DRAWING A SEAHORSE

Below is a set of visual step-by-step instructions on how to draw a seahorse for you or your child/student. (Click here for the original source of this project).

Seahorse

LEMON AS A CLEANER

Here are some tested and recommended ideas for you to use lemon as a natural cleaning agent:

• Put 2-3 lemon halves (could be used lemons) into your kettle. Put water in it. Boil the water in the kettle a few times  at night and pour the water out in the morning.
• Clean your stainless steel pots with lemon halves. Just rub the pot with some used or unused lemon and then wipe it with a damp cloth. 
• Vinegar and baking soda/bicarbonate soda mixture makes a great polisher for your stainless steel products such as kettles, teapots, stainless steel pots. You can replace vinegar with lemon if you like. 

RECYCLED FRAME

Another great little recycling project for you and this is the source of it. Enjoy!

A HANDBAG RE-DO

This is the source of this project. Enjoy!

PAPER CLIPS TO ORGANISE CABLES

A very easy and totally affordable way of organising cables! A brilliant idea!

RECIPE FOR CONSTIPATION

This recipe best works for infants and babies. If your little angel is suffering from hard stool, don't just sit down and cry with her or give her medicated laxatives. This recipe is a natural remedy for constipation in babies.

Ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar
30ml warm water

Method:
Mix the brown sugar and water well and give it to your baby.

Use this mixture only in 24 hours and only 3-4 times.

There are also some other things you can do to help your child regardless of the age of her overcome constipation:

• Massage the belly (you can use olive oil to massage with)
• Prunes are great laxatives. Depending on your child's age and readiness, you can give her the fruit itself or the juice of it.
• High in fiber foods 
• Plenty of liquid (especially water)
• Excercise (especially the types that involve abdominal muscles). 

Note: The recommendations here are not to replace any doctor's advice. Seek professional help when the symptoms resist. 

RECYCLED CRATES

What a brilliant and stylish way of utilising unwanted crates! It doesn't even seem to be a very challenging project, does it?

COIN PURSE FROM RECYCLED BOTTLES

Here is another interesting and smart recycling idea for you all. You can access to the free downloadable and printable tutorial by clicking here. Enjoy!

AN ART ACTIVITY FOR THE EXPLORER

I remember of reading this article on NewYork Times a few weeks ago. The article claimed that exercise makes brains work better and suggested that kids need to be exercising (especially walking and swimming) to increase their intellectual abilities rather than all the other types of exposure that today's parents are working hard to be able to afford with the hope of raising smart kids.

The article focused on the impacts of physical activity on the physiology of brain functionality but I have no doubt that some regular exercise is full of goodness in many ways. That is why we try to utilise any opportunity to be outdoors and be physically active whenever we can even though, unfortunately, what we do is so much less than we we believe we should do in this regard.

There is an endless amount of opportunities and stimulants out there but let me share with you one simple idea that gives you a chance to help your child nourish his physical, mental and emotional capabilities here.

This particular activity is an art activity requiring some outdoor exercise as well and is most suitable for toddlers and preschoolers. Here is what you do: Step outside with your child and go for a walk. As you walk, let your child explore his surrounding. Let him touch the grass, chase a butterfly, try to spot a blue truck on the side street, smell the air, sing a song to you, collect some leaves... As you both have fun doing all that, make sure you two communicate, talk about things.

For this art activity, your child will need to bring the leaves that he collected while out for a walk. Encourage him to choose different shaped, sized, types and colour leaves to take home. On a piece of (preferably recycled) paper, let him glue them randomly or in a certain shape that he would like to assemble them (for example, he can draw/paint a tree trunk and can glue the real leaves and make them the tree's leaves). Also, talk about how they look and feel for some extra learning and fun opportunities. I am sure he will be very happy and excited about all the stages of this activity. Once the masterpiece is nice and dry, he can even use it for his next show&tell activity and make sure you take a photo of his proud face as he shows off his artwork!

Show some appreciation to nature today!

HOMEMADE HAIR CARE PRODUCTS

The best way to look after our hair is achieved by using natural and organic products. Here are a few of the many natural, affordable and easy homemade hair care options for you.

Almond Oil
Pour some almond oil into your hand and massage your hair with it. Cover it up for half an hour or so before washing it.

Mix 1 table spoon of honey with 1/4 cup of honey and half a cup of natural yoghurt. Use this mixture to massage your hair with. Leave it on for approximately 20minutes and then wash it off.

