I'll Be Around (watercolor on paper, 2010)

Now those frivolous hands and heart are working hard again. Stayed up all night and listening to someone over the phone are the best combo to finished this piece. It would be really good if it's displayed in oval frame. I'm starting to get my groove back. Hope I could show you the finished work soon :) 

Temukan Rumah, Temukan Mimpi

("rumahku", ink on A6 paper,2010)

Dulu orang bilang, "kejarlah cita-citamu"

Sekarang berubah menjadi

"kejarlah realita dan injaklah mimpimu"

Di tiap kepala ada definisi sendiri tentang 'rumah'

Rumahku ada di mana-mana

Di rahim ibuku, di atas aspal panas, di antara semilir angin 

   dan di pelukanmu

Ketika 'ku temukan rumah, maka 'ku bisa mengejar mimpi

   dan menginjak realita. 


(note: sambil mendengarkan Oppie - Rumahku)

Kertas Roti, oh Kamu Sungguh Menyenangkan

('Posting kali ini pakai bahasa Indonesia saja ah.')

Menghabiskan waktu di rumah Ms. Vantiani, membuat packaging untuk craftku sambil lihat-lihat galeri kecil, toko musik di ruang tamu dan koleksi buku-buku kuno. Bayangkan semuanya ada dalam satu rumah! Lihaaaaaaatt, Ms.Vantiani menawariku menggambar di atas kertas alas cake atau bolu yang cantik ini. Kukeluarkan cat air dari dalam tas, urek-urek sedikit, mencontek dari buku burung-burung, warnai dan aku terkagum-kagum melihat hasilnya. Yahud sekali. Sayangnya lecek.

Mittwoch Macht Frei: Jen Jafarzadeh L'Italien & Alicia Bock

It will be never too late to post Mittwoch Macht Frei! This week's inspirational lady are Jen Jafarzadeh L'Italien from The Haystack Needle and Alicia Bock from Bloom, Grow, Love. Since I'm into bicycles and printing matters this week, I found that their blog really suits my taste. 

Jen Jafarzadeh L'Italien. This fantastic lady has been mesmerized me for her stamps, green living tips & decoration and also pictures of BICYCLES. No wonder, she's working as home editor at Real Simple and lifestyle editor at Redbook (that's quite an explanation!). Since I'm easily in love with everything related with bike, I love the way she put bikes in her green tips. And definitely would crave for Alicia Bock's Polaroid calendar as in her blog entry

via The Haystack Needle

I read about Hambone design, a pouch that you could put at your bike's frame, is totally cool! Useful for someone who bikes a lot.

via The Haystack Needle

This one caught my attention immediately, aside from the bicycle image, it also has my favorite thing in life: post-it.

via The Haystack Needle

Alison Bock, an amazing photographer also got tons of wonderful bicycle pictures, like one you can find in here.

Packaging for My Bookplates

Unstoppable hands, that's what happened recently. Bookplates, checked! Packaging, checked! Recycling old brown envelopes from office and home. They're quite sturdy and easy to make. Finally, add a plastic from my thesis cover (they're functional, at last)

alle gute Dinge sind drei

envelope lid

short message in Bahasa Indonesia

Erasurrection: Economical Way to Make Rubber Stamp

Making eraser stamp is not as difficult as it seems, not like doing woodcut, seriously. Only takes 15 minutes to change this eraser into stamp, but the hardest part is thinking how to fit the A5 design into 5x5 cm (2x2 in.) space. Raise your X-acto knife, ladies...here we go!

cutting the outline

dabbed

As I posted the pictures on flickr, I saw my bestie, Julian's t-shirt design on Threadless Tees, he did it REALLY AWESOME! I would have one :) *wink-wink*

via Threadless Tees

"That's What I Called An Internet Era of Dating," She Said

It was a perfect afternoon at the small coffee shop. The music was not that good, so I turned on mine instead (Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars & Lord Tanamo were playing). Everybody was staring their own laptop computers, meanwhile I only laid my ammos: scissors, sticker papers, knit hat and my journal across the table. As the tunes set into Michael Jackson's 'Billy Jean', suddenly the guy across the room couldn't stop tapping his hand to his lap. REALLY enjoyed it, I guess. At first I thought it would be ended as the MJ faded away, but I was wrong.

good companion: knit beret

"Annoying," I said to myself, "do you think it will make you cooler in front of everybody? I don't think so. Sir, would you please stop it, I'm making my craft here?"

