♥ Congrats To My First Blog Winner!!!!

Woah, big cuppa of entries!
This few weeks was really fun! I had hold this contest on the 3rd March as a way of saying "Thanks!" for supporting my store and for the great sales I had in February. The responses was really awesome!

Halley Boo making sure no entries are left out.
Halley Boo decided to help mix the entries too.

I had so many convos and emails from readers and buyers who said such positive things and wonderful comments about my store. I am truly grateful! I really hope I can give away more than 1 prize today , maybe next time I would try to have multiple winners!

It is quite a lot of work, making sure all the entries are in. As you guys can see, Halley Boo helped too! Beautiful Geek is the one to pick the winner.

I am very happy to announce the winner of this giveaway is

Here It Is ! The Winner!

Closer look please. CONGRATS S.V From Netherlands!

I will be contacting the winner via email today.:D
Thanks to those who make the effort to join and support me in this giveaway. Love-Jessie

♥ Featured Seller Sakizome And Her Lovely Bags !

Click To Enter Her Fabulous Store!

Spring Breeze Clutch

Okay, by now, you guys might have figured out I am quite a "collector" ( nicer word for addict). If I like something, normally I go all the way out and amass as many as I can. I am a bag "collector" too. I think I have over 200 bags! All sorts! Gigantic, huge, large, medium, small, mini, invisible ones too!HAHA! I have totes, overnighters , luggage, pouches, purses, wallets etc etc you get the drift.

Therefore ( clear throat, put on my glasses and look serious), I am quite the expert on bags. I pride myself as able to spot a bag worth it's money in thread count as far as 500 meter away. This is a skill fine tune to highly professional standards thanks to living in a fast pace city where I do not have a lot of time for shopping or patience for entertaining mediocre poorly made bags. I am pleased to tell you guys, there is an excellent bag artist and crafter among us in Etsy.

Busy Knitting Pouch

This post is alll about a wonderful wonderful Etsy seller Sakizome who makes the loveliest bags!!! I had eyed her store for quite awhile because I love the fabric she used. I was not keen to buy at first because I am afraid it might not be as good as what is shown on the pictures ( trust me, I have had bad experiences before) . I caved in last week because I simply love the fabric on this bag so I ask her to custom make it bigger for me. Her response is fast, professional, positive and very very friendly. I was relieved as I am worried she might not be able to make it. In 36 hours, she told me my bag is ready. I was apprehensive. So fast? I thought. Well. Okay then. I mean, it is not an expensive bag and if I don't like it, I can give it away later.


Afternoon Cafe Shoulder/Handbag

It turns out to be one of the best bag I have bought on Etsy so far ( see the picture above , that is my bag!!) ! I was truly astounded by the beautiful workmanship! To me, it is better to use cheap fabric but good workmanship than to use expensive fabric and but lousy workmanship ( I am aware I used "workmanship" 3 times, I am sorry but I can't think of any other words at this time:p) . The fabric is rich and thick, the lining also superior quality and very very nice prints! The seams, the stitches, the sewing all are so professional done! I felt like I just step out of a Japanese bag store!

The strap and the zip are of boutique quality! I show it to Beautiful Geek and he said he had thought I got it for USD 70!!! I show it off to my friends and got loads of compliments! They are rather envious I must say ( silly to be envious, just go buy one!!) .
Happy Day Purse- She has them in smaller sizes and coin pouches too!

I personally feel she priced her bags too low ! The cloth and material she uses are not the usual quality I see in normal stores. The prints and patterns she uses are very unique too! What I like best about her store is that there are a really nice range of bags to choose from! Not just handbags, there are clutch, pouches, wristlets, totes and coin purses too! I felt that she is one artist who is not afraid to try new things and am very up to date with the current styles.

I asked if I can featured her and am so glad she agreed. She is so so nice to talk to too! I am honor that she is willing to use some of her busy time to talk about her craft and let us have a peep in her life.

In the Park Pouch

♥Tell us a bit about yourself name, location, affiliations, personal stuff please.

I live in Singapore although I have variously lived in England, in Malaysia and in California. I am lucky to be surrounded by greenery at home: bamboo and palm trees, fig trees, eucalyptus trees, and many more. Of course I am also surrounded by rooms full of fabric, embroidery threads and buttons!

♥ Apart from creating beautiful things, do you have a full time job too?

