Happy New Year!

Just wanna swing by to say Happy New Year guys! Its been quite a year and we hope for love, health and happiness for everyone!

Have a wonderful time!

Almost good-bye 08

I admit, I got nothing, except for this picture of me opening CT's pressie on christmas morning. I love christmas mornings. The happy memory of opening presents will stick with me for good, or least I'm trying really hard to keep it that way. Its still pretty busy down here. My folks are back. Not that I'm complaining, since I've bitched about the rubbish-chute being the doorway to roach-hell. I wish they'll find someone to fix it soon. I would, but hey, its not my place, not my call. They also brough back yummy cakes and bix from Taiwan and HK. They'll tide me over for a while. I can spend my snacking money on more handmade goodies from etsy! Woo-hoo! See? I'd make my christmas last. LOL

DH's still busying trying to finish up his book chapter. Pretty stressed I think, since its due like tomorrow. I hate being caught up my pants til the 11.59 hour and you know guys, they never listen. So I'm playing this one cool. Bet he'll want to jump out the window when his thesis is due next year. *sniggers*

I spent the yesterday and today running errands and packing up yummy goodies and hanging thingies for florspace peeps. Yeah man, they all take time to pretty up and are all hand done, one by one! Its the packaging and the love that matters to me. I hate it when people just throw your stuff into some bag and shuff it to you. God, that happens everytime I get supplies. I hardly stalk the malls and mostly avoid them at all costs, especially weekends. Shoot me if you see me in one. Then again, I'd prolly be badly behaved or zombied-out by then. heh heh

Not sure why, but sending packages to Australia, mostly NSW, makes me miss Sydney life a lot. Maybe its the coastal winds, the fact that I can turn a corner without bumping into someone, or highly likely that its mostly roach-free. I miss my insect-free 29th floor apartment a lot. Feelings like these does hit home bad, its making me want to say yes to working 16 hour days mindlessly in some cubicle just to be able to afford a home there asap. I'm truly in 2 minds about that one. Its funny though, coz I work almost round the clock now, but I'm not feeling crummy about it at all. I admit the thought of working real life makes me remember that I hate the early mornings when I have to get up and pick clothes at some unearthy hour, survive the rush hour, the lunch hour, the bitchy colleague, and the overtime nights. Will I have time to make stuff, go to the gym, enjoy an afternoon movie in the comfort of my home? Guess not. The huge 'but' here is, we gotta pay the bills. Life does suck a little when that has got to be on the table. Hmm....

Ah, that brings us to the resolutions. I still wanna make more yummy stuff in 2009! Thats a given! But I'm also gonna put yummy things for your home in florspacehome so do bookmark that. They will be limited and unique, though still maintaining our philosophy for cuteness & function. Expect our tried and tested big coasters, table containers, table mats, floor mats, reading blanket, etc. Boy, I've waited long enough to make them! Just gotta fine-tune the materials and design. I suspect someday my thirst for perfection will kill me. Oh wait, maybe I'd already know that. LOL

Have you guys made any resolutions for 09 yet? Share your quirkiest one!

X-mas - The Post-Mortem

From my earlier post, I was happy. It was bliss celebrating christmas with just DH in our cosy little place. My folks are touring so we were left on our own, which was heavenly. Dinner & breakfast was great, peaceful and just what I'd hoped for. I guess I was a little gloatful, too soon. We had to run out to meet DH's folks for Christmas day lunch, which has becomed a yearly tradition now. We used to go to Jack's Place at Bras Basah Complex, which was kinda nice, coz it was a quiet little spot, off the crowded malls. There was no lack of christmas spirit with their festive hats and fun pack, balloons, tooters, clappers and exploders. The food wasn't excellent, but the menu was festive enough. Steak and turkey was key. This year, they decided to go for Sizzler at Suntec. The place was pretty quiet. I soon would realize the reason - no festivities in sight. The menu boasted seafood. No turkey in sight and we had to spend about 30 bucks a person for the all-you-can-eat salad bar. No offense, but I'm never a fan of all you can eat unless it included fresh oysters & fresh raw salmon. The "Salad Bar" was disappointing, with salads and indecipherable seafood. The 4 variety of fried items were cold to eat, the crab claw, according to DH was more flour than crab. Unfortunately the ice-cream was more ice than cream. Suffice to say the food isn't pleasant, not to mention the service staff were rather rude, in speech as well as in service - rushing to clear the table way too quickly than appropriate. We all agreed it was back to Jack's Place next Christmas. phew!

We caught Ip Man (eep mun) in the night. I had to wait in my 3.5 inch diamante heels for 3 hours in a suburban mall, wearing a black with white polkadots 50s style dress, among throngs of t-shirt/shorts clad dwellers. It wasn't the day I'd expected. It felt like harsh reality, coupled with the pinch in my feet. The mall didn't have a bookstore (surprise, surprise *eye roll*). I remember asking DH several times, "Don't these people read!?" I wished I was stuck somewhere with a cafe and bookstore. The cafe corner we went to had a very lame christmas clown/philanthropist performance. I did not appreciate the noise, nor the kids and adults clamouring over our table. Oh, and we had to wait for the movie to begin coz there was a slight problem and most of the earlier shows were filled.

