We know you guys are loyal fans of our organizers, so we decided to introduce a cute addition to the family: meet Organize Leah, a multipurpose bag insert that screams adorable! This bag organizer carries and stores all your handbag essentials, and just like the rest of our organizers, Leah makes it easy to switch handbags without having to throw all your essentials out and repacking them again. It also protects the interior of your handbag from stains and scratches, and is easy to wash.
Organize Leah comes in four delightful colors:
Thanks to its zipper opening, Organize Leah can also be used as a mini handbag on its own. It has a large interior compartment and two smaller compartments within for smaller items. There are two front exterior compartments for handphones and tissues, three exterior mini pockets for beauty products, a hook-on cord for keys, and four side pen slots. And the best part is that you can grab this baby for only RM65!
Stylish, adorable, and affordable… what are you waiting for?? Purchase *here* today!
We’re sure you guys remember this amazing transformation video and posts about Illy’s Push Button House. Illy hired Adam Kalkin of Quik House to design a basic shipping container into a metamorphosis that happens with the touch of a button. The container opens up into a fully furnished and running cafe within the span of 90 seconds, and this eco-friendly ingenuity has been used for disaster reliefs, luxury showcases, as well as just for great coffee.
Now the concept of building with and within shipping containers has become a trend, and one that we really approve of! Not only are they economical space-wise, they’re also light on the wallet and provides such a great extension to many homes. Take, for instance, Ecopods.
Ecopods are an easy transportable containers that are designed to be durable spaces made for porting around. They’re energy-saving low in cost to manage.
The best part about containers is that you can readily extend the space by adding more containers. Cove Park declares itself an “artist’s retreat”, and its residents are made up of individual and collaborating groups of creative minds that just need that quiet spot to work. Such picturesque perfection would definitely get the creative juices flowing!
If you’re a family with kids and is thinking, no way is living in a container going to work for us… Well, the Port-a-Bach might just be the ideal solution to saving space while on the move. A cozy vacation home that is transportable and fits two adults as well as two kids, we’re dinitely on board this nifty design!
While containers are making a name for themselves as the latest “IT” space to live in/by, have you ever wondered where this concept of living in a box came from? Well, we happen to come across an article on “Why Finnish babies sleep in cardboard boxes“, and we believe that the old tradition that has been keeping moms well adjusted is trickling down into modernity. Yes, the title sounds traumatizing, but on the contrary, this “baby box” that the government offers to expecting mothers has helped lessen infant mortality by a tremendous amount. The box is filled with many necessities that expecting parents would need, from onesies, to towels, to bra pads and even condoms, and the box itself doubles up as a sturdy crib for the first month. No more Snuggles Nests for us!
So there you have it… Guess sleeping in four walls ain’t all that bad now, eh?
We posted this lovely video that Redd Bullets did for Cadbury, and we’re posting it again because Cadbury has arranged to provide for the public a customization service to their chocolate bars, especially for Father’s Day. If you haven’t already, do watch the video to see what we’re talking about.
For two days only, Cadbury will be at selected Tesco outlets to offer this awesome gift. They have 10 preset messages for you to work with, so you can just include your name and your kids’ names. All you’ll have to do is purchase the bar first before customizing, and you’ll be advised to pick it up later. This is an offer limited for two days only, so do check through the above image for all the details on where to grab your dad that extra sweet treat for Father’s Day!
Recently, I threw a farewell party for a friend who was leaving to pursue a career in Singapore. She wanted something to remind everyone of her, and because we had very little time to make something from scratch, we came up with simple customizable gifts to give out at her party: forget-me-knot journals.
We found these great faux leather journals in Daiso which came with long cloth closures to bound together. We drew hearts on each cover, and cut them out. Then we painted the first page of the journal with pink acrylic, and just glued the cover to the first page once the acrylic dried. She wrote a simple message onto each heart for every friend, and that’s it! Super fast to make, super sweet to receive, this forget-me-knot journal is sure to remind that loved one of your love!
