Happy diwali

Wishing each one of you a very happy and prosperous Diwali. May this year bring you lots and lots of happiness in life and fulfill all your dreams.

How to make tissue paper bunting

A few months back I had posted about the tissue paper bunting I had made on my baby's Introduction party.. I just realized that I totally forgot to document on the blog how I made it.. So here it is..It could be a easy summer project for kids as well.

For a tissue paper bunting, you will need :

Good quality tissue paper(either printed or plain) Size: 40*40cm  Ply: 3 or more

Baker's twine

Glue and scissors

Optional: gel pens

1) One tissue paper of 40* 40 cm size can make 4 triangles. Open the tissue paper and cut it in four equal parts.

2) Make triangles by folding two corner ends.

3) Draw design over it with pens if you desire..I made flowers..

4) Measure the twine as per your requirement and cut it keeping extra for making loops at the end. Pass the twine through the tissue paper triangles and glue the both ends

4) Make loops at the end of the twine and it is ready to hang. This is how it looked like at the venue..You can see the entire party post here.

Tips:

Use two triangles to make one bunting if you want more thickness.

 If you are going make a design on the tissue paper with pens, I suggest first do a trial as to which gel pen works better as some pens don't write smoothly on tissue paper.

Joining party at: Made with love

How to arrange pillows on bed

Pillows on a bed serve both functional and decorative purpose.  There are different ways to arrange and organize pillows..some like them slanted..some like them stacked..but whatever your style is arranging pillows can add the necessary finshing touches to the bedroom. I saw a article in a magazine about pillow arrangement. I love how they have created a different look and feel with simple change in arrangement of pillows..





I tried different styles in our serviced apartment..The first three are using only standard pillows which I think are easily available at home..the other three are using  Euro shams and Accent pillows as well...

I used  4 standard pillows cases for this arrangement..Stacked two and other two are slanted..

For this one 3 standard pillow cases..

This one has 4 standard pillow cases ..I kept two stacked up behind in the center and then kept two slanted in front..

This one has 4 standard sized pillows and 1 accent pillow..

This is with 4 standard pillows and 2 Euro shams..

This last one is with 4 standard pillows and 2 accent pillows..



Hope you all had a lovely weekend!!

Art for kitchen

I found some pictures of my kitchen in the Singapore home on my laptop.. When we moved to that home I didn't like the kitchen..It was a big comprise compared to our fancy and very modern kitchen in the Switzerland home..This one had tiles from top to bottom..you know the white square ones..I call them bathroom tiles. Since I love to cook and didn't have a helper till I got pregnant I wanted the kitchen to look pretty..somewhere I can work and cook..So decided to beautify it a bit. 

I had made these Chai paintings some time back..each painting has a different cup style and on the background are words for tea around the world..some 20 different languages I think..like tea, tey,chai, cha, caj,tee etc

I bought wall decals with cherry blossoms print on it. It worked like magic. These are very durable, easy to clean and remove. I fixed a huge flowering branch with flowers dropping from it over the sink, some near the kitchen back door and one over the hob. I also put some near the switch board and the paintings.


Wall decals are easy way to beautify the walls without any damage to the walls. There are some awesome kitchen decals available in the market which will add instant spark to the room. 

I fixed some wooden birds I had bought in Madrid , cheese board from Amsterdam, some vintage tins I collect in Europe and a money plant in a recycled bottle..etc ..

After going through all this trouble to make it look better I have decided that  I will not compromise on the kitchen in the new home here in Hong Kong:))

How to make baby face cupcakes

So finally I have got enough time to write a tutorial and tips for the baby face cupcakes I made for my baby's introduction party which you saw here!! So here are the steps..

You will need:

Chocolate cupcakes

Butter cream icing

Fondant or marzipan

Round  cookie cutter

Rolling pin and board

Edible black color pen

Food colors. I used blue as mine is a boy.

Spoon, carving knife.

Preparing cupcakes:  
Bake cupcakes. I baked 25 chocolate cupcakes. Let them cool. 

Preparation of the baby face base:
You can use either fondant or marzipan..both can give smooth finish and will not melt in hot weather like in Singapore..I used marzipan..I bought ready made marzipan. It was in natural color. So first I separated 3 parts of natural color for face and 1 part for cap and pacifiers.Put a few drops of blue food color in part for cap and pacifiers and knead the marzipan well for the color to distribute equally. I made 25 equal portions of marzipan.

