stamp stamp stamp!

aaaah... there is something else i must not forget to blog about - our helper's gifts! the people whom we engaged to help us are people truly close to our hearts and we appreciate their love and hard work very much. so we decided to set aside a budget, and we were hoping to give something meaningful and something that each family/person would like. since a long time ago, PP and i started brainstorming and racking our brains for what we could give. we wanted it to be practical, and in some ways encourage them, and of course, it had to be something they would like and they would use!

after searching around, PP and i decided that perhaps stamps would be fit the bill quite well, and we loved how they turned out!

using some of the graphics like the border and the little train motif in photoshop, we came up with this design... (p.s. you can access it through the 'shape' function)

 

for some families, we put addresses, while for others, we put our wedding theme. and yes, it was so nice that we had to order one for ourselves too ;) to make the stamp, we engaged the help of Zoopri! Jennifer was very nice. she gave us a bulk discount because we ordered a total of 50++ pieces :) she offered to give us the "stamp support" thingee that looked rather plasticky (as though from popular). hmmmm... not exactly to my liking :/  so we asked for just the rubber part of the stamp. this was what was sent to us :)

 

then, PP and i bought wood blocks from DAISO (my favourite!) and with some sticking and stamping this is how it turned out :)

hello couple-about-to-get-married! :)

wrapped them up with white bags from SKP (another of my favourite) and made some labels to seal them up.

each name represents a BIG blessing given to us by God!

 

flower magic

my little secret dream has always been to cycle down some breezy lane, selling wild flower bouquets on my 一朵 (see here) ..

*piak* wake up esther, you don't even know how to wrap a bouquet! haha. indeed, alot of experience and knowledge is needed when dealing with flowers and PP and i truly thank God for our dear aunt who helped us greatly with the beautiful flower arrangements!!

where else can you find someone else so cheerful, so jolly, and yet so dedicated? she bought little buckets and painted them just so she could achieve the coral blue shade to fit our wedding theme. she sewed the seat covers by herself! she requested PP to go into the forest to dig for a solid branch so she could come up with a never-seen-before floral arrangement! im sure the twisting of the silver wire to form our names must have given her blisters... :/ yet, never a word of complain.

and the beautiful beautiful head-dress for the flower girls, made of baby's breath. i wish i had them for myself!

need i say more....here's ChrisLena's masterpieces.... photos courtesy of WX and HL :)

she also did up hand bouquets for my parents and sisters, but unfortunately, no pictures :/ the day we went flower-shopping with her was so fun! our dear aunt is so funny, so creative, and wonderfully protective over our flowers! she was very very clever to suggest that we head there early in the morning so we could get the best and the freshest flowers :) that's how we managed to get our hands on the beautiful hydrangeas and rose cabbages :) although auntie ChrisLena is not a florist currently, she used to have a shop and has the necessary skills needed to handle projects like my wedding, and we truly thank God for her. need i say more?

brides-to-be, if you are looking for someone to take care of your florals, feel free to let me know.

alternatively, you can contact her at: 8333 2203 :)

the lovely head-dresses, worn by the three lovely girls :) oh yes, and their pretty buckets of baby's breath :)

yummy xiaolongbao!

PP and I were blessed with the chance to check out what is supposedly "one of the best" xiaolongbaos" in Singapore, tucked in a little corner in Serangoon. felt alittle apprehensive at first and thought it would be a disappointment, but was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food! :)




the xlb did not have an overpowering meat taste and was nt too salty. it was light to the mouth and comparable to crystal jade or din tai fung standards!




we also tried my favourite cuttlefish with pepper and salt and wow! it was awesome! the cuttlefish was tender (can't believe saying this for sotong haha) and when tasted hot, will melt in your mouth :)




we also had noodles with braised pork rib soup - the soup base was lovely, light and nt overpowering, yet tasty enough! :) and also... the soft pillowy mantou :)




this place is really worth visiting and we are definitely going back again. hint: go on a weekday, for lunch but after the lunch hour around 2 - that's when u can have the whole place to yourself, like PP and I did :)

somethings to take note of:
they take a break from 3pm to 5pm
the website (www.handinhand.com.sg)
opening hours are not accurate (they actually close at 10.30pm)

Hand in Hand Beijing Restaurant Food
141-144 Jalan Besar
S 208859
Contact: 62971398

sister skirts

as this post suggested, all my sisters had pretty skirts to wear! i liked them, but im not sure if my sisters did :/ in any case, i really thought they all looked very nice in them. thank God for a quick and efficient seamstress who helped a big deal! (no, i DID NOT sew them - i must be crazy to do that!)

Zungui is a chinese-speaking lady who owns a little shop in Bukit Batok. while it does not appear to be much, her handiwork is excellent and she sets high expectations for herself. there were not stray threads, no seam rips, except for a few sizing hiccups (which is very very likely if u sew a dress!)

here's her contact:
Zungui
96920387
Bukit Batok East Ave 3, Blk 278, #01-K1

tips when getting a dress custom-made:
again, be very clear!
it will be great if u can provide a sample, go shopping for the cloth, and give her sufficient time to work on the project :)

as for the gorgeous ties that the brothers have - we got them from a pushcart selling ties and bowties in Bugis Junction :)

sewing!

i really really miss sewing very much. longing for a time that i can just sit down and cut cloth and sew without fretting about other things, but it's not time :) most of the time i sew something, it is usually a rushed job, but that maybe reflective of my personality as well!

the most recent thing i sewed (i think) is this dress, which is actually just a longer version of this. i love this pattern very very much! the neckline is not too low, and waistline falls at the right place, and i can custom it to whatever length i like :) i do not have many pictures of it, but i sewed it pretty much in preparation for our engagement photoshoot :) i tried to make the neckline more "V" instead of rounded, but it was done with much fear and apprehension. talked and worried about it so many times to PP and did not dare to get started because of this -_- thank God that it worked out and though it was quite runched up, ironing did the trick :) phew!

 

the gorgeous fabric is from Malin Textiles, which is one of my favourite fabric stores in Chinatown. the pattern comes from this book "Dress Made Of My Favourite Cloth", bought from Kinokuniya. The book consists of different dresses and blouses that are really classic - definitely worth an investment or worth borrowing ;)