✿ cJ ✿

tote bag with recessed zipper

January 15th, 2012

it hasn’t been a good year so far.. the boys have been running high fevers since the start of the year and i managed to catch the flu bug from them. i spent the entire weekend taking very long afternoon naps.. due to the super long hours spent at home this weekend, i was able to finish the bag which i promised the neo sister’s mil!

behold my first-ever recessed zipper bag!

first try looked pretty good

except for repeatedly missing stitches while sewing on the zipper tabs, everything went on really smoothly and i was secretly smug about it and couldn’t stop congratulating myself when i held the finished product for the first time. doesn’t it look good from this picture?

but but but.. check out the underside :'(

my jaw dropped to the floor when i flipped it over.. look at the mess of thread on the underside! the tension was fucked up and i had to unpick everything and sew AGAIN *cries*

the finished bag!

thank god the second time went smoothly and i was able to finish the bag in time to prepare the mini men for bed.

the shoulder straps are extra long because my mum told me elderly ladies liked the convenience of long shoulder straps.. i prefer tote bags with short handles but i guess this is called 代沟 -__-

the recessed zipper

anyway this is my favourite part of the bag — the recessed zipper! i can make zippered-top bags now! woo hoo!

cutie bunnies within!

if i didn’t have so many furoku bags, i would totally make one for myself.. haha haha..

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random things !

January 1st, 2012

happy new year, bitches! i can’t believe my last post was in early Nov and it was about the dreaded HFMD outbreak. i thought i would have the energy to keep a daily log of their development and recovery but i was SO WRONG! it was plain tiring and i remember i was so happy to go back to work after the ordeal ended :S

anyway this is a very belated post of all the pretty things i meant to post in the last two months. pics of my home-sewn clothes are missing because they aren’t pretty enough ;__;

sewing magazine/books

SEW! by Cath Kidston – i finally bought this book after pondering over it for a year! did not buy it when i first saw it during my Tokyo trip in 2010 due to lack of monies and have been regretting my decision for the whole year (really, what is $40 compared to the $2000 i spent on COACH bags?). so during my latest trip in Dec 2011 i jumped in the bookstore when i saw this book! have not started making the bag yet.. the materials given are pre-cut so if i make any mistakes in the sewing process, THAT’S THE END.

i love liberty print – liberty print is so huge and it’s everywhere! i couldn’t resist buying this because it comes with a precious 50×50cm of floral fabric! there are also many suggested sewing projects for this fat quarter!

Cotton Time – this one comes with a small cut of rose fabric! in this era of “Furoku”, i think i have become a sucker for such freebies! Hee… i also bought two magazines with free tote bags, an Agnes b. and a zucca. erm, but i forgot to take photos of the bags >m<

home organization + microwave cooking!

book on left - one whole magazine filled with home organization tips! there are so many interesting ideas, hmmm…

book on right – silicon cookware <– the latest craze in japan. there were so many books to choose from and ALL of them came with either one medium-sized silicon cookpot or 4 mini ones!

new shoes for the new year!

i first stepped into this store with my girlfriends last week but was hesitant to buy although i went gaga over the crystals, lace, and pearl on the shoes.. after a week of struggling, i finally went back today and left with two pairs of very conservative shoes! conservative because the ribbons are clip-on and when removed, these shoes look exactly like my cheapo ones from Taipei (ard $7) and UNIQLO (ard $20)!!

my elder twin totally embarrassed himself in the store. he mistook one of the salesgirls for me and kept holding her hands and asking her to carry him. i have no idea how he could have mistaken her. i’m old, she’s young. i’m fat, she’s skinny. and the most intriguing thing is… i was wearing light grey and she was wearing black! there’s really something wrong with his eyes.. maybe he just wanna 吃豆腐 X’D

new bag 1

new bag from tb (dunno what’s the name) – this pai mia bag was de-virginised during the Dec 2011 Tokyo trip and endured lotsa rainfall during the trip. when we came back to sg, it was still raining everyday and since i don’t carry a big umbrella everywhere, this bag kena the rain almost everyday since it was removed from the dust bag..

