Friday, May 31, 2013

Latest Announcement: The Artsy Craftsy Blog - May 2013

Friday, May 31, 2013
announcement_happening_june_2013
I don't do these announcements often, but when I do post one up, it is usually because I feel there is something significant that I want to announce and share with you, my readers. 

Here's what's been going on on my blog space:
1. ONLINE Store is still in progress. I have been working on its outlook, dealing with the e-commerce team, etc. and also preparing my merchandise. I foresee that it will take sometime for me to do this (mostly one man show) so hang in there.

2. The blog will always be open for Special Features and Advertisements/Sponsored posts. If you want to promote your creative biz to a niche market, this is the blog for you. I am also open to reviewing arts and craft supplies. 

3. My arts and crafts group on Facebook has been revived! From time to time, I have new comers joining the network to announce their good stuff. Perhaps you might want to be part of it too.

4. I've been featuring quite a number of new Picks for creative inspirations, and my latest addition to the list is Fashion picks; courtesy of Polyvore for the amazing collage tools.

5. As always my blog is open for Guest Blogging Submissions. If you are interested to reach out to inspire others, please email me, and I will share with you how you can be part of it. 

What to look out for?
New design:
As you can see, my blog layout has gone through some revamp, thanks to the amazing designer at Playful & Snazzy. I have permanent colours to define my blog; Sea blue and Soft Yellow.

Note: There is a reason why these colours are selected for the blog. It is because I want you, my readers to feel calm, peaceful and inspired when you are browsing through my blog.

Freebies:
Because of the revamp, I have also included couple of new goodies- soon I will be uploading FREEBIES on the freebies page (above) where you can download free beautiful affirmation posters designed by me (including photographs taken by me too).

Photography:
One of my recent craze phase is taking photographs (film/digital) and editing it through android software application. I go nuts with it and I enjoy making my photos look artsy. I hope you like em' too! You can visit my About page (scroll down at the bottom) to see what photo editing software I recommend.

Stay tune and stay inspired!

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Art Nouveau, my inspiration

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Art Nouveau an Inspiration Illustration Marker and Pen on paper

I attended an art & design seminar with my colleagues recently, and the speaker was showing slideshows of art nouveau artworks from art history. One of my colleagues turned to me and said, "hey, that's like your style". I was like 'how did you know?' Although it is true because it was one of my favourite art genres.

And it just dawn on me, it is no wonder I draw women with long swirly flowy hair; they're like goddesses just like the women portrayed in the art nouveau painting pieces. It's nice to know how my work resembles historical art pieces.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

DIY Easy Necklace Holder in just 1 Hour

Sunday, May 26, 2013
Easy-DIY-Necklace-Holder

Hola creatives, I noticed that I have not been posting a really typical crafty DIY tutorial for your craft-fix. I have been meaning to post this tutorial up as I was saving it for a good time like right now to blog about it. Sometime ago, I set up a booth at a local bazaar to sell my handmade bohemian necklaces and rings. Most of my designs are upcycled jewelries and I really enjoy making them at that time. While I was planning for my set up, I wanted a stand to hang my necklaces so that my customers can view them upright from far. It was last minute and I needed something fast, pretty and easy to make as the bazaar was the next day.

With a plain wooden board I had lying around, I used it to craft my DIY necklace holder. I combined the decoupage painting technique with my own version.

All you need is just 1-Hour, it's very simple!

To make this, you need:

1. Plain wooden board. Any size, your preference.
2. Wrapping paper. Design and colour of your choice.
3. Basic tools: Scissors, strong glue like UHU glue, large paintbrush
4. Acrylic Paint. Preferably select colour(s) to match your wrapping paper. It will be for touch up.
5. Glitter Gel Dust (Try Jo Sonja Opal Gel Dust)
6. Plastic hooks with adhesive

Easy-DIY-Necklace-Holder

Make sure your wooden board in clean and free from dust. Lightly wipe away with a damp cloth.
Cut strips of the wrapping in V-shapes, or if you want to do free-style, tear it!
Then, use glue to glue the strips of paper on the board.
You don't have to glue it closely to one another, you can leave gaps/spaces in between the strips, leave some room for the wooden surface to be seen.

Easy-DIY-Necklace-Holder

Next, dry-brush (means do not mix your acrylic with water at all) your wooden board.
You can literally paint (up down motion) or dabble to cover the wooden surface.
Don't worry if the paint touches the paper. Try to blend the paint and paper together.
For a quick dry, use a hair-dryer if you must.

