GIFTS FOR GIVING

I always say that I have only 18 waking hours daily and if I am not doing something that I am passionate about, I am just wasting my precious time. Crafting - yes! That's something I always like to do. Making things for yourself is a joy but making things for people you care for is leaving a legacy. There's no shortage of good friends who surround me, so there'll never be a shortage of things that I can make for them for special occasions or for no occasion at all. You don't need a special day to say that someone means something to you.

I made this for Bino and Melrose's first born, Malcom. He's such a little dear and such a bundle of joy. I am sure his parents will bring him up to walk in the ways of the Lord.

Then one of my lovely friends from the International Women's Organisation had to relocate to the Philippines leaving behind a lot of treasured memories. Lin Yan has been such a lovely friend - a great cook, a fantastic outdoor person - hikes, mountain climbing and all. May this little Mr Prickles bring you joy.

Then last Sunday was Mother's Day in Ireland (31 March) and I had just got acquainted with Jane from China via a mutual friend. I invited her to enjoy the occasion in Abundant Life Christian Church after which we went for lunch at Aroi, Asian Street Food since our children are away from us. Gave her a handmade item to add flavour to the occasion.

Look what's inside!

Earlier this month, Audrey decided to give her apartment a new look. So this is an oil painting that I did for her living room.

This Thursday, my lovely friend Susan has invited me for lunch. Just some potpourri sachets to  enhance the atmosphere!

Talking about fragrance, here are some lavender diffusers that I made earlier for my home.

Sometime last month too, I held a book folding workshop with some ladies from the International Women's Organisation. 

So for the host, who graciously allowed us to use her home, I made a piggy planter out of a bleach bottle for her.

In January too, we went to Mexico, Sonya's Christmas gift to us. We had an amazing time checking out Chichen Itza since I love ancient civilisations, Mayan not withstanding.

We met up with our Mexican friends Fernando and Margarita over tortilla, refried beans, tacos, burritos, quesadillas etc.etc

We carried with us Irish sweets and I made this oven hot pot holder for Margarita.

And decided to start a new scrapbook travelogue with our trip to Mexico as my first entry.

Later this month, Killaloe charity/missions will be sending some clothes to African children. So I made a dress for a little girl, complete with a cross stitched bear.

And finally other little things to surround someone's day with love.....

Capturing our renewal of Wedding Vows in Israel

It has been almost a month since we returned from the Holyland. We had 11 wonderful days in Israel and Jordan from 12 - 23/2/2018. This was my second time there and Michael's first. We flew to Amman and met up with the rest of the tour group from Malaysia. The tour was organised by World Discovery Travel, Kuala Lumpur. Our first stop was Jesus' baptismal site on the river Jordan and we then headed for Mount Nebo and Petra. Nothing can ever adequately describe the immense and intricate beauty of the Nabatean sandstone Treasury before us in Petra. 

Crossing the Allenby bridge we headed to Israel. We visited Tel Dan, Banias, Haifa, Bethany, the Kidron Valley, Caesarea, Megiddo, Joppa, the Jezreel Valley, Jericho, Qumran, the Dead Sea, Mt.Carmel, Nazareth, Galilee, Bethlehem and finally Jerusalem.

One of the highlights of the trip for us was the renewal of our wedding vows which was held on 16/2/2018. It was also the first day of Chinese New Year. It was a wonderful opportunity and all the more special when it was held in the church in Cana - the very place where Jesus attended a wedding and performed His first miracle - turning water into wine. (John 2: 1- 10)

Prior to the trip, I had made a small handheld bouquet and a floral head wreath for myself and a corsage for Michael because I knew it would be difficult to buy fresh flowers when we were travelling in a foreign land. Packing them neatly together with my dress, they were in pristine condition when we unpacked the suitcase.

We have been married for 8 years and so the symbol for 8 years of marriage is Linen. I brought along linen Irish tea towels to give to all our guests. Everyone was surprised and happy.

Pastor John Gurusamy who was one of our tour group members officiated the ceremony. He and his wife Jean lead the youth group in a church in Sydney, Australia. It was amazing to exchange our wedding rings again. (the rings still fit)

Our friends sang our favourite song STILL by Hillsong to celebrate the occasion. This was the very first song that I used in a birthday montage CD that I sent to Michael in 2008 when we first reconnected.

Hide me now, under your wings

Cover me, within your mighty Hand

When the oceans rise and thunders roar

I will soar with you above the storm

Father, You are King over the flood

I will be still and know You are God

Find rest my soul, in Christ alone

Know His power, In quietness and trust

When the oceans rise and thunders roar

I will soar with you above the storm

Father, You are King over the flood

I will be still and know You are God

                              Helena our tour guide managed to capture the kiss of the moment.

and the 'official' renewal of wedding vows shot.

