Selamat Hari Merdeka

Happy Independence Day or Selamat Hari Merdeka to all fellow Malaysians! We were at home with some buddies watching the KL skyline lit up with some amazing fireworks feeling rather proud to be living in a country that is peaceful (despite all the political hoopla). May the rest of the world find peace.

31 Ogos

The above was taken at 8tv Quickie's Raya Carnival which has got to be one of my most embarrassing moments to date! I had to answer a few simple questions Merdeka related then as a penalty for getting one question wrong (FYI Najib is our 6th Prime Minister NOT the 5th!) I had to sing 31 Ogos by the legendary Sudirman. Luckily I managed to rope in a few more people to sing along with me (including Imran - the guy with the sunnies on the left - whose fault it was I had to do the whole thing in the first place! Oh, and Maryam who is the organiser of Bijou Bazaar sportingly joined in too). If you happen to catch this episode on Quickie & it doesn't get edited out (oh dear God please get edited out), do accept my heartfelt apologies for totally killing Sudirman's patriotic lyrics although the others were really into it! Haha.

Anyways, hope you all have a safe night tonight celebrating our nation's 52nd year of independence & just in case you want some something to patriotic to sing at the stroke of midnight tonight, here are the lyrics to the song.

31 Ogos by Sudirman

Tanggal 31
Bulan lapan lima puluh tujuh
Merdeka ! Merdeka !
Tetaplah merdeka
Ia pasti menjadi sejarah

Tanggal 31
Bulan lapan lima puluh tujuh
Hari yang mulia
Hari bahagia
Sambut dengan jiwa yang merdeka

Mari kita seluruh warga negara
Ramai-ramai menyambut hari merdeka
Merdeka !
Tiga satu bulan lapan lima puluh tujuh
Hari mulia negaraku merdeka

Merdeka !
Merdeka !
Merdeka !

August Updates!

Hello my dears. I'm so sorry for the late update this month. Time just seems to slip by ever so fast these days & before you know it, it's another Ramadhan & there's a mad scramble to get custom orders & wholesale orders out in time for Hari Raya. But have no fear, I didn't forget you lovely folks who continue to support Mimpi so I managed to squeeze in some time to update the blogshop with all sorts of new goodies! Do check out Earrings, Necklaces, Bracelets & More to have a look & I hope you like what you see.

As it seems the Merdeka Sale is sweeping the nation, I thought I'd throw a little Mimpi Murni Ramadhan Sale instead! That way you get to enjoy the sale a little longer past Merdeka plus get a little piece of Mimpi to wear for the Aidilfitri. Read on below...

Terms & Conditions:
♥ The discount only applies to all AVAILABLE items & for orders totaling RM100 & above.
♥ The free shipping included in the discount is via Pos Laju for Malaysian customers & Registered Post for Singaporean & International customers.
♥ The discount does not apply to special request remakes, custom orders or orders of less than RM100.
♥ This offer is valid only for online orders made between 28 Aug - 18 Sept 2009.

As usual, please do not hesitate to email me if you have any questions regarding the designs, the sale, your order or if you just want to say "hey ya!" Also do note that if you're not 100% committed to make a purchase, please do not fill in the order form only to back out at the last minute. I unmercifully spank backout buyers. But of course everyone here is a lovely little peach who would never dream of backing out, right? OF COURSE!

Have a great long weekend ahead everyone & Happy Merdeka!

Mimpi ♥ No Plastic Bag Bazaar

Shopaholics Go Green this Merdeka Day!

Mimpi will be joining The Recyclists & Threadszoo for the 2nd installment of the No Plastic Bag series of events! The aim and greatest hope is educate and promote a greener lifestyle while raising funds in support of projects by the Furry Friends Farm (FFF) and the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS).

This one-of-a-kind Merdeka Day bazaar features activities such as:
♥ New & pre-loved items up for grabs! (including Mimpi of course)
♥ A variety of green products
♥ Celebrity-donated items for up for auction + Chic Charity run by Tongue in Chic!
♥ A Pet Adoption drive, and
♥ Raffle draws

Let's celebrate a greener future this Merdeka Day in hope of a greener and more environmentally conscious humanity!

