Bunch of Brooches

It was gray and rainy yesterday, so I stayed inside, cranked up Jimi Hendrix on my iPod and burned away, from around 3pm all the way into midnight... Well, I did cook dinner and finished my laundry in between.; it was nice! Made bunch of little buttons; they have lots of details packed inside the tiny area (15/16" in diameter) and the process did take a toll on my eyes after a while. Also, for each 10 pieces you see here, another 10 failed pieces were attempted. But I really enjoy working on these tiny things, I don't know why, maybe because they look more precious since they are small. I've just added them into my shop; would you like to adopt one?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Just something really quick to wish you all a happy St. Patrick's Day! Do a little dance and be safe if you go out and party!

PS: I am totally PSYCHED about the corned beef & cabbage offered in our company restaurant today! My yearly treat!

Little Burnt Buttons

Made a batch of little burnt buttons last night (the center part is only 1" in diameter). They remind me of the snacks that we eat since our childhood (something like this.) They are yummy! I am thinking about turning them into brooches. How about pendant for necklace? Or rings, maybe? (If rings, it will just be the center part and not including the wooded base.)

Two Kokeshi Dolls

There are from last night; they are 2 3/8" tall. There is an animated GIF on my flick so you can see all 4 sides. Click here to view.

Also, my prayer goes to people in Japan. I grew up in Taiwan (all of my family are still there); we are used to earthquakes, but this is something that none of us have ever seen before. Please be very safe as much as you can if you are in the nearby area. Love you and praying for you. If you like to donate for the earthquake fund, American Red Cross has set up a link via Amazon and it's here.

More burnt doodles

Some wood burnt doodles from last night. Comparing to the 4"x6" block below, these wood discs are harder so you can tell the lines are cleaner and crispier. The 4"x6" wood panel has a softer texture so the lines are mushier. All bigger discs are about 1.5" in diameter while the smaller ones are 1.25" in diameter.

Wood-Burnt Doodles

I did some wood-burnt doodles in 2008 (here and here); I loved it because it's just like drawing on wood (with a slower pace). But the tool I used back then was the basic kind which you can purchase from most craft stores. It's inexpensive but the down side is that you can't adjust temperature on it. Last week (yeah, only took me 3 years), I finally made up my mind and treated myself with a good set of Razertip burner and pens. I tested it last night and I can really tell the difference (still need to experiment on adjusting the temperature setting, though). The pen I used is a really fine 0.08mm ballpoint pen. The wood discs I used are the same kind in the first link, but you can tell the difference in the linework quality.

PS: If you are looking for a set of good burner and pens, I ordered mine from Nedra; she is a professional wood-burning artist and is so helpful.

Flower Girl

Just added another new print into the shop. Lots of flowers for spring. : )

Shop Update: Butterflies

Just added the Butterflies print into my shop. Also, after last week's snow, we've been having a couple of really lovely sunny days since Monday. Boy, I can't wait for spring to come and stay. No more snow, please! (Keeping my fingers crossed...)

New Print: Friends

A brand new print is now in the shop. Also, for color inspiration, here are 2 amazing photos for you: this and this.