A little Rain Never Hurt

A little rain never hurt right? Nowadays it's been more drizzly then sunny. There was also a fantastic lightening and thunderstorm last night too! Instead of studying for my midterms what do I go do? I go finish up my little rainy print. This one is special because it took me so long and so much trial and error to get the leaf with the rain drops to look just right. I'm happy with the result! I just thought of a great idea that these would be perfect in a pediatric doctor's office or in the pediatric wing of a hospital. I have no idea how to go about to show them.
I use to work in the pediatric wing of a hospital in NYC in a program called ROAR or Reach Out and Read. Basically a couple of volunteers grab some books and read to the kids while they are waiting to see the doctors. It promoted literacy and an interest in reading. It was a great idea and the parents were more then happy to let us read to their kids. We also taught and gave pamphlets out to the family on proper nutrition too. Unfortunately most of the hospitals I volunteered/work at were in immigrant heavy and rather poor neighborhoods so the hospitals did not have too much funding. The pediatrics department was rather depressing and I thought it would be great to donate large posters of my art to brighten up the place. I'm thinking of creating a portfolio or "look book."BTW a look book is a great way to carry a mini portfolio of your work! Who knows?

Until then... reach out to a child today... =D

Float Away...

It's a pretty crappy rainy and grey day today. I'm glad I put up my newest print called Dandelion Float. You know those little fuzzy flowers that when you blow on them the seeds just float away? There's not too many around where I live in NYC. Actually not too much flora around here at all but the restaurant a block down has these beautiful cherry blossom trees that look gorgeous with pink flowers in the Spring. I look forward when they bloom because when the wind blows it looks like in those movies where the air is filled with light pink petals.
This is a picture of Washington D.C when the Cherry Blossom Trees are in full bloom. There's an annual festival and right now it's predicted that April would be the best day to see the blossoms. You can click on the picture and it will bring you to the official site of the cherry blossom festival. D.C is about 3 hours away from NYC so I've had the luxury to see this event and I tell you, words cannot describe it.
Anyways I just got back from my first meeting with the NewNewTeam at Etsy labs in Brooklyn. It's definitely hidden and if I hadn't bumped into some people going there I'd probably blow right past it. The people were cool and me being the extremely shy one mostly listened as plans were made to continue the Spring and Summer fleas and shows in NYC. Which reminds me about the Spring Handmade Cavalcade and the last one was a big success! I'm hoping to participate more in the team but between my school work and job and family and friends and boyfriend... I have to schedule things far in advance. I was lucky that I got to meet the team and go to the Etsy. Heck maybe I'll show up for those Monday night craft nights. If you see a tiny girl with big ol glasses or hear a high pitched kiddy voice that would be moi. As if!

Until next time... don't be afraid to go out of your comfort zone... =D

I'm No FooL

I love those paranormal, myth and all that cool jazz and my friend brought me a tarot card set and it had the most gorgeous drawings on it. I thought it would be great to create a ACEO sized Tarot card deck. This gives me the chance to really work with my new set of Sharpie Marker colors. This is my first one The FooL. She didn't come out too bad. It was a mix of my own interpretation based on the myth and symbolism behind the card meaning.

According to wikipedia: The Fool is the spirit in search of experience. He represents the mystical cleverness bereft of reason within us, the childlike ability to tune into the inner workings of the world.

Until next time... we were all fools once... maybe we still are...

Details... Details...

Sometimes when we are so busy looking at the big picture we don't notice the tiny details. I'm one of those people who love details... the long vivid detailed books that uses words to paint such a fascinating tale to the little back ground parts of music that add those little bits of harmony that just makes the song sing.

I've been very busy doing custom orders hence lack of posting and activity in general I find myself making more and more elaborate details that I know to most people tend to overlook. For example for my above pussy willow each pussy willow bud has been punched out with a hole puncher and the little green stems are drawn on by hand. The branch was colored and cut out by me and it's no bigger then half of my thumb. Even the little pompoms on her hair have been hand outlined and colored. Each one stuck on with glue. I've lost quite a few little details when my sleeves accidentally brush over my desk or when I sneeze. But the response I get from people are great and my pictures really don't do them justice so people are caught off guard when they receive and they say how amazing those little details are.

Okay I'm tooting my horn a bit but I also feel the same way about other people's work. I buy knitted and crochet things that I could never make from etsy and I am absolutely amazed that a person made all these little stitches and having the size just right. I go to galleries, museums and there's so much art just strolling around New York City and sometimes I lean in and it strikes me those little details add so much to each piece. Hope I'm not the only one that feels that way. =D

Until next time... sometimes you have to stop looking at the garden and lean in to appreciate the individual flowers...

