Sizzix: Book | Butterfly

Hello! This year had been a great start for me and I have been making a point to practise more on my book binding. Today, I found inspiration from Sizzix - large delicate butterfly die by David Tutera. 

I love this die set. I have been using this die for a previous album and from there, I thought it would be cool to make a book with this die as well. For the cover, I used a different base patterned paper so there is contrast. For these 2, I trimmed off the edge so there is no folding. The inserts are folded in half, and align on the dotted lines indicated on the die. 

The binding connects the inserts and links up the left and right side of the butterfly. It is as though the stitching was the body of the butterfly! For this binding, I chose to use the long stitch method, and then finally gathering up the long stitches on the last stroke to mimic a star styled binding. 

To finish up, I added light details. This die really doesn't need too much embellishments to shine. I only used some pearl drops at random parts of the butterfly to increase texture, and let the butterfly shine!

I will be sharing a couple Sizzix projects soon on my Instagram and blog, the new dies are so fun to play with! Stay tuned~

Supplies Used:

MWL DT: Mini Album | 12 Days of Christmas

Try not to be alarmed by the title, yes it is only August, and 4 months away from my favorite season! I always like to make my minis a little earlier for the season, so when time comes, I just have to stick the photos and do my journalling. 

Today I am on the Made With Love design team, sharing a Christmas album I have prepared for this year. Christmas is always my favorite festive season, because it is filled with lots of love and joyous cheers!

12 Days Of Christmas

12 Days Of Christmas - Front Cover closeups

I couldn't help but to do some fussy cutting for the front cover. The little figures in the pattern paper (supplies below) are just too adorable! Decorations on this album are inspired by the pattern papers. These beautiful papers are by Pebbles - Merry Merry Collection. 

12 Days of Christmas - Sunburst

There are a total of 12 tags in this sunburst album. I made it 12, so it can house 1 picture each on my 12 days of Christmas. I wanted to document my 12 days with a photo of the day. Well 12 tags also corresponds to a sheet of 3x4 grid pattern paper! Since I love them so much, might as well use them all right?

Sunburst, tags close up

Here is the tag close up. I left some white matting on the tag, so I can just paste my photos in afterwards. The white mat also helps to highlight the photos! Then I did some more snipping. Randomly cutting out the florals in one of the pattern paper and used them as tag headers! Not only are they asthetically pretty, they function as a holder so I can pick out my tags easily from the pockets. 

Now don't forget to add some fillers! I used the Tim Holtz punch to punch out some leaves so I can stuff them in between the flowers or behind them. You will be surprised at how these little things add dimensions and layers to your project!

Piano Hinge Binding

How could I not have any binding for my albums? You can say that is almost impossible for me. So yes, I am making use of the piano hinge binding this time. The red and green combination has me wishing for Christmas to come soon! Top it up with weaving to complete the entire look. 

Oh yes, straws are used here. Don't worry, these are absolutely clean ones, used for scrapbooking purposes! I like these straws because they are sturdier than the usual ones, and they come in multiple colors! These straws are by Doodlebug Pixies - ladybug. 

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

Supplies:

• Pebbles - Merry Merry Collection

• Doodlebug Pixies - Ladybug (straws)

• Tim Holtz Punch - Pine

• Kaisercraft Decorative Block Words Dies

• Sizzix Thinlits - Gatefold Card, Birthday (bracket die for covers)

• AC white cardstock

• Red Twine

• Green Dotted Cardstock (fillers)

Want to learn how to do this? This month, I am conducting a similar workshop teaching how to construct a sunburst album with piano hinge binding. Don't forget to look out for more book binding projects / classes available only with Made With Love. 

Thank you for dropping by my blog today! 

MWL Workshop: Happy Hearts [Mar 2017~]

Description: House your happy memories in this specially bounded album with Maggie Holmes Chasing Dreams collection! This intermediate class emphasizes on stitching and album construction. It includes a uniquely stitched spine and layered chipboard decors - a great chunky album!

Techniques Learnt: English Case Binding, Album Construction, long stitch binding, decor stitch binding

MWL DT: 5 Questions (and a hand stitched wedding album!)

Hi everyone! I am joining alongside with the other Made with Love design team members who will be answering 5 questions for our DT posts. This marks a special edition and hope you get to know us better!

For first, I would like to share a recent project I have done. I believe in simplicity- so cardstocks, some simple/basic pattern paper and diecuts aid the creating process in most of my works. 

Here is my recent work:

In this 8.25" album, I used primarily cardstocks for the album cover and spine. The navy blue cardstock really helps to enhance the stitching. Here I used single coptic method to stitch the names. Since I was going to use the Sizzix Plus Ampersand die set on the front cover, I decided to use a smaller N in the stitching. The front and back covers were embossed by the Sizzix Plus Embossing Folders - Botanical Swirls. Embossing is a beautiful method. It gives texture and yet not too much detail. It is just enough for other decorations to take place above it! 

