Nutella sponge cake trial 1!

Easy Peasy Banana Cake Recipe

My dear taiwanese neighbor gave me a bunch of bananas 2 days ago. It was the freshest and sweetest i've ever eaten! Perhaps it is because they home-grown in their backyard and ripe on the tree. Unlike those that we bought from the supermarket, which has yet to ripe upon harvesting. (I assumed it. Haha.)

There were a total 14 bananas, but both my husband and I were unable to finish them. My solution is to bake banana cakes.

Some limitations to consider:
1. I do not have an electric mixer.
2. I do not have vanilla or banana essence.
3. I do not have baking power.
4. I do not have a proper mixing bowl.

It is difficult for me to get these items in my small town here. Although i have already ordered an electric mixer online. HAHAHAHA! (Can't wait for it arrival! Horray!)

Below are my steps to bake a very easy banana cake (Which you do not need those stuff that are mentioned above)

Easy Peasy Banana Cake Recipe
Preparation and Baking time (90 Mins)

Ingredients that you will need:

1/3 Cup of Butter (Melted and left to cool)
5 Medium Bananas (Squashed)
1/2 Cup of Sugar
1 Egg (Mix)
1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
A Pinch of Salt
1 1/2 Cup of Plain Flour
1/2 Cup of Milk

Directions:


Squashed the bananas.


Add the bananas, butter, sugar and egg into the mixture and mix it.


Add the baking soda and salt into the mixture and mix it.


Add 1/2 of the plain flour into the mixture and fold it. (Repeat one more time for the another 1/2 of the plain flour).


Add Milk into the mixture and mix it.

Preheat the oven at 175 degrees.


Pour the batter into a grease pan and bake for 60mins.


Only fill 3/4 of the pan with batter!


After 60mins, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake and ensure that it comes out clean and dry.


Remove the cake from the oven and set it to cool on a rack for 15mins.


Remove the cake from the pan and set it to complete cool down on a rack before slicing.


Placing the to-be-cut cake on the measurement cutting board that I bought from a dollar store.


Tada! Here is my Easy Peasy Banana Cake!

The process of learning how to make Icings

It looks like some chemistry notes isn't it?
Hahaha. But I enjoy writing them.

My Quilt Pattern

After completed making my third eco bag, I move on to qulit making.
Which i always wanted to!

Yea, always wanted to, but forever not starting.
HAHAHA.

OK.
No more procasinating JONI.
Time for some serious stuff. HAHAHA.

TREE will be the main design for my quilt.
I love trees, there are so much things we could learn from them.
Such as their determination to grow, their big hearts for giving habitats to animal and their contribution to mother earth and mankind.

I also wanted the quilt to portray trees in the different seasons.

During the spring time, the birds return and are chipping away.
During the summer time, the squirrels and the hare are running about.
During the autumn time, the leafs are changing color.
During the winter time, the snow is falling.

This will be the prototype of how my tree looks like.

Sorry for the color, cause i was working in my living room, where my living room uses warm lighting.

Selecting fat quarter for quilt

I have finally selected the fat quarter to work on. Next is working on the template of the quilt :)

My Eco craft bags

Finished my third eco craft bag, which is also my top favorite bag.
I love the both the size and the design.


Designed by 菊川靜香
I can place my phone, wallet, keys and my umbrella in it :D
The first day I bought it out, people commented that my bag looks cute.
Hahaha, after hearing their comments, everything is worth it!
I also got quite a number of good comments from my facebook fan page.


Here are my previous 2 eco crafts project:


Designed by 荒関まゆみ
This is an awesome bag!
For the pass 3 months, wherever i go, I will use this bag.
I can place whatever things i want into the bag. The size of it is fantastic.
Like bringing my iPad out for a coffee break.
Like a day shopping trip, where i will stop spending once my basket is full.
It really happens! I will go to the craft shop and i will tell the lady i can only buy "my basket" amount of stuff.

Is a good method, at least it works for me! Like normally i will pick maybe 10 fat quarter, after having this constraint, i can only buy 6 fat quarter. Which makes my decision better. :D



Designed by 佐藤千夏 (Chika）
Love this picnic basket.
Thou i have yet to bring it out for a picnic session, but it is currently used to hold my fat quarter for my next quilting project.

She wants to take a photo with my new wire work.

