Interview with Amna from Crafty!

   Hello all! Finally I can relax after six days of exams! And sorry for the absence, maybe I should start making crafts again ... *sigh*

   And, did you know? I've got a new craft blogger friend, Amna from Crafty ! From her blog, you already know she's a talented girl. Now, finally I get the chance to interview her! Say hello to the audiences, Amna!

  So, let's get this started!

1. For you, what is a 'blog'?

    For me a blog is a place where you express your thoughts or spread your ideas around the world. It is a platform for everyone to spread their voice. If you become popular and successful once, you can make a living through blogging.

2. Who / what inspires you to blog?

   Jenni from I Spy DIY inspired me to blog. I loved her crafts and other stuff so I thought why shouldn't I start my very own?

3. When did you start blogging?

    I started blogging on 27 May 2014, and my only blog is Crafty (just preparing to celebrate its first anniversary ) (Congratulations Amna!) 😁

4. What are your friends/families' opinion about your decision to start a blog?

   My family and friends didn't knew that I had started blogging. I told my parents while hesitating because I didn't took their permission to do so. They were actually so happy when they got to know this and they wished me luck. The always help and guide me whenever I need them. My friends on the other hand were extremely impressed. Some of my friends didn't believed me. Here in my country, people don't know much about blogging so some people were actually confused when I told them. But my parents are extremely proud of me, they tell everyone about me and they have never stopped me from doing anything public. In my country, females are stopped from exposing or participating much in public, but I thank Allah that my family isn't such one.

5. Have you ever experiencing 'blogger's block' ? How did you feel about it?

   Umm, yes. I felt hopeless. I actually thought that I should stop blogging, but my family encouraged me and gave me ideas.

6. You know your post is ready to post when it already has ... ?

    It depends on the situation actually, sometimes I do and sometimes I don't.

7. Do you have any habits when writing a post? Like, drink a tea, eat a chocolate, etc. ...

    No I don't. I just write a post when I take a view at my project photo-shoot and I say "Yeah, that is good enough".

8. For you, what's the best post you have ever write & publish?

    For me the best post I have written is every post I have ever written :D but the viewers mostly liked my post "DIY Laptop Decoration/Stickers", although, it had the worst pictures I have ever taken. It has about 500+ views as of today.

9. Any blogging tips?

    Do recheck you material for any mistakes. Promote your content by yourself, don't rely on others. Take good photos and work hard on your blog design. If possible, buy your own domain and don't advertise to much content on your blog as it looks extremely messy. Promote you blog on social media and set up a Facebook page as it is one of the largest platforms for promotion. Interact with other bloggers as much possible.

10. Any messages for the new craft bloggers out there?

     Always believe that what you write is perfect. People will appreciate it but those who don't are just jealous that you are way more better than them :) And if you photography is good, submit your posts to craftgawker as you'll get a lot of views when you get featured over there.

***

   Have you ever visit Amna's blog? What are your favorite posts? Mine are Kawaii Wall Art, Foam Stamps, and No Sew Foamic Sheet Pouch, and basically almost all of her posts! Although I've seen some other version of her tutorials in the internet, her tutorials has unique taste and her photos have beautiful angles and views! And did you know? She's a Buzzfeed contributor! And there are many things that will surprise you in her 'About' page. I think I should learn things to her ...

#1st Year Anniversary! + Giveaway

   Hi, folks! Long time no see, eh? First, sorry for my long absence, because currently I'm preparing for my exams. Almost all my times are filled with textbooks, notebooks, papers ... But then, I found this awesome book in the bookstore!

   It's a book about vintage-decorating by Luthfi Hasan, a vintage 'guru' from Jakarta. It filled with awesome views of places with vintage atmospheres, from a cafe to a hotel. Although it's a bit pricey, but it's worth it, I think.

   The best part? The ...

... POSTCARDS!

*dancing around a bit*

   So, who wants to receive it? I'm a bit bored and I want to send it to fellow bloggers who want it! Send me a comment saying if you want it & send me your address through the e-mail. Here's the postcards:

   I am really happy if you send a postcard, too, so please say in your comment / e-mail saying if you want to send too or not. The rules are:

1. You are a blogger. I prefer craft blogger

2. (Not necessary, but I really appreciate it) You have to share this to a friend you think will like to receive a postcard. 

3. After you receive my postcard, please tell me and put my button in your blog. If you want, I can put your button too :D but please tell me!

   Please say what kind of theme do you want me to write in the postcard. It can be about the photo in the postcard, the quote's meaning for me, etc. Or about myself. I don't like writing about really personal things, so maybe I'll tell you more about my neighborhood, or city, or country. 

