: we LOVE naufal :

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"

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.

retro grid

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 ...

:: 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

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 . . .

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 ...

:: 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 . . .

:: 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 ...

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

(more of them) mini monograms

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!

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! :-)

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

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

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 birthdays . . .

and colour-coded packages ...

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