DIY – Simple Reusable Kitchen Handy Towels

I like the idea of having a bunch of absorbent handy towels available for spills in the kitchen. I had some cream colored hand towels which I thought could do the job so I used what I had on hand already. I would prefer using grey colored towels but I would rather reuse and repurpose what I have before I go and buy something new. If and when the cream towels look too shabby or old I will then look at making some grey handy towels. These towels could be used rolled up on a regular handy towel caddy. To do that you use the cardboard roll from an old paper handy towel and pop some velcro onto it. I had velcro that already had glue on the back of them but you could use a hot glue gun. You will need to sew velcro tabs onto your towels so they wash well and the tabs do not fall off. My favourite way to use these kitchen handy towels is to simply put them in a box where I can quickly grab and go rather than unclipping or pulling the velcro apart. The photo’s below show what I did. It is super simple and if you don’t want to have a similar size to regular kitchen handy towels you could use the no sew approach and use bathroom hand towels in a cute box. Hope you are having a great day!
Blessings ~ Sarah

Mixed Media Art -1

My philosophy is re-use, repurpose and recycle what you have before going out and buying stuff. I am guessing I will need to buy some things. I have already noticed that some of my paint won’t settle into some types of paper.
I had an old journal book so I used it for my mix media art journal. It was a lined brownish paper with a scripture at the bottom. I am thinking that this is a great little book to practice with since I am just beginning using mix media and no doubt will make plenty of mistakes and I have a whole lot of learning to do.
The first thing I wanted to do was to cover some of the original paper. For my front cover I used some canvas, old paper, water colors and a sharpie pen. I would love to do some ink work but I will have to wait until I can get some pens. It is a little journal so I will be able to use it as I travel without too much bother. I have also completed some other background pages with music sheets and old books. I have accentuated the backgrounds by using water pencils in shades of brown. I also used some tea to stain the page to give it an old world look. Although it is crazy busy around here with packing it is lovely to be able to recycle stuff that I like in my first little journal and do some art amongst the boxes. ~ Sarah

DIY – Make your Own Pencil Canvas Wrap

With de-cluttering the house and going through all my bits and bobs I stumbled upon a bunch of art supplies. Some music paper and lots of things I would love to keep but just don’t have the space for. So I thought I would use what I have in an art journal for back grounds. My art supplies were all in a mess and hard to find so I decided to organise it properly. I have always wanted to make a mix media art journal so why not start at the beginning with getting my supplies in order and use what I have. I found an old paint brush canvas wrap so I modified it to suite my needs for storing my art journal supplies. I added some more slots by sewing extra black pockets on the canvas wrap for pens, water colour paints and what not. I need this journal to be handy while I travel and hopefully just have the basic minimal stuff in it. I don’t have all the things I need yet. But I am getting there. I think the pictures explain what I did far more easily than my jumbled up words can.

DIY – Gratitude Journal Covers

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I love a good book cover! This is a great idea. A simple and easy way to dress up a drab journal. Please go to Lulu’s tutorial for all the juicy details.
~ Sarah

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DIY – Photo Bunting

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I found this on PINTEREST and thought what a great idea for sharing memories for an Anniversery or a special Birthday Celebration. There wasn’t a link to a how to make it but I reckon you could use some printing canvas or thick card and print your photo on it and then make into cute photo bunting! Ages ago I bought some A4 sheets of printing canvas from Aldi and it worked very well. You will want to convert your photo into black and white, and then sharpen, and then contrast your pic and print. Or alternatively pop into a printing shop and let a professional do it for you!
~ Sarah xxx

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

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I think everyone has their own way of making broccoli cheese soup. There are loads of recipes on the net. You could be looking for hours to find just the right one. What is fun about cooking is you can make your food exactly the way you and your family like it. The below is my recipe. I don’t have a photo of mine so I have used Mel’s photo. If you pop over to Mel’s website you can also take a look at her fun recipes!
Enjoy ~ Sarah xxxx

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

Ingredient

2 bunches of fresh broccoli (You can use frozen)
1/2 cup of celery
3 small potatoes (chopped finely)
2 cups chicken stock (you can use veggie stock or just water if you want)
1/2 cup of sharp cheddar cheese (plus extra 1/2 cup for topping when finished)
1 heaping cup of regular gouda cheese (remove rind) Or (use another type of cheese you like)
1/2 cup grated carrots (I will sometimes leave out the carrots)
1 white large onion or 2 small onions (2/3 cup to 1 cup)
3 large cloves of garlic (chopped/minced)
1/2 tsp ginger (I use fresh) (I keep my ginger in the freezer and grate it frozen)
1 cup cream (or use sour cream or milk, or coconut milk)
3 TBSP all purpose flour (GF flour) or (grated potato to thicken)
3 TBSP butter
2 bay leaves
1 tsp garlic powder (you can leave this out and add more minced garlic instead)
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp dried basil (or 1/4 cup of fresh basil)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (use less if you don’t like it hot or more if you do)
salt & white pepper to taste

Method
Sauté onions, celery and garlic, cook out your spices, then add the rest of the veggies then add stock and simmer for 15 to 25 mins. We have our own veggie garden plus we get organic veggies deliverd each week so I might switch out some of the veggies from time to time. Oh… you do not have to use only organic veggies, just use what you have and what you like. Add cream and cheese last and make sure you warm it up and melt the cheese. If it is looking too chunky I will use a potato masher to mash it up. I will had more cheese to garnish. Oh… If you are making it for a super large family I just double the recipe and/or add more stock, water or cream. I also will add dried chili peppers for more heat and a dash of lemon, apple cider or lime to brighten it up. I serve it with crusty garlic bread.

