Kisses and Hugs!

A piece of jewellery inspired by nature, by the rock structures on the east coast of Australia.




During my Art School years, I used to take train trips down to Austinmer beach. It was a very small and quiet beach with some beautiful rock formations. I tried to find some of the photos that i took during all those trips to show you, but without any luck! Now you have to use your imagination........

Nature never cease to shower us with beauty and wisdom, in return we say thank you with kisses and hugs!

This pendant looks good on both man and woman. I really like the organic feel of it.
I think they are my new favourite until the next one.......

Hoping for Sunshine

There is plenty of rain and i am hoping for sunshine.
i am all for colours at the moment.

( The dam is almost full and i can have my shower as long as i like.......)

With the young man back to school, i got my structure back and hence got more times on my hand, here are some of my new creations with colourful beads, just to lift the spirit!


These coral and turquoise fine silver earrings are kind of deep ocean creatures!
I didn't plan out to made one, they were just came alived during the process




This is another spiral of mine hand-formed from fine silver sheet. I really like to work with fine silver sheet, it is soft enough to manipulate and strong enough to hold its shape!

A big thanks to all my friends and customers in Kirribilli Market last weekend!

Heart you all the way........

January went pass without a trace.The young man finally settled in in the new school term. I am glad that he got to stay with some of his friends in the new class. Now that he is in safe hands, jumping, running and learning (he announced that they are going to learn spelling in the whole yr 1 ), I sat down on my work bench happily working away.......

Love is all we need!
We need it for 365 days.
I pray that you receive the love that embeded in the cross!

These are my offerings for the February Valentine's day!
Hope you all enjoy it.

I will be in the Kirribilli Art and Design Market this weekend (sun, 10 Feb), rain or shine. My stall and most of the stalls are under cover in the tunnel As always, I will bring a lot of new designs with me to the market.

You can also join in the Chinese New Year Parade in the Darling harbour to Celebrate the Year of the Rat.

I was born in the Year of the OX. Young man was born in the year of snake! Mr. Silvermonk is the monkey in the house and he is in charge of fun!
What a cool OX, i will take all that.......

we all wish you a happy Chinese new year!
And a nice weekend!

Gabriel's favourite food

The first week back to school turns out to be a bit too much for the young man. The school's air con broke down in the hottest day of the summer and there are 40 kids in a class.......

He still did not know which class he's in and they swapped the student around to get the best combination before they spit it into 2 classes. Before the end of last term, they asked each children who did they want to be in the same class in year 1. Gabriel put down 4 names and I hope they will honour that.

It all end up a bit teary before dinner, so i put my "mummy's hat" on and cooked his favourite dinner~dumplings, and finished with his favourite desert ~mango, chocolate and yoghurt........

And the world is a nice place again~afterall......

Persistant

The summer holiday is truly over . it was all a big "blur" for me! We almost spend the whole time stay at home and it turns out to be the most relxaing holiday we have for a long time.




We went to Bronte beach a few times and Gabriel absolutely love it! ( In his own words: " During the holidays, I went to the each and the beach was so fun. It was so fun that I wonted(wanted) to stay). He is still too scare to put his head in the water though. We are more of a bush people than the beach people, now that the young man having such a great time and let himself lose on the beach, may be we should do the same!

The new school term start today, young man will be in year 1 and i can't wait to have my 4 hrs un-interruped day between school and classes to concentrate on making some new designs!

I live mostly in my head so structure is good for me, keep me on the ground......

"Persistant" is the word for me this year!

Gabriel's Piano Practice

I practice using the video feature on the new Camera while Gabriel practice his piano.......

The recording sounds( piano ) pretty good. Gabriel said it sounds a bit like computer, and Dad said it chops off the high and low frequency ( what would i know about music!), but I am a bit let down by the quality of the video, it looks much better on our iMac.
In the end, it is still amazing without going through You tube!

New Year New Design

New year, new design and photos taken by the new camera!
The holiday is over and i am getting straight back to my bench to enjoy the simple act of making.....

Coral, having such a vibrant red, is always my favourite, i would say is my stone!
I simply just cannot have Coral without Turquoise. And of course Turquoise is one of my favourite as well.

