How to catch a star

1. Get one old box from Ikea used formerly to contain a star-shaped lamp.  Get a willing helper to test the solidarity of the box:

2. Get helper to play peekaboo with box:

3. Cover said box with blue paper that has been painted over with ultramarine poster paint.  Sprinkle and glue down many many many "stars" punched out from old aluminum foil.

4. Add a title using lettering stickers, using a phrase from a verse in the Bible (from Phil 2:15)...

5. Cut and paste a HUGE star cut out from cardstock, and sprintz lots of glimmer mist...

6. Fly one rocketship with a little explorer along the path of the shooting star.

I used a flower punch to punch out shapes from shiny paper to make the "flames".

7. Step back and admire the star...

Supplies: Cardboard from an old Ikea box and aluminum foil,
Cardstock (American Crafts), Thickers (Glass Slipper),
Poster paint (Ultramarine), Dewdrops (The Robin's Nest).

8. And paste it up on a window, where stars are usually seen!

The window had to be covered since the room gets too much evening sun (and gets really hot),
but having the star cut-out let a wee bit of light in. :)
Those boxes were a gift from a friend, to keep Junior J's baby bracelet, first curl and first tooth. :)

PS: This was how it looked before I did up the nursery window...

The previous owner had also used the room as a nursery, but had painted this wall terra-cotta red,
hence the matching red cardboard.  I had hated how the colour had stuck out in our greenish blue walls!

Looks much better doesn't it? :)  Have a great weekend!

PS: I got some of my inspiration from the book "How to catch a star" by Oliver Jeffers, which was recommended by another mum in this post.

And... the shooting star joins the paper cranes, clouds and trees that are currently in Junior J's room!

Thankful Tuesdays: Sick but scrapping

Junior J and I have been hit by some flu bug and I've been spending the past few days trying to get well.  The bug left me with severe backache on top of everything else (so I couldn't sit at the computer much to edit photos or work on my research), and Junior J was walking around with a nose that dripped constantly... We're still on the mend, and I've been too tired to work on my research, so I've been scrapping while the boy napped.

So instead of listing our blessings here, I filled up a page in my new notebook of blessings using the AC Baby Kit that I got from Scrappy Jo's:

Supplies: Patterned papers (American Crafts: Baby Kit & Letterbox)
Lettering (AC Remarks: Apollo, Making Memories: Tiny Alphas)
Stickers (AC Remarks: Baby, October Afternoon: Ducks in a Row)
Butterfly embellishment & notebook (From Joanna)

I got my layout inspiration from seeing those little square photos underneath the main photo from all those Flickr slideshows. :)

OHHH!  And if you like that little embellishment on the page, do check out our new little scrap shop, called "The Paperie", set up by my amazingly talented friend, Joanna, and me. :)  I've yet to make any to sell, but Jo has made these gorgeous ones, and they are up for sale (and we ship internationally too!)

Hope everyone has been having a good week so far. :)

Weekend wanderings: Little celebrations

Junior J and his Kongkong :)

Ok, the hubby and my mum always think I'm nuts when I try to celebrate half birthdays (ie at like 6 months and 18 months) for Junior J... I guess I just try to find any reason for a celebration, after all, it makes one happy, you sometimes get to eat cake, there's usually good food involved, and I mean, there's always something to celebrate about right?

So for the weekend that passed, we made an effort to go out and have fun, in view of the little kid turning one and a half:

The weather forecast predicted thunderstorms in the morning, but it turned out to be:

So we took advantage of the balmy weather and...

:: Went to the zoo, and the boy was fascinated with the otters that were squeaking away (he tried to squeak back!), and also managed to match the elephants to those in his book...

Hey papa, those things at the back look like those in my book!

And he saw the hippos having their own fish spa:

If you take a closer look, you can see fish feeding off the skin of those hippos!

And spent some time waving and blowing kisses to the infamous white tigers:

... and watching the baboons playing:

He also got to eat Ben & Jerry's along with his lunch!

