Confession this Christmas..

As I made my confession this christmas, it greatly relieved me of my doing as being 'Santa' all these years!!!

It all began with an innocent intent - the joy of seeing my kids lit up genuinely as they received a surprise gift from Santa. However, I foolishly stepped up my game by dropping a little gift in their santa socks daily in the month of December till Christmas eve and this tradition stuck for many many years. They started off believing in Santa and would wake up eager and chirpy in the morning shoving their hands into the socks and retrieved their finds. It was easy to get them little gifts as toddlers as little items would delight them. As they grow, they develop their likes and tastes, it became increasingly difficult to find economic buys that would truly delight them. This is the reality of growing up - kids appreciate less of simple joys as they grow into pre-teens. I had the chance to break the myth years ago when they first had their initial doubts about Santa as their friends claimed that Santa was not real but I remarked that "If they believe it is real, then Santa is real". They chose to believe as they loved to receive gifts.

This year prior to putting up the Christmas socks, my boy being the more logical brained had questioned me on the existence of Santa again but my girl, being more sentimental chose to believe Santa is real, and I reiterated the same line. They thus chucked their doubt aside and continued to receive little gifts from Santa. However, my job was made tougher with age - I would forget to slip in the gifts and jolt up awake in the middle of the night to drop the gifts into their socks and returned to bed, sleep interrupted!!! Furthermore, I observed that the gratitude gained from Santa is diminishing, which reduces the spirit of the intent. Hence I decided to stop torturing myself and confess to my kids yesterday morning. Since they already understood the true meaning of Christmas, we will scrape away the myth of Santa ;p

Nonetheless, we had our fair share of 'Santa' stories and memories to live with. After Santa, they started to question me about tooth fairy….

Dogs Dogs Dogs

My love affair with dogs began with our 1st dog - Rusty the Jack Russell Terrier...

Caring for a dog is a lifetime responsibility. Prior to dogs, I have had cats which were half a world apart from dogs. Cats are very independent whereas dogs require loads of attention, affection and time. While providing for Rusty, I read more about dogs and over time learnt the characteristics of JRTs and various other breeds. As I get acquainted with dogs, I began to grow a love towards them, though I have a preference over large breeds, short coat or goofy dogs ;p however, I like many other breeds not falling into these categories. 

The saying goes " Dogs love you more than they love themselves" - undoubtedly true! Regardless of breeds, all dogs make wonderful companions. As long as you accord it time, patience and love, dogs will learn to behave obediently. Similarly, any dog that has been previously traumatised will certainly outgrow its insecurities and be normalised. All that is required is a chance for them to adapt to their new environment.

Here's to all the lovely dogs!

My girl's masterpieces

Both my kids are fans of mommy's needlefelt craft works but my girl, being more artistically inclined, took up the craft this year as I started to poke more. She is 9 going 10, about the right age to handle a sharp needle. I taught her simple shapes such as spheres, cubes and other basic techniques. Along the way she practiced and poked items that she fancies. However, she gets carried away when she does art, thus I have to lay down strict instructions that she can only indulge in craftwork during school vacation days, whereas mommy will be poking away while eyeing them to complete their tasks at home during school terms ;p

All local kids and parents love year end school vacations as it spells the end of mugging for students & nagging for parents! It's a season to relax and revel in our favourite activities. Needless to say, my girl started poking after her examinations and here's what she came up with :-)

Chi!!! The cutesie cat character in a Japanese comics that she loves. Pretty good job done for a 9-year old!!!

E.T.

Besides the movie Superman, the other film that left an indelible mark in my childhood memory is E.T. It was screened during my pre-teen years when I was hardly proficient in English, but I was still able to catch the gist of the story and was moved by the touching scenes - evidence of a great production capturing viewers' hearts. Perhaps it was also the fact that the creature E.T. was an ugly but adorable (aka cute) and innocent alien that impressed on me. Its doleful blue eyes, big head atop a long neck, long arms and creasy hide is unforgettable. Decades have passed and E.T. remains in my heart a heartwarming alien :-)

Rusty, our Jack Russell

A recent passing of a friend's cat, Dusty has ignited memories of my beloved pets who departed in my life. It is always heart wrenching whenever a pet companion leaves us :-( I have been through numerous heartaches - both mine, close friends' or family members' endearing pets. Many pet owners have gone through similar grief. After the passing of 4 of my own with 3 suffering from various forms of cancer and lengthy periods of medications and treatments, I thought I would have toughened up....

