Day 296-3rd Year's New Skills

Evening Light - Taken on 26/6/2011

I asked at the start of my 3rd year, like how I did in the past 3 years, what new skills I wanted to acquire during the coming 12 months. This year, just like the preceding years that passed, I didn't end up learning what I thought I wanted at the start. I still don't know how to ride a Vespa or play the drums or work with polymer clay. 

You asked why in the world do I keep making these resolutions if I don't plan to achieve them. But I did achieve, I'd say! Let me explain. My resolution - and it is always the same one each year- was to learn at least one new skill for the year. 

That task, I believe I did. In fact, I felt I made 3 rather significant accomplishments in my 3rd year. 

1stly, 

I learnt to take better photographs

Tribal Kitchen -taken on 26/6/2011

S$2 small table with drawer from Daiso (bashed). Various baskets from Chatuchak (painted or varnished), Dried flowers are yellow sea lavender or statice. Bottles are swapped gifts  from Glenda Howell (dirtied), vegetables from Chatuchak (painted and already eaten by Rat), sack of rice (made with hemp cloth)

Harvest- taken on 20/12/2011

Maize is potpourri, ladle holder (made with jewellery finding), ladles (made with toothpicks and seed pods),  paper leaves from Chatuchak, reed from table mat

Biscuit Tins- taken on 20/8/2011

shelf (made with ice cream stick, plastic lace, mirror beads and gesso), biscuit tins swapped gifts from Indonesia (painted),

raw crackers waiting to be fried came with tins

Shadows - taken on 27/8/2011

Mud and mirror furniture (made), plate of raw fish (assembled), utensils & milk can (ebay purchases) silver plate (from shop in Miniature Museum of Taiwan), brass bowls (painted metal caps), brass pots from Little India, fish trap basket from Chatuchak (painted)

Kitchen Goddess Lakshmi -taken on 27/8/2011

Brass Lakshmi from Little India (painted), Alcove (made with clay diya, distressed),

garland (made with string & preserved real leaves since May 2011)

Broken Blinds -taken on 27/8/2011

Broken blinds (made with bamboo coaster), dried flowers are potpourri, ladles (made with metal caps and toothpicks), ladle holder is a wooden bead, little porcelain cups are gifts from Rosanna Rolla (dirtied)

Kerosene - taken on 20/12/2011

Bottles bought from bead shop in South Bridge Road (dirtied, cork is real), tinderbox (painted metal, assembled), mud and mirror stove (made), pot from Chatuchak (painted), blue plate rack (made with ice cream sticks, beads, bamboo skewers)

Now, by themselves, these photographs may not seem particularly impressive. If you will understand my constraints however, you may appreciate how far I have come. Firstly, we have the size issue. Everything is small, be it the subject matter or the space. 

Then, there is the question of where the objects are placed. The Goddess Lakshmi for instance, can never be seen in real life by a human being because the alcove it is placed in is right inside the kitchen on the wall.  Let me assure you, there is no conceivable way you can fit your head into  the room for a closer look. 

Before, I had no inkling at all on the kind of lighting required for photographing the interior of a dollhouse placed rather far away from a natural light source. Take a look at some of my photos taken this year and you will see what I mean.The kitchen especially posed a serious problem as it was the most dimly lit room.  

After starting the year so auspiciously with the accidental discovery of a white light source, I can take pictures any time of the day now. I have really come a long way from not knowing how to even upload photos (Dec 2008), macro setting (2009), lighting or  photo edit tools (2010) to now taking ambient pictures.  I am giving myself the Most Improved In 3 Years Award and singing It's my anniversary party and I can give if I want to!

The Forgotten Toy-(exterior side of house) taken on 20/12/2011

Toy bird (made), winter trees are real stems

Treewizard's Tree- (below toy) taken on 20/12/2011

Tree by Christopher Pereira, gift

Ladder and Lace- (other side of house) taken on 1/10/2011

ladder (made), rusty pail with cloth (assembled, painted S$2 pail from Daiso), tree (made), stone seats with moss are real pebbles. Alcove (made with clay diya , dirtied and distressed)

Ladder and Lace details- taken on 1/10/2011

Rust- taken on 20/12/2011

Pump is souvenir from India (painted) Plate on top of brass jar is a gift from Eva Perendreu, metal basins from Daiso, (painted)

Last Blooms - Taken on 25/9/2011

Flowers , (painted plastic flowers) weeds are dried moss, brass pot from Little India, skinny twigs are real, shrine cupboard (made) , flooring is table mat. 

House Shrine -Taken on 20/12/2011

Rusty metal trunks (made), books (made), pillow (made) , blue tin  (made)with real dried flowers,  Brass Ganesha and goddesses of light from Little India (painted), cupboard (ma de) , golden bowls were gifts from Carol G Msv

Embroidered Dowry- Taken on 20/12/2011

Quilter's Cupboard (made), bowls made by Rosanna Rolla, gifts. Basket with laundry made by Flora

 And then there is of course

the immense satisfaction and indescribable pleasure 

Key to my heart-taken on 10/12/2011

of completing a home.