Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Funny Faces with Papa Series Part 1

Hwachu looking at?
Learning Mummy's slitted eye stare
Open eyes big big for the camera and look down. Don't smile!! And there we have the perfect ah lian camwhore-professional look.

.. plus a couple of I Love Mei Mei Series Part infinitum

Busy Busy

Had been busy over the past 2 weeks.. oh boy..

1. Trying out for MWL's Design Team
In the end, I did not make it in but I am glad I tried. Seeing the other scrappers' efforts really made me feel way out of my league! I had no time to do up the full 3 LO and project and simply made 1 new piece and resubmitted the others which I have sent in before. Oh well!!

Here is the LO for MWL's DT call:
Priceless

Part of the call was to use Sizzix die cuts on the layout. I don't have a big shot machine, so got a pack of die cuts from the store that consisted of artisan shape (yay) and flowers!

Artisan die cuts used on the photos as either frame or backing. I coated the "ghost" of the artisan diecut with June Bug Broken China paper and did blanket stitch around the interior of the "frame". The solid shape was inked with Faded Jeans distrees ink and used as a photo backing; and the artisan frame shape was used both to frame the last photo and to journal in my chicken scratch handwriting.

Flower die cuts used as.. well.. flowers!! They were variously inked with different distress inks (Faded Jeans, Mustard Seed, Burnt Marmalade and Worn Lipstick), used rubons, or left raw white in order to bring "contrast" to the other layers. I cut out the "ghosts" of the diecuts of the 2 largest flowers for use as well.

Journalling:
On the artisan frame:
That day, you woke up crying from your sleep. And when I reached down to comfort you, you grabbed on so tightly and did not want to let go - giving this precious picture against my chest. June 2009

On the white strips of paper:
One pack of 64 L size diapers:
$16.65
One tin of formula milk (900g) per week:
$23.80
One Pumpkin Patch dress set that's just so cute:
$39.90
Countless number of toys, books and paraphernalia:
$ hundreds
(or more)
Half an hour of a warm, soft weight on my chest:
Priceless
(haha inspired by the old VISA ad!)

Papers - Junebug Broken China, Daydream & Orange Swiss Dot Doilies
Alphas - AC Rainboots Puffy
Embellies - Junebug Pops, rubons, Riff Raff Designs Encircled, "A Priceless Photo" tag from Daisy D's Favourite Photos diecuts.

I felt I did not put in my best effort for the MWL DT call because I was also involved with #2 below.. which is something infinitely more important..

2. Fundraising for Charmaine
Here's the linky to what we're doing: http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/messages/581296/2693587.html?1248767809

Charmaine Lim Fan Xi is a 4 year old suffering from neuroblastoma who needs to go to New York for a treatment to double her chances of survival. In the short time that her story has been made known to the public, various avenues of donations, charity events etc have raised the initial $500,000 sum as the downpayment for the treatment in NYC. This Thursday, she will be flying over to begin her course of treatment.

Now, she needs money for the remainder of the estimated treatment bill, which is still unknown.

The SB mummies in SMH are collecting donations for her by making cards, layouts, mini albums etc for sale. So far, we have collected over $400 and more on the way hopefully! As I'm coordinating the effort, I've spent a lot of time setting up the thread, writing replies to enquiries, updating the flickr album with pictures of our works as samples. Of course, as well as taking on the projects to be done. I've so much orders on hand that I've even taking to doing my cutting on the bed while breastfeeding Zoe!! Haha!!

You can see our works here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40329816@N06/

Do support if you are able! =)

Thursday, July 23, 2009

I really did it..

不自量力。=(

will put up pics when I can.. we are only supposed to post in MWL gallery at the moment.

Monday, July 20, 2009

OH MAN WHAT HAVE I DONE

.. that's the sentence that keeps running thru my mind since I screwed up the courage to walk into MWL last Friday and apply for their DT Call.

Oh man, am I mad, everyone is so talented.. how to possibly get the place?? Yeah, maybe, if they pick 12 out of 12 applications then I will get it.. oops. =X

Anyway, I am trying hard to crack my brain on how to do the LO now. I can only manage the time to do one fresh LO for the DT call using the Sizzix die-cuts to be incorporated. The other 2 LO and project will have to be my previously submitted ones as I really do not have time to make them now.. argh!!

