The Art and Adventure Blog!

My Monster Trophy

2012-02-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

Hi All!

I have been on an amazing roller coaster ride since the start of the year. My post about 2011 in review was kind of a downer because I was living in an unhappy place in my life. I made a difficult decision to leave my job. I had a bunch of things in the works but nothing definite lined up. I took two weeks to recover from a very exhausting year when I got an exciting phone call! I had gotten a job offer from an interview that I attended a few monthsago! It all happened so quickly. The next thing I knew, they put me on a plane to California for a week of training. Then I was sent back home to work in their NYC office! I finished my first few weeks and I really like it so far!

I have worked so hard and it has taken me years to finally find a job that I could be satisfied with. I bought myself a Monster High doll as a trophy to celebrate! I really wanted one because I think they are amazing toys, and also because its a nod to the industry that I'm in: The Fashion World!

I don't know any other toys that are as fashionable as Monster High! Voila! This is Frankie Stein. Isn't she amazing? I haven't really seen the TV show, but I love the toys. I've never seen anything like them. Frankie looks like an alien with her green skin. I love it!

This is what she looked like in the box. I was pretty impressed with the packaging. They had a lot of fancy things going on. There were a lot of shiny parts printed on it called "Spot UV". The slant on the front of box hides the stand and other things, like fasteners, that should be hidden. I'm mentioning this fancy-packaging-talk because that's what I do for my job. I manage packaging for fashion and apparel. Its not a creative position, but I still like it. I've worked as a packaging artist before, but its different being on the management side. I'm learning a lot of new things about packaging that I didn't know before.

I'm also meeting a lot of cool people and learning about business and the fashion world. Its new to me and a little intimidating at times. I feel a lot like the girl from the show "Ugly Betty". Just like the character, I'm weird and awkward. I stick out like a sore thumb with my shabby clothes when I'm around the fashion people. But hey, I am who I am and I still get the job done. Appearances be damned! Ok, I take that back...

I'm embracing the fashion community with open ears and open eyes because it can only help with a huge fashion project that I've been working on over the past couple of months. I'm in a different time in my life. I want to figure out my personal style and wardrobe that is relevant to who I am now. I know that appearances are important. I'd like to put more value in my appearance because when you look good, you feel good, and when you feel good its a huge confidence booster! This amazing new job can help me with a lot of my goals on so many levels. I'm really excited about it and whatever comes my way this year!

Maybe I secretly like cats

2012-01-05T12:07:00.002-05:00

Its not a secret that me and cats don't get along. For years I have been at war with The Cats ever since They have infiltrated my backyard, leaving paths of destruction and poo in my garden, and also fornicating in the bushes. I also recently discovered that I'm mildly allergic to cats now! When I'm around one for too long, my mouth and tongue get puffy. That said, its been hard to warm up to any cats I've encountered.

I recently met what some have named a Miracle Kitten. She's a miracle in many ways! I am pleased to introduce you to Wiley Kit Kat, or Kit Kat for short.

Kit Kat was rescued about a month ago. She was probably wandering around for weeks and eventually got trapped in the garage where she was found, emaciated. We suspect that she was a runaway pet and not a stray simply because this tiny cutie just has such good manners. Believe me, I've met many strays and they don't have any manners at all!

Sean and Nat tried their best to find her original owners by posting Lost Notices at the vet's office, online, also in and around neighboring towns. In the meantime, they've been taking her to the vet and nursing her back to health. I'm happy to report that Kit Kat was cleared of any serious conditions with the vet and all she has to do is gain her weight back. Eat, eat, eat! I'm sure she's ok with that job!

After the valiant efforts from my friends, they still weren't able to find her owners. And with all the care and attention they've given her, they got attached. Kit Kat now lives with my friend, Sean. She hasn't been there for very long and has already taken over the house!

We call her a miracle for surviving her terrible ordeal since Winter is starting to hit us hard. She also is somehow not triggering anyone's allergies (including mine!). And lastly, I've never heard of a cat that doesn't shed. Sean has a dark brown couch and there wasn't a trace of cat hair on it! Who knows if this is just a kitten thing, but heck, none of us are complaining!

She's a proper cat and sits like a lady. She liked me the first time she met me. Sean and Nat say that she's a social cat, but doesn't trust just anyone she meets. The best part about this cat is, you can make a fort out of pillows and right away she'll sit inside her "kingdom". I like that she poses for photos. Look how she neatly folds in her paws and tail! Awww!

So maybe... just maybe I'm warming up to them.

2011 in Photos

2011-12-31T16:56:00.001-05:00

The year 2011 went by quickly! I look back at it as another transition year as I figure things out. I had so many projects that I wanted to do, but they were put on the back-burner because at the start of the year I was offered a full-time job! I spent most of the year working and saving money. Even though I was busy, I did have a few highlights that I'm excited to share with you:

I submitted my book to the Sketchbook Project 2011

I went on an annual Ski/Snowboarding Trip with really good friends!

I wasn't able to wear my Halloween costume for Halloween, so I wore it on the slopes instead!

It was a big hit!

After reading Kitchen Princess, I was inspired and baked a lot of stuff!

Most of my experiments ended in in disaster...

...including this monstrosity. Its supposed to be a light and delicious Castella Flan,

but it looks more like a filthy kitchen sponge

I explored Space Craft in Brooklyn, NY with my favorite crafty companions,

Angie from Blueberry Crumble Crafts and Sarah Marie from Saltwater Acorns

For my birthday I went rock climbing with my friends! And later a Tex-Mex feast was consumed!

These are my gerbils a year later. I caught Taco in a ridiculous sleeping position!

Taco has grown so much! This is what she looked like when she first came home with me.

I joined a band!

(More on this later. I've been keeping it a secret.)

Me and my boyfriend planned a last minute vacation to Cape May, NJ. We made frequent visits to different beaches along the Jersey Shore throughout the summer including another last minute vacation to Wildwood, NJ. I love the beach so much!

My friends and I got lost in a Corn Maze.

I went to see champion dogs hosted by the American Kennel Club called Meet the Breeds at the Javits Center.

I got to hang out in NYC with blogger cuties, Katie of seekatiedraw and San Smith! I've been a fan of San's blog for a long time and this is the first time I got to meet her. She is as fun and kind as I imagined her to be!

I also got to hang out with May the foodie blogger! I've only gotten to hang out with her a few times, but she's so much fun to be around. She's very genuine and welcoming too. I kinda feel like I've known her for much longer than I actually do. I miss all the girls! I hope we can hang out soon <3

My brother celebrated his 30th birthday (What?!!) on a boat because he's obsessed with the song

"I'm on a Boat" by The Lonely Island

Just in case you haven't heard it, this is the song. hehe

Me and my boyfriend celebrated our five year anniversary this year! Wow!! <3

Concerts and Events attended in 2011: The Blank 77 punk rock reunion show, Miyavi, Harry Potter: The Exhibition, Cirque du Soleil: Zarkana

Favorite TV show of 2011: Thundercats!!!

Favorite Games played in 2011: Haunted Domains, Cooking Mama 2, Tamagotchi Connection 3, Animal Crossing (I think Animal Crossing will make my list every year!)

Favorite Movies of 2011: Water for Elephants, Thor, Real Steel, The Muppets Movie.

There are a ton of movies that I didn't get to see and I found this really cool site that lists all of the movies of 2011 in case you need to catch up too.

Favorite Restaurants of 2011: Cuba Libre, Mad Batter, Hot Dog Tommy's, Bubbly Tea, Vivi Tea, Baguette Delite, Pastel, Kenka, Black Iron Burger, Lula's Sweet Apothecary, Red Robin

Random things that happened in 2011

- Attended a Drift Show with my boyfriend and friends, the car enthusiasts. It was something new and different for me. And surprisingly fun!

- Apple Picking!

- I lost my phone of 3 years somewhere in NYC. I got a new one.

- Participated in Fanart Free Week (FAFW)

- Mercury Retrograde! Ugh! A nightmare! I was physically shoved in the subway for no good reason at all. I hold Mercury Retrograde responsible for that one! Other terrible things happened and I am leaving them behind in 2011!

- Traded in my iMac at Tekserve for a new iMac.

- I attended the Not Yo Mama's Craft Fair 3rd annual show and also their Holiday Festival.

- Dinner parties and bubble tea dates with cool girls!

New Favorite Blogs I read in 2011: (This list keeps growing in addition to my regular favorites!)

A Quirky Girl - Articles about positivity and pretty things

Cakeb0t - How to bake cute things!

Adora Bat Brat - The fascinating life of Alterna-model, Adora Bat Brat

The Soap Bar - Soap musings. I love soap so much!

Cuteordeath on Squidoo and Blogger - Cute things, anime, toys and tv shows of the 80's and more!

Fashion Hayley - A fashion and lifestyle blog

Saltwater Acorns - An art and inspirational blog from my friend, Sarah M.

Talk2TheTrees - An art and photo blog from one of my favorite Etsy shops

Rookie Magazine - Fashion and pop culture curated by Tavi and friends!

Greatest Accomplishment of 2011: I am proud to say that I am in the best shape of my life! I kept up with an exercise routine that challenges me and I'm happy with. I walked an estimated 194 miles this year! I've been recording how many miles I walked on iCalendar. I've also been recording the days I lifted weights, pilates, yoga, and swimming. I plan on continuing this in 2012.

The year comes to an end in full circle. Remember the job that I mentioned at the beginning of this post? I recently walked away from it. I was good at what I did, but I was also very unhappy. My job didn't allow me to do the things that I loved. It broke my heart to have to close my Etsy shop and everything related to it, including this blog because I didn't have any time for it.

I sacrificed a lot of things and felt like my relationships with friends and family were hanging by a thread because I was working so much. It took a lot of thought, courage, and planning before I was ready to walk away and I'm glad that I did. Over the course of a year I learned a lot of things and one of them was that I had to let go of some things in order to allow new things to come into my life. Its still really scary to walk away from a steady job, but I felt like it was the right thing to do. You know what? I already have some new opportunities on the horizon! I'm not ready to share it with you yet, but when the time is right, I'll let you know.

How was 2011 for you? I'd love to know :)

I wish you all the best for 2012!

Fan Art Free Week #4

2011-08-25T11:30:00.000-04:00

Today FAFW is celebrating two milestones that happened this week! I've been waking up a little early to lift weights in addition to my exercise routine. This is a big deal because I hate exercising, but lifting weights is necessary for a strong body and healthy bones! The second milestone is that my hair grew a little bit and now I can put it into a tiny ponytail! Pictured on the right is an accurate depiction of me. ha!

The image on the left is the outfit that I wore yesterday. A solid black button-down dress with a skinny belt, striped thigh-high socks, plaid hat, and sneakers. I wish I wore different shoes, but I don't have better options since I walk a lot. I'm not a person who suffers for fashion anymore.

Tomorrow is the last day of FAFW for me!

Fan Art Free Week #3

2011-08-24T10:24:00.001-04:00

Good morning! Its time for another FAFW! I'm halfway through this project and its been really fun so far! Its not too late to join! Originality is always welcome, in fact, its encouraged!

I'm not sure what this is about. I think I just needed to find a reason to draw a giraffe. I'll be back tomorrow!

Fan Art Free Week #2

2011-08-23T10:32:00.001-04:00

This is my second submission for FAFW and I'm going strong so far! I'm continuing with the watercolors. I'm really having fun with this medium and I prefer them to markers. I like how the colors spread out with the brush and that the colors layer easily without looking harsh.

Today is a steamy bath scene... ok, not really. When I was drawing this I was thinking about how nice it would be to take a nice hot bath or bubble bath. I think its the best way to forget about a stressful day!

(If you know what that blue and white thing is, than you can be my friend)

I highly recommend the bath bombs and bubble bars from Lush Cosmetics. They make baths a lot of fun with aromatherapy and fun-colored water. I've been buying things from that shop for a long time and I'm still figuring out my favorites. There's a lot to choose from. I really want to try the Sunny Side bubble bar because it has gold glitter in it!

I hope you're enjoying FAFW so far. I'll be back tomorrow!

Fan Art Free Week #1

2011-08-22T10:20:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone!

Its a been a while! I am sad to report that I have been having some major computer problems. The past couple of weeks have been very frustrating. Its been one thing after another with my computer from fickle programs (no Photoshop?! What?!) and other annoying things like Youtube or any website that uses flash not working, then iTunes erasing everything in my iPod and refusing to put anything in back in it. Its a total mystery to me! I've decided to throw in the towel and retire this old machine for a shiny new one. I'm not completely upset... Even though I have been having lots of computer issues, thank goodness that none of my important data was erased! I don't know what I would do if I lost photos of my grandma! I'm still saving a little bit of extra money and backing up my computer. I hope to be fully operational in a week or two.

In other news, I'm happy to announce that this week is FAWF! Which is an initiative to color the internet with original work. Anyone and everyone is encouraged to participate. All you have to do is draw something original and post it online. The best part is that its free! This can be better explained in the original post by my friend Zack Giallongo. I hope it will catch on! I will do my part by participating this week. Yes! That is five days of original doodles by me.

Here is a doodle of an outfit that I wore last week. I've been into dresses lately since the weather has been so nice!

I am wearing:
- Cherry printed dress
- Pink cardigan with a tiny poodle embroidery
- Orchid hairclip by Retro Rocket Girl

I used watercolors which I think is really fun but also very unforgiving. If you've ever worked with watercolors, you'll quickly learn that there is no "undo" button. hahaahaha!

I'm not sure what else I will draw for FAFW, but I wouldn't mind doodling a whole week of outfit posts!

I hope you guys participate too! Please let me know if you are, I'd love to see what you post.

Color me wild! Funky animal prints!

2011-07-13T17:53:00.003-04:00

Hi Everyone! Its been a while since I made an art related post. I've been very busy working on lots of things and will be sharing them in the coming weeks! Hooray!

One of my recent projects was really fun. I was working with a client who wanted animal prints and funky patterns for young girls. They didn't give me a lot of instructions, which in this case is an artist's dream. This means that I am free to create anything. I snuck in colors that they normally wouldn't allow me to use for girls apparel. I used colors like black, teal, and mustard yellow! This may not seem like a big deal to the casual observer, but in the design world I've seen people get into heated arguments over colors. Testing the waters is a lot like a criminal act!

I'm pretty happy with the results. And even happier that my client was pleased. A win/win situation!

Giraffes appear in my work often because they are my favorite!

Jaguars are pretty cool especially if they are neon!

I like to experiment with color and a lot of the time my ideas get shot down, but I never get truly upset. Along the way there may be two thousand bad ideas before you get a good one. I'm happy that I can continue to push boundaries throughout all the experiments and mistakes. As an artist, its important to stay fresh and original. Its very easy to fall into the uncomfortable position of making work for others for the sake of getting praise rather than creating personal work that will allow you to grow in more ways that you can imagine. I remind myself of this every now and again.

I need to somehow incorporate this funky stuff into my wardrobe without looking like a tacky stripper. ha! That's all for now. I'm hungry....

The Great Cape May Escape!

2011-06-27T10:33:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago I mentioned that me and my bf took an impulsive miniature vacation. Both of us have been burned out by being at the lower portion of the corporate caste system. Ruts happen to everyone and it is not fun at all. So it was up to us to do something about it! It sort of went something like this:

Thursday Night:
Me: Let's go somewhere!
Him: But where? And when?
Me: I don't know... *sigh*

Friday Morning:
Him: I booked a hotel! We leave tonight!
Me: Yay!
Him: Yay!

And that's exactly what we did. After work, we drove a couple of hours into Cape May, a sleepy beach town at the southernmost tip of NJ. This was probably one of the best decisions we've ever made!

We stayed at the Victorian Motel. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but it was clean and comfortable. The staff was extremely friendly and there are a couple of lazy house cats that pretty much own the lobby. The location is only a couple of blocks from the beach!

My favorite meal of the trip had to be breakfast at the Mad Batter. The menu can be described as eclectic and indeed it was. They take modern twists to old time favorites like the Eggs Benedict topped with crabmeat and almond french toast. Mmm! That's my plate pictured on the right. I had the homemade chorizo with eggs topped with salsa and a side of fruit.

We ate breakfast on the balcony and down the street I saw this gigantic black lump. It turns out that it was this cat! This is probably the biggest cat I've ever seen! I don't know what I think about that! It looks like it lived next door, so I took a photo while it was sunbathing. Cats seem to naturally dislike me. This one turned its head away from me as I snapped the photo. I think it did it on purpose. Pfft!

The town center is a single street about half a mile long that is lined with little shops with an old-timey feel. I loved this little soap shop! They had rubber duckies in the windows.

More ducks! I actually had forgotten to pack some face wash so I bought a bar here. I think it doubles as a nice souvenir.

Pretty glycerin soaps with pictures in them!

Cape may is a very quirky town! If you look hard enough you might be able to find magic in the nooks and crannies. What's that sign over there?! Where does it lead?

Go there? Ok.

And turn here? Sure!

A SHARK! OH NO!!!

Here is another funny sign that we found! Mermaids! Yay!

There are a lot of beautiful houses here!

A horse carriage going around the town! This is just the kind of magical place it is!

A pink house! How Cute!

We spent a few hours at the beach, but at the time the water was freezing at a whopping 59 degrees! Yuck! That kind of limited the beach activities, but it was kind of nice to hang around the beach. It was cool and comfortable. It was so relaxing. I think I fell asleep.

We rented bikes and went a few miles to see the lighthouse. Other attractions included this creepy bunker that's been around since WWII, and the educational center which highlights the local wildlife and preservation.

We found this tiny toad! And on the right is a bird apartment! There were about thirty of them lined across the parking lot. I knew what it was because I saw them build one on the Martha Stewart Show. They even have a ventilation system that sort of works as air conditioning. How nice for them! I don't even have an air conditioner but these bird do!

That was my bike for the day! It even had a basket for my purse! The silver one behind it was my bf's!

That's meee! hahahaha!

Bird watching. We saw lots of swans!

After our bike ride we were hungry and stopped by Hotdog Tommy's hotdog stand. The guy was so funny with his hotdog hat. I had to take a photo with him :)

I love everything about this place! The hotdogs had some innovative flavors based on common American Diner foods like the Reuben dog, Chicago dog, Buffalo dog. Its fun to order things because they renamed everything on the menu. A "small" is actually called "Really small" and medium is "Smiddle" weighing at an unusual 13 oz instead of 12 oz. The hotdogs come in two sizes as well. A small dog is a Leaner Weiner and a large is I think if I remember correctly a Mad Dog. Good times!

And here are some sneaky candid photos of the two adventurers!

Worst restaurant - some diner I don't even care to remember. I won't even mention it because it was just plain awful.

Least favorite restaurant: Uncle Bill's Pancake House - Kinda comparable to IHOP. The atmosphere felt a little rushed, the food was ok at best. And one of my biggest regrets in life was eating a scrapple. Its a local food and tastes as horrible as it sounds. Its a lot like deep fried spam.

I would go back to Bill's, but it wouldn't be my first choice to eat.

Favorite restaurant: Lobster House - Everything was fresh and super delicious! We splurged and got a two pound lobster! The Manhattan clam chowder was really good too! Probably the best I've ever had.

Cape May is a beautiful place! I would love to go back and hopefully we'll see if we can arrange another trip later in the summer.

Do you have plans for the summer? I'd love to know how you spend it.

Not Yo Mama's Craft Fair 2011

2011-06-22T15:14:00.004-04:00

Not Yo Mama's Craft Fair
At the Morgan Lot

Saturday, June 25, 2011
11am - 7pm

107 Morgan Street

Jersey City, NJ

One of my favorite events is this weekend! I am very excited to tell you about the upcoming Not Yo Mama's Craft Fair! If you want to find something special, this is the place to be! There are lots of upcoming hip, indie artists to tickle your shopping needs. In the past I've seen handmade soap, quirky jewelry, nerdy t-shirts, cute things that are so sweet that they might give you cavities, and more!

This event is special to my heart. This is the first event that I attended as a visitor that opened me up to the world of craft fairs! It was kind of my dream to be a Not Yo Mama vendor... but recent life changes haven't allowed me to do so! Hopefully next year!

However, I can still hang around to support my friends and fellow artists who are going to be there. I have met a lot of great people in the arts and crafting community over the past year and a lot of them are going to be on the roster! I recognize a lot of familiar names!

Here are some handpicked favorites: (please note, some of their stores are on vacation until after the event, so please be sure to check out their online shops after the event. If you're lucky enough you can also attend!)

Wichser Studio • Beautiful vintage-inspired, handmade jewelry with a modern twist! I have two of her necklaces and I'm pretty sure I will continue to add to my collection. There is a story behind each necklace and when you own one you will make more stories :)

Studio Llama Llama • Crocheted cuties with a llama theme! My favorites are the banana and plantain llamas!

Made With Love Organic Bakery • Freshly baked breads, cookies, and goodies. I can tell if Made With Love will be at an event because there is always a trail of lovely baked goodness wafting in the air leading to their table. True story.

Geekilicious • I didn't see her on the roster but I know she will definitely be there! Geekilicious has fun jewelry inspired by geeky things. In the past I've seen rings with miniature Nintendo gaming controllers inside. Oh yes! It brings back so many memories! With her jewelry you can wear your passions! And I hear that she has some new Dr. Who jewelry! Nice!

Posh Adornments • Sparkly jewelry with a rock an roll twist! I've had my eye on her online shop for a long time but haven't gotten a chance to buy anything because if I could I would buy them all! Her jewelry is adorned with hot pink skulls or sculpted roses to name a few.

This is just a handful of the 90+ vendors that will be there! If you're in the NJ/NYC area, you should check it out this Saturday!

Style File: Walk the Crooked Path

2011-06-09T20:14:00.001-04:00

Zigzag Halter: Old Navy
Slate Cardigan: Wet Seal
Navy Shorts: Forever 21
Layered Chain Necklace: Wichser Studio
Strawberry Purse: Target
Watch: Puma
Boots: Dr. Martens (new!)

My boyfriend and I took an impulsive vacation to a sleepy beach town at the southernmost part of NJ. I have a bad habit of bringing my "yucky clothes" to vacation because my only concern is being comfortable. When I come back from vacation, I end up hating how I look in pictures. The reason is because I know that I didn't take more of an effort to dress nice. This time, I put more thought into my outfits. I'm really glad I did! And guess what! I was still comfortable :)

I am still getting the hang of having my photo taken for these fashion things. I'm not sure if you sense the dorkiness in my smile haha! Its a lot of fun though! Hopefully I can get over my shyness!

