DIY Craft: Wooden Beads Keychains

We are loving the things that we can do with wooden beads. Here are a couple more keychains that we have made. Enjoy! =)

The beads are painted with acrylic paint. Pastel and metallic are a perfect couple!

If you are interested in organising a workshop to make these crafts with wooden beads and/or need the supplies, feel free to contact us at hello@wahsosimple.com.

Alternatively, you can purchase a DIY Craft Kit for Wooden Beads Keychains and do it yourself at home. =)

Till the next blog post, make something with your hands! =)

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DIY Craft: Wooden Beads Necklaces

Wooden beads and acrylic paint is the perfect combination to make pretty things. We made a couple of necklaces with wooden beads to jazz up our outfits. #OOTD

It is easy to do this DIY craft. Just paint and string. =)

Just paint ....

and string! 

Check out our shop for the DIY Craft Kit for Wooden Beads Necklaces and DIY your next accessory!

Till our next blog post, craft something! =)

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DIY Craft: Handmade Rubber Stamps, Planner Stamps

I am not much of a planner girl or a planner addict. I keep a small notebook to jote down notes, ideas, to-buy/to-do lists and the usual boring stuff. I do not make an effort to make it pretty ... until recently ... I saw a friend with this sugar sweet (pink!) Kikki K planner and in it, it is filled with dividers with inspiration quotes, cute stickers, paper clips, journal cards, etc and then suddenly, I am hooked! I started to research on what people do with their planners and am amazed at the creativity! Overnight, I have become a planner girl! =)

I love making my own rubber stamps and carving stamps to accessorise my planner is now my latest 'it' thing. =)

Personalising my planner with rubber stamps makes me happy and also forces me to write neatly versus my usual illegible handwriting which I cannot even read sometimes. =)

If you are interested, shop for your DIY Rubber Stamp Kit here. Have fun!

Till the next blog post, make something with your hands! =)

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DIY Craft Kit: Marbled Clay Dish

Introducing a new DIY Craft Kit from WahSoSimple! Make your own marbled clay dish to keep your pieces of jewellery, spare change and other trinkets organised! These are so cute and easy to make. =)

Each DIY Clay Dish Kit comes with detailed instructions and all the materials you need, hence no more scrambling around for crafting supplies when the inspiration strikes.

Shop for your Marbled Clay Dish Kit here and make one for yourself or your loved ones. =)

Till the next blog post, craft something with your hands! =)

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DIY Craft Kit: Petite Kit for Glass Marble Magnets

Introducing a Petite Kit for our Glass Marble Magnets. This Petite Kit includes:

1. 9 pieces of  flat glass marbles in round and square shapes
2. Pre-cut craft paper (design may differ from picture)
3. 1 bottle of 4-oz Mod Podge
4. 9 small round magnets
5. 1 tube of 2-gram Scotch super glue
6. 1 1-inch sponge brush
7. 1 small disposable plastic dishes 
8. 2 packs of alcohol swabs
9. Step-by-step instructions

The kit sells for S$20. Hurry, click here and order now! =)

Till the next blog post, make something with your hands! =)

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DIY Craft: Carving Your Own Rubber Stamps

Buying rubber stamps are expensive. Carving your own rubbers for your scrapbooking projects and decorating your journals is different, fun and economical. So, while I am organising my photos from my last beach holiday, I carved out some rubber stamps to make them extra special. =)

Carving or making your own rubber stamps is very simple. All you need to do is to invest in a linoleum cutter and some rubber blocks and you are ready to start.

This is what I use:

• A set of linoleum cutter
• Soft rubber / eraser block
• Ink pads
• 4B pencil
• Paper

This is what I do:

1. Have an idea of what you want to make and draw / sketch your idea out onto a piece of paper with a 4B pencil.
2. Stain your rubber block with an ink pad. This will make carving much easier as it will allow you to see that areas that you have craved out. Allow time for the ink to dry or you can stamp the stained rubber block on a piece of paper a few times to fast track the drying.
3. Transfer your image from the paper to the rubber block. You do this by laying the paper faced down onto the rubber block and rub the back of the paper with your finger tip.
4. When you have the whole image traced onto the rubber block, start craving with the linoleum cutter. Start with the thinnest cutter first to carve out the lines of your image. Follow with the thicker cutters to complete the rest of the carving / stamp.
5. Ink your completed rubber stamp and start stamping! 

Tip when buying your linoleum cutter: buy one that is comes with stainless steel blades. I bought a cutter does not come with stainless steel blades that they rusted upon contact with air. I can still use the blades but it makes the carving experience so unpleasant.

Rubber stamping is a great way to personalise your notes, bags, photos, scrapbooking projects, etc. For the materials needed for this project and detailed step-by-step instructions, tips and inspiration, check out our DIY Rubber Stamp Kit listed in our shop. Have fun!

