Water Lilly Lantern Dragon Auction

This is the Waterlilly Lantern Dragon for auction on my IG! Just wanted to share a few more photos of it so you can see it from other angles and the accessories it comes with:

And here's a link to the auction: TheLittleMew Instagram Auction

Starting Resin! (So much fun!)

Hi everyone! As I recieved a lot of questions about resin and my supplies since I posted a mini resin update on Instagram, I thought I would put together a blog post so that I could put all the info in one place :)

I have been dying to try resin for a while now. I watched countless resin videos from +Frainy xo , +SugarCharms808 , +CoolRiceBunnies , +crafterzdelights +PastelBunBun.com & +LittleSurprisesYT (I think I wathed them all, actually hehe) and drooled over the beautiful pastel colours, glitter & shapes. I already have a small collection of stickers, but to actually have an excuse to buy more and to finally buy glitter - SOLD. ❤

First let me show you the two molds I bought (please excuse how dirty they are):

They are both from the same seller on Aliexpress, come with free shipping, are extremely good quality and make super shiny pieces! I am very happy with these two as my first molds, and have been making a lot of use of them. The only thing that I initially thought could improve them would be if they had curved rather than perpendicular edges. I have since changed my mind about this though, as I have learned how to dome which gives a much softer look to the finished piece! Doming is also very useful when repairing overspill. What I have learned to do is to sand the overspill so that the piece becomes flat and then dome over the top to make it shiny again; it works like a dream!

❤ Love mold Aliexpress here

❤ Circle shape mold Aliexpress here

I also bought a pair of makeshift doming mats from K-mart which are actually just silicone heat mats for picking up hot pots:

They are perfect for catching any resin runoff, and ensuring that pieces don't get stuck when an overspill happens! I highly recommend investing in something like this (they were only about NZ$1 each), as resin is an amazingly sticky substance. The small amount I got on my desk is stuck fast and not going anywhere!

 If you can't find them in store, I've seen some on Aliexpress here

This is the resin I've been using:

It's called Easy Cast by Castin' Craft and I bought the 16 oz box.

So far I love this resin! It deals with anything I throw at it and hardens perfectly: acrylic paint, ink, glitter - even some water drops that accidentally fell into the molds while the resin was curing. Although it says low odour I really dislike the smell which is actually a good thing with chemical stuff like this. As it's the only resin I've tried I can't compare its clarity with others, but it looks like a really clear resin.

I bought mine from a New Zealand online outlet (Trademe) but it's originally from Beadaholique.com

❤ You can find the link HERE

White Ink & Mod Podge:

I bought this white ink on Ebay after seeing it in +Frainy xo 's videos. As you can see in her YT video here it is really opaque, and when mixed with fine coloured glitter it gives a pastel effect. The one I purchased is a small bottle (1oz) but it looks like it will go a long way. It hasn't affected the curing process of my resin pieces, which is a relief. I've taken to mixing it with my standard acrylic paints in the resin to create the pretty pastel colours which you can see in my finished pieces below :)

❤ I bought it from Ebay here

I bought the Mod Podge from a local craft store, but you can find it on amazon or Ebay. Mine is several years old but still works really well. I accidentally bought the paper Mod Podge because I didn't know that there were different variations. I have used it a few times now to seal paper cutouts in resin and where I've applied it properly it hasn't let me down! I use +crafterzdelights sealing paper stickers technique to seal them, and after trying several others including tape, I have to say it's the best way. You can view her tutorial here. I found a random sheet of clear plastic and have been using it - I don't think it's the exact correct type as it doesn't vanish completely like hers, but it's been working well enough!

Glitter & Glitter shapes:

 I got a bunch of different glitter types: fine to colour, glitter strips to add sparkle etc. I bought a few sets off Ebay which I would say avoid if you can get glitter in your local shops. They tend to sell the glitter on Ebay in very small containers like you see above, which was good for me to begin with, but will not last very long! The local stores that I have in my reach also have terribly limited glitter options. I wasted my time on some plain 'white glitter' that looks like air bubbles in my resin >.<

❤ I bought a fine glitter set here

❤ and glitter strips here

❤ and a few individual chunky glitter mixes here

I bought these glitter shapes off of Imagination station after watching a haul/review video from +LittleSurprisesYT  which you can view here. I was so disappointed that they didn't have any of the colours she hauled in stock and also wrote to them to ask if they might get more in, but never heard back unfortunately. The glitter is still great, but as I didn't want mixed glitter I painstakingly sorted each container into it's own individual colour. I would not do this again, nor would I recommend this to anyone as you are left with very little of each colour for all your hard work! I'm still trying to find a place where I can buy these colours and shapes in a larger quantity. I did find some tiny little jars of the shapes on Ebay as you can see in the first picture at the top of the page, but the colours are limited as is the quantity in each miniature bottle.

