Step by step: My last-minute spectacular, colourful, simple-but-sweet, bold (easy) Valentine's Day card!

Valentine's Day is tomorrow, and love is in the air. I think that expensive presents are not as spectacular as something that you've made all by yourself. I mean anyone can send a box of chocolates from the other side of the world if they want; there's nothing to it - just buying a box for a few pounds and sending it off. There's nothing more thoughtful than a home-made card. This card is perfect for these credit-crunched times, but you really do have put effort into it - it took me 2 hours (but that's only because I had to think of how to do it as I went along). Here is my very own Valentine's Day card step by step guide. It takes less than an hour to do (so you'll still make it in time for tomorrow), and it's perfect for anyone. You don't need any special materials, I think you can find most of these things in your house - it's simple but sweet. If you decide to do it, good luck, and please leave comments! Remember, you can click on the pictures to enlarge them.

You will need (warning: the picture on the right does not include everything):

• A ruler, a pencil and a pair of scissors
  
• A 20 x 7.5 cm ready-made (or hand-cut) beige or white card
  
• Liquid glue and a glue stick
  
• Gold card (6.5 x 6.5 cm), red glitter and red glitter glue 
  
• 4 different colours of glitter glue with matching card (the glitter glue should preferably be a bit darker than the card)
  
• Ribbon (about 1.5 cm thick)
  
• A gold and silver pen
  
• Thick cardboard (or a Pringles tube)
  
• Double-sided tape (optional)
  
• Decorative bits and bobs (such as a shiny paper butterfly, rub-on letters and heart stickers)

1. Cut out two 7.5 cm pieces of ribbon and glue them to each side of the card. Print out (or draw) a heart which is about 5.5 cm at its widest point and 3.5 cm from the deepest point at the top to the lowest point of the heart. Cut it out.


2.In the centre of the 6.5 cm x 6.5 cm gold card, use a tip (such as that of a 'closed' pen or a pencil with no led) to engrave a marking around the heart. Cut out a square inch piece of thick cardboard (or, since I couldn't find any, a Pringles tube).


3. Then, fill the engraved area with liquid glue and red glitter. Stick the piece of cardboard with double-sided tape (or glue) to the centre of the main card, and then use another piece of tape/glue to stick the gold card on.


4. Draw and cut out four different coloured hearts (about 3 cm at their widest point and 3 centimetres from the deepest point at the top to the lowest point), and arrange them as you wish on either side of the main heart. It will look nice if they overlap the ribbons on each side.


4. Stick the hearts on with the glue stick, and border each heart with glitter glue of the corresponding colour. Now you can decorate the rest of the card. I drew a few stars with the gold and silver pens. I used some rub-on letters to write 'LOVE' in the top left-hand corner, and stuck two heart stickers beside it.There is a paper butterfly in the top right-hand corner. I have written the name of the recipents and 'Happy Valentine's Day' on the bottom of the card.

If you'd like to adhere to old tradition, remember to not write your name, and just end with a 'Love, from, ???'. I'd just like to say that the the picture of the card doesn't do it justice. In reality it really looks stunning - especially with the sparkling glittery heart. I suppose it isn't a magnificently intricate design; it's simple but sweet. I also made some biscuits (not cookies) for Valentine's day using ASDA's 'decorative biscuits' recipe; I just used a heart cutter instead of the Christmas cutters. I am going to decorate them with red icing and silver balls. I'll update this post with pictures of them soon.

I hope you like my card, and I'd  like to wish you all a lovely Valentine's Day! Celebrate LOVE!

Welcome back and Happy New Year!

Hi! I'd like to welcome you back to my revamped blog. I hope you had a great new year! I thought that the previous logo was becoming old and monotonous, so I decided to liven it up with some more colour and a much nicer font! I've also put up lanterns for the Lunar New Year!

First of all, I was playing with a few new Blogger templates; Notepad Chaos among others, but after weeks of playing with them, deciding, checking things like flexibility, structure and design, I decided to stay with my current design - which I think looks great. But I didn't want to have the same old logo.

So, after browsing on Dafont.com, I chose this new 'mean handwriting' font. I also found some Lunar New Year decorations on HongKiat. Now it's all done, and I'm looking forward to a great year of fun blogging! So don't forget to come here often and maybe even add me to your RSS reader (for new readers, I'd just like to say that the title is completely random!).

Over my wonderful Wallace and Gromity, Eastendersy and Doctor Who-ey Christmas and New Year, I have got many books and watched lots of TV programmes and films, and have travelled quite a bit, so expect some reviews soon (Doctor Who, A Wrinkle in Time, Day of the Triffids and Necropolis among others)!

Oh, and I shan't forget the Lunar New Year! I'd like to wish all of you who celebrate the festival a wonderful new year of the ox! Have fun! On the subject of the Lunar New Year, remember, if you prefer to read in Chinese/中文 (simplified/简体 and traditional/繁體), Korean/한국어 or Vietnamese/Tiếng Việt, this blog is available in (hopefully not too dodgy) translations! One more thing - this is the start of my series of posts on Chinese culture. They will continue throughout the Spring. Enjoy my blog, please leave comments, and come back soon!

Four exciting festivals - wow!

Now, when October is nearing to an end and November and December are looming upon us, with dark days, dark(er) nights, cold and bad weather with quite a gloomy and dull climate... four exciting festivals are coming up! This is the beginning of the festive season! Forget about the bad weather... think of the great festivities! For starters we had UN day on the 24th and now comes the Hindu/Sikh/Jain festival of light, Diwali or Deepavali, followed by a (hopefully) spooky Hallowe'en, which marks the very beginning of Christmas, Yuletide - it's wonderful!

So, here are the details on the three periods of festivities:

1. UN Day - Celebrating the birthday of the United Nations; created in 1945 as a big worldwide union to prevent war and poverty. The festival is celebrated in many parts of the world as a day to celebrate internationality and nations!


2. Diwali/Deepavali (দীপাবলী/दीपावली/தீபாவளி) - one of the biggest Indian festivals - as big as Christmas in the west - the Festival of Lights. The festival is based on a story celebrating light over darkness and the victory of good over evil. The story is about the return of Lord Rama with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana to Ayodhya after 14 years in exile and a war in which he killed the demon king Ravana. The people of Ayodhya lit oil lamps to light their path in the darkness. This is why many Hindu homes are thoroughly cleaned and oil lamps are lit. It is also believed that the goddess Laxmi will come and bless their homes. In some parts of the world such as the UK and Singapore this festival is not strictly celebrated by Hindus, but non-religiously appreciated by those of other religions, similar to Christmas. Celebrations include having firework nights, putting up festive lights, decorating the house with flowers and sharing sweets.


3. Hallowe'en - is the spookiest festival of the year, passed down from ancient traditions to today's scary carved Jack-o-lanterns (pumpkins), reading scary stories and watching horror films, lighting bonfires and going trick-or-treating! Originally an Irish festival, with activities such as apple-bobbing, Hallowe'en is really scary and exciting now!

I think that Christmas will get its own post later. In the mean time, HAVE FUN!!!