There are two things that I must mention very quickly, but are deserving of their own posts. First, I finally decided on a pair of Dr. Martens! I wrote a blog post about wanting a new pair a little while ago. I ended up not getting any of the ones I was eyeing. Instead I settled on the Blake in Grey Savannah! I love everything about them including the name. But more on that later :)

The second very important thing I must mention is the necklace I am wearing. Its very special to me because it was made by Gale at Wichser Studio. She is an artisan who I've gotten to know recently through blogger. I love that necklace so much! I wear it almost everyday!

There will be more posts coming soon. I've had a lot of recent adventures I'd like to share :)

Lusting after Lomography

2011-06-06T21:43:00.003-04:00

(source)
I have been wanting to add a new camera to my collection lately. I love my trusty Canon Rebel XT but lately I have been feeling nostalgia for film cameras. Admittedly I have been late to the party when it comes to digital cameras. I clung to my film cameras because I feared that technology would phase them out. Sure enough, I was right. I tried my best to preserve the art form as long as I personally could. But when film developing places continued to dwindle in numbers, I knew that by default, it was time to join the digital age.

I think it was 2005 when I bought my first digital camera: a Canon A80. The appeal was the external flip display to take self portraits. It was my first big purchase after college. As much as I hate to admit it, I enjoyed shooting digitally a lot. It felt like a dirty little secret. It was new and exciting. And it also enabled many MySpace profiles photos (remember MySpace?!). However, I've always kept film cameras close to my heart. I am happy that many others share the same sentiment. Thank goodness for Lomography which truly is a diamond in the rough! If you are not familiar with Lomography, they have a reputation for producing recreational and toy cameras. Think of it as the Darwin Age of the Polaroid. We're all familiar with Polaroid cameras (at least I hope we still are!). Just imagine the evolution of one. Just as many animal species are specific to their own habitat, think of Lomography cameras as being unique to their specific functions. Without any effort you can create dreamy portraits and landscapes that are beautifully flawed. You can capture a series of moments within a single photo. You can manipulate light, color, and even perspective! The possibilities are endless!

(source: foundbath)

(source: gary campbell)

(source: lomography)

When I have some money saved, I am planning on purchasing the Lomography Diana Mini in white.

Isn't it cute? I think it would be a lovely hobby to take up since I plan to be outdoors more. I still have a lot of unused rolls of film. I'm almost certain that they are all expired... I hope they will still be ok to use. Or perhaps the expired rolls might create a cool and unusual effect? I'll let you know how my experiments go once I start shooting. I need to save some money first!

For nostalgia's sake, here are some photos that I took and developed myself :)

The Towers of Light
(I think this was four minutes of exposure, maybe even longer. The longest minutes of my life!)

This was done by placing some leaves onto developing paper and exposing it. It creates a neat X-ray effect.

If you're interested in learning more about Lomography, please check out this fun article by fellow bloggers Rob and Vanessa and also the official Lomography site of course!

I'm curious to know if any of you still use film cameras?

The Elephant Parade

2011-06-02T16:27:00.001-04:00

Hello lovely bloggateers!

Life has been very busy. I have to admit that I have been feeling so guilty about not blogging as much. I really enjoy this community. I feel a tiny bit selfish and unfair that I have been enjoying reading everyone else's blogs and not updating my own. Its about time for me to start participating again :)

Work keeps me very busy, but the days go by quickly because on the lucky days I am asked to draw giraffes, elephants, and bears all day!

You're welcome to join the Elephant Parade!

I like the little one at the end!

And sometimes when elephants are feeling really happy (or drunk) they can do tricks!

Happy Birthday Sarah! A Rock Climbing Adventure!

2011-05-10T22:32:00.001-04:00

I celebrated my birthday recently. This year I wanted to do something special since the last couple of years were spent (while pleasant) rather lethargically. The year 2011 has been good to me so far. It was fitting to fill it with even more adventures: Rock Climbing!

I have fond memories of climbing a small rock wall when I was vacationing in Curaçao with my family. I wanted to try climbing again but New Jersey has never struck me (or anyone) as a mountainous location. To my surprise, there is a rock climbing gym in Fairfield, NJ which isn't that far away from me!

By no stretch of the imagination am I an athletic person, so it was comforting to read reviews for this gym saying things like "My 8-year-old son loves this place!". If an 8-year-old can handle it, surely I can too! I learned a lot about climbing walls on that day! To my knowledge climbing was – Step 1: See rock. Step 2: Climb it. Step 3: Somehow get back down. Climbing is more complex than it looks. It pushes not only physical limits, but mental limits too. It takes a ton of concentration, stamina, and trust to be able to climb. We had an instructor briefly show us around. He covered things like "spotting" where you need another person to assist you to climb. The Spotter will point out a rock climbing path for you if you can't see it yourself or if you get stuck on the wall. Our instructor also mentioned that there were several ways to climb including belaying which is to climb with a harness and bouldering which is freestyle climbing (no harness). My party of three opted for bouldering.

My boyfriend climbing a path on the wall. Most of the hand and footholds are marked with colored tape to show you the best "path" to climb up. The colors also signify the range of difficulty in the path.

My friend Ping is strangely drawn to to the mystical large rock above him...

The rock gym calls this area "The Cave". It is appropriately named since they want to simulate climbing the roof of a cave.

You can't tell in the photo, but The Cave has a 45 degree angle slope. There are mattresses underneath to protect you if you fall. I took this photo from the top of the cave.

Ping is amazing! He told me that he used to take rock climbing lessons when he was a kid! I think its always cool to learn new things about your friends!

Ha! They're such clowns!

I call this the Pirate Ladder. You're only allowed to use your ARRRRRMS! Get it? Pirate?!! LOL!! That pun was courtesy of my pal seekatiedraw.

Ping is showing off! He's really good at this, it must be because he can breakdance too!

Spotting

Although Ping makes this look easy... that little girl on the corner 50 feet off the ground is making us adults look bad! lol

This is me bouldering traversely, which simply means "climbing sideways". I don't get too far off the ground when I do this, but it sure is taking up all of my muscle power to stay up there. Also... I kind of regret wearing those socks!

My face is priceless here!

My boyfriend climbing over a gap and a ridge! Ha! I was kinda crushing on him big time here. Climbing requires strength and power. Its pretty manly! lol

Yay! My boyfriend again!

More Ping!

I would definitely love to go rock climbing again! It was such a fun way to spend an afternoon!

Afterwards (not pictured) I had a few other friends join me for some super delicious Tex Mex for super cheap! Thanks for coming to my party Jan, Ping, Brian, and Katie!! This was one of the best birthdays I ever had!

Oh yea! I also have to mention that for my birthday, I didn't want any gifts, just good company. But if anyone wanted to give any gifts I asked my guests to please donate to my charity of choice. Ping generously donated to the Red Cross to help aid the Japan Earthquake victims and also the World Wildlife Federation to protect the creatures that I love so much like... Red Pandas! Oh my goodness!! Thank you so much! Best birthday ever!!

Clementines

2011-05-04T11:10:00.000-04:00

Every now and then I create music videos. I made this a long time ago. I can't believe I had forgotten to share it on my blog! I should make more of these.

Enjoy!

Dinosaurs and Rockets!

2011-05-03T06:25:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone! Its been a while and for good reason. Its been noticeably quiet on my blog because... I got a job! I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to talk about it, but in a nutshell, I am currently a clothing designer. Hooray!

I have other exciting art-related things that I am currently involved with too. I will elaborate on that later when the time is right.

I have been working on a few things. My current obsession is repeating patterns! I love it! I recently worked things outside of my comfort zone. Its a long and epic quest to become more versatile while evolving my artwork into a style that screams: "Hey! I made this!"

This went through about eight different versions before I came up with this. This was mostly because I couldn't decide where to place the dinosaurs! All too often a dinosaur ended "humping" another dinosaur. And in another version, one poor critter ended up in between two tyrannosaurus rex. I couldn't have that! The least I could do was give the little guy a fighting chance!

The news is abuzz with the launch of the Endeavor at Kennedy Space center. To celebrate I drew some rocket ships and alien space crafts! I was looking at a lot of retro rockets and wanted to make a space pattern with a 1950's vibe with a 1980's twist. Was I successful? After finishing this, I think I should've made additional color choices. Although, I do like how colorful it is :)

I have a lot more patterns to show you, but they aren't quite ready yet! I'm happy to be back in the blogsphere!

Style File: Dr. Martens

2011-04-04T23:20:00.003-04:00

I'm trying my best to save money, but if I had money to splurge on, one of the few things I wouldn't feel guilty about is a good pair shoes. I've never really been a brand-only buyer, but I do love Dr. Martens. They're affectionately nicknamed "docs" by many.

My first and only pair were purchased in 2006 with my first paycheck from one of the best jobs I've ever had. I was fortunate to have worked with my former boss, innovative graphic designer, punk rocker, John Shih. He helped to shape the career that I have today whether he knows it or not. I admire his work ethic and professionalism. He is also an all-around cool guy! He wore the classic Dr. Marten boots to work (sometimes with plaid pants). I think in a copy-cat effort to become "cool" I bought Dr. Martens also. I was hoping that the coolness would seep in through osmosis starting from the soles of my feet all the way to the tippy top. I'm not exactly sure if it worked, but during my effort, I was able to find a pair of sturdy, reliable shoes and fit it into my personal style. Dr. Martens has a reputation of being tough on the outside but feel like a cloud on the inside. If you've never owned a pair, save up some money and buy some. You'll thank me later.

You always know when to throw out a pair of shoes. The soles get worn out or sometimes they rip or get holes. Not Dr. Martens. They're built to last and frankly I think they are too proud to allow themselves to get worn out to that degree. Five years and thousands of steps later, my docs feel different. The leather is stretched out, the padding is chewed up, my feet ache. I imagine my docs whispering "I'm tired and its time to go. Thank you for the memories Sarah". I hate good-byes but I know its time. Fare thee well!

Here are some past adventures:

That's me standing next to a missle!

Me and my boyfriend on a battleship!

For weeks I've been trying to find a replacement pair. I don't think they make the exact ones that I have anymore. I've tried on similar ones but they don't feel the same. Impostors! I'm taking this as a sign to move on.

I fell in love with a pair recently. I think this time around its an unrequited love and you'll see why.

THESE AWESOME BLUE BOOTS!

These are so cool! I would be willing to wear them even if they were uncomfortable. And that blue... what a difficult color to wear as a shoe. But I am in love with them and I almost don't care.

Let's be reasonable. I would gladly take these home but they must meet four vital conditions:

1) I must be able to afford them.

2) They have to truly feel comfortable. Not, "I'm sure they'll feel comfortable once I break them in a little".

3) I must be able to wear them with at least four outfits.

4) They don't make my legs look short and stumpy.

I'm developing my own style, so I think it helps to find inspirational photos. Here are some images I found on Lookbook where these girls have bold-colored shoes and wear them well!

(source)

The most practical thing to do is buy a sensible pair in black or brown but the only problem is... they aren't blue!

Or maybe... I can think of another idea...

I'm interested in hearing what you think. And also would you own or have you ever owned a bold pair of shoes?

Top 5 Tuesday

2011-03-29T22:17:00.002-04:00

Hello Everyone! I hope you are having an amazing week. I know that sometimes it can be hard to get through the week because of this strange, extended Winter. Just do your best, stay warm, and keep dreaming.

Here is the best of the week!

Last week Twitter celebrated its fifth birthday! I joined Twitter early on before anyone knew what it was. Actually.... I still don't know what its for but I'm happy I joined. I have been able to connect with people I haven't heard from in a long time and even made some new friends along the way. Its pretty neat the way you guys have been sharing interesting links and slices of your life. You never ceased to entertain me. I hope I've done the same. I feel like its a party every day on Twitter. Thanks Twitter! Thanks everyone!

Speaking of Twitter, this is where I found the next thing. Manga Farming was shared by my pal cuteordeath. Check it out! Its like making your own Chia Pet. Actually... I think this looks a lot nicer than a Chia Pet!

(source)

I've been wanting to see the off-Broadway show Stomp for years but never made time to see it even when I live so close. Shame on me! The next best thing was to watch it in the comfort of my own home (right now its available on Netflix). And hey! I got a front row seat. The show is everything I imagined it to be and more. Not only does the music make you want to bob your head, but there are some comedy routines thrown in there as well. Stomp is innovative and inspiring. Who would've thought that a musical without instruments would be possible? The cast of Stomp did the impossible and did it well. After watching Stomp, it made me think about a few things... The best and most expensive equipment is not the source of talent of happiness. This is something obvious that we should all know, but how many times have you caught yourself wanting the newest gadget as soon as it comes out? Do you want it because it will make you happy or do you want it because it is new? Think about it.

The actors in Stomp created sounds from plastic bags, cigarette boxes, newspapers, and more. In essence, they made music from nothing and provided a highly entertaining show! I think its incredible! Here is a clip from my favorite song:

Think you have the guts? Stomp is currently holding auditions in NYC!

Last week Sidebar, my favorite podcast in the entire universe, released a very cool interview with DC sweetheart Lauren Montgomery. I had the pleasure of seeing Lauren in a panel at Comic Con 2009 for the screening of Wonder Woman. She directed this amazing film. It quickly became a favorite movie of mine. I'm really looking forward to seeing more work animated films directed by her.

The interview touches on subjects like how she got into the animation industry. I found it fascinating because its almost as if there was one pivotal moment that started series of events that let to her success today. And this moment was Batman: The Animated Series. Anyone who has seen this show knows what I am talking about. This show was ground-breaking for its time, and even now, its rare to find an animated show that has as great an influence as this one. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, check it out! Batman: The Animated Series is unique because its directed and written as if it were meant for the movies. Its not a show that was aimed for kids and created for that reason. This was created because it needed to be created. I'm sure that it influenced her art and career path like a lot of artists that I know. The difference is that she gets to work along with Bruce Timm (the patriarch of all things awesome in the DC universe) and most of are still working towards our big break. With a lot of hard work, dreams do come true! It happened to Lauren Montgomery and you can listen to it in the interview. And if you liked it, you should also check out her blog. She posts tons of doodles! Some of them are Sailormoon fanart. Love!

I try to live as green as possible but I still feel like I can do more. I recently made a small change which is making a bigger impact than I imagined. I invested in a re-usable water bottle. My Liquid Solutions stainless steel bottle is probably one of the best purchases I've ever made. Its affordable, sturdy, and has a sleek, sexy design. I carry it around everywhere I go and I haven't had to buy plastic bottled water ever since. I even find myself drinking less sugary juices and soda and more water instead. This is better for my body and the environment. The best part is that its easy to clean. It comes in three pieces, all of which are removable. Because of its construction, its pretty impossible for mold to develop in the nooks and crannies. There aren't any hard to reach or hard to clean spots. If you're looking for a water bottle, get this one. Tip: I like to wrap mine in a bandana before putting it in my bag to protect it from scratches and to help maintain the drink temperature.

Hang in there everyone! Spring is almost here!

Doodle cats and hot dogs

2011-03-07T23:33:00.001-05:00

I've been working on some more illustrations for fun :) I polished up some of the drawings from my sketchbook for the Sketchbook Project. I think its pretty neat to give an old drawing a second chance.

This is what the finished illustration looks like:

And here is the sketch:

(Can you find the cats that I used?)

I colored some dogs too... hot dogs!

I picked the dachshund because the blank eyes were so hilarious to me. And below is the sketch:

Here's an image that I drew back in 2006:

I don't like a lot of my old artwork but I still like this one. Its one of the first images that I worked on where I really started to develop my style. I remember that this drawing took forever to do (and its still not finished!). The tiger has so many harsh angles (Maybe I should re-do this drawing too...). This drawing had so many obstacles because of my learning curve for Flash and also the equipment I was using was inferior to the equipment I have now. I persevered and just a few years later I'm ten times faster! The two new drawings were made in under an hour! I wouldn't have believed that this was possible back then. I think this is why its important to keep sketchbooks and old work. They track your progress and the feeling of accomplishment is priceless.

Introducing the Style File

2011-03-03T22:58:00.001-05:00

I've been wanting to incorporate style and fashion into my blog somehow. I am pretty excited to share a new feature called "Style File" which will be divided into several parts. I will be developing my personal style, exploring fashion, and discussing current trends. I'm starting to learn that even though all of these topics are related, they are all completely different things!

I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't been taking care of my appearance. For the past couple of years I've been a "work-in-your-pajamas" kind of girl. The pajamas I wear aren't even cute pajamas! Times are changing and I'm tired of wearing the same tattered duds. It may seem like a milestone that I can still fit into the clothes that I wore in high school (actually they fit better on me now than they did back then) but there is a Catch 22... my clothes fit well but they also show that I'm stuck in a time capsule. Its time to change and I will document it on this little blog.

What I have in mind is to update my wardrobe with pieces that compliment my existing clothes, fall in love again with the nice things that I own, and wear clothes that define my personal style. I am guilty of fashion crimes such as thinking a costume can pass as an outfit. This is going to be a huge project! I haven't worked out all the details on how I am going to do all of this yet. However, I'm optimistic that the idea will grow and I do :)

Here's an outfit that I put together in the beginning of February.

Hat: Target
Scarf: A gift from my Aunt <3
Sweater: Target
Watch: Puma
Skirt: from About Glamour, an art gallery & boutique in Brooklyn
Leggings: a sock store in Tokyo
Boots: Totes

I love this outfit so much! I was very toasty and warm even with all the snow. I barely wear skirts anymore so this is kind of a big deal for me lol.

Top 5 Tuesday: Video Games

2011-03-01T10:30:00.002-05:00

I love video games but I have to admit, I am not very good at them. I guess I can be classified as a casual gamer. Lucky for me that hand-held games and cellphone apps continue to grow in popularity. This means that there are a lot of quick-play games to choose from for someone who can't stand to devote a hundred hours on an impossible RPG. Instead, I like to collect and play puzzle, strategy, and simulation games. Here are my picks for Top 5 Tuesday.

I recently acquired Magical Drop III from WiiWare. I definitely have no regrets. I've been a fan of Magical Drop for a long time. I've played the first of the series in the arcade and own the Gameboy Advanced version.

I can't believe that this equipment is more than a decade old!

The third installment of the series follows the same formula as the first, but now they have included four different types of gameplay. How is it possible to to make an awesome game even more awesome?! Well, bloggerinos, they have done it! The games modes include 2 player versus, infinite level, computer versus, and story mode. The levels are challenging enough for veteran players yet easy for first timers to pick up on. But don't get too comfortable, the levels advance quickly and you have to think fast!

There are lots of sexy ladies in this game. Yikes! What are those? Implants?!

I'm not sure what version this is, but it looks like this is multiplayer. Man... this really looks like a lot of fun. Any other Magical Drop fans out there??

All of this paired with adorable graphics definitely makes it hard to resist. The game has a lot of replay value, I've owned it for a couple of weeks now and defeated some of the modes already. But I keep coming back to the game because its a lot of fun. The "Survival" mode is definitely challenging. The spheres keep appearing until your character dies... In normal mode I'm only able to reach level 9. In hard mode... only level 3...

2. Elebits (Wii). It was hard for me to find a review of this game because I think its difficult to describe. Whenever I go to the game shop this game keeps catching my eye with its really attractive and mysterious cover.

From what I understand, the game is a fusion between We Love Katamari and Hide and Go Seek. The premise of the game is to collect creatures called "Elebits" which are hiding within a room or environment. You begin with limited abilities on your quest and can only life small objects as you look for the Elebits. Your powers grow as you collect more Elebits. Soon you'll be able to lift larger objects to help you complete your mission. The description doesn't make it sound fun, but I'm sure the cool graphics make it fun. Look at this really cute image I found!

I'm receiving this game via an online trading site called swap.com! I can't wait until it gets here!

3. Gardening Mama (Nintendo DS) can probably be considered to be the prequel to the Cooking Mama series. It takes a few steps back from the kitchen and into the garden. In this version of the game, your mission is to grow plants for recipes and recreation.

Whoa! Double rainbows?! I think I'll like this game!

I think the idea for this game is pretty awesome especially if you don't have a green thumb. This virtual garden might even inspire you to start a real garden – which would be even cooler!

4. Diner Dash (Mac/PC/various) is the love child of two things I like very much: video games and food. Although it may not look like it, this is a serious strategy game. In a nutshell, its a point-and-click game where you have to get your character, Flo, to wait tables with the correct orders. Its not as easy as it sounds because there are more than a handful of obstacles that make the game both fun and challenging. These included catering to character seating preferences (mature patrons prefer not to sit near the rowdy whippersnappers or loud cellphone-talkers), charming yet clumsy families that spill all their food, and business types that demand quick service to get back to their busy-body-corporate lives, and more. Whoa! This sounds a lot like real life!

In Diner Dash 3, there's a virtual paper doll feature for the main character, Flo

I know its corny, but I really love the cheesy graphics. They remind me a lot of the doodles I would make in the margins of my notebooks and drawing attempts in MS Paint. Good times! All of this is paired with fun music and sound effects to get your blood boiling and your brain spinning.

I found out that Diner Dash 5 was released recently. I still need to play 3 and 4!

5. Zuma (various) is your typical run-of-the-mill color coded puzzle game but with a very unique spin on it (literally speaking!). The game layout is from a bird's eye view and navigates through a spiral. Weird I know! The premise is to match the colored spheres until the timer runs out. The appeal of the game definitely has to be the graphics and music. I think the game works best on my iPod with the spin dial. It feels the most natural for the game play.

This is one of the easy levels. See? A spiral :)

This is kind of what it looks like when your character is dying... think fast! It gets insane!

Gosh! When you begin to lose, the music turns into a sacrificial chant. You get the feeling that you will perish in the gateway of fire! Intense yet fun!

I knew I wouldn't be disappointed because Zuma was created by my favorite game company of all time Popcap Games. They're completely original and constantly surprising their fans with their releases such as Peggle, Bookworm, and Bejeweled. I have yet to check out Plants VS. Zombies. I highly recommend all of their games!

If you've played any of these games, please feel free to comment and start the nerdfest :)

Red Riding Hood

2011-02-14T21:39:00.001-05:00

I've been working on a lot of personal work recently. After The Sketchbook Project, I missed working digitally so I made a few illustrations for fun. I love illustrating versions of children's tales because everyone is familiar with them and there are so many interpretations. This is my version of Red Riding Hood:

Typically my sketches start like this:

They're always messy in my sketchbook. Then I scan them and clean them up in Illustrator. I usually end up liking the messy sketches more than the polished ones. But cleaning the drawings up are still fun. I love playing around with color. I was experimenting with a limited color palette.

I love Illustrator because you can reproduce elements of the illustration without having to re-draw them. Its a huge time saver. I'm not sure how I feel about these randomly placed patterns. I still feel like it needs a lot of work, but over all I'm pretty happy with it. I kind of went overboard with all the pattern fills.
I like to vary the mediums I work with because sometimes I lose focus if I'm working on the same thing for too long. Back in November-December I was working heavily with my sewing projects. January was traditional media such as pencils and watercolors. February-March looks like I'm working on digital projects. Its a nice change of pace I think :) I don't feel burned out!

