People Sketches and a Gift for the Grandparents

I'm glad you're here!

Over the years, I've been practicing my watercolor skills. Sometimes, I like to experiment with faces:

This is a sketch of my friend Jenna who lives in Macau. She has a beautiful apartment with large windows and she is a mom to many potted plants. I sent this to her and she was so delighted by the surprise in the mail.

This is a sketch of me and my niece Kirsten. I made an imaginary spot in the garden with giant flowers shading us from the sun and each of us lost in a book.

I made this as part of the #100dayproject in 2020. It was the height of the pandemic and people all over the world had to wear a mask to stay protected from COVID-19.

Also during the pandemic, my husband and I worked from home. One day, I made a sketch of the people he talked to on a regular basis on speaker phone. Not having met or seen them, I made these drawings based on their voices ("she sounds like someone who wears pink and pearls"; "he sounds like he surfs during the weekend.") I showed these to him -- only two of these faces matched what they looked like in real life. Oh well.  

I made this for my friend Irene. It's a family portrait that I gifted her for her birthday.

These are attempts in self portraits. 

I also made this sketch of my grandparents. They've called heaven home for many years now and I miss them so. Sometimes I wonder what we'd talk about if they were still around. Would they be savvy enough to do a video chat? Would they take selfies? 

This painting may not exactly resemble my grandparents but it captures their love. I think I'll frame it. 

I found this small gift box with a window. 

If I put the sketch inside, might it work as a picture frame?

It does...TADA! 

Maybe you or your kids can make a drawing of your or their grandparents (frame optional) that you can present to them on National Grandparents Day on September 11. This will definitely turn their day from "blah to TADA!"

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Bookmarks That Say Thank You

I celebrated my birthday in April, my second one in quarantine, but I didn't really mind because I feel more connected to old friends from across the globe because of technology. I get text greetings and we are able to hang out on video conferencing platforms. 

This year, a group of my dearest friends surprised me with a virtual birthday card. The theme was "arts and crafts" (they know me so well)! 

Each one of them made a craft, showed it off in a photo, and they wrote me wishes that really lifted me up and are giving me a boost of confidence. The crafts ranged from hand lettering, painting on canvas, coloring pages, poetry, drawing, decorating gift bags, and flower arranging. I hope that as they created they felt a sense of calm and a feeling of pride when they finished. 

I got so tickled with their masterpieces! As a thank you, I made them these bookmarks:

They are hand-painted and hand lettered with watercolors and the concept is a like a jigsaw puzzle where each person perfectly fits into a bigger picture. 

I started with a blank watercolor sheet, a paint brush, and my reliable watercolor palette.

I decided on a repeating pattern, choosing happy colors like yellow.

Two kinds of yellow! Because these friends are sunshine and positivity. We always have a good time. We laugh at the corniest jokes. We also offer encouragement when some of us are having a rough season. We pray for each other.

A blue moon because real friends are rare and must be treasured. 

Some tears, both happy and sad, that we've all shared together.

And a final touch of rosy pink. This is the backdrop I painted, symbolic of our friendship...TADA!

According to an article I read recently, this is what is described as meditative painting: "being mindful and present while putting paint on paper."

I marked the painting into 12 equal parts.

Then cut out the pieces.

I painted the name of each friend, saying a prayer for them as I did it: "Dear God, thank you for Lisa and our years of friendship. Please give her good health and strength, bless her family, and please meet her needs."

I did the same for each name that I wrote. I sent a photo of their bookmark to the recipient and promised to give it to them personally when it's safe to see each other.

We're scattered all over the world and yet our bond remains strong.  We are different but we've proven that we go so well together. 

That's why today, I celebrate friendship and all the rewards that come with it, including receiving the most thoughtful birthday surprise. Friends definitely transform life from "blah to TADA!"

Crafts Inspired by a Floral Arrangement

Hey guys, I'm glad to see you today!

Not too long ago, a dear friend sent over this floral arrangement:

 

I am smitten by her thoughtfulness and how this generous gesture says, "I'm here, I'm thinking of you, and I wish you well." The flowers definitely brightened my day and turned it from "blah" to TADA!"

Here is it in a different angle. I always take a photo so that I'll forever remember it. There are roses, hydrangeas, tulips, orchids, eucalyptus, and some leaves.

Of course, this floral arrangement has inspired me to make some crafts.

First, I made two paintings (these are watercolor paper remnants that I did not want to waste).  

The size is ideal to turn into a bookmark or it can also be framed. I mailed one together with a thank you card to my friend who sent the flowers. 

