Crafting updates

It has been quite some time since I posted pictures of things which I have made. So here they are - The finished cupcakes. Some are made to be gift tags/bookmarks, and some are brooches :).

I also made this:

Can you tell that it is a pear? A minty looking pear :).
Unfortunately, there is something wrong with it. The stitches on my pear do not look at all like the finished product on Ana Paula Rimoli's amigurumi book. I have a sinking feeling that my stitches are incorrect. If you know what is wrong, perhaps you can tell me? :)

Despite this not-so-little problem, I am very happy with my pear. Crocheting is difficult (despite what others say)! I called myself names (mainly "stupid" and "idiot") while reading and re-reading books; watching and re-watching You Tube videos on crocheting. My first amigurumi was a shrivelled cupcake, which was never finished. The cupcake, unfortunately, met a very terrible end this morning. I accidentally vacuumed it up while cleaning my table (Good riddance!).

Happily, the pear turned out better. I will merrily ignore the stitching problem, so long as the final result looks cute to my eyes :).

Minty pear here will form part of a gift to a friend. Thank goodness she doesn't know anything about amigurumi - it means she will not be able to spot what's wrong with it. ;)

That's all for now.
Wishing you a happy week! :)

Spring into... Spring!

The days are getting longer. The sun is staying a little longer in the sky.
Spring is coming. Oh yes, it is!

Perhaps it is time to pick spring flowers....

...or maybe, it is time to spread some spring love using the good ole' snail mail.

Speaking of love - just yesterday, as I was walking home,
I heard two birds tweeting at each other.
One of the lovebirds was mimicking the other...

Perhaps one day soon, I'll be able to see lovebunnies hopping along the street.

Or maybe just one spring bunny will do :)

Pssstt: Click on the image to find out which wonderful Etsy seller is selling the item! :)

Goody Goody

My favourites: The stamps and bowls :)

From chocoA and translated version here.

Bun-bun

The last couple of days have been crazy.
Crazy busy.
There's finally some breathing space, and I'm looking forward to semi-relaxing days with friends in the coming week :).

I've also managed to squeeze in some time to complete my cupcake bunting a couple of days ago. It looks so out-of-place in my rented apartment (think stark white walls and cheap-looking furniture). So I've decided to pack it up to bring it back to mom's kitchen. Hopefully it will look cupcake-licious in a more homey environment.

Anyhoo, here are some beautiful buntings for you to enjoy.
They made me smile - I hope they make you smile too :).

Wimpelkette - Bunting from shabbyrosescottage

the new happy bed from jek in the box

Small

1. "Is it dark chocolate ?" "Shhh I'm concentrating." by marion klein
2. Mini Crêpes Party! by PetitPlat by sk
3. micropupi detti pupetti by cevi
4. mini jewelry box - Japanese SAKURA style by karaku*

On some days, I feel small.
But feeling small is not always a bad thing.

I would love to be as small as one of Marion Klein's teddies and pour coffee (or is it dark chocolate?) for my teddy friend. We'll have petite crepes in the little breakfast nook, with gaint wheat crackers leaning against the walls.
Yes, it is good to be small in Marion Klein's teddy world.

On a different note...

I would like to inform you lovely readers out there that I'll be taking a short bloggy break, as I plod through a couple of tests and assignment for the next one week.
See you next weekend :)

Store-y: Renee's Red Vintage Quilts

I thought it would be quite nice to have a handy dandy list of fabric/craft stores that I visit in Auckland. That list would be accessible from the sidebar. It would be admittedly, short. But nonetheless, I hope it proves useful to some crafters. When I first started dabbling in sewing and crafting, I didn't know where to get my supplies from (other than Spotlight). And even as I found addresses online, I never know whether it was worth making a 1 hour bus ride to that place. So, again, I hope this list proves useful somewhat, to some of us.

Okie dokie - Here's number one story/store:

Renee's Red Vintage Quilts

Address:
Two/three doors from 9 Como Street,
Takapuna,
Northshore,
Auckland.

Exact number on Como Street is unknown - but it is about 3 doors away from Genghis Khan restaurant (which is on 9 Como Street). The quilt store is also directly opposite Sterling Sport entrance to Westfield Mall. Attempts to find the exact address on the Yellow Pages online will lead you to Lake Road. Unfortunately, this is incorrect. The quilt store is most definitely on Como Street.

