Category Archives: My Projects

Strongman Dad – Father’s Day Greeting Card

We all think our father is the best. When I think of attributes that describe my father the word strong always comes to mind. So I decided to draw a strongman for our Father’s Day greeting card.

The design is inspired by mid century illustrations and the text is hand drawn type. I wanted to keep the colors to muted and the design simple.

I love using a Muji notebooks and felt markers when I’m sketching my designs. The notebook paper doesn’t bleed and the markers dont’ have a that weird smell.

We’ve listed this item in our shop and it’s available for purchase at Public Garden this weekend.

DIY Fake Cake

Do you need a fake cake as a prop? I made this simple fake cake for our cake topper display using styrofoam, grout and acrylic paint. I was in a rush to do this since we needed it for the Pandora Market fair that we did on Mother’s Day that I didn’t have the time to take pictures of each step.
From our Instagram Feed: Posted by Instagrate to WordPress

Materials:

  • Styrofoam Cake Dummy
  • Grout Powder
  • Wood Stick
  • Cake Spatula
  • White Acrylic Paint
  • Brush

Steps:

  1. Mix the grout powder with water according to the instructions on the box.
  2. Use a wood stick to stir until you get the right consistency recommend by the grout manufacturer. Do not use more water than recommended so that you don’t get any cracks when the faux icing dries.
  3. Use the cake spatula to spread the grout around the styrofoam dummy until you’ve covered it. I didn’t add any fancy cake decoration on the cake since I wanted it to look rustic and home made.
  4. Wait for your cake to dry overnight. If you find any cracks, mix more ground and use it to fill the cracks.
  5. Paint the dried grout with white acrylic paint.

We were under a tent for the whole day but sometime in the afternoon, the sun was shining directly on the fake cake and it held up. You can store it in a plastic container and it will keep for a long time.

What do you think? Does it look like the real thing? Just make a comment on this post if you have any questions.

Nautical Cake Topper and Baby Shower

We celebrated the baby shower for our friend Antonette, Razid and their baby Luke. We planned to do a nautical themed party with my co-hosts Shanta and Kim. We decided to have the celebration at Spruce which received a good review from one of my favorite food blogs, Lady Iron Chef, as a great place for brunch.
Nautical Cake Topper We bought a delicious chocolate mousse cake from The Icing Room called Choco Magic since Antonette is fond of chocolate cake. We added vanilla icing from Betty Crocker and we colored it blue to imitate the look of waves. The boat was made of cardboard and sealed with nontoxic sealant so it would be food safe. We put high cake pegs to prop up the cake topper and lined the bottom of the boat with foil. The mast and small sailor which represented baby Luke were assembled on the table when cake was served after we had brunch.

Nautical Cake Toppers

Spruce is located at Phoenix Park. I didn’t expect it to be in an industrial looking building on a hill top. I must say that the work “park” in Phoenix Park is a bit misleading. I thought we’d be going to a place like the Botanic Gardens. When we walked up to the entrance I was pleased to see that the restaurant had modern decor and it was set in a lush green environment afterall.

Spruce Restaurant
I ordered the Eggs Benny with Corn Waffles and Hollandaise Sauce. The dish was ok but not something I would order again. I guess I’m not a big fan of the sauce.

Eggs Benny at Spruce Restaurant

I had some of Lex’s Spruce Signature Burger and it was delicious. I might order this dish when I come back to this restaurant.

Spruce Specialty Burger at Spruce Restaurant

The Brioche French Toast was a bit too dry for my taste and the presentation is not appealing. I guess I prefer a more traditional preparation of the classic French toast.

Brioche French Toast at Spruce Restaurant

Some friends ordered the Eggs Benny with Steak and those looked tasty. I would recommend trying the burger over the Eggs Benny with Corn Waffle and the Brioche French Toast. I must say that the service was excellent and the ambiance was relaxing. It would be great if the restaurant’s website was complete since they only have the most basic of information there. I would come back to this restaurant but I would definitely order a different dish.

Crafty Singapore Logo

Singapore Handmade has recently rebranded the team name to Crafty Singapore and I was asked to design the logo. During the meet-up, it was decided that the new logo would be a fox since the it represents the word crafty and the team needed a mascot. I did some sketches and finalized the design.

The logo is a hand drawn image which was digitized and colored. The font is by Khyrs Bosland. Khyrs offers great prices for commercial use and even for use in branding. What do you think about the new logo?

Free Valentine’s Patterns

Handmade gifts are always the best and to help you make your present to your love ones this year, I’ve created six different patterns for you to use in your personal projects. This is the first time I’ve designed a printable pattern based on what I think are the icons of Valentine’s Day. Hop over at Pretty Paper Things to download these goodies.

Lucky Cat

One of the things I want to do this year is to make more illustrations. What better way to start my project than to draw a lucky charm. This illustration is about the Japanese lucky charm called Maneki-neko or the Beckoning Cat. It is believed to bring good luck to its owner. If the left paw is raised, it is said that it brings customers to establishments and if the right paw is raised,  it’s good luck and wealth.

The bell and bib signify material abundance and wealth. The gold coin is called Koban which is a currency during the Edo period. It is inscribed with the text, 10,000,000 ryo or a huge fortune. There are many folktales about the origin of this figurine.You can read them here.

This print will be for sale once we put up Prints and Illustration section in our in our shop. We’re still thinking if we’re going to offer digital files or prints like cards and posters. I’d love to make a series of illustrations about lucky charms. What are the lucky charms in your country?

MT Everyday: Personal Silhouette MT Tape Art

I had made a washi tape portrait for my guest post a few weeks back and decided to submit a silhouette portrait for the MT Everyday exhibit. I was glad that my entry was accepted. Ruth from The Little Happyshop, who is the curator of the event, invited me to teach a class on a washi tape craft. MT washi tape were available for sale on the venue and I did add a few rolls to my collection. What can I say? MT tapes are addictive to crafters.

I had prepared my step by step samples, templates and another silhouette portrait ahead of schedule. Unfortunately I mixed up the start time and was late for the event. I was absolutely horrified. I am extremely grateful that Ruth and my class participants were gracious about my faux pas. I taught my class last Sunday at the Children’s section of the Central Library which is in the National Library in Bugis.

I must say it was a pretty fun day. I had great time teaching the class and interacting with the participants. I wouldn’t mind doing this again.

Update:

View Delphine’s Blog post on her His & Hers Portrait in her blog

Make This Project:

Silhouette