Little Ring and Diamonds

Oh yeah that's one heck a big bling bling diamond courtesy of the Gemological Institute of America, one of the most trusted diamond labs. Why the sudden interest in diamonds? Well I was going with my friends looking for engagement rings... and no no not for me. It turns out that finding that perfect diamond for you is actually a lot of work. You gotta do research and comparison while watching your budget. If you click on the link to the GIA they have an excellent neutral information on what makes a diamond a good diamond. So for you lovely ladies why do you love your diamonds or if you're not there yet what would be your "dream diamond" ring.

Looking forward to hearing the sparkly responses! =D

A Little Rain but Mehs

Yep it was a bit gloomy, a little rain but it rolls off my back. I made the two little origami and I love making the little umbrella. It really made me smile. I'm also getting the hang of flickr though I don't mention my etsy shop due to Flickr deleting accounts because Flickr is not meant to use a place to sell your wares so be careful guys. I also joined many groups and those that I was interested in like Kawaii items, art, crafters and one that consisted of cosplay. It's really a great way to connect and I do love looking at all these pictures. So if you haven't try flickr sometime. =D

Until then... a picture is worth a thousand words.

Sweet Cupcakes and Changes

I'm an avid fan of cupcakes and even dedicated a post to one of my favorite cupcake places in New York City called Batch. As part of my Sweet n' Cute Spring collection I made some cupcake origami magnets above. I love cutting and coloring the little cupcakes on their head. Oh and I'm not the only one with new Spring changes, my mom has decided to take some English class at the local community college. I'm very excited for her and of course I am also going to help her when she needs it.

Until next time... It's NEVER too late to learn!

Tired... Craft Show

I am so very tired after vending at the Brooklyn Flea. Arrived at 10am but waited for my teammates of the NewNewTeam. Laura of FiskandFern and Luise of WarpeDesign were the nicest people and they had wonderful items quirky notebooks, fantastic whimsical cards and detailed little punch hole cards. Also Luise had these terrific little crochet rings and bracelets and they're so light and funky and guess what they actually fit on my tiny tiny fingers. Laura was nice enough to lend me a 4 foot table and a chair! Woot! Of course I was the shy one.. doh! =D

The flea caters to mostly hip, chic vintage people who also love quirky cute items but not too overly cute. They also had many food vendors who just made my mouth water when I passed them... seriously little tiny cupcakes, pickles, relish, jam, hot food and hot drinks. It was great. We also had some snazzy music that made me bop my head so I probably look pretty weird.

I did okay but that would be my fault because I'm way too shy. Though the minute I put my stickers out I realized it was the perfect ice breaker for me. Remember the xyron sticker machine I just had to have well it came in handy. Whenever people seemed unsure to approach or have approached me I say "Here have a free sticker" they come over say how cute everything was, take a business card and usually end up chatting. I sold more this way then standing back being all shy like my usual self and it really loosened me up so I could talk more openly. I found having this no pressure excuse to talk to people great for someone as shy as me. Maybe this might work for you if you're shy like me. Offer something low key, no pressure and it'll welcome people right in.

I did love it when people said oh my god this sticker is so me. One actually put one that said "HOT" on their bright red notebook and smiled at me saying it was absolutely perfect. I got many compliments and well that's always a great feeling. =D

Until next time.... No rest for the weary....

A Bit of My History

I make origami and I love so many parts of Asian culture and I thought I'd share a bit of my own Chinese heritage. My cousin who was visiting from college is one of the members of the Asian Society Club and they wanted to showcase Asian fashion unfortunately the students don't have any. Fortunately for him and his club one thing I love is ancient Asian clothes such as the ones above called qipao or cheongsam which are long elegant embroidered dresses from China. They are rather pricey in the U.S because they're imported. When my mom went back to China last year I jumped on the chance to ask her to pick me up a few and she did! Okay my pictures are kind of bad but my cousin took them. The first one is a light silk material with silk screened flowers and the fabric is unbelievably smooth and silky to the touch. The orange one is thicker with all these tiny embroidered details of flowers, branches and birds. The black one is also embroidered but this one was brought in New York. They're pretty snug and comfortable though becuase these are so form fitting a custom one would be awesome but very expensive.

