A BIG Thank You!

Yup.. I know that I've been away for more than a month (Le Gasp!) but I've noticed that my readers have been helping me 'donate' to Arts & Crafts funds.. through the widget I have on the right hand side of the blog when you scroll down a little bit. I would like to say a HUGGGGEEE thank you to those who took a spare minute in their life to perfrom several readings of sentences and clicks, I am very grateful for those and just.. thank you for helping! 
I mean.. I haven't been checking back this Blog for a little over a month and the amount of projects we've supported through the widget has increased by 150! To us, this may seem a small amount, but to certain parts of the world this opportunity for children and families less fortunate than us is just.. an unbelievable.


Thank You for clicking, reading and sparing a minute. 
Much Love, Anita xoxo 

Beautiful Views

Belated Lent Post

Lent - is a time of sacrifice for Jesus, it is the period of 40 days which comes before Easter in the Christian calender. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, Lent is a season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter.
By observing the 40 days of Lent, we as Christians (and some none Christians) replicate Christ's sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days. Lent is marked by fasting, both from food and festivities.
Whereas Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus after His death on the cross, Lent recalls the events leading up to and including the crucifixion by Rome.
Only a small number of people today fast for the whole of Lent, although some maintain the practice on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. It is more common these days for believers to surrender a particular vice such as favourite foods or smoking. Whatever the sacrifice it is a reflection of Jesus' deprivation in the wilderness and a test of self-discipline.




How come 40 Days?

• In the Genesis flood which destroyed the earth was brought about by 40 days and nights of rain.
• The Hebrews spent 40 years in the wilderness before reaching the Promised Land brought to them by God.
• Moses fasted for 40 days before receiving the ten commandments on Mount Sinai.
• Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness in preparation for His ministry.

Moses on Mount Sinai by Jean-Léon Gérôme

Image sourced from Google



What am I giving up for Lent?

I shall adapt to living a more healthy lifestyle than I currently 'follow'.. I'm going to give up on Chocolate, Chippy food (except for the once in a blue moon small portion of chips), Confectionary, Biscuits & Soft Drinks.

I cry that I sin is an anagram for Christianity.

BRaIn fART

I haven't been back for a while now, having a brain fart isn't good..

Today's topic/discussion will be Origami.

 Image sourced from Google

I.. to be honest have stopped making origami for a month now.. due to personal reasons and I'm an 'ECO warrior' lol. 

I grew up making origami.. it became a part of my life as long as I could remember... I've never been this long without folding paper into a work of art.. I remember the feeling of accomplishment I used to experience after a minute swan or crane was complete.

I also remember the urge and amazement when I saw a new origami model.. how I'd search for ages on Google, desperate to find instructions.

Sitting here typing, I recall the time when I had self taught myself how to fold the tiny stars, despite the failures I didn't give up.. only had in mind to continue folding until each and everyone of them was perfect. 

Thinking back, this was a waste of paper and time.. I could of learnt another skill such as polishing up my chess 'tacktics' or go out and prduce endorphins (exercise).

The deepest thought embedded in me is the period of time when I had the commitment to make a jar of stars and construct a 3D Swan

Anyhow.. this is all history now, I know I can't get back into making origami anymore... I can't.

Valentines Day...

Yup, I'm aware that Valentines Day is over.. but at least I'm here for a uber short post even though it's late~ 
I hope you had a good day with.. a significant other, boyfriend, girlfriend, family or even just friends in general
What did you do 2 days ago then? Tell me below ^_^
...What did I do then?
I sort-of went shopping, bought 3 dvds and 2 cds.


At HMV Breakfast at Tiffany's was on offer at a price of £2.99 with any purchase.. 

So, in order to 'validate' this, I bought 2 dvds - The Notebook and Confessions of a Shopaholic through the 2 for £10 offer.

As for the CDs, I took a trip to the local charity shop and managed to find a brand new copy of the West Side Story CD and a Catherine Jenkins CD (forgot name >_<)

I Recommend: Monet at Giverny

Image sourced from Amazon

Monet at Giverny by Caroline Holmes

Recently I've been into reading art based books on impressionists.. the best one I've flicked through is Monet at Giverny - give it a try if you haven't read it ;)

Monet's quotes are printed every 2 pages or so, very inspiring ^___^

''I am chasing a dream, I want the unattainable. Other artists paint a bridge, a house, a boat; and that's the end. They've finished. I want to paint the air which surrounds the bridge, the house, the boat; the beauty of the air in which these objects are located; and that is nothing short of impossible. If only I could satisfy myself with what is possible!''
This quote for some reason brings me to tears everytime I read it.. yes, you guys may complain/whine to me that it's not normal for a typical teenager to be thinking and saying of these deep things..

