Tsumami Zaiku / Kanzashi Petals on Fabric Covered Buttons

Button is one of my favorite item in the craft world, especially fabric covered button.

I've been fascinated by cute fabric covered buttons and how versatile they are. The range of their versatility is amazing: from hair accessories to jewelry. The projects that you can do with fabric covered buttons are countless!

I was browsing the net and found this: tsumami zaiku on a fabric covered button.  What a great idea to combine fabric covered buttons with tsumami zaiku.

To make the fabric covered buttons I use two types of covered buttons: the metal ones and the plastic ones. The plastic ones are known as kurumi buttons. The difference is that kurumi buttons don't have metal backs. Kurumi buttons are used to create projects such as small coin case.

 

When I use kurumi buttons in my tsumami zaiku projects, I have to create a base made of cardboard which I attach on the back of the kurumi button. When I use the metal buttons, I don't have to do that.

I will write about how to make it. But briefly, it's pretty easy. Cover both the metal top and the back with a piece of fabric. On the back attach 2 pieces braided elastic crisscrossing each other. Then attach the back on with strong glue. Leave it for a couple of hours. When set, it's ready to be decorated with tsumami zaiku flower or petals.

This can be attached and detached. Attach it on a hair clip, headband, brooch, or even a choker ribbon to make is as choker pendant.

This my first batch of fabric covered buttons with tsumami zaiku. Some of these are available on my Etsy shop.

Vegan/Vegetarian Tofu Spinach Potstickers

It's been ages since I wrote the tempe recipe.

I've been an on-and-off vegetarian since I moved to Japan. I was a vegetarian back in my home country in Indonesia. But in Japan, I found it a bit hard to become a vegetarian. Mainly because the vegetable protein is quite expensive in comparison to that in Indonesia. For example tempeh. I always love tempeh and used to eat that on daily basis in Indonesia but in Japan, it's kind of luxurious.

Fortunately there thousands of vegan/vegetarian recipes on the net, which I can easily adjust and improvise. One of them is tofu spinach potstickers.

I've always loved potstickers! Can't get enough of them. I just LOVE dumplings.

I've been making different types of potstickers or dumplings. My most favorite ingredients for the filling are shitake mushroom, cabbage, and tofu. Sometimes I use the inggredients alternately e.g. mushroom and cabbage, mushroom and tofu, cabbage and tofu.

I just got a lot of vegetables from my mother in-law. I got carrots, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, and many more. I also got some spinach. I always get home with a lot of vegetables whenever my husband and I pay a visit to my parents in-law for dinner.

Anyway, I was going to make tofu cabbage potstickers when I saw the horenzo or Japanese spinach in the kitchen. I thought why not making tofu spinach potstickers?
I got this recipe TOFU and SPINACH Potstickers.
But I made some changes in the recipe. I didn't use frozen but fresh spinach. I also didn't add soy sauce, scallions, or Worcestershire sauce. I also didn't prepare any sauce. My husband and I seldom need dipping when we eat potstickers.

So this is the recipe. The filling is just enough for maybe 34 - 40 potstikers depending on the size of your wonton skin. I have difficulty guessing how much ginger needed as some people might LOVE ginger and some might not so. So you can always add the amount of ginger according to your taste. And another difference is that I add ground sesame instead of sesame oil.

Ingredients:
400 gr (14  ounces) of firm tofu crumbled (if the tofu is not firm enough, you can get the water out by wrapping the tofu in a cloth and press)
200 gr (7 ounces) of chopped spinach
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1" ginger, finely chopped
1 - 2 tablespoons of flour
1 - 2 teaspoons of ground sesame
1.5 teaspoons of salt. (or 1 teaspoon if you want to eat the potstickers with dipping sauce.
Wonton skins

1. Mix well all the ingredients.
2. Stuff the wonton skins with the filling. Check here on how to wrap the filling. Wonderful and easy technique.

3. Prepare a skillet and add a little oil and fry the potstickers. Don't let potstickers burn (though I sometimes do ha ha ha). Just fry until they're slightly brown on each side.

Now the potstickers are ready!Sorry for the not-so-good photo! But the taste is yummy!