My very first (Ahlara) Art Fair

So this is the reason why I have been neglecting the blog lately.



I have been spending every waking moment matching and cutting fabric, measuring, sewing, unpicking, you name it! Still production has been slow, the best i've managed was 6 pouches in a day!



When my blogger friend Jane claimed that she always aims to have at least 100 items ready for a fair, I nearly fell off my chair. To be fair, though, she is very experienced and have done this for awhile, so I am a little less stressed. (Wait! I think i can say this in French "Je suis très stressé!") Nevertheless, up to this day, I have slightly less than 50 items for sale and I have about 2 weeks. So i think I'm doing ok?

Anyway, I'm super excited for my very first craft fair and I'm hoping (crossing all my fingers) for a beautiful sunny day! I know not to set my expectations too high, and most of my friends (who are from work anyway) will probably be AT work, so i'm not expecting to see too many familiar faces...*scary*

I still have to find a way to coerce the J-man into coming to the fair with. I need some emotional support!!!

Still other news, I have a better paying job lined up for me, but it's a completely different ball game from being a museum presenter. The perk is it will eventually turn into a full-time position with health benefits. Normally, i would have turned it down without a second thought, but recently J and I have decided to move out. We found a very good deal on a house for rent. A HOUSE! not an apartment! It's 5 miles from the new job and just a mile away from the museum!! I figured i could still work at the museum during the weekends if i needed to make ends meet. Think about all the gas we'll be saving!! We'll be signing the papers on Friday, so... a lot of excitement on this end.

xoxo

I've been awarded...

   Source

with a "Tell Me About Yourself Award" by Melissa of Simply, Melissa Ashley

Thank you my dear that was very kind of you!


Here are the rules of the award:

1. Say "thank you" with a linking post
2. Write 7 things about yourself
3. Give the award to 15 other blogs
4. Inform them about it!

And as I've just done a A-Z meme of myself not too long ago, i shall attempt to try and think of 7 other things. *gasp* could i really be that interesting?

So here goes:


1. i have a phobia of swimming underwater so i do not snorkel or want to ever learn how to dive. i'd rather just take many trips to the aquariums!
2. i was a SINGLE major in college. and did a major in Theatre Studies. *slacker*
3. i am an old fashioned book nerd. Real books over Kindle.
4. i failed my driver's test twice in Singapore (it's a conspiracy, don't ask) and only got my driver's license in the States about 6 months ago!
5. i secretly shop in the kids section all. the. time.
6. i'm great interacting with kids, but become a blundering dork when i have to talk to the adults.
7. i used to collect barbie dolls

And the 15 blogs this award goes out to these special friends!

1. zhing of little projects in style
2. Katie of Hazel and Mare
3. Kyla of Kyla is Inspired
4. Danielle of Tongue Tied in Awe
5. Mo of Pink Argyle
6. Liz of Unreliable Narrators
7. Jordan of Trailer Gypsy
8. Erica Leigh of Sweets and Hearts
9. Sarah of Sunlight After Rain
10. Jamie of Love in Everything
11. Catherine of Life Collection
12. KJ of Let's Go Fly a Kite
13. Jane of Projects by Jane
14. Karen of Conceptual Reception
15. Erika of A Tiny Rocket

There were a few more people i was going to include, but i know some of you in the list above will definitely get around to awarding them!

Happy week ahead my lovely friends!!!!

I MADE THIS!

and i don't even cook! So you can totally master it. It's perfect for the oncoming coldness! BRRRR!


I guest posted this recipe on Tongue Tied in Awe and did a tie-in giveaway, so head on over and give me a shout-out! xoxo


But also, DO NOT forget about the September giveaway -- the pretty awesome Rainbow Winged Pegasus Brooch that ends September 30th!



Woot woot!

Pandora opens the (music) box

Source: weheartit.com via Tara on Pinterest

Hello my crafty friends,

I was reading Jenny Hart (of Sublime Stitching)'s email when she mentioned that she created some playlists to share via Spotify. These are some songs that she listens to while she embroiders and that made me want to find out:

what do YOU listen to when you are crafting?!

