The world of make believe.

No, I'm not posting about Barney, so all of you sick of the purple dinosaur can relax. (anyway, who dresses up like Barney this Halloween, please raise your hand!! Noone?? last Halloween? no? So am I the only one finding Barney a little, emphasize this..a liiiittlleee... cute?) I loved role-playing as a kid, heck, if I'm not ashamed of my age, I'd still love to. And here are some make believe tools that keep me drooling all day..

Swish and Swanky

Ohdeedoh.

Jcasa handmade.

fortytworoads' Esty.

Spearmint baby.

Warming up.

For Halloween. I won Florspace's Halloween giveaway (yaaay!) and the package arrived this morning. Wow, what a way to start a weekend! Don't get jealous, peeps! Here they are, taken early in the morning. There should have been a cute pumpkin lantern with the package, but you know, paper lantern and Baby G don't get along too well, so... OK, let's say it's not ready for its close ups. (I nearly cried when it was torn in just 6.5 seconds after I opened the package!) Now I just wish I can get Florspace's talent in sewing, she sews the best bags!

Have a great Halloween warm up and weekend too!

Halloweenie dress-up printable : accross the blog.

You have the girl dollie, and the boy counterpart. But have you had the dog? This is what I call a lovely coincidence, Amy of LivingLocurto made the dog Halloween dress up printable way before mine came out, and if you already have both of mine, Amy's doggie dress up would be a very nice addition to the family!! And please don't stop there, Amy has dozen of printables and ideas for Halloween, do browse a little more!

If you're thinking of ways to make the printables live longer to (at least) next Halloween (or is it until this year's Halloween?) Amanda of funny days with mommy and maddie has the keys to immortalized the paper printables. Magnets and a cookie tray. I know!! How can I think of this before?! Look for her instructions here.

*update* Now that Amanda has printed the boy version, her little Maddie sure loves cross-dressing them. Bwahahaaha, take it easy, people, she's just a kid and I think it looks cute!


And it seems that Amanda's idea is perfectly suited to Kim's Molly. Look how serious her face is! (notice the Halloween placemats? It's so cute!)

Visit Learning Vicariously and you may never run out of activity for a toodler, seriously, I think Emily is a certified pre-school art teacher, reading her blog is like an endless fun toddler's dream! (And of course, one of the activity includes the magnetic paper doll by me :))

JustPouch used the Halloween pattern for candy bags inside this Halloween treats!

*update* Here are some of the most creative ladies of the blogosphere's more neat ideas :

• pocacosas' intending to use the dress up dolls for placemats at the kids table for Halloween! Make sure they don't bring their own scissors if you want the placemats still in one piece before dinner's served. :)
• Have a feltboard around in your home? Glue sandpaper to the back of the printables and there you go, play with your feltbouard, as suggested by Cynthia.

*update* You can also find the printable links at these wonderful places, thank you, everyone! If you have linked and I'm a total moron who miss you out, please do remind me again. :)
oneprettything
littlelizardking
ohdeedoh
ikatbag
kid stuff world
at home with kim vallee
craftgossip's indie craft
youareingoodcompany
small for big

See, what else have you created this Halloween related to the dollie printables? I'll keep this post updated with things I found accross the blogosphere, just give me a head up!

Halloweenie dress-up printable: Boy Version

I feel like a perfume manufacturer, after a hit with one scent for women I do it again for men. This is purely after tremendous emails and comments ( I got 26 comment for the girl dress up printable, my most commented post so far, thank you!!) asking for a boy version of the dress up halloweenie, and my concern for little boys everywhere playing with a paper dress.

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If you have blogged about this, either about the printable or how you are having fun with it, please leave a link in your comment, I'd like to see, of course! Any criticism and/or suggestions are mighty fine, also. That would make my day even brighter than ever. Enjoy!

*** October 2013 update : I'm expiring the Scribd uploaded link and move the file to Google docs, which is user friendly and more awesome, so click away on the newly updated link. It will take you to the google docs site! Or Visit this post for a full list of my Halloween printables. Thank you! *** 

Curioser and curiouser ...

