Adia

On one late night, I was deep asleep in my bed, warm and comfortable. Suddenly, I woke up to the sounds of my dog, Shiver, banging on the door. Oh no! It's going to rain heavily soon and I won't be able to have a good night sleep because Shiver will continue barking until the rain stops!

Right after the groans of the thunder & the sharp, crisp cracks of the lightning, heavy rain started pouring down. I realize then that my Sarah McLachlan playlist was still playing on my Ipod (I need music to lull me to sleep every night). The soothing vocals of Sarah McLachlan is a comfort compared to the violent thunder & rain out there. My thoughts goes to Shiver, Miko & Leo (who was still with us then) who have to brave the rain in the verandah. I, on the other hand, is warm & comfortable in my bed.

Suddenly, I have an idea for a doll. I pictured her almost instantly, sitting on an open field, enjoying nature & just being in her own world. And I named her Adia, after one of my favourite Sarah McLachlan song.

Work in progress..I used a more advance pattern for this doll.

Work in progress… close up of the face

Work in progress… back view

Finished doll… sitting on the grass, enjoying nature

Just like I imagined… minus the daffodils

Closed up shot of Adia

Viva Espana!

After a month long of football frenzy, the world cup is finally over. As the whole world knows, Spain is the champion! A huge congratulations to them! Finally, they shine in international football.

I have been a fan of football since my college days. My first taste of World Cup was in 1998. During then, I would wake up to every match which feature England, Spain, Italy, Holland & Brazil. Also not forgetting the Euro 1996 where me & my brother stayed up to watch the finals while finishing up with our Costume History project. We then headed straight to our exams with very little sleep. Those were the days!

I have to admit that I didn't watch many matches in this World Cup. One of the main reason is because I need my sleep to prepare me for another hectic day. I wish I could be like what I used to be. Wake up, watch a match and the off to work (work had less responsibilities then). Now, I have much more to shoulder during work and a team to lead. Things are definitely different now.

I didn't have a specific favourite team in this World Cup, although, I do secretly wished to see England win. *smile* I also didn't manage to catch most of Spain's matches. But having heard how good Spain was from sports commentators from the radio, I make a point to watch them in the semi finals. And boy! they were good! And they have me as their supporter in the finals then and there! I, also, still remember the goalkeeper Iker Casillas from the previous tournaments.

They have been regarded as an under achiever in the international arena. I've also heard comments that they have no 'luck'. But they won Euro 2008 & the World Cup this year. This goes to show that sometimes, one's destiny is not fix. It can be changed if one have faith & work diligently towards the goal. This is my personal opinion. What do you think of it?

Our lives are not predetermined and cannot be completely comprehended. But our lives can be determined by our own commitments - Jing Si Aphorsim

Phoebe

This is Phoebe. She is the first doll that I've made in a couple of years. When I first started my now-not-so-new job, my work commitments did not allow me to continue with my doll making adventure. Work during then have been very challenging and exciting. I welcomed it with open arms because I am always hoping to push myself up a notch creatively.

Anyways, back to Phoebe. She is my first attempt at a realistic fashion doll. I wanted to Phoebe to be fashionably streetwise and daring with colours. Somehow, while I am making this doll, I keep thinking of Vivienne Westwood, one of my favourite designer during college days.

So this is what sums Phoebe up:

Character : Psychedelic, Party girl

Loves : Colours, Pop Culture, 80's Brit pop

Philosophy in life : Express oneself, live in the moment

Work in progress.. waiting to be dressed

Work in progress... close up

A wonderful book in which I used the patterns for Phoebe

Close up of Phoebe with her pet Owl

Sitting pretty on my dresser

10 mins left

Spain is winning the game against Germany. They just netted a header into the German goal post. I can only imagine the apprehension and restlessness of the fans of both countries. Both countries have played well in this World Cup, especially Germany. It's sad to see them lose but hey, this is football. It's cruel! Sometimes, the better team in the match may not win either. Luck plays a bit of a role in football. But having said this, Spain played very well and they deserve to win too.

With just 10 mins left, anything can happen. Germany might score at the very last minute. Who knows? I guess, this is why people love football so much.

I have the privilege to watch a few early matches in China for this World Cup. It's interesting to experience the game in other country. In Guangzhou, people do not watch the games in mamak stalls. The locals will gather their friends and watch the game over supper or in a large karaoke room. Here in the karaoke room, they can scream, shout and do their victory gestures all they want and no one will bother.

