Katie Z. Paperworks

Dimensional Envelopes "How to" & A Mom's Card

2024-06-25T22:30:00.111+08:00

The unique thing about cardmaking is the freedom to add some level of dimensions instead of having a flat design. Conventional speaking, we will often try to fit them into traditional envelopes of any given sizes available and we need to be mindful not to create a card that's too bulky. Housing them onto a bigger envelope such as into an A6 envelope for a dimensional A2 card might work, but it will somehow squash the design which is an issue to me.

As I started to make more of such cards, I find a need to source for some dimensional envelopes to house these cards. I tried to search for existing templates or tutorials online, however there're some limitations and often require some kind of envelope making tools which appears to be rather confusing. Ultimately, I decided to create my own and also, made a video tutorial for this.

To suffice the video I made, I've created a template for both A2 and A6 card sizes which is available HERE for download. Video tutorial showcased an A6 dimensional envelope for this Mom's card I made, and the steps are pretty much similar for other sizes and depths.

This Mom's card was made using most of my existing supplies and some of them are no longer available unfortunately. A good way to refresh my supplies and try to make something out of it. Not necessary for Mother's Day, this card can be gifted to moms for another other occasions.

I hope this new dimensional envelope tutorial is useful and helpful. Below is the list of supplies I used to make this card as well as the cardstocks used to make most of my envelopes.

Cheers!

Clicking the links below will bring you to a new page.

American Crafts 12x12 80lb vanilla cardstocks (AMZ, AMZSG)
Astro Designs 12x12 65Ib bright white cardtsocks (AMZ, AMZSG)
Bearly Art precision craft glue (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
Tim Holtz Alteration Texture Fade lace embossing folder (SB, SIZ)
Spellbinders lace heart and various past clubs diesets (retired)
Versamark watermark ink (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
Ranger Ink embossing powder in princess gold (SB, AMZ)

Legend:

SB (Scrapbook.com), SIZ (Sizzix) AMZ (Amazon), AMZSG (Amazon.sg)

Compensated affiliated links used are at no cost to you, refer HERE for more information.

A Rather Favourite Kind of Father's Day Card

2024-06-15T23:30:00.017+08:00

For this Father's Day, I created a card using Graphic 45's rather old and retired A Proper Gentleman collection. Inspired by an old tailor shop, I used origami shirt with tie and pants, together with a pop-up shopping bag when the card is open up.

The shopping bag template can be downloaded HERE for your personal use. The how-to process is in one of my short reels over at my YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Therefore, be sure to check them out. And here are the details on how the card looks like when open up. The shirt and pants are made from Graphic 45 DIY craft paper which has since retired and discontinued. Because the craft paper is quite thin, it makes creating these origami items easier. To make it more interesting, dollar notes can be used instead.

I hope this is one fun inspiring project for this Father's Day. And I wish all fathers a Happy Father's Day! I'll be back for more crafting projects, be sure to revisit my blog again. Cheers!

Below is a list of supplies I used to make this card.

Clicking the links below will bring you to a new page.

Graphic 45 A Proper Gentleman paper collection (retired)
Graphic 45 DIY Craft Paper in quotes and newspapers (retired)
Unity Stamp Echo Park Favourite Moustache cling stamps (retired)
Tim Holtz Alterations Alphabetical Sizzlit (retired)
Graphic 45 Folder & Sentiments Policy & Decorative die set (AMZ, AMZSG)
Spellbinders Deckled Rectangle LG dies (SPB, AMZ)
American Crafts 12x12 80lb black cardstocks (AMZ, AMZSG)
MISTI stamping tool in black
Bearly Art precision craft glue (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
Versafine pigment ink in onyx black (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
Ranger Ink Super Fine clear embossing powder (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)

Legend:

SB (Scrapbook.com), SPB (Spellbinders), AMZ (Amazon), AMZSG (Amazon.sg)

Compensated affiliated links used are at no cost to you, refer HERE for more information.

Marbling Cards with Concord & 9th Weekend Market

2024-06-10T21:00:00.035+08:00

Fascinated with marbling effect, the idea of using it as one of the backgrounds for my recent card making endeavours came to my mind. In today's entry, I'm sharing two cards I made using Concord & 9th Marbled Turnabout stamp together with their Weekend Market dies and stamp set. And these are what I have made using mainly purple for one card, and a mixed of orange-yellow vibrant colours for the other.

Created these on the inside of the cards

I've made a start-to-finish video and a short reel on how I created these cards which can be viewed on my Youtube channel and various social media platforms.

'let's hangout soon" sentiment is from Big on You stamp set.

I've yet to try out using the girl standing or walking for this die set, and that will be for another time so as to make use of this further to create more cards out of it.

Cheers!

Below is a list of supplies I used to make these card.

Clicking the links below will bring you to a new page.

Concord & 9th Weekend Market die set
Concord & 9th Weekend Market stamp set (SB, AMZSG)
Concord & 9th Marbled Turnabout Stamp (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
Concord & 9th All-in-One Turnabout Jig (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
Concord & 9th Big on You Stamp set
Spellbinders Essential Modern Ovals (SPB, SB, AMZ)
Versafine pigment ink in onyx black (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
Versacolor small ink pad in hyacinth (AMZ, AMZSG)
Versacolor small ink pad in lilac (AMZ)
Versacolor small ink pad in boysenberry (AMZ, AMZSG)
Versacolor small ink pad in heliotrope (AMZ)
Versacolor small ink pad in narcissus (AMZ)
Versacolor small ink pad in sand beige (AMZ, AMZSG)
Versacolor small ink pads in seashell (AMZ)
Versacraft small ink pad in tangerine
Neenah heavy weight 110lb classic crest solar white cardstocks (AMZ, AMZSG)
A6 purple & yellow envelopes from mix coloured selections (AMZ, AMZSG)
Bearly Art precision craft glue (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
MISTI stamping tool in black
Lawn Fawn Stamp Shammy (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
Ranger Ink Super Fine clear embossing powder (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
Various coloured cardstocks (from my own stash)
Dew drops and accents (from my own nail art stash)

Legend:

SB (Scrapbook.com), SPB (Spellbinders), AMZ (Amazon), AMZSG (Amazon.sg)

Compensated affiliated links used are at no cost to you, refer HERE for more information.

Creating Cards from Forgotten Supplies

2024-06-03T22:28:00.003+08:00

Confession time! I do hoard stuffs and Yes! I have quite an amount of craft supplies that I bought, kept unused and most of them still pretty much in their packaging. Moment of truth here - there won't be a time these supplies will be used up until I make effort to do something about it.

Some of the long old forgotten supplies in my stash

With daily fresh and new product releases and ideas bombarding on various social media feed every day, sometimes I feel I need a particular product to create better. Each time I got tempted and get myself with new supplies, before I knew it, my stash has already gotten bigger than all those crafting ideas I have in my mind. Before I run of space, I reckon it's best to make deliberate attempts to create out from those forgotten supplies. With what I had found, these are the cards I've created.

To share this refreshing moment on these long old supplies, I've made a short start-to-finish video on this. No special tools, techniques shown, merely how to assemble and transform these supplies into a card.

Added some encouraging bible verses at the back of each card

It actually feels good to clear some stuffs and make way for more space. This won't be my only and last deliberate attempt. I will be making more of such projects in coming days. I hope this short sharing is encouraging enough to make deliberate attempts to create out from your existing and forgotten supplies.

