Ears!?

I'm still working on my Halloween costume. I sort of committed to the idea. I still haven't bought anything. That was the whole reason for coming up with it was because I wanted to buy minimal items and use stuff I just had "laying around". I hoped that I would have something more planned out, and put together.

You know what costume my mom suggested to me this year? Ears!? (she means animal ears on a headband) She suggested that last year. I would wear them except there is one problem. I have nothing that goes with them. Even if she did think my costume idea was dumb I got enough time to change it. It might have been outright arbitrary. If I want to. It's better than ears. I guess I can be a witch again. I'm sick of being a witch. I've been one way too many times. I've lost count.

Maybe I'm just not thinking out of the box. Or perhaps I'm thinking too much?

It's National Sewing Month!

Can you believe it's National Sewing Month already! Do you sew? Do you want to learn how to sew? Do you need to get back to sewing? Well September is the month to do just that! Check out Sewing.Org for lots of great sewing ideas and to enter their month long drawing.

I challenge you all to do one of the following for National Sewing Month......

• Sew a project that you've always wanted to make and just haven't started for whatever reason.
• Finish a project that you've been putting off.
• Learn how to sew!
• Teach someone to sew.
• Drag out that pile of mending and get it done!
• Organize and or clean up your sewing room.
• Go Shopping and support your local fabric store or quilt shop.

I will actually be putting together a new sewing area and I'll be sure to post pictures as soon as it's done, hopefully this week!

If you need some inspiration for your sewing room check out my LIST OF SEWING ROOMS.

Check out Ami Simms~I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours

Need some fun links to find something to make. Try one of these.......

All People Quilt

Moda Fabrics

Tip Nut

Moda Bake Shop

Amy Butler Designs

And don't forget the Big List Of Sewing Blogs where you'll a bazillion sewing blogs for tons of ideas and inspiration!

How about doing some charity sewing...................

American Patchwork & Quilting's Make a Pillowcase-Make a Difference

The Pink Slipper Project

Project Linus

The Sleeping Bag Project

Latter Day Saint Charities Humanitarian Projects


Oh Sew many projects and Sew little time, Sew make the best of it! Happy Stitching Everyone!

My New Love

There's something that has come into my life lately that I can't stop thinking about. Playing with. Talking about.

I got a new fancy pants camera and I want to shout from the rooftops! I love it so much! And I will totally forgive it for being a little hard to learn because it makes me so happy.

I have to thank my very willing model. He puts Gisele Bundchen to shame and he knows how to "find his light" :)

Toy Story Workman Tin Lunch Box SOLD OUT

Tin Lunch boxes are such a classic that we have requests from parents for certain favourites. While we try our best to fulfill all requests, we take into consideration the most popular themes first. So for this month, the new design in our stores will be the TOY STORY WORKMAN TIN BOXES which is at $10.90 each.

Best as a gift for the coming Children's Day, Christmas and Birthdays.

As stocks are limited, do email us info@giftafavour.com.sg or contact us 9238-5202 for reservations.

New Disney Princess Storage Alarm Clock SOLD OUT

Gift A Favour is EXPANDING... but our mission remains. To bring the most unique gifts around the world to our precious little ones but not compromising on value and price. First in our stores is this Storage Alarm Clock by Disney imported from USA.

Made of Lightweight Plastic. With a removable lid. Custom shaped hands. Protective Lens.Quartz Accuracy. Requires 1 AA Battery (battery not included)

Value at only $15
Do email info@giftafavour.com.sg or contact us 9238-5202 to place your order.

New Disney Car McQueen Coin Bank and Alarm Clock Sold Out

Give all Disney Cars fans their favourite accessory in this Disney Mcqueen Coin Bank and alarm clock. Detailed Mcqueen car figure with brick building base framing a quartz analog clock center. Durable molded pastic casting. 3 hand movement. Arabic numeral. Easy to use alarm controls. Require 1 AA Battery (battery not included)

Each at $15
Email info@giftafavour.com.sg or contact 9238-5202 to place orders. Whilst stocks last.

Penny Black 'For you' - a birthday card for my Godfather

Hi and welcome to my little Blog :-)  This is a scheduled post because I won't have access to my computer for 2 weeks - it will be very strange to not use it - eek - I think I will feel naked!! Anyway, onto the card.......

