2018 CNY Ang Pows

This year's CNY Ang Pows... fresh from the oven (printer actually!)：

I had an all dogs design - I've gotten the Chewzies to change into their hush puppies matching outfits (for the dog logos), took pictures of them with their dog plushies and even incorporated the popular Snapchat dog filters into this year's red packets! :)

The background was made of many colourful dogs. Look closely and you'll see that they are tangrams - puzzles put together to form different shape and sizes of dogs!

The Chinese words 狗年旺旺 meant "Prosperity in the Year of the Dog". I love the sound of the four Chinese words when put together... there is a wordplay for 旺 sounds like the bark of a dog. :)

Not forgetting the back of the red packet, I included the paw prints... May you have a Pawsperous Chinese New Year! :D

P.S.
Again, this year the ink ran out and we had to top up the ink! The printouts went orangey (lower quality for testing) ...to... perfect velvety red ...to... too dark ...to... one third red, one third yellow, one third blue ...to... all blue!

[Updated on 14 Feb 2018: This year DC also bought different types of paper to experiment... we test printed using the grossy n semi-grossy papers. The effect were different, the new papers were lighter and oh that shine on the grossy one! Maybe we could more of the grossy ones for next year’s red packets!

DC was a great help this year, not only he went places to replace the ink, searched for papers, he also helped to point out a mistake on the red packets, something that I overlooked! The word 旺 was written wrongly; there was a missing stroke! Being a perfectionist, he wouldn't allow me to fill in the missing stroke with any marker, golden pen or even stickers. I could do a good job designing something over easily but he insisted that I redo the wordings... which I obliged. :)]


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V-Day Collages

I'm recently a little active in IG (new pastime!).

Posted some collages this Valentine's Day in IG, here they are... Hope you have a good one! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Maybe you can't see it... both DC and I were in pink in this pic. :)

  ART - You can't spell HEART without ART!

Can you see the hearts in the picture above?

Life's better in PINK!

Pink - the color of Valentine's Day. All the Pinks that I saw in a week!


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There is a princess in everyone

Love how this picture taken during CNY 2017 by DC turned out!

My mini me and Me :D

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CNY Ang Pows 2017

This year's CNY, which was on 28 Jan 2017 was way too early for any preparations to be made!

I didn't really have the time to explore new PS techniques and the creative juices didn't flow as well compared to last year (last year I had 2 designs!). So, this year's handmade ang pows was done pretty quick, with the aim to conserve time and energy for the bigger CNY to do things e.g. spring cleaning.

Introducing this year's red packet design for the Year of Rooster:

If you were to notice, the template was reused from last year's and I only had to fit in a photo in as the cover for the red packet. I made sure I chose one photo with enough gold (or red). I even removed the wordings this year!

Of course, like previous few years, I also added elements to allow the kids to participate in the making and to add their creativity strokes on the red packets. The balloons were to be turned into colorful roosters and the kiddos clothes to be tinted with sparking colors for the CNY! Each packet is still unique on its own! Haha, in the end the kiddos were more interested in watching their cartoons to help out...

Special thanks to DC who specially bought a special coated paper! He also got a new colour printer, haha come to think of it, the ink cartridge used to be replaced every year this time, it became a yearly thing to do before CNY unknowingly! Hopefully with the new colour printer, this step will not have to be repeated every year! :)


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Returned!

Returned to the art show the next day!

Not because I missed the art there, not because I wanted to buy any of the art there but because I thought I lost my cardholder there!

The organizer was very nice to hand me a return pass, however it was quite a frantic experience, trying to search for something that I didn't know where I've dropped!

And my feelings then was like this! Lol!

I also made my way to the conference and exhibition security counter to report my lost and found item. I didn't understand why the procedure was made so difficult just to report a lost item and was terribly annoyed by the poor customer service the security officers had over there! The customer service hotline and the mall security was much better!

On the way there, I cancelled my credit card... the new card will be sent to me in 3-5 working days.

It was only when I reached home that I found it! Still in my bag! Wonder why DC and I failed to find it in the first and second place! haha...

I tried to cancel the request for the new card, but was told it couldn't be done... Now I had to wait for the new card to come, and re-apply for ezlink topup. Quite a lot of work because of blunder!