Easy-DIY-Necklace-Holder

Then, use some glitter gel to enhance the painted board.
Spread the glitter all over. You can even use back the same brush so that the paint and gel mixes.
Don't mix the gel with water.

Easy-DIY-Necklace-Holder

For the glitter gel, I used a Jo Sonja Opal Gel dust from the Jo Sonja paint range. 
Usually used in folk art painting.
Its holographic particles enhances your paintings, especially if it is on a dark background like black.
But if you have your own choice of glitter gel, you may incorporate into it.

Easy-DIY-Necklace-Holder

Part 1 is done! If you have spread the glitter, dry it with a hair dryer.

Easy-DIY-Necklace-Holder

Now, use a plastic adhesive hook for the hanger.
Plan your hook- arrangement and how many do you want to use.

Easy-DIY-Necklace-Holder

Here I have arranged it in a V-Shape according to the board's size 
and how I want my necklaces to be hung.
Use the UHU glue to glue it.

Easy-DIY-Necklace-Holder

Done! There you go, just 1-hour!
Now you are ready to hang your necklaces. You can add on other things for your convenience.
If you have a revamped version, leave me a comment and share it with me! I'd love to see it.

Easy-DIY-Necklace-Holder
note: Craft & Closet no longer exist. It is now known as The Artsy Craftsy Shop

Friday, May 24, 2013

Style with Classic Suspenders

Friday, May 24, 2013
Classic Saturday


Yesterday, Friday, was a public holiday for me. I decided to set out with my love and his family to visit the new mall not too far away from where he lives. It is a beautiful mall called Setia City Mall, quite a place to explore and we took photos and everything. I visited the H&M store in that mall- I fell in love with this store eversince I found the right mini skirt there. I love H&M not because everyone shops there, but because of the quality, the fabric, the designs, the season change, the colours, the pricing, and the fact that you can find almost everything in just that one store- men's, maternity, children and ladies. (no i am not reviewing for H&M, just my two cents because I always encourage people to shop affordability with quality)

Suspenders are almost in trend in some places- I remember when I was a little girl, my mom used to dress me up in a mini denim skirt, a shirt and accessorize with suspenders. I wish I have that picture for you to see! My mom's quite a fashionista.

What may seem to be a retro look is now the thing, and bringing back that little girl in me, I set out to H&M just to look for my main accessory- THE SUSPENDERS(from the men's section) + tights. And I used Polyvore to share with you my plans with it! Here here...

Enjoy this tip, have a classic Saturday.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Post Project Photography Adventures with an Analog Camera

Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Previously I promised to blog about my film photography project, and writing about how it turned out.
I also promised to share a couple of my black and white photos taken with film and my experiences during the process.

I am not here to write technical stuff about the cameras I've used, except that I'll be writing more about my inward journey during this project. It is profound really, and there was always a part of me that appreciates photography because of the profound concept behind it. Including my own self-doubt / self-demotivation; I'll come to that slowly...

The Cameras
So as mentioned in this post before, the first camera that I was exploring with was the Canon Prima BF-9S- it's basically just a normal point and shoot film camera.

It was quite easy to use, and I was very proud of myself that I was able to learn how to load a film all by myself (was quite nervous since everything is digital nowadays).

Instead of just assuming that I knew the works, I told myself that I wanted to learn. And so I "Pour out the tea from my cup, to refill another new batch of tea". I have to admit that it wasn't easy to unlearn something to relearn. Why? because we are often self-judgmental, and that self-judgmental part of us is this side of us call EGO, the root of the reason why we sometimes refuse to let go and learn.

I did a lot of reading and I was mighty proud of myself to be able to pick up very fast. So that's when I bought the legendary Minolta 7000 Maxxum. Actually all these craze-phase started because lately I dug out my mom's vintage Canon AE-1 film SLR camera and few others (another legend, you can Google it) and I said to myself, how come I didn't make good use of something that I already have in my hands? It's right here with me, and yet there are people on the internet dying to get their hands on this gorgeous camera.


Thus that craze phase led me to this new hobby, starting with the Minolta. The Minolta 7000 Maxxum has an interesting story behind it actually; it's not exactly vintage, but it was the rise of a redefined SLR in the year 1985- as old as me! It's functions has been digitalized, but it's a really good camera with film.

And so with all these, I set out to look for films and others, and the latest one that I recently got was a prewar soviet camera called Smena 8M- a lomo (my love reacted adorably when I told him about this- he thought I made up the name of the camera, haha!)

