Monday 30 November 2009

Day 99-101-My Craft Room


Invite to Party designed by SuZ.
Theme of the party was a fusion of Fashion (Girls) and Spies (boys).
Tasha picked "fashion" as her ambition is to be a fashion designer, like SuZ. Mummy picked "Spies" for the boys and little Nathaniel.

As some of you may know from my post on Day 97, Day 99 was The Birthday Party. This day had a direct impact on my mini making, because thanks to a chain of events, today , after almost 1 year since I started this hobby, I celebrate the birth of My Craft Room!

The chain of events started with Shir, my youngest sister, asking me for help to organise a party for Tasha's 9th birthday. (Cindy, this is for you!)


Since I am incapable of organising any party in 1/2 measure, our plans became more and more elaborate with each passing day and the guest list grew and grew. Before I know it, it became a party for all Shir's 3 kids so that the other 2 will not demand for something similar when it comes to their turn.

There was to be a 2 hour long treasure hunt with 9 clues that rhyme (!!), a fashion show on a runway and a game of police and thieves, all in line with the theme. On top of that, my dining room was to become this:



and my hall was to become the runway for the catwalk. (Please do not be fooled by the title "Super Models" because as you can see, the girls are not exactly high fashion material. The catwalk was actually more to showcase my vintage bags. I gave them matching gaudy scarves, tattoos (leftover "mehndi" from my Banjaran Girls), some glitter and nail polish and they were parading my bags like old hens (sic). Yes, poor Tasha was quite offended when one of the uncles asked her "Aunty, you going to the market?"

Now in order for all that to happen, I had to move my "bazaar" to the guest room. Let me tell you, this is one room where we junked all the misfits, not quite a space to show off anything. So I had to doll it up for the party.

One of the things I did was to lug out this table base from my store room. I found this base at the dump about 500 metres from my house when I went running one morning about 6 months ago. I dragged (literally) it home (yes, people rescue strays, I do junk) because I thought it would make a great base for my craft table. All that dragging had caused the legs to be wobblier than it was. I also found out quite belatedly that it was quite an awkward shape after the 100 kg Queen Anne sat on it. After being asked a few "Are you sure?" before Neo, my man helped me move the Queen Anne, I did not want to tell him "I guessed I wasn't so sure after all despite having said "yes yes yes " rather impatiently".

Here are the pictures of the guest room on Party Day:

I knew then that the guest room would be transformed to My Craft Room. And so began 3 days of intense cajoling, compiling and constructing. There were 8 boards (Ikea last Friday), 8 stainless steel mounting strips (Builders Mart, last Saturday) and after reminding FaiZ twice today, and irritating the hell out of him, S$100 bucks worth of AA brackets (today at 7.10pm).

The cajoling was the hardest but I managed to persuade Neo and FaiZ to put up the mounting strips on Sunday.

At 9.15pm tonight, 2 hours after the brackets arrived, this is My Craft Room now:

Back Wall

New Bazaar


Books on India


Side Wall
Temple and Tree

Front Wall

"Indian Girl"/ Rolling Pin Mirror

Books on Minis

By the way, the party's not over. For those of you who have read one of my earliest post, you would have known that the littlest addition to my family was born on Boxing Day 2008.

This is Xander when he first arrived at my house for his cousin's party:

This one was taken just before he went home, after being badly bitten by mosquitoes.

Not surprisingly, his parents have decided that my home is not suitable for infants. No more birthday parties here, especially for the littlest one as you can see from the invites his dad had designed:

Oops, guess I have blanked out the venue for obvious reasons. Trust me, the venue's not here.

37 comments:

Lize said...

Have you ever had so many guests 'sleep-over' in you guest bedroom before? I think they had a great party all by themselves! The girls in Singapore are all so chic, I am sure those 'super models' showed off your handbags very nicely! I was stunned when I read that your nephew's name is Xander... so is my son's. My daughter was badly bitten (huge red welts, just like your nephew) when we visited Singapore We bought magic cream from the pharmacy, it was called MOPIKO and it worked like magic! Looks like you had a great party!