*sweat furiously as brain cranks on what to do with the submission LO*

Saturday, July 18, 2009

I managed what I thought impossible

.. building up enough milk supply to TBF Zoe =)

With Sophie, I never managed to TBF her, it was always partial FM and my BM was always "out of stock". The best I ever managed was 1 formula feed per day, and that was only for a really short period of time because my supply dropped like crazy once I went back to work. Didn't help that there were 10 new mummies (yeah, productive workplace!) in 2008, it was literally dash-in-and-pump-whatever-you-can-in-20-mins every day. And bf-ing does not come easy for me, in order to pump out less than 100ml of milk takes me up to 2 hours?? Somehow I just don't have letdowns easily when on the pump.

And yes, it was pretty depressing thinking that somehow I am not doing enough as a mummy because I had insufficient milk supply.

This round, I was more determined and more willing to endure the discomfort and inconvenience of bf-ing. I've never actually liked the process, btw. I find it freaking boring, not to mention painful! And messy with milk dripping all over the place. But knowing that breastmilk is good for the babies, I've tried to perservere with more pumping, more latching on and it paid off.

Finally, today, 17th July 2009, 41 days after she is born, I'm proudly able to say that I can TBF Zoe.

And of course, to celebrate, I did an LO! Hehe!
049: TBF @41D

Innocuous picture.. hehe.. I mean, cannot put picture of myself really breastfeeding right?? That would be a super 见不得人 LO! I would be too paisay to let anyone see!

Cutouts! Halfway through the cutting I was thinking wth I got myself into. Sigh. It took me ages to finish cutting up! And yes, all cutouts from one piece of paper, Basic Grey Junebug (Broken China) I *heart* my Junebug range!! I am so on a roll to do LOs using the Junebug papers.. plenty of ideas floating around my head man.

Journalling reads - 41: the number of days of pumping, self-psyching, downing pills to do what I thought I could never do: TBF my #2. well this just goes to show, all things are possible, never give up!

I kind of regret not putting the lovely doilies paper on top of the blue CS, but too late to regret after doing in all the details. Somehow the blue CS just looks too plain =(

Papers: Blue CS from DCWV, Basic Grey Junebug (Broken China), K & Company Que Sera Tag pad (orange)
Alphas: American Crafts Foam Thickers in Daiquiri White, Doodlebug Loopy Love Alphas in white
Embellies: Basic Grey June Bug cardstock stickers (red flourishes), Colorbok Friendly Forest flocked stickers (red flowers), random buttons, Basic Grey June Bug Olio Rubons (red on tag and navy blue on CS), blue tag from SL August 2008 kit, Fancy Pants rubons in Journal it (orange on tag), white ribbon from a past SL kit that I cannot for the life of me recall which
Effects: Sewing on the edges of the Broken China paper

Hey wait.. this is 049.. where is 048??
Hehe.. That's a story for another day.. *hopping around excitedly*

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Flying Super Mummie

In the time duration between 9.45-2.15 today, I have

1. Travelled between Toa Payoh, Orchard, and Ang Mo Kio (public transport, not by car)
2. Seen my gynae
3. Visited the Post Office
4. Visited 2 banks
5. Eaten 2 meals (inlcuding LJS =)
6. Drank my KOI bubble tea (yumms)
7. Done grocery and sundries shopping at NTUC
8. Shopped at Kiddy Palace for Sophie's shoes (fail. designs not nice)
9. Shopped at Japan Home for adhesives and plastic ware (kick self for not buying more of their huge rolls of mounting tape last time - NO MORE le =(
10. Shopped at Venus and Pink Beauty
11. Met up with 4 mummies to conclude 6 scrapbook buy-and-sell transactions
12. Walked 2-3 rounds of Toa Payoh
13. Bought afternoon snacks for my MIL, FIL, mum, dad and maid
14. Still squeezed in time to shop at Laine's haha!

I'm the flying super mummie man. Zoom zoom here I come!

And once I reached home. Had to entertain big and small whiners. Man I feel so popular LOL. I need earplugs for my birthday!!

Friday, July 10, 2009

Quest for Food

My life is tragic..

After 1 whole month of VERY YUCKY confinement food, I have been hankering after ang-moh food.

Tuesday:
Planned a Botak Jones trip - Failed because it rained
Asked mother to ta bao Long John Silver's from Bishan - Closed for reno
Asked mother to ta bao Macdonalds instead - Also closed.
Ate a super yucky wanton mee.
=(

Thursday:
Dinner at Plaza Sing - Ordered pasta, which was pretty good the last time I ate it - Pasta was so salty that I couldn't finish!
And no time to buy any other food cos rushing to CG.
=(

Tragic life..

