Thursday, August 25, 2016

I Miss Those Moments

Ada masa-masa ketika saya males banget keluar rumah dan lebih senang untuk berbelanja online barang-barang kebutuhan. Akibatnya, banyak kardus-kardus packaging yang menumpuk dirumah. Membuang sampah kertas dan kardus di Jepang engga bisa dilakukan setiap hari, saya hanya dapat melakukannya sekali dalam seminggu. Untuk area ditempat saya tinggal, sampah jenis ini baru bisa dibuang setiap hari Selasa sekitar jam 9 pagi. Kalo jamnya udah kelewat, nasib saya harus menumpuknya di rumah dan menunggu sampai Selasa depan.  

Kalo isengnya lagi kumat, berdua sama Siti kita suka bikin-bikin sesuatu dari kardus-kardus ini. sebelumnya Kita pernah bikin rumah-rumahan kardus yang kita warnai bersama, lalu kita juga sempat bikin bis kecil yang kemudian ditumpangi bersama teman-temannya sampai hancur, it was really fun!
Kali ini kita iseng bikin  living room miniature.


Siti ketika masih umur 5 tahun

Lemarinya kita buat dan di-cover dengan selotip coklat, standing lamp terbuat dari bottle cap yang dilapis felt, lace lalu dihias beads. Sofa dan footstool, framenya berasal dari kardus yang ditumpuk dan dilapis kain. Decorative cushions saya gunakan felt, crochet, dan sulam tangan.



Saya suka sekali dengan prosesnya, dan sangat enjoy setiap momen yang saya luangkan bersama Siti. Sekarang Siti semakin besar, dia sedang masa transisi dari anak- anak menuju abege dan sudah lebih asik bermain degnan gadget.
Ah...saya sangat merindukan masa- masa seperti ini ;'). 

DIY Felt Cat Necklace for Little Girl

A birthday invitation from my friend shown up on my email. I rushed to the store and buy a gift and some felt. Why felt? I was planning to make accessories that could match with her dress. and this necklace came up into my mind.




Here are some materials that need to be prepared;
2 mm felt, 1 mm felt to cover th back side, old t-shirt/ cotton jersey, needles, embroidery floss, glue, beads, jump rings, pencil, plier, scissor.




This project is easy, but at some point you might need to know how to use needle and thread. If it's still too difficult, you can use felt and glue to create the cat's face details instead. 











It's done! Now, I need to find a cute gift wrapping paper ;).





Thursday, August 11, 2016

My Crafting Moment

I always have a passion for craft. I remembered when I was in a third grade, my first project was making roses from a tissue box. I used all my mum's tissue supplies and decorated every corner of her house with tissue roses. Since then I like to make myself busy making crafty things and I've never felt bored at home anymore. 




I stopped crafting when my daughter was born and we need to live overseas. It took some time for us to adjust our life in a new place so I decided to become a full-time mum. Five years later we moved to Japan and finally I had a chance started crafting again. Luckily our place is near to my favourite craft shop, it took about 15 minutes by bicycle. I was so excited because that place has many choices of craft tools, materials, books and even many small workshops were held there. It took me days to explore the place, it feels like heaven for a crafter like me.





After I tried crochet, paper cutting, miniature, hand embroidery and clay making, I felt hand embroidery that suits me best because I found the stitching process was so relaxing. I could feel the excitement every time I start to hold the embroidery hoop, enjoy every moment when the needle slips through the fabric, filling the design with colourful threads, the whole process feels like a meditation for me. 






Whenever anxiety hits me, I grab my embroidery tool then stitching with slower mode and listening to my favourite music. It really helps me to calm down and make me happier ;).         














Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Craft Swap Experienced



Have you ever heard about craft swap before ? Honestly, I've never heard about it until I experienced it. A craft swap is an exchange of handmade items or craft supplies between strangers who has an interest in beautiful handcrafted things. You can find craft swaps event online, among members of crafter group , friends or strangers.

These darling handcrafted items I got it from an Indonesian crafter friend who currently living in Australia. We'd met on Instagram and we love to discuss about our passion for handcrafted goods and anything related.




Last year CYLcollective and makers movement hosted swap event on Instagram using hashtag #wearethemakersswap. Every people who participated need to register on their website and each of us submitted a photo an item that we would like to send and share the image on Instagram. The hosts choose who would be my partner to swap.
On that event, I was paired with Rose Newton, a very talented illustrator from New Zealand. I'm so lucky to have her beautiful works at home.




