[just about]

On the brink of moving.. on the brink of buying... on the brink of being unsettled.

You know that feeling of immense excitement, of settling into a new place, of designing your very own little cosy nooks, of creating new memories..... then immediately the feeling of impatience, at how there are all these other moments of uncertainty and temporariness to get past! I'm now at the beginning stages of that impatience, the house we're looking at are not ours yet (blaming the volatile property market for this!) and we're starting to look at other possibilities in case this deal doesn't come through. In a way, it's pretty fun, snooping at other people's homes and dreaming up design solutions to suit our own needs, it's like a neverending design project!

In the meanwhile, reality bites and we try to still bring the kiddies out for some weekend play trips, to the park or swimming.... I'm not sure they know that we're moving yet, but every week there's new things to be given away and packed up!
I saw these pics and just HAD to use the OA papers for it! Doesn't the yellow just pop!! And the right hand side panel of labels? They're canvas stickers from a long-ago stash, which i HAD to use quick cos K decided to peel them all off!
So nostalgic, these pictures were taken on our trip to HK with just G. K was just newborn and we brought G to Hkg without her little sister. It was a great trip!
This page is a start at combining some of my embroidery/fabric collage work with scrapbooking! I think i need to look at how it can be done more seamlessly, perhaps i'll start to use other more textured elements like thick paint or gesso next time. In the meantime, this is my entry for this week's OLW. Love that site!
A quick one about how G is soooo much a reflection of myself. Whenever she is acting up or being a prima donna, i check myself from screaming out at her too much, as it is SO much like looking into a timewarp mirror that it's uncanny. I still remember throwing tantrums and thinking that the whole world was against me when i was young.. haha, just desserts?

Do go HERE to check out my stuff for sale. Updating it often. There's new pics of my SB stash that i've divided into lots. They're mostly for newbies that want to get started on SB and would want a cheap headstart on materials!

[mini album - tutorial coming up!]

Started working on the mini album. I'm thinking of documenting a step-by-step process and putting together a little tutorial. What do you think?
I'll probably be sharing the tutorial over at the OA blog.... will let you know when it's up!

In the meantime, I have been steadily decluttering / destashing. This afternoon, i'm busy taking pictures and posting furniture, toys, books, magazines and other items up for sale. Thank God for Craiglist!!! Here's a glance at everything that's for sale. Do let me know if anybody is interested!! :) Also to come, quite a bit of Scrapbooking and Crafty stuff! Watch out for it.... :)

[crazy hours]

Work has been crazy busy the past few days. With 2 presentations falling on the same week, we were surviving on only about 3-5 hrs sleep every night! It was good though, now that the weekend is here, we are finally back to our regular sleeping cycles. :)

Haven't had much chance to craft, hence the lack of blogging too! But, yesterday, managed to put together the start of 2 mini albums. The 1st one, is to document the various parts of this house. I want to put down all the different nooks and crannies that we all loved, the different house traditions, so that we can look back in future and reminisce.

Lots of OA papers, i LOVE the houses!
One of the inside pages, I've got to get some photos to complete them.


The 2nd book is really a re-worked photo album. I have been meaning to recompile my wedding pictures for quite awhile now. The OA chipboard album is great for doing that, there's little tabs that can divide the different events of the wedding, plus enough space on each page for 2 pictures! I'm going to slowly embellish each page with thoughts and little snippets of trivia..... will show it here when it's completed!
A pile of old pictures and the OA Tag album.
All compiled! Now for my favorite part, the embellishments!

O, and i'm making more stuff! :) Next week, hopefully there'll be time (in the car most likely!) to create some craft which i've been planning in my head. A little hint - it will be based on G's sketches.... :)


Love the illustrations of my old nursery rhymes book. It is really very wonderful, lots of victorian little girls and boys playing outdoors. I'll take more pics of them in the next post! G and K loves reading them! (thanks mum for keeping all my books in such good condition! They are great treasures :)

[giveaway winner]

Hi!

Just dropping by to say that the winner is..........

SANDRINE (from Toulouse, France)!!!

Thanks so much for playing along.... Sandrine, please email me your address :) (jacqvic@gmail.com)

It's been fun... to have more chances of winning OA goodies, do head over to the BLOG now, there's a contest for Mother's day cards. :) Good luck!