Here is a closer look at the front cover:

Using the Big Shot Plus machine really expands my possiblities of crafting and book binding! Want to know more about the Big Shot Plus? Be sure to make a trip down to Made with Love and the friendly staffs will be able to show you a demo.

All products used are available in Made With Love.

Ok, now its time for the 5 Questions (and 5 answers) :

1) Who am I ?

This year marks a new beginning to my life. I am a new wife to my dear husband, who is super supportive of my other love life - paper crafts and book binding. I began book binding as little as age of 5, but concentrated on it more during my teenage years (up till now and beyond!). It was by chance I got to pick up scrapbooking 10 years ago, and I never looked back since. It has been a wonderful journey merging 2 things I love in my projects. Currently, I am on a few design teams - Made With Love, Simple Stories and Maya Road. I am also an instructor at Made With Love alongside with the creative brains. 

2) What is my creative style ?

I was known to many for my browns and vintage style in the earlier days. Throughout the journey, my style has changed towards brighter tones. I really like the changes along this journey, it helps me explore more into the creative process and experience different moods. Embrace the changes! It is fun to look through the past works and see how different your style will change! Afterall the creative process is one filled with joy and experience!

3) What inspires me ?

Everything. I like to stare at building structures, artwork of posters or a stitching design on a sweater. They give me the inspiration I need. It can be in the form of structure on a layout or a stitching pattern I use on my books.

4 What I love about being Singaporean ?

The harmony of different races living in one country. This is especially special for me since I have travelled to countries. Because of the racial harmony, there is also a well balanced spread of food choices in the food courts! Oh well, where else can one find such a spread of food just in one place? I am super proud to be a Singaporean!

5) What do I wish for ?

Health. For my family and for my friends. There is nothing more important than health. With good health, everything else is possible.

There you go! Hope you got to know a bit more about me. Do stay tuned to the DTs who will be sharing their answers to the 5 questions too!

MWL Workshops: Cross my Heart (Aug 2016 ~)

Yes, I am up with another binding! This time round, I am using cross stitch to construct this album, sure to make your receivers go "wow!"

Class schedules are already up on Made With Love FB page, do check it out or pop over the store to see the class sample today!

Description: Who doesn't love a beautifully stitched named album? Color your love with a chunky album filled with loads of pop ups for that special occasion! This time, we will construct and stitch this sturdy album in 4 different colors!

Techniques Learnt: Cross Stitch Binding, Album construction, spine construction

Looking forward to seeing you at Made With Love! Limited classes and kits available. Don't miss out! Check out MWL facebook page for more details!

MWL DT: Single Coptic Stitch with name - Mini Album

Hi crafters! It's me today sharing my mini album as Made With Love DT and I had so much fun with stitching this time round!

I wanted to personalize the album for my friends. My best friends. There are so many albums I want to document our friendship so I reckon that an album with a named spine might be useful. Think of how they look if you create a few albums and put them side by side on the book shelf?

This form of sewing uses the single coptic stitch. There is so many possibilities with one form of sewing, and I am happy to be expanding the stitches to create the spine I want.

This mini album took me 2 hours to sew and another half hour for decoration. I have to say that the sewing time was long, but definitely worth my efforts! Here's a look into the album.

Sewing cultivates my patience. Really it does. There are so many ways to make the sewing process a lot easier, but nothing can make the perfect sewing except if you are patient enough to go through each and every step with accuracy. One wrong step at the initial stage, and you could go hay wired in the next steps to come. With every practice, the stitching becomes easier, and there would be less room for errors. There is no short cut in sewing, and as the saying goes, practice makes perfect.

I can't say this enough. Each binding is unique to the receiver. I can create different types of binding to suit the occasion, and I can alter the stitches to make it work for me. That is why I keep binding. This is also why it intrigues me every time when I see a particular pattern I want to add to my album. Or maybe I see an apple on the table, and the next thing I know, I would pick up my pencil to draft the sewing pattern on my notebook. (okay, maybe not apple, but you get the point.) 

I like this kind of challenge. It spurs me to think of new ways to showcase my albums. It pushes me to be more patient with every mistake I make (yes, I tend to re-do the entire album until I get it right.) But that's how we learn right?

Look forward to my book binding classes! There is something new which you can pick up to customize your own album!

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. 

Thanks for dropping by my blog today! 

MWL Workshop: Double Star Chunky [June 2016~]

Oh it's June already! One of my favourite months of the year! This month I have installed some fun and easy album binding for all! 

Project Title : Double Star Chunky

Description : Special chunky album edition allowing multiple layering possible! Let your album spine shine with a new book binding technique which Stacy has created - Double Star Stitching!

Techniques: Album construction, Double Star Stitching

Looking forward to seeing you at Made With Love! Limited classes and kits available. Don't miss out! 

Check out MWL facebook page for more details!

