BLESSED 2009! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year everyone! It's been a wonderful 2008 for me and my family as God sees us through the 2008. Looking back, here are some amazing events and changes that has happened for me and my husband in 2008.

• Our New Place - we finally moved in together after being married for 1 year.
• 2 Jobs Change for my hubby
• Organization Change in my workplace
• My hubby took his first flight to Hanoi (Vietnam)
• Our first flight together to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
• Our customary wedding
• Wonderful progress and improvement in my Etsy shop from 2007.

In the coming 2009, this is what I (he is still sleeping when I am typing this so we have not agree on the resolutions) hope to achieve.

• Grow deeper spiritually in God (read the bible and pray more often)
  
• Deeper / Greater understanding of my direction in life in terms of career (find a job that is right for me)
  
• Take a holiday to a new country (revisiting old ones does not count :P)
• To be less messy in the house (try to do more housework and keep the place tidy :P)
  
• Achieve new heights with my Etsy shop (e.g. building a new model and improvement in sales)
  
• Bring my parents to Christ (they are the only ones in my family that are non-believers)
  
• Improve and build a closer relationship with my siblings (I am close to them but sometimes day to day work gets too much in you that you forget what matters most in life)

And I will need to work with my hubby on the family ones :)
What are your resolutions for the new year? :)

New Name Cards !

I managed to collect my name cards before Christmas. Here they are! The aqua green one is my current stack.. Green is my favorite color. To welcome the coming Valentine's Day, I decided to do up my name cards (I was also running down on them) in PINK! :) Just a little sweetness for the coming love months. I will be distributing them to my customers in the month of Jan - Feb. I have also made some in Lilac (just to spice up my name cards).. can't decide which is the best looking one.. What do you think? :)

Here are some zoom-ins for a clearer look!

Snagged a Treasury - Red vs Black

I managed to snag a treasury AGAIN! This is so addictive and fun! And the theme of the treasury is "Red vs Black" sorry for the lack of imagination for the title but red and black are my favorite colors! In fact, they are the exact color theme that I used for my living room :)

Out of the my treasury picks, here's 2 that I absolutely adore.

1) Zippy Red Stuffed Guinea Pig Plushie Baby Size
I have always been a fan of Zygopsyche and her guinea pigs /rabbits plushies. They are simply adorable and cute! Here's Zippy the Red Guinea Pig.

2) Big Eyes - Be Mine card
I know.. i know.. this card can look a little bit creepy (like a stalker stalking you holding his heart) But it is this creepiness that makes this little card so interesting and eye catching. You would not have any problem getting the attention of the reader with this card. Something to think about for the coming Valentine's Day :)

Post Christmas Sale

I am having a sale!! That's right! Piggy's Little Shop is having her first Post Christmas Sale. For the first time, we are putting up post season collections for SALE! Most of the designs only come in 1 or 2 pieces. So grab them quick before they disappear!! :) The sale will last from 25 Dec to 31 Dec 2008. For the sale, we are slashing the prices down by 15% - 25%.

So hurry down and say hi :)

New Namecards

I am so excited, I just placed an order for new name cards. I am halfway through my last box. With the name cards, I changed the colors a little to add a nice touch for the coming Valentine's Day. I can't wait to give them out! Will be collecting them tomorrow.. can't wait :D

Got some new design for the coming Valentine's Day too.. I know it's a bit early, but I am trying to motivate myself to come up with a new ideas for a collection in the new year.

Japan

I have been to Japan before.. but I guess the last trip was probably the most BORING trip ever..probably because it was a work trip and not a holiday one.. I was so bored that I began to find out that Japanese folks are really great in their customer service and every detailed and sensitive to people's needs.... through the little things in life... i mean at work / hotel.

1. Great idea to have a stirrer cum stopper for takeaway coffee at Starbucks.
   Back home, whenever, I take away coffee at Starbucks or other coffee place, they usually just put sticky tape over the "opening". That not only does not prevent the coffee from spilling, usually my napkins will be "soaked" in coffee after I travel back to the office. In Japan, they actually have a pretty green stirrer and stopper that they put at the opening to prevent the coffee from spilling. It has a bit of weight which sits very snugly.
   
   
2. Toilet Seat that washes your "A**"
   In Japan, all good toilet seats come in a personal A** washer that helps to wash your anus and vulva after a good poo or pee. After searching the wiki, these are called washlets. In Some toilets, they even have seat warmers to help to warm your bum especially during the cold winter. How thoughtful is that?! Let's just hope it does not malfunction during summer :)
   
   
   
   
3. Branded Shampoo, Conditioner and Body Soap
   Love the Shiseido brand of toiletries. With the dispensers, they help to save the planet too.
   
   
4. Lighted Mirrors
   In hotels, it is very common to have an additional small mirror to help you to come up close and personal when you examine your face (e.g. for pimples) :P In the hotel that I stayed in Japan, they even have a light together with that mirror.
   
   
5. Personal Reading Lamps
   In hotels, it is also very common to have bedside lamps but it is the first for me to have personal reading lamps that you can adjust next to your bed.
   
