School Holidays is a love and hate relationship for me.
Love it because I get to spend extra time with kids whom I seldom have time with and hate it because it would also mean that lots of my usual ‘work’ is being delayed due to lack of ‘me-time’.

My eldest niece wanted to learn how to do ‘proper’ beading so that she can sell her craft works at the flea mart.

Knowing that I was in this line for years in the past and doing beading for survival then in my pushcarts; my eldest niece’s parents decided to send her daughter over for a mini ‘Beading for Kids‘ session.

So she brought all her beads to my house while I provided her the finishing parts and the tools.

Its so different when you do beading yourself and when you teach. Its MORE FUN to teach beading than to do it! *laugh*

I think she did great! My eldest niece is an artistic girl by nature, so it was easy for her to pick up the tips and tricks in beading, whereby she had been ‘playing’ with for sometime. Thus I would not call it a ‘beading for beginners’ session.

So while we were having fun beading, all that she need was to master the basic finishing touches, the sell-able combination of colours and the proper way of grabbing the tools. Afterall, beading for fun and beading for sales purpose is different.

In a way, this ‘Beading for Kids’ session was funny to me. As the ‘teacher’ is trying hard to clear her 7 years of retail stuff on eBay and vowed never to go back to retail line again, yet she is promoting it indirectly. Hhhmmm….

Well, the only complain was my boys did not get a chance to play with their cousin. Lots of chatting definitely, but ‘real playtime’? Nah. *giggle*

Thank you 2nd BIL and SIL for this arrangement, it was a wonderful beading fun of 6 hours. *smile*

I wanted to do a video on how to make this Chinese Lantern, but YouTube no longer accepts videos which are more than 10mins long. And making this Chinese Lantern definitely takes more than 10mins.

So please bear with me on this super long pictorial post. I have already leave out many other decorations which could enhanced the outlook further to make this post shorter. *giggle*

The things you need:

• Cardboard 24 pcs
• Hong Bao 30pcs
• “Xuxu” 6 small, 1 big
• Red Ribbon
• Scotch Tape
• Double-Sided Tape
• Scissors
• Stapler
• Ruler
• Pen

The cardboard must be reasonably thick to give shape to the lantern. A good example would be the board behind the Drawing Block used by Primary School children.

Ok, I must make myself clear here: As much as I wish to be professional, I made a huge mistake while doing this lantern. The Hong Bao, which you see at the beginning has a rough surface, hence the scotch tape would not stick!

I was spending half the time Repairing, instead of creating. Thus when I reach my in-laws’ place on Sunday, I changed all the Hong Baos and redo, but I did not snap shots of the initial steps when I used the ‘Lion’ Hong Bao.

So please do not get confused when you see a different Hong Bao design in the middle of the process.

Step 1-3: Using your Hong Bao as a guide, leaving about 5mm-1cm space, draw out a rectangle on your cardboard. Meaning, your cardboard size, must be about 5mm SMALLER on each side as compared to your Hong Bao, so that the cardboard can fit in nicely without risking tearing the Hong Bao.

Step 4 : Cut out the cardboard and now using the cut-out cardboard as a guide to make the other 23pcs. You need total 24 pcs.

Keatkeat helped me to use the cardboard as a guide to draw out the other 23pcs, while I did the cutting.

Hands can be rather painful after cutting for awhile, if your cardboard is as thick as mine. The ones I use is another 2mm thicker than the cardboard behind the Drawing Block.

Step 5-6: Put in the 24 pcs of cardboard into 24 pcs of Hong Bao and seal it. Binbin did great for step 5 and 6.

Step 7: Some Hong Bao are not self-adhesive. Hence you may need to use scotchtape to seal it.

Step 8: Place the Hong Bao with the shorter side next to each other as shown.

Step 9-10: Turn them over and use ScotchTape to hold them together.

Step 11: Repeat step 9-10 by adding one more each time till you have 6 in a row as shown.

Step 12: You should see that all pictures are facing the same direction.

Step 13: Put the above AWAY before you continue the steps below, to prevent confusion.

