~ Happy Mooncake Festival ~

to my Singaporean friends. Enjoy your mooncake and think of me! Basically, it a festival where we have mooncake and play with lanterns! A typical Chinese festival also know as Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节). I remember those fantastic lanterns I used to carry around at night. 

I did manage to buy two durian mooncake to bring back here for my hubby. These days, they have the most outrageous and innovative mooncakes for sale. 

This is a traditional mooncake, filled with lotus paste or even red bean paste and sometimes yolk from salted duke egg is included. I'm not personally keen on the yolk.

These are the snow skin mooncake, quite common in Singapore. A break from the traditional kind and it is filled with a lot of unusual filling eg. durian, rum and raisin, bak kua etc. I've not tried the unusual kind but my next trip out, I'll be hunting down for them!

Typical paper lanterns

When it lit at nite!

(all photos taken from the web)

My boys don't like mooncake. Well, at least they can play with lanterns! I did get them Angry Bird lanterns! TTFN!

~ Closure! ~

Read with sadness about the impending closure of Zig Zag Scrap. I do CT for 2 of the designers there, Pink Reptile Designs and Val C. Designs and it must be a great shock for them and all the other designers there. They do have some good designers with fantastic kits. I can't say that I'm a regular there (just don't have the time) but when they do have special events, I do join in and the community there is a friendly bunch. They will close their doors on 15th October for good. Some designers are having a 30% discount sale at their stores before the closure. TTFN!

~ 365 Cards: Day 209 ~

This week we are sponsored by Paper Pretties. 

Today's challenge is to use Three Shades of Purple on the card. Here's my card: 

Image is from Paper Pretties, coloured using copic markers.

TTFN!

~ Pink Reptile Designs: Friends Will Be Friends ~

Mirjam recently released this kit, Friend Will Be Friends, on Zig Zag Scrap but I got a chance to play with it earlier in the year as this kit was featured on Artisan Notebook in July this year. Yup, my page was also in that digital magazine. 

Here's my page: 

Photo of my best friends. I cherish my moments with these gals! 

TTFN!

~ Val C. Designs & BeeDee Design: Self Confidence ~

Val did a collaboration with BeeDee Design and came up with this wonderful kit called Self Confidence, available at Zig Zag Scrap. Talk about a kit full of digi goodies! 

This is a bundle. They are also available separately.

Here's my page: 

I had so much fun with this kit. Lots of fun elements, totally up my street! TTFN!

~ Oscraps Collaboration: Novel ~

A little behind my posting but I've been so busy since work started. Anyway, got a chance to play with this collaboration kit by the Oscraps designers called Novel. 

Here's my page: 

Fun kit to play with! TTFN!

~ 365 Cards: Day 202 ~

Today's challenge is about 'White Space' and is based on this sketch: 

Here's my card: 

Not generally good on white space but I coped! TTFN!

~ Paislee Press & Leora Sanford Designs: Hello My Name Is ~

Recently had a chance to play with this collaboration kit by two designers, Paislee Press & Leora Sanford, available at Oscraps, called 'Hello My Name Is' kit. I do have a stamp with that particular phrase and it was one of my favourite stamps so I was quite happy to see a kit with that phrase. 

It also comes with Journal Cards, great for those doing Project album as you can print it out. 

Here's my page that I did with this kit: 

I took tons of photos with this adorable, little boy. You'll be seeing a lot more of him in my pages! TTFN!

~ RIP Kimmy ~

I just learnt on FB that a friend I knew passed away suddenly from cancer. 

Kimmy Sonksen

(pic taken from her blog)

I knew her from UKScrappers. When she set up her store, I became one of her Design Team members. She even created a forum and I was part of it and had a lot of fun. The main event was doing a Circle Journal (CJ) involving ten members. It involves passing a book to each member of the group and each one fill it in with creative works. And the best part, all of us received our journals back (they do get lost sometimes). I managed to have 2 CJs done and both came back with some fabulous art work! She was an amazing scrapper and cardmaker and my only regret was that I never met her face to face. 

It's terrible when cancer takes away someone you know and worst, suddenly too! She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer 3 weeks ago and passed away on the 11th. My condolences goes to her partner and her family. Incidentally, the scrapping community have set up a donation to Cancer Research in honour of her. Check it out here. RIP Kimmy. You will be missed! TTFN!

~ 365 Cards: Day 195 ~

Today's challenge is called 'Fringe Binge', which is to load the card with fringe. Here's mine: 

Played with my yarn. I still have a bagful and I do use them! TTFN!

~ GIS: Trendiest Shape - Hexagon ~

The trendiest shape at the moment is hexagon, well, at least in the digi world. Lots of kits coming out with this particular shape.  Here's an article about it as seen here. 

I had a chance to play with such shape and luv it!

Supplies:
Ju Kniepp Designs: Old Sweet Times
Crystal Livesay: Hex Shapes V2
Karen Funk: Simple Stitches
Anna Aspnes: Precious Word Art No1, Achieve Word Art No1
Fonts: Tangerine & Tangie AJF Oyster

My boys got a chance to see the Olympic Torch up close and of course, I had to document it. TTFN!

~ Blah Blah... ~

Now that the Paralympics are over, I'm kinda sad. It's my first time seeing it and I had enjoyed the various sports and it certainly taught me a lot about the event. I was glad they show the classification system in swimming and also in the various sports. It helped me to understand the event better. It goes to show that despite certain mobility limitations, these athletes were not deterred and nothing is impossible if one put his/her mind to it! I was so full of admiration for these athletes. 

