DIY * Hari Raya Decoration

Paper Star Lantern

Image courtesy of Star Lanterns

So we've all seen these star shaped lanterns before, some in Ikea and some decorating shopping malls across the country. I was curious how to make them and so I did a but of research and it turns out that it's not exactly rocket science. I think it's the perfect way to spend those waiting hours to break fast and get your creative juices going too! Its a nice added touch to the Raya festivities don't you think?

Click here for the steps.

Art * Infographics

The Ramadhan High-Way Code

Wishing all Muslims a peaceful and charitable Ramadhan...
Happy Fasting!

Craft * Dragon

Chinese Dragon Puppet

On the 23rd of this month comes Chinese New Year and this marks the beginning of the year of the Dragon. So in celebration of this pretty cool mystical animal, why not get your kids together and make a Chinese Dragon Puppet! Makes a fantastic decoration and you have fun doing so too. Hey, I wouldn't be doing this for my animal sign... can't imagine a dog puppet looking like the dragon puppet above!

Click here for the steps.

DIY * Lanterns

Chinese New Year Lanterns

A very popular decoration during Chinese New Year is the lantern. In fact, right outside my front door are rows of houses decorated with them. All red of course. Anyway, after doing some digging, I found a very easy method on making your very own lantern. Of course the one above is quite colourful, and if you are a traditionalist, then stick to the red, but I do think the different colours will set your house apart from the rest, in a very cool and modern way.

Click here for the steps.

Eat * Bake

Christmas Pudding

It is a tradition of my mother and my mothers mother to bake the Christmas pudding way in advance. I'm talking about two months before serving. The reason this is done is to give the pudding time to mature. the taste is more intense and that is what makes up a great Christmas pudding. However, this recipe itself does not need to be made early, in fact two days before Christmas should be just fine, but I do recommend that next year, you at least give it a month to mature for that added zing! Warning in advance, this is a boozy dish and I firmly believe that it can't be made any other way. It's tradition after all!

Ingredients:

225g dark molasses sugar
400g fresh white breadcrumbs
225 shredded butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon mixed spice
350g sultanas
350g raisins
225g currants
100g candied peel, chopped
50g blanched almond, finely chopped
2 large apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
Finely grated rind and juice of 1/2 lemon
2 eggs, beaten
300ml Guinness
Approx 150ml milk

1. Put the dry ingredients, dried fruit, candied peel and chopped almonds in a large mixing bowl and stir well to mix. Add the apples with the lemon rind and juice, eggs and Guinness. Stir well to mix. Stir in enough milk to make a soft dropping consistency.
2. Pour the mixture into two greased pudding basins. Cover the tops of the pudding with circles of greased grease-proof paper, then with foil. Fold a pleat in the center and tie string around the rim. Leave overnight.
3. Place the basins in the top of a steamer or a large pan of gently bubbling water and steam for 4 to 5 hours, topping up water level from time to time during cooking.
4. Remove the basins carefully from the pan and leave until quite cold. Discard the foil and grease-proof paper and replace with fresh grease-proof paper and foil before storing the the fridge.
5. Steam again for about 2 hours before serving, with brand butter or warm custard.

Eat * Bake

Christmas Sugar Cookies

Ho! Ho! Ho! It's December and that means it is time to put on your elastic waist pants and eat eat away! Okay, i'm kidding. Really, please don't listen to me because I don't want to be the source of the amount of sugar that's in your blood. But these cookies might just do it!

I spent basically a day filled with baking and icing these babies and let me tell you, I had a ball. Nothing quite as soothing as getting lost in a creative process. So if you have the desire to try your hand at icing some sugar cookies for Christmas, or really, any other festive holiday, the Royal Icing recipe I used was brilliant, especially for a first timer like myself.

