Easy Print DIY Gift Wrap

Since I can remember I always love wrapping a gift. From choosing the paper gift wrap to tying the ribbon - I love the whole process of gift wrapping.

Today I am going to show you on how to create your own gift wrap.

It is started out with the paper and I am sure you have these papers from when you shop at a department store to wrap a fragile item.  I always keep them when unwrapped my purchased item as I need it to wrap stuff that I am selling on ebay or etsy.

I then draw a print using sharpie or gouache on them. Just use your imagination and start doodling around. Or you can find an idea about what to draw (here) on my Pinterest print collection.

I did these prints using black and gold sharpie.

And I did this using gouache paint. Gouache is a water base paint and it is more opaque than water color.

I got the ribbons from Michael art store at a Dollar bin. I can't get enough of these ribbons. They are perfect for experimenting with gift wrap idea as they are inexpensive. I then inserted a dried rose, or any dried flowers and silk flowers.
More of my DIY gift wrap idea are here and here.

I hope you like my DIY gift wrap print.

And thank you so much for stopping by!

Would you help me please?

Hello,

As you noticed that I changed a little the outlook of my blog. As planned and as 2015 begins I as a blogger has evolved and so does the blog has evolved as well. As I mentioned a few times in the past; I discovered that I love photography so much. So this blog is going to highlight the story subject and pictures around photography. But I am going to post my other hobbies as well like, cooking, craft, diy, and home decor like in the past.

When I started to photograph  clients about a year a go; I created a FB page dedicated for the photography business. So because of that I have two FB pages that covers curiositaellya blog.

I know this is going to be too much to ask but I need to combine the two FB page as one curiositaellya FB page. Since this blog  has becoming somewhat photography blog and I already have about 400 plus followers on that FB page; I am asking you to please to join that FB page if you can and if it is not too much to ask. I will not delete the current FB page right a way but sometime in the future I might and will replace it with the new FB page. I realize this process will take a long time but don't worry  you are my loyal followers will and can follow what I am posting in the blog.

If you agree to do so, please follow me by clicking the new FB page link (here) and you like you can check my photography website (here). And I thank you so much for that.

My plan as 2015 begins is to blog what I love most and from my heart. I know I need to improve my English writing as I can not quite express what I wanted to say but I am trying my best to do so.

From the bottom of my heart I thank you so much for your time and helping me in doing so. I am ever so grateful and appreciated to have you as my follower. This year I wanted to create a lot of free down loads but I do not know how to do that. I will put this on my first priority and will be up as soon as possible. As I am still searching and learning about how to do so. If you happened to know could you please tell me how? Thank you so much!   I know my painting skill will somewhat useful to you and this year I will do a lot of painting. And as my photography skill has improved and with the new lenses I upgraded I am confidence to take a decent pictures of my art for free down loads and for you.  I wanted my blog to be little different than the one before in the past although it is still quite the same. I wanted to be fun for you as followers and for me as a blogger.

Thank you so much my Friends?

New Year's Resolutions

First of all let me wish you 'a happy prosperous New Year 2015'. This is going to be my first post in the new year of 2015 and I wanted to start by writing about my new year's resolutions.

I usually do not do this and if I did like last year; I never carry out the tasks but this year I am seriously wanted to do this in the course of the year 2015.  I think it is best to write it down this list somewhere that is visually so I always remember what it is that I need to accomplish.  I think  I know where I am going to write down this list; big and bold. I will reveal it on my next post as it is going to be another project for me.

I know this list is lengthy but I need to put them down one by one.

So I divided the list in 3 categories.

//SELF IMPROVEMENT//

1. Eat healthy food.

I am not a heavy set person but I need to eat super healthy food this year. It improve my health tremendously  as I had a serious health issues in the past.

2. Exercise more.

Exercise is very important to me. The thing is I am not a person who like to do an exercise at the gym. I found I rather do it at home than spending  too much time at the gym that I need to do task around the house so a routine home exercise is more suitable for me.

3. Listen to music more.

Believe it or not, I have not listened to music at home for a year now. I do listen to music or radio while driving. So I need to do this often as it does calm my mind.

4. Go to bed early so wake up early.

I am not a morning person I must admit. And I truly realized that when I wake up late my day is very short. So I need to wake up much early in order for me to finish the tasks or project earlier during the day.

5. Strengthen relationship with family member.

I have so many cousins that I need to reach out more often and this year I am planning to do so.

6. Submitting my US Naturalization paper.

Applying visa to go a broad especially Europe is a nightmare! I can't go to Europe in an instant for the week end because the process of visa is complicated and takes a long time. I need to do this badly.
7. Don't sweat the small stuff
Well, I am a very outgoing person but I must admit that I am very impatient. As we get older we realize that emotion, stress, anger, etc. not matter what are there within us. This year in order to be a better person I am trying to control those emotional issues. Admitting your fault and guilt is the best way to combat emotional issues so when you acknowledged what it is the mistake you have done, then there is always a room to grow with in you to be a better person.

//ACTIVITY//

8. Take a knitting class

I was going to do this last summer but I did not so definitely need to do this this year.

9. Improve photography skill

It is always good to learn more photography skills either online or join a photography club

10. Improve blog content

I really do need to do this. My blog overall look need to be changed. I am planning to change to wordpress sometime this year.

11. Paint more art.

Definitely will do this a lot this year.

12. Improve photography marketing.

Photography marketing is the most difficult task for me. I am a shy person but I need to go out my comfort zone to do this.

13. Finish the small project around the house.

Yes. I have a few big project I need to tackle this year. They are a few DIY projects.

14. Spend more time outdoor

This summer I need to go out to the beach or a park more.