Our latest Mother’s Day giveaway is from the lovely Shelby of Bisou Bon Bon. Bisou started out as a pre-loved blogspot, but has since transformed into a popular brand amongst the homemakers of the local scene. Unlike a lot of mainstream beauty names out there, Shelby promises that Bisou keeps away from artificial fragrance, preservatives, or colorings. And the result of her promise created wonderfully natural, handmade products that soothe the body and treat the skin.
We asked Shelby to give our readers a few of her favorite Bisou picks:
The ARGAN OIL, nicknamed “liquid gold” and is packed with natural nutrients such as vitamin E compounds, polyphenols, phenolic compounds, carotenes (antioxidants) and essential fats, this luxurious hair and skin conditioner absorbs quite, leaving minimal oily residue. It also soothes irritated and sensitive baby skin, not to mention helps prevents stretch marks because of its ability to prevent the breakdown of essential structural proteins like collagen and elastin, therefore helping rejuvenate the skin with additional nutrients. You only need 1-2 drops on your palm to use daily onto skin for that light and all-effective rejuvenation!
The Hiver soap bar is concocted by using a formula that incorporates every element of being calm. Think chamomile essential oil (a herb that is used medicinally for over 2000 years and is known to be the premier treatment for soothing skin irritation and boost regeneration), lavender essential oil (a powerful healing and anti-inflammatory agent), honey (for that extra sweetness to your skin!), rolled oats, and fresh goat’s milk (fantastic for eczema-prone skin). With all that said, we really wanted you to have the best of it all in just one bar!
Our solid perfumes are basically ready-to-use, easy to carry perfumes that come in lightweight cases fit for your purses! We currently stock three scents: Paris (rose with a hint of Ylang Ylang), Provence (lavender with a pinch of geranium), and Lorraine (bergamot with a hint of Patchouli). They’re fun, and make such great gifts for those who love a little pick-me-up!
So how do you get your hands on some wonderfully handmade Bisou Bon Bon products? All you’ll have to do is upload a picture of your mom looking stylish and fab when she was younger onto our Facebook page. Alternatively, you could Instagram that same picture to us by tagging us as well as hash tagging #ginjacqie #flashback. Each participant is only allowed one submission, so pick the most awesome pic! Contest ends on May 31st, and winners will be announced on our Facebook page.
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!
It’s Monday, and Jacqie’s in Japan spreading the Gin & Jacqie love around! Which brings us to this Monday’s perk-me-up about a Japanese boy and his French bulldog. Tokyo-based mother, Aya Sakai, has been posting up awwwwweeee-some pictures on Instagram of everyday bonding sessions between her boy and his best friend, and seriously, it doesn’t get any cuter than this. If you’re having a gloomy start to your Monday, we can assure you that your day – and week – will turn around after following Aya Sakai and her snippets into this amazingly adorable friendship. And if you’d like a peek into Jacqie’s journey around Japan, don’t forget to also follow US on Instagram!
This week’s Mother’s Day giveaway comes from none other than one of our favorite local handmade brands, Oh & Ah! We wrote about Oh & Ah wayyyy back when (click to read), but the brand has expanded heaps since then. With new products under their legally charming belts, Oh & Ah has proven that a little innocence and a lot of good design sense goes a really long way. We asked them to recommend three of their latest products for those of you who aren’t familiar with the brand, and here’s what they picked:
“Our Bus Series has been really popular among the Lapan crowd. There are three designs available for purchase: bus sekolah (a long yellow school bus for RM79), bus mini (a smaller model in pink at RM59), and our latest addition which is the zoo bus (RM79). Right now, the bus mini is sold out.”
“Another favorite among customers is our Elephant design light (retailing at RM230). These lights are made of clay, and are attached with a lightbulb AND dimmer. We love hearing what people decipher this clay guy to be; some have said monkey, others have thought of him as an odd-shaped man, the list goes on… However, to us he is an elephant!”
