Custom Sugar Cookie Charms

I simply love these charms! I love how they turned out, the colors and just how yummy they look! Now that they're complete, I'm now sad to see them go. Soon, I'll be heading to the post office to mail these goodies to their new homes. These cookie charms are approx. 7cm tall and they are firm but still flexible because I love a good charm that won't loose it's shape after handling to much. Made with blended wool felt and they're washable but I don't advise to throw them to the washer as these charms have delicate beads sewn on them.. Simply take a damp cloth and rub the dirty spot ;)

Free Kawaii Charm Patterns

Hello friends! It sure been a super long time since I last logged in! I've been very busy lately that , sadly, I had to put my crafts away for awhile! But now that I have a bit of time in my hands, It sure felt very good to sit down peacefully and let my mind relax while I happily sewn some lovely charms. Please feel free to download their super cute patterns... It's a very straight forward and easy sewing and you'll love making them! 

Click Here for Kawaii Charm Pattern PDF Download

March Highlights

Spring is finally here! And it's presence can be felt everywhere from the blossoming of beautiful bright flowers to the arrival of swallows that excitedly begin shaping their nests underneath rooftops. The weather is definitely changing to this comfortable warm temperature cooled with the gentle breeze and I can't help but put on spring dresses to get into the mood! 

Life at home has been predictable everyday since it's still school season in Macau. My craft sessions however have been slowed down and I was only able to complete a pattern just in time for Easter. Lots of brainstorming has been taken place , lots of sketches have been laid on paper but I just felt an enormous void this month that kept me away from putting my hands on action. I felt so uninspired like I felt something missing, something wrong with everything I was doing. But nothing was wrong... and I guess it's normal to have these occasional art blocks! Well, not to mention the headaches I've been having due to weather changes!

Another reason to love this month, is because It marks our wedding anniversary! Woohoo! And on that day, we got to revisit the restaurant where our love story began! It was truly a very special night! Thank you, to my sweet husband for showering me with gifts, flowers and so much love!

Easter is just around the corner and I'm wishing you all a pleasant holiday filled with laughter, love and lots of chocolate eggs! I'll be planning my Easter menu in awhile as I'm very excited to have family members visiting for lunch tomorrow! Hope everything goes well with my roasted beef! 

New Etsy Pattern - Cute Bunny Felt Mobile Garland / Banner Tutorial

I now it's been awhile since I've done a brand new pattern for the shop! But, I'm glad this has been listed and now you can purchase yours over at my Etsy shop! You'll learn how to make this adorable bunny banner and It's perfect and on time for that last minute Easter crafts!

Hope your day is filled with lots of love! For now, I'll be enjoying this beautiful sunny day here in Macao! Can't believe Spring is finally here!

It's Time For That GIVEAWAY!

I'm so happy to be throwing my very first giveaway on Instagram and Facebook! You guys have been so awesome and so supportive over the years and I'm so lucky to be around talented and inspiring people like you! So to celebrate my awesome followers and to say THANK YOU, It's about time for that giveaway that I've been longing to do!

This sweet froggy mobile garland/banner measures approx. 36 cm long and it's made from blended wool felt and I applied some dried pastel pigment on the water droplet to achieve a gradient effect. A warm reminder that this garland/banner was not designed to be cleaned in the washing machine as the small beads may come off.

The official giveaway will be on my Instagram and Facebook page with a few very simple rules to follow:

1. Re post/ share this photo onto your page & hashtag it with #craftersboutiquehandmade.
2. Leave a comment in the original post on Instagram or Facebook telling us 'what pattern would you love to see next' OR Tag 2 friends (or you can do both :D)
3. You must be following either my Instagram page: craftersboutique_handmade or Facebook Page.
4. You can join both Instagram or Facebook for additional entries!
5. The giveaway is open internationally.
6. Followers must be personal accounts.

Yup and that's it! The Giveaway ends on Saturday,10th March (Macao time) and  I'll randomly choose ONE lucky winner and announce it later on that evening! The prize will then be mailed on the 12th March, Monday!

Good Luck Everyone!

February Highlights

Hello Friends! It's time to say goodbye to another awesome month of 2018! Is it me or time is really flying at a jet speed? February have been so much fun for me and to my family, lots of surprises and literally a month where I probably pigged out the most!

