Thank You 2008

It's been a crazy year for me. Here's my 2008, short & sweet:

+ I sort of officially launched Mimpi at Bijou Bazaar. Yay!
+ I made it into KLue twice (Second time has yet to be posted... eeps!)
+ Made it into Malaysian Today too
+ I was on 20 Questions
+ Was on Astro Awani's Wanita Untuk Wanita thanks to Bijou Bazaar!
+ I became a PADI certified scuba diver!
+ I went white water rafting twice this year
+ I got to go to India (my dream destination!)
+ A hamster showed up at my doorstep
+ so much more...

Like I said, it's been crazy... but wonderful. I'm awfully grateful for the numerous blessing & lessons bestowed this year & so with an open mind & an open heart, I look forward to what 2009 has to offer.

This is how I spent New Year's Eve last year. I think it's going to look pretty much the same this year as we're spending it with our close buddies. Hope you're gonna have fun tonight too. Be safe & Happy New Year!

Going Indie

I've been getting quite a few emails from readers of this blog asking me for advice on running a small, independently-run business. Be it online or offline, I really don't consider myself an expert so I'm pretty stoked that you would even think to ask!

Although I've been running this small little business of mine for awhile now (part time for more than 4 years, full time since August 2008) & I've experienced plenty of the ups & downs that come with running your own business (all by myself I might add), I still have quite a lot to learn & a looong way to go before I even consider myself a success. Although going at it all on my own (hence Going Indie) was not a conscious decision I'm really glad that I took my own initiative to launch a business that I'm passionate about without relying on anyone else thus enabling me to learn really fast on my own two feet. All that aside, I'll be more than happy to share with you what I know & have experienced. If that's not your thing then be rest assured that I'll still be posting lots of my internet finds & designs as usual.


What I'm really hoping from posting my ideas & experiences is that it'll open up an avenue for more indie business owners to share as well, plus encourage more creatively minded people to run an independent business based on their passion or art or fantastically original ideas. There's really nothing more fulfilling than building a business from the ground up... Trust me.

So all you business minded folks, stay tuned for Going Indie which will be up on every other Tuesday or so (I don't think there are enough topics to cover every week anyways) right here at Mimpi.

Journal, Planner or Calendar?

Being a person who constantly has all sorts of things to make & do, I would naturally love to have the Things To Make & Do Journal from The Little Happyshop. It's a match made in heaven don't you think?

But despite being a person who has a list for every little thing, I really hate to plan so perhaps this Non-Planner Datebook from Fred Flare would be a better fit?


Or should I just stick to good ol' Google Calendar which is FREE & easily accessible online? Oh, the dilemma! With 3 days to go to the new year I better decide soon!

Planting Herbs

Even though I don't usually blog during the weekends, I thought I'd just pop in for a bit. It's been a really slow & quiet weekend for me so I did some gardening this morning repotting some plants I bought yesterday while out with the boyfriend's mother. They were all mostly herbal plants which I've been meaning to grow for the longest time: Thai Basil, Chives, Asiatic Pennywort & an Aloe Vera plant (which is a succulent & not an herb).

I love having a few sprigs of Thai Basil thrown into a salad or eaten with fish soup & Chives are excellent when added to a mushroom omelet or sprinkled on some hot cream based pasta. Well, in my humble opinion at least. Asiatic Pennywort (pictured on the left) is really easy to grow as long as you heap on lots of water & is used for all sorts of medicinal & therapeutic purposes but I bought it simply because it looks really lush & spreads like crazy which I like. I plan to grow mountains of it & give them away as hostess gifts. Aloe Vera on the other hand holds sentimental value for me as my late paternal grandmother was very fond of growing them & used the cuttings for all sorts of skin ailments... Kind of like the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding with his Windex! Just thought it'd be nice to carry on the family "tradition" with the aloe (not Windex).

I'll let you know how my little garden is faring from time to time. I'm dying to get my hands on some really nice handmade planters so I'll be on the lookout for them locally & I'll be sure to share my finds with you too. In the meantime, I'm lusting after these Grobal Self Watering Plant Pots designed by Karim Rashid.

Grobal Self Watering Plant Pots spotted on Delight.

Homemade Presents

Yay! Managed to restock these darling little mason jars for my Brown Sugar Body Scrub. The ingredients for this batch has been refined & I made different tags to go with it. Recognise the tags? They're actually my business cards that I cut up. Thought they'd look cute as tags too.

