cheapo hippo & yabbing yabbie

DIY folding bassinet

2010-08-23T18:22:00.015+10:00

bubs will be here soon. we originally thought it would be a good idea for her to sleep in her own room, but after re-evaluating the impending 2/3 hourly feed situation, we had to rethink - probably it would be wiser to have her next to our bed...
we did buy one of these:

originally to put in a cot, so bubs could be snug and centred and not roll around the cot...
we never thought we would acutally use it as a co-sleeper - as my heavily snoring self might squash bubs unintentionally
then we got lots of useful stuff from Belle and family... including a folding change table... Thanks Belle!

"What if i could refashion it into a bassinet (like the boori one (just like the one below) in the shops) plus a change table, and it would be foldable (for easy manouvering and storage) too! We would be able to have bubs in our room, in the lounge room, anywhere in the house, no problems!"

trying out the co-sleeper on the folding change table...

so i firstly had to remove the old fabric...

then i had to cut out the new fabric...
yep... good value ikea...

so here's the result... (after refashioning the folding change table into bubs' easy clean easy fold bassinet/change table)
it started off with just the bassinet (cloth box)... then i added the side pockets for storage... bottom rack for even more storage and then the "change table cloth"...
here... pooh is pretending to be bubs... sleeping... the co-sleeper fits snugly...
if we didn't have the co-sleeper, we could then get a piece of foam cut out at clark rubber or something...
and the "change table cloth" with detachable clear vinyl top layer for easy cleaning...
in fact all new cloth components - bassinet, change table, side pockets, bottom rack etc can all be detached for a clean in the washing machine - cos everything is secured with velcro / extra wide heavy duty velcro...
side pockets to put all the creams, wipes etc etc... and the bottom rack to put extra clean nappies
a nappy changing pooh...
pooh back to sleep...

best of all... it can be folded away and stored... folded and transported... and after its life as a bassinet... it'll still be useful as a change table / storage for bubs...

nostalgic food

2010-08-19T16:17:00.005+10:00

mcduck loves junket and so do i...

crafty bits in life

2010-08-19T16:09:00.010+10:00

i was about to bin this support cushion (mum used for driving years ago)... then i thought, i might be able to rescue it and give it another life...

didn't have a pattern...
just draped over the cushion with my salvation army fabric remnant...

also added my blue t shirt and a zip from my collection...

now everyone is happy with extra back support in front of the computer or on the couch...

DIY breastfeeding cloth breast pads

2010-07-12T16:10:00.017+10:00

i haven't been making much the last 6 months... now bubs is getting bigger and ready to come out in a couple of months, i'm back onto making my crafty bits...
for the last months, i have accummulated diff types of fabric to make "bubs'stuff"... one of the "stuff" i will really need would be reusable breast pads to soak up any leakages...
material used: flannelette cotton (off cuts from bed sheet), jersey cotton (off cuts from resizing t shirts), skin colour stretch jersey (off cuts from nude slip), PEVA polyethylene vinyl acetate (waterproof layer from shower curtain)
what to do? cut circles, cut out 40 degrees, sew cone shape, stack diff layers (from outside nude layer, then PEVA waterproof layer, then absorbant jersey / flannelette layer, to inner soft flannelette layer) & sew together in zigzag stitch--> final result = cone shaped / contoured breast pads
circle had to be about 10-12 cm in diametre... i used my packing tape as a mould, traced and cut out on fabric...

much cheaper to use PEVA as waterproof layer rather than PUL polyurethanelaminate

sew 40 degrees and then cut off. do this for each layer individually
use protractor to draw on 40 degrees first --> smaller breast, greater degrees; larger breast, smaller angle...
cut off after sewing... will become contoured cone...

stack diff layers and then sew together at the circular edge with zig zag stitch
trim excess fabric on the edges

"birthday dress" - reversible slip dress

2010-01-30T17:10:00.021+11:00

inside my little birthday parcel (thanks to Ms Genie J) were two v pretty sheets of sheer, silky fabric... one with repeated hexagonal dots, squares, herringbone and floral motives,
the other, a glistening lining of snowwhite silk

immediately the fabric morphed into a dress in my mind - a loose fitting slip dress... but how was i to transform my "birthday (fabric) dress" into a reality with my v limited sewing skills?

objectives = 1)maximise the display of both fabric esp the sheer quality 2)include multiway elements (reversible & extra scarf/belt) 3)techically easy to make
i searched on various sites for ideas and patterns... i wore my stripy silk dress for insipration...
in the end, i decided on a patternless design...
first i cut a strip off both fabric for my scarf / belt (thinking... even if i stuffed the dress up, i would still have a pretty scarf to wear!)

making the scarf wasn't too hard technically... i only had to sew straight...
now that i had the scarf / belt / tie done, i could get on with the dress (which proved to be much more diff than i first thought)

design elements = 1)reversible dress (pattern-side and snowwhite-side being interchangable, had to remember finishing the seams on both sides) 2)changable neck opening / neckline (so it could be worn with a tight high neckline - sort of halter neck looking, or a loose draping neckline) 3)french-seaming every raw joining edge (to stop fabric from fraying)
a day later... well into the night... i finished!

pattern-side, halterneck style, wide snowwhite belt

snowwhite-side, halterneck style, wide patterned belt

snowwhite-side, loose neckline, loose fitting patterned belt

snowwhite-side, loose neckline, wide patterned belt

pattern-side, loose neckline, loose snowwhite belt

there were numerous mistakes and re-sewing, re-sewing, re-sewing...
the draping was not perfect... the stitches and finishings were pretty rough...
but i learned so much!
snowflake said the pattern-side is prettier and the snowwhite side looked "inside out"... i quite like the snowwhite-side...

well... my "birthday dress" might always look "homemade", but at least i can accessorise with my "birthday scarf/belt" which looks more professionally made!

taking our time Olafur Eliasson's Take Your Time at MCA

2010-01-24T16:34:00.007+11:00

things cooled off today... we didn't let the rain dampen our weekend... instead we headed to town to enjoy a "show of light"...

http://eliasson.com.au
@ MCA

all the good memories from the serpentine & tate came rushing back as soon as i caught a glimpse of the giant "disco ball' with external scattering light and internal splitting images...

we spent alot of time in the "yellow room", thinking that we had total color blindness (being monochromats), seeing things only in black and "white"... we were in a 1920s movie!

sadly there were numerous camera nazis around and very few kodak moments could've had...

best was left till last when we spent mintues and hours building our knife, fork, bowl, champas glass, tea pot and mug on the white lego table...
unlimited fun for senses for $15pp - bargain!
recommended:
- ‘360° room for all colours’ (2002) - surrounded by a wall oflight, transfixed by a smooth transition of emotional colours. best viewed up close and personal with the colour wall (as though your entire world was cover in electric blue... morphing into softly softly lavender... then morphing again into sunny golden yellow etc etc
- ‘The structural evolution project’ (2004) - make your dream objects come true in white legoland
- the yellow room - "am i totally colour blind?" peer out to the exit and find everything outside in a tinge of purple

happy bday! tank q mcduck & snowflake!

2010-01-18T11:00:00.015+11:00

tank q for mcduck's generosity by taking me back in time, into the decadence of art deco, sampling the ultra-fattening long aged steak / wagyu steak
http://www.rockpool.com.au/sydney/bar-and-grill
contemp art deco... all these "window", "square" patterns look v shanghai 1930

the crusty soredough started to filled me up..
the aussie ham platter was v nice
the $110 wagyu steak with marble score 9+ was v juicy... each bite lubricated with copious beef drippings... mcduck's aged grain fed fillet was a revelation (although it was cooked to only "blue", it was not bloody, just soft and tender)

mcduck enjoyed the rubarb pud...
i liked the brittle-popcorn and passionfruit mashmellow better... will def be researching to recreate the brittle-popcorn...

we enjoyed the end of the night at the jazzgroove futures festival...
http://www.jazzgroove.com
bday cake as well (curtesy of snowflake)

handmade leather headband

2010-01-14T21:31:00.017+11:00

after this... lots to do with the rest of the leather...

with a bit of uneven cutting...

braiding...
braiding...
and more braiding...
and more
i got my "how to"--> http://www.stringpage.com/braid/medbraids/medbraids.html

sewing the elastic on was difficult without a leather needle... so an hour or two later...

love it!

DIY sous vide at home: lamb steak

2010-01-12T22:03:00.008+11:00

it must have been heston's feast on sbs that reminded me of molecular gastronomy...
suddenly, the harold mcgee book came out... and i discovered there were website such as sous vide extreme...
there must be a way to do "cooking a piece of meat in a vacuum bag in a water bath at a constant temperature" at home and cheaply without forking out few thousand bucks for a prof cooker...
after much web surfing and a visit to the local coles, came my light bulb moment, "coles prepacked steak, already marinated, cooked in topstove water bath with my trusty thermometre" (not forgetting that i had no food saver vacuum pack machine nor the prof water bath at hand)

the piece of steak had to be thin enough so that i didn't have to watch over the stove for hours and hours on end...

and it helped that the piece of meat was already sealed (thanks coles) and protected in a tasty marinade (thanks coles)
so with my candy thermometre showing the water temp being held at 58 degrees celcius, i floated the meat package (bottom sitting on top of a pair of chopsticks so not to touch the bottom of the pan) for 45 min or may be an hour at the same temp...
this was achieved by first getting 58 degrees in the roasting pan, then putting the pan over the smallest flame on the stove & watching the themometre, adjusting the flame if required...

the cooked meat in the bag did not look v appetising... however, the colour change of the meat pre and post cooking could be well spotted...

with the bag cut opened, i had instant sauce as well...
i did not bother to do any surface high heat searing for extra caramalisation or for any extra taste enhancing millard reaction... i simply sliced and served...

sliced marinated lamb with isreali couscous, mint and orange carrot salad with pumpkin seeds & simple broccoli

the nicest piece of lamb i have ever tasted! it didn't even taste like lamb... v tender, v juicy with a subtle meat flavour - and it was just a $4 piece of premarinated coles lamb?!
heston, thomas, farran and the gang are right...
next time i'll try some even cheaper, stewy cuts - according to bloggers out there, it would be like eating prime fillet cuts...