❤ You can find Imagination Station Atlanta's storenvy here

❤ Ebay miniature bottle set - star here and heart here (same seller)

Decoration:

I bought these beautiful pastel rhinestones and pearls from Ebay for decorating my resin pieces. I think they are stunningly beautiful and excellent quality! Their shipping was super fast as well, the whole experience was so good that I've just made another order with them, woops!

❤ The seller is called The Amazing DIY Shop and you can find them here

These little pearl bows and stars I got from BeadSupplies on Etsy. They were just a last minute add on to my order at just $1 each bag. I think they are really pretty, and have since ordered some similar pearl shapes from Ebay. These are high quality with no defects, so I'd like to see how the Ebay ones compare :)

❤ Find Beasupplies on Etsy here

I got some plastic cups and shot glasses from K-mart as well:

I also bought some wooden popsicle sticks from a dollar store for stirring and dolloping.

 Last but not least I got a lot of questions about where I got my cat stickers from. I've actually had them for a long time, and I got them from Ebay. I have a super soft spot for anything from Jetoy which my wallet can attest to (it's a Jetoy cat face wallet HAHA gotcha!)

The reason why I used these in my first resin pieces is that despite them being really pretty, they are terrible quality! I can hardly peel the plastic stickers of the sheet that they're on and when I get them off they quite often crease. The paper sitckers in this set are nice though! This confuses me as I do have other Jetoy stickers that are fantastic quality - maybe I got a knockoff?

❤ Anyway I couldn't find the same listing that I bought as it was a few years ago, but here is another. Perhaps you will have better luck!
  ❤

I hope this helps and answers some of your questions! I have to say that resin is JUST as much fun if not more than I thought it would be, although it is terribly messy as well! Here are most of my first two batches of resin pieces:

I used some stickers and also a lot of memo pad cutouts! I'm in love with these pieces! Only one of them (two little swinging Sentimental Circus fairies) got water damage due to my inept sealing and the big turquoise Turomi piece got a large air bubble just by his face, but all in all I'm super happy with the results! I have some ribbon and things, and am making them into adorable little finished pieces. 

 ❤

+SugarCharms808 will be making a tutorial on how she colours resin in the near future, so be sure to subscribe to her and check out all the lovelies I mentioned at the beginning to get to all the little knowledge pearls they have to offer!

❤

1K Giveaway!

I am so thrilled to announce that 1000 very kind people have decided to follow The Little Mew on Instagram! When I first created my insta account at the suggestion of my blond sister, Lissi Arhens Heimer, I was a total novice and was completely skeptical about trying to forge my way onto another social media platform! How amazing that through abundant hash tagging and chatting with like-minded individuals Instagram has become my number ONE platform for online communication! The positive feedback I have recieved from the community of professional and hobbyist crafters has just been mind blowing. To give even the very tiniest bit back, I collected some cute things to give away.

So these are just some charms ❤  Some kawaii characters that I love, little flower pots (as miniatures) and a small Totoro :) <More pics below> Then I have these pretty little glass star and leaf charms.

 Piggy girl holding her little mouse (based on a plushie)

 The little flowerpots with a mushroom and succulent

 Korilakkuma and Rilakkuma in their Happy Natural Time deer hoods, also based on plushies :) Kirritori will be included as well!

 Mouton the elephant from Sentimental Circus

And TOTORO ❤

 These are some FOE hair ties I made, two kawaii pencils and a pen and some findings. They include  clear dustplugs (flat top and with a hole), 2 enameled ring bases, a gold globe ring set, some mini cork jars, and a bunch of silver findings. There are also micromarbles, small beads and coloured phone straps :)

Some cute glittery stickers, and a couple of San-x mini memo pads (and some memo sheets)

 I'll try to fit the charms in this cute floral tin

And finally some postcards from Jetoy (I really hope they're original, but I wouldn't be able to tell >.<) and Rilakkuma Happy Natural Time sticker flakes!

I TRULY hope that I make enough sales to do another giveaway soon as the response has already been so positive, and I just love the idea of distributing cute things to kind people :)

If you haven't already, do take part by clicking the instagram link to the right of this page or clicking here.

