tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20985086246098803022024-03-29T11:30:15.120+00:00Sew and the City...on raising kids in London and trying to remain saneUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-46135242210148203902016-11-26T11:59:00.000+00:002016-11-29T10:58:43.109+00:00Love thy drill<div style="text-align: left;">
Here is what I did one day, a few moths ago with some salvaged wood from the broken slats of my kids bunk bed and a drill that a girlfriend had lent me. </div>
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Maybe it was beginners luck but it did take only 10 min. That's all. Admittedly I took 6 of the slats to a local wood company and they cut them in half so I used the halves for the sides of my box. The caster wheels where given to me by said friend and all I had to purchase was a cylinder wood rod for the top and two long pieces for wood to construct the bit where the clothes are hanged.<br />
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Needless to say it is loved by my little ones and so well used that it is currently overflowing with all sorts of dressing up stuff and accessories.<br />
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I loved working with wood so much that I made a quick tent too. It didn't survive after it was taken to the garden but the kids loved it.</div>
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Have a great weekend!</div>
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Love,</div>
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Irina xx</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com103tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-70834862830042680742016-11-14T11:56:00.001+00:002016-11-14T12:09:21.389+00:00What to do with kids in London <div style="text-align: center;">
Visit the National Gallery</div>
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Almost every weekend we venture into London and love exploring museums, often wondering around until the announcement that "this place will be closing in 15 minutes". Lovely son has finally reached an age where he is interested in things and doesn't just charge through the museum halls like a mad bull.<br />
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So another Sunday and another trip to London. And after spending two days in a row recently at the Science Museum we decided to go and look at some art. So the National Gallery was an easy choice although next time we plan to visit Tate Britain.<br />
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So when parents tell me that their kids would not have the attention and patience to wonder through the National Gallery halls I disagree. And here a few of my tips for your first visit. And trust me you won't be able so see even one tenth on your first visit. you need to be back again and again and again.<br />
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Let them run around and explore.</div>
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Let them lead you.</div>
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Lead them.</div>
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Stop in front of a famous painting and read out the name of the artist.</div>
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Ask if they've heard the name before.</div>
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Ask them to describe what they see.</div>
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Talk about the colours they see.</div>
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Join a kids activity.</div>
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Make a sketch.</div>
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Follow a trail through the museum.</div>
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Ask which one is the biggest painting.</div>
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Go to see Whistlejacket and ask them what is different about this paining.</div>
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Stand in the Rotonda room and look up to admire the beautiful architecture and gold leaf details.</div>
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Look for the dent in the floor in Hall 29. Ask why is it there.</div>
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Find out what happened to the paintings during the bombings of WWII. Where were they taken?</div>
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Look for the only painting that is not rectangular. Find out what style it is.</div>
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Use your own words to explain still life. Landscape. Portrait.</div>
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Look at your kids faces when they see "Two followers of Cadmus devoured by a Dragon" by Cornelius von Harlem.</div>
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Find "Saint George and the Dragon" by Uccello and tell them the story of Saint George.</div>
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Search for the "Sunflowers".</div>
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See if you can spot a tiger. Think Henry Rousseau.</div>
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And if you can't escape without getting something from the gift shop than opt for an art book. Or just a book. Any book.</div>
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Yes it is as simple as that. Please do go and explore London. It's an incredible city, an amazing place to be raising kids. Let them leave their mark.</div>
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Have a great Monday!</div>
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Love,</div>
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Irina</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-63026433365757256672016-11-09T13:08:00.000+00:002016-11-09T18:53:54.857+00:00Oh boy! What a year...My last post was welcoming the New Year full of hope and positive emotions for the 2016. But what a year it has been. First Brexit and now Trump. Can't stop questioning the world, can't help but being afraid about the world. And no, I was neither with her, nor with him. And in a way I feel relieved that I didn't have to make this mad choice. History will judge this one day. My eight year old who tried to explain to me how bad it is to be sexist and racist will judge this. My four year old, who didn't understand what is happening, sensed that the only appropriate emotion is "Yuk". He will judge this one day. I wish I knew why people thought they had so little to loose.<br />
