A Gift of Gold

Humanity is flawed. In so many ways and on so many levels. My mind continues to wonder about our true nature as humans and the purpose of our existence each time I watch the news, or when I read the latest updates on all the recent catastrophes that have colored our world red. What has happened to us? Do we even deserve to be called humans?

We have known wars since the very beginning of time. Some were born into it, others are still living it today. It's so ironic to see how one side of the world can stroll along the streets in glorious freedom while the other side hides under ruins, praying for the tiniest ray of sunlight. I don't think I can imagine living with such tremendous fear, not knowing if there would even be a tomorrow.

Sometimes I look around and feel thankful that my life is still blessed with love and peace surrounding me. That my children are safe under our roof, living the days as children should be. Their minds and hearts still pure, untainted by the hatred and cruelty we see so much in this world today. As mothers, it is our natural instinct to protect our children from harm. But what can we do about the dark shadow that overcasts their future?

I realize that the best thing I am able to do now is to shape my children into the true human beings they are meant to be.To teach them love, respect and compassion that I believe will help them build a better world for us one day. To make sure they understand that kindness and forgiveness can go miles away, even when you see nothing but anger all around you. Faith may seem scarce, but it is never gone completely.

I do agree that we all deserve the right to speak our mind, no matter how bewildering it may sound to others. But without respect or compassion, our voice will remain as merely, our own voice. One that only ourselves would understand. It is within our choice to act as the intelligent beings we claim to be, to create peace that our kind so desperately hunger for.

Yes, humanity is flawed. In ways that could wipe away hope altogether from our hearts. What kind of world are we leaving our children with, when all we do is see ourselves but not others? So close your eyes and listen. Faith is still there, even if you only hear it in a whisper. It is the one gift that we have for our children, to justify our purpose of existence, as one.

My hand to yours,





Artwork title: A Gift of Gold (an original acrylic painting).

Halloween Giveaway

Hello lovelies. So we meet again at Halloween! It's always such an exciting time of year, isn't it? Little ghosts and ghouls roaming about, grinning skulls and cute green monsters every where you look. I hope you have something wonderful planned this year. As for me, I've been so busy organizing my Halloween art and displaying them in my Etsy shop. I just love how Halloween seems to have taken over every corner of the internet world. It feels like we're all having fun together! :)

I even have new printable digital stamps available. You can use them to create craft projects such as card making, scrapbooking, coloring pages or last minute party decoration. I drew these witches out and scanned them to create high quality JPEG images. But then I just couldn't resist coloring them in! I absolutely loved coloring books as a little girl! I remember having a high pile of them in my room and I kept getting more every time I went shopping with my mom. These days, I do the same with my little ones. Although my eldest has outgrown her coloring hobby, my boys still love it. Only they prefer racing cars and robots, of course. :)

I do plan to add more of these digi stamps to my shop very soon. I love the idea of someone out there using their creativity with my drawings. So to celebrate Halloween, I'm giving away these witches digi stamps to three lucky readers! To enter the giveaway, you simply need to sign up to my newsletter through my online shop, and leave a comment right here.

It would be so wonderful to see what can be done with my little witches. So please, if you win these or purchased them in my shop, feel free to send me a photo of your creation to my Facebook page and I will gladly post them there.

So, until next time...and enjoy your Halloween weekend! :)

Much love,

Owls Forever

If there is one animal that could get me all googly eyed and warm inside, it's an owl. There's something so wonderfully majestic and adorable at the same time that sends my heart a flutter every time I see an image of them. I'm sure you've noticed that I've drawn and painted owls in my art so many times before. I mean, I can't help it...can you blame me? :)

Well, to those of you who share the same love for this amazing animal, here are some "owlsomeness" I have stumbled upon... (please click each image to visit the link)

See how owls have inspired so many people to create these wonderful treasures? Just as I was inspired to create these two new owl sculptures, in collaboration with the local traditional craftsmen. A project that I started a few years back.

I had loads of fun working on these two! So beware, expect more dashing cute owls parading through here very soon. Meanwhile, these owls have made their way to my shop and eagerly waiting to find a new home.

I hope you've enjoyed this owl collection. Believe me, I had such a hard time selecting which ones to post because I had found so many! Well, just another good reason for me to write a sequel, wouldn't you say so? ;)

Hoot hoot!




PS:
If you're thirsty for more owl mania, check out these links:
The Owl Pages
My Owl Barn
Daily Owls
Oh, My Owls!
Owl Owl Owl

A Big Announcement

Hello lovelies. Another week has gone by and here we are again welcoming the weekend. I don't know about you, but this week was an extra tough one because I have been pushing myself to finish up an old project that I should've had done a long time ago. Want to know what it is? Are you ready? Ooo...I'm so excited! Please allow me to present... my official website...yaaaayy!! **fireworks and confetti**

Here are a couple of snippets for you...

And what's even better, I now also have an online shop to display my available works and exclusive collections, with amazing special offers for everyone! And by that I mean lots of huge discounts and freebies, available nowhere else but at my online shop. And if you sign up for my newsletters, you're guaranteed to received awesome free goodies and coupons too! Sounds great? :)

So please, it would make me absolutely happy if you would spare some time to visit and check out my website. I owe a huge thank you to my lovely husband for designing and creating the site from start to finish. I'm so lucky to have someone so creative and technology savvy as a brick to lean on. :)

Have a great weekend, everyone! :)

Hugs

DIY Tutorial: Hand Painted Fairy Pendant Necklaces

Last Saturday, I was organizing my pile of boxes in the studio when I came across pieces of wooden boards that I purchased months ago. Like many of my art supplies, they were bought out of spontaneity, without much thoughts or ideas of what to do with them. Sometimes we're in real danger when we go to art supplies stores. Things just sing to us, like sirens at sea. Well, most likely to empty our wallet, rather than driving us to rocks. :)

After discovering these wooden treasures, I decided to create something new. Something cute and wearable. So I grabbed my tools and began to cut small pieces of wood, drilled two holes at the ends, then started to paint...

