Sunday, October 26, 2014

DIY Cat Puzzle Feeder Toy

Sunday, October 26, 2014

I can literally hear my friend, Kim, scoffing "cat slave!" haha!

Well, I think I have been ever since Fuzzy came into our lives; she fills us with positive vibe, we shower her with lots of toys! The little girl soul in Fuzz, no matter how naughty she gets (they call em' kitty crazies), brings out her antics that makes us laugh, especially when we play hide and seek with her. She loves it! She loves to play, and I've never seen such an expressive kitten ever!

Because I noticed that she loves to play, I've provided her with endless toys, mostly soft toys. socks and fish-shaped foam... she plays with anything.. and her favorite, which I just discovered, are boxes; especially if I make a hole on each end like a tunnel.

Typical feline!

I would love to get her one of those puzzle feeder from the pet shop, but I know how pet toys can get pretty expensive. So I thought, why not just make one instead.

If you are wondering, what a puzzle feeder is for and how does it benefit a cat... well apparently, it is for brain stimulation, controlling obesity, treat/reward, play focus or play control, especially when your kitten has the crazies...

There are so many types of cat puzzle feeders you can make, but I settled for the simplest one of all using a plastic container. I used a round one, but you can use a square one if you'd like. It's so simple that it took me only 5 - 10 minutes to make the entire thing. I was fast because I was eager to see her reaction, so it took less than 10 minutes.

There's also a little story behind this project: Before Fuzzy came along, I was searching for kittens to adopt on PetFinder, and came across a 2 month old kitten named 'Chancy'. After speaking to the rescuer, I was told that Chancy was adopted; I was about a day or two late. But that was how I met Fuzzy;  not long after that, she told me that a kitten, about Chancy's age, was rescued. We immediately welcome Fuzzy into our home. So, last weekend during my Body Art workshop, I finally met Chancy's new owner, Danielle, a sweet 8-year old girl with the most coolest parents ever! Chancy now goes by her new name 'Cat'; I think that's cute actually! As a promise and to our new friendship, this project is dedicated to Danielle and Cat. =)

Back to the post, if you would like to try, here are the materials that you will need:

*(TAKE NOTE: If you are a child, please make sure that you have an adult to help you in this because it involves cutting. Parents, if you are doing this with your kids, please make sure cutting and punching a hole is done by you.)
























Materials:

1. Plastic container - small or medium, round or square is fine. You can get this from restaurant take away or supermarkets.

2. Tools such as scissors, something sharp to make holes later on, and a strong blade

3. Sharpie marker

4. Sandpaper

5. Small bell - from the pet store or anywhere else you can get

6. String

7. Small plastic cup or anything for you to trace your shape

8. Treats / Kibbles - the most important one of all


Let's begin:

Have a pleasant weekend!

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Deepakalayam Doodle 2014 @ Publika, KL

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Last two weekends, the Deepakalayam Doodle activity held at Publika, Kuala Lumpur was one of the most heart-warming, awe-inspiring art-related events I have ever been to.

Held in conjunction of Diwali celebration, Publika organized the Deepakalayam Bazaar featuring assorted exotic, Indian-themed vendors such as Henna Art, Sarees, Contemporary Indian Jewelleries, Photography, Kolam Making, Craft & Home Decor and many more. There was even music and classical Indian dance performances too; I was told by Ruby, one of the members & organizing team of Doodle Malaysia, that the band was singing some of the old, traditional songs. It was enchanting; plus Publika is such an artistic place, I can feel creative magic in the air!

I was immediately drawn to the magical, vibrant colours of the sarees, and the beautiful decorations for sale. However, apart from vendors selling products, the Deepakalayam Doodle booth by Doodle Malaysia was one of the most unique booths offering, art works for sale, as well as doodling / doodle jam activity where ANYONE (especially the public) can join in for a doodle session.
Artworks for sale




Being there at Doodle Malaysia's booth, I can sense their burst of creative energy as I watched some of the talented local artists doodling on the spot, on wooden elephants sponsored by Publika. The other members of Doodle Malaysia arrived later on to join the doodle session.




