This book contains over 140 illustrations, including paintings, engravings and garden views.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Hi all! Happy Chinese New Year- or alternatively, 新年快樂 =P
Run Rabbit Run! The tiger year is out and bunny hop's in.
I here wish you all the best - new year, new start. I pray that you all will have a healthy life, those studying will do well in exams, you'll all earn lots of money -- the typical Chinese phrases to say~

Image sourced from Google

Facebook Like d(^_^)b

I'm proud to say that.. 
Zephaniah's Collection is now on Facebook!~
Theres still a few bits and bobs need jingling about on the page.. e.g. upload a photo & other random stuff
I'll also soon get round to having links to my Twitter and Youtube for this ^^ meanwhile, got a spare minute? Click on the SocialVibe widget on the right and help charities! Thank you~ x

Happy Origami Rose Edition: A Review

‘Do you still remember the paper plane and origami crane in our childhood, which brought us a lot of good memories? The simple origami gave us endless happiness in our childhood. In our daily life, origami can still be seen everywhere. Each origami shows our deep affection, including a self-folded gift-packing for friends, a personally folded rose for sweetheart etc. Origami is a game without restriction of time and place. Only a common sheet of paper is required, then we can display our imagination and creativity. Let’s re-experience the simple happiness again through a sheet of paper.
Happy Origami Rose Edition will introduce the skills to fold a rose. Through video, it will show all the procedures briefly. You can follow our video and try yourself; you will work out a beautiful production. Using it as a daily decoration or a gift, it will shoe your kind-wished life attitude and your sincerity.’

Price: Free

File Size: 88.7 MB

In this edition of Happy Origami, it shows you how to fold a rose through video and soothing music (makes me fall asleep to be honest). The high quality video clearly presents the folding methods, but I did find that some steps were a little hard to understand.

Good Points:

High quality video

Shows ratings out of 5 (being the hardest)

It’s free!

Shows preparation work (e.g. what you need)

Downsides:

Too fast, particularly for a beginner… but then again that’s that the pause and rewind functions are for…


If you have this app or have tried it, what do you think?
P.S. This is perfect for Valentines Day! Make some to polish up your origami skills and give to your significant other~~ 

Update!

Hi all~~


As you may have noticed, this blog/website has a fresh new look! I'm now participating with Google and Amazon, hence the advertisements :) 
This means that I am earning a tiny amount per visit from you - University fees hehe


But on the plus side, I can manage the adverts (particularly with Amazon) to deliver genuine products I have tried and tested, to recommend to you all.


If you scroll down after reading this short message, I have a glimpse of the Amazon Associates aStore I constructed that has some products which I do like and would like to share with you~


Until next time, take care ^^

Sudden Thought: Black Swan

Black Swan was out last Friday in the UK.. saw it on Sunday~

Initial thoughts? It was a perfect ending for her as she was.. perfect ;) 

I've just had this crazy idea of making an actual black swan... Modular Origami :) 

Should I? 

Image sourced from here

Life..Is Like a Cup of Coffee

For Your Interest.. I've only tried coffee once in my entire life - last Sunday's Costa Iced Mocha. It was unbearable. Still don't understand why people *love* coffee so much - especially teachers aswell >__<

Image sourced from Words4Mind - Coffee Art

^Image sourced from Google~Coffee Flavour Tasting Colour Wheel...

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

 ^Image sourced from Google

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

 ^Image sourced from Google

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups have been taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.
Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live.

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee. Savor the coffee, not the cups! The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

^Image sourced from Google

Love Generously

Speed Drawings I less than *three*

Here's one produced using the Graphics Tablet model I'm hoping to get~ (Using Photoshop) 
Lady Gaga Speed Painting (Time Lapse)


Of course, how can I not research different programs for art? (This one's using Paint)
This guy's INSANELY talented! 
Titanic - The Drawing Scene - Rose Speed Painting by Hbt Allen


Speed Drawing of Neytiri from Avatar~
Click Here :)


I'm a fan of Prince of Persia Sands of Time... here's a speed drawing of it ~ Loads of detail! 
Click Me!


Last but not least, the classic pencil study of an eye
Hereeeeeee

FYI: < less than 3 = heart

~Have A Lovely Weekend And Fill It With Happiness~

For some reason, I've been having a major *brain fart* these days... => blocked brain.. unable to generate creativity~


Urban Dictionary defines it as: 


''A spontaneous stupid (Stupid the noun, not stupid the adjective) usually accompanied by loss of train of thought and saying something fantastically stupid without realising it.

"Hey, what are you doing?"
"Hold secondary fire and the screen will change"
"What the hell? 

"?? Oh, uhh... brainfart"  ''


Anyway, how has life been treating you lately? 
Yesterday I made another swan.................. but the 'experiment' was whether or not doubling the size of the triangles adjusts the size of the swan.. I didn't have the 1st one (pics you've hopefully seen) next to it for a comparison but my instinct tells me that they're very similar..