Thus when Rusty, our feisty Jack Russell at age 15 was degenerating in health due to old age - weakening heart which inevitably led to other organ failures, I had braved myself for the day when Rusty would eventually leave us. Rusty was on daily medications to boost his heart, lungs, stomach and kidneys. The prognosis for each check up was the same - the vet would affirm that his state had weakened further and his days would be numbered. Each visit served to prepare myself mentally... Despite a weak heart and overburdened lungs, Rusty appeared alert for an old ailing dog, still eager for food and treats; his fighting spirit was admirable.

There was once Rusty coughed laboriously and breathed abnormally fast, without delay I brought him to the vet. The vet advised him to be put on oxygen treatment as well as drawing out excess fluids from his body; however, the vet could not assure that he would survive even this treatment alone. Upon hearing it, my heart sank and I couldn't help tearing up. Then I knew that no matter how prepared I was mentally, I would never be prepared emotionally.

Thankfully Rusty survived the treatment and was home with us for another 2 good months. Then came the day that his body could not take it, he refused to eat nor drink and I knew it would be time (my eyes welled up with tears as I penned this part). He departed the next night, during the wee hours peacefully.

Kitty Cats

I am naturally attracted to all cats and had cats first as pets in my life. I find cats graceful, independent and cool - traits I admire, be it humans or animals. Moreover, cats have a softer and warmer side too, they will seek attention and cuddle up to you. The difference between them and dogs is that cats seek human company only when they are in the mood (attitude!!!), whereas dogs are always eager to please their human companions round the clock, rather tiresome at times as dogs are in constant need of attention. However, dogs provide unconditional love and unwavering loyalty that warms one's heart all the time.

My first cat was a stray which I adopted from the streets but didn't survive beyond a couple of months for reasons attributable to inexperience. Her passing was so devastating that I cried for days, so unbearable that I went looking for another kitten to heal the pain. That led to my 2nd cat, a blue Persian kitten, Nikki with an incredible personality. At that time, I was in 1st year of University and had to leave her alone at home while I head off to lectures and tutorials in campus which made me feel terribly guilty. Hence, a week later I went on to acquire a 2nd kitten, Bloomy - a chinchilla breed to keep Nikki company. Both of them grew up to be the best of friends grooming each other incessantly. Nikki displayed a more dominant character and would shield Bloomy from the annoying dogs that cut into their path. Like me, they were nomads moving with me as I put up in different abodes in my adult years but they proved to be adaptable as the unchanging factor was each other's company.

Years later, a Jack Russell and a Labrador were introduced to the pioneer pair of cats; they coexisted harmoniously under one roof, or rather, indifferently to one another. My ideal is raising a kitten and puppy up together so they will be playmates from young and be affectionate towards each other.

I heart Labradors!

Labrador Retrievers are certainly my number one favourite dog :-) They are generally loved for its sweet temperament, friendliness and obedience. In addition, it has an intelligent yet silly look… My other half labelled me as one who loves 'ugly' dogs and there is a certain truth in it; I have a soft spot for goofy looking dogs such as boxers, french bulldogs, english bulldogs, saint bernards, bull terriers, sharpei. All these have one common feature - droopy skins! Labrador retrievers are a tad similar, most have droopy snouts.

Needless to say, I have Labradors for companions once I could afford the time to care for one. Being a huge fan of dark chocolates, I naturally chose chocolate labradors, even though I love the creams and blackies too. Perhaps it is also because chocolate labradors tend to look more goofy which fits right in my criteria. I had my first Labrador, Mocha in year 2000 and he was a wonderful companion, especially during the one year when I moved to reside in Osaka. I was in a foreign land with not many friends as language was a barrier then, hence Mocha was my comfort. He accompanied me on walks and listened to my chatter. He made me laugh with his silly antics. He had bursts of sprints in our little apartment; in fact, there was once he sprinted around the house and could barely brake in time for an upcoming wall, he banged right into it, leaving a huge dent on the wall!