Of course, I can't turn down an opportunity to draw on things, so I requested for an elephant to draw and brought it back there the next day. I kept mine as simple as I can due to the lack of time to complete it. The Fuzz was my QC manager of course.














To keep up with the spirit of Diwali, Doodle Malaysia also showcased 17 Diwali-themed artworks, submitted by some of the members of Doodle Malaysia. It was amazing, and I am pretty sure the artists were enthusiastic about it to have their artworks displayed at Publika for the public to admire.





















Passersby stopped in their tracks to admire the artists at work; some even took the time to join in the doodle jam session, drawing on the wooden elephants using the materials provided.


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The elephants displayed were remarkable; each of it is unique on its own...


 Doodle Malaysia is a Facebook group, to date, with more than 2000 members. The group gathers all doodle artists or doodle art lovers, with an aim to inspire all members to embrace their doodle passion. However moving from online to offline, this year, Doodle Malaysia has decided to take it up a notch by organizing more and more doodle jam sessions or any other doodle-related activities at events such as Art for Grabs or Fuyoh Art Bazaar (also at Publika) to keep members' creative juices flowing. Doodle Malaysia has even inspired several self-taught artists to step up and appreciate their own talents by encouraging them to share & post their doodle artworks on the group page.
Some of the doods and doodets of  Doodle Malaysia

This is why I love the Art of Doodle.

Doodle Art is an expressive form of art that allows you to draw freely, be colourful and not be governed by worldly standards. Doodle Art allows you to create art without being self-conscious about your skill because everyone is entitled to their own style. When it comes to Doodle Art, it is not about how professional you are, or how experienced you are in Art; it is about being in touch with your creative-self and be inspired by the world around you.

I was certainly impressed by how much energy and love Doodle Malaysia have; being part of the group, I am awed by how Doodle Art has brought a community of inner-artists together.
Top left with favourite artist & friend: Ruby of Ruby Room. Top right and bottom, with Ruby and June, also friend & artist of Little Fren Crafts
As a blogger for more than 5 years, all I ever wanted to do was to be able to support & promote Malaysia's creative scene through The Artsy Craftsy blog. From this event, I must say that, I am truly, truly impressed by two things; 1. a strong group like Doodle Malaysia to move the art community forward, and 2. Publika, the most artsiest, most creative shopping mall I have ever seen to support the creative community by encouraging arts & crafts related bazaars, exhibitions, projects and more.

 Thumbs up Doodle Malaysia. =)


*Photos 1-4 courtesy of Doodle Malaysia Facebook

Sunday, October 5, 2014

5 Ways to Up your Creative Game (Confidence) *with bonus tip*

Sunday, October 5, 2014


Here's something funny, and possibly weird; as I am blogging this, I am experiencing a little writer's block that perhaps might contradict with the topic of creativity. Haha! But no, I am not here to talk about creativity; I'm here to talk to about how to gain creative confidence, which I personally think that it is slightly different from being creative, but is just as important as creative development.

I believe we are all creative; but whenever I mention the word 'creative', people tend to relate it to art. I have friends and readers approach me about how to establish a balance lifestyle, and sometimes, seek advice on how to be motivated about their lives or work. I tell them, "get involve in some kind of creative interest or a hobby, and they tell me "but I am not artist, I don't paint like you!"

I'd like to be honest, and I would like to say that, this sort of mindset is one of the reasons why generally us humans have trouble feeling good about ourselves, and more often experience inner battles. Plus, who said that Creativity is generally only related to Art & Crafts? Creativity is in your work, your life, your household, and can even be used in obstacle...

