DAYA CREATIONS

Inspires your Creativity

December already?

Dec 4

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How time flies..its December already?

2011 has been a topsy turvy roller coaster for me.

But I will not go into that yet. Saving it for when my mood goes retrospective.

Dewi and I have been busy of late with personal endeavours. Thus we are taking it slower with DC but never did we stop at all. Up till now we are still fulfilling orders commitment. Just that we are not able to do new creations yet to add on to our photo album be it in our website or in our Facebook. And we are not up to planning for an appearance in the flea market just yet.

In the news : A recent order, an alphabet ring.

M Ring


Seems like the alpha mania still reigning. Review from customer : 3 December 00:08 -> ” have received. thanks! LOVE IT (: “

Of late, my little niece of 6 years old (she will be 6 tomorrow!) has shown tremendous interest in my work. She is always finding excuses to come over and she will plonk herself in my workstation urging me to keep on creating. She will on the sly take some of my leftover clay and give it her own creation. I must say I am quite impressed with her aspiration. I call her my little apprentice. So now I am assured of continuing my legacy should I retire in the future.

Her color co-ordination and her imagination dumbfounded me. She made this doughnut (well I helped her in the assembly process) with scraps of leftover clay.

Blink-Blink Doughnut

The color and idea was all hers. She went through my shelves looking for inspirations of what should be the topping and she brilliantly came up with this ensemble. Not a conventional idea at all. And simply stunning and out of the box (for a 6 years old I mean). With hot pink base and blink-blink topping. She wanted this to be made into a ring. Erm….up till now I still have not fix the ring base yet.. me bad aunt….

And just recently, I made her a necklace from pink crystal beads with an alpha A as a pendant. She paid me in her coin worth. Oh well…she was smiling from ear to ear. What more can I say? A true lady in the making.

A Necklace

Now that her birthday is approaching, I am thinking of making a special gift for her. She is anticipating something pink and blink-blink. Still no idea yet for now…waiting for inspiration….

Luv to keep on aspiring,
Noor

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Crazy over A B C

Oct 14

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A tribute to a brilliant innovator, Steve Jobs

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.
Steve Jobs

Madness over A B C. Yeah. 70% of our orders have to do with the alphabets and maybe a numerical or two added into the string of letters. Be it in the form of keychain, handphone charms, earrings, bracelets, brooches or even as a nameplate to sit on a desk. Single alphabets, names or initials with heart shapes conjoined to describe the significant love for the other half…yeah we did it all.

Looks easy to do? I beg to differ!

Believe it or not but no mould was ever used. Totally hand craftwork. Every letter received special attention.

First, I need to shape the clay into alphabets and obviously I need a template to guide me into shaping the clay. Using the hard paper, I hand sketch the alphabets according to the size and whether it is capital or small letters.

Second, cut out the hard paper.

Third, then use the cut out hard paper as a guide to cut the clay into the intended shapes. Thereon it is just me, my carving tools and the A B C…

Fourth, getting the right colour can be intimidating too. Yeah, though red is red and green is green but choosing the right shades of red or green can make lots of different to the recipient. Most challenging would be when I have to co-ordinate two colours. Red and pink sounds simple as that but when they are put together, it might not look right. So getting the right shade of red or the right shade of pink to blend in can take quite a while. Even days.

Fifth, after putting all the letters together, the tricky part would be to make sure they can all hold well together. That is when the little hearts motif or whatever motifs the customer may fancy, (we have had stars, flowers, even triangles!) act as a bond to secure the letters together. The function of the little hearts is fundamental in keeping the name intact. The challenging moments would be when I get downright frustrated over where to put the decorative hearts and whether the size is right so it would not be too obscure or it can sometime just ruin the whole look. Oh and I would like to add that the hearts would be in another different colour that would complement the look.

Sixth, once I finalize the layout, I have to take them apart and start applying special adhesive to bond them all intact. Another time consuming affair. Sometimes the heart just wouldn’t sit nicely. The adhesive is in liquid form so it can subject the hearts to slippery moments. Also, dust particles may settle onto the art piece and I have to use a special method to meticulously lift off any dust particles.

Seventh, then off to the oven. It will take about 35 minutes and not inclusive of cooling off period. That would require another 1hr or maybe more.

Eighth, once cured and cooled off, I will need to reapply another layer of adhesive just as an added security.

Ninth, then off to the oven again. I would then let it cool off overnight.

Tenth, this stage is optional. Some customers like it varnished and some like it in its true form. Anyway after varnishing it would need an overnight to allow it to properly settled.

Eleventh, putting the right accessories to it eg jumprings, keychains etc…this take just a while to do it so no big deal on this stage.

