of flower arrangements & asymmetrical-balance

there is a stretch of wilderness that we drive past every time

and among the wild patch of ferns and other fauna

i will always spot this cluster of wild branch-y plant with small pink flowers

i don't have a photo of it, will remember to take a photo next time k drives past it again

and i've always this wistful thought: if i did my own arrangement

i must get my hands on these flowers

and also of collected fallen branches that i see in a little patch of woods on the way home

i once thought of doing it for my wedding. 

but there were too many things to handle then so it was left as a thought

i find most of the flower arrangement in sg rather contrived & banal

other than the flambouyant arrangements at the various ps cafes, 

which are alluring by their sheer size and volume

and those in their washrooms that are quite in-your-face 

leaving u no choice but to engage with the flowers

because you have to in order to reach the tap

i've often wondered why there aren't any arrangements of plants & flowers we see by the roads

such as the bougainvillea and the wild flowers i spotted

well perhaps in their original state, being such a common sight in sg,

many tend to overlook the beauty of in them 

but with some pruning and composition, they can be quite handsome:

left: source:: John-Richard Collection Bougainvillea Bouquet USD425, source:: houzz

right:: thorny woody vines of beauty, source:: passport to design  

i recently came aross, via martha stewart living magazine,

this little-flower school

and i like their approach to flower arrangement, 

which speaks to what i've been trying to express:: 

"both designers are on a mission to break flower arrangers away

from the tight, symmetrical dome-shaped bouquets...

flowers should show their natural gestures - 

and maybe even appear a little messy."

left:: sketch from paul klee's pedagogical sketchbook

right:: paul klee's painting:: red bridge

asymmetry - something that i've tended to veer towards

be it to architecture, flower arrangements, 

or the clothes and accessories that i put on

i once also read about asymmetrical-balance* 

which is something Paul Klee was trying to achieve and express in his paintings

i really should manifest all these thoughts into actual works

- something less arduous than architecture

but, what's stopping me? 

- will hold that thought for another post

*Asymmetrical Balance is achieved with dissimilar objects that have equal visual weight or spatial force (equal eye attraction). Symmetry can appear artificial, as our visual experience in life are rarely symmetrically arranged. Asymmetry appears casual and less planned, although obviously this characteristic is misleading. It is actually more intricate and complicated to use asymmetrical than symmetrical balance. Instead of merely repeating the mirror image of elements on other side of the central axis, attempting to balance dissimilar items involves more complex considerations and more subtle factors. 

source: http://des1012.blogspot.com/2008/06/design-elements-principles-summary.html

a jacket for the packet

if there's one thing that irks me
it would be a scrunched up packet of tissue
u know those tissue packets that have only a few sheets left
and can't hold their shape
and if u place them in your bag they get into a scrunched up mess
and sometimes quite icky to use
for the longest time i've been looking for
these type of jackets for tissue packets
and since i've not been successful in finding a nice one
i hardly carry tissue paper with me

w a bb, its really quite impossible not to
bring along tissue paper when we're out
so i was really in dire need of these jackets
shoutmate recently gave me quite a lot of fabrics from her destash
& i was able to sew some jackets for tissue packets finally!
made 5 in a go!
one for the diaper bag, boobs-pump bag, my handbag -
the ones for the diaper and pump bag can hold two packets
whilst a slimmer version holding one packet was for the handbag
also made two slim versions for two special frens =)

have been heavily dependent on the husband on tissue when we're out
and the ones he fish from his pockets
are usually like giam chye (salted veg)
thinking if i should make him one too...
can't do one in these fabrics for him
perhaps i should invest in some "stately" fabric soon!

minkie blankie

story ::
when one has a kiddo
one starts to observe things that one has never noticed
like: how to balance a pram up and down the escalator -
if u do see someone doing that, it's either:
1. there is no bb in the pram
2. they are inexperienced first time parents (like us!)
because experienced parents will tell u - take the lift!
its dangerous to do a balancing act w the pram & a bb in it

wells, in my whatspp group chat that i have on bbtalk
the most savvy and well-referenced mommy has got to b W
need to know where to buy the best-value bb toiletries? - ask W
where to get a nice personalised bb gift? - ask W
and she's the one who introduced us to the minky blanket
it's made of a material that feels like mink -
extremely smooth and plushie
and you can order one from here - a stroller size blankie (26" x 34") will set you back by $43 dollars
another mommy libee who's been busy as a bee
sewing projects for her new bb ethan and other bb,
with her resourcefulness found a source to buy this minky fabric
through her, i got myself a piece of minky to sew a blanket for Sean!
i made two small blankies with it - one for home, and one for gai-gai (outings)

here he is, snuggled in his pram under the minky
enjoying his milk & looking really comfy
(that's his dad's method of feeding him - hands-free tsk! tsk!)

t-shirt buddies

story ::

in the two weeks that i stopped work prior to the edd of sean
i was packing the wardrobe and collected a handful of t-shirts
which were still in good condition but i no longer wanted to wear
and i thought: it would be sweet if sean had a personalised toy to hug,
made from my clothes
so i decided to try my hands on making one

after i made a big-headed sprite (pic top left) for sean
my other mommy friends and sister-in law wanted one for their kiddo too!
hence i made ::
| rabbit-long-ears wearing a miss-sixty stripey dress for sweet ash
| monkey-long-tail for ethan from a top which his mommy wore and later gave me a long time ago
| pouty-lipped spritekin for animated je who likes to pout her mouth
  & a birdie brooch to wear on her first birthday
| smiley panda for happy liam who's always so smiley and jolly


these t-shirt buddies are made from a combination of my t-shirts (washed of course!) and felt
and the templates from a book of the aranzi aronzo series
then i thought again, i could take requests from other mommies
if they wanted a t-shirt buddy for their bb,
and to make it more meaningful,
they could pass me one of their t-shirts!
but mmm... it would be quite a hassle, no?
ah wells, think i'll stop at these 5 buddies for the moment =)