Altered Alchemy

Long overdue update

2018-09-07T14:31:00.000+08:00

Ahhhh ... I know I know ... it's been way too long. I should update the blog with some of my newer art pieces. I realized with all these newer social media platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook etc... many people aren't too keen on reading long winded writings anymore, instead we are now more akin to "feast the eyes" on images after images. I think I too have turned to the dark side preferring instant gratification at most times. Nonetheless I do still love reading when I am presented with a bit more me-time and when the mood is right. How about you? Do you find yourself scrolling through images more now? Or do you still prefer to dwell and daydream in the written word?

Anyhow, here are some of my work that hasn't been posted here yet.

Airship

Dark Matter

Echoes from the Past

Garden

Legend - Palmsize Journal

the Weaver

the Seeker

Lady in the Mirror

Emma & Killian

Embrace Life

the Watcher

Rust and Heart

New Beginnings - Gaia

New Beginnings - Universe

Also, I am delighted and humbled that my work has been featured in the Belle Armoire Jewelry Magazine Autumn 2018 Issue. They are out in the newstands in the US as I speak! Thank you so much Stampington & Co. for this opportunity! I haven't received my copy yet, but a lovely art sister Marlene Kazor Quigley, was able to snap some photos of my article for me :)

Have a great weekend all! I know I will :)

Wanderlust 2019

2018-09-02T01:02:00.000+08:00

I am so excited to announce that I will be part of the fabulous lineup of instructors in Wanderlust 2019! This online course will be A YEAR long, packed with MIXED MEDIA and ART JOURNALING courses all in full length high quality videos, each streamable with life long access. 24 Instructors (including myself) and 2 hosts from all over the world would converge in Wanderlust 2019 to bring you 12 art themes.

My project will be called STEAMPUNK TOTEMS - Mixed Media Wearable Art

The best part is if you sign up from now until the end of December 2018, you will be able to enjoy a 30% discount off the original course fee of USD150! You get to enjoy a full year of lessons with the earlybird discount and pay only USD105!

SO come join me and 25 other wonderful instructors in this creative and inspiring journey in 2019.
Sign up via my affiliated link
https://www.everything-art.com/p/wanderlust-2019/?affcode=113232_qsp51ce6
and use the EARLY30 code to get your discount :)

Hope to see you all on Wanderlust 2019!! WOOOHOOOO!!!

new PDF tutorial

2018-06-27T20:53:00.000+08:00

So happy to share my first PDF format tutorial after a looooong time!

Had been inspired to make a simple tutorial for beginners-intermediate level for a while now, and I finally completed it!

Over 150 images to guide you from start to finish, and what's more, if there are any parts you do not understand, I am just an email away :)

Please visit my shop http://alteredalchemy.etsy.com

Yet Another

2018-02-07T22:01:00.000+08:00

This is to be my 3rd makeover of the year! And this time, I have chosen to do an outdoor space. Living on the 8th floor, our only outdoor space within the apartment would be the balcony. We have a relatively small balcony, probably about 12 feet x 5 feet give and take. It's a space that I seldom use because there was nothing there. Well we had a table and some plants but that was it ... a neglected space (for me at least). The husband likes to use it in the night when it's cooler outside. It is his go to space to write.

It's a really lovely space if I think about it, because we get to watch the most beautiful sunsets during the evenings from this balcony. Don't know why I didn't give it more attention earlier. Anyways, it's time to do it up and give the family a hangout space, watch the sunset and give my husband a nice little nook to write surrounded by beauty instead of dying plants ((O_O))

SO here is the Before and After photo of our balcony, and after that I will give you a brief description on the whole makeover process and what projects I did to enhance this outdoor space.

I decided to give our balcony a Zen Bohemian look, if there is such a thing ... because my husband and I have been quite into yoga lately, so I thought it would be nice to bring in the same sort of vibe into the home as well.

I began by building a mini deck.

We had a table which was one of the first things that came into this home with us some 12 years ago, and I have never been able to part with it. So after many different uses, this table has now become the foundation of my deck. However, it wasn't enough to cover the whole deck area, as such I had to build extra framing to fill the whole space.

After framing up the extra area, I began to lay the 4x1 timber on top and secured them to the table/frames. I must mention that after my 2 previous makeovers, I got the attention of a local online hardware store ATKC, and they offered me all the wood I needed to build my deck for free! I only had to document my process on video so that they can put it on their website. Of course I was delighted with the offer!! As such, my deck costed me close to nothing to build :)

If you look at the photo, I have made a removable panel on the left of the deck. The reason is because my drainage outlet is there, so I thought I'd better make that part removable in case something needs to be fixed. Who knows!

On the right, I have added like a flip up panel with a magnet just for some extra storage space for unsightly object that we want to hide :)

So that's the deck done! I have also stained it with a mixture of 2 different stains which I had leftover from other projects.

And then, I designed and drew out a stencil of a stylized Lotus and simply stippled it onto the stained deck. After which I coated the deck with 3 coats of polyurethane to make it sufficiently waterproof.

And here is the finished deck. It is important to mention that the height between the floor of the deck to the top of the rail is still within the safety specs of 1 meter, as I do have a 7 year old.

Next, I decided to make a table so that my husband would have a proper surface to write on. But I didn't want the table to be there all the time. As such I thought the best solution was to make a fold-up table.

I first cut up some block board which I had left over from my kitchen makeover, for the tabletop. And then painted it turquoise. I was determine to use brighter colors here, colors that I have never dared to use inside the home.

I made the legs with 2x1 timbers, and made it so that when the table is folded up, the legs would look like some sort of frame.

Within the frame, I stenciled the Sanskrit symbol "AUM" to go with the Zen Bohemian theme. I also fashioned a 'stopper' to hold the table up when it's folded against the wall.

The table sits comfortably at the edge of the deck so that there's plenty of space still to move around on the deck. I was pretty pleased with the results :)

These were the 2 main things I wanted to do to the balcony. Of course before that, I did paint some walls a deep brown-grey to give some accent to the stark white walls. I could only paint on the walls that would not affect the facade of the apartment block when viewed from outside.

After building the deck and the table, I decided that it was time to beautify. I had a friend who was also doing some reno to her bathrooms and when her contractors ripped off all her old bathroom cabinets, I told her to save 2 doors for me. I had something in mind for the doors.

First I cut some windows into the slates of the cabinet door. Then I took some recycled wood and fashioned a shallow shelving. Attached the door to the shelving units and voila I have a vertical planter!

So this becomes my new succulent planter and I even kept the doorknob!

As for the other door, I cut it into half and made them into shelves for my potted herbs.

Oh! not forgetting also, another planter I made out of recycled wood and cake tins I bought from Daiso (our 5 dollar shop)

I added some floor decal which I bought online. Stick and peel tiles that were easy to apply, and remove should it fall out of favour :)

And the money I saved from the deck (it was sponsored) I bought a beautiful bamboo plant and those potted herbs in the photo above, some succulents and ferns. All in all I am a happy girl!

And here are some photos of my balcony now.

You can see the whole makeover process in the video below.

Another Makeover ... Bathroom this time!

2017-09-18T00:03:00.000+08:00

Oh yea, looks like I've been bitten by the DIY bug big time! Here is another makeover I did to the apartment. My tiny guest bathroom :)

This is the AFTER

... now brace yourselves for the BEFORE ;)

We dubbed it the "Blue Bathroom" when we moved in 12 years ago. Took me 12 years to figure out what to do with it. My main obstacle was the blue tiles. I didn't like it at all, but couldn't afford to hack it all down and retile the bathroom, so we just left it as is. And then I got to know that you can actually paint on tiles. So I did some research and found (to my disappointment) that we didn't carry specialize tile paint here. But I was so into it already, I had to find an alternative. And I did find one.

This is a 2 part epoxy paint for exterior surfaces. You get 4 liters of paint and 1 liter of hardener in the package. Mix the 2 together, and you get a durable, highly scratch resistant paint. And this was the savior! I love how the paint covered the tiles and it feels really good to the touch. Besides the wall, I also repainted the floor and even added stencil to it. This was an impromptu decision as I actually wanted to retile the floor when I had some extra cash. I gathered, retiling just the floor won't cost me a lot. But I needed a temporary fix to the blue tiles on the floor too while waiting. But after I did the stenciling, I fell totally in love with it!! I'm hoping now that it will last for a long time!

A Moroccan tile design I found on the net, and made my own stencils

In love with it!

