Time to Play!

After a quick trip to the craft store, I was ready to make my first (official) Unloved Monster Paper Doll. I'm telling you now, it's super fun. I carefully cut out each limb, his body, and his bow.

Unloved Monster tried to help me too once he was free. He was eager to meet his new, yellow birdie friends!

Then we cut out the big, lacy heart (which was a little more difficult since I wanted all the ruffles to be perfect). Then, out came the brand new, shiny gold brads! Unloved was so excited (as was I).

I took a big pearl pin (which Unloved was not really too thrilled about) and poked all the little circles where the brads would fit through. Luckily, Unloved didn't feel a thing because he's made of paper! Phewf!

It was easy to push the brads through. I purposely put his limbs behind his body instead of in front. Then I attached his bow. After that, Unloved was all smiles (well, inside he was smiling anyways). And he tumbled around on the paper, playing with his birdie friends. What a great fellow!

Want to make your own Unloved Monster? He's waiting for you in the shop!

Add a Third Column to Blogger

Hey! I figured out how to add a third column to Blogger!

If you want one too, go here! I'm just playing around with it now using the Minima Blogger template, but I'll try some other templates next. It takes some getting used to how to add the code, but that tutorial is quite good.

There are also tutorials for other blogger templates here.

Give it a try!

Unloved Paper Doll In Progress

So, the super secret project that I'm working on is... an Unloved Monster paper doll! Yes, that's right! I've been cutting and snipping night after night to get him *just* right.

Once I had come up with a design I liked. I marked all the holes for where the arms and legs would attach. Then I printed out some demos in black and white to test out. The verdict? It's super fun!

I loved cutting the pieces out and it's fun to lay all the parts out in their correct places. The birdies and the big, red heart don't attach by pins to the little monster. You can just place them/tape them/glue them wherever you think is best.

I headed to the print shop to do a test print today, and they look pretty snazzy. The print shop lady thought so too.

I'll be off to Michaels this weekend to see if I can find some mini brads to complete this project. I'll put some up in the shop once they're ready. I think they'd make a great project to do with kids. It would make a cute, unique Valentine's card too (although it probably won't get to you in time for that if you're far away...).

I'm personally quite smitten with the little black and white fellow I'm playing with right now (I haven't cut out a coloured version yet). I love those little birdies too.

I packaged up some ACEOs to send away this week. As you can see, I used one of my For You from bluepandemonium stickers on the bubble cushioned envelope!

I was really quite delighted by it. There's also a picture here of an ACEO ready to go. It has been tied with raffia paper, and I have included a complimentary pumpkin bookmark in this order (because it was my 10th sold item!).

I have also folded a little origami bird and drawn some details onto it. The thank-you note has been folded into a pocket which is decorated with a nest design so the little bird can sit in it. I put a lot of effort into my packaging because I really want my customers to have a good experience. I know that I appreciate it when someone puts effort into something they send to me, so I try to make it great for others too. Decorating everything manually is a luxury I can afford right now because I don't have a lot of sales and I do this for fun.

I hope my customers appreciate it!

Working Up A Storm

I've been dreaming about making something very fun for a long time now. Wednesday night, I put it into motion, and I can't wait to show you what it is. For now, I can only tell you that it has to do with this fellow:

It's Unloved Monster! He's going to be the star player in my next invention, and I'm very, very excited. I've been drawing late into the night to get it just right.

Today, I'll be heading to the printers to see my creation realized. Wish me luck!

I'll post pics soon!

Here are some cool finds from Etsy this week:

Robin's Egg Nesting Bowls from alinahayes, Treasure from Atlantis IV from valleycreekstudio, Rocket Ship I spy bag from thosegreatwomen, and Baby Guinea Pig Plush from Morumoto.

Have a great weekend!

I'm in a Treasury!

I was delighted to discover that I am included in a SEXY Valentine's Day treasury - ooh la la! And who made the cut? It was my Putting Down Roots No.1 ACEO! Hurray!

