Come join our Shrink Art Craft Party at Woodlands Regional Library!

It has beed a while since out last post and we guarantee this post is good stuff! We are bursting with excitement to share that we are working with National Library Board (NLB) to craft at their libraries! How wonderful is that?

This series of workshops is part of ARTSEEN  - a community arts and culture node initiative by NLB and the National Arts Council, which seeks to promote vibrant arts learning within libraries, where artists and the community connect and engage in authentic art experiences. 

Come join us at Woodlands Regional Library this Sunday - 4th February. We will be there to work with you on your personalised Shrink Art Bookmarks.

You will need to click on here to get register and obtain your free tickets to the workshop. We will see you this weekend at the cosy Woodlands Regional Library!

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

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Craft Workshop: "Grow Big Ideas" - Story & Shrink Art Fun Craft Session

WahSoSimple brought our all time favourite shrink art craft workshop to the Story Carnival at the Enabling Village last week. Together with the veteran and talented story teller -  Roger Jenkins, we ran "Grow Big Ideas", a story and craft workshop.

Roger, a natural at telling stories, enchanted the children and their parents with a story by Taiwanese author, Jay Yue. He told the audience the inspiring story of Ding Ding, the humble bottle cap. Ding Ding believed in his conviction that he is not a throwaway item. The children learnt from Ding Ding that everyone is unique, regardless of size and shape and they can all do great things if they believe in themselves. 

WahSoSimple introduced the children to shrink art and taught the children on how to work on their own inspirational bag tags. The tags were made with messages to remind them to stay confident and have the grit during sticky situations. The children, together with their parents, worked on their colourful and inspirational tags together. 

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

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Event: PAssion Arts Festival Craft Workshops at Punggol

WahSoSimple was thrilled to craft at another PAssion Arts Festival Village. We started our Saturday morning on 5 August 2017 bright and early and joined the residents at Punggol Damai estate. They had gathered for a morning to celebrate our Nation's 52nd Birthday and made some crafts together. It was a very bright and vibrant morning in every sense! The residents were all decked in red as they mingled at the various craft tables, making something beautiful with their family and friends!

We ran 3 crafting booths:

• Glass Marble Magnets - Residents made a pair of glass marble magnets with special designs under the theme of 'Breakfast in Singapore'. We saw visuals of nasi lemak, kaya toast, Milo peng, hot kopi and more breakfast yummies made into practical magnets.
• Shrink Art Tags - 'Everyday Objects' was the theme of this shrink art activity. Residents coloured Singaporean everyday objects like a phone, umbrella, pair of flip-flops, ice-cream cone, soccer ball, coffee cup, etc onto pieces of shrink plastic and we 'baked' it on spot to create a useful tag for their bags, water bottles, pencil cases, etc.
• Stamp A Fabric Bag: We made animal- and transport-themed stamps and residents stamped them onto fabric bags in their favourite colours.

All-in-all, it was a colourful and happy morning to celebrate Singapore's birthday! =)

If you are interested in having WahSoSimple to customise craft activities for your event, please email us at hello@wahsosimple.com.

Till our next post, make something with you hands! =)

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Craft Workshop: Shrink Art Fun

WahSoSimple is running 2 Shrink Art Fun workshops in June 2017! Watch your coloured art shrink into fun lapel pins and tags!

Dates:

- 9 June (Fri) from 6pm to 8pm

- 17 June (Sat) from 2.30pm to 4.30pm

Venue: The Art Faculty at the Enabling Village (20, Lengkok Bahru)

Price: S$24 per person or S$30 for a parent & child pair. Both options come with a free drink at The Art Faculty Training Cafe. 

Sign-up: Email hello@wahsosimple.com

Join us!

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Craft Workshop: Shrink Art Fun with Mindset Charity

WahSoSimple was really happy to be part of something meaningful, at a FUN Day event organised by the Jardine Ambassadors. We conducted a shrink art craft workshop for their clients from MINDSET Care Limited, a registered charity, which has been established to make a difference in the area of mental health. Together with the Jardine Ambassadors, we had a colourful and crafty workshop on a bright Saturday morning, making beautiful shrink art pieces.  The volunteers from Jardine and their clients had an enjoyable time creating their very own lapel pins, keychains, bracelets and necklaces from scratch. 

Till our next post, make something beautiful with your hands! =)

Craft Workshop: PRESSPLAY 2017 - Shrink Plastic Workshop

We are absolutely thrilled to be part of PRESSPLAY 2017, an annual youth festival organised by Singapore National Library Board, who planned a myriad of arts programmes to the public.

WahSoSimple conducted a shrink plastic workshop at the Bedok Library on 21 January 2017. It was a great session of hands-on fun watching their creations come to life. We drew, coloured and cut each unique creation and popped them into the oven. The shrinked art were then transformed into lapel pins and quirky hanging mobiles. We had as much fun as the participants as we spent the rainy afternoon creating their masterpieces. 

If you would also like to experience the magic of shrink plastic, join us at our second workshop on 11th February at 2.30 pm at the Bukit Merah Library. Do check the PRESSPLAY 2017 facebook page for details.

Till our next blog post, craft something! =)

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Craft Workshop: Fun With Shrink Plastic at The Art Faculty

On 26 November 2016, WahSoSimple conducted a public Fun With Shrink Plastic Workshop at The Art Faculty. We shared with participants on how they can use chalk pastels, acrylic paint, colour pencils and permanent markers to create their own shrink plastic pieces. We had fun while watching the plastic shrink to permanent masterpieces.

