JulesAddiction Handbags!

Yes, there's an exclamation mark there! Coz I truly agree with Lulu Guinness when she says, "You Can Never Have Too Many Handbags!"

I am safely back to my normal routines now, Alhamdulillah, although I have not yet started baking. I plan to resume JulesFudgyliciousness some time middle of March 2012. In spite of the escalating prices of baking ingredients and materials, I still very much wish to maintain the current pricing of all JulesFudgyliciousness items. So I'm trying to find some more creative yet practical presentations of Jules Brownies, Fudge and Chewies; perhaps a simple one for the everyday cravings, while those special celebration/festivity or/and special occasions will be treated with fancy platters/presentations. However it turns out, JulesFudgyliciousness will always come with lots and lots of love and joy :)

Okay, now we talk handbags. During my hiatus, I've had the time to design and create my own range of handbags, something that I've always loved to do. If you read my previous post, I'd already started making my own bags since I was in school. So upon turning 42, I decided that I would approach this passion of mine with more focus and seriousness.

The main reason I make handbags is coz I LOVE them! And I know that many women out there share my sentiment. As with everything else that's Jules, I just want to share and spread this love and joy with as many people who appreciate the same things I do.

First and foremost, the creation of my handbags are based on my own design and my own style. I believe that design and styling are essential in making a handbag and her wearer "wonderful", and they (design and styling) are unique to each different designer/creator, which place the product in a class or brand of its own.

I would like to brand my handbags as JMD, under my JulesAddiction Handbags product listing.
[Thank you Tangerine, ie. Hafiz, En. Rezal :)]


Paying homage to my favourite handbags, namely Lulu Guinness, Longchamp, Betsey Johnson and Vivienne Westwood, and incorporating elements which are truly Jules, these are what I've created for this Winter/Spring2012 made to order collection :

JMD Lulu Bag, in contemporary "Houndstooth"


JMD LC Bag, in Classic ~ "Rose Garden on Blue"


JMD Betsey Bag, in Contemporary ~ "Houndstooth"


JMD Vivienne Bag, in Contemporary ~ "All Jazzed Up"


You can view more pictures and details of each handbag on my JulesMD Facebook page.

Apart from the Classic "Rose Garden on Blue" and the Contemporary "Houndstooth" and "All Jazzed Up", JMD handbags this season will also be available in the following motifs/colours :

Classic, suitable for LC and Vivienne :
~ Rose Garden on Lavendar

~ Rose Garden on Pink









Contemporary, suitable for Lulu, LC, Betsey and Vivienne :
~ Siberian Tiger

~ White Cheetah








These are the fabrics that I've selected for this season. I don't normally fancy roses, roses and more roses, but for some reason, these bunch of beautiful red roses really stole my heart. I love all three background colours, blue, lavendar and pink, and the truth is, when I first laid eyes on the "Rose Garden" fabric, I immediately thought of my darling mum; she loves red roses and red roses are just the flowers my father would present to her on her special days, ie. birthdays, anniversaries. And she too loves these "Rose Garden" fabrics.

As for the black&white "Houndstooth", it's always been an integral part of me, so it's only natural that I would have it featured in my handbags debut. The "All Jazzed Up" fabric caught my attention when I was at Anna's Patchwork, I instantly grabbed it thinking very well that I would one day make a handbag out of it; I love all good music, more so jazz, and coincidentally this imported American cotton was designed by Juleez, so fate it was indeed. And lastly, the animal prints. I just love them, they were hot last 2 seasons and they are still hot now, and Victoria Beckham thinks so too :)

Since the first time I posted pictures of my handbag prototypes on JulesMD Facebook, they have created quite an overwhelming interest, Alhamdulillah. And the main question after that is, "How much?". So after much calculation, consideration and longterm outlook, I've finally been able to formulate the pricing.

Mainly, my pricing is based on design and styling, how happy, loved and significant my handbag makes her wearer feel. I want to make women happy, I want them to feel excited about dressing up to go out and choosing which handbag to wear today to complement her needs, be it to match her mood, her outfit or her purpose.