Twelfth, delivery to customer and depends on customer preference. For local customers, we have the option of self-collect (no charge) or personal delivery to customer designated place (charges apply base on location) or mail delivery (no charge for normal mail and S$3.00 for registered mail). I prefer self-collect and personal delivery as that means I am assured that the customer received their art piece. Guaranteed. Furthermore, I do not need to go through the process of individually bubble wrapping the art piece and then having to head down to the nearest post office and had to queue up. I hate queuing up. Plus if the customer requested for normal mail, I am so afraid of lost parcel which is definitely not traceable and then what. Customer would definitely claim us to be cheaters etc..and the sad part is all my hard effort would just be wasted to nothing. And if the customer requested for registered mail, the problem we faced is that when no one is at home to receive the parcel, it will be redelivered to the customer’s nearest post office and sometimes, (yeah more like most times) there wasn’t any notification slip to inform the customer to collect their item at the designated post office. After two weeks of sitting in the post office mailroom, it will be redelivered back to us and we have to make another attempt at delivering yet again. So the story goes.

Tedious? Yes definitely. But I love doing it. Just love putting the hearts, flowers and whatever motifs decorate a plain name into something so cute, so sweet or even so bold. Just keep on doing.

Luv making hearts
Noor

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The Truth Revealed

Sep 18

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That I am a survivor, a force to be reckoned with, and a believer that I have what I need to get where I want to be in this life. Because I do. And I will.

And that was what my horoscope read yesterday. The day I celebrate my birthday.

It took me quite a while to vacuum away the dust in here….and there were cobwebs too!!! Whoa to the state of DC’s blog. What happened????!!!!!

Right after DC announced the new beginning, we received tremendous enquiries and of course follow up by customised orders. It was way way way more than when we had 2 pairs of hand. How ironic. It was going on fine and smooth until I was hit with yet again another family feud. Yeah, the other side.

It was all why/what/when/who/where and how kinda situation. I was overwhelmed with anger at first. But disappointment and sadness took over. After doing some sleuthing and putting all the jigsaw pieces together I finally understood. My only reaction was WTFish! As always I get deeply affected. I was not able to focus. It took me quite awhile to sort myself out. I fell sick. And became sicker. DC was out of focus. Orders were not able to complete on time or was not done with good work. On top of that we suffered losses to the 2 rental spaces. Why? When I decided to have DC on display it was in the notion that there were still 2 pairs of hands. Should I have known that it would go this way, I would not have embarked on. Sales were good for both at first but when stocks depleted and it was time to replenish, I had trouble juggling with current customised orders and what to stock at both retail sites while my mind consumed with anger over the family feud. Truly too much.

On Eid, met with the folks from the other side. Said my pieces, made amends and hoping to let bygones be bygones. I came with sincerity to end the nonsense. I have no grudge and neither any ill-intentions. I no longer care what their thoughts are. Or whether my sincere approach would be thought otherwise. No longer matters to me. The feud had gone stale. The mastermind behind this feud can bask in glory for I am not and never had been in the competition. I do not need to compete for attention. I do not need to compete to be in their good books. I do not need to compete for love and affection either. I am blessed for being bestowed abundance of love and affection from the people around me. Seriously, what have I got to lose? None. Zilch.

But the damage is that I got myself sicker from thinking too much. Only recently after being diagnosed and getting the right medication that I am nursing my way back to health. For which I started doing DC work with more commitment.

Since the new beginning DC is no longer about just the moolah..DC is about creativity, passion and craft. Passion and nothing else. Let me reiterate that the purpose of building DC is to bring forth the creativity that is hidden within.

Neither Dewi nor I have any intentions of acquiring big profits from the sales of DC work.

Our passion surpasses our needs hence we will keep on delivering our very best. Yes, we have disappointed a few customers at this moment. We seek understanding and co-operation to give us a little bit more time to sort things out. Rest assured, we will deliver.

Luv
Noor

Crazy Over Roses

Jun 2

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Our bestsellers so far has been our rose rings. Come in myriads of wonderful colors to choose from. Currently available at our shelf outlet The Blogshop.

However, we do take in customised order via our Facebook portal.

The rings comes in adjustable handmade ring band. Available as 4 petals and 5 petals roses.

Rose Rings

Rose Rings

greyblack

Black and Grey rose rings on fingers

Blue Rose Ring

View of the adjustable ring band

The rose petals on its own can withstand normal wear and tear and can last quite long. But unless aggravated or forceful pressure exerted to it, then it may break. So far Dewi our resident clumsy head has been wearing it frequently and thus we are able to testify to its lifespan. Other concern would be the adjustable ring band. It may get dented or out of shape. We are still working on improving it. And we are also working on improving the way to secure the ring band neatly.