Till the next blog post, make something with your hands! =)

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DIY Craft: Rubber Stamped Fabric Bag

Here I go again .. wanting to carve rubber stamps and obsessing with getting my handbag organised. =)

I carved out a couple of rubber stamps and started stamping away on my plain fabric bags with a fabric ink pad. Now I have 2 of these bags for my knick-knacks! =)

This is what I used:

• A set of linoleum cutter
• Soft rubber / eraser block
• Fabric ink pads
• 4B pencil
• Tracing paper
• 2 fabric bags

This is what I did:

1. Have an idea of what you want to make and draw / sketch / trace out your idea out onto a piece of tracing paper with a 4B pencil.
2. Stain your rubber block with an ink pad. This will make carving much easier as it will allow you to see that areas that you have craved out. Allow time for the ink to dry or you can stamp the stained rubber block on a piece of paper a few times to fast track the drying.
3. Transfer your image from the tracing paper to the rubber block. You do this by laying the tracing paper faced down onto the rubber block and rub the back of the paper with your finger tip.
4. When you have the whole image traced onto the rubber block, start craving with the linoleum cutter. Start with the thinnest cutter first to carve out the lines of your image. Follow with the thicker cutters to complete the rest of the carving / stamp.
5. Ink your completed rubber stamp and start stamping! 

Rubber stamping is a great way to personalise your notes, bags, photos, scrapbooking projects, etc. If you are interested, shop for your DIY Rubber Stamp Kit here. Have fun!

Till the next blog post, make something with your hands! =)

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DIY Craft: Shrink Plastic Bag Tags

An idea for your next shrink plastic project. This possibilities are endless! =) 

You can make bag tags with shrink plastic. No more mixing up of bags!

This is what I used:

• A sheet of shrink plastic
• Sharpie Permanent Markers
• Scissors
• One-hole puncher
• Ball chains
• Oven

This is what I did:

1. Draw and colour images on the shrink plastic. Now, remember that the plastic will shrink to about a quarter to half of its original size, so we have to make our images and words big. As the plastic shrinks, the colours will become more intense, so using lighter and brighter colours would yield better results.
2. Cut the shrink plastic to shape. Punch a hole at the top to string the ball chain later. 
3. Now to the shrinking part ... To shrink the plastic, pre-heat the oven to between 175 degree Celsius and 180 degree Celsius. When the oven is heated, place the shrink plastic onto a piece of aluminium foil and place it into the oven. The side of the shrink plastic where we have coloured on should be facing upwards.
4. Watch the shrink plastic while it is in the oven. It will first curl up and then flatten out. Wait until it has flatten out to remove from the oven. Once it is out of the oven and still hot and pliable, quickly place it into a flat surface and put a book on top for a few seconds to completely flatten and set it hard.
5. String the tag with a ball chain.
6. Ta-da! Ready to be attached to your bag!

If you are interested in shrink plastic, check out our DIY Shrink Plastic Kit in our shop! =)

Till the next blog post, make something with your hands! =)

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DIY Craft: Oven Baked Clay Gift Tags

If you like DIY crafts and baking, you will love making things with clay. Both need kneading and rolling, both need cookie cutters, both need some attention to detail and both bring smiles to people’s faces. =)

Give your gifts that extra loving care, have a handmade gift tag. 

All you need is some Sculpey II Oven-Baked Clay (any 2 colors will do), alphabet stamps, some kitchen supplies (cookie cutters, toothpick, drinking straw), some super glue and your creativity.

All you have to do:

1. Warm the clay in your hands by rolling it in your hands.
2. Using the rolling pin, roll the clay out to about 3mm in thickness. 
3. Create your tag with the alphabet stamps and kitchen supplies.
4. Place the tag onto a baking tray lined with a baking sheet or aluminum foil. 
5. Bake the tag in the oven as per the instructions on the Sculpey packaging - 130^oC or 275^oF for 15 minutes. Please do not microwave or exceed recommended temperature and baking time.
6. After the tag has cooled and hardened, super glue the parts together if needed.

If you are interested in crafting with oven baked clay, check out our Word Clay Magnet Kit at our shop. Practical and fun! 

Till the next blog post, make something with your hands! =)

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DIY Craft Kit: Hand Make Your Own Rubber Stamps

When I am stressed, I find working with DIY crafts to be very therapeutic and relaxing. It takes my mind off my stress and I just concentrate on getting my piece of craft done. I get a sense of happiness and achievement when my craft piece is done. One of my favourite craft / hobby is handmaking my own rubber stamps. 

I started off with carving on soft rubber blocks or erasers with a regular pen knife but that did not turn out well. I can only do straight lines and that is quite limiting. So, I invested in a set of Linoleum Cutters and I tell you, it is really worth it!

This is what I use:

• A set of linoleum cutter
• Soft rubber / eraser block
• Ink pads
• 4B pencil
• Tracing paper

This is what I do:

1. Have an idea of what you want to make and draw / sketch / trace out your idea out onto a piece of tracing paper with a 4B pencil.
2. Stain your rubber block with an ink pad. This will make carving much easier as it will allow you to see that areas that you have craved out. Allow time for the ink to dry or you can stamp the stained rubber block on a piece of paper a few times to fast track the drying.
3. Transfer your image from the tracing paper to the rubber block. You do this by laying the tracing paper faced down onto the rubber block and rub the back of the paper with your finger tip.
4. When you have the whole image traced onto the rubber block, start craving with the linoleum cutter. Start with the thinnest cutter first to carve out the lines of your image. Follow with the thicker cutters to complete the rest of the carving / stamp.
5. Ink your completed rubber stamp and start stamping! Super for your scrapbooking projects!

