It's Christmas!!

It's that time of the year again - Christmas!!!!  Big One and Small One are having gift exchange in school tomorrow.  Instead of using wrapping paper, I made 2 draw-string bags in Christmasy red and gold!  All ready for tomorrow =)

Christmas drawstring bags

Here's wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

I Didn't Throw It Away

When Agy of Green Issues by Agy asked if I had anything that I have kept for more than 20 years, I went "Yes!!!"  I'm a hoarder by nature and get attached to the stuff I own, afterwhich I'll have trouble throwing them away.  So here I am, part of the Blog Train!

Out of the many things that I've kept for more than 20 years, I chose 2 cross-stitch work which i worked on as a kid.  Each was lovingly framed up by my Mum and were displayed in the home for many years.  Now, these are displayed in my own home :)

From what I remember, this rabbit cross-stitch could be my 2nd cross-stitch I've ever done.  While not exactly perfect (colours available in school didn't match the pattern exactly), this could have been the start of more complicated work.

This 2nd piece of work is a favourite of my Mum's.  The cost of all the material was sponsored by my Grandma as a birthday present and I couldn't wait to get started on it the moment my exams were over.  That year, my Grandma fell sick during the school holidays.... I would stay home with her, slowly working on the biggest and most complicated cross-stitch I've ever done.  Grandma passed away that year.....

Why haven't I thrown these away after all these years?  Because they were a part of me.  Because the latter piece reminds me of how much Grandma loved me...

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This post is part of a blog train hosted by Agatha from Green Issues by Agy on "I Didn't Throw It Away"

We have become such a throw-away society, but there are some things in our households that we still keep. Why is that so? Perhaps this blog train can unlock the reasons behind it! Follow the daily posts on this blog train and read about the stories behind the things we have kept for many years and why we didn't throw them away.

Tomorrow YP from Lapis William will share with us the stories behind the things she didn't throw away.  

Toilet Roll People

Here's a project for kids using toilet rolls.  Just give them some toilet rolls, coloured paper, googly eyes, pom poms, glue and let their imaginations run wild!  Here are 2 people Big One and I created:

Toilet Roll People

Final Acrylic on Canvas Painting in the Series

When I started dabbling in acrylics,  my first project was to have a horoscope animal for each one in the family.  This little dragon completes this series:

Acrylic on canvas - dragon

Check out my other horoscope paintings:
Mouse 1
Mouse 2
Horse

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Horse Painting

After painting 2 mice (here and here), some thought that I was going to paint a whole brood of mice!  Nah,  next up is a horse - my own horoscope animal!

Horse - Acrylic on canvas

And the Painting Continues

Once I got started painting in acrylics, I just HAD to paint some more!  Here's another mouse:

Mouse - Acrylic on canvas

Acrylic on Canvas

When I think of artists. I think of a wooden easel with a canvas panel propped on it, set out in a green lush garden decked in autumn colours, artist standing in front of the canvas with a palette in one hand and a brush in the other.

I never thought of painting on canvas, until I stepped into an artist's wonderland at Bras Basah..... aisle after aisle of art supplies, paints, brushes, and oh.... canvas!  It was way cheaper than I expected (not that I knew how much they cost anyway :p) so this started a whole buying spree that didn't end up very cheap.  I walked out of the store with brand new paint brushes, acrylic paint, canvas panels and some protective varnish!

These supplies sat around for quite some time before I actually did something with them.  Hmmmm.... I think I'll start with some horoscope animals for each member of the family.  Here's the first one.  What do you think of it?

Mouse - acrylic on canvas

Baby Bunny

Baby Bunny

This, is Baby Bunny.  Smiley, happy, cheery, all things sweet and all things nice =)

Baby Bunny plushie is made from a baby T-shirt that my Big One and Small One wore when they were little.  And you know how fast little ones grow up, right?  Well, this T-shirt almost ended up at the Salvation Army when Hubs decided to clear everything out!  This T-shirt holds special memories for me. so I just had to grab it back and decided to make it into something else (think upcycle) that I could keep.

Baby Bunny is my way of holding onto memories of the little ones.  How do you hold on to memories of your kids?

Hand-carved Rubber Stamp - Mouse with Key

Remember my new addiction with carving rubber stamps?  I just kept carving and carving, wanting to get better.  So far, I think this is one of the neatest hand-carved rubber stamps that I've made.  What do you think?

