MWL DT: LO | LOL

Hello hello! I am posting as Made With Love DT today, sharing a stitched layout this time. It was Father's day yesterday, so today's post is really dedicated to my hero. Happy Father's Day, daddy! You are always my hero and first love *kisses*

When I started out this layout, I knew I wanted it to be in a geometrics theme. My dad is an engineer, he is also the one who had inspired me to be one. So when I laid eyes on Paige Evans' Pink Paislee Pick Me Up collection, I immediately got inspired by one of the papers.

Pink Paislee - Paige Evans - Pick Me Up Collection

What do you see from this paper? I literally saw diamonds jumping at me! So I took out my trusty scissors and immediately cut those shapes up, knowing they would well fit onto my layout. In addition, I did have them matted onto another pattern paper in the same collection just to give it a boost of contrast on the layout.

Oh, but I really had to add some more texture to the entire layout. Of course there had to be stitching! I decided to use another geometric design as the background, hence deciding to fill it up with a hexagonal/diamond pattern. Adding stitches adds a whole new dimension of texture and outlook to the entire layout, so I really love to add these stitches to my layouts.

Journal on your layouts! This is such an important part of layouts, but most commonly neglected. Most are afraid to write, but documenting memories really means recording the thoughts of the photo or layout. I use my trusted WRMK typecast for my journal purposes. It can take in 12" papers, and that is one big bonus for scrappers! In this case, I chose to cut them out in strips and adhered them with adhesive foam.

The title meant a lot to me. While acronyms are part of our lives, my father is trying to decipher the acronyms that commonly arise during our Whatsapp conversations. While the official meaning of LOL is "laugh out loud", my father really thinks otherwise. On one occasion, he asked what is the meaning of LOL, and he thought it was "lots of love"! Creative for sure! That is how LOL got its new definition and definitely something special between my dad and I.

To create the alphabets, I turned to my WRMK Mini Alphabet Punch! It provides me with easy access to title making, and also covers a good area on my layout, making it prominent.

I must say, I am really a fan of fussy cutting. I added dimensions on the diamonds with smaller diamond/triangle pieces from the same pattern paper. As the word fussy suggests, cutting papers in rough fashion, so there is really no stress about it. Trust me, even if there was an over-cut in the paper, no one will notice! That is really the beauty of scrapbooking!

Another element I love to add are vellum. They are translucent, so they create a whole new detail without over emphasis. To adhere, simply use glossy accents where the glue dries clear so the glue stains will not be apparent.

Nowadays, we are also lucky to be able to use foil and glitter paper onto our layouts! That little bit goes a long way, and it helps to highlight the details on our layouts!

Finally to complete the layout, I added some clear and blue dew drops. They fill up the empty spaces without over cluttering - that's why they are my favorite! (And I really must add, MWL has just recently stocked many different colors of dew drops!)

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there! Hope you have enjoyed the walk through of this layout! You can learn more about stitching on layouts at Made With Love, we have a new workshop "Stitch and Sew" coming right up in July!

Materials used are available at Made With Love.

Made With Love B2-08, 313 Somerset, Orchard Road Tel : 67337630 Facebook |  Instagram

Supplies Used:

Pink Paislee - Paige Evans -
Pick Me Up Collection

WRMK Typecast

WRMK Mini Alphabet Punch

The Robin's Nest Dew Drops

Sizzix: Keychain | Owl

Hello everyone! I couldn't help but do another project with the Sizzix Owl Bigz die! This owl has me really hooked. This time, I used felt instead of paper and made myself a little owl keychain.

How cute is this! Just cut the pieces required to assemble the owl. For the body, I used blind stitching and inserted some foam for the body. For the rest of the elements, you can choose to stitch or simply add glue to assemble.

Viola! A quick project and now my clutch has a matching owl keychain to go along!

Hope this inspires you to use different materials for the bigz die and you can achieve different purposes!

Be sure to check out the Sizzix UK blog or Sizzix Lifestyle Instagram for more ideas!

For my local friends residing in Singapore, the dies are available at Made with Love  whilst stocks last!

Supplies Used:

MWL DT: Workshop | Scrapbook Basics

Hi everyone! Today I am up as MWL DT member, sharing about one of our workshops - Scrapbook Basics. This workshop is very close to my heart. It is also what got me hooked to scrapbooking and documenting my daily life right now.

14 years ago, I was attracted to a beautiful shop named Made With Love. On my first visit, I remembered feeling lost, because I did not know what to buy nor how to get started. The projects on display were so pretty and I really hoped one day I could do something like that. So I took the first step to attend a workshop - Scrapbook Basics (previously known as Just Getting Started).

Yes, stepping into the workshop then was probably the best choice I ever made. That was the start of one project to another, and it led me to where I am now, teaching the very same workshop which got me started. I am a true believer of 2 things - foundations and practise. Foundations provide a base of information, and practise brings one to greater levels.

Scrapbook Basics covers 3 important sections to aid your journey into scrapbooking. 

Firstly, introduction of tools and essential scrapbooking terms. How did scrapbooking come about, and why we scrap? What is the difference between a scrapbooking shop and a stationery shop? What do we need to start making a layout? In this first section of the workshop, we will cover the necessary terms and items to get started.

