Merry Christmas & Happy 2016
With Christmas just days away and 2015 almost coming to an end, I would like to sincerely thank each and everyone of you for your love and support over the year. Also because of you, I was able to contribute more to the causes I support compared to past years. I know 2016 is going to be an even more exciting year for me as plans are already underway for Dollgift, and I hope I'll continue to have you with me on this journey.
May the force be with you this Christmas and the new year ahead!!! Wooohoooo~~
❤ Blessings, Charllotte
Important Announcement
Hellooo everyone!
I've recently changed my name for good. From now on, my name would be Charllotte (pronounced as 'Sharlet'). Charllotte Ashlie in full. Boy, I LOVE MY NEW NAME!
I'll also be changing my Chinese name (update coming up in my next post). I'm really excited about the change. It felt as though I was given a new lease of life. :p
More exciting news by Charllotte coming soon, I hope! :D
Stay safe and have a fabulous week ahead~
❤ Blessings, Charllotte
Sweet Friend & Bella
We all have that one friend who will always be there for us in good times or bad. You know you can be your completely weird, goofy self around them (sometimes they may even be weirder or crazier than you!). I'm blessed to have a few such friends in my life (you know who you are). Thank you for loving me for who I am. I love you! <3
Art print is available on Etsy.
Also today, I want to introduce you to SWEET Bella, the miniature dachshund (surprise, Rachel!! :D) Rachel is a follower of mine on Instagram for quite a while now.
Starting this week, I'll be picking a random (pet) follower on my Instagram to customise a portrait weekly. If your pet is picked by me, you can contact me and I'll be glad to send you a high res digital copy of the drawing so you can print it out if you like. Best part is, it'll be FREE of charge for you. ;D
Photo of Bella I took reference from
Join in the fun by following me on Instagram @dollgiftbyrheea now, your pet might be the next lucky one to be chosen! Alternatively you can customise a similar portrait as this one of your pet at US$68. Dimension of this drawing is 14''x11'' (I can do other dimension as well). If you prefer the portrait to be printed out and send to your house, cost for printing and postage apply. Feel free to drop me a message to inquire!
Don't forget to follow me on Instagram! You can also follow Bella here @rachel_am_i
❤ Blessings, Rheea
Sweetness Overload
I think I may suffer from overdose of love over the week for my birthday. :p
I'm not one who enjoy being the centre of attention so naturally when friends wanted to celebrate my birthday for me, I was stressed out. But knowing how much it would mean to them, I'd agreed to meet up over a simple meal. That was how I'd spent my birthday week.. simple cosy dates with my closest friends. :)
My BFF knows how much I'd missed my Nono and gave me this dachshund balloon! So cuteeee!
And mini Nono immediately took on the role of a 'big' brother.
You've probably heard about my obsession with Angels by now. So YES, I got these for my birthday. Woohoooo~ my Angels collection is growing! :D
I'm not exaggerating when I say my heart is bursting with love. Just hours ago, I received this sweetest parcel in my mail box.
Thank you for reminding me that I'm loved.
My wonderful buddy, Holly from Oklahoma had sent me these sweet little ornaments. I know she made these pretty stars by herself! Her loving words of encouragement brought tears to my eyes. Thank you, buddy. :')
You know what's the most amazing part? Holly and I have never met in person. I got to know this awesome girl back in 2009 when I started Dollgift and worked on my very first blog. So we've actually 'known' each other through blogging! Over the years we'd exchanged several letters, gifts and loads of love.
Angels can appear in many forms, and I've no doubt my lovely buddy is an Earth Angel. ❤
Do you believe in Angels like we do? If you do, I'd love to hear your stories. :)
Have a beautiful week ahead.
❤ Blessings, Rheea
Happy Lunar New Year 2015
Here's wishing all our Chinese friends a very happy and prosperous Lunar New Year. Enjoy your gatherings with your loved ones! 恭喜发财. 身体健康. 万事如意! Huat ahhhhh~~~
❤ Blessings, Rheea
All Dogs Go To Heaven
My heartfelt thanks and appreciation for all your love and words of encouragement over my loss. I know many of you were deeply sadden by the news especially those who have known Nono through my blog and drawings over the years.
A lovely lady wrote me this:
'I hope you find peace in your heart knowing that I enjoyed seeing him in your art, I hope you don't stop.'
It means alot to me knowing what I do bring joy to people. Although Nono had left us physically, his spirit remains. So no, I wont stop drawing him. I hope his mischievous antics will continue to bring smiles to your face. :)
Well, I've no doubt my boy is having the time of his life above now.
