A couple of weeks ago, I spent a whole day going through my online shop, decluttering and reorganizing. Somehow I ended up randomly looking at the items that have been sold since I opened the shop in 2011. Originals, prints, custom artworks, and even quite a few things I created out of a whim. It's always wonderful when someone reach out and purchase my work. Appreciation is simply the best possible reward for artists like myself. It is no wonder now we see all kinds of artists popping up, thriving throughout all corners of the world, each with their own band of followers who admire and collect their work.

So are you one of these people? If you happen to be a strong admirer of a particular artist, then you are bound to purchase at least one of their art pieces. Some people may have even started their own little collection. But the question is, how do you really become an art collector? Here's what I think...

Maurice Sapiro, Reflections in a Golden Pond, oil on canvas

First of all, Broaden Your Horizon. 

There is a whole world of boundless imagination and creativity out there. Artists from all kinds of art genres, different kinds of styles and accomplishments to suit your every taste. Fine art, contemporary, and decorative are the main categories to consider, each with a wide selection to choose from. Paintings, drawings, sculpture are the most popular forms that people collect, but don't get me started on the number of styles you can feast your eyes on. The list just goes on forever.

James Jean, Portrait (Girl), acrylic on wood panel

Martin Wittfooth, Lantern, oil on panel

Once you have a wider knowledge of art, it's time to Explore and Hunt.

Spend time visiting art galleries and auction houses to experience the real business of collecting art. Check out exhibitions and art venues to get the feel in person, but if you have little time to spare, surfing the internet is a definite option. There are plenty of sites that actually offer a wide variety of art, in both originals and reproductions.

Painting Exhibition Taiwan painter Huang Tsai Sung

Amy Sol's solo show, Numina

After you have found the art you love, Set Yourself a Reasonable Budget.

Now, contrary to popular beliefs, you don't have to own a mansion and sports cars parked in your garage to be an art collector. These days, art comes to suit various economical levels. Some are friendly enough for your pockets, some are not so friendly. It's really just a matter of drawing a clear line and staying within your budget. Although, mind you, many people have experienced that this budget can grow along with the depth of your passion. So take caution, once you are in love, there will always be a tendency to reach deeper into those pockets.

Yellena James, Mitra

Mister Finch, Mushroom sculptures

When you have bought your first piece or art, remember to Cherish and Enjoy.

What's the point of becoming an art collector if you don't enjoy your purchase, right? Place your art piece where everyone can admire it and prepare a space where a real collection can grow. This will allow you to add more art pieces in time, because it is a known fact that a collector will never likely to be satisfied with just one.

Ozabu, Chiyo, graphite and acrylic on paper

Elsa Mora, papercut artwork

Lastly, and a very important point is, Treat Your Collection as an Investment.

Never underestimate the value of art. If you have excellent taste and sharp instinct, use them to the maximum by purchasing the kind of art that is potentially valuable. Some people go to all the trouble doing extensive research on a piece of art, and some just know it in their guts when they see it. Either way, you should try to see your collection as something that might prove to be essential to your financial well being in the future.

Well, there you have it, just my point of view on art collecting and how to see it from different angles. I realize that people collect art for many different reasons, but I know that the one thing in common is simply because we love it. If you feel like reading more about the topic, this article might help to enlighten you further.

That's it for now, have a smashing weekend, everyone!


Best wishes,

If there is one thing I have learnt over the years about being an artist, is that we are forever changing and continuously evolving. In my own personal cases, my work tends to show changes when I become restless or unsure about something essential. This, I'm afraid, has happened quite a lot in the past. Not very practical, I know, but it is how it is. It is who I am.

Given the state of mind and emotional changes I went through over the past few months, I have noticed some drastic developments in my work. It was to be expected, of course. Like all sudden changes, I had my share of hard times dealing with them. And like many times before, learning to accept them is usually the easier way to go...

While I was away in my own little island, I tried my best not to wander off too much from my usual routines. I didn't want my family to think there was anything wrong and I knew confining myself into my studio would bring up all sorts of questions that I wouldn't be able to answer. After all, taking a break from the world doesn't necessarily mean you have to cut yourself off from the ones you love. So I carried on with my life. Took care of the kids, did the chores, even let myself work every now and then.

Here is one of the projects that actually kept me happy...

As a little girl, I grew up adoring Pooh and his friends. I remember having all kinds of collectible items in my possession...dolls, books, figurines, clothes, bags...you name it, I probably got it! So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I was asked to work on this special commission. To recreate the whole gang in their original classic style, from scratch. All the long hours and hard labor really paid off when I finally got them all gathered up for their group shot. Now, don't they look cute? :)

I'm glad that I decided to keep my hands busy during my troubled period. It can be lonely up there in my head, and working on these guys brought back some wonderful childhood memories. I'm so thankful mine was a happy one.

