iReview

I had this sudden urge to learn more about the art of henna today. So I browsed and found this great website : hennapage.com.

The Hennapage even have free ebooks on howto henna.

I have downloaded one on Learn to apply henna with traditional and modern tools.

I am learning the elements of henna patterns such as the fooffy, the hump, tribbles. But it seems so far I am only good at making the growing vine pattern..huhu.

Oh, did you ever wonder why some people seem to have dark stain when they apply henna on their hands?

“Meat eaters, people who are young, people who do not use lotions or alfa-hydroxy or anti-oxidant products, people who are in robust health, people who are happy and relaxed, people who are physically active, people with high metabolisms, people in their sexually reproductive years, menstrual or premenstrual people, and people whose skin is very warm to the touch tend to get very dark or brownish stains.”

I went to a glass and porcelain painting class last week and I think I’m falling in love with the art of glass painting..heh! I haven’t bought the paints that I need but I went to a book store and found this book - Creative Glass Painting written by Moira Neal.

I hope I will be less busy in the coming months so that I could really try my hand on the 22 step-by-step projects. Soon no more empty bottles and jam jars will be saved from my painting experiments.

I finally managed to buy this starter kit on eBay after eyeing it for some times. I bought a few bunch of Plaid brushes as well so I thought it’s only right that I have some guidance to start. Then I found the videos on YouTube and I can’t believe how easy Donna makes it look on paper and canvas.

If you are into decorative painting, maybe this is the first thing you should learn to paint, the cabbage rose. I am still waiting for my kit to be sent from US and just can’t wait to try my hand on the worksheet..hehe!

I finally got what I want. While browsing the eBay, I found one seller who has what I need when it comes to lettering brushes, but he won’t ship the items outside of the US. After a few email, he decided to give in to my request and the items were already posted yesterday.

Usually it will take around 1-2 weeks for items sent from US to arrive here (unless it got stuck somewhere with the customs) and I hope by the time I get the Plaid Folk Art brushes, I won’t be too busy with other things.

I think for the past two years I have been using more than 1000 pre-printed labels for my handcrafted merchandise. I consider it as my marketing tools in case anybody who gets the item will be interested to place orders in the future. At least they will know where to contact once they read the info on the labels.

I think it’s about time that I order labels in bulk. Usually the labels that I order are sold in 100 pieces price, so in the long run I tend to spend a lot on the label printing itself. With PlanetLabel.com, I can customize the label before I order the actual amount and the price per piece is much cheaper since their labels are sold in bulk (the minimum is 500).

See the example of label suitable for candle making business. This should help to emphasize your brand next time any customer buy your handmade candle.

And if you need label design ideas, check out their sample page. I am interested with their other promotional products as well, like printed balloons and printed hand fans for wedding guests. This could be another alternative for people planning for their wedding reception to decorate the hall or give something different to the guests.

I’m blinking with new ideas for my business after checking the site, I may not have enough labels at the moment but I got bright ideas to try out..hehe!

I’m not sure how many of you have heard about altered art. For me, I came across the term while searching for materials to buy on eBay for my scrapbooking hobby.

It seems that it is hard to find a website that has a concise definition on what is actually altered art. I found one in eBay review - Altered Art Materials: The Search Is On! that says,

” Altered art is simply the repurposing of everyday materials to become something artistically expressive. From bottle cap bracelets and cigar box purses to collaged books and homemade shrines, altered art is becoming increasingly popular among scrapbook aficionados, fiber artists, painters, and even collectors who are not formally trained in art.”

If you are interested to see how altered art items look like, have a look here at Scrapjazz.com.

About a month ago, I attended a beading class in a flea market, nearby my place. Since I was already in the area, I went to a craft shop upstairs. The shop called, Creative Cottage (I’ve checked the interior design magazine where it was featured this month) offers all sort of lessons in crafts - decoupage, decorative painting, glass painting and whatnot. Now I’m thinking of finding leisure time to spend 2-3 hours there, just to feed my curiosity on the crafts itself.

Yesterday, while googling to find how to wrap Valentine bouquet, I happened to come across not so relevant sites, (but still relevant to me since it’s all about crafts), check this out, it shows how to do the rose motifs in decorative painting techniques. I sometimes bought this Better Homes and Gardens magazine, though I hardly implement whatever methods it shows in decorating home. I have to admit I am really bad in cleaning and arranging things..:)

Anyway, while searching for good pictures to complement this entry, I came across this book, perhaps with the minimum time I have in hand, I should invest in this book..and try to learn the decorative painting methods on my own, that’s one option but I still prefer to be taught by human. I hope by May I would be able to have some free time to join the basic class on decorative painting.

It’s a book title written by Tera Leigh. Quoted from her website, “I wrote this book with two audiences in mind,” explains Leigh.

“One, the person who does not feel creative, but has always had the desire to break through.

Two, the struggling creative who has discovered their own creativity but find themselves blocked in moving forward to their best creative work.

In each chapter you will find exercises and ideas for taking the things you have learned and spreading your creative wings a bit.”

I will check this title out in the local bookstores, if it’s not available maybe I have to order through Amazon.com.

As I continue to search about oil painting, I came across word Renaissance, and it led me to this painting.

It is known as Arnolfini Potrait, quoted from the site “It is one of the most original and complex paintings in Western art history, and in particular is, together with his Ghent Altarpiece the oldest very famous painting in oils, signed and dated by Van Eyck in 1434.”

I remember it to be part of the parody in the opening sequence for Desperate Housewives series…now I know what it is actually. Do check this out.

I always want to learn how to do oil painting but here in my place, those artistic ventures would cost a bomb, not to mention how hard to find the materials, if available the price would be too much too pay. Maybe in 15 years time I would be able to afford such hobby..huhuhu..to those who want to know what oil painting is all about, check this out.