mrixiepixie

something light, something sweet

2011-04-25T06:59:00.000-07:00

engagement TQ tags. the order - something lilac-purple-y and something sweet.

traditionally, in the Malay culture, the future groom does not attend the engagement function. it's very much more the future bride's affair. picking on the femininity then, i figured butterflies in a lilac + grey palette could paint an ideal theme. something light, something sweet.

for the Lil' Man

2011-04-25T05:40:00.000-07:00

often, when the suggested theme suits your own taste, it's mostly joy working on the said order. in this case, a party for a 5 year old boy. the theme - Lil' Man. the colours - blues, greens, silver/grey.

birthday boy's mom very kindly left me to play about with my (not exactly most adventurous) own ideas, to come out with the party's printables. i designed + made the party invites, doodle pads, as well as a couple of small birthday signages.

below, the photos (some, courtesy of birthday boy's mom).

thanks much, Nadia.

oh, the places you'll see!

2011-04-25T05:21:00.000-07:00

as if eager to explore the world, his birth came 3 weeks before his due date.
was asked to make simple square TQ tags to go with favours for the baby's kenduri aqeqah. came up with these airplane motif tags in blues + browns.

: splish splash! :

2011-03-06T15:12:00.001-08:00

a pool party for a one year old boy.
simplifying the beach ball + pool waves, i came up with these invites and TQ tags.

newborns are little stars in the making

2011-03-03T15:10:00.000-08:00

couple of prints designed as birth announcements.

they serve both as a nice lil memento for the family to treasure, as well as a simple piece of personalised artwork for the child to call his/her own.

: for ADAM AZRAINI :

: for AFIQ RAFIQI :

polyvore : playing pretty

2010-09-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

putting aside brand names + price for a while (though i do love Anthropologie quite much; its line as well as its gorgeous stores), this ensemble of jeans with a pretty little top (and, in my case, i'd have to pair it with a cardi) sums up my current favourite colour combination. dark denim + off-white, mustard yellow + moss green. an exercise of marrying a bit of pretty with a bit of classy.

now ... if i could only just pull off this look myself so effortlessly + successfully, the little girly-girl in me would be a pretty happy one.

playing pretty by Mrika Hajeedar featuring a leather handbag

Valentino Leather rosette jersey top
$790 - net-a-porter.com
Layering tank »

AE Women's Artist Jeans
$40 - ae.com
Flare jeans »

Jeffrey Campbell Kayla
$104 - lorisshoes.com
Cap shoes »

Mystique 1644 Flat Thong Sandals
$140 - piperlime.gap.com
Flats shoes »

Nine West Neves Clutch Handbag
$79 - piperlime.gap.com
Chain handbag »

Rebecca Minkoff Linear Stud Nikki Hobo
$587 - endless.com
Hobo handbags »

TYLIE MALIBU 4981 SILVER LEATHER GYPSY SKINNY WRAP CLUTCH
284 GBP - farfetch.com
Leather clutches »

Iced Hobo
$168 - anthropologie.com
Leather handbag »

got typeface?

2010-09-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

in art, possibly product design in particular, marrying design elements with function elements so seamlessly will garner well-deserved attention. form and function at its best is clear in the poster below. i'm biased to graphic design + typeface specifically, but i'm sure the poster below will stop some many keen lookers.

: images from {Black.White.Yellow} :

: the VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR party :

2010-08-15T07:41:00.000-07:00

the order - invites, doodle books + TQ tags.
the theme - Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

my interpretation of this was to use bright colours, something festive and something to represent the caterpillar. using the flag bunting took care of the festive element that are birthday parties. the general nature and shape of buntings, to me, resembles a caterpillar.
colourful flag buntings then summed up (hungry) caterpillars.

enjoy the photos.

: the invites :

: the lot together - TQ tags to adorn favour bags (purchased separately by client) + the doodle books :

: doodle book design 1 - (the flag buntings make the letter Z, birthday girl's initial) :

: doodle book, design 2 :

thank you Ms Z's mum. once again, thanks for believing in my work. an honour indeed to be able to dress up your kid(s) parties. :-)

*party date - August '10

: we LOVE naufal :

2010-06-29T17:03:00.000-07:00

i seem to take on party orders mostly for 1 year olds. my designs, i'm quite certain are very likely too simple to garner interest beyond the 1 year olds. ;-) on the other hand, i could see it as a great honour to mark the child's 1st birthday with my pieces of planned design + happy accidents (often, the best ideas come to me at the last minute of planning stage and/or after suggesting a couple or so ideas and themes). to all those moms who've placed their trust and patience in me, i thank you all.

my latest project was for a childhood neighbour's youngest. he turned 1 earlier this month.
the theme was "We LOVE Naufal", in the colour palette of yellow and white. below, photos of the items i made - favour bags (for adults + kids), thank you tags and notepads.

"so typically Izmet"

2010-06-21T06:47:00.000-07:00

the Zs' Daddy turned 32 recently.

it was a low-key birthday celebration of sorts. dinner with the immediate family at his favourite place. i came up with the idea of having a "typically him" sort of birthday. no frills, just food + family. things + people he's familiar with. he's not the most adventurous of souls, so anything that's been tried and tested (by him) like a million times sits happily at the top of the list of his favourite things.

with this in mind, i decided to make cupcake toppers with his most typical phrases. the colour palette serves three ways - it matches the interior of the restaurant we were to dine in, it's a reflection of his love for coffee + chocolate, and it's my interpretation of autumn colours (we met + started dating back in autumn '99).

below, photos of the "so typically Izmet" cupcake toppers then.

: mrixiepixie meets + greets @ Buzz-Ar :

2010-05-11T17:45:00.000-07:00

couple weeks back, i set up a little stall at a local bazaar, the Buzz-Ar @ Jeumpa D'Ramo, Bangsar. my first mini adventure of sorts - from building the portfolio, to setting up the stall, to meeting kind stopper-bys and buyers. after the event, i had a bigger adventure still - tidying up and keeping things back neatly at home.

below, photos from the day's event.
the subsequent posts, photos of my art pieces.

: the stall :

: successfully dragged the husband along :

: mrixiepixie meets + greets @ Buzz-AR - the PRINTS :

2010-05-09T17:46:00.000-07:00

the prints made for the bazaar, and to build up a collection of sorts in my little home office.

i came up with 3 different series - themed photographs (from my own personal collection), nursery rhymes and everyday reminders.

