Personalized Baby Gifts

Why settle for common ( aka boring ) boxed gifts when you can actually design something unique as a present . I love making personalize gifts , and receiving them as well :) There is nothing more special than someone actually putting careful thoughts when buying a present , wanting the recipient to receive something truly special for a very special occasion. At our boutiques , you can handselect the items you want to put in your gift sets , and for larger corporate orders we can also design extra large luxurious gift sets to impress your client.


We've been getting a couple of name embroidery requests lately on quilts , blankets and pillows as present. It instantly personalizes any gift , making it extra special for the person receiving it . You start by choosing the item you want made , the fabrics that you like and any extras you want on the item .

and you can never have too many pillows and blankets made from our huge selection of children fabrics.

If you visit the Little Haven boutique at the Curve or SACC Mall , the staff will be able to help you choose the right fabric from our fabric swatches. However , if you are planning bigger projects such as designing an entire nursery or fullfilling an important corporate order, you are always welcome to make an appointment to visit our sewing studio in Seksyen 7 Shah Alam where you can view our FULL range of fabrics . Just dont mind the clutter , after all its an active studio :)

We also accept bulk orders on customized corporate gifts such as baby sets and festive hampers especially Hari Raya . We assemble a gourmet selection of yummy goodies and assemble them beautifully in wicker baskets or premium boxes , adorned with gorgeous ribbonry and trimmings. Every year our corporate customers are delighted with the kind of attention and care we give when making the hampers , making sure that the gifts uphold the distinguished image of our esteemed clients . For inquiries on festive orders , please call Sharmi at 0122895141 or email sashahra@hotmail.com with the heading "Corporate Orders"



the Dress! the Dress!

I am absolutely loving the dress , especially the description in the official Royal Wedding Page. The lace is simply exquisite , gracing the V neck , appliqued on the skirt and even to the silk tulle underskirt . I also like the long sleeve with detailings at the wrist and the mist like silk tulle as veil covering her face.

The lace appliqué for the bodice and skirt was hand-made by the Royal School of Needlework, based at Hampton Court Palace.  The lace design was hand-engineered (appliquéd) using the Carrickmacross lace-making technique, which originated in Ireland in the 1820s.  Individual flowers have been hand-cut from lace and hand-engineered onto ivory silk tulle to create a unique and organic design, which incorporates the rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock.

Hand-cut English lace and French Chantilly lace has been used throughout the bodice and skirt, and has been used for the underskirt trim.  With laces coming from different sources, much care was taken to ensure that each flower was the same colour.  The whole process was overseen and put together by hand by Ms Burton and her team.

The dress is made with ivory and white satin gazar.  The skirt echoes an opening flower, with white satin gazar arches and pleats.  The train measures two metres 70 centimetres.  The ivory satin bodice, which is narrowed at the waist and padded at the hips, draws on the Victorian tradition of corsetry and is a hallmark of Alexander McQueen’s designs.  The back is finished with 58 gazar and organza covered buttons fastened by Rouleau loops.  The underskirt is made of silk tulle trimmed with Cluny lace.

The Fabrics
French Chantilly lace was combined with English Cluny lace to be hand-worked in the Irish Carrickmacross needlework tradition.
All other fabrics used in the creation of the dress were sourced from and supplied by British companies.  The choice of fabrics followed extensive research by Sarah Burton and her team.
The Royal School of Needlework (RSN), based at Hampton Court Palace, assisted the Alexander McQueen team in accurately cutting out the delicate motifs from the lace fabrics and positioning the lace motifs with precision into the new design. The lace motifs were pinned, ‘framed up’ and applied with stab stitching every two to three millimetres around each lace motif. The workers washed their hands every thirty minutes to keep the lace and threads pristine, and the needles were renewed every three hours, to keep them sharp and clean. . . . The RSN workers included existing staff, former staff, tutors, graduates and students, with the youngest aged 19.

If at first her dress caught my attention , it was the flower girls dresses that really kept me glued to the TV . I am loving the clean pleated skirt which flared very nicely both on the 3 year old and an 8 year old flower girl . Its clean , traditional , and timeless . I can also see a flower girl dress version of Kate's dress , so I might just do that and have it on display at the boutique . We shall wait and see :)

The Young Bridesmaids’ Dresses
The young Bridesmaids’ dresses were designed by childrenswear designer Nicki Macfarlane to echo the Bride’s dress.  The four dresses were hand-made by Ms Macfarlane and her daughter Charlotte Macfarlane at their homes in Wiltshire and Kent.