I'm so grateful for this month because I got to meet up with a long friend I haven't seen for 6 years! 6 years!! We both live in such tiny country like Macau and I can't believe we didn't even cross paths once! Ana happens to be, not only a friend, but also a dear customer in which I had the enormous pleasure in fulfilling 2 custom orders for her. It might have taken a long time to actually pick a meeting date but I'm glad we finally did and I'm so happy for the laughs and the time spent chatting and updating each other at the cafe. Thanks, Ana! Looking forward to our next meetup

One of this month's best highlights is when we got onto the plane and flew back to Singapore for Chinese New Year. 2 full wonderful weeks of stuffing our faces in good food, catching up with family and friends and being broke because I literally spent all my red packet money on Makeup primers, concealers, (and oh, I finally got my very first beauty blender! *jumps hysterically*) and of course, stationary! I got to say hello to a few extra pounds because... oh my... I blame it on the food ( OK.. now I'm craving for the fish curry head T_T) ! If you're planning to come visit Singapore one day, please try these 2 of my favorite desserts - Red Ruby with Coconut Milk from Redhill Food Court ( because the ingredients are always fresh and the red rubies are "ginormous"... probably the size of half my thumb!!)  and Sea Coconut with Jelly ( from Ang Mo Kio Food Court block 226 because they serve a generous amount of sea coconut!).

Oh...Hi, new stationary!
I got these goodies at Daiso from Plaza Singapura Mall. I always come to this particular Daiso just because I feel that the stationary section are the most complete in comparison to the other Daisos. I guess it's because there are other two big Arts and Craft shops ( Art Friend and Spotlight) in the building, so Daiso gotta keep up with the competition!

My awesome husband decided to get a bit wild on Valentine's day and, what a night! He decided to bring me and Lara along to the River and Night Safari at the Singapore Zoo! First time visiting the River safari and we all had an awesome time! The Night Safari was quite an adventure as we decided to walk the whole zoo at night instead of catching a ride from the tram. Lara was a bit frighten since it was dark and that lion roaring at the background was sure a bonus point! I personally think walking through the 'jungle' at night makes the whole experience much more worth it as you get to go up closer to the animals, to be able to stop and appreciate the surroundings and not to mention, to get a few mosquito bites along the way! We were surprised as very few people decided to explore the zoo  by foot, so another bonus points there because we got the walking path almost to ourselves!

And lastly, thank you for sticking on this little adventure with Crafters Boutique Handmade and for helping me for reach 1000 likes on Facebook! Never ever in my life thought I could reach it one day. I remember thinking whether or not it was a good or bad idea to embark on this journey... But I'm glad I did! But everything was possible because of every single one of you. Every comment, every share, every like, every purchase and every review are the reasons why I still continue to chase my dreams! So thank you from the bottom of my heart! As a promise, I'll be doing a giveaway very soon as a way to say thank you! So let's wait 'till next post!

So that's it for this super fun month! I'm looking forward what March will bring and I can't wait to share it all with you! Hope your February was as pleasant as mine..
So till then my friends! Sending lots of love to wherever you are <3

January Highlights

Gosh...Its already the end of another memorable month of 2018... 

This month has been really awesome.. Not only that my dad came by for a 2 week visit in which I absolutely loved having him with me, but also a month of lots of reflections in this creative path I take. Lots of brainstorming was taken place and as you can see, lots of stationary shopping as a treat! I also started journaling on my very first original Hobonichi journal in which I gifted to myself as a birthday gift last November! It's been such an exciting journey writing on it so far but the only challenge I'm facing at the moment is trying to document my whole day on a A6 page! 

I've been giving myself more pampering time by spending more "me time" with my cousin trying out new gathering places for coffee! And so we found this little corner coffee shop called "Cafe Seis" where they served this delicious Matcha Waffle with strawberries and cream! Ever since becoming a mom, I unconsciously shoved myself aside to attend the needs of my family first. Unaware of these repetitive actions I started to drift away from friends and most importantly, from myself. I got so used to staying at home 24/7 to a point of developing a little a bit of an anxiety just being outdoors! I know it wasn't going to do me any better if I continue neglecting myself so I'm taking small steps to accommodate a self pampering time into my agenda! So far, It's been very enjoyable whether it's coffee time with bestie or just doing a simple manicure at home...I'm starting to learn that self care is very important for your body and spirit and, if safe to say, sanity!

It's been a very creative month as well! So proud in completing 2 custom orders for a friend and a brand new Etsy pattern! And a lovely surprise by  Swoodsonsays.com for featuring my Unicorn Pattern in her blog! Thank you, Stephanie! 

Well, friends, a new month is fast approaching and I'm wishing you all that it will be full of wonderful times to remember, lots of lovely surprises, less art blocks and may you stay always happy and safe! See you in February!