Hugs,

It's been almost a year since my last post. I have no bizarre excuse or extraordinary story to explain my absence. Just the urgent need to step back and rethink my purposes in life. Never an easy thing to do, but I knew it was the only way to keep going. When you find yourself constantly questioning the world and the people in it, you are bound to question your own thoughts and actions. It wasn't pretty, and I must admit I still struggle with the answers I found. But here I am, moving on.

The months went by very slowly on hard days, but I found that some days were quite easy to get through when I tried doing things that I enjoyed the most. Exploring new areas and stepping outside of my comfort zone...

Humanity is flawed. In so many ways and on so many levels. My mind continues to wonder about our true nature as humans and the purpose of our existence each time I watch the news or when I read the latest updates on all the recent catastrophes that have colored our world red. What has happened to us? Do we even deserve to be called humans?

Hello lovelies. So we meet again at Halloween! It's always such an exciting time of year, isn't it? Little ghosts and ghouls roaming about, grinning skulls and cute green monsters every where you look. I hope you have something wonderful planned this year. As for me, I've been so busy organizing my Halloween art and displaying them in my Etsy shop. I just love how Halloween seems to have taken over every corner of the internet world. It feels like we're all having fun together! :)

If there is one animal that could get me all googly eyed and warm inside, it's an owl. There's something so awfully majestic and adorable at the same time that sends my heart a flutter every time I see an image of them. I'm sure you've noticed that I've drawn and painted owls in my art so many times before. I mean, I can't help it...can you blame me? :)

Well, to those of you who share the same love for this amazing animal, here are some "owlsomeness" I have stumbled upon... (please click each image to visit the link)

Hello lovelies. Another week has gone by and here we are again welcoming the weekend. I don't know about you, but this week was an extra tough one because I have been pushing myself to finish up an old project that I should've had done a long time ago. Want to know what it is? Are you ready? Ooo...I'm so excited! Please allow me to present... my official website...yaaaayy!! **fireworks and confetti**

Here are a couple of snippets for you...

Last Saturday, I was organizing my pile of boxes in the studio when I came across pieces of wooden boards that I purchased months ago. Like many of my art supplies, they were bought out of spontaneity, without much thought or ideas of what to do with them. Sometimes we're in real danger when we go to art supplies stores. Things just sing to us, like sirens at sea. Well, most likely to empty our wallet, rather than driving us to rocks. :)

After discovering these wooden treasures, I decided to create something new. Something cute and wearable. So I grabbed my tools and began to cut small pieces of wood, drilled two holes at the ends, then started to paint...

Hello lovelies. I can't believe the weekend is here again. I hope you have something wonderful planned. I'm thinking of spending some time outside if the weather is good... but before I do, I would have to finish up quite a few stuff in the studio. I hate coming back to work to a lot of mess! :)

Anyway, in case you didn't know already (since I have shared this a few times on Facebook and Twitter), I have plenty of ready-to-ship items at Whimsylandia that are currently on sale with 25% discount!! Here are some of them...

As a child, I was one big fairy tale buff. I read, dreamed and lived in magical stories from the minute I woke up till I closed my eyes at night. My fantasies were filed with beautiful princesses and dashing princes. Their love stories, and most of all, their happy endings. I think as a child, I expected nothing but happiness in the world, both in reality and my fantasies. It was how I thought life should be, evil slain and lovers united. That is, until I was introduced to the story of The Little Mermaid.

So...are you feeling creative this Sunday? Maybe it's time to unleash those itchy fingers and get crackin' on one of these fabulous DIY projects I found on Craftgawker. Believe me, it was tough trying to pick just a few for this post because there were so many awesome ones to choose from! Each project comes with a great step-by-step tutorial, all you have to do is click on the link and plunge right in...

“You must give everything to make your life as beautiful as the dreams that dance in your imagination.” - Roman Payne

When I was little, I liked to pretend that I lived in a beautiful dream. One that would never end, even when the sun rises in the East. That dream would have everything and anything my heart desired, no matter how ridiculous or bizarre. I could be a queen, a fairy, a tree, or a golden butterfly dancing in the wind. My life would be perfectly lovely, and no evil monster would ever enter the picture. Well, these days as I've gotten older, I have learned to understand that nothing is perfect. At least not the way I dreamed it. And if you have lived the kind of life I have (I'll spare the details for the time being), you'll also learn to believe that dreams can play all sorts of tricks on you. I mean this, with no resentment whatsoever. ;)

People used to say to me that I should dream as high as the stars, and that if I worked hard, I would, in good time, have that dream in my hands. But what they didn't tell me, is that "working hard" is not always enough. There are people who set out into the world with barely nothing and find their dream in a blink of an eye. Some may take forever and still end up with disappointment. So what does it take, to finally live that dream? Will power? Faith? Hope? Or just mere Luck? I think it's one ultimate question with a different answer for everyone.

