Crafty Heart

Business name: Crafty Heart

Owner: Debbie

Occupation: Full time crafter & craft materials supplier 

Email: crafty.heart@gmail.com

In recent years, more Malaysia-based craft lovers began to sell imported craft supplies, just because of their passion in all things handmade, and also due to the shortness of pretty materials available at our local stores. I noticed about this lady who operates Crafty Heart during my participation in a local bazaar some time ago. Immediately my eyes were hooked on her booth that was filled with one-of-a-kind goodies! 

Debbie who formed Crafty Heart wants this name to reflect her passion and love for all things crafts, plus she believes that crafters should create something from the heart, so that item would be meaningful. A business that has been around since early 2008, you can find mainly scrapbooking/ card-making supplies, handmade greeting cards and bookmarks etc at Crafty Heart.

"The best feeling for me as a crafter would be when customers actually purchase my handmade creations. It's the best feeling in the world, to know that someone appreciates what I make. It's also a great feeling when I make cards for friends and family, knowing that my creations are one of a kind and cannot be purchased at any store.", quoted Debbie. 

Catch Crafty Heart's appearance at the upcoming The Bloom Bazaar 6 (night market edition) on 24 January 2013!

Here are the links to Crafty Heart's Facebook pages:

• Crafty Heart Online Store
• Crafty Heart Crafts

Girlfriend's Wardrobe

Business name: Girlfriend's Wardrobe

Owner: John Francis Belen

Email: john_belen@hotmail.com

You might have noticed these softies made from felt if you are a frequent visitor of a local bazaar based in Kuching. Call him John Francis Belen, the dude who sews each and every one of them! 

His sister was the one who sparked his idea to get his hands on sewing plush toys. Back then, due to shortage of time, John's sister was not able to complete her orders for toys on time, therefore John took over to help her attend to the orders. 

The 3-eyed monster with a crooked wing (shown below) was the first toy John made. He spent 3 days from drafting the idea to finishing the product.

When asked where does his inspirations come from, John told Ice Kacang that Ikea has got to be his favorite hang out place! He never missed to purchase Ikea soft toys each time he lands his feet on that place. Other than that, his nephews like to sketch their ideas on a paper (image shown below) and pass it to him.

On average, 1-2 hrs is required to produce every soft toy. Furthermore, John works from 9am to 5am, so whenever there is a demand for his toys, he would sew until late at night.

Hop over to Girlfriend's Wardrobe's Facebook page to view more of John's work.

Maisara Marie Handmade Bags

Business name: Maisara Marie Handmade Bags

Owner: Sheila Marie Gilbert 

Email: nsmg85@gmail.com

While there may be plenty of handbags available on the market, some consumers prefer to have a custom made tote, where they get to choose their choice of colors, designs and sizes.

Sheila Marie Gilbert from Miri, started her handmade bags business after being encouraged by her friends. Her orders grew when more and more friends requested her to sew a personalized tote for them. The types of bags that can be found here are tote bags, hobo bags, messenger bags, swing/sling bags, rucksacks, pouches, wristlets and check books, where as the materials can be cloth, cotton and PVC.

As a crafter myself, my attention were drawn to some of Maisara Marie's adorable fabrics. Sheila told me that she imports them from UK and US, and at the same time visit local fabric stores that sell Japanese fabrics. Quality is always her priority because she thinks that a good handbag is a bag that is made with quality materials.

Interested to have a handbag made upon your request? Place your order at least 2 weeks ahead so Sheila has enough time to gather materials, draft the pattern and sew them with love for you. 

Click {HERE} for Maisara Marie Handmade Bags Facebook page.

Poco Handmade

Business name: Poco Handmade

Owner: Lim Chi Yin

Email: ahzhilim@gmail.com

Yay! Let's go for a ride!

I couldn't help noticing these colorful cuties during my recent visit to a local craft bazaar. Greeted by the friendly booth owner, I took a closer look at these soft toys. Judging by the texture of fabric, I can tell these toys were actually made from socks. 

Chi Yin, the creator of Poco Handmade used to be less skillful in sewing. But due to the deep interest she has for socks toys, she was determined to pick up the needle and learn sewing all by herself. It was not easy to have nice stitches, so it took Chi Yin plenty of attempts and practices along with the tutorials from her mother to get closer to her dream.

