27th Week of Craft Activity (23 Jan 2016 - 5th Feb 2016)

OK, bear with me for this, I'm trying to catch up with all my long overdue blogs!

I will be blasting you with the previous crafts that we have highlighted since the beginning of the year until current in 1 go!!!

So here you go...

As you are know, we have changed the Craft of the Week to every fortnight. Reason being my Instructors are having a tough time catching up with my demand...

So, now, we only change our activity every 2 weeks, sometimes 3 weeks, depending on the season.

For the 1st ever craft for the new year (27th since we started our craft activity journey), it is the CNY Craft, as CNY is on the 8th of Feb...and since this year is the Year of Monkey, do expect to see them, lots of em'...

We made few types of crafts, mainly to decorate the house:

We have it in Magic Nuudles...

Paper Plate...

Popsicle Stick...this serves as mini fan...

Hanging Ornaments...

I super super love all of them! Thanks to my super creative Instructors, Cheryl & Aqilah! 

5th Week of Craft Activities (15th Feb 2015)

Here's what U have been waiting for! Activities conducted on 15 Feb 2015...

We have the sheep themed activities again (read here to find out more) PLUS some decorative items in preparation of the upcoming Chinese New Year!

This is cool as the kids (plus their mommy) actually did it together!

3rd Week of Craft Activities (1st Feb 2015)

Here are the Craft Activities for 1st Feb 2015...this was very popular & i repeated the same craft for 3 weekends (on top of the other crafts of course!)! LOL

Age Group 3-5: Paper Plate Pom Pom Sheep

Materials needed:

White paper plate x 1

Black Colored paper x 1

Googly Eyes x 2

White Pom- Poms or Cotton Balls

Scissors

Glue

Instruction:

1) Cut the face of the sheep, plus the legs accordingly. I used free hand to cut, but you may opt to google the template.

2) Glue the legs to the paper plate. 

3) Apply glue throughout the paper plate & start putting the pom-poms/cotton balls on it. (Here's when the kids had fun, throwing the balls to the plate & it stuck there! The younger ones were amused...)

4) Glue the googly eyes onto the face of sheep.

5) Glue the face onto the top part of the plate. Remember to check the location of the legs before sticking the face on!

And, you are done!

Age Group 6-8: Fluffy Pom Pom Sheep

This is 1 craft that even the adults can't resist & paid to make it!

Materials Needed:

Pom-pom Maker - various sizes depending on the size of the desired sheep

White Acrylic Yarn x 1 ball

Black colored foam paper x 1 piece

Googly Eyes x 2

Black colored Pipe Cleaner x 1

Scissors

Glue

Instruction:

1) Thread the yarn over & thru the pom-pom maker until you are happy with the thickness. The thickness will determine how fluffy your sheep will be. So, thread on as much as possible (eventhough it is a very tiring process...lol)

2) Cut the Black Pipe Cleaner into half & place it into the center of the circle of the pom-pom maker. Bend it to secure the legs.

3) Cut the yarns & tie it tightly.

4) Glue the googly eyes onto the sheep face. You can try google for the template if you are nit comfortable to cut it free hand.

5) Glue the face onto the yarn. Remember to check where the legs are!

6) Bend all 4 legs to desired length so that it can stand. 

7) Optional: I glued the sheep onto a base plate so that it can stand nicely.

Cute huh?

Age Group 9-12: Mini 3D Origami Sheep

Materials Needed:

Red Origami pieces x 3

Beige Origami pieces x 16

White Origami pieces x 89

Black Origami pieces x 12

White colored paper for the ears

Googly Eyes x 2

Scissors

Glue

Flower or any other decorations (optional)

Note: in case you need to refer to the diagram on how to fold the origami pieces, please refer to my previous blog here...

Instruction:

1) Starting from the bottom up, you should have 12 of the origami piece on each row. 

2) 1st 2 rows will be all White pieces.

3) 3rd row you will start to put 1 Red piece in between 2 Beige pieces. Fill up the rest of the 9 pieces with White.

4) 4th row put 2 Red pieces in each of the pocket of the Rec piece from 3rd row, then put 1 Beige piece on each side. Fill up the rest of the 8 pieces with White.

5) 5th row you will have 5 pieces of the Beige on top of the Red & Beige peuces from 4th row. Fill up the rest of the 7 pieces with White.

6) 6th row will have 4 pieces of Beige & 8 pieces of White.

7) 7th row will have 3 pieces of Beige & 9 pieces of White.

8) Finish off the remaining 2 rows with White.

9) Attach 2 pieces of Black on all 4 corners, spread them evenly. Then add the remaining 1 piece to all 4 legs.

10) Glue the ears, eyes & decorate it as you like!

Happy Crafting!

2nd Week of Craft Activities (25th Jan 2015)

Here are the activities conducted on 25th Jan 2015...hope you like it!

