Applique Tee-ing

We received the t-shirts from applique tee shoppe yesterday and I did not waste much time asking the kids to pose them. They were , as always, ever willing to try on new clothes. :)

Group shot:

Individual gedik shots: (siap tidur atas katil, tu..)

They have also earned a post each on applique tee shoppe's official blog here: Khadra, Khaleeq and Khaleeda. :)

Thank you once again, Amy. The kids are mighty pleased! Khaleeda couldn't stop shouting, "Dora!" everytime she she proudly points to her t-shirt. You have a fully satisfied customer in me and we'll be back for seconds! ;)

-dillz blogging out-

Sneak Stitched Surprise!

Got word that my Applique Tee Shirt orders are ready from sweet Amy. It is a really fun, unique and creative thing that she is doing. Amy would actually cut out the designs on felt and stitch it on your t-shirt / apron / polo shirt / what-have-yous. I just think it's really cool and was literally jumping up and down when Ziezi introduced me to this blog sometime last month.

I ordered a t-shirt each for my three kids. Khadra insisted on Sonic Underground, Khaleeq wanted Ben-10 and what else for Khaleeda but the adorable Dora! Ziezi will be picking it up from Amy's house together with her order for My Lil Artist aprons.

Amy was also nice enough to send me the images for a sneak preview. Thanks so much, babe! *Click on the picture and you will be transported to her gallery of amazing designs*

Can't wait till the kids get to parade them around!

-dillz blogging out-

My Supergirl Won The Best Dressed Prize!

Fuyyoh! What a great surprise! We were invited to Sharieq's first birthday party yesterday with the superheroes and villains theme. And Khadra won the Best Costume Prize for girls! Way to go, Khadra! I told ya you'd look cute in that little outfit!

If you know me and my kids - we LOOOVE to dress up! Pirates, princesses, train conductor, honey-bee, ballerina, national costumes - Malay, Chinese and Indian, jubah-jubahan ; you name it, they probably have it! Yes, they are spoilt like that. Most of the costumes are off the shelf variety; buy them and they are ready to wear with minimal accessories matching.

However, herein lies the challenge:

1. We do not own any superheroes and villains costumes.

2. It was already the morning of the said party. Buying costumes were not part of the option I was presented with.

3. So, it seems that I had to work with whatever I had in the house at the time.

Wah, macam task Project Runway lah pulak.

Khadra - We made use of Khaleeq's Superman baju tidur that was waay too small for him already. You know the ones of the shiny variety. Thank God it came with the cape. So, the rest of the outfit has to be mixed and matched from her other costumes. We used the red and white stripey skirt (complete with red belt) from Khadra's pirate costume for her previous concert and put her hair up in two pony tails. Matched her candy blue painted nails with the multi coloured bangles. The result = One Supergirl. Done.

Khaleeq - The first idea was to use his Batman long sleeved t-shirt along with the mask. Couldn't find the mask in this mess I call a house, so, the idea had to be scrapped. Saw the Spiderman mask lying around and paired that with a Spiderman t-shirt for Khaleeq. The result = One tiny Spidey.Done.

Khaleeda - There's nothing that fits her really. but , thankfully I saw the honeybee costume. So, she was turned into Queen Bee the villain that stings people. (Hey, whatever lah. At least she was happy!)

Here's a group photo of the kid-cousins at the party! Teyta as Batman, Shoshoff wore a Superhero baju katak, Khaleeda the Queen Bee, Khadra the Supergirl, Khaleeq the cute-as-pie Spidey and Naqib as Superman. Ewa and Kira were there as props. Neyna and Chinchin did not get to the party yet at the time.

Coincidentally, Naqib won the Best Costume for boys. Each got RM50 for their tabung! Wow!! Lumayan!!! Thanks Shasha! The party was awesome!

Moral of the story (and yes this little anecdote has a lesson to learn from) :

Dengarlah cakap ibu anda. Insya Allah, rezeki berlipat ganda.

-dillz blogging out-

Six, One & Four years olds

Ziezi had a birthday bash for all her kids on Saturday, 8th December 2007. Naqib turned 6 on 10.11.07, Heleyna Zahra turned Uno on 1.12.07 and Nelysa Khadija will be four on 30.12.07. So, why not have them all at once? Penat sekali je..

