Tag love! (And another chance to reminisce.)
When I was in primary school, we used to play a game called “Catching.” It’s a game of tag, basically. I loved the adrenaline kick. We used to play during recess time and after school, while waiting for our ride home. My other favourite game was “Mother Hen.” The rules were simple. You needed at least 3 people to play, but by the end of the game, we usually ended up with more than 10. Anyone is able to join in the game at any time, even while the game was taking place. One person would be The Fox, the baddie. One person would be The Mother Hen. Everyone else would be Chicks. Chicks are supposed to hang on to each other in one long line behind Mother. The Fox would then try to catch Chicks by trying to run round Mother. The longer the line of Chicks, the harder it is for Mother to protect the ones hanging on for dear life at the end of the queue. Because Mother Hen and Chicks are less mobile than the wily lone Fox, there would be a lot of screaming and shrieking all round. It used to be so fun!
So, imagine my delight when I was tagged by the lovely Judy of Maccabags! Thanks, Judy, this brings back great childhood memories, and is another great way of spreading some link love (and improving your Technorati ranking!). So here are the rules of the game:
The Rules:
- Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
- Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog – some random, some weird.
- Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
- Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
Fact no. 1: I’m a cleanliness freak. I got this from my mother, who, when we were kids, would never let us touch anything because “it has germs.” She wiped us down probably 500 times during the course of a day, and to this day, I wash my hands after doing almost anything.
Fact no. 2: I was once butted by a cow. I was probably 10 at the time. I didn’t know the cow was charging towards me from behind, so it was a complete surprise when I felt something lift me up and deposit me into a pile of bovine manure.
Fact no. 3: My grandmother made me a stuffed toy/pillow when I was a baby. We named it Humpty Dumpty because it was shaped like an egg with arms and legs. I still have it.
Fact no. 4: I am utterly obsessed with Japan and its culture. I don’t really know why. I took a course in Japanese language when I was in university. Unfortunately, I came home, didn’t have anyone to practise Japanese with, and 10 years later, I’m back in class, learning everything all over again.
Fact no. 5: I love dance! I’ve done ballet, salsa, Argentine tango and bellydancing. But — I’m not into contemporary dance — don’t get it, and don’t enjoy watching it either.
Fact no. 6: I wasn’t born to be a musician. I played the piano till I was 17 but my heart was never really into it. I don’t even know why I took all those exams. I’ve also tried picking up the violin and the cello, but my hearing was apparently not good enough (bah).
Fact no. 7: I adore old things and traditional ways. I love learning how things are done in the old days. I often stare at old, decrepit buildings, imagining what it must have been like in its prime, and feeling sorry that no one has maintained them.
Seems to me like practically everyone has been tagged already, so if I’ve double-tagged you, don’t feel obliged to do this! Moving on now … I would like to tag these lovely people: Cassettee, Colors City, Futuregirl Craft Blog, Loopy Lou’s Adventures into Handicrafts, My Heart for Him, Neneth’s Knitting Corner, Sewmyname.
Fertiliser for your blog traffic (a viral campaign)
Honey says: Yes, sticking your nose into things is good.
I was sticking my nose around in a couple of sewing blogs today, and came across a viral campaign on SewDelish, which was created by Jenny Talks. I love it when I find stuff like this. Someone made the effort to create something beneficial, and everyone wins as a result. If you have a blog, and you care about things like exposure and *Technorati ranking, read on! It’s pretty simple, and you have nothing to lose from the exercise.
(*Note: Your Technorati ranking is not related directly related to the amount of traffic your blog gets. It’s more of a popularity gauge. The more your blog is linked to from other blogs/web sites, the higher your Technorati ranking will be. Logically speaking, it would eventually translate into more traffic, because there’s more of a chance someone will click on a link to your blog. So, either way, it’s worth trying!)
{Start Copy Here}
Rules:
1. Copy paste from {Start Copy Here} to {End Copy Here}
2. Please link back to the person who tagged you and PASS this tag to many of your friends
3. If you have more than one blog, please post this to all of your blogs, the more the merrier.
4. The use of NO FOLLOW on links is not allowed, Let’s all be fair!
5. Remember to come back here at JENNY TALKS (pls. don’t change this link)and leave the exact post url so I can add you to the master list to help increase our rankings and improve our Technorati Authority.
