Indulge me ...

"To bed, to bed,"

2008-06-22T17:10:00.008+01:00

said Sleepy Head. "Let's tarry awhile," said Slow. "Get out your stuff," said an excited Marsha. "We'll make some beautiful jewellery before we go!!!" :)))

Here's what I created late Friday night/early Saturday morning before I finally went to bed at 5am, feeling mighty pleased with myself.....ahhhhhh.....heaven.......

evolving ...

2008-06-13T04:11:00.006+01:00

I was speaking to my wonderful friend, a fellow Etsyian and highly talented metalsmith, howlindoggie, the other day, and I was telling her about how I'm totally hooked on vintage looking pieces now. She said my tastes/skills etc are evolving, which happens to almost all jewellery makers. It's a natural process every designer goes through - this need to experiment, change, evolve.

So seeing as how I'm in sync with vintage at the mo', I decided to experiment. I'm bringing vintage up a notch or two to where vintage meets zen. Here are my works-in-progress, they'll be turned into beautiful pendants shortly.

I love the effect produced by the juxtaposition of a pale and dark colour. What do you think?

it's been soooooo long ...

2008-06-11T07:25:00.005+01:00

since my last post and I honestly do apologise for the absence! I've been neck high in exam preps and school ... and it's just plain crazy to think that an 8-year old (i.e., Josh) has to go through this amount of stress. Granted, they benefit entirely from the solid foundation the education system provides them but it feels like as if they're sitting for their GCE 'O' levels at Primary 3! Good grief!

I'd like to thank all of you who so very sweetly emailed just to check in on me. I'm well and back to my jewellery making since it's the school holidays now.

So without further ado, here's an update - Please note that I'm currently in Vintage mode. I used to not honour jewellery pieces which exuded a vintage feel with a second glance, but now ... I'm hooked. I went out shopping (FINALLY!) for oxidised brass items and once I had whatever I needed, I delved head-on into the world of vintage beauty ... here are my latest creations which will formerly be part of 'The Vintage Collection' and these, my dear readers, will be available in my Etsy store soon ... :)

something old ... something new ...

2008-04-20T05:17:00.005+01:00

I've recently started experimenting with other types of metals. Up till now, I've only used either hypoallergenic stainless steel or sterling silver chains and findings. Below is my latest creation, simply entitled 'Vine'. I just love how this brass vine stamping connector turned out against the brass effect chains ... it's got this whole antiquish look about it that's so beautiful.

my little fashionista

2008-04-02T05:48:00.012+01:00

I believe we have a little fashionista in the making! Gaby gave the word "head-dress" a whole new meaning when she pulled out her shorts from the I-promise-to-do-the-ironing-later pile of clothes and placed it over her head!

And lo and behold! It matched her outfit! :) Hmmm ... upon closer inspection, she was playing with a matching set of yellow cutlery as well (check out the bottom right pic)!!! Well, looks like SOMEONE was busy playing matchy-matchy today!

behind-the-scenes

2008-03-26T09:57:00.006+01:00

Here's a peek at what I've been working on during the past week ... I've been busy as you can see ... :)

all done - phew!

2008-03-12T08:58:00.010+01:00

Our home is officially DONE UP. PHeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeW! That was just plain crazy ... running around and coordinating with the contractor ... getting furniture from IKEA and then assemblingthem ... then unpacking 88,yes - 88 boxes. And after all that - it's done. YAY!!!

Here are some pics of our little apartment. We decided to keep it simple, zen and all woody ... :D

Our Main Entrance

Some framed antique plates which have been passed down from generation to generation ...

Our Living Room - Night Shot (those window rails are such an eye-sore but I suppose when you're on the 6th floor with a 2 year old, it's better to be safe than sorry)

My Little Kitchen - Had to work with the peach flooring the apartment came with. But it turned out well in the end me thinks...

And my cutey bedside table - check out those litle babies, and by that I don't mean the Japanese dolls ;) - just a teaser as to what will be available in my store soon!)

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!

2008-02-08T10:19:00.000+01:00

Here's wishing one and all a very happy, properous and blessed lunar new year! May the year of the rat bring luck, love and happiness to you and your loved ones!!!

Below is a pic taken at my uncles's place on the first day of the chinese new year ... it's great to home. :)

Greetings from SINGAPORE!

2008-02-05T09:45:00.000+01:00

Hi once again to all my dear readers! It's been a REAL long time since I last blogged and I do apologise for having been missing in action all this while.

We arrived on December 29th and hit the ground running - literally. Dashed off to get Joshua's school shoes, got his school books and uniform ready for his new school which started just 3 days later! Catching up with family was next on our to-do list and me-oh-my, Gaby had such a hard time adjusting to all the new faces. She decided to turn into a koala bear and turned into a permanent accessory on my arm. Thankfully enough though, she's slowly but surely getting used to the faces around her as well as to the new environment.

The next big thing we were faced with was looking for contractors to do up our apartment. Getting wardrobes, curtains etc from IKEA - love IKEA, and all that needs to be done now is the actual renovation itself, which won't happen till after the Chinese New Year just around the corner.

'Nuff said. It's great to be able to have help with the kiddos at long last, I'm so deeply appreciative of all the help I'm getting now, especially since I've been away from my family for 9 years! And it's extremely wonderful to be able to just zip around over to my mum's place as and when I can ... that's cool!

Here are just a couple of pics of Singapore's skyline ... more pics to follow shortly, I promise. I hope to fill my etsy store soon with new goodies ... here's when I wish there were more hours in the day.

Hope everyone is well ... I have missed you all and am off to catch up on all my fellow bloggers now. In the meantime, enjoy these pics ...

Season's Greetings!

2007-12-24T01:07:00.000+01:00

-:¦:-.•:*¨¨My family and I would like to wish everyone a very Merry and Blessed Christmas!¨¨*:•.-:¦:-

We'll be leaving London this Friday and we're rather sad to be saying goodbye to one of the best times of our lives. This vibrant city, to us, is a trove filled with so many fond and happy memories ... However, having said that, c'est la vie, life goes on and a new chapter unfolds back home in Singapore, where all our loved ones reside. So may it be filled with as much happiness, joy and blessings as the past 5 years have brought!

zoom

2007-12-13T23:22:00.000+01:00

The days are passing by in a blur ... packing, meeting up with close friends, packing, attending farewell luncheons and dinners, packing, last minute shopping, packing, packing, packing ... I've finally found time to take a breather and attend to my blog and store.

I realised in the past few days that it's been awhile since I made my last lariat, so in the midst of all that packing madness, I found time to make the Lariat of Teardrops ... what do you think? :)

busy

2007-12-06T14:46:00.000+01:00

I do apologise for my lack of blogging ... you see, I've been doing nothing but packing and throwing out unwanted stuff ... all in prep for our big move back to Singapore at the end of the month. It's been exhausting sieving through alllllllllllllllllllllll our stuff, but it's got to be done.

