Golden Rule

I am sorting out the artwork to be put up in the girl's room once it is done.

I am loving this father and son marker-pen and letterpress collaboration:

(Image courtesy of Studio of Fire via Best Pieces)

lifestyle crafts

I think this post will blow Inspira's mind - as did mine. It's a little kit you buy to letterpress your way to textural heaven, all in the comfort of your home. Though not a C&P, but modernity has its own charm too. Available at Lifestyle Crafts.

polkaville

letterpress lust from studio on fire

things like this makes me want to be a paper goods retailer.

Beauty of Love

M and I did nothing on a what started out as a beautiful sunny day back in Singapore, at home. Chilling. With Stairway and Empress.

It's raining now.

I love the smell of rain. The distant occasional sounds of thunder shattering the peace of the quiet afternoon with M napping and the cats sleeping.

A few weeks before I turned 34 - gosh, I can't believe how old I am right now! - I went through a self-evaluation phase.

And though it took me a long to see it then, I realise now that what I love, is what I do. Be it, my day-job, my side projects, etc.

The Persian poet Rumi reminds us to "let the beauty of what you love be what you do".

(Image courtesy of LookyLoo via etsy)

A Mini Surprise

I went on a Paper Source diet recently and shopped my way through the sale.

Mini was sweet enough to volunteer (ok, she had no choice cos' I practically had her arms twisted..heh) to receive the delivery and then mail the package on to me.

I got home the night before to a wonderful package waiting for me. Dry and beautiful despite the stormy weather all day that night.

And I had a sneaking surprise courtesy of Mini:-

(Orla Kiely kitchen towels and a twig & fig's cute letterpressed card)

Isn't she sweet?

Thank you Mini! You may just sway me to California with that letterpressed card. :-P

more on calendars

i can't believe the sheer size of beauty out there... in the form of calendars! First of all, there's the letterpress calendar by one of my favorite stores paper source

and then there's the gorgeousness of snow and graham

and a calendar that comes with 12 envelopes to share your special days with loved ones by paperedtogether

finally, pistachio press has a limited edition wall calendar available for pre-order

financial crisis or not, having a kick-ass calendar to keep track of productivity and days gone by is one way to chase away the mean reds (as in the bloodbath...)

ilee papergoods

it's the time of the year again... shopping for calendars. having bought letterpress calendars from ilee for two straight years, i can tell you that they really made a difference to the sometimes-dreary work life. they are a joy to look at and every year i relish the beautiful images so lovingly handcrafted by ilee. this year, ilee will donate 10% of her calendar sales to a not-for-profit corporation called “Specialized Options for Disabled Adults” and to an orphanage in Thailand. click here to order yours :)

“It’s seventy and bright out – married”

3 responses to the weather - from i am still alive

~exp~

letterslearninglife

top image from IHT on letterpress and email
bottom image from NYT on evites and social norms of RSVP-ing and entertaining (picture by Jens Mortensen, printing by Sesame Letterpress)

inspira, it's a problem everywhere it seems
was good to see you on sat!

xo,
exp

old school stationers

letterpressed cards and prints (yes, you can hang them on your walls) from old school stationers of portland, oregon. i'm loving the winter holiday collection (the vintage santa is so cute!) and finding it hard to resist the leaves and tress collection. ~exp~

night owl

wooden cards from night owl paper goods - totally ho(o)t! ~exp~

elizabeth hubbell

dreaming about letterpress... loveliness from Elizabeth Hubbell studio

she even has a video on the letterpress process here

~exp~

it's that time again

ilee's new calendar for 2008! this time, instead of just letterpressed cards, ilee introduced a choc-a-bloc full of tactile beauties...

"It is a rich mix of old school letterpress, silkscreen, foil stamping, fine papers and handpainted accents. 12 monthly cards and one extra card year at a glance card. Comes in a clear jewel case stand. "

~exp~

sums up marriage

i really love this. from here <- one of my favorite shops. ~exp~

scones + earl

+ both have arrived...



awaiting walls to adorn.

+ and i'm lusting after these...



they just seem to fit in well with what i have in mind for my boudoir.

+ bought this for SGD3, currently reading this and this.

+ i'm still chugging along, loving giraffes at the moment, learning how to draw still life and giving up on the apartment search (market has gone frothy) and trusting.

+ inspira, can't wait to see you over scones and earl's grey.

~ exp~

{ posters from I Am Still Alive and Steve Harrington,
Linens from Crate and Barrel }

O(the)range(is)Beautiful!

I am beaming, grinning and bursting with excitement!

After hours of punching numbers on the computer, figuring out how the 'eck PayPal works. Exasperated that my card keeps getting rejected, I made my very first Etsy purchase! (Yes dear M, I relented and gave in. I can't help it!)

These cards from OrangeBeautiful are oh so beautiful.

I've always believed in simplistic beauty. A good letterpress design doesn't need to have a busy motif or splashes of colours. It will stand out on its own. ~ Inspira

Letterary Press

I heard rumours that I can find dirt cheap letterpress machines at markets in Paris - I'm excited! Now, if only someone can help me figure out the shipping and tax obligations. Anyone?

I would love to do something like these from Letterary Press - aren't these just quaint? ~ Inspira

feel like home

friday night, i made an appointment to see a run-down condominium behind my favorite hill in singapore. of the numerous homes that i've been to i've been somewhat saddened by the various stages of neglect. it could be that once a space starts to feel like being "lived in" an eyesore just becomes tolerable and forgettable.

i also realize that the price that i'm paying for a home is not only about the bricks and mortar or the location or the state of the market frenzy, it's also about the worth of my option. an option to give up searching for a better alternative. it's not much different from waiting for the one and believing that there is such a thing as a soulmate for life. and as in life, i'm willing to wait it out.

friday night, after the viewing, i walked up the paths of the hill - praying ... that i shouldn't worry about the material comforts of a home; that, like the lilies, i would find a field to blossom in. i realized that the hill is where i belong. i sneaked into one of the buildings and went up to the highest floor (i was trespassing and i was nervous!) sea breeze and tranquility greeted me, they told me that home is here. i'll wait for the time when i can build my nest on the hill.

{letterpress poster and postcards - they feel like home - from i am still alive}

~exp~

firefly

"you become a bit of an elitist because you care"

letterpress process, i can't wait to get dirty and inky ~exp

guilty pleasure

i'm guilty because i indulged in ilee's letterpress calendar. it was an impulse purchase. with haste. brain didn't function at all. it was all heart's fault. husband was supersweet; he understands this weakness of mine .... ~exp.

(image from ilee at etsy... contact her at etsy if you would like to purchase her lovely calendar)