New Workspace

Hi Everyone! I'm back today with a few photos to share my newwwwwww workspace! I know i have promised a few crafters out there before, that i will do a post to share my craft room but it was too messy so there was no point sharing too.

Anyway, i did my IKEA shopping on Singapore National's day and had all the furniture delivered on the Saturday. Basically, i bought 5 items in total - 2by2 Expedit, 2by4 Expedit, 1 table top, 1 HELM drawer on castor and a wall shelf. All the items were white except the HELM drawer which was red because the drawer stores all my inks.

Ok, before you scroll down and GASP at the whiteness of the furniture....... i'll like to let you know that i am not 100% comfortable with white furnitures because i play with LOTS of inks but i am spending 90% of my effort to take care of it. And hopefully it will serve me well for at least 2 years.


So on Saturday, the furnitures arrive and my handyman, aka my boyfriend, arrived. I was being stingy so i only paid for the delivery and made my handyman do the job. Since it was just fixing 2 Expedits and a drawer. As the deliveryman was bringing in the furniture, they asked "you order the table but you never buy the legs ar?!" Hahahaha.. you will see how i do it in the next pic!

There isn't alot of pics on the fixing up because not so nice to be snapping away while handyman was hammering. so..... here's my new workspace in my bedroom!


Ta-da! Table top on my 2 Expedits. Actually without anything on the table, the table top will flip when added pressure on one side. But after putting everything up, the table is really stable without any hinge attached. My room definitely looks more spacious now.

As for the wall shelve..... i ended up bring it to exchange for something thinner because the cheaper one that i bought was too thick for my liking on the wall. So till then, all my photo frames and decos are in a box.

Every cube has a category... example, 1 for dies, 1 for embellishments, 1 for papers etc..... i guess i shall not say much now unless there's enough request for a organization entry or something.....


Anyhow, i have to share this pic with u!! This is one of the drawer for the HELM drawer, it stores the distress ink pads perfectly! and its real pretty when i open it. *drools* Since this drawer is on castors, i can always roll it out anywhere in the house to use!

Hope you find something that you like and can use here! ;)

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Things I Love

I've been hauling alot lately and majority of the stuffs are things that I've been wanting. So other than the heartaches i am having, i am still glad i got them because they are awesome. Gonna share them with you and I hope you will find something that you like too. :)

No. 1 - ATG Runner

This is one big tape runner that i am still getting use to. I am currently using a Tombo Tape Runner but it is real expensive at the rate i am using and it actually doesn't stick as well as this ATG probably due to the humid weather in Singapore. This ATG is bought by my boyfriend for my EARLY EARLY birthday present. Hee.. my birthday is only in September. =p But whatever it is, i want this badly~~

No. 2 - Junior T-Sq Ruler

I've been searching this high and low in Singapore and i can't find it anywhere! I was only able to find huge ass ones in Artfriend. You must be wondering whats so great about this ruler right?! HA! If you don't know.. i always draw my lines horizontally upwards or downwards which is not what I want because i want to draw lines that are perpendicular to the side! So this is a life saver for me. Finally, i am so glad Maple Treehouse decided to bring them in! 3 Cheers for them!

No. 3 - Gamsol Odourless Mineral Spirit

I gave up hope wanting to buy Prisma Color Pencils because the price of it is toooooo expensive. 24 colors for $60plus. =O i end up buying Fiber Castells ones to play with this blending solution. This is a blending agent to create watercolor-like effect on your colored images. i hope it looks better than watercolor effects! I've yet to play with it.. but i'm looking forward to it! There's another brand for this blending solution called Sansodor found in Artfriend, but i heard it always run out. You may youtube this technique..

No. 4 - Limited Edition Distress Ink (Summer, Spring)

At one shot, i got the Summer and Spring colors because they are really unique from the other colors in the distress ink palettes. And now i am missing the Autumn Colors because somehow, everytime when i look at it, it doesn't super appeal to me to spend that money. Hopefully i will win it somewhere in a Destash or RAK post. haha..

