The last time we had a family outing...

So the last time we had a family outing was on 14th March. It was a couple of days before my birthday and we went to a restaurant in town for lunch and a Korean cafe for dessert.

That was before social distancing was required at dining places. Now we can't even dine out! Seems like such a long time ago...even though it's been only 6 weeks or so. *Your sense of time and space gets warped when you have to stay at home...LOL*

Let's not mention that the birthday girl did not get any photos taken or had a cake for that matter...(I added a cake graphic in the photo to simulate what was missing *sad music plays in the background*). *winks*

As always, I went a little crazy with my decorative elements along the photo border....but I did use up quite a bit of bits and bobs, *high fives all around*

I love the photo of mum and dad looking at each other...hahaha!

Playing along with Stick It Down.

This week's fun mini folder

Hello friends! Happy Wednesday! Meet this week's fun mini folder! :)

I did go a little trim crazy...*winks*

I "cheated" a little by using an old decorated giant bottle cap as the focal point...and just build up the design from there.:)

This turned out so cute, eh? ;)

What to do with leftover wallpaper - project #1

After doing two feature walls with Photowall wallpaper, I have about 6m of wallpaper cutoffs leftover. Since these are environmentally-friendly non-toxic wallpaper, I decided that they would be a great addition to my patterned paper stash...and it would be fun to see how many ways I can use these on my projects. :)

First up would be to use it on a layout, aptly documenting the wallpapering process and finished rooms. *winks*

And yes, I finally played with my new toy too...check out those cue photos printed on my Canon Selphy QX10 photo printer. :)

Lots of fussy-cut bits from my stash...

And I threw in some stickers too!

And yes, I did some fancy overlay effects on my photos. :)

Playing along with Let's Get Sketchy.

Mixed Media Monday - Portrait #2 from #the100dayproject2020

Yes, I believe it's day 21 of #the100daychallenge2020 and your girl here has done a grand total of 2 portraits....just 98 more to go! *wish me luck please*

Of course, the first one I did was in monochrome so it was totally necessary to up the ante for portrait #2 and do it in colour. You know how I like to stress challenge myself.

I kept to a limited colour palette to challenge myself further.

Photo credit: Cindy Lee

And also decided to attempt another baby portrait because babies are cute and a little more challenging to draw. This little cutie is my pal Cindy's baby boy Ashton. I was supposed to be in Penang last month to meet this little guy...but for now, this portrait will do. :)

P/s: This was done on a 9x12inch toned gray sketch paper with Faber Castell Polychromos coloured pencils and a Posca paint marker for highlights. I might need to draw smaller portraits or work with faster mediums in order to reach my goal by the end of the deadline. Will I be able to do it? *winks*

Let's celebrate the little things - this week's quick card

Hello friends! How are you doing in your part of the world?

Earlier this week Singaporeans were dealt two blows - firstly, the #stayathome order was extended by another month (even though we are only 17 days into the first one). Secondly, the closure of previously essential services now deemed as not essential (according to our government) like stores selling solely beverages and desserts like cakes. Yep. Nobody's getting a store-bought cake till June 2nd 2020. Of course, local bubble tea lovers are currently grieving. And did I mention that Mc Donald's ceased its islandwide operations just a few days prior to this too?

Yep. Can't go out, can't eat crap food. *LOL*

Luckily, I bake and my pantry still has supplies for some cakes and cookies so the Yam family will survive this series of unfortunate events. *winks*

While we can't change things beyond our control, we can celebrate the little things in life that make us happy. I mean, use a fancy cup to drink your tea. Or wear something nice at home. I painted my toenails this week and have been wearing perfume too. And my mood is way better! :)

Tell me about your week in your corner of the world. Let's all celebrate the little things in life! :)

#the100dayproject - 100 portraits...check out my first one!

Photo credit: Tim Isaac 

So #the100dayproject officially started on April 7 and your gal here started hers yesterday. Yep, she's behind by 15 days and needs to play major catch-up. *LOL*

Of course, she decided to choose the challenging task of drawing 100 portraits in the duration. *dramatic music plays in the background*

Seriously though, I haven't drawn in weeks. You know that I really enjoy my sketching at cafes while enjoying a cuppa. With the lockdown, I've pretty much stopped sketching. *sad music plays in the background* Of course, I was strong-armed (virtually) by my pals Lizzy Hill and Cindy Lee to get started on my #the100dayproject. So yesterday, I got started. *high fives all around*

I've decided to do 100 portraits of family and friends using the different mediums in my large arsenal of art supplies. My plan is to get them framed and give them as Christmas pressies. Yeah...go me, starting on Christmas pressies in April!

Anyway, portrait #1 is my sweet nephew E! I snagged his cute photo off his daddy's FB account yesterday to use as a reference photo.

What do you think? Would you like your portrait to be in my line-up? *winks*

Earth Day 2020 - a decorated upcycled box tutorial

Happy Earth Day 2020 friends! Today I'm sharing an upcycled mooncake box! :)

I started with this sturdy mooncake from last year's Mid-Autumn Festival. At first I was a little reluctant to do anything with it because of the cool holographic cover. But I'm currently on a mission to upcycle whatever's available at home right now...*triumphant music plays in the background*

I started with patterned paper (Basic Grey and Graphic 45) that I cut to size and adhered to the box.

Then I thought it needed more punch...so I went in with a ribbon border. And of course, I did a horrible job adhering the ribbon at the four corners so buttons were strategically added as a design element. *winks*

I wasn't quite sure how to decorate the box initially. Then the Singapore Prime Minister extended our #stayathomeduringtheCOVID19pandemic order by another 4 weeks till 1st June. Well, goodbye spring then, let's just go ahead and look forward to summer (*high fives friends in the northern hemisphere*) shall we? *optimistic music plays in the background*

Lots of fussy-cut elements and stickers. :)

I had so much fun working on the cover because of all the happy colours!

Not sure what to put in the box yet? Maybe a coordinated folder filled with goodies?

What do you think?

Vintage-inspired decorated folder

So the obsession with the decorated mini folders continues! Here is this week's vintage-inspired decorated folder. :)

As usual, your gal got carried away with the layering of embellishments. *winks*

Yes...that would be washi tape, vintage trim, pearl trim and a bling butterfly. :)

Can you tell that I was just trying to fit as many bits as I can in my cluster? *LOL*

And yes, the feathers are there for strategic reasons of course...ahem..cover up mistakes. *hehehe*

A quick look at the interior of the folder. Apologies for the glare...the fairies are glittered so the camera went a little crazy.

Hope you are having a fabulous week so far my friends! Let's focus on what we can control and derive joy from the little things in life we can still do from the comfort of our homes. :)