Sunday, December 18, 2011

Kids Fabrics for Sale

Hello crafty moms out there ! A little bird told me that some of you want to handcraft that special piece of baby beddings yourself. So we decided to offer our resources to make it possible for you . Starting December 2011 , we are selling selected fabrics and fibres to help you get the materials you need. Just view the Little Haven Boutique Facebook ( Kids Fabrics Album ) to view selection. Will definitely try to post more pictures of fabrics there.

Do share this news with your crafty friends ya :)

Sharmi

Friday, December 9, 2011

MINKY FABRIC SALE

FABRIC SALE !!


Yup its that time of year again when we markdown our fabrics to make way for new designs next year .

First to grace our great wall of markdowns : MINKY FABRICS!
I know i just got them in but they're so versatile and there's so much you can do with just one yard given that they are of 58/60 inch width fabrics. And they are high grade luxurious minky fabrics , unlike some of the harder cuddles you see in quilt shops.

What can you make with them ? Plenty !
Swaddle blankets ( 30" x 30" ) , Toddler blankets , large luxurious ruffle blankets , adult throw ( 50" x 60" ) , pillow cases , soft toys , bibs , burp cloth , nursing pillow covers , baby clothes

the possibilities are endless with this soft , gorgeous fabrics.

SALE PRICE
10% off Regular Price PLUS Free Shipping!
(min 1 yard)
*wholesale pricing available for 3 yards above*

to order , please sms me at 0122895141. Thank you :)

Corduroy White Minky
Regular RM89 per yard
SALE RM 80

Aqua / Brown Damask Minky
RM99 / yard
SALE RM89 / yard

Aqua / Brown Damask Minky
RM99 / yard
SALE RM89 / yard

White polkadot on baby pink minky
RM95/ yard
SALE RM85.50

Blue and White Stripe Minky
RM95 / yard
SALE RM 85.50

Lime and White Stripes Minky
RM95 / yard
SALE RM85.50 / yard

Monday, December 5, 2011

Sunflower

Gardening nurtures patience , and patience is a virtue.

Got me this sunflower plant at the recent Selangor Agrofest for RM20 . The lady seller assured me that this is not a difficult one to grow if i do exactly as she says - keep it facing morning sun whenever possible or at least give it 4 hours of sunshine daily , water it once a day , trim the flowers once it dries up , and chop off the main stem once all the leaves wilt and drop dead to make way for new branches and blooms.

She must've met my other flowering plants because she insisted that i write her instructions down so i dont forget LOL.

Anyhow , here's a chronicle of how the flower looks from day 1 to day 7 at our garden.


Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Inspired by Nature

I'm swamped with work .

The baby's almost due and the harder I work , more work seem to land on my lap . Coupled with lack of mobility thanks to this big belly , its harder for me to get anywhere now unless hubby sends me. Since doc said that baby looks like she's popping out early , I need to get all custom dresses orders out before I go on maternity leave.Which means i'm pretty much hybernating at my sewing studio or at home .

Dont know how other people do it , but for me , I need to get seriously inspired before I can design . That's just how I roll. Lately i've taken in a lot of inspiration from my newly acquired gardening hobby. In the past i'd open magazines for design inspirations, but lately i find that my modest garden does just the same .



This is my daughter Aisyah's Begonia plant. I love the rounded , papery , bright colored flowers and the big leaves. Its got somewhat of a soft stem and thus far looks like its doing ok in the shaded area of the porch. It reminds me of a fabric I brought back from overseas some time back with a rustic English roses prints all over , which I havent made into anything because tak ada idea nak buat apa , until now.


So this is the final result after adding a green sash and ribbon roses to the bow . Dont mind the watery patch in teh background , i'm always doing three four things at the same time . Was watering the garden + taking photos + rushing to my appointment = some Photoshop work needed.

Anyhow , this is my latest collection which you can find in Little Haven Boutique , The Curve. 03-77108419.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Garden Haven

I've caught the gardening bug!

