Happy Planner Weekly | Working for the Weekend & Everything In Between

This week’s spread ended up being one big positive vibes page! I used The Happy Planner's Happy Quotes sticker book together with sentiment washi filled with little happy phrases like “feeling sparkly,” “happy day,” “dreamy,” and “loving this.” I added in stickers like “get busy girl,” “color me happy,” “be strong, be beautiful, be you,” “make things happen,” and “working for the weekend,” and this layout became a visual mood board for how May has been going so far! It's busy, exciting, overwhelming, fulfilling… and very colorful.

“Working for the weekend” sticker because this Friday is my Arts and Crafts Workshop with Happy Sandscapes! It's their first paid workshop and I’m so proud and grateful to have been entrusted with it. Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly. I’ve been preparing samples, organizing materials, coordinating details, and most especially - trying not to panic all at once. Hahaha!

And yes… that’s also one of the reasons why this Happy Planner blog is late. I actually took photos of this spread on Monday, but this is the first time all week that I’ve been able to properly sit down and write. Between Design Team deliverables, workshop prep, blog deadlines, and life in general, the days have just been flying by.

But first things first - I’m still very much on a high from my third pop-up market here in Saudi Arabia! It was such a huge success in every possible way: sales, people I met, conversations, support, and just the overall experience. And of course, the husband and friends who keep showing up for me every single time deserve the biggest appreciation. I’ve been writing about the market the past couple of days while the kilig is still fresh in my mind, and tbh, I still smile thinking about it. Read about my three-peat in pop up market wins here!

Then Globe GCash contacted me again this week and asked if we could resume GCash testing. Of course I said yes! We officially started again yesterday, so that’s another thing added to the already full schedule.

And then another happy surprise came in - I FINALLY won one of Mintay Papers’ challenges!!! I’ve been trying for years now, and this time it finally happened. The funny part is that I almost didn’t join anymore because I kept thinking I’d just end up disappointed again. But one crafty friend - who is always encouraging me in every Mintay challenge, sent me the International Scrapbooking Day challenge post and told me to try again. So I did. I didn’t overthink the projects at all because I thought we only had 24 hours like last year. Imagine my surprise after cramming everything only to realize they actually gave participants a whole week this year. Hahaha! Still, maybe the lack of overthinking helped. Big YAAYYYY moment over here!

Apart from Mintay, I also joined Doodlebug Design’s iNSD challenges again this year. I actually won one of their challenges before, but sadly the prize got returned to sender because I wasn’t able to claim it from the post office in time. To this day I’m still curious what was inside that package. Fingers crossed for better luck this year! Will make a separate post for my projects here and link it here!

Book-wise, I managed to finish 3 books before life got too busy again. I also started rewatching Revenge while crafting and doing chores.

Project-wise, I’m happy to report that all my May deliverables for Traci Reed Designs and Polkadoodles are done, so I can finally start focusing on June projects soon.

For Bee Happy Weeklies, I used leftover glass tiles from my mosaic tray project to make a cute bookmark. I skipped the grout this time because I ran out, but also because I still need to improve my grout skills - I wasn’t too happy with how the tray looked after grouting last month’s project.

For Printable, Cuttable, Creatables, my project was submitted up a day late… but it turned out cute so I’m letting myself off the hook for that one. Haha! I also finished my project for our upcoming Blog Hop on May 19, and I made something completely new for the first time, which was really fun. Read about my pencil topper project in PCC's blog here!

Workshop prep also took over a huge chunk of my week. I made sample projects for Happy Sandscapes so we’d have photos for social media and examples for participants. I had already made the shrink plastic samples a few weeks ago, then worked on mini notebook samples after that. And then another crafty friend sent me flower cut file templates she made for Mother’s Day after suggesting they’d be nice workshop projects too. I really love how generous and supportive the crafting community can be.

Last Wednesday, hubby and I also tried a new restaurant before grocery shopping - Baytoti (and Maki), which serves Chinese and Japanese food. It was surprisingly good and affordable too. Less than 30 SAR (or Php 450.00) for a rice meal with two viands, so naturally we ordered two different sets just so we could try more dishes.