This batch was made to be given out to my aunties for Christmas. We as a family don't really celebrate (I'm Muslim) but one of my aunties on my mother's side is Christian so we all gather at her house during Christmas to stuff ourselves silly in a big family style potluck dinner party. This year I just thought it'd be nice to have my aunties pamper themselves a little.

I packed all the little mason jars in organza bags & placed them all in a wicker basket for safe transportation. Brown sugar + oil + car seat = not good.

My "contribution" to the potluck dinner party. Dark chocolate & peanut butter cups plus candied orange peel. I made them all from scratch using whatever I had at home. It was a very last minute decision you see... heheee. I think I may have wrapped it up all too prettily though as they didn't end up being eaten during the party. That, or my family has simply no confidence in my cooking skills! -_-

Blanching the orange peels. Proof that I made it all by myself! :P

Psst!

It's the last day of the Mimpi Xmas Sale. Grab the available Necklaces, Earrings, Bracelets & More quick!

WoOhooOooooo

Check it out! KLue did a survey amongst its readers & Bijou Bazaar came out tops as KL's favorite fashion bazaar!


All that hardwork, kindness & integrity shows! I'm so very, very happy for the folks of Bijou Bazaar as they're seriously one of the nicest people around & I highly recommend anyone who wants to try out opening a stall to make your first foray with them... although don't just show up on the day of the bazaar without registering & receiving confirmation first like some people have done in the past. So muka tebal wan.

Anyways: WoOhooOooooo Bijou Bazaar!

My Wishlist

Here's my relatively short list of what I want for Christmas (or anytime of the year come to think of it):

+ a complete set of dive gear in PINK! I'm such a girl :P
+ I'll settle for a Pink Oxycheq BCD if a complete dive gear is out of the question.
+ a sewing machine
+ a new camera
+ a custom made display table for Mimpi
+ a new set of professional pliers
+ like the rest of the world, I'd like this lap top please!
+ an iPod Touch with custom engraving. Too cute!
+ an all expense paid trip to either Turkey, India, Morocco or Mexico
+ another me so that I can be at two places or do two things at the same time!

What's on your wish list?

Season's Greetings!

Before some of you take off for your Christmas & New Year break I'd like to take this opportunity to...

Fleur De Lis

I had a BLAST at the Fleur De Lis Bazaar last Friday & Saturday! Thanks for all the lovin' & the support folks! It truly means the world to me :)

Here are some pictures of my table set up on both Friday & Saturday. I just wish that I has more time to take pictures of the mobs of people at the bazaar & other vendor's table but as I was all on my lonesome self I had to stay glued to my table.

Friday evening. I spent a total of TWO HOURS stuck in traffic trying to get to Bangsar in time. Needless to say, I was late. The picture above is my table set up before the onslaught of fellow dreamers who wiped me clean! But I'm not complaining ;)

Friday night. I finally get to use my custom made Block On! light by Syamly! I got heaps of compliments but really, credit should go to Syamly who's not only talented but a really nice guy to boot!

Saturday afternoon. I got to the bazaar late (again!) as I had to make new pieces of jewelry lest my table ends up looking sadly pathetic. Brought along an extra lamp too just in case ligthing turned out sadly pathetic too.

Saturday evening. Stephanie, me & Yien Yee of A Shopaholic's Den. I think they did a good job overall. Stephanie who was part of the Shopaholic's Den team & Yien Yee who is the head honcho were extremely helpful by helping me out with every little request (including minding my table while I went to the loo!). A+ for effor & integrity!

Saturday evening. I love how cozy this set up looks. I think I'll include the lamps again the next time I do a bazaar. Luckily they're uber lightweight & tres chic. Get yours at IKEA folks, my home away from home!

'Tis The Season To PARTY!

If you're like me, then you'd love a well stocked bar at a party (good company optional as with the right amount of alcohol even the most boring party-goer will became the life of the party!).

This being the season to be merry, I thought I'd share the post I found on Hostess with the Mostess regarding stocking a bar at home. Go read up!

Questions

Sorry, no time to post anything much today darlings. I'm busy with last minute preparations for Fleur De Lis tonight (so much for being quite relaxed this week :P)! Do drop by, say hey ya & pick up one or two pieces of Mimpi jewelry k? I've got some brand spankin' new jewelry designs to unveil... Come & see for yourself ;)

Oh hey, here's a quickie before I go! If you're in the market for some unique, top-notch t-shirts made right here in KL to give out this Christmas, check out Question The Brand tees. They have a limited edition Question Santa tee (only 80 in circulation) & are having a promo! Their high-quality tees usually retails at RM89 but for a limited time only the Question Santa tees are going for RM69! But wait, it gets better folks! If you enter the code QuestionMimpi they'll knock off another RM10! That's RM59!! Check out their controversial design... pretty neat eh?