The experience
I picked up fast as I said, i did a lot of reading and I came to learn a couple of other things like:

  • DIY your own filter to create effects
  • Using expired films to take photos
  • Understanding the different cameras and films (ie. Advanced Photo System is no longer in the making anymore)
  • Understanding different types of batteries. haha! But I can only remember what it looks like.
  • Getting to know which vintage cameras are still wanted til today. For example; Canon AE-1
  • Understanding that it is quite important to learn the art of photography in order to break the rules
  • Understanding the that there are two worlds in the world of Lomography/film photography

and much more.


All these in just perhaps 2 weeks or more.

After loading my first film canister, a feeling of self-doubt came crashing in like waves.
I recognized it, like an old friend because I've experienced this before. I wondered to myself if I was doing the right thing, if I was wasting my time exploring film photography, if I should just stay with Digital Cameras because it was convenient.

The one thought that stayed in my head was: am I wasting my time with film photography; was the one ringing in my head- and I remember this favourite quote by my favourite artist Vincent Van Gogh:

"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." - Vincent Van Gogh

Someone commented  that me taking photos with film is an expensive thing. I admit, it is quite an expensive hobby, but there is always solution to maintain your budget.


The thing is, I wasn't looking at money. But the art of intuition that came along with the interest.

What I love about film photography is:

  • It was exciting not to know how your pictures will turn out
  • I get to practice the whole "being un-self conscious" when you do art; giving in and just let your heart take control
  • I learn to appreciate everything little thing around me, hence I also appreciate my films since I am only limited by 36.
  • I learn to observe my surroundings and the beauty and rawness of life around me (ie. homeless guy living in an abandoned petrol station)
  • I learn to let my intuition take control
  • It's like using paint brush with actual paint instead of digital painting. Or switching off your computer for once and read a book, make art, craft, walk around and see the world.
  • I get to be authentic and natural
  • For a change, I don't have to keep correcting myself on the screen each time I take a photo (unless it's for another purpose/event). I unlearn to relearn
  • Exercising my creative sense

the list can go on...

First Developed Film
I picked up my first batch of black and white photos a week later. I was very excited and I didn't know what to expect, until I put in the CD to check on it.

The photos that came back was not very good. Most of it was blurry and was out of focus. Some of the photos turned out like an "accidental purpose" with a good arty feel to it. So basically I only managed to keep the few good ones.

I am a typical beginner when it comes to shooting with film- I learned where my mistake was and now I know the difference between shooting with a point and shoot film camera, a film SLR and a point and shoot digital camera; including understanding the can and can'ts with each camera. Example; I can't create a blurry background with the main object clear with a point and shoot film camera.


My thoughts on Black & White

I love black and white photography. Everytime I see a black and white photograph, it gives me a sense of silence, timelessness, and all things naturally beautifully captured and stored away in that picture- freezing that moment....so profound. Here are some of my photographs in slideshow:




I may have been a little disappointed at first, but after that I am determined to keep trying. That was how I came to purchase the Smena 8M (coming soon next post). You see, I realized that years ago, I was the cause of my own demotivation. I easily gave up- sometimes just because someone said something, or comparing myself with others, or.. as the Chinese saying goes "Just like a baby; you don't even know how to walk, yet you already want to run". Hence the reason why I am determined to keep on trying…

In my opinion, film photography is quite a fun hobby to venture into. If you have a chance to explore film photography, I would suggest you to give it a try. You don't have to be a professional photographer to take photos. A lot of these things is through observation, and appreciating your world, your life and your surroundings. It is no wonder those that I know, enjoy taking their cameras with them whenever they travel.

If you would like to give it a try and you are from Malaysia, head on over to Photo Crafts to get your film and cameras. If you are not interested in trying out vintage cameras, but still want the works, you can purchase from them their Lomograph cameras. However, if you are not local, visit Lomography website to shop for cameras online.

Check out these awesome inspiring Lomograph photographs

*Got photography tips? I would love to hear from you on how I can improve shooting with film. Email me.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Read: The Complete Decorative Journal

Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Image by Goodreads.com

The Complete Decorated Journal by Gwen Diehn is a stunning compendium filled with soulful advices and examples of creative journalling. With a pinch of mixed media techniques complete with guides on how-to journal during travels, inspirations, and more. Highly recommended for those who are on the start-up in this eclectic hobby like myself; great reference as the book features sample works from different artists too. Hail to expressing creativity with journalling!

