Creative Inspiration Archives - Page 2 of 2

The Broad

By Christina Lee| August 31st, 2019|Creative Inspiration|

Many of us in our younger years had birthday parties of our own or attended parties that had balloon artists who just stunned the audience with their fanciful balloon creations. Whether it was a flower, sword, bunny, cartoon character, or whatever you could conjure up with your imagination, balloon artists could always steal the show with their balloon twisting talent and unique, one-of-a-kind sculptures. Just about every one of us got to bring home a twisted dog or tulip that we held close until the unthinkable happened — it popped or deflated.

Balloon sculptures are a nostalgic childhood memory that still brings a smile to my face, so when I heard of Jeff Koons’ art installation at The Broad, I was thrilled to see it. The first thing that caught our eye was the mirror-polished Tulips. This colorful bouquet was so vibrant and ornate, and definitely a showstopper. I couldn’t help but think how lovely it would look in my home. That’s wishful thinking, but nonetheless, something I can hope for when I retire.

While the tulips brightened up one room, I could practically sniff out the famous Balloon Dog in the other. Seeing this guy in the museum was certainly a ‘wow’ moment. With the dog standing upright and his tail perked up, he’s just sculpted to perfection. I just wanted to squeeze the living life out of him and knowing that he wouldn’t pop gave me extra reassurance, though I didn’t dare defy the museum rules.

It’s certainly a worthwhile trip for all you tulip, dog and balloon lovers out there!

Do What You Love and Love What You Do

By Christina Lee| July 10th, 2019|Creative Inspiration, Learning from the best, Oh My Crafts!|

Nothing is more intriguing than seeing someone do what they love and love what they do. I was lucky to spend a few days on the cobblestone streets of Mostar. Visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina ended up being a detour from my Rick Steves’ trip where vacation is all day fun and drinks. This is probably a spot that I wouldn’t have braved going on my own. Many of the buildings and broken down streets still suffer the tragedy of the 1990’s. Bullet holes, old warehouses and abandoned buildings still serve as a reminder of heartbreak, destruction and loss during the Bosnian genocide.

One of the most memorable moments was hearing firsthand how the war affected survivors today. Oftentimes, you hear stories of Red Cross saving lives and sending parachutes of food down to people from some of the poorest countries, yet rarely do you hear from those on the receiving end of those parachutes. Well today I got to meet someone on the receiving end and learn about war, destruction and near-death experiences from a lady who survived the 1990s in Bosnia Herzegovina. It was an eye-opening experience and a much-needed detour from the ‘good life’ to help me understand history, reconciliation of cultural identities and modern day Muslims.

Even with the pain and hardship, people are able to find peace in doing what they love.

Zierikzee’s Classic Wooden Windmill

By Christina Lee| October 8th, 2017|Creative Inspiration, Humbling Hobbies and Habits, Painting|

On my way to the Netherlands, I stopped by Zierikzee, a quaint town 30 km from Rotterdam. Zierikzee is known for its legendary harbour, houseboat enclaves, enchanting boutique shops and historic townhouses and homes. The city itself is quite charming and convenient for an afternoon stop on the way to Amsterdam. I spent most of my time weaving my way through the neighborhood and admiring the cozy-looking Danish houses. I couldn’t help but wonder what it’d be like to spend the night and wake up to this beautiful harbour. With just a few hours in town I walked along the waterway, snuck into a few bakery stores, bought three pairs of shoes, then got led astray in the fields of green and stole a snapshot of this classic wooden windmill. I stood in front of that towering windmill for quite some time admiring the view… that is until it rained and I had to get back on the bus. Nevertheless, this classic, historic windmill was only one that I could imagine seeing in movies or a painting, so standing right in front of it was surreal.

Months later, I’m still thinking about this picturesque scene and replaying the adventure in my mind. One of the ways to bring this moment back to life is by taking out my paint pad and acrylics, and capturing the memory on paper. I’ve only recently started to explore landscape painting and find depicting nature (fields, bodies of water, mountains) much more interesting than still life.

Well, here’s my spin on the classic wooden windmill of Zierikzee. I hope it inspires you to travel to Holland sometime and experience this wonderful view for yourself.

Chihuly In My Living Room

By Christina Lee| June 18th, 2016|Creative Inspiration, DIY Home|

During a sisters’ trip to Seattle, we visited Chihuly Garden and Glass near the Space Needle. Little did I know I’d fall in love with all of his strikingly beautiful glass art. From wall to ceiling, spirals of hand-blown glass took center stage and commanded the room’s attention. The ornate designs and vibrant colors of reds, yellows, blues and greens were fascinating and stained your eyes. With every delicate piece, came fine art that radiated with beauty. Chihuly knew exactly how to stun his audience.

One day after I work a little harder and make some more money, I hope to take home one of his flawless designs. Until now, I’ve got my high resolution Samsung 6 Edge camera and this snapshot I can now hang on my wall at home.

Chihuly, you are a master of design.

Home Cooking with Blue Apron: First Delivery!

By Christina Lee| September 23rd, 2016|Creative Inspiration, In the Kitchen|

It looks like the photo, right? This is my first attempt at ordering Blue Apron and the box of ingredients arrived on Friday just like the service said it would. The ice was still intact and the ingredients were fresh and plenty. I made my way through all three recipe cards and I swear my arms got a workout taking everything out of the box and transporting it to the refrigerator.

First up on the menu was Blackened Chicken with Cucumber Rice and Tomato and Corn Salad. The recipe card had just enough information to make it easy to follow. The photo of the finished product was a big help to make sure I was tracking. Most of the instructions include 10-15 minutes of prep time folded into a 45 minute overall cooking session. There was lots of slicing and dicing going on with the cucumber, corn and tomatoes – some of which went flying off the counter.

I found it hard to stick within the 45 minute time frame and did quite a bit of multi-tasking, moving between the chopping, the frying and the simmering. I think I worked up quite a sweat and nothing in the kitchen burned down. Whew, I made it through and the best part was plating it just like the photo. Okay, actually the best part is tasting it!! I do deserve to pat myself on the back.

Well, I feel accomplished. Now, who’s getting dessert?

50 Sucks

By Christina Lee| May 30th, 2015|Creative Inspiration, Handmade, Humbling Hobbies and Habits, Oh My Crafts!, Scrapbooking|

Brett is clueless. He has no idea. Friends, family, sangria, a Mexican fiesta and this tree of suckers await the birthday boy. Hats off to the hostess for putting together this party and adding such unique finishing touches to warm up the household. Simple DIY projects such as this this foam ball with dum dums present itself as the centerpiece and is very popular among both the over 50 and under 50. It reminded me of good childhood memories and yep, I’m still a fan of the cream soda flavor. And now there are bacon and popcorn flavored dum dums?! Hmmm, I think I’ll pass, but they were a hit with the kids.

Sitting next to this tree of dum dums is a homemade album featuring the birthday invitation along with an assortment of colored index cards for everyone to send a special note to the birthday boy.

And for this, it’s reason #108 why I love these simple, yet thoughtful DIY home projects.

Pet Terrarium

By Christina Lee| January 21st, 2015|Creative Inspiration, DIY Home, Handmade|

A stroll through West Elm never leaves me empty-handed. This time, the exquisite terrarium table escape caught my eye. Succulents of different colors, shapes and forms gives life to your everyday coffee and dining tables – and soon to mine. A five pound bag of soil, a container of rocks and a few succulents later, I ended up with this centerpiece on my coffee table.

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