DIY Project from Popsicle Stick

Make this simple and super cheap home storage/deco/hexagon wall art with using only popsicle sticks. I got this colorful popsicle stick from Mr. DIY, my favorite store to look for affordable craft supplies. 1 packet of 51 pieces of popsicle stick costs only RM3.90. You'll be needing 2 packets for this project. 

Materials

Popsicle stick

Glue Gun

Instruction

The idea is to arrange the popsicle sticks in a hexagon so it's best if you draw a hexagon shape on a piece of paper to get the right angles and arrange the foundation in that template.

But I'm just going to eyeball the shape here. Glue the end with a glue gun. 

 Layer the sticks. 

Continue stacking and glueing until your hexagon shelf is as deep as you would like it to be. 

With about 100 sticks you'll get as deep as this photo here.

Find the space to place this cute wall art. 

Enjoy making yours today!

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Easy Tapestry Crochet

I've been crocheting from 2012. Crochet is a handicraft in which is made up into a patterned fabric by looping yarn with a hooked needle. In the beginning, babies item are my favorite to crochet. From baby booties/shoes, dresses, hats and sweaters.

Upon stumbling on tapestry crochet, I found the whole new meaning of crochet. Tapestry crochet is fairly new in the world of crochet even in western countries. Only in recent years tapestry crochet suddenly become a craze because the outcome of this type of technique looks so intricate and beautiful when in fact it is so easy to make (if you have the basic of crocheting that is).

But I'm not in no way an expert of this technique. The above photo is my first tapestry crochet purse. 

Read an introduction of tapestry crochet from Carol Venture who discovered the technique in Guatemala. Check out her Ravelry page here. 

Get the above pattern tutorial from The Spruce. I would say this is the easier pattern to start learning tapestry crochet. 

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Crochet Baby girl dress

Little baby dresses are so adorable and to even make one is satisfying as the parent who receive it. This design is from a Chinese crochet book. It will require about an intermediate skill level as you will only be referring to the diagram (if you can't read Mandarin that is).

The bodice starts at the top using lace as the foundation. If you are a crocheter and interested in this design, I'll be gladly to share you this design. 

Leave a message too if you are interested to order this dress for babies. 

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Make your own Air Freshener

Air freshener smells can get overpowering for me sometimes. That’s why I opt for making my own homemade freshener. Au naturel and saves money too.

For this DIY recipes you will need no more than 5 minutes of your time.

Materials

Glass Jar

Baking Soda

Essential oil

Aluminium foil

Ribbon or string

Toothpick (not in photo)

Method

1. Pour a good amount of baking soda in the mason jar.

2. Mix a few drops of your choice of essential oil.

3. Mix thoroughly.

4. Cover lid with aluminium foil.

5. Tie rim of mason jar with ribbon.

6. Make holes on aluminium foil with a toothpick.

Air freshener is ready to be used! Place in rooms, kitchen or even on your office table.

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How to guide children in Mandarin homework if you don't even know one word in Mandarin

Guiding my child in his Mandarin homework is like…..

Luckily I have Pleco, the Chinese dictionary in my Android. I’m so much in love with this app. It is so easy to use. All Julian has to do if he wants to know the meaning of certain Mandarin character, is just to draw them on the screen.

I could say it is 99% accurate as it can identify the character you are drawing even if you the ugliest handwriting in the world (ok, that’s a bit too much). But still, I think it’s a great app, as you pick the correct character at the bottom of the app and out came the definition in English.

And, for some reason, the app can’t recognize your handwriting, you can use the OCR feature. Using your phone’s camera and a yellow box as your guide, point it at the character and the app will try to detect the strokes of the character and you’ll get the translation in pinyin (pinyin is roman spelling of the chinese phrase).

Type out the pinyin phrases and you'll get the definition.

But depending on the app alone is not enough. So, for non-mandarin speaker, it’s better to send children to a mandarin tuition class or on a one-to-one tuition.

Julian previous tuition teacher advice to;

* Expose children to a Mandarin-speaking environment

* If you let your children watch cartoon on television, let them watch once in a while, cartoon in Mandarin audio (at astro channel).

* As parent, I think it’s a good thing to learn with them. Try to learn a few easy Mandarin phrases; such as good morning or how‘s your day at school like; and try to communicate with them at home.

After all, we want the best for our children.