Materials used are also critical, as they enhance the look and feel; while I pay close attention to the quality of the fabrics, ie. natural fibers/synthetics, I must also balance them with their costs and quite importantly also with the print motifs and colours of the fashion trend, which directly determine the overall attractiveness and desirability of my handbags. And then I consider the level of difficulty involved in designing and making the handbag. I want people to be able to enjoy JMD handbags without having to feel burdened, but at the same time I have to be true to my brand and keep my quality intact.

So, based on the above and the details stated in the pictures on JulesMD Facebook, here are the list of JMD handbag prices, for this season :

JMD Lulu Bag : RM130.00
JMD LC Bag : RM95.00
JMD Betsey Bag : RM85.00
JMD Vivienne Bag : RM85.00

All JMD handbags will come in a pretty little dustbag plus a JMD paper bag of course. Did I consider not including all this fancy shmancy packaging to keep the price down? Yes, I did. But, I just couldn't do it, I couldn't give away my handbags in a simple plain polythene bag, coz it wouldn't do justice to the joy that my Lulu or LC or Betsey or Vivienne will bring to her wearer.

Made to order means that I only make my bags based on a confirmed order, and a safe lead time would be 2 to 4 weeks for LC and Vivienne, and 3 to 6 weeks for Lulu and Betsey. As for fabrics and materials, I will use those that are being offered for the season, as long as the stock is available; so you may quote the name of the fabric, ie. "Houndstooth", "All Jazzed Up", etc.. Should the material no longer be available, I may replace them with other materials of the same quality, style and feel, or I may suggest to look forward to the next season's offering.

I will also provide custom personalised service, which means that, based on my basic designs, ie. Lulu, LC, Betsey and Vivienne, you may have your handbag specially tailored to your specific desire like fabric, colours, motifs, additional embellishment, but the end result will surely have that signature JMD style and flavour. JMD custom made handbags will carry a different pricing and may require a longer lead time. I will be more than pleased to customise a bag for a true Jules/JMD enthusiast :)

So, here's introducing JMD Lulu, LC, Betsey and Vivienne for this Winter/Spring2012 season. I hope they will reach a broad range of wearers, from the sweet young "Gossip Girls" to the "Hot In Cleveland" golden divas. I'm timing this also in view of the upcoming International Women's Day Celebration, on 8 March 2012, where the global theme that's been chosen by UN is "Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures". I hope JMD handbags will bridge the gap between the generations, and go on to create more fabulosity around the world.

My heart goes to everyone who has stayed with Jules all this time and who truly love everything Jules, Alhamdulillah. Thank you for your very kind support. I look forward to bringing more joy and warmth to your precious lives, InsyaAllah.

And, next season I hope to introduce 2 more fab ladies. Stay tuned... :)

Sneak peek at the new JulesPreciousness BabyBagPack...

I had ordered two reversible cotton tote bags from the fab Nadhrah, quite some time before my otitis media. And last week she sent them to me...AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! I was SO excited. I had been planning for them to be part of JulesPreciousness' gift packages for newborns, as the fab totes make great baby bags. Though I keep telling myself my hiatus is to ensure I get enough rest, I just couldn't resist working on this special project.

I've had to work rather slowly, firstly coz I don't drive much yet, and secondly coz I am really taking things easy this while and not running around like I normally do :)

These are the original totes from Nadhrah's Sew Sweet Designs...thank you dear for these photos :)






After some addendums by Jules, voila!

Jules Contemporary ...for GIRL










When complete, this whole package will contain baby towels, blanket, toiletry, grooming set, baby book, with Jules tins & boxes (the set shown here is not yet complete)...






Jules Classic ...for BOY








When complete, this whole package will contain baby towels, blanket, toiletry, grooming set, baby book, with Jules tins & boxes (the set shown here is not yet complete)...



