DIY CHRISTMAS PLACE CARD GIFT IDEA

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR YOUR LOVED ONES? SOMETHING THAT MAYBE EXTRAORDINAIRE? AND HAS STRONG PERSONAL LEVEL?

Christmas season is here…means gift hunting starts now.

However, our family loves DIY. As a family, we have one tradition that we carry through over the years – is to give something personalised to our beloved families and friends. We want the absolute best for our loved ones. Seeing them smile with genuine appreciation at something we’ve given them is enough to send us soaring with happiness. We hope they get that its more than just a gift, it is our gesture of your appreciation for them.

So…this year….we have finally prepared something pretty and practical for all the receiver. It is something that suits all ages and is versatile to be collected as your fave house decor. We were inspired by @paperplayground to make a place card / (slash) photo frame. How cute this idea is. YES! It is a place card with your name and our Christmas wishes for you, then when the Christmas season is over, fell free to change the namecard with your latest holiday photos. Yipppiiee! Sounds like a plan, huh?? I thought ot myself – Brilliant! I would love love love love to receive that sort of gift from someone.  ><

Now, let’s get onto business. 

THINGS YOU NEED:

  1. Acrylic photo block frame (with or without glitters) – I used glitter ones to create snow effect
  2. personalised name card – design by Canva (free design templates app)

HOW TO:

  1. Select your favourite design on Canva
  2. Write the name on it
  3. Print the name cards
  4. Place the name cards on the frame instead of photo

Jared has prepared 20+ namecards this year to be given out to his friends. We are pretty much ready for this festive giving season. What a year it has been. Thankful that finally today we can press the”pause” button and reflect to the past 48 weeks. AGAIN! We found that God is faithful through our faithless season. Today we are blessed beyond to be a blessing to others.

We do hope that this simple idea will help you sort out your Christmas present this year. Easy to make at very low cost. Why not give them a try? If you have any other personalised Christmas gift ideas – please share below on the comment. I need some inspirations for next year. 😉 Bye for now….

Love,

Kenny

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8 LAST MINUTE IDEAS FOR KIDS HALLOWEEN COSTUME

Hey yeah!! Who doesn’t excited for Halloween?! Anyone’s ready with their pumpkins? What about Halloween costumes?

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Honestly, I am SO pumped for Halloween, but thinking about the preparation heading to the D-day was a bit too much now this time round, especially with our second boy, Asher, on board. Time is very crucial for me. Everyday I am challenged to think and do things more creatively; to save my time and energy.

And who knows that preparing a kid costume is a mountain work and effort?! But, do not worry. I have prepared some easy ideas for busy moms like us. You don’t need to spend any dollars on it, look around some stuffs inside your house you wouldn’t ever thought will be a life-saver for this Halloween season.


8 LAST MINUTE HALLOWEEN KIDS COSTUME IDEAS 

1. Baby Burrito

who can resist this deliciousness in a wrap? So dayummm… Also a good way to keep your baby warm and calm during trick & treats.

 

2. Smurf

this photo was taken on Halloween 2014, when Jared was 4 months old. I woke up that day feeling discouraged cause I realised I haven’t had any costume prepared for my little one. Then suddenly, an idea came into my mind the moment I skimmed through Jared’s wardrobe (mostly blue and white – the theme of his nursery room). But, how cute it turned out at the end aye! Do you agree with me?

 

3. Baby Skeleton

My favourite invention this year.  1) Get white mask tape / 2) Cut them equally in size / 3) Stick them on the a black onesie (baby/toddler) or top & pant (kid)

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Yes! Who would ever thought that white mask tape can do all the job for you busy momma. This is the way to go when you’re running out of time. Perfect for boys or girls.

4. Baby Tarzan

Do you have an old leopard or pattern scarf? It may not sounds so trendy today, but do not throw them away yet. Cause this could be a life changer for this particular Halloween season. Turn your baby into mini Tarzan. This outfit is perfect for the warmer weather in souther hemisphere too.

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5. The Mummy

Tissue Roll takes a big part in my life. It cleans almost everything around the house, and it does me a favour in time in needs for Halloween season. Roll them all over the body and stick them with white tape. Trick or treat ready in 10 minutes. LET’S GO SPOOKY!!
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6. Pumpkinlicious

you can never go wrong with pumpkin costume right? 1) Get an orange onesie / 2) double tap – cut it into some shapes / 3) Stick them all onto the dress

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Above are some costumes I made for the boys. BUT, girls..don’t you worry. I have asked my 2 favourite talented momma of girl to share one spook-tacular costume for their girls. Let’s take a peak.

Black Swan – by Elizabeth Veth (@elizabeth_veth)

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Can it be any cuter than this? This moment made me wishing to have one little girl in the family. gahhh… oh please zoom in to those bad bats on the wall and floor. Aren’t they gorgeous?! And yes you guessed it, this lady made them all. Quick tutorial below:

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8. Black Riding Hood – by Ivone Hendarta (@ivonehendarta)

Bringing the dark side of Red Riding Hood this Halloween. why not?! Such a genius idea. Spooky yet girly. Imagine this tiny munchkin knocking on your house door, can’t you not give them your whole bag of candies?

