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Archive for the ‘handbags & gladrags’ Category
I’m a grocery bag hoarder. I go around grabbing free totes as well as purchasing them from supermarkets such as Village Grocer, B.I.G., and Jason’s Food Hall. Not that they ever go to waste; I keep a few in the car for work, food, or to throw baby stuff into, and I keep some at home for those same purposes. So I don’t believe that one can ever have enough grocery bags. That’s why, for today’s DIY post, I decided to make one out of a bolster case.
Most of the time, when I buy sheets in a pack, they come with two pillowcases as well as a bolster case. I don’t, however, own a bolster. Hence, they all sit in the closet collecting dust in groups of colors. Instead of letting them go to waste, I decided to repurpose them.
A lot of people use pillowcases for their projects, but I like bolster cases because 1) I can make two bags out of one, and 2) the drawstring on both ends of the bolster case allows me to skip making a closure for my bag. The first thing I did was to cut the case into half, and then stitch tabs on both sides of the cut seams to ensure that the seams don’t come apart from the cut. Then, just sew the newly cut line up to make the hem of your bag.
Next, I made a shaped template for my daughter to use as a guide to make a pattern onto the case. It was a fun process for her, and she managed to get them quite orderly! You can also make a potato stamp for this, but since I’m not very skilled at carving, I preferred using the template instead.
Now, the next step is quite simple, but I couldn’t photograph on my own. All you have to do is fold the upper part of your case down to a comfortable “flap” size. Once you’ve established your flap folding line, just cut slits on both sides of the case about 1″ down from your folding line. You must cut the slits right through to the other side of the case, as this will be where your sling will go. For the sling, I used a cloth belt that I had in my closet. You can just use a long strip of fabric to insert into the slits, or a belt like me. Tie a knot with both ends of your belt to secure in place.
And there you have it, a bolster case bag! What makes this one special to me is that my daughter made the patterns, and each time I use it on a grocery trip out, I am reminded to buy her something nice ;p I still have the other half of the case to make a bag out of, so I’ll get to it while you guys have a go at this! Happy DIY Wednesday!
Tags: diy, diy wednesday, gift ideas, kids, mommy stuff, prints
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       So sorry for the shortage of posts this week, we’ve been busy running around finalizing some new products and preparing for a big project that we’ve completely lost track of time! Still, we took a little time to DIY to ease our minds from the stress that has seemingly enveloped us and is squeezing us into an airless room made to torment claustrophobics with. Okay, I exaggerate… but I’m sure you’ve had those days. Anyway, back to they DIY. We bought some chalk paint, got busy painting some mini jars to organize our desks with, and now we have cute little chalkboard jars! Easy peasy! This would be the perfect customizable touch to your party treats or kids packs, although we must remind you to replace glass with plastic for fear of them dropping the jars!
Happy DIY Wednesday!
Tags: diy, diy wednesday, gift ideas, kids, mommy stuff, party ideas
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During the weekend, I couldn’t help but pop by Daiso for that quick fix of crafting materials. I spotted some foam-based A4 cases in our favorite colors, and picked them up with a customization idea in my head. Upon rushing home, I whipped up one of the above for each of the girls in the office, and can’t wait to give it to them!
Here’s what you need to make your own customized name A4 foam case:
1. A plain foam case from Daiso (they have quite a great variety of colors!)
2. Styling tape that’s generally used as draping markers on mannequins
3. A needle and thread
4. A fabric chalk
If you’re a newbie in sewing, don’t fret… this one’s a pretty easy starter to the fun of sewing, and if you’re really afraid to try, then you can opt for a glue gun to assist with the work instead. I didn’t want to use glue for fear of smudges, and I do find sewing rather therapeutic (although I did bleed from a needle wound on one of the girls’ case, but I hid it well enough that they’ll never know ;p). You can purchase styling tape – also available in an assortment of colors – at any haberdashery.
  