When I was in KGV (form 2-5) I made my own school bags! I remember my very first quilted tote in black&white polka dots, I gave it a red pocket with white lace trimming and red handles too. Then there was my black&white (yes, my passion for black&whites started that long ago) checkerboard cushioned tote with black handles; my yellow&white gingham bucket tote with yellow string handles; my cross stitch pullstring knapsack, I cross stitched my initials against an abstract design that was popular during the 80's; my purple&white striped messenger with purple satin strap, I loved the huge purple button that was on the front flap; and my white duffel with orange trimming, orange zipper, orange handles and orange strap. And I had different files to match each bag, hehe, each one I decorated myself. Oh yes, those were the days :)

I bought a piece of cotton fabric and a pair of bag handles from Anna Patchwork some time back, and my mom gave me a fabric with a cool black&white houndstooth motif, all with the intention to make bags under JulesAddiction Bags. But, they've been in my storage for more than a year now, woopsie! Hehe... Okay, Nadhrah has given me the inspiration, so yes, I shall soon start Bag-ging again, InsyaAllah.

Till then, I will continue to take it easy, and focus towards getting back to my 100% (or more) soon, InsyaAllah :)

JulesFudgyliciousness On A Hiatus

Salam everyone! Hellooooo!

Well, I've been back home for almost a week now, but since the myringotomy, my life hasn't gone back to its normal routine yet. As much as my will and spirit feel able, my flesh proves that I am indeed in need of a break. Most importantly, I must make sure that my right eardrum heals itself properly, so that everything else will start functioning properly too.

Generally, I would brave through a bad gastric, a bad flu or a bad PMS, but in this case, I can't risk not regaining my full hearing and balance. So, as much as it irks me, I have to take it easy, and I'm limiting my movements to just chauffering the kids and the occasional massage and grocery trips.

Yes, I've been amplifying the reflexology and body massages, just to help my system stay alert. Taking it easy needs some getting used to too; I don't suddenly jump up and run in and out of the house anymore now, instead I take my time standing or getting up, get a hold of something, adjust my bearing and secure my footing, then I start moving. It's quite funny actually, coz I used to remind my mum to do this all the time, else she may risk tumbling all over! Heeeee...and now it's happening to me!

But the doctors did say it'll take 1-3+ months for everything to get back to normal for me, so I'm keeping that in mind and taking it all in stride. Alhamdulillah, the good thing now is I'm no longer in pain. My ear still buzzes, my speech still sounds like that of Sly Stallone's, and I still blink like I'm giving a flirtatious wink, hehe, but I'm positive that things will get better, insyaAllah. Another thing I'm definitely grateful for, Alhamdulillah, is that my overall state of health was good, apart from the otitis media itself, ie. bloodworks and vital stats were good. Hence the myringotomy was able to be performed on me expeditiously.

Hmmm, maybe all this is a precursor to turning 42... :)

Nevertheless, until that time and in my effort to take it easy, I'll sadly have to take a month or two hiatus from JulesFudgyliciousness. I'll truly miss the beautiful smell of butter, chocolate and vanilla baking in the oven, the joy of inhaling the wonderful aroma when the beauties are cooling on the racks, and I'll most definitely miss meeting everyone on my delivery trips. But my brownies and fudge do require a lot of up and down movements and spinning around especially when I'm on a baking deadline, so my body (not my spirit) really needs to take a break from all of that for a while.

As for JulesDelightfulness, JulesAddiction, JulesPreciousness and JulesMD, I will slowly but surely carry on with the projects at hand, pacing myself as I go along. I do realise that there are emails that I have missed; I do truly apologise for this and for any inconvenience caused, I will try to go through them and make up for whichever that I can ya?

My target now is to restart everything by March or April, and maybe introduce something exciting in time to celebrate Mother's Day in May. The plan was to introduce a few things at the start of 2012 and alongside my birthday in February, but since things have taken a spin, I'll be happy if I can meet my March/April target, insyaAllah. I wish I could say that I'll play it by ear, but nope, can't do that now! :)

In the meantime, here are some lovelies which I managed to do before I became Two Faced Mommy!

A Purple Fondant hantaran brownie for the daughter of one of the sweetest ladies I know :)




A birthday brownie filled with lots of love, for a special father...

"Love-filled" brownie bites for a special anniversary...