Preparing the base: 
I soaked the cupcakes with strawberry jam. Then covered them with a thin layer of butter cream icing.

How to make the Baby face: 

1)Roll out one natural colored marzipan. Cut it round with a cookie cutter. Put it on the cupcake and press gently. 

2)Then roll out a blue colored marzipan and cut it in round. Then cut it in half. Press it gently on the top portion of the cupcake. 

3)With a knife make design on the cap base. Make a smaller ball and fix it on the top of the cap.

4)Make a 5 small balls and fix them in the place of eyes,nose and ears.

5) If you have edible pen then with it make dots for eyes. 

6) For lips I used a spoon. 

7) For pacifier I fixed a small blue marzipan ball on a slightly bigger ball and flattened them gently.

It took me something like 3- 3.5  hours to finish 25 cupcakes while my sweet baby slept. He was then 12 weeks and that was the longest he has slept between feeds in the morning. Just after I finished the last one he woke up. I almost felt like he knew what Mommy is doing and didn't want to disturb me;)

 Ok time for some tips: 

1) While kneading the marzipan with the food color if you are not wearing gloves and your hands get colored, the best way to remove food color from hands is by washing hands with shaving cream. It really works!!



2) If you don't have edible color pen then cut the tip of the toothpick and dip the flat tip in blue food color and make dots for eyes.

3) Do not add more than a few drops of food color in the marzipan as it makes it a little bitter.

Baby's Introduction party

Hey guys..so the party is over and I am ready to show you some pics.. I took these after I decked up the hall and before the guests arrived..we had rented the function hall at our condo..it is perfect for 20-25 people. It was mainly for adults since the guest of honor-my baby is just 12 weeks and is interested only in balloons and bright colors:) I suppose you have seen the party preparations I did if not you can read the post about it here..

I put the name bunting I had made earlier on the entrance .. It is quite long 5 feet or so ..

I didn't have much to do with the buffet table expect with its location and the menu cards..The caterers brought the table skirting and the utensils etc..

We got some 30 helium balloons to deck the corners ...I put the red bunting on the windows.. For tutorial of red bunting click here.

We covered the tables with checkered table cloths and placed them in the center.. I really wanted to put some flowers in small jars or some centerpiece but didn't have the energy to do more:( next time .........hello by next time I mean next party not next baby..hehheehheeee:))

I wanted to have a dessert table or desert buffet bar ..but we decided for a more adult theme for this time.. Next time when he is a little older and can enjoy all the goodies himself as well I will have a kiddie table.. For now I had a cupcake stand with baby face chocolate cupcakes I had baked and candy with 'Thank you' written on them as a gift for our guests.. The DIY cupcake stand I had brought from a DIY store and covered it with golden paper!

I thoroughly enjoyed baking and decorating these baby face chocolate cupcakes.. I had taken pictures while making them so will be sharing a tutorial as to how to make these and the bunting as well!!!

Party preparations

Hello friends.. How are you doing? Although I have been working on and also have finished many projects I have been very lazy in updating my blog.. So many new projects to share .. I will start with the latest one.. My baby is now almost 12 weeks old and we are having his first party this weekend !!! I am super excited and all week I have been busy preparing decorations and doing other party planning when he was sleeping.. Sharing with you what I have made so far...I will be sharing the tutorials for all these DIY projects soon..

Name Bunting made of paper and ribbon..

Lots of labels and tags...

I have a ambitious plan of baking 30 cupcakes and decorating them with baby faces .. I made a.Cupcake stand to arrange the cupcakes.. I just hope the cupcake turn out as pretty as I have imagined them to be..

We will be catering the rest of the food from outside .. so I made menu cards..

Red Bunting tutorial 

A few more buntings to decorate the hall..I really want to make a few more buntings but not sure if the time will permit!!

will share the finished pictures once the party hall is decorated are here!!! 

Sweet creations

When I was pregnant I tried to stay away from any sweet desserts thinking that they will just increase my weight and as such are of no health benefit to my baby and me.. But since I delivered I have this intense desire to eat cakes and chocolates.. So after trying to control my sweet tooth for a month I have finally given up and I have started baking cakes almost every next weekend:) 

The first one(clockwise) I baked and decorated for my mom on her birthday..It was a chocolate cake with strawberry butter cream icing inside..I baked and decorated it at midnight when my then 1.5 months old baby was sleeping..So did a hurried job on decorating the cake fearing he will awake soon.. I used store-bought marzipan to decorate the top and the sides.. also made swills with icing on the sides..The verdict was that it tasted yummy and looked very homely:)  You can see its slice in the last picture..