I made this quick and simple birthday card for my Godfather's birthday.  Hope you're not tired of looking at dog cards!  We have so many male birthdays in August in my family - I feel like it's a production line!   I have used one of my favourite sketches from Splitcoaststampers SC278 - it's a great sketch because you can have lots of layers or very few.  This time I used a circle for the centre image instead of a square.

Not much to explain really.  I stamped the image with Versafine Vintage Sepia and coloured it with OMS and Prismacolor pencils, then lightly chalked around the image.  I stamped the image again and cut out just the present, added some fine blue glitter with AI glue just to add a little "zing" to the card, then popped it up on 1mm mounts (dimensionals).

I used a Horizontal Slot Punch to punch the hole for threading the ribbon thru just for something a little different but not too fancy for a guy's card.

Easy peasy!

I'm also popping this card into the Splitcoaststampers 'Free for All' Challenge F4A17 of "Man's Best Friend" which can be a dog, cat, goldfish, reptile - any pet you like.

Thanks again for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Penny Black 'For you' 3446E

Ink:  Versafine Vintage Sepia

Designer paper:  Digital by NitWit Collections Fat Quarter Bundle Series "Me-Wow" ©2009 by Mary Fran of www.nitwitcollections.com

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Spellbinder Square Nestabilities, Circle Nestabilities, Petite Scallop Circle Nestabilities, Art Institute blue glitter (from Shabby Chic set), Art Institute Designer Dries Clear adhesive, 1mm mounts (dimensionals), grosgrain ribbon, OMS, Prismacolor pencils, Kaisercolour chalks, Stampin' Up Horizontal Slot punch, paw pad button by Buttons Galore: Pet - Little Paws, Cardstock:  chocolate, mustard, KW Doggetts Knight (white)

Dusty Video Box Presents: The Ultimate Cheerleader Action Team Part Two

Continuing where I left off...for those of you just joining that lonely audience member, I'm essentially putting together the ultimate cheerleader action team to lay the smackdown against mutant redneck cannibals who want to spread their polluted genetic wealth via the horizontal tango. In basic terms, they want to breed, and our cheerleader heroines are their pom-pom and pleated skirt prey. Hey, just walk with me here...close your eyes and picture this as one of those films you stumble up on the SyFy Channel or accidentally choose on the Redbox. Now don't be like me and have your mouth drop, drool splattering against the floor as you thank the B-movie spirits for such a gem.



Be your lovable self, maybe get a six-pack of beer and/or some friends, kick back and prepare to indulge in B-movie goodness. No Bring It On! here. Alright, the rest of the crew:

The fourth member would be: Amber Strickland
Played By: Grace Johnston






Application Status: I plan to expand on my thoughts about 2007's Bloodlines soon, but let it be said here that, and this is only my skewed opinion, but I felt that is squandered tons of exploitative potential...such as Amber's sexiness. In my twisted, fetish-driven mind, she would have looked much, much better in a cheerleader outfit, while battling in the redneck breeding tournament(long story short: the homicidal rednecks would kidnap women, have them fight, and the winner would be forced to breed with the head honcho), using survival skills(I think she even used a bow and arrow) and taking out the redneck trash like a Southern belle mixed with Xena, Warrior Princess.


Skills: Amber's a badass hand-to-hand combatant, demonstrated by easily killing one girl by pushing her nose into her brain. She has survival skills as well, as she was trained by (I assume) her father(Douglas Tait) and her brother(I assume)(Dorian Kingi). In my naive opinion, it seems like she has some army-style combat training. On this team, I could see her as the gun expert, as well as the expert hunter and tracker.


Paraphernalia: I would give her a hunting knife, and maybe later, she would acquire a bow-and-arrow.




The fifth member would be: Kristy

Played by: Elizabeth Mullins

Application Status: As the old saying goes, "Big girls need love too". Kristy is the portly cheerleader in Andre the Butcher, and is the object of teasing by a rival team of cheerleaders just after the credits roll. Thankfully, Kristy's cheerpals, after overtaking the rivals' vehicle, proceed to step out and kick ass. Kristy proves that she's no slouch as a brawler, as her picture demonstrates(she is in the blue uniform), knocking all the siss-boom-baa out of that chick's mouth. She later gets a chance to make-out with Jimbo(Justin Capaz), the manliest male cheerleader ever(i.e. the only one I would tolerate near my ultimate cheerleader team) before she is sadly killed by the eponymous Butcher.

