Busy Busy X'mas Fairs Season

Knotty Bicsie will be at Clarke Quay the following days:
12th Dec 2008, Fri
13th Dec 2008, Sat
19th Dec 2008, Fri
20th Dec 2008, Sat
from 6pm-12midnight.
Do drop by to say hi! :)

Pameran Poskad '08

I had fun making this postcard to be exhibited together with other 200+ artists from around the world. The exhibition is opening this Saturday. All postcards on display are for sale. Do join us. Who knows? You might be able to own a postcard by someone famous at a very affordable price! Knotty Bicsie's artist # is 028, under Pauseability.

KBCC #08: Drink Can Fun!

It was a cosy & relaxed afternoon @Pauseability last Saturday. Michelle & Isabelle came in a little late, but just in time before we made too much progress in our drink can weaving project.
After some squeaking, twisting, twitching, coiling... Wala! Check out our drink-can-bloom!
Then we decided to arrange them into a sculpture... Then came the idea of using them as our X'mas decoration for December's KBCC! Details as follows:

KBCC #09 - Rolling X'mas Party!
Date: 27th Dec 2008, Satyrday
Time: 2-5pm
Venue: Pauseability (Blk 125, Toa Payoh Lor 1, #01-541)
Synopsis:
Teacher EeWei will be showing us how to recycle plain rolls into beautiful work of art. Inspired by Yuken Teruya. Of course, not to forget our X'mas Cards Exchange! We've all decided to each make at least 1 ATC (Artist Trading Cards of size 2.5x3.5inches) on X'mas theme, which we will then trade among ourselves @KBCC.
So pls remember to bring rolls, scissors & cutters, completed X'mas ATC(s).
Registration: S$10.00/participant
RSVP: Pls RSVP by 22nd Dec 2008 (Monday)

Live Interview on Radio 100.3

Yesterday was a fun fun FUN day! Ed & I made a trip to SPH where we had our live interview with DJ Wilson. It was the second time I've been in a recording room. It is totally different from the 1st time many many years ago when i was a kid! I remember how a typical recording studio is a solemn black box, very intimidating & stressful. But Wilson's studio is the exact opposite: cheerful & vibrant. The cosy environment really helped us feel more relaxed during the interview... :)

Actually before getting to the recording studio, Ed & I decided to get touristy & started snapping away... :P

This is me just outside SPH gate. See 100.3? :D

Then we see this HUGE side just outside the Podium & we just couldn't resist! :P

Wilson brought us up to the waiting area of 100.3 office to wait while he finish off some work prior to the live broadcast. Waited for 25min.... with nothing much to do, we decided to play with our camera again. hehe...

FINALLY! Inside the recording studio with our handsome DJ Wilson. & the show begins... :)
I have a recording of the whole interview, still trying to figure out which part of it to put on this blog... also trying to figure out how to do it with my iMovie. :)

Special Thanks to DJ Wilson for making yet another tiny little childhood dream of mine come true! You know what I mean. ;)

Ed & I felt a great sense of satisfaction & felicity yesterday. Never did we imagine that my seemingly crazy decision 2years ago, plus my willful & stubborn perseverance to run Knotty Bicsie have brought us so far & to so many places... We've been featured in magazines, Straits Times, made business trip to the kingdom of kawaii craft, Tokyo, been on TV with Pauseability, done my solo exhibition, now live interview on radio! Wow! I can never imagine such exciting journey if I had stayed on in my previous job. Tough route, but definitely adventurous & full of surprises, very fulfilling... I'm very grateful for all these colourful stories in this new chapter of my life, & I thank all of you who make these delightful stories possible!

Knotty Bicsie LIVE on Radio100.3!

Hello, listeners of Radio100.3!
If this is your first time here, I'm sure you'll be "stuck" here for awhile! :P When you're ready to start shopping & enjoy your special 100.3 discounts, click here to our online shop.
Remember to key in the special code given by Betsy on air to enjoy the special promotions.
For workshops enquiry, pls key in the special code under "Other Requests".