Speaking of Red Riding Hood... I didn't realize that there was a movie coming out! It looks like this version is a werewolf movie!

I'm not sure if I'm convinced if its going to be good (I'll probably watch it anyway). I love the mythology of werewolves... but they never seem to translate well on film. I have yet to find a good werewolf movie. This looks like it has potential. I really like the casting and the cinematography so far! We'll see :)

Top 5 Tuesday: Dance in Your Underwear When No One is Looking

2011-02-08T23:02:00.000-05:00

Hello Blog dears! My life has turned upside-down this past month! While I'm not quite ready to share the life-changing events, I will tell you that things have been amazing so far! I can confidently say that I am quite happy! I'm celebrating by sharing some things that I've been into lately:

1. Cookie Cutters! I want to get into making cute food and bento boxes. Cookie cutters are an easy way to transform normal food into fun food. You can use them for more than just cookies. I never thought to use them for other things like sandwiches, vegetables, fruit and cheese. I got interested in cute food when a few friends and I wandered around Brooklyn and found Whisk. Its a quirky shop that had lots of cooking gadgets. My friend Sarah G bought an adorable acorn cookie cutter. After our little field trip, I couldn't get cookie cutters out of my brain. I started researching and found a site called The Cookie Cutter Shop which sells hundreds of cookie cutter shapes! I really like the safari animals collection (mostly for the giraffe!). If you decide to collect cookie cutters, don't forget to take proper care of them too. I found a helpful site that has cleaning and storage tips.

2. The IT Crowd is a British television show that was introduced to me by my very good pal seekatiedraw. To be honest, I don't think I know anyone else who loves to laugh more than her. I knew that this show was going to be good, really good! And by golly it exceeded my expectations! This show is about a bunch of nerds that work for a gigantic corporation. The corporation is so huge, that they were kind of forgotten about so office shenanigans ensue including the fact that they transformed their office into a dorm room.

The IT Crowed is comedy in its purest form: slapstick comedy, site gags, and nonsensical banter! I thought that it was starting to become a lost art! Its really difficult to find a modern television show that doesn't have pop culture references. The IT Crowd doesn't rely on current events to make it funny. With the addition of a very charming cast, this show is an absolute winner that I hope will become one of your favorites :) I know its mine! This show is so funny you might wet your pants haha! You've been warned!

3. Canimals! I think these critters are new because I haven't found them anywhere! I was wandering around a Korean market and they had tons of these adorable stuffed animals with dumb facial expressions! I have no idea where they are from, what they are for, or what it means, but I do know that I like what I see! And I hope you like them too. I found a cartoon of them invading a school.

The characters are so ridiculous! I love the little pug and the siamese cat!

4. One of my favorite places to get music is The Free Music Archive which I mentioned in a previous blog post. It deserves another mention because today I found the most amazing album! Its called Voy a Explotar. The best part is that the entire album is free to download! I'll put the link here. Its a soundtrack to a soon-to-be-released film. I have no idea what kind of film this is because I found the soundtrack first. I may have to seek out the movie because all of the tracks are amazing! The tracks jump from different genres including indie, dance, techno, rock, and some experimental tracks. This is a bit of an over-share, but I was dancing by myself in my underwear to some of the tracks. And I suggest you do it too. Its really fun! haha!

5. An Illustrated Life by Danny Gregory is what I am currently reading. I've been really interested in sketchbooks, concepts, and the artists' process after completing The Sketchbook Project. This is exactly what the book is about! Its a huge book that consists of scans of artists' sketchbooks. They range from casual doodlers to professionals illustrators. It includes one of my art heroes James Jean!

Its a fascinating, voyeuristic view into an artist's mind. As the pages unfold, you get a glimpse of how they think and what inspires them. In addition, they share intimate thoughts of their struggles with art and that they too feel intimidated by a blank page. Its pretty deep stuff! It definitely recommend it if you're an artist or writer. I promise that you'll learn something valuable :)

That's all I have for now. I do have lots of things to blog about and I do hope I find the time to be able to share more cool stuff :)

Have a great week everyone!

I learned how to make desktop wallpaper!

2011-01-26T09:59:00.003-05:00

Hello Blogateers! Its been a long week and its only Wednesday! With hard work comes triumph! I learned something new and its something that I've been wanting to learn how to do for a long time. This week I studied how to make repeating pattern wallpaper. I had no idea how easy it was! And the best part is that virtually any image can be turned into a pattern. Nifty!

I found this very helpful tutorial. It explains how repeating patterns work and shows step-by-step on how to make your own.

For my first attempt at a wallpaper, I wanted to work with something easy. I chose to make an argyle pattern since its symmetrical and I came up with this:

Ah! Its so cute! It actually came out better than I expected
so I am using it as my desktop wallpaper:

Please excuse the big bear photo... I can't show the secret stuff!

I made an alternate version too:

I think the first version came out better than the second, but overall, I'm pretty happy with the results! I liked them so much that I decided to share them. You can pick the one you like best :) The cool part is that these wallpapers work on any sized desktop since they're tiled.

Click to get pink!

Click to get purple!

You are welcome to use these wallpapers for personal use. But for any other use, editing, or evil intention... my you experience hell on Earth for the rest of your living days and a hex upon your afterlife and beyond. In a nutshell, its not cool to steal art. Moving on...

There are so many possibilities with this new skill. I can design more wallpapers and maybe fabric designs too. And I think I will! Yay!

The Sketchbook Project: On its way to Brooklyn, The Mothership!

2011-01-19T15:06:00.001-05:00

My sketchbook contribution for The Sketchbook Project is complete! This has to be the most gratifying project I have ever endured. I have to admit, it was tough for me. There were days when I had to force myself to work on it even when I didn't want to. Filling eighty pages required a drawing stamina that I almost didn't believe I had. But I am proud to say that I finished it!

I don't believe that this is my best work, I think a more accurate word would be that this is my most honest work. What I mean is that my drawings are raw and uninhibited as a sketchbook should be. The ideas moved from the brain to the arm to the paper. Nothing else was in between. I wasn't concerned about whether the drawings were good or not or if anyone would even like them. I let mistakes happen and forgave them.

With The Sketchbook Project I wasn't concerned with messing up my book as I have been with my other personal sketchbooks. I hate to admit it, but I've never been proud of my sketchbooks! They aren't honest. Heck, I get embarrassed when I try to draw a naked person even if its only me who will see it. And then there are other issues like, I don't want to mess up the pages or have an "ugly" sketchbook. Or notoriously saving the "good" paper for "good" drawings that never happen. I wasted a lot of time waiting for the perfect circumstances which, I only now realized, there are never going to be perfect circumstances. I just need to let things be.

I learned a lot of valuable lessons from The Sketchbook Project. I learned to listen and look closely. I experimented with mixed media and pushed my physical limits. Oh yes... If you've been following me on my Twitter, there were some days I stayed awake until 5am because I didn't want to creative juice to run dry. I don't plan on doing this for every project, but I did find it interesting to work differently than I usually would to get things done.

My desk

I was going through a difficult time when I started The Sketchbook Project. I chose the theme "It's Raining Dogs and Cats". I wanted it to be whimsical because I needed something positive to focus on. And what could be more positive than drawing lots of dogs and cats and some of them carrying umbrellas?

On the left is my boyfriend's dog. She really looks like that!
On the right is my beloved theorhetical French Bulldog of the future!
I don't own a dog, but someday I will and I hope she's just like the dog in my drawing!

Lots and lots of calico cats!

The Sketchbook Project inspired me to continue keeping sketchbooks. Honest sketchbooks. And maybe this year I'll be brave enough to draw naked people.

The fun doesn't end here! My sketchbook will be touring major cities across the United States from February to July 2011. They posted a schedule which is subject to change. It looks like they are planning on adding a lot of destinations! One may be near you!

I am extremely happy to be a part of something so huge! I was able to recruit a ton of my friends for this. A lot of them are local, but there are some that are spread across the U.S. Even if I'm unable to see them in person, I can still be connected to them by looking through their sketchbooks! Isn't that neat? If you're participating in The Sketchbook Project too, please let me know. I'll try my best to find your book in the traveling library!

Top 5 Tuesday

2011-01-04T22:21:00.002-05:00

Today I realized I was sending a lot of links on Twitter... so it was probably better to blog about them instead. Hello Top 5 Tuesday!

1. To start the first week of the new year, its a good idea to keep your computer in tip top shape whether its backing up files, deleting programs you don't need, or in my case, clear up some memory. If you're a Mac user like me, I found a really good article for 11 simple ways to keep your Mac running smoothly. I used six out all of them and improved my computer's performance by so much. Some of the major culprits were keeping too much clutter on the desktop, too many icons on the menu bar, too many shortcuts on my web browsers, and too many widgets on the dashboard. After all of that [and more] I increased my computer's memory by 96%! I knew my computer was running slower than usual, but I had no idea it was by that much! I'll make it a point to check on my computer every couple of months now.

2. Winter is my least favorite season because I don't feel like there's much of an opportunity to look cute and still feel warm. I feel like I get lost as I add on extra layers. However, there are ways to brighten up your wardrobe. Lately I've been admiring hats by Talk2TheTrees. She creates unique hats inspired by woodland pixies and forest creatures. I love everything in her shop! I'm also quite a fan of her blog where she features interesting thoughts and beautiful photos. I highly recommend her for daily blog reads!

3. Today I stumbled upon a strange article when I was looking for reference photos for the Sketchbook Project. I typed in "lots of cats" and found a fascinating article about a man who bought 30 acres of land and built a cat village. I have a secret... admittedly, I don't really like cats! Some scare me with the way that they stare, and wait, and think evil things. However, I do have friends that have cats that are awesome pets. So I don't completely hate them. Though... a tiny piece of me still finds them creepy.

An image from the article. (somanycatsomg!)
I have to admit, he's a pretty good architect!

I have a theory that maybe I just don't like cats since I've always felt a kinship with rodents and small animals. Like all tiny creatures of the world, I'm small and its a big world out there!

Cats just might be my natural enemy and I have proof.

Look what I'm holding! A stuffed animal in the shape of a guinea pig! I also have to mention... look at my dress and matching shoes! hahahhahaha!

4. My favorite movie of this week is a Woody Allen film called Radio Days. Its a compilation of vignettes centered around the the height of broadcast radio in the early 1940s. I love period films because its always hard to imagine what life was like back then. This has everything I like in a film from the colorful characters, conservative wardrobe (I love fashion during this time!), witty dialogue, and old-timey tunes. Its quickly become one of my favorite films.

Seth Green plays a young Woody Allen!
B'awww!

5. I found a little gem on the internet. Its a video where a cute little kid named Jessica is talking to herself in the mirror announcing her "Daily Affirmations". I've been having some tough times and found that daily affirmations, powerful quotes by powerful people, and thinking positively has been helping me. But even after all that, this little kid is light years ahead of me! She's amazing! I think she figured out the secret to life! Check out the video and you'll see.

That's all that I have! Let's make it a beautiful week!

-Sarah

2010 in Photos

2011-01-01T16:07:00.002-05:00

If I could describe 2010 in one word it would be bittersweet. There were way too many disappointments and let downs for me. The only thing I can do is learn from my experiences and accept it as another transition year. Deep down in my heart, I know that there are great things to come. I just have to keep my eyes open and listen a little closer for opportunities.

Its not healthy for me to to dwell on my shortcomings. Instead I will share the highlights of 2010

Baked lots of cupcakes
Ate lots of cupcakes

Made my 10,000 mile on my new car

Made a new friend

Hung out with my family in Curacao

Went rock climbing

Went to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens

Showed my boyfriend the bamboo forest on the top of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Met lots of cool dogs!

Finally got to meet one of my online besties when I went to London.

Went punting in Cambridge with my travel Munky and online bestie, Dock!

Hung out with my Grandma a lot!

Made lots of these

Attended lots of craftshows

Brought my travel Munky along to Seattle, WA

Stood at the top of the Space Needle

Witnessed my boyfriend get eaten by a shark!

Ate a beautiful sandwich with seekatiedraw!

Hung out with online bestie, Trixxi, in New York City!

Won some free soap!

Got snowed in

Other notable things that happened in 2010: Spent a few days in Virginia Beach, saw Lady Gaga Live in Rockefeller Center, was in the studio audience of the Martha Stewart Show, attended anime and comic conventions, got a bass guitar, donated my hair (measured 18 inches!), Flew on a trapeze

Favorite restaurants of 2010: Morimoto, Jewish Mother, Katz Deli, Skylark Lounge, Pizza Hut

Looking back on 2010 I have had a lot of wholesome experiences, traveled more than any other given year, and met and hung out with lots of great and amazing people!

I'm really optimistic about 2011! I'm hoping that this is the year where I will find luck in finding a career, define my fashion style, and have more photo opportunistic adventures.

Studio Bits: Vision Board 2011 and Swatches

2010-12-29T15:34:00.001-05:00

Hello Friends! Is everyone getting ready for 2011? I know I am! To help me ease into the new year, I updated my vision board. I'm still very new to this concept and had a few attempts at it but failed miserably. I don't feel like I completely committed myself to it or the idea. I don't want to give up on it yet (even after many failed attempts) because I still think its a great idea. After reading other people's blogs of how these ideas manifested themselves into real things, I'm convinced that it works! I am determined to make it work for me!

This is what my studio wall currently looks like:

I'm using this particular vision board to help me develop new items and accessories for my Etsy shop. I have a vague idea of the direction I want to take this but didn't want my decisions to be so controlled. I figured that I should trust my instincts and picked images that made me go "Oooh!" and "Ahh!".

Now I am about to give you a closer look at my vision board and dissect its parts to explain why I picked these images.

This is the upper portion of my vision board. I like to rip out pages from fashion magazines because in my opinion its the most influential industry. Fashion is always changing and reinventing itself so its the fastest way to keep up with the times. Even if you're looking at older fashion photos, some elements still find a way to come back. These clippings are about two years old, but I still find these inspiring and relevant to what I'm doing. I'm hoping that they will help me to create something new.

I found that I was attracted to similar types of things. Some recurring themes are classic patterns (stripes, tartan, plaid), big bows, and earthy colors contrasted by vibrant pops of color.

This is the lower portion. This has some inspirational odds and ends that I have yet to figure out. I'm keeping them up here because I do see potential in these images. My favorite parts of this section are all the funky patterns and the ballerina tutu.

Having all of these images together is really helping me come up with ideas! I have a ton of supplies that I wasn't sure what to use for. I've collected pretty things like ribbons, plastic pearls, feathers, and faux fur. Now that my vision board is up, I think I have a better idea of what to do with them. I can't wait to get started on them so I can show you! I think you'll like them :)

My vision board comes in the form of a French memo board style. However, there are many ways to create one and make it your own. I will place some important links on the bottom of this post :)

My favorite part of my wall is finally giving my felt swatches a proper display.

I loooove my felt swatches from Benzie Bazaar! This was probably my best purchase of 2010.

I had a difficult time figuring how to assemble this at first. I knew I wanted to recycle old materials though. I went looking around my treasure chest of a basement and found a couple of picture frames. They were gold-plated and had an antique look, but it was unfortunate that they were too small for this project. I remembered that I had a dozen old paintings that never sold, so I took my least favorite and attached some clips onto it. No worries, my artwork changed a lot in five years, I don't really miss the painting and right now its being used in a better way. The cool thing about this set up is that the swatches are held on by clips so I can easily remove them. This makes it convenient in case I need to bring the swatches with me to the fabric store. I really love the simple, sleek black frame. It probably works better than my original antique idea. The frame is large enough for me to stash business cards and things I need to remember.

I'm really happy with the direction that my wall is taking. I know that it still needs to evolve as my ideas change and grow. I will be working on more visual boards for other aspects of my life. I know this will take a while because its hard to plan a year within a day. I will be updating my progress in the coming months!

Here are some sites that have helped me develop my vision board:
Craft Ideas Weekly: How to Make a Vision Board
Anna Denise: Article on Mood Boards. She also has some really cool sketchbook scans on her Flickr!
San Smith: Creating Visual Lists for 2009 and Visual Lists for 2010
The Law of Attraction
The Secret: This is a really inspiring book! A quick read too.
French memo board tutorial by me :)

If you're working on your vision boards, I would love to see them! I find that it helps to see what others are working on because it triggers excitement and ideas bounce off of each other to create great things!

Good luck everyone! Let's plan and make 2011 an amazing year!

Jersey City Craft Mafia Handmade Holiday Market Review

2010-12-27T13:21:00.006-05:00

Hi Everyone! I hope all of you had a warm and wonderful holiday! I took some downtime after the last Craft Fair but before moving on, its time to share some photos from the event!

The Jersey City Craft Mafia (JCCM) Handmade Holiday Market was the biggest event I've been a part of. How lucky! I'm so proud of my city! There are so many talented and eclectic neighboring artists and I was so happy to be in the same room with them. I love this community! In the few months I have been participating in events, everyone I have encountered has so far been vibrant and welcoming. This is only a prequel to bigger and better things!

The Handmade Holiday Market was organized by the Jersey City Craft Mafia with awesome sponsors such as Bust Magazine and Etsy as well as lovely locals such as Art House Productions, Made With Love organic bakery, Jersey City Independent, Another Man's Treasure and more. They all made this possible and I think it was a huge success. It was busy the moment the doors opened until closing! I had forgotten to take photos of my own booth since it was so busy. And I sold out of all of my products an hour early (waaat?!). That's how crazy busy it was! It reminded me a lot of the Bust Magazine Holiday Spectacular at the Warsaw in Brooklyn a couple of years back (except on a much smaller scale). Since my booth finished early, I went around and took photos of what I could of the other booths so you can experience the show :)

If I remember correctly, there were about 50 vendors that attended! If I missed your name/booth but I have a photo of you, I would love to credit you! Please message me and I will add you to my blog post :)

ArtHouse Productions had a really great idea of hosting a gift wrapping station! The Santa and giftbox buckets were so adorable!

Busy at the gift wrapping station. My boyfriend mentioned that he wished that he brought all the presents he bought so he could have them wrap it so he wouldn't have to do it lol.

"Facepainting and Coloring for Kids"
...or the young at heart :)

My friends showed up! yay!
They got their faces painted with Adventure Time characters!
Left: Kim with Lady Rainicorn Right: Angie with Jake the dog

My booth neighbor was Ashley of LadyLucas. She's very sweet and her work is equally sweet! She had these hilarious "Junk Food Elves".

Darling little stitched pig and hedgehogs :)

I was briefly speaking with the artists from The Metal Mermaid. Oh man! They are sooo talented! They immediately caught my eye because I took printmaking in college and its kind of rare to meet other printmakers since most people switched to digital art. I'm so happy they're keeping this art form alive! All of their work is striking and beautiful, they also mentioned that they do custom orders. They showed me a sample of a bridal invitation that opens like a lotus flower. It was incredible!

Gorgeous handmade mugs and candle holders by The Honey Pot Shop. Someday I'd love to have a small collection of handmade mugs since I love tea!

Adorable star-filled ornaments by Abby of O My Lucky Stars. I love her little tree. It reminds me of Charlie' Brown's Christmas tree lol. I was reunited with Abby through the craft shows we've attended. We haven't seen each other since high school!

Pink Velvet Bird
Adorably sweet and I love her hair accessories and funny moustache pins!

Quirky and nerdy napkins and bibs by [I think] Sswane.

Ah! I didn't get the name of this booth but she was next to Sswane. She knitted the green scarf at the show and it was fluffy soft like a cloud! I kept petting it lol. I love the color too!

Cutie cupcake soaps by Luca of Lollibomb Beauty. Ah! Luca is a tiny lady who has been contributing to the Jersey City craft community in a big way! She is the one who organized the Handmade Holiday Craft Fair and so far been a superstar at it! Every event that she's had a hand in has been highly organized, relaxed, and over-all cool vibe :) Thanks for being awesome Luca!!

Kiva
Kiva is a very talented glassblower. I can't believe I met a glassblower! How awesome is that! I love these tiny miniature vases. Some of them are only about 2 inches tall!

Adorable jewelry by Elise of Geekilicious
My friend Angie bought a blue bubble tea necklace from her!

More from Geekilicious

I think my favorite booth at the show had to be Rubella Jewelry. They had kind of a Victorian Splendor meets Mad Scientist Lab vibe going on and I loved it! I found out that their jewelry is available on their online shop and also locally in my very own town called Kannibal Home. Pretty cool!

I stopped by Everything Tiny and they were really cool! They had these neato acrylic belt buckles. My favorites are the space ships, dinosaur, and the lego block... I think I like all them them haha. They had some matching necklaces too. edit: Thanks to Chris for letting me know that this space belongs to Everything Tiny. I just found out that when you buy a necklace from their site, they donate $10 to the Liberty Humane Society, our local animal shelter. Aww! They have hearts of gold!!

I loved these tiny 'Build your own tinysaur' kits. How appropriately named because they were soooo tiny! They stood about an inch high and the kit comes in a box that is the same size as an Altoids tin.

Gorgeous handmade jewelry by Posh Adornments.

I love everything! I will eventually buy something from her shop... after I finally decide what I like. Everything is beautiful its so hard to choose! Ah!

Really neat old-timey-styled newspaper stand holding modern zines and comics

Funky hats by Uta Brauser
I wish I had my camera when me and my friends were trying on all the hats! It was a good time!
We tried on funky fabulous hats in the shape of unicorns, dinosaurs, sharks, and bears!

VHS is not dead! Art by Jaden Rogers. I loved his booth too! I really gotta work on getting my craft room set up so I can get to the fun decorating part. I would love to have some of Jaden's work on my wall.

And that's about it! I hope you enjoyed looking at my photos. Thanks to the organizers, fellow artists, and everyone who attended the show. I had a wonderful time and looking forward to more events like this. Everyone was lovely :)

Best,

Sarah

Jersey City Craft Mafia Holiday Market

2010-12-13T12:26:00.000-05:00

Hello hello hello! Things have been super busy as I'm preparing for my last craft show for 2010! The Jersey City Craft Mafia is hosting a holiday event this Sunday, December 19th! I hope you all can make it :) Its a perfect place to find something unique to give for the holidays. The Holiday Market is conveniently placed a few days before Christmas for anyone who is doing any last minute shopping! Yay!

I've been quiet because I've been working behind the scenes in preparation for this event. Busy busy busy! But I'm really excited for this one. I love the Jersey City craft scene. Everyone I have met so far has been really quirky and cool!

Sunday, December 19, 2010
12pm – 5pm
FREE Admission!

