Category: Inspirations

Explore The Secret Garden In Your Heart

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden”
― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

🌟 Check out the making process of the Garden Floral Dress 👗🌸

girl in a garden surreal fashion digital art
“Garden Explore”
Fashion design & Digital art: Terrisa Chen
Photography: Joel Halbert

*All outdoor photos taken with no one else around. Keep safe social distancing.

No.9_Esthers Waltz by Esther Abrami

The Garden Explorer

I remember when I was a kid, every day I woke up with excitement and anticipation. The outside world always seemed colorful and magical. A park, a playground, a plot, a back yard, even a sidewalk can make me stop and wonder for a while, and of course, there is the wonderful light from the sun, mystical clouds, aromatic herbs, the pleasant sound of birds……I was always interested in and inspired by the simple things around me. I could make many places my secret garden, a hidden alter for me to paint and write all the untold stories.

girl and cat in a garden surreal digital art
“Secret Garden”
Fashion design & Digital art: Terrisa Chen
Photography: Joel Halbert

Find Inner Peace & Joy

As I’ve got older, for a long time,  I felt I lost the ability to sense and explore the charms around me, because life got too busy and complicated. I either did not have time or I did not have the energy to cherish the lovely little things around me, instead, I was stressed with other things, the same stuff all adults stressed with, I felt just stuck in repeated circles…….Till one day I realized it is actually pretty simple to get myself grounded again.

girl wears pink floral dress straw hat
“Garden Party”
Fashion design & Digital art: Terrisa Chen
Photography: Joel Halbert

I have noticed that when I choose to listen to my heart and allow myself to enjoy the things around me, allow myself to be simple again, I automatically let go of unnecessary anxieties that distract me. The same simple things inspire me and present new ideas if I allow myself to be open. The desire to explore and create, which not only brings me joy but also brings me inner peace. The secret garden is always there.

The Secret Garden

brooklyn botanic garden
Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden
Image by USA-Resisebologer from Pixabay

Brooklyn Botanic Garden was founded in 1910, a beautiful estate located in between prospect park and Brooklyn Museum. The combination of exotic plants and the unique ‘Garden within the Gardens” design highlights the whimsical charm of this place. I visit this Botanical Garden every year, every season. Every visit brings me something new and refreshing, the smell of flowers & trees, the sound of birds and bees, the cross-cultural architectures …… maybe they are exactly the same plants, the same buildings, but there is always something different when you let yourself to explore.

pink roses in a garden
Garden Roses
Photo by Joel Halbert

The truth is, no matter where you are, no matter how many times you pass through the same things and situations, you are not trapped. It is up to you to discover the beauty around you and you can build your own secret garden.

Wonder Journey In Dumbo, New York……Bring Magic Into Reality

wonder girl baby doll dress
“Lost In The Wonderland–Night Play”

The Max Family Garden, Dumbo, New York. 2020

Fashion& Digital Design: Terrisa Chen
Photography: Joel Halbert

The joy of wondering

Summer is short this year in New York, it is probably short in other places in the world as well. The virus “Covid” is like a hidden lock, closing the usual activities and entertainment. Without beaches, vacations, and parties, summer seems never really begins, the fall is already here. But it’s ok, I am not all that disappointed, I started my journey of wonder, I simply find there is no time for feeling down.

One thing I do a lot during the pandemic is free my imagination to wonder. It might sound a bit easy and lazy, but when you put your ideas into action, you will push yourself to learn and create. The process of wondering and creating generates magical and positive energy.

(*Note: All outdoor photos taken with no one else around . Safe social distancing, safe photoshoot.)

girl and bird surreal art
“Lost In Wonderland–Dawn Play” The Max Family Garden, Dumbo, New York. 2020

Fashion& Digital Design: Terrisa Chen
Photography: Joel Halbert

“Imagination is the only weapon in the war with reality.”

Alice In Wonderland By by lewis carroll

The Annotated Alice: 150th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (150th Deluxe Anniversary Edition) (The Annotated Books)

Alice started her adventure with curiosity, wondered through the rabbit hole, she explored the most bizarre and exciting world. I often wake up with odd and funny dreams, which add lots of colors in my night world. While the day-time is filled with routine, I would think about how to turn magic into reality, it turns out there are many ways. One way is to be open to your wondering imagination, get inspiration, then take action. Before the pandemic, I knew nothing about pattern making (Patternmaking for Fashion Design)or sewing, now I can not stop creating my own clothing designs and transferring them into digital art. It is a learning process, I explore, I make mistakes and I enjoy it very much.

