Turquoise and Gold Moroccan Ostrich Egg

Do you guys remember this giveaway I did for a custom hand-painted ostrich egg when I reached 100 posts? My beautiful reader, Sarah, won the giveaway through random selection and I am so happy that she did. Not only was she super creative with the egg ideas she came up with, but she was patient through out the painting process. I was able to paint this beautiful Moroccan themed ostrich egg to fit with her home decor. Here's how the process went-

I started with a blank canvas, a clean new egg with a coat of white paint. I measured the dimensions of the egg, sketched on the pattern Sarah wanted, and then painted in the details. After going over the painted egg to correct any details, I finished it off with a coat of clear glossy varnish. 

Recently, I decided to start selling these special painted ostrich eggs. If you want one for yourself, follow this link, https://www.etsy.com/shop/EggsbyWardah , to my etsy shop. Thank you for all your support. 

Chicago Skyline Egg

I'm a born and raised SoCal girl. I feel at home in the bustling CA lifestyle - the people, the clothes, the parties, the beaches, the everything! But over the past few years, Chicago (and the Midwest) have become a central part of my life. I definitely feel myself being drawn to this beautiful city. 

Chicago is kind of underrated. It's beautiful, clean, and definitely a great tourist spot, but it just isn't as popular as other destinations and I don't know why not. The best part of Chicago is their skyline (my favorite part too). Whenever we road trip to or from Chitown and MI to visit S's family, we get a full view of the city. We've seen it at dawn, at sunset, in the daytime, at night, and I have to say that it is truly spectacular.

When my older sister got accepted to her dream graduate school, I knew she deserved a present worthy of the accomplishment. Both my older sister and I got married in Chicago so it was fitting that I paint her an ostrich egg with the Chicago skyline. In the past, I've already painted the skyline at night, so this time around, I decided to paint it in the daytime. Plus, the blue went with my sisters beach-y decor (she misses CA as much as I do). I added two ducks for a little romantic touch. Needless to say, she totally loved the egg.

I recently opened an Etsy shop where you can purchase a custom painted egg of your own. You can find the shop here. Just like I gifted this egg to my sister, they make beautiful, personal and unique gifts. They would also look just as good in your own home. Feel free to visit and shop around. :)

100 Posts Celebration and Giveaway!

Last week, I officially published 100 blog posts! In fact, my hundredth post was this delicious mango milkshake post.  I started my blog over 4 years ago, in 2010, to share my creative adventures, from cooking to painting to photography. Over the years, I've been able to hone my cooking skills, and improve my photography. I've had opportunities to share these recipes with people from all over the world and participate in wonderful collaborations.  

Reaching 100 posts is a huge achievement for me. The time, effort, and dedication it takes to create blogposts is only known by bloggers and their families. I want to thank my mom, for her encouragement and support, my hubby, for his support and the awesome lens he got me, and you, all my readers. You are the reason I keep blogging and writing. Thank you. 

So the reason why I'm bombarding you with pictures of the eggs I've painted is that I've decided to giveaway a custom painted, handmade ostrich egg! To enter the giveaway...

• leave a comment below saying what you would want painted on the egg.
• like Best of Wardah facebook page here. 
• pin a Best of Wardah pinterest image.  (optional)
• subscribe via email to the blog. (optional)
• please DO NOT comment anonymously! Leave your full name, or else I will not be able to find the winner. Make sure to check Facebook on Sunday to see who won.
• deadline to enter is Sunday, October 19, 2014 at 12:00 am. The giveaway has been extended till October 26th! 

For each additional entry, leave another comment saying what you did for a total of 4 entries per person. I will post the winner on the Facebook page on October 19, next week Sunday. Make sure to add your email (which is private) when you comment. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor! 

World Egg

I have a dear friend who is getting married soon. I've known this friend for as long as I can remember.

We were silly girls when we were younger. A hilarious childhood memory I share with her is when I went to her place for dinner and us girls shared the weirdest foods we liked to enjoy - noodles with ketchup, cheetos with ice cream, and lays with biryani (a rice dish). Of course, we had to try eating ice cream and cheetos after that. I don't remember what it tasted like any more (and frankly, I don't think I want to) but I remember that I had a blast.

Toronto Skyline on an Egg

Hello everyone!

I know I haven't updated for a little while, and here's why! I was busy painting another ostrich egg - one with the Toronto skyline on it.

Chicago Skyline Egg

Hello everyone!

If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know that I paint ostrich eggs as a hobby. Ostrich eggs are my unique take on a canvas. Most of the eggs I painted in the past have geometric patterns on them, like this one and this one. For this egg, I decided to take a different approach and paint the Chicago skyline.

Pink and Blue Geometric Ostrich Egg

Hello everyone!

