lucky bunny

I recently won this cute bunny brooch from a blog giveaway by RE-read... and it arrived today! He hopped onto my orange dress immediately. I think the colour remind him of carrots.

RE-read makes adorable accessories made from recycled storybooks. I just love recycled crafts. Even the packaging are made from old book pages.

I've been wanting to do some paper crafts lately (I'm thinking gift tags and little envelopes for my jewellery). I've been browsing the books section at the charity/op shops for some books with nice pictures but ones that wouldn't be a shame to rip apart. Not as easy as I thought. There was this gorgeous collection of illustrated nursery rhymes (it was old but in perfect condition) - the pictures would have made charming gift tags - but then I thought some parent or kid probably deserves to find and have it more than me. If only it had a giant rip or stains in the pages or something, I would have bought it straight away.

Have you come across any interesting recycled crafts/accessories lately?

good!

Cute old cartoons and movie drive-ins, to a sweet cover by She & Him (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward)


"... we hope that in some way we have been able to add to your pleasure, comfort and relaxation"

a piece of cultural pride

I love wearing my batik dress. Partly because it's pretty and matches my blue tights, and also because there's a hint of national pride that comes with it. After all, I am an Indonesian, and batik is supposed to be our most renowned national heritage. Perhaps living overseas for many years has actually made me appreciate my culture a lot more. There's plenty to appreciate though, seeing that the art has been around for centuries, and the number of gorgeous designs out there is endless.

In the making. Extremely intricate stuff.
Image from flickr. More info there too.

A vintage photo of a Javanese dancer wearing batik.
Image from here.

*EDIT:
I was afraid this would become a boring cultural lesson,
so I've reduced the images and content.
Click the links if you are keen to learn more.

P.S. How do you guys like my new layout?

sales and stuff

A couple of the necklaces in my Etsy shop will expire very very soon, so I'm putting them on sale. It's about time someone took them home. If not, I'm still not sure if I'll relist them or try to sell them elsewhere.

Love Birds
$15 $10
will expire on 27 February 2009

Playful Cat
$16 $12
Will expire on 28 February 2009

And while I'm in the shameless self-promotion mode, I have some new stuff up too. Everything is a one-off piece.

I Heart My Lego Window
made with a lego piece from my very own childhood. Retro!
I felt a bit weird selling a piece of my past, but it'd be a shame to just leave it to gather dust in my toybox.

Coral Dream
Pretty, huh?
I only have one of these flower pendants.

Thanks for looking!

fear

image from weheartit.com

twirling and chatting

This grey circle skirt is the best fun to twirl around in, and even comfier for when you decide to stop twirling :) It's definitely becoming one of the staples in my wardrobe.
I bought it from Lyptis.etsy.com - which I highly recommend you check out. All the clothes there are handmade when you order, so you can ask for custom adjustments if you wish (I asked for my skirt to be longer) and the turnaround is fast. Really affordable too. Better yet, the shop's having a storewide sale right now. Yes, you know you like that word.

Today, I met up with 2 Etsy sellers for a friendly chat. One of them was Fran, who is no other than the creative girl behind Lyptis (that's her hands in the background). The other was Ruth, who I was pleased to meet for the first time. She makes the most gorgeous teacup soy candles (that's one in the picture). See more in her shop, twilightspells.etsy.com. She gets her teacups from secondhand shops and markets, and they're just delightfully unique and pretty. Both girls were wonderful to talk with. It's really inspiring to talk to other craft and Etsy addicts enthusiasts.

pretty clutter

I admit I'm a messy person. If I do tidy up my room/space, it never stays that way for very long. I like having some clutter. Empty minimalist spaces - although would suit some people - is just too blah for my personal liking. If only my clutter were more organized and coordinated. Colour-coordinated maybe.
Images from here

oui

Yesterday I received a wonderful little package from Laura of Daisy Chain Dreams. We did a necklace swap, I sent her the roses necklace and she sent me this handmade "OUI" necklace. I love it. It's so sweet, so French, and so optimistic at the same time. It makes me want to channel my inner chic-French-girl (not that she exists there, but I can pretend!). I thought that was a good enough reason to treat myself to some macaroons today too. How do you say "yummy" in French?

