Q: Where are you located?

In humid, busy Singapore.

Q: How old are you and when did you start handxmade?

I'm currently 27 years old (2022), and I started making the website, created instagram on March 2015. But I was trying to juggle studying (at that point of time), work and handxmade at the same time so there was not much updates in handxmade.

It's only when I left my part time jobs for good on November 2015 and that's when handxmade started receiving orders from people other than my friends.

I started making YouTube videos full time on April 2017!

In 2021, I decided to work full-time and work on Handxmade at the side instead, producing content whenever I can at my own pace.

Q: What does handxmade mean?

It's actually a name I tried to create with my initials (OXM) inside the logo. I played around with the word 'handmade' because it's straightforward- everything I make is handmade.

It's not very creative is it..HAHAHA. But it was pretty unique and a lot of other username that was on my mind was being used hahahaha.

Q: Why do you use USD instead of SGD when you're in Singapore?

I use USD because a lot of things I have like the tools, glaze etc are gotten from online shops, and usually they're overseas and in USD. Even hosting Squarespace website and Podia requires me to pay in USD. I also aim to bring handxmade international and not just local. Dream big, right? :)

Q: Why YouTube Videos?

I want to show people how versatile polymer clay is, through my videos of making anything and everything!
The aim for my videos is to be both entertaining yet educational. I have The Secret Series where I talk about my tools and how I use them, so combining the information and resources I've provided, plus my videos, I hope that aspiring crafters will be able to learn by immediately starting out on their own, instead of copying blindly from other polymer clay artists. This way, you'll be able to find your own style and at the same time learning a lot through your own experiences!

You can watch my videos here:

Q: Where can I learn all about the tools and materials you use?

I have a series which I called The Secrets Series, where I talk about ALL the tools and materials I use! They are filled with tons of GIFs which makes it easy to see me using the tools real-time without having to click on any videos! I have some articles that are open to public, so you can check those out and determine if this way of learning is suitable for you. If you think it is, you can join my support-based membership platform, HandxmadeFAM to gain access to all the other articles!

Q: Do you sell your miniatures?

No I don't, as my main focus making as many different miniatures as I can. Selling them consist of me making the same thing over and over again which is what I want to avoid. If you're still keen on getting polymer clay miniatures/sculptures I made, please check the HandxmadeFAM Related FAQ (Reward Vault). I also auction some of the things I make for my YouTube videos on my Instagram!

Q: Can I sell the things I made that I learnt through your videos?

TL;DR: Yes, you can, BUT please credit the video/article that I made that inspired you in the product listing.

Many artists (including myself) treat plagiarism very seriously. There are many people who take others' ideas and make money off them - this essentially takes away potential customers for the original artists.

However, I do believe that once you put anything online - especially tutorial-type videos/articles like I do - you should be ready to have inspired and excited people making the items in the aforementioned videos/articles. It's only natural that some would think of selling those items as well.

My priority is not to craft large quantities of the same item and sell them - it is to create a wider variety of miniature crafting process videos and not restrict myself to only a few things. I've thought long and hard about it, and I feel that I shouldn't deprive more people who might want what I've made in a video just because I don't have time to make and sell them.

If you think that something I've made really intrigues you and you think more people will want them, then yes, you can make them and sell them on your store. But the least you can do is to credit the video that inspired/taught you how to make them in the first place.

I'm pretty open to it, and if you let me know that you're selling something that you made from one my my videos, I wouldn't even mind sharing the listing for you on my socials! 😊 So don't be shy! 💕

Q: What do you sell in your webstore?

When I was hustling Handxmade full-time, even though I call myself a miniature crafter, because I don’t have any design background, I decided to enforce illustration as part of my practice as a way to improve myself in that aspect. Hence, every month, I designed a sticker pack for my patrons as my mail-of-the-month - a benefit that comes with the higher tiers.

I sell these sticker packs on my webstore as additional income!

Since I started working full-time however, I have since stopped mail-of-the-month. I now put up sticker packs whenever I can so the frequency of updates may not be as often, but you can find what's available there.

Q: How do you make your sticker packs?

Here's a blog post I wrote that shows the process! 🥰

Q: How much is shipping for your sticker packs?

Below are the rates I set for my webstore! (USD)

LOCAL NORMAL MAIL (SG) Flat Rate: $1.20 per order, $0.10 per item.

LOCAL TRACKED MAIL (SG) Flat Rate: $3.50 per order, $0.10 per item.

OVERSEAS NORMAL MAIL Flat Rate: $4.80 per order, $0.10 per item.

OVERSEAS REGISTERED MAIL Flat Rate: $8.30 per order, $0.10 per item.

Q: When do you ship out orders?

To make sure I don't get overwhelmed, I decided to have 2 fix days per month to mail our parcels.

Hence, mailing days will be on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month!

Here's a visual example for those of you who prefers it! (I know I do haha)

Q: What are B-Stocks?

I cut my stickers myself as mentioned in this blog post, and sometimes when I cut them, I get cutting marks that are slightly off. They will look similar from far like this:

However, once you look closer and actually want to use them, you'll realise that the cutting marks are not accurate.

There may be some other things like tiny creases at the corners, or even cutting "scratches". But the stickers themselves usually would most likely have inaccurate cutting marks like the above example, albeit still within the "white borders". Most of the time some may even be perfectly cut but it's just that one or two that doesn't pass my quality checks (QC) 😅

I picked one THE WORST B-stock that I have though, and I promise it won't get worse than the above - most B-stock would look like the one below:

It will depend on your luck to get a "better/worse" B-stock, but basically if you are not fussy about the cutting marks, B-stock may be good enough for your needs! 🥰 I'll make sure that the stickers ITSELF would be usable and not cut into half or something 🤣

B-stock sticker packs will be discounted approximately 20% off.

Q: What are GoodNotes Digital Stickers and how do I upload your stickers to my GoodNotes App?

I answer these questions in this blog post! 🥰

Q: What are your planner Sticker Pack's finishes?

Watch how the finishes look in this video showcase!

The finishes for planner sticker packs are:
💫 0:18​ - Transparent finish (Glossy)
💫 0:51​ - Matte finish
💫 1:07​ - Satin finish

They are all waterproof but not friction proof.

Q: What's the difference between your Sticker Pack's Transparent Finish, and Laptop Sticker's Transparent Finish?

Sticker Packs' Transparent Finish
• No white ink
So it may not look great on papers/surfaces that are not white (but it has its benefits)
• Thinner
• Waterproof but not friction proof

Laptop Stickers' Transparent Finish
• With white ink
• Thicker
• Will always be die-cut stickers
• Better quality
• Designs are bigger than those in planner sticker packs
• Really good for surfaces that does not have white background usually like your laptop, notebook, back of your phones, mirrors, guitars, water bottles, etc.
• Waterproof, fictionproof, and fadeproof

Here's a visual comparison!