Hello! Today I'm going to talk about a little art project I finished last night - I'm super excited!

Edding porcelain brushpens in 3 different shades. I purchased the white mugs from Poundworld - they are dishwasher and microwave friendly ;)

Yes, I obsessively glued myself to the project for 3 hours and completely forgot about dinner. My therapist would highly disapprove (I can imagine the old turkish lady wagging her finger and shaking her head at me).

I received 3 sets of the new Edding 4200 Porcelain Brushpens and had so much fun drawing on ceramic mugs. Evidence below:

Total of 18 pens from 3 different shades. There were some repeats in colour.

It's difficult to find the right type of paint for yellow as the pigment rarely stays opaque on non-porous surfaces. I was super happy that the edding porcelain markers allow layering.

Once the first layer that you've drawn on dries, simply draw on another layer and this increases the pigment of the colour, making it more opaque!

As you can see (ignore the reflection!) the yellow pigment comes out really dark on both the letters and Pacman.

A Pacman-inspired mug. I added a few twists like eyebrows and a bow!

Eeep! Someone's gonna get eaten!

When using two colours side by side, always draw the lighter colour first followed by the darker colour. Should you wish to overlap the lighter colour over the dark, simply apply pressure to the brush and sweep the layer of darker pigment. This essentially scrapes the darker shade.

Everybody loves rainbows! The Pacman crosses under the mug handle. Whee

Done! All good to go into the oven.

If your brush is getting stained by another colour, simply scribble onto a piece of paper until you see the original colour remaining.

To clean any mistakes, I used antiseptic wipes from Boots. These wipes should be easy to find in any drugstore. The reason I used antiseptic wipes is because it contains alcohol which easily cleans permanent markers. Make up removing wipes may have the same effect though I've not tried it!

After carefully drawing, I allowed the ink to dry and drew on top of the first layer. Allowed it to dry again for about 15 minutes, and then popped it into the oven at 160 degrees for 25 minutes. I left the mug to cool overnight in the oven.

It's hot in here! But not too hot, only 160 degrees!

If any of the ink comes in contact with your skin, it washes off incredibly easy with just some hand soap and water. No scrubbing necessary.

I will be posting this mug as a gift and have requested that the mug be used for non-consuming purposes as I have applied ink to areas where normal usage of a mug would mean contact with the mouth - just to be safe!



To test out its dishwashing ability, I will be drawing on another mug which I will use for hot drinks. Stay tuned!


Stay colourful,
Rachel W.

Every year I look forward to this amazing week in April. It certainly isn't because it's the best week in Spring (the temperature fell rock bottom from a fine 20 degrees to a 3 on Monday!)

it's the best week for all stationery lovers!

Monday: Pen & pencil day #penandpencilday

Tuesday: Get crafty #getcrafty

Wednesday: World Stationery day #worldstationeryday

Thursday: Thank you Thursday #thankyouthursday

Friday: Fountain pen Friday #fountainpenfriday

Saturday: Signature Saturday #signaturesaturday

Sunday: Write a letter day #writealetterday

This crown is made of various seashells, pearl cabochons, paper flowers and diamantes. I was most thankful for being able to share my artwork when one the people who purchased my crown told me that she was going to wear it to her wedding!

Oh my. What a greeting! Hot stuff? *blushes*

There were 166 companies and 300 brand names. This year has been the biggest and busiest Stationery Show yet.

There is so much we can do when armed with just some glue and bits of paper!

Throughout the show, I let people guess what my favourite colour was. Everyone did pretty well, I must say I'm impressed. (I was all dressed in pink)

An inflatable pretzel. Everyone needs a pretzel.

For that BFF who is the sh*t and knows it.

Kaweco fountain pens and mechanical pencils *drools*

Washi tape that allows you to colour in. I know. Mindblown.

Mechanical pencils that are supplied by Serve. These come in at least 8 colours and can be found at WHSmith

Products by Vibe Squad

I haven't blogged in exactly 30 days and the reason is because I've attracted a lot of attention to my twitter and I know it can be difficult or uncomfortable for general public to read honest remarks about mental illnesses. Therefore, I've shied away even though I know that there are people who visit my blog looking for a word or two to relate to during hard times.

Making the decision to blog about mental health this evening was a battle in my head between what people want to read vs my honest thoughts. Every post I write triggers my anxiety - Am I being too honest? What would people think of me? etc.

Through all that anxiety, the society needs honesty. The society needs openness and depth. Superficiality is overrated.

--

So,  just like everyone else, I caved in and started '13 Reasons Why' about a week ago and I finished it this evening. Unlike many of you, I found the show to be rather triggering. Of course, with every tv drama, parts were clearly dramatised to increase spectator views but I felt that many of scenes rang true.

'13 Reasons Why' is a Netflix series of a teenage girl who took her life and the 13 reasons that led up to it. A scene in the show (where the counselor failed to listen to her cries) made me realise I had forgotten to do something important, which I should have done ages ago.

It made me realise that I need to take a step and correct the treatment that I was provided a year ago. I don't blame anyone in particular, nor do I feel that I'm angry over the things that happened in the past, but I do have a better understanding on the steps that I can take to prevent others and myself to getting even that close to disfigured thoughts.

It didn't occur to me what a huge impact a medical personnel can have on turning someone's life around. A year ago, I sought help from my GP at my university's clinic. I tried to tell her how awful I felt through my tears. She said, because I've not made an appointment, she can only spend 5 minutes of her time to see me and that it would be best if I made an appointment for next time so we can discuss options (her next availability was weeks away). She also suggested that I register for the university's psychological services.

Let me tell you what the medical personnel should have done. She should not have allowed me to leave. She should have given me immediate help and more importantly, she should have listened.

Please bear in mind that I couldn't think rationally at this point. I was feeling very distraught and confused - not knowing what I had to do or what were my rights.

(A week after, I was hospitalized for severe depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.)

So, this evening I've filed a complain for the treatment I received a year ago. I hope that the entire surgery would receive thorough training to recognize signs and symptoms to help other students.

--

Suicide.

Nobody talks about it - until it happens and suddenly everyone is encouraging the need to be more open about it. My question is, "Why?" Why does it take such a huge impact to get people out of their shells about suicide?

Yes, I said it. Suicide.

Mental illness. Mental Health. Depression. Sickness.

All these words are just so scary that everyone avoids using those terms, and avoid the people who are trying to reach out for help by talking about all the aforementioned words.

'13 Reasons Why' also made me realise that people would rather think "positively" or rather imagine a "best case scenario". They say things like "everyone goes through crap" or "they're just being overdramatic" or "they just want attention". Truth is, when we're in an uncomfortable situation, we would prefer to brush it off as something small or even make a joke about it. No one likes gloom and doom. It's just awkward I guess.

Well, my honest thoughts say that it shouldn't cost a life to be more to any living being. More attentive, more kind, more gentle, more giving, just more.

When you're at your lowest, your thoughts can cloud your judgement. It may seem like the world doesn't care and that you are incredibly lonely. This is known as catastrophizing - your brain is wired to think negatively so that your body is prepared for defense (i.e. fight or flight). Take a deep breath and try with every ounce left to find beauty around you. A tiny cloud in the sky, a lonely flower in the bush, a kind word, or a tiny person in the tree.

Sincerely,
Rachel W.