When I am undergoing stressful times, one way I soothe and find peace is to do something totally unrelated to work, with a pleasing final result. It used to be making cards. Then I sometimes get asked to do hampers. Now, however, I have been introduced to the craft of doing custom floral arrangements. Now, before you ask me to show you some photos, let me first stick in my disclaimer – plants often die on me. I am not sure how far this hobby cum de-stressing activity will hurt the flowers more than help me! One day soon, I hope to have displays that I would dare to give away…!
Posts Tagged ‘Craft’
Creativity Creates Calm
23/01/2012A Potentially Sad Day
02/01/2012I use my little point-and-shoot camera a lot. On Facebook, I tend to post a picture a day, and then comment on the picture. It’s like a pictorial diary. It goes around with me almost everywhere.
Alas, my camera has been doing funny things. Take for instance this photo.
What does this resemble? Well, I thought it looked like fish roe. My doctor friend reckons “High magnification of staphylococus!” He extolls, “Your camera is amazing!” Tongue in cheek of course! The truth? These were lights. Suspended from the ceiling of a mall I visited.
Close-up shots are fine. Like this one.
This was a small woven table mat.
So with the focus function gone when I do even the slightest zoom, I have no choice but to send my camera to the workshop. The warranty is still valid, but I shall have to be deprived of it for a month. It was almost painful to relinquish the camera to the store owner who sold it to me.
On the brighter side, perhaps this will be a kind of servicing for a well-used, much-loved gadget and it will come back to me in pristine condition, to once again capture those wonderful moments!
I wonder if I will get it back by the lunar new year…..?
Learning New Skills
09/11/2011I never knew I could do it. That is, until I watched someone and asked questions as she did it. She made it look so easy! And she did five at one go.
Asking a professional to do it would cost me a fair bit though. So when asked again to do one, I decided to have a go.
Not bad if I might say so myself! Of course, I could have done better. Perhaps with more practice.
I enjoy going to select the things I want, based on the budget I have. Sometimes I put in snacks and packet drinks too. Other times it’s mostly fruit and more fruit.
Then when I put the things in, I enjoy the challenge of arranging them in such a way that they are not only balanced in weight, but also in size and colour.
Here’s another one I did. I forgot to take a photo of one done in between these two.
Hmmmm I wonder if I could go into business doing this! Haha
A Special Water Painting
07/11/2011I have never seen this kind of creativity before.
Love it!
An Accident …. but Nice
05/11/2011I was just snapping away. For fun.
Nice eh? I like it. It was the centre piece of the cold platter at a dinner function recently. Yes, the food was eaten, hence the shadows and lines were so vivid.
It’s shots like these that spur me on with my little point-and-shoot.
Baubles
08/10/2011I take a break from my travel journal to bring up something super nice! Well, I suppose the travel bit is super nice too. This is also nice!
Hubby just bought me some ‘antique’ pearl rings and necklaces.I use the word antique because they are old and belong to someone else before. The sentimentalist that I am, I love that idea!
The pieces remind us of our engagement rings and wedding bands. We got married when we were poor students and so our budget was very tight indeed. All we could afford was a diamond solitaire engagement ring and simple wedding bands which we got from a second hand section of the jewellery shop. This was in England, so second hand pieces are extra cheap. Of course the emotional value far surpassed any amount of money.
Next year we will be celebrating our 30th Anniversary. Hubby thinks we should have a look at triton wedding bands. I LIKE that idea!
Memories
22/08/2011
I was preparing to go out for dinner the other night. Had my entire outfit planned. Yes, it was THAT sort of dinner.
Then I got stuck. I could not find my special clutch bags. My black one was with my white one which was together with my cream one.
The cream one. That was special. It’s from Mom. I still remember watching her get ready for dinner and I would wait for the moment when she brought this special bag out. I loved this bag. It came along with perfume for and makeup and special softness for the evening. I would wait for chance to finger the beads, caress the workmanship, and admire the entire workmanship. I would try to hang around and watch Mom get ready. I would wish I could go along and be a fly on the wall.
It was a truly special moment when on one visit home my Mom handed it to me and told me it was mine. Faded. Beads missing. Cloth showing in parts. But it was mine. As was all the memories. I am so, so thankful, even to today.
And yes, I found my bags, all three of them. No, the other two will never be as special as this one…. Thanks Mom
Special Anniversary
02/08/2011It will be their 30th wedding anniversary!
As marriages go these days, just getting to double digits is not as common as before. So many marriages are not making it past the first decade.
Hence we are so glad that our friends are approaching theirs! Right now they are working on their invitations for a BIG bash. And I am so glad Hubby and I are amongst the privileged ones to be on their list. That’s because we introduced them to each other! Haha! Truly looking forward to the evening.
Snap!
14/06/2011Do you like the three friends? Don’t they look cute? They are ab0ut 12 inches high, soft and cuddly.
What I like most about this photo however, is not their cuddly looks. It’s the photo itself. The black background sets off the black bow ties. One of my colleagues saw this shot and wanted to take one too. But she didnt have a camera. That resulted in a long discussion about the merits of samsung cameras other such ones. I think she WILL get one. But which?
Having a Go with Special Kits
31/01/2011So I’m taking part in One World One Heart again this year.
It’s amazing how creative some of the other people taking part are. The things they come up with! The materials they use! The colours they put together! The concepts they dream up! It’s can be rather mind-boggling!
When I aspire to be like them, I realise that I need to start somewhere. Maybe I ought to make orders for some jewelry making kits first. You know, try my hand at it first.
Or better still, enlist my third Arrow to do some too! Now THAT would be fun!