Ara said...

awww... poor little guy!! Those announcments are too funny though. Thanks for showing your craft room! I always find it interesting to see where people make their magic happen! Looks like a cozy room to stay the night in too! hugs, Ara

rosanna said...

Sans, you have 2 dolls houses and you never let us know !!!!and you have made up such a gorgeous room to work in. I love it to bits. And I love the girls, your nephew (poor wee thing...), the invitation card, the cake, absolutely everything!!!You are a great aunt, let me tell you and they will remember this party forever. Hugs Rosanna

sylvia said...

How wonderful to look into your house and see al the dollshouses!!
It looks all so great!

Love Sylvia

Pubdoll said...

The party looked liked a big success! The girls were so cute in their outfits! And poor little Xander! But him being bitten made really good new invites! Great work of his dad!
So nice to see the pictures from your guestroom/ new miniroom too! It's really nicely organized, I must say I envy you a bit. After all the extra work the last month my house looks like a disaster area!
But how on earth will your guests get any sleep with all that partying going on and so many beautiful things to look at?

Eva said...

Do you need a new niece? ;) I would want an aunt like you!!You're the best aunt in the world. The invitation, the cake, the party theme, everything is great. And the photographs of children are fantastic. I see them happy and made me smile. And Xander, poor baby!!
I ams ure taht was a very succesful party.
And love your room, I love the bed!!

Norma Bennett said...

Firstly, I know now who to call if I ever have to organise a social occasion! I'll supply the mosquito repellant ;)

Secondly, can you see a green glow in the southern hemisphere sky? That's coming from Sydney - I am so jealous of your Craft room! It's lovely, and full of interesting things.

Thirdly, when do we get to see those other dolls houses - you've been holding out on us!!

Lastly, thanks for making me smile so early in the morning, I enjoyed reading about the party, seeing the invites, the photos, etc - and those girls make great models!!

Katie said...

....the kids got a party and you got a clean craft room! I think it's a fair trade! But I must say, you should think about becoming a birthday planner! Looks like those kids had a blast! I would have!!

I love junk collecting too....but the bf has broken me of it over the years....Or maybe he just doesn't realize that I still bring home junk, it's just smaller now, lol!!

Oh....and before I forget again...about a week ago, I sent you a little something....On the back there is a card, I forgot to put it in the box!

:)
Katie

Katie said...

I must also say that I agree with Norma.....what's with all the other houses?? When do we get to see those???

:)

Sans! said...

Dear Lize, it is so good of you to visit my blog and to take the time to leave a comment. As I have said on your blog, you being in Saudi Arabia and making all that incredible minis inspires me a great deal because I know the Middle East is a desert in more ways than 1. I read that you love staying there. You must tell me all about life there one day.

Now, if only I have known you when you were in Singapore, I would have insisted that you visit so that the 2 Xanders can meet!

I grew up on Mopiko and you are right, it is a magic cream. If you need more, let me know, I will be happy to send you some :).

dalesdreams said...

Oh, poor baby! Do you have liquid benadryl?

The girls look fabulous, what a great party.

I am so jealous, is that three dollhouses in there? (green eyed monster here)

Oh, and when you recover, stop by my blog. :)

Sans! said...

Ara, you and me both! I love looking at rooms too because like Lize, I love interior decoration. Nowadays, I love to see where people craft, even if it is just a table space (like what I did). It brings you closer, being able to picture where your friend crafts.

I hope to make the room cosy (room always look nice & neat when you are taking its pictures) so that for those of you who will take the endless-hour-flight to visit Singapore, (hopefully Rosanna and family soon) :), they can sleep in with the dolls they have come to know.

Sans! said...

Rosanna dear, I have 4 , one of them is the termite house! LOL. In the craft room, there are 3. The Queen Anne (very heavy and big) is the one sitting on the wobbly table base. You can't see them in the pictures but they still have last year's Christmas Decor!! I haven't done a single thing except to allow the children to completely mess up the rooms. That's why they are faced out in the pictures.

After I have finished the Xmas swap, I will start on the termite house! (haha, haven't I said that before?) But its a personal promise to Ro who's not quite pleased with how the new Bazaar is turning out!