The movie was lovely. I left feeling my heart had been tugged to bits seeing the subtle lightning-fast hand movements of Ip Man. It reminded me so much of the days I used to practice Wing Chun. Nevermind the story in the movie didn't have a proper beginning of where he got his skills etc or it was too much propaganda of the art. It was suppose to be his life-story afterall. I felt pretty priviledged to be able to know more about this guy. The beauty of Wing Chun to me, is the small, efficient, functional movements it prides itself. Without the use of big, brutish, garish movements, one can still defeat a giant, if need be. I loved that I could one day still defend myself in small space, like a toilet cubicle, or in an elevator. Seeing Ip Man's movements was truly amazing, especially the use of the 6.5 pole, which I sadly never got to learn. I had to stop several years ago since there was a lack of people to play with. Someday!

My folks are returning so I had to do some cleanup this evening. Found more roaches around. I fail to understand these creatures. I had really traumatic experiences with them as a kid so everytime I see one, I have a mini heart attack, never mind I'm a grown adult, I can leap away like I'd seen a ghost. It doesn't help that my senses are ridiculously sharp (DH said so), that I can detect a Vuitton fake from miles like I can see a roach dead or alive 10 metres away. I'd decided to situate multiple cans of strong insecticide around the house. Finally I'd realise a couple of days ago, they're coming from the chute. In the older estates, the chute is still in apartment. Ours had prolly gotten old & maybe loose, that weird creatures would find its way into my place. I do still have mini traumas when I see them, & they are responsible for my occasional night terrors but now that I've sort of found the source, its kinda easier to find them. I hope they'll go to my fancier neighbors instead. :P

Kinda wish I was still living on the 29th floor of my Sydney apartment. No weird living creatures there. Oh wait, my husband. LOL

Christmas pictures. (The happy ones)

Merry Christmas to you! ;+)

Hey Babes and doods! Just wanna squeeze in a quickie to say MERRY CHRISTMAS you all! Hope you guys are having the greatest time just chilling out with friends and family! May lovely things happen to all you wonderful people!

This year's quiet for us, but oh so enjoyable. DH and I had such a great time whipping up dinner in our own little casa, by little tealights & High Society's Passion cd. Cosy romance doesn't get better than this. DH thinks its the best christmas ever. Perhaps without the hustle and bustle of dining out under pressure of crowds, crappy food and high prices! ;+) It was storming outside too. The warmth of the tealights really fell into place nicely. I'm just glad we all had such a great time!

Our Christmas menu
(mostly concocted by moi! hehe Pictures!)
Starters - herb fromage & wholemeal baguette
Soup - Creamy red with diced carrots, onions & apple (I have no name for this one, merely an inspiration, but it turned out so beautifully and complimentary with the cheese and bread! Such a sweet surprise. Even DH, who isn't a red-soup person, loved it. whew!)
Salad - Small serve of over-the-counter butter leaves, croutons, cherry tomato & thousand island dressing
Main - Roast Turkey breast from the gourmet counter, with sauteed garlic granules in light butter, herb, mushroom and tiny drizzle of honey. (DH loved the tiny sweetness!)
After Dinner - Organic peppermint tea (from one of my swaps!) with an order of log cake from The Coffee Bean, which turned out surprisingly yummy with the slight bitterness of the ganache & rich chocolate. The tea truly refreshed our palate with every forkful of cake!

There was champers with cranberry in it thru dinner. I had to settle for something cheaper, though I was running over town looking for Moet (I'm a huge fan!).
Nuts. Next time!

Can't wait for christmas morning!
psst! I bought DH a bunch of books he'd love! hehe

this year's tree

this year's tree
Originally uploaded by ATLITW.

This truly illustrates the spirit of christmas for me! Go forth and make use of found objects around you, people!

Pinky Restocks!

I know its a tad too soon, but we couldn't hold back the pink restocks! I don't know how it happened, but pink somehow just brightens up any crummy old day! We love these and the fabrics are limited, so if you haven't got one already, do collect one! They were from earlier this year, but we added the ring for the restocks so you guys can literally hang more stuff on them! Multi-task your handy dandy purses! ;+)

Giveaway at Christmas time

To 2 families who deserve a better christmas! Hopefully this little gesture makes their holidays a little better. I think there's nothing like the giving spirit at Christmas, no? I've been passing on little gifts to behind-the-scenes people who have been wonderful to us through the whole year of madness! Hope they love the handy purses! Who doesn't need another!? LOL

Hope you guys are holding up well. We're still sewing here (!?), no break yet! My hands are bit numb from the action today. I keep thinking of new stuff to do. Oh darn my overly imaginative brain!

6 days more...

Oh goodness! Where has the time gone! Its been such a busy time, DH is back for christmas and we've attended my BFF's wedding where I had to do duties as a bridesmaid. It was good fun and so happy to see her happily married! We've been busy shopping, eating and generally gallavanting around town! We've been busy here at florspace still, managing last minute gifts, donations for families to have a nicer christmas (Barefoot mommies!) and whipping & whooping up loads of restocks! *pant + sweat* And there's gonna be spring & pink collection coming too! Loads of pink & prettiness! If you love Japanese prints, stick around! ;+)

Whew! DH just told me that we managed to scoot in a last order for the log cake. He couldn't find the log that he wanted despite shopping around for days! *eye roll*

Anyhoo.....if we don't blog within these 6 days, do have a smashing christmas! And meanwhile, do checkout out cube wallets, just in! You now how hard it is to make them and how much time we take so they'll come in bit slowly. :+)

ps: CT, Bazillion thanks for the christmas pressie! That was really sweet & unexpected! Gonna be under my tree til christmas. See if I could wait til then. LOL

Decole will move!

