The Lucky One

Congratulations to Fabi ... you're one lucky fan!

The ultra cute Kikay wristlet is on its way. Prepare your ipod as this beauty is slightly padded so it's great for any gadgets such as an ipod, PDA or your phone. Or if you're going out and you don't feel like taking your handbag, this cute wristlet can hold just the necessities. Enjoy your prize!

Thanks to all who joined. There'll be another giveaway coming soon so stay tuned!

In the meantime, enjoy this rainbow as much as I enjoyed it this morning (but only for a minute). As you can see, one minute it was there, then with the blink of my eye, it was gone ... P.S. You'll have to look closely to see this "unusual phenomenon" hahaha! ... and excuse my photography, it's the best I can do.

Colors of the Rainbow

"Mere color, unspoiled by meaning, and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand ways" ~ Oscar Wilde

When I was small, my Mom used to tell us "don't point at the rainbow or your finger will be cut-off". When you're 5, you believe what your Mama says. In your eyes, she is a genius and she knows everything.

Half of me said don't try it so you don't lose your finger forever and the other half said to just do it and find out once and for all. But I could only stare at it because I didn't have the guts to try it. When I got older, I realized it was just my Mom's way of telling us to sit tight at the back of the jeep (the family car) and stop mucking around.

It's funny how I also told my kids about this "don't-point-your-finger-at-the rainbow" thing too. Although they never believed me, I could see from their eyes that they were thinking. Now that they are older, we reminisce and laughed at the idea. They said that it was so odd but it did give them something to think about.

After the rain today, I looked at the sky to see if there was a rainbow. When I think of rainbows, I think of beautiful, bright and vibrant colors. I have a strong attachment to colors and my work is a reflection of this. You may have noticed that most of my bags, if not all, are so colorful. It's because I like to put colors in everything. I especially like vivid colors not just neutrals or solids. I also like to combine colors even up to the extent of breaking the rules.

Colors can have different meanings but some color effects have universal meaning. The colors in the red area of the color spectrum are known as warm colors and they include red, orange, and yellow. These warm colors evoke emotions ranging from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility.

On the other hand, colors on the blue side of the spectrum are known as cool colors and include blue, purple, and green. These colors are often described as calm, but can also call to mind feelings of sadness or indifference.

For me, I like to think that all colors give life and just like the rainbow, it also gives a feeling of peace!

Kikay Weekly (Issue 03)

When it's a Monday and you're looking forward to a Friday, the wait seem so long. I'm just glad Friday finally came.

During the week, I've released 2 of my new bags both made of 100% cotton canvas fabric in, of course, vivid colors. I love the size of the messenger bag. It just sits comfortably across the body. And as for the Tote, I just love the combination of red and brown.


Last Wednesday was a featured artist day and the talented artist was Lise, a Brit expat living in the suburbs of Minneapolis. Check out her unique jewelry at Lottie's Trinkets.

Guess what? Somebody just awarded me a 'Blog Award'. I was so surprised this morning to get a blog award messsage from ByYourSide Blog. Thanks Michelle, I'm so honoured!

To all Kikay Facebook fans, you may not have noticed it but I have been having difficulty posting on the wall. The fan page was a victim of this never ending Facebook spam and phishing attacks.

I received this email with a link to a .be site. I should have known not to click on the link but can you blame me? The email was sent by one of my friends on facebook. Lucky when I got to the link, I found it to be sus, so I didn't log on and proceed. It doesn't look like I got infected so it's back to normal (I hope!).

If you get an email with a .be site link, simply delete it. One of your friends is infected but not you. Check your sent mails on Facebook. If you find that your account is sending the mails:

- Go to your browser settings and clear your cookies

- Change your Facebook password

- Make sure your antivirus software is up to date and run a full system scan.

Apparently, these scams happens on weekends so beware!

The Facebook Fan giveaway is closing soon. The cute wristlet is all packed and ready to go ... good luck to all who joined!