Mercedes Spencer @ Liberty Biberty said...

Well, what a lucky bunch of kids! Great idea to give all three of them a party at once. That always happened to me and my brother and sister when we were young as our birthdays were all around Christmas!
How fantastic to have a craft room of your own!
Poor, poor little Xander! Hope he is looking better now.
Mercedes

James praker said...

Hi

Great post and I knew then that the guest room would be transformed to My Craft Room. And so began 3 days of intense cajoling, compiling and constructing.


James Parker.
Penny Auction

Sans! said...

Just so to set the records straight, my sis, Shir did most of the work. She researched online for all the pictures to be printed, sorted out the treasures, and even came up with the 9 rhymes for the clues. It was massive work just to organise the treasure hunt :). And speaking of treasures, I love your antique shop, Sylvia :) and good to see you here.

Sans! said...

Helene, I am not sure if the kids really thinks this is a success or not but their mummy did say they kept talking about the party. Its funny but at the end of the day, Tasha asked if this would be the last of a huge party and we said "yes". Her response was good because now she can throw smaller parties where she can concentrate on spending time with her childhood friends (her school friends were taking up all her time and apparently her childhood best friend was a little upset! LOL

I really hope one day,you will visit me, Helene and then you can tell me whether you can sleep in the guest room or if the dolls really come alive. To be honest, I am not ruling out the possibility.

Sans! said...

I am not sure I am a great aunt. The girls' fav aunt is SuZ :) but if I am a little girl, my fav aunt will be her too! So Eva, Norma & Rosanna, I am just glad that the kids had a great time.

Eva, I know you have a real chance of visiting Singapore because of work. Don't forget to come try out the bed. With the new room, I hope to finally be able to make something with the things that you have sent.

Norma, Shir and her family visit Australia every year (except this year, no trips so the party!) so I know you are just a stone's throw away. I am still trying to dig out info on the farm house I stayed in NZ. Will let you know when you visit ;p!

Sans! said...

Katie,yes, I seriously am grateful for the party because getting off my butt to create the craft room is totally worth it. Letting you in on a little secret, I was a kids' party planner before and have done a grand total of 1 professionally. I dare say it was a huge success but TOO MUCH work and anxieties! LOL!

Tell me, how does one break the habit of junk collecting especially if you think you can see what others cannot? *snigger.

I am a little overwhelmed that despite your condition, you have sent me something. You really really shouldn't! But I am running to the postbox twice a day now to check!

Sans! said...

DALE!!!!!!! I can't believe my luck. Twice this year I have won something :). THANK YOU! You know, winning your lottery may mean starting work on the dollhouses sooner. I can't believe NOTHING is done since last Christmas. Already when I am moving the houses, parts were falling off. I am still a little aghast at my standard of work just a year ago and how much I have learnt since. I think I kept postponing it because I want to get better at the craft before I start something so massive.

My 4 dollhouses were gifts from a project I did for MarJ. There was post on Day 31 :) about this.

Sans! said...

Merce, I checked with my brother last night and Xander is as good as new now. :)

Last night I went into the craft room for 3 minutes and then back to my bedroom ! :) Too tired. LOL

James, thank you for visiting!

Norma Bennett said...

I do have a habit of popping up somewhere in the world when least expected so may make it back to Singapore again one of these days.

BTW I'm a little nervous about the idea of the termite house, they eat everything is sight you know, your beautiful dollshouses will be in great danger! ;)

Sans! said...

I will be so happy if you drop by :). Maybe you can help me with the houses :). The termite house had been treated. It was put inside a carton box which is a real termite magnet. No more carton boxes. My problem now is mould and mildew.

Unknown said...

omg HAHAHAA i started laughing at the before and after pic of Xander, and i'm still laughing now XD

thank you for posting this! WOW. that's an awesome 'guest-slash-craft' room :O jaw-droppingly awesomely well done.

i wish i could come over like we planned ages ago, but looks like plans have to be shelved (haha) till after the event ; ;

thanks for this peek into your life :) i really enjoy 'personal' posts like these too ^ ^

dalesdreams said...

