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

Friendship Dolls as Flower Fairies

I was so busy preparing for Christmas that I missed the Halloween.

Obviously, Sue, Iris, Alice & Jo were not very happy about it! We have been talking for ages that we want to dress them up in Fairies costumes!

So, they have been upset until I finally find the time to change their costumes...And, I promised them that they get to be the Fairies until after New Year! :D

In case you are wondering who is Sue, Iris, Alice & Jo, please read here...

This is the Original Dolls Collection...they are in Japanese Costume:

Sue

Iris

Alice

Jo

This is their latest costumes:

It is based on the Garden Fairy theme...the details are in their dresses...

I dressed them up based on their favorite colors as well...:)

Sue - most difficult to do. There are many parts to attach. 2-tone skirt, yellow belt, yellow ribbon, blue hair embellishments, tiny yellow & blue flowers on both the buns.

Iris - i experimented a gown-like 2-tone skirt. Not bad! I like the 2 flowrs on the waist...

Alice - her dress is flare, Marilyn Monroe type; with a blue belt & blue ribbon. The hair has many flowers...

Jo - semi flare skirt with petals. She has many tiny flowers on her waist & bun.

Each of them is unique in a way...i was also experimenting with their wings, so you can see some are bigger than the others & some are rounded while others are pointy...lol

Sue' wings are long & pointy on both top & bottom part. Iris' more rounded.

Jo's wings are oblong where else Alices' are rounder & fuller.

Personally, i love Alice's wigs the best...:D

Hm...seriously, without the wings, they look more like the Princesses, don't you think so?

These cuties are available for sales. They make perfect Christmas gifts too! :D grab yours before they are gone...

The Expression Bears Bag Charms/Keychains

After the launch of the Expression Bears yesterday, I have made them to be Bag Charms/Keychains so that we can bring them along everywhere we go...

Here's the Bag Charms/Keychains:

1) Love, the Red Bear

Needless to say, based on her name, I definitely have to add a heart shaped charm on it...

2) Warmth, the Orange Bear

Isn't it a heart warming smiley emoticon...love the big grin...

3) Joy, the Yellow Bear

What would you do when you are happy? You dance to the music of course!

4) Balance, the Green Bear

The star has 5 points. It represents health, wealth, family, friends & self...if you have balance in all 5 areas, you are well balanced!

5) Peace, the Blue Bear

Dove is the universal symbol for peace. Hence I added a dove. Not sure if it looks like one...LOL...but it looks cute!

6) Faith, the Indigo Bear

Faith is when you believe, when you hope...I added a Four Leaf Clover to Faith, so that it brings you more luck & confident.

7) Passion, the Purple Bear

Passion is all about pursuing one's dream. The flower is my signature flower that I first made when I decided to pursue my dream, hence, I added it to Passion so that everyone has the courage to pursue what they dream of!

Do you like the Bag Charms/Keychains? Which one is your favourite?

These Bag charms/Keychains will be available for sales at my Etsy shop:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/joeychin28

Introducing...the Expression Bear...

After the successful launch of my Friendship Kokeshi Doll range few weeks ago, I was busy preparing another range of product. It took me awhile to make it as per my expectation, since they are so common in the market! LOL

Here it is...proudly presenting to you...the Expression Bears...

A little introduction to the bears...they are based on the colour of rainbow. You know, rainbow always brings joy & hope to people, I love the rainbow. Hence, there is no doubt that I make my bears based on the rainbow color. Each of the bears carries a different characteristic. Check out below for their names...:D

Just so we are clear how the rainbow colors order like...it's Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet. (Abbr: ROY G. BIV - I saw it in 1 of the websites, it's a brilliant way to remember the order...)

I have searched up the language of all the 7 colors from varies sites on the web so that we can understand more of each color.

Each of the bears is about 3.5in tall & it sits perfectly on my palm.

Here's the bear line up:

1) Red Bear - LOVE

Red is the warmest of all colors. Red is the color most chosen by extroverts. For the Chinese, red is the color of prosperity and joy. Brides wear red and front doors are often decorated with Red clothed lanterns. Red is the color of Mars. Guess who is from Mars...no wonder my hubby loves Red...LOL

Red is also the color of passion, love and lust. That is the reason why we give Red roses to our loved ones most of the time.

If you need more love in your life, or courage to chase after your dream, bring Love, the Red Bear home. She will definitely shower you with lots of love...

2) Orange Bear - WARMTH

While red is associated with fiery heat, orange is associated with the benign warmth of the sun. A dynamic color, Orange offers a more thoughtful control than red. Curiosity is a driving characteristic of orange, and with it comes exploration of new things.

Orange is a power color. It also stimulates enthusiasm and creativity. Orange means vitality with endurance. People who like orange are usually thoughtful and sincere.

Hm...the description sounds like my younger son...no wonder he loves Orange color...

If you are an Orange person, or you'd love to be one, do bring Warmth, the Orange Bear home with you...

3) Yellow Bear - JOY

Yellow means joy and happiness. Like the energy of a bright sunny day, yellow brings clarity and awareness. It also symbolizes wisdom. People of high intellect favor yellow.

The shade of yellow determines the meaning. Pure, bright and sunny yellow is the easiest color to see. People who are blind to other colors can usually see yellow. Yellow is full of creative and intellectual energy. 


This is my younger son's 2nd favourite color after Orange.

Bring Joy, the Yellow Bear home if you need some happiness in your life or you need to see things clearly...

4) Green Bear - BALANCE

Green is the color of balance. It also means learning, growth and harmony. Green is the color of nature, fertility, life. Grass green is the most restful color. Green symbolizes the master healer, the life force, self-respect and well being. 

