Penang Sunset or was it Sunrise?

After a terrible couple of hours randomly pushing papers round and searching for photos I gave up. I came back to the same papers and photos after Scarlett went to bed and was able to make something work. It is funny how the inspiration hits you.

Once again it was a Shimelle sketch that helped put the pieces together. I looked at this sketch in the morning but it didn't seem right. Ten hours later it was just what I needed.

 

I fell in love with the Tim and Beck paper that I have used in this layout so I wanted to be able to show off a big chunk of it and this sketch made it possible.

The papers for this layout came from the Studio Calico Neverland kit and the Tink add on. I added a couple of cards from my Project Life card stash and cut a piece of the anchor paper from the SC kit. A few sequins, a Basic Grey sticker and the gorgeous ombre lettering and the layout was done.

These photos are from our trip to Penang last year. I am starting to think that they were from a sunrise rather than a sunset as we were on the Eastern side of the island but the thought was there! It was such a restful outlook from our apartment there.

This morning has been anything but restful. We have been nurturing a tame gecko in our hallway but woke to find that our cat had killed it. Miss Three also woke up with a cough and a runny nose so I have kept her home for the day. My plans for getting much done have evaporated and all before six am! I am hoping that I might be able to work on some Project Life while MT is resting. If she rests of course!

I hope you have started the day in a less eventful fashion!

Shimelle Sketch: Fort Cornwallis

I am struggling to keep up with my blog reader. I am one of the dinosaurs who loves Google Reader and I am really sad that it is disappearing later in the year. I still haven't decided where to transfer my blog list to - I have heard good things about Feedly but I have not had time to look into it any further. The reason that I mention this is that I am about five posts behind Shimelle Laine's blog at present. I thought this sketch was quite current but alas it isn't so. On the upside, I have a lot of great posts to look forward to if I ever get the chance to catch up.

The sketch I was drawn to was this one.

It is lovely and simple but with room to play. Just the way I like it!

 

Here is my take. I kept pretty much to the sketch although my photos were a bit smaller than 4 x 6. In lieu of patterned paper, I used a double strip of the gorgeous ombre washi that came with my Studio Calico February kit, Front Row. The colours from the tape blended so nicely with the patterned papers from the kits and helped showcase all the gorgeous tropical greenery at Fort Cornwallis. I love the AC Kitten Thickers on this layout too. It all just makes my heart happy. I suspect I may go back and outline the Penang at the very bottom of the layout as it is getting a little lost on the tape.

These photos are from our trip to Penang with my Dad last year. We visited Fort Cornwallis on the first day I felt halfway human. It was a nice little outing and it was good to see more of Penang than the beaches and great restaurants. There was a very sweet little cemetery there with graves of the early European settlers. The tropical climate was very hard on the women and children and it was really quite poignant.

By the time this post goes live I will be in Malaysia having a short break in Kuala Lumpur. For those who celebrate, have a wonderful holy season and for those who don't, enjoy your long weekend. We hope to.

Giardia and International Travel Don't Play Nicely Together

I am so sorry for the long gap between posts. I was all set to have some pre written posts ready for our trip away when I was taken ill. I had yet another attack of stomach upset which kept me bed and bathroom ridden for three and a half days. Unfortunately, one and a half of those days I was supposed to be travelling and holidaying in Penang. Yes, I missed half my holiday.

Tet, Miss S and my Dad flew up to Penang on Friday as planned while I stayed in bed trying to recover from my mystery stomach ailment. It was my first ever night away from Scarlett and to add salt to the wound, she did not even ask for me until the next morning! I guess she was having too great a time with her daddy and Grandad.

The next day after much Imodium and no food I managed to stagger to the airport and fly up to Penang. I got to the hotel and had a little look around before having to take a very long nap to recover. I was so annoyed that I did not really feel well enough to enjoy the luxury of travelling alone and having a chance to look at the great shops at Changi Airport. It was a lovely quiet time of day that I flew and it was lovely to see the airport without being overwhelmed by thousands of busy travellers.

Waiting for my flight

I spent my first evening sleeping and hearing all about the exciting trip to the Butterfly Farm that they had taken before I arrived. Scarlett was also very excited by the horses that were on the beach. I did manage to catch a photo of the sunsetting after my long nap while the others went to dinner.

The beach is nothing to write home about in Penang but the hotel had a lovely pool and friendly staff. We moved closer into the city the following day as we wanted to enjoy the great food that Penang has to offer. The second hotel, The Gurney, was a paradise for Scarlett. They had a wonderful kids pool with slides and water play, beach football and volleyball (all on the 7th floor of the hotel), giant checker sets, pool tables, birds and bunnies to play with... what more could a toddler ask for?

Children's Pool

The adult's infinity pool was quite pleasant too

By Monday, on a strict diet of crackers, I was able to tackle a little sightseeing. The Georgetown area of Penang is home to some of the old British buildings left over from the time of colonial rule and some wonderful temples - both Chinese and Indian, along with some important mosques. It really is an area that reflects the multicultural nature of Penang.

Finally on the Monday night I was able to eat a proper meal and it had to be at Bali Hai, a great seafood restaurant along Gurney Drive. We had the most delicious Chili Crab along with wonderful soft Chinese buns. My mouth waters just thinking about it. 

We headed home Tuesday afternoon and the trip was to short (especially for me) but we were all ready for a night back in our own beds. My stomach has continued to be a bit precious and my GP has decided that I have most likely contracted Giardia somewhere in the last three months. As a result I have these ongoing issues. We are waiting to see if my tests confirm this but even if they do not I will have some treatment for it as it is the most likely condition. I have my fingers firmly crossed that it is Giardia as I am sick of being sick!

I have some crafty posts lined up for the rest of the week, even though I have barely picked up a pair of scissors in the past few weeks. Having visitors is a definite impediment to regular crafting. I have promised myself I will complete a layout a day this week so with luck I should have a good arsenal of craft to share next week too! 

Happy Monday!