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Documenting life in Shanghai

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  • hello!
  • Online Courses
  • #the100dayprojects
  • Art Journal Projects
  • Creative Happenings

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  • Art Journals

    Retrospect: Messy May 2022

    July 27, 2022 / No Comments

    May came and went. In between being in lockdown, trying to stay positive amidst everything and trying to find recipes to match what I had available, cleaning the apartment and work… well it was all happening all at once. This challenge from Get Messy was probably one that made the days a bit better, it was something I looked forward to playing in my art journals. And I even got to take some process videos! So what I used is this small (I think around A6) size old journal/diary. It is dated 2017 but have not thrown it out because I thought maybe I can do something with it since…

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    Nearly Christmas season…

    August 29, 2022

    Creating Art During Quarantine

    January 18, 2022

    Back into Watercolours

    September 26, 2023
  • Art Journals,  Crafting adventures

    #SketchbookSanctuary

    April 27, 2022 / No Comments

    Sketchbook all filled up! I started the this class during my trip to Taipei, Taiwan, late last year. This was a really good class especially when I spent a lot of days in hotel quarantine. I continued filling up pages when I was in hotel quarantine again in Shanghai. And now, I finished as we are surpassing the 1-month point of this whole lockdown. For this project, I was excited to find out I can order on Tools to Liveby and they could deliver to the quarantine hotel. So I ordered the Midori Spiral Ring Notebook B6 (watercolor paper) along with a couple other stationery. The paper was just thick…

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    Watercolour Explorations #51 to #75

    July 22, 2017

    GetMessy 2022 Seasons: Part 2

    October 13, 2022

    Self-Care in December

    December 1, 2022
  • Art Journals,  Documenting Life

    GetMessy 2022 Seasons: Part 1

    April 7, 2022 / No Comments

    Art journaling has been filling up my time these days that a lot of my other projects have been on hold a bit longer than I had planned. Just thought I’d share some of the Get Messy art journal pages I’ve been working on and these has been quite uplifting and fun. First up are my pages for the Season of Courage. Here are my pages for the Season of Enough. And then finally, the March season. Get Messy is more than just art journaling. It is a community of artists who support each other. And it is a fantastic community to belong to. Check out the Get Messy website.…

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    Art Journal | Get Messy Season 8: Messy Lists Part 4

    June 4, 2016
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    #foxandwatercolour Watercolour Challenge: April (Part 2)

    May 3, 2016

    500 Colored Pencils: Wanderlust

    August 24, 2017
  • Art Journals,  Crafting adventures,  Documenting Life,  Sewing adventures,  Travel journals,  Travels

    Creating Art During Quarantine

    January 18, 2022 / No Comments

    Almost 6 weeks spent in quarantine has come and gone. And I can say, “I survived!” Here’s a sort of breakdown of the days: Day 1 – arriving in Taipei, Taiwan Day 2 counts as first of the 14-day quarantine in Taipei Day 16-17 – time spent getting COVID tests to be able to return to Shanghai plus errands and meeting with family and friends Day 18 – arriving in Shanghai, China and first day of quarantine Day 32 – left quarantine hotel to quarantine at home Day 40 – finished quarantine and back at work For the first part of my quarantine in Taipei, Taiwan, all went smoothly. The…

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    Book Launch

    May 10, 2024

    #the100daysofnumberedbits Part 4

    August 11, 2018
    watercolour challenge

    #foxandwatercolour Watercolour Challenge: April (Part 1)

    April 25, 2016
  • Art Journals

    #the100daysofnoticingtogether

    January 12, 2021 / No Comments

    For 2020’s #100dayproject, I did a project together with @craftymue based on @aliedwards The Art of Noticing. When Ali posted on Instagram about this concept and the kits that she was introducing, there was a lightbulb moment for both Lea and me and we talked about how this could be a good project for the #the100dayproject. So when the start date of the project rolled around, we went into this project together as a way to support each other, to show up and to give each other a boost to finish the project. So in my Instagram Highlights and IGTV, I have posted all my process videos and pages for…

