They're Finally Here

My Mom arrived 2 days ago, flewing from Vancouver. She brought my Etsy packages (5) along with all the stuff she bought for Ethan. It was so nice seeing her (and the packages, of course). Too bad that she only stays for a week this time. She has a tight schedule and we try to maximize our time together, especially I want her to have good quality time with Ethan.

It's almost overwhelming when I saw the goodies. In a good way :-) There are so many new papers to play with that I don't even know where to start. One of the packages contained scrap papers as high as 4 inches. The seller told me that she put extras in my order. Isn't that sweet? One seller has also refunded $1.50 for excess shipping cost. And her papers are cut SO neatly. No wonder if she's one of the successful sellers. I'll be back, that's for sure. Another seller provided a note detailing what goes in her shipping cost calculation and why I had to pay more than the postage. Interesting, I would say.

I had purchased them as early as July and had to be patient waiting to finally have them in my hands. Why did they get send to Canada instead of Indonesia? Well, not only that I do go back to Vancouver now and then (or other people, i.e. my mom), but also because not all Etsy sellers ship internationally. And shipping cost to Canada tends to be cheaper than shipping cost to Indonesia. That's why some packages are sent directly to Indonesia, and some are sent to Canada.

I guess, I won't shop for a while....hmm, may be for supplies, but I can shop for others stuff, can't I?

Use it!

I dare myself to do what I promise to do: to use it first then buy more. A while ago I wrote about what a saver I am. A saver in a not so good way that is (read here).

So today I'm using my rub-0ns.


Now I feel much better since I know I'm getting closer to buy more rub-ons :-P

This water melon drink was sooooo good. I enjoyed it as I made cards. To avoid any accident, I comply to my rule: no food and drink at the craft table. The English writing is confusing. And the Chinese writing, I have no clue, sorry. Perhaps you can translate it for me.

Heart Me

Here is another thing that I love.

I love checking my ETSY he♥rts. It's such a flattering feeling knowing that there are people out there loves my cards. Call me nuts, but I check them not only one or twice but many times in a day. And this is an everyday routine. Thank goodness that we have Majaba.org, where number of hearts and views are shown as a list. Of course the list can go on and on to number of pages if you have a lot of items in your store. But checking my hearts through Etsy is more time consuming since I need to click on each item to see its hearts.

I'm curious to see who hearts me. I clickety click to see their stores or favorites. It's just like finding a treasure. And the secret admirer...that's such a mystery! But I still love 'em. :-)

Here are my most he♥rted cards and papercrafts:

• Country Kitchen in Blue Tea Bag Holder - 10 ♥

• Classy Thoughts of You Card - 7 ♥

• Say Happy Birthday with Flowers Card - 7 ♥

• Say Happy Birthday with Bunch of Flowers Card - 6 ♥

• Decorate Life with Sweet Baby Giraffe Card - 6 ♥

Thank you all who heart me!

Gorgeous

This morning, catiesblue convoed me with a good news. I won the Artisan Beaders first giveaway contest. Yipee!

This is what I won, a gorgeous pair of earrings from Patty of Broken Teepee Designs.

Visit Artisan Beaders' blog for their weekly giveaway 'till the end of the year.

And don't forget to enter my giveaway contest.

Here is the newest set of Christmas Cards. I will list this set of 5 Christmas Cards tonight. Each is made with recycled heavy weight textured cardstock. Each is made with such details. With a bargain price of $10, this set may not be in my store for too long.

You Got Mail

I always love receiving mails. I think most of us do. Bills and junk mails are exceptions, of course.

Here are today's mails that gave a little smile on my face:

• Clear stamps that I ordered through Etsy. I'm so excited, I can't wait to use 'em.

• Preserved mangoes. Mmmm...Yummies. We could not help to eat them before I got a chance to take a picture of them. There were 5 in total. My dad-in-law asked his employee to drop this off at home for us to enjoy as snack. So thoughtful of him.

• An e-mail received from Holland America Line. Now, don't you wish you're there? I know I do.

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? You know that Christmas card is a must, don't you? :-) We're at the end of October already. Beat the rush and shop today. Consider the shipping time it takes for an order to get to you, you probably want to start shopping now. Posts get delayed during holiday season. For those who already started and about to finish, kudos to you!

Don't forget to consider donate a card to a soldier sent to his/ her family. Click here for more details.

When times are tough...

Here is what I learn today.

When times are tough, whether it be financial or emotional tough or when I just feel blah, here are things that make me feel better.

• Look back to these beautiful pictures from our vacations. Imagine that I'm there. Reminisce the good times.

December 2005, Bali. A view from our suite.


August 2006, Long Beach Lodge Resort, Tofino, BC.


July 2007 Alaska Cruise. I was about 23 weeks pregnant with Ethan. It was quite hard to control my appetite as foods are available for 24 hours.

• Hug my little one. This afternoon, he cried during his nap. I picked him up and rocked him back to sleep. And as I hug him closely to my chest, I feel peaceful, knowing him feeling secured in my arms.
  