Below is a list of supplies I used to make these cards. Most of them are retired or not available in major craft stores, however you might be able to find some of them on eBay or Etsy. However, I don't encourage to get more and if you happen to have these supplies on hand, this is one way to use them in your project.

Cheers!

Clicking the links below will bring you to a new page.

Pattern papers from 7gypsies Mix & Match book
Ticket stubs from Tim Holtz Ideology Adage tickets book
K&C watercolour florals layering accents
Jenni Bowlin cardstock stickers (butterfly banner in black)
Prima Marketing Say it Crystals & acrylic embellishments
American Crafts 12x12 80lb black cardstocks (AMZ, AMZSG)
Kokuyo Dotliner Hold tape runner (AMZSG)
Ek Success circle foam dots (SB, AMZ, AMSG)
Other supplies - old dictionary papers, crystals embellishments, jute trims & ribbons

Legend:

SB (Scrapbook.com), AMZ (Amazon), AMZSG (Amazon.sg)

Compensated affiliated links used are at no cost to you, refer HERE for more information.

Fluttering Hearts; Cards that Capture Love

2024-05-27T21:32:00.003+08:00

I always wanted to create something monochromatically with a touch of colour. While such ideas can be easy to come by, the execution part sometimes can get a little challenging. Sieving through my existing stash, I found some supplies that I think I should refresh them by using them instead. The thought of fluttering hearts came to my mind recently. Adding wings and flutter bugs to hearts will be the way to go.

The use of Tim Holtz's Butterfly Frenzy Sizzlit die allows me to diecut a mega tons of butterflies of varying sizes at one pass through the machine. This made producing butterflies an easy task for this project. And this is the final look of the cards I made.

Oh yes! I made 3 at the end with different sentiments on each card all handwritten by myself. These are mainly made from Tim Holtz older collections together with Spellbinders Love in Flight D-lites dies that have since retired. Though not available in most major craft stores, sometimes you can find them from various eBay or Etsy sellers. Here is a closer look on these cards individually.

I enjoy in making these monochromatic cards and decided to enter this entry for Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Furs or Feathers.

Cheers!

Below is a list of supplies I used to make this card.

Clicking the links below will bring you to a new page.

Tim Holtz Alterations Butterfly Frenzy Sizzlit (retired)
Tim Holtz Alterations Texture Fades embossing folders in dot matrix, notebook and quilted (retired)
Tim Holtz Reflection stamps (AMZ, AMZSG)
Spellbinders Love in Flight D-Lite dies (retired)
Versafine pigment ink in onyx black (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
Neenah heavy weight 110lb classic crest solar white cardstocks (AMZ, AMZSG)
A6 heavy weight 110lb white envelopes (AMZ, AMZSG)
Astro Design 65lb crafting cardstocks in bright white (AMZ, AMZSG)
Bearly Art precision craft glue (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)

Legend:

SB (Scrapbook.com), SPB (Spellbinders), AMZ (Amazon), AMZSG (Amazon.sg)

Compensated affiliated links used are at no cost to you, refer HERE for more information.

Always Here for You Cardmaking

2024-05-25T15:18:00.004+08:00

In one of my recent hauls, I bought some Pinkfresh Studio (PFS) stamps with their coordinating dies and stencils wanting to try something different. To get myself into this cardmaking journey, I've made a card using PFS Artistic Dahlia stamp set for this month's challenge.

Instead of stencilling over the florals with inks, I chose to watercolour them instead using my Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Pretty much enjoying the whole process that I decided to make a short reel for this (over at my various social media). And here is the final look of the card.

Adding some sparkles dots on the background using glitter glue from Ranger, including over the embossed sentiments 'Always here for you'.

In my next attempt, I'll be trying out stencilling using various dyed inks.

Cheers!

Below is a list of supplies I used to make this card.

Clicking the links below will bring you to a new page.

Pinkfresh Studio Artistic Dahlia stamp
Pinkfresh Studio Artistic Dahlia coordinating die set
Spellbinders Four Petal Floral 3D embossing folder (SPB, SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
Versamark watermark ink (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
Versafine pigment ink in onyx black (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
Versacolor small ink pad in cyan (AMZ, AMZSG)
Neenah heavy weight 110lb classic crest solar white cardstocks (AMZ, AMZSG)
A6 heavy weight 110lb white envelopes (AMZ, AMZSG)
Bearly Art precision craft glue (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
MISTI stamping tool in black
Faber Castell watercolour pencils set of 24 colours (AMZ, AMZSG)
Ranger Ink Sticklers in golden rod
Ranger Ink embossing powder in princess gold (SB, AMZ)

Legend:

SB (Scrapbook.com), SPB (Spellbinders), AMZ (Amazon), AMZSG (Amazon.sg)

Compensated affiliated links used are at no cost to you, refer HERE for more information.

Cardmaking Over the Weekend; Cherish Cards

2024-05-14T13:59:00.009+08:00

We all have that in our craft storage—crafting dies bought and kept unused (or minimally used). I was sieving through my dies over the last weekend, wondering what I could make, and I found this Cherish die set from Spellbinders 2019 club kits I previously subscribed to. Surprisingly, Spellbinders still have these dies in stock, currently running as clearance past kits sale.

Jan 2019 Club Kit - Large Die of the Month

With the idea of getting back into crafting, I decided to put these dies to use. I crafted two cards out from these dies — a Cherish card for a dear friend of mine and a Mom's card. Well, Mother's Day had just passed, but I wanted to extend the joy of crafting by maximising my existing supplies. I created both backgrounds using a mix of pink mists and my old Prima floral petites 6 x6 stencil, which fits the overall theme pretty well.

To match the cards I've created, I chose a white A6 envelope for the Cherish card and a hot pink one for the Mom's card.

I made a video on how I created these cards. For a better experience, be sure to hop over to my YouTube to view it. I mounted the finished designs onto A6 notecards (4.5" x 6"), which I made using 110lb (~300 gsm) Neenah cardstock. I used various sentiments from Spellbinders' 'Just Wanted to Say Sentiments', which I embossed them over using ultra-fine silver embossing powder. Unfortunately, this stamp has run out of stock, however, the glimmer foil version is still very much available.

I tried stamping over the sentiments onto the inside of the card, but it ended up a mess! To cover up, I used the scraps I trimmed off from the backgrounds I created as matting to cover up the mistake I made. And it turned out pretty well. Sometimes, it's good to keep whatever scraps are left over; it might save your work!

Breaking away from my usual cardmaking style, these are fresh new perspectives that I tried exploring. I enjoyed creating the background myself instead of sieving through various pattern papers to match.

Cheers!

Below is the list of supplies I used for these cards.

Clicking the links below will bring you to a new page.

Spellbinders Cherish - Large Die of the Month (Jan 2019)
Spellbinders Just Wanted to Say Sentiments acrylic stamps
Lettering dies from own stash
Prima Floral Petites 6x 6 stencil (retired)
Versamark watermark ink (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
Versacraft small ink pad in bubblegum
Ranger Ink ultra fine embossing powder in silver (SB, AMZ)
Neenah heavy weight 110lb classic crest solar white cardstocks (AMZ, AMZSG)
A6 heavy weight 110lb white envelopes (AMZ, AMZSG)
A6 hot pink envelope (from mix coloured selections) (AMZ, AMZSG)
Daler Rowney system 3 in white titanium acrylic paint
Bearly Art precision craft glue (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
Tim Holtz Tonic Studio Glass Mixed Media Cutting Mat (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
Time Holtz Stampers Anonymous Acrylic Grid Block Set (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
Misting sprays (retired) - Lindy Stamp Gang cotton candy, Shimmerz cotton candy and sweet heart

Legend:

SB (Scrapbook.com), SPB (Spellbinders), AMZ (Amazon), AMZSG (Amazon.sg)

Compensated affiliated links used are at no cost to you, refer HERE for more information.