The instructions on how to enter are in the giveaway picture on my Instagram page :) The winner will be chosen randomly (most probably by drawing a name out of a hat - I'll try to film it!) on the 12th of October Asia Pacific time.

Good Luck!

❤❤❤

Liebster Award Nomination - Thank You!

 

 *(You can skip this first paragraph if you find it irrelevant - I just wrote it for a bit of background)

After several years in New Zealand down a job path that was intriguing but not nourishing for me, I decided to take a long holiday and really focus on my life. I went to India where I spent three months painting, spending time with my mother, surfing and connecting with some of the most beautiful souls I know. This time was SO important, and I could not have spent it in a healthier way! By the time the 'vacation' was over, I had discovered that this constant feeling of joy and passion was not 'a way' to spend my life. It was the ONLY way! When I painted, created illustrations or crafted anything with my hands, hours would soar past and I would have such beauty to show for my time. This was me emerging into something new and allowing myself to live my life for the first time. Not only that but through me stepping onto this new path I attracted similar minded people who would allow me to be who I really truly was; I could spend hours in silence with them just drawing, never getting bored. 

One of the sketches from my time in India

As a way to bring this new way of 'working' and forging my own way of life into reality, I began to create my online profile. This could be a platform, a base from which people could reach my store, find out about my processes and where I could connect with people with similar passions. One of those amazing people is Emily Heard. This, for me, is the most rewarding part of my online endeavour. I read and share her posts avidly, because this person is on the same path as me even though we have never met! I don't have to come up with everything myself, there are other people out there who are going through the same things - Amazing that this magnetism works in physical social networking as well as in the less tangible online world! I am blown away by the kindness that has been shown to me by this beautiful artist, and only wish I had a larger audience to sing her praises to! Being nominated to participate in the Liebster Award is an exciting crystal shard of encouragement, I am honoured.

Emily's Blog: click her name or emilylouiseheardart.wordpress.com

The Rules (I have copied these directly from Emily's blog as their vary from site to site):
Firstly, if you have been nominated for ‘Liebster Award’ and accept it, you are required to follow few rules.

1. Write a post about the Liebster Award.
2. Thank the person who nominated you.
3. Post a link to the person’s blog who nominated you on your blog.
4. Answer all the 11 questions provided by the person who nominated you.
5. Nominate 11 deserving blogs, who have a follower count of less than 1000. (You can also nominate who has already received this award.)
6. Create a new list of 11 questions for your nominees to answer.
7. List out all the rules in your blog post.
8. Do not forget to inform the nominees. You can do this by commenting on their blog post. Most importantly, give a link for them to your post.

Emily Heard's 11 Questions for me:
1. What inspires you? My biggest inspirations are things of beauty: Beautiful literature, qualities in people and art. For example the writings and paintings of Terri Windling inspire me so much that I simply have to draw SOMETHING when I read her work. They create so many magical images in my head. Also, the qualities of kindness and generosity in my family and friends inspire me to give MORE back.

The Woodwife by Terri Windling - Picture from Terri's blog

2. What is your biggest pet hate? Haha, although I try hard to live in pure love and joy, I have so many pet hates! I can't describe how much it irks me when I see someone steal someone else's idea and claim credit for it, so that's probably my biggest.

3. If you could pick one day of your life and relive it, what day would that be? That would be a day in the Andaman Islands which I spent surfing, eating seafood and spending time with my mother finished off with night time swimming with phosphorescent plankton - that was probably the most unreal day of my life. Or the day when I woke up to my two Ragdoll kittens for the first time (I know I snuck two in there but!!!)

4. If you could pick a talent for yourself, what would it be and why? Putting humbleness aside I am grateful for being a multitalented individual and would not be able to cope with having another talent! I already wish there were three of me to engage in all the things that I am passionate about! 'Superhuman Patience or Organisational Skills' would be ideal attributes but I'm not sure if they constitute talents!

5. What motivates you? My desire to bring the idea of 'Working Doing What You Love' into reality. Everything I do stems from this so it is my primary motivation.

6. What do you enjoy reading about the most on WordPress? I love reading a variety of things from the fashion posts of Amy Valentine & Leanne Lim Walker to the inspirational stories of artistic growth from Sawdustbear & Emily Heard.