What about Spiral?
Spiral is such a timeless symbol, i will never get tire of creating it.
You are right , here is another new spiral design of mine using fine silver.

hope you enjoy it
happy weekend!

A walk in the neighbourhood

A walk in the neighbourhood, originally uploaded by silvermonk.

After dinner we went for a walk and kicked the ball in the park... I took this with our new Canon Camera! It even got a video mode. The technology has gone leaps and bounces, for less money and you got more features. ( Finger cross this one last longer, we don't want to buy a new camera every year!)

2007 has been a big year. Gabriel transited from Child care to Kindy He's been mature a lot and enjoy his school! That is a very good start considering he's got a good 16 years of schooling ahead of him and we only have his Kindy teacher Ms. Castano to thank for! Her love and care is so unbelievable, we wish her every success in her new school, the kids will miss her!

The best day of his Kindy yr according to him was the day when a stand by teacher took the whole class out to running around and around in circle in the playground........boys are boys, their growing body needs to move. At 6 and a bit , he is ready to go out and explore the world. He is no longer a mummy's boy and want to do boy's stuff with dad. I am really proud of him.

2007 has been a good year for me as well. I real thankful for my customers in the Kirribilli art and design market. I enjoy have a chat with them once a month and show off my new design. Market is a place where i see it as a good venue for community building!

Talking about community, who would think that you could make friends with people that you have never meet in person.... But i did make some friends through the blog, Flickr and the Etsy community. Friends, your comments , words of encouragement is much appreciated.

Of course Mr.Silvermonk is a big part of this, not only that he put foods on the table and put a roof over our head, he really put his trust in my art and support me ( while i am writing now, he is cleaning up the kitchen sink the minute he came in the door after seeing a client! )
I am really lucky!

Well, 2008 is ahead and already looking bright. I got my first wholesale today, up in the beautiful blue mountains.....

May 2008 be a year of peace in all fronts
God bless!

Happy 08

Happy 08, originally uploaded by silvermonk.

Happy new year friends!

This is my first Treasury. I was browsing the treasury and there was the treasury title box waiting for me to fill.........very surprise, no effort! . With so many talented artists on Etsy, It took me no time to put a list together....

I encourage you to check out all the wonderful works!

As you might aware i haven't taken any new photos for a while now because our camera just simply not working anymore! This is our second digital cameras and it only last for 3 years....Our previous cameras were Kodak and Nickon and i bet you this time i am going to go for Canon!

I've been doing some research on the net and pretty much make up my mind now.
Won't be too long before i post some new photos!
cheers

Full of hope!

Arctic Light, originally uploaded by silvermonk.

"Imagine a tiny flower in spring, opening up its petals and the pollen is dancing up freely into the cold thin air, in order to catch the mystic arctic light.

A belief in the spiritual apprehension of truth that are beyond the intellect."

I truely believe that Christmas is about the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and the hope that he brings to humanity.

Merry Christmas to all my friends!

If you are still dashing for the last minute presents and you are in Sydney, I have some of my jewellerys in Beehive Gallery ( 443 king St.Newtown) and Yuga Cafe Gallery ( Johnson St. Glebe).

See you all next year!

cheers
chimin

Be Still.......

Be Still......., originally uploaded by silvermonk.

Just want to share this with you. A email from our friend Alice.

"People come into your life for a REASON, a SEASON or a LIFETIME. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant."

Thank you for being a part of my life, whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.

Handbook to Handmade

The holiday is around the corner and i am busy with a few customer orders. I am also making some new earring designs with some new beads that i got from Etsy lately. I will post some photos here when i can get some decent photos!

Yes! i will be feature in the first issue of Handbook to Handmade organized by the talented Timothy Adam. Hopefully i will get a copy before Christmas. How excited!

Song Line Series

As you know i've been working on my new series. Drawing has always been my first love, so back to the basic and out came my Song Line series. It was created by handsaw simple lines onto a piece of sterling silver sheet. It's like a drawing on a piece of metal, very playful and organic and at the same time have a modern feel about it....

Like a vision from high above, the song lines are inscribed on the landscape, singing the wonders of the Earth.

I am really happy with my new adventure!













