Australia!!!!

I love Australia and I hate Australia!

When it comes to handmade? I hate Australia!!

I am looking for fabrics to make bags. I have been to Lindcraft, china town, new town, craft show, website, everywhere to find fabric, but they’re either too expensive or bad offer. The cotton drill I am after is think cotton drill, but I can’t find any except chian town and they charge me $30/meter!!! I am also looking for canvas that I can paint on, but YOU CANT GET CANVAS IN AUSTRALIA!!! I can only buy wholesale and they’re $22/meter…. damn…. I am running out of fabric and I need to finish all the bags before October!!! I want to try oilcloth fabric too http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Cath-Kidston-Daisy-Blue-Oilcloth-Fabric-Purse-Wallet_W0QQitemZ150159265023QQihZ005QQcategoryZ1063QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItem but I can get them no where except from US….

Burdastyle.com

Got a really great site from Etsy new Storque, it’s called BurdaStyle

This site aimed to share free patterns, you can get the free patterns from the website or from users, this is such a wonderful idea!!! I recommend to everyone who sew or not sew.

BurdaStyle

sep 11

I was so busy these days and I didn’t know today is Septemeber 11 until I saw the night news…. and I just got to catch the excat time when those plans crash into the World Trade Buildings… I watched live on TV.

September 11 is the my parents’ marriage anniversary, I still remember 6 years ago, after eating out, we drove back home and we listen to the radio, dad heard the news that there was something seriously happening in US but we didn’t know what was that, the second later I got a phone called from my best friend and she asked me to turn on the TV.

When we turned on the TV, our family got completely slience. Dad didn’t sleep for the whole night. I slept in horror but it didn’t affect me that much coz I was really young.

Time goes on, I grow older and I started to realized how painful the whole thing is. Every year when I re-watch those 911 viedos, it hurts me more and more… I cried everytime when I saw those pictures… I am not American. I am not Mulism. I am far away from the whole thing, but I still pray for everyone who suffered.  I wonder why people did that. How much hate they have in their hearts to do this? What make them so hateful? I didn’t lost any friends/ family/ anyone I know in 911 but I have lost a peaceful mind… I think everyone does, at least, on this day.

World peace….

Bad luck!!!!

I have a Moleskine notebook wholesale order from Tasmania last week and I promised to delivery this Monday. I was looking for the Moleskine notebook for wholesale few weeks before, I contacted the wholesaler quite a few times but I never got a reply, so I called them up last week and asked if I can order 30 to 50 packs from them. The lady first asked me my shop details and stuffs and when I told her I paint on Moleskine cover, she said she didn’t think thier company could sell me in wholesale coz my work may destory Moleskine image!! WHAT THE??? I honestly think Moleskine should pay me for painting on their notebook cover!!! Destory Moleskine image? Seriuosly? She said she’ll asked her manager to call me back but obviously the manager never did so I moved on to other retailer to see what deal I can get if I buy bulk. Unforunately, I can only get a 10% off even if I buy like 50 packs, but that’s okay, I can sort this out later, I mean for the bulk, what I need is just 10 packs of notebook for the Tasmania order.

I ran out of stock at home so at the beginning of last week, I went to the city and search for the notebooks, but no luck, then time flies quickly, and also because of the APEC holiday, things got a little bit delay, so on and so forth. I was quite pissed yesterday when I found there’s NO stock avaliable ANYWHERE in town! I need 6 packs but there are only 3 at Dymocks  bookshop, I have one pack at home so I still need 2. What should I do?

I have finished all the time consuming painting (9 notebooks) last night till 3am and this morning, I started to walk from Surry Hills to Oxford street and then all the way to Bondi Junction!!! (5-10km maybe?) Unforunately, I STILL CANNOT FIND ANY!!! Then I just gave up and buy the line/ squared notebook instead and rush back home and finish the rest of the order. At that time it’s 2pm. Well, I thought I can finish them in about one hour coz the rest of the work arn’t time consuming, BUT (there’s always a BUT) for the last 3 designs, I just ran out of paper!!! So I need to AGAIN go to the art supplies shop (20 min walk) and get then paper!!! When I got home, it’s 4 already, after I packed everything, it’s almost 5pm!! I ran to the post office and post it out (lucky that I can finish it by 5pm) and when I got home, I found I didn’t bring my key!!!! I have to go to the city to wait for hubby to go home…. when I saw him, I brust into tears. I am so back luck these two days. Of course I know I have some kind of management problem (I actually start working on it last week, but don’t know why things go so bad at the last moment) but I just couldn’t believe I am so bad luck…. I always see those Moleskine notebook in shops, but when I need them, they’re all gone!!! At least, not in the eastern suburbs!!!! sigh….  should take a rest now….

