Mysalmi

Rainbow for the boys :-)

2012-01-25T20:47:00.003+08:00

Salaams and hello everyone :-)

Happy New year to all my Chinese friends - Gong Xi Fa Chai. It was a long holiday that continue from weekend till tuesday and school is closed for one week however we decided to enjoy our holiday at home since DH need to finished his proposal by this week and I will need to do some sewing and spring cleaning from the temporary mess that was due to the baking activities that happened a week before Chinese New Year - thanks to all my loyal customer who have been with me for almost 10 years *hugs*

I baked the rainbow cupcakes (refering : martha stewart website) as a CNY gift for my neighbour and for my SIL who is recovering from the road accident. From the ingredient it produced about 30 pcs cupcakes and I am using a fresh cream for the icing. Vee is a very nice neighbour who has a good sensitivity and understanding of her muslim neighbour. Every year she will distribute a hari raya hamper to all her nearby muslim neighbour and whenever she had a gathering occasion that involved muslim neighbour, she will order a halal food from a muslim caterer. Her sons brandon and bryan are two adorable and talkative kids who can converse fluently in malay eventhough both of them went to english/chinese medium kindergarten. I hope that they like is as much as they enjoy my red velvet cuppies.

Till next entry, take care and enjoy your holiday

Bouquet of Roses

2012-01-06T16:16:00.010+08:00

Salaams and Hello everyone :-)

Happy 2012!..wow 1st week of January in 2012 already gone and how is your new year's craft resolution *wink*..to me nothing changed but I am challenging myself at least to make a small progress on every pieces of xstitch which is in my UFO list, so that I can hang something new on my wall of fame *wink*. My existing framed xstitch, some of it had shown sign of aging with dots of brown spot scattered everywhere (sama macam tuan dia jugak..aging gracefully *hiks*) and the new view on the wall can help to up lifting and motivate my lazy mode smile*.

Ok, let me story about the bouquet of roses, a design adapted from The Romance Of Ribbon Book by craftworld same design with the Aliah's pillow which I had done before. I did some minor modification from the previous pillow, since I don't have any more available two tone ribbon color in my ribbon stash, I need to order it from ebay, thus took quite sometimes for it to arrived causing delay on the stitching progress, it took me more or less about 3 months to sew it as I am not doing it on full time basis, I only stitched when I have free time and usually my customer understand my constraint and they willing to wait ~ thank you so much :-))

For this pillow, I am practising my thread embroidery skill with simple fine sprays using bullion stitch, not so difficult actually, hurmms..one of my goal this year is to refine my bullion stitch skills :-)

Soo relieved to see the three pieces of pillow finally done and I can feel part of the responsibility has been lifted from my shoulder *sigh* and I can move on to another stitching project.

Till next entry, take care everyone. May we have a productive 2012 producing many beautiful crafts and inspiring each other. XOXO

Fruits Pavlovas

2011-12-23T17:23:00.007+08:00

Salaams and Hello everyone *smile*

Tengok kat blog rima and CMG memang terguda nak buat Pavlova nie, tapi nak cari mood jer nak buat meringue nie sebab kalau kepala tengah mereng dengan kerja yang banyak, sure meringue pun mereng jugak nanti hasilnya..hehehehe..and that is why my pavlova kaler are tanned sebab terlebih jemur dalam oven..hikss..

Egg Whites tu dah lama me simpan dalam fridge, adalah sebulan lebih gitu..selalu me buat agar-agar gula hangus, putih telur tu tak guna, so me simpan..ingat nak buat macaron tapi rasa sentap lagi sebab dah 3 kali attempt tak jadi2 pun..so me pun tutup kejap project macaron tu

Since semalam me keje half day, me pun terus lah membaking meringue nie, terlupa pulak nak bajet time that I should finished it by 8 pm since I need to send DD for her tuition and fetch her sister at BTS..hurmss..ngam2 je pukul 8 timer tu pun ringggg..so me pun bukak sikit pintu oven tu tapi terlupa nak off kan oven.. terus merempit..hahahaha..balik2 ajer..adalah dalam sejam..sib baik tak hangus..hiks..anyway rasa dia memang sedap sebab crunchy outside and soft like marshmallow inside, blend very well with fresh cream and fresh fruits *yummeh*

My Lucky Clover

2011-12-19T16:35:00.006+08:00

Hello and Salaams everyone *oxox*.

My doily project - going mobile *sigh*. This is my small tatting project that I have been working on mostly -- on the road since we have few outstation trip for the past few weeks. I had turn my passenger seat into my tatting nest..*wink*. This Lucky Clover is from Tatting Pattern and Design by Glum Blomqvist and Elwy Persson. The original pattern is using yarn size no:30 and produce about 8.5 inches doily.

I am using Manuela Variegated size no :20 and with round 1 and 2 almost completed, the doily size is about 7.5 inch. I have another round to go which is 3rd round and once completed I am estimated the doily size will be about 10 inches. This is the largest size that I had ever done.

I hope to complete the doily soon, but not so soon as I have few pending project that is screaming for my immediate attention *hahaha*. Anyway, if lepak2 dekat kedai mamak for a teh tarik pun sempat tatting jugak kan *wink*.

Have a nice week ahead my friends and readers, take care ya.

My Joy of Baking - Chocolate Genoise

2011-12-03T17:55:00.006+08:00

Salaams and Hello everyone *wink*

Still in the mood of baking, this time to fulfill my youngest girl request for Chocolate Genoise. The recipe is from Joy of Baking. Since cuti sekolah, boleh la me trained my 2nd girl to learn baking. Yang lagi 2 orang tu, suka makan ajer..hehehe..siap cakap lagi with me and their father, esok2 kalau kita orang dah kerja kan, kita orang balik rumah ibubaba jer makan yer..malas nak masak..adoii haiii..neway walaupun dorang tak minat, we still slowly teach them to cook at least yang simple2 dishes..

Rasa dia mcm a bit chewy cake but ok lah for me untuk kelainan.

Special request jugak, nak filing chocolate banyak2, so me pun buat tebal2 hah..:-). Ingat nak letak raspberry tapi tak jumpa pulak kat giant..malas nak ke Jusco, biasanya memang selalu ada. Bila buat kek nie, teringat la pulak my baking lesson kat ICCA, ingat nak sambung series 2, tapi bila tengok new fees yang naik sampai RM150 dari RM600 to RM750, mak aihhh..mahalnya..padahal baru jer me attend kelas tu in June tak silap..tak sure la apa yang mahalnya..of course la barang2 kot..tapi takkan la drastik sampai camtu..neway takpelah..kat internet pun banyak jer resepi yang we can try and learn to do it kan..we try, we make mistakes, we learn and later kita improve *smile*

Have a nice weekend everyone :-)

Oh ! Somewhere Over The Rainbow :-)

2011-12-02T13:41:00.006+08:00

Salaams and Hello everyone :-)

I baked a rainbow cake for school holidays *wink*. DD had asked me to make this cake for quite sometimes but I keep postponed it due to my busy schedule with family events from the 1^st weekend till the 4^th weekend of November. It was an exhausted month where we had extensive travelling for events and business travelling.

To fulfill DD request, I had gently stated a term with them to help me to clean the kitchen after the baking *wink*. The cake baking process is not difficult, it is just a like normal cake, but since I need to bake 6 layer cake, I will need to have 6 cake pan, I only have 4 cake pan with size 8.5 inches, by 0.5 inch larger from the recommended size in the recipe by Martha stewart, so I can only make about 5 layer with appropriate thickness.

Now, the tricky part is to prepare the lemony~ Swiss~ Meringue~ Buttercream -- something that I never done before. I need to get some ideas on how the texture and consistency should be and Youtube come to the rescue J. I did not follow exactly from the recipe on the filling and frosting suggestion, I decided to make the cake frosting as a filling too, to minimize the usage of white eggs as I had no immediate idea on how to utilize the 14 egg yolks if I were to do both filling and frosting buttercream.

I followed the buttercream frosting instruction *exactly* but, after I changed the whisk attachment to paddle (as per instruction) the disaster happened -- it never hardened and become bit watery! even though I had beat it for 5 minutes, Oh my! I wonder what went wrong? *sigh*. I read the cake review again and later find out my mistakes maybe with the meringue, I did not beat the sugar/egg whites until it perform nice and glossy peak. Anyhow, the frosting ingredients is only sufficient for cake filling and not enough to cover the whole cake J. Overall the cake taste nice and I add additional of 1 tbsp lemon grind and juice in the cake ingredient to eliminate the egg white smell J

Take care and xoxo :-)

Floria @ Pudu Market

2011-11-27T12:43:00.006+08:00

Salaams and hello everyone :-)

Penat2 mata duduk lama menjahit, fikir2 pasal kerja yang banyak baik di rumah mahupun di pejabat, tempat me nak release tension to look for beautiful flower usually is at pudu market. Me memang dah jadi regular customer kat florist nie close to 20 years *wink*. Sebab dah jadi loyal customer, hehehe..so me selalunya dapat harga Petaling street ngan dia..so takyah la bersusah payah nak ke PS yang me tak berapa suka nak pergi sebab susah nak cari parking kat situ walaupun DH nyer family memang suka pergi kat situ cari fresh flowers for their special occasion.

Tengok bunga-bunga nie, sangatlah eye therapy sebab ada macam2 kaler and selection esp kekwa and carnation.

Kadang-kadang me suka jugak beli yang kaler putih nie, nampak tenteram ajer tengok kan..tapikan, sampai sekarang, takde lah nak perihatin tanya nama bunga-bunga kat kedai nie..hehehe

Rambang mata dibuatnya, varieties of flowers for pelbagai occassion, meraikan yang tersayang mahupun untuk mengenang yang telah pergi sebab some of the flowers ada juga digunakan untuk upacara keagamaan kaum lain.

Puan florist, memang awet muda tau, wajah dia tak banyak berubah pun, mungkin la tengok bunga hari2 hati pun senang ajer, takpun dia makan kelopak bunga ros yang tak abis jual tu..hehehe..kan?..me pernah baca petua tu..jgn ikut ehh sebab tak dibuktikan secara saintifik *wink*

Cantikkan tiger lily nie, memang my favourite flower, ada kuning, pink and white minggu nie, and bau dia sangat sedap..cumanya minggu nie me nak beli bunga lain..dah lama tak beli bunga nie pasal dia selalunya tak tahan lama..abis kuat pun 3 hari jer, pastu layu..

I bought red roses for this week, since Puan Florist kata sekarang ros dah tahan lama..kita tengok la berapa lama dia tahan..lagipun thru my experience..bila me letak air rx-water bunga tahan lebih lama..like my carnation boleh last for more than one week..as compared bila me letak air paip biasa :-). Biasanya me beli dalam rm1 sebatang and rose nie, kembang dia besar unlike yang biasa me beli..mungkin nie hybrid yang baru yang didatangkan dari Cameron Highland :-)

Selamat Menyambut Tahun Baru Maal hijrah 1433H to my muslim friends. Take care :-)

Mothers Teacup - Paint and sew

2011-11-24T09:04:00.009+08:00

Salaams and Hello everyone :-)

Another week of November, and by next week we will be in December of 2011, in another more or less 35 days we will be in 2012..pheww time does flies..another year older *wink*. Dalam bizi2 pun sempat lagi nak cuit2 sikit project alas meja nie yang me beli masa sales kat Living Quarters, The Curve ~ my fav place kalau nak hunt for nice cotton table cloth. Tapi kena tunggu sales so that boleh dapat price less than RM100..normal price biasanya dalam RM200-Rm250 untuk alas meja 6 kerusi :-)

Original design table cloth, plain white embroidery thread with crochet lace edging. Me rasa cam dull sikit sebab semua white, so plan memula nak sew ribbon embroidery on top of the embroidered flower tapi bila mengenangkan banyak kerja sebab bunga2 keliling table cloth, mau bertahun2 la me nak siapkan..silap2 sampai reput kain pun belum tentu siap..ngeeeee :-)

So, me pun asked kak Nora help to paint the design adapted from Sandy Lynam clough - mothers teacup and later me will embroidered it with ribbon. Ada 4 motif teacup design by sandy yang me pilih to paint at each corner of the table cloth, this design nampak sarat sikit with intricate doily, big flower and necklace with heart pendant. To keep it simple, me just add 2 flower, bit of leaves and brass 'like' heart embellishment yang me beli kat Quilt Gallery - voila!

Got to go now, I need to continue my stitching, take care everyone and enjoy your holiday :-)

Ribbon Rose Curtain Tie-Back

2011-11-14T13:05:00.011+08:00

R
Salaams and hello everyone :-)

A simple project for my window curtain just to instill my mood to resume few of my pending RE project after almost 2 months break since my last pillow project :-). I was busy with my baking business and few cross stitch project and the Ribbon embroidery tempo has been missing from my stitching routine *wink*

Matchmaking process usually take sometimes to decide what color to use and I usually arrange all color that I feels able to fit in the existing curtain color. I have to be careful as the curtain background color is already crowded with flower and damask motifs.

I am not very keen to use curtain fringe with dangling beads as I more into wools fringe but after few shops visit along Jalan Tar from Harrisons to Kamdar, the above seems to be the best choice *sigh* as those shops don't have many curtain fringe that suit my preference.

