Office Hours Reveal

studio calico's march kit - office hours is now live!!!  this month's kit is amazing and filled to the brim with lovely patterned papers and lots and lots of embellishments. this is my 3rd kit since i joined the CT and i must say this is my favourite! love the colors, the patterned papers, basically everything! i'm thrilled to receive the main scrapbook kit, to do (add on 1), rolodex (add on 2) and coffee break (add on 3) from studio calico. 

here's what i made this month! to see detail shots and what products i used, you can click on each of the layouts.

thanks for brightening my day

(main kit only)

love this exclusive cut file this month by paige evans.  i took out my silhouette cameo and was ready to cut this file when it suddenly stuck me that i should try this file with my sketch pens that i bought long ago but haven't gotten the chance to play with. so i went to dig out my sketch pens and replaced my blade with a black pen from the glitter pack. after about 10 mins or so, i have this beautiful background paper and i am hooked! if you have been thinking about sketch pens, you should try them! they look amazing in real life and i think my photos doesn't give them enough credit! :) then i thought of adding some color to the page by painting some letters with watercolors. i finished off this simple layout by layering a tag, vellum and some patterned papers behind my photo. i also tried working with digital brushes this month and i love how it instantly adds interest my photo!

let's do this

(main kit only)

since the first background paper with the sketch pens turned out so well, i wanted to make another one! this time with a gold pen from the metallic pack. who doesn't love the subtle shimmer from the gold pen? i layered a tag, vellum and some patterned paper behind my photo and placed it somewhere in the middle of the page. then i used the cut file by hello forever to create the banner. instead of using the silhouette cameo to cut the file, i actually printed out the cut file on a piece of paper. then i used it as a guide to fuss cut the banners from various patterned paper. i finished this layout by decorating the banner, adding some ink splatters with navy mist and adding the rub on by hello forever for my title.

Adventure!

(main kit, to do, rolodex)

my inspiration for this page comes from this beautiful patterned paper in to do (add on 1). i cut the patterned paper into squares and selected 16 out of the 20 designs to create this page to document our recent road trip from singapore to kuala lumpur for lunar new year.  instead of my usual white cardstock, i used a grid paper this time and i loved it. this layout came about quickly as i decorated each square with a photo or with an embellishment from the kits. lastly, i finished the page by adding my journaling around edges of the squares. i am happy to be adding more journaling to my layouts and i think my favourite precision pen makes my handwriting less ugly :P

never grow up

(main kit, to do, rolodex, coffee break)

for this layout, i used white tissue paper to create a layered background. i love how the texture and softness of the tissue paper it brings to this cloudy background paper. this month's kits are filled with beautiful stickers, vellum die cuts, gems, enamel dots and chipboards so I created an embellishment cluster here. I also cut the labels from the webster's pages paper in rolodex (add on 2) to add my journaling.

i hope you like the layouts i shared with you today. i will be back soon to share a closer look to how my favourite layout for the month came about! happy shopping!

Mini Book Mini Workshop at Studio Calico

i love mini books but i realise that i have always made mini books as gifts to friends and family but never made one for myself. so when the mini book mini workshop is launched at studio calico classrooms, i hope i can finally make one for myself. i signed up for the class, went through the materials a few days ago and i am truly inspired.  i started gathering materials and working on a mini book that i can document some favourite photos and memories.

this class is conducted by the talented ct team member, nicole reaves. follow along as she will show you, step-by-step, how to prepare, fold and assemble a unique 4x4 album full of photos, stories and memories.

this class has started since 1st february 2014 and enrolment will close on 28th february 2014, which means you have 2 days more to sign up! 

once you have signed up for the class, you will have access to this digital printable designed by hello forever.

to find out more and sign up, visit studio calico here! i hope to see you in the class!

remember the reveal for studio calico march kits - office hours is almost here! subscribers reveal will be on 27th at noon EST/ 11am CST and for the rest of the public, it will go live on 27th at midnight EST/ 11pm CST.

thanks for dropping by and i will be back later for the reveal!

Office Hours Sneaks

i hope the week has been good for you so far, the reveal for studio calico march kit - office hours is less than 3 days away! have you seen the sneaks of the kits this month? they are amazing! here are my sneaks and i hope they will give you an idea of the kits you would like to purchase this month!

this first layout uses only the main kit. this month, my favourite has to be silhouette sketch pens!!! i purchased 2 sets of sketch pens some time back and never used them until i saw the beautiful cut file designed by paige evans for office hours. so i went to dig out my sketch pens and got to work. after about 10 mins of workout for my silhouette cameo, i got this beautiful background paper. i used the black pen from the glitter pack here.

another layout using only the main kit. i loved the sketch pens and cut file so much, i made another layout with them! this time i used the gold pen from the metallic pack and i love love love the subtle shimmer it gives! if you have been thinking of trying the sketch pens, you should!!! they are amazing. i love how the patterned papers from the main kit looks arranged together, so i made a little banner with cut files by hello forever and decorated it with the embellishments and these little flowers i fuss cut from a piece of patterned paper from the kit.

made a simple grid design with the beautiful patterned paper by webster's pages from add on 1 - to do...

this month's kits are filled to the brim with embellishments! we've got dear lizzy stickers, maggie holmes vellum die cuts, amy tangerine die cuts and all the goodies from our studio calico lines!!! i had a tough time deciding which ones to use so i made this layout with a embellishment cluster. love how well they coordinate with each other!

this month's kits are so pretty, i wish i have a little more time to complete a mini album i am working on now. hope i can complete it in time and share it with you during reveal!

subscribers reveal will be on 27th at noon EST/ 11am CST and for the rest of the public, it will go live on 27th at midnight EST/ 11pm CST.

i hope you enjoyed my sneaks and do drop by for the reveal!

