DID YOU KNOW ...(19)

Tortoises first appeared over 250 million years ago.

CUSHION COVER DESIGNS AND A TUTORIAL

I don't actually use any pillows in my living room even though I have been itching to make a few for a while now.  Having cooler days too contributes to my desire for them but I am sure it is not the only reason. I just love so many designs and making things that mean something to me and my family. Even before I start making things at home, I often imagine how they would fit in our lives. I can already see those little pillows making some rough railways for Mr. Junior's currently much loved trains and it is before my eyes that Miss Junior crawls all over them on the floor. I can also hear them arguing about whose turn it is to play with a certain pillow. I am sure they will stay on the floor so much more often than on the couches but I think they are something that they will enjoy (even if not so much for their primary use).

Here, I am sharing with you some design ideas that I have come across with as well as a video recorded TUTORIAL on how to make a simple envelope pillow cover. It is so well explained and demonstrated that even if you are a total beginner in this field, you are still unlikely to have a major issue making it.

Enjoy something that has a personal touch today!

REVIVING DRY PLAYDOUGH

Here is what you can do when your child's playdough (whether homemade or not) dries up to refresh it so that s/he can use it as new again the next time.

This is only one of the methods that you can use:

Pour some water in its container (go over the dry playdough level). Close the lid. Rest it for a while (could be over night). Pour the water out. Start kneading the dough until it gets its original form (initially, it will be sticky but soon after, it will form its usual consistency).

Have a refreshing day!

RE-STYLING HANDBAGS

What a great idea and the owner of the tutorial has made it look so simple! Can't wait to try something like this when I get some time for it.

Enjoy your day!

AN INEXPENSIVE DIY DISPLAY FRAME

On the weekend, I was at a market (Northern Community Market) in suburban Melbourne with my very own homemade display frame.

Had a good time at the market

I only took some of my handmade baby shoes and bags to that market on the weekend. I was given a trestle table which was good enough for my handmade fabric shoes but I had this picture in my mind that I could display my bags on a hanging line. So, I sat down with Mr. Hubby, drew something on a piece of paper, went on a family trip to a local hardware store, talked to a few professionals to get ideas on  safety and so forth, spent approximately $10-12 and came back home all excitedly.

Great fun drilling and putting bits together

 

A day or two later, Mr. Hubby and Mr. Junior put them all together and in only a few hours, my frame was all ready to go!

Pole base stabilised with sand bags

To make sure that the frame was stable enough and would not pose an occupational health and safety risk, I roughly sewed very simple bags which Mr. Junior filled in with sand using what we had in his sandpit.

We used very simple and affordable materials for this project as that was all I needed for the display of my lightweight bags. Below is what we used for this project:




Materials used:

• 2.4m rectangle pine wood (X2)
• 1.8m rectangle pine wood (X1) 
• 35cm rectangle pine wood (X8)
• Screws
• A drill
• Wood glue (optional)
• Guide/support wood (optional) (we cut some from the 2.4m pieces and used them for this purpose). 
• Bags filled with sand (X4) (I used my old pyjamas and from each leg, I made two bags. I sewed one end and put an elastic through the other end)

The wooden pieces are attached to each other with nails (and we also used some wood glue as an addition but you don't have to). We made some holes on the wood after deciding how high and how apart we wanted my handmade bags to be displayed and made some matching holes on each pole with the drill. We then used a rope (but you can use some strong string or a ribbon), which went through the holes and were knotted at the very beginning and at the end, and made the hanging lines where I hung my bags with the help of some folding paper clips. 

My handmade shoes photographed beautifully by memories of mine photography

 Enjoy something crafty 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!

DID YOU KNOW ...? (18)

Andalusians are noble riding horses and originally come from Spain.