Special

lovely surprise in the mail from MY

Last week this came to my mailbox. It was a lovely surprise from my good friend, MY. Max Lucado has always been one of my favourite authors. This was a simple reminder that just warmed my heart up. Knowing that each of us is uniquely made and valued by God and those who love and care for us.

Thank you, MY for the thoughtful gift! xx

'Someone who loves you just because you are you.'

It is a vital message we all need to hear. A message we need to share with others. Often.



'You are special, no matter what.'

yes, you. :)

Love in action

I'm glad that my mum is visiting at the moment. I miss her. I miss my family in Perth. 

She deserves to be pampered. This was a simple gesture to show my love. 

Starting afresh

Funny that it just feels right to type these out right now, no reason whatsoever, perhaps just to clear my head a little.

Just because i feel like picking up where i left on this blog... so, here we go again.


Season changes. People changes. Relationship status changes. But, my relationship with my God remains.

For the past few months, it have had been trials, low downs, painful heartbreaking, the whole emotional rollercoaster ride, don't know how to put them into words, really...i'm not a wordsmith. i suck at this. It just hurt. So deep. It felt like your heart was brutally cut wide open and left  bleeding til the bloods run dry. It went on a cycle.

Some days it just ached... quietly, deep down. No one knows except your lonely soul.

It was then i felt so weak, so crushed, so broken. Because it mattered. Because i've given it all. Yet, sometimes it's not how much you've given, even when it means that you would move city just to be with the other person. Sadly...you didn't see what i see in us.

I cried out to God, for He alone knew how much pain it was, how much tears poured. For i know i can trust Him in this. Through it all.
I turned to Him. I know that I need to cling on to Him, no matter what. Through it all.

I felt lost, for a while. Finding my balance again. Finding who i am again, without you. Without you this time. I am reminded of who i am and where i should look to.

The bright unknown future. Daunting, sure. But pretty exciting too. New opportunities. New pages. And i know who holds my future. The Faithful One. So, i surrender...over and over again to you, Lord.
Take me, mold me...lead me in your righteousness.


Long story short...


I've wrapped you up. Together with the memories. It was a decision i have to commit to. To let you go.
To let the past go.


It hasn't been easy, of course.

But i know this soon shall pass too.

Goodbye to you.
I've lost a good friend.


Lord, you are the Author of my love story. You hold the pen, i trust in you as you write my love story.



      Surely your goodness and love will follow me

    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

-Psalm 23:6

Alright, enough said.


So, here's a toast to new chapters ahead!

apricot hue

Last Sunday, I plucked a rosebud from his garden. It's always amazing to watch the flower blooms. 

rainbow geo clouds

Found some Kaisercraft wooden clouds and animals at the shop last week and painted them with acrylic paint. Gold and mint are perfect together. Playing with pastel spring feel colours. With the use of MT tape, I have painted them in stages. MT tapes work wonders. They peel off easily. Acrylic paint dries up fast and does not smear. I bought some pins to be glued onto the back to make them into brooches. Magnet is another good idea. Or just leave them as they are. Stick them onto a card perhaps.

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faith, hope & love

Two weeks ago, Faith and I had a crafternoon at her house. One of the crafts we made was paper-making. It was a fun process, blending the old newspaper and magazines together 

with coloured pulp, sieve and flatten them to dry. 

Today i took some ink and scribbled Faith, Hope & Love on them. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

It's a season in life to learn these, Faith, Hope & Love. Especially it's drawing closer to the end of this year, I am thinking about the future, what to do next year, plans and dreams. Fear is lurking around. About the unknown and uncertainties. I need to refocus and trust and keep my hope. And love to see us through. What lies ahead... only God knows. I believe He has something planned for us. He knows what's best. 

Thanks Faith for the fun and bringing the dried up papers to me. 

Look forward to more craft sessions together. :)

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Finders Keepers Melbourne

Last weekend, I've visited the Finders Keepers Market at the Royal Exhibition Building. It was full of handmade products ranging from jewellery to cards and homewares. E bought me one of Emily Green's lovely necklaces (above) for my birthday. Here are some of the photos I've taken at the market.

For more photos, click here. :)

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frankie 56

Frankie new Nov/Dec 2013 issue 56 appeared at the Finders Keepers Market at Royal Exhibition Building over the weekend. 

This issue's cover art is by Anke Weckmann.

Inside this issue contains lots of inspiring stories about seriously thinking about the 'why not' in life. 

Here are some snippets from Frankie. The issue is out next week, i think.

twenty & six

more candles on the delicious homebaked triple layer chocolate cake made by E. <3

So i have just turned twenty-six over the weekend. It was a wonderful birthday weekend celebrating with friends and of course, finally spending it with him for the first time! 

Thank you for your thoughts and little surprises (although i've spoiled some of the surprises! haha...) Initially i was thinking of baking a really huge layered cake covered in frosting and sharing it with friends. Only to find out from him that he was going to bake one for me. Aww... hehe.