Unfortunately etsy did not allow non-craft supplies Decole type-things to be on etsy, so for the cutest, non craft supply, I'll be moving them onto my blog. We'll prolly start a blog just for that, so keep checking our profile for the link soon! Meanwhile, if you need them, feel free to contact us at florspace1@gmail.com Payments by paypal only.

The super rare Little Chef Wood Playset above is $55, shipping is $18 registered airmail worldwide. Its a little pricey coz its heavy, postage sense.

1979 Hello Kitty - SOLD

I'd wanted to put this up on etsy! But I might violate the no-kitty rule, so its available here on my blog. When its sold, there'll be a SOLD right next to the title, so you'll know. This is one cute and very functional clutch! We're experimenting with sizes, and this uber cute little fabric came into our hands before the BFW sale and it was half-done on the WIP table. I couldn't wait to get back to it! Its prolly a known fact that I'm a huge vintage fan. This print features Hello Kitty back where it started in 1979. I loved the bold colors, simplicity of the items chosen, like transport and school. The strength of influence might have come from kids. ;+)



It measures a good 8" on top, 5" tall and 3" wide bottom, perfect for your tolietries when you travel or as an everyday wristlet pouch. I know we all like to jam stuff in our bags. I'm guilty of having a bag-in-bag problem. Hmm....now that I think about it, its not so much a problem as it is a good habit to organize, non? White polkadots on red inside.



Comes with a 5" wrist strap, which you can feel free to dangle and swing, coz we use the good and strong YKK zippers. We'd decided to attach the strap on the zipperhead as a security feature, to remind us to zipper up before gallavanting! ;+)

$35 (S$52.50), ships free internationally, by normal airmail. (Usually $6)
Paypal at girlbythewindow@gmail.com
Local peeps, email florspace1@gmail.com to nab this ASAP.
Do it quick, coz its a one and only, for now.

Catch? I need your feedback on size.

SOLD! Thanks CT! Boy, you've lighting quick hands! LOL

Thank You

Its been such a long week, yet it truly felt like it disappeared in a split of a moment. When I'm delved deep in sewing, packing or online admin, it felt like forever. Yet time would fly by faster than the speed of light. There were so many world issues - market crashes, airplane troubles for Qantas, terrorist attacks in mumbai, strikes in Bangkok, yet florspace reported a truly remarkable audience during the Black Friday Weekend sale. We are truly humbled and appreciative of everyone and anyone who waited by the screen patiently for the sale to commence, those who came, saw, grabbed feverishly, paid immediately and on time and to everyone who's been so understanding of our situation and the true lack of time by not asking for too much customs. We feverishly sewed, packed, relisted and sent out your packages in hope that it will all reach happy people in time for Christmas! It is such an immense joy when our purses were described as 'the perfect stocking stuffer'. We couldn't have been prouder coz it was exactly what we wanted everyone to feel! Everyone deserves the good stuff!

With tears in our eyes, we want to convey our sincerest thanks to everyone for all your support this year, and may you guys have a peaceful, wonderful & sparkling Christmas with your loved ones!

50% off Christmas Prints

Our hugest offer ever! X'mas prints are 50% off so if you haven't stuffed someone's stocking already, do pick one up. It'll put a smile on just about anyone's faces! I adore how much people have been telling me that these are the perfect stocking stuffers!
Yaaaay!

ONLY $3.50 each! Right here. Going, going going....

Mushrooming into hope

After all that lamentations, its time to present our hope for the future. We pulled out our all time favourite print for this year's ultimate set - the retro mushrooms. Every year we do one splurge. This set will come with secret, sweet stuff we're not revealing yet. All in good time and a surprise for the receiver too. ;+) All we can say is that its a lot of shrooms.

These mushrooms, a burst of life and colors are a representation of our hope for the future for this doom and gloom year we had to go through. May things become simpler, people more honest and lives get richer with experiences of nature and adventure.

RRP$99, now $79. See the hope.

Singaporeans who don't care

I lost quite a bit of concentration during sewing today and had an accident involving the needle pricking my finger. My mind is somewhere else. As you all already know, florspace is having a sale. The funny thing is, we're getting a barage of orders from Singaporeans, a lot of them. I'm not surprised. My international friends, I don't even know where to begin to dissect the behavior of the average Singaporean. I love quite a number of them. People like CT (who's becomed my BFF!), who takes pain to know us and understand that our work is a labor of care and love, each one takes blood and sweat to produce, each one almost a piece of art to us. We will not be compared with mass produced items in the market. I'm mad, we're mad, because these people unabashedly pester and beg for further discounts or simply act as they wish. Discount has become a very ugly word to me over the years. I almost never utter it and never ask for it. I pay for my purchases because I deem it to be worth that much, if not, I just don't purchase and move on. Never will I bug & push for discounts and demean the item so that it will be further discounted. I respect people's work. I tell them I love them because they are sharing a item made from skills I don't have. Unfortunately, there are some who utterly refuse to care about who we are or what we do, nor even read our sale conditions. They do as they please, they come and they go. We need time to re-explain & answer questions for which they are already available. They just do not bother at all, which is really sad to us. I waste time & get distracted instead of spending valuable time thinking up better stuff for you guys. An example would be this. "Sorry" and "Thank you", has becomed an impossible word to utter to some Singaporeans.

My international friends, I love you because you appreciate us and our work. You guys make me want to do more, sleep less and pack orders at 3am. Singaporeans, you have A LOT to learn, especially humillity. Your behavior is not for my judgement, but your behavior does reflect on you directly. My other half taught me that. Its amazing how people don't even realise that here. Sometimes, I'm just plain amused at they way they stick their noses up in the air, with absolutely no care for their neighbors, at home or in public. I'm proud to say that I've never behaved in an irrespectful manner especially to sales people because I commiserate their pain. If I get annoyed in public because of the crowd, heat or incorrigibly rude people, I head home and recharge.

