Thankful Log #3

Home - a place that I can call home. I am thankful that I live in a country that has peace and harmony. There is safety in our neighbourhood and there is safety in a place where the government provides for our needs. That is something that I often neglect and forget..More importantly, I am thankful for the people who love me and who provided me with a home. A place that I can come home to, a place where there are people who I can confide in and a place where I can grow.

"Be grateful for the home you have, 
knowing that at this moment, 
all you have is all you need."
- Sarah Ban Breathnach 

So what are you thankful for today?  

Crate Paper's April Creative Weekly

Crate Paper's April Creative Weekly is out. Be sure to check out the details here and stand to win the newest pier collection. We were tasked to do any layout/project and stick to one color family as well as to comtemplate on the collage aspect. It was indeed a tough choice but after thinking it through and looking at what I had, I went with RED.

Red is definitely not a colour I choose often. You see me working most comfortably with softer colours so i figured, it is time to push myself and challenge myself to this colour family.

Wanting to achieve a spectrum of 'reds' in my layout, I chose different shades of red embellishments and papers across the Party Day and DIY Shop collections. The white background has splatters of red mist to highlight the color even more. 

I cut out several die-cuts found in the double-sided die-cut sheets and accent cards from the ephemera packs. I placed them either horizontally or vertically, completing the collage design. This helped to achieve clean and simple lines throughout the layout.

This layout talks about the common traits shared with Kate. We both love Kueh Bu Lu, a Malay biscuit that we often eat during festive occassions.

Here are more close ups of the layout...

I hope it inspires you and be sure to check out what the rest of the design team have created. We would love for you to join in and I simply cant wait to see all the wonderful creations. 

The Pier

Have you checked out the new mid release by Crate Paper? The details are here...

 

The Pier Collection is one to look out for.It is a perfect collection for all things summer and spring. Perfect to take out those beach photos and start scrapping... My happy mail arrived on Friday night and boy, was I excited. Sometimes, seeing is believing. Just by seeing all the pretty products and papers in reality makes me more certain that it is a collection that one needs to buy...

1. Sold seperately in this collection are these wonderful kraft papers filled with such intricate details. I love the subtle paint splatters in some of these papers and I cant wait to use them with all the coordinating bright coloured products in the collection.

2. Some of the patterned papers that I personally love from the collection. Oh, how i love soft colours. 

3. Coordinating products. I love how this collection focuses so much on kraft on gold. What a perfect colour combination. Clothes pins are hot hot hot! It is something you wont want to miss...

4. Ever since Crate Paper started coming out with polaroid frames and photos overlays, I have been snatching them off the shelf. This time, they outdid themselves again. Look at these chipboard frames.
In perfect colours and in three different sizes. How lovely! It is time to start printing those photos to fit into those frames.

 5. Lastly, some of my favourites in the ephemera pack. I love those stitched up elements you see there and they even have gold sequins attached in the pack. Oh my Oh my! I am finally convinced about sequins. Those label tags are a must too! I need them in all my layouts. Perfect for journaling and labeling....

So my photos are printed and I'm ready to start... Ideas are brewing in my mind and I cant wait to start working on some layouts and projects. You will be seeing the Pier Collection in your local stores soon. Be sure to grab all your favourites from this collection before they are all gone...

Happy Sunday
Have a great week ahead. (:

LPS Colour Challenge #3 and CSI#68

Its been a crazy week and I am finally finding time to do some updates...

Firstly, LPS Colour Challenge #3 is out. Find out more details here...

 

 I am in love with this colour scheme. When it first came out, I was quite puzzled as to how I would tackle such a bold colour scheme. I decided to go all out and this was what I did...

Something different dont you think? I decided to do some paint work. I selected two different mist bottles, used a paintbrush and painted random linear strips. I then embellished with elements of red, green and brown to complete the look. I used a circle stamp and did random circles around the page to draw some extra interest since some of my embellishments were circular in nature.

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Next, CSI #68 is now out. Be sure to check out the details here too.