Style with ZALORA: If you are going...

If you are going for your best friend's wedding, would you rather put on your bride's maid's dress or wear this elegant purple dress? Purple a splendid colour to symbolize sensuality, artistry and female in you
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If you are going for an art exhibition or attend a fashion runway, would you rather wear an androgynous pants-suit or turn it up notch by wearing this?
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If you are going to tea party on a sunny afternoon, would you rather put on your sandals or keep up with the theme and occasion with this lovely pair?
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If you are going for a date at a jazzy restaurant with the soulmate of your dreams, would you want to wear this pair with a stunning magenta dress?
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I've been shopping with ZALORA for sometime now because of my busy schedule. I do most of my shopping online, and with the range offered at ZALORA, I get to select my choice of colours, styles and more to suit every occasion. Well, you are in luck, because ZALORA Singapore is having an awesome Zalora Sale - Up to 75% Off. Go on to ZALORA Singapore and see their latest trends and styles featured.




*images credit to Zalora Singapore
*Clothes and shoes selected to be featured here is not in particular have anything in common with the current sale going on Zalora Singapore.
*Clothes and shoes featured here are selected to cater to this blog post requirements.
*This blog post was sponsored by Zalora Singapore

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Letraset- Pro Markers

Saturday, May 18, 2013
Review-Letraset- Pro Markers-theartsycraftsy

Behold the Letraset Pro Markers range. I purchased a couple of these markers not too long ago from a local art store- Art Friend. Previously, I've purchased another range of Letraset markers too called Letraset Tria; you probably have read it about here. A little different from the Tria family that gives a light dreamy effect to your illustrations (very good for background), the Letraset Pro Markers comes in vibrant colours- bright and bold to enhance your drawings. It is twin tip, therefore quite an advantage and convenient for adding on highlights to your drawings.

Review-Letraset- Pro Markers-theartsycraftsy

You might want to know that this range somehow seem to do good for those who does a lot of 'Manga' Japanese illustrations. I guess it is because of the vibrant colours, hence it serves the manga drawing projects good, giving it outstanding results in its colours.

I decided to try it on a serviette (tissue paper as some would like to call it here), to test the vibrancy and the ink. I drew as much as I can on the napkin, I also used a yellow from the Tria range as the background to see how these two range would blend.

Review-Letraset- Pro Markers-theartsycraftsy
See left-side for the back of the serviette after drawing
See right-side for the actual drawing using the Letraset Pro Markers
Result: The colours stood out on the serviette and its texture. The colour didn't seep through much, the paper didn't tear. In fact, it dried up immediately, blending well into the material as if it was part of the serviette.

I think it's worth trying out for those of you are who does alot of projects- illustrations, scrapbooking, journalling, etc.



Thursday, May 16, 2013

Style with Artist Wear

Thursday, May 16, 2013
An Artist Wears...


I've been away for a week with no new posts regarding art, etc. My last post was fashion-related and it's now another Friday with another fashion post. No I am not going into blogging about fashion, although you should know that that is my another interest too. I want you to know as well that the reason why I haven't been blogging new posts is because I have been focusing on my film photography project- I just got a new camera and a bunch of new films. With all these, I am preparing for my featured blog post coming soon (waiting for my first black and white film to be develop) so that I can share with you the insights of my analogue project, my photos and more. And I promise I'll be back with more creativity-related stories.

Another thing you should know that most of my fashion picks are not just plain old selecting and mix and matching clothes/styles. I look into colours, patterns, combinations, etc. things like that because really, I believe that you can express your creative selves with the right attire and colours too. As what I have posted here before too about colours, it plays quite an important role to our well being. It makes a different to your mood and emotions.

I should be posting my next post real soon, so stay with me and stay tune.

Friday, May 10, 2013

Style on Weekends

Friday, May 10, 2013
What a Weekender should wear



Perfect prep for Fridays...have a good weekend.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Inspiration: Tree of Life Collection by Styles of Sonia

Thursday, May 9, 2013
Sonia_Subhas_Styles_of_Sonia_Tree_of_Life_Collection
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Sonia_Subhas_Styles_of_Sonia_Tree_of_Life_Collection
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Sonia_Subhas_Styles_of_Sonia_Tree_of_Life_Collection
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The crafter/designer of this gorgeous earrings is a good friend of mine. In fact I have featured her before here; in case you're new here, her name is Sonia of Styles of Sonia. In her latest collection, she has incorporated the concept of Tree of Life, turning them into gorgeous and aesthetic earrings. I like these a lot, it makes me feel as if the tree is inside a glass, as though it is really growing crystals. Beautiful isn't it. If you are interested in these, visit her Facebook page for more.
Enjoy!