What a great surprise!

Thanks, designsbycathy!

Celebrate With Me!

Guess what happened today? It's a landmark! I had my 10th item sold! Yippeeeeee!

I know, I know, there are Etsy sellers out there with hundreds and thousands of items sold, BUT that's not me! I'm the little guy, and I'm happy about TEN!

So I'm celebrating today and wishing all the other Etsy sellers out there many, many happy sales! I've never been about the selling so much as the creating of fun things and sending them off to fantastic, far-away locations - the USA, Italy... it's magical!

The coolest thing ever is that I actually got my 11th sold item today too. Two in one... it's a first.

So, I thank you for reading this blog and for buying things from my shop (thank you, thank you), and the folks at the local food bank thank you too!

As an interesting technique I learned today, here's a really effective way to "photograph" your products (if they're flat): SCAN THEM! Yes, that's right, I scanned my latest Unloved Monster bookmarks. First, with a white background (which is pretty normal) and then with a book background! Just place bookmark, add book, close lid, and scan! They'll be perfectly lit every time.

I've been trying to find a good way to light and photograph items for a while now. This is my latest in experiments. So far, so good.

What do you think?

To the Printers and Back!

I'll admit it, I dread going to the printers. I fear long lines, mistakes, and monsters that hide in the printers (or work there). So it was with much trepidation that I trudged my way through the snow cluttered sidewalks and entered the print shop. Eeeps!

Lo and behold, there were no line ups today. I walked up, handed over my disc, and a very pleasant young lady asked me which files to print and how many. Only a few minutes later, she returned with my beloved prints - the now colorful stickers, and my very lovely bookmarks. I was actually really, really pleased with how the pumpkin bookmark turned out. It's so vibrant!

I hurried home to ooh and aah over the print outs and immediately went to task in cutting my stickies out. It was so fun!

My very first packet of these stickies is now available in the shop!

My most favourite part was how prettily my "for you from bluepandemonium" stickies turned out. Ahh, bliss!

Working on Stickers

I've been trying to make some new sticker sets for my shop (and for me!). I have the cutest designs and I printed out a test sheet last night. Unfortunately, my printer only prints in black and white, so I'll have to go to a print shop before I can really tell how they will look in colour. Still, they don't look half bad right now.

What I was interested in particular was some cutie pie stickers for when I mail my items. I already decorate the bubble cushioned envelope in doodles galore, but I wanted something colourful too.

I finally came across a drawing of a puppy dog holding a red sealed envelope in my collection of past artworks, and I found that I could just perfectly type, for you from blue pandemonium onto the envelope. It was so perfect!

In that same collection of drawings, I found my old Sad Sheep, Pastry Pig, and some sweet elephants linking their trunks. I thought these would make cute stickers too.

Here's a pic of the sticker sheet in black and white.

I also did a layout for some prints of my Unloved Monster bookmark. He was such a cute design and I had always liked him. I thought I'd like to keep one for myself, and that maybe someone else would want him too since he's currently sold out.

I realized that I had also never printed out one pumpkin bookmark that I had digitally painted. I added the blue pandemonium name onto the bottom. For now, I'm not sure what I plan for it, but it might become part of a giveaway or a complimentary gift with purchase. I'm really loving the stained glass feel of it and I want to print it out just to look at it in real life!

That's the thing with digital paintings. Until you print it out, they're not really real. They're locked up inside of your computer. Trapped forever, in a way, in a digital world.

I can't wait to bring these sticker designs and bookmark designs to the printers. I'm rather excited to see them come to life!

I hope you're having a good weekend!

Putting Down Roots ACEO Series

I finally finished my "Putting Down Roots" ACEO series. I'm still not happy with them completely, but I don't really want to change them either. There's something about painting something for the first time that I don't really want to tamper with. In the future, I might print out the line work and try it again, but for now they have something nice about them that I want to preserve.