   
   

Overall, I had a good time in Japan, weather was cold but great.. nice change from the hot Singapore. Here's a cute Christmas tree that I saw outside of Banana Republic, the little shopping bags are actually Christmas lights for the tree.

Snagged a Treasury - Wish upon a STAR

I just snagged a treasury and it's a beautiful collection of stars...

Here's some of my personal favorites.

1. Red and Black, tiny star earrings by LiciaBeads
   What I love about this cute little star earrings are the contrast in colors and the great price! The photos taken were also perfect and clear. Great and affordable gift for your loved ones.
   
   
2. Shining Star by soulyyours
   This pendant is so dainty and chic. I can just imagine myself wearing them.. Beautiful and simple.. Love the photograph taken as well.
   
   
   

Sneak Peek - My Wedding

Today's the first day of my long awaited leave.. so I got some time for myself to finally upload some pictures from my wedding... These are not the official photographs (have not gotten the official ones from the photographer). These were taken by my girlfriends..

So here's a sneak peek.

The above 3 photos are shots of myself, my hubby (Andrew), my girlfriends and my hubby's church mates in the living room of my folks place.


This is a shot of my siblings all of which are younger than me.. Can you spot my sister?? :) I always joke that I have 4 brothers in that shot.. hahahaa :D My wedding bouquet is specially made by my mum (she's a florist! lucky me) from bright dark pink calla lilies.


This is me again at my in-law's.. with my fake smile.. Not sure why, I feel rather tense that day and I can't really smile properly.

Overall, I love my dress (love the beading and laces). Although (you can't see from the photos), I (with my sister) "ripped" some of the netting off the dress as people were constantly stepping on it..

Till the actual photos.. will just have to make do with these for now. :)

Hong Kong

Here are some photos from my Hong Kong trip last. Sadly this is for work and as you can see I can only offer pictures from my hotel *what a loser*...

The view from my hotel room is FANTASTIC I must say.

Here are some photos during the day. I was staying at the Excelsior Hotel @ Hong Kong island and my room was facing the bay! Beautiful view with the boats..

Here are some photos taken at night, as you can see the Christmas lights have been setup. In HK, it is very common to have Christmas lights on buildings. We don't have that in Singapore. There seem to be more lights in the buildings in Kowloon as compared to HK island.

Crazy Week

This week has been crazy for me as I just came back from Hong Kong on a work trip and I will be off again on Sunday to Japan again for work... To some, it is always great to have the chance to travel.. I do agree.. but to travel for work is no fun.. even though the ticket and the accommodation is free, more often of not, you are traveling alone and you tend to have more work after the trip. This is because you will try to have tons of meetings and discussion to meet up with people during your stay there (given the short span of time).. thus all the paperwork will have to wait till after you are back or after office hours when you are slogging away at the hotel.. *sob sob*

How I wish I can just quit my job and start my own business.. that has always been my dream and something that I wanted to do.. but my hubby has been nagging me to just stay with my job given the economy downturn and people losing their jobs.. I should (and I AM) fortunate to still have mine.

Sigh.. maybe I will wait another year or so.. build up my shop and regular stream of customers..

Oh... even though I have been traveling.. I sneak some time to do up my latest necklace.. Ain't it cute?!

Tired Bride

It's my wedding tomorrow and I am ABSOLUTELY pooped.... I just came back from HK on Wednesday for work and I am shooting off to HK again next week.. and JP the week after.

Somehow because of the financial crisis and the economy going into recession, workload is getting extremely heavy for me... Nevertheless I should still give thanks to God that I still have a job..

I really hope that I get some break and rest before tomorrow........

Nov - My Best Seller

November has been a busy month for me with the work trip and my Etsy shop, I was really busy (in a great way)! One of my best seller this month.. was this gorgeous necklace, Black Angel Necklace. I sold 5 pieces in a matter of 1 - 2 weeks!! I was really happy cos I love this necklace and I was glad that my customers think so too!

So what do you think of my best seller and what is your best seller this Month?

Taiwan - Part 1

Aww.. it's good to be back home.. The weekend has been so short.. After arriving back in Singapore on Friday.. I had a busy Saturday, going to the post office to post all my backdated items, dashing to the bridal fitting and driving to church for rehearsals (I serve as a backup singer once a month in church)... So by the time Sunday arrive, I just wanna stay home and laze....

Anyways, as promised, here are some pictures of my Taiwan trip.. This is only part 1 as my colleague took some and send them to my work email which I have yet downloaded..

1) Here are some pictures that I took on my way to work from the shuttle (limo/cab)...


2) Here are some pictures that I took at the supermarket.. The fruits are SO HUGE that I can't resist but to take some shots of them.



3) Here's a short clip of this rebranding celebration at the Taiwan office on Thursday. There were musicians playing, taking their walk on every floor..

I am BACK !!!

I just got back from Taiwan!! Yippee! I was good to be back.. I miss my hubby, my own bed and working on my Etsy shop.. The weather was unexpectedly cold. Luckily I got grabbed 2 of my winter sweaters at the last minute before zipping up my luggage.. The wind and the chilliness reminds me of Australia.. Melbourne when I was studying there..

