Inspired by nature, shaped by talent

Ruwini Jayawardana

Some of Sagalie’s creations

The walls, room and the interior is full of life with colourful beads and remnants of nature reflecting a sense of comfort and elegance from every nook and corner of her house.

It all started off as an inexpensive and fun hobby but as years rolled on more and more creations joined her list. Each creation boasts of care, making it both beautiful and unique. Handmade designs made up of beads, dry flowers, ribbons and embroidery adorn the walls and the surroundings emphasising that the home belongs to an immensely skilled individual. Indeed Sagalie Liyanage is one who takes pride and uses her talent in an innovate manner.

She is no stranger to all those who take an interest towards making various new forms of handicraft. Her creations have adorned many women's magazines and she had shared her knowledge through a number of television programmes.

Sagalie had been a bundle of talent from her school days. Hailing from the outskirts of Colombo, she had schooled at Sujatha Balika, Matara and Mahamaya Girls' College, Kandy. Her father, Saliya Liyanage, was a Customs officer while her mother, Nalini, worked as a telephone operator. She was the eldest in a family of three.

"I was always contemplating new ideas. I used to ponder on the best way to make a handiwork out of the objects I came across in my day to day life. I collected objects generally considered as waste products and used them for my creations. I began with a variety of handmade cards before turning my attention to cushions, wall hangings, bags and murals. Not even a toffee wrapper escapes my fingers when my mind floats in a creative stream of thoughts," Sagalie recalled with a smile.

Not surprisingly she top scored in subjects such as handicrafts. Her teachers always found a difference in her products and this creative streak of the young girl enthraled them.

"When an idea takes shape in my mind, I do not hesitate to experiment. I did not wait for others to try out the methods and hand it over to me on a platter," she said.

Sagalie worked at Airport Navigation Services before marrying Aruna Kooragamage, an engineer. The couple are blessed with two daughters and it was in 1996 that Sagalie undertook her second journey with creativity. "I designed and created dresses for my daughters. Later I began studying magazines, weekly newspapers and the Internet, gleaning information on innovative methods of designing. I added my own ideas to these techniques and new creations took form," she expressed adding that she had introduced around 50 designs so far.

"Bead works are a bit time consuming as you have to thread or glue each bead to form the design. It took me nearly a month to do this particular creation," she quipped, displaying a colourful cushion cover of a hen and chicks designed by gluing plastic beads.

"There are some flowers like Statis and everlasting which dry naturally. There are around 10 to 12 variety of colours in Statis which bloom in April. Though the flowers bleach when they dry out, the colour never fades," she explained her creations with dried flowers adding that the bunches should be tied together into small bunches and hung with the flowers facing downwards to dry. Sagalie conducts a class for those eager to learn the art. An exhibition is also on the cards next year.

Does she believe that the products are of good market value ?

"Certainly. They make a lovely gift item for loved ones and people nowadays are so into natural handmade products. Many face a dilemma when they think of what they should give as a gift to a friend. What better way to touch their hearts than through a dainty creation made with your own hands ?" Apart from her handiwork, Sagalie is also a talented lyricist who had won a number of accolades islandwide. Two of her songs Kandulu Mal Mitak and Ahasa Keevama Oba Gena are sung by renowned young vocalist, Shashika Nisansala.

Vocalists like Dayan Vitharana have also selected some of her songs for upcoming albums. She even clinched first place in the Navoda Arts Festival 2007 in the open category for lyrics writing.

"Engaging in handicrafts is like a form of meditation. You can forget stress when you are stuck with creativity."

Pictures by Ruwan de Silva

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A wall hanger made of dried flowers

You will need:

A wooden frame

Green. Blue, white and brown paint

Dried Statis flowers in variety of shades

Glue

Paint the backdrop of a scenery in the wooden frame. Glue the dried flowers to take shape of triangular shaped trees and bushes. Make sure that the dried flowers are stuck firmly into the frame. This creation will bring the natural beauty of the outdoors into your living room.

A flower bunch made of beads

You will need:

Pink, blue, green, yellow, orange, brown and white glass beads

A needle

Thread

Ribbon

Canvas

Sketch the design on the canvas. Thread the green beads to make the stems of the flower bunch. Choose a variety of greens to give a natural look. Use the pyramid stitch for this purpose. Sew by attaching three beads at a time. Continue in this manner.

Attach eight beads to the thread and bring the needle back through the first bead to form a circular shape. Fix it onto the canvas by sewing between every two beads to form a flower. Sew a bead to the middle of the flower. Sew leaves and boughs with the pyramid stitch. Make a bow out of the ribbon and sew it onto the stem of the flower bunch. Frame and hang it on you living room or bedroom wall.

Recipe brings back fond memories

The recipe titled Sri Lankan Omelette brought back happy memories for me, of life in Sri Lanka, where I spent the first 20 years of my life. In Sri Lanka, Mum's omelette was my favourite snack food whenever I was hungry.

