Cute Little BFFs

Do you remember your first real best friends? Were you lucky to have just one, or two, or three? I remember having one at Miss C's age. We used to go swimming together and make cakes (a mess) together, but when we came into double digits, we both moved to different countries. After that, we gained new best friends, and I guess that has been the way since, but you will always remember the first one you giggled with, played clapping games with.

Miss C is lucky to have two at this point in her life; both are in her class and on the school bus home. It's sweet to see how they play together and support each other, even at this young age. She has told me that one will be leaving at the end of the school year and moving out of the neigbourhood. This will happen again, especially since we live in such a transient city.

BFFs

How fun to have some BFF accents that came in one of the MCS kits.

I stenciled some modeling paste over a grid mask before splattering the paper lightly with some spray inks. I only wanted a small smattering of flowers on this layout, so broke down a larger flower to the size I needed.

I split up a ring of chipboard stickers and staggered them on my page. Love the patterned butterflies.

I'm loving all the paper bags a lot of brands are coming out with now; great for holding journaling cards.

Products Used

Papers and paper bag from Webster's Pages Plum Seed collection

Stickers and chipboard stickers from Basic Grey Kneehighs & Bowties collection

Star pin from Maya Road

Flowers from Prima Marketing

Title thickers from American Crafts

Cubist stencil from Crafter's Workshop

Modeling paste from Golden

Enamel dots

Various sprays

Thanks for dropping by,

Easter Holidays - Update

How was your Easter? How did you celebrate? Anyone stuff their faces with lots of Easter chocolate? Cadbury creme eggs are my weakness and I still have a hidden stash of minis for those sweet tooth cravings.

We skipped out on egg hunts and decorating this year and headed off on a 24 hour journey to The Happiest Place On Earth. Do you know where? Yes, that right. Orlando, Florida. Twelve days of ageless fun. Miss C had a blast, of course. We did Walt Disney World; the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot and also Universal Studios. Miss C is a huge Harry Potter fan, just like me and was ecstatic to be able to walk through Hogwarts and Hogsmeade village.

Saying hi to Elsa and Anna at the Magic Kingdom - every little girl's dream.

I don't think you can be too old to go on a merry-go-round. There is a certain charm to them.

Gobsmacking choice of cheesecakes at the Cheesecake Factory - actually pretty decent food here.

 Something you didn't know - I love roller coasters. Hubby and Miss C love them too, but I'm talking about the tallest, biggest ones with big drops and lots of loops. I've been known to keep hubby waiting for me while I queue for this adrenaline thrill.

Frothy, creamy, cold butterbeer at Hogsmeade. We had some at the London studios last summer and have been pining for more. I think I'll have to search out a similar recipe for this to recreate at home.

Of course, we had to take a day or two out of the theme parks to do some shopping and one of the must go stops has to be Michaels. Miss C loves roaming the aisles and finding all sorts of crafting wonders, just like me.

Our brunch on day one at Ihop. See the look of skepticism on hubby's face and the happy face on Miss C. That didn't last very long, until she started to ask for sushi. Luckily, we were able to find a couple of sushi places to indulge in.

All in all, a wonderful holiday and one to remember. Look out for layouts coming out soon.

Thanks for looking,

Love The White Space

What's your style of scrapbooking? Are you a clean and simple, mixed media or shabby chic crafter? Do you like to throw everything you have onto your layout, or are you a minimalist? I know I'm the former. I love embellishments and try to get as many as I can on a page and to fill that page from edge to edge.

Once in a while, I try to challenge myself to downsize my layout and not be afraid of having all that extra "white" space. It is possible to just use a corner or edge of your layout and leave the rest of the page empty. Here's a layout I did a while ago that shows how you can leave most of your page untouched and still make an impact. 

Yummy Chats

These are the cutest photos of Miss C with her grandmother (my mum), having an ice cream at Maccies. When doing a white space layout, you don't need a busy pattern to keep it interesting. A simple chevron paper here speaks volumes.

Sometimes, just a few embellishments are all you need.

I added a smattering of stenciled gesso to "join" the photos to the accents.

Products Used

Papers, bits & pieces, chipboard accents and title stickers from Simple Stories Daily Grind collection

Wood Veneer speech bubble from Studio Calico

Hydrangea flowers from Prima Marketing

Arrows stencil from Crafter's Workshop

Gesso from Golden

Green thread

Hope this inspired you to have a go at minimalism.

Thanks for looking,

Singapore Memories

It seems like only yesterday that we were enjoying a holiday during Christmas and the New Year, with our cruise and trip to Singapore with my parent in-laws. I always love going to Singapore and I know my in-laws absolutely loved it. Really hope to go again soon. I used the My Creative Sketches March sketch for this layout.

Enjoy Singapore

I love the eclectic range of colours in the papers; they all look like they should clash, but they come together beautifully. I love the background on the photo; so dramatic and beautiful.

Instead of using a banner like the sketch, I used the space for my title. I love the triangle paper; it's quite a busy pattern, and works well as a strip accent.

I die cut the honeycomb with my new Tim Holtz frameworks die, which was a giveaway at the Sizzix booth during the CHA show. They were just giving them away!  I placed a mini alphabet sticker sheet under and cut around it.

I die cut the feather on blue cardstock before adding teal glitter. It really pops on the page; the photo does it no justice.