It's been a while since I have posted about something that I have painted. More specifically, an egg that I have painted. So I decided to share an ostrich egg I recently painted as a gift for someone.

Patterned Gold Ostrich Egg

The third ostrich egg I painted was a present for my parents. They recently celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary. My mother requested that I paint her an ostrich egg for our living room. I wasn't able to complete it by their anniversary, but she loved it just as much.

This egg has a very different image from the other two. The metallic gold background gives it a very sophisticated look. This is perfect for where it sits right now: our living room.

The inspiration for the center stripe of the egg came from the carpet in our living room. The border on the carpet is very exquisite, so I figured that incorporating these colors and style onto the egg would help tie it all in together.

The black patterns on the top and bottom of the egg are done freehand. A lesser-known fact about me is that I am a henna artist. I have been henna-tattooing since I was 8 years old. The designs on this egg came from the many different types of henna tattoos I've done. Similar paisley designs are common in traditional henna art.

On a side note, some of you have been wondering how exactly I start painting an egg. I took a couple of in-process pictures of this egg to show you all how it's done (or at least how I do it).

I start with a clean, hollowed-out ostrich egg. These babies are big: 16"-18" around their length and 14"-15" around their width!

First, I take it outside and spray paint a base coat of gray on it. This allows me to prep the egg and gives me a neutral color to contrast my highlights and shadows to.

The next step is to paint the egg. In this case, I began by spray-painting this brilliant gold onto the egg. From there, I sketched basic lines to indicate where I would paint the next band. Then, I freehanded the rest of the patterns. Finally, I varnished the egg with a few coats of lacquer to give it a polished look.

As usual, don't forget to email me at warif93@gmail.com if you interested in purchasing an ostrich egg of your own!

Blue and White Ostrich Egg

Some of you may have been waiting for another post about the ostrich eggs I have been painting. And justifiably so -- it has taken me quite a while to finally post about them. Well, here it is. I've painted two ostrich eggs since my last post.

This first egg in particular was a commission from a very sweet lady, Apa Lubna. Her mother had an ostrich egg of her own but when her son was visiting, he broke the egg. Of course, her mother didn't hold a grudge against her little grandson. But still, Apa Lubna insisted on replacing the egg. Actually, I think this egg is a surprise.

This egg was based on a pattern Apa Lubna saw on a website. I incorporated the Arabic calligraphy and the paisley designs on the egg of my own accord.

My favorite part of the egg is the view from the top because even though everything looks very rectangular from the sides, it's actually very circularly fashioned.

My cat, Chum Chum, interrupted my photo shoot. It was around then when I started worrying about the egg falling over and cracking...

I finally got him to pose properly. He would not stop looking in the wrong direction! Lesson learned = animals do not make good models.

I hope you all enjoyed this post. Look forward to another ostrich egg coming up very soon. And don't forget, email me at warif93@gmail.com if you are interested in having a painted ostrich egg of your very own (while eggs last).

An Artistic Start to a New Year

This picture was taken on an ostrich farm during my holiday vacationing.

Happy New Years, everyone! With the coming of the new year, new hopes, aspirations, and resolutions are also made by many of us. For some of us, a new year is a new beginning, a chance to make new friends, choices, decisions and so much more. In fact, I intend to make serious life style changes myself, the biggest being to make at least one blog post per week! Let's hope I can actually complete this resolution.

Some of you may be wondering why I've included a picture of some curious looking ostriches taken during my vacationing. Well, ostriches are very related to what I am about to share with you today. I am very excited to show everyone a unique project I have been working on for the past couple of months. I have been painting genuine hollowed ostrich eggs as home decorations!

Ostrich eggs are a very beautiful and creative way to decorate one's home or work space. Not only do they make beautiful centerpieces and great conversation starters, but they're also perfect for gifting to loved ones. With many holidays to look forward to in the new year, such as Easter and Mother's Day, what better present to give than a lasting piece of art?

The egg looks beautiful in a gift box.

In fact, this egg in particular, I painted for my uncle's 20th wedding anniversary. Both my aunt and uncle were pleasantly surprised and very happy with the present. The care they showed towards the freshly painted egg made me smile. I have completed a few other eggs and will update you about them very soon.

I created this image with a vintage floral background with Gothic additions. The image I had in mind was a background that allowed the beautiful Arabic calligraphy to stand out; something that would complement it, such as the contrast between muted yellows, peaches, and pinks and bold black, red, and orange. The vibrant butterflies and colorful detail in the flowers allowed the entire piece to stand out beautifully.

This definitely won't be the last you will be hearing about these ostrich eggs from me!

P.s. If you want one of these beautiful babes (pun not intended) for yourself or a loved one, then email me at warif93@gmail(dot)com for more information.