Also, thanking all my family and friends who have made me feel so loved with their warm wishes and gifts and presence. It was a strange nice feeling to be receiving so much that it was kind of overwhelming!

I whispered a prayer on my birthday morning thanking God for His love and grace, and all the blessings He has poured out to me. It was a time for personal reflections and i really needed this time & space.

(for more birthday photos, please head to my facebook page.)

sprinkle bikkies

Sprinkle Bikkies!

This morning I've made some simple biscuits using this basic changeable biscuit recipe from here.

Ingredients

Serves: 20 

• Basic biscuit
• 125g softened butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 cup self raising flour
• 1 egg
• splash of milk

---

Directions

Preparation:10min  ›  Cook:8min  ›  Extra time:2min  ›  Ready in:20min 

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Mix the butter and sugar until you get a soft creamy mixture.
3. Add the salt and mix; add the egg and mix.
4. Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time, and mix with each addition.
5. Add splash of milk if needed and mix.
6. Knead the dough until it is not messy and is supple, then roll it out until about 5mm or so thick. The thickness doesn't really matter - 10mm thick if you want - the biscuit will expand a lot.
7. Cut using a cookie cutter shape to suit yourself.
8. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes – for a lesser time for a nice soft biscuit, longer time for a harder biscuit - just keep an eye on them.

Changes and Variations

9. For a sweet biscuit, add a tablespoon of hundreds and thousands to the mix.

As easy as that! :D

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it's about time

Alright, after more than a year of missing in action, i think it's about time to pick up where i've left.

I've forgotten the joy of blogging and often times busyness is the lame excuse i gave myself. I have not set my eyes on this blog since my last post in Sept 2012. Yep, it's been a long time. Perhaps i thought i've moved on from blogging world.

With the thought of using this space to document the random crafts and findings and my recent adventure in oil painting, i hope this would motivate me to do more things with my hands. That this would open my eyes to the little things surrounding me, to observe and absorb the wonders of life and art. Also a place where i could share with you some of my interests in art, design and creative people!

Also thanks to my friend, Overflou. Recently she has started blogging again and somehow it has this effect on me..and led me to trace my route back to this blog covered with dust.

So, (blowing off the thick layer of dust), welcome back to myself. haha...

Here we go again.

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Counting down!

The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway.  ~Henry Boye

Can't wait to meet my best friend/travel buddy, Janice halfway round the world! 

This will be our 3rd travel together consecutively since our Tokyo trip. 

We will meet in Italy!

Also, I am very excited to finally get to meet 

a friend in person who is also responsible for 

urging me to turn the travel idea into reality! haha...

And also, finally finally... 

last week i have set all the point to point destinations for

 my impromptu Europe Encounter! 

It was so last minute...late nights of sitting in front of laptop bookings stuff. 

Phew! At least now i have an itinerary set. 

The rest is gonna be encounters and adventures! 

Counting down...6 days to go!

“Travel is like a giant blank canvas, and the painting on the canvas is only limited by one’s imagination.” — Ross Morley

Frankie issue 49

Oh the places you'll go!

This issue includes a few places around the world.

it says, '..because if you can make the most of whatever situation you're in, it's almost going to be OK.'

And as always, this issue is full of good reads! I can't help but chuckle while reading pages of funny articles by talented wordsmith such as Eleanor Robertson, Pui Pui Tam, just to name a few.

You should get your hands on this issue straightaway if you haven't done so. =)

Calendar 2013 is available for pre-order now!

One tiny horse

Meet UK Artist & Photographer Cassia Beck.

I have been following Cassia Beck's photostream at Flickr for some times now. There is something whimsical and dreamy about her photos. So nice to read about her in Frankie!

toyhorsetravels.blogspot.com.au for more of her project.

This inspires me to start a mini project too for my upcoming travels. =)

Looking forward to the next Big Issue 50!

Åkerö

Hej! (hello in Swedish)

A few days ago, Cindy surprised me with a big pink kikki.K box of gifts. There was a pink apple mug inside.

It's this lovely bone china mug by Swedish design, Koloni. I absolutely adore it!

I love swedish design and stationery. 

She also gave me a few other random items like a can of pink salmon,

a pair of pink socks, pink tic-tac, pink lady apple, etc.

They all pink! haha!

Åkerö = pink 

A Month Away!

Yes, in exactly a month's time, i will be in the heart of the Eternal City.

And it will be filled with many first encounters and little adventures I am sure.

I called it 'My Impromptu Europe Experience'. 

Actually starting to feel a little overwhelmed now...!

I guess one can never be too ready. 

Sometimes being spontaneous is the way to experience it all!~

more on planning next time.

Music Monday: Featherstone

Lovely music from the Paper Kites to kickstart Monday. First heard from my friend, Cheryl's vimeo featuring her summer holiday in Perth. (lots of beautiful shots of the Swan River and oh, that summer feeling...)