In the meantime, I managed to squeeze in what little 'me' time I've got nowadays and have come up with more goodies ... hope you like them as much as I do ... :)

Sakura-Turquoise Bangle-Bracelet

Blossom

Chic

Abacus

Sweet Trio

expansion

2007-12-03T13:45:00.000+01:00

I'm adding a new line of mobile phone charms to my store ... they're cute, and what's even better is that I can still incorporate my wooden pieces into them!

Sakura Cell/Mobile Phone Charm

Flower In The WoodsCell/Mobile Phone Charm

Mushroom Cell/Mobile Phone Charm

back in london ...

2007-11-29T19:09:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone! I'm back from my hols in Europe which we toured around with my sister-in-law, brother-in-law and godson. Here are some pics for you to enjoy ...

Windmills at Zaanse Scaans, Netherlands

A MUST pic on and in a clog in Amsterdam ...

Josh getting a first-hand taste of history at Anne Frank's House, this was her bedroom whilst in hiding ...

Breakfast at McDonalds ... Gaby was excited over the animals in their glass display cabinet.

At the Arc du Triomphe ...

Another view of the Champs Elysee leading up to the Arc du Triomphe ...

Dinner at a French restaurant

This was probably the cause of the food poisoning I had ... :(

The beautiful Eiffel Tower ...

A family pic ...

View from the top of the Eiffel Tower ...

... and it was freezing up there!

The Eiffel Tower - Simply spectacular near or far

I wolfed down hazelnut spread French crepes like crazy!

The Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris

The Lourve Museum, Paris

A family shot outside the Lourve

I can only imagine what the people standing below must've been thinking ... :D

My sister-in-law and I outside a quaint French store
...

Our 2nd time at Le Mont St Michel ... still as breathtaking!

I'm now recovering from my bout of food poisoning but will definitely be back with more goodies for my store ... stay tuned ... :)

coming back down ...

2007-11-15T12:08:00.000+01:00

... to earth. That's me after enjoying my past few days of being on Sale 100-land. Many thanks to all those who took advantage of my 4 day sale ... my shop is looking bare once again and it's time to create more goodies!

Many thanks to all who left me well-wishes in my previous blog post! I shall endeavour to fill my store with more beautiful and unique creations and make it to that next milestone pronto! :)

Store update:
These are now available...more unique self-designed focal beads!

Sakura Matsuri Necklace (Cherry Blossom Festival in Japanese)

Sleek

And here's my latest pair of earrings ... I love how they dangle and bob around just under the earlobes!

Wooden Berries

More goodies will be listed over the next few days before I depart for my holidays ... we'll be off to Amsterdam and France for over a week!!! :D

The Big 100*

2007-11-12T00:26:00.001+01:00

My little store of Indulgence and I have reached a milestone ... we've reached 100 sales!

In retrospect, it's funny remembering that I took SO long to take the plunge and set up my Etsy store simply because I was scared of failure and of the unknown. I registered on Etsy in August '06 and was only a buyer then and all that while, something at the back of my mind was telling me to turn my love for jewellery into something BIG - something I would be proud of. Then in March '07, I decided that it was time - it was time to unleash my creative side and Etsy allowed me to perfect the whole Stay-At-Home-Mum thing AND achieve something so satisfying whilst doing that. It wasn't long before I 'found my feet' and decided on the style of jewellery I'd adopt. Much to my sheer delight, I received so much positive feedback and this only served as a big time confidence booster. It fuelled my need to create more and when I needed more of a challenge, I started bead designing. I now design a couple of my own beads so they're unique only to me. How very exciting!

Here I am now, 8 months later, feeling so chuffed that it was THE right decision I made and I'm eternally grateful to Etsy and to my family members who had so much faith in me and cheered me on every step of the way ... thanks for all the unwavering support and encouragement! Thanks also to all the inspirational friends I've made through Etsy, it's been an honour to be amongst such lovely and highly talented artists! A gazillion thanks to all my customers too - Where would I be without you? :) You've given me nothing but inspiration and delight in doing what I love and I hope this shows in my jewellery pieces. :)

So, to commemorate this wonderful achievement, I'm having a S*A*L*E from Sunday 11th November till Wednesday, 14th November. I'm offering a 20% discount on everything in store (except for the 1 sale item). Just mention '100 sale' in your message to seller upon checkout, and I'll send you a revised invoice.

Yay for the big 100!!! Now, to work towards that big 2*0*0!!! ;)

kawaii & vintage love

2007-11-09T17:03:00.000+01:00

*Note*
kawaii - The Japanese word for cute. Pronounced ‘ka-why-ee’.

In one of my earlier posts, I was going on about how crazy I am with apple inspired items at the mo' ... add to that now, my latest obsession with vintage beads - flowers and leaves in particular. So you'll understand that these came about very naturally:

Kawaii Apple Earrings

Mocha Apple Earrings

Single Blossom Necklace

I just can't get over how pretty they are ... the textures, colours and intricate detailing are what make them stand out from normal beads and stones. And trust me when I say, "The possibilities are endless!"

Viva la kawaii! Viva la vintage!! Viva la handmade!!!

stocking up

2007-11-08T10:55:00.001+01:00

My store was starting to look rather bare ... so I went into turbo mode and created these items to start filling it up again ... think of it like a giant X'mas stocking, full of great handmade goodies! I'll be adding items to my store later in the day, so be sure to look out for them! :D

keeping it simple

2007-11-07T09:54:00.001+01:00

My latest custom order required the use of pearls. She wanted a necklace and earrings set and she told me to keep it VERY SIMPLE. I can do simple. But I didn't want it to look too plain either. So I gave it an edge by combining sterling silver findings with antique bronze filigree bead caps. And by placing the bead caps UNDER the pearls rather than over them, a whole new look was achieved. Simple yet different and definitely pretty - all in the same breath.

And her reaction?
"They are gorgeous! I couldn't have imagined a more perfect outcome. You must have an intuition about these things! :)"

2nd time lucky!

2007-11-06T09:45:00.000+01:00

Yippppeeee! My Autumn necklace was featured on etsy's front page yet again! And this time, thanks to juliapearl's treasury, not only did it bring loads of traffic to my store, it also landed me loads of sales and custom order enquiries! It made my entire week, yessireee ...

... and I'm still enjoying my 15mins of fame. :D

yet another phase ...

2007-10-30T22:27:00.000+01:00

I'm going through another phase, folks. This time, it's apples. Yes,
anything and everything apples. I'm falling in love with apple inspired
fabrics like this one and am even getting a large granny bag made with it! :D

Maybe it's cos they're cute, maybe it's cos' they're ... a good source of nutrition? Naaaah, I think it's the whole retro feel they seem to exude, esp with the fabrics!!!

And you know me, when there's a phase, there's a creation. In this case, creationsssssss. So here's an ode to apples!!! Enjoy!

