A Cute Welcome to My Little Candy World

As far as my brain functions, I realized I just simply couldn't create something without a story behind... And as I progress further, I notice I've been taking longer than usual to complete a piece of work...

Over here, I'm sharing one of my sweetest imaginations - the Candy World of my own with a little candy house sitting on top of a candy floss mountain... Yes, I'm using a ceramic watering can here, and made the candy floss mountain from scratch as though the candy floss is overflowing within... The inspiration comes from the fable of Hansel and Gretel's candy house... Instead of just building a candy house alone, I've created a Candy World instead using various chippies and mixed media goodies from my ScrapFX and Shimmerz Paints DT pack... This is actually part of a WIP (work in progress) project, which I'd be combining the idea of Jack and the Beanstalk to create a different story for my completed artwork... While I'm trying to piece up the chapters together, I just can't wait to share my little Candy World here...

I hereby extend my cutest welcome to everyone to enter into my little Candy World... 

La Rosa Especial Artist Trading Blocks

Somewhere not too long ago I was busy pinteresting and found a lot of works using ATBs, aka Artist Trading Blocks... It's till recently when I got myself into Alpha Stamps DT I manage to get access to some of these blocks... 

As I excitedly received my first batch of blocks, as usual my excitement is far more than ideas, it took me quite a while to come up with something... As I was imaging French Ladies sewing meticulously in a room filled with roses, I decided to use Pion Design's Alma's Sewing Room paper collection and From Grandma's Attic French Ladies pictures for this... I came up with these shabby chic ATBs duo... Using monochrome colours with a touch of pink, I'm trying to catch one of an old French feel and get these done up as La Rosa Especial... 

These pictures actually don't do much of a justice as I had used quite a huge amount of Shimmerz products together with various Finnabair's mixed media range to give this vintage shabby French look... A lot of teeny weeny details such as the beauty of micro beads and glitter are not captured well, mainly due to the reflective nature of these products... However I'm listing them up for sale on my Etsy shop, and if by any chance you'd like to own them, feel free to get one home...   

This piece is available here...

This piece is available here...

List of supplies:

• ATB Wood Blocks
• Medium Wooden Finials
• Candle Stick Holder
• 3" Candle Stick
• Acrylic Beads Sprays
• Platinum Sticklers
• Finnabair Art Basic (heavy white gesso, light paste, soft gel) and Art Ingredients (micro beads - silver)
• Prima Marketing 6" x 6" Floral Petite Stencil
• Prima Marketing Antique White Frames
• Prima Marketing Cigar Box Secret Acrylic Stamp
• Shimmerz Paints (Inklingz -misty morning, pink-a-boo, tarnished treasure, Shimmeringz - baby breath, Coloringz - night moves, Texturez - crushed coral, Dazzelerz - spun sugar)
• I Am Roses Mulberry Roses and Lilies
• May Art Ribbon

P.S. I'm entering this project for MAY IAR Challenge...

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

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...

A Sweet Pink Altered Wooden Peg

Have always wanted to alter a wooden peg but didn't have any idea what to do... While I was in a craft store, I saw this medium size wooden peg, just nice enough for me to alter as a start...  Wanted something sweet with a whimsical touch, I chose pink and off-white as my main colours... This is also one of my debut works for Pion Design... Love, love, love the Paris Flea Market series, the colours are so sweet...

I started off by adding some flourish texture around the peg, and began blending the colours using a range of Shimmerz products to give a shabby look... To give a further vintage look, I distressed the edges using some tarnished steel colour... I deliberately use this colour palette to match the colour scheme of Pion's Paris Flea Market...

A list of supplies used can be found at the end of this post... Remember to mention my name during PayPal checkout to get a free product of choice when you shop at Shimmerz store...

