I've been quite busy last week that I haven't got time to blog, been doing alot of vaccuuming, ironing 5 feet worth of clothings, pulling out some weeds at the back garden and it's still not over yet! in the middle of it all, a friend of mine invited me to her BBQ party at her house near chichester, a nice break but was abit upset coz i found out i chipped the memory card in my digicam so i couldn't even take a single photo coz it kept showing the built in memory is full but i know i don't have a single pic inside as i always prepare my camera fully charged and emptied the pics inside it before i went, so this pic is a courtesy of my friend's taken from her iphone.
but I guess i have to be grateful as i went back home and found that i have a spare memory card and managed to take pics of a giveaway that I've won over NewEndStudio a few weeks back. A lovely Welsh Kitchen Recipe book, along with some cute ribbons and cute bookmarks all wrapped up so beautifully, How sweet! she even made me an early Birthday Bookmark! Thank you!
well, since i'm in the middle of cleaning the house right now, i dont have time to make anything for my Tea Time Tuesday and too lazy to take photos as i'm having a not so fun date with Dyson (my vacuum cleaner).
But i want to share a video of Japanese Tea Ceremony which I found so beautiful and relaxing and also few photos that I found in the world wide web via google :)
Talking about attention to detail! the Korean Tea Ceremony is a little bit similar than Japanese, here is the video;
and here is the chinese tea ceremony;
so I guess for an impatient girl like me, I'll stick to english tea parties with their yummy and scrumptious sandwiches and tea scones, but i do love to know different kinds of tea drinking rituals around the world,sadly i couldn't find a video from my country as Indonesian tend to drink their tea almost the same as the english except we dont have beautiful and colorful designs of teacups/teapots like english do, more like plain teacups/teapots made of clay.
Teh Poci is brewed tea in the typical tea pot (poci) which is made of clay and sweeten by adding rock sugar.
Teh poci is well-liked by people specificaly from central java and its originally from Slawi *Tegal and its become very famous drinking tea traditions.
If you have the tea set of teh poci at home, the key secret you should do is by soaking the sets in the bucket-full of brewed tea and leave it over night in order to get rid of the muddy smells
The Javanese especiall Tegal people would do after brewed the tea and served, they have never washed the tea pot (poci), they have just discarded the rest of the tea alone because they believe that the clay tea pot would absorbed the aroma and flavor, by over time it remains a very classic fragrant.
The jasmine aroma from the poci is smell magic and it would probably makes you spelled :))
Just a note to say that i'll be a busy bee for the next couple of days, cleaning up the house top to bottom, those mountain of clothes has line up to be ironed and the garden needs to be tended as the weeds are getting taller *sigh*.
The other day when a friend of mine picked me up and went to town, she didn't just took me to the job centre, after i dropped some job applications, we checked out some shops in town, I guess summer sale has started but i have to refrain to splurge though i'm so tempted! I managed to buy some that were on Sale.
A floral Dress with belt at Beales: was £27 bought it at £9
Cropped Denim Jacket at Next: was £32 Now £15
Necklace at New Look: was £6.99 Now £3.50
floral Tights at River Island: bought it for £3
Though it was drizzling and I had to pay the price of getting cold but i'm much better now, still abit of sniffles left but I also managed to buy some stuff from a charity shop too.
More Cross Stitch Projects complete with the wooden frames £3.50 for three, Mini vintage silver wine cooler £1.50, a pair of floral design Pomander for £1, Paragon floral design dish ware for £2 and of course I always, always check boxes with 50p each in every charity shops coz who knows you might find something worth buying like those Rose scented drawers liners (unopened), The Victorian Photo album and one pepper shaker with cherry design (i cant find the other one!) but for 50p each i didn't think twice of bagging them :)
I also bought two magazines that i'm going to be enjoying browsing through them today while wasting a box of tissues coz not only i got a cold, i also got hayfever, urgh but at least the weather is improving today!
Just want to share that It's All About The Fabric is having a cute fabric giveaway, She's also have a new website where you can sell and buy all things fabric at The Fabric Market Place. Go and check it out!
I've been wanting to buy more fabrics as my stock is running out but i'll wait till hubby's pay day or who knows i'll win the giveaway at her blog :) anyways, just a short update from me, I got a cold today and runny nose (boohoo). A friend of mine was so kind as to take me to the Job Centre in town and was lucky enough to find a few vacancy near there so i popped in to ask for application form then went back and filled it in and she drove me back to submit the forms *fingers crossed*. It's been raining on and off, though i had my umbrella with me, I still got abit wet especially when hubby and I went for grocery shopping last nite at sainsburys and had to push the shopping cart to the car hence i got wet and now i have runny nose and headaches.
I'm feeling abit miserable but i was having so much fun playing with my friend's new house guest yesterday, his name is Dylan and he'll be staying at my friend's house for 3 weeks while his owners away for a holiday.
..and coz of that, the cat that often came to my house for food and fuss went sulking, she's probably smell the dog on me but only for a short time :)
On happier note, I recieved a beautiful package from the postman again today (Yippee!), it's from my dear friend Marianne at Leisure Lane, I've won a giveaway at her blog, a beautiful handknitted pot holders by her, it's so beautifully wrapped with lovely ribbon and a lovely Tea Time card that she drew herself, she's very talented and creative.