After the walls and the floors, I DIY-ed a simply vanity out of pine wood and added galvanized pipes for the legs for an industrial touch.

I also decided on a stainless steel salad bowl for the sink.

I'm not going to lie, I did face some problems with the sink and the plumbing. Because the salad bowl had a relatively wide and flat base, after I installed it, I realised that the water would not drain properly. Also, the drain was a lip higher than the base of the bowl, as such I had pools of water in the bowl. After some thought, I decided my best solution was to raise the level of the base. So I got out some of my old Ice Resin and added it to the base. And since I was adding resin anyways, perhaps a few gears won't hurt ;)

And so, by the end of it all, I have solved my water drainage problem and added a Steampunk touch to my sink! Best outcome ever! And oh ... check out my homemade faucet which I was thrilled that it turned out so well :)

Here are some photos of other features that I have added.

A light fixture also made of galvanized pipes

Dressed up the builder's grade door with moldings

A crude shelf out of pieces of RM5 kitchen utensil racks

A quote, image transferred to pieces of burned pine
and a towel rack made from extra pipes

I am utterly delighted with the new look of our bathroom! No more blue tiles!!

Love the way it turned out

Black shower curtains for drama

The Vanity

Vanity with the tungsten light on

A pano of my tiny bathroom

My favourite photo

Let me leave you with 2 videos I made on the full process of the makeover :) Hope you'll enjoy it!!

PART 1

PART 2

Kitchen Makeover : Project Kitchen Pt 2

2017-08-01T00:55:00.000+08:00

I still cannot believe that it took me just one month to complete my kitchen makeover. Continuing from where I left off in the last post, my second concrete top for the sink turned out beautifully, in fact now that all three pieces are done, I can say that the sink piece came out the most perfect.

Tho ... the plumbing took me quite a bit to get right. To be exact about 4 hours plus going back and forth the hardware store to get the correct stuff. Luckily the hardware store is just outside my condo.

Never done this before

Cutting a hole on the stainless steel sink for the faucet outlet ... the day when sparks flew!

This part is the most difficult to get right. The angles were tricky.

But ahhhh ... WATER at last!

I had to put a bowl underneath the plumbing for a week just in case of leakage due to my inexperience. Fortunately, nothing happened and all is well :)

And voila!

And finally my final piece of concrete countertop went in with the help of some muscles ... my 2 brothers and husband!

Next stage is to complete the backsplash. I wanted the industrial theme and so I went with chalkboard. I measured up the wall with paper and used it as a template to cut the holes for the electrical outlets in the plywood which I wanted to use as chalkboard.

I got a chalkboard recipe of 1 part unsanded grout + 3 parts latex paint from youtube and proceeded to paint the ply.

I then torched and painted some pine planks to make a feature wall.

And here is the final result of my kitchen makeover :)

Featuring the feature wall

The dark side of the moon ... oops the counter

And the chalkboard says ...
A quote by Jacob Nordby, tho I changed it to represent my family

Some gear imprints I added on the concrete. You can also see the imprints on the wood as I framed the backsplash with the wood I used to make the form of the countertop.

These "bolts" are fake. I soldered nuts onto washers and spray painted them black to resemble a bolt. And then stuck some mini watch gears on some of them

I scattered the fake bolts around the wood frame, some to hid screws

Made an extra chalkboard for the girls to play with

Completed!

I must say that I am pretty pleased with the results!

Kitchen Makeover : Project Kitchen Pt 1

2017-07-05T02:12:00.000+08:00

It has been 12 years since we moved into our apartment/condo, and when we moved in we fitted our kitchen with the standard particle board kitchen units because they were inexpensive and quick to install. I remember my contractor telling me that the kitchen would last us about 10 years and it will be time to change. Well, it lasted for 12 :) And I must add that the top cabinets are still in pristine condition, not so much the floor cabinets especially around the sink area. So last month I decided to change our floor cabinets, but I wanted something different and I also didn't have a lot of money to spend. Luckily I only have 3 cabinets to change.

I decided to go with the industrial look. I've always wanted concrete countertops and I love anything to do with metal and mesh. So I seeked out a welder and designed 3 cabinets for him to make. But first I had to gut the old units and dang ... it was gross.

Altho the cabinets still looked pretty ok on the front, but I can feel the sink collapsing more each time I used it, and I was right. When we removed the sink, the countertop was moldy all round. And with a light tug, the whole cabinet shell fell apart! And I had to clean up all this gunk behind the sink! EWWWWW!!

The welders came with my new industrial cabinets and installed them in a day. These guys make a lot of the standard gates and grills for houses, but seldom have the opportunity to make the more creative stuff.

DMD Maju Welders

I took the chance and gave them my drawings and the result was fabulous! I was utterly delighted with the units! I love the mesh and black metal. Some people may be worried about dust, but being high up, we are relatively dust free in the apartment.

I had 1 inch plywood placed on the top of the cabinets because I have further plans for them. I was going to embark on a quest of pouring my own concrete countertops! But before that, I bought myself a jigsaw and constructed 3 crate-inspired drawers.

I got hold of some pinewood and began constructing my crate-inspired drawers. The jigsaw really helped a lot. I don't think I could have survived sawing all these wood by hand!

I made 3 of these, 2 large 1 small and added a piece of plywood for the base. I also image transferred some numbers onto the front to give them the industrial vintage twist. All in all I was delighted with the results!

Next up will be my biggest DIY endeavor. I researched for months on Youtube on how to make your own concrete countertops. I've learned a lot. I think with the amount of videos I've watched, I can pour concrete sleeping. But I've also learned that in Malaysia, there is no such thing as concrete premixes like Quikrete and the likes, no tools like X-forms to make your concrete work easier, no additives and no placticizers for better flow, no pigments for creative colors, no glass fibre for strength ... zlitch, none, nada.

What we do have are cement, sand and gravel in their original form and as such we still make concrete like our grandfathers did. WOW!

Well ... that didn't deter me. I shall make concrete like the men before me!!

And so I began with buying all the basic materials needed for concrete. I found an online shop called ATKC eHardware. I was in cloud nine! I never imagined that we have something like this here. This place is brilliant. I bought these online midnight and in less than 48 hours all of these stuff were delivered to my apartment on the 8th floor for free!

There are 2 main ways to pour a concrete countertop. You can set up everything and pour it on site, or you can make forms (like molds) and make concrete slabs to be then transferred onto the cabinetry. I opted for the latter. I also decided on the 1:1:2 alternating with the 1:1:1.5 ratio for the concrete mix. 1 Cement : 1 Sand : 2 Gravel. Although I have been reading everywhere that the basic concrete mix is 1:2:3, it was impossible for me to mix at this ratio, perhaps because my slab was not thick enough or the gravel we have here is bigger than what it's suppose to be.

Step 1 is to make the forms.

As the photo shows, first I had to make the templates according to the area I wanted the slab to be, in my case they are the cabinet tops. I made the templates with some art boards. And then I placed the templates onto a block board (or you can use melamine, but they aren't easily available here). Notice that I placed the templates on their flip side. This is because the under surface will become the top of the slab later. The block board is used so that the final surface of the concrete will come out smooth.

And then I constructed the forms with wood. Ideally it would have been better to use the same material as the base (block board) but I didn't have a saw that can cut long lengths of straight lines. So I opted for the simpler method of purchasing some planks and using them for the sides. These planks are 1 and 3/4 inch thick, as such the thickness of my slabs will be 1 and 3/4 inch.

After I'm satisfied with the wooden forms, I tried on the precut 10mm rebars. And then it's time to stabilize the form. The wood is screwed together but the whole form is secured onto the block board, on the outside, with the use of a glue gun. And on the inside a line of silicone seals the joining edges. The silicone will also create a round edge for the concrete slab.

Step 2 is mixing the concrete ... old school

I think the photo says it all. Might I add that my arms were aching like hell that night. It's like I've been lifting weights!

To get rid of the trapped air bubbles, I tried to tap on the side of the forms with a rubber mallet, but I had a bit of trouble there because at one point the forms were in danger of lifting off the block board. So I stopped and you will see that I had quite a few bugholes as a result of trapped air bubbles.

And then it is the waiting phase. I misted the concrete constantly for 2 days. The plastic cover is to keep the concrete wet as much as possible. Concrete needs water to cure. Water becomes the catalyst for the cement to form crystals and bond with the other aggregates in the mix. I learned so much in the research process!

