Tag Archives: How-To

DIY Doggie Wrap (or Baby Wrap)

Click here to watch our DIY doggie wrap in action – featuring Mimi!

Mothers hailing from different cultures on every continent have been “wearing” babies upon their own bodies for centuries. Traditionally, baby-wearing is a convenient and pragmatic method to keep track of little ones, while continuing activities of daily life and maintaining the intimacy of mother and child.

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Nowadays in North America, baby-carrying cloths are trendy accessories that are marketed under brands like Moby WrapBoba Wrap, and Baby K’Tan. But why limit baby-wearing slings, wraps, and carriers to human babies? We decided to make our own wrap… for our pup Mimi! Continue reading DIY Doggie Wrap (or Baby Wrap)

Thịt Kho Tiêu (Braised Caramelized Pork)

Vietnamese cuisine is famous for complexity of flavor; the classic dish of thịt kho (braised caramelized meat ) is a perfect example of this concept, manifesting the balanced blend of sweet and salty… yum! There are a number of variations of thịt kho – all are absolutely delicious – with differences in cut of meat, cooking method, saltiness, amount of sauce, etc. In addition, every home cook develops her or his own style, technique, and taste preferences too! In this post we’d like to share with you one absolutely mouth-watering version of thịt kho that Continue reading Thịt Kho Tiêu (Braised Caramelized Pork)

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

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

Arduino Thermostat: Part 1 – Introduction

Our first major foray into home automation is an Arduino-controlled, Internet-connected thermostat for our apartment. Our HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) unit doesn’t have a connection for an external thermostat, so we couldn’t just Continue reading Arduino Thermostat: Part 1 – Introduction

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

IKEA Hack: Sunken Succulent Lack Table Garden

We are very excited about our latest project which is a practical and eye-pleasing addition to our new apartment. It combines a number of our interests: recycling, gardening, home improvement, and doing it ourselves! It’s moving season and we found a set of discarded IKEA Lack side tables. Here is Mimi modeling one of them. They’re a little Continue reading IKEA Hack: Sunken Succulent Lack Table Garden