One thing I noticed is that the increase in dimensions of the little triangles (used to form the structure) does affect how the overall sculpture looked. The wings curved inwards.  
Also, I had a struggle on  F2L - the base layer for it to all hold together. 


Hopefully next time I'll be able to get back to you with picture(s) of comparisons.... ;) 


How has life been treating me then? Well, I've been researching more about Graphics Tablets and figured out that although I did want an A3 sized tablet, it does have the downsides such as costing significantly more and having to move your arm a lot for sketching...
Therefore, I have come to conclude that I would like.. in fact - love to purchase a 8 x 6 inch tablet.. due to the price (generally depending on where you buy it) and ease of use/transport as I do love to travel a lot *and* compose studies..  


Shall catch you all later, 
Read the title above ^^


Anita x

Fashion Origami Set: A Review

Lately, I've been taking a step back and realising what I actually want/change in life.. and I'm escaping reality (too depressing to be honest) by doing the things I love such as hanging out with my close friends and just.. being creative. (Not mentioning that I have 5 important exams in the upcoming 2 weeks O___o) 
This also means more posts (hopefully) being published here ^_________^


So, here's my thoughts on a 'Fashion Origami' set from the awesome F.B. nope, not Facebook! =P

''Create beautifully detailed garments with colourful folded paper. Dresses, hats, shoes and underwear! This set contains 100 sheets of brightly coloured origami paper and a full colour 28-page instruction booklet. 
The detailed booklet will guide you through the folding of the following models:
Shirt *, Tie *, Hat *, Bra **, Suit **, Shoes **, Dress **, Boots **.
Origami is a fascinating and rewarding skill, an absorbing blend of art, geometry and dexterity which takes time and patience to master.''

~4 colours with 9 sheets each 
~8 colours with 8 sheets each
=100 sheets


Not the ideal selection of colours eh? Well.. this set was intended for origami clothes.....

The instruction does contain some useful info about how to fold the 'folds'. Pretty basic & great for beginners =D

Step by step diagrams...

Honestly speaking, I wasn't really that into folding clothes so I used it for other things.... 

The checked pattern was created for the folding of an Origami Rose.. but it failed so I had to take it apart so I wouldn't feel bad for wasting a sheet of paper.. >< 

Heart with Crane on front...~ 

Creases were made from making something else.. can't remember.. explanation? Same as for the Heart with wings~ 

This type of paper isn't really good for the typical Tsurus' where you need to kind of blow them up.....

Seeing As...

I was approached with the question 'What is the most basic thing you can do to make someone happy?' the other day. Before I proceed, comment below your reply to this question ^________^.


For me.. I guess it would be some form of Handicraft - I recall last Wednesday when I gave someone a Modular Origami Onigiri.. the light that instantly shined from his face is.. indescribable - he wasn't 'cheerful' the day before and to be honest here, I almost fell to tears due to his expression and way of describing how it was one of those days where you just don't feel like doing anything.


Enough Said here >< Be right back to upload pictures for a upcoming post =P

More Pics ^_____^

Pouring it all out to count :)

If there's 100 stars in the Jar...~*

Wowweeeeeeeeee all wrapped up and ready to be delivered =D

Hi all!!~~ I know.. my bad! I haven't been updating either blogs this past month because of revision... it's a rubbish excuse but I'm really busy to study hard ><

6 exams coming up ahead so I know that I'll abandon this for a while~ Be patient with me.. pretty please with a cranberry on top? 

Meanwhile, I've been looking further into Modular Origami and made a Onigiri (Japanese Riceball) yesterday, here are the pics =P 

The original tutorial I followed had 2 eyes for Onigiri.. should I add them on? Personally I think it looks like Darth Vader with the eyes on lol :P 

A better View ~*

Just another piece of evidence to show how small my hands are ^___^

Just kidding.. this is for size reference. In fact, I think that it looks like a pine-cone.. 

You get me? TeeHee**

Speak to you soon!~* 

P.S. after I gave the Swan and stars to the teacher; he started a kind of 'Guess the Stars' competition with his classes haha~ 

For some reason everyone thought that the amount of stars will be in the 200s.. so the guesses were low and that affected the teacher's guess-- he had this ''theory'' of gathering all the guesses   from his students and calculating the average. He also claimed that the average would be the exact amount of stars~ 

Guess what?

I proved him wrong *pwned!!*

A good friend of mine (not mentioning names ***ahem A.B cough ahem ahem*** lol) kept on insisting that ''it's NOT possible for more than 200 stars to be in the jar''

Well, there were. 

In fact, there were a total of 515 stars in the jar. Clumsy me, allowing 2 stars to escape.. therefore making the grand total of 517 stars.

....And the jar wasn't full. But apparently this is a good thing because as said by the teacher ''There's always something in life that's missing''... hence the jar being not full. 

Well.. the true reason was that I was caught up with time.. and I only started making stars like.. 2nights before giving the presents. >< I sent his laptop flying~ oops.