I am on a blogging hiatus as I would like to focus on my jewelry craft work. Hence, I will not be taking in requests for reviews of any nature in the future. If you do have queries on my jewelry work instead, please get in touch via email : oon.adeline@gmail.com
I was spurred to try out coffee art since I make latte for the hubs and I on most mornings and especially after getting a milk frother not too long ago. So here's my amateuristic journey in pictures so far!
See top left : that's my very first "accidental" tryout which spurred me to try a little better on my next cuppa. If you can't tell, it's supposed to be a rabbit but because of that bubble there, it looked like the rabbit had a boil on it's face! I then went on to make a heart shape, a bear shape and a flower!
I guess this is one of the better turnout! I couldn't decide if it was a birdie or a duck but a few instagram followers says its the latter. Ok I admit I cheated a bit here. I used my spoon to help me with neatening the edges.
THEN! I was inspired to use chocolate sauce for art after a conversation about coffee art in a Singapore Mom Bloggers private chat! I figure I should be able to do a more refined piece of "art" on my coffee than just relying on the froth alone. I think that takes tremendous skill.
And these ladies and gentlemen, is only the beginning of my coffee art journey! I think ah, my hubs is amused to see these designs I come up with when he comes back from sending kids to school in the morning. He "rolls eyes" at me but does put a goofy smile on his face. Priceless!
I would appreciate though, if you can give me ideas and comment on what design to conquer next! TIA!
I saw this door knocker at an old shophouse along Jonker's Street during
a recent day trip to Malacca. It is very cheena but if used fittingly in a nice modern home decor, I think it would add as an eye-catching contemporary art piece.
But did you know what it symbolizes?
In ancient China, these kind of lion door knockers on front doors symbolizes the wealth of families. It also means that no evil things can enter the household with the fierce looking lion face on the door. Quite the same meaning as some places having 2 lion statues beside their front door.
These days, am pretty sure they are sold as novelties which I think, is pretty cool to install if I ever have a BIG HOUSE, with A BIG DOOR and a grand entrance! :p
I still have many customers who don't have a clue how a clay bead designed with pattern is derived. Most have the notion that it is hand painted.
This is my third post on how I make polymer clay bead related craft. You may wish to visit this link for all the previous polymer clay posts to which you will better understand how this latest post comes about.
How a lentil shaped bead is achieved with swirl designs
As with making all my clay beads, a clay cane design needs to be derived first. Here, I have used this laced design clay cane so that you will be able to see the swirl effects clearly after the bead is completed.
The laced clay cane is thinly sliced and placed around the sides of the round clay ball, leaving the top and bottom sides of the sphere bare.
As this technique requires both of my hands to work it into shape, I've asked my daughter to help me take a short video so that you can see the transformation from scratch. A flat glass piece is used here, keeping it parallel with my work board and constantly rotating it in a anti-clockwise (or clockwise) motion, focusing on one point. This will ensure that the swirl design can spread evenly on the end product. The longer it is being rotated, the bigger the swirls will be.
The end bead product.
And incorporating these beads, after baking, as focals on a necklace creation.
I hope you can see why I love the versatile nature of working with clay. You could make just about anything you imagine with it and in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
I'm so pleased to have Evelyn Tan-Rogers featured and interviewed over at my blog today, for my Entrepreneurial Mamas series that is an ongoing feature.
When I first met Evelyn, she strikes me as a very soft spoken and lady like person. But behind that petite frame lies a pretty dynamic personality with a zeal for life! She is also, probably the most retrolicious looking mother I know!
I've also been admiring the inner creative streak Evelyn possesses - the little nifty craft work and her abstract photography - which I hope to see more of.
Thank you Evelyn, for gracing my blog with this interview so that we can all get to know you a little bit more and what you do. I sincerely wish you the best in your future business undertaking! p.s. Now now people, you know who to go to for photo booths when you have an event!
I'm a
blogging mom of two and you'll find me at thebottomsupblog.com. I'm also a
freelance writer and editor, and once in a while you'll catch me at an event
manning a printer (or printers) to deliver photos to guests quickly!
When and how did The Party Paparazzi came about?
We did our
first official shoot as The Party Paparazzi in late 2009--it was for a
secondary school's graduation event. Before that, my sister-in-law Jac ran a
mobile portraits service where she'd go to people's homes, set up a backdrop
and shoot them but it stopped being fulfilling for her and she was looking to
do something different. I think the fake mustache photo prop trend took off in
that year, and that led us to have a conversation about getting people to goof
off in front of the camera and printing those pictures as keepsakes for them to
bring home. We tested the idea on our cousins and they seemed to like it, so we
bought a few printers, set up a website, and we were ready to roll!