Before I go, do you want to have some fun? If you're on Facebook, why not change your language setting to English (Pirate)? I think it's hilarious (but then again, I am shallow, haha!). But try it out ... go to the bottom of your page, click on English (or whatever language you currently have) then choose English (Pirate).


Start peerin' into the depths of yer plunderin' and recruit yer landlubbin' mateys to set sail on ye olde Facebook!

Featured Artist - Lottie's Trinkets

This week's featured artist is Lise Spence-Parsons. She's the owner and designer of Lottie's Trinkets.

Lise is a Brit ex-pat living in the Minneapolis suburbs since spring 2002. She decided that she no longer wanted to work formally, but wanted to “chase the dream” and follow in her paternal family’s artistic direction, so she drew a deep breath and in late 2004 started her business, Lottie’s Trinkets, with a real time launch on Jan 1st 2005. This is her 5th year of trading and so far has been the most demanding yet also rewarding in the people she's met and the opportunities that she's been presented with recently.

What are your sources of inspiration?

My inspiration and ideas come from many places and usually from the weirdest situations. I read a lot and in particular have a fascination for Tudor/Elizabethan history, some might call it an obsession, I call it fascination! The colors and the fabrics and display of opulence in the Tudor court was something to behold and a lot of my designs try to capture that richness and depth of color. Also, sometimes I find myself staring at women’s necks to see what is “in” and also look through the mountain of women’s clothing magazines that arrive daily, looking for color trends and shape and size and length.

Where and when did you learn your craft? Who taught you?

I am basically a self-taught jewelry designer, I mix mediums and will try out whatever I think might work. I like to think that I have an eye for color and shape and try to put that to good use. I can spend days mulling a design over, lay it out and walk away, keep looking back and then tinkering some more until it looks right and balanced.

Aside from your craft, what else do you enjoy doing?

Besides jewelry design, I like reading, cooking (another way to experiment), gardening and shopping! I also enjoy a good movie and a glass or two of wine!

What piece of advise can you give to other artists?

My advice to others is, never be afraid to express yourself and your ideas, don’t give up, however hard it seems some days you have to keep going, just think how dull the world would be without the expression of color and shape in all it’s art forms.

Lise, that's a great piece of advice. Good luck and more power to Lottie's Trinkets!

The Lady at Woolies

During my lunch break today, I went to Woolies to get something for dinner. As I reached for a meat pack, all the packs underneath came crashing down. This lady beside me was laughing so hard it was like she was being tickled. She came up to me and said that the attendant was not impressed with her for laughing. I told her that's his problem which she wholeheartedly agreed and she laughed again. For a minute there, I thought she was nuts. It wasn't really that funny. But on my way back to work, I thought about it and made me smile thinking that I made someone happy today.

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter" - e e cummings.

What is your cartoon character personality?

Everyone has a personality of a cartoon character.

Have you ever asked yourself what cartoon character do you most resemble?

A group of investigators got together and analyzed the personalities of well known and modern cartoon characters. The information that was gathered was made into this test.

Want to find out your cartoon character personality?

Answer all 10 questions with what describes you best, add up all your Points (which are next to the answer that you choose) at the end. Results can be found at the end of the post. Don't spoil the fun by looking at the answers at the end.

1. Which one of the following describes the perfect date?

a) Candlelight dinner (4 pts.)

b) Fun/Theme Park (2 pts.)

c) Painting in the park (5 pts)

d) Rock concert (1 pt.)e) Going to the movies (3 pts.)

2. What is your favorite type of music?

a) Rock and Roll (2 pts.)

b) Alternative (1 pt.)

c) Soft Rock (4 pts.)

d) Country (5 pts )e) Pop (3 pts...)

3. What type of movies do you prefer?

a) Comedy (2 pts.)

b) Horror (1 pt.)

c) Musical (3 pts.)

d) Romance (4 pts.)d

e) Documentary (5 pts.)

