Withered Day Canvas

Hey everyone!

Today's post is one of the March creations, I actually forgot to blog about it. Sigh! It's one of my favorites! I wonder what happened to the picture quality as in real it looked gorgeous. Anyway let's get into the details.

Things Used:
- Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads (Walnut Stain, Vintage Photo, Aged Mahogany & Embossing Ink)
- Tim Holtz Distress Paints (Walnut Stain, Evergreen Bough & Black Soot)
- Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stains (Gathered Twigs, Antique Linen & Peacock Feathers)
- Tim Holtz LatticeWork Stencil
- Ranger Embossing Powder in Black
- Perfect Pearls (Pewter & Heirloom Gold)
- Scripted Stamp by Stampers Anonymous
- Cardstock (Forgot from which paper pad it was)
- Dusty Attic's Chipboards
- Prima Marketing Flowers
- Tim Holtz Metal Embellishments
- Embossed Plastic Leaves (Picked up from some local store in Riyadh)



At first, I distressed the entire background with inks and stains. I used a scripted stamp with some perfect pearls to give a bit of a shine. Once the background was done I put up the picture and started off with the embellishments which are already listed above. However, that leaf flourish in grey has been cut through Silhouette Cameo.



Close-up!!! As you can see there's a lot going on the background.

And there is my favourite pick - Metal Frame from Tim Holtz collection. Look at that detailing! I'm literally drooling over it!!!

Anyhow, it's time to end the post. I hope you all liked it! Until next time!

Craft Stores in Riyadh

Hi there!
Here comes the most awaited post so far!

Since I have lived in Riyadh all my life, I have been searching for craft supplies for long. I believe I have shopped all around Riyadh to find them plus with my unquenchable thirst for more craft materials & supplies, I ventured into wholesale market to continue my quest for more.

Well so far I've managed to make the following list:
1. The Whatshop Shop (Let's just say it topped the list - HAHA!)
2. Jarir Bookstore
3. Curio
4. Daiso
5. Stationery Fantasies
6. Tchibo Prozente
7. Al-Sharq
8. Souk Al Deerah
9. Ya Salam

So, I thought I’d share the location and opening timings along with some information about the store. Hopefully, it will provide you with better visual as you hunt.

• The Whatnots Shop 

Opening Hours: Always Open
Location: Online Store
Telephone Number: +966-559924109

In my store, you will able to find crafts/scrapbooking supplies which are nowhere to be found in Riyadh. For instance dies, distress inks, stamps etc.

• Jarir Bookstore

Opening Hours: Sat to Thurs: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, 4:00 pm - 11:00 pm | Fri: 4:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Location: Click HERE for showrooms & locations
Telephone Number: 920000089

We all know Jarir as an all-rounder store but recently they've stocked up there Art Supplies section with pretty cool stuff such as circle cutter, scoreboards, quilling tools and more.

• Curio

Opening Hours: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, 4:30 pm - 10:30 pm
Location: Al Imam Saud Ibn Abdul Aziz Branch Rd, Al Mohammadiyah
Click HERE for directions
Telephone Number: +966 1 2290790

Curio is more of a place for artists, to be more precise IT'S HEAVEN. However, they do sell few craft supplies but in a very limited quantity that includes cardstocks, punches, cutters and few other stuff.

• Daiso

Opening Hours: Sun to Wed 9:00 am - 11:30pm | Thu, Sat 9:00 am - 12:00 am | Fri 4:00 pm - 12:00 am
Location: Al Othaim Mall Khurais Road, Exit 30
Click HERE for directions
Telephone Number: +966 1 2338318

Originally Daiso is a Japanese store which sells unusual Japan-made products. There is a small section where you will able to find ribbons, pattern papers, and some other funky stuff. Note the things there are pretty cheap!!

• Stationery Fantasies

Opening Hours: 4:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Location: Azizia Mall, 2nd Floor King Fahd Road
Click HERE for directions
Telephone Number: +966 1 2291942

Stationery Fantasies has covered it all. You'll literally find everything in here! From ribbons to gift wrappers, papers to paints and LOT MORE. There are some great supplies for kids too!

