2 Minute (or less) Nail Art

Unless you've been living under a rock (..or away from Pinterest and beauty blogs, that is), at some point of your idle time you must have considered doing your own nail art. I too have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to that, ehem, obviously. But as much as I'm good with paint, on paper, I have less luck when it comes to paint (polish?) on nails. Every time I look at those pretty nail art, the "ain't nobody got time fo that" meme lady came to my mind. Not to mention on how pricey DIY nail art can be.

So here I am, presenting to you, the much obvious DIY, "Duh"-it-yourself, affordable, very quick version of the lovely nail art revolution. Forget scotch tape (because, heaven lord, who has time to actually wait your polish to be dried, scotch tape a stripe pattern, and wait for another good 20 minutes to see results? cue meme lady ..).

All you need here are ...

Look I don't even need to put a step by step photos for you, do I? 

The steps are, duh... paint your nails, wait for it to dry, scribble away with the marker, and splash that clear top coat on. This is mine and Big Sis G's own result (yep she did all the things herself, nail polishing, scribbling, the whole nine yards). We're doing it in less than 2 minutes. If a 4 year old can easily do it, so can you. Experiment with various patterns, I'm doing chevrons, polkadots and stripes here :)

So, do you have any ideas or plans for summer nails? 

Introducing : WikkiStix

If you have a toddler or two in your household, or have been babysitting one, you'll notice that you would likely to must constantly keep them busy. Otherwise, certain catastrophe might ensue. Occasionally might or might not accompanied with tears. 

I'm so thrilled when Adeline Woo, a mom-treprenuer (mom "slash" entrepreneur) from Singapore introduce me to Wikki Stix! What? Yes, Wikki Stix. It's yarn pieces dipped in a safe food grade wax, basicaly, it's a bendable gummy sticks, much like a  modeling compound, but skinnier. Younger kids might be mistaking it for a stick bubble gum, so please follow the age requirement and always assist your child when playing. Though it's food grade I don't think it's intended to be eaten. Wikki Stix 100% made in USA, so you can count on  it by the safety dept. It's also gluten free, by the way, so kids with allergies can safely play with it. Still, I'd say it again, please don't eat it.

There are thousands of possibilities of playing with Wikki Stix. Big Sis G and I tried the pink pack first, obviously. And she made a crown! So predictable of her, don't you think? See what else we made that day :

I have to say I'm surprise that Wikki Stix is absolutely odor-less. It looks like wax, felt like wax, strangely doesn't smelt like one. But it does leave sticky feeling on your hands and on glass-y surface. Nonetheless, it's not messier than regular play dough and definitely more hassle-free. It also came in lots of educational activities, if you bought the intended packages. There are dot to dot activity, maze, numbers, alphabet writing, Chinese writing, and themed/seasonal activity kits. If you're doing an art and craft party Wikki Stix would be a perfect addition to your activity.

dot to dot activity with Wikki Stix!  

After playing with Wikki Stix, here are my (and Big Sis G's) verdict..

thumbs up for :

• Glutten-free, non-toxic, food grade, odorless, mess free materials. 
• It never dried up, you can use it over and over again. 
• surprisingly sturdy and hard to break
• Fun, creative, and educational content.
• Big Sis G's own word : "I can make things with this spaghetti"

If there are rooms for improvements :

• They are highly sticky and leave sticky, glue-y streaks upon glass surface, cleaning the surface needs some extra time. You can always lined your glass/wooden table with some coverings before you play though. 
• Once you cut it to desired length, well, there goes your length. 

Wikki Stix can now be found all across South East Asia; Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Indonesians, in particular, can find Wikki Stix  in Kinokuniya Bookstores all over Jakarta (Plaza Senayan, Pondok Indah Mall and Grand Indonesia). Price ranging from $6.30, lots of variety too, from single color packs, educational kits,  themed/seasonal kits, to birthday sets, and if you shop online, they are offering free worldwide delivery!

The 9th Workshop in a Box : World of Books

Just in case you've been "being Patrick" (living literally under the rock, get it? :D)  for the past 2 years, let me tell you this; everything you love and obsess about is now inside a box. It's been a craze everywhere, maybe the most noticeable is the beauty and make up box subscription, but almost everything is now can be found in a box. The premise is simple. It's mostly boiled down to : 1. you choose a box subscription and pay online, 2. they will customized your box to your personal preferences, 3. The box delivered to your doorstep each month. The best part is, of course, what's inside will all be a big surprise to you.Indonesians may be familiar with Beauty Treats, a box filled with, duh, beauty, make up, and skincare things. But, really, I have read there are baby and kids's clothing, food, even sport and health, gardening, and  pet products in a box. Well, who doesn't love surprises?

Crafters, rejoice. There. IS. Definitely. CRAFT boxesWorkshop in a Box (WAIB)!! This is also a pretty late introduction since, yes, as you may have realized there is a number 9 on my blog post title. Wow, Ning. *rolls eyes*

The box! 