[quiet weekend]

Well, kind of. G had a sleepover at the newly renovated room of sil P, so it was a quiet start to the weekend. This will be another long weekend, with Monday a bank holiday for most people. Unfortunately for us, we'll be working through the weekend as we've a presentation due next week! :(

Anyways, lots of responses to the giveaway! Thanks sooo much for your comments, it's been really inspiring to read what are the items that you like :) I really have to get back to my crafting, it's been lagging a little bit.... In anycase, stay tuned, i'll draw the winning name out of the hat when the girls are awake.

Lot's have been happening as well on the home front. The days and hours are ticking towards the day that we've to move out of our home. It's been a good almost 5 yrs that we've lived here, and it's the only home the kids have known. I do hope it will be a good transition for them to the new place (which we haven't found yet! Yikes..) and I've decided to create a little book for us to keep our own memories of our favorite spots in the house. From this month onwards, i'll be keeping a lookout (and the camera ready) for photo ops of the children doing stuff around the house. I think it'll be a great way for them to remember what they did in the house! I started it today, all K as G wasn't around in the morning.
This is the face that greets us every morning, always super cheerful and grinning :)
The little corner for drinking her morning milk (there's a few of G doing this too at about the same age!)
Climbing onto the sofa by herself and looking at V working.
Just before her morning nap (which incidentally didn't happen! lol)
Remember i did a swap sometime ago? This was what i received in return...
2 really wonderful silver + stone bangles for the girls - they look so good and fit so well. :)
SEI treasures - L, you're so lucky to be so close to these! :)

[challenge giveaway]

Hey! :) I'm sure you've all done the NSD (national scrapbooking day) challenges and are pretty tired out after them all! :P I have to confess that i had grand plans to take part in quite a lot of them! But work and the playdates zapped up all the energy, especially since the weather has been scorchingly exhausting as well. Anyways, here's the belated giveaway challenge that i've been meaning to post....
The full line of "Night Light"
The sticker set...4x4 Heidi Swapp large masks (these are SO versatile) - one's a fluer and the other is a white dove.
And a special giveaway - one of G's drawing made into an embroidered piece.
So, to be entered into the draw for the above giveaway, please go HERE, and tell me which is your favorite item!
AND .. if you really want a challenge (well, only if you really want to, and it's only a teeny weeny challenge :P) - do post a link to something that is Altered! Heh, told you it was easy! It can be anything - reused packaging, penholders, photoframes, mirrors... just not a LO! lol.....

So, you've until the end of this week - 8th May, and i'll draw the name on Mother's day!

:) thanks for playing! :)

[looooong weekend]

It is a long weekend here in Singapore, and G had 2 playdates lined up on consecutive days. On mayday was the much anticipated playdate with G at the East Coast Park. We haven't had a beach excursion in a long while and they obviously had a whale of a time! K didn't quite like the feeling of sand on her toes, but she still sat primly on the picnic mat and had a lot of fun scooping the sand from 1 container to another.
G + G trying to get into a big sand hole together... then falling over each other and giggling like crazy :)
G in the sand hole
Doing what little girls do best - jumping about and laughing out loud...
sand and fun!
It was playdate x 2 with the younger set too..
Snack time!

K's little toes, trying to brush the sand off..
The 2nd playdate was a birthday party at Bakerzin kids.... :) It was G's "boyfriend's" 4th. They had a lot of fun! Baking up a storm at the venue, and coming home with lots of decorated (lots of pink icing and marshmallows!) cupcakes.
Birthday Boy - M
G busy decorating her marshmallows and cookies
All the ingredients- all the kids look SO adorable in their chef's hat and apron.
Here's the 2 pressies for M & M.
Loved using the "nightlight" range of papers from OA to make these super cute boyish cards!
And today the weather was WAY too hot to go anywhere, so it was a fun day just staying home and scrapping the afternoon away, while K napped. :)
We rummaged through the stash, and it was a fun NSD activity to de-stash with old products. :)
Also did my first mist 'mask' effect.

Finally, another commissioned altered piece:
It's an altered "love" wall hanging.Had a lot of fun altering it, i think i might do one for our own place :)Adhered a KI memories lace CS to the surface, then misted the whole piece. Luckily i had it in the requested colour! Backing paper is OA.

Next post will be about the Giveaway challenge! :)