:: Went for dinner at the Botanic Gardens, and brought the dog along too:

Another pizza for the birthday boy, please!
(You can see the open kitchen in the background, where you can watch the pizzas being made!)

Tried pannacotta:

And had a nice walk after that, while the boy chased his own shadow, and the dog lunged at cats:

On Sunday, it was really...

So we stayed in after church so the boy could rest, and celebrated with my family by having yummy Thai food for dinner over at at Wang Thai (@ Blk 92 Toa Payoh Lor 4):

Mango salad... tangy and yummy!

Crispy pork knuckle... Mmmmm!

Since he's now old enough to make it into the toddler class over at Sunday School, we brought him there on Sunday too, and the boy got to:

:: Sing songs (he spent alot of it walking around, while I tried to make him do the actions!)...

:: Make his first artwork with glue (yes, this mama has been depriving him from working with glue, ever since he used crayons on my tree mural!)

:: Eat snacks and interact with a whole bunch of other kids.

:: Experience real school life: Another kid suddenly went up to Junior J and shoved him really hard while he was just wandering around minding his own business, and the boy fell and hit his head.  Cried for abit and insisted on sitting on my lap after that, but he was back to normal 10 minutes later.  

I think all in all, the boy had fun.  I know I did! 

(PS: This post is late, cos I left the camera in the car, so the photos were stuck with the hubby at work!)

A year and a half

Dearest little boy,

All of a sudden, you're learning alot,

We can tell your neurones are firing away, red hot.

You can finish the words to "Hickory Dickory Dock",

You can say words like "chair", "ball", "cheese", "car" and "sock".

You're a great helper, helping to keep the clothes pins,

You'll even help me to load clean laundry into a bin.

Sometimes you try to help me water the plants,

And if asked, will pass me the stuff that I want.

You love to terrorize the dog,

And you've learnt how to croak like a frog.

You still get mixed up between "lion" and "tiger",

But you can give a fearsome roar if we mention either!

This month you've suddenly become really clingy,

We've nicknamed you "Barnacle J", and "Sticky Monkey",

You always need to be carried and you've grown a little more,

You're now 9 plus kg, so hefting you makes our arms sore.

You just caught a GE bug which gave you diarrhoea alot,

It seems that you're destined to remain skinny and short,

But rest assured no matter what shape and size you may be,

You'll always remain perfect to me!

This month has seen many a tantrum and crying fits,

When we tell you "no", you'd stick out your tongue and spit,

Although we know, an angel you're not,

Be rest assured, we still love you alot!

Happy one and half birthday, hope you had a great one,

Let's hope turning two will be twice as much fun!

Love,

Your Mama (who yes, is still keeping track,

So she'll have a record next time when looking back!)

Thankful Tuesdays: A long list

... since I've to catch up on 2 weeks worth of blessings!  So here goes:

1. The hubby, who's been always a great support and help to me. :)

2. A reminder from our Bible study on Mark to bear fruit, since that's what we're meant to do.  I'm also grateful for our group that meets up every week for the study, and for our leader that faithfully prepares for the study even though he's busy.

3.  Junior J has recovered from his stomach bug, after more than one week of diarrhoea and sleepless nights for me and the hubby.  His appetite still isn't too good, but at least he's eating more!  A big thank you to those who kept us in prayer, and who left encouraging comments over here... We really appreciated it. :)

Junior J while on the road to recovery, examining the

contents of one of my scrapbook prizes (which I'm glad for too... ).

4. Friends who have been an encouragement.  Junior J's godma shared with me the words to a song the other day when I was feeling really stressed and down, and they were a great comfort:

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,

He sendeth more strength when the labours increase.

To added affliction He addeth His mercy,

To multiplied trials His multiplied peace.

His love has no limit,

His grace has no measure,

His power has no boundary known unto man.

