Butterfly

Here are my two latest cards involving beautiful butterfly. The word "amazing" and "wonderful" are stamped. Aren't they just simply beautiful?

The butterfly applique is available in my NatSupplies store. I have green color listed, but I also have blue available. The pink like the one I used are only about 5 left, but if you're interested to have them, please contact me and I'll see what I can do for you.


Happy Sunday, everyone!

The Post Office Has Moved

I've been informed by the post office clerks that the post office is going to move to a new location since the lease will end at the end of November. Last Wednesday, I asked them again about exact the moving date. They said it'll be sometimes in December but no exact date yet.

Since I could not make it to the post office yesterday, I asked my hubby to drive me there this morning prior him going to work. It's about 5-minutes drive from where we live, so it's quite convenient for him to take me there, wait, take me back home, and go to work afterward. On the way there, I was thinking that it's the end of November already and today could be the last day I'm going there and I have to figure out ways to mail my orders in the near future.

Who knows that last Wednesday, the day that I took the picture above, would be the last day I mailed my orders from there. When I arrived to the location this morning, the gate was closed and I knew it right away that I won't be able to mail my orders today. Agrr!

There was a piece of paper sticked to the front window. It was quite hard to read from outside of the gate, but the handwriting said that it's closed for good and moved to a new location as of Nov 29th.

Why on earth that they didn't give me a fair warning? It's not even December yet and they moved already?? But again, it's not a surprise since this is the way things are done generally in Indonesia. Rules are bended here and there and we have to be REALLY patient with how things are dealt over here.

Like the other day, for example, I came around 2:30s pm and one of the clerks told me that they're closing. I said it's not 3pm yet and the sign posted outside said that it's closed at 3pm. The clerk told me that I should have come around 2pm. Yes, theoretically he said that they close at 3pm but in reality they close earlier. His argument is that when mails are picked up by the headquarter around 2pm, what is he going to do with the new incoming mails? Well...couldn't they go on the next day pick up instead of asking customers to go back the next day? Duh! And yet, I didn't want to argue. I really didn't want to ruin my good relationship with the clerks. They recognize me well since I come twice a week. I also leave tips which is recommended to ensure that they take care of my mails. I never have to do that in Canada.

The thing with the new location is that it's a bit further away from my home. It's not that convenient anymore to mail my orders. I feel that I have to change my shipping schedule to once a week, but I'm afraid that it'll affect my sales. Do people willing to wait that long? The only other way is to ask one of my dad-in-law's employees to do the mailings when they're available. I, myself, admittedly am quite afraid to drive in Indonesia. That will be another story for next time.

Black Friday Sale

From November 28th to 30th, enjoy 30% off on everything in my Adore By Nat store. Mention "Black Friday" on the notes to seller and I'll do the refund.

It's not too late to shop for Christmas cards and gift tags. Give handmade on this holiday season!

Giveaway: $10 shopping Spree at CogansCreations

Two weeks ago I entered CogansCreations giveaway and I blogged about it here. Though I did not win, she was kind enough to give anyone who entered the giveaway a $5 credit to her store. Isn't she sweet?

She has tons of holiday season items. Plus, Free Shipping deal is going on now, and it's WORLDWIDE. I LOVE International Sellers!!

I decide to forward this credit as a giveaway to one lucky winner. Guess what, CogansCreations loves the idea and she is generous enough to double the amount. Would you like to win $10 shopping spree to her store?

How to enter to win:

1. Go to CogansCreations store.
   
2. Return to my Adore By Nat blog and simply leave a comment here about your favorite item from her store.
3. To get a 2nd entry, blog about this giveaway and leave a separate comment here providing me with the link to your post.
   

Contest starts now and ends on December 4, 2008.
Max 2 entries per person please (based on the rules above). Don't forget to leave me your e-mail address. Entries without contact information will be disqualified. Entries that do not follow the rules will be disqualified. Contest winner will be drawn on Friday, December 5th by a random number generator. Winner must respond within 48 hours after being contacted otherwise another winner will be randomly selected.

Ethan's First Birthday

Ethan turned 1 (one) on the 18th of November. We did not have a big party. It's just a nice dinner at home with his grandparents, uncle and aunt, and his baby cousin. We actually had planned to invite friends and rent a room in a restaurant, but did not feel right about having a party soon after my husband's grandmother passed away. We then decided to use the monies to buy more presents for him.

