Happy holidays friends!

Hello friends! Hope things have slowed down a little for you to enjoy the last bits of 2019. Thank you for stopping by my blog this year to check out what I've been up to. I'll be taking a short blog break so I'll catch up with you in 2020! Happy holidays friends! :)

Someone had a great November...*winks*

Someone had a great November because it was his birthday month. *winks*

Yep. Nephew #1 had treats all month long.

His maternal grandma gave him cash to buy wireless earphones and he won wireless headphones in a lucky wheel spin (which of course is now on long-term loan to his fave aunt aka me..*hehehe*)

I went a little crazy with the diecuts and stickers here...can you tell? *LOL*

Playing along with Kraft + Challenges.

What's new in my life - December 2019 edition

Hello friends! It's been quite a while since I've shared what's new in my life....:)

So, I've had my eye on a KitchenAid Stand Mixer for 2 years (I know it's way cheaper for friends in the US but it's pretty pricey in this part of the world)...and finally bit the bullet and got one at a recent sale (US$400). The sifter scale is the free gift.

If you are wondering about the colour choice, this Bird of Paradise colour was  the only colour that was heavily discounted. Any other colour would cost US$100 more. It is a pretty colour though so I am not mad about it. :)

I also got some new Foreo products...this time in my fave aqua colour. The travel Foreo Luna Play came in a beauty box and I used the voucher in the box to purchase the Foreo Issa Mini 2 toothbrush.

I have been using the Foreo Mini 2 Facial Cleansing Brush (last year's birthday pressie from my sister) for the last 18 months and I love it so I really wanted a more portable version for my travel bag. I hesitated a long time on the toothbrush because it was soooooo pricey but since I only need to change the brush head once a year, I thought it was a more sustainable environmental option.

And no, I wasn't one of those 40,000 customers who bought the Foreo UFO Smart Mask device at US$9.99 (UP US$279) during the Black Friday glitch on the Foreo website that cost the company US$40 million. Dang it! *LOL*

I was in Taipei back in November and bought a few locally-made stamps. Can't wait to use the lantern one for CNY 2020. :)

I do have a bunch of early Christmas pressies still wrapped up because I was told I could only open them on Christmas Day (Such a torture!) No prizes for guessing if I might have sneaked a peek at some of them. *winks*

Sometimes you just get crappy photos...*LOL*

So this was back in March when the niece decided not to smile for the camera because her mum said she had vampire teeth.

Yep. Not even when it was her birthday.

And of course, nobody cooperated that day too. Sometimes you just get crappy photos...*LOL*

I tried to "save" the photos by incorporating some cute elements. Did it work? *winks*

Playing along with The Studio Challenges.

This week's quick Christmas cards

Hello friends! I had to whip up a couple of quick Christmas cards to go out in the mail this week.

I kept it simple and postal-friendly of course.

Have you mailed out your Christmas cards? *winks*

The futuristic life...*LOL*

So my sister asked me if I had any ideas for what she should wear to her futuristic-themed D&D. Of course, she did so just the day before the event.

But you know me...it was the perfect opportunity to be creative in a short time...so I was all over it. I put her in my plain black cape blazer, then handstitched an ornate collar and some of my necklaces on one of the sleeves (clearly because I only had ONE set of the same accessory..hehehe)...and of course, incorporated some LED lights in the mix (battery-pack hidden in the waist pouch).

She wore black pants and laced up boots because we both agreed that Carrie Ann Moss's look in The Matrix trilogy was the epitome of cool and sleek....and that latex pants will not work in Singapore's hot and humid weather. *LOL*

I also went in with some dramatic eye makeup and painted her nails. I think it was a valiant effort on my part given the short time I had. *pats self on back*

Now, she didn't get the Best Dressed Award but she said the LED lights really helped her see what she was eating because it was so dark at the event. *hahahaha*

Playing along with Stick It Down.

Make Stuff Monday - an upcycled gift box

This was one of those projects that came about when I was trying to clear off the stuff on my desk. Surely, it inflicts us all right? You know, the sudden inspiration for a project comes when you are in the middle of reorganizing/decluttering and you just have to work on it immediately? *LOL*

I started with this cardboard box (in case you were wondering what I bought...it is an automated face roller). I love the bright yellow and the fact that there was no obnoxious brand name plastered all over. :)

I went with the only patterned paper lying on my desk- the black and white stripes. Then I found some black and white floral ribbon so I decided to add some texture by pleating and hot-gluing it to the box. For the centerpiece, I cut up an old tag I made previously...and finished off with some birds, a cloud, a sticker quote and went with "hey" because I had some random die-cut letters and that was the only word that made sense. *hehehe*

And here is proof that I really took the random bits off my desk for this project...*hahaha*

I really liked how this turned out. Surely a gift from me should make it "the best day ever" right? *winks*

Family day at Gardens by the Bay - a double page spread!

The recent purge of photos from my mobile phone (to free up storage space) meant an abundance of family photos to scrapbook. Like these from a family day at Gardens by the Bay back in July 2019.

The photo quality wasn't the greatest because of all the additional indoor lighting and it was really really crowded. But the Yam family (all 10 of us) had a lot of fun visiting both Cloud Forest and Flower Dome conservatories despite the long queues.

I went with a kraft base for this double page spread and repeated several elements across both pages to ensure cohesiveness. As with all my double page spreads, the pages stand as single page layouts if they ever got separated. ;)

I really like using banners to unify pages. And birds of course...*winks at Julie*

And other cute fussy-cut critters. :)

I captured some fun photos...like my mum and sister taking a selfie...and nephews #1 & 2 looking somewhat happy. *hehehe*

And the niece debuting her new fake smile...*LOL*

Family time is such a joyful blessing. :)

Playing along with More Than Words. 

A doggy from my sketchbook

So I took a break from the self-portraits and eye drawings to draw a doggy. Isn't he cute? *winks*

When I first started drawing, I did draw a couple of animals but it has been a while. So it was a bit challenging...which you know is totally up my alley. I love going out of my comfort zone because that's when you really learn something new. :)

Of course I didn't do my preliminary sketch using a pencil. I went straight in with coloured pencils. *You know, living on the edge! Hehehe.* 

It took a while but I had fun.  :)

What do you think?