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Healthy Living - Secret to make Sabah's famous Ngiu Chap without MSG

Drool drool - The best Ngiu Chap of Sabah

I missed KK and the food. Whenever I’m back home, I will always look for this one particular dish that I will never get bored of and that is Ngiu Chap.

There’s so many version of making Ngiu Chap or Beef noodle you can find in the internet. I’ve tried to replicate so many recipes and ended with adding lots of MSG just because it doesn’t taste like the ngiu chap I had before.

Hunting recipes online, I found this this recipe from mama adib of dapurarazmunir.blogspot.com. Tried it and I’d swear flashback of my childhood flew across my thoughts.  With a few changes here and there, I’d believe I recreate the ultimate homemade ngiu chap (or so I thought).

NGIU CHAP / BEEF NOODLE

INGREDIENT

Vermicelli noodle or yellow noodle 

BROTH

300g beef bone

300g beef meat 

200g beef tendons (or tripe)

Beef balls

100g soya bean paste/tauchew

10g lump sugar

2 tsp white pepper

2 large onion
5 cm crushed ginger 

5L water

SPICES (Roast spices and place in a small square mesh bag)

½ tsp Szechuan pepper (you can either replace it with black pepper)

4 star anise

1 tsp cumin seed

4cm cinnamon stick

SEASONAL

Salt to taste

Sugar (I prefer to use lump sugar for its mild taste)

1 tbsp soy sauce

½ tbsp dark soy sauce

GARNISHING

Crispy fried onions

Scallion or parsley

CHILLI DIPPING SAUCE 

5 chilli pepper

10 bird’s eye chilli (more for intense spicy sauce!)

5 clove garlic

2 tbsp rice vinegar

4 tbsp lime juice

Salt & sugar to taste

¾ tsp shrimp paste (optional)

First thing first before I reveal the method of cooking, let me tell you the secret to make a good ngiu chap (note that this is fully my opinion).

Start with good beef bones: The broth base is very important. To make a good broth, you must have all the BEEF PIECES especially the beef bones. Knuckle and leg bones are the best.

Use lump sugar or yellow rock sugar: To avoid using MSG, balance the taste with LUMP SUGAR (or even yellow rock sugar) not coarse sugar. There’s a different in taste when using lump sugar or regular sugar in dishes. Lump sugar has  a mild taste to it than regular sugar. I used this brand of lump sugar;

     

                                                        

Simmering it long enough: Everyone knows this, the longer you cook the broth the tastier and intensely flavored it is. Heck, soup taste so good the day after you cook it. I boil the broth for a good 4 TO 5 HOUR. So, use large enough stockpot without you diluting or adding more water afterwards when you find that you don't have much liquid left in the broth after hours and hours of simmering. So find a large good quality stainless steel stockpot.

                                   
  
                               
Roasting spices: Before adding to soup, ROAST SPICES (Szechuan pepper, star anise, cumin seed and cinnamon stick) and place it in a mesh bag. Otherwise you can use convenient packets of 'sup bunjut'. (But i prefer the latter).Roasting the spices gives you naturally sweet flavor.

Now let's get to the method of cooking.

Parboil the bones: Fill large pot with water. Boil water and add the bones while keeping heat on high. Boil for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the bones. Clean stockpot and refill pot with bones and 5 litre of water.

Boil the broth: Bring water to a boil before adding the beef bones, meat and tendons. Add all the ingredients in the broth section (except the beef balls); soya bean paste, lump sugar, white pepper, onion and ginger. Add spices (roasted and in a mesh bag) to broth. Simmer for 1 1/2 hour before removing the beef meat. Put aside meat. Continue simmering until broth has reduced by half. Taste broth and add seasoning; salt, sugar, soy sauce and dark soy sauce. Add beef balls and simmer again for another 15 to 20 minutes. Taste broth again and adjust seasoning until tastes perfect.

Prepare noodles and meat: Cut beef meat and tendon and set aside. Blanch noodles in hot water. 

Prepare chilli dipping sauce: Blend all the ingredients.

Ladling and garnishing: Fill bowl with noodles, cooked meat, tendon and beef balls and pour boiling soup on it. Garnish with crispy fried onions and scallion/parsley. 

ENJOY YOUR HOMEMADE NGIU CHAP WITH THE CHILLI DIPPING SAUCE! 

