Category Archives: Article

Warm Pastel Color Recipes

Hi weekend crafter! Is the sun inspiring you on making your summer collection earrings? Well, I hope to inspire you more with these warm pastels.

For this tutorial, I want to share with you my color recipes for creamy yellow, summer yellow, lettuce green and light mocha.

For creamy yellow, you will need: 4 parts white + a sliver of yellow orange

For summer yellow, you will need: 3 parts white + 1 part yellow orange

For lettuce green, you will need: 4 parts white + a sliver of glitter green + a sliver of burnt umber

For light mocha, you will need: 3 parts white + 1 part burnt umber

I hope you have fun recreating these colors! Happy crafting!

Monogrammed Keychains

Hi weekend crafter!

I’m always on the hunt for making something useful with polymer clay and so for this weekend, I wanted to show you how I make monogrammed keychains. Personalized items are quite popular, with people wanting to have their initials on their things. I myself am an owner of a lot of personalized things, and I’ve gotten a lot of use from them.

To make these keychains, you want to start out with making a floral slab. To make a floral slab, you will need clay, a few silicon molds of leaves and flowers, flower-shaped cutters, a clay blade and a detail needle.

Speaking of floral slabs, I want to share with you that I’ve partnered with Creative Fabrica to teach you how to make beautiful polymer clay slabs. Creative Fabrica recently launched different craft classes that you can enroll in, and one of those classes is about working with polymer clay. In this 6-part class, I show you the basics of working with polymer clay to make them into slabs. You will learn texturing, color-mixing and even assembling your pieces until you are able to make your very own accessories with polymer clay. So if you’re ever wanting to learn something new for the summer, do check out the link that I’m sharing –  https://www.creativefabrica.com/classes/ref/1130715/ .

Going back to the keychain, once you’re done with making a slab, the next thing that you need to do is to assemble your keychain. First, use a circular cutter to mark off the area of your keychain. Then, use an alphabet cutter to cut your letters out. Finally, go back to the circular cutter to cut it through. Make a hole on top for where your findings will go.

Once this is baked, use jump rings to attach the keychain findings to your clay. And that is it! When done correctly, this will result into a very beautiful and personalized keychain, perfect for gifting!

Free eBook: Pass the Message to Picaso

Hi guys! As we go through this pandemic together, I thought of what would happen to different industries and how each would be able to cope with what’s happening around us. I’m sure going back to normal seems like such a distant idea for us now.

As libraries, bookstores and schools closed quite abruptly, I felt the frustration of fellow parents like myself, having to deal with my own new work-from-home situation (which I’m grateful that I have), but also having the chores and my child’s education and well-being to think of.

Anyway, that’s the reason that I decided to make this book free to download. It’s not a groundbreaking solution, but for mothers who have to deal with their kids constantly, maybe a few minutes is all it takes for them to reset and gather their thoughts. I hope that this eBook gives you mothers out there a couple of minutes to just relax with your kids and read a book.

Hugs!

Free e-book: Pass The Message to Picasso

Art Appreciation for Kids

Inspired by our recent museum trips, I made a series of short children’s poems about some famous artists. It is my hope that more parents introduce art to their kids because it has so many advantages! Apart from the obvious, which is to make them think more creatively, I believe exposing them to beauty and color makes them more positive and happy individuals. Each poem explains the artwork in a simple way that I hope kids can relate to. Enjoy!

Happy Whiskers’ Day is Out!

final-coverIn my haste to finish all my workload, I forgot to announce that my book, Happy Whiskers’ Day is finally out! The printed copies are sold in all Powerbooks outlets. It’s a perfect Christmas gift to young toddlers who are beginning to read because it uses a lot of sight words!

Happy Whiskers’ Day is published by Brille Petit!

Craft Shopping in Japan

There are so many fun things to do in Japan, and one of my absolute favorite activities is craft hunting. Here are some of the places to visit if you are a crafter like myself.
On the Cheap (100 Yen Stores)
Everywhere I’ve been in Japan has these 100 Yen stores and I’ve found them perfect for craft shopping. Here are some of my favorites and the things I frequently buy in them.
Daiso
daiso
This is really my go-to 100 Yen store because of the amount of product it carries. Before going to any of the smaller stores, I suggest you hit a Daiso store first if you’re pressed for time. My favorite items to purchase here are different kinds of glue (decoupage glue, fabric glue, wood glue, etc.). I also stock up on a lot of acrylic paint, which can be bought by the tube. They also have a pretty decent variety of felt in varying colors and designs.
Seria
Another 100 Yen store that normally carries a lot of craft products, Seria carries a good selection of knobs, stickers and scrapbooks. I found these gold sticker studs that I am super excited to use!
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Can Do
This was a new discovery when I went to Fukuoka. What caught my eye was their huge selection of miniature items, which comes in handy when you love to craft using miniatures.
Mid-Priced
Craft Heart Tokai
Since I am also a fabric-lover, I was very excited when I found Craft Heart Tokai. It carries a wonderful selection of super kawaii fabric, and as it turns out, a lot of other craft items as well, such as beads and threads for knitting.
tokai
High-End
Tokyu Hands
I am sure there are a lot of expensive craft stores in Japan, but one of the more known ones is Tokyu Hands. It really has a large assortment of craft goods, including items for hobbyists. However, unless I am looking for a very particular craft tool, I wouldn’t really buy a lot in this store simply because I have so many other cheaper alternatives.

Inspired by Matilda

I recently watched Matilda (the Musical) in England and was inspired by the awesome talent of the kids who starred in the play. One particular song stuck with me, and it became my inspiration for the poem, When I Grow Up.

I can almost picture this poem with illustrations and it gives me goosebumps just thinking of how it will look like! Maybe soon I can get someone to collaborate with me on the artwork for this =)

Happy Birthday Charles Perrault!

As I was using Google to search the net, I was enamoured by its beautiful fairy tale-inspired banners.  


Inadvertantly, I clicked on one and it led me to the reason behind the banners–it’s Charles Perrault’s birthday!

I love Perrault, not just because he created magical tales, but also because he didn’t let age (he wrote Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals at 67) nor profession (he was a lawyer before becoming a writer) limit him from fulfilling his dreams! He is a constant reminder to me of what can be achieved when one has enough belief and passion.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLES! I tip my hat to you, sir!

My Daughter, My Inspiration

As usual, my daughter got me inspired to write “Just Give Me Bubbles.” I remember during one of her birthday parties, I (being the over-planner that I am) set up a slightly elaborate party. We even hired puppeteers to do a show. As an afterthought, I added a small bubble machine (the ones you could buy in any toy store). And of course, all the kids flocked to that tiny bubble maker, popping the bubbles faster than the machine could spew them out. Almost nobody paid attention to the puppet show. I learned my lesson there–kids are really easy to please. They don’t need complicated set-ups (those are for the adults to enjoy). So, for the first-time parents out there, remember that though it sounds cliche, kids have simple joys and we should appreciate these times because it will get harder to please them when they grow older. In the meantime, just enjoy them and have fun yourselves!