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.

Rachel Khoo, new star on tv

I just discovered this girl. Her cooking show, The Little Paris Kitchen, is cute with down-to-earth concept. The girl cooks in the tiniest kitchen in pretty, whimsical, retro dresses (apparently her own style). She often wears deep red lipstick and black eyeliner. I'm not sure about the cooking but the French names in the menu sound very romantic. Her presence is interesting enough to draw audience. She's beginning to warm up to me.

I was curious with her surname and decided to google. Guess what... she has Malaysian heritage from her father! She claims growing up eating all sorts of food including rendang.

So move over Nigella... welcome Rachel!

Welcome Ramadan 2013

Thank you Allah for granting me this opportunity again.. 

May my deeds be counted and are better than the last...

Under the Tuscan sun

The traffic from my home to office is always horrible. Being stuck for 1 to 2 hours on the road is normal.  I have found a more enjoyable way to endure the long journey - watching good movies on my phone. I know I know... this doesn't comply with good road safety behaviour. 

One of the movies I've watched is 'Under the Tuscan Sun'. The story was okay, a romcom but its setting, filmed against the backdrop of beautiful Tuscany, was the real attraction. The synopsis:

"Frances Mayes (Diane Lane) is a San Francisco writer whose seemingly perfect life takes an unexpected turn when she learns that her husband has been cheating on her. The divorce—and the loss of her house to her ex-husband and his much-younger, pregnant new partner—leaves her depressed and unable to write. Her best friend Patti (Sandra Oh), a lesbian who is expecting a child, is beginning to think Frances might never recover. She urges Frances to take an Italian vacation to Tuscany using the ticket she purchased before she became pregnant. At first Frances refuses, but after another depressing day in her gloomy apartment, she decides that it's a good idea to get away for a while.In Tuscany, her tour group stops in the small town of Cortona. After wandering through the charming streets, she notices a posting for a villa for sale in Cortona. She rejoins her tour group on the bus, and just outside of town, the bus stops to allow a flock of sheep to cross the road. While they wait, Frances realizes that they've stopped directly in front of the very villa that she had seen for sale—something she believes is a sign. She asks the driver to stop and she gets off the bus. Through a series of serendipitous events, she becomes the owner of a lovely yet dilapidated villa in beautiful Tuscany.Frances begins her new life with the help of a variety of interesting characters and unusual but gentle souls. She hires a crew of Polish immigrants to renovate the house. Over time, Frances also befriends her Italian neighbors and develops relationships with her Polish workers, the realtor who sold her the villa, and Katherine (Lindsay Duncan), an eccentric aging British actress who evokes the mystery and beauty of an Italian film star.^{[N 1]} Later, she is visited by the now very pregnant Patti, whose partner Grace has left her.Frances meets and has a brief romantic affair with Marcello (Raoul Bova), but their relationship does not last. She is about to give up on happiness when one of her Polish workers, a teenager named Pawel (Pawel Szajda), and a neighbor's young daughter come to her for help. Her father does not approve of him, yet they are very much in love and want to get married. Frances persuades the girl's family to support their love, and the young lovers are soon married at the villa. During the wedding celebration, Frances meets an American writer who is traveling in Tuscany, and their attraction for each other points to a romantic future." (Source: Wikipedia)

The Tuscany villa where the love, tears and
laugh took place

Garden wedding party

Living room. after renovation.
I quite like the un-plastered wall.

Living room turned into a nursery to prepare
for the baby

Office room with kitty she adopted from Positano

Frances' pregnant lesbian friend played by Sandra Oh 

Frances' rough iron bed with the image of Mary
to whom she found solace at night

Guest bedroom

The only picture of the kitchen I could find on the net

With Marcello, Frances' love interest, in the
beautiful Positano. 

Love the white dress! By the way, in movies they always managed to dress up so beautifully although they traveled with only one small luggage. How on earth did they do that?

Anyway this movie reminds me of the trip my husband and I made to Italy in 2001.  Here's our shots in Positano. Please don't laugh..

Black sandy beach on the Amalfi Coast.

My husband and I had a good laugh looking at this.
Looks as if he's wearing a dead animal on his head. LOL!

