Measuring Tape Wonders

Hello,

If you are like me, you'll never look at measuring tapes the same way again :). I'm playing with some tapes and quickly recalled a unique and FUN jewelry gift set by Lalo Ik @ crafting in LALA-land. I totally forgotten about it until now. Measuring tapes are flat enough like ribbons so I thought I should try make some jewelry, inspired by her gift set.

Here's my version;

 A pair of earrings and a simple bracelet.

Alternatively, if you favor bangles you could use a longer tape, measure it to fit your wrist, apply a couple of eyelets to both ends and add metal clasp & jump ring for closure. Or just use velcro for simplicity :). To vamp it up, add a couple more holes and attach pretty charms to the bangle :).

I think they are perfect for kids and the young-at-hearts alike. And it is a very quick project too. Try it sometime :). 

Hugs,

Shahrul

Boho Hardware Bracelets

Dear friends,

I saw on Pinterest very lovely hardware jewelry. Creative blings made out of hexagon nuts, bolts, rings, metal & gold chains, copper tubes, diodes, hinges, S hooks, clasps and so many unthinkable things!. Makes it so hip to jewelry shopping at hardware stores now!. LOL. These artists work their magic to create unique masterpieces. My cup of tea. Inspired, I started to work :).

So, I made these boho hardware bracelets, for a start. Who knows what comes next.

My inspiration from Pinterest;

These bracelets are relatively easy to assemble. Provided you have the basic pliers and jewelry making details (jump rings, findings, clasps, beads, leather strings, etc.). With a little bit of patience, creativity and interest ... you'll make yourself some tough girl jewelry! :)

I used hinges as the center piece, while the metal wreath was from a broken old brooch. 

So look again in the kitchen drawers, or trinket boxes. THAT single earring can once again be fashionable. Call that happy treasure. Have fun!.

ACE Hardware, here I come!!!. 

lots of play, so little time.

Three of my girlfriends and I get together yesterday afternoon for a fun, 'everything goes' mixed-media play a.k.a. art jam @ Scrappingville store. It was ALL fun and no work!. 

We played with gelatos, various Dylusions Stamps and heavenly vibrant inks, Claudine Hellmuth's acrylic paints (in tiny cute bottles), Dr. Ph. Martin's hydrus fine art watercolor paints and lots of beautiful scrap fabrics. We even watched along Julie Balzer's workshop and starting to get busy ourselves. After about 3 hours of play we continued with breaking fast together and what a merry evening!. 

Here was what I made yesterday;

I had to laugh when my friend (Sharon K.) made a comment that my pages looked like Claudine Hellmuth's work. Well, I was enjoying Claudine's paints here (a little bit too much, maybe?). She has cute names for all the paints such as altered orange, painterly pink?, dash of red. So sweet.

I used little houses and quotes from Dylusions stamps. Drew petals with maroon sharpie. And stamping white gesso on black linen.

We had so much fun and decided to do this again in a fortnight's time (Saturday, Aug 11th). If you are in town, come join us play!. For our Muslim's friends you can too, join us 'breaking fast' after the art jam session. Lots of great food :).

Hugs,

Shahrul

At Fifteen

Hello friends,

I was amazed at how very talented teenagers are these days, especially in art!. I've met many great artists while participating Summer of Colors 2012 recently. One whom really special is a 15 year old mixed media artist, Jordan Hill who is featured at Balzer Design yesterday!. Check her out as not only that she shares great pictorial step-by-step tutorial, but gives crispy clear explanation on her methods. Inspired.

I love how she just randomly scribbled her pages with just black sharpie before starting to paint them. I love this so much, I decided to try :). 

My finished pages;

I started by writing a 'diary' about what I did when I was 15. Random notes of funny things and high school memories. First I scribbled with a black sharpie. Then I made circles with soft pastels on the top and bottom page. Spritzed with water to wet and allowed some to drip. Repeated this until I have covered most of the pages with colors. 

When that dried, I drew hearts and dotted stems with correction pen. Added metal chains, some gauze, wooden embellishments and words from Collection Elements for additional texture.

Added metal chains for chunkiness. Old earring, lock & gauze for texture. And my effortless, gauzy heart. LOVE.