The African beads that i got from Beads4you arrived and i team them up with the other beads that i got from Kenya. I love this necklace, so Africa...

If you want to have a good look at what i've made, come to the Kirribilli art and design market tomorrow, I can't wait to be there.....

have a nice weekend!

cheers
chimin

Jacaranda Tree

Spring is here and the Jacarandas are blossoming. This is my favorite time of the year in Sydney. I drive pass Sydney Uni 4 times a day to take Gabriel to school and i can't stop thinking how lucky i am to be in this country! A far cry from the remote village in the tropical island of Hainan, China, where i spent a few years of my childhood hunting for lizards on the way to school....

Anything is possible....
Dream the impossible dream!

Spring time is also the time for renewal, i have put my whole stock at the Beehive Gallery ( 443 King St. New Town) on discount for a pre-X'mas sale. If you read this post and make a purchase of my jewelery on either Mintd or Etsy, remember to write the promotional code "Jacaranda" on the note to seller to get the 20% off! ( wait for my revised invoice to pay the correct amount). Valid untill next weekend!

have a nice weekend
cheers
chimin

I am on MINTD front page!

It's about time to have one of my items made the front page, among other talented crafters! Now i would said justice has been served..( just kidding!)
Can you see it? The desert mitif pendant is right on the top right hand corner..
Its all fun!
Have a nice weekend, my friend!

cheers
chimin

Wonderful beads

I was on a big spending trip today and guess what ?! I did not even leave my apartment .... All i did was sitting in front of my beloved imac and scrolled through the Etsy handmade website and found all this beautiful beads! I did not even show all the beads that i got from there.........

I am so happy......(the australian dollar is on record high and i just took advantage of it....)

The African beads are from Kenya via Beads4you

The BHG Spangled discs--Summer linens from bluhealer

The Glass Gypsy - Guys do listen (8) , Borosilicate (Boro) Lampwork Beads from Glass Gypsy

The Red Coral Flattened Ovals from Lilly's Bead Boxy

Desert Motif Cuff

Desert Motif Cuff, originally uploaded by silvermonk.

The school holiday is over. I finally got sometimes to sit down on my bench and work on this desert motif cuff! It has been sitting in my head for a long time and i am really happy the way it turns out!
It forms part of my desert motif series which includes the desert motif ring and the desert motif pendant.

The desert motif series is about the memory of one's journey through the wilderness.

It looks great on both man and woman.

I like to wear them with my other bangle pieces and together they make a great sound!

Cool Toys!

It might look like one of Gabriel's toys but in fact it is a sustainable car ! What I like about it is its cool form, very pleasing to the eye. Who say you can't look all beautiful and be responsible to the enviroment at the same time!



It is not just a bucket that you see here, but a bucket full of sunlight collected during the day. What a noble idea! ( how come i didn't think of it?) It is a solar powered energy bucket . Love the colour.

And, yes ! I will have my market gig as usually at Kirribilli Art and Design Market this Sunday. Come and have a chat if you are in Sydney !

cheers
chimin

aerial acrobatics

aerial acrobatics, originally uploaded by silvermonk.

It's been the second week of the school holidays. Young Gabriel's been busy having a quality time with his Lego toys, flying them around and making up stoys and conversations as he went! The first week just glided through without a trace. We went to see one of the free aerial acrobatics performance in the new Carriageworks space and that was cool, we both enjoyed it.

And of couse the big event is his Birthday party in the Park on the weekend. ( we rescheduled due to his winter flu) I baked the chacolate brownie birthday cake in between the air breaks of the Wallabies quarter final against England in the Rugby Wrold Cup.......


We lost in the end, but the chacolate brownie was a sucess and the party went on....

A bigs thanks for all his friends for making the day special and of course all the presents that he received!

My Moo Cards

My Moo Cards, originally uploaded by silvermonk.

I have been dying for this moo card for a long time. Now, i feel like i am in business! They are very sturdy , cute and just the right size for me. I believe in good things come in small package and moo card just have that kind of aura. I am going to use it as business card, earring tag and thank you card.........

If you are thinking of getting a set , get one before the end of this month and type in BIRTHDAYMOO in the promotional box to get 25% discount!

cheers
chimin