Earth hour lowdown + day after

I spent the hour with everything off in my apartment, just sitting there in almost pitch black darkness chatting with mom. It was quite a nice time catching up, except that the heat & humidity was killing me. I didn't realise I'd depend so much on the electronic stand fan in the lounge not to mention juice for internet, computers, AC. Without these comforts, it felt like 18th century. I busted out my japanese folding fan and started fanning myself profusely. Of course I got tired in the process! We realised that most of the neighbors didn't bother. Its quite sad actually. Its just an hour, and its to save the very place we're living in! Not that we shouldn't do our part everyday. I go green all the time, recycling everything I can, putting them into the right bins if I can't use them anymore, using less water, using less electricity and power-saving bulbs, biodegradable trash bags, bringing my own grocery bags to the supermarket.... hell, I feel alone in this environment! Singapore obviously doesn't do enough. Or maybe people didn't know, or they don't care. Either ways, its just awful.

I met people for the school project and they said they "forgot/didn't bother about earth hour, coz no one was doing it anyways". I stared blankly, but in my heart I ache for earth. ouch.

Because of the yearly earth hour, I start to really appreciate the existence of lights, internet and my AC! What would we do without them!

Let's try our best to be nice to earth and be a little more conscious of our consumption habits!

.....
Hazel, so nice to hear you enjoyed Earth Hour too!

Cary, that's sad! I thought Singapore was the only ignorant place! Like you, I'm appalled no one bothered. We should make it a point not to abuse electricity. Thanks for sharing though!

Don't forget, lights off tonight!

Doods and babes, before it literally slipped my mind (like last year!), its gonna be EARTH HOUR tonight! Make it your little contribution to our little earth plus, you get to save on electricity! I used to enjoy the peace and darkness with DH when earth hour first reached Sydney. It was so much fun lighting candles and watching life go by outside our window. This year its reached Singapore and millions of other cities! If you're reading this, please do it!

Switch off everything, I mean EVERYTHING!
Its not as hard as you think. ;+)
At 8.30pm tonight, 28th March '09, make it for earth hour.

I got my yummy soy candles on my tabletop. Woo-hoo!

Mighty Mushroom Tote set - oopsy!

This set is so seriously adorable, we totally forgot it was PINK! So we've just put it on the Pink Spring SALE list, 20% off, at just $55.20 for the cuteness!

Boy am I getting old. Much thanks to my dear assistant who pointed out, "Isn't Mighty Mushroom in pink?" LOL Feel free to holla if I'm wall-eyed again. ;+)

Just a bit more details on it. I bagged this print all the way from Japan, from a really cramped fabric store and woulda missed it if it didn't winked at me from some dark corner! I love it loads but it wouldn't turn out as great in a larger tote, read* not as cute! Its a smidge shorter on the top length coz I angled in the sides, to give it a really cutely boxy look, which fits in with the adorable scalloped lace I had to include! I'm known to hoard cotton woven laces coz I think they're simply amazing work! To girly-fy the whole thing, I had to squeeze in a tied lace ribbon!

Dang, I want one! Get it here!

Sunset

Today's sunset was so magnificent, I had to share! I was pottering around in the lounge, cutting up more fabrics and such when I realised the place was bathed in an ethereal glow! If I hadn't know better, I swear it looked like the Buddha came down on earth! It was orange gold, kinda like being in an egyptian palace! Ahhh....the sunset. I leaned out the window to soak up the ridiculously beautiful atmosphere. The sun was setting behind the hideous building that came up right in front of our block a couple of years ago. I cursed and swore, but well, nothing can really be done, can it? Nonetheless, it was still beautiful with the entire surroundings bathed in an orange glow. I thought it couldn't be more pretty!



Guess what!? I turned to my left and there was the biggest rainbow I'd seen since the one that stopped right outside my window on my 29th floor apartment in sydney a couple of years ago. I really missed that one. But this momentarily makes up for the memory. I couldn't capture the lovely colors very well here, but it was quite a sight! And boy was it huge! Didn't get to find the end of it, or I may just come into a pot of gold and have met a Leprechaun! :+)

Could this be a wonderful start to Spring? I certainly am crossing my fingers!

Meanwhile, don't forget our Pink Spring SALE, til 30th March ONLY!

Giveaways @ fabyuhluhs!

Ok, by now you guys'd realise I'm too lazy to host my own giveaways! LOL But in comes the nice people at fabyuhluhs who love the Everyday Cupcake MiniZs so much, they'd ask me to give out 2! And so I did. All you need to do is pop over, read the lovely post, put a comment and you're in to win yourself a yummy cupcake MiniZ!

Hop on over!