DIY upholstery with leather hide

2010-01-11T18:26:00.010+11:00

many moons ago, i was holiday in hk & came across a suburb of what i could only described as paradise for anyone into DIY or arts and crafts or making crafty things...
i was in sham sui po in kowloon, the few streets i recalled were:
Cheung Sha Road
Nam Cheong Street.
these streets and the side streets off it were dotted with shops with full of fabric, buttons, ribbon, feathers, embellishments etc etc - ie craft heaven!
one particular shop - could not remember exact location, was selling leather hides - sheets upon sheets... diff shades... diff thickness...
this was were i got this gem!

with a bit of bargaining... HKD $500+ for a 2.45sq metre worth of deep chocolate, velvety upholstery leather...
bargain!
at the time, it was an impulse buy, thinking, " hmmm... wouldn't it be good if i could reupholster my stools in the kitchen with leather... the vinyl seats are nasty."

nearly a year later ( it has been sitting patiently in a plastic bag)... i finally got my tools out...
i didn't bother to sand down and re-varnish the timber frame... that could be another project in itself later...
i got the "seat" off by unscrewing...

to remove the vinyl with multiple staples was too much work even though i am a proud owner of a staple removing tool (acquired during the carpet removing days)

i simply cut the leather to size, stretched and stapled...

and then...

it was just a matter of screwing the seat back...

the vinyl surely glistens, but the leather is more forgiving in hot humid weather... no more sweaty bums and thighs...
3 more leather seats to go and many more leather headbands / purses / handbags on the way with the plenty of off cuts (it pays of with my over estimation & impulse buying sometimes!)

hot summer "liquid breakfast" in ice bath

2010-01-11T18:07:00.007+11:00

sydney has gone tropical of late... the weather has been muggy humid and hot hot hot...
when i came back from yoga into our lounge room of 29 degrees (still 9-ish in the morning)... the heat just put me off breakfast...
but i have already expended lots of energy with my morning exercise and my stomach was growling... what to do?
thanks to mcduck's x'mas pressie, circa 2006 (or was it 2007?)... i could whip up my all in one liquid breaky in a flash...
for my all in one liquid breaky...
1 or 1 1/2 crushed wheatbix, few tsp flaxseeds, semiskim milk...

and the all important banana... yup no sugar or honey...

blitzed...

i did not have frozen banana and i didn't use frozen watermelon this time...
but i refrained from blitzing icecubes - 1) i didn't want to blunt the blades 2) i didn't want the melting ice to dilute my breaky ...

so taking inspiration from my food memories from a hk cafe...
i did my own "ice-packed/ice-stabilised" drink, in this case my breaky smoothie...
let it rest for several minutes... my breaky drink became icy cold... and i instantly felt cooler and more satisfying (for my stomach) in this ridiculous sydney summer heat...

yum!

have a little merry x'mas!

2009-12-26T18:32:00.010+11:00

being downunder, we were ready for a hot hot hot x'mas...
instead, the very english weather descended - including bucket loads of rain for the farmers (yipee) & a gloom and doom overcast (best reserved for video / hot chocolate days)
no matter... we did think of having a steamboat, but instead, had something deviating just a little from the tradition - i repeated the 90-degree slow fillet of beef roast...
which was yum to the max...
fillet was $30/kg and tasted much better than the $150/kg wagyu...
we had christmas pudding, custard and all (with too much brandy)...
we also opened our pressies!
this year... i got from santa(s)...
(as i have requested... excellent read, i am only on pg 10-15 or something... but v v good!)
something comfy for the feet...
something to make more cards / packaging with...
much needed software for my little and med laptops...
cookbooks from the fareast...
chocolates chocolates and more chocolates!
this is not a chinese new year red packet... it is a "golden packet" for x'mas!

what to do with too many pairs of shoes?

2009-12-25T17:39:00.012+11:00

in reality i only ever wear about 4-5 pairs of shoes... that goes with mcduck & snowflake too...
we don't wear most of them all the time... which means they end up moulding in the dungeon (not a good thing esp if you are leather & $$$)...
so one fine day in near 40 degree heat... i took them all out for an airing - hoping that the intense radiation from the bright summer sum would obliterate the mould into nothingness...

the methol and essential oil srpay concortion i prepared did help alittle bit...

so did the ziplock bags and toxic mothballs...
b4 i housed each pair inside the ziplock bag with mothballs, i took mugshot of each pair...

we just had too many pairs! in the hundred +
how on earth were we going to house them, mould-free, but easily accessed (for more frequent future use)?
2 months later... i got to work finally...

back into the fabric shelves they went, but individually ziplocked with photo displayed...

next thing would be to finish the "shoe catalogue" - for flicking through when deciding what to wear...
snowflake said the whole set up is very SATC... but i don't think so... i wished i have kept all the shoe boxes and took polaroids... then it could be shoe storage SATC style...
this way is not bad though... lets hope the mould stays out...

the making of the x'mas pressies

2009-12-25T17:24:00.011+11:00

wishing everyone a merry fizzily fragrant x'mas!

my little gift of x'mas - Lush bath ballistic - DIY style

2009-12-08T16:40:00.021+11:00

recently, the karma fragrance has once again drifted in the suburb of the north after several years of absence...
it has been v diff to restrain myself - in not lugging bags of Lush back home...
so far i have stuck with it and only took a Lush catalogue home - the Lush X'mas catalogue!
i have read numerous blogs / sites re: how easy it is to make one own's bath bomb... with all my essential oil sitting in the cupboard... i thought, should give it a go...
so i gathered all is needed...
(i even have citric acid sitting in the baking cupboard! and epsom salt in the laundry! the "moulds" i bought in japan for sushi (fish, car & rice ball moulds have been instrumental in the success of this experiement...)

the recipe:
240g baking soda
75g citric acid
80g corn starch
100g epsom salt
2 tsp or there abouts essential oil (i had 3 types - white, pink & purple with diff combo of teatree / lavender / chamommile / jasmine/ sandlewood / rose/ ylangylang)
5 tbsp grapeseed oil (i used normal, but i think waterdispersible will be less oily on the bathtube after the bath, hence, much better)
1 tbsp glycerine
colouring - tiny drips of
a Lush catalogue for inspiration (essential oil combos and packaging etc...)

to make --> easy as pea... mix all dry ingredients, mix all wet ingredients, combine wet and dry, the resulting mix should be sandy and clumb together when squeezed in one's hand...

the key to forming the bomb is to line the mould with glad wrap - for easy dislodgement from the mould once the mix is compacted into the mould...

peel off the clingfilm...

done... now it needs to be dried - a day or two in a cool dry spot will do... and it will firm up and become more easy to handle (ie - not disintegrating into bits of chalk on compression)...
my "whites"
my "purples"

of cos' it needed road testing b4 mass production...
and i am happy to say it did fizzzz
and once it was wet, it kept fizzing...
it was most fragrant when it was fizzing away in the bath tub... my batch was abit oily (leaves oil in the bath tub) but v moisturising... i think a water disperable oil will be more bath tub friendly... but there are some doubts about the oil being sulfonated... i wonder if it will be ok if one has a sulfur allergy to use water dispersible oil) my very own bath ballistic stash...
now i have to brainstorm on the ways of making them presentable as little x'mas gifts...

my little gifts of x'mas - DIY bath bomb packaging

2009-12-08T15:41:00.024+11:00

now i have bath bomb in hand... i need to package these little fragile bursts of fragrance safely and attractively... worthy of being part of the gift display under any x'mas tree...

first they have to be individually wrapped to seal in the essential oils - both the fragrance and the oiliness of it...
i need oil proof paper - baking paper is the answer
after much experimentation with the paper shape... i finally settled on the pentagon...

the neatly packaged triagular bath bombs are each sealed with a cardboard name tag... much has to be improved on the tag-graphics...

then it is time for the box/ bag holding the bath bomb trio... after much experimentation (again)... this is the template i came up with...

this will be how the sides are to be held together... 2 slits on 2 triangles...

it works...
a ribbon for the handle and to make it look gift-like...

bombs are in...

"may all your worries of 2009 melt away..."
"wishing you a happy & relax 2010!"

now i just have to make a dozen or more or them...

our future - who is responsible?

