Happy New Year!!

It means a long weekend for me, and having Jayce home and away from work is great cause both of us was able to spend quality time with Kay over the holidays, and for me a good 4 days with the lil one. Oh how i love public holidays over the weekend. Christmas is still over at my place, decorations will most likely come down this week, and up on my list - a good spring cleaning which i have been talking to Jayce about to really clear out stuff that we've been storing for a good few years.

It's good day 4 of the New year, and work is starting to be busy for me as most of my overseas supplier are about to re-open, and before we close for the Chinese New Year, it's going to one of those busy periods to finish up any pending orders from my end at work. No rest till we're into Chinese New Year.

This new year brings for Kaylen a new area for his story books, and a new Ikea desk for him to be sitting & reading or doing his artsy stuff if he likes + he has been "commanding" me and Jayce to be sitting at his round table, and if you can see he has exactly 3 books, one for each of us to be reading with him and he's been at it since last night and this morning....
I've also finished my Christmas album - Deck the Halls for Kaylen, and the remaining pages are shown here....my 1st ever by recycling Christmas themed stuff from envelopes to cards, to ribbons to decoration pieces.... it's all to do with what we have received as a family this year for Christmas.

This brown paper bag store's Kaylen's list of Christmas presents he received this year

Love this shiny red heart tag from Ikea which came with the rolls of Christmas wrapping papers

This wish page came with my wishes written at the back of it for Kaylen this year for Christmas (it's a greeting card from cousin in Australia)

So what's next on my scrap list - using these lovely handmade paper button flowers by Pak of Nic Nac from The Scrapbook Carton for my next layout & also for Kay's year 2009 fabric album, and these are their latest release and they are so my colours.

Stay tune for my upcoming RAK as my new year give away!!!

Have good Monday you all.

Year 2009 has been good to me

Looking back at just how quickly this year just flew past, recalling back how this year went for me, and that in only a matter of 2 days before i step into another new year and the resolutions i've set for this new year, i actually think that despite the ups and downs i get at work, this year has indeed been good to me and my family. This is how good life has been to me:-

* being able to watch Kaylen go through many of his 1st moments still in life, and having that little more time with him was bliss, and going through his emotional highs & lows, and for him to make sense of what all those emotions are. It's life baby.
* having family & friends with me, spending their precious time with me despite their tight daily schedule, for this i am grateful
* everyone's in good health
* being on the Design Team at Made with Love was a definite dream come true
* able to have a hobby which i call my passion - SCRAPBOOKING, and loving how im discovering my own personal way of scrapping and what it truly means to me

Life is never real if there isn't that occasional discomfort or difficulty in getting things done, and why things are happening the way they are. The road i have to take is rough at times, but without all these challenges i call in life and at work, i would have not come this far, and i'm thankful i have these learning opportunities and chances i get to make myself a better person.

I'm contented at where i am now, at how i'm feeling at this point of time about my life, and to some, it might not be enough, and that life should not be that simple, but truly for me, it is that simple, it's only people complicating that element of "life".

What's most important to me? This lil one! Having dreams & wishes for him as he grows up, wanting him to love & be loved and for him to be happy and creating as many lasting memories for both of us as we each grow up in life.

It's good for me to know that he loves life, and approaches it as how he interprets it at his age of 31 months, i'm seeing another phase of him of being unsure & fearful of the unknown he comes across, and for us to assure him that it's ok to be afraid, and most importantly we're there for him.

Till my next post, have a good day!!

This is out!!

Geraldine's having an additional new class at The Scrapbook Carton, and you'll surely love what's she's plan for you come this Jan 2010. A class filled with fun working with Jenni Bowlin's latest papers, and a chance to recoard your happy moments in this sweet album class, and suitable for that very special Valentine of yours....

For more details, write in to : classevents@thescrapbookcarton.com

Check it out!!

This Christmas....

I've got myself a super happy, & more then contented lil guy with loads of presents, and this year, no more baby toys, he's gotten his most loved - an excavator from Uncle Yixi (& this year super sweet uncle gotten him 2 presents for X'mas (looks super identical to the origin Kolbelco excavators he sees on the expressway that he can sit on, and literally scoop & dig holes like he said, and a motorcyle which he can also drive on from Gong Gong).

Just look at the face of this lil one....you can see how happy & excited he is, and when this photo was taken, it was only minutes of when the present was given to him....surely not letting go of this one....& i have to love his Sheriff PJ's which i got him for Christmas (could you see that little Sheriff star badge peeking out from the corner...just cute!!)

I've still more photos to show from our Christmas Eve party at my place, so stay tune for those cause we had Kaylen & his uncle Yixi dressing in red, and of the same T-shirt (with compliments from his favourite Aunt Apple of course), and this year they got us for the Lim family, a set of similar T-shirts with the same "chicken" print from this store at ION (it's from Brazzil, and i sort of forgotten the name of the store). Kaylen's gotten all poofed out from the many rounds of gift passing to all our loves ones, and had him running around the whole night.

With the Christmas eve party done with, i had to scrapped given that i was all hands off all scrap materials for only 2 days, i had to scrap something, and this something was brewing in my head since the start of December, and that in office, i've been always receiving gifts & Christmas cards from our suppliers in Europe, that i kept those lovely Christmas packaging, boxes, cards, envelopes & what i could get my hands on for this next project - a Christmas journal for Kaylen since i felt that this being his 3rd Christmas, it's also the 1st where he is totally involved & making some sense of this festival, and surely walking down Orchard Road for the very 1st time for Christmas. So i incorporated these non scrappy materials like Christmas cards, ribbons, envelopes & calendar paper for this project.