The baby doll dress for the curious kids

alice in wonderland inspired dress
“Lost In The Wonderland–Day play”
The Max Family Garden, Dumbo, New York. 2020

Fashion& Digital Design: Terrisa Chen
Photography: Joel Halbert

This cotton baby doll dress is a wonderful piece for me. I found the cotton fabric online and they are actually meant for kids’ wear. However, I immediately had the look of the baby doll dress in my mind when I sew the fabrics, it is a perfect type of dress for the forever kid in my heart.

Materials For creating this baby doll dress

  • The baby doll dress pattern
  • Light cotton Fabrics. eg: cotton lawn, cotton poplin
  • Sewing machine
  • Sewing needles and threads
  • Pins
  • Tailor’s chalk
  • Fabric scissors
  • Steam Iron

Sketch, Cut and Sew

baby doll dress front pencil sketch
baby doll dress back pencil sketch

DIY baby doll dress sewing pattern
DIY baby doll dress sewing pattern

  • blue baby doll dress front
    Blue Baby Doll Dress Front
  • blue baby doll dress back
    Blue Baby Doll Dress Back

The Wonderland

  • the max family garden dumbo
  • garden in dumbo terrisasworld
The Max Family Garden In Dumbo, NY
Photo by Joel Halbert

This stop of the wonder journey is The Max Family Garden, located in Dumbo, Brooklyn, NY.  This open-air garden shares a wall with St. Ann’s Warehouse, a performing-arts venue.  The original brick walls and the scenic archways represent an industrial and rustic aesthetic, they also provide access for community members and visitors to come together for exploration and inspiration. I have visited Dumbo many times before, this garden corner always fascinated me. The Max Family garden, any garden in-fact is a wonderland if you want it to be.

    A Delicious, Magical, Dreamy Tea Mocktail –– Violet Fizz

    “Violet Fizz” is a non-alcoholic drink that is extremely delicious and dreamy. The magic blue-purplish color with the creamy white foam is just beautiful and tempting.  It takes a bit of time to make this mocktail, but the process of making it is full of fun and surprise. It certainly encourages me to be creative, and I found that if I try to be creative, magic is everywhere.

    violet fizz mocktail
    Violet Fizz: blue butterfly flower tea-infused mocktail

    This beautiful herbal tea-infused mocktail gets a magical appearance and a tasteful flavor. The components of this drink are made from three main parts: blue butterfly flower tea; egg white and cream; sugar and citrus.

    violet fizz ingredients
    Violet Fizz Ingredients

    The Violet Color

    The dreamy violet color of this drink comes from butterfly pea flower tea. It is known for its ability to change colors depending on the PH level. Since there is a combination of lime juice and lemon juice in this drink, the acidity changes the tea’s color from blue to purple. In this drink, I made some blue ice cubes from the butterfly pea flower tea first and crushed the ice, so when I pour the lime and lemon juice infused mixture into the crushed ice, it turns a magical violet color.

    purple crushed ice
    Crushed ice

    The white foam

    The lovely white foam comes from cream and eggwhite. For a rich foam, You can do a dry shake first and then do a shake with ice.  I chose to shake with ice directly because the last touch of club soda really did the trick for foaming up the top. However, It is important to give the egg white and other ingredients a thorough shake. ( shake about 2 mins) I used a copper cocktail shaker.

    foam-top

    The Taste

    The taste of this drink is rich, refreshing and full of layers. It is Sweet and citrus, fruity and creamy. With the fragrant of butterfly pea flower tea and the aroma of orange blossom, this mocktail drink is simply indulging!

    drink with a straw
    Enjoy it with a straw

     

    Violet Fizz

    Ingredients:

    • Blue butterfly flower tea ( butterfly pea flower tea)  10 g
    • Lime juice 1/2 oz
    • Lemon juice 1/2 oz
    • Simple syrup 1 1/4 oz
    • Heavy cream 1 oz
    • Egg white 1
    • Orange blossom water 1/6 oz
    • Orange Peel 1-2
    • Club soda