I actually have a day job which I love. It is demanding and great fun. It requires me to travel but it has also meant that I have met many fascinating people from all over the world. And of course it helps fund my passion for fabric.

Spring Breeze Clutch

♥ What first made you want to become an artist?

I grew up such a nerd. I loved reading and studying. At university in England I discovered that my boyfriend only wore jumpers that had been handknitted by his mother. I could not be outdone! I decided that I had to learn to knit and soon knitted more than a lifetime supply of complex sweaters. Naturally he wore them all and of course I married him! I treasure all his mother's jumpers and still keep them very carefully. The knitting transitioned into embroidery and the embroidery into sewing, mainly by hand. I love making complex hand appliqued and embroidered quilts.

My husband and 3 sons soon decided that there was nothing I could leave alone: I embroidered all over their clothes, and even the curtains at home had were embroidered. Our home looks like a gallery with with my quilts on every wall, even in the bathrooms. Of course the beds were all covered with my quilts long ago. Indeed, we sometimes say we built our present house so that I could have more space to better display my quilts. They are spectacular, or at least my sweet family think so.

Sunflowers - Embroidered Linen Pouch

♥ Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.

I can only make something if the fabric, threads, etc speak to me and I can assure you that they call out to me all the time. I usually dream - both day dream and otherwise about what I might do and then I start sketching, making rough notes on dimensions and other pointers to myself along the way. Then I start experimenting till I get the outcome I am looking for. I am fussy about quality, although I like everything I make to look handmade.

♥ What handmade possession do you most cherish?

This one is easy - the first jumper I ever knitted for my then boyfriend, now husband - a grey alpaca jumper. The knitting is not very even and I have come a long long way in terms of skills and inspiration but it was a transformative experience and made me realise that there was an artistic side to this nerd.

Blue Wheels Pouch

♥ Where is your favorite countries/ places?

Kyoto for its history, Tokyo for its vibrancy, Oxford, England as I have many memories of growing up there, Cambridge, England where I fell in love and learnt to knit and sew and of course, sunny Singapore.

Red Apple Orchard Pouch


♥ What is the motto/s you live by?
This is not a motto but I know that I need to sew, to make something beautiful, everyday! :)

Rulers Card Wallet

Thanks Sakizome for an enjoyable interview. I love hearing other people's life stories, it always makes motivated me in some ways. I truly am overjoy with my bag and I start to understand what my mother who is a seamstress used to says " when you carry a good quality handmade bag, you will feel like a million dollars". I did. :)

♥ MY NEW FABRICS!!!!

Oh my goodness! Today i am so excited I don't even need coffee!!!! All my new fabric arrived today! I am astounded by how many I bought, I think there are over 50 new pieces! I am one of those people who if I see something I like, I buy it in all the colors available!




One of the best thing about living in Shanghai is that there are soooooooo many online stores, I just need to make a cup of coffee, surf and click click click, pay and voila! Next thing I know, the stuff I order arrive right at my doorsteps in 36 hours!

I am such a fabric junkie. No joke, don't ever EVER let me in a fabric store with a credit card! Even if I do not have money, I would ask my friends to lent me, if I am a lone, I would go home, get my purse and go back again. I must have them! Hence, that is why I stay far far away from any fabric store possible! Of course, erm.. hee... I shop online! Oh but nevermind me, I am so happy, I took pictures of some of them. So sorry for bad lighting, the sun set earlier than expected ( so is my excuse ;P).




I am a total zakka addict. I see anything remotely zakka style, I go crazy! I love that feeling, I cannot really describe but that soothing, peaceful vibes I get from it. I have over 300 fabrics and each of them is my prized possession. I use them to make my buttons but everytime I cut a piece, my heart aches. It is silly, the only reasons I bought them is because I want to my buttons! I love making buttons! So therapeutic and I love the creative process!




This batch of fabric is just so awesome! I really love the ones with words, stories style! I will use them for my next batch of buttons for my buttons store. If I have a lot more, I will just carried them in my purse and admire them on and off ( just kidding, I am a addict, not a pervert!) LOL!

♥ A Quickie !

Buy Handmade Damn It - www.etsy.com - White Vinyl Sticker with Black Text

A quick blog updates here!

♥ I am updating my blog contest as fast as I can. HURRY! THREE MORE DAYS TO WIN USD 100 store voucher!!!! I am super super excited, my big polka dot cup is filling up fast with entries! On March 30th , the winner will be notified by email and also I will announced the news here. I am not going to put the real name, just the initial and country to protect the winner's privacy.