The Bridesmaids’ dresses have been created using the same fabrics as the Bride’s dress.  The ballerina-length, full, box pleated skirt gives the dresses a sculptural quality, with the layering of ivory over white satin gazar adding depth of colour.  They have all been hand-finished with delicate English Cluny lace, which is visible under the skirts, and four layers of net underskirt.  The puff sleeves and neckline are trimmed with the same English lace as the Bride’s underskirt.  The backs have been finished with the same button detail. 

The sashes are made of pale gold, wild silk, which is tucked at the front and tied at the back in a sumptuous bow.

As a special memento, the Bridesmaid’s name and the date of the wedding have been hand-embroidered onto the lining of each dress.

Ol School Kekabu Baby Set

My grandma used to stitch a bedding set for my siblings and I when we were born either by using her foot paddle Singer machine or by hand. I remember her making a bedding set for my youngest brother using yellow and brown gingham . She would then use a pencil to draw diamond lines criss crossing the lightly padded mattress cover (dont think they have fabric pen then ) . And her pillows always comes with matching ruffles which she will carefully make by pulling the bobbin thread to get a nice even gather. On that baby set, we would sleep , cry , eat , laugh and pretty much live our early lives.

When my son was born , she stitched a set made of dark blue gingham and send it to the States (kirim when my mom came to visit) . I assumed her deteriorating eyesight played a big role in the larger spaced diamond quilting :) It was very special because  I knew she made one for each and every one of us and now she is making one for her great grandchild. Now she cant see very well so Adam was the first and last greatgrandkid to enjoy her craft, but i hope to continue the tradition and give my siblings a nursery item each time I become an aunty :) Keeping up with the modern times , I'm using bold print fabrics AND my industrial Juki to get the job done . Also because its fasterlah.

I made some kekabu baby sets for my shop , but since it is very difficult to get 'kekabu' these days I could only make four sets for now. Each set comes with kekabu filled mattress , mattress cover , two kekabu pillows and two kekabu bolsters ( with coordinating cases ) .Kekabu ages well , and if dried under the hot sun and given a good pat and puff all over , it will become the best thing you've ever slept on . I mean your baby . But under supervision of course , because as with any beddings an infant should not be left unattended ( see what years of retail does to you - disclaimers and paranoia is a must to keep legal suits at bay )

Available at the Curve and SACC Mall ( may have different designs in each outlet , I like em to be special )

Cotton Kids Baju Kurung

Every year we churn out the most beautiful children baju kurungs for our customers who will come from all over Malaysia. And this year is no different . I have selected an interesting array of colors and prints , so everyone should be able to find a baju kurung that will fit your color theme for this year . As always we will have our customary Hari Raya booth on the ground floor of the Curve .

We've been busy sewing and sewing so you can have as much choice as possible . Every print is limited and i adore every single print that we have for this year's collection . Hopefully my customer do too.

Here's a snapshot of some press time we've had on our baju kurung . There's more magazine and newspaper clippings but with 4 kids , i sometimes forget to clip all of em.

2008 Hari Raya promotion ground Floor The Curve featured in Keluarga magazine.

This is my lovely daughter Aisyah Iman gracing the Little Haven Baju Kurung price tags . This is one of my favourite shots , and reminds me of the days when my daughter can model for me and its FREE . Now they're bigger and beautiful in their hijabs , Masya Allah. I should consider designing trendy hijabs for kids pulak kan  . 

Every year we try to sponsor baju kurungs to underprivileged kids, Insya Allah . I think this newspaper clippings is from the 2009 Hari Raya ( cannot remember lah ) .

This is my sewing table . Every Ramadhan its buried under piles and piles of cut unsewn cotton fabrics waiting to be made into yummy baju kurungs . This is one clutter that i love :)

In 2009 we were featured in the Fesyen De Raya TV segment hosted by the lovely Natasya Hudson. oh that smile- she is quite a beauty , and very friendly too .

The TV shoot at Little Haven was followed by a professional runway shoot

at the studio . Aiyoo , forgot to change shoes lah - still had my mocassins on when standing on the runway . Minutes earlier it was chaotic backstage when i had to dress the little kids and picked out the matching

accessories to go with which kids etc etc  But good fun :)

Two of the models in our baju kurungs.

