DIY Fun!

Claudia Low of KLue just posted a great little write up all about DIY Fun! To quote Claudia: "DIY projects not only enable you to get things done while saving cash, it also empowers you. If a project turns out well, you can even start your own business and make profits from it! Just remember to think unique!" Hear, hear!! I couldn't agree more!

Claudia cited some great websites that specialize in all things DIY like Instructables (my fave go-to site for crafts), DoItYourself (a new discovery for me, thanks KLue!), Etsy (a site I spend waaaaay too much money at buying all sorts of greats handicrafts from around the world!) & Fire Mountain Gems (a great place to buy jewelry findings & beads!). Another personal fave of mine which I'd like to add is Threadbanger. Go check all these great sites for tonnes of DIY ideas & materials!

Oh, and thanks again to Claudia & KLue for making my day by mentioning Mimpi! I ♥ KLue a whole lot!

ARTrage Lab Postponed

Yup, you read right. Bijou Bazaar's ARTrage Lab this weekend has been postponed folks! Will keep you all updated on the next installment.

Anyhoo, hope you good folks can make it to Chic Charity this Sunday though. Mimpi has pledged 20% of proceeds to Women's Aid Organization & will be selling some new handmade goodness. Have a great weekend ahead!

These Speak To Me

Let's.

Yes. And I've never forgotten.

(Spotted on ffffound)

Her Morning Elegance

This darling little music video of Oren Lavie's Her Morning Elegance is all over blogland but I'd like to share it with you anyway (just in case you missed it). It's so dreamy & I love the song!



Isn't it simply darling? My fave scene has got to be the underwater scene when she plays with a sock fish & then another one is when they dance together. Lovely. Simply lovely.

Mimpi ♥ Chic Charity

Hey ya lovelies! Mimpi has just confirmed to participate in Chic Charity an event brought to you by the folks of Tongue In Chic in collaboration with Threadszoo & in aid of the Women's Aid Organization!

Date: 1 March (Sunday)
Time: 3.00 - 7.00 PM
Venue: Somo, Mont Kiara (next to Coffee Bean)

All proceeds from the second hand clothes & a portion of the proceeds from the traders will go to WAO! Mimpi has pledged 20% of total sales so I hope you'll come & show some lovin'!

Skylar's Lace

It took my breath away when I saw this on Design*Sponge last week but as I was really busy at that time, I filed it away under my 'to blog about' bookmark folder. Then today, with a fresh mug of hot honey lemon, I clicked on over to My Marrakesh & was mesmerized.


The floor was apparently designed & stenciled by Royal Design Studio with a pattern named after Peacock Pavillion's proprietors daugther & you can buy the stencil here. Now, if only I had a spare USD200 laying around...



I guess I'll just have to placate my design desires by drooling over pictures for now. There are more beautiful details (you so have to see their wall!) over at My Marrakech so do go check it out.

Going All Wonky

Blogger is going all wonky on me again. The previous post was supposed to be out on Monday but didn't get posted until late TODAY & to add insult to injury, I couldn't post anything the whole day! Someone, hHhhEEeeEEElLllPPpp!

Marry Me

This film is seriously cute :)

Happy Tuesday folks!

Blank Page

This is so weird. Someone must've thrown a monkey wrench into the inner workings of Blogger cause my blog posts disappeared this morning! I followed the instructions listed on the Blogger Help Group & it got all my posts back but from what I've been reading, some other fellow bloggers are still plaugued with this problem despite repeated tries. Scary!

And so fair warning to all of you, fret not if you find Mimpi blank. I'm still up for business & taking orders. Save this email add just in case: mimpi.murni@gmail.com. Thanks guys!

Empire Vintage

Lyn Gardner of Empire Vintage is my new muse. I'm absolutely smitten with her shop & her personal style... One day when I grow up I want to be her. And Princess Grace Kelly. Hey, a girl can dream right?

Seen via Decor8.

New This Week!

Top row (l - r): Esok, Suriana & Edora
Middle row (l - r): Kini, Dorita & Irama
Bottom row (l - r): Petra, Sonata & Jelas

Hey ya lovelies! If you've signed up to join the Mimpi Mailing List you would've received an update with a sneak peek of the latest Mimpi designs! Join now by dropping me an email with the subject header "Add Me To The List!" to get a head's up the next time around.

