Sreisaat Crafts

Gorgeous Cambodian silk scarves up for grabs…

2011-04-27T18:48:00.002+07:00

I’m a bit late in posting this, but here it is.
My PELUKA sister, PinayWifeSpeaks, is celebrating the third year anniversary of her blog. To mark this milestone, she is giving away gorgeous Cambodian silk scarves to lucky visitors to her blog. These await the lucky winners:

Cambodian silk (2.5 metres) dark red with embroidery. You can have this tailored to make a dress or long skirt or anything you fancy doing with them.
2 Silk scarves in deep purple and dark red.

Due to the overwhelming response, two additional scarves will also be given away to two lucky commenters as consolation prizes. These scarves will be of different style and design. So hurry up, the deadline is on April 30. Go to PinayWifeSpeaks for more details and join the fun! Just don’t forget to tell her you heard it from me here at Sreisaat Crafts :)

Dabbling in graphics design

2011-04-18T20:41:00.001+07:00

What started as a fascination for blogging led me to tinker with my blogs’ templates and codes, and my search for fancy fonts and template designs had made me accidentally venturing into digital scrapbooking and graphics design…

As a starter, I do not have any formal trainings related to these stuffs but I what I love about the Internet is that it provides me with all the online resources that I need. Graphic design books come far and few here in Cambodia and the prices are repressive. Thank heavens for online tutorials and google searches because they are treasure troves of everything I want to learn as a newbie.

It is incredibly fun to just let loose of my creativity using my imagination, computer and mouse – a very pleasant surprise since I have no inkling I had a bit of creativity running through my veins! Creative din pala ako if only I allowed myself to be. And take note, I am not colour-blind, too. Hah, what a relief! On the other hand, it also helps that I have like-minded friends (you know who you are) who have generously given me more resources, practical tips and taught me some useful tricks. With that kind of support and show of enthusiasm, how could I not learn?

Without further ado, let me just show off what I had done recently. I know I have a lot more to learn and I’m going to do just that. By no means I claim to be an expert because I’m millions of miles from being so but this is a good start for me… we have to start from somewhere, right? Anyways, please bear with me as I present – ahem, ahem - my finished works. These are headers I used personally for my blogs:

So what do you think? Do I have the potential? :)
The pictures used here are not mine but they’re available over the Internet. I do have a list of sites where I took all of these from, but, at the moment I could not locate it. I will have it posted here as a sign of gratitude, as well as, attribution to the sources as soon as I find it.

How do you like my new look?

2011-04-17T14:16:00.001+07:00

It’s pink, it’s girly, it’s love, and it’s from Nymphont for free!

I’m actually using the Echo That It’s Love template which according to Lauren, creative mind behind Nymphont, was inspired by one of the songs of Smashing Pumpkins. This template is fully widgetized, with embedded comment form below the post, highly customizable via the Template Designer and with really fancy fonts. A little tweaking here and there and my site will finally be complete. What do you think?

If you are looking for something new for your blogger blog, head over to Nymphont as she has more than a dozen of templates to choose from. Add to that, she has a lot of freebie fonts and other tips on graphic and web-designing. Hurry!

Better late than never!

2011-04-10T19:49:00.002+07:00

I have always been a late bloomer. In my family, amongst my friends… I was always behind.

But, as my title says, it is better late than never. Take for example digi-scrapbooking and graphics designing. This was the rage in early 2000s – digi-scrapping particularly - but I joined the bandwagon only recently. I love being creative and expressing myself artistically, if only my eyes and other body parts don’t complain too much (pains here and there, a sign of getting old, sigh). I may not be a great artist or something but at least I strive to do something worthwhile. I really enjoyed digi-scrapping and I get tireless whenever I scour the internet for scrapbooking tutorials, ideas, and freebies, of course!

So enough of the drama, it took me several months before I could post here again.Better late than never! hahaha. I know a lot of my blog links here have already written me off but that’s okay. I hope they find me back here, if not, for sure I’ll find new ones.

I want to share you one of the digi-scraps I recently made for my nieces. When my friend Lui of My Crafting Den offered the Pink Blossoms Kit, her latest digi-scrap kit, for free, I knew I had to grab it right away! Here is the finished product:

I haven’t seen both of them for three years now and I so miss them much! Beebop was only two years old and Chappi about 6months the last time I was with them. How time flies. I hope they’ll like this scrappy that I made for them.

