MH17 & MH370

Dear all, I guess everyone knows about these two tragedies which have befallen the national carrier of Malaysia, MAS. It was a devastating and heartbreaking news for every Malaysian, needless to say for all the families, relatives and friends of the crew and passengers. As all nations around the world express their sympathy and condolences during this tough and difficult times, regardless of races, nationalities and religions, we stand together in grief.

No one wants this disaster to happen to their loved ones, their families, their relatives, their colleagues, their country! So, what can we do or contribute in this kind of situation? Yes, we may express our sympathy, concern, even be present to comfort those that you may know...and pray for the families that involved. Rather than keep sharing the heartbreaking pictures, negative comments and sensitive issues on the social media network.

The national flag of Malaysia flies at half-mast for victims of flight MH17.

A candlelight vigil for passengers and crew of Malaysian Airline Flight MH17.

People around the world gathered and mourned for the lost souls.

Deepest condolences...

Does A Stay-at-Home Mum need a Hobby?

Does A Stay-at-Home Mum need a Hobby? Hmm..what do you think? For me, definitely is a YES!!! I've been spending so much time in the past 8 years raising up my two babies...and now they are older. So, when they are at school, that is the best time for me to indulge in my hobby. Do something that i like, such as crafting...yes..yes..i love crafting and sewing!

I personally think that every stay-at-home mum needs a hobby or to do something that they like. As a full time mother, you may get bored of repeating the same daily routine everyday e.g preparing meals, cleaning, washing, feeding baby...etc. It may not be crafting and sewing like me, maybe you would like to try: Gardening? Baking? Reading? Writing? Baking? Home deco? or Blogging? Hehe..there are lots of interesting activities to do.

For sewing, I personally think that we really need to have the passion, time and also some basic skills in it. If you are interested, you may start to buy some books to read or start doing some simple sewing projects. You may invest some time reading books to gain more knowledge and attending classes if necessary and within your capability.

And now..I want to learn more about blogging. If anyone happens to come across this blog and reading this. Please excuse me for the many lacking things here, hehe..cause it is my newly baby blog. Still learning now and hope to create a nice blog for my crafting hobby soon :)

Thank you for visiting and hope you enjoy reading it :)

I Love Flowers

Hi all, yes, I love flowers very much. Since young, I love nature..all the flora and fauna surrounding me. I really appreciate all these beautiful creations of God. Flowers just fascinated me much..they bring joy to my life and I can feel the warmth of God's love by just looking at flowers!

Here, I'm sharing some of my flower collections. Even though I do not know all the names of the flowers and their origin, but it really doesn't matter to me. Some I called them 'exotic flowers'..these photos were taken from various places in Malaysia and some of them were taken from my mum's backyard. Hope you enjoy the beauty and uniqueness of each flower here. Oh flowers...I love you :)

Maybe most you will be wondering why I named my Facebook page: FlowerloiCrafts. Here are the reasons why...just some insights to share: First, I love flowers since young. 2nd, throughout the journey of adulthood, flowers brought lots of sweet and wonderful memories to me, which including my journey with God, my graduation and meeting my husband. 3rd, I have a nickname 'Flower' given by a Pastor. Haha..and my husband's is 'Gardener'. And that had contributed to our wedding theme: In the Garden. So we are the 'Gardener & Flower' in the Garden on our wedding day! Thanks Rev. David for the meaningful names :) Hope you are reading this now, really appreciate that. Lastly, now 'flowers' are the main inspiration for me to do my craft works!

Here you are...Tada!!! Enjoy...

Nice? I don't mind if you want to share my flowers...Bye!

DIY: How to Print a Personalised 'Frozen' T-shirts

Hi there..Here you are! Personalised T-shirts for my girls :)

DIY printed T-shirts. Nice? Hehe..I'm happy with the result though my first time using this 'iron on transfer paper', hmm something unique right? Let me share how to use this so that more mums out there can try it out for their princes & princesses :)