DIY – Free Chalkboard PRINTABLES

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These are so cute! Just click HERE or the SOURCE buttons to go to SweetBlessings and download her free chalkboard prints. She has lots of different ones to choose from. She certainly is a sweet blessing. ~ Sarah

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DIY – Eyeglass Case Sewing Kit

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Sachiko has a wonderful detailed tutorial over on her blog on how to make this gorgeous sewing kit. Love that you can make a beautiful sewing kit by recycling or even buy a eyeglass case at the dollar store. Please click HERE to visit Sachiko for her full tutorial.
~ Sarah

You will need
Eyeglasse case
Fabric of your choice for outside and inside the case
Mod Podge
Sponge Brush
Ribbon to hide the hinge area
Fabric glue (or glue gun)

1. Cut fabric for the inside and outside of the case. For outer fabric, make sure that you have enough to cover the whole thing and tuck inside the case. For inner fabric, cut the edges with pinking shears to prevent fraying.

2. It is helpful to use a small dish and such to trace the curve and cut the corners.
Also, fold the fabric horizontally in the middle, cut into about an inch or so from both sides to make it easier to hold the fabric in around the hinges.

3. Spread the mod podge onto the case evenly and carefully place the fabric. Make sure there are no air bubbles. Then attach the inner fabric in the same manner too.

4. I pasted small ribbons around the hinges area to hide the “ugly” part that I couldn’t get quite right. If you don’t need it, you can skip this part.

5. Make a small pincushion. All you need to do is measure the inside of the case and decide how big you want the pincushion to be. Don’t forget to add an inch or so to the measurement, when you stuff it, the length and width will “shrink” (because it gets puffy). Glue the pincushion inside of the case.
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DIY – Paper Basket

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I love this upcycled brown bag by Lia Griffith, she is so clever! Please click HERE for all the info!
~ Sarah

DIY – Ceramic Project

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Hi Ya, I have been wanting to paint over some of my ceramic plates, jugs and huge platters. I’m thinking of painting them mainly white with grey and orange accents. Perhaps using a grey and orange chevron pattern would look good on the large platters? I love orange & grey! We have received some beautiful ceramic gifts and I would love to display them. Some of our wedding presents are gorgeous but I am not in love with some of the colours on them. But I don’t want to paint them with a toxic paint and be unable to use them. I have been looking for a way to paint them and still reuse them on occasion and I think this might work I found it at Martha Stewart Living. What doesn’t Martha know? I hope you enjoy this DIY project.
~ Sarah xxx

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On its own, a dot looks very lonely indeed. But group several together and they make a striking impression. Consider, for example, the patterned wings of a ladybug or monarch butterfly. Luckily, Mother Nature doesn’t have a monopoly on making things beautiful with spots — you can do the same with ceramic or porcelain dishes, basic art supplies, and a little imagination.

Putting paint to porcelain is easier than you think. Uncomplicated designs can be done freehand; for others, use our templates or create your own. You’ll trace the shapes using transfer paper and a ballpoint pen, then cover those marks with painted dots — paint applicator makes it a cinch to do this neatly. The delightful freckles lend themselves to a variety of motifs, from organic florals to monograms to geometric patterns. If you can bear to part with them, dot-painted ceramics make wonderful gifts. Arrange the ones you keep on open shelves or behind glass cabinet doors-they are, after all, works of art. We suggest only painting across the surface of plates that are decorative, not for eating.

Tools and Materials
Baby wipes
Scissors
Red transfer paper
Clear tape
Ceramic plate or other item
Ballpoint pen
Food-safe ceramic paint (such as Porcelaine 150)
Paper muffin cups
Wooden coffee stirrers
Paint applicator bottles
Straight pin

Dot-Painting How-To
If you make a mistake, remove errant paint with a baby wipe.

1. Photocopy or print templates and enlarge or reduce as desired; cut out. Cut transfer paper slightly larger than template. Place it under template, and tape both to plate. Firmly trace template with a ballpoint pen.

2. Mix paint colors (we added white to make lighter shades), then pour into applicator bottle.

3. Practice making dots on scrap paper: Squeeze bottle gently for small dots and harder for larger ones. Make dots on traced design (use pin to unclog bottle tip as necessary). Let dry 2 hours; remove transfer lines with baby wipe. Heat in 300-degree oven for 30 minutes. To store extra paint, insert pin into bottle tip.

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