My other VICES

Did I tell you that I'm multi-crafty? Hehe... don't know whether that word exist.... but yup!yup!yup!.. I love art and crafts of any kind. Some I end up indulging myself with... and some I just admire but don't have the urge to learn for some reason or other. I'm going to show you some of the other things that I've done here. So here goes....(...yeah...I know... I'm a big show off...muahahaha)

Before I started painting I was doing cross-stitch for years! Every year I would have a major project which would usually be a scenery. I just love sceneries. I would change the colour scheme sometimes and then gloat and bloat myself with pride at the accomplished project.

The first scenery of cascading waters took me 3 years to complete as I'd changed 80% of the original colour scheme. The gazebo in the garden took me over a period of 5 years, stitched only when the mood comes. That was my last piece and I swore... hehe...no more after that as I indulged in to other hobbies. The cottage with the swan in the pond is my favourite and the last is done in half stitches instead of the normal cross-stitches. These shown here are now on my walls all over the house.

After 10 years I got bored with cross-stitching and began looking for other hobbies. That would be around the time I left the teaching service and with so much time in hand I became very restless. Yup! me... not the type to remain idle for long. I started doing paper-clay modelling. It's a special air-dried volcanic clay from Japan...it's clean and dry with just few tools as opposed to modelling using real local clay. Messy!! I have but just a few small projects around the house to show off...this craze didn't last long though. It just didn't give me the oomph...know what I mean?

Then I tried my hand at patchwork and quilting. I fell in love with this for a long while. I have dear Forrest to thank for my then new love hahaha. Forrest...she lives in Albany,Western Australia...does exquisite quilts...love her heirloom quilts the most...*hint* muahahaha...I've got all the necessary gadgets for this....from the different types of machine feet,needles and threads (for all the various forms of quilting) to the drawers of fabrics to the sewing machines. I own 2 Jenomes for that!yup!yup!yup!...but now alas... I have 2 white elephants that I hardly use except for normal sewing of wear and tear on miscellaneous items around the house...*sigh* This is a very expensive hobby!! Haha I remember John (her other half) said that...women are crazy! He just does not understand why we have to buy perfectly good pieces of cotton fabric...that cost a bomb!..then butchered them to small pieces...and then sew them back together again to make a bigger piece!!!! Yup! Haha that's it John... be thankful we don't know how to cut you males up and sew you back together again!!!

As you can see from the pics, I do not go for conventional P&Q. I love to try the more contemporary styles... they let my creative juices flow...hahaha. I have tried snippets technique (the tree with the mountainous background), colour-wash style (view of the lake) and another UNFINISHED colour-wash (supposedly a garden scenery...ran out of mood and ideas to complete!!!). The T-pot and cups shown here is a sample of my hand applique.

I also like crazy patchwork and bagellos and I'd made countless bags and purses using these 2 styles. No pics to show off here though...here. Most I'd given away or sold and the rest are too worn out to show.

Though P&Q is very rewarding...esp when my friends admire MY work to the max hehe...but it is so time consuming and sometimes frustrating too because it's not easy to get fabrics to really match the colours I have in mind. I have many pieces that I put on hold for a very, very, very long time just because I don't have the exact colour match. 'On hold'... yup! that's the word... until the urge comes again...muahahaha... doesn't that sound familiar???? So where are they?... Aww...safely tucked away in cupboards and boxes all over somewhere... hehehe


Then I started dabbling into other crafts...silk ribbon embroidery, smocking and sewing kids' clothes (I was really into that until my girls told me "Ma, pleeaassseeeee no more dresses!!" *sigh* ). I even tried my hand at batik painting....but none of these gave me the satisfaction that decorative painting has given me all this while. Decorative painting is my life now....but again I'm a rolling stone but with UHU glue.. haha... that gathers moss...who knows...I might just find a new 'love' somewhere in the future ... but for now... where are my brushes??? I still have a lot more to paint for Nani...completed another 2 this week but I still have to consider them as 'finished but unvarnished projects' waiting for Nora's final touches. Will show you all that later ya...you think I'd miss the opportunity to show off huh??? hehe...think again muahahahaha

My UFOs

Guilty as accused...everytime I look at my unfinished projects I feel very guilty *sigh* but BECAUSE they are my own projects... that's exactly why they remain unfinished until the urge comes for me to complete them. When will that be??? One fine day....InsyaAllah (God Willing)...one fine day hehe.

This mirror took a long time to complete even up to the present stage. It's another trompe l'oeil and it was a major challenge because I wanted the "shelves" by the mirror to be filled with miniatures. The centre top shelf remains empty because till now I still cannot decide what to put there! Toyed with a lot of ideas but none materialised.... have a good mind to just leave it empty and have it varnished and done with!!!