Products Used

Patterned papers, paper ephemera and mini alpha stickers from My Mind's Eye Now & Then Dorothy collection

Chipboard title Enjoy from Heidi Swapp

Brad from My Mind's Eye Abbey Road collection

Navy, teal and grey cardstock from Bazzill Papers

Blueberry Pixee Stix glitter from Pink Paislee

Frameworks Die - Honeycomb and Writing Desk Die from Tim Holtz Alterations

See you soon,

Prima's Wishing For Peace

As per my last post for HKMC's April kit club, I made a tag for a Prima Marketing project called Wishing for Peace, which they posted in their blog. I'm reposting that tag here as a submission to the project.

Hope, Faith, Peace

Products Used

Paper, flowers, flairs, chipboard and stamp from Prima Marketing Free Spirit collection, various masks by Prima Marketing, Girlie Grunge Labels die labels from Spellbinders Shapeabilities, Distress inks by Ranger - Peacock Feather, Black Soot, assortment of inks and sprays

Thanks for looking,

HK Memory Chest Kit Club - April 2014

After several months of cool dry weather in Hong Kong, spring decided to arrive with a bang last weekend with torrential rain, that saw much of Hong Kong under water and even more bizarrely, hail the size of golf balls.

April showers have arrived, and with it our HKMC April kit. To stay with the spring vibe, we've chosen a collection that is simultaneously filled with pastels for Easter and bright colours to signify nature and growth. It's also a kit where we've brought in just one brand, since we felt it was such a well rounded one.

April 2014 Kit
Prima Marketing "Free Spirit" Paper - Dreaming
Prima Marketing "Free Spirit" Paper - Enlightened
Prima Marketing "Free Spirit" Paper - Perceptions
Prima Marketing "Free Spirit" Paper - Artsy
Prima Marketing "Free Spirit" Self Adhesive Chipboard
Prima Marketing Yellow Wire Thread
Prima Marketing "Free Spirit" Funky Flowers
Prima Marketing "Free Spirit" Tickets and Tags
Prima Marketing Wood Veneer Alpha Stickers

Add-on Options
Prima Marketing "Free Spirit" Beatniks Flowers
Prima Marketing "Free Spirit" Flair Buttons
Prima Marketing "Free Spirit" Self Adhesive Jewels

April Sizzix Die  
Sizzix Bigz Die - Garden Greens

Here is the sketch for the month.

 Laugh

 Look at all those pretty pale colours and the ethereal feel of the balloons. I love how Miss C's hoodie echoes the colours in the paper.

I added lots of doodling to all the papers and letters to give a bit more definition in the papers.

Mix pigments powders with molding paste before smearing through a mask for added texture.

Extra Elements: Golden light molding paste, Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals Nantucket pearls

Live Free

The grey polka dot paper provides a great foil for the other colours in the collection and makes everything pop.

I heat embossed silver flowers to give more visual interest and aren't those wire clouds the cutest? To shape the wire clouds, use one of the cut out clouds as a template.

 I die cut the leaves with this month's die. So versatile, I know I'll be using this one often. Love the jewels too - so much shimmer.

 Use the wire to spell out words. All you have to do is write the word down on a piece of scrap paper, before manipulating the wire around your written outline.

Extra Elements: American Crafts Zing! embossing powder in silver, Ranger embossing powder in gold

 Lovely Tag

It's been a while since I made some tags, so I decided to use up the smaller pieces of scraps to make two quick projects.

Make this yellow wire flower (or sun) by bending the wire in a zig-zag fashion until you get six loops. Wrap the remaining length of wire around the middle (bow-tie style), before coiling the rest into a spiral, tucking the end underneath.

 The girl stamp is a mini version of the larger Prima doll stamp.

Extra Elements: Prima Julie Nutting cling stamp Sunshine, Prima mini swirl jewels, doily

Hope, Faith Peace Tag

 Prima Marketing is promoting a message of love and peace to those less fortunate than ourselves, and for us to do a small project to relay this, be it a tag, card, canvas or whatever inspires you. I decided to do a tag for this. I will be reposting this tag in my next blog post as a submission to Prima.

I misted the tag over a mask with gold spray, before stenciling in with molding paste. I then splattered the tag with blue and green ink and added black flower stamps in random spots.

I had some extra cut cloud flowers left over from my "Live Free" layout, so added them on the tag. The hope and faith labels were made with a spellbinders die.

Extra Elements: Spellbinders Girlie Grunge Labels Die, Golden light molding paste, Prima stencil, lace

Look at all the gorgeous DT work with this kit.

Super Model by Angela McDaniel

Easter by Angela McDaniel

 3 Day Taipei City Tour by Angela McDaniel

 Bubble Bubble Free by Belly Lau

 "Jump Jump" Scenery in a Jar by Belly Lau

Together by Belly Lau

 Be You by Erika Lui

 Memory by Erika Lui

Sheung Wan Crop
8th April (Tuesday)
10:30am - 12:30pm
Hosted by Grace Wong

15th April (Tuesday)
7:30pm - 9:30pm
Hosted by Belly Lau

Discovery Bay Crop
3rd April (Thursday)
10am - 12pm
Hosted by Angela McDaniel

Thanks for dropping by and happy scrapping,