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Invited To At An Art Show

Gunthers gave me a complimentary ticket for 2 for an art show the other day. Actually we had not planned to be there but coincidentally found ourselves around the area!

Sensing that we still had some time, we decided to pop by the exhibition hall for a tour. What's more, there's complimentary drinks there!

Much to DC's amusement, the gallery wasn't boring at all, he found some of the art pieces interesting. :) There were photography exhibits too!

Much to my satisfaction, we managed to cover quite a lot of art pieces in that limited time we had!

Bonus was the free cocktail that was served!

Quite an eye opener this quick little tour, nice experience!

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CNY Ang Pows 2016

There were 2 versions this year, the rectangular ones were for the adults, the monkey ones were for the kids!



Extending last year's idea, I wanted the kids to do some artwork on this year's ang pows to make them more personalized and original. There were some hiccups along the way e.g. yellow printer ink was running out causing the colour of the ang pow to be off, the flower plum cutter that I bought could not cut through felt cloth (wanted the kids to stick different shades of pink flowers on the ang pows) and the idea had to be abandoned, the gold paint did not settle well on the red packets, etc. Due to time constraints, this was what we came up or rather, made do with for this year, the year of the Monkey.

As for the monkey-faced red packets, I stumbled upon a YouTube videos on origami monkey and thought it would be fun to have origami monkey as ang pows. I took me a while to search for a folding method that could allow me to encase and slot money in. I then did a template with folding and cutting lines and filled in the colors I wanted. I created 2 versions of it - girl monkey with ribbon and boy without. I gave A the boy monkey ang pow and B the girl monkey ang pow as 压岁钱 on the eve of CNY! They both love it and the ang pows are still under their pillows! :)

The process was fun and B had been a great help this time round! :)


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CNY Ang Pows 2015

 The 2015 handmade limited edition CNY ang pows are out! :)

This year, I had the fun experimenting with different PS techniques e.g. changing the colour of A's Polo shirt from grey to red, creating texture/ patterns for the background, embossing words, etc...

I did not want my ang pows to look too commercial, so this year, I involved my precious A and B in the making too! I got them to do finger painting on the ang pows... I guess it was not difficult to guess which paint colour was done by who. :)

I then did a few finishing touches on the ang pows such as outlining the "yellow" ingots, branching the "pink" flowers, adding smaller darker pink sparkling flowers and making the gold accessories that B had sparkle using gold pens.

For a change, I actually wanted to devise a couplet [金玉洋洋到、满堂喜气来] but DC preferred the old school greetings. So, I stick to the usual family greeting that I usually used for the ang pows.

Anyway, I think the results was good! The thought that each ang pow was unique and done by the little hands made me warm! :) Good job, kiddos!

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Merry X'mas 2014!

Just did quick collages of A and B to send greetings this joyful festive season! :)

Merry X'mas 2014 & Happy New Year 2015 to all! 

Boo!

Happy Halloween 2014!

It was so coincidental that A's room light was faulty since a few days ago... good to create some "spookiness" in darkness!

I switched on the night lights and placed the kiddos close to the lights. I took the chance to introduce Halloween to them, a holiday widely celebrated in the west... we also had treats, but no tricks...

They had fun with the lights. Kids are kids... no matter how you get them to pose, they will look cute, innocent and photogenic. More angels than devils I say! :)

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CNY Ang Pows 2014

Here are my CNY ang pows for 2014:

This is my 5th set of ang pows and I'm still enjoying the process! :) As usual, I did a draft first, DC gave comments and then I worked on those comments to fine tune it until we both find the end product satisfactory.

It was no brainer that the design of the ang pow this year had to be the kids riding on a horse. The flowers were plum blossoms and the prints came from B and my new blouse -- these were ideas that just popped into my head during the process! ;)

There was also a hidden meaning to the design - it also means: 馬上有(金)錢花! Hehe...


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Ang Pows 2013

Just done with my latest creation - the ang pows for CNY 2013! :)

DC thinks that this year's red packets are the best. I like them too, esp my two little cuties and the mudan flowers! :)

Happy snake year, everyone!


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Hidden Messages

I did this invitation card recently for A's 3rd birthday celebration... and hid a secret message in the image! Can you find the hidden message?

