Tutorial Tuesday: Baby Headbands

Come one Come all to TUTORIAL TUESDAY! 

I had planed great and marvellous things for you today,,,, But then I got brain blocked. It seemed that my brain decided that it had put in enough time today and took a nap. I did however put a simple tutorial on how to make baby headbands today!! :) yay I over came my brain on break and made something all the same! (quite happy about it too!)

Now I've made quite a few headbands in my time, both for my baby as well as for myself. Today we will be attacking the knotted head band. 

What you'll need:

A warm beverage of your choice (I chose tea) 
Some left over t-shirt material
Scissors
Needle 
And what ever thread you like 

(now it is very possible to do this without sewing, but you'd need either iron on hemming tape or hot glue gun, I chose to use needle and thread because it's quite easy todo and you don't have to be perfect on this project)

First you need to cut your material into a long rectangle. I did 1 1/2 head circumferences of your babys head worth. Make sure it's about 3 inches wide, I made mine 4 inches wide because I wanted mine extra thick. What you will do next is.... sew the edges together. 

I did a simple blanket stitch really quickly up the edge. You can take your time, use hot glue gun, sewing machine, or hemming tape. I was in a sewing mood so I did the blanket stitch. After you run up the edge you need to turn it inside out. 

Once you have turned it inside out you can tie it together. Don't knot it, you just need to tie it once, and then tuck in the edges. As your tucking in the edges, you need to sew it into place (or glue). I used a simple "invisible" stitch to secure it. Because of the material I used, it is a little noticeable where I placed the stitched it. 

By the end of it, you should have something like this. I've used this pattern/technique for my headbands as well as my baby's. It looks amazing with stretchy lace ! You can use any type of stretchy materials. My favorite two are t-shirt and stretchy lace. I hope that you all will like this tutorial. Later on I hope to add more images of other headbands I have made using this technique. I don't know exactly how long this would have taken to make.... if I was super focused and working full speed. I was watching a tv show, I started at the beginning, and finished at the end of the episode. Of course I wasn't paying full attention to the headband making, stoping constantly. So ..... I'm guessing that if I was focused... then 15 minutes max! 

Hope you all liked this post.. 

Can't wait until next Tutorial Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday Everybody! 

Another Monday Another Week

So today being MONDAY I though that I might talk to you all about something new. ..something maybe other than gardening... who knows maybe about how the sun is bright? Or how chocolate is yummy? Or why I always lose my shoes when I run for a bus..... . But then I went to work, and we had this all school assembly. And guess what they talked about at all school assembly? Books? Exams? Nope... Why  they talked about Gardening of course? How could you not talk about gardening?? Right? (It's as if I've been living in a grey garden-less concrete world and the doors have only just recently opened up to revel the wondrous world of gardening)

So any way before I get too far away from what I was going to talk about... Our headmaster performed a little skit and gave a talk about "taking care of God's creation". He quoted from, Genesis 2:15 “ The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” He made a really good insight into this passage. Many people might assume that work came after the fall, that we never were meant to work or do hard labor. This is misconception probably was taken from the passage where God says "Genesis 3:19

By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”" I think this passage talks more about death than it does work.

 

But if you look at the previous passage, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden... to work it and take care of it.” We were designed to work and take care of God's creation. It is in our blood.

I find this absolutely amazing. I confess, I was one of those people who at one point in my life, thought that work came after the fall. But it didn't. We were designed to do things, to make things, to plant, tend, grow things. Now I'm not advocating that we must work ourselves to death, there is a time and a place for rest. Rest is great, I spent my whole weekend resting and recovering. I just enjoy how God has created us. I don't think I can add much more to that. God is amazing. Yep.. Pretty much sums it up.

I hope you all have enjoyed my gardening streak of posts and that they have been uplifting to you. I pray that as you read this you will be encouraged in your week.

Till next time. 

Blessings 

The Planning Stage

After my reflection yesterday, my husband and I started our planning stage of how we can maximise our very limit space. And the thing we defiantly agree on is growing upwards. ( no wonder why people have to learn about planting and gardening for years and years) ...

We researched some amazing ideas. Vertical gardening, hydroponics, lots of big words that I don't know what they mean. And we decided to do some WINDOW FARMING! Well a version of window farming. You say "window farming, what's that??" or "windows don't have soil!" . ... Well I'll tell you Allllll about it!

