Ikea's Tablelamp Makeover

I always like to try on new things.  It challenges my mind to figure out how it can be done and also challenges my crafting skill.   A friend posted a picture of a very nice and cute commercial table lamp and I felt the itch in trying to make it on my own. 

It so happened that I have a very simple table lamp which I bought from Ikea some time ago.  So, putting my CNY projects aside for one night, I managed to give the table lamp a makeover.  It is far from the picture that my friend posted, but I felt that it is still acceptable.

Ikea's Table Lamp  (Before)

 

 

 

 

After  : 

 

 

 

 

 

Tutorial - Cheongsam for Little Girls

Below is a step by step guide in sewing a cheongsam for little girls.

Materials :

1) Printed cotton (1m)

2) Bias tape (1 packet)

3) Chinese clasps (3 sets)

4) Metal snaps (3 sets)

5) Elastic tape

The printed cotton is to be cut into patterns as shown in picture below.  (Pattern for printing to be uploaded later).

For the Top :

Steps :

1) Open up the bias tape and align to the wrong side of the fabric for the front piece.  Sew along the fold.  

2) Turn over the bias tape to the right side of the fabric and sew in place.  

 Top left :  Sewing the bias tape along the fold to the wrong side of fabric,
Top right : turning over the  bias tape to the right side
Bottom left  : Sewing the bias tape to the right side of fabric
Bottom right :  Finished front piece

3) Putting the right side of the fabrics together, sew along the shoulder line for the back and front upper pieces.  Your garment should now look like this :

4)  Place a strip of printed cotton, right side of fabric facing up, flat to the working surface.  Align the collar of the garment (wrong side of fabric facing up) on it.  Then, place another strip of printed cotton (wrong side facing up) on top of the garment.  Sew along the edge.

5) After sewing, trim the excess fabric by cutting small triangles along the seams.  This is so that the curvy part of the collar does not bunched up.

6) Turn up the strips of printed cottons.  The wrong sides of the both strips will now face each other.  Align the left and right sides of the front top pieces so that the end of the collars touches each other.  Cut away the excess if necessary.  Trim the corners to slightly rounded shape.

7) Open the bias tape and sew along the fold to the wrong side (or inner side) of the garment.   Then turn the bias tape over and sew in place along the outer side.

Top left :  How the collar arrangement should look like
Top right :  Trimming the excess fabric along the collar
Bottom left : Aligning the pieces in place
Bottom right : Sewing on bias tape to the collar

After sewing the bias tape

8)  Arrange the garment neatly and place the front piece on top.  Pin in place. 

9) Sew only the left side of the front panel to the main garment, as near where the bias tape as possible to hide the stitches.  The garment should now look like this.

10)  Flip over the garment so that the right side of the fabrics are facing each other.  Sew along the left side from the armhole to the hem.  Repeat at the other side, only that the stitching should be done from the armhole to the upper piece of the right front piece.

11)  Fold the edges of the right side of the garment and sew a few stitches on top and bottom to hold it in place.   The folds are where the metal snap buttons will be.

12) Open up the bias tape and sew to the inner side of the armhole.  Flip over and sew along the outer side of the garment.

13)  Hand stitch in place the chinese clasps (1 on each side and the collar)  and metal snap buttons (right side of garment).

14)  Fold and sew along the hem of the garment.

For the skirt :

Steps :

1) Place both rectangular pieces of the skirts with the right side facing each other.  Sew along the left and right sides.

2)  With the wrong side of the fabric facing up, fold about 1/2 inch of the upper edge and sew along, leaving a gap of about 1/2".  The gap will be where the elastic tape will go through.

3)  Fold and hem the skirt.

4) Cut a piece of elastic tape to the length of the waist of your child.  Thread it through the gap in Step 2, making sure the other end of the tape does not go into the gap.

Threading in the elastic tape

Both ends of elastic tape at the gap, after threaded through the waist of the skirt

5) Align both ends of the elastic tape together to overlap of about 1 - 2 cm.  Sew in place.  The skirt is now done.

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

The main reason I bought the ice cream maker which I made the Chocolate Ice Cream with was to make frozen yogurt. I figured it is a healthier option than ice cream and definitely cheaper than buying them outside.   It is only today that I really get down to make it.  I have chosen strawberry as my debut.

Ingredients :

2 1/2 cups     natural low fat yogurt
1       cup       thickened cream
2       tbsps    brown sugar
1       cup      fresh strawberries



Method :

1) Pureed the strawberries with a food processor.
2) Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
3) Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
4) Churn the mixture with the ice cream maker for 35 minutes.
5) Keep in freezer till set.


The frozen yogurt is a bit to the sour side.  Drizzling with honey helps tame the sour.  One can still taste the fresh strawberries in the yogurt.  Definitely an advantage over artificial flavouring.

