My handcrafted leather fold over clutch-Amber

My handcrafted leather fold over clutch has lustrous and buttery soft hand feel. It is lined with black and white animal print. Simple yet Chic! It can be dressed up with your sequined dress for dinner or dressed down with your weekend causal jeans wear. The perfect size( 10 1/4” x 9 1/2” ) to carry your daily essential items.

To visit VHNYBoutique for more details, click here

https://www.etsy.com/listing/170464399/handcrafted-leather-fold-over-clutch-at?

Don’t have an etsy account? No problem! I accept Paypal

My handcrafted leather fold over clutch

My handcrafted leather fold over clutch has lustrous and buttery soft hand feel. It is lined with black and white polka dots print. Simple yet Chic! The soft lemon yellow color brightens your daily outfits. The perfect size( 10 ” x 10 1/2” ) to carry your daily essential items. 

To visit VHNYBoutique for more details, click here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/170465561/handcrafted-leather-folded-over-clutch?ref=shop_home_active

Don’t have an etsy account? No problem! I accept Paypal.

My handmade striped denim oversized tote

My handmade striped denim oversized tote. Luxe calf leather bottom finished with raw edges and hand stitching combined with genuine leather handles provide wonderful contrast to the denim. Zipped enclosure ensures security. Roomy emerald green interior contains two compartments. Large compartment is perfect for carrying your personal items. Smaller compartment has a leather clasp and is perfect for storing a laptop or ipad- keeping it free of scratches. Two small additional interior pockets add to this versatile design.

To visit VHNYBoutique for more details, please click here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/169541278/handmade-striped-denim-with-leather?ref=shop_home_active

Regal Red

My original watercolor painting of "Red". Red struck a regal pose on the porch next to his buddy Frankie (you will be introduced to him later!). I enjoyed painting him very much! 

My Handmade " Geisha' Laptop Case

Stylishly protect your iPad from dirt and scratches! This sleek padded case is 3/4” thick and made of 100% linen. It features a metallic gold coated outer linen shell and contains a cheery bright orange liner. The metallic gold is very subtle and the fabric is soft to touch. Makes a great holiday gift! You can add any greeting @ the back as you wish!

Custom sized laptop cases are available!

To visit VHNYBoutique click here :
http://www.etsy.com/listing/168276024/geisha-cutom-handmade-11-13-macbook-air?ref=listing-shop-header-0

Don’t have an etsy account? No problem! I accept paypal.

Planting Seeds of Kindness

Tie kindness to planting seeds -- seeds start small and they grow and sprout into big plants or huge trees just like kindness can grow. 

A week ago, someone wanted to order my ' Dandelion Wish" Iphone case for her sister's upcoming birthday via etsy - VHNYBoutique. She mentioned that her sister knew me.

Yes, Her sister was a friend of S. We met during the Lawrenceville School reunion this May. Before then, she told me where I could secretly plant My Little Norway Spruce, in central park. 

I decided that I would give her the case as her birthday gift! They wanted order 5 cases to support my fledgling business as return. They love my painting, and sent me their pets pictures for portrait. I had not painted many animals before! They were so adorable! I did enjoy painting them. Kate - the border collie, was the most challenging one. She just passed away. They did not have a good shot of her. I had to rely on a very blurry picture of her and how they described her to create the image of Kate. I understood how much she meant to them, it was so emotional. I took the project very seriously! Fortunately, the outcome was great! Here are the cases I created! My original paintings are much nicer. It is inevitable and unfortunate that some details and color saturation are sacrificed during the printing process!

Click the image

Marley 

Happy Halloween- The Story of " Raven and Spider"

Love the iphone 5S gold. I am going to get one. For the coming Halloween, I made the “Raven and Spider” for my Iphone 5s. It’s made with metallic gold coated 100% lien and lined with neon orange 100% linen. Very sophistic looking!

My Handcrafted "Dandelion Wishes " iphone Case

Dandelion Wishes

Hope all of your dandelion wishes come true!

My Handcrafted Leather Flower Clutch

 My handcrafted persueded chamois leather flower clutch ( LP1303) has lustrous and buttery soft hand feel. It can be dressed up with your sequined dresses for dinner or dressed down with your weekend casual jeans wear. The perfect size( 14" x 8 1/4" ) can carry your daily essential items.

