The Songs in Your Heart

Hi everyone!

This time around, I'm waiting for the ink on my paintings to dry (so that I can pull off my scan-&-post moves for you) and to fill time, I'm playing some songs I've been listening to for the last few months. I play a little bit of piano so that's what I play the songs on. As always, mixed with some of my all-time favourites. Maybe that's why practice sessions can get freakishly long at times. My actual practicing might last no longer than a shampoo commercial, but playing around with my new it songs takes anywhere from an hour to Whoa-wrap-it-up-it's-midnight.

This is my current list. Feel free to send in yours. There must be some great piano songs I'm missing out on.

- Dawn (Dario Marianelli)

- Northern Lights (Emily Bear)

- Over the Rainbow (Arrangement by Dan Coates)

- Romance in Winter (Miranda Wong)

- Piano Concerto No.23 Mov.3 (Mozart) -- because I like putting some classicals in it somewhere. This piece does magic to me. And it isn't very hard to play which is kind of shocking for a concert piece!

Take care for now. See you next post! :)

Peace, love, and pretty colours,

Rafika

Eyes on a Good New Year

Hi everyone!

So December 2010 is almost behind us. To all who celebrate any holiday and went to special events for it: On a scale from 1 to 10, I hope your celebrations were Beyond Belief.

I'm getting excited for the new year. If you wonder why, I can't think of anything specific. All that comes up is "Why not?" It's coming soon whether or not anyone want it to. Maybe not as excited this morning, but that might have been just because I barely slept last night. And possibly because someone turned on the water in the other bathroom while I was taking a shower. I don't like (translation: loathe) water tug-of-war so I just got out of there a decade early. No drama added. I did think about screaming "Who did this?! Got a point?" but I managed to keep it all cool and civilized. Turning focus to the new year instead (and maybe add in the fact that it wasn't even my bathroom.) But still! Eyes on a good new year, people... Eyes on a good new year. I finished showering though. NOT willing to go out in a winter collection by Soap Bubbles Couture. Done it once but the route was completely different. This time, I have to make it to the post office and mail a picture I had sold to Miss D (Thank you, Miss D!) 

I'll be back here soon with new works! See you next post! :)

Peace, love, and pretty colours,

Rafika

Christmas or Not, Holiday or Not

Hi everyone!

My warmest greetings to all of you. Not just holiday greetings here, but good-every-day, good-for-everyone, no-expiry-date greetings. Simply put, the best kind I can possibly send you! I hope you are having the most wonderful time. If you're not yet a follower of this blog, I won't ask where you've been hiding (But if it's a great place, please volunteer to tell!). I'm just asking you, very nicely, to jump onboard because we're having fun here. And even more of it later!     

Behind the Feature Image:

This one happened to be a Christmas art but I hope it brightens your day whether or not you celebrate any holiday at all. This was a gift pastel painting I did a few of years ago. Long story short, the original painting had been water-damaged. (Hot water tank disaster + unprotected artwork = ...... ). I'm thinking a mushy roll of paper but I am glad I didn't see it or even know about it until a lot later. And aren't we grateful for scanners and digital files? I might attempt a remake or get more prints going on so I can offer more to anyone who is interested. For now, some prints are available up to size 5x5 inch (The 3x3 had become the magic size here because of the holiday frames sold at Indigo and other bookstores this season.) These prints are available at my Etsy and Artfire as singles. If you would like to order multiples, simply contact me at one of these shops and I will do my best to help you.
           

Peace, love, and pretty colours,

Rafika

Honeysuckle - Colour of the Year 2011

Hi everyone!

Here goes your newest Serenity fine art print. It comes in the 2011 colour of the year, honeysuckle. Now you can say you had seen it at Fika's Art Box! :)

The light colour is not the lighter shade of the pink but another pink shade called "rose" so you get two beautiful colours here.

Colour of the year?

Yes. Pantone had announced honeysuckle as colour of the year for 2011, so expect to see this reddish pink trending in everything from the fashion world to product packaging.
More about the announcement:

http://www.pantone.com/pages/Pantone/Pantone.aspx?pg=20821&ca=4

Please visit FAB shops for more or click on the image above to go to the item page.

Peace, love, and pretty colours,

Rafka

Oooh...New Studio

Taadaaaa! ... there's the link to my Artfire studio (on right sidebar, down a bit...). FAB Etsy shop is still up and running. That's where new artworks would go first, especially original paintings as they can't be available in both places.

It's still great fun to visit Artfire. You'll come across great items you won't see on Etsy. Some sellers stay out of Etsy due to how crowded it has become. Especially for jewelry artists. Crowded is fantastic to me but apparently it scared a lot of other people. And I get where they are coming from. A big full house could mean more people to share your craft with -OR- the perfect place to drown in the whole hoo-haa without anyone ever knowing you exist. I had seen the Etsy jewelry section and yes, it is an endless sea of shiny objects for sale!