7. If you had a super power, what would it be and why? Hands down, the cliche 'to fly'!! It would probably not be the best power to help me achieve my goals, but it is something I dream about regularly even at this age! I would love to have that perspective on this planet, it would be amazing to fly through or above jungles and rough terrain! Aaaah I can't deal with even thinking about it haha!

8. If could live a day in the life of another person for one day, who would that person be? Probably Danielle Pedersen of  'The Handy Maiden.' I would LOVE to know what it feels like to get so many orders every day, or to sell out of your precious creations as fast as you can list them... And I would love to get a deeper insight to her process! She is amazing. 

The Handy Maiden Barn Owl Statement Necklace - Picture used from Handymaiden Etsy

9. What is your aspiration in life? My biggest aspirations are that I can live a happy and full life doing what I'm passionate about, and that I can be a part of the perpetuating force of love that extends to everyone else: I want you to be happy too.

10. If you could pick a colour to match your personality, what colour would that be and why? That's a funny question because I always have one colour which I identify with at different phases of my life. Currently it is the periwinkle blue of Hydrengeas.

Picture of Hydrengeas from Mahoney's Garden

11. If you could jump on a plane tomorrow to anywhere in the world, where would you go? I would go to the Anadaman Islands again (and invite all the loved ones) and spend at least a month surfing, drawing and becoming a brown berry! ☀ I would love to see what Bali is like, but I am too out of shape for those waves at the moment!  ❤

I Hereby Nominate (these are not in any order OK? >.< ) :
1. Brittney Bartholomew from eponymous Brittney Bartholomew
2. Audrina from Audrina Bowtique
3. Shing Yin Khor from Sawdust Bear Makes Things
4. Charlotte Fisher from Things I Do Think & Buy
5. Ellen Altanta from Ellen Atlanta
6. Regina Maria Chur from Wide Eyes Fashion Blog
7. Isabel Ocampo from Isabel's Blog
8. Abbie Cronin from About a Girl
9. Ana from Anita's Gatos
10. Silvia Minucelli from Mijbil Creatures
11. Emily from Emily Louise Heard Art -  I'm nominating you back *mwahaha!* If you don't want to do a whole new post you can just comment or send me a mail with your answers to the Qs? I plagiarised a few from you hypocrite that I am hehe.


My Questions for You:
1. How did you get your very first followers?
2. What would your Spirit Animal be and why?
3. What are the key points that would constitute your 'Perfect Day?'
4. When was the moment that you discovered what you really wanted to be? What went on in that brilliant mind?
5. What superhuman ability would you like to have and why?
6. Who supports you the most in your life?
7. What are three things that you LOVE?
8. What wins: comfort or fashion?
9. What would be your 'Best Possible Outcome' of the next five years?
10. What are your three favourite animated films?
11. If you did see something magical, what would your reaction be?

❥  For anyone confused about my blog I have actually split my blog into two, this one focusing on craft and art and the other on beauty and fashion - fashion blog is: Little Mew Wears  You can follow whichever suits your interest more or neither :)

Lot's of love to everyone involved, and thank you again to Emily for nominating me. If you were nominated but just don't have the time to put together a full post, please don't feel compelled - just take it as a compliment!

 ❤

Two New Tutorials up on YouTube!

So I finally managed to create some video tutorials of my polmer clay creations, and they're up on The Little Mew YouTube channel!

My first one is for some very cute little mermaids:

Here is the LINK

This is the first time I filmed myself and put my mug up on YouTube for the world to see. I did this mainly because I wanted to break out of my fear doing so, and I wanted people to be able to associate a face with the unmanicured hands that awkwardly create beautiful miniatures. So far I haven't recieved much feedback but at least nothing negative. The only constructive criticism I seem to be able to take is 'The only thing wrong with it is I have no idea how you're going to improve on this perfection.' hehe （ つ﹏╰）   I think this is because I work so hard (it took me two weeks to film and edit) at making everything as 'perfect' as I can, and try to find all the faults before anyone else can point them out. Gosh, being so fragile it's a wonder that I have managed to come this far in life without crumbling! Thank goodness that I have positive people in my life and positive people reading/watching my uploads! That being said, the sound quality of my voice in this video killed me! So did the length, going back and forth between tasks, and losing some footage. But I chalk it up to experience and aimed to do better in my next one, which brings us to...

My second Tutorial for the ADORABLE Catbug from Bravest Warriors:

Here is the LINK

I filmed this so quickly, all in one go and edited it the same day! I ended up filming a bit at night as well, but it worked out OK and helped to extend my 'usable work-day time' which is awesome. I realised that at least until I get more comfortable I should make slightly simpler tutorials. Although I recorded it the same way, the sound quality of my voice improved a lot, and I am really happy with how this video turned out! 