Ethan's birthday was celebrated in 2 days. Opening presents and eating the cake had to be on the next day as he was too tired after dinner. Grumpy kid won't have a good time after all. So why pushing it?

We ordered a cake with Pooh and friends theme but were a little surprised with how it turned out. There was misunderstanding that the colors were not really what we chose. We chose pastel colors and it's too late to make changes. It's still beautiful regardless and the taste was SO yummy.

I'd been wanting to let Ethan ate the cake all by himself and let him be messy. However, it did not go as messy as I thought it could get. Somehow I let the voices surround me, "Don't let him eat the icing!" get to me and I kept taking the icing away from him as he picked them. Ohhh, I wish I didn't do that. The pictures would be more precious. :-(

Oh well, perhaps I shouldn't be too hard on myself. After all, what was actually happened is what matter to scrapbooked, right? It'll create a unique story itself.

My Donation to MSS Project

Rachael of CapturedTimeBooks has informed me that she received my cards today. They made it on time since she needs to send the cards tomorrow. The cards indeed went all the way from Indonesia, transited in Canada and arrived safely in US. As my Mom was leaving Indonesia going back to Canada, I asked her to bring the package with her and mail it from there to reduce the delivery time it can take by regular mail.

Wanna see the cards? Take a look at here.

Not Ready To Say Goodbye

The only paper trimmer that I ever have has worn out. She has accompanied me ever since I started this cardmaking hobby. I'm kind of sad that I have to say goodbye to her anytime soon. I brought her all the way from Canada along with other cardmaking tools and supplies. I also brought an extra set of blades for future use and sadly they're dull now. To my surprise, the last blade did not last quite long. I think it's because the line where the blade goes through to cut paper is not smooth anymore. Apparently all this time, I'm not only cutting papers but the trimmer itself. I think it made the blade dull faster than it should have. I asked my Mom to bring more blades when she came here last October. Silly me, I gave her wrong information and she bought the wrong blades. :-(

It's time to buy a new one. The problem is that I can't go to a local scrapbooking store to get a new one since there ISN'T any. I have to shop on-line and the shipping cost to Indonesia can be very expensive.

Here is a paper trimmer by Making Memories which I love to have. I'm just not sure if I'm ever going to have it.
I went to a bookstore today to look for a paper trimmer. There is only one available and it costs about $80 and I'm not familiar with the brand. It's made in Japan which is supposedly good. I need to do more research on the product and its manufacturer and need to do this sooner than later or I have to stop making card. So many tools I have and yet this is the only one that can keep me going...or not.

Mother-To-Be

On August, I posted an article about my friend's wedding. They just found out that they're pregnant! Congratulations is in order.

It brought me back to my 2007 pregnancy. Compared to the girls that I know, such as my sis and a couple of friends, I think my pregnancy was an easy one. I was blessed with a healthy pregnancy. Sure I had backache, morning sickness, etc but they were not so bad overall. I barely had cravings (wasn't my husband a lucky one?). We even went on a cruise on my 2nd trimester. I actually enjoyed my pregnancy. I got spoiled by friends. For almost the whole 9-months, they insisted me to pick which restaurant to go. And we went out every weekend, once if not twice!

I was known as BF Nat at work, thanks to my Boss *jokingly*:-) Nope, it does not stand for Best Friend Nat. It stands for Big Fat Nat. LOL. I guess I deserved the nickname since I grew from the tiniest person in the department to a woman with big belly.

My co-workers gave me a surprised baby shower party before I went for maternity leave. It was so much fun! What a thoughtful gang. I do miss them very much. Not many people enjoy what they do and who they work with and I'm grateful that I did.

Time flies. Ethan just turned 1 year old. That reminds me that I'm so much behind on his baby scrapbooking album. And our Alaskan cruise. Oops!

Confrontation

Confronting people is something that I rather not do. I just have a hard time to do it. It's one of my weaknesses, I admit. I don't think that confrontation is all bad. I think it's necessary to do it in order to to set matters straight. It's a skill that I've been trying to master though I'm not saying that confronting every single matter is okay as some issues are better left alone .

I have encountered people who say untruthful things about me. It hurts. But I'm the kind of person who tend to say nothing back and walk away. Unfortunately, this action doesn't help. The problem is not solved and I'm ended up boiled inside.

