Kid Chat Saturday

If you're amused let me know :) We might make this a thing. If not we will never do this again. I thought it was hilarious, but then again I'm the momma so maybe it is just me. Never do I want to torture y'all ;) And please excuse my workout clothes and greasy hair! We weren't planning on making a video debut. 

Guess what we are eating tonight? 

Weekend Menu # 25: More soup to slurp

If I am not careful, this blog is going to be a food blog. *wink* Well, everyone eat, and staying in Malaysia, we cannot help but having a lot of food choices to eat from.

Been to Number 6 Kopitiam in Jalan Song for late breakfast with hubby. We always go to Number 6 Kopitiam in the evening for its claypot dishes. I enjoy its claypot stewed pork leg, hubby always like its curry lamb or stewed lamb and the kids like to eat its fish maw with needle mushroom and meat ball soup. We seldom go there for breakfast.

Supposed to eat Mee Sapi (Beef Noodle) but ended up we tried Lo Mien. The Beef Noodle stall is no where to be found. Guess it has moved out from there. Our Lo Mien is served with sliced duck meats and soy sauce boiled egg. RM6.00 per plate and our verdict?? So so. The duck meats still have that smelly taste and the noodle tasted like KL wanton noodle. We would not go back for its Lo Mien. *sad*

On the lazy afternoon after we moved some more boxes to new house, I boiled chicken soup. Yes! I am cooking more soups. This time, it is Chicken with Red Dates and Ginseng Roots soup.

As usual, throw everything into slow cooker, let it cook for 2 hours. Very nutritious soup, as ginseng is known for cooling effect and red dates for blood circulation and digestion benefits.

Slurp!

Happy weekend! And today is the last day of March. Tomorrow is another new day, new month. Sigh! Time really flies fast and first 3 months of 2012 has gone!

You've Got A Friend In Me!

Good morning and happy Friday! I've been working on photos for a big collage that will go on our living room wall and thought I'd share a little slideshow from our most recent photo shoot. I took these pictures last weekend and they completely capture the energy, laughter and sweetness of my boys. I'm sure only the grandparents will watch the video all the way through but I hope you do too! If just for the fact that it took Bill till midnight to talk me through over the phone how to upload the thing correctly! Shesh!

Thrifty Thursday

As long as I have an item, y'all will be seeing a Thrifty Thursday post every week! This is a link up party by the wonderful Lady Cordelia and I'm thrilled to tag along!

When it comes to thriftiness I'll admit we are much more a dumpster diving family than a thrift shop one. Bill has been known to carry large pieces of fencing on his back while coming home from the park with the boys! Or he will come home from work on a lunch break with a salvaged item in the back of his Land Cruiser! I love that man!

Last week I saw that Durango Mom had linked up to Lady Cordelia and it inspired me to share a few items in our home. Excitingly enough on Sunday we were driving home from the park when I passed a farm field with this sitting on the side of the road!!! Oh, my word!!!! I started shouting, thanking God and doing a little dance, the boys were thrilled with the outburst. I filliped a U-turn, praying out loud that no one else would stop before I could get there (pretty sure no one would bother, but I offered up a prayer just incase), put my flashers on and hopped out of the car! All the while the boys were hooping and hollering, I love that I'm instilling this kind of excitement in them :) Ha!

So without further adieu here is my Thrifty Thursday find!

Next week you'll be able to see where the chair was placed, it was the perfect addition to my all-time favorite thrift find and you'll see why I added a pop of red. As for the cable reel...sigh...I'm not thrilled with the placement. I thought it would be a cute way to display the vintage thread Bill gifted me with at Christmas, but I don't know. What would you do with it? I think it's too short to be a side table. Hmmmm....maybe a foot stool? Bill said he could add little ball legs to the bottom to make it taller, think, think think.

Don't you wish for this?

(Pic taken during Korea trip back in 2010)

I don't know about you, but I wish that I am in a cold, snowy place now! Yes! Away from this crazy hot spell.

The other night my girl was looking through our Korea trip photo album. Yeap, she is thinking about the trip and telling her brother this and that. She said she loves the snow and cooling temperature, not the weather now which is hot and sweaty. She also asked me when would be our next family trip. She has been talking about going to Hong Kong Disneyland. Boy! Just when I wish that she does not have a super good memory, she can remember this stuff well. Especially when it is involve holiday and funs, she sure can remember them well.

Well, told her that maybe not so soon since we are going to be busy with moving to new house middle of the year and settling down. But if time and budget permit, maybe we can have a trip to Singapore. No Disneyland, Universal Studio also can! At least I do not need to worry about accommodation since I can put up a "tent" in my cousin's apartment in Singapore. *wink*

Tiny treasures for your favorite chick

As some of you know, I can’t let a holiday got by without creating mini-somethings. Once again I just had to turn these Sweet Peeps into charming, tiny, shrinky-dink bracelets. I say shrink it, string it, and strut it. And if you’re willing to also share it, you can wrap some tiny gift boxes in the Sweet Peeps paper patterns and add a few ribbons and flowers to complete the gift.

