Current Project: Coin purse / pouch & a kawaii Scheduler

Work In Progress...

Here's a sneak peak of what I've been up to lately... a pouch / coin purse for my aunt. I have had a lot of ideas on how to design it and hence I still haven't finish crafting it even though I've started weeks ago. I want it to be a multi-purpose pouch with a little sarubobo plush (filled with dried lavender) hugging the pouch, a detachable felt rose brooch and a ribbon as a handle. Perhaps I'm too ambitious or just lazy to try out new things: sewing the sarubobo plush & felt rose.

Front cover of scheduler

I bought this really cute scheduler from Artbox at Topshop in London when I went down there for the Australia Needs Skills Expo weeks ago. It costed £10 which is quite expensive for me but I just wanted to get my hands on it! It's made in Korea and contains lots of cute pages as you can see below:






This will be my third diary/scheduler for this year... I always have a weakness in diaries but I never get to fill in every page of them. I hope this scheduler will inspire me to do my travel journal.

Current Project: Coin purse / pouch & a kawaii Scheduler

paris coin purse, magazines ( Katherine Heigl ), pig in kimono, pink bow

Goods from Accessorize

I went to watch Ice Age 3 with Miky on Wednesday and went shopping yesterday. Accessorize is having a sale and I couldn't help myself buying something. I bought the hair elastic band with a pink bow, a piggy in kimono key chain and a Paris coin purse, all at half price. I had my eyes on the elastic band for a while and even imagined wearing it when I start my new job. I like the Paris coin purse best, with an Eiffel tower chain. I keep their tags on as I'm still not sure whether I will return this impulse purchase.

Front view of Paris coin purse

Back view of Paris coin purse, with lovely heart prints

Piggy in Kimono key chain

I think I might return this sweet piggy...I wouldn't be so interested in buying it if it's other animal. She's really cute!

Boots' Health & Beauty magazine & Marie Claire Magazine

Another of my impulse purchase yesterday, with my Boots advantage card points. I thought I'll be able to get the free Aveda shampoo for buying the Marie Claire magazine but they are all gone when I try to redeem it from Harvey Nichols, Leeds. I prefer reading other magazines such as Prima, Essentials and Red, but Marie Claire always include the best free gift with their magazine.

paris coin purse, magazines ( Katherine Heigl ), pig in kimono, pink bow

Sketch Emmy Rossum

I just finished this sketch on Emmy Rossum's album cover in around 2 hours' time. I couldn't finish drawing her upper lip as I don't know how and I tried drawing her thumb but it looked weird so i erased it off. I'm still quite please with the result as I was worried half way through sketching that it will turn out to be a completely different person or it already is?

Sketch Emmy Rossum

Celia Birtwell Fabric Swatches

Look what came in the post today! I requested for the Celia Birtwell fabric samples on Sunday and it arrived today! This will add to the collection of fabric swatches that I've collected & also used my friends' & relatives address to get them. I'll probably buy some fabrics soon for real after I start work. In the mean time, I'm just drooling over the surprise I received. These Celia Birtwell fabrics don't come cheap either & even though some of the sizes of the swatches are quite small, but I'm sure I can make some use out of them. A Celia B. catalogue/poster(as shown as the back ground of this photo) is also included. I've always loved her work ever since I started knowing her collaboration with Topshop.

This Celia Birtwell shoulder bag is a free gift with one of issues of Elle (UK) magazine more than a year ago. I'm glad that I didn't donate this away as I only used it twice or so and I managed to find it again to show it here!

While googling her name, I just found this link on Make Your Own Celia Birtwell Stencil Print Bag with free Celia Birtwell print to download from guardian's website.

I've been wanting to start this sewing project for the past few days but I end up surfing the internet looking for more inspiration and updating my blog.

Celia Birtwell Fabric Swatches

Road Sign

One thing that I really like about my neighbourhood in Leeds is the road sign shown above which features kids' drawings. Maybe people will pay more attention to road signs if they are all as cute as this one.

I have all the free time at the moment that most people will like to have and I'm trying to savour every moment by doing something productive. I need to make that promise. Hence, the sudden update of my long neglected dear blog.

Miky took me to dinner last Saturday at Ho's Restaurant. I ordered watermelon juice, vegetable hot & sour soup and vegetable fried rice while he ordered seafood. I always tell him that he must have been a fish in his past life. After that we went to watch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I'm not a big fan of action movie but it was interesting and quite funny. Shia LaBeouf is still worth watching!

My hay fever has been getting to me for the past 2 weeks and I didn't expect it to have a come back this year. I'm thinking of buying that organic hay fever balm, since my hay fever meds from last year isn't that effective. I have been in the UK for more than 5 years and I only start getting hay fever since last year. I wonder if there's some explanation to this.

Road Sign

Handmade Coin Purse /Pouch

Front view of coin purse

I have had fun sewing my first craft using a zipper. I've made this coin purse for Miky's mother, who is an Italian, hence the bird on the purse said 'Ciao'. I got the fabric from John Lewis curtain swatch sample, which is free. This time, I used backstitch to stitch the words & birdie's wing on which showed better result and appeared neater.

Back view of coin purse

Dragonfly in Chinese knotting

I thought I could add some Chinese touch to it by adding a dragonfly which is crafted in chinese knotting to the zipper. I did this craft when I was in primary school and have since forgotten about the method. Thanks to the tutorial on youtube, I was able to relive my childhood memories again.

Inner lining of coin purse with a felt pocket decorated with a felt heart

Work in progress: Inner lining of purse

Work in progress: cover of coin purse

Work in progress: Sewing felt onto the cover of purse

Finished product: closer view

Well, I'm quite pleased with it and I hope Miky's mother will like it. I'm in the progress of making another one for my aunt & my mother too. I made this for Miky's mom first as he's going to New York in a few weeks' time and his mom is going to be there too.

Handmade Coin Purse /Pouch

Vegetable burger at The Alamo Restaurant, Dublin

I really like the vegetable burger at The Alamo, a Mexican restaurant at Templar Bar, Dublin. I went to Dublin last year in November for my Results NLP course. During the course, I went to the restaurant a few time ordering the same food: The vegetable burger. I never knew that Portobello mushrooms with cheese & beef tomatoes, served with rocket salad in balsamic vinegar dressing are simply mouth watering. This time I managed to take a photo on my phone while been in Dublin for my master NLP course. I forgot that there's also serving of roasted peppers and paprika powder that comes with it. As you can see below, my own version of Alamo's vegetable burger:
I have to use the whole packet of rocket salad as I always forgot to finish them if I left some in the fridge. I have grown to like the taste of peppery rocket salad (washed one) and it tastes really nice with balsamic vinegar & salt. For preparing this dish, it's best to use portobello mushrooms instead of the normal big mushrooms as the taste varies between them. As for the cheese, the restaurant uses Smoked Applewood Cheese but I have no idea where to get it or even smoke it myself so I just use mozzarella cheese. I like their ideas of staking the portobello mushrooms, beef tomatoes & cheese together with a barbeque skewer. Just around 10 minutes in the oven of Gas Mark 8 and the food is ready to be served. I have been salivating as I am typing this. :)

Vegetable burger at The Alamo Restaurant, Dublin