♥ I am removing my diaries, card cases and some other items which does not fit in Etsy categories to my new store soon! It was a case of blind leading the blind. I saw other stores listing planners and card case and thought it is okay, so I listed them too. But I felt uneasy about it and indeed Etsy told me it is not allowed . So I decided to move all non supplies or handmade stuff to my new store ( will announce here the site!).

I had wanted to sell other stuff for a long time. First to try to source for more is the Zakka pouches and bags which I had put on trial selling here on my blog. The responses is really good! I am glad many readers like them too!:) I will keep looking out for them and they will be sold on my new store.

♥ My handmade buttons store will be closed when the last listing expired. I will bring them over to my IHeart store. I love my buttons store but the traffic there and the competition is too fast and tough for me to catch up. Buttons can take a lot of time to make and I can't devoted more time to it so I rather put them on IHeart, this way, hopefully more buyers can see them. I can also offer more range and style. Look out for them sweeties!:)

♥ I am very excited about this blog. I was worried I would find it a chore to update but instead I come to appreciate it as my own journal. To continue to check in . I plan to feature a lot of sellers here and also show you my fun finds on Etsy. If you are a seller and would like me to feature you, please let me know! I would love to work with you!:)

Thanks again for all who left comments ( erm... it is not that I do not want to reply, I don't know how to reply to comments on blogs yet, please let me know if you know how!!) emails and follow my little blog ! I appreciate the support greatly! Till then, have a wonderful day!:)

Cheers!
Jessie

♥ It Is A GIRL!!!!

Hello Halley Boo!

The last few days were absolutely CRAZY and HAPPY for me! I had wanted a kitten for the longest time. My family are super avid cat lovers and there are 4 cats in my home in Singapore. My parents had started by rescuing wounded strays and gradually adopt some of them. In Seoul, I used to take care of a really friendly and sweetest German cat for my friends when they were away for the holidays. I yearned for one here , my very own.

Look how peacefully she sleeps in Beautiful Geek's arms.LOL
In her little pink carrier!

Therefore I was really happy that my postal office friend found one for me. He has a friend whose cat gave birth to 6 kittens and once they were wean off milk, he gave one to me for adoption. IT IS A GIRL!!! Now now, I love boys too, boys are much better tempered and fun to play with but girls, they are so sweet and demur! I love taking pictures of them with a small hair clip placed ( not clip on) their head. So cute!!

It was amazing how fast she found a good spot on Space Ji Ji and promptly felt asleep!
She also likes sleeping in her sand box *shrug*
Her name is Halley Boo. She is about 5 weeks old and very very affectionate! The first day I got her, she was nicely snuggling up to me and Beautiful Geek. She is intelligent too! I just need to show her once how to use the litter box, she caught on immediately. She loves to play and is crazily active. Like most cats, a piece of plastic sheet can entertain her for more than 30 mins!

I am spending a lot of time with her now as she is still very young. She needs a lot of attention and love. I am carrying her in a little cloth backpack and hang the back in front of me. This way, I can work abit and she is always near my body. Don't worry, my office is separately from the apartment so there should not be cat's fur at all in my stock!LOL!

How tiny she is beside Space Ji Ji!


How tiny she is beside Space Ji Ji!
Not too happy to pose with my hairclips.. ;p

Yes... like a proud mummy, I took a lot of pictures and videos! I know she would grow up really fast and I want to make sure I get all the moments with her. It is strange to have a pet on my own honestly. I was really quite apprehensive, not sure if I will be able to give her the love she needs but I figured out that it would do me and Beautiful Geek good to let someone else in our lives. We are such city people and am so use to attending to just our own needs, we are slowly becoming a little selfish. It may sound like a selfish reason, to use an animal to help us grow. But this is my truth.

I have been blessed with so much, I often wondered why. Now I know, so that I can give away. Althought I am confident in the end, the kitten will be one of our best teacher in life. I know I love her like my own already.:)

♥More Deco Tapes Pictures And One Very Special Lady Artist !

As you guys know, I might, most probably, could be, perhaps have one of the largest collection of DIY deco sticker tapes on Etsy. This crazy love with deco tape just never ends! I remembered being in Singapore, having a nice time with Beautiful Geek looking for some camera lens and then I saw a craft store. Instinctive I headed for the store and yes , THERE ARE DECO TAPES! Beautiful Geek knows that look in my eyes and know better to resist.