4. Which one of these occupations would you choose if you only could choose one of these?

a) Waiter (4 pts.)

b) Professional Sports Player (5 pts.)

c) Teacher (3 pts.)d) Police (2 pts.)

e) Cashier (1 pt)

5 What do you do with your spare time?

a) Exercise (5 pts.)

b) Read (4 pts.)

c) Watch television (2 pts.)

d) Listen to music (1 pt.)

e) Sleep (3 pts.)

6. Which one of the following colors do you like best?

a) Yellow (1 pt.)

b) White (5 pts.)

c) Sky Blue (3 pts)

d) Dark Blue(2 pts.)

e) Red (4 pts.)

7. What do you prefer to eat?

a) Snow (3 pts.)

b) Pizza (2 pts.)

c) Sushi (1 pt.)

d) Pasta (4 pts.)

e) Salad (5 pts.)

8. What is your favorite holiday ?

a) Halloween(1 pt.)

b) Christmas(3 pts.)

c) New Year (2 pts.)

d) Valentine's Day(4 pts.)

e) Thanksgiving(5 p ts.)

9. If you could go to one of these places which one would it be?

a) Paris (4 pts)

b) Spain (5 pts)

c) Las Vegas (1 pt)

d) Hawaii (4 pts)

e) Hollywood (3 pts)

10. With which of the following would you prefer to spend time with?

a) Someone Smart (5 pts.)

b) Someone attractive (2 pts.)

c) Someone who likes to Party (1 pt.)

d) Someone who always has fun (3 pts.)

e) Someone very sentimental (4 pts.)

Now add up your points and find out the answer here.

Walking 10,000 Steps a Day

Did you know that walking at least 10,000 steps a day will help you keep fit and healthy? If you count your steps from the time you get out of bed until you crawl into bed at night, you'll be surprised to find out that you're not even close to 10,000 steps.

There are ways you can achieve 10,000 steps a day. You just have to get up and keep moving and just build it slowly. Like for instance, don't park your car close to the main entrance but instead find a spot at the far end so you get the chance to walk. Take the stairs instead of the escalators or lifts. When I'm at home, I sometimes deliberately go up the bathroom upstairs instead of the one downstairs. Or if I'm at work, I don't go to the nearest toilet but instead walk around to the toilet on the other side. It keeps me moving at the same time keeps me awake! Also, during my lunch break, I go for a walk around Westfield Shopping Centre. Its a great way to window shop.

I'm not a fitness expert, but if you think about it, you'll find your own ways of achieving 10,000 steps in a day.

Before I go, I'd like to share this interesting article I read from fitsugar.com:

Walking to Stay Trim? Aim For 100 Steps Per Minute.

If you're walking to lose weight, a recent study says you need to walk at a quick pace of at least 100 steps per minute in order for it to be considered moderate intensity. A pedometer is a great tool to use when you're strolling along, since it tells you how many steps you've taken. You can also check it to make sure you're taking enough steps within a certain number of time in order to get your heart rate up. So in a 30-minute workout, you should take at least 3,000 steps. If this rate is too fast at first, start off doing 1,000 steps in 10 minutes before you build up to 30 minutes.

Kikay Weekly (Issue 02)

Is it Friday already? Time flies when you're really busy!

What a week ...
On Sunday, we started the blog shop sale which is by the way, still on. This is for a limited time only so don't miss out!

Last Monday, we announced the exclusive facebook fan page giveaway. This exclusive giveaway ends on the 29th of May so if you haven't joined yet, send in your entries soon. A cute wristlet awaits the lucky winner!

During the week, Kikay Designs was the featured artist on MadeitMyself Ning Network. Thanks to Anne from Made for Me by Oaklie. Kikay Designs was also featured at MixxMade, a community for Indie Artists. Thanks Marlene!

It's been a wet week here in Sydney and the weatherman says the rain will keep on pouring over the weekend. I guess it's a good excuse to stay indoors and do some serious designing and sewing. Got to have the new collection out soon!

That's all for now. Have a good one!