To make the omelette, she would beat the egg whites first. Gosh! Didn't those egg whites get quite a beating.

Mum wasn't satisfied until those egg whites were frothy and stood up proud and firm! After which she would mix in the egg yolks gently. Next came the onion, green chilli, tomato, pepper and whatever she fancied at the time. She would sometimes make an omelette curry but very often it would be the omelette only.

When I was growing up and much to my consternation, Mum would persuade me to beat those egg whites with a fork.

Beating two or three egg whites to a stiff froth with a fork was no easy task, as one's arm hurts, immensely. I think a run around the block would have been much easier than beating those egg whites to a stiff froth with a fork..the way my Mum wanted it! Since then, our family have migrated, married and multiplied.

When grandchildren visited Mum unannounced, the Sri Lanka omelette was Mum's favourite meal - in -a- minute.

When she was making that omelette for her grandchildren, a fork not an electric mixer had to be used for beating because according to Mum, that's the way it was done when she was growing up in Sri Lanka. I am married to a non- Sri Lankan and residing overseas, therefore my children have limited exposure to Sri Lankan culture.

However, Mum's Sri Lanka omelette keeps the embers of Sri Lankan culture burning in the hearts of yet another multi-racial generation, for a conversation on Sri Lanka in our family almost always commences with a reference to Mum's omelette.

By the way when I was growing up in Sri Lanka Dad bought the Daily News everyday and I couldn't wait to get my hands on the Daily News and my eyes on your recipes. I loved trying out your recipes but I stayed clear of those omelettes for obvious reasons! Please do publish more Sri Lankan recipes, it certainly would help keep Sri Lankan culture and cuisine alive in the hearts of my family. - Marie

Seer Fish Pickle with Tamarind

Serves 10-12

Ingredients :

500 g
1 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon
1/4 cup
1/2 cup
3/4 cup
3 tablespoons
1 1/2 tablespoons
3 teaspoons
1 tablespoon

Fish steaks

Salt
Ground turmeric
Oil
Tamarind pulp
Vinegar
Ground coriander
Ground cumin
Ground fennel
Chili powder
Salt and sugar to taste

Method :

Wash the fish and dry well on paper towels. Cut steaks into serving pieces, rub over with salt and turmeric and fry in hot oil until deep brown and crisp all over. Pour off the oil. Dissolve tamarind pulp in vinegar, squeezing between the fingers to release all the pulp from the seeds. Push through a fine nylon sieve, adding a little extra vinegar if necessary. Discard seeds and fibers left in sieve. In a dry pan roast the coriander, cumin and fennel separately for a few minutes until they smell aromatic and the colour darkens slightly. Combine them with the tamarind pulp and chili powder.

Pour over the fish slices in the pan and simmer for a few minutes. Add salt to taste and, if liked, a little sugar. Store in clean dry bottles. Serve as an accompaniment with rice and curries.

Avocado Dessert

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

3 Large, fully ripe avocados
1 cup Cream
sugar to taste
Dash of rum, optional

Method :

Cut the avocados in halves lengthways, remove seeds and reserve. Scoop pulp from shells and mash smoothly with a fork. Add sugar to taste and stir in the cream. Put into serving bowl, return seeds to the pulp, cover closely with plastic wrap and chill before serving. The presence of the seeds in the puree is said to keep the avocado from discoloring, but make sure that the surface is protected from air by

putting the plastic on the surface of the mixture. If liked, extra whipped and sweetened cream can be piped over the tp of the dessert and a few paper-thin slices of avocado (sliced at the last moment and sprinkled with lemon juice) used for decoration.

Note : While some favour rum for flavoring, you may let the delicate avocado flavor stand alone.

asianonlinerecipes.com

How to dress for your

The most important thing that you can do when it comes to your body is to simply analyse it before shopping for trendy cloths. Look at your body as a whole and ultimately determine what shape you really are. Once you've figured that out, you can now start dressing for your shape. Don't put on skinny jeans just because they're high in the fashion sea, since they might not look right on your shape. So here are four different shapes your body can do by - find out what yours is! styletips101.com

Apple Shape

Apple shaped bodies are obviously round, therefore you might have a rounder middle. To take the focus off of your mid-section, wear an empire top with a V-neck that will pull the eye upward to the thinnest part of the torso. If you're proud of your legs, show them off in a short skirt or a pair of jeans and a high heel.

Pear Shape

If you're larger on the bottom than on the top, wear darker bottoms and lighter tops. Pants that are cut full in the leg will help to conceal your junk. To draw attention to your better half, wear a top with structured shoulders or a tailored jacket.

Hourglass shape

You can emphasise your small waist in a fitted top. An A-line wrap dress will bring attention to your narrow middle, while skimming your hips and bust without accentuating them.

Ruler Shape

Ruler shaped bodies have a straight physique and they require some curves. Cinch a dark belt around your waist or wear a ruched top to add some volume to your bust. You can also layer a shrunken jacket over a larger top to create dimension.