The end result *wink*. My ardent commentator is not pleased with the color as he said that the curtain background overshadow my tie-back, never mind..I am happy with it *wink*

Happy stitching!

Bergedil Daging

2011-11-07T13:16:00.004+08:00

Salaams and hello everyone :-)

Bergedil daging nie memang wajib ada atas meja during aidilfitri dan juga aidiladha sebab DH kalau raya suka ada ketupat rendang semua, so masak memang heavy ajer for both raya :-). Resepi nie arwah my MIL punya..tapi masa me buat selalu ajer lah fail sebabnya kan..kalau aidil fitri tu masak banyak..dalam 4 kg kentang gitu..sure lah me kantoi kalau memasak banyak2 nie dari segi kecukupan rasa garam dan rempah nyer kan..sabar je lah telinga kalau sil komen2 tu..haahahahaha..kalau nak sentap pun boleh..*sigh* tapi untuk kebaikan kan..terima ajer lah :-).

Lama2 tu bila dah biasa buat, baru lah ok..jom kita tengok resepi dia :-)

Bahan-Bahan

1.4 kg kentang

400 gram daging cincang

- kentang hiris dan goreng hingga kekuningan

- daging goreng hingga masak

- tumbuk kentang dan daging cincang hingga halus dan ketepikan

1 batang kayu manis

5 biji buah pelaga

1 sudu teh lada hitam

1 kuntum bunga lawang

3 kuntum bunga cengkih

(tumbuk semua bahan2 diatas - buah pelaga tu bila dah pecah masa kita tumbuk, buang kulitnya)

I biji telor

garam

2 helai daun sup - hiris halus

3 helai daun bawang - hiris halus

2 sudu makan bawang goreng

1 biji telor - dipukul

minyak untuk menggoreng

cara-cara membuatnya :

1. gaul daging dan kentang goreng yang telah ditumbuk tadi, masukkan bahan2 rempah yang ditumbuk, gaul rata.

2. masukkan telor yang telah dipukul sedikit, garam, daun sup dan daun bawang yang telah dihiris dan bawang goreng. gaul rata.

3. Bulat2 kan dan celupkan dalam telor yang telah dipukul. Goreng dengan minyak yang sederhana panas hingga kekuningan dan angkat.

Selamat mencuba ya :-)

Selamat Menyambut Hari Raya Aidiladha

2011-11-03T13:37:00.002+08:00

Miles away, oceans apart
never in my sight always in my heart
the love is always there it will never die
only growing stronger a tears rose down my eye

I am thiking all the time
when the day will come
standing there before you
accept this Hajj of mine

standing in ihram, making my tawaf
drinking blessings from your well
the challenges that I have suffered
and might were rekindles my imaan

O Allah! I am waiting for the call
praying for the day when I can be near the Kabah wall
O Allah! I am waiting for the call
praying for the day when I can be near the Kabah wall

Semoga satu ketika nanti Allah akan menjemput saya kembali ke sana..insyallah

To All my muslim friends "selamat menyambut Hari Raya Aidiladha & Menjalani Ibadah Qurban

Welcome Teatime

2011-10-18T13:36:00.007+08:00

Salaams and hello to everyone :-)

I am hopping from one xstitch project to another which I purposely do to avoid the boredom sitting and sewing the same project at one time. I don't remember when I started this project , must be quite sometimes since I cannot find the sorted thread which is included in this small kit..*sigh*..the thread went missing without a trace..*huh*..and leave me with no choice but to look for dimensions to DMC thread conversion.

The finished size is quite small but the fabric is 16 count and definitely will slow down my stitching progress. I just love the gold lining detail that used the combination of 2 floss of gold thread and 1 floss of cotton thread.

More to go esp on the flower part and also stitching the creamer, doilies and teacup. At this age, I really don't like stitching white or very light color thread on cream or white fabric..uhhh..I will have to count the box more than 3 times..hikss..rabun daaa :-)

Till next entry, happy stitching :-)

Fried Banana with custard

2011-10-06T09:06:00.005+08:00

Salaams and hello everyone :-)

Dah lama kan tak buat entry masak2..*wink*. Kali nie me nak share resipi simple and easy to do. yang penting sedap :-). Original resipi dari marina mustafa yang me tengok masa rancangan resepi umi dekat tvalhijrah. Sebenarnya masa rancangan tu me tak salin pun, main ingat2 ajer sebab time tu tengah sibuk baking cookies, so lepas tu lupe terus..hihihi..cari2 kat blog, google tak jumpa pulak..so me agak2 ajer lah..janji ada rupa and boleh makan.

Me guna 6 biji pisang cavendish. Pisang nie kalau goreng dengan minyak dia tak lembik sangat, so goreng dulu yer. pastu buat sos kastard dia me guna 1/2 tin susu cair, taruk gula sikit and tepung custard tu dalam 1 sudu makan jer, masak sampai pekat or ikut kita lah nak pekat atau cair kuah dia..me suka cair sikit. pastu gajus tu nak goreng atau bakar pun boleh. Lastly tuang kastard atas pisang tadi, taburkan gajus and fruit mix. Sedia untuk dihidangkan. Bon appetite!

The Versatile Blogger Award

2011-10-05T18:36:00.004+08:00

Salaams and hello everyone :-)

Many thanks to shima for this award yer. Me rasa lum lagilah nak mencapai ke tahap versatile tu tapi lebih kepada orang tamak yang semua craft nak buat..heeheehee..anyway me sangat appreciate ingatan shima yang pandai serba serbi terutama yang buat me mula nak menjeles dengan decorative painting dia tu..I like!.

7 things about me..hurmmm..simple2 aje lah ye

DD's describe me adalah seorang yang garang dan cerewet esp bila didapur
Me penggeli sikit dengan kucing, so menjangkit kat semua my doter, tapi DH ada bela kucing sekor nama dia putih yang kurang kasih sayang dan belaian manja sebab semua pun takut nak pegang2 kan..tapi putih adalah gemuks sebab DH rajin kasi makan :-)
Me alah pada udang, tapi sikit2 boleh but not 3 ekor atau lebih udang galah..boleh pengsan me nanti..huhuhu
haaaa dah tak tau nak pikir apa lagi..tambahan boleh check kat entry lama nie :-) about me

Sapa me nak tag pasni, ok semua my follower and also semua yang baca blog nie..boleh :-)

Take care ya everyone *XOXO*

Faith Teacup

2011-10-03T16:15:00.009+08:00

Salaams and hello to all my 156 followers!..thank you so much for following my blog *hugs*. To all my blog visitors and friends, thank you and I appreciate your time to drop by and reading my entry. Thanks so much everyone *hugs*.

This faith teacup is one of the trio adapted from painting artis - Sandy Lynam Clough. Sandy have a beautiful painting collection on teacup and teapots that never fails to amazed me *wink*. I have been working with this design more than a month due to my pack schedule in syawal, well I believed my muslim friends in malaysia is busy too during month of Syawal attending and hosting an open house for friends and families over the weekend:-)

I almost complete this teacup and will move on to the next teacup. Stay tune for the updates ya. Take care everyone :-)

Inspirasi Daria

2011-09-05T12:56:00.007+08:00

Salam Syawal to all my muslim friends and Hello to all my blog readers :-)

My muslim friend, how is your eid celebration?. I do hope you had a great time with your family and friends. I sew the above cushion for my sister in law who happily welcomed a new member in her family ~ her first grand daughter. The design is adapted from LA embroidery silk cushion. The technique used is simple, ribbon stitch, french knots, little beading and stem stitch, but it took me more than 2 weeks to finished it *wink*. The finishing is just a simple enveloped pillow style..pagi raya tu baru siap jahit and terus deliver..hahahaha..last minute work.

Till then, selamat menghadiri dan mengadakan jemputan rumah terbuka di sepanjang bulan syawal ini :-). Take care and drive safely.

Salam Aidilfitri

2011-08-31T08:01:00.003+08:00

To all my muslim friends and blog readers,

I am wishing you Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

May you have a wonderful eid celebration with family and friends

Sabda Rasulullah s.a.w

Sesiapa yang berpuasa pada bulan ramadhan lalu diiringi dengan puasa enam hari di bulan syawal, seolah olah dia telah berpuasa setahun"

(Hadis riwayat Muslim)

Selamat Datang Ramadhan

2011-07-31T09:15:00.005+08:00

Source : ramadhannewcastle.wordpress.com

Assalamualaikum wbkth kepada semua pengunjung2 blog yang beragama Islam, saya ingin mengucapkan selamat menyambut bulan ramadhan dan menjalani Ibadah puasa. Mohon maaf andai ada tulisan2 yang mungkin telah menyinggung perasaan anda semua..maafkan saya :-)..

Daripada Abu Hurairah r.a, Rasulullah Bersabda yang bermaksud

"Allah berfirman : "Setiap amalan manusia itu untuknya kecuali puasa.

Ia untuk-Ku dan Aku yang memberi ganjarannya"

Hadis Qudsi, (Riwayat al-bukhari dan muslim)

Ye Olde My Cottage Teapot

2011-07-15T23:21:00.004+08:00

Salaam and Hello to all readers :-)

Tinggal lebih kurang 2 minggu jer lagi menjelang ramadhan..jadi bagaimana dengan persediaan untuk menyambut ramadhan dan aidilfitri..kejap sungguh masa berlalu..rasanya macam baru jer sambut raya. To me, raya tahun nie takde yang baru2..langsir pun tak perlu tukar sebab masih elok. Persiapan anak2 pun insyallah me akan selesaikan sebelum bulan puasa nie.

Ok, kali nie me nak share my cottage and novelty teapot. Yang first sekali tu by Sadler me beli dari kak mona EV..hehehe..sure ramai orang kenal kan *wink*. Yang kedua nie, by Julian Fine China 'kitty teapot', yang nie me beli dengan shima. Me suka tengok view teapot nie, nampak very cosy jer dengan garden chair with blue table cloth.

Friendship teapot nie, dah lama me beli dekat cozy cottage, amcorp mall..dulu2 masa romantika, kk home deco belum ada, me suka cari home accessories dekat situ..tapi barang2 dia harga boleh tahan jugak..so tak boleh nak membeli sangat. Teapot nie pun puas la me membargain dengan auntie tu..dapat la jugak reasonable price.

owhh yang nie rose cottage by sadler, lama betul la me dok eyeing for it..cari2 kat ebay memang la banyak tapi bila campur shipping cost yang sama atau lagi mahal dari harga barang..me pun have to let it go ajer lah...since dapat yang quite reasonable price, me pun grab ajer..hehehe..nanti tak boleh tido kang susah pulak..termimpi2 ajer teapot..hihihi..thanks my fren :-). Rasanya cukupla 4 nie, sebab me pun dah takde tempat lagi nak letak..big boss pun dah jeling2 ajer..sebelum kena tarbiah baik la me stop..hihihi..till next..take care :-)

Joan Elliot Friendship sampler

2011-07-13T19:36:00.007+08:00

Revisited.

Salaams and hello my blog readers :-). This is my 3rd time stitching this piece. Never get bored. How can I ever get bored as all the motif are my favourite - teacup, teapot, saucer and lace border..simply pretty!

"While the pot boils..Friendship Blossoms". Even though some of my stitching friends is no longer active in blogging world but we still keep in touch in FB :-), the friendship keep blossoms :-)

I try to set the deadline to finished it in this month..my HOPE and need to put more effort since my dear friend has been waiting for too long..thanks so much for your understanding :-)

Can't write much as I need to continue my sewing. Till then, take care and loads of love.

Take Time To Smell The Roses

2011-07-07T15:57:00.010+08:00

Salaam and hello to all readers,

Now, follow me..closed your eyes..imagine that you are in a garden that is full of roses, big and small in sizes, bushes and climbing, varieties of colors in pink, blue, white, red, yellow, orange or any color that you like, butterfly dancing around hopping from one flower to another flower, birds singing happily and you decided to sit on a wooden white bench..to enjoy the view and smell the roses *wink*..serene !.

Sorry I have to stop your dream and want to share my joy and excitement once received this long awaited book. I have been booking this book from book depository since May and finally it is in my bookshelf. What I love to shop with book depository is they are offering free shipping to Malaysia! and that is already a saving about RM40-60 for the shipping cost

Roses by Di Van Nierk is her 3rd book that I have. Her works is simply breathtaking, and she explained how to make the silk ribbon flower with a detailed instruction and in color photograph. It's a book that I always love to browse during my breakfast time, afternoon tea or even as my bedtime story book *wink*..for an inspiration..

To all my dear friend and readers, time flies very fast and thus we always have a hectic and busy life. Forget about work and the problems for a while and take a time to smell the roses. Luv ya!

ICCA -- The Experience..

2011-06-27T11:42:00.005+08:00

Lemon chiffon cake with lemon curd toping

Salaams and hello to all my followers and readers. Thank you so much for your time, reading and viewing my entry. I appreciate it very much. This entry is all about food and mostly about my experience joining the Better Baking Course Series 1 at Wilton, Kota Damansara. For our fourth and finale class of the series 1, we are baking 2 type of cakes which is Lemon Chiffon Cake and Genois (is named after its place of origin, Genoa in Italy)

Now, lets talk about my chiffon cake. I was so happy with the outcome. It rise almost close to the pan level..*big smile*. The success of the chiffon cake depends on your meringue. It must be at the stiff peak as the photo below :-).

