Inspire me Sunday : today's reminder

Today's reminder :)

It took me several years before I actually learned this truth but it seems that I still have to remind myself from time to time. I guess it's because we, human, always want to be perfect. It's in our nature, an impossible need that brings us great suffer. As Salvador Dali said, "Have no fear of perfection, you will never reach it!."

Note to self : Don't seek for perfection, seek for joy of creating.
Have a merry Sunday :)

Inspire me Sunday : Tina Roth Eisenberg

My sister sent me this talk the other night. After watching it, the talker immediately became one of my idols. I have known Tina Roth Eisenberg as Swissmiss for years but just recently learned her real name and that she's the one behind Creative Mornings and Tattly.

I notice that I have become more aware of myself lately. By reading books, taking e-courses, I'm getting a closer look into my life and seriously thinking about how to change it for the better. Tina's talk inspires me in that matter too. She has two things I feel I lack (and wonder if I can gain it). One is the willingness to take risks, the other is an ability to have fun in life. Not that I never took risks. I guess opening Etsy shop and even having this blog can be considered as taking risks. But I feel there are something, more important things, I haven't had enough gut to do.

An ability to have fun in life is also something I feel I don't own completely. By nature, I'm a very serious and pessimistic person although I think I have developed the fun side of me with the help of my husband and older years. I tend to be serious in little things and sometimes blind to see things in perspectives. I mean, there are always fun side in everything if you look for it. It's a significant trait for a creative person, to be able to see things in different ways.

So, I'm going to keep this talk in mind. There are risks I have always wanted to take for ages. One of them I'm planing to take tomorrow :D. It's not a big thing but hopefully can be the first comforting step leading to bigger ones.

About to have fun in life? I guess I can just begin by not thinking about it too much. Yes, just to have fun on this merry Sunday :)

Sunday Sketch, 365 days I draw (day 128-129) and Inspire Me Sunday (stationery!)

My Sunday Sketches today are also for 365 days I draw as usual. The topic of day 128 is order for the top and day 129, refer for the bottom. The drawings done on my newly-bought sketchbook from Chronicle called One Sketch a Day : a visual journal. I saw this book from my most favorite artist's blog, Stephanie Fizer and immediately wanted to own one.



Sometimes I feel really silly to buy things on a whim, especially stationery stuffs. I already have a dozen of sketchbooks waiting for me to fill in but it seems that every time I see ones on shop shelf I still want more and they are just plain black-cover ones. This blue sketchbook does look fancier than my usual sketchbooks and it definitely has value added with the inviting title of 'One Sketch a Day : a visual journal'. But it's really just the outer look. Although I find that the paper is quite thin and not as in good quality as in my usual sketchbooks, I love it anyway. I guess it's not just the beautiful cover, it has something to do with the feeling of owning it. It's like when you are always drawn to stationery shop and want to buy something even when you already have everything at home.

The other day I came across this article about Why I love Stationery and thought I would share some of my stationery inspire today. Hope you like the links here :)

• Just got this beautiful issue of Uppercase magazine. This one focuses on stationery love :)

• I think I have known this beautiful stationery shop for a long time but somehow it just slipped from my mind until now :) Lagom design

• Always love Present and Correct and have just read an interesting interview --Neal Whittington of Preasent & Correct on The Design Files.

• My favorite Quill and Fox

• I still have a dozen of Canson sketchbooks for spare but beginning to love more-expensive Derwent hard back sketchbook too

• Latest found Mr. Boddington's Studio

By the way, have you seen my little art project From Paris to Bangkok yet? I'm quite excited with this project and hope it can inspire something in you too :)

Thanks for coming and have a merry drawing day :D

Sunday Sketch. 365 days I draw and Inspire me Sunday

My Sunday Sketch and also for my 365 days I draw, the topic is BULK. This could be great to develop it into a card for my MerryDay shop :)

And here's what inspire me today. It's all about blogging :)

• I'm reading several books at the moment. One of them is insightful and entertaining Blog Inc. by Oh Joy!

• a simple designed I Love You Blogs and Coffee wall art

• It seems that I'm always trying to blog regularly. Somehow it's really important for me to record my thoughts and especially my work on this blog. So, I try to write down what I have already posted and what I will want to post in a small notebook. I don't want to make it sound too tense but this blog planner printable set may be helpful for you.

• Just love this simple sketchy doodle blog banner on Etsy

• I have just finished reading The Happiness Project and have found that the author's daily's blogging is also helpful and enjoyable :)

Thanks for coming and have a merry Sunday!

Inspire me Sunday : peaceful blue

Hello peaceful Sunday. I woke up this morning hesitating if I should sit in front of the screen and try to finish my work. I decided against it. My eyes are getting dry from too much computer work and Sunday should be an energy-charging day so that I can work effectively in the next whole week.

