you, refer HERE for more information.

A Rustic Garden Wedding Guest Book

Oh well, before I get into this... Happy 2019! Though a little late for the New Year greetings (it's March now!), I still feel there's a need to greet everyone who reads my blog. 💝

For the very first project of 2019, it's probably one major project to begin with that took me about a month plus to get this done up. Planning started as early as late December. Sharing here is one special wedding guest book I've done for one of my girlfriends, who got married recently. It's also one project that I decided to use it for Graphic 45 February challenge.  

Wedding guestbook is perhaps one of the basic essentials most couples would want to have during their big day, a book that allows all their friends and families to jot down their heartfelt blessings and messages. While it's easy to get the wedding planner to get one for you, my friend Sarah actually approached me to help her with this. What really touches me is that she entrust this entirely to me, believing I'd be able to deliver the very best for her. That's the best part, but it could also mean stress to me.

Knowing her wedding was going to be of a garden theme and would be held in a colonial house restaurant with a rich history, I thought a dainty wood-grain textured cover with a touch of gold and distressing brown would be more suited. Bearing in mind of the colour scheme Sarah was using for her wedding, Graphic 45 Princess collection is the way to go...

"Once Upon A Time" is title of the guest book within where I modified and re-engineering the pocket albums into a functional book by means of bookbinding. It took me a while to figure out how to integrate the book onto it's cover. After much thinking, I decided to keep the book separate from it's cover.

To make the entire guest book an interesting one, some of the couple's pictures were made detachable using magnets where they can place their photos anywhere they want. This will add some fun to it and not making the guest book a boring one. Rather it'd be very close to heart and personal.

Nearer towards the end, I decided to do up a mini album for the couple. To house them, I made a box from scratch as well. Everything made was made with thoughts of functionality and usability. Inasmuch as I could, I try to make this guest book as durable as it can last.

I used quite a lot of gold to brighten up the entire look mainly on the diecuts, a club kit I bought from Spellbinders that I also use it for Sarah's bridal shower card!

Well, this is the whole package I made for Sarah and Jason for their wedding day, which spans more than just any other guest book. To keep it short and sweet here, I've written a brief description over at Graphic 45 blog in how I made this entire package. Over here I just wanted to share the extend of my work and some thoughts on how I created this project, in hope to provide some inspiration.

Nonetheless, should any of your is interested to know the supplies I'm using for this project, the list is below with links to where to get them for your convenience:

• Graphic 45 Princess Collection
• 12" x 12" collection pad (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• 12" x 12" patterns and solids (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• 8" x 8" paper pad (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Ephemera cards (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Tags and pockets (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Chipboards (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Stickers (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Graphic 45 Staples
• Antique brass stamped metal brads
• Square tag and album in Kraft
• Square tags in Kraft
• Clearsnap Decades Dye Pad (Venetian Lace)
• Mixed Media
• Heavy white gesso
• Soft matte gel
• Light paste
• Golden rod stickles
• Spellbinders 
• Club kit (Fancy Floral Frame set)
• Shapeabilities (Lace Heart etched dies)
• Em-bossing fold'ers Bricks and Bark (discontinued)
• Sizzix Tim Holtz Ornamental Bigz Die
• Tim Holtz Kraft Stock Metallic 8" x 8" Gold & Silver Cardstock (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Finnabair Art Alchemy Metallique Wax in white gold (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Glossy Accent (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Aleene's Always Ready Tacky Glue (Blitsy)
• Dusty Attic chipboards (upper alphas, lower alphas)
• Other supplies (pearlescent craft paint, assorted fabric and satin ribbons, golden fleur dressden, jute string, mulberry leaves, elastic band, cream paper and cardstocks)

Rustic Nature Wedding Guest Book

On 3rd March this year, I've witnessed the wedding of a lovely couple I know - Ernest and Stephanie. As part of my wedding gift to them, I did a guest book for them. It was also part of Canvas Corp July Wedding Challenge this July. A long overdue project update here. This entry was on draft mode for very long till the birth of their son Theopilus reminded me on this book. Without much talking, here is what I've made for them.

The guest book itself is a vintage ledger book from 7gypsies Architextures which I purchased it for this purpose. I merely did up a mixed media layout for them on the front cover. I used quite a number of die-cuts for this layout, mainly from Tim Holtz steel dies. I tried to match up to the "look" of the photos they provided me and decided upon a rustic, dainty nature look. As always, I love to centralize my design focus as this is one of my most preferred layout.