Now I am bit comfortable in whipping the egg white as before this, I was bit confused with the meringue peak definition - soft, medium and stiff. Usually the instructor will make a demonstration and later we will make our own cake with their supervision. There is a lot of tips and tricks shared during the whole lesson.

This is sinfully taste Genois, my girls loves it very much and me too!. I am not a cake person but any cake with light texture will be my preference :-).

The genoise with Chocolate Ganas (as my husband pronounce it) ..well Ganache..if we put Nutella pun also nice kan..but look at the Nutella price tag now..quite expensive..pening makcik kalau nak wat filling semata-mata nutella ajer..

Opss..now this is a puff pastry made by my other half :-) wink..he is joining the class for puff pastry making at ICCA too :-)..very gebus kan..and tasty too.

A very light snack merigue puff suitable for kids birthday party or even afternoon tea :-). We personally feels the baking/pastry class is a good experience and worth the investment. Memang a bit pricey, but the knowledge memang sangat berbaloi. In baking, the oven temperature is important, using a right ingredient, right tools and technique will ensure the success in baking. All ingredients used in the class is a good quality like Philladelphia cheese , RICH whip cream and SCS butter for the pastry. The most important thing, it is a hands-on class. At the end of they day, we bring home a success cake or pastry as the instructor will ask us to make another cake should our cake failed during the lesson and we all learned from other people mistakes too, thank you friends :-). If you need more information about the class do check this websites : www.2decoratecakes.com

Till next enty, have a great day ahead :-)

Cuppies Patchwork

2011-06-18T14:02:00.008+08:00

I always admire Julie Mckenzie's cupcakes patchwork and inspired by her works. My online conversation with my dear friend musliha about sue bonnet patchwork had gaves me an idea on how to sew this cupcakes. I bought this readymade teatowel from lynncottage . It comes in three pcs with 2 different design and another one is just a plain towel and I love it!..it gaves me an opportunity to "paint" this empty fabric.

I rummage my stash cabinet for the fat quarter cotton collection..some I bought from Yee's button, cottage patch or even a gift from a stitching friends. I take out my button box and start to pick a suitable button which is also a gift from a close stitching friends.

I started to make the template and draw it on the piece of paper, cut the fabric according to the template and place it on the interfacing and ironed it. Assembled it and hand stitch it with blanket stitching. Rejoice!.

Memoir of him

2011-06-17T23:39:00.007+08:00

The Teacup/Saucer with grape motif reminds me with my late father. When I was a little girl ~ me, my lil sister and my late father went to apek's shop somewhere around the Chowkit vicinity..when was that?.. back to 1978 *sigh*. It is only 5 set cup/saucer without teapot. I bought the small bowl from en.shariff just to add more members into this grapes family.

My father wants to buy the teaset for my mom and I really like this grape motif teacup and saucer..it looks so cute like my "masak-masak toys"..hiks..oopss..kecik2 dah suka cup and saucer eh *wink* and my father agreed with my choice *smile*. It was with my mom for so many years, until one day I asked from her that I would like to keep it and my mother said yes!.

My father passed away in 1980 to due his long illness. I am gratefull to Allah for lending him to us eventhough for a short time and I had been given a chance to take care of him while he is sick, bathed him, cleaned him, combed his hair, gently rubbing his back to eased his pain. Losing a father is a painful experienced in my childhood days but I throw the sadness and let all the sweet memories with him filled my heart.

"Ya Allah sampaikanlah seumpama pahala bacaanku kepada roh ayahku. Ya Allah, ampunilah dosanya, kasihani dan selamatkanly dia dan maafkanlah kesalahannya, muliakan kedatangannya, lapangkan kuburnya, terimalah kebaikannya, hapuskanlah kesalahannya dengan Rahmat-Mu, Wahai Tuhan Yang Maha Pengasih".

A little Time Away

2011-06-05T20:52:00.009+08:00

"Everybody need a little time away, I heard her say..from each other"..hurmm yes my little time away from family over the weekend is to be with my new friends who shared the passion of baking at ICCS, kota Damansara. Thanks to mamatiamia for the class info *smile*

This is my 2nd class where we baked a Red Velvet and Pound cake. The 2nd class is much better than the first class as we managed to finished a bit early, less crowded and we had familiarised ourselves with the tools and utensils. During the first class, the student is about 22-25 students and we finished almost at 6 pm..so calculate the number of hours standing is about 7 hours and I went home very tired.

hah..see the uneven colour of the cake..because the batter did not mix well..opss we forgot to scrape..hurmm..maybe due to the humid temperature in the classroom..me and partner cannot think straight..hahaha..put the blame on the malfunction of the aircond..hikss..bad me :-)

Preparing for the French Buttercream Icing

I had baked red velvet cakes few times before and I do prefer cream cheese frosting than french buttercream icing..and on the icing part..owhhh nooo!.. enough for me to know the basic part of icing decorating..I wont pursue further...I work much better "decorating" the fabric with needles, thread and ribbon *sigh*

My final product result *wink*. Yadda..Yadda..I am so happy :-) and satisfied with every single ringgit that I had invested in this Basic Baking Course :-)

Pound cake with lemon glazing

Red Velvet Cake with French Buttercream Icing

Ermmm..the heart shape did not look as it is supposed to be, ada orang tak berapa nak sabar tunggu kek tu kat dalam fridge *wink*..ermm so icing tu tak berapa nak keras, jadi bila kita potong, bentuk heart tu jadi tak kemas..

till then, happy baking :-)

For Aleesha Hannah

2011-06-03T13:43:00.006+08:00

Assalamualaikum and Hello. I made this rose corsage for Aleesha Hannah Majlis Bercukur Jambul which was held on 14th May. This flower does not take long time to produce one *wink*. I sew the flower and the leaves, then gave to my close friend who is Aleesha mother, Ain for the assembled part since I don't have the glue gun :-)

I am using two tone polyester ribbon with one inch size,( if I am not mistaken) for the flower and the leaves as well..I am quite bad in giving the exact size of the ribbon *wink*.

Aleesha looks so sweet in the pink dress *smile*. Auntie doakan moga Aleesha menjadi anak yang soleh, pandai, taat kepada Allah dan Ibu Bapa.

Happy holiday and have a great weekend..xoxo

Passion for Scissors

2011-05-30T16:20:00.005+08:00

Assalamualaikum and hello everyone, I took me a while to update my blog. I am not able to make a regular entry nowadays as I am so much occupied with my work and family and sometimes not sometimes, most of the days I am exhausted. To keep this blog alive, I am sharing my craft/embroidery scissor collection.

I have been collecting scissors for the past 10 years. Most of my collection are from online shop since the unique design are not easily available here. I don't have any specific brand in particular to help me to decide on my pick. As long is it pleased my eyes, it will go into my cart *sigh*.

Some scissors are used to unpick my stitching especially the one with long and small endpoint blades (huh..is this word correct..hahaha) and I have one scissors with 'bend' blades which is suitable for hardanger project.

Thats all for now, have a great stitching day ahead and take care, xoxo

Sambal Belimbing Hitam

2011-05-16T22:13:00.004+08:00

Sambal hitam nie memang popular kat belah2 Kuala Lipis, Jerantut dan Raub. Me, walaupun asal dari salah satu daerah situ..every time kalau balik kampung sure singgah pasar benta cari daun maman, gula kabung, ikan patin atau baung sangkar..langsung tak amik pot pasal belimbing hitam nie..tau pasal masakan nie pun masa tengok rancangan masakan Pelik tapi Sedap and tiap kali lalu pekan raub tu langsung tak perasan ada restoran yang jual nasi keduli and sambal hitam..tapi my auntie cakap, nasi keduli lagi sedap kalau ada minyak kepayang..mana nak cari minyak kepayang sekarang..and baru la me tau minyak kepayang tu boleh makan dengan nasi..hurmm..kang kalau mabuk kepayang camne..hihihi..

Nak masak sambal hitam nie tak susah..memang simple..even DD pun selalu buat sendiri..malas la me nak layan hari2 mintak sambal hitam..hiks..cuma nak buat belimbing tu jer makan masa..kena rebus berejam2 sampai kering and jadi hitam cam kat atas tu. Selalunya me mintak my auntie yang belikan kat pasar benta and pastu pos laju jer..*wink*

Bila dah siap belimbing tu, kita cuma perlukan ikan bilis, bawang merah ngan cili padi..kalau me buat sambal nie, me suka goreng dulu ikan bilis tu garing2 pastu ketepikan..lepas tu tumbuk cili, bawang ngan belimbing hitam beberapa biji jer pastu tumis..bila dah garing baru masukkan bilis tadi..kacau rata..angkat dan siap dimakan dengan nasi..uummphhhh..pure bliss !.

Aliah's Pillow

2011-05-06T19:33:00.007+08:00

Hello and Salaams everyone :-)

I simply love this simple design adapted from the Ribbon Embroidery book by Craftworld. Working with a slightly dark fabric background means I need to carefully plan the color selection so that I wont make the whole design looks so 'busy'.

This pillow is for my niece solemnization ceremony which coincide with Prince William and Kate Middleton wedding day *wink*.

There are two roses that I embroidered with two different technique. I love the turn out of the briar rose which using a two tone polyester ribbon and I am happy with my Queen Anne Lace flower :-). I replaced the bullion spray with beads to make the sewing time shorter *wink*

A view for the whole design. I always like to add beads and lace into my design as it adds more character into it. It took me about 2 weeks to embroider this pillows and this time the finishing is without frills as I don't have much time to do the frills due to my hectic schedule in the month of April. Anyhow, I am glad that my SIL and my niece are happy with this pillow. Alia & Fauzi, Selamat Pengantin Baru and moga berbahagia sehingga ke anak cucu. Loves from your auntie :-).

Thanks for visiting and take care..xoxo

Inacraft 2011

2011-05-04T14:02:00.009+08:00

Inacraft 2011 -- considered as one of the largest craft exhibition in Asia and the biggest in Indonesia is an annual event which is held in the month of April. This year, it is their 13th exhibition. I found out about this fair through my blogger friend ~ Tini who had attended this fair last year.

There are many interesting and unique product produced by home based industries or mass production. The hanging lamp in the picture was made from a corn cobs *wink*. I believe a craft fair like this is a good platform to create a market place for a creative economy. Since there are many foreigners visiting the fair, it will encourage the craft maker to improve the material and product quality as well.

Almost all province in Indonesia is participating in the craft fair with their specialty product and we will find a wide range of batik, gift items, home wares, wooden toys, jewellery, fashion and embroidery, garden decorative and etc. I managed to bought few doilies, coaster, coffee table runner from the above shop that sells machine made lace.

As the place is crowded with people, I only managed to snap few pictures. It was a short trip as my family also tag along and I dont have much time to browse all booth since we have a very pack schedule during our 3 days stay in Jakarta. Insyallah I will be coming again, next year to look for innovation and inspiration.

IDFR International Charity Bazaar 2011

2011-05-02T18:48:00.012+08:00

Salaams and Hello everyone, it's May already :-)..not so much on my craft updates lately as I was occupied with so many works :-)..however, I managed to attend craft events held in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. So here goes a little updates and pictures from me *wink*.

Snap shot at Russia Booth

The event is organized by the ladies Association of the foreign Affairs Ministry (Perwakilan) for two days from 16-17 April 2011 at IDFR, Kuala Lumpur. Purpose of this bazaar is to raise a fund for a paediatric ward and deserving organisation in the city. I came to know about the event through the newspaper.

Kenya Booth

In a statement, Wisma putra said through public diplomacy, the bazaar provided a platform and opportunity for the various foreign embassies and high commisions to promote their culture, tourism and meet the public. Some of the participating countries are Palestine, Iran, Russia, Venezuela, Indonesia, Turki, Yaman, Jordan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Namibia, Japan and many more. It is an interesting event to visit as we got a chance to know other countries cultures through their gifts and craft displayed at the booth.

I bought this 11 inch hand painted souvenir plate for the price Rm30 only from the Jordan booth. Next update will be Inacraft 2011 in Jakarta :-).

Till then, take care and xoxo

Souffle and Macaroons

2011-04-17T23:48:00.002+08:00

Salaams and hello to everyone..kali ni entry about masak2 pulak..this is my 2nd attemp to make a souffle..but still tak berapa nak success sebab kalau tengok surface dia tu mcm muka ketat jer..me still try to figure out why the surface tu tak nak merekah..dah google2 pun still tak jumpa jawapan..masterchef boleh tolong tak ?..hiks..must be ada lah silap kat mana2..takpe practice lagi lepas nie :-)..

Haaa yang nie memang tak boleh nak muka pecah..hahaha..kalau tak, sure kena masuk dalam dustbin..yelah nampak cantik ajer kan..sebab ada cikgu yang mengajar..selepas didesak berkali2 oleh my girls yang suruh me belajar macaroons nie, me pun gi lah register macaroon class kat angeltreat.com. I am learning to make macaroons the italian ways *grin*. Pasni not sure bila nak cuba buat sendiri..banyak betul do and donts..that is why si cenonit besar duit 50 sen nie mahal harganya..pasni will explore to make the macaroons in french ways..*wink*..

