Last slice

The last slice sorta symbolize the end of the Christmas period for me. People are kinda still in the Christmas mood. I however, feel a bout of emptiness 5 days between the Christmas lights and New Year's fireworks. Is this the withdrawl sympton? I try not to think about it. In fact, I was so hardworking admist the dinners and parties. I finished Charlene's tote and restocked a couple of MiniZs, plus the Winter Pickings MiniZ in edition of 3. I love the surprisingly intense pink inside. Mmmm.

New resolutions. I swear I get tired of these things when I get older, and more jaded. But hell, we get to lie to ourselves once a year so I'm gonna do it anyways. And then come back to edit this a bazillion times over. Woahahahhahahahahaa! (Its my blog.)


1. Lose the pounds. (for real this time. I even had new laces to motivate me.)

2. Make more stuff for florspace. (so many ideas, so little time.)

3. Procrastinate less.

4. Be nicer to people.

5. Eat healthy. (Wait, I said that one before, & the one about laying off chocolates. Dang.)

6. Bring a bag everytime for groceries & books. (I already do that but when I'm caught without one, I feel so guilty getting a bag. But then I mostly carry a gigantic tote. 1 still available!)

7. Recycle old stuff. (Like making an adorable sympathy doll out of old clothes. Podcast)

8. Stop buying stuff just because. (unless its fabric or Decole things. sorry.) + save money.

9. Make a real quilt for my bed. (No, really. Quilting is my final frontier.)

10. Follow the 10 commandments, I mean resolutions.



Now go make 10 resolutions you'd try to follow in 2008.

(Make me read yours so I can rethink mine.)

Christmas

I know people who skip Christmas and I admire their courage. I was watching Christmas with the Kranks on TV the day before Christmas eve and thought, we all at some point, thought of skipping Christmas. Who needs the last minute shopping, cooking and wrapping stuff on Christmas eve? But hell, it happens only once a year and it can be nice. DH spotted this comic strip in the papers and I had to show. I was busy finishing the last item for dad right on Christmas eve. Its tad pathetic & late I know. I'm always bit slow. Then again, better late than never. :P


Bird in the oven.

Dinnertime movie on national tv - Polar Express. We had a big turkey for dinner and it was fudge log after. Sure, I spent a good amount of time searching for the cake (most good stores had theirs all reserved. dang!) and I had zero tolerance for generic cakes coz they taste icky and dude, its the same amount of calories, so why not eat the good stuff? But in the end, we all had a nice time figuring out where to cut the turkey. It turned out pretty yummy. Besides the little packet of sauce it came with, I added pepper and some honey glaze. Voila, decent Christmas food. LOL Coz there was salad and bread. Fudge log was good too, came from Angie the Choice. A bit thick on the sponge, but I fail to remember that after the choc fudge came in. ;+)



We went goofy with the candles this year. Stun it senseless with reds and bling on the light! LOL Romantic, but smells a bit funny when they were put out. I adored the silhouettes from the birdcages.





Very lovely surprise from a wonderful gal who never fails to remember gift-giving for important dates! I opened it Christmas morning, like every other good girl (!!) and found a gorgeously adorable set of silver teaspoons and forks with Hello Kitty on them (pics to come!)! Thanks SO much CT! Its almost my favourite pressie already! I feel like you know me from my past life or something. LOL Hope you had a fab Christmas yourself! I promise to email soon. Its getting crazy here. :P



Pressie for mom. She likes small totes and bags for small stuff. She's um, smaller than me. I'd always had a suspicion for my big bones and physique. My nan was larger. Maybe it skipped a generation. Dang.



Pressie for dad. He travels a butt load. I made him a lingerie/socks drawstring coz I hate the customs looking at our undies. And a curved-zipper pouch he's been begging me for for a month. :P

Thats all folks for now. DH is waiting to squeeze more time out of me.
Happy spanking new year peeps!

Still Orange

Its Live. Remember this? I was having a lot of trouble letting this one go! Conversation with DH went like this couple of days ago...

