Bloom where you are Planted

I admire designers like Michelle Clement whose style is so free and has such natural flow. When I got my hands on her Mix and Mend collection for Sassafras, I tried to 'teach' myself a little about this style through a paint-by-numbers method. (Thank you Michelle for allowing me show your journal here and your super encouraging words on my card)


Source : Michelle Clement's summer of love art journal

Starting with Mix and Mend's hobnob paper, through a sort of reverse engineering, I recreated the individual elements. In the process, I learnt a little about letting the materials wander around the page (within a rough constrain of a triangle). And the power of unexpected juxtapositions.

In keeping with the 'Bloom where you are Planted' sentiment, I decoupaged some dried botanticals - the last leaves from my pepper plant which has produced an amazing crop of fiery red bird's eye chili this year. Had to get this card quickly off to Domna, as I can't seem to stop running my fingers over the textural elements.

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Supplies : Pattern Paper - Sassafras Mix& Mend alterations and Fawned of You - Girl's Best FriendEmbellishments - Sassafras Fawned of You Too stickers, K&Co. Wild Saffron Tags, ribbons, buttons

Christmas Tree Ornaments

These hand-cut tree ornaments are my design project for The Scrappy Tree. My family is celebrating with an outdoor Christmas Buffet on the 25th. So these are something relatively simple I made to decorate the garden.

Supplies :
Pattern Paper - Prima's Morning Song Collection (Sunday Paper)

Completed Ornaments :

Each ornament consists of 2 identical handcut shapes with a slit in the middle. They slot together to form a four sided ornament. As my friend Sandi M. said : some projects are more 'me' and these are one of them. They reflect my love of defined shapes and pure form. The Prima scarlet against the green leaves is probably one of my favourite Christmas colour combos.

Wishing everyone who celebrates - a Merry Christmas !

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Tent Dress Card

This dress card is for Margaret's Dress Up December. When I went through my paper stash, this Sassafras paper caught my eye. It reminded me of an Emilio Pucci type psychedelic print. So I decided on a 1960s tent dress shape .

Supplies :
Patter Paper - Sassafras Life is Beautiful's (My Dearest - all my heart) and Serendipity's (Woodland Whimsy - paper garden), K&Company Life's Journey for the cardbase
Others - ribbon, brad, beads

None of my ribbon looked right until I 'dressed up' this grey trim with black stitching. The dress's hem consists of fussy cut flowers with beads sewn onto their centers.I love the die-cut borders on Sassafras papers. Here I layered 2 borders and added the grey trim for the bodice

This card went out to Cheryl at Sew Can Do.

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Peek-a-Boo

This is my last design project for LCOM . Can't believe how quickly my three month terms on the design team has gone ! This week's challenge is based on Sandi's cute sketch and I got to work with this Basic Grey Olivia kit that LCOM sent.



Supplies :
BG Pattern Papers - Olivia's emma, amelia, marabelle, Sultry's whisper
Embellishments - BG Capella journalling transparency, BG Sugar Rush brads, Prima flowers, ribbon, Heather Bailey peekaboo panel, Making Memories Noteworthy glitter diecut corners
Others- Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in sweet clover



I started by fussy cutting these Emma flowers and layering them together with the Prima flowers for added dimension. Then made a template and misted my background paper to give more focus to the transparency area. Also used Marabelle to line my envelop

Completed Card :

Happy that I managed to get 6 of the 10 kit items onto my card. The only liberty I've taken with the sketch, was to move the sentiment to the right. (And here I apologise to anyone expecting a special 'Peek-a-Boo' type reveal - just a straight forward card this time.)

This card is going to Tanya in Canada.

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Naughty or Nice (Tutorial)

This is the tutorial for my Naughty or Nice? gift tag and gift card holder.

To make the Gift Tag :

1. I inked up my Inkadinkado Christmas stamps in Black
   A gift from my blog friend Kirsty
   
   


2. Randomly stamped on a piece of 2.5"x3" paper
   
   



3. Inked up again in Bamboo, stamped and cut out 2 smaller pieces
   
   



4. Assembled the smaller pieces on top and glued on two charms
   



5. Glued onto a tag and tied on some ribbons
   

To make the Gift Card Holder :

1. Cut out this template from a 5.5"x 3.5" paper
   
   



2. Each smaller tab is 0.25" wide - apply glue on 2 tabs indicated
   



3. Assemble into a holder with holes in the front and back for the handle
   



4. Use brads to secure a 0.5"x4" handle to the holder
   
   



5. Use jump rings to attach charms to a chain and secure around the handle

And there you have it a completed gift tag sitting pretty in it's bag holder.