Snow Apples (available in store now)

the colours of fall

2007-10-29T13:52:00.000+01:00

We headed down Stourhead Gardens on Sunday with our posse of friends to bask in the beauty of England's fall colours ... here are loads of pics for your viewing pleasure ...

Hmmm ... looks similar to my Sakura bead!

I love the burst of colours in this pic!

Don't they look like EARRINGS??? :D

Love this pic ... the shock of orange amidst all that greenery!

Backdrop - The Pantheon - where the proposal scene of Pride and Prejudice was filmed.

My First Craft Fair!!!

2007-10-21T18:15:00.000+01:00

I participated in my very first craft fair on Saturday! It was held at the Horticultural Halls in Victoria, London, and embassies from all the Commonwealth countries came together to sell items from their country. My contingent, the Singapore team, sold food and jewellery.

AND ... It was a complete BLAST! It went so unbelievably well and it far exceeded my most humble of expectations! As I had never done a fair before, I was filled with a mixture of excitement and anxiety in the morning (almost falling ill and praying so hard that I wouldn't) ... I kept telling myself that even if I didn't manage to sell my things, I would've gained so much experience and exposure for my Etsy store and that, in itself, is priceless. So imagine how stunned I was when I sold more than half my wares!!! I was completely blown away by the success of the fair and my dear readers, my knees are still trembling and I'm still reeling from all the excitement... :)

Here are some pics from yesterday - enjoy! I know I did! ;)

My Little Corner of Indulgence

me ... :)

A more close-up view - about 2 hours into the fair

I made my own tags & they received so many compliments, much to my delight!

Josh, everyone's little helper for the day, arranging some sauce bottles ...

The kiddies were being taken of by my dear hubby the whole day whilst I worked at my stall...

A back aerial view ...

THEN, when I got back, I was in for another treat as my Autumn necklace was right smack on the front page of Etsy! I had convos upon convos and emails congratulating me on the feature. It was featured on MaryMarsh's treasury and this was chosen to grace Etsy's front page!

It brought so much traffic to my site - utterly amazing. T'was a good day for me indeed. :)

more awwww-some pics ...

2007-10-17T10:46:00.000+01:00

I love how Josh is so protective over his little sister ... and how he cares for and is so gentle with her. :)

They had a hilarious dancing session with the little one trying her hardest to groove like Barney and Josh!

A disappointed Gaby as the show ends ...

bonding

2007-10-16T10:03:00.000+01:00

Josh was showing off some of his pc skills to Gaby & humouring her at the same time.

I love taking pics like these ... it just makes my heart melt and you can't help but go, "Awwww..."

earrings galore!

2007-10-14T16:40:00.000+01:00

I had trouble sleeping last night, so I decided to oxidise some stuff and make these:

I'm into vintage beads at the mo', especially lucite beads - it's fun combining the old with the new! For some reason, it brings to mind a shop with an oxymoron name I spotted along the streets of Malacca, Malaysia, quite some time back - Modern Antique.

Autumn

2007-10-11T12:08:00.001+01:00

Thought I'd create something with an autumny feel ...

and more ...

2007-10-08T20:07:00.000+01:00

of my current obsessions ...

~ oxsidising silver
~ long kidney earhooks
~ olive green
~ faceted beads

the big, the bold & the ...

2007-10-03T14:01:00.000+01:00

... BEAUTIFUL! Here's my latest Square Seduction Necklace ... I was in a wild mood and created something different from my usual pieces. Jazz up your outfit with this necklace and let IT do the talkin'!

flowers & leaves

2007-10-02T17:07:00.000+01:00

I'm currently into flowers and leaves....

Can you tell? :D

all geared up ...

2007-10-01T13:51:00.000+01:00

I've got most of my tools,

and I've begun practising making my own ear hooks using copper wire!

I still need loads of practise to perfect my ear hooks as well as to come up with other designs before I move on to sterling silver wire. In any case, this is SO exciting!!!

PS: Those are my very first attempt at making simple rounded ear hooks, what do you think?

styles

2007-09-27T12:59:00.001+01:00

From the ultra sweet:

... to boho-chic:

Which is more you?

I'm a little of each ... after all, a lil' bit of rock and a lil' bit of roll never did hurt anyone ... ;)

a whole new world ...

2007-09-25T11:33:00.001+01:00

I've been exploring the wonderful world of scrap booking!

... and it's so fun! It's seriously therapeutic to be surrounded by card stock, scrap booking paper, tools and my lovely beads during quiet time. It's just, ~**heavenly**~ .... :)

itchin'

2007-09-20T17:05:00.001+01:00

Yup, that was me this afternoon! I have been itching to oxidise my own sterling silver for quite some time now and after doing a lot of research on Liver of Sulphur, oxidising with eggs etc ... I decided to try my hand at oxidising with BLEACH. And can I just say, I am more than delighted with the results!!! Here are the before and after pics of the earhooks and headpins I oxidised today:

Isn't that the most gorgeous shade of ash you've ever seen? I've also picked up an important point during this experiment and that is, if you clean and polish your silver before oxidising, the end result will be a more even and darker finish, the oxidising time is considerably lessened too!

I'm now extremely proud to show off my latest pair of earrings using the oxidised materials above!

as promised ...

2007-09-19T12:27:00.000+01:00

... here's another pair of earrings made using those gorgeous dual-coloured Czech glass bell flowers I was raving about in an earlier post - this time, combined with some equally gorgeous tiger ebony wood!

Teardrops of Bluebe lls

More designs will be unveiled soon! ;)

status of custom order: complete

2007-09-18T10:32:00.000+01:00

Here's the customised necklace - Going to a birthday gal from a repeat customer!

sweet, sexy, cool!

2007-09-16T19:10:00.000+01:00

I'm completely smitten with these Czech glass flowers at the moment:

And I combined them with small abacus freshwater pearls and turned those little cuties into these:~

They're uber sweet plus I've given them a slightly sexier edge, i.e., those gorgeous long kidney ear hooks!

I'm thinking of adding some wood pieces to them, making them stand out from the rest and looking very unique! More to come in my next post!

a commissioning spree!!!

2007-09-14T09:23:00.000+01:00

I've been working on a few commissions over the past few weeks ... and as most of you know, I LOVE working on customised orders!

Here are just a few I've completed and sold:

Yesterday I received another request from a customer who needs a pressie, a necklace to be exact, for a friend's birthday. So far, I've come up with these designs:

She's leaning towards the 2nd idea, so stay tuned for its result! Have a lovely weekend everyone!

update

2007-09-12T12:43:00.000+01:00

My latest Rondelle Rope Lariat -

Delicate
Sweet
Classy

All rolled into one.

FRONT PAGE!!!!!!

2007-09-09T21:25:00.000+01:00

I'm totally ecstatic because my GINGKO themed treasury MADE IT TO THE FRONT PAGE!!!!!!!!!!

