Raveling Friends, NEVER Rivalry Foes :)

For those of u who has been following my blog, u will not find this week's local talent unfamiliar, for she's been mentioned a couple of times here liao :) Similarly, if u are a fan of her wedding dolls, u'd also have heard (or read) my name mentioned a few times on her blog too :P Yes, yes, she's none other than my dear friend, Jullie! :)

I met Jullie online while exploring Etsy as a platform to sell my baby booties. Then together with a few other local Etsians, Jullie came visit my stall @MAAD some 4years ago. Somehow both of us just clique & even went out for dinner a few times after that :) Well, again, the rest is history la :P

I've literally witness Jullie metamorphoses from a passionate crafter yet with a clear direction, to one fabulous crafter with a distinct style of her own. Hop over to her blog now & I bet u'll be going, "Wow! Wow...! Wow.... Wa.....!" :)

Jullie is definitely more than a "raveling friend"... We've both seen each other through our *young* aspiring crafter days to finding our individual directions & style, even to becoming Mummies! :) Now our babies are friends too! :P

Jullie is a perfectionist & she always insists on intricate details for all her customized wedding dolls designs. Her beautiful dolls (I know it's an under-statement) definitely speak for themselves & her "hobby" grows into a serious business which requires additional pair of hands! Woohoo...! She now has a permanent helper who helps her crochet the basic body parts, while she will do the assemblage & finishing touches. She never fails to surprise me with every new dolls she posts on her blog... My FAVOURITE by far is this new Japanese-inspired pair. Just look at the details! I'm totally LOVING it, are u??? :)))

Nevertheless, I had to give Jullie my blessings with mixed feelings when she told me that she's going back to full-employment job & is gonna make her dolls in SERIOUSLY LIMITED EDITION (only 4pairs/month i think?!?!) starting next year! I know! Even U are disappointed right??? :( Well, just remember to book her REAL FAST to avoid disappointment then ;)

Jullie is actually not the only crocheter/knitter whom I've approached to do a feature on. Sadly, the rest turned down my offer & I think it's because most questioned my intentions, especially since I'm a knitter/crocheter too. Well, honestly, in my opinion, the only way to find our directions, styles & niche areas, is by knowing & learning from your "competitors". Jullie & I been doing exactly that! :) We discuss our business plans, our new designs, our new directions, & we get new insights from each other! This has helped us grow & develop a lot more than if we were to just hide in our little attic & knit/crochet away.

As arrogant as it may sound, but I'm never afraid of "copycats". In fact, I'm secretly flattered if I come across anyone trying to copy my work! :P "Copycats" will always victimize themselves in cannibalism in this small competitive crafting world. Only the true "masters" will "out-wit", "out-do" & finally "out-last" in the crafting world... It also puzzles me why crafters are always so defensive & possessive over "their style"... In the Art scene, everyone starts off by copying from the masters before we eventually find our own style. I suppose I can't speak much for real big art masters since a lot of them are already no longer in our world, but I really think Singapore crafters in general (including myself) still have a long long way to go...

Oops, sorry for the side-track (Jullie, pls forgive me :P) hehe.... hop over to check out Jullie's BEAUTIFUL DOLLS now! [http://http://www.julshandmade.blogspot.com/] :)