his bedtime reminders ...

... from the Mummy.

Got these framed yesterday. They now stand neatly in a row on his bed. I plan to hang them up on the wall though, but was petrified to make holes in the wall. Hehe ... Settled for the next best thing then - lined them up on this picture shelf thingy. For now, that'll be home for these frames. The story part of the actual "bedtime routine' story rests behind each of the four frames shown below.

:: before sleep, toothbrush, storytime, goodnight & i love you ::

some stitching was done in between this and that ...

What I worked on some days back. Pillowcases for Big Z and Baby Z. Not proud of how the circles didn't come out in a good curve of a line. And how the 'leaves' came too close to the edge. But they'll do for now - not like am selling them anyway. These shall remain in the house, in the family.

Let's just hope Big Z won't have so much of an opinion on his pillowcases though - I somehow can already hear him say something like, "but I want trains, Mummy ... not funny balls". Haha ...

one(sie) at a time ...

Restless, impatient, itchy-fingers me decided to start stocking up on baby things. All the while, still being the good wife, I'd say. ;-) Mr Husband said not to start buying things for baby. Not just yet he says. But what did the wifey do yesterday?? Bought some pretty cheap baby onesies. Plain white ones. And then some basic items to add to my newly-opened sewing kit. (anyone who REALLY knows me will know that I sew even worse than I cook ... and I'm nowhere near a great cook!) Pregnancy does funny things to you, I think. Opens up different sides of you, makes you interested and curious about things you wouldn't look twice at before. In this case, it's sewing. What AM I thinking really?


So. Below are photos on what 'flourished' from those plain white onesies. I sat myself down and in three hours (yea, i know! 3 hours just for that teeny bit of work? haha) completed them designs. I just wanted to have some personalized touch to my baby's clothes. Result ain't great, but I have to say, it's such a refreshing change of work. I'm usually drowning myself in papers printing this and that, but yesterday it was just soft fabric and colourful threads. I could just get used to this new interest of mine. Hmmm... we'll see.

:: the BARCODE onesies ::

OK. Now quickly go look at something else. Something less shabby than my sewing. *LOL*

the homemade story . . .

"Tell Me A Story, Mummy" written by Carl Norac and beautifully illustrated by Mei Matsuoka. This is Big Z's current favourite bedtime read. The main character though, the Mummy's child here is a girl. So, for obvious reasons, when I read the book to him, I replace the said-character to Big Z's name and change the character's friend, to Big Z's pick-of-the-night friend. He gives me the name, I'll just insert it in the story.


After reading this book, he'll ask for the other current favourite. This other one has no book though. It really can't be found anywhere in print for that matter. It's a purely made-up one by yours truly. It's called "The Cereal, The Pasta & The Biscuit". *LOL* This story has many different episodes and takes on it. ;-)


It all started with Big Z not satisfied after reading some 3 or more books to him one night. With the lights off, he insisted I tell him another story. For short of idea and mind you, I was extremely tired by then, I came up with this spur-of-the-moment take on a bedtime story. (no guesses what's on my mind most nights - naming characters after food .. haha!) Most nights, it gets pretty ridiculous a storyline, but I always try my best to include some good moral behind the created story. The most common one is how in life, no two characters or people are the same, yet they can still live together (in the case of the cereal, pasta and biscuit - they all live harmoniously in the kitchen cupboard) and be friends with one another. I've also gone down the also-very-true route that not everyone can get along well with each other, but you'll always need to be nice to people regardless of their differences. Be nice to others, and they'll be nice to you. Or so I'd like to believe and have been brought up to have such a mindset. And what better way to introduce this than through such important characters as the cereal, the pasta and the biscuit, ey? ;-)


After a round of the story (each night is a different storyline, and I really don't know what I've gotten myself into now ... eeek!!), Big Z gives me one of his made-up stories too. A fair trade, I suppose. Haha. And only after that, will he finally agree to go to sleep. Tiring? You don't say!


.............................


I was scribbling about in my notebook (as I normally do) one fine day when I came up with some lines. Read them and it sounded like a good (for my kids at the very least) enough piece of short story. This was some months back. Today, I finally had them printed out. I attached a piece of Big Z's earlier paintings to each of the story's 'page'. My next step is to get these framed up and then have them displayed in Big Z's room. It's another made-up story, another homemade story, if you like. Instead of binding the pages together into a mini book, I thought I'd have them framed up and thus will double up as some unconventional artwork in his room. More home-projects on my end then.


Below, the 4 'pages' to the story. I'm calling this one, "The Bedtime Routine".

:: page 1 ::

:: page 2 ::

:: page 3 ::

:: page 4 ::

good things come in small packages...

Do you sometimes find yourself all ready to leave the house to some party, with gift in one hand, and then at the very last minute realise you forgot to include a card to the said-gift? Be it a birthday gift, a welcome-new-baby gift, mom's day, dad's day gift or any of the sort. Well, let's just say, it's happened to me on more than a couple occasions.


Often, it's the tiniest of detail you overlook and yet, in many instances it may well be the most meaningful and personal touch to your gift. After all, attaching a note and/or card to a gift, with your bits of words on it leaves your mark on the gift, yes?


So. I decided to make some very simple and teeny-weeny cards for this purpose. To not just adorn and complete the look of any one gift, present or parcel, but to give others a chance to read my best wishes to them and if they so wish to, to hang on to the piece of card. It's really small and so will not take up much space in their 'cards drawer' or 'cards box' or 'cards basket'. You get the picture ... ;-)


Here, some shots of them small gift tags and cards.

:: part of the gift tags range ::

:: part of the cards range ::

:: all packed in mini drawstring pouches ::

If interested to purchase some of these cards (am currently making more varied designs), feel free to drop me a line or two to enquire. :-)

:: SOLITUDE ::

being in a faraway place pretty much alone + finding one's self ...

these came to mind when working on this piece