Nora's Touch...welcome to my world of colours

The Art of Intarsia

2012-01-21T09:42:00.007+08:00

For those interested in knowing more about the art of Intarsia, below is a summary from an article by Robyn Ryan, History of Intarsian.

Intarsian (marquetry or inlay) is the art of 'painting' with wood on furniture. During the 14th and 15th centuries, marquetry was practised in Italy, the technique evolving through the Florentine School of Marquetry. Benedeitto da Maiano (AD 1444-1496) is credited as being responsible for the style of marquetry we know today, although the art form did not become popular until the 16th and early 17th centuries.

Marquetry is a craft whereby the marqueter makes intricate pictures and geometric designs by cutting and fitting together thin pieces of coloured wood (veneer) or other such highly prized timbers for their colour and lustre (cedar, satinwood, ebony, blackwood, rosewood, mahogany), other precious materials such as tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl, inlays of gold, pewter and silver. When the picture is complete it is attached to items of furniture.

This was very labour intensive and expensive to produce and as such was only available to royalty and those of high society. Thus traders and carpenters were always searching to entice buyers by making their wares different. They quickly adapted the marquetry style and created veneer painting. Instead of using precious metals, shells and rare woods, they created a special paste made out of grounded maize, called it Kleister medium, add paint to it and created patterns with this mix by using coarse brushes and various other tools and stencils.

Today life is much easier for the craftperson. We no longer have the laborious task of cutting stencils and making maize paste. Instead we use low tack masking film, water-based paints and commercially produced Kleister medium. We also use MDF Board or inexpensive pine with a base of yellow or gold to give a rich undertone to the veneer painting. This is then antiqued to give the aged mellow tone of marquetry that most of us find unobtainable but still desirable.

Anyway, as the story goes .... Zaharah brought her friends over 2 weeks ago to view my work. Kak Maznah was impressed by my Intarsian tray that I did in 2003 and requested for a class. Since time is of the essence in doing this technique, a workshop was created ... and that was exactly what we did last Wednesday, 18Jan 2012 ... my first workshop for the year :)

The 4 ladies keen to take up the task :)

It was a tedious laborious job as one needs to have patience and steady hands and the passion to persevere, but it was a job well done by these 4 ladies. What remains now is to shade and antiqued the plaque ... and there you go ... an heirloom to be passed on down the generations :)

The cabinet-divider

2012-01-21T08:27:00.009+08:00

I have been very busy lately trying to complete the various commissioned jobs ... Alhamdullilah for the bounty that Allah has provided me. My last major job for 2011 was a 5-ft tall open cabinet that kak Masnah has conveniently converted as a divider too .... hence the reason why the painting was done at the back of the cabinet! It now stands tall and proud in her living room :)

Took me 2 months to mull over the design ... changing ever so often in my mind's eye ... until one fine day, it suddenly dawned on me (picture this : light bulb flashing in the brain hehe) that I should just paint a watery scenery since kak Masnah specifically requested to maintain the original blue of the cabinet.

Again, my paintings are a product of inspiration ... and this time Jacqueline Penney is the source :) So ... a painting of a calm, serene watery landscape was completed after 3 weeks of hard work.

The cabinet as viewed from the left, centre and right

I have also painted flowers on two bins ... a veeeeeeery long wait for Marina for me to complete these for her. Sorry dear ...

So ..that's it for now ... am lost for words... seems to have been experiencing a writer's block for many many moons now ...*sigh

House #36A

2011-10-31T10:24:00.006+08:00

Salmi's birdhouse is finally done. Took me a while to fulfill her request for a Tudor birdhouse.

Firstly, it's not of the right architecture ...especially the roof ... wrong structure! The shape of the whole house just made it difficult to make it look like a Tudor house.

Secondly... it was a make-over from a decal-pasted design to this. Had to remove the decal pieces, re-apply coats of gesso and paints to cover the mess created hehe

Any way ... the outcome is pleasant enough... I hope. Salmi is happy ... so I am happy too :))

... and soooooo now... on to my next project ... painting daffodils on a bin :)

Have a great day y'all .... :))

The week that was ....

2011-10-21T13:34:00.006+08:00

Hello everybody ... the sun plays hide and seek behind the clouds today. I feel sluggish as I'm a sun-person ... but ... my spirits are not dampened as I managed a very fruitful week last week. This week... I spent time completing the tasks :))

Chempaqa's tray is a design I adapted from Bonnie Heppe Fisher. I simply adore her paintings ... it gives me a feeling of serenity everytime I look at them :)

Then there is this bin that I'd put on hold for almost two years ... basically because it was a repeat design (I hate repeats). I painted for Marina a bin of ALMOST the same design ... hehehe no two paintings can ever be exactly the same right???!! ... some two years ago. Her sister liked it and asked me to do the same ... AFTER Marina got me to paint on another piece of same design!!! Two repeats I can accept ... but to repeat THREE times???? ... hehehe hence the loooonnngggggg delay!!! Oh dear ... thank God she's patient enough to wait... oh dear! Anyway ... it's done now ... but oh my! where did I keep the pedals huh???

Oh well ... it has been a great week ... after a long hiatus from painting. The queue of commissioned jobs is long ... Alhamdulillah ... Salmi ... your birdhouse is next ... InsyaAllah :))

Backyard in the kitchen?

2011-10-15T21:53:00.005+08:00

The mood to paint seems to be mighty elusive these past few months... I have been very unproductive :((( BUT today I amazed myself. Completed Ani's plastic dispenser all in ONE day ... huhu..... oh well, at least the major part of it haha

She requested for a garden scenery ... I made it to look like a backyard with garden tools and pots to boot. Have a look see ... again, as usual, it's a prelim .... I may or may not add more to it :))

That's it for now ... nite2 :)

eat ur veges!

2011-09-23T00:19:00.003+08:00

Just a short note this time ... seems to have lost the knack for words lately. Anyway ... painted these vegetables on a kitchen towel holder ... still not too please with the carrots (appears flat and not cylindrical!) ... but oh well, that was the best I could do after 3 re-dos! Paint has become a wee bit thick there after all the touch-ups haha ...

That's it for now ... taa :)

Avian family :)

2011-08-28T10:06:00.004+08:00

I don't really paint animals or any other kind of figurines unless there is a request for them. Thus, this I paint for Yasmin. Actually, I barter trade with her ... my paintings for her grandma's wardrobe ... I hope I did justice to the trade :)

This was painted on a cutlery box

.... and this is for Zoe, her beautiful daughter :)

... painted from my heart :)
Thanks Yas ...

Long hiatus :(

2011-08-17T21:19:00.005+08:00

Since the last solo workshop, I had been unproductive. Seemed like all energy had been sapped out from within me ... and to top it all ... the fasting does not help in creating any enthusiasm in painting!!!

Finally last week I managed to get something done for Salmi. Completed her 2 shelves with a local flower, the bunga kangkung (sorry don't know what it is in english hehehe). Made them a mirror-image of the other on the shelves.

Then yesterday.... I finally found the courage and confidence to paint tea cups on her WHITE LACY LINEN tablecloth. Courage? Yup ... there was this nagging fear that I would spoil and mess up the piece!!! ...and today ... it's all done :)) A tea cup at each of the 4 corners of the 6-seater tablecloth.... and if I may add ... am mighty pleased with the result *pat pat pat on the shoulder*

So that's it for now ... until my next bout of painting mood ... have a great weekend ahead ...

solo workshop #5 - just roses

2011-08-17T21:02:00.004+08:00

Had another "Just Roses" workshop last 6 Aug 2011 ... this time way up north in Sg Petani, Kedah.

It was the first week in the month of Ramadhan. I was fasting, thus it was a real test of endurance for me. Drove up north around 5.00pm, made many stops along the way at ALMOST all the R&R's ... finally reached Sg Petani at around 11.00pm. Workshop is at 9.00am at the community hall near the hotel, but I have to be there by 8.00am to set up the place... not much rest there....

Anyway ... all went well. It was a group of 9 enthusiastic ladies together with our solo male participant. 10 enthusiastic painters with 3 absolute beginners ... but hey ... we finished way ahead of time!!! 45 minutes to be exact ... it was a good fruitful day. Thank you all :))

solo wkshop #4 - just roses

2011-07-24T09:46:00.004+08:00

Another small group... but it was worth it. With these small groups I gained experience on how to teach roses within the stipulated period. Alhamdulillah...with these four beautiful ladies (3 of whom were really really really really inexperienced as in had never touched a brush let alone done a stroke of any sort!) ... I learned to deal with time and techniques to ensure that all could complete their project in time ... and this time, I had 20mins to spare :)

Well ladies, I hope you enjoyed the experience. Yes... it's not that easy ... but yeah! it's not impossible either ...right? It goes to show that, all that is needed is passion and perseverance ... and of course practice!!! (that goes without saying!!!) Thank you ladies ... for making me believe that nothing is impossible if you put your heart to it :)

Kak Masnah's table ....

2011-07-15T12:32:00.004+08:00

Alright ... ok ... it's done! It wasn't difficult when painting in the objects in the subject matter ... but it was stressful to make it look realistic! Another futile attempt at Trompe l'oeil. Pls take note that I have no formal training in this form of art, what I read and what I @think@ is right is what you see here hahahaha .... literally this is just painting from the heart :)) ... books are not enough for me... I need to see the masters do it :(

So finally ... it's done... and it's going to it's rightful owner later this afternoon *sigh of relief*

4 JULY 2011

2011-07-04T18:42:00.003+08:00

It is Zaiton's b'day today ... and friends gathered at the House of Hazienda to celebrate this auspicious day with her. The tea setting was just beautiful... fit for a lady as pretty as Zaiton. Of course the food was just scrumptious... and I'm glad I went with an empty stomach hehehehe

Earlier in the day, my hormones played up with my moods (yup!just blame the hormones!!!) but all that changed the moment I stepped into the House of Hazienda. The ambience coupled with the presence of our lovely friends perked me up :) ... thank you all

But what really made my day was the fact that we, the Golden Girls, really let our hair down. Had so much fun playing the games and participating in the quirky competitions haha ... and I won TWO of them! Third place for creative nail painting ... to paint 5 fingernails within 2 mins and the other was for the catwalk ... haha .... yup!yup!yup! I came out tops ...*lalalalalala

Oh well... it was a good whilst it lasted ... and now I'm back home ... back to mundane duties and responsibilities *sigh*

Have a great week people ... once in a while do be a sport and allow yourself to just let go and be crazy :))

p/s : photos will come later ya ...

Just Roses --- solo workshop #3

2011-07-03T18:19:00.005+08:00

I had just completed another solo workshop at my home studio but just an hour ago. It was a small group consisting of students of various levels. Ina was there to refreshen her skills, Lidya is an intermediate student but had left her brushes to rest for a very long time. Ann is an absolute beginner with no experience but equipped with love and passion for decorative painting. Today's workshop is a test on my teaching skills too.

I had always declined to teach roses to absolute beginners. I want them to be the master of their brush and be able to handle all the various strokes involved in decorative painting but then I thought why not this time. Hence, the first of such workshops began for me today ... and Alhamdulillah ... I made it!!! They all finished at the stipulated time ... I'm mighty proud of my students :)

Kosmo, Fri 1 July 2011 ... we're there :)

2011-07-01T17:46:00.006+08:00

Hey hey hey ... it's us in the news again! The pictures speak for themselves ya... I'm actually lost for words but felt that I do need to boost my ego a wee bit today ... hehehe ...uhhh no! MUAHAHAHAHAHA is more like it ....

