Sunday, March 29, 2009

Exotic patterns






Was at Little India on a Sunday morning. The colour, buzz and aroma of spices made the place truly alive. Somehow the organic growth of this place made it more original than the other ethnic landmarks in Singapore such as Chinatown. The latter was "cleaned up" by the authorities some years back and has lost some of the charm of the original Chinatown that I knew while growing up. Today, it has far too many shops selling cookie cutter "touristy" things.

Little India on the other hand managed to maintain most of its original charm.
Saw some exotic patterns on some of the floors of the shop houses. When Deepavail comes , the floors will be adorned with even more beautiful hand drawn ones and I must come around then to see. Somehow these patterns remind of the rugs I am thinking of getting from Anthropologie online. The designers of these rugs must have been inspired by some Asian motiffs.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Homemade Cookies



Bought a little cook book at a sale last week called Golde's Homemade Cookies. There were no fancy illustrations or pictures but the traditional feel of it and the simple message inside from the seventy plus author Golde Hoffman Soloway made it different.

"My publisher tells me that cookies are in vogue right now. I have to smile to myself as I try to think when, in my seventy-plus years, cookies have ever been out of style " - Golde

Tried the receipe Chocolate Oatmeal cookies and I must say that it was really good or at least my kids loved it. Also tried the maple syrup cookies as I had a bottle of maple syrup in the fridge which was going to expire in 4 months time, so thought I should put it to good use.

There's something about a homemade cookie that warms the heart.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

The Little Things in Life




Miniature versions of big things have always captured my fancy. Petite, dainty and takes up a lot less space. And if you grew up on Enid Blyton books of wishing trees, mushrooms , little elves and gnomes like I did, you can imagine that these little friends , popping by for a cup of tea while sitting on these little chairs.

I first set my eyes on designer miniature chairs at the Moma store (Metropolitan Museum of Art) but the price was quite overwhelming. US $210 for a Tulip chair and US $410 for a Barcelona chair.

Instead, I found my own versions, $15 each of the stackable ubiquitous chair in Kuala Lumpur and in Malacca, and I still can afford one in pink, yellow, green and orange.

I even found a whole set of bamboo table and chairs from China in a flea market store. These had a rustic, China countryside feel to it. Skokupan Man and Currypan Man are there again, waiting to be served their Chinese tea while they catch up. Overheard Skokupan Man boasting that he caught a fish that big over the weekend and CurryPan Man chuckled in utter disbelief.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Potty training



I learnt to potty train my kids with the help of a story book called "I want my potty" by Tony Ross. His illustrations are hilarious and I enjoyed reading them to my kids when they were young.

Since then, I have given away many children's books but some will always stay in my collection...forever.

Getting along like a Cat and Dog

My aunt handmade a dog and a cat for my 2 daughters who adore animals. They get along very well indeed , like a cat and dog at times, scratching and biting , yet loving each other to bits.

I've put both the cat and the dog in a little cupcake case as they are small enough to fit in there.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Little Hedgehogs




Hedgehogs are adorable. Saw a video of a baby one crunching on a apple and was ticked pick.

Here's my selection of little hedgehogs- A handmade family of four who travels out of a suitcase.

Friday, March 13, 2009

My Little Note Books




Gizmos and gadgets will enamour many a hearts, but mine will be moved just by whimsical, quirky note books.

I do squeal with delight at the sight of pretty ones and if the patterns continue within the pages, I swoon. I have a friend with similar weaknesses and she avoids the little note book section in Kinokuniya like the plague. As Oscar Wilde said," I can resist anything but temptation" so I gravitate towards them with wild abandon.
The Japanese ones are comparatively more expensive while the Korean ones are priced a little more sensibly. But they are all so nice.......

I still remember my first....a hard cover blue one with a map of the Greek islands on the cover. It even came with maps of the Japanese subway stations at the back. Never thought I would actually use the maps but I did while I was in Japan.

I do stash quite a number in my drawer for those unexpected birthdays of my children's friends or even for my own friends but I really do have a hard time parting with them. But it gives me more reason to buy more

It all started with serious, classic moleskins which I still use till today but for my silly hobbies and diversions, they are all written in these cuties.