I'm dreaming of a white christmas

Nothing more elegant than a simple white Christmas and looking at these gave me the peace of mind. Have a great, save and happy holiday everyone :)

LivingEtc

Snowflake bulb by Lorikay

Dashing Reindeer Headband by ME2Designs

Snowflake ornament by Iwanabe

Dreamy Beautiful

Here is more beautiful and dreamy gift pick inspiration for the week. Hope you love them all. My personal favourite is the giraffe amigurumi but too bad I just can't pick but those crochetting skill.

1. Typewrite Necklace by CuteAbility

2. Vintage Rose hairpin by pastelpetals
3. Dreamy Giraffe Amigurumi pattern by reeneegurumi
4. Candy Bird Photography Print by jenseverydaymoments
5. White Lace Blooming Popup Card by crankbunny
6.Strut, woodcut by mLee
7. Let's Hug print by belleandboo
8. Opulent Artisan textile cuff by Decadence2
9. Spirograph Necklace by mamaslittlebabies

Win a 2010 Calender from Cabin+Cub

2010 Cabin+Cub Desk Calender

This is a really memorable and meaningful giveaway before the year ends, a 2010 Cabin+Cub Desk Calender. To enter, you have to tell which month you want to be and what costume you will wear to pose in a calender. Hmm...I want to be little red riding hood. Or Alice in Wonderland? Maybe little Tinkerbell.

Go to Cabin+Cub's blog to enter now!

Interview : BeaniPet

Crafter : Jun (BeaniPet)
Country : Malaysia
Blog : http://beanipet.blogspot.com/
Shop : http://beanipet.etsy.com/

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

You can call me Jun and I'm a dreamer. I like to share my thoughts with people and I love to create things that makes me and people happy ^ . ^ I'm very down to earth and love to go hunt for great desserts XD I think of myself as a pandabear - dreamer, peaceful, caring and simple.

2. What is art/craft for you?

hmm... art and craft is life, you, people and love. Food can be art and it can be just food and life. A hairstyle is you and art and just a hairstyle. I think everything that evolves around us is art and craft and life. We just have to slow down to appreciate things. ^ . ^

3. What is your favourite craft?

I've got no favourite. Coz to me everything is art and craft. If I have to choose it'll be my Beanies. Seldom see a pillow that comes with ears, eyes, nose and pocket. ^ . ^

4. Other than crafting, what do you usually like to do for fun/relax?

I like to go dinner with my friends and we usually go restaurent hunting to find great food and great dessert places ^. ^ I too love to go to the movies and I love to go to the bookstore~ to see illustration, cook and sewing books and find reading novels too! Oh yah... I also like to cook when i'm not sewing^ . ^

5. Can you brief us a little about your daily schedule?

0800am - Wake up and do my usual morning stuff
0830am - Breakfast, I love to have great breakfast~ sometimes will go out to my garden and take a morning stroll to get some morning vitamin D XD
0900am - On my computer and start answering emails, checking blogs and internet stuff... (have to restrain myself to maximum 2 hours but I'm trying to make it a 1 hour timing)
1030am - start cutting cloth and usually I've already picked my cloth last night when doodling on what I'll sew today.
1100am - sew sew sew
Lunch break when I'm hungry and will surf the net awhile and at days I'll get loads of email so I'll answer them too..
0300pm - continue to sew till evening ^. ^
0700pm - go out buy dinner home for family and sometimes when i cook I'll stop work at 530pm to work on my dinner cooking.
- sewing ends and i'll go do other stuff like movie/tv/books/doodle my next creation and sometimes online to list a Beanie -

6. Are you a full time crafter?

Yes since September 2009! Very happy so far ^ . ^ BeaniPet started in Oct 2008 and I went into BeaniPet full time in Sept 2009

7. What or who inspire you?

What inspires me - life and people. I get loads of inspiration form the things around me. Music/movies/books/cafe/cake/pets/internet/blogs/people i meet/ life...EVERYTHING!
Who inspires me - Wow... A lot... My dad always asking me to deliver quality and work hard and i hold on to his advise in my heart. Loads of artist and author out there who inspires me... gonna pick one of my favourite~ Roald Dahl who believe in dreams and dreamers, chasing their dreams to make it come true yet unbelievably magical.

Kiirey thanks Jun for such inspiring sharings.:)
Happy Crafting~~

10 Ways to Have a Green Christmas

Let's go for a green Christmas this year, and every other years. How?
Here's some fun ideas:

1. Learn how to make a re-usable, recycleble gift wrapper.

Eco-friendly gift pouch tutorial from Zakkalife.