Quote Of The Week
Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Sorry for missing on quite abit of updates. I've been busy with reconstructing my website. Just a little more to go!
Alternatively, you can always follow me on Facebook to receive all the lastest news >> https://www.facebook.com/DollgiftByRheea
I'll be sharing a weekly quote on Facebook from now on. Just in case you missed the one last week, here's it:
'Don't compare yourself to others. Compare yourself to the person you were yesterday.'
How often do you catch yourself comparing your looks, ability, skills, status, etc. to someone else's? I'm guilty of that; feeling demoralised when I see other artists/ illustrators doing 'better' - their talent, skills, success, to the number of Likes on their posts. Yes, I know HOW absurd it sounds. I've been learning to use that as a form of motivation or I'll simply have to learn to love myself more.
(Art print is available on Etsy >> https://www.etsy.com/shop/dollgift)
Last week, I'd also made a visit to SPCA - our first beneficiary of the year! Come to think of it, the last time I'd been there was probably more than 10 years ago? Yeah, I was still a teenage girl back then. Time flies! Now it's so much easier to get around SPCA with the MRT Circle Line (Bartley Station) located just beside the rescue centre.
The adoption area is open to public for viewing at the following time slot: Monday to Wednesday and Friday to Sunday and Public Holidays: 11.00am to 4.00pm. Of course there is a long list of rescue centres other than the SPCA. So the next time you plan to get a pet, please please please seriously consider adopting one instead of buying.
You can purchase my cards and many other products at their merchandise section or online store here >> http://www.spca.org.sg/onlineshop.asp.
Shop for a good cause today!
Before I go, I'm going to leave you the quote for this week:
'Today is a gift. Don’t forget to enjoy and bask in every moment you are in.'
''If you ever think you have almost nothing, remember to be thankful for the sun, the water, the earth, and all of the love in your life. You will soon realise that you actually have everything.''
Have a mindful week ahead!
❤ Blessings, Rheea
Hello 2015!
Thank you 2014
I was overwhelmed by all the encouraging words pouring in on my earlier post on Facebook (read about it here >> www.facebook.com/DollgiftByRheea). Thank you so much! I feel very loved. ^^
I know there are people who have been through (or are going through) tougher times than me but please keep your faith! Everything in life is temporary, we just have to learn to dance in the rain (and enjoy it!). The best part is, challenges make us stronger and wiser too.
With this whimsical illustration, I wish all of you an adventurous and fun-filled new year. Be bold, be happy, be yourself.
We’ll chat again in 2015. Wooohoooo~~~
❤ Blessings, Rheea & Nono
PS: I wasn't very active on Instagram in the past; sharing only work related stuffs. But I've decided to share more about my life outside of work in the coming new year. You're welcome to follow me on Instagram >> http://instagram.com/dollgiftbyrheea!
Blessed Christmas
Ho ho ho~~
Nono and I would like to wish everyone a very joyous and blessed holiday~ Stay safe and have loads of fun! \(^.^)/
❤ Blessings, Rheea & Nono
DOGs Campaign Update
Hello everyone!
We managed to raise a total of US$1219.40 + S$260 (less Indiegogo and Paypal fee) for our very first campaign. Yeah!! And this wouldn't have been possible without you. So thank you for your kind contribution and support in any way!
Although the fund raised was only 52% of my targeted amount, I'm very happy, not because of the result but for the experience. Raising the money for printing these postcards is never my main intention of initiating this campaign, but rather;
1) To challenge myself to do something out of my comfort zone. This is something I would not have done in the past. People who know me well would know about my lack of confidence in my works and social anxiety issue. Even doing the monthly bazaar at MAAD is enough to make me so nervous I want to cry. BUT I managed to break through these barriers, one after another (with the encouragement of friends and fans of course!).
2) I'm hoping to get more people to know about my works and to interact more with them. In the past, it'd have been contented for me to hide behind my desk and communicate with people from my laptop but I felt it's time I show you how much I appreciate you by connecting more closely.
3) I'm pushing myself to commit to the cause I'm passionate about (animals). This will motivate me to continue to improve on myself and my skills. By knowing that I'm able to make a difference to the life of simply one more being, I know this is all worth it. On the other hand, it changes the negative thoughts I've on what others think of me/my works into something greater. I realised once I got this perspective shifted, I was able to give of myself more freely as I no longer worry about other's opinion. So you see, it's a two-way thing. I'm not the one helping these animals. They help me grow too.
