Crafty sign

For those who don't know, I work as a nurse on an oncology floor with bone marrow transplant unit. Most of the patients that I work with suffer from Leukemia and Lymphoma and so the patients tend to stay for a very long periods of time or come back often.

One of my patient was in the middle of her chemo treatment over several days. She occupied her time by doing different types of craft. My first day taking care of her, she showed me a sign with felt cut outs of her name. A volunteer in a hospital had made it for her many years ago and she thought it was a nice idea to make for other people.

Having no shame, I jokingly asked her if she was working on a sign for me. =X hehehe! Guess she felt obligated now that I had mentioned it (I'd like to believe it was because I was such an awesome nurse) but the next day, she presented me with my very own sign!!

Always appreciating crafts and other people's handiwork, I proudly carried it back.

Often, patients spend long hours in their bed without anything but a TV to occupy their time. Seeing this particular patient fill her time by making this little project for her loved ones seemed like a good way to pass the hours. I definitely appreciated the final result :) 

photo template courtesy of Pugly Pixel

olive loves youuuu

After this post, I promise to lay off of the fujifilm related pictures! I am having too much fun with these.

I gotta sleep to work through the weekend but I'm excited because next week I get to go to Boston and see all the boston folks! w000t.. and really by that I mean eat Boston foooood :)

Colors of spring!

Now that the weather here is starting to show hints of warming up, the outside has gotten just a teeny bit brighter... or should I say colorful! I had originally wanted to show the new blooms of the spring season, but I missed my opportunity as the plants outside seem to grow so quickly!

Its amazing how a weather that doesn't require 5 layers of clothing plus hats and uggs can put you in a good mood. As I took Olive out for a walk, I snapped some of the colors I saw that showed spring is here :)

FYI: taking focused pictures with a dog tugging the leash you're holding is EXTREMELY challenging.... go figure!

photo template is courtesy of Pugly Pixel.

some fun fujifilm instax pics!!

Fujifilm Instax Mini 25

Trying out some photography actions :)

I go through phases where I really put myself into a certain hobby. Right now, I'm on a photography kick and I've been playing around with photo editing. I've finally come to one that I love! This is my coworker's newborn son. Definitely a handsome lil fella :)

Shake it like a Polaroid picture

Ever since my friend H brought out her Polaroid camera to our birthday party, I've been on a Polaroid kick!. Unfortunately, the last time H had bought the films for a Polaroid was the last time Polaroid made the films. They've discontinued the films and are now rare on the market and exorbitantly overpriced!

In the end, I settled on Fujifilm Instax Mini 25 by Fuji. It retails for about $150 (at Urban Outfitter stores) but of course, anything electronic can be found cheaper online and can be found for $99 on Amazon. Films for the Fujifilm Instax Mini 25 averages out to about 75cents per piece which is affordable compared to the overpriced expired film by Polaroids. I'm still waiting for this camera to arrive from Amazon and when I do, I can't wait to debut the pictures from my blog. I love the quality of instant films and find that they somehow create a flattering look of the people you take pictures of. The camera only comes in white but they do offer a limited Hello Kitty version of the camera. It does cost about $50 more and isn't really that much cuter!

If the Fujifilm Instax Mini 25 is a little too pricey, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 7S may be a good choice for you at $69.99. While it lacks some minor features, it uses the same film and will ultimately satisfy your craving for instant film. It also comes in a pink or blue trim if you dare to be different.

If you are a baller, you can always opt up for Fujifilm Instax 50S! In it's sleek piano black look, it costs about 30 to 50 dollars more depending on where you buy it from. All 3 products take the same film. I do have to say personally that the fun toy-like quality of the 7S and 25 is lost with the 50S.

Anywho, a blog post is nothing without pictures, so here are some polaroid generated pictures :)

p.s. noticed the new look on blog? With many thanks to Powered by Pastries the blog got a new look. Check out Powered by Pastries for free blog goodies, tips and tutorials! 

Happy Birthday Card

I was feeling productive today after having cleaned the house + my room and especially my craft desk. It inspired me to create a new card. Having an extra birthday cards are always handy to have on hand. This is what I came up with.

Supplies: 

Chipboard Alphabet by K&Company

Cupcake Dimensional Stickers by Jolee's Boutique

My Girl Dot Paper by KI Memories

Happy Trails Hot Dots Flat Paper by K&Company

White Gelly Roll Pen

Pink Ribbon

Elmer's Rubber Cement

Tombo Mono Multi Liquid Glue Pen

DIY birthday party for H + Crafty song!

Our recent 25th birthday celebration was chock full of DIYs and crafty skills maximized to good use. With the help of my chef sister G and my baking friend Pauline Bakes combined with the rose making skills of my friend P & H, we ended up with a birthday we'd remember for years to come!

The crepe paper rose tutorials we've been seeing online gave me a great idea for a party decoration. Rather than gluing them onto paper lanterns and using them as lighting!

Here is the finished glued product. My dog Olive is in the shot because she thinks this is one giant ball for her to play with. I had to hang it off the window to get it out of her way.

These are the lanterns in effect! I made them in white, dark pink and white pink. Tip: Crepe paper was cheapest from Walmart at $1.25 for 160 feet for crepe paper.  The white lanterns look like roasted marshmallows yummy :)

One thing I definitely wanted to have was a dessert bar and with the amazing help of PaulineBakes, I was able to have a variety of delicious goodiness!!

The center two cake stands are a DIY project made from two candle stick holders and plates that were thrifted. The candlesticks are also thrifted as well. The bouquet of flowers are just IKEA vases for $2.00 with black satin ribbon tied on with an arrangement of flowers from ACMoore that were on sale for 40% off!

Chocolate covered pretzel sticks in assorted pink and white sprinkles to match our party theme of black white and pink!

Mini carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Moist and delicious!

The pom poms on the side are from Martha Stewart tutorial. Unfortunately, I didn't have a lot of time to give it the round poufy effect but still came out looking like giant peonies so it added a great effect.

This is the dessert bar before it was attacked!

Chocolate cupcakes with pink frosting and an Eiffel Tower chocolate mold :)

French macarons with nutella filling!

And a birthday party isn't complete without a cake! Carrot cake :)

This is a close up of the centerpieces. I used foam from walmart to help get the flowers in place.

Damask paper napkins from party city added a nice touch and tied it into the theme.

Tip: IKEA has great resources for plates/dishes. I was able to buy a set of 2 dishes and a bowl for $2 per person. Greatest deal I've found. The water goblets are from Walmart and cost $5 for 4 cups for $1.25 a person!

G's stuffed flank steak stuffed with spinach, feta cheese and assorted veggies.

Sorry about the half eaten food. In our excitement, I forgot to take the pictures pre eating! String bean salad. G's specialty! so yummmms.

So this is our party! In the following days, I will post up the cake stand tutorial as well as how we went about making the paper lanterns covered in crepe paper roses. 

Birthday sneak peek

Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate H. & S.'s birthday! Here's a sneak peek :)

Thanks PaulineBakes and my sister G for preparing all the food for the day! it was a hit with everyone !!