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~ i doodle with hammers and torches, and end up putting my soul into one of a kind handmade jewelry.

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Category Archives: Storytelling

Chinese Valentine’s Day- The Forbidden Love Story

13 Tuesday Aug 2013

Posted by Chloe in Storytelling

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

chinese festival, chinese mythology, chinese valentine, folklores, forbidden love, goddess, immortal, love story, magpies, mortal, mythology, niu lang, qi xi, silver river, storytelling, tales, valentine s day, wedding invitations, zhi nu

Chinese Valentine’s Day- The Forbidden Love Story

Whether you a fan mythology or not, stories are fun aren’t they? As sweet as “Chinese Valentine’s Day” might sound, the origin of this festival, also called 七夕 Qi Xi– The Seventh Sunset, is rather tragic.

Just like all old stories, since it’s spread by mouths and plagiarism wasn’t illegal yet back then, the Qi Xi tale has numerous slightly different versions. The version that I’ve heard of growing up is that 織女 Zhi Nu, a goddess who weaved in Heaven fell madly in love with 牛郎 Niu Lang, an ordinary cowherd who lived on Earth. They got married, had two children and lived happily ever after………………before God found out. (Weird, I thought god knows everything instantly and instinctively?) Anyway, God was furious as the divines were forbidden of loving let alone marrying a mortal, so he created a silver river (or the milky way) to separate the two for eternity.

Image found on  http://img.sdchina.com/

Image found on http://img.sdchina.com/

Hurting nobody and creating no chaos (except for the two hybrids), the mismatch were deeply sympathized by all. Every year on the 7th day of the 7th Lunar month, all the magpies from all around the world would appear and form a bridge for the unfortunate lovers to reunite for one romantic night. In Chinese culture, magpies are also the symbol of love, luck and fortune. They are a popular subject to be used on wedding invitations and decorations. Too bad they could only swing it for Niu Lang & Zhi Nu once a year.

Image found on http://images.china.cn/

Image found on http://images.china.cn/

Now if you have found someone, quick, check if s/he is an immortal, and do everything you can to stay under radar! If you haven’t yet, who knows, somebody might be watching you and falling head over heels right this second.

Happy Qi Xi!!

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Nathan Sawaya’s Art of Bricks Opens Your Kid at Heart

22 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by Chloe in Artists Salute, Inspiration, Storytelling

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

brick artist, chase the dream, corporate lawyer, figurative sculpture, Forest Lawn, Forest Lawn Museum, gallery, Glendale CA, glue and chisel, international known artist, kid at heart, Lego, Lego art, make the leap, Nathan Sawaya, quite your job, sculpture, transformation

Image

My personal favorite piece- “Castle“

Finally got a chance to see the internationally known Brick Artist– Nathan Sawaya‘s creation made of the good old plastic toy Lego. Catching it on the last day at Forest Lawn, Glendale, CA. 

Image found on www.bestourism.com

Image found on http://www.bestourism.com

The location of the exhibit is at a cemetery and memorial service center, making it such an interesting contrast. It is a place to cry, to mourn, and to deal with indescribable heartaches; yet, just like how ironic life gets here and there, it is also a place to see some bright and colorful artwork.

Driving along the curvy path, I breathed in a mixture of the scent of soil, lawn and tears. Strangely calming and soothing. Thinking how much I like the “inlay” style of gravestones compared to the one that stand vertical because it makes the already spacious environment look even more spacious. But then I also thought, it’d probably be challenging for an ADD like me, here being Absolute Direction Deficit. It’d take me hours and hours to find my way home if I “live” here when I die. And then that’s probably how haunting would start, by me knocking at the living neighbors’ door trying to ask if I could use their wifi to connect my GPS. Sorry, a detour to my story here.

Image found on www.doocab.com

Image found on http://www.doocab.com

Finally the sight of the Museum pulled me out of my random thoughts. Still find it a bit out of place, am I going to see Lego art, ghosts playing with Lego, or the Lego ghost?

