Crochet Class @ Fabric Fanatics

Before the Covid-19 pandemic started, I have occasional crochet classes for beginners, normally at cafes. And then lockdown came along so no teaching activity for the past 2 years or so. After a long hiatus, I have finally started my first crochet class this year! It was a coincidence as I was at the right place at the right time and I just went with the flow, not hoping for much since I do have my day job and this is just my back-up plan for when I retire. After a few chats, I had my first crochet class at Fabric Fanatics, Summit Mall.

Thank you, Ashley, for having faith in me and given me this opportunity. I sure hope your Pokeball turned out good.

If you want a refresher class, we can have it at a mutually agreed cafe :-)

Thank you, Edel, for having me guide you through your WIP. I sure hope you managed to finish your shawl and booties :-)

If you are interested to learn crochet or you require a refresher class, please send me an email to discuss. My fee starts from RM100 for a 4 hours session.

Vanscent 4 ply face mask

In this post, I'll be promoting a new product which Nyc Nat Nook is proudly selling. For those who didn't know, Nyc Nat Nook is a part-time online biz where hubby and I are selling products that we believe in, including some of my handmade stuff.

Nyc Nat Nook is glad to be a part of this journey during this pandemic bringing this essential product to you. If you are looking for a good quality, sturdy medical face mask, Vanscent might be your answer. 4 ply and lightly fragrant with bergamot, this medical face mask is the first of it's kind. It is refreshing yet effectively compliant for use. Each face mask is individually packed for hygiene purpose. 

To know more, please click on the link below:

Bergamot – Nyc Nat Nook (wordpress.com)

Price: RM23 for each box with 30 pieces individually packed.

If you purchase 3 boxes for 1 delivery address, postage is free within Peninsula Malaysia. However, you will need to top-up RM5 for East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak).

Fukubukuro

 Fukubukuro (福袋, [ɸɯkɯbɯkɯɾo] “lucky bag”) is a Japanese New Year custom in which merchants make grab bags filled with unknown random contents and sell them for a substantial discount, usually 50% or more off the list price of the items contained within. The low prices are usually done to attract customers to shop at that store during the new year. The term is formed from Japanesefuku (福, meaning “good fortune” or “luck”) and fukuro (袋, meaning “bag”). The change of fukuro to bukuro is the phenomenon known as rendaku. The fuku comes from the Japanese saying that “there is fortune in leftovers” (残り物には福がある). Popular stores’ fukubukuro usually are snapped up quickly by eager customers, with some stores having long lines snake around city blocks hours before the store opens on New Year’s Day.

The above snippet was taken from Wikipedia.

So CMCO has been extended, yet again, to 20/12/2020. I just hoped that is the last extension and we can finally live our lives again albeit in a new normal lah. I'm sure face masks and hand sanitisers would be the must haves in our bags for a long time coming. I also can't wait to go to the office as working from home is becoming more of a burden and very stressful to me.

Anyway, you must be curious of my blog title and snippet :-) If you have seen Nyc Nat Nook, my blogshop's Instagram then you would know what this is about! For those who didn't know, since the season of gifting is just around the corner, I have decided to come up with some Lucky Bags for sale! It was supposed to be a mystery bag revolving around a theme but I've decided to partially reveal what is in the bag and have a few themes to suit the various palates. Not forgetting, it would be wrapped nicely for the occasion and will be priced affordably. 

Definitely economical and great as a Christmas gift, stay tune for more details via Instagram so please follow if you have not done so :-)

https://www.instagram.com/nycnatnook/

The New Normal

In this new normal, face masks and hand sanitizers are essential items to have around, just like carrying our wallets and mobile phones never to leave home without it. However, frequent use of face masks and hand sanitizers do have impact to the environment and also side effect to our health.

Currently we can see many discarded face masks everywhere but the dustbin. As it is already not recycle friendly, it also pose as environment and health hazard. Hence this is why I prefer to use fabric face masks as it is more environmental friendly since it is washable. As it has not been proven by WHO the effectiveness of fabric face masks, there are still debates on whether a 2 ply or a 3 ply fabric face mask is effective in filtering COVID-19. As what the health minister says, wearing a fabric face mask helps to prevent and filter better than not wearing any at all. 