5. Being able to still breastfeed the boy still.  During his stint with the stomach bug, normal food couldn't stay in him for very long, and came out either from the top or from the bottom... and the only thing he could stomach was breastmilk.  Also, I think nursing helped to comfort him since he was so uncomfortable from the runs and the fever, and helped to keep him hydrated since he refused to drink water from his sippy as well.

6. The little boy being able to meet up with his grandparents from Penang last Friday, while they were in transit to Australia for the hubby's sister's graduation.  The boy blew kisses...

And was generally happy to see them!

7. Coffee, my essential drink in the morning (I love this version of Kopi-O from Penang, it comes in bags, and I think its the only instant Kopi-O that makes the cut!).

8. My mum, who still pops by here and there to help me out, which makes things more handleable.  :)  The dissertation is showing progress too.

9. Orchids from my mum, who attended the Singapore Garden Fest.  We had wanted to attend the fest, but didn't manage to make it, but at least we have these lovely blooms to look at at home!

10.  The orchid I blogged about last time is blooming!

11. The opportunity to visit the Singapore Arts Museum over the weekend, with a church friend, J.  The boy had loads and loads of fun (more about the visit next time)!

Froggy, froggy, hoppity hop!

What are you thankful for these days?  Have a great weekend, everyone!

Monday Made: Weather wise

Hello!  I've been so busy trying to finish my report, however I managed to squeeze in some time during my breaks to make something for Junior J's room.  I've been wanting to do a weather chart for the boy ever since I saw this version on Ohdeedoh, and I thought it would be apt to have one now since he can tell you when its raining and knows what clouds are.

I thought I'll kill two birds with one stone and do a scrap layout, plus a weather chart at the same time. :p So I made these weather cards using cardstock, and I cut out shapes (the lightning bolt was cut from aluminium foil), inked them and pasted them down after spritzing with loads of glimmer mist.

I thought I'd use foam tab strips to "prop up" two picture frames, one for my weather cards, and the other for a photo of the boy taken in different types of weather.  The foam tabs were great since it allowed me to slide the photos in and out easily, so I can change them when I want to, and the added space allowed me to store all my weather cards easily.  Thought I'd better keep the whole thing plain so that the LO could focus on the weather cards, so I stuck to simple polka dots. :)

Couldn't resist adding this cute little birdie from my AC details prize!

Oh, and to allow me to find the correct weather card when I needed it, I stuck little tabs at the top of the cards:

Then I made weather related embellishments: Clouds cut from felt and inked, a rainbow cut from patterned paper (again, both were foam-tabbed for dimension), and a huge sun cut out from the plain side of a piece of patterned paper (and generously glimmer misted as well).  Oh and of course, teardrops to represent rain!

I couldn't resist adding some bunting, but found that it looked rather flat against the background... But inking the flags using red ink and using more foam tabs solved my problem:

Oh, and to keep to the nature-ish theme, I added a branch cut from the plain side of a piece of patterned paper (I liked all the colours from the AC Letterbox range, so I used those!), and drew the woody patterns on it using pencil, and used foam tabs so that the branch could sit on top of the photo frames.  I made flowers using this tutorial, and added some fleece leaves.

So there you have it, our very own weather report:

Supplies: Paper (American Crafts: Cardstock,
Letterbox: See You, Truly Yours, Respectfully, Reply,
Fancy Pants: Banner, Prima: Water Fun, Sassafras: Promises,
Kaiser Craft: Skip, Crate Paper: Bluehill)
Lettering (AC Thickers: Salutations, Making Memories: Tiny Alphas, Pink Paislee: Whimsies)
Fleece shapes (AC: Letterhouse), Teardrops (The Robin's Nest)
Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels: Mustard Seed & Electric Blue)
Detail embellishment (AC Dear Lizzy: Chirp)

I'm planning to take photos of the boy in different types of weather, and get him to match the weather cards to the photos, but that'll be next time! :)

I've not had the energy to blog these days because...