Grace Church Van Vorst
39 Erie St
Jersey City, NJ 07302
(On the corner of Erie St. and 2nd St in Downtown Jersey City)

Come and hang out. It will be super fun!

"Meat and Greet": NYC adventures with seekatiedraw

2010-12-12T23:39:00.005-05:00

Sometime last week, my good friend and fellow illustrator, seekatiedraw, was in in town. I was really happy that she was able to hang out with me in the middle of her very busy schedule! We were chatting online on the morning of our day and it went something like this:

Katie: Hey sarah, wanna have lunch?
Me: Sure! Any ideas on what you want to have?
Katie: Not really.
Me: Wanna go for pound-of-meat sandwiches?!
Katie: THAT'S THE BEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!

In about an hour we were both about to embark from our separate destinations on a quest for sandwiches. Gigantic sandwiches. I've seen gigantic sandwiches on a television show called Man vs. Food, and for months I have been obsessed with a particular one from the first episode.

Located in the quirky, lower east side of manhattan lies Katz Delicatessen but known simply as 'Katz' by the locals. Does this name sound familiar? It appears in a very famous scene of a very famous movie called When Harry Met Sally. And I'm sure you know which scene I'm talking about. Yep, the orgasm one. (I never thought I would ever have a reason to type the word 'orgasm' in my blog! Hey, now I wrote it twice!).

Katz has been around for more than a hundred years. It opened in 1888 to be exact. This means that the restaurant existed long before America had all 50 states. In addition, it survived two World Wars and the Great Depression. This is a testament that their recipes have withstood the test of time! I'm pretty sure there will be many more years to come. One bite out of their pastrami and you'll be convinced too. There is no doubt, you will taste perfection.

They had to fix the "1888" manually.
Photoshop didn't exist back then! oh noes!
Once inside, you'll be greeted by a host who will give you a ticket. The ticket is used as an accumulative receipt where you will pick up sandwiches, soups, and drinks from the different counters. Make sure not to lose your ticket or you will be very sorry! It gets confusing at the counters because it can get crowded, but its worth it when you have one of these babies:

Pastrami with mustard on rye bread.
Each sandwich holds a pound of meat and comes with a side of garlic deli pickles. This is not just a sandwich but masterpiece, delicately sculpted by angels. And by angels, I mean the hard working guys behind the deli counter. Tip them nicely and they'll take care of you. My angel gave me a small sample of hot pastrami to try. I split it with Katie :) I was surprised with the polite service all around for a place that is super busy. I tipped the guy and he gave me the biggest smile!

Katie ordered the Reuben sandwich. Corned beef, swiss cheese, sauerkraut on rye and I suspect homemade Thousand Island dressing! Now stop right here and just look at that melted cheese!

This is what very hungry people look like as they are about to embark on a culinary journey.

Me on the left: I like to show everything as if I am on the Price is Right.

Katie and I had a master plan. An hour prior we decided on ordering two different sandwiches so we could swap out each half and share. We are undisputed geniuses. Katie's sandwich came with pickles and green tomatoes in brine... I didn't like the tomatoes, they tasted like dead olives. It just meant I had to take a big bite out of my sandwich to cancel it out! aha! Yes, that fixed everything as I felt the warm corned beef melt in my mouth.

Halfway through our meal, one of the employees, a friendly bearded old man, stopped by to chat with us. Aww! How nice! I really felt at home at this place! Our conversation slowed as our bellies became full but there was still half of a sandwich left for each of us! Fear not! I was prepared. I had brought plastic containers so we can enjoy the deliciousness later! The look on Katie's face was priceless when I told her about my magical bag of lots of stuff! In addition to the plastic containers, I also had a NYC subway map, hand sanitizer, a can of coconut water, my SLR camera nicknamed "Big Boy", eyeglass lens cleaner with wipes, chapstick and more! I think that I would've been a really cute boy scout! I like to be prepared!

A quick warning for the ladies: The bathroom stall is very small. Its one of those where the stall closes right in front of your nose. But hey, you go to Katz for the sandwiches, not to inspect the rest rooms!

$16 for a sandwich = absolutely worth it. I will be thinking about this sandwich for years to come. In fact I will definitely return, I am a customer for life! Sadly it was time to leave, but before we did we had to take obligatory tourist pictures with the restaurant:

Before we move on from sandwiches I have to share this: This is Not a Song its a Sandwich by Pyschostick

I'm not familiar with the East Village section of NYC. It gets confusing because this area isn't on a numbered grid system like its midtown neighbor. So Katie and I walked around a lot. Its fun to get lost in NYC because there is lots to see and do. In fact, we found this amazing wall!

Katie can cross off "High-five an octopus" on her To Do list.

We wandered around and somehow found Chinatown where I took her to my favorite bubble tea house where more hilarity ensued :)

Good food, good company, and good conversation. I hope there will be more adventures! :)

Top 5 Tuesday

2010-12-07T23:59:00.010-05:00

Hi Everyone! I have been so busy that I barely have time to keep up with my blog! I miss it! There are so many awesome things that have been happening and more to come! I just finished a craft show last weekend and I'm already preparing for the next one in less than two weeks! I have a few things that I've been itching to share, so Top 5 Tuesday is a little late this week.

1. Sing-a-ma-jigs. There are very few things on our planet that are both horrible and wonderful at the same time. I have discovered one of them and this is a true story. I was watching this YouTube video:

John from vlogbrothers wants to be in his brother's band but he can't play any instruments so he was "learning how to play the Sing-a-ma-jig" to "become a Sing-a-ma-jig player". HILARIOUS! The dolls have the ability to harmonize perfectly which is cool, but the creepy factor is that they can move their mouths! I kind of want to buy one [or four] but they scare me! The next best thing is to play with the virtual dolls online! I hereby allow you to button-smash your keyboard!

2. Debutante Rock Candy Bass in Atomic Pink by Daisy Rock! A few weeks ago I made a small announcement on my Twitter that I picked up one of these babies. I wanted to introduce it for its own post but... I couldn't wait! Its just too awesome! I OWN A HOT PINK GLITTERY BASS GUITAR!

I wear many hats when it comes to music. I've had private lessons for classical piano, private lessons for combination drums (mostly rock but classical too!), and sang in two ensemble choirs. For a brief period I was a drummer in a garage band and we even did a few gigs. Last year I started learning ukulele on my own. I even tried my hand at a bit of the clarinet (I hated it! OMG I couldn't breathe!). None of these instruments felt natural to me. My ability grew because of hard work and practice. I don't have natural talent or "perfect pitch" like my unbelievably gifted brother. However, I'm happy to have learned these instruments because all of my teachers imprinted a foundation that is invaluable to every musician. I learned the sheet music, rhythm, time signatures, music theory, etc. And there was homework! So much homework! All of that hard work paid off because now I am able to play bass guitar! While this instrument does not feel natural to me either, I have a lot of fun playing it. I really look forward to practicing solo. And with this glittery hot pink guitar, I already feel like a rock star!

3.The Secret of Kells. I found this by accident when I was looking for something animated to watch on Netflix. The animated short is based on Celtic folklore. While I found the story a little hard to follow, the visuals are absolutely stunning! Its a frenetic feast for the eyes! The stylized characters contrast well with the heavily textured backgrounds. I grabbed a ton of screencaps for you:

The next ones are my favorites <3

I highly recommend this movie especially if you're an artist or aspiring to become one!
Actually... I might even buy the DVD!

4. Shea Butter. This year I am determined to DEFEAT Winter skin! Last month I shared a review of Heirloom Soapworks Soap and since homemade soaps have done wonders for my skin, I am taking the next step which is moisturizing! This was a suggestion by a few of my readers who commented that shea butter will do miraculous things, so I listened. Gosh, I really love the soapmaking community, every soapmaker I have met through forums, craft shows, and messages have been genuinely kind. It must be the nature of the community! I hope I am right!

During the Black Friday sale, I picked up a few toiletries including shea butter from Nourish. I love what this shea butter is doing for my skin so far, but I think I have been ripped off. At $12 and some change, I got a little over five ounces of product. I'm sure this is a high quality substance, but to be honest I feel like I was paying more for the packaging than for the actual product. I respect the attractive design and the work that goes into packaging (Hello! I used to be a package designer!), but I don't know... all I see is an empty wallet. At the very least my skin is soft and smooth! I will continue to use shea butter, but as for this particular brand, I would rather look elsewhere.

5. Panda bento Box! Need I say more? I found this on Ebay and I love it!

Bennyville in Glen Ridge, NJ

2010-11-30T13:29:00.004-05:00

Hi Everyone! This Saturday I will be selling my rice dolls, fox pouches, and maybe some accessories at the Artisan Gift Market in Glen Ridge, NJ! This event is hosted by the Creative Women's Collective. And I also must mention that this is their 7th year hosting it! Very cool! I'm so happy to be a part of such an established group.

A few weeks ago, I was invited by one of their members and fellow crafter, Niccole B, who I also might add is super adorbz! She opened her Etsy shop recently, so show her some love. Better yet, come to the Gift Market! :)

If you're in the area, please check it out. I am debuting a brand new rice doll design! hehe! I will offering my products at a discount because I love you guys and also because there are no Etsy and Paypal fees to worry about haha.

So come and hang out. It will be super fun!

Saturday, December 4, 2010
10am – 6pm
FREE Admission!

Glen Ridge Congregational Church
195 Ridgewood Avenue
Glen Ridge, NJ

Yummy New Colors!

2010-11-22T11:13:00.005-05:00

I did some fabric shopping over the weekend. To my surprise there was a sale going on at the Fabric Warehouse: 40% off ALL fabrics! How lucky! I'm not sure if you are familiar with what a Fabric Warehouse looks like, but it is appropriately named. At least the fabric warehouses that I know of... they really look like warehouses! There are a few of them in my area. Sometimes I have to walk down a scary alley behind a parking lot or walk down a mysterious dark staircase! I always get an unwelcome feeling. A prickly feeling that I'm-not-supposed-to-be-here-because-there-are-bad-guys-waiting-in-the-bushes feeling! But once inside, I feel safe because there are always other customers. Most of them look like humble grandmas. If the warehouse is safe enough for grandma, than its safe enough for me! *Whew* this is an adventure in itself!

Fabric warehouses are huge! Inside, you'll see massive aisles of fabric. Stacks and stacks of fabric. Then then gigantic shelves filled with rolls of fabric. There is always a huge selection and best of all, the prices are very reasonable.

Because the sale was already a massive discount, they weren't cutting 'remnant fabrics'. This is how I ended up with so much fabric; I had to buy everything as is. Normally I buy one yard to make a small batch of rice dolls. With the sale I ended up with almost three yards of each fabric. This is ok because it saves me from going back to the scary warehouse and now I'm set for the Winter.

Two lucky things happened at the warehouse! I ran out of the aqua color for Boo-Boo Bear Rice Dolls. After some digging (yes, sometimes you have to dig!) I found the EXACT fabric for Boo-Boo Bear! It may not seem like a big deal to you, but when I go to the fabric warehouse, I NEVER find the same fabric twice!! It is impossible to source a fabric once its gone! I bought the original Boo Boo Bear fabric months ago and returned a few times to replace it with no luck. I guess that was my lucky day! The second lucky thing is that I finally found an adequate substitute for Mischief Kitten. The fabric is soft and cozy and almost identical to the stash that I had just finished. The color is a little darker than before, and I kind of prefer this :)

I have a couple of ideas for my Etsy shop and I here's a hint about the "secret":

(photo source)

What I find strange about my ideas is that a lot of them come to me while I am fabric shopping. Two things happen simultaneously.

1. I have an animal database in my brain.
2. When I see a unique fabric color, it activates the animal database and the fabric speaks to me, telling me what critter must be created.

I know it sounds crazy, but its true! Its like how ideas sometimes come to you from dreams :)

I am going to be very busy for the next couple of weeks. I will be involved with two craft shows in December! I'll be sure to let you know all the details!

That's all for now!

Sarah <3

Top 5 Tuesday: Happiness in Small Places

2010-11-16T14:35:00.005-05:00

Hi Everyone! Its Tuesday again and I'm excited to share some little pieces of happiness for Top 5 Tuesday. Well... at least these make me happy so I'm hoping that they'll make you happy too. :)

Last week I mentioned that I wanted to purchase some lipstick. I had my eyes on the Kat Von D Painted Love lipstick set. After seeing the set in person, I changed my mind. I liked the colors, but the texture of the lipsticks were too creamy for me. So instead I ended up buying a Mac Viva Glam lipstick. The amazing thing about the Mac Viva Glam series is that "every cent raised through the purchase of VIVA GLAM goes to the M·A·C AIDS Fund to support the fight against HIV/AIDS" as stated by the website. Whoa! I can look pretty and donate to charity! That's a win/win situation! While I would have loved to purchase the limited edition Cyndi Lauper or Lady Gaga lipstick... I think its more important to find a lipstick shade that suites me best. So I got the one pictured above on the right. Its a neutral shade that goes well with most of my make-up looks. I can go with dramatic smokey eyes or casual neutrals with this lipstick shade. I have to wear the make-up, the make-up should never wear me. ha!

I find it hilarious when people dress their pets! While I love animals, you'd be surprised that I'm not one of those people who would put a costume on their pets. Its just... unnatural. Although, I am happy that other people do it because the photos are absolutely priceless! Aw... look at this cat... so... sad... or lazy. You can never tell with cats.

(photo by solutionsoap)

I am amused that this dog is unamused!

This print of Magneto with some baby ducks by Brandon Bird. Oh my gosh! Now I've seen everything! If there is evil in the world, there is good too. Just look at Magneto cradling the darling baby duck (Aww! Look at the little legs!). Life isn't all that bad. There's a soft spot in even the most hardened super villains. There's a lesson to be learned here folks.

I'm continuing the theme of 'Happiness in Small Places' with Tinierme. This is a massive multiplayer online role playing game (or MMORPG for short) where you create a miniature self. There isn't a real point to the game other than its really cute and fun. Its also a nice place to visit to when I'm on my 'breaks'. My favorite part of the site is completing the sidequests to win limited edition items to dress my character with. The outfits are out of this world! Its almost like Halloween every day. I could be dressed as an escaped prisoner while carrying a blue alligator on my back while holding a gigantic cured ham or maybe a punk rocker with butterfly wings. The outfit combinations are endless if you let your imagination wander. My friend Ariel introduced me to this site and it has quickly become a favorite! (Thank you Ariel! You changed my life! lol) :)

The last thing I would like to share is a song I heard in a movie I recently saw. Watching Steve Martin movies is a guilty pleasure of mine. I can't help it, he is delightfully corny. I love it! When I heard this song in "The Jerk" I couldn't help but smile. Its a really cute song and I have to make it a point to learn this on my ukulele!!

That's all for the today! Let's make it a good week, I have a feeling that Monday was rough for everyone. So let's move on! Chins up high and confidence at 100%! GO!

best,

Sarah

The Soapbar and Heirloom Soapworks

2010-11-15T12:20:00.006-05:00

If there's one thing that like more than blogging, it is reading blogs! I've been a fan of The Soapbar for sometime now. I admit, I am a lurker, but when I found out that I was just in time for a contest, I had to break the silence. Joanna of the Soapbar blog and Heirloom Soapworks joined forces and sponsored a give-a-way on November 1, 2010. And guess who won? I was picked at random and my lucky number was 35!

I am the owner of these delectable soaps! They look like slices of cake!

One of my ~~hobbies~~ passions is trying out handmade soaps. If any of you know me in real life... well, my obsession for handmade soaps is a little crazy. But there is a reason to all of this madness. During the Fall/Winter, the skin on my hands wage a war against me. I hate to admit that they get dry and cracked. Its really ugly! There were times that the cracks had gotten so severe that my hands would bleed and I would have to put band-aids all over my fingers. For a lack of a better word, I had zombie hands! I approached the problem aggressively by investing in different kinds of moisturizers, but none of them worked. It was only until I switched to handmade soap is when the problem went away! Now I have beautiful hands that look age-appropriate!

What I love about Joanna's blog is that she's a soap enthusiast herself. She creates her own soaps and writes reviews for other soap makers. And if you're lucky to catch them, she sometimes sponsors give-a-ways. What I love best about her blog is what she calls "soap porn". One look at her blog and you'll know what I mean. There are a lot of photos to oogle over.

Here's a closer look at the Heirloom Soaps I won:

Eucalyptus-Mint Natural Soap
This is a really big bar! It is minty fresh and would be a perfect "wake-you-up" soap! I can't wait to try this one.

Sweet Orange & Ylang Ylang soap

This one looked the most like a cake so I couldn't resist this photo opportunity! Isn't it cute? I love all the swirls on this one and the top looks like "frosting". This is the first one I tried so far and I love it! The smell is a very light, tart citrus, blended with earthy floral notes. The lather on this one makes a lot of soft silky bubbles. I can say this about a lot of handmade soaps. They don't leave you with that tight-skinned, dry feeling after you shower. This soap would be nice for an afternoon or evening bath because its a really soothing scent.

Lava Lamp Natural Soap
In my opinion, this is the prettiest bar out of the three that I received. I can't really put my finger on what this one smells like. It has an earthy-herbal scent which makes it a perfect unisex soap. Out of all of the scent categories, I like scents like this one the best. Although I like sweet and foodie scents, sometimes I find them to be cloyingly sweet. I always end up turning to my earthy-herbal soaps with ingredients like sandalwood an patchouli (it makes my inner hippie sing!).

This is a very beautiful bar of soap! It may be the prettiest I've ever owned. You know what? The swirly design of Lava Lamp reminds me of a very famous print:

The Great Wave
This happens to be one of my favorite prints! Do you see the resemblance? Maybe I'm looking into this soap a little too deeply...

I checked out the Heirloom Soapworks shop and they have a really nice selection. The ones I have may not be in the shop right now. That's part of the charm when everything is handmade. The selection may vary but the quality will always be top notch! Check out her store to see what is available. Currently, it looks like there are some Holiday items in stock now. I'm loving the name "Fresh Cut Christmas Tree". Too cute! I also have my eye on the goat's milk and honey bar.

Thank you so much Joanna of the Soapbar blog and Heirloom Soapworks! I really enjoyed the contest!

Check out the fancy fabulous ladies who made this possible:
The Soapbar
Heirloom Soapworks

Top 5 Tuesday

2010-11-09T09:13:00.007-05:00

Ladies and Gents! Tuesday is upon us once again and that means its time for a Top 5 Tuesday! This week I am sharing totally random slices of my life that I hope you'll enjoy :)

1. Some of you may know that I'm participating in the Sketchbook Project. To help me prepare for it, I rented a book from the library called The Artist's Handbook. This book is really cool! It helped me see what other kinds of materials and techniques to use on my sketchbook. You know what's great about this book? Its almost like an art supply catalog. I was flipping through the pages and there were sections on different kinds of pencils, paintbrushes, charcoals and more. It helped me remember some supplies that I already owned but haven't used in years! I have pastels and inks that have sitting at the bottom of my art bin. I think it would be really cool to unearth them and experiment with them for my sketchbook. Its a sketchbook after all! The other cool thing about this book is that since its like a catalog, it shows all different kinds of paintbrushes and the kinds of strokes they make. I know how expensive painting can get especially if you don't know what kinds of brushes to buy. There were so many times when I ended up paying up to $15 for a single brush and it turns out that I didn't like it. This book saves you the time and money by showing exactly what they do. While the book contains only general information, it will help any artist figure out what medium they want to focus on by introducing a vast amount of 2D media in one convenient place.

2. I'm trying to live my life as green as possible and one of the more recent changes I have made is making my laundry more eco-friendly. I learned that regular laundry detergents are bad for the environment and I wanted to find out why. One of the reasons I found was:

Both dishwashing and laundry detergent can be bad for the environment. They both have a number of chemicals in them and end up being washed out of drains into water supplies and that can have a deleterious effect on the ecosystem. One example is that many dishwashing detergents contain phosphate - it's a naturally occurring substance, but if too much of it gets into waterways, algae and phytoplankton feed on it and reproduce in massive numbers; causing an algal bloom. Algal blooms block out sunlight and cause oxygen imbalances in a body of water; and as a result kill off other species. source

Yikes! And people do laundry every day! I noticed that regular laundry detergents make me sneeze and I know I'm not allergic to anything. I don't want to develop allergies later in life, so I feel that switching my laundry methods will help me and the environment too.

This is how I do my laundry:
a. I saved one of the cups from my old laundry detergent and washed it out. Then I pour the liquid castile soap into it. I like to use Dr. Bronner's peppermint scented soap! Mmm! Minty fresh! The amount varies depending on the load.

b. After about 14 minutes during the 'Rinse' cycle, I add about a tablespoon or more of baking soda into my load of laundry. I stopped using fabric softener and dryer sheets and found baking soda to be a really good [and cheap!] substitute. Baking soda takes away odor and also works as a natural fabric softener. So after its 30 days in the fridge, you can use the box of baking soda as a fabric softener! I love things that have more than one use.

c. When the cycle is done, I place my laundry into the dryer. No need to use dryer sheets because the baking soda will work its magic! When its all finished, your laundry will be clean and fresh! Huzzah!

3. Kat Von D Painted Love Lipstick set at Sephora. Wow! I love this! I'm not much of a lipstick wearer but this set is amazing! I'm sure the colors would look great on any skin shade. I read reviews on this and so far it looks like a great buy. The lipsticks come in a sample size set so it will give you the chance to try a lot of colors for a reasonable price. I wish more lipsticks were like that. Honestly, does anyone ever finish a whole tube of lipstick? They eventually go bad you know. Anyway, I think I might pick this up very soon! I've always wanted to be a little daring and wear red lipstick. haha!

4. I am a tea drinker and I loooove trying out different teas. I had one pouch of Organic African Nectar by Mighty Leaf. The seasons are changing and it felt right to try something warm and exotic. My instincts were correct! I've tried a lot of teas in my lifetime but was only introduced to Red Tea (or Rooibos) this year. I was looking for an alternative to caffeinated hot drinks. I thought decaffeinated tea was only limited to peppermint or chamomile tea. Boy was I wrong! There's a lot of different kinds of teas to try. Now, I've tried red tea before, but the brand that I had tasted closer to cherry cough syrup. I was really hesitant to try the lone Organic African Nectar pouch. It turns out that it is now my new favorite! It has a sweet, slightly citrus note, and is very refreshing. If you're looking for a different tea to drink, expand your horizons. A great way to start is to get a sampler pack :) Or if you have a friend that is into tea, bring over some DVDs and watch it over a cup of tea. Happy times!

