Season's Greetings

We would like to send all our warmest wishes and all our love to our friendly friends who celebrates christmas, a MERRY CHRISTMAS.

A very special wish filled with love and warm hugs to all our blogger friends as well- Rita Ho, Cat and family, zara & zaria's mama, U.Lee, Gert, Puteri, and all of our friendly visitors.

A special note to Daniel Noreen, here's sending you lots of hugs and kisses, and hope to see you guys soon. have a great christmas!

Stary and Snowy

Sorry for keeping quiet for quite a bit, been hectic and busy playing host since last weekend. and prior to that, been busy cleaning the house. but as promised, here's another one i made some time ago.




I wanted to make something formal for Hardy to give his officemates. something he wouldnt be embarrased to send to his mates. used metallic gold cards, black textured papers and gold star stickers. and of course, my favourite, those flakes! they are sure versatile indeed! i simply adore them! and it cant get any more formal than gold and black!



Hope they'll love it. hope they'll have a good christmas this year. hope they'll have a good new year. hope they'll give him a raise?! hahaha (hey, there's nothing wrong in wishing and hoping!)

Wooly Wishes

I'm done with my christmas cards! yeyheyy! but this is not the last one, i'll publish anohter 2 or 3 on my christmas cards before we leave for the UK for our holidays. december is definitely a busy month. christmas cards, anniversary cards, birthday cards! getting presents... and i'm gonna be a host from next week on. busy busy busy!

But i suppose there's nothing stopping you from doing the things that you love. my hands itch for those pens, scissors and ribbons. and thanks to Hardy, i now have a space of my own where i can be in a little world of my own. yes, my very own worktable! and this was what i did last week, when aidan was fast asleep in his room. i used some goggle eyes to add a little touch of fun for kids, or adults who acts like kids (i know a few of them!) haha.

I hope my mr. smiley snowman is gonna make someone really merry this year! ok.. i'm gonna have to do my other chores now... or perhaps now that i have those blue woolies, i should learn how to knit? hmmm.....

Tree With A Twist

I am trying really hard to stay away from dark green and deep red for my next batch of christmas cards, and this was what i came up with last night. couldnt stay away from those snow flakes though. but this time, i didnt use the ones i used on my previous cards. look closely. this is a different type. these are confetties.







I love, adore and think highly of ribbons. i collect them. and quite frankly, one can never have enough of ribbons. i have way too many and now trying to make space for more. the best ones to work with (for me at least) are plain ones. i used a textured dark brown ribbon for the tree trunk. and a plain white to wrap the tree with.








Well... if it doesnt snow here for christmas, at least i can throw some confetties!

Let it Snow

Had some leftover polka dot paper from my last project and used it for a christmas card. i'm such a bore with my choice of colours sometimes, kept sticking to red and green for christmas. truth is, you can always use other colours for christmas cards from pastel to turquoise!



I must say that one good item is all you need sometimes. i bought these snowflakes (it comes in a roll) at a shop in Genk, Belgium. and all i can say is it was worth the buy! one can do tonnes with them. dressing them up differently, on different backgrounds and with different emblishments.

Used some felt ribbon, tied a knot and slide the flake in and simply let it hang. if they are not in place, perhaps you can use a tad bit of sticky tape and tape it on the card.

I reckon you wont need more than 10 mins for this card. seriously! lets see.. who shall i give this one to?!?

From the Heart

This was what i did for Hardy for our 2nd anniversary. a scrapbook kindda card. i've decided to take up scrapbooking after my last visit to hobbycraft coventry. it is quite an expensive hobby, with all the emblishments and types of papers that the market has to offer but i'm up for it. saving bit by bit and i try to use most scraps without having to buy them.

This is an example of a true scrapbooking. i used all scraps, leftover bits of papers, borders, cut outs and some free samples. i trully love the colour combination as it was not too feminine. blue and brown are certainly a handsome pair!

I put up 3 pieces of papers, and each represents the stages that we went through to get to today - the dating period, the wedding day itself and now, a life as husband and wife, after 2 years. rescalled down some of our photos and printed those tiny pictures up.

And this was where he hung it. on the wall of our anniversary present (no it's not just a corkboard). we both gave each other something special this year (to compensate our 1st year anniversary). but with all sincerity, anniversaries shoudlnt be all about expensive presents and a huge card. its all about what comes from the heart! agree?

He gave me something he did in return. it was just way too overwhelming...