No. 5 - Fiskars Trimmer

Another BIG TOY! When i say big is because i really don't have that much space in my room to keep big items.. and i try to be as organized as possible. And because this is new and it's like a precious baby to me, i can't just try to squeeze it into a hole on my table or have things stack above it. Anyway, got this at 40% off from Joann.com and it is really a great deal since you can't really find this in SG. And i swear by this trimmer because the blade is so much better than my Popular $15 trimmer. The wire track makes cutting precise! Invest in one!

Among the above mentioned items.. i also got more washi tapes, twines, stamps and a few 6x6 paper pads. I decided to put all my new un-used items into a paper bag. I will go to this paper bag when i need to play with something new and it also reminds me that i shouldn't buy more because i haven't played with the items i recently bought. I shall not keep buying and putting them away into my organized boxes. Hope this method helps. 

P/S: I actually had this similar post typed out yesterday and i saved it as draft. But when i came in today, i clicked on a wrong button and everything was wiped out! Sad sad sad! But i still wanted to share these with you although my writing is messy and my thoughts are everywhere.

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TwinesTwinesTwines

I'm getting tangled up in Twines! I bought 5 different colors of twines over a period of 2 weeks and to be honest, i can't bear to use them. =( Toooooo pretty.....


Got the above 3 colors (Airmail, peppermint and black&white Divine Twines) from Scrappin'Love. They were offering them at an amazing price because the LSS that i always buy from only sells the BIG BIG spool of airmail twines, which is totally crazy if i buy it. They were so nicely packaged and the tag really brings a smile.


These 3 creamy-licious colors are from The Twinery and they feel really really soft! When i saw all the colors of the twines in the bin of my LSS, i almost wanted to rub my face in it. All the colors were amazing but my pocket is limited. So i chose the special colors and bid the rest goodbye.

Whatever it is, all this twines are making me happy now.

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What a snatch!

Let you in to a secret....................
This is my 1st 12x12 Album!
Ok, you might be wondering where i keep my layouts then, right? Hehe.. i keep them in the plastics that i get when i buy 12x12 papers from LSS. And after inserting them in the plastics, i keep them under my computer desk.

What made me finally buy this album is because it was on 50%! Which is only $30 after the discount and it was thanks to MWL's moving out sales and the National Scrapbooking Day offers. Oh yah, how did you spend your weekends?

So here i am, happy and contented with my purchase and i can't wait to use it!

Next up, if you happen to see this post and the layout of this website is hay-wired, please do not panick! I'm in the middle of changing the layout. Will most probably remain as it is, in BOXES format but different colors and probably a tab on where i get my inspirations from. Stay Tune!

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M3H Clearance

3 Cheers to M3H (Maple Treehouse) as they are moving out to a more convenient location at IMM. Even though its an office space but at least i know i get to visit Daiso and m3h at the same time. So as they are waiting to move out, they are also having a clearance sales and it's a good time to grab things! Went down on Thursday evening to pick up my prize that i won during their Xmas challenge (yes, its delayed and i've been so busy). There were some pattern papers that i've kept away already and supposed to have 2 bottles of MS glitters but i really really hate glitters that sticks around (as mentioned in this post), so i requested from the owners if i could change for something of the same value and they immediately suggested to change for the Ancient Page inks. Hee! i don't mind - ink pad plus reinker. Good deal!


On top of the 2 colors i chose for my prize, i got another one at $12 along with archival ink and picket fence distress stain because they were on 30%-40% off too!


Finally parted my money for honey be scissors at $15 and more twines at $5 per pack. Cant remember scrubbi's price but i decided to try it cause i've been having a hard time getting glues, esp hot glues, off my hands. =/


I've seen so many people use maple leaves stamp to do so many amazing things online and i've decided to own my first tim holtz's stamp. Love it cause its on sale too! TGF stamp was pre-ordered and i went down to collect too. More watercoloring to come!


$24 for this 8x8 paper pad. Not sure if its cheap but it was a style that i am willing to try. ;)

M3H are offering even more products on sale now. My eyes are set on the $2.10 EK Success Foam Squares and $2 Cats Eye Pigment ink by ColorBox!!