Anyways, be sure to check out loads of other new designs at Earrings, Necklaces, Bracelets & More! There are a few Remakes too so be sure to click on Available under the CATEGORIES tab. It's a rather huge update for me & I'm all pooped out.

Oh, in other news...

Because I ♥ all of you, I've decided to offer something special! Yup, it's a SALE lovelies. If you spend RM100 & above, you get a 10% discount + FREE postage via Pos Laju! This promo is valid for online orders only till 3 March 2009 & DOES NOT include special request remakes & custom orders.

Mimpi will also be taking part in Bijou Bazaar's ARTrage Lab on 28 Feb which is a Saturday at Soho KL (more info on the sidebar to your right). I'll be there for one day only & will be offering up my new designs plus some homemade candy!!! Yes, this girl loves her sweets & thought she'd share some with you. More info soon.

So. I hope you like the new designs. Have a great Friday lovelies!

It's Friday Again

A visual rendering of the Cure's Friday I'm In Love. Yes, I love that song & I want this poster for myself!

Here are the lyrics so that you can make sense of the poster if you're never heard this song before (gasp!):

I don't care if Monday's blue
Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too
Thursday I don't care about you
It's Friday, I'm in love

Monday you can fall apart
Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart
Oh, Thursday doesn't even start
It's Friday I'm in love

Saturday, wait
And Sunday always comes too late
But Friday, never hesitate...

I don't care if Mondays black
Tuesday, Wednesday - heart attack
Thursday, never looking back
It's Friday, I'm in love

Monday, you can hold your head
Tuesday, Wednesday stay in bed
Or Thursday - watch the walls instead
It's Friday, I'm in love.

Well, thank god it's Friday folks! Have a great one ;)

Le Balloon Rouge

Spotted these pictures on Oh Joy awhile back & just remembered to share them with you. I took a really awesome class back in uni called From the Beats to the Bongs where we got to study popular literature, movies & music from the late 1950s - 1970s & one of the first few movies we got to study was this darling 34 minute French short fantasy film from 1956 called Le Ballon Rouge which was filmed mostly silent. It's a simple & innocent story about a little boy who finds a red balloon on his way to school one morning. Do watch the entire film here & I hope you'll love it as much as I do.

Oh by the way, this short film has inspired a fairly recent movie starring Juliet Binoche (one of my favorite actresses of all time) called Le Voyage du Ballon Rouge . Another excellent movie :)

Pink Fairy Cottage

How adorable is this? Scroll down & prepare to be delighted.

A wee little Pink Fairy Cottage I first spotted on one of Design is Mine's Flickr Fridays entitled Into A Story Book.

I fell in love with the interior at first sight. Looking at the pictures made me want to play Tea Party like when I was 5!

Oh yes, you are such a lucky little girl!

Click on over here to see more pictures of the Pink Fairy Cottage & start wishing you were 5 again, totally in love with pink & believe that dressing up as a fairy on a daily basis is perfectly acceptable.

Picture Holder Book

Turn any old hardcover book into a unique picture or postcard holder. Simply fold the pages in half & tuck in your choice of picture or momento. What a great way to upcycle an unloved or underappreciated tome & display ephemera!

Seen via Curlby.

Going Indie: Which Bazaar? V.2

In response to my first Going Indie post, I've received a few emails asking for more pointers as to where to even begin finding a bazaar to join... a point which I took for granted other people would know! And so, with 16 events under my belt since August last year, I will try to elaborate somewhat...

This may seem obvious but you should start your research as to which bazaar would "fit" with your product & price range best by checking out the bazaars yourself to have a feel of the vibe & the crowd plus suss out the competition. If you don't have the luxury of actually going to a bazaar, then I suggest you check out Emmagem or Tongue In Chic for their reviews of bazaars or check out other online seller's blogs (like mine) & websites to find out which bazaars they've taken part in & if they have any comments.

Most, if not all bazaar operators like Bijou Bazaar, Threadszoo, RANtai & LapSap have a blog or website plus a Facebook group so you should also look them up by searching them on Google or Facebook (go do it now!). Join their mailing list & Facebook group to be updated on any upcoming events while you're at it!