Till next entry, take care everyone, Cheers.

miroir et moule en cuivre

2011-04-03T18:58:00.007+08:00

Entri kali nie me buat khusus untuk mamatiamia..me dah terkena virus koleksi copper *wink* mamatiamia from her entry kat sini..duhh..bukan senang nak cari copper mold or copper skillet nie..kadang2 ada yang berkenan tapi shipping cost mahal berganda2 dari harga barang..ada yang tak ship ke malaysia, ada yang harga macam tak berbaloi je nak bid so terpaksa tunggu right time, item and most importantly price !. so me dah settle dengan 3 piece nie ajer..hehehe..

Ok, kita tinggalkan cerita copper mold/skillet nie, now kita cerita pasal cermin pulak..ekcelli me memula tengok cermin ukir nie masa my trip to makati city, manila long time ago.. harga dia memang jauh lebih murah dari sini. nak angkut bawak balik pun fikir berkali2 sebab luggage yang dah sedia ada pun berganda bilangannya daripada masa memula sampai. Dah la naik Airasia, naik bas turun bas nak ke airport, tak kuasa rasanya nak membawa balik malaysia.

After a while, SSF and British homes pun jual cermin nie tapi rasanya daripada China. Me pun tak tau apa beza between china made, bali made or philippines made..yang me tahu cermin nie adalah pengaruh daripada eropah semasa mereka menjajah negara2 di asia tenggara nie dulu.

Cermin ni me beli kat SSF masa ada sale hari tu..me rasa reasonable jugak harga dia..siap mintak further discount sebab ada retak sikit, tapi memang tak perasan kalau sekali pandang..walaupun item SSF dah kasi good discount kena tengok jugak betul2 samada berbaloi ke tak membeli..every sen and ringgit counts..hehehe

Ok dari dapur ke living, now jom kita munch this yummeh sicilian orange cake. Me amik resipi nie dari blog rima of bisousatoi..thanks rima for this great recipe.

Thanks for looking and reading. Take Care ya!

Cabbage Rose Needlepoint

2011-03-30T19:16:00.010+08:00

Needlepoint is a form of embroidery and worked primarily on canvas. Woolen yarns are used for stitching needlepoint projects. Needlepoint stitches are "patterned" stitches. That is to say, stitches that have pre-determined counted patterns. There are literally hundreds of needlepoint stitches. Many of these stitches started out as embroidery stitches and have been adjusted for needlepoint canvas. Some of the more common needlepoint stitches are cross stitch, bargello, gobelin stitch, basket weave, tent stitch, continental stitch, chain stitch and diagonal stitch. These are just af few of the many needlepoint stitches available today (source : www.buzzle.com

I bought this beautiful pre-worked needlepoint from an online shop while searching for information about needlework. I am curious to know and see how it was done as I have not seen or may be I had overlook the finished needlepoint work in any of the local needlework shop that I always frequented. This piece was handmade in China using canvas and wool yarn.

Usually, almost all completed needlepoint canvas work have some distortion due stitched process. In order to restore it to the proper shape, I need to do a blocking work. First, I will need to spray the warm water so that easy for me to pull and then pinned the canvas. Since I dont have proper pinning board, my office cubile which is from gypsum board have to "suffer" the pinning *wink*

I am not sure on the finishing yet, maybe table runner or bell pull..hurmm I am so lazy when it comes to sewing *sigh*..we shall see when I am in a good mood to do some sewing *wink*

Till then, take care and XOXO

Rainforest Taman Negara

2011-03-17T00:12:00.013+08:00

Please bear with me as this is a long entry. We spend 3 days 2 nite at Taman Negara. We booked 4 family rooms. The hotel room is ok but very limited in house activities. Service so so ajer..time breakfast memang ada voucher tapi food yang dia serve sangat limited. Bila food abis tunggu dorang refill pun lama.. ada foreign tourist yang tak boleh terima slow service macam nie..so apa lagi..kena marah la waiter/waitress tu..hari kedua pun macam tu jugak slownyer..haishh..

Trip kali nie ada upset sikit sebab weather tak menentu..hujan sepanjang 4 jam perjalanan. Bila we all arrived kat Jeti Kuala Tahan..hujan renyai2 dan air sungai yang naik sampai ke tebing welcome us :-)..gerai kat depan sebelan kanan tu nampak bumbung ajer..rasa gerun tengok air sungai yang besar dan deras..so tak boleh la nak buat apa2 aktiviti hari we all sampai tu.

On the second day, alhamdulillah cuaca baik and we all pun terkejut tengok pulau kecik tu tetiba ada..and restoran terapung tu pun dah ada kat depan tu..bayangkan betapa besarnya air sungai tu pada hari sebelumnya..

Since our hotel located at seberang Taman Negara, kena naik bot untuk menyeberang sungai ke Taman Negara dengan kadar RM1 seorang untuk perjalanan kurang dari seminit :-). Restoran2 terapung nie jugak dijadikan sebagai platform untuk penumpang turun dan naik bot dari/ke Taman Negara ataupun aktiviti boat ride.

Sebelum memulakan aktiviti, kena dapatkan permit untuk entry ke Taman Negara dekat Park Center dengan kadar RM1 untuk seorang (sah digunakan selama sebulan) dan permit untuk kamera adalah RM5 tak kira apa jenis..

Our first activity on the 2nd day ~ rapid shooting boat ride..kena sewa 2 bot sebab ramai..lagi pun air sungai still besar..original plan lalu 5 jeram dengan kadar sewa RM180 untuk satu bot..tapi bila sampai jeram ke 4...

We all tengok kat depan tu air deras..alamak boleh ke lepas nie..so tak nak amik risiko sebab memikirkan soal keselamatan..we all pun berpatah balik..then sambung ke aktiviti jungle trekking to Lubok Simpon yang jauhnya adalah 2km pergi dan balik dari park center..

We spot blue fern during our jungle trekking to Lubok Simpon..me adalah tak berapa nak ada mood amik gambar sebab fikiran terganggu dek pacat2 yang berkeliaran di laluan yang berlumpur dan becak menjadikan pacat2 hutan aktif dan cergas mencari mangsa yang lalu lalang....eeeyeww...

Laluan yang sedikit mencabar physical..menuruni curam yang licin disebabkan oleh hujan yang turun few days before..ken berhati-hati dan tali hanyalah pemegang yang disediakan..

Selepas berhempas pulas meredah becak, selut, menuruni curam, main slide kat laluan yang berlumpur sampai ada yang tergolek akhirnya jumpa la we all dengan Lubuk Simpon nie..dan memasing adalah sedikit kecewa tengok air keruh so tak dapatlah nak mandi manda kat situ and tetiba terlintas difikiran me sang buaya lah..anaconda lah..*gulp*..

Overall, it was a good trip for all of us. We really enjoy the nature, walaupun penat tapi berbaloi. Cuma sedikit kekesalan dengan keadaan tandas awam yang buatkan me rasa tak jadi nak masuk walaupun keadaan mendesak..harap sesuatu dapat dilakukan untuk meningkatkan kebersihan tandas awam disitu memandangkan Taman Negara merupakan tumpuan Pelancong Asing.

Lemon Surprise Pudding

2011-03-02T17:55:00.007+08:00

Another recipe from the How To Cook Book by Bridget Jones. Simple ingredient and easy to do. The taste is marvelous. I wonder how this pudding got it "surprise" name. After you baked the pudding, you will find a small amount of tangy lemon sauce that collects beneath the light sponge top - Surprise!. It happened because of the high proportion of milk to the flour and egg.

Serves 4

Ingredient

50g butter plus extra for greasing

grated rind and juice of 2 lemons

115g caster sugar

2 eggs separated

50g self raising flour

300ml milk

method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190 c and lightly grease 2-pint/5-cup oven proof dish/casserole (me hentam jer bake guna correlle saiz 8 x 8 inch) so dapatlah ketinggian dalam 1 inch je..sbb dia memang tak naik banyak)

2. beat butter, lemon rind and caster sugar until pale and fluffy. Add egg yolks one by one, followed by flour and beat well. Gradually whisk in the lemon juice and milk (the mixture may curdle horribly, but don't be alarmed)

3. In clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they perform stiff peaks.

4. Fold the egg whites lightly into the lemon mixture using a metal spoon until incorporated, then pour into the prepared dish. Place the dish in a roasting pan. Pour in hot water to half fill the pan, then bake the pudding for 45 minutes or until golden brown top. Serve immediately with custard or cream. Bon Appetite!.

Quilt for All Season

2011-02-10T15:43:00.000+08:00

I always admire Paula Vaughan painting works which has been adapted into cross stitch pattern under the publication of Leisure Arts. Her romantic painting imaged always captured my heart. Among my stitchers friend, kak ros is known to stitched many of Paula V cross stitch pattern.

All of Paula V collection usually detailed about the romantic and sweet victorian life scene inside or outside of the home such as bedroom, patio, garden and living room. I like her painting featuring a lovely wedding gown or dress, and quilting works.

I have bought for myself one of her book called quilt for all season featuring a collection of 12 cross stitch designs celebrating the Patchwork Quilt. All of the design are sweet and makes me feel that I want to stitch them all...greedy me *wink*

When I read at KakDee blog entry that she had started the Paula V quilt of all season cross stitch pattern for the month of January, suddenly the feeling of *menjeles* say hello to me..ha ha ha (mulalah tu) ..I rummaged my "stash" cabinet and found *FEW*..oh my *wink*, nicely folded (UFO) of the Paula V pattern which I had done half way on most of the pattern. Suddenly, I gained the motivation to resume the UFO..*sigh* oops !..not until I finished the few order from my close friends before they got mad at me for making them waiting for so long..*sigh*

Other than cross stitch, Some of Paula V quilt design has been adapted into quilt project. I bought Paula V romance with quilt book from Ebay (like I have so many free time to do it *wink*) since it was so expensive here. Don't know when to start the quilting project but I have seen one nice lady is doing the below pattern at Quilt Gallery..its beautiful..and it was 70% handstitch *sigh* by her.

Kakdee and shima keep up your wonderful progress as an inspiration for me to resume my UFO project.

Till next entry, take care ya..oxox..

Mini millefeuilles

2011-02-05T22:07:00.007+08:00

The Mille feuille (French pronunciation (mil foel), “thousand leaf”, vanilla slice, cream slice, custard slice, also known as the Napoleon, is a pastry originating in France. Traditionally, a millefeuille is made up of three layers of puff pastry, alternating with two layers of pastry cream, but sometimes whipped cream or jam. The top is usually glazed with icing or fondant in alternating with white icing and brown chocolate strips and combed. Alternatively the top pastry layer may be dusted with confectioner’s sugar, cocoa or pulverized nuts (e.g roasted almonds) source - wikipedia

Ingredient

675g raspberries - atau buah apa2 pun boleh and quantity to depends pada kita..nak letak banyak or sikit.

450 g puff pastry, thawed if frozen - me guna puff pastry kawan ku yang saiz kecik 3 x 3 (satu pek ada 10 keping)

6 egg yolks - me guna 4 ajer - telor gred B

70 g caster sugar

3 tbsp plain (all purpose) flour - me guna tepung gandum je

350 ml milk

icing sugar to taste

Method - pastry

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to a 3 mm thickness. using a 4 inch cutter, stamp out 12 rounds (kalau takde cutter bulat, potong 4 pun boleh so dia jadi square). Place the pastry circles on the baking sheets and prick each with a fork. Chill for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200 c and bake the pastry rounds for about 15-20 minutes until golden, then transfer to wire rack to cool.

Method - Cream

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar for 2 minutes until light and creamy then whisk in the flour until just blended. Bring the milk to the boil over a medium heat and pour it over the egg mixture, whisking to blend. Return to the pan, bring to the boil and boil for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat. Pour into a bowl and press plastic wrap on the surface to prevent a skin forming. Set aside to cool

Method - Assemble

take one pastry, spread with custard and arrange with raspberries and top with second pastry round. Spread with more custard and raspberries. Top with third pastry and dust with icing sugar. Enjoy a marvellous finger food for your high tea treats !

Recipe is from - How to cook book by Bridget Jones

Apple Strudel

2011-01-22T17:27:00.010+08:00

As the proverb said, an apple a day will keep the Doctor away. Given my children a choice of fuji apple, red apple or green apple, they will refuse the green apple as it taste a bit sour. Due to that, green apple is mostly used for cooking. In getting them to consume this green apple, I had make an apple strudel which medley with butter, breadcrumbs, sugar, walnuts and sultanas for the filling.

As for the pasty, I am buying the frozen Pampas puff pastry from the supermarket and roll the pastry out very thinly to a large circle on cloth-covered table. You may watch this video on how the pastry was made :-)

Serve the strudel warm, sprinkle it with icing sugar and accompanied with vanilla sauce. Bon Appetite !

Cream Puff

2011-01-20T22:48:00.004+08:00

Assalaam and Hello everyone :-)

This is my first attempt to make a cream puff using a recipe from zaliana. I like the soft choux pastry texture and make a plain cream patisserie instead adding a canned corn since DH prefers a plain custard taste.

XXXX

With the option of chocolate icing or sugar, I choose to sprikle it with sugar. Enjoy !