Oh yea! I found this super cool idea yesterday! Its how to make a tea bag out of a coffee filter! I have a lot of loose tea and sometimes my tea strainer is inconveniently used and placed into the dishwasher. Making paper tea bags seems really easy and fun. And also, paper coffee filters are biodegradable :)

5. Mameshiba!! I am obsessed with Mameshiba and I'm not even really sure what it is. Mameshiba was introduced to me by my pal, Taz. We had dinner with friends one evening and he was showing us some of the cartoons on his iPhone. My best guess is that is a series of cartoon shorts about a puppy that manifests itself into your food and announces a random fact. Then the unfortunate victim is totally grossed out! It has to be seen to believed. haha! I'll include 2 of my favorites:

I hope you all have a lovely week :)

You Surprise Me! This is Why I Love What I Do!

2010-11-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends! Happy Daylight Savings Day! Did all of you enjoy that extra hour of sleep when we turned back the clocks? As much as the next person, I would've preferred to be asleep while time traveling. I somehow woke up super early (7:30am which is really 6:30am) on a Sunday morning! But you know what? The sun is up and its a beautiful day! I'm going to make the most of it.

Last month I had some unusual requests on my Etsy. One of my customers purchased a rice doll and I was confused at first because they also sent in extra money. Too much extra money! It turns out that this person needed the rice doll sent via Express Mail. Whoa! Never in my life had I had a reason to send something via Express Mail. To me its a fancy, forbidden luxury like the candy in the mini-fridge of a hotel. I have been using the U.S. Postal service ever since I was 11-years-old. My usage was limited to first class mail. The letters to my grandma and my first penpal arrived at their destination cheap yet effectively. Express Mail?! The day had finally come! I'm rollin' with the big dogs now! I waited in line, nervously filled out the form, and off it went somewhere in the sky! The packaged arrived the next day. Whew! Mission accomplished!

My customer gave me enough money to cover the cost of shipping but there was so much extra. It wouldn't be right to keep it so I sent extra money back. A few days later when I had to mail another package I found a letter in my mailbox. It seemed familiar somehow but I didn't recognize the handwriting. It turns out that my Express Mail customer sent me a hand-written thank you note!! Oh my gosh! How sweet! <3 What a lovely way to receive feedback! I was totally shocked!

Also in October, an Etsy cutie sent me a message asking if I do custom orders. I love the idea of having something especially made for someone. So I try my best to do custom orders if I can. She liked my Fox Pouch a lot but wanted to carry it around like a purse and I came up with this:

Eee! I'm really happy with the way it came out! And even happier that my customer loves it. She recently sent me feedback saying that the strap was the perfect size. I was so relieved because I didn't have exact measurements. She did mention that she was "very short" and I am very short as well! So I adjusted the strap to my height and then compared the length to some purses that I owned. I guess me and my customer are the same size lol.

You guys are so kind! I have been working on my Etsy shop for almost a year and every step of the way I have been embraced and supported by the crafting community. Sewing makes me happy and I am so incredibly happy and grateful that you enjoy what I do. Thank you everyone!

Top 5 Tuesday: Netflix Picks

2010-11-02T11:31:00.002-04:00

Hello Everybody! Its been a little while since the last Top 5 Tuesday! I'll try my best to keep up with my Top 5 picks [of any topic] each week. My brother recently got us Netflix and oh boy, my life has changed! When I sew, I like to have movies in the background to keep me company. Before Netflix, I would rotate the same 4 dvds. If you're curious to know, they are Mean Girls, Ratatouille, The Terminal, and Angelic Layer the complete collection. I think I have seen all twenty-six episodes of Angelic Layer repeated about 5-6 times and the other movies... um... probably close to 20 times! Why do I do this? Well... aside from being my favorites, repeating movies while I work triggers my brain and puts me into an unstoppable working zone! I feel like my body goes into automatic pilot and I'm able to sew faster and faster! Its the science of repetition. SCIENCE!

Although I adore my movies, it sure is refreshing to see something new when sewing duties aren't so demanding. These are what I picked out!

1. Dead Like Me: If you're into Halloween and the Day of the Dead, you can relive the spooky days with this amazing comedy drama! Its a re-imagining of the Grim Reaper folklore. What if Grim Reapers lived and walked among us and had to get regular jobs? Think about it as Office Space meets Zombieland. What I love about this series is all of the colorful characters and how each of them has a different perspective when it comes to dealing with death. I know it sounds grim (haha! no pun intended), but as a whole this short-lived series is thought-provoking, heartfelt, hilarious and at times, a tear-jerker!

Dead Like Me has one of the coolest opening themes I've ever seen! And hey! I spotted a French Bulldog <3

If you're looking for something off-beat and original, look no further! Also, the music in this series is really good!

2. Speaking of music, the next thing on my list was Michael Jackson's This is It. Whatever your opinion was of him, you absolutely cannot deny that Michael was a musical genius and appropriately titled the King of Pop. This film is an inside look of what was to be his last stage performance. The movie has a lot of candid footage that was probably meant to be dvd extras had he lived. The film has a lot of vocal performances, but if you're expecting a full-on concert, than you probably wouldn't like this. It definitely focused more on the man than on the music. I haven't decided if I liked the film or not, however, I felt it was important to watch. I was really impressed by Michael's work ethic! Not only was he a perfectionist but music was his life. He lived and breathed it and even his mannerisms seemed as if there was a musical note or sound effect that went with it. It made me think about my life and I asked myself, what am I passionate about? When it came to music, Michael gave it 200% maximum power! And I should work that hard for what I am passionate about! Definitely check it out even if you're skeptical. Michael is an important American icon who revolutionized the direction of music. You shouldn't miss out on this!

3. When I pick movies, I like to mix old ones and new ones as well as different genres. So in the course of a day I might be watching an action movie starring Angelina Jolie followed by a documentary on red pandas to a foreign fantasy film like Pan's Labyrinth. I decided to give When Harry Met Sally a second chance because I was too young to understand it the first time I saw it. This is an amazing story! The dialogue is sharp and witty. Meg Ryan is as cute as a button, and even I fell for Billy Crystal's swagger a little bit! Strange I know! I have to admit, he was looking quite handsome in the college scenes!

I almost wish that modern storytelling would return to this this kind of screen writing. If this movie was made today, there would probably be some unnecessary sex scenes and a car-gun chase with explosions in the middle of it. No one seems to appreciate the art of conversation anymore and I believe that this movie preserves that. In my opinion, this movie may be the ultimate boy meets girl, girl loves boy film. If you're looking for a sweet film to make you feel soft and gooey in your middle; rent this one. Its a delightfully honest film.

4. Life as a House was my darkhorse pick. I pick uncharacteristic movies to broaden my movie-watching experience. IMDB describes the movie as "a man who is anxious to repair his relationship with his ex-wife and teenaged son after he is diagnosed with terminal cancer." It sounds like a train-wreck of sadness if you ask me! But you know what? I was pleasantly surprised. It actually was a really good film! For any of you who only know Hayden Christensen from Star Wars, watch this movie! SW is not an accurate portrayal of his acting. He has more layers than you think (not to mention he's also pretty cute as a goth/punk kid hahaha). In the end, I was cheering on the heroes and sympathizing with the victims. Its the kind of movie that will leave your emotions tingling. Warning: may be a tear-jerker.

5. I love love love films with quirky, colorful visuals. France has Amelie and now America has Penelope! A beautiful modern fairy tale! I think I actually put this movie on repeat after I saw it the first time! I loved it so much! I think because, at its very core, the lesson to be learned is to "always be yourself". With the crazy lives we live today, sometimes its easy to forget or worse, become lost. The character, Penelope, had some extraordinary obstacles to overcome because she is different than everybody else. She could've easily given up but decided to take a chance and make her life magical. Check out the trailer. Its really cute!

This movie is absolutely fantastic! It will have you believing in love and hope and double rainbows! Its that good!

I hope you enjoyed my picks for Top 5 Tuesday! Let's make it a beautiful week!

-Sarah

You're Invited to The Sketchbook Project!

2010-10-27T13:18:00.006-04:00

Hello Bloggateers! Its been crazy the past few weeks but I'm happy to announce that I'm doing well and I have lots of exciting projects that have been keeping me busy. I want to extend an invitation to you about one of the personal projects that I have been involved with: The Sketchbook Project! I've heard about this a few years ago when it was new but I either couldn't devote the time, or I chickened out! I've always wanted to participate and luckily I was browsing online one day and found out that the project is still going strong!

So... what is the Sketchbook Project? In a nutshell, for a small fee, you're sent a blank sketchbook from The Art House Co-op, a Brooklyn-based artist community. Then your quest is to fill up the sketchbooks with wonderful things and send it back by January 2011. Then the books will tour the United States as a traveling library until it makes its permanent home in the Brooklyn Art Library. Pretty neat, huh? I'm announcing this with just a few days to spare. ~~The last day to sign up is Halloween, October 31, 2010~~. The deadline has been EXTENDED to November 15, 2010!

I signed up for the project back in August and my book was sent within 2 weeks. Included in the packet is a blank Moleskin sketchbook, a library card, and an instruction sheet. The neat thing about the project is that you get to pick the color of the sketchbook and the theme of your project. I chose burgundy and my theme is "Its raining dogs and cats". I have so many ideas for my book! Unfortunately, my book still sits blank because I had a few craft shows and prior obligations, but now that my schedule cleared up a bit more I can commit more time to this project. I've been itching to do this so badly but just didn't have the time. I kept my sketchbook right in front of my keyboard to keep myself hyped up about the project :)

There are a few things about the sketchbook. Its not a typical Moleskin book. The size is a lot larger than the famous hip-pocket books. This one measures 5.5x8.5 inches. The cover is made out of cardstock and includes a back pocket. The pages aren't as thick as the typical Moleskin pages and because of this, I've heard a lot of people complaining about inks bleeding through the pages. This was further investigated by fellow blogger, Maken Art, where she tested different media effects on the pages. I don't think this is the end of the world because there are other ways to approach this. Although, the thin-paper issue effects me because I plan on experimenting with water colors. I've decided to rebind my book with heavier pages. I'm so happy I took a book-binding class in college! It comes in handy for things like this. Huzzah!

I will be posting my progress for the Sketchbook Project on my blog. And if you guys are participating, please comment and let me know. I'd love to check out your sketchbooks too! Don't forget, the last day to sign up is November 15, 2010. Anyone from around the world can participate! Please check out the official site for more info. Thanks for reading and good luck to you all!

Jersey City Studio Artists Tour: Craft Mafia Event October 2010!

2010-09-23T13:48:00.004-04:00

Hi All! I have some exciting news! When I was invited to be a part of the Craft Mafia event for the Jersey City Studio Artists tour, I was absolutely thrilled! I'm new to the craft scene, so I was shocked and flattered that I was asked to be a part of such a huge event! I've attended Jersey City Studio Artists tour in previous years, but only as a spectator. Now I'm smiling from ear to ear because I'm on the other side of the fence this time!

Here's more information about the event. It would mean the world to me if you could stop by my table and say 'hi':

Art House Productions presents
JERSEY CITY CRAFT MAFIA
part of the 2010 JERSEY CITY ARTISTS STUDIO TOUR

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2ND AND SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3RD
12PM – 6PM FREE! (I'll be attending on Saturday only)

Sponsored by BUST MAGAZINE

Art House Productions
Hamilton Square
1 McWilliams Place, 6th Floor
Jersey City, NJ (SE Corner of Hamilton Park near Erie St./8th St.)

Parking might be limited, so I highly encourage carpooling or using public transportation. The event is a few blocks from Newport Center Mall, which is connected to the PATH train station and Light Rail station.

There will be a lot of local vendors including my craftacular pal, Luca, from Lollibomb Beauty. There will also be miniature classes to learn how to make pop-up cards, transfer images onto canvas, make your own earrings, and discover high fashion tie-die techniques. And guess what! The event and classes are all FREE!

For more information please check out this link. It has the map and everything. And also.... "Bennyville" is mentioned on the website. I feel so fancy! Another victory for me. haha!

In the meantime, I'm busy preparing for the show! I've been sewing nonstop and working through lots of stacks like this:

I'm featuring some new items including a Blue Wolf! Yay

Also... just a quick note... because I'm preparing for the event, my Etsy shop will be closed a few days before and after the event. No worries! When I come back I'll be creating more fabulous things!

hearts and candy,

Sarah

French Memo Board tutorial

2010-08-31T17:17:00.005-04:00

Hi everyone! I have something special for you today!

I have been wanting to do this for a really long time. I was first introduced the idea of a "Mood Board" through fellow blogger, San Smith. She has a lovely blog that is about her life as an illustrator, her art, and the importance of surrounding yourself with inspiration. Her post led to another lovely blogger, Anna Denise, who wrote and amazing article on how to make a Mood Board. Oh gosh! I am so glad I read this little gem of the internet! I've been following Anna's blog and sketchbook scans for a few months and everything is beautiful. Its no wonder she's so creative! She always has something refer to for inspiration!

I like the idea of having a Mood Board, but I never really liked cork boards. In my opinion they look bulky and also they make me feel too rigid. They always remind me of being in grammar school where discipline was harsh. I'm suddenly in a time warp where I'm sitting in an uncomfortable wooden desk and constantly looking at a clock. I didn't want my Mood Board to make me feel restricted. Luckily I found some DIY tutorials on how to make a French Memo board. Its a beautiful alternative. I just finished making my own DIY French Memo board and in this post I'll show you step-by-step on how I made mine.

Things you will need:
-A framed canvas
-quilted batting (optional)
-pretty fabric
-lots of ribbon
-staple gun

This is the fabric I will be using to cover my French Memo board. I got it at the fabric warehouse for $2.50 for half of a yard. To hold my photos/memos/scraps, I am using satin ribbon. You can use whatever fabric you like and mix and match the colors too :)

This is all the hardware I'm using. I'm actually using some recycled materials for this project. I have an old painting that I made a long time ago that I never really liked. I don't have quilted batting, instead I found some foam-rubbery scrap fabric that I will use to pad the inside. I've seen lots of DIY tutorials on how to make a French Memo Board but none of them explain why they need to be padded. I think its just to hold the pretty fabric in place. Also, you'll need a very strong stapler. I'm using a Powershot staple gun. You have to be careful when using power tools. This staple gun is so powerful, it can probably take down a deer. So watch your fingers and toes!

This is what the original painting looks like. It measures 17"x28". Bleah! I made this for a color study project. I was never happy with it and its also in a weird size. This painting has been haunting me forever. I only took a photo because I will never see this again. hahaha!

I laid the painting face down onto the foam-rubber scrap fabric. I'm lucky that the scrap was just the right size! It seems that this piece of fabric was destined for this project! What I'm about to do is cover the canvas with this fabric. Its almost like stretching a canvas.

Staple the top and the sides with even tension. Make sure its tight but not too tight. You don't want it to be loose either. And leave the corners alone because I'm about to show you how to secure it neatly.

If there was one thing that I could be proud about art school, is that they showed me how to stretch a good canvas! This is what a neat corner is supposed to look like. Even after many years my canvas hasn't loosened, stretched, or warped! Now I'm about to show you how to make your corners neat like this.

First pinch the edge of the fabric, then lay it down against the frame. The fold should be at a 45 degree angle.

Staple it in place

Pull the other side of the fabric down against the frame.

And you should have a neat fold just like this. The fold should be right against the edge of the frame. It should be a nice, neat, and tight fold. It takes a little bit of practice to get it. But once you get it right, you never forget.

I like to staple it twice. The first staple is against the edge of the frame. And the second staple is cross-wise to hold the corner fold in place.

This is what it looks like with all the edges folded. It looks a little messy because the fabric is fluffy, but this is ok because no one is ever going to see this side.

Trim the excess fabric as close to the frame (or stretcher bars) as possible

Next, I'm going to repeat the process except I will be using the pretty fabric!

Stapling across the top and sides with even tension.

Folding and stapling neat corners.

This is what the front of my French Memo Board looks like now.

The most difficult part about making a French Memo board is laying out the ribbons. But with a little bit of care, attention and planning, its easy. In order to make it even, I'm laying out a big X on my board. I'm leaving about 3 inches of ribbon on the ends because these will be folded over and stapled later on.

The best way to lay it out is to make parallel lines to the X. There aren't alot of rules here. Nothing is set permanently so you can still move everything around until you are happy with it. Too few ribbons will make it hard to hold anything on your memo boards. Too many ribbons will make it look cluttered. I think I'm happy with this pattern.

I removed all the extra ribbons because I am going to start stapling them. I started with the X again. This foundation makes it easier to place everything else evenly.

I started with one corner of the X. I find it easier to pin the ribbon first. I'm not sure if you can see it in the photo, but there's a straight pin right at the edge of the pink ribbon. I stapled along the side of my frame. Then stapled the other side of the ribbon nice and tight.

To secure it even further, I stapled it in the back too. I did the same to the other side.

I laid out my ribbons again in parallel lines.

And again for the other ribbons.

Next, weave the ribbons in and out at each cross section. Each ribbon should be up and over. This step is important because these cross-sections will be holding your memos and photos. So double and triple check if you have to. Then staple everything into place. If there is extra ribbon hanging out, feel free to snip the ends to keep it neat.

Now that everything is stapled, its ready to hang!

This is what it looks like on my wall. So far on my French Memo board I have some magazine pages cut out, my felt swatches from BenzieBazaar and a business card from 6060. Also in the photo is a hamster clock from my pal Yapi. In the far right is a painting that I bought from artist (and online friend) Kevin Kosmicki

My wall is still a work in progress. I have a lot of things to add to my mood board and a few paintings that I've been wanting to hang. So watch this space. There will be a lot going on!

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial. Let me know if you created your own French Memo board. I'd love to see it!

Best,

Sarah

I'm Back and Open for Business!

2010-08-14T17:24:00.003-04:00

Hi All! I've been having an absolutely magical summer! The last couple of weeks have been bliss! I spent the last couple of weeks traveling from coast to coast. I still have to sort through all my photos and videos! I'll probably share some tidbits from my trip when I'm finished editing everything. But more on this when its time :)

I got home last week, took a day to relax, and this week I've been back to work developing new designs, sewing, and stocking up my Etsy shop!

I'm happy to announce that there are a few new items available in my Etsy shop!

The All-Purpose Fox Pouch! It fits a lot of things for a little bag. Its small enough to put in your bookbag or purse, but large enough to be used as a clutch bag! It can fit all of your essentials like keys, wallet, phone, and there's still plenty of room.

And for the first time, I'm making my eye patches available online. I used to sell these at anime conventions. For now, I am selling them in black, but I will have other styles available in the future.

Two new cutie rice dolls are available in my shop now. Teddy Love in periwinkle! The fabric is soft and fluffy. There is only one available because I had just enough fabric to make one. I really like how this fabric feels, I'm hoping the fabric shop has more like this (and in more colors) the next time I go shopping!

I always save the best for last. I made a French Bulldog-shaped rice doll! Ah! I know its weird to keep gushing about French Bulldogs, but I think they are the cutest dogs ever! I don't have the time and space to own a real dog... so I made a doll because I love them so much. This one is special because it has an action-tongue! I made it so that the little felt tongue sticks out, just like a real dog! This is the perfect dog because it doesn't need to be fed or walked. It doesn't even poop! It only requires your love :)

My shop looks really small right now, but I still have more surprises to come! I have tons of ideas that I wish I could share right now, but not just yet.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Hawaiian Hamster

2010-07-21T19:51:00.007-04:00

My good friend Yvi loves my Etsy shop**, but wanted something extra special made for her. How could I say no? :) She had a few suggestions on the design though. She introduced me to "eye pillows" which I found out are the same kind of rice-filled pads that I've created. The only difference is the shape. Its meant to fit over the eyes for "sleepy relaxing time", or over the forehead for "ouchie migraine time".

This is what we came up with together. I like to call it "Hawaiian Hamster".

I really like this design! Its a lot easier to make than my rice dolls. Its just a rectangle... with stuff on it. The face is still handsewn. I've also added a flower for the first time. I think it came out pretty cute! I think I might make a few more of these for my shop to see if anyone else would like one. Since these are easier to make, I can price them a lot lower than my dolls too. Yay!

Yvi was totally cute with her suggestions! She gave me a list of her favorite colors and favorite things. And based on the fabrics I had, I sketched out some possibilities:

She immediately picked out the hamster! Which I was super excited about because hamsters are like... my #1 animal! haha! I've owned hamsters since I was a kid and I know them pretty well :)

Speaking of... this was one of my hamsters, Bambi-doll. She passed on a long time ago, but I still remember her. Bambi-doll was one of my favorites! I used to treat her with a biscuit and she would walk all around her cage with the big treat in her mouth... trying to find the perfect spot to put it down. It was almost like watching a dog play fetch! It was so cute!

Things have been super busy so far! I have tons of stuff that I'd like to share still! I have a Twitter if you'd like to keep up with my daily adventures. And also a Tumblr. I haven't exactly figured out what Tumblr is supposed to be used for yet. However, I like to use it as a collection of pictures and colors for ideas and inspiration... oh yeah, and also share lots of pictures of funny French Bulldogs! What can I say? I think they are AMAZING!

**please note: my Etsy shop is on vacation mode for the time being. I'm working on some amazing things and will re-open it sometime in August.

Single Mingle & Bark review

2010-06-29T19:44:00.006-04:00

Hi All! I've been meaning to post this a while ago, but the last few weeks have been absolute bananas! I'm catching up on some things I've been wanting to share. A few weeks ago, I attended a wonderful event called "Single, Mingle & Bark" sponsored by the Liberty Humane Society, my city's local animal shelter. It was held in Parlay Studios. It was such a beautiful space!

Walking in, it kinda felt fancy, like a gallery opening. They had munchies for humans.

And I guess munchies for animals too :P

The fanciness of the event was confirmed by the disco ball up above!

That's me! I'm wearing one of my favorite dresses and my vendor apron :)

The turn-out was pretty nice. There were a lot of people walking in throughout the day.

I thought it was nice of them to set up a space for professional animal portraits.

Say cheeeeese!

This is Snowflake. She's is the sweetest dog ever! (a little camera shy though). If I remember correctly, she is up for adoption. I hope she finds a home soon! She's a little rough around the edges as most puppies are, but with a loving home, I'm sure she'd be a great pet!

haha! So shy! I swear she knew I was taking photos and tried to avoid me every time!

I got to meet lots of dogs! Like this gigantic labrador!

Tiny timid doggie with big brown eyes.

Cone Poodle!

Fancy show-off dog! (This guy wasn't camera shy at all!)

3-legged dog. This is Marie, she was hit by a car and lost her leg. But that doesn't seem to bother her. She's such a happy dog! What a cute face :D

From this side, she looks like a baby seal. hehehehe

It was a great place to make new friends :)

Speaking of friends, let's look at Snowflake again!

Awww!

I had a vendor table at the event. I was selling my rice dolls and other crafty things.