It's not that I don't want to confront the person. It's just somehow I'm in a shock stage and can't think what to say on the spot. Perhaps I think too much on what to say back, trying to find the appropriate words. At the same time, I don't think I should back off if I'm not wrong. And perhaps because I'm afraid to create more tensions?

I should give myself a credit. I dare myself to overcome this weakness. I have confronted some people in the past. Yes, it was very hard to do it but it's doable. I probably did them a bit too late (the next day or a few days after instead of that moment), but it's still better than nothing, don't you think?

You Wanna Piece of Me print above is available at Fatcatblue's store.

Bookmarks

They are so many bookmarks out there. There is a section for itself on Etsy that I love to browse. But, after going through page after page, I found that there are not many of 'scrapbooked/ papercrafted style' bookmarks. Sure there are photographed bookmarks. They are also printed bookmarks. But there are not many (or even none) that are papercrafted.

Here are bookmarks that I just made recently that are a little different than most bookmarks available out there.

While I love to put more embellishment on bookmarks, I learned that it's important to be careful when choosing what embellishment to use. They should not be too chunky that leave 'mark' on the page. For example, although buttons are cute embellishment and they're great to use for gift tags, they may not be appropriate for bookmarks.

So, what I did was to create a tag to it. The tag stays out of the page and make a great decor to the book itself. Plus, I could still use buttons :-)

Count Your Blessings

It's so easy to envy others. The grass is greener on the other side. But is it?

Stop complaining and start looking closely into your life? Do we take the time to realize that being able to breathe in every moment is a blessing.

I'm thankful for my family. I'm thankful that I'm not alone. I have a loving husband and a beautiful son. I'm thankful for having so many opportunities on what we want to do in our life. We are fortunate that we have options on where we want to live and what we want to do in life.

Stop looking 'up'. There are many people who less fortunate than us. Granted, that it has not always been a smooth ride, but that's what life is. That's what makes it interesting.

So, have you counted your blessings?

Ramblings of a Middle Aged Crafter

Pssst! Giveaway is (almost) always fun to enter. Visit CogansCreations' blog and win $25 shopping spree. Find many handmade items at reasonable prices. This favorite of mine, pincushion, is only $4. A great place to go for holiday season shopping.

Finds - Bird Lovers

I love animals. I grew up in a suburban area. We had a big house and a very large backyard. No, we did not live in a farm area, but we had so many different kinds of pets. We had dogs (more than 10!), fishes, chicken, turtles, and birds. So you can imagine what kind of noises we had in our place. It's kind of fun, though!

This time, I'm dedicated my findings at Etsy to bird lovers out there. They are all $15 or less and will be perfect gifts for the upcoming holiday season.

Mod Bird Pocket Mirrors from MadisonMade are a must have accessories. Slip one on your little purse and show it off once a while. Be sure to hear the 'ohh and aww' as a compliment. $3.50.

LittleThingsDesign has this Rattle Rag Ball that is so adorable. 100% cotton fabrics are used. I really love its soft colors. It's on my wish list too for my little one. $12.


Do you need a stocking stuffer? This set of buttons will be a perfect one. They are available at SamariaProject for $5. Each is hand colored and packed nicely. You probably want to keep a set or two for yourself.

This Chirp the Day Away Pillow Cover from Sun2Create is bright and funky. It'll make a conversation piece, that's for sure. Now, I just feel I need to sit down and hug the pillow. $15.





BroadwayBeads is a talented jewelry maker and she has this brilliant idea in protecting sterling silver from tarnish. She made this anti-tarnish zippered pouch, using a special fabric. "Perfect for travel or keeping your jewelry in at home. Stuff one into your purse for safe keeping, or storing your jewelry while at the gym!" $8.5.
















My love affair with felt led me to Ahyingmui's store. She has a selection of cute birdie brooches made from multi layer of felt and fabric. Brooches are small and yet powerful accessories that can make a statement. Don't you agree? $12.

For anyone who loves to read, Wool Felt Bird Bookmark is a thoughtful gift to give. I love the design with details involved all the way to the ribbon itself. Hurry up and get one at Neskat. $7.

Happy shopping! Buy handmade!

To Follow or Not to Follow Your Heart

People always say, "Follow your heart." But should we when rationally we think that it may not be the right decision to make?

