OWL ON BRANCH DIGITAL STAMP

Just out! Versatile owl on leafless branch digital stamp, you can add floral decoupage or whatever you like to swop out the seasons.

Digital download is available here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/208271748/

THE HAUNTED QUEEN MARY

Halloween is up next so this is a good time to post my Queen Mary photos from 2010! I was too lazy to post it then and only had it on Facebook albums. Better late than never.

The RMS Queen Mary is permanently docked at Long Beach California and reputed to be one of the most haunted ships around.

The ship's maiden voyage started in 1936 as an express transatlantic passenger liner between Southampton and New York. She was converted into a troopship in WWII and became known as the 'Grey Ghost' for her speed and new camouflage colour. In 1942, she collided with her escort ship HMS Curacoa, killing 239 British soldiers. The ship was ordered fullsteam ahead nonetheless and to abandon survivors, many of whom were killed when the giant propellers cut through them. This is one of the reasons why people believed the ship is haunted besides the other deaths onboard. In 1947 she resumed passenger service, and her last cruise was on (get this) October 31, 1967 (Halloween), arriving on Dec 9, 1967 at Long Beach where she has been docked ever since.

You can freely walk the top deck and the next few levels like the hotel corridors, restaurants, lounges. The infamous pool area and lower decks are out of bounds unless on a guided tour. Here are rows and rows of carpeted corridor, it is easy to get lost since they look identical. It is very quiet and your ears may hurt from the silence. The hotel rooms are still functioning so you should be quiet anyhow.

We were there for the Coast to Coast AM 'Ghost to Ghost' live radio talkshow broadcast and for me it was mostly to see a place of interest in California that wouldn't require me to pay. The others wanted to see George Noory lol. Guided tours have a fee so we skipped it and decided to roam as not to make it a wasted trip since there was a small paranormal convention going on, but it was badly organised and we backed out very quickly after they wanted to charge us too much money.

A banquet room. We peeked in, we were curious because it was so dark in there, I had to turn on the flash on the camera.

The bathrooms were nice, just dark and eerily quiet. It had one those annoying eco-lights that would turn off if it determined no noise = no people. We were deep in the ship so that was unsettling.

Deco style bins.

One of the exhibit areas.

Top deck.

One of the views overlooking Long Beach.

Life rafts on the sides.

You know Singaporeans call reversing a car 'Go Stun', actually it came from the phrase 'Go Stern' like the back of the ship.

In case you were wondering, yes we saw George Noory. There was actually a crowd gathering outside the small lobby and you can look through the glass window and watch them chat! And no, we did not see any lady in white!

TRUSTY PO CHAI PILLS

These are great, these Po Chai pills or Bao Ji Wan <保濟丸>. My grandma took em, my parents took em, I take em. I had the runs from eating something left out too long - beware Hainanese chicken rice at evening, folks - and that was an ORDEAL as I was at the mall. Anyhow the first thing the older folks here would say is to 'ki jiak po chai yin' (go eat the po chai pills). Another alternative is charcoal pills if Po Chai didn't work but that is utter last resort and charcoal pills are the worst.

The instructions say to take 2 bottles but I ate one and that's that. The end of the runs. Maybe you can do a few more doses if you got the serious case lol.

It definitely beats that thing called Peptol Bismol (yukity yuks) and I only ended the runs after 3 days of Peptol Bismol but had no other choice because I was in the US back then, and wishing for my Bao Ji Wans. Next time I will remember to bring a couple with me just in case.

10 vials per box, I like the packaging. It's nice and old-school, it's got embossing too. When I was little, I used to keep the plastic vials for no reason.

Li Shiu Kei from Foshan, Guangdong developed them in 1896. He moved to Hong Kong after the Chinese civil war occurred.

They are herbal. No known side effects, unless you are allergic to any of the ingredients. They say you can take it as a supplement if you have any gastrointestinal problems, or after some greasy food if you can't seem to digest properly. Maybe a half vial will do for those. It says fever and cold too, but I am not sure since I only take these for tummyaches and runs. When I was little, I would take a few bits whenever I saw my dad eating it since they were so tiny. The smell smells like typical TCM, and it is bitter but chinese herbs usually are. The chinese believe the more bitter, the more potent (with the exception of poison), this one would be mid-way bitter.

Back in 2010, the Po Chai in capsule form were found tainted with cancer-causing chemicals and both products were banned in Singapore, the capsule form is no longer in production since they aren't even popular to being with; I never knew they came in capsules either. The pills are not tainted so the ban on those were lifted shortly. They are available on Amazon if you do not live in Asia.

FREE DIGI STAMP - HALLOWEEN SMILING SPIDER

New freebie digi stamp for Halloween or if you like the creepy crawlies... 'Smiling Spider'!

Freebie digi stamp! Download the high res Halloween Smiling Spider here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B91RHpzGLjXoXzNxM2FOVW50Uzg/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-Pvaf1SNI_OiFwQGsFt807w

Spidey is 5.3" height in 300dpi jpg. Oh and I am afraid of spiders lol.


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I'd love to see your creations, please leave a shout-out in the comments section, or tag me in Facebook, and your work may be featured here or I will create a Pinterest board featuring everyone's work. You can use the badges listed on the 'Stamp Badges' tab on top if would like to share/credit my image, thanks and have fun!