Balmain Art and Craft Show

Have met Antoinette Lalor from the Balmain Art and Craft Show this afternoon. She actually spoted Jenny’s work at New Town and invited Jenny to the show, then lovely Jenny  introduced me and fellow etsy seller to Antoinette. I am so lucky that Antoniette has seen my work on etsy and my website and she wanted to meet me and see the samples of my works. At first, she just intereseted in the Moleskine notebook coz she’s short of stationary, but today when I shown her my bags, she immediately agreed to put them in the show!!!! HOW GREAT IS THAT!!! I don’t have any market experience, so I am not sure how much I need to make and how to set the price. Antoniette was so nice and we have a little discussion about the price and the other stuffs. I have learnt a great lesson from her. She’s now going to get about 60-100 bags and 50 notebooks…. THIS IS SO UNREAL!!!!! When I was on my way home, there are mists on my eyes. Can’t believe this day fianlly comes to me…. it’s very quick but I am working my ass off for these stuffs though. Thank you simply not enough now, what I have to do is work super hard coz I know this is not my own project anymore, it’s my friends’ dreams, it’s all your trusts.

 So, not to mention the etsy orders, now I have Taiwan’s oders and this craft show’s orders, I will also put a little bit more stuffs to consign at Strawberry Jam, so life would be quite a mess from now till November!! Mum and Dad are coming in October for two weeks, so I really need to get my ass in front of the sewing machine now…. Also need to update my website as soon as I can coz the Taiwan store is putting my things up before mid-Sep. I really want my things to look consistent everywhere… so I MUST update my website during this weekend…

By the way, I should have wait for a little bit longer to write this but I am just too excited to show off…. hahahahhhhh

what a life

Life is getting more complicated than it should. Internet supposed to make our lives easier but eventually it makes our life more difficult than ever. I just noticed that there’s something called”facebook” which is something like a social network and at the same time you can show off your works.

The time I spent on all these “networks” are much more than the time I spent on craft. Now we have MySpace, YouTube, Facebook, Stylehive, Flickr, Etsy Group, Yahoo Group, etc etc… sometimes I can’t even remember which group I have joint. Not to mention I have my blog and website. When you join a group you suppose to “interact” with the others but to make MY GROUP looks good, I have to “decorate” it with my work, my website, my networks, my friends, photos, layout, links, also to introduce myself…

I wonder when can we get a one-stop-website that can combine all of these and make life actually simpler….

2am

I was searching for cotton cavans on the net and suddenly a bird or owl was making some funny noise, it’s like the car alarm but not in an annoying way. But obviously someone in my building felt it was extreamly annoying and he scream back!!! He’s screaming like a beast/ wild animal while the owl (let’s assume that’s an owl) is singing(?). The whole thing is so funny that makes me really want to write it down! So the whole thing is like:

Owl: ou… (in clear and lovely sound)

Man downstairs: Wow… (wild animal, linon feel)

hahahhhhhhhh…

And

The story end up the owl has won!!!! hahahahhhhhhhhhhh

the best thing about this crafting business

if somone ask me this question, long time ago my answer would be “to do something I like is the best thing about this crafting business”

but now, my answer is “to meet fablous people”

I have met so many fablous people when I am doing this crafting busines, like Janice and Amanda I mentioned before, meeting them are become friends with them are the best thing about doing this crafting business. Also, reading people’s email and comments are soooo great! They make me feel so great evem if I don’t have any sale. They make me feel like what I am doing is worth to do. Sometimes I don’t think I can continue to do this without these “friendship”.

So, thank you to you all!

Strawberry Jam = Luii = Janice Chan

 I was searching for place to consign and the name Strawberry Jam came up to my screen. I contact the store owner with my info. At the same day, someone called “addictedtobeads” contact me through Flickr and said she loves my stuffs. I chatted with addictedtobeadswith a few emails and at the same time I email Strawberry Jam with my shop info. I don’t know Strawberry Jam  and addictedtobeadsare actually the same person until I saw their name at the of the emails – Janice!

Janice is a super nice crafter from Hong Kong. We have quite a similar background and expereinces in Australia. We have lots of common language and I fall in love with her quickly (well, not THAT kind of love).  Frankly, I have never met any crafter from Hong Kong. I don’t think we have any craft/ handmade culture when you can get everything 24/7 anytime anywhere in Hong Kong. So, meeting Janice is like meeting another alien from outerspace.

What makes Janice so special is that she loves eating (and not getting fat, but i hate this part very much, so just ignore it). I rarely meet HK girls that eat…. I am quite a eater but I don’t really have a company so I am really looking forward to meet her one day.

Sadly, Janice is in Perth. I really wish to meet her coz she’s such a nice person and good excellent crafter! She gave me her bags few weeks before and they’re just PERFECT!!! I wish I can be as good as her one day!

Here’s the stamps I made for her

DaWanda Style Lab!

We are getting ready to launch the DaWanda Style Lab in the coming days and are now accepting applications from our members to take part. The Style lab is a new feature of DaWanda where you can offer your customers made to measure products.

If you create custom made items and would like to participate in the DaWanda Style Lab, please drop me a line or fill in an application on the Style Lab page [http://en.dawanda.com/create]

Please also take note of the special offer for new members!

contact elizabeth [at] dawanda [dot] com for more information!

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I am still trying to figure things out from the DaWanda Style Lab, seems like it’s a custom order pannel that people can choose different pics and materials. That must be fun but I am not sure how much I should charge though… so far, I don’t have any sales form DaWanda, I am not sure if there’s something wrong with the price or pics or whatsoever… anyway, will have a go again tomorrow. Let me know if you have any good idea what this Style Lab!!