If I had to paint them again, I would try painting them in more realistic colours, like multi-colours. I kind of like how they are each differently coloured though. What do you think?

Putting Down Roots is a series I dreamed up in response to the ideas of family, building a nest, finding a mate, starting a family, and waiting for the one. In No. 1, the little warm-hearted birdies are looking for a spot to roost. They are a like family, watching each other, curious and nosey, checking to see if they have the best spot. Then comes No. 2. It's like the teenager stage where you are mostly alone, very unique, and simply building a comfy nest for yourself. In No. 3, the little birds have found a mate and they are making babies! This is a golden, warm coloured time of life. You have love, and you have motherhood. In No. 4, there is a bird all by itself. The colour is purple and you sense loneliness. This tree represents being alone. It could be single life, children being grown up, loss of spouse, or just mental hermitage.

This series is now in the shop. Hope to see you there! I think I will make prints of this series so that they can be purchased in a set by collectors. It's nice to have them together, n'est ce pas?

A Clever Video

I came across this video called "Lost Generation" today and I appreciate the message it is trying to send. Have a look and see if you agree.

Happy Friday!

I'm so glad this week is over. It's been a rough one, what with the death of my friend's mother. I dreaded going to work every day as it meant putting on a brave face and pretending everything was okay. Meanwhile, my friend was busy planning funeral arrangements and grieving. I really wanted to be there with him instead. It felt wrong to be apart from him when he is going through such a difficult time in his life. It seemed like I was being a very bad friend.

There was not much to be done, however, as it was his family's wish that the funeral and following ceremonies be as private as possible. Who was I to intrude on their family's private suffering? I could not force that upon them.

Thus it was that I was left to my own form of grieving - respect for the family's wishes, and burying myself in poetry and wishful thinking. Ah, sometimes it is hard to be a good friend.

But yesterday was a pretty good day. Three of my aunts came to town and we had a grand family dinner with them. We chatted over some really yummy Korean food, and I felt so welcome and happy. I hadn't seen them in a while and it was great to do some catching up. Sometimes I forget about how warm and friendly my relatives actually are. It really feels like family when they're around - one big happy (and noisy) family! My aunts have notoriously loud and cackling laughs, and they laughed a lot! I was relieved that we were tucked away in a corner of the restaurant in our own room with a semi-closed door :)

There will be some more family dinners coming up to celebrate Chinese New Year and I'm looking forward to them. I'll get to see my 91 year old grandmother (I can only hope to live as long and as healthfully as her!) and my uncle who used to live in our house when I was little. I think it will be a good time of eating and sharing stories.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend, filled with happy times spent with family. Whether you're grieving, missing someone, or perfectly happy, time with family is a blessing.

What Does A Mother Say?

You called me to your side that night
What did you want to say?
I didn't hear you calling
Though I dreamed you said goodbye.

Did you want to say you loved me?
Did you want to say, "Take care!"

What does a mother say to her child
Before she goes away?
What does she say?

What does a mother say to her child
the night before she's gone?
Does she tell him all her worries about his life
About not being able to watch him grow?
Does she ask about his loved one
And about his plans for life?
Does she say she's sorry for leaving
That she didn't want to go?
Or does she just want to see his face?
To see her baby now a man.
To know that he's okay; she did good.
What does a mother say?

What do you tell your child
When you can't live forever?
When God calls your name
And you can't say no.
What do you say?

How do you tell them you love them
And you'll always be there?
Maybe not in person
But always there in heart.
How do you say it when you're already gone
And they're standing by your grave?
You watch them place the flowers.
You watch them shed their tears.

What does a mother say to her child
When life is over and death is come?
What does she say? (Goodbye, goodbye.)

What does a mother say?

--Marie Tai

I Will Remember

(This is a poem in memory of my friend's mother who passed away this Saturday. My heart goes out to their family.)

I will remember all of the times you cooked for me.
I will remember all of the times you showed love to me.