2009-12-03T18:06:00.011+11:00

I was lucky enough to have secured my ticket months ago... HHDL is visiting australia again, the second time in the last 3 years... this time around, the public talk is back in the entertainment centre again (like 3 talks ago, unlike last time, which was held in the domain)...
i thought this time around, i would record the valued bits and pieces i remember from the talk (so to make the most out of such great motivational teachings and to supplement my slowly failing memory)...
it was already 1:50pm as i reached ETC, so there was no time for any merchandise shopping (on that later)... i headed straight inside to resume my seat... more than 50% of the audience was still busily rushing to the toilet and parting with their cash for the merchandise though...
it was courageous to see kylie kwong there as the MC... much would be at stake for her with troubles awaiting... with her future china travels(& visas woes) from now on... i cannot say i would be brave enough to openly act the same... she spoke briefly of her path finding tibetan buddhism which helped her through her days of loosing her dad (due to cancer)...
by this time people were still streaming in from the entrances while kylie was talking... it would have been much better if the organisers told everyone it started at 1:30pm...
HHDL and hsi interpreter ascended onto the stage with kylie's intro...
then the aboriginal rep greeted everyone, welcoming everyone on their native land...
the first words of the HHDL was surprisingly un-PC & hard on the ear.. i was a bit surprised as he described "the lack of education of the aborigines" (or to that effect)... everyone was silent!
i think it was his tibetan-english at work here... i think his main message was the importance of education & current lack of support in education in the indigenous community...
the rest of the talk was much more PC from that point onward...
he had his trademark anti-spotlight cap on (plugged out of this marron environmentally friendly bag)... the main takehome points i remember included:

our future will be our vision of hope our positivity
who is responsible? no one but ourselves
increasing battle between external materialism vs inner peace as we head to the future, external materialism can only temporarily masks our inner aggitation (negative emotions eg anger, stress, etc) and does not create inner peace
shantideva quote,"if you can do something about it, why worry? and if you cannot do anything about it, why worry?” there's no point in diverting ones energy into worrying
everyone wants to be happy... true happiness comes from compassion
there are 2 levels of compassion - biological (may be with attachement) & next level without attachment
wisdom / knowledge -> right effort -> known destination (enlightenment); knowledge alone without know destination or right effort would not result in enlightenment
daily tip - on awaking (in the morning), set one's positive destination (then the rest of the day, one can follow the path of positive attitude, effort, motivation to reach the set destination!) <-- hmm may be that's why people meditate in the wee hours of the morning...

end of the talk...
and i got my merchandise & xmas pressie... XL to refashion for me and reg size for mcduck...
we also got a packet of blessed seeds from HHDL...
also his useful tips & motivation on living a happier life!
thank you HHDL!

here comes another "woolies", here comes the bargains...

2009-11-26T21:43:00.006+11:00

months b4 we witnessed what the revamped mega-coles did to the prices at the most beautiful mall in the north & surrounds...
price war looms again once more in the north...
this time appears surely to be that of woolies vs coles...
and shoppers like us will be able to save few bucks pre-x'mas!
on opening day, at woolies superstore, there were bargains galore... salmon fillets for <$17/kg...
med banana prawns for <$10/kg...
not to mention "abbots village" for $1.25 (usually $3 when on special) - how on earth do they make money on that? surely it must be below cost price...
peaches for <$4/kg, double brie for <$4, 4L bulla for <$6 (unseen for a long long time)... and the list goes on...
woolies superstore also stock mega-size items, like super large laundry powder & 24-toilet rolls - economy of scale at work...
the independent shop owners at the village won't be happy though...

upcycle homemade leftover bread chocolate cake

2009-11-24T22:07:00.007+11:00

what to do with packets of bread in the freezer?! some of them with frostbites and all as they have been in the freezer for months on end...
may be i could substitute flour with my leftover bread and make a chocolate cake...
so here i went, tweaking another recipe... my own turned out to be:
300g breadcrumbs (made from semi defrosted rye bread from the freezer, quite dried as it was several months old)
1 cup sugar
4 heaped tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp sodium bicarb
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract

it was another food processor job, first i blended the bread into crumbly, crumbly crumbs... then i added the other dry ingredients and blended... then slowly poured down the mixed wet ingredients in the funnel while blending...

the resulting batter was quite dry / crumbly... no matter... i packed it into a 20cm round tin lined with baking paper...

added walnuts on top... and sat it on top of a bain marie...

40 min in 175 degree cel' oven... let cool and tipped out...

moist and crumbly at the same time... yum! and less junk in the freezer!

homemade vietnamese gio lua (vietnamese luncheon meat)

2009-11-24T21:17:00.026+11:00

just the weekend passed, mcduck made a delish rice noodle / viet ham (VLM vietnamese luncheon meat)... it was so delish... i just couldn't stop adding another piece and another (of the VLM)... at 7-8 bucks a roll, mcduck was rationing the portions... so i decided to have a hand in making my own...
after much research on the internet, and tweaking several recipes, i decided to make it with chicken thigh instead of the usual pork or chicken breasts...

approx 2kg of thigh cost about $20... i didn't bother cleaning up the sinew... i left the little bits of fat for moisture...
the rest of the marinade ingredients were in my pantry already... my recipe went like this:
2kg chicken thigh, diced into small pieces
5 tbsp fish sauce
4 heaped tsp chicken powder
2 tbsp sesame oil
4 tbsp veg oil
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp tapioca flour 2 tbsp baking powder
*mix everything together and let it stand for an hour or several*
then i processed the meat in the food processor...
in 4-5 heaped tbsp of meat each time... processed for several minutes... rested between processing

until the meat became abit glossy and not sticky to the spatula... the meat became elastic...
i wrapped the meat in bamboo leaves and Al foil...
a note on the leaves -in the authentic version, banana leaves should have been used, i used the dried bamboo ones... had to be boiled and washed (v dusty and dirty)... cos i used the leftovers i had in the freezer, the leftovers from the time when i made sticky rice dumplings... i guess using the fresh banana leaves would be less work & more fragrant...
packed a bowl with the meat...
packed it on the lined bamboo leaves over Al foil...
rolled...
rolled...
tied both ends...
rolled over with Al foil, tightly...
rolled over with a 2nd sheet of Al foil... tightly again...
stringed, packed and lined up in my fish kettle...
covered with boiling water and simmered for an hour...

an hour later... after checking with the meat themometer (with internal temp 80 degrees cel' and beyond)... it was safe to be taken out...
and let cooled...
then came the unwrapping...
wow... it looked promising, liked the one from the shops...

and it tasted like that too! now i can have as much VLM as i want and not get told off! plus i will have 2 extra rolls waiting in the freezer for a rainy day...

jazz streaming

2009-11-22T10:26:00.005+11:00

i wished i have discovered this earlier!

well... i have been watching iview for a while... catching up on "Collectors", the odd "GA"... I have even spent x-s bandwidth on SBS, streaming "Luke's Vietnam" of late...
but now i have discovered streaming radio - not just any radio stations, but streaming ABC jazz radio!

of cos' there are loads of other (alternative) stations to explore as well - house, chill, hip pop etc...
now i'll have my own "noise" to counter mcduck's and snowflake's TV noise (esp noisy morning breakfast programs full of infomercials!)

mcdull shower curtain to mcdull BYOB bags

2009-11-12T21:55:00.011+11:00

ever since i ditched the dirty shared bathroom and started using my own mcdull bathroom, my mcdull shower curtain had been the centrepiece of the room...
sadly, it succumbed to the effects of mould and mildew...
even after a good soaking with bleach / vinegar / methol etc, the grey patches didn't leave...
so mcdull shower curtain retired and gave way to the new plain blue one... what to do? toss it would be a waste... the surface was not stained much
may be i can turn it into a grocery shopper... just like this one from PoK!
yeah... the underside had much of the grey mould stains... bummer...
actually... i could turn mcdull shower curtain into 3 shoppers...
2 narrowest strips for the handles, 3 thin strips for the side and bottom, 2 large pieces for the body and the "shower curtain rings" to stabilise the handles...
hours later...
sure looks simple, but took me ages to sew 3...
big enough for fruit n veg, big enough for out and about shopping trips...
big enough for even a yoga mat, towels, change of clothes, water bottle etc...
bag-lady... well at least the bags look good...

my mud green cowl dress

2009-11-07T20:55:00.010+11:00

i haven't made any wearable clothing from scratch b4...
utilizing my bag making skills, i put together this in an hour or two... it was fun and fast to make!
thank you ichigogirl's pattern at burdastyle!
i glued the print outs togehter...
cut it out...
i did the cap sleeves version...
i think it looks better with the silk scarf as a belt...

mcduck doesn't think so
my mud green cowl dress doesn't look as good on my dressform
better worn!

sculpture by the sea

2009-11-03T08:44:00.014+11:00

this year's sculpture by the sea, we were well prepared, sunscreen and hats, food, drink and snacks...
no more $7.50 kranskies for us...
instead we had healthy carrot sticks and sweet chilli dip...

we got there earlier than last time... the crowds were there but not at the peak... once again we started at the tamarama end where parking could still be found... we just went there to enjoy the lovely weather and the lovely walk, scenery & scupltures...
along the way, i could hear people reciting from their programs, the various meanings of each sculpture... i didn't get a program... a good thing i guess, otherwise i'll be looking more at the words explaining the sculptures rather than experiencing them myself... since i din't know what they were called... i gave them names my self... there was the "swatch watch" - it actually looked like one i own and haven't worn for donkey's years...
there was "skull with a black tooth (in need of a root canal / crown)"...
these reminds me of "sea urchins"for some reason... may be i should call them the "(skeletal) remains of sea urchins"...
then there was "shoes, shoes, shoes" or as another SBTS-goer noted, "popular with the ladies"...
i do like these ones...
and these ones...

and "fat mama"... sorry, so un-PC
and "among the flags"(as oppose to "between the flags", since there are more than 2 flags)
... "alien tribe"
beautiful scenery...
we finihsed up at the iceberg once again... still have not swum there... yet

Jamie's America (just) watched in Australia

2009-10-26T22:06:00.004+11:00

i've got to admit, when i first heard of "jamie's america", my first reaction was - jamie has sold out! he is onto the american market, pre x'mas!
i did not have high hopes for the show, as i was i thinking along the lines of "ramsay's kitchen nightmares (USA)" vs "ramsay's kitchen nightmares (UK)"
i thought jamie would also be americanised...
i was sooooo wrong! and i am v glad that i was! cos now i have a new show to watch (after the demise of "the cook and the chef")
curiously the australian episode 1 began with "new york" - as i searched online after the aussie show, apparently "LA" and "wyoming" was supposed to preceed the "NY" one... well that was the official episode line up on jamieoliver.com
may be downunder, we do things the otherway around or something... but all i know is that louisiana will be next...
true to jamie's grassroots form, he went off the beaten track to look for the essence of NYC food - not in the 3 michelin star restaurants serving microgastronomy, but in the kitchens (mostly illegal ones) of ordinary new yorkers, mostly of immigrants, who served rustic, down to earth good food reflecting the culture they have brought with them to america in pursuit of their american dream...
there were weepy moments when jamie met mr george and mum feeding the homeless illegal immigrants off the streets everynight... homesick peruvians getting abit of comfort food from a home restaurant in the middle of a residental suburb...
they way they shot the series was real and had a homevideo feel to it...
no scripts... done in a way i (the audience) didn't think it did anyway...
10/10! can't wait for the next episodes
now i am fired up to try my hand at making the peruvian ceviche & xiao bing...