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And here it is! The face of innocence. Oblivious that overnight the world changed.<br />
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Gulp,<br />
Irina xx</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-23207990769273084162015-12-31T22:24:00.003+00:002015-12-31T22:24:54.590+00:00Happy New Year<span id="goog_530483490"></span>Good bye 2015! You were good to us and I am grateful for that. Now armed with more that one New Year's resolutions I am looking forward to a new year, to a new start, to new adventures and new memories.<br />
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Here are some of our best moments of 2015. </div>
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Welcome 2016!</div>
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Love,</div>
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Irina xx</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-11902172085627530302013-11-13T19:12:00.000+00:002013-11-13T19:20:05.790+00:00Looking For The Cake Pop Stars<div style="text-align: center;">
{a competition}</div>
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Yes I know...another cooking post. But is it is actually an entry to a cake pop competition, so I guess that's a bit of an excuse. Besides I had the best intention to sew something so I promise something interesting very soon.</div>
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So back to the competition. Cake pops have slowly been making an appearance here in Germany and I made my first cake pops last year for Halloween but at that time I couldn't find cake pop sticks or suitable decoration so had to order them from the US.That has all changed now...</div>
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One of the shops that joined in the cake pop craze is <a href="https://www.strauss-innovation.de/app/gewinnspiel_bildupload.do?action=BildUpload" target="_blank">Strauss Innovation</a>. A nice shop whose product range changes about once a month and one is sure to find everything from colorful piknick plates and baskets to cute Christmas decoration, from sweet cupcake boxes to girlie polka dot bed linens. So I often go there but I didn't see the competition leaflet. The mum of Lovely Kindergarten Best Friend passed it on and so I decided to give the competition my best shot.</div>
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And yes there is a price, and yes, I hope I'll win one of 10 duck blue "kitchen aid" look-a-likes.</div>
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And since Cristmas is only six weeks away...yes...six weeks...I though that Christmas cake pops are completely in order.</div>
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As always the internet was full of inspiration.</div>
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Do you like one of the cake pops more the rest?</div>
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My favorite are the ginger bread houses. They are completely my own creation and look so cute.</div>
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SO, fingers crossed! I'll let you know how the competition goes.</div>
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Have a nice evening!</div>
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Love,</div>
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Irina xx</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-23411968535506454042013-11-04T20:17:00.002+00:002013-11-13T19:14:34.730+00:00Belated Halloween <div style="text-align: center;">
{ has it really been so long}</div>
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My dearest readers, I can't quite believe that it has been six months since my last post. Of course I made things over the past months (I would have gone crazy if I didn't) but some how I didn't find the time to blog.</div>
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I am planning a post to show you how the past few months have been but in the mean time here are some photos from our little Halloween party last week. It was so much fun making everything...the witch's fingers were my absolute favorite.</div>
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Witch's broom sticks and witch's fingers- everyone loved them! I followed <a href="http://www.worthpinning.com/2012/10/witch-finger-cookies.html" target="_blank">this really easy tutorial</a> and they turned out so realistic plus they had the added benefit of actually being cookies. The red dye was my addition (simply dilute some red food color in a little bit of water and use a paint brush to make the blood splatters) It definitely added to the effect. </div>
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For the brooms I used cheese strings which was much easier than the tutorials I found on Pinterest.</div>
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We couldn't skip the cake pops following last years <a href="http://www.sewandthecity.blogspot.de/2012/11/halloween-cake-pops-party.html" target="_blank">Cake Pop Halloween Party </a>so they seem to become a bit of party tradition in our home. I always use Dr Oetker's Chocolate Cake Mix and they are delicious every time plus I dip them in white chocolate so they were more like double chocolate cake pops. They are sprinkled with black and orange sugar which I got in a little package from Lovely Mum.</div>
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Yes, Lovely Little Son has grown up quite a bit. He definitely helped making sure there are no Dragon's Nails ( aka Buggles) left. <br />
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Although a bit cheesy in my opinion, this bowl proved a great hit with the kids. It not only slapped your hand when you tried to get a sweetie but it also gave out a scary growl. No wonder a few packs of sweets remained untouched...<br />
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Mummy sausages - they tasted yum and were really easy to make but I am not sure the kids really knew what a mummy was...maybe next year.<br />
