It has been some time since our last tutorial, sorry to have kept you guys waiting! Both Juu & I have been fiddling around with some ideas, but haven’t had the chance to do up a decent post. I sure hope this necklace catches some of your attention!

Materials:

• Plastic Animals
• Pom Poms
• Chain
• Jump Rings
• Lobster Clasp
• Eye Screw Hooks
• Pliers

1. Firstly, I sprayed the plastic animals with a coat of chrome spray paint. You can do them in any colour you like, or even leave them as it is.

2. I had some spare pom poms on hand, made using the same technique as this video by creaturecomforts. Some people might use a pom pom maker, but I find it easier to gauge the size of the pom pom by estimating the amount of yarn on my hand.

3. Cut the chain according to where you’d like the necklace to sit, then roughly lay out your pom poms and plastic animals so you will know where to attach them to.

4. Prepare your chromed plastic animals by screwing on the eye hook. The material of the animals were not especially stiff, so I only had to screw the eye hook in using a little force with pliers.

5. Find the middle of your chain and attach the pom pom by tying a double knot. Repeat this for the other pom poms, according to the layout you had planned out earlier.

6. Attach the chromed plastic animals to the chain using jump rings.

7. To finish off, attach a lobster clasp to the end of the chain and your party animals necklace is done! If you do not fancy having such a chunky necklace, you could even try attaching just one plastic animal and pom pom to a long chain. Have fun making this! x

We think it’s about time! Ros and I both love all-day breakfasts, crafting and cafes and we’ve decided to come up with a new category called “Crafting in Cafes“. We usually try to visit interesting cafes with good food/ambience and with the amount of new ones popping up in Singapore — we probably have quite a long list we could potentially cover.

Apart from indulging in good coffee, food and just brainstorming for new craft ideas, we have also decided to dabble in the crafting action right in the cafe itself! The tutorials featured in the Crafting in Cafes posts would ideally be quick, simple, 5-minute DIY tutorials which should ensure that we don’t get kicked out of their premises. If you have any suggestions on how we can improve, what you’ll like to see, or which cafes you’ll like us to check out, feel free to leave us a comment or send us an email!

We decide to head on over to Spruce, a restaurant, bar and bakery which serves American cuisine perfect for a relaxing Saturday afternoon. We made reservations the day before for the branch at Phoenix Park along Tanglin Road. Spruce has another outlet along Upper Bukit Timah at Fire Station.

The cozy interior of Spruce which seats up to 60 people! The outdoor area for alfresco dining can fit up to 70.

Have I already mentioned how much we love all-day breakfasts? Spruce serves brunch on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays from 9am to 3.45pm and the menu is available on their website.

We also figured we haven’t actually appeared much on the site so far and we don’t look that intimidating in photos from that day so it might be a good time to introduce ourselves. Ros, 20, is a full time graphic designer and is the tiny girl to the left. Juu, 21, is currently a student at a local uni majoring in product design, and is on the right.

Ros ordered the Cajun Hash ($16 SGD) from the Brunch Menu. It consisted of a generous serving of roasted vegetables, potato & herbs topped with scrambled eggs and lots of hollandaise sauce. It also came with a side of Chipotle sour cream.

I ordered Soft Scrambled Eggs ($18 SGD), which meant I spent the next half an hour or so trying to finish the soft scrambled eggs topped with Avruga caviar and smoked salmon with thick white bread on the side.

Before starting on the DIY proper, I also managed to browse through the Hello Sandwich Tokyo guide which Ros managed to get. The both of us are heading to Japan for our very first trip overseas together soon and it’s all very very exciting!

THE DIY

I requested for the white camellia flowers that were stuck on the black Chanel paperbags from my sister after helping her get items from the Paris store earlier this year. I thought they would be great for DIYs and evidently many people thought the same. Check out a necklace version here and more cool ideas with the Chanel Camellia flowers here.