I also finally unpacked the emergency grab bags I prepared last February 28 because of the war. Things have thankfully felt more peaceful lately since the ceasefire, and I’m really hoping it continues that way. 

Over the weekend, aside from the Spring Market, we also hung out with friends. I ended up cancelling the crafting meetup I originally planned after my girlie emergency and just joined them at the badminton gym instead. I brought a mini album order with me, printed everything before leaving, then assembled pages while everyone played. Multitasking level: crafting edition. Hahaha! I also managed to finish my Polkadoodles May blogs while sitting there.

After the gym, we had dinner at Ilonggo’s Restaurant, which has to be one of the better Filipino restaurants we’ve tried here compared to the ones near us in Al Ahsa. Then we headed to the mall because two of our friends didn’t own Crocs yet and apparently got influenced by the rest of us. Ultimate PAIR pressure! Hahaha! We ended the night at Marks & Spencer over drinks and chika.

Closer look at mine with Harry Potter Jibbitz from Kaye

So yes… a LOT has been happening this month. I’m excited for the workshop, but I’m also looking forward to chilling a bit afterward so I can focus on the rest of my DT deliverables, get ahead on June projects, and eventually start packing too.

For now though, this planner spread feels like the perfect spread of everything lately - colorful chaos, happy exhaustion, creative energy, and many little reminders to keep going.

Polkadoodles Digi Choosday Challenge | First Scrapbook Layout with Polkadoodles

There’s always something special about a “first,” and this week’s project for the Digi Choosday challenge is exactly that - my very first scrapbook layout using Polkadoodles! 

This layout is extra meaningful because it’s part of an ongoing scrapbook I’ve been creating for my mom. Even though this post is going live a few days after Mother’s Day, it still feels like the perfect little love note - featuring photos of her from our 2018 Singapore trip. A sweet memory, finally documented after 8 years.

The Papers & Elements

For this layout, I mixed and matched patterned papers from several Polkadoodles collections (one of my favorite things to do!):

1. Happy Cactus Succulent
2. Wanda Plane Janes
3. Noodle Panda Set 1
4. Winnie Sugar Sprinkles Heaven
5. Winnie Sunshine Delights
6. Winnie Let’s Hangout
7. Set 3 Wanda
8. Gnome Men Football USA

• Pattern papers from the Polkadoodles collections listed above

• Embellishments: Winnie Sugar Sprinkles Embellies Bundle (roses)

• 12x12 cardstock

• Plain white cardstock (photo mats)

• Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue

• String

• 2 photos

• Modeling ball tool

Instructions:

1. Cut your flowers, leaves, and stems - use as many (or as few) as you like.

2. Use a modeling ball tool to gently curve the flowers so they’re not flat.

3. Fold each petal slightly in the middle to add more texture and dimension.

4. Repeat the same process for the leaves.

5. Adhere three pieces together to form each flower.

6. Add an acrylic dot in the center of each flower.

7. Arrange everything on your 12x12 cardstock, don’t glue just yet. Place your photo mats on the lower part of the layout to guide your design.

Once happy with the placement, adhere the flowers and photo mats.

Add the stems, making them meet at the lower center between the photos. Glue only the top parts. Tie the stems together with string for a gathered look.

Add your leaves around the flowers.

Add your floral digi stamps. I used the cute roses from the Winnie Sugar Sprinkles Embellies Bundle as my main embellishments.

Finish by adding your photos.

Design Inspiration

This layout was inspired by a design from Paige Evans for Scrapbook & Cards Today. Her template originally used 10 flowers… but I may have gotten a little carried away and ended up with 12. But actually, I love it even more because of that! It made the layout feel fuller, more dimensional, and extra cheerful.

To make things easier, I used my Cricut Maker to cut all the elements. But if you don’t have a cutting machine, no worries at all, you can absolutely recreate this using dies or even just good old scissors.