The interview was done in mid May at my place, and a week later at Zaitun's place together with her students as she was conducting her class with them ... and after a while I'd forgotten of it's existence ... so that's it for now from a stiff-fingered blogger :(

Have a great weekend :)

Another solo workshop - Just Roses

2011-06-15T16:23:00.008+08:00

It has been a long time since I last updated my blog... basically because I have a bad case of writer's block. Not that I have nothing to show off ... it's just I just don't feel like writing ... muahahahahaha EXCUSES!!!!! Anyway ... here I am again... announcing my upcoming workshops at various venues

"Just Roses"

- a workshop for beginners and for others that may need to refresh their their skills

Date : July 3 2011 (Sun)
Time : 9am - 5pm
Place : Nora's Studio, Kg Sg Penchala, KL

Other venues:
6/8 : Sg Petani (Lis - 0174699018)
9/7 : Shah Alam (Ros - 0123684622)
16/7 : Kemaman (Ita - 0179221424)
23/7: Muar (Shahlina - 0193664930)

I'm spreading my wings to all other parts in Malaysia ... so please choose your venues and contact the respective organisers. First 3 to sign up with payment gets an early bird gift hand-painted by yours truly :)

Have a great day ... be hearing from you soon ya ;))

The Busy Counter Top :)

2011-04-07T16:30:00.003+08:00

This is my current major project ... have been at it for the past two weeks putting in a lot of thoughts in filling in the space to create a lively corner for a rendevous with a loved one :)

The lady sipping tea as she attends to her letters whilst the master of the house having his morning coffee with crepes drowned in honey .... that's the story it's telling :)) Try to hear the lively chat between the two :))

It's not finished yet... still need to put in details on the plate of chocs and finale on the mugs of coffee and tea. Shadows and cast shadows are still missing ... nothing "sits" in as yet ... everything seems to "float" on the table ... so keep tuned in ya ... but currently I'm taking a break .... don't seem to have any ideas as yet on how to proceed :(

Nora's First Solo Workshop :)

2011-03-28T08:01:00.014+08:00

Had my solo workshop two weekends ago (19 March 2011) .... it's only now that I've fully recovered from the stress and fatique :( Converted my dry kitchen-studio into a workshop and I actually can have space for 10. Will think of more workshops later :))

It was a small group of six enthusiastic painters ... Syakireen and Monalisa (both from Melaka), Azie from Putrajaya, Kak Wan (from Kelana Jaya), Zaiyan (from TTDI) and Akmam (last minute entry from .... errrr... I forgot....sorry dear :(

They come with varied experiences ... from the totally fresh to the more experienced ones .... but I know we had fun and everything was completed within the time stipulated.... except for Kak Wan who had to stop earlier because she had to go to KLIA and Zaiyan who had to take a longer lunch break because she had to attend to urgent matters back home :)) However they will continue to complete later in a normal class.

Silly me however, forgot to take group pics but I do have some to show as they were painting :)

That's Syakireen flanked by Akmam on her left and Monalisa on her right .... all hard at work

Zaiyan together with Azilah and kak Wan (below) .... proving a point that being a senior citizen is never a hindrance to indulge in one's desires ;))

Some of the ladies with their finished paintings ... a first at still life for all of them ;))

They have asked what's the next workshop ... maybe I'll do lace work on a box next ... hmmmm

Would you like to join?

The "Carved" Lazy Susan

2011-02-26T08:40:00.005+08:00

Something different on a lazy susan completed but a few minutes ago. The design is adapted from traditional Malay wood carvings done my way. Had it antiqued to make it look more traditional .... but of course it's not varnished yet (a'ha ... that's me... can't wait to show off hehehe)

Yup! That's it for today .... need to go back to my studio... on-going preparation for the workshop in March :)

Confirming workshop in KL

2011-02-24T06:44:00.005+08:00

DECORATIVE PAINTING WORKSHOP

"THE TRIO"

Date : 19 Mac 2011
Time : 9.00am - 5.00pm
Venue : Nora's Home Studio, Kg Sg Penchala, KL

Skill level : Beginner - Advance

You will learn/refresh skills :
* basic surface preparation
* basic comma strokes
* floating
* dry brushing

Contact : 017-2517512
E-mail : norana_g@hotmail.com

* Limited places available. Please confirm by 13 Mac 2011. Hope to be hearing from you soon :))

The Trio

2011-02-15T21:15:00.007+08:00

I have been toying around with this idea for a long time now. I finally sat down and had them on paper and wood and this is the outcome.

I'm starting a workshop in Penang sometime in May. Am still in the midst of discussion and negotiation for venue and will have all finalised, God Willing, by next week... so keep checking my blog here for details ya ;)

What's in it for you? Decorative Painting is for all who has the interest in painting but lack the in-borne talent for it ... thus the reason we learn the techniques to attain the skill. So have no fear, Nora is here to guide you through the process. Do not be intimidated... we all have to start somewhere, right???

Anyway, from this project, you will learn

surface preparation
some basic strokes to create the leaves, daisies and filler flowers
the art of floating and dry-brushing to create shades and highlights on the objects to give them "life"
the technique of painting fruits and other still life objects
to have fun while painting :))))

I'm also looking for anybody who'd be interested to help me organise this workshop in their area. Email me at norana_g@hotmail.com or call me at 013-2770425. My contact in Penang is Ira (013-2725496)

I am excited ... hoping that this dream will materialise :))

The 20 min job ..

2011-01-12T15:39:00.003+08:00

Tried to do some serious painting today ... but the mood to focus was not there. Had this rolling pin hanger base-coated many moons ago... so to pacify my guilt for not painting... I started to doodle with roses again. Now not too sure whether to give away?...sell?... or keep for myself? ...hmmm we shall see .....

... still trying to complete the lazy susan ... but at the same time was contemplating to finish off the 10 little containers that Chempaqa sent to me ...errrr ... MORE than many moons ago hehe... 3 done ...7 to go ... all with different fruits but because it's so small it has become a tedious chore even for my tiny hands to handle ... oh well

Till the next episode my friends... have a nice day

What's new this week?

2011-01-10T11:11:00.007+08:00

Was painting a trompe l'oeil design on a lazy susan ... somehow got stuck putting in the details ... so pushed that aside first until the juices flow again ... hopefully soon! Hence ... just so I don't waste time ...completed projects for Dee and kak Nomi ... something simple that does not require me to crack my brain (or whatever that's left of it at this age hahahaha!!!) ...

Dee's diary... painted my infamous roses on the leather jacket ... that was a quick job ... hehehe I like! I like! That's what I would normally do... whenever I get stumped by a major project ... I'd just stop and divert to something simpler ...

Then next painted on Kak Nomi's cutlery box. She had the crackled effect done ages (and I mean AGES ago ... like 3 years ago haha). It was a project she started but abandoned due to err.... hmmm I forgot what!!! Anyway ... I completed it for her ...again with my infamous roses!!! Another quick job hehehe ... I like! I like!

Also for Kak Nomi ... painted a bouquet of lilacs and daisies on a portable reading table. Another easy project ... I like! hehe ... that's it for the week... now for more serious painting of still life and trompe l'oeil ... back to the studio ....

That's all folks ...for now. Have a great day ya ... God Bless ...

A rose for Sarah

2010-12-29T17:37:00.001+08:00

Sarah is tying the knot pretty soon ... and her aunties, cousins and other relatives are all roped in to contribute in whatever manner to prepare for the wedding. That's how I got roped in... though not a relative but since I'm connected to Zaiyan, her aunty... so I was given a job too hehe. A request to paint a rose on the lid of her box for the Quran was fulfilled about an hour ago :))

Portmeirion ...again :)

2010-12-23T21:04:00.004+08:00

Finally.... it's done!!! *sigh of relieve*

I have painted the Tiger Lilies many times ... maybe one too many that it has become somewhat a chore to me ... don't like repetitive paintings :( However Sweet Williams is a first ... so at least that was a challenge hehe ... and a challenge it was!!! At first glance... hmm ... it's just circular flowers with lines, very little colour... so no big deal ya? (or so I thought!!) ... until I had to fill in the details in the flowers!!! I think I screwed my eyeballs together for everything became a blur upon completion .... not to mention my aching neck and shoulders!!! Anyway ... for lack of more words to describe (brain is already drifting away) ... please have a peep below ya ;))

The set consisting of a cutlery box and a tea box

The Sweet Williams on the tea box

*Another sigh* ... back to the studio ... yet to varnish them ... and then on to my next painting on a lazy susan .... nite2 y'all

When the mood fails.....

2010-12-20T02:00:00.010+08:00

Hmmm... last posting here was about a month ago. So, what have I been doing? Oh... a bit of painting here and there... having classes now and then but MOST of the time ... just lazing around doing nothing but watching the idiot box!!!! The mood to paint seems to have eluded me once too often *sigh* Though I feel guilty I did nothing to fight the urge to get away from NCIS, Criminal Minds, Bones and the sitcoms on Astro 711.. even though they are just reruns!!!! Hmmmph!!!! Oh dear.... *sigh* Anyway, when the conscience bites ... I'd drag myself to the messy table in my studio ... and paint away hehe. So... for today, I'd just put everything I'd done the past 4 weeks or so in this one post ya ...

I painted Salmi's TV cabinet at her place ... just simple roses to enhance a much loved, long serving TV cabinet. Didn't take long to complete the job though hehe....

Next was a kitchen counter top. Zureen is a cat lover ... her request? To paint cat's fur on the table top ... and that I did. It was a tedious job... took me a week mulling over it!!! ... but it's done and is now with her

And ... in between the 2 jobs ... I painted on notebooks ... just simple roses and hydrangeas. Thought of selling them on my sales blog ... but hehe... they are now gone, with their owners. Will paint some more when the mood comes (one fine day) ... and then I'll post them on www.norastouches.blogspot.com ... my sales blog :)

Currently I'm painting more Portmerion designs on a cutlery and a tea-box. Will put them up once they are done ya. So that's it for now my friends ... till my next post ... cheerio, have ag reat week ahead :))

More doodlings :))

2010-11-23T20:48:00.007+08:00

In between major projects or whilst alone with a student I would sometimes do small projects just to keep the mood going. I'd try new techniques or designs or just paint away on simple plaques ready on the go as gifts for whatever reason hehe ....

Anyway ... I'd never painted mums before .... so I gave mums a try on a background that I'd normally not use. I was clearing my paints the other day and noticed that this particular colour will harden soon if left idle for much longer.... that would be such a waste!!! Paints are not cheap ok??? .... so mums it was on a deep purple background hehe ... it's either you like it or you don't ....

Then I also tried a slightly different technique for my hydrangeas ... kind of liked the soft hazy look of the blooms ... maybe will stick to this style from now on ...hmmm ...oh well ... this is Nora... what she thinks today may not be what she does tomorrow... muahahahahahaha .... THAT's soooooo me ...hehehe

Wokeyh... need to go back to my studio .... must finish those tiger lilies (again!!! *sigh*) before the owner calls me for it ... oh dear, when's the deadline again eyh???

Nite2 ya.... muah

Salmi's Topiary

2010-11-22T04:57:00.005+08:00

Topiary painted on canvas for Salmi .... it's not often that I get to paint on canvas ... but this felt good. It made feel like a real artist hahaha ... wish I have an easel to place the canvas on whilst I paint....

That's it for this post... it's 5am ... the brain is still asleep hehe

Have a great day y'all ...

Just doodling ...hehe

2010-11-17T20:21:00.004+08:00

These gift boxes were base-coated ages ago... many times over!!! Every time I'd picked them up to paint ... I'd end up changing the base colours. Why??? ...uhhh don't know why... just a feeling of dissatisfaction I guess .... until finally one fine day ... I decided to paint just roses (for lack of ideas .... as the brain was on emergency leave on that day hahaha) Anyway, initially thought I'd paint to sell .... but hehe ... I now decided to keep them (fell in love with them colours muahahahaha!!!).... maybe I could use them as samples .... any orders???...for wedding favours, maybe???

Hehe... the story of my life ... fickle minded 'lil ole lady ...hahahaha

The cupboard needs a makeover too....