After getting over the shock that these flowers were actually selling on eBay for actual money (really?!?), I decided to make mine into a hairtie that could instantly help to jazz up a simple ponytail or hide the strays from a topknot.

Here are the materials you need:

• Chanel Camellia Flowers (or any other artificial flowers with a flat backing)
• Hairties (Or brooch pin or hairpin, depending on what you’ll like to create)
• Felt
• Fabric Glue/ Superglue
• Scissors (not pictured)

1. Draw out the shape on a piece of felt. It consists of two semi-circles with a rectangle in the middle. The size of the felt piece depends on the size of the flower. Mine measured 3.5cm across.

2. Proceed to cut out the felt piece you’ve just drawn.

3. Flip the felt piece over to hide the pencil marks, then using glue, stick down one semi-circle on the back of the flower. Do not stick the rectangle piece!

4. Wrap the rectangle piece around your hairtie and then glue the other semi circle down right next to the first. This should create a circle shape on the back of the flower.

6. You’ve got your completed Chanel Camellia flower hairtie!

Here’s it worn over a topknot! The flower itself is very feminine and made me instantly girly (according to Ros, haha). While snapping shots of it, we took a couple of our outfits as well.

Ros // Motel dress, Taobao bag, Etsy watch

DIY braided diamante bracelet (tutorial here)

Juu // DIY tee, Forever21 skirt

DIY washer braid bracelet (tutorial here), DIY belt bracelet (tutorial here), Topshop ring

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We hope you’ve enjoyed the first post for Crafting in Cafes. Again, if you have any suggestions on how we can improve, what you’ll like to see, or which cafes you’ll like us to check out, feel free to leave us a comment or send us an email! xx

If you’re interested to make the same necklace pictured in the feature, feel free to download and use the pattern below! You can also create your own patterns by simplifying an image to continuous lines (try not to have gaps!) and then thickening them so that it is easier to cut/ won’t be too flimsy. Remember to add slits to attach the ribbons!
Have fun! xx

Ros has been my cafe partner since a long time back and naturally we chose to try a new place to spend our Saturday afternoon at while discussing new craft ideas.

Windowsill Pies is a nice quaint cafe with artisanal pies and other savoury food. Located along Horne Road, it’s just a street away from Chye Seng Huat Hardware and pretty easy to spot with its cute exterior.

We were greeted with really cheery ladies behind the counter, and they were more than happy to share with us what was on their menu/ walk us through the pie selection after finding out that it was our first time there. The hardest part was picking just two! Ros & I eventually settled on the Grasshopper (mint) and the Strawberry Lemon Meringue Pie.

The place had a nice simplistic setting of mostly wood furnishings and I liked that the pies were the first thing you see when you walk in. No nonsense – pies are definitely their specialty. In the 2 hours that we hung around (it was raining like crazy outside!), there were numerous regulars who made a quick trip in just to take away pies!

What we thought about the pies?

(photo from Ros’ instagram @theantiquated)

We thought the Grasshopper could have a little more minty oomph as we were expecting an “After Eight” pie equivalent. My Strawberry Lemon Meringue was close to perfect. Not too sweet (I’m usually not a fan of meringue), light and just the right amount of zest. It would be a 100 if there were real strawberries in there! Well, one can dream…

Would we go back? I’d say definitely. Windowsill Pies is located pretty close to both of us, it has a great ambiance, staff and all the other flavours that we wanna try while crafting.

Windowsill Pies

78 Horne Road,

Singapore 209078

11am – 9.30pm

Closest MRT Station: Lavender

 

Also, don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@ooverhaul) for our latest updates! You might also want to follow Ros (@theantiquated) and Juu (@harajuuku) on instagram for other craft snippets and to see more of our faces. Teehee x

Materials:

• Your desired colour for the Ice Cream
• Light brown yarn for the Cone
• Yarn or Embroidery Thread for the sprinkles
• 3.5mm Hook
• Stuffing

Abbreviations
Ch—Chain
Sc—Single Crochet
Inc—Increase
St—Stitch
Hdc—Half Double Crochet

Ice Cream
R1: Ch 2, 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook.
R2: Inc 2 (work 2 sc into 1 st) around—Total 12 st
R3: [Inc 2, sc] around—Total 18 st
R4 – R7: 18 sc.
R8: Work in front loops only, [2 hdc into next st, sc, skip 1 st] around.
Finish off.
Decorate using either yarn or thread for sprinkles.

