Your Own Personal Moon

Saw this at The Unicorn Diaries on a bout of blog hopping & immediately gasped! These images have got to be one of the most surreal & the most beautiful I've seen in a looong time. How wonderful to have your own personal moon to light up your life don't you think so? After a spot of sleuthing I found out that these images are the work of a Russian artist. Will try to dig up more info & let you know... I'm just dying to get a hold of these prints for myself.

All Natural Beauty Remedies

Here are some all natural beauty remedies I picked up from Martha Stewart & tried awhile back to placate my curiosity. Be warned, some of it may sound a little crazy but hey, I can attest to the fact that these remedies actually work (on me at least) & the majority of the ingredients used can be found in the kitchen! Easy-peasy.

Beer Hair Volumizer
Yeast and hops help to swell the hair shaft and plump the cuticle, adding volume. The acidity of the beer helps remove built-up product residue. In the shower, after you've shampooed, pour a bottle of beer over your hair, Philip B. advises. Rinse briefly with fresh water (the idea is to avoid the Eau de Barfly effect while retaining the beer's body-boosting benefits). A rich beer with a high yeast content works best. (I think it's safe to say Muslims can stay away from this all together)

Egg Hair Mask
Eggs' high protein content helps improve hair's resilience and luster. Whisk together 1 egg, 2 tablespoons coconut oil or olive oil (I used Grapeseed oil instead as it doesn't smell at all), and 2 tablespoons sesame oil (I changed this to honey as I didn't have any sesame oil & it worked great too although I realise honey has nothing to do with sesame oil! It's called improvisation). Apply the mixture to dry hair and wrap a hot, moist towel around your head. Relax for five to 10 minutes. Without wetting hair first, work in a handful of shampoo, and then rinse and condition your hair.

Milk Bath
The lactic acid in milk serves as a gentle skin exfoliant, while its natural fat content acts as a body moisturizer. Add a gallon of whole milk to a tubful of warm water and soak. It's a great alternative to sugar and salt scrubs, which may be too abrasive for people who suffer from eczema, psoriasis, or sensitive skin. If you prefer a fragranced bath, add 10 to 20 drops of an essential oil such as lavender.

Orange Scrub
The fruit acid loosens dead skin cells. Cut a fresh orange in half and squeeze the juice of one half into a bowl. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup olive oil and then blend into a moisture-rich scrub. Next, rub the exposed side of the other half of the orange over knees, elbows, heels, and any other dry spots. Last, rub in the sugar mixture to slough off dead skin. Rinse with warm water and pat skin dry.

Oatmeal Face Wash
Soothing and anti-inflammatory, oatmeal contains beta glucan, a soluble fiber that creates a thin, moisture-retaining film on the surface of the skin. Place a handful of whole oats in a clean washcloth and use a rubber band to secure it. Next, immerse it in a sinkful of warm water and squeeze the bag four or five times. Once the water is cloudy, splash it on your face and then air-dry. (If you must towel dry, pat as gently as possible.)

Pick up more Crazy Beatuy Tricks That Really Work at Martha Stewart.

KLPac Open Day

Happening this Sunday (18 Jan) from 10 am - 5pm at KLPac

Taken off the KLPac website:
If you're new to this Open Day thing, it's something KLPac started in 2008 and it was an absolute blast! We packed in 5,000 people and brought together some 200 arts practitioners.

Basically, it's one whole day jam packed with FREE performances, visual art installations, theatre and cultural games, arts workshops and demonstrations, staged readings, show previews, film screenings and, of course, the ever popular guided tours.

And if that's not enough to keep you occupied there will be some 60 over stalls on the lawn selling all kinds of interesting goodies and great finds courtesy of the Bijou Bazaar team (that's where you'll find Mimpi)!

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS

NEW! The open day kicks off with a lion dance @ 9.30am

Dont' miss the finals of the FIRST, EVER KLPac Idol! Find out who has what it takes - the charm, the personality and, most importantly, the talent to win this prized title.

There'll also be a dance performance in Pentas 1 itself by rising choreographer / dancer Aris Kadir...