Window farming is a way to farm in small spaces with exceedingly limited space. What happens is you use recycled 1.5 liter water bottles, some sponge, and dirt to grow your veggies. You have several bottles connected together, top to bottom together (with holes so water can be runed from the top to the bottom). With a bottle on the bottom to collect all the extra water. This way has been proven to grow lots of leafy greens. Each column can be as many bottles long as you want (or have space for!) and you can have as many columns as you want. We are starting our first column soon. . . We will be growing lettuce hopefully lots of it with red and green and extra yummy.

On a side note, we also have decided to grow a few other things, that can't be grown with the window farming system. We have decided to grow peppers and tomatos. Which I have planted today. I really hope I don't become a plant killer again.

And one last style of planing we have decided to do, to really maximise our space, is upside down hanging plants. I'm going to start my first one tomorrow, BASIL! It's going to be really exciting.

I've found thinking, growing, and just getting my hands dirty a real way to connect to God. Here I am just growing a little tomato here, lettuce there, basil up there, and He planned and organised the entire world! Forget just plants, He did it all! It's just amazing and wonderful. And because of His wonderfulness we get to do cool things like window farming!

I really hope to show you all what this will all look like when we are done!

Blessings

A Little Reflection

Since my last post I have been planning, thinking, pondering, wondering (maybe wandering a little while I wonder), debating and dreaming about my new future garden, I've been reflecting ;) as well. And I keep coming back to the Bible. And it's wonderful. 

I've only recently accepted the idea of a garden in our apartment. Before, I would always talk myself out of it. It was either "Oh I can't plant one now, My apartment is too small", "we don't have enough money for it", "we wouldn't have enough time", or the most dreaded thing I would tell myself "PLANT KILLER". Yes, I have killed a few plants in my time, between overwatering, under watering, and cats a few plants have met their demise. 

It's not that I haven't wanted to have a garden. I have wanted a garden for a long time. Especially one with herbs and veg.  But would always say it's not for me. Even after talking myself out of it, I would still want to grow a garden. But why would I have such a strong desire to grow, tend, care for plants? (This is where we turn to the Bible) I have been contemplating why my urge to have a garden was so strong if it wasn't ment for us to do. 

We can start off in the "beginning" (wink wink) 

Genesis 2:8"Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed." 

The first garden ever planted was the Garden of Eden! I know that we have been taught that since Sunday School. But think about it... Our creator was a gardener. He put thought into what to plant, where to plant, how many, and so far and so forth. (and if you want to get even deeper, He designeed each plant from "scratch" before He planted it).After that how could I ask myself "why do I feel the need to have a garden?" because if our creator was a gardener and He created us, why not have a urge to plant, tend, plan, and care? 

After reading that Bible verse, I decided to go and find out how many times the word "garden" showed up in the Bible. Now, some might consider me lazy by going to Biblegateway.com and typing it into the search engine... BUTTTTTTTTTT.... I like to think of it as using the resources that I have. After the quick check, I found that there are 62 times the word "garden" shows up in the NIV. I decided to also type in a few other words:Garden 62 timesvine 182 times
farm 22 times
field 284 timesvineyard 108Gardener 2 times

Gardener only showed up 2 times. But very strong imagery. 

John 15:1[ The Vine and the Branches ] “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.

We are always taught to follow God, be more like Christ. :) And I have found that my desire to garden is a reflection of my creator. 

I hope that this little reflection was helpful to all of you.
With Blessings

Mr. Fix it.

Today was a good day. Thanks to the storm we got to sleep in, enjoy time with our daughter and make a wonderful quiche. And just like most projects around the house we started a new project at around 7.ANDDDDDD We finally got it done! Mr. Fix it helped me get my front window open!!! We have been meaning to get that window to open since we moved into this apartment. The little old lady who lived here before us, must have been afraid of thefts, and had someone weld it shut. Which is such a pity, because there is usable balcony out there!!!

With my leather work gloves from Uni, a make shift welding hat, and a regular apron MR. Fix it went to work. He cut through the metal rods so we can open our window and actually go out side onto this makeshift balcony we have out there. WHICH gave me a good idea! Since we have a balcony now and have been wanting to start a garden outside (with tons of lettuce, tomato, carrots, and other yummy veg) why not go through and document it and show you all!

