Sparkle! Sparkle! Work that Glitter! ~ E.L.

Trying hard to post consistently from now... I know it's been a long while since we posted a DIY, so here is a simple one.

I got myself the new Iphone5 and as we all know, with Iphones there are all these really cute and fun accessories. So I'm quite obsessed with iphone cases, even though the boyfriend would chide and say, "It's only one phone that requires one case" And ignoring that, I bought several.... It's a lot like the concept that a girl can't have too many shoes.

After purchasing a few, I realised I really wanted a more unique one, and that's when I decided to glitter-fy the old ones I have!

If you've been to kindergarten, then you should pretty much know how to work that glitter, so I hope I don't need to explain the steps in details...

Basically, you will need an old iphone case, lots of glitter in the colour of your preference and glue.

So I preferred using my Inkssentials Glossy Accents as my glue, because it dries glossy and it's far more durable than normal glue. I tried with Modpodge but I didn't like the effect it gives after it dries - it kind of dulls the glitter effect. Inkssentials Glossy Accents dries glossy but if used too much it will also dull the glittery effect, so use sparingly. I also find that after a few use of the glittered case, the adherence is better as the glitter doesn't fall out in comparison to other glues. 

I used some really cheap glitter I got from a stationary store for my blues and greens, and the onyx black glitter was a gem from Martha Stewart's craft.I love Martha Stewart's glitter, it was so fine like powdery sand and it was just as glittery!

Anyway, so let your kindergarten-self go creative on your phone case - just put a thin to medium layer of the glue on the case and sprinkle the glitter all over it. Let it sit then tilt it to get rid of all the excess glitter, only the ones stuck to the glue will remain on the case. 

And Voila!

I made one on a plain transparent cover with black glitter, and another was a green-net cover with my blue-green glitter.

I still had plenty of glitter left over that I decided to glitter-fy my old sunnies too!

So hope you're inspired to try out your own glitter projects too!

Cheers,

E.L.

A Well-loved Sock Cat

Remember the sock cat I made a year ago for S.T.?
If you can't, here's a link back to the previous post on the sock cat I made with a tutorial link for it.

So if you're wondering the fate of this sock cat, which S.T. has named Chester, here are some clues...

It is now well-loved by S.T.'s real kitty, Jax! Apparently the kitten grew very attached to the hand-made soft toy since it was adopted by S.T, and now they're inseparable!

Through sickness and in health...

As you can see, the sock-cat has withstood quite a lot and yet it has remained intact! Trust me, I'm very surprised and impressed at my own hand stitching!

Thanks to S.T. for sharing the cute photos!

Cheers,

E.L.

Instagram-ing our little lives!

Hello all! Our greatest apologies for the long hiatus!

It seems we have been absent for months, and I am truly sorry for my own sloppy commitment to blog. I'm going to try my best to write more often!

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing great and having a wonderful 2013 so far. Mine has been quite a whirlwind, and pretty much going through some huge changes. And I'm happy to say though, that at least S.T. is having a better year! :-)

So in our absence, we have actually been active on mobiles instead. We have been instagram-ing our lives! So for any of you out there who has been so faithfully following us despite our neglect (which I promise will change!) and are curious to see what we are up to in our daily lives, do follow us!

FOLLOW S.T. @eneres_nat

And FOLLOW ME @emilialew

For S.T., she mostly instagrams her life in Shanghai, her new kitten and her cooking and craft! So look through her photos on sights around the great city. As for me, its mostly photos of the things I do, and places I go, and people I love, and just people and things I see.

Hope to see you on instagram, and will update here with some selected photos off instagram as well!

Cheers,

E.L.

S.T: DIY Ribbon Wrapped Bangle Tutorial

Months ago, I bought a set of neon pink and yellow plastic bangles and a bunch of random brooches from an old couple who ran a little shop in the wet market selling pre-loved items.  Most of the time, the wares on sale are truly worse for wear but once in a while, you do find something truly spectacular. I had completely forgotten that I had scored these tacky-but-oh-I-could-use-them-for-something bangles and oh-so-pretty brooches until yesterday.

It all started because my cousins wanted to hang out and since we failed to catch a movie, bake cookies and (insert any random activity you can think of) , we decided to CRAFT!

So after much rummaging and a little inspiration, we produced these:

Aren't they pretty? And they are so easy to make. I made the green one and my super talented cousin D made the white one. I like to point out that I was the one that came up with the idea ( I know I know, I am shameless) and she executed the bangle. And beautifully. Her handiwork is amazing. :) 

Step 1. Cut a long strip of ribbon and finish the edges by flickering it over a naked flame to prevent fraying. Next, take your bangle and on the inside, dab a little super glue. Press the  ribbon on to the bangle and begin wrapping.  Dab a little more glue on the inside of the bangle each time you pull the ribbon over to the front.