We were supposed to come in early to help out with the preparations. But we had some errands to run that morning and didn't get there until 2.30pm (the party was scheduled to start at 3pm). heh heh heh It was very festive-like, loads of balloons, streamers and brightly decorated tables and chairs. There was a nail art station and sand art station already set up. I volunteered to open up a face painting booth for the kids. (Cover datang lambat, maa) Though I could not eat the meehoon goreng and Nasi Dagang served at the party, we did have a lot of fun.. Check out the collage!-dillz blogging out-

Busy As A Bee!

Have been busy, people.. Mainly because that time of year is here yet again... I have been running around town to prepare / assemble / acquire / tailor costumes for the children's concert this coming 12th of December. Just like last year and the year before last, the kids will be performing their year-end concert as a finale, before school is out. This is truly an event that I look forward to every year. The theme this year is about Children of the World. They will be travelling around the world, showcasing the different cultures through songs, sketches and dances.

The costumes I need to prepare for Khadra are:
1. Sexy Indian costume for her Bollywood dance;
2. Cowgirl costume;
3. Customized "Kemban" for her role as Hang Tuah's gilfriend, Melor; and
4. Bikini set for her hula dance.

For Khaleeq:
1. A Chinese boy costume complete with the headgear with the braided hair and tanglung for his lantern dance;
2. Baju Melayu for his role as extras in the Hang Tuah sketch - orang kampung je; and
3. Swimming trunks for the hula dance.

Status update: So far, all have been obtained pending the tailored Melor outfit and Khadra's Bollywood skirt that had to be altered. These will hopefully be ready for pick-up this Sunday. Pheww!!

Also, just like previous years, I am officially the designated artist for the concert's backdrops this year. Not too many backdrops this year; just three new ones. And because of my pantang status, I am only designing and sketching the backdrops for other mommies to paint. (Who knows, I might just paint a little bit of it..) I'll definitely get a snap of my fruits of labour once it's done, okay?

Yes, I know I am still in my confinement... But, I make sure that I have my barut and socks on when I am doing all of the above, though.. After all, a mom's got to do what a mom's got to do, no?

-dillz blogging out-

Cutlery Tree

My cutlery tree is growing. Macam mulberry tree lak bunyinya.. The growth rate depends on how many take-outs I get from the various stalls downstairs. Nasi lemak, nasi goreng, nasi campur, soto... Anything that requires the use of fork and spoon to consume, really..

After 2 weeks in my new place, I am glad to note that I have 8 pieces of cutleries in my collection. I can now invite 3 friends to come over for tapau lunch.. heh heh heh

-dillz blogging out-

Creative Cats

I just had to share these pictures with you.

Khadra had her annual concert on 13th of December last year and the whole show was themed 'Famous Musicals'. So, the mommies and the daddies were invited to come over to her school to help with painting of the backdrops for the show. There were 7 screens to paint in total. 1 screen for Oliver Twist + 3 screens for Anna & the King + 3 screens for Sound of Music. So, I came by one sunny day and I was told that the teachers needed me to design the backdrop and draw it on the 9 feet by 6 feet gigantic plywood screens. (They were obviously impressed by my creative trees in the last year's concert heh heh heh) Great! I'd LOOOOVE to! ;)

So, here are my favourite two screens, one picture shows the inspiration of the design and beside it is the final outcome!

From Anna & the King:  

From Sound of Music:

The backdrops were painted in by the other parents and teachers but the finishing was mainly done by yours truly. You know, the shading, the borders, the 3-d effects and other details. Of course, I also had help from my hubby and Kira. We came in a few Saturdays before we were finally pleased with the results. Kira did the details on the Siamese grand entrance and Azrul's proudest masterpiece is the hilltop drawing from the Sound of Music.
(see below)

Turned out rather nice, didn't they?

-dillz blogging out-

Scrapbooking 101

*from my other blog at Dilla Speaks Out

Found a great shop in Damas to start off my scrapbooking.

I have been wanting to scrapbook for the longest time but, I always felt that it was way too expansive a hobby. This place,Zevk, however made me feel that it was possible. The owners, Amirah and her lovely Turkish hubby, are so helpful and sweet. They offer great classes- from as low as RM 10 for an intro class, a great place to work in- eventhough you are not buying anything, free use of the scrapbooking tools; and great scrapbooking supplies. They also have a stamp program for frequent scrapbookers and best of all, Double Stamp Days - twice in a month!

