4 peonies

It's been a while, and thank you to the few of you who have left me lovely birthday messages in my last blog post :) I truly appreciate the warm support and messages. In just a few days time, it will be Christmas. Although I long to make some christmas items and have a few in mind, but I don't think I will craft them in time for Christmas. But that's ok. I know in some places, there are christmas shops opened for 365 days a year.

Crafting is still a challenge for me these days, because I don't have the luxury to sit down for more than half an hour. So, when I was able to find some energy the other night, I made these 4 peonies.

This sounds crazy, but I was proud at my own little accomplishment. I will be using them for a rainbow cake.

There will be a couple of new molds in the coming weeks, so I'll be sure to blog about it when I have some samples.

I hope everyone of you have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!

A quiet birthday

Sorry I've been out of the loop again! I meant to write a thanksgiving blog post, but time just flew by.

Thank you for your support, if you've been shopping over at my shop during the sale period. I am especially grateful for all the sale that came in.

I just celebrated my birthday last week, and it was a quiet affair. I was especially thankful that my friend from Seattle stayed to spend the day with me and Mom. I cooked, but also bought some food.

My mom has a habit of giving me a red packet each year. I keep almost all the red packets. This year, I noticed that my mom has more difficulty with her writing.  Because I keep all the red packets, I could tell the difference from year to year.

Still, despite her difficult condition, she writes. I cherish all the red packets and her handwriting.

Today, I'm teaching a class. I'll go prepare now!

Christmas Macarons and life updates

Oh boy, where has all the time gone. For those who've been following my blog and know my current situation, I've been busy adjusting to a new schedule of taking care of my mom full time. It has been about 2-3 months since, and I'm adjusting well. There are some good and bad days, but there are more good days than bad ones, so for that I'm grateful. I'm still working - whenever I have pockets of free time daily. My life revolves around daily morning walks with my mom, juicing, accompany my mom for her weekly chemo sessions, monitoring mom's blood sugar level three times a day, cooking all the meals, housework, working, packing orders, teaching classes, running errands, grocery shopping. I'm sure there's more, but these are the main things. I am thankful that despite my very difficult circumstances, I am being supported in various ways by close friends, relatives and even strangers.

I've told a couple of my close friends, that maybe in future, I can consider a second career in care giving. When life presents hard situations, I take that as an opportunity to pick up new skillsets. Besides, we never really know what we are made of until such difficult situations arise. In these 2-3 months, I learnt a lot about food and nutrition and what I can cook for someone who has cancer and diabetes. My mom loves soup, so it's something I cook almost everyday.

On top of caregiving duties (which takes up most of my time really), I managed to:
- teaching a student who flew in from Philippines
- finished a custom christmas macaron order
- fulfil orders on time and going to the post office pretty much everyday

Sometimes I don't know how I manage to pull it off.

When my customer requested for chocolate cream for these red christmas macaron ornaments, I was really happy to work on them. Crafting gives new meaning to my life right now. And the colors were therapeutic. After I made them, I liked them so much that I decided to offer this color combination as well in my Etsy shop here.

I've always enjoyed making these every Christmas. :)

The color is festive, cheerful and I felt light hearted as I made these. 

Also, I will be holding an xmas sale over at my Etsy shop starting 20 Nov till 1 Dec. I'm offering a 10% discount with minimum purchase of $100 SGD. Discount code is XMAS17

I'm working on listing a couple of new molds. However they probably won't be ready on the day of the sale, but they will surely be up sometime in the middle of the sale. :)

Have a good week everyone!

New Dollhouse Miniature Fruit Slices Mold

Hi everyone! I've been busy working on some custom orders and taking care of mom still. It has kept me very busy, hence the lack of updates here. But I should be finishing 2 custom orders this week soon, and maybe I'll have some time for other things ^^ We'll see.

I just want to updated that there's a new dollhouse miniature fruit slices mold available in my shop here.

This makes 1/12 scale miniature fruit slices. It works best with air dry clay.

