Wearable Wonderland

I am hooked on Alice in Wonderland . For the most part I am absolutely loving the wardrobes in the movie . I can see making a spin off girls dress inspired by the red 'curtain' dress the Red Queen made for Alice. Love the tutu ruffles underneath the skirt .



I'm still looking for the black & white jagged stripes fabric like this one.
And probably will get myfriend who owns Tutu Workshop to work on the
red tutu skirting



Costume designer Colleen Atwood's sketches of Alice in Wonderland dresses



Clever interpretation of how Alice's dress looks like after she drank the Pishalver or ate the Upulkutchen. 

 

Really like this silver blue long tunic top . I can see it worn very casually with jeans . Thinking of
making one of these for myself.  Dusty blue with silver beadings along the neck opening.


 

Too ghostly for my taste , but aeshetically quirky nonetheless.



i wish i can capture a better image on the neck detailing , but
this is what you get when taking photo of the movie playing on TV
while lying down with a 4 year old in one arm . hmmm





and off with your head !



Fabric : Kids Panels

One of the first things I made when I first started sewing was a baby quilt . It was a 35" x 45" baby quilt with a BlueJeansTeddy panel print . We just received more kids panels in our studio and I cant wait to turn them into quilts. Ok I'm still figuring out my new camera's rotate function , so until then , may i request that you tilt your head  :)



Buck-A-Roo Baby by Kylie Kreations



Hey Diddle Diddle Panel



Vicki Shreiner Panel for Springs



Fabric : Princess & Fairies

My girls made me watch Tinker Bell movies over and over again I swear I could quote her by now. So despite an entire room of fabrics, I just can't resist and bought these fabrics below. As my husband delicately puts it , I'm on my way of looking like a mini Kamdar in my sewing studio, although I can assure you these fabrics definitely don't come with Kamdar prices. I have a knack of buying fabrics when I see prints that I like , as opposed to preplanning a shopping trip and lure myself to buying something i dont really want.



Tinker Bell by Springs Industries.

Planning to sew a baby set with ruffled pillows and blankie.



Princess Portraits by Tammy DeYoung for General Fabrics Co.

I'm seeing appliques made using cutouts of the princesses but oh well, we'll see. Perhaps a toddler quilt instead of baby's.

Fabric : Kids Print

Of all the sewing projects I do , I like making kids nursery items the most. We brought in a few bales of assorted chidren print fabrics to be turned into adorable nursery beddings. Every design is brought in limited quantity , thus ensuring that only a limited number of nursery items are made for each design. These are perfect for making comforters , both for babies and toddlers. I usually make only baby sizes as ready stocks , but you can place an order for any size that you like.


Fabric : Sesame Street on White



Fabric : Disney Princess Panel Pink

 


Fabric :Funky Animals

I'll load the rest of the pictures once my internet stops acting up. Its taking forever to get this loaded today. 

Sticky Business

My second daughter is 9 years old. Yasmin had a sticker business.

A couple of months ago I bought her a few sheets of stickers. In each sheet there's about a dozen small stickers . She then cut the small stickers into individual pieces and sells them for 20 sen. I didn't ask her to sell the stickers , but she decided on her own that she has enough stickers for herself and wanted to sell the rest. At the end of the first day , she had a backlog order from at least half a dozen friends !

I asked her why did she cut the stickers and sell them so cheap instead of selling an entire sheet. Without hesitation she answered " oh, it's because most of my friends only bring RM2 to school . If I sell the stickers too expensive , they might not have enough money to buy food or drinks at the canteen . This way they can still buy my stickers AND buy food" .  I was very impressed with this rationale because it proved that at that tender age, she understood some of the basic principal of a business -

(1) know who your customers are ( other students and their budget )

(2) know her products and its optimum price  ( 20 sen. Any more, they might now buy . Any less , she won't get a profit )

(3) address the need of your customer ( want stickers , want food , limited allowance)

(4) business ethics ( not to have anybody finish their allowances on her stickers that they don't eat , only sell during recess and after school hours )

If you notice , i said "Yasmin HAD a sticker business , not HAS". Business was booming but unfortunately , her stint had to be cut short when she's made prefect at her school ( i didnt know standard 3 can jadi prefect ) and according to her , prefects are not allowed to sell stuff ( and non prefects can ? hmmm....nevermind. )
This same principal can be applied to any business even if it a hundred times bigger in size. It can be the first thing you think about when you think about starting a business ( what do i want to sell and who need this product i'm selling ). It always helps to start a business doing what you are already good at or passionate about . Yasmin loves glitter stickers , so it made sense to her to share what she already like seeing. I cant imagine myself opening a Kinko's , or a restaurant , or a mini market because i have no interest whatsoever in paper , heavy duty cooking or FMCG ( fast moving consumer goods ) . But if I am not running my childrens boutique , I can probably see myself opening a quilt shop or a wedding gallery or a cozy cafe , given my love for fabrics , weddings and latte.