2010-11-15T17:26:00.008+08:00

Rozaini came to me with a real beat-down hutch that she got from some junk shop. I looked at it ... and went .... "OMG!!! What am I getting myself into???" ... oh well ... it was a challenge that I took with much apprehension ... aiseyhman hahaha

I sent it for repairs (I'm no carpenter... just a painter hehe) ... changed the back and certain parts of the doors ... gave it a new coat of paint ... and started doing my "stuff" hehe. It took me many days of staring at it, mulling the designs over in my head, "painting" with my mind's eyes before I could actually decide on what to do ... so here's the outcome after 2 weeks of HARD work!!!! ... ooh my aching neck ... and back!!!!

The final makeover .... ;) niceeeee hehehehe .....

Have a great day ya....

THAT little house at the back ...

2010-10-27T07:52:00.004+08:00

A long long time ago before toilets were built IN the house ...we had this quaint little "house" placed somewhere in the backyard... a wee bit further from the house of course (to eliminate any unpleasant smells, I guess... hehe) ... and lo behold if you are alone at home at night and have the urge to attend to nature's call ... hehehe ... I know, I'd never dared to go alone at night without company!!!! Anyway, these structures are a rarity now (thank God for technology!!!)... unless you are in some remote area ...

Anyway... found and borrowed this idea from an Australian painting magazine many years ago... but for the moment I can't quote offhand the original painter and magazine .... and of course I gave it my personal touch....

I wonder whether the younger generation has ever seen such structures.... hmm ????

Spot the difference....

2010-10-27T07:40:00.004+08:00

Finally sat down to touch-up ... and re-touch ... and again re-retouch the cats and everything else on the tray ... think I'm happier with this now as compared to the last... but errrrr.... can you spot the difference???

From this.....

... to this ....

Woke up early... VERY early to do this... 5am!!! *yawn* .... have a great day .... ;)

just doodling....

2010-10-22T17:07:00.003+08:00

Have not been seriously painting since the last post ...but managed to paint these roses on mum's luggage :) .... As we are told by the painting gurus ...and it has become my favourite quotation... we can paint on ANYTHING that DOES NOT move .... hehehehehe

For those of you who have been following me... remember my old fridge??? Started painting on the old fridge...emmm maybe 2 years ago hahaha ....well ... I'm working on that now (yeay!!!) ... slow progress ... but still a progress :)) .... will show you later ya... so hang on a bit...

Right... that's it for now ... have a great weekend ;)

here's one...

2010-10-18T09:19:00.008+08:00

Been toying with this project for over two months now... one of the three projects that I do simultaneously because of overwhelming frustration of not getting anything right.... just had to move on to another so that it doesn't mess up my head ...hahaha

So far... this is it.... don't know how many times I'd painted.. and repainted over the cats' faces and fur... just to get THAT right feeling....*sigh* ... so far not thoroughly satisfied yet... but it shall suffice... don't want to go bonkers over it... muahahahahaha ....oh well...

Borrowed cat designs from Wendy Scott ... but painted them my way with personal touches here and there... lalalalala

Just testing ...

2010-10-15T06:46:00.006+08:00

Just testing..... trying new styles and techniques, playing with colours and mediums on small panels of teak ;)) .... I like ... hehehe

Have a great day ..... lalalalalala

Hydrangeas for baby??? hmmm....

2010-10-11T08:37:00.012+08:00

Been painting on four different items simultaneously... small decorative household items ... but unfortunately only managed to complete one. The others??? .... the powers of procrastination had me imprisoned!!! ... can't seem to budge to complete them *sigh*

Anyway ... had this utility holder painted for Su Ni. She's just had a baby a couple months back ... didn't want to paint a cliche baby gift... so I thought since she loved hydrangeas too, I'd just paint hydrangeas on this. For now she can use it to put baby things in it... but later... it can be used for almost anything else as baby outgrows it's use :)))

That's it for now ... am having trouble downloading pics into the blog ...wonder what's wrong with the current connection *sigh* .... have a great day ya :)

What's cookin' ma??

2010-10-03T08:50:00.014+08:00

Here in this post...you will see a small enamel pot painted for Chempaqa. That pot has been with me for soooo long. In the few (errr... few?????) months that it was with me... it has been base-coated 3 times, in 3 different colours and techniques, with 2 other designs hidden n buried under each base coat hahaha. Somehow I did not reach the satisfactory level that I'd set myself each time I paint for a customer ...*sigh* ... can't say I'm a perfectionist ... but I do need to acquire THAT certain sense of satisfaction upon completion of a project. What you see here now is the final outcome of MY dissatisfaction... I think I'm quite happy with this now... but as usual... it's not varnished yet ...which means that there may or may not be any afterthoughts prior to varnishing hehehehe ;)

.....sooo Chempaqa.... you ok with this???

Till my next post .... have a great day :))

Grapes ...grapes... grapes

2010-10-02T07:24:00.004+08:00

A diversion from flowers :) ... it's always more challenging to paint fruits than roses or hydrangeas ... so here's grapes for Nazdatul from Kuantan .... grapes all around the 4 corners of the tissue box ... heheehe ... not varnished yet though .... as usual ;)))

....have three more UFO's on the go.... touch-n-go here and there when I get stuck at a particular spot hehe ... that's just me people ... will leave the painting alone until I get re-inspired God-knows-when *sigh*

The week that was ...

2010-10-01T09:11:00.006+08:00

Had another Portmeirion design completed on a cake stand ... lost count the number of times I'd painted this particular design haha ... anyway... hopefully it gets better with practice ;))

Then.... had this garden set painted with hydrangeas at Yati's place .... she had the set base- coated for me, and I had the hydrangeas painted... completed within 3hours!!! The chirpy vibrant green initially appeared ...uhmmm "o-oh what a difficult colour" to blend... but after setting the hydrangeas in... it looked just A-OK hehe ... all in a day's work ;))

Right... that's it for now. Internet connection is depressing... taking a b*****(ooooooopss ... hehe ...with intention tho'... muahahahaa) looooooooonnnnng time to upload the pics!!!! ...catch-up with you later ya... more to show ...yup!yup!yup! ....for now losing patience!!!!!

Tea Time again....

2010-09-05T05:35:00.005+08:00

Seems to be in a painting mood this week hehe .... so here's to show off another piece done on a tea pot-shaped plaque ;)) Painting was completed within the day....

So now I pray that the mood remains a lot longer so that I can paint a lot more ... oh dear!!!! MUST focus!!!!!!

That's all for today ... taking time off to go see my girl in Banting ... have a great day ya ;)

The Completed Story...

2010-09-02T18:00:00.006+08:00

The mood to paint came back today... been a bit laid back since 2 weeks ago :( doing minor things here and there ... very much touch and go ...

The egghouse finally is complete. Ideas created a storm in the brain ... no worries, no short circuit, I'm still OK hehe... and the hands did the magic (???). If only I'm like this ... can switch on and off at will... wouldn't it just be great??? Unfortunately... most of the times, when I switch off.... I really am groping in the dark looking for the switch again!!!! *sigh* Anyway... refer to my post on Aug4 ... that was where I stopped... and it remained as it was until today...

The egghouse as it is today ...... ;)) voila.....

I also completed the cover of the cookie jars ... which I left untouched since about 2 months ago... just 1 last one to complete...and it took me 2months!!!! Oh dear.... :(

OK...that's it again for now... back to the studio... I think...

Mimi's OTHER Portmeirion Collection

2010-09-02T14:06:00.008+08:00

Mimi came to me with a few Portmeirion plates ... commissioning me to paint the designs on some signage plaques and a tea-box. It was a tall order I thought, since I only have the plates to refer to for colour and pattern guidance .... no notes, no nothing on how to draw and paint!!! Oh well... I had to rely on experience and my sense of colour and the good old photostat machine and tracing paper haha...

Anyway... on the whole... I gave myself a pat on the back... for work well done ... muahahahahaha ... or so I assume hehe ... have a look see below *wink wink*....

Signage to her show apartment ... Beautiful Pottery is the name... a design I adapted from a wall paper border I found a loooong time ago

Pink Parrot tulips (Tulipa liliaceae) leading into the guest washroom

The sign on the master bedroom speaks for itself ... lily flowered azalea (Rhododendron lilliforum) was the choice

A small plaque of harebells (Campanula rotundifolia) to hold keys ... "must be small", she says..."very small space on the wall by the door" ...

..... and treasure flower (Gazania ringens) on the tea box .....

...so shouldn't I be happy huh???? ... that's all folks ... ;)) more to come ...

More n more Portmeirion pottery designs..

2010-08-10T12:52:00.004+08:00

This project... a signage is almost done... just waiting for my hands to get steady to put in the letterings "Beautiful Pottery". Lately I've been having pains in the arms and shoulders ... I don't even sit down long hours anymore to complete anything ... every project is done on a touch n go basis ... taking long breaks between sessions *sigh*... guess I've forgotten, I'm not as young and agile as I used to be ....

Anyway, this is a signage for Mimi's display apartment for her collection of Portmerion and other exclusive pottery for sale. I've adapted this design from a wall paper I found at a friend's house. Had always wanted to have it painted for myself... but errrrr... that was just a thought hehe. Anyway... glad I had the chance to paint it... though it's not for me :(

Check it out ya... will post the completed version later when I'm done ... cheerio

The Avian House ...

2010-08-04T18:45:00.006+08:00

This was a design I adapted from Chris Hobel's painting on a utensil holder. Figurines of any form is not my favourite subject... but I do occasionally make an attempt to do something different. The rooster and the hen is a miserable attempt on my part here... but hey... this is art ;))) ... not too pleased with the effort though hehe. Yup... yup... yup...

err... Noorazma do I need to redo this?

sigh

2010-08-02T13:14:00.002+08:00

Here's a failed attempt at Scott's Roses painted on a stool haha... a classic example of "don't-paint-if-you-are-not-in-the-right-mood". It was a request by a customer for Scott's Roses ... but the outcome is nothing like Scott's *sigh* ... oh well if she doesn't like it, the stool is mine ... one of the reasons why I don't take deposits ... if the painting is unsatisfactory, then the customer need not take it ... anyway... she has not seen it yet... she may or may not want it hahaha ....oh wellll ....

Tulipa Liliaceae ...

2010-07-27T19:20:00.004+08:00

Mimi came to me with Portmeirion plates... samples of flowers she'd like me to paint. I'd just completed 1 with 2 more to go hehe. She requested tulips on a signage for her washroom ... but she wanted something different.... to paint the tulips without the butterflies on a background other than white as in the case for all Portmeirion designs. It was a task I enjoyed for it makes me think ... my brain is forced to think ahead before I put the paints down onto the surface!!! So what you see here is the outcome of my thoughts .... and after thoughts hehehe ...as changes were made as I paint ...yup!yup!yup!

I now have to wait for my carpenter to send me the tea-box and a plague for another signage to be placed at her entrance .... till I get them done ;)) ... be seeing y'all ...

For the bride....

2010-07-14T01:03:00.051+08:00

It's 1.03am now... I'm dead tired but I can't sleep .... too many things in my mind (err...on my mind??? prepositions always my weakest!!! hehe) ... thoughts not coherent. Need rest ... ah well... might as well get this post out .... promised you all didn't I?

Kak Masnah's son's wedding just passed last weekend ... thus I'm now free to show off my work on her boxes and trays. I was under obligations not to show prior to the wedding hehehe. It was done in a unique blend of grey and silver and pearl white ... it took me many many MANY sleepless nights to mull over the designs to make them unique but definitely presentable masterpieces. Each item has a different design but all tied together with the same colour scheme. Kak Masnah, being the creative lady that she is, has successfully enhanced them with other ornaments and accessories teamed with beautifully laid flowers. I don't have the words to describe them... but these pics will say a thousand words .... have a look see ya ...

The book stand was simply painted to give a 3D effect and was used as a stand for the Quran

The lid of the box was given a textured effect, made to look antiqued. In it she has put in the toiletries ... I think hehe

The papier mache boxes came in a set of threes. I definitely must have forgotten to take the last one as it was added as an after thought. I did some lacework on them ...same concept but different designs

My lace designs I borrowed and modified from Arlene's works apart from some that I designed myself. So in this lidless box, goes the shoes and purse ...