This one I quit half way because I was angry at myself!! It wasn't a good day for painting...(I was in a rather temperamental mood)...but I just had to do something before I 'explode' hahaha. I was attempting the blended technique (with retarder and all) but somehow being in that mood I couldn't focus and made a mess of the attempt! Moral of the story is... when in a foul mood... never attempt anything tedious....makes you feel more 'retardered' at the end of the day.....yup!yup!yup!

With this clock... I couldn't decide on how to complete the crown! Toyed with various ideas... but ideas they remain hahaha! Anybody has any ideas there? And no! Aniza dear.... you cannot have this one... muahahaha (my wicked sinister laughter... which my kids say sounded like Scooby Doo hahaha)

So there you go... my unfinished projects....*sigh*

Finished but unvarnished

I've been busy lately painting for a friend who wanted to have some for her newly opened shop... The English Cottage... in Sg Petani. Completed these few over the last 2 weeks but have yet to varnish them because I feel they still lack the oomph! Each project took me three days!...still life really is another challenge. Somehow... I feel I still need to do some fine tuning there. Nani... you have to wait...sorry

These three I finished in between sessions of frustrations haha. I have a habit of starting another project when I'm stuck with one! It keeps me going... when I complete one and am happy with it then I can usually go back to the one that stumps me. I did say "usually" didn't I?? It doesn't work all the time though.... thus the existence of the UFOs haha. Sooooo.... when that happens I start another one la....

Meet my babies

I have 4+1 beautiful people in my life. They inspire me to persevere and go on when the going gets tough. Why 4+1?... that's because 4 are my own and 1 that I consider as part of us. He's like another son to me. I love them all.

My 3 beautiful girls. Syakirah on the far left, Syukrina and Syuhaidah.

Syakirah is 18. She's now in UiTM Penang doing Tourism Management. A highly talkative and bubbly young lady, she's my third child. Her being away in Penang is surely felt for her absence has left the house real quiet. She's the cheekiest of the lot.... and oh she just simply loves the camera. My handphone is overloaded with her pics... 90% are hers!!!

Syukrina, is the eldest. She's a vivacious 24-year old lady and will be off to Jakarta soon to join an oil and gas company based there. Don't be fooled by her sweet angelic looks there for she sure is one helluva tough cookie hahaha. Being the eldest she 'bullies' her siblings... yup yup yup... but she's a darling. I'm going to miss you dear.

Syuhaidah is the youngest. This 16 year old baby is another tough cookie. Do not step on her toes if you do not wish to taste Syuhaidah's wrath!! A very independent gal... she has a mind of her own. Not as talkative as the other 2 but once you get to know her... she's crappy. Haha in fact... they are all crappy... just like mummy dearest.... muahahaha *sinister laughter*

My 1 and only son...my second child... Syahmi Rezza. He's 22 and is now flying high with Air Asia. The joker in the family... he does things he's not supposed to do sometimes... maybe just to test mama's patience *sigh*. He bullies his younger sisters but has to keep his peace with Syukrina hahaha

Finally, Nazreen whom I've taken as 1 of my own. He came into our lives some 3 years ago. His path just crossed ours 1 fine day and somehow he has managed to weave his way into my heart.

You people... you are my pride and joy. Thank you God for their presence.

My Trompe L'Oeil

Trompe l'oeil is a French expression meaning simply 'trick of the eye'. It describes a visual joke: a painted illusion, specifically designed to fool viewers into believing that what they are looking at is real. Only when they come closer to inspect the work in more detail do they realise that they have been duped.

This style is my favourite but it is also the toughest to execute. I'm still learning and struggling but I am happy with my effort....especially when kids and adults do get tricked ;)

As I was painting this table, my husband kept on trying to reach out for the pen everytime he was in my studio looking for a pen! When I sent it to Kak Maznah, her grandchild tried to pick the glasses and asked, "Tok mummy, why can't I pick up the glasses?" You can imagine how proud I was to have my work tricking the eyes of both the young and old.

The most tedious to draw was the wooden ruler with all the markings on it. Trompe l'oeil drawings are tedious as one is expected to draw in the details to the T!!

Below is another trompe l'oeil on a coffee table also for Kak Maznah. This time I had a sprig of rose placed by a batternburg lace doily and small gift box next to it.

The difference between a still life and a trompe l'oeil is that the latter is drawn to actual size to make it look more real. It may be tedious but it is not impossible.... but you do need to have patience and a keen eye for detail and a lilttle bit of knowledge on perspective.