Nail of the week

Last monday Shae Lyn and I brought out both our nail polish collections and had a nail art session after work. I didn't take pictures of the nail art I did for her, which I'm really proud of  :< But here are mine :

right hand

I recently bought nail art pens through Groupon, and while they sent me the wrong colour set, I didn't totally mind, after all I am an artist and I should be able to make rainbows out of poop. Above is what I did with my right hand. Its a lot more elaborate than my left hand of course - I am but a lefty and I have very little precision control over my right hand. Though I aim to be ambidextrous eventually if I want the nails on both my hands looking a little more together!

left hand.

I'm not sure why my left hand was pretty shaky with it. So it got me worried about how my right hand would fare with the pen D: So I was a little nervous, and I wondered if I should even bother trying it out, because utter failure meant a mess on my nails and a complete REDO. But I had faith..  :D My right hand did pretty well! Although it was a little bit of a cheat : I held the pen in my right hand steady and still while I had my left hand do the moving.

And thats it! I've been pretty busy lately. Got some awesome personal projects on the way :D and I'm pretty stoked.

Made a noticeboard!

noticeboard of all the pretty crafty inspiring things I found online.

I came into possession of some picture frames that once held painted portraits of Andrew's grandparents. He was about to throw them away when I begged him not to! How could he!

Now they're all mine :D a storeroom full of picture frames holding portraits of old people I'm not related to. Its pretty awesome! I can't wait to work my way through all of them.

My own union jack themed cupboard :D

Finally! I've been lusting at every furniture I've seen with the Union Jack painted on it :D This is one of my favourite pieces I saw on Design Sponge :

Image Source

I knew I just had to have one in my own abode! I saw one 3 drawer chest with the union jack on it selling in SSF for about RM700ish - and thats after the discount. With very little money to toss around, I decided I'd make my own :D  And here's how it turned out !!

Not bad huh : >

Read more to see my work in progress!

Chocolate Avocado Milkshake

I was browsing tastespotting a while ago when I came across this interesting recipe for Chocolate Avocado Milkshake.

I used to make my quickie chocolate shakes with a scoop(or two) of chocolate ice cream, a handful of ice and  a dash of milk. It never felt really complete, so I wondered how the avocado could help create a more fuller and creamier taste to the milkshake.

lined up all my ingredients.

 Sush and I both tried out the recipe. Unfortunately all she could say about it was that it tasted very green. I was a bit worried about getting that green taste too, so I waited until my avocado was completely black and ripe till I cut it up. I thought avocados were very exotic fruits (?) grown somewhere on the other side of the world. Turns out they're very popular just over in Vietnam and Indonesia.

So I threw all of the above ingredients into a blender, blitzed, and there you have it, a chocolate avocado milkshake.

Verdict? Nobody in my family wanted a taste of it and I had to finish the whole thing myself :( It actually wasn't bad, it was very rich in texture with a mild chocolate flavour, though I could still taste a tinge of green. Its so thick and rich, it could replace a meal D:

Though I'll probably go back to my old quick version of a chocolate milkshake over this. I could get a big cup of that with the price of an avocado, and it'll be lighter on the tummy too.

Aneboda Hack.

Here's how the Ikea 3 drawer Aneboda looks like:

 

Ikea Aneboda

Here's what I made it into :

 

Continue to see how I did it:

Double chocolate cookies + oats and wholemeal.

Andrew and I decided to make some cookies to snack on at work. We got a Betty Crocker pre-mix, but it was just too absurdly sweet even for the self professed sweet tooth that I am. So to make it a little healthier, we added less oil, more water, and HEAPS of oats and wholemeal!

Oddly, but I suppose we had it coming because it turned out looking like crap. I mean really crap, like I scooped up horse manure and put it on a tray.

