Random

Random shots around the house.

Sawadee Chiang Mai

Our family holiday in Chiang Mai Thailand on 24th - 29th Nov 2013. Flying Thai Airways. Overall verdict - not that great. It would be more appealing to westerners. For us the weather, culture, places, experience are similar to what we have in Malaysia. We made mistake by joining group tours, cramped in small van for 3 consecutive days. We loved the hotel. And it is a shopping heaven for some. I'm not one of them (husband sighing). Our memories of Chiang Mai:

Boutique hotel - Yaang Come Village.

Reception

Reception 

How to celebrate New Year

01.01.14 HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

How to celebrate new year?
After satisfying dim sum brunch.. head home and spent time in the sewing room.

Been wanting to try making this Union Jack cover since I saw it a few years ago. Not that I'm an anglophile though. I used old t-shirts and scraps. Worked we'll since I didn't have to serge the edges. The white cloth was purposely ripped to fray.  The cushion fits well in my son's bedroom.

When I showed it to my husband, his remark was 'you are in the wrong country'. My son said 'I don't like America'. I said this is not America.. it's England. He said 'I don't like England... Uhhh what's England?...

Haishhh people give me break will you. I just want to make something pretty..

Enjoyed my crafty afternoon.... Listening to Nasional FM Radio station...macam mak mak...heeeeee

Spring cleaning

On Friday, yesterday, I psychoed myself to dedicate my weekend to clean the house which has been somewhat neglected. So this morning I have successfully cleaned the fans - highly recommended to increase its energy efficiency. Then I saw my chandelier in the kitchen with horror. It's like something from Adam's Family movie scene. Thinking that we have dinner underneath made me cringe.

Chandy before

Before my gear turned to 'lazy mode', I quickly gathered some cleaning supplies. At first I experimented with vinegar and water solution (1:2 ratio) but it didn't really do the trick. Water and cloth sufficed. I learned this trick from the net - hanging an upside down umbrella to catch the dust and water drippings. Next time I should first brush the dust off before wetting them.

Crime scene

Here's the after. Crystal clear! It took me almost 2 hours! Eeeekk.... I have another chandelier in the living room. That has to wait.

Chandy after

A little story about the chandy - it was a pre-loved item I scored from mudah.com (Malaysia's ebay). I think it was about RM170. It was glass, not crystal. You should know by now that I love second-hand items. The price is one thing. But the main attraction for me is the stories behind them. Plus, their potentials - the excitement and satisfaction I get when anticipating the results and after turning them into something beautiful and loved again.

My house is full of those things. I won't trade them for newer, flashier furniture. My son doesn't appreciate them and keeps asking us to buy new stuff, more like a totally new house actually. I told my daughter, who is always a good listener, that I like those stuff because of their characters. She didn't understand at first. After explaining to her, she suddenly said 'oh you mean they have history?'. Didn't I tell you she's a good listener? :D

Baby bedding set

Baby bedding set consists of 2 bolster cases,
2 pillow cases and a duvet cover.

My friend requested me to sew a bedding set for her newborn son to be used for his 'cukur jambul' ceremony . I was reluctant at first given my long-term conflict with deadlines. But I did it anyway although I missed the deadline. She said, it's okay, just go ahead.

Her idea was a simple bedding from a white fabric. Afraid all white would be too plain, I was looking for cotton with subtle embroidered patterns but couldn't find any. So I ended up with this instead - a high quality cotton, very soft (perfect for a baby). It has subtle lines (quite masculine I think). I've seen this material being used for bedding in hotels. It's quite pricey - about RM30 per meter. I only bought a meter since the width is wide.      

On the design board

It took me a while to figure out the design. It should be a little decorative (but not too girly for a boy). The masculine lines needed to be soften a little otherwise it would be too 'grown up' for a baby. So I went with ruffles and crochets. The crochet patterns were cut from an old, torn table cloth from my fabric stash. 

The lines are visible here

Experimenting with the pillow cases

Reflecting on the learning curve - these are my first tries with crochet and button holes (used for the duvet cover).  And the most memorable part is - it's my first (paid) client! 

All set and ready to go.

To my 'client' Ana - it's an amateur's job. I hope mommy and son like it. I'll accept whatever you pay me :)  

Flowery cushion cover

Found this placemat.  Pretty fabric. Right price. I thought the flowers were perfectly angled.

Within an hour I turned that into this. Tadaa...

I didn't add any fabric to it. It was big enough for borders. I slit the back fabric and added a zipper. The stitching was not fantastic though.

Happy with the result.. :)

Baju kurung for doll

It's Saturday morning. My daughter requested a baju kurung for her doll. We had fun making it.

All set for Raya!

Barbie, Liv's mat salleh cousin, wanted a new dress too. This one I did in 15 mins. Easy as it's a stretchable material from my old skirt.