Lyrics:

Wake up to the sound of your fleeting heart
Wake up to the sound of your fleeting heart
When you go, what you leave is a work of art
On my chest, on my heart

She went out to the hay in the morning grace
She went out and got lost in a tall hedge maze
Where'd you go? Where'd you go? Why'd you leave this place?
On my heart, on my face

And my love is yours but your love's not mine
So I'll go but we know I'll see you down the line
And we'll hate what we've lost but we'll love what we find
And I'm feeling fine, we've made it to the coastline

Ooh, ooh, ooh ooh ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh ooh ooh

Past all the signs of the slow decline
Live like your love wasn't meant for mine
Now you've gone, now you've gone to a different life
Til the loneliest side

Wake up to the sound of your fleeting heart
Wake up to the sound of your fleeting heart
When you go, what you leave is a work of art
On my chest, on my heart

And my love is yours but your love's not mine
So I'll go, but we know I'll see you down the line
And we'll hate what we've lost but we'll love what we find
And oh, I'm feeling fine, we've made it to the coastline

Ooh, ooh, ooh ooh ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh ooh ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh ooh ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh ooh ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh ooh ooh

Frankie issue 48

On Wednesday, i braved the rain to get my copy of the latest issue of Frankie from the local newsagency. Then the sun came out again so i quickly took a few snapshots with my macarons. 

The night before, i went into a baking spree, making batches of macarons. I was unstoppable! hehe.

Macarons, tea & Frankie turned out to be a perfect combination on a winter afternoon. Frankie, as always, is full of interesting & witty articles. 

Happy Friday lovelies!

Macaron day

Last Saturday, my friend, YL made her first batch of macarons! We called it a mini masterclass (for those of you who watch Masterchef you'll know) as i guided her step by step to the birth of perfect little macarons. She picked purple out of the coloring gels i have. I think the lavender color is simply delightful. It took us about 2 hours to complete them, filling and pairing them together with white & dark chocolate ganaches.

Then we arranged them on the cake tier and they looked exquisite. We were sipping fruity tea from T2 while enjoying these yummy creatures. Yay, macaron day was a success! =)

macaron recipe from the book 'Secrets of Macarons' 

follow me on instagram for more photos. =)

Jin's baby shower

       




















Last Saturday, a bunch of us gathered at Kim & Jin's house for Jin's baby shower. Everyone put in their creativity and made it a wonderful time together. We had blue themed decorations. Kim made the most gorgeous vanilla cupcakes with perfect icing piping skill! He said it took him a long time to get them right. He's a natural i reckoned! Jin made some mobiles out of coloured paper and sewn them into strings of cuteness! Cindy made the loveliest pom poms! Lisa hand-sewn fleece bunting which was so soft. Dao, the chef made some yummy finger food & jelly dessert. David & Bena bought super cute balloons including a gigantic baby shaped balloon. Bena also made dragon themed head accessories.

We indulged in awesome Korean BBQ lunch outside in the beautifully decorated backyard. Perfect weather for outdoor BBQ. We played limbo with balloons under our shirts. We laughed and laughed. After the games, we had freshly brewed hazelnut coffee from Gloria Jeans & enjoyed the cupcakes. Lastly we all gathered together as Jin opened up the presents. Lisa's precious darling, Robyn was enjoying herself too...getting all the attention from the aunties & uncles. And she got to play with the toys first! haha!

It was truly a wonderful time to bless the parents-to-be. =)

Best wishes

x

Jin & Kim & soon-coming, baby KK.

Oh Comely & LWLies

keep your curiosity sacred

It is a magazine that makes people smile, full of quiet moments and stories. Read it with a cup of tea or a toddy.
It inspires people to be creative, talk to their neighbours and explore new things. There are adventures that capture the feeling of being free, stories from people with tales to tell, recipes to warm your heart, and crafty things to make. All these things, wrapped up in beautiful words, illustration and photography.
oh comely is published six times a year, available in over a thousand nice places in the UK as well as internationally. 

- oh comely (about) 

Inside issue 9

A week ago, i came home to a parcel all the way from London! Inside were 2 awesome magazines and one of them was called 'Oh comely' (pictures above). These lovely magazines were from a very kind friend, Anthony as a thank you gift. 

Oh comely is very much like Frankie! It features many interesting, inspiring & witty articles. One that i read was a documentary film about the woman whose body lay undiscovered for three years. Another interesting article was on dead pets and what the writers did with them. One of them put her dead goldfish in the freezer and talked about how she couldn't bear to flush it down the toilet.

I read a few pages here and there, while on the bus to work and sometimes when it's quiet at work. I even tried out the guinness recipe for one of my breakfast last week. My friend commented that wasn't it too early for stout...haha. 

Guinness mushrooms on toasted sourdough

The other magazine was called 'Little White Lies'.

LWLies is a bi-monthly, independent movie magazine that features cutting edge writing, illustration and photography to get under the skin of cinema.

Bold, beautiful and unique, LWLies is a magazine on a mission – to reshape the 

debate across the movie landscape. 

- LWLies (about)



I like the bold graphic and colorful pages. It includes interviews with movie directors and creative people behind all the motion pictures etc. So cool!!

Inside LWLies

Ahoy!

Once again, a big thanks to Anthony for these awesome magazines!