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Happy Anniversary!

1 Sep

Yesterday was our wedding anniversary. Like age, I think an anniversary is just a number but we still do something special to mark the occasion.

A nice dinner is of course a must. It used to be an exchange of gifts to commemorate the milestone. Or a trip abroad. When we reached our 15th anniversary, we inadvertently got the milestone wrong, and went off to Italy for a wonderful holiday.

The next year when we realized it was really the 15th anniversary and not the year before, we had a good laugh and marked the milestone with another awesome trip, this time to Sydney.

This year as we mark 22 years together, I thought a little something different would be nice besides the nice dinner.

Yesterday morning, I carved two cute looking matching owls for hubby and myself. This is to mark our similarities, differences and togetherness. I think it’s an apt representation.

Happy anniversary, my dear hubby!

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A Brand New Citizen

31 Aug

So I finally did it! It took me several days to brainstorm before the execution. There were some tweaks but certain elements remain the same.

Nonetheless, I would consider this a totally new Citizen of Gigglesville. It would look good in the official five colors. And yellow shoes, it’s gotta have yellow shoes.

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Not All are Equal

29 Aug

Like us humans, the Citizens of Gigglesville are not created equal. They come in all different shapes and colors. But size-wise, they are about the same, given the one inch balsa I use; only their height differs.

There are several ‘types’ of citizens, all sculpted with love. Every time when one is completed, I break into a giggle and my heart is filled with joy and love.
How can one not giggle and love them by just looking at their innocent giggly expressions?

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Why Not?

28 Aug

Not too long ago, a friend posted an adorable picture on Facebook which showed a cute little door at the foot of a tree for the neighborhood squirrels. She befittingly named them Mr and Mrs Squirrel, the squirrels that is, not the neighbor. Who made the door, she wasn’t sure but I thought it was adorable and got me thinking.

We already have a bird house for the visiting birds but no ‘home’ set up for the visiting squirrels. And since we have a frangipani tree in our garden, why not—just for fun—make a door just like that posting so that Sammy and Lefty (that’s the name I call our visiting squirrels) can feel more at home.

Maybe I should divert to this if I am still stuck for inspiration for a new Gigglesville’s citizen?

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Dry Spell

25 Aug

Things have been slow lately. So much so, I feel so sluggish. The weather, being so hot and humid is not helping either.

I am going through a dry spell as far as Gigglesville is concerned. There were two four-day stretches that I didn’t carve anything!

I suddenly have this urge to create a new character but stuck for inspiration. Thank goodness, the side-tracked Octopus I did for M2 kept me busy but after that, nothing.

I need to recharge…

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Not a Fan

24 Aug

Somehow my M2 is not quite a fan of owls like my friends because when I asked her if she would like to have one citizen of Gigglesville of her own, she declined.

Instead she asked for something else. Maybe she appreciates my carving skills…

Initially, she requested for me to carve her a potato! I thought it was weird and I didn’t think a potato would be nice, so I asked again.

This time, she requested for an octopus. The challenge my child puts me through!

So I carved an octopus for her. Tried my best and this is the end result.

White gesso base

The end result!

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Why Not an Owl?

15 Aug

I have been asked why a dinosaur and not an owl for my second tattoo as I am so into owls, with all that carving that I do?

Well, it’s because I have been going on and on about the dinosaur era when I reminisce about life in my musings, it made sense to assert my dinosaur-ness with a permanent one. But a dinky one to salute life with a good chuckle.

The owls? They are different and seriously, too many to decide which one I like because I love all my Citizens of Gigglesville. And as I see and create them in 3D, somehow I cannot picture them in 2D.

I have yet to carve a dinosaur and my dinky dinosaur looks good as is, on paper in 2D, it’s apt and a good decision.

Would I consider a third tattoo? Hmm… will give it some serious thought when I get to that crossroad in future.

Carving-11

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My Dinky Dinosaur

14 Aug

Meet my dinky dinosaur!

On Saturday I went to Borneo Ink to get my dinosaur tattoo. The tattooist, Vadim, was a visiting artist from Russian and he used a different technique. He said it was a prison-style tattooing method, using just the needle and not a tattoo machine.

And all it took was a mere ten minutes. The setting up took longer – sterilising, wiping down and ensuring the space was clean.

When the pokes kicked in, it felt like ant bites and occasionally it felt more than a bite but bearable. I must admit I did break out in a cold sweat for a bit but the session was over quickly.

M2, who was with me, said she could hear the poking on the skin and it sounded painful. Well… part and parcel to bear if one wants a tattoo.

I am happy with the end result.

The end result!

The comparison

The original pencil doodle

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A Bargain, Part Two

10 Aug

The square blocks from Daiso are not as easy to carve compared to my usual balsa wood. They are not soft, being harder and more dense therefore, harder to carve. 

I started to carve Citizen #64 of Gigglesville but the progress is very slow. Even with sharpened tools, it’s slow. In the midst of it, I diverted to the new balsa wood for a couple of quick ones and Citizens #65 and #66 came about at a much faster pace.

Sometimes there are no shortcuts even at a bargain. I should stay focused. 
It took me several hours each time over a stretch of several days to complete Citizen #64. That’s too long compared to the balsa wood which I take only 40 minutes to an hour to carve a citizen up.

Maybe if the blocks are not suitable to carve citizens of Gigglesville, I should consider using them to create other elements to support the township. Something to think about.

Citizen #64, the giant

Citizens #65 & #66

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A Bargain

7 Aug

Thrift stores are the best. At a fixed flat price, you can find just about anything from these places. We have Daiso, the Japanese brand here and I must say, it’s one of our favorite haunts.

Every now and then whenever we go to the mall, we must visit a Daiso store. And surely, we will find something useful and at a bargain. Last week, I found some ready-cut wood blocks (8 pieces in a bag) on the shelves and thought the size was perfect for carving. At half the price of my usual balsa wood but three pieces less than what a foot of balsa would yield, it’s a bargain.

Slightly bigger at 1.2 inch by 1.2 inch compared to my usual one inch by one inch balsa, I think I can manage although the label did not mention what type of wood these blocks were. I even discovered a set of diamond files, perfect for filing those crevices!

With the new materials (incidentally, I bought two more pieces of balsa from the art store) and new tools, Gigglesville is set for another boom in the coming days! Whee…..

Carving-10

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