All posts by Kathy May

Paper Flowers: Part 1 – Make the Petals

VISIT ALL THE POSTS IN OUR “PAPER FLOWERS” HOW-TO SERIES!
Paper Flowers: Introduction
Paper Flowers: Part 1 – Make the Petals
Paper Flowers: Part 2 – Coming soon….!

PAPER FLOWERS: PART 1 – MAKE THE PETALS

Years ago, my mom taught me how to make these paper flowers (click here to see some examples), and they have become one of my most favorite projects. My mom herself learned and perfected the technique so that she could make a bouquet for me and a boutonniere for Silas. Now it is my pleasure to share this paper-craft with you. Continue reading Paper Flowers: Part 1 – Make the Petals

Laser-Cut Lunar New Year Rooster Cards

Happy Lunar New Year! Year 2017 is the Year of the Rooster! To welcome in the Lunar New Year (called Tết in Việt and 新年 in Chinese), we made Rooster greeting cards to fill red envelopes (called lì xì in Vietnamese, hong bao in Mandarin, lai see in Cantonese). In our cultures, these red envelopes represent good luck and are distributed to children and unmarried individuals. We deviated from tradition in that Continue reading Laser-Cut Lunar New Year Rooster Cards

Bánh Giầy (Steamed Glutinous Rice Cakes)

Last weekend we hosted a party to welcome in the Lunar New Year (Việt New Year = Tết; Chinese New Year = 新年)! We made bánh giầy and they turned out beautifully. We want to share the recipe with you! You will see that the ingredients are few (things you would find in any typical Việt kitchen), the process is straightforward, and these are easy-to-make.

Bánh giầy (pronounced “ban yay,” sometimes incorrectly written as “bánh dầy” or even “bánh dày”) is a yummy and simple Việt snack. It is a glutinous rice patty steamed on banana leaf, usually served sandwiched with giò lựa (also known as Continue reading Bánh Giầy (Steamed Glutinous Rice Cakes)

Magic Mirror: Part 1 – Smart Mirror Proof of Concept

This is part one of our latest home automation project. We all check ourselves in the mirror on our way out of our home. What if, in addition to showing us our appearance, the mirror also showed us some important information about the world into Continue reading Magic Mirror: Part 1 – Smart Mirror Proof of Concept

3D Origami: Part 2 – Create the Ring Base

VISIT ALL THE POSTS IN OUR 3D ORIGAMI HOW-TO SERIES!
3D Origami: Introduction
3D Origami: Part 1 – Fold the Component Pieces
3D Origami: Part 2 – Make a Ring Base
3D Origami: Part 3 – Coming Soon!

3D ORIGAMI: PART 2 – CREATE THE RING BASE

Now that you have made a large pile of triangular component pieces (see “Part 1: Fold the Component Pieces“), we can start to build a ring base! A ring base is a versatile foundation for any Continue reading 3D Origami: Part 2 – Create the Ring Base

Pysanky: Part 2 – Materials List for Ukrainian Easter Eggs

Click here to see “Pysanky: Part 1 – Our First Ukrainian Easter Eggs” in which we decorated our first pysanky with our friends Anjie and Lily and give an overview of the process.

In preparation of making our pysanky, we required a number of specialized equipment. Even though pysanka-making kits are Continue reading Pysanky: Part 2 – Materials List for Ukrainian Easter Eggs

“Happy Mother’s Day… for daughters and sons who have lost their moms”


Story and artwork by Kathy May Tran

Click here to see story published on Mogul, an online publishing platform for women.

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Dear Mom, happy Mother’s Day.
Today is your day and we want you to know that.
Thank you for everything.
We love you.

We have all said these words before. In fact, we have said them on this day every year for as many years as we can remember. Nothing has changed – we still mean every single word and we still love our mothers just as much, even more. But, at the same time, everything has changed – because now we say these words with our hearts and not with Continue reading “Happy Mother’s Day… for daughters and sons who have lost their moms”