The Sketchbook Project 2012

This morning, I received an email from The Art House Librarian Robot (hihi... cute, rite?) that made me so relieved that I can finally blog about this project that we've been working on.

All 5 of us had been on the edge of our seats since we sent out our labour of love.  Now, I could totally comprehend the agony parents had to deal with parting with their children when they go away to venture the world.  And this was what our Sketchbooks were supposed to do ... to go on The Sketchbook Project 2012 World Tour (hopefully) and be on display at the Brooklyn Art Library.

Sketchbook Project 2012 by the Art House Co-op in Brooklyn, NY.  "The Sketchbook Project is a traveling library that archives thousands of artists' sketchbooks from across the globe and shares them with the public. This is where we share all of the incredible work from the shelves." ~http://blog.sketchbookproject.com/

I signed up for the theme "Life Underground" and toyed around with a couple of ideas on how to express myself through the theme on the sketchbook.

Back Then When

Dug out a skeleton from my closet of non-sewing past ... check out the cute little tote I made with the braided handles.

And the bottom of the tote bag, with a straw board base, lined from inside.  There is a very embarrassing how-to back story for this bag which I made when I was in my early 20s.

Rubber Stamping Fun

Recently, I was toying with the thought of getting some rubber stamps made for Cloth.withPegs. I even thought about carving it out of erasers or some cork-based material, like this guy from my recent Hanoi trip. (Maggie & Gette got some traditionally hand-carved stamps made for friends.)

Something Pink

There will be a reunion dinner for my school in July, and the theme is Something Pink. Although I am just gonna go in a Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Ribbon pin, I've decided to experiment with something pink, anyways...

Found these wonderful lace trimmings and thought I would test something out on it. I wanted to do a headpiece with some tulle and attached it to a headband. But at the moment, I got something that looks like a doily. I loved it anyways. I loved that it looked vintage.

Here's what I did, I stringed some beads together with the lace, intending for it to cluster together at the end and form a 'centre'.

And I continued for another 10 pearl beads...

At this point, I cut off the extra lace trimming and looped it back to join with 1st bead, and tied it together. And I also stitched the ends of the lace trimming together.

There we go, after the ends had been joined.

Since I thought it looked too constricted, I cut the lace up at the nooks to further define the 'petals'.

I tried to enhance it sideways, so it doesn't look so rounded, by adding extra petals to 2 sides, on opposite ends.

And stitched it on...

Guess that's progress until now, until I decide to work on it some more ... ;)

Beijing

Just wanna share some pictures from my recent trip to Beijing. One of the highlights from this trip was the National Theatre of China in Beijing, design by French architect Paul Andreu.

(oooo, those costumes and miniature set design models!!!)
some more photos here:

19th May 2009
arrived in Beijing Terminal 2
dimsum breakfast
Tiananmen Square
Beijing Opera House
Forbidden City
Pu Er Tea outlet
check-in to Taly Plaza Hotel
dinner

20th May 2009
BIAD
Planning Exhibition Hall
Peking Duck lunch
Opposite House (hotel) by Kengo Kuma
The Village (shopping centre)
(eat McD mapo pork burger!)

21st May 2009
Temple of Heaven
SOHO Jianwai
SOHO Shangdu
CCTV
Linked Hybrid
798
Tenggili Tala dinner

22nd May 2009
Summer Palace
Hotel 61 Cote Cour
Hotel Kapok
WangFuJing
Szechuan dinner
JiuBaJie (Bar Street)

23rd May 2009
Great Wall
Commune at the Great Wall
lunch near Olympic park
jade outlet
Qianmen Jianguo Hotel/Liyuan Theatre
Qianmen Jie

24th May 2009
rickshaw ride in Hutong
Water Cube (Olympic Aquatic Centre)
Bird's Nest (Olympic Stadium)
acrobatic performance
dinner
nite scene of Water Cube & Bird's Nest
(supper near hotel)

25th May 2009
and a couple of pics from our last day there at the airport

Reminiscing 2008

I have a confession, some of my closest friends have heard this before ... I always had 2 fears about using the sewing machine, which prevented me from going near a sewing machine. As morbid and as silly as it may sound, I was afraid that:

1) my finger will get caught under the presser foot and the sewing machine will eat me alive (at least my hand); and

2) the needle will break and the sharp pointy bit will fly into my eye (that reminds me; I need to get myself an industrial safety glasses).

After all these years of gluing fabric together, I finally taught myself to use a sewing machine!!! So I guess my creative urges were stronger than my fear.

In 2008, I made lotsa stuff with the sewing machine (and sometimes still gluing stuff together) and started this crafting blog! HURRAH!!! Looking forward to more projects in 2009!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!