From design to product.

Was "pruning" my google drive file folders and saw this picture. Taken last year when the 16"x16" tote bag from Society6 arrived. Bought it on one of their free shipping days. Nothing beats seeing a final product of your own design. From idea to actually working out the details of the artwork to holding it in your own hand. Priceless. 

I ordered two key chains (with my own designs. duh) from Zazzle last Saturday. You just can't design properly without seeing the actual, physical products you are designing for. Wish zazzle has free shipping days too. Ah,can't wait to hold those babies in my hands. :)

Anyway, 2016 hadn't been bad as far as my online stores are concerned. Sold something on Redbubble, Society6 and Zazzle. Not much but hey...... For 2017, I am planning to go niche. I think I have cornered one that I can be passionate about (I've been told that I need to be passionate about the niche I choose. lol). Will be "renovating" the stores and have the new goods laid out soon. At least I hope soon. 
 

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Karma.

Rooster rules 2017

2017, if you don’t already know is the year of  the Rooster (or chicken) according to the Chinese zodiac. It begins on  Chinese new year which falls on the 28^th of January (for 2017), and ends on the 15^th February in 2018. 

Unlike the previous two years I didn’t  specifically design any artwork for this zodiac sign. I played with some ideas and came close to committing to one but didn’t  really sat down and flesh them out.  But instead I spent too much time working on "Did curiosity kill the Cat?"  and then improving on the much loved Chinese character (福）artwork that I designed 2 years ago.

It’s now too close to the Chinese new year and not worth the effort considering if I don’t sell any product on the artwork it will be 12 years later before it becomes relevant again. And this animal is tricky. I mean in Chinese, prostitutes are often referred to as chicken (鸡 Pronounced as Ji). So it’s really not a good idea to design a tshirt with the Chinese character鸡（chicken in simplified Chinese) or 雞 (chicken in traditional Chinese) splashed across your chest. And I won’t want a mug with that either.  Lol…

So instead I've decided to put the improved and auspicious 福 (fu) artwork on as many products as possible. Below you can see the whole collection. I am still adding to it. It’s an economical design. Buy one and you can literally use it for every new year. Accept for the greeting cards. I’ve put in the year in Chinese for the greeting cards.

Description of the artwork
"This design is an auspicious Chinese character 福 (fu). It means good fortune, lucky, happiness, blessedness. This is the one of the favorite Chinese characters used during Chinese New Year (or Spring festival) and any time of the year. :) Notice that there's a particular obvious 4-character idiom embedded within this chinese character. 福星高照。 Meaning may the lucky stars always be with you." 

Chinese New Year 2017
by AMZ

Did Curiosity Kill the Cat??

Curiosity killed the cat.

According to knowyourphrase.com it is "used as a warning for anyone who is acting excessively curious, as their prying behavior may lead them to harm or even death."

So...Did curiosity kill the cat? I posted this question on my Facebook status about two weeks ago as I worked on the design of the proverb. I never expected any reply from my friends.  But one of them came back with the rejoinder "Yes, but satisfaction brought it back".  This is really the first time I heard of this rejoinder. hahaha....Hurray!! The cat lives...for at least 9 more times I guess. :p

My friend came back with the rejoinder.

Below I have used the Island Paradise blue for the artwork which is one of the top 10 colors for spring 2017 from Pantone.

Front

Did Curiosity kill the Cat (Blue) Two-Tone Coffee Mug
by AMayeZeen

Back - the rejoinder

Did Curiosity kill the Cat (Blue) Two-Tone Coffee Mug
by AMayeZeen
 

Tshirts come in different style and colors too.

Did Curiosity kill the Cat (Blue) T-Shirt
by AMayeZeen

Also available in my Redbubble  & Society6 stores. They have cheaper shipping charges options which might be of interest to people living outside of the USA. Some times even free shipping to world wide like the artist promotions running on Society6 now (which ends on  4 December, midnight pacific time).

 

Weed Flower Buds

One of the buds of the weed flower I collected yesterday opened up this morning. Happy. This one has the seed pod/fruit in the middle of the stamens I didn't notice in the other flowers yesterday. Maybe I wasn't looking.
I wonder if the beautiful flowers were of an "useful" size, like the size of the roses or carnations and etc, would the plant still be considered an invasive weed or pest?

Fringed Spider Flower
(Cleome Rutidosperma)
5mm to 7mm across.

Fringed Spider Flower
(Cleome Rutidosperma)
5mm to 7mm across.

Tea Time!!