CHRISTMAS SHOUJO DIGITAL STAMPS

Woohoo! Here's to my completing a set of Christmas shoujo girls! I hope you like them. They are all instant downloads available in my Etsy shop, 300dpi in 7 inches height. 'Christmas Glitter Shoujo' is 8 inches. The linearts make wonderful colouring pages as well as they are highly detailed and clean. Each girl has a slightly different feel (era-wise), 'Ornament Shoujo' looks the most modern out of them all.

"Poinsettia Shoujo"
https://www.etsy.com/listing/205312477

"Ornament Shoujo"
https://www.etsy.com/listing/205985789

"Christmas Glitter Shoujo"
https://www.etsy.com/listing/206638313/

Christmas Shoujo Set of 3 at $10
https://www.etsy.com/listing/206662827/

ROLLING OUT THE CHRISTMAS DIGITAL STAMPS

New Christmas digital stamps are out! I may roll out a few more of these kitschy funny images by Dec (maybe not), there are just too many ideas to draw out so I am posting early for Christmas promotions. I will have a winter/christmas related freebie soon so stay tuned... actually I may backtrack a little and post more autumny things since there is still time.

"Christmas Cat in Stocking"
Digital download: https://www.etsy.com/listing/205516711

"Snowman and Son"
Digital download: https://www.etsy.com/listing/205141871

CYBER COLORS C'KIN MAKEUP REMOVER REVIEW

I just purchased this makeup remover from Sasa, one of their inhouse brands: Cyber C'kin EX All-in-1 Moisturising Cleansing Water.

My previous brand was Haruhada Collagen Moisture Cleansing Water and I was planning to purchase a replacement bottle but Haruhada's one was so large and took up too much real estate in my travel luggage. I never got to finish it despite using it to the best of my wastage abilities lol. That's not a bad thing though, but since Cyber C'kin had a promotional offer at 40% off (making it a dollar more expensive than Haruhada... I paid about $18.90 compared to $29.90) and the sales promoter was pushing it, and it was a better size, and the ingredients looked ok, I decided to try it out.

First off this is a non-oily cleansing water, so it will not remove waterproof make-up. I use this primarily to remove foundation mineral powder and maybe sunblock. No rinsing is required but I do it if the humidity irritates my mood. It does not have parabens but contains other chemicals which you may be sensitive to. It is perfume-free, so it has a typical scent you get from perfume-free products... I would call it a waxy smell with a hint of chemicals?

Made in Japan, it removes powdered makeup easily, I seldom use thick layers so one to two cotton balls are enough to rid my face of gunk. It doesn't tighten the skin nor make it oily or sticky, depending on your climate. It has a humectant feel if you have ever used hyaluronic acid products, you will know what I mean... so one of the positive thing about this remover is its hydrating properties.

Ingredients: Aqua butylene gycol, PEG-6 caprylic/capric glycerides, 1,2-hexanediol, caprylyl glycol, allantoin, sodium citrate, PCA ethyl cocoyl arginate, citric acid, sodium hyaluronate, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, chamomilla recutita (matricaria) extract, sodium PCA, saxifraga sarmentosa extract, rosamarinus officinalis leaf extract, aloe barbadensis leaf extract, glycyrrhiza glabra leaf extract.

***

To remove waterproof mascara and eyeliner, I use the Cyber Colors Gentle Eye Makeup Remover:

As you can see, this is not a new bottle as it is more than half gone, I have had it for some time. This is effective at removing waterproof makeup (probably better ones out there but this satisfies). The most important thing is, it does not sting even if it gets into my eyes! So soak a good amount into a cotton and leave it on your eyelashes for a while to dissolve the mascara, and wipe/dab off. It rids eyeshadow and non-waterproof eyeliner easily. For waterproof mascara (note I do not use a lot of mascara) I usually do a second round to completely get it off. My first eye makeup remover in the late 1990s was by Fasio, and boy did that burn!

Cyber Colors remover is blue & clear, you'd have to shake it before using as the oil & base solution separate if left unshaken. It is moderately oily but nothing that bothers me since I wash my face right after.

Ingredients: Water, cyclomethicone, isohexadecan, dimethicone, poloxamer 184, ginko biloba leaf extract, dipotassium glycyrrhizate, cucumber extract, angellica archangelica root extract, camellia oleifera extract, hexylene glycol, phenoxyethanol, sodium chloride, sodium citrate, butylene glycol, benzyl alcohol, citric acid, benzalkonium chloride, disodium EDTA, green 6

GIFT GIVING DIGI STAMPS!

Three cute digital stamps with the common theme of presents! They are designed in a way to be useful for any gifting occasion besides birthdays. With a tweak of colours you can craft them for upcoming Christmas too. These digi stamps are available as instant downloads from my Etsy shop.

"Kitty Gift Wishes"
https://www.etsy.com/listing/204006790/
Funny fat kitty to add a smile to your face.

"Shopping Mod Girl"
https://www.etsy.com/listing/204199441/
I had autumn-winter in mind when drawing her, she is supposed to be wearing stockings if you would colour that in. But of course this illustration can be made spring-summer minus her stockings.

"Winter Gift"
https://www.etsy.com/listing/204471131/
This is versatile for winter birthdays, or Christmas gifts. Decorate the background appropriately for the occasion you want! I originally had snow falling down but thought it would be better for crafters to add whatever they want... Eg. leaves for end-autumn, snow covered trees for winter, buildings for shopping season, Christmas lights for Christmas.