Passport Collection - Making Memories

It's in the Making Memories blog today, I am so happy, this is the first time ... Wow...

Here are more pictures to see:

I guess we all like to travel, to see the world, to discover the different culture and record our journeys. And that's why we fell in love with the Passport Collection! Those are the perfect paper to do so! To make this book, oh oh, it's kinda ... , actually the book itself looks great but not the binding part, my stitches didn't come out as good as I expected, have to work on that binding part again.

When you go to youtube, you can find many different and interesting ways of doing a book and I chose the grade book after watched a few demos, the main reason, which I have to admit is using the stitching to bind the book. It looks complicated but if you can follow the right steps, it just works well and I believe it's much better than the other ways. I put a lot of embellishment on each page that didn't allow me to tighten the stitches between the pages, I need to think out a solution to make it better for the next book.

Did I say the "next book"? oooh... maybe after this week. This is the last week of my course, which is soon to be finally over after the whole five months. lol.

Back to school

Today ( Yesterday, I shall say) was the first day for the new academic year. The girls woke up at 5:45am! I couldn't believe my eyes when I got downstairs, they had eaten their breakfast and all set to go to school! Mummy was the slowest for the first day!

Rafeeqa goes to Reception now, she claims that she's not going to the baby class ( the kindy ) any more and goes to a class for big girl! Well, big = 4 years old, lol. She's also very excited as she can wear her new shoes! Actually I love that shoes too, wish they come with my size too.

We ended up arriving school before 7am, not many  pp around so I asked them to pose for me, but you know, in the school, you can tell from Rafeeqa's face:

I just can't wait to listen to all the fun they will soon have with their new class and friends. 

Yap, another thing to share with you. Did you check out the Making Memories blog today? I am so honored to be featured today! Back to February this year, Heng and I went to Vietnam just for a weekend trip, we had a great time without the girls, lots of photo after the trip. I made the album after watching an online video showing how to make grade book, it turned to be one of my favorite book!  I will come back in the morning to post some more pictures of it and let you know how I did it!

Gosh, it's 1am now, I sure need some sleep ... will be back soon!

 

Gypsy Rose Paperie

Very excited to make into the final list of the DT group for Gypsy Rose Paperie, well, there are so many beautiful submissions! You have to go and have a look.

Another piece of work completed today:

material used:

(1) pp : October Afternoon; American Craft

(2) BB card stock

(3) chipboard: Scenic Route

(4) tag ring: Making Memories

(5) sticker: doodlebug design inc.

(6) button: Jesse James & Co.

Girly Time

Do you do this with your daughters?

I think it's hard to balance your love for both of them, but I DO love the two, all very much. They are two unique individuals. Sometimes, I have to just bring one out to have some special girly time! ( not leaving the other one at home, but while she is busy with party or activities )

Renee usually has more activities than Rafeeqa, she hardly had any girly time with me this two weeks, so this afternoon, while Rafeeqa was at her friend Emma's house, two of us came out for some fun. And the first thing she asked was: "Can we have some dreamcones?" -- She's an icecream girl since little.

Look, she's happy! We visited SC, walked around in the Mall, and guess what, she felt asleep in the car on the way home! Well, I take it as " a very tiring girly time ", lol.

I have been working on SC kit for two days, came up with these:

Full LO can be viewed from SC soon!

RAK

Here are the three winners of my 100th post RAK:

(1) Vivs

(2) Jodi

(3) Renoa

Please leave your contact in the comments, I will manage the delivery asap. Thank you.

This is the last week of my summer holiday, the girls will start school next Monday and for me, this Wednesday I need to be back at school, but actually I am now in the office, came here after breakfast, thought to prepare some work or at least put up some nice stuff for the classroom...

Will come back in the afternoon to post some scrapping stuff.

Nearly There

My lesson visits went well this week, and I have done two assignments. There are two left for this week which I am working on, should be able to hand in by tomorrow. So I am happy...

Went to SC to scrap on Tuesday, worked on 3 Layouts at the same time, yesterday managed to finish the final touch of two:

the face

Made from my scarletlime kit, very bright color quite different from what I use normally. Journaling: That is the face, gives me joy when there is a sunny smile; that is the face, makes my heart ache when there is sorrow. Oh, baby, tell me how, how to sweep away that dark clouds and make the sun stay.

Little Miss Crafty

All new glitz paper from SC, again something I do not normally create.

Now, really, I need to go to work on my assignments, see you soon!

I am glue

Tried this, and I am a glue! Interesting to know that anyway. U want try? Have fun!

the 100th post

Finally the 100th post, I am definitely not a good blogger, haha.


I was up late watching the grand opening of the Beijing Olympics, it was fantastic! I am so proud that I am Chinese! Well, it was a very busy and packed day yesterday, I had a great session on "Diet, sleep and Exercise --- to raise genius" in the morning which alarmed most of us on how we feed our children and raise our children, definitely something to think about! I made a quick way to RTB to finish my recording for the travel prog during the lunch hour, and met up my lovely colleague Marcela for afternoon tea. Both of us can't believe half of the holiday is gone and we need to be back at school on 20th! I rushed home to pick up the girls coz promised them to -----

"Jerudong Park Playground", yes, the playground.