I'm slowly getting back on my feet. I suffered from jet lag the first week. I was thoroughly knackered by 9pm and I'm usually a nite owl!!! Hardly touched my computer too and as a result, I'm now trying to catch up on my assignments that are soon to be due! 

As for my so-called craft corner, I need to re-organise my stash. It's just finding the time as I'm full of appointments this week as well as the weekend! And I'm not even working full time!!! TTFN!

~ GIS: Back To School Photos ~

At this time of the year, it's common to photograph kids going back to school. I always do it. Well, here's an article dedicating to Back To School pages as seen here. 

Supplies:
Anna Aspnes: Artsy Template No62, ArtPlay Palette Concerto
Cinzia Designs: Ready To Learn
One Little Bird: Bird Seeds V1 UK
Elise's Pieces & Chelle's Creations: In Harmony
Font: Follow You Into The World

I chose to focus on my two boys whereby they were in the same school together for the first time. Their Infants and Juniors schools are separated. Well, the wee one entered the Junior school at Year 3 while the older one was in his final year at Year 6. It was great to bring the boys to the same school and see them both on the same school ground. It was also great that the older one could guide his younger brother around school. 

My page is peppered with musical images too as both of them have violin lessons in school too and both are in the same music group as well. So it was easier for me to attend their lessons. I kinda miss that school year. TTFN!

~ GIS: Inspired By Infographics ~

This article recently came out on Get It Scrapped site as seen here. Infographic combines images and numbers to give an informed view about a certain topic. It's interesting to see how it can be used in scrapbooking. Here's my take on it: 

Supplies:
Ju Kniepp Designs & Tangie Baxter: Creative Felicity
Anna Aspnes: 12x12 Sand Scratched Overlays No1, Flutterby Foto Blendz No3
Tangie Baxter: Cart Set 32 Color Wheel, AJC11 Parcel 30
Fonts: Legion Slab, Duval Outline & Larger Mime

I chose to use colours to portray moods and how various colours can affect moods. Hence, the info about how a certain colour evoke a certain mood. Then I put myself in red as that is my favourite colour. I had fun doing this page. My most colourful page to date. TTFN!

~ Maya de Groot: Zen And The Art Of Steam Machines ~

I luv this designer's products! I find them so easy to use. She came out with this amazing kit entitled 'Zen and the Art of Steam Machines', available at Oscraps.

It is packed full of mixed media goodies and so fun to play with. Here's my art journal: 

TTFN!

~ 365 Cards: Day 188 ~

Getting back to normal routine and trying to settle down after being a month away. Today's challenge is  '21st Century', a look at new trends and technologies in the past 12 years. For me, only one person changed my life for the better and brought the world closer and smaller, may I add! I present Steve Job!

A tongue-in-cheek look at all the modcons that he came out notably the iPhone. Thanks to him, I can chat with my parents, relatives and friends easily and free (thanks to Whatsapp & Wifi!) My parents are able to see their grandkids more often via FaceTime.  Steve Job's face is actually made up of all the modcon that he thought of e.g. iPhone, iPods, iTouch, Macbooks etc. TTFN!

~ I'm Back! ~

in the UK and grappling with daily routine! Arrived on Sun early morning at 7.25am at Manchester Airport. Didn't realised you had to pay to use a trolley which I did but guess what, the trolley wouldn't come out despite putting a £1 in the machine! And there was a uniformed fat bloke sitting at the end of the trolley. He merely shrugged his shoulders! I wasn't the one who had the problem as others too struggled with the trolleys too and all he did was to sit there and looked on! Talk about a bloody wasted space! I refused to waste another pound so had to dragged my luggage through the doors. Hubby had to choose this time to go to the toilet so I had to eventually call him to see where he was! I did tell him to come at 8am but he thought he had time (my plane had arrived a good half hour earlier).

It was great to see the boys although they were more interested in their new laptops that their granddad had bought them for their birthdays! Not surprising, with 3 laptops to cart back (including my own), no wonder I had to leave a lot of stuff behind. I had to unload another 7 kg at Changi Airport as my luggage was still too heavy. Eventually, they let me off with 31 kg! Anyway, I'm due to collect them next week when my bro's girlfriend arrives in London! Yay!

We spent the day out as a family, had a tim sum lunch and the boys went to HMV to spent some money which their grandma had given them (not all as the majority will go into their banks. My parents are very generous when it come to their grandchildren ... the only ones that live very far from them!) The boys have found a new PS3 game called Skylander and been buying toys that can be played in the game! So that's what they have been collecting lately!

Can't say the house is spotless. Hubby turned my craft room into a bedroom for my youngest, not that I mind as I don't physically craft anymore. He moved all the stuff into the living room. He somehow managed to create a corner with storage for me. Now I've to re-sort everything and put them where I wanted. Tedious!

Clothes are laundered but not folded so guess who has to do them! Cups are badly stained with tea (my pet hate!) so guess who will have to scrubbed them clean. How on earth can anyone drink from a dirty cup is beyond comprehension. The pantry is a mess! That's what you get when you leave a man in charge of the house for 4 weeks! It would take me a good while to get the house in order. 

In the meantime, I'm grappling with jetlag and lack of sleep! I realised as you get older, sleep is important and not being able to sleep on a 15 hour flight does take a toll on the body. I'm trying to keep to the time schedule i.e. not sneaking any afternoon nap so as not to screw my body clock! I'll be so glad when this week is over! TTFN!

~ Goodbye ~

Getting ready to leave for the airport. Not surprising, luggage is overweight. Praying they will somehow get through! An Emirates flight would have solve that, given their generous 30kg!

I leave with today's weather

It is sweltering today! TTFN!

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