I actually don't know what goes into that box ... hehe I took these pics as she was still decorating them. Anyway... I did a battenberg lace on the lid ... it was a strain on my neck and shoulders ... but I enjoyed it :))

That's the money box .... with big dowry on a bank draft hehe ... lucky bride *sigh*

This was for the ring .. I think ... can't really remember what she told me.... yup! you got it right... memory gone on holiday and forgot to come back hehehehe ...

What you see here are just some of the boxes and trays that were almost done ... below I'll show you the rest of the items that I'd done for her.... as of 6 June 2010, it was not yet adorned with Kak Masnah's specially delicate and intricate touches. I didn't have the opportunity to view the full completed settings though :(

2 cake stands with more lace work of different techniques;)

The last 2 boxes to show off ... It took me over a month to complete them all... but it was worth the effort!!!

...and the time now is 2.48am.... taking my rest now.... zzzzZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzz

Portmeirion lilies... again

2010-07-12T08:43:00.013+08:00

This seems to be a favourite amongst portmeirion ceramic lovers from the Botanic Garden series. I'd done sweetpeas and recently strawberries (a design from one of the many series that they have... don't ask me what... can't remember hehe!!!) ... but my customers love the lilies. I'd had them painted on jewelry boxes, wall shelves, huge wall mirror frame, bins, lazy susans, placemats, trays and cutlery boxes ... that's to show how versatile the design is!

So here's to show 2 cutlery boxes with a mirror image of the lilies painted on the top lid .... had to paint both at the same time in order to maintain the colour scheme ...

On another note, last Jun 3 2010, we (Aniza, Zaiton and I) ran a workshop for Dapur... painted strawberries on a cheese board. This is a first of the Dapur workshop series for beginners. There's news that Laman will start off with the intermediate series early next year... so lovers of decorative painting... be on the look-out for the advertisements in these 2 magazines ya... what's in the syllabus you asked? ROSES ... so for those of you who'd been with Laman for the beginner series... you are priority .... so start practicing your strokes... refer to our book for guidance if you are lost ;))

Have a great day y'all... be seeing you soon ya... will show off my collection of lace work next...

Ebony set

2010-06-30T08:38:00.006+08:00

I am blessed ... I was commissioned to paint a set of items for a lady who has everything ...that her friends feel that my paintings would be make great personalised items from them to her. And thus the journey began ...

She's a teacher retiring today... and her colleagues felt that personalised paintings on household decorative items would be most befitting for a lady who has everything that money can buy. I hope I lived up to expectations... have a look see here ya... a wall mirror teamed with a tissue box, a wall plague and a tea-box ... set painted in black with hydrangeas ....

The wall mirror and the wall plague

The tea-box which can actually be used as a jewelry box too

The tissue box as seen at different angles

Have a great day ya... am facing writer's block today ... haven't the words to story-tell hehe

Ai Kuan's Vol 52

2010-06-20T12:59:00.008+08:00

I was commissioned to paint a b'day gift for Ai Kuan by a group of friends who were lost for ideas on what to get for a lady who's got almost everything! I'm honoured that they feel that my paintings are good enough to present as a personalised gift from May Lee, Anis, Eli and Jennifer.

On this book-box, I painted a design I adapted from a serviette (something I took off Zaitun's table just a day before ...hehehe), a design by Kathryn White ...done my way. I fell in love with the design the moment I laid eyes on it, and Ai Kuan's gift box seems to be most timely and appropiate for me to paint it. Spent marathon hours over a period of 3 days ... but I love the final look. I do hope Ai Kuan finds it precious enough to treasure :)

To this... I end with a good day to one and all. I need to continue another marathon of painting... to complete a set of gifts for a retiring teacher and cutlery boxes for a house warming... BY 30 JUNE!!!!! 6 items in all ... to sigh? or to smile??? ... I shall choose to smile :)))

Have a great week ahead ya ....

The 20-minute job...

2010-06-11T19:17:00.008+08:00

*Sigh* ... painting mode ...OFF. Been pottering around in my garden... presumably giving TLC to my plants (hahaha! big joke!!!) ... yup! my poor neglected pathetic looking plants ... guilty as charged!!!! ...

Anyway... will show you my garden later ya... am slowly but surely giving it a face lift, adding more colour here and there. It's like a weekly affair now... there will be something different somewhere somehow ... minor but yeah! different ...hehehe

Age is also definitely catching up with me. Am not as energetic as I used to be. If my mornings are spent in the garden or filled with classes... then, by afternoon I'm almost listless ... and by nightfall... I'm DEFINITELY lifeless, seeking the comfort of the bed for an early night!!! Oh well ... life goes on.. anyway, for now... I only have this plague to show off.

Had it base-coated almost a year ago... but left it alone for lack of ideas. Roses were the order of the day... but somehow the mood never came. For one thing, the base was a colour I had experimented with. Loved the effect but since it's a unique colour (don't ask me what colour I used ok... errr can't remember hehehe!!!), I found trouble in getting the correct colour tone for the roses. SUDDENLY a few days back... I had the urge and just followed my heart... and frankly... I love the look. Very pastel, romantic tones to match the background. 20 minutes!!! That was all that was needed to paint the roses... and to think that I left it alone for a year!!!! Sheeeshhhh!!!!! (what else is new huh???) However... the look is not complete. I'll have to give it back to the rightful owner as she'd like to paint in the letterings herself.... over to you, Ita

So now, I need to seek the ON button again... have two major projects to complete before end of month... YIKES!!!!!

Have a great weekend y'all .... nora over n out!

A gift for you?

2010-06-02T16:56:00.007+08:00

Have been painting on small items currently... friends wanting personalised gifts for their friends. Simple items ... but still an heirloom of course ;)

Here's a book box painted with roses ...gosh...when was the last time I painted roses??? It's always an effort to paint roses again after a long period of no-roses hahaha ... anyway, Nita was very happy when presented with this box ... or so I was told ...

Azura bought this bell-jar thingy for her friend's house-warming ... lucky friend *sigh* ... with it she has a cheese cake to grace the board. Had a simple linen lace design with distressed effect on the plain wood ... turned out to be very rustic looking ... again *sigh* ... lucky friend .... errrrr ... do I sound jealous????

hehe ... that's it for now... have a great day ya ;)

Washing today?

2010-05-23T01:56:00.005+08:00

I love it when I'm challenged to paint other than flowers. It stimulates the brain ...at least I know dementia has not set in as yet haha. This time I was given a laundry board .... hehe albeit many many many moons ago ... but it was only this week that the urge to paint on it sets in. Finally finished it just before midnight ... oh well... I won't exactly call it finished for as long as I'd not varnished it... the tendency to add or change is still there .... hmmmm ... anyway... we shall see ;)

Monalisa ... you are not going to wash on this are you????

Nite nite y'all... off to bed and lala land ... muah

Who called the kettle black huh?

2010-05-16T11:03:00.003+08:00

Completed another project today :) .... yup! completed .... BUT yet to be varnished hehe ...

Painted strawberries using a design from the Portmeirion collection ... had trouble painting the grape leaves on the cover as I couldn't really see the design from the printed image ... oh well .... nobody's perfect right?

Have a great Sunday ya ....

The Bread Bin

2010-04-27T19:13:00.002+08:00

Actually finished this last January... but somehow was not quite satisfied with it. It stood on the shelf for a couple more months ... staring, calling at me to complete it. Toyed around with many ideas in my mind... but in my mind they remained haha. Anyway, finally last week, I told myself I MUST get it done ... it was gnawing onto my conscience too *sigh* It's a long overdue project for Noorazma. The bottle of flowers was added yesterday ... did the final touches ...and now it's done ... but of course... yet to be varnished !!! Noorazma ... this is for you...

Labour of love...

2010-04-20T01:18:00.004+08:00

It was a brush box that was once a property of Mas's late father-in-law (may he rest in peace). It is now a jewelery box to be presented to Mas's ma-in-law. I had the honour and pleasure of converting it :)

The design is an original by Yuki Nishizawa done in oils... but I had it done my way with acrylics. I'm still not too happy with the perfume bottle ...still does not look authentic enough ...oh well... back to the studio ...need to paint more glassware hehe...

As usual... it's not varnished yet.... muahahahahaha

Nite2 y'all... sleeptite

I'm poofed....

2010-04-11T21:04:00.005+08:00

For the past month or so, I've been concentrating on completing a set of gift boxes and tray stands for kak Masnah's son's wedding this July. It's tedious, requiring full focus and concentration and I'm now up to my last piece. Each piece is an individual ...different from the next but are all tied up with a similar concept. They definitely require my full attention and demands my creative juices to flow. Today... I'm feeling the strain down my back, neck and shoulders... but I'm satisfied with my work as is kak Masnah too. This last piece is however a killer.... I stare and dream about the design and finally today... I've an inkling of an idea of what I want to do with it. Unfortunately... I'm not able to show them to you yet... until permission is granted by kak Masnah ... sorry ....

However ... in between sessions of the "secret" project ... hehe... I have managed to divert from my usual mode of painting. I painted lemons on a jug-shaped kitchen towel holder .. a design that was inspired by Ros Stallcup. I have always loved Ros's style of painting ... especially her sceneries. It is ... not varnished yet (...but of course!) ... but yours truly here feels that need to show-off again ... muahahahahaha *evil laughter haha* ... so here goes nothing ;) It's a belated gift ...yup!yup!yup! ... who for??? *lalalalalaalala.... keep guessing...

Have a great week ahead ya....

The Book Box

2010-03-27T11:46:00.004+08:00

Completed the box over the night and had it varnished this morning ready to be given as a wedding gift tonight. It was a hurried job ... due to lack of time (got the dates mixed up... trust me memory haha!!!!) ... and upon completion, I knew I could have done a better job. Oh well ... *sigh*

Painted a simple scenery on the cover .. a Ros Stallcup original....had always wanted to paint it for myself... but I guess it's not meant to be. It's always like this... I bought the book for a particular design that I liked... but somehow, I never get to own it after painting ... the story of my life hahahaha

Baby Bear for baby Ilm

2010-03-19T23:51:00.004+08:00

Just completed this piece for Baby Ilm...special order by Yati ... took me the whole of Friday to complete it ... at the expense of my Friday lunch :(

Just need to show it off before I go to bed... exhausted and brain-dead hahaha.... went through many books for ideas to create the design. The final result is a compilation of bits and pieces of this and that from at least 5 books!!! I sure hope Yati likes it...and mama Ilm appreciates her baby hamper ... oh btw... it's not varnished yet hehe

G'nite y'all ... the mind ain't functioning no more muahahahahaha

'Tis a season for hydrangeas :)

2010-03-10T22:16:00.009+08:00

I started with my bouquet of hydrangeas on the book stand... and suddenly I found that I'd been commissioned with hydrangeas here there everywhere hahaha. Anyway shown below are products of my work on various decorative household items....

Let's start with Coreen's black box. It was actually a small chest with Chinese characters written all over it and is beautifully lined with velvet on the inside. So Coreen had it painted black ...and passed it to me to have her favourite flowers painted on it. I had hydrangeas drawn, falling over the 3 sides of the box from the top lid.

Then... there's Munah's large lazy susan ... also with hydrangeas all round the edge. Finished these two items on the same day ... since I was using the same colour combinations on both haha . It's actually interesting to note the effects of the same colour combinations on a contrasting background.

Finally .... hydrangeas on a 3-door hutch cabinet. That was quite a feat as I had to turn my head and body to adjust to the angles when putting in the strokes of the florets in the blooms. You see ... being a circular flower... I'd normally just turn the painting surface as I paint to complete the bloom ... but on a HUGE cabinet ???? Yup! At the end of the day... I had a terrible neck and shoulder ache :( but it was worth it .... customer happy... I'm happy :)

A bouquet for you?

