Calligraphy Basics

I have been religiously praticing calligraphy this month and had lots of friends interested in it. Must be all the attractive slow-mo videos on instagram haha. After a failed attempt with calligraphy last year I decided to try again! Took up an instagram challenge to work on. 

After some research online & pinterest, I downloaded some calligraphy/ lettering practice sheets. Thought I'd share them here. I'd suggest you practice the alphabets individually before starting to connect them to form words. You can download them here. The author has generously provided a number of them for free.

Step 1: Get a good brush pen. You should be able to work well with its tip and strokes.  During my practice, I used the Akashiya Fude brush pen. (Available at Clementi Artfriend)

Step 2: Print them out on hard papers to prevent bleeding of ink. I printed them on regular printing papers. It did bleed a little behind. But, didn't affect the lettering process.

**The brush tip and stroke size did match the practice sheet perfectly. 

See below for video posted on instagram when I was practicing.

A video posted by Yams (@yammyams_) on Jun 12, 2016 at 12:41pm PDT

A video posted by Yams (@yammyams_) on Jun 12, 2016 at 12:41pm PDT

With love,

Yamunah

Anyone can paint

I never thought i'd be able to draw or paint. The last time i tried, I dipped faber castle watercolour pencils in water and failed. What was I thinking? haha 

Recently, I purchased some basic items from Artfriend to kick start painting. And this post could help you pick out what you might need :

#1 Daler downey portable watercolour pocket set  Invest in a good set. They definetely have much better colour pay off. Glides smoothly and easy to blend. I love this one!

#2 Daler downey Langton Prestige Watercolour Paper Ever tried painting on papers and your colours starts bleeding or transfering. You are using the wrong type of paper. This one is small and compact. Perfect match for your water colour set too haha.

#3 Black sharpie maker  You need a good quality marker to outline your images to make them pop! This works well and never dries out! But, clean up the tip after use. 

Lastly, what works for me might not work for you. It also depends on your items and techniques.

If you are looking for a new hobby, try painting. Great way to wind down and chill.

xoxo

Yamunah

10 years

While shopping yesterday,  I bumped into an old school friend. Glad she asked me out for dinner that night. We spoke so much about school, friends and definitely all the dramas. The talk made me realise its nearly 10 years since school ended. Wow. where did all that time go?

Reflecting on the past 10 years. There's happiness, sadness and lots of lesson learnt. They say time heals,  We might have forgotten everything. But, forgiving? apologising? 

Losing loved ones made me realise to be kind, nice and forgiving. Thanks to god I had the opportunity to meet some of them. It does make you feel lighter. No more misunderstandings or discomfort. I hope to speak to many of you.

Its never too late to apologise. 

Let' s start the new year with love.

Handmade Indian Sweet Miniatures

Firstly, I would like to wish everyone's who's celebrating a very Happy Deepavali! 

I managed to ship miniature hole plates from Thailand. It was meant to be used for Christmas cookies. However, Deepavali inspired me to do a Indian sweet palette You may also view the photos on Facebook and Instargam . 

Here you go, 

#1 Miniatures are done in 12:1 ratio of real items. So, here's a photograph that shows how tiny they are.

#2 Miniature newspaper and tea to go along with sweets.

#3 Top view. Don't they look delicious? Pick your favourite!

(From left to right, clockwise) 

(Click link if you would like to see actual examples of the sweets, thanks to wikipedia and other links))

1. Pineapple tarts

2. Athirasam

3. Barfi

4. Ladoo

5. Murukku

6. Gulab Jamun

7. Jelabi

8. Chocolate Barfi

9. Middle, Almonds

Items used for creating the sweet tray:

(1) Premo polymer clay (Artfirend/ Popular)

(2) Hole dishes (Thailand)

(3) Colour pastels (Artfriend)

(4) Tea cups (Thailand)

(5) Liquid sculpey (Tinkle art n crafts)

(6) Newspaper, I found some design online, scaled them and joined together.

Do give it a try! I'm sure you will enjoy making them as much as eating them! hehe.

Love, yamunah

Its been a long time

Thankful for all the experiences.

Couldn't have gone through all these without the blessing of god. Believe in miracles, they do come true.