Beef with Broccoli

Whenever i need to prepare something quick, or perhaps when i'm a tad bit lazy (or busy making christmas cards), i'd take out my wok and i stir fry my way around in the kitchen. the secret to a successful stir fry is speed and the fire. turn your fire on high and let the sizzle do the talking..

This is a dish that doesnt require much. suits me well since i have my 14 month old Aidan, who always fancies the kitchen more than his toys, who always tags along to the kitchen, who's currently walking on 5th gear. 3 mins to prepare everything, and another 3-5 mins to stir fry them. alongside with your rice, and voila, a complete meal within minutes. unless you prefer your dish to be with some gravy... but this works fine for me and hardy (alongside telur dadar and kicap!).



STIR FRIED BEEF WITH BROCCOLI

Rump steak beef
1 tbsp Cornflour
1 tbsp Light soy sauce (i used kikoman)
1/2 tsp Sugar
Broccoli - cut into florets
Cooking Oil
2 cloves of Garlic - Finely chopped
1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
2-3 tbsp Chicken/Beef Stock
Sessame Oil



Method:

1. Slice beef very thinly. put in a bowl with cornflour, soy sauce and sugar. mix well. put aside.
2. Stir fry garlic and broccoli in your wok for a couple of mins. push them to one side of the wok and add the beef marinade. stir fry on high heat until meat changes colour.
3. Add the oyster sauce and stock and keep in stirring.
4. Lastly, add a few drops of sessame oil.

Take a Bow

I knew i had to improve on my cards. those two i did earlier were simply not enough for me. one was way too childish and the scrap card was way too simple.


Went through my stack of papers and i realized that i didnt have a red one with motives on them. all i had was a plain red paper. and what i did was i took a white pen and drew circles and stars on them. adding a little bit of a 'festive' touch to it.



Next step was to turn the piece of paper into a 'gift'. chose a contrasting ribbon and then i added a big bow on it. added some berries to the middle of the bow and stick them on top of the red paper.




And voila! another christmas card done... lets see... how much more to go zaza? 97? my.. my.. my..... i wish i have another pair of hands!

Our 2nd Anniversary

1 uinon, 1 special day.

2 years today. 2 wonderful, beautiful years.

Hardy and I got married this day, 2 years ago! and what a life, what a journey it has been for the both of us.

All i could ever wished for, everything i could ever dream of, thankful and grateful. i'm still head over heels, i'm still bananas, i'm still nuts.

Here's to more love, more fun, more happy times and more good food to the soul!

Coriander Meatballs

This is a real treat! very quick and very simple to prepare. this favourite dish is shared all across the world with their own versions. some in sandwiches (meatball SUB!), some on pizzas, some in soups, some in pastas (spaghetti meatballs), some in their noodles (indonesian bakso mee!).. some would combine the meat with other stuff like potatoes, and some just on its own. you can have them as your main meals, or as a side dish.



I dont know what i'd do without coriander. honestly. i think they are the most useful, versatile herb. they give out a beautiful, distinguih taste. i have to have them in my kitchen all the time (i really, REALLY need to grow them by now.. after this winter perhaps). i combined the two and the results were absolutely breathtaking and stunning! who needs IKEA swedish meatballs?! ;) (but quite frankly i do crave for them once in a while)

CORIANDER MEATBALLS

minced beef/lamb or a mix

1 Onion - chopped

1 clove of Garlic - chopped

Fresh Coriander - chopped

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

a tad bit of Light soy sauce

1tbsp Cornflour

Method:

1. Place meat, chopped onions, chopped garlic, soy sauce, cornflour, chopped coriander, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix them well.

2. Shape the mixture to balls and set them aside.

3. Heat oil in the pan and fry the meatballs, turning them occationally until cooked.

Scrap Christmas Card

Remember i told you in my last post that ideas came running as soon as i went to bed after making christmas card no.1? well, this was one of them. this one's a clever one. do not, and let me say this again, DO NOT throw away those tiny bits of ribbons and papers. i tend to keep scraps of papers, even to the tiny-est bit of them, just in case i can reuse them. when you tie a bow, and you cut out the ends to give it a little bit of an nice edge, well, i tend to keep that bit too, just in case it might be useful for later use.



It certainly was useful in this case. i was trying out a few ways on how to make use of them, and this was what i can come up with. i arranged them to a shape of a christmas tree (please tell me it looks like one). Added a sequine star on top and voila! hopefully the christmas colours adds to the theme.



