Christmas is coming!!! Yeah!!! Can't wait for it to come soon!!! Somehow or rather Christmas is a day which I always look forward to. Not 'cos of the year end long holiday that will reach a new year, it's more of a joy that I always embrace. This year has been a little tough on me, the joy of Christmas simply erase all those unhappiness away.
Bygones be bygones. Here I'm sharing a couple of altered star ornaments using Graphic 45 Raining Dogs & Cats and Once Upon A Springtime papers. These ornaments are diecuts from Tim Holtz Star Bright and Stacked Snowflakes dies.
Alas! Finally... Today on 31st May 2016 is my very last DT entry for Graphic 45. As of today, it's also my very last officially day to leave Graphic 45 as their DT member. My 2 years with them is finally (and sadly) come to an end. Though I may be able to reapply into their team again in the future, I don't actually see that happening any time soon. I wish I could if I ever had the opportunity and chance to do so. If this ever permits, I hope to see myself being on the team again.
I was pretty inactive this year and hardly have time to create new projects, including updating my blog (my blog is still snowing despite summer is here! Alright giving you guys some coolness here! LOL!). Part of it due to the various unsettling draggy situations in my life (for those who frequent my blog probably know what's happening). Another part of it is due to my health; my back started to give me serious problems early this year due to long hours of sitting for extended period of time. I craft, blog and work on my desk seated and I can stay seated for hours without walking around. As a scoliosis sufferer, sitting for too long for extended period of time is seriously a bad thing as the spine takes more than 180% of your weight while you are sitting. Though my curve was pretty mild, just by sitting for hours for the past 2 years had indeed progressed my curve further and I started to develop secondary curvature. It reached to a point that I need to get myself to work physically in an environment that I need to move myself around to release some of my back tension, which somewhere this early February I started to work as a part-time service crew in a F&B cafe serving coffee and sandwiches. Eventually I was on SpineCor bracing to correct and prevent any further progression. However, it will only work best when I'm moving around with the brace on, not sitting and lying down. Be'cos of this, I've to allocate at least 7hr daily to work in the cafe with the brace on for a period of 12-18 months. It's tiring and physically draining but as I noticed a slight improvement on my curvature, I know it's worth the effort.
My marriage, my dad, my health etc are various issues which have been impeding me from creating consistently. As much as I would love to have all the time devoted in creating, I'm unable to given the fact (especially) my health is at risk which I seriously need to make a choice. I can't possibly create effectively with so many things going on even I've tons of ideas at the back of mind, awaiting to be produced. I wish for another me who can manage all these aspects of my life so that I can continue to create and inspire wholeheartedly. Very unfortunately, I'm a mere human with very limited ability. This is the real facade of life and I just have to juggle it well and learn how to manage them.
So away from all these, here I'm sharing some of my favourite projects I've done for Graphic 45 while I was with them for the past 2 years on today's entry. Can't bear to leave and I wish I could stay longer...
This piece can be purchased in my Etsy store here.
And here are some of my past projects that I'd love to showcase today however there're just simply too many to share so I decided to share a couple of them here on my blog instead.
And here are all my obsessions with crates begins. Simply can't get enough of them that I had indeed created 3 projects out of it using the Home Sweet Home paper collection; another favourite collection of mine. One of them is a special tutorial I did for Graphic 45 which was recently being shared in their blog that I didn't manage to share it on my blog. But nevertheless, I still would love to share it here!
Lastly, one of the previous Enchanted Forestgarden project that I didn't manage to share on my blog as well as one new bathroom art project using Voyage Beneath the Sea paper collection that didn't get a chance to be shared on Graphic 45 blog. I should have included it as part of today's farewell's entry but it was too late to get it included.
I wish I could have more time to elaborate more the above last 2 projects; how I get inspired and get them done out but it's getting a little too late right now and I need to rest my back. I still have outstanding projects to be completed and yet to be shared. Stay tuned and I hope after my crafting journey with Graphic 45, with more flexibility in terms of time I hope I should be able to produce more creative and quality works in the future.
I do read the comments over at the blog as well and I can't help to feel grateful for all the compliments and kind works g45ers have left for me. It's all these little encouragements that made my day and I wish I could have a daily dose of it to keep me going. As for now, I think it's inevitable to feel a little sad...
This week is Graphic 45 and May Arts Blog Hop week, and today is the last day of the hop. I have this small watering can which I bought with the intention to alter it. Since Spring is here and today is Good Friday, I think it’s a good time to have an altered watering can as an add-on decor for my home garden for this Spring Holiday!
I did a generous amount of image transfer over the surface using one of the floral pattern papers from Once Upon a Springtim DCE and covered it with various chalk paint to tone down the colours. Those lovely greenish trims are from May Arts Ribbons, especially the leafy ones which make a perfect trim for garden theme based project.