Rose De Provence

2011-01-10T20:57:00.007+08:00

Assalaams and hello everyone,

Aduihh..susahnya nak berkerjasama dengan iron-on tranfer sheet..nie first fabrik yang memula me buat..nampak smooth ajer imej yang ditransfer tapi pengkritik tetap kat rumah komen "warna kain dia gelap so tak contrast" dengan imej perfume label yang me download dari graphicsfairy..sbb me guna fabrik kaler pink chocolate sikit.

Pastu, me tukar dengan fabrik yang kaler cerah sikit. haa tengok..tak semenggah jadinyer..fenin kepala mak cik..dah la nak adjust margin punya lah degil takmo jugak fit nicely kat dalam sheet tu..sudahnya kaler sebelah kanan tu kan dah jadi ala-ala purple sikit..neway..me takmo try and error lagi sebabnya sheet tu memang tak banyak me beli sebab mahal and toner printer kaler pun mahal..hahaha...sekarang kan semua barang pun dah naik harga..*wink*..

Ekcelli, me tengok teknik nie masa me gi rumah kak Nora..she had done the iron-on transfer image of her children photo on a fabric and embellished it with Ribbon Embroidery and lace. To me is something different and me memang suka cuba sesuatu yang baru walaupun teknik nie memang dah lama orang buat.

Walaupun bunga kat imej tu kaler pink..me saja pilih kaler riben light peach and maroon sebab nak nampak contrast..lagipun dah selalu guna warna pink..kali nie nak cuba kaler combo yang lain pulak. This one me nak jahit into cushion..for my home sweet home..et je tombe en amour avec le pays français décoration ..

Take care and xoxo :-)

Happy New Year 2011

2010-12-31T23:12:00.009+08:00

We had a lovely afternoon walk today at the Sydney Lake *wink* @ Tasik Perdana. Overall we are impressed with the upgrading works done by the local authorities DBKL..two thumbs up for them :-)

Beautiful landscape

Clean and well maintained water canal

Widened walkway with lush green surroundings. We enjoyed the quite and peaceful moment while walking along this area.

Place to take a short break :-)..yes.. rehat kan kaki kejap :-)

Kalau dah penat jalan, boleh naik tramp nie. It's cost RM0.50 sen per person. Tramp nie nanti pusing keliling tasik and lalu dekat kawasan berhampiran tasik like taman orkid, memorial tun abdul razak dan taman burung.

To all my followers, friends, blog readers, silent readers and those who had linked my blog, thanks so much for spending your precious time visiting, reading and leaving a comments on my entry. I really appreciate it :-). I am wishing everyone a blessed and wonderful new year !

From Old To New

2010-12-30T13:38:00.020+08:00

I found this old tempayan laying half buried in the soil and full of dust under my grandfather house. At a glanced it looks likes a new tempayan (sorry I did not snap the photo before the makeover) as the glazed surface is in excellent condition in and out.

According to my grandfather, it is belongs to my late great grandma. During the old days, tempayan is a must in every household. It came in many shapes, sizes and served many purposed such as to keep a salt, fermented fish, water reservoir or even valuable item. My great grandma used this tempayan to keep a salt. Since our small village is far from town, I guest with the size of tempayan, it could be for 6 months consumption.

I had asked kak Nora to paint 3 different topiary motives with rustic background. To cover the tempayan mouth, I placed an artificial topiary ball..*wink*..sapa kata mulut tempayan tak boleh ditutup, hiks. Those beautiful paintings on the tempayan add more sweet things to see and reminiscent my childhood moments. Hard time stories shared by late great grandma and my grandma is always a sweet things to remember as a reminder about my roots and always be thankful to the Allah s.w.t for what I have now.

Another furniture in my house which had received a magical stroke transformation from sis nora is my tv cabinet. It does not old as the tempayan but the age is same as my teenage daughter. I had gave a serious thought whether to do makeover or not. Is it worth for me to do it. I am giving myself a go since this cabinet is still in good condition and shape. I believe if it can last for almost 16 years, surely we will take a good care of it as long it can be used *smile*.

Puzzled

2010-12-22T00:14:00.007+08:00

As-Salaams and Hello everyone!

Jigsaw Puzzle nie dah lama me buat. This is the only things that I can do during my confinement days tanpa kena bebel with my mom. My mom memang agak strict masa take care of me during my confinement. Strictly no sewing, houseworks, so me adalah sangat mati kutu time tu..tengok tv sampai naik bosan and membaca majalah sampai semua iklan dalam tu pun me dah katam. 15 tahun dulu, internet coverage adalah sangat terhad, even at my house pun we all guna jaring dial-up nyer service but at my mom house memang takde service tu jadi tak boleh la nak surfing or ber-email2, or chatting with my friend, so to kill the time, me asked DH belikan 1500 pcs nyer jigsaw puzzle ..sib baik gambarnya menepati citarasa..hiks

Memula start tu, memang puzzled sbb where to begin, dah la banyak pcs..memula me asingkan ikut warna and area based from the cover photo then mula dari tepi. Rasanya sebulan jugak baru siap. Lepas dah siap tu, baru transfer atas manila kad yang me dah siap letak gam. Masa nak transfer tu me pun tak ingat cemana me buat..hahaha..lama sangat dah..yang me ingat guna cara manual tak macam sekarang ada special transfer sheet kalau tak silap me pernah baca kat internet.

Hasil berhempas pulas selama sebulan..*wink*. Bila tengok hasil kerja sendiri, rasa puas hati sangat walaupun susah hehehe..psttt..me ada lagi satu jigsaw puzzle yang sangat challenging masa membuatnya..2500 pcs jigsaw puzzle gambar autumn scenery..nanti me share after some restoration works done. Me terpaksa antar frame balik sbb masa renovation dulu, kontraktor dah terpecahkan cermin frame tu.

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Till then, take care and have a wonderful day ahead.

The Merriment

2010-12-12T08:36:00.004+08:00

Happy Sunday everyone *smile*. I am having fun doing this small doily using two shuttles and manuela variegated thread. I simply loves the colour, all in pastel hues of yellow, purple and blue.

No 20 thread size, will produce about 5 inch doily. Just nicely fit as a doily for my handphone/remote control holder or as a mini placemat for my small accesories. This pattern is available from Sis faizon blog. Happy tatting !

Till next entry, happy holiday ! and take care.

It's Bread Time

2010-12-02T21:10:00.010+08:00

Salaam Maal Hhijrah buat semua pembaca yang dikasihi..Ekcelli dah lama me dok fickle- minded about buying the bread maker machine. Some times I said to my self I need it, then after sometime I said to myself that I don't need it, and the yes or not rhythm keep singing in my heart and mind until DH singing the same song that we should buy it :-) and Kenwood bread maker is our pick *wink*.

I bought the BM250 models with 11 program of bread/dough making. It is user friendly and easy to operate. I loves cooking style yang main campak ajer terus siap..hikss..lazy me ^sigh^. We simply love the output..homemade bread made by machine and us..

I am not really into plain white dish but I really like my finding from the best buy shelf at SOGO. It has the country looks which definitely will add some character on my dining table

Till next entry, happy sewing and baking everyone..xoxo

To serve the purpose

2010-11-22T13:14:00.012+08:00

Salaams and Hello!

What a long silence and my apology to my blog readers for not updating my blog for quite sometimes. Since the last few months I have been busy with a long list of family occasions till mid of December *wink*.

This is the 4th decorative painting with topiary design which kak Nora had painted for me. Dunno why I like topiary so much. Must be that it looks simple and sweet to me. I have done topiary RE when I started to do the Ribbon Embroidery but I never stitch any Topiary cross stitch motif since I have not found design that suit my interest.

The design was inspired from the cottage style magazine.

This is where I want to hang the painting. To cover a bit of the eyesore part (my eyes, actually). To my DH he is buying furniture only to serve a purpose where he can keep his 'periuk belanga and all his cooking gadget in our small wet kitchen where he is our Chef At Home most of the time :-)

And, to me I am not only wants to have a furniture that serve the purpose but with style *wink*. I am exercising my Veto power to hang a custom look decorative painting to pleased my eyes..*wink*.

Till next entry, have a wonderful day and I will be back with my update on my craft soon. Take Care!

Mushroom Seafood Pie

2010-09-20T18:47:00.004+08:00

Untuk chemp laling yang request recipe nie kat FB, sorry la terlambat mengupdate bukan sebab busy tapi sebab kemalasan dan kebuntuan nak menyusun ayat sepatah dua..hehehe..ok, here is the recipe. opss sebelum tu credit to penyumbang recipe Chef Hisham Attan yang me amik dari buku Asmah laili jugak. Memang tak menyesal cuba resipi nie..absolutely delicious !

Bahan - Pastri

500 g tepung naik sendiri
320 g mentega cair
250ml susu
1 x 10 inci acuan pai berbiku

Cara Pastri

Gris acuan pai. Ayak tepung kedalam sebua bekas yang besar dan lubangkan ditengah. Tuang mentega cair dan susu kedalam lubang. Perlahan-lahan gaul sehingga menjadi doh. Tutup doh dengan cling wrap dan simpan didalam peti sejuk selama 30 minit. Selepas itu canai doh, angkat dengan kayu penggelek dan letak didalam acuan pai. Rapikan. Tutup doh dengan kertas pembakar, tabur sedikit kekacang (kacang hijau) dan bakar (bake blind) selama 20 minit

Note : Me guna cara shortcut dengan membeli pastri yang dah siap kat peti sejuk beku Tesco. Kalau guna pastry ready made nie, dia berminyak a bit mcm puff nyer pastri tapi rasa OK. Guna sekeping ajer kalau bekas pai besar, may need to use 2 keping to cover base acuan tu.

Bahan - Inti

6 sudu makan mentega
50 g bawang merah cincang
30 g parsli cincang
4 tangkai daun bawang - hiris
50 g tepung
450 ml stok ikan ( me substitute ngan stok bilis cube jer, stok ayam pun boleh)
250 ml susu
garam dan serbuk lada putih
2 biji kuning telor
800 g aneka makanan laut (ikut suka nak letak udang, sotong , ketam dan lain2)
400 g cendawan segar dicincang. Cendawan tin pun boleh..ikut suka jugak

Cara membuat inti

Cairkan mentega dalam kuali. Tumis bawang merah sampai jernih dan lembut. Masukkan daun parsli dan daun bawang. Kemudian masukkan tepung, kacau dan tuang stok ikan dan susu. Pukul telor dalam mangkuk kecil dan gaul sedikit dengan campuran stok ikan. Selepas itu masukkan kedalam kuali tadi dan kacau hingga masak. Tuang inti kedalam pastri tadi, ratakan dan bakar dengan suhu 180 c selama 50 atau hingga masak.

Selamat Mencuba.

Selamat Menyambut Hari Raya Aidifitri

2010-09-08T22:53:00.004+08:00

Salaam Aidilfitri buat semua rakan2, follower dan pengunjung blog ini yang beragama Islam. Maaf Zahir dan Batin dari saya andai ada coretan yang menyinggung perasaan. Semoga amalan yang kita lakukan disepanjang bulan ramadhan ini dapat diteruskan ke bulan yang seterusnya. Pada yang pulang ke kampung semoga selamat sampai dan meraikan bersama keluarga yang tersayang. Moga amalan puasa dan ibadah kita dirahmati dan diberkati Allah. s.w.t.

Salam Ramadhan

2010-08-10T00:59:00.003+08:00

Pic : credit to Iluvislam.com

Salaam buat semua pengunjung blog yang dikasihi dan meraikan kedatangan bulan Ramadhan yang mulia ini. Dikesempatan ini saya ingin memohon maaf andai ada coretan saya didalam blog ini yang secara sengaja atau tidak sengaja telah menyinggung perasaan anda semua. Sesungguhnya saya hanyalah manusia biasa yang tidak pernah lagi dari membuat kesilapan. Semoga kita semua dapat merebut peluang yang hanya datang setahun sekali ini untuk menambah amalan yang dapat membantu kita untuk kehidupan yang kekal disana kelak. Semoga puasa dan amalan kita diterima Allah s.w.t dan moga puasa kita pada tahun ini lebih baik daripada tahun yang sebelumnya. Insyallah.

Selamat menyambut ramadhan al mubarak

Lace Medallion Cushion

2010-07-26T10:35:00.006+08:00

Salaam and Hello Everyone

This my latest project on the Ribbon Embroidery Cushion for my nephew's wedding. Inspired by Lace Medallion Cushion by Helen Eriksson from her Ribbon Renaissance book. I loves her ideas combining the art of Ribbon Embroidery, lace and beading that prompted me to give it a try.

When I bought the lace it was decorated with beads and sequin so I am adding few flowers, leaves and sew a straight stitch to make a trellis filing between top and bottom lace which makes it look a bit classic with victorian style cushion.

I personally loves the cushion and feels that I want to keep it for myself *wink* but I can always makes another one :-). My SIL wants the finishing with frills same with the peach cushion. I hope she likes it and got to go now as I need to sew the bed runner..

Thank you for visiting and have a good crafting day !