EXCITING TALENTS

Julian Mokhtar, Azmyl Yunor, Young KL Singers, KL Children's Choir, bellydancers from Sirocco Secret Dance, Kayla Maxey of Flamenco Malaysia, klpac sinfonietta, Indian Cultural Drum Group (Sentul & Jln Ipoh), Persatuan Silat Cekak Pusaka Hanafi and heaps more

ACTIVITIES

Fun activities to dive into in the studios are (get this!) Theatre Games for Singles by Mark Beau de Silva, A Movement Story Session for kids by the academy @ klpac, preview of 2Somes by Chris Ling, Ritual Theatre workshop by Nanci Taynor, physical theatre workshop by Helena Foo and staged readings of plays by Redza Minhat, Fared Ayam AND MORE!

Come, check out your local arts centre and find out what is has to offer, meet artistes, ask questions, participate, discover... Nowhere else will you see such a wide array of arts performances and activities in one single day!

The Sentul Park Koi Centre will also be joining this Open Day and there'll be hawker fare at reasonable prices.

If you're early, you might be able to catch some really amazing ticketing promotions for upcoming shows @ KLPac.

ADD THIS TO YOUR NEW YEAR SOLUTION - don't be a KLPac virgin, check out our Open Day!

Click here for festival schedule + activity info
Click here for map of festival ground (indoor + outdoor)
Click here for location map & public transport options.

Questions? e-mail yuemay@klpac.org

SeaFolly

Being rather pale (& in need of exercise), you'd never guess that I love to swim. I go swimming whenever the weather & my schedule permits it plus the boyfriend & I head out to the dive pool (for scuba diving) quite frequently so I'm always on the lookout for really cute but practical swimwear. Imagine my surprise to discover that SeaFolly has revamped its image. I remember this particular brand as being rather safe & kiddish but I could be wrong or sadly mistaken it for another blah & boring label. Anyways, I'm totally lovin' the new Spring/Summer swimwear.

Handmade All The Way Baby!

I'm so lovin' all my handmade buys from Creative Mafia! Here are the links to the creative people behind these lovely goodies & a little info in no particular order:

Wrapping paper by Kam Su-Sze. This little dynamo of an 8 year old came by my stall with an older boy, gave me a cheeky little smile & immediately won me over. I bought the wrapping paper she had designed herself in an effort to raise funds for World Vision Malaysia. Each set consists of 2 different designs of wrapping paper & 2 gift tags with Su-Sze's poems & retails at RM10 per set.

Fashion-na-nimal Darlings Paper Dolls. I saw these displayed on the wall but thought they were part of an art installation so I lamented to Iwan (who's part of the Bijou Bazaar organising team) of the tragedy of not being able to bring the little Darlings home with me. And like the trooper that Iwan is, she went to find out if the Darlings were for sale & once confirmed that they were, like a shot I snapped up 3 little Darlings for myself! And to make the deal even sweeter (or probably because she wanted to calm me down as I was sooo excited) the artist Dura picked out another Darling for me for free! I gave the lovely Dura a hug & skipped back to my table with what has got to be the chicest paper dolls I've ever had. Check out her blog for more lovely artwork & woohoo, she mentioned me! Yay! Each Darling retails at RM5 (great buy for artwork people!).

Key Lime Tarts & Apple Crumble by Taste Invasion. Oh. My. God. They were soooooo gooooooood. I kept going back for more throughout the 3 days & now I'm hording the last of the Apple Crumble (Key Lime Tarts didn't even last the car ride home). Luckily Kaye does delivery near my area so I'll be ordering again very soon. Each tart retails at RM2 per piece.

Embroidered Cosmetic Pouch from Patty Belle. Finally had the opportunity to meet Patricia, the maven behind Patty Belle after much emails & Gchatting back & forth. Her stall was filled with lovely handmade goods from friends & from her travels all of which I adore. My cosmetic pouch retails at RM24.90.

Tiny Buttons & Matches plus Screen Printed Tees from Karya. I think this design team had the most creative stall set up by far (chicken wire & styrofoam alphabets... hard to miss!). Anyways, I scored on some cute handmade buttons (RM2 each), a handmade tiny box of matches (RM0.50 I think!) & had an old t-shirt of mine screen printed right then & there for RM5 with the design of my choice & another one screen printed with their t-shirt for RM15 (which funnily has a Zion label... a parody perhaps for their "Free Palestine" design?). The total damage was RM26.50.