Honey
A mixture of equal amounts of honey and olive oil makes a great healthy conditioner for hair. After applying it to hair with some gentle massage, cover it up with a towel or a shower cap and wash off after half an hour later.

Egg
Add about two spoonfuls of water into two eggs and mix it well before applying to the hair. Wait for 15 minutes and then wash it off.

Olive Oil
Makes a great hair moisturiser and hair mask. For soft and shiny hair, by massaging, apply a teaspoonful of olive oil to slightly wet hair. Apply it particularly to the ends of your hair by rubbing and cover it up for 30-45 minutes and then rinse.

Avocado
Make a mixture of mashed avocado and honey and rub in on your hair for another wonderful homemade hair mask.

HANDMADE RECYCLED PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT

I must admit I am in love with this design which doesn't originally belong to me. In my opinion, it has it all: use of recycled items, fun, functional, unique, would put a smile on any kid (or adult) any time! 

I have not tried it myself yet but it doesn't seem to be an extremely challenging project to work on. I am definitely looking forward to coming up with my own design (or Mr. Junior may like to design it by himself). 

Enjoy something that makes you smile today!

A HEALTHY OPTiON TO A SUMMER DESSERT

Our frozen grapes

This dessert is new to us. We are used to frozen berries and mangoes but we have never thought of freezing grapes until we were given a lot of organically grown purple grapes and were desperate to find solutions to consume them without any waste at some stage this year.

You can use your favourite organically or biodynamically grown grapes (could be any type) but we tried it with the freshly picked purple/black grapes (if you would like to read about the principles of these two types of farming, read this). These grapes with seeds grow in bunches and they are pretty fragile. Once they are cooked (meaning changed its original colour of green to purple or black), you need to pick them and once they are picked, they don't stay fresh long. That is why, they are a great type of fruit to share with family, friends and neighbours.

Fresh grapes

These grapes are extremely healthy and they are specifically recommended to be eaten with the  seeds even though it is possible to peel and also discard the seeds while eating. I will do an entry on the goodness of it in the future but for the moment, lets move on to the topic of today's entry, an alternative consumption idea for your grapes.

How to make it:

Wash the fresh grapes
Place them in the freezer
Eat when frozen!

This makes a great little snack or can be served as a dessert. 

Enjoy something delicious today!

A CRAFTER TIP

 Plastic takeaway container lids make great paint palettes. Give it a try!

A CRAFTY ORGANISER

Source: Unknown

Here is another idea fantastic idea by someone smart and crafty for you to use at home. It is made out of recycled materials. In the example above, the pockets are made from the pockets of used jeans however, you could easily change it to other pockets too such as shirt pockets, pockets from trousers and so on as long as the fabric is strong enough.

The idea is simple: take the pockets of your unwanted/worn out clothes, machine or hand stitch them on a pice of felt or a thick fabric. The design options for this particular project are endless. You can make them all out of same colour pockets in different sizes just like the example above, you can use a variety of colours and pocket materials, you can put letters on each to form a word that means something to you, you can put some embellishment on them, you can use some patchwork design for the base and so forth.

Have something nice and functional today!

AN EASY HOMEMADE WOODEN PUZZLE

I believe that there are endless options and opportunities in our lives everyday for people who can see them. I especially respect people who can find their own practical and meaningful solutions to problems and also people who try to reduce the amount of their consumption of things in general. I find them inspirational.

I have recently come across with the picture above here and thought it was a brilliant idea to come up with your own puzzle at home using very simple (possibly recycled) materials. I have got some of those sticks at home as I generally collect them for my other handmade projects. I am looking forward to making my very own wooden puzzle sometime soon. I am sure Mr. Junior will appreciate it well.

Depending on your child's age and readiness, you can involve your child/students in making the puzzle from the very beginning to the end. For instance, if your child consumes some packaged icecream which come with a wooden stick inside just like the ones in the picture, you could encourage him to save the stick. Ask him to wash it and put it aside until ready. Alternatively, they are sold in packs of many in some hardware stores as well as at arts and crafts shops. They are quite affordable but you could easily utilise your icecream sticks if you already have them at home.

Your children/students or yourself need to paint a figure on them. In the example above, it is a tree but you could easily go for something that you prefer. The best way to keep the sticks together while painting would be using a sticky tape from top to bottom on each side. Once painting is complete, then, you could take the tape off, separate the pieces and voila! The puzzle is all ready in only a few easy steps.

