Holly Jolly Twenty-16

It's 2016!!! Seriously, why does time flies so fast? Does he really slow down? Alright, I believe everyone feels that way except for children. They are dying to grow up fast and wish time will fly fast, but definitely not for grown ups. I regretted making that wish when I was a child. Damn!

These pair of fairies are available for sale Here

So the little child in me and very much wanted to still stay in the Christmas mode, I made these 2 little fairies, namely Holly and Jolly. They had been receiving presents, and very much of them that they need a sleigh to ferry them. But the naughty Jolly ditched the presents aside and wanted to parade with the sleigh instead!!!

Winged up with ornate wings and dressed in little puffy skirts and white bloom millinery, they seriously look very angelic here. Oh well, it's still winter. Certainly the fur over their skirts do keep them warm. 

Oh look at how beautiful the ornate wings are!!! And how can I ever miss out glitters? They sparkle the wings so well!!! 

See how petite the are in my hand. Love 'em!!!! Off they go with their sleigh. They will be busy opening the presents when they reach home. 

Holly and Jolly hereby wish everyone a very Happy New Year and have a Holly Jolly Twenty-16!!!

Every Occasion Cookie/Candy Gift Box

Though the festive season is over, everyone seems to be busy shopping trying to grab great deals. It seems to me everyone is still in a very much holiday mood. For this very reason, for I'm a poor girl, so there's not much shopping for me to do. But I do have lots of junk and definitely Graphic 45 goodies. Nothing beats handmade and I can assure you the personal touch is something no amount of money can be bought. Here I'm showing a dainty gift box for everyday occasion which can be done with 2 large ivory tag, a few sheets of pattern papers and some ribbons. Click HERE to view the full tutorial.

I hope this tutorial can be useful for your everyday, any other day occasion or last minute gift packaging. To further expand my sweet treat labels, I've created more sweeter treats which can be purchased at my Etsy store HERE.  

Under the Mistletoe Christmas Display Decor

Oh well, yes I know it's Christmas' Eve!!! Seriously?!? I haven't had enough time to whoop up enough Christmas projects!! While trying to get my life re-organized (for which I'm still struggling for months), I managed to bake one display decor project out for this Christmas. Fresh from oven!!! Piping hot just in time for Christmas!!!

I'm heading for a rustic vintage feel and love to add some warm for this Christmas. Not too warm but just enough to feel a little love. Using one of the cameos from Sandra Evertson's Relics and Artifacts as the centerpiece, I created this "Under the Mistletoe" layout using several flowers, berries, stamens and pine corns. 

I deliberately want to link the floras and the cameo together, yet somehow as if it's "under" and "house" within. Certainly this big bauble frames and link the entire layout to perfection. Of course, how can I miss out burlap!!! This just gives the entire decor a good old rustic look. 

There's a number of stories about the meaning behind "Under the Mistletoe" and this is practically the idea behind. Emblem of love that conquers death. Well, Christmas is all about Jesus Christ and He's the reason why love exists. Love more, kiss more and Merry Christmas...

A Christmas Carol Advent Tags in Library Box

Wow! It's December 2015! I can't imagine how fast time flies and 2016 is just nearby! Goodness! I wish time can don't move so fast. Oh well, Christmas is round the corner and while everyone is busy doing up tons of Christmas projects, for the past 2 weeks I was struggling to finish up my advent tags. Shouldn't tags be the easiest of all? Not really for me, it's an Archilles' heel for me!!!

Doing up the library box is an easy-peasy task for me and I completed it within a few hours! But for one tag, I can take up to 2 days! For the holy sake of Christmas and Jesus Christ, I prayed hard to complete these advert tags... Thankfully, with a little non-tag materials on hand, those library pockets and tabbed dividers simply "lighten" my tag-load. Hallelujah! As I completed these advent tags and housed them into the box just makes me a happy camper! Yeah! 

I simply can't make things un-3D, even on these tabs. The stubborn me just had to create a mini wreath with berries-pine corn picks on no.25 even I know the bulkiness won't fit pretty well into the box.

Alright, I ran out of tag ideas, and wanted some variety in my advert project so I went for some Christmassy hunting. After a hunt back, I found some Christmas elements. Here there are, pockets well stuffed with some snowflakes, a berry garland, some holiday greens and a S-N-O-W garland with some twigs! I particularly love no.7. Not 'cos of the deer but it rings! Yes! I placed a tiny jingle bell beneath the resin wreath. 