Celebration of the soil

2010-07-11T17:47:00.007+08:00

Salaam to everyone,

Here, is the sneak preview what I am busy at for the past week and next two or three weeks. This wedding pillow is special request by my SIL for her son. She specifically mentioned that she wants soft peach colour and can be match with other cream theme pillow which is also in the sewing progress. The pattern is from the Inspiration Magazine ~ celebration of the soil.

The whole design and finishing of the pillow. It is a pair of 16 x 16 pillow with frills. I am hoping that I can improved on my sewing skills. As the proverb says "Practice makes Perfect".

Take care and loads of ~ XOXO.

Happy flowers for a happy moments

2010-07-10T18:11:00.007+08:00

Salaam Semua,

Praise to Allah that the engagement ceremony for my niece went very well today. Time flies very fast, she was 4 when I am tie the knot with her uncle *wink* and now her turn to get married. As a present for her "hantaran" I had requested my dear friend suraya ~ loveholiccakes to make a sweet lavender and lilac theme cupcakes. Thanks Su, everybody loves your pretty and tasty cuppies.

Tag dari KakYon

2010-07-01T15:56:00.004+08:00

Salaam semua,

Kali nie kena jawab tag dari lovely lady kakyon. Thanks so much akak for your kind thots. Me kenal kakyon nie dah lama jugak la. She is a nice and soft person tapi masih belum berkesempatan untuk bersua walaupun dah beberapa kali berurus niaga dengan kakyon kat wmc. Ekceli me tadek masalah nak jawab tag kakyon nie, sbb belum pernah buat. So, here is my answer.

*****************

1. Berapakah umur anda, bila anda mula mengenal cinta dan dapat surat cinta yg pertama.Orang tu siapa ekkk? usia, mengapa nak berahsia...hikss..me masa sekolah memang tak layanzz bercintan cintun nie sbb rockers beb..opsss..hehehe..dah keje baru la boleh nak lap you, lap me kan..surat cinta takde sbb satu opis jer..usually DH dulu rajin bagi kad la, choc la, kaset la..lagu aper..hehehe..masa tu kan headwind fofular..

2. Apa anda akan buat pada hadiah/barang/apa sajalah..pemberian dari orang yang anda sayang tapi anda tidak suka. So far me tak pernah lagi la dapat barang2 dari orang yg rapat yang me tak suka sbb selalunya dorang akan tanya dulu apa barang yang me nak kalau dorang nak bagi gift atau belikan.

********************************

3. Kalau suami anda balik rumah ..tetiba dia kata..ayang! abang rinduuuuu sangat kat ayang!..heheh..apa reaksi spontan anda..terkejut..pehal lak tetiba miss, miss nie..ada apa-apa ke?..hehehe

***************************************

4. Apakah perkara/kejadian yg memalu/melucukan yang anda alamai masa baru- baru mendirikan rumahtangga.Maklumlah..masa tuu kan ada malu-malu sikit..nge..nge..
aisehhh puas lak me recall, tak ingat la pulak..

Red Tote Bag

2010-06-19T18:05:00.006+08:00

Helloo and Salaams,

At last, after a year.*sigh*..yerps..it took me a year to complete this tote bag..*LOL*. I had enrolled a bag making lesson at Quilt Gallery in Bangsar, march last year and utilised the 6 session to produce only one bag!..hurmmm..that shows I am pretty slow in sewing *grin* huhuhu..confession of a novice tailor. It was a great personal achievement for me after finishing this simple bag. To me, it is simple because I have seen others had sewn a pretty and complicated bag design which makes me drooling every time I pay a visit to their personal blog.

The inside part of the bag. I makes 2 small pockets for my small items and one large pocket to fit in my purse. To make the bag looks solid, I used batting and bag interfacing.

Opsss, bag making books!. Looks like someone is going to make more bag..*wink*. Only time will tell when I am going to sew my 2nd bag *smile*. There a are a lot of task waiting for me and I have to go now.

Till next entry, take care everyone. Thanks so much to all of you who had take some time visiting my blog and leaving me a sweet notes. Lots of love from me, xoxo

Fleurs De Paris - An Update

2010-06-14T09:39:00.008+08:00

Hello and Salaams to Everyone

Agak lama jugak me tak berkesempatan nak update blog nie. Bulan May adalah bulan yang paling sibuk dengan bermacam-macam urusan terutama urusan keluarga. Masa nak berkraft pun sangat terhad dan mood nak menulis pun tak berapa nak ada. Kadang-kadang bila dah penat, malas sungguh nak pegang kain dan jarum. Rasa happy jer bila dapat tergolek terlentang depan TV..hahahaha.

Fleurs de Paris nie pun sangat lambat me jahit. Me rasa macam warna kain vintage linen nie menenggelamkan warna2 benang yang agak lembut nie. Fabrik dalam chart menggunakan material Aida cream tak silap me, tulah suka je main tukar2..hehehe..suka tak suka, kena continue..kata nak shabby2 kan..konon lah..hiks.

Part tulip tu la yang paling bosan..sbb me dah pernah jahit bunga tulip yang kat bawah nie. Kaler bunga dia pun lebih kurang sama kan. Peten nie dah lama me siapkan..sebaya dengan usia my 2nd doter.

Till next entry, happy crafting!

Sunshine award

2010-05-13T17:48:00.002+08:00

Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart, Hani. I feel happy and honoured if my humble and simple blogs can inspired hani and some of you to keep in stitching and embroidery. Hani, I am now lending you my 'kerajinan'..so keep stitching if you have time for it..(i know that you are busy with your kids :-)

Friendship Award

2010-05-09T18:21:00.003+08:00

Salaam Semua

Terima kasih banyak-banyak pada Shima atas ingatan untuk memanjangkan "tag" ini pada Sal yer. May our friendship will last forever. *smile*.

Cup and Saucers

2010-05-09T13:01:00.007+08:00

Salaams and hello to all my friends and readers,

Move on to my next WIP - cup and saucer cross stitch by design works. I had completed the wording and the lace part, leaving me to work on the cup and saucers plus the multiple heart shape for the background. I don't have any problems working on this chart but I had purposely create a problem for myself..hahaha :-)

I knew from the beginning that the length of the Aida fabric which I plan to use is not sufficient to accommodate the whole design nicely. I will need to extent the fabric length by joining it with another Aida fabric should I want to proceed with the existing fabric.

I could not find any information from Mr Google about how to do it, so it is up to me to make it happen - my way *wink* for -- unnoticeable and smooth join. After some thinking and experimenting, I took the plunge to join the fabric, something which I never done before with a precaution that I must carefully join the pieces so that the row of threads are in the straight line.

Obviously..you can still noticed the joined *wink* but since it was almost at the end of the chart, I think it is not so obvious and acceptable to me...hahaha..ye ke?..we shall see the final result after framing.

Till next entry, Take care and tons of love from me!

Tiramisu

2010-05-06T17:55:00.005+08:00

Salaam buat semua..

Minggu nie, me memang sibuk kesana kemari, ditambah dengan yang cuaca panas..perlu sesuatu untuk menyejukkan diri dan hati..hikss..so me selak-selak buku asmah laili..senang je nak buat nie..and rasanya macam tag line buku asmah laili..mintak ampun sedapnya, so here is the recipe :

kkkkkkkkkk

21 keping biskut lady fingers bergantung kepada saiz dish kaca

whip cream

keju Berkrim (cream cheese) kacau dengan garpu untuk melembutkan

2 sudu makan serbuk kopi segera

2 cawan air panas yang baru mendidih

1/2 cawan susu evaporated milk

1 tin hirisan buah peach

beberapa biji stoberi

beberapa biji anggur

1 sudu teh serbuk koko

1 sudu teh serbuk kayu manis

Cara

1. Bancuh kopi dengan air panas dan susu evaporated milk hingga rata. (me tambah 1 sudu besar susu pekat) bagi manis sedikit.

2. Celupkan segera sebatang biskut didalam air kopi susu dan atur didasar bekas kaca

3. Ulang satu demi satu dan atur rapi hingga dasar bekas kaca penuh dengan biskut. Biskut hendaklah dicelup satu persatu, kerana ia cepat lembik dan berderai. Sapu lapisan pertama dengan keju berkrim.

4. Ulang dan celup lagi biskut satu demi satu untuk lapisan kedua. Seterusnya sapu rata keju krim hingga mampat. Kemudian spray whip cream, sehingga rata dan tertutup.

5. Tabur serbuk koko dan serbuk kayu manis. Gunakan tapisan teh untuk menabur. Kemudian hiaskan dengan hirisan buahan peach, anggur dan stoberi.

6. Sejukkan dalam peti sejuk selama sekurang-kurangnya 2 jam. Tiramisu ini tidak boleh dipotong. Gunakan sudu semasa menghidang.

Selamat mencuba !.

When east meet west...

2010-04-25T17:27:00.005+08:00

My small collection of blue of white displayed on top of rosewood half moon table placed nearby the staircase. Lily is always my favourite color be it white, yellow or dark pink and it has nice smell too :-).

At the middle and bottom shelf, I displayed my small collections of jug and basin bought from lovely lace and Metrojaya long time ago. The stripes background is not a wallpaper but painted by DD's and me :-) and the floral border is from lamex.

The whole ideas :-).

Thanks for looking and take care.

Oriental Spledour - an Update

2010-04-14T16:28:00.008+08:00

Since the S-A-L launching, I had a slow progress in stitching this pieces. The 16ct box is quite small for my old eyes and sometimes I am having difficulty to find the small holes for another half stitch to go through especially in a row of the cross-stitched. Less patience may prompt me to switch to bigger count of fabric but..takkan nak membazirkan benang, masa dan kain...so need to stitching with a slow dance tempo *wink*.

Till next entry, xoxo

Tool for the craft battle

2010-03-30T21:23:00.014+08:00

One of my personal favourite craft book collection is silk ribbon embroidery by Judith montano. It is a good book that you may want to consider for an investment. It is not available here but you may purchased it from Mr. Ebay. I would like to share with my crafter friends out there on the information available in the book about

))

N.E.E.D.L.E.S
))

Variety of needles is used for ribbon embroidery but the most often used will be chenille and tapestry needle. Crewel needle will be need for finer embroidery thread, and straw needle are wonderful for French and Colonial knots. Beading needle are always useful highlighting the flowers with beads.

When choosing a needle there are a few things to consider:

What kind of fabric are you working on

Is the ribbon silk or satin?. Will the needle will be piercing the fabric several times per stitch, or will it pass between the fabric and the ribbon?

How wide is the ribbon?

What type of stitch will you use.

Remember, that the eye of needle must be large enough and long enough to hold the ribbon and wide enough to make a large enough hole to allow the ribbon to pass through the background fabric without stress. The higher the number of the needle, the smaller the size of the needle. If the needle will be used to pull the ribbon between a previous stitch and the fabric, use a blunt needle. This way you won't snag the ribbon or fabrics. If the fabric is heavy and an extremely tight weave, and if the stitch requires piercing the fabric a great deal, use a sharp point.

Chennile Needle

A large and long-eyed needle with a sharp point. Comes in size 18 to 24. Keep a good stock of all these sizes.

Tapestry Needle

A blunt ended needle with a large eye. Used for cross stitch and needlepoint. Use in ribbon works to prevent snagging thread. Comes in size 13 to 26. Get an assortment of the most useful sizes -- 18 to 24

Straw Needle

Also known as milliner's needle. It is long and narrow with the same thickness top to bottom. Wonderful for making french and colonial knots.

Crewel/Embroidery Needle

A sharp pointed needle with a long narrowed eye. Comes in size 1 to 10. Used originally for the fine floss and yarn embroidery. Purchase an assortment of packet of sizes 3 to 9.

Darner

A very long, large needle with a large eye. Can be a wool or cotton darner. Use for heavy thread and yarns or wide ribbon. Keep an assortment of sizes 14 to 18 on hand. Good for assembly work.

For your information, the photo shown are my personal picture. You may purchased the needles from Haby and Wool and Pn. Ann's online shop for Dmc Brand. For John James you may source your supply from Kak Umi's and Craft World, SS2 Petaling Jaya.

Till next entry, happy stitching and crafting.

Just cooking and reading

2010-03-29T21:26:00.006+08:00

Hello and salaams to all my dear friends.

I am in the mood of baking and since every body at home loves carrot cake, I had decided to try a recipe shared by hani. Thanks for the yummeh dear, it is worth spending the time preparing and eating the cake...:-)

I had promised to DD's that I will bring them to the book fair at PWTC, however I am bit reluctant to go there during weekend knowing the traffic condition, limited parking space and a big crowd since it is the last two days of the event. Instead, I brought them to xcess bookshop at level 3, amcorp mall after I read the advertisement in the newspaper about this bookshop.

What so special and makes it different from other bookshop ?.Price tag!..It sell a new book and lower price compared to other well known bookshop. On average, I spend about RM12 for for 9 books and one magazine.

Meg Cabot books are priced from RM9.90 to Rm17.90. DD's went crazy deciding which book to choose..yeah looking at the offer price versus the allocated budget *wink*. I knew they want more books..next time, ok *smile*

It is quite interesting to learn DD interest had changed from Mr midnight to princess diaries then charmed series, sophie kinsella, stephanie meyer and now XOXO..gossip girl *wink*..and it price at RM14.90 each.

Till next entry, XOXO from me !

