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.

CT + mini updates

It was so great to finally meet one of my very supportive customers, CT, yesterday! She had just come back from a trip to Tokyo and had brought me so much goodies I'm so thankful for! A Shinzi Katoh calender and that cute mushroom bowl I've been eyeing for yonkers! Thanks SO much Charlene!

We seem to have so much in common & she's adorable! We chatted for a couple of hours til she got hungry(sorry CT!) and my coffee went cold! I had such a great time with her and it sure was refreshing to find someone who I can talk to freely without the stress of worldy/social pressures. Our interests seem to fall within the same realm of zakka goodies and so much more! I'll be so honored if CT would be my best friend someday! She was also carrying the Biscuit tote from florspace a while ago which matched her cute lemonade top and it looked so cute on her! It made me really proud! hehe Such an amazing experience!

In other news, I found this curiously cute mini version of the DoubleA copy paper which I absolutely had to have. And my law paper went hazily by today. Its a morning paper and I wasn't in great form despite 7 hours of sleep the night before. I pray I've got everything where the marker wants. I only pity the poor marker who has to read my terrible handwriting. I'm infamous for that since junior high. Tsk tsk!

Also I've changed the twitter page a bit, coz Christmas is a-coming!
pssst! More goodies & Christmas Collection will be a-creepin' into the florspace shoppe! + the one of a kind type things you won't wanna miss! Woo-hoo!

Tiny update

Thats my messy pseudo-mantel. It acts as my dresser & music system. The candle is from blisscandles. I can't live without them though its pretty pricey to ship over. I smell them as feverishly as I do Indomie. The smaller travel tin is from a very nice lady at Balmain markets in Sydney. It sports a stronger scent and I can't live without that either. Eagerly waiting new supplies from DH soon.

I've been mugging for exams. Just finished a business stats paper. There wasn't enough time and somehow my brain refused to remember certain proceedures & explainations. Bummer. I had a banana before the paper, just as I always would but this time, it seemed to overly calm my nerves, so much that I became sorta laxed and didn't care. Its not a good sign since I'm really repeating the paper. Might I really be getting old? I heard the older gals lamenting about their failing ability to learn & absorb new things. Or maybe its a selective proceedure? I have no problems making new stuff though. In fact, I keep thinking about them. Oh, then I couldn't sleep the night before thinking about the trip to Cafe Del Mar. Oh, the splashing and cute dudes! Focus.....I have to learn to deal with unwelcomed thoughts to stray me away from fabrics & the scent of the beach.

A paper coming this Tuesday, Company Law, which is what I've been cold-sweating over. I don't hate it, in fact, one of my childhood ambitions was to be a lawyer. Its gonna be a tough paper though. I sat for the mid-term test, expecting a distinction when I got a credit. I was very disappointed since I did work my ass off. I was determined to do well for this one to maintain the distinction average. Boy, it gets tougher. But of course, that determination wavers everytime I hear the sound of the sewing machine motor running. It just has this weird effect on me. And it doesn't help that I'm surrounded with mounds and mounds of yummily yummy fabric, each one calling out to me, begging me to make something out of each one of them. I think I hit my hands when it just reached out to a piece during my exasperating break this morning. I hit my limit this late afternoon when I just had to help my assistant cut up the new fabrics for more Minis this coming season. I worked fast and eagerly! My zeal paled in comparision to burying my head in the statutes & notes. That brought up snickering comments & like clockwork, my chest sunk with guilt, knowing that the clock is ticking down to my doom. My hands continued working without missing a heartbeat. How can they still do that?!

I did manage to finish my notes this evening & somehow found time to enjoy reading thru the statutes. Its weird irony in the end! I plan to hit the questions tomorrow & monday before the eventual judgment day, Tuesday. I fear the worst but hope for the best.

Shinzi Katoh's Mushroom & other hobo stories

Its exceedingly difficult for me to stop thinking about mushrooms, big and small, cute or classy. Its 3am here and I'm having trouble sleeping. This hobo keeps staring at me in the face. I hop on over to blogger and start to write....

I have a long standing love with Shinzi Katoh, ever since the Branche print came out, I'm floored. I rushed to grab one of his shorty totes in the Branche print. Sadly, it wasn't to my expectations as the material was a tad lumpy and the construction was a little shoddy. Was it my tote, I wondered. I never did quite use it. It sits in my wardrobe with my collection of not-quite-right bags. How many of us have that problem already? Strangely, my shoes are getting plenty of action. As I get fitter from my gym classes, my heels got higher. I even got semi-drunk on Moet during Sunday night's uncle's 65th birthday dinner. How can I refuse my dear uncle? The Moet was definitely the cherry on top of the ridiculously yummy fudge cake. I have a new addiction because of that. But I digress!