new bag 2

neverful – i like the neverful but my current one is in monogram canvas and i don’t like how the leather turns a yucky orange after prolonged use. hence, this bag.

handmade pouch

LOVE THIS FABRIC WITH CUTE NEKO-CHANS!!! thinking that i was a guru with zippered pouches, i happily cut the fabrics and thought to myself “hey! i can finish this in 30 minutes and quickly go to bed! after all, it’s just sewing straight lines!”

i was so wrong. it was a bitch to sew.

and this fucking piece of shit took me at least an hour. it caused me intense pain from slouching, unpicking the 1mm stitches and swearing all sorts of vulgarities. it gave me lots of anguish because i had to FUCKING UNPICK 1mm STITCHES EVERY SINGLE TIME I FUCKING SEWED THE PIECE OF SHIT. the bitch just refused to move along with the stitches and i was so pissed off!

thanks to the pretty fabric i think the pouch looked ok even with the fugly unprofessional 1mm stitches -__-

my last zipper with the nice tab!

anyway, in my darkest hour that night, i told myself that i die die must finish this pouch because the fabric was friggin expensive (matte laminated fabric from japan) and the zipper was my last piece.. i am in the process of begging the neo sister to buy more for me when she goes to Taipei! Hee…

Essie Lady Like - current rave

before i end, this is a shot of my current rave –> Essie Lady Like! Super nice nude purplish gray creme nail polish. i can actually get away with just one carefully-applied coat! 超喜欢的！！

goodnight!!

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HFMD – Day 2

November 21st, 2011

unfortunately, Twin I and Twin II are down with Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. angry red rashes with some blisters appeared on their bodies yesterday so i guess today is day 2 of our suffering :’D <– smiley face because i read that the painful mouth ulcers take at least 3 days to clear up, which means my poor little twin II only has to put up with one more day of pain..

contrary to popular belief, the rashes do not just appear on the hands, the feet, and the mouth (painful ulcers!), my boys also kena rashes on their armpits, inner elbows, back of the thighs, and their tua kah chngs..

anyway, since they’re unable to go to school for a week, i am destined to be their main caregiver for this week. it’s only monday and i feel like i’ve fought ten battles already..

all i can say is.. THANK GOD I’M JUST DEALING WITH TWINS (and not some higher-order multiples.. )

加油吧！

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生日快乐

November 4th, 2011

生日快乐。。又过了一年。。

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ummm… new makeup and nail colors :’D

October 8th, 2011

yes i know i haven’t blogged in like, ten thousand years and so on.. but i’m a busy working mother of two struggling with real-life issues like the secretly-increasing cost of public transport, and elbowing my way into the increasingly crowded train (a result of our secretly increasing adult population) and fun stuff like that :’D

so i shall be lazy and just post pictures about the things which i have been buying recently X’D

OPI PoTC Collection

L to R: Planks a lot, Sparrow me the drama, Steady as she rose, Mermaid’s tears, Stranger tides, Skull & Glossbones (how awesome is this name?!)

i’m glad i bought the full-sized versions of steady as she rose and mermaid’s tears cos i really need another grey-purplish nude colour that reminds me of sick people and green nails reminds me of the undead. :’D

OPI Princess minis

L to R: Bubble Bath, Alpine Snow, Pinking of you, RapiDry Top Coat

erm, i haven’t really tried this set yet.. looks too sweet.. *rolls eyes*

my latest OPI haul <3

L to R: Nail envy in Matte, So many clowns.. So little time, Miso happy with this color, Dulce de Leche, Tickle My Francey.

nail envy matte is my desperate attempt to save my peeling and dying nails. why are my nails peeling and dying? because my itchy fingers went to peel off the gel polish -___-

anyway, i love my nail envy matte and will definitely repurchase it again because well.. it looks like you’re not wearing any polish since it dries off matte.. NICE! perfect for manly men too *winks*

the 4 colours are various shades of nudes and if you’ve known me for more than ten years you’ll definitely know my obsession with nude nail polish and nude lipsticks since my teens.. well.. let’s just say that i haven’t really outgrown it.. and i am happy with ALL the colours in this haul! yay!