How I use my Primada Electric Pressure Cooker

2009-10-26T17:35:00.011+11:00

This is only my own experience with my Primada electric pressure cooker at home... hope it helps...
to be honest, i normally just use the various "preset buttons" for cooking... i've cooked meat, whole chicken, tendon, cake, congee, rice, herbal soup, you name it and it all worked out and never has failed me with anything raw or too cooked...
i did try to cook tendon (i was afraid that it would not be soft enough after the first go) on the "tendon button" but doing it TWICE (another cycle after the first one was finished) and it turned out to be way too soft at the end...
the most important thing is to make sure the vent is not blocked and can move freely (and washed properly after each use) and the pressure dial on the lid is set to "closed" (middle of the dial of 3, the other two on the side mean "release air")
the timer function is shown on the top left "green light" below... just press that button again and again until it reaches your desired hours (b4 the cooking starts)... just say if you want the rice to start cooking in 3 hrs time... just press the button three times for 3 hours to show on the display (as below)

then press the "rice/ cake button"...
the rice should start cooking in 3 hrs time... i rarely use the "free menu" and the "pressure holding timer" button, but this (below) gives a good guide how logn you should "hold the pressure for" for diff types of food...

so for selecting a specific "pressure holding time", just press the "pressure holding timer button"... the time is shown on the display in minutes... eg 10 minutes is set below

then just press the "free menu button"... when the pressure is reached, the display will show "P10"... the pressure will hold for 10 minutes and the display will count down every minute - "P09", "P08" etc... when it is done it will "beeeeeep" and show "000"

and keep warm sign will light up... done!

then it is just a matter of waiting for the steam to cool or carefully releasing the steam through the pressure dial on the lid - a wet towel to cover the vent and releasing as slow as possible is the way to go...

My favourite PEPC snack

2009-10-26T16:57:00.017+11:00

i do have the Primada recipe book sitting on the bench. I haven't tried many recipes from it though...

(i did do the cake with great success, blogged previously), cos making stuff with it (without any recipe) is so easy!
just put the stuff in, make sure there is moisture, close the lid, lock and press the button... done

i always make this "goji berries and snow fungus dessert/snack/soup" - it is nice to eat when kept in the fridge in summer and warming to have in the dead of winter...
goji berries are good for the eyes, and snow fungus is full of protein & good for the skin...
i like my dessert soup thick and gooey, a small pack of snow fungus (yellow, non bleached type) will do, plus a handful of goji berries...
goji berries need to be washed in cold water, they are usually dried in the open (may be on the road side some where in China, you never know, and thus full of dust)... remember don't buy these in health food shops, instead get them at the asian groceries - heaps more affordable!
snow fungus needs to be washed in cold water too and soaked - they expand 1-2 times at least
once they have expanded, they can be torn into smaller, more managable pieces...
plonk them in the pressure cooker pot...
fill with water, leaving 1-2 inches of space from the brim of the inner cooker...
close the lid, twist in position and make sure the top blowing hole is tuned to the "closed" position (the middle one on the dial of 3)
then just press the "soup button"...
the display will still show "000", until...

the inner pot heats up and the steam inside builds up until the pressure of the steam closes the airvent on the lid, then the "P00" comes on
"P" means the pressure cooker has reached its desired pressure and it is holding the pressure to cook the stuff... it doesn't show how many minutes it is going to hold the pressure though... i guess it uses fuzzy logic to sense whether the food inside is cooked or not...
when the stuff is cooked and ready, a "beeeeeep" sound is heard, adn the yellow light will shift from "soup" to "keep warm"...
all the hot steam and pressure is still trapped inside the pressure cooker... if you are in a hurry to eat right away, you'll have to release the x-s steam out from the pressure dial at the top - but becareful! this can be v dangerous! i usually just wait for the cooker to cool by itself (1/2 hr, an hour or overnight)...
or cover the top pressure dial with a wet cloth and v v v slowly turn the dial to release air/steam... the release of steam can take ages - mintues and minutes b4 the lid can be twisted and opened...
but with my goji berries and snow fungus dessert, i usaully leave the pot overnight b4 eating - the snow fungus will go more gooey... i do try and add sugar when the lid could be opened that night while the "soup" is hot (1-2 cups depending on taste, for the entire pot)...
then i enjoy it the next day and put it in the fridge (the whole inner pot with glass lid) to enjoy the rest fo the week...
yum!

Life in 2 weeks

2009-10-02T13:13:00.010+10:00

it has been a dramatic 2 weeks...
almost the entire spectrum of life squeezed into a tiny time frame...
we became mr & mrs
in extreme weather conditions...

from intense rusty red to sparkly golden...
my nicely waxed car after its $75 car wash (done the previous day) was buried deep in dust...

miraculously the sky cleared up just in time and for just long enough for our ceremony...

3 wedding cakes (& rain, hail, gusty winds, sandstorm, sunshine, thick humidity etc etc )later, we received the news of grandma leaving us for heaven...

as we continue our journey

for better or for worse
for richer or for poorer
in sickness and in health

like in marriage, life goes on...

DIY wedding cake topper featuring double-duck

2009-09-13T12:37:00.019+10:00

i was going to make our wedding cake topper out of fondant... that was until i saw these rubber ducks sitting on the shelf of the bargain shop... i immediately rescued two of them...
here was their own transformation from $2 rubber duck to million $ wedding duck (cake topper)...

bamboo stick to secure...
fascinator in the making...
bride duck in birdcage veil with fascinator...

groom duck during his make over...
taylored waistcoat in the making...
fitting...

groom duck in taylored waistcoat with 3 front buttons and skinny black tie...

very stylish!

groom duck,"Follow me, we have to get to a wedding pronto!"
bride duck,"Yes dear!"

congrats to the lovely couple!

2009-09-13T12:34:00.001+10:00

it was lovely yesterday at lavender bay!
all the best!

the september issue

2009-08-30T09:52:00.004+10:00

september is only 2 days away... for us southerhemispherians, september means spring! ie - strong winds, pollen and hayfever but also more daylight, daylgiht saving and blooms of spring flowers...
what a way to start the new season with a new movie from orpheum...
with great anticipation (4+ from margaret AND david), we stepped into cremourne again to indulge ourselves with a bit of fantasy / reality in "the september issue"...

the verdict: have i just watched a fictional movie? the characters were so OTT, larger than life... one memorable scene involved the multiple, matching, LV tennis accessories paired with a diamond encrusted piaget, all draped over the mountainous body of mr talley - my mouth dropped wide-opened, speechless and astounded by the apparent "thickness / plushness" of the fluffy LV towel around his neck!
I was quote surprise to see quite a number of people at VOGUE without makeup or with minimal and very minimal botox... the look du jour was the ultra skinny, lightly wrinkled (i-have-had-a-ton-of-cigarettes-and-sunbathing-20-yrs-ago look), eyeliner only look... it would help should one have a head full of electric red hair or a taylored bob cut with razor sharp sloping sides...
anna was looking tense throughout the entire length of the feature... she must have had some botox as she should have much more crowsfeet and frownlines... she didn't compare herself well with her father and siblings... she reckoned her family saw her as "frivolous", "amuzing"... may be that was why she always had to appear so "serious" & "restrained"...
grace's creative direction was true mastery and beauty... esp the last "colour block" shoot...
overall it was an 8/10
a bit hyped, but not disappointed (the doco quality of the film suited the small screen better i would think)
the "valentino preview" looked v interesting!
*anna was v uptight, but l loved her dresses! the shape, the colours, the patterns! 50s audrey hepburn silhouette and fur, fur and more fur! she must love the sparkly necklaces - aquamarine? amber? - she had all the colours*

goodies fresh from "stitches and craft"

2009-08-20T18:51:00.026+10:00

i got the best out of $10 ever! (by spending my day at the stitches and craft show today)

without spending anything else, i came back home with a bag full of goodies - unbelievable in this day and age of inflated prices!

truly a bagfull of stuff and the "stuff" includes the bag holding it...

i got there just in time for "irene williams"
v happy about that, cos it ended up as the highlight of the day...
what an inspirational lady! and all the colours! and her workshop and wardrobe + hats! i can go on and on...
the ending was sad... but i was in awe & wonder during the entire film...

there was time to kill b4 the feature film "handmade nation", so i ventured into one of the "craft bars"

and ended up making (knitting) this...

