Aleeza's birthday in school

I thought I must share some pictures of Aleeza's birthday in school. My older one had a holiday so she tried baking a chocolate cake which just refused to get baked! So in desperation we had to order a cake from the restaurant downstairs because we were really running late. It could not be fancy but the quality of chocolate that the pastry chef used was excellent. The kids loved the cake and so did the teacher and her aides.

Aleeza lounging around on the carpet in her class room.

This picture is obviously not good for obvious reasons... I was so touched with the way the teacher stuck her name on the window. They even hung a Happy Birthday banner above - so thoughtful of them.

Aleeza blowing her candle with help from Zeenya and me.We should have taken a better picture of the cake but can you believe that in all the mayhem we forgot... It was a real tasty choco cake called 

Chocolate Devil.

Aleeza eating her snack.

Hugs,

Monica

Aleeza's Birthday card

Hi bloggers,


We just got back from Singapore last night after a whirlwind of activity...


Thanks to all of you for asking after my husband - he is faring much better and on the road to recovery.


I managed to find time to gets lots of crafting goodies for myself - yippeeeeeee!!! 
Singapore for us is like a haven because everything is just so easily available. 


Here, in Jakarta I have to struggle to get craft supplies but in Singapore it is the opposite. 


Still not like the States or the UK but good enough! 


And the food is pretty good, the air is clean, the public train and bus system is a breeze... It is truly the Switzerland of Asia! 


Saw how much I could waffle without even being asked a single question!


I have made this card for Aleeza's birthday today - she turns three and it seems like she was born yesterday!

Material used:

240 gsm cardstock in creamy yellow for the base.


Blue cardstock stamped with Hero Arts flower stamp with Jim Holtz distress ink - broken porcelein.  


Scalloped Martha Stewart border punch used at the bottom of the blue card stock before sticking it on to the base cardstock.


Hero Arts little girl stamp stamped with Stazon permanent ink and coloured in with Darwent water colour pencils.


Blue and off white lace from my stash.


Organza roses in yellow, blue and mauve from my stash, too.


The Happy Birthday sentiment is handwritten with Sakura metallic pens.

I was quite pleased with the way the card turned out even though the picture seems a bit blurry.


Hope you like it - Aleeza did!  : )


I am going to enter this card for the following challenges:


www.littleclairesdesigns.blogspot.com/ - anything goes


www.toptiptuesday.blogspot.com/ - anything girlie ( I love that coz' I always seem to struggle with making men's cards.)


www.mygraficocrafts.blogspot.com/ - anything goes 




I promise I will come and visit you all as soon as I have opened all my bags - luckily there is not much laundry this time as we went only for 3 days.


Hugs,


Monica

Hiya everyone,

It is me again... I am delighted to accept this award from  Monique - www.naturallymecreations.blogspot.com/ 

Thank you so much, Monique! 

I feel honoured and treasured to say the least. I just feel so touched when I receive these awards because they put me on the top of the world... 

Do visit

Monique's 

blog to see her wonderful creations... she is amazingly creative and loves to recycle as well. 

Here are 7 things I would like to share about myself ( I hope I don't struggle - Lol!)

1. I studied Sociology honours in college and wanted to go and do my Masters in Social Work 

INSTEAD

2. Landed myself in a job as a Guest Relations Executive in a 5 star hotel and loved every minute of it. 

3. I have worked in the garment industry and in the hospitality industry. I have to say that I loved working in a hotel because I got to meet people from all over the world... and I realized that people are the same inside even though they all have a different exterior. We all need to be loved and respected no matter which part of the earth we come from. And I am lucky that my life has been touched by so many lovely people as yourselves.

4. My hair started greying at 28!!!

5. I always wanted to study Design in any form but did not - some day I will.

6. I have a dream to write a book - one fine day, it should materialize.

7. I love blog land and could spend hours visiting blogs and making friends. I have come across such nice people through blog land that it has made my life far richer than it ever was.

The second thing that I gotta do is to share this award... 


WELL, I PASS THIS ON TO WHO EVER READS THIS POST... WITH LOVE FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART. DO TAKE IT AND POST IT ON YOUR BLOG. 

Monique, I am sorry that I took so long to post this... we are going through a bit of a rough phase at home with my DH having to undergo surgery in Singapore while we are here. Wish I could have been there with him at the time of the operation. We are going to fly to Singapore on Thursday to look him up for 2 days. 

Hugs,

Monica

The first post for February

Hi bloggers,


Can you believe that it is the 1st of February today??? One month gone by so very quickly!


I made this card a while ago and you can see my famous handmade flowers on it... That reminds me that I must start making my flowers again. Remember how I used to make only flowers for the longest time... I guess that was a phase.


Now to this card - I have used a stamp called Tara Reed designs by Stamps Happen, INC  that Zeenya picked up from Hobby Craft in London... I had to pick it up - simply irresistable!


The green distressed effect has actually been stamped with a square stamp from Whispers (docraft). Have colourd the stamp with my Darwent water colour pencils. 


I love the sentiment of this card... The ribbon is from my stash and so is the metallic violet paper (Paper Chase tissue paper). 