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Handmade Accessories - Two-tone Flowery Hairpin

Create this gorgeous two-tone hair accessories using you choice of fabric flowers. It is easy to make and and you'll be able to pick your choice of color accordingly with your style.

You'll be needing;

• Two-tone color fabric flowers with large petals and smalls one
• Hairclip or large bobby pins
• Scissor
• Felt
• Hot glue gun

Make a circle using felt for the base for the flowers. Cut the dark colored flower from its stem and carefully pull of the plastic base. Separate and cut each petal and hot-glue on the circular felt. Make sure you don't stack petals on top of each other, rather arrange it just like a flower.

Cut the lighter colored, smaller flower from its stem. 

You can either use the stems and hot-glue them on. Arrange flower side by side. 

                                                           

Lastly, apply hot glue on felt base and attach hairpin or bobby pins.

Pretty, right?

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Diy Toy - Rocket Ship From Plastic Bottle

Diy toys are fairly easy and inexpensive to make. These are perfect to give children handmade gifts at Christmas, birthday or any day!

To make a rocket ship from a recycle bottle, you'll be needing;

• 1 recycle small bottle
• 1 children sock
• Glue gun
• Mod podge or water glue
• Scissor
• Silver masking tape
• Red, yellow and orange yarn
• Cardboard and felt (not in picture, you'll be needing this to make a circle, fins and for the bottom tube)
• Aluminum foil

Slip the sock over the bottle. Using glue gun, fold the bottom of the sock under the bottle and hot glue the sock. (For option, use mod podge or water glue and dab it on the surface of the bottle before slipping on the sock)

For this part, use cardboard, felt and aluminum foil. Cut two circles from the felt and glue to the front of the bottle as window. Cut two more circles smaller than the latter and cover it with aluminum foil. Adhere on top of the previously attached circles.

Using cardboard, make 3 pieces tube or otherwise you can use tissue tube. Cover tubes with aluminum foil, secure edges with silver masking tape and adhere to bottom of rocket with hot glue.

Cut three matching fin shape out of cardboard and hot glue them to the side of bottom edges of the rocket.

Wind orange yarn around your hand (around 5-6 times), repeat using the yellow and red yarn, slip it off your hand and tie in the middle. Glue inside one of the tubes. Repeat process with the other tube.

Make this with your children and let them enjoy making their own handmade toys!

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Of Lifestyle and Fertility

One of my favorite fruit/vegetable juice/smoothie has to be from beetroot . I blend or mix whatever fruits or vegetables I have in the refrigerator but basically my recipe for beetroot juice is;

• Quarter of beetroot
• Celery stick
• 1 frozen banana (makes the juice sweet and creamy)
• Quarter of cucumber
• Bunch of mint leaves
• 1 teaspoon of virgin coconut oil (vco)

Beets are claimed to be one of the healthiest food or superfood you can juice. With lots of benefit it really is worth your time to juice everyday.

I got my virgin coconut oil supply from a relative who is located in Kudat, Sabah. Kudat, my husband's hometown, has always been known for its coconut groves. Recently, VCO (virgin coconut oil) was making its presence with its health values. I got this for a fraction of the price but if you get them from the pharmacies it can be quite expensive. So, for those who are interested leave me a message.

Try my other recipes of juice/smoothie goodness.

Yellow juice/smoothie is made from;

• Half zucchini
• Celery stick
• 1/2 tsp grated ginger
• 1 orange
• 2 frozen bananas
• 1 tsp vco

While green juice/smoothie is made from;

• Bunch of spinach leaves
• Half cucumber or zucchini
• 1/2 tsp grated ginger
• 2 frozen bananas
• 1 tsp vco

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Art of Healing - Doodle

The Pursuit Curve Doodle

The world of art is awesome! I found a new way to doodle! Instead of just doodling away or whatever you have in mind, create images by drawing lines or whirls in structured patterns. 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the idea of the adults coloring book (being famous of all is the Secret Garden Coloring Book), starts from Zentangle, created by Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts. Zentangle is an abstract drawing created by using repetitive patterns. It is easy-to-learn, very much relaxing and fun. You just have to repeat drawing the patterns and voila!, you have an intricate drawing that looks like from a professional.

I am not much of an artist but everyone can doodle....

Edge of Book Doodle

Mandala art on a recycle cake board

Zentangle in a Circle 

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