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Some girlie scull cookies which no question tasted delicious but were a bit time consuming. I know that blogland is filled with beautiful cookies and informative tutorials, but despite the Royal Icing Sugar which a lovely friend bought back from the UK ( thank you!) I just couldn't get it right. Hours of you tube video watching also didn't help...the consistency of my icing was nothing like those videos showed. Yes, I know you can't tell (unless you are <a href="http://www.lilaloa.com/" target="_blank">LilaLoa</a>) but after the seventh cookie I just gave up. But the eye lashes and the orange bow were real fun to make.</div>
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Hope you are all having a great week!</div>
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Love,</div>
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Irina xx</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-69059180200929292982013-04-18T11:00:00.000+01:002013-04-18T21:12:35.885+01:00French Macarons<div style="text-align: center;">
{who doesn't fancy a little challenge}</div>
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"Oh no" you'll say "another baking post, what is wrong with that woman". I am looking for sewing inspiration, I promise, but at the moment I find my therapy in trying out various yummy, undeniably fatty but never the less relaxing to make little sweet treats. </div>
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French macarons have been on my To Bake list for ages. I have seen countless you tube videos and even had a dream of making them, so I knew I had to try. So when I came across a fabulous food blog called <a href="http://www.loveandoliveoil.com/" target="_blank">Love and Olive Oil</a> - check it out it has some amazing recipes and food photos, I decided to join the monthly challenge which was...you guessed it...macarons.</div>
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Two macarons attempts later I finally ended up with the most delicious Nutela filled macarons. As a complete baking geek I sat in front of the oven looking as the little meringue circles created little domes, and kept peeking through the glass door as I couldn't see any feet. No feet, no macarons. Halleluiah, 20 min later and they were ready...the sweetest, but no too sweet and chewiest, but not to chewy and absolutely delicious macarons. They were maybe a bit too big but never the less I was ecstatic. Pastry chefs all over the world go to baking classes to learn to make those famous macarons and there was me, in my tiny kitchen in Frankfurt enjoying self made macrons. OK, I did eat one or <strike>five</strike> two but they undeniably tasted better the next day.</div>
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So the verdict : </div>
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- macarons are not hard to make. Notice, I didn't say they were easy, I just don't think they are hard to make. </div>
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- know your stuff - read a few tutorials, watch a few videos and although I personally didn't age my egg whites I do believe that there are certain little tricks to help you succeed.</div>
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- learn to make a good filling - the flavor of macarons comes from the filling. There are some great ideas on the internet and I quite liked one which used the egg yolks to make vanilla cream.</div>
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- don't be scared, you only need three ingredients so it can't be that tricky, right. And although they are famously known as macarons their other name is cookies. See it doesn't sound so scary any more, anyone can make cookies. So face your fears and if you don't succeed the first time than try again.</div>
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If you think you would like to try making your own French macarons than check out these great blog posts which will help you in your "perfect macaron quest". They certainly make for a good reading and provided me with the knowledge I needed to make those delicious little treats.</div>
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Love and Olive Oil has some great links at the bottom of the post - <a href="http://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2013/04/april-kitchen-challenge-macarons.html" target="_blank">link here</a>. </div>
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I used a simple recipe from Bake at 350 - <a href="http://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2013/04/april-kitchen-challenge-macarons.html" target="_blank">link here</a>. There you'll also find links to some great posts by the Brave Tart well worth the read if you want to know all about macarons.</div>
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Hope you are having a great week and enjoying the late arrival of Spring. Enjoy the sunshine.</div>
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Love,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Irina</div>
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P.S. I almost forgot...here is my first attempt. They were pink, yay... but too fragile.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com69tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-27157974277276182012013-04-04T16:08:00.000+01:002013-04-05T17:41:58.253+01:00Oven Baked Sea Salt Courgette Crisps<div style="text-align: center;">
{who would have thought}</div>
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After making the chocolate chip cookies three times I really needed something healthier and definitely not sweet, so when I saw these courgettes crisps on Pinterest I had to try them. They are really easy to make and here is my variation - it uses sea salt and raps oil.<br />
The secret is to choose a nice, fresh, more on the larger side courgette. <br />
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So here is what you'll need:<br />
Courgette<br />
Sea salt<br />
Raps Oil<br />