• Tchibo Prozente

Opening Hours: 10:00 am - 12:00 am
Location: Granada Center, 1st Floor, Eastern Ring Road
Click HERE for directions
Telephone Number: +966 1 2455328

I can't pronounce the name though but let me tell you about it. It's a German store. They got a section of crafts supplies with few quirky items in it. You will have find sets of punches, paper packs, stamping stuff and few other things.

• Al-Sharq

Opening Hours: 4:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Location: Olaya, Souq Taiba
Rawdah, Khalid Bin Al Waleed Road
Badiyah, Al Madinah Al Munawarah Road
Telephone Number: +966 1 4546823
+966 1 2490107
+966 1 4369115

Al-Sharq is not just a normal bookstore. It has a huge variety of art and crafts supplies. If you're a ribbon collector you have to visit the place. It will definitely be worth it, Trust me!

• Souk Al Deerah

Opening Hours: ---
Location: Turki bin Abdullah Road

Deerah is known as a 'wholesale' junkyard of Riyadh. If can't find it in there then you won't find anywhere in Riyadh. YES! That's true! Anyway, I can't provide a specific contact number or a location to the place as there are various stores. You will basically find everything there! As it's a wholesale marketplace a few stores just provide stuff when you buy in bulk. Let me also clear one thing it's a very crowded place you need to come with a 'patient' driver.

• Ya Salam

Opening Hours: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, 4:30 pm - 11:00 pm
Location: Khalid Bin Al Waleed Road
Click HERE for directions. 
For more information on other branches, click HERE. 
Telephone Number: +966 1 2359000

I haven't been here myself but a fellow group member of one of the Crafts group in Riyadh have reccently visited and she bought border punches just for 15 SR. Can you believe it!?!? It's pretty darn cheap!!

That is it for now!! I hope this post helps you out! Would love to hear from you!

If you know any other craft supply places in Riyadh do comment below. I would love to have a look and will add to my post!

Baby Shower Boxes

Hello there! Today’s post is all about making customized boxes. Trust me – it’s quite easy!

These are baby shower boxes which I did recently. I bought some plain boxes to decorate, but you could use one of the Sizzix bag/box dies to create your own (did I mention they’re also on sale?!).



I covered the edges of my box lid with lace. To cover the ends of the lace, I attached a bow that said ‘It’s a Girl’.

For the front, I layered three cardstocks. I used a foam tape to give a dimensional look. The top paper has been distressed using an ‘Evergreen Bough’ Distress Ink Pad – plain white looked too boring! On the other side, I die-cut some butterflies using the gorgeous Sizzix Winged Beauties Thinlits.

I glued a few rhinestones here and there to finish my box. TAA-DAA! The boxes were done – pretty simple huh?

Floral Mini Configuration Box

Hi everyone!
I have a new mini configuration box to share with you all for Crafters' Pallete.

You won’t believe where I got the box from! It’s a piece of packaging from a Prima product I bought a while ago – it was just perfect for altering!

I covered the entire box with some scrapbook paper and distressed the edges using Distress Paint in Walnut Stain to define the edges. Once I covered the whole thing, I began to embellish – the fun part, of course! I glued on some Prima flowers (if you haven’t already seen the new range of Prima flowers at Crafters’ Palette, they are so worth taking a look!), and added some metal embellishments. I also added a wooden butterfly to the bottom right-hand corner and filled a miniature glass bottle with silver glitter and a ‘love’ note.

Sounds pretty easy to make, right? It definitely is! I hope you like today’s post – ‘til next time!

Honeycomb Card

April's Resolution: Going to post as much as I can! LOL! Let's hope that happens. I've been trying to manage my time since forever and it is not working. 

Anyway, hello to everyone who comes and goes by regularly. I aplogize for not posting as much as I should. I will try to do it regularly from now on.

So, let begin! Background has been done using Distress Inks and Spray Stains in 'Seedless Preserves' & 'Peacock Feathers'. I went over with Tim Holtz stencil here and there with both inks and sprayed the edges. Also, I used a Distress Marker in cream shade (I don't remember the name of it) with Spritzer and sprayed randomly. 

Tip - If you need various spray bottles and they're out of your budget. Go for the markers and buy a spritzer. Markers can be used for both watercoloring and spraying. Basically it's a 2-in-1 product. 