..all the way from the USA, Thank You, Marianne! i love them. You can visit her blog to see all of her creations or her shop if you want to buy a card like the one she sent me :)
... I have been lazy these couple of days (blame it on the weather) so I don't have anything to accompany my tea, I've been reading a book that Scarlett gave me awhile back and just got the time to read it today while drinking tea from one of my fave mug while waiting for the rain to stop
then had an opportunity to take a picture of my stardust flowers that i put in a teapot, an idea that I got also from Scarlett. I wanted to buy more cheap teapots from charity shop and drill holes in them to use them as flower pots.
That's all from me, going to continue reading and perhaps tomorrow I'll be back crafting..:)
As i was feeling bored out of my skull watching tv and browsing old magazines and didn't feel like crafting as my poor fingers are still throbbing after hand-sewing the apron from my last post, not to mention the weather isn't improving but getting worst, I heard the postman dropped something heavy on my doorstop.
It's a package from my swap partner Jane at apocketfullofdaisys, I was squealing like a five year old and almost forgot to take pics in my moment of happiness to recieve these goodies! I joined Faith Hope and Charity Swapping and was partnered with the lovely creative Jane. It feels like Christmas in July when I opened the box :)
Great minds think alike! both she and I didn't know what we're going to send to each other and lo and behold! we sent each other a pair of cute candle holders! love the floral design on them!
she also sent me a teacup hanger, absolutely loving it, it's adorable!
She also spoil me with these cute wooden napkin rings with its lovely box.
..along with these lovely napkins, how perfect is that! :)
I really really love this beautiful bracelet she sent me as well, it's more beautiful than the one i made for her, gorgeous!!
and a sweet card that's just too cute! Can't thank you enough! x
Thank you for all the gifts, Jane! I love them all! Do visit her and follow her as she's having a lovely giveaway!
I do love swapping and this is my first time joining a swap, I heard that Faith Hope and Charity Swapping will have another swapping event near christmas. Would love to participate again!
I recieved my free supply from WholePort last week, I chose Pink Rose Lace from 9 different crafting supplies that they're giving for free (incl shipping)but all we have to do is to create something from the supply they sent and join them in their Create-a-thon creativity expo that they're having right now and post what you made from the supply to their facebook to get another chance to win $50 cash coupon on their website. So, before I submitted what i made with the Pink Rose Lace they sent me in their facebook, I'm going to post this here first as my submission to Pink Saturday.
As soon as I recieved the goodie, I was browsing on the internet for ideas and inspirations, I'm so happy that I found something that I want to make with it, Thanks to MorganMoore for creating a cute valentine ruffled apron and sharing the tutorial on how to make it. The slight problem was I don't have a sewing machine and I almost changed my mind and make something else withough doing any sewing.
But i already fell in love with the apron i saw and I already have leftover fabrics that i've been meaning to use for quite awhile now, so with determination and telling myself that anything is possible...after 4 days and more than a hundred times being stabbed by the needle and bruised fingers...i finished the apron.
the stitches are messy, the ruffles aren't perfect but i'm pleased with myself and i might..be rewarded with a sewing machine for my birthday this september, as hubby was worried (or maybe took pity) with the amounts of "ouch-es" i produced while he was watching TV.
That's it from me, goind downstairs to cook lunch and will stay indoor today as it's raining outside and i guess it'll be a wet weekend again *sigh*. Wishing you all a nicer weekend!
It's tea time tuesday party again! I always enjoy looking at all wonderful and creative tea party bloggers out there that i'm inspired to try and make this muffin as a company for my tea time with a teapot on top that I created with icing sugar. I must say since i saw one post from my talented fellow blogger Trisha at Sweetology101 of a cupcake she made with a cute teapot on top, I fell in love, although mine isn't as gorgeous as the one she made, I just love everything she makes!
Here's my version
I also want to say thank you to Annwood for sharing a tutorial to make paper teacups, here's my version and again, it's not as lovely as the ones she made but i enjoyed making them.
I'm enjoying my assam tea right now though not from my paper teacup but rather from a mug after devouring the chocolate muffin i made, the weather is gloomy outside so i'll be blog hopping to everyone's blogs for more inspirations. I'm glad that I've sent out my swap gift to my swap partner Pocketfullofdaisys last friday, I'm so nervous and I hope that she'll like the gifts.
I also received a free gift yesterday from WholePort and needs an inspiration on what to make with the gift to submit to them as a part of create-a-thon event they're having. I think they're extending their event till july 14th, so you can request one item from their website for free to be sent to you and join the event.
I always wanted to make my own scented candles after seeing some posts about it from my lovely blogger friend Florence and Mary but i think i'll wait till winter comes near christmas so I decided to make scented soaps instead, I read the tutorial from "Homemade" Magazine that i bought awhile back, so I'm going to share it with you if you're interested to make them :)
Materials:
*400g white "Melt and Pour" soap base
*2 drops of cranberry liquid color
*50 drops of your choosen fragrance oil (i used strawberry)
*Spray bottle filled with surgical Spirit
*square or rectangular silicone baking mould
*Heart shaped cookie cutter or any other shape
*Ribbons and wooden skewer optional
1. Melt the "Melt and Pour" soap base in a microwave till fully melted and become liquid.
2. Then add your fragrance oil, stir slowly
3. Add your liquid color and stir again.
4. Then pour it onto your baking mould, slowly
5. There will be little bubbles but no worries coz when you spray the surgical spirit the bubbles will disappear, but hey, nothing's perfect :)
6. wait till the soap hardened, i tend to leave it as long as i can but you can always check from time to time up to half hour perhaps? but it doesnt take long for the soap to hardened.
7. took out from the silicone baking mould and start using your cookie cutter to make any shape you want and you can even skewer two holes on it to put ribbon if you desire. That's it! it smells good!
