[it's up it's up!]

just a reminder to vote!!! it's up now at mmidol.
Please click on the link to vote.

Slightly tricky - here's how to do it - click on "vote Now", then register, then submit, then can vote.
It's either on Page 1 or Page 2. The page refreshes everytime, so the Layouts jumble randomly.
Please vote for me! thanks in advance!!!!

[MMidol Round #1]

Thanks to all who've sent their congratulations via email and comments.

Some questions abt the contest :
# of votes per person -
I think it's 1 vote per person, as you will have to register and log in before being able to vote.

What happens next -
30 will go on to the next round. The voting will be done by the world and no one at mm.

What's MM -
mm stands for making memories - they're one of the largest scrapbooking manufacturers in the states. This is the 2nd MMidol. i got into the 1st round of MMidol the last time but didn't go very far. Here's fingers crossed at getting through this round!

K! Gotta go to bed now... I've just finished my LO and i'm pretty pleased with it - it's an idea that i've been toying in my head for awhile now. It'll all be revealed tomorrow!! (or rather, later today)

O, here's what i made for M & E's 2nd and 1st birthday! :)




aren't they real cuties!!

[VOTE for me OK?]

I'm so excited!!! giddy and happy...... and also a wee bit stressed out - why?

I'm in MM-Idol TOP 50! It's the 2nd MM idol (basically like American Idol, but for scrapbooking) and the 1st time round, i got into the TOP 20, but didn't get very far due to insufficient votes...
This time, i really do hope i get to try a few more rounds before i get kicked out - so, here's my fingers and toes all crossed *o* and please VOTE for me!!!!!!

It's at makingmemories
The voting starts at 9 AM Monday, February 26, Mountain Standard Time (MST) ends 4 PM Tuesday, February 27. So, 31 hours to vote! Pass it on to your friends and family!

(that's around midnite on Tuesday for us till 7am on Thursday)
Thank you!

[in a cyber desert]

How do we while away time in a place with no internet? I was glad of the 3 day break from the blogging and stalking world - no emails, no phone calls, no distraction. I did some serious crafting (ok, for my standard :P) and was pretty happy with the results :

freehand stitched the image of kitty cat - it's a 'from memory' sketch of g's fav ginger cat stuffie at home :D she's delighted with it!

another simple pouch sling - goes well with jeans!
crocheted the button, and used some old lace left behind by my aunt (another avid crafter)

i also embroidered around the lace for a more complete look. Guess what i found it's best used for? A diaper carrier - it fits the folded up diaper exactly!! heehee....until i find a nice metal handle for this little bag, a diaper carrier it remains ...

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lastly, some pictures we took during the trip back to malaysia:
on the REAL train.... :)


photo shoot!

[2nd day pics]

Just after clicking "publish", realised i've forgotten to add the 2nd day's pictures, so here they are -
love this pic of the 2 of us
a fascinated G with her favorite in new house - the family turtle!

and like all good photoshoots, i need to add the credits line:
(model: G; location: home & new house; clothes: Chateau de Sable; stylist: mummy; photographed by: J, V & F)

[237 photos]

That's the number of photos shot just over 2 days - 1st and 2nd day of Chinese New Year. And that's just the Good ones... heehee, i had to do some real springcleaning and pruned away at least twice that in Bad shots.
So, after many days of feasting and chatting, catching up on the whole year's events - who's gotten married, who's had kids - who's expecting, the usual 'showing off' of one's offsprings - here's the pictorial diary:
self timer shot - one of the many failed attempts at a posed family pic with G
catching her unawares
another timer pic - see the little monkey scurrying away just as the shutter clicked!
new house - looking at visitors
new house - cheeky game with great grandpa (love this hairdo - gotta try it out again soon)

[happy reunion]

