2014, it's been a blast!

Hello! ^_^

It's school break for us Aussies right now, which means hours of lazing around and doing nothing. Well, that's the case for me anyway... So I thought it would be a good idea to make use of my time and write a blog post, summing up the year of 2014.

Bubble Panda's was created in January of this year, mainly out of boredom and the urge to try something new. Owning a blog was exciting yet intimidating, and at first, the pressure to post regularly kind of got to me. We've been through ups and downs and a hiatus which we have fought through and now manage to post weekly!

Here's a collage of all the photos we'e taken during this year, and each picture is featured in a blog post.

Here's a bunch of hand-picked photos from our blog!

Looking back at the blog, we've come a long way! To view our blog posts, just click on the archive on the right of the blog and browse through!

We hope you had a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and watch out for more blog posts  in the upcoming year!

Stay fabulous!

~ Judy xx

markets, fruit and a pretty sunset :)

Capturing some moments in photographs.

Glebe Markets in Sydney.

These hand-crafted cards excited Judy very much.

This crazy building we stumbled upon by accident.

Home grown fruit always tastes better to me, and are so cute, because they're so small!

Got these candles for last year's Christmas, yet I don't want to use them due to the heat of Summer in Australia.

Decorated my wall with 60+ photographs, fairy lights and one lonely polaroid.

Sunrise at our school camp, at around 6 AM.

Hope you are all lovely and well ^_^

Lena xx

All images were taken by myself. 

Camera: Canon EOS 700D

Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS6

chocolate coconut treats || cooking 101

Hello everyone!

Just a few days ago, a close friend of ours surprised us by making us little treats! These packages of goodness contained chocolate balls covered in shredded coconut, and were DE-LICIOUS!

They had just the right amount of chocolate in them, so they weren't overly sweet. They also contained crushed biscuit, which added a great texture to the treats. And to top it all off, the coconut added a great kick to the flavour as well!

Here's a close-up on the yummy treats.

Ready to eat!

Click here for the recipe on how to make this delicious goodies!

We were very thankful to have received these gifts, and were reminded of how we should be grateful for everything in life. Remember, the happiest people do not have the best of everything, they make the best of everything that have, and that no matter what happens, there is always, always, always something to be grateful for.

"The root of joy is gratefulness."

What are you grateful for today?

~ Judy x

churros, plants and simple acts of kindness

Today my neighbour randomly knocked on our door, and gave us a plate of handmade churros.

Sugar + Cinnamon + Fried dough = fabulousness :D

You have no idea how happy I was.... they were freaking DELICIOUS!!!

Anywho, this had me to think: how could such a small gesture give me so much joy? Wouldn't the world be a better place if we all gave each other small gestures to show our appreciation for each other? I mean, yeah, happiness can't be the solution to everything. Putting a bunch of humans together basically screams of conflict in our fates... but that doesn't mean we can't try to bring harmony and colour to our small lives.

Here is a list of super simple and easy ways you can brighten someone's day. Try to do one every single day, and your life will definitely be happier and more positive. Perhaps some of these things might be common sense to you, however others sometimes need a bit of a reminder. In due time, doing a simple act of kindness every day will be natural and instant effects of compassion will brighten up your own life, as well as someone else's.

♡ Offer up your seat to a standing elderly person on public transport, especially if you're a young person

♡ Hold open a door for a person behind you.

♡ Donate old clothing to charity.

♡ Give handmade gifts instead of store bought- they're memorable and made with love.

♡ Rescue a dying plant and nurture it back to health. 

♡ Next time you're ready to squash an annoying bug, just slip it onto a sheet of paper and bring it outside.

♡ Give way to a waiting car.

♡ Send an email/letter to someone you haven't talked to in a long time, asking them how they've been.

♡ Smile and wave at anyone you're walking past and don't wait for them to do it first.

♡ Give someone a hug.

♡ Write an inspiring blog post.
♡ Remind someone, a friend or family member, that you love them. Because you can never say it too much :)

Stay fabulous!

Lena xx

All images were taken by myself. 

Camera: Canon EOS 700D

Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS6

it's nearly christmas!

