From Facebook to My Online Shop

Last year I watch my sons, nephews, nieces and cousins and their friends all having facebook accounts and having fun getting touch with each others. Knowing in detail what others do, sending high hives, drinks, flowers creating network etc.
Last October ('07)I decided to embark on having a facebook account myself. I love the idea of my son’s friend commenting how cool I am and I will reply proudly that I have Bebo, Friendster, multiple and I am Blogging too!
Over the months I grew tired it. So I decided to just maintain Facebook and my blog. Last month I realised I am spending unproductive time (hours in fact) on facebook, viewing friends’ album after album, sending silly messages to each other at my age.
So one day in July ('08) I decided not to open my facebook for the day.
An account on how I spend that one day day:-
1) After sending my son to school, I got home and did 30 min of exercising with WiiFit. I did 5 mins of yoga, 10mins jogging and the remaining time on table tilt.

It’s so additive so I decided to stop and had a hot bath in the freezing winter.
2) Soak myself in hot water and bubbles and browse through Creative Beading magazine. 3) Sat down for a cup of coffee and read a book recommended by my friend. Finished reading half the book (an easy book to read). Decide to keep the remaining pages for the next day. 4) Wanted to do something physical so decided to rearrange and spring clean my kitchen drawers and the fridge ( very satisfying indeed)
5) All the above activities were all accomplish from 9.00am to 1.00am, got a call from my son to pick him at the library at 4.00pm.
6) Since he won’t be home for lunch, I then make a bowl of steaming hot and spicy Korean instant noodles.

7) Restless I just stare at the jewelries I made and decided to try some on. While fiddling with some earrings almost instantly I decided on creating an online shop. For the first time of the day I switched on my computer, checked my email and a beautiful friend Heidi recommended to me about buying gemstones and findings at esty.com. (Talk about timing!) While browsing through the site instead of becoming a buyer I decided on being a seller as while. So that afternoon, my first online shop http://clothbutterfly.etsy.com/ was established.
To date I have 22 items up for sale!
8) Looking back on that faithful day, I decided to maintain facebook with my family, some friends and classmates whom I have accepted earlier. From today onwards, I am sorry to say that I will not include any new friends or network. It’s more productive to keep in touch by email, a letter or a call. It’s more personal and bonding. No wonder my sons and their friends are addicted to the computer from facebook to youtube!Look at my day when I moved out of facebook!.

My latest creation bookmark!

anyone interested check out http://clothbutterfly.etsy.com/

From this day onwards, my days are productive and each evening before I retired I will recall one benefit for which I am thankful.

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Waiting for Spring in Christchurch

It was freezing cold yesterday, wet and gloomy. I spent the whole day indoors creating some jewelries . I call it the" Garden of Eden" the spring range. Proceeds from the sale of this range will given to CANTEEN New Zealand- (Cancer For Teenagers) supporting young people living with cancer. Below a re a few of my handmade creations . They are mostly made of pearls, Czech glass bead and crystals.




















Brazilian Sodalite and cultured pearls

Rosedale Book Club

Sheila Johnson a good friend of mine had wanted to join a Book Club for sometime however she decided to have a go at starting one up. The aim is to share books that have been read in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. We had 7 members for our first meeting. We decided to give our club a name- it was not difficult to decide on Rosedale as we had our first meeting last Thursday at her house in Rosedale place. As such we all decided on “Rosedale Book Club”.
We meet once a month, every 2nd Thursday @ 7.30pm of each month. Each member is to take a turn hosting the evening (glass of wine/juice/water to begin with then later cake and coffee/tea).
I will be hosting the second meeting next month at my house! Really looking forward to it.
We also had an arrangement whereby each member is to contribute $10 each month towards next set of books. The person hosting the next meeting will buy books of their choice.
For our First Book Club meeting each of us brought one or two books that we could it lend to our members.
I selected “The Bonesetter’s Daughter” By Amy Tan highly recommended by our member Rosa-Jane French.

It’s a dramatic tale of love, loss and betrayal in provincial China. I am now half way through the book and my mind kept flashing back to my own grandmother’s tale of her life in china as a child bride and how she escaped in the middle of the night with my mom who was then only 7 years old on a horrendous boat journey to Malaya. I really have to sit down and write down her memories before I forget them!

Thank God for heat pump, under floor heating, double glazing and thermal curtains and a cup of hot Nescafe!

Last Saturday I sat down with hot cup of coffee on a lazy boy and watched the scenery unfold from my window.
Hail stones as big as marbles, sleet, snow, gale-force winds and rain fell in a polar blast.
In the morning we had a couple of hours of sunshine. At midday thick and heavy clouds took over and the whole scenery was grayish, and then came the strong gale –force winds followed by rain, hail and snow. It snowed and snowed and the violent gale wind kept blowing the snowflakes. I felt like I am in a glass bubble with snow flakes circling around me, spoilt by the haunting sound of the wind creeping through my garage doors… its so creepy !!. Then blizzards, rain and more rain throughout the night... Christchurch never had so much rain and snow in one day for a long time.

Well four cups of coffee in the glass bubble in the middle of polar blast ……… I created sunshine, snow and wind

Sunshine

Snow

Wind

The day after the Polar Blast........................................................

A taste of beading

Last Month while in London I learned the art of Beading from Cousin Peng . I was so thrilled when I managed to created my first coral necklace and ring. It was indeed a great feeling . I am the "buy and wear" type of person. Never in my wildest dream , that I will think of making my own jewellery as I am not a creative person. Now I am hooked. I have discover a new hobby and passion. I share some of my first few designs. Thanks Peng for sharing your skills. You are indeed a great teacher.


Red Coral Necklace

Golden pearls and Swarovski crystals

Swarovski Crystal necklace and earring set

Swarovski Crystal ring
Cat's eye necklace and earring set
Pearls and Crystal necklace and earring set
Glass bead Swarovski crystal earring
Pearl necklace and earring set



Adventurine Earrings



Necklaces

Winter wonderland in Christchurch

Its simply magic watching the snowfalls from my window.Its equally amazing to watch the whole landscape transformed into a "white winter wonderland".