Mouse with key hand-carved rubber stamp

Hanging Organiser

Little One has lots of toys in the car to keep him entertained.  At times, the back seat of the car looked like a Typhoon went through it!  So this was the solution:

Hanging Organiser

 Just hang it off the back of the car seat and stuff all the books and toys and knick knacks in it.  Great way to keep stuff off the seats and floor!

Books and toys in place!

Velcro Reflector Strips

This is another boy's theme post.  Previously I had inline skates straps, and a kick scooter carrying strap.

Today I have for you velcro reflector strips!  At Diaso (a shop which sells EVERYTHING for $2), there were reflector strips with velcro that you could wear round your waist or leg or wherever.  I wanted to attach them to a kick scooter, so I cut them down, sewed on some pokey velcro at one end, and managed to get a few short velcro reflector strips instead of just 1.  The great thing is that you can easily remove them anytime you want :)

Using zigzag stitch to secure pokey velcro to one end

Velcro them all over kick scooter!

Around the World Blog Hop

Jane from Projectsbyjane invited me to join a blog hop, and I said "Why not?".  So here I am, participating in my first blog hop!

I'm going to tag the following bloggers for the next hop:
1. Natural Handmade Fun

What am I working on?
I'm currently addicted to carving rubber stamps.  It all started with a stamp carving workshop that I attended at Makers' Block and ever since then, I just can't stop carving!  I started practicing with rubber from Diaso ($2 a piece) and have since "upgraded" to a lovely Japanese rubber.  Here are some of my stamps which are available in my Storenvy store:

Elly has transformed into a rubber stamp!

Strawberry Rabbit

Squirrel

Strawberry Cake

How does my work differ from others in its genre?
I don't know exactly which genre I fall into.... all I know is that I love to sew, to craft, to make cute and unique things.  I believe that all handmade things have a little of its maker in it, a story behind each and every piece.

Why do I create what I do?
Because I enjoy making stuff. Because I love making stuff that are different from the usual mass produced stuff.  Because the sense of accomplishment after completing each item feels GREAT!


How does my creating process work?
When I'm starting a new product/range, a lot of work is done in my mind.  The conceptualising stage is very important to me; I need a very clear picture in my mind before I actually do the hands-on work.  The next step I think of is how to make it better; a faster process or a better design etc.

Upcycled Bed Sheets

Ok.... I have to admit this upcycling project is a little weird..... and that's because I'm upcycling bedsheets into, well, bedsheets.  No, I've not gone bonkers, let me explain.

As a kid, I would get to choose some cute bedsheets once in a while.  The quality of things of that time were really good - they didn't tear nor grow little bumps.  In line with more thrifty practices of old, if it's still usable, it can't be thrown out.  I grew up, the cloth faded a little, the elastic corners lost it's elasticity but Mum kept the bedsheets anyway.

Fast forward, now Mum is looking after my Little One and he has a mattress that he sleeps on in the day.  Mum requested that I use the old bedsheets to make a mattress cover (one which covers the mattress all around, not just the top).  I just sewed 2 old bedsheets together, added some cute buttons and ta-daa - a new mattress cover!

Matrees cover upcycled from old bedsheets

Hand-carved Batman Rubber Stamp

Ever since my boy accompanied me to a stamp carving workshop, he has been making requests of stamps that he wants.  Previously it was a dinosaur after his school brought him on a trip to the museum.  Now, after attending a friend's Batman-themed birthday party, he wanted a Batman stamp.  Here you are, my boy:

Hand-carved Batman Rubber Stamp

Hand-carved Dinosaur Rubber Stamp

I'm addicted to stamp carving!  I just find it so satisfying..... cutting away parts that you don't want, concentrating on the main picture, cleaning it up.  I know I'm still a newbie but I enjoy a challenge, so here's the most challenging one I've done so far: Hand-carved dinosaur stamp!!

Hand-carved dinosaur rubber stamp

Batik Skirt

I've been sitting on my load of batik fabric for ages..... Finally, I got off my bum and made a skirt using the pink-yellow-gray batik fabric.  In my younger days, my wardrobe was mainly blacks, blues, grays, and other dull colours.  While I'm starting to embrace colour, I was still a little wary of being "too bright".  Thus, I toned it down a little by adding a black band of fabric at the bottom edge.  This band also conveniently hid the raw edges of the batik cloth.  At the elastic band area, I added a line of sewing snugly against the top of the elastic.  I think this gives it a more finished look compared to not having this line.  I like to match this with a plain black top so that the focus is on the skirt :)

First cut into my batik fabric

Batik skirt completed!

