my 2012 little word is.. EMBRACE

every year as part of my very few things on my new year's resolution list, I have a little something I look forward to on Ali Edward's blog, where she encourages you to find a word, to stick to it throughout the year and when year end comes, I reflect on my little word to see how it has folded into my year

so I made a little something for my desk to remind of the word, EMBRACE..

this little word is going to be a word I reflect upon when I'm with my kids, doing my art, running around doing errands even, you name it, I'm embracing the little things in life..

dear friend mini album

dear friend album just for nilla.. ok, i'm currently loving the mixmatch album.. no limitations as to what to use as pages (ie chipboard, overlays, fabric, canvas, etc) and its great for when you've got great pieces of scraps lying around waiting to be used in the next project.

Here is my next mix match album cream themed just like the person i'm giving this album to. She's gentle, sweet, very cream colour (Nilla almost always dresses in white), lace ( Nilla is now into crocheting) hence the lace/crochet inspired look through the book.

Very easy, once you've got the idea and the theme sorted out, everything just falls together perfectly. Ofcourse, I've added the pink rose on the top just for some added colour into the cream background. Again, the cream patterned paper goes absolutely perfectly with the brown cardboard.

Ok so, sweet and nice leads to pretty little bows.. canvas pieces from Maya Road are stuck onto the cardboard to add texture. Also, the mistable papers by Pink Paislee are very lovely. Here, I have brushed over with Tim Holt's Distress Stains (Scattered Straw), an alternative to spray inks.

Nilla, among my other creative friends are met thru our common love for making art and coffee mornings. Its amazing how much ladies can talk about especially when there is a common interest. Even more amazed by how close our bond is when we share the same hobby. So, this is for you Nilla, if you're reading this, we are going to miss you..

The album says, "dear friend, continue to create and make art."

December a Holiday Month

Tis' holiday season.. We (sis and I) decided to handmade ornaments for the tree, a closer look below, not a good photo but hey it was the only photo I could find us together (hmm.. gotta remind myself to take more photos together or really gotta be more on the other side of the camera then just taking pictures all the time)

Quotes sis picked, printing out on paper and stuck onto little canvases. I adhere a gold string over the top to hang as an ornament on the tree.

Found these cute little socks from Art Friend, then adhere our initials. The plan was to everyday find little bits of goodies that reminds you for the someone or he or she might like and put into the sock, but the kiddos were around the tree so much and had their hands on the ornaments too many times, I decided to not go with the idea or my handmade ornaments are probably gonna disappear well before xmas.

Our tree, our ornaments.

I saw this very clever tree made out of outdated menus in a restaurant, clever ain't it? Hmm.. I wonder what's under there?

While I was in the mood of the season, playing xmas songs while making the ornaments, I also created this sometime around Thanksgiving and came up with this colour combo in a mix & match mini album of 5"x7" in size. Loving the idea at the moment, I may make more as gifts. They are great cos you could any scraps that has been sitting in your pile any shape or sizes will do. 

Here I found a few chipboard wings I had left from previous projects, painted with gesso, washed it with red paint to stick with the colour theme. Found the right patterned papers for it.

Because it was a thankful album, so I thought that I should use the everyday photos of the kiddos, for they are always up to something funny, something sad, something so meaningful to me. Capture the everyday as Ali Edwards would say.

Also, something made tis' xmas was..

gingerbread man ofcourse! Kids enjoyed making them and it tastes good! Put them in a jar and hand carried for just their very special, one and only grandpa! And before you know it, it was New Year's countdown.. 

I was in the kitchen during the countdown and could hear the fireworks, but my hands were busy rubbing in this leg of lamb! the best recipe ever from my dearie friend, Frances.. (I could have taken a picture of the cooked lamb but, it was carved and before I knew it was all gone!)

Also my first attempt to make an Irish Soda Bread. Very easy to make, love the kneading and off into the oven and here it is, ready for the lunch the next day..

Oh and also something I've been making for the past months are fruit tarts. Nope, the cake with hearts all over, I bought from Bijou. It was a chocolate cake coated with cream cheese icing. Here's an update from me with what has been keeping me creative.. Happy New Year, my friends! I really hope I'll be blogging more often this year (part of my New Year's Resolution) besides remembering my Ali Edward's made famous, my OLW (one letter word) for the year  ~ Embrace. Most of my creation will revolve around this word. I will think about it closely and apply this word to my everyday life. Thank you, Ali Edwards for sharing this beautiful idea.