Date: 31 August 2009 (Monday, public holiday)
Time: 12pm - 6pm
Venue: Noble Banquet, #235 Jln Bukit Bintang (map below)
FaceBook event page here.

Hope to see you there & don't forget to bring your own shopping bag k?

P/S: There's an update coming reaaaaal soon with lots of new jewelry. Stay tuned!

Hattie Newman

Picked off Design*Sponge, "Hattie Newman lives in a magical world, filled with mountains constructed of paper, rainbow colored villages and enormous gingerbread men." Oh yes, indeed! Check out the rest of her magical paper world here.



Via Design*Sponge.

Emma Van Leest

If you've been following my blog for awhile, you'll notice that I have a serious love for paper cut art (blogged here, here, here, here, here & here) so I'll let these pictures of Emma Van Leest's incredibly intricate work speak for themselves.






Amazing or what? Read more about this amazing lady & her art here.

Via the Inside Out blog.

Mysterious Letters

Ah. Another community minded project to love (much like Outdoor Knit & Matchbox Project I blogged about recently) - this time Mysterious Letters personally handwritten by Lenka & Michael to 467 households in the small Irish village of Cushendall! Here's what Lenka & Michael have to say:

'We hoped these unsolicited letters would prompt neighbourly discussion, spreading across the town, promoting community curiosity. The art work consists solely of the discussion between the recipients about what on Earth these letters are, who sent them and why, etc.’

What an excellent way to bring back the lost art of letter writing & to create a little community bonding don't you think? Read more lovely little letters at their blog, it's pretty engrossing.

Via Design*Sponge.

Outdoor Knit

The good folks of Wellington, New Zealand combined forces with Outdoor Knit to beautify a vacant plot of land by weaving hearts on the chain link fence surrounding it. The nifty part is that the little hearts actually look as if they're simply floating in the air from the distance! Craftivism at its best :)

Via CRAFT.

Would You?

Food (sorry, that's all I'm pretty much thinking about right now) for thought from Susannah's Flickr photostream. Hope you're having a great day so far especially those of you fellow Muslims who are fasting as well. Happy start of Ramadhan folks! May we all face it with patience & perseverance to ultimately achieve modesty & spirituality.

Photo via Design Is Mine.

Chocolate

I was away when the news of Yasmin Ahmad's death shook Malaysia. I felt genuine dismay when I finally heard about it a few days later. I admit I don't know her personally but I deeply admire that she stuck to her guns despite all the controversy Sepet stirred up for bringing down cross cultural barriers. She was not only talented & inspirational but one who was very genuine & brave, who IMHO revolutionised Malaysian cinema (and I know I'm not alone in this sentiment). Here's her simple yet endearing entry to 15Malaysia where you can also watch 14 other short films about Malaysia featuring some of the best known faces in the country including entertainers and politicians. For now, enjoy Chocolate which was just released yesterday.

Freehand Embroidery

I recently picked up my embroidery floss & needle for some simple embroidery so I blew my socks off when I saw this amazing piece done by a Mrs.Kitty as shown above. This piece is an example of 15 different embroidery stitches done freehand! No pattern, no sketches - simply done on a whimsy to play with "rainbows and floss, texture and stitches." Nice!

Via Mr. X Stitch.

Grateful

Despite a major annoyance this morning, the sun is shining, the sky is a clear azure blue in my part of town (heard it was hazy in KL) & I had the pleasure of sitting down for half an hour to watch kittens being kittens. Bless.

Photo via I Am Blessed.

Green Porno

I actually saw this series of documentaries by Isabella Rossellini about the weird & wonderful ways that animals reproduce awhile back. I even tweeted about it but it totally slipped my mind to share it with you here till I read Scout Holiday yesterday! Do forgive me & make sure you check it out on the Sundance Channel as it is not only educational (and pretty darn funny) but it showcases some really craft-tastic sets & costumes in easy to digest 2 minutes episodes.