On top of the godzillions things i need to do , i had to add a new hobby to my list. Was inspired by a home i visited a couple weeks back where the owner ( single dude ) was into everything natural and tropical and grew a lovely herb garden in front of his house.

So off i went to the Sg Buloh Green Lane stretch in search of plants that strike me fancy. But a little birdie told me that's not where the cheap stuff are . Apparently the stretch of road near the Sg Buloh hospital is even better , hosting many gardeners / nurseries selling garden plants , herbs and pretty much anything you can possibly grow in this climate.

I drove to the very end of the road, constantly keeping an eye out at the many choices offered on my right and left. At the very end of the road almost metres away from the electrical tower, there it was - a fantastic row of blooming blue hydrangeas just waving at the afternoon breeze soaking in the sun.



It was perfect!

So i hopped down , got me two pots and tonnes of gardening tips ( half of which i dont remember by the time i hop back in the car ) from the friendly lady owner. I was advised to water them 3 times a day if placed under the hot sun , once if under shade, fertilize and spray organic insecticide  once every 10 days. Got it.

Lets hope they're still alive by end of the month.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

MINKY CUDDLE FABRICS FOR SALE

I have been dreaming of having my own collection of minky fabrics to do as I please and finally they're here! I cant be more pleased . They are super super super soft , just the way i imagined they would be . I cannot honestly think of a softer fabric to put against a baby's delicate skin . Since we've been getting lots of request to sell our fabrics , i thought - oh heck , why not share this luxurious fabric with other crafty moms out there.


All fabrics are 58/60" width. We sell by the YARD ( approximately 36 inches ). For 3 yards and above , a 10% discount is applicable ( you can mix designs ) . Given the nature of this fabrics , our minimum is 1 yard per design.

Please sms me at 0122895141 if you are interested to purchase this minky fabrics. We can arrange postage too.


Corduroy white minky 
RM89 per yard. 

Aqua / Brown Damask Minky
RM99 / yard

Pink / Brown Damask Minky
RM99 / yard

White polkadot on baby pink minky
RM95/ yard


Blue and White Stripe Minky
RM95 / yard

Lime and White Stripes Minky
RM95 / yard



Monday, October 10, 2011

Big Bounty at Big Bad Wolf Booksale 2011

Last Saturday all of us went to the much hyped Big Bad Wolf Booksale. Needless to say , there were concerns in my mind lugging 4 kids and a huge belly to MAEPS all the way in Serdang. Is it going to be worth the drive ? Am i going to lose my mind keeping 4 kids in sight ? Am i going to find anything worth buying ? Am i going to find toilets in case Umar has to 'go' like right NOW?

And the answer to all of the above is four solid YES!


Adam, Yasmin and Aisyah selecting their choice of Horrible Sciences (RM8) series.

There was ample shuttle busses to ferry visitors from the parking lot to Hall A where the exhibition is . As soon as we enter the hall , i knew we were going to be there a while . Rows and rows of books , pallets stacked high and tables topped mountain high with books at such low prices you wonder how they can sell it at that price ! Good thing we brought our own shopping bags because although boxes are provided , its quite a hassle dragging it while you browse. I see some people bringing luggage suitcases and pasar tolleys. GENIUS. Must be veteran regulars already lor.


Hall is spacious , ample walking and browsing space , well organized , clear signage ,
air conditioned and got lotsa toilets.

Kids books were on average RM5 ( and these are books that i usually purchase for RM20+ to RM30+ at full priced book store.) Fictions were going at an almost fixed rate of RM8. Pop up kids books were going for either RM8 to RM12 ( and we know how expensive pop up books can be). Coffee table books were going for RM20 and hardcover celebrity chefs cookbooks were going for RM25! What a steal.

We wanted the kids to browse and really take their time to pick out the books that they wanted to read, so we didnt rush them other than giving them the occasional reminder of "dont buy this book for its cover aaa". Another good thing the organizers did was to shrink wrap almost all books , so they're all still in mint condition when you purchase them , knowing how itchy little fingers can be rough flipping the pages.