My illustration of a French librarian lady-that has a nice ring to it- graze the box cover! Yay! 

Indonesian crafters, specially, let me introduce you to Workshop in a Box! (WAIB)

Anyho, WAIB was founded by two lovely ladies of the blogs dreamesh and liaspace, Amesh and Lia, respectively. Hold your horses, crafters, these boxes are not available for monthly subscription yet, but they offer more exciting alternative. Instead of delivering the box to your house, they hold a workshop and put up live tutorial/ craft class known as workshop, hence the name. The ladies themselves get their hands dirty teaching. How awesome is that? The downside is, you have to live in Jakarta. The good side is, YES you can still order WAIB previous boxes on their fanpage. The tutorial will be stored in a CD.

Pretty much everything you will receive! book making supllies! 

This is not the #9 workshop session. I steal this picture from dreamesh's blog post of #5 WAIB. 

I got mine this way too, and if a craft beginner like me could follow the instruction, your chance are high.
Babalisme is also proudly collaborated on this box and their first one! So, keep an eye of my printables from time to time in your WAIB box!

And some pop up elements to make your own vintage French inspired pop up card.

Brown Paper Packages

..tied up with strings are seriously one of my favorite things in the world. I sometimes don't care what's inside I just want to cherish the crisp brown paper and the strings as long as I could. When this gift giving holiday coming, I can't think of a better way to wrap presents. 

project wedding

connection photo

shane powers

Thank goodness I'm such a dweller on wedding blogs (yeah, yeah, I had my wedding, and not planning to have the second one, but I can't resist) I found all these wrapping ideas at emmaline bride. Go have a visit for more ideas! I think they''re mighty suitable for holiday too! 

Paper Straw 101

all pictures are taken by me and please do ask for permission to share/(noncommercial) use.

Last month, one of my dearest friend, who lived in the States was finally home for after 5 years abroad. We emailed frantically before her flight to Indonesia, and she asked me, "Would you like to get something from here?" And I answered without a doubt, "Striped paper straws!" She was bewildered, thought I might ask for something more... pricier or fancier? We LOLed about that till now, how I see the exaggerated beauty of striped paper straws or being a "paper straw nerd". So here I am, the nerd, giving you the lesson, on why paper straws are really pretty, functional, and underrated. *cough* ahem. Let's begin Paper Straw 101 

The number one reason you've got to love them, is they are pretty cheap and add a dash to your purpose; party, baking, or craft, quite easily too, without any cratfing skill or whatsoever needed. You are also saving the earth if you choose to use paper straws instead of their plastic counterpart. I've been a user of plastic straws my whole life, and my sole fear of using paper straws would be the liquid bleeding through or it gets mushy after it soaked -or sipped- long enough. Read this for I tested it myself : it's not regular paper and as long as you're not chewing it like crazy, the paper is very well sturdy. I soaked mine for 24 hours non stop then it's finally to grow limp a little. Your party wouldn't last that long, isn't it? 

My friend bought these via Bake Sweet Etsy, and according to the seller, they are made in USA, made by 100% recycled paper, bio-degradable, free of bleach and chlorine, and an FDA approved ink for the stripes. I told my friend to purchase from ebay or amazon instead, but she said that the lower prize might not bear the same quality and spesification, and since this is a "paper" straw you'd stuck in your mouth and your drink/food, I'd better stick with the higher quality instead. But the choice depends on your purpose, though. These are the paper straw up close. Pretty neat,eh? You can't barely seen the overlapping paper here. No leakage! 

                            

Technical things : covered! Now let's move our lesson to a more exciting part. Decorating with paper straws!! They come in every prints and colors, my friend only bought me stripes one, so I'll mention them with the colors only from now. If you are, like me, captivated with all the colors available, do stick to classic  primary hues. Like this red, for instance. 

Red alone is great for parties with theme such as : 

carnival, circus, christmas, (why did the first 3 begin with a C?) folk-ish forest friend, snow white, baseball, ladybug, cat in the hat, classic train, cars, strawberries, and fire engine. 

With other colors red could be used in theme, such as : 

pirate (with black or gray), nautical (with navy blue), christmas (with green), any girly theme (with pink), any boyish theme (with baby blue), sock monkey (with blue or yellow), and watermelon (with black and green).

But don't count out un-popular colors too, like this one in gray. I think they are really understated, it's one of my favorite colors, and to achieve manly, grown up, or neutral theme party, this one is a must! 

Gray alone could be used in a baby elephant themed, baby whale, grown up halloween, rustic chic, baby hippo, any white related theme (to add dimension, there's no white striped straws is there?), rock and roll, vintage,  and so on. See? It's not lesser than red in theme count.  

And paper straws can also be used outside drinking matters. Don't believe me, check out this links provided from the craftiest people in the blogosphere  : 

1. cupcake topper 
2. cakepop holder, see here also. 
3. wreath, a great how-to here
4. garland, I know it's hard to believe, but it's true! 
5. napkin ring and table centrepiece.  