ALL RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And Jared, from admin, commented on my treasury too before featuring it on etsy's front page, check it out:

WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hi-5 baby!

the creations

2007-09-06T23:31:00.001+01:00

I promised in one of my earlier posts that I'll display my sakura creations and here they are:

Simply Sakura Necklace - *Sold*

Sakura Lariat - *Sold*

Baby Sakura Necklace

Baby Sakura Drops

Simple Sakura Earrings (yet to be listed)

... and there'll be lots more to look forward to!

clever little thing

2007-09-05T11:32:00.001+01:00

I was on a mission to create a Sakura Lariat for my store - using a small flower focal piece. However, as the other end of the lariat held a sakura bead which was too big to be threaded through, I had to improvise.

Here's how it went:

1. Measure, measure, measure and separate.

2. To put on, thread chain holding the wooden bead through the silver flower focal piece.

3. Fasten lobster clasp at the back of neck.

Now you've got yourself a pretty Sakura Lariat *in disguise*!!!

Whatcha think? ;)

*UPDATE*: It sold on the day of listing!!! YIPPPEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

the unveiling

2007-09-03T17:12:00.000+01:00

And so, here they are everyone ... a tiger ebony wooden bead specially designed by yours truly. You have no idea how proud I am of them!

Sakura shaped tiger ebony wooden beads in different sizes ... they are the epitome of all things sweetoh-uniquetoh, my friends. Now, stay tuned for the creations ... I need to do some justice to these lovely babies!

excitement over turquoise & my 5th feature!

2007-09-02T17:07:00.000+01:00

I went out shopping for beads yesterday with a specific goal to get a certain type of flowery bead, and came out of the store grinning away with a bagful of these instead:

Talk about excitement, especially over their endless possibilities! Earrings (oooh...), pendants (aaaah...) & LARIATS (*droooool*)!!!

I've got my mojo back now, I'm all powered up and ready to start my endless nights of jewellery making!!! I'm now eagerly awaiting my other supplies to arrive to that I can show off what I promised in one of my previous posts! ;) Stay tuned and I promise, you WON'T be disappointed!

On a separate note, the lovely and very dear MaryMarsh featured me in her blog. This brings my feature count to 5! How wonderful! It feels so good to know that my pieces have travelled around the world and that they are so well-loved by their owners. Thanks so much, Mary Marsh, for featuring me! And it was a pleasure customising those pieces for you! :)

back from my hols!

2007-08-29T15:51:00.003+01:00

Yes, I'm back and I had a wonderful time away in France with my aunt and uncle who flew in from Singapore! As promised, LOADS of pics for your viewing pleasure!

Crossing the channel from Dover to Calais on board the car ferry!

Pit stop and feeding duckies!

Incidental Learning - A petite lesson outside a pattiserie in Bordeaux

A quaint town in a part of Bordeaux ...

Driving through vineyards ... and wine tasting

The Basilica and courtyard at Lourdes

Lourdes - Entrance

Inside the Rosary Basilica

The Grotto

A family shot after the evening Novena

A beautiful shot of the Basilica in the day

Walking up towards the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception

Dinner at Pizza Pai - 1 metre long pizza!

Le Mont St Michel in the day

A family shot

A looooong & steep climb to the top of the Mont!

Someone wasn't too pleased ... :)

The shops inside Le Mont St Michel

Walking along the mud-packed beach

Me showing off my Moeko Pendant by howlindoggie ;)

Along the coast of Le Mont St Michel

Dinner - Seafood Platter!

Night Shot 1 - Le Mont St Michel

Night Shot 2 - Le Mont St Michel

A Farmers Market in Caen

At Normandy Beach - where the battle between the Allies & the Germans began

Josh all excited by the sight of sand on Normandy Beach

The guys at a German bunker

Kiddos goofing around at Normandy Beach

And lastly, me goofin' about!

overdrive b4 hols

2007-08-17T16:01:00.000+01:00

Well, I'll be leaving for a short break to France early Sunday morning ... and although I'm looking forward to visiting that gorgeous country & having a whale of a time, I just know I'll be missing my beads & tools - big time.

So for my sanity's sake and to soothe that savage creative beast in me for the time being, I went into overdrive and created these:

Rondelle Drops

Chunky Tiger Ebony Cuff Bracelet

Tiger Ebony Twist Bracelet II

I'll be coming up with a whole new creation (with a-one-of-a-kind bead) upon my return - I am SO EXCITED about it! Be sure to stay tuned!!!

geometricity

2007-08-15T11:55:00.000+01:00

Haha ... so much for all that talk about creating more pieces last night! I was out stone cold by around 11.30pm! That's considered really early for me!

Well, 'nuff said, I woke up early today to make up for lost time and I created this beauty:

Geometricity - it rocks baby!

Lariat Love Part III

2007-08-14T18:10:00.000+01:00

I've been on a weekend + 1 day blog AND jewellery-making break and already I'm feeling so uncomfortable.

My collection of lariats in store are depleting slowly but surely .... :) and hey, that's such good news for me! So naturally the next thing I made today was this:

Teardrop Lariat III

Man! I feel better already ... me thinks I'll be creating more stuff tonight and over the next few days to satisfy the jewellery-making beast within me before my holiday in France next week!!!! Yippppeeeee!

playdate

2007-08-11T10:33:00.001+01:00

Josh had a good friend over yesterday and apart from playing games at home, we ...

~ went to the park and the boys played football ...

~ while I tried my hardest to achieve a light tan ... :D

~ as the little one napped away ...

~ and then woke up slightly later to enjoy the swings.

We then crossed over to the beautiful lake in the middle of Hyde Park with ice-creams in hand and accompanied the duckies (well, tempted the duckies was more like it) ...

Then it was off to Harrods for a couple of Krispy Kremes and back home we went for a game of chess ...

The day ended way too early for Josh I'm sure but it was a great day just the same!

a whole new style ...

2007-08-10T10:13:00.000+01:00

So here I am, all excited over my latest creation ... *grin*

I came up with this latest style of bracelet, a focal bead within a focal bead, coupled with gorgeous apatite rondelles ... awesome!!!

Zen Bracelet

e and e ... :)

2007-08-07T09:24:00.000+01:00

that stands for 'exhausted' and 'excited' ... why???

EXHAUSTED:
... after long day at the park and playground yesterday, chasing after the little one and goofing around with Josh (and mind you, it was close to 30deg) ...

EXCITED:
... cos my supplies FINALLY arrived (after being almost 1 1/2 weeks late!) ... and just when I thought I was tired at around 11pm, my mind could not stand the thought that I had an order to complete and there I was till 1am ... making these for the lovely MaryMarsh:

Yeah, 'e and e' did me lots of good yesterday ... :P

MY 4TH FEATURE! WOW!!!