Skills: Kristy is a street fighter, a "straight-up gangsta" in urban vernacular. For humorous purposes, I would write her having brass knuckles, to clobber those mutant rednecks to death.


Paraphernalia: Brass Knuckles, anything she can pick up(Ala Final Fight)

My sixth member would be: Patti

Played by(originally): Kerry Sherman

Application Status: 1977's Satan's Cheerleaders is one of my top favorite cheerleader B-movies, if not THE TOP FAVORITE. After all, it has the perfect mixture of elements that I love: cheerleader heroines, crazy villains, over-the-top antics, and an atmosphere that is tongue-in-cheek. Essentially, the story is about four cheerleaders of a small town who, while on their way to an away game, is forcefully stranded by their school's janitor, who seeks revenge on them for the way he is treated. Sadly, he also is a devil worshipper...and the poor girls and their teacher chaperon soon find themselves on the run from a devil worshipping cult.

I'll probably have a review later on this gem, but, while i love all the girls, my favorite is badass Patti, who stares down Dobermans named LUCIFER and...some other Devil-themed name, creeps out the priestess of the cult, and proves to be the most intelligent of the quartet. Also, she proves to have much more going for her...so much more that I can't risk spoiling it via Skills and Paraphernalia...so she gets none. But IF YOU SEEN THE ENDING TO THIS FILM...THEN YOU ALREADY KNOW HER SKILLS!!!!

See you soon with the final candidates!

Depth Review

What do you get when you put together two Marine Biologists, a love for the ocean, Organic Ingredients, and each other?

Depth!

A Bit About Depth

Depth was introduced in 2008, but the idea for Depth was born a decade prior, when Tim Schaeffer and Korie Johnson met in graduate school, where they both studied to become marine biologists. Tim and Korie shared a love for the ocean and they soon found, for each other. Depth products use Marine Botanicals and Organic ingredients to make one of a kind bath and body products.

My Review

I was sent Depths Daily Shampoo and Conditioner, Hand and Body Lotion, and Shave Cream to review. 

Depth Daily Shampoo and Conditioner

The Daily Shampoo and Conditioner are:

• Formulated with ultra-hydrating marine botanicals
• 70% Organic
• Color-friendly
• 100% Natural Aroma Blends
• 100% Vegetarian
• No Animal Testing

I love that both of these products aren't super smelly or sudsy. The shampoo left my hair clean and refreshed with natural ingredients and the conditioner left my hair moisturized and frizz free. A perfect combination!


Depth Hand and Body Lotion

I got to review the Coconut Bay Hand and Body lotion and it is by far my favorite item I reviewed from the Depth line. The lotion is light, creamy, and not greasy...and left my skin with a delicious coconut scent. I felt like I was back in Hawaii!


Depth Shave Cream

• 70% Organic
• SLS Free
• 100% Natural Aroma Blends
• 100% Vegetarian
• Artificial Color Free
• No Animal Testing

I reviewed the Ocean Blossom Shave cream and I really have enjoyed it. My husband and I both tried it and liked how easy it went on, how easily it let us shave and how great it smells...the scent is perfect for a man or a woman.

I was very pleased with all of the products from Depth that I got to review.
Natural, Organic, Vegetarian...what could be better for you and the Earth!

Mickey Eco Friendly Non Woven Tote Bag $3.50

Our new large Mickey Mouse tote bag is here. Each at $3.50
Dimension-34cm x 40cm

fiesta fifty

my daddy's turning the big 5-0 in a couple of months. im sad i cant be with him on his bday because of distance and work. but if i could be with him this is the kind of shindig i would throw him:

just change it to fifty ;)

kinda girly but he wouldn't mind

he loves good mexican food

yum

and i might have ry slap on a fake mustache and borrow a guitar and sing to him.

that would make my year

all via

Bridal Shower

Last weekend I hosted a bridal shower for my friend Rachael who lives in Oklahoma. She is getting married in October! The couple loves to cook so I used a little bit of a cooking theme. My mom drove down with me to help me put the shin-dig together!