Hello everyone!

So it's nearly December! Pinch and a punch for the first day of the month (for tomorrow). I can't believe that the year is nearly over, and that we are one month away from 2015. Christmas is nearly here as well, and I hope everyone is getting into the festive spirits!

One thing you can do to get into the mood for the holiday is to hang fairy lights. I got a set of white fairy lights from a department store (i.e. Big W if you live in Australia!) but you can practically get them from anywhere in this time of the year.

White fairylights!

My other bulb fairy lights on my wall! (Please excuse the horrible quality, ^-^")

The batteries were not included, so I just took out some batteries from my other set of fairy lights and just put them in. These LED fairy lights are 2.2m in length, and use 2 AA batteries. They were very inexpensive, costing only a little more than $2.What a bargain!

You can drape the lights across your wall, bed frame, desk, anywhere you'd prefer! They are a very cute and easy way of spicing up your room, and you can use them all year round. Just remember to replace the batteries when needed!

What have you been doing lately to get you into the mood for Christmas?

I hope you have a lovely day!

~ Judy x

nail art: mickey mouse and polka dots

HELLO THERE! *waves*

Recently I was on the hunt for a white nail polish to give to my friend for her birthday, and also one for myself.

I've been using nail polish on and off for the past couple of years, and I only have super cheap ones because it's not something I'm extremely passionate about, so I don't feel the need to spend $10 a bottle, when I can get a perfectly good one for a fraction of the price.

Or perhaps that's just an excuse for my rather frugal habits.

... but anywho.

Here's a Mickey Mouse design inspired by this tutorial. Apologies for my short nails, I play a sport called netball and for it I need short nails. 

I used this Sally Hansen nail polish in 300 White On. This was my first Sally Hansen polish, and I quite like it!

To paint on the little Mickey, I made my own nail art detailing brush. I just took a normal paint brush, and gradually cut off little bristles until it was as thin as I liked. It was quite mentally painful to 'destroy' a paint brush, but I really like it now! xD

What design do you think I should try tackle next? :)

Have a lovely day!

Lena xx

recent reads || november

Hullo!

So I've recently gotten back into books, (well not RECENTLY, maybe one year ago give or take). I kind of stopped reading just as I entered high school, but after realizing how much I was missing out on, I got back into it, which was one of the best decisions I have made.

The Maze Runner and Looking for Alaska.

Here's a little list I put together with all the recent books I've read.

My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult ★★★★★
The book centers around a girl who was born as a saviour sister, and examines what it means to be a good parent, sister and a good person. My Sister's Keeper is a really great book that tackles real-life issues and I highly recommend it!

The Maze Runner (series) - James Dashner ★★★★☆
This is one of those dystopian books that teenage girls fangirl over, but to be honest, it is very interesting and thrilling to read. It has also been turned into a movie a month or so ago, so anyone who's interested in seeing the book come to life should go see it!

Sing You Home & Lone Wolf - Jodi Picoult ★★★★☆
Just like My Sister's Keeper, this book explores issues that happen in the world today. Both of these books are by Jodi Picoult (again) and are fabulous reads. As you can probably tell by now, Jodi Picoult is one of my favourite authors ever since I read My Sister's Keeper.

Looking for Alaska - John Green ★★★★☆
So I've read this book a while ago, but never got to finish it... so I guess I'm going to have to get back to it one day, but so far so good! If you're into TFIOS or anything like that, you'll probably like this book (it's by the same author anyway). P.S. I think this is getting turned into a movie sometime soon, so read it before it comes out!

Lovely handmade hummingbird bookmark I got from somewhere!

Sorry about the SUPER late post, my laptop had problems and I had to reimage it and re-download programs. (sigh) What books have you read recently that you've enjoyed very much?

Have a wonderful day!

~ Judy x 

polymer clay charm update #9

Woah! It's been over a year since my first one of these charm update videos... pretty cool that I've been commited to something for so long. Maybe this will work out for blogging too.

Anywho, I've been posting pretty consistently on my YouTube channel for the past couple months, and I'm 16 more subscribers to 1.5k! *fist pump*

Enough with the rambling! Here are some photographs of the charms featured in this video.