2007-08-06T08:47:00.000+01:00

And just when I thought that I've hit the jackpot by getting featured 3 times, the lovely Amie, from APunkinCardCompany, convod me telling me that she would like to feature my work! And feature my work she did, right here:

http://apunkincardcompany.blogspot.com/

Thanks SO MUCH for featuring me, Amie!!! :)

APunkinCardCompany makes "little paper things" and my faves have got to be:

Paisley Thanks for the Support Card

and

Spotted Notes

She's also giving a 10% discount on whoever posts a comment on my feature in her blog ... so get over there and check out her stuff too!

what a lovely surprise!

2007-08-03T11:08:00.000+01:00

I was sent a convo yesterday by indiefixx, telling me that I've been featured on:

http://indiefixx.com/2007/07/25/why-oh-why/

And what exactly is IndieFixx?
"Indie Fixx is a celebration of the creativity, tenacity, and general spunky goodness that is the indie design movement. The indie design movement is made up of artists, crafters and designers who make a literal smorgasbord of delectable indie products. Once you shop indie, you’ll never go back."

This makes it the 3rd time I've been featured. How wonderful! It's great to know that my items are getting 'out there' and being 'seen'!

On a separate note, check out my latest Stepping Stone Necklace II!

I love the colour contrast between the vibrant red coral beads and the deep darkness of the tiger ebony wood! Oooh La La! Let's hope this one will be a hit just like my very first Stepping Stone Necklace!

these babies are pretty rare ...

2007-08-02T11:41:00.000+01:00

Green Amethyst ... you usually find purplish ones but these ones are GREEN. Faceted. Briolettes.

WOW.

I decided to make yet another lariat, this time using a tiger ebony teardrop shaped focal piece, sterling silver chain and wire and these little babies glittering and dangling at the base of the chain.

WOW oh Wow.

Available in my store now.

my daily target ...

2007-08-01T09:13:00.000+01:00

Ok, so I've been making an average of one piece of jewellery per day ... it's kinda hard to make anything more than that with the little one hardly taking afternoon naps nowadays and with Josh on his summer hols ... so that's been my target. One item per day and lookie what I've made in the past 3 days!

I'm-not-too-sure-about-this-bracelet Bracelet

Wooden Solitaire Necklace

Striking Turquoise & Wood Bracelet

what i like to do ...

2007-07-31T18:22:00.000+01:00

1. Clip up my hair like mummy on a hot day ...

2. Put on my brother's most worn out t-shirt which has seen better days ... :)

3. Be a bookworm like mummy and Josh!!!

feeling sunny ... :)

2007-07-30T15:40:00.000+01:00

Here's to Sunflowers & Wood!!! What a lovely combination!

a suggestion

2007-07-27T15:37:00.001+01:00

An Etsyian suggested to me in the forums that I should make more lariats since alot of my lariats have sold and "because you make such lovely & beautiful ones". *blush*

So I took her advice on board and made this ultra simple lariat - but which packs a punch just the same whether you choose to dress it up or down. What d'ya think? :)

UPDATE: I listed this today and it SOLD!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

just a quick blog post ...

2007-07-27T00:23:00.000+01:00

... before I turn in for the night. Here are my latest creations, all handmade with lots of love while the little one napped this afternoon.

As you can probably tell, I'm really digging this Simplicity theme ...
Goodnight everyone & pleasant dreams ...

i was completely worn out BUT ...

2007-07-25T11:54:00.000+01:00

I just HAD to create something ... ever had that feeling? Where your day just isn't complete if you don't utilise a bit of your time, no matter how tired you are (or even if you're recovering from the flu), to lose yourself in your crafty little world and create, create, create ... even if it's something simple. And when you're done, you sit back, enjoy your latest piece and go ahhhhhhh ......

*UPDATE: It sold on the VERY SAME DAY I listed it!!! Woo-hoo!!!!!*

ta-dah!

2007-07-24T17:50:00.000+01:00

Florspace featured me in her blog last week and requested that I customise a necklace for her
without her knowing what it's going to look like ... and here it is!!!!! TA-DAH!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope she likes it!!! :)

experiment

2007-07-23T08:57:00.001+01:00

I bought these adorable and fun hair clips from the lovely MaryMarsh a few weeks back.
She makes the cutest and prettiest hair clips, hair bobbins, hair ponies and magnets using these handmade fabric covered buttons and you can't help but ooooh and ahhhhh when you browse through her little store of goodies.

These little beauties got me excited about making my very own fabric covered buttons and teaming them up with tiger ebony wooden beads to come up with unique jewellery pieces! I began tiptoeing into the unexplored world of fabric stashes & button components ... and I'm glad to say that my little experiment was a success! I made buttons like these:

and turned them into unique bracelets like this:
and this ...
Now seriously, how cool is THAT??? :)
Here's a big THANK YOU to MaryMarsh for providing the inspiration!!!

made my day ... AGAIN!

2007-07-20T16:35:00.000+01:00

I've been featured again, this time by florspace in her blog and I'm well chuffed! It's wonderful knowing that your creations are loved by someone else but it's an even greater feeling when they love it so much that they dedicate a whole blog post to you! I'm walking on air today ... it completely made my day! And thanks so much to sewlutionsbyamo for giving me the heads-up about the blog feature!!!!

Florspace has got one of the cutest zippies around, I'm totally in love with her Japanese fabrics, they're cute and so very pretty. Another pleasant surprise was that she's a fellow Singaporean herself, just back from the Land Down Under ... Etsy DOES bring people together! I stumbled upon her store whilst looking out for Japanese inspired items to feature in my treasury named "JAPANESE!!!!!!".

Her sakura zippy caught my eye and I'M GETTING IT!!!!!!!!!! She's customising one for me and upon checking out my store, requested for a customised necklace. And dig this - she wants it to be a TOTAL SURPRISE!!! This is the first time I'm customising something for someone without them knowing what the end result will be ... so it's gonna be interesting! Watch this space everyone ... I'm dying to see her reaction when I'm done with her necklace! ;)

they look like pebbles, mummy!

2007-07-18T17:10:00.000+01:00

I made this for my store today and I have to be brutally honest ... I've had a pretty hard time thinking up names for my items recently. So when Josh splurted out, "They look like pebbles, mummy! Like a pebble beach!", a huge grin spread across my face ... ahhh, Pebble Beach Necklace it is then!!!

I've been featured!

2007-07-16T22:25:00.000+01:00

Corline, of mommyandmeboutique, who creates the cutest aprons ever and makes household chores look fun, contacted me, asking whether I would like to be a featured artist on her blog ... I was no less than honoured of course ...

Check out her blog for more on this 'shout-out'!

N-O

2007-07-11T21:11:00.000+01:00

Yes, that's a word kiddos do NOT like to hear. I try not to say, "No" but rather, "Why don't you do this instead ...." or "Maybe we should look at something else ..." You know, using the element of distraction rather than 'no-ing' the whole day long.

So, the little one saw my new bracelet today and couldn't resist the temptation not to touch it ... I ultimately had to resort to the big N-O after all my 'why-don't-you's' and 'perhaps-you-should's'. That word got her attention pronto and this is what followed ...