In return, I made by myself several hand embroidery items and send it to them.


Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Doily Dreamcatcher

On Friday morning, I've got a surprise gift from my Japanese teacher. It was a beautiful golden brown yarn twisted with sparkling gold thread. It looks very classy and elegant. She told me that it was from her friend who has a weaving studio in Mie perfecture, Japan. She has plenty of yarn and wanted me to have one. Whoaa...this is really amazing, received a thoughtful gift from someone whom I never met,  I don't even know her name :p. I'm pretty sure that my teacher told her something about me (hopefully it was a good thing) :D. 

I should make something for their kindness to show my gratitue. And I want to use the yarn that she gave me. Crochet coin purse was the first thing came in my mind, but nay... I had made it several times before. Then I decided to make doily dreamcatcher.

My first step on this project was looking for doily pattern which has smaller size than the hoop size. I prefer to tie it with string because I want to see the whole crochet pattern inside the hoop.  
Next I covered the embroidery hoop with yarn and glue it at some part. Then I set the doily to hoop and tied it with string. Last, I made the tassels and crochet balls as an ornament. It's done!




I let my teacher to choose first, and she liked the white one. 



I also made a small letter with watercolor on the background and tried to write it in Japanese. 

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Cat Fabric Doll with Embroidered Detail

Happy New Year 2015!!! May it brings gifts of joy and good health to you.

Lately I was looking for an inspiring people who made a beautiful handmade fabric doll. And put it on my dreams list that one day I could make one too. After long hours of blog walking, pinning, and stumbled upon on instagram, looking for a sewing techniques, pattern, fabric, details...etc because I know nothing about making fabric doll. 
I really really want to thank them(and off course hug them if I had a chance ;D) who has kindly shared their ideas, experience, tips and ispiration on social media <3. 
With their tutorials, finally I made this doll for my daughter's birthday present *wink.


My first step was creating the character, and then made a pattern from it. Before I cutting it, I embroidered her head and arms.




My daughter named her Rosie





Flowers are everywhere...even on Rosie's feet.




What do you think about her?


Wednesday, October 22, 2014

cloud embroidery

I'm feeling stitchy today. On a cloudy day like today, it has inspired me to embroider clouds with many face expressions. Found a treasure small size linen fabric scrap inside my craft box and then immediately I sketched on it.
I used outline stitch for face details, back stitch for the outline and french knot for filling the space. Last step, I think I 'll frame and hang it on my daughter's room.  





Tuesday, October 21, 2014

crochet collar

I used to be an impulse buyer. Bought many cute things on a craft store but then it's all ended inside my craft's box, overload, dusty and forgotten. Now, I always try to stay away from craft store if I don't have any crafty project plan. And always tend to optimized the usage of leftover materials. 
Just like this collar crochet project, I had this brown silky yarn for months and I want to get rid of it. I have no idea what should I do with it beside as a decorative string on a gift box xD. But then I tried to make children size collar and taadaa .... Feel so happy! Not because I could make a crochet collar, but its more because I didn't waste my yarn ^_^.


crochet hair elastic

Pinterest is one of my best sources for looking an ideas. Usually I pinning on late night before I fall asleep. One day  I stumbled upon with a collar crochet pattern on pinterest, then I simplified it into these scrunchies (ups...rookie level crocheter is here). Two pieces, one for me and the other is for my daughter because she wanted to wear it to school ;). 

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

My ex Boyfriend's Birthday

Last month was my husband's birthday, me and my daughter were busy to make a special gift for him. My daughter decided to make a bookmark and I made a doll which looks like him inspired from my daughter's illustration.




There were so many trial and error while making this doll. It's not as easy as I saw the tutorial on youtube XP, but I really enjoyed it and decided to make some more dolls in the future. 


Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Let's Make Bunting

It's been a long time I didn't update my blog (my last post was in March) for one reason and another. But it didn't mean I'd stop crafting during the break (oh...doing nothing can cause me a headache ;p) I do have some projects to share and they're still in waiting line to be uploaded. 
Or you can check my instagram account regularly for my latest project. And I would love to hear your thoughts, or just to say hi would make my day ;).

Summer in Japan in my point of view are about fireworks, bazaars,  yukatas, and lots of festival events. Every residence area have their own community festival, include my place, and it's open for public.
Last month, a group of mothers from my daughter's kindergarten were busy preparing things to sell on school's summer bazaar. We made hair elastic, mask, food, candies, headband, button practice toy, games and bunting. Mothers were split into several group, and I join with group of moms who made bunting. 
At home I tried to remake it and want to share it with you.

