A Wish For You...

Just Because Of All the Hours That Was Put Into This...

I don't do parties, not really. Isabel's birthday party is the second one I've ever done. First one being my wedding. There's just this fear in me of going through everything and having no one show up, or no one enjoying themselves. Eek!

But Isabel's at the age where she knows what's happening, I have my mom to help with the mundane stuff that I tend to overlook, and we worked, and worked and worked.

We took basement rooms that were dusty,unfinished and laden with junk to this:

Yes, these are the AFTER pictures. Imagine what it looked like before.

And cleaned it up even more to make them into real rooms with as small of a budget as possible -- handmaking where possible, and using existing furniture, paint and new plants. (It's just freezing cold!):

(this is post clean- up, hence why the carpet is not laid down on the ground -- it's drying)

I don't really have many pictures (kills me -- after all the hours that was put into it, I don't have pictures), but this is the jist of it:

Main table for food:

 I wonder if there's a market for custom tablecloths I can get into?

(can you tell I don't like to iron?)

Giftbags from remnants of the 9 yards from the tablecloth - I quickly learn that I will never be able to work in a production line. Sewing the same thing over and over again bored me to tears. So there were different versions going on -- sling bags, totes, etc

Gift tags that I stayed up till 4am to make the night before -- why, I have no idea, but I've never really done much paper crafts like this before and it was fun at the time. (hindsight - should have spent the time doing other more practical things. But that wouldn't be as much fun. At the time.)

A treat that was made, among others  - rice krispie pops dipped with chocolate, resurrected especially for a picture

And that's all I have.

Party!

Isabel had a birthday party about a week ago, with 8 little friends tearing up the house.

I didn't really have much chance to get pictures, as I was running around like a headless chicken most of the time, but it went well, I guess...

They all had entirely too much sugar, and were very enthusiastic.

Isabel was excited to have so many people over, especially her daycare buddies

Happy Birthday, my darling. You're a big kid now. 

These Kill Me...

Her baby voice and her innocence...I would actually be willing to go through all that crap again to get back to that part of her life again.

Birthday

Yes, you are a big girl. 

Happy Birthday, my purple-orange sunshine.

 

I love the way you say "hoob" for hood.

I love the way you say "tub tub" for bathtub

I love that you still want to cuddle 

I love your laugh

I love it when you sing at the top of your lungs while going for a walk

I love your stinky feet

I love when you talk to your dolls

However, 

I don't love how sometimes, I feel like you're slipping away from me

I don't love how as you get older, you start to lose your innocence and learn that this world ain't so great as you think, and that people aren't as they seem.

I don't love how much growing up you have to have done in the past year and a half (and you did so good)

I don't love how I have to share you

That's the way life is. Good and bad. One day at a time.

You are my darling, my baby, and I love you. ThiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiS much - to the moon and back. 

Party Prep!

My mom and I are frantically trying to get everything squared away for Isabel's shindig.

Pom-poms are up as of tonight

There's still a bunch of sewing to be done.

Good golly, that's a lot of fabric! And I'm still not convinced it's enough!

All for the sake of this little monster!

Table

For about a period of a month, I get the painting bug and will start spraying away.

I found this table at a yard sale for $30 I think, but my neighbor who was with me managed to knock it down to $15 (or thereabouts) And to think that I'm the Chinese, not her. I definitely do not have haggling skills (nor do I like to haggle, although I've started trying it out - won't turn down an opportunity to save!)

And this was also my mother's first piece! Yes, when you are here, you will be put to work.

Art from Central Market when I was back in KL last. I don't have many things on the wall as I'm not really the type who knows what to do with wall displays. But I saw these hand-crafted wayang kulit-ish pieces and wanted to bring a bit of Malaysia back with me.

It's ironic how you have to bring a girl out of her country for her to appreciate it. I highly doubt I'd purchase them if I lived in KL. 

And of course, another stack of my thrifted antique books.

Meet Olivia

I have a tendency to hoard things that I like. Particularly books. And sometimes, craft books. One in my collection that I've had for awhile is the Wee Wonderfuls book. I've flipped through it a number of times, ooh-ing and ahh-ing over all the various projects that can be made. And I have dreamt of making every one of them. But you know how that goes.

But, after a particularly bad week at work where I just wanted to tear my hair out, I sat down and began. (Crafting, not tearing my hair out)

Meet Olivia (named after the pig - although the doll is not remotely swine-like)

Typically, I do NOT enjoy handsewing. But this was somehow different.

I used the Tag-along doll pattern, but made slight changes to it so that she can be dressed or undressed as you please. (the original had the dress sewn on) 

And of course, because Isabel and her bellybutton is legendary, I had to put a bellybutton on Olivia.

She's made mostly out of felt - I don't think I'll do that again. I used the felt by the yard that you can find at Joanns, but I'm not sold on the quality of it, even though it came recommended by Dana from MADE. Next time, I may just use fleece for the whole doll (which I ended up using for her legs)

The dress was a fun make-up-as-you-go-along piece.

I think I may make a blonde version for one of Isabel's best friends for Christmas.