MWL DT: Hungarian Braided Chain Stitch Album

Hi everyone! Time passes really fast and I am back with another book binding project inspired by a die-set! Yes, I am amazed at this journey, how we get inspired by different elements and dies etc. I have often found myself inspired by the dies I see on the racks on Made With Love! I put this project together in about 3 hours and I also found myself trying out a new stitch again!

Project planning helps to save some time for the entire process. Before I started on this project, I pulled out some dies which I am using. I really like the mini album die by Sizziz - Lori Whitlock. There are so many elements in this pack so it was really sufficient to make an album with this pack. In addition, I picked out the Maya Road rolled flower and geometric leaf die to complement.

After the necessary die-cutting, I assembled the album together. I didn't make use of the holes in the die-cut, but I decided to add a spine with the existing score line. Honestly, this idea came about only after the pieces were cut out and I decided to go with the flow!

Here's a look at the album:

This stitch is known as the Hungarian Braided Chain Stitch. I use it as a book binding stitch as it gives an embossed looped outlook, and it is very pretty when done with a thick spine. I find that this stitch gives a "full" look to the spine and creates a good amount of interest.

The rolled flowers and leaves are such a gorgeous pair! 

The die set also includes the insert page die. Here, I've used various Simple Stories "You are Here" collection pattern papers for the insert pages. There are also numerous dies from the pack which I used randomly in the pages of this album.

Supplies used are available at Made With Love.

Do also check out Made With Love FB page for more book binding class schedules! :) 

Hope you enjoyed this album and have a creative filled month of May!

MWL DT: Button Hole Stitching

Hello! It's my turn on the MWL design team to share a project with you! 

Book binding is a great skill to learn and a craft that has been around for many years. It takes practice and understanding the steps to bind, but book binding can also be made simple. As an instructor, I like to study the traditional methods of book binding so that I can infer from these traditional methods to something that can work with my albums or notebooks. Book binding techniques can be used on its own or mixed with other stitches to give a different feel to the entire project - and this is exactly what I like about book binding.

Today, I would like to introduce a mini album featuring Button Hole Stitching, which is a well known book binding method.

This is the basic form of Button Hole stitching, which I adore. The main advantage of this binding is that it does not require any glue for the sections to the spine. It allows me to also expand or contract each section with different page height to enclose more or lesser page layering.

Another advantage is the ability to add designs to the project spine. Because the middle section is open, it allows the flexibility to include designs to enhance the project. There is also a possibility of changing thread colors and adding beads to the project. I like this kind of variation possibilities, so I can change the outlook of my entire project with 1 book binding skill!

Book binding adds a flair to the entire album. Coupled with a few other embellishments, and your mini-album is good to go! 

Supplies used are available at Made With Love.

- Simple Stories: Life in Color Collection, Enamel Dots, Elements pack, chipboard frames
- Sizzix Tim Holtz: detailed butterflies die cut

Want to learn more about book binding?  Do check out Made With Love FB page for more book binding class schedules! :) I will be conducting Button Hole Stitching and Lattice binding (Last call!) this month and hope to see you around!

Cheers!

Maya Road: Faith & Love - Mini Album

It's my turn on the Maya Road DT Blog again! This time, I am sharing a mini-album made from scratch using lattice stitch binding. I love how special the album becomes with a sewn spine!

For the album title, i made use of MR Faith Script die on foam. Foam comes in many different colors and has a certain thickness to highlight your font. I love MR dies because they cut these thick materials at ease too!

Another of my favourite new product is the MR Vintage Crafting Tassels. In this case, I used the milk white tassel. Just cord it through a twine and stick it to the back of the pattern paper or backing. What I love is that it creates an interaction on the front cover! The dangling tassel does make the album more "alive"!

On the other side of the album, I layered MR resin deer, silver and pink star pins, pink paper flower, milk white felt roses, round jeweled center, and my favourite geometric feather die as a base for the felt flower. I like just how versatile the die is!

Here's a look into the album:

The mini embroidery hoop is another embellishment which I love. This time, I layered it onto the stitch circle charm. For both wooden embellishments, I used my Tombow brush to color them in order to highlight the title "love".

On another page, I decided to enclose some hidden journaling behind the photo. In order to keep it in place, I made use of the question mark clip. Super useful embellishment! Oh and did you see the beautiful doilies die-cut?

Here, I share with you another 2 pages in this album using MR embellishments. It is always easy to construct the pages with the products!

Hope you like what I shared with you today, and don't forget to drop by the MR blog, facebook or instagram for more inspirations!

Maya Road Supplies Used:
• Corrugated Kraft Mail Tags

• Geotag Love Clip• Resin Mini mums - Turquoise Sea
• Framed Sayings Kraft Pieces - White
• Shine Gold Twine Cording
• Faith Script die
• Vintage Crafting Tassels
• resin deer
• silver and pink star pins
• pink paper flower
• milk white felt roses
• round jeweled center
• geometric feather die
• mini embroidery hoop
• stitch circle charm
• Fanciful love die
• question mark clip
• doilies die-cut