By the time the kids picked out everything , we were there 3.5 hours ! I didnt get a chance to browse the sections i wanted to go so i'll probably go there again by myself sans kids to get my books. Check out was a breeze with plenty of counters open , and 3 staff manning each counter. All i can say is this is a well thought out , well organized event almost equivalent to the professional trade fairs i've been overseas. And best of all , i was able to stock up our home library without burning a hole in my pocket.


Our bounty , well almost all our bounty . Got one more plastic bag lupa nak keluarkan. 35 good books for everyone in the family . Very happy.

WELL DONE BIG BAD WOLF :)

Those of you interested to go , its on until 16 October 10am to 9 pm at the Malaysian Agro Exposition Park in Serdang. Cepat pergi !

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Post Raya Bazaar

SORRYYYY for the long silent treatment .....

In between preparing the stocks for Ramadhan , the Raya bazaar and then the Mega Sale , somehow i have put this blog at the back of my head to-think-and-type list . Time to clean up the spider webs and start strumming on them keyboards again .

We had our usual hectic Ramadhan month where we churn out absolutely gorgeous baju kurungs for your little girls . This time around i wanted to brand it separately than the usual Little Haven tags , so we decided to call our 2011 collection Little Traditions by Little Haven. Cool tak?



I stick to the same things that i believe in which is good fabric , adorable prints and well made clothing . When we open our Raya Souq at the Curve on the 5th of August , we already had a huge waiting list of people waiting to get their hands on our stuff . Unbelievable. Alhamdulillah :)




Additionally , we also had the pleasure of having Bayou Batik as our guest designer this year , whereby they stock some of the most elegant handpainted batik apparel for ladies i've seen. Such luxury !




So nice to see our regulars coming back year after year , and we kept on increasing the size packs to accomodate their growing kids . I'm not surprised if we start making tween sizes for next year , growing in sizes as our customers grow . They cant stay a size 4y forever i suppose :)

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Personalized Baby Gifts

Why settle for common ( aka boring ) boxed gifts when you can actually design something unique as a present . I love making personalize gifts , and receiving them as well :) There is nothing more special than someone actually putting careful thoughts when buying a present , wanting the recipient to receive something truly special for a very special occasion. At our boutiques , you can handselect the items you want to put in your gift sets , and for larger corporate orders we can also design extra large luxurious gift sets to impress your client.


We've been getting a couple of name embroidery requests lately on quilts , blankets and pillows as present. It instantly personalizes any gift , making it extra special for the person receiving it . You start by choosing the item you want made , the fabrics that you like and any extras you want on the item .




and you can never have too many pillows and blankets made from our huge selection of children fabrics.



If you visit the Little Haven boutique at the Curve or SACC Mall , the staff will be able to help you choose the right fabric from our fabric swatches. However , if you are planning bigger projects such as designing an entire nursery or fullfilling an important corporate order, you are always welcome to make an appointment to visit our sewing studio in Seksyen 7 Shah Alam where you can view our FULL range of fabrics . Just dont mind the clutter , after all its an active studio :)


We also accept bulk orders on customized corporate gifts such as baby sets and festive hampers especially Hari Raya . We assemble a gourmet selection of yummy goodies and assemble them beautifully in wicker baskets or premium boxes , adorned with gorgeous ribbonry and trimmings. Every year our corporate customers are delighted with the kind of attention and care we give when making the hampers , making sure that the gifts uphold the distinguished image of our esteemed clients . For inquiries on festive orders , please call Sharmi at 0122895141 or email sashahra@hotmail.com with the heading "Corporate Orders"




Friday, April 29, 2011

the Dress! the Dress!



I am absolutely loving the dress , especially the description in the official Royal Wedding Page. The lace is simply exquisite , gracing the V neck , appliqued on the skirt and even to the silk tulle underskirt . I also like the long sleeve with detailings at the wrist and the mist like silk tulle as veil covering her face.