So in my opinion , if you have no idea about what you want to sell , maybe you can start thinking about what you like in life in general. What attracts you when you go to the mall , what products you love , what services you use , etc . And then go one step up and start thinking about what gap is there in the market , what new products or services can you think of , what niche in the market you can service etc. Of course there is always that instance when someone finds inspiration to start a business over something that he/she never think about , or when a rare opportunity strikes and you can take advantage of it. There are also many that inherit family businesses and dont need to think twice about what they want to do .Or perhaps you are very good at your job now and found an original spin off idea that you can start your business with .

Anyhow, Yasmin found her ideal business. I hope you find yours too.

 

Review : DEMC New Paedeatric Ward

My nephew was recently admitted to DEMC ( Darul Ehsan Medical Center ) in Shah Alam. Went there yesterday to visit and was very impressed with the new hospital . It's a much bigger and complete facility than the old building in Seksyen 9 . The kids wards are all on the 4th floor . The walls and floor are nicely covered with bright , kiddish artwork.  Very nice.

Cheery Hallway



Even the lifts look cool.

My sister was starving , so i made some food and brought it over . That was before she found the room service menu. I think she's going to kill time ordering probably every hour or so , but that's ok because she's a preggy. Menu book is a far cry from the old laminated A4 sheet they used to show us in the old hospital .



But i must say , it wasn't the murals or the room service menu that amused me . It was the TOILET!
I have never seen a hospital toilet with little colored tiles covering the toilet wall and seashells decorating the resin toilet seats. ok , i am crafty , i am artistic , but this is just way to quirky for me to sit on and you-know-what.

At any rate , if your kids are sick and you have to stay a couple of days in the hospital , this is probably one of the more comfortable paediatric wards i've been to. The single room comes with a day bed by the window and a comfortable chair , so mummy can lie down and get some rest too. 

Get well soon Harris !

Recipe : Chilli Crab

Anyone who knows me probably knows my favourite seafood dish , chilli crab . Anyone who knows me well probably also know that I am allergic to my favourite food - seafood. Here's a recipe that I use when making chilli crab for the family.



I cook this dish pretty often . Most of the time I get my fresh flower crabs from the wet market at Seksyen 6 Shah Alam. My 4 yr old Umar gets a kick from picking out crabs from the tray . He can tell if they have eggs , 'boys' or 'girls'. Anyway , here's a simplified recipe of how i make MY chilli crab.


Ingredients

Crabs ( 5-6 pcs )
Chilli sauce
Oyster sauce
Dried Chilli paste ( cili boh 1 tsp)
Red Onions ( 10 ) blend
Garlic (3) blend
Ginger ( an inch ) blend
Galangal ( an inch ) blend
Dried Shrimp ( small handful) blend
Shrimp Paste ( size of 10 cent coin)

Chop crabs into two. My kids dont eat claws so i tend to separate the claws from the body too . Put in place and steam. Make sure you catch all the drippings on the plate . They'll flavour the sauce nicely.

Heat 5 tablespoon of oil . Add 1 tsp chilli paste .
Add all the finely blended ingredients. Add shrimp paste
Add 1/3 bottle of chilli sauce  ( i like Maggi ) and 1/4 bottle oyster sauce. well here's where you use your judgement . if you like it spicy add more chilli sauce . If you're serving kids like us , go easy on chilli sauce and add more oyster sauce. Thin the sauce with a bit of water.
Add the steamed crabs and its drippings.
Add salt & pepper to taste

Extra : You can beat an egg and stir into the sauce in a thin stream right at the end. But you'll need a slightly looser sauce for this , so add a lil bit more water if necessary.

My Shop's New Look . Pixie Lights

I want a chandelier in my shop . Period.



In my head I'm seeing a mejestic seven tier masterpiece of shine , shimmer and glimmer ( alamak , quoting Barbie again ) with sparkly crystals cascading down from antique candles reminiscent of the that candle guy in Beauty & the Beast. It will be regal , it will be devastatingly fabulous , it will be all that and mor .

Its not happening.

A quick 10 minutes discussion with Jamsen, my long time electrician turn insurance agent ( but still Mr E for his loyal customers) quickly put out any kind of hope i have of having a mind blowing piece in my shop . " Ceiling you manyak rendahla " " Plaster ceiling tak kuat ooo . nanti jatuh" .

But if there's one thing that I know about myself - I'm persistent. So after scaling down the size ( and my expectations ) , it seems that we can only fit a teeny tiny chandelier piece . And even then , during installation we had to trim the chain short so that it wont bump into my cashier's head . LOL .

But I got my chandelier in the end . And it looks just fine.



My sweet & small chandelier .



My Shop's New Look . Designing Fixtures

Now that I've picked out the wallpaper for the walls , now i need to decide what fixtures i want to keep , throw or order. So I decided that all the wall cabinets get to stay ( also due to budget cutbacks :) and the gondolas remain . But i'm not to fond of the double rack metal clothing rack that displays our baby clothes . So that one's going away.