I just wanted to update my blog with some previews of my upcoming work. So I lay the alpha, and she hopped on the sofa and doesn't want to leave. My sweet little girl :)

Look what my percious did to my work.

:( 
She was chewing my work when I returned from my 2 mins toilet break.
4 hours of hard work gone into the drain!

Nevermind.. Let start all over again!

I could not stop myself!

I bought a pair of second shoes at 50.75USD at etsy.
Love at first sight!

Yet to tell my husband about it. Hahahaha

Here are the details of the shoes
-------------------------------------------

Classic 1980's vintage Bean Boots by L.L. Bean. Waterproof navy blue rubber uppers with leather detail and leather ties. Rubber soles with a small heel. Slightly padded insoles. Minor scuffs and creases from natural wear, please see pictures. Made in the USA.

MEASUREMENTS:

Brand: LL Bean
Size: marked 7. Please compare measurements
with your own shoe that is of similar style.
Toe to heel insole: 9.75"
Heel height: 1"
Widest point on sole: 3.75"
Total height: 3.75"

Condition: Excellent vintage condition.

Sent from my iPad

I can't imagine Lisa is actually replying to me!

Lisa Lam, the writer for "The Bag Making Bible" and u-handbag.typepad.com, is actually replying to me!
I am so happy when I see her reply.
I begin to love this social network even more!

I can't imagine if one day Amy Bulter, one of my favorite fabric designer, is going reply me.
Hahaha. Kind of looking forward to that!

Most probably Lisa didn't know that her one reply gives someone such a crazy amount of happiness!

Going to weave an eco friendly pot for my plants today.
Stay tune to tml update!

Wire birdcage

Hand twisted a birdcage yesterday while watching movie, "Avatar" on star movie. Star movie even repeated the movie twice. Back to back, so i ended up watching it 2 times. Hahahaha. Most of the time i wasn't even looking or listen to the movie. *Is a nice show! I watched it in 3D in the cinema.

How is the birdcage?
It wasn't really that difficult to make. There are no measurements to follow, just cut the wire to your favor height and start twisting it. What I love most was the birdie on the top! Self designed it. I wanted to give it a heart shaped wing, but i think this curvy heart shaped suit the wire sculpture best.





I am lov'in it! another new decor for my garden!

I want to decorate cookies and cupcakes too!

After watching too much of variety show like "DC cupcakes" and the variety show featured the baker buddy, do makes me feel like trying to decorate the cakes/cookies myself.

But I do not know where to buy the icing and fondant stuff like that over here :(



These blogger,Sweetsugarbelle, Glorioustreats are very inspiring..
Loves all the cookies and cupcakes that they bake and decorated!
Sending many many hearts to them for sharing their knowledge in their tutorials.

Okay. I will source them out on Wednesday when I go to the town :D

Cookies that are not meant for you

Yeah!! Cookies for my dog, xiao xue! (and 'mei mei', 'S'-si', and 'Yes-si').
Lol.

'Mei mei' belongs to the 1st floor neighbor. She guarded our building and whenever a stranger appears, she will bark at them. She is really very very adorable and polite.
'S'-si' belongs to the veg stall auntie which is where i buy my daily veg from.
'Yes-si' belongs to the 85C store owner which is where i buy my daily coffee from.
Hahahaha!


This recipe baked about 120 bites size cookies.
It taste plain, but i kind of able to taste the baking soda. (Slightly bitter. Just slightly). This is good for your dog cause there is no sugar in it!

I added parsley as stated, since it is a natural breath freshener for dog :) The veg stalls auntie gave me ALOT. LOL. So i am giving her a pack of the cookies to thank her tml.

Egg tarts

Do you like my egg tarts?
I am merely following the instructions from here.

:D
Just that I reduce the quantity to 4 instead of 12.


I rated myself 70 marks for this.
The crust taste good.
But the filling is not soft enough :)
I will try to put more milk the next time round!!!

You guys should try it!
Including washing up time, is only 1hr for completion!

Blue mountain anyone?

I am back from my holiday with the dumbos! (Fel and June i mean)
Feel great to be back home hugging my husband and XX after my 6Days tour.

Now i know i can't really enjoy myself without them by my side.

Trip with Fel and June was great.
Shopping. Food. Shopping. Everyday!