That's all I have, just a quick post. I'm going off for some mixed-media play at Scrappingville now :). Have a fun Saturday!.

Hugs,

Shahrul

Pattern Crazy, Pinterest Crazy!

Sweet friends,

I spent more than two hours on Pinterest for the last three nights!. LOL. Is that healthy?. Help, I'm totally an addict!. I can't stop pinning, one thing led to another. From shoes, bags, jewelry, decorative DIY, yoga and socks!. And I made journal pages base on the socks I saw, just so I won't feel so guilty :).

Here's my journal pages;

I took inspiration from the orange & black socks @ SocksKnee.com

I finger-smudged orange acrylic paint and stamped black gesso between horizontal masking tapes!. But, first adhered masking tapes horizontally and left some gaps for the paint :). When dried, continued with stamping bold patterns, stenciled 'BEAUTY MATTERS' with black gesso and scribbled some motivating words with black Sharpie & fine black Artline pen. I also dripped & flicked some black india ink. Then stamped a black linen with leftover orange paint. 

That's all I have. Hope you enjoy the striking colors. And just maybe, try make some Pinterest-inspired journal pages for a change. See you soon :).

Hugs,

Shahrul

Hope For Colorado

Dear friends,

I like to start my third art journal today with a hopeful note. A prayer for all that was affected by the Denver Theater 16 horror. Colorado has a special place in my heart. I lived in Golden for nearly 3 years and one of the best times in my life. I still remembered THAT morning in 1999, we were just coming out from lecture looking for a quick bite at the student center.  On the big screen there was a live news report of the Columbine High school shooting. We were all shaken, being so close to Columbine!. 

Then another horror happened, this time in Denver! My heart breaks. I have to make these pages right away. 

These prayers are also for those who affected by the recent wild fire in Colorado Springs. Be healed, beautiful state. If you have 30 seconds to spare, do send your love and prayers for them too. Thank you :).

Hugs & Love,

Shahrul

Fresh Pair of Googly Eyes

I can't help myself to stick two pairs of googly eyes on my journal pages after seeing them so cute on Lisa Minkler's blog. Check out her owl cards here. Yesterday, I found just the perfect quote to go along with the googly eyes that says " Originality is simply a pair of fresh eyes" by Thomas Wentworth Higginson.

And I've just got to have chubby birds on my journal too :). Here's how they look,

   

Background colors are from water-soluble crayons and glimmer mist over a stencil. Drew circles with black india ink and let some dripped to create chubby birds. I also collaged numbers from newspapers, cupcake wrappers, measuring tape and masking tapes.

Drew circles & dots with correction pen and calling it done :).

A quick & fun spread from me. Till next, happy journaling!.
Hugs.

Fancy A Bubble Wrap Necklace?

Dear friends,

I'm so excited to share a website that shows how to make a necklace out of bubble wraps!. Yaha, my jaw certainly d.r.o.p.p.e.d!. Sherri Haab and Michelle Haab featured a cool bubble wrap necklace in their book, "Jewelry Upcycled!". Check out their great tutorial here and you'll be making one handsome jewelry piece in no time :). I tried making one last night and was quite happy how it turned out. I also added a pair of earrings just for fun.

The finished project.

Some of the materials used; glass beads, bubble wrap discs, jump rings, findings and salvaged bracelet & necklace. If followed the tutorial very closely, you'll ended up with quite sturdy fused bubble wrap sheets. The more layers of bubble wraps, the thicker the fused sheets would be. From here, I drew and cut circles of various sizes before punched holes in them. Then continued assembling the glass beads and bubble wrap discs with jump rings & findings to the necklace using jewelry-making tools.

I love how the fused bubble wrap discs retained its original 'bubble', yet compacted. They have such beautiful sheen, almost like pearly shells. 

Do check out LESSology Challenge #16 (Bubble Boy or Girl) for great inspirations from the designing team, many more cool ways to upcycle bubble wraps . Come along join in the fun with us!. Till next, have a good Wednesday :).

Hugs,

Shahrul

Gypsy Chunky ATC

Sweet friends,

I have not heard of chunky ATC until a couple of months ago. I went Pinning for altered bottles and then, I saw one. "Hello ... what are you?". I quickly learnt that chunky ATCs are very much like ATCs on steroids!. They are bulky, blocky, tall, overflowing with embellies, yet super fun looking. Inspired, I decided to make one with a little twist :). An altered perfume bottle, just added a skeleton key and calling it chunky ATC. 

