From the streets of Bangkok - 6

This is the last post of the series, "From the streets of Bangkok"! It's been great sharing all these neat stuff that I saw during my trip to Bangkok earlier this year. I hope all of you have been inspired! (^_^)

I think this is easy to make! 

Step 1: Just grab one of your fabric belts and sew the sides together, with the right side facing each other. 

Step 2: Then turn it inside out so that the right side of the fabric is facing you.

Step 3: Tie a knot at one end, leaving a short length of tail (as see at the back of the necklace in the picture).

Step 4: Alternate between putting a wooden bead into the sewn fabric and threading the fabric through the wooden bead.

Step 5: Continue until you are satisfied with the length, then tie a knot again!

Step 6: Don't forget to finish off by sewing the two open ends of the fabric strip for a neat finish!

NEW craft "blog"

Okay so, it's not exactly a 'blog' per se. It's more like a log where I keep all the links of the lovely craft projects that I've seen online and would love to try them... one fine day. 
And they also serve as great inspirations for future crafting projects.
Last but not least, it's on Tumblr!
START CRAFTING NOW!

From the streets of Bangkok - 5

She was not just any other street peddler. There she was, sitting cross-legged along the narrow pavements of the sidewalk, quietly making her craft. The sun was blazing hot and you can see her forehead glistening under the sunlight with its sweat. The streets was as busy as ever on the Sunday morning, yet she sat there quietly, seemingly unaffected by the surroundings.

She was making cute little amigurumi keychains. The speed at which she crochet was amazing, considering that she was using a tiny crochet hook (which I would guess to be size 1mm or smaller). It almost seemed like she was crocheting out of instinct. Either that or she has really good eyesight.

Impressed by her fine skill, I asked if she could help me smile for a photo. She looked up at me and gave a meek smile, all these while with the fingers still working with the hook and the yarn. Ah, her tanned skin and the wrinkles around the eyes when she smiles, I wonder how many years has she been peddling her craft.

As my friends and I walked away, she returned to her work, her nimble fingers playing around with the crochet hook and the yarn, oblivious of all the praises that the tourists have for her.

Click on the picture to enlarge and take a look at the amigurumis!

From the streets of Bangkok - 4

Painted sneakers!? Nah! They are printed ones. Ok, so this is not exactly something made by the artists of Bangkok, but I thought that it's actually a really good idea for painting your own white shoes! I'm not too sure why, but the idea of wearing something that looks like a watermelon on your feet seems to be rather popular. A quick google led me to several links tutorials on how to paint your own watermelon sneakers. 

Watermelon sneakers in Bangkok, around 250 Baht before bargaining.

Oh, and not forgetting how Vans also have their own version of the watermelon plimsolls!

So, if watermelon is your favourite fruit... you can add this project to your DIY list. It can't be too difficult. Just paint the sides of the gum soles green, the canvas body red, and finally add little black dots all around the red body. 

From the streets of Bangkok - 3

First of all, I apologise for this very late post. It has been more than a week since my last post. I've just moved to a new place in Australia (where I am studying) and it takes forever for the new Internet to set up. Damn.

PAINTED SNEAKERS! These designs on these hand-painted pictures look as though they were printed on. But no, you can be absolutely sure that are indeed hand-painted because the artists were just sitting right there painting other shoes! They were spotted in a corner of the Chactuchak Market and there were so many designs to choose from! I was really tempted to get one for myself but I have already overspent for that day.

I wasn't too sure about the prices of each design but apparently the prices start from 260 Baht.

If you were to ask me if I regret NOT getting one of these pairs of lovely shoes, I'd say no. It mostly because I have always felt that DIY items have a much greater sentimental value when it is made on your own or given as a gift from someone. It's just a personal thing. Nevertheless, I still feel that this is a great inspiration for people who plans to paint their own plain ol' sneakers.  

Check out the designs that they have! I really like the one with Spongebob's big smiley face (centre, left) and the one with the big heart between Mickey and Minnie (bottom, right ). Start your sketch on a paper now and start painting soon!