This shrinkable plastic art thing is becoming a little obession for me :P Figured I'd make use of this obsession to make personalize trinklets for dear friends in this time of economic woes...



Although I do wonder... With the amount spent on the materials (money and time), would it have been no better than buying ready-made items...?

Let's see now... Can't recall the actual prices (shows how bad I am at budgetting...) but I think this is about how it goes...

Shrinkable plastic sheet (1 pc) - approx. $3.40
Arcylic paint (6 primary colours)- approx. $3.50
Colour pencils (24 colours) - $2
Jade-coloured glass beads (pkt of 8) - approx. $5
Accessories (tiny rings and wires etc.) - $3.99

I already had the marker and the pliers from a long time ago and dug out the key-chain rings from some old drawer, so I won't count them in...

So in total, I paid almost $18.

Actually not that bad, considering that I still have surplus material meaning that I still have about 5 more accessories that I can make out of what I have left (taking into account also wasted material from trial and error). Which comes up to... say... $2++ per item...?

Not bad... May actually start trying out accessories-making like earrings and stuff from beads and crystals now that I've got some experience from the key chains and know where to find the basic materials. In fact, my next 'big' project is to replicate a side of a pair of earrings which I lost. Sad... it was a nice pair. Now I'm looking out to see if there is anywhere that sells Tensha beads which makes up the main attraction of the earrings.

One thing's for sure though, when it comes to accessories-making I am quite hopeless. I actually do have some skills in performing basic 'repair' work on accessories and simple modifications. However, when it comes to designing... I'm no where near these ladies below who have done some really impressive work with accessories...

1) OchaCream by Mia



I love most of her designs which I find quirky, whimiscal yet classy all at the same time. The moment I set eyes on her accessories I immediately realized that this was kind of design that I love the best. Only problem though, is that her accessories tend to be quite expensive. Of course not expensive as in $100 to $1000 kind of expensive - an average price for a necklace costs about $40 to $50, while the earrings costs about $30 to $40. To me, I usually only purchase one item on an occassional indulgence.

Nevertheless, even if I can't afford them they are still nice to look at :)

Mia is sometimes invited to set up stalls at bazaars that sell exclusively indie brands. In the recent Singapore Arts Festival, she was invited to set up a stall as well. Great if you do manage to catch those cos it's always nice to be able to touch and feel before buying. However, stalls are not commonplace for OchaCream so it relies mainly on online purchasing.

Buying from OchaCream was my very first experience with buying stuff from a non-MNC website (eg. Amazon). Response was very prompt and so was the delivery of the items. You can choose to get it delivered via registered mail (more expensive but more reliable), or via normal mail. Either way, the item is packaged nicely in bubble-wrap and a personalized plastic pouch by the time it reaches you.

Payment can be made through funds transfer for local addresses.

One thing though, I have come to find that sometimes the pictures on the website give me an impression that they are quite large, only to find them a little smaller when you see the actual product. This despite the fact that Mia always takes photos of her charms on the accessory beside a Singapore 1 dollar coin. Maybe it's just me...

Mia is in fact a theatre practicioner and is still active in the local theatre scene mainly as an actress. She does customizations as well.

2) Birdsnestfern by Huey Eng



I came across this website after receiving the owner's card when I was attracted by her stall at a bazaar in SMU. Compared to OchaCream, Birdsnestfern has a range of accessories that are much more affordable, with earrings, necklaces, bookmarks and other items priced between $10 to $25. Birdsnestfern also has the occassional burst of generosity where the owner, Huey Eng, gives away freebies or offer discounts or other goodies. Wonderful marketing ploy.

Still comparing to OchaCream, the materials are definitely less exquisite than that used by Mia, which probably explains the lower prices. However, the whimsical element is what lures me the most to her products. Despite using more ordinary beads and charms, Huey Eng's talent shines through in the way she combines these items into a complete accessory. Huey Eng also does a lot of wire-work, but personally I find those less appealing. But then again, this is just one person's opinion. Nevertheless, mainly because of the affordable prices and unique artwork, I do find myself buying accessories from Birdsnestfern rather frequently. In fact, I have not had the motivation to buy from ordinary accessories shop since I discovered this website.

Perhaps due to her schedule as a student with exams, term papers and all, her response may be a little delayed at times. Nevertheless, Huey Eng never fails to deliver. She has been quite contactable via email, and is quite comfortable engaging in small talk over the email as you confirm your purchase and stuff.

Payment is made through fund transfer only.

The interface of her website is of course not as sophiscated, but it does its job nevertheless. Unlike at OchaCream where you fill in an order form, this one relies on emails for orders and subsequent correspondences. Only complaint about her website is the "non-enlargeable" pictures of the accessories. However, the actual product almost always meet the expectations. I have worn a few accessories from Birdsnestfern to work before and they never fail to attract positive attention from my colleagues.

Huey Eng is a student at NTU so exams and term papers do get in the way of her response when you order or deliver. Nevertheless, she is thus far reliable. Huey Eng has even been featured in at least newspaper before about young entrepreneurs. She does customizations too. In fact, I had her customize a bracelet before and she was very responsible in sending me photos of the product at various stages, and very patient in listening to my uncertainties about the outcome and explaining why she chose certain charms and why she made the accessory in a certain way.


There you go! Not sure what to buy for Christmas? Check these websites out then!