Did you face any challenges while setting up The Party Paparazzi?
Our biggest
challenge was (and still is) marketing: Apart from putting up a website and
posting in a few forums, neither of us knew how to go about getting the word
out to as many people as possible. And we were a bit late in getting on
Facebook. Back then I wasn't as active on it as I am now and I didn't realise
its value as a relationship-building and publicity tool. We were one of the
first few budget-friendly photobooth providers around but we didn’t capitalise
on that and now photobooth services are really common (and getting more cost
friendly by the day) and it probably won’t be long before the DIY trend takes
over! Also our party booth business wasn’t the only thing we were preoccupied
with because I had regular freelance editorial projects to manage while my
sis-in-law was exploring other photography business channels at the same time.
What themes do you offer at your photo booth?
When we
started out, The Party Paparazzi stood out as a budget-friendly service and our
clients so far have preferred to use a standard set of props--mustaches,
glasses, wigs, hats and headgear--because customisation would result in extra
costs. We do put in additional props according to the seasons, e.g. Halloween
and Christmas. We also replace props when they get worn out or (in our minds)
lose their appeal, and we look in thrift stores, flea markets, bargain bins,
the party shops, and Daiso for new items that we think would be fun to pose
with.
What events do you usually cover?
We’ve done
D&Ds, weddings, school graduations, and small home parties for kids and
grown-ups. This year, my sister-in-law and business partner has announced that
she's relocating to another country, and until she moves in June, we'll be
focusing only on small home parties. I’m currently making plans to continue in
this direction after she leaves, with a new partner, as well as to offer a
printing-only service.
List one thing you wish you had done sooner in your business and why.
We neglected
to think ahead to a time where everyone would be offering a similar service,
and possibly at a lower cost. We could've done with a lot more discussions on
how to differentiate ourselves and revamp our pricing structure! The other
important thing we didn't do was to move ourselves into managerial and trainer
roles and hire junior staff members so we could accept more assignments and
cover more ground. I've been home minding baby #2 and my photographer
sister-in-law returned to full-time work last year. We've had to turn down a
number of assignments as a result.
How do you manage your time with family and work demands?
My
mom-in-law looks after the kids whenever I have shoots or any sort of
work--she's a godsend! Our shoots don't happen every weekend; before we scaled
down our service we had about two shoots a month, so it didn't take away a
significant amount of time from the family. I also decided to say no to most
freelance writing work offers when I had baby #2 in '11, but I should probably
start making some work calls soon! Before, with just one kid who wasn't in
school, my schedule was flexible and I spent the mornings with my daughter,
with my mom-in-law taking over in the afternoon so I could head out to get my
work done in peace. That routine worked well for me for several years!
Could you share two of your favourite photos from your shoots?
These photos
are from the first party that we shot, for a birthday girl named Kateryna.
We're still very grateful to her mother for taking a chance on us although we
didn't have a party portfolio or much of a client list at the time! She liked
what she saw on our website and hired us with no questions asked, and it was
the confidence booster that we needed to keep going. Till this day, we have
great memories of the party and we're still in love with the pictures.
Like this interview? Support Evelyn with what she does by sharing this post or her website for more information on what Party Paparazzi can offer and staying in touch via her FB page.
When I was growing up, I was terrified of animals. Perhaps I wasn't educated on how gentle and loving most domesticated animals can be. I remember the only pet we had was a little chick mom brought home from the market for me when I was 6 years old. Yes a chick! Didn't quite like it because it kept pecking on me.
We've had countless pets since having my own children. When I mean countless, I meant all the fishys! We've had the luo han(and seriously hoped it would give us 4D numbers or something), guppies, puffer fish, goldfishes and fighting fishes too. But you know, we can't really bond with fishes in the tank. So it was a more visual treat for the kids than anything.
When we passed the fish rearing phase, we adopted hamsters. We had two in a span of 6 months. Despite having bitten on their fingers while handling them on a few occasions, it did not deter my children from loving them. Unfortunately, their life span is only about 2 years.
Here's Brandon handling a mouse. Between a mouse and hamster, I think hamster is a lot cuter!
Brandon was unafraid to handle this baby croc, even though it snapped and almost bit his finger. I wouldn't have even touched it because, it sure looks like a larger version of a house lizard!
My kids with our current family pet.
I am still not really an animal animal person per se because I was never brought up to have animals in my life. But I think I should not deprive my children toward their curiosity and love toward animals. I feel, all children have a natural bonding toward animals and we, as parents, should let them embrace the animals that are in our midst. You don't have to own pets to let the children explore and learn from their experiences with their encounters with animals. As for me, I am for the hope in doing so, my children will be more loving,
nurturing and be even better parents to their
children in the future.