We don't travel light! Ha!

We had our car loaded down with stuff for the party: food, serving dishes, decorations, gifts, and lions and tigers and bears.

Here are the fresh flower arrangements we put together for centerpieces. We did a black, white and green theme so we had fake limes and pears from Hobby Lobby in the jars. And I love hydrangeas. LOVE them.

Instead of a guestbook I decided to have all the women sign a personalized apron for the bride. I thought it was more practical than an old fashioned guestbook and also went with our cooking theme!

We had a really beautiful spread for cake and food.

We had a lot of fun. Congrats again, Rach!

Personality

Accessories shine through with unique creations that reflect

 PERSONALITY!

I think Kids Rooms are the funnest rooms to decorate since they portray

 a lot of

PERSONALITY!

 

A nursery is always filled with sweetness!

Little girls room are filled with Pink!

The psychology of color always amazes me.

  PINK ..... 

charming, tender, playful, delicate, sugar and spice, femine and sweet!

Here's a fun PINK craft made from clothespins that bring a lot of

Sparkle, Wimsical fun and Personality to your little girls room!

Ingredients:

wood clothes pins, tulle, ribbon, black and pink permanent marker, yarn for hair, paper for crown, pipe cleaners for arms.

Paint the body top pink, ballet shoes and cheeks pink.

add gathered tulle with a glue gun.

Attach hair with yarn to the top of the wooden clothespin.

Make crown by cutting triangles with circle on top.

Embellish with tiny pink ribbon.

You can attach your adorable creations around your child's room. 

We have also attached them to hair barrettes!

You can also hang them from the ceiling with fish line.

Tiny friends find a home in tulip pockets on a pillow sham.

Sew polka-dot fabric pockets to a plain sham. 

Embellish with ribbons, buttons, cute trims and bows!

Enjoy!

Fill your day with sweetness, let your personality shine!

An Open Heart & A Shut Down Wine

I sheepishly checked the work schedule the second I saw the “Going to be in your area” email from friend and fellow blogger Another Day of Crazy http://anotherdayofcrazy.blogspot.com/ . I had been reading her blog for a couple months and she has been kind enough to be doing the same with mine. We had a very clear kinship and some freakishly similar parallels in our lives, not the least of which was a passion for wine and she had mentioned wanting to come by The Wine Country to do a little shopping while she was in town on a mini vacation of sorts. I of course was absolutely elated and wanted to spend some time with her….problem, her only time to visit was Saturday. Crud.

Saturdays at The Wine Country are our busiest day as I am sure it is with many retailers, the store is packed, we have our tasting and it is the day when all our buyers have the opportunity to tell people about their new discoveries and assist with gift buying, food pairing and whatnot. It’s a day when all hands are “on deck” as it were and having a lean staff means that taking a Saturday off is just a little too difficult…for everyone. Once I remembered that one of the team had a class that afternoon I knew that taking the day off was simply out of the question, the good news however was that I was not scheduled to close so I would be able, assuming that there was nothing needed of me, to cut out early and spend the couple free hours Another Day of Crazy had before her next commitment. Yay.



We made our plans and somewhere in the dash of back and forth emails there must have been some sort of mix up. I had mentioned that she should pop by around 3:00, that would give her enough time to taste through the wines we were pouring and seeing as the store is much more manageable after 4:00, when the tasting ends, I would be able to leave with her when it was over. Um, so like I said….little miscommunication and she arrived shortly after 1:00…when the tasting was just beginning. I felt a little pang of “Oh no” when I saw the tiny frame and sweet face come marching through the door. Head spinning and seeing a smirk, much like my own…go figure, spread across that face when she laid her eyes on me. I knew it had to be her, (She has no picture on her blog so she had to be the one looking for me not the other way around) and with my heart racing…both with the slight nervousness of coming face to face with someone you kind of know but have never met, and with the tiny bit of panic of knowing this poor woman had come all this way to meet me but the store was going to need me for at least the next three hours, I handed her a glass and simply said, “Welcome girlie”.