Churning in process

Served with fresh strawberry

  

Served with Chocolate Sauce

DIY Board Games for Little Ones

I noticed that many, if not all, of the board games available are not suitable for small children.  Those classic board games like snake and ladder, chess, etc, need the players to at least, able to count or read simple instructions.  So when a friend introduced me to the Orchard Toys, I jumped into it instantly.

The Orchard Toys board games come in varieties, suitable for children as young as 2 1/2 years old. It only needs the child to be discipline enough to play the game.  I have since bought 2 sets of the games and I must say that they are really good, fun and educational.  I would have bought the whole store, if only I can afford it.  You see, the games are not cheap at all.  Plus, they are only available in 2 stores in the entire country.    One can get them from online stores of course, but shipping charges will add to the cost.   Fun as they are, I would imagine my girls to be bored with them very soon if there is not much of variety.  So, in order to keep them attracted to educational games like this, I have come out with the idea of DIY them on my own.

The theme I have decided on is : Time of the Day, featuring School Time, Bed Time, Meals Time and Play Time.  I searched for the suitable pictures and did the templates using Microsoft Powerpoint.  Next is to print them on glossy paper, which will look more attractive as the colors will be brighter.  After that, the print outs were pasted onto a cardboard to make them thicker and harder.  The shapes were then cut out and the sharp corners trimmed.  I tried to wrap them with cling film to protect them so that they will last longer.  However, the outcome didn't look that nice so I decided against it.  The game is now done.

There are 4 boards in this game, meaning it can be played by 2 - 4 players.  Each board represents a certain time of the day and the small pieces represent the items that are associated with that particular time. 

For example :

 School Time -  pencils, books, schoolbag, black board, writing, water bottle

 Meals Time - sandwiches, bread, fork and spoon, plates, fruits, cupcakes

 Play Time - playground, ball, music, story book, swimming, cycling

 Bed Time - pyjamas, teeth brushing, bath, shampoo and soap, potty, mummy tucking

Instructions to play :

1)  Each player choose a board depicting the time of the day.

2) The small pieces are to be put face down.  The first player pick a small piece and if the piece matches what she has in her board, then it is to be put on it.  Otherwise, the piece is returned to the pool, after showing all the players what it is.

3) The next player should do the same as the 1st player.

4) The first player who collected all the pieces in her board wins.  The game can be continued with the remaining players.

This is very easy to do and fun to play.  Only I must add that cutting the hard cardboard is really a chore.  Next time, I should get a paper cutter instead.

CNY Outfit of Brocade

Every Chinese New Year (CNY), my girls will wear something that I sewn for them.  This CNY is no exception although I have bought a red cheongsam for each of them.  I just can't resist the urge or desire to sew something for them, especially after I have seen the beautiful chinese brocades in the fabric shop.

I had my eyes set on a particular piece of fabric, a bright blue adorned with small flowers.  The color is very sharp and I am going to sew a skirt for myself out of this piece of fabric.  But first, I will complete the girls' clothes before moving on to sew mine.

My past experience in working with brocades told me that I have to be extra careful and start sewing only after I have made sure that everything is right.  This is because the brocades fray easily and removal of the seams if anything goes wrong will tear the fabric even more.    I managed to complete the dress in 3 hours, starting from drawing the pattern till the last stitch.

DIY Paper Flowers

After Christmas and New Year, the next major festival is the Chinese New Year (CNY).  CNY this year falls on the 10th February. Although more than 1 month ahead, shopping malls in the city have put up their decorations for the festival as soon as they tore down the Christmas decor.

My MIL likes to have reds all around the house during CNY.  Red means good fortune and good luck.  We used to put up large chinese knots and flower balls in red year after year.  Thinking of doing something more and different this time round.

I have some leftover beads from the christmas tree decors that I made.  Using them and some colored papers to make flower papers this time for CNY.  Although I know my MIL would prefer red than any other colors, it is a disaster to put up only red flowers as the backdrop is a dark veneer panel in deep chestnut color.  Red vs chestnus..... maybe not.  That is why I matched the red with lots of yellow, to make them stand out.

Having said that, red flower balls are still a must.  We will be putting them up along with the flowers tomorrow. 

Christmas - A Little Personal Touch

Christmas came and gone.  A friend told me before.  Never write Christmas as X'mas.  Christmas is the day where we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  Nowadays, the true meaning of Christmas is often forgotten.  People call the day X'mas instead, substituting the word 'Christ' with the alphabet 'X'.  Just like we use the word 'X' in algebra to represent the unknown.  The 'christ' is forgotten.

Having said that, what is christmas without christmas tree and presents?  It is afterall, the day of giving. 

Instead of buying the presents for my niece and nephews, I gave them something that I made on my own instead.  The pillows cum blanket that they beamed on sometime ago, when I first made them for my girls.  Made 3 designs this time :  Doraemon, Hello Kitty and Ultraman.