Manga and Crafts

It's been a busy year for me, juggling 2-3 jobs and family life at the same time...not a lot of art and craft this year from me. But I had a nice break during Christmas. Oh, and this year I discovered that all the things I need to know about life, I learn it from Pinterest! Look at all the wonderful art work and crafts on Pinterest! Whoa! I use Pinterest pretty much everyday, and lately it's giving me the urge to craft! 

So, after Christmas, I picked up my sewing needle, tried to get some unfinished projects done before the new year is here. First, I finished sewing a My Little Pony that I started back in August! Sorry, no picture....all I can say is that the final result resembles a punk rocker pony. This is a long overdue birthday present for my daughter. She's pretty flexible about things, and welcomed the punk rocker pony into her collection.

Today I finished sewing this birdie bag, also for my daughter. 

The inspiration for this bag came from Clamp's manga, Kobato: 

I like Kobato's dresses and accessories! They are so cute! Check out some of her handbags: 

See the birdie handbag? So cute! 

Speaking of manga, I highly recommend A Bride's Story by Kaoru Mori! 

 
Set in the early 19th century of central Asia, this manga explores the lives of the nomads in this region. I cannot express enough how beautiful this manga is! Every page is full of detailed, exquisite drawings, truly a delightful feast for the eyes! 

If you need inspiration for something ethnic and beautiful, check out A Bride's Story!

Polymer Clay Fun

I can't believe how busy I am since the beginning of the year. Luckily, I still managed to find a little bit of time here and there to play with polymer clay. 

About a month ago my husband asked me to make a Dalek for a friend's birthday. I too, am a Doctor Who fan. I remember how fun it was to sculpt this Dalek. It was quite small too. 

 

Recently, my daughter became a big fan of My Little Pony, thanks to her buddies at school. Instead of dishing out the dough to buy her ponies, I sculpted these ponies. Yes, I'm that cheap (LOL). 

 

 

I just want my daughter to learn to appreciate things that are made by hands. Also, this is way better than store bought toys because she gets to decide how it should look like!

 

Finally, my latest pieces, Ego Eradicator with cat and dog! Ego Eradicator is unique to Kundalini Yoga. I love sculpting or drawing this posture, I think it expresses the Keep Up spirit very well. It is a beautiful posture expressing beautiful human spirit.

Flower Viewing Daruma and a Daruma ATC Giveaway

This little daruma is having a wonderful time under the tree. And he is now available on my etsy shop.

The tea cup is so small but I somehow managed to write the Chinese character for tea on it. And those are dango (rice dumplings) on his plate. 

I've always love daruma and I enjoy making them. And now I have decided to spread the fun around. This is what we are going to do: leave your comment here to be entered for a chance to win this daruma ATC (artist trading card). You have until next Monday to do so. And I will announce the winner next Tuesday. 

Have fun! 

To find out more about daruma visit this page. And to learn more about Artist Trading Card go to this page.

My Etsy Shop: Soul of 11

I have an etsy shop. It's  etsy.com/shop/Soulof11.

Right now it is a humble little shop that sells small craft items that I made with my own hands. I hope someday my shop will grow into something beautiful and meaningful. 

Today, I added a new item to my shop, and that is this little Christmas penguin ornament. He is small, light, and very adorable. And he is ready to celebrate Christmas.

Other items that are in my shop are these Kanzashi flowers that I made. If you go to my etsy shop, you will be able to some more of my flower hair clips. 

These flowers take a lot of time and effort to make, but turning ordinary fabric squares into delicate flowers give me a lot of joy and satisfaction. I really love working with my hands.

I fold my petals in a way that's different from traditional kanzashi flowers. Please leave your questions and comments here. I love hearing from people. It helps me grow and learn, and I really appreciate it. 

 

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone :)

Candy Corn Plushie and Pterodactyl Plushie

 I worked hard yesterday. I spent almost all day sewing these two new plushies. 

A certain little kid is definitely getting spoiled by her mom. 

An Experiment

 First, create a silk screen using a simple design.  

Once the screen is ready, print design on a piece of plain fabric.

Now sew the printed fabric and decorate it with anything you like. 

The result was nothing like what I was hoping for. But the more I look at it, the more it grows on me. Now I have a peace charm hanging in my work space. It really makes me feel good whenever I look at it. 

If you have the time, sit down and create a simple peace charm with anything you have, and give it to someone you treasure. Or, if you feel like doing more, host a peace charm making party! Let's spread the peace around :) 

Sat nam.