Roses for Sale

I love crafting and if you know me well, you would know that I love trying out all sorts of new crafts.. at least once. Yes, Jack-of-aaaaaall-trades, that's me :o) But the problem is, most of the time "once" is not enough :o) especially if I think I can do better on my next try. So, ever since my first decoupage attempt, a lot of ideas, mostly inspired by decoupage websites and blogs, have been running through my head..

So a couple of days ago, I started working on a sign..

Believe me, I was pretty clueless, I have never attended any classes on decoupage before and I have to tell you, all that I know about decoupage I learned from the internet :o) heee..


It was mostly trial and error, that was why I never even bothered to take a step-by-step photo, as I was afraid it would turn out awful.. :o) this photo was taken after I have already painted the plaque (please don't ask what green it is as I have no idea! I just mixed a couple of greens , some white and some yellow and made sure I had mixed enough to cover the whole project) and applied the roses..

Then I thought it needed some wordings, so I went on the net for some beautiful fonts (this font that I used is known as Old Script..). And the results..

I'm mighty pleased! Far from perfect, I must admit, but I don't think the combination of green and pink and a bunch of sweet cabbage roses could ever go wrong :o)

Petals & Berries

Floral Wreath

I felt like crafting with some roses this weekend, so last night I sat down and put together some silk roses, hydrangeas, mini apples and a few other fillers that I already had, to be made into a floral wreath.

This is my basketful of stuff :o) I usually throw everything in a basket and match stuff as I go..




I have had this rattan wreath base for..ermm.. I can't remember how long, like many other craft stuff that I have, waiting their turn to be used.. if ever! heee..



And these are the tools of the trade.. pliers for the wires, scissors and my ever faithful glue gun which is showing obvious signs of wear and tear :o)

The plan was just to prepare and put everything together, so I can sit down and make the wreath over the weekend but the problem with me is that when I have an idea in my head I just cannot stop myself :o) So I started making the wreath at about 11 o'clock last night after hubby and the kids have gone to bed..

and finished at 2 o'clock in the morning! :o) Yes.. I tend to be extremely focused when I set my heart on something (and hubby should be very thankful that it's just flowers and not diamonds :o)).

Pink and cream coloured cabbage roses and hydrangeas.. my favourite!




Pink and green satin and organza ribbons.. yummy!



What do you think? Do you like it? Wouldn't it be perfect for your shabby chic decor?:o)



Do you work on your craft until the wee hours too?

Petals & Berries

Decoupaged Wicker Basket

I went to a flea market in Singapore a few months ago and bought myself a car load of baskets (well almost!). This is not the type of “flea markets” that sell imitation goods, new items, etc. This is an honest to goodness flea market in the real sense where you have to sift through a mountain of second hand stuff to find the real gems. Some of them covered in inch thick dust and grime. Whenever hubby and I go, we will always make sure we wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes and be prepared to squat (most items are just spread out on the ground) and haggle/bargain. They sell a lot of stuff, from second hand electrical goods to crockery, from baby clothes to grandpa’s walking stick!

This particular trip, I found about 6-7 baskets sold by different vendors and believe it or not, the most expensive was only about SD$4 (for a covered picnic basket) and just SD$1 each for the regular sized ones! Hate me :o). Of course I had to scrub and clean them when we got them home but underneath all that dust they had good structures and are pretty solid too.

I love the texture and shapes and the versatility of baskets. It has many, many uses and can be decorated in many, many ways.

For this particular one, I thought I’d try my hand at decoupage. I googled to see whether there were any particular process that I had to go through to decoupage a wicker basket but came up with none. I know many of you who are good at this, so please just close one eye and pretend that I’m doing it the correct way :o).

So first I spray painted the basket using DPI’s no.61 blue spray paint. I sprayed on a few layers, letting it dry in between. I have never tried this blue and only went by the colour of the cap on the can which I thought was pretty sweet and matches the paper napkin I intended to use so I was glad when the colour came out quite nice :o)

Once dry, I cut out the napkin to size and removed the layers behind..