I allowed the concrete to stay in its form for the first 2 days and I removed the wood. And then I continue to let it sit for another 3 days before flipping it over and lifting it to its place.

The wooden sidings left some stains on the sides of the slab but after some sanding the stains were not noticeable any more. You can see that there are quite a bit of bugholes on the sides as a result of not being able to release the trapped air when the concrete was wet.

After 5 days of just staring at the slab, I am finally able to convince a couple of muscular men (my husband and my brother) to help me flip the slab and set it in it on the cabinet.

The slab turned out really smooth and shiny due to the block board's smooth surface. I also put some expired coconut oil as mold release. Perhaps that helped too!Needed no polishing.

Can you see the bugholes? In fact I really liked the look of them and was contemplating to keep them. But my practical self said that food would be caught in the holes and that would be BAD! So I sighed and made up some cement slurry (watery cement) and proceeded to fill the holes up. ALtho ... I did leave some holes on the sides on the slab ;)

And the final result!!

My first concrete slab!

1 down 2 to go ...

This is my 2nd slab, just poured last night.

But this will be a story for Part 2 :)

Summer Online Workshop

2017-04-11T18:13:00.001+08:00

Hi hi!!

It's the time of the year again for my Summer online workshop at Artful Gathering Online Art Retreats. This year I will again be teaching a mixed media project, only this time, it is inspired by the Elves of Eryneth ...

A long long time ago ... in a land beyond our imagination ...

“The Lady of Eryneth cast one final spell. Slowly but surely, the enchanted Elven Kingdom of Eryneth shimmers into oblivion. The forest returns to its original form as if nothing has changed in nearly a thousand years. The soaring glittering Elven trees have all but gone, the towering archways carved out of the ancient forests' canopies are no more, and the Great Hall of Eryneth is now just a bare meadow in the shadows of the forest.

The Lady of Eryneth cast her eyes down to her hands, which bore a box, not too large. This box was created from the strongest white stone she could find on this land. The Lady lovingly touched the ElvenTree carved on the cover of the box. It reminded her lovingly of the ancient trees in her Kingdom, the Kingdom that is now no more. She slowly opened the ElvenTree window and peered inside. The Lady sighed. She then walked towards a large stone boulder which used to mark the gateway to the Kingdom of Eryneth. The Lady closed her eyes and chanted something under her breath. With one simple spell she hides the box within the large boulder, unseen by common eyes, but will reveal itself when the time comes. One day, perhaps a thousand years from now, someone shall find the box and its secrets within. For now, the box sleeps, and waits … for the Chosen One.”

Registration is now open at www.artfulgathering.com

Join me this year between June 6 - July 17, for 6 weeks of creative fun in the realm of mixed media, and maybe at the end of my class, you'd be the lucky winner of this pair of old-world bohemian earrings too!

A bloghop is now happening at the Artful Gathering with $500 worth of prizes to be given away! Sign up now and enjoy all the wonderful doorgifts waiting for you :)
HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!

Stepping out of the box

2017-03-31T22:33:00.002+08:00

For those of you who have been following my work will notice that I am pretty neutral when it comes to colors. I confess I'm not great with strong vivid colors. However, when a kind art sister Heather Tracy of Thicketworks helped buy some molds for me, I decided that since I'm trying out a new tool (yup, never used molds on my work before, but these Iron Orchid ones were just irresistible), I might as well step outside my neutral box a little to spice things up. And I didn't regret one bit of it!

Introducing my IMAGINARIUM series. 'Series' being the lack of a better word to use, mine is hardly a real series since I only have 2 pieces at the moment :)

My first try is on a box.

Imaginarium of the Weird & Wonderful : A Mixed Media Box

Just LOVED the 3D effect and the colors! OMG ... I never imagined I could pull something like this off.

And of course, what kind of a steampunk-time-traveling-rock&roll-alternate-universe box would it be without a tattered old journal ready to house all your deepest darkest secrets!

And then I got very excited and immediately started on another piece.

Imaginarium of the Weird & Wonderful : A Journal

I love how much these IOD molds added to my work! They are such great tools to include in your arsenal of must-have arty stuff!

Somewhat reminds me of a carousel, only this one has no horses.

I am certainly looking forward to more colors in my future work. Now they don't feel so scary anymore. This stepping out of the box was certainly a good move. Being on a roll, I decided to return to my past in my next piece. Some shabby chic called out to me and yes, it has been years since I pulled off a shabby chic. So I guess this is also stepping out of the box in a different sense.

I called this journal 'French Romance'. The chalky destress feel, the old letter print, the mail stamp and pink romantic roses, a far cry from my Imaginarium series. And to think I made all of these within the same span of time. My brains must have been departmentalize big time!

Honestly it's been a long time since I painted roses. I use to do folk art and painting roses using the one stroke technique was my favourite thing to do. Thinking back at how many things I had painted roses on ... I'm feeling just a little queasy LOL!

Finally, I completed a commission too. Woah ... haven't I been productive! Doesn't always happen tho, maybe once a year I'm this productive!

The commission is another journal, and the brief was Old Norse Mythology.

And so, Mjolnir, Book of Thor was born.

That is the symbol of Thor's hammer with a touch of Celtic Knots design in it and flanking the Mjolnir are Odin's Battle Ravens.

And that, concludes my productive stint for the year HAHAHAHAHA!!!

I will leave you with this group selfie of the Imaginariums - A box, a book and a necklace.

A brand new year

2017-03-03T19:32:00.005+08:00

Can you believe it?? It's already March of 2017, first quarter of the new year is nearly over. Time really flies. I read a quote on facebook the other day ... Is it scarier that it's been 7 years since 2010 or is it scarier that in 3 years it would be 2020?? UGH ((O_O)) 2020 ... I remember this was the year I thought of when I was a kid in primary school. I remember thinking ... wow 2020 is so far into the future I cannot even imagine it, and I counted, in 2020 I will be 51 ... oh my ... that's older than mommy, more like gran. It seems like only yesterday I had this thought in my little head.

But today, as I was walking back from lunch, a stranger called me from inside a shop, "hey girl!" and then proceeded to ask me a question. After that, I had a grin taped on my face until I reached home LOL! Dang ... how long has it been since someone called me "girl" (besides my mom of course! she always calls me "girl") Now that ... made my day :)

Ok enough of silly musings ... I know haven't been the best of blogger, so Here I am once more to share some photos of my work with you. I missed out posting quite a bit in the years past, so let me see if I can retrieve some of my favourites.

First of all, I am so pleased with my new set of postcards-cum-business cards. The printer did a great job this time :)

It came from this shot I took when I had quite a few of my pieces in hand, usually I don't have so many pieces. So I took the opportunity to set them up nicely and take a good product image. Nice huh?

I still really love my steampunk travel theme books. Here is the trio.

Sometime last year I decided one day that I would try my hands on altered bottles :) These 2 were the result! These were ex-gripe water bottles from my second born's time as a baby. I must have kept the bottles for 5 or 6 years.

Somewhere along the line, I managed to slip in a wrap bracelet too, which I named "Very Frustrating Bracelet" hahaha! which is the fact, cos it took me ages to wrap it round my wrist while I was trying it on :)

And then, I also made an Elven inspired Box of Curiosities :)

The box (only the box) has now been made into a workshop called "the ElvenTree" which will be coming up in Summer over at Artful Gathering 2017!

Registration is open as we speak! So if anyone is interested in this online workshop do pop over to the link. There is also a blog hop going on with $500 worth of prizes sponsored by Jerry's Artarama. To enter the hop you can go to this link : http://artfulgatheringshops.com/artful-gathering-blog-hop-2017/

By the way ... yours truly is holding the key to the secret word this week ;) Go search for it!! (it's not far away ;)

Also ... my DVD from last year's workshop is finally out!! Whoopeeee!!! For those of you who have been writing to me asking me when "The Looking Glass" workshop from 2016 will be out, here it is :)

Here is where you can get it :
http://artfulgatheringshops.com/product-category/luthien-thye/

Moving on, I use to love to play dress up when I was a kid. Always makes me feel like someone else. But as we grow older, grown up things take over our lives or perhaps grown up 'thoughts' take over our lives, and we either don't have the time or feel too embarrassed to play. So we don't play anymore, which is a pity. One day I decided heck ... I'm not getting any younger and I'd like to create some harmless memories for myself, plus I can use them to sell my stuff! HAH!! why not? So when the kids were at school, I quickly dashed on some makeup and stood in front of my bedroom window where the backlight would make any flaw melt away :) and snapped some photos.
And it made my day :)

I tried my hands on some different things last year, bottles, bracelets, boxes, rings ... which I don't normally make. It's like breaking away or just stepping out of my comfort zone a little. Anyhow, I hope everyone is having a great year so far. Don't forget to check out Artful Gathering ... lots of new instructors, lots of new artforms for you to step out of your box :)

Aha!! You found it!