Sadly, Mocha did not live beyond his senior years. He was diagnosed with skin cancer at 6 years old and despite treatments and medications, he left us at age 7ish. I knew I would have another chocolate labrador and in year 2011, we brought home a chocolate labrador puppy as our family pet. As it's a female, we named it Coco. This is an even more silly dog… 

Similar to Mocha, Coco exhibits the typical trait of a Labrador - always enthusiastic for treats, thus they are both easily trained since treats serve as their delightful rewards. They will wait patiently for our 'OK' command before plunging forward to retrieve their treats. Once I placed a treat in front of Mocha and went about doing my things. It was probably 15 minutes later that I realized that I had forgotten to give him my 'ok' command and when I turned to look at him, he was still at the spot waiting but drooling! With Coco, she will start drooling within 5 seconds and ponding in no time :-! Hence we tend to give our commands rather quickly else we will have to clean up her puddle of saliva!!

Coco is exceptionally affectionate and has brought bountiful joy to our family. Every dog has its lovable traits, I can go on pages about Coco... I had needle felted my Coco but here I present the Cream Lab which I equally adore! 

Sights of the World

In the older days, travel advertisements in newspapers would feature famous structures - the Statue of Liberty, the Pyramids, Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Great Wall and endless others to arouse interest. As a child whose holiday ventures were limited within Malaysia Peninsula, I dreamt of visiting these places. After graduation from University, I literally  worked towards the dreams as an air crew. What better way to travel the world other than flying around the world while at work? 

Upon touchdown, I would be out and about as soon as I had freshened up in my hotel room. Nothing would hold back an earnest heart eager to experience the sights and sounds of new foreign places; even after a tiresome night flight of 13 hours, hitting a new timezone in the morning and staying awake for another 12 hours, meaning I would be awake for 36 hours, with 2-3 hours of catnap on flight while on duty.

Those flying days were economic ways to fly for a new grad - I had the opportunity to visit numerous capitals and cities, fulfilling my initial dreams. The passage of time has not dimmed my fascination with the world. The usual popular sights were ticked off my bucket list, what's left now are the roads less travelled spots that are further away from major cities, the more remote, the more adventurous :-)

Penpals

Akin to record players and cassette tapes, the new generation may not have heard of the term ‘penpal’. The advent of modern technology in the new world of instant messaging renders communication with one another across borders possible in a matter of seconds. Long gone is snail mail. Long gone is the momentary high I get each time I open up my mail box, anticipating a personal letter from overseas instead of expected bills and junk mails.

My generation grew up in the era of writing letters by hand. While it is tedious with no auto-correction, every letter is penned with effort and thought. It commands a deliberate reflection and more soulful delivery. I had many penpals from different corners of the world in my childhood days – Canada, USA, Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Italy, China, New Zealand, etc. We exchanged letters and stories of our lives via letter, enclosing souvenirs of coins, leaves, photos, anything that depicted our country and culture. It was a precious and unforgettable learning experience, it served as a source of knowledge about the world out there! Unlike today whereby one gets to google instantly what one wishes to know, the resources during those times were looking up volumous encyclopaedias in the public libraries. The rate of searching was slower but absorption rate was 100%. Nowadays with information overload, absorption rate is perhaps 10%?

My wanderlust nature probably began seeding during those days; every letter I received from a penpal was food for imagination of the world out there and piqued my curiosity. The more I learnt about their cultures and interesting bits, the more I hungered to experience it firsthand. One lasting impression I had was a postcard of a gorgeous lady in Flamenco dress sent by my Spanish penpal, I was totally awed by their rich heritage and culture. Every country holds a mystery card of new discoveries.

Here’s a tribute to my penpals whom sadly, I had lost touch but fondly remembered.

Colours

Colours are whimsical, depending on moods, situations and stages in life, preference over a color changes... 

