Happy V Day!!!

First of all, Happy Valentine's Day! It's a day to celebrate love but I'd want to think that love celebration shouldn't be restricted to just a day. If you truly love a person, your love with him/her should be celebrated every day.

So for a very last minute project, I'm sharing this small little altered envelop using the pocket envelope die by Tim Holtz and Graphic 45 Mon Amour paper collection. 

Pretty much a small little project but since I'm casting out some paper clay frames from my silicon mould, I just wanna do something up. Added a small little love quote by John Keats at the bottom. It's really small but it's handy enough, a relatively good size as a small little gift.

I hope today has been a great day for lovers. And I wish you all couples of the world a wonderful V-Day!!!

Sending Love via Flying Suitcases

The idea of "sending you some love" came to my mind one day that evoked me to think of adding wings to suitcases. Again, I was getting obsess with suitcases but this time round with a little whimsical fantasy thought.

As a sequel on my mini matchbox suitcases tutorial; I'm showing a start to finish video in how to add wings onto these cute little matchbox suitcases for this Valentine's, notably using the matchbox from Tim Holtz's matchbox L die. With a pair of wings, it makes sending some love a much easier process.

To send some love, I added some miniature love sentiments within; such as a miniature bouquet of red roses, a vintage necklace, a bottle of love seeds (aka saga seeds as symbol of love) and a mini wooden heart peg. Those little word sentiments in front of the suitcases actually came from the 6" x 6" patterns and solids which there're a lot of phrasings you can use as your love message. Feel free to add any of your favourite love sentiments within and let these flying suitcases send your love to your loved one. One idea for those who are proposing - you might want to pop a ring within.

List of Supplies:

• Graphic 45 Mon Amour Paper Collection (8” x 8” pad, 6” x 6” patterns and solids)
• Steampunk Spells Cling Stamp (wings)
• Botanical Tea Cling Stamp (butterfly)
• Heart Wrap Vintage Filigree
• Tim Holtz Matchbox L Die
• Blank Matchboxes
• Acetate Sheet
• Crochet Laces
• Love Sentiments (vintage necklace, bottle of love seeds, miniature rose bouquet, mini heart peg)

Victorian Valentine Puzzle Purses

Oh yes!!! Valentine is just round the corner and it's happening this Saturday. For this loving season, I'm reviving this almost-forgotten Victorian Valentine tradition - the puzzle purses. Nothing new in fact, and this historical information can be easily found over the internet.

These puzzle purses are folded origami-style envelope-like box packet, which unfolds into a pinwheel or 4-arm star, revealing either a romantic poem, love messages or even trinkets to a lock of a sweetheart’s hair. They were once popular from 1720 to 1840 during the 19th century and on those days, lovers sent these purses as love messages to their sweethearts. They are traditional handwriten with ink and decorated with motifs such as cupids, birds, flowers, hearts, and darts, usually painted with watercolours on parchment papers.Very often the handwriting itself was considered as one form of fine penmanship that was part of the artwork. Indeed it was one kind of a beauty. Sounds too romantic to be true?? But people of that era were seriously that romantic!!!

To let you guys have an idea how these vintage puzzle purses look like, click the link below to view the various purses from different times:

• 1790
• 1816
• 1830

Alright, moving back to 21st century, I'm re-introducing this old art form in a friendly and more straight-forward way as shown in Graphic 45 blogpost yesterday. Below are the various purses I've made in various sizes, giving you an idea what you can do for this coming Valentine. Click HERE to follow through this tutorial and video tour follow by...

Enjoy and have fun!!!

Forever and Always... Keys to the Hearts Hanging Ornament...

To end this lovely month of February, here I'm sharing a hanging ornament that I created for this Valentine using Graphic 45 Sweet Sentiments collection... As usual, I always love their pretty papers, especially the richness of pastels in this collection...

The concept of this altered project is actually inspired from Ferrero Rocher... Yes the spherical chocolate candy dressed in golden wrap that everyone knows!!! Who doesn't love chocolates, especially in the lovely month of February?? Don't these sweet Heart Rochers look yummy?? I felt so much "eating" them after creating them... This lovely piece is currently listed in my Etsy store for sale...

Bon appétit...

I enclosed an Ingvild Bolme shabby chic heart inside the
heart casing to make it "look" like a Rocher...

The additional of fluttering butterflies
just make the hearts so sweet...

At the end of the ornament, I hang another Ingvild Bolme
shabby chic heart and further dropped it with Graphic 45
shabby chic ornate keys, to go with the hearts together...