"handmade nation" was not to be as the DVD kept stuffing up...

so i ended up at wardrobe refashion's reconstruction zone instead... i went in and nearly didn't come out...

there were NS20 brother machines, scrap material, zips, rhinstones, lace and bits and bolts...
one could make whatever one wished...
i spotted a big piece of sloppy joe fabric... it ended up as a skirt...

then i spent the next hour or two making good use of this colourful piece of stretched woven fabric (with retro pattern)...
it was joined by pieces of felt / a zip / yellow fabric / black hessian as backing... "retro tube bag" was born!

i did end up watching "handmade nation"... i caught about 3/4 of it, cos i was busily finishing my retro bag...
i have to say, it was a little dry... lots of interviews... nice crafty products and ideas were on display from inde craftsters, but not too much fun was on show - not fun like "irene" anyway...
by early 4 o'clock, i still have not visited any of the "shops"! haven't seen any products! no time... i ended up spending another 20+ min on making a pin cushion from the sewing craft bar...

when i did have time (less than 1/2 hr till closing) to wander around the showground, the stalls were already packing up...
good i guess, cos i didn't end up spending any $$$ on $$$-fabrics or bag frames that i don't need!
verdict: bargain day out! much better than last year's SnC show...
*the NS20 was way better than my freebie machine... so smooth & it's computerized! but it is $500+ (450 show special though)*

jam for the summer

2009-08-18T18:01:00.004+10:00

i was at big-Al yesterday when i spotted strawberries for 79c a punnet!
when i went back today (thinking to make a whole summer supply of strawberry jam), the strawberries were 99c a punnet...
no matter... it didn't deter me... i got 15 more punnets and 3 bags of sugar and a bag of lemons...
resulting in 11 jars of delish strawberry jam...

so now i can savour my quince jam for my cheese indulgences...
**yep... had to cheat and use jamsetter, 2 packets**

another handy DIY bag

2009-08-18T17:44:00.012+10:00

finally it was the weekend... i had sometime to make good use of the bits and pieces of fabric salvaged from my cushion making session...
i had strips upon strips of hard wearing upholstery fabric...
first i made use of the collection of the shorter strip...
i wanted to make a bag for me:
1) easy to carry, can be carried as shoulder bag or off the shoulder handbag or hand held handbag
2) place to secure my key/ mobile chain
3) secure compartment for my $ & little bits and bolts
so i made this!

worn as a shoulder bag...
inside there is a ompartment (secured by zip) for my wallet etc etc
velcro fastening for bag opening - easy to pen and close and things won't fall out...

"ring" on the side to secure bag strap - which can be single (messenger bag look), doubled (for off the shoudler handbag look) or tripled (for handheld look)

the flower brooches were made with scraps of material left over from bag making... yep, reclyed-recyled fabric...

they can be attached anywhere to accessorize the bag...
it's cuteness have received some positive comments already from on lookers...
still thinking of a name to call it though...

animals at midnight @ printmaking

2009-08-18T17:30:00.009+10:00

the animals at midnight (on a tree branch) series started off with

midnight possum last term...

at printmaking this term, i am hoping to add 2 new members to the "on a tree branch" portion of the series...

first... (a bit too dark)

flying fox at midnight (not finished)

then, also hiding in the dark...

owl at midnight...
looks like a ghost owl atm, gotta refine it still

DIY cushions

2009-08-11T13:17:00.021+10:00

we trekked to paddington during the weekend for a fabric sale and we were not disappointed...
there were rolls upon rolls of upholstery fabric from $5 a metre!
it would have been good only if i had measured all the windows at home - i could have bought all the fabric to make new roman blinds! (but i didn't)
instead, we went in search of cushion materials - and we were disappointed either, as they had "sample suqares" for sale at $2 a pop or 14 for $20!
the squares were large enough to "encase" 35cmx35cm cushions (phew...)
mcduck was not too keen at the beginning, but slowly warmed to the idea that we have landed on great bargains here! so he suggested we get 2 squares per cushion...
since i had 12 35x35 cushions fr ikea sitting at home, we got $40 bucks worth of squares...

although these are recycled materials(samples made good), they are of really good quality...

just a look at the label...

screaming - quality, quality, quality...

envelope cushions were to be made - cos they would be simple to cut, easy to sew and i had 12 of them to make in a flash!
each cushion came into being with 3 separate pieces of fabric - one square 35cmx35cm, two rectangular ones, each with one of the sides short of the 35cm

front piece

1st envelope piece

second envelope piece, pinned...

sewing in straight stitch all teh way around 4 sides...

4 corners were clipped...

envelope side
front side
cushion in place

lovely cushions!
to use at home and on our special day!

$40 (fabric for cushions and remnants for bag making) + $24 (12 cushions) = under $65 for 12 lovely cushions!

DIY red ribbon flowers

2009-08-04T20:58:00.013+10:00

planted trees and artisan market and ikea sofas?

2009-08-02T16:43:00.014+10:00

bright and sunny day again!
time to go out and about...
today is national tree day... 2 yrs ago, we planted stuff at the local reserve...

this year, we arrived at the brickworks chimneys...

there were heaps of people at sydney park... lots of kiddies... mcduck's fave lion's club sausage sizzle... bloke with reptile and native animal friends...

then off to eveleigh artisan markets (1st sunday of the month) at darlinton trainworks...

also lots of people (but not too crowded) and some genuinely cool DIY / made by the seller stuff...

we wandered into an artspace just opposite the market...
oh... klippan sofa's 30th bday! over 4 mil of them haave been sold since 1979 and we have two at home!

aussie artists have teamed up with ikea to refashion the klippans and they are being auctioned at graysonline...

here's a selection of them... magnetic pots and pans klippan

crocheted klippan

life cycle of a klippan

here's our own take on our most loved, most sat-in klippans...
yellow lounge around one...

and orange surf the net one with crochet blanket & "aussie" the massage chair

How to assemble invitations

2009-07-30T13:48:00.011+10:00

Dear Mamee,

I know you have received the "parcel"!
Here is how to assemble the invitations.
Please write out names on each side - Chinese side and English side - before assembly. Please write out carefully as there are only 35!

Take out the different zip lock bag pouches from the parcel - you should have infront of you:
-sample invitation already assembled x1
-Chinese papercut invitations x35 including sample one i have assembled
-brown DL envelopes x40
-information leaflets at least x35
-red robbin loops at least x35

i made the ribbon loops, each loop is held by fabric glue & should fit tightly around invitation & leaflet...

put invitation with chinese papercut side up on top of one information leaflet...
it will be easier for the ribbon loop to go in if you "concave" the sides of the paper up like this...

make sure the "glued side" of the ribbon is facing the back, not right on the chinese papercut surface...
slide the ribbon loop in the middle...

then flatten the paper... it would be much harder to move the ribbon loop once the paper is flat, so make sure the ribbon is in the middle before letting the concave sides of the paper go...

put invitation in brown envelope...

seal and done!

one more thing! please don't get papercut wet - the red colour will "bleed"!

Thank you!

Cheers, :)

DIY chinese papercut invitation

2009-07-23T09:09:00.026+10:00

while mcduck has been watching sports into the wee hours of the night... i have been operating my factory in cardmaking...
a must would be the "glue brush" i bought at the art shop for 95c... just a cheapo paint brush to spread the glue out evenly...

papercut mounting takes time...
glue to use: hobby or craft glue or clear gum or rice glue if you are really authentic
how to spread the glue: brush a thin layer on the paper, glue cannot be too thick, but if one thins out the glue with water too much, the papercut will "bleed" - not a pretty sight
laying the papercut: with TLC! light fingers

securing the papercut: rub with greaseproof paper lightly in circular motion over the papercut... don't rub too hard otherwise the papercut will stick on the greaseproof and will get torn! then you are stuffed...

the papercut mounting took ages and ages...
so did the paper-tearing (for the natural rough edge look)... and the hole punching (double duck motive)...

for a neater, classical look, a ribbon loop to secure the invitation & other attachments (ie info leaflet)is in order...
ribbon loops are individually hand-looped and glued to secure...

yep... mass production, just like a factory...

pretty sitting on the window seal

the coloured "double happiness" papercuts are nice... the red "double happiness" papercuts too...
i have stock from 2 suppliers... they look a little different...

if you want papercuts too visit http://stores.shop.ebay.com.au/Gao-Fu-Collectibles ebay store where i got mine from...

coloured chinese papercut invitations

2009-07-18T22:26:00.012+10:00

thank god for ebay, i could get reasonably priced chinese papercuts rather than getting ripped off by the local thrift shop... instead of forking out $10 a packet, i could get 3 for $10...

once i have received the "parcel"... card making went underway... all featuring "double happiness" in various scenes...

... with peacock ...with fish in lotus pond
...with mandarin duck pair
... with phoenix
with double piglets in front of double doorway
... with flowers and butterflies
... with more flowers and butterflies
... with double chooks
... with dragon and phoenix pair
lovely! and they were all handmade papercuts!

HP6 : HP and the HBP

2009-07-17T23:07:00.004+10:00

haven't seen a good movie for a while...
i don't know if i would classify coco chanel as a really good movie... it was def not as good as i thought would be...
but i had high expectations for HP6... afterall, i know the storyline would be good and it will be about the HBP! my fave HP character!
even after hearing margaret giving it 3 stars "for the fans" (and david a 2 1/2 i think), i still wasn;t deterred...

so off we went and saw it... the cinemas were packed... full of adults and kids alike...
and the verdict?!
UNDERWHELMING, massively underwhelming...
i mean it wasn't bad...
but it was FLAT - eg where is the tension and chase in the last segment when HBP finished dumbledore?!? wasn't like that in the book!
FLAT (in execution of the storyline) & FLAT (in its colour palatte)

... thanks ING, we didn't pay for the movie tix, thanks to my thrifty self that i brought dinner boxes capped off with banana cake as dessert (and didn't have to fork out for dindin) & thanks for free parking (even though we exceeded 3 hour free limit)...

the next book will be split into 2 movies... a bit like the horcruxes really! in actual fact the HP movie franchise has split into 8 instead of 7 horcruxes! greedy guts!

yoga challenge

2009-07-06T23:02:00.003+10:00

northside bikram yoga is doing $20 for 10 days...
that was what i have been doing the last few days or so...

v interesting... i've never had my shin in sweat b4!
holding postures in a heated room has been challenging, but rewarding also... i had so much energy after the first class, i couldn't get to sleep...
after the past 1/2 week of daily class... my muscles are firmer and lower back straighter! unfortunately my Rt shoulder is also sorer.... for now...
the next challenge would be the $99 30 day kick start (noramlly $160)...
see how it goes...