Giveaways @ adiaha.com

3 quality MiniZs for absolutely nothing!
Ok, you gotta go here to post a comment and you're in the draw to win one! How easy is that!? And who doesn't need free stuff these days? Thanks to the wonderful people at adiaha.com for saying such sweet things and hosting our first giveaway for the year! I love her site coz its full of useful tidbits, things to ponder about and great finds! Keep 'em comin', adiaha! :+)

What are you waiting for? Hop on over!

..........
Its ended and congratulations to 3 lucky people, Allie, Jessica & Megan!

Pink Spring SALE!

Harumi & Sakura Garden MiniZs

Yeap, the week has officially begun on this side of the earth and though its almost St. Patrick's day (Leprechaun!), Spring is about 4 days away! We're officially starting our Pink Spring SALE early, for just 2 weeks ONLY! So for these 2 weeks.....*breathe* all 'pink' purses are 20% off! The same fabulous purses with great quality are up for grabs at a lower price! There's no better time to stock up on gifties and also presents for yourself for almost surviving the 1st quarter of 2009!

With the way the economy is going, we all need a little pink uplift every now and then, don't we?
Grab yourselves some decent quality from florspace. ;+)


Pink Spring SALE!
ALL 'pink' purses are 20% off!
Til 3oth March 2009 only.
Limited Stocks, while they last!
At florspace.etsy.com

(Custom orders do not apply.)

Drawstrings!

Drawstrings aplenty! Its yummy drawstrings time at florspace. We love them so much and people are requesting them for on-the-go knit goods, kid's toys, gym gear, travel laundry, unmentionables transport.....wow the list could go on! They're super duper fun to create, while they take up quite a bit of fabric, it looks so cute in the end! I love the end product everytime and regardless of how it gets measured, somehow it seems to have a little mind of its own, ending up cute all the time! hehe

I particular love the Cherry Trees GM size one above! I love large drawstrings myself and use a couple depending on when and where. Let's see...I use one for gym which has straps for hanging onto the hooks when I shower; it stows my shower things and clean underwear + the towel actually fits in too! I love that I don't have to put my things anywhere else coz I doubt the cleanliness of public places a lot. :P Speaking of, I use another for bed clothes and unmentionables when I travel since they can be kept clean and safe. I like having clean bed clothes and underwear to look forward to at night. Regardless of how icky and horrible the day turns out to be. :+) They are very lightweight, yet strong enough to carry clothings. You can also fold them up and carry them with you for groceries and extra things you might need to carry in your day! I also use 2 on the hooks in my room near the door for storage of knick knacks. Also PM sizes are best for small things like memory sticks goes into my everyday tote. Wow...thats a lot of drawstrings!

The best thing I like about them is that they are so easy to care for! Just invert them, throw them in with your usual laundry, take them out, reshape and air-dry! No dryer coz they can shrink, just like your sweaters can felt!

Go drawstrings!

.....
p/s: March 20th is the first day of Spring!
Watch out for our Pink Spring SALE!
Details to come!
You heard it here first! Wooooop! ;+)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

During these not so good times, we need to save a little and keep the luck going! I've been reading about St. Patrick's Day over here, and finally sitting my ass down to find out about the history of it all. I must say I didn't keep up with world history much and my high school history was about singapore, malaysia, japan and the WWII. Not much fun. All I remember was a lot of memorising stuff, crammed my brain full of weird facts.

Anyways, find out how you can get involved in the parades and drinking fests right here! Onr of my fav things to do is to sit home and make stuff! Find out how you can get your kids involved and make something festive for paddy's day! Loads of green stuff, activities and fun!

I think I'll go make myself some Emerald Isle Punch and some cute shamrock cookies!
Oh I almost forgot to mention Leprechaun is on sale! So, save a little, keep the luck going and maybe he'll help you find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

Don't forget to pinch someone if they're not wearing green on the 17th! Check out other commong traditions here!

Yearly Ultimate Sets - Spring

Apparently my mojo gets online from time to time and reads my blog! After my outcry late into the night yesterday, he came back for a visit. So I took the opportunity to finish up the Counting Sheep set I was dying to for weeks. The other piggy one has to wait. Oh yikes, I shouldn't say so much! LOL I was thinking about it for a long time coz the finishing for the sheep one wasn't right. I was trying too hard to put in more stuff that wasn't meant to be there in the first place. It was meant to be just sheeps! Anyhoo, just to keep the lovely zakka spirit alive, I managed to find some amazing cotton zakka lace in that perfect oat color for all the trimmings. I could eat this stuff if it was edible! And adding that little accent was because the vintage french crystal button was just begging for some attention. Methinks he sits proudly on the cute little lace ribbon on the side.



I tossed out several ideas for the handles, like using raw cotton canvas (inside) but it was too plain and didn't fit. Wooden handles just made it look worse. Even my signature woven cotton handles were somehow out of place! My Biscuit tote that I use everyday is a peeling leather I got from my Japan trip earlier but that was the only pair. In the end, I realised, sheeps only go with sheeps! I had them attached on both the inside and outside coz I wanted it to be super hardy for what you might throw in, which make this the perfect bag for travel, school, work or play. No excuse for leaving your sweater or that novel at home now. There's also double large pockets inside. People have been telling me to include larger pockets in my totes. I'm starting to see why after installing some in the one for myself! They keep stuff safe, especially the puffy extended pocket for gadgets.