Step 14: Place the Hong Bao with the shorter side next to each other as shown. This time, the pictures are in opposite direction.

Step 15: Flip one of the Hong Bao as shown.

Step 16: Use Scotch Tape to hold the joints together.

Step 17: Add another Hong Bao on top as shown.

Step 18: Hold down the ‘new’ Hong Bao with Scotch Tape.

Step 19: Filp the ‘new’ Hong Bao to the other side.

Step 20: Tape down the ‘new’ Hong Bao again.

Step 21: Repeat steps 17-20 until you have 6 pieces nicely joined to each other as shown.

Step 22: Bring back what you did in step 12 and put it FACING DOWN. Place what you did in step 21 ON TOP of step 12. Position ONE of the edge of the Hong Bao from step 21 to the JOINING part in step 12 as shown.

Step 23: Stick it down with Scotch Tape.

Step 24-29: Flip the entire ’step 21′ to the other side and stick it down too. Continue to repeat step 22-23.

Step 30: Seal up the final ends to form the shape as shown.

Step 31-33: This is just a repetition of step 14-21 BUT this time, the Hong Bao joins on the LONGER SIDE.

(I’m sorry, I choose not to repeat using photos, or else you can imagine the length of this post! *faint* So just scroll up to see steps 14-21.)

Step 34: To create this, just repeat step 8-11. But again, this time they join on the LONGER SIDE.

Step 35: This should be what you see after completing step 31-33.

Step 36: This is created by repeating steps 22-29, but again, this time, they join on the LONGER SIDE.

Step 37: This is what you should have after completing step 1 to step 36.

SEE HOW UGLY IT WAS!!! I just could not stand the sight of the scotch tape! My perfect lanterns NEVER have scotch tapes seen from the outside! I had to stick scotch tape on the outside just to hold them together. So don’t be careless like what I did, by choosing the wrong Hong Bao.

I TORE EVERTHING UP when I was at my in-laws’ place and changed all the Hong Baos to the smooth surface type (which is the common kind).

Many people in the past have asked how can I secure both sides of the Hong Bao INTERNALLY when they have thick fingers? *giggle* Though I have small fingers, I do not poke my fingers in to paste the scotch tape down when going through step 14 to step 21. See Tips below…..

Step 38 (tip): BEFORE I hold another Hong Bao down, I would stick half the scotch tape at the edge of the Hong Bao, fold the scotch tape down to half…

Step 39 (tip): Pull down the Hong Bao and use a ruler to smooth out the scotch tape on the other Hong Bao.

Step 40: Place the wider one (step 30) ON TOP of the taller one (step 36). String the Red Ribbon through BOTH of them TOGETHER with the Big XuXu at the bottom.

Step 41: This is what you’ll get after completing step 40.

Step: 42: Tie a Knot on the top.

Step 43: Roll the remaining 6 Hong Baos on the longer side. Secure both ends by stapling it.

Step 44: Stick a strip of Double-Sided tape at the back, covering the staplers.

Step 45: Peel the double-sided tape protector. Stick the small XuXu as shown.

Step 46: Stick the ‘roll’ with the small XuXu onto the edges of the top section of the lantern.

And Ta-Daa!

You’ve got yourself a Chinese Lantern that does NOT have a single scotchtape show on the outside! *wink*

Though the steps are long. But it really takes less than an hour for any amateur to complete it. Which is only one-third of the time for me doing up this post!!! *faint*

Ya man! I took 3 hours to do up this post!!! With many “Mommy, can you come.” breaks in-between.

*Pat on my own back*

So today, the handicraft post is back. This time >>>> SNOWFLAKES!

The things you need…

First fold the paper into half as shown below… (see arrow)

Then fold the paper into half again….. (see arrow b elow)

Half it again, but diagonally this time… (see arrow)

Without turning or flipping your paper, fold it UP as shown below… So that the shorter side is inline with the longer side….

Snip off the extra pointy end…as demonstrated by Binbin.
(the boys INSIST that I mention which hand belongs to who.) *laugh*

Use a marker to draw as shown….

Cut along the line….