What's in the store?
Moda, Michael Miller, Timeless Treasures, Lecien (!), laces, kits and things like that. There is an assortment of materials - linen, flannel, 100% cotton, 100% wool felt etc. There's a huge of selection on floral fabrics (which are not really my taste); flannel plaids and checks (absolutely delicious and are the most expensive of the lot I think); and the Lecien selection is quite small.

How are the prices?
Reasonable. Some Lecien fabrics are slightly more expensive compared to several sellers on Etsy, but still cheaper if postage costs are considered. If the store is offering a discount, it is definitely worth buying more :). Not quite sure about Moda and other other lines of fabrics. I usually pretty much make a beeline to the Japanese ones when I am there.

How is the service?
Excellent. The Korean owner is very helpful and friendly. And your purchases will be wrapped up really prettily. I am a sucker for pretty packages. Hence, I get sucked in to buying more - just to see them prettily wrapped up ;D.

Other things you may like to know:
There are sewing-related classes offered in-store - making quilts, blankets, etc.
It is not opened on Sundays, and on the other days, business begins only at 10am.

Other places to visit if you're "in the area":
Consider going to the hospice shop on Hurstmere Road (currently under refurbishment and will re-open on the 24th Aug 09). There's also a Bernina on Huron Street. Movenpick is on Hurstmere if you're craving for ice-cream. And I highly recommend Daikoku or Narita (156 and 62 Hurstmere Rd respectively) for a yummy, reasonably priced Japanese lunch. Note that Daikoku is a teppanyaki restaurant, and the set lunch is super yummy. You will stink a little of teppanyaki when you leave the restaurant :D. Narita has lunch bentos that are very reasonably priced. :D So out of the topic, I know :D

The Not-So-Big List of Craft/Fabric Stores I Visit in Auckland:
My Stories on the Stores... :D

1. Renee's Red Vintage Quilts

creative spaze in a dace

Hey everyone :) I'm back with my creative space.

I'm loving this because it gets me going on new projects, and pushes me to finish old ones. And even as I'm suffering from university-itis, I still find time in my creative space. Because as corny as this sounds, I find much happiness in a sewing needle and a stack of yummy fabrics/felts :).

This week, I've been baking!
Felt cupcakes fresh from the oven.

I'm not sure what they are destined to be. I just keep assembling more of them because I like sewing them together. The final product would involve some ribbons and those twine thingies pictured above. Hopefully, they will be done by next week.

My creative space is also filled with recent shopping loot. I feel so guilty for spending so much in the past few days.
Especially in a quilt shop that sells Lecien.

Thank goodness there was a 20% discount off all fabrics on that day. Less guilt off my shoulders. But I think it's time to check in with the Fabric-stasher Anonymous.

NB: The sale ends on Saturday, so there's still time to make a visit if you're on the Northshore.

Thanks for dropping by :). As usual, if you would like to play along, hop over to kootoyoo :). Have a wonderful creative + spacey day indeed!

Note to Aucklanders who wish to know details of the quilt store - I will post details later today on a separate entry.

Greens and Pinks

1. pink loveheart sock bird! by sunsetgirl creations

2. Three little birdies by {JooJoo}

3. 'Strawberry Sundae' wall art closeup by a little bit of just because

4. Sewing machine + bokeh, HBW! by Moa Maria

My favourite colours are green and pastel pink.

At least half of my wardrobe is made up of green tops and skirts -
Yes, I'm usually all set for St. Patrick's Day, with minimal fuss :D.

What are your colours? :)

Oh, bento!

1. My Bento Diet: #125 New Camera from My Bento Diet
2. Bento 30 from Maky's Kitchen
3. Roasted pepper and tomato soup bento lunch for preschooler from Biggie*
4. Bento #73 - Ole' faithful Nutella! from kookyculinary

There is no other way to put it. I shall simply blurt it out: I Dislike cooking.
Yes, that's a capital D ;). I like baking though :). I love sweet things, can't you tell? :D

I am however, a fan of bento. A Big Fan :D.
Admittedly, I have bentos only in Japanese restaurants, but homemade bentos are even more awesome :).