List of Supplies:

• Pion Design Paris Flea Market
• Shimmerz Products (Inklingz - Pink-a-Boo, Tarnished Treasure, Misty Morning, Creameez - Berry Hot, Marshmallow, Spritz - Cotton Candy, Vibez - Sweet Heart)
• Prima Flowers & Vines
• Graphic 45 Shabby Chic Ornate Keyhole

Explore the Untaken Path Art Journal Spread

Earlier this year, I bought myself a hardbound sketchbook with a plan of turning this into an art journal after viewing so many beautiful works on Pinterest as well as on various social media platform... But I didn't make my first attempt the moment I bought this sketchbook... I placed it near my work desk and let it collect dust for months... 

It's till recently I find myself in the mood to make my art journal debut... This very first art journal spread is greatly inspired by Singapore's founding Prime Minister & Minister Mentor Mr. Lee Kuan, whom had passed away this Monday morning... His state funeral will be this Sunday... While emotions still run high throughout the nation this week, his demise and his legacy puts me into deep thoughts... He was one such great leader who had taken the untaken path; a path that he courageously took and brought Singapore to where She is today... Because that was the way he was; a man who was truly himself, his bravery and courage to challenge the uncertainties during those days were indeed commendable... I deeply admired this spirit of his... 

Reflecting on myself especially in my current perusal to be an artist, this is something I find a need to learn from him... This journal spread not only serves as a memorial on the great work of Mr. Lee, it also serves as a reminder for myself to look at things from a different perspective and explore the untaken path...   

List of supplies:

• Gesso
• Gel Medium
• Vintage Dictionary Pages
• ScrapFX Chippies (Explore the Untaken Path phrase)
• ScrapFX Foam Stamps (Dolly Stamps, Shoe Soles)
• Shimmerz Products (Coloringz - Night Moves, Shimmeringz - Heavy Metal, Spritz - Rock-a-fella Blue, Vibez - Snow Storm, Texturez - Gritty Graphite, Dazzlerz - Spun Sugar, Inklingz - Tarnish Treasure, Creameez - Ride the Tide)

To receive some freebie from Shimmerz, remember to mention my name (Katie Zoey Ho) during Paypal checkout under "Instructions to Merchant" when you place your Shimmerz order should you want to shop something there...

Steampunky Mobile Case

Today is my debut as a ScrapFX DT Member... For this very first blog entry for ScrapFX, I've altered my very own iPhone 6 mobile case; a case that I bought previously once I got my new iPhone 6... Because it is a pretty cheap mobile case, the images printed onto it were not that fantastic and it faded away just after 2 months usage... 

Since I'm such a big fan for anything that's steampunk, I decided to revamped this mobile case of mine into one such steampunky case... And here is what I created using ScrapFX chippes and Shimmerz products... When I'm done with it, I sealed the entire case with acrylic spray followed by PU varnish... So now I've a brand new mobile case...

A list of products used for this project is stated below... To receive some freebie, remember to mention my name during Paypal checkout under "Instructions to Merchant" when you place your Shimmerz order should you want to shop something there...

List of supplies used:

• Gesso
• ScrapFX Chippies (Steampunk Hot Air Balloon, Mini Feathered Wings, Mini Cogs, Wordlets - C Words)
• Shimmerz Products (Shimmeringz - Heavy Metal, Coloringz - Night Moves, Inklingz - Miner, Miner, 49er, Tarnish Treasure, Blingz - Hi Ho Silver)

A Tibetan Poppy Altered Vase

One thing about dealing with colours is the ability to give you the freedom to play around... And this is exactly what I like about colours... Even I had received some training in both design and arts, I'm still learning how to see colours... Throughout the various DT projects I've done previously, thus far the colours I've played with are within a restrictive zone that I'd have to match accordingly to the colour scheme of every paper collection... Sounds rather convenient and to a certain extend yes it's pretty much straight forward...

When it comes to just using colours alone, that's a totally different thing altogether... It's usually nonrestrictive with a huge space for creativity... Anything could happen under the sun... What really excites me as part of Shimmerz DT is that I finally get to play with colours; seriously playing with colours... As I progress as an Artist I started to understand what colours are all about in a very different way... Every day I discover and learn new things... Pretty exciting journey I should say...