"Smiley Faces" brownie bites for a young man's 21st birthday bash!



JulesPreciousness' latest project ~ Children's Dresses ~ one of a kind, and lovingly hand tailored with the finest cotton, lace and pretty embroidery...



...makes a simply beautiful gift...

...for birthdays and special occasions...


Baby Cradle for "Cukur Jambul"... the cradle is from Daybab's Shoppe, while the ribbons are Jules' Signature :)... something simple yet sweet for a baby boy...

A little JulesDelightfulness gift box to bring in the New 2012 Year...

Brownie Favour for Baby Dean's Aqiqah...


Thank you again for all the prayers and wellwishes, some really make me want to cry, I am truly very touched. May God bless you and your loved ones too...

It may be a while to my next post, so I wish you all the best for this 2012, may you have much love, good health, good wealth and an abundance of joy.

[You can also find JulesMD on Facebook now, very much appreciate if you would visit and add to the Like, thank you :)]

A Twist In The Tale

Happy New Year 2012! Better late than never ya... :)

The new year was supposed to start with some excitement. I had planned to introduce some new things in JulesPreciousness and JulesAddiction Tins/Boxes, but the reality of things took a different twist.

I am now writing from my hospital bed in Gleneagles Kuala Lumpur, where I've been for the past 20 hours.

The last week of December 2011, I had suffered a very bad flu and fever. Sick as I was, I still managed to fulfill all my brownie and gift orders that had come in during that period. The flu got so bad on new year's eve that I found myself in the ER of Pantai Hospital Klang at 6am on 1 January 2012, due to an excruciating pain in my right ear. So the doctor there gave me what he thought would help, which didn't help. 2 hours later I was practically crying and crouching on my parents' sofa, until Aunty Mani from next door, a retired staff nurse, came over and suggested I take Arcoxia to relieve the pain. She also compressed hot towel around my right ear and my face, and Alhamdulillah after about an hour, the pain disappeared and I finally fell into slumber. I love you Aunty Mani, I hope you know that already...

By the time my second dose of Arcoxia was losing effect, darling husband was already home from outstation, and we immediately headed for Gleneagles KL, our friendly family medical service provider :) The doctor diagnosed something something something viral infection, which I didn't really bother to know exactly coz I was in so much pain, not that I could hear anyway. She then jabbed me with a super duper dose of painkiller, gave me the relevant antibiotic and meds, and sent me home feeling high and happy.

After 3 days there was no more pain or throbbing in my ear, though I couldn't really say that my ear was back to its normal self, and I was making an appointment to see a ENT specialist some time this week. However, yesterday when I was brushing my teeth and gargling off, I couldn't gargle, meaning I couldn't hold the water in my mouth. I didn't really take much care of this coz I dismissed it as an early morning lazy muscle thing. But later during breakfast I was having trouble moving the bread in my mouth, somehow my tongue and lips felt lame, and a bit lopsided. That too I brushed aside coz I was rushing getting the boys ready for school and then sending Marrakesh off to kindy. Then I carried on with my normal routine and it wasn't until later in the afternoon after the boys finished mengaji that I felt like my face was really not right. I was laughing with my boys about something and I realised that I couldn't feel the right side of my face moving. So I went to the mirror and smiled. That was when I realised that only the left side of my mouth turned up, the right side was just lame. AAAAAAAA!!!!!!!! Only then did I realise that the right side of my face felt rather numb. AAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!

So later that evening, my guys dropped me off at the Gleneagles ER while they went on to look for dinner. It turned out that the ER was a favourite spot for the sickly around the Ampang area, coz it was filled to the brim! While it was sad to see so many sick people around, I couldn't help thinking that, hmmm, this place is quite happening, hehe, maybe coz the new Starbucks there closed at midnight :)

When I finally saw the doctor, she very casually said, "yup, you've got facial paralysis, and your right eardrum is still quite inflammed." What? AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Apparently, the viral infection in my right ear had been so bad that it had slowly affected my facial nerves and paralysing them, and causing me to be "senget". She wanted to admit me immediately and start me on antibiotics, but I told her I couldn't do that coz I haven't done anything at home, ie. prepared all the boys' school stuff and all. So she let me off with a referral letter to see the ENT specialist the very next day, but if my paralysis worsened I must return and get admitted.

