WEDDING BLISS! GUEST DT FOR FABRIKA DECORU!

HI GUYS!
HAPPY TO BE BACK HERE AGAIN!

I'm very happy to share the news that I'm guest-designing for Fabric Decoru this month. Fabrika Decoru is a Ukranian brand that manufactures pretty papers, paints and mediums!

I first get to know of Fabrika Decoru through their Instagram (@fabrikadecoru) where they always post gorgeous projects designed by their designers. I was attracted to their products there and then and I'm so honored that I was given this opportunity to guest design for them.

I was sent a package of their products: paper collections, assorted paints and mediums and I was so trilled (I FORGOT TO TAKE PICTURE) to be playing with them!

Prior to designing this, I personally have not tried their products. Since most of their packaging comes in Russian/Ukrainian words, I decided to take a leap of faith and not google translate the words on the packaging. To put it into simple terms, I basically have no idea what I was using. It actually makes this layout so much fun as I explore and figure out the things I was using.

So without further ado, this is the layout of which I'm sharing today.

It's actually a wedding gift for my mum's friend who's getting married real soon. We think it'll be pretty sweet to gift her with this canvas to celebrate her marriage, hence I decided to go for sweet and romantic pastel colors as the color theme of this canvas, inspired by Words & Paintery's Moodboard Click HERE to see more info!

(Psst.. you know what? I'm applying for their design team too!)

I first started out by prepping the 12x12 inches canvas with a cost of white gesso. As I have decided that I want my centerpiece to go in a horizontal direction, I used Aqua-spray in Sensuous Pink (FDSM 13) and in Fragrant Lavender (FDSM 36) to spray them in a horizontal direction as seen in the picture below. 

Once the sprays dried, I used Fabrika Decoru's Delicate Lace 1 Stencil (FDTR 184) with Texture Gel Glossy in Gentle Shabby (FDDG 03). As I said previously, I had no idea what mediums I was using as I can't read the words so I was pleasantly surprised that it turns out awesome! The gel dried to a transparent finish with a light pink tint. It's really gorgeous!

I really like their stencil as well. Whenever I'm using stencils with intricate patterns, I'm always worried that that I will somehow bent the thin plastic or smudges the inks and destroyed the pattern I was creating. I'm glad that this doesn't happen with their stencils and I love it!

I stenciled on 2 doilies on places where my photos were going to be as well as stenciling on the lace border from the same stencil on the top left and bottom right corners of the canvas to create some added interest. 

Once the gel dried, I sprayed on the third color to create some contrast. I used Fabrika Decoru's Pearl Spray in Azure Ice (FDPS 04) and sprayed mainly on the doilies part. I also used another stencil Waves Illusion (FDTR 154) with White Texture Sand Paste (FDTPS 150) to create more dimension and textures.

Once everything dried, I brushed on a light coat of white gesso on the doily part to make the pattern stand out further as well as added some 'enamel dots' created with Fabrika Decoru's Deco Acrylic in Peach by squeezing out droplets from the bottle and letting them fall directly onto the canvas. 

Deco Acrylic is heavy body paint that dries matte. The pointed tip of the bottle allows me to draw directly onto the canvas. Since it's an acrylic paint, I'm gonna dilute it and paint it in the future to see what results it may bring me! 

 Now that the background is done, I proceed to building layers for my centerpiece! 

I was given the Shabby Dreams Collection (FDSP-01012) which consist of 10 sheets of 12x12 inches patterned papers. I cut them down into assorted sizes and started layering them. I also added some scraps from my personal stash to create a contrast of colors. I chose to distress edges of some of the paper with Prima Marketing's Distressing tool, though you can always create the same effect with a pair of scissors.

Shabby Dreams Collection also comes with a sheet of patterned papers that's awesome for fussy cutting! I cut out some laces and flowers and layered them among the papers. I also started embellishing with assorted flowers from Prima Marketing and from my personal stash. 

