Another Fine Day! Featured in Scoutie Girl!

I woke up yesterday and had the most lovely surprise (it's as good as a surprise party I'm telling you...) I had a message from Jan, talented textile designer behind Daisy Janie, and writer at Scoutie Girl, which features fabulous finds from indie designers and artists. It was a really encouraging message and she told me she wrote about my cards in her blog. I couldn't believe my eyes and started jumping up and down. Normally I would snooze a little after checking my emails, but yesterday's was a tip-tap morning in the kitchen. I fixed a quick breakfast, and got back to my desk to re-read it again! Woooah! It's real!

You could read more about the feature here. I am very grateful to have Miu~ written about. While she doesn't yearn for excessive fame and attention, she's glad that more people are reading about some of her stories.

Hip Hip Hooray! Miu~ off to a new home...

I'm so excited I sold my first Miu~ card. It's one of my favorite too. Have been keeping busy with card making. It turns out to be really relaxing and therapeutic. Honestly, I had been so distracted and busy with so other things (somewhat unimportant) and got so focused on my pregnant woes that I have forgotten the joy of crafting and baking. I'm so glad to be in touch again.

Here are some photos of my creations. Though tedious to make, it's loads of fun matching the colors and cutting minute pieces of fabrics.










I also have a very bad habit of tracking the number of views of each card on Etsy. Well, I don't get many views in my store to start with, but it keeps me excited and all hyped up about which card has the most appeal, even if it tops the chart by a mere 5-10 views.

Okie, I think it's time to start thinking of a new series. The last (and only) series is sofa-centric. I'm hoping to start something for the kitchen and bedroom. Time to start drawing again! There's always a big inertia for me to start sketching. I guess I'm more of a penknife-and-scissors than a pen-and-pencil person.

Really glad someone bought a card from me! I hope I have a happy customer. Can't wait for the card to reach its new home miles away.

The Magic 500

I was looking through some page views on my online shop, and I kind of got a shock at this one, with 500 views in a month. Well, I think I never seen many of my items close to 200 views, least say 500. I am not sure what happened, maybe it was featured, or maybe item views had a bug? (NOOO!!!! hope not...)

Then, I went to take a look at the number of hearts, it was really nice to be hearted by 500 users! Not that it is many by comparison (I think many great sellers have thousands), but it still put a little smile on my face.

I'll do a post to commemorate any "1000" figure, if I should ever reach that.

Off to bed to dream about 500 hearts, 500 cookies, 500kg of luscious chocolates, 500yards of funky fabrics...

Zzzzzz..... ^_-

Fabric Postcards... Kinda like them..

I've gotten blisters cutting through fabric and these 407 gsm cardstock, but it fills me with an inexplicable joy and satisfaction when I get a clean and fray less cut. I love paper and I love fabric, and whilst I procrastinate getting a new sewing machine, I think these fabric postcards are a natural product from all my sewing supplies and paper bursting out of my shelves.





Cutting through such thick card kind of reminds me of model making days in architectural school, just a whole lot easier when you don't need to care about scale and it's 2-D! Woohoo!

I've posted 2 sets for sale in my store. I don't think I can make a lot of them in a day, because my rotary cutter is not strong enough and my fingers are getting quite sore. Time to go shopping for a better cutter, hur hur hur...

Filling my store...

I have been listing a number of items, and I'm really pleased with how my Etsy store looks now. I have vivid pictures of how my dream store will be like (favorite past time includes daydreaming). Here are some grab screens when my favorite items are on top.






One of my favorite items are the pink and grey linen bundle, which has always been a one of favorite colour combination (after pink and brown)! I would love to get some purple and olive linen to make some coasters and aprons, but having said that, you'd be stunned to know I am still shopping for a sewing machine? I have a terrible habit of buying things in the wrong sequence (if I ever mentioned I bought a standing cake mixer before getting an oven?) Haha... something I have issues understanding myself, a little too haphazard and impulsive I think!

Okie, I guess I should concentrate on getting a nice little sewing machine instead of more fabrics then!

Falling in love with Cranes & Sakuras

This fabric didn't quite catch my attention on first sight, but I have grown to like it so much it's therapeutic to look at. If you have a queer shopping habit of scrutinizing almost fabric in the store, and looking at the shortlisted ones 10 times before considering thrice and finally deciding to buy the same pattern in multiple colours (I only needed 1 though.. hmmm), you would probably know how I feel. "Precious find...oooo.. ahhh....might as well get the purple, and the brown.. and the..."




I don't know if this would fall under "excessive shopping", but it's certainly turning me into a collector of various kinds of art supplies, most of which I use, but some of which I can only bear to admire with growing appreciation.



I should really get kicking to get started on learning about screen printing my own fabrics. After rolling more truffles *promise* :)

These fabrics are available in my little Etsy store.

My First Sale!

really really really excited when I saw an incoming message regarding a sale I made at Etsy 2 days ago. It didn't register that I sold something till I read the 2nd time. I thought it was an invoice at first. I froze and I logged on to Etsy to check. Delighted, exhilarated and nearly jumped out of the seat. I don't know if I am over reacting, but I can't hide how thrilled I am, it felt like I have won a lottery ticket (though I had never won any...ha!)




I packed it neatly in rolls, and in clear bags to avoid creasing and soiling, and off I went to the post office.

Can't wait for these ribbons to reach the buyer, and I am hoping the buyer would like the items as much as I do. Hur hur hur...

I did a search on ribbon fan bloggers some time ago, half-suspecting that there are many ribbon fans out there, united by this fetish and addiction. Gosh I was right. Out of all the ribbon blogs I have checked out, I can't help but read and reread Jody's blog: Confessions of a Ribbon Addict . I have silently read it for a few weeks, I think it's time to leave a comment on how I amused I am at some of her candid posts.

Yes! 15 August 2007! I think I would remember this day dearly:- someone actually liked something from my online store and click on "Add to Cart"!

Some Items from the store...

Haha.. just want to do a little test to see if this works. It's supposed to show a 3x3 grid with some of my items in the store.

Etsy Buy Handmade kalenastudio

My Online Store!!!

I am really delighted to have found Etsy. It's *THE* place to buy all things handmade. Loads of talented artists are selling and sharing their experiences on their sites and blogs. I remembered I spent about 5-6 hours on Etsy some months ago, admiring the various art pieces, some super-duper-cool bags and I swear I could feel the artists' passion and hard work gleaming through. Each store is adorned with a banner, items well described, photographs well taken. I bet everyone took pride in setting up their online stores.

I'm currently putting up some of my ribbons for sale! Kind of ashamed of it actually, when almost all fellow Etsy-ers had something they made. Maybe I should step out of the kitchen and get back to the studio. Well, I still took joy in setting up MY FIRST ONLINE STORE! haha... I'm quite excited really. I took close to 4 hours putting it together, and am still listing some items. I"m looking forward to putting some of my paper products up soon. How soon is soon? Hur hur hur... I don't quite have an answer.

Fellow Etsy-ers, please feel free to drop a note. Do come round to my corner!