French Vinaigrette Bottle Cap Design

2024-05-07T15:42:00.006+08:00

Occasionally, I'll make myself some vinaigrette dressing for my salads or as gifts to others. I'll make them in bulk, at least 1L (~34oz) each time. Because they're handmade, I usually try to finish them within a week. 1L is actually quite a lot for a week's supply of salad dressing, and it does make sense to gift them away. That's exactly what I did on many occasions. Sometimes, I'll make it as one of the potluck dishes for gatherings.

I created this dressing label, printed them according to size, and pasted them over several caps of those jars, which are recycled from jams and sauces. Of course, they needed to be cleaned thoroughly before I filled them with the dressing. To give a feel of an old granny recipe, I covered the lids' edges with jute strings.

I packed them in brown packaging recycled from various packages from my shopping orders, paper, which I and they're ready to be gifted.

My own homemade dressing on my salad.

This is one of the ways I recycled some items at home and try to make it giftable. You are free to download and use the label of your own personal usage for your own French Vinaigrette dressing. However, I'd be very appreciative if these are not modified further for resale and distribution.

Graphic 45 Brand Ambassador Call 2024 -2025

2024-05-05T23:16:00.022+08:00

It has been a really long time. Though I've been rather inactive and did some projects here and there form time to time, in actual fact I was lurking around keeping myself updated on what's happening within the crafting community. And YES! I decided to head back and hope to be part of Graphic 45 for this 2024 - 2025 Brand Ambassador team after my last term with them in 2018.

For this year's project submission, I delved into Graphic 45's retired calendar collection, Children's Hour. This undertaking has been one of my most extensive projects, utilising the majority of the collection to create these 12 monthly journal pamphlets, each representing a month of the year. These pamphlets are housed in a handmade bookcase, crafted entirely from scratch.

There is so much photos can tell and I think a video tour might be better to show this project. For the very last minute, I decided to do a quick one.

To add a touch of uniqueness, I randomly stamped the sides of the bookcase with a G45 floral background stamp using Tsukineko Brilliance galaxy gold ink. The result is a textured yet not too overpowering effect. For embellishments, I incorporated my newly bought stitched flower and medallion dies from Spellbinders, a reflection to match all the pamphlets' front covers I have made. Loads of stitching work are done here!

Pamphlets are all hand-stitched individually, measuring 4" by 5.5", each having enough pages for a month's worth of writing if written on a single page daily. Because the calendar collection has each of its colours and designs, I simply use the design for the whole series without having to think much on colour and design matching.

Each pamphlet was stamped and embossed with gold with the month (unfortunately, G45 has retired this calendar stamp set) on the tab of the insert pages, which I created using the folder die from the G45 Folder & Sentiment die set.

This project took me over a week to complete with nearly 3-4 days of prep work before I could piece everything together. Nonetheless, it's a fulfilling one given I've not been crafting actively for the past year, and I hope through this ambassador call, I can bring more interesting projects should I get into the team with Graphic 45.

Cheers!

Supplies List:

Graphic 45 Children's Hour collection (available at my ETSY)
Graphic 45 Floral Background and Calendar (retired) stamp sets
Graphic 45 Matt Pearls Gems (retired)
Graphic 45 Folder & Sentiments (SB, AMZ) Tags & Flowers (SB, AMZ, AMZSG) and Policy & Decorative (AMZ, AMZSG) metal dies sets
Spellbinders Stitched dies - Medallion (SB, AMZ) and Flower (SB, SPB, AMZ, AMZSG)
Spellbinders Label Forty Nestabilities & D-lite Flourishes dies (retired)
Ranger Ink Embossing Power in Gold (SB, AMZ)
Versamark watermark ink (SB, AMZ, AMZSG)
Tsukineko Brilliance ink in Galaxy Gold (AMZ, AMZSG)
DMC Thread #676 - Old Gold (AMZ)
Ornate Metal Feet (available at my ETSY)
80gsm Papers (for pages)
Vellum

Legend - SB (Scrapbook.com), SPB (Spellbinders), AMZ (Amazon), AMZSG (Amazon.sg)

Compensated affiliated links used are at no cost to you, refer HERE for more information.

A Druggist's Junk Journal

2022-10-24T17:23:00.002+08:00

My second blog entry of the year, hopefully not the last. Long overdue project that took me this long to showcase this. Becoming a woman of less words; I shall dive down to one of my latest project - A druggist's junk journal.

Entire book was made from scratch using tea-dyed papers and printables from Ephemoire's Vintage Medical collages. Needtheless to say, the centre piece is a modified mixed media caduceus; staff of Hermes. With added touch of alchemy, as what was associated with anciently. Oh well, hence this book belongs to the Druggist who lives down the alley.

While it's hard to capture everything, a video orientation is perhaps one of the better options to showcase this whole journal.

Destiny 5890?

Jam packed with loads of ephemeras

Magnetic mini folders

Just in the right time for this Halloween. Apparently, this seems likely to be a sequel to my mini poison shoppee which I did last year. I'm hoping I won't take too long to come up with such projects.

Meanwhile stay tune.

The Lady of Extraordinaire

2022-02-05T23:29:00.007+08:00

"It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for when a face is sad a heart may be happy."

~ Ecclesiastes 7:2-3 ~

This was me presenting this specially handmade box of memorabilia to sis Baby Tan during her 90th birthday on 30th July 2017. During that time, I was considered the youngest baptised member within the church. I recalled what one of our church elders bro Jimmy Lau said; this was the very moment the youngest present this to the oldest within the church. This was indeed an event that was quite unique to me.

I'm very honoured and blessed to be able to create this for sis Baby as a new babe of Christ prior to her demise. Even till today after seeing her final days, I'm still very marvel by the journey I had with her even it's short-lived. Upon receiving this handmade gift from me, she touched my hand and said to me, "May God bless you." I was very moved by this...

The news of her passing came in the morning of 1st February. I read it on my bed as I woke up. Took it as if it was like a normal reading routine I had in my mornings, this piece of news didn't quite sink in. As information of her funeral and cortege started to flow in throughout the week, that's where I realised... she's really gone... Even my birthday was within the week, I couldn't bring myself to feel happy about it. I was thinking when will be the day I'd be gone for good.

Life is just like a vapour that appears for a little while and then vanishes away; you do not know what you life will be like tomorrow (James 4:14).

As Christians, we'll gather and sing a capella during funerals to ease the sadness we've within. It's also a hope we have within that one day we will see each other in Heaven after running a good race. This is a source of comfort for each other and also a way to cope and grief. Because of the pandemic, we're forbidden to sing by law and have to be masked on. As I watched sis Baby final moments during the cortege this morning... Seriously! This was really really hard! Tears rolled down and went under my mask. I couldn't unmask and wipe those tears and had to control my snot. The only thing that's perhaps thankful for is the cotton layer beneath the mask; it somewhat absorbs most of my tears.

