Making it to the Final Round for Graphic 45 DT

I recalled how excited I was when I saw my name on the top 30 list last year... Again, I made it into to top 25 list for this year DT call, an opportunity for my second term with Graphic 45... 

Super excited and yes I'll be boggling more on my creative brain cells for the upcoming final round and I hope I'm able to make it for the 2nd year...

Once again, join me to celebrate this joy with the rest of the finalists... And I shall see you guys very soon...

Cheers!!!

An Early Easter Greetings

Time really flies (I tend to say this very often), today is the last day of March for 2015... It's a quarter of a year gone!!! Wow I couldn't imagine how fast time passes.... The older I get, the more I feel time is never enough...

Alright to mark an end of March, here I am welcoming April with an early Easter greetings... For today's Graphic 45 blog post, I'm sharing this altered egg nest decor for this coming Easter... I had actually built this pretty huge egg nest for last Easter using balloon and yarns... This egg nest stands at ~8" tall and 'cos it's that huge, it took me several days to get it into shape and allowed it to dry completely... By then it's all ready, Easter was gone... Hence, I chucked this aside and gradually it became a PhD (Project half-Done)...

As I retrieved this PhD out, certain parts had turned yellow and it seems unsightly... Instead of dumping it away (as I wouldn't want to), I gesso the entire egg nest and misted it with a tea stain... Glad it turned out pretty well and I have a new egg nest!!! Did quite a number of fussy cuts here using Sweet Sentiments collection...

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...

Paying my Last Respect to MM Lee Kuan Yew

This week is a sad and solemn week for Singapore... On 23rd March 2015, at 3:18am, our country's most beloved and respected Minister Mentor Mr. Lee Kuan Yew had passed away... The nation wept and I myself am deeply sadden by his demise...

I woke up at around 10:30am on Monday and I was the probably the last few who got to know about MM Lee's demise via Facebook... I was indeed shocked to see my Facebook feed flooded with news of MM Lee's demise... Waking up with a mind in calibration mode, I find this piece of news a little too shocking to be true... At that very moment, I find it hard to believe... As a Biomedical grad, it was at my best knowledge to comprehend the fact that at MM Lee's old age of 91, to win the battle and recover fully was a very unlikely event to happen given the fact that a new course of antibiotics was administered and there was no signs of improvement... Despite knowing his days were numbered, most Singaporeans hope he could pass through the ordeal and celebrate Singapore's 50th birthday this August... Very unfortunately, after a battle with pneumonia infection, he passed away peacefully on Monday morning...

There was an outcry of sadness and people across the nation are grieving... The truth didn't get sink into me till yesterday as I watched MM Lee's procession to the Parliament House (where his body will be lying in state for the public to pay respect) live on the national TV... I finally shed my tears in respect for this great leader... The government has declared a period of national mourning for this entire week and his funeral this Sunday... Emotions will run high in the air and this Sunday will be one excruciating day, a day where people of Singapore will cry for his final departure...

I myself have paid my very last respect to MM Lee this morning at the Parliament House and handwritten my tribute to him... In memory of this founding father of modern Singapore, I made this placard with a quote behind as a tribute to him... He was one such individual who was truly who he was and it was his lifetime privilege... Indeed a privilege that had benefited the people of Singapore and what he had left for us is his legacy and unwavering love for the country that will always be remembered...

Marie in Wonderland Tea Party Topper

On this week Alpha Stamps newsletter highlight I'm sharing this tea party topper as a topper decor for my cupcake stand... This month kit Marie in Wonderland is currently available at Alpha Stamps website...

It's quite a small topper stands at ~6" tall, I built the base by stacking 2 of these tiny paper mache boxes and put a Marie on top... Using paperclay, I molded some teapots and cups as well as mini bows out from the silicon molds, painted them and use them as decorative elements around the base... So here is what I've gotten.. I wanted to keep it simple and straightforward for the sake of easy display and keeping...

Here is a list of supplies for this project:

• March 2015 Kit - Marie in Wonderland
• Marie Takes Tea Collage Sheet 
• 27mm Resin Tea Party Heart Doilies 
• Die-Cut Chipboard Panniers Dress 
• Creative Paperclay 
• Tiny Paper Mache Box Set 
• Mini Bows Silicone Mold 
• 3D Tea Party Silicone Mold 
• Stitch leaf Ribbon in Pink