Scout Holiday

I love weddings that are fun, festive yet intimate & this wedding party (it really does seem more of a party than a wedding) not only incorporates heaps of crafty touches but definitely fits the bill! Love the origami cranes, casual flower arrangements & heart shaped helium balloons!

Via Scout Holiday.

Fabric banners are all over the place! Make your own with this simple DIY tutorial.

Mia Palencia On TheStarOnline.tv

Check out Mia Palencia's interview on TheStarOnline.tv above folks for the low down on her second album which will be released next month in its digital form with a physical double disc the following month! I'm eagerly anticipating both but in the meantime, I'm going to download Call Waiting to set as the boyfriend's ringtone. Quite honestly, I think the ringtone was written just for us since he calls me Baby & I frequently miss calls as my phone is usually lost in the jungle that I call my handbag. Thanks Mia!

If I...

Did you ever wonder what would music sound like if you had ears like an elephant? Happy Monday everyone!

Via Free People Blog.

Mimpi ♥ 8TV Quickie Raya Carnival

Hey ya lovelies! Just a quick little note that Mimpi will be at 8TV Quickie's Raya Carnival this Saturday at CapSquare from 12pm - 6pm! I will be bringing in lots of new designs & if you take part in 8TV's fun & games, you might stand a chance to win some Mimpi jewelry on top of all sorts of other goodies!

Do note that 10% of all Mimpi sales will be channeled to 8TV's charity fund for Yayasan Anak Yatim Pinggir, Tmn Tun Dr. Ismail. There will also be some performances by the likes of Bo Iqram, Ana Raffali & Couple plus 8TV Quickie will be recording their Raya segment throughout the day & you can expect all sorts of fun activities that you can take part in too! So do come on by for a shot at 15 minutes of fame while getting a head start on your Raya shopping & doing your part for charity! Sounds like a fun day? You bet!

Event: 8TV Quickie Raya Carnival
Date: 15 Aug 09 (Saturday)
Time: 12pm - 6pm
Venue: CapSquare, Jln Ampang
(map below & click here for more directions)

Hope to see you there!

Enjoy Cupcakes

I think I just found my slice of cupcake heaven. Too bad it's so far away though (California to be exact)! Enjoy Cupcakes is a lovely little bakery specializing in, what else? Cupcakes of course silly! But these ain't your run of the mill vanilla cupcakes with overly sweet frosting folks. Check out their menu: Chocolate Blackberry Syrah, Tart Ginger Lime Chardonnay, Citrus Sauvignon Blanc, Choc Salted Peanut Butter and Caramel Crunch, Rootbeer Float & Honey Bee Hive to name a few. My mouth is salivating just typing this out!



Oh, and don't you just LOVE their adorable little camper van that they take with them to special events & the farmer's market? I cold use one of my own...

Via Design*Sponge.

DIY: No Sew Fabric Banner

Here's a handy little tutorial courtesy of Paper n Stitch for those of you who want to whip up a no sew fabric banner in no time flat. All you need is some fabric scraps, some iron on adhesive (which you can get at the sewing section at IKEA), some string, scissors & an iron! Easy peasy.

Via CRAFT.

Okinawa Chiraumi Aquarium

My jaw was basically hanging open throughout this gorgeous video by Jon Rawlinson the first time I saw it. In fact, I'm still in awe! I mean, hello? Whale Sharks & Manta Rays all in one tank? If Okinawa Chiraumi Aquarium is the second largest aquarium, I wonder what the largest aquarium is like...

Anyways, in case you're wondering, the track playing is "Please Don't Go" by Barcelona. I know. I found it really soothing too :)

Via Free People Blog.

Plastic PETs

These seemingly lifelike jellyfish & anemones are actually made from PET plastic bottles folks! Creator Miwa Koizumi had this to say: I love the idea of using liquid containers to make water animals. Contained/containing, trash/not-trash, like the jelly-fish or anemone: Living/non-living... And I wanted some pets... That last part cracked me up!

Via Free People Blog.