In my late teens, I liked navy blue, rather untypical of a girl. When I was expecting my first child knowing the little one would be a girl, I started to like pink, a colour I never thought I would ever fancy?!! Over time, pink changed to red and fuchsia and slowly it moved towards purple hues. Purple and its family has stayed with me for many years, from lilac to violet, I practically love all shades of purple! 

However, I am not a rigid purple lover. The other of my favourite colour is white - white snowy mountains, white pebbles, polar bears, white marble sculptures, etc. I actually love an array of colours ~ the blues and whites of Santorini, the multi-colours of Riomaggiore, rustic autumn yellow-browns, green pasture fields, blood red cherries, cream and brown labs, silvery devices and the list goes on. I am equally wowed when presented with a splatter of colours, as long as they are tastefully fitting. 

Needle felting is a wonderful way to express oneself. With a wide spectrum of colours to choose from, it gives one the liberty to mix and match the colours. Looking at the impressive spread of coloured wools gives me a momentary endorphin rush, I always feel gigglish when I am browsing at a selection of coloured wools. Call me anal - I have a collection of coloured wools at my disposal and it has become my basket of joy!

Back to the subject of colour, my girl suggested that I should make a purple minion since I like purple. While purple minions are supposedly evil in the show, the colour actually makes the minion look comical, with its wiry explosive hair! 

One for the boys…

It seems needle felting is rather girlish, with its soft look and fuzzy feel... 

Hence, I decided to try out some character dolls that will appeal to boys too, using the boys in my household as a yardstick. The 'in' thing for my boy has been Minecraft game. For his birthday in April this year, he requested for a Minecraft cake - a challenge to source as the commercialised bakeries here have yet to sell birthday cakes with Minecraft design. I pondered on how I could dissuade him but he was already suggesting that I could bake one for him on my own. Not wanting to disappoint a zealous little boy, we cracked our brains together as he showed me the world of Minecraft on his iPad game. It turned out to be a fun bonding activity conceptualising the design of the cake and we eventually came up with one for his birthday party :-) Naturally the first 'boy' toys that floated into my mind were Minecraft characters, so I started poking Steve, Creeper and a block of dirt.

A couple of months ago, there was a fad over Minions after screening of Despicable Me II. The long queues for Happy Meals packed with Minion toys at McDonalds were evidence of Singaporeans' zany nature of queueing for anything that tugs their hearts, ranging from trivial toys, acclaimed foods to exorbitantly priced properties. While Minions are cute, I cannot comprehend the craze over it. However, the 'big boy' at home actually feels tickled by Minions and subtly nudged me to poke a Minion, so here goes!

Patisseries

Patisseries are such a visual feast! I delight in gazing at the lovely displays of beautiful cakes, breads and chocolates in bakeries, especially the French, Italian and Japanese selections. They look so pretty & appetising that I will not resist a piece or two each time; thankfully there is a limit to how much I can chow down at one time. I have to confess sometimes the cakes score better in looks than taste. It is perhaps an unfair statement, as my palate is only receptive to dark chocolates. One typical example is macarons - it gives me more pleasure looking at them versus eating them, with the exception of dark chocolate flavoured ones. 

I have a soft spot for breads though,  likely attributable to the taste of flour & yeast combination which I crave now and then. Good artisan breads are tedious to bake; another excuse for not baking breads at home is due to myself being the only bread enthusiast, hence it is not economical to bake just for one person. I'll bake muffins, macarons or cakes at whim or when there are special occasions such as birthdays or parties. 

With needle felting, I am able to create my favourite bakes & feast on them anytime without worry of expanding my waistline :p 

Doll Fetish

I grow up loving dolls and I still love dolls - don't get me wrong, not the erotic manner! Needle felting is my answer to the dolls I never had as a child. I remembered how I ogled at Martyoshka dolls I saw in pictures, depicting captivating and decreasing sized Russian Dolls nested within one another. My first gift of Martyoshkas was from a cousin who went to Russia on a business trip in the late 90s; I kept it dear to my heart, partly I love Martyoshkas but mainly because it is the only memento I had of my beloved cousin.