Please refer to the below list for corresponding fruits:

1. Tomato Slice 0.7cm wide
2. Strawberry Slice 0.4cm wide
3. Strawberry Slice 0.3cm wide
4. Orange Slice 0.7cm wide
5. Tomato Slice 0.7cm wide
6. Grapefruit Slice 0.7cm wide
7. Kiwi Slice 0.4cm wide
8. Lime OR Lemon Slice 0.6cm wide
9. Pineapple Slice 0.7cm wide
10. Kiwi Slice 0.6cm wide
11. Pineapple Slice 0.7cm wide

You can make 7 different assorted fruit slices. Some of the fruit slice molds have 2 different views or variations.

Have a great day everyone! :) 

Making Dollhouse Miniature Cupcakes Here

Making some dollhouse miniature cupcakes here…although my progress is very slow with the many other duties that I need to attend to. But I’m sure I will get them done, even if it takes 3-4 x the amount of time than I usually complete them. 

I used this miniature cupcake mold to make the cupcake bases, and I must say it is by far, my favourite cupcake base mold. Reason being, it’s high enough, looks amazingly good, natural and the creases or folds are sharp and just perfect! 

A bunch of them in my hands!

And if you noticed, some of the tops are painted already, and some are still unpainted.

The blue bases are calling out to me dearly.

Wishing everyone a happy, peaceful week!

Dollhouse Miniature Flowers - Pink Whispers

Hi everyone! This week is a slightly better week for me. Mom's feeling better than the week before, and that itself makes me happy. Mom still has her good days and bad days. We are just being thankful for a smoother week.

I also completed a bouquet earlier. Pink whispers is a refreshing bouquet that comprises of pinks, greens and purple flowers. The colors make me happy. I love the greens showing up in this bouquet!

It's been a while I made this standing vase. It's still one of my favorite styles. :)

Lots of mini leaves, berries and green bulbs.

Wishing you all a happy weekend! 

Dollhouse Miniature Macaron Tower

I've just completed another slightly different dollhouse miniature macaron tower last week.

I'm pleased with this one, as I've made several minor changes. The changes are minor but hopefully they are noticeable.

The tower base is decorated slightly differently this time.

French macaron tower measures 4cm tall and 2.8cm at its widest.

Working on a larger bouquet right now....Hopefully I have something to show next time?

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And in some other news, my mom had her first chemotherapy session today. So far it's pretty all right. Maybe it's too early to say?  I can only hope it stays this way - where she can still eat to keep her strength up. Keeping my fingers crossed that she doesn't get bad side effects. 

Having just been to the cancer center, I really have a new found admiration for those who go to treatments by themselves. It's not easy. 

Personally, I'm slowly trying to find a balance between caregiving and working. It's been a challenge, but I also remind myself to be kind to myself. I'm sure I will find some sort of equilibrium in this challenging times. :)

Dollhouse Miniature Milk Custard Jar Silicone Mold

I'm amazed and proud of myself...that I have the strength and some time to experiment with this new dollhouse miniature milk custard jar silicone mold today. And you know what, it's actually fun for me.

I'm really loving how it looks. So good and real. And it's actually not too difficult! 

Couple of possibilities came into my mind with regards to this jar. I often see these in supermarkets holding milk custard :) But then, they could also hold honey, jams, whatever you like!

Also, if you get the mold from my shop, you'll get the english instructions mailed to you along with the mold. :)

Dollhouse Miniature Roses and Hypericum Berries

I made these dollhouse miniature hypericum berries a while ago. However, I just didn't find any suitable flowers to go along with it. So I left it...until I made these miniature roses this week. I think they go well together with the color tones.

Tiny tiny leaves go along with this piece as well. The tiny leaves make a huge difference.

Close up!

Available in my etsy shop here.
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Trying to move into a new routine here. The good news is, I started a walking routine with my mom every morning. We would wake up and go for a walk. I was so happy the day we started this new routine. We have been good sticking with it everyday for this week ^^ It seems to make some difference. She feels more energetic and her spirits are good.