“These little guys sunbathing on patches of grass have been on constant repeat through our collections since the days of setting up shop at Art for Grabs. We love them because to us, they represent Malaysia’s hot weather, where so many enjoy a wonderful sunbathing temperature of 30 degrees almost all year round. Now they’re available on easy-to-wear rings, adjustable to fit all sizes. They retail at RM39 each, and are really fun conversation pieces to have on hand (pardon the pun!)!” <—EDITOR’S NOTE: Ellie couldn’t resist these adorable sunbathing dudes, and has bought a few already!
The generous peeps of Oh & Ah are giving away three Hello Marks (first picture of this post) to three lucky followers of Gin & Jacqie! There are two ways you can win yourself a handsome little bookmark by Oh & Ah:
Facebook: leave us a comment on our Gin & Jacqie wall and tell us about a favorite story or book your mom used to read to you when you were younger.
Instagram: snap a picture of your favorite childhood storybook as read to you by your beloved mom, and hashtag #ginjacqie #lovebooks so that we can keep track of all entries. Please note that if your account is set under Private, we will be unable to see your tags, so do leave us a comment on our Oh & Ah instagram pic to inform us of it!
This contest will run from today up ’til the 24th of May 2013. In addition to their generous prizes, Oh & Ah are also giving away a 10% discount to everyone! Simply type in “iloveumom” upon checkout on their shopping site to redeem. This discount lasts up to the 30th of June 2013, so stop wasting time and get to purchasing some awesomely handmade stuff!
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!
For those of you who are fans of homemade soaps (we are!), you’d be no stranger to this familiar name of the local homemade industry: The Kinder Soaps Company started its humble journey when mother Michelle Ho noticed eczema patches forming on her adorable little one. Having gone through the same when she was younger, Michelle knew she had to do something to ease the itchiness and sores of her daughter. So she took matters into her own hands. Upon Googling a “natural” product that could help with the situation, she realized that skincare formulations regularly include chemicals, be it in small amounts or damaging quantities.
With this newfound understanding and knowledge, Michelle started Kindersoaps in hopes of giving the market an all-natural skin brand that is made especially for the skin-sensitive among us.
We asked Michelle to recommend three products for newbies to the brand, and these were her recommendations:
A lot of our customers have dry or dehydrated skin for a myriad of reasons – ranging from minor dehydration, to being constrained in air-conditioned environments. As such the majority of our products aim to protect and rehabilitate dry skin conditions.
Summer Fizz has been a popular choice as the first step towards moisturizing dry, mature skin. Its refreshing lemonade-like scent comes from the use of rosemary, peppermint and sweet orange essential oils. Together with apricot kernel and camellia oils, plus the deep reef red australian clay, they work to pep up tired skin and ensure that you step out of the shower feeling comforted and revitalized.
Our 100% oil based Dry Skin Relief Skin Treats oil is a terrific, all-natural moisturizer which is best applied after a shower on damp skin, so as to ease absorption. Unlike cream-based moisturizers which are emulsions, ours has no water content, therefore enabling us to skip using preservatives entirely. The oil is light and sinks easily into the skin after 3-5 minutes after gently massaging it in. Customers are taken in by its creamy, vanilla-like scent, with hints of sweet orange. Just a few drops can go a long way in keeping the skin from drying out.
For even more intense, long-lasting moisturization on the go, our Double Duty Balm is definitely worth a try. It works wonders to heal dry, chapped lips, and can be used anywhere on the body where there is dry flaky skin. It also soothes and prevents sunburns and is a terrific alternative for people who are allergic to aloe vera (which is commonly used to treat sunburns).
This Mother’s Day celebration, Michelle has kindly donated a few of her bestsellers – the Summer Fizz soap bar – to our lucky readers! From the 11th to the 17th of May, simply describe your mom in ONE sentence on our FACEBOOK WALL to be in the running to win a luxuriously lathering bar of your own! On top of that, all winners will be notified with a discount code to enjoy any online purchases made at www.kindersoaps.com!
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!
