3-day sale going on at my etsy store

I am having a 3-day sale (started today actually) at my etsy store. 15-25% discount on craft books, fabric advent calendars, quilts and handmade fabric dolls. Check it out quickly before the 3-day sale ends. All you have to do is click on the link below or search for  'softtreasures' in etsy.

softtreasures in etsy

[Traveler's Journal] - Flashback - 11/2016 - Israel - Remembering the city of Bethlehem this Christmas

A very nice place to remember this Christmas Day. The City of Bethlehem where Jesus was born on Christmas Day. Walking in the street was an experience on a cool night.

This is the catholic church which had the manger and the star of david inside and where Jesus was born. 

Right next to the catholic church is an Armenian church and Greek Orthodox church.

And this is the plaza of Bethlehem, the city centre right outside the 3 churches.

 

 Where you see the star of David is the same spot where Jesus was born.

I hope for peace for the people of Bethlehem this Christmas and every day of the year.

[Traveler's Journal] - Flashback - 11/2016 - Israel - Church of the Anunciation

This is called Mary's Well where the Annunciation event happened . It is  inside the Greek Orthodox church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, Northern Israel.  This site and the city of Nazareth are among the most sacred places in the Christian world.  If you look closely in the hole there is still water flowing freely. Those pieces of paper at the bottom are dropped by visitors of the church who writes their wishes and/or petitions.

This church was established over the site where the Catholic tradition holds to be the house of Virgin Mary, and where angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced that she would conceive and bear the Son of God, Jesus – an event known as the Annunciation. 

[Traveler's Journal] - Flashback - 11/2016 - Israel - Sea of Galilee, Israel

On this very day, I was watching the sunset in the City of Tiberias by the Sea of Galilee in Israel. What an awesome and beautiful experience to be there and watch perhaps the same kind of sunset that Jesus and his disciples saw many, many centuries ago.

Fabric Advent calendars for sale

Every year I try to come up with new advent calendar designs. There will be new designs available in the next few days. These advent calendars make great keepsakes to give at Christmas time for kids and adults alike. All my fabric calendars are either machine and/or hand-quilted, all 100% cotton and double-stitched on the edges. Because they are handmade, quantities are very limited and could be one-of-a-kind. 

I try to make my quilted advent calendars as fun to use for everyone and sometimes include surprises for kids to enjoy and help them learn how to count or keep track of days in a month and re-usable every Christmas season. As a Christmas bonus, the dowel is included in your purchase so you can easily hang the advent calendar. And for this year, I have decided to include the light decors you see on each calendar for free. The lights when you hang them on the wall will make the wallhanging look festive and bright.

Click on each of the images below for more information on size of calendar and pricing.
1) Good tidings of great joy. 

2) Jolly Christmas 

3) Jolly Santa 

 4) Season's Greetings

Check them out and make a purchase if you like any one of them. They really make great keepsakes and can be handed down from generation to generation. They do not easily get damaged as they are made of fabrics that are 100% cotton. Make a purchase and enjoy counting the days before Christmas.

Handmade of the Day : More handmade tote bags for sale

Everyday I try make an 'everyday' handmade tote bag and the past two days is no different. Here are the two bags I did -

Some of these bags could be one of a kind because of the fabric I use which is from my personal collection and others there could be more than one. They are for sale from my handmade shop for a very worthy cause. It will help me sustain my self-funded charity work of providing new and handmade dresses to disadvantaged kids where needed. Check them out. Click on the image above or click here and if you like anyone of the items, please make a purchase. To know more about my charity work, click here. So I hope I see you drop by in my handmade shop very soon.

[Traveler's Journal] - Sept 2018 - Siem Reap Cambodia - Sunrise in Angkor Wat Cambodia

a perfect picture of sunrise at Angkor Wat. This was about 6am in the morning. What a beauty and certainly not to be missed when you visit Siem Reap Cambodia.

[Traveler's Journal] - Flashback - 08/2016 - USA - Los Angeles California - The view of Los Angeles from the Getty Center

The Getty Center of Los Angeles in California is where you will find the Getty Museum which is well known for its architecture, gardens and views overlooking Los Angeles. The center sits atop a hill connected to a visitor's parking garage at the bottom of the hill by a three-car cable-pulled hovertrain funicular. 

Below are some images I took of the view of Los Angeles from the center -

I have been to Los Angeles, California about 10x now but this was the first time I made it to the Getty Center thanks to my high school friend and classmate who also has not been there yet inspite of living in California for almost 20 years and was eager enough to go this time and so I tagged along.

Handmades of the Day : Fabric Certificates for the best dads in the world - Sep 2

On Sep 2 Australia will be celebrating Father's Day. A special day that will give us all a chance to show our respect and love for the man who sometimes comes in second after mum. 

Every year I create special handmade items for all Dads. For this year, I have again made my favourite item. The fabric certificate wallhanging to give to any Dad out there on their special day. Have three selections to choose from. If you dont want Dad to hang the certificate on the wall, it is also frameable. 

This fabric certificate is available in 2 sizes and can be signed by the giver. Click on the image above to check them out and make a purchase.

Click on the image above and make a purchase.

For your superhero Dad, click on the image above and make a purchase.

These fabric certificates are one of a kind. Proceeds from the sale of these fabric certificates will be used to help pay for the cost of distributing dresses to disadvantaged kids in the world. To know more about this project, please click here. Thank you.

[Traveler's Journal] - Flashback - 07/2014 - Peru - Peru Inca Trek - Trekking the Inca

this was our hotel in the Andes mountains for 4 days & 3 nights 4 years ago. For this particular spot our last night before the dawn hike to the Sun Gate. One of the best places in the world.

[Traveler's Journal] - Flashback - 09/1996 - Canada - Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada

I was clearing up a drawer which was starting to get heavy and way inside the drawer was an album about 2 inches thick. And inside the album were old pictures of a travel I made with my brother in 1996. My brother and I drove in some places in California and crossed to Canada via Vermont. Niagara Falls in Ontario Canada was the last place we drove to in the Canadian side before crossing back to New York. Here are a few more pictures of Niagara Falls which I found in the album.

[Traveler's Journal] - Flashback - 11/2016 - Jordan - Amman Jordan - ""The Treasury" of Petra

The visit to Petra in Amman Jordan was one of the best travels I ever made. After almost 90minutes of walking we reached the Al-Khazneh or The Treasury - one of the most elaborate temples in the ancient Arab Nabatean Kingdom city of Petra carved out of a sandstone rock face.

If you love travelling, I would recommend Petra. Go now, and maybe you can enjoy Jordan’s sights without the crowds. 

[Traveler's Journal] - Flashback - 04/2017 - Australia - Sydney NSW - Sydney Tower from Brighton Le Sands

These are pictures I took over a year ago of the Sydney Tower and a view of the city of Sydney from Brighton Le Sands, a suburb in South Sydney  located about 13 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in New South Wales. That far!! 😍

[Traveler's Journal] - Flashback - 04/2017 - Australia - Sydney NSW - Brighton Le Sands - A new lesson learned about birds

I took these pictures exactly one year ago today at a Birthday Picnic Lunch. I thought these fellas were one legged. It turned out that it is natural for them to hide their other leg and stand in just one foot . Learned a new lesson on birds that day. I learned that birds sleep half their brain at a time so the other half can keep them standing. What an information!