It is a good idea to make sure that your child first sees it as a whole and then you change the order of the sticks so that your child knows what to aim for.

Have a fun day!

HOMEMADE BODY BUTTER

Now that we are in Spring  here in Australia, it is time to get ready for cooler days -despite the hot days that come and go here in Melbourne. Warmer colours to be taken out around the house, more natural plant leaves to be stored in jars for homemade teas, thicker pyjamas to be stocked for cooler nights in kids' drawers, more soup recipes to be chased, moisturising creams to be prepared and so on.

Here is a homemade body butter recipe for you that will be much appreciated during cold and dry times.

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup organic shea butter 
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup almond oil
• Some essential oils of your choice (be careful with essential oils as not all are good for the skin. For example, citrus oil may sensitise your skin)

Method: 

On top of a boiler, melt the shea butter and the coconut oil before leaving the mixture to cool for half an hour. Mix in essential oils. You may leave this mixture outside and wait until the oils become half solid. After that, whip it all a few minutes so that it forms a butter-like consistency. Put it in a clean glass jar and it is ready!

Enjoy a nice and smooth day!

A SPECIAL DAY GIFT IDEA

This is another cost free and fun activity that you can enjoy with your children/students and the end product would make a great little gift especially on a special occasion such as on mother's day, father's day, or even a birthday or valentine's day. The idea was originally presented here.

All you need for this activity is some coloured paper, a pair of scissors, glue and a pen.

Draw around your little one's both hands and then cut them. For the example you see in the picture above, write "I LOVE YOU..." on the outer side of one of the hands and then write "THIS MUCH!" on another piece of paper and cut it out a strip of paper, in a long rectangle shape. With the rectangle, make an accordion shape by folding it accordingly. Glue the ends of your accordion strip on the insides of the hands to finish it off.

This is sure to melt the heart of a loved one, especially a mother when gifted by a son or a daughter. It is as easy as peeling an apple!

You can use your own variety for this activity simply by changing colours, message etc easily. Don't forget to kindly share your version with us here or on my facebook page (Why Bee: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003202930289).

Have fun with a loved one today!

RECYCLING BOOTS IN THE GARDEN

This is not the first time I am writing about some recycling ideas for gardens (see here for another idea). Nor is it the first time I talk about how much I enjoy personal touch to things. Here is another great idea for unique gardens.

This can be considered as a 'keepsake' project as well as a recycling and a decoration related activity.

The picture above clearly shows what to do but I have an urge to add a little detail. Don't forget to make a hole in your gumboots that you will be recycling before putting soil in them (for drainage purposes).

Enjoy something unique today!

A RECYCLED STORAGE SOLUTION FOR THE ORGANISED

I haven't met many people (or should I say 'women' instead of people?) who believe in 'enough storage'. Personally, I can never have enough storage solutions. As a person who makes things quite often, I always have something that needs to be put away but I never seem to have enough area to put them away all nice and neatly. I am a fairly fussy person too and I do enjoy it when things are where they are meant to be but like I said, unfortunately, there is no such thing as 'enough' in my world when it comes down to storage.

The above picture shows that it is possible to use a recyclable item to get rid of some of the clutter at home so easily. The circles are actually just paper towel rolls and depending on the size of your items, they can be cut into two or three and make smaller rooms. They can also be closed on one end, so that they can be used for small items such as buttons, nails etc too.

Have a nice and easy day today!

HOW TO MAKE A PAPER BOAT

When at home, Mr. Junior plays on his own at times but his favourite is doing things with us. He generally does things like crafty projects or cooking related activities with me and does gardening and things that require tools with Mr. Hubby the most.

He loves being involved in daily activities and responsibilities and we are happy to keep it that way. However, there are times when he doesn't want to do anything on his own and can't find anything to do with me during the day and he comes and asks me whether we can 'make' something. He even gives me ideas at times.

About a week ago, he wanted to make a boat with me. As a child, I remember of making hundreds of them but I couldn't remember the right steps on that day for some reason. So, I jumped online and refreshed my mind using some online tutorials. After a few minutes, we made our first boat together with him. It was really fun. We only used what we had in hand for paper at the time and it doesn't look the best. So, excuse the picture but regardless of how imperfect it looks, it was one great activity for us to do together and made Mr. Junior very happy. I believe that is what matters the most after all, don't you think?

Below is a video recorded tutorial on how to make a paper boat. Enjoy!