final zinc plate prints & bargain frames

2009-07-03T18:24:00.000+10:00

I had my last printmaking class for the term... quite sad... cos' there would be nothing to do the next 4 monday nights...
I loved the class, cos it had been fun and I could get "in the zone" and concentrate on things like "burnishing the plate with essential oils" which was very meditative! (much easier focus my concenttration this way than listening to my meditation tapes etc etc)
... so i already put my name down for next term!
here are the finished products (zinc plate etching... the "finals" after numerous proofs previously)

"mandarin duck pair" - kindly inked, a la poupee, by karen

"midnight possum" - in a shade of velvety deep green (kindly mixed by our teacher)

"midnight possum" - in black purple (also mixed by our teacher)

on a diff note, i made a visit to this curious shop, full of beautiful papers, cards and the like the other day...

http://www.willsquills.com.au/

and I found some real bargains!
photo frames - glass & clip ones, made in italy

(nothing like the flimsy ones @ ikea... each clip actaully sits in a striaght trench at the back of the frame and is slided into position... the good thing is there is also an add on one can buy, a support stand, that can turn it from a walll hanging glass frame to a desktop picture frame... v cool)

and v cool prices too - small frame $1.50, large frame $2.00, desktop supprt add on $0.50
as the man said in the shop as I was paying, "cheaper than the $2 shop!"
i concur!

coco avant chanel

2009-07-02T13:33:00.006+10:00

went to cheap tuesday movie with snowflake the other day...
since SATC, the next anticipated fashion chic flick

coco avant chanel

we went to cremorne orpheum for the experience... the clientele of mostly well to do baby boomers (or older) - they consisted of either lovely dovey date pairs, old husband and wife couple, groups of women 2,3,4.

and a curious observation - 80% of them had boought a choc top! (that didn't include me, though that was what snowflake did the first thing she got there)

there was live piano music while we waited to get in...

and the theatre like stage and curtain...

the decadent lighting...

as to "coco avant chanel"?
margaret was right, 3 stars... i thought it was worth 6/10 too...
the fashion came the last 5 min of the film... audrey T was v elegant, but I prefer the dress sense of her character after moving to paris... the DIY refashioning she did was too "peasant" & baggy for my liking...

hippo embroidery bag

2009-06-29T17:58:00.018+10:00

i need to cheer myself up after the mini disaster of the printing press (still in the making)... what way better than making a bag! esp a hippo embroidery bag!

DIY printing press part 2 - reflect, redesign, renew, redo

2009-06-26T21:09:00.019+10:00

work continued on the press this arvo...
everything back onto the verandah...

this time i got the nuts and bolts from the hidden corner of our garage - mcduck's hidden treasure trove

i'm makeing the platen plate today and the bungee rope mechanism...

the double plate - melamine & timber plate combo should make the platen stiffer...

the finished press looked the part, but the real test was how it would go pulling a print...

since i haven't bought a bottle press, i tried with my scissors car jack first...

here is a print done with an etching press...

here is one done with the bottle jack press...

loads of difference!
the pressure was not enough... and it was a collagraph! not even a zinc plate...
:~~~(
abit sad really... esp i have sore muscles and have spent 2 arvos making it...
lucky i didn't jump onto ebay to buy a 20 ton jack! so lucky!

even sadder when i saw the damage to the press after pulling the first print! massive crack above as it de-bolted! and the horizontal hairline crack of the timber beam below...

reflection:
1) timber pieces are too weak - too dry for starters and they are pine, not hard wood
2) bolts are 1/4 inch (could not fit larger ones in the slotts of the slotted steel angles)
3) using too much pressure? (already? but i was using only a scissors jack and it was only rated to 850kg, not even one ton)
4) may work better with a linoprint or woodprint - ink is thinner and rolled on, not like the oil ink used on etched plates, so thick!

so there is still hope yet - first i'll have to change the timber beams and get myself some easy carve lino tiles and a tool set...

DIY printing press part 1 - bottle jack press from mossworks

2009-06-25T18:35:00.024+10:00

for the last few weeks i have been researching for a printing press... i really want one for printing my collagraphs and etchings... and possibly our invitations...
the prices for a printing press though are jaw droppingly expensive... i cannot really justifying spending $2000+ for a proper press (mind you they go up to tens of thousands of $$)...
i also surfed numerous sites and forums for benchtop / hobby / baby presses... the user responses are not too great - and they are nto cheap either... the cheapest one so far would set me off $400-500 ("might as well get our invitations printed by a shop", mcduck said... he's got a point there)
may be i can DIY one...
then i came across http://www.mossworks.com/techniques.html
the "bottle jack press" pdf looked "do-able"
after much procrastination and time wasting internet surfing, i went to buns buns and got the parts today!
i spent the arvo half of today on the project... only stopped when the sun went down... here was what happened...
first i printed and studied the steps and plans...

"how am i going to adapt this plan to the materials i already have?"

i listed out all the stuff i had and the stuff i needed to buy from buns...

stuff required - timber pieces (got at home, recycling bed slats), slotted steel angles x4 (gotta buy), melamine pieces (got at home, recycling kitchen cupboard scraps), nuts/bolts/washers (gotta buy, got 1/4 inch ones), angle brackets (gotta buy), elastic rope (gotta buy), hooks (gotta buy), eyelets (got some from roman blind making), hydraulic bottle jack (i want a 20 ton, why? on that later... gotta buy too)

the only thing i haven't got today was the bottle jack... the plan suggested a 6 ton jack... but forums i have been to suggested up to 20 tons for printing of etching plates to be possible... so better bigger than smaller... bottle jacks are not cheap though... the "larger" it is, the more $$... the cheapest 20 -ton one i researched came to over $100... so my plan is to finish the frame and get the jack later...

first was measuring out the dimensions, ready for cutting...

after much hard work the timber pieces were cut to size (cut manually bu heck saw and reg saw! sweat and hard labour involved)

more measuring b4 putting on nuts and bolts...

i figured that drilling 3 pieces of timber secured together by rubber bands to be the easiest... i did start of with drilling each piece of timber, then put the bolts in - didn't really line up (v easy to be out by a mm)...

major bit of the frame done! (after numerous hours have passed)

time to do the bed plate... securing angle brackets to the "timber feet" & melamine bed...

done! looks easy but was bloody hard to do...

by the time i finished... it is well into darkness outdoors... so i had to pack up in the dark...
but v happy with the results so far...

Thank you charles for putting up the bottle jack press plans! otherwise i won't be able to have my own press for under $200!

DIY roman blinds to shield us from the wintery draft

2009-06-20T18:12:00.028+10:00

our hanging out area in the house has been unbearably cold of late... the fridge themometer hovers around the 13-15 degree mark... just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine...
in order to keep warm, we have been turning on the gas heater constantly... but the heat has been escaping into the corridor... until now...

we have now got our custom made cafe LF roman blind to close off the area... now we can keep warm and feel cosy!
the whole project started as i got my bargain material from AS-IS Ikea... $1 per sofa cover (and i ended up with 10 of those)... some of them have been reincarnated into seat covers...
"so what to do with the rest?"
"ah-ha! roman blinds!"
after much searching on the internet, i found this excellent video!
http://www.viddler.com/explore/Blinds/videos/1/
after one viewing, i thought, " i could do that!"

i first sewed a "blanket" large enough to cover the arched doorway out of the bits of material recovered from dismantling the AS-IS chair covers... had to use the 2 tones due to lack of material... but good that it ended up as "L" - for cafe LF!

the bits and pieces i got from "material world" and "bunbuns" - pine dow rods x 10)rectangular pine rods (one large one small), plastic loops x30, eyelets (3 needed, bought 1 packet), thin string 10m, backing material (bought at reverse garbage), velcro...
first the backing was sewn to the "blanket"...
for every 20cm, i have folded the "blanket" (5cm in length) and have sewn a space to secure the dow rod...

measured...
pinned...

and abit of sewing...
the larger pine rod was to be encased material with velcro sewed onto its length...
the other pine rod was secured into the bottom of the "blanket" to weigh the "blanket" down...
inserting 6mm pine dow rods here...
loops were sewn to the backing material... 3 spaced along each pine dow rod casing...
took me a whole week to get here!

now the three eyelets screwed on the rod...
threading through the loops - there would to be three columns of loops... each column would have its own string... first a knot was tied at the bottom loop of each column where the string would start... string would be threaded through up the "blanket" through all the loops in the column until it arrived at the eyelet on the pine rod up the top... then the string would travel horizontally, passing through the other eyelets until it reached the side of the blinds where we would open the close the blind...

from the backside of the blind...

lovely!
lets draw the curtains...
more
more...

and get warm... L for cafeLF!

Vintage Royal Addition

2009-06-18T17:46:00.010+10:00

mcduck and i have decided to type out the wedding invitation... in order to do the typing, we would need a functioning typewriter...
we knew that there must be many of them hiding under cobwebs in people's garages and under their beds, but sadly, we also knew that we didn't have one of our own...
i had been ebay watching for the last 2 weeks...
and finally won this great vintage bargain! $3.25!
I brought it home today... it does show it's age encased in the slightly faded black box...

It's base is securely locked to the bottom of the case for easy travelling... not so easy though should one carry it around town... it weighs several kgs...

not much info on the internet... but i guess it is pre-war or made b4 the 1950s...

and amazingly... all the keys work! and no sticky keys... but it requires slow typing, otherwise it gets abit jumpy...

it will be making alot of typing noices shortly, in the next few months...

etchings

2009-06-16T15:58:00.005+10:00

have been too busy of late doing things i don't like... so it was a relief to do something i like finally...
work on my etching plates... still in the process of proofing...
possum in the dark...

mandarin duck pair...

