creative or what ...

it's the 1st day of chinese new year and we're all doing our visiting rounds :) at my aunt's place i saw this really interesting, and i must add, creative and innovative, piece of furniture. i just wanted to share it here :)

a side table handcrafted from bamboo

taken at a different angle ... can you actually guess what it doubles up as?

flip it on it's side and ... wallah! a baby chair!

according to my auntie, her kids used to sit in it... and the oldest is now in her mid twenties! this chair must be at least 25 years old!

i'm sure this was created because many people, especially those who lived in villages, couldn't afford to get a table AND a baby chair. but look ... what amazing innovations can sprout from trying times :)

now you tell me... creative or what!

happy pimping! and happy chinese new year!! :)

overwhelmed ...

i am feeling overwhelmed ... yesterday i received an email from sf of reduce footprints in response to the lemonade award that i passed on to her... and this is what she wrote :)

Hi Luthien,

I wanted to send you a little something ... just for you ... no one else has it ... it's not part of a "pass it on" game or anything like that ... it's just for you because you are so nice to everyone in the blogging community. You have a big heart and you make everyone feel good! So ... from me to you ... thank you for always having a positive attitude and being so kind to everyone who comes your way! You are appreciated!

Have a wonderful day!

Small Footprints


my goodness! there were no words to describe how i felt when i read her email ... i felt, all at once ... overwhelmed, grateful, touched, very happy, embarrassed plus so many other indescribable feelings ... my eyes went wide! no kidding! it's like ... she made this especially for me! wow! you know the feeling that bombards your heart all of a sudden, making it ache so much that it feels like bursting?... well i had that feeling yesterday ... i'm feeling it now as i write ... though not as intense as yesterday, but yea... it's there :) i can't even write right!

thank you sf ... you totally rock!

another award! ... and a family plate :)

we had a great night last night! our show was a success :) two months worth of hard work and all it took was 30 minutes on stage... but it was well worth it :) and now... i have returned!


today i want to thank 3 lovely ladies for passing the above award to me. i've not seen this anywhere before... i think it's a fairly new one. it's called the lemonade award ... for blogs with great attitude and gratitude :) i was so tickled when i received the very same award from 3 different ladies and was itching to write about it but didn't have the time.

fran of fran caldwell at home was the first to pass this award to me. fran has a fantastic site which features her art (yes! she's an awesome artist... a real one, not like me :) ) and the work of other artists of her choice. if you are an avid art lover, please visit her, you will not regret it :) thank you fran :)

cindy of the ramblings at chippewa creek, passed me the award next :) i was taken by surprise because this was also the first time that she's commented on my blog (i think!) but really delighted that she thought my blog deserved this award. and i must apologize for not being able to explore your blog more because of my recent hectic schedule... but i will definitely visit you more often from now and from what little i saw... your blog is really cool! thank you cindy :)

dear kudzu of bits and pieces was the third to pass this award to me :) kudzu is a true and true crafter. her site is full of cute, whimsical crafts and she can make something out of anything! sometimes i'm amazed at where she gets all her fabulous ideas from ... and she never seems to run out of them! it's like the term 'artists' block' doesn't even exists in her vocabulary! thank you kudzu :)

well, now i'm suppose to nominate 10 blogs with attitude and gratitude and pass this award to them. i think i will not stick to the number 10 or a timeframe. so i'm gonna take my time and pass this award along whenever i think of a blog which deserves it :) for now i can think of :

sf of reduced footprints for her constant effort to make the world a better place
av of tomus arcanum for his no bull**** attitude of the world and for being genuine
carolyn of harbor hon for her beautiful and inspirational sunday posts that make me cry
sharon of mana moon studios for being there ... always encouraging, in the creative part of me
rose of what i made today for still believing in love and magic in this otherwise mundane world

there is another blog that i would like to pass this award to... but because it's a private blog and the subject is very close to the owner's heart, i shall ask permission first :) before i put the name of her blog here...

there are rules to this award (like any other) but i rather not state them. do as you will to this award and pass it on whenever or to whomever your heart desires ... we shall not be bound by worldly rules ... not here... not now :))

with this i would like to end this post with a family plate which i made a couple of years ago for my mother on her birthday. it's a combination of an old picture of my mom, my dad and little me :) decoupaged and decorated with painted roses on a crackle glazed background :)

happy pimping! :)

a short update and some recycling

hello :)

i know i know... it's been ages since i posted. i've just been too busy to do anything. have not crafted a single thing since all those christmas gifts. the fact is ... i've been busy working, real work :) which is great because it means my bills get paid... finally :) i'm on a project choreographing a short musical sketch for british american tobacco. so i'm busy everyday with rehearsals, recording, music editing and more rehearsals. the event will be on the 22nd of this month which means i'll be tied up at least till that date. just round the corner after that will be the chinese new year celebration on the 26th and 27th of jan. phew! a month full of activities! i'm not complaining though... at least i'm working :)

anyway since i haven't made anything new, i'll post something old. these were large platters that were destined for the trash. so instead of having them thrown away, i cut up some old newspaper and did some "decoupaging". i cut out a mix and match of interesting news titles in different size fonts, comics, images, different color newspapers, advertisements and anything that caught my fancy and glued them to the platters.

