Month: December 2010

Food Corner: Christmas Cookies

Published by Sula H.

It’s about time to introduce you to a new section on my blog – the “Food Corner”. Many people think that China has all these weird foods and that living here must be quite a challenge. While it is true that people in China eat some things that Western people might find strange or even repulsive, most of the dishes I get to see on a day to day basis are plain delicious and very enjoyable. So, in the Food Corner, I’m hoping to do away with some of the misconceptions about Chinese food and show you what culinary treasures they really have to offer! First, however, I’ll start with a rather Western treat. It’s Christmas season after all, and since China doesn’t really celebrate Christmas (hence no Christmas foods/treats) for the next couple of weeks we’ll stay rather Western, before we dive into the secrets of Chinese cuisine. So, today … Let’s talk cookies! I started my first cookie baking venture of this season just the other day. Actually, to be honest, it wasn’t …

Behind the Scenes: Organizing Files

Published by Sula H.

There are always lots of people wondering about what’s a good way to store your digi-scrap files and how to stay on top of all the stuff you have, that is: how to stay organized. After all, digi-scrapping can get quite as messy as actual paper scrapping, if you don’t have a good system on how to store your goodies and keep your desktop clean. Now, I’m aware that there are almost as many ways of storing things, as there are different types of scrappers. But I thought, today I’d give you some insight into what I’m doing to keep things neat and easy to find. Here’s What I Do The first thing I do after downloading and unzipping a folder is to rename each individual file in the folder. I keep the original names, but in front I add information stating the type of the supply (background, mat, button, bow, ribbon, label, flower, stitch, stamp, brush, beads, scatters, paint strokes, weather elements, etc.) and the colors involved (I only use main colors such as: …

Places to Go: Xi’An – Terracotta Warriors

Published by Sula H.

One of the sites China is most famous for is the Terracotta Army in Xi’An. In terms of historical and national significance, it ranks up there right together with the Great Wall. Now, there are people who have gone there and say that after all it’s quite a disappointing experience, since you can only see those warriors from afar, but I think visiting the terracotta army is still very impressive. There are several underground vaults, the first one holding 6000 terracotta figures of warriors and horses alone. Displayed, you will find soldiers of different ranks and purpose, anything from archers and horsemen to generals and other senior officers. Some are kneeling, while others are standing. Having been buried for more than 2000 years, it’s a fascinating spectacle: Each warrior was crafted with an individual face and appearance, the sculptors even paying attention to such details as the lines in the hands or the shoe prints, let alone all the intricate makings of each individual’s clothes. Rumor has it that if a manufacturer didn’t complete his …

Happy St. Nicolaus Day!

Published by Sula H.

St. Nicolaus Day is not the kind of holiday anyone around here would know about. That, however, doesn’t mean I can’t celebrate it. Not that I really care about St. Nicolaus, but I like the presents that come with this day. Of course, I can’t expect any presents myself (nobody here knows about St. Nicolaus, remember?), but I still can have presents for others. So today, with the help of some of my students, I baked some cookies to give away to some of my friends. Now, it’s too late to give them to my friends in time for St. Nicolaus Day, but then – since no one really knows about it here anyways – who cares about such things as getting a present exactly on St. Nicolaus Day? I can give them their little gifts any other time, right?! Well then, happy St. Nicolaus Day!

Monday Highlight: Country Christmas

Published by Sula H.

So, I guess it’s about time to start talking about some Christmas stuff here in the Monday Highlight. And even though there are tons of adorable new Christmas kits out (I’m a sucker for Christmas kits – have I told you I have tons of them already and still have keep adding new ones to my stash), today I want to show you one Christmas scrapbook that was released last year, but I’m still completely in love with it … Country Christmas by Melissa Bennett Basically, I love everything about this kit. It’s range of colors allows for quite versatile layouts, the embellishments are over all cute and I love the warmth that spreads through each page created with this gem. Here’s a page of mine using “Country Christmas” and a template by Julie Billingsley (part of the Cookies 4 Kids project over at SSD). I just started baking the first Christmas cookies of the season the other day, and Melissa’s kit is just perfect to use for that theme, as it has some cookies …

Monday Highlight: Country Christmas

Published by Sula H.

So, I guess it’s about time to start talking about some Christmas stuff here in the Monday Highlight. And even though there are tons of adorable new Christmas kits out (I’m a sucker for Christmas kits – have I told you I have tons of them already and still have keep adding new ones to my stash), today I want to show you one Christmas scrapbook that was released last year, but I’m still completely in love with it … Country Christmas by Melissa Bennett Basically, I love everything about this kit. It’s range of colors allows for quite versatile layouts, the embellishments are over all cute and I love the warmth that spreads through each page created with this gem. Here’s a page of mine using “Country Christmas” and a template by Julie Billingsley (part of the Cookies 4 Kids project over at SSD). I just started baking the first Christmas cookies of the season the other day, and Melissa’s kit is just perfect to use for that theme, as it has some cookies …

Bake Sale

Published by Sula H.

I thought, I’d share with you what I got at the bake sale last night. It’s truly amazing what some of my colleagues are able to do with just a little bit of chocolate, vanilla, coconut flakes, flour, sugar etc. I got three pieces of goodness, and all the money went to help a charity project around here. They had a silent auction to sell the cakes and I bet some people spend a good amount of money on some of those cakes. But well, it’s Christmas season – the perfect time for some extra treats!

CT Spotlight (12/04)

Published by Sula H.

It’s Sweetshoppe Saturday again, and this means there are some new releases by Libby and Darcy. First off, Darcy has the new Treat of the Month templates out, this month “Inspired by Laci.” And once you’re there, don’t forget to pick up the fun Bingo templates by Libby (also using Darcy’s new 8×8 Bragging Templates on this layout).