It's New Year's Eve!

It's New Year 2010's EVE today.....and just got back from Kamdar (now that Fah Co is down to ashes) with a gorgeous thai silk in the shade of red wine, hopefully to be turned into my CNY qi pao (ie. if the tailor is willing to take in another order tomorrow), 2 very cute flannels to make PJs for the babes, a black cotton sateen @ half price to make my bolero jacket to match the above mentioned qipao, and 1 very modern UN-songket-looking songket fabric at half price making it RM10.90 for 2.5 meters!!! Pretty good finds today, I must say.....

Have been requested to 'kau tim' dinner tonite coz we rather not eat out, it will be super crowded anyway, so I am cooking Lotus Root Pork Ribs soup and a vege dish while FIL will get satays! YAY!
This will be my 1st attempt to make this soup, I hope I get it right....well, FIL is 'particular' about food.... jeng jeng jeng!!!! :P

Did I mention I am making LEMON BARS for dessert too? hahaha....yeap, it is what it is, AGAIN!

After dinner, we will head on to Small Aunt's condo for her countdown party with live band performances......yeah, HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010 everyone! I would only wish for good health and happiness for my family :)

The ACCIDENTAL Spaghetti Top

Due to some unforeseen circumstances, my other half could not hold the camera steady, thus, I had to seek professional help from my unprofessional Macbook's Photo Booth photo-taking service... :P

Would you be surprised if I told you the total cost (minus workmanship of course) for this Cotton Linen spaghetti top is just RM3.00++?

Actual colour is soft lime green, not the shocking lime green mind you...hehe..

And while I tried to get a few good perspectives of my newly created top, my little bumblebee flew along buzzing non-stop wanting to get a snappo too! Hmmph!!! So here she is, with her hair scrunched up accidentally (looking like a HIPPIE) coz her new velvet hairband is 2" small....(she refused to let me measure her head circumference, that's why)

Sewing Solitude

You know how it is when one person or a few drive you mad and make you wish you're actually insane for real? If you're actually REALLY insane, you could be oblivious to the things that hurt and irritate your soul.

Lately, there's THREE humans who get on my nerves plentiful, till I could hear myself SHOUTING in my head scolding em, each and every single one of them! I finally did SHOUT (and more....) to ONE of them today, and I am now wondering when will the other TWO's turns be!!!!

I would like them to know, MY P.A.T.I.E.N.C.E has its limit and if it can be measured in the number of letters the word itself is spelt, mine's just left with the letter 'P', whereas the other 7 letters have vanished through the years.

I hate to break the patience and shout at anybody mentioned above coz that's just problem.....in the end, I'll have to face awkwardness from the person shouted at, coz the CONTENTS of my shout-outs would be the F.O.U.G.....yeah, ugly truths.....the former two words you should know very well....pretty common.

I need solitude from all these bugs....and while I was speedily making Maia's dress, then Kyra's velvet hairband, then another one for Maia......I realized, sewing takes my mind off the ISSUES (probably coz if I don't pay attention and focus I'd get my fingers sewn onto the machine, and that's gonna be ugly big time!)....

I shall keep sewing then......


In the mean time, here's the outcome of my solitude time-out:
LEFT: Maia's dress, RIGHT: Kyra's top, both made with 100% Japanese cotton by SEVENBERRY, that I purchased from Fah Company a few days before inferno swallowed the entire fabric store last week! *Sob sob* (Did I mention Fah Co carries authentic Japanese cottons and other nice and rare fabrics? sob sob.....)

Both babes are gonna wear their new bajus & matching hairbands to a New Year countdown party with live band performances tomorrow night :D, organized by hubby's aunt & uncle....



Fine pleats on the top front of Kyra's spaghetti top


Maia's little dress :)


Velvet ribbon across the empire waistline


Velvet elasticized hairband with grossgrain ribbon bow for both babes:D


Seen here modeled on Kyra's very messy hair, sorry bout that...hehe...

Embroidered Cotton Little Cropped Cardi

Remember I mentioned in previous post's Item#1 that I needed to make a duplicate of my own cardi for Godma? Here it is!!! I finished it in half a day, yesterday....which is a big relief coz I still have PLENTY of sewing to do....