This is our 2010 Hari Raya promotion at the Curve . I LOVE the way they do up the Centercourt

every year . Last year's theme was a traditional village 'pangkin' or porch . Look at that

intricate woodwork on our booth - make our clothes look absolutely

rich and traditional.

Raja Azura was one of the celebrities that came to the 2010 Iftar with the underprivileged

children where Little Haven sponsored baju kurungs , Focus Point sponsored glasses and Chicken Rice shop fed us yummy chicken rice and Sweet Chat desserts for iftar . yumms.

My precious kids . I hope to visit them soon .

New ! Kids print fabric

yeayy !!! my fabric are here . Fuh , i'm so glad my precious cargo arrived before the whole customs fiasco , otherwise who knows when we might receive our shipment.
Anyhow , i've started the drawing board on these lovely fabrics . Unfortunately these fabrics are not available for purchase since we plan to turn them into ready made lovelies that you can purchase at our outlets. Although...... if you get me the right latte , i may be pursuaded to sell a few metres here and there to you :)

Ballroom Dancing on Peach

Polkadotties

Disney Princess Roses

Butterfly Fairies

Butterflies on white

Toy Story print in blue

Winnie the Pooh Border print in blue.



Toy Story Pillow and case

  

Flannel Pillows and case .



Juicy Grilled Chicken 101

I dont really like to cook boneless chicken breast because its too 'fleshy' for curries and masak kicaps and such. BUT i love to simply grill them and eat them warm with good bread or lightly dressed mixed greens.

I made this last week with lightly salted brussel sprouts.

Chicken breast ( no skin )
Honey
Soy Sauce
Salt
Pepper

I usually try to flatten the chicken a little using the sides of my butcher knife just so i get a thinner piece that'll cook faster . ( speed is always of the essence in this house )
I marinate all of the above for 1 hour ( or sometimes 5 minutes if i'm in a hurry )
Heat grill on medium slow gas. Place chicken skin side down if you're leaving skin on.
Let it cook on one side for maybe 3 minutes ( depend on size ) before you turn and cook the other side.
Best to give it a good poke to peek n see if the inside is cooked. Let rest before you serve.
Dont overcook otherwise you get tough chicken meat .

VERY IMPORTANT Once removed from grill , let it 'rest' on the plate for at least 5-10 minutes before you slice . If you slice it immediately , all the chicken juice will escape and you'll be eating dry chicken. By letting it rest , all the juices is absorbed back into the meat and your chicken will be very very juicy .

Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

This is probably as close as i can get to the IHOP's pancakes i used to enjoy on freezing winter mornings back in Madison. If you follow the instructions to the letter , no way you can mess this up. The only thing to remember is test a small ladle first on the pan to test for the right heat. You can actually see the pancakes 'rise' when you flip it over. My kids LOVE LOVE LOVE them . Best eaten with what else other than maple syrup and cold butter ( not honey and majerin ye )

You need :-

1 cup flour

2 tbsp fine sugar

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 egg

2 tbsp butter (melted)

¾ cup milk

2 tbsp white vinegar

Add vinegar to milk and leave it for 5 minutes. The milk will look ‘bad’  but it’s supposed to look like that. That’s how I make buttermilk. 

Mix Flour , sugar , baking powder and soda bicarbonate.

Melt butter . Beat egg into butter . Then add this egg/butter mixture into the  now soured milk mixture.

Pour flour into wet mixture and whisk until you get a smooth batter . Like this :-

Heat non stick pan. Spray cooking oil or I just put some oil on kitchen tissue and wipe the pan base with it.

Use ladle and pour some batter on heated pan ( as large as you want your pancake to be )

Wait until edges are set before you flip. You’ll see some bubbles start to form. Flip. Give it about 30 seconds or so before its completely cooked.

When you flip , you can actually see the pancake 'rise' . I love it ! It means my pancake is going to be light and fluffy .

Serve it golden side up.  Best eaten with butter and maple syrup.



This is the recipe I’ve been using and it works for me  . It tastes buttery good and when you cook the pancakes , you can actually see them ‘rise’ which is a good thing because you’ll love light and fluffy pancakes .Just remember  to make sure that you flip once the edges are set and use medium low gas. Otherwise you wont get that golden , sunny pancakes like IHOP has J

Review : Dinos Alive at Pusat Sains Negara

I do try to take my kids to the National Science Centre as frequently as I can . Not because I am inspired to take after Que's dad's career and turn them into nuclear physics professors ( ok , maybe a little ) , but because that place is always buzzing with good science activities and interesting exhibition. Also there is nothing to shop there , so that's good for my shopping addiction.