A Year of Learning

2016-12-12T18:45:00.001+08:00

This year has been a year of learning. I taught myself how to draw as you already know in my last post, and I also taught myself how to play the guitar! I went back for ballet classes and took up yoga. Goodness! I'm nearly 48 and I still feel like a kid when I get to try out new creative endeavours, all excited and wide eyed. This year has also been a year of mischevious rule breaking. I've always wanted copper hair and I got it done! Muahahahaha!! All in all it has been an eventful year and I've been stepping out of my box a wee bit more.

I shall not bore you with lots of rambling, but instead show you some of my work in the past months. But before anything else ... here is me and my copper hair :)

This is a picture of me modeling one of my more recent pieces called Oculus : Naga, because we haven't got the resources to hire real models all the time LOL!

And talking about Oculus, lately I've been a little intrigued by the symbol of the Eye. As such I have made 3 pieces of mixed media art jewelry inspired by the Eye.

The first one I made was for myself, and I simply named it "Oculus"

Oculus

And then I went on to create 2 more,

Oculus : Ajna , where "Ajna" is the Sanskrit word for the Third Eye Chakra.

Oculus : Ajna

and Oculus : Naga , where "Naga" means Dragon.

Oculus : Naga

Besides the symbol of the Eye, these pieces are also inspired by the fantasy realms that I love so much ie. steampunk, alternate reality and time travel. In this last piece, Naga, the aura of energy and majesty which resembles the gaze of a dragon was the very thing that gave it its name. The sun window in the center of the eye allows light to shine through, not only adding otherworldliness to this piece, but also transforms the focal from being an eye to something that resembles the inner workings of an old clock tower. Here is a close up look of the inner realms of this piece in its Work-In-Progress stage.

One of my favourite images, and some of my favourite pieces :)

This is another group of art jewelry I made prior to the Oculuses (if there is a plural to the word!). Some of them are still in my shop Altered Alchemy @ Etsy amongst other pieces :)

Just before I pen off, here are 4 of the latest drawings I made. I am quite a movie buff and definitely a fangirl at heart. I'll probably still be fangirling when I'm 80!

Tom Hardy as Mad Max

Ian McKellen as Gandalf

And then there is this odd one out. Not from the movies, but from the English Premier League ;) Can you guess which football club I support now?

Jurgen Klopp

THIS!! This is my latest piece, hot from the oven not 48 hours. This man has just become my favourite actor-thespian. He must be one the most talented actors of his generation! From playing a real life physicist with ALS to a Danish transgender woman who is also an artist to a magizoologist wizard ... what can't he play? And what can I say, I LOVE FANTASTIC BEASTS!! It's been a long wait to go back into the Harry Potter Universe but it was worth it all. Sigh ...

Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander

Have a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone!

A surprising endeavour

2016-05-21T03:31:00.000+08:00

For a long long time I have always thought, or assumed that drawing would be something out of my artistic range. In school when we had to draw a scenario with people in them, I would always dread it, simply because I can never draw a realistic looking person. They would be out of proportion, had a funny face and what nots. And I have always envied those of my friends who can draw. So from that time on, I have never had the inclination to sketch anything that's human or animal. I only drew motifs and tattoo-like designs.
However, since last week, everything I thought about me+drawing, changed.

I don't know what exactly inspired me to pick up the pencil and start sketching dragons. Maybe it was my 5 year old who gifts me drawings after drawings of wonderful girls in motion (she loves to draw, unlike her mommy). Or maybe it was a message in etsy where there was the mention of a Phoenix, or maybe it was the really amazing artwork I saw on a friend's facebook feed. Something triggered me, or rather, they ALL did it because one morning last week, I woke up and all I wanted to do was to learn how to draw a dragon. And so I researched on the internet (Youtube) and started devouring videos after videos on dragon drawing. I googled dragon artwork and tried to decipher what constituted a dragon since it wasn't a real creature that one could observe in the flesh. After a day, I made my first dragon. That was on the 10th of May. In the subsequent 5 days, I had made 6 dragons heads.

Here are the first four dragons I sketched ... No. 1 being Tatts. That's my first dragon drawing.

And then in the next three days, I drew Smirk, Al and Cocky.
Of course, I was hooked by now and I drew another two.

Bucky, fashioned after a Komodo Dragon.

Freckles

I was genuinely surprised that I could draw a decent looking dragon. Nothing like those fancy ones I see on Deviant Art, but they were decent. And then a rebellious thought came to mind. What if ... what if I tried drawing faces. Like human faces. I still had a little phobia with drawing humans, but I just needed to know if I can, or cannot draw a proper face. So I made my first human face on the 14th May. Since my daughter really fancied Sebastian Stan after watching Captain America : Civil War, I used one of Stan's photos as drawing guide.

I actually did two Sebastian Stan as the Winter Soldier. The results looked nothing like him, but it was an encouraging start for me ... I can ACTUALLY draw a face! A human face!! Yipeeeeee!!!

I couldn't stop there knowing that I can go further. So I relentlessly drew. I haven't stopped drawing until today. Here is a chronology of the faces I drew and the dates I drew them. I still cannot believe the progress I am achieving. It shows that nothing is impossible if you put your heart into it. And I really put my heart into this.

Sebastian Stan (again) - 15thMay

Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr Strange - 16thMay


Aaron Taylor Johnson as Pietro Maximoff - 16thMay

Chris Evans as Steve Rogers - 17thMay

And then by now, I am as smittened with Sebastian Stan as my daughter is LOL!! So another one of him on the 19May.

Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes - 19May

Today is the 20th May. It's been 11 maybe 12 days since I decided to learn how to draw ... dragons and humans. I don't know when I will make myself stop drawing, so that I can go back to my other art forms (I do need to make some books and jewelry soon!!). But to top this journey off, I made drawings of my daughters today :)

This is Llara ... she's 11

And this is Maia ... she's my 5 year old drawing princess!

I never thought I would enjoy drawing so much. I am so glad I gave it a try again after 30+ years.

2nd quarter

2016-04-11T23:18:00.000+08:00

How quickly time passes. It was like only yesterday we turned 2016 and now we're already in the 2nd quarter of the year. Anyways, I'm taking a break from the bench so that I can blog for a bit as I have some exciting news to share.

First off, my interview with an art and design blog from Germany just came live, so I cannot wait to share it here. I've been lucky enough to be in several interviews but never one from Germany. I'm delighted to say the least and really honored that the owner of the site, Cirsten Dieckmann, wrote to me. The site is call ArtMercato and HERE is where you can find the interview. The first part is in German but there is also the original English transcript below. Please do pay a visit if you have the time! A very interesting site indeed!

Next exciting news brings me to the online workshop that I'll be teaching at Artful Gathering Online Art Retreat. Registration opens on May 1st, so for those of you who are interested in taking art classes but cannot make it to physical venues, this summer online retreat is a great place to be. This year I will be teaching a Mixed Media Book Making class call "The Looking Glass". My class is in session ONE which will run 6 weeks from 6 June to 17 July 2016. I am so excited about this class and I cannot wait to see you all there. You can visit HERE.

Every year I try to think of something different to introduce the workshop that I'll be teaching at the Artful Gathering over summer. This year I made a short video using a technique that really excited me when I first saw it. This video was made using a simple form of Projection Mapping and I totally love how it turned out!

I will leave you with the video, I hope you like it as much as I liked making it!! Until next time ...
xo

Lots have been done ...

2016-03-05T23:57:00.001+08:00

since my last post. I am glad I haven't been procrastinating when it comes to my craft. The last few months were mostly dedicated to filming and editing my new workshop for the coming Artful Gathering 2016. Session 1&2 line-up are up and I am happy to see my workshop in Session 1 YAY!! This year I think I have outdone myself with regards to the length of the workshop. Last I counted, I have 11 hours of footages! Dang ... it didn't even feel like 11 hours when I filmed it. I am having so much fun with this project. For those of you who are curious to know what I'll be teaching ... we have been given the green light to divulge hahaha!!

