Hand Made Leather Coin Pouch for W

I like to make things with my hands (like earrings) so have been trying out different types of DIY craft recently.  This was something that I made for my dear friend W, who is notoriously difficult to get gifts for since she has everything and doesn't need anything.  But I know she will appreciate the effort that went into sewing this coin pouch for her!

(Although this was fairly easy as the leather was pre-cut and the holes pre-punched, so all I had to do was to stitch it together.  Which is actually tougher than it looks and blister inducing ! Kudos to all leather artisan masters. )

A Beautiful Gift

From my so-wonderful colleagues, who asked Ying to make this stunning creation as a farewell gift for me. Take it from me, the real thing is much more absolutely gorgeous! Just look at those sparkly tourmaline teardrops in different glowing shades of pink, red, orange, brown, and green.... and the soft lustre of the Keishi pearls, formed into large flower petals.

Accompanied by quirky elegant mismatched earrings in the same floral and vine motif, which are simply gorgeous worn standalone.

I just love this special and thoughtful gift! Thanks again to my wonderful colleagues!

photos reproduced with kind permission from Ying (www.floralbox.blogspot.com)

Discounts on Fun Activities

Fancy taking up Muay Thai? Shimmying those hips while belly-dancing? Or doing a spot of rock-climbing?

A couple of months back, W introduced me to Beeconomic.com, a fun website that offers "deals" on cool things to do in Singapore. It works by the power of numbers, where retailers offer certain goods or services at a low price if a minimum number of customers sign on. Deals that I've seen so far range from the more ordinary like facials / massages / mani-pedis to the exciting like cable-ski and paintballing!

Discounts + fun activities = one cool webbie that I like lots.

A Customised Card

Well it's not Father's Day yet for two more weeks, but I got so thrilled upon receipt of this beautiful customised card that I just had to blog about it! (And trust that E's colleagues don't go blabbing to him about it.... okay?)

I chanced upon Kelly's Etsy shop some time ago and just fell in love with the whimsical, sweetly humourous and simple designs of her creations. Hence, she was the obvious choice to turn to when I was looking for a card on behalf of Baby E, to celebrate E's first ever Father's Day! The card is gorgeous, with a hand-stamped darling blue elephant blowing heart-shaped kisses out of his trunk! The envelope even comes with a monogrammed 'E', the first initial of both the baby's and the dad-to-be's names :-)

Many thanks to Kelly, who was so helpful, sweet and prompt in creating this very special card for us! Check out her wonderful creations at www.PaperExploits.etsy.com, and her blog here.

Kate Spade!!

There's just something about kate spade accessories that make one go "i want! i want!". They are happy, bright, colourful, and quaintly twee. It is impossible to resist them.

So I got this bag at a warehouse sale yesterday to add to my ever-growing collection of handbags. Embossed croc leather in a bright moss colour. Lovely!

Food For the Soul

Just from reading this blog it may seem that my greatest love is for food, but in fact the real passion of my life is reading. I simply love to read. I devour books. I HAVE to read every single day, at least 30 minutes or I can't go to sleep.

So what a treat it was to find that Borders had stocked a whole range of these classics from Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, Henry James, to beloved children's stories like Wind in the Willows, the Railway Children, Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island! These were going for practically nothing - after a 40% discount at only SGD3 each (imagine, buying Anna Karenina or Crime & Punishment at that price)! I couldn't help feeling sad though that in the half hour that I squatted in front of the shelf deliberating on which four books to get, no one else came near despite the display being given prominence near the entrance of the shop. Guess reading is not really in fashion these days.

Orange Chalcedony Earrings from Ying

Lovely Ying sent this beautiful pair of orange chalcedony earrings with Melissa, and it was such a wonderful Christmas surprise! These perfectly match the stunning orange fantasia necklace that I had gotten from her earlier.

Just gotta love that petit leaf detail, topped off with a tiny cream pearl. Ying is really one of the most talented jewellery designers around - support her one-of-a-kind creations at www.floralbox.blogspot.com!

