Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Wednesday Nuggets



 Photo from here.


 Photo from here.


 


Photo from here.

Photo from here.


They're not just a helping of positive vibes; they're also a parade of pretty typography.  Something I'm obsessed with right now.

They're also pockets of wisdom you can take with you during the Easter break!  Have a lovely time. :)


Tuesday, March 26, 2013

The Craftin' that's Keepin' Me Busy



I know I haven't been posting any craft entries lately but I really am up to my eyes with some crafting endeavors.  I just cannot disclose anything yet because things are mostly under wraps as of now.  Still, since this is a craft blog mainly, I feel I owe the readers some sneak peeks of what I've been up to -- in a craft sense. 









Soon, I'll detail each craft I've just shown you.  :)

Happy crafting!

Monday, March 25, 2013

Weekend Tidbits: Nuvali


Hon-some and I, along with his family, trekked to Nuvali last weekend to visit an aunt's property.  Some memory shots...


 This greeted us upon entering the clubhouse.  I love it. :)












Sigh...you know me and the provincial life.  Everything was just too pretty and calm and laidback.  

Meanwhile, at the backyard of the property we visited, I saw these...

 
 When was the last time you've seen makahiya?




 And in the midst of it all, this pretty little pink bloom. :)




The weekend that was.  I hope yours was just as lovely. :)


Thursday, March 21, 2013

The One About Hong Kong (March 2013)

It's no secret that Hon-some and I have a love affair with Hong Kong.  We're always on the lookout for cheap airfare so we can jet off to this vibrant place!  A lot of times, we attempt to change the destination but Hong Kong still wins in the end.  Sometimes, I tell Hon-some, "Let's go to Singapore this time.  The airfare's cheap, o!"  To which he'd reply, "But it's hot there!  And you just want to go there to buy craft materials!"  Oops!  Guilty as charged!  But when I tell him, "There's a promo on HK airfare," he'd go "Lessssgggooooo!"

We visited HK again just last weekend.  It was the perfect timing since I considered it to be a gift to myself after a year of running a preschool department all by my lonesome.  Yep, you read that right.  For one year, I taught all three levels of preschool: nursery, pre-kindergarten, and kindergarten.  How I managed to do that, only God knows. :)

Hong Kong was just about to welcome spring so we were able to take advantage of the last few days of the winter cold spell.  We loved the weather so much that we decided to not use our jackets and, instead, enjoyed the cool breeze.

If you have followed our HK adventures before (here, here, and here), you would have noticed that we always go and visit at least one park in HK.  You see, Hon-some and I love open spaces.  Manila just doesn't have enough of those so when we visit HK, we make it a point to visit at least one.  This time, we went to Lai Chi Kok Park.





  



The place was lovely.  We were ooh-ing and aah-ing every time we discovered a lovely little bridge, a small sculpture, little "casitas" for studying or reading, and playgrounds.  The park has small spots that are perfect for thinking, reading, studying, and reflecting.  It's a perfect place for me!


Obviously, Hon-some liked this part of the park. :)


It's pet-friendly too!


I literally can live in that park! :)  We spent the next few days exploring the city, not necessarily to shop (we did buy one or two items for ourselves) but mainly to eat! 


 I had been dreaming of a warm bowl of congee days before our flight!  I finished this large steaming bowl all by myself!  Hahaha!


McDonald's is always a staple.  Just like HK parks are. :)  In the afternoons, their double patty burgers with cheese are HK$8 (around P45!) only! Also their McChicken sandwiches!


 Chicken Katsu Curry!!!


 Barbecued pork and roast duck!  Allow me to add that I just ate a bowl of oatmeal this morning to lower my cholesterol level from the duck!


 More barbecued pork!


 Pan-fried pork dumpling with soup


More congee and stir-fried noodles!


We must have weighed just as heavily as our luggage on our flight back home!  Hahaha!  Oh well...  As I write this blog post, Hon-some and I are already dreaming of our next visit to HK.  We're actually pondering on trying an overnight trip since all we ever do in HK is eat, eat, visit a park, eat, eat, and eat.  Still, I can't help but ask, "Can I visit the craft supplies stores in Mongkok next time?"  

I'm sorry!  It's the craft hoarder in me!

:)

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Wicked Crafts: Treasure Box Craft Package



If you follow this blog, you'd know that I've stretched my crafting abilities to making it into a small biz.  You can read about it here.  Wicked Crafts's (yes, grammatically speaking, there should be an apostrophe s) initial craft package offering is the Terrific Totes package...


 The package includes 30 blank canvas tote bags and a plethora of collage and art materials that kids can use to decorate their bags as they please.


I have just come up with a new craft party package... treasure boxes!







Veer away from the usual facepainting and tattoo activities at children's parties and events!  With Wicked Crafts, kids can decorate their own treasure boxes and bring them home to stash in their knickknacks and trinkets.









 I'm so excited for this package!  It promises oodles of crafty fun!

If you haven't, add Wicked Crafts on Facebook!


Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Wednesday Nugget: Marc Johns


I just discovered Marc Johns and his quirky and down-to-earth art.  I love this.  As most of us can tell, life's not always crappy.

Happy midweek!

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

New on the TPT Store: Kindergarten Dolch Sight Words Worksheet Packet



Just uploaded a new learning resource on my TeachersPayTeachers store.  It's a worksheet packet designed for kindergarten students to practice all the words in the Dolch Sight Words list.

The Dolch-Sight Word List is a list of words compiled by E.W. Dolch.  Because some words cannot be read phonetically, the list contains 220 words that children must learn to read by sight.  The 220 words are divided into grade level lists.

An interesting rumor is that Dr. Seuss was challenged to write a story using only the 220 words in the list.  The result was "The Cat in the Hat."

The packet contains worksheets for all the 52 words in the kindergarten list.  It's a ready-to-use resource so it's basically just print and use for the teacher!  It's a great resource for practice drills, homework, and assessment.  And it's only just $5!!! :)

The worksheets have been made using the D'Nealian manuscript font.  I'm still thinking of making a version using the Traditional Manuscript font.

Here are sample pages from the packet:





 








Just click on any of the images to purchase the packet (it's a digital download; requires Adobe Reader).  Or simply go here.  Like, now na.  :)


Friday, March 1, 2013

The One About My New Craft Toy!



I've been having loads of fun with my new craft (tool) toy lately...

 
 Receipts


My students' assessment materials

 My students' art works


Even my sketches!

If you still haven't noticed it yet...







Did you notice the rounded corners?  I got myself a corner round puncher!

 

And I've been corner round-ing myself crazy ever since!

 




 Perfect rounded corners all the time. :)

I got mine from Muji! *Giddy!*