knock knock..

...who's there?

From bunk bed to playhouse, just by throwing a fabric.

for the teachers

I decided to make (very simple) bags for my kids' teachers. They're actually made from tea towel I bought at IKEA, I really love the colors and motives so I kinda hacked and used them as fabric material instead.

I didn't put any lining inside so the bag came out more like a foldable roomy shopping bag. I didn't put any embroidery or embellishments either since I couldn't find any that suit both my preference and my kids'. But I think it turned out nice - simple yet nice. Hopefully the teachers will have some good use to it :)

Sneak Peek: New Nest

Now as my new home's starting to take shape and the boys are doing pretty well in their first 2 weeks of Primary School, so I guess it's time to update this blog :D

Since I'm not done unpacking my sewing materials, instead here's a sneak peak of my new living room.

This is the so called foyer with lots of shoes storage!


We live on the 3rd floor, though we don't get breathtaking view as those penthouse units yet we're quite happy with all the greeneries view from the surrounding trees. And the natural lighting is oh so pretty.


The sofa (as well as the dining table set) is from IKEA.

I chose dark color finishing like black and walnut for our furnitures to match and balance the existing walls and built-ins. Not to mention dark colors are easier to maintain, especially if you have small kids along with their crayons and such..

going, going, gone

These bags are going to Perth, Australia.. just hope the red haze there will be over soon.

IKEA Catalogue 2010

Got a copy of the new IKEA Catalogue 2010 just a few days ago,

and I already have some things to put on my wish list :D

..some fabrics (ofcourse!)

and new bed for the boys (lower price! yay!)

yet the list is still going..

You can see the online catalogue in flash (Spore version) here

finally!

Cushion cover set

40x40cm, 3 pcs.

70x70cm, 2 pcs.

Handwoven Tenun Troso + IKEA fabric.

It's my first bag!

Cute, don't you think? :D

Another good use for those impulsive buying of IKEA fabric ;)

The pattern is BurdaStyle's Charlie bag, and I made it reversible by using the instructions here.

It functions well as a shopping bag, yet I also find it great for keeping all my craft supplies :)

Yellow is Not Mellow

From our last poll "What's your favourite color?" we can see some least favourite colors voted.

One of them is Yellow.

What is it about yellow anyway? (though I didn't vote for the color as well)

Is it because most people would picture a striking sunny yellow for the mentioned color? If so, yes, that color is fatiguing to the eyes. Yet yellow could be adapted in so many shades and ways in home decorating, like what I'm about to share here now.

You can easily put yellow color on the walls, from pale to deep, for an instant perk up. Yellow captures the joy of sunshine and reflects happiness. It’s suitable for kitchens, dining rooms, and bathrooms, where happy color is needed for energizing. Yellow also can feel expansive and welcoming in halls, entries, and small spaces.



If you are still on the fence about the idea of yellow walls, you can paint only 1 wall in the room, make it a color feature wall. Or you can even paint striped pattern on the wall, alternating yellow with other color that you consider as 'save' (e.g. white).

all pics above are from HGTV.com

And even when you still don't want to put any yellow on the wall, you can still opt for a saver way to use the color, like on furniture and some decoration objects shown here from IKEA.

Caps Organizing

A friend of mine once asked me about how to organize her husband's collection of caps (baseball's, not bottle's). So I did some searching, and found some cap organizers like this one below, but unfortunately it needs international shipping to reach here.



After some time not knowing where to find the pretty much same item here in Singapore, I remember about this one from IKEA.


It's the Komplement Door Hanger . As the name indicates, this thing can be hung on the wardrobe's door to add more storage space. Basically it's an easy to move adjustable strap with 5 hooks on it.



For this special purpose of caps organizing, you can get creative by adding more hooks between the existing 5 hooks, so you can have even more space for storing those growing collection of caps.

IKEA 2009 Catalogue

Yay! It's finally here!..

And it's.. pink..!?

Actually since earlier this month you can browse the IKEA 2009 catalague online, but for me nothing beats the enjoyment of flipping the pages of the hardcopy one :)

So you can imagine how I reacted when I opened my mailbox this morning and saw that copy I've been waiting for :D

The catalogues' theme is "Plan Your Home Around The Way You Live", a really user (buyer?) friendly tagline as usual.

Anyway, here's some of my favourite pics from the catalogue.

My Frog Prince

What's my most favourite thing from trips (yes, more than once) to the IKEA Sale recently?

Not the candle holder, not the table centerpiece, not the other home accessories..

It's the Minnen Groda frog toy :D

This cute soft toy is soooo adorable with a 'crown' on its head, and you can even open or close its mouth with zipper. When it's open there's a small 'fly' stitched inside, moreover you can store small items/ toys inside the mouth as well.

Having to fight over it with my twin pre-schoolers, now finally I can sleep with MY Frog Prince, a more interesting choice than a regular bolster. Ahh, I feel like a princess.. ;D

Fun Statist

I usually went for less accessories in decorating my space. Besides the fact that it's easier to maintain, also suits my preference for a clean and uncluttered look.

But that was before I found decorative objects that are simple yet stylish, comes in various colors, and not fragile so you can even put it in your kids' bedroom.

Not to mention this versatile item is soooo budget friendly too. What exactly am I talking about? Why, it's the IKEA Statist, ofcourse.

You can have it on your dressing table - doubles as a jewelry hanger, a fun way to display those blings. To spruce up the hallway as a key hanger, in the bathroom as a hand towel holder, and ofcourse you can put it anywhere you want just as it is, a decorative tree display. Or if you have other quirky ideas, do let me know please ;)

Multifunctional Side Table

Here's another versatile design from Ikea, the Hatten side table. With sleek metal legs and transparent plastic top, it's speaking in a modern language (in a low budget too).

So it's a table, with a removable top which can function as a tray as well, and it has a space underneath for storage. Ikea claims that this piece is perfect for outdoor furniture, say at the patio, for the storage can hold some cool drinks and the tray can be used to serve them.

But I'm not really buying it because even the top is made of plastic (which is weatherproof I suppose), but the legs are made of chromed metal which I don't think can stand in my area's humidity.

Yet I would still have it for indoor use though (I'm nuts about transparent furnitures, works great in my small space), let say in the kids bedroom, for toys storage. Or even as a bed side table (for ones that into modern-retro style, this piece's a steal).