KIWA ONLINE SHOPPING

My latest order from Kiwa, my favourite store on the planet. It's a beaders paradise. Luckily for me they have an online store. I can't wait to get started on my many planned projects.

If you want to buy online, you will need to use a forwarding service, as they online ship within Japan.  I use Tenso.

Kiwa Online Store

Roses Necklace

I made this using the beads I purchased in Singapore.

And gift wrapped it with Marimekko paper.

The Hawks have now won 10 games in a row. Looking good for the grand final.

 

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

CHINATOWN -SINGAPORE

Chinatown is a very colourful part of Singapore, which you must visit when in town. There are plenty of traditional market stalls and eateries. Chinatown is especially exciting during Chinese New Year, when the decorations are displayed. Here is a stall selling CNY decoration for the home.

 Delicious Chinese food everywhere you look. I do believe Singapore has some of the best food in Asia.

 I LOVE these ice-cream sandwiches. You can buy a slab of ice-cream in between wafers or sweet slices of bread, more like sponge cake.

I have yet to try the famed durian fruit, due to it's unique odour, which is not unlike methane gas.

 

 Shop windows selling CNY outfits.

Some more beautiful architecture.

I bought a large supply of beads from Chinatown, which I will post later. I unfortunately, did not get to visit the fabric stores. I hope to make it there one day.

ARAB STREET AND BUGIS DISTRICT

This day, my daughter and I spent a day shopping for fabric and beads.

First stop was Arab Street in the Kampong Glam district.

Also found in this area of Singapore are many trendy little independent boutiques and interesting nick nack shops.

This beautiful mosque is located in Haji Lane.

 I really love this old architecture of the traditional shophouses.

 Arab Street sells mainly fabric and some craft supplies, such as beads. My sort of street!

 I didn't go overboard with the shopping here, as I still have fabric from my trip in 2010 which I haven't used yet. But, I did find some beautiful jewel coloured Indian silk fabrics which I did end up buying. I also bought a substantial amount of Swarovski crystals at Rashiwala Bros. They sell a huge variety of Swarovski beads.

 

 

 Haji Lane.

 We walked back to Bugis Junction Shopping Centre for lunch at the good old Yoshinoya.

So many delicious cake shops in Singapore - we took a break from the diabetes diet during this trip.

 

I discovered a small but well stocked bead shop called Beadtle Sweet in Bugis Junction. It had quite a large range of Swarovskis and other beads and findings. I picked up a few items for my planned beading projects.

http://www.beadsandnails.com/swarovski-crystal/

We then mustered up the courage to tackle the labyrinth of little market stall, known as the Bugis Street Markets.

Note: do not enter if you suffer from claustrophobia. This is a massive undercover (luckily airconditioned) market, consisting of a maze of tiny shops, selling mainly: clothing, handbags, jewellery and shoes. We thought we would nab some bargains here.  The only problem is, it literally is a maze, and trying to find one's way around, let alone the exit escalator was a  big challenge. I did end up buying a nice handbag here, but to be honest, the whole place was too overwhelming. We walked around in circles looking for the exit, but each turn seemed to take us further away.  If you like this sort of thing, you could buy similar items with less crowds at the Far East Plaza.

 

But do stop by, even if it's just for a browse. And don't forget, there is lots of yummy food here too.