A cozy afternoon in the fall

Taxi!

kate Spade! How brilliant! Make me smile :)

An antique folding screen

I got this 60"x36" beautiful folding screen at a neighbor's garage sale down the street when I lived in NJ. It is an antique Chinese painting in very good condition. It was framed using a high quality traditional frame technique that you no longer can find today. I believe it was created sometime between 1920~1945. My neighbor told me that it belonged to her father who was an American spy during the WWII and had sadly passed away. It was a gift from a Chinese governor of Zhejiang province at that time. The governor painted it himself. I paid $15 for it! What a steal!

Happy 4th July firework!

                                 This is a short version of the firework. 5 frames animate GIF.

Happy 4th July!

               65 frames GIF file captured most of the spectacular NYC Macy's firework.

The Roaring Twenties Fashion

Coming out the theater, despite feeling sad about lives that were corrupted by selfishness and greed, I was blown away by Baz Luhmann's version of The Great Gatsby.  His vision of the story was painted with lavish thematic scenes and featured the vibrant styles of Jazz Era. Miuccia Prada and Catherine Martin designed over 50 costumes for the film- the Golden Twenties' style with modern infusion. I have always been fascinated by the 20's. Its style is so distinguishable that even 90 years later, almost everyone still can recognize it.

My personal opinion is that the 20's was the beginning of the modern age. Coco Chanel said" fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening." The world changed rapidly after WWI and fashion changed along with it. The Flappers - young women at the time, left their corsets behind and put on a cloche hat to cover their short locks.  They wore the dresses without waist or dropped the waistlines to their low hips and enjoyed the looseness of the prime time of their lives. Their dresses with the hemline just below the knees was often adorned with excessive fur and sequins. Fashion had changed, and it would never be the same.

Straight sheath dresses with Art Deco jeweling and applique, low-waist frocks, pleating and flounces pay homage to the twenties high fashion.

菩萨蛮- 南唐后主- 李煜

花明月暗笼轻雾，今宵好向郎边去。

刬袜步香阶，手提金缕鞋。

画堂南畔见，一向偎人颤。

奴为出来难，教君恣意怜。

My Little Norway Spruce

This is our Norway Spruce tree in a park of New York city for the earth day 2013. Hopefully, it will grow tall as it should. According to the instruction, I need water it once a week for the first few weeks until the seedling is well established. Good luck little tree:)!

Apple carrot celery juice

This morning, I made the apple carrot celery juice. It tastes great! It is also effective as a weight loss aid.

It's so effective is true for all juicing recipes; fresh fruit and vegetable drinks are very low in calories, surprisingly filling, and extremely nutritious.

The other factor that makes this particular veggie combo an ideal one when using a juicer for weight loss lies in the potassium and sodium ratio within the celery.

Celery has a balance of sodium and potassium that works to actually stimulate urine and help remove excess water and uric acid from the kidneys. 

Additional health benefits of this juicing recipe:
- Carrot is very high in Vitamin A, as well as Vitamins B and C, Iron and calcium.
- Apples are high in Vitamins and minerals, and are a good source of pectin and antioxidants.
- Celery has a compound called Phthalide, which can reduce high blood pressure by relaxing the vessels that blood flows through.
- Without adding any significant calories to your daily intake, you get a generous does of a wide assortment of very valuable vitamins and minerals.

3 Carrots
1/2 Cumcumber
1 Apple 
2 Celery sticks
( I added a small piece of fresh ginger for a kick)

Wash all fruits and vegetables well. Cut the ends off of the carrots before juicing them. It’s not necessary to peel or deseed any of the fruit or veggies; the juicer will separate it for you. However, in this recipe, you should peel the cucumber to avoid mixing the green color with the  orange color of the cattots. As we all know that orange and green mixed together will create color brown. Drink the mix immediately after you make it for the highest nutritional value.

Juicing fruits and vegetables is amazingly healthy. There is not a single bottled brand out there that can even come close to competing with what fresh juice has to offer. Aside from being more healthful, some mass produced juices are actually harmful because of their added preservatives and sugars. When you make your own at home, it’s not only fresh, it’s also 100% pure. 