Close-up of batik skirt

Kick Scooter Carrying Strap

As there is an overwhelming amount of information on sewing more girly stuff online, I would like to continue with more boy stuff.  This time, I moved on to a kick scooter!

Having had 2 bicycles stolen before (1 was stolen from right outside my main door!), I just can't bring myself to get another bicycle unless we have lots of space to keep it indoors.  As I also don't drive, I missed the convenience of being able to get to nearby places in minutes.  After some research online, I finally got myself a kick scooter so that I can scoot to the bus-stop or train station or the supermarket.

In order to bring it along with me on public transport, I needed a carry strap.  All it took was a few cheap supplies and sewing a few straight lines and ta-daaa, I had a carrying strap!  Total damage? Less than $4 for the strap and buckles, and less than 15 mins of sewing time.  What do you think?

Kick Scooter Carrying Strap

Top buckle

Bottom buckle

Blythe Dress with Sleeves

I spend quite a fair bit of time on Pinterest and of the Blythe doll dresses that I like, there was a common trait - puffy sleeves and cute collars!  My previous attempt with sleeves and collars wasn't a success.... the sleeves were too long, and the pointy collar was overlapping too much at the back.

Using a combination of a few patterns on hand, and finally using some lace, here's what my second attempt looks like:

Japanese fabric dress

Hmmm..... I think adding lace at the bottom of the skirt is cute and I quite like the bold fabric print.  Things I didn't quite like?  The ugly collar, the too tight cuffs and the slightly too baggy sleeves.....  Oh well, with each try I learn something new.  Hope to get better at this so that my Misha has prettier clothes to wear :)

Fall Fun Blythe Meet (SG)

Calling all Blythe lovers out there, there's going to be a Fall Fun Blythe Meet (SG) coming up real soon on 13 Sep 2014 in Singapore!  There will be a giveaway at this meet and Angelhearts Crafts will be contributing a handmade Blythe doll dress as one of the items!

Handmade Blythe dress by Angelhearts Crafts

Customised Hand-carved Owl Stamp

As you recall, I have an owl-loving friend, M.  She was one of the first few people who adopted my plush owls and she also requested that I make more owl pillow cases and cushion covers.  Since I'm into carving stamps now, I asked her if she would like an owl stamp of her own.  She sent me an old photograph which had cute plush owls that her aunt made for her and asked if I could do something like that.

After hunching over the rubber block for about an hour, my neck was aching and my eyes hurt.... boy, this is hard work!  Quite pleased with what I came out with:

Customised owl stamp from childhood toy

If anyone's interested in getting a customised hand-carved rubber stamp, feel free to drop me an email :)

Stamp Carving - Take 1

After attending a stamp carving workshop at Makers' Block in June, I was hooked!  I wanted to get my hands on some rubber and start carving more stamps.  Having the kids around kept me from rushing to craft stores to get my supplies.  Oh well, I'll have to settle on carving whatever rubber that's left from the workshop.

First, transfer the image onto the rubber:

Image transferred onto rubber

Then the carving begins....

Carve, carve, carve...

As you can see, my carving is pretty messy.  Argh!!!  Ok, relax, it's my first solo stamp carving, don't have to be so hard on myself.  So even though the carving looked untidy, the prints came out ok, don't you think?

Final Angelhearts Crafts hand-carved stamp

Kawaii Mobile Phone Pouches

Ever since I started using mobile phones, I've always renewed the mobile phone line contract in order to get a new phone at a cheaper rate.  Buying mobile phones without contract are so so so much more expensive!  This year, Redmi came to the rescue -- a brand new phone which cost less than 200 bucks without any contract, Woohoo!!

Being so new in the market, once again I had to make my own mobile phone pouch.  Hmmm.... why does it seem like I often buy phones which do not have ready-made pouches (Thinks back to year 2010)?  Armed with super cute (KAWAII!!!) fabric from a friend, I made 2 pouches -- 1 for my Mum and 1 for myself.  Happy happy :)

Twinkle Twins and Red Riding Hood

Close-up of Red Riding Hood

And Thumberlina on the other side

Hippo Sewing Machine Cover

When I bought my sewing machine, I was very pleased that a cover was included in the package.  It came in a polyester material which seemed water-proof and had a little pocket on one side.  Lo and behold...... 3 years have flown by and the sewing machine cover started to disintegrate!  No matter how gentle I was, each time I held it, little bits of plastic bits would break away..... Oh no.....

