Getting anchored in the silence

Just beginning of this month, I went for a 4D 3N silent retreat... away from comfort, familiarity, social media....... to an unknown place.

At first I was apprehensive about the whole silent part (which not only applies to speaking but also listening to music, and totally purging oneself from all social media activities).

We had a retreat master to guide us through, meeting the bishop 3 times a day for about an hour each session. The rest of the day was spent in silence and adoration. 

I must emphasize that this whole guided silent retreat experience has been the highlight of my 2018. There is power in the silence. Something happens when you intentionally take time out to seek Him. A day before I left for this retreat, a dear sister gave me a word that HE is waiting for me. My heart skipped a beat just realizing that the Lover of my soul is waiting. Indeed I felt loved.

The following 4 days were then the best days spent in His presence. With just my bible, journal, pen, water and a heart longing for Him......I experienced healing, forgiveness, fresh perspectives, revelations & restoration. It is interesting that as our body quietens down, our senses begins to heighten, becoming sensitive and truly aware of His gentle whispers. Truly it is beautiful when the Holy Spirit speaks through nature, the wind, tress, the wild flowers, butterflies, rain.....and even being aware of the gentle breeze that surrounds us.

By the end of the 4 days I was feeling heavy hearted to return home. To me that silence gave me a mountain top experience, addressing many questions and thoughts. He also revealed the areas in my heart that I needed to surrender......ya definitely a whole lot of pondering.

This retreat was timely and necessary, it was a time of knowing myself, a time of releasing the past, a time of acceptance, a time of reconciling of who I was made to be and a time to step forward and willingly exchanging the old in anticipation of the good that is to come.

My heart is so full. 

I am refreshed, renewed & restored. 

Workspace Wednesday - A simple Layout

Drum Roll pls..........

Introducing my first layout of 2017. I had accidentally printed out an extra copy of this photo and thought why not create a layout.

So yay. Happy accident. :) I used both My Mind's Eye and Crate Paper for the embellishments.

Loving the gold accents.

A little bit of sewing with gold thread. Its a fun way to spice it up.

Finished the layout with a chipboard accent and a date stamp. I'm second guessing the date, its either Dec or Jan....hmmmm. Oh well.... LOL. 

Whats on your desk today? :)

Project Life 2017?

Hello Hello. There is this nagging feeling that I should really Project life for 2017. I find that by documenting bits and pieces of my life, I have a healthier, more thankful mindset and attitude. It helps me to be in the moment, to enjoy my journey. 

I'm deciding if I should go with a 6x8 album instead of a 12x12, I'm also hunting down Simple stories page protectors, anybody know where I can order it from?. Sure hope I can keep the momentum going. :)

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Changing the topic here..

I wanted to share with you how my meals looked like yesterday.

Breakfast: Cherrios with low fat milk

Lunch: Sautéed Swiss button mushroom with cherry tomatoes on toast & A cup of coffee. So so yumsssss.

Tea: 2 kiwis over a personal pan pizza (seriously, I drove to the pizza place but couldn't get a parking lot, so I took it as a sign. LOL. So happy I had the kiwis instead. Heheh)

Dinner: Simple Chinese dishes. We had cincaluk onion omelette, stir fry baby bak choy with garlic and first try steam fish (yums). 

Nothing beats a simple home cooking. A little bit more work but much more healthier and satisfying. 

Hope this will inspire you to cook up something. :)

Eye Candy

All these things still make my heart flutter.

I thank God for gifting me with creative talents.

*Smilling to myself*, what a long way I've come since 2006 when I discovered the world of scrapbooking. There is so so much joy in creating.

Some cards I created recently. Still loving the minimalist approach to crafting. :)

Enjoy your Thursday evening. I hope this posting will help you to create something beautiful today.

xoxo

Half year mark @ Hin Bus Depot Pop up Market

Congratulations to Pretty Blessings, celebrating our 1/2 year mark at Pop Up Markets. We started selling in August of 2016, so technically 7 months have gone by and we are loving every single Pop Up. I am so thankful that we braved ourselves for this new adventure, not knowing what the response would be like, just going by faith.