Here (below), the cardi is modeled on yours truly....it's 1-2 sizes too big for me actually, tailored to fit Godma. I imagined a mini version for both babes would be soooo darn adorable, with round poofffyyyy skirt and a spaghetti top inside.....total adorableness, no? :D




The silk wild rose brooch/clippy was made last week before we went to Miri, it can be pinned onto clothes, bags, necklace, or clipped onto ur hairdo....sooooo tres chic!

Sew ME!

Now that my mum's 30 year young sewing machine is running fine, I have listed down (in my head lah) the 'sewing jobs' that are l.a.g.g.i.n.g since many many weeks ago.....hehe...

Not too sure if these are in proper 'priority' sequence or not.....
1) Godma's cotton cardi (that is an exact copy of my store-bought cardi) ***done***
2) Bedsheet set for little bro (as his bday gift) :D ***done on 4th Jan 10***
3) Dresses, and many dresses X 2 for Kyra and Maia (oh, these had been outstanding for a few mths now!) :P
4) Pillow cases for the throw pillows in my living room (for CNY 2010) ***done 7th Jan 10***

AND,
5) Mobby The Cousin :P has 'booked' my sewing service to do his new curtains for his room makeover! The good thing is, luckily his curtain is not the frilly pleated type....just plain flat-sheet curtain! PHEW!!!! ***10th Jan 10: he changed his mind, not make-overing anymore.....haha***

On top of all the above, I would really love to create a few clutches/bags, simply coz I just lurrvveee attaching the magnetic buttons to the bags I made! LOL! Sounds ridiculous, I know......don't care...hehehehe....

Merely Miri!

To sum up our SUPER LONG & TIRING express bus trip to Miri?

15 hours from Kuching to Miri.
Miri - super lousy food everywhere! LOL!
Bintulu - messy & toilet's dirty and unsightly
Sibu - surprisingly different from the last time I went many years ago, a lot more organized, nice landscape and clean!!!!
16 hours from Miri back to Kuching, drop dead exhausting and sickening!

And thus, we all (the younger ones as far as I know, lol), 'vowed' to NEVER take express bus to anywhere that takes longer than 6 hours!!! :P
EVER!!!!



PPPSSSSTTT!!!!
Though the trips TO and FRO sucked big time, it's in no way to say the same of the wedding occasion itself.....I am just waiting for little sista at home to kau tim editing all the photos...can't wait to show em here!!!
:D

Nap time can now be more comfy!!! FINALLY!!!

Both the kids' bedroom and my 'studio' (aka Guest Room) face the bright strong sunlight during daytime, thus making the rooms super hot even with aircond on! So I decided I needed to do something about the kids' bedroom to make nap time more comfy, less steamy! haha...

See the difference? Kids' bedroom (left) has just been added semi-blackout panel curtains, while my studio is using normal cotton curtains in off-white. Very super bright and sunny, right?


This morning, I went to Fah Co (intended to) but I walked into the WRONG shop (LOL! I know) because hubby's 'warning' me to be FAST FAST!!! (fyi, I always do/buy wrong things when I am hurried) , but I am really seriously glad I did!!! I guess everything happens for a reason, good or bad?? LOL! Of all the fabric stores I went to, none carried this fabric (see below), they sell it as BLACKOUT FABRIC but I beg to differ, coz I remember back at my parents' home where we all had blackout curtains, it is REALLY blackout when the curtains are drawn....but no so much this one....but it's just nice for nap time anyway, so I don't mind......Looks good, isn't it? Looks like upholstery fabric, feels like one too....and at RM10/meter at 60" wide, it's really a steal!!!


So, with fabric, comes great window solutions...HEHE! From who else, but IKEA!!!
Got this DIVISION panel curtain system during our KL trip a few weeks ago. Fully aluminum so no worries on rust, simple to install too!




So, I managed to squeeze out the panel curtains this afternoon, and fixed em up, and here it is!


This is how the room feels like when all 4 panels are drawn.....see why I prefer to call it SEMI-blackout fabric? yeah, you got it! But I wouldn't want full blackout for the babes anyway, in case they trip and fall :P


So, here's to happier, more comfortable and LONGER nap times for the babes.....(which translates to more MUMMY TIME to do MUMMY's HOBBIES??? HEHEHEHE)

Mini Aprons & Napkins....coz my beloved sewing machine is back, with a VENGEANCE!