2010-03-05T09:38:00.009+08:00

One fine day ... out of sheer boredom and a need to produce something ... I came out with these three bouquets in a day. The book stands were all pre-basecoated... waiting to be painted on... but they remained empty for a mighty long time until they became an eyesore and I just had to put something on them.... need a fast job... still life would take too long ... and so flowers were the lazy-man's choice hahaha *sigh*

A bouquet of hydrangeas with Queen Anne's Lace and Daisies in a basket. I just love the combination ... it's not varnished yet but is booked by Kak Masnah :)

Hydrangeas in a glass vase ... had fun doing this ... just love the combination of colours. Also not varnished but is already booked by Sawiah :)

Lilacs in a basket ... no takers for this yet ... perhaps I'd just keep it for myself :) ... again, yet to varnish ... how to solve this problem of procrastinating huh??? Anybody? Help?

Anyway .... have a great weekend ya.... off to my studio now.... I think... hehe

Father-daughter team :)

2010-03-05T09:11:00.006+08:00

I am blessed to have met this unique couple from Penang... father-daughter sharing the same interest, each encouraging the other as they go along ... it's a bond not many is blessed with :) Ira and her father, Ishak shares a zest for decorative painting.

Ira found me through my blog and has been in contact since a month ago via emails. She bought my book and has been practicing my roses ever since. Her desire to perfect her roses lead her to me ... and daddy tagged along ... so last Wednesday (24 Feb 2010) they made their way down to KL to spend a day with me ... how much more honoured can I be huh?

Anyway... since Ira has been practicing... her roses were good after just 2 hours!!! Daddy needs a little bit more practice though (after all MY teacher told me to practice 500 roses before it would look any good!!!) I am actually amazed at her ability to grasp the techniques ... so now who's to say you can't learn from the books huh??? Zie did the same... she practiced from the books, came to me from Dharan to refine her techniques... and now she's already painting to sell! So dear people out there ... if you have the love for decorative painting... never ever be discouraged ... just put your heart to it ...and paint!!!! Ira ... Zie ... and many others can testify to that ... believe you me....

2010-02-15T07:45:00.006+08:00

I have been very busy lately ... but unfortunately I have no new COMPLETED paintings to show. It's all touch and go here and there. It's a bad habit I know... but I can't seem to eliminate it *sigh* I keep telling myself that I must complete this first before I go to the next ... but do I listen to myself??? ..... hmmm apparently NOT... as the number of accumulated UFOs can testify for the injustice done to them ...muahahahahaha

Anyway... today's post is dedicated to my students ... Masnah and Sawiah. Though new ...they have shown the patience, dedication and perseverance required of our form of art. It shows that one need not have the talent, but if one puts one's heart to it... nothing is impossible!!!! That's them there hard at work... didn't even realise that the camera was on them hahaha.

Kak Masnah completed her work last week. Beginners in my class start with basic strokework of commas, 'C' and 'S' strokes and the final product would be a bouquet of daisies. Pn Sawiah will finish hers by the next class (she missed one class, thus she lags behind her cousin). Showing you here kak Masnah's bouquet of daisies ... a design I modified from Susan-Scheewe Brown's water-colour original. It's actually very good for a beginner .... yup!yup!yup! Good job my friend ....

To many others out there who are interested in decorative painting ... have no fear. It is an attainable art ... all you need is patience, dedication and perseverance ... talent and an eye for colour is just a bonus...

Have a great day ya....

p/s : Sawiah finally completed her first piece ... check it out ya ...

...daisies with the same teacher teaching the same strokes but the outcome is different with each individual ... that's art for you...every piece is unique

Just for you Elita ...

2010-01-31T19:29:00.004+08:00

I would like my dear friends to have something personal and meaningful from me... something to remember me by. It started with May Lee's birthday ... and now it's Eli's turn. I paint when the mood and urge comes ... and I paint what my heart tells me to paint. There will be more to come ... though it may not come in time to coincide with their birthdays... but it will eventually come... God Willing.... ;)
Elita... it's hydrangeas for you ya...

Old stool ....

2010-01-19T08:42:00.002+08:00

I have been busy painting on furniture again... this time pink roses on a white base. Nothing much new... so nothing to really show actually. However... I managed to finish a scenery on a stool in between sessions of painting on furniture. It's a design inspired from a water-colour painting by Bonnie Heppe Fisher.

It was an old broken down rattan stool with torn rattan seat... had the seat changed and painted ... and now the stool is as good as new. The moral of the story here is.... never discard anything old... remember ya... anything that doesn't move can be painted on :)

That's it for now ... have a good day y'all

Flowers again

2009-12-28T07:05:00.007+08:00

Completed three items recently... hydrangeas on a pair of lazy susans for Kak Nomi and a bouquet of flowers on a cutlery set for Siew Bee. Nothing much to really show-off here ... but it felt good to be able to finish something without added stress hahaha

Oh well... I actually lie if I say no stress added doing the cutlery box haha. Siew Bee gave instructions with no specific pics or photos as reference. Must admit... I'm no artist that can just imagine something off-the-cuff ... I need pics and photos. She said she wanted "undefined" wild summer flowers on a red-wine base ... err come again...WILD summer flowers? on a red wine base? ouh ok... gotta do some research now ...

Took me 2 weeks just to mull over what to paint ... anyway... what you see here is the outcome of my stressed thoughts *sigh* I actually had laces on the three sides of the base with daisies and dandelions on the inside of the cover .... but I was soooo relieved that the painting was done that I forgot to take pics of the base and the inside cover!!!!!!

However... this is one job I'm not too happy with as I felt that it's not my best. Fortunately... Siew Bee texted me yesterday and told me that her sis-in-law loved the box. Thank you Siew Bee's sis-in-law ... you made my day :)

To all you guys out there ... here's Nora wishing you a Happy New Year. May 2010 bring you abundant goodness, lots of joy and great health. Take care you hear ... thank you for visiting my blog....

Hey Kitty kitty....

2009-12-20T07:43:00.007+08:00

I was at Kak Masnah's to deliver the ring-box some 2 weeks ago when my roaming eyes fell on an old rusty tin that she had tucked (or chucked away...hahaha) in a corner. Being a tin collector, I couldn't resist asking her to spare me the tin ... hahaha.... was just trying my luck ... and oh-boy! She gave me the tin... on one condition... that I paint her the same design on a stool... hehehe. The challenge ... and the old rusty cookie tin ... I took, but of course!!! It's a rare tin... don't think there are many of the same around anymore!!!

<------ Soooo.... from this tin.... it became that stool ------->

Kak Masnah loves it... and I love it even more :)))

Close-up of Kitty in bowl :)

Yup! That's it for today... back to my messy studio ... errr... maybe back to facebook first hehe. My poor garden has been neglected again *sigh*

Have a great day y'all ... taa

The Ring Box

2009-12-13T08:32:00.005+08:00

I have the utmost admiration for people who can make something out of nothing ... it's just amazing how the creative minds work. Here is a classic example... I painted this small box for kak Masnah (view "The Ring Box" posted Nov 7 2009) as requested ... but just look at how she has decorated this item... simply lost for words!!!!

A small box can be simply but elegantly dressed ready to be presented as a gift fit for a queen!!! Kak Masnah... I salute you!

2009-12-03T23:56:00.004+08:00

The last post said I was off to my studio... yup I did... but nothing materialised. All I did was to base-coat a few items :( I thought I'd paint on the stool ... or the cutlery box. .. or the bread bin ... or the book stand .... or the utility holder .... but nope!!! My brain switched off *sigh* ... all base-coated but still empty .....

Anyway... today... out of sheer frustration and an urgency to complete something ... I painted a very simple one on a wall plaque ... a design by Jamie Mills-Price from her book "Between the Vines" (vol 7). It's something I'd never done before ... but I quite like the look.... clean and fresh in contrast to my usual styles. My Aida said that it looked like a child's painting ... but haha. .. if any child can paint like that ... I take my hats off to her/him .... yup!yup!yup! Probably it would look better varnished ... but hehe ... I'll do that later ;)

Good night people... sweet dreams

The tempayan make-over

2009-11-26T10:21:00.006+08:00

Tempayan?..... tempayan? ...tempayan ???? ...eyh...what's tempayan in english huh??? Been trying to recall what's it called (and too lazy to go look for my malay-english dictionary... actually can't remember where I last placed it... muahahahaha) ... *sigh*

Anyway... this tempayan here belongs to Salmi's grandmother ...errr or is it great-grandmother ??? (oh dear ... memory failure ...again!!) I had painted 3 different topiaries around it with butterflies and bees flying in between. I antiqued it to give it added value hehe ... not realising when I did that, the tempayan is already actually THAT old... a real piece of antique!!!! Only knew that it's an antique when Salmi came to collect it haha.... honestly... the tempayan looked very new... just smooth and shiny!!! Credit to the good old days when things were made to last forever !!! I'm satisfied with this piece ... did some research to get ideas for the topiaries hehe.... look see at the other two topiaries ya.

Salmi is happy... I'm happier ... I still have that nagging fear that my artwork is not up to expectations :(

That's it for now... off to the studio whilst I'm still in the painting mood. Need to get a few pieces ready for Christmas :) Have a great day ya ...

The Batu Gang

2009-11-25T08:50:00.005+08:00

As a young child up to my teens, I led a nomadic life. Abah was with RISDA and was always on the move... getting transferred from one state to the other every few years. We, the kids, had to tag along... uprooting ourselves from one school to the next. It was hard to bond with anybody... but on the plus side, we made many friends ...yup!yup!yup!

Recently in the past few months...as destiny dictates our lives... I've been blessed with the past... meeting up with friends who remained fresh in my memories but have no inkling where they are. Names that I can recall... faces that are still young and fresh haha ... and sometimes just situations or events I recall but can't remember where they occurred (hahaha ... that's of course due to this thing called m-e-m-o-r-y ... which sometimes I forgot where I put.... muahahahaha) Anyway... yesterday was a great day.

After 36 years... I managed to catch-up with another batch of friends. Mashita found me in facebook... then came Liza and Aini. The biggest surprise was when Amin showed up at Lake Club where we gathered. Thank you all dear friends ... I am blessed. Alhamdulillah....

May Lee's ...

2009-11-24T08:13:00.007+08:00

I mulled over the design for May Lee's gift box... toyed around with sooooo many ideas... none of which I found satisfactory. It's just not May Lee!!! ...until one fine day... I just let go and let the brush take control. Started base-coating with one colour... didn't like it... then changed to another... and another... until it became a colour that I didn't know what to paint on with *sigh* ... but God is Great!!!... I remembered that May Lee loves to scuba dive... and the dark blue background is perfect for a sea-bed scenery with colourful coral reefs... and that's what I did. May Lee... this is for you... happy b'day dear :)

The inside cover of the box says it all. I treasure this long-lost-found-again friendship. After Form 5 in 1975, we went our separate ways ... only to meet again last year at a reunion of Assuntarians '75... and from then on, the rest is history. We were never even close in school, not even in the same clique ... but the bondage that we have now will last forever... God Willing. May Lee .. thank you... for everything :))

Jati Furniture

2009-11-21T07:12:00.003+08:00

A friend would like to sell her current almost brand new Jati furniture set. They were used solely for guests thus are still in great condition. Please feel free to contact Pn Rohaina (013-6134567/ 06-7632906) for further enquiries :)

PRICE : RM500.00 only
NEW UPHOLSTERY

4 PIECES
PRICE : RM250.00 each
NEW UPHOLSTERY

Buy the whole set and get 2 SIDE TABLES for FREE!

Cost is exclusive of delivery. However, delivery can be arranged at extra costs.

The Gift Box

2009-11-18T20:06:00.005+08:00

Just a short note this time .... a gift made to order by friends for a very special friend... happy b'day Boon Kee. We love you....

Painted sweet lilacs on the cover

... and more lilacs on the inside ...

...sorry... everything seems so fuzzy this time... hands were not steady I guess.... :(

Nighty-nite ....

Great grandma's ....