I got home with a heavy heart. I should be in hospital so I can get better, but how do I leave my boys? I just carried on ironing their uniforms and my face was feeling even more numb. So I told darling husband that it doesn't look like I have much choice but to admit myself in hospital. I asked my sister to come over to stay with the boys while darling husband and I went to hospital. All 3 boys were happily deep in slumber and I kissed each one before I left.

And here I am now, IV line in hand, bored stiff, the overhead TV showing "Stealth" on Fox Movie, and I can't sleep coz I just feel compelled to write. The meds made me very nauseous and dizzy earlier, and I've had 3 doses. In the next bed, the nurses are prepping the lady for her surgery tomorrow, to remove a cancerous growth and to insert a chemo-port. So who am I to complain, right? Thank god for Starbucks, I could at least have an hour chill time over latte and cappuccino with darling husband just now.

Another 3 doses before the doctor can tell me if I'm clear to be discharged or not. He's allowed me to be on hospital leave to see to my boys, but I'll have to return for the next doses via IV, so my line will have to stay on till then. If the meds don't settle my ear inflammation and facial paralysis, he'll have to poke into my eardrum to rectify the matter. AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!... :) I pray it doesn't get to that, InsyaAllah.

Imagine going swimming and getting water trapped in your ear and it remains perpetually that way with occasional sharp prickling pains, your face feeling numb on one side and your drink involuntarily dripping out of the side of your mouth so you should only drink with a straw, and the worst kind of nausea 2-3 hours after meds. Compare that to everyday frustratingly screaming at 3 goons annoyingly brawling over who gets the Ninjago first, nagging at them to pick up their dirty clothes and not chuck their smelly socks on the sofa, yelling at them to keep their room clean, and perpetually picking up their scattered stuff in the futile effort to keep the house neat and in tip top condition.

I'd take the latter anytime... :) Good night.

New Year, New Blessings...

Muslims celebrate our New Hijri Year 1433 today, 27 November 2011...Alhamdulillah :)

Circa this celebration and long weekend, many also rejoiced in nuptials, engagements, birthdays, school graduations, etc.... :)

For my dear Lileen who tied the knot with her sweetheart last Friday... May they be blessed with happiness, beautiful children and everlasting love, Insyaallah...
...For Lileen, it has to be sweetness of course...colourful Agar-agar Kering, in the wedding's Brown&Cream theme...

...And for the special guests, something Sweet&Savoury...Agar-agar Kering alongside Crispy Anchovy/Prawn Chilli...




Selamat Bertunang Azreena...





When Ayah & Baby love MU!




Amidst wedding favours and brownies, I was also busy preparing for Damascus's and Marrakesh's final year concert; skinny jeans, hoodies, hip hop pants, and loops of Justin Bieber, J.Lo and Gym Class Heroes! But the more emotional part was, Damascus was finally graduating, and next year he will be in Standard One! After 4 years of kindy, he's finally joining the "real" school. It was a wonderful concert and all the Krista Taman Nirwana kids put up a fabulous show yesterday; they dikir-ed, shuffled, and locked&popped, and they presented the cutest Jack & The Bean Stalk! Damascus has thrived well in Krista Nirwana, Alhamdulillah, and I'm sure he will miss all his friends and teachers...

A special gift for all his K2 friends, cookies, candies and a cute pencil, kids can never have too many pencils :)

...And to all his teachers and caregivers, lots of love...from potty training to "never say never"&"everyday I'm shufflin" and "Mommy, the latest planet in our solar system is Sedna!" You guys are the best! XOX... chocolates in a cute assortment of wrappers...


...and of course, Mommy's signature ribbons... :)



So now I'm left with only Marrakesh still in kindy, but that too will go by very swiftly. Well, it's a new year, and so I pray for new strength, wisdom, courage and peace, and of course, new blessings for all of us, InsyaAllah... :)