It's hard not to feel sad given she had been an inspiration to many. Her story still put us to awe even till today. A role model and loving lady everyone respect and adore, it can be hard to see her go. With that special moment I had with her in 2017, I'm so glad that my creative hands have finally served a purpose for good; this memorabilia will be a source of good memories for those who are left behind by sis Baby. Her daughter and son-in-law are grateful for this that they've something to remember their mother.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the LORD, the righteous Judge, will award me on that day; and not only to me, but also to ask who have loved His appearing."

~ 2 Timothy 4:7-8 ~

sis Baby, may your soul Rest In Peace.

Down the Alley there's a little Poison Shopee

2021-10-27T22:21:00.001+08:00

Months past... Back with a miniature project today for this spooky October - a little poison shopee owned by an old druggist down the alley.

How this came about?

I was trying to decluttering my crafting suppliers and found I've several "experimental" crafts such as broken frames cast from paper clays, an old old mini tin, some leftover miniatures stuffs and paper collages from Alpha Stamps which I was once their DT member years ago. And it so happen I've quite a substantial amount of Halloween and dark spooky stuffs. Well, upon looking through those paper collages, the idea of this rather old shabby abandoned drugstore came to my mind. And I ended up piecing everything together!

The druggist's poison shopee on my palm

Since it has been a while I've yet to upload videos on my YouTube channel, decided perhaps a short orientation in motion of how this little shopee looks like might be useful. Pardon me for the poor resolution, somehow the camera couldn't adjust itself to focus.

When the shopee is open on my hand...

When it's opening...

Some nerve pills to curb your nervousness?

The skeleton hand is a last minute addition to this project, thinking having something to hold the little shopee will spook up the whole thing. Anyway it's Halloween, so why not?

Butterfly on the skull; an added "pop"!

Apart from those gigantic poisons at the bottom, pile of books, scrolls, an old clock with some dies are at the druggist's workstation. There's even a little signboard there! And a squid or maybe an octopus? Skulls and crystal balls at the very top, wondering is any apocalyptic going on besides being apothecary?

Mystical eye with wings of a butterfly

Loads of details here and unfortunately there're limitations in making attempts to snap deeper into the shopee. Just click the image to enlarge to view if that helps. I'd think this will be better if view physically. Hmm... perhaps I should list it in my Etsy shop for this. Any takers?

I've taken tons of photos and I do hope these pictures can showcase how this little poison shopee well enough though missing some details. Most items used in this project are mostly from Alpha Stamps and one of the collages I used can be purchase here.

Nonetheless, I hope this has been inspirational and I look forward to share more of such projects. Meanwhile, take care and stay safe!

K&E Victorian Display Placard Décor

2021-06-23T22:16:00.003+08:00

Talking about wedding gifts, most often they're generally gifted in either white or colours that depict happiness and purity. For this instance, I chose a something different. As I didn't get to attend one of my friends' wedding last year due to the pandemic where large scale event was prohibited, I didn't manage to gift her something. Took me this long, and I decided to repurpose and customize one of my past artworks to do up this simply placard décor for her and her newly-wed husband.

I die-cut several of the first letter of their names, "K" and "E" using Tim Holtz alphanumeric dies and glue them together to make it thicker; as if they're chipboard thick. Bend them a little to fit into the slightly curve surface of the heart. Added more glitter, some mica from Prima and top it up a little golden crown. Finally, add a strip of Bible verse (Ephesians 4:2-3) for them at the bottom of the placard.

The corners of the glass are pretty sharp and I don't think it's wise to gift something that will likely prick your finger. In order to protect them, I covered them up using Graphic 45 ornate metal corners and glide them with some gold gilding paste.

I added the lovely couple names and their wedding date behind within this little ornate plastic frame I've in my stash. Took me some time to figure out how to mount onto glass without a need to break the glass to fit. Glossy accent is the key and they do hold well without changing the colours and design elements I've done on the placard. This is part where I adhere the placard onto the glass using plenty of glossy accent. They dry clear without leaving much residue unlike some solvent based glue. Plus point is they're actually quite strong! Added some golden flat pearls and ornate corners that I die-cut from Graphic 45 policy & decorative die.

Oh well, I might be sieving through my past artwork and will try to repurpose them as gifts or other projects. For now, this artwork of mine has finally found a home for a newly married couple. I wish them all the best in their marriage!

A Bunch of Bohemia Bazaar Thank You Cards

2021-06-07T21:15:00.004+08:00

Graphic 45's Bohemia Bazzar is actually quite an understated paper collection. Perhaps it's due to its very vibrant and geometrical colours and designs, it can be hard to balance the elements and colours together in a single project. I do think so. However, when comes to making cards, it might be a little easier. Making use of it's vibrancy, I made 4 cards that's strikingly vibrant with each of its distinct colours.

Prior to the start of the pandemic, I've been making cards for various preachers from the USA when they're here to preach to local congregations. Well, these cards are made in 2019 just before the outbreak of COVID-19.

As usual, personalised messages are printed and pasted on the back of the cards for each of them.

Well, breaking away from the vibrancy, I decided to make 2 cards from the collection with a more pleasant colour palette; practically can't really tell it's from the same paper collection. And this comes with choice of colours and design elements which I decided to use just green and blue only. Apparently, it's not that scary to work with this collection and I was actually quite pleased with the outcome.

These cards are well gifted and I hope they love the vibrancy of these handmade cards. Due to the pandemic and several travel restrictions, I think it's going to be a few more years before I can meet them again in person.

Talking About Mood Boards for a Recycling Project

2021-05-07T14:23:00.124+08:00

It's almost 2 years! Ever since my last entry till we're in a pandemic situation, I decided to get myself back into crafting to ease the stress and tension that's related to COVID-19, as a form of outlet. There were some projects done in midst, however I simply didn't take the time to get myself active in blogging. Well, I'd reckon perhaps only a few will read.

Nonetheless, in today's entry I'd like to talk about mood boards; something many creative individuals will know what I'll be talking about. Please pardon me as I'm not a trained creative artist, as I'm mostly self-taught. This is a 2019 project class I've devised for a group of ladies, teaching them about recycling and how creating a mood board will help to facilitate ideas.

And this is my mood board for a recycled project I had in mind, which took me quite some time to research on. Decided to use some felt, paper scraps and some embellishments from my stash to create this cactus penholder.

To make the penholder more interesting to use, I actually adhere pins at the back of the wooden embellishments and poke through some felt balls. At least there's some fun elements in place to play around with the cactus!

In a nutshell, these are the various recyclable materials I've used for this project.

Well, click HERE to download my notes for the class if you'd like to know more about mood boards and how to use them as guides to build a project. Feel free to let me know how this will benefit in creating recyclable projects at home. Meanwhile, have fun and I'll be back for another entry soon.

Many Thanks to a Friend...

2019-07-24T20:59:00.000+08:00

Everyone will have a least a friend that means a lot to them. Ever since I join as a new member in my local Church of Christ congregation, I got to know a lot of amazing and inspirational people there. Given that I didn't know anyone in the church before I came in, it could be a rather daunting experience to face so many unfamiliar faces. Eunice is one of many unfamiliar faces among the crowd who had extended her very warm welcome on my very first Sunday there. And this is very unforgettable.

Alas, for the past Graphic 45 #G45lightside challenge that happened in May (which was also my very last ambassador post with therm 😢), I'm presenting this gift set idea for Eunice. Took me this long to settle down to blog this entry. As much I know I'm rather late in updating, I decided to just to get this done...