Still, I love peace and being nice. We try our very best never to be mean. florspace always has been about sharing quality made stuff because we're sick of mass produced crappyness, and we're sticking to that philosophy. To bring my point a little further, I'm a great fan of Vuitton & Hermes, not because its expensive, popular or celebrity-endorsed, its for their dedication to quality. If I ever had the chance, I would gladly give up my life to be a student of a Birkin maker. I have the same respect for their items as I do with my own work.

We may not be world famous, but for the handful of people that we reach, we want you to be absolutely happy. That, really is the greatest reward.


Disclaimer to Singaporeans: This is not meant to be an attack on anyone. If these all sound like crap to you, then florspace isn't for you. We won't take it to heart and we won't miss you either.

2nd Day of SALE - Updates, NEWS + new stuff!

We're kinda pooped! But we're happy that quite a number of you guys chose us for your christmas presents! HUGE thanks and hugs go out to you! It's really heartening to know that yummy purses are reaching people. No more crummy store-bought ones. ;+) Anyways, bet you all haven't seen those 3 in years. LOL Just kidding, prolly just months back. We're completely out of these fabrics and they're reserves, just in case. We took them out and made them into cute MiniZs again! IMO, they are the classics of traditional Japanese designs. Plus the texture makes it so much more interesting.



Of course, we didn't forget to reload Winter Wonderland! Just 2 more, in case you guys need it for gifts. Its such a cute print, I need to hoard more of it for now. ;+)



3 NEW ones! The Carte wallets came before these handy dandys, I know, but the essential MiniZs are out! I love Le Matryoshka Noir because I tend to get careless and drop my purses in the street even though I cringe to think what the sidewalks has seen, so the black background is heaven for me! hehe Obviously Monokuro Boo would be perfect too! It was tough to get the print to centre without wasting large amounts of it. Gotta think more economically. *racks brains*. And, we all need Sundays! The cheery Sunday print is bound to lift just about anyone's mood! Cute sentiments, cute scene & trees at the back. Lemon gingham inside to boot. What could be better than lazing around til noon on Sunday with a good book?

We work in our PJs, so you could shop in it too!
(And no one would judge you even if you shopped on the can. heh heh)

ps: Garden Party Reversible Huggable Hobo is in too! ;+)

ppssssst! You want to WATCH the 3rd day. We have something nice coming. Shhh!

THE Black Friday-Weekend Sale - has started! + 1st day updates

STARTS at approximately 1pm Singapore time, 12am EST, Nov 28th 2008. Will end Sunday 12 midnight (Singapore Monday, 1pm)

Black Friday-Weekend Sale Conditions:
1)Reserved, preorders, customs not included in the sale
2) Sale items are not included
3) Florspace Home items not included BUT can be shipped together. Wait for a revised paypal invoice, SG wait for revised email notice.
4) Payment is expected immediately at the time of order for international paying by paypal.
5) Payment is expected within a day for local orders, ie, payment has to be received in our bank account within a day after information is emailed to you.
6) No further discounts will be allowed.
7) While stocks last, or subject to our production capabilities. Items will be relisted as the sellout, so a little patience is in order. :+)
8) Conditions are subject to necessary changes.
9) Violations of rules mean sale will be cancelled. Sorry!


The GOOD news is...

Spend $50 and above, you'll get free extra yummy goodies in with your order! Ranges from our exclusive unreleased christmas stockings, our printed calendars which some of you guys have already received...plus ALL ORDERS gets yummy candy canes, our exclusive christmas postcards, keyring.....etc!! We don't usually hawk our freewares, coz they're always given out out of goodwill and most importantly because we love you guys for your continuous support! So everyone's gotta know every order comes with extra love! ;+)

Tell your friends, shop in your pjs with a mug of hot choco. What could be better?
THE Black Friday-Weekend Sale


-----
Phew! The first 12 hours of the sale has ended and so many of you guys waited patiently at the computer for the sale. HUGE HUGE thanks to everyone who's SO supportive of florspace! Your monies put food on our table & to buy more yummy fabric choice for you guys! Couple of the big ticket items have sold out but we'll try to put up more for sale tomorrow! Been working our asses off today so we need a bit of shuteye first. ;+)
- 12.13am 29th nov GMT+8, 11.13am 28th nov EST

They're not talking

I woke up and found them like this. I had to move them from my shelf to the craft shelf so that I could use the stamps. They are stamps afterall. But it was strange. One moment they were friends and that lousy Snowy Snowman is whispering to Santa that I shouldn't get presents this year because I'm bad. I'm really not that bad this year. Really. I even gave up my seat to old and disabled people on public transport. Ok...I yelled at my neighbors upstairs and complained about them a lot but really, they are the ones who tried to test my sanity in the first place. I worked like there's no tomorrow and only vacationed once when I saw DH in June. So why shouldn't I get presents?! LOL Anyhoo....I woke up today to find them back to back. Well almost. Snowy is still as mad as ever. Maybe its for the better. I'm looking forward to a pressie from Santa! Must sneak him more chocolate cookies. Maybe the low fat kind.

