HELLOOOO...ANYBODY THERE?

surprise surprise, look who's back? ;p

well, i didn't go anywhere, really. i've just been bogged down with all sorts. not that it's a valid excuse but it's scary how life just passes by and before one knows it, it's been five months since the last blog post! honestly, if you were to ask me what i've been up too, i wouldn't even know how to respond and that's the scary part because i haven't been up to much and yet i have. does that make any sense whatsoever? sigh...let me attempt to fill you in...if you're still up for reading my blog...

having recently left the pr world of kl's hospitality industry, izreen is now on a soul searching mission to uncover her life purpose and rediscover her passions. 

and that's how the fancy-schmancy official statement would have read if there ever was one! as mentioned here and here, i finally took the plunge and tendered my resignation. it's been five months since my last day of work and i've loved every minute of it. the honest truth is i've just been going with the flow; taking in one day at a time, enjoying the simple pleasures of my life as it is right now. when i say simple, i really mean simple ie school runs, long lunches, mindless reading, afternoon naps, week day shopping etc etc etc ;)

before i resigned however, i did promise to spend the first few months of unemployment figuring out what was next for me. i vowed to work out a proper business plan to make sure i was headed in the right direction as at that time, mel and i were just taking in any order that came along, whether it was for parties, cookies, cupcakes, party packs and so on. but alas, things don't always go as planned. in my defense, i did a wee bit of research here and there but before i had made any real progress, zain & i made an even bigger commitment...we bought our very first property! 

and so we agreed that from now until we make the big move, my main focus was to be our brand new home. as excited as i was to take up a new project, it was with a heavy heart that i decided to stop taking orders for both parties and baking. it just wasn't fair to commit to others when i myself was uncertain of my direction in life. of course, being in between a half packed-up home and an empty one, wasn't exactly the most conducive and convenient environment to work in ;O 

ironically, the moment i announce to the universe that i'm taking a break, i get enquiries every other day! i sincerely do apologise to every single person who's request and orders i've had to turn down but really, it is for the best given the circumstances...

so now, i have two to three months to design, renovate, decorate and move...daunting! but oh so exciting ;)

i'll keep you posted on our house project as we go along and i'll also bring this blog up to date with the last few parties we organised. so do stick around...i promise you i will...

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW...

at the end of every year,  zain and i put ourselves and the entire household through an exercise of abundance...out with the old, to make space for the new. half way through, my sinus was acting up and the house was upside down, but with every bit of clutter and junk i threw out, i felt a sense of relief and oddly, mental clarity...

and so it was this exercise of abundance that inspired me to revamp this blog. with the new year and promises of an exciting (and hopefully rewarding!) future ahead, what better time than now ;)

i've decided that minimalist is the way to go so i deleted the pink background and changed the header to reflect my current mood and perhaps reflection of my life (click here for the original header design by my style backgrounds...lots of other lovely freebies too!) and this is the new 2011 look...

a lil more grown up, a lil bit rustic, a lil bit prettier...not too clean yet not too bare and splashes of the colours i love...

a whole load of fluff and even more stuff...

hello peeps...

sorry!

sorry sorry sorry sorry...

i feel terrible cos i haven't been here for close to two months!

sorry...

(did i already say i'm sorry?)

i don't know how it happened but as things usually do happen, i had my hands full with a whole load of fluff and even more stuff....i didn't even realise so much time had gone by since my last post on quack packs!

i really missed this space but i'm back now ;) did you miss me? i definitely missed you...

 

am looking forward to catching up with you and sharing all the stuff that's been happening and all  the fluff that i'm currently working on in my lil world of fluff & stuff. what about you...what's been baking in your oven?

princess katrina's 6th birthday...

i've just completed making these simple cupcakes and toppers for a friend's daughter...her theme was disney princesses - i matched these with her name in the walt disney font and her age in a plain font. i really like fuschia pink and bright orange. honestly, orange isn't usually a colour of my choice but together, they make such a good combination.

the pics above were taken at night so the lighting's pretty bad. i couldn't quite fix them using photobucket but i played around with other effects that are kinda cool...

- pop art -

- invert -

- cartoon -

- fresco -

- colour sketch -

 

sorry to bore you with the same pics over and over again but i'm obviously very easily amused! hopefully you'll find these as fascinating as i do ;p

share the love, grab a button...and a few other links too!

just for fun, i created my own blog button. i have no knowledge on html etc but i really wanted to attempt putting up my own blog button. every blog seemed to have one so i figured it probably wasn't rocket science...hence, i did a lil googling and found this tutorial by A Heart for Home. it's simple & straightforward...and i was right, it really isn't rocket science! click here for the tutorial and you'll know what i mean...

i placed the fluff & stuff button on the right column of this blog  (right after everything else i've plonked there). scroll down thru and you'll see the button as well as the html script...but since you were nice enough to read this post, i've placed it here too...