It's been a while since I last painted on canvas, let alone a piece of wood. And in this case, they were tiny pieces of wood, about 4 x 6 cm. So you can imagine how wobbly my hand was when I started out. I do recommend practicing on an unused piece before you begin on the real thing, just to get the hang of it. After I was done painting, I waited for about half a hour for the paint to settle and dry before applying a coat of glossy varnish.

For this project, I used acrylic paints, so it's not necessary to wait too long for them to dry because as you know, acrylics dry very fast. If you prefer to use oil paints, then it would be best to use a fast drying medium such as Liquin. Then after applying a thin layer of glossy varnish, I let them sit in the sun and left them until the next day. When you think it's dry, try touching it ever so slightly. If it doesn't feel tacky on your finger tip, then you're good to go.

But you know what I loved most about this project? I got to use oodles and oodles of trinkets that have been sitting in my studio, collecting dust. I used them in the past to embellish my mini paintings, but I think most people use these to create jewelry and other accessories. I absolutely loved trying out different ones to see which ones suit the wooden pendants best.

And so, after some tough decisions, here are the final look of my new wearable art...

I'm so glad with how they turned out and so, so glad I decided to create something different with my studio find. I guess sometimes you just need to be brave and let creativity lead the way. These pendant necklaces are now available in my shop. Meanwhile, I think I will think up more ideas of what to do with the rest of the wooden boards. ;)

See you soon,

It's Sale Time at Whimsylandia!

Hello lovelies. I can't believe the weekend is here again. I hope you have something wonderful planned. I'm thinking of spending some time outside if the weather is good... but before I do, I would have to finish up quite a few stuff in the studio. I hate coming back to work to a lot of mess! :)

Anyway, in case you didn't know already (since I have shared this a few times on Facebook and Twitter), I have plenty of ready-to-ship items at Whimsylandia that are currently on sale with 25% discount!! Here are some of them...

I still have more available in my shop, so come over and take a look! If you'd like to purchase any of them, simply  use my coupon code READY25 at checkout and you'll be set. So...have a wonderful weekend, I hope you'll have lots of fun with your loved ones! :)


Hugs,

Your Own Happy Ending

As a child, I was one big fairy tale buff. I read, dreamed and lived in magical stories from the minute I woke up till I closed my eyes at night. My fantasies were filled with beautiful princesses and dashing princes. Their love stories, and most of all, their happy endings. I think as a child, I expected nothing but happiness in the world, both in reality and my fantasies. It was how I thought life should be, evil slain and lovers united. That is, until I was introduced to the story of The Little Mermaid.

Through that story, I experienced my first taste of loneliness, despair, sorrow and heartbreak. I learned that not all fairy tale brings you joy, and not all has a happy ending. Strangely, it was one of the best fairy tale stories I have ever read and remains a favorite until now. To me, it was an eye opener, as if the harsh reality woke me up from a long slumber, like a bucket of cold water.

I think when I first watched the Disney's version of the story at the age of 13, I learned something even bigger. That humans crave happy endings and will do whatever they can to twist even the saddest tale into a world seen through rose tinted glasses. Which sadly, is far from reality. To a child like me back then, it somehow broaden the spectrum quite a bit, putting another option on the table. I saw life closer to how it really is. Varied, with so many pathways to choose from. The beginning may start the same, but it's up to us to write the ending.

Little did I know that the early wisdom I had learned was the one I would hold on to years later. I know sometimes it's easier to preach than to practice, but it's the one I keep reminding myself of whenever I'm down in a bottomless pit. It is true, that we are capable to write our own destiny, no matter how many obstacles we face. We are more than capable of getting up after we stumble, just the way we learned as a baby. It is one of our most vital instincts and it grows stronger with experience.

 

These days, I try to teach my children the same wisdom. I want them to understand that life can be sweet and bitter at the same time. That it's wonderful to be happy, but it's also okay to experience disappointment. "Failure" is just a word invented by humans who can't even be bothered to have another go. After all, haven't you heard? The universe lets your heart expand after you go through pain and heartache. It's the only way to let you come out to a better place.

It is without a doubt, one of the best movie quotes I have ever heard . :)

Take care,




PS: The piece of art you see above is titled The Lonely Mermaid and has found a loving home. If you're curious to see a movie closer to the original version of The Little Mermaid, this is the one I watched as a child:

Creative DIY Projects Round Up

So...are you feeling creative today? Maybe it's time to unleash those itchy fingers and get crackin' on one of these fabulous DIY projects I found on Craftgawker. Believe me, it was tough trying to pick just a few for this post because there were so many awesome ones to choose from! Each project comes with a great step-by-step tutorial, all you have to do is click on the link and plunge right in...

Vintage Inspired Chalky Paint Pumpkins by The Casual Craflete

DIY Vintage Button Bookmarks by The Anastasia Co.

Detachable Faux Fur Cuffs by ...love Maegan.com

Fall Pillows Printables by Tidbits

Nature-Printed Fabric Coaster by Indigo Stitches

DIY Leather and Canvas Dog Bed by Always Rooney

Have a great creative adventure and enjoy your day! :)

Hugs,