Please visit my friend’s My Crafting Den for scrapbooking kits and other fabulous freebies.

From my crafting nook to yours....

2011-01-02T14:33:00.000+07:00

Happy, happy New Year!

May we make more beautiful handmade stuffs...

and make 2011 our best year ever.

New crochet project, so wish me luck!

2010-07-05T09:05:00.001+07:00

I'm back again after a couple of loooong months. Well, I might have been gone but I wasn't slacking at all. I've been making granny squares for my couch, for one. I don't know long it will take me to finish a 1.5m x 2.5m cover but my game plan is to finish hundreds and hundreds of granny squares like these:

I believe I am doing well, but in order to finish a massive cover like I mentioned, I will have to crochet as fast as I can! I still haven't found an online site that sells cheaper mercerised cotton threads. There is absolutely none here in Phnom Penh.

The idea of a couch cover came from Craft Passion after I saw this lovely halter-neck top she crocheted for her daughter -- all made from colourful granny squares. I am so excited the wheels in my head started turning. The top would look good on my nieces, too, so I might just make it another project for Christmas, you know, when I'm done with the cover. Thanks, Craft Passion. I love your tutorials and the accompanying photos. They are so easy to follow! There are also a lot of neat craft projects and tutorials -- and not to mention cool giveaways -- in her blog! I tell you, you should go check Craft Passion to see what I'm raving about.

Back in the groove

2010-05-25T15:58:00.001+07:00

I was away for a while, got busy with some stuffs that needed my attention that my crocheting projects had to be put on hold. Then there was the holiday, the Cambodian King's birthday, and we went away for taweekend. Oh, that was a lovely two days of pure chillaxing.

Anyways, my younger brother also went for a holiday, but went a little farther, to the Philippines (and came back already) and I sent nine 100gm-balls of yarn in different colors for my mother who was suddenly bitten by the crocheting bug. Actually, my mother saw this blog and the things I had done, and being a crochet-er herself, it didn't take that long for her to pick up her hook and join the crocheting bandwagon again. She told me she liked the yarns I bought and would love to have several balls of them as she plans to crochet stuffs for my nephew and nieces - so there.

Rob accompanied me to buy the yarns and we didn't have difficulty in finding the stall amidst the maze that is the O'Russei market. I like shopping for yarns and choosing colors was fun. I was delighted when Rob paid for all of it. We even bought my mother a pair of new crochet hooks as the ones my mom have are already old and rusty. I can only imagine my mother's reaction when she saw the stuffs - it was more than what she'd asked me for! *lol*

Okay, so it won't be long till I post here some of the stuffs I am working on. I need to finish some stuffs before I could be able to sit down and work on them, but I will sure give updates on the Afghan square and runner which I've began not long ago.

New blog look!

2010-05-03T21:06:00.001+07:00

I am loving my new look. Don't tell me you haven't noticed :D

It started last Friday, after visiting Little Ms Firefly's blog. I saw her neat handwriting fonts and I told myself I'm going to have them here in my blog. The fonts are free for download from a site by an American couple Kevin and Amanda. I so love their blog!

After finishing my Postcards Crossing blog, I began work here. Choosing the right font was not easy as all of them are awesome! I could not make up my mind as to what font to use and after trying about a dozen, I finally settled on the Rebekah font. I just couldn't resist the playfulness and artsy look of the font. So after several agonizing attempts at adding and deleting codes, toggling between Blogger and another host site and Kevin and Amanda's tutorial... you are now looking at my obra. Do you like it?

Certified hooker!

2010-04-27T16:58:00.003+07:00

I have a confession to make.

I am addicted to crocheting. I am a hook-er!

This addiction though is husband-approved as it keeps me from driving him up the wall. Well, except, of course, if I spend too much time crocheting and forgetting about him. *lol*. Crocheting is keeping me company when the husband is away at work, and most of all, it is keeping me away from moping on days when I feel down and blue. It's an effective diversion when I'm feeling anxious; it relaxes me and the anxiety slowly goes away.

This kind of addiction is also low maintenance. I don't need hundreds of dollars to get a kick. The yarns are cheap selling only less than a dollar a skein, although, it is not the kind of yarn that I would have used if there are other options. The hooks were given by my Mother and Mum-in-law and there are plenty. Recently, a new-found friend and certified hook-er like me mailed me two pieces of crochet hooks, 5mm and 5.5mm in size, which I don't have.