DH - why haven't you listed it yet?
Me - I don't know...
DH - Are you going to keep it again?
ME - Alright, alright, I'll list it. *pouts*

So there, I've hardened my heart. Go look. Its the perfect size for the everyday carryall.

And its also the preview for 2008 designs! ;+)

Going red & tad nasty for Christmas

I personally love this card. I know some of you guys don't, I do apologize but take it in good humor. I know some of you guys prolly secretly feel that. Own up! LOL I do get a bit bitchy at the end of the year.

Its that time of the year, lots of eating, meeting people and running around. I'm taking it slow this year, doing the least. Its not that I'm not celebrating Christmas but the amount of consumption we indulge in baffles me. I still find joy in recreating and reusing my old Christmas trims for regifting, remaking in something or simply reusing them for a different purpose. I know people who throw out everything by boxing day and buy everything next Christmas. Do we have to do that? We need to save the earth, no pun or advertisement intended. Nonetheless, I refuse to shop at the malls this year. People who manage to navigate through the crowds in town claim it was madness. Looks like its impossible for me to join in then. I was actually at Orchard road on Monday, thinking that well, its a Monday + the rain and all, but noooooo, it was still just as difficult to do anything. DH and I ended up at Borders after dinner. While I navigate through the crowds on the road, I remembered thinking to myself that the Christmas light decorations looked a lot better when we were driving by. Hmm...



So guys and gals, while you're rushing to get a pressie for that aunt's brother's wife's sister you don't know much about, do take a moment and relish in the Christmas spirit, take a look around coz it ain't Christmas everyday afterall. Take some time to shut yourself off the craziness, sit down and do nothing for an afternoon, drink some tea, play some nice music, light a candle and watch life go by. You'll be recharged when Third Aunt comes over to gab about what happened in the year.



Candles above from Ikea. I know I took the handmade pledge but shipping candles from America threatens to empty my wallet so I settled for those from Ikea. At least its a company I respect. I'm going for a red theme this year, to combat my colorless black and white bedroom. So lots of candles and red stuff. I can't show you entirety coz um, my room's still kinda messy.



This birdcage from Sydney sits atop a super old leather hatbox from the Glebe Markets in Sydney. I shamelessly begged the girl to let me have it. LOL Its really old and creaky but I love it so much. Anyways, the light resonates against the cage and hits on the ceiling and walls. Its beautiful at night when I sleep. I'm a big sucker for such mood lighting.



Unarranged. Another gorgeous vintage birdcage. Inside lives a red bird with leaves picked from Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. And more candles!

I do have more photos at my flickr which somehow blogger isn't happy about uploading. LOL

Hope you guys are having a wonderful time!
(listening to Surfer Girl right now. That guys is one talented dude.)

Storque

I was pretty psyched to have florspace featured on one of the Storque articles. Thanks to Brittany, I manage not to miss it this time. I'm usually a bit of a goofball, missing treasury shoutouts and homepage features. By the time I'd get there, they'll be long gone! The lovely Local artists tribute article is by the super local talent, Evod. Methinks Storque is chock full of fabulous articles and great stuff to start shopping from! Even though I hardly have time to browse but it surprises me every single time with great stuff. Go read!

Shop Local!

DH is back

Yeah, its official. DH is back. Its weird coz we haven't seen each other for a while and things have to change coz he's mostly at my place. No more crazy late nights at the computer and of course a serious lack of time for my sexy sewing machine. I can say bye to lazing in front of the telly in the arvos as well. Mum reported that the shopping area is flooded with human traffic and it takes a good half an hour to navigate thru the crawd when it would usually take 5. I'm permanently afraid of town right now. In fact, there's a lot of inertia to go out, especially when public transport is required. I'm not spoilt, I swear. I do appreciate my dad's car loads. Its tough to muster enough courage to face the public crawd sometimes. I wonder if its just me.