2009-11-10T07:12:00.006+08:00

Nope... no paintings to show-off today... nothing is finished yet hehe... BUT I do have something else to show off. I've been blog-hopping these past few days ... (hmm... THAT actually explains why I can't complete my paintings... muahahahaha)... feasting my eyes on the many beautiful items that are collected and cherished.

Anyway...I see sooooo many bloggers that are really into porcelain antiques. Well ... I am not a collector per se ... but I do have some that I'd inherited from my grandma. They were her mother's..... so you can imagine that these items are at least 100 years old. Grandma passed on at 93 and that was way back in 1999... great grandma had them even before grandma was born!!! You do the maths....

Just 2 items for today... will show more later when I have nothing else to show but have the mood to blog hehehe. First item is a small pot .... the body is just slightly bigger than my palm (and my palm IS small!!!) I'm guessing they might have used it as a milk pot ... should have asked grandma what it was used for... but I didn't *sigh*

The back has shown some wear and tear where parts of the gold trimmings had faded. Must have been a well-utilised ware here hehe...

The other item is a butter dish with a lovely domed-top and a delicately serrated dish. I see no trademarks on both the milk-pot and the butter dish... so I'm guessing they were made to order. *sigh* I wish I'd asked for details ... now it's too late to know the truth behind these antiques :( I was too elated to have them that I didn't bother to ask more.... !!!! ... or maybe I was too naive to understand antiques except for the fact that hey... I have something from great-grandma that my cousins don't hahaha...

Anyway... that's all for today... antique lovers have a feast :) My antiques are family heirlooms... I treasure them... and I hope my kids will cherish them too.... good day y'all

Fruits n veges ...

2009-11-09T08:42:00.018+08:00

It's fruits and veges today... Azma these are yours :)

Strawberries painted on a utility holder made from galvanised tin. Made it look rustic with strawberries on both sides. Simple though...

Next was the killer haha. Took me a loooooooonnnggggg time to complete this huge picnic hamper. It was a feat trying to make the veges look real ... am actually quite happy with the outcome. I have no formal training on painting veges, so what you see is the outcome of my trial and error style based on the various techniques I'd learned in the past hehe.... *pat pat patting myself on my shoulders.... yeay*

The base I painted to make it look like a basket. That too I'd taken time to paint...Aida was my critical consultant ... she'd go... " ma....your basket does not look woven, too much space, not enough shadows ...... " urghh!!!! but thanks anyway honourable daughter #3... your comments are most welcomed :)) These 2 items I have finished but not yet varnished .... so Azma... call me 2 days prior to collection ya hehe...

Currently, I'm simultaneously preparing 2 items... Azma's metallic bread bin and Salmi's glazed earthenware pot. Both items need thorough preparation prior to painting .... otherwise it would be a wasted effort since the paints won't stick well on such surfaces unless pre-primed ....

... wait for the results.... whenever that would be hehehe.... have a great day ya...

The Ring Box....

2009-11-07T06:43:00.006+08:00

Kak Masnah's baby is getting engaged sometime next month. Being a very creative lady she has tons of ideas that we normal mortals won't even think of!!! hahaha. Anyway, she has commissioned each of us (Aniza, Zaitun and I) a task to complete. I am to do the boxes and the trays for her son's engagement and wedding. So far... I'd completed the ring box and the basic marbled top for the 7 trays (for "hantaran"). In this post... I will show just the ring box. The trays will be shown later when I complete the whole design after the engagement. The other boxes?... yet to start :) The box is a normal MDF box ... painted and made to look like woven mengkuang to match the rest of her decorated gifts for the son's fiancee-wannabe. On it I'd painted lilacs since purple is the theme colour for the engagement. As for the base I'd done some very simple textured design with basic strokes at random. The box is with her now...

The grape stool ...

2009-11-06T07:27:00.006+08:00

Another personal item to show off today. Had this stool done pronto as I needed more stools for a fish bbq gathering last Oct 31. Had the stool base-coated ages ago and left it under my table waiting to be painted one fine day. Well... the day finally came... and again it took me only an hour to complete the stool... the things I can do ...when i need to ... muahahahaha. Anyway... I do have a few more stools in stock... but one was all I could do due to a tight schedule*sigh*

I am now currently painting for Azma.... I'm almost done with your picnic hamper :) ... pray that I do not get interrupted ya.... interruptions get me off-the-painting-mode..... *sigh again*

That's it for today ... more to come later on :) ...have a good day y'all

On small items ...

2009-11-04T09:56:00.008+08:00

Just a small item, took just an hour to finish 2 days ago...but it took ages... AGES!!! ... for me to start on it. Bought the empty plaque ...errmmmm maybe 6 or 7 months ago hehehe. Had leaves and a nest with eggs painted on it... not doing flowers here.

I have decided that I will only paint roses when I need to complete PRONTO haha ... like for instance, I'm having guests in the evening and I have maybe 2 hours left to spare ...haha... did just that for my hand-soap dispenser .....

Right... that's it for today... seems to have lost my flair for words... writer's block!!!

Take care ya...

My Shoe Cabinet

2009-11-03T08:52:00.008+08:00

Hehe... wanna see my shoe cabinet? It's unfinished (details are missing here and there) thus it's unvarnished ...BUT .... it's already outside with shoes in it !!! yup!yup!yup!

Struggled to get some trompe l'oeil effect there .... getting ideas from everywhere and finally decided to just put in minimal drawings because I didn't want to hide the faux finish that I'd created and loved ....muahahaha. "Not finished?...and why is it outside and used?" you asked??? Weeellllllll ...that's because I had to clear the house for Raya ...wouldn't want to have an unfinished shoe cabinet in my hall, would I ???(because that's where I painted the cabinet...in my living room hahaha) Anyway ...here is more of it .....

I have yet to put in details on the piece of note paper "attached" on the door. At the moment it appears to be just an empty aged yellowing piece of paper pinned onto the door... so we shall see as to when this piece will really really really be completed .....*sigh again*

....have a great day y'all....

Hellooooo... :)

2009-11-02T22:37:00.006+08:00

Last post was 8 Sept... today is 2 Nov...oh wow!!! Have I been away THAT long???? Was I THAT busy or was I THAT lazy huh??? Haha never mind... hey, I'm back ...

True I've been BOTH lazy and busy. Took a long break from painting to catch up with other things that I'd neglected whilst painting. I'm finally back in the mood... but unfortunately the old habit is still there. That much of me is still asking to be changed... when will I ever learn to finish one project before I go to the next ????? Never??? May be hahahaha.... oh welllllll....

I have a collection of latest UFOs ... finished the main and major part of the painting, just needing the final touches here and there ... which of course (I think! You think?) will eventually finish and be varnished.... Yeah!yeah! I know... I have pieces from umpteen years ago that I'd still not completed ... *sigh* Anyway ... here goes ... will show you just 1 project per posting ya... the internet is rather slow. Uploading the pics take ages!!!! ... good suspense for you too yes??? muahahahahaha

This tea-pot I bought at a reduced price from Ikea... sometime last year. It was a reject piece as the cover was broken. I saw it as a potential flower vase, but it was only recently that I managed to sit down to paint on it. Toyed around with various design ideas... and this was the outcome... a simple monotone design (actually... it was a good excuse to do a quick cover job... muahahahaha!!!)

A simple country-side scenery on one front and a kerchief dropping from the rim on the other... a real lazy-man's job hahaha... but I like the effect. It's mine... and I'm not complaining :)

sooooo... that's it for now ... another project on another post ya...

nite-nite muah....

Zie's mum's antiques

2009-09-08T12:44:00.009+08:00

Zie had these kendi and colander cleaned for her mom... but somehow somewhere it didn't turn out as clean as expected ... so that's how they came to me... for a makeover ;)

The kendi has a beautifully curved metallic handle and an elegant body to match. I felt that it would not do the piece any justice if I were to just paint roses on it. So after 3 days of pondering, mulling and fretting over it, I finally gave Zie a call to inform her of my decision to make it look rustic and classic. Alhamdulillah she agreed. I'm happy with the outcome... I hope she is too ....

I painted the surface in a rustic manner ... and had gold trimmings with gold strokes and dots to complement. It is actually a very simple design but it adds elegance to this classic piece.

The colander was another story altogether. I didn't make it pastel as I wanted the fruits to stand out. It would look just as good on a pastel background with some effect work around it ... but I had to consider that the colander is very "holey" ... hehe... the holes make it difficult to paint on, as paint keeps on seeping out on the other side!!! It wasn't easy but it was fun ... and again... I'm happy with it.

These 2 will be handed over to Zie this Sunday... and as usual ... I'm apprehensive as to how my work is accepted ... *sigh* when will I ever get rid of this feeling huh? Anyway .. I'm starting on Noorazma's bread bin and picnic hamper soon ... but in between sessions .. I see progress on my shoe cabinet :))

Have a great day ya....

Meet Teddy :)

2009-09-07T22:04:00.011+08:00

The past week has been for my other customers ... on items other than huge furniture. It's a good break since I do need to allow my creative juices to flow. It sets my brain on a thinking mode when I have to paint other than roses! I do enjoy the challenge :) ...painting just roses makes me dull and go on auto mode hahaha ...

Anyway... I painted teddy bears on a storage bin for Mala ... finished it last week but kept it on hold until 3 days ago. I felt that there was no zest in the painting ... so I put it aside, stared at it daily for 4 days, cracked my brain ... and still saw no solution to it. Finally ... took it to Aniza and had a sort of brainstorming session with her .... and the outcome is what you see here. All it needed was more highlights on the fur and dashes of red here and there to give it some zest. Thank you Aniza, the bin is now with Mala :)

This magazine rack was also painted for Mala. As much as I love to paint hydrangeas ... like roses, I will go on auto mode again. No challenge here ...

I finished painting for Roziah too ... but I will show that later in my next post. In between sessions of painting for Mala and Roziah ... in those moments when I got stuck due to lack of ideas ... I continued with my shoe cabinet. Now that's another story altogether... so till my next post ... goodnight y'all

The customer is always right ....

2009-08-31T13:23:00.002+08:00

There is a saying that the customer is always right :) It is something we service providers have to stand by all the time ... regardless the consequences ...

I discovered today that my paintings were not up to expectations ... I misunderstood the specifications and did it my way as I usually do unless specifically instructed. I happily announced in my last 2 posts that the lady was happy with my work ... when unfortunately she was not. I understand the feelings of dissatisfaction when what we want is not what we get ... so here I have to remind myself to make sure the customer gets what he/she wants.... but again... oh well... *sigh* ... there is another saying... one man's meat is another man's poison... you just can't please them all...

So till my next post... have a great day.... ;)

And so we continue...

2009-08-29T22:09:00.006+08:00

Yup... to continue where I left in my last post.... no new stories but just what I'd painted the past 2 weeks ;) Unfortunately... at the moment, I'm lost for words... ya ya I surprised myself too haha!!! ... so I'll just let the pics do the talking ....

Apart from the green furniture set, I was commissioned to paint on white furniture too. Ita's husband, Tarmizi, is an excellent carpenter. Just give him your specs and dimensions to anything you fancy... and he'll have that built!! Anyway ... here are the pics ...

The white buffet hutch sent to me was without legs. It was an urgent order, to be sent outstation ... so Mizi sent it to me in pieces to be assembled later upon completion hehe. On this set, I painted brilliant pink roses as per requested. I was told the lady was pleased with my effort .. and I'm very happy she's satisfied :) It just made my day when my work is appreciated. I'm always at jitters as to whether my work is up to expectation ... not good for the heart though!!! :(

These were painted on the sides of the buffet hutch... huge pink roses with blue-violet blooms. Took me a total of 7 hours to complete this piece ... exhausted with pain in the thighs upon completion haha. Had to paint it whilst standing and in every other position to accomodate the angle to paint the design hahaha ... top, sides, bottom, along the shelves ....

