A Homemaker’s Diary

Have you ever heard about AMACO/Brent? Amaco (American Art Clay Co., Inc.) is the company that have been ‘Modeling Imagination Since 1919′ when they made the first American modeling clay! Since then, they have been an industry leader in classroom safety. Whereas Brent is the brand of the most popular potter’s wheels on the market known for their strength and durability.

If you check out the website, they have all kind of art glazes. Altogether they have 586 lead free glazes for school and professional use. Oh, they do ship to Malaysia as well you know!

Have you ever heard about bisque ceramic tiles? Bisque is the term used for unglazed pottery after first firing. The bisque ceramic tiles could be used as part of a lesson to make Persian tile art like this.

For those who are looking to buy your own ceramic kilns, you should consider getting one from AMACO. The AMACO kilns can last for 20-30 years. When they built their first kiln in 1931 they have started a commitment to quality that has withstood the test of time. They have two distinctly different types of kilns - Amaco® (square/rectangular) and Excel® (round).

I wish that Malaysian school system has all kind of art program especially ceramic art since the cost to buy all the materials are quite expensive. It would be good to introduce our future generation to such beautiful craft.

I was having a conversation online with a friend about her plan to buy a house. In Malaysia, people usually buy houses that have been built by developers so we have less choice to choose what type of house plans we desire. Unless we are really rich, can afford to buy vacant plot and pay for contractors to erect the house of our dream, we are doomed to buy whatever designs that the real estate developers come out with..huhu!

I was browsing through the website of HousePlansandMore.com. I wish one day when we have enormous amount of money, we could have something like this cottage in a quiet area.

They have so many cabin plans to choose from. You can even estimate the cost to build such house by inputting the zip code (available in USA only!) And with their Cost Estimator feature, you can also locate the house floor plans within your budget.

They also have so many styles to choose from - ranch, Tudor, Victorian, contemporary and many more. Check out their list of qualified builders. With their Builder’s Advantage program, builders get to receive discounts, free plan books and many benefits.

If you are building your own home, what features would you put as a must? I am all into large family area, 6 bedrooms with attached bathroom, and a kitchen fit for a cooking master. What about you?

Wouldn’t it be lovely to go on an
all inclusive vacation once a while? To relax and unwind, not having to worry about giving tip or taking your wallet anywhere. Enjoying an endless array of land and water sport (well, that’s not for me anyway) but having facial, massage, pedicure and manicure on the Caribbean vacation, oh, how I wish for that..

How wonderful would it be for me to try the Stone Therapy Massage. Said to be the perfect way to achieve total relaxation. The energetic rocks warmed in aromatic oils are used to melt away tension, resulting in a totally relaxed warming experience.

After that I would go for the Caribbean Hue “Blue Mahoe Signature Facial” - a detoxifying facial which is believed to be the perfect post-stressed treatment.

Sadly the all inclusive vacation package like this does not permit children. So I have to let go of my wish for now and wait till my son goes to college (which will take about 17 years to come..huhu!), unless Hubby is willing to stay home and look after our son while I go on Carribean vacation..heh!

I was watching Chef At Home tonight while waiting for the next round of cartoon that my son likes to watch when Chef Michael showed how he made a simple chocolate cake into a dump truck theme birthday cake for his 5-year-old son..cool idea which I hope I could emulate in few years time..heh!

Anyway, for those who are looking for great birthday ideas, perhaps a read through at the website will spark new ideas in your mind. A gift basket sounds like a normal stuff but if it comes with a gift card that says something like “never have to lift a finger today, Mom!”, that would be very touching and sweet.

Imagine having a day off as a mom, that would be something I would treasure so much.

Or if you are really out of ideas on what to do during your kids coming birthday party, a theme like spaceship or safari would be a joy for those curious and imaginative mind. If you have a bunch of creative children coming over for the birthday bash, you should consider throwing something like crayon or face painting party.

For the special man in your life, you can opt for something romantic like a couple massage. If you are the fun type who wouldn’t mind the extra effort, call a catering service (who would want to slave in the kitchen while others are enjoying themselves with the food and drinks?), invite friends to hang out and socialize, be it over a board game or dancing.

Who says being a year older means less fun?

I happened to stumble upon a site that sell a lot of great cell phone cases. Check out the picture below.

The above design for Apple iPhone 3G 3GS Case is named as White Spring Flower Faceplate. Free shipping for those in US.

The thing is I really need another phone at the moment. I kept on changing the SIM cards in and out from my Sony Ericsson phone to make personal call and to receive business related calls and SMS from students and clients since I only have one good phone at the moment. My old Ipaq died on me about a month ago..huhu! I miss that phone which has stylus which makes my life easier to send lengthy text to my craft students.

Should I get an iPhone to replace the Ipaq? I don’t like to learn technology like that touch screen..huhu!