Mommy Time for Me

 

Hello my sweets, how's everything? This week has been surprisingly quiet for me. Probably because my eldest is staying at my sister in law's house and her younger brother has no one to bother. It's funny to see him looked so lost without her, especially because they bicker and annoy each other practically everyday. Lucky for me, the situation gave me plenty of time to finally start a new drawing and finish it faster than usual. I should thank my daughter for giving mommy some time to herself. :)

Well anyway, she is coming home today. I expect the bickering to start again not long after she arrives. :))

What about you? Any highlights for the week?

Hugs,

 



Art: Dearest Beloved, available here.

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Bugs and Flowers

 

Hello. First, let me just thank everyone for their kind and generous comments on my last post. It was hard for me to share something so personal, but your words really made it easier. I hope reading my experience could help anyone out there who are going through a similar condition to know that they are not alone.

So anyway, are you looking forward to the weekend? The school will be out for the holiday starting next Monday, so I have a feeling the kids will be bursting with more energy this weekend. I guess it would be wise to plan some activities for them to do during their holiday. You know how they are when they get bored... I don't think I want to deal with cranky little kids for the next few weeks. Maybe more time outdoor, exploring the garden. Searching for little bugs and picking flowers...who knows, they might find a rabbit hole that leads to Wonderland. :)

Here's to a lovely weekend ahead, everyone!

Hugs,

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Drawings are now available in the shop:
Top, Ladybug and Me
Bottom, A Flower for You

Saved from Drowning

For those of you who landed here to find a light short read, I must warn you that this post will not be one. It's quite a long, personal snippet of my life that made me who I am today....


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Have you ever experienced a dark period in your life when you wake up in the morning knowing that today will be the same as the day before, and that there's no chance anything will change tomorrow? As if life is a permanently repeating cycle that eats you alive even as you breathe? I did. Not too long ago.

Being a diligent student since childhood, my parents had always expected a lot from me. They encouraged me to do the best I could and I must say that most of my hard work did pay off. The applauds and expectations went on all the way to my adulthood, and they had me believing that chasing success will be a piece of cake. After I finished my education, I was fired up and determined to put it to good use. I just couldn't wait to carve my own success on stone. But then, I was also in love, and to no surprise, I got married two years later.

That's when everything changed. Don't get me wrong, we were happy. We still are. Going through life together was a different kind of excitement back then.  We had high hopes that building our family was going to be a wonderfully rewarding journey, and when our daughter arrived, life was nothing short but perfect. But little did I know that life had a different plan for me. So many things happened so fast. The economy went downhill, we worked hard, made some bad choices, worked even harder, and one day I suddenly realized that I was no longer that woman who wanted the best out of herself. I was just a wife and a mother of two little children who had only one thing in her mind... and that is to survive. What's even more sad was that at this point I was so faraway from my dream. I no longer drew, no longer painted, used most of my time taking care of the children and working on any kind of project just to put extra money in our pocket. I was miserable and lost.

This is a sketch I found just yesterday. One which I drew one night when everything felt so heavy and hard to bear. I remember feeling numb, wondering who I was, what I wanted and why life had been so cruel. I was mad at life for taking away my dreams, and turning me into an empty shell with a hollow heart. As much as I tried to hide it from my family during the day, I knew that the night would always come to take my mask away.

One day, after the children were asleep, I sat on the dining table and began doodling on a piece of paper that was lying there. What had started as a doodle became a sketch and before I knew it, I had drawn on a number of papers all the way to dawn. Something had set me free and it was an incredible feeling. After that night, I started to draw again. I used the spare time I had, waking up as early as 3 in the morning just so I could draw. It was something I looked forward to everyday and I remember feeling so fortunate to have seen light again after such a long period of darkness.

And so it was clear to me. That my passion had saved me from drowning. After all the things I had been through, I was liberated by the one thing that has been living in me all my life. It never died and now I know that it never will.


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Dearest friends,

If you're wondering why I decided to share this with you, it's because I know that life is precious. And that no matter how hard we try to live life as planned, sometimes you just end up so far flung from it. I have learned the hard way that passion is the key to living and to never give up on it whenever you feel let down. It's essential that you stick to the one plan that does actually work perfectly. And that is to believe.

Thank you so much for sticking around all the years I've been here in blogland. Your friendship is one of the things I am truly blessed with. This blog has given me a drive to keep trying and running after my dream. And to see that life is sweet, even when the sun hides behind the clouds.


Warmest hug,

A New Name

Hello there, lovelies! Confused? Don't be, it's still me. The new blog name and changes are just the outcome of my long burried restlessness. For a while, I have been feeling that my blog desperately needed a new meaning, something that could accomodate my thoughts, my art and inspirations all together. I want it to be a place where kindred spirits could relate and feel comfortable, as if we were sitting together, chatting over hot cups of coffee in our hands. Doesn't that sound wonderful? :)

There are so much I want to share here, more than just glimpses of my own work and peeks into my personal life. I look forward to sharing plenty more talents, beautiful found treasures and speaking loud thoughts in my head! I hope you'll come back soon and see what I have in store next!

