Monday, January 26, 2009

Happy Year of the Bull


The Chinese New Year Lion Dance picture on the left was taken by Hafiz Ismail. Go check out his Flickr album filled with amazing pictures.

Drive safe everyone & have a great CNY celebration! I'm gonna stuff my face silly with mandrin oranges & arrow root chips.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Sweet Dreams


This gorgeous artwork is by Hadley Hutton & entitled Sweet Dreams. I love how this piece sort of looks out of focus & dreamlike. It's very Mimpi don't you think? Argh. Can't. Resist. I'm going to place my order right after this!

Friday, January 23, 2009

Delectable


Spotted this over at Tongue In Chic & just had to share it with you! This amazing cake (yes, it's a cake!) was made by the talented Su Yin of Delectable. Read more about her over at TiC or at her blog where she shares more of her amazing work & an insight to her life as a confection artist. You can check out the Delectable website too. This girl is incredibly talented & has quite a large loyal following of fans of which she can now add me to the list too!


Thursday, January 22, 2009

Jewelry Organizers

I get a lot of people who ask me if my jewelry displays are for sale. Well, the answer is a resounding NO: Not now, not ever as each piece of display took me ages to hunt down during my travels. But here are some jewelry organizers from Urban Outfitters (Again! That's twice this week... I'm shameless I know!) for your viewing pleasure.


Yes Frills. A very practical piece if you have the wall space & if you like your jewelry on display. You can hook your earrings & necklaces practically anywhere.


Birds on a Branch. I say TO HECK with practicality! I love this piece simply for the little birdies.


Lace Pedestal. This piece is great for chucking your rings, bangles & watches plus it gives you space to hang your earrings. Ingenious & chic!

Mirror Mirror. This has got to be my favorite by far & the most practical as all jewelry needs to be stored away from exposure to dust & moisture (in our humid weather this is very important to avoid). All my jewelry is actually kept in a special jewelry bag & stored in a jewelry box much like the one pictured above when not on display. This prolongs the life of the jewelry.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Nimble


I've shared with you my love of paper cuttings back here & here. So imagine my delight when I read about Kinsey Hamilton of Nimble over at my favorite design blog. Read more about the art of paper cutting & the artist's designs inspirations at Mint (another great design blog).

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Going Indie: Looks Sells


So. You've set up a blog. You've posted some pictures. You've taken part in a bazaar or two. You think you've some great products to sell but why aren't you getting as many customers as you should? I get this question posed to me quite often from new sellers & more often than not, upon visiting their blogs/websites or hearing about their experience at the bazaar, I have to give it to them straight... In the retail world, "looks" sells. It's what draws in the potential customer & hopefully keeps them hooked to your products. If all you're using is a standard template for your blog/website or your table at the bazaar was put together without much thought or care, chances are people won't bother to give you a second glance.

Evaluate the overall image you're projecting: blog layout, banners, pictures, table set up, etc. Are you using a standard template for your blog/website? Are the pictures you're taking to post online dark & fuzzy? Did you forget to bring a table cloth with you to the bazaar? Are your make shift racks & displays falling down at the slightest touch? With all of this plus the addition of facing competition from hundreds (if not thousands or millions) of other businesses out there, do you really think you stand a snowball's chance in hell? I guess not too.

What to do now? Weigh your strong points & personal tastes. Make sure your business' image is at least in line with your products' (kawaii cuteness + business attire = so wrong). Learn how to take better pictures. Download an adorable background for your blog/website. Get a table cloth made or buy it ready made. Invest in some displays or racks, or hey, make your own for that personal touch (just make sure it doesn't fall over when the wind blows). With a creative approach to the image of your business you're sure to win over the hearts of like minded people who will in turn (hopefully) become your customers.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Bijou Bazaar at KLPac's Open Day

A shot of Sentul Park's sign with a vendor's display hanger thingie (so sue me, I don't know what it's called) all decked out.

As usual, I had a lot of fun at Bijou Bazaar & the weather was blessedly lovely. It was hot but breezy throughout the day & the skies were so clear & blue... You couldn't ask for a better day to hang out at KLPac's gorgeous grounds for their annual Open Day.

After the shot above, I handed the camera to the bf to mess around with as I'll be practically tied down to my table throughout the entire event. Unfortunately the camera's battery died after a couple of shots but the bf was kept properly entertained as there were a lot of activities (which I missed) & exhibits (which I got to see at the end of the day).

That's me trying to act nonchalant (or candid as the bf would put it) for the camera. It's hard work man! Anyways, check out the amazing brickwork of KLPac's main building. You gotta love those colonialists.

I'm laughing uproariously at something a lovely lady commented on. She suggested that I should use a plain colored table cloth so that my jewelry would stand out better. The bf had actully pointed out this practical piece of info yonks back when I first started using this Japanese cotton table cloth but I've been denying it for the longest time simply because I'm stubborn & I love the pattern. You should've see the bf's smug face when the lady mentioned the table cloth issue. That's why I was laughing so hard & the bf had to take a picture.

The KLPac Symphony. I was very sorry to have missed it :(

There are more pictures which I will be loading up to my Flickr album. Anyways, all in all I thought KLPac's Open Day was a blast & Bijou Bazaar was at its element: trippy, happy & friendly. Can't wait for the next event! I'll keep you lovelies updated.

Diana Dreamer



This is a Lomo camera made for this little dreamer. Go check it out on Urban Outfitters. I'm now trying to justify to myself why I should get an all-plastic camera when I should be saving up for an SLR camera. No, because "it's pretty" & "it looks so cool" doesn't quite cut it...

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Hello Saturday

Today's a really sloooow day... no plans, nowhere to go, nothing to do which is a nice change as I'm usually at my busiest during the weekends. So I thought I'd just pop in & remind whoever who's out there blog hopping that I'll be at KLPac for their annual Open Day tomorrow. I think I failed to mention in my previous post (but those on my mailing list would've been notified) that I'm offering a 20% discount for one day only at KLPac on all my available items including some brand spanking NEW designs! Entrance is free & getting there is pretty straightforward even if you've never been there so there's no excuse not to drop by. Can't wait to see you there tomorrow ;)

Friday, January 16, 2009

Mimpi On NTV7's Breakfast Show


As promised, here's the video of last Friday's live slot featuring Mimpi on NTV7's Breakfast Show.