Once you've gauged the right bazaar for you, simply contact the bazaar operators directly via email or mobile & express your interest to join & ask any questions if you're still unsure. Simple. IF there's a long wait list to join the bazaar of your choice, then I suggest persistence, persistence, persistence. It will pay off when you start selling your products & start getting exposure, trust me.

Got another question for me? Shoot me an email: mimpi [dot] murni [at] gmail [dot] com

Paper Flower Glory

These crowning glories (more below) must be the most talked out fashion accessory of this season. They were spotted over at the Chanel Spring & Summer 2009 Couture show & "the 65 different tiara designs were made with only 2 stacks of plain copy paper by the Japanese designer Katsuyo Kamo who is a master hairdresser & his small team." Look at the intricacy & details.... simply awe inspiring!

(Spotted via This Is Glamarous)

The pure white paper flower theme continued to the decoration of the venue for the show at Cambon-Capucines Pavilion in Paris. Over 7000 flowers were handmade in the span of 4800 hours to create an ethereal & dramatic effect. My hats off to Mr Karl Lagerfeld, the maestro behind Chanel!

(Spotted via Apartment Therapy)

X O X O

Romancing 1950's Malaya

Hey lovelies! Bijou Bazaar aka Artrage Lab presents Romancing 1950's Malaya this Valentine weekend! It's perfect timing for you to come & grab that special somethin' somethin' for that special someone... At the very last minute no doubt but they don't need to know that, right?

Date : 14 - 15 Feb 2009
Time: 2:00 - 10:00 PM
Venue: Soho KL, Solaris Mont Kiara
Theme: 1950’s Malaya
More info here.

Besides some new jewelry designs, I'll also be debuting some cards I made just for Valentine's Day at Bijou Bazaar! I actually only intended to make one card for the boyfriend but somehow ended up making a couple more as I think I may have gotten carried away with my Xacto knife...

Click on the image for a larger view

It's an anatomical heart if you haven't already figured it out folks! I kept it pretty simple with some space for you to scribble your own message inside plus you could always use it for any ol' day since it's not V'day specific. It also comes with a doily envelope & as a special treat, I'm selling it at only RM5 this weekend at Bijou Bazaar! Psst... The card is about the size of my fist as I did a bit of research & found out that your heart is about the size of your own fist. Neat huh?

Well, hope you can drop by & share the loving folks! Smooches.

To Sir With Love

Just had to share with you a clip from one of my all time favorite movie To Sir With Love featuring one of my all time favorite song of the same title by Lulu. Enjoy.

Princess

Once a princess, always a princess. Isn't Grace Kelly simply gorgeous? I want to grow up to be her some day.

Photos by Howell Conant & seen via Camp Comfort

You Complete Me

I love freebies don't you? Well, Creature Comforts has come up with another great project free to download that's perfect for Valentine's Day!

Taken off Creature Comforts: "What is sweeter than loving words to rest your weary heads upon... especially when they spell out something as endearing as "U COMPLETE ME" when placed side by side. All you have to do is print the PDF file onto iron-on transfer paper and adhere them to your pillowcases. Two additional hearts (one large and one small) included with the text file can be ironed onto the reverse or onto anything else that you wish."

Click here for the instructions & here to download the PDF file.

Bo

One of my favorite things about being part of the local KL bazaar circuit is the exposure to the talents of Malaysia's indie musicians. Here's my most recent discovery...



I personally met Bo at the previous RANtai event I took part in & he's not only talented but he's very charming. And humble. And nice. He actually went from table to table at the event to sell his CD to the vendors & attendees after his performance & at the end of the day gave half of his earnings to the NSTP Fund for Gaza. Stellar guy or what? Check him out at his MySpace & his channel on YouTube. Go grab a copy of his CD (which I highly recommend for that feel good vibe) at BBB Roland Studio, Hartamas.

I'll leave you for now with another video by Bo performing my favorite song from his album Bedroom Sanctuary. Enjoy Malam Ini.

Ribbon Bouquet

The price of roses sky rockets around Valentine's Day so what do you do? Make your own roses of course! Ribbon ones lah cos I think it's a little too late to pick up horticulture at this point...

I spotted this nifty little tutorial to make your own Valentine's Bouquet over at Burda Style which is an open source website for all things sewing. I'm going to make a couple of over sized roses like the ones pictured above. I'll let you know how it turns out k? Oh gosh... 4 more days to Valentine's! Better hurry now.

