me and holiday : i'll see you wednesday, dearie!

I'm going to take some days off from the office from Monday

but I plan to have a short trip since Sunday. I haven't

decide the destination yet but it sure will be a wonderful

break after so long. These pictures were taken from a

commercial shoot I had in the biggest amusement park in

Jakarta one Sunday morning. My art director took them.
I guessed that's all for now folks. Have a wild weekend ya!

me and collection: postcards of the world

my office mate and his wife just got back from morocco.

they bought me so many stuff and these postcards are

part of it. and you know what? they bought the posters

also of these beauties. oh have a fab friday, dear!

me and etsy: new stampy tags! yay!

http://www.vantiani.etsy.com/

me and teaching : a first class after awhile

she keeps waking up since four this morning. because

she has to leave the house at seven at the latest.

oh how she misses it. a quiet class room where she

will play her iTunes out loud. writing subjects

that day on the whiteboard. seeing those student faces

as they enter her class for the first time. calling each of

their names and try to remember their faces. such a

small class. mostly boys. and they start to play a game.

making an election campaign of each other in a piece

of paper. so much laughed. suddenly it's finished.

one and half hour. see you next tuesday, mam!:)

me and giveaway: the winner!

her name is niesa. we met during her band tour in
jakarta last year and several years before that.

niesa and her friends is the organizer of femme

fest 2009 in kuala lumpur last march when i joined

the exhibition.my first international exhibition.

i wish she didn't read this post so that i could surprise

her with those tags;)

me and monday

it starts with winning a gorgeous vintage photo giveaway
then it gets heavy and heavier as the days gone by. it should
be ended with a good film and a big bowl of ice cream i think.
oh, don't forget that today is the last day for the giveaway
before I announce the winner tomorrow. so, join in!

http://vanillavain.blogspot.com/2009/03/me-and-giveaway-whole-lota-collage-tags.html

Sunny Sunday

One of the busiest weekend at the shop and
the space. There is this interesting exhibitions
on hand drawing bags, puppy clothes and
photography by a bunch of creative teenagers.
And of course being a good shopkeeper too.

But I still manage to go to a sewing supplies
shop in a market near my house before going
to the shop afterwards. What a view, right?
Now, tell me about your Sunday dear.

What a collage!

Dear Scott,

First I would like to tell you how inspiring your collages on those bottles are to me and I would love to hear your stories on them and also your own collage making process. Let's start with the questions, shall we?

1. I used to know collage when I start making zines, therefore my understanding of collage is like a paper art. But then as time goes by I notice that apart from paper there are many other material we can use. How about you and collage in general, how did it start?
I did my first bottle-collage in 1998. i was visiting a friend who was working on a collage, and to pass the time, she suggested that i join her. i had a wine bottle with me, so she also suggested that i just collage the bottle. it took about 30 minutes to do that first one. i probably made about 4 more bottle-collages from 1998 until 2005, but they were all just quick gifts to give to a few friends. i didn't take collage that seriously back then since i was more interested in poetry and graffiti. however in 2006 i started to work on a bottle-collage for a friend's birthday,and that bottle is the bottle that got me hooked. i lost track of time entirely. it took 4 months to complete, but during that time i realized that i wanted to go further and to get deeper into collage.

2. So when you start to combine paper and glasses (bottle) together in making a collage? Are there many trial and errors first
before you nail them?
i have a lot of trial and error - especially when my collages started to become 3-dimensional, but during each process i know that i'm learning a little bit more. overall though, my biggest struggle has been with glue. in some moments i imagine myself on one of those 'blooper' shows. i struggle with glue on many different levels. daily.

3. One most awesome part about your collages to me is the usage of those bottles as the medium. How do you deal with those many paper layers so that they stick really good to the round glasses of the bottle?
i use a lot of glue. my main antagonists are: a glue stick, contact cement and weldbond (a super adhesive) supposedly used by the NASA space program. i usually use a glue stick on paper-to-paper contact, and paper-to-glass, but for anything 3-dimensional i have to build tiny, thick support systems or make braces to attach other layers of collage to. i'm trying to get to a point where paper just appears to float, but i have a ways to go. as far as layering goes, i'm starting to get into décollage after seeing some works by mimmo rotella. i really like the appeal of ripping paper away to the next layers and creating something by chance. i like the mystery behind it.

4. Apart from paper, are there any other materials that you've tried on the bottle and how do they go?
i have a friend who incorporates taxidermy into his sculptures, so he's taught me how to preserve bits of nature. i've used preserved flower petals as coral reef on one of my bottles, and also tiny plants as trees. i've used shells as pattern. i've been working on a (comic book style) 'film noir' bottle that i'll eventually add ants to. if i'm working with anything other than paper, i try to keep things simple and minimal - but i enjoy branching-out and using different materials.

5. Is there any special tips that you would like to share if someone would like to make one too?
first find a bottle that you're interested in because there are so many choices: wine bottles to baby food jars. wash the labels off (or leave them on)and get ready for a good time.
i've found that it's easier to do the collage clock-wise (and not in two directions). if you're going to do intricate work, you'll need tweezers (long and short). when you're finished, if you want to protect the collage and give it a sparkle, you could spray shellac on it. if you use shellac or contact cement, you should do it in a well-ventilated place or wear a mask. contact cement is the easiest to clean-up since it gets gummy when it dries and you can pull it up without a mess. weldbond dries clear but i've been making a mess of it. welbond gets stronger everyday it's been used - so if you're having second thoughts on on a section of collage you used weldbond on, and now you just want to try and pry it up...it's too late. do whatever though (have fun) - pull out your magazine, and comics and just try different things. you can start several bottles at once too.