The movie should still be on youtube (unless this post got crazy hits it attracted the producer's attention who then of course took it down due to copyright infringement). 

Kitties

Haze masks

This what I call turning a threat into (craft) opportunity!  I made haze masks. This is for my daughter. Simple and fast (only 15 mins) to sew using whatever I could find in my sewing room.

Now she's ready to go back to school. My son's will take time to materialize. I imagined a big spider crawling over a black mask! He loves Spidey.

Look I also made one for my friend.

Cornish pasty

I experimented these tonight after watching 'Jamie's Great Britain' cooking show. The Brits called it Cornish pasty, the Malays called it Karipap, and my son called it Dinosaur curry puff.

I used Martha Stewart's pie crust recipe. For the filling, I used carrot, pumpkin, onions, beef and chicken (separate batch) and salt, pepper to taste. My daughter had fun as well making star shaped cookies.

The pasty was a little bit dry and too biscuit-y to my liking. My husband suggested that I reduced the baking time. The pumpkin worked extremely well with the pasties. Next time I may add a little gravy to the mix. All in all not bad for a first try. My son, as usual appreciated my effort the most and encouraged me to watch more cooking shows. Ouch!

I made 14 of these dino puffs. I liked that they looked rustic. Those with green dots are beef filling.

Had them with left over alfalfa sprouts and cherry tomatoes.

Sunday dinner

We made these for dinner today....

Selection of sandwiches:

Garden herb dinner buns with tuna and alfafa sprout filling

Whole wheat bread with philadelphia cheese and cucumber

........

Romaine lettuce salad with olive oil and mustard vinaigrette

.........

Peach and banana trifle

.........

Watermelon and celery slush

A simple, satisfying dinner after all those exercises (squash, swimming and gym) earlier in the day... 

Random post

A Daughter Like You

You're my daughter, 

and I'd just like to say, 

You bring me joy, 

each and every day. 

Whenever I think, 

or look at you, 

I know I'm blessed, 

that's wonderfully true. 

You're very special, 

thoughtfully care, 

A helping hand, 

always willing to share. 

You're always determined, 

to achieve what's in your mind, 

Thinking of others, 

you're actions are kind. 

I shall admit, 

we're a wonderful team, 

To have a daughter like you, 

was my ultimate dream. 

by anitapoems.com

Decorating my son's bedroom

Another old and simple project I did for my son's room. 

Bought wooden letters from craft shop. They were like 2 to 4 ringgit each.

Lined them up on newspaper. Spray-painted them.

Stick them on the wall. Done!

I added the wall stickers as well (need to be changed soon as the boy has grown up). The bedside table was left by the previous house owner. It was originally boring brown. The wood is solid, heavy and good. I gave it a matte black paint and stenciled the numbers. The bed came from the lady who gave us the cupboard and other stuff. It is metal with wheels, like hospital beds. We have two, one in my daughter's room which I painted white. I'm planning to sew bedding for him. The fabrics are patiently waiting in the sewing room. Ralph Lauren's bedding will be the inspiration.

Tale of a cupboard

It's been a while since I blogged. 

I've been wanting to post this old project which I finished almost 2 years ago. A friend of my mother-in-law gave this away to us (along with other old furniture in the house!). To cover my embarrassment, I gave her a little money for their junk but my treasures. 

Cutting the story short, this is how the cupboard looked before. This is a typical cupboard Malaysians used to store food in those days before many could afford a fridge. My mom had one as well, with green mesh door. I remember checking for food every time after coming back from school. Sadly, the cupboard perished with nature.   

It was left untouched for a few months as I was contemplating whether to paint or keep the colour. It had seasoned brown varnish. Very retro. Very nice. A part of me said that I should keep it that way, it was a vintage piece.  Another me thought that it would make the house dark.

Me and I finally reached a decision. Maintain the original colour in the inside, but enhance the external with white paint. I replaced the original mesh doors with glass. We are both satisfied with the finished product - light and airy.

I fixed Laura Ashley's crystal door knobs which I bought in England (couldn't find ones in Malaysia). It now stores my pretty Wedgewood china collection (which I (will) never use).

Here are more recent shots. I have added more decorative stuff.

By the way, we call it 'gobok' here in Johor, Malaysia.
What are you 'diy'ing this weekend?