Better Together

Love must be in the air as I'm currently swooning to Jack Johnson's Better Together but I like the Rhythms Del Mundo Cuba version below better. What about you? Don't you think this is the perfect song for Valentine's Day coming soon?



Here are the lyrics for your crooning pleasure (taken off from here):

[Verse 1:]
There's no combination of words
I could put on the back of a postcard,
No song that I could sing
But I can try for your heart,
Our dreams, and they are made out of real things,
Like a shoebox of photographs,
With sepiatone loving,
Love is the answer
At least for most of the questions in my heart ,
Like why are we here? And where do we go?
And how come it's so hard?
It's not always easy,
And sometimes life can be deceiving,
I'll tell you one thing, its always better when we're together

[Chorus:]
MMM, it's always better when we're together
Yeah, we'll look at the stars when we're together
Well, it's always better when we're together
Yeah, it's always better when we're together

[Verse 2:]
And all of these moments
Just might find their way into my dreams tonight
But I know that they'll be gone,
When the morning light sings
And brings new things,
But tomorrow night you see
That they'll be gone too,
Too many things I have to do,
But if all of these dreams might find their way
Into my day to day scene
I'll be under the impression,
I was somewhere in-between
With only two,
Just me and you
Not so many things we got to do,
Or places we got to be
We'll sit beneath the mango tree now

Yeah, it's always better when we're together
MMM, We're somewhere in-between together
Well, it's always better when we're together
Yeah, it's always better when we're together

Mmmmm Mmmmm Mmmmm
I believe in memories
They look so, so pretty when I sleep
Hey now, and when, and when I wake up,
You look so pretty sleeping next to me
But there is not enough time,
And there is no, no song I could sing
And there is no combination of words I could say
But I will still tell you one thing,
We're better together

You Can

A quote to live by. Click here to see full size. You can also download it to set it as your desktop wallpaper or print it out & hang it as a personal reminder. Thanks Creature Comforts!

Oh, and a big THANK YOU to everyone who came & supported the RANtai Let There Be Love Fundraiser for Gaza last Saturday! You all rock. Special hi to those who came & bought from Mimpi for the very first time after following this little ol' blog. You all rock too. It was great to see so many people come together to spread the loving & in an effort to help Gaza overcome adversity. You all not only rock but skyROCKet. Is that lame? Hehehe.

Happy Thaipusam!

As I was searching for pictures of Thaipusam to share with you, I was most especially struck by Wazari's set from last year. The pictures above are just some of my favorites. Go check out the rest of the colors of Thaipusam as seen through the lens of Wazari. No wonder the dude is an Official Photographer for the government. His work is amazing!

Anyways, here are some facts about Thaipusam if you don't already know it (thanks Wikipedia!):

• Thaipusam is also referred to as Thaipooyam or Thaippooyam in the Malayalam language
• The festival commemorates both the birthday of Lord Murugan (also Subramaniam), the youngest son of Shiva and Parvati, and the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a vel (lance) so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman.
• On the day of the festival, Hindu devotees from the Tamil community will shave their heads undertake a pilgrimage along a set route while engaging in various acts of devotion, notably carrying various types of kavadi (burdens). At its simplest this may entail carrying a pot of milk, but mortification of the flesh by piercing the skin, tongue or cheeks with vel skewers is also common.
• The temple at Batu Caves, near Kuala Lumpur, often attracts over one million devotees and tens of thousands of tourists (apparently it's the largest Thaipusam celebration in the world!)
• The procession to the caves starts at the Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur in the heart of the city and proceeds for 15 kilometers to the caves, an 8-hour journey culminating in a flight of 272 steps to the top. (whoah!)
  

Friday I'm In Love

The Cure still rocks & I'm lovin' those smoky eyes on Robert Smith. Wonder if he does his own makeup... Keep on rocking folks!

(Psst! Are you all set for Valentine's yet? I'm busy with some card making for loved ones & getting ready for the Let There Be Love Fundraiser by RANtai this Saturday & Romancing 1950's Malaya with Bijou Bazaar next Saturday. Share the lovin'!)