2. Make your own hanging ornaments.

Red handmade ornament from Create Studio

3. Make your own Christmas tree.

White handmade Christmas tree by Dottie Angel

4. Recycle your old sweater and make them into gift stockings.

Recycled sweater stocking by handmadepretties

5. Give a card made from recycled paper, or even better, make your own card.

Snowflake eco-card by NaturesCubbyhole

6. No paper bags, no plastic bags. Use fabric bag.

Bring those food around with evelynfields lunch bags

7. Print your own gift tags and labels

Free printable gift tags at Giverslog

8. Give organic gift. You'll be surprise that there are a lot of organic varieties.

Handmade CandyCanes soap by Corabela

9. Spare the turkey. This is difficult, I know but at least try this superb recipe.

Vegan Turkey Roast by Chef Brian P. McCarthy

10. Give a tree. Or...give a seed. :)

Delay no more, Plant Now.

Enjoy preparing for a green Christmas. :)

What I bought on the Internet?

Of all the many interesting and beautiful things I found over the world wide web, I can't resist but shop online once a while. In fact, I am getting hooked on online shopping. Even though I can't feel, touch, smell and/or flip through them but curiosity really kills me and my imagination runs wild with just looking at the pictures.

So this was what my addiction leads to....

Stolen Sharpie Revolution 2 a DIY Guide to Zines and Zine Culture by brainscan

This zine is so fun and cool, even though it's more like a book with ISBN and published properly like any other book but I still feel like reading a zine. Every page of this books are as if typed, sharpied and xerox-ed. And the most fun part of all, it's a complete guide to start writing a zine, something which I wanted to do for a long time but never had time for it. But whenever I want to start writing a zine, I will have this guide with me!

Zeropumpkin family stickers by zeropumpkin

Stickers!!! I don't need them but why do I buy them? I don't know, I just feel I must have them.

Elin Thomas Giveaway

From now on I am going to share with everyone the great shop/blog giveaways I found, even though more peeps know about it and join the contest means less chance for me to win but it's ok, beautiful things are for all to fight for.
And that's the purpose of this blog anyway, to share all the beautiful things I found on the world wide web. :)

A piece of crochet couture jewelry in fushcia and orange combo by Elin Thomas

Win the irresistible 2010 spring color combo by following her blog or subscribe to her newsletter by sending her an email. Don't fret if you didn't win this masterpiece, check out her shop for more colour crazy creation.

Stocking Stuffer Gift Pick : Below $10

It's still not too late for picking up some beautiful and affordable stocking stuffer. I'm going start with gift pick below $10. Stay tune for more great gift picks for the next following days. :)

1. Felt Strawberry Lemon Pudding Playfood, $4.40 by Jainabee

2. Pink and Green Argyle Wine Bottle Gift Bag, $8 by hmmmbymel
3. Starfish Tawashi Scrubber Set of 2, $7 by lauraslefthook
4. Four Snowsuit Baby Ornament, $8.50 by MiniMonster
5. Christmas Cupcake pendant, $4 by mishibu
6. Sapphire Hair Posy, $6.50 by jacarandadesigns
7. Appeltje pin, $8 by deepindigo
8. Bodhi Leaves Fridge Magnet Gift Set, $9 by artlife
9. Vintage Visitting Angel pendant necklace, $9 by LDphotography

Assecorize

I would like to start today with beautiful accessories.

London Blue Topaz necklace by anoriginaljewelry

Cecelia Earrings, Dusty Magenta by LostAndFawned

Beautiful Wedding Invitation

Wedding invitation cards are always lovely and pretty and everything nice. And if they are handmade cards, it will make them ten fold more lovely, pretty and everything nicer.

1. The Natalie invitation by invitesbyjen
2. Modern Love wedding by MadluDesigns
3. Happily Ever After wedding notecard by happydaystudio
4. Wedding invitation card by twosillysisterphoto
5. Purple Daisy invitation card by Invitationsandsuch
6. Pink flower shower invitation card by KMThomasDesigns
7. Vintage inspired wedding card by roxterdesigns
8. Emerson by steliedesigns
9. Chocolate Knot by justpeachypaperie

An Apple A Day...

An apple a day will make us really really happy. Apple, cherry, strawberry, watermelon are among my favourite fruits. Ooo...not forgetting promegranate. They are just so beautiful :)

1. Hand crochetted apple cozy by UnravelMe
2. Apple tree earrings by LiciaBeads
3. Apples big and small original oil painting by tycfineart
4. Red apple journal by edessedesigns
5. Red amigurumi by elishacopeland
6. Apple of the forest necklace by LaNinja
7. Apple teacher dish by thebrickkiln
8. The little apple illustration by ickleson
9. Applistic pendant by caughtredhanded

Angela Vanderbogaard

Artist : Angela Vandenbogaard (aka Jelly Bean)
Country : Canada
Website : http://www.artbyangie.ca/
Blog : http://jellybeansart.blogspot.com/
Shop : Etsy Artfire

Tell us a little about yourself.
I'm currently a student studying to be a radiology technologist (xray technologist), and before that I went to university of medical sciences. I live with my furry friend, Oreo, in northern-ish Ontario.