My 2 cents worth ... Looking after my Customers

If success was measured by the number of sales daily, then I would not consider myself successful in my craft because if I compare myself to others, I don't sell by the hundreds every day. But if it was based on the number of people who comes back for more, then maybe I am.

I believe that if I look after the people who appreciates my work they either come back for more or refer me to their family and friends. One way or the other, it's a win-win situation for me.

In my little craft business, I rely heavily on repeat customers so I make sure that every single customer is special. It's not rocket science. Simple things like responding to emails promptly or keeping them up to date with the progress of their order can make a big difference. Do you ever get annoyed when you get email updates on the progress of your order? Of course not. Everyone wants to find out what's happening.

The other thing that I feel is also very important is posting the order as soon as the payment is received. I don't have a "posting day" or a standard postage turnaround time. If I have to go to the Post Office everyday, then so be it. We are all excited with our purchases, no one wants to wait for long.

Sometimes I give away little gifts or extras especially to my valued customers. No matter how little it is, you'll be surprise how much it is appreciated. There are a lot more things you can do, to make your customers special. Want some ideas? Just put yourself in their shoes.

Handbags are a Girl's Best Friend

Handbags ... you can't leave home without it and you can never get enough of it. Do you know anyone who doesn't own one? I don't think so.

Handbags come in all shapes, colors and sizes. There is always one for every occasion and for any outfit. Some women change bags to match their outfits. Some stick to one that contains just about anything (like me!). My daughters call my handbag a "Mary Poppins" bag because it always has everything in it from tissues to safety pins to candies!

What type of bags do you like? Do you like classic styles, trendy, colorful, oversized, minis? I can go on and on but one thing's for sure, there is a bag for every type of girl.

Facebook Fans Exclusive

The Kikay Facebook Fan Page was launched on the 29th of April 2009. Almost 3 weeks on, the page has accumulated 43 fans and it's growing everyday. We will try to keep the page interesting and fun whilst keeping you updated with news and events on what Kikay Designs is up to.

To show some love to everyone, here is a 'Facebook Fan Page Exclusive'. We are giving away this cute Abstract Wristlet valued at US$21.

This cute wristlet is great for gadgets or just the basics. It is made of high quality cotton canvas fabric in various colors. It is slightly padded to protect your gadgets such as phone, PDA, or Ipod and fully lined with dark brown velveteen fabric.

Do you want it? If you are kikay facebook fan, you are one step closer to having this groovy wristlet. To join, simply tell us what made you join the Kikay Facebook Fan Page. Leave a comment on this blog (preferred option) or on the facebook wall.

Closing date for this giveaway is at 11.59 pm on 29 May 2009.

All entries will be verified and assigned a number. The winning number will be chosen using a random number generator through random.com. The decision is final and the winner will be announced on May 30.

What are you waiting for? Join now!

Thank you all for your support and good luck to everyone!

Blog Shop - Now on Sale!

The Kikay 'Blog Shop' is finally here!

If you haven't noticed it yet, the Kikay Blog Shop is now open for business. The idea of a Blog Shop came to mind because I've been asked countless times if there was a way to purchase Kikay Bags straight from this blog site. Thanks to Rapid Cart, this made it all possible.

You can now shop right here through secured checkout, 24x7. Rapid Cart is powered by Artfire but note that there is no need to set up an account. Just click on 'BUY' to be taken directly to your shopping cart. Then simply enter your shipping information and email address during checkout to proceed with your order. How easy is that!

To celebrate the launch of the 'Blog Shop', we are having a sale. For a limited time only, ALL items in store have been marked down by 15%. The prices listed have already been reduced. To get original price and find out your savings, just divide the marked price by 85%!

Thank you all for your continued support and enjoying shopping!

P.S. Sale only applies to purchases in the Blog Shop and Artfire Kikay Shop. Kikay shops at Dawanda, Etsy and Made it Myself are not on sale.

