Recycle that old pair of Jeans

Due to my job scope, every month end i have a task of auditing and ageing the inventory in two warehouses. And this is what i dread most in my job. Every month end, i wish i could turn into an octopus with multiple hands to hold all my stuff for doing this task. Well, for years, i have been making do with a silly sling pouch that doesn't even match my outfit nor serving my purpose of carrying all my stuffs. Every time, i would find myself fishing into the pouch trying to locate what i needed thus scratching my mobile phone which i always carry with me just incase anyone who would want to reach me, (but was unable to do so as the warehouses is not equip with phones at all corners).



Luck just struck me when i was browsing the internet and came across this post on converting an old pair of jeans to an apron by craftsters - betz white. Oh yeah, i found this very innovative. This would just solve my years of struggling with a silly pouch. With the idea in mind, i set myself scouting into my pile of old clothes and i found this pair of old jeans - just what i needed. However, because i don't have a sewing machine at home, whatever sewing that is needed to be done will have to be hand sewn. Therefore, i try to minimized as much sewing as possible.

First, i trimmed off the legs so that the jeans turn into a short.

As i'm trying to have more pockets, i used the back pocket of the jeans so that i don't have to sewn the pockets again. I also wanted to retain the waistband so that i don't have to sewn any tieback for the apron. I also retained the metal button and button hole of the waistband so that i can turn it around to hook behind my back and no extention is needed for tying. I also have to unpick the top of the front loop so that i can cut away the zipper front portion of the jeans. As i'm trying to minimize the sewing needed, i retained the side seam of the jeans which is aready machine seal/hemmed. This part, you have to be very careful when cutting - you have to cut as close to the edge of the seam as possible while retaining the machines hemmed portion so that there will be less frills from the cutting as time goes by.
The reverse side of the apron. Note the uncutted side seam.

This is how the front of the apron looks after cutting off the front portion of the jeans. Notice the protruding crotch area?

Therefore, i have unpicked this portion.

Allow it to overlap and lied flat

Trim further the bottom portion so that it becomes a straight line at the bottom,

Sew back the overlap flatten crotch area again

Next, i folded the bottom portion and securef it with pins before hemming the bottom with blind stitch. This is to prevent frillings from all these cuttings.

My completed apron which i think looks plain.

As such, figuring that i would need additional pocket specially for my mobile phone alone (so that i could keep all the rest of the things away from it to prevent scratching it), i decided to use left over fabric to add the additional mobile phone pocket and some emblishment to the apron to make it more interesting.

I cutted out a double folded piece of fabric enough for the size of my mobile phone. With right side facing right side, i hand sewn with back stitch round the corners, leaving a small gap so i can turn it inside out. Next, using the iron to flatten the edges, I set it onto the centre of the apron and hand sew it with applique stitch. Using the same method, i hand sewn 2 little bow and attached it to the original jeans pocket to act as emblishment.

This is how my bow looks.

My completed apron which is no longer boring.

A closer look at my stock auditing apron.

Viola! An apron that holds all my stuff.

One dish meal - Pork Ball Congee

When it come to simplicity for meal, what could be more convenient than to prepare a one dish meal. What do i mean by one dish meal? Well, it simply must incoporate the food pyramid - that is it must consist of carbohydrate, protein as well as vitamins.

Today, i prepared a one dish meal - pork ball congee.

The carbohydrate is the rice, protein comes from the pork and vitamins from the carrot.


See, my pork ball congee - convenient and delicious. Recipe in my bon appetite blog.

This is how i shape my pork ball.

One of the ingredient i used is called tao tow chai - literally translate as big head vegetable. It is actuall a kind of dried preserved vegetable. This is quite salty, so when using this ingredient, one must remember to wash thoroughly to clean away the salt used to preserved it. Here's a picture of it:

I guessed, it must have got its name from the way it look - a big head. Wahaha.......

Surprise

I'm really suprised today when i visited FOODbuzz, as my cashew nut slices picture was being feature under daily special today. Elated! ;P

Thanks FOODbuzz team!

Oh yes, btw, for this recipe, please refer to my bon appetite blog.

Who is more stress?

WHO IS MORE STRESS?

YOU OR THE FISH?

Join my blogging train...

Today i managed to embark another friend to join my blogging train wagon. So i would have another blog to visit and that is DDneo's blog. She's just started her blog today and for a start, you can find so many different style of cooking crabs -OO.....yummy. Although there's no picture to the crab recipe yet, but trust me, visit often and you may just find surprises for she's will be embarking on preparing these crabs delicacies and would probably snap the photograph to share real soon. For another thing, as her hobbies is golfing and diving, so you may also expect pictures of the underwater world. So stay tune at DDneo's blog.