Sometimes, you just got to pray and wait for life to unfold. Probably not the best advise during hard times but, trust me it works. Been kind to everyone is something I have learned over the years. Give love and you will receive nothing less of it. 

Learn to forgive, forget and accept. (don't forget to smile)

I'm working on some helpful tips for crafts and shopping too. Something I believe would be helpful to you.

Thanks for dropping by. Leave a comment below to spread some love. 

Yamunah

Gif credit: Giphy

Waxing your brows

As they always say, brows defines your face. Nicely trimmed and shaded brows definitely adds a whole lot of difference. I have gone for threading countless number of times/ plucked them myself for hours/ just ignored them forever. Oh and those who share the pain of removing hair from upper lips and girls who goes for full face threading, HOW DO YOU DO IT!?

I do have high tolerance of pain when it comes to threading but with eye infection and having sensitive eyes it caused more problems.

And as I grew older, I realized pulling and stretching is going to produce wrinkles. 

To sum up alllll of that questions. I decided to try benefit brow bar. (Westgate branch)
Alice, the brow expert was very professional, informative, friendly and funny! First time waxing and I was nervous.

She did a patch test on the back of my hand to give me an idea of the process. What's even better? They explain everything you need to know. Starting from the shape, arch and even shading. 

The application of wax was smooth, not too hot and she was quick in pulling out the strips. cleansing oil and gel to cool down the skin was applied. Personally didn't feel much pain doing the brows but, the upper lip was a little pain but bearable. 

Waxing felt much effective. tiny hairs were removed and there was no stretching/ pulling need. Quick and clean finish. Must add that, benefit staffs do help you cleanup and apply minimal makeup once you are done! No pushing of products! *thumbs up

**If you are a sephora member, you have a free brow waxing service with benefit brow bar on your birthday! Check your email for updates.

So, I'm just going to add some shots of before and after,

before

I'm not going to show my bare face haha

after

That's Alice, and there's a huge difference. brows filled in with benefit brow powder.

If you are intending to try their service, do book an appointment before you go down. 

Just sharing some information to girls who needs help with their brows.

xoxo, yam

Stunner

There have been some exciting news and here it is, 

Launched the jewelry line over at the facebook store. We have been researching and planning for 4 months and finally, its up! 

Some pictures for you, 

All items are handmade and made with standard measurements. We have 5 different designs to choose from :)

We adore celebrities who have been wearing them and wanted to re-create them for you!

Stunning pieces, Ready to rock the boho chick in you.

love,

yam

Now everywhere you go,

(Above, Replica of Spatula Bakery Cupcakes! Click to see more of it! )

I've been venturing out on lots of social media platforms to spread about yammyams. Oh! that's my humble little facebook store.

Pronounced as : YAMMY- YAMS ( merged the double 'y' in the middle )

We have been upgrading the site/ and we just listed our first item on ebay ( Click if you would like to check it out! ) / Sending out items for reviews and now we are going to be writing here frequently!

Do watch out for this space!

And to those who are interested in tutorials to re-create any art, we're up on youtube and going to be sharing lots of tips over there. (Start Subscribing! We can be friends! )

I'm going to make things easier by linking up all the social media links below! So, there's no excuse not to follow us.

We love to meet all of you and do celebrate this journey with us!

Thanks for supporting us.

Love,
Yamunah

Google+ : Yamunah Balakrishnan ( Find me! )
Email : yammyamsg@gmail.com
Facebook : Click here
Ebay : Click here
Youtube : I'll link it up soon!
Twitter: Click here

Thanks for subscirbing to us! Feel free to send me a mail to discuss your queries.

Goodbye friends!

Love,
Yamunah

FEATURED

So, 2014 has been good to me. and i'm thankful for all opportunities.

Got featured in a newspaper article yesterday and couldn't be happier.

Something that was pending since 2012. Its definitely an accomplishment in the midst of all the struggles coping with all the work. 

Hope this year brings lots and lots of happiness and love. God's blessing shall always be with you.

Thanks for supporting and engaging yammyams.

Till we meet again, xoxo

Ah Sunday?

