Home SWEET Home

Its been really hectic. the past couple of weeks have been lovely, meeting up and catching up with our families and friends but a tad bit hectic for me. We are currently back in Malaysia for our summer holidays. we havent been back since we moved permenantly to Holland. it has been 4 years since we last had those yummy malaysian dishes - nasi lemak wrapped in banana leaves, the real satay, rojak and all those traditional malay cakes... we're enjoying every bit (and bite) of them! we however do miss our home! very much!

Aidan hasnt been well. his tummy's not settling well to all the malaysian food. we took him to the hospital yesterday, he's recovering now. he misses his routine and all the 'normal' food he used to have back home in Holland. his spirits are high though! he loves the toll (KL has got so many tolls!), he's been observing almost everything and he's been enjoying the attention and love poured onto him!


There's so much to share and tell! my cousin's wedding is this weekend! i'm so thrilled for her! i'm so looking forward to meet everyone at the wedding. i have to rush to her house in a couple of mins to help out with stuff. i miss the pre-wedding kecohness! it's so good to be back!


Did this board for my craftroom just before we left for Malaysia. our trip's been filled with sweet stuff so far! we miss home but we're enjoying every minuite of our time here... (time flies so fast! and we're now on our final half of our summer holidays!)

Hope all is well with you guys! i wish i could meet everyone, but with everything going on, we'd have to sort out our priorities and make sure our son is well rested and trip is well balanced (in every way!). Till my next post, take care! hope you're looking forward to the weekend!

Love always,

My Nephew Ferran is 2!

It's 4th of July! and it's my nephew Ferran's 2nd birthday today! i havent seen him since last january, we miss him oh SO much! we called him up earlier today to wish him happy birthday! we sang to him both in english and in dutch!

I havent been able to log on to the internet lately. 13 days to be exact. cant type long, the internet connection's rather slow. here's a couple of cards we made for ferran.

Happy Birthday che Ferran! we love and miss you soooo much! have a lovely day today! enjoy your party tomorrow, do send all our love to aiesha! have a wonderful time and take lots of photos for us!

p.s: would love to have a slice of iggle piggle and upsy daisy!! ;)

Hope to write again soon! i've got a few to write! enjoy the weekend everyone! till my next post!

Berry Sweet

Aardbei! Aardbei!!!!! een doosje voor een euro!!!

That's what you hear when you go to the markets! Aidan is now hooked to that phrase!

My boys and i have been enjoying these bunch of sweet berries for the last couple of weeks now! it is now the season and you can get them almost everywhere! they cost 1 euro for the whole box! the smell just captures you! the sweet, sweet smell of strawberries! dont you just love them?!

Thought of making pies but they taste way too good on their own! we had strawberries for breakfast. served with the ever so famous dutch "poffertjes" (aidan's favourite!). ripe bananas and sprinkled with a tiny bit of sugar (aidan prefers his with honey).

And what do you do when it's hot outside? well, there's certainly no need to go to slush parlours or those highly expensive cafes to get your ice blended! make your own! plenty of ice, fresh strawberries and a tad bit of aidan's organic no sugar apple syrup! that should cool anybody down! what's the verdict?

That look on my son's face says it all! i'm so thankful that i have the time to cook and serve my boys! pure satisfaction to see that kind of reaction! have a lovely weekend everyone. it's almost one in the morning and i'm gonna call it a day! what a hectic (but beautiful) week it has been! enjoy the weather, enjoy food, enjoy life!

Love,

Pegs, Plates & its Pouring!

I've had a wonderful week spending time with my boys. its just one of those quiet times where you just sit, enjoy and take it all in- their smiles, their giggles, their gazing... i managed to finish up all the washing and now left with half of the ironing to go before we go on our summer holidays. washing and ironing... they're never ending! (not that i'm complaining!).

Aidan's on potty training and i find myself mopping the floor at least 3 times a day! he's not getting it (yet) but i'm pretty sure he will very soon! we had quite a bit of a laugh everytime it happened! i smiled to all his "uh-ohhh"s and "mama, basah!"

The weather's been pretty weird lately. it's pouring outside. we've been getting a lot of rain and temp is at an unusual 14c! we're still in our jackets and i'm still wearing my thick socks around the house!unusual for june! but then again, this is holland!