Image found on www.tolucantimes.info

Image found on http://www.tolucantimes.info

No photography is allowed inside the exhibit so all images I’m posting here are from different sources online. I have no intention to get anyone upset here so if you happen to be one of the owners of certain images that you do not want me to use, please let me know and I’ll pull it off right away.

Image found on http://widelec.org/zdjecie,lego-by-nathan-sawaya,3189.html

“Yellow“. Image found on http://widelec.org/

The poster piece, Yellow, definitely made it onto the poster for some obvious reasons. It is bold, loud, and powerful. Again it’s the contrast that always makes things interesting. I couldn’t shake the fact that this piece is made of mass manufactured plastic blocks from the factory, but having such a raw and organic form. Many of Sawaya’s pieces are figurative and suggest the idea of transformation, change, and evolvement.

Image found on www.brothers-brick.com

“Green“, by Nathan Sawaya. Image found on http://www.brothers-brick.com

And you don’t need me to show you all the amazing images here on my silly blog. If you admire Sawaya’s work like I do, I’m sure Google the god will be happy to show you everything.

Born in Washington, raised in Oregon, Sawaya’s background might not be anything dramatic. What I found fascinating, however, is that the well-known New York based artist was once a corporate lawyer! I have no idea what kind of cases he specialized in, but I wonder if playing with Lego served as an outlet for him for the stress of having to deal with human drama everyday at work. “The hotter the heat, the harder the steel. No pressure, no diamonds.” Hey, the unknown quote is packed with wisdom.

Hear him talk about his art!
“It was really the day my website crashed with too many hits, that I realized *lightbulb nod* it’s time to leave the law and go play with bricks all day.”

I agree with him that many people connect to his art because it is a familiar material that almost everyone has played (or in his case, is still playing) with, but instead of following the instructions and build what’s on the box’s cover, it is filled with emotions and personal stories. He hopes to inspire people to believe that everyone can express themselves by just going home and making some art.

My concern is how to get kids of this technology-addicted generation to once again appreciate and enjoy the simple but wonderful toys like Lego! Seriously, the definition of “fun” has shifted quite a bit.

I particularly enjoy this piece called “Castle“. A huge pop-up book of a boat and a castle, with a beautiful poem printed along the sides.

Image found on www.brickartist.com

Image found on http://www.brickartist.com

“This is a poem
About a girl in a boat,
Who kept sailing around
The confines of a moat.
The moat went around
A very big palace
Inside lived a prince,
And his maid Alice.
The prince had no problems.
His life was pure pleasure.
But his love for that girl,
He could not measure.
And the girl loved him back.
Their love had been bound.
But she still sailed on her boat.
Around and around.
She didn’t dare stop
For around the moat’s edge
Were sharp jagged rocks
Where her boat could not wedge.
The prince watched her each day,
And watched her each night.
They’d talk all the time.
But it just wasn’t right.
He begged her to jump.
And leave the boat far below.
But she kept sailing around,
Not ready to go.
“I’ll catch you,” he promised.
There will be no harm.”
And she wanted to go
And live in his arms.
But the boat seemed so safe.
And the jump seemed so big.
She could not just leave,
And abandon her rig.
“Finally,” the prince said,
As he jumped on her boat.
“If you won’t come to me,
Then I’ll sail on the moat!”
And they sailed on her boat,
Just watching the palace.
But they could not go back,
‘Cuz it was now owned by Alice.
The moral of the story,
If you must know:
If you stay where you are,
Then you may never go.
So if one would jump,
And prepare for the hassle,
One day they will find,
They can live in the castle.”

You may have been told a million times in a million ways at this point of life already- how exciting things happen only outside of your comfort zone, yet how many of us have actually gathered enough courage to “jump”? I’m not so sure whether I am the he who lives in the castle or the she who sails on the boat. Doesn’t matter, I’m gonna jump regardless. Since when we all forgot how fearless we once were as kids? So if I fall, I’d be grateful that my papa tossed me away from his arms into the ocean when I was 4 and I somehow managed to stay alive.