Today's significance has lost it's importance more and more as the years pass. Previously, it used to be when i would get together and play with cousins and relatives for that once in a year meetup in malaysia. Now, we're all grown up, each with their own pursuits, with gaps of language and interests seemingly unbridgeable. Something that was so insignificant just a couple of years ago, now with the arrival of gracie, we seem more willing and even feel that we ought to reinforce the traditions that make us who we are.
So, we're off to the reunion dinner at new house, but before that, here's what we did today -

visited Ikea, where i gota stash of the closest i could get to marrimekko fabric :)
O and it was great going to ikea at 10am in the morning - no crowds, great breakfasts , wonderful chicken wings... :) it was a good saturday morning activity



While G slept, i tacked, sewed and stitched a little bag with my new stash. Here's the before and after, with the obliging model just up from her afternoon nap.

And i had time left to also complete a simple linen & kimono fabric bag.

I'm intending to stitch another of this 'tree of life' onto the linen portion of the bag - probably in sage green thread. This one in the picture i complete many years ago....

Lastly, my token chinese new year decoration in the house - lovely twisty bamboos, with the cute little 'welcome luck' cats and gold ingots!

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR all family, friends and fellow bloggers!!! :)

[on a scrapping high]

Heehee.... yup, i've been scrapping again! It's quite cathartic to be scrapping 'just for fun", and manage to get my mojo all churned up :) *heehee.... yup - this is my valentine night indulgence* :D

[st valentine's]

First off - HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! :) for us longtime married couples, today is just another day, but it's good to see all that love going around in the blogging world :)

So, to share a bit of love - here's what i've done recently!

'I LOVE YOU' tags - designed digitally using Adobe Indesign, and printed on Matte Cardstock





Some new look LOs i'm doing - they are my 'break' LOs from my DT commitments. So good to be scrapping "just for fun!"






O! and on a side note. I'm So happy too bcos this morning, while visiting one of the childcare that just opened (which was really horrible btw, and i shan't tarnish the 'chain's' good name by openly declaring who they are here *cos it's not a valentine's day thing to do*) we stumbled upon another kindie that was PERFECT for G! :) at least it gave off all the good vibes - great teachers, happy kids, big space for play, good curriculum - is that too much to ask for? To our surprise, there are so little places that actually fulfil these minimum (in my book) criteria! O and it's affordable..... very much so. So we'll be starting G on her first day in school after her 2nd birthday!!! Yippee Yay Yay!

[getting crafty]

inspired by my favorite japanese craft magazine (cotton friend), i woke up in the morning ready to create something crafty. The only materials i could get together were some recycled linen and some thai silk bought long ago. Made these up in a couple of hours... just before the reunion lunch! :)
this is the magazine spread.....



and my little model in her new jeans :)

[my favorite home]

There's an ongoing blog tag game going on about posting favorite things / places in your home (i read it on K's Blog first). It is a lazy saturday afternoon after all, and i've just ate too much at the chinese new year reunion lunch at grandma's! so, here are my favorites -
the only plant i haven't killed - and it better be worthit! money plant in handthrown black glazed assymetrical bowl)
my stash of cookbooks - for those moments that i actually start cooking anything more complicated than instant noodles!
i'm a sucker for any form of crockery. scored these plastic mugs from habitat a couple of years ago- love their colour!
this is where i spend tooo much time.... :)
my scrap corner - it gets constantly rearranged, i think i need to have a more organised way of storing my chipboard alphas!
before g, we loved going to lighting shops and getting different light fixtures - this is my prized castiglioni suspended light from flos.
Petal & Dottie
A seldom seen sight - my hidden piano :P
Restored antique lamp from mum's place - pearly drapes are from last year's xmas decorations.
love the cluster of photoframes
i should go back to doing more pots - these were from the 'before G' times
G's toys - that beheaded rocking horse is testament that G has inherited our warped sense of humour.....
Ongoing projects like G's wall...
Finally finished the little cushions for G's favorite corner in the house! :) (shared with kookie the teddy bear)