This ... ladies and gentlemen, is The Looking Glass, a true mixed media journal making project which includes both these designs and a total of 11 hours of workshop! I have been asked frequently to create a workshop on my larger books. So here it is :) I hope I will see you all this summer at the Artful Gathering Online Art Retreats 2016!

Besides prepping for AG2016, in between rest I have been able to create several other books and jewelry pieces. So prepare yourself for a deluge of photos ... *drumrolls* please!!

First, the books!

The Seafarer's Sword & Book of Earendil

Memoir & Homecoming

A Witch's Handbook


Flower in the Attic & Between Two Worlds

The Lover's Handbook

And then, I also made this ...
This is Treasured {A Box & A Book}

The Box

The Book

The Pages

These were experiments. I stained the papers with coffee then stamped designs on them with thicker coffee and even added liquid chlorophyll for the green. All from the kitchen, except the paper of course! Really liked the results.

So much for the books. Now lemme show you the obscene amount of earrings I made. By "obscene" I meant more than 3 pieces LOL!! I think I am getting better at working faster and more. I have never been able to make more than 3 pairs at one go.

I did even manage to learn a new skill. I've always wanted to try stamping on solder but never could find the apparatus and tools here to do that. I finally got tired of looking, I simply imported them in ... just like most of the other components I use in my work. The shipping as always, was as expensive as the items themselves. SIGH!! But now ... I can play :)

Live & Play

Petals & Steel

Totally worth it, shipping the leadfree solder and flux in!
So ... that's about it. That's what I've been up to since my last post. The new workspace is a dream! I am so loving it ... I think you already know :) Before I go, I will leave you with the latest piece from my bench.

Northern Route II

a new old space

2015-09-27T18:21:00.000+08:00

The past month saw me initiating quite a transformation to my working space. I've been mulling over the idea for a while now, but just didn't have the push to do so, until one day my nephew said he would take over my current table. The current table, or should I say now, the ex-table I had was way too high for my petite frame. It gave me all kinds of back problems as I couldn't sit with my feet planted on the floor. They were always hanging as I had to adjust the chair higher to suit the table.

And so the clearing out began. I took it pretty slow, just a few items a day. That way I didn't feel tired out. And then one day ... this was what's left.

As you can see, it is quite a nice table and I've put in some time with the painting and such, but it was too high and with all the stuff I have, I was left with only 2 feet of space to work on.

I realize this is the only photo I have of my old space! With my little one posing of course :) See that space in front of the chair? That's all I have for my working area.

It was dismantling day and I even have an assistant to come and help ;)

I like it that my older girl is not averse to power tools. Atta girl!!

I have always wanted to make my own work bench and so I did. I loved the idea of using plumbing pipes as legs when I saw them on Pinterest. I thought they were industrial and cool looking, plus I could make them myself! I love DIY afterall. I proceeded to design and calculate the dimensions I needed. It was easier said than done.

Unlike the States, we do not have places like Lowes or Home Depot. The people who make pipe tables on Pinterest just had to go there and buy all the parts they wanted with all the pipes cut to size professionally. Over here I had to find an independent shop who still had the machine to cut and thread metal pipes (we are using a lot of PVC plumbing materials now so metal plumbing is not that easy to come by). But yea ... after asking and searching I found a shop who sold, cut and threaded metal pipes.

Cutting

Threading

Finally I had all the components ready. I decided on an Ikea 8 foot solid oak butcher block as the tabletop. Best decision ever!

And then the construction happened ...

I have always wanted plug points on the table top, and this time I did!

I also made this tool storage for my most used tools. This was an old kitchen cabinet door my friend wanted to throw out.

And then everything fell into place.

Love the T feature underneath the wood

the DIY Lightbox now sits high

Beauty of Oak

The oak butcher block turned out not only beautiful but very very solid, which will be a plus when hammering metal. I stained it with a transparent wood stain to bring out the wood knots and other woody features. This side is in fact the back-side of the butcher block. But I loved this side because it had a lot more character with the wood knots and imperfections.

Couldn't be happier with my new space! It is 27 inches high as opposed to the old table which was 31 inches high. Now my feet can touch the floor. Also pretty proud that I made the workbench on my own :)

And a Panorama view ... All 8 feet of it!! Weeeeeee!!!!!!

Earrings Explosion!

2015-06-01T17:31:00.001+08:00

We are nearly half a year gone, just cannot believe it is June already. Why does time pass so quickly nowadays? I don't remember it going so fast when I was a kid. Sigh ...

What have I been up to? Well, I have been excitedly anticipating the opening of Artful Gathering 2015 Session 1 on the 6th of June, which is now less than a week away! Lemme give you another peek of what I'll be teaching in Session 1, maybe it'll intrigue you to sign up with me this year ;)

Oh yea ... This is Fly Away With Me and it is a birdhouse wearable piece with moving parts! Isn't it cool!?!
SO ... if this has intrigued you in anyway, come join me and my fellow instructors at www.artfulgathering.com. You are not too late!

Besides AG, I have also been busy on my workbench. You know it's weird sometimes, when you're in the mood for something, you can't stop making them? Yup ... that's the main reason for my latest earrings explosion ((O_O)). I don't know how many I've made, but I guess I'll know now LOL!

These, I have named them Words, with a series number

Words No. 1

Words No. 2

Words No. 3

Words No. 4

Words No. 5

Words No. 6

And as for these, I called them all Bohemian Opulence ...

And now I know. 9! Actually 10 because I've had another custom request for Words No. 1. I've never made 10 earrings in a stretch, so this is definitely the first for me! I don't think I've had nearly enough yet, who knows ... another 10 perhaps?
*GASP!*

Very excited!

2015-04-17T06:28:00.004+08:00

Hi hi!!! Hope everyone is doing fine this Friday morning! Yup TGIF over here already :)

I have some exciting news and a video to share. First, the exciting news. I'm gonna be teaching at Artful Gathering Online Art Retreats again this year! Woohooooo!!! I'm be doing 2 sessions this time. First session is an artjewelry piece with movable parts, yup, that's gonna be so fun and so cool to make. In the second session, I will be encoring last year's artbook workshop. So for those of you who missed last year and wants to do the artbook, here is another chance for you :)

Registration is open now at Artful Gathering 2015 and you can start signing up for classes May 1! Ooooo ... I'm soooo excited! I hope you can all join me this year again and have more fun making things together :)

Here's a video promo I made. This year I involved the family, my 2 girls and my dad are in it, and my husband is my director and cameraman. What great memories we made as a family :) I hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making this.

There are so many new classes to choose from this year and the instructors are just an amazingly talented and gifted bunch.
Hope to see you guys at AG2015!!

A long long time ...

2015-03-12T18:58:00.000+08:00

I have been bad ... I have not been blogging as I should. Facebook and other social medias have turned me to the dark side. LOL! Fact is, it's not as easy to find the time to sit and write nowadays. But I hope you all have been well!! :) I have not made much these past few months because I have been preparing for the Artful Gathering 2015 project which I shall be announcing soon.

Anyways ... my latest project a bunch of Steampunk pendants inspired by Totems (I kept thinking of Channing Tatum when I think of Totems ... sigh ... my mind works in peculiar ways). These are about the only pieces I made these past few weeks. Big girl work has taken so much of my time and energy, that I just felt like playing. So I emptied some of my stash on my work bench and started to play. These Steampunk Totems are quite different from what I'd usually make ... but I think they're pretty neat. So many things I managed to play on these; soldering is one. I'm quite new at it, but really enjoying it! I got to play with resin too, and paint :)

From left to right, they are the Oracle, the Angel, the Shaman, the Goddess.

Don't ask me how I came up with the names, they just came into my head when I finished them. Weird. But sometimes you see something and they already have a name. You don't get to name them, they name themselves.

I have made the necklace chains pretty simple because I didn't want it to compete with the details in the spirit boxes. There! They did it again! I just wrote "spirit boxes" instead of shadow boxes or bezels ... Hmmmm ...

Then one of my friends asked me, who models my pieces for me. No one knows cos I always cut off the face of the 'model' (as in the center image). Well now the world knows LOL!! I model them, most of the time with no make up and messy hair, because I know my face won't be seen, and I photograph me and my pieces in the toilet. That's where I have the best natural light and the simplest white background aka toilet tiles :) And then some photoshopping to take away the tile lines and smoothen out the wrinkles ((O_O)) Voila!