Handwoven wallet, pouch, basket & butterfly brooch from Gerai OA (they don't have a website but you can contact Reita at geraioa@gmail.com). I had the fantastic luck of setting up my table right within close proximity to Gerai OA which is a nomadic, volunteer-run stall that sells handicrafts made by the Orang Asal (OA), the indigenous minorities of Malaysia. 100% of the sales monies is returned to the indigenous craftspeople & they sell a myriad of lovely handmade products such as beaded necklaces, bracelets, brooches & keychains, puzzles, wind pipes, etc. My favorite has got to be the intricately woven wallets & pouches & each piece is so afforadbly priced at only RM10.50 - RM14.50 (depending on the design). I actually bought a whole lot more than what you see pictured here so my total is somewhat high in comparsion to the rest.... get ready for it... RM64 for 2 wallets, 2 pouches, 2 baskets & 4 brooches. I consider it a very, very good buy.

My other purchases not pictured here are:

Handpainted top from Devotee. Each piece is hand painted by the adorable Millie. I got the grey sexyah top with the Matryoshka doll from her new Kitsch collection which is not pictured in her blog or vlog but trust me, it's as adorable as Millie herself. I just had to have it! Retails at RM48.

Highwaisted skirt from Nana G. The skirt was designed by my lovely friend Nana & it's made locally. I just love her design sensibilities as each piece is so easy to wear & figure friendly. I predict that this skirt is going to get lots of wear. Retails at RM119 but for the event she slashed it down to RM53! Steal!!

Hazelnut Brownies by Azlan of Euphorics. Totally blew my mind. Enough said. I'm so ordering more. RM4 per slice, 3 slices for RM10 or RM60 for the whole cake.

Have you? Go take the pledge too!

Whew!

Sorry for the late post today folks. I just got up after a 12 hour hibernation & my whole body is groaning in protest from 3 days of lugging my stuff back & forth, tending to a constant flow of people & trying to keep warm in near arctic conditions at YOUTH'09's Creative Mafia. I'm planning to spend the whole of today in my super loose yoga pants & snacking on the yummy goodies I bought yesterday at the event (and I bought A LOT).

My most heartfelt gratitude & thanks to everyone who tuned into the Breakfast Show on Friday, who left such lovely comments & sent me encouraging emails, who actually came to PWTC to check out my designs in person & who prayed along with me for fortitude... I guess I didn't sound like a blubbering idiot after all! Whew!

The boyfriend (and the rest of his co-workers... oh dear god!) actually managed to tune into the show & I was told no one could tell I was nervous. Man, if you could only see the butterflies fluttering in my stomach! It helped that everyone on the show especially Nas, the host, was really nice & friendly (he ended up buying a necklace for his wife). A big shout out to Sariah for arranging everything! My only regret was not taking a snap shot of the experience. Ah well, at least I'll have a clip of the show to share with you hopefully by the end of the week.

Oh, and once I come out of my coma I'll be sharing with you my fantastic handmade buys at Creative Mafia. I've taken part in quite a few events & admittedly, I always end up going home with some new tops or dresses (mostly from Bangkok or China) so this time around I decided to only buy handmade or locally made products. Can't wait to show you my finds! You're gonna love it as much as I do ;)

Dreamer

This song never fails to cheer me up

Hey fellow dreamers. I adore Breakfast at Tiffany's don't you? Anyways, I just wanted to pop in before I head on out to Sri Pentas for my spot on the Breakfast Show on NTV7 (eep!) & to give you all a head's up just in case you haven't been paying attention to my not-so-subtle hints all week... Mimpi will be at YOUTH'09 happening at PWTC from today till Sunday (9 - 11 Jan) & so this blog shop will be closed but will reopen on Monday (12 Jan). So hold your emails till then or hey, drop by PWTC & come check Mimpi out in person.

Anyways, wish me luck & pray that I don't turn into a blubbering idiot on LIVE national TV today!