A "Hmmmm .... I think mummy's
really serious this time ... " ...

and a big sorry hug ...

back to my 'signature' colour ...

2007-07-10T14:24:00.001+01:00

I took a look at my store, and *shock horror*, realised that I had hardly any pieces left in my 'signature' colour, i.e., turquoise blue and brown.

I've been toying with the idea of making a long, summery kind of neck thing for quite some time now so this presented me with the perfect opportunity to feature my favourite colour combo once again ...

Behold - The Turquoisey-Wood Long and Swingy Necklace

completed project ...

2007-07-09T08:35:00.001+01:00

The 2 customised lariats were completed last night and I'm so proud to reveal them to you ...

Customised Antique Silver Lariat

Customised Antique Copper Lariat

I have shown these beauties to their soon-to-be owner and she is completely in love with them ... she loves their "romantic, medieval feel" ... I totally agree ... :)

a hit!

2007-07-06T11:09:00.000+01:00

Following the resounding success of my Simplicity earrings yesterday (which sold overnight), I decided to make another one. This time, I was aiming for simple yet fun & aptly named it:

*Simplicity II*

sometimes ...

2007-07-05T12:17:00.000+01:00

... less is more.

doncha think?

*Simplicity*

Sunday sweetness ...

2007-07-02T11:21:00.000+01:00

Oooh, don't you just love weekends? I love my Sundays ... lots of chill-out sessions ... cuddles and loads of pampering, esp from my dear hubby. He takes over the cooking during the weekends and I get such a wonderful 2 days off that the whole new week begins on a really relaxed note.

Yesterday he cooked up a mean dish of Briyani, that's a Southern Indian dish full of basmati rice, lamb and loads of spices like saffron, cardamom seeds, cloves etc ... it was totally WICKED!!! Spicy with that bit of tangyness from that one lime ... ohh la la!!!

Later in the evening, I was overcome by a spur of the moment desire to create something sweet (jewellery, that is). If you take a look round my store, you'll notice that mostly earthy colours dominate my creations, so hey, why not? It's good to break the mould sometimes ... so here it is everyone, my very own Lariat of Sweetness! (Did I mention that I'm in my lariat phase and that I'm trying to spread the lariat love?) ;)

a kodak moment ...

2007-06-28T10:12:00.000+01:00

I captured the little one emulating her brother last evening ... couldn't help but smile when I saw this ...

Josh opens up our Thai cushion, picks up a book and starts reading ...

Gaby sees this and promptly chooses one of her books, climbs onto the sofa, and starts flipping through the pages ...

Dissatisfied with her seating location, she climbs down to join her brother on the cushion and continues 'reading' ...

Awwwwwww ... .... ...

my caffeine high ...

2007-06-27T12:00:00.000+01:00

Let me tell you ... unless you want to go into turbo mode and create, create, create ... drinking coffee is NOT a good idea at 9.50p.m.

I, only the other hand, welcomed the caffeine rush and look at the new necklaces I created because of it! ;)

Antique Filigree Teardrop Lariat

Satinia Charm Necklace

a touch of elegance ...

2007-06-26T11:46:00.000+01:00

I felt like making something totally different for my store last night ... something delicate, something ... elegant. And since I've been making so many necklaces for the past couple of weeks or so, I decided to create a bracelet ~ filled with Swarovski crystals and sterling silver. It does have a kind of romantic feel to it, doesn't it?

update on WIP ...

2007-06-25T10:10:00.000+01:00

For those of you who read about the 2 lariats I'm currently working on (whilst trying to spread the lariat love, you see ... ), there have been some minor changes and my customer has finally decided on the designs! Instant gratification!

For the antique silver lariat, she has decided on:~

We were hmm-ing around with the copper lariat, so I decided to come up with a totally new design which, I'm proud to say, she's CRAZY ABOUT! The focal piece was changed when it was pretty clear that she totally digs the whole vine/leaf combination thing. It's going to be slightly different from your regular lariats where the stones and spacers are placed only at the end of the chain ... for this special one, I've designed it such that the tiny abacus pearls and vine connectors are distributed throughout the length of the sterling silver chain ...

I think it's going to look real good by the end of it all! There may be more itsy-bitsy tweaks so stay tuned for the final result!

Sign My Guestbook Please ...

2007-06-21T10:47:00.000+01:00

Jewelry by Tara did a great job and added a guestbook to our JET blog ... it was so cool, I decided to follow suit and create one of my very own ... so go ahead, scroll down to the bottom of this page, and sign it! Add pics if you want to ... go on! It'll be so fun to hear from all of you, family AND friends! And please 'de-lurk' from your hiding places and say hi, even if you've never commented on my blog before, it means a lot to me ... thank you waaaaay in advance!

can you say ...

2007-06-20T16:08:00.000+01:00

... ballerina pumps??? Yes, so I've hit another phase ... the Ballerina Pumps phase ... they're flat, comfy and seriously summery. They're way cool too ... if you've never owned one, you have no idea what you're missing! lol ...

These are the 3 pairs of pumps I own (for now) ... sure does make me want to go out just so that I can strut around in them! ;)

a completed WIP and ... sushi anyone?

2007-06-18T19:39:00.000+01:00

I just completed this order for another lover of turquoise and wood ... I would love to think not only am I spreading the lariat love but also the love for all things turquoisey-brown. :)
Allow me to go completely off tangent now and impress you with my children's culinary skills. They were playing "masak-masak" (that's "cooking" in the Malay language) ... and Josh served me this:

(while Gaby stirred the 'soup', probably miso, in the "kitchen") ... sushi anyone? :D

mummy ... HAT!

2007-06-15T09:56:00.000+01:00

haha ... so there I was, putting on my new shower cap and the little one, who never misses a thing, points excitedly to me and says, "HAT!! HAT! HAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
To which, I say, "Would you like to try the other one?"
*nods head in a mega cute way*
How could I possibly say no to that face???

spreading the lariat love ...

2007-06-14T12:05:00.000+01:00

I had a request to customise a lariat for a customer yesterday using only turquoise and a sterling silver teardrop connector and chain ... and this was the result: simple yet elegant ...

Then, another etsyer saw my circular and teardrop lariats, fell in love with them, and requested for 2 slightly different ones: 1 in oxidised silver and another using copper. It's fun to customise orders and the challenge gives me a rush!

Here's my current WIP ... as with any other customised orders, there'll be minor adjustments here and there which will ultimately lead to its fruition. She's yet to confirm which style she prefers so watch this space ...

who ever said baskets and necklaces don't mix?

2007-06-12T12:48:00.000+01:00

Cos' they SO do!!! Check this little baby out ... the focal piece ~ a brass stamping in a basketweave design which has been sterling silver plated and then given a rich antique finish! Add to that a stainless steel chain, a peacock freshwater rice pearl and some Tibetan silver spacers for a more feminine touch! It's stunning, sexy and seriously stylish ... (if I may say so myself!) =)

a boxful of fun!

