So Cute It Hurts

all things handmade

It makes me really happy to say that i finished that unexpected huge order and delivered it to a happy customer. Now i can come up for air and breathe.

While at Pipit wonderful market 7, i had the pleasure of not only meeting wonderful crafty ladies, but i managed to score some nifty handmade goodies. Purchasing handmade creations by others is one of my favorite things ever. EVER. They make me happy.

Loving my new plush from the super talented lady of Pocoleizi. I love each and every one of her plushes, and she has endless designs which made it terribly hard to choose. I Can't wait to sew a little dress for this little one! I even bought a little chair for her to sit on ~ an Evangelione collection.

A lace ribbon rack for all my loveliness! What a score. This is designed and handmade by the super talented folks at LazyboneHandmade. I plan to make a little cover for it.

I've also used my camera a great deal and i even had the pleasure of meeting readers i knew and i never knew were out there reading. I really appreciate those of you stopping by to say hi. I'll be back with lots of photos and a complete play by play next week.

But for now i wanted to show you some of my newest tote bags. Tote bags with handmade button closure, leather handles and lots of inside organization (very much needed). To be honest, i've been hoarding all of these fabrics for a while now. It must be the bold illustration and the colors. Yep, I'm definitely a fan of the colors.

I finished putting my first batch of holiday totes and handmade journals in the shop. I'm feeling sorta like patting myself on the back for finally meeting this crafty goal. Now i am going to get started on a couple of Christmas projects ~ limited edition holiday goodies. Not sure what my plan is just yet, but i have several ideas in the works.

Hope you're having a lovely weekend.
Stay warm.
Love to you and yours.

Embrace sharing

Sorry for the blog silence. Let's just say that the Pipit Market 7 preparation rush and an unexpected confirmation on a new opportunity (very happy indeed) have been a bit much.

Big sigh of relief although i cut it fairly close, i managed to finish up my last piece of journal cover. There is lots more to do, but if everything goes as planned i'll have new tote bags in the coming days.

This little piece of embroidery is inspired by the sentiment that "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give". Many times, our best thoughts and inspiration come from others. And this image has become a symbol of that.

Sharing doesn't come easy especially for some people in business. I kinda understand in a way because many of us have worked endless tired hours and even years to get where we are now. And to share your resources in an instant is just not that easy. I admire and have full respect for successful artists that share unconditionally.

Even though it's hard for me sometimes (a natural human reaction) and i'm learning, i want to share and share away. I believe in this saying, "What comes around goes around". I always remind myself of this sentiment that "there is ENOUGH for all of us and there is ROOM for all of us to succeed together". And to all of the fellow artists and friends who have shared with me. You're the best. Thank YOU, i won't let you down.

I am beginning to realize that there are still so many things for me to learn and discover for myself and this is part of what this creative journal is all about.

After weeks of anticipation, i changed my shop name!
A huge thank YOU to all my fellow sweet flyers!
To celebrate, a fun October November shop update is coming really soon!
Have a beautiful lovely merry happy weekend, sweet friends.
Love to you!

more journal love

It's a miracle that i actually finished another handmade journal cover for the newest additions to my little collection. It felt so good to sit on the floor at my creative table (i have a very Japanese style crafty table) working on a crafty project. Must try to stay healthy...

I called this piece "Letting go". This little piece of embroidery is a reminder of a sentiment that "when you trust and let go, life will flow in the direction it is meant to, with your best interest at heart".

Letting go of your old self and reaching for something greater, can be exciting but a little bit scary ~ it can be a very unpleasant experience because it hasn't happened yet. But by leaving behind where you presently stand and taking a leap of faith into the unknown, it might just reveal what you are truly capable of becoming.

This particular girl has it all figured out and knows that when we let go and trust that it will all work out, we also learn how to find happiness in the times between the dream and the realization of that dream. Something I am still learning to practice daily both personally and in my business.

I've used natural linen for the outside layer and a sweet green Polka Dots linen for the inner layer.I added a sweet green grosgrain ribbon and attached a handmade fabric embroidered button as the bookmark for flair. A few more things to share, and then all the new work will be available really soon!

Now it's time to focus. The Pipit Wonderful Market 7 (i was being accepted to do, yipee!) is just over two weeks away and i have plenty to do to prepare. Plenty. I'm creating one more journal...and then on to weekend tote bags and shopping bags. Lots to do.

October is a very special month for me here.
It was the beginning of my creative story 3 years ago.
It's hard to believe ~ something i'm finding myself saying more and more.
Thanks for being along with me for all these times.
You're so good to me!
Love to you and lots of it.

an afternoon at the exhibition

Hello and happy Saturday, friends.

I woke up to rain this morning. A nice, somewhat heavy rain. Sleeping when it's raining like this is definitely one of my favorite things.

You may remember this exciting news from a while back. Can't believe it's already time for the Polka Dot Exhibition to go live (actually i'm quite late in visiting).