Halfway through September and it hits me that we'll be welcoming 2014 in 3 months. How quickly has the year passed. With work that i'm pretty much always busy with, I've also managed to include some projects that has allowed me to feel better and relaxed. Soap-making classes, Clay-works and lots more. Running around literally like a busy bee, but, still feel there's lots more that should be done. 

If I were to update constantly, It'll just be how I rushed, cabbed and too tired to fall asleep every night. Same routine everyday. God has blessed with many amazing opportunities this year and me being so shy never allowed myself to try something new. So, that's what I'm gonna be working on now. 

Thought of some really cool projects that I could do for myself. Will definitely post them If I ever wake up on time to execute that out!

What have you been up to this year? 

Never forget to encourage yourself for all the hard work, Its alright to take some time to chill or just sort out things. Don't be harsh. 

Till I update with much more exciting post. bye. virtual hugs. 

Photo Credit: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/window-and-raindrops-steve-somerville.html

As it unfolds,

Change is the only constant.

Really hope 2012 treated you well. Midst of the lame world ending stories and dramas, I did have an amazing year. Thanks to a few who made this year indeed a memorable one!

Obviously everyone has bad days. But, they eventually do have a reason and you get an opportunity to learn from your mistakes.

And here's why #2012 means a lot to me:

#2 Yammyams
#3 Job
#4 Turning 21
#5 Customers to really good friends
#6 Winning lots of presents
#7 (If this happens soon, I'll blog about it :) ) Probably my biggest achievement.
#8 MY TWO AMAZING CAMERAS
#9 My 1028 followers (AS OF NOW :) )
#10 all the lasting friendships
#11 Everyone's healthy
#12 No more rebonded, unhealthy, total waste of $ hair :)
#13 International customers
#14 Every tuesdays :)
#15 Makeup skills hahahaa
#16 Flea Stall
#17 KAYA'S BABY, it was a precious moment to welcome the little bundle of joy!

and so much more. Whatever I've listed have nothing to do with money or a havoc lifestyle but, like we say the greatest things come in small packages. I've had a really good year and hope that 2013 will bring more happiness and blessings!

Eagerly waiting for all the pending stuffs to happen. Thanks to god for watching over and blessings :)

I hope all of you had a good year and memorable moments. Now let's welcome this new year with lots of love and kisses. May it bring you all the happiness and love :)

Lots of love,

Time of the year

Hope all of you had a great celebration loves!

Woke up super late and obviously was too lazy to head out. Had a nice time at the temple and meanwhile was contemplating whether I should get a drink at Starbucks. I didn't ): 

xx

Ohhhhhh and If you haven't try the Peppermint mocha frappe you should. 

Its sooo delicious. They're limited so go get one soon okays!

And let me know whether you liked it!

Will be posting for new year! 

Thankful for everything this year has given me.

Lots of love.

COLOUR OF THE YEAR

Emerald (Also referred as kelly green) has been named as the Colour of the year 2013! 

Personally, I've not been much of a green fan! But this particular shade did win my heart! Its really attractive, radiant and PRETTY! Well, it gives you a sort of 80s feel but hey who cares, let's bring back the style!

Its often mistaken for teal too. Teal has more of a blue tone though.

Looooook!

There are a couple of colors that complements this lovely shade.

Blue/White gives a really fresh and lively look with Emerald,

Or you can try pairing it up with purple/yellow too!

This rich and classy emerald, would be a great investment for your wardrobe, girls!

You can give a pop of green for your eyes using the sleek I-Divine Ultra matte V2 palette! Great selection of eyeshadows too! Use the white in your inner-corners to make your eyes look bigger!

You can purchase them at Luxola! They have a wide range of cosmetics for you to pick from.

Ps: In case you were wondering what was the colour of the year 2012 was. Its was Tangerine Tango.

 Have an amazing day ahead! Lots of love.

Its 1000

With Christmas and New year making its way soon. I've been flooded with orders and queries. Taking time off from deliveries, meetups and working; to get some tutorials done! Recording and editing, phew. Somehow, I've been trying to get those completed :)

Oh, today's a really special day. We have reached 1006 (To be exact) haha FANS on facebook. Getting such a huge number of fans is not something that happened overnight but took so much patience and hardwork. Thanks to Farzanah and Shahnaz for being there, supporting and helping out. Couldn't have done it all myself. And obviously, Thanks to all Fans for supporting and trusting us!

