Antique-ified Owl

So we moved into our new home and my favorite space is the mini library. As we needed a lot of bookends, I asked my daughter what she thought would look good. She responded that she read in a home styling magazine not to get a plain, boring metal bookend. But since her dad had bought just that, I decided to decorate it on my own…simplest craft ever.

You will need:

Plain bookends

Decor with flat back (the cute owl was a garage sale find)

Pearl gold acrylic 

Glue gun

Paintbrush 

What to do:

1. Brush the decor with a coat of gold acrylic. Let it dry completely and then brush with another coat. (Best if original color still peeks through a little). 

2. Stick the decor to the bookends. 

Yeah, that’s it! P.S. I put the owl in the Harry Potter section of my library 👍

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.

Customized Shopkins Tutorial

  A quick, very easy tutorial for mothers out there who have daughters who love Shopkins! My daughter got this as a party giveaway and requested me to repaint it because it had lost its eyes and most of the details of its body. I googled how it looked, painted the details on with some acrylic, and sealed it with glossy sealant. Not too bad for a first try! Took me about 25 mins because I wanted to make sure the acrylic paint was dry! I was surprised the acrylic worked very well on the squishy exterior of the Shopkins!Very easy peasy! Enjoy!

Oh This Cat!

Cat on My Window Sill

As I sit on this window sill
Unmoving, silent, very still
Watch my blue eyes speaking
Is your heart melting?

I lick my lips and you get it
You bring out a bowl and you fill it
I purr to show satisfaction
Of our unspoken connection

Okay, so it’s my first time to make a poem about my craft. I made the cat using polymer clay, and the window sill using an empty matchbox. It’s really quite an adorable yellow cat, and it’s one of the few crafts I’ve kept with me because for some reason, I can’t bear to give it away.

It also inspired me to write the poem that accompanies it. I imagine the cat, looking oh-so-cute, using only its hypnotizing eyes to communicate its desire to drink some milk. And of course, all I can do is comply. After all, who can resist those eyes? Oh this cat!

CD Hot Pot

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I thought I had posted this last week, but alas!  I am still a tech newbie and all the different buttons confuse me sometimes, especially if I’m using my phone for posting.  Anyhoo, here’s another environmentally-friendly craft project for you.  You will  need: a used CD (or maybe nobody uses CDs anymore ? =), felt cloth, ribbon (preferrably from a gift, doesn’t have to be new), button, pencil, thread, needle, and scissors.  Here are the steps: First, trace the CD on the felt cloth.  Then, give an allowance of about half inch around the circumference of the CD and cut.  Make two circles of this size.  Place one circle at the bottom, put your CD at the center, and another circular felt cloth on top.  Put the ribbon around the CD before sewing (a neat running stitch should do the job).  I folded a ribbon and inserted it at the center, then, sewed it on with a plain button on top so that I could hang my hot pot.  After I did this, I realized I could decorate my entire house with these covered CDs because they could pass for 2D Christmas balls.  This is a really simple 10-20 minute project.  Hope you will have fun making them!  I should start posting stories again by next week =)   Craft break!

Padded Pot Holder

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Sorry, it’s been a while since I last posted something.  I realize that with blogging, I have to prepare a lot of things in advance so that I can maintain my once-a-week posting, and still travel, and do my other weekly objectives.  Anyhoo, this is a super-cool DIY project that has (at least for me) been 1. easy to make, 2. easy on the pocket and 3. easy on the environment.  Let’s start with materials.  I used here the shoulder pads from my old office uniforms.  I think shoulders pads were big during the 80’s, but even then, I didn’t need them.  I have used shoulder pads in so many projects already, so I don’t throw them away (plus, they come free with my uniforms).  You will also need a needle, some thread and scissors.  I had all these at home, so zero expenses on my end.  Step 1:  Remove the Velcro patch located on the top of the shoulder pad.  Step 2:  Interlap two shoulder pads (choose the ones that are about the same size).  Use running stitch to attach the two pads together.  Step 3:  Get a third pad and attach the straight end of that pad to the bottom of the pad used in Step 2.  Step 4:  Do Steps 1-3 for another set of pads.  This will be the front and back of your pot holder.  Step 5:  Use running stitch to attach the edges of the front and back of your pot holder, leaving the bottom open so that you could insert your hand.  Step 6:  Get another shoulder pad and fold into two.  Attach one end to the front pad, and the other to the back pad.  This will be where your thumb will go.  Ta-dah!  I think I finished this craft in twenty minutes as I didn’t use any complicated stitching.  But, if I used a sewing machine, I think I would have this done in maybe under ten minutes.  All in all, I used up seven shoulder pads.  Thanks for reading this post!  I promise that a new post will be ready by next Wednesday!

Tiny Monster Loot Bag

Tiny Monster Loot Bag

This is perfect to give away to kids knocking on your door this Halloween. Step 1 is to cut and punch out all the circles and moons. Step 2 is to glue the punched moons at the back of the biggest circle, and to stick the eye at the center of the circle. Step 3 is to glue the mouth. That’s it! You can use recycled materials to punch out so you don’t need to spend too much on this craft. Enjoy!

And so I begin…

Wow, after weeks of delay, I am finally ready to post my first “official” blog entry. I have tried blogging before, via Multiply (when Multiply was just a fun site, and not a business empire), and I think I tried once or twice to post something on Facebook.  But, I’ve always viewed these outlets as more of a social network thing that you occasionally blog in, not really a blog site.  And so after months of my husband’s convincing, I finally agreed to ‘try’ this blogging thing.  It is a fulfillment of one of the dreams I wrote, which is to make many stories for my daughter to read.  She absolutely loves reading, and at 6 years old, already writes her own short stories (mostly about My Little Pony).  As she progresses in her reading skills, I want to be there, adding fun and fantasy to this world.  At the same time, I also want this site to be filled with craft tutorials.  My daughter also loves to craft with me, and I just want mothers out there to have something that they can do together with their daughters.  So, here’s to many more future entries!  We will see if once a week, I can share either a short story or a craft tutorial.  Thanks for reading!  And so, I begin…