Sunday Blissful Sunday

Sunday morning is here, and I can't help but dread tomorrow. I don't know if anyone out there can relate, but starting a new week always seems to pull all the strings inside me and I never fail to end up a bundle of nerves. I blame myself for listening to Manic Monday from such a young age. Somehow the song left a mark in my head and now I can never see Monday as any ordinary day. :)

I suppose having three children to take care of makes it a tad bit harder (and a tad is a mild way of putting it). It's not the same as waking up in the morning and rushing to get ready for work. I would say more like having a tornado swirl pass by you and when it does go away, you're left stunned for a very long time. But of course, after every tornado, there's always peace. The kind that you cherish and hang on to, hoping that it would never go away. Here's a little peek into some of my peaceful moments, before the mini tornado winds come home from school...

As you can see, other than my art, doll making has been a lifeline for me these days. There's something very therapeutic about sewing with your hands, just the way women used to do it back in the old days. The rhythmic movements seem to pull you into such a calm state of mind and I can't be more thankful that I found a whole new world through it.

Well, I'll get back to my precious Sunday now while the children are still fast asleep, because there will be no slowing down after they're all awake. So I hope you'll have a wonderful one too, and hopefully tomorrow when Monday comes, we'll be lucky enough to see only clears skies and no tornado in sight. ;)

Hugs,


Note: All my dolls are available at Whimsylandia

Illustrated Wooden Treasures

Yes, it's Monday again. No need to feel so forlorn, especially because the holiday is coming very soon and then there will be nothing but festivity ahead for everyone! Now before that comes, why don't we feast our eyes on these gorgeous treasures by NUTAK...you sure are in for a real treat! :)

I first discovered NUTAK on etsy during the many hours of my satisfying explorations. Probably like so many of you, I find wood to be one of the most versatile and naturally beautiful material to work with, but making jewelry is something I've never tried to accomplish before. So you can imagine my excitement as I stumbled upon this fabulous shop! Each creation is so beautifully handcrafted, with great attention to details that shows amazing creativity. Monika and Darko are the creators behind NUTAK, both determined to put their heart and soul into each treasure they create. Other than jewelry, you can also find other uniquely made items in their shop...

So didn't that just lift up your mood? I always love finding inspirations on Mondays, just to kick things up a bit to set the pace going. I hope this feature brought you just that... Have a good week, everyone! :)




Links to NUTAK:
Etsy shop
Facebook page

The "Buy Handmade" Phenomena

"Buy Handmade". I read that slogan for the first time about a few years ago when I first dipped my toe into this whirling pool of online community. Living in a country where most products available were mass produced in factories for minimized cost, my head just didn't quite grasp that concept at first. Of course, we have handmade stuff here in Indonesia. Mostly traditional crafts that attract tourists, yet seem too "old" for us locals. There was also a trend to buy imported branded goods, which at the end created quite a down point for the local businesses. So I wondered, how did "buying handmade"  fit nicely into the lives of people in other parts of the world?

When I first visited Etsy, I think the first thing I noticed (and loved!) was how these handmade goods seemed to show such high level of creativity of the makers. It's amazing how much personality is shown in each creation, not to mention the attention to details, and in many cases, affordable prices. But the one thing that really stood out was that these handmade goods were more than just crafts that would only end up in our display cabinets (as most cases found where I am!). These goods were replacements to ordinary mass produced things that we use in daily lives. Clothing, accessories, home decor, paper goods, and even fine art! To me personally, this was love at first sight. So what did I do? I heartily plunged in and joined this phenomenal way of life.

Now as I said before, at the time we didn't have that many daily handmade goods available for sale here. At least not ones that satisfied the cravings for tasteful, well designed things. So it was pretty fun going hunting for them. Shopping online was also an option and I spent plenty of hours at other sites such as Folksy and DaWanda, just feasting my eyes on all the awesomeness I could find. And they were plenty of hours well spent.

Nowadays, I'm happy to say that buying handmade has become quite a booming trend here in Indonesia. It's literally an ongoing festivity! There are now great vendors and workshops available throughout the country, making it very easy for craft lovers like me to make my lifestyle so much more fun and creative. Here are a few handmade goodies from Indonesian artisans... hunted and treasured! :)

My very special thanks to all the wonderful crafts-magicians above that have made this post fun for me to write. Please click on the images to visit their links!

And how about you? Do you buy handmade? Please share! :)

Craft Ideas - Flying Fairies

I wanted to surprise my daughter with a little something yesterday, and while she was at school, I got out my crafting box, then started getting busy...

First, I used these printouts of fairies and colored them in.

Then I cut them out along the shapes, leaving a small gap between the line and the edges for easier manuveure.

Next, stick the cutout fairies onto cardstock paper and cut along the edges once more.

After that, punch a hole on the top and attach a ribbon for hanging.

And there you have it... flying fairies to brighten up your little sweetling's room!

(which by the way she loved!)

If you'd like to get cracking and make something similar, my fairies are available here.

Have fun, everyone!