Paper Cuts

I am no stranger to paper cuts, thanks to the nature of the Day Job. However, these Famille Summerbelle creations take the phrase to a whole new meaning. Who would imagine me quoting my not-yet-2-year-old son, but "I WANT!" I'm sure you'll agree upon setting your eyes on their wonderful work.  If I *had* to choose one thing from their online store, it'd be this map of New York (or Paris) (or London) ... argh!

Covet

Giving a shopping-deprived person access to the Internet spells D-A-N-G-E-R.  Especially in the face of such amazing stuff, found in the handmade world of Etsy.  I love the warmth of the glowing butterflies ... it makes me wanna curl up with a handmade quilt on my lap, great book in my hands and a cuppa tea on a rainy day.

I would so eat this breakfast

Rushing out of the house everyday to get the kids to school and me to work on time, leaves me breakfast-less on most days.  But I would so wake up 15 minutes earlier if this were waiting for me in the kitchen :

Noddy has been in my life since I was 7.  He doesn't know it, but I've always loved him and his little jingly hat.  Big Ears started off not being my type at all, but he kinda grew on me.  That white beard is strangely  beginning to appeal to me as I get older - it adds character.  Watch out, Noddy, you have competition!

[Image courtesy of The Lark, a favourite of mine]

Of doormats and not very much else

I have been looking for a doormat for our home's main entrance for a while now - one would have thought these would be easy to find, but with 2 little ones running around (sometimes barefoot), those available at the stores seemed too prickly for their soles.  You know the ones I'm talking about, the brown needly ones that are great for getting dirt off, but would probably scrape the kids' feet raw.  7 months later, we finally found one that was simple and did not say anything cliche like "Home Sweet Home", in fact, it doesn't say anything at all.  Most importantly, it doesn't cause bleeding feet. 

Now, surfing the net in the wee hours of the morning, I started to wonder why I didn't just Google to see what doormats are available out there.  Here are some that I would've considered - something functional and yet injected with a little personality.

OK, maybe by "personality" I meant "geekiness".  But don't you agree it would get a laugh out of friends who came over?  There's nothing in the rule book that says a home can only have one doormat right?  Right? 

(where's my credit card ...)

Whispers

I was browsing buying up a storm at a shopping mall over the weekend, and stopped over at Accessorize for look-see.  There was a sweet tote that would have been perfect for loading up books from the library (that is, if we did go to the library), it even had owls appliqued onto it - owls, books, library - it must have been a sign.  Then I heard just the tiniest whisper in my head : "you could make one just like that".  I don't remember what happened after that, but suffice it to say that I next found myself home sans the Owl Bag.  This monster must obviously have it in for me and what little time I have left at the end of each day.  But yes, I suppose I could make one, with some fabric, fusible webbing, embroidery thread and oh, say, 2 hours at the design table and 5 hours at the sewing machine? 

Erm, let's consider the idea banished, shall we?

I *Heart* Scandinavia

There is something sweet about Scandinavian furnishings and homewares, that keeps me wanting more (and going back to IKEA far too often for my own good).  I chanced across Huset today, and could not help clicking "I want, I want, I want!".  For instance, how pretty is this cup and saucer set, that is modern and retro at the same time?

And then there's the ingenious Newton by Tonsfisk, a sugar bowl IN a milk jug, that stays level even when the milk is being poured out.  Now why didn't I think of THAT?!

Frame of Mind

 

I am inspired by Lara of Kirin Notebook to start framing the prints that I have collected over the years.  And maybe get my own mat cutter too!  Looks like I'm off to good 'ol IKEA soon.

In other news, the shop will remained closed till I whip up a fresh batch of cards and other products.  Does anybody know a good, non-tearful (and non-alcoholic) way to put an almost 4-year-old  to sleep by 9pm?  I will be forever grateful to you!

Digging Kikki K

I am loving this Scandinavian stationary right now.  I remember drooling over it in Melbourne sometime in 2006, and was completely stoked when I heard it was coming to Singapore.  When I first visited the store at the swanky Ion Orchard during Christmas last year, they were giving away freebies at the entrance - it turned out to be paper clips, but not *just* any paper clip ... they were white hanger-shaped ones!  I have yet to use them for they are so precious to me!

I was out at the Ion again today, to stock up on Nespresso capsules, and could not resist a stroll through the Kikki K store.  These cuties caught my eye; if I could find someone to make me customised wooden stamps, I'd be designing up a whole bunch for sure.  Sigh!

 

An apple a day

In the course of my Day Job, I was informed of this Chinese artist, Luo Mingjun, who lives in Switzerland. Happy to have something to distract me from drafting *yet* another agreement, I merrily clicked on the link. And found this.

How profoundly sad it made me!  It screamed of a desperate attempt to fix what has been irreversibly damaged.  Or worse, oblivion amidst certain destruction.  Be it a missed deadline, a broken relationship, a devastated planet, do we try to salvage it because that's the only way we know how to deal with the situation, all the while knowing that our efforts are futile? Or do we make some cursory gesture to patch it up and fool ourselves into believing that everything is alright again?

Pictures sometimes do speak a thousand words.  And yet, sometimes, they just leave you speechless.  Like this one : is it a photo or painting?

Answer : Oil on canvas

Unbelievably amazing, right?  Be sure to check out Liu Ying Zhao's other works here.

#1

It all started one afternoon after school.   I had peeked into Mum's (I know she prefers M-U-M to M-O-M, "Mummy" is ideal and "Mother" is prohibited - which I use only rarely for maximum effect) brown velvet dresser, a veritable altar lined with bottles of oils, perfumes and other concoctions marked with faraway names.  And there amidst the creations of gods and goddesses - Estee Lauder, Christian Dior, Yves Saint-Laurent - were a stack of cards handmade by me to her and/or Dad.  At the time I could not understand why - I wished that I could afford the glossy store-bought cards (Hallmark was a lot more popular then) with the clever words and pretty pictures, not just for her but my friends too. 

As I grew older, and had more cash in my pocket, I began to realise how easy it is to buy something.  You could get a cookie-cutter gift or card for not very much, and the occasion would be taken care of.   However much that bothered me, I was also inundated with school, then work, then life in general - so I compromised and bought the gifts and sometimes the cards - but made sure that at least I wrote a personalised message somewhere.  

Now that I have a little spare time on my hands (i.e. when the kids go to bed, and if I haven't brought work home to do) I hope to revive what Mum treasured so dearly.  That is the motivation behind this project, and subject of this first entry of The Sprout Store blog.