So Cute It Hurts

learning as i go

Hello there.

I don't know how i managed to get a migraine attack on Saturday morning while i was out shopping for some photography accessories, but i am sick and all i can hope for is to be healthy and back to normal pronto. Being sick and stuck on bed is not my idea of a good way to spend the exciting weekend. No sir. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my self-prescribed combination of medications, movies and many long naps taken will contribute to a speedy recovery.

Today is day number two and i managed to will myself to get around and do some assignments from my Divas and Dreams workshop. One of my assignment is creating a fine art photo. I made a simple flower arrangement and i played with the light, the depth of field and the composition. I have also used a reflector and a white form board. This is what i came out with. I know they are not the best and i think they are not even close to being fine art photos. Nevertheless, i have some fun creating these photos and it was worth it.

Okay, back to bed.
Hope you are having a lovely time doing whatever you do.
Be well.
Love to you and yours.

on the mend and the secret garden

Hope your weekend was sweet. Mine hasn't turned out too awesome, i was visited by an annoying cold with all the bells and whistles (fever, congestion, sore throat, cough, sneezing). Today is day number four and i'm going to will myself to get around and do some reading, blogging and catch up. I'm always bummed when i get sick, but coming down with something before the weekend was brutal.

As promised, i have journal story and photos to share with you this week. Since my first journal creation, i've been very committed to come out with a few more. Here's another one and i called it "The secret garden".

A private garden growing your special blooms. This little piece of embroidery is a reminder of a sentiment to "Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe."

I write this as a believer. This embroidery is symbolic of all your conscious choices you make to allow your creativity to come out to play, you may watch your own personality blossoms as your bring new life to your secret neglected garden.

The butterfly of course is peacefully admiring it all and has it all figured out that it also takes trust that everything will all work out with your best interest at heart (i still need small reminders of this). It's all up to you if you want to take the key and unlock the door to your secret garden.

The best part for me was gathering some flowers, leaves and vines from my apartment yard (as inspiration) and sitting down to decide what i wanted to use in my secret garden. Of course, i made some mistakes during my drawing on the linen fabric (thank goodness for air dry fabric pan), but in the end everything came together just fine.

I've used natural linen for the outside layer and a sweet red Polka Dots linen for the inner layer. A sweet red grosgrain ribbon with a handmade fabric embroidered button attached to it as the bookmark is added for flair.

As soon as i'm 100% again, i'm planning a nice shop update with these journals as Made-to-order.

Thanks for all the kind words of my quietness, my interview over on Art, love and Joy and your enthusiasm in my new journal creations, too. I really appreciate it.

Stay Healthy.
Happy Tuesday.
Love to you.

eye candy

Happy weekend. It has been a really good one so far. Very proud to say that i've embarked on week number two of my weekend yoga challenge ~ it's been a really nice addition to my weekends. A good long stretch (and some deep breathing) will do wonders.

The above photo (a shot i took for sweet Elizabeth a couple of months ago) pretty much sum up my life for the next few days. A week long holiday to do the things i love ~ creating, sewing, lounging, taking it easy and creating a game plan for how i'm going to tackle all that needs to be done for all my sewing projects...Bliss.

Until then, have yourself some fun!
And stay safe, especially for East Coast friends in the States.
Selamat Hari Raya, fellow muslim friends.
Love to you and yours.

Happy Monday

I've been slacking on saying hello since last Saturday. Sorry about that. The very warm weather outside is not so good for my overall mood and Mr Headache frequent visits isn't helping much. Bummer.

I hope your weekend was beautiful and relaxing and all the things you needed it to be. Mine was full of tasty comfort food ~ yummie vegetarian banana leaf rice and homemade lotus root soup with pork ribs, a bit of socializing, as well as a few chapters of Danielle Laporte's The SPARK Kit thrown in for good measure.

I'll leave you with a few favorite photos from the yummie vegetarian banana leaf rice lunch with my two best girls, Adeline and Angela.

I'll be back soon with some new sewing projects i'm excited to share with you. My desire to sew this weekend had to do with sewing while listening to this beautiful voice. Her tracks have been on heavy rotation around here.

Today is also my sweet Mister's birthday. We are saving the birthday celebration till i'm there with him in Hamburg (planning and saving up for the long vacation) and i have a little surprise gift for him too.

Happy Birthday, my sweet!
Happy Monday.
Happy week.
Happy.

Get on the move

The moving countdown is in full-swing. After a full week of packing and boxing, i think i can safely declared that i'm almost 99% done. It's amazing how much work moving can take. Really, it is amazing. But now i can see a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel, which is nice.

In the mixed of all these moving drama, i got distracted with this adorable project. A little while ago i had the pleasure to design and custom make a cozy camera case for a Fisheye Lomography camera. A fun project indeed {even though at times i spaced out a little trying to fight with time to finish this mini cozy case}. You might recognize parts of it from the previous post (here). I'm pleased as punch with the result.

