closing a chapter, welcoming the new ...

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

: painted canvas flashcards - baby Alex :

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 ...

play + live a little ...

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. :-)

of pinks and blues ...

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 . . .

and colour-coded packages ...

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

the surprise birthday brunch

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. :-)

mini monograms

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 ::

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

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. :-)