Call me a cheapsket, but hey, it works for me! turned out nice dont you think so? if you have extra time or perhaps extra hands, add in a little bit more effort to tie those papers with a thin, extra super duper thin ribbons or a thick thread (those cross stitch ones -what do you call them?) and turn them into parcels and presents!

1 Down, 99 To Go!

Christmas is just around the corner. i look forward to every christmas not because i celebrate it but because of the stuff we can get during this season. loads and loads of nice wrappers, lots of decoration, lots of bags and lots and lots of crafts to do! one particularly - cards.



I'll be making my own christmas cards this year, no more buying those boxed cards. lets just hope i have enough time to make them for all our friends. here's one i made last week before going to bed. so 1 down, 99 more to go!! I'll do the cards and i shall leave all the writings and posting to Hardy!

The only smart thing i came up with for this one was to add the ribbon. and as soon as i lay down on my bed, trying to sleep, ideas came running. what timing! will share more of christmas cards ideas.

Spiced Potatoes with Garlic

No indian meal is complete without a side dish! and spices are at the heart and soul of indian cooking. i've learnt that whatever dish you're preparing, always fry your spices before the vegetable or meat. this will release the flavours and eliminate any raw taste. but careful, not to cook your spices for too long, otherwise the flavours will become bitter.

We had this as our side dish together wish our chicken balti the other day (which i will write later). A very simple dish everyone can handle them. Hardy loves the crunchy garlic bits and i love potatoes.

YELLOW SPICED POTATOES WITH GARLIC

3-4 Medium sized potatoes

Vegetable oil

3 Cloves garlic - chopped

1 tsp ground tumeric

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

salt

Method:

1. Cook the potatoes whole in boiling water for 20 mins orr until just cooked through. do not overcook. drain and leave to cool.

2. Cut them into bite sized pieces.

3. Heat oil in small frying pan and cook the garlic until it turns brown. Add the tumeric powder, chilli powder, cumin and mustard seeds. cook for a couple of mins.

4. Pour the spice mixture over the potatoes. mix them well.

5. Another option is to put them on grill.

Fifi's Birthday Banner

I think i'm starting a new tradition on family birthdays - Birthday Banners!

It was my sister's birthday last week and i thought i'd make her a banner. we couldnt be in the UK to celebrate her birthday so i thought i might try to brighten her day by sending her one.

I love hydrangeas, simply adore them! we have some real ones growing in our garden. you can dry them and make garlands or use them for decoration. but in this case, i used some artificial ones.

Using the alphabet templates, i then cut out her name. i then paste them individually on the cards. and now all you have to do is to decorate them, with butterflies, some wordings, flowers, or perhaps some dye cut stickers if you wish. but just remember not to overdo them. the simpler the nicer!

I wanted to write some dutch words such as gefeliceteered (congratulations), verjaardag (birthday), jarig (birthday) and hoera (hurray) but opted to write something merry instead - Smile, Love, Happy, Fun! i know i should have used a proper marker but i didnt have any. i will add them on my craft shopping list.

I'm glad she liked it!

Testing Icing

Now, this is more like it. ignore previous post! still not enough practise but jadilaaa... all i had was this cheap icing decorarting tubes. and all i used was icing sugar and water. i didnt know that all you need was just a tad bit of water to make glace icing. you need to check on the consistancy yourself, therefore i dont think i can write the exact amount of water and sugar. i followed the instructions on the back of the icing box - 225 of icing sugar and 2-3 tbsp water. mix them up, keep on checking on the consistancy. i dont know if this applies to all brands of icing sugar though. try experimenting yourself! its fun! (you experts out there, please by all means, correct me if i'm wrong!)

I had loads of fun trying this out with mum (basically, she pretty much laughed at me trying to push hard icing from the icing bag). one really need to have steady hands! i didnt want to waste any cupcakes therefore i used some wafers i had left in the pantry. we're going to try royal icing next time! doing this was so much fun! i totally recommend mums with their daughters to embark on this! now i know why people are in the craze for cupcakes and icing!

Its my good dear friend Nina Hafneh's birthday today! here's wishing you loads of happiness, loads of fun, laughter, love and may all your dreams come true! Happy Birthday Nin. We'll make icing together next year when you're near k? Missing you loads! With all our love, lots of hugs and kisses!