6. Spread the virus.. oooopps I mean the VIRAL LINKING and happy blogging!
BLOGGERS:
#1. Scraps & Shots #2. Simply Jen 3. This and That 4. Fab & Chic Finds 5.A Slice of Life 6. Jenny Talks 7. Tech Stuff Plus 8. Food on the Table 9. Aussie Talks 10. When Mom Talks 11. Moments of My Life 12. My Crossroads 13. A Life in Bloom 14. Because Life is a Blessing 15. Digiscraptology 16. BLOGSILOG 14. Cherry’s Comfort Zone 15. DigiScrapz: Captured Memories 16. Buzzy Me 17. Fab Finds, Etc. 18. Thinking Out Loud 19. Wishing and Hoping 20. PRC Board Exam Results 21. Jobs Abroad 22. My Blog Portfolio17. Race Corner 18. Mommy Talks. 19. Home and Health 20. All Kinds of Me Stuff 21. Ink Baby Studios 22. The Salad Caper 23. Winding Creek Circle 24. Aggie Scraps 25. Momma Stuff 26. We Are Family 27. Gandacious 28. Busynessworld 29. Folcreative 30. Swanportraits 31. Rumination Under The Clouds 32. Consciously Think 33. Sprawt 34. Healthy Skinny 35. Geekyology 36. When Mom Speaks 37. Rumination 38. Amiable Amy 39. Captured on Time 40. Pit of Gadgetry 41. Me and Mine 42. Little Peanut 43. Creative in Me 44. Around the world 45. Pea in a Pod 46. For the LOVE of Food 47. Music of My Heart 48. It’s Where the Heart Is 49. Blog in to Space 50. A Mothers Horizon 51. Simply me 52. Whats Up 53. Comedy Plus 54. Lovin’ Life 55.Ozzy’s Mom 56. Apple and Candie 57. I was once lost in love 58. Pinay in Love 59. Pau’s Big Thoughts 60. Twisted Angel 61. Honey & Daisy 62. Your blog here
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Look, ma, pumpkin cookies, er … bread! (And I survived!)
Pumpkin-cookie wannabes
Halloween is not a big thing here in Malaysia — I’m not sure anyone even takes note of it, really. But I’m happy that the Americans celebrate it, because all the pumpkin-related recipes sound so delightful. Caveat: I’m not a cooking-type person. My mum’s the default chef in the house, so I’m not usually motivated to cook anything. I’m vaguely intrigued by the whole process of making food from scratch, yes, but I’ve never really been a huge fan of slaving away in the kitchen. I did home economics back in secondary school, and I passed with flying colours for the final “big exam” (which included baking a cake), but that was pretty much it for my cooking career.
Recently, though, I came across this recipe for pumpkin cookies. It sounded so easy, I was absolutely, “Hey, I’m sure I can make that.” So I bought the ingredients, dug out my mum’s baking paraphernalia, and went to work.
Took me awhile to prepare things. I’m a wash-as-you-go type of person, so half the time was spent at the kitchen sink. I also have this tendency to wash my hands whenever anything gets on it (even flour), so I was washing my hands a lot.
Anyway, things were going rather well, I thought, till the last step. I started getting cold feet. Am I doing this right? Is the consistency supposed to be this thick? Why is my mixer smoking?
My mixer was smoking, and there was smell of burning. I turned off the switch in a panic. I let it sit for a while, pondering whether to try turning it on again or to go old-school and mix everything by hand. I decided to give it another go — and very slowly, switched it on again. It felt like every muscle in my body was waiting in anticipation, ready to switch off the thing (and run) if it exploded. It was still working, so I continued to use it, watching with hawk eyes for any further signs of smoke. There was none, thankfully.
Then I placed my cookies on a baking sheet, and stuck them in the oven. It was quite exciting watching them bake. It only took about 20 minutes for them to be ready. Nice and quick — just the way I like it.