All items on this canvas are adhered with Fabrika Decoru's All-Purpose Transparent Glue.

An awesome thing about getting flowers that are white is that you can always alter them into any color you desire.In this case, I simply sprayed on Aqua Spray in Sensuous Pink (FDSM 13) and a new look was created! I really like this line of sprays as the colors are not super intense, it's perfect to spray directly on flowers and canvas. I personally does not like to spray directly onto objects as I think it's difficult to control the colors that way. With this line of spray, I'm glad I can sprayed on directly as the colors are light.

I had cut up pieces of laces and randomly placed them around the papers. I colored them with Aqua Spray in Fragrant Lavender (FDSM 36) and in Sensuous Pink (FDSM 13) by lightly dabbing them with a brush. Since lace are made of cloth, the colors will spread and blend, giving it a natural look.

I've also created some enamel dots with Fabrika Decoru's Dove-Colored Dots, Deco Glaze in Fuchsia (FDCG 04) and Deco Glaze in Aquamarine (FDCG 10) by lining them up on a piece of waxed paper. I used waxed paper such that it will adhere to the paper and it will be easier to peel off. You can peel off just what you need and keep the piece of waxed paper for future usage!

Dove-Colored Dots is more suitable to make enamel dots as it has heavier body hence it's more dimensional and it dries opaque. Deco Glaze on another hand is more liquid. I was fooled by it's appearance when I first squeezed it out from bottle. Since it was opaque and comes in same packaging as the Dove-Colored Dots, I conveniently thought Dove-Colored Dots and Deco Glaze are the same product (I can't read the description on the packaging!). Anyway, it's still a pleasant surprise as I still use them as enamel dots and they are more vibrant in colors so it gave the canvas a pop of colors!

I also created a mixture with Texture Gel Glossy Gentle Shabby (FDDG 03) and Deko Topping Crystal Maxi (FD-TOP 01) to create my own texture paste and applied randomly on the canvas to create some textures and added interests.

Here's the final look and some close up shots!

Supplies List

Fabrika Decoru

Aqua Spray - Sensuous Pink (FDSM 13)

Aqua Spray - Fragrant Lavender (FDSM 36)

Pearl Spray - Azure Ice (FDPS 04)

Stencil - Delicate Lace 1 (FDTR 184)

Stencil - Waves Illusion (FDTR 154)

Texture Gel Glossy - Gentle Shabby (FDDG 03)

White Texture Sand Paste (FDTPS 150)

Deco Acrylic - Peach (FDAD 33)

Shabby Dreams Collection Patterned Papers (FDSP-01012)

Dove-Colored Dots (FDDT 29)

Deco Glaze - Fuchsia (FDCG 04)

Deco Glaze - Aquamarine (FDCG 10)

Deko Topping Crystal Maxi (FD-TOP 01)

All-Purpose Transparent Glue (FDGU 40)

Others

12x12 inches Canvas

Liquitex White Gesso

Prima Marketing Forest Leaves Die

Prima Marketing Floral Lace Trim

Prima Marketing Flowers

Assorted Mulberry Flowers

Assorted Patterned Papers

Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm Thickers

Laces

That's all for this post!

I have another post with them scheduled to release end of the month, do head back here to check it out!

Seeya! :)

2016/17 Kaisercraft Design Team Application

I'M ONE OF THE 25 FINALISTS OF KAISERCRAFT DT APPLICATION 2016/17!!!

The feeling of opening up to your mailbox to see the congratulation email was really mind-blowing. Then the wait began for the box of mysterious supplies such that we can proceed with the second round of application. 

So here I am! 

I'm bringing you a photo tutorial this time round (it's been awhile I know). :)

Check out the supplies! There are all part of Kaisercraft's latest line of products from Boho Dreams Collection. They're being super generous with the supplies! 

This is the final look of the canvas!

This is a rather unorthodox layout for a baby girl as I would think, 

yet at the same time, I thought it was perfect. 

