“Some people are like beautiful Dreamcatchers, absorbing the most terrible things for those they love and leaving them only the softest thoughts behind.”
Unknown
/
“Let my dream catches the dream I deserve.”
Fathima Shamla
#181205#
As early as October, I already began to think about what artwork to do for Yuri whose birthday is on 5 December, same as my younger sister. It happened around the period when Yuri was having her solo debut of “Into You”. I noticed one prominent concept among several teaser photos of her album was the retro-style tassel earrings that are hanging on her ears.
Then, one day I wonder why but an idea struck me suddenly and I was like, “Okay! I will make dream catcher earrings for you!” with so much confidence and certainty. Dream catcher earrings inspired by her tassel earrings in Into You. Later on the same day (if I’m not wrong), Yuri posted a new photo of herself showing off another pair of tassel earrings that looked similar to a dream catcher. I was like, “Yes! This is the kind of earrings that would inspire me to do dream catcher earrings for her.”
While I had previously made necklaces and wire rings before, making earrings was something new to me, much less making a dream catcher one. So I knew it was going to be challenging. I started by watching some youtube tutorials on how to make dreamcatcher earrings. After watching the videos, did I regret myself for making a promise to make dreamcatcher earrings? Yes. 😅😝
Actually the most difficult part is getting the right materials for the earrings. It was a big headache for me. What kind of glue I need to get? Where can I get suitable feathers that I want? Where can I find a circle ring for the dream catcher? What kind of thread should I use? Somehow I was clueless where I could get these materials from. I went Daiso and managed to get some pastel tassels and a ball of colourful yarn. I tried to look for feathers on Carousell but they did not have the kind of colours I desired. And so, feeling stuck and having a lack of motivation, I put my material sourcing process on hold and did not get back to it for quite a period of time.
Later on in November, I went to Taiwan for a holiday with my family. We were at a night market one night and I came across a stall that was selling some dreamcatcher keychains on display.
It felt like a reminder from the universe to not forget the “pact” I had made with Yuri to make dream catcher earrings for her as a birthday gift. In fact, I was jolted into sudden realisation that Yuri’s birthday was coming very, very soon right after my Taiwan trip. I was aware that it would be impossible to make it in time for her birthday. Honestly, I had been tempted with the idea multiple times – why not buy the readymade small dreamcatchers that are on sale in the market like these ones and just turn them into earrings in just a matter of minutes? That could save me lots of time and effort in sourcing for materials and making my own original ones. But I managed to shake the idea off my head due to conscience from my heart.
When I got back in Singapore, I missed the deadline for my gift on Yuri’s birthday as expected. But I still wished her and said I would owe her the gift before the year ends. Later that week, I took 2 days of medical leave from work and spent a day at a cafe to do some blogging because I felt more committed to complete all the pending blog posts I’ve been planning to write before 2018 comes to a closure. After long hours of blogging, I took a walk around Causeway Point and I could feel myself surrounded by very good, nurturing energy. Everything came pretty naturally after that. First, I spotted a pair of earrings with pastel pink feathers and I got excited because that was the perfect kind of feathers I wanted and I could detach them and reuse for my dream catcher earrings. Then, I saw some book rings which are possible materials for the circle part of dream catchers too. I also saw some handmade dream catcher jewelleries which could serve as a good reference for me too!
Suddenly filled with lots of positive energy and new inspirations, I returned home with my newly found materials. I re-watched the youtube tutorials again, making sure I had roughly all the materials I needed and running myself through the process and steps I would have to take in making the earrings.
However, eventually as I got my hands started into making the dream catcher earrings, I realised that not all materials that I bought were suitable to be used. For example, I felt the metal book rings are a tad too heavy for the earrings to hang on our earlobes. In the end, I opted to use a curl of thin and lightweight jewellery wires that I already have in my jewellery making toolbox at home instead. And also the ball of colourful yarn from Daiso which I thought I could use to wrap around the rings, I found it too soft and frizzy. So I switched to some leftover unused threads in pastel colours that I could find in my own existing collection of art materials at home which would pair well with my pastel pink feathers.
On the first night, I did the wrapping of thread around the rings. On the second night, I did the rest – making the webs inside the rings using a pink orange thread, sticking of pearls in the middle, attaching of pink feathers and pastel tassels at the bottom of the rings and ta-da, my very first, original pair of dream catcher earrings made by yours truly was born!
But my work did not just stop here. I had planned to also make a drawing of Yuri and have the earrings hung on her ears like a real-life object popping out from a 2-D paper. So I first chose a suitable reference photo of Yuri that I like.
On the third night, I did a pencil sketch based on this reference photo before outlining it with a thin blue marker.
On the fourth night, I completed the drawing with a dotted pastel background (similar to those fairy lights in my reference photo) as well as the typography of words on it. Just before midnight on 11th December, the full artwork for Yuri’s birthday was finally complete!!
P.S. Something in me seemed to tell me that it would be good to set a deadline for myself to adhere to. I had an idea to post a collage of all the birthday drawings I had done for SNSD for this whole year on a special date like 12/12. In order to do that, I had to push myself to finish Yuri’s artwork before 12/12 first.
Here are some of the detailed shots of the full artwork.
And not forgetting a full shot of both of my dream catcher earrings together, which is the real main highlight of my artwork this time!
Aren’t these dream catcher earrings lovely? Can’t believe I had actually made these all by myself! The world’s one and only pair and my very first handmade earrings now belong to Yuri!! 🎉💛
And with that, I gathered all 8 pieces of SNSD drawings that I had made for them together and made an instagram post about it on 12/12 as a closure for 2018.
Hope Yuri and all other members of SNSD have liked all their respective artworks that belonged to them and drawn some useful inspirations from them so far! I, too, had lots of fun in the process of making each and every one of them! Looking forward to more magic in 2019! 🔮💜
Done with lots of love,
Celeste Koh (2018) 💕
2 thoughts on “Yuri Birthday 2018: Into Yul 2018 – Dreams Come True”