Merry Christmas to All !!

Naughty or Nice ?

When I came across Dotz's blogshop, I was touched that she donates 20% of sales proceeds to charities in Cambodia and Africa. So I emailed her offering one of my Christmas projects for Dottieshop. She posted it immediately stating 100% of this sale goes to Children's Cup International Relief AND that Dottieshop will matchingly donate another 100%.

Supplies :
Pattern Paper - Bo Bunny's Splendor Swirl, Anna Griffin

Embellishments - metal charms, twine

Stamp -Inkadinkado's Merry Christmas

Completed Project :

For a first-time stamper, I'm glad to say it isn't as scary as I imagined. Managed to messed up only half of the papers before I got this acceptably decent tag.

And here you have it - my Naughty or Nice tag fitting snugly in it's holder.

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Sandy's Challenge #1 - Winners

Thank you to everyone who played along with Sandy's Challenge #1. There was 30 entries - including altered objects, cards, a calendar, a layout celebrating a scrapper's grandmother.

Judge's Prize Winner
Mazz with her MaDnEsS takes its toll bag

Emeline Seet, the challenege judge, said : my jaw dropped when i saw the amazing entries! All of the entrants are so creatively done! this particular arty entry by Mazz caught my attention with elemente of surprise at each corner on this master piece bag. CONGRATULATIONS MAZZ !!

I admire Mazz's creativity in using serviettes (yes!) to embellish her canvas bag. And the journalling channels the irreverent tone of my frames so well : "My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance". Mazz, please email me at angsandy@yahoo.com.sg so I can get this prize out to you :

Sandy's Pick Winner

Among the your lovely entries, here's one that particularly captivated me :

Domna's Mood-Meter spinner card

She referenced the kitsch expressions, the quotiness and the 50s-60s era of my frames but made it all her own. I admire her cleverness (and her construction technique) in using a slider to show how easily a woman's mood swings. And that comic-strip style 'BAM!' has such pop to it.

So I picked out more from my g.c.d studios stash as an additional prize.



Keeping my fingers crossed that Google's Russian/English translation conveys this messsage to Domna : Please email me at angsandy@yahoo.com.sg so I can send this extra prize to you.

Sandy's Challenge #2

With the Christmas and New year just around the corner, I'll start Sandy's Challenge #2 in January 2011. Here's a sneak of what I hope to inspired you with :

Tropical Angels

These angel ornaments are my design project for KCK. If you enjoy playing with Basic Grey, check out their Challenge #4 for a chance to win S$80, S$50 or S$30 store vouchers. As we head into the monsoon season, Christmas in Singapore is lush and tropical. So my angels are decked out in colourful florals and hung on the bougainvillea shrub. For a step-by-step tutorial check out this post.

Supplies :
Basic Grey Pattern Paper - Green at Heart's Daisy Maze Doily paired with Sugar Rush's jaw breakers; Max & Whiskers' Daisy Maze Doily paired with abbot
Others - Styrofoam figure, acrylic paint, doll's hair, feathers, pearls, ribbon trim



Completed Angels :

Not the most challenging project this year, but one of the more satisfying ones. I found the hair-styling to be most fiddly bit - which says a lot for my (lack-of) curling-iron skills. These angels going slowly by sea to Andrew and Ghim in the USA - a little reminder of home during the Christmas season.

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Tropical Angels (Tutorial)

This is the tutorial for my Tropical Angels Christmas ornaments. (An advance apology to anyone squirmish about using awls on angels).

Instructions :

1. Paint the styrofoam head with flesh-tone acrylic (I've used Titanium buff straight from the tube)
   
   
   


2. Glue on the dolls' hair and draw in the eyes and lip with a felt-tip pen
   
   
   


3. Cut out the underskirt and 2 wings using this template
   
   
   


4. Cut out the overskirt using the template (without the tab) and glue the skirts together
   
   
   


5. Wrap the skirt around the styrofoam body and glue down the tab to secure
   


6. Glue on the wings and punch two holes with an awl
   
   
   


7. Coat the feather stem with some glue and push into the hole created
   
   
   


8. Embellish - I've add a pearl necklace to the neck, some ribbon trim to the skirt base and fussy-cut flowers to the overskirt.
   
   
   

   

   
   
   Tip & Trick :

• if you don't have styrofoam figures, just glue a styrofoam ball or a bead to the skirt
  
  
  


• hide any gaps at the back with a string of pearls or a ribbon

I'd love to see any Christmas projects you've created. Leave a comment linking to your post and I'll come visit.


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