I pulled out a cheery fabric that I got from Ikea and made this:

Hippo Sewing Machine Cover

Ah..... now isn't that a happy sight to see on my crafting table :)

Psssst.... do you find this fabric familiar?  That's because I've used it to make a reversible bag years ago!

Makers' Block

Last Sunday, I got the chance to go to Makers' Block: A Build, Craft & Design Experience  which was at Suntec City Mall.  This is the largest learning festival for makers in Singapore, and believe me, it's not very often that you get such an event in Singapore.

Doodle Wall

There was a doodle wall where they invited anyone to draw anything they wanted on the wall.  Now, how often do you get to draw on the wall??  I suppose this is as close as I'll ever get to drawing graffiti :p

One area was dedicated to workshops.  I was attracted to the stamp carving and decided to try my hand at it.  It wasn't as difficult as I expected and the results were so cute!  Oh dear..... I think I'm getting addicted to yet another craft...

Hand-carved rubber stamps

If you are interested in making stuff, it's still not too late to make your way down to Makers' Block which will be on till 7 July.  Check out the schedule for workshops and have fun!!

Blythe Doll goes Flower Gazing

One of the first few Blythe dresses that I made was given to a Blythe doll loving friend.  Here's another of her lovely dolls who went flower gazing in my dress :)

Oh, nice flower...

OOOooooh!!  What a pretty bunch!!

Inline Skates Strap

When you think of sewing, you think of dresses, skirts, pouches, bags...... mostly girly stuff.  But sewing is a useful skill for boy's stuff too.  No, I'm not talking about sewing boy's clothes, or even plush toys (e.g. dinosaurs and elephants).  I'm talking about REAL boy's stuff - inline skates!

Big One's inline skates' velcro strap started showing signs of wear and tear.  A quick check showed that it would cost about $10 to replace the straps with plain, boring black ones.  So I decided to take action before it was too late and started to reinforce the velcro straps with Pokemon cloth!

Now Big One is happy with his unique Pokemon inline skates!

Tacking Pokemon cloth in place

Unique Pokemon inline skate velcro straps

Blythe Doll Bloomers

A friend of mine bought a Blythe doll clothing pattern book for me.  She mentioned that she liked a certain pattern, so I tried it out.  Here's Misha modelling the bloomers before it got sent over to my friend's dolls:

Misha in bloomers

Butterfly Hairclip Goes to a Wedding!

Remember the origami butterfly hairclip that I made for a friend?  She wore it to a wedding!!  Here's a photo:

Sock Cat

Little One loves cats!  Whenever we walk downstairs, he'll be on the lookout for cats and when he sees them, he'll be shouting and pointing them out to me.  In one of the books that I borrowed from the library, there were instructions on how to make a sock cat, so here's my handmade sock cat for Little One:

Grinning Sock Cat

Does a Bob Suit Misha?

Misha with bob hairstyle

I think Misha's green eyes go so well with her party dress.  And a bob hairstyle seems to suit her to.  What do you think?

Batik Cloth

Whenever I go fabric shopping at Chinatown, I'm usually with friends.  On the rare occasion that the Hubby comes along, mostly I'll be ooo-ing and aah-ing at the fabric alone.  So I really didn't expect him to offer to buy me some batik fabric when he was overseas for work.  He even sent photos and asked which ones I wanted and how many metres I wanted of each!  I haven't made anything with them yet.  Any suggestions?

Batik

$2 Jacket

When you are specifically looking for something, you won't be able to find it.  When you are not looking for anything, it just jumps right out at you!

My $2 Jacket!

It was a lazy afternoon at a shopping mall.  We were just chilling out after a meal and wandered into some clothing shops.  "$2!", screamed a sign in a quiet corner of the shop.  Curious, I went to take a peek to see what junk they were selling at ridiculously low prices.  There were some owl ornaments with paint chipped off at some places, T-shirts with holes, bikinis with the straps sewn at the wrong place, stained clothes...... you get the idea?  

Well, I kept poking around this area for fun, hoping to find some cute fabric for my sewing projects.  Then I dug up this jacket!  It was a casual office jacket that was fully lined!  I tried it on even though it was a size too small and it fit!!  Getting excited, I checked the tag to see why it was in the sale bin and it said: "hole".  After looking quite hard, I finally found a small little hole at the elbow, nothing that I couldn't fix.  Anyway, who would notice such a teeny tiny hole?

I was beaming all the way home with my $2 catch, telling this incredulous tale to unbelieving family and friends :)