I made this canvas because I really like her blue little dress picturing the clear blue sky, hence blue was chosen as the primary colour. The yellow/orange I used in the background are from her headband and the pink in the flowers are from her sash. If you're a beginner, I would suggest that you try working with the colours that are already in your pictures, you will never go wrong that way. 

Bohemian styles always reminds me of feathers and dreamcatchers. I hoped the best for my dear friend's baby, hoping she'll be light and free of worries like feathers and happy as dreamcatchers retained good dreams and memories. Stay cute! :)

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Let's begin with the tutorial!

I started prepping a 12x12 inches canvas with white gesso first and started painting.

I used Kaisercraft's Kaisercolour (acrylic paint) in Mango and Antique White with a sponge brush.

As you can see, I did not apply a even layer of colours. 

I wanted some contrast, hence some spots are darker. 

You can really use any type of wide brushes to create this effect, I happened to use sponge brush because it was nearest to me (Mixed Media should be free and easy! There're no right and wrong!).

Now, I'm apply modeling paste over Kaisercraft's stencil 'Feathers'. 

I had a general idea in mind of the ultimate shape I want my center piece to be. Hence, I'm aligning the feathers in such a way that I created an inverted triangle. 

To add a little interest, I pouring embossing powders in both holographic and white while the modeling paste was still damp.

Take note: Pour the embossing powders one-by-one, meaning that you should pour one of them first and shake off the excess before moving on to another. 

The sequence matter as well. Pour the one that you want to retain the most. Since most of the damp modeling paste will retain the first embossing powder than the second. For this instance, I pour holographic embossing powder first as I want the feathers to be sparkly! :)

Another important step! Always wait for your modeling paste to be dried completely before heat-setting the embossing powders, otherwise the modelling paste will start to bubble.

Once, I settled the heat-setting, I sprinkled on Kaisercraft's Iridescent Mists in Denim by tapping it with a brush. 

I find it easier to control colours (especially dark colours!) this way as I can limit the area that the colour will go to. 

As you can see in the picture, I'm spraying on water to dilute the dark sprinkles such that the colours can flow around the stencilled area.

The white embossing powder that I heat-setted previously also act as a resist, hence you can see there some white spots. I also painted a layer of Kaisercraft's Kaisercolour (acrylic paint) in Spearmint around the outer circumference of the feathers. 

The different shades of blue created by the magic of water and the white spots leave some interesting contrast to the canvas! :)

I wished there's a way so let you see how bright it sparkles!

With the background done, I proceed to embellishing my centrepiece. 

I fussy cut out the flowers from 'Wild' in Boho Dreams Collection. I highly recommend you get this patterned paper as the amount of flowers you can get from this piece of paper is WOAH! In fact, I'm gonna stock up on this paper once this collection is in my local scrapbook store.

I also randomly tore off pieces of Kaisercraft's Corrugated Cardboard and 'Wanderer' from the Boho Dreams Collection. The frame and the flower girl were also fussy cut out from 'Bohemian' of the same collection.

The leaves I used here are actually strip sticker from Oh So Lovely Collection's sticker sheet. Instead of cutting the strip sticker vertically and creating a harsh edge, I trimmed it according to the shape of the leaves. 

I'm also upping my layering game with the help of Kaisercraft's Boho Dreams Collectables. If you're a quick scrapper and don't like to spend your time fussy cutting, I highly suggest you to go for the collectables. They're awesome when you're in a rush yet in a mood to scrap. 

I'm using different baker twine in different colours and thickness to create additional interest. To bring focus to the picture, I'm circling the twines around the picture.

An important element of Mixed Media would be textures. I'm using Kaisercraft's texture stamps in Tiny Dot and Journal to create some added interest to the background yet enhancing the centrepiece as well as it sort of create a shadow around the centerpiece. 

I'm also using my palette know to swipe on some gesso to create another form of texture. The fabric of the canvas will create interesting pattern when I swiped on the gesso. This is a technique that I loved to use when working on canvas.