6. Anything else that you would like to share with us like your shop, online gallery, flickr, etc?
i have some work at flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/25038365@N05/
and i have some dimebag poetry at sloppyjames.com. they're short poems i wrote 5 years ago in san fransisco before collage entered the picture. i've been writing new poems periodically for a year and a half for a small book that i hope to finish soon.
that's about it for me, looking forward to the summer, still looking for some quintessential advice on glue.
and, if you're interested in seeing great collage art, you should check out the talented: anniedescoteaux.com

Thank you so much, Scott! For sharing all these and being so inspiring,

Vantiani

me and collection: vintage product labels

bought them at this guy at the old post office that i love.

there are more but i gave away as presents. look at those

colors and graphics. they are pretty big in size actually.

framed them in a group sounds like a perfect idea, right?

oh happy friday everyone!

me and you

for every single one of you outhere. for being mind blowingly
generous, inspirational and always surprises me in every way.
thank you from the bottom of my heart. i am so happy that
we find each other. truly happy.

me and collection: old postcards

I found these two tiny postcards at a thrift shop from Semarang

at an annual craft festival in Jakarta. I wish they are bigger.

Because I couldn't find any frame to put them until now.

And making a small frame is definitely much more difficult

than making a big one, although it may be cost less.

work and wednesday

I finished these two among piles of works, endless brainstorming

sessions and of course one after another glass of iced coffee

cream. The more stressed out I am the more things I do

and make in between. How about you? What do you do

when you are in that moment?

me and giveaway: a specially for you!

For the launch of my oval collage tags I have made

a special set of tags for you, all my inspirational readers

and friends outhere. Just leave me a description of your

perfect kind of tags and email on the comments below.

I will draw the winner next Tuesday. Good luck and

thank you so much for join in! Yay!

Sunny Sunday

Happily lost in a lace and ribbon heaven.

And where were you at that time?

me and collection: vintage product labels

found these beauty at my fave old post office. they all made for

a japanese products although i couldn't identify what products

except the second one which the name of the brand sounds

like a textile product. oh how i happy i was that day!:)

me and etsy: new stampy blank cards! yay!

what do you think of all these new blank cards?

do you they will make a pretty product tags too?

oh how i have been obsessed with stamps lately.

and if only you could see all of those piles of stamp

in our living room this morning:)

i will make more stamp series cards and tags for

my shop, so please come by often.

http://www.vantiani.etsy.com/

me and collection: old postcards

two really cool vintage postcards sent by a new collage

comrade from russia named alexey in his swap

with me. and his works is definitely a killer:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/berezkin/

What a collage!

Dear Kim,

First I would like to tell you how inspiring your collage and stitch pieces are to me and I would love to hear your stories on them and also your own collage making process. Let's start with the questions, shall we?

1. I used to know collage when I start making zines, therefore my understanding of collage is like a paper art. But then as time goes by I notice that apart from paper there are many other material we can use. How about you and collage in general, how did you start? I sort of just slowly figured collage out on my own I think. I'm one of those people that can't stick to just one thing when it comes to art. I love variety and collage allows me to mix so many different materials together. I paint, draw, embroider and have always had a knack for pretty arrangements so mixing these things together came naturally to me.

2. So when you start to combine thread and paper together in making a collage? Are there many trial and error first before you nail them? Yes and no. I never ever plan anything before I start a piece. Everything that I make is nothing but a happy accident so really there are no real errors. Plus because collage often involves layering I can always just place a piece of paper or whatever over anything I don't like :)

3. One most awesome part about your collages to me is actually the usage of old envelopes and postcards. Those are definitely such a pretty paperie but at the same time because of the age they are pretty fragile too, right? How do you deal with this so that it won't rip while you sew on them? I find that the best way to prevent tears in the paper is to only sew as much as you really have to. I do most of my embroidery on a piece of fabric in an embroidery hoop before I get to the paper part of it all. Once I have the embroidery done I cut any excess fabric off and then stitch the embroidered fabric onto the postcard or envelope like a little patch. One thing I always need to remember when stitching on paper is to keep the holes as far apart as possible otherwise tears are far more likely.

4. Apart from paper and thread, are there any other materials that you've tried and how do they go? I like using fabric, buttons, and all sorts of different types of papers. Cardboard can be fun to work with and I love to cut up old doilies and sew the bits onto things. Then there's my acrylic paintings and pen sketches, those often find their way onto my collages as well! I'm always looking for something new and unique to add to my collages. Being unique is incredibly important to me. I never want to be like anyone else.

5. Is there any special tips that you would like to share if someone would like to make one too? Yes! There are so many! I'm very pasionate about art and love to share! First off, don't feel badly about using something incredibly old in your art! Some people have a hard time dismantaling old books, cutting up doilies or using old photos. The way I look at it is that you're just turning it into something someone is going to love and appreciate and probably look at on a regular basis. Collage is alot like a museum for each and every scrap of paper, fabric or whatever else you add to it. That and always use a good glue :) I use 'Aleene's Original Tacky Glue'.

6. Anything else that you would like to share with us like your shop, online gallery, flickr, etc? You can see most of my stuff (at least everything that is online) on my Flickr account : www.flickr.com/photos/10382063@N05/

my blog : curiouserandcuriouserdesigns.blogspot.com/

and of course my Etsy shop : www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5369070

Thank you so much, Kim!

For sharing all these and being so inspiring,

Vantiani