Anyway, just to share with you some of the things i collect - Pegs! i have all kinds of them from the tiniest one to the biggest, from plastic to wooden ones! These lovely pegs serve more than just one purpose! i've had them for quite a while but decided to share with you one of its functions. i use them to store my laces and ribbons. i painted them and now they sit in my pail buckets in my craft room.

I've decided to sell some of the newly painted ones and give some away to a couple of my special crafty friends where i know they'll put it into good use!

The other thing i'm collecting these days are these small plates/coasters. sweet ones. i found these recently while out shopping at one of the outlets. soooo sweet! i love their colours and the curves- unlike the typical round ones. you can do a couple of things with them as well, you can hang them or if you have nice ones like these, you can frame it up! but as for now, i'm just going to enjoy it's original beauty before i decide on what to do with them!

I'm currently busy making a few gifts and some gift bags! will share when they're ready. thanks for hopping by. here's sending all you girls all the sweetest wishes you can think of! enjoy your day!

{H}appiness

Just a quick post before i fetch my bumble bee from his playschool. it's been a lovely week and we'll be having another long weekend, monday's a public holiday here in holland! loads of spring activities and concerts going on, we might do some cycling and who knows some gardening as well!

I had a quick chat with my best friend yesterday and was inspired to make this card! i also received a couple of emails saying i've inspired them to craft! it made me smile and feel all warm and fuzzy knowing i've inspired someone! thank you, thank you very much! just remember, everyone's creative in their own special way! you wont know it until you try! so go on, give it a shot girls!

Back to the card, i love the bold damask pattern on the paper and how well these 3 colours combine! added a butterfly chipboard and flower. topped with a gem. stitched the paper, added trimmings and a beautiful vellum by one of my favourite designers Anna Griffin!

I should get going.. i will reply emails and comments soon. have a lovely weekend my lovely friends.. as usual, thanking you for all the sweet words and wishing you loads of happiness, always! 

Sweet Tweets!

Are you enjoying the weather? i certainly am! spring's absolutely beautiful! i love the smell of spring and not to mention the sound of spring! birds chirping happily during the day... the smell of fresh flowers and grass... trully blissful! the sun rise very early here this time of the year. birds starts chirping and tweeting everyday at 5 in the morning. i wake up every morning to hear them! lots of them!

I love crochets... i dont make them myself, but i collect them from flea markets and buy them new at the shops. they're so feminine and sweet i wish i know how to make them!

Made this card using one of the new ones i bought at the shops long, long time ago... used a few of my favourite petals and pearls and added velvet ribbon on the side. 

For the past one month we have been busy entertaining! its lovely catching up.. chatting (and eating) away with our guests... especially when they're such wonderful company! how i wish we had more time!

Remember i blogged about these daffodils and petals a couple of posts ago? well, i've finally put them to use! our dear dear friends from paris came over with their beautiful newborn baby daugther Eva. it was Eva's first holiday out of France and we were so happy to have them all here at our home!

I wish i had more time to make her a special banner. i did this one to hang on the bedroom door. 

We had a brilliant time together! it was a very long weekend, we went sightseeing and did some shopping at the outlets, i had a blast! i was so beat, i slept at 10pm every night for the past 5 days!

It's now past midnight, i guess i've recouperate from the tiredness! it was all worth it, i'd do it all over again! anyway.. i should get going.. waking up to the birds again tomorrow! 

Have a lovely day everyone... love always!

{Colour Your Life}

My son and i have been enjoying each other. we chased butterflies and bugs and hunt for frogs in the garden today. it is such a joy to see him get all excited and trying to converse in 3 languages at once. he cracks me up and i am most of the time in awe, i kept saying "allaaa sayang" to almost everything he says. my face will beam with pride.

Motherhood's been pretty amazing. i am trully utterly blessed to be having such life. i cant be thankful enough. it's really a struggle to find that balance, but when you do (or come close to it), you will enjoy the reward and live even more! i felt that today.

Here are a couple of cards i created today when my little bee was napping. i quite like the striking orange combination, and of course, who doesnt like pastels?!

Such a lovely combination of colours, dont you think? i think this is how we all should colour our lives! pretty, simple, soft and enchanting!

I should get going..  off to watch telly with hardy. will reply to emails bit by bit. do bear with me. have a wonderful week ahead everybody! we'll be having a long weekend and more guests coming over! our special guests are coming all the way from Paris this time! it'll be exciting! i should get the linens ready... and get the baby cot ready! till next time, good night and dont forget to colour your life pretty tomorrow!