I also brushed on gesso on the corrugated cardboard to give it some highlights.

So here's the final look of the canvas!

I use Kaisercraft's Kaisercolour (acrylic paint) in Tropical Water as a finishing touch to the edges of the canvas and the sentiments I used are from the Oh So Lovely Sticker Sheet.

Some close-up shots!

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Supplies Used

Kaisercraft

Acrylic Paint - Mango

Acrylic Paint - Antique White

Acrylic Paint - Spearmint

Acrylic Paint - Tropical Water

Iridescent Mist - Denim

Stencil - Feathers

Clear Stamp - Tiny Dot

Clear Stamp - Journal

Boho Dreams Collectables

Boho Dreams Patterned Paper - Bohemian

Boho Dreams Patterned Paper - Wanderer

Boho Dreams Patterned Paper - Wild

Boho Dreams Sticker Sheet

Oh So Lovely Sticker Sheet

12x12 inches Corrugated Cardboard

Others

12x12 inches Canvas

Liquitex White Gesso

Liquitex Modeling Paste

Ranger Holographic Embossing Powder

Stampendous White Embossing Powder

StazOn Black Inkpad

Twines

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That's all for today's post!

Wish me luck! :)

#fingerscrossed

VIDEO TUTORIAL: BLISS BOKEH CANVAS

Hi guys!

If you have not been checking out my YouTube channel, you might have missed out on the video tutorial I did awhile back.

I did this canvas for my last post as Colourarte design team. This canvas was inspired by the bokeh effect that I came to love recently. It is easily achievable and I suggest you to try it!

To see how I did this canvas, check out the video below.

Here are some close up shots. :)

Supplies Used

ColourArte Primary Elements

China Black

Garnet

Pink Grapefruit

Dream Bloom

Pink Cloud

Snap Dragon

Mandarin Blush

Pink Anthrurium

Others

6"x6" Canvas

Hero Arts White Embossing Powder Fine

Versamark Inkpad

Assorted Sequins

Prima Marketing Assorted Flowers

Prima Marketing Stencil

Prima Marketing White Crackle Paste

White Gesso

Modelling Paste

Dear Lizzy Thickers

Kaisercraft Tiny Dots Stamp

StazOn Black Inkpad

Sewing Strings

Robin's Nest Dew Drops

That's all for today!

Till next time! :))

VIDEO TUTORIAL: Quick and Easy Marbling Pudding Jar

Hi guys!

I'm bringing you guys a quick tutorial that I did with a pudding jar. It's a real quick and simple one as I don't have most of my supplies on hand. (Sigh~)

With all the hustle and bustle that Chinese New Year brings, our beloved government chose to renovate the loos for the all flats in the same neighbour. They couldn't choose a better timing. Period.

With all the mess that the renovation brings, we had to shift our stuff around and my art supplies were trapped by all other junks my family have. I managed to film this tutorial while I was packing, but the next one is scheduled to be after Chinese New Year. So yup. That's 2 weeks of no crafting.

Anyway, getting back to the topic, I had this cute little jar that used to contain pudding from the deli. I like how it looked and didn't want to destroy the glossiness of the glass by putting tons of mediums on it, hence I decided to alter the 'inside' of the jar.

WATCH MY VIDEO TUTORIAL HERE!

Here are some close-ups.

Supplies Used

ColourArte Radiant Rain Mist

Namorado

Seafoam

Teal Zircon

ColourArte Silks

Green Guatemalan

Sapphire on Ice

Key Lime

Yellow Rose

Others

 Mini Pudding Jar

Finnabair White Gesso

Assorted Seashells

Assorted Buttons

Cheesecloth

Kaisercraft Clear Vanish

That's all for today. 

I love how the jar turns out, I think the marbling effect looks amazing. I hope I've inspired you to try this out too!

Thanks for watching/reading!