Thank you all who have left me kind comments and wishes! I appreciate it!

A dollhouse miniature macaron tower that means so much

This dollhouse miniature tower, holds a very special place in my heart… it signifies strength, wisdom, kindness to one self, and possibly even more. 

I have been contemplating if I wanted to write about this. I thought about it. This is afterall my personal blog. Yes I do write about my inspiration for the miniature pieces I create, and I largely want to keep it that way. THIS piece of work is also significant to me on many personal levels. At the same time, I'm also a very private person. I choose my counsel carefully. I'm hoping by being open about it, you can understand, if I am ever slow in my responses or sending off an order, it's not because I'm not trying my best. I WILL continue to provide the best service I can.

I was in the midst of creating this particular piece when my dearest mother, who is also my best friend got diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer. You can imagine how life immediately changes completely when a loved one has been diagnosed with this disease. My mom also has Parkinson’s Disease for close to 10 years now. If this isn’t enough, she is also going through a divorce. Is there even a word called “triple whammy”? 

The beautiful thing of having been told that one has a stage iv breast cancer is that, you have time to mentally prepare and plan your departure. On the night when we gathered as a family after receiving this news, we had probably THE BEST conversation heart to heart, about life and death. Mom even had the wisdom to say that, death can come to anyone any minute, car accident as an example. So she isn't afraid. We had time to express our appreciation and love for one another. That was a precious moment.

My beautiful mother is such a strong and inspiration woman. She did not cry, not even up till now. Of course she was shocked when she was told by the doctor about stage iv cancer. I think anyone would be. After the shock, she had time to digest it and with her guiding faith, she knows and understands that death is part of life. Everyone of us has to go through it. This is not saying that she has given up - it just means she is at peace that she has this disease, she accepts and embrace it. She will go for treatment, and just honestly, live life to the fullest every single day. In fact, everyone of us should, whether we have cancer or not. 

I'm very thankful and grateful for having a few very wise friends. It makes a whole lot of difference. They offer me valuable insights, wise advice and basically teach me how to look at things. It's really amazing how one can have a transformational learning about life and what truly matters in times of hardships, only if we don't resist it.

If all of us can talk about death openly, the first thing it does is fear is being removed. And when fear is removed, we can be open, and truly enjoy even the simplest moments. 

So yup, I've said it. 

I'm curious about how my upcoming works in the future would transform into. I'm not even sure about the direction. But I'm just keeping my heart open. One thing I know is they will be even more meaningful to me for sure. I suspect that it might take me a longer time to create pieces, as my caregiving duties will be ramped up significantly. But I am still going to create, because it is something that helps me to express whatever I'm feeling. I'm not sure if cathartic is the right word even. I'm just curious and look forward to whatever that comes. I want to work, and I STILL love my work and need to work :) 

I'm very thankful to my close knitted group of friends and counsel. (Thank you Deborah!!) My best friend who lives in Seattle is planning to visit me and mom soon. I'm looking forward to that. My best friend, mom and I have always had wonderful conversations. 

When the tough gets going, I will tell myself, one day at a time. And when a day at a time is EVEN so hard, I'll tell myself one breath at a time. 

Macaron Tower and a SALE

I recently completed another dollhouse miniature macaron tower. Macaron towers have always been a popular request. I am also very heartened to know that the ones I made have always been picked up by different owners. I love playing around with colors, so each one is always different!

Now that this one has been mailed to its new home, it's time for me to play with colors again.!

I love the bloom peony flower on top of it. :) It's almost like my signature on every tower. 

Another view of my hand on it.

I would also like to take the opportunity to thank each and everyone of you, be it spending time commenting on my blog or by collecting my work by purchasing them. I started selling on Etsy in 2008. 9 years now?! I can't even imagine, that next year will be a decade! What?! Time really flies. I had no idea until I counted it while writing this blog post.