This piece is inspired by my Fujifilm Instax Mini 7 camera cozy and my dorkiness for the love of dots. I couldn't resist adding 2 little adorable fishes to the design. A pocket was added for flair and finished it with some cute little pom-poms just because. Crossing my fingers and hoping she will love it.

I think it would be nice to have some pieces available at Pipit Wonderful Market 6 this year. I'm really excited about this and loving the idea of putting my work together with other talented artists in one roof this summer.

This weekend is dedicated to moving every single belonging i own. Lets hope everything goes smooth. I'm sure I'll have a story or two to share after it's all over. Wish me luck.

Sneak-a-peek

Sorry about all the quiet, i know you can hear crickets chirping around here lately. I am totally and completely swamped with moving craziness. Things are hectic and i've been feeling a little on the quiet side.

I'm not so sure if i'm managing the chaos well. The house is filled with cardboard and i'm in the packing stage that doesn't make any sense whatsoever. I just keep asking myself how one person could create so much clutter ~ pretty scary. Please tell me you have encountered this stage and it's not just happening to me?

In addition to all of my packing drama, i did, however, work on a special order for a fisheye lomography camera. After all, there's nothing like sewing to lift ones spirits. It's almost complete with just a few more finishing touches to the edges. More photos to come a little later...

So, the blog silence might continue for abit longer. I will pop in sometime soon to say hello and hopefully share a few photos and the giveaway winner.

Soon, I hope.
Love to you and yours.

a tradition

to show you old funky photo of me on my big day!

The above shot was taken on one of my birthday celebration with my lovely grandmother and cousins. I'm that little girl sitting on my grandmother's lap.

Yep, today is my day to eat cake and wear a party hat. I'm not sure if i will actually eat cake since i'm not a huge fan. I know, i'm totally weird not to love cake, but to wear a party hat is most definitely on the agenda.

A beautiful day to get to celebrate. The weather is perfect and i see all kinds of good things in my immediate future.

• A lovely lunch and dinner with my two favorite sisters.
• A quiet time with the Mister is planned.
• A trip to Pipit Zakka Store is right around the corner.
• A lovely little get-together with my best girls.
• And a mini shop update and giveaway are planned for after the weekend.

Happy January 8th to you and yours! I have always loved Jaunary 8th.

A Bushel and a Peck

Happy monday friends.

Can you hear crickets chirping around here lately? So sorry about all the quietness. I am completely swamped with work, scary to-do-list {yes, still with my list} and also im moving {eeek!} ~ i'm moving in with my sister. Althought i'm not moving for a couple of months, my sister thinks i should start turning on my crazy planning mode soon because "i just have way too many things!". This move, is going to be somewhat hectic.

My interview over on A Bushel and a Peck is up today. I'm thrilled and completely honored to be included among such a talented group of artists. Thanks again, Jeanne. I'm also definitely looking forward to the other four interviews of the the businesses that won the Pay It Forward.

I hope your weekend was full to the brim with sweetness.
Off to start my week now. Lots to do.
Happy week and warm cheers to you and yours!

Catching up

Hello friends.

Lots going on here, but i wanted to pop in and show a recent Sashiko embroidery i made.

I also wanted to say thanks to everyone for the super sweet compliments on my new walnuts ornaments. Sometimes the smallest things can really perk a girl up. I'm still riding high from your sweet words about it. Sadly, my little walnuts shells collection is very limited so i've been running around the city like crazy trying to find more wallnuts with shells but each visit to a different mall ends up in a disappointment. I will keep looking for them in hopes to make more of these walnuts loveliness.

I'll be working away here over the weekend, sewing and scheming for a mini shop update, a christmas swap and also some custom orders. There's definitely lots to do. Hope your weekend is full to the brim with sweetness. Warm cheers to you and yours.

Oh, so quiet

Hello friends.

I hesitate to say it but i think i'm really on the mend and have made it through this nasty migraine situation ~ it seems to like to come and go as it likes. All i can hope for is to be back to normal pronto, being sick and not my 100% self is not my idea of a good way to spend this exciting long weekend. No sir. Because just like everyone, i have things to do ~ things i need to do and things i want to do {my scary-to-do list is growing way too long}.

Now that i've babbled on about being unwell, how about a photo {make that two} of my pretty yellow bloom ~ a color i have only recently come to fully appreciate. I can't get over how cool these gerbera flowers are up close. So Pretty.

Signing off for the long weekend with hope of staying close to home and plans of making lots of So Cute It Hurts goodies {with lots of tea on the side}, and taking plenty of short naps.
Wishing you a weekend full of relaxation.
Love to you and yours.