So, are you in?

Spring, as Told by Things & Others

   No, I live near the equator. There are no such things as spring, summer, autumn, winter - there are only drought and rainy season - oh wait, durian season, mango season, holiday season, rambutan season, ...
   Well, as an equator person, I don't know much common things in spring, but I have some spring to-do ideas for your to-do lists!

1. Make Pom-poms!
  

   

   Making pom-poms is a fun thing to do! It looks a bit difficult, but it's not that complicated, trust me. Plus, there are many cute and unique pom-pom tutorials out there!

2. Paint Your Planters!

 

   Flowers usually blossom when it's spring. Make their planters blossom, too!

3. Make Mini Roadtrip Journals!

  

   Roadtrips leave us many great memories. Keep them!

4. Create a Caterpillar Farm!

  

   Keeping them - from eating your plants - uncontrollably.

5. Spring Break!

    Lucky you. 

So, what are you gonna do in springtime?

DIY Watermelon Pom-Poms by Miranda + #1 Guest Post!

   Hello everybody!

   So ... guess what? Heck yeah! Finally, this blog has its first guest post! It's from Miranda - you know that awesome The Reindeer Files blog? Yes, it's hers!

   Because she's awesome, why don't you just take a seat and enjoy her post?

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   Hi, I’m Miranda and I blog over at The Reindeer Files, Hana has kindly allowed me to guest post on her blog so I thought I’d share a little DIY with you all.

   You will need:

   ~ wool (red, green and black)

   ~ a pom-pom maker or a substitute 

   ~ scissors 

   I used a pom-pom maker for this tutorial but you can use anything of a similar shape. 

   First take the red wool and wrap is around the pom-pom maker

  

Then take the black wool and wrap it around twice in one or two places.

   Repeat steps 1&2 unit your ball of wool is quite round. Take the green wool and wrap it around the maker bellow the red until it is equally as thick.

   Put another piece of wool through the gap at the base of the pom-pom maker and tie it loosely at the top. Carefully slip the wool off the pom-pom maker and tie the wool more tightly.

Cut all the looped threads.

Then trim the pom-pom to your desired shape. I like making balls but you could shape it like a wedge. You can choose to keep the long piece of wool in order to attach the pom-pom to something later.

   Finished!

   I think I’m going to make a long watermelon pom-pom garland.

   If you enjoyed this post, feel free to check out my blog. Thank’s so much to Hana for having me, you can check out her post on my blog too!

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   So, yeah, that's it! Creative, right?

   And, if you are wondering what's happening on me - well, the National Exam is just some months away, and there are many tests at my school. I got bad grades for math, and, yeah, I think I should study harder. Keeping a blog active is a bit hard for me right now, so, maybe I will post 1 or 2 guest posts a month ... 

   If you want to write a guest post here, feel free to contact me!

By the way, have you try this tutorial?

P.S: You can send me a guest post about tips & DIYs!

My Hobby ...

 Hi, all! Sorry for my absence last week - there are much things for the 6th-grader to do, starting from this month until May. Try-outs, exams, etc ...
   Fortunately, my hobby doesn't need fancy requirements - except a stamp book. Yeah, you're right.

   My hobby is postage stamp-collecting, or, basically, I am a stamp collector!
   It all started when I found my mom's old stampbook. And shortly after that I went to Jakarta and went to Beautiful Indonesia Miniature Garden's Philately Museum. There I bought some unique old stamps in good conditions - 3 from East Germany, 3 from Poland, and a bunch from Indonesia. It's an awesome museum, really.
So, what do we need if we want to be a stamp collector?

1. A Stamp Book
It's the best place for storing your stamps, because - it's a stamp book!

2. A Magnifying Glass 
     To identify your stamp's 'unique things' (watermark, printing year, name of things they celebrated).

*note: they are the very basic things stamp collectors should have.

Why do I call myself a 'stamp collector'?
   Philatelist usually refers to 'someone who collects stamps', but actually, a philatelist is 'someone who identifies stamps'. Some of them don't even have stamp collections - they usually identify someone's stamps (museums' collections, etc.). Although sometimes I try to identify mine, I can't find anything special ... Sigh.

Are there any things any stamp collectors should know?
   For me, there is only one: Separating Stamps from Its Paper.
    
Want to know how to do it?
1. Prepare your stamp

2. Cut it

3. Put it on a bowl of water. Wait for 5 minutes

4. Take it, peel it off from its paper, and wait until it dries off.

5. Put it in your stamp book

And ... Done! 

 Yep, it's that simple!

   Okay, that's all for now. Hopefully it can help you. And again, sorry for my lack of posts!

By the way, do you have stamp collections?