Knowing how busy her life can be as a doctor, I decided to gift her a book about balancing life. It's a book written with biblical principles in mind to aid Christians in finding and keeping balances in life. I have this book as well and I thought this will make a great gift to Eunice.

Decided not to just merely wrapping up the book like a typical present, I made a book sleeve as part of the gift wrap. Learned that green is Eunice's favourite colour, I decided to pair up the book with a personalized bookmark that bears her name.

Graphic 45 Garden Goddess is perhaps one of the paper collection that mainly features various women within the entire collection. And this makes creating female-related gifts a much easier choice. Eunice is someone who has this positive and kind vibe in her that I find this sunflower goddess a good fit in her personality. Instead of presenting this with a "Happy Birthday" title in front of the gift packaging (which is what this gift is intended for initially), I chose a "Many Thanks" diecut frame to thank her as a friend to me.

Oh well, it's better late than never in updating! I hope this can keep myself within the loop even I've been rather quiet recently. I hope to come back really soon, actively whenever time allows me to. Nonetheless, this won't be the last entry of the year (I promise!) and there'll be more to come; for the least with some level of consistency (I hope!)...

Below is the list of supplies I've used for this project with various links to purchase if you are interested to get:

Graphic 45 Garden Goddess Collection

12" x 12" collection pack (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
12" x 12" patterns and solids (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
Ephemera cards (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)

Clearsnap Decades Dye Pad

Venetian Lace (Scrapbook.com)

Spellbinders Past Club Kit (December 2018)

Many Thanks (big die of the month)
Warm Wishes (small die of the month)

Aleene's Always Ready Tacky Glue (Blitsy)
Tim Holtz Thinlits Alphanumeric dies (1/2" tall)
Green, yellow and brown cardstocks
Paper dollies and assorted ribbons

Magical Fairy Tooth Gift Box for The Koays

2019-05-08T21:33:00.001+08:00

One of the brethren in my church actually fell in love with my work after I showed him my blog on what I'm doing over here as a crafter/artist. Despite not an avid crafter himself, he was rather amazed by the work I do. So much so that he even watched most of my YouTube videos and read my blog, just to found my tutorial on the making of the fairy tooth door shrine an impressive one.

And so... from there on after much communication about my works, he thought it'd be good to get something for the kids he adores from the church in Perth. Without much hesitation, this fairy tooth door is the ultimate choice for them.

It came so handy right after I've created one as my pioneer blog post for Graphic 45 as their ambassador last year. As it's going to be a gift, I decided to do up a shadow box specifically to fit the door in so that it will be easier for them to bring it over to Australia as well as for easy storage when it reaches the hands of the children. Took a great amount of Fairie Dust papers to doll up the shadow box. Not to mention, abundance of flowers on top of the box. These are Graphic 45 ivory flowers which I've colour sprayed them with some Prima purple mist to match the papers.

I've also added a few Petaloo blooms and some other floral elements.

Bottles of pixie and fairy dust that sit well on top of a nest.

Presenting far more than just a fairy tooth door, I decided to get the tooth fairy Pdf printout from the whimsical mess maker lady Nicola Battilana. This will be so much fun in using this kit! And I heard the kids really love it very much.

For your interest, below is the list of supplies I used for this project together with links to where to get them. Unfortunately, most of the Fairie Dust collection ran out of stocks.

Graphic 45 Fairie Dust Collection (12"x 12" Kit, 8"x 8" Pad, 12" x 12" Patterns & Solids, Tags & Pockets)
Graphic 45 dies (Large, ATC & Flower, Regular & Gear)
Graphic 45 Ivory Tags (Large, Regular, ATC)
Graphic 45 Shabby Chic Drawer Pull, Ivory Flowers
Tim Holtz 8" x 8" Metallic Kraft (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
Spellbinder Donna Salazar Doll Accessories Etched Dies (fairy wings)
Scrap FX chipboard
Own stash (1/8" satin ribbon, golden dresdens, buttons, fairy resin, artificial mini flowers, bottles vials, glitters)

Imagine Junk Journal - Imagination

2019-05-06T18:43:00.005+08:00

Greetings everyone! I know it has been a long long time that I had not been really updated. I wasn't missing in action, neither am I gone in the crafting space! It's just that I was caught up with a lot of things later and with my digital gadgets getting old and slow, I couldn't update fast enough to catch up. It's really time to upgrade some of my gadgets before they die on me.

Well, this is a long due post that I've yet to share personally on my blog but to most it has been featured on Graphic 45 blog. I'm deeply sorry that I took that long to come online. However, better than never while all my digital gadgets are functioning, I'm going to update as much as I could. Here is my very first page layout I've done in the junk journal I've done for Graphic 45 previously. As stated in my orientation video, I might do up a series so this is the very first episode I'm gearing towards at.

It's just a very simple layout I created using the various elements from the paper collection. Because I wanted this journal to be flat, it's not going to be dimensional. I've provided some tips over at Graphic 45 blog which you can hop over to read more. Below is a short run through start to finish video in how I do this layout up.

Some close up details here using an "Imagination" quote stamp by Tim Holtz. They were stamped over some leftover scrap paper using the Decades Dye to match up the colour scheme.

I hope this will provide some basic inspiration for everyone who wanted to start something within their junk journals. Here is the list of supplies I've used for this project which you might be interested to know where to get them from:

Graphic 45 Imagine Collection

8" x 8" paper pad (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
12" x 12" patterns and solids (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
Create yourself clear acrylic stamps (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
Dream clear acrylic stamps (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)

Clearsnap Decades Dye Pad

Venetian Lace (Scrapbook.com)
Photogenic (Scrapbook.com)

Aleene's Always Ready Tacky Glue (Blitsy)
Tsukineko Dew Drop Brilliance Planetarium Metallic Colours Ink Set (Scrapbook.com)
Tim Holtz Mini Ornate Stamp Set (discontinued)
Penny Black Ornate Frame Stamp (discontinued)

Till next update... I shall catch up with you guys really soon...

A Rustic Garden Wedding Guest Book

2019-03-03T21:16:00.005+08:00

Oh well, before I get into this... Happy 2019! Though a little late for the New Year greetings (it's March now!), I still feel there's a need to greet everyone who reads my blog. 💝

For the very first project of 2019, it's probably one major project to begin with that took me about a month plus to get this done up. Planning started as early as late December. Sharing here is one special wedding guest book I've done for one of my girlfriends, who got married recently. It's also one project that I decided to use it for Graphic 45 February challenge.

Wedding guestbook is perhaps one of the basic essentials most couples would want to have during their big day, a book that allows all their friends and families to jot down their heartfelt blessings and messages. While it's easy to get the wedding planner to get one for you, my friend Sarah actually approached me to help her with this. What really touches me is that she entrust this entirely to me, believing I'd be able to deliver the very best for her. That's the best part, but it could also mean stress to me.

Knowing her wedding was going to be of a garden theme and would be held in a colonial house restaurant with a rich history, I thought a dainty wood-grain textured cover with a touch of gold and distressing brown would be more suited. Bearing in mind of the colour scheme Sarah was using for her wedding, Graphic 45 Princess collection is the way to go...

"Once Upon A Time" is title of the guest book within where I modified and re-engineering the pocket albums into a functional book by means of bookbinding. It took me a while to figure out how to integrate the book onto it's cover. After much thinking, I decided to keep the book separate from it's cover.