Have been really busy but, will be picking out the winners for giveaways soon!
And Thank you 1000th FAN! Will be contacting you soon!

Recently had the pleasure of meeting up with Zaza Haikaz. A fan who have been supporting since the page was promoted. It was indeed a really special meetup. Spoke so much till nearly midnight haha. Glad that this page has also given me opportunities to make lots of nice friends. She's draws awesome graffiti and more. Will be uploading something that she's drawing for me. Its so heart warming and touching! Thank you for supporting me and the page since the beginning! Means a lot. Will be meeting you again soon my new friend!

Sorry that the page is rarely updated with contents. Will be making an extra effort to update frequently! :)
Drop a comment/ message to let us know If there's anything!

Do check out yammyams for lots more creative and amazing items!

Thanks again loves.

Lots moreeee

Haven't been updating much! Hey but you can always check out my page, Its always up to date! 
Let me just show you quickly what I've been doing,

*Everything is customization according to how you want it to be, Drop us a mail soon to discuss!

There's lots more to update soon; keep watching this space!

*Click on the respective heading to view more photographs!

SUPERMAN INSPIRED CARD

BLOSSOM CARD 

VINTAGE MEMORY BOOK

POP UP HEART CARD

Just click to see all our various stuffs! 

You can tweet us @fbyammyams

/drop us a mail at yams@live.com.sg

&

obviously, drop over at our page yammyams too!

See ya sn!

Tomorrow IS MONDAYYY

Haha! Happy Sunday folks! 

Its such a nice weather. Uploaded lots of new stuffs over at yammyams! 

And heading out now. 

have a blessed day! 

SUPERHERO

This city just showed you that it's full of people ready to believe in good.

Had an amazing time finishing up this SUPERHERO themed card for a customer. Yes, a Batman one. This was inspired by my earlier card (Spiderman). Loving this card. Its a great gift customized for your loved one. Adds a special touch too. Had space for her on the inner right side to fill up her message and topped it off with a batman figure. Obviously what's a card without a photograph? Added a designed Polaroid photo for her. 

Pss; All comic strips used are selected individually and wrapped up the card with clear plastic! Now, no complains since its waterproof ! :)

If you love such cards, drop by yammyams. We customize lots of stuffs! 

Loving this card. Check out lots more gorgeous card in our albums! 

Feel free to drop us a comment/ message! <3

Keep fluttering

Had free passes to the Birdpark, Used that to make a visit last month. I absolutely love birds and giving me an entire day to be there is soooo fun! You don't get to see penguins, owls and eagles everywhere right. We stopped for lunch at hawks cafe! good food.. and back to sight-seeing. 

Amongst the fun things we did, I loved snapping photographs of the birds! They were gorgeous and obviously you should snap lots of photos too. 

Here are some pretty photos,

Don't they look amazing? Start planning your trip to birdpark now. Such a pretty place.

Pss; Remember to bring an umbrella/ cap, its hot. 

Hiatus

Not posting for quite a period of time means now I'm going to overload with things. haha. 
Was super packed with lots of orders and since we customize from scratch there's a lot of dedication we gotta put in and thus, updates are so slow. ):

Opps I just checked and I'm so back dated. Here gonna upload some stuffs now, 

Are you excited about halloween? 
Practiced more SFX, 

And Photograph on wood/ tiles, 

Would you like to have yours printed on this?

Or our special Macaroon Chain/ Earings? We have both studs and dangling ones.

Oh there's lots more, will be updating soon and you can take a look at yammyams for lots more! 

We are constantly updating with new stuffs. Do take a looook ((:

Lots of love,

I'm too happy

Since my meeting got cancelled that day and I was thinking on what to! 

And wanna see what completed. Here, yammyams offical page! 

What's great? ,You can place your order through our page too! 

Have updated almost all the photographs! 

Show a lil love, Hop over and take a look loves.

Thank you for you support peeps <3

with love,