Kikay Weekly (Issue 01)

Friday nights for me is the time when I catch up on things and look back on the week that just went past. So I thought from now on, I am going to issue a weekly roundup called the 'Kikay Weekly'. For those who've missed out or been busy during the week, it's a great way to catch up too so grab a cuppa and relax!

Featured Artist

This week I launched the first of a series of featured artists. If you missed it, check out this week's Featured Artist, Tweeart, a talented artist from Germany. I will be featuring talents every second Wednesday so stay tuned for the next artist to be featured on the 27th of May 2009.


Blog Shop

If you haven't noticed it yet, the Kikay Blog Shop (look to your right8) is now open for business. The idea of a Blog Shop came to mind because I've received countless suggestions about how it would be nice to also have an online shop within the blog. Thanks to Rapid Cart, this made it all possible.

Shopping is a so much easier now, you can shop right here through secured checkout, 24x7. Rapid Cart is powered by Artfire but note that there is no need to set up an account. Just click on 'BUY' to be taken directly to your shopping cart. Then simply enter your shipping information and email address during checkout to proceed with your order. How easy is that!

The Blog Shop will be officially launched soon, so watch this space!

New Season Collection

New fabrics for the Winter 09 Collection (for downunder) and Summer 09 Collection (for the rest of the world) have arrived. I can't wait to get started. I wish the elves would come and help me so I can get these collections on time.

Before I go, I'd like to share this beautiful quote from Dan Millman -

"The time is now, the place is here. Stay in the present. You can do nothing to change the past, and the future will never come exactly as you plan or hope for."

Enjoy your weekend people!

Featured Artist - Tweeart

As promised, I will be featuring indie artists in my blog every second Wednesday. This week's artist is Maria Kitano from Hamburg Germany. Here's short interview with Maria.

Tell me something about yourself:

I am an artist from Germany. I started painting as a child, after finishing art highschool, I started to take jobs that were art related, including illustrations, logo design, photoshop projects etc.

I have been painting and drawing since childhood, using various techniques , going from pencil and graphite to pastels, watercolors and finally oils which I like the most. There is no complicated philosophical explanation about my paintings, the whole sense of my work is to communicate an emotion to you by watching a painting .

Describe your type of art? What is your favorite medium?

I specialized in oil painting, which is my favourite medium. My artwork covers oil paintings, small and medium sized, charcoal drawings, ACEO paintings. I mostly paint abstract and semi- asbtract, I feel it's the best way to show the essence of things. Reducing them to simple forms and colours.

Where do you get inspiration?

My art is inspired from every day life. I love nature and animals, I dedicated a whole series of paintings to painting birds .

What are your plans for the future?

I hope in the future I will make my art better known and perhaps have an exhibition too.

Is there anything else you want to say?

This is my artist statement:

My work is a celebration of life, inspired from things I see every day , things that most of us do not pay much attention to. My daily experiences: watching the sky , a bird , conversations, media, photos, television, memories, are reduced to abstract shapes and colors which allow me to show what I feel is important and beautiful. Abstraction is the way I come closest to representing the world around.

My artwork can be purchased directly via my blog : http://tweeart.blogspot.com/. I also have an etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7213821

Thank you so much for this feature and I'm glad you like my artwork!

Random Thoughts

I am having a writer's block today (yes, I now consider myself a "writer". Don't laugh!). I am just going to write "stuff" for today's entry.

New supersized Tote ... fresh from the sewing machine!
Its a giant of a bag measuring 42 cms (16 1/2") x 30.5 cms (12"). This beauty has so much room to spare. It is made of black corduroy and cotton canvas. Has anyone noticed it yet? That's right, I'm into cords nowadays.

Quotes from Seth Godin.

This quote caught my attention. It's up there on my pinboard!

"Letting your customers set your standards is a dangerous game, because the race to the bottom is pretty easy to win.
Setting your own standards--and living up to them--is a better way to profit. Not to mention a better way to make your day worth all the effort you put into it."