I remember vividly last July when I signed up to join Hin Bus Depot Pop up Market, I was terribly nervous and cracking my head for the table set up. Oh how quickly those moments have passed, and today I can proudly say we have done 20+ markets. Big YAY!

I am planing to compile a list to-dos for first timers/ or for those who are thinking of exploring Pop up markets. If you have any questions, do leave me a comment. :)

We will be at Hin pop up this Sunday 26th Feb from 11am-5pm. Do drop by and say hello.

Happy New Year 2017

Blessed 2017 to all of you. Since I missed the January 1st mark, signing in to blog on Chinese New Year is acceptable right? LOL

Absolutely crazy how fast the first month of the year and flown by and we're already in February. Seriously, like whhhhuuuttttt??

I'm still trying to find my footing for 2017, new year = new adventures? Only one month into the year and I can see changes waiting in line. How about you? Has 2017 thrown any curveball into your path?

Its OCTOBER YAY!

Welcome favourite month! Go slow ok, I want to savour every moment of you. :)

September has been a cray busy month for me, so glad its over but its almost year end. Arghhh, time is flying by too fast.

Some updates. I made a shaker card tutorial over at Mei Li Paperie, do check it out. If you use my referral code http://rwrd.io/4j9qmcj , you will get 10% off your bill and they are giving FREE shipping worldwide for their preorders, no minimum amount, such a good deal. 

Process shot of the shaker card.



...and the completed card. 



Thats all from me today. Enjoy October! YAY!

Continuing July inserts with Mei Li Paperie

Hello Hello,

Here I created a simple 2 page spread with this simple 4x4 pocket design by Becky Higgins. I used Mei Li paperie's Sweet Little You printables, you can download and print them...easy peasy. Jen created this printables for her new born but it is so versatile that you can use it for any occasion or projects.




For this first spread, I trim down the 4x6 'Hip Hip Hooray' card using an instagram die, and just printed two instagram photos. I was going for the minimalist look, so I didn't want to embellish much.




For the second spread, I used the 3x4 'Hi' card and trim it down to look like it was part of the photo. Decided to go with B&W photos with a hint of orange. I think it turned out alright. ;)

Check out Sweet Little You printables, and a blogpost over at Mei Li Paperie featuring the different use of this printable. 

Good news, if you use my link http://rwrd.io/4j9qmcj , you are entitled for 10% off your total purchase. YAY! So what are you waiting for? head over to Mei Li Paperie and restock some goodies.

Cheers. 

Healthy Breakfast Recipe - Spinach Omelette

All you need for this recipe is eggs (I use farm eggs, totally worth the price) and baby spinach. To give it that extra oomph, add a little bit of milk, a bit of grated parmesan, cayenne, salt and pepper. Thats it. I used 5 eggs for Aaron and I.

Spinach omelette, ready within minutes. Eat it on its own or on toast. 



Looks like a frittata, but I messed it up when turning over. Meh..



Had mine on toast and it was satisfying and delicious. 

Oh before I forget, do wash your spinach before cooking them, although the packaging said it is washed and ready to eat, I would recommend washing first so you won't get that sappy taste.

Do you have any special egg recipes to share? :)

Project Life (First week of July)

Actually the above is the first insert for July spread. I must of gotten too excited that I blogged about the third spread instead of these two. LOL.

I am still subscribed to Studio Calico's monthly documenter kit, which is why I'm so so happy to be using them again. YAY!

So the spreads are pretty much self explanatory, will be using becky higgins date stamp on most of my spread ( I can only use it up to Dec 2016, kinda bump about that)



Really happy to document the time my aunty and her family spent in Penang. Raul turned 12 on 7th July and he wanted to celebrate it in Penang, oh not forgetting it was also Raya Holidays. Had a really good time with them. *cheers* 

Project Life 2016

Hello Hello,

I am technically restarting project life in July. Hooray. Trying really hard to catch up on documenting my second half of 2016. I love looking back at the memories made throughout the year. It certainly keeps me in check and helps me to be grateful. 