Dug up my mom's miniature tea set this morning. Was thinking of using it as a backdrop for my wild, weed flowers photos. 
In the afternoon my octopus tripod that I ordered online arrived. I made tea and played with it. ;)

Free stock image

Just uploaded a photo I took some time ago onto Deviantart as a "Resources & Stock Image".
Back in the days when I did a lot of photo manipulation I'd used quite a lot of the stocks on this site. I guess it's pay back time. ;)

Survivals

Had wanted to make a large bouquet of these small (less than 1 cm in diameter) wild flowers today but the places round the factories where I last picked my wild things were mowed. lol... 
Found some survivals at the edges though...
 

Tough little coat buttons.

Achene
Coat Buttons
(Tridax Procumbens)
The dried flower head that I collected opened up unexpectedly the next day. I blew on it and the achenes flew around. It's just about 2mm long without its wings. I am thinking of growing them. They are hereditary strong and probably could survive in the harsh environment I called my home. lol..

Follow your own rhythm!

This design was inspired by Paulo Coelho's "On rhythm and the road". 
 
 ‘I’ve noticed that most pilgrims, whether on the Road to Santiago or on any of life’s paths, always try to follow the rhythm set by others.

At the start of my pilgrimage, I tried to keep up with my group, but I got tired. I was demanding too much of my body. I was tense all the time and I ended up straining the tendons in my left foot. I couldn’t walk for two days, and I realised that I would only reach Santiago if I obeyed my own rhythm.

I took longer than the others to get there, and for long stretches I often had to walk alone, but it was only by respecting my own rhythm that I managed to complete the journey. Ever since then, I have applied this to everything I do in life: I follow my own rhythm.’


Met an interesting English lady who lived on a river in Guatemala and believed in Mayan Magic a couple months of ago while traveling. She suggested I read Paulo Coelho's writing. I did when I returned. And I really, really love his books now. :)

I have also uploaded this design onto my Redbubble account. 
It's on more products here because it's much easier to upload to them there. lol...

Follow your own rhythm T-Shirt
by AMayeZeen

Round the clock good fortune.

I'd posted this design on Google+ back in July 25th. I said I would be back with the description...so now one and a half month later here it is. Better late than never eh? :p

This design is made up of three parts. 

1. The clock. Click on the link if you need a free clock face.

2. The bat. Free resource. Worked in PS to decolorized and improved the contrast.

3. The Chinese character that the bat's holding onto. 

The Chinese character is 福 (fu). As I'd explained in one of my earliest designs on Zazzle, it means good fortune, lucky, happiness and blessedness etc. Sold a poster on that design earlier this year and also on Redbubble. 福 indeed.  No wonder the Chinese love to have this character hang/stick on their walls/doors during the Chinese new year. hahaha...

Anyway, bat in mandarin is also pronounced as fu (same as
福). The nocturnal animal had traditionally been used as a fortune symbol in China. 

My design...well I guess the title says it all. I am wishing everyone good fortune round the clock. And may your good luck soar! :)

Good fortune round the clock. Bat T-Shirt by AMayeZeen
Custom print shirts online at zazzle.

Just breathe

I have given up about a month ago planning my life or my work or my learning. Thrown my lists away. I am not saying that I don't plan anymore or don't make lists anymore. But they are now more of a reminder of the most important thing I needed to do each day. Just one or two things. And when I have done that I go consult my lists again to see what I want to tackle next. I don't get depressed for not checking all the boxes in my to do list anymore. I am happier now. Let's face it. At my great advance age, if hardcore planning and lists had not work before it probably is not going to work for me. Not saying that it's not going to work for someone else. To each their own. But for me...well I think I am going to enjoy killing the nearest snake for a while...a long while. :)

Breakfast at McDonald's

Was at my favorite McDonald's outlet again this morning for breakfast. Believe me when I say not everyone of the outlets are made the same. My usual seat was unusually sunny this morning. The Sun had come in for a chat ... and made "M"s on my paper. And if you look closely... gave me a tiny smile too. aww... hahaha...

Year of the Monkey 2016

The reign of the Monkey starts on the 8th of February 2016. May there be peace and love on planet earth on it's watch. :)

The design on other other products ---> Link

50% off all Cards, labels and Stickers at Zazzle. 15% off all orders. Ends Tomorrow.

Use Code: SENDLOVEXOXO

Chinese New Year of the peaceful loving Monkey Greeting Card by AMayeZeen
View other Chinese Cards at Zazzle.com