friday the 13th

This is a long post due.

Turning 29 this year, i decided to get a tattoo as a birthday gift to myself.

I've always wanted one but never gave it a serious thought until i saw my cousin's cool tattoo and decided this is a now-or-never moment.

I started collecting ideas for the image a month before (a lot of tattoo-magazines reading and net surfing) and filtered the pictures based on the location i wanted, which was behind the neck.

A thing i wanted to avoid the most was tattoo-plagiarism (thanks to this eye-opening article). It's amazing how this is not an issue for some people at all. So, i stopped searching for ideas with the word "tattoo" on the google bar and instead went straight to "Line Drawing" on google images with any ideas for a tattoo that came to mind. 

I brought several images to my tattooist and we finally decided on an image of a heart-lock (based on Proverbs 4:23). Awi was also there to give his input as i am what you described as "plin plan parah". I usually give other people the privilege to make a decision for me rather than doing so myself (pathetic right?).

The two of them convinced me that the heart-lock combined with a little array of flowers around it would be much better than just a plain black-and-white heart-lock.

I was sold.

After 6 hours, here's what it looks like...

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

The pain was not that bad at all, just like what i had imagined really.

But the healing process, the scabs and the itchiness, were driving me crazy. 

It takes a LOT of willpower not to pick up any of the dried scab and/or scratch it when it feels itchy. Some mornings i woke up with the dried skin in shape of leaves on my pillow ("autumn" in my neck said awi). I guess this is the price you pay for beauty, right?

Finally, special thanks to Denny of INT Tattoo, my tattooist, who did a great job and kept me entertained for the whole 6 hours with his stories. He said "Welcome to the club" before we parted and i beamed with a smile. It was a happy birthday indeed.

a birthday trip

Awi (my husband) asked what i'd like as my birthday present this year.
I suggested a short trip to Yogyakarta after reading an article about it in Elle Decor Indonesia. So glad he agreed to it because it turned out to be one of the best trips we've ever done. 

To say Yogyakarta is an interesting place is an understatement. It surpassed my expectation in offering some of the most interesting sightings, yummiest foods and friendliest people.

To make this post slightly different than the usual, i'm gonna try to describe each place we visited in 140 characters max. (a la twitter of course). Okay, here we go:

Candi Borobudur
The most famous of all temples. Don't forget your sunblock and be prepare to sweat.

Prambanan Temple
I'm not ashamed to admit that we just circled around it in our air-conditioned car. It was just too hot. 

Ullen Sentalu

This place is truly remarkable. I was blown-away by the look, the atmosphere, the architecture and the history of the Javanese themselves. We had lunch at the restaurant Beukenhof and a visit to the shop before leaving the place.

Taman Sari Water Castle 

This one's also not to be missed. The remnants of this place shows just enough of how grand this place used to be. I cant help feeling like i was in an Indiana Jones movie being here.

Kraton Yogyakarta

The rooms where they display the photos remind me of a Buddhist funeral homes, due to the porcelain walls.

Malioboro

Long stretches of shops but the only place worth-mentioning here is Mirota Batik.

This is NOT your regular shop. It has everything from batik cloths, home decors, re-productions of antiques to souvenirs. Also a show of batik-making and a mini opera (starring the owner himself as a woman named Raminten!).

I saw a pair of "geta" (japanese wooden sandals) here for 39rb, whereas in Asakusa (Japan), they're selling for 200rb! Seriously if i had visited this place on my second day there, i would have saved myself from going to Triwindu market in Solo (where the so-called antiques are overpriced).

Tegel Kunci Factory

Totally drooling over them.

Kasongan

I only shop at "Natural Home Deco" shop in this area, but that was because i hadn't been to Mirota Batik.

Lir Shop

This is the gallery of Miy from the picnicgirl. My curiousity got the best of me and i just had to see the place. She was very friendly and gave me a copy of the first Magic Fingers Syndicate 's zine for free :) Looks like we'll meet each other again at Tobucil's Crafty Days this May!

Solo

I was disappointed to find out the famous nasi liwet Lawang Sewu only open at 11pm (how many people eat at midnight, seriously?!) so we only visited the Keraton, Triwindu market, Roemahku Hotel and Serabi Notosuman. Not that impressed.

Thanks to the suggestions of our guide/driver, Bambang, we also visited:

Bakpia Pathok 25 Factory  

it's next to the Tegel Kunci Factory and who can resist fresh-from-the-oven bakpia?

Gudeg Djuminten 

I like the fact that it's not overtly sweet. And i cant get enough of krecek (cow skin)!

Mbah Brewok / Spoleno Art Space 

its a gallery/cafe where they recycle timbers for dining tables, doors, etc - love it!

Progo Dept. Store  

Why buy secondhand enamel kitchen wares at Triwindu market when you can get the brand new ones for a third of the price?

Monggo Chocolate

You actually had to make an appointment first to see how they make the chocolates, we ended up just buying them to be eaten on the road bring as souvenirs.

to see more photos, click here

Now, i can't wait for another adventure! Thank you Yogya!

wallpaper flowers

I thought it would be fun (and challenging!) to do something different for the other vase that my cousin Widya has. 

Seeing the never-ending stacks of wallpaper scraps in my studio (yes, i keep all of them!) i finally got to realize the idea of making flowers from wallpaper. Funny how creativity flows, eh?

I made roses and buttercups based on these tutorials (credits due to them!), but tweaked it a little to make it easier for me.

The only difficulty i had with this project however was the arrangement. Long vases were trickier as the flowers need to balance the solid shape of the vase. 

I finally added a hydrangea pomander ball as a topper and some paper leaves on both sides to balance things out. The arrangement now consists of 7 roses, 4 buttercups, 2 leaves and 1 hydrangea ball *phew*.

I hope bet she likes it.



... just kidding!

hydrangea

Discovered this row of fresh-flowers-sellers at Kemang accidentally yesterday, i almost jumped out of my seat and shout in excitement at hubby's ear to pull over. Too bad i didn't get any pictures because it was raining, but will surely come back to get me some Forget-Me-Nots next time.

Back home, i put the hydrangeas in a thick glass vase with some sugar in the water (I read somewhere that helps fresh flowers stay longer). On display were two flower-theme cut-outs from Frankie magazine.

Wouldn't it be great to have new fresh flowers every week at home? Happy Monday everyone!

couch makeover

I've had samples of upholstery and curtains fabrics piling up on my room for months and it only struck me recently that i could use them to give a much-needed makeover to my couch! 

Finally i gave my couch that flea-market chic touch i always adore...

Using four different fabrics for each stool allowing me to get a different look every time i turn them around. I'm quite pleased with the way they look.