... we've been involved in a race.  Specifically, the Amazing Race: Parenthood.  Here are the details:

The Team: Jcube (Papa, Mama and Junior J)

We're headed for the Parenthood Pitstop:  The goal is for a happy healthy family.

The bonus prize:  A completed dissertation for the Mama.

Detour: Groan or lone

We had to choose between taking care of Junior J on our own, or getting my mum to take care of him for part of the day so that I could write my dissertation.  She's been experiencing some difficulties in handling the boy along with her housework, so we've opted for the former option, starting over the weekend that was past.  This meant writing the dissertation only at night when the boy was asleep.

Roadblock: Who wants to be a party pooper?

A roadblock is a task only one team member may perform.  Mama was the lucky person to complete the task, consisting of taking care of a sick Junior J who had caught a stomach bug from his Papa over the weekend.  The boy had a high fever for a few days, and had diarrhoea over 10 times on Monday (when the hubby was on call).  Guess who had to clean up all the poop?  To make it more challenging, the boy puked up after almost every meal.  To sum it up, the boy's butt was probably the cleanest thing in the house, amidst puked up bedsheets, dirty diapers and soiled jammies.  

Team Jcube's progress:

Well, thank God that the boy is better now, and is able to stomach really small meals.  He's started sprouting a rash over the whole body, so we we're just monitoring to see how it goes.  The dissertation has lain unwritten for the past few days, and I'm hoping to write some now as the boy naps.  

Let's cheer the team as they continue to progress through their race!   Have a great week...

P/S: I don't think I've the guts to actually make it to the real Amazing Race (I'm terrified of heights and will run home at the first suggestion of bungee jumping)... but here's the details of the REAL version. :)

Wild Wednesdays; Monkeying down Old Upper Thomson Road

I've blogged before about our trips down to Old Upper Thomson Road, but I've never gone into the details.    Basically, part of this road winds through a forested area, and its a common sight in the evenings to see single cars stopped along the side of the road, with the windows wound down.  Most of these cars usually contain families, with kids, and all of them stop for the same reason: Macaques.  Loads of them.  Bouncing through the trees, checking out each car, fighting, romping around.  

For those staying around the area, a slow drive down there in the evening after work can be quite fun for the kids, since driving through the area makes you feel like you are no longer living in an urban jungle: Cicadas whining away, the lush greenery, and sometimes, if you go earlier in the morning or after a heavy shower, the mist.

Oh, and the monkeys!  The kids are always fascinated by these furry creatures, but mind you, these are bold and fierce fellows that can bite.  So steer your little fellows clear of them, however interested the kids may be...

More information on this monkey menagerie:

1.  Don't feed them, no matter how cute or hungry they look.  (Read this to learn about why you shouldn't!)  And since the macaques have learnt to associate plastic bags with food, do refrain from holding any of these bags if you happen to be near them, and of course, don't tempt them by eating around them!

2.  Monkeys sometimes are culled here because they wander out of their natural habitats and become aggressive.  Again, this is partially due to people feeding them, thinking they are doing them some good. (And if that's not enough a deterrent, NParks imposes a fine on people caught feeding monkeys!)

3. They are omnivorous, and feed on fruits, leaves, shoots, and small animals like small reptiles and spiders.  (And with all that natural good stuff around, they really don't need your wheat bread or biscuits.)

4. They are social animals, and form a troop of 15-30 individuals, consisting of an alpha male, his harem of females and offspring, plus sometimes a few other males.

5. Look out for various activities that these furry creatures engage in, such as feeding, playing (especially with the younger ones), and grooming.  Grooming to them is akin to couples going on dates: It strengthens social bonds. (And in fact, a study shows that some males even use this to get sex from the females.  Though that may not be a fact you'd want to disclose to the kids!)

For more information on macaques in Singapore, you can visit this site.  Or for the kids, here's a useful graphic I scanned off a postcard:

Taken off a Zo Card that I picked up recently.  Done by the RGS Monkey Business team.

Happy monkeying around! :)