Sans, well, if you've already won once this year, maybe I should do the draw again. LOL! Ha ha ha ;)

So glad to hear that the baby is all better now. :)

He is a cutey patootie! All of your neices and nephews look adorable. :)

Craftsmanship is always improving over time, I think it's nice you can see progress in your own work.

Off to go find entry 31. :)

Unknown said...

XD i hadn't waited for all the pics to load yesterday, and simply speedread your entry, only now do i realise that the cake pic was 'dedicated' to me HAHAH!

it's awesomely adorable! i love the theme, and that little guy spying through the magnifying glass XD it's great to see kids having fun ^ ^

k. i'm not awake yet. laters!

Unknown said...

WOW!!! Susan, that guest bedroom/craft room is to die for!! Can I move in?? And look at those houses :-O!! Yes, I laughed my arse off at the before and after (the mosquito attack) of that sweet little guy ;-)! He looks like he went to battle, WTF??

Susan, I love your updates- they are always HIGHLY entertaining!

Sans! said...

Haha Dale, I wish life is fairer but it is not and some of us win twice a year. Truth is I have maybe won 3 lotteries in my whole life. One of them is yours! So my luck is really not that great. I hope to pick something from your etsy soon, maybe when you have read my comments/email, you can help me.

Cindy, remember the bazaar on the dining table? Well, it was for you too but since we couldn't make it in time, now you can come see the room and undone dollhouses! That magnifying boy is Nathaniel and he is making sure his sisters cut the right spot. AND maybe on nights when you are helping me with the dollhouses, you can stay over..heh heh!

Ok Kiva, you want to know what really happened to little Xander? The mosquitoes attacked his face because it was the only place on his body without the repellent. Apparently the little bum on his eye was because a wise guy saw a mossie on his face and decided to hit it! Sigh...but the rest are all mossies so no, he's not an abused child.

Katie said...

LOL...Well, I didn't break the habit, the bf did....Plus I live in a tiny little trailer, and well...not too much more will fit!

...what condition?? I'm alive, ain't I?? And besides I told you I would! It's not much...just something to let you know I do think of it Every day!! (Now I sleep better knowing it's been sent!)
:)
Katie

Lize said...

I am such a good Private Investigator! I found the blogs for the other houses! OK that was really not so difficult, BUT, I can not find the Maharajah's Tent Sans, HELP ME HERE! Your blog is like a maze... I keep getting side tracked... and when I go back I think I 'What was Iooking for?" Oh yes... the tent!

Sans! said...

OMG!!!! You are going to live till 100, Katie, because I was just going to email you and then I read this comment .We Chinese believe that you will live a long life if you "appear" in front of a person just as he or she is thinking of you!!!

I have received your parcel and I am still trying not to jump up and down too much! I am waiting for a good bright day to take some pics and then you will know how I really feel.

Sans! said...

Lize, I get a headache trying to find my own posts and I am painstakingly re-titling my 103 posts one by one so that I can tell which one is about what! LOL. I started a new blog so that I can find my own "how to" posts! Can you imagine a more roundabout way of doing things?? I needed the how to posts because I often forget how to do some of my own minis. I am so groaning at my own weirdness.

Anyway, a pic of the tent as it is now can be found on Day 79. Very bad pics and my process can be found on Day 76-77. They are all under June entries. They are all badly taken photos. You sure you want to go there?

Unknown said...

*packs a sleepover bag*

^ ^

warning though, i do snore.....

dalesdreams said...

(folds self up tiny to fit in sleepover bag)

giggles

(hears snoring, crawls back out)

;)

Sans! said...

Jai looks at the 2 sleeping beauties and shakes his head. He bends over and clips Cindy's nose and then stretches over to stuff cotton wool into Dale's ears. He then carries each of them out from the sleeping bag onto the bed and then went back to drumming his tabla at Ro n Rolla's. Happy at last.

Unknown said...

death by mini asphyxiation.

what a way to go.

*bliss*

dalesdreams said...

bahaawwahaahaahaa! ;)

too funny! :)


Did you say something, I can't hear you. lol ;)

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