First, draw a draft of your font on an A4 piece of paper. Once you’re satisfied with your layout, draw the same onto the case itself with a fabric chalk. Pin the styling tape all through the design (you can also use regular cello tape for this because the foam case tends to run even when pinned), and just hand stitch your styling tape over the lines with a matching color thread. I wasn’t planning on using buttons, but since two names in the team (excluding mine) included ‘i’s', I decided to adorn theirs with some gorgeous fabric buttons I had purchased from Hong Kong.
And that’s about it! You can use this idea on baby onesies for those adorable customized shower gifts, or even on your man’s tees for that added love, or even better, on one of our Tom the tote as party packs for kids and adults alike! Of course, a Sharpie could be as easily used to draw designs right onto any of the above, but I like having textures on my things… it just feels so right. ‘Til next Wednesday, happy DIYing!
Tags: diy, diy wednesday, gift ideas, gin & jacqie, kids, mommy stuff, party ideas
Posted in handbags & gladrags, in the bag, you say i say / 2 Comments »
 
Here’s a little DIY project you can do to spruce up those names cards you have clouding up your office desk. First, arm yourself with some clothes pegs, a few pieces of Jenga blocks (we used the leftovers of the Tesco set from our Ikea lamp hack), spray paint, and superglue. Next, spray paint your blocks and clothes pegs. Once dry, stick the clothes pegs on the blocks one by one. This part requires three must-follow rules: a) DO NOT stick the clothes pegs together before sticking them onto the blocks, b) leave a sliver of a gap between each clothes peg, and c) only superglue one leg of each clothes peg onto the blocks. All the above mentioned will ensure that your clothes pegs can still be pinched open for easy insertion of name cards. When the glue dries, glue another block on the other side of the holder to sandwich the clothes pegs between both blocks.
And you’re done!!! This is a great way to display your name cards, as well as use as a reminder to call suppliers or customers on particularly busy days. For travelers who are always looking for a better way to store their name cards, you should check out our Alex Passport Holder for convenient organization.
Unicorn rides, however, are available for purchase over at Groupon Malaysia. Have a great DIY Wednesday!
Tags: diy, diy wednesday, gin & jacqie, handmade, local loves
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Looking to make a statement during those ang pao giving sessions? Well, we’ve come up with an adorable solution to modernizing a tradition! Meet our new fortune cookie purse, a little coin purse made to resemble a Chinese fortune cookie. While it may not be edible, this little charmer is made of faux gold leather and includes a red lining, cultivating the colors of prosperity within its versatility!
This fortune cookie purse is limited in stocks, and just to ring in the celebrations, we’re giving away one free with every purchase of RM180 and above in a single receipt! Otherwise, you can purchase it separately *here*.
Tags: gift ideas, gin & jacqie, handmade, kids, local loves, mommy stuff, recommended links
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Bored of your mundane pen holders? Need to add some colors and new life to your old bottles? Here’s a way so easy you won’t be able to say you’re too busy to try. Seriously. All you’ll need are some bottles, and some circled stickers made for office labeling. You can get the stickers at any stationery store in a variety of colors.
    
Just pull the labels off your bottles, place the stickers onto them in any pattern you’d like, and there you have it: dotted bottles to brighten your desk! This is also a great project to entertain your crafty kids with. Just make sure you give them plastic bottles to prevent from any potential breakage!
Happy DIY Wednesday!
Tags: diy, diy wednesday, handmade, kids
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One of the easiest ways to entertain a child’s curiosity is to give them sensory projects to learn with. Because my daughter loves painting, and I love non-messes, this freezer bag painting sensory exercise was the perfect compromise. All we needed were some ziplock bags which can be purchased at any supermarket (the ones pictured above are from Daiso, as usual!), an assortment of paints (I used acrylics for thickness but watercolors or poster colors are fine), and blue tack or any tape to stick the bags onto the window.
All you’ll have to do is prepare the bags, fill each of them with a little paint, and stick them to any brightly lit window for that pop of color. Now, most parents do this with at least a combination of two colors in a bag so that their kids can learn the process of combining colors. My daughter, however, has this thing about splitting colors up. So our bags were filled with one color each  Once all the bags are stuck onto the window, just sit back and watch your kid finger paint without the mess! And if you’d like to get in on the fun, these bags against a clear window with the background of any scenery make amazing photographs for that Instagram addiction of yours ;p
Happy DIY Wednesday!
Tags: diy, diy wednesday, kids, mommy stuff
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