Thursday, May 29, 2008

Bondi is haunted?



I didn't mean to scare anyone with the title but I had a weird experience in the loo near to Borders at Bondi Junction's Westfield.It wans't particularly late, maybe about 7pm. Westfield is obviously already closed, except Borders that stays open til 10. God bless 'em. We hung around borders reading and downing cocoa. Then it was leaving time coz I was dozing off and DH looked like a vamp. I thought I'd use the loo before we go. DH sat right outside at the couches. I went in, it was quiet. No one seems to be around. I went into the 1st cubicle nearest to the door coz I just wanted to get in and out. So I went in, bent and took some paper to clean the seat as I always do and suddenly incessant banging came from the next cubicle right beside me. it was obviously like someone using both fists and banging on the door and it didn't stop. I freaked out, opened the cubicle door and bolted. But the funny thing was the banging stopped the moment I opened the cubicle door. It felt really funny coz I was certain the next cubicle has no one in it. When I went in, the door was slightly open and the green thing on the door said vacant. Who would keep banging on the loo door? I went out, told DH about it and waited for a while outside but no one came out. Yikes.

I thought about it for a while when I got home but unless I paid another visit, it remains a mystery. Pretty freaky one too. :P

Monday, May 26, 2008

Bateaux Jouets



There must be some reason why DH is dragging me all the way from school to Darling Harbour last Thursday. I get lazy to walk, courtesy of the Singapore heat. Temperature is lower here, chips DH, no reason not to walk is there? Walking has become part of life here. Bus fare threatens to burrow a hole in my pocket anways. I reluctantly agree. 'Cept for the $4.50 monorail ride, there wasn't any transport going into the harbour. "Why are we going there anways?" I complained. "You'll see. Just come along!" Yeah, the walk amost killed me. Chillier temperatures is fun for a while but when your legs start to freeze up and soon you'll feel like you're supporting your body on mere bones. I think my knees threatened to give way. Or maybe I'm getting old. Oh sigh. By the time I reached the bridge of the Harbour, I was too annoyed to appreciate whatever reason he had dragging me there. We're going to the Maritime Museum he says. What? Museum? Now? It was 3pm and I hate having to rush thru museum visit. I need half a day when I visit the MCA and almost 2 days when I go to the NSW one. Great, just great. That leaves us at most 2 hours for an exhibit. "If its expensive, I'm not going." I hope that deterred him. But nooooo. "Just a couple more steps" he quips, as I pulled my coat closer. The wind was cutting into my ankles, I won't be able to walk at this rate, soon. As we made our way down the wretched bridge, he pointed to the Bateaux Jouets sign hanging above.

Oh! Bateaux Jouets! I'd totally forgot telling him I wanted to see that a couple of days ago when we walked by but the museum was closed. The chill I had cursed non-stop a couple of minutes before was kinda forgotten when we walked into the museum. The bored lady knew what we were coming for so she handed us our admission stickers before pointing in the opposite direction behind us. Woo-hoo! Anything about transports, add in toys and French, I'm sold. I'm a firm believer in the theory that what we are right now, our every decision and behavior can be traced back to our childhoods. Let's leave that debate to another day. My earliest memory of transports was a blue cardboard box with a strap on top that goes from back to front, with a snap button for closure. It was blue with the Sanrio Runabouts characters on them. I loved that box a hell lot and I still miss it. I think I had crayons in it the last time I remembered. Its possibly long gone by now but it should explain a lot about me; the obsessions for suitcases, transports and perhaps has made me some sort of an escapist. I had dreams about packing clothing in the night and flying off to some faraway lands without telling anyone. I still want to do that! Shhh!



Needless to say, I enjoyed the little exhibition lots! Check out the collection if you can't make it here. It was a little dark cosy spot with enough wood and tin toys to fuel my obsession and set it alight. Each of them was such amazing detail and condition. Some of them had intact boxes with old child-like graphics on them. We stayed for the short french flim where they explained the history of the toys and how it relates to history in reality. There were also mini flim strips that showed how toys were made long ago - painstakingly made by hand by a smiling lady! That really hit home. It was hard to leave all the beautiful ships and boats behind when the announcement came for closing. I guess the other Australian exhibits would had to wait. We swung by the gift shop and I picked up a Levithan ship postcard for framing and a cute wood Bateaux as le souvenir.

