Tag: diy

23Oct

Jack-o’-lantern papier mache candy bags

I have had many accidents in the kitchen, mostly cuts, very few burns. Some of my most traumatic cuts have involved butternut squashes and pumpkins, so every Halloween I stay well away from them. Which is a shame as I love the artistry involved in carving a pumpkin, so I have decided to carve the papier-mache kind. It’s been a while since I have worked with papier mache, but it was like riding a bike. Hopefully many of you craft-loving readers will be inclined to making your own trick or treat bags, and even if you are not heading out covered in fake blood, knocking on strangers’ doors hoping to get free sweets, you can use these as serving bowls for sweets at your house party. It may look like a lot of steps bit it’s really easy – if a bit messy- but because they are supposed to be scary pumpkins the “carving” doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth, a few bumps and jagged teeth will give your pumpkins character. Don’t forget to get the kids involved too! What you’ll need: Balloons Ribbon or string Any type of white scrap paper, cut into strips – I used tissue paper Modge
3 mins read
2016 Views
13Mar

Pimple-be-gone face scrub

I think I have mentioned in the blog before that I am trying to detox from refined sugars, dairy and gluten from my diet, which has been going well and I say this because I truly feel different, from my energy levels to my weight. I did have Yorkshire puddings and chocolate cake last weekend but hey, even the detox needs a break, and I am being realistic about this, I don’t want to completely cut gluten, dairy and sugar from my diet because I know it would be unsustainable for myself and also because I believe few things bring me as much happiness as butter and chocolate do. This new regime has made me more interested in reading about food and I came across an article about Pulitzer-nominated Shann Nixx who moved from California to Wales and now has a goat farm. She experimented with goat’s milk to make a natural remedy for her son’s eczma and she was amazed by the results. What amazed me even more was that she used raw Manuka honey to look after her husband after he had a bad case of MRSA. They found that antibiotics were not doing the job on top of
4 mins read
696 Views
28Dec

Art deco cocktail sticks

2015 holds a lot of amazing new adventures for me, I will not only be in charge of other’s healthcare (!) when I qualify as a nurse but also I will be getting married in August!!! We have a nice little tight budget and we are looking to make a lot of things ourselves, from the invitations to the lovely deep emerald green napkins I have pictured in my head. Our reception will be on a lovely village hall in a quaint village in Hampshire. It looks like it could date back to the Tudors but the inside definitely says Art Deco and we were told that back in the late 20s a Canadian ex-pat fell in love with the village and decided to build a hall for the community so we decided to pay homage to it so we are going Deco. It won’t be a theme, theme. No, my bridesmaids are not going to be dressed as flappers. It’s very loosely based on the era. Only a few can afford these sort of amazing art deco weddings. But I can try. And I am sure having fun Pinteresting all sorts of wedding inspirations. So when I came across
4 mins read
597 Views
14Dec

Frosted Candle Jars

I have not enjoyed the build up to Christmas this year as I normally do. With working two jobs and an exam looming I haven’t had time to imerse myself in the preparations as much as I would have liked, from decorating the house to planning what dessert can possibly be light enough after Christmas dinner so you don’t feel like you are going to explode on the sofa while watching Home Alone for the 100th time. A couple years ago I was in a very different frame of mind: I actually had time off during Christmas and my brother was coming home from Switzerland with my new sister-in-law so my mum and I went all out with the decoration and food prep. We even made our own cake stands. We got a bit carried away, we had more stands than cakes. That remains as one of the best Christmas in recent years for me, so I am bringing back one of our many DIY projects from that time which I re-use every year. This idea was born after my mum brought home a selection of unused jars that were going to be thrown away from the lab were she works. We agreed
3 mins read
563 Views
24Oct

DIY – Spice jars

I believe all us foodies have a shared love for spices. Five years ago when I was still at university I went on a cook book buying spree and I remember finding a seller on Ebay who also lived in Frankfurt and wanted to get rid of all her Jamie Oliver books. We arranged to meet up at the university and she sold me each of her books for 7€. I went back home with a spring on my step, what a deal! As I started going through my new reading material I realised a list was forming, a list of spices that was essential in a true foodie’s kitchen…and I had none of them! So the following day I spent around 50€ on all the spices I had on my list. This will be an expensive hobby, I thought to myself…. And that was only the start. Back on those days I used to leave all the spice bags organised in a plastic container. Then I moved on to glass jars, which I arranged on one of my shelves, but they were overexposed to the Sun on that shelf which made them loose their colour and smell and made
3 mins read
598 Views
08Sep

DIY – Infinity scarf/ Breastfeeding scarf

Summer here was intense, however it seems it’s come to an end rather soon. Of course things could change, September still holds the potential to be a sunny month, however my hopes are slowly being crushed as the first couple of weeks have been a little too overcast so I have put myself on Autumn mode. I have been on maternity leave since the end of July (thank you, Germany!) and have spent a lot of this free time sewing. Through Pinterest I found fabulous inspirations for accessories and clothes to sew for this new phase of my life and have actually made all these pins come to life in the last few weeks. One of these projects was an infinity scarf which I thought it was a genious idea and perfect for Autumn. And there’s a bonus: it can be easily sewn by hand!  This scarf can be used just like a normal infinity scarf, or like I´m going to do, as a breastfeeding scarf. So this DIY Project is also for you that is not going to breastfeed any time soon. But if you have friends who are expecting or breastfeeding, this is a perfect gift . It makes
3 mins read
526 Views