All of the moments that you sacrificed,
All of the times you worked over time,
All of the moments I'll never have with you,
I will remember.

I will regret all the times I should have told you I loved you.
I will think hard and blink back the tears I should have shed for you.

All of the times that you washed my clothes,
All of the times that you held me close,
The way that you looked when I made you proud and you smiled,
I will remember.

Mother, you made me, you loved me, and I loved you too
Mother, I wished I had made you prouder and taken better care of you

All of the times you rocked me to sleep,
All of the times you taught to me to live,
The way that I'll miss you now that you're gone- I miss you, Mom-
I will remember.

--Marie Tai

New ACEOs in the shop!

I just finished 3 more ACEOs today. I'm working on my "Putting Down Roots" series, but I'm just not happy with them yet. These other ones are quite nice though.

There's "Dancing in the rain", "A pretty bouquet for the lady", and "Will you boo my Valentine?"

"A pretty bouquet for the lady" follows in my usual style of watercolour with just a lot of detail put into drawing the flowers. I like how the flowers really fill up the top of the image. I was happy, too, with the way the light pink worked out for the tissue paper under the flowers.

"Dancing in the rain" is a bit of an experimentation for me in watercolour. I've been studying some of the other watercolour artists and they seem to know how to use the medium so much better than I do! I love to paint in Photoshop and I tend to layer on different colours in washes over different sections of the painting. The result is appealing to me, so I tried to do something similar with "Dancing in the rain". I like how the colours look more vivid when I layer them, but I think I could do a better job if I had some bigger, soft brushes to do some light washes over the painting. I will see if I can improvise with a smaller brush in the meanwhile, but I'll have to look into some new brushes in the future.

"Will you boo my Valentine?" is a fun piece in light of the upcoming V-day. I've been drawing a lot of pin-sized eyes lately with the mice and birds, so it's nice to come back to the big, cartoony eyes. I like the background in its bright red in contrast to the pink, soft meringue-ness of the ghosts.

They're all available in the shop.

Make sure to check out the Origami Heart Envelope Tutorial, if you're in the mood for something Valentine-y! I had fun drawing that out :)

Origami Heart Envelope Tutorial

Valentine's day is just around the corner. Are you scratching your head to think of what cool thing you can make for your sweetheart? Well here's an adorable origami heart envelope for you to tuck a little love note into!

Just click on the image to view a bigger, printable version

I drew this up last night in a frenzy of productivity :)

You can find origami and other good stuff in my shop!

Don't forget to post photos of your finished work on the Flickr page here.

Enjoy!


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You're Gone

You grew frail.
You stopped to eat.
You told me that your life was over; you were beat.

I beat my chest.
I pulled my hair.
I told you life was not worth living if you weren't there.

You closed your eyes
Like in your sleep
You murmured words to me that in my dreams I'd keep

Close to my heart.
I'd not forget
The day I'd set my eyes on you, the day we met.

But then you left
And didn't turn back
Death came.

Opened eyes
Took breathe
Died

Left me empty inside.

And now no one can heal me except you.
And you're gone.

--Marie Tai

Add a Favicon to Your Site!

I've always wondered how websites changed their icons on the Firefox tabs beside their site name. Now I know how! (Thanks, Em!)

You won't be able to change it on your blog, but you can do it for your own websites easily.

What is a favicon?
"A favicon is a graphic image (icon) associated with a particular Web page and/or Web site. Many recent user agents (such as graphical browsers and newsreaders) display them as a visual reminder of the Web site identity in the address bar or in tabs." (source)

How do I add one to my site?
If you want to add a Favicon to your site, just follow the instructions on the W3 site. You will need to create a 16x16 pixel PNG image, and to paste a bit of code from the W3 site into your HTML for each page that you want the icon on.

It's easy, peasy so try it out. Have fun!

Advertising on Mytutorlist.com

You can advertise on this blog!  Ads are on the side columns, or you can place ads onto specific blog posts.

Please contact me for more information.

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