Through this campaign, I was able to count my blessings. People I know and those I've never even met in real life. It also made me realised who are the ones who genuinely love and want to support me. I even got a surprise from one Backer! This lovely couple, Mr and Mrs Bechard, made a contribution to my campaign and dropped me some words of encouragement on Facebook. Little was I aware then that Mr Gorman Bechard is actually a film director, producer and writer in America! All I knew was they're really sweet and are animal lovers. They even went out of their way to promote my works. Boy, I'm SO honoured!
I hope you can check out this latest documentary by Gorman Bechard, A Dog Named Gucci.
"A DOG NAMED GUCCI is a feature-length documentary that looks at animal abuse laws in the United States, told through the compelling story of one determined man and one loveable dog who made it their mission to change the laws in their state."
Here's how you can support the campaign of this moving documentary, https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/a-dog-named-gucci.
I've sent the 6 DOGs illustrations for printing yesterday. Because it's holiday season, our printer requires a little more time for printing. Hopefully I'll be able to get the postcards by next Friday and mail them out the following week.
As mentioned, a portion of the cards will be donated to various rescue shelters for fundraising and I'll be selling the rest online, in consignment stores and art fair. Half of the profits will be donated to a local dog shelter, Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD). In fact, when you purchase ANY of our DOGs merchandise, 50% will go to them, not just the postcards.
10% of our profits from other merchandise and commissioned assignment will also be donated to SOSD. Feel free to check out our merchandise range or contact me for customisation,
Etsy- https://www.etsy.com/shop/dollgift. (art prints, postcards, tumblers, etc)
Redbubble - http://www.redbubble.com/people/dollgiftbyrheea (ipad/phone cases, pillows, totebags etc)
The end of this funding project doesn't mark the end of this campaign. The journey to promote the welfare of animals has only just began.
Do stay tuned for more updates!
PS: I've emailed all our Backers to get your choice (design) for the Perk since a few days back but I've yet to get a response from a few of you. Do check your spam/junk mail if you've not received my email.
Thank you!
❤ Blessings, Rheea
Thank Youuu!
A BIG thank you to everyone who came down to support us at MAAD last Friday! We actually made the most number of sales that day. Of course this wouldn't have been possible without your love and support. It was really heartwarming to see familiar faces among the customers.
Special thanks to my bunch of crazy and awesome friends - Claire, Berri, Alivia, Adric, Ezra, Dennis and Don who popped by just to say hello, bought me yummy food (because they said I'm too skinny) or offered their help! I'm really blessed. ^^
With Berri and Alivia
With Berri and Claire
Looking scared sandwiched between two hulks. lol
Oh! Do remember to check our Facebook page to find out if you're the winner for our lucky draw! We hope to see you again next MAAD.
Have a fabulous week ahead~
❤ Blessings, Rheea
Happy Customer!
Happy customers make me happy!
This sweet guy told me that his girlfriend is a fan of my works and so he'd decided to get her one of my illustrations as her birthday gift. How thoughtful! I feel really honoured and touched. Thank you Mark and Mindy. May the both of you stay blissful~
This was the illustration he'd chosen for Mindy!
Love Tree
You too, can get one of my works on my Etsy store here, www.etsy.com/shop/dollgift! Have a sweet day~ :)
❤ Blessings, Rheea
Thank you 2013. Hello 2014.
Dollgift was born some 5 years ago...
I still remember vividly how excited I was when I got my first order on Etsy. I was selling some postcards, bookmarks and notebooks made from scratch all by myself. Less than a year later, I began to sell these handmades in gift/book stores on consignment. I was fortunate to have more than 10 stores across Singapore that sell my works. But less fortunate because I'd so much problem getting my paycheck at the end of each month. I felt like a loanshark chasing for my money month after month. Slowly I was able to shift my focus to freelance projects and withdrew from most consignment stores.
Even though I'd always introduce myself as an illustrator designer when I meet new people. I didn't tell them that I'm also the admin, sales, marketing, photography, delivery, and everything-else-person.
Some people would call me an entrepreneur but I've never regarded myself as one. In fact, I don't want to be one. All I wish is to have more time to draw. And somehow I hope that the story in my drawings will inspire you.
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Well, 2013 is coming to an end soon.
What have you achieved over the year? Have you been nice to yourself and others? How many dreams have you fulfilled? The new year will be arriving soon. Which means, it's a brand new chance for us to do what we didn't get to and continue to do the things that make our hearts sing.
I'm very grateful for all the love, laughters and tears I've shared over the year. At the same time I'm also very excited about the new adventure ahead.
Here's wishing you great health, lots of joy, love and peace for 2014.
❤ Xoxo, Rheea & Nono
I heard it's your birthday
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all September babies!
Sorry for being a little bias here because it's the birthday month of my Nono boy. Heh.