Watching England match in a karaoke room

In our hotel, they set up a World Cup booth right in the middle of the lobby. The lobby and cafe is adorned with all the nations' flags. Even the waiter, waitresses & bellboys change from the usual uniform to a football jersey. The World Cup fever is definitely in the air!

I watched a few games with my Chinese suppliers during the trip. It's fun but the only setback is that they speak and pronounce the name of the players & the countries in Cantonese! Although I speak cantonese, I don't understand them at all! hahaha.... but that didn't deter us from enjoying the games. We talked about the games in the morning, during lunch and dinner. Everywhere I go, people are just as passionate about the game.

I guess, that's what makes football beautiful. It unite the world. At least, once every four years.

Spain are through to the finals as I finish this post. Congratulations to them! Now, it's time to catch an hour or more of sleep before I have to wake up to a new working day!

Dolls, dolls & dolls

I've been making dolls since 2005. Judging by the name of my blog, I am sure many people think that I create bunny plushies! But no, I create One of a kind dolls (OOAK) fashion dolls.

I am a fashion designer by profession.I love to create characters, concept & stylings. Creating fashion dolls gives me an opportunity to create something different than what I normally do. To unleash creative ideas that are tucked neatly in the scrapbook that usually don't get to see the daylight.

Here's the first doll that I make. It comes in a box with materials and instruction. I added some beading to it and voila! my first doll was created!

This is the second doll that I make. Her name is 'Autumn Gathering Witch'. Her patterns were taken from the magazine called Country Marketplace. I had a lot of fun making this doll. This doll is still sitting proudly on my bedside table, guarding my books.

The next few mini dolls are hand painted.

My 10" doll called Hannah. This doll was custom made for a little girl's birthday.

This is another doll where I got the pattern from Country Marketplace. It's a housewarming present for a dear friend.

My four rabbits

Hello everyone! This is my first posting on this blog and I am at lost of what to write! It's ironic because before I created this blog, I've got so much ideas and thoughts that I want to share!

I guess, let me start by introducing this blog. This is my doll making journal and sometimes, tales from my travels and my thoughts on ideas that inspire me. I've been wanting to start this blog for ages and now finally, here I am!

The name of this blog, MyFourRabbits is a tribute to well, my four rabbits. From my school days till now, I've had six pet rabbits all together. As of the past six years, my memories of the four rabbits named Shiro, Miko, Dao Dao & Leo have been warm and sweet. They each have different traits and personalities. They also get along well with my dog, Shiver. My other dog, Elmo, well, he stays indoor, so, he hardly have many chances of making friends with them.

Sadly, Shiro, Dao Dao & Leo have already left us. Miko is the only one around left and luckily for her, she won't feel lonely because she still have Shiver to keep her amused.

I've lost count on the number of ideas that was inspired by them. And I also couldn't put into words how and why they inspired me so much. Anyways, here they are, my four rabbits:

This is Shiro. She was a very confident and inquisitive rabbit. She would be the first one to explore new territories and is also very friendly with humans. In fact, on the day I adopted her, she was the first to come up and looked at me, as if telling me that she wants to go home with me. The shopkeeper made a mistake and told me that she was a male. Well, she is not but she certainly act like one. Doesn't she remind you of a certain rabbit character?

Miko is adopted together with Shiro. The shopkeeper said I need a 'female' rabbit for Shiro and I chose her. So, I ended up with two females instead. Miko is really pretty and loves to pose for camera. She is currently the queen of the house. She gets to eat whatever she wants, even from my dog, Shiver! And when she doesn't get it, she will rattle the bowl and demand for it!

This is Leo, the 'Aussie' of the bunch. He was the largest rabbit with the darkest & shiniest fur. He was a shy and quiet rabbit but with a temper. When we let all the rabbits roam free in the house compound, he would be the last to explore it. However, as time goes by, he became confident to play with his mates. Also slowly, we gained his trust and was more friendly towards us.

Finally, This is Dao Dao. He was the last rabbit I adopted. He was the most obedient and friendliest towards human of the bunch. He doesn't come up with much mischief except to gnaw at the wall. He was the baby and therefore, often being bullied by the rest of the gang. He even lost his tail because of that.