The vibrancy of the felt wools I acquired in Osaka inspired me to experiment with colors and the first idea that popped into my mind was Martyoshkas. Japanese kimono dolls are equally fascinating but Russian dolls prevailed as it features amusingly varying sizes.

I had needle felted several character dolls but now I am poking my own versions of dolls, here's a peep on the work in progress...

Teacher's Day

One of my biggest fans of needle felting is actually my boy. While he is fascinated with the different forms that can be shaped with needle felting, he is even more fascinated with the idea that people might be interested in buying the felted items. He has been brainstorming for me the price of each new artwork I made and excitedly coaxing me to start an online shop.

The other little fan of mine is my girl, she is genuinely intrigued by the craft, just like myself.  Thus I taught her the craft this year and she is already poking some creations of her own. As Teacher's Day neared, she wanted to poke little gifts for her teachers. The craft itself can be rather time consuming and she was planning to make 7 gifts, hence I came up with a rather simple item for her to needle felt - chupa chups!

As I made one for her to model after, my boy exclaimed that he wanted to make the same for his teachers too! However, being an 8 year-old boy whose chopsticks skills barely made it, I had been reluctant to teach him the craft since it is easy for one to prick oneself, what more a beginner and a boy whose motor skills are geared towards the legs for soccer instead.

satisfied customer :-)

After much thoughts, I teased him "Mommy shall make the chupa chups for you but you have to pay for my effort. How about $10 per piece?" He obviously clamoured that the price was too steep and tried to bargain, unknowingly I was actually 'pitching' for my first sale ;p Him being a glib negotiator, I finally relented at the price of $3 per piece. Woohoo, my first customer!!! 

Wanderlust

Since mini Rusty, I am motivated to poke more...

I am simply amazed with the myriad of artworks possible with just a needle and felt wools, as long as one is equipped with the colors. It's portable - there's no need for a fancy studio nor lugging of a heavy case of art materials, one is able to poke anywhere one wishes. I enjoy chilling with a book over latte in a cosy cafe, now I poke and read in a cafe, double bliss :-)

For those who know me well, my wanderlust grips me tremendously. Call it a penchant for geography, experience or satisfying my curiosity or restlessness, the world out there always holds untold mystery, a wealth of enlightenment. Perhaps that explains my fondness for maps and globes.

Last weekend as I was visiting friends in Hong Kong & Macau, I spent the snippets of time when on my own to poke a mini earth, in the comfort of Pacific Coffee cafe, at the same time relishing a hot latte and luscious mochis (yums, these are Japanese mochis which I love). Such is a precious moment of solitude that refreshes my spirit as it also releases my mind to roam freely.

Here's the finished product of my mini globe, completed back at home as a required material was not in my travelling wools pouch. Yes, I carry a pouch comprising the basics wherever I go, so I can slip in a little poking every now and then.

Beginnings...

I like the name artist, thus I will name myself as a Felt Artist :-) My journey to needle felting had been fuzzy, taking on the homonymous 'fuzzy' feel of the felts which I love.

I was first acquainted with a needle felt artwork in Oct 2009 in Taipei, musing over the beauty and intrigued when the lady said she made it herself. It was only in Jul 2011 that I chanced upon the craft again and started to google, thus learnt the craft. However, it started rickety as I had neither the time nor sufficient materials to explore further.

In Dec 2012, I was on a family vacation trip to Osaka but charged with a mission to source for the pretty felt wools. I managed to do so and brought back a hoard of wools and Japanese books on needle felting.

Again, time being a luxury not at my dispense, I experimented with needle felting on few occasions. It was only when my ailing Jack Russell, Rusty was degenerating in health - my heart ached everytime he sat lying next to me, knowing that his days with us were numbered - there on 18 July 2013, he inspired me to make a miniature of him so as to immortalize him and I frantically went about poking a mini Rusty. I was impressed with my own artwork, as it really resembled him ;p Then it dawned on me that needle felting is therapeutic and allows one to create almost anything.

Thus my journey as a felt artist began...