Thursday, March 27, 2014

An Art Journal Page for DigiStamps4Joy

Hi everyone! I am so excited to show a spread of my art journal for DigiStamps4Joy new digi image namely New Home.   
 I fussy cut the printed image and used a sentiment from Ginger's House to be my main focal points. I applied a thin layer of gesso over the pages and started painting with watercolors. I also spritz water and let it run and drip all over the pages. 
Hope you like DS4J new digital image and find some inspiration from my art journal.
Have a nice day!

Hugs and smiles,

Take Pride & Have Faith ~ DS4J Mid-Challenge Reminder #88

Hi everyone! I've been missing in action the past several days because the school kids are on a week break since last Friday. We spent three incredible days in Penang Island over the weekend and yes, everyone had a great time despite the heat. This school break sees us eating most of the time, lol. 

So anyway, here's showcasing a card I designed for DigiStamps4Joy's mid-challenge reminder #88. The theme Vintage is brought to you by my fellow design teammate aNNie who hosts the challenge this time and you have until April 1 to submit your entry for a chance to win DS4J images. 

I have used DS4J image namely Spring Time to create my card. Click here to get her.
 Supplies: DS4J digi image, Kaisercraft stamp/ink pad/patterned paper, sentiment from Ginger's House, VersaFine ink pad, Tattered Angel Glimmer Mist, Tim Holtz distress ink, Faber Castell watercolor pencils
 I love making the medallion which I often do in my spare time or while waiting for my kids to finish school. What I wanted to say is I don't like to waste time {smile}.
 I am so glad to have your visit today and before I say good bye, here's sharing some photos of my family vacation in Penang Island. We stayed at G Hotel for 3D2N. The services were awesome and we loved the mini bar (fridge in the closet) because the F&B were free! The hotel is located in front of the ocean and in the center part of the city and next to a shopping mall and food court so it was walking distance to eat and eat and spend money, erm, window shop rather, lol. Overall the children had the most fun in the swimming pool.
Until then, sending you hugs and best wishes.

Hugs and smiles,

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Gratitude ~ An Art Journal Pages

Hi everyone! I'm bringing you today my mixed media art journal double pages and this is the start of my quest to complete the entire solid spine hard cover Encyclopedia Dictionary of Explorations Geophysics second edition 1984 into my first art journal book. My geologist sister Lili Sulastri handed me the book last November without a clue of what I was going to do about it. Her only word was that I can make something useful, something artsy. She made hers into a recipe book. Unbelievable because she seldom cook {hope she doesn't read this, hihi}

The past several weeks I did my homework at You Tube and google to study how to make art journal book from hard cover with solid spine. Let me just say how grateful I am to my sister for giving me this book. Yes, we have both save the planet {smile}. Funny thing is while gesso-ing the pages, my eldest daughter asked me: "Mom, don't you feel sorry for the book?" (she felt like I have hurt the book because she knows how fussy I am in caring my books). I answered: "Of course I feel sorry for it and that is why I decorate it, otherwise they might thrash it which is even worst."  

 I have intended to partake in 13arts Challenge #16. The challenge is to create a project with a mixed media background. I randomly adhered scraps of squared card stocks, drywall tape and applied gesso all over the pages for my background. I painted the pages with watercolors and did some stamping, splattered watercolors and added modeling paste for texture. 
I used digi image Flower Bed from DigiStamps4Joy. Click here to visit the store. 
This has been a fun project and I can hardly wait to start working on the next pages.

Until the morning after. Have a nice day.
Hugs and smiles,

Friday, March 14, 2014

Mixed Media Card & Tag ~ Flying Unicorn

Hi everyone! I am watching TV as I write this post {talk about multi-tasking, oh yes, I'm good at it...smile}. We Malaysians are in the world spotlight now ever since our MAS aircraft MH370 went missing last Saturday and its almost a week now since she disappear from the radar and lost contact. Other that that the dry spell since January and now haze all over the country. We are really in trying times especially the kin of the missing passengers on board. SAR with help from 13 countries to date are doing their best. We are not giving up. There is still hope and prayers along the way. Amen!