As scary as it seems, I actually completed 13 tags as part of this advent project. Seriously! I did that! Never in my life I've done up so many tags before. Despite not being a forte of mine, I'm proud to announce that I've survived the ordeal with perseverance (though it's taking me 2 weeks). So here is my constellation of my advert tags for this Christmas!

~Happy Christmas!~

List of Supplies:

• Victorian Christmas Tags Kit
• Christmas Favourite Collage Sheet
• Winter Fun ATCs Collage Sheet
• Winter Kids Collage Sheet
• Snow Collage Sheet
• Graphic 45 A Christmas Carol 12" x 12" Paper Pad
• Graphic 45 A Christmas Carol 8" x 8" Paper Pad
• Graphic 45 A Christmas Carol 6" x 6" Patterns and Solids
• Graphic 45 A Christmas Carol Tags & Pockets
• Graphic 45 A Christmas Carol Decorative Chipboard
• Advert Calendar Tag Ribbon Set
• 1-1/2" Fancy Lace 
• Library Pocket Organizer Box
• Library Pocket Tabbed Dividers
• Manila Library Pockets, Cards and Tags
• Faux Metal Number Plates 1-25
• A Victorian Christmas -Rudolphs Nose Paper Flowers
• Lacquered Holly & Berry Picks 
• Mini Red Pip Berry Garland
• Stitched Leaf Ribbon - Moss Green
• Wired Pine Needle Stems
• Holly Berry Garland
• Fancy Red Holly Berries Mix
• Botanica Holiday Pine Cone Picks
• Wood Snowflakes Cut-Out Set
• Tim Holtz Holiday Greens Thinlit Die Set
• Tim Holtz Snowflake Rosette Die
• Tim Holtz Snowflakes Thinlits Die Set
• Tim Holtz Staked Snowflakes L Die
• Tim Holtz Mini Snowflakes Set
• Tim Holtz Snow Flurries Embossing Folder
• Tim Holtz Christmas Typed Tokens
• ScrapFX Chipboards (Bauble E Merry Christmas, Bow Frames, Music Symbol Collage, Musical Heart, Heart Swirl, Small Squiggle Frame)
• Snowflakes Rubber Stamps
• IndigoBlu Noel Dinkie Stamp
• Tattered Lace "Let it Snow" Die
• Shimmerz Paints (Texturez- tidy widy)
• Own Stash (royal medallion dollies, laces and trims, jute twine, burlap, wood frames and floras, twigs, SNOW acrylic letters, tinsels, jingle bells, felt tree and reindeer, Christmas resins)

A Soulful Heart

Lately, there was quite a number of unpleasant things happening around the world. There was the Paris attack on Friday the 13th, with a few terrorist and tension events that happened previously. These events are likely to be ongoing events. Years of tensions, conflicts built up and things don't happen overnight or instantly, and they happened for a reason and mainly due to human pride. When one becomes soulless, one don't feel and empathize. It seems like all humanity is gone at point of violence and evil acts.

I tend to question, when one returns to his rightful mind, will he be able to feel? To some point, I believe everyone does. Your heart will at least ache a beat when you are at your most soulful state. We are spiritual beings; souls covered with flesh and blood. There's a reason why we feel pain when we bleed. It's a real truth that humans are soulful beings.

As I feel so intensely about current world events, I tend to ponder how sad and discouraging the world has become. We have become more judgmental, opinionated, discouraging and uninspiring. Each individual gradually becomes an opinion of others. I wish the world can be a little more soulful.

Taking all my feelings and put them together I created this little soulful assemblage artwork using shades of gray as the base. The option of using dull grayish base represent the world; for the world is always that gray. It seems like everything sounds right yet look so wrong on many levels. Humans are unable to judge what's absolutely right or wrong correctly. True black and white don't seems to exist. While the addition of subtle warm colours within the grayish base represent the various soulful hearts of all mankind. I believe humans can be soulful, it's a matter of choice.

Setting this heart as the main focus among a pool of grays, I used a variety shades of red, white and tarnished brass to paint the resin heart making it as if it is a real flaming red heart. This is the main soul of this project.

This piece of art is available for sale in my shop here...