2007-06-12T12:06:00.000+01:00

It's amazing how much fun and laughter an ordinary box brings to a child!!!

across the midnight sky ...

2007-06-11T17:37:00.001+01:00

I've had these gorgeous sodalite nuggets in the most royal shade of blue for quite awhile now and decided to put them to good use. I fashioned this loooooong necklace using denim lapis, rose quartz and sodalites ... it looks fab whether worn casually or smartly.

As mentioned in the item description, this necklace reminds me of a midnight sky, with the slightest hint of clouds ...

... and check this out, I linked 2 of my favourite 3 way connectors to each other to form a whole new focal bead of its own! How cool!

lariat love: part deux ...

2007-06-10T12:55:00.001+01:00

As promised, I've completed a lariat full of circles ... a sterling silver wavy hoop connector acts as the focal piece and a tiger ebony wooden bead and white freshwater coin pearl threads through this hoop via a sterling silver chain.

What do you think? You likee? ;-)

I know I do!!!

Josh's 1st Holy Communion

2007-06-09T20:45:00.000+01:00

It was Josh's 1st Holy Communion ceremony today and the mass was held at the Brompton Oratory Church, where he has been attending cathechism classes this year. Boys looking real smart in their suits and girls looking like little brides brightened up this already breathtakingly beautiful church ...

It's a real pity the church disallows any form of picture taking during mass but we did take a picture of the altar area before the mass started ... such grandeur ... it would have been a pity if we had not done so.

The hymns sung by the children's choir are still haunting me as I type this. Tears welled up forming mini hot springs in my eyes and my chest constricted, all filled with pride, as Josh was given his first holy communion .

A reception was held afterwards in the church's massive back garden and amidst the eating, and chatting, and congratulations, and thank you's ... we managed to squeeze in a couple of nice shots ...

The 1st Holy Communion Graduating Class ...

Josh & his teacher, teacher assistant and priest.

And the day wouldn't have been complete without this family shot ...

HAPPY FIRST HOLY COMMUNION DARLING!!!

lariat love ...

2007-06-08T11:04:00.001+01:00

I go through phases. I've gone through a headscarf phase, then a ring phase, then a babydoll top phase, then a ballerina pump phase ... so yes, I'm currently in my lariat phase. I simply adore this type of necklace and my creative side has been working overtime, thinking up new designs and tweaking old ones.

This is one of my latest, available in my store and it combines my obsession for teardrop shapes and lariats ...

My current WIP is a lariat of circles ... and you KNOW just how much I love circles! A pic of that will be posted as soon as it's completed. I'm pretty sure all lariat fans out there will love that one too!

a necklace for a special occasion ...

2007-06-07T13:47:00.001+01:00

I'll be attending a reception this Saturday and I made this necklace last night whilst watching Grey's Anatomy with hubba ... I have recently developed a new found love for opalites ... and dang! It's going to go SO well with my new blouse! More pics to come this Saturday ... promise! =)

On a slightly different note (well, same difference if you get what I mean) ... I woke up to 7 sales this morning! And I thought waking up to 3 was a pretty electrifying experience! But this, this is just a I'm-so-ecstatic-I-can't-stop-myself-from-grinning-
with-heart-palpitations-and-all kind of feeling! =D

What's a girl to do ...

2007-06-06T01:56:00.000+01:00

... when she can't sleep, misses her mum terribly and has been out of jewellery-making action for about a week???

She:

decides to change the layout of her blog and messes around with HTML codes and stuff to maximise the use of the whole page,
goes window shopping on etsy,
replies to emails now and again,
refuses to give in to the urge to snack at 1.26am,
IMs with a fellow friend on messenger,
updates jewellery pics on flickr,
continues to fight the urge to snack at 1.42am,
makes a sweet circle-filled bracelet at 1.45am,

blogs about this at 2.15am
and tries really hard to drift into snoozeyland afterward ...

back after a blog break ... and i'm missing my mum ...

2007-06-04T23:10:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone, I'm back after a pretty long blog break. The little one came down with the flu but is now back to her cheeky bubbly self.

My mum left today and I'm missing her so much ... I'm so happy she flew all the way to London to spend time with us and she really pampered me during her stay here. I was sooooooo spoilt by her, she made me mean cups of coffee everyday (I swear, she should set up her own cafe, specialising only in coffee ... and it'd be THE most talked about coffee joint in town!), relieved me of my ironing chores and of course, I had an extra pair of hands, eyes and ears everyday and could actually RELAX during the day without worrying about what mischief the little one was up to.

I guess I could look on the brighter side of things at this point in time ... just 5 and a half months more before we make our move back to Singapore. But till then, it sure was wonderful having you around mummy and we all miss you so very, very much ... *MWAH*

PS: How cool is it that my mum is all decked out in my favourite colour combination??? =)

A great day @ Cambridge

2007-05-28T20:41:00.000+01:00

We decided to go for a drive up north to Cambridge on Saturday and thank goodness we did as the weather went downhill from Sunday onwards. Cambridge is pure 'student town' as it's home to the various varsities ... We parked and walked all over this quaint town, took in the various sights, admired the architecture, did a little bit of shopping and by the end of it all, we were all so relaxed, we were almost horizontal!

Oh and speaking of shopping, we came across this fab t-shirt store which sold some guaranteed conversational pieces ... here are some of my faves (you may want to click on them for an enlarged view):

And my personal favourite? This:

After exercising our facial muscles during our 10 minute non-stop laughter, we carried on our walkabout ... and imagine my glee when i saw this!

WOOHOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! It was awesome meeting the independent artists and viewing their creations! There were silversmiths, potters, carpenters, musicians, painters, photographers and other various wonderful artists! It's no wonder I felt so at home ... =)

At around tea-time, we decided to chill out at a cafe nearby over an apple strudel and seriously to-die-for cafe latte ... the little one was fast asleep by then so I got to enjoy EVERY.SINGLE.DROP. of my latte!

My mum will be leaving next week, and I'm already missing her. I'm glad we got to spend so much time together though and I'm definitely savouring all our outings and stay-at-home-ings whilst she's here ... and look back on them with plenty of smiles and laughter after she leaves ...

On Full Power Mode!

2007-05-25T14:18:00.000+01:00

My batteries were totally recharged after a good night's sleep and I was in turbo mode early this morning while the little one was still asleep ... you could almost say I got my mojo back! And man, am I satisfied with the goodies I managed to churn out for my store today! 2 necklaces and a pair of earrings after what seemed like an uneventful and dismal day yesterday (in terms of jewellery making, of course) ... not bad huh?

have you ever had ...

2007-05-24T22:53:00.000+01:00

... one of those days where your mind is racing with ideas of various jewellery designs? You're so excited to get started, so excited to see the finished product, so excited to add more items to your store ... and when you finally have the time to put the wheels into motion, you're just waaaaaaaay too tired? Yup, that's me today. Hopefully I'll be able to spring back into motion tomorrow and create more stuff ... but till then ... over and out. *yawn*

I woke up to ...