I'm currently rewarding myself with this custom-made shoe cabinet. I've not really painted on anything big for myself ... oh wait!!! I did.. I painted on my old fridge hehe... the fridge??? ... nope... not completed... it stands outside as it was since I last posted it here ... muahahahaha ... one fine day.... one fine day hehe

To this I bid thee ... fare thee well my friends ... till we meet again ... need to continue on the shoe cabinet ... ;)

It's time again...

2009-08-29T09:43:00.016+08:00

Yup... time to update my blog... been neglecting it for quite some time now... again no other particular reason except for sheer laziness. I take my hats off to those bloggers who diligently and religiously update theirs ... *salute*

Recently I turned half a century old... officially hehe. I feel blessed and much loved for the whole week I was wished and dined upon. The morning of Aug 18... I had morning tea at Marmalade, Bangsar Village Park with Kak Masnah, Zaitun and Aniza. Later that night, I had dinner with family at Sri Melaka, One Utama.....my mama's treat. Wednesday Aug 19, I had another b'day dinner with May Lee, Anis and Eli... my Assuntarian schoolmates at Subak Restaurant, Bukit Lanjan.... lovely place with pleasant ambiance with the sounds of cicadas, frogs and other nite calls from the surroundings hehe. Then Thurs, Aug 20 ... at Yati's home... it was supposed to be a painting class... but they had other plans. It was lunch for me with the rest of the painting gals :) ... yup! so tell me... why shouldn't I feel blessed and loved huh? I have friends for life.... Alhamdulillah ...

Well so much for the above story... what's new with my paintings??? I've not been skillfully challenged lately ... nothing new as yet. Been busy painting for Ita as apparently there was a demand for my scarlet roses and blooms on her green furniture. I'm thankful for that ... because that means that my paintings are appreciated hehehe... so here I show off what I'd done so far ya ...

That's a love-seat... a double seater. Ita had a cushioned seat tailored to fit to make it more comfy. It's pre-ordered ...so it's already in somebody's home ;)

The buffet hutch is another preo-ordered item. I love the doors ...

Lastly the two 3-tiered magazine stand .... right that's it for now... will continue later for more updates.

.....have a good day ya...

The make-over...

2009-08-16T22:47:00.007+08:00

Remember the "kendi" I mentioned in one of my earlier posts... the one that I was dying to show off but couldn't because I was binded by my promise to the owner that I shall not have it posted until she'd sighted it??? Well... the "kendis" are with her now... since last Sunday haha... sooooooo here in this post I show them off to you .... Made of galvanised tin, the two kendis had tarnished over time... after all they belong to her mum!!! Gee is an avid collector of things beautiful and rare ... she kept her mum's kendis and finally contacted me for a make-over a few moons ago. Upon her request, I had the pair basecoated in white with pink and blue as the predominant colour of each kendi. Pink roses are painted to decorate them ... so now her kendis are better than new ... hehehe ... if I may say so myself ;)

Guess what???

2009-08-16T22:07:00.005+08:00

God works in mysterious ways... yup!yup!yup! Our paths crossed years ago when we were still very young girls... who could even imagine that we'd meet again and become bosom buddies???

As a young girl, I led a nomadic life. Abah would be transferred ever so often from state to state in his course of duty with RISDA. I was in 9 different schools all over Malaysia before I finally ended school life in 1977 and entered the varsity in 1978.

The story starts way back in 1967. I was then in Std 2 in St Nicholas Convent, Alor Star, Kedah. Completed Std 2,3 and 5 ... skipped Std 4 as I was in the express class... and 1 term of Std 6 before we started to move again. Guess who was in Std 1 then? ....haha Zaitun was there too in SNC !!! Huh??? Yup! ZAITUN. Apparently her father was a nomad too... and was serving in Alor Star then. U- uh... never knew Zaitun then haha... but anyway, she wasn't there for long though. Then in 1970... guess who started school in SNC?... yessss... ANIZA!!!! Yup... the other partner-in-crime!!! Oh my!! There was Zaitun with me in SNC in 1967 and Aniza in 1970... our paths crossed and we never knew of each other's existence there until just last Tuesday!!! It was such a coincidence that we were just beyond words to describe the discovery....

How'd we know you asked? Oh it was just in a passing conversation with another friend (Kak Masnah) in one of our morning teas together at Zaitun's home. But that's just it... it is ordained as such that we are actually no strangers without even realising that ... hahaha.. and now here we are... bonded again by the love of Decorative Painting... Allah is Great... Amen. We are now friends for life ... InsyaAllah (God Willing)...

Latest addition...

2009-08-08T07:39:00.014+08:00

Had a few more pieces painted other than that for Ita. Here you will see 2 rice bins and a toilet roll mini cabinet.

Painted poppies on this bin. Lizana carried this small wooden bin all the way from Korea. Finished painting this one whilst I was caring for Syukrina in JB... but had it varnished just recently. It has been there on my shelf for some time now ...waiting for its mistress to come collect.... so here I show off my handiwork hehe.

Painted poppies all round the bin. It's distinctively my style of painting... I do not normally sit my designs symmetrically or smack right in the centre unless specifically requested.

Hydrangeas were painted on the rice bin and toilet roll mini cabinet for Noorazma. This is a classic example of hydrangeas on contrasting backgrounds giving off distinctive effects... but both look equally good... don't you think so????

Rice bin was based with dark green... and pastel hydrangeas painted all round it. Did this whilst in the hospital with Ira. It's finished but yet to be varnished... in time for Noorazma to collect on Monday ;)

It has been quite some time since I last painted hydrangeas on a dark background... so this was a welcomed diversion from my current paintings on items for Ita hehe...

And finally the last one for today... hydrangeas on the white mini cabinet. I quite like the look of this cabinet... I had it ordered just for myself. What shall I paint on it??? ... ummm don't know yet. It may remain as it is for quite sometime for all I know muahahahahaha ... another UFO... that's sooooo Nora !!!!! Anyway... this item was completed in JB too ....

I'm actually dying to show off the "kendi" that I made over for Gee... but since I could not find the time to send them to her yet... I'm still bound by my promise to her that I shall NOT have it posted until she has sighted them :(

At the moment... I'm painting teddy bears on a bin (half way through now)... had 2 dustbins and 2 display cabinets basecoated all ready to be painted on... apart from the fridge that I'd started last month!!!! Ita will be sending more stuffs soon... together with my shoe cabinet ;)

Busy, busy, busy .......

Latest for Zieta

2009-08-08T07:16:00.005+08:00

Going to make it short here... showing off pics only. Had these painted for Ita.

Finished the umbrella stand yesterday.... painted a simple bouquet of a rose and hydrangea bloom in the same colours to match her previous green furniture set.

Ita received orders for more picnic hampers with specific requirements for the designs on the cover. The base remains as the sample I had painted recently ... it's just the top covers that vary. This one I finished whilst caring for Ira in the hospital. I normally will make use of whatever available time anywhere to do some handiwork... may it be painting or needlework. Time is precious...

The second set I finished yesterday... together with the umbrella stand.

Painted a mini hutch too ... but that pic I took with my phone and had not had it transferred to my notebook as yet. Spent 2-3 hrs daily for 3 days... juggling time in between sessions of home and hospital. Together with this, I completed 2 key cabinets of same designs as the sample I did for Ita... so these 2 I need show since I'd already posted it.... nothing new.

Well... that's it for now.... take care

My poor girls :(

2009-07-31T21:50:00.005+08:00

July... is a month full of trials for me... in terms of family health. First week... I was in JB for my eldest girl who needed to remove liver cyts and congestion at the outer walls of her ovary... 2 ops at one go. Now 2 weeks later... she's doing very well... Alhamdulillah

Last week... my Aida was down with flu, cough and sore throat. Not a good combination with all the viruses in the air everywhere. It was stable for a while ...until she developed fever yesterday. At the same time yesterday... Syakirah complained of severe pain on her right side... not persistent but it comes and goes. With experience... I'd immediately suspected appendix (hubby, son and ma ... in that order... all had their appendix removed!!!) So ... together with Aida and Ira... off to Assunta Hospital we went...

Aida was cleared of whatever danger that lingers in the air currently... but Syakirah was another story. Spent 4 hrs in Assunta juggling between doctors and lab tests... and finally by 6.00pm... she was warded and due for an op at 8.00pm that very night! Yup!... by 10.00pm... Syakirah is appendix-less. My poor baby ... it's never a nice feeling to see your babies sick.... or in pain !!! It makes it even worse when you have to choose to spend more time with one at the expanse of the other. Aida has to take care of herself as I focus on Ira....

I'm now in the hospital ... juggling my time between my babies and commitments to my customers. Mom took over to sit with Ira whilst I rush back home and spent 2 hrs painting on the hutch for Zieta. It's half way done now... will continue another 2hrs tomorrow... Zieta needs it by Sunday for a preview on Monday (or something like that... can't exactly remember what she said hehe). I also brought along her key cabinets here to paint...

And my garden??? Hehehe ... I think I'm planting weeds again *sigh*

Good night... sweet dreams...

Laman Workshop 5

2009-07-29T07:23:00.007+08:00

Last Saturday we had our 5th workshop organised by Laman Impiana.... as usual for the beginners. This particular group is a rather quiet group unlike the other groups before them ... most of them were really focused and concentrated on their work. It's funny sometimes how we seem to get a group of almost similar characters. I remember the Saloma group was a really boisterous group as in contrast to this particular group. As usual, we had participants from East Malaysia and all over Peninsular... and males too :) The pics below will speak for themselves......

That's the 3 of us... Aniza, Zaitun and I... busy busy busy departing our knowledge and skills to the participants...

At the end of the day... everybody went home with a completed project... hopefully satisfied with what we could give within those limited hours ....

We were told Laman Impiana is collecting a database of past participants. Hopefully by next year, we will be able to have another workshop for the intermediates. In the meantime... the 6th beginner workshop will be held next month, 15 Aug. Just check out details in the Laman magazine ya.... and oh btw.... keep a date with us on 2 August (Sun) at Popular Bookstore, Ikano. We were invited to do a demo of our craft from 1.00 - 3.00pm. See you there?

More for Zieta

2009-07-28T08:40:00.006+08:00

Here are more pics that I'd missed out... all for Zieta. These were painted before the JB trip... about a week earlier than the ones I'd last posted...

Here I'd painted on a birdhouse-hutch ... reminds me of those days when grandma used to store her cooked food away from the flies...except that grandma's "gerobok" had a normal top, not shaped like a birdhouse. Again as it's part of the green set... I had my scarlet roses and blooms on it.

The opposite sides of the hutch. Was quite challenged painting this ... had to paint them whilst standing. If you notice the roses fall from the top... thus I had to twist and turn my head, hand and body to get the angle correct haha. Couldn't rest the hutch on it's side to paint due to the roof that juts out, and can't have it on its back either as it was harder to paint when placed in that position... so standing was how it was painted. Ended with a pain in the neck (literally! not metaphorically!) and stiff shoulders hahaha

Decided to divert from the normal scarlet roses... so on this caddy I'd painted white roses. Looked good... not as bright and cheery as the scarlet roses ... a bit subtle here. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder... another man's meat may be poison to another. Oh well.....at least the customer has a choice hehe....

Taa y'all ... that's it for now, thanks for dropping by ... have a blessed day ya ;)

The pics as promised....

2009-07-27T12:38:00.019+08:00

Promised you the pics right?... so here goes nothing....

Did this before I went off to JB to take care of my girl.... a green table top display rack. Showing here are both sides of the rack. Painted roses and filler blooms in between as in all the other green sets.

These few I painted in the ward. The T-pot kitchen towel holder and the pair of switch plates I completed whilst waiting on my girl. This is to prove that... when one is in the mood... anywhere and everywhere is a possible place to paint....

And finally... this was started there in JB but completed here in KL. The plastic dispenser was a wee bit bulky and a bit difficult to handle on the bedside trolley haha... that's why it wasn't completed there.

These are all for Zieta ....