So I have sewn some fabric face masks for the family. Initially sewn 2 ply ones using pattern template from Crafts Passion as below:

Somehow it wasn't as comfortable and found another pattern from Maker's Habitat which happens to be 3 ply as below:

Wearing a fabric face mask sure feels like a fashion statement now LOL! We can mix and match with our clothes though I don't do that lah as it's a waste of good cotton fabric. However it does feel good saving the environment :-)

If I could, I would prioritize washing my hands instead of using hand sanitizers due to it's alcohol content. I have eczema so it does 'hurt' my skin a lot! As such I do lopped on lots of lotion before I go to sleep in order to moisturize my poor skin LOL! Anyway, as hand sanitizer is part of the new normal plus we have to use it especially during our commute or travelling where there are no access to toilets, I would think it is more cost effective to buy it in a big bottle and pour it into small containers with pump which is definitely more feasible and worthy lah. It can lasts for months and can be kept in a cool dry room. 

If you are interested, you can check out my Nook for more details: 

http://nycnatnook.wordpress.com

RMCO: Back to office

Finally, my 'work from home' era has ended and I'm back to office this week. It was a harrowing thought at first having to travel to work via public transport but thankfully, it has been a pleasant experience thus far. 

In this 'new normal', scanning of QR code or writing in the log book where ever we go to plus wearing our face mask is becoming the norm. Face mask has in fact evolved as one of our daily essential to bring along! I've decided to sew my own face mask for a more environment friendly use. Thankfully I have some 100% cotton fabrics so sewing a few to test it out. The only problem I encountered now is the elastic band as it's not feasible for long use and it hurts my ear. So I'm looking for other ways to make it less painful to wear :-)

Face mask pattern is from www.craftpassion.com

An update on Nyc Nat Nook

As most of you would have known that Nyc Nat Nook Trading is my part-time online business with hubby. After much thought and consideration due to the current pandemic, we have decided to streamline and downsize to save cost.

Firstly impacted would be the ecommerce platform. We have been paying monthly for the usage of this ecommerce at easy.co but it is not giving us much in return. Maybe because we have signed up for the cheapest package plus we do encouraged more traffic through our social medias. In fact, we have received all of our orders via WhatsApp and social medias. We have been using this ecommerce as a catalog for viewing only hence it is the easiest decision to axe it and transfer it to a free website. So having said that, with effect from July 1st, 2020, we will move https://nycnatnook.easy.co to https://nycnatnook.wordpress.com

Secondly as the economy is dwindling on a downward trend, we are sure most consumers would be extra vigilant in their spending. We are well aware that our products are on a 'WANT' and not 'NEED' basis as such participating in bazaars and pop-up markets would be on hold until next year. Not forgetting it's the era of The New Normal now thus it's better to reduce meeting people in a crowded place. So it makes more sense that we concentrate more online via social medias such as Facebook and Instagram. All free of course. 

Last but not least, we will revamp our products and pricing to ensure a more affordable and useful choice for all walks of life. It is not an easy choice especially since the cost itself is not cheap but keeping redundant stocks is also pointless. We might as well sell it at a lower price with higher quantity rather than selling it at a higher price with lower quantity. We must try to sell as many to recover our capital and hopefully all will be well by end of the year. 

I am looking forward to a more fruitful 2021 and hoping the wave of this COVID-19 pandemic will end by 3Q 2020. I know there are many small businesses badly impacted by this and some have have even folded. I am thankful that my liability is small and I still have a full-time job so hoping to be able to sustain it slowly but surely. Small baby steps..........

Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day is this Sunday so this is an advance greeting :-)

A very Happy Father's Day to all Father's and Father figures out there!

A heavenly greeting to my dad and father in law!

Also the warmest loveliest greeting to my hubby :-)

Image Googled

If you are looking for a meaningful gift, you can opt for gadget related like a power bank or a car charger. It's useful and lasting, worthwhile for someone always on the go and busy like a bee.

