Sunday, July 28, 2013

Patiently Waiting ...

Sweet friends,
Some of you may know that I keep a windowsill garden at home. Apartment dweller that I am, trying to live a healthy lifestyle by growing my own vegetables. Far from the ideal here, as I could easily kill a cactus!. Even plants that enjoy neglect.




Ros is hosting Our Beautiful World this week. Her prompt for us to play is;

'Waiting'.

It's a wonder really, for me to lunge from painting seed pockets to actually plant them :). I even keep a garden journal!. 'Waiting' has quickly becoming the order of the day.


Say hello to my spinach seedlings :).

Spinach is my first home-grown vegetable, ever. I believe it's the strongest vege because Popeye said so, LOL. I tried growing ginger, garlic, and Chinese parsley earlier but they all died on me. Anyhow, my experiment continues :).

They are two months old now.


Waiting, and more waiting ...

These babies are just about 2-3" tall.

They seemed to love the organic potting soil with some coconut fibers & coals in them. 

I have to remember NOT to over-watering them. [That was how I killed my succulents!].


I saw the tiniest clover growing underneath my spinach seedlings. Can I hope for some luck? :).

With an angel companion, I hope they'll grow :).

I have a collection of heart pebbles, scattered around the pots for good energy & fun. Anything, to help my plants live happily. 

A concrete pebble.

This one is a sandstone.

And this, a marble pebble.

That's all garden update for today. Hop on to Our Beautiful World to share a photo that signify 'Waiting' for you.

Waiting can be fun especially when you're rewarded with something delicious at the end of it. Like waiting for coffee, or pizza!. Or 'Waiting' for someone precious, like Prince George Alexander Louis :). For me, my first spinach will do for now :).

Have a great week, everyone!. Hugs.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

I Love Old Books

Dear friends,
I love old books, always on the look out for them whenever I go flea marketing. Not much of a reader, but I simply admire books for their beauty. The shabbier, the better.


I especially love the crimson ones.


In the beginning, I looked only for Jane Austen's.


I think this is sweet!.


Later, I looked for details on the covers.

This week's, Wendy is the host at Our Beautiful World :).


And she has sweetly chose the prompt;

'Details

I thought I'd share some close ups of my old books. [Quietly wishing I had a fancy lens to play with :)].

Unique engravings intrigue me to no end.

So as intricate insignia, crests and medallions.


Torn, but much loved.

Recently, I collect books with colorful covers.


Such as this, almost fairy tale-ish. 

Often I used words from these old books in my art. 


Strange it may be, but I could read a dictionary for hours!. Looking for sweet phrases & words, of course :).


I took these pictures with Pentax K200, and I used Raynox DCR-150 macro lense. All photos were edited with PhotoScape [can you imagine I do not know how to use Photoshop???. Silly girl]. 

Do you love experimenting with your lens too?. Come share with us some of your 'Details' shots at Our Beautiful World this week :). Have a great weekend. And enjoy the full moon tonight!. HUGS.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Summer of Color 3 - Week 6

Dear friends,
It's the final week at Summer of Color 3. The winning color Sage & Sepia, seemed to be mimicking what we all are feeling, gloomy almost. Though, I had fun these few weeks playing along with all of you. 


Book for Week 6; measures 2" X 2".

In the world today, they are still much suffering but things are changing fast, for the better. You can almost feel the hope and the happiness that greet us on both sides of any road we're taking. We only need to look :). 



I'm thankful for the gifts of life. The friendship, the inspiration and the joy from visiting you :). My book this week, is a tribute for these bounty.


The back.

A hint of green, underneath brown lace.

Folded signatures sewn in the middle, decorated with lace and tiny beads at the spine.


If my books inspire you to look at things with your heart-mind, or feel a brief of joy and comfort ... I've done the job here.

Shall we take a peek inside?.


I hand-stitched words again, truly a fun thing to do.

My pages read; "I am thankful for the gifts of life".

I stamped mint green acrylic paint on the linen.

Added green satin cloth, in between linen pages.

Flowers on the ribbon add cheer on the otherwise sedate page.

Dry branches in the wind.


Doodle-stitched dry twigs.

If you like to try doodle stitching, I recommend you to check out delightful books by Aimee Ray at the link here

Smudgy last page :).

The lady sitting in lotus position (or Padmasana), was done in watercolor. The beads halo implies contemplative prayer.

What a sight to enjoy when all is done.

And, I made a storage for these tiny books. I decided to alter an old make-up case which I found at the flea market months ago. I don't have a tutorial for it yet, but I'll share soon.

Remember this?. Read more about it here.

After a little paint, stamping, decoupage and distressing;

I had to add 'climbing roses', it's summer after all. 

Can you see my books got thicker each week?.

Six cubes of delights, tucked nicely in the case.

A bagful of gratitude :).

That's it for this week. Again, much LOVE and thank you for dearest Kristin. Such graceful host, as always. Thank you dear friends for beautiful inspiration every week :). HUGS.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Lace on my Kebaya

Sweet friends,
This week, it's all about 'Lace' at Our Beautiful World. Immediately I think about my kebaya :). A few months back, I shared here some oriental inspiration photos, and kebaya was one of them.

Kebaya is a Malay traditional outfit, a slight variation to the Straits Chinese's Nyonya Kebaya. It is not unlike a tunic that women wear over batik sarongs to work, weddings and festivities.

Malay Kebaya.

This is one of my Malay Kebaya. It's a simple purple top, heavy with lace, beads & sequins. [Malay Kebaya is generally knee-length, a tad longer than the Straits Chinese kebaya].


Lace at the bottom.



Lace on the wrist.

Lace on the front.

Beads & sequins detail on the lace.

Next, is my Nyonya Kebaya. It is a waist-long top, with colorful embroidery. I wear it over a camise, with a pink batik sarong or a pair of blue jeans!.

Nyonya Kebaya.

Embroidery at the waist.


The colors remind me of Chinese porcelain.

Women in the old days doing everyday chores, taking care of their families at home, clad in simple cotton kebayas & sarongs. Life must be so graceful then. I wear these maybe just twice a year, I am more comfortable in jeans & t-shirts, really :).

A simple lace at the neck line & front.

Lace on the wrist.

You can easily find kebayas at Central Market or any shops selling traditional clothing in town. Read about other interesting crafts at the market here.


Lace at the back too.

Do you have a favorite lacy outfit?. Do you collect beautiful lace?. Does your work inspired by lace?. [You'd know how much I love lace from just looking at my fabric books, LOL]. 'Lace' can be different meanings to different people. I'd love to hear your story :).

Won't you come share your view on 'Lace' with us too?. Link up at Our Beautiful World this week!. Until then, have a great weekend!. HUGS.

Photo info
All photos taken with a Pentax K200 DSLR. They were edited within PhotoScape, Filtered with Blur effect (Region Out-Of-Focus) and Film effect (Cinema).
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