The workshop space at The Art Faculty is fantastic! Though it is set at the cafe area, it is quiet and spacious. We love the windows which allowed plenty of natural lighting to come through. 

We made emoji and Pokemon shrink plastic masterpieces!

Till our next blog post, craft something! =)

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Craft Workshop: Making A Merlion Shrink Plastic Keychain with Suede Tassel With Seniors

The iconic Singapore Merlion roared to life at our craft workshop with the seniors. We coloured the Merlion which were drawn on shrink plastic with the rainbow selection of Sharpie markers. Lovely hues of assorted colours on the Merlion were created and the seniors watched in amazement as their creation shrank in size when baked in the oven.

Together with the student volunteers who spent the morning crafting with them, they handmade suede tassels to complement the Merlion keychain. Their completed creation was an authentic made in Singapore keychain!

Matching the colours of the Merlion with their handmade suede tassels

A 100% Made in Singapore Keychain

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

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DIY Craft: Shrink Plastic Ideas

Sharing some shrink plastic ideas. You can convert your shrink plastic pieces into pins, tags, bracelets, necklaces, bookmarks .. anything that you fancy. =)

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

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DIY Craft: A Bookmark for My Planner, Suede Tassel with Shrink Plastic

My version of a planner bookmark. =)

The flamingo and rainbow tags are made from shrink plastic (click here to learn more about shrink plastic). I bought a stack of inkjet shrink plastic from Amazon recently and wanted to put it to good use. The rainbow visual is from #MissTiina and I cannot remember where I downloaded the flamingo visual. 

Click here to see how I made the suede tassels.

Now I do not need to fumble to find my last written page in my planner. Love the bookmarks! 

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

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DIY Craft: Shrink Plastic Bunny Accessories for Easter and Everyday

Hello! Easter is coming up and Easter crafts are on fire now! =)

At WahSoSimple, we have also crafted out some bunny accessories using shrink plastic for Easter. But really, you can still wear these cute accessories anytime of the year. The accessories that we have made are hairpins, brooch pins, rings and necklaces. 

Click here to read more about how to work with Shrink Plastic. The only thing that I have done differently this time is to apply a thin layer of Mod Podge on the coloured side to prevent the colours from being scratched off.

Till the next blog post, craft 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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Event: Laneige Meets Fashion

23 July 2015 was an exciting day for WahSoSimple! We were part of the PR launch event in Singapore for Laneige Meets Fashion, an annual venture which showcases collaborations between Laneige and up-and-coming fashion designers in South Korea. For 2015, Laneige is collaborating with PlayNoMore, a new playful, funky fashion brand. Guests at the event included friends from the media, the talented Make-Up Artists and beauty bloggers. 

WahSoSimple designed and handmade the bag charms for the press kits. We made suede tassels in 4 different colors (pink, orange, light blue and cyan) and used inkjet shrink plastic to pre-make the 'Laneige Meets Fashion' tag.

For the charms, we drew 4 design options. Guests at the launch event chose their favourite designs and personalised them with their creativity. The creations were simply gorgeous and one of a kind!

WahSoSimple then baked the coloured shrink plastic designs on the spot and put them together as a beautiful bag charm. Everyone left happily with a personalised bag charm hooked on their press kit.

We had tons of fun preparing for the event and at the event itself! We wish #laneigesg all the best for their launch #LaneigexPlayNoMore =)

Till the next 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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Craft Workshop: Shrink Plastic Key Chain for Their Mummies

29 cheeky young endearing hearts. WahSoSimple had an awesome afternoon with them recently. An old friend working at CARE Singapore, an amazing organization who helps children at risk, asked if we were keen to craft with their children. We eagerly agreed; excited and nervous at the same time - not knowing what to expect. 

We spent the afternoon making key chains with Shrink Plastic for their mummies for the upcoming Mother's Day. The kids were utterly excited moulding their creation. It was exceptionally sweet to see them dedicating their favourite Slugterra slugs and Hello Kitty characters to their mummies as they drew, traced and coloured. They went the extra mile to ensure mummy loved it as they had added hearts in their creations next to the slugs. This is the only place we get to see the saccharine sweet slugs wrapped in the embrace of hearts.

It was really entertaining both ways. We were tickled watching them, as they huddled obediently at the toaster watching in utter amazement, as their creation were shrunk into size. The unchained melody of 'oohs' and 'ahhs' was hummed like a choreographed orchestra. 

Time went past in a haze with 29 unique masterpieces handcrafted with love. The eager hearts tore out of class, wearing a grin as wide as the rainbow and a gift in their palm, bursting with excitement to give their labour of love to the woman who means the world to them - their beloved mummy.

Happy Mother's Day to the 29 mummies out there! You mean the world to your children and they adore you more than anything else, in-between their mischief.

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

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Craft Workshop: Shrink Plastic Fun at Popin

WahSoSimple hosted a craft workshop with Popin at the Tampines Changkat Community Centre in January 2015. See some of the fun that we had and the creations that we made below! =)

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

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DIY Craft: Valentine's Day Cards

I am not a big fan of Valentine's Day but making cute little cards just made me want to celebrate it big time with not just my husband but also with my son, family members, special friends and people who have already given me Chinese New Year snacks. =)

Here are some ideas for you to share your love with your special ones. I like making my cards with more than paper. Using shrink plastic and clay ornaments add an extra dimension to handmade cards.

The first card is made with cross-stitching thread, the second card with rainbow heart is made with shrink plastic and the third card with heart cut-out is made with oven bake clay.

For this Valentine's Day, make something with your hands! =)

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