Random crafts

Short update on the couple of quick crafts I've been doing here and there since the start of this year.

Noteboards I updated at the start of this year with newer photos, random scraps of things and quotes I ripped off magazines. Bought the cork boards at Daiso a couple of years ago, along with rolls of fabric tape to trim the frames of the boards. Glancing at photos of loved ones whenever I sit at the desk makes me happy and reminds me of how blessed I am to have these people in my life.

Pen designs that I also updated, out of boredom. They looked like this from a couple of years back. Ikea prints are love. Fancy pens make me happy too.

And this is a photo sent to me by my friend some time back, whose daughter I made the crochet beanie for. How adorable is she?? So glad it fits well (': Babies are such cute little angels, when they don't cry that is.

Stationery: pens & pencil tin

This idea was actually given by a friend who did it to her pens, and I think it's such a simple but brilliant idea. So much so that almost all my pens look like that now.

A really cheap and easy way to decorate your pens!

Basically you just grab a magazine (I use IKEA's, 'cause they always have such nice prints), flip through to find some nice patterns, and cut out rectangular pieces of them, roughly estimating the length and width need to wrap it around the ink stem. For the pens that I use (Pilot G-Tec, pictured), it has to be magazine paper in particular, 'cause only magazine paper is thin enough to be inserted.

Take out the ink stem from the pen, wrap the slip of magazine paper tightly around the ink stem, and carefully insert it back into the pen. And that's it, you have a cute new pen! Simple and environmentally-friendly isn't it? Because you're using magazines you've read. And also because the pens are so pretty, you'd rather buy refills than a new pen. You can even regularly change the design of your pen, simply by taking out the slip of paper!

And this is my newly decorated pencil tin:

I bought a plain black pencil tin when I was in Osaka. It came with silver alphabet stickers for me to decorate it with, but while shopping on another day, I came upon the stickers section in a departmental store, and I saw these alphabet stickers in colored crayon font, and I knew I had to use them for my new pencil tin. I even grabbed the hiragana (japanese alphabet) version of the stickers, which I have yet to use. It took a while to come up with the quote, given that there are only 5 of each alphabet, in particular the vowels. But this is what I came up with, and I am pretty pleased :D

Laptop case: sanrio characters

Cute laptop case and matching pouch for my charger!

This was made sometime back in January actually, by mummy dearest (: I came up with the idea and chose the fabric and matching red zip. The red drawstring of the charger pouch is ripped off some random paperbag I had...you recycle what you can. Also, the laptop case has sponge padding and black lining inside...like you know, a real laptop case. I mean, it is a real laptop case.

Close-up of the adorable fabric. Apparently it was imported from Japan, and it cost me $30/m (read: EXPENSIVE) But looking at it makes me happy, so I suppose it's worth it, since I've been bringing my laptop around everyday, and I take naps on it during lectures.

My macbook sitting happily on the desk with its new cover on.

Oh and this was my tidied and re-decorated desk! Back in March. Months have passed and it no longer looks as neat...and those are cork/wood coasters stuck on the walls as decoration in an attempt to be y'know, quirky. And also an attempt to make use of some of the useless things I buy and chuck somewhere. The coasters were picked up at a school bazaar a long time ago.

noteboard

noteboard that a friend requested (: she wanted it in greens and yellows, but the fabric was really pretty, so it ended up being blue, green and yellow. i think it turned out pretty well (:

first time using a staple gun! bought a staple gun to staple the fabric and the strings on to the wooden board. it requires steady hands. i ended up having to hammer in the staples more...but it's a very handy thing to have.

an idea of what it's meant to look like...