I recently reached a new milestone in achieving 5000 sales. I am grateful truly. If you followed my facebook page, I announced a Discount Code for this special milestone celebration. Take 15% OFF when you purchase a minimum of SGD$55 from my shop here. Only till 20 Aug 2017. Please get the code from my shop directly. :)

There were a couple of people who had issues with the code. But not to worry if you encountered that. Just drop me a note, and I'll manually issue you a 15% refund. With every new tool feature, there may be some teething issues. I'm around, so just send me a note. :)

Wishing all a great weekend! 

Rainbow cake with a twist

I used to make the miniature rainbow cakes without “real” flowers on the top. But I wanted to improve and add another level of realism to them, so flowers are the way to go.

I made some peonies to this rainbow cake.

I am making another as this one got sold ^^ Thank YOU Deborah for your support!

Seeing this colors make me happy. Though they aren't really your usual "rainbow" colors, but this is currently my kind of rainbow. Muted soft colors.

It feels like I can smell the bucket of peonies from here!

I hope everyone has a great week! 

Dollhouse Miniature Naked Cake With Peonies

With the peonies theme in mind, I made this dollhouse miniature naked cake. In fact, I've completed 3 so far. I'm definitely making a fourth one.

Really liking the fresh green bulbs here :)

The mixer has also been sent to its new home, and I'll have the chance to make a new one. 

I've recently been playing with darker shades of pink, which you will see in the next few posts.

The heat has been quite unbearable here, and I ended up with having a headache for the past 3 days. So I was not feeling my usual self. Hopefully the headache left me for good today. 

I've been trying something new this week too, when it comes to fitness. I decided to change up my routine a bit by adding 2-3 days of strength training per week. I think that's important now that I'm in my fourties and I want to make sure I don't further lose muscles or end up with weak bones. The first day after I purely did strength training, I ended up with really sore muscles. Places that I never felt existed hurt. lol I guess it is good right? I can only do 2 reps right now. But I'll slowly work towards 3 reps. Today happens to be strength training day. Let's see if I still hurt after that!

I hope everyone is having a good week! 

Dollhouse Miniature Macaron Tower with Peony

Sometime last week, I completed a custom request for a dollhouse miniature macaron tower. I was really honoured to work on the macaron tower for her. And I've mentioned many times here, when it comes to macaron towers, no two are ever the same. As such, I'm extremely grateful that she gave me the creative freedom to use colors and flowers to give life to each unique piece. My mind was filled with gratefulness as I worked on this piece. The best kind of work is when I can play with colors and flowers. What more can one ask for?

It certainly doesn't come to a surprise that I came up with this. The good thing was, my customer just gave me a broad direction - Laduree themed colors. As I've still been bitten by the peony flower fever, it found its way into this piece as well. Again, I am grateful that my custom liked it when I showed her.

"Do more of what makes you happy."

This sentence has been appearing in my mind many times this week. I probably have a new sentence each week. The sentence, or quote reflects my state of mind, or a lesson for that particular week. During this week, this particular sentence just appeared numerous times. 

When you are happy, you tap into your gifts and you share that happiness with those around you. 

Absolutely true. 

In my case, when I'm really happy, hopefully that happiness seeps into my work. And hopefully my work reflects that. 

I'm pretty sure this isn't going to be the last macaron tower I make. It's fun to see the pretty colors piling up. It makes me happy, and because it makes me happy, I need to do more of it. 

One at a time....

(Looking at my to do list).

Happy mid week everyone!

Dollhouse Miniature Vintage Pink Kitchen Scale

Last week, I completed making this dollhouse miniature vintage pink kitchen scale.
I pop it right on top of my shabby shelf and it fitted well with the rest of the accessories. Hence I had to take a picture.

Also made some potatoes as props for it. 

The pink color one was sold quite a while ago, but it took me a while to remake another one. Pink is still a popular color for these vintage scales.

Wishing you all a great week ahead! 