DIY dressform

2009-06-07T22:24:00.011+10:00

ive been meaning to get a proper dressform for ages... since i've started making my slip dress the other day, i have been having great difficulties in sizing...
winding the clock back a month or two, i did acquire the stuff for "dressform making" after much research on the net...
should i spend several hundred bucks and get one? should i just make my own? one good thing about making my own would be a "custom / perfect fit)
so that was what i did the last couple of hours...
i gathered the stuff i needed - old tees, tapes, scissors & an unwilling helper to help me stick tape...
had to strip bare and don on the unwanted black tee (preferably long sleeve and long length -wise, which was later to be cut)... remember DO NOT pull to tight on the tape... i had difficulty breathing even though the tape was first pulled out then stuck on (not pulling as well as sticking at the same time)... the tape's stiffness meant that only 1-2 layers could be wrapped around my entire upper body...
all flesh was compressed... every fat cell... nearly all breathing space... i did get my upper arms wrapped too and downwards to the bum cheeks...
the cutting and release was the hard part... thank u v much for mcduck's help... but he wasn't too happy by then (cutting a line through the tightly taped bodice over t-shirt)... at the end, after much screaming and shouting, the taped tee was off... the bodice was then mended back into it's 3D shape with even more tape... then came the stuffing (cheapo insulation material from reverse garbage)
stuffing sleeves first, then upper bodice... then the bum...
secure with even more tape and voi la... DIY dressform...
in order for easy pinning later on, a fabric outer was to be made... with yet another (one or two) old tees...
dressing... pinning... sewing... upper black, below waste white combo...
so ended up with this exact replica of me! my very own custom dressform...
no i can finally have a good look at the slip dress i am working on... which had lots of mistakes... & equal amounts of rescue attempts...
on that later... to be continued...

luminous sydney

2009-06-02T20:26:00.014+10:00

brian eno paintings projected on the sails of the opera house...

... i like his ethereal music better...

we also had the chance to do some luminous graffiti...

there was my duck... mcduck's happy face...
other's apple...
someone's bike...
another one's dog...
someone else's flower...
and a lovely message...

more luminous graffiti to see on http://www.sony.com.au/microsite/luminous/index.html

DIY bird cage veil in the making

2009-05-31T22:56:00.014+10:00

the ideas in my brain were like the scattered trimmings and materials scattered here on the dining table...
what to do in making of a birdcage veil?

lets step back in time... several months b4... i had the idea of having a birdcage veil...

the pics i found were v pretty...

couldn't believe there were so many diff kinds of BC veils...

then i started narrowing things down...
1) i wanted russian netting covering part of the face, not just sitting up like background lace
2)i wanted to wear my hair in a low bun on the side - hence the focal point would be low, on the side
3) i wanted to use my existing materials - off white russian netting, ivory and lavender feathers, my silk flowers

i bought 2 packets of DIY veils / headpiece kits for $4 each! each pack with clips or headband and feather decorations and all... i had one in lavender, the other one red adn black...
what bargains from spotlight!(as they were already reduced to $8 from i think $15... then there was a further 50% off)
the russian netting was not such a bargain... i cannot recall the $... but it was bought in a proper hat studio...
i decided to make a 1/2 dome, so the netting would sit on 1/2 the head... so i began with folding
twisting...
sewing and beading...
a swarovski 4mm bicone with a pearly bead on top...
to join the 2 pieces of russian netting...
i also dotted more crystal / bead combo around the place for sparkles... so now pooh bear has a "shower cap" )snowflake's description) or "chicken wire(mcduck's description) of a veil... please ignore the "tail" - it is currently awaiting for embellishment and it is unfinished...
ideas for the embellishments included: hmmm...
hmm...

i have to work abit more on the silk flowers first...

DIY silk flowers

2009-05-31T22:19:00.018+10:00

it was time to start on the flowers with the silk fabric i bought at the beginning of the year (in the colours of the handbag)... pale pink, pale blue, deep purple, light peach...
first i sewed strips of different widths... using a chopstick to turn them right side up was easy - silk fabric was v slippery...

abit of folding and french knots after french knots later... i had a bouquet's worth...
they looked ok... quite "bridal"... but abit too angular... so i started to think...
what if the blue one turned into... a carnation? (as mcduck said, a pompom)
so i decided to transform the existing ones into diff flowers... (haven't transformed the light peach yet)... and added the purple "poppy"...
the first purple poppy had burnt edges (to prevent silk fibers from fraying), which also lightened the colour of the edges (a good look)... but it was too much work to make...

here was what i did...

cut squares of purple silk...

the squares were further cut into 4s (diff sizes = ok)
squares into circles (ovals, of diff sizes)...
layered the circles from slightly larger to slightly smaller, 8 layers in all, staggered look... then sew them together with a cross in the middle...
pulled hard...
added centre beads...
added even more beads, 6 in total at centre...
tied with french knots at the back to secure... twisted...
scrunched up...
a not v scrunched up version here... i found out later that rubbing would give a more crumbly look and the edges would lightly fray...
not bad!

ring mark

2009-05-26T20:58:00.007+10:00

i never wear any jewellery, not even a watch normally... until when i got my ring from mcduck 2 years ago... it had never left my ring finger... until...
we visited our jeweller for our wedding ring 2 weeks ago and he told me to take my ring off and i couldn't!
"when was the last time you took it off?"
"dunno." (never)
i learned something new that day - one should take off all jewellery b4 bed, that is including wedding ring... "fingers need to breathe at night."
righto...
so for the past 2 weeks i've tried the soap and cold water, micropore tape, finger lymphatic massage, even steroid cream on my knuckle...
apparently my "meat", skin and "lymph" had decided to make home around the ring... my knuckle had decided to overflow with swelling...
but my luck came the other night during my 48 degree shower... my have been the expansion of metal in heat... i was able to (with the help of QV wash) wriggle the ring out of my fat knuckle!
my finger was freed (and marked with history of strangulation of 2 years)

see the constriction where the ring used to sit...

now i could make good use of the platinum necklace i bought for the ring 2 years ago...

the origianl idea (2 years ago) was to wear my ring on my neck... but it never happened

now the much scratched ring body hangs loosely, dangling around the necklace on my neck...

do i need to take the necklace off every night? cos i haven't been doing that...

DIY bridal faux fur shawl

2009-05-24T21:51:00.029+10:00

weather in september is quite unpredictable... i need something warm to go with my simple dress for our special day...
took me a day to make - it looks simple, hanging over the lamp in the lounge... just a piece of faux fur with lining, pearl buttons etc...
was it that easy to make? hmmm

the idea of a shawl came when i dug out my chance purchase from HK... a piece of good quality faux fur (for i think only HKS $10 or may be $40, either way, a HUGE bargain, considering it would retail for $69/m here)
the silk lining (2m in all) was more $, HKD $90/m (still cheap at AUD $18/m)...
i thought and thought about the design - should i do a bolero? should i do a short coat? should i do a shoulder wrap with a ribbon? at the end i decided - just do a throw! a full cover shawl that could be folded in half into a shoulder only wrap... the more simple it is the better (could then be used in the future at other occasions)

so i got to work today... first preparing the faux fur fabric... drawing out the seamline (no pattern)
lots of pinning...
using wet tea towel to set the direction of the fur b4 trimming... tedious! cutting the fur at the edges, so that sewing by machine would be possible - even more tedious!
i managed to carelessly cut a hole through the faux fur... so had to take extra time to repair...
more pinning!
the trimmed edge could clearly be seen!
now it was time to sew the edges and make measurements and cuts for the silk lining... working with silk was equally hard - very slippery!
finally the two long edges were sewn!

followed by the shorter edges and finished!
not really actually... cos i still had to sew in the buttons (to secure the folded shawl)... the buttons were to be sewn along one of the two long edges... lovely buttons! they cost more than the faux fur!
the other long edge would have the button hole ribbon sewn on... in order to make the button hole ribbon i thought it would be easier to do some braiding...
looping and sewing...

there we go...
secured :)
i have to say i was pretty sick of all the fluff (from fur cutting) and the hand sewing (the button hole ribbons)... but the end result was not bad...

here, worn as a full shawl...

surely will keep me warm!

happy bday mcduck!

2009-05-21T21:34:00.031+10:00

today is mcduck's bday! happy bday!
instead of spending hundreds of dollars going out to eat at a 2-3 hat restaurant, i made my own gourmet bday dinner at cafe LF!
it was amazing what a clean up, a table cloth (refashioned form an IKEA AS IS item), candles and more candles and dim lighting could achieve - the ambience of a 3 hatter!

as to the meal itself... it took abit more time...
there were 3 courses to make... i started with the dessert - white chocolate parfait paired with poach anjou pear with red wine syrup
the parfait part started life as a mousse first, but it ended up being a frozen mousse, more like a parfait...
i didn't follow any recipe... i did that just last week making a chocolate mousse without one and it turned out ok, so i thought i would be alright... 3 beaten egg whites passing the upsidedown test...
beaten double cream about 300mL with just a tiny bit of sugar
melted white chocolate, yes the entire block of 220g and 3 egg yolks, beaten together... the yolks really emulsified the mix and made it v stiff... then i mixed some beaten cream gradually and the mixture became loose again...

the last thing to do was to fold in the egg whites...

puff pastry biscuits for the dessert base...
pounded almonds to mix into the parfait...
clingfilm lined cups to set the parfait in the freeze... took a couple of hours to set...
the poaching pear part was done abit later... 1/2 bottle of red wine, sugar to taste... anjou pears were skinned, cored and poached for about 40 min... red wine syrup reduction was made with the left over poachign liquid...

sides for the main included - peas, carrot and sweet potato mash - ladened with butter, cream etc... (think two fat ladies)

all laid out ready to serve...
the main was - slow cooked roast beef on puff pastry biscuit, sweet potato mash and crispy hash dressed with red wine reduction

what a long description! it was inspired by tournedos rossini on "the cook and the chef"... i had to make a few changes as pate and mcduck would not go together...