Ingredients for Sugar Cookies (1 batch):

90g soft unsalted butter
100g caster sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
200g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for Royal Icing (makes enough icing for 3 - 4 batches of the sugar cookie recipe)

3/4 cup of warm water
5 tablespoons meringue powder
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 kg powdered icing sugar
Food colouring of choice

1. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and moving towards mousiness, then beat in the egg and vanilla. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and eggs, mix gently. If you think the finished mixture is too sticky to be rolled out, add flour sparingly. Form into a ball, press down into a fat disc and wrap in clingfilm, rest in the fridge for at least an hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C. Sprinkle a suitable surface with flour, place dough on it and sprinkle a little more flour on top of that. Then roll it out to a thickness of about 1/2cm. Cut into shapes, dipping the cutter into flour as you go, and place the biscuits a little apart on a lined baking tin.
3. Bake for 8 - 12 minutes. When they are ready, expect them to be tinged a pronounced gold around the edges. They'll be soft still in the middle, but will set while they cool on a wire rack.
4. Meanwhile, in a mixer bowl, pour in warm water and meringue powder. Mix it with a whisk by hand until it is frothy and thickened for about 30 seconds.
5. Add cream of tartar and mix for another 30seconds. Pour in all the icing sugar at once and place the bowl on the mixer. Using the paddle attachment on the lowest speed, mix slowly for a full 10 minutes till the icing gets thick and creamy.
6. Cover the bowl with a dampened tea towel to prevent crusting or drying. Tint with food colouring.
7. Use the 10 second rule to test if the icing is too thin or thick. Simply draw a knife through the icing and count till ten. If the icing smooths out the line before 10 seconds, it is too runny and you will need to add extra icing sugar. If it fills in within the 10 seconds, it should be good enough to ice. Remember, if the icing is too runny, you will end up having a messy cookie. If it is too thick, you can add warm water to reach the desired consistency. Have fun!

Click here to see a cool method of icing cookies.

Eat * Bake

Ginger Spice Biscuits

When November reaches and Christmas is fast approaching, I can't help but get into the festive spirit. I think its rather excusable since everywhere I go, decorations are up and the scent of spice is in the air. And when I mean spice, i'm not talking about what we put in curry. No, i'm talking about ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg; which is prevalent in the best Christmas recipes.

Ingredients:

1 cup (225g) flour
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp group cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
60g butter (chopped)
1/4 cup honey
2 1/2 tbsp golden syrup (warmed)

1. Heat oven to 180C. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl except butter, honey and syrup.
2. Rub butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture feels like breadcrumbs.
3. Stir in honey and syrup. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead until soft and mixed well.
4. Grease baking tray. Roll the dough into small round balls and place 3cm apart on the baking tray. Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Leave to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a rack. Enjoy!

Decor * Buy

A Very Etsy Christmas

From Top Left: 1. Christmas Stockings by Quillowpatch, 2. Berries Tree Christmas Tags by whimsywhimsical, 3.Christmas Tree Skirt by Quillowpatch, 4. Christmas Owl Pillow by Fong Studio, 5. Christmas Snoman Gift bag by Jinjerup, 6. Holiday Card by Lonelypeopleart

Special * Deepavali

The Festival of Lights

NASA image of India on the eve of Deepavali

To all my Hindu friends, I would like to wish you a very Happy Deepavali. May you have a day filled with love, light and laughter!

DIY * Halloween Decoration

Decoupage Halloween Craft

Line up your driveway with these cool Halloween decoupaged jars you can make yourself with barely any effort. All you need are a couple of jars, glue, tissue paper and a printer with black ink and you are ready to go.

Click here for the steps.

Special * Mid Autumn Festival

Light the Lanterns!

Paper Lantern Illustration

While we don't get a public holiday for this festival in Malaysia, which is unfortunate since it is the prettiest festival in my books, but at least we get to enjoy the beautifully lit lanterns and sweet snowskin mooncakes together (hopefully next year I will attempt to bake a mooncake but I can't promise I will do it any justice!). Anyway to all my Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Taiwanese friends and readers, i'd like to wish you a very happy Mid Autumn Festival! 

Special * Merdeka

Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

To my fellow Malaysians, we would like to wish you a very Selamat Hari Merdeka! 