Went down to PM last friday and i got to catch up with their weekly release goodies.


DCWV released their all time famous "Once Upon A Time" PP again and i went down to the stall to grab their smaller size pad. (i have the 8x8 one already and i'm using them for my 21st birthday album)


Grab this 2 punch at 40% off and it is very heavy! I carried all the way home and i played with it. However, i had a hard time punching all the shapes out properly. Bf helped me too and he couldnt do it properly too. So we figured that it was faulty and i carried it back again ytd wanting to change new ones!! So heavy~~~~~~~ The PM sales lady decided to test it out and she got to punch it out beautifully!! She was smaller size than me lar! >.< Turn out it was probably the way i had punched it.

Not sure if you guys will be getting it or have the same problem as me. But here are some tips.
Tip 1: your table should be on a lower level so more body weight will be used to punch it.
Tip 2: The heels of ur hand should be aimed slightly towards the middle of the punch and not at the end of it.

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Etsy Roses & Trims

I've been real busy at work preparing for my upcoming roadshows and my exam papers. Stopped scrapping for the time being because all i want to do when i get home is to lie down and rest. I'll be back with more scrapping in March.

However, i am in the middle of online shopping. The above 3 websites are: iamroses.com and Pro31 and Karlas001 Etsy. I've spent the longest time looking for retailers to sell white/ivory mulberry flowers in large pack and low price. These websites sell them in pack of 100s and they sell very pretty trims and skeleton leaves too! The paper flowers sold in LSS are too overpriced and afterall, they are just papers!

I've just emailed Pro31 and iamroses asking about the shipping prices to Singapore. Hopefully it will be reasonable too. I understand that they send in those Mail Boxes that have S/M/L Sizes. I hope i can stuff alot of things into a S or M Size box since flowers and trims are quite light and can be "squeezed". I hope to pack as many stuff as possible so i can maximise the shipping cost!

If you happen to have purchased from them b4, let me know, yea?

I'll be back with more news soon!

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Reviews & Releases

 

Finally got my hands on this! This is the smaller Fiskers Stamp Press because the big one is really too big for my usage now. Anyway, i finally got the chance to stop by MapleTreeHouse store after one of my interview to take a look and it was neater and more comfortable than i expected! It was a walking distance from the MRT and it was situated on the 2nd level of a "Car-selling" place. Imagine there were uncles and smoking people looking at me when i was trying to find the store. =/ But the store itself was easy to walk around and good thing is, you can put down ur barang barangs and pick your items!

So i finally met Keefe whom i had exchanged a few emails before and i always thought it was a girl cause i pronounce the name as "Kee-fe". End up it was a guy and its pronounced as "Keefe", silencing the "f", something like "Keith". I really felt so embarrassed when i said "Kee-fe and Sylvia is not working today?" *Blush*

Anyway, he was really nice to share all the projects and best selling items in the store so i didn't have to think too long on the colors. The nice thing about visiting the store is that i get to see some items opened up because they have samples of it. He also answered alot of my questions and I am so thankful that i asked him about the MS circle cutter because he enlightened me that the MS website has reviews on their products!

 

So i've been looking for a circle cutter and i wanted to get this because it can cut circles as small as 1inch but the reviews online was....... terrible. =/ It isn't as simple as it seems when i watched youtube reviews and there were so many disappointment on the ms reviews.

   

The bigger circle cutter got better overall reviews but the smallest circle it could cut is 4inch, which is still abit too big for my liking. And someone on the ms review mentioned that the measurement knob will move when you are cutting the circle. Which makes some parts of ur circle 8inch while another side is 7 7/8inch. =/

So people out there, enlighten me on a circle cutter that can cut small circles about 1 or 2inch, that does not "glide around" when you are cutting and is easy to use. 

My google reader recently has been soooooo yummy because all the major crafting brands are releasing new items to present in the upcoming CHA! And with so many releases and sneak previews, there are equally many giveaways as well!! Yum Yum! Check out Hero Arts new stamps and Lawn Fawn new "Love n Breakfast" stamp set!