: "Open House" :

: "Peek-A-Boo (No.1)" :

: "Peek-A-Boo (No.2)" :

: "Waiting (No.1)" :

: "Waiting (No.2)" :

: "Waiting (No.3)" :

: "Waiting (No.4)" :

: "Twinkle Twinkle (Blue)" :

: "Twinkle Twinkle (Pink)" :

: "Baa Baa Black Sheep" :

: "Incy Wincy Spider" :

: "LOVE" :

: "SHARE" :

: "MAKE" :

: "EAT" :

: "LEARN" :

: the lot :

there are still some of these prints available, priced RM40 each, or RM150 for any 5.
write to mrixiepixie@gmail.com to enquire + to place your orders.

: mrixiepixie meets + greets @ Buzz-AR - the PAINTINGS :

2010-05-08T09:47:00.000-07:00

the paintings made for the bazaar ...

: "Wet Glass (No.1)" :

: "Wet Glass (No.2)" :

: "W.O.R.K." :

: "P.L.A.Y." :

: "Citrus Bloom" :

: "Peach Bloom" :

flowers across the ocean ...

2010-05-08T02:05:00.000-07:00

another easy, hassle-free brief from a client. another across the ocean order.
for another little girl's 1st birthday. this time, theme's FLOWERS.
did the invites, thank you tags, cake toppers and a personalized painting.

"happy FIRST, Alexxa!"

*thank you, Amanda for your trust + support ... hope the party went well*

"Cotton Candy Swirls" ...

2010-04-05T16:26:00.000-07:00

... for a girl who turned 4 recently.
hope this little piece would sit/hang prettily in her new bedroom.

: a TWOty FRUITtea party for our little gift :

2010-03-04T18:58:00.000-08:00

this little girl turned TWO last week.

this little girl has filled our home with plenty of laughter + chaos all the same. this little girl is like no other (honestly, you'll need to spend at least a whole morning or an afternoon with her at home to know this). this little girl, in many ways is very much her own unique self ... just like her insisting on wearing the pink tank over her stripey dress in the above photo, nevermind that it was a crazy hot day.

...................................

we hosted a small birthday party for her last weekend.

the theme was 'TWOty FRUITtea', honouring her age and her love for all Vitagen (fruit) flavours, plus her liking every new fruit introduced to her thus far.

below, some photos of the party and pre-party (the mad last-minute preparation done by yours truly).

: the theme palette :

: personalized placemats :

: little handbags for the girls :

: little cups for the boys :

: the non-hanging 'birthday garland' :

: the little fruit stall - guests were invited to mix their own bags of fruits as part of party favours :

: the birthday 'cake' - fruit loops cereal bars :

: fun pinwheels in fruity hues :

: our lil diva! :

: thank you for all your birthday wishes + gifts :

: painted 'flashcards' - baby Harez :

2010-03-04T18:46:00.000-08:00

another little painting for another little guy.

this time, a friend bought this for her new nephew. i do hope they like the piece.

: celebrating with fairies :

2010-02-16T22:46:00.000-08:00

worked on these invites for a girl turning three.

birthday girl's mom has great party ideas herself, i can only imagine a fun-filled pretty party to be had by their guests this coming weekend.

happy 3rd, hanna!

**two days before the party, birthday girl's mommy ordered some thank you tags.
made just over 50 of these lil fairies ...

: taming the wild - PINK ELLIES and GREEN HIPPOS :

2010-02-16T21:27:00.000-08:00

this next party order was for a little girl turning one.

currently living in the United States, the girl and her parents came home for a short holiday to celebrate her first birthday with the girl's mom's family. the theme was pink ellies + green hippos. i thoroughly enjoyed working on this order. it always helps too when your client is very easy to work with.

this one's for Zadie! and Zadie's mom and dad.
thanks much for your support, and for bringing the pink ellies + green hippos all the way back to the States, for Zadie's second party with the American family and friends.

some pictures of the items ...

: memory game cards as part of party favours :

: thank you tags :

: favour bags :

: personalized art for her nursery :

RING in the new year ...

2010-01-01T11:16:00.000-08:00

how's this for rustic modern any-day-is-a-good-day-to-flash-some-(quirky)-fashion-sense perk-me-up style? i absolutely adore these designs, cleverly done by the very talented Maria Cristine Bellucci. these pretty fashion pieces originally lived as coloured pencils. like i said, genius!

oh, on another note, happy 2010! make this YOUR special year.

: all images by See Saw Designs :

closing a chapter, welcoming the new ...

2009-12-17T14:00:00.000-08:00

i made these as thank you and farewell gifts for Z's classmates and teachers. he's bid his preschool years a fond farewell, and will be starting the big school next month.

: the CRAYON BOX collection - as take-along calendars for Z's teachers :

: the STENCIL collection - for the classmates to colour in + decorate each month's initial :

: the WORDS collection - for the classmates to search for hidden month names :

as we close the chapter that is 2009, we usher in and welcome a new one ... may 2010 bring us better days through bigger hopes, dreams + happy endings.

for calendar orders, kindly drop me an email at mika.haj@gmail.com

climbing to greater heights ...

2009-11-22T19:06:00.000-08:00

:: Stairway by Tamara Thomsen, via 20x200 ::

... one can definitely hope + strive for, yes?

this painting reminds me a lot of the time i was perched on the stairs at my college, sketching + painting my study on the staircase. put aside the occasional 'visits' by other students + tutors walking up and down the stairs, i was mostly on my own, trying my best to create some decent piece of work in my little corner. many years on, that stands out as one of my fondest art moments in college. fondest, and possibly one of the trickiest too. certain projects/studies/paintings/sketches no doubt left a bigger and more inspiring imprint in me than others.

today, i find myself creating my pieces of work at any little chance i have to take my eyes and attention away from the kids, even if just for an hour, or less. that leaves me working almost literally everywhere in the house. even my bed's seen my brushes + acrylics. secret's out then. if any of you ever imagined me sitting pretty + calm painting in a designated work space at home, i thank you much. in truth, i stand more than i sit when painting, and i don't always work in the work corner i've created myself.

it would be good to be more disciplined though. well, there's always 2010 to cue the resolutions list. should put that on the list then ... work only in designated work space.

anyway ... i digressed. this was supposed to be about stairways. below, some other images which have caught my attention ...