The lace appliqué for the bodice and skirt was hand-made by the Royal School of Needlework, based at Hampton Court Palace.  The lace design was hand-engineered (appliquéd) using the Carrickmacross lace-making technique, which originated in Ireland in the 1820s.  Individual flowers have been hand-cut from lace and hand-engineered onto ivory silk tulle to create a unique and organic design, which incorporates the rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock.

Hand-cut English lace and French Chantilly lace has been used throughout the bodice and skirt, and has been used for the underskirt trim.  With laces coming from different sources, much care was taken to ensure that each flower was the same colour.  The whole process was overseen and put together by hand by Ms Burton and her team.

The dress is made with ivory and white satin gazar.  The skirt echoes an opening flower, with white satin gazar arches and pleats.  The train measures two metres 70 centimetres.  The ivory satin bodice, which is narrowed at the waist and padded at the hips, draws on the Victorian tradition of corsetry and is a hallmark of Alexander McQueen’s designs.  The back is finished with 58 gazar and organza covered buttons fastened by Rouleau loops.  The underskirt is made of silk tulle trimmed with Cluny lace.

The Fabrics
French Chantilly lace was combined with English Cluny lace to be hand-worked in the Irish Carrickmacross needlework tradition.
All other fabrics used in the creation of the dress were sourced from and supplied by British companies.  The choice of fabrics followed extensive research by Sarah Burton and her team.

The Royal School of Needlework (RSN), based at Hampton Court Palace, assisted the Alexander McQueen team in accurately cutting out the delicate motifs from the lace fabrics and positioning the lace motifs with precision into the new design. The lace motifs were pinned, ‘framed up’ and applied with stab stitching every two to three millimetres around each lace motif. The workers washed their hands every thirty minutes to keep the lace and threads pristine, and the needles were renewed every three hours, to keep them sharp and clean. . . . The RSN workers included existing staff, former staff, tutors, graduates and students, with the youngest aged 19.



If at first her dress caught my attention , it was the flower girls dresses that really kept me glued to the TV . I am loving the clean pleated skirt which flared very nicely both on the 3 year old and an 8 year old flower girl . Its clean , traditional , and timeless . I can also see a flower girl dress version of Kate's dress , so I might just do that and have it on display at the boutique . We shall wait and see :)

The Young Bridesmaids’ Dresses
The young Bridesmaids’ dresses were designed by childrenswear designer Nicki Macfarlane to echo the Bride’s dress.  The four dresses were hand-made by Ms Macfarlane and her daughter Charlotte Macfarlane at their homes in Wiltshire and Kent.

The Bridesmaids’ dresses have been created using the same fabrics as the Bride’s dress.  The ballerina-length, full, box pleated skirt gives the dresses a sculptural quality, with the layering of ivory over white satin gazar adding depth of colour.  They have all been hand-finished with delicate English Cluny lace, which is visible under the skirts, and four layers of net underskirt.  The puff sleeves and neckline are trimmed with the same English lace as the Bride’s underskirt.  The backs have been finished with the same button detail. 

The sashes are made of pale gold, wild silk, which is tucked at the front and tied at the back in a sumptuous bow.

As a special memento, the Bridesmaid’s name and the date of the wedding have been hand-embroidered onto the lining of each dress.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Ol School Kekabu Baby Set

My grandma used to stitch a bedding set for my siblings and I when we were born either by using her foot paddle Singer machine or by hand. I remember her making a bedding set for my youngest brother using yellow and brown gingham . She would then use a pencil to draw diamond lines criss crossing the lightly padded mattress cover (dont think they have fabric pen then ) . And her pillows always comes with matching ruffles which she will carefully make by pulling the bobbin thread to get a nice even gather. On that baby set, we would sleep , cry , eat , laugh and pretty much live our early lives.

When my son was born , she stitched a set made of dark blue gingham and send it to the States (kirim when my mom came to visit) . I assumed her deteriorating eyesight played a big role in the larger spaced diamond quilting :) It was very special because  I knew she made one for each and every one of us and now she is making one for her great grandchild. Now she cant see very well so Adam was the first and last greatgrandkid to enjoy her craft, but i hope to continue the tradition and give my siblings a nursery item each time I become an aunty :) Keeping up with the modern times , I'm using bold print fabrics AND my industrial Juki to get the job done . Also because its fasterlah.