New Etsy Pattern - Mermaid Felt Mobile Garland/ Banner

New Etsy Update! Yes! I finally completed this project that I was so longing to see it whole and hanging and now it's finally up in the shop! This marks a beginning of a new year for Crafters Boutique Handmade with new designs and new techniques! This was a improvised version of my existing Cookie Mermaid pattern and I like this so much more! What do you think? Loving those gradient effects on felts and embroidered eyes.. Just makes everything so magical! 

Mermaid Felt Mobile Garland / Banner Tutorial Pattern

Life is always about learning... We're always learning! And I love learning new techniques, to be inspired and in which I always try to improve every aspect of the artistic side of me. So with new designs coming in, I decided to start retiring some from the shop...starting with my Mermaid Cookie Pattern. I'm offering 50% discount on the Mermaid Cookie Pattern for a very limited quantity, which means that once the stock is finished, the pattern is gone. Its a great deal so hope to see you there!

Hope you guys enjoy this new pattern! Till next time!

My Japan Scrapbook Album

  It's not new that I obviously love playing and collecting stationary. And one of the best ways to use up all those cute tapes and stickers that I've been collecting over the years is to decorate lovely photo albums of memorable trips. I recently came back from an amazing holiday to Japan and what an experience it has been! And to keep those happy memories lively for years, I love printing my photos instead of keeping them in hard drives. I always find it such a waste storing beautiful pictures in the computer that will eventually be forgotten one day...Don't get me wrong, I love posting pictures online too but there's something about printing photos that makes everything even special. 

Printing photos are fun. They're the best way to relive precious memories in a tangible way, It inspires you and to remind you how great your life has been. It's satisfying and the memories will live on forever! One of the reasons why I print them is also because of my daughter. I want her to always remember these beautiful memories spent with us and of all the adventures she's been to! There's still a possibility that my laptop and hard drives won't make it in the next 10 yrs or less...so print them out!

This post is not a tutorial but rather to share with you on how I decorate my photo albums and share with you some tips. 

First things first, before printing my photos I will usually edit them in Photoscape. I adjust colors, brightness and crop them if needed. 

I only choose the best photos or those moments that made an impact on our trip. Then I would just, roughly, calculate how many photos per page on the album. I print my photos in 3R size, by the way..I find the size perfect as It's not so big neither too small. 

Before I get all excited decorating the album with all the colorful stationary, I write type down and print all the places we've visited according to the photos you have printed. Then,  I plan my layout on each page and stick the photos with a bit of scotch tape. Once you're satisfied with the album 's arrangement, It's now for the fun part - Play with stationary!

I love buying my origami paper from Daiso. The have such wide variety of them! And some of those stickers are from there too!
By the way ( out of topic), don't forget to plan your photo layout in a chronological way! ^_^

The photo below was taken in Nishiki Market, Kyoto. The traditional sweets were so delicious I had to document it! hehehe

My first time trying out Warabi Mochi and I loved it. Bought 3 boxes to bring back home huhuhu!

The photo below was one of the best desserts we've tried so far during our trip. It happened to be on a small dessert shop right beside Nigatsu-Do Hall, Nara. It was so good that we bought the very same ingredients in the grocery store so that we could recreate it back at home ^_^ Yes... We even bought the ceramic bowls at a market later in Osaka! The dessert had chocolate balls, plain mochi, matcha powder, chocolate syrup, frosted cornflakes, vanilla ice cream and deep-fried dough sticks covered with caramel. Simple ingredients for an unforgettable taste. We had ice cream before lunch and I recall it was 1°C that day...;P

Don't throw away the plane or entrance tickets of some of the places you visited! They make really special addition onto your travel journal! I kept all mine at the last page of the album by storing them on a D.I.Y origami paper pocket. Just fold the side edges inwards and glue. Don't forget to glue the bottom edge too.

I bought this photo album in Tokyu Hands and it's from Mark's Inc DecorRap. The album itself has only 10 pages but I love these albums because they're refillable. When I got this album I already knew that 10 pages wouldn't be enough to accommodate my holiday photos so I bought extra paper. Each refillable pack has 10 pages. You can find these fun albums in Macao's New Iao Han shopping mall on the 5th floor.

Well, that's it guys! I hope this sparks a little bit of inspiration to print your very own photos and display them in a super fun way! I have other finished albums to show you but that will be on a other day :) 

In the meantime, wishing you a great start on this New Year and see you on the next post!