- Lena xx

culture bean café

Hello there! :)

The other day, to celebrate my co-writer Judy's birthday, we headed out to a café called Culture Bean for brunch.

Being the newbies we were in going to cafes, we awkwardly sat down and squinted around for a menu. After we finally got menus and chose what we wanted, I accidentally said the wrong thing and got an acai bowl instead of the granola I wanted. Oh well, it still tasted delicious! I've never had an acai bowl before, so it was definitely a new yet wonderful experience.

To be completely honest, I thought the meal was sort of like melted ice cream with a lot of fruit and nuts on top, but at least it was super healthy. :D

Judy got the same thing, and our other friend settled for a strawberry smoothie.

The food and whole cafe was beautifully presented, and the food was amazing! Too bad we could barely finish our bowls, and ended I up leaving quite a lot of granola left...

For part of Judy's present, I gave her a little succulent. I intended to go out and buy a cute little cactus, but my dad just gave me the plant instead to 'save money'. Yep, I believe I inherited my frugal habits from my parents... the pot was from Daiso, and for only $2.80! 

Afterwards we headed to the park, and bought McDonald's ice cream later in the afternoon.

What's your favourite breakfast/brunch meal? I personally love Greek yogurt, oats/granola and fresh fruit, like strawberries, blueberries and banana! :P

Hope you have a lovely day,

Lena xx

invisible threads are the strongest ties

Aloha, my lovely readers! :) 

It's been a while, but we're back in the blogging game (hopefully).

I got a new camera, which is always super exciting, so I'll probably be posting more random photo posts to record my improvement and to be more active. 

Stopped to take this while walking around.

The other day I walked to a friend's home (it's always fun to have a friend walking distance from you!) to 'help' with her photography assignment. When I got there, it turns out that by 'helping' all I had was keep her cat from distracting her. This proved to be very easy, as her cat ran away the second it saw me. 

Not before I managed to take this shot! Here she is, trying to act all cute and stuff.

Her assignment was to use a film camera and try to make ordinary objects look interesting. This interested me, as I had never seen a film camera before (where you have to put the film in chemicals to develop and stuff!)

Did you know Sydney's Opera House was inspired by mandarin segments?

Afterwards, I decided to not waste time and start on a photography competition I had to enter for school. The theme was community, and I had NO IDEA what I was going to do. 

So naturally, if you have have no ideas, the first thing you do is to grab rainbow colours of paint and put them all over your hand... right?

... Just me? Okay then.

This was meant to represent connection in a community.

And more connection....

... and I have no idea what this one is representing. Rock paper scissors, anyone?

Considering it was winter when these were taken, I was very glad that the rain stopped just as I left the house.

This little fella popped by to say hello!

Started this post with purple flowers, ending it with purple flowers. 

I hope you have an awesome day!

 Stay fabulous :D

Lena xx

Camera: Canon EOS 700D
Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS6

15 ways to spend your birthday!

Here's a random little list that I decided to write since my birthday recently passed by.

cheers!

1. Have a big birthday breakfast. (Watch out for the upcoming post about the cute cafe we went to!)
2. Go on an outing with your close friends! 
3. Spend quality time with your family.
4. BIRTHDAY CAKE YUM.
5. Go for a walk outside and soak up some sun.
6. Watch a nice movie. (The Maze Runner, oh yes)
7. Throw a massive party.
8. Have a very nice lunch.
9. Think about how old and wise you have become overnight.
10. Treat yourself with a nice pamper session.
11. Have a chill out day at home watching YouTube and eating pretzels.
12. Open any presents you have received.
13. Have a lovely dinner.
14. Think about how grateful you are for being able to do all of this.
15. Have fun!

Stay awesome.

~ Judy x

4 easy polymer clay cupcakes: video tutorial

Cupcakes are one of my new favourite things to make out of polymer clay. They're super easy, fun and you can make them however how want in so many different ways!

Which one is your favourite? :)

Be sure to check out my new tutorial on how to make them! ♡

- Lena x