I guess the best part of this playground is that you don't need to wait for any ride at all, we just arrived there and went on the rides again and again. I didn't take any photo while we were on the boat as I am extremely scared of water ( yes, I can't swim ). The only waiting we had was during the prayer time, the girls waited for 20 mins to ride on the horse, Rafeeqa showed me this "HOW LONG WE HAVE TO WAIT"look:

Well, after all, we had a great time as they referred "girly time with mummy" and Rafeeqa was too tired and fell asleep while we were watching the opening ceremony,lol.

Scrapping side, I have done a few LOs with MM, Melissa Francis and K & Co, these beautiful pp and embelishments:

My favourite things about you

MMpp, sticker and flower, BG stamp

Want tea?

K&Co pp, HS butterfly, Ranger stickles, AL buttons, MM brads

Thru your eyes

MF pp, sticher, Maya Road chipboard and crystals, MM ribbon

And now, my RAK to give away for this blog entry, I have a few nice kits to give away from my cupcake kit and Jenni Bowlin kit collection. Leave something in the comment, I will draw 3 entry by 16th August.

See you then.

I'm tortuned by myself

Yes! that's it! I have been tortuned by myself for 5 months now... What the **** I signed myself for the suffering! You just couldn't understand right, I couldn't sleep well last night as I suppose to do a practical teaching this morning to a totally unknow class and I woke up early to get ready, guess what, just before I left the house, I received a call that there was no lesson today due to mini sports event! I should be happy , but Oh no no no no... my tutor was actually on his way to the school, I couldn't get him on line as he was driving, and ...... finally everthing was solved, but I only have one week left before my school opens, which means I have another 2 practical teaching, 1 presentation, 3 assignments to complete within next week. You should look at my face now, totally BLACK, thought could at least get something done this week, again, nothing!!!!!!

I need to get out of my cage! To where? can't go away though!

Even the beautiful Anna Griffin paper couldn't make me smile now... I am out of Mojo completely.

This morning received an email which touched me,it is a story of a man and an older woman who ran off to live and love each other in peace for over half a century.

The 70-year-old Chinese man who hand-carved over 6,000 stairs for his wife . Over fifty years ago, a 19years old young man fell in love with a 29years old widow, it was unacceptable, so they decided to go away and lived in the mountain. In the beginning, life was harsh as they had nothing, no electricity nor even food. They had to eat grass and roots they found in the mountain, and Liu made a kerosene lamp that they used to light up their lives. Xu felt that she had tied Liu down and repeatedly asked him, 'Are you regretful? Liu always replied, 'As long as we are industrious, life will improve.'In the second year of living in the mountain, Liu began and continued for over 50 years, to hand-carve the steps so that his wife could get down the mountain easily.

Half a century later in 2001, a group of adventurers were exploring the forest and were surprised to find the elderly couple and the over 6,000 hand-carved steps. Liu MingSheng, one of their seven children said, 'My parents loved each other so much, they have lived in seclusion for over 50 years and never been apart a single day. He hand carved more than 6,000 steps over the years for my mother's convenience, although she doesn't go down the mountain that much.'

The couple had lived in peace for over 50 years until last week. Liu, now 72 years, returned from his daily farm work and collapsed. Xu sat and prayed with her husband as he passed away in her arms. So in love with Xu, was Liu, that no one was able to release the grip he had on his wife's hand even after he had passed away.

Well, I am easily moved by love story. Have you watched "the notebook", another fairytale type love story which made me cry too.

See, this is what happened to me when I am already very down... even worse now.

1 more to go to reach the 100th, I have many nice stuff to give away for the next entry.

And hope I will be fine by then.

SIC August Sketch

I am really inspired by all the sketches that SIC designers came out with. Lovely LOs as well. Here is mine sketch and my LO:

material used: BB, KI lace, K&Co pp; chipboard: K&Co, buttons.

Make sure to go to SIC to see the other sketches and have fun tring them out!

Another busy day

8 years ago, a little girl called Renee arrived in my life, she has changed me ever since.

This morning, she woke up early and walked to my room while I was still sleeping. She kissed me and said " Good Morning, Mummy! I love you!" Well, she says this nearly every day, but I felt all of sudden that she has grown up so much. I always hope to hold her with my arms forever, sometimes, even refuse to accept that she is not the same baby 8 years ago.

The party was planned few weeks ahead. She liked to have a garden party with treasure hunt and craft making ( like me, ah ). I was very busy searching for anything butterfly related and found some hair clips, pens, bags and toys. Without consulting, I finally made a butterfly shaped piniata, it did took some time for the girls to get all the sweets.lol.

Just a few pictures to share with you:

On the other hand, it's hard to believe that half of my summer holiday has gone... I am still stressed with my course which only finishes end of this month. There are books all over my place, I suppose to read and read and write, but I always found myself ended up with doing something else, especially with my kits all arrived. I need to be more scrappy ...

Read something last week, very interesting, I would like to give a try to:

If you are reading this, please leave a message in the comments, write about some memory we shared, anything and I will write one in your blog as well. Let see if this will work out.

Have a nice weekend.