Final Thoughts

This layout came together so beautifully and was surprisingly easy to create. It’s one of those projects that looks intricate but is actually very relaxing and fun to make.

Most of all, I love that it holds a memory so close to my heart. That’s really what scrapbooking is all about - telling our stories. 

If you haven’t tried mixing different Polkadoodles collections yet, this is your sign! And don’t forget to join the Anything Goes challenge over at Digi Choosday - you might just discover a new favorite way to create. 

Eurovillage Spring Market 2026 - Three-peat Market here in KSA

My Cat and Crafts officially had its third pop-up market here in Saudi Arabia and second one at Eurovillage Compound for their Spring Market!

Read about my first two pop ups here: 

Eurovillage Compound Winter Market 2025 - My First Craft Fair in Saudi Arabia

Twinkle & Sparkle: Craft Fair #2 in KSA

Despite having two really successful markets last year, I still went into this one trying to manage my expectations. It’s almost summer, the heat is starting to become intense, and a lot of people are already traveling for vacation. So once again, I told myself the same thing I always do before every market:

“If I make one sale, I’ll already be happy.” And that the time and drive was just a day out for the husband and I to do something together.

Thankfully, that one (first) sale came pretty quickly - two boys stopped by our table, carefully looked through all the cards, and eventually picked two: one pretty Happy Birthday card and another with a bunny. For the third time now, it has been kids who were my first sale. It was cute because I can only imagine what they will write or to whom they will give the cards to.

Our first 2 sales!

Then little by little, more people started coming.

Looking.

Touching.

Opening albums.

Buying.

And then came Vivi.

She was our neighboring vendor selling really gorgeous fancy jewelry, and at one point she walked over to my table and started looking through everything. Like… genuinely everything from one end of the table to the other. She kept ooh-ing and ahh-ing over all the details, especially the pop-up cards and the mini albums with interactive inserts.

Then she noticed my bag and suddenly said we had the same one. That’s when I remembered her - we had actually met during the Winter Market last year because she excitedly pointed out the exact same thing back then too. She was just as warm and friendly this time around.

She picked up my Traci Reed “Brighter Days” mini album and asked to see it. I told her it was one of my favorites, so I started flipping through the pages, showing the flaps, pockets, inserts, and interactive elements.

And then the compliments started.

“Mamacita this is so gorgeous!”

“Oh f*ck you’re really really good!”

“Mamacita you are so talented!”

Tbh, if I ever needed validation for my crafting, she probably gave me a lifetime supply of it that afternoon. Every time I showed her another favorite project, she’d immediately go:

“Sold.”

Then after buying one album she said:

“Okay now show me your NEXT favorite album.”

And then:

“Sold.”

Again.

It was one of the sweetest and most heartwarming experiences I’ve ever had in a market (or maybe in life haha) - just seeing someone genuinely appreciate handmade work, let alone my own - with so much excitement and enthusiasm.

Right in the middle of all that though, I had a little girly emergency, so Ton and I had to suddenly leave the booth for a quick emergency pants run while our friends watched the table for us. Thankfully, these friends really are the best kind of people because when we got back, everything was perfectly fine + they’ve made sales and even took the initiative to go through what’s under the table for more stuff to display and sell.

Apparently while we were gone, a lady even came by twice looking for me - though sadly no one got her name. I think it was my friend who introduced me to one of the organizers though.

Later on, Che and her family arrived too. She has been supporting me and visiting my tables since my very first market here in Saudi, and I’m really so grateful for people like her who continue showing up and supporting my little creative corner. She’s a crafter too!

Then Vivi came back.

YES. Again. Hahaha.

This time she said her husband saw all the things she bought and was amazed too, so he wanted her to get more. She started going through the table all over again, and it became such a fun chain reaction because while she was enthusiastically flipping through albums and reacting dramatically to every detail, more people started gathering around too out of curiosity.

At one point, there were enough people around the table that my husband and our friends had to help assist customers too. We joked, of course, that my staff are not being helpful. Haha!

It was chaotic in the best way possible!