I was making this bookplate batch from my drawing. Printed on A4 sticker paper. I spent about an hour and half to cut 4 pages (!). Meanwhile, I saw from the corner of my eyes, there was a dating couple. Instead of talking to each other, they were gluing their eyes to their own computers. My, my...youngsters these days. If I were her, I'd rather kissed my boy than snogged with my own laptop. Ha ha. Strange.

Mittwoch Macht Frei: Renata Liwska

[Mittwoch Macht Frei or Wednesday Makes Us Free is a new section I dedicated to all artists/crafters/writers/common people, who inspired me throughout the week (or so..)]

Keeping a sketchbook for an artist is like a Birkin bag for a fashionista. A must-have item. No matter how big it is, you should keep them close by your side. Renata Liwska, the chosen one to be my first artist's sketchbook at Mittwoch Macht Frei. This fine young woman I found over "Book by Its Cover" already made me fall for her delicate illustration. She did amazingly both in color or simply black and white with smooth cross-hatching. I adore it so much and cannot stop awe-ing ever since.

via Pandas and Such

via Book by Its Cover

Her excitement and fondness of Panda (and other animals) in most of her drawings clearly stated in her personal blog Pandas and Such. Her new book "Quiet Book", soon would be launched in April 2010.

via Book by Its Cover

Quiet can be delicate

Quiet can be thundering!

Quiet can be cozy

and can most definitely help you fall asleep

Bubbly-Go-Lucky

Sunday afternoon:

Watched 2 DVDs in a row - silence - sewing with ChangShan - silence - making journal entry - silence - making another stationery - brilliant.

In the mood for crafting but not that "wrinkling-forehead" difficulty. Simply prepare two glass of water and dime-sized liquid soap (diluted), watercolors (mine used prussian blue and vermillion) and straw. Then blow your straw as frantic as you could go. Imagine those milkshakes that come in rainbow color. Worry not if they spilled out of your glass, it's part of the process. Don't forget to cover your work area with old newspapers before starting the project.

too much bubbles, it's not good

this one's a good example.

Aren't They Look Alike?

I've found this at zazzle.com today, as my bestie told me to take a look at certain bag pattern. I merely gave this site "oh-not-that-good" until I saw their stamp collection. They got this wonderful stamp that made me jump up and down, because it is ssooooooooo similar to my drawing a year ago. But mine is minus the candle and the book. Here they are:

this one is mine

via zazzle.com

Madness, Madness, I Called It Madness

Yesterday I got four-page-length letter with cute envelope. Today, another mail is coming. A medium size package contains:

 two 8x8 in. totebags

scrap fabrics in size of DIN A3 & ChangShan, a handy sewing machine

2 Felt plushies: crow and skulls

4 CDs with cool CD covers

....and notes from the sender

The totebags are totally rads! After long phone calls and emails for the brief instructions, finally the makers, Julian Louis & Komandantoro, finished it with the expected results. Soon, Julian's starting a new project at his office on fabric matters, like screen-printing on cushion/pillow sheets, plush, or just simply designing fabric patterns. I guess, they will be great in no matter of time. 
Oh, for more details on the bags please visit my Flickr page 

Kurz und Kurzer

Shorter it is. 

All together now: many good karma & amen!

Wanted: Another Golden Years!

I don't know where this piece are now, misplaced I guess.

Sometimes I wonder, could I make this year as good as last one?