Next, how do we get started with a layout? What makes a layout? What styles bring out the photograph? How to highlight the story you want to tell? In the second portion of the class, we discuss composition guidelines, and how to get started on a 12" x 12" page. 

Last but not least, the workshop isn't complete until you give it a try! Nothing beats having to try out what you have learnt, and the hands on practise will allow you to understand the theory learnt.

At Made With Love, we prepare you for what comes next. Be it scrapbooking layouts, mixed media work, altered art or album making, this first step will help you embrace your next part of the creative journey. 

Scrapbook Basics Workshop costs $45 for 2.5 hours of informative and fun experience! Products and supplies are provided for this workshop, just bring along 2-3 4R photos.

Check out the workshop samples which are on display in the store! Made With Love is located at B2-08, 313 Somerset, Orchard Road Tel : 67337630 Facebook |  Instagram

Thanks for joining me today and have a great CNY week ahead! 

MWL DT: Shine Mini Album with Hungarian Stitch

Hi everyone! It's my turn as Made With Love DT to share a little hand stitched mini album today~ I am so excited with this one, I did spend some time on the stitching and it was therapeutic!

I intend to use this for my baby niece, and she is a star. Therefore, I named this album "Shine". To construct this album, I have used 2 collections from Simple Stories - Faith Collection & Domestic Bliss Collection. These colors are my current fav to work with!

Making albums are a wheeze with the correct tools. For this album, I have used the Xyron (both the 1.5" and 5" unit) for the background pages, covers and tiny details like the title.

Yes, these are my current must have for album making! This saves around half the time taken to adhere the pages, and makes life easier for the tiny elements like the title. 

The inside pages are constructed using the We R Memory Keepers Tab Punch board! Details like these help to enhance the album! Just 2 punch action and 1 cut - yes it is that simple! 

Another great use of the tab punch! I like to slot some tabbed pages into pockets, so I can remove them easily to add journaling to the back of the tabbed pages.

I love the hungarian stitch, it is one stitch with volume and details; and it is perfect for albums! This time round, I am using the hungarian stitch again, but with variation. The signatures in this album are sewn on with the hungarian stitch. 

All materials used for this project are available at Made With Love. 

Don't forget to also look out for more book binding projects / classes available only with Made With Love. Want to learn how the hungarian stitch is done? I will be running the workshop "You are awesome" in June which features the same hungarian stitch done in the vertical fashion. Do check out the dates in June!

Thanks for dropping by my blog today! 

MWL DT: Dreams~ [Secret Belgium Binding]

My upcoming workshop Made With Love has gotten me thinking. The experiment with a variation of the secret belgium binding had been so fulfilling, so I really wanted to vary this method of binding again! Today I am sharing a new hand stitched album on Made With Love blog, after exploring this secret belgium binding a little further!

I wanted to make this album for my little niece Sophie; she is growing up way too fast! Seeing her on the day she was born warms my heart. The first collection which came to my mind was the Pink Paislee "Oh My Heart" collection by Paige Evans! This collection has packed a lot of fun elements and I totally can see how Sophie would love these colors!

Now that I have the stitch and papers in mind, the next thing to decide was the album structure. I commonly get inspired by Sizzix dies, and of course, this was no exception! This time I chose to use the Sizzix Eileen Hull's Scoreboard XL Die - Caddy Bag. Sure, it was meant to be used as a caddy, but who says it can't be turned into a pocket album? Eileen Hull has a great collection of dies which can be used in different ways, check out her other Scoreboard XL dies in Made With Love! (Another of my personal favourite is the Flower pocket XL die. That's another die which could possibly turn into another album!)

Here is a closer look at the secret belgium binding. This binding method is beautiful. This time, I altered the front stitches so they look like a branch out / arrows, just to add some fun element to the front cover. 

How can you not love this collection? There are a number of puns in this collection, and I love how witty they sound! This was one of them, and I had a good laugh over it. Most first time parents would know how their weekends and weekdays are fully booked! It always seems that there is no time except baby time~

Each of the pages had a pocket, where I filled them up with tags. Additional photos and journaling goes onto these tags - you could use both sides of the tags if you wished.

This is my best friend for making tags! The We Are Memory Keepers Tab punch board has made our scrapbooking lives much easier, just a few steps and viola, you get the tab all punched out! 

This was how I assembled the pieces from the die-cuts - using the Xyron Creative Station Lite. I am using the 5" refills. Album making just got a whole load easier with this machine! The added benefits - running the pattern papers through the machine gives an awesome sense of satisfaction as well!

I had fun with this album, and hope you enjoyed the walk through! All products used are from Made With Love, thanks for dropping by my blog today! 

Products Used:

Pink Paislee Paige Evan
- Oh My Heart Collection

Xyron Creative Station Lite

Sizzix Eileen Hull
- Caddy Bag

We Are Memory Keepers
- Tab Punch Board

MWL Workshop: You Are Beautiful [ Apr 2017~]

Description : Shabby vintage is in the house! Book Binding does not necessarily relate to books. It can also be used in shadow box construction and Stacy will show you how! This advanced workshop is going to make your crafty fingers do some massive workout - great for those who are itching to do some major sewing and construction!

Techniques Learnt: Shadow box construction, 4 albums, Altered secret belgium binding