Here's my chunky lady;

Front view.

Its past life was a perfume bottle (A&F). I cleaned it well, dried, covered up the labels with gesso & acrylic paint and then the fun began. Heavily embellished with burlap, metal charms, crystal and beads.

This is fun mainly because I could use my limited jewelry making skill to embellish this glass bottle. LOVE glass chunky ATC better than the wooden block ones. They catch the sunlight beautifully. Give it a try, sometime :).

Light & Love,
Shahrul

Have You Seen Bubble Wrap Dandelions?

Dear friends,

In search of random items to play in my journal, I was nicely surprised to find bubble wraps hidden deep in my craft closet. What a benign neglect on my part!. I used to pop bubble wraps with my cats when they were young kittens, so much fun. And soon enough, they ended up as dandelions on my journal. LOL.

I started by sticking masking tapes randomly over the pages to create some sort of patchwork. Colored over it with blue soft pastel and smudged with wet finger. After that dried, I decoupaged some decorative tissue papers. Later adhered brown twines, gauze and bubble wrap (as dandelions). Smudged gesso on bubble wraps. Lastly, drew circles & dots around each circles and wrote 'Carry my dreams, dandelions' in black india ink.

Bubble wrap as dandelions. Gauze as clouds. And decoupaged rose garden!. Happiness.

Another fun use of bubble wraps. This month at LESSology, we are also playing with bubble wraps!. Take a peek at fabulous ideas using bubble wrap and come play along with our Challenge #16: Bubble Boy or Girl!.

I'm also linking up my journal pages today to Art Journal Cafe (Tissue Paper Challenge). Have a good Monday, everyone!. 

Hugs,
Shahrul

Summer of Colors - Week 6

Dear friends,

This is a bittersweet post for me. This week is the final week of Summer of Colors 2: Ice-cream Inspiration Challenge. Kristin of Twinkle Twinkle had revealed our very last ice-cream flavor, Watermelon Ice. I had the most fun participating in the last five weeks with various projects. Thanks Kristin for hosting this lovely challenge!.

Inspiration for Week 6: Watermelon Ice

My finished project: Altered Mini Album.

This was originally a business card holder/album. I took out the plastic sleeves inside, punched the spine with Zutter and added 20 pieces of black, 4" X 3" cardstock papers.  Then I stamped at the front and back covers with black gesso. Lastly, added some chunky charms to the coil binder.

The watermelon ice-cream color is screaming hearts & love! :)). LOVE the red. I have been keeping this business card holder for more than a year and I just thought it would be perfect for a little project, a tribute to love and romance of Paris!. I have never been to Paris, actually. Always been in my 'places-to-go' wish bucket, hopefully I could visit Paris one day and sketch!!. 

I think this little album can also be a mini sketch book or even a tiny art journal :).

So, I'll meet you all again in next year's Summer of Colors Challenge :). It is such a great way to meet, make new friends, share my art and learn from the masters. Thank you for all your kind words and have a great summer!.

Hugs,

Shahrul

Like No Other

I saw on the newspaper yesterday, a very nice advertisement showing simple things I love, photographed in a montage-style. It came with a catchy line that said 'Like No Other'. Love the grungy look of it so much I created a journal spread for it. I collaged the images and even the title on my pages! :).

I colored the background with blue & red water-soluble crayons, smudged with wet finger. It turned out as grungy as I wanted. Almost like I hang frames of my favorite things on a beaten up wall. Using a correction tape, I outlined each of the image as if they were Polaroid photos. Lastly, doodled all over the pages with a correction pen. 

A few of my favorite things: Good canvas walking shoes, red hot scooters!, great life music, cool cameras, old automobiles (especially VW camper) and bicycles (the cuter, the better). BLISS. I saw a guy riding this hottie to Bangsar Shopping Center one day, and boy was I thrilled??. I walk almost everywhere, so having a good pair of shoes is a must. And back in college, I cycled to SAFEWAY to do groceries :). 

How about take a moment on long summer afternoons ... over a nice cool glass of lemonade, think about what makes you happy. Little things that make you chuckle, maybe. Put them on your journal pages :)). Will you join me?. 