Need the sleigh ride for a bit of spice in your life? Here.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

la maison de florspace

Oh so many of us have been drooling over Decole & other cute goodies, so I finally caved in and opened florspace home! Here you'll gradually find cute goodies for reasonable prices found & handpicked by me! I buy them retail and do not make huge sums of profit out of them. Like the philosophy of florspace, I prefer to honestly share the goodness with everyone! I can't sleep at night if I'd cheated someone. I suspect its gotta do with John Lennon asking Paul McCartney, "How do you sleep at night". Sigh, it goes a long way!

Anyhoo, go for goodies here!

...
Thanks Laura!

Taking stock - Free old mags anyone?

Just swapped the banner for the little shoppe. This time I'm actually early for my sale administration work. LOL I'm finding it tough to manoeuvre with the limitations of 700 by 100 for etsy banners. What do people think? Everyone seems to be holding up fine. Maybe its just me. I'm just lousy with the photo-editing. I messed up with photoshop coz it was really too complicated. Then I thought of learning Illustrator after spending too much time at Paul Frank's site. But I thought, its prolly a good idea if I did not. It might explode on me! I'm using photoscape and its so-far-so-good. *phew!*

Whoa, I cleared up 5 bags of stuff today from just 2 cupboards! Plenty of old mags, school notes, old diarys and some trinkets. Most of them are going to goodwill. If you're in town (Singapore) and deal with magazine papers (like make stuff out of them; coasters, baskets, bags, bowls, boxes, wallart, floor collage(!), table, woven art, envelopes, etc.), feel free to come over and collect them. You might need help. Its impossible to carry a bagful over 2 inches. I'm waaaaaaay too deep in my fabrics to delve into other projects right now. I would LOVE to do everything, but I gotta keep focused before I go insane! Its like what Laura would say, "I gotta clone myself". Ditto, girl.

I gotta take pictures. Its 12am now, so til next morning! *yawn*

....
p/s: Thanks you guys, its so encouraging to hear you guys! *beams*

300th post - This Modern Life

Sighted at My Modern Metropolis.com. Oh, this is looks bit like me! I feel kinda guilty about it, sitting in front of the computer ever so often. I'd hug the computer than spend a day shopping in the streets! I could practically live online! Oh the internet....what would I do without you? I shudder that it could disappear one day.

Apparently, we can't do without the internet! 92% of UK citizens are unprepared to live without broadband. Hear hear!

ps: woo-hoo! I made it to 300 posts! I was never good with commitment. LOL

The week before thanksgiving

Can't believe its almost thanksgiving! Came across this while surfing for baked goods and chocolates. Don't they look adorable?! Bakerella is so right on for the title, "" You'll want to gobble these right up!" They're made of yummy choco and other yum stuff! Would impress the in-laws kids though. *wink* But then if I made them, they'll never make it out the door.

I need to bake soon! What are you guys gonna do for thanksgiving? Are the city people going to visit the folks for turkey? Hmm....they should have thanksgiving here.

Eye check for the year!

Oooh! I got excited when I saw this really cool calendar at Design Milk! Its called the Seeing Eye Calendar from Numbered Type. I adore their caption! - "I can't quite see what's happening at the end of the month!" roflol. *love*
Eye check for the year? Check.

I watch Simpsons and House a lot, I adore witty remarks and sarcasm loads. ;+)

Friday

photo by jek.

Its Friday, another end of the week. Warning: Negativity ahead. I feel like running away again. When I was younger, november and december used to be the holiday period that everyone looks forward to, both from school and the Christmas. Now its all about wedding season. The stress from the weddings are stressing me out, and poor Charlene too. We both pray for it to be over soon. I want a peaceful christmas. Maybe I should put that on my list.

I was working thru some stockings today and it hit me again; what am I doing with my life? Is chasing money the only way to go? Everyone here seems to think so (i.e. - Singapore). They all ask me to get a REAL job. Often, people are judgmental about what I do. I really do not care about the money. I'm eating instant noodles everyday and haven't really bought clothing in a year. If I live for money, I'd be some brain-dead accountant by now, sitting in a 5 by 5 box, doing a job for a boss that couldn't care if I were dead or alive and would replace me in a heartbeat if I were found dead at my desk. Diagnosis? Overworking. I'd seriously rather be a hobo. I'm sick of being judged. Quit bugging me with the fact that you're swinging the latest Coach bag (or cell phone, gadget, shoes, whatever the f*** it is) in my face or that I should get married and have kids, that I shouldn't grow old alone. Maybe I want to. I said it before and I'll say it again to the juveniles, & open your freakin ears this time - I live my life the way I want to. If I fry, I'll die happy.

I think I was happier in Sydney. With good weather, less humidity, a lot more personal space, no crazy upstairs neighbors, and the possibilities of living an alternative lifestyle, than just being in the box all my life. Hmm.....I do dream of Cali days too....oh Jek, I do so wanna visit you someday!

.....
p/s: Thanks so much for your comments! Its always to great to hear you guys! Forget choco ice-cream, encouraging words are so much better!

On Sale!

Nope, its not black friday yet....but we got excited so we put the classic purses on sale! So perfect for stocking stuffing & you can always make it a little special by putting something nice in it! They are more than 20% off rrp (!!), so if you can't wait for black friday, grab these first! All of them are still the great quality classic florspace purses, painstakingly & lovingly made by hand! Not to worry, we have ridiculous standards of quality and anything that has the slightest chance of falling apart, it doesn't make it into the shop! So you get the good stuff, every single time! (We're just saying that coz sometimes its bit demeaning to put our lovingly handmade stuff on sale. :P)

Enough chatty, time for shoppe!