Then picked out some blooms from Prima and glued them together. I felt something should be added so I had these branches of SOMETHING.. I literally don't know what they're called but I picked up these from a tree when I was having a family pinic. They came in handy! Haha! However, they were originally light brown in color and I sprayed them with 'Walnut Stain'. Once they were dried I glued them with the bunch of flowers. 

Butterfly die is from Sizzix inked in 'Seedless Preserves' & 'Peacock Feathers'. Also I used Spellbinders layered frame die and stamped 'I Love You' using SimonSaysStamp stamp set. Base frame has been distressed using 'Vintage Photo' and top one using 'Seedless Preserves'. To finish off I added some bronze flat pearls bought from Micheals.  

Here is a close-up of the Spellbinders die!

I hope you liked the project. Do leave a feedback! Until next time!

6 Gorgeous Techniques Using Distress Inks

Today’s post is definitely going to be interesting for all those who are just IN LOVE with the Distress Inks (like me!). They’re one of my most used crafty items. Let’s get into some tips and techniques on how we can use them.

1. Distressing
This is the most basic use of Distress Inks. You can use them to distress paper, cardstock or any other surface you have. You can create some amazing vintage or shabby-chic styles with this fab medium.

2. Stamping
Here is another super basic and of course natural way to use Distress Inks. Ink your stamp and simply press it down on the paper. The type of stamp doesn’t matter – you can use any kind from clear to cling and wood to mounted. Also, one important thing to note here is that Distress Inks are water-based, so adding other mediums may bleed the ink and distort your image.

3. Blending
This is one of my FAVOURITE techniques! No other ink pad will give you as good results at blending than Distress Inks. Not even close! The colours mix so beautifully and can be applied lightly, or layered together to get a rich, deep background. Firstly, choose any 2 or more Distress Ink colours. For this tag, I used the new Wilted Violet Ink Pad, Mustard Seed and Peacock Feathers. Use a blending tool to pick up your ink, and work in circular motions across your paper. Start off at the paper’s edge, and slowly work into the paper to avoid getting blotches. Lastly, start blending the colours as you go. Layering various inks together gives you countless colour combinations.

4. Stencilling
Directly place the stencil over the paper and apply the Distress Ink onto it. The Distress Spray Stains can also be used through stencils to create some gorgeous effects. Tape the stencil to the paper with any temporary adhesive so that it holds the stencil and prevents movement. Once you’re done, remove the stencil and there you have a gorgeous pattern! You can also blend inks to create some gorgeous graduated effects.

5. Watermarking
The most distinctive feature of Distress Inks is their ability to work with water. Spray water on anyDistress Ink background and watch the ink move. You can create watermarked effects by adding few drops of water to an inked surface, or using a water brush to draw a design. When you have finished adding the water, use a paper towel to gently blot the surface and remove the ink.

6. Reverse Stencilling
Ever heard of it? No? Let me tell you! If you ever want to have watercolour background effect, this is a great way to do it. Take a stencil and start inking it; blending colour in this technique works well. You just need three main things for this technique: Distress Inks (of course!), a stencil and a misting tool. All you have to do is apply the inks to the surface of your stencil, mist it with water and place ink-side down onto your paper. Press lightly, and lift off the stencil to reveal a gorgeous watercolour background!

Pink Floral Canvas

Hi folks!

It's March already! I can't believe I haven't posted almost anything in the last two months. I definitely need to organize this month. Anyway enough about me and let's get to the point.

This personalized canvas has tons of layering and items on it. First the background is a random cardstock from one the paper pads. I have actually lost the main cover of it so I can't recall the name. I distressed the entire paper to match it the photography. Then I took a Tim Holtz Stencil and add a white texture paste on few areas of the pattern paper. Btw it's homemade and the texture is so smooth and dries up so quickly. You won't even believe what it is made of! I will type up the recipe in my next post. It's super easy to make and I bet you will certainly have everything at your home. Back to the canvas now, after adding the paste I sprayed using Distress Stain Spray. 

For the embellishments, I have used Dusty Attic Frame and 'Little Moments' chipboard, They are my new favorites! I painted them using Distress Paints. The frame is painted on with Antique Linen and phrase is by Black Soot.

Next I added few Recollection and Prima flowers. Butterflies, leaves and flourish branch are cut by Silhouette Cameo.

I hope you like today's post! I am thinking of coming few reviews which hopefully I will be posting soon! 

Toddles for now!