Workspace Wednesday: CNY 2019 edition

So I've been seeing red of late. A lot of red. Literally. *winks*

Yes, I've been knee-deep in making Chinese New Year decorations.

Like this lantern. (I followed this YouTube tutorial on Pineapple Lanterns with slight modifications to make it a hanging lantern)

I added a pig charm because 2019 is the year of the Pig.

I also made some large pineapple ornaments (with modifications to the original tutorial...you know, because I'm so extra...hehehe).

So it can sit on a table and look pretty. :)

Of course, I also found a cool YouTube tutorial on making a traditional ang bao lantern so I made 3.

And I've been baking too. Here the production line for my peanut cookies. (I have a really tiny oven so I can only bake 20 each time...so it really is a labour of love.)

Well, one more weekend to get all the other cookies baked. Wish me luck!

P/s: What are you working on now?

New additions: November, December and January edition

Hello friends! Thought I would share the new additions to my life in the last 3 months. In case you thought I was "good" and didn't actually buy anything. *LOL*

So back in November, I bought my first advent calendar - a skincare one from Kiehl's. Of course, I couldn't possibly wait till December to open just one "window" every day, right?

Well, I opened ALL 24 of them that night. *insert dramatic music*
Clearly, advent calendars are not designed for people who can't wait to open hidden "windows". *winks*

However, I was "good" and waited till Christmas to open the pressies that my friend Lizzy Hill sent me. Okay, because the package says NOT to open till Christmas. The advent calendar did not bear such stern warning. Hehehe...

She did say that I could open one though...so pretty right? :)

I also got some lovely surprise happy mail from bloggy pal Lynn. Thanks so much for thinking of me.:)

My folks and sister went to Seoul and got me a bunch of stuff. Yes. I love Sponge Bob and Tasmanian Devil. And Korean face masks. :)

Nephew #1 went to Japan and bought me THIS. A staple-less stapler. Now, I made him watch a few YouTube videos on cool Japanese stationery to buy when in Japan but this was the only one he remembered. Clearly, this boy needs MORE intensive drilling before his next trip. ;)

Next up...some stuff my sister got for Christmas that she re-gifted to me because I have a thing for giraffes and My Little Melody. :)

My bestie got me this cute bubble tea keychain and bunny apron from Taiwan.

My cousin gave me these for Christmas. Tea and beauty products. She knows me well. :)

During the year-end sales, I snagged a Scanpan grill pan. Ah...the stuff I could cook with this. When I eventually get it out of the box that is. Hahaha.

Drunk Elephant skincare finally landed in Singapore and I took advantage of the Black Friday sale to snag some sets to try out. 

I also did my once-a-year Cyber Monday nail polish haul from KL Polish (which I made my bestie carry back from the US because they don't do international shipping).

And I also did one once-a-year haul from ColourPop during the year-end sales. You can tell that I'm into colour eh? *winks*

And because I'm so extra, I got myself some cute flamingo and pineapple brushes. They look so cute!!!

And last but not least, I got myself a furry bunny accessory for my bag. She's so cuddly. :)

There you have it...my new additions from November, December and January. What are your new additions?

Just a typical Yam birthday party...*winks*

Well friends, you know that my sister got a Rilakkuma-themed birthday party (see post if you want to see what I made) earlier this month...and here's the completed layout (yes...done in the same month...go me! *High fives all around*)

I went with banners for a party feel.:)

Had to include this fun photo of Nephew #1 giving his Aunt E a birthday pressie (Pringles Potato Chips)...of course, he had not showered at this point so my sister was pinching her nose because he was "smelly". *LOL*

As always, members of the Yam family had to hold "signs" made by me for the "official" photos. Hehehe...

This layout came together quickly because I "unloaded" lots of fun stickers on my piece.:)

Happy week ahead friends!

My fave Befores & Afters from 2018

In 2018, I focused a lot of my efforts into reworking my old artwork/altered projects to give them a new lease of life/reflect my personal style.  Here is a round-up of some of my fave upcycled projects in 2018.

The basket makeover (tutorial)

1. The basket makeover.

I've had this basket for like forever and the fabric that used to cover it was showing its age. Once I got rid of the old fabric, I saw potential to decorate it so that it became a showcase in my space instead of merely a storage unit. Now, it serves double duty as eye-candy storage. :)

This week's quick paperbag makeover

2. The quick paper bag makeover.


In 2018, I worked on upcycling the paper bags I've accumulated over the years (as part of retail therapy). It is very satisfying to use up stash and have a gift bag pile all ready for those last-minute gifts. This is one took like 15 minutes.

The shoe makeover

3. The shoe makeover.

These were a comfortable pair of slides but the faux leather was peeling away. Yes, the downside to a hot and humid climate. Nothing some fabric and some bling can't fix! Apparently, fabric prints on shoes are a trend in 2019 so I was ahead in the game! *LOL*

Mixed media box inspired by 2018's Pantone Color of the Year - Ultraviolet (a tutorial)

4. The Sephora fave lip product box.

This became a 2-parter kind of project. First, I painted a mixed media mouth on the box.

The Lazy person's mixed media canvas

Then I added the mouth to a mixed media canvas for a 3D canvas look. :)

The upcycled Pringles can

5. The upcycled Pringles can.

A super quick and easy project that turned out quite cute! :)

Decorated box and gift bag for a visiting friend...a tutorial

6. Making an upcycled gift set.

What's better than upcycling one item? Upcycling two of course. And making them a matching set! *winks*

A quick upcycled Christmas gift box

7. Making a trio of upcycled Christmas gift boxes.

I had so much fun decorating one of these boxes because of its unique shape.

Two more quick upcycled Christmas gift boxes

So I went on to decorate two more! :)

The reworked mixed media girl on canvas

8. The reworked mixed media girl on canvas. 

Remember back in 2015 when I started learning how to draw faces? Well, I've certainly come a long way! Hahaha. I prefer my current style soooooo much more!

There you have it. My fave Befores & Afters from 2018. Which one is your fave?

As always, the projects are linked to their original posts if you would look to take a closer look.

Eye sketches from my sketchbook

Just a quick share today: some eye sketches from my on-the-go sketchbook. :)

These were done very quickly with a graphite pencil, a black coloured pencil (for the darks) and a white charcoal pencil (for highlights).

These were first sketched in pencil, then coloured in with coloured pencils and finished with white pens and markers.

Hope you have been having a fabulous week so far!