A FRAME FOR YOU

With a big paper stash, I try to use it well by making gifts for people, especially birthday ones. Photoframes for me are my go-to, as we all need to display more photos.

Here's one that I made recently, using twine to 'link' everything together.

Supplies: October Afternoon, Hero Arts, Tim Holtz, Crate Paper, Jenni Bowlin

This was thrown together with scraps on my table and I think it turned out quite well. Doilies are still "hot" in the scrappy world and in my world too.

A short scrappy share (:



A NEW TOOL

Stitching has made its way onto layouts some time ago, where many scrappers just run it through the sewing machine for dimension and a touch of homemade quality.

But what about those who don't own one (even though it is at the top of my mind)

Enter the Sew Easy tool by We R Memory Keepers. Essentially it pokes holes through your cardstock , which you could do by hand. What the Sew Easy offers is even equally spaced stitches, even though making it go in a straight line can be challenging.

Supplies: Studio Calico Jan Add-on Betty Crocker

(Pardon the bad lighting from my iphone pictures on the layout)

What I did for this layout is to lightly sketch with a pencil where I envisioned the lines. I wanted crisscrossing wavy lines. I then took my Sew Easy tool and rolled over it. Easy peasy, the holes were created. I chose my thread colours and stitched the lines.

Some people say that you need the mat in order to make it work, but a mousepad that I had worked fine. Just make sure to use the soft side. And if there are really any imperfections, embrace it :P

In this case, the stitching really stood out against the kraft background which was what I was aiming for.

For the OCD, every stitch should be equally spaced, this tool will help you achieve with little fuss, though I have heard a straight line is more challenging. But if you like more complicated stitching ie beyong wavy and straight lines, this may not be the tool for you.

TYPE ON TYPE

The problem with not liking flash and not owning an external flash, is that when I do event photography at night, it being a challenge is understating the situation at hand.

So what do you do in such a situation? Convert slightly blurred photos to black and white. This quickest fix ever, as grain and noise is appreciated by the eyes better in B&W as compared to colour.

Put to use during this event was my new EP1 toy with 20mm 1.7 panasonic lens (excuse my tech geek side)

Supplies: Lilybee Design, American Crafts.

Tried something new, by layering type on type, thickers on thickers. Personally I love the bold black piece of pattern paper with the dove on it.

FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD

First post of the year and yes I know it has been some time. I will try being a better blogger this year (:

Yes I am one of those who takes a photo of the food they eat. More than anything, it is really because I think it is so delicious looking.

I decided to put my latest food finds on a layout

Supplies: Studio Calico October "On the Easel"

All this fantastic looking food were all consumed within a month (Ahhhhh... screams the diet police)

A GIRLY MINI ALBUM

As any "good" crafty person knows, a stash is "essential". Before anyone throws stones at me, I am talking about myself too, or maybe even especially.

Mini-albums is a good way to put your stash to work, taking favourite papers and using them, while hopefully making a dent.

I loved this The Girls' Paperie line that was released. Vintagey pink with flowers, a lethal combination. As much as I loved it, when I did my layouts, somehow I never gravitated towards them. So instead of leaving it to "waste", I made a mini-album, using Maya Road as the base.

A view from the side of the album - filled with pinks and greens

I included pockets as in the left and fold outs for additional photos. My obsession with scallop edges continues as evidenced in the album (:

My other love - butterflies. I layered them here to mimic the movement, using a variety of different sized butterflies.

Love this set by Ali Edwards and Technique Tuesday about memory keeping

A Maya Road envelope to tuck away little bits of 'the little stuff'

Now to get the photos printed and added to the album.

ENGAGEMENT PHOTOSHOOT (NOT MINE)

So I decided to make better use of my big clunky DSLR that I own. I must add a disclaimer that it has served me for nearly five years and its cost has definitely been used to its max. I just haven't had a chance to use it lately.

My friends were going to get married and we decided to give engagement photos a whirl, after we finally managed to get a date together.

We spent most of the time in the Civic district of Singapore and went around some of the colonial buildings to capture photos.

While doing the post editing (really the part that I don't enjoy, but have to do regardless), I got bored and decided to get my scrap on. So I quickly printed out three of my favourite pix from the shoot and threw together the below layout.

Made mostly from Crate Paper's Restoration line, which accentuated the black and white photos. B&W photos are some of my favourite as I love the classic feel and focus on the people in the photos I get when I look at them.

Additional supplies: Prima, Jenni Bowlin, American crafts, Fiskars punches.

I like the faux photo negative strip that I created with the Fiskars border punch. I also used the Apron Lace punch, which is a nice outlined scallops on the border. Two embellishment clusters completed the layout for me.