Meet Hunny–our adorable Heima plush bunny! Here he is sitting atop my bookshelf…

While I love how so plump and full of character he is, I also love that he’s hand-made locally, by the obviously talented folks at Monsterella Plush Art. Reading the info sheet that came with him, I’m delighted to find out he’s made of high-grade wool and felt materials. The stitching is amazing, too!

B and I got him at last weekend’s Heima Collection 3.0 launch, entitled “Life is a Party!” (You can check out the complete set of photos here.) As always, it was difficult not to get drawn into (or lost in) every little nook and corner. This time around, I was especially drawn to all the muted pinks, lilacs and greys in the collection–plus their new and exciting Paper Club, which speaks to me, just because I’m such a huge papyvore (is that even a word? Haha)!

First things first–a Happy New Year (and Happy Lunar New Year) to everyone!

I just got back from blogging hiatus, and I’d like to share the biggest (and most fun) project I had in 2010, a collaboration I am still so happy about to this day! (I mentioned this collab in a previous post.) Here is Heima‘s Collection 2.0 catalog, which I art directed in October last year!

The first image up there is the main cover; this next one is the spread right behind it…

Which then opens up to this…

And right behind it, this dollhouse-inspired layout that doubles as a pretty poster!

The catalog launched in November last year. I absolutely love how it turned out!

I just love surprises! Last week, Heima informed me that someone already made a downpayment for one of my prints! YAY!

Specifically, it was for “Tread Lightly”–which is really the central image for “Inflated Dreams.” (See the full collection here!)

They told me it was going to be a surprise gift for someone, who as yet I won’t reveal–but this much I know, we used to go to the same college and she’s a popular contributor for various feature/lifestyle broadsheet titles (I’m not sure if she’s still actively working in media, though). I super duper hope she loves this (and writes about me! Hee)!

A huge shoutout to Tita Ellen and the guys at OneWorkshop for such a great job!!! You guys make my artwork look awesomer!

A blogger friend recently asked me a few things about my most recent project… And since I haven’t shared anything about how “Inflated Dreams” came to be, here are snippets from that Q&A!

What inspired your first exhibit collection: “Inflated Dreams”?

“For several months now, I’ve had this obsession and fascination with balloons–how airy, light, and perfectly round they were. I was inspired by a lot of wedding videos, movies and ads that had balloons in them. When Heima asked if I wanted to collaborate with them for their new collection, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to bring this vision to life.

This balloon corner made for great photo-ops during the event!

“I began thinking of very out-of-this-world scenarios with balloons in them. ‘Tread Lightly’ was the first image that inspired the rest, which I rendered with the style I do best–very feminine, dreamy, muted hues, but with an element of edge and mystery. My work always combines hard and soft elements–like realistic against whimsical aspects–because the irony itself lends interest. So while these pieces appear soft and feminine at first, there is a hint of mystery and intrigue.

“But I guess what attracted me to these balloons in the first place is the nice, happy, light feelings they give. As a whole, ‘Inflated Dreams’ is a little reminder for how we should live our lives… To simply let go and not worry about the nitty-gritties today which won’t really matter tomorrow.

Everything in Heima is just that...

“Finally, I wanted to imbibe the spirit of Heima in this series. Heima really is all about things made with love, inspiration, happiness, and whimsy–in fact, it’s been my happy place for nearly two years now!”

What particular medium do you love working with? Why? What types of media did you use for “Inflated Dreams”?

“I love working with pencils and watercolors. Pencil–not only because it was the first thing I worked with as a kid, but I really love the kind of control and precision I can have over the medium (I can go really soft and delicate, or hard and edgy with it), plus of course I can erase mistakes! As for watercolor–I love how fluid yet challenging it is at the same time. Both these media give off a very natural and organic feel, too, so I used them for ‘Inflated Dreams.’”

A spool of thread, pins, vintage luggage, Diana camera...

Yesterday, I had such a lovely, relaxed time working beside the Heima girls at their cool office/shop at Makati. I’ve been busy putting together the print version of their latest catalog. It’s turning out great so far! I’ll leave you with two words for now: “dollhouse craft.”

I completed a few hand-drawn elements for the catalog, like these ones here. Taking a cue from successful artists and designers, I’ve decided to start building my own collection of hand-drawn stock illustrations (on plain white board paper, ready to be scanned and whatnot). I imagine I’ll have a thick stack of these soon, organized per category. And neatly filed in sleek Muji organizers (yep, you can see my priorities…).

Finally, I also think these are great things to make and compile over time, especially for the patterns on my soon-to-be paper goods. Whee!