Still, it seems that I just can't get away from the web too long. I miss blogging and you know what, this is the first week that I post everyday! Even better news is that I didn't force myself to write. I just felt like doing it. I found myself thinking what I would talk about during the day and sat down and wrote it at night. It will be great if I can make this a habit. Imagine having 365 day posts at the end of the year! Sounds too ambitious but it's fun to dream :D

Today I just want to throw in some beautiful blue sky photos with short message and then I realize this and words just come flowing. I just love it ;)

Have a beautiful merry day everyone!

Inspire me Sunday : Liebster award and new blogs following

Hello Sunday again :) I woke up very early this morning feeling like learning something. So many things to make and do. I have one e-course to catch up. A new photo group I have just joined in. New illustration set that I need to complete and shop items that I have to take photos. Sometimes I wonder if I'm going to make it all in my lifetime?

Anyway, it's Sunday, the day of relaxation and inspiration. Today I bring you some links I love through award I have just got from Ni Carnahan.

I have seen this award from other blogs for some time and still think it's a great way to find and connect to new people in blog world. I find new lovely blogs everyday and would love so much to share here :)

But I think I'm not going to follow every rule though, not sure blogs I'm sharing here have less than 300 followers. Just want to share what I enjoy reading recently :)

Here they are.

Lovely blog of children's book illustrator : Fox in Socks by Paige Keiser 

Whimsical drawings and thought-provoking posts on Lizzysapronstrings

Always love reading blogs about drawing and reading : the rain girl (she has beautiful drawing of reading girl here)

Tricia from Daring Hue is doing her pattern a day and other art and craft, I'm inspired by all the energy she has!

I hope you enjoy what I have enjoyed. I just wish I could write more and be a part of inspiration spreading just as these blogs do.

Merry Sunday everyone :)

PS. Have you seen my first DIY? I'm planing to have DIY section on this blog to keep me thinking and creating fun things. You can read my very first one here >>  DIY project : let's make butterfly bookplate!

Inspire me Sunday : a week full of reading!

Hello Sunday! It has been a busy week but I'm glad I could manage things pretty well, I think,
and still have time to read wonderful writings both for my own leisure and for work :)
So, the love links today will be all about reading. Hope you like what I like :)

Skinny LaMinx interview on Patternbooth, Love reading artist's interviews and this is a good one.

I'm reading Kelly Rae Roberts' Flying Lesson e-book, such a great book, inspiring and informative. I love reading her blog too. A good author she is :)

Letters to Sam is the book I'm in love right now. I'm reading a library-loaned copy but will buy one for sure!

Miss Hickory, always excited to find blog posts talking about old children's books :D

I found this blog : Whole Larder Love in Peppermint magazine and so captured with this blogger/author's beautiful writing style and photos.

So many books (and blogs), so little time.
But when you can read, it's always a pleasure,  isn't it ? :)
Have a merry reading day everyone!

Inspire me Sunday

Ten days without any posts is not good. But I promised to myself not to talk negative things on my blog so how about some beautiful links I found during the week?

• Beautiful pattern on pattern design

• a 87 year-old grandmother and her odd-eyed kitten, lovely photo book of friendship. I especially like the shot of the two with hanging white radishes.

• What is a Book?, a picture book about books created in the early 1960s. Love the illustration in vibrant yellow and pink.

• love to have one of these kitchen towels by Ingela P Arrhenius

• House Held Up By Trees, beautiful book. I'm so in love with Jon Klassen's style.

Happy weekend and I hope you like my merry sketches above, by the way.

Inspire me Sunday

Good morning Sunday. I guess I will just make Sunday a relaxing and inspiring day of the week by posting love links I found during each week.

Enjoy beautiful things and have a merry Sunday!

Laura Carlin  : love her design on ceramics.

World's first 3D printing photo booth : this is very cool!

diy project : tiny doors : this super cute project reminds me of two things. One is The Borrowers and the other is an article I just read in Frankie magazine which talks about how important of stuffs we collect. No matter how non-functional they are (like these tiny doors), as long as they keep you happy just looking at them, it's worth the keeping (or making). I just love this imaginative idea :)

flying houses photos made me think of The Wizard of Oz.

up up & away illustration print : another flying art, always love her works.

PS. No new ideas for PiBoIdMo yet. Hope I could have one or two during laundry :P

Inspire me Sunday

Nothing much to say today. Just finished my floral design. Need to print it out and take photos and move on to new drawings :)

Inspire me today links :

darling magazine : I love this magazine. Wish I had more time to read all through every article.
book cub : little blog of doodles and ideas.
Johnny Kotze : beautiful illustration, love his color palette.
Amy Husband : found her via Twitter (the world of illustrators), Really like her colorful whimsical illustration and hand-lettering too!
Carson Ellis : my favorite. I wish I could draw like her.

Have a merry day everyone :)

Oh! Almost forget PiBoIdMo.

day 10 : A gray city and only one girl who could see colors.
day 11 : Little Peach and little Pear making friends ♪