Imagine if you have only one car, and it broke down, and now you got it back from the workshop all running smoothly and way better than before! Yeap, I just got back my mum's 30 year old sewing machine from the 'workshop' and sooooo glad it only costed me RM47 for repair & service! :D

FYI, I haven't been sewing things for a few weeks, it felt strange and kinda miserable especially when I have all the 'ingredients' and design all ready in my head....so, today I finally started, and I completed the panel curtains for the babes' room by noon (photos to follow shortly), and later continued the SYOK-ness of sewing by making 2 little cutie aprons and play napkins for the 2 babes' mini kitchen and dining table :D

Apron in striking chili red with B&W gingham border and strap.


Each mini apron has easy-adjust velcro 'system' at the back :D



I also managed to squeeze out a matching hot pink table cloth for their 'round table' (which is actually my rattan stool really).


Both got so into playing 'dinner time' with their aprons on, and nicely folded napkins......hehehe...





The best thing is, all these were made using leftover fabrics from previous 'projects', so they cost me nothing except time and effort :)

So how do you like it so far? (If you're a female who played masak-masak before, you'd probably love this like I do)....hehe....I can't wait till I finally get the entire playroom transformed...as mentioned in previous post! These napkins and aprons sure fit perfectly into the color scheme, dont ya think? hehe....

It's projecting again!

Ok, this post is impromptu, so whatever you read about is about the 'matters' that have been circling my head for the past few days...very recent but exciting :D

a) Zac and I are planning to tackle a pretty big DIY project ourselves (pretty big to us coz this shall be the 1st time both of us 'collaborate' on DIY-ing from scratch, coz I don't consider fixing up Ikea stuffs as purely DIY). This project involves the big square 'hole' in our bedroom that serves zero purpose, other than making our life hard coz now we have to DIY to 'kau tim' it, LOL! This square 'hole' measures 8' high x 8' wide x 1.5' deep, and it's right behind our bed (where the headboard is). We are puzzled as to why it's designed this way, well, unless it's built right on a window wall, then it makes sense, imagine putting comfy paddings and cute throw pillows around it....ahhh...that makes a pretty good looking 'reading corner', but NO, this one is just a plain weird HOLE! So, we are planning to DIY a padded headboard to cover the entire thing, the headboard will be a huge one, spanning from bottom of floor to ceiling, then we plan to build hidden shelves in it :D where we can store very seldom used items eg: my large samsonite suitcase which has no where to go now, my wedding gown in another large suitcase, items that were 'blasted' from the past...lol....yeah, u get the flow....

Sounds cool eh?
Well, it'll only be cool IF we can be successful...HAHA!
I shall pray for it.... :D

b) DIY#2
As some of you might already knew, I had to turn my cosy dining room into the babes' PLAYroom :P So obviously, the colour and feel of the room is now not so FUN for a playroom. I challenged myself to transform this room's feel from COSY CLASSY DINING ROOM (i'd like to think so), to........FUNKY DORY PLAYROOM for UNDER RM100! (and No, it will not involve any Dory fish drawings in case you're wondering). Before I went to z.z land last nite, I managed to squeeze out some ideas and colour scheme, for now, you guys can try picture MATTE BLACK, PINK, DARK BROWN, GREEN. And as per my Apple Tree project, this will involve recycling some leftover Murobond paints in the store room of course, esp that the challenge is to go below RM100 for the total cost....hehe..

In the mean time, let's hope I'll have mood and time to sit down tight to post about all the oustanding 'matters'.... :P

USED vs LOVED

Glad that Pei Mun forwarded this to me :) tq!

While a man was polishing his new car,
his 4 yr old son picked up a stone
and scratched lines on the side of the car.
In anger, the man took the child's hand
and hit it many times not realizing
he was using a wrench.

At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers
due to multiple fractures.

When the child saw his father.....
with painful eyes he asked, 'Dad when will my fingers grow back?'
The man was so hurt and speechless;
he went back to his car and kicked it a lot of times.

Devastated by his own actions......
sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches;
the child had written 'LOVE YOU DAD'.
The next day that man committed suicide. . .