Cone
R1: Ch 2, 5sc in 2nd ch from hook.
R2: Inc 2 (work 2 sc into 1 st), 5 sc—Total 6 st
R3: [Inc 2, 2 sc] around—Total 8 st
R4: 8 sc.
R5: [Inc 2, 3 sc] around—Total 10 st
R6: 10 sc.
R7: [Inc 2, 4 sc] around—Total 12 st
R8: 12 sc.
R9: [Inc 2, 5 sc] around—Total 14 st
R10: 14 sc.
R11: [Inc 2, 6 sc] around—Total 16 st
R12: 16 sc.
R13: [Inc 2, 7 sc] around—Total 18 st
Finish off with a long tail of yarn.

Stuff both sides of your ice cream cone. Thread the long tail of yarn through a yarn needle and sew it to the inside loops of your ice cream to attach the two parts together. I’ve attached brooch pins to these, so that I can pin them to bags as accessories!

If you’re new to crochet, or will like to pick it up, you can find out more here. This site has helped me a lot in learning the different crochet stitches. I hope this helps! x

Original pattern from here. Edited by Ros from Operation Overhaul.

Braided Thread Bracelet in various colourways (Tutorial here)

Decorated Clothespins which can be used as bookmarks, clips and various other uses!

If you’re interested to learn how to make any of the above items, it’ll be the perfect opportunity for you to join us! We will also have a lot of our other DIY accessories on display and for sale as well! So if you happen to be around the area this Saturday, we’ll love for you to drop by and say hi! We’ll see you there! xx

Stacking Rings from Balenciaga SS13

When Ros & I first saw these Balenciaga rings from the S/S13 runway, it struck us how versatile it was but also how easy it was to create a DIY version — especially since we both don’t have 600 bucks to splurge on a set. Here’s my take and also probably the easiest tutorial I’ve posted to date.

Materials needed:

• 2mm Coloured Aluminium Wire
• Wirecutter
• Plain rings/finger bands
• Thick marker (not pictured)
• Cloth + Pliers (Optional)

I bought this coloured craft aluminum wire from Art Friend for under $3 SGD. It is available in various thicknesses and colours so do get one to match your rings.

1. Cut a piece of wire about 25cm and bend it in the middle around your thumb, creating a nice curve.

2. Bend that curve around your finger now to create the ring. I found it easier to bend it around a thick marker (around the same thickness as your finger) after that for consistency/ so you don’t cut off blood supply from your hand. Just keep curling the wire round the marker!

3. (Optional Step) Using craft pliers, adjust the curves accordingly. Pad the pliers with a piece of cloth so as not to scratch the wire/ leave a mark. Trim off the ends (make sure it ends on the inside of your finger and not outside)

4. Almost done! I soon got addicted and started creating many other designs…

5. Wear it stacked on top of a plain band to mimic the Balenciaga look or wear it on its own. You could even create a smaller version and wear it as a midi ring!

I got my plain rings at the local Forever 21 but there are a ton of other places you can get them online as well.

1. Adjustable Pack of Three Plain Band Rings, ASOS

2. Pack of 8 Smooth Rings, ASOS

3. Tough Punch Rings, Nastygal

4. Pack of Three Plain Band Rings, ASOS

What do you think about it? Would you attempt this DIY?

So we’ve been busy…Both Ros & I have been caught up in a lot of our own work and although we still craft quite a fair bit at our own time, sometimes it’s admittedly a lot more time consuming to sit down, plan how to write a tutorial in the easiest and clearest way possible, then document and put it up.