//SOCIAL//

15. Volunteer help other

I wanted to do this last year but never get to do it. Like baking a cake or cookies and give it to a hospice or go to a children hospital to read and teach them to draw art. 

16. Spend less time on my personal Facebook

I finally realize that I spent too much time on this and there is no use for it. This year I will be absent except for family in Indonesia and close friends around the world.

17. Make more friends by joining a group, i.e. photography club, watercolor club, knitting club.

I need to have a connection with people who has the same frame of mind and hobby.

~~~~o0o~~~~

So those are the tasks on the list I am planning to do this year.

What is your New Year resolutions?
And thank you so much for reading.

Studio//Working Space (Part II) - Revealed

I know it took  me a long time to finish this room.  I do not know why but moving into a new home and start everything from zero is very hard. The problem is do I need to post pictures when it has not finished? And show pictures while it is on progress? I just can't decide. It is the same feeling with the other rooms in this new house. I wanted to blog about everything but at the same time I am not ready yet. Does anyone feel the same way? What is the solution about blogging when you move into a new home and you wanted to post about some of the new rooms? If you know the basic rules about this, I would like to know so that it would be easy for me to blog about my home decor. And I thank you for this. I have posted my working space before (here).

Anyways, I am so happy that my working space/studio has finished. Well, it need a few little things but I basically it complete and done.

//THE ROOM//

What I really need in this room is some lighting. I am going to get a desk light and a standing reading light sometime in the future.

I am going to spend more time in this room, sewing, gluing, cutting, painting, reading, day dreaming, looking for an inspiration or be inspired. This room is for me. And it is a perfect timing that start in 2015 !

//THE SITTING AREA//

I think what I love about this room the most is the sitting area. I love the multifunction foot rest/coffee table and a storage. Basically it is a box with cushion on the top that I can open to put stuff in. It came in handy and perfect for what I wanted because to sit on that lounge chair you need a foot rest.  I am thinking to change the cover on the box but I have not decide what color I wanted just yet. It will be another project sometime in 2015 {what!! in a few hours really....!!}

The art works are temporarily. They will be changed to something else entirely as I am painting it right now.

Those boards on the floor are my inspiration boards from when I was in school at Fashion Institute Technology New York (F.I.T)

//THE ART WORKS//

The artwork on the left is a mood board from when I was in school. I thought it is pretty to hang on the wall. And the typography art on the right was painted by myself. I am into typography art right now that you will see them more in the future.

These art works were done a long time a go. These are made from various medium, collage, etching, water color, acrylics and from school grouped together on top of the IKEA shelves where I can store my craft and tools.

Again, I am into typography art. Here is showing the pink 'ampersand' and the 'love' art all hand painted by me. And oh....I adore the blue jewelry box so much! It was only USD 14.99 at Marshall, when saw it about a week a go I knew it must come home with me. And so it did !

One of my passion is creating and collecting beautiful images that inspire me. Here I found the frame from a thrift stores then insert and putting a foam board covered with muslin fabric as a pin board to pin my beautiful images found from anywhere. I love these inspiration board very much.

You see, they can be an art on the wall as well and yet I can change the images around by pinning it with something else if I wanted to.

These colored and water color pencils are so adorable. They are put in  colorful cups that found through Home Goods, Ebay, anywhere, really!!

Aren't they pretty?

I am so happy that at least one room has done and I am showing the world.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Christmas Day Lunch

Our Christmas Day lunch was quiet and simple.

It was only my husband; Steven, his mother;  Joan and myself. I felt like having my own turkey meal this year. I never cooked a turkey meal for Steven's family before as we always invited to his mother's side of the family; the Italian that is and for the past 9 or 10 years

I love cooking for a small number of family and friends as I do not like to work a lot in the kitchen. I can handle up to 8 people and it is a perfect number for my dining table. So decorating the table is also easy and fun for those number of people.

This turkey is very easy and simple. I brined the turkey a night before so the turkey is moist and delicious.

Since it was only the three of us, and to balance the table setting I put a set of plate and silverware for Santa.  And this is a perfect timing to create a water color name tag for the table placement and setting. I  wanted to do this since I saw a similar name tag on Pinterest (here) and this christmas lunch with Steven's mother is the perfect time to do it. As usual I like to incorporate my creativity into any occasion that I am hosting. It might look a little elaborate just only for her but one must remember that I am a photographer and a blogger; everything I created must be worthy  to photograph and to post on my blog. Plus I love putting extra times on my busy schedule to create something pretty. I do not mind that at all as I am happy doing it and seeing the pretty table setting in the end. And I hope I can impress my mother in law by doing this whole table setting and meal for her.

Menu

Ellya's Bread and Apple Stuffing

Candid Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Crunchy Fried Potatos

Caramelized Carrot and Onion

Corn Bread Stuffing Lemon Turkey

Turkey Gravy and Jellied Cranberry Sauce

Banana Cream Pie

I do hope you had a wonderful Christmas celebration with family and friends. And thank you so much for stopping by !

Collage Journal December '14

I am back creating collage art/journaling again.  I found that this is something I really love doing. It is relaxing, soothing and so much fun when try to create a theme page by page. There is no rules here as long as you either staying with the same color or the same theme. I found my scrap pieces from all over and anything like; candy wrapper, magazine pages, hotel keys, anything at all that inspire and interesting to you. You can find a tutorial of one of my collage art/journaling - here.

I am planning to do it more often in the future, because I thought it will be nice to give to my grandchild when all the pages are finished and as a collage/journaling book. I wanted my grandchildren to know about their grandmother a little more.

Well, it is getting closer to Christmas. Are you done with your Christmas shopping and decoration? That you are ready for the most enchanted family gathering and Christmas celebration?

Thank you so much for stopping by!