It ended up working out perfectly. Another reader/customer/friend was there and took my wee buddy under her wing a bit; introduced her around, took her to the table where the snacks were and as a long time taster just seemed to make Another Day of Crazy feel right at home while I was busy pouring and chatting up other customers. Before I knew the tasting was coming to a close, my visiting buddy was savoring the Barolo we were pouring and the mayhem was beginning to clear. Perfect. A quick scan of the sales floor assured me that I was fine to punch out and begin a real visit with the woman that had come there to meet me. She and I walked the floor a little and she picked up a couple of bottles of wine to take back with her but…well I just thought an occasion like this deserved a bit more of a celebration and I wanted to thank my other friend for being so welcoming to my newest buddy. How best to extend my gratitude to both of them, yeah you know what’s coming…Champagne.



I recalled Another Day of Crazy mentioning that she was not really a Champagne fan in response to one of my posts, but being the bubble lover I am I simply took that to mean that she had not had the good fortune to taste a really good one. Quick scan of the cold box and there it was. My Golden Ticket wine from a couple weeks ago, an icy cold bottle of NV Pierre Peters Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs, fate I saw it being there as fate. I had just written about it, she had read it and my other buddy is an absolute fan, like I said fate. Standing there in the now nearly empty tasting room two Champagne lovers and one “Not so much a fan of” clinked glasses and toasted new friendships.

Absolutely thrilling for me to watch my wee buddy spin and sniff the Champagne out of one of our tasting glasses which is basically a Bordeaux glass, (and damn near bigger than she was) see her take it between her lips, watch as her eyes grew twice as wide. Shocked, she looked completely shocked. Now I suppose she could have just been yanking our chain when she told us how much she loved it but something in her face…the energy in her voice had us long time lovers of the bubble feeling like we had just witnessed a birth. As someone with a real passion for our little grower Champagnes it quite literally makes my heart soar when I can shine a light on or turn someone on to how truly fantastic they are. The Peters was showing brilliantly; roasted citrus, buttery pie crust, faint seashells and a very precise and powerful finish. One hell of a very serious wine….




“You know what she needs to taste now?” my other bubble lover said with a grin that assured me that I was in for quite the evening, “Billiot”. Knowing that Another Day of Crazy’s time was limited I asked a staff member to put the Pierre Peters and a bottle of H. Billiot Brut Rose on a hold ticket for me to pay the next day, poured the rest of the Blanc de Blancs for another customer that was milling about the tasting room, (was he elated) and for the staff as a refresher, chucked the Rose in my purse and we all headed over to, yeah you know what’s coming…Tracy’s.

Another Day of Crazy and I arrived first and chatted over cold martinis before the others got there. Truly amazing how reading someone’s blog does in fact build friendships, I felt as if we had known each other for years and our conversation shifted from niceties to the very personal seamlessly. Guess the Champagne probably didn’t hurt either. Other players now tucked in beside us at the table we got an ice bucket and flutes for the Billiot Rose….fucking flutes. Another toast, a quick sniff…nada, got nada on the nose, and a little sip and I was right back in my martini. All the sumptuous, curvy, mind-bending, sexy as hell, palate seducing fruit in the Billiot was reduced to fizzy pink stuff in a pretty shaped glass. Not only was the nose smothered the flavor in the wine fell way short when sipped through that tiny opening…sucked. For me to leave half a glass of one of my favorite Champagnes…like ever, choosing instead to sip away on the much more expressive gin in my martini, well if that is not a testament to glassware making a difference I’m not sure what is.

Another Day of Crazy, it was so very lovely to meet you, taste, laugh and talk with you. You are a very down chick and as was my assumption, I dug ya. Thanks for making the time to come visit, shop and taste at The Wine Country and for what I am sure was the ration of shit you ended up hearing after being late because you were playing with me at Tracy’s! You are absolutely adorable and I cannot wait to do it again….next time it’s Billiot out of big glasses for us.

August 2010 favourites

Well, that's Summer over and done with. I know, what Summer, right? I'm so glad we're finally having some lovely sunshine as I'm seriously lacking in Vitamin D, and it couldn't come at a better time because I am off this week! Hope you've all had a lovely Bank Holiday weekend. We went to visit Mr L's family and had a yummy little BBQ. Here are some products that made the misery that was August a bit better for me:

MAC Lipstick - Angel

I know, I know, I gave this lipstick a good old bashing in this post, but I've been loving it this month. I've been using it because my Creme Cup officially bit the dust, but it's such an easy, natural pink to wear. It goes with everything too. I'm still not a fan of the formula - Creme Cup is still my favourite - but colourwise, it's beautiful.