Welcome into an imagined wonderland, say hello to LaCurioshar ! I was browsing Etsy for handmade Halloween cards, well, the more gothic and adult Halloween, and I stumbled upon this lovely twenty something girl's creation. After a few chat turns up that lovely Shalimma is Indonesian!! Wow, I never expected that!!! Etsy is such a small place after all! :)
If I have to describe her works in only a word, it must be "whimsical". The colors, the tone, the moods, and the overall theme seem to bring you into a world you only dare to dream, a very romantic one I must say, no, not the casanova romantic, but rather a childlike innocence with a touch of romance. You are not only buying prints from LaCurioshar, but also a story, that's what makes Shalimma's print stands out! Check out her 'story' about Handsome Dan, an eagle headed gentleman (or is it an eagle with a gentleman's body and attitude?) :

Everyone would cheered each time Dan Eaglehead walks into a room. Not only he is very dandy, he is also a real gentleman with a very good sense of humor. He is what you will proudly call “a jolly good fellow”. Three cheers for Handsome Dan! Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!

Oh, that naive description. Oh, those cheers. Oh, Handsome Dan!! See, like I told you, you're buying a whole lot of a package here! Want to know more about the lady behind Handsome Dan? Do continue reading, folks!

Tell me a bit about yourself!
I am in my late twenty, love books, and love to try things out , and have an acute scatterbrain problem (mentally I am still a toddler)

What inspired/motivated you to work in this craft?
My growing infatuation with greeting cards and the likes prolly started since I was 6 or 7, as I began to collect them I also began to make my own. Art and graphic design are also a big part, although I don’t really have a background education on both, I am always sort of drawn into it. Now with design software programs and digital printing-shops, it is so much easier to have your own design printed the way you wanted it to be.

Is it your childhood's dream to work as an artist?
Nope, I wanted to be a pirate! Yarrrr!!!

How would you describe your perfect day?
My perfect day would be waking up early in the morning, have a yummy breakfast, then out with my sister/best buddies to go thrifting or museum-hopping continued by browsing bookshops and then we go watch a good movie after dinner. And by the time I come home all happy and tired, there’s an e-mail saying that I just got a sale on my Etsy, YAY!

What's the best thing(s) to get you in the mood of making art?
One of those dream-like state when I get those fuzzy feelings when inspiration struck me and I couldn’t stop working until it is done right.

What is it like living in Jakarta? How does it influence you and/or your work?
Jakarta is vibrant, noisy, and unpredictable. Despite everything, Jakarta is an interesting melting pot where people and their cultures collide. I think I kinda infused those elements into my works, if I live in the country I think my works will be much “quiet”.

What is the most common reaction from people toward your art?
Unusual and un- Indonesian, for whatever that means… hehehe…..(ah, I'm not the only one then...)

If you were able to transform into one animal, what would it be and why?
Dolphins travel in what it seemed to be a friendly and fun-loving pack and yet they have a certain respect from other creatures of the sea including sharks. I think it will be grand to be one of ‘em.

What are we going to swoon over next in your shop?
I will be working on Christmas-themed card-sets and ornaments, while trying out some new craft. I also plan to make a woodland-inspired pincushions , as soon as I found the perfect teacups…..

..and great minds do think alike. If you love craft and tutorials, visit her daily blog for inspiration. I love hanging out at ThisSundayChild for inspirations. Personally love the recycled mailers box tutorial. Thank you for the chat, Shalimma!

Halloweenie dress-up printable

I'm sorry about the figurine, it's a girl, I know, I just don't think dressing up paper game is appealing for boys. But if you're mommy of a boy who's dying to play with the printable, just give me a head up. I will make the boy version.

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It's apparently more difficult to make than a bowl of pumpkin soup, so I'm pretty spending much more time on this one! I hope you have fun with this, and pssst..while your little one playing can you snap a picture or two?

*** October 2013 update : I'm expiring the Scribd uploaded link and move the file to Google docs, which is user friendly and more awesome, so click away on the newly updated link. It will directly take you to the google docs site! Or Visit this post for a full list of my Halloween printables. Thank you! *** 

Vintage at Heart

I used to cringe at my mom's old fashioned cooking appliances, table cloth, and even plastic cloth hanger that maybe she bought in the 70's. Now that I see Little Miss Heirloom store, I regret why didn't I rip my mom's vintage stuffs and dress my home with those. Pricilla, the owner of the store and mom of 2 great looking boys is providing authentic vintage pieces for nursery decor, playroom, party supplies and even books. Just look at these treasures.

