[.feel.good.frames.part.2.]

Here’s the second dose of this week’s frame series. Let’s see if you also like the idea of layered frames. If so I will experiment with more tiles that I have in my collections. The blank frame can also be filled with your own photos. Below I also include a sample with a picture of me :-)









You can also then put together the two frames side-by-side into one graphic, like this:

[.feel.good.cards.]

Let’s see if you like cards with ’feel good’ sayings on them.

[feel free to save and use them - just please provide a link back to www.amretasgraphics.com]






Some of you might also remember I made the Irish Blessings graphics below for my Saint Patrick’s Day sets.





I found it very nice to print the cards (in colors, of course), then edge-cut and stick or clip them to my journal. Choose positive affirmation to brighten your day :-) I include further below the ‘blank’ cards. You can put your own text or saying on them, digitally, or simply print them and write the text using markers.

Somehow, given very limited time, making cards is easier for me than creating new graphics from scratch :-) If you like it probably I will make a special card page later, with instruction on how to put together the graphics and to add the text, the simple way.

[.little.friday.notes.]

A little graphic (yes, you can right-click on it, save and use it), a little note, and a little collage to wish you a happy friday, and have a nice weekend, too! :-)

[.more.graphics.on.my.graphic.site. www.amretasgraphics.com.]

[.hometown.deco.]

You may consider this a ’sequel’ to the previous entry :-)

Still about the nice things I recently ‘noticed’ in my hometown. It is so interesting how things you’re focusing on suddenly pop-up everywhere and catch your attention. It becomes more interesting when you realize that those things have actually existed for long time, only that you had never noticed them before! Sounds like synchronicity.

It happened to me. A few years ago, while visiting Sweden, I was smitten by the colourful, flowery borders painted on every entrance-top at the Gothenburg City Museum (too bad taking pictures wasn’t allowed). Also, the border paintings at Swedish painter Carl Larsson’s home in Sundborn (couldn’t take pictures either). The result of this newly-found love was the inspiration for “toppers” (you can find them on my graphic sites) : the graphics that can be used to top a page or table, creating a roof-like or border images.

Much to my joy, again, I spotted these deco-details at the Royal Palace of Yogyakarta. The funny thing is, I had visited the palace many times but never paid attention to these. Even I found that the food at the palace’s restaurant was presented in a unique way (and tasted really good, too!). I was ‘culturally’ excited. Being inspired is the best experience for the artist in me. Even better it came from my own hometown :-)



The front hall of the Royal Palace



I really like the [mix-matched] patterns for the fences, pillars, tiles, roof edge...



The hall in the middle part of the palace compound. Somehow I had the impression that the deco-patterns were 'European' with 'Javanese' colours - the Royal Palace's colours.









Javanese alphabets can make a nice decoration, too :-)



Greens really dominate the colours in the royal palace - especially these particular greens (picture above, front hall of the palace's restaurant) which are used in many parts of the palace, and in many houses or buildings in town, to give a royal Javanese feeling.

pssst: my mom used the same green paints for our house. Should look for some pictures.



The food is presented in a real Javanese way : batik table cloth (in the traditional colours: white from the linen, brown and black from the wax), wooden tray with batik patterns, wooden place mat, bowl-base from vernished rattan, and stupa-inspired ceramic candle holder



Grilled cassava - reportedly the Queen's favorite snack



Another favorite...rolled banana with palm sugar

Links:
The Royal Palace of Yogyakarta: http://www.yogyes.com/en/yogyakarta-tourism-object/places-of-interest/kraton/
The restaurant at the Royal Palace: www.yogyes.com/bale-raos

[.colours.of.the.bird.market.]

Thought it’s time to blog some things about my hometown, to give a little balance after babbling alot about graphics, designs, my life in Jakarta, and Sweden ;-)

But it’s still about colours and beautiful things. Yogyakarta is relatively a small town compared to Indonesia’s capital city Jakarta where I live now. Born there, grew up there, but living about 600 km away has taught me to see my home town from fresh, new angles and to get in touch more with the things I care about, without being burdened by the things I don’t. Yogyakarta is known as cultural city in any case, one of the must-visits for those interested in Indonesia’s cultural life.

One that came as a surprise to me was an impromptu visit to the traditional bird market. That was supposed to be ‘scientific visit’ as I was there taking two Swedish scientists (+ a colleague) looking at variety of birds that might relate to one of the scientists’ researches.

I swear I had never been inside the traditional bird market before though its location is actually within walking distance from my childhood home. Simply as a little Javanese girl I had the assumption that bird market was something accessible only for men!

When finally the group of four was inside the market, I started to have this mix feeling of familiarity from a long gone childhood and of an exciting discovery. I was instantly drawn to the market’s palette in that late afternoon and fighting with time to capture some images before the market’s deserted for a night by its occupants. And before the already scheduled ride to the airport to fly back to Jakarta.

The colourful birds and birdcages



















Loved the owls...







Bird food



Washing dishes, the market's closing

[.free.graphics.070704.]

Laughter is the best therapy! I was sick and had to stay in bed for a few days last week, and besides undergoing several therapeutic sessions, I noticed that my condition improved after having lots of big laughters as my cousins and I marathonly watched Monty Python’s Life of Brian, the Quest for the Holy Grail, and The Meaning of Life. Whoever gave that statement, I couldn’t agree more, laugther is a great therapy! My good health’s back and I feel terrific! :-)

Anyway, here come more free graphics as promised – earlier in January I planned to draw the second set of rose bears, now with red roses, but then many things happened, including the big flood – and as you might see, these seven graphics stayed in the folder. I can’t promise when the set will be ready, but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy parts of it below :-)

ps: If you decide to use one of these graphics, please do not forget to provide a link back to www.amretasgraphics.com

Thank you! :-)

[.free.graphics.070626.]

Ow, blogging is so practical that as you see now I also use this blog for posting new free graphics. they will come more regularly i hope, just a few graphics per entry, and well, probably without theme! with my schedule right now I still find it difficult to concentrate and draw a set or collection. anyhow, I guess random graphics will be better than no new graphic at all ;-)

I start with these two graphics, I got a question whether the girl-with-violin graphic is available for download, since it doesn’t belong to any set or collection. well, actually I planned to add it to my updated spring collection, but here you get two of them for free, since the update is still on its way, and there will be a lot more of these in the collection.

Hope you enjoy the graphics :-)

[to dowload: right-click and choose 'save picture as' - and save it to your own harddisk]