Color Studio Class at Studio Calico

have you heard about the new class at studio calico?

are there any colors or techniques you have always wanted to try or work with? join us for color studio and challenge yourself as we explore different color palettes and experiment with techniques for adding color to projects with ink, mist, and watercolors! most importantly, we will also be learning how to mix and match products in the kits to create new which will definitely help us stretch our kits even more!

once you have signed up for the class, you will have access to these beautiful digital files designed by hello forever!

you will also be excited to have these planners to help you document the colors, inks and embellishment samples during the class.

to find out more and sign up, visit studio calico here!

while you are at it, also check out the new color theory products that lisa will be using in the class! 

i pre ordered these color theory inks and i am hoping i can get them in time for the class! for those of you who did not manage to pre order the ink bundle, no worries as the individual inks will be in stock very soon!

thanks for dropping by and hope to see you in the class!

A Closer Look - Happiness

this is one of my favourite layouts i made with the sugar rush kits - happiness. the inspiration for this layout started with these little vellum hearts that came with the main scrapbook kit. here's a little peek into how this layout came together...

i was playing around with the vellum hearts and randomly placing them on a white card stock when i realise i could make a pretty rainbow with them. so i grabbed my watercolors and began painting with colors that match the little vellum hearts. i used the peerless watercolor papers here. what i love about these watercolor papers is that they come in 40 colors so its easy to find matching colors with whatever embellishment or paper i am working on. 

i waited for the watercolors to dry and i placed my photo in the middle, letting the watercolors peek above and below the photo. i also layered my photo with vellum and a piece of gold punchinella vellum from rock candy.

next i adhered the vellum hearts across the photo according to the rainbow of watercolors. then i added some other elements like the gold-tipped leaf, chipboard stars, camera, enamel dots and resin flower pin. 

... added the title - happiness at the top of the photo. i love how the watercolors look behind the gold alphas from the gum drop add on.

 ... and i added the speech bubble cut file by hello forever and scattered some neon sequins at the top left and bottom right side of the page.

to finish the page, i trimmed about 1/4 inch off the sides of the cardstock and adhere it to "word soup" paper by my mind's eye found in rock candy.

there you have it! the page is complete! i didn't take much photos when i was working on the page this time, so i used my final photos for this little tutorial. will make a mental note to remember to capture some progress shots for the next tutorial!

thanks for dropping by and happy valentine's day!!!

A Closer Look - I Love You More Nespresso Jar

hello! i'm back today to share more details of this nespresso jar i made for elle's studio february inspiration gallery. i wanted to make something simple for ian this valentine's day. we bought a nespresso machine for christmas and he enjoys his freshly brewed coffee. hence, i thought a jar filled with his favourite capsules would be a fun gift! to make the gift look prettier, i decided to decorate them with products from elle's studio new valentine's collection - love me more!

i got my jar from ikea and the capsules from my nearest nespresso boutique and got straight to work! 

first, i covered the couple of the capsules with these cute circle tags from the bits and pieces. for the rest of the capsules, i covered them with 1 1/4 inch circles i cut from various patterned paper. you could use the silhouette Cameo to cut them or you could also fuss cut like what i did. i was careful when i adhere the circles to the capsules as i wanted to make sure that no glue will be left sticking to the capsule when i remove the tags. after trying a few ways, the best was to apply my adhesive roller on the tag before pasting it to the capsule.

next, i decorated the top of the jar with a big circle tag also from bits and pieces. i thought the tag looks a bit plain so i added a title 'i love you more!' from love you more stamp set. i also used some alphabet stickers from october afternoon to form my message 'happy vday'.

i wanted to make a tag so i could write a note. i used the pretty red tag from bit and pieces as my base and made a paper rosette using 'love letters' paper and a 2 inch paper puncher. i also added 2 vellum leaves here.

lastly, i tied some twine around the jar and secured the tag to it using a mini clothes pin and my simple gift is done! 

you could also use hershey's kisses instead of the nespresso capsules as another cute variation of this gift.

i hope you enjoyed reading about my little gift as much as i enjoyed making it! thanks for dropping by!

Elle's Studio February Inspiration Gallery

happy monday! we are off to a great start this week with the launch of elle's studio february kit and inspiration gallery! the february kit is filled with lots of sweet goodies to celebrate this valentine's day!

here's a look at the kit for february!

this month, besides having coordinating cut files, an exclusive set of wood veneer is available too! 

these kits are going for $9.99 from now until the end of today (after 12.01 am on the 11th, it will retail for $11.99)! so now is a good time to get yours!

ok, now to share my gallery for february. this month, i made 2 layouts and a valentine's day project using the new collections - love you more! and everyday moments. 

too much fun

this is one of my favourite photos of ian and ethan having fun outdoors. i love the colorful arrows on 'this moment' paper from the everyday moments collection so i cut them out and used them as embellishment to create this fun page. when creating a layout, i usually add layers to my photo and love how simple it is to layer with journaling tags.  

together is the best place to be

i love this family photo taken when ethan was only 6 months old. i realise i haven't scrapped it before so i thought this photo will be perfect for a valentine's theme layout using the new love me more! collection. i am inspired by wilna's artclass 2 and painted the love me more! wood veneers with gesso and added some color using gelatos. I also had lots of fun adding all the pink embellishment I can find in my stash. i completed this layout with some journaling and stamping.

i love you more nespresso jar

valentine's day is around the corner and i thought of making a simple gift for ian. he loves nespresso so i filled a jar with his favourite selection of capsules decorated with the love you more! collection. you could also use hershey's kisses instead of the nespresso capsules.

to see more pictures of my nespresso jar and layouts as well as the list of products used, visit my gallery here... do check out projects by the rest of the talented ladies too!

have a good week ahead!!! i will be back soon to share details on my nespresso jar!