Michi Photostory

There is a premade template that you can use and a tutorial if you want to make your own. I’m sharing the cards that I finished. 

We can use 5 Gate Fold SVG files, but I only use the Gate Fold Semi Circle. I printed my own pattern paper using Digital Christmas Pattern. 

There are 7 Fractured SVG files but I only use one design. I shared this Congrats Card before. I don’t have a lot of patterned paper so I used Embossing Folder and Lunar Paste to design the card. 

I think this is the first layered card I designed from scratch because I usually use premade designs to save time. I am Bee Happy Card. 

I did not attempt making my own Gift Card Holders so I just cut the Coffee Cup and Present SVG files. 

There are 7 Stacker SVG files and I used the circle stacker card. This is an easy project using the Print then Cut function on Cricut Design Space. The Watercolor Sydney Opera House is designed by Radiant Tango but the file is no longer available on the Hungryjpeg website. 

There are 3 SVG files for these Word Ribbon Cards, you can choose the birthday, butterfly, or Christmas file. You can personalize these cards. I used the Happy Birthday design and added the Happy Birthday SVG file. The Happy Birthday is part of the Give Me a Hug Cute Animals Bundle 

I did not design my own fold-out flower cards because the premade SVG files are so pretty so I cut the Bouquet Card and Vase Card. I like this design because I can use my scrap paper. There is an individual flower SVG file too so if you just want to cut the flowers. 

I love making easel cards but so far I only made square and round easel cards. If I have extra time, I will try other shapes. But last month I cut the Road Trip and Flower & Butterfly Template.

Before our trip, I’d read a lot of DIY Sydney Tours or Sydney Walking Tours but I didn’t want to drain my energy on walking or commuting so I chose Hop-On-Hop-Off Tours so we could have a glimpse of Sydney while comfortably sitting on the bus. 

I purchased the 48-hour Essential Ticket so we have more time to explore both routes; the Sydney Route and the Bondi Route. I also downloaded the Big Bus Tours app so I have an idea of the places we can visit, things we can do, and bus information. 

We can also buy tickets on the bus and here are the rates but I want to avoid the foreign exchange rate so I chose Klook. 

Adult 65AUD 

Child (3-15 years old) 45AUD 

Adult 85AUD 

Child (3-15 years old) 55AUD 

Digital Audio Guide/Earphones 

Hop on - Hop off Tour 

Audio commentary is available in English, Spanish, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Italian, and Mandarin 

Big Bus Tour App 

Big Bus Tour Guide Map 

Free Wifi on the bus

The Sydney City Bus Tour operates every day between 9AM and 4PM. The first bus departs at Circular Quay so even though there is a bus stop near Hyde Park Inn, we still went to Circular Quay because we want to start our tour at Bus Stop 1. Bus Frequency is 30-45 minutes. 

Bus Stop 1 is just several minutes away from Museum Station via train and a few minutes walk from the Circular Quay train station. 

We just presented our voucher, and the driver scanned the QR code and gave us the ticket, guide map, and earphones. The bus departed on time. There are 24 stops on Red Route but we did not get off and we finished the first loop. Travel duration is about 1 hour and 45 minutes. 

After our Hop-On-Hop-Off bus tour, we got off just to eat snacks and got in again. Good thing that we already visited the other tourist spots during our Day 2: Museum Station Walking Tour. So among the 24 stops, we just wanted to explore 3 tourist spots, the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the Royal Botanical Garden. Well, from Circular Quay we can already walk to reach these places but we want to save our energy so we still rode the bus. 

When we reached the Sydney Opera House, we had a light lunch first at the House of Canteen. We ordered 2 plates of Grilled Salmon Nigiri 15AUD/order, Chicken Katsu, Chips 16AUD, Chips 12AUD, and soda 6AUD/per can. My hubby and son enjoyed the Grilled Salmon Nigiri. The Chicken Katsu Chips is a kid’s meal pero nabusog na ko dito. Sana nga hindi na ko nag-add ng Chips. Buti na lang I had zip lock bag, binaon ko na lang yung leftover chips so we have food at the Botanic Garden.

The advantage of joining the Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour is I don’t have to Google each place, I will just listen to the audio commentary and if I need more information I can check the Big Bus Tour app and read the attraction details. So I’m sharing some trivia from the app about these places.

Sydney Harbour Bridge is the world’s largest steel arch bridge. It is also known as a "Coat Hanger". The bridge is designed to withstand expansion or contraction due to heating or cooling. 

Of course, visiting Sydney is only complete with seeing the Sydney Opera House. This building symbolizes Australia. It’s a world-class performing arts center that welcomes around 2 million visitors annually. The sails of the building are made from over a million tiles in glossy white and matte cream.

The Royal Botanic Gardens contain a stunning display of flora from all over the world, including native Australian species. The 30-hectare garden has no entrance fee and has been open to the public since 1831. The oldest trees here are the hoop pine and giant watergum - planted around 1820. There are 36 sculptures, 4,000 trees, 8.900 plant species and over 3.5 million people visit the garden.