I somehow managed to acquire a bulk of condoms! I didn't know what to do with them, so I figured I'd give them out at the event. They might as well be put to good use since I'm not using them. But not a lot of people took them! I guess there are some things that are free that people don't want. Or maybe they were too shy. But at the end of the day, some were missing and I didn't even notice! Nobody told me that there were ninjas attending the event!! :O

There were other vendors there that had animal-themed, pet-related merchandise like Clays for Strays

What a noble cause!

They even make custom orders. The photo doesn't give the sculpture justice, there are a lot of details that my camera didn't capture! I love the little boxer statue :)

There was someone selling really nice custom made dog beds on Etsy. I don't remember the shop name, but I'll add it in when I remember it.

The Pupcake Dog Bakery had some hilarious dog snacks!

Eee! Look! Donuts and hotdogs!

Pizza and Pretzels! This makes me wish I owned a dog! I'd love to give my dog some of these!

Luca of Lollibomb Beauty on Etsy. She made some vegan doggie shampoo specifically for the event. No worries, she makes products for humans too. She's super duper nice! I met her at another craft show a few months earlier. I want to try her products sometime because I love them already. Her soaps have hilarious little sayings like "Wash the Hussy off" haha! Sassy!

I met the very lovely Celeste from the Made with Love bakery. They have so many kinds of goodies! Its hard to choose!

oooh!

Gigantic bread!! <3

Cookies! Omnom nom nom!

And these tiny "hotdog" biscuits for dogs. So cute!

Let's look at more dogs! This is such a nice looking dog! Half pit bull and half labrador!

These dogs think that the people are going to give them something, so they're trying to be good!

This was the toughest-looking dog! She had a few scars on her face so I was kind of afraid to approach her because they made her look tough. But she let me pet her and was such a sweetheart. She was the nicest dog and had the softest fur! I'm sorry I misjudged yooouuu! You're the best dog ever!

Thirsty! There were bowls all over the place as refreshments for the dogs. hehehehe

I took a picture of your butt!

Snowflake again!

hehehe! What a nice looking dog! I love the coat color!

Lots of tiny doggies!

Making trouble?!

giant doggie hanging out.

This was the fluffiest dog!!!

Sometimes even dogs get caught taking photos with their eyes closed.

That's better!

hehehe! Another happy dog! I've never petted a wire-haired dog before this one and it was so weird! It was like petting a very warm wig. hahahaha! Very sweet dog though. This one loves attention :)

Can we go home now?

It was a really amazing event! So much love and thanks to the Liberty Humane Society for hosting! They have a few of their own photos if you'd like to see more. Which I'm glad because there was a beautiful rescued greyhound that I wasn't able to get a photo of! *hearts*

I hope you enjoyed! And remember, always consider adopting first!

-Sarah <3

Music and Video Experiments

2010-05-21T11:41:00.004-04:00

The Craft Fairs went well. I'm going to share pictures soon. I'm still in the process of photoshopping and cropping some of them. But more on that later :)

I was taking a break from the craft fair footage and found an excellent resource for free music at the Free Music Archive. Don't worry kids, this is for free music that is legal to download. I'm not into that pirate stuff (just pirate speak y'arr me scaliwags!). Not only is it free, but its meant to be used! Yes! You heard me! If you are into video editing, podcasts, or just want to add music to your collection, this is the place to go. I got lost in this music site for a couple of hours. It had a really nice collection and a lot of variety too. They take pride in themselves that the music is handpicked, like a DJ set, so you're not searching through unwanted or weird songs. Granted, some of the music is weird, but I'm sure someone in the universe will need experimental music somehow.

Within the sea of free music, I found two albums that I think will be my new favorites. I'm into comedy music and it was love at first listen when I heard Logan Whitehurst and The Jr. Science Club. If you like the Aquabats and They Might Be Giants, I'm sure you'll love these guys. All of the songs are catchy pop tunes and parodies with strange titles like Ohmygodimonfire and Happy Noodle vs. Sad Noodle. I can't get over the band name "...and the Jr. Science Club". Science is my middle name!

White Mystery! This is pure rock with a female vocalist. Not to be mistook for girly rock. This is old fashioned rock and roll. I love it! I don't know too much about this band, but the lead vocalist, Miss Alex White, sure has moxie! This is the kind of band that I would like to see live.

I ended up collecting more than sixty songs and all of them are fantastic! I was super pumped to use the music for something... anything! I dug up some old footage and made a new music video :)

I had a lot of fun making this! I carry my little video camera around and film random things sometimes. Enjoy :)

What the heck are Rice Dolls?

2010-05-15T00:50:00.003-04:00

I have been super duper busy preparing for the upcoming craft shows this weekend for JC Village Art & Flea Market and Single, Mingle & Bark. I wanted to share photos of my progress so badly! Sadly, I have been too busy sewing to even do that. Every day this week I've been sewing into the wee hours of the morning! And I can do this without coffee! I don't mind so much. I'm having fun sewing that time just floats by. And I get to watch a lot of DVDs at the same time. Its gnarly!

My rice-filled dolls aren't a new idea, but I feel like its part of some sort of underground culture. Most people don't know what they are. But when I actually do meet people who know what they are, its like we have an unspoken gang symbol or something. haha! I love how excited people look when they see my version of these rice-filled bags. For the rest of the community, I find that I have to explain what they are. And sometimes people are plain confused that they're filled with rice and wonder if they'll actually work. I don't mind at all. Its kinda fun to introduce them to my critters. I've broken it down in this chart:

hahaahaha, that cat cracks me up!

I have tons of new rice dolls for this weekend. Anything left over from this weekend will be put into my etsy shop I'll do my best to take photos of this weekend!

Bennyville at Art Market!

2010-05-10T11:58:00.004-04:00

Hi All! Everything has been so crazy! I've been attending so many fun events recently and I have even more events coming up! I've been meaning to share things on my blog (and I will in due time).

I have super exciting news! I will be attending not one, but two craft shows this coming weekend! This is my first time doing this, so please come by and say 'hi'. And shop and eat and shop and eat! :D

Here's a little more information on the events where I will be exhibiting:

SATURDAY, May 15, 2010
11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Fourth Street @ Newark Avenue
Jersey City, NJ

Free Admission!
There will be music and art by local artists (including meee!).
For press release and more information, please click here.

The next day, Sunday, I am attending another event sponsored by the Liberty Humane Society, our local animal shelter. This isn't any ordinary craft show! Its also singles mixer! There will be music and wine, and best of all, you can bring your dogs! How cool is that?! You don't have to be single or own a dog to come to the event. I actually don't own a dog, but I'm looking forward to making new friends and meeting some canine comrades! If any of you own a French bulldog, please bring the little wrinkled cutie! Its my favorite breed and I'd love to meet him or her. haha!

I also need to note that this event has a $20 admission fee, but this fee gets donated to the animal shelter. Its a good cause!

SUNDAY, May 16, 2010
Date: 04:00pm to 07:00pm

Parlay Studios
161 2nd Street, Jersey City, NJ
(between Provost & Marin)

Admission: $20
Parlay Studios is also offering a professional pic of your dog for $50
To reserve and for more info, email Janet Russell at: janet@libertyhumane.org

Proceeds from the event benefit the Liberty Humane Society.

For more information please click here.

I will be selling my rice dolls at a discount price because I don't have to worry about Etsy and Paypal fees! Yay! Alright... I'd better get back to work! This week, I am busy sewing and stocking up my rice doll inventory for both shows! I will be selling some brand new designs that aren't available at my shop yet!

I hope to see you this weekend! <3

More Rice Dolls for Etsy (Series 2)

2010-04-20T23:54:00.004-04:00

Over the past few days I've been hard at work to come up with new designs for my Etsy shop. I thought it would be fun to show a few behind-the-seams (Sorry! Couldn't resist a bad pun there!) er... behind-the-scenes look at my work area.

Two new designs! Boo-boo bear in teal and Baby Walrus!

I come up with my designs by drawing them first in my sketchbook. Usually my ideas come out as quick doodles and then I elaborate on them later. Or sometimes they look like this and I figure things out while I sew on my sewing machine.

This is the sewing machine that I use. Its actually the same one that my mom used to make all of my grade school Halloween costumes! Its older than me and still pretty reliable. In the back is a fried egg & bacon plushie that my friend Angie made. I hope she doesn't mind that I turned it into a pin cushion. We're in a recession, and unlike many, this egg has found long-term employment. So no need to be upset, in fact, I think we should be jealous.

"Ahh! My eye! Help meee!"

Hand-stitching

Series 2 available at the Bennyville shop!

If you're new to my blog, the dolls that I created have a dual purpose. They are actually hot/cold packs to relieve minor aches and pains! They are filled with rice and scented with peppermint. It can retain heat when it is microwaved. Alternatively, when placed into the freezer, it can be used as an ice pack. Pretty cool huh? I think these are better (and cuter!) because they aren't filled with chemicals or made of plastic and you also don't have to worry about filling a wiggly bottle with hot water. That's just an accident waiting to happen.

I had a lot of fun making these. I hope you enjoy them too :)

I haven't forgotten about Top 5 Tuesday! I've had a busy week and so much I want to tell you about but it will be late. I definitely have adventures to share! Stay tuned <3

Top 5 Tuesday: The Planet We Live In

2010-04-06T12:05:00.009-04:00

1. The Dark Age is how I would describe this past week. I actually wasn't sure if I would be able to deliver a Top 5 Tuesday this week because I was without the luxuries of the Modern Age. On April 1st, the Universe played a cruel April Fool's Day joke on me. Some ancient pipe exploded in my town and we were without clean drinking water for two days. I had to boil gallons of water all day to drink, wash my veggies, and for brushing my teeth. It put a lot of things into perspective. We take a lot of things for granted... like clean drinking water. I was without it for only two days, but the majority of the world doesn't have it so easy. Not having water was bad, but later in the day, I lost electricity too! And then the power outage burned out my router and I didn't have internet either! Here I am almost a week later. The water is pure, the lights are on, and the internet is back just in time for Top 5 Tuesday. In the time of my Dark Age, I found ways to entertain myself. I cooked some really great meals, read books for leisure, and hung out with some friends. It was liberating to be "unplugged". I'm thankful for having my things back and just a little more thoughtful for the things that I am lucky to have.

2. Life on Discovery Channel. If you have cable television what are you waiting for? Watch this show! Its breathtakingly amazing! I am a huge fan of Animal Planet's presentation of Planet Earth and was overjoyed that Discovery Channel is now offering a sister series. You'll be able to experience a new world from your living room! From the aliens of the deep sea, to action-packed adventures of predators chasing their prey, to the drama unleashing as the prey are running from predators! Or maybe you'd rather experience the miracle of birth or a tropical rainforest in bloom. I know for sure you'll learn something new. Even Neil Patrick Harris approves of this show. And who is to question NPH?

3. Pomegranates are my new favorite fruit. They are out of season right now, but I am still able to enjoy it in liquid form. If you've never seen a pomegranate, they sort of look like leathery apples with a flower blossom attached to it. Its really weird I know! But when you open it, its even more strange. Inside are hundreds of seeds that look like jewels. They're incased with a delicate, yet tough skin that contains very sweet, yet tart juice. Not only are they tasty, but quite good for you too. Pomegranates are a bit of challenge to eat, and plus the juice can stain your clothes. So please don't wear your favorite outfit if you're going to eat one of these.

4. Exquisite Corpse exhibition at the Robeson Gallery. Yesterday I took a day trip to my Alma Mater to see a fun show. If you're not familiar with the exquisite corpse, its a game that has been played by artists for possibly more than a hundred years. Its still quite popular today. There aren't a lot of rules. Typically, you start with one big piece of paper, then you fold it into three sections. The first artist draws the head, then folds the paper to pass it along to a second artist, who will draw the torso without looking at what the first artist created. Then it is passed to third artist, who is blind to what the previous artists have created, finishes the drawing by including the legs. Its a really fun collaboration that you should try :)

5. The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World is the book I am currently reading. The name says it all! After vacationing in Curacao I've been bitten by the wanderlust bug. I really wish I could travel more, but for now I'll settle for reading about such places. I really can't compete with the low rate of "free" when there are so many wonderful books like this at my local library. I'm not even done reading this book and I highly recommend it! The author is witty and sarcastic, and his experiences in other countries don't leave you feeling excluded in those "you had to be there moments". The author, Eric Weiner is the real deal. He tells it as it is and you'll totally feel like you're roaming the Himalayas and the deserts of Dubai.

That was my week! I hope this week brings us all lots of sunshine :)

Top 5 Tuesday: Things to do in a tropical island

2010-03-30T11:45:00.003-04:00

I spent last week in the beautiful island of Curaçao. Where is Curaçao? Its an island in the southern portion of the Caribbean Sea. I think I may have found the friendliest people on Earth. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, is always smiling, singing, and dancing. It was beautiful! Its hard to describe things that should be experienced... so I illustrated my week on post-it notes.

Here are the Top 5 Things to do in a tropical island.

1.Snorkel

2. Dig your toes into the sand

3. Look at seashells

4. Be lazy

5. Drink lots and lots of virgin piña coladas
My brother and I would chant, "Its piña colada time!" and disappear to the bar.

That's my week in a nutshell. <3

Top 5 Tuesday: Etsy Extravaganza!

2010-03-23T12:28:00.005-04:00

This edition of Top 5 Tuesday is an Etsy special! There are a couple of things that I've been eyeing and I'd like to share :)

1. Foodie Soaps by Soapopotamus! I particularly like the ones that she molded into breakfast foods. I have to repeat that these are actual soaps and not food! They look so real! The fried egg even looks like it has some flecks of black pepper over the yolk! Gosh, I really want to get these because I think it would be hilarious to have guests over and have them wash their hands with a fried egg or a piece of strawberry toast! omg! That would be the joke of the century! Soapopotamus has lots of soaps to choose from like donuts and cinnamon buns. But she does not limit the shapes to sugary confections. She even has some that are shaped like roasted chicken and false teeth! I want to be this girl's friend. She sounds like a lot of fun!

2. Breathers mini comic series by Justin Madson. I met Justin at Mocca Festival a few years ago. His comic books caught my eye when I passed his table because of his interesting character designs. He dresses his characters with goggles, wings, and robotic arms. I picked up Breathers vol. 0 for $2 and it was a very quick but deep read about a post-apocalyptic world where the air isn't safe. Its a sad tale, but I'm still interested to see where it goes.

3. Bear vase by Prettyrandomobjects. I was never really into pottery until I saw the work by Joanna Mendicino! Everything she makes is so cute! I love the simple face on her critter planters. I seem to have inherited a green thumb from my dad! I'm planning on raising African Violets someday and I would love for them to live in these darling pots!

4. Little Red Riding Hood Shirt by Em & Sprout. I have always been a fan of Lindsay's designs! Lindsay is an internet darling who was formerly known as "kid pirate". Now she extends her cuteness as Em & Sprout and is also the brains behind a sister site called Sick for Cute. I have a hard time choosing which shirts I want because I love them all. But I think I might end up getting this one because Little Red Riding Hood was one of my favorite children's stories (aaaand its in a lovely shade of green!)

5. Custom Cupcake Necklace by Migoto Chou. How cute! I love that she lets you customize something special. Its everything from the color of the frosting, the flavor of the cake (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry), toppings, to the scent! These would make wonderful gifts, or even a gift for yourself :)

Do you shop on Etsy too? If so, please let me know some of the things or shops you like. I love looking around Etsy!

Have a great week everyone! <3

Top Five Tuesday!

2010-03-16T10:36:00.006-04:00

I've been meaning to get back into posting on Tuesdays! I got held up by other projects. oh noes! But guess what! These are the highlights I wanted to share while I was gone. Enjoy!

1. At the end of January, I was finally able to enjoy my Christmas present! My boyfriend bought me tickets to see Avenue Q off-broadway! I've been wanting to see this show for years! I knew about it a long time ago when it was first produced off-broadway. The tickets were only $23! But no one wanted to go with me because they didn't know what it was. Then the show started gaining popularity and was moved to Broadway. All the people that didn't want to go with me fell into the hype and saw it without me! Can you believe that?! Shortly after, Avenue Q was retired, but now its back! I was so SO happy to finally see it! Its one of the most original things I've ever seen on broadway. And I've been to a lot of broadway shows. The characters are all so dynamic and believe me, just because the puppets look cute and cuddly, they do not hold back! Raunchy and risqué? You bet! But all in good fun. I highly recommend this show!

2. Sometimes when I'm searching blogs and pictures, I come across one of these rare, internet gems that are hard to pass up. I've recently discovered Scanwiches! Its exactly what it sounds like. Pictures of sandwiches that met with fate on a flatbed scanner. I have this odd fascination with food photography and this satisfies my attraction to the weird and whacky.

3. One of my nerd secrets is that I love the Olympics! Did you watch it? This is one of the few things that I really look forward too. If its an Olympic year, I'm a couch potato. I seriously won't go out! I love the Olympics so much that it actually hurts my feelings a little bit when I hear people say that they find it boring. Boring?! The reason why I like it so much is that I admire the idea that the best in the world are competing with each other in some amazing cosmic competition! Its incredible to be good at something, but to be considered the best in the entire world? What an honor! I've always enjoyed the Winter Olympics since I since I was a kid. The huge attraction was always the figure skating. I remember my heroes on ice: Scott Hamilton (who can still do a backflip at age 51!), Surya Bonaly (from France who could do a backflip and land on one foot!), Kurt Browning, and Kristi Yamaguchi. My new heroes are Sasha Cohen, Michelle Kwan, Johnny Weir... ok, so you can tell that my inner nerd is oozing out.

Vancouver 2010 was different because I was actually excited about all of the events. I had my TV stuck to NBC for more than a week and it didn't matter what event was on. I liked them all. The skiing, snowboarding, cross-country and even odd events like curling. Admittedly I was drawn to Speed Skating because of Apolo Ohno, but I've been watching him since Salt Lake City in 2002. He has that athletic charisma and has grown a lot in his career! He's interesting to watch. Ever see him in interviews? He's so poised and confident. I envy that :) But anyway, back to speed skating, try giving it a chance. Its so exciting! I'm glad the short track is under three minutes because there are times when I'm holding my breath! Amidst the chaos there is also a lot of strategy and power involved.

Ok... last thing about the Olympics (I swear!). Didn't you just love the Olympic mascots! Soooo cute! The picture above shows Sumi, Quatchi, and Miga. I was thrilled that the character designs looked familiar and it turns out that they were created by one of my favorite design houses Meomi! Everything they make is cute!

4. As you know, last month I went to the International Toy Fair in NYC. Well, if there was anything I would've liked to take back from the fair was toys. And I had to choose, I would have liked to take home one of the toys from Flying Monkey LLC. You can't go wrong with dinosaurs! And guess what! Its actually two toys in one! They're so cute!

I also met the nice guys at Joola. They are developing a very cute miniature ping pong table. Its seriously only about 4 feet long! Don't be fooled by the size! You can actually play a full game on the tiny table! I spent part of my day at their booth playing ping pong and talking about anime conventions. Good stuff :)

5. This is my new friend! Her name is Taco! I'm not allowed to have big pets where I live, so I keep my pet enthusiasm by housing little critters like Taco. She's a gerbil and fearless. I don't think she realizes that she's small. The first few days after owning her, I held her in my hand and she climbed up my arm (and really fast too)! She's fun to have around. Her favorite food is peanuts.

Toy Fair 2010 Review!

2010-02-19T11:47:00.003-05:00

The past few weeks were full of triumph and fatigue! I'm still amazed that I completed my To-Do list and didn't lose that much sleep doing it. Yay me!

The day of the Toy Fair started early. I woke up at 6:30am, ate a heavy breakfast, put on the cute outfit that I picked out, and applied some simple make-up that said, "Hello World! I'm ready :)" I was out the door by 7:30am.

I arrived at the Javits center way too early. I took this chance to shake off the morning jitters. I dropped my coat off at the coat check and freshened up in the restroom. I was ahead of everyone because after everything I did that morning [went to the restroom to fix my make-up, coat check, picked up badge etc....] there was always a huge line forming after me. So I knew that I was doing something right.

The convention I registered for (that had cheaper admission) was called Engage! which was a video game developers' convention. The badge had dual access to this and the International Toy Fair. I dropped by Engage! but they weren't ready yet... It was their first day of the convention so I'd imagine that everyone was still busy setting things up. The Toy Fair was already on its fourth day so I went there to mentally map out where things were.

The dork in me organized everything the night before. Knowing that 30,000 venders were going to be there, it was important to be organized! I concentrated on companies that were in my area and grouped them according to floor section. I love post-its!

Then I drew up a simple map of the general area of where things were (including the food court so I knew where to take a break). I have no idea how big the Javit's Center is. It wouldn't surprise me if its the size of two football fields. Its HUGE!

I actually got all of these ideas from my gamer boyfriend hehehehe. Like most boys, he plays all the first-person shooter games. I've absorbed some of the mapping ability through osmosis.

The Toy Fair floor was enormous! They had toys that ranged from the weird and wacky, to old-time favorites, to popular today. I immediately noticed that the trends seems to be heading towards green toys and toys that encourage physical activity. I actually didn't see that many action figures! There was a huge section devoted to board games. I was surprised to see a couple of booths dedicated to musical instruments for children. I grew up with a lot of music in my life and over the years I've felt quite sad that people aren't interested in things like this anymore. These days kids are growing up with American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, and Rock Band. So who knows, maybe music is making a come-back. I was also happy to see some ukuleles over there. haha! (For those who don't know, I started learning the ukulele in Spring of last year).

Being a designer, I knew I was taking a risk going to the Toy Fair. Ironically, I was surrounded by toys but this wasn't a place to play. When I walked into the room, practically everyone was in a suit. I've entered the world of Marketing and Sales. Here's a tip that I learned a long time ago: If you're not sure where you're going, never under-dress for the occasion. Having listened to my own advice, I fit right in. I was mistook for a buyer or store owner four out of five times, which isn't a bad thing. It makes it easy to talk to people if you're on the same platform (or think you are).

For the most part, everyone was very nice. It must be the nature of the industry. I mean, how can you be upset if you're around toys all day? I showed around my portfolio and was happy to receive mostly positive feedback. As for the negatives... well, it was a tough room. Most people didn't want to talk to me because I wasn't a buyer. I think I downright confused some people as to why I was there. And some people were even mean to me. I didn't let that get me down because I knew it would happen. I told myself that this is a world of opportunity and there will be doors. Some doors will be closed and it is my duty to find the open ones. If had a terrible encounter, I just took a moment to think about how to do it differently next time. On a tangent, I was happy that this is an Olympic week. When things get tough, sometimes I think about those athletes. They train hard for years. They keep going even if they make mistakes or get injured. And if I hide every time I get injured, I'm not going to get anywhere. So I have to think like an Olympian.

