Hello and all!

Dear bloggers,

I sure have been away since October. 

I had some health issues which kept me away. 

This is a post to say that I am on my road to recovery and that is a big thing for me.

I will try and post slowly and surely and will certainly try and visit your blogs. 

Wish you happy and crafty time,

Monica 

Hello from the other side

Dear bloggers,

Hope you are well. Here is a quick card which Aleeza and I made in Boston. Aleeza and I have invented our very own plastic dabbing technique. We had oodles of fun making it.

United World Sanctuary is doing well and our last meeting (on silent meditation) was on Wednesday, September 2017. 

Happy crafting,

 Monica 

Getting back to routine

Hello dear bloggers,

The kids are back to school and normalcy is returning slowly but surely. Yet, I miss them when they are gone. My initiative, United World Sanctuary is doing well and our next talk is by an existential coach on, 'Accepting life as it is'. 

I made this card while were in the US. It is a stamp I bought at Paper Chase and I do love it lots. The sentiment has been die cut from thick card which was packaging material of a computer. 

Happy crafting,

Monica 

It's been a long, long time

Hello sweet bloggers,

Indeed a long time since I posted last. It was summer holidays and I thought of giving my children all the time I could. I know my older one, Zeenya is independent and a twelfth grader if you please. Aleeza is a fourth grader and time flies. We went to India for a few days and then to New York and Boston. It sure was hectic and NY seemed to be more bustling since the last time I visited it in 2007. Boston was far saner and more charming if I may say so. We did the Statue of Liberty and saw a Broadway musical called Aladin which was breathtakingly beautiful. Apart from that we saw Central Park and also the Common in Boston was very pretty.

I made as many as 22 cards in two weeks that we were in the US. Aleeza was a constant source of inspiration to me. I managed to visit Paper Source both in NY and Boston and picked up some pretty stamps and a circles punch from there. 

Down below is one of the cards we made together. I carried my distress inks and coloured the background with them. Thank you is a die cut from a perfume packaging which is shiny, shiny magenta. 

Will catch you later... 

Happy crafting always,

Monica 

For an 80th Birthday

Hello sweet bloggers,

Thank you for your kind words on my previous post. It is summer holidays now so life is calmer in some ways. This card was made for one of my neigbour's who is celebrating her mum's 80th. She paid me $10 Singapore dollars for it which will go toward a home that supports abused women in Malaysia. 

It is a very simple card made primarily with designer paper from my stash and pop up glue. The numbers are from my stash as well and the nesties were die cut from a silver envelope.

These flowers were arranged and taken to a very lovely lady's home for dinner. I added a pink ribbon to make the white vase look dressy.

Happy blogging and happy crafting,

Monica 

Hello from the other side

Hello dear bloggers,

Blogging has been on my mind and most certainly so. It is just that my initiative called United World Sanctuary had two events - one on essential oils and another on Laughter Yoga. Both went really well and how I wish I could laugh like we did in the Laughter Yoga session every day. I have also been selling cards at the events and have been donating them to a shelter in Malaysia called Sinar Sofia.

Now to the cards below - the first card has been made with my new die from Kaiser Craft. I used red paper for the hibiscus flowers and cut out the leaves carefully. Then I die cut the leaves again in cream coloured paper and stuck them under the hibiscus flowers. I also added another die cut to give more body to the leaves. The flowers and leaves were coloured with Prismas. This diecut sure made me think aplenty as the flowers and leaves were part of the same. The designer paper is from my stash and the sentiment has been die cut from a packaging material (incense sticks).

This sweet teddy card was designed and stamped by Aleeza (nine years old) while the labour was done by me. I think it is a Penny Black stamp she has used and the washi tape was bought at the craft store in town.

Aleeza gave this card to her Physical Education teacher who is her fave. I wish I could have taken a better photograph. We had to stick Washi tape inside as we had a goof up while using the paper scourer. 

I will enter my card in the following challenges:

http://craftysentiments.blogspot.sg/ - sentiment

http://highhopesstamps.blogspot.sg/ - anything goes

http://ttcrd.blogspot.sg/ - anything goes

http://craftingfromtheheartchallengeblog.blogspot.sg/ - anything goes

Happy crafting,

Monica 

Partly recycled card and my mum's embroidery

Hello sweet bloggers,

Yes, life has been busy with my initiative called United World Sanctuary, my new self study of essential oils and my fave passion called Meditation. On Monday, I am hosting a workshop on essential oils and a special massage technique with them called Rainbow technique on Monday, 29th at my place. There is a very learned lady here from the US who will be teaching us and I am excited.

Now to my simple card which has pretty much used recycled material. The sweet hippo has been die cut from a yoghurt lid and the blue nestie you see was part of a brochure in it's previous avatar. The grey banner is designer paper given by a dear friend. The blue and grey paper actually shine pretty much in real life. The sentiment on this card is one of my favourites. I did take a permanent black marker and touch up the happy hippo's eyes, ears and smile. 

I thought of sharing this pretty embroidery that my mum did in Home Science which she did a degree in. This was embroidered in the 1960s. She claims the 3D effect is because she used all six veins at the same time. She always tells me that one should create stuff that takes the least amount of time and is pretty at the same time. Well, this proves her theory quite so. Lol.

Happy crafting,

Monica