I have bought me a book - Total Scrapbooking - and some supplies. Started on (and finished) a few projects and am quite happy about it.

First one was about Khadra’s birthday bash .

The second one was Lidiya’s farewell gift. Third one is still unfinished and yet to be delivered to the receipient, so I shall let it remain undisclosed. Still sticking to 6" X 6" as they are economical and easiest to make. I am coming into the store quite often to copy the templates Amirah has prepared earlier.

Still not done learning from the Master, though. I am moving up onto the big stuff - 12" X 12". I intend to scrapbook about our honeymoon in Maldives coz I think those pictures truly lacks appreciation. It’s gonna be a big project and I might just share the product when it’s ready: HERE Well, at least the ones rated ‘U’..

-dillz blogging out-

I'm In The News!!!!

*from my other blog at Dilla Speaks Out

Big moment in history — I am in the NEWS!!!! Wassap????? Heh heh heh.. Still in a daze, somewhat.. Can’t believe it still… Glamour tak? For the benefit of you guys who did not have a chance to get the hardcopy, here it is in the softcopy form… courtesy of Nadya, the e-browse product owner. (Thank you, sissy)

Been waiting for Tuesday since last Saturday. That was when the article was due for. Izza, the KOSMO! journalist was looking around the workshop last weekend. She was looking for the face-painter her friend told her about. Hmmmmmm, that sounds like me.. She is looking for ME! So, we had the interview thing and I promised to send some pictures to her for the piece. Pictures were taken by Kira, of course, my trusted apprentice.

And then, Tuesday came. Got to get my KOSMO!Got to get my KOSMO! When I entered mynews.com (located at the Lower Ground of Menara Telekom) this morning, my heart was skipping a beat. (Btw, you can’t get any more from there now. Lily got the last copy at noon. heh heh heh) Reached for the first KOSMO! in sight and I quickly skimmed through the pages to see if the article made it. Would it be a small one, a full-page coverage or what?

Then I saw the image of Ariff, the brave kid who wanted a full-faced skull last Saturday. Hmmm, that’s familiar. True enough.. there was yours truly , looking pretty professional beside him. IT’S ME!!!!!! What a rush… I brought bought two copies and ran back up to the lobby to get my hubby… grinning all the way… heh heh heh

It made my day, really. Showed the half-page article to the whole office (GM included) and I was smiling the whole freaking morning.. (and afternoon) SMSed some people about it and got some pretty wild responses. My brother-in-law even asked for a quotation for his annual dinner. Wassap??? Way to get the business going… (BIG HUMONGOUS Smiles…) Hmmm.. I might just afford that professional Krayolan kit after all…

Me? I am pretty high on the piece itself. Need some space to let the reality sink in and live among the mortals again.. heh heh heh

-dillz blogging out-

Body Painting

*from my other blog at Dilla Speaks Out

Found myself a new activity on weekends - Face Painting! Love it! Love it! Love it! I’ve started painting on my nephews and cousins since 1998. It all started from this book I bought from ‘In The States".

We now have a ‘do’ at The Curve on weekends. Ziezi has a Painting / Sand Art / Window Art / Magic Art Workshop at the flea market and I am occupying a tiny space in her lot. Currently, it’s on Saturdays and I make my appearance for about 4-5 hours to establish my presence, mingle with prospective clients, practise my art and get new ideas for my design. (read - the money is shite!) It’s kinda like my marketing plan lah.. I also get reservations for private functions, family days and parties, that’s where the real dough comes in. (Big SMILES, Big SMILES) I am getting money from doing what I love.. Great, isn’t it?

Not to sound boastful or anything, I think I am quite good at it. Heh heh heh. Check out some pix I have in my profile. I have a photo album on the whole works too.. Here’s more pictures in my portfolio !

With my gypsy image (dangling earings, long scarf tied at the back- the whole shabang!), my natural passion for it, my PR with the kids - the whole thing really works..

What more, I only use the best paint in the world — Kryolan Face Paint.I tried others, but it’s just not good enough, though… Still looking for a supplier here in Malaysia. Got to know of one place from Faizal — in KL Plaza. But the paint is costing a bomb. RM240 for a 12-color pallette. Sheesh… Anybody has any other suggestions? Maybe I have to ask my sister to buy it for me from the UK. We’ll see how it goes..

-dillz blogging out-