Although the room was mostly marketing and sales people, there were also a few creative types present. I love talking to fellow artists! I don't know how to describe it, but its such a relief to speak to people who know how difficult yet rewarding it is to be an artist. Those rewards? Absolutely priceless. We have an ability to make things and hopefully inspire others.

I had the pleasure of speaking to some really nice people at the con like Andrea from Planet Ogie. She is just getting started with her line of super cute green toys. There was also Avram, from Flying Monkey LLC, who is an experienced toy-maker. I looooved his dino-inspired toys. I wanted to buy one but I had to save my money for lunch! He was super duper nice to look through my portfolio and tell me a little bit about what its like to be a toy designer. I also spoke to the lovely people at Two Animators who were at Engage! Actually... we weren't really talking about anything, we were kind of just nerding out about toys and art school memories. hahahaha

Overall I had a positive experience at the Toy Fair. Now I've reached the most important phase of my journey which is to follow-up with everyone that I spoke to at the Toy fair. I hope some doors start opening :)

Day 29: The quest to become a Toy Designer

2010-02-15T21:50:00.006-05:00

Hey Everyone! I can't even begin to tell you how much I've missed blogging! The big secret that I've been teasing you about is that I will be attending the International Toy Fair 2010 in NYC! Yay!

I took some time off to prepare my portfolio to show around to hopefully make my dream come true: to become a Toy Designer! I'm not sure what to expect as this is my first time going. But regardless, it looks like a fun time. I'm excited to see all the new toys and hopefully make some new friends. I'd love to meet more people who love toys as much as I do!

I completed my To Do list that I set for myself these past few weeks:
-updated my resume
-got business cards ready
-assembled my toy portfolio
-researched companies
-printed portfolio samples
-found a cute outfit! <3

I spent Valentine's Day at Kinkos printing my portfolio samples. I'm super lucky that I have such an understanding boyfriend. He even helped me cut and assemble all of them. Aren't they cute? They are the size of matchbooks.

I've also created a brand new portfolio site for my work! I'm so pleased how this came out. My brother helped me with the layout. He's a computer genius!

This is what I usually look like when I'm working at my computer. I like to use my big headphones to tune everything out :)

I wish I could write more, but I have to finish some things here to be rested for tomorrow. I'll definitely follow up with a review of the Toy Fair. Good nite lovlies!

My cat.

2010-01-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

M.I.A.

2010-01-05T13:44:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone! Its Tuesday! I'm sorry to say that I won't be able to do my weekly Top 5 Tuesday posting. My iMac died over the weekend and I'm having it repaired (its getting a new heart!). I won't be able to update, but I will be working on some cool and cute things offline! So hopefully next week, when I get my computer back, I can share my adventures.

p.s. I must mention that I am updating my blog via my Wii! Ah! Geekery at its finest.

Love to you all! I'll miss you.

-Sarah

Top Five Tuesday

2009-12-29T16:30:00.005-05:00

Ok, I lied. My next entry isn't about my first month on Etsy, I didn't quite finish writing that blog... but in the meantime I give you this!

1. King Kong VS the Dinosaurs. I'm not a fan of the movie, but I was flipping channels over the weekend and I saw this scene that had me at the edge of my seat while holding my breath! King Kong is pretty bad ass! This must have been a lot of fun for the writers and animators, "Let's have King Kong fight a dinosaur. No wait... two... THREE!!" The remake wasn't that great, but it did have its moments and they can be relived via YouTube. But what's up with the rock music?! haha! It just seems too obvious to add rock music to visuals about breaking stuff.

2. Optimism. The only spot worthy for a king was #1, so optimism will have to settle for #2. I have been reflecting about this year a lot. This was not a good year for me at all, but I have held on to my optimism for 365 days. Its all I have to get through the hard times and keep pushing along. Its really nice to keep things around that inspire you. I found this cute animation to remind myself that life isn't all that bad. I'm counting down the days until 2010 so I can start over.

3. Persimmons. Winter is my least favorite season, but there are a few things I look forward to and at the top of my list is persimmons! They are so refreshing and abundant this time of year! If you've never had a persimmon before, they look like strange tomatoes, taste like ripe cantaloupe, and the flesh is as crunchy and juicy as a plum. Persimmons need to be peeled. The skin is tough, waxy, and unpleasantly tart. When I was a kid, I loved reading scientific fact sheets with the technical drawings and Latin names. So I give you this one about persimmons. Science is fun!

4. Nail Polish. I live in a part of the United States where we get four seasons and sometimes the cold and dreary days leave people less to be happy about. One way to cheer myself up is to dress myself with bright colors either through my clothes or nail polish colors. It is a cheap and fun way to pamper yourself. My current favorite color is Coconut Kiss by China Glaze (its the third one down). Its the most amazing shade of purple I've ever seen! I had a similar nail polish color in highschool but that bottle was long lost. I was ecstatic when I found this color! This replacement is actually much better! <3

5. Charity. This past Christmas I asked my family not to give me any presents. Instead I asked them to donate to my charity of choice. I brought along my fund raising envelope and was scared whether or not they'd accept my hippie ideas. I was expecting it to be filled with a few pennies and dimes, but surprisingly they were very supportive! I got a couple of generous checks for the cause! Yay family!

Top 5 Tuesday: Random things that make me happy

2009-12-22T12:58:00.008-05:00

There's a really fun trend among bloggers called "Things I Love Thursday". I like to blog a day in advance or the day of, and Thursday just doesn't seem to work. I usually work on projects on Sunday, so I like to take Wednesdays off as a tv night or hanging out and that leaves no time for blogging. How sad! I still want to participate so I'm making my own day to rave about the things I like! I was aiming to start this for 2010, but so many amazing things happened this week that I can't wait two weeks. So this is the first installment of Top 5 Tuesday!!

5. The Poladroid application for Windows and Mac! This is an oldie but a goodie. I have been playing with this recently and I am in love with the results! I never had the pleasure of owning a polaroid camera, but I have used one before. I can tell you this, this program is almost as good as the real thing! Not only will you get unpredictable color results like a real camera, but it features the "developing" noise and you can shake up your photo so it develops faster! How fun! I've used this for my Bennyville Etsy banner. Guess what! The program is free!

4. Amirugumi Dolls! These are knitted stuffed toys that originated in Japan. The trend has growing strong in the US. I love looking at Amigurumi Kingdom's cupcake bears on Flickr! This makes me want to learn how to crochet. The patterns look confusing to me, but I will learn someday!

3. Homemade Cookies. I've decided that this will be my new hobby even though I don't really bake. Sweet treats make people happy and I want to be the person who does this. At my Mom's request I made oatmeal cookies and before that I baked a banana cake that my Mom's co-workers are still talking about!

2. The Princess and the Frog. As my pal Dade says, "Disney got its groove back!" I think he's right! This movie reminds me of the old-school fairytales that Disney used to make. Its a cute make-you-feel-good movie that children and adults will adore. I sense a comeback!

1. Pac-Man Hamster on Youtube! This little video put me in such a good mood! I dig the sound effects. On the subject of hamsters, I found a girl on Flickr who loves hamsters more than I do! She's known as Pyza on Flickr. Her animal photography is gorgeous! She manages to position her little cuties like stuffed animals. I've owned hamsters and believe me, its incredibly hard to get them to sit still. Not only is she a talented photographer, but she has a funky fashion style too! I love this outfit! Her shoes are so cute!

I hope you enjoyed a little slice of my life :)
There's more to come! My next blog entry will be my first month experience with Etsy! <3
Have a lovely week!

Open for Business!

2009-11-21T13:39:00.008-05:00

Hi Everyone!

Ok, the super duper amazing project I've been holding for so long can finally be revealed! I'm happy to announce that I've opened the Bennyville Etsy Shop! I've been wanting to do this for years but the timing was never right. I've been brainstorming on things I wanted to make and finally settled on something I'm comfortable with. Hand-sewn crafts!

I was taught by my mother on how to sew when I was a wee-lassie; just short of that awkward puberty stage of life. Sewing was something I've always been around. My family has humble beginnings and handmade clothes were one way to cut corners and save some money. My mom told me stories on how she would make her own bras and panties when she was a teenager! When life started getting comfortable, sewing became less of a need and more of a hobby. My mom's sewing abilities became limited to hemming pant legs to fit our short legs, fixing torn seams, and halloween costumes.

This is me as Raggedy Ann

When my mom felt comfortable trusting me to sew independently (those sewing needles are dangerous!), I would create doll clothes with my inexperienced hands. This hobby eventually grew into my love for cosplay.

Big Apple Anime Fest 2003 as Sumomo from Chobits
Made by me, and a little help from mom!

So here we are today, my not-so-secret-project for 2009. Now with a few more years of sewing experience (but will never be quite as good as mom)! My etsy shop!!

The idea behind my shop is to provide cute handmade pieces that are either wearable or functional.

These are brooches that can be pinned almost anything! My personal favorite is the cheeseburger pin! It looks good enough to eat! I am also a big fan of Pokemon! So I created a couple of felt mascots in their honor. Pictured above is Combee (female) and Marill the water mouse. Just wait until Combee (female) evolves into Vespiquen. She'll become a force to be reckoned with! Bug Pokemon are not the weaklings you once thought they were!

I've saved the best for last! The Bennyville Rice Dolls! I was first introduced to the idea by my pal Risu and I wanted to create my own spin on the idea.

These are reusable heating pads that are filled with rice. They are easy to use: just pop them into the microwave for 30-seconds and you can keep your hands cozy warm or relieve minor aches and pains.

You no longer have to mess around with the old fashioned hot water pack. Its dangerous to fill those with boiling water especially if you're clumsy like me! Why not have a cute one that's safe to use instead?

Alternatively, they can be frozen for a few hours in a plastic bag and used as an ice pack. And the best part is that they come with an outer-covering that is washable! Just don't wash the inner rice-filled pack or both of us will be very sad.

I made a few original designs including: Boo-Boo Bandaid Bear, Honey Bunny, Mischief Kitten, and RoboPanda!

I have tons of design ideas, so please check my shop if there is anything new. These are all handmade by me, so if there is anything that is sold out, I'll be sure to restock as soon as I can. Right now I'm only shipping within the US. This is only because I'm getting used the idea of opening a new shop. I plan on shipping everywhere eventually ;)

Love,

Sarah

Its good to be busy

2009-11-05T01:11:00.003-05:00

Hey Everyone! The past week and a half have been so crazy! I'm up to the wazoo with fun personal projects. Some of them are secret! But this is what I can share.

Halloween week was nuts because I had some illustrations that I left for the last minute. Dock from www.deadpanda.com hosted his [annual?] Halloween costume artwork exchange for his friends. I've wanted to do this for years and years but the timing was never right. I'm was so happy that I actually had time to do it this year! I finished my illustration four days early too! The result is Dock's transformation if he ever encountered a Mahou Mahou Panda Power Wand!!!

I had a lot of fun with the magical girl parody! But oh man... I was a bit cruel with the concept sketch. Instead of a skirt, Dock was originally wearing frilly panda panties!

He drew a really awesome illustration of me as an Animal Crossing character! Its my favorite simulation game for Nintendo Game Cube, Nintendo DS lite, and Wii. I love this game so much, I've played all three versions. I <3 that he drew me in a plaid dress of my favorite color!

I've been working with my pal J0mzzz on Deviantart. We're both pretty new to the DA scene. His strength is pencils and my strength is colors. So we figured we should combine our powers for maximum awesomeness! I'm not sure if this is safe for work so click at your own risk. The link will lead you to some bikini-clad comic girls.

I don't mind coloring this genre, but I hope he decides to draw something else for me to color. He's pretty good at drawing monsters and robots too.

I spent Halloween with my boyfriend. We walked around NYC to catch the parade, which was fun until it rained. You know the saying, "Hate to rain on your parade?". Its true! Watching a parade in the rain sucks. We wanted to be in it... but there was some sort of human traffic jam and between the rain and the cold, we decided to leave NYC. The next best thing was to hope on a train back to Jersey and eat tasty Vietnamese food. We were so hungry we didn't even really look or talk to each other. It was like... survival mode.

Some of my favorite costumes of the night: (sorry no pictures, I knew there was a chance of rain so I didn't bring my camera)

• The Muppets Band
• Winnie the Pooh with the Donnie Darko bunny mask
• Cupcake girl (I need to draw this!)
• Ghetto pizza box costume (I need to draw this too!)
• 7 ft. Spartan. (How does anyone grow so tall?!)

Strangest costume.... well, let's just say, I saw some dude's hairy testicles. haha! The things you see NYC...
Actually... I'm not sure if "birthday suit" counts as a costume. That's very little effort in my opinion.

And finally... I was DYING when I saw this Weezer promo!!!

Halloween Week Begins!

2009-10-25T22:34:00.005-04:00

Halloween is my favorite holiday because everyone wins! You get to dress up and eat candy. There's no pressure to buy presents or any stress to have to decorate like how people freak out during Christmas. You can celebrate as big or as casual as you'd like. Halloween is the best!

A few weeks ago, my friends and I went to an orchard and country market! Lots of fresh 'pick your own fruit', homemade pies, and this huge pumpkin patch I took a snapshot of!

I'm not celebrating Halloween big this year because I am busy planning my super secret project for November. However, Halloween comes around once every year! I'd be a loser by not doing something. When I am not doing art, I am probably working on my second love which is cooking. So I decided to practice baking a pumpkin pie from scratch! I usually like to practice my recipes in advance to make sure it comes out right. I am so glad that I did because I learned a lot about pumpkins!

First of all, just like most fruits and vegetables, there are different kinds. I recently found out that there are different kinds of pumpkins and not all of them are good for pies. The Halloween pumpkins that we are familiar with are called Jack O' Lantern Pumpkins or Carving pumpkins. They are typically huge and oblong in shape. These are not suitable for eating. I read on the internet that the "meat" is too watery and not very flavorful.

The best kind of pumpkins to use are called "pie pumpkins". These are a lot rounder and perfect for baking or roasting. This is the pumpkin that I bought. In the store it was called a "sugar pumpkin" isn't that such a cute name? I later found out that "pie pumpkin" "sugar pumpkin" and "baking pumpkin" are all the same.

There is another variety that can be used called Cinderella Pumpkin. Another cute pumpkin name! Yep, you guessed right! Its named after the Cinderella fairytale. The part when the pumpkin magically turns into a coach so Cinderella can make it to the party! You can easily identify it because it is reddish-orange in color and looks a lot flatter than the pie pumpkin.

I roasted the pumpkin myself. It weighed about 5 lbs and it took almost an hour in the oven. I found the directions here

By itself, pumpkin tastes almost identical to butternut squash. I was disappointed by this and figured something out: Pumpkin pie tastes like a pie because of the spices and not because of the pumpkin. I think I felt just as disappointed as Cinderella when she discovered that her pumpkin lost its magic. No worries, I moved on.

This is the end result! The recipe I used calls for too much nutmeg! So it tasted too robust and almost bitter. I am quite pleased but I know it can be improved once I personalize my spice mixture. I'm glad that this was only for practice. I won't serve this to my family or friends until it is perfect.

I decided not to make a crust because I've always hated pie crust! The best part is the filling, but now I'm not sure if this can still be called a pie.

My pumpkin gave me so much filling that I was able to make these cupcakes too:

My cupcakes are sad because the recipe I used was too robust again! These cookbook chefs have got to take it easy on the spices! These cupcakes were practice also!

I still have more pumpkin filling! So the other day I made a carrot-pumpkin soup... but most of the liquid evaporated and now my soup is more like a mash. So its like mashed potatoes, except I didn't use potatoes.

And guess what! I have yet even more filling! I have enough to make another pie, more cupcakes, and maybe some cookies! Lesson learned: Buy a smaller pumpkin.I am not sick of pumpkins yet, but I really did bite off more than I can chew this time.

I don't have a costume yet. I am not sure if I'm going out this yer, but I'll settle for dark nails and wearing my collection of Halloween themed t-shirts this week.

Today I am wearing vintage Fraternity shirt circa 1979 that I found in a thrift store for a spooky Haunted House event!

There is still so much to do! I still need to watch a Halloween-themed movie! I might have to watch Mean Girls again because there's a really funny Halloween scene in it. And also a controversial movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas. Because it can still count as a Halloween movie... even if its about Christmas, right?

I have lots of things in my closet that can be turned into a costume if anything pops up last minute!

Let's make it a good week! Its a great week to be happy... or scared!

Secret Projects!

2009-10-20T00:39:00.006-04:00

Hiya Guys!

I'm so sorry for the lack of posts. I've been busy preparing for something amazing! I can't tell you just yet, but I am shooting for the beginning of November. I'm a little disappointed that I might not be able to do this any sooner, but I was shooting for the stars when I started this project. I wish I could sew faster!

Last month I concentrated on learning something new which was painting. I'm still enthusiastic about it! I've read a ton of books and have been practicing color theory and brush strokes. Its been so long since I've painted, but it feels really good to go back to it. I'll have to put it down for this other project I am working on. I have a gazillion ideas and they are all trying to come out at once!

However, this month, I am concentrating on playing up my strengths. My secret project has something to do with sewing. I hinted on this on my Twitter, but kind of regret doing so. I have such a big mouth! But I promise you that it will be fun and cute!

This is what my work desk looks like. Its a mess of embroidery floss spaghetti. I love embroidery floss! It reminds me of being a kid because I used to make a lot of friendship bracelets. I was blown away that there are a ton of uses for these things and not just bracelets.

Mixed media... I was spray painting these buttons in my backyard.

I love browsing the internet for cute things. I found these darling rainbow owls on etsy. I saved the picture, but I didn't save the etsy shop :( and now I don't know where to find them... If you happen to know who this seller is, please let me know. He or she is really talented and I'd love to see more things from this person. I found the mystery etsy shop!! She put more owls up!! Ah!! And the pears are pretty cute too!

Having learned my lesson of not keeping track of the cute things... I remembered to jot down that I liked this funny banana necklace by Peach Block at www.sickforcute.com

My boyfriend sent me this strange image. I can't get it out of my head! I'm not sure if I like it or not, but it sure is funny/creepy/and strangely cute...

<3 Sarah

Techniques and Training

2009-09-18T00:31:00.007-04:00

I really wish I could go back to school. College was some of the best years of my life. I loved the energy, meeting so many people, hanging out, and being an art nerd. I remember being so scared to leave because I felt like there was still more that I wanted to learn.

Times are tough right now and going back to school for a second degree or possibly grad school is always an option, but I know I can't afford it. Financial plights won't stop me from learning! I've wanted to do some really colorful illustration work using paints after watching Brian Stelfreeze do a live commission at this year's New York Comic Con. I couldn't get that scene out of my head. It was haunting me in a good way. I saw him paint Lucy Liu's character from the movie Kill Bill. And if I recall correctly, he did not have any references on him and the image looked exactly like her! He mentioned that he was able to do it because he studied her face a lot. She appears in his sketchbooks more than a couple of times because he found her face interesting. I guess Lucy Liu must be his muse.

Not only is he an amazing artist, but he's a really nice guy and a great teacher! All the while he was painting [he's super fast too!], he was having full conversations with everyone that said hello. Hey, he's a professional! He gave me some great advice and I took those words to heart. Ever since that day, I've been exploring different ways to approach art. My newest adventure is painting!

I picked up these two books at the library:

I've read my fair share of technique books and these are really good!

All About Techniques in Acrylics is a really good reference book. Its nice for beginners, but its not too watered down for people who have painted before.

The New Acrylics is exactly what the title says. It explores all the advances in acrylics. Have you ever gone to the art store and felt overwhelmed by all of that stuff on the shelves? This book tells you exactly what they are, how they are used, and the difference between all the different products. The photography inside is beautiful, actually, I might have to use the word "sensual". There is a section in the book where they explain the consistency of mediums through pictures of food. Paint is described as whipped cream, honey, and melted chocolate.

This is the first technique book that is actually written for the artist by an artist. It has all the technical talk, but also the encouraging warmth of a very good art professor. I renewed this book to keep it longer, but I might have to buy it someday!

I didn't exactly start with acrylics. I started with gouache instead. This is one of my mixed media experiments in my sketchbook:

It felt good to be painting again!

Here are some other pages in my sketchbook:

I like drawing creepy girls with sad eyes. They appear a lot in my sketchbooks. I find them interesting to draw. They're definitely inspired by Edward Gorey, Tim Burton, and Arthur Rackham's version of Alice in Wonderland.

I drew this a while ago, but I colored it yesterday with my markers. I'm pretty happy with the image except that I really really wish I didn't draw that pelican! It was the first thing that I put on the page and with [permanent] blue ball-point pen! I drew it because I saw it at Sea World. But now it sits on top of Rivers Cuomo's head for all of eternity.

Finished art:

Here's something I submitted for Illustration Friday. I don't think I shared it with you guys yet.
I posted it on my Deviant Art a while ago.

here's what the sketch looked like:

That's all that I have for now!
I hope I have more cool stuff to show you next week! <3

I edit movies too!

2009-09-08T13:40:00.003-04:00

Now that the weather is neither unbearably hot nor torrential rains, I'm trying to get in shape! I made a short film called: Bicycle the Movie!

Enjoy!

Bennyville Beta!

2009-09-01T08:39:00.004-04:00

Good Morning Everyone! Great news! The Bennyville Blog has gotten a make-over! This is only temporary until I get my new site fully operational. I also have a web development staff now! Well... technically my "staff" means my brother. He's helping me with the coding!

In the meantime, Bennyville Blog [beta] has a few features:
-Sleek new design!
-Link to my Portfolio at Deviant Art.
-Twitter Widget

I lots of stuff planned this week that I'm excited to share!
<3 Sarah

Metamorphosis

2009-08-17T11:10:00.008-04:00

I didn't believe it when I first heard that a sketchbook can be used as a tool to discover things about yourself. I've been trying to reinvent the way I use my sketchbook to enhance my creative process. Its not an easy thing to do, so I needed some help. I love taking a peek at other people's sketchbooks. As if it holds the secret to coming up up with great ideas and the amazing power to be set free.

I was inspired by San Smith who was inspired by Gala Darling and since then I've been on the hunt by other positive artistic bloggers to stay inspired :)

I found this little gem when I was looking for info on sketchbooks. And boy was I amazed! The artists inside use so many different techniques and there are so many unique minds! I don't even know how to describe it... you'd just have to take a look for yourself if you get the chance.

I tried to reinvent my sketchbook back in January and I'm disappointed to announce that I haven't gotten too far since then. It got too difficult to keep up with that darn calendar that I set up. I decided that that's not how I wanted it to be. It was too constricting when I wanted to think freely. I picked up my sketchbook months later with another approach and I came up with this:

I know it looks negative... but this was a huge revelation for me. I realized how unhappy I was. And then I thought, what makes me happy and what can I do about it?

