Get Organised & Make Your Own Pin-Board.

One of the things I really want to get right this year is being organised. I'm not the most unorganised person in the world, but there is certainly always room for improvement. Sometimes I have the best intentions to put all my notes, magazine clip outs & scraps of material in one place but they always mysteriously end up in my bottom desk drawer! Gaz is pretty much the same. He'll clean his desk and within a day or two it's already piled up with music chords, forms, briefs and random sticky notes. Actually, I now refuse to buy Gaz sticky notes because he has an actual problem with those lol. 

2013 however, is going to be different! That's why I asked my mom to make me a cute pin board where I can systematically pin all my inspirations. I could have actually made it myself, as all it requires is gluing, sticking & stapling. BUT firstly, it must be said that my mom does everything better (she really does) and secondly we wanted to add a bit more character to this board and decided to sew on pockets and other embellishments (Uh-hmm yes, sewing. Something I've already told you I suck at...see where I said  here  ;)

So if you feel like you could do with a little more organisation in your home, office, studio, classroom or craft room then read my mom's commentary below and find out how you can make your very own...

Material Requirements:

Normal sewing notions such as : Ruler, cotton, pins, scissors etc

Soft Board – 85cm X 85 cm (Builders Warehouse stocks it in big sheets and you get about 3 big pin-boards out of 1 sheet – so make one for a friend!)

Material of your choice for the board

Batting

Scraps of material and lace should you wish to applique or embellish!

Cutting:

Board Cover:

Cut one piece of material 96cm X 96 cm (this can be slightly smaller as it just needs to be enough to cover the board with a little extra to wrap around for stapling.)

Batting:

Cut batting 85cm X 85 cm to pad the board.  Thickness of batting dependent on how padded you want the board to be.

Pockets X 2:

Each pocket consists of two pieces of material.  Choose two different colours for each pocket.

Adjust size should you wish to have larger or small pockets.

Front of pocket: (Larger pocket)- 

Finished size of pocket is 22cm X 18cm

Cut 23cm X 19 cm

Inside pocket and flap:

Cut 23cm X 26cm (7cm of the 26cm is for the flap) cut in one piece.

Front of pocket: (Smaller pocket) - 

Finished size of pocket is 20cm X 16cm

Cut 21cm X 17cm

Inside pocket and flap:

Cut 21cm X 23cm

INSTRUCTIONS:

The Pockets:

Pin rights sides together and stitch sides and bottom of pocket. (do not stitch top of pocket)

Turn inside out and press.

Turn flap over onto front of pocket and blanket stitch raw edge only – do not blanket stitch sides yet (you can turnover a small seam allowance on raw edge before stitching)

At this point you can embellish the pocket and the board cover by adding lace or buttons or applique-ing hearts or flowers - whatever you desire.

Mark and pin pockets to front cover as desired and blanket stitch pocket to board cover.  Remember not to stitch the top of pocket closed.

I placed the larger pocket on the bottom right hand corner and the smaller pocket on the top left hand corner

Remember to keep in mind that the edge of the material is not the edge of the board as we have added extra material to wrap around the board so, measure and mark where the edge of the board is on your material before placing the pockets.

Sew all applique (hearts or flowers) onto board cover.

The Board:

Glue batting to board and trim any edges that overlap the board.

Once all the sewing has been done, place finished front cover on board and start wrapping and stapling.

Best is to work from the middle outwards – you may need help here to hold and pull the material tightly over the board.

Staple material to board at the back.

Add hooks to back of board to hang on the wall or if you just wish to press-stick it to the wall that could also work.

Now stand back and admire your work! 

Ps. Should you wish to order one instead- please email ml@rightlink.co.za R300. Colours can be customized to suit your home.

The Finished Product. Thanks Mom! 

     Till next time...

xxx

Foodie Friday: Hello Summer 2013

Firstly, HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you! I hope you are feeling refreshed after the December break. Isn't it amazing how a little Christmas pudding, some afternoon naps & a couple of lazy days in the sun can lift our spirits and give us new hope for the year ahead! I must say ...it's good to be back! I have a sneaky feeling 2013 is going to be a cracker of a year (a good cracker...like one of those pretty sparkly ones). I hope I'm right! Anyway, if one of your New Year's Resolutions was to get your healthy pants on, then this post is for YOU! No Guilt Ice Lollies! Yes, keep reading...

Summer Icies

If you live in Johannesburg you'll know that we have been experiencing this crazy heat wave over the last week. And of course, on a hot day, nothing is more fitting than a swim and an ice cold something. I made these yesterday and they turned out amazingly! Gaz and I had a lot of fun being creative with some flavours we thought would work well, so feel free to experiment with our recipes to make them your own. Oh and the bonus...they are 100% Healthy-Pants Guaranteed. See for yourself...