Anger and Love have no limits;
choose the latter to have a beautiful, lovely
life & remember this:
Things are to be used and people are to be loved.
The problem in today's world is
that people are used while things are loved.

Let's try always to keep this thought in mind:
Things are to be used,
People are to be loved.

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character;
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

I'm glad a friend forwarded this to me as a reminder..
I hope you have a good day no matter what problems you may face
it's the only day you'll have before it's over.

O.U.T.S.T.A.N.d.i.n.g.S

So many things to blog about.....so little time....especially now that I am actually 'making' things for the home to be in time for CNY 10...lol! It's not too early if you're operating the home with 2 babes alone, trust me:)

Just got back from our KL trip last week, in fact, I just remembered I have yet to blog about Kyra's school concert too...amongst others :P (Adush...just the KL trip alone I have so much to write about......)

Now (as in this 2nd half of the week), I am anxiously waiting for our KL shipment to be delivered, only hoping that everything arrives safely, without dents and breakages:P

Till then.....I shall get back to planning this evening's dinner......hmmmm......what shall I cook?

See Her Dance!

It's a shame my hp could not catch the music playing on the TV Radio.
This is Kyra dancing to Madonna's very hip dance song (sorry, dunno the title).
I watched her dance in SHOCK coz I only knew she could dance slow motion dances, little did I know she could break it like the dance floor is hers!!!

THE big "LIST" :P

It's been 11 months since we moved into this new home.......the 1st 7 months of it were spent without a proper kitchen, and many others to be accurate...LOL! Just know that it's really NOT easy to furnish a double storey semi-detached home, especially if you're one (or two in our case) who have not saved $ for it :P, and by saying we have not a house fund, that's pretty clear how un-loaded we are lah....ok..hehehehe...... (coz if we were to have extra moolahs....I'm quite sure we'd have some kind of savings).

So, today.....I took time looking around the home......and managed to 'list down' in my mind the things I would love to have to make the home more complete......(reads: want DOES NOT = NEED, meaning, our lives are not affected by the non-existence of these things ok..hehe, but would be nice to the eyes to have lah)

1) COFFEE TABLE
a gorgeous low coffee table (I spotted one that I lurveeee already....damn!
It's over RM1k++, so that's why it's still NOT in my home) LOL!
***eh, I think this item is not a 'WANT' item, it's a 'NEED' item esp with CNY around the corner......well, worse come to worst, we could settle for IKEA's Expedit coffee table @RM259 (below). FYI, it looks NOTHING like the one I fell in love with:P....make do, what to do......

Then I saw this cute coffee table on wheels (below) retailing @USD699 :O @PB, how adorable and fun....I imagine if I really had this at home, it'd be a toy cart in the babes' eyes :P



2) TEAK BEDSIDE TABLES
It gotta be teak coz otherwise, they won't match our solid teak 4poster bed, so this is why we are still bedside-table-less till today... LOL!



3) TV CONSOLE
This is another 'difficult' item.....reason is, i have the design in my mind since the day we moved in...and it is a very long, simple & chic TEAK tv console. Ok, it does not have to be solid wood.....but the wall measures 13.5' wide.....and I need a pretty long console to hold the area together, if u get what I mean.....
LONG = more $$$, so there goes.....
But good thing the Astro decoder can sit on the floor for the time being... Hehehe...

Well, simply love the simplicity and solidity of this one here....yeah, this is the kind I am dreaming about, but of course, it has got to be longer......just look at the thick thick thick body.......ahemmm.....LOL!



4) DECORATIVE BOX SHELVES for living room
I had this in mind....see below...but of course, it would be made of wood to complement the whole living room theme. Since this is definitely not a NEED item, I do wonder sometimes when will we ever set a budget to custom make them! :P




5) STAINLESS STEEL OVENS RACK
This, is a NEED item, but due to some 'unforeseen' reasons....ahemmmmmm......we have yet to get it customized. In case you are wondering what this is....it's just a simple chic rack (or so I imagined in my mind), that lets my Panasonic Multipurpose Oven 'sit' atop my Sharp Healsio Water Oven so that they take up less space on the kitchen counter. Both are not built-in oven units, thus, the reason they were NOT built-into the cabinet in the 1st place. So, this is definitely a NEED item.