Forgetful me! I forgot to take the M3H catalog when i left. Let's hope i remember to take a copy when i visit them again to collect my giveaway prize!

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Lucky Lucky

 

I forgot today is the 8th Dec and MapleTreeHouse was announcing their lucky winner for their Winter Distress Ink giveaway. So unknowingly, i searched for MapleTreeHouse on my Facebook and saw that Sandy has picked her lucky winner on her blog! 

Wwwweeeeeee......!!! I'm the lucky one and i can't wait to try this 3 inks! It is my first time winning such a thing and i always believe i don't have such luck on lucky draws. I am really thankful that Sandy picked me and M3H had such a great giveaway! =D

For those who don't know about these 3 inks........ They are seasonal distress inks that do not have reinkers and will only be released during the season. Meaning, if the winter colors are sold out, you got to wait till next year!

God has been really kind to me this few days! Aside from winning the inks, I received 3 calls for interview in total within 2 days and they are all pretty good companies. All i hope is that i can ace the interviews! I've been to numerous interviews for Part Time or Temporary jobs but it is my first time for Full Time job. Securing an interview is like completing half of the journey to getting the job for real. Cheers!

I hope everyone out there are feeling lucky too. ;)

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Xmas Day 1

 

One of the cutest cards i've been so far. This is what i always wish every year - STACK OF PRESENTS! hahaha..

The 2 birds and presents are popped up with foam tape.

Supplies Used:

- Me & My Big Ideas "Mambi Sheets Pad", Bo Bunny "Noel Mini Edgy Album Paper Pad", AC White Cardstock

- AC Premium Ribbon "Christmas 2 Dollar Ribbon Spool", Doodle Twine "Christmas Assortment"

- Lawn Fawn "Making Frosty Friends" Stamp Set, AC "Maria" Stamp Collection, Studio G "Jeu De Tampons" Alphabet Stamp Set

- Distress Ink "Shabby Shutters", Splendors "Antique" Ink Pad

- Queen & Co Black Bling

I achieved alot staying at home today on a Sunday. I finally caught up with majority of my youtube videos and sent out more resumes. I also took photos of the new xmas cards i made and uploaded on my facebook page. I also manage to read finish all the blogs and websites i am following. *phew* I feel i was deprived from using my computer the past few days! Haha!

Cheap shipping tags found at Popular thanks to Juanna and her great friend Cheryl! I went all the way down to Causeway Point during one of my free day to grab it because the popular near my place didn't have. I was expecting to find bigger size ones but don't have. Nevertheless, i am still happy with my loot because it is a good start for me to play with! I do know there are bigger ones selling at Taka Art Friend but they sell in a WHOLE BOX that probably have 100s of it for $33, i think. But it is wayyyyy too many for me to store or use. If anyone out there wants to get it, i want to share! Looking for the bigger one to put 4"x3" photo on it.

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Update: OCN

After doing a review yesterday for On Cloud Nine, they were so efficient to post the review on their facebook and extend an awesome 15% discount to everyone out there as long as you type discount code 'MADEYLIM' during checkout to enjoy it! This coupon code is valid for 5 uses and up till 31/12/2011.

And of course upon hearing such a news, i immediately log on to their website and started to prepare what i want to get! haha.. i start early, think for some time then make my purchase. Just in case i make some impulse buying. But here's 3 Lawn Fawn stamps I've narrowed down... And few other items..

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On Cloud Nine

ohhhhh myyyyy goooooodnesssss... i simply love Lawn Fawn Stamps! They are SO SO SO cute yet not childish. If i could, i would want to collect all their stamp sets. Adorable! Aside from owning "Frosty Friends", i now own "On the Bend", "Sophie's Sentiments", "Harold's ABCs Stamp Set" and "Quinn's ABCs Stamp Set".