I'd like to think that the universe is there to provide us with an unlimited source of possibilities. That as long as you see no boundaries, then there is still hope of undiscovered paths to take. Maybe one will take me to that life I dreamed about. Maybe someday life will be kind and let the stars shine bright enough for me to see in the dark.

In the mean time, I will hold on to what I have and be grateful for the sunshine they bring me each day. I know someday soon the universe will lead me to where the golden butterflies roam.

Much Love,

I found myself wandering aimlessly online last night. Hopping from blog to blog, from one site to another, not really knowing what I was searching for. Of course, like most people, I ended up on Pinterest. Naturally. :)

As usual, the amount of possibilities got me excited. I started checking out so many things and ended up pinning what seemed like a thousand pins as ideas for my blog posts. Truly, it was something I have missed ever since my long blogging break. So here I am, ready to show you some of my glorious finds. A little bohemian dream just for you... (please click each image to visit the link)

Dear friends, if you read my last post, you would know that I'm currently taking one step at a time to find my groove back into blogging. Six months is quite a long hiatus and to be honest, I'm feeling a bit rusty. But hey, you must be wondering what I have been up to all this time, right? Well, other than the usual chaos at home, work has been as unpredictable as the weather. Some days I was quite successful, some days I was not. There were times when I got the strength to finish what I started, and there were also plenty of times when I just quit and walked away. But I kept going, because it's the only way I know how to deal with this.

So anyway, here is a peek into some of the good days. Fortunately, I can't show you the bad days because I usually couldn't even be bothered to pick up the camera....

I used to think that when you have been lost once, it would be quite unlikely to find yourself lost again. It just seems ridiculous to fall into in the same dark hole that you had crawled out of in the past. But in my case, apparently, it is possible.

Many of you may have noticed that I've disappeared into thin air since early this year. A day after my birthday to be exact. So much have happened, but so little have made much impact to keep me going inside. If things happen for a reason, then I wonder why many things fail to happen when I desperately need them to. That they're not meant to be? Has the world turned a cold shoulder on me? Perhaps life is a lesson that I'm never meant to understand completely...

Sharing with you a collection of treasures inspired by the Victorian Era...
Please click the images to visit their links.

My grandmother passed away just a week ago on Valentine's Day at the age of 87. Unlike the sad and gloomy situation we usually experience on an unfortunate event like this, I witnessed such a relaxed and peaceful gathering of people, paying their last respects to a loved one. No one cried aloud and kept a longing sad face. Instead, we talked about fond memories and how we will keep her close to our hearts. I think, that is how I would want my final farewell to the world to be like.

For as long as I can remember, I think I have been drawn to things that are old and unique. Those with quite a bit of history in them. Antique wooden chests had always sparked up my curiosity, the same way old dusty books seem to call out my name every time I visited the library. Somehow, I can't help but imagine all the wonderful stories these things must carry with them throughout their long years of existence.

Which is probably why, I like to incorporate "age" into  my art. There is something very delicious about tinting and rubbing colors to make my work look aged and worn out. Each effect seems to add a little bit of character to the piece. Just like this portrait I made, based on one of my all time favorite books, Jane Eyre.

It all started with a simple black and white sketch...a little smudging here and there...

Sunday morning is here, and I can't help but dread tomorrow. I don't know if anyone out there can relate, but starting a new week always seems to pull all the strings inside me and I never fail to end up a bundle of nerves. I blame myself for listening to Manic Monday from such a young age. Somehow the song left a mark in my head and now I can never see Monday as any ordinary day. :)

I suppose having three children to take care of makes it a tad bit harder (and a tad is a mild way of putting it). It's not the same as waking up in the morning and rushing to get ready for work. I would say more like having a tornado swirl pass by you and when it does go away, you're left stunned for a very long time. But of course, after every tornado, there's always peace. The kind that you cherish and hang onto, hoping that it would never go away. Here's a little peek into some of my peaceful moments, before the mini tornado winds come home from school...

You know, one of the toughest things about my profession is being a mother at the same time. Sometimes combining the two seems almost impossible to do, and most days, frustration hangs above my head like a stubborn migraine. That alone, I won't conceal.

Keeping busy has always been the best remedy to help me get through tough times. I'm sure many of you would agree. If there's one positive side of being a workaholic, I think it's the chance to put aside all the tangles in your head and channel your energy into do something useful instead. Not that I'm a workaholic, of course (Ha! LOL :D)

Anyway, here are some positive results I achieved after the joyful hours of labor...

My dear lovelies,

I can't even begin to apologize for being away far too long from blogging. So much have happened in the last couple of months that I've been having difficulties trying to put everything down in words. I kept coming here to start writing, but failed at every attempt. The truth is, something happened that suddenly put a halt to my life altogether. My father had a heart attack and had to be hospitalized.