 

Nyc Nat Nook is an authorised seller for EliteSoft, a trusted brand for mobile phone accessories. We have power banks, car chargers and charging cables with a variety of choices and colours. Do check out our: 

• website at https://nycnatnook.easy.co
• instagram at https://www.instagram.com/nycnatnook/
• facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NycNatNook/

We do provide delivery service to your doorstep within Klang Valley plus a standard gift wrapping for a nominal fee :-) Please enquire within.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers out there!

As it's still partial lockdown, CMCO, this year's Mother's Day would be different in this "new normal". No big celebration, in fact better not to go out to eat as yet to be on the safe side. Best to still consume home-cooked meal which is more relevant and meaningful especially if you cooked it for her! 

On the other hand, if you are staying far from your mom, you can also send gifts via delivery service or postage or buy online which are abundance in the world wide web. Just ensure your mommy wiped the gifts with alcohol wipes first ya! 

Another option is handmade greeting cards! Like the one above which can be found on my site, Nyc Nat Nook. It's handmade cross-stitch attached to a greeting card template. As the greeting card is blank, it can be used for other celebration i.e. birthday, anniversary, etc. I know a little too late for Mother's Day but then better late than never right?! It is the thought that counts most! For more deets, you can click on the link here: https://nycnatnook.easy.co/

World Book Day!

So World Book Day falls on 23rd this month and not forgetting that Kuala Lumpur has been named by UNESCO as World Book Capital 2020!!! Please encourage your family, loved ones and friends to read, read, read! Just pick up a book and read, no harm done........ only adding more vocabs, knowledge or fantasy into your brain!

Just so you know, I've read 10 books in the first quarter of 2020!

Definitely hope I can achieve my goal of 30 books this year! I have been setting them at 35 for the past 2 years but somehow I can never achieved it! Always short of a few due to reading slump........ what a bummer.

If you like to dress up your e-reader when reading then you can check out Nyc Nat Nook's booksleeve! Current size available is 4" x 6" which fits any standard size e-readers:

Women's Day and more ...

A note from Nyc Nat Nook:

In lieu of International Women's Day, a bunch of specially curated ladies accessories at a special price is available now. It's really limited so grab it fast while stock lasts.

As seen on Instagram and Facebook:

For more details, please click on the link below:
https://nycnatnook.easy.co/

International Book Giving Day and Happy Valentine's Day

It is International Book Giving Day today! Not forgetting it's Valentine's Day too! So kill 2 birds with 1 stone by gifting a book to your loved one today!

In view of this special day, there is a book giveaway to a lucky commenter on Nyc Nat Nook's Instagram! It will be picked by using a Random Number Generator! This giveaway ends on 29th February 2020 and the winner will be announced on 3rd March!

So go ahead and try your luck here but make sure to read the T&C first:
https://www.instagram.com/nycnatnook/

Chap Goh Mei Special!

Finally, it has reached the last day of Chinese New Year celebration. Today is known as Chap Goh Mei or Chinese Valentine's Day. Below is a summary of what it means from Google:

Chap Goh Mei is a Hokkien term that means the 15th night of the new year, which is why it's celebrated on the 15th and final day of Chinese New Year. In Mandarin, it's called Yuan Xiao Jie (元宵节), which means Prime Night Festival.

You can also read more about it here:
https://publicholidays.com.my/chap-goh-mei/

In view that Valentine's Day is also around the corner, instead of having thrown Mandarin oranges into the sea to look for your soulmate, you can opt to gift a flower bookmark to a fellow booklover which is more environmental friendly and useful LOL!

For custom order, it'll take at least 3 days. Currently available at a very attractive introductory price. For more details or to purchase, please click on the link below:
https://nycnatnook.easy.co/

Crochet: Neck Pillow

I've recently crochet a neck pillow as le hubs has been looking for one but the mass market ones were either too soft or not suitable. So I've taken this task to make a suitable and firm one for his birthday present but alas it was one size smaller LOL!

I've used this pattern below as a guide and altered it to suit my needs i.e. smaller holes so that the styrofoam beads do not fall out.
https://www.mooeyandfriends.com/2015/12/crocheted-neck-pillow-12-days-of-diy/

What I've used:

• Milk cotton yarns
• Styrofoam beads

So moving on, will continue to make another bigger neck pillow...