<center><a href="http://izreen.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/ad100/izreenamri/logos/buttonfs0310-2-1-1.png" /></a></center>

you probably know how to do this already but if you don't, just copy and paste this html script to the add gadget function of your layout page....that's, of course, if you'd like to add it to your blog.! let me know if you do so i can see for myself if it works on another blog ;)

oh have you noticed some other things i did? yup, i added a signature followed by a linkwithin widget after each post (see the bottom of this post where you can see "you might like" followed by three related posts...) ...

fantastic! well it's fantastic to me anyways heheh. i'm just so excited that i did all this. i mean, i still hv no idea what all the html stuff mean but i know they definitely work cos they appear fine on the blog ;) so yay me!

visit the linkwithin site if you'd like to have this widget on your blog too. 

if you're keen on adding a signature to your blog, follow this great tutorial by www.kevinandamanda.com (sound familiar? i mentioned this site on a previous post ). it's a great site and amanda's tutorials are SO easy to follow. the next one i'm gonna read up is on how to convert my own handwriting into a font...now, how cool is that?! will keep you posted when i get around to doing it...

oh one last thing - if like me, after having succesfully put up both, your signature appears after the linkwithin widget as opposed to before the widget, let me know...i'll put up a separate post on this. it took me a while and a bit of trial & error to figure it out; i had to look up a few different sites and put them together! but it was really simple - a matter of copy & paste...i just need to backtrack and take note of what i did...!

a prettier look & a collage how-to...

you may have noticed a slight difference in the style of pics that i posted in my last couple of posts (here & here) compared to the pics in the posts prior to these. can you spot the difference...?

 

- older posts -

- newer post -

i've decided to stick to this newer style..looks cleaner, simpler and prettier too. any thoughts on these?

oh, i've also discovered a collage function on photobucket - the perfect answer for when i have too many lovely pics to share ;) like the pics from ilaika's party...

it's rather hidden though so i didn't even know it existed! so i thought you might appreciate this lil collage how-to:

1. of course, you have to start with a photobucket account with pics uploaded to an album (if you don't, it's simple and free so click here for the photobucket site)...

2. choose an album to view & look at the top. there should be an option for "edit images" as circled below:

3. then click on the button that says "create a collage"...

4. you'll see this page...just choose the type of collage you'd like (on the left) & click "load photo" to select the pics...

5. once you're happy with the pics & proportions, choose "customise" for the final step...

6. here, you can resize, edit, add text etc. 

7. once you're happy with the whole collage, just click "save a copy"....

...and then sit back and admire ;)

a feature and a party...oh i've been so so busy...

oh dear. time sure flies. it's march already. sorry for the extended silence...

can't blog much right now but i have a few things to share...firstly, (drum roll please*) the bears & blocks party has been featured by creative party place...omg! thanks, shannon for spreading the fluff & stuff love ;)

 

*i know, i know - it may be a small thing for most experienced bloggers but for me, it's a big deal so yay me ;p scroll down the right column to see this "i've been featured" button proudly displayed hehe

secondly, here's a lil sneak peak on what's been keeping me busy...

 - ilaika's butterfly party invites, scrapbooking style...after a few sleepless nights, i finally managed to complete 60 of these...serves me right for leaving it til the last minute...nevertheless, i'm happy with how the invites turned out -

- these white-stained wooden frames are still work-in-progress...these are for ilaika's party packs...i'm planning to frame a pretty butterfly cut out in each. will keep you posted on the end result -

so there you go...i've been extremely busy these last two weeks...planning, shopping, surfing etc and i have only 5 days left to finalise everything, from decor to party packs to cakes. so much to do and so little time. am keeping my fingers crossed so please please please, wish me the best of luck...

photobucket slideshow!

i've just discovered how to put together a slideshow using photobucket! 

i was updating a backdated post on ilaika's second birthday party - her elmo fiesta, and found this cute lil school-like chalk & blackboard template for a slideshow:

it took me all of two minutes* to set up ;)

*note: i'd already uploaded the pics prior to this....

catchin up on old updates...tweet tweet!

you may have noticed quite a lot of activity going on here this week. i'm getting into the hang of things  now and really enjoying this whole blogging malarkey ;) 

BUT there's only SO much i can blog about daily so i've decided to post up past events and backdate them...this way, i won't bore you to death and i get to polish up on my writing skills ;) 

so you won't miss these backdated updates, i'll post an update every now and then on twitter so you get to read up on my catching up! 

click here for my tweets:

xxx

izreen

a place for all things pretty...

on monday, i shared some blinkin' love buttons that i'd found, in the spirit of valentine's day. today,  i was surfing for party ideas for ilaika's third birthday and i came across this absolutely lovely site: The TomKat Studio, a place for all things pretty.

kim, the blogger, has a serious passion for parties and designs really really pretty stuff. check out her valentine printables:

 

 

- even the names of her collections, sweet love & french kiss, shout out romance -

you may purchase these at her shop or check out her latest post on how to get these free*  ;)

*psst - it's as easy as 1-2-3....

1) click on the link to her blog

2) copy & paste her button to your blog

3) email her the link...

told ya it was simple! don't forget to indicate which collection you like. 

i had a hard time deciding cos they're both so cute 

but i went with sweet love 

so i can bake some of my sweet stuff munchies 

to give to my own valentine ;) 

ok - so i've done 1, 2 and 3 so now i just have to wait for her to reply. yay!

whilst you're at her blog and shop, also check out these great party/invite d-i-y ideas...