I keep all my music on an external hard drive, so i have to plug that into my laptop whenever i want to listen to music. Sometimes, my work desk is so cluttered with sewing stuff that i have no room to accommodate even that tiny slice of hard drive. As a result, there was a lengthy period of time when i crafted without music *GASP*

...that is until i discovered Pandora. Ta-daa!!! My saviour!!! Pandora streams music and plays them back to back, occasionally peppering ads in between songs. I can handle that.

But wait. there's more!

The best thing about Pandora, is that it detects your favorite music, especially if you login with FB and if your FB profile already specifies what type of music you like. It's kinda like Genius on iTunes. If you don't like a certain song, you click on the 'thumbs down' button. Likewise, for songs you like you click on 'thumbs up". That way, it helps the program narrow down the music genres and play only songs and artists you love! Now is that smart or what???

So, please check out pandora.com if you haven't already (although i know i'm probably a few years, alright, fine... 10 years too slow!) and i think it only works when you are in the US? that i'm not too sure. but check it out anyway.

So. back to my question,

what did you listen to today while working / crafting / hanging out ??

A, You're Adorable, B, You're So Beautiful

Following Erika of a tiny rocket, here is my A-Z (just like the memes of old days). I did edit some of the questions, so feel free to change it as you like! Who wants to do this next? Drop me a note so i can come read it too!!

--------------------------------------------

A. Age: 29 (GASP the big 3-0 next year!)

B. Birthplace: Singapore, but also lived in China, and now North Carolina

C. Chore you hate: Vacuuming the carpets.. now if the vacuum cleaner was less chunky and lighter...it'd be a different story.

D. Dogs: A 12 yr old half deaf and almost blind boston terrier named Betty Boops. Most of the days, we call her Boopses. We also have a little 2yr old Foxton named Daisy, who thinks she's a gazelle most of the time. And a non-doggie pet bearded dragon named Don Vito, who scares the living shits out of the dogs. He rules.



E. Essential start to your day: Coffee and Checking emails BAD BAD BAD

F. Favorite Color: I LOVE THEM ALL! but i tend to steer towards bright yellows, pinks and purples, or dark browns and blues and greens (wait, that's almost ALL the colors! *tsk tsk*)

G. Gorges on: hershey's cookies and cream chocolate bar

H. Hoards: Fabric and books!

I. Instruments you play: Piano and guitar

J. Job Title: Children's museum Education Presenter

K. Kicks: my New Balances for work, and my boots and espadrilles for other occasions.

L. Last read: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

M. Music all-time fave: the Beatles



N. Nicknames: chewy, chews, chew-chew (yikes, really???)

O. Ostentatious buys: when i was a poor student, an Anna Sui bracelet! and the last one that i can remember, a Chloe Dao dress.

P. Phobias: the zipper (yes it's back!), heights, claustrophobia!

Q. Quote of the day: “Laughter is the best medicine" (actually that's one motto i live by)

R. Random fact: i am VERY stubborn. je suis têtu ( i just learnt that!)

S. Siblings: 3 younger sisters... who happen to be a set of triplets!

T. Things that tick me off: parents who don't teach their children manners

U. Underwear: I like boy shorts.

V. Vegetables you hate: Potatoes (with the exception of fries and chips. everything else is too starchy) I love everything else, even okra.

W. Word of the day: CURMUDGEON (now it's your job to go check it up!)

X. X-rays you have: general checkups i took yearly in china. so that makes 4?

Y. Yummy food that you make: I just tried out the J-man's grandma's cauliflower soup recipe!! it was AWESOME! post to follow!

Z. Zoo animals: I love the elephants and giraffes, penguins, baby animals and birds like owls and flamingoes


--------------------------------------------



And to tie in with the museum's theme in September "ABCs and 123s", here's one of my favorite Perry Como songs done by Sesame Street. Can it ever get better than this???