To make the entire guest book an interesting one, some of the couple's pictures were made detachable using magnets where they can place their photos anywhere they want. This will add some fun to it and not making the guest book a boring one. Rather it'd be very close to heart and personal.

Nearer towards the end, I decided to do up a mini album for the couple. To house them, I made a box from scratch as well. Everything made was made with thoughts of functionality and usability. Inasmuch as I could, I try to make this guest book as durable as it can last.

I used quite a lot of gold to brighten up the entire look mainly on the diecuts, a club kit I bought from Spellbinders that I also use it for Sarah's bridal shower card!

Well, this is the whole package I made for Sarah and Jason for their wedding day, which spans more than just any other guest book. To keep it short and sweet here, I've written a brief description over at Graphic 45 blog in how I made this entire package. Over here I just wanted to share the extend of my work and some thoughts on how I created this project, in hope to provide some inspiration.

Nonetheless, should any of your is interested to know the supplies I'm using for this project, the list is below with links to where to get them for your convenience:

Graphic 45 Princess Collection

12" x 12" collection pad (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
12" x 12" patterns and solids (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
8" x 8" paper pad (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
Ephemera cards (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
Tags and pockets (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
Chipboards (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
Stickers (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)

Graphic 45 Staples

Clearsnap Decades Dye Pad (Venetian Lace)
Mixed Media

Spellbinders

Club kit (Fancy Floral Frame set)
Shapeabilities (Lace Heart etched dies)
Em-bossing fold'ers Bricks and Bark (discontinued)

Sizzix Tim Holtz Ornamental Bigz Die
Tim Holtz Kraft Stock Metallic 8" x 8" Gold & Silver Cardstock (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
Finnabair Art Alchemy Metallique Wax in white gold (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
Glossy Accent (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
Aleene's Always Ready Tacky Glue (Blitsy)
Dusty Attic chipboards (upper alphas, lower alphas)
Other supplies (pearlescent craft paint, assorted fabric and satin ribbons, golden fleur dressden, jute string, mulberry leaves, elastic band, cream paper and cardstocks)

A Quartet of Masculine Grandeur Cards

2018-12-31T23:30:00.000+08:00

Bonjour! Everyone! It's the very last day of 2018 and tomorrow will be a brand new year. 2019 is just round the corner! And today will be my very last post for this year over at my blog. It's a card project I made in November. I'm sorry that it had took me this long to present here on the very last day of 2018. Due to my busy schedule, finding time in between has proven quite a challenge for me. Nonetheless, I still manage to make it before 2019!

These masculine cards are especially made for 4 brethren who came all the way from the United States to Singapore, who travel afar in order to preach God's Word. It's a show of earnest appreciation and gratitude in the kind of work they do for the benefit of mankind. For this year, I choose a theme of masculine grandeur using various collection from Graphic 45 to create this quartet.

Red and Black are the chosen colours as my base, with gold as the main focus. Placing Victorian clock as the main central element of the cards is exactly what was planned for. Though the design seems relatively simple at it's first look, the search in finding the perfect match with synchronization was indeed a challenging task. It took me close to a week to get all the necessary papers with the right colours and patterns together. Matching them up was another challenge to me, simply because I want them to look like a quartet, yet unique and different from one another. Though each of them is gifted to 4 individuals, but all share the same kind of look. When they're gathered together, they're consider as ONE body; like a quartet of individuals that have different personalities.

A quartet of 2 blacks and 2 reds, which can be paired up as duos. However, all of them possess the same clock face. The clock die from Graphic 45 was honestly the best chosen choice for this project; timeless and classy. What I really love about this die is the intricate delicate design that make the clock a very Victorian one when diecut onto metallic gold cardstock. What's really interesting is that the clock hands are designed as such that they can be made movable, giving some dimensions to your project.

Heartfelt personalized messages

Close up details on the card

I'd suppose such intricate cards need some sort of instructional manual in place to retain their glory. Therefore, I decided to come up with my very own version of card care manual (with some biblical essence injected within) to go with this quartet; enclosed within the policy envelopes. The introduction might seems like I'm the one narrating about my creation when read initially. However, when one takes a little more effort to read further within, the expression does reflects biblically on the main essence of God and His creations, and how mankind are a reflection of His creation (Genesis 1:27). Something worth pondering about our existence...

Some tiny messages around the policy envelopes

The quartet with their respective policy envelopes

Last but not the least, not forgetting the packaging! These cards are carefully packed into polyacetate bags and sealed. As usual, I'm not ashamed to tell people to share and flaunt my work with some disclaimer's clauses and a butterfly on top as a messenger of the message. 😄

That's about it for this year 2018! Till next year we shall meet again! I hereby wish everyone the most merriest 2019 New Year ahead. Not much New Year Resolution for me as it doesn't really works on me. I prefer to refresh my day and have resolutions on a frequently basis rather than keep it till the end of the year. This makes much more sense to me as life is full of uncertainties. There's so little you can control. Below is the list of supplies I used for this project with links to where to get them if you're interested:

Graphic 45 Deluxe Collections

Communique
Raining Cats and Dogs
Botanicabella

Graphic 45 Past Collections

Typography
Good Ol' Sports

Graphic 45 Square Tag, Clock Metal Dies
Graphic 45 Policy Envelopes

Scrapbook Adhesives 3L Thin Square Foam
Tim Holtz Kraft Stock Metallic 8" x 8" Gold & Silver Cardstock (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
Own stash (brads, golden trim organza ribbon)

Magical Kewpie Post Tags

2018-12-23T22:19:00.001+08:00

Perhaps my first rather familiar encounter with Kewpie was probably from a bottle of mayonnaise that's widely known as Kewpie Mayonnaise by Kewpie Corporation, a Japanese food manufacturer who popularize the condiment. I might have some personal "close up contacts" with Kewpie dolls while I was young however they didn't get into me till I had some Kewpie Mayonnaise! In fact, Kewpies are comic strip cartoon characters created and developed by Rose O'Neill, an American cartoonist and illustrator in 1909. As little as I know about Kewpies, I believe everyone of us has somehow have some sort of childhood encounter with them.

Well, I really have to say they are really cute! When I received my Graphic 45 Christmas Magic collection, I was delighted to see so many cuties within the collection and those Kewpies just caught my attention. They are way too adorable that I had to come up with something. Kewpie Post is what came into my mind back then. Combining with my love for flying matchboxes, I came up with an idea that they can "fly off" from the tags...

Therefore... Using those cute little Kewpies as Post Dolls, here is what I've come up with...

My initial intention is to make the tags as a whole piece, without any separating elements or parts to them, but this seems like it would have probably "defeated the purpose" of adding wings onto the matchboxes. To make them removable and "flyable", I used magnets to "adhere" them together. Notice how these flying matchboxes "flying away" from their "bases"? That's practically the idea behind.

I used a variety of floral embellishment from mulberry ones to die-cuts holly leaves to create levels of dimensions. Used loads of metallic gold and iridescence here; from fanciful dollies to glittery flowers and ribbons. It's all these shimmerings elements that make the project stands out and not making these Kewpie dolls doing their job in vain.

"Tis the Season" wreath is a stamped image from Graphic 45 previous Christmas collection, St. Nicholas, which I coloured with colour pencils to create a wreath base for the flying mtachbox to land onto. Subtly choosing colour pencils as my colouring medium to create this distinction, making the process in creating this tag a more "dimensional" one. After much thinking and searching for the right embellishments, I decided to make my very own tassles and insert them as "tails" to match the whole design using the metallic gold crochet yarn I found in a box of yarns and strings.