Beads By Laura

Whoa, these few days have been mad! We're busy like bees during honey season, just alternating between packing orders (which take a surprisingly long time!), answering emails & convos, cutting up fabrics & things, getting them ready for sewing, the actual production process, quality testing, pressing, shooting (only in bright daylight!), resizing & listing them! Oh and not forgetting posting them on flickr, blogging about them......yada yadda yaddddaaaa....LOL! Its really a lot of work and we hardly sit at all, maybe just to eat, but we love what we're doing so much, its hardly work! hehe I guess people who love to make stuff would know what I'm talking about. ;+)

Anyhoo, besides all that stuff, I managed to snap up these 2 adorable & beautiful strawberries by the very talented Laura! She blogged about florspace just a day ago! She makes the most beautiful lampwork beads I've ever seen, like this one *drool* & I'd mentally kicked myself for missing these. I never thought much of lampwork beads before Laura came along. I think its prolly because I've never seen something that pleases this much! I've been a fan since she did a trade with me and sent me a cute-as-hell mushroom pendant I still wear very often! I swear I feel like I can almost eat it! Thing is, she's one girl, which means...her beads are very limited in quantity! Be sure to check in with her very often to jump in on the beads you want. I'd always missed the pretty ones but maybe its fate, or the right timing that I managed to hog these! Yaaaay! I can't wait for them to come! Early chrissie pressie for moi. To hell with the tattle-tail snowman. :P I know santa likes me.

Updates + Pre-Black Friday Sneaks!

Thanksgiving / Turkey Day is coming! How's everyones' gonna be? There's no Thanksgiving here, but I love the tradition so I'm gonna do a little non-turkey version by ourselves here coz there's prolly no turkey til december. I can get turkey sandwiches though. Yum! Its still hot as ever here in singapore. dang, I hate the equater zone. I know I can't complain coz I've got AC and people feel awful being cold all the time in the north & south zones, especially having to take a shower! I wish I could pass on the heat to you guys! Hang in there, you guys!

Boy, I'm still sick. I have one of these every year and after the chocolates & incessant snacking during the exams, throat infection came. My throat problems are recurring, its always very dry, itchy & painful. Bouts of coughing streaks leave me gasping for breath. The people on the bus I took to get home from the concert last Thursday thought I needed the hospital. Pray it'll go away soon!

Anyhoo, down to business. We're having the Black Friday-Weekend BIG SALE! 3 whole days of shopping in case you miss Friday's! Everything's gonna be 20% off, even the new stuff, so if you've been eyeing something in our store, mark your calendars! You don't wanna miss this one! Isn't it much nicer to sit home & shop than to jostle with the crowd out there? hehe Oh well, but we know you'll need to run to the toy store to get that elusive doll for little Nancy before it gets sold out! But we got your purses stocking stuffing covered! Yaaaay!

.....
Black Friday-Weekend Sale Conditions:
1) Reserved, preorders, customs not included in the sale
2) Sale items are not included
3) Payment is expected immediately at the time of order for international paying by paypal.
4) Payment is expected within a day for local orders, ie, payment has to be received in our bank account within a day.

The Animal Lovers Club - 3 new ones!

Yaaaay! We have 3 new ones for the animal lovers! Meet The Breakfast Cat, Doggie Parade & Dog Park! Many of you pet owners have been asking me for cute prints for purses, even leash bags for your pooches/cats! Well, its taken a while, but here you go guys, the cutest I can lay my hands on! You'd already know how picky I am, so to find decent quality fabric & cute prints was tough! These made the cut, so you don't have to hunt like a tiger for them! hehe We do have more prints for the animal parade, but these 3 looked so lovely together! They mark the start of our little animal collection! Whee!

Cubes!

Oh cubes! Can't say how much I love them! I love thinking about them, cutting up fabric and painstakingly making them into perfect little cuties that are fit for the real rough reality, yet maintaining its absolute cuteness! How do I do it, asks many a peeps. Well, I just do work really hard on it though its hardly work to me. ^____^ Hmmm......I prolly say this one too many times but maybe it because I think so much about purses, I hardly ever deviate from it anymore. My life is such a wonderful patchwork of ever evolving, fabulous fabrics! Its like living a dream, everyday.



Here I present a wonderful batch of cubes, (only 2 left in my shoppe as we speak!) of my current favourite fabrics, by Shinzi Katoh and the new kid, In The Woods. I love this print a lot. Somehow it reminds me of Autumn Trees that has been long gone, split & made into purses & cubes for quite a number of wonderful people across the globe. I wish her well! In The Woods is less monotonous, with bit more colors and animals illustrating this beautiful time the woodland animals are having among the pretty olive green trees. Its my new fav!

Update: In The Woods have been sold out, but we're working on more to come in!

3 new ones....plenty more coming!

Woo hoo! 3 new ones just hit town! We have Only Strawberries on the top left corner, Streets of Paris in Bleu and Fruits Bunny Kawaii! Only Strawberries is also available in Carte Wallet so do scoot over and check it out! Streets of Paris have been tremendously popular and I've been hoarding the pretty blue one for ages now. Ditto for hoarding Fruits Bunny Kawaii! Yikes. In fact, Fruits Bunny have been back for a while. She was lugged back by me personally from Japan! Hiding in some dark corner, she's seeing the pretty lights of day again! Yaaay!

Truth is, I do hoard too much, but there's SO many fabulous fabrics out there and I only got 2 hands! I can't work fast enough! *sweat*

More a-comin'! yaaaay!

Sanrio Plush Tape Measure - found!