This set also features something I'd been wanting to make for a while - a Key Home! I have been using one for years and love the idea that it covers the abrasive metal of keys, keeps it safe from other delicate things in your bag as well as keeping them all in one place!

So yeah, some of my little thoughts that goes thru my creations. There are more but it'll prolly bore your brains out!

Check out the Counting Sheep set right here!

Come back, mojo!

Hmm, I'm not too sure what happened but 2 days ago when I was trying my best to work 2 large everyday totes I'd wanted to finish since, um, a month back, I had to stop at the finishings coz nothing just seems right anymore. I was gonna try a different handle thingy, but it looks just wrong with the print. I tried pleating, again it was all wonky and weird. In the end, I just stopped, threw it back on the table, slumped on the couch to watch re-runs of Two and A Half Men. I think their limbo-ness kinda makes me feel better. But thats not the point. I tried again the next day, and horror of horrors, nothing! Nada, zilch, zero. They have been lying there almost all week now, unfinished and looking really lonely. Then I sat, frustrated and it hit me. My sewing mojo's gone. I hope its only out for an errand but by the look of it, it may have gone fishin'. I'm terrified since there are custom orders awaiting and angry people knocking on my door. Ok, maybe its just my guilt a-rat-tatting in my head, but still! I hate for people to have to wait, like I feel like I'm being made to wait.

So all that talk about writer's block and magic disappearing (Kiki's Delivery Service) was true afterall. I just didn't think it'll hit me. A sewing block? Who would thunk it?!

The funny thing though, is that the ideas don't stop streaming up there! I could be sleeping and thinking about bag construction or walking down the street trying to mentally tear apart someone's really interesting-looking bag/purse/jacket, whatever. I sorta feels like I'm mentally sewing! Yet in reality, the hands just ain't movin' the way I want it to and at the same time, everything seems plain wrong even though its perfect in my head. I can't get around this problem and with school deadlines creeping up so quickly, I fear my sewing block is taking longer than necessary to clear. Its completely new to me, though it has been 2 and a half years since florspace started. Of course, its not an excuse to delay anyone's requests. I will continue to search for mojo.

"Come back, mojo, come back!"
Boy, that wasn't a dream.

Happy Hinamatsuri!

Happy Hinamatsuri everyone!

I'm a little bummed DH didn't managed to stay til Hinamatsuri but he did leave me with a table of cute goodies for the celebration! And he's gonna call me later. :+)

A little traditional song for the Doll's day.

Akari o tsukemashou bonbori ni
明かりをつけましょう　ぼんぼりに
Ohana o agemashou momo no hana
お花をあげましょう　桃の花
Go-nin bayashi no fue taiko
五人ばやしの　笛太鼓
Kyo wa tanoshii Hinamatsuri
今日は楽しいひな祭り

Let's light the lanterns
Let's set peach flowers
Five court musicians are playing flutes and drums
Today is a joyful Dolls' Festivalｌ

DH has left + Choc Muffins

Yeap, he's gone. Back to Sydney (Australia) that is. I decided to do a little random/update blog, plus the very chocolate muffin I baked couple of days ago for him, before he left. Its supremely chocolatey and I'd opted for the easy way out by purchasing Betty Crocker's cake mix. I know, I should've done it from scratch, but didn't have the time. I think it was a spur of the moment thing. "Let's have one of your cake-things for breakfast", he said. I thought plain muffins were a little well, plain. Besides, DH wouldn't like chomping on several muffins like that. Molten chocolate would make it more fun, I thought. Tough luck, Crocker's chocolate frosting was out. I searched my brain for liquid choco recipes. The stress made me buy 2 small bars of cadbury and a tub of very thick cream. Strangely though, it turned out ridiculousy yummy. We were licking our fingers like a bunch of pre-schoolers at breakfast. Just remember to do double-boiling and don't be shy to pile on the cream. ;+) (To Charlene, I apologise for not including the molten chocolate for your box of muffins! It was gone before I knew what happened. :P Just hope you enjoyed them somehow!)

So yes, I'm suddenly free of DH, but there's nothing to be proud of. I get this strange empty feeling all the time, like being naked in public. Not to mention the bed's supremely cold at night without someone around. I've even resorted to wearing my old Sydney University sweater. I do miss Sydney and the only solace is that I'll get to be there in about 2.5 months, after the papers.

All that's left now is the awful assignments, tests and exams. BUT, I'll get to make more stuff for florspace soon! OOOOooooohhh, so many ideas keep bursting into my brain!