Not many people could ever understand this addiction though. For some, they complain about eye-strain, backaches and wrist/hand pains, or even carpal tunnel syndrome. I certainly experience these too but fellow hook-ers would agree with me that it is somehow difficult to stop crocheting once you've already begun a project. I have done several items lately which we displayed at last Saturday's Fun Fair. Here are some of them:

By the way, these items are also for sale. On the left are flower doilies in different colors, various scrunchies (background) and glass coasters (foreground). Let me know if any of these interest you. Friends suggest that I should open a store at Etsy.com but I don't think I am ready for that one yet. I need more confidence votes, in other words! *lol*

Also, we have several pieces of really, really charming beaded jewelries that were unsold during the fair.

These items were all made by hand. If you see something in particular that you fancy, leave me a message so I can provide details about that item.

Red, green, and white!

2010-04-21T22:47:00.005+07:00

The Khmer New Year came and went by so quickly with us hardly ever noticing it. My husband and I opted not to go anywhere during the 5day-holiday. I'm glad we made that decision because it was really scorching hot in Phnom Penh, with temperature reaching 36C. Friends say it was even hotter in the provinces. On the third day though we were already feeling suffocated, after being cooped too long inside the house. We decided to get some fresh air and drove around the city, which was devoid of people and vehicles at that time. Just a few blocks from our house, Rob sensed something was wrong. He pulled the car over and checked - the car's hydraulic brakes were leaking. And so, for the rest of the holiday, Rob had to fix the broken parts leaving me to crochet in peace stopping only when he needed a hand.

I didn't let this hitch ruin my mood. When not helping Rob, I was sat on my comfy round rattan chair and made myself busy crocheting flowers and leaves. I was surprised at my speed when I counted the number of pieces I finished - 36 flowers in red, yellow, and blue, leaves and 3 round doilies. The roses and leaves are almost similar in size, about 2inches in height, while the doilies measure around 7inches in diameter.

With these separate pieces at hand, I would later on, when I have time, attach the flowers on the leaves one by one, and finally stitch the flowers-and-leaves on the doilies. In normal circumstances, I should have used mercerized cotton yarns instead of acrylic yarns that are the only available yarn in Cambodia. But to my surprise, the finished items looked similar to those made from merc-cotton yarns but a teeny-bit harder. This is how the finished round doily will, more or less, look like:

Get the picture? I can't wait to finish this one soon and I'll definitely show it off here! So watch out for it :D

Assorted granny squares

2010-04-14T11:03:00.003+07:00

I was browsing a crochet book called Crochet by Eunice Close (published in 1951) that my Mum-in-law sent me last year when I chanced upon the page with instructions for Afghans. Afghans are colourful cosy rugs which women used to drape over their knees when they retired for their daily siesta. It is known for its bright colours and can be used as a rug or an extra blanket for chilly nights.

An Afghan is consists of many, many medallions (or squares) measuring about two or three inches square, each row being worked in different colours - usually bright red, green, yellow or blue, and many others, and are sewn together neatly. The best thing about making an Afghan is that you make the squares first and then sew them together afterwards.

Anyways, so I spent one Saturday figuring out the instructions in the crochet book. Embarrassingly, I could not quite finish a square simply because I could not understand the instructions. What seemed to be instructions for a basic pattern for beginners level seemed to be so complicated to follow. I guess it's the way it was written, in British-English, that is. And you know how different it is from the written American-English style of writing. So to make it easier and to avoid spending more time on a very basic pattern, I abandoned the instructions and studied the illustration instead. I scrutinized the stitches, estimated the number of stitches, etc... and in no time, I successfully finished one medallion. Am so proud of myself! But my triumph was sort of short-lived. While the result was quite satisfactory, I wondered about the shape. It looks square alright but the corners are rounded. It is posing a problem for me now. Any ideas how can I make the corners sharper?

Anyways, in my excitement though, I made several squares in different colors.

I love how my color combinations turned out! Don't you think so too? In a few more weeks, hopefully, I'd be able to make enough squares to finish a cover for our couch.

If not, then I think I may have found another use for the squares :D

Yarn hunting at O'Russei

2010-04-04T21:51:00.004+07:00

Two weeks ago my friends and I braved the summer heat and trooped to the O'Russei market for some craft supplies hunting. O'Russei is a massive concrete building divided into hundreds of stalls on three different floors.