I needed something to look forward to! So I'm planning 2010! These are pretty vague, but the most important step was to figure out what I want. Now I just have to figure out how to get there and I'll be using my sketchbook to help me!

I've been doing a lot of thinking and I've finally figured out what I want to do. I can't reveal my super secret project yet. Its taking a lot of planning but I have a good feeling that my project will finally get me off the ground! And I can't explain it, but I also have this feeling that there is no room for failure. I really hope I can find success in it. Ah! I'm so excited!

Here's another random page from my sketchbook:

I've been trying out different techniques every week. This is when I was learning transfer techniques. Last week was watercolors. Next week I think I might continue on with the watercolors. Its really fun so far!

Here are a few other artists that I like to check out:
• Julianna Swaney
• Clever Nettle
• I don't know her name but her work is awesome!
• Skottie Young

Its only Monday... let's make it a great week!
<3 Sarah

Watercolor attempts

2009-08-07T12:12:00.007-04:00

Some new drawings! I'm excited to take on the challenge of learning how to watercolor! This is one of the New Year's Resolutions that I made for myself back in January. I think I can grow to love watercolors. I like the unpredictability of this medium. Gosh... you should hear me paint. There's a lot of "oops" and "uh-ohs" being said!

A friend gifted me this tiny watercolor set years ago that looks similar to this one. The paints aren't as pigmented as I'd hoped and the colors are a little bright for my liking. But this set is easy to mix your own colors. I'm still learning, so I don't need expensive paints right now. I found this neat article on watercolors if you're looking to get started.

Draw the SPACE GIRL VERSION of yourself!

I think the recent Star Trek movie has been influencing a whole bunch of us artists. I've been seeing so many space-themed artwork and doodles out there that I wanted to jump on the bandwagon too! My space influence actually came from a Ren & Stimpy episode that I saw the other day. The duo ended up getting sucked into a deep black hole and the environment changed them. Crazy things happened in this episode like they grew extra eyes and fangs. Their flips floated away from them yet they were still able to talk.

This is exactly what I would look like in outerspace! I would have blue skin and hair. The planet would have three moons so the daylight would be screwed up. I would need special yellow eyes to see. My body would be stretched weird from zero-gravity effects. I would be part of a team of sexy space girls and our job is to eliminate space pirates. Ahhh! I don't know, something like that.

Rapidash and Ponyta from Pokemon

Here are some other drawings from my sketchbook that I didn't get a chance to share

Elephant

The Squid and the Whale
(click image for large size)

That's all for now. I hope you have a lovely weekend!

NYC: Secret Identities Event

2009-05-19T10:34:00.003-04:00

A little short notice... I found out that I'll be attending an event in NYC for Asian American Heritage Month hosted by The Asian American Association of Time Inc. There will be a few panels and a book signing for the anthology that I participated in: Secret Identities.

I'll be there rain or shine (it better not rain or be cold!!)
So if you're in the NYC area, please stop by.
The only thing is that you have to RSVP by today.

Event Details:
A3 - The Asian American Association of Time Inc.
Celebrates Asian American Heritage Month
Thursday, May 21, 2009

Address:
Time & Life Building,
1271 Avenue of the Americas (50th & 6th Ave), NYC
NOTE: The event is NOT at the Columbus Center location, but
at the Time Life Building, in Rock Center.

*This Event is FREE
*Please RSVP to A3_mail@timeinc.com with "A3 Comics Panel" in the
subject line by Tuesday, May 19, 2009 (Photo ID required, Please arrive promptly)

Schedule:
-5:45pm to 6:30pm, 2nd Floor Gallery Reception
Original artwork from the book will be displayed

-6:30pm to 8:00pm, 8th Floor Auditorium
Panel Discussion, Q&A, Book Signing

I'll most likely be hanging out at the A3 Panel: Secret Identities: Asian Americans in Comics

Official site: www.secretidentities.org
S.I. Blog: http://secretidentitiesbook.blogspot.com/

Imperfections

2009-04-21T10:42:00.004-04:00

I put a tremendous amount of pressure on myself to have "good" drawings every time. I get intimidated by a blank page. Oh gosh that first mark on the paper! I know a sketchbook is for ideas, but I've always had this thing where I don't want it to get messy. Isn't that silly? Over the last few years, I've been trying to break that boundary and not care, although its going SUPER SLOW! Like.... the drawing above. I wouldn't have ever drawn on the backside where the marker bled:
A) I would think that its ugly
B) Its hard to see where the new lines are going to be.

I like seeing other artists' sketchbooks and wish mine were more like theirs. I like how they have writings that mean something only to them. Then all the cutting and pasting of found objects. I've kept sketchbooks for years and mine still doesn't look like that. I don't even like looking at my old sketchbooks! One of my goals for 2009 was to have a sketchbook that's more than a sketchbook. It would have ideas and plans and something to be proud of at the end of the year. I wrote about it on my blog [Click here for source] and although I haven't kept with the calendars and whatnot, I've been writing lists and things.

Its a process.

Secret Identities is here!

2009-04-14T23:33:00.003-04:00

Huzzah! The Anthology I participated in is finally available!!

Secret Identities!
(click to see it on Amazon)

It sure was a learning experience! Also a lot of sleepless nights, tears, and greasy food. I would do it again in a heartbeat. It was a lot of work but more fun than my day job. Hopefully this will be the first of many publications.

edit: The reviews are starting to come in. I was just told that I was mentioned in Comics Bulletin! Oh my! Click for source

My complimentary book came in the mail today and it came with a superhero mask!!
(I think its just a promotional item, I doubt that it comes with the book)

Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School with Raquel Reed

2009-04-02T11:12:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone! I had a fantastic art weekend! Last Saturday I went to a figure drawing event for Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School. Don't you just love that name?

It was a real treat because the model was local celebrity, Raquel Reed!

This was a photo taken from the event. She looks absolutely gorgeous in person. Actually, she didn't seem real. Raquel looked like a doll brought to life! I think she did really well for a first time model for a drawing class. Holding poses sure isn't easy!

The theme for the class was a tribute to cupcakes! With cupcakes sponsored by Glittle Cupcakes. The Poor girl spent the entire night baking six dozen cupcakes! I was following her Twitter the day of the event. haha! There were also cupcakes sponsored by Cupcakes take the Cake. CTTC sure comes up with some interesing flavors. On their blog, they mentioned Spicy Mexican chocolate cake with cinnamon buttercream icing and red hots. OMG! I'd love to try that!

Here are my sketches from the event:

One minute poses
Boy did I feel rusty using that charcoal for the first time in years!

More one minute poses

Two minute poses

More two minute poses
I'm starting to feel comfortable drawing again.

Five minute pose

Ten minute pose
(this was my favorite drawing out of the bunch)
Her arm is a little wonky because she moved. hehe

Dr. Sketchy Challenge!
"draw with your less dominant hand"

Ten minute poses

It sure was fun! I'm definitely going to go again! They gave out some prizes too like indie comic books, Etch-a-sketches, and free drinks. I didn't win anything, I was just happy to draw and be around other artists.

Thanks Dr. Sketchy!

I like to read.

2009-03-19T12:04:00.006-04:00

Hi All! Its been a while! I still owe a proper review of New York Comic Con!! Maybe sometime later this week... maybe.

Out of all of my New Year's Resolutions, there's only one that I've kept, "read more". I'm only counting the novels and non-fiction books, but I'm known to squeeze a few comics and graphic novels here and there.

(I hope amazon doesn't mind me "borrowing" a few images...)

I loved comics as a kid but I'm relatively new to the realm of super heroes. Growing up, comics meant strip comics from the newspaper. I loved titles like Calvin and Hobbes, Garfield, Marvin, The Far Side, and Peanuts. I had a very narrow view of what comics are. Only recently have I gotten into manga, superhero comics, web comics, and indie comics. I have a lot of catching up to do! So if you have any that you'd like to recommend, please do!

The library in my boyfriend's town has graphic novels! At first I was opposed to this notion... but thinking about it this way, if any piece of literature gets a person excited about reading, than why not? Also... collecting graphic novels starts getting expensive after a while. Its a nice way to weed out the ok ones so you can buy the ones you'd like to revisit.

BIRTHRIGHT - in one word WOW! I loved every moment of this. It was adapted out of the Smallville television series, which is very controversial for some. But, personally, I really like the series so the graphic novel was a very smooth read for me. I liked the way that they reconstructed Superman's background to more contemporary times. Pure Genius! I think what makes this prequel unique is that the minor characters were more robust. Clark's parents were given more of an active role that wasn't really shown before. For starters, it was hilarious that they made Clarks's mom so internet savvy! If you like Superman, you might like this story. Its different, so the only thing I could say about it before you read it is to keep an open mind.

Here's other things that caught my eye that I will read eventually:

Yes, I am a DC girl. I love Batman! The Flash! Superman!
I'm not that into Marvel, but I won't discriminate. If its a comic, than I'll probably read it. haha!

Right now, I'm in the middle of my first David Sedaris book. I'm thinking... why haven't I picked one up before?!! All of his novels have very attractive covers and witty descriptions. It might have been one of those things where I didn't want to read the same thing that everyone else was reading. Well anyway, this is very enjoyable so far and I think I'll have to pick up more Sedaris books.

Till next time!

-Sarah

Hanging out at the Big Apple

2009-02-05T12:50:00.002-05:00

Hi All! I hope you're keeping warm wherever you are. BIG NEWS! The Secret Identities comic that I worked so very hard on last year is having two panels at New York Comic Con this weekend! You should check it out if you're around!

February 6-8

Saturday 1:30PM "Asian Americans and Superheroes: Secret Identities" panel in Room 1A18, SI editor-in-chief Jeff Yang and editor-at-large Keith Chow will be joined by Greg Pak and Bernard Chang (creative team of "The Citizen"). The panel will be moderated by Anne Ishii and will also feature the world premiere of the first Secret Identities trailer. (Room 1A18)

Sunday 11:15AM "The Multicultural Mask" panel, moderated by Jeff Yang, will feature Greg Pak, Jann Jones, Danielle O'Brien, Perry Moore, and Stuart Moore. (Room 1A17)

In other news, I've been doodling here an there. I recently saw an old movie, "The Professional" and was inspired to draw this:

Its a really good movie! It features a very young Natalie Portman. I had no idea she could be so fiesty.

Bold and Beautiful

2009-01-07T12:44:00.002-05:00

I got this article on my "How to of The Day" called: How to be Bold

Its a really cute read! I'm still on a positive route to change my life. And I have to tell you, its a lot of hard work. Its exciting and sometimes frustrating because some of the things seem impossible. Yes, it will be impossible if I don't do anything about it. I have decided on Monday that my life will be different. Its as simple as that.

This morning on my way to work, I randomly thought, "I wonder what Neil Patrick Harris is doing today". And then I thought man... he's the coolest guy ever! You know why? Because he was able to shake off the curse of being Doogie Howser and now everyone refers to him as NPH. The girls love him. The guys love him. (But he only loves the guys) ;)

It probably took him a little over a decade to shake off the child actor syndrome and now everyone respects him and think he's AWESOME. He could've easily disappeared then we would wonder, "What ever happened to...?". Fortunately he didn't. I admire him for being bold :)

Check him out on Monday nights on his sit-com, How I Met Your Mother. Its my favorite show!

Its not too late to acheive your dreams. If NPH can do it, I can do it too. lol

I'm going to try my best at New York Comic Con!!! I have to get over my fears of being shy. For two years I've wanted to show work at this convention with the intention of asking artists and editors of what they think and any tips they can share. I would lug over my portfolio and then at the last minute I just shrink back into a corner. I wouldn't talk to anyone because I'm scared that I'm not good enough. The portfolio that I originally brought is outdated by now. I don't feel like I have enough samples, but I will show what I have to at least get some feedback. I can't let another year pass by so I will just go for it even if I don't feel like I'm ready.

A New Direction!

2009-01-06T11:06:00.007-05:00

Happy 2009 Everyone! I'm excited about this year because I get to start over! I'm going to try something new, something I haven't done before which is to break everything down and structure my goals. I used to be like this when I was in school - but when school was finished... I got kind of lost. The structure they made for me was gone and I had to manage on my own. Scary!

I got the idea from fellow artist and blogger, San Smith, where she outlines how she created a "Visual List" for 2008 because things weren't going so well the previous year. And it looks like its been working for her so far! I've been following her blog last year and she's done some amazing things! I hope this method will work for me too.

I was originally going to get the popular 3.5 x 5.5 moleskin book, but then I saw the 5.5 x 5.5 square notebook and I was sold! Just to be safe, I wanted bigger paper for big ideas. Its still small enough to carry around too!

I started off by writing down all of the art related things I want to accomplish this year. Now that I've written it all down, it doesn't seem as overwhelming because I can just look at everything all on one page. Before I had a constant worry about all the stuff I want to do. Now I don't have to think about that stuff because its right here:

The cool thing about it is that I realize that its a busy schedule, but I think its very possible to do most, if not all of these things by 2010! When they are completed, I will cross them out. Vague things like "doodle" and "etsy"... it'll be hard to determine when these are accomplished. The best way for me to gauge when these are done are when I'm happy with my progress or if it starts to become a good habit. I left room for more stuff, just in case I finish all these.

To keep me feeling motivated, I also listed small daily goals. I like that feeling of accomplishment when I cross them out (p.s. Sharkey and Jetta are my pets hehe!):

And most importantly I pasted in a small calendar and I list important events and how many daily goals I did. So at the end of the month I can say, "Whoa! I was awesome last month" or, "I wasn't so productive, I will just have to try harder next month".

I am also using this as a reference guide. I'm going to paste in some of my influences and things I like to look at. Thoughts, feelings, stories, sketches... whatever comes to mind.

The Book

2008-12-12T00:54:00.007-05:00

I was on the phone with art director, Jerry Ma, for the Secret Identities project tonight. He was taking a break from finishing up the layout of the book. He mentioned that almost every night this week was an all-niter. Man... that's rough. Sounds like the final week of me finishing up my pages before Thanksgiving.

Weeoeoeoe! I might get a chance to finally meet the editor that I worked with, Parry Shen! Nervous-excitement!! I hope it goes well. He was always really cool via email :)

Bennyville's BIG plans!

2008-12-04T11:17:00.005-05:00

Hey All!

I'm having a fantastic week! Nothing particularly interesting happened, its just that I woke up one morning feeling GREAT. And then the next day after that was the same, and then the day after that! I think a lot had to do with seeing family over the holiday break and reading a fantastic book called "Paper Towns" by John Green. Check it out and you won't regret it!! In essence this adventure story is about friendship, love, and human nature. I'm glad I bought the book because I'm probably going to read it again. And if it ever becomes a movie, I'll watch it a thousand times. The cool part is that the book was printed with two versions of the cover! Which one will you choose?

(check it out on Amazon or other bookstores)

I actually have the other version because when I ordered it from Amazon, I didn't have a choice. But either way, both covers are fun and beautiful in their own way.

This fantastic mood brings me to my BIG PLANS! Since I have more time under my belt. This is what I'm going to be working on.

• Sexy, pin-up images for a book that my friends, Anthony Lofton and Ciro Romero, are compiling.
• Prepping for gallery shows with my friends. We don't have anything set in stone yet, but we're actively working on this right now.
• Mini comics for my art circle: 123Hush
• Upgrading my website. YESSS I know... I know... WAY overdue!

I seriously can't wait to dive into these projects. Its been a long time coming.

Animals!

2008-12-01T23:06:00.002-05:00

I've always enjoyed drawing animals more than anything else :)
Hooray for nature studies!

On to new things...

2008-12-01T11:03:00.002-05:00

Last night I was working on a few concepts for the project I mentioned in my last post. I'm super excited about this!

Still a little wonky on the anatomy, but the one thing I want to focus more on is SPEED! Which is something I haven't really pushed myself to do before. My friend, Pinki mentioned that I made her hand backwards... I think she's right. haha!

I'm really grateful to have some art friends to join forces with on this project. I've always worked alone - not by choice, but because it always happened to be like that. Or maybe no one was really interested in the same ideas.

Comics and things

2008-11-16T01:55:00.002-05:00

Its almost 2am and I was just thinking about my life the past year... Its a big year for art. I've been involved with the Secret Identities project for a year and now its coming to a close and I'm starting to feel sad but mostly excited!!! I really do hope people like it - the story I was given has a piece of my heart now. And that's all I'll say about that.

After this, I'm looking forward to a personal project of mine which has been marinating in the back of my brain for the past 2 years and finally I'll be able to start it with two friends of mine! It will be yet another exciting year!!

Ahh! So sorry I can't tell you any more of that. So many secret projects that I can mention but not tell you about.... (I also need to get into the habit of blogging more)

about...

2008-05-28T20:24:00.002-04:00

The Muppet Parody

2008-05-08T14:32:00.003-04:00

There's some down-time at work today so I sketched out Fozzie Bear as an anime character. He has a robot arm!! ZOMG!!

There's a "lending library" at my workplace where people can pick up a book to read at their leisure. To be perfectly honest, the selection isn't very good at all. The only "good" books are the crime-thrillers, but I'm not really into those. There's a lot of WEIRD books like "Hone your psychic powers". Then a vast selection of self-help books and trashy romance novels. Never having read a romance novel before, I decided to give it a go. This is only because there is a vampire in it. So far, its corny. I've lost more brain cells on this one than a can of beer.

I did these last night

2008-05-06T15:50:00.002-04:00

sketchbook

2008-05-05T14:04:00.003-04:00

I was looking at my 5" x 7" sketchbook and didn't realize that I've been doodling more than usual. I thought to myself, "When did I do all of this?". It was like 10 pages of new content! I don't have any access to a scanner at the moment... so I'll have to post those later. I do have additional drawings from Secret Identities... but I can't show you those. I'm not sure if I'll be breaking a contract, but to be on the safe side, I'll keep it to myself.

Not much else has been going on. Just trucking along, balancing a full-time job and comics on the side like I have the past few months.

I did have blast at comic con though!! Everyone that I encountered was totally inspiring and really nice. I'm still fairly new to comics so I'm jotting down a lot of names to research.

comic life

2008-04-16T14:48:00.003-04:00

Hello blog-universe! I return! Been a while since I last updated. GREAT NEWS! Turns out that I won First Place in the Mimoco Valentine's Day contest!! It was the "fast food Mimobot" from my last post that won. I'm anxiously awaiting to give my Mimobot a home! I'm so excited!

In other news, not much else has been going on. Been tremendously busy with work and moonlighting as a comic book artist for Secret Identities. Sadly, I can't show you any drawings but I can tell you this, it sure is a challenge! They have me drawing lots of backgrounds, big machines, and super heroes! I have the ability to do this, but I don't usually draw those things because girls with big eyes and cute little animals are more comfortable for me to draw. It was a little frustrating at first because I wasn't sure how to approach all this new stuff... but hey, it won't get done if I don't do anything about it.

I'm totally looking forward to New York Comic Con!!

Happy [early] Valentine's day

2008-02-12T23:05:00.003-05:00

Whoa! Its been a while since I've last updated huh? Things have been great lately! My job is keeping me busy but for the new year I'm making it a point to be more creative. I think I've gotten over a recent slump. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but I have been taking it too seriously and I miss all the love, the art, the pirate adventures! Y'arrr! My new goal in life is to enter contests to win FREE STUFF!

So I bring you this photo I took for the Mimoco Valentine's day contest! This was incredibly fun to do - incorporating my packaging background into this. I hope I win! I've had my eye on the USB drives for a while. I never actually picked one up for myself because... to be honest I can't decide on which one I like the best. They're all pretty cool!

upgrade!

2007-12-03T01:35:00.000-05:00

I redid the cover for a miniature comic compilation with my friends. The original one was printed in October. Now it has a fancy new edition cover designed by meee.

We've been preparing for two months, and we still don't feel ready for the new york anime festival coming up this weekend.

Secret Identities!

2007-11-09T07:37:00.000-05:00

I HAVE BEEN CHOSEN!
as a comic book artist for this!!

omg! I'm so excited!!

I made this fanart yesterday. Aww... Hinata is so cute! I still can't figure out why she has a crush on Naruto?

happy halloween!

2007-10-31T08:12:00.000-04:00

concept sketches

2007-09-02T23:54:00.002-04:00

9-5

2007-08-26T00:51:00.000-04:00

Monday to Friday its this:

new project!

2007-08-22T21:17:00.000-04:00

My friends and I are working on a possible miniature anthology for an upcoming anime convention! I'm really excited about this. I've never been a part of anything like it before and I think we have a good team. I'm getting really enthusiastic, that I was looking into a program called "manga studio". Its not just for manga, but its for standard comics too. It'll be a huge time saver making templates, and I heard that the brush and toning tools might even be better than Photoshop! I need to see this before I can believe it.

here's some concept sketches:

I honestly do want to stay away from the anime style though and really develop my own. I think I'm getting there?

Work in Progress: Chun Li

2007-06-17T10:00:00.000-04:00

I can't wait till July! By then I'll have more money saved up to get a larger monitor. The one that I am currently using is 13".

Tokyo Mew Mew!

2007-06-16T01:36:00.000-04:00

Fanart by me!

I still need to see the entire series, but the characters are just so cute.
I love vectors!

business card idea!

2007-06-01T22:39:00.000-04:00

Cute meets corporate and hamsters need love!
ahhh... I don't know. I think its cute. Though, it might be hard to read...
Let's see how it prints out.

We [still] love katamari

2007-05-19T20:38:00.000-04:00

Ahoy! I have to remember to update this thing more frequently. Well, now I have more time on my hands. The past couple of months were consumed by a full time job and a weekend internship. Now that my internship is finished I have more time on my hands to doodle! I have to try not to let a week go by without drawing something. I'm going to make it a point to keep a sketchbook around all the time. And *sigh* I still haven't finished my green sketchbook. shame shame shame. For the love of katamari, I give you this:

digital

and an oldie but goodie:

Gouache

from the old green book

2007-01-20T11:19:00.000-05:00

I never do bodies so this is a stretch for me. I'm really trying to get out of the anime influence and find my own style. I actually inked this one. haha!

I really need to practice hands. They always look more like lobster claws.

girls girls girls

2006-11-15T21:15:00.000-05:00

I've been drawing these weird girls with blank eyes over and over again. I don't know what to do with these. I just keep making them. I'm still trying to break that filthy habit of not drawing bodies. But isn't this progress? See? There's a nipple! I finally went below the shoulders. haha!

And what's up with that girl in the corner? It looks like Alice in Wonderland is having an orgasm. I don't even know what that means. Weirdness.

Quik Bunny and Totoro

2006-10-02T14:37:00.000-04:00

Man... I'm really weird. haha!