Special note to Knotty Fans:
I know Knotty Bangle Bags been "SOLD OUT" for a long long time.... X'mas is round the corner & big orders for bangle bags are beginning to flow in. So pls pls pls bear with me just for a little while more... New bangle bag designs will be up on my online shop for grab in 2weeks' time, once I deliver few big orders next week.
So do check back www.knottybicsie.com.sg at the end of November to shop till you drop! ;D

Mee Suah Opening

Finally, steamy hot Mee Suah was served to all last Saturday! It sure was a hit, with about 100 guests crowding the small Arts House Foyer! It was very overwhelming for me indeed. Thank you all for sharing my joy of my 1st solo exhibition! My photographer is in the process of consolidating the photos of last Saturday. Will post them up here once they are ready. meanwhile, here's some shots of my colourful mee suah for al to enjoy....
I'll be posting up my exhibits over this month. Do check back regularly to see my work. Better yet, drop by The Arts House Foyer (1 Old Parliament Lane) from now till 24th Nov, 11am-8pm to see & experience Mee Suah for yourself!
All beautiful photographs courtesy of "Clair de Lune Photography". Thank you!

Knotty Bicsie is TWO!!!

Last Saturday (11th Oct), many wonderful Knotty Fans trod to our home studio @Admiralty Drive to celebrate Knotty Bicsie's 2nd Birthday. It was a fun-filled & joyous occasion! I hung our HUGE sign board at my door that day. (Shh.... Don't tell, coz it's illegal! :P) Well, just for that 3hrs la! hehe... This is the sign board we (Edward, Mum & me) had made for our very 1st bazaar @MAAD 2yrs ago! I carried this sign board with me everywhere I went during the 1st year, until I got my very own packaging customized by Pica Digital last year.
Check out some of our Knotty Fans' shoes parked around my shoe rack. Some Knotty Fans were late coz of the sudden & heavy, but short pour. The rain could not dampen our spirits though...
Many more Knotty Fans came along eventually, & it was a rare, busy & noisy scene at our otherwise cosy & idyllic crafting studio. :D I'm flattered & really happy that some Knotty Fans who came for the time fell in love with our studio at 1st sight!
Edward brilliantly set up a little kids corner to keep the little ones entertained, so the young-at-hearts can enjoy themselves at ease too. Edward & Ee Wei were our "Honorary Nanny" for the day. See how the kids were sooo... well-behaved in their hands! :D
Knotty Fans were also thrilled by how we've incorporated our product display into our home studio deco. This "Magic Mushroom Tree" is one of the hot favourite :) So everyone had a good shopping spree too :P
Dad bought a lovely cake, which brighten up our Knotty Tea Party even more! I took this opportunity to introduce some very important & diligent "elves" behind Knotty Bicsie: Mum, Dad, Edward, Lina, Jullie, Ee Wei, Adrian & all my dear Knotty Fans, Knotty Bicsie can never make it without your love & support. Thank you very much! :)
This is the first time Knotty Bicsie is celebrating our Anniversary @our home studio, & it is a HUGE success! I'm so looking forward to even more exciting events & anniversary celebrations in years to come. I sure hope everyone will still be with Knotty Bicsie, together with many more new Knotty Fans! Happy Birthday to Knotty Bicsie!!! Yay...!!!

Knotty Tea Party

We had so much fun today! I feel so blessed with so many friends to celebrate Knotty Bicsie's 2nd Birthday with me! Thank you all for making me fe
el so loved :D here's a peek at the fun we had. More updates coming your way next week... So do check back next Wednesday! ;)

Funky Knit @MAAD Last Weekend

8 new Funky Knitters joined in the charming knitting journey this time. If not for the loud jamming @MAAD, the sessions were much cozier this time, with 1-4 Funky Knitters in each session.
The morning group was the luckiest, since the rockers had not arrived yet! :P We chit-chatted as we knit, it was really relaxing & fun :) Audrey apparently met me during my 1st MAAD session 2years ago! She's so in love with my bags & name card, she's been regularly checking out my blog ever since! Wow, what a loyal fan! This time she's here with her Mum, Helen, to learn to knit for the 1st time. Their classmate, Shian is a regular at MAAD. So will definitely be seeing one another around @MAAD again :)