6) IKEA STOLMEN WARDROBE SYSTEM for our walk in wardrobe
gettin this....gettin this soon.....good thing I did not cancel my Ikea Friends credit card...hehehehe...



7) SHELF for DRYER
so the dryer can sit atop my huge Bosch 10.5kg washing machine....this giant really took up a big area in my tiny laundry room, thus, a few MANY weeks ago, I got this idea to stack my dryer on top of it....but because these 2 were not of the same breed, thus I need to custom make a 'shelf' or rack to sit the dryer 6" to 8" above the washer. Will definitely post up photos of the "AFTER" job.....coz i think it will make a huge difference.....in terms of neatness and space....
This is doable (budget wise), just that we never found the time to find a welder to make it. What an excuse....sigh.... :D


8) 2 BEDSIDE LAMPS
and because we do not have bedside tables, thus we won't be gettin this yet...
another excuse....haha.....well, mind you, once you add everything up, even a pair of bedside lamps would pinch your pocket a lot......and I hope to find a nice spectacular pair......coz I have to look at it every day......and on a more serious note, I've always felt that our bedroom NOW is very incomplete coz it lacks a certain pair of spectacular lamps......TO ME, these are the 'accents' of the room u know....
Well, if you have seen Nate Berkus (on Oprah)'s room transformations, you'd agree!

Seen here is Cortena Mica Mood Lamp by POTTERY BARN, on sale @USD102.99, how nice and simple!!!



9) STRETCHER FRAMED CANVASes
Well, ahemmm..... Sista#2 ahemm!!!!! Hehehehe, I wanted to have a few extra large canvases on stretcher frames to be painted myself to decorate bare walls of the home.....but due to a super hectic schedule of the big-shot framing guy AH YEO, I guess my mini order is just not crucial to be fulfilled.... SAD.......
Else, I could have rushed a few 'artworks' for CNY... :P

Very long list huh?
I thought so too....What to do......Hopefully by CNY 2011, I won't be repeating anything from this list, k... :P


Well, this room (below) used to be our dining 'hall', but because the 2 babes always messed up my entire living room with their books and toys, and I ended up being the one who cleared those up every day....tiring, I tell you! So, out of desperation, I moved out my entire dining and merge it into the spacious enough (tho I hope it's slightly bigger....) living room, and turned this ex-dining into a PLAY ROOM! YAY!!! And until they can keep their own toys, they are not allowed to bring out their toys to the living room! hahahaha.....*evil laugh* :P



Pretty cosy, ain't it? :)

Happiness is....

"The happiest people in the world are not those who have no problems, but those who learn to live with things that are less than perfect."

Got this from a cousin's FB status.....I think it is sooo sooo true :)
Still learning....still learning to do just that.....at least, I have started :P

8 days and counting.......

counting down to my 1st ever trip to KL with the 2 babes on my own!!! (yeah, that's a 1st,....and a scary thought too! Simply coz you won't know if Maia will cooperate and not make a fuss with her loud volume, or whether Kyra would puke or cry or wanna be carried...yeah, she has this tendency to puke on long trips or equivalent, she also has the tendency to chicken out for the slightest reasons and thus will demand to be carried...and mind you, she's 19kg!!!



To make matters worse, I have this '3 feet long friend' of Maia's to carry as well!

In case you wonder why MUST we bring POPO (yeah, this orange red animal), Maia cannot sleep without him, so there's a super solid reason , ain't it? :P

The only consolation to traveling with both of them by myself is, PHEW!!! We are flying by MAS, not Airasia....heck, i have nothing against Airasia most definitely, but the thought of having to climb down and up the staircase into the airplane, carrying 1x 12kg Maia + 3' POPO, while the 19kg Kyra tails along....is just plain horrifying...
:O

And what if it rains??? Right? Then I'll have to carry umbrella as well????
*FAINTS*

Another less-worrying thought is that both of them are pretty familiar with traveling by plane, so they definitely know what to do once seated...."BUCKLE UP SEATBELT!!!" Maia will tell u! Then when they see the stewardess pushing the trolley pass, Kyra would ask: "I want orange juice?" Maia: "Eating time!"
:D

Well, i'm just gonna hope it'll be a fun and smooth experience....nothing more.

