Sometimes life needs more than a good cup of tea...

My Christmas handmade gifts

For my colleagues

2011 calendars that I designed using brushes I downloaded from here

For my dearest girlfriends

Personalised 2011 organisers and pouches in boxes I decorated with washi tape

I'm a little knackered out from the festive chaos so if I ever have the energy I'll share how I made these.

Meanwhile it's 2011 so wedding preparations are gonna take a big step forward! It's gonna be very exciting so I hope I have lots more posts to share with you all.

Enjoy the first weekend of 2011 and Happy New Year to all!

DIY: Mini Christmas bunting

Hi all,

Christmas is coming! Feeling the Christmas spirit yet?

I'm back with a simple little DIY project that I came up with for the season.
It's really easy to do and will only take up like 15 minutes of your time.

It's a mini Christmas bunting!

Here's the materials you need:

1) Red & White felt

2) Twine (the one I got is a lovely red and natural twist from Ikea)

3) Hot glue gun

4) Cardboard cut-outs of the shapes you'd like to use

5) Scissors and black marker

Trace out the shapes using your cardboard cut-outs onto the red felt. I drew stockings and mittens but you can also use shapes like Santa's hat or presents

Cut them out

Cut out a strip of white felt for the fur trim (mine is half a centimeter thick in proportion to my red stockings and mittens)

Hot glue the white felt to the stockings and mittens as a fur trim.

Cut a length of twine, length depending on where you want to hang it. I cut out 1 metre and used about 12 stockings and mittens on it. Place a small glob of hot glue onto the back of the stockings and mittens and press the twine into it, spacing them out evenly

And you're done!

Isn't it quick and easy to do? And it looks really adorable as well. I'm going to hang this at my desk at work and bring a little Christmas cheer into my office!

Big Craft Shopping Spree

Finally pay day is here haha!
Went on a shopping spree yesterday and bought a whole lot of pretty craft stuff. Probably spent a bit more than I'm supposed to but I just couldn't resist. Anyway they made me so happy so it's worth it.

Here are my loots:

Lovely mini paper suitcases from Paper Market...my favourite purchase for the day

Looking at these made me so happy, they are just too adorable for words! I wish I have my craft desk right now so I can display them there and just look at them while I craft.

I mean how perfect they would look on this desk below!!

thehappyhomeblog

Also from Paper Market, washi tapes! My fav is the merry-go-round one :)

Stamps and more washi tape from NBC

These lovely matryoshka doll stamps actually do not fit into the theme of my handmade gifts for this year but they are too adorable to pass up. Gonna use them for my next project!

Did I mention that I love Ikea?? Can't wait to wrap my presents! But the brown paper I bought isn't exactly kraft paper though, it's the normal brown parcel paper. And it's really cheap, only $1.50 for 8m. I can use it for the external wrapping of my parcels so that my gift wrap doesn't get ruined during delivery.

So happy with my purchases! Ok time to stop fawning over them and get back to work on my Christmas gifts! Can't wait to show you how they turn out!

STOP.REWIND

I really got to stop browsing and drooling through all these fabulous design/handmade/inspiration blogs online(will share links later!). I keep adding all these insanely easy to do and gorgeous crafts to my list!! All of them are just screaming out to me "Make me!" and I want to make them all!

Only 2 things will come out of this scenario:
1) my house will become overrun with craft supplies, half completed/on-going projects and my family will have no place to sit
2) my gifts to my dearies will have to be delivered by UPS or DHL cos they're too stuffed full of my handmade stuff thus either the package will be either too big or too heavy to be delivered by normal post. (I won't even start to imagine what it would cost to mail a 2kg package over to Nikky in Idaho!)

So clearly some reining in of this madness is in order.
This is my plan:
1) hold off any more buying of craft supplies
2) completely declutter and reorganize my scrapbooking cupboard and corner (it'll help me find out what materials I have so I don't buy extras and also have space for the new stuff)
3) make a list of what I want to do and stick to it!! (Christmas is just one month away!)
4) schedule time to do my crafts and make sure I complete them

And repeat this madness all over again for Valentine's Day (lol)

Sent from my iPhone

Zakka Love

I have been negligent in updating my blog lately, my bad.
These past few weeks were consumed by brainstorming, designning, sourcing and crafting my Christmas gifts for this year. Yes I'd started my Christmas preparations in October this year haha because I know it'll take me a long time to get everything done if I'm going handmade gaga.