Hmmm... since you put it that way! I'll never look at Santa the same way again 0_o

Go grab it before they're gone by emailing questionthebrand@gmail.com & don't forget to tell them that Murni sent ya! (Enter the code QuestionMimpi to get a further reduction of RM10)

Mimpi Body Scrub

In an attempt to be eco conscious & creative yet fabulous this year, I decided to make a batch of Brown Sugar Body Scrubs to give out as Christmas cum thank you pressies this year.

The body scrub is pretty simple to make & smells absolutely delicious especially since I added Coffee scented fragrance oil to the mix! Heaven. It leaves a lovely scent on the skin which is not overpowering & with the Vitamin E oil added it's really moisturising too.

I scored these adorable mini glass mason jars from Peddlars in Great Eastern Mall & I must have cleaned them out 'cos I can't find them there anymore! Let me know if you see them anywhere ya?

The tags were simply made with some scraps of Japanese cotton fabric I have lying around & I hand wrote each little label with the list of ingredients at the back. I left the tags pretty much as is as I think the frayed edges adds a little shabby chic charm. Then I topped it all off with a little bow & there you have it, Mimpi Body Scrub.

I personally use it before shaving my legs as the scrub exfoliates (well, duh!) & when I lightly rinse it off the oil residue on my skin is just perfect to make shaving super smooth! Good bye expensive shaving creams! I also find scrubbing very relaxing & the sort of sugar I used has very fine granules so it doesn't hurt my skin like some other scrubs I've used in the past.

I will continue to refine my recipe & will share it with you some day soon. Stay tuned now!

Life Besides Mimpi

Hello. That's me wearing a copy of Samarinda that I just HAD to make for myself too!

How has your week been so far? Surprisingly I've been having quite a relaxing week hence the overload of blog posts!

Anyways, thought I'd share some pictures with you from my life besides jewelry making. Shocking isn't it that I have a life outside of Mimpi? Hehehe

Click on the links below for a peek into my life in the last month or so...

PPKM Dinner at Mandrin Oriental

White Water Rafting at Kuala Kubu Baru

Rick & Trish's Wedding Reception

This picture never fails to crack me up because AJ on the left was totally oblivious! Hehehehe.
Josselyn & Mail's BBQ Anniversary Dinner.

Mini Terrarium

Spotted this neat little DIY terrarium project on Design*Sponge (where else?) last week. These would make great little presents to give out to the neighbors & work colleagues for Christmas or as party favors as was originally intended by the couple who came up with this project in the first place. How eco-friendly!

Oh, I think this project would look great too if you use any ol' glass jar you may have lying around! Waste not, want not right? ;)

Change of Postage Options

I've decided to only offer Registered Mail & Pos Laju from now on folks. It's going to be a big pain for some people who don't like to pay extra for postage but think of avoiding the pain & anxiety when your order gets lost en route via normal snail mail! It breaks my heart too ya'know.

Postage charges are as follows:

INTERNATIONAL
Registered air mail (delivery within 7 - 21 days): US$5.00*

SINGAPORE
Registered mail (delivery within 3 - 7 days): S$4.00*

WEST MALAYSIA
Pos Laju (delivery within 1 - 3 days): RM8.00*
Registered mail (delivery within 2 - 5 days): RM5.00*

EAST MALAYSIA
Pos Laju (delivery within 2 - 3 days): RM9.00*
Registered mail (delivery within 3- 7 days): RM6.00*

*The cost may vary depending on the weight and dimension of your order and location. The amount listed above is the minimum standard. Please note that shipping costs includes wrapping, packaging and postage.

The changes have been reflected here & here so do take note that from now on Normal Mail is no longer available.

New This Week!

Top row (l - r): Kicau, Nurita & Samarinda
Middle row (l - r): Saleha, Sangkar Hitam & Lila
Bottom row (l - r): Edalin, Lazim & Siti Ayu

Click on the links above for more info and don't forget to check out Earrings, Necklaces, Bracelets & More! There are more designs available ;)

Fleur De Lis

Mimpi will be taking part in the Fleur De Lis bazaar this Friday & Saturday. It's an event brought to you by the lovely Yien Yee of A Shopaholic's Den & the dudes behind Shirts 4 Real & promises to bring you the best indie e-shops in Malaysia!