You can check out Catbug in Bravest Warriors on Cartoon Hangover HERE
The episodes are only about 5 mins long but jam-packed full of creativity, humor & action - I finished it in two days and them moved on to Adventure Time (which I LOVE).

I really can't wait to make some more tutorials. Next on the list is this Totoro:

Wild Totoro in its natural habitat :)

Let me know any tutorials you would like to see in the future! I am keen to make anything nerdy, from Disney, Adventure Time, Studio Ghibli, any animals or any kawaii character as well!

❤

Mini Moo Cards - Review & Discount Code

 It was a very happy mail day for me today! I just received my order from www.moo.com and basically eeeeeee!! They are perfect, I love the rounded edges, the quality, the mini half-card size and seeing all the pictures of my little charms and roses printed perfectly. They come in the white box you see above so you are already set with perfect storage for them.

One side is standard on all the cards, and the other... You can choose the design on the back of EVERY card if you want! I designed 50 different cards and got two of each. In the future of course I will make it easier for myself and stick to five or ten designs, but I wanted to experiment a bit with my first order and see what works. They also have an option to choose from their ready made designs, which are beautiful as well. You can also choose card quality, regular, mini or square cards and a variety of other options. They have sticker books and other printed products that you can design as well so if you're just looking for business cards you have to use your willpower not to browse too much!

  My order of 100 minicards with rounded edges (which is extra) came to £13.04 which included international shipping to NZ! I ordered on the 17th of August and received my order on the 28th so the shipping was very fast. I really think these sweet little cards elevate the quality of my product, and I feel so excited slipping them in the little parcels I put together.

Verdict: Highly Recommended!

For a 10% discount on your order, use this LINK 

This is a 'refer a friend' link, which credits my account if you use it as well as giving you a discount.

(っ◔‿◔)っ♡

Sharing the Love: Chibis of my Favourite Bloggers

The fashion and beauty bloggers that I follow have really helped me feel the joy of tapping into my inner stylist regardless of which tiny town I inhabit in this big world. I have thoroughly enjoyed their YouTube videos, lookbooks, outfits of the day and now I've had a glimps of just how much effort goes into maintaining their online profiles I've developed an even deeper respect for all that work!

I thought it would be a sweet idea to give back just a tiny bit by giving them each a little miniature 'chibi' character of themselves, and set to work drawing up some sketches:

As usual my initial sketches look nothing like the finished result! L-R Heyyyjune, Amy Valentine & Leanne Lim Walker

I initially chose +heyyyjune , +Amy Valentine  & +LLimWalker. I wanted to make an adorable little Amy with an expletive on her T-shirt as I always find it hilarious that she just is herself regardless, Heyyyjune holding a bunch of makeup brushes, because I think she has a million of them :) and a kawaii Leanne holding onto an anchor, which is one of the things she loves. The anchor and the little Heyyyjune chibi just did not turn out well, but Leannes outfit in her Santa's Little Helper post was sooo adorable. ..and when I saw a pic of +CutiePieMarzia in a super cute Rilakkuma onesie, I just had to go for it.

This is the WIP pic of them right out of the oven:

L-R top to bottom: Amy, Leanne, Heyyyjune & Marzia

Cute Pie Marzia in a Rilakkuma Onesie Pic taken from Marzia's Youtube

...and this is the finished charm:

Cutie Pie Marzia & Maya the little pug

 I remade little Maya and kep her as a separate little 'charm accessory' ;)

This is Leanne looking adorable in her Wildfox jumper and Crown & Glory bow:

Photo used from Leanne's blog here

 ...and here is the chibi:

Leanne Lim Walker

 I also added her little Grafea bon-bon bag because they are so cute!

...and finally Amy Valentine:

Amy Valentine

She has a little Pikachu in her lavender Grafea backpack, and I swapped out the expletive idea for her statement 'As If' T-shirt. Hers is a crop top in white, but I made it in a gradient of clay from turquoise to lilac to incorporate her love for tie-die. I must have mixed 20 different shades of pink, and still could not nail her hair colour! :) You can find Amy Valentine's blog here

I am super excited to send these to them - what a little fangirl I have become! I need to remake Heyyyjune, because she is really the first blogger who I followed avidly. Which one is your favorite, and do you follow any of these lovely ladies?