If you want to make a few of these you will need the Sweet Peeps Graphic Set (from LD) for the little charms. That set will give you all of the animals and eggs. Since you will be having to cut the pieces out by hand, this is the best set to work with. If you have a great cutting machine that can cut through Shrinky Dinks material, you could probably use the Sweet Peeps Icons Print-Cut set, but my cutter is not good for that thickness of material, so all shrinky-dinks that I make are hand cut.

Make sure when purchasing Shrinky-Dinks that you are buying for the computer ink jet printer kind, which can be run through ink jets only, not laser printers. I am linking you to their website here if you need to learn more (look for the “for inkjet printers” kind on that web page). Make sure you follow the instructions for shrinky-dinks. The color on the art will darken as it shrinks, but because most of the animals are pastel, they should look fine when shrunk. Also, it is very important to pre-hole punch the individual pieces before you shrink them, if you are wanting holes at the top of the pieces for stringing. I use a .125" or larger hole punch to end up with the little pin holes at the top of the charms. I might even recommend a .25" punch.

Once you have little shrunken Easter charms you can string or bead them into package tip-ons as well as fun costume jewelry for you and your peeps. I was able to find these cute glass beads that resemble the vintage style candy called Sixlets, and then, sure enough, I found the candy for Easter at Walmart to complete the vintage look. I was able to get the beads and Shrinky-Dinks material at Hobby Lobby, but you might have to find some of those items online. Oh, I even got these cute glass jars at Hobby Lobby and then spray painted the lids in pastel colors. These jars come in many sizes, the smallest much like a baby food jar.

I finished this fun project with papers as gift wrap from the Sweet Peeps Paper Pack, then used the Sweet Peeps Labels and Cupcake Toppers to embellish. I also used some precut colored flowers to add a few more touches to the gift boxes.

Another cute idea would be to use the cupcake toppers set as the charms, or zipper pulls, earrings, lots of ideas, with the Shrinky Dinks material. The circle art would be easy for trimming by hand. Also, one last note about trimming Shrinky Dinks is that I think it’s a good idea to leave a little white space around each item as you trim it out. Remember that a little space needs to be a little more for shrinking. I think the items shrink about 2/3’s of their original size.

Now, get out there and shrink to your hearts content!

When you care enough to send the very best~for free!

A great big thank you to all for caring enough to send the very best~comments here, and on facebook. For caring enough to “join” the blog and “like” the facebook page. But mostly I thank you for the time you take out of your busy lives to sneak a peek at the creatively satisfying world of Sheri McCulley Studio.

Your graciousness does not go unnoticed. I would like to offer you and your peeps two Easter card designs that I have made for this holiday. They can be downloaded from my U-Pick button (within the Sheri’s Creations folder). They are designed to fit into an A6 envelope and will tent fold to 4.5 x 6. Please make it your goal to print and share as many cards as you like for those you care about during this Easter season.

Here are samples of both cards, but remember in order to download the art you must click through the U-Pick button at the right. The first card file name is EasterGreetingCard.jpg and the second is HippityHoppityCard.jpg. Both can be printed on 8.5 x 11 cover stock, trimmed, folded, and ready to share with your peeps, young and old during your Easter celebrations.

Thank you all for visiting my sites as your time permits. I love what I do, and it is because of you I am inspired daily to keep doing what I love most.

If any of you would like to follow my facebook page and do not already, you can go here to find the page and learn a bit more about Sheri McCulley Creations.

Flutter Flutter Butterfly

So we had had some amazing spring weather. Key word: had. It was 80 degrees the other week! Now it is freezing. First let me define the word freezing for you so there are no misunderstandings.

Freezing: any temperature under 65 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Yes you read that correctly. 65 degrees and under = freezing.

Bet you would never guess I was born in Boston. I don't know why but I am always cold... I also get cold very easily and I literally need to wear a million layers to retain heat. I'm always wearing my jacket, even when we are inside the house.  My husband claims that I am a cold blooded reptile and need to sit in the sun to retain heat... I wish I could come up with a better explanation than that.. but I can't. So maybe I am a lizard ;)  

Cold weather makes me irritable. You really don't want to mess with me when cold. Or when I'm hungry. I keep trying to convince David we should move to a warmer climate or state for my own sanity. It hasn't worked yet, but maybe if I post this it will help! (so kidding!... or am I? teehee) :)

So while I am freezing I decided to share this cute butterfly lunch and think of warmer weather:

This creative meal looks impressive but is actually simple to make:

The big butterfly is a ham and cheese sandwich cut with a butterfly cookie cutter. 
The wings are orange bell peppers, decorated with strawberries and cheese. 
The body and antennae are cucumber.
The small butterflies are apples and fruit leather cut with a mini butterfly cookie. 
The butterfly crackers are Pepperidge Farm Golden Butter crackers.