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Cut the courgette into a 1mm thin slices. Place the slices on kitchen paper towel. This will remove some of the moisture from the courgette. Line a tray with baking paper and place your slices. You don't need to leave space between them as they'll shrink a bit anyway. Sprinkle over a pinch of sea salt. You can add more salt after they crisps are ready. Use a pastry brush and brush some raps oil over the courgettes. Bake at 160C for about 30-40 min.<br />
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I couldn't resist posting a couple of photos on my baby boy who is 10 months old today...where did the time go...look at these sweet cheeks...<br />
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And I also must share this photo of Easter in my girl's dolls house. Did you think the dolls don't celebrate Easter, of course they do! And can you spot the little wooden sewing machine in the background...yes the dolls have a sewing machine too! </div>
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Hope you are having a lovely week!</div>
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Love,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Irina</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-76291098404098143842013-03-29T20:03:00.000+00:002013-03-30T08:47:37.075+00:00Happy Easter!<div style="text-align: center;">
{ it is almost Easter}</div>
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I love Easter! It is my second favorite holiday of the whole year and this year as usual I was looking forward to Easter - to decorate the house again, to dye Easter eggs with my girl, to tell her the story of Jesus and to actually wave goodbye to that long horrible winter. Well, the horrible winter doesn't seem to have any intention of going away, it was in fact snowing today here in Frankfurt. I mean, come on, its almost Easter... <br />
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And than I realized that I haven't blogged for the whole of March. Noooo! I have been doing so many things...mostly baking and crafting. I just didn't seem to have the camera handy or the time to put any photos on my blog. <br />
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So this year as every year, on the Thursday before Good Friday we colored some eggs. We didn't do any of my "famous"<a href="http://www.sewandthecity.blogspot.de/2012/04/happy-easter.html" target="_blank"> <b>cotton pads eggs</b></a><b> </b>but we tried leaf printing and the old method with the<a href="http://www.sewandthecity.blogspot.de/2012/03/lace-tights-easter-eggs.html" target="_blank"> <b>lace tights</b></a>. The colors turned out really rich and vibrant (despite the last yellow egg which didn't color very well, but for some reason it has found its way right on top of the basket . Better attention to detail next time). <br />
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And here is our Easter tree... It actually stays on the ledge of the big window. </div>
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It's in the middle of the room just for the photo.</div>
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And as Kindergarten was closed today and I had too keep little fingers away from mischief Lovely Little Big Daughter and I baked some chocolate chip cookies. And boy, were they absolutely chewy and delicious. </div>
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Here is the recipe if you'd like to make some. The cookie dough takes 5 min to make and it was enough for 16 cookies. I guess you can double up the recipe if you have lots of visitors over the Easter break.</div>
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Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies ( from <a href="http://cooks.com/">Cooks.com</a>)</div>
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1/2 cup butter (about 100 gr)</div>
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1/2 cup brown sugar</div>
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1/2 cup white sugar</div>
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1/2 tsp. vanilla</div>
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1 egg</div>
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1cup flour</div>
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1/2 tsp. baking soda</div>
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1 cup of chocolate chips</div>
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1/2 tsp.salt</div>
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Mix all ingredients well and use an ice-cream spoon to scoop out balls from the dough. Line a tray with baking paper and put about seven or eight little balls. Bake at 160C for about 8 min. ( Time could vary but it will be between 6 and 10 min).</div>
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If you are not sure how to get that lovely rounded edge on your cookies than check out <a href="http://www.designmom.com/2012/10/living-well-8-secrets-to-the-perfect-chocolate-chip-cookie/" target="_blank">this post by Design Mom</a> on the ultimate chocolate chip cookie. As you can see mine have the yummy edge but I guess it's only begginers luck.</div>
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Wishing you all a lovely Easter!</div>
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Love,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Irina xx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-12164546120162447252013-02-28T20:42:00.002+00:002013-03-02T07:35:05.955+00:00Cotton pads colored Easter eggs<div style="text-align: center;">
{ a little twist from last year}</div>
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Tomorrow is the first of March which means that Easter is a mere four weeks away. Wasn't it Christmas just yesterday? Well, we do love Easter in our home, it just some how feels a bit sooner this year.<br />
So today I took out my Easter supplies and little Easter bits and bobs which I bought last year after the holiday was over and hope I'll come up with some creative ideas to share with you.<br />
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But first things first - Easter eggs. There is no Easter without Easter eggs and in our home Easter egg decorating is taken very seriously. I usually boil up to thirty eggs which after decorating are displayed in a basket and left to grace the dining table for up to a week. Yes, in that week there are lots of egg sandwiches, eggs and brioche, eggs in salads, eggs taken to kindergarten...you get the idea! <br />
