I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and is welcoming the new year with an open heart and an open mind. I, for one, am very excited for 2012. For one thing, I’ll be celebrating my birthday on 12/12/12 – how awesome is that?! Only once in my lifetime will that happen! But of course, it’s a long ways away. In the meanwhile, I can see myself playing a lot in my studio (once homeschooling is done, of course). I’ve invested in a new medium – encaustics – and I am in love! Encaustics is the most exciting, most sensuous medium I’ve ever played with. I’m feeling that this year will be a very productive year for me. (I hope, I hope, I hope!)

Here’s my first encaustic painting that I did last night. I’m not sure if it’s done already but I’ll let it rest for now. What do you think of it? And what are you looking forward to this year?

encaustic and mixed media on cradled panel

I’ve been working on several projects for the holiday season and now supplies and projects-in-progress have overflowed from the studio to the great room, and even in the kitchen! Yet I need more space! lol!

Art Quilt Shirt (in progress) inspired by Ruth Rae

Holiday Gift Cones (in progress) inspired by Ruth Rae

A few things I learned working on projects these past few days:

1. I should never skip the ironing when making fabric covers for books or journals. It just looks so much better and crisper when the cover is ironed.

2. I don’t work well when it’s late at night and I’m tired and sleepy. Everything starts to not look right and I mess up a lot. I should keep in mind that I’m more productive after a good night’s rest whenever I try to push it. (I know, I know, nobody works well when they are tired and sleepy!)

3. It’s a bad idea to move the sewing machine on a cheap folding game table, even if it’s just temporary! The table shakes whenever I sew and I start to feel seasick! :P

4. The blades of an X-Acto knife will have to be replaced very frequently.

5. It’s a lot of help, well, to have a lot of help! Haha! I’m very grateful that my family is helping whenever they can – and that they are enjoying as well!

Hi everyone! I’m back from a lovely vacation in France – visiting family and just soaking up some creative inspiration. I’ll be sharing a few of my adventures in the next few days but for now I wanted to let you know that I have been featured in Do What You Love. If you get a chance, please check it out. (Thanks Beth for sharing my story!)

Whoever visits Paris and not get smitten by Le Tour Eiffel?

Oh and one more thing, I have been working on setting up shop here in my site. It’s going to carry handmade items and mixed media artwork, photography and fine art prints, and several vintage goodies! It’s going to be ready to launch soon, so please watch out for that! :)

My very first attempt at getting published lands me in Somerset Studio and Somerset Studio Gallery. Thank you Somerset :)

Hi everyone! I hope all the mothers out there had a wonderful day yesterday. You all deserve it. Mine was definitely memorable. We had brunch at this newly found place, Cafe Belwah. Their food was delightful. And instead of flowers, I got this lovely bonsai tree from Troy and the girls. They said I needed a new hobby. Very funny! I love the tree – although it’s daunting to trim it. (It didn’t come pruned.) I’ve already taken several stems off of it but I’m still working on it. I’m taking it slowly – I’m letting it talk to me, it’ll say what shape it wants to be. I put it by the window in my new workspace (our unfinished basement) so that I can look at it everyday and be a great source of inspiration.

The girls also each made me a card. They asked if they can use whatever they want from my art supply and I said sure. (They’re always welcome to do so.) With Troy’s guidance, Rinoa made a face card using a roll of torn up fabric from an old shirt that she found in my yarn box for the hair. (Mommy, the hairclip I used on the card is real! Isn’t it pretty?) Troy said I look like Michael Jackson.

She’s been practicing both manuscript and cursive handwriting everyday and to showcase her handwriting skill, Troy made her write in cursive.

Mica, on the other hand, went to town with the punches – lol! She also came up with a lovely card that I’ll forever cherish.

Just got back from visiting my brother’s family in Washington. They live in Gig Harbor, a small scenic town about 40 minutes away from Seattle.

Gig Harbor, Washington

Here I am by Gig Harbor’s downtown waterfront. It was a nice enough day that we were able to see a glimpse of Mount Rainier in the distance. I’ve got lots more to share with you but let me sort out the photos first. You know how one can get wild taking lots of snapshots!