By the end of her second round, she had bought around another dozen cards, more mini albums, and several smaller albums too. Then she went back to her own table and started proudly showing her husband every single thing she bought - and not just showing them one by one but actually opening cards, flipping through albums, showing inserts. It was not just a quick “look what I got,” but genuinely appreciating each piece like a little show and tell in their booth!

An hour later, her husband himself came over to my table.

We all thought he was going to jokingly complain that we had emptied their wallets because of his wife, but instead he sincerely told me how beautiful and well-made my work was and that I made his wife really happy. He said she used to make things too and that she was so excited about my projects. He also said that I should charge more because of how nice my works are!

That heartwarming conversation stayed with me the whole night. 

Then yes…

Vivi came back AGAIN. Hahaha.

At this point she had already seen practically everything, but she still found more things she wanted. One of my friends helping at the booth brought out a ziplock bag of Cricut projects I originally planned to use as freebies but didn’t because I had already run out of table space earlier during setup.

She saw my Saudi National Day stickers and immediately loved them too. She asked how much they were, and I told her they were supposed to be freebies so I’d just give them to her. She said no, the will pay for them but of course, I insisted on giving it to her.

Then she joked that if they were free, she wanted all the remaining packs.

So I said:

“Then I’ll give you all of them!”

She tried insisting on paying and even attempted to force me to take change from her 100 SAR payment. When I refused, she dramatically (and sweetly) demanded:

“Okay then show me MORE stuff!”

So I showed her the remaining easel cards.

And of course:

“Sold!”

At that point I just ended up giving her the remaining square easel cards too.

Somewhere in between all the laughter and chaos, she pulled me aside and seriously told me I should raise my prices because my work was genuinely good and worth more. She even gave specific prices I should charge!

I explained that many of these projects were originally made for my design teams - using products I received, affiliate earnings, or projects that had already rewarded me in other ways  - so I was happy just being able to share and sell them affordably.

She still insisted.

Then she turned to my husband after he joked that I’m simply happy making things and asked him:

“Don’t you have business skills? Are you an engineer???”

Which made all of us burst out laughing because yes… he actually is. And so was another friend with us.

The whole day was just full of really good vibes, kind people, laughter, support, and unexpected moments that made my heart feel so full despite the little emergency in the middle of it all.

I didn’t even get the chance to properly look around all the vendor tables because the day got unexpectedly busy. I actually brought a book and one of my journals as backup activities in case things got quiet - but apparently, I didn’t need them at all. Yayyy!

Lucky cat pen from Kaye

Still, here are some photos of the tables I managed to snap throughout the day - mostly the ones near mine.

Alfao Minerals, Rocks and Fossils - The table right in front of mine filled with minerals, rocks, fossils, bracelets, pendants, and all sorts of shiny tempting things. I was this close to buying another bracelet because I love collecting them as souvenirs, but remembering the box of unopened bracelets I brought from Manila somehow gave me enough self-control not to. Barely. Hahaha.

Our next-table neighbors didn’t really have a shop name displayed, but they were selling really lovely bedsheets, linens, and home textiles. 

DecoTen - I remembered her immediately from last year’s Winter Market because of the gorgeous hand-decorated Christmas jars she sold back then. Her booth was just as pretty this time around too.

Maria’s Slime Factory - One of the cutest booths in the market! Maria and her mom were both wearing matching shirts with their logo, and all the slime products were handmade by 8-year-old Maria herself. So cute and impressive at the same time!

We ended the night with a late dinner at one of our newest favorites, Five Guys - where once again the Kabayans working there spoiled us with a huge extra bag and cup of fries for free.

Then cutest ending to the day…

As we were leaving, almost the entire team - cashiers and kitchen staff included - waved goodbye all at the same time and loudly called out their thank yous and byes like we were regulars who owned the place or something. And during that time, the place was packed with locals in thobes and we were the only ones who were not (plus we were all in pink!)

It was such a simple and cute little moment.

But after such a warm, happy, laughter-filled day, it somehow felt like the perfect ending.