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    Self-Care in December

    December 1, 2022

    Lost & Found July

    August 2, 2022

    Watercolour Explorations #26 to #50

    July 7, 2017
  • Art Journals,  Currents,  Documenting Life,  Scrapbook

    Currently…in April

    April 17, 2020 / No Comments

    Over a month since the COVID-19 virus made China stand still, we are still taking precautions and even with almost zero new cases, although now the new cases are from overseas. Shanghai has started to have some normalcy and right now feeling a lot of gratitude that we can experience Spring even if it is not like the way it used to be. These days have been different, not just in China but I’m sure everyone else in the world. My kids have been e-learning since the beginning of February and so grateful how the school put these all together in such a short time. But 2 months of e-learning,…

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    Watercolour Explorations #76 to #100

    August 2, 2017

    Nearly Christmas season…

    August 29, 2022

    Golden Week ’23: Part 2

    November 14, 2023
  • Chinese New Year
    Currents,  Documenting Life,  Scrapbook

    Currently…in February

    February 5, 2020 / No Comments

    The Year of the Mouse started in a blur… or pretty much the entire January was a depressing one… Chinese New Year was especially since it was overshadowed with the novel coronavirus that has now gripped the world. A truly depressing one especially when this is the most important holiday for the Chinese. To be told not to go out, not to see relatives, not to travel, has been on the top of each government WeChat posts. No one could have known how this virus has impacted everyone and how serious it was. So yes, we have been in home quarantine for pretty much over 2 weeks. And work is…

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    Artist-in-Residence at Alila Anji

    August 8, 2018

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    August 30, 2019

    What I’ve Been Making (and Where I’ve Been!)

    May 14, 2025
  • Currents,  Documenting Life,  Scrapbook

    Currently…in October

    October 18, 2018 / No Comments

    The crazy work schedule has kept me away from my blog and posting updates on Instagram has been easier to do. Here’s a recap of the different creative stuff I’ve been doing the past couple months… SEPTEMBER: Typically the busiest time for me with birthdays and first day of school. So glad I managed to include some time to do some paintings, doodles and documenting. I joined at the last minute the #30daysoflist challenge and also an epiphany to combine this with a #30inks30days challenge. The last time I joined the 30 Days of List challenge was probably 4-5 years ago! This time I wanted to just simplify the process and…

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    February 9, 2017

    Happy Little Moments | The Exhibit

    July 25, 2019
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    Reading

    November 28, 2015
  • Art Journals

    #the100daysofnumberedbits Part 4

    August 11, 2018 / No Comments

    This is it! The final installment! And here is how thick it has become! What’s next? catch up with Project Life colour in the sketches I made in Saigon do some more art journaling/collage finish the 30-day watercolour class from CreativeBug We’ll see… watch this space for more stuff. SaveSave  

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    Related Posts

    Wanderlust 2024

    September 1, 2023

    Retrospect: Messy May 2022

    July 27, 2022

    Watercolour Explorations #26 to #50

    July 7, 2017
  • Art Journals

    #the100daysofnumberedbits Part 3

    July 18, 2018 / No Comments

    So close… the third installment of my #the100dayproject. So love some of the spreads I ended up with. And I have even made a video of my process for #67. Here’s a look. Can’t wait to show you all the last installment. Thank you so much for following!

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    Wanderlust LIVE! Weekend

    August 8, 2023

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    August 24, 2017

    Rediscovering my love for watercolours

    January 23, 2016
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Latest Instagram Post
Walked around with my friend, Mo, and ended up in one of Shanghai’s most touristy areas yesterday. I think the sheer amount of people suddenly felt overwhelming 😓. We were lucky to find a place to sit, sketch, and chat. 🤦🏽‍♀️ Plus, I broke my pencil ✏️ in half 🫣.

Member of

Shanghai Sketching Groups

Blogposts

  • Oct 15, 2026 Documenting Rome: A Travel Journal Filled with Memories
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  • Feb 25, 2026 Embarking on the #100daysofmailcollage
  • Nov 13, 2025 Sketching Rome: Two Sketchbooks, Ten Days, Countless Moments
  • Aug 21, 2025 A Whirlwind of a Summer
© 2025 Arlyna
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