Must Remember To

All I want to do right now is dump everything & head to a nice sunny beach somewhere. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do for a living but boy, I'll be glad when I finish preparing for YOUTH'09 then hopefully I'll be able to catch up with my sleep sometime soon.

In other news, I'll be on the Breakfast Show on NTV7 tomorrow morning! I honestly can't even begin to tell you how nervous I'm feeling right now. Wish me luck & fortitude!

I Want That

Adorable or what? Being an advocate for all things handmade plus driven by color & design, I went ga ga when I clicked on over to I Want That based in Singapore thanks to a feature on Tongue In Chic. It's official folks, I have a new webshop crush.

Going Indie: Which Bazaar?

As I gear up to get ready for YOUTH'09 this weekend, I thought I'd share with you a few tips on how to choose an event to take part in since there are an overwhelming number of bazaars, markets, fairs, whatever you call them mushrooming all over KL of late. I don't know about you but as someone struggling to make a name for Mimpi I'm left feeling pretty overwhelmed at the choices available & so without fail, I whip out my handy dandy list of questions that I use to vet each bazaar that I'm interested in taking part (and to bug the bazaar operator) so that I can come to a knowledgeable decision. Feel free to use & amend the list below as you see fit or drop me a comment if you'd like to add a question or two (or three!).

1. When & where will the event be held?
   Dates & location are key folks. I suggest stay away from events that are too close to major holidays like Hari Raya as most people will balik kampung 2 - 7 days beforehand & if you've never heard of the event venue, then I bet you lots of other people haven't heard of it too. You can still take the risk & sometimes you'll be happy you did but a risk is still a risk.
2. How much is the rental?
   
3. Is it an indoor or outdoor event? If it's outdoor, what sort of contingency plan is in place in case of rain?
   
4. What items will be provided? What items do I need to bring?
   Eg. table, chairs, tarp to cover the table/racks in case of rain, etc.
5. Will I have access to electrical outlets? If so, will I need to bring an extension cord?
   Bring a really looooong extension cord if you have one. I've been told before that each table would have "acccess" to electrical outlets so I brought along my standard 5m extension. Unfortunately the bazaar operators neglected to mention that the outlet was 20m away from my table!
   
6. Will I have access to wi-fi?
   This is quite important for online business owners I think, as I've actually run my online business concurrently with my offline business... plus it's great that I get to catch up with my emails & online orders during the quiet periods at the bazaar.
   
7. How convenient is parking? Is there a charge for parking?
   Please use proper parking where possible. I'd hate for you to use your profits from the event to pay your saman!
   
8. Do I have to be accepted to join the event, or is it on a first come, first served basis?
9. Do I have to pay rental fees before the event & if so, when is the deadline for payment to secure a spot? Will there be a refund offered just in case I can't attend after making the payment?
   
10. What are the sales & attendance figures for the bazaar?
11. How many traders will be there?
12. Is the location of my space/table based on allocation or first come, first served?
13. If location is allocated, can I choose my location? Who will my neighbors be?
14. What is the event venue layout like? Is a layout of the venue provided?
    Big brownie points if the bazaar operator can provide this. At least you'll know where the toilets are in case of emergencies.
    
15. Will there be an ATM available?
    This is always good to know so that you can warn your customers beforehand in case there isn't one
    
16. Are there any promotional/ publicity effort being done for this event?
17. If so, then how is it being done? Are there fliers/ posters/ radio announcements/ commercials being distributed/on air?
18. Are there any posters/ badges/ buttons/ clips/ info/ link that I can add onto my blog to further promote the event to my blog readers/website visitors?
19. Is there a map to the venue provided?
20. Is the event approved by DBKL/ MPAJ/ MPSJ/etc?
    This is simply good to know just in case some big honcho somewhere decides to do an operasi.
    

Now, bazaar operators SHOULD be able to answer all of these questions. If they don't answer at all or even neglect to explain any of the above questions in a concise manner that you can understand (a simple yes or no would suffice for some of the questions), then I suggest stay away.

So that was my first little nugget of knowledge for Going Indie. Hope you enjoyed it or that it helps you in some small way. Email me at mimpi.murni@gmail.com if there's a particular topic you'd like me to cover or if you have any questions regarding today's topic.