So how did panel hobos come about? 4 scores & 7 years ago(nah, not that long!), I remembered I had a piece of the Safari Dream print fabric lying around. Not big enough for a tote, not right enough for a wallet or anything else. I wanted to do something that would efficiently use the entire piece without wastage. I did a bit of shifting with fabrics and came up with the panel hobo. One of my biggest customer had to have it when shown the picture & snapped it up without waiting for it to run live on etsy. I had the same piece of fabric in about the same size for the Shinzi Katoh prints and thought I could do the same thing coz I seriously loved the panel look. It took some practice to get it perfect & as I worked on it, I fell in love with it and started working on a more of it. A bunch of wonderful people felt the same and couldn't resist them! I was more than happy to hear wonderful things they had to say about the reversibility and the cuteness. Lucky that I had the canvas red gingham on hand for Mushroom & Stroll. They work beautifully together & I'm always over the moon when I see them click like magic.

Of course, people in florspace have a weird tendency to love mushrooms. We eat them, think about them, make them and love them. I think they're awesome! Maybe one day they'll talk!

Mushroom Magic! Yaaaay!

Red & oh-so-brighty
White & very spotty
Staring at me
innocently naughty

Grown in spurts
He is stumpy, she is mighty
They are tall
All so spotty

Watch the feet!
Watch those hands!
I'm a cutie
but not for tummy

The winds gently breeze
Never shy nor lethargic
swaying in the fields of green
Mushroom magic!

Tagged - 7 facts about moi

I got tagged! By the cute lostmitten. Thanks girl! (More homework for me. hehe)

Here's the rules and my 7 facts afterwards:
1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog - some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

7 facts about moi... (I shall stay away from repeating. And may change without notice. Take with a pinch of salt. Pan-salt if you're on a diet.)

1) I'm very antsy about being clinically clean. I wear lounge slippers immediately after the evening bath and my feet never touches the ground. Similarly, I don't touch (or allow anyone to) touch my bed when I'm not showered and ready for bed. I launder feverishly when my stuff comes in contact with foreign material. Its a antagonistic because I get lazy about cleaning my room sometimes.

2) I'm not particularly socially adept in real life. It happens great one day and tomorrow I'm trippin over my spontaneous conversation & constantly say the wrong things. Sometimes I rehearse what I say and go over the conversation again in my head after to search for mistakes. I get tired of talking to real people after a while. Typing makes me feel safer. Sometimes.

3) I'm particular about grammar & pronunciation. Not because linguistics is my major at uni but its always been a passion of mine since kiddy days. This is prolly not a big thing in the 3 core English-speaking areas(America, England, Aust/NZ) but its very prevalent here in SEA. Its gets worse when people hypercorrect when they speak. Its like scratching on the chalkboard to me. Ugh. Also explains why I need to move. Fast.

4) I like CHOCOLATE. Loads of it. They make me happy. Particularly handmade truffles in crushed hazelnut, ganache & rolled in powder. I'm also a sucker for good chocolatey fudge cakes. They have to be less sweet & just-right bitter. Sometimes oreo cheesecake with the crumbled up cookie things they mash up. Mmmm....crumbled up cookie things.....

5) I like clothing made by mom. She's an amazing sewer and totally allows me to make the craziest demands. Plus I get to choose the fabric, which means only the good stuff. Have you seen what people are buying at the malls? I got disgusted recently when people are selling dresses for $80 made with materials that goes for nothing and workmanship that falls apart after one try at the fitting room. Jesus. Why buy crap when I could get quality stuff from mom and wear it to death?

6) I dream of purses & designs all the time. Happens particularly when I'm stressed & pressed for time for schoolwork/exams. The best things seem to popup when I'm stressed. Brings out the best in me I think. I think about construction & deconstruction everywhere. A great design of something else, like a house, can be translated into a purse design in my head. My brain processes thoughts like that all the time. Its uncontrollable & kinda fun actually.

7) I do not think that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Its more like stealing & pure laziness. But crap can be turned into gold these days so, whatever. And most importantly, I stop caring about what people think of me a while ago. I think its time to live for myself. If you're reading this, you could consider that too. :+) Amazingly liberating.