Loads of floral and swirls, together with touches of twine, burlap, handwritten script and woodgrain effects which I transformed bits of chipboards into. Since the front is already quite dimensional, I kept the back of the book as simple as possible.

Wedding is just only a ceremonial indication of a marriage between a man and a woman, what's really important is the marriage itself. Therefore, I didn't just stop at the front cover, and think it'd be better to have one more layout of this lovely couple right at the very first page of the book which marks as the very new beginning for them after their wedding.

I hope the guest book has been filled up! 

Below is a list of supplies I used for this project with some links included. Unfortunately, not all are available and most 7gypsies and Tattered Angels products can be purchase at Canvas Corp website itself:

• 7gypsies Architextures 
• Vintage 12" x 12" Ledger 
• Mix and Match Bee 8.5″x 11″ Book
• Mixed Media Pack
• Tattered Angels 
• High Impact Paints (Antique Gold & Platinum)
• Naturally Aged Kit – Rusty Metal (Faux Finish Paint Kit)
• Color Wash Paint Faux Finish (Verdigris)
• Glimmer Mist (Key Lime Pie)
• Sizzix Tim Holtz Dies
• Flourish and Scroll
• Tattered Floral (Sizzix, Scrapbook.com)
• Garden Greens (Sizzix, Scrapbook.com)
• Styled Labels
• Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Own stash (burlap, jute twine, mini alpha chipboards, scripted handwriting & bark grain stamps) 

Always Love, Love Always - A Poppy Heartfelt Card

Alright, after months of delay with held ups, etc., finally my pilot Canvas Corp post went live. I'm sharing here today a poppy heartfelt card that I made for this month watercolour challenge. I also did up an easy-peasy tutorial in how to use various Tattered Angels products to watercolour stamped images. Click HERE to find out how.

I'm using the Poppy Heart stamp from IndigoBlu as the main focus of the card. Because poppies are red in colour, I contrast the background with a variety of blues, using the various texture papers from 7gypsies Architextures paper series as well a few drizzle touches of Frozen Berry Twinkle Me'lange, one of the complimentary goodies gifted by the owners of Little Birdie Crafts. Can you see how it sparkle that "special effects" on the card?

Well, aside creating this card for the watercolor challenge, I decided to gift this card to one beautiful couple from Texas I met 2 weeks ago while they were here for missionary work - John and Carla Moore! It was via John Moore's Searching for the Truth programme I managed to find my way to the LORD's church. The one True Church where I get to meet many Christians around world where we are all bound by one faith and one truth. Christ's Church is without border and that's the beauty of the LORD's church. It's indeed one such blessing to be part of this amazing big family of God. LORD's willing, I got to meet him this year together with his lovely wife, Carla. They are back to their home in the US, and till next time we will surely meet again...

Me with The Moores 😄

All the biblical virtues of Love which I dedicate to the Moores...

I hope this will be a refreshing idea in how to use various Tattered Angels mists and paints for watercolouring. Again, here is the shout out! The watercolour challenge is open to everyone till 4th June. The winner of the challenge will be invited to be Canvas Corp Brands Guest Designer. Meaning to say, you will get a box filled with goodies from all 3 Canvas Corp Brands to play with should you crown as the winner. Without much hesitation, do hop over HERE to enter the challenge.

Below is the full list of supplies I used for this project with various links in where to get them:

• 7gypsies Architextures™ Mixed Media Pack (Amazon, Canvas Corp)
• 7gypsies Architextures™ 8″ x 8″ Paper Pad
• Architextures™ Parchment Rub-On – Inspire
• Tattered Angels Naturally Aged Kit - Rusty Metal (Amazon, Canvas Corp)
• Tattered Angels Calendar Mist Kit - Kisses (Amazon, Canvas Corp)
• Tattered Angels Color Wash Paint Faux Finish - Verdigris (Amazon, Canvas Corp)
• Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist - Key Lime Pie (Amazon, Canvas Corp)
• Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist - Curious (Amazon, Canvas Corp)
• Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist - Cork (Amazon, Canvas Corp)
• IndigoBlu Poppy Heart A6 Stamp
• Little Birdie Crafts (Twinkle Me'lange in Frozen Berry, Chipboard Vine)

That about it for today and I shall see you very soon again for my next tutorial. Therefore, do stay tune!