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Last year a showed you how to color eggs using make up cotton pads. You will find the <a href="http://www.sewandthecity.blogspot.de/2012/04/happy-easter.html" target="_blank">old post and tutorial here.</a><br />
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I love how the eggs turn out each time... so colorful and really really happy.</div>
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So this year I decided to use the same technique but only apply one
color at the time. I chose blue and green and I think the result is
quite stylish.<br />
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Lovely Little Big Daughter was still off sick from kindergarten, and feeling much better she declared that summer was much more fun than winter..."because you are not sick and you can go the beach and eat ice cream". I had to agree...<br />
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Happy Easter crafting!</div>
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Love,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Irina xx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-43808482381915684852013-02-27T21:12:00.000+00:002013-02-28T20:04:01.006+00:00What to do at home with sick kids<div style="text-align: center;">
{bake cupcakes}</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
It is the season of the viruses and I can tell you we had our fair share this winter. So there was no surprise when I was woken up in the middle of the night by a tearful little girl with very high temperature. We managed the night somehow, and after a trip to the doctor I knew I had to occupy my little one or let her watch endless hours of TV. And so I said " Lets bake something" and she said " Yes, pizza!" ...and I said " Uh, I meant something else, like cupcakes"..."Oh" she said "cupcakes are better than pizza"....So cupcakes it was.</div>
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After a quick Google search we chose what seemed an easy <a href="http://bakingbites.com/2007/06/vanilla-buttermilk-cupcakes/" target="_blank">Vanila Buttermilk Cupcake recipe from Baking Bites</a>. It took no time at all and there they were, twelve soft, moist, delicious looking cupcakes ready to be iced. </div>
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Another Google search and this time a video on You Tube by a Nigella Lawson lookalike taught us how to use the piping bag and how to ice the cupcakes. A bit of purple food color ( remember I had to buy a selection of rainbow colors recently) and we were ready to rock...well, to ice the cupcakes to be more precise.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7GToGVULBS-aJiSXOZXKsSVcuQIeahAwMK6aaeARvT0j9SIHzeNwsAtHa4vQ-dnxOdyy5IK0yYM0O_toNvilzn9niCVWthGrS_0uuWanYkikHH4AZpKpdcjV4uOuakpBwha0U70s/s1600/Photo+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7GToGVULBS-aJiSXOZXKsSVcuQIeahAwMK6aaeARvT0j9SIHzeNwsAtHa4vQ-dnxOdyy5IK0yYM0O_toNvilzn9niCVWthGrS_0uuWanYkikHH4AZpKpdcjV4uOuakpBwha0U70s/s1600/Photo+5.JPG" /> </a></div>
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They were yummy!</div>
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Hope you are having a nice, virus free week!</div>
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<br /></div>
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Love,</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Irina xx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-91138046335947007172013-02-25T09:14:00.001+00:002013-03-05T12:44:29.597+00:00Re-fashioned tights <div style="text-align: center;">
{ from tights to leggings = t-eggings}</div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisP_wL4Oi9HjFIMbRdFHdotr65hpDLo4uLmMJkZOHDxXx11j6KU-n6-d5A6udqP5207lw4-lEEWVPyPYLGh-dWDTA5tiK6QAk_TblcJ17u6TttGj0jV4iWpCl4GCosuMbxyUBOqkvC/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisP_wL4Oi9HjFIMbRdFHdotr65hpDLo4uLmMJkZOHDxXx11j6KU-n6-d5A6udqP5207lw4-lEEWVPyPYLGh-dWDTA5tiK6QAk_TblcJ17u6TttGj0jV4iWpCl4GCosuMbxyUBOqkvC/s1600/photo+2.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
Happy Monday everyone! If you have a little girl than I am sure you know all about tights - you buy them in the correct size only to find out that two washes later and they don't fit properly any more. They seem to have shrunk or who knows what but they just do not offer comfort anymore and so your precious little darling is starting the day complaining that the tights that match that dress are not comfortable anymore.<br />
<br />
In my opinion there are two things that can be done - go back to the
shop and buy and new pair or simply re-fashion the smaller pair and make t-eggings. Of
course it can't be done in that very second so alternative clothing
arrangements needs to be made but you'll be in safe hands next time. <br />
<br />
I guess you also know all about the importance of leggings - they protects the knees when falling, they keep legs and bottom warm (ish) after spending hours digging in the sand on the playground and ultimately they compliment an outfit, as my five year old says. So yes, we love leggings in our home! And now we love t-eggings!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_7CnkHFUEQfOaqy05dZSxIeXl-_NdJPWAljTRTf1K_oSwXSACKEW6v8dJSp6dvY9kPyzXQysisEhsZFDzJuMMQKUfuZ-tfHUMb3oFXuF2VdZ2vHlVpAnxyUw3Wkq42MRNEN_tOdwg/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_7CnkHFUEQfOaqy05dZSxIeXl-_NdJPWAljTRTf1K_oSwXSACKEW6v8dJSp6dvY9kPyzXQysisEhsZFDzJuMMQKUfuZ-tfHUMb3oFXuF2VdZ2vHlVpAnxyUw3Wkq42MRNEN_tOdwg/s1600/photo+2.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIf9lnR_Ds4miUL0nbxZkwyl1DDU_BuCk5z9cxWnLbxcodKX2GCPQJkAReWI0TJOIz2QZDJJ5kjIHWJW6spG8G9NCrUl9gEFPf8dgbRabl31FX5xwkFJyjPirKSuuFwudtpl7x4jAM/s1600/three+tights+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIf9lnR_Ds4miUL0nbxZkwyl1DDU_BuCk5z9cxWnLbxcodKX2GCPQJkAReWI0TJOIz2QZDJJ5kjIHWJW6spG8G9NCrUl9gEFPf8dgbRabl31FX5xwkFJyjPirKSuuFwudtpl7x4jAM/s1600/three+tights+photo.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
This idea was ultimately inspired by the post from <a href="http://www.u-createcrafts.com/2013/01/diy-tights-into-leggings.html" target="_blank">U Create</a> and now I have a great way to use all those small tight and all those little pieces of ribbon.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