I had a great time exploring all the wonderful handmade items by many talented local artists. I was in such a terrible mood before going ~ headache land. Luckily, the whole scene helped me move into a much better space...at least for the afternoon.

It's truly such an honor to be one of the artist among these talented and hard-working artists out there creating lovely and inspiring handmade artwork. A huge THANK YOU to the owners of Pipit Zakka Shop, Mike and Ivery, to offer a way for more people to find and support local handmade loveliness.

Here are a few close up shots.

I'm still feeling a little out of it with this headache but i'm hanging in there ~ power of positive thinking. Have a great weekend. I'll be here digging out from headache land and hopefully making some comfort soup. Yum.

Love to you and lots of it!

Self Portrait

This shot was taken over at Pipit Wonderful Market weekend by one of the organizers and Pipit proprietor, Mike, when he found me caught in a moment of wackiness. Honestly, i was a little nervous ~ holding my breath and hoping it all works out.

This adventure is by far amazing for me in terms of personal growth and getting a little more comfortable as i continue to travel my creative path sharing myself and my creative work with you. Honestly i could never express in words how lucky i feel to have had the chance to see what i saw, meet who i met, and explore as i did.

I can genuinely say i have "arrived" at a pace where my heart and mind both agree that i know that i am doing exactly what i need to be doing in life, i acknowledge it and i'm working towards to own it.

In So Cute It Hurts news, i've been "sleeping" the entire pass week, but i think it is safe to say that i'm finding my blogging and crafty mojo again and i've got some new sewing projects to do. I have loaded five new Reymi Bib Purses i'm really proud of in the shop. Give it a look.

Have an excellent happy week!
Love to you and yours.

Pipit Wonderful Market

Above is a photo courtesy by Pipit

I'm back from a lovely weekend. Pipit Wonderful Market was excellent and very exhausting. Honestly, i felt like i ran a non-stop marathon for 2 days. I know it sounds dramatic, but i'm convinced that participating in a market is a total energy sucker for me.

Above is a photo courtesy by Cherry DearBear

I was lucky to have three best girls, Adeline, Angela and Pei Li of Dollhouse Miniatures, helping me out from the moment i announced my first market participation. Overall, we had a great time sitting behind my little booth surrounded by all things So Cute It Hurts. More Marlynn weekend totes found new homes and quite a few lovely people will be sporting newly designed purses. The Pipit Wonderful Market was a huge success in my opinion.

At the end of the day as i lay on bed, i realized that the market event made my day, brought smile and reminded me why i do what i do. It strengthened my beliefs that there is ENOUGH for all of US and that there is ROOM for all of US to succeed together.

Here are some highlights and photos that pretty much tell the story.

• New discoveries: Bisou, LazyboneHandmade, hoyoyi handmade, Minifanfan, beanipet
• Running into friends and meeting up with my peeps from day job who made an effort to come support me at my little booth as well as having a really good dinner with Adeline at One Mont Kiara after a long days work on Saturday.
• A swap with my sweet booth neighbor, Patty of lullabellesoap. She is such a sweet creative friend.
• Seeing sweet customers making many round trips back to my booth just because they were having trouble deciding.
• Finally meeting Evelin, Alison and Eva. They're as sweet and talented as i imagined.

As soon as I can get things photographed, i'm planning a nice shop update. A few Reymi Bib purses and a new Marylnn tote bag that i couldn't get it done in time for the market but will be loaded to the shop once it's ready.

I'm probably gonna feel like a broken record ~ THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Can you say it too much? Nope. I don't think so. I have friends like YOU that go above and beyond in thoughtfulness, who take the time to write me emails, and leave me beautiful supportive comments on my first market participation, while keeping up with your own lives, business and blogs. Thanks for being so wonderful.

More soon friends!
Have a lovely merry happy week.
Love to you and yours!

adventures in crafting

Although it probably seems as though i've fallen down the rabbit hole, i promise i haven't ~ i have spent the last week completely absorbed in creating during every free minute. Honestly i feel a little nuts but i did take advantage of the weekend to sneak out to Craft Art Market with my best girl, Adeline. It was lovely spending time with her.

After what it seems like a long time in the works, i'm thrilled to introduce a new line of purses known as Reymi Bib Purses. These bib purses were inspired by Reymi's (my baby nephew) adorable bibs and my love for ruffles, bows, beads and all things linen. I really dig how they turned out.

Honestly, at first i had no idea if my purse design was going to materialize. I started out sketching my idea on my little journal, cut the pattern from a brown paper bag, and then created a prototype for it before i started the actual creation using these gorgeous Japanese linen fabrics. I can't tell you how psyched i am with the result.

I added my "So Cute It Hurts" button for flair and finished the inner layer with my new labels just because.

The Pipit Wonderful market is next Saturday and i'm getting really excited. I can't wait to post some photos and a little synopsis. If you're in the area, you should swing on by.

Not sure how this week is going to look with regard to posting.
In the meantime, have a wonderful merry happy week.
Love to you.