My plans for Christmas handmade bonzana 2010!
1) Handmade personalised organiser cover and pouch for my besties
2) CD case calendar for office mates
3) Embellished packaging and gift tags

That's a lot of work so I thought I better get started early cos I'm such a slow worker haha.

For my pouches and organiser covers, I went with a simple looking vintage Parisian chic design. At lfirst I did wonder why I was so obsessed with this style but then I figured it must have been all those wedding inspiration and home decor blogs I have been reading everyday. Then I looked around the stores and I see Effiel Towers and Parisian elements everywhere. The Zakka movement is gaining momentum in Singapore!

What's Zakka you say? Well according to Wikipedia:

Zakka (from the Japanese 'zak-ka'（雑貨）or 'many things') is a fashion and design phenomenon that has spread from Japan throughout Asia. The term refers to everything and anything that improves your home, life and appearance. It is often based on household items from the West that are regarded as kitsch in their countries of origin, but it can also be Japanese goods, mainly from the fifties, sixties, and seventies. In Japan there are also so-called Asian zakka stores; that usually refers to Southeast Asia. The interest in Nordic design or Scandinavian design, both contemporary and past, is also part of this zakka movement. Zakka can also be contemporary handicraft.
Zakka has also been described as "the art of seeing the savvy in the ordinary and mundane". The zakka boom could be recognized as merely another in a series of consumer fads, but it also touches issues of self-expression and spirituality. "Cute, corny and kitschy is not enough. To qualify as a zakka, a product must be attractive, sensitive, and laden with subtext."

Source: Wikipedia

When one menttions Zakka, one has to mention Shinzi Katoh, a famous Zakka designer and artist.

One of his 2011 schedule books, love the Little Red Riding Hood design. Been seeing this concept in loads of scrapbooking stuff this year.

He even has tea tins!! I'll love to start a collection of these

Pinocchio pouch. Adorable. ;)

Guess what this is? Measuring cups!

He even has iPhone cases!! This reminds me of the ones I buy from Gmarket hehe

All items above can be found at Shinzi Katoh's online shop



As you can see, the Zakka movement is a little whimsical, a little fairytale and a little vintage. If you find it familiar, that's because you've probably seen a lot of similar things in Korean stationery shops that's the current craze in Singapore this year. To me, it's the stuff of daydreamers. Love the whole lot of them.

And these are the Zakka items I bought from Etsy for my DIY Christmas 2010:

From Inagaki's Shop on Etsy

From top left: Velvet iron-on transfers - Vintage Stamp Series, Cotton fabric strip with black writing, Velvet iron-on transfers - Travel, Garden and others, Sewing Machine, Thread, Bread, Crown Zakka Linen Tape

 From diycloset on Etsy

From top left: Antique Bronze Lovely Key Charms,  Antique Bronze MADE WITH LOVE Oval Charms, antique Bronze 3D Effiel Tower Charms, Antique Bronze Split Love Letter Scroll Charms, Antique Gold Heart Lock Charms

I'm afraid I can only post how I used them and the finished product closer to Christmas. Don't wanna spoil the surprise here!

Love Etsy

I love Etsy. Love browsing through it's myriad of unique vintage handmade products. I'm so envious of the plethora of talented people out there! I wish I could create just like them.

I've been itching to get something off the gorgeous world of Etsy, especially all those lovely bridal accessories and customised rubber stamps and stickers for favours. But the words "Too early!" and the shipping costs always held me back.

But! But! There are Etsy stores in Singapore! That is to say we have a lot of talented people based locally so shipping shouldn't be that big a problem! Glee!

One off my best finds is Zoopri

Zoopri has a wide range of gorgeous stamps and paper goods which are perfect for weddings, holidays, special occasions and businesses.

Design from Zoopri

Design from Zoopri

Design from Zoopri

Design from Zoopri

I can't wait to order from her for my wedding favours!! So pretty! Check out her store here