Luv roses always,
Noor

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A New Beginning….

May 25

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This entry is to officially announce that Ida is no longer part of Daya Creations family.

She had decided to step down. I respect her decisions and wish her well in her future endeavours.

I cant deny that I was sad and disappointed with her decision. Just not too long ago we had made a pact to take DC seriously. We laid out plans on how we were going to progress. We were eager to bring DC out to new boundaries. However, those excitement shortlived. People change. The lure of a more lucrative monetary gain would definitely override hardwork. Hence, promises made were broken

For over these past months I had to shoulder most of DC’s responsibilities. There were times I was at wits end not knowing the directions of DC. Though I took it in stride and adopt the attitude of ‘just do it’ but there was undeniably a lost feeling of not knowing what exactly am I suppose to do. It led to frustration and resulting in slackness towards my commitment to DC. When Ida finally dropped the much dreaded yet anticipated news, I felt somewhat relieved. That DC can now move on without being held back by uncertainties.

Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.
Lanston Hughes

My other half had been the utmost supportive person during these periods. Though there were times I was slacking in my obligations and duties, but he took it in stride. I couldn’t thank him enough. He allowed me to pursue my dream despite how financially challenged we are now. He believes in me.

Henceforth, the countless appraisals and commendable reviews received over these past months by customers shall be my motivation to pursue and carry on with the almost fading dream. What is there to lose?

Just a couple of hours ago, we had our very first meeting sans Ida. Dewi, who had been the engine behind DC’s success will be taking over most of DC’s operational activities. Myself will be the only creative artist in DC. Whereas Sya will keep on searching and updating for new ideas to further enhance my creative mind.

So there..a newly inspired DC with no more holding back…

Finally a tribute to Ida :

We would like to thank you for all your contributions for these past years. It was undoubtedly a tough journey for you with lots of cynicism and criticism hurled for your involvement in DC. You endured and persevered. You have a dream and that dream will still live on in you. You fight to keep your dreams burning alive. However, reality bites. DC cannot provide you a lucrative monetary gain that you are experiencing now. DC pale in comparison to what you are getting now. The lure of the big bucks just make it no longer worth to stay on DC. We understand. Still, you have gone this far. Perhaps you shall one day relive that dream but until then….

Love as always,
Noor

News Update

Apr 20

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Daya Creations is now available at The Blogshop.

Check us out!

Luv,
Noor

What is PASSION when there is no ENTHUSIASM

Mar 29

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If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t,
you’ll find an excuse.
– Jim Rohn

It has been awhile since this blog been updated. Reason? Nothing to update on I guess. Well, I tried. But each time I started writing, the words just couldn’t form nicely into a sentence. All garbled and messed up. The state of mind I am in right now.

For the month of March, we had to slow down our order takings. January and February were really fantastic. We really got ourselves busy with orders after orders and ultimately I got burnt out. Lack of planning, lack of resources and lack of everything. Resulting in me getting paranoid and jumpy and that some of the jobs didn’t turn out right. Perhaps we are just not ready yet to take on that many jobs at one time. So Dewi had to stop all activities on Facebook in order to space out job orders. We still receiving orders but not as much as we’ve seen in the past couple months.

Dewi did a marvellous job in managing our Facebook account and the many enquiries that came non-stop via Facebook. Now that we are a little inactive, she kinda missed her routine of checking the mails for enquiries and tending to customer request.

April is knocking in a few days time. What then? What is in for April? What had been planned out months ago didn’t exactly coming to reality. Somehow, I am slowly coming to terms with the way things are now. I have to accept and accommodate the changes. At this juncture, do I have any other choices?

Been a little melodramatic and sensitive these days. Hence pardon the mellow blog entry. But I need to move on and get out from this negative phase. Though my passion has never left me, my enthusiasm just need a little jolt. It is either I do it with all my heart or I don’t do it at all. Commitment and time management are two areas that I need to work on. I just need to start believing in myself. It is easier said than done but I just had to do it no matter how tough the road is going to be. I have to stop wallowing over how the situation right now is to my disadvantage. Rather I should stay focus and channel it to creating more inspirational works. Last week, I received 3 customers’ compliments over their purchases. Their words were what set me in gear to just move on. Plus, I love what I am doing. No regrets about choosing love over life necessities.

Enough said, I better start planning for April and the months ahead.

