who needs an eye tattoo?

So I've been seeing this craze happening and well I'm too poor and not willing to actually go out and get eye tattoo makeup done. That is until I saw this little tutorial....

I think the result is fabulous! Be sure to check it out the post at DesignbyReBirth's blog

retouching wonder

my retouching rates - mention this blog for a 25 % discount on all orders!

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I absolutely adore working on Photoshop. Be it retouching images or creating artworks, I can be working away on it for hours.

yes this girl was gorgeous to begin with, but there's something just absolutely stunning about symmetry. 

this is a little collection of retouch work I have completed for a range of clients the world over

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Here's a collection of digital artworks...once upon a time these started as run of the mill photos!

If you are after your images retouched or worked into a new work of digital art please do give me a bell :)

You can check out more of my portfolio by either visiting my Model Mayhem page or visiting my carbonmade page

moo - I ♥ u

I arrive at work to find this little parcel sitting on my desk

Have any of you heard of moo.com??


Well if you haven't, it is one of the cutest design and printing companies out there. I was so lucky that I managed to score some free business cards from them.

The cards I ordered were their standard business cards. They also have rounded cards, mini cards, postcards, greeting cards and even stickers!

I received 50 cards in total for free, only paying for shipping cost (thank you Royal Mail for being so economical *grins*)

There is a promotional black strip at the bottom of the front of the cards. A small price to pay for such high quality printing.

When these cards run out, I will definitely be looking at ordering some (non-promotional) cards from Moo!

What do you think of them?

chicken okonomiyaki happiness ♥ (aka Japanese Pancakes)

Who here loves okonomiyaki?

For those who are staring blankly at their screen – it's a Japanese pancake J

I must admit I absolutely ♥ okonomiyaki, particularly seafood okonomiyaki. I thought I'd make my own, but since the mister at home doesn't really do seafood I'd try a chicken version. After searching online for a recepie and also looking at the one at the back of my okonomi sauce bottle, I saw there were just soooooo many different ways of creating this dish.

Here's my take on chicken okonomiyaki J

(serves 4)

Ingredients:

Pancake mixture:

1 ½ cups self raising flour

1 sachet dashi

1 cup water

6 leaves Chinese cabbage – shredded

 2 shallots – finely chopped

½ BBQ chicken – shredded

To serve:

Okonomi sauce

Japanese mayonnaise

Bonito flakes

 Method:

1)      Dissolve the dashi in the water

2)      Sift the flour into a mixing bowl

3)      Add dashi, water and eggs to flour – mix well to form a smooth batter

4)      Add cabbage, shallots and chicken – mix well

5)      Spoon approx 2 ladles of mixture onto a frypan

6)      Fry over a low heat until bottom of pancake browns

7)      Carefully flip over and cook until both sides are brown

8)      Serve with a line of Japanese mayonnaise and okonomi sauce squirted on top and bonito flakes

9)      Enjoy! J

If you're wondering what on earth, dashi, okonomi sauce, Japanese mayonnaise or bonito flakes look like? Here's what they look like. You can find them at specialty Japanese grocery stores such as Tokyo Mart  (Northbridge Palza - http://www.northbridgeplaza.com.au/) or the Japanese foods section of large Asian grocery stores and some supermarkets.

Dashi

Okonomi Sauce

Japanese Mayonnaise 

Bonito Flakes

more cute paper notebooks

Well after making my mini notebook yesterday, I decided to make some a little more practical in size. One is made from another art postcard, the other 2 are made from digital scrapbooking patterns printed on cardboard that I had lying around.

I never need to buy another notebook again!

♥

cute little paper notebook

I recently discovered this very cute and simple tutorial for making mini notebooks out of playing cards http://www.elizabethabernathy.com/2011/01/tutorial-tiny-playing-card-book.html

Though playing cards are cute, I wanted to see how it would turn out if I substituted a playing card for one of the multitude of postcards I've got lying around the place.

This is my first attempt at it, and it's really mini - 4cm x 5.5cm. Also instead of having uniformed folded pages I ripped pages to give it a bit more of a rustic look.

Let me know what you think :)

boots love.

Ok granted this post is not about something I've made, but I still have to share it with the world.

I absolutely am in love with my super cute ASOS Peep Toe Lace Up Shoe Boots

If you hurry, you might still be able to grab a pair from them at http://www.asos.com/Asos/Asos-Pandora-Peep-Toe-Lace-Up-Shoe-Boots/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=1153585

I ♥ t-shirt madness

For those who know me, you now very well that I ♥ my "keep calm and carry on" variations. Well I've made some more into t-shirts.

http://www.redbubble.com/products/configure/6942890-t-shirt

http://www.redbubble.com/products/configure/6942766-t-shirt

http://www.redbubble.com/products/configure/6942944-t-shirt

As a bonus for all of you who ♥ twitter, I made a very minimalist # hashtag t-shirt

http://www.redbubble.com/products/configure/6943671-t-shirt

happy b'day mamma ^_^

here's my handmade greeting card I made for my mummy's 60th birthday

Happy Birthday Mum!
♥

winning!