Last Xmas , our toys fair was nestled between wraught iron pillars in gold and backed with a majestice wrought iron gate. The grandness of the whole visual was stuck in my mind ( i kept on reminding A&P if they ever want to dispose of the gates after xmas to please think of me ) I thought it'll be a lovely idea to design a wraught iron clothing cabinet for the dresses.

This is our 2009 Toys Promotion in conjuction to the Autumn Xmas at CenterCourt. Isnt it pretty.. So i took the wraught iron inspiration and combine it with another inspiration - a wedding cake !

PLUS



2009 Little Haven Toys Fair Centercourt The Curve



 And tadaaaa.... i came up with the display rack below that I fondly call my Princess Racks. They're powder coated in white for that ethereal feel. Although I must thank my friend Pattrine again , for helping me out with communication. The first few companies i spoke to speak mainly Kantonese , so they all thought i wanted a drying rack or a window grill . So ... thanks Pattrine !

As our customers have knack of ordering things that we do NOT sell in our boutiques , i thought why not share this with them as well . So for anyone interested in having the Little Haven Princess racks in their homes , we can custom order them for you . Each rack is approximately 5' high , 4' wide and sides are about 2'. The middle bar is removable.

I should caution you though , this rack is super heavy ( because its 100 % wraught iron ). So if your kid is the climbing type , i won't recommend it . bahaya oooo...

My Shop's New Look . Behind The Scene .

Its our fifth year running at the Curve and we wanted to treat our regular customers with a brand new look. Upon scrutinizing piles of interior magazines for inspiration , i look no more than my ultmate source of ideas - Barbie movies. Cheesy , i know . But i must admit , there is always something beautiful about having lots of pastels , lots of white , lots of swirls and lots of tiaras in the picture. It just looks , pretty.

So I put together a design board and get started on my color pallette. I collected pictures of things I love , and things that inspires me.

 


Image (left) from polyvore.com


Now that i've reaffirmed what i've always known , which is i'm a sucker for everything pink , i knew i wanted the shop to keep this same color scheme. Next is to decide what kind of changes i 'd like to make. I wanted the shop to look different , but still keep the crafty vibes in check. Wanted to keep some furniture , but change some too . And definitely change the wall treatment.

So off i went wallpaper hunting with my good friend Pattrine , who is by the way , a brilliant businesswoman. She's the brains behind brands like Spiele & Schenken toys , Tootle Tee and a whole bunch of cool brands . Anyway , back to our hunting trip . Pattrine has some vouchers she received from last year's HomeDec exhibition. So off we went to this wallpaper place and my oh my , do they have wallpaper. Hundreds and hundreds of wallpaper , and some fetches up to over RM400 per roll !

But even after scanning all the designs , nothing caught my eyes. I dont like to overthink designs , i usually know what i like when i see it. A couple of days later , and many more trips to i.d stores, I walked past the Laura Ashley boutique and thought , what the heck, maybe tucked between granny cardigans i may just find something useful. And waddayaknow , i found this -

Perfect! Josette Carnation from Laura Ashley it is then for the walls . Next , fixtures.

Of cookies and troubled soul

I'm going through a hiccup in my usually not-so-stress-free life when a disgruntled ex employee threatened to sue for wrongful termination. And i am handling it the way i always handle any hiccups in my business or life - over coffee , cookies and dua. My bestfriend Wid surprised me at the shop today with two jars of these delicious cookies.

Chocolate Macadamian Cookies made with the richest chocolate chunks nestled between bits of heavenly macadamian nuts. They were definitely food for the troubled soul , as i like to call it .
She mainly makes for friends , but i keep on telling her than she should bottle this up and make millions. They're wayyyy better than Famous Amos . I've finished one jar , and hid the other one in the oven from hubs.

Oh, the sweets pot at right was left at the shop from a supplier . Thank you June ! She sent me Fererro Rocher last week and sent another Xmas treat this week - flower foodie in a pot : marshmellows dipped in colored sugar and cookies. Its almost felt like the universe is picking up on my negative vibe , and offers sweets for consolation . At any rate , I love it !

Starting Where I Left Off.

People who know me probably ask why in the world would i add blogging to my already exhaustive resume which includes an almost full time mom with full time retail businesses who also heads a full time sewing studio and a part time bike chick while you're at it ( hubs run a bike store part time ). It's as if in my creative nontheless cluttered mind, time is immaterial .

I'm picking up entries where I left off perhaps 20 years ago, in my hard covered diary which amusingly got thrown away when my parents moved house and then found by a bloke who called the number on the front page written so trustingly by 14 year old me . He then threaten to tell my parents juicy contents of the diary (which come to think of it, is nothing juicy really ) Crrrrazy son-of-a-gun. It was then I deducted in my head that  if nowhere private is safe , then anywhere public must be safe to write my thoughts ( this is why i failed Social Behavior 101 in college)

So here i am , blogging. Hoping to share what gets me going on days that i swear i can see dark clouds hover over my head ,why i love doing the things that i do ,why i want every parent to buy my baby sling , and what inspired me to see that roses are really deep velvety red.