Yummy Green Juice

I am on a mission to find the great tasting vegetable juice recipes. I am a foodie and want to live a healthy lifestyle without sacrificing the joys of life.

Today I made a yummy green juice. I was surprised how tasty this recipe was.

The body of this recipe is the green apple, a rich source of fiber, vitamins C, A, B6, riboflavin, iron, calcium, potassium, zinc, manganese and copper.

To make: Use 1 green apples, 1/4 cup of celery, 1/2 cup of broccoli and 1/8 cup of parsley, turn the juicer on and serve.

Note: this is a green (literally) recipe that is tasty on its own but if you prefer it cold, you may pour it into a glass filled a quarter of the way with ice.

Stonehenge

Finally, visited the stonehenge! 

Wished the weather was not that cold, so we could enjoy it more.

Big Ben in London

A view of Big Ben from London Eye

Tower of London

Tower of London

Elegant Helmet

Charging An Electric Car

Never seen this before. It is very cool.

A Gigantic Steel Shoe

In a freezing night, walking past the Selfridges window at Oxford street in London,

the gigantic shoe caught my eyes.

It was made from steel pots and lids.  

Brilliant!

London Trip- Hotel

Mandarin Oriental Hotel-hyde park london

Room service breakfast

Contrast

Happy Valentine's Day!

Beautiful Roses

Lady M's Gateaux au Chocolate

Dense and creamy!

Sen - A sushi restaurant 

Vday menu with 8 courses, we love every one of them

 we definitely will go back

Super Bowl Dinner

Baked honey chicken wings for the Super Bowl Dinner.Yummy!

I think Beyoncey's performance is the best halftime show that I have seen.

Sunday Breakfast.

Creamy Pappardelle with Leeks and Bacon

Got the recipe from Bon Appetit. This twist on pasta carbonara is sweet from leeks and rich thanks to cream.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2' pieces
2 medium leeks, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise
kosher salt
3/4 cu heavy cream
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 lb pappardelle or fettuccine
1 cup finely grated parmesan or grana padano

Method

Heat oil and butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring often, until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, 5-8 minutes. Add leeks and season with salt. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often, until leeks begin very soft, 5-8 minutes. Add cream, thyme, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and boats the back of a soon, 5-8 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain past , reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid.

Add pasta, parmesan, and 1 cup pasta cooking liquid to sauce and stir to coat, in crease heat to medium and continue stirring, adding more cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta.

It is a slightly heavy dish. I pare it up with roasted cauliflower, white onions, bell pepper and brussel sprouts. It is very tasty! 

My Tofu Soup

I love to put all kinds of different mushrooms into this soup. 

Homemade vegetable broth with korean hot pepper paste (roasted) is so flavorful!

Baby Bok choy, silk tofu, and egg make the soup so filling like a full meal- without any guilty feeling! 

Cantonese-style Steamed Catfish

Love the steamed fish. It's so easy to make! This delicious recipe is healthy and low fat without compromising on flavor. 


Ingredients

450g/ 1lb catfish fillet divided to 2 plates. I personally like the fillets better than the whole fish for less work. Any firm white fish will be good for the recipe, such as cod, sea bass or halibut,

1 tsp coarse sea salt 

11/2 tbsp finely shredded 2" long fresh root ginger

3 tbsp finely shredded 2" long scallions

2 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp sesame oil

Fresh cilantro to garnish

Method

1. Pat the fish dry with kitchen paper and evenly rub with salt (you can lightly coat corn starch for more tender texture). Put the fish on a heatproof plate and scatter the ginger over the the top.
2. Put the plate of fish on the rack, cover tightly and steam the fish until it is just cooked. Fillets will take about 10 minutes; whole fish, or or fillets such as sea bass, will take 12-14 minutes. The fish should turn opaque and flake slightly but still remain moist.
3. Remove the plate of cooked fish and pour off any liquid that may have accumulated. Scatter the scallion on the fish, then drizzle over the light and dark soy sauces.
4. Heat the two oils together in a small saucepan until smoking, then immediately pour them over the fish. Garnish with coriander and serve at once with cooked rice.