An Engagement

The boyfriend's sister just got engaged last weekend.
It was uber traditional and familial love filled the air...
It was such a pleasure pitching in and decorating the hantaran
that I can't wait for the wedding!
Here's to a lifetime of happiness.
CHEERS!

Click here to see more wedding pics.

Too Many Hats

I'm wiped out and overwhelmed.
It's another pathetic case of:
too much to do, too little time.
I'm gonna have to give up one
of the many hats I wear...
...but which one?

Eid Mubarak

Selamat Hari Raya in advance to all fellow Muslims!
May all your ketupat and rendang dreams come true, and most importantly: my sincerest maaf zahir dan batin.
loosely translated as "I seek forgiveness for all my physical and spiritual sins"

My tastebuds are excitedly anticipating my Aunt's famous ketupat.
Trust me, she makes killer ketupat of the exotic variety.
Pulut Hitam to those who know.
OooooOoo, can't wait for the sighting of the new moon!
Anyways, here are some ketupat weaving and making instructions (of the normal variety) for a little piece of authentic Raya from this part of the world.

l - r: Ketupat weaving, Steps 1 to 3. Click on image for larger pictures.

Here's how you make the ketupat filling:
The ketupat casings that you have just woven are filled with uncooked rice at the top opening of the casing. It is filled two thirds or three quarters full. The more water absorbent Chinese rice is preferable to the Thai variety as the Chinese rice makes a more compact ketupat and the texture of the ketupat is also smoother. A whole bunch of filled ketupat is then put into a big pot of water and boiled for about 3 hours. The ketupat are then cooled. Serve ketupat cut across diagonally twice with the casing still intact. Remove the casing after cutting. Ketupat are traditionally served with Sayur Lodeh, Serunding, Sambal Tumis, Soto or Satay. Because of the long hours of boiling, the ketupat will keep well and may last a few days even without refrigeration

The finished product! Yummy!

Click here to find out more about Hari Raya or Eid al-Fitri.

Festival of Lights

To all Hindus, Jains and Sikhs:
Happy Deepavali!

Learn about the Festival of Lights or Diwali here.

Sharing is Caring

Have a lot of free time to kill today.
No big events, no market this Sunday (due to Deepavali) and my Level 2 classes will come to a close this week.
It's kinda boring right now...
How about I share with you some of my fave jewelry sites?

Eni Oken
Not only is this lady super talented, super organized and makes awesome wire wrapped designs but she's generous too! Check this site out for a treasure trove of FREE (yes, free!) designs and links to more awesome sites.

Brooke Medlin
I fell in love with Brooke's stuff on Etsy where she's known as gemmafactrix. Now she has her own website where you can see all of her totally unique designs.

Pashupatina
This is where I go when I want to get inspired. I haven't actually made a piece similar to the stuff on Pashupatina but I like how this site inspires me to think outside the box.

Anne Maa
Love the stuff here. Very wearable and luxe. Hope I can get my hands on the gems she uses someday soon...

Purple Glory

I took this picture at Awana Resort, Genting last year.
Just thought I'd remind whomever in Malaysia, Singapore and irresponsible Indonesia what the sky looks like at sunset without the haze.

My Pale Fingers

I've been making lots of seed bead pieces lately and I suppose I'm going to need glasses pretty soon!
Anyways, this piece is called Doozie Rosie.
Looks simple but trust me, it was hard getting it just right!
In fact, I'm still not very satisfied with the finished product.
*sigh* It's back to the beading tray for me folks.

Jewelry Design with Beads

These are the pictures of my Level 1 class at Sophia.
As you can see it's a small group as 4 is the max number per class.
the 4th took the pictures. Thanks Joy!
With 4 to a class, I feel that everyone gets loads of attention thus maximizing their time at my class.

Click here to find out more on my class.

This is Tokuko is proudly showing off her new handmade crystal bracelet! All my students get to pick their own colors and beads to use with each project.


Email me at puremoon.designs@gmail.com if you have any questions or if you'd like a private class. I also do one-off sessions if you're only interested in doing one particular piece of jewelry.