:: via Freshome ::

:: via Home Designing ::

:: via Design Age ::

:: via Traveller Boats ::

:: via Schlicken Blogsome ::

:: via Abodesign Co. ::

:: our very own stairs at Big Lime (image previously used in an earlier post here on the blog) ::

: painted canvas flashcards - baby Alex :

2009-10-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

for those who know me, it's no surprise that i've a thing for names (among other things i have a 'thing' for). when i was pregnant with my first Z, that keen interest for names - their meanings and the sounds that they make - grew even more. it's a natural progression then that i try to incorporate this in the little pieces of art that i create.

my latest project was a painting i made for a friend's baby. they live all the way in the land i fondly call my 'home' *wink*. we attended the same college back in our A-Levels days, kept in touch on and off throughout our university years, attended her wedding back in her hometown in Penang, and last weekend met up again with her 3 month old bundle of joy.

i see them (my friend and her husband) as a pretty classy, yet modern young couple. they appreciate the finer things in life, yet still kept well-grounded by the daily ups and downs that surround us all. on that note, i had the colour scheme for the painting in my mind as soon as i decided to give them one of my 'canvas doodles'.

i'd love to see how the painting rests in the little corner or nursery created for their baby back in their home in that lovely faraway land of theirs.

meanwhile, here are photos i took of the painting at home ...

Zarif transforms into a 6 year old ...

2009-08-17T09:33:00.001-07:00

we threw a very last minute small party for Big Z over the weekend.
so last minute was this party planned, i decided to go against my own tradition (as far as parties are concerned) and made do without invitation cards. guests were invited via Facebook.

this was also the first party i threw which had a character theme to it.
Big Z's at that age where his views and thoughts pretty much need to matter more now. he wanted a Transformers party. in steps the rebellious mummy ... i agreed on the theme, but with some tweaking here and there, i made it a little less commercial and conventional a Transformers party.

below, some photos of the party.

our world in our hands ...

2009-08-03T10:10:00.000-07:00

one thing i do love to indulge in time and again, are my travels abroad. *guilty!*

on that note, i'd love to start a small, but worthy collection of globes of various makes, styles and finishes. beautiful and playful works of art and craftsmanship. in one single object that is the globe, one gets to enjoy art, science and geography. that to me, is a pretty good deal.

below, some images of globes put on display in interesting and very beautiful ways.

: family :

: vintage :

: elegant :

: chic :

: explore :

: grounded :

: all images via Desire to Inspire :

Ladybugs fluttered + partied away ...

2009-05-31T11:29:00.001-07:00

the LADYBUG party's come and gone. birthday girl's some many more presents richer now too, i'm sure. as for myself, i'm just happy to have been part of the party's 'dressing', if you like. below, some photos of the ladybugs that kept me busy past couple months.

: the invites :

: the boys' party bags :

: the girls' party bag :

: the LADYBUG memory game cards as favours :

:: the personalized name art for birthday girl ::

:: the whole order; party packs and party invites for 80 kids plus the framed name art ::

play + live a little ...

2009-05-31T11:14:00.000-07:00

made this piece for a lil dude who turned 3 recently. as i only just (finally!) met him and his parents over lunch today, i can now (also finally) put up the photos of the painting. i do hope the painting goes well up against some wall in his room or playroom or play corner at home.

personalized with his initials, i had them initials flanked by two 'friendly reminders' for us all. amidst all the crazy chaos our days may bring us, every so often we ought to remind ourselves to play and live a little bit more. a bit of play makes for a longer and happier life, i'd like to think. :-)

party : LADYBUGS (part 1)

2009-05-02T08:19:00.000-07:00

my little ladybug client (well, her mum really) has picked the "something whimsical - fairy flights" palette as the party's theme colours. am currently busy working on the party favours and a little 'something special' for the birthday girl herself.

the party's end of this month. not long now to delivery date. wish me luck! :-)

invites to go

2009-04-27T18:35:00.000-07:00

some invites i made a while back.

i sell these in sets of 10 invites.

those interested (for the next party you're hosting, or as your next gift purchase), drop me an email. :-)

palette : ladybugs

2009-04-09T19:13:00.000-07:00

i'm in the midst of planning + preparing a party. another little girl is turning one soon. we're going with a ladybugs theme. instead of sticking to the typical black + red + white theme, i'm putting my playful hat on and suggesting a more feminine and possibly more contemporary colour palette.

below are the 3 themes i've come up with. i already have my favourite, but for blog-tertainment (my word for the day ... hah!) purposes (read: just for fun), i thought i'd throw the options to my lovely readers. leave a comment or two and state your preferred choice among these three.

on that note, happy weekend!

:: something traditional - cotton candy ::

:: something modern - coffee club culture ::

:: something whimsical - fairy flights ::

dreamy dwelling ...

2009-03-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

i have a thing for houses. can you tell?

as far back as i can recall, houses + apartments + hotels + schools (specifically, playschools) have always captured my interest. living spaces in general, i suppose. i'd do a little imaginary exercise along the lines of "what if i were in that house/room/school/space, how would i live in it? how would i arrange things in it?". cities too. travelling, i do enjoy. and when in a foreign city, i'd start imagining again.

.....................................................

when i saw this image, i had to post it here. too cute to let it just pass by. tell me you're drawn to it too. yes? no?

:: art by Ethan Hayes-Chute; image via The Red Thread ::

such a cute + clever piece of art this is. very child-like, modern, a little whimsical too. put simply, kinda perfect if you ask me. makes me want to create a whole little village of varied-height houses and office blocks and what-have-yous just for fun.

Zayaan's famous phrase!

2009-03-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

if you've met (or heard enough stories about) my lil girl, you'd know why this print reminded me immediately of her. i swear she speaks much too much at this tender age. i foresee her teachers calling me to say she's taken over the class. and this at preschool level, mind you. ah well. keeps the house (and school for when she starts) jovial. :-)

:: by Wonderthunder Etsy, via print and pattern ::

memory game : BIRDS

2009-03-10T23:22:00.000-07:00

when making favours for the Zs' parties, i always try to turn something ordinary a lil different, by personalizing them and/or customizing them by theme. for this particular favour item, i decided on making an updated version of a traditional family game. the memory card game. i spent hours as a child playing these. below, is my whimsical take on a BIRDS theme to the game.

beach bliss

2009-03-10T19:31:00.000-07:00

i'd love me a home like this.

:: The Samaya, Bali ::

or, if time + Mr CFO (read: the husband) permits, a holiday there perhaps. ;-)

Baby Z's BIRD-day party!

2009-03-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

for some reason unexplained, i was drawn to birds during my pregnancy with Baby Z. not birds in the life form though, but rather, the design motif. i made some origami cranes and turned them into a simple wall-hanging thing for her corner in our room. and i even persuaded the husband to get her a stroller with bird motif. so by the time she was about 6 months, there was no other theme in mind. it just had to be a birds theme for her FIRST birthday party.

below, photos of few of the things i made for her first BIRD-day party ...