Traditionally nowadays when someone gets married it's a fusion of Western and Eastern culture. The bride starts out in the traditional white wedding dress for the ceremony. For the dinner party a bride can change between 1 - 3 qipao outfits each one gorgeously embroidered and vibrant in color. One is usually red and gold to symbolize good luck and money. The next is one with a large phoenix since women are considered the "phoenix" and men are considered "dragon" the last one is usually some embroidered flowers like peonies and what not. I also see this type of dress style in modern fashion which I find very cool. Pearl River is a store that has a huge inventory on Chinese imports from clothes, ceramics, food etc. I hope you enjoyed this slice of my history. =D

Until next time... Your past is equally important as the present and the future.

Hand-i-Crafts

So did I mention I really like Spring? Well I had Spring on my mind well into the winter and I actually made the above little girl around January and I really love the pale yellow/peach design of the origami paper and a marigold would be a perfect flower to top it off. I also started to experiment with pictures and decided to use my hand as a sort of visual measure of the size of my items. I really like the way they came out though I'm still iffy on using it as the first photo.

I also made a flickr account but I think I messed it up lolol. It has a huge number/letters as I guess my ID... when I wanted it to be Meekiyua. DoH! Trying to figure out how to change it. =(

Until next time... Spring into action!

Just a Little Bit of Hope

Just a little bit of hope. I made the above little print for the monthly Creative Challenge and this month's theme is "New Beginnings." Nothing says new beginnings then the first tiny sprout of Spring and in this day and age I feel what we need are renewed seeds of hope. They may be tiny but with patience and care, hope can become so much more. Guess it's just me being sentimental but I'm one of those people who go around with a little voice of hope on my shoulder rallying me though those hard times. I hope you enjoy the print and makes that little voice stronger when you have to face some tough times.

Until next time... just a little bit of hope can go a long way.

Sweet N Cute Spring

Who else enjoyed the super Spring like weather this weekend? I certainly did. I spent it in South Jersey and Philadelphia with my significant other. It was a great relaxing weekend something I think everyone needed. With this new hop and skip in my step I have been working on a new collection for both my shops Meekiyua and Lipeony called the Sweet N Cute Spring Collection. It will be a mix of the quirky cuteness and fresh aroma of spring with a dash of sweetness in it. Very vague but working with bright colors and concepts which I think Spring is the best season to do so. The above are my new stickers I made with the Xyron 1.5" sticker maker. I love stickers as a child and when I saw this little contraption I had to have it. It's the size of my hand and very easy to use. The stickers I made actually stick! I'm not selling them just a fun way to tape close the bags for the Brooklyn Flea this weekend. =D

Until next time... Spring.. Spring is a wonderful thing!

Is it Vacation time yet?

Oh boy is it vacation time yet? lolol. I was watching Shrek the first one and that Pina Colada Song came up and I was struck with a fantastic idea! The above print is the result. I printed it up as a 8 x 10 and it's on my desk and I swear when I see it I can hear those ocean waves and the sweet Pina Colada drink. Sigh. Which begs the questions is it vacation time yet?

I had finish about 30 magnets yesterday and was spraying on the acrylic coating. Unfortunately it takes two hours to dry so being the bored and lazy person I am I decided to open myself up to do shop critiques while they dry and oh boy. I opened a can of worms. I do love giving advice (even though I never follow it) and I always stress it is just my opinion, it gets tiring after like the tenth one. But seriously after critiquing other stores I'm like wait that applies to me too! This has given a great chance to really think outside the box.

For example when someone asked about their store and how to really design it I said well look at who your target audience in and see what shops and magazines they read. I thought about it those who are high end generally read like Elle or Vanity Fair and they generally tend to be simple, not bright and elegant, this caters to their audience. Cosmopolitan and Glamour which are more like every day woman tend to be bright, fun, flirty maybe even a tad raunchy but it caters to their audience. These magazines are all about design and fashion well I think you can apply their general trend of design and colors to your shop if you fall into those audience. Just food for thought.

Brooklyn Flea March 15th! Craft Fair or Bust!

Until next time... you are your worst critic... =(

I Am Juliet

That's the newest print I did last night. Once I had the idea in my head I just had to finish it. It took about six hours with only black, red and permanent marker but I absolutely love the way she turned out. This was inspired by a rendition of Romeo and Juliet where Juliet is a young woman fighting for between her one true love and her beloved family. Here I am trying very hard to capture the fiery red hair in the wind and half dreamy somber face as she heads straight towards her destiny. I made another version that's about 10 inches by 24 inches and it's hanging over my window in a 10 inch x 36 inch black frame and it's just wonderful.

Make sure to check out the Brooklyn Flea every weekend for great finds! I'll be there on March 15th! =D

Until next time... follow your heart...