So for today Shimmerz's blog post, I'm sharing this altered vintage milk vase which I had it totally transformed into a piece of art decor... The original idea came from the Himalaya Tibetan Poppy, mainly the unique blue colour from this flower... Because of the unusual texture of this particular vase I've, it gave me a very medieval feel as if it came from somewhere back in the 12th century where the medieval Renaissance period was... To transformed into something more modernize yet preserving the vintage feel, I decided to use blue as my main colour with contrasting yellow to gold colours... I deliberately altered the flowers to mimic the Tibetan Poppy and darken the edges to worn down the look with a more vintage touch... To give a little Renaissance touch, I used some white feathers and twine to soften down the blue for a balance of colours...

Here is a list of Shimmerz products I've used for this project:

• Coloringz (Heidi Ho Blue, Well Blue Me Down)
• Vibez (Egg Noggin')
• Creameez (Get Glowing, Ride the Tide)
• Inklingz (Miner, Miner, 49er)

Do hop over to Shimmerz Paint Store to have a look. Some freebies for you guys should you shop at Shimmerz, simply mention my name (Katie Zoey Ho) under "INSTRUCTIONS TO MERCHANT" during checkout, you will get to receive a FREE jar of Inklingz...

My Debut Creations with Shimmerz Paints

My debut creations with Shimmerz is here!!! Finally I manage to get them posted here... For those who have been following Shimmerz, you guys probably had seen them on the blog.. Here are the 2 projects I've done for my January assignments - an altered journal book cover and a 3D Victorian altered heart art placard... 

I had this idea of building blocks of pencils and plant some blooms onto it... Since I didn't get to have the space for such a garden piece, I transferred this idea onto a book cover using yellow, gold and pink as my choice of colours... Used a total of 14 wooden pencils and flooded almost the whole cover with roses from Prima... It's pretty great amount of work...

Always wanted to do something Victorian, yet can't get it started when you've the idea but kinda unable to get inspired... While I was searching for something to work on, I found this very nice frame chipboard in my stash and its like there forever untouched... Certainly this was what I've been looking for for this project... Breaking away from the common pastel shabby look for Valentine, here I am creating this Victorian piece of art placard with a Baroque touch...

Here are the lists of supplies and various Shimmerz products I used for these projects:

Book Cover

• Gesso 
• Cheese cloth
• Wooden pencils
• Shredded wood fibres
• Gold tinted acrylic paint
• Clear Scraps acrylic chicken wire
• Prima mulberry roses
• Vintage dictionary papers
• Melissa Frances resin frame
• Shimmerz Inkingz (Pink-A-Boo, French Twist & Miner, Miner, 493er)
• Shimmerz Creameez (Berry Hot & Get Glowing)
• Shimmerz Spritz (Cotton Candy)
• Shimmerz Vibez (Egg Noggin') 

Victorian Altered Art Placard

• Gesso
• Styrofoam heart
• Vintage dictionary papers
• Ledger script stencil
• Baroque frame chipboard
• Prima art ingredients (mica gold flakes, rose gold glass glitter & plum glass beads)
• Shimmerz Inklingz (French Twist, Sheer Bliss, Ruby Lost Her Slippers)
• Shimmerz (Wed Wagon)
• Shimmerz Blingz (Pixie Dust)
• Shimmerz Dazzelerz (Spun Sugar)
• Shimmerz Spritz (Bed of Roses)

Shimmerz has recently launched a range of new products; Creameez & Tonez, do hop over to Shimmerz Paint Store to have a look. Some freebies for you guys should you shop at Shimmerz, simply mention my name (Katie Zoey Ho) under "INSTRUCTIONS TO MERCHANT" during checkout, you will get to receive a FREE jar of Inklingz...

Happy crafting and I shall talk to you guys soon!!! Cheers!!!

It Has Been a Busy Year...

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...

Cheers!!!