And because I have it, here's Isabel modelling her pajamas

 

It's the same Emma Hardy pajamas pattern from her Making Clothes for Children book as this post
Although I have to warn anyone who's going to make it -- there's something wrong with the pattern for the pajamas pants -- so use the Elasticated Pants pattern instead for the bottom.

Tea for Two....or Ten?!

Isabel is going to have a tea party.

A few hours spent on Pinterest to gather ideas, and another 3 hours spent on making the invitations, there's no backing out now.

The invitations were fun enough to make, but I'm no scrapbooker. I'm sure that real scrapbookers (which one of the moms is) will cringe. 

 

 Lets hope I pull through.

(My poor mother. And brother. Who have to help with my hare-brained scheme)

Honest Opinions Needed!

Is this suitable for a boy toddler?

My mom freaked me out when she thought it was for a girl because of the red. It has TRAINS on it!!!

This is why I'm so glad I have a girl. No worries about something being too "girly" or even too "boyish".

Another question would be - what do you think about receiving homemade goods? 

Is it a yay or a nay?

Trick or Treat

Here's my princess =)

Her "costume" is perfect for twirling. Cause all princesses should be able to twirl properly.

Our loot from the night

Diving into the loot!

Aha! A lollipop!!

Consuming the loot

Trick or treating is tiring work.
Either that, or we were crashing from our sugar high.

 

Sorry for the blurry pictures -- it was difficult to take a good one of her as she wouldn't stop moving. An effect of all the sugar...consumed by me?!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is here. And I have approximately...hmm...nothing done in terms of decorations and prep work.

• There's only 2 (small) bags of candy in the house
• There's 1 pumpkin out on the front yard, whose paint has washed off during the snowstorm we got this past weekend
• The only "decoration" we have is a spider that we got from a playdate when they were doing crafts (I didn't even make it -- I've left by then, but they made one for Isabel)

BUT...

At least I have a semi-homemade costume for Isabel.

As I've probably mentioned, she's fascinated with princesses now. And she wanted to be a White Princess (switched from a Purple Princess. AFTER I made what I made. Tough kid, you're wearing it)

Using the Poncho pattern from Emma Hardy's "Making Clothes for Children" book as the base, and adding a hood that I altered from this tutorial that I found through Ucreate, I made a velvet princess cloak with fleece lining (because it's COLD out). I hemmed and hawed between the Emma Hardy pattern and the O&S red riding hood cape pattern, but eventually went with this one as the armholes slits on the O&S didn't jive with the mental picture I had in my mind.

To me, the cloak is probably the best part of the princess ensemble, as I love coats and outerwear in general, having grown up in a tropical country where I've had little chance of wearing anything heavier than a cotton cardigan.

It was a huge sigh of relief that it all worked out, as there was a lot of winging-it moments, and the fabric wasn't exactly cheap.

She was on the fence about it -- so I had about a week to convince her that yes, princesses wear cloaks when it's cold out. So, we've been reading Beauty and the Beast on repeat for the past week. Multiple times a night (her request)

We'll be going trick or treating tonight - will update with full costume later.

Just Cause We Are Awesome

;)

Thanks, Tsen!

By Jove!

I actually completed her costume.

Well, the main piece that I was envisioning.

The rest I've decided to use what we already have. 

Ballet Bag

It's been sooooooooo long since I've last sewed. And this year, I have lofty aspirations of making her Halloween costume. Yeeeah....maybe.

To ease me back into the game, I started on this little pretty that I wanted ever since I saw it on MADE a year ago. But I didn't have a use for it, so filed it away for future reference.

Now that Isabel's in tap and ballet classes.....it's the perfect excuse!

Of course, it still took me ages to finish the last 2% of it.

And the ribbons look like little elf ears when the bag is fully opened
(I was working with materials that I already have. I'm too lazy to drive to the store for just 1 item)

But, it's done.

Update

Or also known as "What Has My Poor Mother Been Up To..."

We went apple picking on one of the rare occasions where I plan to do something "special".

And now we are up to our ears in apples and the sight of an apple apparently makes my mother's stomach turn. So much for special.

And I have to admit this: Doing activities where the area is crawling crowded with young parents and their toddlers/babies puts me in a bad Scroogy mood. I want to waggle my finger at them and say in my best 'old woman voice' -  "JUST you wait...you think everything is fine and dandy now".

As I mentioned, some days are better than others. But I think it's a good idea for me to avoid those kind of activities for the time being *shrug*

But mostly, we do things that I typically do when I have my weekends kid-free.

That includes trollling around for junk unique items at thrift stores and yard sales. This past weekend, the haul seems to be mostly on books -- we bought about 45 books for a total of $18. Some are antique (I found an antique French version of Winne the Pooh! For 50 cents!), most are those trashy romance paperbacks (yes, I have an affinity towards them. I got to balance between Jane Austen and Penny Jordan)

She's painted furniture that I bought at above mentioned yard sales/ thrift stores

But most of all, she gets bullied by a 30 lb little person, who unfortunately has inherited the stubborn and opinionated streak that I have

Don't be fooled by her chubby, kissable, snuggable looks.

She's a force to be reckon with (and she also needs a haircut)

 

Sorry for crap pictures -- all are taken through the phone. My big showy camera decided to try diving and the lens broke. Need to drag myself to the shop and see if they can repair it.