:: the invitation ::

:: the opened guest book ... ::

:: which really were 3 sheets of scrapbooking layouts mounted onto canvas boards ... ::

:: detailing her growth over the 12 months ::

:: the party packs in pink + brown ::

:: detail of the bird motif ::

:: browns for the boys; cookies + paper bird plane + handmade BIRDS memory card game ::

:: pinks for the girls; cookies + birds fan + handmade BIRDS memory card game ::

:: balloons in theme colours ::

:: store-bought bird softies + homemade-handmade BIRDS gift tags as prizes for Quiz game ::

:: 'pass the parcel' prizes; all BIRD related + Quiz prizes ::

:: the party's centrepiece with the wall art i made back when she was still in my tummy! ::

:: homemade-handmade origami cranes adorned cream + pink butter cupcakes ::

:: part of the completed 'guest book' ::

:: Baby Z kissed by Big Z = love! ::

photo credit goes out to the talented Nadia Fauzi.

personalized 5th

2009-03-08T08:10:00.001-07:00

i can't believe i never got to posting photos of the favours i put together for Big Z's 5th birthday back in August last year! only moments ago when i was about to post Baby Z's birthday photos was i reminded of this one missing entry.

a very much back-dated entry this one is then ...

..................................

there was no birthday party in the grand scale of his previous parties. for his 5th birthday, we decided to celebrate it in Hong Kong Disneyland instead. so, at exactly 1:36pm (5 years to the time and date of his birth), he was with us having our lunch at Hong Kong Disneyland.

prior to his birthday though, there was a little celebration among his classmates. and then another small celebration with the immediate family members. for both occasions, i managed to put together some very simple favours. below are the photos of them (favours).

:: celebrating his 5th with his classmates ::

:: favour boxes with personalized tags ::
:: for the girls ::

:: for the boys ::

:: personalized (by first initial) favour bags for Z's cousins ::

looking at this ...

2009-02-12T07:02:00.000-08:00

:: image via At Home with Kim Vallee ::

... makes me want to build me a charcoal wood cabinetry of sorts just so i can display the key something something(s) at home. maybe against the dining wall.

it also makes me dream yet another dream.

say, opening a restaurant or cafe specialising in soup + cookies, maybe?

yes, true. not entirely the best kind of culinary match there, but soup + cookies, i do like very much indeed. the potato + leek kind. or clam chowder. or carrot + coriander. or plum tomato + basil. and yes too, i do like thick soup.

party-schmarty!

2009-01-28T20:48:00.000-08:00

it's a month away now. the planning + preparation have begun. still a lot to do, but am not complaining. planning a themed party is always such fun. to me, at least.

here, some random photos picked from various sources, just to show the festive spirit that is me (or should be me) these coming weeks.

hypnotic hue

2009-01-09T19:57:00.000-08:00

how's this for hypnotic genius? and a hue-full one too at that. just clever, i say.

artist Jen Stark turns paper and cardstock into brilliant art pieces through her apparently simple cutting process. this, i'd like to know how. but let's not get ahead of meself ... i won't be attempting any paper sculptures. i'll simply admire from afar the genius that is her work.

all images via PaperChick

weaving between cultures ...

2008-11-03T20:56:00.000-08:00

in design work, i admire the successful fusion of the old meets new, east meets west approach. whilst many gravitate to the rigid and precision that are modern design pieces, there seems to be a large following too for those reviving our 'traditional' pieces, designs filed under (i'd imagine)conservation and/or heritage.

ikat is one such art form.

Ikat, or Ikkat, is a style of weaving that uses a resist dyeing process similar to tie-dye on either the warp

or weft before the threads are woven to create a pattern or design.

Ikat means "to tie" or "to bind" in the Malay language.

:: taken from Wikipedia ::

seen today are many product designs originating from the ikat process. what is even better, to me, is that the Westerners seem to be loving this art form so much that they're producing ikat-designed home and fashion items and commercialising them. true, there's the desire to keep things within yourselves (culturally), but when it comes to art, i think a fusion between the East and West is always a good thing. just give due credit to origins of design. ;-)

:: Pottery Barn cushions, image via Apartment Therapy ::

:: Anthropologie cushions, image via Design Sponge ::

:: chair by Oregon-based designer Jen West, image by Design Sponge ::

:: image via Patricia Gray ::

:: image via Design-59 ::

bowled over ...

2008-11-03T08:17:00.000-08:00

these pretty patterns on these adorably moulded bowls. moulded bowls ... has a cute ring to it, don't you think? :-)

:: bowls beautifully made by Aida Dirse, image via OhJoy! ::

.... but back to these bowls, grouped together, i think they make quite a display on a special lil corner in your home. love them!

if i could only dream for a moment ...

2008-08-28T04:43:00.000-07:00

... i'd LOVE to buy me some Chris Kenny art.

:: Map Circle (16 Typhoons) ::

:: Red Map ::

:: Compass 2008 ::

how clever are these? extra credit should be given not just for the brilliant concept of the artwork, but so too for the meticulous effort and precision that are the pieces (of art). pure genius, i say!

.............................................

i'd love to have the Compass 2008 up in Big Z's room. it, to me, sums up the whole travel theme. the icing on the cake though is how it's a take on polka-dots, which i not-so-secretly-anymore kinda have a fetish for. ;-)

if in the luckiest of luck, i ever get to own the Map Circle (16 Typhoons) piece, i'd most definitely have it in the playroom-cum-family room. aptyly titled 'typhoon', i think little is left to one's imagination. playroom equals daily typhoons! and the colours; how happy are they? love love love!

the Red Map piece is brilliant for Baby Z's room, for obvious reasons. and again, this one too shouts happiness to me.

:: all images from EnglandGallery.com ::

tickled beauty envied ...

2008-08-11T21:52:00.000-07:00

haha ... for lack of a better title (for thiss entry)!

onto the paintings then ...

this one's called "stripteased". sounds naughty, yes? lol. it's a play of words really. amidst the otherwise calm and plain background that is the stone colour, a strip has been teased with a different colour in each of the canvas panel. the pink one's "stripteased: tickled pink", the black "stripteased: black beauty" and the green is "stripteased: green with envy".

inspired by the everyday me, if you like, this next series is aptly titled "moodswings".

the first is "moodswings: tickled pink" to reflect my chirpiest and most playful self.

then there's "moodswings: black beauty", when i'm my most reserved and supposedly sophisicated.

and the last is "moodswings: green with envy", when i'm mostly inspired by pretty, crafty art pieces; both in objects and in one's inner (and outer) beauty.

sophisticated + whimsical

2008-06-12T01:21:00.000-07:00

For every piece of printed project I work on, I always start of by thinking up and deciding on the colour(s) that I'll use in the design. While others have prettily-layered inspiration boards gracing their shelves or desk in their workspace, I choose the easier (read: less resourceful ;-)) option. I create a simple barcode of coloured stripes and play around with some few combinations until I find the one I'm most happy with for the current project in hand.