I'm still a few pages away from completing it, and putting the final touches but truly i enjoyed this journal once the words are filled in cause i get to remember all the funny moments of Kaylen with the Christmas tree, with the Christmas jingle CD that's playing in the car right now, to even getting him new PJ's for Christmas too. I hope when he is older, he gets to look through this 1st X'mas journal of his and remember these good old times.

Here's some of his jounal pages...which i titled the journal "Deck the Halls" & it sure goes with the "Very Merry" series from October Afternoon.

I've had time during this Christmas weekend to work on a layout with the latest from Basic Grey's latest - Orgins, and yes though i don't often work on colours of the Origin series, i find that i'm drawn to this series mysteriously (don't ask me what it is but i just like what i saw, and gotten myself on some Origins papers & matching embellishments from The Scrapbook Carton), and you've got to like their Pak of Nic Naks cause using the part of the Mixed Bag, i came up with this....

Title: "Soar"

Using materials from Pak of Nic Nak

(pearl picks & tulle flowers with vintage dictionary)

It's a good 3 days at work for me, cause come New Year's Eve, my dad's planning a massive party for 40 people at his place, so looks like we're partying till the end of 2009.

Till then, enjoy this short work week everyone!!

I know...

* that i've re-arranged the console for Christmas with additional Christmas decors, but nothing beats this heart warming gift from G which is totally one of its kind....a super cool canvas with everything special filled within it.

* that majority of the Christmas wrapping is done (a few more tonight, and I'm done with all that wrapping), and all the gifts nicely tucked under the tree by Mr Kay himself, and one thing for sure, he loves Christmas not knowing what it means, but only Christmas jingles, trees, lights and presents. I've had Kay every morning & night bothering this just 1 smaller sized gift and you'll hear him say "wah soooo small"....hmmmm

* that the couch has this cute and comfy snowflake fleece from Italy draped over, adding to the Christmas atmosphere at home...

* that having the pressure to pack up ALL scrap stuff from the dining table (it's already 80% cleared since 3plus am last night), i was still able to scrap this last piece of altered frame for my sweet brother, and i loved loved the Autumn leaves paper so much that i hoarded them for the longest time, and i had like 2 sheet of the same type of paper. I love the string pearls i've gotten in a bunch, and how i could just loosely have them around creating a super soft feel to the whole frame.

* that the online scrapbook store - The Scrapbook Carton is officially opened as of now, and watch out for their super fun "Pak of Nic Nak" which i would be having fun scrapping with in my upcoming layouts, and watch out for fellow scrapper - Geraldine's Valentine's Day Mini album!! Not to be missed!!

Till then, it's loads of preparation for 2 joyous celebration for Christmas at work & at home, and a good family time for me!! Fridge will be loaded with goodies for tomorrow, and tonight I would be busy busy. Don't see myself stopping till Christmas Day which I've planned to spend with the boys....just pure public transport, no cars, no pram, just the 3 of us out with minimal baggage!!

Have a Merry Christmas you all, and love you!!

Today...

I have got tons to do, and at the back of my mind, this to-do list keeps on repeating itself in my head now.

* one more X'mas pressie to scrap for my colleague (yes just 1 more to go & I'll be done with this lot, but to finish i have to go down to spotlight to grab letter "E", how can i forget???)
* to start wrapping those X'mas pressies that are sitting under my dining table, i just see bags & bags of shopping bags and amongst it is X'mas pressie for myself from myself (finally did some non scrapbooking purchases for myself)
* to start to plan our family X'mas feast on the 24th, what's on the menu this year?
* the scrap stuff on the dining table has to go away for a short while, so i'm left with this weekend to have both my scrap stuff tidied up (wait i have to finish scrapping my last X'mas pressie before it disappears till after New Year)
* X'mas shopping Part II needs to be done as well this weekend, and do we have the time??
* it's potluck at our office X'mas party, so what will me & Jayce be bringing? Grilled Portobello mushroom topped with bacon bits, basil & mozzarella cheese? Every year i always make the same dish - potato egg salad, and it's a must have dish at our X'mas feast, so this year i want to try to make something else.
* to take photos of the lovely yummy X'mas gift that G's made me, you should just see how crafty this gal can be, cause it just blew me away, and I've gotten them arranged to be displayed around the house, so i can't wait to share with you cause nothing beats handmade gift. Thanks alot G, Kay's already bitten into his 1st ever ginger bread man this morning.....he loves it, and he's eating him up real slowly.

Somehow i think this list would get a little longer if i think of stuff that's not done yet, and thanks so much for your well wishes, Kay's alot better already, Jayce sounds better but the flu still sounds bad, and as for me, throat is starting to be clogged up, and what seems to be building up some slight coughing....argggghhhh i hate feeling this way!

Love the rainy & cold weather!

Tis the Season...

What's Christmas without Christmasy layouts? Got to love the photos of Kaylen soaking in all that Christmas atmosphere in town, and with only 1 week away from my most favourite season of the year, this is his X'mas layout for 2009.

Title : Merry Christmas

Used Cosmo Cricket's latest X'mas series "Jolly by Golly", and a mix

of X'mas embellishments from K&Co, Collage Press, Prima Blings and some of

my personal stash.

We're all hoping to recover by this weekend, cause not only is Kay down with flu, it went on to Jayce with a terrible bout of flu & sore throat (he sounds terrible now), and today i'm down with what seems to be a sore throat & cough if i don't medicate early enough. Been to the doctor's already, taken the medication as well, and hopefully the 3 of us will be feeling much better by the end of this week for more fun action next week with all that feasting. Please please let us get well soon!!

I'm already feeling all festive already, how about you?