I am still in the midst of unpacking and sorting out my photos.. so I will post them on my next blog post.

Just wanted to share some blessed news.. When I got back from my work trip... I found out that I have 6 sales!! :D *grin grin* And.. I was included in this Treasury by Leelinau! Ooh. I feel so blessed!! I am so energizer to start creating new pieces for the shop! Can't wait to start .. *yawn*.. tomorrow.. ok.. will share more.. tomorrow then..

New Purchase : Calendar 2009

Look what I just bought!! My last purchase before my trip to Taiwan. I have been meaning to get a new calendar for 2009 but did not manage to get down to it for the past weeks. Therefore I was so happy that Etsy Storque did a recent article about Calendars! So I sat down today and went through the series of calendars made by the most talented artists.

This is what I bought! I love the photos by irenesuchocki. They are so surreal and beautiful. The photos are printed against a black background which just makes the photos pop!


Another thing that I found while surfing the sea of calendars is that alot of Etsians are offering pdf calendars which allows you to print them out yourself and send them to your friends. The prices are just affordable and amazing. I am so tempted to buy another one for myself!

Till then.. I better stop shopping and get back to packing... Hope everyone have a great weekend of shopping :)

Taiwan - Business Trip

I am off to Taiwan next week... Luckily it is only for 5 days (17 - 21 Nov). I know I should feel alot more excited because it is a free trip... but because the trip is for work, I am not the least bit excited and I have not packed! Also, I really do not have to go any where given that my wedding is just round the corner and it's year end. I just want to take my long leave, stay at work and work on my Etsy shop!

Sigh... I guess I have to start packing, change money and psych myself for a week away.

Any tips for Taiwan / Taipei? I have been there once on a family trip. Luckily I know the local language, Mandarin / Hokkien. That would save me the language barrier and having to walk around with a lonely planet on hand.. :)

PS : Shop will be open but items ordered or purchased will be mailed when I am back on Sat :)

Poll Results : Which Cluster Earrings Are the Most Loved?

I would like to thank EVERYONE who has voted on my Blog Poll : Which Cluster Earrings Do You Love Best? I am so excited that the response was better than my first poll! :D

The results of the Poll are... *drum roll*Out of 25 voters, 48% voted Raspberry, 32% voted Icicles and 20% voted Wedding Blues. These 3 cluster earrings were the top. Another favorite from the blog comments that did not make it to the polls were the Lime & Aqua earrings. Thus Raspberry clusters won! It's amazing that these clusters were the VERY first ones that I made for the shop and for myself! The rich red color is amazing!

In honor of these results and the people who have casted their votes for the Raspberry clusters, I have made a pair of raspberry clusters to go to one LUCKY voters!....And the lucky winner goes to.....*drum roll* DevinPrather!!!Congratulations!!b

The blog poll has been fun and I can't wait to think of another topic for the polls!

Sunday Quote : Fear of God

"The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing. When you don’t fear God, you fear everything else." - Oswald Chambers.

This quote touched my heart in a remarkable way and it got me thinking.. It's true that when you fear God.. you really totally do not fear of anything else because God gives you peace & comfort and you trust in Him to make things right.. but when you do not fear Him, you get weary and depressed on worldly things.

Alice Chocolate

My sister sent me this link. Alice Chocolate.. It's great to have they have chocolates after my name!! I wonder how much they are.. They are exquisitely packaged and wrapped.. Yumms!

My Treasury - Battles of the Apples

I love apples! Do you? Red or Green.... I love both... I love the sweetness in the Reds.. and the freshest of the Greens...
Thus presenting my latest treasury.... Battles of the Apples! My favorite is the Decoupaged Paper Mache Apple by eyestreetgal

New Poll : Which Cluster Earrings Do You Love Best?

One of the reason why I started making jewelry was my love for cluster earrings. They were the first staple design of earrings when I first started out in jewelry making. I simply adore them. Clusters can be made from just about ANY type of materials. I love using Czech vintage glass beads, freshwater pearls & crystals. I don't know why I just can't get enough of them. I think they are so simple and beautiful that they are a staple in ANY woman's wardrobe. You basically can match them with ANYTHING.. from laid back casuals to swanky formal.

Thus my latest poll, trying to find out which of my clusters are the most popular and favorite among the bloggers. You can check out the other clusters designs from my Etsy shop.. Here's the short cut link

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=106078&section_id=5148158

Just like the last poll, one lucky winner will win away (postage included) a cluster earrings of her choice. So remember to cast your vote and leave a comment on this blog post to tell me which you have selected! :D

Poll Results : Delicate or Loud

I would like to thank EVERYONE who has voted on my Blog Poll : Delicate on Loud.... The results of the Blog are... *drum roll*

Out of 18 voters, 55% voted Petite, 33% voted Loud and 11% do not wear jewelry. Petite pieces won!

In honor of these results, I have made a OOAK petite necklace to go to one of the LUCKY voters who voted Petite!....And the lucky winner goes to.....*drum roll* ragsnehali !!!

Congratulations!!!

The blog poll has been fun and I will be posting up another blog poll soon! Stay tune!