This one is my favorite, vintage kitchen play set!! Not to mention the matching fridge!

I maybe fight Miss G to play with these first. Shame on you, you, you..shameless mother! *slapped myself* OK, now unto the fun part. Pricilla is being generous to us, she offers 25US$ gift certificate to the store! Visit her on her blog and tell her which is your favorite vintage treasury, and you might take home one. The giveaway ends Oct 17.

Halloweenies!

I told you I love Halloween. This October, expect lots of Halloween printables from me, so follow me if you can!

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First, an invitation to print garnished with tiny little tags, or stickers, or anything you'd dream those circles to be. I find it really hard to get a not-so scary or not too gothic Halloween invitation, so moms of toddlers, this is for you. Fill in the empty dashes as instructed. For example; What .. Jason's Pumpkin Carving Gathering, Where ... Jason's Haunted Mansion (or your address or any address the party's held), When ... Friday night, sunset. I recommend to print this on the back of my Halloween pattern paper, so you won't get a white blank invitation.

Please feel free to use as you're not making money out of this and/or claim this as your own. Be nice, lovelies. And show me what you came up with this, I"ll be more than thankful!

*** October 2013 update : I'm expiring the Scribd uploaded link and move the file to Google docs, which is user friendly and more awesome, so click away on the newly updated link. It will directly take you to the google docs site! Or Visit this post for a full list of my Halloween printables. Thank you! *** 

October's best

Halloween is one of my favorite holiday, easy to know since my all time favorite movie is The Nightmare Before Christmas and Tim Burton being my favorite director. And it's not even religious nor I celebrate it big here in Indonesia. To tell you the truth, I have never put a single costume on my entire life! Because I would be considered very weird here. I wish I live in countries that put much effort in that festivity.

I know you love Halloween as much as I do. I designed a Halloween print for you to use. Use it as a candy bag (hint: here), bunting, paper bow, garland, candy wrapper, box, anything you can dream on!!

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Since the internet has grown into such a big scary place, I beg you for not to use it in any kind of commercial purposes, please, please, please. You can print this into fabric (or upload it to Spoonflower, but in case you were wondering, I have uploaded this to my Spoonflower account ), and sew a skirt for your little one, but please don't sell the skirt. And if people ask you, just say that you are very good with needle and make the skirt yourself but show them where you got the print. I know you're nice as a pumpkin. ;)

If you see this design on sale on anything (bag, shirt, stationary,etc), please report it to me. I will reward you greatly. Otherwise, just enjoy the design and have all the fun you want from it. (Don't forget to share your creation with me!)...ummm did you notice my new blog title?? It's Halloween's special!!

*** October 2013 update : I'm expiring the Scribd uploaded link and move the file to Google docs, which is user friendly and more awesome, so click away on the newly updated link. It will take you to the google docs site! Or Visit this post for a full list of my Halloween printables. Thank you! *** 

A little game for today, tag, with a twist. I'm so excited, as today's game of tag is pretty surprising. Dear Hollyrocks, the one who tagged me, is rarely predictable, I must say. Let's see the rules of the game now.

1. Open your first photo folder.
2. Scroll to the 10th photo.
3. Post the photo on your blog and tell the story behind it.
4. Tag people to do the same.

mmm... mine is this.


Ha! I knew it must be Baby G's pic, since the first folder must be the "BabyG" one ( I have no folder started with "a")!! And I knew too that it must be her first days of life pic, since I always arrange it based on when the picture taken. So this is it. Baby G at around 10 days or so, sleeping soundly, while mommy took a picture of her monkey and bunny dolls. I love the matching crib bumper and sheets too, it's the first one I bought so the color is gender neutral. I missed her baby days.

Enough about the picture let's get tagging!! Here are the lucky (or not so lucky) people I wish to peek into their photo folder. Natsumi, Noomie, and Rosey, tag girls, you're all it!

And today is Indonesia national batik day. I'm wearing one while I am typing. :)

Practical Gift Bow How-to

I always love everything practical, because I'm a last minute person. That means I never spend half an hour, or more, to decorate my gifts. But what's a gift of box without a bow, eh? For you lazy crafters, like me, here's a cheat sheet.