    Method:

    1. Boil some water.
    2. Put the dried butterfly pea flower in a glass or cup, add boiled water. Steep for 5 mins and let it cool down.
    3. Pour the blue tea into an ice cube tray, freeze the tray about 4 hours.
    4. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Pour in lime juice, lemon juice, simple syrup, heavy cream, egg white, and orange blossom water.
    5. Shake, shake, shake ( about 2 mins).
    6. Pour the mixture into a tumbler glass.
    7. When the blue ice cubes are ready, take them out from the tray and put them into a high-speed blender.
    8. Crush the ice with high-speed mode.
    9. Add the crushed ice into the tumbler glass.
    10. Top with club soda.
    11. Add orange zest on the top.
    12. Enjoy it with a straw.

     

    mermaid cat digital art
    “Mermaid Cat” Digital Art by Terrisa Chen

    Check Out Tea Drink Recipe with blue Butterfly flower Tea & Oolong Tea:

    Homemade Milk Tea With Blue Butterfly Flower, Oolong And Whipped Cream

     

    2020. New Year. You Are Entirely Up To You

    “Life is not a puzzle to be solved. Life is a masterpiece that you create.”
    ― Brittany Burgunder

    rsaw-puerh-tea
    Puerh tea and music

    We are at the end of January 2020. After all the post-party blues, the new year will not be a new year soon. But still, it is another year, it can either be the same old year or it can be a different year, a better year, it’s is entirely up to you.

    I remember I had ambitious resolutions the past few “new years”,  big wishes, big goals, grand visions.  Most of the time, I tried to accomplish multiple tasks at once and I was distracted by too many  different things. I was restless and desperate. In the end, I often found myself feeling trapped and disappointed because I had a hard time achieving my goals.

    new year new me
    Hello 2020. Brooklyn, NY

     

    Now here I am, at the beginning of 2020. I know I have no time to feel confused, so I decided to make changes. The new year for me is about self-observation. I know what I need to take do  in order to make changes in my life, no matter how big or small. I want to develop my potential, I want to feel fulfilled, I want to be happier with myself, I want to live alive. So here are my conclusions for things I need to focus on More and things I should do Less.

     

    illustration-art-more
    Illustration: More

    More: More courage; More patience; More healthy food; More tea; More action: More yoga ; More meditation;  More books; More positive network; More art; More creation: More self-love

    Less: Less fear; Less complaining; Less alcohol; Less procrastination; Less stress; Less laziness; Less soap opera; Less negativity in my surroundings; Less ” do nothing”; Less self-pity

    This is not a new years resolution note. It is just about small but necessary tasks that need to be done , and if you feel the same, let’s do this together. I believe this year will be a different one. You are entirely up to you.

     

     

     

     

     

    Let it start with pink.

    I’m Terrisa, I live in Brooklyn, New York. I’m passionate about fashion, food, and art. I’m here to share my inspirations and my visions with you!:)

     

    Pink has always been one of my favorite colors. Because it carries so many characters. It can be gentle and seductive, it can be tough and hardcore. I love to have fun with this color, especially in this cold weather, it’s just simply pleasant and cheerful.

     

    Wonder woman
    Me in pink shades

     

     

    My cat Tinky is truly a wonder. Tinky always inspires me with her “go with the flow” life attitude. Tinky is an extremely easy going cat ( as long as feed her on time), her laid-back style is totally opposite to my anxiety, that makes her a muse to me, it is just so healing.

     

    Wonder cat
    My cat Tinky

     

    Morning rose petal tea:

    Starts the day with soothing and refreshing

    Untitled-1

     

    Homemade beets yogurt dip brunch:

    *Homemade beets yogurt dip

    *Crumbled goat cheese

    *Roasted cashew nuts

    *Poached eggs

    *whole wheat flat bread

    pink6

     

    Homemade beets yogurt dip (turns out sooo pink) :

    I like to add spice to all my meals, including dips.

    *4 medium beets

    *3 minced garlic cloves

    * 1 red chili

    * 1cup  greek yogurt

    * 3 tablespoons olive oil

    * 1 tablespoon agave

    * 1/4 cup chopped roasted cashew nuts

    * 2 minced green onions

    * Sea salt

    * Chili flakes

    pink5

    IMG_8429