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So, which one is your favourite? Do you find some hope this Halloween? I hope these ideas help you getting Halloween ready this year. We can all do this and let’s have fun together!! Creating memories together with our little ones. HAPYY HALLOWEEN FRIENDS>>

Love,

Kenny

STEP BY STEP TO DIY YOUR PERSONALISED DREAM CATCHER

I am currently in the progress of doing the nursery for my 2nd boy. I am so excited but at the same time worry that it will cost me much.

I always wanted to have add a dreamy feel to the room. But it is simply not easy, because the newborn will share the bedroom with my 3 year old toddler. Thus, I decided to play around with the wall art rather than adding more furniture to the room.

Then, I was searching online for black dream catcher, since the theme of the room is monochrome following Jared’s corner style. I really don’t keen to change a thing. I wanted to keep the aesthetic and the feel of the room itself. BUT, I couldn’t find any shop selling a “black” dreamcatcher. Most of them selling the white or cream one, I don’t know why. Which to my preference is a way too girly for a boy’s room.

And yes!! I thought to myself, let’s make your own. DIY DREAMCATCHER. For the boys room. Thanks youtube and pinterest for the ideas. I AM EXTREMELY HAPPY with the end result! And I would like to share with you the step by step. It is low cost and easy to make, it only cost me two episodes of The Good Doctor. I bought most of the materials on Spotlight.

PS: you may use other color and type/style of ribbons according to your preference.

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You will need:

  1. Metal ring
  2. Doily
  3. Faux Suede Cord
  4. Thin Cord
  5. Cotton Lace
  6. Satin Ribbon
  7. Fine Lace
  8. Pompom Ribbon
  9. Feathers
  10. Scissors
  11. A ruler or tape measure
  12. Clothespeg or paper clip (optional)

 


Steps:

  1. WRAPPING THE METAL RING

Start by tying 1 piece of faux suede cord onto the metal ring leaving 30 cm tail. Use the clothespeg or your finger to hold this knot in place. Then start wrapping the cord tightly around the metal ring leaving no gaps between each wrap. When you have covered the ring, tie the end of the cord onto the ring at the same place as your first knot. Cut the end so it is the same length as the first tail. Tie the 2 tail ends together to create a hanging loop and cut off any excess.

  1. ATTACHING THE DOILY

Measure 1 metre of the thin cord, and tie it onto the ring at the base of your hanging loop. Keep the leftover thin cord for tying on the feathers later on.

There are 12 “points” on the edge of the doily. Take your cord and weave it through a hole on one of these points. Continue to weave around the ring and through the points until you have completed the full circle. Stretch the doily as you work to make sure it is centred and covers the centre of the metal ring. Tie the cord off once you get back to the point on the metal ring where you started. Trim off any excess.

  1. MEASURING & CUTTING THE TRIM

Measure and cut 4 kinds of the trims into 20 pieces according to the table below.

PIECE # TYPE OF TRIM LENGTH OF PIECE
1 COTTON LACE 82cm
2 COTTON LACE 82cm
3 SATIN 78cm
4 SATIN 78cm
5 FINE LACE 74cm
6 FINE LACE 74cm
7 POMPOM 70cm
8 POMPOM 70cm
9 COTTON LACE 66cm
10 COTTON LACE 66cm
11 SATIN 62cm
12 SATIN 62cm
13 FINE LACE 58cm
14 FINE LACE 58cm
15 POMPOM 54cm
16 POMPOM 54cm
17 SATIN 50cm
18 SATIN 50cm
19 FINE LACE 46cm
20 FINE LACE 46cm

 

  1. TYING ON THE TRIM

Fold each piece of trim and tie onto the ring so it makes 2 hanging tails. Start with pieces #1 and 2 at the bottom centre, then add pieces #3 and 4 to the left and right to it. Carry on with piece #5 and 6 and continue to add 1 piece the left and 1 piece to the right, until you finish with piece #20.

If you measure and tie your trim correctly then your dreamcatcher will have a v-shape when you have finished. If not, just use scissors to trim the ends to form a V.

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  1. ADDING THE FEATHERS

Measure and cut the remaining piece of your thin cord into the following lengths:

PIECE # LENGTH OF PIECE
1 40cm
2 30cm
3 30cm
4 20cm
5 20cm

Tie one and of each piece of cord around the shaft of the feather.

Take piece #1 and tie it to the bottom centre of the metal ring. The feather should hang evenly with the bottom of the trim. Tie pieces #2 and 3 to the left and right of piece #1. Then tie pieces #4 and 5 to the left and right of #2 and 3. Snip off the ends of the cord.


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TADAAAA….

Your dream catcher is ready to hang.

What do you think about this? Yay or Nay? Leave your comment below. Create your own personalised dreamcatcher for your little ones is easy at low-cost.

 

Love,
Kenny