2007-05-22T22:17:00.000+01:00

... 3 overnight sales! It's such a great start to the day when you check your email first thing in the morning and discover that you have sold 3 items whilst you were asleep!

I sold off my:

1. Rhodochrosite Chips

2. Filigree Drop Earrings

3. Pretty Dainty Charm Bracelet

AND I completed the 3 customised necklaces ... here they are in all their charm and beauty!!!
So as you can imagine, I was walking on sunshine today ... oh yeah!

gasp!

2007-05-21T14:50:00.000+01:00

I've been tagged! =)

Thanks to the lovely Bonny Jewelry & Sakura Fubuki Designs, I've been 'tagged'. So here's how it goes, I now have to write 7 things about myself ... pretty easy peasy lemon squeesy you say??? No sireee ... I had to do a little, repeat 'little', brainstorming (lest my readers think I haven't a clue about myself!!! bwahahaha ... hmmm ...

Once I've given you more of an insight of myself, I then 'tag' 3 other people and the cycle continues ...

Okay! So let's get it started!

7 things about myself:

I'm extremely happy with my life at this point in time. Life has thrown many blessings my way and counting my blessings is one thing I do so very often.
I dislike people to whistle ... the whistling gets on my nerves BIG TIME and it can cause a sudden mood swing.
Etsy has made me slacken in my everyday cooking ... shame on you Etsy! ;)
I frequently have romantic and ultra realistic dreams of male celebs ... the most recent ones have been Mike Delfino (from Desperate Housewives) and Patrick Swayze (just last night as a matter of fact!) ... and I wake up feeling sad that it wasn't at all real, which ultimately leads me into 'replay' mode the whole day though ... lol.
I'm a "Every cloud has a silver lining" kind of person ... and looking at hidden blessings has always cheered me up during the down times.
My current pet is a Version 4 Tamagotchi ... aka a virtual pet. Josh and I take turns to look after Bill, and we're proud to say that he is a happy 3 year old, who goes to school and gets visits from the Tamagotchi King every so often. He sleeps through the night and is extremely well-behaved! hahaahahahaha .............!!!
I can actually be an exercise freak when the mood hits. I go through these phases ... and am about to be in one soon ... now where are my ipod and gym shoes???

So now I'm going to pass the baton and tag:

her first hair cut!

2007-05-19T12:58:00.000+01:00

I decided (with a little push from my mum), to snip off Gaby's uneven hair which had grown pretty long, wild, knotted and out of control. So out came the baby scissors, and snippety snip I went last evening. My heart really ached when I had to cut off so much, especially her cutesy curls! But to my surprise, her hair started to look better, healthier and thicker as the scanty layers came off. My mum shot me a "I told you so!" look and so here's my daughter modelling her new bob-like hairstyle ... ;) I think it looks great and she looks cute, but then again, I'm the mummy so my kids will always look great to me no matter what head of hair they've got on! =)

I decided to keep her baby hair ... I've still got Josh's baby hair with me and their baby nails from their first nail cuts ... they are of such sentimental value, having been on them since birth!

I know, I'm such a sentimental & soppy ol' mum!

works in progress ...

2007-05-18T12:06:00.000+01:00

I'm currently working on 3 customised necklaces for a cool customer ... here's a sneak peek of one of them!

A WONDERFUL SURPRISE VISIT FROM ...

2007-05-17T09:10:00.000+01:00

... ... MY MUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Two nights ago, I got a call pretty late in the evening from my mum, who's supposedly back home in Singapore (which is 7 hours ahead of London time). So I was naturally surprised that she wasn't asleep yet. Check out our conversation below:

Mum: Hi!!!!!!!! It's meeeeeee!
Me: Huh? Hi Mee! What time is it there now? Why aren't you asleep?
Mum: You'll never guess where I am now.
Me: Where?
Mum: I'm in Sydney! I decided to join your sis on her vacation on impulse!

(The conversation went into more depth about where she's staying in Sydney etc ... and I begun to have my suspicions! Wanna know why? I had been punked before by her ... just last December on my birthday, as a matter of fact! *grin*)

Me: You're HERE in LONDON right????
Mum: (trying her hardest to sound like I'M going berserk) HUH???? You must be losing your mind.
Me: YOU'RE HERE RIGHT? YOU'RE TRYING TO TRICK ME AGAIN RIGHT?

(At this point in time, my mind was racing and the pieces started to fit - hubba told me he'll be late for dinner ... which could be that he went to the airport to pick up mum!!!! Just like what had happened last year ... you know the saying, "Once bitten, twice shy"? How very true! Haha!)

Me: RIGHT???????? You're just downstairs! RIGHT??????? I just KNOW you're downstairs!!! (hyperventilating and crossing fingers, toes and all ... )

{Just then, hubba comes home (talk about a staged entrance!)}. And he couldn't have looked more uneasy! A series of investigative questions followed ... I had a feeling my mum was using his mobile to call me so I kept insisting he show me his mobile ... and obviously, he couldn't produce it ... haha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

*knock on the door*

TA-DAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My mummy's here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

newbies and uber gorgeous silver!

2007-05-15T14:53:00.000+01:00

Haha! I've been pretty productive these last 2 days and I'm extremely proud to present the latest newbies in my store:

I know I'm being real biased here, but aren't they so very pretty? ;)

AND ... my sterling silver beads and findings arrived today ... woo-hoo!!!!!!!! I must admit though, most of the stuff you see there are meant for moi, with a few bits here and there for the store of course ... =) I'm telling you, the feeling you get when your order arrives in the post is just pure delight. Imagine: a child - on X'mas morning ... yup! That's me!!!!!!!! (But I'm sure all you beaders out there know exactly what I mean!) ;)

rain, rain, go away ...

2007-05-14T08:43:00.000+01:00

That's how it was like yesterday ... tipping down with rain, something which is pretty unusual for London. It usually only just drizzles ... constantly. We did not allow the grey skies and wet roads deter us from a day out though cos' we left pretty early for a drive up to Bicester (a town near Oxford) and stopped by the Oxford Service rest area, which in my opinion, is one of the best pit stops I have ever seen ... so BIG, so BRIGHT, so CHEERY, so much FOOD!!! We were pretty ravenous by mid-morning so the hearty breakfast we had was wolfed down in record time!

We then continued on our drive to Bicester, where we braved the massive pellets of rain drops to go shopping at the Bicester Village Outlet. I managed to get a cutesy black waistcoat at a bargain basement price from Monsoon and hubby got a pair of cool Timberland shoes at an an unbelieveable price as well! We left the place feeling ecstatic with our findings and made our way back to London for Josh's friend's birthday party.

It was certainly one of those days when you wish you were lounging and lazing around at home, but hey ... it was a great day out anyway and if anything, it sure felt good strutting around in my new scarf ... ;)

A very special day ...

2007-05-13T23:05:00.000+01:00