When i was looking for it about 2-3weeks ago, i didn't see PM carrying the older collection. However, i went to Lawn Fawn's Website and saw an online SB store (On Cloud Nine) that i haven't seen before. So i went to their website and was very skeptical about it because their blog was kinda quiet, products were limited but the FB was very active though. So I decided to drop them an email and they replied after 2 hours, which is very prompt! Wasn't sure who i was "chatting" with on the other side and there was no number, just an email address for their store. But i went ahead and ask if they had the above mentioned stamp sets because it wasn't on their website. They were so nice to let me know they could order from Lawn Fawn and how long it would take for them to receive. And when there was a slight delay, they immediately emailed me to let me know. This is what i called good service. On top of that, it is free shipping and it came in bubble wrapped envelope too.

I'm so glad to open my mailbox today and see the package in it. Happy meal in the mailbox! love love love. I also bought few other items because they are pretty too. All items were not exceptionally cheap because most of the time i have 40% off at PM. However, it saves the time for me to search up and down and some items are always OOS in LSS. If you are a crafter too, do visit www.OnCloudNine.sg cause you might find something that you like. ;)


Maya Road letter chipboards and Basic Grey paper pad.

Yes, i love alphabets. Can't get enough of them! They are so essential to make the whole LO look pretty.


Update: On Cloud Nine has extended a great offer of 15% discount to me and my friends when you purchase with them! Simply type discount code 'MADEYLIM' during checkout to enjoy the discount!  This coupon code is valid for you to use up to 5 checkout times. Expiring on 31/12/2011. What are you waiting for?! Time to get started on your Christmas cards and Presents to me.. hehe! 10q OCN.

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Maple Tree House

Hi guys! LOOK AT THE GOODIES ABOVE! Don't ask how much i spent in total cause i'm too shy to talk about it. BUT........ i'm really satisfied with it. These shall keep me going for making more Christmas cards.

The whole point of this post is that i SAVED ALOT even though there are a few negative thoughts along the way.

As you may know, there isn't alot of scrapbook stores in Singapore and the common ones like Paper Market and Made With Love have their prices marked up by ALOT! And i really mean alot because I'm going to share with you a website that i found. I am not doing an advertorial for them, but good things are worth sharing with friends, right?


Maple Tree House (M3h) houses the cheapest deal for scrapbooking items. Some items are pre-orders while some of them are available stocks. The pre-orders take about a month or 2. But its okay for me cause i can wait... and this time, i bought alot at a go so i was entitled free delivery to my doorstep at my destinated timeframe because they use a private courier company.


They were packed in bubblewrap envelope and when i opened it, it was like christmas to me! Except the fact that i burned a big hole in my pocket and i am still thinking of getting more stuff like the MS circle cutter! hehe.

Anyway, M3h provided an excellent customer service when i had so many questions! They answered all and it proved that they have excellent knowledge of their products. Thank you Keefe and Sylvia for all the tips.

I can't deny that some things are better to be bought after feeling and seeing in person but i don't like the idea of squeezing with people while i make comparisons and then i can't keep track of my expenses and have to carry the items home. So with the mentioned factors, i've decided that online shopping suits me better. UNLESS i need something urgently. Another plus point would be choosing the stamps. I like the idea of searching "birthday stamps" and have all the stamp sets appear infront of me instead of squirting up and down, opening drawers to find the right stamp sets.

On the website, there were so many deals here and there that i missed out their "50% off deal for every $45 spent" and i think i missed out ALOT of good stuff at that section. =( Makes me so sad because i could have gotten 6-8 items at 50% from that section! arghhhh.. careless me. I didn't see that section! There are so many pretty items in there!

I noticed that some items have increased in price since i last purchased them. But u can still save alot as compared to buying from a physical store out there. I do hope that M3h continue to maintain their low prices so i don't have to run around getting items.