You can make so many versions of a butterfly sandwich--the options are endless :) I have made Eliana many butterfly sandwiches, and I just decorate the butterfly with leftover scraps from making other creative meals. Use leftover pieces of vegetables, fruits or cheeses to make unique designs on your butterfly sandwiches. It makes a cute spring themed lunch and it would be perfect if we were going to visit a butterfly garden! I may just have to remake this lunch once the weather is nicer and we actually see butterflies flying around :)


*Linking up to some amazing link parties!*

Here is what I used (or similar!):

Lovely Little Things

Happy Wednesday y'all! Yes, this is a shameless plug for the new listings in my shop. But seriously, are they not the cutest? I want to wear them all! There are also some new barrette and snap clips up too. Little lovelies to brighten your Spring wardrobe! You can find them all here, or on my side bar link! Hope your week is going wonderfully :) If you are looking for some more reading, take a peek at my "For Your Second Cup" blog roll on the right!

Zoku Popsicle Maker

Last summer my mother-in-law gifted me with the super swanky Williams-Sonoma Zoku Pop Maker. I was thrilled! This fun little gadget was something I had been eyeing for awhile and hoping to convince the hubby that I needed. Lucky me, Memere surprised me with it on our drive cross-country. It was a huge hit with the boys, Bill included and lots of chilly treats were made over those warm months! I was hoping it would still be as loved this season and it IS! We have a book of popsicle recipes that W.S. also sells, there are some very unique ones that we like to make when I have time to spare. But this is our go-to quick pop that is a all-star treat for the kids.

 V8 Fusion, apple stars and a fruit squeezie center! Quick and easy!

The boys love to help. Will is very by-the-book, wanting to know what each step is. Jack on the other hand is a wild man. Here he is trying to add pepper to the pops!

The popsicles freeze so fast! I can make a set in under 15 minutes!

Perfect for my little man who is working on his 2 year molars :) Thank you Memere for spoiling us! If y'all are looking for a fun splurge I highly recommend this!

On a hot day like this

Thank you for all the wonderful wishes on the demise of my hubby's cousin. She was finally laid down to rest in Nirvana, Bau this morning. Hubby did not attend as he flew to KL on Sunday afternoon for training and only back tomorrow evening.

So it has been me and the kids for past 2 nights. My parents have been helpful in keeping them handful at their place. Usually the kids do not like to follow their maternal grandparents, so it was a good chance to know they enjoyed themselves over there. Of course with some gadgets, games and tv to entertain them.

It has been extremely warm for the past week and at night even with the air-con switched on till morning, we can still feel the heat. And it has been a routine for the kids to their daily night bath before sleep.

Today I cooked Green Beans and Barley with Red Dates soup as it is another hot day. Need something to cool myself down. Hot! Hot! Hot!

Rainbow Party

So I'm going to apologize before you even read this post. It is a long one! Well longer than my usual posts. What can I say.. it's hard to fit so much greatness into one post! ;)

Like I mentioned in my post earlier in the month, one of the reasons I love the month of March is because it is Eliana's birthday month!  Last spring, almost immediately after her 3rd birthday, Eliana saw a picture of a rainbow layer cake (while I was browsing on Pinterest of course) and decided right then and there that she wanted a rainbow birthday party for her 4th birthday.  I was on board immediately :) Especially because I loved how colorful it would be! I also figured we'd probably do her party on a Saturday, and the Saturday after her actual birthday was going to be St. Patrick's Day! So the rainbow theme fit perfect... and it was a perfect day since Eliana's due date had been St. Patrick's Day four years earlier :)


There are so many rainbow parties out there, so I know competition is stiff. But what I wanted was simple. No printouts. No labels. No incredible amounts of candy (because seriously there are a million rainbow type candies and who is going to eat it all?!) And most of all I did not want this to be super expensive. This party was going to be small and intimate; our immediate family with only a few close friends.


So to start decorating we blew up rainbow colored balloons and put them everywhere. (sorry no good pictures of that, and plus lets be honest I am NOT a photographer at all!) We also bought streamers in all the rainbow colors and had rainbow streamer decorations everywhere.  On Eliana's actual birthday we put streamers hanging from her door frame in the colors of the rainbow. She LOVED it. and we kept it up for a week. In my husband's words, it looked like a rainbow "exploded" in the house :)

Rainbow Balloon

The Display Table with Rainbow Balloons and Rainbow Streamers

A closer look at what is on the display table:

Rainbow Vegetable Plate with ranch dip clouds

Rainbow Fruit Plate with whipped cream clouds

Rainbow Twizzlers (which are awful by the way. awful. But they sure are pretty!)