I hope that i can make some effort to post the pics. (Then my in-law might ask me why i didn't post theirs. SO.. ... hmm.. .. Let see. hahaha)

Got 100grams of blue mountain for des as pressent.
Yes. 100grams. It cost me approx 25SGD.

It really taste good!
Better fragants if i am to compare it to the one that we are drinking now.

Des made a cup and we share.
Taste really good.



We love blue mountain!

The postman just delivered my first Eco craft purchase!

Excited! Yeah!

1000 Projects before I die... possible?

Was blog surfing earlier on and i stumble across Jane Poh's blog, a singapore handbags crafter :)

I noticed a little column on her blog and she stated that she would like to complete 1000 Projects before she die. Interesting huh!

Hmm. Possble?
No harm trying!
So I would like to do that too!
My 1000 projects will start from now 21 February 2010.
:)

I am honored!!

Lisawith4 showcase my victorian needle jar in a etsy treasury list.
I am so happy when she convo me to tell me that my victorian needle jar is beautiful :)

www.etsy.com/treasury/4d556a759e676d91c793633d/an-etsy-welcome-capsteam

What a motivating moment!

Gardening time again!

I have started my second round of gardening, despite the first round of gardening was a total failure :(

The causes for the failure of the 1st round of gardening:

1. As i stay at the most southern part of taiwan, wind chill is my weekly visitor (Typhoon will visit me 3-4 times a year). So i decided to plant my veg indoor (using long shape pots). But my plants did not manage to get sufficient sunlight for their growth.
2. I didn't press the soil well enough before i place in my seeds, it causes the soil to fly all around the room.
3. I didn't place my seeds in order (You got to use a tool, or a finger to create holes at the compact soil. So that the plant or veg will grow in an orderly manner. This is also to ensure that all veg have the same amount of water, nutrients and growing space)
4. The pots are too small so all of them topple. (Yes! even a yard long pot was being topple by the wind)
5. I went taipei for a 5 days holiday, without watering my plants and it all died :(

So this time round, I have ensure that i have no long holidays ahead and the seeds are properly planted! I have replace my pots to styrofoam box, so that it is heavy enough to withstand the strong wind chill. And now i can place them at the balcony!

Wish me good luck! :D

Tutorial: Your truly 2min needle jar

You do not need to worry that you will see your needles lying on your craft tables! Not anymore!As it looks so awfully good in the glass jar and it makes absolute decoration on the table.

But wait, why is there a need to place your needles in the glass jar?
1. Stay out of reach for children and pets.
2. Protect the needles.
3. A reminder for you to put all your needles in the jar after your project. (Normally you give a nasty look at all the small pieces of leftover fabrics ... and you will clean them up.. so eventually you will clean your entire craft table after crafting! haha! *I assume you're like me)

Materials:
1. Any jar. Preferably a small and tall jar.
2. Unused yarn

1. Coil the yarn around your fingers.

2. Estimate the amount of yarn that is needed to fill the jar.

3. Tie around the loose yarn that you have coiled.

4. Now stuff them into the jar.

5. Completed! You have just completed your needle jar, and now it is now ready to be used!

Here comes to the end of my first tutorial.

Hope you enjoy reading it!

Who is awesome today?

Etsy shouted this on facebook today.

What a motivation poster for a thursday!

Tml will be T.G.I.F again.

Time flies :(

Victorian needle cushion jar giveaway!

Contest Details
I will send the victorian needle cushion jar to one winner. The draw is open to everyone to participate, so get your friends to join in the contest too!

To enter this contest, you have to answer a simple question. The question for this contest is:
“What will be the first thing that you will handmade for your loves one?”

*Please take note! Only those who comments at Handmade by Joni FACEBOOK note are eligible for the contest!

Here is the link.

Additional details:
I'll randomly select 1 winner that answer the question above during the period of 8th Jan 2011 to 12th Jan 2011, and announce them the following day.
I will email the winner and the winner will need to reply me your details for gift to be sent to you.
If the winner did not claim the gift within 1 weeks of announcement, the gift will be carried forward to the next draw :)

New year new needle Jar

I love my year 2011 needle Jar!
No more rusty needles!


Good bye to my old needle cushion.
Looking back, my old needle cushion is still so pretty :D
I will keep you well!

Showcase of my victorian needle cushion jar