What is art for you?
Art is a way of expressing yourself, and projecting your thoughts, emotions, ideals and feelings onto paper. It's a way of 'letting the little things go'


Do you also collect other artist's work? Who is your favourite?
On Etsy, I love birdnerd, and I have one of her prints hanging in my room as well as some from Andy Warhol. A few other artists which I both love and admire (on Etsy) are geninne, artofandrewdaniel, dazeychic, and ambera.

Other than creating art, what do you usually do for fun/relax?
I play guitar. In the winter season I snowboard, and in the summer season I bike and play tennis. I'm in love with the beach, and there's no better place to enjoy a good book.


How is life in Canada? Can you brief us a little about your daily schedule?
Life in Canada is starting to warm up, it was definitely a chilly winter! (-40 degrees Celcius on day I remember). My daily schedule: wake up and do the whole shower / eat / get ready routine. I check my e-mails and online venues. And then I race off to school with Jenna (a classmate who lives down the hall). During the day, I get to sit in class - some days are lab days, and that's when we're in the radiology lab playing with the x-ray equipment and taking x-rays of phantoms ('fake' people). After class - I'll run to the printers / post office if I need to. If not, I go home. Sometimes the gym is mixed in there somewhere. From there, at home it's dinner, homework and artwork. Since artwork started as a hobby, it's no surprise that most of my "free" time from school is filled with artwork, because I enjoy it and it's a nice break. Oreo keeps my company - often sleeping on my desk, or all over my notes and textbooks.

Are you a full time artist?
Right now, I have no job. But I'm also in school, so in one way I'm full-time, but in another I'm part-time. And, I will be getting a job during the summer to try and save some money for next semester. Even then, when I'm working two jobs - the hours I put in, I would consider it full time.

What or who inspire you?
My aunt inspires me, Connie Geerts. She's a great inspiration that you *can* make it in the art world if you put yourself out there. I'm also inspired by all the artists on Etsy, every time I'm browsing - it's just so inspirational that I just want to get out my supplies and paint away.




Is there any grand plan for yourself within the next few years?
I'll be graduating college in May 2011. Next year (Jan - Dec 2010) I will be in my clinical placement, working (for free) in the hospital. I'm not sure what impact that will have on my artwork, since it will be long hours, but I'm hoping that I can still continue what I've been building up. After that, it's working (hopefully) full time in an x-ray department, with art still in my life. Maybe I'll go part time later, but I've always managed a job and my business - and until the student loans are gone, that's the grand plan hehe. I'm not sure where I'll be working. I've thought about going out to Alberta for a year or two, but who knows what the future will bring - I'm pretty open about location changes and moving.

Any shout out to the blog readers?
No matter how discouraged you are - just keep working at it. It took me two years before I really took off with my artwork. It like you're being tested about how much you really want it, and you need to *really* want it and be passionate about your work. If you are, no one can stop you :)

Thank you so much for your time. We enjoy your interview story very much. :)

Weekend Pick - Insects

My favorite insects are dragonfly and butterfly. What about you?

1. Enchanted Garden Necklace by VictorianInspired
2. Steam Punk Cosmic Bee Rings by CosmicFirefly
3. Beetle Giclee Board Print by LexyArt
4. Baby Grasshopper Fine Art Print by YSLstudio
5. Blue Butterfly card by rochelle31
6. Out of Line Art Print by ToxicInk
7. Blue Needle Felted Firefly by BossyFeltworks
8. Cock roach cup by catherinereece
9. Arachnidphobia by cajata

Confession

Such sweet confession illustration by galeh-chan.

I love the soft and sweet artwork.
I never dare to confess....

What's beautiful lately?

Today I curated something beautiful from among my favourite sellers. Yellow and orange are not among my favourite colour (favourite is pink), but when I really look at them, they are really beautiful colours too. I think, all colours are beautiful, even black and white.

1. Butterfly and Gerbera in Mango Spice 8x10 art print by artistscs28

2. Austere Polka-Dot Cat original art ACEO by lemonshortbread
3. Awake-Asleep Two Sided Naptime Door Sign by tracybdesigns
4. Nothing but Gorgeous Glass Tile Pendant by ForTheLoveOf
5. Flower Balloon Printable Notecards by littlebrownpen
6. Mon Amour Rose Brooch by Ulaa
7. Bright Tangerine Rosebud Hairpin by FriendlyBanter
8. Darfur. Peace. Now. A Sterling Vintage Map Necklace by sherrytruitt
9. Kawaii Chi Chi Baby Pin by ahyingmui

p/s : I know I browse and promote too much from Etsy. Please do recommend other site where I can find other creative crafters/artist/designers.

Away....

Sorry that I was away for a few days. Has been a busy and hectic weekend. Ooo...how I missed my keyboard and the world wide web.