Ooooh yaaaaay!! I had to squeal in delight when I found these babies at a store recently! I know how much I've yearned for cute measuring tape but the Decole ones were either too pricey or virtually nowhere to be found. So I was really darn happy to find these! They are real squishy plush, handy dandy retractable tape measure! Measures up to 60 inches, or 150 centimetres. The material is fabulous to touch & they come in really cute boxes! Plus, they are definitely Sanrio Originals, I won't buy otherwise! I think they make crafting so much more fun!



I've gotten only 2 of each extra for you guys, so do get in quick if you want one! I'm shipping the box flat between cardboard to ensure it gets to you perfect. Its the perfect gift for a crafter!

Just $12, right here!

Snowy Village

These fancy new cuties just made it into the shoppe! Yaaay! I had scoured for cute Christmas prints for quite a while, coz well, christmas is my favourite holiday. I'd always dream about falling snow in picturesque tiny villages all covered in white with specks of light at dusk. Imagine the warmth of celebrating the holidays with loved ones at home by the fireplace in some log cabin. It seems so lovely. This print pretty much covers that! Unfortunately I'm stuck in a summer equater zone all my life, and Christmas downunder during uni days was, well, always hot. Ironic, isn't it?! So that dream of mine never really came true, which is why I had to have whatever's left of these 2 cute prints! I'd only have an FQ of each and I'm saving the rest for framing. ;+)

They come from Japan quite a few years back, so you might not see them hanging around anymore and with only 2 MiniZs of each color in the world, you're prolly going to be the envy of people! Features speckles of snow in a village of little people, churches, houses, trees & equally cute animals! Because it isn't red or green, you can carry it all year round without the christmas suspicion. How cool!

Just $7 each, right here!
Update - ONLY 1 Left! (boy they are running out fast!)
Update - Sold out! Working on 4 more! yaay!

more Christmas prints available!

Let freedom RING!

I knew about prop 8 and begged californians to vote no. What the fuck happened?! As I was browsing thru Offbeat bride (one of my fav blogs for all the fab unconventional weddings), I saw this post. All the while, I've saluted Calis for their bravery to come of the closet & say yes to same-sex marriages. Poor Alan woke up one day to find his union illegal. Its absolutely unthinkable, I'm speechless! I do strongly believe everyone has the right to fall in love and sanctify their union. Doesn't matter if they choose to do it, they must have the freedom to do that! Alan's post (from OBB),

"So, I awoke this morning to learn that my relationship with my partner is no longer valid. It’s no longer legal. It’s somehow sub-par, not equivalent, not worthy of protection. And you know what? I’m pissed and tired of holding it in.

I decided to snap a photo of my wedding band placed on a slightly different finger than normal to express exactly how I feel toward every single person who voted Yes on Prop 8. It’s my personal version of ‘let freedom ring’. The battle for equality changes course but it’s very far from over.

I’m sure some of you will believe in Prop 8 and that’s your right. Please make sure to update your reader to remove my blog and to delete any bookmarks to my site. I won’t take it personally but as for Prop 8 and your intrusion on my life … I take it very personally.

I welcome supporters of gay rights to snap your own photo showing your wedding ring on your middle finger. Spread the word that this fight isn’t over. Whether you’re gay, straight, bi, white, blue or tan — show your support by letting freedom ring on your blog! Please forward this page to any friends and family who may find it of interest."

Today, I put out my middle finger in public, with my promise ring (I'm not married yet) to show the world my disgust at the people in power taking freedom away from the people.

(I'm sorry, Obama, I love you, but I can't think of a reason to oppose same-sex marriages!)

Christmas Collection 08

In utterly cute fabrics collected feverishly thru the year, we present the florspace Christmas Collection 2008! They are in limited numbers, fill your stocking quick with these handy dandy MiniZs! Coz who doesn't need another purse!? *chuckles*

Shipping dateline for Christmas is 5th of December, shop away! ;+)

ps: Don't forget our little giveaway, ends Nov 15th!

Sorry, we screwed up

2007-01-31: Sorry.
Originally uploaded by Steve Losh.

Hey everyone.

yikes, my sincere apologies for the email list boo-boo during the send out. The email totally screwed up and it got sent out before we could salvage the page. Sometimes technology isn't as efficient as we like it to be!

Again, we do always use undisclosed recipients to ensure your email is safe. Wanted to send out an apology but gmail won't let me.

Thanks so much for your patience.

Its over.

Boy am I tired. The last paper came and gone, devastating my being the likes of Katrina. I was never good at cost management yet life somehow manages to throw it at me, time and again. I've been doing accounting since high school and not that I loathe it completely, it just takes up way too much energy and in the end, I just feel sad and empty, like all the effort put in was worth naught but the hollow feeling in my chest. After today's paper, I left feeling more haunted than ever. I know I made terrible mistakes in formulas and calculations so the fear of repeating this module is becoming clearer and more real than ever. Re-doing the exam alone would be fine, but worst yet, there's a project and presentation. Going through all that again is quite like fighting yet another war. After yet another war(semester), when all that's left are war wounds and self-doubt, I do wonder, what's it all really worth?

At the end of it all, all we get is a piece of paper, like a veterans medal, where 10,000 others have the same, it feels so mediocre & quite meaningless. (The fresh-baked pizza mom bought for dinner was way better.) Sometimes, I do feel that a purse well-made and seeing the smile on people's faces when they receive them is so much more rewarding.