There is a real practical reason for me modeling my stuff tho, firstly I don't have the money to hire a real model, and then I don't make my pieces in quantity. I'll probably have one piece made this week and another piece made in 2 weeks or 2 months!! So ... it's gotta me I guess.

Next up ... a cuff I made after I watched the last installment of the Hobbit. Can I just add that I am absolutely in love with Lee Pace after I watched him play Thranduil? Absolutely smitten like a kitten! Ahhh ...

Here is the Cuff of Kings.

What I love about this is how the Patina came out. Isn't it gorgeous? I could just wear Patina!

And if you're wondering what that etched metal is ... it's an old escutcheon cover :)

My all time favourite quote from LOTRs.

I consider myself as a Wanderer. At least, my mind wanders all the time! My wanderings almost always produce some fruit. So I would like to think that I'm not always lost when I wander ...

Another Patina shot, and a showcase of the humongous riveted buckle I made from brass.

Lemme see, what haven't I showed you yet ... hmmm ...

OH!! My Paths Series ... I am particularly proud of these, because the thought process to make these took a long time, and in that time, I thought of many things in life. So these are particularly dear ...

Little book necklaces inspired by life's Journey(s), Memories and Continuity.
Love this photograph of them too. I love how they are sitting in a web of chains and beads, symbolizing how life is. Yet, they are sitting there with their heads up and wearing their mission in the form of the little tags, proudly.

I leave you with this my friends ... I shall return soon, bearing more news and more pictures!

of Fairytales and Castles

2014-06-18T21:01:00.000+08:00

These few weeks have been extra exciting for me. Firstly, my Artful Gathering workshop officially opened, and we're now 2nd week in and I can tell you, it has been nothing short of INCREDIBLE! The people I got to meet are super wonderful and the talent, creativity and inspirations that they bring with them is mind blowing! I feel so lucky to be part of this event ... so lucky!

In my own studio, a new muse is visiting and she wants nothing to do with my elves. All she wants to do is tell me fairytales and talk about castles! I have made nothing but castles in these few weeks due to her coaxing.

Road to Alethya was how she first started to tempt me into her world.

"Lady Alya can hardly picture her homeland Alethya in her head anymore. If not for the pendant that hangs on a crudely weaved leather neckband around her neck, she would have forgotten it altogether. She desperately clutches onto the pendant her mother gave her, as if clutching onto the last wisp of memory of her home, and her family. It was nearly a century ago when she was given the orders by the Oracle to come to the Land of Aaman in search of the Chosen One. Her training as a high warrior made her one of the 8 who was capable of making this journey. She was given the task to find the Chosen One when he arrives and protect him from the Usurper. And when he is old enough, she will guide and lead him and finally with the aid of the rest of the 7, return him as the rightful ruler of this wretched land, ending nearly 500 years of suffering amongst his people. Only then would her task be complete and she may once again return to Alethya.

But it has been too long to wait. A 100 years of living amongst the forest folks, eating whatever she could find or not at all, and never having a warm night's sleep, Alya wonders if the Oracle was playing a joke on her. But the Oracle never lies. Alya lays her weary head on the damp forest floor and closes her eyes. Clutching on to her pendant, she falls into an unsettling sleep. Tomorrow will come soon enough ..."

Not such a happy fairytale is it? So I told her firmly that I wanted "happy" or I'll have my elves back. Sulking, she gave me Fairytale...

Ahhh ... much better! It reminded me of a little girl I once knew ...

"Once upon a time there lived a little girl whose father bought her a lot of storybooks to read in her spare time. She read and she read and she read … and believed that unicorns, mermaids, dragons, elves and fairies … they all exist. Old castles in wondrous faraway lands, warrior princesses riding flying horses and courageous knights in armor fighting darklords … are real.

This little girl is all grown up now … but she never stopped believing ..."

Yes ... this little girl has certainly grew up, and she now has 2 little girls of her own. She tells her own little girls each day, that magic does exist ... and to never stop believing ... :)

Our Fairymuse simply refuses to leave me alone! Because not a week after, she's back with more silly ideas. This time, she turns me into an insomniac ((O_O)) just trying to figure this idea of hers out!

"Once Upon A Throne is loosely inspired by the movie Maleficent, I wanted to capture some of the magic of a fairytale but in a darker and slightly malevolent nature. A castle, ravaged by time and neglect still protects a heart within. A heart that was once pure and hopeful, now hides in the shadows of the ruin. Wings that once spread in magnificence now become bound in betrayal. Maybe one day, this heart may be set free to soar the skies again … perhaps one day, she may learn to love again ..."

This mixed media assemblage necklace with a movable heart was nothing less than absolute fun to conceive and construct. The Heart is able to move up and down with a simple chain contraption. It is pieces like these that keep me up all night trying and retrying, constructing and deconstructing until I can make the physical piece come as close as possible to the image I have in my head.

Once Upon A Throne, like all of my other 'house' pieces, has not one bit of solder. All of my 'house' pieces are folded into existence, origami style. Only I fold them not in paper, but in metal … copper.

I have also made a 30 second video demo on how the heart works on that simple chain contraption ...

Despite complaining about my Fairymuse, I am secretly pleased that she's not going away just yet ... I think her castles have rubbed off on me big time!

what if you were from an ancient bloodline of shadow hunters ...

2014-06-05T20:48:00.002+08:00

The dreams came nearly every night now.

Ciaran knew exactly when it would begin. It always starts with an old heavy wooden door which he has to open. And then, a long dark tunnel which would finally end in an ancient tomb room. Carved on the stone tomb is a symbol. It is a symbol that looked somewhat like an old clock with a dagger for a pendulum(?). He didn't even know if it was a clock because it had no hands, only a curious looking device in place where the hands would have been. And each time, he was compelled to touch the symbol even though he knew exactly what would happen to him.

“Mr McFarlane … Mr McFarlane?”

Ciaran jolted back into reality, and starring straight at him was the lawyer. “Y..yes … sorry … what was it?”

“The key, Mr McFarlane. In the will it is written that Ciaran McFarlane was to inherit the house. Here is the key and the address. I trust that everything is in order, sir?”

“Y...yes. I er … “, Ciaran let out a small laugh, still in disbelief as he accepts the letter and a key. What an old key, he thought, catching sight of the rusted artifact in his hand.

“Right … I own a house now ... and it is in ...”, Ciaran looked at the address, “Scotland?”.

----------- o -----------

The highlands of Scotland was just like what they say, windy and wet … and old. Ciaran finally saw the house he inherited from his grandfather as he slowly eased his rented Audi into the driveway of the huge 50 acres estate, which was now his, as well.

“I had a grandfather?”, he thought to himself and laughed at the joke. He never knew his parents, let alone grandfather. For as long as he can remember, he is an orphan. An orphan who made good of himself in New York City. He is the youngest rising star of the advertising industry and was just going about his normal upper-class yuppie life, until the dreams came …

Without even realizing it, Ciaran was now standing right in front of the huge double door to the half dilapidated house. Trembling, he fitted the key into the lock and turned … click! Well, more like “CRACK!!” … and the huge doors flung open. Apprehensively, he took a step into the dark hall. Strokes of light were coming in from the windows above … he was glad it was high noon. At least there was some light! And then, out of the corner of his eye, Ciaran caught sight of a huge mural on the dusty floor beneath his feet. He couldn't believe his eyes at what he saw. On the dusty floor, was a mural of the symbol in his dreams.

That night, Ciaran couldn't really sleep. So he decided to do some more research on the internet. He took out his smartphone and for the thousandth time, scrolled through the images that he took of the symbol on the floor. All of a sudden, he caught something that he hadn't noticed earlier. Expanding the photo on the screen, he was sure he saw some letters. He could barely make out an 'A', and 'N' and 'O', and then part of another letter … was it an 'I'? But that's all the grainy photo caught. A-N-O what?

Ciaran sat in front of his laptop and started searching - 'clock, dagger, ANOB' … nope, nothing new. He changed the ANO-B to ANO-D … also nothing. Ciaran went through in alphabetical order, all those alphabets when partly cut-up would look like an 'I'.

'clock, dagger, ANOE' ...

'clock, dagger, ANOF' ...

'clock, dagger, ANOH' ...

'clock, dagger, ANOI' …

Nothing out of the extraordinary turned up in the search until he typed, 'clock, dagger, ANON' and slammed on Enter.