If I have the belief that I can do it, I will surely acquire the capacity
to do it, even if I may not have it at the beginning
– Mahatma Gandhi

Luv to kick start the enthusiasm,
Noor

Never intended to be

Feb 28

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A few days ago Dewi had accidentally deleted our photo album that she painstakingly built in Facebook. Even though we were just recently active, more like 2 months now, we received overwhelmed compliments from Facebook friends list for our works. Many of which we are not even acquainted with. Almost all of our creations received a ‘Like’ status. Which we have been awfully inspired to keep on doing more. The long list of compliments had been wiped out along with the photo album. Haiz…. (Head hang low here)

It was something unintended or perhaps it was just meant to be. What done cannot be undone. Initially, I was kind of pissed with the news. Who would not be when you received it the moment you woke up in the wee hours of pre-dusk. But after the news finally sank in and the effort Dewi put to redeem her ‘accidentally’ moment, I cooled down and take it with a pinch of salt. Look on the bright side. Now we know that we have well-meaning Facebook followers who gave us the motivation and support to rebuild what was lost and who believes in us. Yep. Importantly believes in our work. So Dewi will have to work extra hard to get back what was lost.

On another note, Ida commented that she was highlighted by her colleagues on our ‘dead but alive’ website. Well, point noted but some reasoning is in order here. We have been concentrating on building our base on our Facebook site for now. We are always evolving to adapt to current situation needs thus Facebook would be the appropriate portal for us to get instant recognition (and orders too). Though we still received traffic for our website but undeniably the strong networking of Facebook still gives us more spontaneous updates on our work. We received critics (if any) and commendable support (lots and lots) and comments are viewed instantaneously.

We take pride of Daya Creations website. It was built through our own ideas and inspirations. Of course being creative gives it a unique look. We are just different. Non-conventional. The website is more of a long term investment to introduce who we are behind the creative work. Never intended it to be a blogshop. Many tried to give suggestions and we take it in stride. However, we cannot suit everyone needs can we. Bring on the constructive suggestions by writing in to us via our website portal. We value feedbacks but we need to see those feedbacks to improve ourselves and not just voices of what to do and what not to do. Yet again, another disparity between website and Facebook. My point exactly.

Nevertheless, we are not putting the website to rest in peace forever in eternity stage. Over time, after getting over baby steps phase, we will need to focus on our website. Currently we have some ideas of what to do but we got to be realistic here. We can only do so much for now and that means Facebook-ing. Still, stay tune. Changes are in progress. Just taking a longer route. That’s all.

Luv all the great comments,
Noor

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What’s Up

Feb 21

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January was practically a busy month for us as we tried our very best to fulfill all the orders. However, we were kind of disappointed that we were not able to commit to the delivery scheduled for most of the orders due to last minute urgent request by some of the customers.

We are doing using our hands and our creativity comes not all the time. There are requests that beyond disbelief but we always believe that customer is always right and creativity knows no boudaries so yeah we accept. But at least please help us by showing the picture of prefered color so that we can do it right the first time hence we dont have to waste our resources in doing it the second time. Mind you the curing time itself takes at least half a day. Also, as we have decided to waive delivery charges for the month of January at least be reasonable enough to give us ample time to deliver at our convenience arrangement. We really want to do it well and not give sloppy workmanship therefore time is the essence here. Giving us grace period would result in a remarkable outcome.

We accept critism as we would like to improve ourselves further in our work. We will try to make up to whatever is lacking. Still a word of thank you would suffice in giving us that boost of motivation.

However, glad that we encountered only a few such scenarios. Most of the customers were great. On one occassion we had to play courier service. We went the extra mile to get a bouquet of flower, chocolates and of course bundled up with our creations. Well, we really felt the joy and excitement too knowing that it will be a surprise birthday gift for a wonderful lovely lady. Those are the moments that when we do, we really pour our hearts into it.

For the month of February, we still have orders to fulfill but we would like to slow down on the order taking. For we would like to pursue new ideas and new creations. There are so much ideas that just can’t wait to be created.

Doughnut Ring


Doughnut Earring

Luv
Noor

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Where are we now???

Jan 23

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We are at the Singapore Flyer Flea Market. It has been awhile since we last held our flea market so we were kind of excited. Especially the venue will be our first time ever.

We do not really have much things on display as we were practically busy with making custom orders. Of late our job orders increased tremendously. Thanks to Dewi who are back from her hiatus.

Anyway, we are here to mingle with the crowd and just making the best of it.

Seems like the day starts off bright and sunshiny. Hope it stays this way.

Take a look at what we have been busy with.

Dougnut Pendant

Violet Ring

will post more pics soon.

Luv the buzz,
Noor
www.dayacreations.com

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