Food pages from the travel planner

Hello friends! Hope you had a great weekend! Today I'm sharing some food pages from the travel planner. :)

Yep...we're still on the travel pages from Sydney 2019. Just. Too. Much. Good. Food. *LOL*

Nothing like a good lunch at my fave Italian restaurant in Sydney CBD - Intermezzo. The food is just impeccable. Just when I thought my fave pasta is fettuccine...I try the Pappardelle pasta and suddenly that is my new fave. *winks*

And those who like fish will appreciate the crispy skin and the succulent flesh...cooked to perfection.

The Aussies sure know how to cook fish! :)

Of course, one must end a fine-dining meal with a plated dessert that is Insta-worthy.

Like a decadent dark chocolate tart with berries. Total yumminess!

P/s: Meanwhile your gal here is ticking off items on her to-make/to-bake bucket list while she's stuck at home. ;)

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Yam family life documentation: 11 May 2020

The Yam family scrapbook for 2020 was looking a little empty so I decided to document one day in the Yam family life.

There wasn't an occasion to celebrate but I did make my Basque burnt cheesecake the night before and it was chilled for serving. I made nephew #1 cut the cake and serve all of us (with my sister's support). Because grandma does everything for him (including cracking his soft-boiled eggs) and the aunts think that the teenager needs to be a little more independent. I mean, how difficult is it to cut a cake, right? *LOL*

Also, my sister and I spent the entire weekend prior painting my dad's study so we had an impromptu "opening" ceremony to commemorate his "new office". Could you tell how pleased he was? *winks*

Playing along with The Studio Challenges' Tic Tac Toe challenge. I went with washi tape, tag and enamel dots. :)

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Another vintage-inspired mini file folder

So you know I go through phases in my creative journey and when I'm super into something, I'll just be making lots of different variations of that type of project right? *winks*

Well, meet decorated mini file folder #6! :)

It started with me really wanting to use the tag and the fussy-cut bird so I created a collage with the fussy-cut blooms and then I added some fibers for the tag. Next I decided that the tag needed a little more punch so I added a round mat (vintage-playing card)....a piece of scrap here and there and of course, the piece got way too big to actually put on a card so I made a mini file folder. *LOL*

I finished with vintage and pearl trim and some blooms.

So far I've only mailed out one filled with goodies. That took nearly a month to reach the recipient. I hope to send the rest out when countries start easing on restrictions...

Happy Wednesday friends!

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Give everything a go - kitchen adventures part 2

Last Tuesday I shared my kitchen adventures when at home. Here is kitchen adventures part 2!

So what did I make?

1. Creme caramel
2. Cloud eggs
3. Basque burnt cheesecake
4. Pineapple upside down cake

They were pretty successful first-try attempts even though I must say that I did almost give up on the creme caramel because it just wouldn't set in the oven at the temperature and time suggested by the recipes on several sites. So I added more boiling water to the roasting pan and cranked up the temperature by a lot and it worked!

So I may have gone overboard with the fussy-cutting on this layout...but I was on a roll! And don't ask why The Scarecrow and Tin Man are on my layout because I don't know either...just my usual mish mash of seemingly disparate elements thrown together to create a somewhat cohesive layout? *LOL*

There are so many more new-to-me recipes that I want to try in the next few weeks while stuck at home but these would be dependent on the supply availability of ingredients. Supermarkets were out of cream for a month and flour for 3 weeks. I usually buy organic for my baking but those have been out for maybe 5 weeks so I just make do with what I can get my hands on. My oven is living its best life. *winks*

What about you? Are you getting creative in the kitchen with the bit of extra time you have now that we are all social distancing?

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Mixed Media Monday - portrait on wood panel #2

Hello friends! This week's portrait on a wood panel is #2 in a series of 3 that I am doing as a Christmas pressie for my dear friend Lizzy. :) Last week I shared portrait #1.