Anyhoo, that was yesterday's dinner. I made soup but it was difficult to show without it looking weird. LOL DH says he misses fried rice loads. I shot him a funny look then my memories of awful sydney food came back. I hope he gets fatter here. *shhhh*



My dear assistant, mum helped with these. She's becoming tremendously good at making cubes now. I won't be surprised; her workmanship has been commended again and again thru the years! I'm super glad I have her help with florspace. The Sakura in pink was a custom order for another fabulous etsyer and Keroppi was snapped up by a dear customer just a couple of hours after it was listed! I do feel really happy, loved & humbled that so many of you guys love florspace! Hmmm.....I'm starting to miss Keroppi! I only had a piece of that gorgeous fabric and I've got only scraps left so its tough to let it go. LOL DH liked Keroppi too. But I'm sure the new ower would love it too! ;+)

Later guys.

Alethiometer

I caught The Golden Compass with mum this evening. She had the tickets from her office. I had absolutely no idea what movie it was. All I was told was its the premiere. It was an absolutely brillant movie with the special effects and the very beautiful Nicole Kidman and the adorable yet seemingly sensible Dakota Blue Richards. It was also great to see familar faces like Christopher Lee (Star Wars, Count Dooku) and hear Ian McKellen as the armoured bear. Unfortunately the plot left little to be discovered and the ending was a tad abrupt. I'm expecting sequels since its supposed to be based on a trilogy. Hmm....how familiar is that. This movie is directed by the LOTR team. Loads of similarities in angles and shots, if you love LOTR.

Of course the most interesting piece of equipment was Lyra's alethiometer. Its mostly fantasy but how interesting is a compass, so complex that it is able to dust out the truth or at least lead you to it? Its almost as mind boggling as the Cryptex. Need to know how to read the alethiometer? Here. Need a virtual version? Here.

Hmm....now there's something even better than a vintage musical pocket watch -- an alethiometer! Its on my christmas wishlist.

Folks, are you reading this?

Etsy finds

Having taken the handmade pledge, I felt obliged to empty my pockets for more handmade and old timey stuff. *kidding* Its just tha etsy has so many talented artists and wonderful thrifted items, its so hard to resist! Here are some recent purchases. Those nifty red number tags are from Kellie @ everyjotandtittle. A very gorgeous & successful (4120 items sold in a year!) store full of tags you can't hardly resist! I've got a couple of items from her. I'm not sure what I'll use these numbers for yet, but I'll figure it out. ;+) They look so retro Christmas!



And of course, I've decided to finally (*gasp*) grab this Sunrise thermos from the wonderful Tonya @ HappyDashery. This does remind me of California Dreaming incessantly. If you're a retro fiend, you have to click yourself over right now. Interesting retro knick knacks on gorgeous backgrounds makes it so tough to resist. Coincidentally, her shop was opened on my birthday too! She was so sweet to say that I could treat her shop as a perpetual birthday gift for myself. Can't wait to see what she's got next!



Of course, there's the other items to build my dream retro kitchen. I've been having a nagging need to have a kitchen to cook and bake. Domesticity is the new black! This is one cute gingham trivet! Isn't the veggies in that jar just precious....



Swedish style Toleware tray. Finally I own a perfectly adorable vintage tray! There's a great debate in my head about using it as a catchall or a wall deco...hm.



German mixing spoon. I should quote Tonya, "This fantastic bright yellow mixing spoon was made by Dr. Oetker, a famous German company that makes baking mixes and supplies. The company, founded in 1891, still survives today." There's something about the shape at the end and the slim squarish handle... talk about a problem!



Fire King Strawberry Shortcake mug. For obvious reasons, I had trouble navigating away from the listing. I own a 1979 Strawberry Shortcake in the ballet set. I still have her in fab condition and love her loads. I'm just starting to learn about Fire King so this lovely milkglass would be my first. How nice!



Potato Masher. I think its the pictures but I had a nagging feeling this cutie would be one of those retro kitchen gadgets a wifey must own. Uh, sometimes, its the feeling. Anyhoo, there's something about the wire going up and down, and the faded red handle. What was its history?



Riegel Tablecloth. This is almost a must in every retro kitchen! I've got good memories of these tablecloth, in a retro bar with red stools or out for picnics. The only thing I'll need next is a good picnic basket.