Anyway, i had a little hard time with the courier company when i missed the knocking sound at my door and the phone call. So i called the person back requesting him to come back at night but when the clock stroked 9pm, no one was seen at my doorstep. Which kinda made me so angry because i could have gone out. Anyway, i called the person back and he totally forgot i called him in the afternoon, so he kept apologizing. I gave in and told him they could redeliver the next day between 8-10am. However, i'm not sure what went wrong because they delivered at 1130am instead. Argh! i had to wake up so early on a Saturday and sit by the boring TV to wait for them. Tried calling the toll-free hotline but no one answered. I checked the online tracking system and saw my parcel leave the branch only at 930am. Enough said - i don't know if i should blame myself for missing the delivery time or the courier company for screwing up. They had no feedback link on their website either.

BACK TO THE POINT...

I've made a few reviews on M3h website on a few items i bought. Making reviews along the way while i'm using them. Some items you could check would be the Ranger Craft Sheet,


Glossy Accents


Aqua Flo Brush (came in 3 brush sizes) - FYI, I had no prior experience in watercoloring.


Ranger's black diamond stickers - Look at the glitters!! so pretty and clustered together!


I bought this 6x6 paper pad at a very cheap price but no reviews on it because all papers are pretty to me. haha!

M3h is still growing and bringing more variety of items. Some stuff i look forward to would be their basic color cardstocks (e.g. from American Craft) because it is good for cardmaking or more paper pads or maybe Fiskers Punch series. oh yes, i'm eyeing on the Fiskers stamp press for my next haul. hehe~

I hope that after my exams or for my next month's haul, i can go down to their store to take a look and maybe have a chat with them since its not very far from my home. Till then, i hope you guys take care.

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gum gum bubble gum

Life after work is kinda monotone for me.
I would be too lazy to go around shopping.. So i end up walked around the shops at my house area. Probably get my dinner and see the little shops that sells boots and clothes.

I bought my boots from one of this shops and the thing that supports the heels dropped out last week. Darn, can't find a cobbler around here. So i went to make friends with the auntie and i have asked her to help me go to the cobbler when she is free to help me fix the shoes and i will pay her the money while i am out of town this weekend.

Oh! I am heading outta Shanghai this weekend. Tell you where i went when i am back! =)

Anyway, i sat in her shop for an hour talking to her.. She is so nice to chat with. And of course, she knows my business idea and is willing to be my supplier. What i like about her shop is that she sells shorts and very nice boots. Spacious enough and has a fitting room. Ye know it is hard to find a shop by the roadside with a fitting room. PLUS! She says that if we can be good partners, she don't mind continuing the partnership even if i had head back to SG. Nice auntie lor!

So here i am sitting in my dining area having my burger (as dinner). Its raining outside *Yawns*


Outdated photos!


This is uncle Meng Kee. Desmond's dance partner's Dad. He travels to and fro from Singapore to Shanghai every month. He is one rich guy that has his own chauffeur, so he brought us out on a Sunday 2 weeks ago. And not to say, we were all driven around shopping and eating!


He brought us to this cafe that is owned by a Singaporean and sells all Singapore food. From Carrot cake to oyster ommelette to ang gu kway to zui kway to teh tarak. LOL.


Shiokness!

There were alot of Singaporeans in the restaurant too. And they were all working in MNC company and one of them was the Sports Director for the Shanghai Singapore sports association. So yeap, we made friends with each other immediately.

Then we bought some winter clothing and he told us what is the average price we should pay for the apparels. I can say that i learnt alot!

The coolest thing was we became a VIP member for this DVD shop. This DVD shop doesn't sell those Lousy quality DVDs. Their packaging are those with box and covers and of course, no chinese translated titles on them. Almost look so real, but without the qualified sticker behind. Ye know, that shiny shiny one! hahaha..


Guess what is this place?






Super like Singapore Food Republic style.







Went shopping and i went into this shop that does a workmanship on covers. Covers like photo album, organisers, photo frames and etc. As long as its clothe, they will do it.




Their goods.


The owner is very nice as well. She actually has many returning customers from Singapore. So we all hit off quite well and uncle meng kee bought her stuff at a discounted price. =) And when we were about to leave, a guy walked in with another angmo and we immediately said "hi, you are from singapore too right?!" LOL. Cause he look singaporean and he spoke so singaporean too.

Shanghai isn't that big after all. =p

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