I thought this article was very interesting and it is so true!
"Put Things Off and Stop Caring to Realize Your Dreams" ... say what? Read on and see if you agree:
http://zenhabits.net/2009/05/put-things-off-and-stop-caring-to-realize-your-dreams/

That's all folks!

Featured Artist every fortnight

I realized that there are hundreds of talented indie artists out there who make gorgeous handmade products daily. As I am an indie artist myself, I know how hard it is to promote myself let alone show my creations to the world. So from next week, every second Wednesdays, I am going to feature an artist. It doesn't matter what you make as long as it is handmade.


As you can see, my blog is free from ads. Although, if you go to the very bottom of my blog page you will find a single tiny line of google ads but that is all the ads you will encounter in this page (that is if you ever notice it!). I intend to make the blog entries to be always the center of attention.


Like I said, kikay designs blog will remain free from advertising clutter and google ads. After all, the main reason I created this blog was not to get income from advertising but to express my thoughts in a variety of topics and of course, talk about and share my creations to my customers, fans and to all who loves handmade bags.


If you're interested to get featured, please drop me a note on kikaydesign@gmail.com. If you have a blog, please note that there is absolutely NO obligation for you to feature me too (... but if you insist, I wouldnt mind). I plan to start the first featured artist this Wednesday. If you're interested, please let me know ASAP!

Made for Brigitte

This cute messenger bag was made especially for Brigitte.
It is made of Blue Corduroy Fabric and Stripey Cotton Canvas. A classic design, this bag has adjustable straps so you can wear it crossover your body or shorten it to wear the conventional way.

It measures approximately 29 cms x 30 cms (11 1/4" x 11 3/8"). Other features include 2 open pockets on the outside, 2 inside pockets for your gadgets (such as your phone, ipod, pda,) and a secret zippered pocket.


To Brigitte ---
Vielen Dank für Ihre Bestellung. Ich hoffe Ihnen gefällt der speziell für Sie angefertigte "Messenger Bag“. Nochmals vielen Dank.

(Thanks for your order. I hope you will like this messenger bag custom made for you!)

What are you looking for in a bag?

Most of my designs are based on my preferences. Like a bag with short straps is something I would prefer over long ones and I would find a tote with roomy interiors more appealing.

So tell me, what are you looking for in a bag? What attracts you most? Is it the fabric/material or design? do you like trendy or classic styles? How about pockets. Do you want lots of them or just a single pocket for your phone or none? Are you crazy with zippers or is a magnetic snap good enough for you? Short straps. long handles, crossover or swing? Your feedback is valuable so tell me please...

Take a break ... can I do it?

This weekend I plan to take a break and enjoy Mother's Day. But can I do it? Weekends are the only days when I can concentrate on my craft. So giving up one weekend is a luxury!


What to do? I have an order to finish and a supersized bag in the making that I am excited to show off. I am itching to finish these projects so I maybe I'll just take a day off on Sunday.


Anyway, to all the Mothers out there, enjoy your day. And to my Mother, Happy Mother's Day, Mommy. I love you!

Days with my Father by Phillip Toledano

This link was posted by one of my twitter friends, dawanda_en. A very touching photo essay and excellent photography.

It reminded me so much of my Dad, it brought tears to my eyes ... http://www.dayswithmyfather.com

P.S. When you get there, wait a little while for the pictures to load. Don't keep on clicking impatiently like me (haha!).

People on the Train

Everyday, I take the train to and from work, it's just like taking the school bus. Day in and day out, I see these familiar faces.

Take this guy with the biggest headphones in the world. I wonder why he bothers wearing the headphones when everyone in the carriage can actually hear his techno music. One day, when the train was full, he was the only guy who offered his seat to the old lady --- moral lesson: don't judge a book by its cover.

Then there's these ladies, all 4 of them. Man, they can really talk! Now if you look on the 5th window seat to the left, is Big Momma. If you want to seat beside her, be prepared to not move until you reach your destination because there is, literally, no room to move.