Visit our shop and check out our Rubber Stamp Kit!

Till the next blog post, make something with your hands! =)

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DIY Craft Kit: Magical Shrink Plastic

I visited a fair featuring stationery and DIY crafts in Seoul recently and guess what I found there? I found the magical shrink plastic! Growing up in Singapore, I have not been exposed to this before, so imagine my surprise when I saw the plastic shrunk in a few seconds while heated up. I am so excited that I bought a few packs of the shrink plastic home to play with. I love DIY crafts! =)

I did some researching and found out that it is actually made made of #6 plastic (mineral water bottle is #1 plastic) and once it is popped into the oven for baking, it shrinks to about a quarter to half of its original size and will become harder, thicker and very durable. There are so many things that you can do with this!

After a few tries with my newfound craft, I took a big leap and made a hanging mobile (inspired by those hanging baby mobiles that we always see in baby departments) consisting of 4 pieces of shrink plastic and joined together with ball chains.

This is what I used:

• 1 letter-sized sheet of shrink plastic
• Sharpie Ultra Fine Permanent Markers
• Scissors
• One-hole puncher
• Ball chains
• Oven

This is what I did:

1. Draw and colour images on the shrink plastic. Now, remember that the plastic will shrink to about a quarter to half of its original size, so we have to make our images and words big. As the plastic shrinks, the colours will become more intense, so using lighter and brighter colours would yield better results.
2. Cut the shrink plastic to shape. Punch holes at places where we intend to insert the ball chains. In my case, I have punched the holes at the bear's eats, the tip of the rocket, top of the cloud, etc.
3. Now to the magical part ... To shrink the plastic, pre-heat the oven to between 175 degree Celsius and 180 degree Celsius. When the oven is heated, place the shrink plastic onto a piece of aluminium foil and place it into the oven. The side of the shrink plastic where we have coloured on should be facing upwards.
4. Watch the shrink plastic while it is in the oven. It will first curl up and then flatten out. Wait until it has flatten out to remove from the oven. Once it is out of the oven and still hot and pliable, quickly place it into a flat surface and put a book on top for a few seconds to completely flatten and set it hard.
5. Join the pieces up with ball chains.

In place of the oven, I found that I can also use a simple toaster if you can control the temperature.

The picture on the left above shows the size of the shrink plastic before shrinking. After shrinking, it is about quarter to half of its original size. Magic, right? =)

I really enjoy this craft. It is very easy to do and the payoff is fantastic. In our upcoming blog posts, we will share more shrink plastic ideas. 

Visit our shop and check out our Shrink Plastic Kit.

Till the next blog post, make something with your hands!

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DIY Craft Kit: Word Clay Magnets

Jazz up your fridge and notice boards at home or in the office with magnetic clay words! I love written messages but sometimes I like to be different and add some colors to my messages. These word clay magnets are very easy to make. =)

This is what I used:

• 2 blocks of 2-oz Sculpey Oven Bake Clay
• Alphabet stamp
• Clear plastic sheet or transparency
• Rolling pin
• Sharp cutter
• Magnet tape
• Scissors
• Superglue
• Oven

(I did not manage to take pictures while doing this batch of words, so I have used pictures from a previous project.)

This is what I did:

1. Roll the clay out on to the clear plastic sheet to about 3mm in thickness.
2. Using the magnet tape as a guide, cut out strips of clay with the sharp cutter.
3. Stamp as many words onto the clay strips as you like, cutting them out as you go along.
4. Arrange the words into a baking tray and bake the clay in the oven as per instructions on the Sculpey packaging - 130 degree Celsius or 275 degree Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes. My oven is a bit hot and so I baked mine for about 12 minutes.
5. After the clay has cooled and hardened, attached the magnet tape to the back. For extra security, I put 2 tiny drops of superglue at each end of the tape to ensure that the magnet sticks to the clay super well.

For the materials needed for this project and detailed step-by-step instructions, tips and inspiration, check out our DIY Word Clay Magnet Kit here.

Till the next blog post, craft something with your hands! =)

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DIY Craft Kit: Glass Marble Magnets

Making glass marble magnets is my favourite and easiest DIY craft to make for various occasions. I have made these glass marble magnets for teachers appreciation day, going away gifts, spicing up my fridge, documenting my latest vacation, etc.

This is what I use:

• Flat glass marbles (Get the better quality ones. There are some cheaper ones that has air bubbles inside and you want to avoid these.)
• Mod Podge
• Craft paper / photos
• Sponge brush
• Magnets
• Super glue
• Scissors
• Small container for Mod Podge

Make this DIY craft in 6 short simple steps:

If you are interested, drop by our shop and take a look at our Glass Marble Magnet Kit.

Till the next blog post, make something with your hands! =)

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