I have some scrap fabrics at home, I cut them into isosceles triangle with size 14,5 cm on top and 15.5 cm on the side.     



Next step is hemmed top side about 1.5 cm then hand stitch with colored embroidery floss.   



For the excess fabric you can just cut it off or fold and stitch it. Mine, I prefer to fold it.



Here is the final look, I put small pom pom (again!) between the gap.



This is how I displayed it on our living room. And I add some unused finger puppet as a decoration.



Thursday, March 20, 2014

Bunny Series Fabric Bag

Last month, my daughter's teacher handed me an Elementary school's guide book. The content is all about what kind stationery that we need to prepare before entering the school and how to labeling them. What is interested me the most is a mandatory for all children to bring an extra little bags with recommended size. Which it means I can make something for her ;).

I  went straight to a craft store buying some fabric and having a quick look on bag books tutorial. I decided to use linen and cotton fabric, polyester crochet yarn for border and pom pom, and some embroidery floss. 

For tote bag tutorial I will link you to her website. Her tutorial is very easy to follow and very inspiring. Now, I have many sewing project waiting in the line. 




The big is for books that size are bigger than A4 size. Smaller size drawstring bags are for gym clothes and indoor shoes. And the smallest pouch is for mask and handkerchief.



Bunnies are in progress 



DIY pom pom with fork. 
Later these will set as a bunny tail and decoration on drawstring bag.



After school, I forced her to be my model ;p.







Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Embroidery Baby Boy Figure

Last month my friend asked me to make embroidery figure for her son birthday gift. 
I asked her to send me her son's pictures and kind of details that she want me to put it on. 
And then she dropped me a few list things to be done such as her son front hair whorl, two flags that reflect parent's origin (mom is Japanese and dad is Austrian), and owls hanging somewhere. 
I had a lot of fun with her idea, and I would love to share it with you.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Waiting a Newborn Baby to Come

My experience as a beginner crocheter, reading someone else's pattern without a diagram is so difficult. Everyone has their own style in writing, and me who had no experience with it will make the project totally look different than it should be.

Then I realize that I feel more comfortable to read or watching crochet tips rather than reading someone else's pattern. It's good for me to learn how to make a crochet pattern from scratch.


A little story behind the making of this, first, I design a bear then I searched all over free crochet bear patterns on the internet but I found nothing. So I made an outline sketch as my guidance to make a perfect size and shape of crochet bear. I'm know this method looks silly but at least I got the look that I wanted ;).


And here is my sketch.


Then I made an illustration as a greeting card.


Now, these gift are ready to send to my friend as a warm welcome to the world of parenthood soon after the baby is born


Saturday, December 21, 2013

Holiday Greeting From Our Family

New year event is one of the most important event in Japan. Japanese people have a custom sending New Year's postcard or gift to friends and relatives. During that time the Japanese post office usually hires students part-time to help deliver the letters.

This year, we want to send some postcards to our friends for the first time. We want these cards looks special and personal and I think there is nothing can beat the handmade cards. 
During winter I usually see many decoration icons such as pine tree, Santa, ice flakes, icicle, deer, snowmen and penguins. Borrowing from one of these icon, then born these four little penguins who will deliver our greetings from home. 
So here they are.....









" Wishing you all a very warm and wonderful holiday "




Source :







Monday, December 16, 2013

Portrait Embroidery

It's Mr. K....He look well groomed in red bow tie and round glasses frame. Hope he will like it ;)






Mini Dining Room Furniture for Dollhouse

I've been so busy making doll furniture lately. It's because we have unused three shelves cabinet and I am planning to swap it into a dollhouse. I'm sure it will much more easier for me if I just bought ready stock mini furniture. They're all come up with a nice colors, cute details, and very attractive packaging. Then I will end up with buying many unnecessary things and definitely it's not a wise spending for my wallet ;p. Besides, It's always my plan to build a creative environment at home for my daughter.
So I decide to spend just a little time and `a lot of` energy to make these handmade furniture.


Dining bench were made from popsicle sticks and I covered it with yarn. Bench's legs were made from chopstick. And I use felt flower, yarn, and bamboo skewer to make hanging lamp.


Dining chair were made from popsicle sticks as well and decorated with crochet chair pad. The front chair legs look remind me of Spongebob Squarepants teeth ;D.


Dining table made from popsicle sticks and I covered table legs with yarn to give a different texture. Book were made from magazine


Tools that I used for this project


" Please, have a seat "