Not forgetting these cute little Santa helpers, who play a vital part in making these magical Kewpie Post tags a more interesting one. They are also "removable" with magnets adhered at their backs where they can "jump" onto the wreath base on the tags or back to their respective matchboxes. Added a little jingle bell within each drawer adds some jingles as I pull the drawers. Since it's for this holiday season, I'd think this will add in some fun to the entire project.

Here is a very short and sweet video I made very last minute to show how the entire mechanism work with those magnets incorporated into this project:

Last but not the least, I kept the back of the tags as simple as possible so as not to complicate the design so much. I've provided some tips over at Graphic 45 blog which I didn't share it here. Though I'm a little late in sharing the story behind about this project, be sure to check the tips out at Graphic 45 blog to find out more. As usual, below is the list of supplies I used for this project with links to where to get them:

Graphic 45 Christmas Magic Collection

12" x 12" collection pack (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
12" x 12" patterns and solids (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
8" x 8" paper pad (Blitsy, (Scrapbook.com)
Ephemera cards (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)

Graphic 45 St. Nicholas Cling Stamp 1 (Tis the Season)
Graphic 45 Metal Dies & Staples

Clearsnap Decades Dye Pad (Venetian Lace)
Spellbinders Metal Etched Dies (Fancy tags 2, Opulent ovals)
Tim Holtz Mini Holiday Greens Thinlits (Scrapbook.com, Sizzix)
Tim Holtz Kraft Stock Metallic 8" x 8" Gold & Silver Cardstock (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
Finnabair Art Alchemy Metallique Wax in white gold (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
Glossy Accent (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
Own stash (jingle bells, butterflies clear stamp, sparkling flowers, metallic gold dollies, organza ribbon)

Rustic Nature Wedding Guest Book

2018-12-10T23:34:00.001+08:00

On 3rd March this year, I've witnessed the wedding of a lovely couple I know - Ernest and Stephanie. As part of my wedding gift to them, I did a guest book for them. It was also part of Canvas Corp July Wedding Challenge this July. A long overdue project update here. This entry was on draft mode for very long till the birth of their son Theopilus reminded me on this book. Without much talking, here is what I've made for them.

The guest book itself is a vintage ledger book from 7gypsies Architextures which I purchased it for this purpose. I merely did up a mixed media layout for them on the front cover. I used quite a number of die-cuts for this layout, mainly from Tim Holtz steel dies. I tried to match up to the "look" of the photos they provided me and decided upon a rustic, dainty nature look. As always, I love to centralize my design focus as this is one of my most preferred layout.

Loads of floral and swirls, together with touches of twine, burlap, handwritten script and woodgrain effects which I transformed bits of chipboards into. Since the front is already quite dimensional, I kept the back of the book as simple as possible.

Wedding is just only a ceremonial indication of a marriage between a man and a woman, what's really important is the marriage itself. Therefore, I didn't just stop at the front cover, and think it'd be better to have one more layout of this lovely couple right at the very first page of the book which marks as the very new beginning for them after their wedding.

I hope the guest book has been filled up!

Below is a list of supplies I used for this project with some links included. Unfortunately, not all are available and most 7gypsies and Tattered Angels products can be purchase at Canvas Corp website itself:

7gypsies Architextures

Vintage 12" x 12" Ledger
Mix and Match Bee 8.5″x 11″ Book
Mixed Media Pack

Tattered Angels

High Impact Paints (Antique Gold & Platinum)
Naturally Aged Kit – Rusty Metal (Faux Finish Paint Kit)
Color Wash Paint Faux Finish (Verdigris)
Glimmer Mist (Key Lime Pie)

Sizzix Tim Holtz Dies

Flourish and Scroll
Tattered Floral (Sizzix, Scrapbook.com)
Garden Greens (Sizzix, Scrapbook.com)
Styled Labels

Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
Own stash (burlap, jute twine, mini alpha chipboards, scripted handwriting & bark grain stamps)

What's Really Brewing; a Merci Beaucoup Entry...

2018-12-05T22:40:00.002+08:00

It's probably one of those period of time I went "missing" online; not updating my blog and other social media for an extended period of time. I was on a break for 3 months prior to my first entry for this month. Prior to that, somewhere last year, I was on a long 9 months break before I made my blog entry on November last year. Yet I left some traces of my digital footprints over at my personal Facebook and Instagram. For those who are curious on what I've been up to, perhaps this entry will probably fulfill your curiosity.

As such is life, things do happen. In as much when most of us tried to keep ourselves abreast to what's going on around us, certain things tend to happen that are not always within our control. For me, I'm no exception and sometimes I wish I can stay committed on one thing at a time. But we all know that's not always possible. Most of the times, we've to wear a lot of different hats - switching from one role to another - or even several hats at the same time. It can be hard to stay focus.

Like what I've stated above, things happened and it was a major one that impacted my life so greatly that God is all I have. In early 2017, I started to develop an immense interest towards the Bible and would want to "renew" my faith with God and decided to go through a series of self study of the Bible. That's the period of time I went "missing" between February to October last year. Never would I know, I was embarking onto a spiritual journey to seek a Truth that changed my life forever. I was a "Christian" for close to 13 years worshiping in a denominational church that my faith wasn't really there. Though there were Sundays I attended worships and services, I was there merely there for the sake of "refreshing" my faith.

Because I was brought to Christ via The Sinners' Prayer together with the doctrine of "once saved always saved", it was only natural for me to think that it's only rightful I'll be in Heaven after my death regardless of what I do in my current life which include sins of any sorts (from as small as telling a little white lie, saying things and don't mean it, passing awful remarks about someone behind their back, gossiping, calling God's name in vain to slandering, stealing, cheating, murdering etc. just to name a few - Romans 1:28-32). Whenever I didn't feel like attending any sort of services or even renege my words, I highly doubt God will fault me on that. Since my ticket to Heaven is already secured no matter what I do or say, does that really matter? Well, not till after a series of Bible studies and I found out that it's not true... God knows everything and He will judge (Hebrews 4:13)!

The more I study the Bible, it was even more scary and perplexing for me to find out I wasn't even saved to begin with. Because of my will and desire to honestly seek for Him (Jeremiah 29:13-14), I went through weeks of searching to get myself into the ONE true Church of Christ where Jesus built upon (1 Peter 2:9-10). I'm not going to go through all the details here for it's going to be way too long for a blog entry. Long story short, after coming to the knowledge of the Truth, I finally got myself baptized for the remission of my sins (Romans 6:4) on 16th June 2017 at Lim Ah Pin Church of Christ (LAPCOC), one of the faithful congregations under the body of Christ; I was officially born a Christian.

After my baptism, as a new babe of Christ (even I've done quite a substantial amount of Bible studies), I stumbled and fell several times in my life while trying to walk in the light. And this explains my second "missing" during the last 3 months here. Traces of me "disappearing" started from June onward, to be more accurate. I apologized that I've not been really updating and most of my DT assignments got stalled because of that. I was trying out certain things and got myself too overwhelmed by the things of the world. It was till recently, after a series of lectureships and Gospel meetings I attended brought me into perspective. I should say I'm at the period of readjusting and will be busy with the right things (I hope and praying hard for this). As some of you probably have known, I'd like to make my crafting interest into a full time career. It has always been at the back of my mind and every time I think about it I really want to execute them immediately. Alas! It didn't always happen. I'm always distracted and get caught up by things around me. I'm actually praying for this and hope one day it will really happen.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the faithful brethren (just way too many to list them out here!) behind WVBS, Apologetic Press and LAPCOC who has worked relentlessly to preach the one and only pure Word of God to the lost that I'm able to seek the Truth as a lost soul.