Horse Manure

But despite how it looks, you have to believe me when I say it smells HEAVENLY. The rich chocolate aroma filled the whole house. Kinda like walking past Famous Amos. And it does taste amazing. We used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil, and it gives off that coconut-y flavour as you bite onto it. Still a tad overly sweet, but ay, its a cookie!

delish!

Its really really filling because its dense with oats and wholemeal. Eat one of this and you'll be satiated for the rest of the day. Unless you're like my boyfriend who's got an endless pit for a stomach, then I can't speak for you.

SUPPLIES SURPRISE 2!

MY HAUL

Like a 5 year old kid got let loose in a candy shop. I WENT NUTS. Bouncing off the walls, checking every shop and scrutinizing all their wares. I am ever so glad my mom was there to accompany me, or else I'd never be able to leave! The people there were really nice, I might be stereotyping here but  crafters seem like really happy people. I suppose its that inner peace you get when your work is your fun and love. I know two 30 year old artists who I swear look under 18, and I still can't believe it. 

So I think I blew about RM150 here. Although I wish I brought more money :< it would have been worth it. Now I just can't wait for the weekends and my leave to get approved! Just want to hole myself up in my room and get crafting!

Supplies Surprise 2 was held at Bfree, Dataran Mentari, a few weeks ago. The third event is in the works, possibly after the next 3 months. Make it for the next one! :D

Mimi's clock

Look what came in the mail !

Mimi sent me a parcel recently. 

 

And it was her ikea clock, that had the same thing happen to it as my old clock :P 

Strawberry Cream Cake

Xuan came over on a friday evening to bake a rustic homemade birthday cake inspired by Diamonds for Dessert's strawberry cream cake! :D

the finished product.

5 minute fridge magnets!

Alright it may or may not take 5 minutes, but this is a really simple DIY to kind of spice up a fridge at possibly zero cost if you scrounge up some random knick knacks from your box of hoarded stuff. 

If you're not a regular hoarder like I am, stuff like these are available for pretty cheap in stationery shops and craft shops. Although I cant speak for the magnets. I recycled a magnet piece from an old fridge magnet that broke apart and got some magnet strips from my old clay kit. 

Watson Sale

so Watsons had a sale last weekend.... 

LOOK WHAT I PICKED UP FOR A STEAL 8D

it was probably on average 50% off on all of these items. 

I definitely couldnt resist the Hello Kitty Shower Gel Bottles. SO CUTE!

on another note :
I've been pretty busy lately. Life dealt a heavy blow and I'm still trying to piece myself together : /

Green Tea Cupcake with Lavender Buttercream

yumm.

I had this aching for an interesting combination of green tea and lavender lately, and here is the result of satisfying that craving. Its a pretty delicious cupcake if I must say, its green tea cake with sweet azuki (red bean) paste for filling, topped with lavender infused butter cream. I attempted a piped rose here, and while its not completely successful, much thanks to my stubborn refusal to read instructions from the how-to book, I kinda like its imperfect effect!

My second try for a piped rose on a random banana muffin.

 I brought the decorated cupcakes to work, half proud and half worried sick wondering if the odd combination would sit well with my colleagues. But *phew* they liked it! Its really encouraging when your own work mates are more than willing to be your baking guinea pigs. Thanks guys!

Photoframe Makeover!

sweet

Hanging on my wall are the 3 patterned cloths I bought from the Supplies Surprise Bazaar but I just can't bring myself to cut them up for a sewing project just yet! So into these photo frames they go, up on display for me to admire till I should decide on a project worthy of their use.

Before that though, Ikea's Nyttja Photoframes needed a little decorating. I felt they were a little too bare and blockish, so I gave them a wooden border on the outside to make a softer appearance with some pearly/gold beaded strings dashed in to suit my fancy.

Nail of the week!

a shy star on a turquoise sky.

I picked up two adorable colours at Etude House during their sale (50% OFF) last weekend. And I just love the combination of the two! Yellow + Turquoise = <3

Domokun Cookies!

Domokunnnnn!!!

