Ztampfilicious

We hear all sorts of sound almost every moment of our waking life – sometimes even when we’re asleep. How does sound affect you? What kind of sounds speak to you the most? What kind of sounds you find unbearable? I found the sound of birds chirping and toddlers chattering to be most delightful – always makes me smile, while sound of people shouting in anger to be very unpleasant. I also enjoy listening to the hum of daily life, the sound of neighborhood – distant and yet close. It is familiar and comforting.

The word ‘Sound’ also has another meaning, which has a positive value as in ‘sound health’, ‘sleeping soundly’, ‘sound argument’, and so on. I wonder how this came to be! Do any of you know?

Now, how is it for you? What kind of sounds you find most pleasing? What kind of sound you find disturbing? What does the word ‘sound’ invoke in you?

All these thoughts came to mind when I picked the word ‘Sound’ from a list of words provided by Tangie as the theme for my contribution for her Art Journal Caravan Parcel #34. It is so inspiring, I had to create these ‘Sound PaperPack‘ to add to it :). Of course, these papers are also versatile to be used with any of Ztampf! kits.

Just take a closer look… The delicate details are truly wonderful even if it’s I who say so :).

See these amazing layouts that the talented Z!Girls have made with them
(Notes: Items from Parcel #34 Art Journal Caravan at Studio Tangie are used in most of the layouts featured here. The rest are from various other Ztampf! kits):

by Lynn, with Sound Paper Pack and elements from Parcel #34 Art Journal Caravan

by Carolyn, with Sound Paper Pack and elements from Parcel #34 Art Journal Caravan

by Tracy, with Sound Paper Pack and elements from Parcel #34 Art Journal Caravan, stitching is from Adventouriste ARTiStitches

by Tracy, with Sound Paper Pack and elements from Liquid Kit and Seashore Kit

 Get ‘Sound PaperPack‘ and Parcel #34 Art Journal Caravan now!

Are you ready for the autumn?

20% OFF until Sunday, Aug. 21st only!

Studio Mix #6
Bring Autumn Magic In
Lorie Davison – Natali – Ztampf!

“Fhung, Natali, and Lorie cordially invite you to give a big heartfelt thank-you hug to summer and a welcoming kiss to autumn with their collaboration ‘Bring Autumn Magic In’

The late summer sunsets splash the clouds with a magical golden light this time of year. The lush greens begin to fade and the rusts and wine reds of the leaves forecast the deeper shades of autumn to come. The sweetness of summer lingers and there’s still time for ice cream cones and picnics but we are ready to bring autumn magic in.

We hope our Studio Mix collaboration can help you capture the magic of this time of year in your art.”

You can purchase Bring Autumn Magic In and the B Side Add-On packs (B Side Paper Pack Add-On and B Side Clusters) at a special introductory, early bird price of 20% off until August 21st. This Mix is an awesome addition to your digital scrapbooking kit collection!

I think at one point or another in our lives, we all like to collect something. It is human nature to want to gather and keep things that capture our fancy. Some people eventually outgrow their tendency to collect things. But some of us continue to collect things. Among us, there are some seriously dedicated collector who would pursue new addition to their collection. They keep and take care of their collection with greatest care.

I am more of what I would call a Casual Collector. I don’t make very special effort to add to my collection of various things. When I come across something that I like, I would keep them whenever possible. Along the way, I found myself collecting rocks and seashells that I often just picked from the ground during my various travels. I also collect buttons, and pieces of ribbons and strings – some are bought, some are part of gift wrapping given to me. I love tins, especially small ones – usually they are containers of candies or small trinkets. I would keep them and re-use them to store small things. I also collect nuts, screws and bolts of various sizes and finishes – these often come in handy when I need some for my art projects! I collect boxes too. Yes: packaging boxes, mailing boxes, display boxes… I just love them! I am interested in their constructions and materials, but I also just love the idea of boxes as containers of things. So I collect them, and I re-use them whenever I can. Being an artist, I tend to collect junks – things that others might think as useless, but in which I see beauty and potentials. Some of these have proven to be useful in some of my artworks while admittedly, a whole lot of them are still waiting for their eventual transformation!

So… how about you? What do you collect?

Today I want to share with you some layouts done with my new Collect Kit:

by Carolyn - who loves to collect all things Camel

by Carin - showcasing her son's guitar collection

by Lynn - who loves to collect rocks

by me - I also used items from Art Journal Caravan Parcel #32 that I am contributing for Tangie

That’s my super cute nephew, Lance – who at 22 months already knows how to use an iPhone! I spent a lot of time with him during my Jakarta trip recently, and yeah… I collect photos of him :).

I’ve been sooo… behind schedule in the Art Journal Caravan but I have every intention to catch up…

So here is my 3rd page – done late last night:

Credits and description could be found here:
@ Studio Ztampf! Gallery
@ Ztampfest Gallery

The verb for next one is Travel! So many possibilities to ponder with it! But at least I know that I have just the perfect kit to work with it ;).

‘Balance’ is my word for 2011. It might look like a simple word, but it is a loaded one – very tricky to achieve, and even more difficult to maintain. Because guess what? It is not a static condition in which once you achieve it, you then could passively keep it. No. It is fluid, always on the move. It is something that you have to keep on nurturing in everything you do.