Certainly, for my avid followers of my works I'd like to thank you for your patience in waiting for my new works and to read my lengthy post as such (if you've reached this point)! If you ever wonder where I got the graphics from the image above, it's from one of my works that I used as a background artwork. It's one of the butterfly cards I made for John Moore and his wife, Carla. I watched his videos online to find my way to the LORD's Church. I also use them as part of my entry for Graphic 45 Ambassador Audition which you can click onto the link to read more.

Over here, I'd like to extend a 10% OFF OFFER to all my readers as their affiliate. No extra cost to you (I promised!) and this will certainly help me to earn some pennies when you purchase something via my link; a step closer to convert my interest into a full-time one. To redeem your offer for your next purchase, enter code: SBSAVE10 during checkout. Alright, before you head over to Spellbinders to redeem your offer, here are some fine prints that you may want to take note:

Save 10% OFF your next purchase. Must use provided coupon code at time of purchase. If code is not used at time of purchase then order will be ineligible for discounted rate. Offer good only on products purchased at www.spellbinderspaperarts.com. Offer is one time use; individual consumer use only; not for distribution; Clearance is excluded, excludes tax & shipping; not valid on any previous web, phone or retail purchases; cannot be redeemed for cash; cannot be combined with any other offer; void where prohibited. Offer expires 12/31/2018.

Enjoy shopping and crafting!!! LORD's willing, till next time...

A Bride-to-Be Card for the Gorgeous Bride

2018-12-04T11:10:00.001+08:00

"Happiness blossoms where seeds of kindness have been thoughtfully planted."

I'm not sure who actually came out with that quote, nonetheless it's a thoughtfully penned phrase and I'd think it doesn't really cost that much to be kind. It's all about the thoughts that count. One of my lovely sisters-in-Christ, Sarah is getting married real soon, and in celebration of her upcoming Wedding, a group of us decided to throw her a bridal shower. I was therefore tasked to do up a card for her.

And here is what I've made for her, which was already presented to her 2 weeks ago during her bridal shower. Garden Goddess was my immediate choice of paper collection simply because ladies in general love flowers and have somehow wished we could be one of the most gorgeous ladies in a beautiful garden. I'd love to have such moment as such.

"The flower doesn't dream of the bees. It blossoms and the bee comes."

~ Mark Nepo ~

That's the core message for Sarah. And this is how much I love to use this collection for weddings! Full of blossoms, flowers and quotes as such. For beauty blossoms from the inside, that's where happiness come within! When the flower blossoms beautifully, the bee just come. This reminds me of Proverbs 31:10-31, The Virtuous Wife which describes a woman of exceptional character and worth. This really serves as a very good guide for women in how to become like one. Likewise, a good search list for a man to seek after such woman.

To adorn and frame up those lovely messages, I pulled out one of my Spellbinders die kits and use them for the very first time. A little shout out here for Spellbinders lovers - get a 15% first for your first club kit subscription. Key in CLUB15 under promo during checkout. Don't miss it! It's only good till this month end.

Gold foil cardstock is my favourite friend now! Trust me, they are the MUST HAVE cardstock in your stash simply because they serve as very good matching base and elements for all your elegant cards. A touch of it will just sparkle the whole thing up.

A card itself is never enough to be gifted alone, and this is where the matching pattern and solids come in place to play a vital role - an envelope. I just felt "naked" for the card and perhaps some "coverings" will be good. When it was all done, I found them to be very good...

Before Graphic 45 discontinued matching alpha stickers, I've loads of them all given by them as part of my DT package previously before I make a come-back to re-join them for this year. It got so much that I just stored them in a huge box thinking it's probably one of the items that I hardly will use. Well, it came in handy at such a point that I believe it'd be good to personalize the card for Sarah. The alpha stickers came from the Time to Celebrate paper collection; the closest match I could find and it matches the whole theme seamlessly.

I've included some useful tips over at Graphic 45 blog. Do remember to hop over there to find out more. And yes! Sarah is glad to receive this! To end of this entry for today:

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy. They are charming gardeners who make our souls blossom..."

~ Marcel Proust ~

Isn't that lovely? I just love how these quotes matches the paper collection. Below are a list of supplies I've used to do up this card which you may be interested to know where to get them:

Graphic 45 Time to Celebrate alpha stickers
Graphic 45 Garden Goddess Collection

12" x 12" collection pack (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
12" x 12" patterns and solids (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
Ephemera cards (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
Chipboard (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)

Graphic 45 antique brass stamped metal brads
Spellbinders Club Kits (Fancy Floral Frame set)
Tim Holtz Kraft Stock Metallic 8" x 8" Gold & Silver Cardstock (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
Finnabair Art Alchemy Metallique Wax in white gold (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
Golden trim ribbon (own stash)

That's all for today! And I know I've not been really updating as often, but I do honestly appreciate for all of you who are avid and faithful followers of my works, patient enough to wait for my works. I'll be updating really soon!

A Skinny Imagine Junk Journal

2018-08-31T23:30:00.001+08:00

About 3 months ago, I made my very first attempt in doing up a junk journal. As unsure and scary as it seems to me, I managed to get one done up at the end of the day. It wasn't easy for me as making albums is my Achilles heel. For this month Graphic 45's monthly challenge, I was one of the few ambassadors to do up a junk journal. Thankfully, my very first attempt didn't make this task a daunting one. Bracing ahead, this is what I've done up!!!

Instead of a bulky book, I decided perhaps I should do up a skinny version where it's handy enough for my very own keepsaking. This skinny little junk journal measures 4.75" by 8"; a pretty good size to me. In view that perhaps not a lot of crafters are daring enough to do up a complex one, introducing such a size might be less daunting.

Super short and sweet; I kept the front cover as simple as possible. Not so much over the top yet it looks like a noteworthy kind of journal. This junk journal consists of 3 magazines within, stitched onto the spine, with as many as 20 over pages to be filled in due time.

A combination of old vintage stuffs, recyclables, together with pattern papers, stuffs and such were added to give the junk journal the junky identity. I'd suppose that's how it should be, isn't that so? Well, those matching Imagine acrylic stamps just came in time to pair up this beautiful collection. I've literally used all of them for this journal. Here is a video showing a short glimpse on how the inside of the book looks like...

Right now, I can't wait to get those pages filled up. Looks like I'll have to do up a junk journal series on this book since there's an abundant of designs from the Imagine collection that I can use them to fill them up. And that what makes creating so far when you've all the matching stuffs. And YES! I think I'd really do that soon.

Here is the list of supplies I've used for this project which you might be interested to know where to get them from:

Graphic 45 Imagine Collection

8" x 8" paper pad (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
12" x 12" patterns and solids (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
Create yourself clear acrylic stamps (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
Dream clear acrylic stamps (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)

Clearsnap Decades Dye Pad

Venetian Lace (Scrapbook.com)
Photogenic (Scrapbook.com)

Aleene's Always Ready Tacky Glue (Blitsy)
Tea-dyed papers
Cream cardstock
Ribbons (golden trims, grosgrain ribbon)

Meanwhile, happy crafting and junk journaling! See you guys very soon!!