• Make crafts helps me to feel better. Little that I know, my feeling becomes my inspiration for the day. I guess this is what differentiate handmade cards and mass produced ones, where feeling of the artist is involved. I also learn to appreciate my cards a little bit more. A simple card like this surely make someone's day brighter. What a strong impact it could have! I hope someone besides me will enjoy this card as well.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway contest. Click the graphic located on the very top left sidebar.

A Moment to Remember

It finally rained today. It poured for a good 10 minutes or so. I wanted to take a picture of this heavy rain but I had to attend Ethan. The nanny had to run grabbing her clothes that were hung to dry. Poor her, she was a bit too late. The rains cleansed the roof and brought dusts to the attic where her clothes were. She ended up washing them again. By the time she finished, so was the rain.

I sat down at my craft table this afternoon and wondered what kind of card should I make. I've been making a lot of thank you cards lately. I decided to make this card, Deepest Sympathy, in memory of my husband's grandma who just passed away yesterday morning.

Giveaway Contest

I'm sure we all love giveaways! When I started this blog a few months ago, I mentioned that I'd do a giveaway at some point. It just has to be done in the right time. So what is a better time than now, a couple of weeks away from my Adore By Nat 2nd year Etsy-versary? Those of you who read my yesterday post probably can't wait :-)

So what is it? or may be the right question is: What ARE they?

How about a $10 Adore By Nat Gift Certificate and a set of Printable Christmas Postcards, a $6 value (shown below) designed by VinK, owner and artist of Million Minds and Design By Vink?


This cute printable design is a limited edition which means, VinK designed them especially for the winners. Sorry, this will not be available for others. Now, those of you that don't win, please don't get panicked. You can still find similar designs at her store. What's so good about printable design? Well, you can print them as many as you like without having to break the bank (except the cost of printing, of course).

By the way, did I just say winners? You betcha! To make this an even sweeter giveaway contest, I will pick 3 winners. One lucky winner will get $10 gift certificate and printable Christmas postcards, while two winners will each get printable Christmas postcards.

How to enter to win:

1. Go to my Adore By Nat store and one of VinK stores: Million Minds or Design By Vink.
   
2. Return to my Adore By Nat blog and simply leave a comment here about our stores (both VinK and mine). I.e. your favorite items.

Contest starts now and ends on November 4, 2008 (my Etsy-versary ;-) Yei!)
One entry per person please. Don't forget to leave me your e-mail address. Entries without contact information will be disqualified. Contest winners will be drawn on Wednesday, November 5th by a random number generator. Winners must respond within 48 hours after being contacted otherwise another winner will be randomly selected.

To end my post of the day, I would like to let you know about how I adore this beautiful print, Dilemma.
I love the fact that behind each VinK's illustration lies an original story (read her blog to know more). It shows her cultural background and the ethnicity of Indonesia. This makes hers a truly one-of-a-kind one that you simply cannot find it anywhere else in Etsy.

Hoping for a Rain

Today's temperature is about 39°C (102°F). Another hot day. But I was told that this is a sign that the rainy season is near. I just can't wait.

Counting the last couple of days of dry season and I will soon have to say goodbye to these gorgeous flowers and delicious fruits. Quite similar to what I experienced in Vancouver, except this time I don't see falling leaves nor experience having cold hands. If I were in Vancouver, I certainly would not hope for a rain. LOL! Vancouver rains a lot! It's still a beautiful city, nevertheless.



Mangoes and a Blewah (or muskmelon). It certainly reminds me of a pumpkin, but this is nothing taste like a pumpkin. It tastes more like a melon or a cantaloupe.


Ethan turned 11 months yesterday. Can you tell that he is actually under the weather? This little fighter does not allow some cough bugs ruining his playtime.

Check back tomorrow as I'll be doing my 1st ever GIVEAWAY! You know you don't want to miss it. :-)

My Life in Etsy as a Buyer

I love to shop at Etsy. Not only that this is a way to support other Etsian sellers but it is also a cure to my addiction. Well, may be not so much of a cure since it gives me a temporary pleasure only and I usually crave for more :-)

Papers seem to be what I bought most. I just LOVE papers. Yes, I can't get enough of papers and I'm one of those who like to save rather than use them right away. My strategy would be buying at least two for each patterned paper. This way when I want to use them, I only use one and the other is still safely untouched. This strategy; however, does not seem to work well in this financial crisis situation. I should start using them!

A couple of days ago, I received my order from Purple Fresh.


So exciting! Look all these goodies.


When I looked at these stamps on sale, I knew that I just have to have them. In fact, I already had a design in mind when my eyes laid on the "You're" and "Sweet" stamps.

Here is a design found in the Joy of Card Making magazine.


And this is the card that I made using the stamps. Hope you like it!



The lollipop can be found in my Natsupplies store, 4 pieces for $2.00.



Purple Fresh is one of many wonderful Etsian sellers that I had a pleasure dealing with. I love the fact that she thinks of others. 25% of her sales goes straight to her local animal shelter. By the way, I just visited her shop and look at the papers that she has. So tempting, but I have to control myself. No sales = No more $ out.