Peace, love and equality to all! 

From,

Naomi & Family

Special * Hari Raya

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!

Yay! The month of Syawal is here! I truly miss being a kid around this time, no more money packets for me, now i'm the one dolling out the packets. Ah well, i'll try not to get too emotional. Anyway, i'd just like to wish all of my Muslim friends a very Selamat Hari Raya and to the rest, enjoy the festivities, food and good cheer!

Lots of love,

Naomi, Lars & Lucas

P/S Lucas was not a happy camper because he'd rather play with a ball then take a family photo!

Special * Ramadhan

Special * Father's Day

Crafts & DIY

I've rounded up a couple of neat and fun craft/DIY ideas you can do for your dad or help your kids for their dad! Fun and easy, these homemade gifts will definitely make the man of the hour feel pretty special!

DIY Asterisk Clock

An easy and affordable DIY gift for the discerning designer dad out there. It will definitely look fantastic on his office wall.

Click here for the steps.







Napkin Shirt

While this isn't an actual gift, it's still a nice touch to the table setting when he sits down to eat his Father's day brunch!

Click here for the full steps.








Book Strap

This tutorial is not for those who want something quick and easy to do. You'll need to know a little bit about sewing and fabric. But if you think you can manage this then by all means, go for it!

Click here for the steps.








Polaroid Magnets

Take a trip to an art shop and you'll have all you need to make these beautiful polaroid magnets for dad. Easy to do and is a great memento, this gift is a definite winner!

Click here for the steps.






Box Organizer

If your dad likes his occasional cigar, and has a couple of boxes lying around, why not use one and transform it into a neat organizer where he can store his tools or small gadgets that are usually all over his desk. Mom would thank you too!

Click here for the steps.

Design * Buy

Father's Day Gift Ideas! 

1. Steering Wheel Clock, 2. Graphite Space Projector, 3. Hammered Tankard Mug, 4. Lexon Dolmen Radio, 5. Premier League Tour Tickets, 6. Upcycled Leather Card Case, 7. Stanley Fat Max Tool Bag, 8. Outback Excel 300, 9. Samsung LED 9 Series, 10. Star Wars Movie Poster, 11. Sony NEX-5, 12. Karlstad Swivel Armchair 

Design * Buy

Mothers Day Gift Ideas!

1. KitchenAid Mixer, 2. Florentyna Foam Bath by Marks and Spencer 3. I Love Uuuuuuuuu Poster by ilovedoodle 4. Set of Amazing Grace Eau De Nil Storage Boxes, 5. Antique Case by Halo, 6. Egyptian Magic Cream, 7. Moleskin Notebooks, 8. Ikea Gift Card, 9. Nigella Lawson Cook Books, 10. In Good Company Plate by Sami Ruotsalainen, 11. White Ipad 2, 12. Sunny Roo-totes by Super Planning 

DIY * Easter Eggs

How To: Natural Egg Dyes

Arwen O'Reilly Griffith came up with a fun and easy way to color eggs naturally for Easter! I love how easy it looks and if I have time, I might try this natural dye thing on fabric. Anyway, this does look like a great project to get the kids involved, so give it a try! Click here to learn the steps.

Special * St. Patricks Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

I'm proud to be half Irish, I love the country, I love the food and I love love love the people. My Irish mother brought us up to be proud of who we are and where we came from. She told us great stories of Ireland, some heartbreaking and some truly inspirational. I remember as a little girl, listening to her tales of fairies and banshees, of the struggles the Irish people lived through and the adversities they overcame. To that, on this special day, i'd like to raise my glass and wish all of the millions of Irish all over the world, and to those who feel Irish today, a very Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

 Sláinte!

Special * Women's Day

HAPPY WOMEN'S DAY! 

Rosie the Riveter

To all my women folk out there, today just sit back, relax and reward yourself for being the fantastic, amazing, beautiful, kind and wonderful female that you are. Much much love from me, Naomi!