Right at the bottom of the screen was an entry that read, “Arcane symbol and the resurfacing of an ancient bloodline”. Curious, Ciaran clicked on the link, and appearing instantly on the screen before him, was the symbol in his dreams.

Ciaran was still propped up against the pillow, it was nearly dawn, but light didn't happen until 8am in November in Scotland. He still had a couple of hours to wait before he can pay another visit to the house … his house. He thought again of what he had read in that article on the internet. The symbol was apparently an arcane symbol of a very old bloodline dating from beyond the Medieval period. This bloodline kept themselves secret and apart from the main society because they were considered “devil's spawn”. You see, every male in this bloodline had the ability to travel back and forth between our world and the netherworld, or so the article says. During the periods of the witch-hunt between the 15th and 18th centuries, it was thought that this bloodline was all but exterminated. But there was speculation that they have resurfaced again during the mid 19th century, reinventing and reentering into the mainstream society as industrialists. They were known by few as 'the Anonymous', hence ANON was inscribed into their symbol as the mark of a new era for them. Whether or not they still had their “abilities”, or practiced them, no one knows.

Ciaran let out a cynical laugh. “Perhaps it is just a bunch of romantic wannabes who wanted to feel that they are part of some superhuman clan … ”, he thought to himself. His logic tells him that this all BS … yet why is there a gnawing feeling deep within him.

Outside, the sun has finally come up …

------------------------------------------------------

HAH!! I hope you liked that little story there :) I am pretty pleased with how the texture and the new paint technique I was using on this journal came out. Looks almost menacing and very old. This journal is larger than what I normally would do ... it is a 6 x 9 inch book with a whooping 336 writable surfaces, and heavy!

Now, on to a totally different topic ...

I am pretty psyched as my online class with Artful Gathering will officially begin tomorrow!! YAY!! To those of you who have signed up for my mixed media miniature book class, I cannot wait to meet all of you in class :) Registration is still open to all for another 3 weeks at Artful Gathering Online Art Retreat, so common and join me - no need to leave your home and peejays are most welcome ;) Let's make some art together!

Here are some photos the hubs took of me while I was working at my tiny little unruly space ... thru my reading glasses!

about Lanna

2014-05-11T00:32:00.000+08:00

It's funny how my mind seems to fly away to a different realm when I'm making stuff. Every time it does that, I am transported into a world of fantasy, action, intrigue and love. Here is a story about a girl named Lanna. This was the first piece that she inspired ... or perhaps, that inspired her ...

the Portal

Lanna stared into the highly protected glass case, meticulously examining all the laser points within. One false move and she will be surrounded by the whole security force within seconds. She shuddered at that thought.

“Focus Lanna!”, the little voice within her spoke again. “Remember what happened the last time you did not focus?”

Of course she remembered. The last time was one and a half centuries ago. Because of her one silly mistake, she lost Leto. Leto sacrificed himself so that his 'little one' could escape ... that's what he used to call her.

Lanna had watched them silver him in chains and seal him into the Chest of Eternal Life. She could still vividly hear his devastating scream when they shut that dreaded chest and the nails pierced into his porcelain white skin. And then all of a sudden, his scream was all but silenced as they tossed the chest into the Portal … into oblivion.

Lanna let out a small painful laugh. Chest of Eternal Life indeed! To eternally seal her Leto into a chest lined with tiny silver nails that pierced only enough into the flesh … enough to keep him in pain forever, but never to kill him. Her kind, the humans, can be even more cruel and disgusting than the creatures they seek to eradicate. That's what her own kind calls them … creatures. But she, Lanna, knew better. She has, in her time, got to know and love many of these “creatures”. And now, her Leto is waiting for her in one of those bloody portals. She needs her Key back, her necklace!

“Just get that thing out and leave already!”, the little voice jolted her back into reality.

Yes, she must disarm this glass case according to the runes she had deciphered earlier. She cannot get the sequence of numbers wrong. She desperately needs to get her necklace back, so that she may continue to travel through the Portals to find and rescue her Leto. She has been doing that for 150 years now, which also explains why she never grows old even if the blood that runs in her is fully human. It is times like these, that she wished Leto had changed her. Then she wouldn't be in constant fear that she'll grow too old to find him. But as long as she has her necklace back, she would be able to once again cross into the Portals where time stood still for her, and where her only chance in finding Leto lies …

With that, Lanna took a deep breath and proceeded to key in the sequence of numbers …

the Book of Ages

“Believe it or not Miss Cale, the Children of the Night and the Children of the Sun were once one. We were all called the Children of Nuuru then. When Nuuru made the world, He made his children beautiful, strong and peace-loving so that one day He may pass His legacy to us. He nurtured us like the new buds in Spring, fed us with the essence of His land and cared for us like a parent would of his or her own child. This, He did for 1000 years.”

“Inevitably, after a millennium of toil, Nuuru became weary. He also decided that His children were ready to inherit His legacy. As such, Nuuru announced that He is finally ready to sleep. Before He went into deep slumber though, Nuuru passed on His … well, how shall I call it in your words Miss Cale … He passed us, His diary? His journal? Yes … His journal, detailing how He created this world and us, the journey of bringing us from infancy to adulthood (in a sense), how He gave us every skill and every strength that was needed to further our growth … He effectively described every day of His 1000 years with us in that journal. Nuuru called it, the Book of Ages. He promised that if we ever needed Him, He will return. All we had to do was to summon Him using the Book of Ages. But He cautioned us that we should never summon Him unless it was a matter of life and death. With that, Nuuru went into His deep sleep.”

Lanna listened with interest now. She didn't like Eriq much, but it was undeniable that he was a good storyteller. Also, he was willing to tell her what Leto have always avoided. The origins of the Vampires. So for now, she will listen.

“For many many years, the Children of Nuuru lived as Nuuru had intended, in peace and love. However, after 5 centuries of peace, the Children of Nuuru became restless. They wanted more … might I say … “excitement” in life Miss Cale?”

Eriq smirked at the word 'excitement'.
That smirk made Lanna just a little uncomfortable.

“To cut the crap Miss Cale, darkness began to creep into the land and soon the Children of Nuuru became fraction-ed. A new leader with some power rose amongst us. She was a master of seduction and manipulation. In only a short amount of time, Syrena managed to convince many to go over to her side. The ones that went over began to cause much pain and hardship to those who continued to believe in Nuuru. The situation went so bad, that in a short 10 years those who were defiant of Syrena, were hunted down and massacred.”

“Why did no one summon Nuuru then?”, blurted out Lanna.

Eriq stared contemplatively at Lanna, and finally said,
“We did. But I guess Nuuru was too tired, He did not hear us ...”

Eriq paused a while before he spoke again.

“Some of us thought Nuuru had abandoned us. So ... to save ourselves, we went into hiding in the ground, and only came out in the cover of darkness to hunt for food.”

Again he paused. There was pain in his eyes. This was the first time Lanna ever saw any emotion in Eriq since he invited her, forcefully, to his underground lair.

“Finally after another 100 hundred years of suffering in the hands of Syrena, one of us did manage to awaken Nuuru. What Nuuru saw upon His return, broke His heart … it broke Him. He cannot believe that the children He so lovingly nurtured can turn against one another this way. He knew His land will never be the same again. The only thing He could do now, was to protect those of His children who were suffering in the hands of Syrena. To do that, Nuuru gave us the gift of speed and strength … far beyond those of Syrena's followers, so that we may have the ability to escape the hunts. He also gave us a weapon … a weapon that will become part of us in time.”

Eriq flashed his perfectly 'manicured' canines at Lanna and then smiled. Lanna did her best to control the shiver that ran down her spine. Afterall, it's not that she's not seen those pointy things on Leto before. Why is she such a chicken now? Anyhow, she was glad that Eriq chose to continue his story instead of scaring the crap out of her …

“We were able to protect ourselves sufficiently from Syrena's followers, who now called themselves the Children of the Sun. But because there were so few of us left, Nuuru decided that it was essential that He gave us one final gift ... Immortality. So that we may have more time to … repopulate”, Eriq smiled bitterly.

“We chose to continued living in the cover of darkness as we were now considered the 'vermin', the 'creatures' to the Children of the Sun. Anyway, after so many years of living in darkness, our skin no longer takes too kindly to the sun”, Eriq shrugged.

After staring in thin air for what felt like an hour, Eriq turns to face Lanna again.

