Tag Archives: Shopping

December, Oh December!

9 Dec

It just hit me that it is December already! Oh, my goodness. 2022 is coming to an end soon. With less than a month left, there is still much to do to fill up the days with memories.

December is a constant battle with the weather when it comes to doing the laundry. Will the sun peek out for a bit? Will it rain non-stop? The laundry does not have that sun-soaked smell during this time of the year.

December is also a month to get my Christmas shopping going! And so far, I’m on track. Yay. And yes, the home Christmas decorations are out, and it’s just the finishing touches here and there.

Being the last month of the year, December is also a time to wrap up things that started at the beginning of the year. Specifically, my DIY miniature, sitting at my station, collecting dust. I have not crafted so many this year, and it would be nice to finish up this last one.

December is a time for reflection on the year that passed. I am thankful for the good times and have stored away the good memories. I hope the remainder of the month will give me several more last hurrahs to cherish.

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Almost a Washout

15 Nov

It was a cold and windy morning. The winds howled at 38km, rattling the roof and canopy. It was more comfortable staying warm in bed than going out. But we should not be doing this and waited out the weather a little.

Wet morning and after the rain, visibility was low

When it let up a little, we ran to our car and drove out. Cork feels like Dublin, slow and chilled. We spent the afternoon in the city center, in and out of shops and shopping centers, the city center art gallery, and eateries, to avoid the chill and rain.

Lunch at Fellini’s

Sometimes being out in the cold too long can be tiring. After dinner, we were done being tourists and headed back to the apartment to call it a day.

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Pretty Peachy

30 Sep

I have not bought a new pair of golf shoes for some time now. The last two, purchased from the sports store, Decathlon, have lasted pretty well. Recently, a girlfriend of mine invited us to take advantage of some super savings at the Adidas Brand Center, and we jumped at the opportunity.

I indulged myself and bought a sweet-colored pair of Adidas golf shoes because golf shoes are the most used item for me, instead of running or walking shoes. For the record, past golf shoe colors are typically white, dark blue, or black with a slight tinge of color. But nothing like this latest pair, a pretty peach shade for the whole shoe!

My peachy golf shoes

Now the shoes are too sweet to be worn, methinks. So it may not see action soon as the rainy season is here. I better be mindful of the weather to ensure the pretty new shoes don’t get wet and dirty if I want to wear them sooner than planned. Hahahaha.

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Increasing the Stash

24 May

Just when I depleted my DIY miniature stash, I increased it again! I have been slow crafting my miniatures this year compared to the last two years under lockdown during the pandemic. My current supply of miniature sets has been collecting dust, and I attribute this slowdown to playing more golf and the new felting hobby.

Despite completing only one set (number 23) recently and in the midst of another now, I felt that I needed to increase my stash of DIY miniatures. There seems to be a sense of insecurity when I take a box from the mountain of miniature sets. Funny.

Three weeks ago, Lady Luck was shining on me as the sets that I had been eyeing were on sale on my favorite online shopping site. The series of six was on offer, and it was tough to decide whether to buy all six or be selective on which ones to get. Decisions, decisions!

One box is dented but insides not damaged luckily

In the end, I picked only three sets. Although my mountain of DIY miniatures sets saw a decrease by two, these three latest purchases have reinstated the security level. Yes, I feel a little more secure now, and crafting miniatures have never been more pleasant!

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The Latest Purchases

1 Mar

My latest online shopping purchase is not my usual DIY miniature kit but wool for felting! As there are already several miniatures waiting for me, I decided there was no need to hoard any more sets.

The need for consistency

This change in purchasing pattern is because felting requires one color in abundance as the base. Case in point – recently, I made so many Miffy characters that had different base colors, from white and off-white to pink – I needed to be more consistent. Hence this latest purchase. It looks like felting is giving my crafting miniatures a run for its money here.

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Indulgent Shopping

25 Jan

The Lunar New Year is next week, my goodness! There are a lot of last-minute preparations to usher in the Year of the Tiger. Like shopping for new clothes, for instance!

The last two years, with the pandemic and lockdowns, we were homebound and did not venture out to the malls at all. There were grocery runs to our local grocer nearby, and basically, essentials but not indulgent shopping.

During the MCO phases, online shopping was my go-to if I wanted to buy non-essential things. And even then, it was mostly to buy my miniature sets and carving tools. But no clothes.

So over the weekend, we took the opportunity to go on a shopping spree to buy new clothes as it is the last weekend to shop. With no more restrictions on interstate travel, it will be a traffic nightmare next weekend when city-dwellers begin the exodus for Reunion Dinners with the family and loved ones afar.

I, for one, who usually buy golf clothes, suddenly find myself buying Chinese New Year clothes. I bought not one but two Cheong Sam outfits! It must be the festivity in the air or the sudden freedom to be able to go out and try clothes on.

My two lovely and elegant outfits

For someone who does not wear or buy dresses often, the purchases were an incredible feat by my standards. Well, lockdowns change people and their outlook in life, I suppose. I look forward to wearing the outfits to welcome the Year of the Tiger with good vibes and have a roaring celebration, pun intended.

Lion Dance at the mall

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Look at My Stash! Part 2

22 Nov

During the 11.11 online shopping promotion, I did not disappoint myself. Joining in the fray for online shopping, I bought five new miniature sets to add to my stash! But I have to admit, out of the five, two sets are mine while three are for M1, who has taken to crafting miniatures.

More miniature sets to work on! So obsessed

I guess my stash will never deplete if I keep buying at every sale opportunity. Well, it helps the economy, and crafting miniatures keep me busy. It’s a win-win situation.

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DIY Project #21, Part 2

2 Nov

I decided to work on the micro-miniature-in-a-box for my 21st DIY project. After the experience with project number 17, which resulted in me deviating to several other projects, a small and easy miniature is logical to maintain my interest in crafting these little things.

And so far, it is going well. Although I stopped a couple of days for golf and even went out for meals and shopping, the pace is not lost. I should be able to complete the set before the weekend is here! Yay.

Slowly but surely, it’s coming along!

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A Micro Project

27 Jul

As if having a stash of nine DIY projects is not enough, I succumbed to another online purchase of yet another set last week! Unbelievable considering that I am currently alternating between DIY project number 16 and the Gnome Trio. This latest purchase is a micro-set and even smaller than project number 16.

There seems to be a fear of running low on my DIY stash as I keep buying more and more. However, this latest purchase is different, whereby the miniature set has to fit inside a box. And the box measures a mere five and a half inches wide by three inches tall by an inch in depth. Micro is an apt word to describe this!

There’s always a first to try something new!

Exciting as it is, I should focus on DIY project number 16, which is at the tail-end of its build already, before even thinking of working on this micro project.

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Little People for Little Projects

16 Apr

As I have slowed down working on my DIY miniature sets, I have also stopped buying them, although there are several appealing sets that I have been eyeing. A pause on more purchases is the logical thing to do. What is the point of getting more when there’s not much progress?

However, there is no pause in the itch to buy things from the online shopping site. So I ended up buying little people for my miniatures! I have made three purchases already, and all the little people are of various sizes. It’s hard to get the right-sized people, even though measurements are provided, to fit all my completed different miniature sets sitting in the IKEA display cabinet.

If I am persistent on this, I guess I have to keep buying the little people until I get it right!

The little people range from an inch, 1.5 inches to 2.25 inches tall.

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