So go and dig out those small tights and your ribbon scraps make some t-eggings. Its easy!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The photo tutorial below will give you an idea of how it is done.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Cut the tights as you like - you can make them longer or shorter. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Find a coordinating ribbon and attach it to the back part of the leg with a pin. Make sure that one part of your ribbon will be more or less aligned with the end of the tights where you'll saw the ziz zag stitch.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Set your machine to the normal zig zag stitch.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
If you'd like to create a wavy effect on the ribbon than you'll need to pull gently the tights while sewing. By doing that the ribbon will become sort of frilly.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
When you are finished, attached the two ribbons together with a zig zag stitch and cut of the excess ribbon. If you feel you have to, than use a lighter to carefully seal the ends.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
For alternative versions you can add a second layer of ribbon or embellish the sides or the back with some bows.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1MvX5ssvMwF9KEWu8Ul7DKMkizikWHGWEqgki2BxfieTXPnJneeUGsEMC9IlGieTPqdz7coTX6-tRlCXRW57TzxVhmpifKs5c18KR7jwFD5LkBUkapSV-g1y4ua_EDlV_ZBU4PxE/s1600/tights+leggings+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1MvX5ssvMwF9KEWu8Ul7DKMkizikWHGWEqgki2BxfieTXPnJneeUGsEMC9IlGieTPqdz7coTX6-tRlCXRW57TzxVhmpifKs5c18KR7jwFD5LkBUkapSV-g1y4ua_EDlV_ZBU4PxE/s1600/tights+leggings+collage.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Yes, I saw the pictures and I can't believe I am wearing matching nail polish. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbO0eU4Vns9BsDbHVKTW_BW0IYbFCNFvKQf4NjNV5zZ97Ejfp5QDKZRySNPa2O7-LtaVNA3j-FrHoVVLrm76EmyTBLv3_TJV5VnLp7u25DJisn34cw6bHFhC5BOr1zBe4As47i3puw/s1600/Photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbO0eU4Vns9BsDbHVKTW_BW0IYbFCNFvKQf4NjNV5zZ97Ejfp5QDKZRySNPa2O7-LtaVNA3j-FrHoVVLrm76EmyTBLv3_TJV5VnLp7u25DJisn34cw6bHFhC5BOr1zBe4As47i3puw/s1600/Photo+1.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfz0AZrJ8EXIysEgSXmmcLa_pPuwvB2-yDWvCPn7GiMTR_qVCrINyYSWHdl7QnAsH2KbqUTi77CH1d9wTbC2xaGBTDTozh9wK7U1UXh5X6K3LoBXRT7BO-qXiBYbEs4j_GfbhOtwcV/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfz0AZrJ8EXIysEgSXmmcLa_pPuwvB2-yDWvCPn7GiMTR_qVCrINyYSWHdl7QnAsH2KbqUTi77CH1d9wTbC2xaGBTDTozh9wK7U1UXh5X6K3LoBXRT7BO-qXiBYbEs4j_GfbhOtwcV/s1600/photo+3.JPG" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Have a great Monday and a wonderful week!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Stay warm! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Love,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Irina xx </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
P.S. Please see my Linky Party Fun page for some of the parties I
link up to.
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
This post was featured on </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://toastiestudio.blogspot.com/" title="toastie studio"><img alt="toastie studio" height="110" src="http://www.toastiestudio.nl/blog/toastie_feature.jpg" width="110" /></a>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-59887070613562052272013-02-22T19:51:00.000+00:002013-02-22T19:51:24.107+00:00Floppy Bow Headband<div style="text-align: center;">
{a simple craft project}</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
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I’ve made a few headbands for my daughter as they are quite
quick and easy to make and always much nicer or lets say different than those
you can get in the shops. And if you ask my girl she’ll tell you than one
can never have too many headbands.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9c8OPJouZV9OL9y43KBg91WNJdyqZ25g8s4XHIAAc8ixXyRY3L7_Ih71wDTGB5h8rup5k3w71Mj5RCXUpfk3u8XCtuDlh9nFYdk9BswbNobmeRMb_cPAyDhQlDE9mbES_SdPdGiqQ/s1600/photo+close+up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9c8OPJouZV9OL9y43KBg91WNJdyqZ25g8s4XHIAAc8ixXyRY3L7_Ih71wDTGB5h8rup5k3w71Mj5RCXUpfk3u8XCtuDlh9nFYdk9BswbNobmeRMb_cPAyDhQlDE9mbES_SdPdGiqQ/s1600/photo+close+up.JPG" /></a></div>
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</div>
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So today I decided to make her a floppy bow headband and it
just happened that I had a golden plastic headband that I had just purchased on
the sale from Accessories and some golden fabric which I got in preparation for
future princess dress sewing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The project is very easy and it took less than 30 minutes,
including waiting for my glue gun to warm up. So if you are a new to sewing or
crafting this is an ideal way to start – make something quick and easy that you
or your child can wear.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Below is a photo tutorial which is more or less self
explanatory but here is a little summary:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
You will need:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
A headband</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Matching Fabric</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Glue Gun</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Cut two pieces from your fabric. You can decide how big (or
small) you want you bow to be. In this case big is good!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Turn your bow piece back to front and fold it in half and stitch
each side leaving a 2cm gap in the middle. Use the chop stick (or something
similar) to turn the bow to the front.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Sew your small piece together. It will be used to make the
middle part of your bow.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Next set your sewing machine stitch length to 5 and sew a
line through the bow piece so you can gather it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Use your hot glue gun to attach the bow to the head band.