Hugs,

Shahrul

Doodle like Alisa Burke?

Dear friends,

Been playing with doodle art lately. I think they make cool wearables. Do you know any great fabric paints or markers?. I feel like making a doodle t-shirt or a tote soon. But for now, I'm settled for doodled pages :).

I made these today;

I simply went crazy and a little 'greedy' with doodle. I was inspired by Alisa Burke's doodle flowers that I saw in her sketch book. So, armed with bright water color crayons and black + maroon sharpies, I was set to work. Sometimes, more is definitely MORE, LOL.

I'll say, being bold is rewarding :). Try it. And have a good weekend. 

Hugs,
Shahrul

Sunrise Sunrise, says Norah Jones

I watched some old songs on youtube the other day and one that was still too cute, was Norah Jones' Sunrise song. Watch the fun video here. I'm loving the tunes, the play and even the props!. Looked like they had so much fun :).

My journal entry today is a tribute to the song. I wrote the lyrics down (for the most part) across the pages and drew a big sunny face in the middle. I wanted to have a child-like theme (just like in the video) so I had the cheeks, the eyes and even the sunshine colored in smudged soft pastels. 

Hope these pages make you smile :). Have a great summer and Happy Friday!.

XO,

Shahrul

Find Your Magic

Hi, how was your day?. 

It's a strange day for me as I was feeling tired for no reason!. I was out having lunch, then a little grocery shopping then came home to feed the cats. I took a nap and I must tell you it was a restless one!. I remembered seeing bloody red paint & black doodle flash about in my mind's eye.  I got up and started painting :).

Here's what I made;

I did a bad job at stenciling a paper doily with black gesso!. All smudgy, LOL.

This image from Marie Claire magazine helped me a bit;

Painted background with water-soluble crayons (in red & orange), I collaged a pretty lady and decided to decoupaged some roses on her cheeks :). Rosy cheeks, literally!. Then added bits of tissue papers and red burlaps for texture.

First time having a face on my pages. I saw Julie Balzer painted some faces on her journal pages, I thought I should try. She paints well, I can't so I collage :). Quite fun. Especially putting the tiara on :). So that's it. Good nite, friends.

Hugs,

Shahrul

P/s: Come join me and LESSology team on this month's challenge; Bubble Boy or Girl. You'll have a chance at winning a place to Heidi Myers' class 'Words & Text', Part 2. 

Flightless Bird by Iron & Wine

Hello,

My friend Nida of Whimsical Ideas invited us on her blog that we try create journal pages based on songs. I was playing with my new carved stamps when inspiration struck. In my heart, I wanted to create a sunset scene for a Twilight page, where the setting sun shone through trees and leaves. And I would write on the page parts of a song from Twilight movie called 'Flightless Bird' by Iron & Wine. This song was on while Bella & Edward slow dancing out at the gazebo :). You can listen to it here.

The stamped background was inspired by Lorenzo Pentratoni's Swatch black & white latest collection;

My finished pages;

See, I CANNOT spell 'flightless'!. I cannot multi-task. I cannot spell and paint at the same time :). There is no way to correct the mistake or else ruining the whole thing. So I left it as it is :). Totally embarrassing.

I collaged tissue papers, painted the pages with crayons and soft pastels before stamping crazily with black gesso for texture. Wrote the lyrics in liquid correction pen & maroon sharpie. 

Okay, I'm off to go grab some (late) lunch. See you soon, Happy Monday!.

Hugs,

Shahrul

Summer of Colors - Week 5

Hi everyone :),

I had so much fun making jewelry last few days and I decided to make another set especially for the Summer of Colors Challenge Week 5. Kristin of Twinkle Twinkle gave us another prompt of ice-cream flavor, the cool and crazy Wild 'N Reckless Sherbet!

The Inspiration: Wild 'N Reckless Sherbet

My wild 'N colorful project: Necklace-bracelet set.

I salvaged a couple of old butterfly pendants and added new clay beads with crazy colors which I bought from my favorite jewelry shop. Wished I know how to make them :).

Next, I need to learn how to make these clay beads.! They are yummy but pricey. LOL. Anyways, I hope you're having fun visiting!. 

Hugs,

Shahrul