Hope you like this card. 


Hugs,


Monica

I am delighted to receive this award from not one but TWO LOVELY LADIES - 

 Leigh -http://www.charitycrafter.blogspot.com/ - a blogger with a heart of gold who makes the most beautiful cards to donate them. And she is so full of love, cheer and humour at all times. She provides me with so much inspiration...

AND

Shirley-Anne - http://www.shirley-anne-stampingforjoy.blogspot.com/ - I admire her talent for making the most effective cards with such grace. More than that I look up to her in ways more than one for her stoic approach to life... She has been through a lot in the past few months and has bounced back with such ease.

The usual number of blogs to receive this award are 3 to 5 

BUT

I will be passing this award to twice the number of blogs since I have received it from 2 ladies. So lucky me and lucky all of you... Lol!

Okay, before I start waffling again here goes my list:

Sandra - www.rosepetalcreations.blogspot.com/  - She uses the most wonderful papers and images for her cards and turns them into even more stunning creations... and to top it all she is such a loving and caring person. Even if she is famous I cannot resist giving her this award for the simple reason that she has brought me so much joy. It is just a tiny way to reciprocate. 

Lynn - http://creativecraftsbylynn.blogspot.com/ - You have to check out her classy and elegant cards... She knows exactly what to do to make her cards stand out. And she provides me with so much inspiration and motivation - NEVER missing to post her lovely comments on my blog... I do know that she is famous already but please I could not overlook her.

Helen - www.helenmade.blogspot.com/ - Such an amazing crafter - makes so many different arts and crafts... and is blessed with incredible amount of patience. Makes flowers, does quilling and a host of other stuff.

Monique - www.naturallymecreations.blogspot.com/  - A lover of recycled stuff and makes much more than cards - all of which is delightfully impressive. I love her weekend linky parties - do check them out...

Andrea - www.andreajbpiecesofmine.blogspot.com/ -  Another gifted crafter - makes such pretty, pretty cards with so much charm and writes the most touching posts.

Fat Monica - www.chasingart.blogspot.com/ - She is into ATCs... and makes real neat ones. An ATC specialist - unusual that!

Shelly - http://shanarunacreativespace.blogspot.com/ - She is into photography, paper crafting, scrapbooking and a host of other lovely things...

Philippa - http://quilliance.blogspot.com/ - She is into quilling and oh-so-gifted... makes the most wonderful quilled creations.

Maria - http://craftycre8tions.blogspot.com/ - Her cards are really stylish... and she has a kind heart to donate them to great causes). 

Marie - http://cardmakingbird.blogspot.com/ - She makes such beautiful cards and I just love reading her posts. A lady with such a positive and kind attitude.

Please do visit them and see for yourself what they do... it would be worth it, I promise you that.

There are a couple of conditions for the award :

The aim of this award is that we bring unknown, good blogs to light, so I would ask you not to blog fellow bloggers that already have 3,000 followers.


You have been TAGGED and want to participate?


Then create a post where you post the 'LOVE BLOG' image.


You should also blog the persons link that gave you the award and inform her/him that you accept the award.


You can then choose 3 - 5 favourite blogs which you also link in your post, then each blogger will inform you that they have been tagged.






As Leigh has put it in such wonderful words, "It is okay if you are too busy to accept this award, I understand".

A card for Luke

Hi bloggers,


While I was visiting one of my fave blogs - Leigh at http://www.charitycrafter.blogspot.com/  I read about Luke so decided to send him a quick card which is posted above... 


Just sharing the blog post - just in case you wanna send that little gem of a boy called Luke a card...

 The picture above is that of Luke

Below is Leigh's (charity crafter0 blog post:

Hi all, over at Lacey's blog (Hand stamped by Lacey) HERE, she was asking for cards to cheer up a very poorly boy called Luke and to send them to him care of her (address at the bottom) he will be 6 years old on the 16th February so a card could be birthday. I have made my card and it is more of a cheer up card here x

My card will be sent tomorrow, can you spare one too?

Cards can be mailed to:

Pray for Luke

c/o Lacey Stephens

12623 NW 6th Street

Coral Springs, FL 33071

USA

Thanks for dropping by x Leigh x

Old is Gold!

Hi bloggers,

I made this card from the left overs lying on my table... I have been cleaning up my table and organizing my papers of late and that has kind of deprived me of ideas.

"A creative mind is rarely tidy" - cannot recall the author. Sorry about that!

That is my excuse for my creative juices not flowing...Lol! A lot of you well organized souls may not agree, right?

Waffling again...!

This card has been made without much fanfare with dried leaves that I picked up on the road while I was walking in pretty, pretty Prague last summer... I just pressed them in a book and here they are now. I just love their shape!

I have used the following Jim Holtz ranger distress inks for the edges -
wild honey
peeled paint
walnut dye
For the darker effect on the edges, I have used rusty hinge.

The stamp that you can see is from Inkadinkado and I stamped it with peeled paint distress ink.

The sentiment is hand written with a calligraphy pen - it went a bit crooked but never mind.

Hope you like my card - I  do because I have used natural embellies on it.

Hugs,

Monica