Who doesn't love fairies? Certainly I do so I have to add this cute little fairy within a resin frame at the central spot of the watering can. A nice pair of wooden wings just make it more fairy-ing.
On today's blog post with Graphic 45, I'm sharing this cute little fairy door which I built from scratch... When Graphic 45 announced a re-release of Once Upon a Springtime for the Winter CHA, I was super excited!!! Always wanted to build something fairy-tale like and the moment I received the sample pack last year, without a second though I went ahead and build a fairy door!!!
This door was built and designed to be mounted on the wall or even at one corner of the house... It's a mini door within a door, with a fairy prayer right at the front door... As you open the door, what you can find inside are many various fairies treasures such as pixie dust, butterflies, wings, etc...
Yes it's a New Year... Year 2015 is here... Just 3 days ago, it was just last year... I actually didn't feel the year was reaching an end and a new year has arrived... Partly is also 'cos I was super busy with Clear Scraps & Graphic 45 CHA projects, Prima class projects and my other various DT assignments... I was seriously that busy that I actually missed the countdown for Year 2015... I only got to shout "Happy New Year" to my younger sister at 12:05am and she gave me a look... A "huh" look... LOL!!
Finally when all are done, I manage to slow down and slack a bit before I kick start for this year's planning... It has been a pretty fruitful life changing 2014 year for me though there's some major life changing events taking place... Things started changing from the day I got myself into the Graphic 45 Design Team for 2014/15... And gradually I become part of Prima Educators, ScrapFX and Shimmerz DTs... It was definitely a busy year for me and when I got to realize it, the year of 2014 has reached an end...
Whether you are someone who just get to know me via various DTs I'm in (notably Graphic 45) and my various social media network (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, etc), or those have been attending my classes in Singapore, some of you probably may think where is this lady coming from and what's her background?!? In particular from scrappers who had attended my classes at The Art Republic, you guys always wonder where the heck I find those technical inclined and interesting techniques to teach in class...
Biggest question of all I always get is where do I get all my inspirations from and what's running in my mind?? Gradually, I'm labelled by most you as one of the most pervertic craft instructors on earth who loves to torture her students in class... LOL! I don't totally deny that but as always, you guys do love to be tortured by me... At the end of the day, you guys bring back home with a fulfilled mind other than the project itself isn't it? And it has been one of my most happiest accomplishment in craft teaching to see you guys practicing the techniques I taught and transform them into something different and share it with me... I suppose this is what education is all about...
People who know me enough understand that I had previously received formal biomedical and scientific training and had been in the R&D and biomedical industries for years... My very first R&D job was with Johns Hopkins, under one wonderful inspirational boss, Dr. Natasha E. Zachara who taught me alot of things about glycobiology and scientific research... My very last job dealt with advance cutting edge technology and product development for early cancer detection, mainly in cancer management in terms of Personalized Medicine... Due the tremendous pressure to meet industrial demands yet keeping opportunity cost as low as possible and to push the most innovative product out while the iron is hot on a global basis, I decided call it a day and enter into a land where I want to be in before I could die from physical and emotional constipation...
Way before I received my formal biomedical and scientific training, I took up traditional and fine arts in school for a period of 10 years and had informal training in both graphic and web design... In January 2014, I won an inaugural national shoes design competition which awarded me a full scholarship to study footwear design with one of the renowned Italian school, Ars Sutoria... Being a designer in this aspect is never an easy process especially if you are looking at being real and orginal... As I embark my journey as a true designer, I was given advice by several veterans in the industry to search for an identity... And that's where I'm here entering into this world of scrapping and crafting!!! Re-learning what colours and design elements are all about...
Along the entire year of 2014, being in various teams taught me a lot of things, meet a lot of wonderful and inspirational crafters across the globe and definitely I can gradually see myself evolve... Still learning and improving... I'm very grateful and thankful for the various opportunities given in particular for my very pioneer LLS, The Art Republic whom had given me the pilot chance... I love exploring, thinking out of the box, putting my various life experiences in my works and sharing my inspirations across the globe... Though meeting project deadlines may be stressful especially in days when you lost your mojo, I actually enjoy these processes much more than what I had been doing previously...
So that's my little background story... I hope this hasn't been a boring entry... And now it's the exciting fun part, Graphic 45 is releasing 3 new collections for this CHA - Artisan Style, Home Sweet Home and Precious Memories... Sneak peaks up for next week!!! And... they are also re-releasing 2 previous collections; ABC Primer & Once Upon a Springtime... Simply gorgeous and to die for!!! If you're going for this year CHA, I've done up 5 projects for the booth... Be sure to pop by and see what my other fellow teammies have done as well...
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