"Really enjoyed the workshop! Big thanks to Betsy for your patience with a clumsy first-timer ;)" - Shian, 4th Oct 2008

"Thanks for your patience. The workshop was a good introductory experience to knitting for me & was quite enjoyable. Happy 2nd Anniversary to Knotty Bicsie!" - Audrey, 4th Oct 2008

Meijun was introduced by her friend, Liling, who attended our previous Funky Knit Workshop @MAAD. Tingbee was supposed to knit with Meijun, unfortunately she caught a very bad flu over the weekend & had to miss the session. :( Tingbee, hope you are feeling much better now.

"It was an enriching experience. Really enjoyed it. Betsy is a very patient teacher, able to troubleshoot any problems that I caused during the knitting process. Thanks Betsy for the 2+++hours of lesson." - Meijun, 4th Oct 2008

It's been a long long time since I last met up with Rayson. Rayson decided to "visit" my stall @MAAD to pick up knitting, & then we can go to a friend's house-warming in the evening together.

Knitting has been so stereotyped to be an activity done by OLD GRANNIES IN ROCKING CHAIRS, it can be so hilarious sometimes! I can't help but notice some Knotty Fans' surprise look when they 1st see me in person! iyo.... hehe.... Actually it is said that crochet & knitting were first started by MEN! In fact, soldiers during the 1st world war even knitted their own socks! See how my hubby, Edward, is now able to be my assistant instructor in knitting too? I'm so proud of him! :)
Edward also helped me coached Sherry & Huimin, who came in for the last session of the day. Sherry bought a amigurumi kit set & wanted to learn to crochet. But since we are only doing knitting, Sherry was game enough to bring a friend, Huimin, to learn to knit anyway.
"It's tiring!! Haha... but quite fun too. Hope I won't forget the steps to knit. The teacher is a very nice & chatty lady. Thanks for helping (me to) knit coz my eyes were really tired :)" - Huimin, 4th Oct 2008

"Hi Betsy, Thanks for being patient & clear in your instructions :) I'm sure I'll be back for more lessons @your cozy (& quiet) place:)" - Sherry, 4th Oct 2008

On Sunday, Mandy brought her 13-year-old daughter, Megan, to MAAD & asked to learn to knit. Since I was free, I sat down with Megan to knit as well...

"Hey Betsy, at first I thought knitting was going to be confusing. But you guided me through & so I managed to complete my handphone pouch. Thanks!" - Megan, 5th Oct 2008

Yay.... Another tiring, but fun & fruitful weekend. I'm now busy preparing for my upcoming solo exhibition @The Arts House, 1-24 Nov...
...but first, still gotta prepare for our Knotty Tea Party this Sat! Many invited Knotty Fans will be coming. I'm sure it'll be fun! Look out for photos of our 2nd Anniversary Celebrations - Knotty Tea Party next week! Tata! :D

KBCC #07: Print-Making

September seems a busy busy month for everyone. We had a smaller group @KBCC #07. It was still fun & exciting, nevertheless :) We had our hands on 1 of our favourite childhood Art&Craft activity - Print-making!
First, we made use of the stripped texture of the corrugated boards to make prints, which turns out a little messy :P but sure was a good warm-up for all.

Then Jullie led us in making our potato-stamp, which turns out to be easier & our prints turned out much better this time! Yay...! :)
We also took the opportunity to celebrate Moses' birthday, which falls on 28th September.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY once again, Moses! Hope you had a jolly good time last Sunday!

Knotty Bicsie's 2nd Birthday Celebration @MAAD This Weekend!!!

Come join us for a weekend of fun & party! There'll be items on sale & *hopefully* some new products (still rushing :P)! Seats are filling up for our Funky Knit Workshop. Sign up TODAY to avoid disappointment! :) Email: bicsie@gmail.com

4th & 5th Oct (Sat & Sun)
11am-7pm
@MAAD (red dot design museum)

We Are TWO!!!