this one i used as a base to my boring wall clock. i chose only black and white newspaper and left it in it's original color so that it matches the gray clock.


i made the next one with slightly more variations by sticking bolder colored cuttings, images and words together. then i stained it with a bit of brown wood stain to give it the aged newspaper look. this one i used as a tray.



i finished both the decoupaged platters with 1 coat of sealer and 3 coats of varnish.

i've always had a thing for newspapers, especially vintage ones (though i don't think i can find those easily and even if i did, would i cut them up? :DDD) these platters took me only one afternoon to do. i'm actually contemplating doing something like that to my old metal drawer unit :)) really easy crafting ... just old newspaper, glue, varnish and patience :) plus... it saves things from going to the trash :)))

happy pimping! :)

hello 2009 :)

another year has come and gone, one year older and hopefully a wee bit wiser :)) 2008 has been a year full of trials and tribulations for me. jobs were scarce and i was out of a job for at least 3 months in the 1st half of the year as well as the 2nd half of the year. being a freelancer, no job means no money. fortunately hubby did have some work. i shudder to think what the consequences would be if 2 freelancers in the family were out of a job at the same time. nonetheless, we managed to survive 2008 unscathed ... someone must be watching over us and i am truly thankful for that.

having said that, my time unemployed did present things worth rejoicing. i discovered art again and made use of my time creating art, discovering and reinventing self, but most of all, learning about life. i also discovered blogging and the gorgeous, kind-hearted and encouraging people in blogsphere :) who i am proud and honored to call my friends now :) i can't believe how much i have seen and absorbed and even felt through reading blogs of so many talented and beautiful people from all over the world. being unemployed turned into a blessing instead. nothing happens by chance ... there is always a reason for things to happen in a certain way though we may not know it at the time of the happening.

one of my friends sent me a new year sms. the message went along the lines of life imitating the ivory and ebony keys of the piano. white keys signify the good times and black keys signify the bad. the first thought that came to me was, we are constantly associating white with joy and black with pain. two distinct colors, two opposing feelings. it is only natural as we've been socialized for centuries to look at them this way. from the little i know about music, i always find that the white keys or the major keys of the piano create a perfectly straightforward melody... always bold, always bright and always perfect. yes... perhaps this is what joy is meant to sound like, straightforward and out in the open. whereas the black keys... the minor keys... create a kind of off-note, sometimes poignant, sometimes yearning and sometimes aching sound ... perhaps again these can be associated with sadness or trials. yet... if life were played only with white keys, it would just be a straight road without challenges... perfect sounding melody without feelings... no yearning, no sweet aching, no sense of hope. the existence of the black keys interlaced into the straightforward white keys, create a totally different feel to the melody and brings it up to a different level... changes the mood of the tune altogether... and i dare say making it more complex and unequivocally more beautiful. to appreciate life, is to appreciate it's joys as well as it's trials... for only when we've felt and understood pain, would we truly appreciate joy when it comes to us.

with that i would like to end today's post by accepting this beautiful award from sharon of mana moon studios... an exquisite artist who creates the most gorgeous jewelry. yet as you get to know her through her writing, her person is as gorgeous as that she creates. like the melody above, she has had her share of trials in her life, which she faced bravely. and now, the phoenix has risen from the ashes, and she truly deserves all the good things that is happening for her. she looks at life with such vigor that it rubs off on you when you read her posts :))) it does on me :)))

thank you sharon for thinking of me. but most of all, thank you for all the encouraging words... because of what you said, i actually showed some of my work to a new age gift shop near my place and to my delight, the lady is very interested with my stuff and has asked me to put some of my things to sell in her shop ;) i was thrilled to bits :))))

i am suppose to now 'award this award' ;) ... but i want to do something a little different this time ( i hope you dun mind sharon :) )... instead of awarding this to specific people today ... since it's new year... i will

spread the love of this award
to each and everyone of you, that you
may have a soaring 2009 filled with hope and joy, love and peace, good health and fulfilled dreams...
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

and happy pimping! :)