Use the smaller piece to finish of your bow by also gluing it to the headband.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Very easy!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9HiRMz-choJxgGGY9e5fGKv6_l5kKgTImlbHVjIWhkJeo7ZZx7OpxzQlQBXj4zaSQna7sHU3FLjtCotuhXYrNFVsKCn70tT4xZ1dyXUaCzH3jZM3X4u0Ur53ggbOLP_UnEwPPvcbg/s1600/heandband+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9HiRMz-choJxgGGY9e5fGKv6_l5kKgTImlbHVjIWhkJeo7ZZx7OpxzQlQBXj4zaSQna7sHU3FLjtCotuhXYrNFVsKCn70tT4xZ1dyXUaCzH3jZM3X4u0Ur53ggbOLP_UnEwPPvcbg/s1600/heandband+collage.jpg" /></a></div>
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My little girl said that this was now here favourite headband…but
she says that every time.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8JMDPN7gXVMo-kKQrx8DJoNRGmJ3_lEzmkMUYCbgAtAiBEmPDnWoG-LK8q0WGgkSZ8MZXWhUBB9eEwmUAFJqwk_Zny6-nxR5OzxSKDdRptFeJqZew-nY5MhqNeVQJFEL4IA7XH54/s1600/Photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8JMDPN7gXVMo-kKQrx8DJoNRGmJ3_lEzmkMUYCbgAtAiBEmPDnWoG-LK8q0WGgkSZ8MZXWhUBB9eEwmUAFJqwk_Zny6-nxR5OzxSKDdRptFeJqZew-nY5MhqNeVQJFEL4IA7XH54/s1600/Photo.JPG" /></a></div>
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Have a crafty weekend!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Love,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Irina xx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-35878129801599002052013-02-16T21:12:00.001+00:002013-02-16T21:18:55.120+00:00Paper Covered Tin Cans<div style="text-align: center;">
{ a 10 minute project }</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
Everybody is doing beautiful fabric
or paper covered cans and boxes to mach their beautiful craft rooms and so I
decided to have a go myself...no, not at having a beautiful craft room ( sigh),
just at covering some cans with paper. </div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
It is all very much pretty straight
forward...however I would like to introduce you to my second best friend (
after my hot glue gun) ...please enter the double sided tape...yes, it has
proven itself useful on many occasions and now I just can't imagine not having
one...it did a great job with those cans too.</div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
The other slightly different thing
that I did was to keep the clear plastic lid and use one of the tins to store
my roll of jute twine...it worked lovely and it is so very easy to pull.</div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
So here is what you need and a simple
photo tutorial.</div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
Paper - mine was double sided</div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
Cans</div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
Double sided tape</div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
Ruler, mat and an exacto knife </div>
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<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
My double sided tape is a bit thick
so I cut it in half and used it to attach the paper to the back of the cans. If
you have thinner double sided, tape than use one strip to attach each paper
end. </div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
About the little wooden stick you see
on the photo - I planed to hot glue it to the bottom of the can but at the end
it wasn't necessary...as you can see below.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMl1pgVgMRotUDLrq-kR09s4lDmbGKyJLwWeydaMvFhuissRaykW3RptbjB75hc7RSelR4Lh2xfo-hIKCfxUhqasqYaSL1K4Eg5YyVOhlg_0fpQUQTKdVyGZLuQsRwqKcQJ3RHYrp/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMl1pgVgMRotUDLrq-kR09s4lDmbGKyJLwWeydaMvFhuissRaykW3RptbjB75hc7RSelR4Lh2xfo-hIKCfxUhqasqYaSL1K4Eg5YyVOhlg_0fpQUQTKdVyGZLuQsRwqKcQJ3RHYrp/s1600/photo+2.JPG" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Have a fabulous Sunday!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Love,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Irina xx</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-3461917913507236292013-02-14T20:21:00.002+00:002013-02-14T20:31:26.241+00:00Pom pom monster wands<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
{ a craft lesson}</div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Lovely Little Big Daughter invited two friends yesterday to learn how to
make pom poms. The inspiration came from the tulle pom pom wands that I made as
favours for her Birthday party and so everyone wanted to know how pom poms are
made.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUE_YixkYoX9s06I_nkS79phebVWFoOFFQ3az_FDzxBybi87V4rf_uURxqijlJTagFq1vz8tiYSz54MZgq1dSSGVvSZpvFx_z3mlK4b3FPfGmxUo_sdeYaK_vqM25A6ycC830HXAd5/s1600/monster+pom+pom.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUE_YixkYoX9s06I_nkS79phebVWFoOFFQ3az_FDzxBybi87V4rf_uURxqijlJTagFq1vz8tiYSz54MZgq1dSSGVvSZpvFx_z3mlK4b3FPfGmxUo_sdeYaK_vqM25A6ycC830HXAd5/s1600/monster+pom+pom.JPG" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The girls sat patiently and waited for me to cut the circles and show them