We spent most of our time here, just enjoying the view of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. 

There is an ice cream kiosk where we bought a Chocolate Top Sundae 6AUD, Vanilla Sundae 7AUD and Iced Coffee 9AUD. 

It was only 3PM but we decided to end our tour, maybe because of the time difference (DST), 3PM in Sydney is 6PM in Manila time. And knowing us, maaga magdinner and matulog. 

My guess was right, I was able to finish this project in a few minutes, Using my Cricut Maker, I cut the design, glued the edge, and flattened the pencil case using heavy books. If I am not in a hurry, I will sew the edge of the pencil case.

Faux Leather 

E7000 for the glue 

Rotary Blade 

Cricut Maker 

Cricut Fabric Grip Mat 

You can watch the short process video here and check my project on Cricut Design Space. 

After doing this project, I planned to make more faux leather projects and I would invest in leather goods tools.

Anyway, before I continue my Sydney Australia series let me share my Monogram Gift Tags. This is my entry for Bee Happy Weeklies Week 27: Monogram. When I saw the theme for this week, it took me a while to decide, which project will I make. I was thinking of an iron-on project for my cardholder, a monogram for my tote bag, a glass etching project for my baking dish, or layered gift tags.

In the end, I chose gift tags but instead of cutting all the layers, I just printed the first layer, and using my Ohuhu markers and glitter markers, I colored each letter. I attached the design to the gift tag layers that I created. I cut the backing three times to make my gift tag sturdier.

I only cut the J,K,L and M letters from the Layer Floral Alphabet A-Z SVG Bundle which I got from Creative Fabrica. You can watch my quick process video here. 

Among the hostels and hotels I listed, I booked at Hyde Park Inn even though it was over my budget. I read mixed reviews about this hotel; some were disappointed, and some were satisfied, but I still chose it because it has a mini kitchen, so we can prepare our own food, just like when we went to Copenhagen and Oslo. Don’t forget to register on their website to avail of the 5% discount, best rate guarantee, and free car parking. 

Hyde Park Inn is a 4-star hotel in Sydney's CBD. It is near the Museum Train Station, restaurants, Pitt St Mall, and tourist spots. The hotel offers different rooms, so it is ideal for families or big groups. Since we are just a family of three, I booked the Standard Studio. Full payment is due upon arrival at the hotel, and in case of a no-show, a penalty of one night will apply. For 5 nights, we paid AUD1470.60 = PHP54.380.93. 

One queen bed, one single bed, and an ensuite bathroom with a shower 

Split system air-conditioning 50-inch LED TV’s and DVD player 

Kitchenette with tea coffee making facilities, bar fridge, toaster, and convection microwave oven. 

Free, unlimited Wi-Fi for multiple devices is also provided 

Work desk, dining table with seating for 4, lounge, and armchair for relaxing 

Max occupancy on existing bedding is 3 people. Room size 36sqm 

Subject to availability, an additional rollaway bed for 4th person can be arranged at an extra cost Strictly non-smoking 

Hyde Park Inn offers a guest laundry facility which is available for 24 hours, just purchase your own washing powder at the reception. They have complimentary in-room entertainment where you can watch Movielink in-house movies, and read international magazines and newspapers using PressReader. In addition, they also provide complimentary Guest Changing Room and Luggage Storage Room so just in case you are arriving before the check-in time.

Check-in is from 1PM and check-out is before 10AM. We arrived at the hotel before 11AM so we just dropped our luggage so we could explore the area while waiting for our check-in. We were able to check in before 1PM and this was our room for 6 days. 

For toiletries, they only provide hand soap, head-to-toe wash, and tissues. 

The room has a kitchenette but there was no stove. But we were still happy because we had a fridge, kettle, toaster, and a convection microwave oven. 

The kitchenette has cutlery and crockery but it was incomplete so we asked for additional forks and teaspoons, yung iba hindi na namin nirequest. 

Hyde Park Inn has a Complimentary Continental Breakfast but guests have to prepare their own meal in their own room because they do not have a dining room or cafe. 

Bread 

Packets of assorted cereal 

Orange juice 

Fresh milk 

Pre-packaged fruit cup 

Assorted condiments (jam, peanut butter, marmalade, honey, Vegemite, butter) 

Tea & Coffee 

There are nearby groceries and convenience stores so we bought additional breakfast meals like bread, ham, bacon, sausage, etc. Tap water in Australia is safe to drink so we only bought juice and sodas. 

One thing I like about Hyde Park Inn is the location… 

1. It is near the train station and HOHO bus stop so we did not have a hard time commuting. 

2. It is near restaurants and Pitt St Mall so we can buy our own food before going back to the hotel. 

3. A Duty-Free Shop is also nearby so we can buy last-minute souvenirs or pasalubong. 

4. There are so many tourist spots within the area like Anzac Memorial, Australian Museum, Hyde Park, Hyde Park Barracks, and St. Mary’s Cathedral. 

271 Elizabeth Street, 

2000, Sydney NSW, Australia