First of all, like all good recipe, we start from the ingredients. Measure your 0.5" (standard) ribbon for around 8", twice, so you have two of them. I am using a blank white paper for this tutorial for easy viewing, but any ribbon will do, as long as they are not to silky. Gift wrapping ribbon works best, and that also reminds me, any scrap gift wrapping papers would do just fine. Find a 0.25" ribbon, or measure your first ribbon/paper and cute them half vertically, and make two of 8" each. You'll have 2 big ribbons and 2 thinner ones. You will also need a double sided tape (or any glue) and an office stapler nearby.

"Sandwich" the thinner ones among the big ones. Make sure they stay in the middle.

It's a good idea to make the snake's tongue end now. (this is optional)

Glue your ribbon sandwich at the top only (around 0.5" from the top), make sure all ribbons, thick and thin, are secured at the top.

Now this is the tricky part, staple the thick ribbon together, at around the red part I'm showing here. No precise measurement necessary, just remember not to staple along the thin ribbons inside, make the two of them stay in the middle.

See the red lines? There's where your staples go.

Yep, stapled it diagonally, at around 45 degree, downward, upward, downward, upward. Once again, don't staple the thin ribbons inside (you'll know why soon)

OK, now place your hand on the last staple, hold still, but not too tight, and pull down both thin ribbons with your other hands, automatically your staple will go upwards. See? Are you making the bump like shown here? Keep pulling.

Pull it until the top and you can't go no more. Voila. It's looking good, we're almost there.

Spread the remaining thick ribbons and now you got yourself a bow. Easy, no?

What do you do with the thin ribbon, you ask? Well, tie it around your gifts, your daughter's head, or simply curl it (with the back of scissors). Hint: You can always alter the length of your bows according to your needs.

I keep a lot of un-pulled practical bows around my house. I mean I love putting an effort to decorate a gift but there's always the time when a 1 minute bow might be needed. I hope this is helpful.

Fabric Covered Buttons

Aren't they the sweetest? While I was browsing at Etsy today, I found this wonderful shop that offers fabric covered buttons, and only them, seriously. BlueManatee Button specialized on one thing and one thing only to be craved about. Well, the owner seems to have another shops selling craft supplies, gifts, and even tutorials, but the button shop is one very special dedication, I must say. Just take a peek at these babies, and oh, I love the fairy tale set.

They're not expensive either!! Well, if you're a big cheapskate or have an abundant pile of scrap fabrics lying around, you can always rely on our favorite bloggers for your own DIY fabric covered buttons.

from the always resourceful HowAboutOrange.

from the entertaining crafter, Lollychops.

from (hey, have you checked out her hand carved stamps?) CraftPudding.

Happy button covering.

Room I am currently obsessed about.

If you thought it was Cath Kidston's wallpapers, guess again, because it's PiP Studio's, an Amsterdam based home products store. I spent my whole day browsing their beautiful site.

I thank ishandchi big time for showing me Helena's girls' rooms.

I wish I were Helena's girl.

Hello, Blogosphere!

Seriously, why does baby has to be sick on national holidays? The reason of my prolonged absent was of course, Baby G needed my full attention again, she had diarrhea, lost of appetite, and fever. I felt extremely worried and exhausted at the same time. I am currently suffering a flu. sigh. so...

What national holiday, you asked? It's Ied 'ul Fitr day!! I'm not a moslem so I can't give you any trustworthy information about the origin of the celebration but I'm sure Wiki can. :) It's huge in Indonesia (where the majority of the people are moslems), almost like Christmas and Thanksgiving rolled into one.

I don't know much about the philosophy, but like all non-Christians living in US and other Chrsitian inhabited countries, I do know a lot about the culture and the festivities. You can't
ignore all those gorgeous Christmas decorations and songs and foods, can you? Same here, I'm carried away too. Basically it's about the joy of loving and forgiving. So people, after the annually fasting duty (yes, they do fast the whole month before!!) naturally reunite with their families and loved ones, asking for forgiveness and forgive those who may have hurt them all year round. But none was done without good food, merry singing, and gifts. Sound familiar? We're not that different at all, aren't we? :)

Yes, that Ied card is free to download and print, give it to someone you know celebrating (although a little bit late). I just think that veiled moslem girls look a lot like matryoshkas.