Helen Plus Three

An old Rose with Bow stamp from...Stampa Rosa (Santa Rosa) (1999) Favourite wish stamps. 'God Sent His Best' from Stampendous, 'Be happy' from Santa Rosa, .....   " Warm.. toasty" from Sandi Gore Evans (Uptpwn Design Co) on paper backing from Cupcake (Basic Grey), bit of brown cardstock, loosely cut strips  to give it a rough easel look.   Using a cuttlebug die on my sizzix machine on Yellow cardstock,..(die image on separate paper layered on front of card)  those tiny butterflies are the by-products of a spellbinders nestabilities((Butterflies circle) die image. A mix of inks from Distress and .Versa Color and Versa Magic (pink and green and orange shades), ... All Purpose Ink 72 Frost White lightly brushed on raised embossed areas. A problem with this cardstock, embossing powder tends to get absorbed into the card and image becomes flat except for the copper powder on Warm & Toasty.. A card for my niece.

Titled: World without Fences The scenic views and sights mostly shot on Semakau island......

We're not big on natural expressions,  Asians are still relatively conservative you could say!  But perhaps behind a horror mask it might be enjoyable and easier to be forward! We're growing a larger international community and the practice of halloween here is becoming more visible among that crowd and the local younger educated ones are catching on to this in small ways through the pubs and clubs but other than that it's still a foreign festivity. But it looks like a lot of fun for the kids. For the Catholics, it's All Souls Day - a time to pray for the dead.. a solemn occasion. Let's not forget All Saints on the 1st - the good souls, not the scary ones... :)... Strangely though, why does Halloween happen just before Christmas? Another foreign celebration, I'm glad Valentine's caught on a while back,  I like that concept of a special day for special people (FRIENDS not just of the opposite gender kid) and that's taken on it's own local...

It's probably one of the oldest stamps in my collection. The main stamp design is from The Embossing Arts Co.. called Strawberry Border,  against a Sizzix embossed leaf  background, a Sizzix die-cut dragon fly and my favourite sentiment for always from Hero Arts. Some pretty embellishments - a bit of crochet ribbon trim from Pinkpaislee and classic lace Prima flowers..a little sprinkling of flower-soft Summer dust .. Life is made up of sweet bouquets of special moments and sometimes it's up to us to ensure that we get those moments and not just wait upon others to create them for us.

I've been taking the 107 bus back home after work lately.  It's not too long a journey I discovered about 35min tops as opposed to switching buses and then to the North East Line train, perhaps about 5-10 min difference. It's quite a smooth ride mainly because of the bus lane hours. One it gives me a nice comfortable, sometimes freezing, seat all the way.  I get to relax instead of running in and out of transport and doing the balancing act on my 2 inch heels in a crowded train. Two I get to read or just sit back and think. then..... Lately in my effort to be more PRESENT,  I have started to take note of my surroundings. Kallang Way/Kallang Bahru I think, I go past two rivers, Kallang and Whampoa are quite refreshing  sights. It's not all industrial.  I have to admit the City knows how to look after its' waterways and integrate it scenically into the heartlands. Most of the time the view I get is better cos I 'm sitting in a double-decker bus. I a...

I never tire of the Zoo. That’s where we went on one of the September school break holidays. Surprisingly we got there in about an hour in all by bus from home. The weather, thank God was kind, it drizzled a little for the very initial part of the walk but then disappeared and remained warm but not hot. Ticket prices have also gone up and up .. something like $5 more per person since the last time we were here. Unfortunately Alr does not qualify as a child any longer, only Arn so total admission was close to $100 with the boat ride on the lake, which was something new to try. We headed for the boat dock first, walking past the sleeping Tapirs. The boat ride was a pleasant 15-20 minutes, quiet, at a leisurely pace and smooth, could almost make believe we were NOT in Singapore for a little while. Of course it was too slow for Arn. We got off close to the new Kidzworld with the Water park, .but.we walked in the opposite direction to visit the old lions and the gira...