/// H O M E . N U M B E R . T H R E E

It's pretty normal to move every two years here in Korea and this past September was "that time" for JM and I - time to move again! We dream of the day when we have a permanent home (a house with a big yard for a big dog to run around!) somewhere up North, but until then we're thankful for every place God provides us with. It was extra hard finding an apartment this time around because the housing market has gone up ridiculously and not much was available, but God once again proved himself faithful with an apartment we miraculously found in Dangsan. 

We are so grateful that our new home is really close to the subway station and that we live on the 22nd floor with a nice view of the Han River and The National Assembly. Living in Dangsan has also made our commute to church, office, and everywhere else really, much easier and shorter.

Thank you for those who prayed with us for our move. John-Michael and I will be having more gatherings at our new home since it's closer to the city - until you get to come join us for some tea, here are some previews! :)  

 

 

 

/// W A T E R C O L O R . P O U C H

I'm currently loving my new watercolor set I got from the trip to the States last month. I used to carry around a bigger metal palette with my brushes in it, but I like this one a lot more because I can just leave it in my bag at all times since it's so small. 

I wanted to somehow keep the palette with my brushes and my awesome foldable water jug (it's actually a water cup made for camping, I think it's such a clever idea) - so I went hunting for a flat pencil pouch on foot and online... but I eventually gave up and just made something (you saw that one coming, right? ;P). 

I found a piece of leather and cut it in the length of my palette + water jug, folded the right side in 1/3 and sewed it. I then sewed on a smaller piece of rectangle on the left side and sewed down the middle so the brushes can stay tight. 

/// B A G . I N . B A G . 2.0

{ bag in bag 2.0 }

I made a thing called "bag in bag" a while back that looks like this (you can see that post here)...

and the zipper broke the other day (major sad face emoticon needed - please let me know if you know how to fix this). The bag served me really well so I was pretty bummed about it but I decided to take it as a sign to make a "bag in bag 2.0" - which means make another one, and make it better. You gotta look for the silver lining in every hardship (so dramatic); that was one of the biggest lessons I learned from studying Architecture (and also helped me stay sane :P).

 The inside is pretty much the same,

but I decided to keep it flat this time (if you sew the bottom two corners that's how you get a bigger base and the pouch looks like an upside down trapezoid)

Can you find what's different on this picture? (hint: b)

I carved out a simple stamp of an orange slice and stamped the fabric before I started sewing them together. 

No more sad face. :)

/// G I F T S . F O R . B E B E S

My friends have beautiful bebes. Here is a couple of things I made for baby Colette and Olivia...

The bonnet was made using a free pattern from The Purl Bee, this site has so many great craft ideas. The fuzzy creature on the right was a gift for Olivia's 1 year birthday - it's supposed to be a lamb but it looks more like a hybrid of rabbit + sheep (more pictures at the bottom)... because it was made using a pattern from Sky's mind. 

Here are some pictures that show only about 10% of the process (as usual :P). I cut out the pieces of the bonnet according to the pattern, sewed the pieces together - outer and inner layer separately, then sewed the inner/outer layers together. When I took a picture of the finished bonnet it didn't look that impressive, I think it was due to lack of a cute baby face in it. The bonnet came alive when Colette put it on, I was so happy when I received the picture from her mama. 

And here's how my hybrid creature came about... 

[I can't explain how the body was made... it was complicated]

[gave her a bath before she got stuffed...]

[a little tag with my logo stamped on it]

It was my first time making a baby hat or a doll, but I'm sure it will be the first of many. ;)

/// B A G . L A D Y . C O N T I N U E S

I appreciate good looking things, but I really admire things that have both the looks + functionality. My body just refuses to use anything that's uncomfortable (like heels...). I personally don't like carrying stuff around in my hands, so I stay away from clutches or bags with small handles no matter how cute they are.

With all that to say, I got an idea to make a bag for my ball of yarn that kept rolling around as I was crocheting (this is where my practical side of the brain starts working) so I don't have to chase after the ball like a cat. Normally you would put the ball in a basket to keep it from rolling away, so I decided to make a bag that functions like a basket for when I'm not crocheting at home (so I can take it with me wherever). 

It looks like a lunch bag with a circular bottom - if you fold the top twice it becomes sturdy enough to use as a basket.

[made a little logo for things handmade by Sky - "b" in Korean means "rain"]

[when I wanna take the bag with me I just roll down the top and tie the rope around it - the rope is attached to the bottom of the bag]

Yarn bag prototype A was a success. Next time, I might make it a little bigger with another layer of fabric. Happy crocheting~