And that’s how I know, I’ll be just fine, and so will you.

Saaaaalute! To Mr. Nathan Sawaya and to all jumpers out there.

Socal Beaches Sun and Sand Inspired Necklaces

19 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by Chloe in Finished Products, Inspiration, Photo Sharing, Storytelling, The Making of

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

brass pendants, california sunshine, copper pendants, green patina, leather cord, liver of sulphur, men's jewelry, nature inspired, roller printed jewelry, roller printed necklaces, Santa Monica, seaweed, socal, socal beaches, unisex jewelry

Socal Beaches Sun and Sand Inspired Necklaces

rollerprinted patina necklaces

i’m not exactly a sun child. for the record i get pretty grouchy when the heat hits. but i suppose it is easier than having to shuffle snow out of the driveway every morning in order to get to work. oh how i love you socal, and how i hate you socal.

socal sun vs big hat

but since they say that our poor little Earth isn’t getting any cooler in the future, let me try to put a spin on it. now how about a relaxing scroll down the beach, with the sight of adorable clumsy kids trying to build their dream sand castles (or murder the sand crabs), the abs and the asses with a golden touch, and the roar of the almighty ocean? the last time i went to Santa Monica, i stumbled across some hard-to-ignore seaweed, a.k.a. Sargassum. they are full of intense texture that i soon found myself staring and touching, and completely got lost in the fascination. ok, you’re coming home with me.

 socal sunny beaches inspired

so i rinsed them out, let it dry, and was pleased to see that there were no weird gooey substances, or nauseating odor coming out. cos you know, it’s just the mind-blowing nature of the nature! sometimes they do. past experiences, don’t ask.

seaweed rollerprinted copper necklace

after annealing (heating up and softening) the chopped up copper sheets, i placed the seaweed randomly around and played with composition and lines. i used clear tape to secure them onto the metal, so that they wouldn’t move while being rolled out.

seaweed rollerprinted copper necklace

and, it worked!! the fiber in the seaweed is definitely strong enough to hold itself together and make beautiful impression on my copper!!

seaweed rollerprinted copper necklace

pretty subtle right now to the bare eyes but after cleaning and applying my favorite patina- liver of sulphur, they will be a lot more visible.

rollerprinted patina copper necklace on copper chain

here’s one after coloring, with an 18″ copper snake chain.

rollerprinted patina copper pendants

notice how selectively buffing out certain areas creates a strong contrast.

secured by tape, rollerprinted brass with sandpaper

besides seaweed, i also used some good old coarse grit sandpaper and played with some brass.

secured by tape, rollerprinted brass with sandpaper

although sandpapers are much less wavy and lumpy, clear tape is still a great tool for precise placement.

rollerprinted brass with sandpaper

nice and deep texture resembling real rocks surfaces.

green patina and brass necklaces

and for these, i switched to green patina, cos gold and green is one of my favorite color combo.

beach inspired roller printed copper and brass necklaces

at the end i decided to put these SoCal inspired necklaces onto adjustable brown leather cords. unisex in looks AND lengths!

hope you too are enjoying the summer, as well as my behind-the-scene sneak peek!

if you’re interested in purchasing, simply let me know by commenting below. otherwise, they will be going to Co-op 28 Handmade, Vintage & Home pretty soon!

 

 

PCC flea market treasure hunt! great find!