Fleur De Lis
Happening from 19 (Friday) - 21 (Sunday) December 2008
At 7pm - 1am on Friday
& 11am - 8pm on Saturday & Sunday
Located at 256, Lorong Maarof, Bangsar, KL
Map here

Click on the image above for a larger view

This Friday's event is a special evening till midnight event where only invited vendors (such as yours truly) will showcase their goods at a sort of preview of what's to come the following day. So if you want to be first to snap up something from your fave e-shop, this is the day to do so! Do note that Mimpi will only be taking part at Fleur De Lis on Friday's exclusive event & an additional one day on Saturday. Also note that Mimpi will be located at stall #12 on Friday & stall #6 on Saturday.

Click here for a list of who's going to be taking part & click here if you'd like to take part in a little competition A Shopaholic's Den has cooked up.

Psst! Be quick & grab the available items at Fleur De Lis while the Mimpi Xmas Sale is on! Remember, 20% OFF all available items!

Have a Green Christmas

Found a great article on EcoKnights titled Looking For A Green Christmas. They pointed out some really great ways to have an eco friendly Christmas. For example:

• Send a virtual card instead of mailing a card.
• Opt for a real tree instead of fake. Get a potted one if possible so that you can regrow it.
• When out Christmas shopping, bring your own shopping bags. I have some awesome Rume bags that I bought from Tiny Tapir which I use constantly.
• Choose LED fairy lights to decorate your Christmas tree if you must as it doesn't take up as much power as the conventional ones.
  
• Give your loved ones handmade presents instead of store bought ones or equally thoughtful, donate to an organization you or your gift recipient is passionate about in his or her name.
  
• Recycle your newspapers, store paper bags, left over wrapping paper or use a scarf to wrap your pressies. Recycle, recycle, recycle!
• More green tips here.

Antique Frame Calendar

It's that time of the year when I start shopping for calendars to hang over my forever messy work desk. Hey, a girl still needs to decorate no matter how messy she gets right?! Last year I got mine from Turtle Papers based in Seattle. Maybe I'll get this one from Asami Hattori for 2009. And the neat thing is that frame can be reused! Nice.

Frustration

Argh! Flickr won't let me upload my pictures!! Bear with me folks... new designs will be added to the blog shop as soon as Flickr starts behaving.

Anyhow, hope you have a great weekend ahead of you!

Threadless

Threadless is having its annual Holiday Sale! Tshirts are going for $10 - $5!!! And if you type in holiday08 during the checkout you get an additional $3 off!!!

Man, that's a lot of exclamation points.

If you've never heard of Threadless I suggest you crawl out from under that rock you're under & join civilization. My favorites below...

Because birds popping gum & cute bunnies eating magicians are funny

Because they look like delicate paper cuttings

Because they're just too adorable to resist!

And finally... Because I couldn't refuse the diver in me

Tiny Worlds

I want one of these soooooo bad! Spotted over here at http://mimikirchner.com/blog/. Mimi makes an excellent tattooed man too.

Oh, and Happy Birthday to my Mama! You mean the world to me. Love you!

Boys Will Be Boys

Don't know what to get the man in your life this Christmas? Go read the most practical & funniest (by far) guy's gift guide over at Design*Sponge (yes, I stalk it... you should too!).

My favorite gift suggestions include:

• Clothes that will make him look "hot". According to AC, the dude behind the review, "you can talk most guys into wearing anything if they really believe it makes them look hot."
• Knight Rider GPS System. Go figure.
  
• Book: Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991, Michael Azzerad
• CD Box Set: “No Thanks! The ’70s Punk Rebellion”
• And the BEST advice? "What do you do if there’s a few things you really want to get him but can’t? One need look no farther than (sweet, sweet) reality television for advice: strategize and form alliances. Pick the thing within your budget that you think he’ll like most, and YOU get that for him. Then, SUGGEST the other stuff that you wanted to get him to his family members or anyone else who’s getting him a gift (and they WILL be looking for ideas because believe me they don’t know how to shop for him either). It’s a win-win!"

Funny, or what? Anyways, this is just a snippet. Go read the full article!

Roototes

The Rootote Online Store based in Australia is having a sale folks! Enjoy AU$10 OFF AU$50 and above when you enter code ROOGIFT10 at checkout & there's a flat rate of AU$12 for shipping to Malaysia, Singapore, USA, NZ & Europe!

I'm lusting after the Paris Medium Rootote & Europe A-quatre. Anyone want to make my Christmas a merry one?