P&J Manhattan Collection

recently i attended a beauty workshop that revealed a very shocking truth — cool colours are actually more suitable for my skin tone. the second shock came when the course instructor reviewed my makeup and told me that nothing i had was suitable for me.

erm… to speak the truth i was actually quite happy to have an excuse to buy new makeup!

it was about time i bought myself a new lipstick too. i vaguely remember the last time i applied lipgloss was on my wedding day..

lipstick (in case u can't tell..)

erm… nude lipstick.. the difference between this and the other ones i have is that my lips will not rot after applying this since this has not been kept in my handbag/closet for the last x years..

palette of 5 colors!

i love love love this palette! i think only 3 colors are considered “cool” but dun care lah! of the 3 palettes released for the Manhattan collection, this is the most wearable and i’m glad i went today because i managed to snag the last box!

freebies!

i also got these freebies.. will be giving the red lipstick to my mum so if you’re hoping to see me wearing RED lipstick to work or to our pedicure or to our bitching sessions, i’m really sorry..

nail polish (in case it's not obvious..)

i had 3 choices for the nail polish, one was a white for doing french tips and the other was a shimmery nude. since i already have 2 white polish i wasn’t too keen on the white one. i didn’t even consider the shimmery nude because i vaguely remember owning 2 identical colours.. HAHA! how tragic if i were to come home and then realize that it is something i already have?

so i chose the safest color.. dark grey with glitter. nice :’)

GWPs

frankly speaking, i am quite disappointed with the GWPs. i thought the prints would be brighter :’(

the colours look rather muted irl and i think a minimum purchase of $160 just to get a small makeup pouch and card case is a bit too much..

GWP pouch

i guess you can tell that i don’t really like the pouch, cos i didn’t even bother to fluff it out nicely.. oh well..

i also did some sewing a few weeks ago.. 人就是犯贱的, i remember i actually sewed the most during periods when i needed to rest.. in fact, i was so siao-on that i actually moved the sewing machine out onto the dining table and sewed away because i didn’t want to disturb the maid..

crapshit it’s almost tomorrow already.. goodnight folks!

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would you bother about how others look at your kids?

September 16th, 2011

while mini men are physically well-developed for their age, their speech development is considered slow. we were advised to bring them to a speech therapist after their 2nd birthday. tb has been generally cool about the whole “slow development” thing and was not keen on bringing them for “help”. however, he became concerned after we brought them out to meet a large group of August 2009 toddlers. one day later, mini men started school and tb became even more alarmed by their slow progress because he saw that many babies who are much younger than mini men were already yakking away.

apparently, mini men’s peers are all speaking in coherent sentences by 2 years old.

tb is growing frustrated at baba. he feels that baba may be perceived as a stupid child because he looks big and can’t talk. sometimes he cannot even be bothered to respond to you unless you offer to reward him with food. 他就是活在自己的世界里。。

tb’s main concern is “别人会觉得你的孩子很笨”

to which i replied “you cannot change other people’s opinion. so what if they think you are stupid? does this mean you are stupid?”

of cos i would feel hurt if someone says my children are stupid. but seriously, i can’t be bothered to get angry.

life’s too short for such things.

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真是他妈的

August 8th, 2011

when you do a good or satisfactory job, you get no appreciation. in fact, most of the time you don’t even get a slight acknowledgement. things just move on and you get taken for granted.

but when things screw up, it somehow becomes ALL your fault.

^%@#*(^&*(!#$(&

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messenger bags (completed!)