1. Firstly, get a white/light coloured plain cotton T-shirt. You can get this iron on transfer paper from some bookstores or craft suppliers (I still have few sheets with me, let me know if you are interested ya)
2. Find a picture (e.g Frozen sisters or maybe Olaf if you have a boy!) Yes, you need a computer to do this. Save the picture & edit it before you print it.  (And I need my IT expert to assist me, my dear hubby TQ muacks!)
3. Make sure you flip the image & wordings to mirror image before printing, so that the picture will turn out nicely when you place it on the shirt.
4. Print out the picture, on the glossy side (I'm using an Inkjet printer).
5. Let it dry. Then, cut it out and arrange it on the t-shirt (printed image facing the outer t-shirt).
6. You can place a Teflon fabric on top of the 'iron on transfer paper ' to transfer the heat equally, or a sheet of A4 paper will do as well. Just make sure you apply the correct amount of heat, e.g cotton t-shirt, use cotton scale on your iron!
7. Let it cool in room temperature, then peel off the paper slowly. Please don't peel it immediately or you may ruin the picture!
8. One more thing, please do not re-iron again after peeling! The glue with stick to your iron & destroy the picture.
9. When your DIY printed t-shirt is ready, please don't wash it straight away. To preserve the picture & its colours, please hand wash it the second day. And use plain water with no detergent for the first time! Wash it separately, gently and no brushing! This is not produced using a heat transfer machine, so you have to do all the necessary for a lasting nice DIY printed t-shirt :)

I'm happy to share this..bye for now!

DIY: How to Make a Lovely Pair of Home Slippers

Hi all, hope you enjoy all my writings..
Here, sharing time again...This time I want to show you how to make a lovely pair of home slippers for your loved ones!

Here you are:

I made these for my girls! One kitty face and another one Bunny face...And they wear it almost everyday :)

What you would need: A pair of slippers (you can buy it, but I will suggest that you use whatever that you have at home! A pair of hotel slippers will do! 3R: Reduce, Reuse & Recycle), fabric pen, scissors, paper, craft felt, felt glue, wiggly eyes, thread & needle. And of course you need some time..remember, everyone needs a hobby :)

1. Firstly, get ready your slippers. Make sure the surface is clean.
2. Now, drawing time. Explore your creativity here, maybe draw your child's favourite animal or cartoon character, but just the head!
3. When you are satisfied with the picture. Carry on to the next step...Trace a copy of it on another paper. (Sorry not shown in the picture). Then, cut it out, piece by piece. All the parts.
4. Now trace all the pieces onto the felt. Choose your colours.
5. Then, cut them out, piece by piece.
6. You may arrange all the parts now.
7. When you are satisfied with the cut-outs, start to glue it down.
8. Now, use a fabric pen to draw the outlines of certain parts that need to be sewn later on.
9. Sew it using a suitable thread & matching colours.
10.  Lastly, glue the finished animal head onto the slippers. Done!

Thanks for viewing...you can give it a try. I hope to create more 3R DIY projects in the future...

DIY: How to make fabric flowers

Hi all, mummies..and dadddies. Hehe! Ah..sharing time. I had made these fabric flowers quite sometime ago. If you are the fans of 'FlowerloiCrafts' page on Facebook, you will notice that :)

It is an easy peasy project. I guess for those who are already well-versed in sewing, you will be very familiar with it. For the beginners/young crafters, it will be a fun project to do! Yeah, i intend to teach my girl soon. You only need some fabric scraps, so next time don't throw away your fabric scraps.

1. Firstly, draw 4 circles (diameter around 3.5-4.0cm) on the chosen fabric scrap. You can use a fabric pen to draw if you have one, if not a pencil will be fine, but trace gently. Or you may use a bottle cap to get your desired size.
2. Then, cut out all the 4 circles.
3. You will get 4 round circles of fabric.
4. Fold the circles into half.
5. Then cut it. Now you will have 8 pieces of halved-circles.
6. Then fold the halved-circles again and sew it with a sewing machine. Please refer to the picture.
7. Now you will get 8 pieces of folded quarter circles...Haha, hope you understand my language!
8. Turn them inside out.
9. Get ready a needle & a thread. Then sew it as shown in picture.
10. Sew all the 8 pieces together and you are almost done!
11. Lastly, you can embellish it with a coloured button. Sew it on & it is all done :)

Hmm, you may use this little daisies to decorate your blouse, bag or make a hair clip for your daughter! Hope you can try it and remember to share with me if you wish to. Thanks for viewing. Bye...

The Benefits of Crafting...

Hi all, good morning. How are you? Hope that everyone is in the pink of health. Here just sharing my thought on crafting as a hobby. I know that there are so many mummies out there doing the same thing as i do :) And some of them are doing really well, both as a hobby & a career!