Back in KL... painted a few more items. Will show you later. Till my next post... have a great week ya... ;)

Update ....

2009-07-26T10:19:00.003+08:00

Last post was 5 July... today is 26 July... hmm 3 weeks have passed by since the last post. So what's up eyh? Too many... don't think I can recall anything much tho (told you not to trust my memory didn't I ??? muhahahaha )

Anyway... 1st week I guess was uneventful ... did my usual thing... painting, surfing the internet, painting again.... but most of all I guess I was glued to facebook!!! I tell you.... facebook is so addictive... at every possible moment that I could spare to procrastinate ... and even more than I should or could!!!... I'd be there in front of this little screen squinting away at words and pics ... what pleasure you ask??? Hmmmm....I also don't know ... muahahaha.... but I'm there religiously after my dawn prayers onwards....till just before I call it a day... *sigh* So... though I managed to do some paintings, but unfortunately effort was like almost nil!!! (as compared to the number of hours I stare on the screen!!!! bad!bad!bad!!! errr... do I regret??? hmmm ????

The 2nd week however was very hectic... I had to go down south to JB. My eldest girl needed 2 ops... one for her liver cyst... the other what was at first thought to be endometriosis, turned out to be just a congestion of cells and blood, lining the walls of her ovary externally. Thank God for that... but it still had to be removed. They did laproscopy on her... and now she has 7 holey scars to show off around her abdominal area ( 3 was from last year's op) . Anyway... I was based in the hospital with her for 4 days ... and though wifi was available... but facebook was blocked!!! Sad isn't it... 4 days no FB!!!! Pathetic!!!! haha ... so what did I do to while away the time??? I painted lah!!!! Brought some items and painting gear... and managed to complete some hehe... *pat*pat*

*Sigh* came back home last Sunday to a messy house... and it has remained as such since then hahaha. Don't have the strength to go round cleaning.... so from now and till "then" .... whenever "then" is .... I shall just close an eye or maybe both... to whatever that's-not-supposed-to-be-there-but-is -there... muahahahaha ... aaahhhhh life is bliss ;)

And finally yesterday... we had our 5th workshop with Laman Impiana... will tell you more about that later. I also have a few more paintings to show off ( nothing out of the ordinary though... my usual roses and hydrangeas) ... but for now that's it... need to get ready for my lunch out with my Assunta mates hehehe... taa... have a great day ya....

More green set...

2009-07-05T10:31:00.025+08:00

Ita and husband Mizi decided to have a difference in their brand of furniture... they are diverting from the usual white sets that one can easily get. So green is their theme now... I believe they'll soon have a blue one too apart from the usual white.... and I am just one of the few artists that they have commissioned to paint on their sets. Thank you Ita and Mizi for the faith and trust that you have in me. I pray you great success in your endeavours.....

Here... again... I shall show you the results of my effort the whole of this week :) The swivel bin, key holder and picnic hamper together with a tray, tissue holder, multi-purpose caddy, single and double switch plate covers and a small wall plague .... all in a week's work ... strained shoulders and neck inclusive muahahaha...

As usual... I don't have my paintings right in the centre on every side of the bin. The roses are spread all over the bin creating ... as what my sifu taught me years ago... a story. Sandie's style of drawing has rubbed on me. She taught me to diversify and not paint conventionally or in a standard manner with things right smack in the centre or symetrically placed at all four corners or all in a row or whatever !!!

So here... I have my roses 'dancing' from one end to the other, peeping around corners, or hanging top down or climbing bottom up and so forth. Even in nature... nothing is symmetrical... yes???

Shown next is the picnic hamper. Haha ... did I say I don't like symmetry??? Well here... the roses are arranged symmetrically on the top covers and along the sides. Well.... there are times when I feel symmetry is OK... muahahahahaha

This key holder has roses painted mainly on the front... with the ends lightly trailing around the corners (not shown here... don't know why I didn't take pics of the 2 sides... but nevermind... you may use your power of imagination to visualise that ... haha). Again you will notice... although the roses are focussed on the front... there is still no symmetry there :) la la laaa.....

The bird-house tissue holder... again with roses all over.... from the top downwards, from bottom upwards
meeting here and there :)

The multi-purpose caddy has roses around the opposite corners... this one is also almost symmetrical
... I repeat ALMOST ya... so look closely... they appear similar but not the same hehehe

Hmm... just realised that I'd taken a pic of this tray before I'd completed it. Actually had small roses along the outer sides all round too .... ahhhh... anyway ....

And finally... the switch plate covers and the plaque. Too lazy to upload each and every plate... after all they are just roses hahaha. Anyway... you can always click on the pic to get a close-up view of each item...

Right... that's it for this batch. Still have a few more to paint ... but more in white now. In the mean time... I'll get down to another long-awaited project first. Gee... if you are reading this... your "kendi" is next ;) ... had them base coated already... waiting for the flowers to "bloom" on them soon.... InsyaAllah will get them ready by next week... sorry for the delay...

So till we meet again... have a great day... muahx3

More furniture...

2009-07-05T09:13:00.012+08:00

A simple door plaque for a charming pair of 2-yr olds.... Tia and Mia. It was a last minute order from Nerry ... and this was all I could do at such a short notice. Sincerely hope that it's good enough... I always have this nagging fear that sometimes my paintings are not up to standard ..... hahaha that's the insecure me talking here !!! Surprised??? Hehe... I surprise myself too... yup!yup!yup!... for someone who loves to show-off her works... I can still (up till now) have that nagging fear that the customer is not pleased !!! ... or that I'd overcharged and that it's not worth the amount paid for *sigh*

Anyway the plaque was done in between sessions of painting on furniture. This time on a white set..... so here goes nothing... more for you to swallow .... muahahahahaha

Top and bottom of a white cabinet. The roses turn around the corner to meet the sides...

I've always been the unconventionl one... don't really like to have my paintings plop right in the centre or symmetrical at every corner. I know it irks some people to see things not organised in an orderly manner ... but that's my style :) I feel restrained if I have to maintain a symmetry ....

Pastel blue-violet hydrangeas were painted on a plastic dispenser. That was break from roses ... roses are what I have been painting for the past 3 weeks... have been artistically not challenged lately. I started painting on my fridge (which has remained as it was since last posted hahaha).. but the ideas got frozen when the furniture pieces from Zeta came in :( Every time I pass by the fridge... the urge to paint is there... ideas start swimming in the grey matter ... but there somewhere in my brain cells the ideas have remained !!!!

The last of the set... on a kitchen towel holder. I think I went overboard here ... didn't realise it until it's finished. Since paint is permanent... nothing much I can do...short of repainting the base white ...and start all over again ;)

So that's it for this post... have more to show on green set later ya... just realised I'd not had my breakfast yet... muahahahaha ... see you later ya

The Green Set :)

2009-06-25T00:07:00.016+08:00

Olive green? A rather unique colour on furniture I should say... and I was given the task to decorate it... and paint away I did hehe. On it I have salmon-coloured roses and blossoms ... didn't think I should put in too many colours. Will try with other shades later... as I do have more cabinets to paint... so keep on dropping by to view yes?

Showing here are the 2 sides of the cabinet ... painted freehand... thus the reason why my paintings can never be symmetrical. I believe nothing is exactly the same in nature. Only prints can be 100% similar... and that would then not look natural anymore if one has everything the same around the house... hmmmm

The top and bottoms halves of the cabinet door. Had to climb on the stool and twist my head and hand to paint the top haa. Couldn't lay the cabinet flat on the floor... too heavy to handle by myself. Doing the painting alone at home....

Next are pics of the plactic bag dispenser to match. Same motives painted all round. I went crazy with the roses and blooms here... filling up the space... hehe.

And finally the last to complete this set... is a kitchen towel holder. At the end of the day... I think I'm happy and satisfied with my work. My legs are aching though muahahaha.... having to stand whilst painting... keep on forgetting age is a factor to be reckoned with!!!

Current project...

2009-06-21T13:38:00.005+08:00

It's mine... mine... mine muahahahahaha

I do think I deserve to treat myself... and so here is my current on-going project... as and when the mood takes me there i.e. .... hahaha. I have this fridge that lasted me 13 years until finally it decided to retire and expire.

I managed to coax dear hubby to get a new one to replace good-old faithful... but of course I have my reason for that... hey... I don't let things go to waste. You see, since I'd developed an interest in gardening... I'd accumulated a fair bit of tools and knick-knacks ... and I don't have the storage space to hide the mess. So... this is a very timely demise of my fridge... I'd converted it into a gardener's "shack" hahaha ... ain't I clever???? *clap*clap*clap* ... thank you thank you thank you... muahahahaha... anyway... the painting has just begun... but the ideas have vanished into thin air as I'd to stop and focus on other paintings... but I shall get back to it... so stay tuned ya hehe

Just completed :)

2009-06-21T12:56:00.008+08:00

Latest ... completed just about 9am this morning... yet to be varnished though. Met Ita and her husband Tarmizi (introduced by Zaitun) and was commissioned by them to paint roses on a dining table. Nice couple this pair... compliments each other's skills and talents... and making their hobby their current vocation. They own a one-stop home centre I should say.... anything from heavy furniture making to the interior finishings and furnishings... a real saliva-drooling experience to go through their shop hahaha...

Will show you the various angles taken of the table top. Here you see the overall top view of the table. Only the top was brought to me... and I had it put over my coffee table in my lounge. As it was huge... I had to climb over and sit on it as I paint haha... slightly better if I'd put it on the floor. I'd guarantee you I will need a back massage ... muahahahaha... bending over to paint on the floor takes a heavy toll on my back *sigh*

Here are the two ends of the table. As I draw and paint roses freehand... no two paintings can be the same. Even if I were to trace out the design... I'd still not get them exactly the same. My biggest fear is when a customer asks me to duplicate and replicate a certain design... I can never do it!!!!

And finally the centre piece. The roses here are bigger as compared to the ones at the ends of the table. Thank God I had the insight to get myself a 3/4" angular brush way back in 2006 (though I did hesitate to buy it then... was wondering when on earth would I be using such a huge brush???!!!!) Hmm... grandma always said to trust your instincts... I'm glad I did. It sure made my work easier here :)

Also painted the caddy to match the table. One can use it as a cutlery holder ... and this would certainly complement the dining table. Don't you think so??? ... hehehe... I certainly do.

So... that's the dining set to show-off... unfortunately... it's not mine :(

Phew.... finally...

2009-06-14T21:06:00.006+08:00

Finally finished.... but unvarnished!!!... hehe... as usual. Just three boxes but it took me a long time to complete for lack of ideas. Simply no inspiration. Roslan requested them as samples....and he had to wait oh... maybe 3 or 4 weeeks? Didn't take me long to complete them once started... but to START was THE problem ... muahahahaha. Hehe... sorry Roslan. Anyway, here I have three different boxes of differing shapes and sizes ... I sure hope it's up to his expectations.... will know tomorrow when he comes to collect :)

Just a small box, great as a door gift... sorry the pic isn't clear. No fault of the camera though... probably I focussed it too close.... haven't the skills of a photographer hehe. Probably the reason why I need a user friendly camera... focus and click away haha.... no problemo. Haha inspite of that... this pic is not clear... hmmmm... wonder why????

Next is a book box. Painted pink roses with filler flowers and blue ribbons. Notice that it's without hinges yet?... well that's because it finished but unvarnished. I have all hinges fixed only after varnishing. (I was "trained" to remove all hinges an screws before base coating, so it has become a habit) Anyway...this too would make a great gift box... for assessories, chocolates, candies...wtv

Finally.... another box but with 2 compartments on the inside, simply painted with pastel roses and scrolls on the cover and the front of box. Nothing fancy here... but I like it... gives it a touch of elegance... (if I may say so...ahem...hahaha)

So that's it for now... next will be a post on more plaques. Will do that later... currently having problems to upload the pics..... very very very slow!!!!... hitting my nerves!!!! aarrrgggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh

P/S: took me 2 hours to upload the pics!!!!!