Although I really wanted to document in the 9" album, I just couldn't justify the need to purchase anything new. Since I already had the page protectors and album, all I needed to do was to fill them up. 

My goal is to keep it simple and if possible spend 45 mins a week on it. Lets see how that goes, I may have completed printing out all the photos for July. YAY to that. 

Are you a project lifer? or considering to be one? 

Leftover chicken wraps.

So as promised, this was the left over from last nights dinner. Im a sucker for homemade wraps, its so easy and healthy.

Do pardon the beans, I over cooked it when heating up. Hehe. I don't know bout you but this kinda meals makes me really really satisfied and happy. 

I seasoned the chicken with mustard, sesame kewpie, salt, black pepper, ginger powder and cayenne pepper. I let it marinade for about 2.5 hours, you can do overnight too, the longer the yummier. 

I panfried the chicken first, about 4-5 mins on each side, then I continue cooking it in the over over a bed of carrots, japanese cucumber and garlic bulbs for about 15-20 mins. In a separate pan I also caramelised some onions and sautéed the asparagus beans.......and thats it. Assemble wrap.

Home cooking is simple. :)

Hello Monday

Happy Monday!

Doing a lil bit of grocery shopping today. Since we have been eating out almost whole of last week, my body is so so sick of outside food and is craving for greens and healthy home cook meals.

So tonights menu is bake chicken wraps with beans and carrots. Yay! Even typing it sounds so healthy already. LOL.

I am truly happy that my body is learning to crave for good food. I think that consistent exercising sort of altered my taste palate. Yes, thank you body. Thank you for cooperating and not putting our exercise time in vain.

Whats cooking in your kitchen tonight? Alrighty, all this talking about food is making me hungry, will hurry by to cook.

Adios. 

My first vlog is up on youtube! woohoo

LOL. Its hilarious.

Needed to push myself to learn a new skill and I did it. Wootssss! Its no where near to perfect but a great achievement. YAY!

So this 4 mins video took me close to 2 hours to edit, its my first time using iMovie....not too bad eh? 

The Mr. was away on business trip, so I was alone for the weekend.....decided to document my Saturday evening from church to having dinner to watching a dance show called Kaash (for Georgetown Festival). 

So so without further ado, presenting my first Vlog. *drumroll pls*.............(*insert music)......

Enjoy. ;)

Workspace Wednesday

Reorganising my frequently used sequins box, these are the ones I go for most of the time. It fits perfectly in my drawer and stays neatly organised. Although I've already maxed out the entire box, I would probably need to get another one. I bought the box from Daiso, very affordable and good quality. Yay, indeed a good score!

So while my instagram looks really neat and nicely organised, the photo below is usually the condition of my desk. LOL. Aha a whole lot of mess.




Trimming cardstock pieces for the tags.



And after using my big shot, a whole lot of tags. Just preparing for the Pop-up market this weekend.

How is the condition of your desk this wednesday? :)

Etsy Updates

Adding on to my etsy shop this simple and elegant wedding congratulations card. Loving how simple and clean this card is.  The lettering is glittered, so its really pretty. 



Different background paper produces slightly different feel. 


Which do you prefer? Im liking both. Maybe it depends on the couple's personality yea?

I also added this cute yet elegant gold inked tags. They are the perfect size for wedding favors, bridal showers, baby showers or even party packs.


Im digging the navy and gold together. :)


Head over to my Etsy to check our more items. 

Fitter Lifestyle // Weight Loss journey

Hello Hello,

For those who know me personally, they seem to realise there's something different about me but just not too sure what. Question is did I loose weight? Yes I did. How much did I loose? Since April 2015 to August 2016, I've shed off 12 kgs. *Hooray!!*

It has been a slow and consistent journey, basically just reprogramming my lifestyle again. Getting fitter is not only an external revamp but it starts internally.