Roses dry well so I hung them upside down (tie a bundle with a rubber band and use a hook to hang on a cabinet handle). Notice that these roses are still in fresh shape? The petals remain intact and the color keeps a lighter shade when hung to dry at this stage. 

Here's what they look like after leaving them to dry for a week. The petals are crisp and any moisture has evaporated.

I put them inside my bunny vase...TADA!

I also left the eucalyptus stems to dry (same process as the roses) and even when dry, they have a faint minty scent.

I made another arrangement using an empty bottle for a vase...TADA!

Flowers fade and wither but through these simple crafts, I was able to extend their life. I am able to hold on to their beauty a little longer and turn even their dried versions from "blah" to "TADA!"

I wish you all an exciting week ahead!

The Scary Blank Page

Hi there lovely people!

Sometimes, in the course of doing creative work, we get stuck and experience writer's block, artist's block or creator's block. 

Many times, we experience it at the very start of the project, just as we open our notebooks or sketchpads and face the very scary blank page. 

So what are we to do? Instead of lounging on the sofa flipping TV channels or walking away "to find inspiration," let's face that blank page head on and just make something.

Here are a few ideas that I hope will help:

1. Use Prompts

"Doodle-a-Day" is hosted by Rhianna Wurman, also known as @ellolovey on Instagram and Etsy. Every month, she comes up with a list of one word prompts -- one prompt for each day of the month -- to be used as inspiration for daily drawings as an art exercise. 

She suggests a color palette and she even has a version of the prompts in Spanish, French, and German. What a fun way to learn a new language!

I tried it out and my version is on a 5.5 inch x 8.5 inch sheet of watercolor paper. I made postage stamp-sized boxes for each day of the month. I made a teeny-tiny painting each day which was less intimidating than filling a full page but at the end of the month, this is what happened:

It was low commitment on a daily basis but I felt very accomplished for taking baby steps...TADA!  

2. Sketch the Mundane

Whether we doodle or create full artworks, we can always find our muse in our every day surroundings. On a rainy or frigid winter day, when going out isn't a possibility, I look for images on my computer. 

I love to paint flowers and I found this in the website of a pretty shop. 

I made a few more, fitting five little paintings in a page. It felt good after because I was able to practice light and shadow, suggestion and details.

Next time I'll try painting these subjects, too: food, tea and coffee, and people I meet everyday. 

3. Work on a limited palette

I got this idea from Lisa Congdon and Peggy Dean. There are times when too many options (ex. colors, art supplies) can be overwhelming so if we work on our limitations, it's easier to focus. 

For this painting and the one after it, I used just the color blue:

 

This is a single color but you're welcome to use up to three and see what story you can tell.

These are just a few ways I turned the blank page from blah to TADA! Let me know how YOU overcome writer's/artist's block (you may write them in the comments section).

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Crafting with Tea

Hey guys!

Tea is a favorite drink of mine and it's no surprise that I include it in my crafty projects. Let me show you some of them: 

I love to bake and this recipe for Earl Grey Yogurt Cake is infused with tea flavor...TADA! I've experimented with different teas like a fruity ginger peach and this warm Christmas Tea.

I painted an empty cardboard tea box and made it into a purse for a little girl...TADA! She can store her treasures here like dolls and hair clips and found seashells.

I turned empty tea envelopes into tiny gift bags...TADA! They can be used as tags, to wrap tiny presents or to use as seating cards.

I transformed a tea tin into a recipe box...TADA! It's where I store recipe cards that are either handwritten or free at the supermarket.

I even used spent tea bags to dye lace and other fabrics to give it a sepia tone...TADA! This piece of lace became a headband.

Influenced by an artist I follow on Instagram, I tried her method of painting on tea bags. 

Here's how I did it: Save a used tea bag after you've made your tea. Let this dry overnight. Once dry, cut open one end of the bag and empty the contents (add this to the compost pile). Lay the tea bag on paper (to absorb any paint) and make a sketch (I made these pansies). Then slowly color the sketch with watercolor paint. The tea bag resembles a very thin version of watercolor paper.   

I tried painting this pair of koi fish, too. I thought it's a cool idea to repurpose used tea bags this way. I do need to practice more control with the paint (or use less water) since the paper isn't as absorbent as what I'm used to.

You should see what the artist, Ruby Silvious, can make:

via Ruby Silvious

via Ruby Silvious

via Ruby Silvious

Aren't they beautiful? She creates effortlessly arresting art out of tea bags! You can see more of Ruby Silvious' work here and I even wrote an article about her here.

These are just some ways we can transform tea and its packaging from blah to TADA! 

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