In the meanwhile, I wanted to show what I’ve been busy with (well one of the many) before I left for Washington. I started going through and reorganizing my collection of “found materials”. There were some papers all ready to be stitched up for my junk journals so I decided to work on them.

As you can see, I got quite a bit done before I left. All they really need now are the covers which I will be working on (in and out) in the next few weeks.

I know I haven’t been posting religiously lately – even my husband is complaining! – but I have been enjoying life and now I have a plethora of projects, ideas, “stuff” that I want to share with you all. So please don’t give up on me.

If you follow my blog (and thank you so much if you do), then you may have noticed that every year, coinciding the past several weeks that have passed, I become quiet. I go into my shell and stay there for a while. Not that I’m sad or anything. I just inescapably become the “frozen snow” in this dark, lifeless world that is winter. The cold creeps slowly and engulfs me. I am not lost, just trapped in this gloomy alternate reality. I want to break out, but I am held back. And without inspiration, there wasn’t much to say.

But I am not without hope because I am reminded…

“Even when it’s cold like this, I always remember that spring is on its way. It’s sort of neat to think about. No matter how much snow there is, it’s all going to melt. It always does.” – Tohru Honda from Fruits Basket

And with this, I begin to wake up again every morning with fresh eyes and a more spirited disposition– knowing that I’m not bound by the seasons and letting my family be the “fresh vibrant spring” that melts this frozen snow.

We all encounter them in our lives – people who seem as if their constant source of amusement is to criticize every person they know. (Well, maybe not every person, but you know what I mean.) As Derek Lin wrote in The Tao of Daily Life, “Criticizing others while being unaware of their own faults is something that many people do. We can even say that it is something we all do from time to time.”

Backyard Mushrooms

How do we then deal with these negative people, especially if we don’t want to fall prey to following their habits by criticizing back? I personally just stay away from them as much as I can – as simple as that.

Now it’s one thing for people to talk about someone else and another when they actually talk about you. The Tao teaches us not to get angry. “It is in their nature to be critical and judgmental, so it would be absurd to take offense.” In this case, I would say that negative criticism and gossip are almost synonymous. I recently learned of a rumor that circulated about me among some people I know. I should have been upset from the fact that they were passing out news before checking out its truth value. (It was as easy as asking me.) But I wasn’t. I was simply amused at how some people can idle away their time spreading such nonsense and very much interested at how it got started. That was it. It was pointless to react to it other than with indifference since I knew it was in their nature to gossip.

Back to criticism, I’m not exempt from making it. “It is something we all do from time to time.” I just stay away from people who make me want to say things I know I will regret later on. Again, it’s as simple as that. Bottom line is I strive to be a better person, I strive to maintain peace and harmony in my life – that means getting rid of negative energy and surrounding myself with the positive. How about you? How do you deal with negativity?

“Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others. Live in the faith that the whole world is on your side so long as you are true to the best that is in you!” – Christian D. Larson

Con mucho amor,

If you missed the previous Tao lessons, here are quick links to them:

• The Tao of Daily Life {No. 1}: Living Fully in the Present
• The Tao of Daily Life {No. 2}: Finding Joy in the Simple Things
• The Tao of Daily Life {No. 3}: Taking Responsibility for Your Destiny
• The Tao of Daily Life {No. 4}: Overcoming Adversities

This week from The Tao of Daily Life by Derek Lin, we read the story “The Donkey”. (If you don’t have a copy of this book yet, I suggest you get one here – it will absolutely change your life!) The lesson this week is about overcoming adversities. We all have them – moments when we feel trapped, days when we feel that misfortune just keeps pouring down on us. And because we’re only human, naturally we complain. Oh do we love complaining! We anguish about why this always happens to us or what we’ve done to deserve this. The Tao reminds us that “expressing outrage and feeling sorry for ourselves do not change anything”. Many of us know this but yet we find ourselves “in a repeating pattern of frustration followed by complaints followed by more frustration and more complaints”. We don’t realize that when we fall in this pattern, “the cycle of negativity prevents our mental state from being resourceful” and we fail to be at our best.