 

 

- yummy lollipop collection -

- vintage surf collection -

 

  

- little ladybug collection -

true to her tagline, her blog is really a place for all things pretty!

a lil revamp but it's still work in progress...

i couldn't sleep last night so i decided to toy around with this blog design, yet again...any thoughts on this?

 

* background by shabbyblogs. check it out. it's free!

i like the overall pink and brown theme with bits of greyish blue and greenish turquoise...am also loving the sweet scallops on the side. i forgot how to adjust the size of the header so i had to google it!  it's actually really simple and i'll share this how-to in a future post.

i'm still such an IT bimbo and there's so much to learn so it's still work in progress...please stick around...perhaps we could learn a thing or two from each other ;)

xxx
izreen

blinkin' love buttons...

 

- by shabby blogs -

with valentine's day just a few days away, i thought i'd share with you some lovely buttons and blinkies i found online. some are pretty and the others are just too darn cute ;) and best of all, they're free!

 

 - by shabby blogs -

- by the cutest blog on the block -

- by the cutest blog on the block -

- by the cutest blog on the block -

 

- by my style backgrounds (this is actually a header but it's too cute, i couldn't resist adding it) -

i also found this shabby love letters freebie on shabby blogs' blog by megan. i just LOVE old school typewriters...they're classic and to me, kinda poetic...this one especially has such a romantic vintage feel to it with the discoloured paper and its crumpled edges. and  the single red flower makes it perfect for a hopeless romantic like me ;)

you can use an editing software to add in a message or note on the paper but i just used powerpoint and added it to the sidebar on the right. i think i shall use this as a permanent feature of this blog...thank you, megan.

and in case i get too busy to blog this weekend, happy valentine's day to you, you and you...mwuahs ;x

xxx
izreen

ps - my dad had a similar typewriter when i was a kid. and i used to spend endless hours just playing around with it!

uploading pics for dummies

last weekend, i experimented with photobucket. it's highly recommended by some of the scrapbooking sites i've visited & it's meant to make life easier when uploading pics onto blogs. i've yet to really play around with the features very much...just with the recent bollipop pics on my previous post but i reckon, for an amateur at editing, it is really simple to use. in fact, almost idiot proof! no dummies' guide needed ;)

will post more experimental edits soon!

OCD-ed & OD-ed...all over a blog design!

so yes, if you haven't figured out yet, i spent quite a lot of time obsessing over the layout & design of this blog...so much so that i completely lost the whole point of a blog which was actual blogging! so after a couple of weeks (ok, maybe a little more than that!), i decided to stop obsessing and am finally quite happy with my current blog design. i've googled & googled & googled over & over again various topics on blogs & this is what i came up with:

 

the raison d'etre behind this design:

• i love the concept of scrapbooking but have not had the time or resources to indulge in this art - the lovely bits & bobs available in malaysia are really expensive. so whilst looking at other blog designs, i discovered digital scrapbooking! hence i wanted to add elements of it into this layout. i'm thinking this is something that will come up more often in this blog ;)

• the main part of the blog itself had to be plain & easy to read, which is why it has a white background in the centre with very simple fonts.

• for the background, i wanted a damask print as i, well, love how a damask print adds  understated elegance & romance with a touch of the "old-world" charm.

• i actually wanted to do more & design my own templates but that would mean learning photoshop which is next on my to-do list. so for now, it's just amateur editing on powerpoint slides!
  

• last but not least, it had to be simple & sweet.

i used a few templates from various blogs; amended them here & there (the header especially) to make it a little more personalised. i hope in doing so, i have not violated any copyright policies and if i have, i sincerely apologise for my ignorance and of course, do let me know and i will amend it asap. 

many many many thanks go out to the following sites for without them, i would not have had such a pretty layout (well, i think it's pretty pretty...) :

• kevinandamanda.com
• check this site out for lots of wonderful fonts - all free too! Amanda also has tips for newbies to both scrapbooking & blogging. a site i will definitely visit very often.   

• shabbyblogs.com
• Shabby Blogs provides far from shabby blog templates - this is where i found the damask print for my background and also the pretty buttons found in the side bar.
  

• ShabbyPrincess.com
•  Shabby Princess also brings you not-so-shabby scrapbooking templates - lots of them! very pretty designs & so many frebies to choose from....and if that's not enough, they also have an online shabby shop for your scrapbooking shopping spree!

• thecutestblogontheblock.com
• this was actually where i first started with my design. they have lots of blinkies & lovely freebies - a great place to start for beginners like me ;)
  

• independentfashionbloggers.org
• i found great & easy to follow tutorial on realigning the blog header with the rest of the blog - a problem that was bugging me for days on end!

so now that i've got this design up...i am finally ready to start blogging - am stepping out of my comfort zone and announcing this to the world, and by that to my world of facebook! feedback & comments are most welcome...do go easy on me though - i am still learning through trial & error...

xxx

izreen