polka dot top - vintage, red skirt - thrifted

neither blue nor green (part 2)

I just had to show off my latest purchase - especially as the colour fits in perfectly with last post. Completely unintentional, I swear. I admit it was an impulse buy, I was actually on my way to get some groceries when I passed a fashion store (this is why they put supermarkets in the farthest corner of the mall!). Anyway, I'm usually quite good at resisting impulse buys, but this a) was on sale for $4. b) was the only one left. c) has a gorgeous rich teal -or whatever you'd like to call it- colour. d) has a fun puffy shape. e) has pockets!

blue shoes - thrifted/ op shop, black top - Indonesia, bracelet - gift, love birds necklace - my Etsy shop

And just to continue the colour obsession theme... source

source

source

source

and a reminder for myself:
source

neither blue nor green,

it's something in between.

Would you call this dress turquoise, teal, or aqua?
I've been calling it turquoise. I think teal is more blue-ish and somewhat darker. I could be wrong. I just know I like this colour.

The ring was handmade by me. The necklace was a friend's who didn't want it anymore. The mug has nothing in it.

Hope everyone's having a good weekend - whether you're celebrating Valentine's day or not!

Bushfire Appeal on Etsy

An Etsy shop (OzBushfireAppeal.etsy.com) has been created in response to the Australian Bushfire Tragedy. All sales will be donated to the Australian Red Cross.

Anyone from around the world can help by donating or purchasing items there. There are so many categories and a very wide price range, so you're bound to find something that interests you!

See my owl necklace listed here.


Check back often, because awesome items are being added in around the clock! Be quick too, because it looks like items are flying out as fast as they're coming in.

Gorgeous handmade items.
Free shipping.
Most importantly: a terrific cause.

take more pictures, share more hugs

Do you like 2-in-1 deals? My latest Etsy listing is this double-sided necklace, featuring a cute children's illustration on one side and a retro camera on the other. Which side do you prefer?
Double-sided necklace available right here.



On another note, I'm delighted to have been given this special and sparkly award by the drifter and the gypsy. Thank you! It has got to be prettiest blog award I've ever received.
I will pass this right along to these special blogs: 'Tis Serendipity, On Dressing Up, Daisy Chain Dreams, and Pearls in Your Hair.

*hugs*

I am

easily distracted.
Image source.
Proper posts will resume shortly.

roses and butterflies

Some girly goodness.

image source

image source

image source

image source

new at muchlove.etsy.com

Roses can be found here...

...and the butterfly is right here.

xo

you cannot be serious!

Stick it Wear?! cleverly combines 3 of my favourite things: tennis + clothing + simple and quirky designs. I love that they don't scream "tennis fan!" and are just seriously cute. The stick figure designs depict classic and modern tennis pros, without actually telling you who's who (but with names like "Swiss Superstar", it's not too hard to guess!)

My favourite:

Russian Meltdown
Any guesses on which pro tennis player this represents?
Clue: there's a male version with the same name... inspired by her brother.

I don't know why, but tennis tantrums are amusing.

yellow city

The city was looking a little yellow today... with the trees starting to get rid of their greens (is summer over already?), and the yellow balloons from the Pancake Day tent.
It was only right to try and blend in by wearing this vintage yellow dress. The pattern on it looks like a city too - a pretty little garden bench with skyscrapers in the background. It was originally much longer, falling below my knees, so I simply cut it short. I've been thinking of cutting the sleeves as well- what do you think?

I love these earrings. They were my mums when she was very young.

The ring was one of my earliest Etsy purchases, and I think the black flower originally came from an old brooch.closer look at the "city" pattern on my dressA massively huge thank you to Ana and Ariella for these sweet awards!

Since I can't decide who to single out, I'm passing it on to YOU.... because if you've bothered to come and read my blog, then you are wonderful and this is for you!