Poco Handmade - Chi Yin's animal kingdom has been around for roughly a year. She was flipping through a magazine where she spotted handmade socks toys and fell in love with them immediately. "The toys are so cute and irresistible!", said Chi Yin. She went on searching for tutorials via the net but sadly not many useful information were found. Refused to give up, Chi Yin tried to make the toys based on her imagination.  Finally, the first socks toy was successfully sewn in August 2011. Soon after, she started selling her toys in the market.

There are several types of animals and characters found at Poco Handmade. Chi Yin accepts custom orders where customers request their toys to be made for certain occasions. 

 Click {HERE} for Poco Handmade Facebook page.

Haus Of Crafts

Business name: Haus Of Crafts

Owners: Ronnie & Paul

Contact: hausofcrafts@gmail.com

Website: www.hausofcrafts.blogspot.com

I don't know bout you but when I saw Haus Of Crafts' greeting cards, I was surprised to learn that they were outcome of two young gentlemen! Founder Ronnie created this online store in April 2012, and his co-worker Paul joined him few months ago. Since then their strong passion in crafting has been increasing. 

Ronnie & Paul has a day job at a local press based in Kuching, where notepads are highly used in their journalism job. Started off by making their own recycled notepads, they discovered the fun out of paper crafts. Hence they expanded their craftsmanship to venture into other products.

Mainly involving papers, Haus Of Crafts makes greetings cards, notepads and bookmarks. Besides paper-based goodies, they dabbed in creating headbands but only upon request.

Dealing with a hobby that requires creativity, the hands behind Haus Of Crafts said Martha Stewart's website is truly inspiring. They at the same time obtained ideas from TV series 2 Broke Girls, online resources plus magazines. Hearing people go "Oh-my-god!" upon seeing their handicrafts gives the 2 guys plenty of satisfaction.

 

Even though they have a limited time to spare for their hobby, Ronnie and Paul somehow manage to handle it well so far, slotting in time for meet-ups and discussion for craft projects. Participating in offline events is their method in promoting the business and market the goods. .

(Photo courtesy of Debbie from Crafty Heart, taken at a bazaar held early this month)

Click {HERE} for Haus Of Crafts Facebook page.

Paper N Quill

 

Business name: Paper N Quill Crafts

Owner: Lulu

Email: papernquill@gmail.com 

At one glance, the photo above does look like edible sushi rolls. The truth is they are made from paper, using a technique called "Quilling". Those circles & coils are what captured the attention of Lulu, the founder of Paper N Quill, a registered company in Kuching.

With the limitation of craft supplies in Kuching, Lulu searched high and low for quilling tools and materials over the internet. After purchasing a Beginner Kit online, she began to experiment the techniques and eventually ran out of paper strips. Therefore, she thought: "Why not I sell quilling supplies in Kuching, so that other enthusiasts save the hassle of searching." That's how Paper N Quill was born a year ago. 

This self-taught crafter picked up this skill through books, online tutorials and numerous experiments. She claimed: "Perhaps my years of training in Science helps me in terms of exploring endless possibilities, troubleshooting and improving from mistakes."

Lulu's shop offers clear stamps, quilling tools, paper strips, handmade cards & quilling artwork. There are quilling classes, workshops and demos made available for adults & children.

The photo above was taken during a demonstration on quilling at Popular Bookstore, Tun Jugah, Kch.

Lulu managing her booth at a recent local bazaar held at Hills Shopping Mall, 1 & 2 Dec 2012.

Click {HERE} for Paper N Quill Facebook page. 

My Whimsical Playground

Business name: My Whimsical Playground
Owners: Jenny & Amy
Contact: mywhimsicalplayground@gmail.com

With the love of colorful and playful stuff, the two young ladies behind the name "My Whimsical Playground" launched their business 3 months ago, after having this thought for quite a long time. Owners of this cute online store are Jenny and her younger sister, Amy, along with the support of their mother.

Jenny has been a fan of handicraft since her tender age, whereas Amy began to pick up crocheting several months ago. Most of the crochet items (hair accessories and baby booties) at My Whimsical Playground are contributed by Amy and their mother. Apart of that, they are slowly venturing into making crochet toys. Non handmade products found in this online shop are fashion accessories and jelly shoes. 

In order to gain exposures, My Whimsical Playground takes part in local bazaars and garage sales.

Click {HERE} for My Whimsical Playground Facebook page.