hello little one...

We'll be seeing you soon!

Tis Christmas Day!

It's Christmas morning!

The mantle all dolled up in christmasy festive fashion

Traditional Challenger Christmas breakfast of cold ham, tomatoes, boiled eggs and soldiers

(ok it's more like lunch since the Christmas service ended at 12)

Time to open pressies!

This is the funniest gift we received! Guess what it is?

It's a wee blocker! You use it to cover the baby's winky while changing his diapers to avoid getting squirted haha

Baby Challenger received the most pressies this Christmas
-- and he doesn't even have a birth certificate yet!

The turkey nearly ready for serving

Christmas turkey with sausage stuffing, bacon rolls, corn, mash, steam veggies
on very non-traditional serving plates haha

It is a Challenger tradition to wear the paper crowns from the christmas crackers all through dinner. Our 2 guests were not spared either.

At the end of a long day, nothing beats snuggling in with a good book.

Hope you enjoyed your Christmas as much as we did! :)

The day before Christmas

Some last minute crafting and handmade gifts...

hanging my favourite pooh ornament which I've had since I was 10...

popping over to the Chngs for carols and a pig-out...

(dang I forgot to take photos of the carollers!)

and of cos a homemade log cake!

And have I mentioned our little Christmas Eve miracle?

It'd been raining the whole day and our front porch was all slippery and wet so of cos I put on my anti-slip shoes to head out to the Chngs. Who would have known that anti-slip isn't always anti-slip??!! So there I was, a 8mth preggie hippo sprawled on her butt in the rain and scaring the living daylights out of the hubby and baby's godma. They were like, oh my goodness oh my goodness oh my goodness! Do you need to go to the hospital??! And I was like, YeowwOUCH!! Until I realised it wasn't the belly or hips that hurt, but my right arm which I used to break my fall. There was no bleeding, no cramps, no nothing!

Turns out I'd landed on the fleshy right butt-cheek which cushioned the shock so it didn't hurt one bit and there was no bruise at all!! For someone who bruises as easily as a peach, that really said something. Amazingly I did not break/dislocate my arm as well so all I had were some minor grazes. Praise God for his protection over the wee one or we might have had to spend Christmas Eve in hospital!

So yeah a prayer of thanksgiving and a change of clothes later, we were on our way to Christmas carols and turkey and roast beef and opening the first pressies when the clock struck 12. This is definitely a story that's gonna be retold in christmases to come! :p

Hope you had a blessed Christmas filled with love and joy too!

The week before Christmas

What have we been doing in the week leading up to Christmas?

Lots of shopping and wrapping...
(my poor overdrawn bank account)

and preparing of gifts....

... some to be sent to UK in time for Christmas

Kids' Christmas musical in church...

Putting up the Christmas tree...

overflowing with gifts...

letting the little ones do their part in putting up baubles...

... and having the Praying Hands over for Christmas potluck

... before finally putting our feet up to rest...

but only for a day or two!

xoxo

Lime Sorbet - SGD 45 - Sold

I love this yummy shade of luminous green!
Delicious 8x5mm peridot brios dangle within 15x8mm oval hoops with pearls and crystal rondelles. Drop is about 3.3cm from golfilled hooks ~

*Enjoy 10% off this piece!*

Vintage Rose (blue) - SGD 45 - Sold

This is a blue take on the original custom order of Vintage Rose with antiqued cameos from Japan and vintage rose cab. My only pair! Drop is 5cm and 5.5cm respectively ~

*Enjoy 10% off this piece!*

Marjorie - SGD 40 - Sold

Bronzy shimmery tones with special coated swarovski briolettes and flower tendril charms.
Drop is 4.5cm from goldfilled hooks ~

*Enjoy 10% off this piece!*

Olivine - SGD 45 - Sold

I really like how the olivine crystals set in vintage-style oxidised silver casings and the pale gleam of the green amethyst brios complement each other so brilliantly! Having a good mind to keep this for myself :p Drop is 4cm from oxidised cz studs~

*Enjoy 10% off this pair!*

Scarlett - SGD 39 - Sold

Vintage-style antiqued swarovski components in deep red with oxidised vines, red garnet rounds, crystal rondelles and mauve freshwater pearls ~Drop is 4.5cm from oxidised CZ studs.

*Enjoy 10% off this piece!*

Gardenia - SGD 45 - Sold

Christmasy colours of white, silver and gold with vintage rose cabs and swarovskis for that special noel touch ~ Drop is 6cm from sterling hooks.

*Enjoy 10% off this piece!*

Smoky Glitz - SGD 39

Shoulder dusters for the festive season!