Most Adorable Thumbdrive Ever

A colleague gave this to me recently, as she was leaving the organisation. This is such an adorable and yet practical gift with a generous 4GB capacity which will come in highly useful, for those days when I bring work home (more often than I would like!). Just gotta love those sweet doll-like features, the chinadoll bob and the *pink* cheongsam with little flowers!!!

Thanks a bunch Angelina, I will miss having you around.

The Tiffany Look

Made more droplets of cherry quartz and blueish-green aquamarine to dangle on my hoop earrings. Each of the three droplets on each hoop can be slipped off, and worn in many different ways - singly; all together; as duos; or even mismatched! All wires and chains are gold-filled. Don't you think these earrings have a very Tiffany look and feel? Super-classy and elegant. Ooh this is just so perfect for travel.


(I lust after Tiffany jewelry but I think they are seriously overpriced. So I make my own Tiffany-inspired pieces, not exact copies, but with my own unique twist. )

My Pearl Earrings

I was feeling rather bored over the weekend, plus I had been wanting to get a pair of simple but chic and tres elegant pearl earrings. No boring pearl studs for me please! (only ladies of a certain age wear them....) So out came the pliers, bead findings, and pearls that had been gathering dust in a cupboard over the past one year and 10 minutes later I had my new earrings.

Largish (6 mm) pink and very slightly irregularly shaped freshwater pearls, with gold-filled pins, dangling on gold-plated small loops - which were recycled from an old pair of Liz Clairborne earrings. These are charming and have a modern fresh feel. Best part is, you can slip them off and replace them with other gemstones, either singly or in combination, and voila! a new pair of earrings everyday.

The vainpot in me likes.

Love Ying's Handmade Jewellery

My latest acquisition from Ying, whom I blogged about last August. This is such a stunning head-turner - reminescent of the glowing sun, and it sparkles softly when it catches the light! I really love Ying's creations - made with real semi precious stones, gold-filled chains and wires - all priced super affordably. I have to control myself from buying every piece that she makes! Do check out her blog at www.floralbox.blogspot.com.

Note: Photos reproduced with kind permission from Ying

Cosmetics Shopping Online

I was so pleased to find out the other day that this online site actually works! It was recommended by an ex-colleague (Mr Bang, the lobang king) some time back but I just never had the opportunity to purchase anything until now. Hehe.....SKII masks at half the retail price, delivered to my home, for free with purchases of over $50. The products look new and fresh (i.e. not close to expiry dates) too. Now that really rocks!

www.bbcosme.com

Beautiful Jewellery From Ying

Ying is one very talented and amazing lady, who makes all these wonderful jewellery creations. Her pieces are made from real semi-precious stones - aquamarine, jade, pearls, peridot, amethyst, rose quartz - and more, set in silver or gold-filled. I have been buying her pieces for a couple of years, and have been loath to share this secret. The above are my latest hauls from her, it was just so difficult to stop myself from buying more. She does customized pieces too.

Rather than buy costume jewellery which doesn't last, and which is mass-produced, why not buy something that is unique, made with love, and of high quality? Ying's stuff is better and so much more value-for-money than the jewellery boutiques in Tangs (e.g. Dave Fine Jewellery and Jennifer Green. I know because I've bought very expensive stuff from those boutiques before). So do drop by Ying's blog at www.floralbox.blogspot.com to support her!

Note: Photos reproduced with kind permission from Ying

You've Got Mail

I just love the thrill of getting a parcel in my mailbox...it's like christmas day come early. Very few things can compare to the sheer romance of getting a special present, just for you, halfway across the world (I was going to use "nothing can compare", but then I remembered a surprise that my lovely husband E got for me from Tiffany's on Monday). Yes, my online shopping purchases from Victoria's Secret arrived yesterday, and oh, the joy of unwrapping the bags!

N.B. Apart from lingerie, it is not well-known that Victoria's Secret sells lovely and unique clothes e.g. shirts, t-shirts, dresses. Clearance prices can be up to 70% of original price, which is when I start buying. www.victoriassecret.com