~ Voor Mijn Allerliefste Moeder~

I'm a little teary as i write this. I have a wonderful mum. she is my idol, i think the world of her. she has so so much love in her, she has creative hands, she's warm, gentle, funny, ambitious, strong and everything good in between! she's amazing and i feel incredibly lucky and blessed to have her as my mum.

She inspires me with her creativity. we work well together. i admire and look up to her. we all do....


Our Mother's day was just as sweet as those white peonies i bought for her. we enjoyed our outing last sunday very very much. Hardy and i took her to den Bosch, to a fair for all jewellery makers! oh my god!!! we almost went crazy when we entered the hall! we were there for more than 5 hours and had an excellent time looking at each and every single bead and findings! brilliant! we enjoyed ourselves!

Aidan made a card for Oma as well! does he take after his mum, you reckon? oh well, maybe just the pasting skills!

Coming back from the fair, mum said to us in the car "i am the happiest mother in the world!" and on behalf of my sister and i, i'm sure we think the same, we're the most luckiest and happiest daughters in the world mum! enjoy all your beads and treassures! you're our true gem! we love you!

"No painter's brush, nor poet's pen

In justice to her fame

Has ever reached half high enough

To write a mother's name."

To all mothers, i certainly hope you've had a good Mother's Day!

Love always,

Smiles & Good Times

Good times! we certainly had some good times in Switzerland and Italy! it was quite a trip but we have had a lovely spring break. snapped more than a thousand good shots and now scratching our heads as to which to chose for printing! sorry I didnt get the chance to write about these few stuff before i left. i did manage to get them posted though! we hosted a dinner and with the packing and all, i just didnt have the chance to blog about them. and now that i'm back, checked my email, boy! i've got so so many emails to reply!



Here's a board and a notebook i made for Zura. she liked the album i did for dad and asked for a similar one but smaller. so this one's a notebook for her to scribble her notes. I love adding metal embellishments to everything these days! they're absolutely charming!

Zura wanted to give an anniversary present to her other half and i told her that i'd make her a board with their initials and she could hang it. the brown center bit is a space where she can add a photo of them together.




Off to another order.. another board. Ema wanted to hang something in her new kitchen. she loves cupcakes (arent they cute?!). i covered the board with fabric and used one of my white doilies (something every kitchen and craftroom should have!) to decorate.



I wasnt sure of the length of the board that would suit the spot in her kitchen. and so i figured the best way is to provide her with a long ribbon and pegged them with a painted peg. that way, she can adjust whatever length she choses.

Apart from buttons, i love pegs! i collect every size from the tinest to the old ones... Added chipboard for her name, cardstock saying, buttons, lace and trimmings i bought at czech republic and voila! i really enjoyed myself working with these two projects!

I should be off now. we currently have a guest staying over and i'm taking her shopping today before i go fetch Aidan at his playschool. thanks for hopping by! i hope the weather there is much much better than what we currently have here in Sittard! the clouds are out today.. i miss the birds and the sun and hope they'll come out pretty soon! regardless the weather, i will surely have a good day! i hope you do too!

~Reaching For Your Dreams~

Dad tells me everyday to reach for my goals, dream big and think of the nicest things. i am doing it every day. its nice to be reminded of them, it lets your imagination run and just be in your own world for a little while. it's nice and comforting to know that someone else have faith in what you do. dad's been always supportive of me and mum with our crafts. we're the luckiest! 

This board is a special one for me. i created it for myself but decided to let Aishah have it instead. this young soft hearted girl emailed me one day, asking me to make a gift for her precious sister before she leaves for UK to further her studies. the way she wrote captured me and all her emails always make me smile!

It's always a nice feeling to create for someone who appreciates, let alone if you have established a 'special bond' (even virtual!). we exchanged emails along the way (she was very patient with me in replying!) and later we found out that our parents and grandparents know of each other! what a small world indeed!

Ribbons, ribbons and ribbons. i have lots of them. they are every papercrafters essential embellishement! you can never have enough of them, you can never know when they might come handy one day! make full use of them! 

Aishah will be off to the UK soon and i wish her all the luck in the world (not that she'll need it!). dream big girls! reach for your goals!

I'm off for our spring vacation! will try and see if i can post another one before i leave this weekend! till then... love always!