08 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by Chloe in Artists Salute, Inspiration, Storytelling

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

brass locks, doors, educational toys, grandchild, grandparents love, handmade, hinges, learning aid, locks, love, lucky, open door, raw material, spoiled, story, teaching tool, tool box, toy, wooden box

Wooden Box handmade for grandchild

you know how sometimes the best only happens on detours? i was at the PCC flea market yesterday specifically for a tool & art supplies booth, where i restock my jewelry polishing tools and other goodies. before i found that booth, my eyes, and almost immediately after, my legs, were magnetized to this weird wooden tool box looking item. the booth owner told me that it’s supposed to be a teaching tool for kids. i suppose if it’s for toddlers, they get to learn how to open and close doors, and for kids a little bit older, they can also learn about the specific kinds of locks? either way i was having so much fun playing with it myself as a big kid, and i gave him 10 bucks without bothering to bargain (which my friend called me stupid for ……-_-) because i was simply having a hard time parting with it already.

after the happy transaction i moved on the the next booth, where the lady pointed out immediately,
“oh! that was my box, i sold to a man for a couple of bucks yesterday.”
i told her how strange and wonderful this toy/ teaching media is and how fascinating i found it to be. she said it was made for her grandchild which she never got a chance to give to.
awkward.
as much as i love stories, i usually only listen to what a person is willing to tell. this was obviously something she did not mean to share. luckily the awkwardness was abruptly ended by another customer’s question.
i smiled and made my way out but could not help to wonder how exactly the story goes behind this one of a kind wooden box. now i may never find out, but i see the beauty in it— the beauty of a handmade piece of art once loaded with joy, thoughts and love. something might have gone wrong somewhere afterwards, but the heart and soul of the maker has successfully transferred onto the piece, and because of that, the raw material has come alive.

Wooden Box handmade for grandchild

Wooden Box handmade for grandchild

Wooden Box handmade for grandchild

The Most Febulous Month of All

11 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by Chloe in Announcement, Inspiration, Photo Sharing, Storytelling, The Making of

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

30, awesomeness, birthday, cake, candles, dirty thirty, discount, drinks, february, food, happy valentine's day, karaoke, party, served, surprise, valentine

balloons

many of you might have already known, that i strive to have my jewelry served as that little reminder of how beautiful each and every one of us is. and to make something that could work the specific magic, the maker— me, have to have the right energy. i’m fortunate to have a more-than-my-math-skill-can-handle amount of incredible friends and family members, who wholeheartedly love and support me in every possible way. among them all, i’m extremely thankful to have met my wonderful and perhaps a little crazy best boyfriend ever— Mr Randy Kono had planned for over a month, to give me this big surprise 30th birthday party this Saturday night. my birthday was actually yesterday, which added to the surprise element.

the story goes like this, one of my besties Charlene treated me to a massage up in a very nice spa in Glendale. and for all i knew, i was supposed to head back home and meet up with Randy, and go to some music event that evening. so after getting to a maximum state of chillaxation, Charlene and i stopped by some thrift store and shopped a little and hopped back into the car. well, and now i understand why Charlene was so sure that we had time for that. that should have been suspicious. but i must have been too relaxed everything seemed slow and blurry.

after shopping, as usual, i got hungry. so i made a call and checked with Randy to make sure if we had enough time to grab a bite before heading to the “show”. hint #2 that i should have noticed but somehow did not, was that when i asked him if he wanted to just come and meet us at the restaurant, he insisted that we should just meet at home and carpool. not like the usual whatever’s-cool, easygoing him.

so when i stepped into the door thinking that i gotta fix my smashed-up eyelashes and find a pic-ready sexy outfit and change in the speed of light, i heard a comically loud “SURPRISE!!!!!!!!” and found about 30 some pairs of smiling eyes staring at me.

“oooohhhh……i guess THIS is the ‘show’……” i mumbled, since the giant smile i had kinda got in the way i could barely speak well. the whole place was filled with my loved ones, food and drinks, 30 rock decorations, and haha embarrassingly, blow-up photos of me.

and the rest is history…

thank you once again for all who’ve been part of injecting the cloud 9 potion into my blood. with this kinda vibe inside of me, i’m charged, thrilled, pumped and off the ground. i promise that my art will work its magic. my head in peace, my hands at ease, i’m gonna continue to cast a love spell onto each piece i make. well, with the occasional darker pieces of course, cos without darkness, light just don’t see as bright.

now here are some highlights of the night. and did i mention that the cake was the size of my freaking pillow?