How my jogging routine has changed over the years

I've been trying something new lately with my jogging routine. I still remembered when I started jogging, I basically jogged empty handed. Then I got an ipod shuffle by chance where I could put music in. I started listening to music while I jogged. When that gadget died, I started holding my phone. I thought that was a good idea as I started longer distances and it's just safer to have a phone around for emergency. I'd still listen to music, but when I'm bored, I would switch it off and just enjoy the sounds of nature.

And then, apps such as mapmyrun was created and I found it handy to track distances, calories burnt. I started to use it as well.

When has jogging become a "game" of some sort? Now, there are even apps made to make jogging more fun. They make games, and you listen to a game scenario while running. You collect "things" that will be useful in the game while running. To increase the fun aspect, you can select the option to "chase off" where zombies will chase after you. You'll need to outrun their pace in order to win.

So last week, I decided to try zombie run. The GPS component is still wonky and doesn't always track accurately. For instance, there was once I was on a path but it tracks me as running in the canal. It was quite fun for a change, to listen to a story scenario while running. However I didn't try the "chase off" option as I'm just focusing on my own pace.

Honestly, I did find it fun - it provided a different distraction or purpose. But I just don't think I would subscribe as it is something I can live without. My next game scenario can only be unlocked on 17 July unless I subscribe. I'll wait instead.

Meanwhile, I'm back to running listening to music, or just plain sounds of nature. :)

If you do jog, what is your routine?

On a Peonies Roll

I'm pretty much down to the last bit of that colored clay I showed you in my last post for making miniature peonies. After that, I might probably be switching to another color.

I made another bouquet of peonies by request :)

I wanted to quickly show these pictures before I "archive" these photos.

I love those green bulbs. I don't have a name for them...but I saw similar ones in an artificial flora bouquet and I just loved that idea. So I'm putting some into this bouquet.

Also, the light green helps the pink to "pop".

Here's another view of the peonies. Loving the full petals. :)

I'm quite liking this new method of working, which is making as many peonies as I possibly can with one color I've mixed and then come up with various items with that. I'm still not sure if I will stick to it, but I'll try different ways and see what works best. Knowing myself, I like to switch things around so that I don't get "bored" with one way.

I like to make another bouquet before the color "runs" out, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to have enough of this color to, if not I'll have to mix some more of it. We'll see :)

I hope you're having a great week!

Practising Making Peonies

Over the last week, I practiced making dollhouse miniature peonies using the new technique.
I am trying to make as many as I can, while the air dry clay remains fresh :)

I'm loving this color very much, so I'm trying to use up all of it. It looks like a fairly large chunk of clay, but in actual fact, it isn't really. But the color is hand mixed, and I just didn't want to waste it. So I'm going to make peonies out of this. Besides, the color of the peonies that I made did turn out looking really nice.

We had a fair share of really hot days and some cool rainy days here for the past week. When it's really rainy, it's a great day for just staying home and making peonies. :)

I use this small cup to place my peonies to dry. These are small sample cups where you'll find in supermarkets where they'll put samples of drinks or even sometimes food. I used to stick it in the flora sponge, but in this way, I can really inspect all the petals while letting it dry. It also helps to give me a sense of how they'll look in a bouquet or vase arrangement. 

While letting it dry, I noticed that there were some gaps in my peonies. See the above circled one.

So I filled up the gap again. Yup - I did managed to do just that! 

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My last Miniature Pink Vespa and flowers bouquet post received a huge amount of likes and probably the most comments of all my posts on my facebook page. 

It blew me away... I'm so grateful for all the likes and comments. I didn't know that many people love the Vespa and flowers :) Thank you so much! 

Wishing all my US friends a Happy 4th July! 

Dollhouse Miniature Peonies and New Leaves

Over the past week, I have been practicing making new dollhouse miniature peonies using a new technique, and slowly I made a bouquet of them.

With these new peonies, I love how busy the petals are. It was what I was aiming for as I went along. 

I want to keep practicing and fine tuning the technique in the coming week, I can't wait to see how they will look like :) 

The leaves are also new. I've made them even thinner. I'll try another color next round.

Flowers and bike is off to a new home. :)

Happy mid week everyone!