Unblocked, original illustration by CitrusTree

Raspberries

Looks really delicious. As beautiful as my favourite pomegranate. I think it's a tie.

Raspberries on Turquoise 8x12 Print by TeaAndBrie

Lilymoon

Artist : Stavri Kyprou (lilymoon)
Country : Cyprus
Blog : http://lilymoonhome.blogspot.com/
Shop : Etsy

Tell us a little about yourself.

I'm 34 years old, I was born in London and came to live in Cyprus when I was a little girl. I think I decided on becoming an artist when my brother gave me a package of coloured pencils when I was about four. I've been drawing ever since..

What is art for you?

Art is my second language. I hope to tell stories and express my self through it.

Do you also collect other artist's work? Who is your favourite?

I have loads of favourites, especially artists on Etsy. Two of my favourite fellow Etsians are Art and Ghosts and Irene Schwartz. I love browsing on Etsy, it's always inspiring to look at other artist's work.

Other than creating art, what do you usually do for fun/relax?

I write quite a bit, read, take my beloved partner in crime - my dog Nefeli for walks and keep a visual journal, collecting experiences and details from every day life and my make believe stories.

How is life in Cyprus? Can you brief us a little about your daily schedule?

My schedule isn't very exciting i'm afraid: I spend most of my day in my studio, either painting or packaging things to be sent out to customers. I do get caught up in the packaging thing quite a bit as I like everything to be prettily packaged and add little surprises to every parcel. Three things I especially like about Cyprus is firstly the light - I've been to many countries and have never seen light quite like it, secondly spring time is totally beautiful, everywhere you go the scent of lemon and orange blossoms follow you and thirdly Easter, which is celebrated in a very special way here. Things I'm not too fond of are the scorching sun in August and the very high temperatures... But the cool summer nights make up for that!

How is the art/craft market in Cyprus?

I think the arts and crafts movement that's been growing slowly and steadily in the USA and Europe is slowly catching on here too...Most of my friends are artists and it's so good to see them being able to make a living doing what they love most.

Are you a full time artist?

Yes, I am. And I feel extremely lucky and blessed for that.

What or who inspire you?

I get inspired by all sorts of things. Colour for one, observing nature, my books (that are slowly overtaking my house), emotions and last but not least the stories I make up and write.

Is there any grand plan for yourself within the next few years?

My hope is that I'll be able to continue doing what i am doing now - and maybe get some of my illustrated stories published.

SouthwestFlower

I just have to reward this as the best photograph of the day. Such beauty captured and freezed into a picture.

Reach 6x6 Fine art photograph by SouthwestFlower

edward and lilly

She is my flickr friend, who is also my blogger friend. She also happen to be a wonderful crafter that makes really cute bunnies.

You can find her at Etsy, Blogosphere and Flickr.

Affordable Art - ACEO

Art Cards, Edition and Originals, also widely known as ACEO are small scale art work in size 2.5 x 3.5 inches. I also would like to call them affordable artwork. Can you believe those remarkable ACEO pieces are less than $5? It's one of my favourite size of artwork. I usually prefer smaller scale art (2.5x3.5, 4x6 and 4x4). Oo.. and not forgetting inchies, 1x1 inch, which I will feature later in Kiirey.Blog.

Daisy by onedollarsketch

Girl at the window by SmallPaintings

Flamingo by bluebonnetladies

Free as a bird

I'm down with flu. I hate flu, it's making me all flimsy and dizzy. I need some beautiful curation to cheer myself up. Bird is beautiful. Everyone loves to use bird image in their art and design because they are such beautiful creature. Ok, my sentence sounds stupid today, pardon me please, must be the flu pill acting up. Anyway, I'm sure my curation still turn out beautiful.

1. Vintage wren pendant necklace by sophiehillartist
2. Sakura bird linocut collage by SiebenMorgen
3. Handstitched wool felt bird brooch by bridbird
4. Blue peacock print by gordonica
5. Owl linen dot laptop bag by TrackandFieldDesigns
6. The world standing still print by papermoth
7. Look! Deer! original painting by oladesign
8. Soaring necklace by lizix26
9. Spring chicken bowl by PrinceDesignUK

Vintage Inspired Photography

Spotted a very different type of photography today. It's vintage and it's also contemporary. You decide.

Photographer : CassiaBeck
Country : United Kingdom
Network : Flickr Blog Twitter

Dream Studio

Ever wonder how is the artist's studio? As beautiful as their work? You bet. Let's peek into one of my favourite artist, Geninne's studio.

I could sit in this room and stare at this view for hours.

And I thought artist's workstation would be messy?

Let's peek into her drawers too.

Even her kitchen is beautiful.
Geninne D. Zlatkis
Blog: http://www.geninne.com/
Shop: http://geninne.etsy.com/
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/geninne