Age Group 3-5: Cherry Blossom Tree (Paper Punching Art)

Materials:

Cherry Blossom Puncher x 1

White Paper Plate x 1

Brown Magic Pen x 1 (you can use brown oil paint as well)

Glue x 1

Pink colour Paper x 1

Instructions:

1) With the Brown Magic Pen, draw the tree trunk & branches onto the paper plate. 

2) With the Puncher, punch as many flowers as you want from the Pink coloured paper.

3) Glue the flowers onto the paper plate & decorate it the way you like it!

You can stick the plate onto your wall.

Age Group 6-8: Felt Cherry Blossom

Materials:

Light Pink Felt x 1

Bright Pink Felt x 1

Brown Pipe Cleaners 3mm

Brown Pipe Cleaners 6mm

Scissors x 1

Cherry Blossom flower Template

Plyer x 1

Instruction:

1) With the Template, draw as many Cherry Blossom as you desire with the Light & Bright Pink felts.

2) Cut the felt accordingly. 

3) Fold the flower in half & cut a small hole. This is to enable use to put the pipe cleaner through later.

4) With the Plyer, cut the 3mm Brown Pipe Cleaner into 4 pieces.

5) Roll the 3mm pipe cleaner from step 4 2 times to make it a small circles. Then, put the pipe cleaner thru the small hole on the felt. Repeat for all felts.

6) with 1 piece of the 6mm Brown Pipe Cleaner as the main stem, use another 6mm Brown Piepe Cleaner to wrap the main stem until end.

7) Repeat for all Cherry Blossoms.

Age Group 9-12: Crochet Cherry Blossom

Material:

Light Pink Acrylic Yarn x 1

Dark Pink Acrylic Yarn x 1

Brown Pipe Cleaner 6mm

Dark Pink Pipe Cleaner 6mm

Light Pink Pipe Cleaner 6mm

Crochet Hook 2.5mm x 1

Instruction:

1) To make the Cherry Blossom, work in circle, no sl st.

Magic Ring --> 5 SC --> [in each of the SC, make a sl st, HDC, 3DC, HDC, sl st.] in contrast color as the magic ring, as per the photo.

2) To assemble, 

Cut the light & dark pink pipe cleaners into 4 pieces. 

Fold half, then another half of the small piece.

Take 1 Brown Pipe cleaner as the main stem, & another Brown pipe cleaner to wrap the light/dark pink pipe cleaner that you folded earlier together with the main stem.

Continue to wrap the Cherry Blossoms until end of the main stem.

Repeat for as many stalks as you like.

Well, hope you enjoyed this week's craft! :)

Hanging Sheep

Recently, I got an order to produce 26 units of Hanging Sheeps. It is to be hung on the ceiling of a mall in Klang Valley.

It took me almost 2 weeks to finally conclude what & how I want to make it. You see, since this is for hanging on the ceiling, certain important measures have to be taken:

1) It can not be too heavy, else it will damage the ceiling or worse, it fell & hit the patrons.

2) It should be visible to see from the ground & must be eye-catching.

3) The Sheeps must be cute enough to be eye-catching.

4) It has to be sturdy enough to withstand the wind & not fall.

Honestly, I have not done anything huge before so it took me 2 whole weeks, back & forth, researching & trying out all sorts of materials. Finally! After 2 weeks, I have come to a decision: 

Option 1: very expensive

I use styrofoam ball & white pom-poms

I experimented with 2 sizes, 10in & 12in. 

12in too heavy. So, I chose 10in.

Option 2: more reasonable (half the price of option 1)

I use plain coloured lantern & cotton balls

Again, i selected 2 sizes, 10in & 12in.

Still, 12in is heavier. 

I showed it to my client & we confirmed to make option 2 since it won't be able to recycle...the next Sheep year is in 12 years. By then, the whole thing would have fallen apart...LOL

Here's what I made...

Batch 1: 18 units of 12in Lantern Sheeps (couldn't get all same size)

Batch 2: 9 units of 10in Lantern Sheeps (I gave the sample together since I won't be needing it.)

Took me about 4 none sleep nights to complete it. I'd say it is pretty fast...LOL

I used Black Foam to cut the head & legs. Thanks to hubby that helped with the cutting. Mind you, it took me several trips to different shops to get all the quantities that I want...Then for the eyes, I used White Felt & Black Foam for the eye ball.

Lastly, I tied the lantern with ribbons.

It was a great experience as it is so different from my normal orders. I can consider this as bulk order, in a much bigger size than what I usually do...

Let's just hope it will look nice in the mall...:)

Oh yea, after I completed the sheeps, guess what my younger son wants? He wants 1 of those sheep in his favorite color! So, we will have an Orange Sheep in da house very soon! As soon as I get a can of Orange Spray Paint! LOL 

I shall post it on the blog once the Orange Sheep is done...hehehe

2015...the Year of Xiao Mian Yang (little sheep in Mandarin)

And, we have a WINNER! 

Yesterday, i posted a blog on my new experiment of sheep/lamb & did a little survey to find out which one is the most adorable one...so, the result is out! And,i gave her a name & a history too...:D

This is Clover, the Little Lambie.