Without a word, I march to the counter, ask for a trolley but they only have basket ( how can you expect your store to do well without a shopping cart???). Grabbed a basket and literally sweep the whole shelf of deco tapes off it. Went straight to the cashier , paid and just grin like as if I am told I have a piece of something green between my front tooth . Beautiful Geek, ever the gentleman, noticed the SOMETHING GREEN IN TEETH GRIN, again, resist the urge to ask how we are going to lug all of them back to Shanghai. I once lugged 40 old books from Amsterdam to Singapore. DUHZ. This is nothing.




So anyway, I had a wanted to show you guys some of my tapes. I know I know you had seen them in my store but the light is nice today and TOTO ( very ultra cute little Totoro soft toy) wants to take picture too. So we had a fun day! Yes yes I know I am not 5, yes yes I know, I am too childish, yes yes I know TOTO cannot possibly have a mind of it's own and cannot possibly like to be taken photo of. Yes I know all that but the truth is the truth. I am 5 years old in my behavior ( I have seen adults who behave much worse) and childish and Toto is a living thing. It is what it is.






Then of course, the rest want to join it. I love Beanies and hand puppets ! It is so so terribly hard for me to walk past a store selling Beanies and not buy one! I have to be careful though because I tend to collect soft toys and after a few years, I would throw them away because I simply have no space. I feel it is a little like having a pet. Soft toys which are neglected can be very sad somehow.. I am not saying they are alive and they have rights but I feel everything little mini things have a purpose in life and soft toys are meant to be cuddle and provided comfort, not thrown away just because they are dirty/ old/ useless.

Hah, so I have Robin, Tally, Mocha, Carrot And Orange here, all happily posing for pictures! These collections would be my fabric and paper tapes!







I really love my fabric tapes! I always use them to decorate my cards and envelopes. I am starting to use them for pinning up my notes and memos on my board. Much prettier and more interesting than magnets or pins. I hope to use them to make into pretty little boxes later. Below are my paper tapes! I love them too!







I personally love my paper tapes the most. Reasons being they are rather hard to find and I like the feel of paper. I love to admire them sometimes and daydream how I would use them! I know I know I should just use it but they are so precious, I find it hard to open the package unless something really worthy comes along! Knowing me.. I would in the end just give them away. I hate to see things not use to their fullest potential and if someone comes along who is very crafty, I would not mind giving them away. But now, I want to keep them for a while longer...;)





So there is my gang! LOL. They do make me laugh during this shoot! I mean, they are just so adorable! If there are really animals this sizes , I would love to keep them!

NEXT!!!!! One Very Very Special Lady Artist !


Now, let me introduce an artist I really admire. Ok, it is not that I put this section to the end without a reason but after seeing the above tapes , you might ask "how can I use it for craft?". Personally, like I said before, I am a hoarder and a miser sometimes. I have so many tapes but I just refuse to waste a single one . I like to keep them in their nice seal package and admire them like a pervert (*wink).




Anyway, I know this lady , she sure uses them well!!! She may not even need any introduction as she should be very well known in the deco tapes collector's group. Her name is Kelly Kilmer and she is a mixed media artist and workshop instructor. You can read her blog here kellykilmer.blogspot.




What I really like about her is that she is a very passionate woman, very focus, very kind and talented. I often browse through her journal pages on her blog when I need some inspiration. She uses deco tapes as one of her tools and I love the way she bashfully slash them across , generously lining them , layering them, mix and matching tape to compliment her theme. I love her selection of images too! I mean my goodness, she really has a way to send her message across in her very own way. I think it is a really healthy and therapeutic way of expressing oneself.




From her work, I just know she is a strong, free spirit and very positive person! The best thing is, you can learn how to make these wonderful pages too!!!! She has an awesome online class! http://kellykilmer.blogspot.com/2009/02/prompt-day-online-mixed-media-art.html





I thought it was really innovative and kind of her to offer classes on how to make journal pages for such a reasonable fees! If you read the course details, it is really very exciting! Like having your own personal instructor with you and you do not even have to leave your doorsteps!

I love my convos with her , she is very friendly! I just wish I can load all her wonderful journals pages her on my blog but there are too many wonderful ones! Go go see her blog! She sometimes teaches at some states ( lucky people, the Americans!) and maybe she might be holding a class in yours! All in all, thanks Kelly for allowing me to blog about you and use your photos, thanks for making the world a better place!:)