I made some kekabu baby sets for my shop , but since it is very difficult to get 'kekabu' these days I could only make four sets for now. Each set comes with kekabu filled mattress , mattress cover , two kekabu pillows and two kekabu bolsters ( with coordinating cases ) .Kekabu ages well , and if dried under the hot sun and given a good pat and puff all over , it will become the best thing you've ever slept on . I mean your baby . But under supervision of course , because as with any beddings an infant should not be left unattended ( see what years of retail does to you - disclaimers and paranoia is a must to keep legal suits at bay )



Available at the Curve and SACC Mall ( may have different designs in each outlet , I like em to be special )

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Cotton Kids Baju Kurung


Every year we churn out the most beautiful children baju kurungs for our customers who will come from all over Malaysia. And this year is no different . I have selected an interesting array of colors and prints , so everyone should be able to find a baju kurung that will fit your color theme for this year . As always we will have our customary Hari Raya booth on the ground floor of the Curve .

We've been busy sewing and sewing so you can have as much choice as possible . Every print is limited and i adore every single print that we have for this year's collection . Hopefully my customer do too.

Here's a snapshot of some press time we've had on our baju kurung . There's more magazine and newspaper clippings but with 4 kids , i sometimes forget to clip all of em.


2008 Hari Raya promotion ground Floor The Curve featured in Keluarga magazine.

This is my lovely daughter Aisyah Iman gracing the Little Haven Baju Kurung price tags . This is one of my favourite shots , and reminds me of the days when my daughter can model for me and its FREE . Now they're bigger and beautiful in their hijabs , Masya Allah. I should consider designing trendy hijabs for kids pulak kan  . 

Every year we try to sponsor baju kurungs to underprivileged kids, Insya Allah . I think this newspaper clippings is from the 2009 Hari Raya ( cannot remember lah ) .



This is my sewing table . Every Ramadhan its buried under piles and piles of cut unsewn cotton fabrics waiting to be made into yummy baju kurungs . This is one clutter that i love :)


In 2009 we were featured in the Fesyen De Raya TV segment hosted by the lovely Natasya Hudson. oh that smile- she is quite a beauty , and very friendly too .

The TV shoot at Little Haven was followed by a professional runway shoot
at the studio . Aiyoo , forgot to change shoes lah - still had my mocassins on when standing on the runway . Minutes earlier it was chaotic backstage when i had to dress the little kids and picked out the matching
accessories to go with which kids etc etc  But good fun :)

Two of the models in our baju kurungs.


This is our 2010 Hari Raya promotion at the Curve . I LOVE the way they do up the Centercourt
every year . Last year's theme was a traditional village 'pangkin' or porch . Look at that
intricate woodwork on our booth - make our clothes look absolutely
rich and traditional.

Raja Azura was one of the celebrities that came to the 2010 Iftar with the underprivileged
children where Little Haven sponsored baju kurungs , Focus Point sponsored glasses and Chicken Rice shop fed us yummy chicken rice and Sweet Chat desserts for iftar . yumms.

My precious kids . I hope to visit them soon .

Sunday, April 10, 2011

New ! Kids print fabric

yeayy !!! my fabric are here . Fuh , i'm so glad my precious cargo arrived before the whole customs fiasco , otherwise who knows when we might receive our shipment.
Anyhow , i've started the drawing board on these lovely fabrics . Unfortunately these fabrics are not available for purchase since we plan to turn them into ready made lovelies that you can purchase at our outlets. Although...... if you get me the right latte , i may be pursuaded to sell a few metres here and there to you :)

Ballroom Dancing on Peach
Polkadotties

Disney Princess Roses

Butterfly Fairies

Butterflies on white

Toy Story print in blue


Winnie the Pooh Border print in blue.


Toy Story Pillow and case
  
Flannel Pillows and case .