Anyways, the doors are now open, so come on in friends! 

http://www.artfire.com/users/rafikasuhandi

Peace, love, and pretty colours,

Rafika

New Printables - Alphabet Dots Set

Hi, everyone!

Some digital printable sheets had just been added to my shop. Created out of my own personal need for a handy lettering set. I wanted a set that allows me to make any words in any colour combination. No more "there's only one P and it's red -deal with it" kind of situation. It turned out  my dream sets are hard to find if not non-existent. So I created some and now you can enjoy them too! 

Print away and create your own scrapbook embellishments, gift tags, labels, cake toppers, homeschooling materials, ...anything goes.

Peace, love, and pretty colours!
Rafika

Here are your links to the new items:
26-letter Multicolour Set
Single-colour Sheet

 

Serenity Special

New from FAB shop

Serenity Package Deal
Put together any three "Serenity" prints available at
my Etsy shop and enjoy the special bundle price for your set.
Here is your link to the order page:
Serenity Package Deal

Need custom colours?
Simply click the contact button and
let's talk your dream print!

Peace, love, and pretty colours
Rafika

New Original - Dandelions of Heartland

Hi, everybody!
It's about time for a new original around here. I know this one didn't even get mentioned before so here goes your sweet suprise! Meet the happy dandelions of Heartland. It won't be long until the young ones join the fun and the air is filled with love!

"Dandelions of Heartland"
6x6 inch
Acrylic on canvas board

For the original, please click on the above image or run to my Etsy store before someone else took it home.

Peace, love, and pretty colours,
Rafika

Powered by Brownies

Happy December Everyone!

For me here, this is the day to enjoy some brownies.
(Honesty-based correction: A lot of brownies.)
Too much browniedom in the system :D
In case you are not familiar, that's not a bad feeling at all!

This is also the day to wonder when I can post these new artworks. Some are ready for you. Just one minor problem: there has been very limited natural light here lately for me to take decent photos. If else fails, they will go straight to the scanner and my Etsy store. I will still try my best to post them here as we go along.

Until next post, I trust that you and yours have a wonderful time!

Peace, love, and pretty colours,
Rafika

In Progress: "Beyond The Rainbow"

Hi everyone!

Update: I am now working on a pastel painting called "Beyond The Rainbow" and an acrylic painting. If you guess they are packed with colours and story of hope, you deserve a guessing medal!

It's a snowy day in town again, but here in my spot it's cheer-o-cheer time. No darkness in sight because I have these bits of happiness saved for this evening. You can try this combo too although -warning- it's highly random (as in highly-FUNtastic-it-can-make-me-sit-still-for-a-while!)

● An episode of Modern Family (for funny bone sake)
● Hot wing-flavoured potato chips (for munchies sake)
● Tropical fruit-flavoured yogurt (for health sake)
● A few tracks from Jackie Evancho's album (for soul sake)

Take care and enjoy the rest of your week :)
Rafika

Weekend in Colour

I hope your weekend is going WOW so far!
I wanted to leave this mini update before heading back outside to the all-white sceneries. That's right, I think winter is declaring itself here. I told you about the snow rain showers earlier and sure enough now we have snow for real. (Very thin, and melting faster than butter on a hot pan! But I chose to be excited anyway.)

The above picture is the "Together" piece I mentioned the other day. It features three flowers of Hope Hill under evening sky. The original painting is sold, but I sure have other things in store for you. There will be several versions of prints, including black-and-white. So please be sure to check back for them. And for more new originals! I'm creating and creating some more. Can't wait to show you the new pieces! :)

Peace, love, and pretty colours,
Rafika

Together in Funny Weather

Hi everybody!

It is the National Interesting Day here -partly because of the snow-rain combo. Nothing crazy happened though, I can tell you that now. Sorry if you thought I was going to say I had just met a real-life dracula.

I was in Burnaby (If that didn't ring any bell, how about City of Burnaby? In Canada?). I was minding my own business when suddenly...*white stuff falling*...first flakes of the season, I guess! That barista girl was definitely puzzled as she walked out of the coffee shop to feel and probably make sure it wasn't raining diamonds. Who knew I would end up getting my drink from her coworker a bit later. Salted caramel hot chocolate....Hmm. That's right, just a hot chocolate. I'll mess with my caffeine sensitivity another day. Keeping my heartbeat steady now so I can finish this "Together" painting. Hope you like the preview! It will be in colour in no time.

Please keep on with the following. You're the best and I will be back.