And I'll do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Countdown

Boy its tough to find a decent christmas countdown! Maybe the guys ain't getting busy before Thanksgiving. This was kinda the cutest I could find. But I really wanted something smaller to fit to the sidebars. There's some here though I recommend changing the size from 250 to 200 or less to fit nicely for blogger-peeps. I love the one above but it won't fit into the sidebars and the down-to-second counting tends to stress me out a bit. LOL

Something to put us in the christmas mood - countdown banners, fun christmas stuff, email santa, make christmas stuff! Check out Martha's Christmas page too. And buy florspace for Christmas! ;+)

Also, its still not too late to get organized for christmas! Do it early, it pays!

Homer for Prez!

PieDisliker on youtube says, "Forget Obama, forget McCain, even forget Fred and Boxman! Homer '08. We like donuts, too. " I love this guy!

Watch this, if you haven't already!

Change

Just want to say congratulations to Barack Obama! 44th prez of the US of A ain't gonna be easy but I've always had so much faith in him since it all started. Secretly I hope he'll kick Clinton's ass and kept my faith til the end with old, white McCain(no offence!). Didn't wanna say nothing coz well, this ain't a politico-bloggy anyhoo. hehe I think he'll do a great job and change is really upon all of us (for the better!) and for once, the African-Americans finally get a chance at the big time. I'm sure his granny would've been so proud of him. I love our blacks so much, ever since Snoop Dogg. My current fav is TIP. God his rap in Last Night was the dope (Pharrell too!). Ahh, but of course I still love the number with JT.

As I quote Samantha from SATC, "The country runs better with a good-looking man in the White House." Touché, sister.

Here's to Obama, America and a new league of change and hope. Woohoo!

Carte Wallets & updates

Happy November! I'm finally adding to the ;severely empty section of florspace! New cute Carte Wallets are in and we can't stop making them! They are perfect for your everyday cards will hold a ton happily! The swing strap means gallavanting is a must. ;+)



Oh the new fabrics above have almost immediately becomed cute Carte Wallets! Our second batch this week, there's the classic and uber cute strawberries, because only strawberries will do & very adorable matryoshkas in pink and creme! We love matryoshkas loads and can't believe we've overlooked this cute icon for yonkers! I am trying my best to prove my ability to cut up fabric, not just hog them! hehe They are going quick so get in on it!



And oh, we've also just completed a wholesale order for 20 purses! Will reveal where the purses are going to (TX, USA!) and if you're nearby, hop in and grab a cutie! ;+)

Pssst! Christmas Limited Editions are dropping in too! Shop in style & perfect for stocking stuffing!

The Barefoot Mommies Giveaway!

We are in the spirit of giving! Want one of these yummy purses for free? Go here! The Cute Barefoot Mommies are giving away loads of stuff so do check in and see if you'd get lucky! ;+)

that's a lot of pumpkins

that's a lot of pumpkins
Originally uploaded by jek in the box.

Another amazing shot by Jek.

How was Halloween? I didn't see any ghouls though.
Not that I'm disappointed. LOL

BOOOooooo!

Original shot by me. Just made it scarier. ;+)

Boy has time flown! I can almost vividly remember my last halloween post and it seems like nothing much has changed! I'm still in the middle of exams....which means I can't go to Cafe Del Mar's beach Halloween thing, even though I'd really want to. Boo. DH is still going to some party with his colleagues tomorrow and his getup is supposed to be some state prisoner. I shudder to think of him staggering home in the middle of the night. I hope the cops don't think he's for real. LOL He loved the halloween pressie though. I got him a L plush (kinda like this) , the Death Note diary & a feather pen (like this). He likes the Death Note stuff. Anyhoo, I was already shopping for christmas cards today while I picked up the lastest issue of Cotton Time & a new Rilakkuma schedule book. I was yearning for something raw and Paris-ty but it didn't quite work out. And I didn't find anything suitable on etsy either. Oh well, one more "lazy" year for me, working with the cute & lazy Rilakkuma. hehe

Oh yes, do print yourself (or someone) a cute halloween card by the ever talented Black Apple! More stuff to marvel, make & do at Templettes.

So whether you're off to some scary party or just laying low watching movies at home, we at florspace wish you a very happy halloweeny!

ps: DH and I were just discussing halloween costumes and it seems its true that for girls, its limited to witch or sexy kitten. He suggested politian (Palin?!) or a zombie bride. Is that all there is? hm.

The Red Marine

I feel so guilty about La Marine Rouge. This beautiful dude was sitting unglamourously backwards on the WIP pile on the sewing table for a good month before I got my tired ass sorted out among the orders to actually finish him up. I had started on him because the beautiful thick yet soft marine canvas was calling my name. "Make me into the ultimate tote!" he'd say. I had to along with that request, seach for the perfect match for the inside. I found Miss Cerulean a little while ago and thought they'd be so happy together. I was worried they'll fight. It took a bit of eye-adjusting but with the slightly lighter cerulean clone, the woven soft cotton straps, we were good to go. Not until I slacked off sewing to hit the books. When it was finished last week, its was such a beautifully unanimous union, it just stands proudly on the photo table. Such eye candy that I've always yearned for. Needless to say, I harbored thoughts of eloping with La Marine.



Sillyness aside, he's one strong dude! Will happily accompany you on beach, market & shopping trips! I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again. Our totes are strong! We tripe stitch every stress point, corners and centers. The straps are gone over twice inside and at least once outside! They'll NEVER come apart, even after going thru the washing machine. We know, coz we've tried. They'll carry plenty, & promise never to complain!

Just one thing, never, ever, try to feed it to your dogs. We don't guarantee that it won't fall apart then!

La Marine Rouge is $65 right here.