There seems to be almost everything for everyone... there was a slew of beads but they weren't the kind that we're looking for. The yarns, after an hour or so of weaving in and out of the stalls, were not exactly what I was looking for but bought several skeins anyway. I attempted to find some more yarn stores for more variety but much to my disappointment, they were all selling the same color and the same acrylic-wool and acrylic-cotton yarns. What's more, they carry the same hook sizes that I didn't bother going to the other stores. Anyways, so I thought I'd go for what's available here anyway. Here are the yarns that I bought, in different colors. Aren't they all pretty?

Just a week ago, I received the pattern for a blanket that I requested from a fellow crocheter I met through Facebook. She was very nice to share it with me and gave me some tips on the stitches. I am not exactly a newbie in crocheting but this will be the first time I'm venturing into making a blanket. I am nervous and excited at the same time! I will continue practicing on my stitches to improve my tension before I finally take on my first blanket project. Thanks for sharing the pattern, Kristy. I will definitely let you know of my progress and, if you won't mind, I'd like to seek your advise on this one =)

Anyways, my first projects were single items with simple patterns. I first made a scarf (upper left side of the photo), all in single crochet stitches using a size 5mm hook (hook sent from England, so it's probably an English size). The tension is quite tight so I made another one, and thankfully, it improved. I now moved on to crocheting scrunchies. This time I used the Tulips brand from Japan size 1.6mm. The scrunchies are basically composed of double crochets except for the single crochet and chain stitches in the first and last rows. I was so satisfied with the result that I made several scrunchies in different colors and combos. My husband told me they look nice and even my friends feel the same. Don't you think so, too? Anyways, so I'm making a lot more to sell during this month's Fun Fair! Not bad, eh? I do not hope to sell a lot though, but if people see the items and like what they see, that is enough compensation for me.

Why Sreisaat Crafts?

2010-03-22T15:20:00.008+07:00

For a very long while now I have thought about creating my own crafts blog, a crochet blog. I was inspired by the many crafts bloggers I met online, including Little Ms. Firefly, who makes pretty stuffs by hand. I might've been a little late to join this crafts blog thing-y having only came across them crafts bloggers back in late 2008 but I have been crocheting since I was in my grade school. My mother, who learned how to crochet from the nuns when she was a grade-schooler at the colegio back in the 60s, decided that all her daughters should also learn her craft, commanded me and my sisters to pick up a crochet hook and patiently taught us how to make loops and single, double, treble crochets.

When we showed a lot of progress she decided to teach us beyond the basics - from picots to clusters, to granny squares to pineapple ruffles, and much, much more. Much to our chagrin, me especially, most of our summer school breaks were spent at home with her, making doilies and runners, flowers and berries, and the like. While all or most of my friends were frolicking in the beach or were away holidaying some place else, or simply hanging around in our favorite corner-store, I was stuck at home with my hook and thread. Cousins would tease me that crocheting is for spinsters, therefore, I would be doomed to become one! Even though a number of times my items and/or labor were paid, I resented it so much (I think it's the thought of ending up a spinster that I feared the most! hahaha) that I declared a demented war against my mother. I complained non-stop about how my back and arms ached from hours of huddling how my eyes were too tired they'd pop out of their sockets from too much crocheting. I intentionally made my work ugly, loosening my tension, and missing stitches to annoy her and let me go and play with friends. Apparently, my mother has the patience of a pilgrim and the sternness of a nun, and she would tell me, with seriousness in her voice, dae ka magpara-hugak dyan ta aram ko na kaya mong gibuhon yan (don't be lazy because, I know, you know how to do it properly).

Prior to 2008, I had no clue that there's an amazing community of craft-makers out there. It's amazing to see groups of people who are creative and enthusiastic about creating something with their bare hands, like knitting, baking, scrapbooking, crocheting, and many others, and who are willing to share their crafts to the blogosphere and extend help and advise to others. In the beginning, I was merely contented looking at these blogs for hours on end, bookmarking blogs with patterns that I like for my future projects (only to be lost and forgotten, sigh). Since I quit my job more than a year ago, I have more time to spare, and living in Phnom Penh with limited recreational activities, I wondered, would I be able to put myself out there and do what they're doing?

So I recently picked up my crochet hook again (I have lots of 'em sent by my mother and my mum-in-law), and started practicing... soon, I will be taking on projects beginning with simple patterns and will progress later on to more complex ones when my tension improves. So... come back next time and sit with me as I take on crocheting again, one project at a time.