How it all started
THE ARTSY CRAFTSY is a Malaysian creative lifestyle blog, shop and studio. It started off in 2008 as a personal blog by Shia Lynn Toh (read below), who felt that there were not enough local creative websites to follow or one that supports local talents. Overtime, The Artsy Craftsy has reached hundred thousands of readers, becoming one of the top sites in Malaysia's creative scene.
Dream Come True!
The idea has always been to inspire readers to create a well-balanced creative life, building a network of homegrown creative brands & makers and working with creative brands and companies. It's a thrill to celebrate the local and international creative culture whenever we feature the community because we believe it deserves to be heightened and we are here to provide that platform!
Turned blog into a business!
The Artsy Craftsy has always been a 'blog' first business. Nevertheless, we connect with the latest creative lifestyle and DIY trends. Think of The Artsy Craftsy like a large tree, branching out in different divisions such as:
SHOP The Artsy Craftsy Our creative lifestyle online store and services, ranging from crafts, stationery, gifts and personalized works.
The Artsy Craftsy STUDIO: We offer monthly creative classes & workshops at our studio, to help you discover your creative side!
Work, Collab or Partner with The Artsy Craftsy: We have worked with several brands and companies for sponsorship exposure and/or partnered up for B2B / B2C services specializing in the areas of creative lifestyle / arts & crafts community. Want to organize an arts and crafts event? You do the planning, we do the connecting. Our strong network allows us to recruit curated vendors for your event/bazaar.
We are also a co-organizer of The Craft Affair, a Malaysian curated craft market and hobby weekend.
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| Photo: Creative Girl Boss |
Before she created the blog, she started her first small creative biz in 2005, and went on to fabric paint on bridal & couture gowns and created recon apparels for fashion shows. Her milestones include holding a Certificate in Fabric Painting by Pebeo, France; another in Colour Psycho-Spiritual Studies by International Academy of Colour Consciousness, and has worked for some of the biggest, local creative names, like Craft Haven, Da Vinci Creative Kids and The One Academy.
Shia Lynn was also shortlisted as one of the Top 10 finalists in the content category at the DiGi WWWOW Awards Malaysia 2014, and was selected as featured craft vendor at the #OhhsomeFest 2014 by Hotlink Malaysia.
As a self-taught artist and crafter, to date, it has been a total of 10 years since her involvement in the creative scene. Shia Lynn enjoys arts and crafts, but particularly loves art journaling, fabric painting and taking colourful creative pictures.
A Note from The Artsy Craftsy!
"I have been in a relationship with the Arts and Crafts for as long as I can remember, and I saw Creativity as part of my soul. Making art was both my inner voice and soul-food. As a self-taught artist and crafter, over the years, I managed to unravel creative boundaries to combine Art (my passion) and Copywriting (my rice bowl) to create a balance in my profound journey as a Creative Entrepreneur. After serving the industry as a working professional for more than 10 years, something changed! A shift happened, and next thing I know, I was going full-time on The Artsy Craftsy. It was a wonderful 8 years of managing T.A.C as a creative hobby/review blog, but I decided that it was time for me to turn it into a creative business, and expand it into a platform for creative growth and inspiration. To know that I am able to share with the community through content and The Artsy Craftsy's various products and services, is just pure happiness! On a final note, it is up to us how we craft our life and what stories we want to tell in our paintings. Pursue your destiny if it calls out to you, but always, always remember to stay passionate! Stay in touch with your inner child because that is the true artist in you." - Love, Shia Lynn.