 

Sometimes, I love doing layouts like these. I made it a point to fill my page with as much as I can. One of my favourite technique would be to use a pocket idea. As you can see, I selected different elements and tugged them behind a pocket. The elements chosen also tied in with my journaling such as the speech bubbles patterened paper. It is all about a funny conversation we had with B, my second niece. I would share this technique in greater details, in the near future. 

Oh! And before I go...

Be sure to be back tomorrow as I share more details about my happy mail. Hint Hint! It is going to be  what you can see in your stores soon!

Techniques and Tricks #02

Techniques and Tricks Number 2: I hope you find this post useful.

Titles are an essential part of every layout. They represent what the photo'(s) symbolize and how you feel about the story you're documenting. As Mark Rothko, an American painter rightly puts it...

"If our titles recall the known myths of antiquity, we have used them again because they're the eternal symbols upon which we must fall back to express basic psychological ideas."

One of my favorite ways to showcase long titles is to use alphabet stickers. 

For this layout, and today's post, I chose to use alphabet stickers from the Pretty Party collection and from them, I constructed sentences about how much my niece means to me. When it comes to title work, feel free to play around with adjectives to find what best represents your photo'(s). I went with an alphabet color that closely matches the patterned paper background of my layout, pale pink. Why, you might ask? It gave me the chance to outline my stickers with a marker and thus, lending more texture to my title work. A simple technique like this definitely makes the title stand-out more while increasing visibility and playfulness.

Following the placement of my title, I added embellishments along the right side of the page. I used the photos as a guideline for selecting matching colored embellishments and papers; a mix of orange, pink, green and blue.

Besides color, I brought even more texture via my embellishment choices. Ultimately, I recommend choosing a variety of both chipboard and cardstock stickers and mixing them together for increased layering potential. The beauty of chipboard stickers is they're already "bulky", making it extremely easy to generate dimension. They save on the need for "pop dots", too!

In terms of composition, I grouped embellishments throughout the right half of the layout, top, bottom and center. This set-up balances the composition of the layout while drawing the eye back to the photos and title.

To end the page, I created white splatters both at the top and bottom. I also attached a section of hidden journaling inside a not-so-noticeable pocket/kraft bag. Pockets are a quick save on space when working with a lot of embellishment clusters. 

Here are a couple of close-ups of the layout...

And Voila, this is how you emphasize a long title on a scrapbook page!
Have a great Thursday. (:

A dream come true...

I cant believe my eyes of what I am about to tell you. I have been keeping this news for the last two months and it is finally time to reveal it. I am now a part of the Crate Paper Design Team! Thats right.  You wouldnt believe how delighted I am. When Christine (the sweetest person ever!) first emailed me, I remembered I was screaming for joy while going on a toilet break.

It is truly a dream come true. Crate Paper has always been my favourite scrapbooking company for as long as I remember... I remembered how it first came out with its Restoration Collection and it blew me away. Ever since then, I have been buying every collection and have been a faithful reader of their blog.

So thank you, Crate Paper and thank you, Christine Middlecamp for believing in my work. I am truly honored to be a part of this wonderful talented team. It is going to be an exciting year!

Be with me on this wonderful journey...

Another week...

Its Week 3 and you know I simply cant wait for the June Hols to come quick. Work has been draining but I am very very thankful still for HIS blessings. I can survive each day, knowing that I survived it with His strength and guidance. I am truly thankful for the good and the bad.

I yearn to sit on my scrapbook table and scrap but it has been quite busy so finding time is not an option. Lets hope it gets better in weeks to come..

;

CSI #66 is officially open. Check out the link for more details...

I was in love with the color scheme when I first saw it and one of the prompts was to document something funny... Right away, I knew I had to develop this photo and relate this story. Using products and papers from Crate Paper's DIY collection, I tugged my journalling in a vellum pocket behind the photo. Using my favourite mask, i misted the background to give the layout more edge.

So the story goes...
We went to a prata stall. My brother bought a piece of prata for all to share. When we were not looking, B leaned forward and used her mouth to eat the prata. She could not even wait for the utensils to arrive. We had to hold her tight while she did that. What a funny sight and we all laughed about it.B sure has funny antics and she is truly unique.

This photo certainly cheered me up, after relating it again.
Happy Tuesday!

Speechless Tuesday

Exciting news to share this month! I cant wait...