Whenever we give others tons of excuses, in truth we are actually telling ourselves that we don't want to do it. So, what may seem like some kind of external factor is actually created by ourselves. When we tell ourselves to believe that creativity is only meant for artsy fartsy people, right there, that's the level of your creative confidence in Life decreasing. Don't let your own ability go to waste. 

"We are our own blockage."

I am familiar with these sort of situation, because at one point in my life I had trouble accepting that I was creative (including you and everyone else) until I fully understood the root cause of that false belief. It is simple actually; as a child we are clean slate like a white piece of paper. Our innocence and how we see the world as it is was what made us creative because we weren't born with self-judgement, rejection, or stereotypes. It wasn't until we are a little older, that eventually we were told by others around us (even media) how we should or shouldn't be.

You know when you are young, it is normal to have hopes and dreams. We are ambitious when we are kids, and we want to pursue an ambition according to our interest whether it is art, singing, dancing, sports, music or writing, etc. But unfortunately for some of us, growing up we were told that the future we chose was not suitable for obvious reasons such as money, security, consistency... as sad as that sounds, imagine the person who told us that was probably forced into having the same mindset by people in their lives without realizing it.

Everything becomes a vicious cycle.

I remember when I was about 11 years old, one of supermom's friends came over to visit her. There I was on the floor playing with my LEGO set. I love LEGO as a child, supermom always made sure that I was given some time with it. As an 11 year old, I was very much in touch with my inner child; I had lots of ideas with my LEGO and so there I was building stuff with it. Supermom's friend approached me and said "Why are you even still playing with LEGO? You are not a child anymore! You should start reading books or something!". A simple remark like this can easily be a discouragement for anyone, especially a child. A simple remark like this can be passed of as a judgement, resulting a child to grow up without creative confidence.

Lucky for me, I didn't give a shit and supermom heard the comment in time to tell him that LEGO is actually NOT just a toy but an important part of a child's development.

Anyways let's not stray away from the topic; after battling with self-esteem issues especially when it comes to creative confidence, I personally have a few tips and suggestions that I am more than happy to share with you. Allow yourself to try these ways to gain confidence in your work.

Here it is:

1. Reward or compliment yourself for giving your best in your work. Every thought, effort and idea counts. Plus, each time you reward yourself for your effort will help you stay motivate and eventually lead you to finding your purpose in Life.

2. No idea is a bad idea or a worthless idea. In fact, the best idea comes from the silliest or the weirdest idea. Sometimes we need to let loose and think outside the box.

3. Believe in your dreams and love what you do best in. You are never too young or old to have a dream. Don't have one? Look back at your childhood and ask yourself, what was it you always wanted to do. Also, don't forget loving & believing what you do; no one can believe in your work if you don't believe in it either.

4. Appreciate compliments. Try smiling and saying thank you whenever you receive praises. It may be too simple, but something small like this can make you feel good about yourself. Most Asians were raised to be humble, and for some individuals, that includes shying away from compliments. I once met an American animation director who was teaching animation to the students at my workplace, he said something which I'll never forget: "There are so many talented Asian animation students in Malaysia. However, the one thing that they need to improve on is learning how to accept compliments, especially when they are told that they are good. This is important because, learning how to accept compliments can help a student to acknowledge his or her talent & skill, and move forward in their career."

5. Keep record and celebrate moments of your achievements, no matter how big or small they are. Every success counts. You can scrapbook it, journal or even screenshot it even if it's on Facebook. Keeping a record will help remind you of who you are and what you are good at.


Okay, I know the title says "5 Ways" but I'd like to add in a bonus tip:

*BONUS No. 6* : Acknowledge your gift, talent or skill. Everyone is good at something, and we are all born with a special talent for a reason. Identify that talent and acknowledge it. Use it and love what you do with it! Don't shun it away by saying things like "Nah! I'm not a professional..." Who said anything about being a professional? And that right there, goes back to Tip No. 4, unable to embrace compliments.

Finally, you are special. No formula or special methods, just simple ways.