...................................................

This is the current project I'm working on and this below, are the colours I'll be using throughout the design process of the project. While this time last year I was busying myself designing things for Big Z's pyjama party (4th birthday), this time round, it's someone else's birthday party I'm planning and designing for. More on the party details nearing the date. Meanwhile, here's a sneak-peek of it through these colours then.

3 colours #1 : for the men in our lives

2008-06-10T14:56:00.000-07:00

3 colours. Every Wednesday (since to some, Wednesday is the 3rd day in any given week), I will post a combination of 3 colours from which design ideas can evolve. It may be design ideas for party themes (if you know me well enough, you'd know that's something I absolutely love doing - thinking up party themes), for a home's interior space and look, for one's dressing style or simply as a simple piece of art - as it is - 3 colours on a piece of card or canvas. In any case, I hope to inspire some of you along the way and if nothing else, it keeps my mind (the creative part) more active, whilst building up a record and portfolio of these various design ideas.

By 3 colours, I'll be suggesting 3 colours in addition to WHITE, just because I always feel white ties in the other colours well. :-)

Here's the 1st of these 3 colours then to inspire you this week (and further, if you so let it be ;-)).
In honour of Father's Day being just around the corner, PLUS it also 'just happens' to be The Husband's birthday this coming Monday ;-) , I'm posting a more 'masculine' set of 3 colours here.

Colours : teal, olive, chocolate, white

Ideal for :

1. Father's Day - think gardening kit, gifts for golfers, or good 'ol dependable shirts/t-shirts

2. golf themed (birthday) party - keeping it pretty sophisticated and refined, fit for a quiet-ish type of golfer

3. football themed (birthday) party - think roughing it out in your garden or keeping it loud indoors watching a live game; either way, i see peanuts and hotdogs being served at the party :-)

4. dinner party with a 'gentlemen's club' theme - perfect for a bachelor's/stag night party, a modern twist to old-fashioned gentlemen's club

Do write in (via the comments section or even an email) and share with me your thoughts on these, and especially so if you so decide to use the suggested 3 colours in your coming events and/or revamping of your homes. Would LOVE to see how far my 3 colours can stretch each time. Till then, happy creating and happy sharing! :-)

retro grid

2008-05-23T00:03:00.000-07:00

it's been a rather dry season here over at the Mika 'studio'. lack of creative juice, i'd say. haha. been meaning to paint a bit, design/make something ... but alas, the most i've managed are the following patterns, designed at random (read: for fun). so far, they've appeared on some itty-bitty gift cards, packed in some mini drawstring bags. and that's about it really.

for our lil ones ...

2008-02-28T19:14:00.000-08:00

:: for the one who's turning 5 this year, our too-honest-it-hurts lil boy ::

:: for the one who's turning 5-days old tomorrow, our newborn girl ::

primary nursery

2008-01-07T22:59:00.000-08:00

yet another personalized framed art ...

this time for a boy who recently turned one.

"primary nursery" to somewhat represent the primary, early years he'll have in his nursery/bedroom ... went for primary colours (blue, red and yellow), but of the more 'rustic' tones of each. why? just because ... :-)

(photo courtesy of birthday boy's mom)

dance of the dragonflies . . .

2007-12-05T23:31:00.000-08:00

New designs to be turned into wall art for Baby Z's corner.

They (the design motif) remind me of dragonflies for some reason. Would Baby Z be having a bugs-themed corner of a room then? Hmm...

the 'psychedelic' one ...

2007-12-02T04:30:00.000-08:00

:: framed art for a dude who recently turned 3 ::

:: 'psychedelic ' to reflect the true boy character that is the birthday boy - full of energy, full of character, colourful too, if you like :-) ::

:: Happy 3rd Birthday, Adam!! ::

a tale of 2 nieces . . .

2007-12-02T04:06:00.000-08:00

:: birthday card for niece who turned 2 last week ::

:: the said-niece, Raja Alaina Leilani - equal parts funny and cute, she is! ::

:: framed art for newborn niece - born 1st December '07 ::

:: welcome to the world, Mas Kirina Dewi Pian!! ::

:: art to match her yellow-and-green room ::

:: calling this piece "Stepping Stones: Citrus" - baby's first chapters/steps in her life ::

'tis the season to be ...

2007-12-02T04:01:00.000-08:00

crafty? creative? industrious? one can always hope, right? ;-)

Anyway, I made these Xmas party invites for Big Z's school. Just over 40 pieces.

:: part of the lot ::

Kept design very simple and somewhat plain even, with only design motif being my interpretation of Xmas tree decorative ornaments/lights.

note: date and RSVP details ommited for privacy purposes

his bedtime reminders ...

2007-11-24T21:22:00.000-08:00

... from the Mummy.

Got these framed yesterday. They now stand neatly in a row on his bed. I plan to hang them up on the wall though, but was petrified to make holes in the wall. Hehe ... Settled for the next best thing then - lined them up on this picture shelf thingy. For now, that'll be home for these frames. The story part of the actual "bedtime routine' story rests behind each of the four frames shown below.

:: before sleep, toothbrush, storytime, goodnight & i love you ::

some stitching was done in between this and that ...

2007-11-24T21:16:00.000-08:00

What I worked on some days back. Pillowcases for Big Z and Baby Z. Not proud of how the circles didn't come out in a good curve of a line. And how the 'leaves' came too close to the edge. But they'll do for now - not like am selling them anyway. These shall remain in the house, in the family.

Let's just hope Big Z won't have so much of an opinion on his pillowcases though - I somehow can already hear him say something like, "but I want trains, Mummy ... not funny balls". Haha ...

one(sie) at a time ...

2007-11-20T19:21:00.000-08:00

Restless, impatient, itchy-fingers me decided to start stocking up on baby things. All the while, still being the good wife, I'd say. ;-) Mr Husband said not to start buying things for baby. Not just yet he says. But what did the wifey do yesterday?? Bought some pretty cheap baby onesies. Plain white ones. And then some basic items to add to my newly-opened sewing kit. (anyone who REALLY knows me will know that I sew even worse than I cook ... and I'm nowhere near a great cook!) Pregnancy does funny things to you, I think. Opens up different sides of you, makes you interested and curious about things you wouldn't look twice at before. In this case, it's sewing. What AM I thinking really?