Then I applied some Mod Podge on the surface where I wanted to paste the napkin. After applying the napkin to the area and pressing it down lightly with a brush to remove the air bubbles, I applied a few layers of Mod Podge on top as sealant. I think Mod Podge is wonderful! I see it being used a lot on the net and finally found some in a craft shop when I was in KL. A bit pricey at about RM33 per small bottle, I think, but you can do quite a lot of projects with just one small bottle. They have it in a glossy finish and a matte finish, depending on what you are working on.

This is how it looked whilst drying..

And since the theme is lavender, how about putting some potted “lavender” in it?

Maybe even add a couple of drops of lavender oil to the inside of the basket so it gives off a wonderful fragrance when you walk by? You are only limited by your own imagination :o) Enjoy!

Petals & Berries

Simple & Sweet Aprons

This is a very simple project and perfect for someone pressed for time (that would be me!). You only need some tea towels, plain or patterned, depends on what you prefer. I found some pretty ones on sale..

this one has a couple of embroidered cakes on cake-stands..

and these are just plain/striped ones.. bought it cause I love the colour..

Next, we need some pretty ribbons to match the colours/patterns on the tea-towels.

Flowers, cupcakes, polka-dots, stripes.. whatever you may fancy..

Cut it to fit.. depends whether you prefer it long or short. Then, sew on a length of ribbon at the top (to tie around the waist) and use some to decorate the apron too if you like..

And the result..

For the pink and brown cakes tea-towel, I chose a brown with pink polka-dot ribbon..

I used some cupcakes printed ribbon for this one and I also used some felt cupcakes from this project and sewed it on (I should thank my cousin for agreeing to pose for the photos :o)).

This last one, instead of cutting it down to size, I folded it up and sewed three front pockets. This would be perfect to carry your tools for crafting/gardening/cleaning, etc.

Simple and sweet, isn't it? (and useful too!)

You just need to fold it up, put in a pretty gift bag and it would be ready for gift giving. A handmade gift from the heart!

Petals & Berries

Missing in Action?

Hello again, everyone :o) I've been away from my blog for soooo long. I miss crafting and writing and sharing with you. A lot of things has happened since my last post and I just had to let go of blogging for a while to attend to my loved ones as circumstances require.. Just thought I would share with you the going ons of my life in my long absence :o)

Hmmm.. let me see.. it all started with our helper going back to her hometown which was supposed to be a two-week leave in September.. and decided not to come back.. so begins our frantic ferrying of my two munchkins back and forth to my in-laws' in order for my hubby's parents to take care of them while we work (thank you mak and bah! we love you!) . It was pack and unpack, pack and unpack for three whole exhausting months, we were even more nomadic then a Nomad! :o)

And whilst that was going on, my grandma was admitted into hospital.. twice..

and then my father-in-law was warded too..

at one point, my grandma AND my father-in-law was in the same ward but in different wings!

See that board at the hospital? B19 is my father-in-law and B30 is my grandma :o) just had to take a picture! We even celebrated Aidiladha with my grandma at the hospital. We were at the hospital so often that even the food sold at the hospital's tiny little shop where we often stopped to grab a fast meal started to taste pretty good :o)

And just about a week after my grandma was discharged, my sis-in-law went into labour and we were back at the hospital again! More than 24 hours of labour and an emergency c-section later (that's a whole other post!), this cute little bundle of joy was born..

I'm happy to report that all of them are now back home and is safe and well, Alhamdulillah, praise the Almighty..

Phew.. I feel exhausted all over again just writing about it! In all those time, I still visited some of my favourite crafting and home decor blogs when I had some little time to myself, just to keep me sane, which brought me to Ratna's blog and Alhamdulillah, since everything has more or less settled down, I even joined the recent gathering they had. Ratna and friends gave me just the kick I needed to start blogging again.

It's 2.30am, I better head to bed now, I have a project to share in my next post, so please come back soon :o)

Petals & Berries