For the last portrait, I started with a sketch in charcoal vine. This time I went in with acrylic paints, marking in my lights and darks. Since I really want to take the opportunity to improve my portrait drawing skills during #the100dayproject2020, I'm also challenging myself to use different mediums to "build" my drawing. :)

Here's a look at the work-in-progress. I work both on a table easel as well as flat on the table surface because the portrait looks different at different angles.

I think the portrait could still do with a little more refining..which I will do before I varnish.

Here is my reference photo...Lizzy's oldest grandboy Lucas.

Here are the 1st and 2nd portraits at the moment. I'm trying to finish up the 3rd one. :)

What do you think?

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I just wanna have cake!

I've always kept the family album layouts all about the rest of the family...thinking I might just scrapbook my personal life in a planner or something. Well, that hasn't happened. *winks* So I'll just include them in the family albums...which are pretty up-to-date. *high fives all around*

Anyway, I was lucky that we were not in lockdown yet on my birthday (back in March) and I could go to a cafe and enjoy my mini birthday cake (a chocolate tiramisu). Clearly you could tell the the gal just wanted to blow out the candle and eat her cake right? But the bestie was like, "Look here. Let's take another photo." Well, I ended up with some funny photos of course...mostly of me eyeing the cake...*LOL*

I am actually doing quite well on My Paper Goals for 2020 project...using a full sheet of patterned paper for the base of my layout and then using my paper scraps for the rest.

I've also been really delving into my sticker stash and trying to use up my chipboard/foam letters too.

Playing along with More Than Words.

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Life was meant for great adventure...this week's quick card

There is little doubt that all the social-distancing and staying at home have had a tremendous toll on our mental well-being. After all, life was meant for great adventure...and being confined and restricted conflicts with that.

Guess it's time to redefine the term "adventure" then. Perhaps exploring a new-to-you trail in your walks for physical well-being. Or trying out new recipes in your kitchen. Or just indulging in a spa day at home. You create your adventure.:)

What little adventures have you been up to lately? *winks*

Just a quick card from paper scraps. Playing along with Stick It Down. 

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Kitchen adventures while at home *winks*

With social media exploding with images of what people are making while stuck at home, it was inevitable that your gal here would also partake in some kitchen shenanigans adventures of her own right? *winks*

I decided to increase my food repertoire by trying out some new stuff.  Like muah chee (homemade glutinous rice balls covered with peanut grounds and sugar). And making bubble tea pearls from scratch (3 hours of my life I will never get back...hehehe).

There is a tremendous sense of accomplishment when you try things out for the first time and they turn out decent. Even more so during the current climate of global uncertainty. Nervous energy needs an outlet! What about you? Have you been trying out new recipes? Share! So that I can attempt them too! *LOL*

Playing along with Stick It Down.

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Mixed Media Monday - portrait on wood panel

Hello friends! This week's Mixed Media Monday is a portrait on a wood panel - just 1 of the 100 portraits I'm hoping to complete in #the100dayproject2020.

The mixed media wood panel is one of a series of 3 which I did previously when I planned to do a triptych and never got round to actually doing it (story of my life *winks*). Anyway, since I had 3 of them, I thought it would be perfect for my pal Lizzy Hill's 3 grandboys from son #1. (Yep son#2 also has a boy...lots of boy portraits coming your way...*LOL*)

I did a rough sketch with a willow charcoal stick...just to ascertain the size and placement of features.

Then I went in with acrylic paints and inks....

I thought that using acrylic paints and inks to paint a portrait would be much faster than using coloured pencils. Which is. In theory. Unless you are me. Any guesses how many times I painted and repainted each eye? *hahaha*

Plus it was challenging to paint on the uneven wood panel that I had previously threw paint and inks all over.

I had fun though. And since I already told Lizzy she would be getting these for Christmas, I have no choice but to complete the other 2 (which I have already started...and clearly repainted a few times ...hehehe).

Here's the reference photo I used. Lizzy recognized Ollie straight away so I think I did okay. What do you think?

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