So. Below are photos on what 'flourished' from those plain white onesies. I sat myself down and in three hours (yea, i know! 3 hours just for that teeny bit of work? haha) completed them designs. I just wanted to have some personalized touch to my baby's clothes. Result ain't great, but I have to say, it's such a refreshing change of work. I'm usually drowning myself in papers printing this and that, but yesterday it was just soft fabric and colourful threads. I could just get used to this new interest of mine. Hmmm... we'll see.

:: the BARCODE onesies ::

OK. Now quickly go look at something else. Something less shabby than my sewing. *LOL*

the homemade story . . .

2007-11-19T00:56:00.000-08:00

"Tell Me A Story, Mummy" written by Carl Norac and beautifully illustrated by Mei Matsuoka. This is Big Z's current favourite bedtime read. The main character though, the Mummy's child here is a girl. So, for obvious reasons, when I read the book to him, I replace the said-character to Big Z's name and change the character's friend, to Big Z's pick-of-the-night friend. He gives me the name, I'll just insert it in the story.

After reading this book, he'll ask for the other current favourite. This other one has no book though. It really can't be found anywhere in print for that matter. It's a purely made-up one by yours truly. It's called "The Cereal, The Pasta & The Biscuit". *LOL* This story has many different episodes and takes on it. ;-)

It all started with Big Z not satisfied after reading some 3 or more books to him one night. With the lights off, he insisted I tell him another story. For short of idea and mind you, I was extremely tired by then, I came up with this spur-of-the-moment take on a bedtime story. (no guesses what's on my mind most nights - naming characters after food .. haha!) Most nights, it gets pretty ridiculous a storyline, but I always try my best to include some good moral behind the created story. The most common one is how in life, no two characters or people are the same, yet they can still live together (in the case of the cereal, pasta and biscuit - they all live harmoniously in the kitchen cupboard) and be friends with one another. I've also gone down the also-very-true route that not everyone can get along well with each other, but you'll always need to be nice to people regardless of their differences. Be nice to others, and they'll be nice to you. Or so I'd like to believe and have been brought up to have such a mindset. And what better way to introduce this than through such important characters as the cereal, the pasta and the biscuit, ey? ;-)

After a round of the story (each night is a different storyline, and I really don't know what I've gotten myself into now ... eeek!!), Big Z gives me one of his made-up stories too. A fair trade, I suppose. Haha. And only after that, will he finally agree to go to sleep. Tiring? You don't say!

.............................

I was scribbling about in my notebook (as I normally do) one fine day when I came up with some lines. Read them and it sounded like a good (for my kids at the very least) enough piece of short story. This was some months back. Today, I finally had them printed out. I attached a piece of Big Z's earlier paintings to each of the story's 'page'. My next step is to get these framed up and then have them displayed in Big Z's room. It's another made-up story, another homemade story, if you like. Instead of binding the pages together into a mini book, I thought I'd have them framed up and thus will double up as some unconventional artwork in his room. More home-projects on my end then.

Below, the 4 'pages' to the story. I'm calling this one, "The Bedtime Routine".

:: page 1 ::

:: page 2 ::

:: page 3 ::

:: page 4 ::

good things come in small packages...

2007-11-19T00:06:00.000-08:00

Do you sometimes find yourself all ready to leave the house to some party, with gift in one hand, and then at the very last minute realise you forgot to include a card to the said-gift? Be it a birthday gift, a welcome-new-baby gift, mom's day, dad's day gift or any of the sort. Well, let's just say, it's happened to me on more than a couple occasions.

Often, it's the tiniest of detail you overlook and yet, in many instances it may well be the most meaningful and personal touch to your gift. After all, attaching a note and/or card to a gift, with your bits of words on it leaves your mark on the gift, yes?

So. I decided to make some very simple and teeny-weeny cards for this purpose. To not just adorn and complete the look of any one gift, present or parcel, but to give others a chance to read my best wishes to them and if they so wish to, to hang on to the piece of card. It's really small and so will not take up much space in their 'cards drawer' or 'cards box' or 'cards basket'. You get the picture ... ;-)

Here, some shots of them small gift tags and cards.

:: part of the gift tags range ::

:: part of the cards range ::

:: all packed in mini drawstring pouches ::

If interested to purchase some of these cards (am currently making more varied designs), feel free to drop me a line or two to enquire. :-)

:: SOLITUDE ::

2007-11-05T03:32:00.000-08:00

being in a faraway place pretty much alone + finding one's self ...

these came to mind when working on this piece

halfway there ...

2007-10-13T17:36:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd leave this blog exclusively to my 'patterned projects'. But, this morning, I just thought, why not ... let's throw in a lil bit of 'personal project update' in the blog as well. So here goes ... (if it gets too boring, lengthy, not-quite-patterned-enough, or all of the above, you might as well skip this entry).

So. I'm now halfway-through the 40-weeks journey. That's right. As of tomorrow, I enter my 6th month of pregnancy with baby number 2. Has to be said, this pregnancy has definitely been more challenging, both physically and emotionally, as compared to the first pregnancy. I tire more easily this time round, have a much bigger rear (much to my utter dislike!), have an almost addictive craving for all food spiced and/or heavily-drown in herbs, and dissing chocolates (this has GOT to be the biggest shock in terms of my appetite ... saying 'no' to chocs? hmmm... it's just unheard of if you're Mrika! haha).

On a lighter note, I'm terribly anxious and equally excited to welcome a second baby into our lives. The gap's quite big by what-seems-to-be-the-current-trend. Big brother's just turned 4 in August, and so in terms of years apart, he and lil one will be 5 years apart when baby arrives in late Feb/early March next year. For all the right reasons, I'd say the said-gap is pretty good.

I'm counting the weeks now to when I'm 'allowed' to start buying things for the baby. I've my eye on some rather pretty lil items to adorn baby with, but as the hubs has reminded me, it's still a bit early to start shopping for them things. And yes, he IS right. So, I've instead busied myself with some lil projects on my end. Just to distract me a bit, and well, to start a lil collection of things for baby. 'Home-made with much love from mother to child'. Hehe... if there was a tagline to go with these lil projects, that could well be it. :-)

Am actually running late now. Raya duties - read: open houses to fill our ever-ready-willing-to-swallow-them-food-spread tummies. So, I'll leave you all for now, and will continue this entry with photos of some completed projects.

(more of them) mini monograms

2007-09-20T19:12:00.000-07:00

for a fairly newborn baby boy

for a newborn baby girl

- happy to note Ms Client has collected the 2 sets, and am now working on another 2 sets for a new client :-) -

happy fasting!