Ingredients (Makes 6 Icies)

1 Punnet Strawberries (about 270g)

2 Tbsp Honey

1/2 Cup Pomegranate Juice

1 Cup Low Fat Vanilla Yoghurt

Method:

• Blitz together the strawberries, honey and pomegranate juice using an electric blender.
• Fill each mould with a little bit of the fruit mixture- so that the mould is about 1/3 full.
• Semi-freeze so that the mixture is just hard enough to shove the ice cream sticks in.
• Fill each mould with about 2 teaspoons of yoghurt
• Top up each mould with the remaining fruit mixture
• Freeze until solid

Ingredients (Makes 6-12 Icies):

500ml Green Tea (Brewed & Cooled)
600ml Clear Apple Juice
6 Thick Slices of Ginger Root (Bruised)
3 Tbsp Honey
Freshly diced green apples (optional)

Method:

• Mix together the Green Tea and Apple Juice and Honey
• Throw in the bruised ginger root and allow the mixture to soak for about 1 hour
• Strain the mixture
• (Optional) At this point you can add the diced apple if you want the lollies to have a bit of crunch.
• Pour a little bit of the mixture into each mould and semi-freeze so that its just hard enough to shove the ice-cream stick in
• Top up with the remaining mixture and freeze until solid

A Country Christmas at The Dow's

Christmas is by FAR my favourite holiday! Family, Food & Fairy Lights- what could be better than that?! This is Gary & I's first Christmas as a married couple and so it's the first time I have had my OWN house to decorate! The problem was...I had such big ideas for my first Christmas but...no budget! As they say, "A Boer Maak N' Plan". So this post is not just about Christmas Decor- it's about Christmas Decor on a budget. Take a peek at my mood board below and I'll share some of my simple, yet effective decor ideas...

JUST DARLING'S CHRISTMAS DECOR TIPS:

STICK TO ONE THEME

• Whatever look you are going for, whether it be a modern, traditional or country Christmas- do it confidently and BOLDLY. There's nothing worse than a "neither-here-nor-there" Christmas theme.
• Transform your home. Luckily the colours of my home are mostly neutrals which made it VERY easy to transform my home for Christmas time. All I had to do was remove all my blue decor (i.e. scatter cushions, frames, and vases) to get a blank canvas. Then I replaced all the missing decor items with Christmas decor. I put my bedroom's red scatter cushions in my lounge and I used lots of hessian to create a country feel.

USE SIMPLE, CHEAP WAYS TO DECORATE

• Replace the pictures/photos currently in your home with vintage Christmas cards or printed Christmas quotes. I created my own Christmas images/quotes using Microsoft Word and placed them in wooden picture frames in my home.
• Place red and green apples in your fruit bowl or put cherries and mini crackers on pewter trays on your coffee table. 
• Tie together some red vintage books with hessian and Christmas ribbon.
• Fill up glass jars with red and white Christmas candies.
• Convert your current decor. My mom and I (mostly my mom) made hessian covers for 2 signs that currently hang on my wall. We appliqued Christmas words onto hessian, sewed it all together and in less than an hour we had made 2 beautiful wall hangings that I can slip off and re-use again next year!
• Put fairy lights, pine cones and poinsettia flowers under a bell jar. So simple, yet so so SO effective! 
• If you don't have a tree- use something else that could work. Gary and I were SHOCKED at the price of Christmas Trees so we decided to use the vintage ladder as our tree this year. To be honest I'm questioning if I'll ever go back to using a  normal tree because I love the look so much. Try something different- paint a Christmas tree onto a piece of wood, nail planks of wood together to form the shape of a tree or simply hang Christmas lights in the shape of a tree on your wall.
• If you don't have a mantelpiece- then peg your stockings onto a string line. 

FOR THE COUNTRY CHRISTMAS FEEL...

• Hessian, Hessian, Hessian! It's the most important ingredient in the Country Christmas Cocktail! My mom made me gorgeous hessian stockings as well as the cute hessian Star that hangs at the top of my tree. 
• Simple decorations are the best way to achieve the country look- sew your own material stars or hearts for the tree. Alternatively use hard cardboard to cut out and paint simple decorations like hearts, stars & crosses. 

GIFT WRAPPING

• There's no need for expensive wrapping. Use brown paper or newspaper and simply jazz it up with washi-tape, hessian, ribbon and Christmas decorations.
• Instead of one simple gift tag- personalize each gift by creating an interesting gift "charm". Tie together different layers of paper, ribbon, photos, decorations and anything else that may be meaningful to the person.

So guys that's that! There is no excuse to having Christmas Cheer, no matter what your budget. Having said that, above all the lights, decorations and food- Christmas is a time to be thankful for our blessings and more importantly thankful to the One who has been the Ultimate Gift-Giver!

This is my last post for the year so to all of you...I wish you a blessed, warm & fuzzy feeling Christmas and a safe and wonderful New Year. Looking forward to seeing what 2013 holds!

Love Abz

xxx