Tote bags

These bags were done faster than I thought! All thanks to the bulk of work I had to do that drove me into handmaking for some stress relief. Carving the alphabet rubber stamps took me about 5 days, and once I got my hands on the plain canvas totes I was ready to go!

 Airing them after stamping the alphabets and Baisimu's logo.

And the end products...!

For the bf who's all the way across the globe right now.

 For a friend with green fingers, 

and a friend who's born to cook and bake.

I'm so happy to see that they all like what they got! Maybe when I have more time I'll list a few for customisation on etsy. But that wouldn't happen till June!

Take care everyone, and Happy Chinese New Year! Mine was awesome :)

Random updates

Got to know about Postcrossing through a friend, which is about sending (and receiving) postcards to strangers somewhere in the world. I found it interesting but never really got down to writing one. And yesterday while packing my drawers I realised I have with me so many postcards that were taken from those advertising postcard stands! And I thought why not.

So that's 3 postcards written in one night! It is kind of fun and interesting, writing to someone you've never met. Someone from a different country, with cultures and living environment so different from yours.

I can't wait till my sent postcards are registered by the recipients so I can start receiving postcards from other strangers!

Made these for CNY! The bigger one for ang baos and
smaller one for cold hard cash. Bwahahaha.

And now a quick update on things I've been making. Holidays are the only times I get to expand my inventory. Work resumes next Monday and I'll be so consumed with assignments I won't have time for any form of handicraft! I'm in a very demanding industry, as much as I love it. And while I was in the shower yesterday inspiration came (it always does either when I'm in the shower or getting ready for bed) and there were a few more ideas for my bookmarks.

I'm also considering designing tote bags with hand carved rubber stamps, signed off with my signature red, "happiness" seal. Unfortunately those are time consuming projects and progress will be really slow from next week onward. So even if they turn out successful I believe they'll only be ready in about 6 months' time from now! I already have a few designs in mind for a few of my friends! Now to source for affordable plain tote bags (no time to sew them one by one!) and to start carving the 26 alphabets.


Perhaps some day I'll blog about my Taiwan trip this december. There are so many lovely places to share!

Till then! Oh and happy new year! May 2012 be a year of blessing, good health and happiness for all. :)

香煎大虾

材料与调味料：

• 虾（~20只）
• 糖、盐、酱青

准备工作：

• 将虾的须子剪掉
• 把虾洗干净了再弄干
• 加入糖（2-3茶匙）和盐（1茶匙）腌
• 10 致 20 分钟后，将糖和盐洗掉，把虾弄干

烹煮过程：

• 起镬（把锅弄热），下油， 再下蒜茸
• 慢慢加入一些虾（根据锅的大小决定数量），煎熟后再把它们捞上
• 重复以上的步骤，直到所有的虾都熟了
• 最后，将所有的虾再倒入锅里，下糖（1汤匙）与酱青（1汤匙）炒拌均匀
• 上菜！

Curry Chicken

Another one of our family favourites, and easier to cook than it looks! It's important to use the right curry powder for this though. Most grandmothers (being super pro at cooking) would go to the wet market and pick their own lethal combination of curry powder, but for amateur cooks I think it's better to stick to those ready made ones! (For Singaporeans living in the east, my grandma gets her curry from Bedok 85 market, and the brand's 夫妻牌)

咖哩鸡 (when I was taking this grandma insisted I
put 3 chicken wings there coz 2 seems too 寒酸!)

材料与调味料:

• 鸡翅膀或鸡中翼（~15只）
• Potato - 外婆会用荷兰种的（随意）
• 夫妻牌的咖哩粉（一包）
• Fresh coconut milk（半包）
• Carnation milk（2-3汤匙）
• 洋葱、香茅、糖

准备工作:

• 将马铃薯煮熟，削皮，再切块
• 鸡翅膀沸水（即用滚水轻烫）
• 洋葱切条，香茅拍扁

烹煮过程:

• 将洋葱与香茅放入锅里翻炒
• 加入鸡肉，再翻炒
• 倒入整包咖哩粉
• 加入滚水
• 加入半茶匙糖
• 慢火，煮个30分钟
• 鸡肉熟后便可加入半包的椰浆与大概3汤匙的Carnation milk
• 咖哩煮滚后，便可上菜！

Lala (clams)

Shall just do a quick one before I fly off to taiwan for 5 days! As I still have some packing to do, I gotta write something short, and nothing's easier to cook than fresh lala! So here it is. A good dish to add if you are looking to cook something (really) simple!

新鲜的 Lala 壳是紧关着的，如果壳是打开的就是它已升天……

材料与调味料

• Lala, about 1 kg for 4 to 5 people
• 蒜头、辣椒、盐

准备工作

• 把 lala 洗干净,浸泡在盐水内1-2hr
• 再洗干净

烹煮过程

• 在锅里(尽量用那种不那么容易刮花的锅), 加入蒜头、辣椒，炒拌。
• 把Lala倒入, 炒熟
• 注: 
• 炒时, 如果觉得太干可加入少许滚水
• Lala 熟了会自己开起来, 到时再将它们一个一个拣上来
• 另外, 乘汤的时候不要乘到下面的汤汁, 否则会有沙子
• 上菜!

下次轮到咖哩鸡登场! 不过这个要等到星期六之后了。Till then~!