Petite fleurs atop faceted smoky quartz cubes with crystal chain trails while drop is 7.5cm from sterling hooks~

*Enjoy 10% off this piece!*

Nuala - SGD 45

Bursts of glitter and shine galore with this pair of faerie darlings! Drop is 5.5cm and 4.5cm respectively with sterling components.

*Enjoy 10% off this piece!*

Kitty collection

I'm starting to get panicky at the thought of having to find space to store all those teeny weeny parts (away from curious prying baby fingers) so as a special bonus to clear some room, I'll be listing some new items at 10% off starting with this little mini kitty series.

Proud Percy - SGD 39

Drop is 5cm from 14k goldplated studs.

Prancing Kitties - SGD 39 - Sold

Drop is 4cm with little 10mm tall enamel kitty charms, swarovski pearls, rose quartz and goldfilled parts.

Hoity Kitties - SGD 40 - Reserved

Drop is 5cm from goldfilled hooks with sparkly swarovskis.

Kitty Sparkles - SGD 36

Drop is 3.5cm from sterling hooks with vintage black kitties from rhodium cz links & swarovskis.

pinky goldy earrings!

A trio of pink gold-plated CZ stud earrings just for the festive season!
Also enjoy 10% off on this series!

Turtledove - SGD 39 - Reserved

Drop is 4.5cm (left) and 7.5cm (right).
Dove measures 2cm x 2.5cm.

Sway - $39

Drop is 4cm (left) and 3.5cm (right).

Horatio - SGD 39 - Reserved

Drop is 2.5cm (left) and 5cm (right).

hit by a truck

I was so annoyed at how the flu bug likes to choose the most opportune moment to make its attack!! It really had me at its mercy 2 days before the tea party, all through the weekend and 2 wedding lunches, and even on the tuesday after the snifflies seem reluctant to say goodbye! We decided to just let me sleep it off instead of self-medicating and 2 days of hibernating seemed to help so I'm no longer feeling like I'd just been hit by a truck! (but a motorbike? maybe.)

The effect of the last few weeks of busy-ness is really taking its toll so the plan is just to list whatever pieces I have on hand, clear the backlog of custom orders and close shop for the Christmas season! We've got friends from Australia arriving on Saturday to stay with us till we say hello 2009! and a Christmas party on Sunday so yup, I really need to take time off to set up the house. Bring out those tinsel and baubles! I'm all ready to decorate! :p

Hope you'll have a ball of a time celebrating this festive season too!
Joyeux Noël!

Christmas tea party!

Ah before I forget (and people start making plans!), we're having a Christmas par-tea! next Saturday at Doinky Doodles! It's gonna be my last "outdoor" event before I pop since I'm just getting heavier and heavier with each day and the limbs can no longer catch up with the mind. There'll be moi with new stuff and Amy with her cute animal mugs and of cos Xin with her latest Christmas offerings!

(click to enlarge)

Come join us for a lazy leisurely afternoon of quirky tete-a-tete!

Wedding Season!

Tis truly the season of weddings! We have 4 weddings to attend within 2 weeks and with 2 of them being that of close girl pals' so yep, I am really feeling the effect of running around. Feels like I'm getting married all over again haha! One wedding was on the monday that's just past while another biggie one is happening tomorrow! How exciting! We had a bridal shower last Sat for one bride-to-be but unfortunately the photos weren't in my camera so those will have to wait. Matt did snap shots of my 7-month belly though!

Prior to the bridal shower, we had a little jewellery soiree cos the bride (for tomorrow) wanted to thank her helpers by giving them handmade trinkets ~ it turned out to be a whole day affair! See us hard at work on a saturday afternoon:

Naturally it was up to moi to finish up whatever remained uncompleted. Total tally? 10 bracelets and 5 pairs of earrings! Due to time constraints I was only able to photograph the earrings but hopefully I can sneak some shots of the bracelets during the wedding proper!

The bride wanted something more old-fashioned and victorian with pearls to go with her lace gown so we found these antique-style sterling filigree clasps that allowed her to wear her earrings in 3 different styles ~ 1) with the baroque pearls above 2) sans the pearls 3) just the diamond studs alone! Very versatile!

Sterling earrings with peridot, rhodolite garnet and moonstone to go with the bride's burgundy dinner cheongsam

Rose earrings for the two bridesmaids

And a little gift from the bride to Val (my bridesmaid and godma of baby challenger!) to go with her funky pink cheongsam. I would have worn my silvery lilac cheongsam too if not for the fact I can't fit into it right now! :p It'll prob take the birth, total breastfeeding and at least 6 months of hardcore exercise for me to fit into it again. Sigh.

It'll be a super long day tomorrow so I'm off to prepare for it ~ I always can't help feeling all excited about weddings, especially when you've seen the couple progress from friendship to courtship to saying their vows! Just hope I can hold back the tears tomorrow - you never know with the hormones now! :p