Spotlight #MakeItMerry Season is Back!

Spotlight #MakeItMerry Season is Back!

• 8.27.2016

Bless my soul, it ain't the end of August yet and we are already rolling out the Christmas decorations in Spotlight! Lol. Every year i do look forward to this year end festive season because it's the only time that everyone (not matter what race or country) participates in this joyous occasion of gifting, spreading smiles all around the world!

My Christmas would most definitely be extra special because i'll have lil parasite to celebrate it with, finally i am not alone anymore during my birthday and Christmas celebrations lol. But not sure if i am in the mood to set up my entire house with Christmas deco all around because i'll be freshly out of the hospital by then unless someone is kind enough to volunteer to be my elf and decorate my house for me but first my clean the place up la because it's always in a terrible mess XD

Anyone? lol

I have a love hate relationship with spotlight really, they always never fail to lure me in with their new arrivals (especially fabrics), festive concepts and all especially during the period when i am trying not to spend on impulse lol even with my strongest will power in action, i am totally vulnerable when it comes to craft stuff la, so why fight it anymore right?

So much for trying not to be an impulse shopper lol, always end up walking out of Spotlight with SOMETHING, never once in my entire life since they opened in Malaysia that i've walked out of their stores empty handed XD

My visits were so frequent (and long) that even the store managers remembers me! Lol.

So Paiseh* man lol especially now with such a prominent hair color that makes me stick out like a sore thumb and i can't blend in with normal people anymore.

Not that i am ashamed to see the managers (they are really nice people!), it's just that i am ashamed of myself for being so weak to the point of giving in to impulse craft shopping monthly even though i don't exactly need them LOL. Pretty sure you shopaholics can relate to that feeling as well right? Especially when the staffs in the store starts giving you weird glances like you are some kind of nut job who has nothing better to do than to spend hours in a craft store :-P

*embarrassed 

Knitted Socks gingerbread man!

I remembered having an old arts & craft book that taught me how to make ragdolls out of socks, similar to the gingerbread guy i'm holding. Never got around making them because back then there was very limited access to crafting materials till 2 years ago when Spotlight finally arrived in Malaysia!

Every year Spotlight comes out with a special Christmas range that fits according to their theme #MakeItMerry, and i am really glad to be called back for their media launch for the 2nd time in the row (crossing my fingers it would be annually!) thank you for keeping me under your radar Spotlight Malaysia, i'll make sure to continue making beautiful cosplay costumes from the awesome materials bought from your store :)

So if you are wondering what inspired their current 6 color themed palette for Christmas theme for 2016, it's none other than:-

1. Merry and Bright
2. Crafty Nordic
3. Modern Party
4. Pop of Gold
5. Sparkling Holiday
6. Nordic Getaway

Those names sound pretty dazzling and festive eh?

Wait till you see the full range of new decor products that they have brought in for Christmas, it's guaranteed to make you go "shut up & take my money!" . 

For those who don't like to get their hands dirty, there are ready made cards and decorations you can choose from their ready made selection but really, it's just once a year to get your hands dirty for a family bonding session, so why not?

It's proven that families are stronger when they spend quality time together, doing arts and craft activities are one of the things both adults and children can enjoy unleashing their creativity.

Nothing can be more beautiful then having a warm cozy home filled with family artworks (of course some Christmas music too).

Definitely seeing glitter and gold all over 

I used to work part time as a kindergarten teacher teaching arts and craft, English and basic maths, back in church i would also volunteer to conduct the crafting session (me no likey bible study haha!) which kids are sure to enjoy it very much compared to reading them stories, and i came to realized how a child's mind is such a fascinating thing. The most efficient way to get their attention and cooperation is by giving them hands-on tasks with tons of shiny glitter and colors, it's a guaranteed you'll have their attention for the next couple hours to some point they don't even want to stop lol.

Especially during Christmas period when kids are not into opening their books as their mind are filled with yummy food and presents, so what else could be better to indirectly make them study at the sometime have fun while doing it?
It all goes back to Arts!