Do you listen to your heart?
Or do you do an analysis, make a list of pros and cons?

How do you talk yourself out for not listening to your heart?

Perhaps you can answer my questions. Any comments are appreciated.

Sweet AbbaDabbaBags Participated our MSS Poject

The Holiday/ Christmas MSS promotion had ended. I expected that this 2nd card drive would be more successful than the 1st one, but sadly I have a feeling that less people participated this time around. It's not a surprise though. With the economy crisis around the globe that has been hitting hard on most of us, people tend to focus more on other things.

Thanks to AbbaDabbaBags who purchased Christmas cards from several Etsy Greetings team members to show her support to this great cause project. She even started a thread at Etsy forum to encourage others to participate.


Not only she is a kind hearted person, but AbbaDabbaBags also has an Etsy store full of beautiful bags. I love her designs (and her store name too by the way). And the fabric that she uses...mmm...delicious! Okay, delicious may not be the right term to describe it, but you know what I mean :-)

Take a look at this adorable leafy brown pouch for example. Crisp color and perfect for you who want to look feminine and yet hate pink.

This weekend bag is so classy. It's simple and yet elegant. A must have for this Winter season.


If you're doing your Christmas shopping, be sure to put her store in your list.

Winners of My First Giveaway Contest

Thanks to all of you who have participated in my first giveaway contest. I had so much fun doing this and will do again and again in the future, you just have to stay tune :-)

This morning, I got up excitedly and looked forward to doing the draw. I used random generator to pick 3 winners. The first number will win my Adorebynat's $10 gift certificate and printable Christmas postcards, while the next two numbers will each get printable Christmas postcards. There are 61 responses in total but unfortunately I had to disqualified those who did not follow the rules in order to be fair to those who did. I really appreciate all entries who took the time to visit VinK's and my stores and left comments referring to our stores. So instead of deleting the unqualified comments, I would disqualify them should their number is picked, and do a random draw again. Fortunately, I did not have to go through that.

Here are the lucky numbers:
Congratulations to Digital Misfit! She won my $10 gift certificate and printable Christmas postcards. Congratulations to Sarah and Crystal who won printable Christmas postcards. I will contact the winners shortly and tell them about the good news.

Happy Etsy-versary to Me

I can't believe today is my 2nd Etsy-versary. I've 'met' so many wonderful people through Etsy. What a great community it is. Thanks to all my buyers who support this little business of mine.

To celebrate my Etsy-versary, I'm having a SALE! From November 4th to 11th, all items (excepts Sale items cause they are already so cheap) are 25% off. You can simply wait for your revised invoice or I'll do the refund.

This will be a perfect time to shop for Christmas/ Holiday cards, or stock up those everyday cards such as Birthday, Thank You, Get Well, Sympathy, Baby etc. You never know when you'll need them. Avoid going to a convenient store to get a generic card.



Today is the last day of my giveaway contest. Don't forget to enter. I'm so excited to be able to pick 3 winners tomorrow.

The Plain Me

My Mom thinks I'm not fashionable enough and I should dress up a bit. She made that comment on day 1 we spent time together, comparing me with my little sis who is not so little anymore by the way. She is a pregger now :-)

We went to Supermall as she wanted to look for dressy shoes for my sister. She asked me to choose a pair too as she would like to buy one for me as well. I even haven't wore the ones that she bought me last time. It's still in a box, kept in my parent's crawl in Canada.

Today, she came by for a quick visit. Unfortunately, the plan has changed as she had to go somewhere else. But she promised that she'll spend the day tomorrow. Guess what, she bought me this pair of leggy pants. She asked me to choose between this and the silver one. Right away, I declined the silver one and let my sis has it. It's just too much for me and would be perfect for her.

Granted, she's right. I don't wear make-up and I don't wear jewelries. I prefer a shorter hair style as it's just quick and easy. In a salon, I can't stand waiting of one blow drying and/or styling my hair while other women enjoy that.

The other day, I went for a facial treatment, the girl was so impressed with my skin and thought that I was only 25. But she also made a comment about how 'tomboy' I was. Hmm...I don't think I'm a tomboy. I still wear dresses etc. I'm just a plain woman.

May be this is a wake up call. Maybe it's time for me to take care myself a bit more. People tend to care less about themselves once they have a baby. It's quite funny that I'm a grown up woman and yet still a momma's girl in that sense.