But (and of course there’s a but), they didn’t turn out quite the way I thought they would. First off, they tasted more of cinnamon than of pumpkin. Secondly, they were sort of chewy and a little spongey. Almost bread-like. I don’t know what went wrong — I followed the recipe exactly! Okay, so I halved the sugar (I don’t like things too sweet), and I didn’t make glaze because I don’t like glaze the way I don’t like icing. But the rest I followed to the letter! So, what happened?
I may never find out. But you know, I had some fun making it. I should make only half a portion next time; no one likes to eat half-baked baked goods (ha ha).
If you want to try your hand at this, click here for the recipe. Have fun!
Five stones: Japanese bean bags (a sewing tutorial)
Big bean bean, not-so-big bean bag
So I made an attempt at making a small bean bag. Somehow, I still ended up with a larger-than-expected bean bag. It’s smaller than Mr Giant Bean Bag (on the left), who has a whole postcode to himself, but still. Can kids playing with 5 bean bags of that size? Bigger kids, maybe. Grr!
It does look cute, though. Kind of reminds me of Shanghainese dumplings (the tiny ones that have soup and minced meat inside, yum!).
Anyway, I would like to share the pattern for this style of bean bag. Once you get a hang of it, it’ll take you 10 to 15 minutes tops to rustle up one of these baggies!
(Note: I’ve made the measurements smaller, so I hope you end up with small bean bags.)
Fig 1: Cut four pieces of cloth sized 6cm x 4cm.
Fig 2: With right sides together, place the fabrics in the shape of an "L", as shown in the photo. Sew along the red line, leaving a seam allowance on both sides. Do the same thing to the other 2 pieces of rectangles.
Fig 3: Open up the pieces and arrange them together to look like the photo.
Fig 4: Take the left set, place above and on to the right set. The Right Sides will be together, facing each other. Line up the middle seam neatly (one on top of the other) as in the photo.
Fig 5: This is what your pieces should look like flat.
Fig 6: Rotate the entire thing 90 degrees clockwise.
Fig 7: Sew along the red line. Remember to leave a 1/2" seam allowance on top and at the bottom.
Fig 8: Open up the piece (Right Side up), and you will have one piece, with four "legs" sticking out. Fold up the bottom "leg", as shown. You will see where my fingers are pointing, I have sewn a line, leaving a seam allowance.
Fig 9: Do the same with the top leg. Fold down top leg and sew.
Fig 10: This shows you what it should look like with the top and bottom legs done. Do the same thing to the left and right legs. Flip the piece 90 degrees -- it will help you visualise it better.
Fig 11: You should now have something that looks like this, a bit like a little bowl.
Fig 12: Sew all adjoining sides, leaving the last one open. You have something that looks like a dumpling with a hole. Turn the bag inside out through this opening.
Fig 13: Fill your beans through the opening
Fig 14: Hand-stitch the opening with tiny stitches (as small as you can manage them). That's all!
If you make this, tell me about it! If there’s anything unclear or if you need any help, let me know. I’ll try my best to explain it better. Good luck!
Out of a fairy tale: Jack and the Bean Bag
Ginormous bean bag (left), normal bean bag (right)
Funny story. I meant to make five bean bags that’s similar in size to the pink one (right bean bag in the photo). But somehow … I ended up with one super-large bean bag, three times bigger than I intended, which I stuffed anyway, just for fun. By the way, the smaller, pink bean bag is one of five that I bought at a market stall in Takayama, Japan, two years ago. I don’t play with bean bags anymore, obviously, but I just had to buy them. Two things made them impossible to resist: 1) the cute Japanese cotton fabric, 2) the promise of a walk down memory lane.
“Five stones” is a game we used to play as kids, and it was played with five bean bags. They need to be small enough to fit into a child’s hand, so you can imagine my amusement when I saw how mine turned out. Funnier still, I used to make bean bags when I was in primary school. The ones I used to make were a lot easier, though. Those were rectangular in shape — no guessing games there.
If you know me, you’d know I love revisiting old times. So when I saw a pattern for bean bags I had never seen before, I had to have a go at it. This pattern came from a book of sashiko projects I bought some time ago (sashiko is a form of traditional Japanese embroidery). A lot more complicated than the plain old rectangular ones, but more interesting to look at.
Another attempt is in order. Watch out, Jack, more bean bags are a-coming.