Now with the school holidays approaching soon, parents would want to keep their kids occupied without having to drag them out to crowded theme parks should bring them to Spotlight instead to choose their own activity :D
This allows the child to have a sense of "freedom" to select an activity that appeals to them rather than being assigned to something they do not have interests in.
And with all the new Christmas range in, they would also be in the mood to help create decorations for the house, the child would most definitely be proud to show off his/her creations to your guests instead of sulking over uncomfortable new clothes lol.

Crafting can be fun but please have close supervision with children especially on small items like these.  

For adults like me who constantly say "no budget", this would be a great way to save costs and at the same time create something meaningful compared to buying a ready made card that people would just toss aside without glancing twice.

Maybe that's just me la, not sure about you guys when it comes to receiving handmade cards and gifts, personally those are the best things that one can received as it's one of a kind with flaws and all but what matters most is the thought that counts! :)

Some people might perceive handmade gifts as a cheapskate gesture, if you are one of them please do me a favor and slap yourself for insulting us hardworking people. No value can be labeled into something that was made out of love, sweat and blood because at the end of the day all we want to see is the smile on the receiver's face upon opening their gift.

But half the time for me i don't get to see that "smile" la because it's usually pass the gift and bye bye lol.

Here is one of the recent gifts i've made using spotlight fabrics, they do have tons of pretty designs that can be used for almost anything! Whether it's clothes, quilting, table clothes or curtains, it's how you use the fabric wisely to ensure its final outcome doesn't make you look like you are wearing your grandmother's curtains XD

Handmade with "lurveeeee", tons of hand stitching but love the outcome of it! Needs more practice and who knows i might actually start selling personalized handkerchiefs :-P

If you are new to all these handmade stuff with no idea where to start, there are gift sets that are ready for assembling to make things easier for newbies instead of having to hunt for individual materials, remember to always start small even though you would like to challenge yourself, save that for future projects when you start getting a hang of it.

Don't get discourage whenever your masterpiece doesn't turn out perfect or how you imagined it to be, remember that you are doing this for fun not a competition to see who has made perfect handmade gifts XD

I can foresee myself doing tons of DIY stuff with lil parasite when he/she is old enough to start picking up the pencil. Hopefully lil parasite gets my artsy touch haha, because the dad isn't a very creative dude (damn).

For my dearest lil parasite, you are the best gift to me!

Not sure what to write in my card yet but will fill something in when we cross that bridge lol.

Nick giving a demo on how to spice up your own Christmas ornaments with simple things like stickers, paints and glitter.

Customized Christmas Ornaments anyone?

Decorating and personalizing the Christmas ornaments with our names, why didn't i ever think of this sooner? Lol. Growing up in a household where my old man scorns the idea of "creativity"(such a spoil sport, really) so we were pretty much limited, even pitching in ideas for the color theme was such a pain in the ass so we ended up sticking to two types of combination- Silver + blue & Gold+ Red for God knows how many years till recently he gave in and allowed new colors likes purple which happens to be my mom's favorite color. 

So this year i'll make sure they'll experiment with some other colors instead of the same ol' ones because who doesn't like a refreshing look every now and then?

So if you are guilty of recycling the same old Christmas decorations for the past 20 years like my family, it's about time to toss them out and head over to the nearest spotlight to get a new set of trendy looking ornaments without worrying that it costs alot to get a decently designed set because you can always get plain ones and customized your own designs.

There are currently 3 outlets in Klang Valley (Amapng Point, The Mines & Ikano), but heard that they'll be opening a 4th outlet soon, can't wait to see where it's placed next :D

Will most definitely keep you guys updated on that info!

Last but not least, don't forget to share you crafting moments or masterpieces with Spotlight by hashtaging them #MakeItMerry on Instagram as they would love to see your works as well!

Did you know that Spotlight also carries in baking materials?

It's not only limited to utensils, in fact you can find edible food decorations on the same aisle- stuff like food coloring, ready made fondants, sprinklers and other colorful toppings that would make any homemade cake look like it's been made by a pro!

Great seeing Nick & Eva from Spotlight Australia again.

Looking forward to work with you guys again soon, because crafting is life! And nothing can be more satisfying than to work in a field that aligns with your passion.

You can check out our previous collaboration for The Mines Store Opening here: Click Me!

Feeling Festive,