Next picture is of angel food cake I baked .. a healthier cake without eggs, oil, butter.. It was very light and frothy ..so light it was that it reminded us of the Austrian soufflé/ salzburger nockerl we had on our Austrian holiday..  Next pic is of  chocolate muffins on one such weekend.. Couldn't take picture of the finished one as I gobbled up a few too many as soon I baked them:)

Applique art

I have lots of bits of fabric lying in my house which I had collected for years..  Eventually since I have kept them with me for so many years I thought I better start making something out of them..So this what I made from some of the fabrics.

I started with a rough sketch I had made some time back.. Drew it on a newspaper and then cut the pieces of cloth accordingly and then stitched them on to the base cloth.. 

I embroidered the fine lines and the details like the crease of the sari, design on the blouse, veins of the leaves with chain stitch. I practiced the embroidery for eyes before attempting on the lady...Then embroidered sequins, beads and did mirror work embroidery lastly..

I think I went overboard with the jewelry:) But I was having so much fun that I couldn't resist:)) 

Colorful Singapore

Hello friends.. remember last time I took you on a stroll through the charming old Singapore. Recently while on our way to a newly opened mall we happened to pass through Joo Chiat road/ Katong. We were delighted by the view of  the colorful heritage buildings on the narrow street.  

 This area is dotted by multicolored shop houses and homes that are decorated by sculpted facades of animal reliefs , floral curlicues and hand-crafted ceramic tiles. 

Along the street are traditional Peranakan shophouses build around 1920-30. There are many old coffee shops and cafes. This area is also  well known for local delicacies. 

Formerly this are was near  the sea shore before the land was reclaimed. Notice the lovely colors and the architectural style.

                             We have never been to any of these cafes but from what I hear from friends who have visited some of the tea houses and coffee shops, the interior is  as splendid as the exterior with tall ceilings, ornate chandeliers and  fixtures.

This gorgeous red building is (if I am not wrong) a community center. The golden ornate design on the windows and grills makes it look so festive and glamorous. 

Valentine's day

 Decorating my home with flowers for Valentine's day..Life has become very busy with my 2 week old baby.. This valentine's day is different..not as romantic like the wonderful earlier ones DH and I had celebrated..this one was spent mostly talking about diapers, pooh and milk..LOL

 

Nevertheless I managed to decorate the house with flowers...

                                    This one I tried to do something like a Ikebana floral design..

The flowers are from a lovely bouquet a friend gave me when she came to see my baby.. 

wish I knew the names of the exotic flowers...

Happy Valentine's day!!! 

xoxo

Bal (baby) Ganesha

Some time ago I had posted about the work in progress of Bal(baby) Ganesha (see here)..

Here is the finished version.. I completed it in September somehow slipped from my mind to post it ...

I made Madhubani style flowers on the background..

Used acrylics, watercolors and micro pen ..

A hint of gold for the garlands..

will post the pics after framing !!

Available here!!

Flower market in Singapore

This weekend we drove to one of my favorite places- the flower market. This flower market consists of many shops selling huge selection of cut flowers from all over the world, plants and potted trees, vases and garden decoration accessories. It is a little away from the city but the destination is worth the long drive.. 

I just couldn't resist taking pictures of these beautiful flowers...

Rainbow roses from Ecuador.. Aren't they pretty!! They are made by a special technique.. splitting and then dipping the stem into different color water.. I had never seen any rose like these before!!

Tulips from Holland...

Roses from India..

Rosa chinensis or China Rose from China..

They have a huge variety of other flowers like hydrangeas, chrysanthemums, lilies, orchids, gerberas and other exotic flowers..Apart from this there is a huge selection of leaves of various shapes and sizes. 

I bought roses from India and some beautiful leaves to create a simple arrangement in a tall vase for the dining table..

Plants and flowers arrive here according to festivals..Christmas trees and Poinsettia are the flavor of the season now.. You can buy carnivorous plants as well which are so amazing to look at:)

If you are looking for plants like hydrangea or mandarin then you will have to wait for the Chinese New Year.. That is the time when the market is full of all beautiful variety of exotic plants!!!

This  is a wholesale market which means apart from the huge variety , it is also quite reasonably priced compared to the flower shops in the city and online as well. It is very tempting to buy more than what you really had in mind for!!

This flower market is at 555 Thomson road, Singapore. 

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