Unfortunately, I recently experienced a so-not nice transaction with a seller. Not only that I did not receive my order after waiting patiently for 2 months, I was accused of lying just because she saw my listed items using similar papers that she sold. Did I say that I just Loveeee papers? Is it possible that other Etsian sellers sell these same commercial mass produced papers? I even could show my receipts if I have to.

Nevertheless, this unfortunate experience will not stop me from buying on Etsy again. Etsy is such a GREAT community, IMHO.

A View from a Balcony

I spend almost of my days staying in the house. By the house, I mean my in-laws' house. Since leaving Canada, we haven't really have our own place yet. I can't wait to have our own place where a family routine is in placed.

While my hubby goes helping his dad in their family business, my baby (and the nanny), Mocha and I spend most of our times in our bedroom which sometimes can be boring. We can do almost all activities in this bedroom. We have our own bathroom, TV, DVD player, Laptop, Ethan's toys, and my little crafty area. We go down for meal times (though we bring our food up occasionally) and some playing times with grandparents.

This afternoon, while our bedroom was being cleaned, I brought Ethan to the front balcony for a change. I cannot recall if we ever went there before. It was breezy so we actually enjoyed hanging around for awhile. Ethan observed his surrounding while eating his green bean soup. Here are some pictures that I snapped:

The kind of trucks we have in Indonesia.


A public transportation knowns as 'Angkot' or 'Bemo'.

Mocha and 'Becak'. Becak is a cycle rickshaw where the driver sits behind the passenger seat. Typically, becak is used for transporting passengers, but lately I've seen them used for transporting goods.


Suddenly, I saw this brave cat trying to cross the street. Don't worry! He made it safely.

A street vendor of meatball noodle soup. If you don't have a strong stomach, I don't recommend you to try it out. Click here for more pictures of Indonesian street vendors.

It's surely had Ethan's attention as the bell that he rang made quite a noise. Reminds him of his toys, maybe?

This may seem to be a normal day-to-day kind of life in Indonesia, but when I come to think of it, they become an interesting comparison to life in Canada.

Canadian Living Blogged Me

It's indeed a better day for me today. My problem may not go away completely, but it surely cheers me up that I've been blogged by Canadian Living. I LOVE their magazine. I enjoy looking at their recipes though I always fail to take the time to try them out.

Jacquelyn, author of Mom blog: Because I said so!, one of Canadian Living bloggers contacted me, asking for a permission to use my Thank You cards image in her blog. Well of course!


At first I was a bit stunned. Is this real? Canadian Living contacted me? And they loved my cards?

I was blogged not just for a day, but TWO days in a row: Thursday and Friday!

Not only this will give my Adorebynat store a great exposure, but also Etsy site in general.

Another way of being closer to 'home' too, I would say.

Now I cannot stop smiling :-)

Have a happy day everyone!

Feeling Down

I'm feeling down but don't really want to talk about it. It's been tough lately.

So here are picturec of my cards that I made in the last couple of days but just had the time to take pictures of them now.



A random picture: My stack of pillows.


Hope it's a better day tomorrow.

Featuring fellow Etsian sellers - episode 3 - Televators

Though I have moved to the other side of the world, Etsy and the power of globalization make it easier for me to feel closer to home. I learn that it's such a small world after all when my fellow Canucks knocked on my NatSupplies store door, enjoyed their stay and bought an item or two on their way out.

Who said that videogames are for boys? Who said that playing too much of videogames is just bad and nothing good can come out of it? Researchers have shown that gamers have much better visual skills than most of the population (click here to read more).

The living proof? Meet Janna, owner of Televators. Her artworks are one of a kind. They are not the typical earrings and charms that you can find in most stores. Aren't you curious to know bit more about her and her artworks? I know I was. So here is what she says:

"One look in my Etsy shop, and you’ll know exactly what my inspiration is! It all started when I got my Nintendo 64 for Christmas one year... Not to go into details, but I loved the bright, colourful world of videogames. I’ve always been very artistically inclined; my mother is an art teacher and artist herself, and my grandmother was well-known oil painter. I myself am a full-time student in the Fine Arts program at my local University, and enjoy doing anything art-related, from painting, drawing, and sculpting, to making charms and earrings!

Because my life is so busy with school and a part-time job, I began my Etsy shop as an escape; a side-project to work on when I have the spare time. With my first sales coming in just last month, Etsy is still a very fresh and exciting place to me! I have a wide target audience, as geekdom can have all sorts of age groups. My jewellery can appeal to young kids who like games like Pokemon and older kids in their late teens such as myself, who are finally feeling a comeback in classic gaming and the niche culture of the so-called “nerd”. My creations also appeal to the older generations, nostalgic from the days of Super Nintendos and pixellated adventures. My overall goal with my Etsy shop is to have fun, and connect with people around the world who share my love of the nerdy side of life and aren’t afraid to show it!"

These would be great for Halloween:





You know you want 'em. Go get a pair each at Televators and support a newbie!

The Cellphone Strap with Lobster Clasp used for her charm is from my NatSupplies store. It's one of my popular items and is selling like hotcakes :-) I'm running out of them now but new stock is coming tomorrow.