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/cookandchef/txt/s2554976.htm

first i got some eye fillet (not the most extravagant kind of fillet, but still on the pricey side at $30+/kg)... then i had to trim the sinew...

with my trusty aritsugu knife of course!
then i had to make a roll out of it...
not as neat as simon's, but did its job...
the recipe called for 90 degree celcius oven for 2 hours! (yes only a low 90 degrees and for 2 whole hours for 600g of beef)... i really wanted the just pink, melt in the mouth result as promised on "the cook and the chef"... so to be on the safe side, to make sure the inner meat would reach 60-70 degrees, i stuck in a themometer! the best thing i had done! (one should do so for all roasts)
after one hour of cooking the outer meat was still pink... i started to panick, but the themometer had gone up... so i persisted
it came out at around 66 degrees inner after 2 hours... the outer part still shouted "PINK" - so how did it turn out?
back in cafe LF, the candles were still burning...

the first course - cauliflower and pumpkin puree with a dash of cream (a thick soup)

verdict: sweet, creamy, smooth and v filling! perfect on a cold night
the main - slow roast beef fillet on puff pastry biscuit, sweet potato mash & crispy hash with red wine reduction

verdict: melt in the mouth! (thanks TCATC) sour note on the red wine reduction was able to cut through the creamy sweetness of the mash & beef... crispy bits of potato and puff pastry biscuit were good textural contrasts

sides: peas, carrot, more sweet potato mash with crispy potato hash bits - buttered and creamed...
dessert - poached anjou pear on puff pastry biscuit, red wine syrup and white chocolate and almond parfait
verdict: slightly burnt taste of red wine syrup actually worked v well... the acidity of the syrup and the pear complemented the creamy rich parfait...

overall: a success!

homemade quince jam

2009-05-19T16:59:00.026+10:00

we went to reverse garbage
http://www.reversegarbage.org.au/
in search of cushion making material... and surprise surprise, there was also a sunday market...
an organic market - down to earth, produce brought out by the farmers themselves... lots of environmentally aware people... spicy chai lattes and BYOBs - totally the antithesis of the upmarket, well-to-do, lets-have-some-organic-fairtrade-coffee-darrrling, northside produce market or farmers market pyrmont
http://www.organicfoodmarkets.com.au/Organic-Food-Markets.aspx
anyways... i spotted some red plump anjou pears and quinces...

looked just like the cover of "maggie's orchard" (my atm good read!)
http://www.librarything.com/work/3366359
the quinces made the entire house (and car boot) filled with a pleasant peculiar fragrance - a mixture citrus and pear... hard to describe...
so it was time to dig out all my recycled jars again...

i know i didn't boil to sterilise - v lazy of me... but so far, the oven method has worked for me every time!

i searched everywhere for a quince jam (not quince paste) recipe... there wasn't many out there (and there wasn't one in "maggie's orchard"! i was surprised - none on the cook and the chef either... )

the quinces were v pretty, not black and furry at all... and they constantly give off their nice perfume! even when i was scrubbing them in the bath...

the recipe called for washed, cored, grated (body and skin) quinces...

i was fascinated by the seed arrangement... picture perfect...
it reminded me the time when we visited the brogdale farm in kent and went on their orchard tour... the lady said that one could tell the variety of the fruit by looking at just the arrangement / configuration of the seeds at the centre of the fruit... http://www.brogdalecollections.co.uk/

i did the grating the easy way...

1.5 kg of quince ended up being 1.2kg (6 packed cups) of processed fruit, ready for jam making...

added water

added lemon juice and zest...

simmer... 10min until quince = soft

add sugar...

simmer... should be uncovered... for 30 min.... check... then 20 more min... check... then

an extra 30 min with added sugard (not in recipe... i added apporx 250g more sugar to get the set and deep colour)...

the colour really looked artificial!
the bottling... no jamsetter used this time!

so the end of the day... i had 2 small, 1 med and 2 large bottles...

taste test... the texture was more on the "paste" side of things... or a stiff jam...
little bit grainy... not too sweet... v nice acidity, not overpowring, just right, like a spreadable concentrated dried pear...

and extremely yummy on hot toast with lots of butter! one of the best jams i've made (equal first with strawberry jam!) and had!

my custom made wedding shoes @ BBN

2009-05-15T19:02:00.019+10:00

ever since my gem of a find - vintage kimono fabric pieces, at $2-3 a piece - at beehive gallery newtown
http://www.beehivegallery.com.au/
i have been brainstorming ideas to make good use of the fabric...

the first idea actually came b4 my wedding clutch handbag...
just b4 my trip to hk, i thought, "wouldn't it be nice to have custom made shoes for my special day!"
after much surfing online, eavesdropping into forums, i found out most custom made shoes to be on the "dear" side - HKD$2000-3000 (but we are talking about leather inner and sole and all...)
in oz, the $ was astronomical - AUD$1000+
but later, after much reading, esp obscure travelogues and travel reviews, i found out there were a few places in causewaybay, happy valley etc that did custom made shoes for less... (orders sent to be made in china i guess)
a website (no longer exists) on the hip / trendy "gough street" in central mentioned the shoe shop BBN
http://www.bbn.com.hk/contact.html

i sent them an email enquiry, i rang them, i actaully went to the shop on my holiday! i had to be persistent - to get the result!
my initial inspiration was from my well loved bargain "top shop" buy - my 10 pounds 50s/60s inspire patent low pumps...
i love the lowish v shape toe cut and the small sturdy heels

trying to visualise the mis-match patterns on each shoe, "it should work!"
in the end after numerous phone calls, trips to the shop b4 i leave, and phone calls even after i came back to oz, my shoes were ready after about a month...
i parted with a piece of my vintage kimono fabric (the one on the left)
the fabric had to be sent to the factory in china to be inspected - whether it would fit the "mould" / "template"... and it did! and they could proceed!
mum helped me to pick it up from the shop and brought it over to oz on her holiday (thanks mum)...
i was thrilled when i saw them i loved them!

the shape of the shoes were not "extactly" as my "topshop shoes"... but not bad...

they came in a special bag...
the different flower details at the front was what i wanted! and good that the shoemaker put the "accent" purple flower on the outer side of the right shoe!

the raw seam edge was good detailing (and a good surprise!)

cloth heel! good detailing again!

just couldn't stop looking at it!

"beau bien" tag...

now i just want to have another pair in another nice vintage fabric (yet to be found)!
and the cost? approx HKD $450! better than buying ready made shoes in DJs or myers!

thank you BBN! thank you shoemaker!

DIY Wedding clutch handbag: Part 6 - bag lining & finally finished!

2009-05-10T21:17:00.007+10:00

"double happiness"
with net lining...
sewned & lining bag... all by hand...

finally finished! now i can get on with the other tasks!

DIY wedding clutch handbag: part 5 - handle and closure

2009-05-07T17:14:00.022+10:00

... just wanted to finish the bag, so all the spare time i had today (minimal), i worked on it...
and here is what happened...
i decided to use a magnetic closure mechanism on a band across the body of the bag...
i had to find another piece of fabric to cover the "band"...
backing was used again to increase structural integrity...
plastic mesh was also used...
after much fiddling around, i finally secured one side of the magnet onto the "band"...
the other magnet was to go on the side of the bag...
done! it was difficult to secure it within the mesh without wrinkling the rest of the bag...
finally!

now i could get on with the handle! the length was chosen for easy holding on the wrist...

plastic mesh was used again as the inner structure...
i sewed a tube of vintage kimono fabric... the idea was to make it fitted over the mesh...
but the wrinkling effect was nice / soft.... and much easier to achieve than the neat and flat look...
so i sewed the two loose fabric ends onto the "handle rings" on either side... the fabric tubing was also sewn and secured to the inner handle structure...
good handle length!
lovely!

now i just have to add lining to the interior... nearly done!

DIY wedding clutch handbag: part 4 - handbag body alteration

2009-05-06T10:49:00.007+10:00

the finished body of the clutch handbag was good but to angular... also the hard edge 90 degree corners would clash with the handles (the handles will run under them instead of just over them)...

i need to cut away! make it around... softer, rounder, more feminine...

so i cut out a piece of plastic as a "rounded corner template"...
lots of mucking about and sewing (by hand!) here and there later.... a rounded look... much better!

now i have to think about the handles and the "closure mechanism"...

the back would be quite plain... i like it too!

Day 3 of clutch handbag will begin early tomorrow morning!

DIY wedding clutch handbag: part 3 - sewing handbag body

2009-05-06T10:41:00.013+10:00

now came the tricky part... making use of my limited but nice vintage kimono fabric... i have chosen the small piece with the deep purple flower detail...
and sewed several pieces together, big enough to wrap up the inner plastic bag casing...
sewing was done at snail pace, with pins, more pins and more pins...
more pins again
i also bought "backing" to hold the fabic's shape abit better...
i sewed the backing on to the kimono fabric... the whole thing became stiffer and more managable in draping onto the plastic bag casing
the main body was done...
what was to do with the sides? i needed some soft angles...
so i pinned it as folds on the sides
not bad...
and i made it final by sewing in the "handle rings"...

DIY wedding clutch handbag: part 2 - inner structure

2009-05-06T10:35:00.008+10:00

the inner structure of the clutch handbag is most important... it has to hold its shape through the entire day... keeping all the important things secure while being pretty as well...
so for the important inner shell, i got several sheets of "plastic netting" from riot - at around $2 each, it didnt' exactly blow the budget...
abit of cutting and stitching...
the body of the bag was formed... note the double thickness bag opening and the curved bag base...
and the teardrop shape sides...
when all sewn together, it looked just like a clutch...

i was able to recycle the "handle rings" from another tired bag of mine and put them into good use... after much heavy sewing, the rings would be in charge of holding up the bag via the new "handle"...