2007-09-12T00:41:00.000-07:00

To all fellow Muslims, have a good and rewarding Ramadhan this year.

May our practice of fasting throughout the month aid in the self-control and cleansing of not just the body, but the mind and soul too.

Happy fasting and selamat berpuasa to all!

I may turn this design into cards and scrapbooking papers. Wish me luck! :-)

tea at Big Lime Street

2007-08-29T00:15:00.000-07:00

Another late entry this is.

For short of new projects up on my end here (shame on me for lack of productivity!), I figured I'll post photos of these cards I made a while back for a tea get-together I hosted for a small group of friends.

Stuck to shades of brown and green, and specifically lime, simply coz it tied in with our address (or rather how the hubs has 'labelled' our street) - Big Lime St. Seeing as it was a small crowd, I indulged in seating placecards for each guest and made them guess which card belongs to them. Instead of their names, I printed 'titles', which in my opinion reflect their respective characters/personalities.

Each brought home their respective cards and a lil pouch of chocolates.

pyjamas in blues, reds, pinks and everything in btwn ...

2007-08-21T10:50:00.000-07:00

we hosted a PYJAMA PARTY to celebrate Big Z's 4th birthday

the birthday banner

designed for kids (and their parents) to use for bedtime;

labels read "4 your bedtime ... thank you + goodnight from Zarif, the Daddy + the Mummy"

party packs; an extension on the party's invitation design theme

inside, were packed a toothbrush, a container of bedtime lotion, snacks and an activity book

blues for the boys, reds for the girls

individually-packed bedtime lotion for the kiddies

packets of chocolate cookies packed for guests; labels read "chocolate: indulge now, worry later"

photos of Big Z in his many sleeping positions from baby to age 3-plus strung together with selected book titles; books Big Z usually picks out as bedtime reads

plain butter mini cupcakes

adorned with party theme's number 4 mini flags

the birthday cake - specially made by Big Z's aunt, Mummy Z's sister

blues, reds and whites mark the pyjama party

2007-08-17T17:26:00.000-07:00

It's just a lil over 24 hours before the chaos that is typical of kids' birthday parties take centrestage at Big Z's birthday party tomorrow. Leading up to the party then, here's the invitation card this year.

of pinks and blues ...

2007-08-06T10:05:00.000-07:00

personalized 'doodle books'

packed into lil favour bags

... for the Z's early-birthday do at the school

tough being the Z - surrounded by his girl fans! :-)

of birthdays . . .

2007-08-06T09:31:00.000-07:00

and colour-coded packages ...

and custom-packed hampers (only for the witty souls ;-))

Zarif's firsts

2007-07-31T20:53:00.000-07:00

Z's school is having a birthday do for him next week. School's asked me to provide them with some notes on his progress over the years. 'Key' milestones, if you like. Decided to scrap on some firsts in his life to date.

(he was just over a year old in the photo - sometime after Aug ' 04)

the surprise birthday brunch

2007-07-29T18:51:00.000-07:00

A late entry this is.

Had a small surprise birthday brunch at the house for the hubs.

But small as it was, I just had to make a lil invitation (even if it was only circulated through email). :-)

The lil 'voucher' made for birthday dude.

And a mini detail on the paperbag containing his other gifts from me.

And yes... design may look familiar as they currently frame my blog. And yes too... teal, choc brown and olive greens are my signature colours. As much as I try to 'run away' from them, they just keep calling out to me. :-)

3G

2007-07-24T04:27:00.001-07:00

Did a hundred of these invites for my dad. A 'lil' function to be held this weekend at the house. Honouring the 3 generations - my dad, my dad's son and my dad's son's son.

mini monograms

2007-07-24T00:11:00.000-07:00

Two 4 year olds. A boy and a girl. Classmates of the Z. Both share the same birthdate, parents decided on a joint birthday party for them. Z and I couldn't make it to the party though (nausea got in the way).

Made these for the birthday boy and girl anyhow.

:: PLAYTIME: FROM DUSK TILL DAWN ::

2007-07-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

A pair of acrylics on canvas for a pair of sibs. Kids' mom and I were housemates in Croydon UK (I was starting my GCSEs, she was doing her A-Levels) - incidentally, the very first friend I met and made in the UK, back in Sept ' 94. Now our kids are on each other's party guest lists. :-)

when lovers meet

2007-06-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

Worked on these - wedding reception table placecards (with a twist) - over the weekend.

Design is, if you look closely...

two doves (people) who've found each other against the 'backdrop' of the million other doves (people) in one's environment/space/community/land/world to become each other's life partner.

How's that for a soppy, lovey-dovey take on the design? ;-)

That'll be the story for these cards then. :-)

Thanks Alin for the job. :-)

:: THE DIZZIES ::

2007-06-10T20:42:00.000-07:00

Another one of them paintings. A farewell gift for a friend.

sparks galore

2007-06-06T03:46:00.000-07:00

seeing sparks!

... well, kind of.

reminds me of some retro wallpaper for kids' rooms. or just general wallpaper design.

on a more realistic note though (read: based on my resources), these i'll turn into some notecards and perhaps a couple other mini projects - most immediate being the header for this blog.

the new design

2007-06-04T00:14:00.000-07:00

So. Yes. I changed my mind. ...

Not sure if it's the better choice, but yea. Am sticking to this design now.

For the invites, TQ notes, and all other printed items for the party. Wish me luck! :-)

Z's 4th birthday party - pre-party part 1

2007-05-28T02:26:00.000-07:00

A sneak-peak of the birthday theme I'm doing for Z's birthday this year.

Think blues, think traditional theme with a modern twist. ;-)

More on this as I get closer to the party date (which will be in August).

first impressions DO matter (granted, to some more than others)

2007-05-23T22:49:00.000-07:00

Imagine walking into your home's compound through similar doors everyday, and on concrete slabs or wooden decking over shallow water.
Aahhhh... such bliss.
A pretty and calming picture painted in your minds yet? ;-)

pattern play: Sorbet 1

2007-05-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

this morning's design exercise

this is Sorbet 1

Sorbet 1 could look quite-at-home on wallpapers to grace one's lounge (or any other room) and/or on scrapbooking papers. What say you?

wheels on blonde (wood)

2007-05-13T17:13:00.000-07:00

Cool modern vintage-y rides I like. How nice it'll be to have these for the lil dude (or for the mum to feast her eyes on! ;-)).

colours of the world

2007-05-08T20:44:00.000-07:00

How prett-ily cute is that wall map?? Would be such a great colourful addition to Z's room.