Souvenirs

These dreamy photos featured on Souvenirs, by French blogger Chloe, had me at hello.

Via Decor8.

Mimpi ♥ Doodlebug

I will be setting up a booth & giving a jewelry making demonstration at the launch of Doodlebug this Sunday. Along with Mia & Mika, Tiny Tapir, Doof, Scrapping Glitz & Chantek Glitz, Mimpi will be there in full support for this cosy little retreat where kids can be kids so I hope you'll be there too!

Doodlebug is situated in the heart of KL where kids can play, socialise & learn all the same time & where parents can relax without fussing over the little ones or take part in the revelry if they want to! Sounds neat right? But that's not all! Doodlebug is planning to expand their series of classes for adults too & that's where I come in! Yup, I'll be teaching my adults only jewelry making classes there so if you're interested, do drop by this Sunday to sign up or drop me an email for more info (no, you don't have to be a parent to join Doodlebug). Hope to see you there!

Date: 9 August 09 (Sunday)
Time: 12 PM - 5 PM
Venue: The Bungalow,
9, Lorong Damai 9,
Off Jalan Damai,
Kuala Lumpur
(map below)

Click on the image above for a larger view

Butterfly Jam

I hope you know it's not very nice to catch butterflies (this picture was actually Photoshopped) but there's something about this picture that I find simple, beautiful, melancholic & dreamy. Butterfly Jam was shot by the very talented 17 year old Chloe.

Via Creature Comforts.

Babushka Photo Frames

While I'm busy replying emails & getting back into the swing of things, I thought I'd share with you a really lovely design I stumbled on a few weeks back such as these lovely Babushka Doll photo frames from Catkin Collection! I think it's something you can whip up on your own too if you can get your hands on some blank babushka dolls, a saw & a drill with a large bit. Otherwise, you can always get it here.

Via Decor8.

Hello, I'm Back!

Hello lovely people! How has everyone been behaving these last couple of weeks? Did you enjoy the scheduled posts while I was away? Boy, am I glad to be back & I can't wait to share with you all the new & exciting ideas I've been thinking about over the break! I have a mountain of emails & orders to catch up on so bear with me these next few days while I sort everything out k? In the meantime, here's my favorite shot of a brilliant sunset I had to pleasure of viewing during my trip to Ha Long Bay, Vietnam last week. Ah, bliss!

The Matchbox Project

I was charmed off my socks when I first read about The Matchbox Project via the Inside Out blog (Inside Out by the way is one of my fav ID mags). Sonya Gee who came up with this brilliant idea empties out matchboxes to include little treats such as a Legoman, baby harmonica, slingshot, toy bowling set, time capsule, stationery, XS-sized zine, confettin (pictured above), mushroom pendant (pictured below) or other small treats & leaves it somewhere randomly for a stranger to find. Most of these tiny presents have been scattered across Sydney, Australia & have even made it to as far as France! You can even follow the matchboxes on a specific Google map & even on twitter so that you can hunt the little darlings down if you happen to be in the area.

To quote the website: Each week, a decorated matchbox with a tiny present hidden inside is left by a girl (and sometimes willing friends) somewhere in her travels. It's a random act of semi-artistic kindness aimed at disrupting someone's day in a tiny but positive way. That's if they dare to pick it up...

Love, love, love this idea to bits!



I'm so inspired by this project that I might want to start a little something of my own. What do you lovely people think? Any & all feedback will be greatly appreciated.

Back Home. Again.

Hello lovelies! I'm glad to be back home after a nice, long trip. The blogshop will be officially reopened tomorrow & I can't wait to get back into full swing. I've been mulling over some new designs & I'll be sharing a little project I stumbled on while blog hopping a little later today. It has nothing much to do with jewelry but I'm really, really excited about it & I can't wait to get started once I hear everyone's feedback. Watch this space!

Bonjour, Dis Fromage!

I love soft cotton tees with a v-neckline & these Bonjour & Dis Fromage ("Say Cheese" in French) tees from Delia's fit the bill. Ah, love.