New update

STsn had asked me, how often do i update my blog, frankly, i never observed. I update whenever i feel like it or whenever i have something to show. I'm such a lazy bum. lolz. I guessed i needs alot of motivation to update my blog daily. Obviously, i can't make a living out of it. And that's probably the reason why i don't have any advertisement bar in my blog. Well, i should say, even if i do, not many visit my blog and i would probably died before i could even see the cheque reaching me. Lolz. Anyway, if one day, should i decide to put up the advertisement bar, please don't forget to click whenever you visit. And btw, if you do visit any other blog with advertisement bar, please CLICK CLICK CLICK as many time as possible. It's a good deed. lolz.




Make this last week. Ayam pongteh - a nonya dish. Although the picture don't look appetizing, but i could assure you that this dish is pretty tasty.


And i have been crazy over this indian bread call CHAPATTI. OO........ yummy.


You just need to pan fried it, no oil is needed for the frying. After which, you can eat it with whatever fillings you like. Or even dip it in curry. The texture is crispy yet not oily at all. I have make this as a snack a couple of time already. My filling is ham, dice tomato and cheddar cheese melt. Oops! sorry no picture because i was too busy dugging into it while it is still hot from the wok. Haha.....


This is my winning from an instant lucky dip when i bought some health supplement from GNC. Yes, yes this item is from OSIM. I don't know how is GNC related to OSIM. But i was given this coupon to the instant dip in OSIM. According to the sales representative, this weigher cost $99.
Not a bad win afterall.


I make this this morning for brunch. Heehee..... yes, brunch because we are heading somewhere else in the early afternoon.

Do you like this view?


Or you prefer this?

Or this?

Haha.... i like them all. Therefore a collage is done.

As i never like frozen peas, i have replaced the frozen peas normally use in fried rice with red and green pepper and carrots which is a healthier choice.

My attempt to do the egg crepe is not very successful. I know the egg is not well beaten and i have make it too thick. I guessed, i still needs lots of practices. Anyway, just to share the trick:

To make this egg wrapped fried rice, you need:

Ingredients: (good for 2 crepe)

3 eggs

Pinch of pepper

Pinch of salt

Utensils:

a shallow bowl

a non-stick frying pan (circumference must double the circumference of bowl)

Method:

Beat egg well with salt and pepper

Heat up frying pan
Pour well beaten egg into pan, twist and turn pan so that egg is spread thinly and evenly round pan.

When egg crepe is set, slide it on the shallow bowl

Put pre-fried rice into it, wrapped up

Overturn onto a plate, slit open the crepe and serve.

Oh, for my version of fried rice, please refer to my recipe cabinet - bon appetite

Recent activities

Have not been updating my blog. Well, i have nothing to show off unlike luxuryhaven who have won so many awards and have so many readers. Lolz.

Anyway, just a little update on my recent activities.

I've make this little tote bag out of left over yarn from many years back.

Isn't this cute?

A close up

The base

Well, at least i have make something useful. I carry this tote bag to the supermarket whereby i put a pack of tissue paper, my house keys, my handphone and my wallet.

Make this glutinous rice and mould it into a heart shape just for presentation purpose only. Haha, anything heart shape would looks lovely, isn't it?

On the same day, i also make this yam (taro) cake.

Cut up. Look at the generous ingredients that i have added - dried shrimp, pork and mushroom.

I have top it with crispy fried shallot too. As i have forgotten to get the spring onion and chillies, so there's no garnishing. However, it still taste wonderful without the garnishing although i must admit that there's a lack of color which is my greatest mistake when come to food presentations.

Talking about food presentations, i have make this peanut dainties too. The recipe is available in my bon appetite blog. Well, as i reviewed my recipe folder slide show, i noticed that many of my food pictures are very badly done back then. As i was a lousy photographer armed with a lousy camera back then, (i'm still a lousy photographer now even though i have just bought a new camera not too long ago), many of the food pictures were badly done which is such a disservice to the many wonderful recipe shared. As i blog along, i have gained some experience on food presentations, i very much wanted to revamp the pictures which was badly taken back then. Well, today i make the 1st move by revamping my peanut dainties which melts in the mouth.

Comparatively, these pictures looks so much better than my last pictures done a couple of years back.

Mmmm......... i'm still very much into this rainbow thing. It's a pity that i missed this beautiful rainbow a couple of weeks back. I abstracted these 2 pictures from other blog and present it here for my own safe keeping. These pictures were so well taken and it's will be such a waste not to share it. Hopefully, when the next miracle like this happened, i will be able to take such professional photos too.......