Ahhh yes, Captain Kirk with his attaché case and morning paper. The first time I saw him, I almost wanted to get an autograph. On the back row, leaning towards the window is one of the 7 dwarfs, Sleepy. When I get on, she's asleep, when I get off, she's still asleep.

And there's little Miss Star who acts like she's a star. Not. One day, I was staring at her handbag, she tried to keep it away from my sight and tucked it under her arms as tight as she could. She must have thought I was going to snatch it. Ha, I was only staring because I was trying to figure out how the pockets were sewn on the sides of her bag.

And of course, the girl who sits in the single seat, back row. Too busy with her blackberry, she almost always misses her stop.

Anatomy of a Tote

Today we'll take a close look at a Kikay Tote. This one is made of black corduroy and stripey cotton canvas lining. Like most Kikay Totes, this has loads of pockets.


Outside it has a secret zippered pocket plus an oversized pocket with magnetic snap closure.
Inside it has 2 small sized open pockets for your gadgets such as phone, ipod or pda. Aside from that, it has a medium sized open general purpose pocket. But wait, there's more ... it also has a secret zippered pocket.
Now that's what I call the most "pocketed" tote!

Worried about space? not with this one. This has roomy interiors, measuring approx 15" x 13".
And as usual, it is fully interface with reinforced stitching and overlocked seams.

Are you impressed? I hope so.

Dawanda Feedback

Some good reading ... sharing some feedback from Dawanda.

If you understand German and French, you'll appreciate it more. If not, you can always get by with a free translation online: http://translation2.paralink.com/. Just be warned that these translations are, most of the time, funny but it's easy to make sense out of it. So have a good laugh!

Please check my Dawanda feedback and brush up your German and French!

Go ahead, click the cute Dawanda icon below.

Word Clouds

Do you like this Kikay word clouds? Wondering how you can make one?

Let me show you how. You can create word clouds from http://wordle.net/. But before you click on the mouse and leave my blog, read my tips below. Trust me it will save you time and frustration.

Here are my notes:

(1) After typing a bunch of text, copy the words. It's because when you go back to this box to create again, your text will not be there anymore. Instead of typing the bunch of text again, you can just re-paste it.

(2) If you want a certain text to be more prominent, type it more fequently. For example, if you want your name to appear larger than your surname, type your name 3 times and your surname once.

(3) If you want to keep words together, use the tilde character which is this:~. For example, if you want to keep "i love you", type "i~love~you".

(4) Play around with the fonts, layout and color but don't make the mistake of clicking on the back button or 'create' especially if you already like what you see. It will disappear once you go back to create.

(5) If you want to save the word clouds, check that the screen is showing you the word clouds in full. Whatever is on the screen at the time of taking the screenshot is what will be copied so make sure the word clouds is in the middle of your screen. To save, press 'PrtScn (for print screen). This button is normally found on the top right hand corner of your keyboard.

(6) If you are using a PC, open the application 'Paint'. Click on Start > All Programs > Accessories > Paint. For Mac users, you should have an equivalent of this.

(7) Go to Edit then Paste. Save your file as JPG or BMP.

(8) Now go to your photo editing application to crop the picture (cut out the picture to leave just the word clouds).

Voila! you now have word clouds you can put in your cards, blog, website, etc.

Have fun and Enjoy!

Whirlwind Networking

According to the so-called experts, if you want to be seen and heard, social networking is the way to go. But does it really work?

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to check out Twitter. The first few days of joining was, I should say, quite boring. Slowly I was gaining friends and beginning to get the idea. My daily dose of tweets led me to links after links of sites and information. I surf the net like I've never surf before! I visited and checked out all handmade sites I can get my mouse to clicked on, joined networks and gained friends along the way.

From indie sites to ning networks, I just went on and on, it was so time consuming and almost like a full time job. Pages and pages of news, advise, hints, tips, how tos ... it was a whirlwind networking!

Was this exercise all worth it? It remains to be seen.
In the meantime, I'm back to making hip bags, the reason why I was networking in the first place.