Ivy Leaves Cyclamen

2010-03-21T17:53:00.009+08:00

Hello!..I am back with my needle, thread, ribbon and fabric after a busy life 3 weeks in a row..phewww it was hectic and tiring. I was in the mode of withdrawal syndrome when my body and mind are cloudy with unsolved matters and problems. To start of the stitching mode, I want to do something that is easy and not too brain taxing. I opened my china cabinet, go through all my botanic garden collection one by one and selecting the pattern that is simple to do. What is my pick this time ?..its Cyclamen Repandum

This species is found from southern France to Greece and has large, lobed leaves that are dark green with conspicuous silver-grey mottling and marbling. Considering its lush foliage, spring blooming habit and Mediterranean homeland, it is surprisingly frost hardy. Its flowers are pleasantly scented, have petals up to 20mm long and occur in white and all shades of pink to light red. (source from : articleroom.com)

It may looks simple, but still took me two days to finish it. I am using 6 mm satin ribbon for the petals, two tone ribbon color for the stem. The novelty button add more character to the design that is inspired by the Portmeirion - Botanic Garden Collection.

Have a great day ahead and will try to update my cross stitch progress in my next entry. Insyallah.

Towel, Please !

2010-03-18T13:19:00.008+08:00

My all time obsession is collecting pretty kitchen towel. They are relatively inexpensive items and I used it to - decorate and wipe-a-wet hands after washing the dish. Members of the house need to be reminded NOT to wipe a dirty hands or utensils..big NO NO..ermmm will take sometimes to train them *sigh*.

I usually display it by hung it at my kitchen cabinet door, nearby the sink, so that I can easily wipe my wet hand after washed my dish.

Some people loves to collect the linen tea towel especially when traveling to overseas since it is an affordable souvenir and easy to carry in the luggage. It can be frame or make it rest in your bread basket *wink*.

My motif preference usually teapot, teacups, herbs, fruits and cuppies. I bought them from many places such as online shops, flea markets and small stall at the shopping mall.

Thanks for visiting and have a nice weekend. Take care and have a good rest :-)

Thank you, Chemp

2010-03-18T07:29:00.003+08:00

Another lovely award from my lovely friend, thanks a lot dear. I value the friendship and your support...XOXO :-)

I heart them

2010-03-18T00:02:00.003+08:00

It's award time and thanks so much to nannie and shima for their kind thots. I sincerely appreciate the friendship and hope that it will last forever. This award will goes to all my lovely follower, readers and friends out there.

Take care and big hug from me :-)

Anemones and pansies

2010-03-04T19:32:00.006+08:00

Helloooo!..it has been a month that I did not do any craft update. I did not touched any of my xstitch project as I have been very busy with my RE projects. Redoute roses *ehem*..still not finished, daffodils are already blooming and in the process of sewing into pillow . I am now focusing on my niece's wedding pillow which the solemnisation ceremony will be held this saturday.

For the main flower - cik anemones, I am applying a zig zag technique on 1 inch satin ribbon which I learned from Pn. Ann's online RE tutorial. I am trying the pansies technique from Helen Eriksson Ribbon Rennaissance book and I think the petals are terlebih keduts..hiks *grin*. I have been doing the embroidery every night while watching my favourites movie channel to reduce the stress of finding the harmony flower and color combination. During the matching process, I had to removed the flower that had been stitched few times, because I am not happy with the outcome. At the moment, I have a feeling that design is incomplete and missing the final touch but time is running..so got to go now...daaaa!

Thanks for looking and have a great day ahead.

Know the Enemy

2010-02-23T21:53:00.003+08:00

Interesting article featured in the Makna newsletter issue 2/2009. Cancer information released from John Hopkins Hospital, USA.

Tahukah anda ~ bahawa setiap orang mempunyai sel kanser dalam badan mereka? Sel-sel kanser ini tidak akan menyerlah dalam ujian biasa sehingga ia telah berganda kepada tahap billion. Apabila seorang pesakit diberitahu bahawa dirinya telah bebas dari sel kanser, ia cuma bermakna bahawa ujian yang dijalankan tidak mampu mengesan sel kanser ini sehingga ia membesar kepada satu saiz yang boleh dikesan.

Apabila kemoterapi dilakukan ia bukan sahaja membunuh sel kanser yang cepat berkembang tapi juga sel yang sihat dalam tulang sum-sum, usus gastro dan lain yang akan mengakibatkan kerosakan kepada hati, buah pinggang, jantung dan paru-paru. Radiasi pula akan membakar, merosak dan membinasa sel-sel, tisu dan organ yang sihat. Walaupun diawal rawatan kemoterapi dan radiasi, saiz tumor akan mengecut tetapi rawatan yang berlanjutan tidak semestinya membinasakan tumor tersebut.

Apabila badan seseorang penuh dengan toksik hasil daripada kemoterapi dan radiasi, sistem imunnya sama ada akan beralah atau binasa dan menyebabkan pesakit mendapat pelbagai infeksi dan komplikasi. Cara yang efektif memerangi kanser adalah dengan TIDAK memberi makanan yang akan membantu sel kanser ini membiak. Jadi apakah makanan-makanan ini?

Gula merupakan makanan kanser. Dengan menghalangnya, kita telah menamatkan satu sumber bekalan makanan yang penting untuk sel kanser.

Susu menyebabkan badan mengeluarkan lendir, terutama dalam saluran usus gastro. Dengan menggantikan susu dengan susu soya tanpa gula, sel kanser tidak akan mendapat bekalan makanan.

Sel kanser hidup dalam persekitaran yang asidik. Oleh kerana makanan berasaskan daging adalah asidik, kita dinasihatkan mengurangkan segala makanan yang berdaging. Disesetengah ladang ternakan, untuk mempercepatkan kadar penghasilan daging, haiwan ternakan kerap disuntik dengan antibiotik dan hormon tumbesaran. Daging juga mengandungi pelbagai parasit, yang semuanya bahaya bagi pengidap kanser. Diet yang terdiri daripada sayur-sayuran yang segar, buah-buahan, kekacang dan jus buah-buahan akan menukar badan kepada persekitaran yang beralkali.

Elak dari minum kopi, teh dan coklat yang mengandungi kandungan kafein yang tinggi. Sebaliknya teh hijau lebih baik dan mempunyai khasiat melawan kanser. Bagi air pula adalah lebih baik meminum air yang ditapis untuk mengelak toksin dan logam dalam air paip. Air suling mengandungi asid dan perlu dielak.

Suplemen seperti anti-oxida, vitamin dan mineral dapat membina sistem imun untuk membolehkan sel pembunuh didalam badan menghapuskan sel kanser. Vitamin E pula terkenal sebagai pembunuh sel, iaitu kaedah tubuh untuk menghapuskan sel yang telah rosak atau yang tidak diperlukan secara normal.

Kanser juga merupakan penyakit minda, badan dan spiritual. Sikap yang proaktif dan positif dapat membantu pahlawan kanser menjadi penyelamat. Sikap marah, tidak memaafi, kecewa, membuat tubuh kita menjadi lebih stress dan dalam keadaan asidik. Oleh itu jadilah seseorang yang mempunyai sikap penyayang dan pemaaf. Belajar la untuk relax dan menikmati hidup.

My Passion Blog - 1st anniversary

2010-02-21T21:10:00.004+08:00

Jom ramai-ramai join nannie's giveaway - tarikh tutup adalah 24 Feb 2010 dan cabutan akan dibuat on 25 Feb. Sila rujuk entry dibawah..me copy and paste jek..(sungguh kebizian sekarang ngan line tenet yang sangat tak stabil)

Click here for more details ya! : nannie's blog

Giveaway No.1

Giveaway No.2

Giveaway No.3

Giveaway No.4

Good Luck to all participant :-)

Happy Chinese New Year

2010-02-13T14:49:00.005+08:00

Wishing all my Chinese - friends, blog readers and followers
a happy and prosperous
Chinese New Year in The Year of Tiger

Featuring my personal favourite ~ stash cabinet made from elmwood. I have been admiring this antique look oriental cabinet for quite sometimes. Mungkin dah my rezeki nak dapat kabinet nie sbb masa memula tengok tu, back in 2008, the price tag memang terangkat..so tak mampu la nak angkat bawak balik..*sigh*..few months later, that shop ada buat sale, kabinet tu dorang offer 40% less..me pikir banyak2 kali lagi nak beli ke tak...walaupun I really like the cabinet..so on the last day of sales.. I made up my mind to purchase it...tapi sadly to say at that time, kabinet yang tinggal satu je nie dah dipinang orang..arghhhh..tapi me redha je ..sbb dah takde rezeki *wink*

Last year- 2009, masa me pegi to that shop again, in hoping to find the similar kabinet..dah takde lagi..and kata SA tu dorang nak relocate shop so memang tak bawak masuk kabinet baru sebab nak clearkan semua stok yang ada..memang bit dissapointed masa tu..pastu SA tu cakap, ada satu kabinet tu dekat stor yang mana owner yang meminang tu dah setahun tak ambik2 and tak dapat dihubungi langsung..kemungkinan besar owner tu dah balik ke negara dia...and when she showed me the cabinet..me pun yippe! yippe ! la kat situ..since kedai tu pun nak relocate and owner tu pun tak dapat dihubungi, SA tu pun offer the kabinet to me with further discount *of course**wink* ..satu penantian yang lama..tapi sangat berbaloi..*smile*

Life is Fragile....and Lucky

2010-02-02T19:23:00.003+08:00

Salaams and Helloo!

Opsssss...I have been infected with launching bugs...haiizzz..closed my eyes, I don't want to count my WIP and just hope that at least 70% in the list will be finished..hahahaha..what to do, I just can't refrain myself from stitching this beauties..anything about teacup and teapot will make me happy..good for my stress therapy..*wink*

For this chart, the teacup design is not detailed as my previous teacup project thus I have a smooth stitching journey and of course with the help of Aida fabric makes my stitching life easier. Kak reen..wanna join me to SAL this piece? *wink*

On tatting project, I am currently working on this lovely lucky clover design. I have been tatting this doily about a month already :-)...as I am having a problem when working with a long chain. The size will be about 10 inch since I am using a flora no. 20 thread...can't wait to finish it soon but I have few RE cushion that need to be sewn and completed.

Thanks for reading and have a good crafting day!

Stich ALong Oriental Splendour

2010-01-25T21:36:00.005+08:00

Salams and Hello to all my frens and readers :-)

I am delighted when Alynn had invited me to Stitch ALong an Oriental Splendour (OS) designed by Lena Liu. I bought this kit by Dimensions many months ago, and the progress is standstill since....ermm....I cannot recalled when the last time I had stitched this piece as I have numbers of WIP's and UFO's (*blushing*). I think I should go on diet too..not only on stashing but launching a new project until all pending items in my sewing cabinet completed.

The rule is very simple as only two person involved. We just update each other at our personal blog every two weeks so that we can motivate each other to complete the stitching within the ermmmm...what is our agreeable target date to finish alynn?..can we target by end of June?..hurmmm can I..lets just put the date first and we see how is our progress :-)

Happy stitching !

Pomona for Tea

2010-01-22T14:23:00.007+08:00

Salaams and Hello everyone!

I bought this tea set separately many years ago from Janine. I had choosen this motif instead of botanic garden as I love the romantic teacup shape..:-)

The romantic shape was inspired by the founder -- susan william - ellis in 1982. Each cup and plate comes patterned with six fruits motif taken from the hand-coloured books of 1830's.

Slowly over the years I am adding piece by piece into my growing collection. Of 6 fruits motif, morning apple is my favourite *wink*.

6 pieces of side plate that have the same motif with cup and saucer and no green border leaves

Lasagna dish with cherry motif in the middle and green leaves border. I love the red cherry!. This is fire and ice serving dish but I never use it for baking..*wink*

Lastly, still my personal favourite morning apple motif -- sandwich serving dish with handle.

Thanks for looking and have a wonderful weekend.

Oh Lace

2010-01-17T18:24:00.008+08:00

Salaam and hello everyone :-)

How is your new year's resolution progress in the first month of the 2o10? I have few craft resolutions that need to be materialized in this year as well as my personal goal. I am currently working on this wedding pillow for my nephew. Some of the design are adapted from HE - Ribbon Renaissance book.

I bought the applique lace are from a shop that sell beads, crystal, sequin lace at Arab street (urghhh I forgot the shop name). It is quite cheap since it is sold at SD1.50 per pair and it is a good quality of lace.

Talking about lace, I don't stash many bobbin lace as I plan to used it as "value added" for pillow frills. Now, let me share with you some of the information about lace which is written by belinda crestani from australian country craft and decorating magazine.

Origins of Lace making

The earlist recorded use of handmade lace and embroidery was to adorn the attire of royal family - on silk and satin, damask and linen. The art of needlework has been practised by both men and woman, and was not defined by social class. It was used to decorate everyday items such as clothing and household linen, but it was also worked into nationalistic symbols and costumes.

The origins of lace is often heavily debated. Two countries profess to have begun the crafts are -flanders and Italy-. Lace was considered a precious commodity and as it could be un-sewn from one garment and placed on one another, its value was said to have been transferable.