Middle of last year, I shared how I make polymer clay canes in this post. From clay canes to making my own polymer clay beads play a unique part in my little jewelry crafting business.
In this post, I will be sharing how I make polymer clay beads and then assemble them into a simple pair of earrings.
Using an existing flower cane design that I made before, I slice pieces of the cane thinly so that I can cover the whole ball of clay with it. When it's all covered, I roll the bead evenly on my palm so that the cane conforms into a smooth surface.
When I was done with that, I would a make a hole by poking a metal headpin through the centre of the bead and send it to my dedicated oven for baking in order for the beads to be hardened. Once the beads are ready, it has to be taken out to cool for at least 5-10 minutes before I can start working with it.
I chose the necessary embellishments to assemble the earrings - ear wires, silver bead connectors and swarovski fresh water pearls. These extra embellishments are necessary, attributing to the quality and the aesthetics in the creation.
I hope you've enjoyed this post and will appreciate what all handmade crafters have to offer to bring you the best from our fields.
- Colon cancer is apparently the number 1 disease in Singapore. For more information on this disease, please visit the Heath Promotion Board. My dad was featured in a short video interview at the end of the link's article -
I'm not completely sure if I have overcome my grief toward the passing of my dad. I guess I may have not because when I recount the last hours of his life - be it in the shower, while I'm cooking or driving in the car with the radio playing his favorite songs, there will be an unleash of pent-up tears.
My mom has definitely not come to terms with dad being in heaven yet. She often tells me that I don't understand the grieve she has in her heart and I would remind her that I do because he is my father but perhaps, not to the extent of losing the man who has taken care of her every need from the time they got married. Who would have thought he would leave us so soon?
When we first got to know of dad's diagnosis of stage 4 colon cancer from the specialist, we were indignant. At that stage as we all knew, his life will be short-lived and the ultimate outcome would be a painful death. Well, to put it bluntly, everyone has to die anyway but life always seem unfair that one has to leave the world behind because of an illness and not of old age. What made us even more upset was that dad was as fit as a fiddle. He had been a sportsman all his life. Yet, a strong, healthy and active man succumbed to this dreadful disease.
Dad had never stepped foot in a hospital for any kind of sickness treatment before so I can imagine how very nervous he was about it when he had to be operated on. Part of his colon were removed and chemotherapy sessions began as soon as he recovered from the operation.
Dad's "moment of fame". He was one of the ambassadors for HPB, advocating the colorectal screening kit.
I admire dad for his jovial and positive disposition throughout his treatment. He was a breath of fresh air to everyone around him despite being in pain. I knew deep down in my heart, he was in pain yet he never showed it. Whenever I saw him crouching to his knees when we were seated, my heart would break into a million pieces. He would lightly brush me off when I asked if he was okay and I would leave him alone because I didn't want to add on to his frustration. I felt helpless that I couldn't help him feel better in anyway. I could only pray and spent any free time I had with him and mom.
Little else could be done when we found out the cancer cells spread too fast and furious to his liver. His body stopped responding to the chemotherapy sessions after the last few clinical trials he signed himself up for. We were so desperate to prolong his life that we searched the internet for possible natural resources to fight the disease. Dad consumed the 'Sabah snake grass' for a short while - a recommended plant that apparently cured many who juiced the leaves and drank it raw. We also found out at that time, the NTU chinese medicinal department was also researching on this plant as the possible cure to cancer. Perhaps it was all a little too late because his body was already weakened by all the western medication that no amount of supplements could battle with the disease. It was agonizing watching him deteriorate in the last few months of his life.
I will always remember, 3 weeks before his passing, we went out for our last lunch at his favorite coffee shop in Hougang at his request to have char kway teow. After that last outing, he confined himself at home because he no longer had the strength to walk. Not long after, he didn't even had the strength to talk or swallow any solid food. We could only get him nutritional drinks to support his well-being.
A moment with dad while he was resting on his bed just two weeks before he passed on. This photo, taken with my mobile phone, remains a favorite of mine and my mom's.
On the day of his passing, I was with my mom at the hospital for her last checkup on the cataracts that she had removed. After the specialist gave her the all clear, I texted my dad to update him on it as per his request. He was glad that all went well and asked me to accompany mom for lunch. When I sent my mom back home about 2 hours later, my dad had already gone into a vegetative state. We were in shock because he was still quite all right in the morning. We didn't expect matters to take a turn for the worst in such a short span of time. We prepared for the worst.
The most painful moment for me was watching dad take his very last breath that very evening. The moment I had dreaded to face most in my life. I was surprisingly calm and unafraid because I knew God was with all of us in that room. I held on to my dad's arm and gently kissed him goodbye.