Slowly open it up and Ta-Daa…. there you have it > SNOWFLAKE!

Either use a bluetack to stick them on your windows
or poke a hole on one of the ends
and tie a string to it
so that you can hang them on your Christmas Tree.
*wink*

Have Fun!

“Congratulations!
You have been selected to join the Parent & Kid Cookies Baking Workshop.
The details of the workshop are as follows:
Address: Genius R Us – 75B Tanjong Pagar Road (5 mins walk from Tanjong
Pagar MRT Station)
Date: Friday, 12 June 2009
Time: 7:30 PM – 9:30PM
Cost: $56 for Non-Rec Club member (Please bring cash on the day itself)”

But because my sis was a Rec Club member, hence it was free. So instead of bringing her own kids (which she doesn’t have yet), she brought her favourite nephew with her – Keatkeat.

This was the summary my sis gave after they reached home at almost 11pm.

• Keatkeat wasn’t afraid or shy at all. He was very comfortable with the surrounding. He dared to walk around on his own and talk to the teacher and the other participants.
• Our team was the noisiest and the slowest. Keatkeat, being in Blue yesterday, was going “Behold, the Mighty Sasquatch!” (from the Animals Mechanicals) most of the time.
• Our dough was the worst too. Everyone’s was nicely done and fingers were pretty clean. But our fingers were covered with flour and butter.
• 

• But when it was time to squeeze out the icing, you can tell that his motor skills really need improvements.

• 
• Keatkeat was really good at decorating. Eg. the Gingerbreadman. He was the one who put a ’smiling face’ and the other participants saw it and COPIED his idea.
• 
• Keatkeat folded the box all by himself.
• 
• Keatkeat was so energetic throughout the night. He refused to sit during baking time. He even suggested to fold up his chair. He stood the whole time. And after the long walk to the MRT station, he still refused to sit during the train ride. After we alighted at our stop, as we walked home, he complained that his legs were REALLY TIRED and that he would do nothing else but to sit down the moment he reach home to rest his legs. *laugh*

Now this was what Keatkeat had to say when I asked him if he had enjoyed the baking class:

“Yes….. But my fingers very gross! Got flour, got sugar, got butter… Eeeewwww…”

I couldn’t help but laughed out loud at his expression and the way he shook his fingers as if they were still in that sticky-horrible state. *laugh*

Seriously, the cookies were really yummy!

I’m glad he went for this. Again, opportunity will not be available without his favourite Ah Yee (Auntie). *wink*

He stringed up the necklace and I wore it around my neck the whole time,  at home, after he passed it to me, on Friday.

The words on the heart-shaped were written by his teacher (Obvious).

Though my Binbin’s development is more advanced than his peers, its obvious that the words on the front of the card were written by the teacher.

So the only ‘personal touch’ was the colouring, the words INSIDE THE CARD and the ‘Me’ at the back of the card.

Binbin said I was winking, that’s why one of the eye is not black in colour…. *wink wink*

I’m surprised that there were nothing from Keatkeat’s class this year.

Anyhow, I’m still a Happy Mommy, ‘cos its the presence of my boys that matters, not their presents.

Happy Mothers’ Day to all Mommies!!!

This was what I did WITH Keatkeat during the long Easter weekend.

These pictures were printed on A4 size papers. Keatkeat had to cut them out, pardon his cutting skills. After which, he will have to colour the pictures, backfold the papers into half, insert the pages accordingly into the cover page and staple them together.

He had 110% enthusiasm throughout the whole session though it was pretty tiring for his weak hands.

Still, because it was a project on VEHICLES, his favourite topic in the world, nothing was gonna stop him during the entire 2 hours!

Because the sides were not well-trimmed, the appearance isn’t as perfect.

But hey, who cares?! So long as the boy is happy and took pride in completing it all by himself.

Anyhow, I foresee this would be a predictable sight for the entire week:

*the chinese words read: I will RUN and will JUMP.

An art piece done by Keatkeat using (cut-up) straws when he was battling with his Chicken Pox last month.

Happy ONE-week-holiday to all kids in Singapore!