It's Lemon Bar again, Improved!

Previously here, the lemon bar was a tad too sweet, so this round, I cut down the sugar by 1/2 cup, added a tiny wee bit of ground cinnamon, and we have a yummy yet not too sweet dessert! :D Goes well with earl grey or any english tea btw!

***The common practice is to sprinkle confectioner's sugar onto the top after it's baked and cooled, but I prefer to skip this coz I think too much sugar is not good for us anyway.

The Lady In Green!

Familiar????
hehehehe.....It's just life imitating art! Yeah rite! It's just ME imitating the katun lady in green here in my new blog template! (Look LEFT!)

And NO, in case you're thinking:"So free to play dress up!", strangely and coincidentally I found this green template today, and at the same time I was wearing my only green dress too!!!! I guess it's meant to be? LOL! (Too bad it does not have 2 katun babes next to her leh!!!)

Heh!!! I just realized my pose is not really directionally correct....see her hands and mine???

My 1st DIY Nail 'Art'

I got myself another few nail polishes last weekend....so here's the current 'look' on my talons!!!


I named it "B&W Flora and NO Fauna" series....lol....
If I show you the 'art' on my right hand more closely, you will see how imperfect it is! Well, I have very lousy left hand, blame it on that..hehe....

*Top & Base coat: REVLON's
*White polish: BLOOP DE PARIS
*Black polish: IN2IT

I need to get a nail file & cuticle lotion soon.....I got the orange sticks already.....and in case some of you may wonder how come I am so into manicures of late???? Well, my stove is broken since 3 weeks ago, still awaiting replacement, and I haven't been cooking since then.....that explains why I can keep my nails!!! Else, my nails are always super short....not by choice btw :(

The Leaf by HSL: An Upgrade Of Housing Projects in Kuching!

We dropped by HSL's newly launched housing project aptly named 'The Leaf' after lunch coz it's rather near our house, and also to check out the interior decor of the show house.....Verdict? Kyra loves it, I do too...LOL!

Prices range from RM700k++ to over RM1million++, and I overheard the saleslady telling an uncle that all the semi-detached units are taken :O (I didn't know Kuchingnites are this loaded..hehe)

Come, check out the 'stolen' photos....

This (below) is the show unit, a semi-detached with a built up area of approx 1800sq ft ++ (according to the saleslady). I am in lurvveeee with the landscape, truly! Truth is, the facade shares some resemblance to our home, only their windows are nicer... :P


MASTER BEDROOM: Bright and airy, spacious too...slightly wider than ours :P I simply love the rectangular ottoman in weird green!


This was shot when I was standing at the hallway, from the staircase leading towards the rooms. That's MY Kyra there.....admiring 'her' dream room.....LOL! Those who know me would know I have used pink+green combo extensively (even for my wedding theme)...so this room below is my favourite really....though not really pink, it's fuchsia+moss green (the same green i used for the girls' room). I hate the hi-gloss timber flooring.


Notice the drawers under the bed platform? That's one nice idea there, combining additional storage into a seamless modern design. The shared platform concept for both single 'beds' is cool, somehow, it makes me feel not so 'distanced' from my sibling if i was a little young kid sharing this room with a sista! Feels close and secure... :D (well, that's me)


This is the 1st room you'll see upon walking up the stairs, i felt nothing towards this room...LOL!


Love all the bathrooms. They are equipped with extra large mirrors making the space feels larger, blurred tempered glass partition for the shower area, with classy mosaic tiles running along the wall.





PERKS? This residential area is gated&guarded (G&G), and if you try to climb over their perimeter fencing? You'll end up a BBQ chicken without wings! That sure will ensure I have a stress-free super good nite's sleep every nite when hubby is outstation, won't it? hehe....I crave!


Too bad we can't possibly install this type of 'Electrified Perimeter Fencing'! We might accidentally electrocute the nosy uncle next door's nose, coz he has this penchant of peeking over our fence when we are not looking! :D


NOTE: FYI, the living room, kitchen and dining are very nicely decorated as well, you don't see photos here coz there were too many people around for me to snap photos...HEHE!