YOU'VE GOT SERVED!!!!

SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!

YOU'VE GOT SERVED!!!

YOU’VE GOT SERVED!!!

applause for 30 rock!!!

applause for 30 rock!!!

this guy

this guy

let the hug line begin!!!

let the hug line begin!!!

still in the 'holy shit' shock status

still in the ‘holy shit’ shock status

randy's partners in crime

randy’s partners in crime

whose awesomeness was rewarded by yummies

whose awesomeness was rewarded by yummies

napoleon pillow

napoleon pillow

it was mylifemylogic's one-year-old birthday too!!

it was mylifemylogic’s one-year-old birthday too!!

karaoke machine.....my face says NOOOO YOU DIDN'T

karaoke machine…..my face says NOOOO YOU DIDN’T

Jen made me a beautiful guest book with MYLIFEMYLOGIC imprinting!!

Jen made me a beautiful guest book with MYLIFEMYLOGIC imprinting on!!

aunties sponsored me to stay sassy

aunties sponsored me to stay sassy

i love happy people

i love happy people

and hugsssss

and hugging them!

your presence made the best presents

your presence made the best presents

my cheeks started to hurt at this point from smiling!! :)

my cheeks started to hurt at this point from smiling!! 🙂

but ya i'm gonna specifically ignore this advice

but ya i’m gonna specifically ignore this advice

singing our hearts out

singing our hearts out

brothers

brothers

well played honey, well played

well played honey, well played

round 1, fight!

round 1, fight!

the G-BOMB

the G-BOMB

melting my heart down

melting my heart down

mysterious smiles

mysterious smiles

more smiley faces lightening my night

more smiley faces lightening my night

thanks all, for making my 30 rock!!!!

thanks all, for making my 30 rock!!!!

p.s. just cos February should really be named FABruary, here’s a little treat for everyone. 20% off discount. for the entire month of FABruary!!
http://mylifemylogic.bigcartel.com/product/be-my-valentine

thank you for reading, and happy Chinese new year!! KUNG HEI FAT CHOI!!!

dressing up for the occasion!

09 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by Chloe in Finished Products, Inspiration, Storytelling, The Making of

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

agate, anniversary, copper, gift, tie

a year ago i said yes to a decision i cannot be more happy that i’ve made. i opened my heart and allowed myself to trustfall into a pool of love and support, and it has been a bless and a bliss. although i always believe that nobody needs no special occasion to show some love, it is after all nice to remind or be reminded of how grateful you are of what you have. therefore, i decided to dress up my one and only lifesize ken doll- with a handmade copper tie!

first i started with punching a little note, on what’s gonna be the back of the ‘knot’ of the tie— “HAPPY FIRST 365 DAYS”

then i flipped it over, and hammer-textured around the edge

cos of the shape and color, this gorgeous piece of agate i’ve had for the longest time finally got her chance to dance on the stage!! she’d be bezel-set in fine silver as the focal point.

a piece of thicker copper was selected for the bottom part of the tie. i particularly liked the feel it gave on the hand. cut, drilled and filed, the tie was almost ready to go.

then just like the top piece, every single piece was decorated with the same hammer-texturing techniques.

patina was then applied to add a rich and warm color tone with a touch of softness. the edges were buffed off lightly to create contrast.

close up

 

 

 

 

 

 

close up

half jump rings were soldered on for chain

finally, more jump rings were used to connect the pieces together, also to create movement on the body and a negative space for the eyes.

mission success! my man was practically flying with his gift.

smile if you think this is sweet.
thank you for reading my post!

Recent Posts

  • Handmade Men’s Jewelry Launching Party at Co-op 28 Handmade, Vintage & Home
  • Chinese Valentine’s Day- The Forbidden Love Story
  • Nathan Sawaya’s Art of Bricks Opens Your Kid at Heart
  • Socal Beaches Sun and Sand Inspired Necklaces
  • Locations Updates :)

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