In the church courtyard

Our guests were members of the tour group and they were all from Kuala Lumpur. We hit off immediately because they were such a lovely crowd.

                    We had a very scrumptious kosher lunch and we nicknamed it our 'wedding banquet.'

 On the way out of the church we saw a stall by the roadside selling fresh pomegranate juice. So we treated the wedding guests to a glass of juice each. They all shouted: Le-ḥayyim tovim u-le-shalom (Good life and peace) Mazel u’Bracha  (Blessings and Congratulations)

The whole event was simply beautiful and meaningful beyond words. 

God in His abundant love and grace gave us a second chance in life. Our meeting again in 2008 and our marriage in 2010 is a miracle. He sealed the union one more time in the very land where He walked. We were so privileged to be able to share the joy with a group of perfect strangers who later became our friends.

Christmas bags and memories

My friend Sarita mailed me some shots of creative looking bags and said, 'I bet you can whip something up as well'. So I went to my collection of paper bags (I know, I collect all sorts of things...) and tried my hand at 3. I subsequently gave them away to loving homes.

I enjoy Raymond Briggs' stories and hand drawn cartoons. So here is my version of The Snowman on a bag.

Then I tried my hand at paper folding to create a Christmas tree

And finally, a Santa suit complete with a satin bow tie and a belt buckle which can be adjusted, in case he puts on more weight what with all the cookies and milk

Once the bags were completed I moved on to create memory boxes as Christmas gifts. Beautiful memories are precious.

A tribute to my mother

 I want to thank my mother for all that she had done for me. Most of all, for all the values that she had taught me, the example that she was - the very essence of a self-sacrificing soul. I can still hear her voice and I still wish I can run back to her for answers. She was my pillar of strength, my support, my inspiration. Nothing can ever surpass that.

A generational tribute

I've done a layout showing Michael through 3 generations. The grandpa , the son  and the grandson . All handsome men in a fabulous strong piece . 

Decorate the wall

This is my son Samuel. He loves and composes music on the keyboard. So I thought I would put everything that he loves on layout for a memory box.

Spring is here...so seed sowing begins. A quilted wall hanging. My daughter Sonya did the cross stitch and I did the rest.

Winter scene in a village: Another piece of cross stitch by Sonya

Memory Box

My friend Harriet likes this picture of the Shannon River in Killaloe. It was taken by Michael, my husband. So I decided to make a memory box for her so she can always remember the spot where she had hours of fun.

        I've waited forever for a puppy so in Sept 2012 we decided to get Hachiko, a beautiful labrador. Hachiko has graduated from obedience school and he is now a great dog that obeys both English and Chinese commands. Hachiko is named after the famous Akita, whose statue now stands at Shibuya station in Tokyo. There is a movie called Hachi: A dog's tale starring Richard Gere. If you haven't seen it, get a box of tissues ready.

Michael and I were married in Malaysia in 2010. We were penpals when we were still in our teens and God re-connected us after all those years. In the memory box you can see a mixture of Irish and Malaysian coins, stamps and flags. There is also a snippet of an article about our love story in Ireland Own's Christmas 2010 issue.

  Michael and I come from two different parts of the world with different cultures, customs and childhood. What unites us is a love for God and for each other. The Chinese character on the lantern hanging from the cherry blossom tree is 'Ai' or love.

 This was done when I completed my doctorate in the field of education. It was a long, lonely and arduous journey but at the end of it all I could say that it was a proud moment and God was with me all the way through that journey.

These are my lovely Polish friends. They invited me to their house for a wonderful Polish meal. I love diversity and if we open our minds and hearts we can only become better people. Black and white are my friend's favourite colours. Her daughter loves performing arts and her husband is a great chef.

This is my American friend who's such a lovely lady. We've had great times together, sharing the big and small things of our lives over coffee and scones.

This is my daughter Audrey who came with me to Ireland. She is presently studying in a secondary school. She is a lovely girl, very obedient, God-fearing and disciplined. I can't ask for more. She loves beautiful things and has an eye for design. Faith in God and in herself brought her through the early months of adaptation to a new culture and a new school.

This is me as Pepper with my friend Salt in the musical Beauty and the Beast, a Nenagh Choral Society Production in 2012. Audrey also took part and she was a napkin.We practised for 6 months but we had a wonderful time on stage for 8 nights. There was standing ovation every night.

These are my three friends who were also in the same musical production. I made this for my German friend (extreme right) who was in Ireland for an exchange programme and had to go back to Germany after the production.

   This is for a lovely Canadian and Irish couple who had their first baby shower. I created a space so that they could insert the baby's photo.

This is our first grandchild who arrived in  February 2013. An adorable little sweetheart. May God's choicest blessings be on her and may she grow up to love the Lord and follow in His ways.