Lucky for us this time around they're having the Dino's Alive exhibition.

The exhibition is quite well put together . There's 32 'life sized dinosours including a 16 feet Tyrannosaurus and a 23 feet Apatosaurus in the main lobby once you enter with head turning and tails swaying. And the two halls above were split between herbivors and carnivores ( neither of which Umar is willing to go into. He thinks they're alive ) Other attraction includes Dino Train , Fossil Digging , Dino Simulator and Robotic Animals. I wont post pictures because the exhibition is ongoing until 31st May 2011 and  i dont want to spoil the surprise for anyone interested in going. And the ramp up the first floor there's a huge chart explaining the evolution of dinosours from before Paleolitic sumthing ages till today . Que chuckled as i try to expertly describe the chart to the kids , and spare me maybe 5 minutes before telling me that i got the charts backwards. yes Sharmi , Dinosours dont come after mammoths .

All in all i'd highly recommend it to families with small kids. There's a huge play area for really small kids ( below 7 ) , experiments play area for bigger kids , a kindy like set up of toddler play area and a huge science park outdoor which we didnt get to explore because mummy was tired .

And how on earth I still manage to blew up almost 100 bucks at the gift shop i never know. *sigh*

Admission Charge :
Kids (4-7 years old ) RM5
Student *with student ID RM5
Adult 18 and above RM10
Family * 2 kids and 2 adults

Pusat Sains Negara
Persiaran Bukit Kiara
50662 Bukit Kiara
Kuala Lumpur
03.20921150  03.76651977

RapidKL service to Pusat Sains Negara
RapidKL bus no U83 (KL Sentral - Kompleks Kerajaan Jalan Duta route )


Businessmommy rating : **** stars .Good value for money . Can easily spend 3-4 hours exploring the entire place ( if you insist on trying all the experiments )

Baby Gifts Wholesale

One of my favourite department in my shop is our baby gifts section. So much so that i still insist on assembling all personalised gift baskets myself. I like the idea of giving something special, handpicked or personalised to a new mother in celebration of her newborn baby as much as i like giving beautifully ready made gift sets prepackaged with lovely things.

Some of the beautiful ready made gift sets you see in all our outlets are available for wholesale purchase with a minimum order as small as 3 pcs only per design depending on items.

Please send me an email at sharmishahrani@gmail.com with the heading WholesaleOrder if you wish to inquire about this products . Alternatively you can also sms me at 012-2895141

Baby Gift Set ( Large )
RM120
Wholesale Minimum 6 pcs

Baby Gift Set ( Large )
RM120
Wholesale Minimum 6 pcs

Baby Gift Set ( Large )
RM120
Wholesale Minimum 6 pcs

Baby bath gift set
Includes Towel , Bib and Toy
RM59.90

Baby bath gift set
Includes Towel , Bib and Toy
RM59.90



5 pcs baby bib set ( Assorted print )
RM39.90
Print : Blue star . Brown star , Pink heart , Pink flowers
Minimum 3 pcs per design



4 pcs Box Gift Set
RM49.90
Minimum 4 pcs

6 pcs box gift set
RM69.90
Minimum 4 pcs

Recipe : TriColor Beans and Prawn Salad

Umar was admitted to DEMC for Rotavirus recently which means I was stuck with hospital food for 3 solid days. Lucky for me DEMC offers room service since it'd be almost impossible for me to leave Umar by himself to get food . One of the salad that I ordered after much contemplation was a plate of ThreeBeans & Prawn salad. I didnt expect much from a hospital menu , especially when it comes to salads. Nonetheless , i was pleasantly surprised to find the simply prepared salad fresh , well seasoned , prawns juicy and its portion filling.

RECIPE

Very simple.
U need kidney beans ( drained ) , Chickpeas ( drained ) and Green beans ( if frozen, thaw and blanch Dont use canned beans ) , thinly sliced onions and tomatoes . Boil prawns in lightly salted water , drain .

Scatter everything over a plate of green salad ( i think butterhead works best for this recipe )
Squirt Thousand Island salad dressing all over.
Done

Told you its simple.

For mint tea , just add a bunch of fresh mint into your tea.