Autumn Leaves

Endless complaining is a waste of time and energy. In order to handle any situation with calmness and composure, we must keep in mind that there’s a lesson to be learned in everything that happens in our lives – both the good and the bad experiences – well, especially the bad experiences. And there is always a way to turn the negative to positive.

So what do we do when we find ourselves seemingly trapped in misfortune or drowning in negativity? First we shrug it off – which simply means don’t take it personally. The universe is not out to get us. (This is a very simple concept but will make our lives so much easier when we learn how to practice it.) Next, we spring back up on our feet and evaluate the lessons we can learn from this misfortune. When we start to think that every experience is a learning experience, we begin to realize that there is no “bad” experience. We can use everything that happens to us to improve ourselves. Then we are able to transcend beyond adversities which we will find no longer have any power over us.

Like Troy always says, “Fall forward fast.” He’s a master of this concept. I never see him dwell on bad things. He recovers fast and is always excited to implement what he learned from “misfortunes” in his next moves. I, on the other hand, am slowly learning. I still need to complain – just to vent out. Usually I vent out on my husband or my dearest friend Rhea. They don’t even have to say anything, I just need to let out the bad energy. Afterward, I’m good and I move on. I’m glad to say though that lately, I find myself not even caring about complaining anymore – which is good, really good. It means I’m transcending – I like that! I’m starting to naturally see the lessons in every experience.

Again, I leave a quote as my parting words. May all these lessons from the Tao bring you closer to a more fulfilled life!

“Life always gives us exactly the teacher we need at every moment. This includes every mosquito, every misfortune, every red light, every traffic jam, every obnoxious supervisor (or employee), every illness, every loss, every moment of joy or depression, every addiction, every piece of garbage, every breath. Every moment is the Guru.” – Joko Beck

Con mucho amor,

If you missed the previous Tao lessons, here are quick links to them:
If you missed the previous Tao lessons, here are quick links to them:

• The Tao of Daily Life {No. 1}: Living Fully in the Present
• The Tao of Daily Life {No. 2}: Finding Joy in the Simple Things
• The Tao of Daily Life {No. 3}: Taking Responsibility for Your Destiny

The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own.
No apologies or excuses.
No one to lean on, rely on, or blame.
The gift is yours – it is an amazing journey.
And you alone are responsible for the quality of it.
This is the day your life really begins.
- Bob Moawad

This week’s reading from The Tao of Daily Life, entitled “The Monk and The Spider”, is about taking responsibility for your destiny. This is a very powerful message – one that if we just keep in mind and practice will make our lives so much easier. When you wake up in the morning (sorry, I’m still in morning mode), you have a choice. Do you want a happy, fruitful day or a miserable one. You decide. It is your choice, it is your life. You’re the only one who can make it happen, no one else can.

Rotary Garden in Janesville, WI

As Lin says “when we realize that we are the cause of our own misfortunes, we can begin to adjust our thinking at a fundamental level, and start to create real changes.” It’s all about the power of the mind. Think about it. Are the problems that afflict us really out of our control? Are they real problems or just circumstances we’ve allowed to linger and affect us? Can we shift our way of thinking to come up with a solution? (I can cite so many examples – but I won’t. I don’t want to get in trouble. But we all understand what I’m talking about here, right? *smile)

I’m simply going to end this post with this food for thought:

“You are now at a crossroads. This is your opportunity to make the most important decision you will ever make. Forget your past. Who are you now? Don’t think about who you have been. Who are you now? Make this decision consciously. Make it carefully. Make it powerfully.” – Tony Robbins

Make this the day your life really begins.

Con mucho amor,

If you missed the previous Tao lessons, here are quick links to them:

• The Tao of Daily Life {No. 1}: Living Fully in the Present
• The Tao of Daily Life {No. 2}: Finding Joy in the Simple Things