So what is bento? Bento is essentially a take-out box for one. While we can draw the origins of bento from the Japanese, it has transformed into something so multi-cultural now. Take the Nutella and dim sum bentos as examples. If I were to prepare a bento right now, it would have butter chicken, roti and stir-fried cabbage as the mains; and blueberry muffin for dessert. All arranged in a cute way of course :D.

If you're planning a bento meal, there is plenty of inspiration to draw from the web. Check out Bento and HAPPY and FRESH bento.

For cute meals, Kawaii Bento is the place to be, because there are cuties like these:

1. A Dog Bento
2. Winnie the Pooh and Friends Spaghetti Bentos_1

both made by the (awesome) shoppingmum

For bento accessories, I love those in the local brick-and-mortar Daiso store. I'm not quite sure of online stores, but someone else has been so wonderful to put together links for bento lovers :).

Rootote

I Love my Medium Rootote.
This is the reason why I bought it:

A secret pocket at the side of the bag!
And this "secret" pocket is a standard feature of Rootote.
KangaROO = (Secret) pocket = On tote bag = ROOtote
Cute concept isn't it? :)

This is the newest line: ROO-Carriage.
It's a bag for the bag -
Place tiny things into a ROO-Carriage and pop the ROO-Carriage into a bag;
and if you wish to change the outer-bag, all you need to do is move
ROO-Carriage into that other bag. Some fancy stuff eh?

But I think the Crutto bags are the fanciest of all!
This big, extendable bag (so great for shopping) can turn into a tiny cute handbag.
In addition to a ROO pocket, it also has a CHANGE pocket.
This cutey has Two Secret Pockets! So James Bond!

The ROO-shoppers come in both cute + funky designs.

And then, there's baby roo for those who prefer tiny bags.
This one is made from my favourite material - linen.

Back to my Rootote:Notice the French phrase on the upper left of the bag?
Le bonheur est a ceux qur saventrire
I have been told it is something about happiness :).
Images from websites:
Rootote Gallery (Japan)
Rootote (Australia)

Wishing you a happy weekend too!

My Creative Space :)

My creative space - with a finished pouch and cotton lace from Daiso.

I finished this last night, after guiltily remembering that I have not sewn a stitch throughout the week. If you remember, last week's "My Creative Space" post touched on the beginnings of the pouch. Lovely bloggers wished me luck with the zipper, and advised the use of a zipper foot. I became quite guilty, reading those nice comments. Because at that time, I knew that I will not be using the sewing machine. Instead, I used this wonderful tutorial to guide me in handsewing the zipper.

The truth is that I have been having difficulties with adjusting the tension of my 2 months old sewing machine. A quick Googling up the topic told me that I was not the only one. And after investing hours in correcting the tension in vain, I finally cracked and decided to sew by hand instead. This happened when the first Sumo Baby was born. I have been handsewing since then.

Anyhoo, that's my dumb self. And this is my handsewn product. Please don't look too closely. It is riddled with mistakes :D. But I am still nonetheless happy with it, mainly because the lovely lace diverts my attention away from the imperfections. *Focus on the lace!*

Daiso, I *heart* you. But could you please please just drop the prices slightly? I was disappointed when you increased the prices of goods this year!

Handsewing this pouch turned out to be quite bloody. Somehow, I pierced my finger with the blunt end of the needle. So my creative space is also littered with band-aids. The plaster with a tiger image can be a temporary tattoo if you wish it to be :).

Join in the fun at Kirsty's. You know you want to! :)

Good Day to all! :D :D

Stamp stamp

1. japanese stamp set from karaku,

2. new japane rubber stamps from SWEET LIKE CHOCOLATE 1,

3. new rubber stamps from CraftPudding

4. Green Apple Heart from Warm n' Fuzzy

My list of craft to-do's includes carving stamps. But it would take a couple of months before it is pushed up the "Priority" status on the list.
For now, I shall admire the ones on Flickr instead :D.

Otogicco stamp set by Decole, Little Red Ridding Hood. from Olharapo

*heart* Karel Capek

I stumbled across Karel Capek while "hanging out" on Flickr :D.How is it possible that I've not known of it before?

Karel Capek is a tea shop based in Japan. But it's not just about tea in Karel Capek -
there's also kitchen things, books, totes, lovely postcards...
The illustration is wonderful, no?I think I'm in love with Karel Capek...
You can check out the translated version of Karel Capek's website (originally in Japanese).