August 7th, 2011

i managed to tear apart the bag with fat bottom and made it into a bag with slim bottom yesterday! this afternoon i attached on the (extremely mismatched) straps to the two bags while the mini men were taking their afternoon nap!

matching bags with mismatched straps X'D

frankly speaking, i was a bit disappointed with how the bags turned out i think the bags look weirdshit because of the straps but these are the only two colours i have at home.. and thank god they match the plastic-thingy-for-making-adjustable-straps (i dunno wth these things are called X’D) perfectly!

twin I carrying mismatched bag

the bag seems a bit too large for the twins now.. but i’m planning to let them carry these new bags with immediate effect because their toddler backpacks are waaaaay too small for their build now!

twin II carrying his mismatched bag

i’m more worried about twin II because he didn’t seem to like cross-body bags in fact, he removed the bag and dumped it onto the floor barely two minutes after i put it on.. sad.. 糟蹋老娘的爱心＊泪＊

twins in pyjamas

here’s a very belated photo of the twins wearing their pyjamas which i blogged about here! erm.. this photo was taken eight months ago and the PJs no longer fit them now.. sad..

twin I carrying his backpack!

and here’s a photo of twin I carrying the backpack which i slogged to rush out.. sad to say, the backpacks are now neatly wrapped in a plastic bag and kept in a corner of the house. sigh, what a waste of my efforts :’(

that’s all, folks!

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messenger bags (WIP)

August 5th, 2011

a mini stack of old jeans has been condemned to a corner of the house, thanks to my ever-expanding waistline >m<

an old pair of jeans

this was a really old pair which i couldn’t wear previously because it was too big for me and made me look like i had a sagging butt. i tried it on for fun before cutting it up and *GASP* it actually fits now! time to seriously consider losing some weight eh?

anyways i wanna make new bags for mini men because they have been carrying these backpacks for almost a year now and it’s looking less cute nowadays as they’ve grown quite a lot in the past year..

stitching in progress..

i seriously have no idea what sort of embellishment i can use for boys. if it’s meant for a girl, i can easily sew on some lace, or crochet a flower and pin it the bag, but i had no idea what to do for boys X’D

so i just cut out pictures of motorbikes from some fabric and stitched them onto the fabric using zigzag stitches! i am having a sore arm right now because i was basically turning the machine manually 90% of the time when sewing this thing!

anyway i suddenly find this picture very amusing because it looks like a rabbit on a cart! don’t you think so?

done!!

anyways i love how the finished “applique” looks!

bag one (FAILLLLLL)

bag one was a failure because i made the base too thick, and now the flap looks too heavy for the bottom (头重脚轻) ;___;

i guess i will have to tear up everything and re-sew it!

bag two (PASS!!)

bag two was a success!!! i love how it turned out and i also used a new technique when putting the bag together! NICE ~ ~

born-again shorts!

i guess i can still wear these as shorts.. since it won’t make my butt look saggy now <– dunno whether to laugh or cry about this..

mama and mini men

this is my latest favourite pic with the boys! i’m so in loves with them <3<3

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multi-function clothing for a girl

July 13th, 2011

i stole this pretty lao auntie floral fabric from my mum some time ago, and didn’t know what to do with it.. finally made something out of it tonight!

it's big enough for me to wear as a skirt!

it's an adult's mini skirt?

i think i over-estimated the size because this thing is so big that i can wear it as a skirt! -__-||

but i guess it’s good cos if the recipient doesn’t mind the obiang lao auntie floral print, she can actually wear it for a long time.. right into her thirties.. HAHA!

pretty lace on the hem

because the item looked really plain and blah without some form of hiao-ness at the bottom..

it's actually a top/dress for toddler!

i love this look! borrowed mini men’s 3T jeans and my own cheap brown belt for this photo. i dun think mini men will ever get to wear these jeans cos the last time i checked, the jeans are too long and their butts are too big ;__;

anyways, i’m friggin tired but feeling happy cos i finally found energy to sew something! woo hoo! time to sleep!

[edit] – forgot to add that this was inspired by chie from vivatveritas!! just realized that i forgot to add the ruffles to the top X’D

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✿ cJ ✿

tote bag with recessed zipper

random things !

HFMD – Day 2

生日快乐

ummm… new makeup and nail colors :’D

would you bother about how others look at your kids?

真是他妈的

messenger bags (completed!)

messenger bags (WIP)

multi-function clothing for a girl

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