Let's move on to my crafting of the day. Just some hours ago I completed a layout and while the paint is still sitting on the dining table, I made a card and a tag at one go. This creations are my submission for Shona and Bex's mixed media challenges at Flying Unicorn that is ending in several hours more. Talk about last minute work, I'm so good at it. Don't believe me? Just ask my sister Lili Sulastri {chuckle}.

Here's my mixed media card made from strips of 12x12 patterned paper. I always save them for later use. I cut them into pieces and adhered on white cardstock randomly, applied gesso and splatter watercolor as I spritz water over it and that's when magic happens. I always like that part.
Supplies: strips from Kaisercraft and Imagination patterned papers, watercolors, mesh/drywall tape, gesso, modeling paste, Tattered Angel Glimmer Mist, VersaFine ink pad, stamp and sentiment from brain quote 
 Next up is my first attempt at making a mixed media tag from aluminium foil. My sincere thank you to Flying Unicorn dt Bex for her lovely tutorial. I don't have the fancy paints Bex used so I rely on my watercolors for painting. I think my tag looks somewhat dark but not bad for my first try :)
Supplies: my humble aluminium foil from the kitchen, watercolor, gold paint, alpha chippy, buttons and gems
 I really had so much fun making the tag from aluminium foil and plan to make another one in the next few days.

Thank you for your visit. You have indeed brighten up my world.
Hugs and smiles,

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Be Yourself

Hi there! I made another layout for my little girl again and she smiles bright when she woke up to find it is completed. She helped me painted the orange flowers and that means so much to her {chuckle}
Supplies: Pink Paislee patterned paper, watercolor, Kaisercraft 'Be Yourself' acrylic stamp, Martha Stewart border punch, Carla Craft punch, VersaFine ink pad, Tattered Angel Glimmer Mist, gesso, modeling paste, mesh, lace, others from my stash 

Some up-close photos:
 I often feel my layout is naked without stitching {smile}. I love sewing and like to incorporate stitching in my creations. 
You may notice my 'corrugated bricks' in my past creations and this layout is no exception. When I saw the bricks at the government office in Melaka last November, I was excited because I love such bricks. They look very much like the colonial era. My Afza understood my instruction right away and gave me a pretty pose for her Mommy {good girl}
I made the flowers from acid free drawing block simply by drawing using a template, fussy cut, watercolor them, let dry and stamp. I have adhered drywall tape on the surface for interest.
This layout is based on Sketchabilities sketch #110 by Karan Gerber
I have chosen the colors following Sassy Scrapper March mood board challenge created by Leonie Neal-Dawson:  
I would also like to enter this layout into Anything Goes challenge at That Craft Place.

Thank you so much for the wonderful challenges and to everyone who drop by and leave some love. I always appreciate your sweetness.

Hugs and smiles,

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

"Happy Birthday" ~ DS4J Mid-Challenge Reminder

Hi there blogger friends! Cyber hugs from me in the land of dry spell. Yet life moves on. 
We at DigiStamps4Joy are running a fortnight challenge and my dear teammate Ursula Uphof is hosting a Birthday Sentiment this time. 
Come take a look at my fellow teammates creations for some inspirations. Click here.
Supplies: DS4J digi image, Tattered Angel Glimmer Mist, Faber-Castell watercolor pencils, Tim Holtz distress ink pad and others from my stash

I have used a lovely sketch from Cardabilities. This is an amazing sketch by Karan Gerber. Click here to visit Gerber's website.