But here’s one of my own DIY projects. Ros & I both use Moleskine organisers on a day to day basis and she gifted me this one (Thanks ros!!!) . I’ve recently been attracted and love everything to do with eyes so I immediately thought of creating something like this. Might look creepy to some but I love it to bits and it’s proven to be quite a conversation starter!

I spent slightly less than $10 to purchase all these craft googly eyes (you can find them in Art Friend, Popular, Chinatown… tons of places) and used UHU glue/mod podge to stick it on the cover.

Some time back I also chanced upon this Eye Clock on Nastygal but it was at its full price of 40USD, not inclusive of shipping. Ros managed to help me find another online for a really decent price so I now can read eyes and tell time!! (Thanks again ros!) PS. If you’re interested it’s now on a mega discount on Nastygal…

Just to prove my point about the eye obsession… Also really glad to be able to include my new eyeball socks that just arrived in the mail today.

Plus a sneak peak into my daily organiser…

Operation Overhaul is going to be at Green & Gorgeous, a green initiative by 313@Somerset this Saturday, 23 March from 4pm – 8pm! Say hi to Ros and I if you’re around the area :) We’ll let you know more in another post!

Oops, it’s another bracelet tutorial again! I promise a necklace piece for the next one, but meanwhile, try your hand on this braided diamante bracelet that’s great for stacking.

Materials:

• Satin Rope
• Diamante Strip
• Lighter
• Scissors

1. Measure a strand that goes round your wrist thrice, mine was roughly 42cm. Cut 4 of these.

2. To work a 4-strand braid, you will be working with the 2 strands on either sides and the middle 2 strands, which forms the core. To begin, bring extreme left strand over the core, then bring extreme right strand under the core and through loop.

3. Continue with braid 3-4 times, depending on far away you want to start your diamantes.

4. Insert your diamante strip into a braid where desired.

5. Continue with the braid until you reach the end of the diamante strip.

6. Finish the braid with the same number of braids you started with.

7. To end off, you can either cut the ropes and insert end clasps, or create an adjustable knot using the same braid, like how I’ve done so above. Cut off the ends and burn with a lighter to seal them.

Done! I hope you’ve enjoyed this simple tutorial. Have a great week ahead! x

My KA-POW! Sequin Sweater

I’ve long wanted to try out this sequin sweatshirt tutorial after seeing how awesome/professional it looks. And because I do crazy things like that, I ended up sewing the entire design by hand… one by one. My KA-POW! sweater :)

It’s quite hard to ignore the comic effect trend now that it’s popping out at you all over — High street brands such as Zara and Topshop have incorporated the easily recognisable action signs into many of their apparels this season. Here are a few…

1. Comic Pop Art Sweat from Topshop.com, SGD 69.00

2. Models Own WAH Nail Transfers – POW from ASOS.com, SGD 15.39

3. Whop Velour Sweater from Zara, SGD 49.90

4. Markus Lupfer KA-POW Sequin Sweater from ASOS.com, SGD 534.97

5. Pow! Printed T-shirt from Pull & Bear, SGD 49.90

6. AMBUSH Gold/Black POW! Ring from Hypebeast, 157USD

7. Jeffrey Campbell The Wordz Sneaker in Black Red and White Patent from Karmaloop, 145 USD

8. Smack Knit Sweater from Nasty Gal, 58USD

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Note: This isn’t entirely a tutorial because I don’t recommend or expect anyone to sew on the sequins one by one. However, I did take process shots along the way and they’ll be in this entry!

I decided to sew the sequins on a Topshop Grey Sweatshirt I got from the local stores (39SGD). It started out looking like this..

I can’t deny the entire project took me the longest time ever, with me sewing on sequins for sessions as long as 9 hours at one go on one night, from 10pm – 7am. I’d say I took a total of 30-40ish hours? So proud and glad that it’s completed though! Now… What am I going to do when I’m old?

Now that that’s done, I would actually like to know.. Would you embark on a project like that?