When we do something that we like, it gives us a positive minds, what i meant is that we will always look forward, feel happy and have peace because you enjoy it! Sometimes, when you are emotionally disturbed or feeling down with emptiness. We women...maybe during your PMS period (you know what I mean), you will be happy after doing some crafts. It works well with me...

On the other hand, crafting may help you to release your stress. As you all know, working mothers especially, need that. I understand that mums with little baby may find it hard to handle the little ones and house chores after came back from work. Maybe weekends will be the best time for you to indulge in your hobby. You don't need a whole day, maybe just a few hours will be enough. If you are keen on crafting, I will suggest that you can start with reading some craft articles from books, magazines or Internet/blogs.

And we cannot deny that crafting nowadays are getting more popular, not only among mothers, but youngsters too. It is no longer a hobby for some stay-at-home mothers, but they are turning it into a business. But as you know, it is not always easy. We need to put a huge lots of effort in it, not only our investment, but selection of craft materials (not cheap especially the imported materials that we can't get locally), and also to provide the best quality handmade & service to the customers. As a handmade crafter, I think the most challenging part is our time spent on completing our projects. We need to spend more time in order to produce the best workmanship. And at the same time, we have commitments in the family.

For me, I will start slow and try my best. But the most important thing is I am happy doing my crafts & really enjoy it...to the max. I feel satisfied & of course the joy of making something unique (that sometimes money cannot buy) for my loved ones :)

Here, let me show you something:
Tada...

Personalised DIY printed T-shirt. Nice? Please read my post: How to Diy Disney 'Frozen' Printed T-shirts and How to Make Animal Soft Toys in 'My DIY projects'. Thank you :)

How to Decide...A Full-Time Mum at Home?

Hi all, I'm back. Yeah, it's not an easy task to be a full time housewife. I admit that, but by God's grace it is possible. I thank God for His leading and provision throughout this journey. From my experience, a supportive husband is very important here.. He plays a huge role in the success of a 'stay-at-home' mum :) So, husbands please read this too.

First of all, to make a decision for a wife to stay at home and taking care of the children is a mutual decision, meant that both husband & wife are agreed to it. Ok? If one of you is not ok, then you know that this is not the path. But, some couples won't mind to try it out. It can be done, try and then maybe after a few months e.g. 3-6 months? If the wife finds it hard, difficult...then you can reverse it & get back to work. No harm trying anyway.

Some failed maybe because the wife has a very established career, or maybe can't get used to the new lifestyle, less friends to talk to & facing the grumpy baby at home alone can be frustrating! Or maybe another factor is the income. And to ease the financial needs in the family. So, these are the few factors that will lead to your decision.

On the other hand, I will talk about what the benefits of being a full time housewife. As you all know, a mother plays a very important role in bringing up a child. Not only their physical being, but also their emotions, characters, values of life & teaching them things that they are not taught in schools/day care. And time flies without you realising it, they grow up fast. Some of the precious moments in life with them will just gone if you were not with them..for example when your baby took his/her first step. Were you the first one who hold him/her when he/she fell from his/her first walk?

So, to be 'a stay-at-home mother' is a decision that you worth to ponder upon.....

Oh ya, talking about a husband's role...Yeah, husband is the head of the family. So as the head, a husband needs to play a vital task & role. But it is not an impossible task. First, a husband should spend more time with the family, and knows the family's needs, especially spending time to communicate with the wife. Show that you care and love your wife..affection YES! Maybe after a tiring day taking care of her baby, she just need to sit down with you to enjoy a cup of her favorite drink. So, husband make a drink for her and chat with her, or if the baby is waking up in the middle if the night, please offer your help to change the diapers & rocking the baby to sleep again, so that your wife can rest well at night. Always remember that the family belongs to both of you, together we love, build & care for the family. Family first!!!

Life of A Stay-at-home Mum

Hi all, I am a wife, a mum, a daughter & most obviously a 'stay-at-home mum' that taking care of a 'HOME'. Yes, home is the most important institution in this society, this urbanized community & towards building up a successful country! Wow, that such a big word..but it is true. No matter how much time you spend to work in a day, you still need to rest your head at the end of the day...and you need a home, that is your 'home sweet home', right? So here i am, just to sharing my thought and experiences in home-making. It's a 24/7 job which requires me to be present no matter what is the weather outside. From preparing breakfast to reading a bedtime stories...

To be continued, cooking time (dinner) ...