The challenges I wish to partake are:
1. Cardabilities : Sketch #94
2. My Craft Creations : ATG
3. Craftin Desert Divas : Birthday Linky Party
4. Creted With Love Challenges : Ch#77 Think Spring (2/3)

Take care and keep smiling.
Hugs and smiles,

Monday, March 10, 2014

Believe In Your Dreams

Hi everyone! Wishing you wonderful moments. Yet how I wish the families and next to kin of the crew cabin and passengers of Malaysia airliner MH370 that is still missing don't have to bear such pain waiting in hopes for their loved ones to return safely! The Boeing 777-200 was missing since Saturday after approximately two (2) hours take off from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing and disappeared from radar and lost all contact. I pray for the safety of the passengers and hope that their families remain strong through this difficult time.
As I watch the news update, I made this clean and simple card. I have to admit it's very challenging to make a CAS card {smile}. I wanted to add more because I can't see white space and I can't do without heaps of layering. Anyway, I like the way this turn out and hope you like it.
 Supplies: Kaisercraft sentiment, VersaFine ink pads, Memory ink pad, BasicGrey Bitsy Stamps, Tattered Angel Glimmer Mist
This card is made based on color palette from Party Time Tuesdays.
I'm taking this card into these challenges:
1. Party Time Tuesdays : PTT#162 Color Challenge
2. CAS on Sunday : Ch#28 Make It Pretty
3. Kaboodle Doodles : Anything but a Square
4. Love To Create : Ch#106 ATG (1/3)
5. Created With Love : CWLC#77 Think Spring (1/3)
6. Pretty Paper Studio : March Challenge Clean & Simple
7. The Paper Nest Dolls : Ch#5 ATG (1/2)
8. Dragonfly Dreams : Up In The Air
9. That Craft Place : ATG (1/3)

Before I sign off, I would like to humbly ask you to pray for flight MH370. 
&
 Thank you.

Fondly,

Saturday, March 08, 2014

Happiness ~ Scrap Around The World & Scrap Africa

Hello everyone! Wishing you good time and much happiness along the way. Sharing a layout today based on a mood board from Scrap Around The World. I have to admit the first time I take a look at it I wasn't sure myself because of the shades of pink. Don't get me wrong; it's not that I dislike the color, I do like pink, just that I'm tired of pink ever since my firstborn came to earth 14 years ago followed by her two siblings...almost all their belongings are pink! 'Alyaa had grown out of it after a while and so is Anis and Afza after some time; relief!

 This layout will go into Afza's album. Thanking my sister for her fast speed photography taken on December 25th last year.   
Supplies: Tim Holtz ~ designed paper/distress marker/distress ink pad, Kaisercraft stamps, watercolor, gesso, modeling paste, gold paint, drywall tape, border punch, tissue and others from my stash 

I have used almost all colors in the mood board...
Some close-ups:

 I bought a paint for my son at the hardware two days ago because we had planned to paint his room (which we managed to paint one wall yesterday, three more to go; can't do all in a go; hectic schedule this weekend, sigh) . Anyway that's where I discovered the gold paint used for rod painting basically and it's also perfect for paper as well according to the salesman, awesome!
Afza will appreciate my handwritten note some day :)
 I made the darker pink blooms by tracing a template on acid free drawing paper, applied water color and after they have dried, I stamped them all. Then I distress and pinch the edges to form 'life-like' petals. I used Carla Craft sakura punch for the smaller flowers. As for the smaller pink blooms in the center, they're gifts from my sister so I have no idea which company made them. 
 Spent some moment hand stitching the edges; can't do without stitching {grin} . The butterfly sits on kitchen tissue dampened and adhered with home made mod podge. It's the shabby dress form that gave me the idea to use tissue for texture.
 Love that fibre ribbon!
 The butterflies are from Webster's free printing.
 My dd#2 Anis told me to place one more flower on the right corner for balance she said. I listened to her {smile}.
This layout is made based on a sketch from Scrap Africa:
 I guess I stay true to the sketch except for the bottom part where I have placed my photo fa little further away from the edge. 

I've never felt so pleased with my combination of mixed media on my page this time. I am very happy with the way it turns out. I'm not sure if I should clean the dining table now or make another page while the mood is on???

Glad to have your visit today. Thank you and I truly appreciate. Have nice moments.

Hugs and smiles,