Step 2. Once you have finished wrapping your bangle, start arranging your doily over it. We trimmed this one down and cut it into few pieces to fit the bangle. Once satisfied, start gluing them down! Next, paint a light coat of clear nail polish over the doily to make it water proof. This step is important.

Step 3. Almost done. Its really pretty the way it is right now but...

Step 4. A little something extra. A pretty brooch to finish it off! TA DA!

Happy crafting!

X.O.X.O
S.T

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Hello hello!

I am back in sunny Singapore for Christmas and its so nice to get away from the cold and be surrounded by the warmth of friends and family!

Its been a mad rush since I arrived at 5 am on the eve of Christmas eve and I have been all tangled up in ribbons and wrapping paper. Here are some fun and pretty ways to wrap your present without spending a pretty penny on fancy wrapping paper!

Yes, yes, I got some inspiration from Pinterest but hey, who doesn't?

And if you are in need of a quick present for a guy, why not make text cuff links? I managed to find some pre-made resin domes for cuff links and in a matter of minutes, voila! A Christmas present!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

X.O.X.O
S.T

S.T: Perfect Sunday Brunch: Chocolate Chunk Scones and Homemade Blueberry Jam

Lazy Sundays are something I look forward to every week. I love getting up early in the morning just to take it slow. It starts with a drowsy dawdle into kitchen, poking around the fridge, cupboards and drawers until I get inspired to either hit the egg beaters or leave something out to defrost for later.

This weekend, I had the Gorilla's Dad staying with us and as a treat, I decided to make something oh-so-English and downright scrumptious. So, my usual Sunday morning dawdle led me to make:

Bittersweet Chocolate Chunk Scones with Homemade Blueberry Jam, served with a pat of Lurpak spread.

I love scones, they are the epitome of indulgent brunches and high teas. I love the fluffy yet crumbly, dense texture and how well they go with clotted cream and jam. Unfortunately, I don't have access to the best dairy  and making my own is a bit of a stretch. I settled for spicing things up with bittersweet chocolate and homemade jam. 

Both the scones and jam are super easy to make, the jam especially. With the import tax being ridiculously high here, it makes a lot more sense to make my own jam. Plus, I know how its going to taste before opening the jar and I have full control over how tart, how sweet and how pulpy my jam is going to be. 

Bittersweet Chocolate Chunk Scones

(Adapted from Good Housekeeping Chocolate Collection)

Makes 8 Large Triagular Scones

Ingredients:

• 75g unsalted good quality butter,diced
• 225g self raising flour, plus extra to dust
• 1/2 tsp of baking powder
• 1 tbsp white granulated sugar
• 150g good quality *Bittersweet Chocolate
• 1 medium egg, beaten
• 6 tbsp of milk

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 200 degrees C ( 180 fan forced). Line your baking tray with non-stick baking paper. 

    Sift baking powder and flour into a large bowl. Add the sugar. Rub in the diced butter until mixture 

    resembles fine breadcrumbs. Set aside.

2) Roughly chop up chocolate into chunks and fold into the butter and flour mixture. Combine the beaten egg and milk together. Make a well in the dry mixture and pour the egg mixture in. 

3) Stir lightly with a round-ended knife until the mixture just comes together into a soft dough, adding a splash more milk if it looks too dry.

4) Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and press into a rectangular shape about 1inch thick.  Using a pastry cutter, cut the dough into triangles. If you have a proper scone cutter, shape dough into a circle and stamp out circles with your cutter. Place the cut dough onto prepared sheet and bake for 10-15 min until risen and golden. Cool on the wire rack.

Tips: 

* You can use any kind of baking chocolate, from dark to milk or white, whatever catches your fancy.

-If your oven is very hot, you can change the temperature to 160 degrees (fan forced) and bake for 20-30 mins. It prevents over browning and maintains a light texture. 

Homemade Blueberry Jam

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 125g fresh blueberries
• ¼ cup of granulated sugar
• Juice of ½ lemon

Method:

1) Rinse the blueberries and remove any that spoilt. Place blueberries, lemon juice and sugar into a deep

    saucepan. 

2) Place the saucepan over medium high heat and stir constantly. Using a masher, gently mush the the blueberries a little to create a slight pulp. The blueberries will start to liquefy and keep stirring and bring mixture to a boil.

3) Once the mixture has reached boiling point, turn the heat down and simmer till most of the liquid has evaporated and mixture thickens. Pour the mixture into a serving bowl. Set aside to cool. Mixture will continue to thicken.