“So Miss Cale … what is my purpose of telling you all of this?”

Lanna shook her head slowly.

“Well Miss Cale … I need your help.”

Lanna nearly fell off the chair, “What? Did I hear wrong? You need MY help?”

“I can assure you there is nothing wrong with your hearing …”, Eriq sounded amused.
“Let me make you a trade … a barter trade. You know what that is don't you Miss Cale?”

Lanna nodded, dumbfounded.

“I need you to bring the Book of Ages to me Miss Cale.”

“What? I ...”

Eriq held out his hand, “Let me finish.”
“Through the course of time, the Book of Ages was lost. I have searched for it for over 3 centuries, and I finally have a lead. It seems that a collector among your kind has it. I need you to return to your world and steal it for me. Bring it back to me here and in exchange, I will return Leto to you. A fair trade is it not Miss Cale?”

There was a hanging silence in the air.
“What makes you think I can pull this off?”, Lanna finally spoke.

Eriq smiled, “Well, a little bird told me that you are the best thief amongst your kind. You must be, after living for more than 150 years?”

At this point, Lanna couldn't say anything. It seems, he already knew everything about her.

“Good! I'm glad that we are in agreement! But don't take too long at your world Miss Cale … you age there, remember? I don't think wrinkles would be a very nice reunion gift for Leto, don't you think?”

Hunter or Hunted?

2014-04-16T08:00:00.000+08:00

OMG!!! I realized it's been 2 months since I wrote my last post! Where did the time go? But to be fair, I have been up to my neck with work ... and kids ... and dance classes ... and Channing Tatum ;)

Seriously though, I have been really busy recording and editing my Artful Gathering workshop!! So much FUN, but very nerve wrecking as well, being a firstimer at this. Had a couple of meltdowns but definitely keeping it together. What a lot of things I have learned in just these 2 months! I feel like I have learned stuff worth a year! I even learned film editing from scratch ... how's that for achievement ;)

So ... the "Event" is getting nearer. My workshop - "Beyond Time" is already in the Artful Gathering catalogue ... and Zinnia our super-woman-admin-mentor-sisterinart has done such a great job with the catalogue, and everything else! You need to go see the Catalogue to believe it! I will be teaching one workshop this year which will run from Jun 6 thru July 17. Registration will open in full swing from May 1st ... I really hope to see you @Artful Gathering this summer!

So ... in view of the 2 months leading to the summer workshops, we @Artful Gathering have organized a fun treasure hunt! Each week, a few instructors will open their blogs for the hunt and all you need to do is to search for a little RED square button with a CROWN in it. On the square button, you will find a SECRET WORD. Collect all those words and stand a chance to win a free workshop of your choice this summer! Besides that, there are also loads of other prizes given by the instructors up for grabs. For more information and to have a peek at the prizes on the Hunt, just go to Treasure Hunt Game 2014 @ Artful Gathering

This week is in fact Week 3 of the Hunt, and yours truly is one of the participating blogs. So ... I invite you guys to go into my blog, scroll thru and go find that RED square button with the SECRET WORD! After you've found mine, go visit the rest of the participating blogs and find their buttons too!! You will find the other participating blogs in the Treasure Hunt link above :)

Now, before I go plant my secret word, see that gorgeous little babe in the photo? That's what I'll be teaching this summer :) A "romantic relic" in the form of a miniature mixed media book. For those of you who have been interested to learn how to sew a book ... this is your chance! Besides sewing the book, I'll also be sharing many other stuff, like how to create these ornate and aged covers, how to create a ravaged leather spine, coffee stained pages with accents and much much more. You'll be treated to approximately 6 hours of my craziness ((O_O)) ... and if by the time you finish the workshop, you're still standing ... then you would have in your hand, a one-of-a-kind romantic relic that you'll be super proud off :)

WOOKIEEEE ... HAPPY HUNTING!!!

Finally!

2014-02-02T22:12:00.001+08:00

This weekend has been wonderful beyond words :) We have been celebrating the Lunar New Year since Thursday and it's finally settling down a bit now. Time to rest the bloated tummy too, from all the yummy food that we only really get to relentlessly devour once a year!

Another wonderful thing that has happened over this weekend is that I am finally able to share this video with the world. We were on a secret mission since the beginning of 2014, but now the cat is finally allowed out of the bag! You must be thinking WHAT??? ... Huge huge conspiracy I can tell ya ... so, are you ready? It is ...

The project that I will be teaching at the Artful Gathering Online Art Retreat this summer!! YAY!!!

LOL ... Gotcha!!!

Jokes aside, I am genuinely excited to be presenting this video about myself and my chosen workshop for the Artful Gathering 2014 Art Retreat :) Hope you'll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it :)

For more information on this and the other projects for the 2014 summer art retreat, please go to

Artful Gathering Online Art Retreat.

Hope to see you all there and let's have some fun together!

a new year and some exciting news!

2014-01-26T21:55:00.002+08:00

Hellooooooooo!!!!! Hope 2014 have been treating you well!

I've been away again, but not hibernating this time :) I've been hatching something exciting and should be able to post it here in the coming week. But for now ... here is a sneak peek of it. An exciting yet no less daunting project that I have thrown myself into. But I think it will be good for me ... and perhaps the beginnings of something to do in the coming years.

Yes!!!!!

I am so excited to announce that I shall be part of the teaching faculty in the 2014 Artful Gathering Online Art Retreat!! YAY!! Took me some time to decide as I am uncertain of my abilities as an instructor and also my ability to present a workshop on film. But I decided if I didn't try I will never know. And so I bravely took the plunge, and am now pretty psyched up about it :)

I cannot yet tell ye what I'll be teaching until February 1st, but it will be something exciting and fun, involving lots of different medias ;)

So watch out for this space coming February 1st.

In the meantime, you can follow the link provided above (and below) and have a peek at this wonderful site. So many renowned instructors, so many fascinating projects ... I am sure you will find something that will interest you :)

Here are some dates to remember for the 2014 Artful Gathering Online Art Retreat :

D for Dragon, D for Dracula ...

2013-12-07T22:58:00.001+08:00

and D for December!

My goodness! Is it the last month of the year already? NOOOOOO!!! I'm going to be a year older AGAIN!!??

Enough Drama, but D is a wonderful alphabet ... if only to represents some of my favourite things like Dragons, Dracula and even December. December means Christmas eve is near, which means we'll be doing our yearly gathering at our friend's place where he'll cook the most sumptuous Christmas eve Dinner for us. But it's not only the Dinner, it's the Conversations and the Company. Looks like C sounds as good as D ;)

Ahhh ... got carried away. I actually wanted to show you my first D for December ...

Dragon! Yes!! My first time sculpting a dragon with clay.

Greatly anticipating The Hobbit 2 next week, I couldn't help myself but to have a version of my very own Smaug. This is Tales of a Dragon.

Smaug wuz smug. Smaug wuz coy. Smaug wuz 'ere.

Unfortunately, someone else wuz 'ere too …

This piece is meant to be playful, with a little macabre undertone. I'd imagine this being hung outside an old Medieval drink house. But yet, who in those days would even understand the acronym “wuz 'ere”? Tsk tsk tsk ...

Now, my second D for December is Dracula!!!

Have you seen the new Dracula miniseries? Isn't Jonathan Rhys Meyers just mesmerizing and super gorgeous! *swoon*

This is D for Dance of Darkness.

Inspired by the latest reimagining of Dracula, this mixed media piece seeks to incorporate all the elements I loved in this mini-series. The meeting of old world opulence with industrial steampunk create a universe of wonderment, where business dealings, lust, power, world domination and secret societies all stewed into a cauldron of vampiric soup. Yet all of that would pale in comparison to 4 centuries of undying love. Imagine loving someone for 400 years only to discover she's now at arm's reach … yet … unattainable, for she has already promised her heart to someone else.

Or has she?

Aye ... my month of December put to good use :) Besides these 2 babies, here are some Dangles I made as well ...

Athbhreith

Sail Away

Collector

Pieces of Time

This Damsel is indeed pleased :)

Before I go ... I just wanted to share another photo with you. I was going thru some old pictures this afternoon and saw this bunch. They put a smile on my face. These were my first 5 pieces of jewelry. Checked and they were dated August 2009. 4 years on ... how different visually my work looks now, yet deep within it is still exactly the same. I am still inspired by exactly the same things I was 4 years ago.