Tell me I can get one just like that here in M'sia. No? Ah well...

parallel display

2007-05-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

- photo from Terramia http://lovemyearth.blogspot.com -

Shelves I like! Wall I like!! Floating cabinets I like!!!
Sigh...
Maybe... an idea to consider no doubt. ;-)

a blue affair

2007-05-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

Made this last year for a joint buka puasa-cum-birthday dinner for a friend's (Ms M) husband and son. Yup, father and son share the same birthday - pretty cool, ey?

Anyway... Ms M then attached these cards to little chocolate-filled glass jars made famous by IKEA.

- special thanks to Ms M for her constant support and encouragement on my humble work :-) -

they colour me up ...

2007-05-04T19:16:00.000-07:00

A glimpse of (part of) my weakness. Handbags!! These here are the ones that I'd say bring out the 'fun side' of me (if there is one to begin with! haha). They're by far, the most colourful and most bold in design.

Orla Kiely and Cath Kidston make such beautiful things... I really can't help myself. Really. ;-)

Ooh... Marimekko's great too.

superneat!

2007-05-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

Isn't this just beautiful?

Love the colour, the shape, the gentle curves, the little bits you can pull out as extra seating, table or storage and then keep them back in under the table - how brilliant is that?

Form and function at its finest this one is.

I likeeee! And I wannntttt!! :-)

"Mr Preppy & Mr Grungy"

2007-05-04T10:29:00.000-07:00

... Z with his other cousin ...

SCRAPBOOKING-RUBBER DUCKIES

2007-05-03T02:43:00.000-07:00

A baby shower for my sister-in-law, at my parents' in February '07.

Theme was scrapbooking and rubber duckies, with blues, yellows, whites and browns as main colours

seen in decorations and favours.

Games: treasure hunt, baby-items list, measure mommy's tummy and the main activity was to make a scrapbook page each for the mom-to-be.

Favours: individual chocolate pots, mini fan, a rubber duckie and some mints.

... running theme for the shower - from the invites, favours and general colours ...

... individual 'sinful' chocolate pots (made by my sister - she's clearly the better one in the kitchen ;-)) ...

... favour bag with favours thrown in ...

...some of the prizes for games ...

... venue 'dressed up' for the day - clothesline included items given to mom-to-be earlier ...

SEEING DOTS!

2007-05-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

I get such a thrill and burst of energy thinking up and planning a themed party.

The photos here were from my son's 3rd birthday party (Aug '06).

The theme was POLKA-DOTS in blues, greens, whites and browns.

... the invite ...

... the favour bags, each decorated differently with theme colour dots ...

... close-up on them favour bags, with TQ tags attached ...

... into the bags went a 'doodle book' each ...

... a do-it-yourself, dot-it-yourself art kit ...

... which came with 'instructions & a selection of circles cut from origami papers ...

... how a finished D.I.Y. D.I.Y. artwork may look like :-) ...

... the birthday cake (made by my sister) ...

... and everyone went home with a polka-dotted cupcake each ...

~ am now in the midst of planning and preparing for Z's 4th birthday party ... watch this space for updates on the party planning (theme and the whole works ;-)) ~

{a little note to say... }

2007-05-01T10:11:00.000-07:00

... some of my cards sold under my home-based biz Notes & Wraps ...

"DOUBE TROUBLE"

2007-04-30T20:54:00.000-07:00

... Z with first cousin ...

"Z and THOMAS

2007-04-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

... Z obsesses over Thomas & Friends, the way I do over Orla Kiely

(difference is, he's got a much bigger collection of them trains, than I have of OK's bags) ...

"PAINTING"

2007-04-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

... Z enjoys painting, and naturally, I welcome and encourage this interest in him ...

"S.L.E.E.P."

2007-04-30T11:35:00.000-07:00

- i've a thing for taking my Z's photos when he's asleep ... -

"THE LETTER Z"

2007-04-30T10:22:00.000-07:00

"WHAT'S IN A NAME?"

2007-04-30T09:20:00.000-07:00

... scrap layout on the origin of my son's name ...

:: SUNKISSED! ::

2007-04-30T09:14:00.000-07:00

A little piece of 'painting exercise'. Didn't make this for anyone in particular, it's just another one of those random paintings sitting in my home now. Waiting for its new owner perhaps. ;-)

:: PARALLEL CHATS ::

2007-04-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

A 2-part piece. 12" by 12" canvas.

Made this for a friend who bought it as a gift for her best friend who's moving to Australia.

Named this piece :: PARALLEL CHATS ::, to signify the pair's friendship - which, I'm assured span many many conversations, chats, and gossip sessions.

'Parallel' to highlight that despite them being apart in different countries, they'll still have similarities in life's preferences, simply because of their strong friendship bond. I've incorporated the stripes running throughout as 'parallel' and the random organic shapes to symbolise inverted commas; ie: conversation and chat sessions. Colours were deliberate to represent the livelihood of their friendship, plus the bustling and trendy life I'd expect her friend to be leading in her new home abroad.

:: HAVING A BALL! ::

2007-04-30T04:04:00.000-07:00

Made this for another friend. This one is, as with most of my other work, a green-blue-brown theme. I guess I tend to naturally go for these colours and the motifs too. Polka-dots are me.

Am calling this :: HAVING A BALL! ::.

Why? Well...

1. obviously there are balls there... hehe

2. I was trying to capture some form of movement, hence the swirl through both canvases and making the 'balls' look like they're bouncing about

3. I had FUN painting this

So yea, 'had a ball' painting them balls I sure did! Hahah... how lame is tht?!

:: THE LEAF SERIES ::

2007-04-30T03:18:00.000-07:00

This was a leisurely piece. Painted this one with big happy thoughts. Don't remember why exactly, but it was one of those little-trouble kinda work. Where I painted as I went along, not much planning, except for the definite strips sectioned off. Other than that, I had no idea what the end picture would look like. It was my own little surprise, if you like. :-)

Called this :: THE LEAF SERIES :: - not the most creative of names, I know. Shame on me. But yea, think those lil brushstrokes reminded me of leaves, almost like they were dancing too (for the sake of 'more imagination'). ;-)

:: PEACOCK DISCS ::

2007-04-30T02:34:00.000-07:00

This was, if you like, the 'baby' of my portfolio. After a long pause of sorts, I resumed painting on a 'grander scale'. What started off as a casual chat with a dear friend on decorating our kids' rooms, led me to paint a lil something for her lil boy's room. The result was this. A 3-part series of blues and greens against a fresh white canvas.

I named this :: PEACOCK DISCS :: as the colours reminded me of beautiful peacocks and the shapes weren't all perfect circles, but curved no doubt. The first word that came to mind was 'discs'. Hence the name then. :-)