For myself, balance means to focus more into the process of things – of doing, of working, of creating, of living. That is, rather than focusing on the end result. Which for me means patience and acceptance of my own limitation: I am known to want to do so many things all at once and all has to be perfectly done! I tend to keep on working almost non-stop until the job is done or until I collapse. I tend to spend impractical amount of time and energy on minuscule details in almost everything I do: from washing the dishes to hanging the laundry to designing to creating art. And I do enjoy it too – most of the time! Some would  say I am a perfectionist – or obsessed. I won’t be happy with my work until everything is just so – even if it’s only me who notices it. Do people notice it in my work? Do people appreciate how everything is done just so? I don’t know. I hope at least some of them do. I don’t expect them to notice the particulars, but just that they notice that it is very well made/crafted/done. People might not be able to pin point what makes it so, but I hope as a whole my work should be able to speak for itself. Yes, it is important for me to create my work as best as I can make it – spare no efforts. And that, my dear, takes time. Plenty of it. So, I just have to accept that I will always take more time to finish my work. (You would think by now at the ripe age of 41 I should have known this already, wouldn’t you. Well, I am an optimist :)).

Which means, no more letting myself get frustrated when things take much longer time to get done – process takes time. Which means, breaks and rest and play time are necessary: they are to be fully enjoyed without guilty feeling whether I have finished a certain set of work or not. My work is never done anyway: there is always more and more coming. So yeah, take breaks often – enjoy play time. Doing nothing is needed to set the balance. But of course, there are still deadlines and commitments to meet… Now… which way is it towards balance again?

In my effort towards balance this year, I have made a commitment to join the Art Journal Caravan hosted by the amazing super woman designer Tangie McMeen Baxter at SBG! Yeah! I’m starting out late – but hey, better late than never never! In Tangie’s AJC, you can move at your own space, you can start any time and jump around to wherever your inspiration take you. The golden rule is you have to enjoy doing what you’re doing :).

So, this is my first page for the AJC 2011. Balance.

Background paper: Shades of Black (Studio Ztampf!). Fonts: Kabel BT and Lacuna Regular. The picture is of one of my works, entitled Soaring V.2.08 (2005, porcelain and wire). I chose this because the wire that forms the cage and the wire supporting the wings is one piece of wire: it is an act of balance ;).

The Inspiration to ponder for the First Week was Process – which is particularly very apt for me as my thinking of Balance has been closely linked to Process. So here it is, my 2nd page for the AJC 2011. Process.

Background paper: Furnace (Studio Ztampf!) . Fonts: Kabel BT and Lacuna Regular.

Have you been to SBG blog recently? It’s Studio Ztampf! PlayDay – so many fantastic layouts featured there for your inspiration! Go take a look and enjoy the little gift from me there ;).

Lookie here… this cute little rebel of a nephew! If you like this layout, you can download it as a QuickPage here and use your own photo and write your own notes there. It is created with the brand new Fly Rebel Fly Mini Kit available at Studio Ztampf! Enjoy!

P.S. Did you know that there are many free samplers that you can download from Ztampf! site? You can no longer shop there but you can still download the free samplers and gifts :). To shop for ztampfilicious goodness, just head over to Studio Ztampf!

My stay as an Artist in Residence at Vermont Studio Center back in 2008 is still one of the most exciting, most memorable time in my life so far. Here are two photographs that always make me smile and transport me back to the unforgettable Open Studio Night… My new Fly Rebel Fly is just perfect to scrap them with!

VSC is situated in a charming small town on Johnson in Vermont. It was such an elating experience, so different from my life in metropolis Hong Kong…

3 brand NEW cool stuff for you to scrap about those dark bleak moments in life… be it big or small, world-wide or personal, of grave consequences or much much lighter ones… Now available at Studio Ztampf!

Layouts I did with them:

For those who have been waiting for the Balinesia to be made available at Studio Ztampf!, it has arrived! And… take $5 OFF when you get the Balinesia Package Saving between now through Tue, 8 June 2010! That means an even bigger saving than when you purchase as separate packs! So don’t miss this chance :).

Balinesia Series is great to create layouts about your vacation or travel to tropical island, not just Bali. It is indeed especially perfect for Bali themed projects! Check it out!

Some layouts I created with the Balinesia Series:

This is me when I was 4 y.o., the first time I visited Bali which sparked my interest in Balinese dancing – as shown in the next two layouts:

And these are on the Kecak Dance performance I saw in Bali back in 2004:

These are created with the Balinesia CD Album – we went to Bali for our honeymoon:

Closer Previews of each individual pack (all linked to the store):

Enjoy!

Have an especially lovely one! Enjoy 20% Off Discount @ StudioZtampf! from now thru Wed, May 12th with this coupon code: happymommaz. Have fun with it!

Share your ztampfilicious mother-related layouts with us at Ztampf! on Facebook to win a $15 StudioZtampf! Coupon! The layout could be about anything related to motherhood: about your mother, about being a mother, thoughts about motherhood, a mother’s wishes, anything at all that has anything to do with mother as long as they are created mostly with Ztampf! products. Post them here to the Fans Photos Section before Sat, May 15th 2010. Good luck!

Some layouts I did about my own mother:

I look forward to see yours :)