My tag list! (you're it! hehe)
Laura
Marsha
Jek
Kali
Ana
Hazel
Rachel

tata!

Empty post

I have such bad habits of a neurotic artist. Its bad enough I am rude to people sometimes but I am sick of my life & myself again. I get bored periodically and its happening recently. I need to shake things up, go someplace and hide my wallows of misery away til the motivation comes back. Does it happen to you guys? I feel so small sometimes. Its just a life, why can't I just make it happen? People in war/politically torn countries have it worse. Its self-misery, self-inflicted, yet its inevitable, non?

But of course. Til better times.

ps: My favourite hobos are in the shop now. Do scoot over if you got 5 seconds.

EDIT: Thanks Laura, thats exactly it. But its kinda passing, I think. :+) Its sweet to know I'm not the only one.

Quirky 6

Uh...*scratches head*....I got tagged by the beautiful Hazel (on my birthday, no less!) that I should do a post about "a list of 6 quirky, but fairly ordinary things about myself." This is a dilly of a picker coz I'm so quirky(or so I think!) I don't know where to start. Ok, here goes.

1) I'm kinda extreme. I either binge or eat, save or splurge, laze like never before or work like a um, dog/cow/beaver(?). Kinda explains why I get burned out quickly and also why I get bored of things quickly & thrive on change. In my teens, I actually thought a nomad life would be pretty fun. Now I really want my own home and the ability to travel.

2) I'm sensory-defensive. uh wait, is that normal? I hate crowded, loud, smokey, bright places. Puts my mind into hyperdrive & I want to kill someone. I'm not kid-friendly either. Someone needs to child-proof me.

3) I *heart* the smell & touch of fabrics. My mood can instantly be uplifted when I touch gorgeous/cute fabrics from Japan/eastern European. Is that a fetish? Other mood uplifters are a mug of good earl-grey, re-watching DVDs, fresh new magazines, surprise parcels.

4) I'm really bad at math. I mean really bad. I flunk my 5th grade math because of simple algebra. I can't do number/letter combinations for nuts. Its really bad re-living hell now coz I'm re-taking my Business stats paper for my 2nd degree. Shame on me. I can count money though. So I do accounting. hehe

5) I hate fried onion. Hates it. (Fried onion is the crunchy topping stuff you get on top of chinese food.) I love herbs though.

6) According to DH and Mom, I can pop my eyes like Homer Simpson. And DH would like to add that I move around in bed a lot and I hit him sometimes in my sleep. Oh and once I kicked him off the bed. Yikes.

Conversation over the phone
DH: I got a box from you today.
Me: What? Already? Its only been a week. Ok, don't open it til the end of the month.
DH: Ok...but I can't think of what happens at the end of the month.
Me: *rolls eyes* (Thinks to myself - Halloween, dude!)
DH: Its ok, I can wait til the end of the month.
Me: I can't!
DH: Thats quirky.

LOL

Boo.

Urgh. I can't believe its already October! Life has been flying past recently ever since I turned 28 2 weeks ago. Looks like I'm gonna reach 30 soon. I feel this weird pressure to get a real job from society. I'm wonder if its because I'm in the wrong place. Singapore is extremely commercial-minded. Everything's about money and about the best kind of 9-5 one can get. But maybe its not 9-5 but 8-10. LOL I'm definitely enjoying the freedom of creation, school, gym and the occasional dinners/gallavanting with friends. I just came back from one actually.

So, everyone's talking about marriage too. Seems like the whole world is in love and trying to reach that end point of matrimonial bliss. I have trouble committing to just about anything so signing my name on um, virtually anything is quite impossible. I wish the pressure would go away. In fact, I wish for the school days when everyone was alone, or hopping partners. That was the time when possibilities seems endless. Now when everyone's growing up, its all about investments, networking and getting hitched. Its kinda tired, and boring. Everyone's making friends for some kind of underlying reason. Its sinister and rife with uterior motives of a potential partnership in business or in life. Its weird how everything becomes laden with goals and promises. I live in the moment, & talk to people for fun without asking for their numbers. Isn't that a better approach in life that putting pressure & expectations on everything & everyone around us? I have to wonder, is everyone merely out to get something and do we really know what we want & eventually, would we like what we get?

Hm. Growing up sucks.

EDIT: Zizi, I'm flattered! I guess we're still too young for now. Fun's waaaay more important! hehe