Peace, love, pretty colours!
Rafika

Relax and Feel Good

Hi everyone!
Check out the new fresh-air-filled arts from my Etsy shop. Most prints are available in several colour options but if you have a certain colour in mind, maybe for that someone who just LOOOVES purple, you can always let me know. Let's see if I can create a custom print for you.

Click here or on each image to be taken to its order page.

Have a fantastic Friday!
Rafika

New Prints Out Today!

Lots of spirit, motivation, and happiness..all from just a daily glance at these little heavens.

I adore circles and dots to a dangerous level. They make me happy and chances are they are in some gorgeous colours, which make me even happier! Just look at gumballs or rows of donuts. I know, those examples just happen to be food -which means some of us would get triple the happiness right there.

I created these prints in several variations, from the wise "Keep calm and carry on" to the bouncy "We dance like crazy here". Some are already up at FAB store today, so please come take a look.

FAB Etsy Store

Peace, love, and pretty colours!
Rafika

Mod Greeting Cards

Good news, everyone!
The new custom greeting cards are in! Please head to FAB shop to order yours today.

THE CARD
● Size 5x7 inches with window opening. Sturdy and acid-free.
● You can insert a photo in there too.
● Blank inside for writing your own message.

THE ART
● The art print inside is 4x6 and can be pulled out. So much fun to display on walls, boards, fridge, etc.
● Printed with high quality colour ink. Vivid colour and fade resistant.

More designs are flooding in. I'll post updates here as well as on Twitter so please check back soon.

Peace, love, and pretty colours!
Rafika

Are Your Cupcakes Bald?

Party without cupcakes?
...Not a real party...

Cupcakes but no icing?
.....Bad.....

Icing but no toppers?
.....Bald.....

Toppers but no funk?
You need immediate help from FAB!

Start here to save your party:
FAB's imaginative cupcake toppers

It's the March of the Jumbo Shapes!

You asked for it, you got it! Search no more, happy crafters. The nearly-impossible-to-find shaped cardstock are here. Designed and cut by Fika's Art Box, therefore you can only get them from FAB webstore. They come in 2 ready sizes: 5 inches and 7 inches. Other sizes can be created per custom order. The colours? Textured brights, pastels, or even pearlescent...so many ways to get caught in a dilemma! :)

It's Raining Alphabets

WHAT'S NEW at FAB:
The march of the fresh stripes initial necklaces!

MORE GREAT NEWS:
Imaginative, giga-happy cake toppers are coming to FAB Store very soon. Check out all the new collections in store starting April 26, 2010.

Cool necklaces hits FAB Etsy store today!

Drop by and enjoy the current spring sale at FAB Etsy store. Includes an opportunity to get free items from FAB!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/rafikasuhandi

Attention Crafters!

From FAB to all the crafty ladies (and diva-licious gentlemen).
Let the crafty spirit soar!

It's Moooo---nday

A sunny-then-rainy-then-sunny kind of Monday :D
Glad to hear these farm friends didn't run away in terror!

Last weekend of March. Keep calm and carry on! :)

Rock out today at FAB, everybody!

Tweet Tweet Little Birdies

Wow...rainy day today! I felt sorry people who got rained over on the street. I was there too but I have to admit I was far from miserable. Saved by my umbrella which I carry everywhere like an ID card! lol. Sounds crazy but let's face it, that thing makes surprise rainy days much less disturbing.

Glad I made this good-mood machine yesterday! A magnet bar with blue sky and cute birds. Not quite today's situation, but that's exactly how it's been helpful. Some real tweeting did exist this morning though! Do you know what kind of over-diligent birds get up at a dark 5 am and start singing a whole album? I'm getting very curious here. Plus I would need that info if I was to contact them.

YAY! It's hot soup o'clock! :) I'll wrap this up now (The typing, not the soup). Remember to check out FAB store this week!

Travel Week at FAB!

It's a gorgeous Monday!

Paris items had opened the Travel Week at FAB! More new stuff on the way and suggesting your city is as easy as dropping a line at FAB Etsy inbox!

New at FAB online store!

Hi everybody,

This is the new Fika's art box blog. From now on I will be posting news from FAB online store and sharing my favorite finds with all of you!

I listed quite a few new items on FAB Etsy store yesterday. There will be a theme of the week every now and then and next week it's Travel Week! -expect lots of items featuring famous cities and world cultures. Music Week had passed but don't worry if you are a music fan because so am I! That one awesome theme will definitely come around again.

Well that's my little update for today. I'm going off to treat this day like a Sunday: enjoyable and Very Enjoyable :) Please subscribe and connect with FAB from your favorite sites. Links are on your right anytime you need them.

Have a great weekend!