My mom, myself, my children and 2 aunts who rushed down upon the news, were with dad at his passing. Regretfully, dad did not manage to wait and bid farewell to my brothers and their families as my brothers were out rushing to pick their children from school, in the hopes of spending the last few moments with him. My husband was also not with me at the time because he had just flown off to Korea for work the night before. I am thankful he took the last flight out that very night to come home to be with me.
Dad battled with colon cancer for 2 years. The moment of his passing still remains vivid in my memory. It only seemed like yesterday and I miss him terribly. On the other hand, I am comforted to know that he is happy in the house of God as the dreams I have of him always portray him in a blissful state.
Today, I remember my dad as it is his 1st death anniversary.
Here's a nostalgic montage my brother arranged, in dad's memory with cool vintage photos from his punky younger days, the wedding with mom, as a national coach, a teacher in Outram Seconday School and the family moments captured in our younger days.
In celebration of this successful initiation, founded by Rachel of Catch Forty Winks, our mom bloggers were invited to a makeover session hosted by Florinda, founder and style coach of Style Essence. Florinda is also herself, a mom blogger!
We were welcomed to finger food treats by our host and separately, The Shepherd's Pie too celebrated with us with their sponsored pies, before we started our session.
We were all subtly reminded that grooming plays an important role to our well-being. More so as mothers, there is certainly no excuses to not look good when we go out. Even the simple adornment of lifestyle necklaces do play a part in bringing out your look. I do agree, it does boost one's confidence when you feel good about yourself. Isn't confidence a very sexy virtue?
So, I learned that I have a pear shaped body. All the while, I thought I was just a big blop of apple!
What is your color? Hmmm... I am mostly black, with a touch of red, pink and purple. Wow. I DO have split personalities!
That's Florinda (behind), our charismatic style coach and founder of Style Essence, enjoying a comical moment with Liza who blogs at Mother of Xander. In this segment, we were individually invited up to be determined if our skin tone suits 'warm' or 'cool' color categories.
I'm happy to know that I belong to the 'cool' category because the colors are so my colors!
Then came the awaited moment - the hands on session on our glorious faces! We started with lessons on the proper ways to good skin care regime.
Goofing around with my camera after I was done plastering my mask and oops! Caught Madeline from Mad Pschy Mum in the background! The reason for the mask only applied on half of the face is so that we can compare the difference from the other half after it has been cleaned off. And yes, of course there was a big difference! The masked side of the face was visiblyfirmer and smoother than the other! I was really impressed with the immediate result.
I was also goofing around taking "artistic shots" of my fellow mom blogger sidekick seated beside me - Regina from Mummymoo. And yes, she still looked fabulous in this photo with half the mask on!
Then came the moment we were waiting for - the makeup session!
After Florinda shared with us the steps and choice of products to use in order to achieve a flawless made up face, we got down to work - very diligently I must say.
Ta-da! Took a shot of myself on my phone for a before and after look. Pretty pleased to see a dull-looking-pockmarked-face-me turned into a fresh faced and looking-a-tad-younger-looking-me. I am definitely convinced it was the foundation primer that fixed everything on my face!
Random shots of a few ladies I managed to take photos with my phone - [clockwise] Regina, Florinda, Liza and Susan.
Love the take-home gifts, specially packed for our blogger moms who attended the session.
And before we ended the night, we took a group photo to mark the occasion. All the pretty mamas in 2 rows! Clockwise from left to right : Bernadette (trainer), Susan, Sandra, Regina, me!, Madeline, PC, Florinda, Adora, Pamela, Liza, Estella and Jiahui.
It was a memorable and fun night out with this group of ladies, whom I've gotten to know through my blogging journey.
Special thanks again to Rachel and Florinda for arranging this workshop for all of us to enjoy and look good for ourselves!
WIN 3 COMPLIMENTARY PASSES WORTH $150 EACH TO A MAKEOVER WORKSHOPwith STYLE ESSENCE!
Just leave me a short comment on this blog post on why you should win a makeover workshop pass, with your name and email contact. Winners will be drawn randomly, announced on my FB fan page (please like if you haven't already) and will be contacted directly by Style Essence for your scheduled workshop date.
Closing date : 12 April 2013 (Friday) 3pm
-This giveaway is open to those residing in Singapore only.
Do also hop by our sponsor's website and connect with them through the various social media for style updates, tips and tricks!
Here's to more great SMB birthday celebrations to come!
Disclaimer : This is a sponsored workshop. I am in no way affiliated with the company nor compensated in monetary form. All opinions are entirely my own.
Congratulations to the first 3 names in this list! You have just won yourself a complimentary pass for this makeover workshop! Style Essence will be contacting you to schedule a workshop.
Coffee Art, Anyone?