Tips:

-The blueberries might squirt so do be careful, a deep saucepan can save you from a nasty scald.

-It takes awhile for the mixture to thicken, so do be patient and don't panic.

-You can easily triple the recipe and add a little salt as a preservative. Jam can be stored in canning jars and refrigerated up to 2 weeks. 

-If you like a less mushy jam and enjoy having full blueberries in your jam, skip mushing the blueberries and let them naturally reduce. 

- I don't like my jams too sweet so this is the perfect level of sweetness for me. Taste the fruit before deciding how much sugar you would like to add. 

Some Monkeys and a Little Whimsy ~

Yay! Finally some updates from S.T. all the way from China!

On another note, my aunt from UK came home for a visit few weeks ago, and while she was here I got to spend some rare quality time with her kids. I am obsessed with their British accents! It's such a thrill to hear small children speak in whole sentences with that rounded accent!

And so before they returned home, I made them some sock monkeys! I found this great tutorial on another blog on how to make them, it's super easy and it looks so professionally done that my aunt and cousins could not believe I made them. You can find the full tutorial here [btw Joanne, the other blogger is genius at crafts!]

And when one of my friends saw it she instantly wanted one, so with her birthday just around the corner, I made her one too. I also made her a bookmark. The bookmark was inspired by S.T. actually, she made one before, with just the locket frame, and in it she had printed out the a favourite quote from a book of the person that she was giving it to.

Being inspired, I made one with my drawing instead, and the one here features my favourite drawing of the Eiffel Tower. I felt the whole feel of the bookmark is rather whimsical, as the back of the locket frame I've also added a quote - “If we choose, we can live in a world of comforting illusion." - Avram Noam Chomsky

Get inspired! till next time...

Cheers,
E.L.

Gift Ideas - Fun Packs & Kits

It's been awhile since a new post and this is because I've been lazy and S.T.'s trapped in China which of course blocks out Google.... So till she figures how to manoeuvre round the internet blockages from the chinese government, we will not be receiving any updates from her.... Ah well.... then it is up to me to fill this space!

So in my absence, we've celebrated a couple of occasions that warrant pressies! Who doesn't love presents right? And what's better than just receiving a gift? RECEIVING PLENTY OF GIFTS!

Well that's sorta the idea... so if you can remember from the last post [or so], our colleague S.M. was leaving our company and moving on to another job, so our company gave my other colleague, I.A. and I a budget to get a farewell gift on behalf of the whole company. After much dallying and not knowing what to get, I.A. came up with an idea to put together a Rainy Day Kit for S.M.!

Awesome idea! Because with the small budget we got a variety of fun stuff to put together and made it into a Rainy Day Kit! It consisted of all the fun things a girl needs on a rainy day -

A book to curl up with, facial masks, bath & body lotions, chocolate, fudgey lip balm, mints, a princess pen, and nail polish. We also burned her a CD with all the songs we've shared with her throughout her time with us in the company! That was such a fun and personal bit, but so hard to narrow down the song list!

It was such a hit with S.M. that it gave me brilliant ideas for my cousin R.'s belated birthday pressie. I haven't met her in months and thus missed her birthday in March, so I think she deserves a little luxury. In her pack, it's called the "Self-Indulgent Pack"

In R's 'Self-Indulgent Pack', it has all the stuff a busy modern day woman would need to unwind and relax on a day off. I got her a set of the Japanese Rose bath and body milk with lip balm from Korres, I got her a travel Book about Europe by my favourite author Bill Bryson [R.'s an avid jetsetter who is obsessed with Paris], and I got a nice container and filled it with soothing teas for her and also made a CD compilation of relaxing music. Plus a touch of additional luxury, if she wants to step out, a little sparkle to add on to her party dress - I made her pair of Aventurine Earrings.

The next pack was for D. I also missed her birthday in March, so I made her a pink girl pack!

In her pack, I got her a nice glass bottle and filled it with yummy cookies and tied a pretty pink bow, facial packs with nail polish all in pink, bath and lotion in pink, and a girly pretty romantic novel - all wrapped up in pink!

And last but not the least..... My BF's birthday! Which was just this weekend that passed! I got him a theme of blue accessories.

A pair of Rivieras Leisure Shoes and an AX Pop colour watch - both items he had been eyeing and wanting to get for himself. Of course staying in theme, both were in the shades of blue!

And so with a personal creative touch, I made him a birthday card with quotes from our current favourite TV show - Happy Endings

I created the font from scratch and printed it out to make the card, here is a copy so you guys can use it to if you want ;)

And yes, I am very broke now from all the spending, but so happy to see my loved ones happy with what I got them! This gift pack ideas are wonderful and actually with the right budget and the little effort of shopping wisely while thinking of what the person you are buying for might appreciate - this gift pack ideas make great presents and can save you alot of moolah!