Mister Frosty - Winning Piece for 2017 Handmade for the Holidays Challenge

Occasionally or sometimes randomly, I'll enter some contests or challenges, and Scrapbook.com has this "Challenges" section where they'll from time to time organize a few challenges. Most of the time, I tried entering a challenge hoping to win some kits/items. Some of the winning items can be really attractive and I'll feel so dearly in wanting to win them back home. And for those voucher/gift certificates based challenges, I'll usually enter for fun without thinking I might win because so far such challenges often attracts hundreds to thousands of entries, especially for Scrapbook.com challenges. The amount of entries can be quite daunting.

Strangely enough, so far out of the several of such challenges (perhaps not more than 5 times) I entered, I had already won 3 times, including this which I entered for last year Handmade for the Holidays Challenge. It's seriously not within my expectation and I only got to know it when I received a private message (that got emailed to my inbox as well) from Amy that I'm one of the 10 winners who had won. I need to pause for a few moments to absorb the fact that "Ok! Yes, it's a fact I've won a $50 voucher."

The winning piece for the Challenge

There's a 1,183 entries altogether and this Mister Frosty managed to emerge out as one of the 10 winners. So happy for him!

Tim Holtz Winner's Badge

Alright, allow me to be a show-off for today. I'm crazily proud (please let me boost a bit as I'm on cloud nine) to win Tim Holtz' December tag challenge just in nick of time before he ends his 12 tags of the year series. 

#OMG! Look at the badge given by Mario above👆, it's finally one thing I can show off at the side bar 👈 on this awesome blog of mine!

I Won Something from Tim Holtz!!

Happy 2017 Everyone!!!

I wish I had some artwork to share for today but I think it'd be great to announce some good news!! Something good as a start for 2017!!!

I WON Tim Holtz's 12 tags of 2016 for the DECEMBER tag challenge!!!

👆 Can't help to conceal my happiness but I need to shout this out LOUD!!! 👆

I heard about Tim's 12 tags of the year about a year ago and I took upon as a new form of challenge by participating only last year for 2 months (January and February) and I stopped in between before I came back last December. Alright it's my 3rd try and I won! I wanna feel proud and braggy about this for the beginning of this new year!!! Can't believe my tag was chosen by Tim's team!!! Can you see myself floating on cloud nine now?!? 

Though it's something worth rejoicing, it also saddens me that Tim is ending his 12 tags of the year challenge for good. Awww!!!! However, I'm very much looking forward for more creative techniques from him for 2017 and can't wait to participate!!!

To end this post, and before I'm off to email Mario on my prize pack, I wish everyone the merriest 2017 ahead and may everyday be a cute day for you! Of course for me, I'm ready in the mode to create more creative and cute projects for 2017! It would be a cute year ahead!!

My December Tag for Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2016

Happy Christmas! And a Merry New Year!

Though I wish 2017 don't come that soon, I know it's reaching really soon. The moment 2017 January is here, I'll be a year older in February. That's so freaking fast and I do hope I could refuse to grow up. And yes, I'm back in doing Tim Holtz 12 tags of 2016. I know I had gone missing in between, however I love to think it'd be fun to end this Christmas with the December tag.

So here is my take for the December tag...

I didn't have any shadowpress with me, unfortunately. So I gotta improvise and find alternatives. Rather, I did embossing over stamping instead using the Snowman blueprint framelits die set which is the only Merry Christmas stamp I have. 

I hope I had misted over the stencil more generously, it didn't really show up well. Perhaps it's also due to the design I had chosen. Nonetheless, I managed to get the tag done up in time for this Christmas.

I bought a few packs of trophy antlers last year and have yet to use any of them. Despite it's gonna make the tag look a bit bulky, I went ahead by placing it at the very top of the tag. The entire composition process was really fun to make and I do enjoy spending my Christmas morning doing up this tag. Totally immersed myself into the festive mood.

List of Supplies:

• Large Manila Tag
• Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Red Chilies
• American Crafts Metallic Gold Embossing Power
• Daler Rowney Arcylic Paints (pale gold & rich gold)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Forest Moss
• Tim Holtz Alcohol Inks (ginger, gold)
• Tim Holtz Flourish Stencil 
• Tim Holtz Alteration (snowman blueprint framelits set, mini holiday green thinlits)
• Tim Holtz Idea-ology (trophy antlers, Christmas word band, Christmas typed tokens, plaquettes, wishbones, game spinners)
• Own Stash (burlap, cardstocks, gear charm, jingle bell, jute string, ribbons)