I've been stalking many baking blogs lately, and when I came across this how-to at Diamonds for Dessert, I was just blown away by how adorable they were. And looking absolutely delicious too! I just HAD to try it.

molten lava comfort food

there are many perks to having a Mum and Sis who bake. One of them, is getting to dig your fingers/forks into cakes, breads and cookies or whatever that comes out of the oven fresh and piping hot. Like awesomely crispy-on-the-outside-gooey-inside molten chocolate lava :

mmmm

gooey goodness

Okay there was hardly any lava spilling out of this one, but I'm not particularly a person of texture and technique so long as it taste awesomely delicious! Thanks Jackie!

Filing Cabinet Makeover

 FINALLY.

I thought it'd never end!

What I had lurking in the corner of my home was this really ugly thing. A metal filing cabinet. In the most depressing and dullest of colours - And I felt bad for it. It certainly didnt choose to be made or look that way. So having been inspired by the amazing makeovers at Design Sponge, I had to give this furniture some better days! Read about my little progress here!

The occasional Bling spree

I'm still warming my feet into the world of online shopping. I'm still pretty skeptical about the gorgeous pictures I see online compared to what I would actually find in the mail. Sometimes nothing beats retail therapy really. But I just couldnt resist when I went online window shopping at Soak Republic! Gorgeous shiny things!

I just love receiving parcels!

HOP Cookies!

I've been following SweetSugarBelle's adventures of cookies and icing, and I felt like bringing something cute  on the day of my company's movie screening of Hop.

Supplies surprise!

Rawr. I went to the supplies surprise bazaar with a budget, and I'm very proud to say I didn't go crazy :D
I'm quite excited to see what I'll make out of these random things I bought simply because I thought they were pretty.

Nail of the week!

If you hadn't slept in days and it shows on your face; Paint your nails! 

so even if you feel like absolute crap, atleast you have pretty nails.

The Last Polka

sooo gooood

The Last Polka 

If you're ever nearby Jaya One, think of me and get me a tub of Malt + Peanut Butter Ice Cream, I'll love you to bits :D

Clock Makeover!

Before.... After!

Say hello to my cheap RM5 ikea clock :

After two faithful years.

 Its background disintegrated into crumbs of plastic after a few years of hanging on my wall, but its mechanism was still working fine. So instead of getting myself a new clock I decided a makeover was in place.

if you'd like to use this, you're certainly most welcome to!

 I drew and printed out my own background for the clock, then cut it to fit. I took everything apart, wiped them clean, scraped as much of the remains of the background out as I could, and then gave the frame a nice sky blue paint job.

ready for assembly

Then I pretty much glued everything together.

Now scroll down to admire how pretty its become :

pretty

pearls.

Pretty neat huh? I made myself a fancy new clock with just under RM7 : >

Thanks for reading!

My olde commissions ~

During my college years, I got a few commissions to sew plushies for two very passionate cosplayers. Sewing probably isnt my preferred skill to display, but its definitely a break from the pencil and wacom tablet. So when my friend offered me the job, I totally jumped at the opportunity.

Detective Kun Kun and Gatomon.

Delivery time usually coincided with Comic Fiesta, so I'd have a few months to source the materials and plan the design, and right after completing the last college assignment of the year, I'd immediately take up the needle and sew, just in time for CF. College days were extremely hectic and busy.

Spinel Sun

I probably had the most fun with Spinel Sun, because I had more time with it than I did with the rest. And since it was gonna end up in the post, I figured I'd have a little bit of fun with the packaging too.

the other side of the box

a little close up.

 So here :D  little sewing projects I never shared with anyone till now. Also, a lesson learnt when sewing with felt and fluff : Wear a mask, or their fibres will end up stuck in your throat and lungs. I sounded like a cat regurgitating furball for days after :<

and to the two lovely cosplayers : Thanks for the commissions! :D

i love colourful things

my souvenir haul from Hyderabad. 

the obligatory test post

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