Happy Birthday Everyone! (人日)

Just so you know, today is 'Yan Yat' (人日) which translates to 'Everyone's Birthday'. It falls on the seventh day of the lunar calendar thus everyone celebrates their day, or rather their birthday, today! It's an ancient belief where human beings were created on this auspicious day. Hence this is the reason why all Chinese restaurants are fully booked with lots of 'yee sang' sold on this particular day!

Also, I've just realized I have not shared this. As this year is the 'Year of the Rat', there is a special offer for my handmade crochet rat bookmark, while stock last! So grab it fast ya!

For more details or to purchase, please click on the link below:
https://nycnatnook.easy.co/products/handmade-crochet-mouse-bookmark

Amigurumi: Pokemon inspired Pokeball

My first crochet for this year 2020, I've made a Pokeball! Or two!!! I know, some of you might say, again??? LOL!!! Well, I had an order from a dear friend who supports local handmade market and she has commissioned me to make 2 Pokeballs with key ring! I'm so grateful for friends who truly appreciate handmade which is so rare!

This is an easy pattern which I've concocted. If you would like to learn to crochet this Pokeball, I do teach too. Just drop me an email or visit my Facebook page @NycNatNook for more deets.

Pattern: Susan Stitch Stuff

Thank you so much, Ai Jou, for your constant support!

CSM: Marketplace in a Boot Christmas Market

Nyc Nat Nook is participating in their first Christmas Market in a boot! There will be accessories and craft kits available for clearance! So if you are looking for an affordable Christmas gift, please drop by our boot this Saturday morning!

Crochet: Boo! Happy Halloween!

This is my recent creation, just in time for Halloween! It was inspired by Jack Skellington, a character in the movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas. Are they scary enough? They seemed tame to me lah LOL!

I've crochet a Jack Skellington head with key ring and 2 bookmarks. What I've used:

• acrylic yarn
• styro-foam beads

If you are interested to learn crochet, you can give me a buzz or visit my Facebook page as listed on the right hand side of the blog. Crochet is a relaxing and therapeutic hobby once you get the hang of it :-)

Nyc Nat Nook 1st anniversary!

Time flies and it's been a year since we launched Nyc Nat Nook! From offline to online, with many pop-up market appearances and still looking for our niche, we have survived the many ups and downs thus far. We are still learning, hoping for that right Midas touch or move to guide Nyc Nat Nook to the right uphill path!

Aside from Handmade Hadiah's, Accessories for Ladies & Mobile Phones and Books for rent & sale, we currently have various Workshops for the Young Adults such as:

• Mosaic art
• Wood art

With mixed media medium, you can create your own artistry! All these are available during pop-up markets or if you are shy, you can purchase directly from us via online @ https://nycnatnook.easy.co.

Since it's our 1st anniversary, from this month onward while stock last, we have launched "Craft4Charity". We have received a bulk of Giraffe Mosaic Kits for this purpose. At a very affordable price of RM15 each where proceed of RM10 from each kit will be pooled and donated to an orphanage. We have yet to identify the orphanage but it will be announced in November. So if you are interested to donate and contribute, kindly email us @ nycnatnook@gmail.com for more info!

From Mosaic Art Online

P/S: Thank you to Mosaic Art Online for generously sponsoring this bulk of Mosaic Kits!

CSM: Project Kita Pop-up Market

Nyc Nat Nook will be at Suasana Presint 2 Putrajaya for Kita Pop-up Market this weekend! Aside from our DIY mosaic kits, we will also feature some new crafts on that day ya! So drop by and check out our booth!

See you there!

Crochet: Amigurumi Owls with key chains

Recently received an order to make 10 of this lovely owls! I was happy to do it but I was hit by muscle spasm and aches initially so my progress was slow at the start. When I've managed to pick up pace, I was so happy with the outcome! Thank you Miss Siah for your kind support!

Pattern is my own. What I've used:

• 100% acrylic yarns
• Styrofoam fillings
• Key chains
• Safety eyes

Sparks joy amigurumi owls!!!