See? Don't you love paper straws by now? Do tell me your ideas or link, and share me your ideas on how to use lovely, practical paper straws! 

 

BTW, If you happen to live in Indonesia, my friend bought me too many, so if you'd like to get your hands on these paper straws yourself, please email me. I got the paper straws in these colors, although they are not in the same quantity :

1. light gray
2. bright red
3. lime green
4. navy blue
5. pastel yellow
6. pastel pink
7. pastel green
8. pastel blue

Be promptly quick! These are running out of my hands very fast! For those of you who live in US, Europe, or AUS do check out Etsy, Amazon, or Ebay, those are a great source of paper straws stock!

Bunny Season

'Tis the season for a long ears and buck teethed, whiskered fellow. And some yellow chicks. God I love Easter. I'll promise you one free printable to celebrate, I hope I can manage to make one in my tight schedule (sorry readers, sorry Baby G). In the mean time you can always rely on Martha for some festive ideas. My favorite is the one pictured up there.

Yes, don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY if you haven't! Or if you had, you can still increase your chances by tweeting or sharing it on social network sites like FB. Good luck!

ps. I'm getting new followers but why haven't you guys entering? waiting for the near closing time luck? :D

Coming to Town

I got all the present wrapped up, the lights turned on, and the hot chocolate stocked up! It's the craziest Christmas for all of us, don't you think? Snow in Australia at this time?! And I bet some of you must be experiencing the worst winter of all time. I hope for our earth to heal well and we can still, hopefully, inhabit it next year. Wishing you aMerry Christmas and a happy new year .


From babalisme..
See u next year!

Holiday from the Past

buy here

I went all vintage last year. I'm lucky because I have a mom who treasures all those trinkets from the year she married my dad, but if your mom has thrown away all of her stuffs, don't fret. Because these days, vintage can be bought (great gift ideas too!).

Get here

buy here

Miyuki's Magic

Do you think Miyuki Sakai is just another illustrator with blessed hand? Look closely, for sure, she's not using ink nor paint. Her weapons are thread, needles, and (seriously, she mentions this on her web :)) band aids. Ouch.


Swoon, my favorite, pair of white clogs. Her clients range from Time to Nylon. Do visit to check out more mind blowing sewing experience. found via, newly-found-indie-magz Stella.

Still in Circus-y mood..

I hate to be in one mood for too long (I'm a Gemini, what can I say?) but this circus apron by Amy deserves its own blog post here. With no long description to read, just admire. *swoon*

By the way Giselle's Circus party is featured at Sara's blog! Thank you, Sara! Be sure to check out other mind blowing parties for kids there too.

Vinyl Forever

Check out Ashley's crafty faux leather/ vinyl accessories tutorial. You just can't stop making them. I think I need a quick run to the material store now.

Also, I need your help. I have my word verification turned on, as you may have noticed, but I still get those advertisement comments which have adult contents. I really really want to stop those flooding into my blog, as, well, my blog is not restricted for adults only, and to be honest, we adults here don't talk about it here too. Any suggestions?

Craft Celebrities

Do you even have the slightest idea of what this post title means? *chuckles* I'm talking about the most portrayed things/animals/shapes in craft world, in sewing, felting, embroidery, paper craft, and a whole lot more. During my oh-so-unprofessional research I have come up into this list, do correct me if you think I'm wrong and/or you have additions to the list.

1. Owls
2. Flowers (daisies as numero uno, roses come close..)
   
3. Cupcakes
4. Matryoshkas
5. Birds
6. Skulls
7. Mushrooms
8. Other forest friends (a tie between fawns, bears, hedgehogs, foxes and rabbits)
9. Red riding hood
10. Robots
11. Monsters (oh, the cute one, if you were wondering)
12. ..(please add to the list)

By the way, this A-listers here are made about a week ago. Since I really have a big trouble on cutting felt with a pattern (anyone has tips?) I made this entirely with the scissors taking charge. I'd love to share the pattern with you guys, but I really don't have one. Should I make one? I haven't put anything on their backs too, should it be clippies or pins?

ps. See that lovely little hut on Baby G's frame? It's from here.

A Space on Lia's Own

Do you miss Gocco? Well, I actually in no position to say that I miss Gocco since I never lay my hands on them, but I do miss Gocco. Can you imagine thriving for some things and then the things are taken away and not produced anymore? Sigh.

Now you can guess how excited I was when I received a whole set of original Gocco printed cards from Lia of Liaspace! Not to mention she's a fellow Indonesian too, now that's a rare thing here, and oh please, THE Gocco in Indonesia, am I dreaming this thing?


Lia is an amazing seamstress (mental note : start learning how to sew) and a really creative and active blogger, she shares many tutorials on her blog, including the always favorite FCB and baby bibs! Go have a visit.