"Was it worth it?" DH looked smug. "Yes dear." I didn't want to disappoint. :+)

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

bye bye Tourister.....Hello Tourister! (updated!)



I could cry! I'd wanted this case for the longest time and finally found it! A beautiful white Tourister in super condition. I bought it, paid for it regardless of the crazy shipping and poor Heather (Mayberriesvintage) took it to the PO only to be told she couldn't send something so large overseas! She'd tried everything, from asking the PO people for alternatives to going to UPS and finding out that its gonna take $400 to ship this baby. I'm out of ideas and it seems re-routing to Canada for surface mail might well cost $100 on top of everything. Exasperation!

I'm not sure why but I'm still very confused why USPS cancelled the surface shipping alternative and doesn't allow bigger things to be sent. Feels like a total dead end to me. And UPS isn't helping either. I'm still trying not to dream about Miss Tourister White. *tear*

Is anyone travelling from the US to Australia or Singapore? Anyone?


ps: Much thanks to Heather who put up with me during this whole shipping fiasco. She's got great things in her shop so do pop by!

Edit: Joe, the vPost charges would be crazier than re-routing it via canada. Thanks for the reminder though!

Exciting Update! - CY, who is coming back from NY has so nicely offered to bring the case back for me! *jumps up and down* Woohoo! Thank you SO much girl! I can't thank you enough! Yaaaay! I do have something to look forward to in July! ^___^

Friday, May 16, 2008

Sydney Shipping ALERT



I've got BAD news. AusPost is extremely inconsistent. I posted an order of 2 MiniZs & a keyring toy a couple of days ago for $2. Today for exactly the same package, its $8.80. Service is by exactly the same guy (jerk?) at the St Leonards PO. I'm not sure what to think. I'm still basically in shock. He coldly said that it just passed the letter standards. WTF. And he said we can't register packages to the USA. And Myer is having a "Myer heart new york" thing? Jesus Christ.

Ok, here's what we'll do for florspace orders. Desperate situations call for desperate measures.

I will not be listing new stuff until the last week of June when I can send packages from Singapore instead when I'm back. Shipping charges is pepetually regular and we'll know what we need to pay instead of $2 a day and $10 the next. Besides Auspost won't let us register packages so its hopeless if something gets lost.

So much for bringing my shop over. This place is just full of surprises.

ps: if you're within Australia and wish to see my Cube collection I'd brought with me, send me an email. :+) Postage for you guys would prolly be more decent.


To Odds'n'Blobs : Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! I thought I was the only silly one complaining about AusPost! Oh big sighs anyhoo. I'm still praying it'll get better someday. :P

Monday, May 12, 2008

Sydney updates + news



Its not hot anymore. I'm not sweating while I type this and I've gotten lazier. Yeah, I'm downunder right now. Plane ride on a QA was nicer than usual. Much better than the last time I took it and the attendant literally yelled at me to keep my bag under the seat when I was pepetually throwing up at the same time. It was hell. This time was fine. I would have much preferred being on an SQ but beggars can't be choosers. I watched 27 Dresses on the plane, hopefully to change my image about marriage. It was a nice movie but I still somehow find it difficult to say yes to commitment. I think I'm more of an escapist of everything I put my name on the dotted line for. Terrible behavior. Anyhoo, I dragged DH to the Rozelle market yesterday and already was high on the good old stuff and cool weather. It felt so good to walk around autumn leaves with a cup of hot tea in hand browsing through vintage books and checking out wooden rolling pins, lace and typewriters. I was in heaven! I got a paid of cute old tin door knockers and couldn't resist the Big Day Out 07 bag with a mushrooms on it. OK....I saw the mushroom first. At $5, its an insane steal! And I'm loving the shape a lot. My old timey suitcase/luggage infatuation is seriously getting out of hand. Yikes!

NEWS - Although I've got the stuff in my shop with me, I'm afraid shipping charges here is pretty out of hand. Unless anyone's willing to pay $20 for normal airmail shipping to get a wallet shipped over to america, I think I'd launch the cube wallets I intended to in July instead. What does everyone think? I know DH would be jumping for joy coz I can spend tons more time with him instead. So much for bringing everything with me! *tear* Hmm....I guess I'll spend time with my reads and knit. Woo-hoo for sabbatical!