Tonya even included this swanky Riegel ad with the listing. Hmm....it'll warrant a printout for the kitchen wall. That reminds me, all I really need now is a real kitchen. I live with the folks right now so mum gets territorial. Its still collecting now. Hoarding is my hobby anyways. :P



Ah, how can etsy purchases go without fabric? LOL I found this Waverly retro fabric from lovedovevintage. Its tough to find good vintage fabrics these days and I've got no interest in repros from Alexander Henry.

Cubical Dreams

Realised I forgot to post these! My post vacation slump is happening right now. When I need the awful bedsheets to be washed, clothes to be ironed and put away and general housekeeping to be done. Now you know I'm not as clean and perfect as I look like! Awful procrastinating behavior can be so bad but sometimes I can't help it. At lease the parcels have been mailed. It was such great inertia to go out in the scorching sun and all. Its still 32degC here, no less. Eugh!

Anyhoo, new cubes are up in the store. A mix of traditionals and mod elements. They look like a weird bunch together but see them seperately and they each have their charms! Some of them have been snapped up, so get in quick. Don't say I didn't warn ya!

3rd Installation - English Rose

This is what it would look like when I go outdoors to look for peace. Vintage flask of tea, fuits, magazines and a trusty shawl. I have a pillow hidden in the tote too. ;+)

My last installation for the Go Big Or Go home inspiration of large totes. Apparently you guys love it so I'm going to try to add that to my inspirational repetoire. I'm running out of the gorgeous cream canvas that I use for the insides (or out if you please), so it'll warrant another fabric run this coming week or so. I get excited when I can go buy fabrics. Oh the feel of cloth on my hands and the sound of scissors running through it...



English rose is a decorator weight fabric, used for home upholstery and curtains, which would be a perfect weight for a sturdy tote. I'm dead-against substandard quality. So often I balk at the prices stores are selling for a mass-produced bag. No offence to anyone but it stinks both in prices and quality. My bags are entirely machine-washable. Got icky? Just drop it into the machine, short-cycle, gentle detergent, no softener and warm iron. Good as new.



I'm loving the muted & chic designer stripes, perfect as a year-round carryall. As its original fabric name suggests, it does remind me of the great England ladies at tea. Great for mums, markets, picnics, travel, school. Holds a ton, has a pocket and comes with a cute zippered pouch for your smaller essentials. At just $59 for the lot, right here.

Still orange & playing with felt......Autumn Forever!

I got really inspired by these gorgeous autumn trees I saw in Hokkaido. They were just rows and rows of them sitting quietly among the mountains. Unfortunately my camera couldn't begin to capture the gorgeous depth of those autumn colors. It was like sinking in a tub of orange crush. Its weird I know. I have a long love affair with trees. Out of 900 shots from my trip, a good 30% are trees, branches and leaves.



This was another gorgeous tree just outside one of the hotels we stayed in. The leaves look really really pretty. I think I have one of it. Not sure what I'll make it into yet. It'll come when its right. The emotionally artistic side of me has long been supressed and since uni days has started to push its way out and resurfaced. There were so much of these yellow leaves just falling like snow, leaving the city streets so gorgeously speckled! It was like the streets were paved in hues of gold. I don't wanna play favourites but autumn is one of my favourites (like how many can we have!). To quote Carrie Bradshaw, "New Yorkers treat every nice day in autumn as if it were their last". It almost felt like that. Seeing all that beauty just made me smile naturally.



Friday's dinner. Mum had a hair appointment. She usually buys dinner. Oh well. It was felt-playing time. Randomly, I took them out, arranged them, thinking about what I can do with them. When I came across the yellows, oranges and gold hues, the memories came back. I started cutting them up into leaves....



Still unable to let the orange addiction go, my crazy-dazed state led me to this! I spent all Friday and saturday on this coz I couldn't stop. An entirely unique piece, it'll be named Autumn Forever.

Not showing what it is yet! But soon.... ;+)

ps: If you're looking for wallets, we're having 7 new ones trickling into florspace!

pps: forgot to mention I'm on indiepublic. ;+) I'm pretty slow with these online communities so do bear with me! And yes, I read all your lovely comments! Thank you! :+)