Hope it inspired some of you out there!

Cheers,

E.L.

Saying Farewell

I guess it's official, and we should announce it here now... S.T. has left our company [as in our real-life job... not this blog] to embark on a new adventure! She's relocating with her boyfriend! To China! YAY for her!!!

Personally I'm so happy for her, I totally support this huge change because life is too short to hesitate at grand opportunities... And as much as she's whining about how she will not enjoy China, I truly hope she will learn to see how lucky she is!

So not only did S.T. left the company, we've been having big changes in manpower as more colleagues left as well... Including my wonderful Intern-then-became-part-timer-because-she-was-so-awesome colleague... Sam! She finally graduated from LASALLE College of the Arts [I went there too, and was her senior! How cool is that??] and got a full a time job at the Esplanade. She was a great help to us all at the company, and I've watched her grow and learn and totally know that she will rock at her new job!

Of course, this was a cause for a congratulatory celebration! And what other way can I do it but to send them off with a few hand-made goodness...

Farwell Card with hand-embroidered Bookmark with Sam's initials, hung a pretty ballerina charm onto it for the dancer in her...

I also made a her one of my Roman Leaves cuff bracelet - she was admiring it the last time I wore it.

 For S.T. I also made a hand embroidered bookmark with leaf charm hanging off it...

I also made her a pair of dangly earrings with a drawing of Cat Silhouettes! She's been asking for me to draw her a pair since forever and I finally made it! I ran out of those glossy resin-like stuff so I actually used scotch tape here as mod-podge kept bleeding my drawing [I had to redo it a million times because of mod-podge! So not trusting that silly stuff again!]

But of course scotch tape did not last long, water still managed to seep through, thankfully S.T. had resin to lay over it before any horrid damage was done!

The Cat silhouettes were all personally hand drawn, not a stencil, so if you look closely both of them look slightly different!

 Writing my goodbye messages... it was definitely a tear-jerking moment...

 Here are some packaging ideas, used a white paper bag, with paper doileys and silver ribbons... looks gorgeously romantic without the effort!

For our day of farewell, we went out to the ArtScience Museum to catch the Harry Potter and Warhol exhibit, and had an indulgent dessert at Max Brenner's after dinner... Maybe we'll fill you in on it in another post..

For S.T. fans out there, not to worry! She may be in a different part of the world from me now, but she will still be writing in now and then with updates on her new life over in China! That's the beauty of the internet!

[Let's just hope blogger isn't banned in China or something... hmmmm.... ]

 And I will be missing their companionship at work... Truly blessed to have met and made such wonderful friendships...

Cheers,
E.L.

Lace Skirt Obsession! ~ E.L.

Last weekend, I finally took on the challenge to sew myself a Lace fitted skirt!
Lace has always been a favourite for me, even before this recent trendiness surrounding it. Here are just a few examples that I have been gawking at. Of course to purchase one will probably cost me a bomb, and to be honest I have yet to see any in the local stores selling any that looks close to any of these.

Most of those off the racks are of poor quality with fraying lace or lace that looks tired out, and the most popular trend for this style here is the awful shorts version with layering of lace!

No offence to anyone who likes this style but shorts on my wide hips and chunky thighs are a no-no.

Wielding a needle and a scrap left-over satin, I purchased some gorgeous white crochet lace from Chinatown, and took on the challenge to make myself one! Lace, by the way, to buy off a ready made garment out of good lace cost a bomb, and so does it when you buy them raw per yard from the shops! Cost me $17 for half a yard! Which is like 42"... that's pricey for me since I'm always looking for bargain materials only... but if you think about it.. to buy the ready made would be pricier!

And here was how it turned out

Skirt & Blouse - Made by yours truly

Gold gladiator cuff bangle - Aldo [could not help myself when I saw it at the store!]

Red Leather tote - Soon Lee [birthday gift from the BF 2 years ago!]

Shoes - from one of those cheap stores in Far East Plaza

And yes, this clothes are all hand-sewn, the blouse was done ages ago, thought it made a good match with the skirt. Had to keep amending to make the fit for the skirt right, but I think I nailed it!

The blouse I made probably only cost me like $2 or something - it was from some left over cloth from another dress I made. And the total cost of the skirt was only the $17 lace I had to get as the satin lining I made was leftover scrap from somewhere I cannot remember!

It is crazy affordable to make your own clothes, and I hope I've inspired you to try it as well!

Cheers,
E.L.