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Last Autumn Trees



The very last one! It is so hard to let it go. This print has been really really popular and it was one of my favourite fabrics. Adorable trees with squirrels harvesting acorns for winter. Beautiful year round understated wallet!
(Keeping this short coz I'm down with flu and there's a paper tomorrow. :~/)

Right here!

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Shinzi Katoh Branche No. 4



I'm seriously sick of studying and infact, have gotten a bit sick too! The terribly warm weather is wrecking havoc on loads of people. Everyone's been sniffing and coughing in the library and I was mugging for the econs paper. (1 more to go Friday!) I think I got some of the germs. Oh well. So I decided to finish up this super cute tote set! I missed the first set I did with the black woven cottten handles but have been having trouble locating the right one so I had to pick it up before I could finish it. I love the sewdish cotton peeking out from the top! I didn't "finish" this one as you can see, no sewing lines on the Branche fabric. Actually the inside snaps were in the way but methinks it looks really zakka anyhoo. :+) But I had to overstitch the handles coz I experimented with a bunch of crazy thick & heavy texts inside and I could see the inside stitch a bit at the handles. I decide I won't be able to sleep at night without the overstitching. LOL So 4 small sewing spots on the inside can be seen. No biggie coz this way your tote will never fall apart! Yaay!

Right here. This is the last Branche tote before I go go!

Monday, May 05, 2008

Carte-y goodness



Oooh! Long overdue Carte wallets are in the shop! But yikes, as I write this, 2 had been snapped up, leaving the cute Hippos waiting for adoption. Oh, won't you want them? :+)

Right here.

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Lemon Doll Relist



This poor cute wallet got relisted coz the buyer didn't want to reply to emails nor pay for it. Poor girl. So if you were hankering for this cutie, its in my shop! The lemon buttons are the last ones and they were great snaps from Japan. I loved these but alas, I'll have to make another trip! I'm also out of this yummy print so its rather likely that this is the last you'll see of these cute kokeshi dolls on a cheery lemonade background! :+)

Right here!

Edit: Yaaay! Its sold to my old friend who bought it for her cute sis! So glad you got it girl! ;+)

Tote Time!



Ok, this is the most totes I've ever listed! (Probably) and its all yum stuff! I'm not sure if its the stress but even if it is, its making me make more stuff! LOL Its funny too coz I'm cutting up a number of fabrics which were once really really precious to me. I'm not waiting a sec to regret but I do marvel at the end result! I'm pretty happy with them especially when the crappy weather isn't forgiving these days. Its like 35degC out there and sweat comes even when I'm standing and not moving. Crazy but true. Wait, did all that rush to study, make stuff and sweat contribute to the 0.5kg weight loss? My dietian is pleased but I'm not sure how much this can go. I've given up walking in the snack aisle of the supermarket though... I fear the chocolates and potato chips in Woolworth's which would most definitely mark my demise. But I am looking forward to the cooler weather though I pray its not going to stop me from moving my ass. Winter time is always binge-ing time, curling up in front of the telly with wholesome soups and not moving an inch. Ooops. Oh wait, I'm really diverting now. I'm pretty sleepy right now but there, I promised Shinzi Katoh's Branche No. 3. Quite a number of people have asked for this so be quick if you're after it. This version is slightly smaller, with shorter straps coz the entire look of it was really to be cute!



Oooooh! Mushrooms! This highly coveted retro mushrooms print series is long retired and it was really tough getting hold of them. I'm sharing a bit in this bigger size everyday tote perfect for work and school. Oh and I made the handles a lot longer for girls who prefer longer handles. Had some requests for them so this one's for you!



Ooooooh! This one! I wasn't paying much attention but then it turned out so cute, I really wanted to keep it! It had been lying in the work-in-progress pile for a while and I finally pulled it out when I noticed the chocolate peeking from underneath everest. Perfect for people who pack light! I think I'm gonna create a series of these cute lunch-ing totes after vacay. Yaaay!



Finally a tote made from another print of the famouse Shinzi Katoh, called Kid's Land. I really fell in love with the cute animals and how understated they all are despite being cute and all. I think its tough to really combine chic and cute but there, he did it! The lemon handles really pulls everything together and makes it such a cheery little tote! Because its canvas, you can safely machine wash on a low cycle with gentle detergent. Not to worry, we double stitch all the pressure points and corners of our purses to ensure they don't fall apart. Unless you feed it to your dogs!

Go check them out now!
(I can't believe I spent Saturday night here! LOL)

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