About 10 years ago, I was really desperate to loose weight, all for the wrong reasons. I crash diet (did the atkins diet) and workout like mad, in just 4 months I lost 19kgs.........because of its weird eating regime, I couldn't sustain that lifestyle for long. Within a few years I put back almost all the weight I lost.

Then in 2015, I knew I had to tackle this part of my life in order to have a better life when I'm older (talking bout 70s,80s,90s). I did pray and ask God to convict me of this new lifestyle and for strength for the long haul.....yes long haul, its a lifestyle change. One of my favourite speakers, Lisa Bevere inspired me to do fitness the right way, to enjoy the journey (eat right & exercise) and not obsessing about the numbers on the scale. So here I am, 15 months later, 12kgs lighter, feeling really really good. 

I'll be very honest here, there are many many many days where I don't feel like going to the gym. Seriously, like MANY days. LOL. But I made that decision to be committed from Mondays to Fridays. I try to let my body rest on the weekends, but once a while I may go for a class on Saturdays.

When starting out, I attended gym on alternate days, resting my body in between coz I didn't have the stamina to push through but after 6-8 months I increased it. I'm speaking from a dancer's perspective where my body was already used to some level of physical activity. If you have not exercised before, then maybe you would need to go even slower and listen to your body. 

Vital thing to remember : Do not compare yourself to others. 

Each of us are made very differently, our bodies adapt and burn differently so the best thing is to focus on yourself and listen to your body. I cannot begin to stress how important it is to listen to your body....if its time to take a break, take it. There are some days where I'm too tired or not feeling well or maybe having body aches, I would just rest it off....and and I have learned to not feel bad about it. That is very crucial, not feeling guilty if you decide to take the rest. So you see, having a mind set change is inevitable for our fitness journey. We want everything to be healthy....Body, Mind and soul, that way we can radiate from the inside out.

I will eventually talk about what kind of exercise I do and my food intake.

If you have been wanting to jump onto the fitness wagon but have been procrastinating , I encourage you to pray. Find a solid reason as to why you need to be healthy, build that conviction and make small changes to your lifestyle. If you have any questions, feel free to drop me an email or leave a comment below.



Nothing feels better after a good sweaty workout. LOL! 

Pop Up Market // Hin Bus Depot

Hello Friends,

My second Sunday at the pop up market, this time they provided the table cloth and I was handling the stall on my own (aaron was out of town). It was a good experience setting up, tearing down, lugging items and handling everything solo. Although having another partner or friend is much more convenient (& more exciting) , going solo forces you to mingle around with other vendors. I had a very friendly neighbour selling beaded bracelets, so all good. 



I get all excited when I see familiar faces, Tina & I used to be in the same department in my MNC days. So of coz I have to take a photo to document it. 



And and the market would not be complete without a cup of artisan latte. All in all it was a good weathered day, somewhat breezy with good visiting crowd. 

Cheers to another great Sunday at Hin Bus Depot's Pop Up Sunday Market.

Come say hello next Sunday from 11am-5.00pm. Yay!!

A few days ago I soaked in on 2 Cor 9:10-11, it was the kind of encouragement I needed.

I want to share with you this beautiful song, it has help me through some darkest moments and lifted me up to feeling all victorious again.

God I look to You (By Jenn Johnson)

God I look to You, I won't be overwhelmed
Give me vision to see things like You do
God I look to You, You're where my help comes from
Give me wisdom; You know just what to do

I will love You Lord my strength
I will love You Lord my shield
I will love You Lord my rock forever
All my days I will love You God

Hallelujah our God reigns 
Hallelujah our God reigns 
Hallelujah our God reigns
Forever all my days Hallelujah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1nJrioKNvI

Wishing you a beautiful and fruitful weekend. Love you. 

Etsy Shop update

Greetings to my lovely readers,

I am back with some Etsy shop updates, I will be selling some at the Pop Up market this Sunday at Hin Bus Depot. 

Really happy that my creative juices are flowing. 5 cards in a day, thats progress. :) I am really loving this first card, the color combo is just so sweet and calm at the same time. Thumbs up Sharon.








If you are interested to purchase some, do PM me for details.

Toodles.