Demand for Lace

In the 17 & 18th centuries, lace was a symbol of prestige and everyone wanted a piece of it, whether they wore it or produced it. Five-year-old girls often attended 'lace school' to start them practising the craft early and perfecting it quickly. Lacemaking was a main source of income for many woman during this time ; however, as the design were so intricate and detailed, and the lighting so poor, it wasn't uncommon for a woman to go blind.

It was in 19th century that the lace machine was invented, cancelling out these vital jobs and reducing its value. The cost dropped dramatically as more of it was produced at a faster rate.

Types of Lace

Lace comes in many different forms and every country has its own method of making it. Examples included bobbin lace, needlepoint lace - the two oldest varieties, many variations of whichhave been developed over the centuries - tatting,macrame and crochet.

Till next entry, Thanks for reading and have a wonderful week ahead. XOXO

Fitty's First Giveaway

2010-01-14T16:32:00.004+08:00

Hello lovely friends out there, lets join -- first fittyspinkyrose cottage giveaway, the more the merrier. Just simple requirement as follows :

This is copy and paste from her blog..(am too lazy to re-type it..*sorry and grin*)

1. for this giveaway, only my followers are eligible, so if you aren't one of them, become one now.. :-)

2. This giveaway is open to those who resides anywhere in Malaysia ONLY..

3. Winners will be picked by using random generator and to increase your chances of winning, you can do any of the following:
- Leave a comment on this post ONLY = 1 entry
- Blog about it = 2 entries ( you have to come back here and inform me in this post ONLY, so that I can check and verify)

and giveaway ends this coming 28th January 2010!

Good luck to me and to all dear friends and bloggers who participate.

Teacup oh teacup

2010-01-06T18:27:00.005+08:00

Salaam semua :-)

Syukur alhamdulillah..masih belum terlewat untuk mengucapkan Selamat Tahun Baru kepada semua pengunjung-pengunjung blog me yang tak seberapanya ni. Entri kali nie, untuk sis Nor selepas tengok koleksi teapot terbaru dia, hampir sama dengan me punya flower of the month teacup.

Masa me beli kat MJ dulu kala, set ini ada motif bunga untuk 12 bulan semuanya..tapi banyak yang dah takde..so dengan pilihan yang terhad..terpaksa lah buat pilihan mengikut apa yang sedap dipandang mata..

Tak dapat dipastikan keturunannya sebab takde cap jari ker, tandatangan ke, cap mohor ke, sbb kat bawah piring ngan cawan tu kosong ajer.

Cuma 2 pasang ajer yang me beli sekadar untuk memenuhkan para kat bawah nie. Tempat nie asalnya memang me beli khas untuk display semua cawan-cawan peninggalan arwah wan me.

Buat Chempaqa, akak letakkan teko bunga raya tu sekali ngan cawan-cawan yang semuanya single but not available...hehehe yatt..itu teko yang akak nampak masa kita geder2 hari tu..at last akak beli jugak..hehehehehe..teko VR kat atas tu me beli kat pondok nur salam :-)

Till next entry, thanks for looking and take care

Blooming Daffodils

2009-12-26T23:22:00.009+08:00

Salaams and Hello to all my friends and readers

Another small project of Satin Ribbon Embroidery which should takes short time to complete but I had prolonged it because I had to ripped the ribbon few times and re-do until getting the result that I want. Choosing a ribbon color is another dilemma. Sometimes, we might not get the color that we want and have to be satisfied with the offerings by the crafts shop.

I had adapted the design by Helen Eriksson where you can find it from A-Z Ribbon Embroidery book and Ribbon Rennaissance. Each book shows a different technique in making this flower and I tried both :-)

Overall, I am satisfied and happy working on this project. Flowers can makes someone smile and it makes me smile too..*wink*. Take care and enjoy your holiday!..XOXO

Royal baroque

2009-12-25T22:32:00.008+08:00

As my promised to lovely yatt and chempaqa dearie, my personal collection - royal baroque by noritake which is now already discontinued its production. Many thanks to my niece dearie who had gone through all the troubles to bring back this set from Manila for me..muahss..

Pemegang dia semua shape ala nak siku orang jer ..set ini untuk 8 orang tapi saiz teapot tu cam tak cukup nak isi air untuk lapan cawan. Nak beli satu lagi..tercekik la pulak tengok price kat sini..lagi pun noritake kat sini tak jual secara berasingan. Platter tu quite big and comes in 2 pieces.

Sugar bowl, milk jug and gravy boat with small platter.

Soup plate and yang kecik tu tatau apa nama and purpose dia..letak sambal kot.

Dinner plate, side plate and bread/butter plate

Last but not least, the tureen with medium size cam tuk 4 orang makan jer besar dia. All together the dinner set ada 95 pcs.

Have a nice day everyone and thanks for looking.

Missy Laura Enamel

2009-12-25T14:59:00.006+08:00

Salaam and Happy Holidays !

Just my luck, I had accidentally bump into this beautiful pieces *wink*. The first blue and white enamel jug was bought during the Laura Ashley sales at Metrojaya Midvalley. The item was discounted at 70% off and its sangat berbaloi-baloi..*smile*

This enamel with butterfly embossed motif, bought from a lovely lady that sell mostly english decoration items at the level one, amcorp mall flea market during blogger gathering last Sunday. The price tag is simply too good to be ignored !.

Topiary Cushion

2009-12-13T17:59:00.007+08:00

Salaam Semua :-)

Fabrik motif topiary yang popular nie dah lama me beli dari Hazdi, bila rasa nak jahit me keluarkan lepas tu simpan balik. Bila mood malas datang hinggap..rasa mcm nak tempah jer. Masa me belek2 sample yang sedia ada tu (gambar bawah - sebelah kiri) rasa macam tak susah sangat nak jahit, erm pikir2 boleh tak jahit part zip tu..ngan piping keliling kusyen tu lagi..dah la me basic langsung tadek..kelas jahit beg kat Quilt Gallery tu pun me tak abiskan sejak enrol pada bulan march lepas..payah betul nak allocate masa sebab tanggungjawab dengan kerja dan keluarga yang wajib didahulukan.

Sempena cuti hujung minggu yang agak panjang, me pun menggigihkan la diri potong kain dulu..sambil memotong sambil tengok tv kan, sudahnya part yang depan tu jadi melintang pulak. DD bertiga tu sibuk tanya, "Ibu nak siapkan hari nie jugak ker?"..sabar jer la ngan statement tu..sbbnya dorang memang dah leh agak yang me takkan siapkan on the same day..mesti lepas potong2 tu simpan balik..hehehe..
sssssss

Sudahnya, siap jugak la hari tu sepasang tanpa piping keliling dan berjaya jugak me menjahit zip ..walaupun tak berapa kemas macam sarung kusen yang asal dan gelembung sana sini sikit sebab bentuk kusyen yang berlekuk dan berkorner membuatkan me adakalanya terbabas.., janji boleh sarung dan adalah rupa kusyen kan..kan..kan?..hahahaha…I am happy!..

ssss

Selamat menyambut awal muharam, moga kita semua diberikan rezeki, kebahagian dan kesihatan dalam keberkatan dan rahmat Allah s.w.t. Amin.

Fleur ~ de ~ Paris

2009-12-10T21:24:00.010+08:00

Bonjour! comment allez-vous (Hello! How are you?*smile*)..amboi, sejak stitching chart with the essence of Paris, tershashul cakap french pulok..ahaks.. Wahhh feel so lazy to update blog lately..I have relish hibenating like a polar bear *ggrrr*. Fleur de Paris is my latest wip. It is a kit by dimensions that came with coloured chart, aida fabric, cotton threads and needle. It is a standard checklist that usually comes in a kit.

If you happen want to purchase a cross stitch kit, do check these items availability. One more thing, nowadays in ebay there are many charts are made in china ~ please be aware on the fabric and thread quality plus chart originality. Credits to my BFF (luv you kak reen) who had introduced this chart to me..I am in love at the first sigh (ermm semanjang tengok online chart camtu *wink*). I love the varieties in this chart which harmonizes perfectly ** que c’est beau**

I had substituted the Aida fabric with 16ct autumn vintage linen for a more dramatic shabby chic background and using the cotton thread by dimensions. No worries if you are out of thread as you can always ask for additional thread by sending email to dimensions and they will mail it to you - free of charge.

Next, sitting on top of my priority list -- that need to be completed in two weeks time (mesti..). I have planned to personally deliver the chart to a special friend that I had kept her waiting for so long – very bad of me *sigh*. So sorry dear!

Last but not least, nak tayang..ehhhh..share la..my 2 ketul collection wall hanging tapestry. Satu me hang kat living room satu lagi kat master bedroom. Sometimes, untuk kelainan me tukar2 kedudukan dia untuk pemandangan dan mood yang berbeza.

Have a wonderful weekend and holidays. Take Care and XOXO. May God bless all of you.

Cuppies for my thumb

2009-12-01T18:00:00.011+08:00

Hello and salaams to all my blog readers

I have been very busy lately. Cluttered papers is fighting for space on my desk and I just don't know when and where to start...hehehehe..my time management is very poor now because I am too tired to get organized *wink*. Doing my work at two different places requires frequent and long traveling time. We are now in December *blink..blink* and that mean I am left with 30 days before the New Year comes, to clear my desk and finished all pending task so that I can start a New Year - fresh.

Alhamdulillah, our company will be 10 years in January 2010. I still remember when we have to struggle during the inception of the business. We have to be very prudent as our source of capital is 100% self financing. It is difficult to convince a local bank to finance large amount of capital for a new ICT business model due to difficulty for them to evaluate the viability of the project without existing reference locally.

We are only a small company with few number of staff and it is meaningful to me when we able to provide employment eventhough only for a few people and they have been with us till present - thanks to my employee. My pray and hope, our company will be able to survive under the current rough economy and continue to expand and financially stable. Insyallah

Thanks to wanie, her lovely felt cup cakes is a solution that I can think of to keep my thumb drive for easy finding. Talked about innovation, I wish somebody can invent a chip that can be attached to this thumbdrive holder so that I can paging it via my handphone for easy searching..*LOL*

Till next entry, have a beautiful day ahead and take care.

Retro dan Nostalgic

2009-11-09T20:53:00.010+08:00

1950's/60's/70's vintage retro cottage rose pyrex..that is the description appeared masa me google pasal flower nie. Nie set kesayangan my mom. According to her, masa dia beli dulu set nie untuk 6 orang tapi banyak yang dah takde..mak pun tak ingat mana letak..so sayang sbb me suka tengok bunga dia..looks sweet..selain dari cottage rose nie pyrex ada keluarkan satu lagi pattern bunga rose - dinamakan June Rose.

Cawan dan piring nie tinggal 2 pasang jer. Shape dia pun simple tapi bunga dia dah sweet enough to create a pleasant view.

Nie dinner plate dia, bunga sama mcm piring kuih jugak..yang ini tinggal satu ajerrr..kat belakang set nie dia stamp "JAJ pyrex made in england..tapi susah nak snap photo sbb dia embossed sama dengan warna pinggan.

Nie me paling suka..platter dia..masa me cari info pasal plate nie kat -- pyrex love takde pulak listing pattern nie kat situ...hurmmmm..dan apa pulak yang nostalgicnyer.............*wink*

Coffee pot enamel ini dulu milik my grandmother, since she passed away 17 years ago, it has been with me until now. Masih elok lagi walaupun sudah berkarat sedikit dimamah usia.. seingat saya coffee pot ini sudah berusia lebih dari 40 tahun.

Till next entry, thanks for viewing and take care!

3 roses at the corner

2009-10-31T19:10:00.007+08:00

Salaams and Hello to all my friends and readers,

In my humble opinion, it's not really difficult to learn about ribbon embroidery, tapi bila bab design nie memang susah. A lot of factors need to be considered such as type of flowers, type of fabric and colors, color combo, bunga-bunga yang act as pelakon tambahan pun tak boleh sembarangan sebab nanti nampak janggal dan merosakkan design. Makanya..terhasillah bunga yang sangat simple ini..

I am still in the learning process and those roses using umirose technique. I had sewn the same design at four corners of the pillow. For those who are interested to learn RE with kak umi , you can find details about RE classes from her blog.

Thanks for viewing and till next entry, take care and happy stitching!

Orange Tree

2009-10-22T08:27:00.014+08:00

Salaams and Hello Everyone,

How is your craft activities?. I hope all of you enjoy your craft activities as much as I did. Back to my orange tree story. I once read this, A researcher says -- An orange a day can keep a heart disease away, so do take an orange a day to stay healthy *smile*. My orange tree had also helped to keep my stress away..*wink*. I had done the wooden beads covering with silk ribbon few months back but I could not finished the whole design as I don't have wire to make the tree trunk -- and when I stopped, it will take sometime for me to resume..hehehe..

Since I am not in the mood to do cross stitching and looking at the chart even make me more 'pening', I decided to do something 'light and easy'. I walked 5 minutes to the nearest LNS, bought a pack of wire and start to make a tree trunk and overcast with variegated perle cotton no 8..

I then worked on the basket with woven filling stitch using variation perle cotton no 8, adding forget-me-knots flower and leaves...

Walla..a completed Orange Tree and forget-me-knots design from panel 10, Ribbon Embroidery and Stumpwork by Di Van Nierk.

Thanks for viewing and have a wonderful day ahead.