It can be very hard to have a garden in a city, with all the limited space and what not. But why not utilize the space we have. We have a balcony area... now that we can access it....all we have to do now is tidy it up a bit, design where and how to put the plants, and the POOF we will have a garden. Hopefully we won't kill all our plants.:)

So we will be updating you all through out our balcony garden journey! :)
Oh I can't wait to get started!

Blessings to you all
Talk to you soon.

Tutorial Tuesday! Baby Dress How to...

After what seems like forever, to me, I have put together a TUTORIAL! (if you don't know, I have started a new job, so it's been an adjustment period, so my time has been a little tighter)

And what type of Tutorial do I have planned for all of you today!? Why an awesome one of course:). I'm going to be talking you through how to make a Baby / Toddler Dress out of an old T-shirt.

Materials Needed:
1 Old T-shirt of your choice
1 Sewing Machine (with the thread that matches the T-shirt)
1 Pair of Scissors
Some pins to hold things in place.

You might also like a cup of tea while you do this.

First things first, you need to pick out a t-shirt that you think will become a good dress.

Then you'll need to cut out two sections.

I cut the very bottom of the T-shirt for the bottom of the dress and the part around the neck.
I made sure to have over an inch on either side of the neckline for the straps. (also depending on the neck line, it might be a little low, so you might need to have a little extra bit to add to the neck line) .

You'll need to gather the base of the dress before you pin it to the top. After you gather the base of the dress, you'll need to take the top of the dress, turn it inside out and sew about 2 inches up both sides. There should be enough room for the arms in the arm holes.

Then you'll need to pin the top to the bottom. Make sure that both "outsides" are facing each other  when you pin them together so the seam will be facing the "inside". After you finish pinning it you can sew them together. I don't have a surger, so I did a regular stitch followed by a zig zag stitch. After you've done this You have a baby dress. (don't forget to take out all the pins)

Now I did a little extra on my dress so don't feel the need to do this to your baby dress.
I sewed some "t-shirt yarn" to make a pretty pattern.

You'll need to make small incisions about an inch apart from one another, I did three rows, but how many rows you do is up to you.

 You then just weave or stitch it through the holes you already created.

When you're done... You'll have something that looks like the dress above. I had to add a little paneling to the neck line because it was a little too low for my baby.
And the only other step you have now is ... to put it on a baby!

Doesn't she look cute in her new baby dress? And so good at posing.

I couldn't resist adding this picture in, She wasn't quite ready for the flash, but she was ready with a nice pose.

Hope you like this Baby Dress idea!
And for all those who craft :) Hope you try crafting something like this.
Blessings

Starting School

This week has been filled with meetings and prepping, organizing and chaotic messes, as well as two different modes: sitting still for a long time or running around like a headless chicken.
But I've almost made it through the week! Praise the Lord! And have enjoyed my time so far.
Because of my busy schedule this week, school stuff as well as after school stuff, I haven't really had time to do any crafty things. . . Well I've made power points, posters, handouts, and a bunch of other things. But today I've been given permission to go crazy with art! :) Well ... sort of. Today the person I share a classroom with told me that if I ever want to spruce up her signs and stuff like that to feel free!

So I JUMPED AT THE CHANCE!

And I designed (thanks to pickmonkey.com) a few posters for the classroom. I think the one I like the most is this one.

I also did another poster just for fun titled: Drama Llama.
 It's for a coworker who has this cute little llama in her class. I hope she will like it .

I know I could have done better with cutting the llama out, but I really like the colors. I'm going to be printing these out tomorrow and putting them up in the classroom!


I have a few things to look forward to on this blog. Coming up, I'm going to try out a couple of recipes, I have this Swedish Cook Book that was an engagement gift (now it's 2 years old) that I really should cook from. I also have the cook books my mom bought me, as wells a few others. Let's just say I have a lot of cookbooks that need to be used! So, I'm going to start working my way through them. Picking through the recipes that I don't like, and choosing recipes of food that I will actually eat. So there will be no duck recipes to try for me.

Another thing to look forward to is, that, I do have a tutorial coming out on Tuesday. The tutorial will be on how to make a baby dress out of a old t shirt. For all of you out there who like to sew, or want cheap baby clothes, this tutorial will be for you!!

Until the next time.