Yes, my naughty boy will turn 11 tomorrow.
Time flies.. Nono was still a tiny little baby when he came to our family 10 years ago.It's hard not to feel sad whenever I think of how many more years he'll be around. Afterall, he is the very first dog we've had. That said, I'm really thankful that he is still in good health and all active when he sees/ smells food.
Ohhhh... I just realised I've not posted any photo of him on this blog! I promise to post some photos of him here soon. Alternatively, you can find frequent updates of Nono on my Instagram.
Chat soon!
❤ Xoxo, Rheea
I Love You, Mom
I'm Blessed ^^
Hello! So sorry for the delay of this post.
First of all, I would like to do a BIG shout out to everyone, especially to my friends (over 30 of them!) who came by our booth last Friday.
Thank you so much guys!! I really appreciate your presence and it certainly means alot to have your support. I so regret not taking a photo with each of you. :(
Pardon the image quality, there wasn't enough light in the room.
I felt so loved that day...
I've had sweet friends to help me delivered those merchandise/props to the venue, setting up the booth, bought me food/drinks, and lovely customer who came down specially to pass me a gift she made.
I've had my awesome boyfriend to help out at the booth when I needed to catch up with friends I hadn't seen in years. AND there was one friend who dropped by with a big BIG surprise for me. I need to tell you what this absolutely generous and awesome friend of mine had bought me.........
It was a pair of Melissa ANGEL heels! *Keyword here is ANGEL. Now you know my fetish.
Isn't this stunning?!!
This is in fact the most expensive pair of shoes I own! Ha. However, what made my little heart swelled with emotions apart from this bubble gum smelling shoes was the handwritten notecard that says,
''Congrats on taking this big step! I'm so proud of you. Just know you are one of the bravest people I know. I know this is just one of the many big things you will be doing with your dreams. To many more big steps, and now you can do that with pretty shoes. :p I love you! Take flight and follow your dreams'' - ❤ Eva.
You might be wondering; why would getting a booth at the flea market seems like such a big thing for me? No, my friend is not exaggerating. It may seem like a simple task for just anyone but certainly not for someone with social anxiety. The need to speak with so many strangers in one day is close to asking me to jump into a sea full of sharks. Of course I'm not saying my customers are sharks but you get my point.
I've always thought I have an exceptionally 'shy' personality, that's it. But now as I reflect on my past, I recall being misunderstood all the time. 'Arrogant', 'aloof' or 'anti-social' are just some of the labels people have used on me. Truth is, deep beneath that cool mask was a very fearful and insecure girl. I would get totally stressed up when I meet new people or get very nervous when strangers stop me on the street to ask for direction. In fact, I never knew there is a term call 'social anxiety' until recently when I came across this article, 'Anxiety No More' written by Paul David. As I read through his story, I felt he was totally writing about me! At one part, he said,
''I would also avoid eye contact and just wanted to escape. Because of this I started avoiding people and I was perceived as ignorant more than once. I don't blame people for this perception of me and as far as I was concerned that was far better than having to go and talk to others. I just found it so difficult to hold a conversation and I never felt part of it.''
As odd as it may sound to you, this is exactly what I'm going through. I felt such a huge relief to know I'm not alone. I guess my low self-esteem and already existing anxiety issue must have contributed to this. If you suspect anyone who could be suffering from social anxiety or other anxiety issues, it would really help to read up about what they're going through. Your support and encouragement would mean alot to them.
I may still be struggling from racing heart, shortness of breath and sleeping difficulty every single day or more symptoms every other day, but I'm really grateful to have some wonderful friends and a very supportive boyfriend on my journey. On my part, I promise to take baby steps at a time to overcome those fears. :)
Thank you again for reading.
❤ Xoxo, Rheea.
A Little Sweetness Goes A Long Way
I stumbled upon this letter from Rumi Nagata, Winged Wheel Japan, while organizing my folders a while ago.
It has certainly make my day to read it again!
Sometimes we just need a little reminder of what we work so hard for. :')
winged_wheel_reference_letter
If you've missed out my blog post about this company, the fabulous lady I worked with and the unforgettable visit to their store in Japan, you can read it up HERE.
For now, let me walk down memory lane once again...
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No doubt the most wonderful person I've worked with so far.
Click HERE to read all about it!
Thank you so so much, Rumi!! ❤ I would love to visit you again.
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My works among other beautiful creations..
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Life is great. :)
Oh, and thank you for all the new follows on my blog and 'like' on my facebook page!!
Heartfelt appreciation to every single one of you.
❤ Xoxo, Rheea.