MAC Lipstick - Cute-Ster

Another lipstick I've enjoyed this month has been Cute-Ster, from last year's Hello Kitty collection. It's a pretty neutral nudey pink colour with a slight coral tinge to it. It's a lustre formula so is lovely and glossy, and feels like silk on my lips. This has been my colour of choice when I wanted something more than nude, but not as full-on as pink.

MAC Eyeshadows - Patina, Trax, Satin Taupe, and Nanogold

I've been wearing some sort of combination of these colours for most of August. I usually wear shimmery bronzes during the Summer but the distinct lack of sunshine has made August seem more like Autumn, so I've been opting for these Autumnal shades. The colours compliment each other really well and have been suitable for natural daytime looks, or sultry, smokey nighttime looks.

Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner - 1999

This is the eyeliner form of Trax eyeshadow, so the plummy shade has been a perfect addition to my looks, whether it was on the waterline or as an eyeliner on the upper lashline. It has tiny flecks of gold/bronze so it's added a bit of interest to my look. Nanogold looks particularly pretty when paired with 1999.

St. Ives Apricot Body Scrub - Invigorating

I was pleasantly surprised when I used this body scrub for the first time, especially considering how disappointed I was with a facial exfoliator from the brand. This is packed with exfoliating particles to scrub away every impurity, and my skin feels really smooth afterwards. Although it's really abrasive, it's not uncomfortable, so I've taken to using it on my face too. It's inexpensive at less than a fiver, so is a brilliant bargainous buy for your bumpy bums!

So there we go, my very simple favourites for August. What have been your favourites?

xoxo

Happy 53 years Merdeka Malaysia

I just want to wish happy 53 years Merdeka Malaysia to all my reader. This year celebration held in a closed place at Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil with a motto "1Malaysia generating transformation" (1Malaysia menjana tranformasi). Many of us must remember how normally government will celebrate Merdeka (Independence) at the Dataran Merdeka in front of Sultan Abdul Samad Building. Even if no celebration will be held at that place, some of us still keep coming to that place for Merdeka countdown. Its been a long time since any Merdeka Celebration has been Celebrated at this place. Most probably because any celebration in Kuala Lumpur means traffic jam for the whole day.

Photos: The building in 1960.

To all Malaysia Banknotes collector, you maybe has seen the Sultan Abdul Samad building picture on Malaysia 500 ringgit banknote. The Sultan Abdul Samad Building is located at Jalan Raja in front of the Dataran Merdeka (the Independence Square) by Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The structure takes its name from Sultan Abdul Samad, the reigning Sultan of Selangor at the time when construction began.

Photo: The building at the reverse of Malaysia 500 ringgit note

It was designed by A.C. Norman and the construction started in 1893 and finish in 1897. At first, its house several important government departments during the British administration. A.C. Norman spent time in Africa and saw Muslim mosques in India which led him to use Moorish architecture in the building's design. In 1945, when World War II ended, Britain resumed control again, but Malaya's independence movement had matured and organized itself in an alliance under Tunku Abdul Rahman. When the British flag (union jack) was finally lowered in Kuala Lumpur's Merdeka Square in 31 August 1957, Tunku became the first prime minister of Malaya.

Photos: The building in its early days.

In front of the building is the Dataran Merdeka (or Merdeka Square). It was here, the Union Jack flag was lowered and the Malayan flag hoisted for the first time at midnight on August 31, 1957. The Dataran Merdeka was officially opened on January 1, 1990, in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 1990. The Merdeka Square symbolized British sovereignty as it was a cricket ground for the colonial administrators and fronted the Royal Selangor Club, Malaya's most exclusive whites-only club.

The building has seen many history in its days. Its even older then most of us in Malaysia. Wish Merdeka Celebration will be held again at this place in the future. "Happy Merdeka day to all Malaysian".

Source: Wikipedia.

Related Posts:

• No flag by Malaysian?
• Anniversary of independence coins
• 50th anniversary of the Malaysia parliament
• Who is on Malaysia Banknote?
  
• London Mint 1 ringgit