If you noticed, at the right corner of the image was a square shaped code. This, is the QR code or the Quick Response code. The QR code originates from Japan and is commonly found in magazines, posters, web pages, T-shirts and anywhere in Japan.

QR codes can contain information such as url links, geo coordinates, and text and may bring you to watch a video, view a slideshow, find a location, access a business info, URL which directs you to an online discussion or give coupon for use in a local outlet. :) The possibilities are endless!

I'm quite fascinated by this technology and being the inquisitive woman that I am, I feel like going around to hunt down every QR codes in sight!

Oh yes, the most important question: How do you encode the message?

Simple. If you are holding a smartphone, just go to the app store (or equivalent) and look for the keyword QR scanner or reader. There are quite a few of them. You could download a few to try them out. The contents would be deciphered in no time!

You're welcome to try reading the message in the above image! :)


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Red Headband

This is my 2nd Attempt at making a flower headband for B.

This time, I used a red 50% silk and 50% viscose yarn. The end product looked a little different from the last time maybe because of the material used. But, it came out nice too. I'm satisfied with the result!



Now, B doesn't have a lot of red tops or dresses to match with this headband... Time to shop for one! :P


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I'm Crocheting

Yes, I'm in the mood for a mini handicraft project and this time, I've chosen to crochet a headband for B! :)

First I bought yarn and hook. I remembered there was one shop in Tiong Bahru Plaza but was disappointed to find that the shop has closed down long ago! Then, I recalled there was one at Tanglin Mall. I got a ball of mixed pink yarn and hook:


Then I started working on the headband (14 inches):


Followed by the flower:


Lastly, I sewed a button on the headband and fixed the flower in.


Tata, the end product on B's head!




I love how it turned out! :)

Looking at how much yarn was left, I decided not to waste it and made another 2 more (13 inches and 15 inches) for my two nieces.



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Drawsome

I'm in love with the iPhone app "DrawSomething" as it provides me with a platform to draw and create my art anytime, with anyone anywhere. :) (Think: Win, Lose or Draw & Hangman)

It was a sheer coincidence that the tv (yes, I watched a lot of tv nowadays!) is showing a program called "综艺大哥大－叫我毕加索" which is similar to the game, only that it was in chinese. The program caught my interest and since them, I wanted to get my hands in doodling! However, I find it stupid to have myself create the topic and draw to myself. You need someone to play the guessing game with you!


It was just timely that I know of this app from the fb where some of my friends were addicted to it. A good reason for me to satisfy my drawing craving and I don't need to trouble anyone to play it with me! The game allows you to choose a random player! :)

Here're some samples of my doodles. It's interesting to note that when I just started, I was conservatively using black as my main source of colour and how I advanced to use more colours now. :) Now, I can't wait to get more points so that I could "buy" more palettes of colours!

From Black:


To Colours:



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CNY Ang Pows 2012

I managed to squeeze in some time while doing my confinement to make some CNY ang pows. :)

Here's this year's version:


Happy Dragon Year!


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DIY Baby Shower Banner

I thought it'll be nice to have a banner for the full month celebration this Sunday. Since I couldn't go out to buy (I'm still doing my confinement now) and there wasn't enough time to purchase online, I decided to make it myself. :)

I used similar colors as the cards we would be giving out together with the gift boxes. The steps are simple... just design, print them on papers, cut out, string them up and hang the banner.

Here's a peek at my one-hour work:


The usual ones out there have wordings like "Baby Shower" or "It's a Girl"... I decided to customise one with just B's name on the banner. :)


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Chalk Art

A saw the box of colored chalks on my table and kept wanting to play with them!


I couldn't stop him and didn't manage to dig out the chalk board from the basket full of things stacked packed during the room shift, so I took out black papers for him to scribble on.


The results not too bad I must say. A enjoyed it! :)

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Fathers' Day Celebration

We had a celebration at the nearby restaurant with my family (4 Daddies altogether).

At home, I tried to take on DC's work - He didn't have to bathe Baby and feed Baby that day. :) It's Fathers' Day today, he deserves a good rest.


The artwork above was by Baby. That's his latest passion - to print wet hand prints on our glass door! :) I added the words on top which says "Happy Fathers' Day" but the words vanished too fast as it dries up.

Like last year, Baby seems to know that Fathers' Day is nearing and he's especially sticky to his daddy!


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