Green is favored by well balanced people. Green contains the powerful energies of nature, growth, desire to expand or increase. Change and transformation is necessary for growth, and so this ability to sustain changes is also a part of the energy of green.

Does that mean my elder son is a well balanced person? Hm...

Balance, the Green Bear will help you find some balance if you feel your life is in a mess...

5) Blue Bear - PEACE

Blue is the coolest color - the color of the sky, ocean, sleep, twilight. A pure blue is the color of inspiration, sincerity and spirituality. Blue is often the chosen color by conservative people. Blue promotes peace and are used to calm ragged emotions. It also enhances the quality of communication.

Blue gives a feeling of distance. Artists use it to to show perspective. This is a good way to understand the energy of the color blue - it allows us to look beyond and increase our perspective outward. It contains a cool vibration that is helpful to communication.

Peace, the Blue Bear will help you relax & encourage feelings of communication and peace.

6) Indigo Bear - FAITH

Indigo is the color of the deep midnight sky. Indigo symbolizes a mystical borderland of wisdom, self-mastery and spiritual realization. It increases personal thought, profound insights, and instant understandings. While blue can be fast, Indigo is almost instantaneous. Inventors use indigo skills for inspirations that seem to 'come out of the blue'.

Having Faith, the Indigo Bear around will sure help you to improve your confident & hope.

7) Violet Bear - PASSION

Violet is the color of purpose. Violet brings a new dynamic to the expansion of blue and the activity of red. Red brings practicality to the undirected expansiveness of the blue, and allows more creative energy to emerge. For this reason, Violet is associated with imagination and inspiration.

Violet is also the color of good judgment. It is the color of people seeking spiritual fulfillment. It is said if you surround yourself with purple you will have peace of mind.
Violet has been used to symbolize magic and mystery, as well as royalty. Being the combination of red and blue, the warmest and coolest colors, purple is believed to be the ideal color. Most children love the color purple. 

Oh, Violet is my favourite color!

Bring Passion, the Violet Bear home if you need to give you some inspiration into your passion!

So, do you like my bears?

Why don't you bring one home? :)

The Expression Bears will be available for sales at my Etsy Shop:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/joeychin28

Go grab one now & enjoy! :D

Friendship Kokeshi Dolls - story continues...

After completing the Big eyes Friendship Kokeshi Dolls range, I made 1 set of small eyes Kokeshi Dolls, using the prototype I made when I experimented the dolls.

2 reasons: my mom said small eyes resemble the real Japanese (she said Japanese don't have big eyes) & the other is because it is for my girl's playset. I don't want her to bite the eyes off the doll's head! LOL

Comparing to the original big eyes dolls, this range is also cute in its way. They look shy...but of course, it doesn't resemble the characteristic of the 4 friends. The only one that is close enough is Alice...the rest definitely is not shy...LOL 

My impression of Japanese girls is that they are shy & kawaii, especially when they are in their traditional costumes.

So, what do you think? Do you prefer the big eyes range or small eyes range? :D 

Big Eyes range:

Small Eyes range:

To make it easier for comparison, here's the individual dolls line up:

Sue

Alice

Jo

Iris

Presenting...the Friendship Kokeshi Dolls...

After my 'success' in my experiments doing kokeshi dolls, I finally made 4 dolls with big eyes, as suggested by a lot of my male friends...LOL

So, here it is...

From Left to Right...

Blue doll - Sue

Pink doll - Alice

Purple doll - Jo

Orange doll - Iris

Four of them are best friends & they are very close to each other's heart...as you guessed it, Jo is me...Sue, Iris & Alice are my best friends since secondary school...

Ever wonder why Sue is Blue, Alice is Pink, Jo is Purple & Iris is Orange? Well, I didn't decide the colors...they chose the color themselves. But from the color itself, we can guess the character of the 4 friends...:)

Let's look at the colors & their meaning...

Blue - friendly, peaceful, loyal, sincere and trustworthy

The Sue that I've known is friendly & she is always at peace & very calm when handling any situations. She is definitely trustworthy & loyal...be it with her friends or work...

Orange - energetic, warmth, joy, enthusiastic and sunshine

Iris is always the happy-go-lucky girl & she loves the sun! What does that tell you? :)

Pink - love, tender, romantic, charming & approachable

Alice is quiet but she is very charming in her way. She is my longest known best friend! Many often mistaken her as shy due to her quietness, but once they know her, they will see that she is friendly & very approachable. She always has a way to charm everyone she meets too!

Purple - royalty, nobility, elegant, power, and ambition

That's me! Very ambitious & love power. Not sure whether it is a good thing or not...LOL

The dolls are so adorable that I have to continue! 

I even made them outfits in 4 seasons theme: Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter. Do you know which one is Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter? :D

Well, Spring is always related to Cherry Blossom & sunny days, so it is Pink. Guess who likes Spring? 

Then, Summer is hot & bright, so it is Yellow. Guess who is Summer?

Leaves turn Orangy during Autumn, so it is Orange. And, Winter has snow & often, snow is associated with Blue...

OK, time to reveal the answers!

Iris chooses Spring...

Alice chooses Summer...

Sue loves Autumn...

And Jo loves the snow, so she chooses Winter...

How do you identify the dolls you ask...

Well, it's easy! Just look at their hair...

Sue always ties her hair up with 2 buns, Alice always has a flower clip on her hair, Iris will put on her ribbon & Jo will tie her hair in a bun with flowers...that's how you identify them...:)