Hugs,

Vintage Heart

I've been feeling a bit nostalgic lately, finding plenty of inspirations in retro, vintage things.

And one thing lead to another...

 

... I ended up recycling this old piece and gave it a more romantic feel.

Don't you just love how flexible art can be? :)

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Fab inspirations:

1 - Black Ballerina byclairelafaye

2 - iPhone case byonyourcasestore

3 - Antique typewriter at Modred12  

4 - Silhouette necklace by lepapierstudio 

5 - Leather pumps at CoyoteMarmalade

6 - Art Deco necklace by LucieTales  

 Art: Vintage Heart, digital mediums, 21x29.7 cm 

 

Another Year, My Beautiful...

Happy birthday to my darling girl. 

I wish you a million shining stars,

for you to gaze and wish upon.

Every night,

until the end of time.

With love, OXOX 

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Art:

Top: A Drink for Me

Bottom: About the Bush

A Room of My Own

When I was little, I wanted nothing more than to have my own room. Being the youngest, I was always sharing one with my siblings. First with my older brother, then with my older sister until I turned a teenager. Well you must know that I grew up in house with only three bedrooms and the only way for me to have a room of my own was to have one built for me. And I remember constantly begging my parents to have my own space. Somehow in my mind, It seemed like my parents didn't realize that I was actually growing up and probably just wanted to keep me as a little kid forever. You have no idea how badly I wanted a fairy Godmother back then. :)

Then as I turned 12, out of the blue, my parents decided to grant that wish. I was finally going to have my own room, and it was like living a dream. I got to choose the paint color, the drapes, the sheets, even designed my own handcrafted wooden bed. And when the day came for me to move in, I remember telling myself that life really is sweet and nothing was ever going to take me away from my little island.

Unfortunately, that dream was short lived. Just a couple of weeks after I moved in, we received news that my father was to be transfered to the UK and that the whole family were to go with him. So we packed our things almost immediately, put the house up for sale (with my brand new room in it!) and the following month we flied halfway across the world to our new home. Thankfully, to a three storeys house with...get this, four bedrooms. Yes, FOUR bedrooms.

I guess I really did have a fairy Godmother afterall. :)

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My daughter is turning 9 this Saturday. She came to me the other day and asked me when she could have a room of her own. She said big girls shouldn't have to share a room with  little boys. So I told her to keep that wish very close, because wishes really do come true.

Trust me on that one. ;o)

♥ Both girls above are available as nursery art originals in my shop.

The Owl Parade

 

 

 

 

 

New owls in the shop, eagerly waiting to be adopted and taken into a new loving home.

Just thought I'd share them with you. :)

Hugs,

Tough Job, Tender Heart

I have been feeling a bit under the weather lately. Spent so many nights up working for the past couple of weeks, and then eventually broke down with a very nasty cold! Ugh. I just hate being sick. I hate not being able to do much while there are tons of stuff waiting to be finished. I know, I know, your body's telling you to slow down, have a balanced life, and most of all get some sleep, sleep, sleep. You have no idea how many times I play that line in my head every day, but when it comes down to it, all I can say is, not very likely.Why? Well, I won't sugar coat the pathway I've chosen in life. Working as an artist means a lot of things, and I'm afraid it's not always day dreaming by window, paint the day away while inspirations fly in through the door freely. Many times it also includes spending hours on work that has gone very wrong, running from deadlines to deadlines trying so hard to keep the clients happy, and constantly tapping on your head waiting for ideas that stubbornly refuse to come out. Occupational hazards, who doesn't have them, right?

What hurts, is when people don't appreciate what I do. Many still think that because I "draw" for a living, it makes everyday nothing but la-la-land for me. Yeah, right. Maybe if they saw the state I'm in after a few sleepless nights, they'll think differently. So to those scepticals out there, yes, being an artist IS a real job. And unfortunately, labor doesn't come cheap. I'm no magician and like many people, I find appreciation very fulfilling (I'm breaking out sweat trying so hard not to turn this into a rant. LOL!!). At the end of the day, having one positive response is just the thing to soothe this tender soul of mine. :)

For example, I had a very positive feedback on this particular commissioned design I just finished (would you believe that it's a bridal shower invitation??). Just a few generous kind words was enough to make me feel good, knowing that my hardwork has really paid off. It's really as simple as that.

So anyway, let me also just thank everyone whom I've had the pleasure to work with for all the wonderful positive feedbacks they've given me. Rest asure that they have not gone unnoticed. I am like an elephant with a very long memory and plenty of love to give back. :)

Stay happy and productive!