Clover means prosperity, abundance, wealth, success, luck & overall well-being; which is highly auspicious for the Chinese. We Chinese sometimes can be very greedy & want all of the goodies yea! LOL

A little zodiac fact on sheep/lamb/goat...According to the Chinese Astrology, the Sheep/Lamb is the 8th sign & the number 8 is considered to be a very lucky number. It symbolizes wisdom, fortune & prosperity.

Clover is 18cm long & 10cm tall.

She is rather difficult to make as you can't really count the stitches when using fluffy yarn...lol

But I love the outcome!

Clover is available for pre-order now! Grab yours before it is too late! :D

Experimenting with Sheep/Lamb

Are you ready for the upcoming CNY? i know I am...LOL

And, I have this to prove it!

Just so you know, in the Chinese Astrology, next CNY will be the year of Sheep/Lamb/Goat.

I have started to experiment with various type of sheeps/lambs. 

In my opinion, we love Sheep or Lamb the best as they are much cuter...lol

Here's what I have made so far...

This is the smallest one, i used fluffy yarn for the head & body.

This is bigger than the previous one, as I used a thicker yarn. The design is the same.

This one is done using popcorn stitches. But i think the head is too big...lol...none-the-less, my kids said this one looks like Timmy!

I modified the head & used normal single crochet stitch for the body. Hm...head looks fine now but not cute...

Side by side comparison of all the sheeps/lambs...

So, which one is your favourite? I can't decide, so I shall do a survey!

Chinese New Year is just around the corner...

With CNY just around the corner, I'm sure everyone is busy doing spring cleaning, shopping & more shopping.

I did my CNY shopping thru out the year...this is to avoid the last minute rush.

As for the CNY decorative items, I can't recall if I ever buy them, as I always make them myself. Reason being, well, those over the counter decorative items are either too expensive or too common. Imagine having the same lanterns as your neighbors! LOL...

Hand make lanterns are unique, uncommon & even if you buy them, it is so unlikely you will have the same unit as most of the people.

My CNY decorative items last for years...the last time I made the decorative items for my house were 4 years ago, when we 1st shifted to our own house.

Although the decorative items are still useful, I've decided to add some new items this year...since it is my year...LOL...

Below are the item I made for my house this year:
Giant Golden Gourd x 2

According to the Chinese, the gourd is popular as a charm symbol to ward off evil spirits and disease because its first character (hulu 葫芦) has the same pronunciation as the word to "protect" or "guard" (hu 护) and also the word for "blessing" (hu 祜).
In some dialects, the Chinese word for gourd (hulu 葫 芦) sounds the same as fulu (福 禄) which means "happiness and rank (as in attaining a high government office)".

Gold color is a symbol of abundance & prosper...didn't we Chinese love gold?

I plan to hang this 2 giant gourds at the verandah, to replace my fire crackers.

Everytime I make lanterns, I will make for 3 houses, mine, my mom's & my in-laws'. Hence, I will get busy for a few days just to finish off the items. For all of the items that I made this year, it took me a week to finish, with some body aches & sore legs, but I guess the end results are rather satisfying...:)

This is what I made for my mom:
1) Mandarin Oranges basket

A little small, but I like the shape. Was wondering whether I should make this for everyone when we go house visiting. I can put all the gifts inside this basket. This can be something different rather than the usual paper bags. Hm...the problem is...I'm not sure if relatives would appreciate them as much as I do. It will be very heart broken to see it end up in the rubbish bin after CNY...what do you think?
Oh, mom puts Oranges in it since we have yet to get the Mandarin Oranges. But it still looks good. Mom puts 10 L size Oranges in it...

2) Fishes (for both my mom & in-laws)

The Chinese character for fish (yu 鱼) is pronounced the same as the Chinese character for "abundance" or "surplus" (yu 余). The fish symbol is, therefore, frequently associated with other symbols and Chinese characters to symbolize the wish for "more" in the sense of "more" good luck, good fortune, long life and children.
Usually, Chinese will put 2 fishes, as it means double of everything....we Chinese can sometimes be very 'greedy' huh...lol

3) Revolving Lanterns x 2

I never thought this can turn out so great! I was contemplating whether to make this as I felt it is too simple; but I was wrong. It is not simple at all. I finally decided to make these because my mom's house ceiling is rather low & I can't make such a big lanterns. So, this is the perfect size.

I think the choice of Ang Pow packets also make a lot of difference too. I purposely choose this ang pow packets because the flowers are almost the same as the picture on the packet...can you see?

This is what I made for my in-laws' house:
1) Big revolving lanterns x 2

This is another favorite of mine. Sometimes, you just have to make it to appreciate it! By looking at the picture, it wasn't so appealing, but when it is done...I'm abit surprise as it turned out this pretty. But this is abit big, so you need higher ceiling in order to hang it, otherwise, it won't look nice. Good thing my in-laws' house has high ceiling.

Planning to do somemore if I have time. But these are the main items that I made so far...