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

Local Harvest

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There is nothing like eating fresh fruit and vegetables from your own garden! We have lived in little apartments with only a little balcony to grow a few things. We have also lived on a farm. We had a huge orchard and a big veggie patch. But not everyone has the space, time or energy to garden. When we lived on the farm our neighbor had a little strawberry farm and sold strawberries at the gate. We have had chickens and have hand reared lambs (didn’t eat them). They now live on another farm with a Potter and a Writer and they aren’t going to eat them either. Although I have no problem with people loving and looking after animals well and dispatching them in a humane way. Each person is different and we all have choices to make.

We are currently living by a lake in a little house and have grown potato’s and herbs etc. BUT we are moving overseas again and we don’t know at this stage what kind of place we will be moving to. Could be a tiny apartment or a suburban house. Time will tell. I do love nature and my heart longs to grow my own fruit, vegetables and have a few chooks in the yard. However if there is no space then I will happily buy our eggs, fruit & vege at the local organic farmers markets or have a box delivered to my door.

Anyhoo… The point of this post is really to share this LINK I am blown away by the Local Harvest website and had to share it with you. This is for Australia BUT there may be similar websites for your local area. They have a place where you type in your area and it tells you where the local organic markets are they also show you where your local shops and even closest veggie box can be ordered from. They are a fantastic resource!

Supporting local farmers markets helps keep your food bill down, helps local farmers get a fair price for their produce and it also keeps your beautiful family healthy too. My eldest daughter just told me how she is getting organic almond milk, bread in a veggie box delivered to her door each week and how she loves it. She remembered when we had veggies delivered to our home at different times and in different places. I hope you too can enjoy lovely local produce. Blessings ~ Sarah xxx

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 – 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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DIY – Easy Vintage Coffee Table Suitcase Project

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What a lovely idea from the clever Ruche blog! if you click the source button you can go directly to their tutorial which is full of lots of explanations and fab pictures.
~ Sarah