Skip to main content

Art and Craft - Posted on 5 Sep 2011


Art and Craft - Posted on 5 Sep 2011


Friday was a day well-spent, doing girl stuff, with a girl-friend,PL. It began with a wholesome breakfast of home-made quiche, (thanks, Freda) with Malacca kopi. Then to work, as PL whipped out her arsenal of lanolin, glycerine, vitamin E, essential oils, colourings, and other paraphernalia for soap-making in delightful mounds of roses, bumble bee, cameo victorian lady and hearts.

We measured with due diligence, chopped up the soap base and stirred the prepared brew till it morphed into a liquid of desirable consistency. Then the colours were added, with a squirt of glycerine to separate the layers, and the liquid soap carefully poured into the soap moulds. Half an hour later, the soap was ready to be separated from the moulds - in theory, that is.

 We realised, to our dismay, that the soaps remainly stubbornly lodged in their intricate moulds and refused to budge. Minutes of huffing, puffing, pressing, squeezing and painful finger joints later, the soaps surrendered to the pounding and yielded.

The results were rewarding enough to egg us on to make a second batch, but first, off to lunch at Shun Fu Market. We chose a humble fare of prawn noodles with lots of sambal chili and home-brewed iced lemon tea. Simple pleasures, relished and savoured.The ritual would not be complete without dessert, so two sponge sandwich with chocolate and apple-cinnamon flavours rounded up our trip, to be saved for tea break in the afternoon. 

We decided not to wrestle with the soap moulds for the second batch. PL took to consulting the internet for advice and came up with a painless solution. The soaps came out easily after spending some time in the freezer. As there was still time enough in the afternoon for more creative options, PL sat me down to teach me how to make beaded angel figurines. 

I did not trust my fumbling fingers too much to undertake such a task of concentration and patience. With some perseverance, the angel took shape and I felt a flush of pride for the endeavour. 

In this age of almost instant everything, there is still a place for creative licence in home-made items. Home-cooked food is simpler and healthier. Home-made soaps are rewarding for own consumption, but even more so to give away. PL graciously gave me two to take home for my efforts. I came home with the two bars and an angel, accompanied by a warm glow of satisfaction and delight. Thanks PL, for a wonderful time.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Perspectives

  So What If The Day Started Badly This morning, as I was reversing my car out of the porch for a dental appointment, I drove right into a van who just happened to park in front of the house across the road, right at the very instant. The knee jerk instinct was to feel sorry and angry with myself at the same time. I said a little prayer for comfort and that the rest of the day would turn out better, with small mercies along the way. I also texted G, telling him what happened and that I was a little shaken by the incident, trivial as it was. The text came back " No worries". It was all the comfort I needed - no judgment, no reproof, just a quiet understanding and acceptance. The Rest Of the Day Got the tooth fixed, had my comfort food for lunch, left car with dented bumper with mechanic, took a bus to Ang Mo Kio library to while away the time. Along the way, discovered my favorite Yong Tau Foo franchise had moved to the food centre here, much nearer home, and also picked up a ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Special Residents of Istanbul and Ephesus

 My recent road trip of Turkey traversed several cities. But it was mostly in Istanbul ( and a few more in Ephesus ) that cats who roamed the streets with the familiarity of a resident, independent and free, yet well-provided with food, shelter, water and loving affection.  On our very first day, we bought a bag of cat food and fed them whenever we encountered them. Some were hungry and responded to us, but others kept their distance, or came over to sniff at the kibbles and walked away. It warmed our hearts to see these adorable creatures as part of the landscape and culture of a most memorable trip in a land so richly endowed with the legacy of the past facing a challenging future ahead. Here's a gallery of cuteness overload. This link best sums up the history and back story of these adorable felines.  https://consciouscat.net/relationship-between-istanbul-and-its-cats/
Post a Comment
Read more

PROJECT GROWING UP ( Or the Little House that would )

In the Beginning In 1997, G and I went house-hunting. We decided on a not-so-big single-storey house in Serangoon Gardens and made it our home, together with D, aged one. So the small family of then three moved in, together with our domestic helper, an absolutely indispensable part of the life and times of the Sims. In 2000, A joined the brood and we became a household of five. As the years rolled on, this little house stood the test of time, armed with a resolve to remain true to itself while all around, the neighbours were mutating into towering structures, forever altering the once charming landscape of this cosy precinct. But as D and A morphed from age to age, they made encroaching demands on sanity and space. Chaos aside, the study was first to go, for each one to have their own private den and mess containment. Soon the deluge of homework and assessment sheets spilled into the living room and there was no more division of boundaries. The living room became the ...
Post a Comment
Read more