Style with Scorpio Wear

What a Scorpio would wear


Jaeger relax shirt
365 MYR - johnlewis.com


Galaxy skirt
410 MYR - shadowplaynyc.com


Frye booties
975 MYR - gravitypope.com


Satchel bag
155 MYR - ark.co.uk



I just discovered Polyvore; by the way this is my profile- http://theartsycraftsy.polyvore.com/
I noticed there are lots of fashion bloggers out there who make good use of websites like Polyvore, IFB, Chictopia, and more. Even though I LOVEEEEE Fashion, I never really put much thought to it to explore any of these websites. But as I was reading an article- Top 5 Social Networks for Fashion Lovers, Polyvore's 'create set' tool caught my attention. It allows you to put together your own fashionable outlook and share it with your friends or readers. I've been wanting to start a fashion post anyways, just to share my fashion interest with you. I think this is a good start, simple and good for you to see.

So, I hope you like my first. I like this attire very much, and plus I like the colour black, purple, boots, and I'm starting to like Galaxy prints. Maybe it's a Scorpio thing. =)

Have fun!

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Fantasy Art: Paper, Paint and Pixie Dust by Paige Carpenter

Tuesday, May 7, 2013
paige_carpenter_watercolour_artist
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paige_carpenter_watercolour_artist
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Paige Carpenter
These artworks are done by Paige Carpenter. I came to know Paige and her website recently over the internet. It was breathtaking, really, and I was awed by her works and every detail of it. I couldn't help but immediately left her a comment on her blog post to ask if I could feature her artwork. It is an honour to receive her mail in my inbox along with these two artworks of hers. Her illustration pieces of watercolour technique is remarkable; most of all, I love how stories are told through her artwork. I myself am a big fan of illustration pieces with fairies, angels, etc. I've seen lots of fantasy art, and mostly portrays the same style and theme. But Paige's piece is unique, it is enchanting. If you would like to see more of Paige's artwork, visit her her website. Her artworks are also on sale on etsy here


*Image credits to Paige Carpenter

Friday, May 3, 2013

A visit to Photo Crafts for Project: Analog

Friday, May 3, 2013

At first I was wondering if I should buy a film to make use of the couple of cameras I have lying around. Knowing how popular they are right now, I feel really lucky to own these cameras especially vintage analog ones, even though my knowledge in using analog is just so-so. Everything is digital nowadays, but I like the art of analog and results taken with these cameras. Among my collection, I also own two film (battery) cameras- my mother's Canon Prima BF-9S-date and an Olympus Trip XB401 which was my love's when he used to take photos as a kid. (click to see example of photos taken by Lomo Society using these cameras)


When I was a kid I used to take photos with black & white films; maybe because of the influence I have from my sister who used to explore photography when she was in college. I remember how fun it was taking photos with a film camera. You won't know what is the outcome yet until you develop those pictures, but at the same time, you go around intuitively taking photos without feeling self-conscious about how the pictures will turn out. Intuitive, yes, that's the key word.

I made my way to Photo Crafts, an awesome store in a local shopping mall that focuses on lomograph cameras and films. Here is my visit to Photo Crafts. Awesome store! If ever you are interested in going back into analog cameras, you can get your tools of the trade here:




Places: Photo Crafts, Sunway Pyramid
For the rest of the photos, click on the album


Photo Crafts sells amazing stuff; they don't just sell cameras but films too and provide photo development service with friendly customer service. Very friendly and informative with recommendations and explanations if you have any queries. Pricing is not bad either, affordable for those who wants to venture into this cool hobby. I purchased my Kodak Professional black & white film from the shop, priced at RM24. Not bad eh? got some batteries, checked out a video tutorial on how to load a film...
 and finally, successfully loaded the film into the camera (I decided to try out my mom's Canon instead) all on my own! without any help! Proud of myself, yay!

I also referred to this guide for some tips.


Well, I want you to know that I will be spending a couple of days to take lots of pictures using the film camera. Once I am done, I will update soon on the blog. If you are interested in checking my photos once I'm done, stay updated via my Facebook page for my announcement. Have a good weekend!



*Special thanks to Photo Crafts, Pui Fun and team for allowing to take photos of the outlet
*Photos belong to The Artsy Craftsy
*All photos were edited to suit blog post requirements