Left Side: Veggie platter, Jar filled with Skittles, rainbow Twizzlers and origami flowers (made by my husband). Simple colored party hats are lined up in the back (Red, Yellow, Green and Blue).

Right Side: rainbow Cake Balls (rainbow funfetti cake inside), Jar filled with M&Ms, fruit platter and more origami

And in the middle? The Cake. The Glorious Cake. I personally love to make cupcakes. I mean love.  And I could have easily made rainbow cupcakes, but I really thought a rainbow cake would be so much more fun, and plus that was what Eliana had asked for last spring!  But there was no way I was going to attempt my first 6 layer cake for her birthday so I enlisted help!  I asked my friend Kristen of Pixelated Crumb if she could make a 6 layer rainbow cake for Eliana's birthday. Thankfully Kristen said yes!  Visit her blog and read about it making the cake right here  (p.s. there is also a free giveaway!!). She made this amazingly gorgeous cake:

The cake was delicious. But don't stop there. Feel free to drool around the entire blog. (That's what I do in my free time). Kristen and her husband are amazing food photographers, and if you love to stare at food check it out. I mean who can make a piece of garlic look good? She can. And once you stop drooling you'll see all the amazing recipes you will need to try. Like this one, or this one (my two personal favorites.. they just happen to be sweets, but her blog is full of much more than that!).

Some pictures taken by Kristen's husband Joseph: 

Just about when you think you've had enough rainbows what else could you do to complete this rainbow party? Make homemade rainbow shirts of course.

The birthday girl was all smiles! :)

If you want a tutorial on the rainbow shirts I could do one, on a separate post of course. But only if enough of you ask for it!  Comment here on this post or email me (creativefoodblog [at] gmail [dot] com) and let me know! There is just no way I'm adding more rainbow to this post! :)


**update** DIY Rainbow Shirt tutorial is up! Check it out :)

I am officially RAINBOW-ed OUT :)




**Linking up to some amazing link parties!!! Check them out!**

Weekend Recap!

Hello hello! Did y'all have a good weekend? Did you know that I love your comments? Tell me what you've been up to! Or not, and make me look like a sad little blogger with no comments to read ;)

We had a very sweet, simple weekend. Bill is still traveling so it was just me and the boys. Saturday morning we grabbed donuts and headed to beach for a few hours. The weather was dream-like, we could have stayed all day. Lots of popsicles were made the past few days too! I'll tell you more about that in another post. We also had an amazing kid-photo shoot (yep...stay tuned for another post) where the boys were able to run and puddle stomp and I think the grandparents just may cry. On the way home I found some AMAZING items tossed on the side of the road (you guessed it, another post!) And then Will and I did a little painting during Jack's naptime. I forgot how relaxing it is to dip a paintbrush into a set of watercolors. A simple, sweet, refreshing weekend.

Here are few pictures to recap :)

Enjoy your Monday!

RIP cousin

Hubby's cousin who was in her early 20s passed away yesterday in Sarawak General Hospital. She was fighting against tongue cancer and admitted to hospital end of January for operation and since then has been under going chemotherapy. But she eventually grew weak and lost her fight to cancer yesterday morning. But we knew that she had found peace and comfort in the end.

RIP to cousin Mei Yun!

Hanging with my peeps

I love garland. It can be hung in a swag, or dangled from above. It is the perfect way to get festive for a holiday, and this time, it’s for Easter. This week I got my peeps together with a few of the lucky ducks and honey bunnies from the Sweet Peeps collection on LD. I now have them playing ring around the rosie, as they twirl in the breeze on my studio porch.

This is a fun project to put together and use indoors or outside as Easter approaches. I simply used the Sweet Peeps Icons—Print Cut—file from LD to print, cut and glue together the Easter eggs, bunnies, chicks and ducks.

The eggs are made up of six identical pieces to build each egg. I glued them to the vertical axis with ribbon threaded through the middle. Then I printed two each of the bunnies, ducks and chicks (one flipped or reversed before printing to get a direct mirror image). I then glued them with the ribbon coming up from the now 3-D egg so it would also be glued between the animal pieces.

The additional flowers are made from precut and punched shapes with colored paper. I hole punched in the centers of each to thread the ribbons through. The ribbons hold tight to the flowers, so no need to glue, and this also allows for shifting the flowers up or down from the egg and animals as desired.

In order to hang the ring of friends I used an eight inch embroidery hoop and simply attached each piece of garland to the hoop with plenty of ribbon to bring all together at top and tie for hanging. I think the ribbons are about four or five feet long, so as to have plenty of length for this ring around the rosie garland, just in time for spring.

To hang out with your own peeps go to Sweet Peeps at Lettering Delights and choose from many icons, designs and patterned papers to help create and decorate for Easter in the sweetest way possible.