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

047: Life is not measured in minutes but in moments

Done for MR Challenge #12:
Using at least 7 photos that you have taken from the same day you are to create a layout (any sizes) / mini album / frame work using no more then 3 pattern papers with the following :(doubled sided papers will be counted as 2 pattern papers)
  • office supplies (staple, paper clips, note pad papers etc)
  • add a date (it help us to remember when things happened)
  • journal what happen on that day (how is it possible that you have a date but no story?)
  • Hambly Overlays
  • 7 buttons and/or 7 flowers
  • tearing
Super high difficulty challenge! =P Dorcas ah Dorcas.. aiyoh..

It took a long while to pick out 7photos of the same day and then think of how to arrange them on a 12x12. In fact I've to cheat by cutting up one photo into half as I had only 6 photos!! Oops! I really love the series of photos though as they show Sophie and Zoe together, with Sophie doing her "sayang meimei" actions.

Originally wanted to use a Heidi Swapp clock face (where I got the quote from) but realised there is no space to fit the clock face in. Oh well. Use it on another day then.

Papers: K & Company Que Sera Butterfly Garden (both sides - red and yellow), Fancy Pants Designs 8x8 Daily Grind paper pad (beige grid), navy blue CS from DCWV Summer Cardstock stack for photo mats
Alphas: Doodlebug Loopy Love white, Making Memories tiny alphas black
Embellishments: Hamblys Frame Wallpaper in yellow and magenta, Creative Imaginations Narratives Blue Bell Frame transparency, 7Gypsies gaffer tape in Measurement black, October Afternoon Cherry Hill cardstock stickers ("Smile" and words), flowers from KaiserCraft, random buttons, eyelets and brown ribbon saved from some leftover.
Effects: Tearing of pps (didn't turn out as torn as I would have liked), stitching on the "smile" sticker and buttons.

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

The Most Precious Gift

.. is not money
.. is not extravagance

.. it is knowing the heart of the receiver.

Friday, July 03, 2009

Four Weeks: Pork Chop Buns



Evidence of Pork-Choppishness on Miss Zoe..
*she had better never get around to reading this post when she grows up haha.

Please note, the pot belly, thunder thighs, and 八月十五buns.

046: K is for Kong Kong

K is the first letter of the alphabet mat Sophie learned to recognize as "K" for Kong Kong. Eventually she got to "P" for Papa, "M" for Mama, "Z" for Zoe, etc.

Words she can say now:
1. Papa (first word!)
2. Kong Kong (though she pronounces it more like Geng Geng)
3. Tita (Filipino for Aunty - my maid)
4. Mama (I think she means me but G insists it means his mum! Damn.. I am the last person to be acknowledged by my own daughter lor.)
5. Nen Nen (Argh.. she calls my breasts but not me!)
6. Popo (only once or twice)
7. Meimei (only once!!)
8. Uh (I think its her approximation for UP = upstairs, the room where G and I sleep. She has a recent fascination with climbing stairs and will always point up and shout "Uh" at the same time to indicate she wants to go up)

So, LO for FIL's birthday was inspired by the K is for Kong Kong.. May I say I didn't knoe what else to title?? I am not really close to my FIL and do not talk to him a lot. And this had to be a simple quick LO squeezed out in between attending to either screamer jiejie or yeller meimei = no time to think!


Paper: Cardstock from American Crafts Neutrals
Alphas: Doodlebug Loopy Love (red), Making Memories Felt Alphas (blue), Making Memories Tiny Alphas (white and black), large blue chipboard K from a long-ago RAK from Wati
Embellishments: Prima rubons, Prima Say It in Crystals Swirls in pink, lace doily from random shop in Toa Payoh ($2.50 for 50 pieces!! Cheaps!!), buttons from Autumn Leaves Bag-o-Buttons Techno Pop, Maya Road A Year to Remember Sheers with the date of FIL's birthday (July 1) outlined in KaiserCraft blings, Date sticker from October Afternoon Cherry Hill Cardstock stichers, rectangular artisan clear overlay from My Little Yellow Bicycle Love Letters Clear Cuts.
Effects: Painted edges of CS in MM paints (Cantaloupe and Deep Coral from the Fresh Anthology range). Tried to paint in handprints of S and Z (lower left corner) but it looked so ugly that I covered up with a rubon!

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Weight-Less Chronicles #2

Comparing to my weight-less chronicles after #1..

6th June 2009
Before checking in for C-section: 78.1kg

9th June 2009
Leaving the hospital: 73.6kg plus a 3.475kg heavy cow

16th June 2009
Gynae follow up checkup: 70.0kg

30th June 2009
Weighed at home with a cranky weighing scale, taking the average of 3-4 attempts!! - 67.0kg

Sigh.. I guess when the body is older, fats just tend to be more stubborn!!

Wants: Basic Grey June Bug






Aren't they just the most delicious things EVER?? *slurp*