How time flies! Knotty Bicsie is celebrating our 2nd Birthday in 3weeks' time!!! To celebrate Knotty Bicsie's Anniversary, we have a series of popular activities lined up for all!
A) Introductory to Funky Knit Workshop (mobile phone pouch)
Date: 4th Oct 2008 (Sat)
Venue: MAAD (red dot design museum: 28 Maxwell Road)
Available Time Slots: 11am-1pm, 2-4pm, or 5-7pm
Registration: S$20.00/person, materials INCLUDED

B) PomPom Party (kids above 8 years old are welcome!)
Date: 5th Oct 2008 (Sun)
Venue: MAAD (red dot design museum: 28 Maxwell Road)
Available Time Slots: 11am-12noon, 1-2pm, 3-4pm, or 5-6pm
Registration: S$10.00/person, materials INCLUDED

C) "I'm the BIGGEST Knotty Fan!" Contest
Take a beautiful picture of yourself with any Knotty Bicsie product (including your workshop sessions with Betsy), add a little creative caption to show what a HUGE Knotty Fan you are, & email to bicsie@gmail.com by 31st October 2008 (Fri), Singapore Time 2359hr.
Prizes:
1st - Funky Knit Workshop (1 Scarf), worth S$180.00
2nd - Beginner Special (Funky Knit or Crochet Craze) 1 hp pouch, worth S$75.00
3rd - S$50.00 Voucher, redeemable at any online purchase or workshop registration
Terms & Conditions:
- Image with caption must be submitted in JPEG format in a resolution of 150dpi.
- All email entries must include participant's FULL NAME, CONTACT NUMBER, EMAIL ADDRESS, MAILING ADDRESS & a 50-100WORD Birthday Wish for Knotty Bicsie.
- Closing Date: 31st October 2008 (Fri), Singapore Time 2359hr.
- Winners will be announced on www.knottybicsie.com & www.knottybicsie.blogspot.com by 3rd November 2008 (Mon).
- All entries will be property of Knotty Bicsie, & Knotty Bicsie reserves the right to use all submitted images & comments in any Knotty Bicsie publicity materials.
- Knotty Bicsie's decision is final.
- Knotty Bicsie reserves the right to make any changes to all details stated here without any prior notification.

KBCC #06 - Handmade Paper Journal

It's the time of the month again! KBCC had yet another very fun afternoon @Pauseability last Saturday! This time, Teacher EeWei taught us how to make handmade paper journal. It felt like cooking lesson at some point! haha... we all had fun :D
See how Teacher EeWei is sternly checking on everyone, making sure we are using our toothbrush properly? Nobody dared to mess around. Everyone was diligently brushing our paper in full concentration...
Next, we had an extremely therapeutic paper-tearing session. Ivan was violently & aggressively shredding the paper to ventilate, while Jullie was almost into meditation mode! :P Check out how Rita dressed to match our colourful scrap paper! :P
After cutting up the ingredients, Teacher EeWei showed us how to mesh them all up with a blender to make into paper pulp. Cooking time! We all got a little weary when we saw smoke coming out of the blender after awhile! Luckily Engineer Jullie was there to rectify the problem! Otherwise we'll all be poisoned by the rubber burning smell & the smoke from the burning incense paper outside Moses' shop! :P
Finally, our "Soup of the Day"! hehe....

Next, we learnt how to sift for gold to make our pretty handmade paper. Everyone had a shot, except baby Isabelle, our Little Princess @KBCC, who was obviously shocked by the look of our chocolate fondue! haha... :D
Now it's time to leave out our paper pulp to dry, while we work on our journal with some ready made paper Teacher EeWei had prepared in advance. Everyone was working intensely on our own journal. We can't wait to have our very own journal made...
Yay...!!!! Finally!!! Check out the fruits of our labour! Aren't they all amazing? Cool, ya? Everyone agreed that we probably won't buy any notebook ever again after last Saturday! Coz it's so easy to make & we can even decorate it just the way we like it! Wow!
Thank you so much, Teacher EeWei!

ps: Here's wishing all teachers in the world a very happy Happy Teachers' Day! :D