Charlie Sheen.

Now that's an odd name to have on a blog about craft and items that I make - well it's not. Thanks to his interesting quotes, I've decided to make some t-shirts.

They're available for sale at my redbubble:
http://www.redbubble.com/people/otbphotography/collections/19579-charlie-sheen-t-shirts

Here are some examples of the designs:

.

what to do with an old ikea catalogue?

make a pendant of course!!

made with the paper from the catalogue and wool.

thoughts?

origami wallet

I had seen mention of paper wallets before, but all of them seem to involve at least some cutting and/or sticky tape. That is until I found this little tutorial online(don't think it's any less helpful as there is no sound in the video)
http://www.instructables.com/id/A4-paper-wallet/

Here's my rendition of it (my camera isn't too good at present so it's taken on my phone)

It holds at least 6 credit sized cards plus money. It will come into handy into all those times I've gone out and not wanted to bring a full sized wallet with me.

Plus as it's so easy to make, I can whip one out that matches my outfit in minutes!

gonna make a montage

besides all things crafty, I absolutely love photography and these days even more so Photoshop.

I've been practicing my photo montage skills - here are some of the finished products I've done:

      

keep calm!

I have been in love with the "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters that have been floating around the past couple of years. Even more so variations on the theme.

Instead of looking lustfully at them and cursing the price of many of them, I decided to make my own versions. 

The original poster is now in the public domain and is no longer covered by copyright. Thus the many multiple variations on the original. 

For those who have wondered where on earth the original poster came from, take a look at http://www.barterbooks.co.uk/kc_history.php

here's an excerpt:

"In the Spring of 1939, with war against Germany all but inevitable, the British Government's Ministry of Information commissioned a series of propaganda posters to be distributed throughout the country at the onset of hostilities. It was feared that in the early months of the war Britain would be subjected to gas attacks, heavy bombing raids and even invasion. The posters were intended to offer the public reassurance in the dark days which lay ahead.

The posters were required to be uniform in style and were to feature a 'special and handsome' typeface making them difficult for the enemy to counterfeit. The intent of the poster was to convey a message from the King to his people, to assure them that 'all necessary measures to defend the nation were being taken', and to stress an 'attitude of mind' rather than a specific aim. On the eve of a war which Britain was ill-equipped to fight, it was not possible to know what the nation's future aims and objectives would be.

At the end of August 1939 three designs went into production with an overall print budget of £20,600 for five million posters. The first poster, of which over a million were printed, carried a slogan suggested by a civil servant named Waterfield. Using the crowns of George VI as the only graphic device, the stark red and white poster read 'Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution will Bring Us Victory'. A similar poster, of which around 600,000 were issued, carried the slogan 'Freedom is in Peril'. But the third design, of which over 2.5 million posters were printed, simply read 'Keep Calm and Carry On'."

Here are some of my variations to the original:

Prints and also framed prints will be available for sale from my etsy store very soon. A link will be posted as soon as they're up for sale.

In the meantime if you were wanting a "Keep Calm and Carry On" t-shirt, hoodie, or even baby clothes check out http://www.redbubble.com/people/otbphotography/t-shirts/6640718-1-keep-calm-and-carry-on

one month down...

oh my gosh!

I am so so tardy. Cannot believe it has been almost 2 months since my last post. Tsk Tsk Tsk to me. Though I do believe I do have an excuse - the whole Xmas/New Years thing, and also it's a nice hot summer here.

So what have I been doing lately?

I've discovered and absolutely ♥  http://www.psykopaint.com/
I cannot draw to save my life (does stick figures count?) and my paintings have been more on the so so end rather than worthy of placement in The National Gallery, but this site allows you to create absolutely gorgeous digital paintings out of photographs. Or for those who have a whole lot more skill than I - from absolute scratch.

I attended a wedding two weekends ago and was stuck for what the present should be. I've noticed the rage of late being all about word clouds as art, so I decided to create my own as a present to the bride & groom. After much trial and error and yelling at Photoshop, the internet provided me with the answer - http://www.tagxedo.com/
Here's one of the word clouds that I made (not the one that I gifted) - the letters are made up of the word "love" in approx 40 different languages.

The finished artwork was framed and accompanied by a handmade card (of course!)

I promised I will post a whole lot more frequently. Throwing in some tutorials and freebies when possible.

♥