GAZA: Let There Be Love Fundraiser

Hey folks! Sorry for the late post. I've just been confirmed to participate as a trader at the RANtai Fundraiser for Gaza. Here are the details as taken off from the RANtai event blog:

With the world recently been devastated with what has been done upon the Palestenians, we at “RANtAi”, feel the urge to lend a hand, or as many as possible, in our way by creating a fund raising event. We, as the young generations of young artists and professionals, come forward to you with this; A charity event is a combination of a fundraiser for Gaza, booths consisting various types of products, performing arts/music, and charity auctions.

Objective:

• To raise funds with a target of RM10,000 to help those in need in Gaza;
• Produce awareness, comprehension and appreciation of love and peace;
• Sharing the practice of kindness and tolerance amongst each other;
• As gateway to young artists to expose their artworks;
• As a gateway to get connected with each other and by expanding one's network;
• To provide guests with information about arts and entrepreneurship;
• Young artists are given a chance to showcase their personal idealism;
• Giving a chance for art lovers and online shoppers to share their opinion, knowledge and potential with everyone;
• An opportunity for the public to mingle with artist, inculcate a better understanding and a concern for our local art scene and nourish the development of local art while contribute to charity;
• A percentage of the sales will be proceeded to the fund.
  

Date: 7th February 2009
Time: 10am - 10pm
Venue: Buzz 'R, 3rd Floor, Amcorp Mall, Petaling Jaya
(near LRT Taman Jaya & A&W Restaurant)

Mimpi along with the other traders at this Fundraiser have pledged to contribute a percentage of all sales & proceeds towards helping the Palestinians so come shop to do good folks! Here's the Facebook event page if you'd like more info. Hope to see you there!

Miss Dior Cherie

I just spotted this dreamy ad for Miss Dior Cherie over at Fashiontography. The commercial below was directed by Sofia Coppola & it's as equally dreamy as the print ad if not even more so. It makes me want to drop everything & leave for Paris right now.... or at least wait until the summer. But before that I'm going to drop by the Dior counter and get a whiff of the perfume. Yes, I am that susceptible to great advertising.

Ink & Spindle

Ink & Spindle based in Melbourne, Australia produces some of the loveliest handprinted textiles I've seen... And the best thing is that all the fabrics produced are printed with environmentally friendly solvent free inks! I'm totally crushing on the Birch print in Robin's Egg Blue above & the Antique Keys print in Black below. Do you think they would be suitable replacements for my current tablecloth? Hmmmmm...

Going Indie: Don't Hover

Today's tip applies to those who do offline sales by taking part in bazaars or operate a brick & mortar business. Being an avid shopper myself, I hate it when a sales person shadows my every move & watches over me as if I'm going to steal something! This happens to me a lot at Guardian Pharmacy for some reason & so instead of comfortably taking my time browsing the selection & looking for new products, I end up just grabbing whatever it is I need or leaving empty handed just to get out of there as soon as possible. The constant hovering just irks me to the point of exasperation & I know I'm not alone when I want to scream, "back off!" in this sort of situation.

And so now listen up all you intrepid entrepreneurs, if you want to be an effective & attentive sales person, you could always approach the person who has wandered into your stall or shop with a smile & a hello or ask them if there's anything you can help them with. Once you get your response, help your customer if needed, answer their questions if any then give them the space to look over your products. You really don't have to stand at their elbow & follow their every move with your eyes. Trust me, it's awful shopping when you feel the sale person could've been a Rottweiler with a grudge in their past life.

I generally give my customers a couple of minutes to let their eyes wonder over my designs then strike up a conversation when they pick up something or touch something by giving them a little background info on the cabochon or charm used in the design. Sometimes this attempt falls flat but more often than not, it generates more interest in my products & even if they don't buy anything from me right then & there, I make sure they grab one of my business cards before leaving my stall at the bazaar so that they know how to find me or to contact me. No stress, no muss & you might even end up being friends with your customer at the end of the day!

Life's For Sharing

I was grinning from ear to ear & giggling delightedly when I clicked on this fantastic new T-Mobile advert which was filmed at 11am on Thursday 15th January 2009 at Liverpool Street Station in London. Watch out for the grooving grandmas gettin' down on it. Oh by the way, Happy Federal Territory Day to everyone in KL, Putrajaya & Labuan!

(Here's a link to the vid on YouTube for a larger view)