how it’s done and although I was worried that the needle might be too big all
went fine and everyone had fun. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKmKxgRX1oj_8g_HoqyISKzrRLaGEDTCXoDd9n3J2TVEU3UE7sLpne_XHNTuiFhyphenhyphenmzc5W9e_xLN_iKGzSmjMZUXHS3qkvcZMdAHqNsqT0yM5NOfiHytBHn8KL6qtDnHHitamz5be5/s1600/collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKmKxgRX1oj_8g_HoqyISKzrRLaGEDTCXoDd9n3J2TVEU3UE7sLpne_XHNTuiFhyphenhyphenmzc5W9e_xLN_iKGzSmjMZUXHS3qkvcZMdAHqNsqT0yM5NOfiHytBHn8KL6qtDnHHitamz5be5/s1600/collage.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I wasn't sure what to do with the finished pom pom so at the end we just
added some spiralled pipe cleaner ( I only had white left from Christmas, a colourful
one could have been probably better) and glued ( I used my hot glue gun) some wiggly
eyes. I suggested using a big and a small eye to make the monster funnier but
the girls didn't think it was such a good idea. Than I glued the pom pom to a
paper straw, hence the pom pom monster wand name.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0v2tErTWvaKbz-xqeELRArjajp4R3gwmlD3mBkY4-NYYU5SLAT0pK6kB_m35e3cAXZbJyS3-VgpP255LR2OoL8_oYAzR-OVbJ6rTnv2MIaHDezxJGtEcu5Ry0lL_JgqEeAXM834bJ/s1600/blog+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0v2tErTWvaKbz-xqeELRArjajp4R3gwmlD3mBkY4-NYYU5SLAT0pK6kB_m35e3cAXZbJyS3-VgpP255LR2OoL8_oYAzR-OVbJ6rTnv2MIaHDezxJGtEcu5Ry0lL_JgqEeAXM834bJ/s1600/blog+1.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nSOeZ9tk4MtjIIruXf8cTd8juMsbYroAfYK5clXod2_wBGR_UZwLK0qof6qBDBS_kS5h_MYcOHhl5sciwpL6MK-g1ow1TgiTz3CUFGjydsw4Ep5Cgg_wQt3Y_m57iBWSSylGQTXu/s1600/more+monsters.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nSOeZ9tk4MtjIIruXf8cTd8juMsbYroAfYK5clXod2_wBGR_UZwLK0qof6qBDBS_kS5h_MYcOHhl5sciwpL6MK-g1ow1TgiTz3CUFGjydsw4Ep5Cgg_wQt3Y_m57iBWSSylGQTXu/s1600/more+monsters.JPG" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I haven't provided a tutorial on how to make the pom poms because I am sure you
know already and I bet there are plenty of tutorials on the net . This
is just an idea of a craft activity with your five year old (not necessarily, but I think five would be the minimum age) and let me tell you,
the girls were so proud they made their own pom poms.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Hope you are having a great week!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Love,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Irina xx</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-91776023124052158562013-02-12T19:35:00.001+00:002013-02-12T19:36:17.261+00:00Shrove Tuesday<div style="text-align: center;">
{ hurrah for pancakes}
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
You didn’t forget it was Pancake Tuesday today didn’t you? </div>
<br />
I must share this recipe with you. It makes the fluffiest
most delicious pancakes I’ve ever tasted. Egg whites are beaten separately and
than are gently added to a ricotta and flour mixture to create the yummiest
little ( at least I make them little) pancakes. Technically they are called
hotcakes but in our house they are always referred as pancakes.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The recipe belongs to the famous Australian chef Bill
Granger but it was passed on to me by some dear friends coming from the Land
Down Under. Apparently they have the hotcakes for breakfast every Sunday! What
a great Sunday tradition I would say.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NnCkaz55Fmv_CxH_EwTUtytFe8zQKy5fJ_enXN8w-4RaykpqictKocjC9fx2ab-Ze6kS6y5yGH3CpIx3wCoxhsr6P_7dSRGAKatBcx42gbCoXXQFS0T9fI38LW9_0-gWPUI1KvNo/s1600/IMG_3795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NnCkaz55Fmv_CxH_EwTUtytFe8zQKy5fJ_enXN8w-4RaykpqictKocjC9fx2ab-Ze6kS6y5yGH3CpIx3wCoxhsr6P_7dSRGAKatBcx42gbCoXXQFS0T9fI38LW9_0-gWPUI1KvNo/s1600/IMG_3795.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31PnGiZjHn_BDtX29X3yIr8HLCuRzSemKff9Q6ThqB8Bf_97PmRyrFsdGki8Uj7VSOwRiTM8pYUiLJeWPHlghzTwXsbBo6o_VBEO7jb1kFl812H7yMc71LtMJRVL_NGg41qPWFk4w/s1600/IMG_3796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31PnGiZjHn_BDtX29X3yIr8HLCuRzSemKff9Q6ThqB8Bf_97PmRyrFsdGki8Uj7VSOwRiTM8pYUiLJeWPHlghzTwXsbBo6o_VBEO7jb1kFl812H7yMc71LtMJRVL_NGg41qPWFk4w/s1600/IMG_3796.JPG" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ricotta Hotcakes ( Pancakes)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ingredients:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
250gr Ricotta</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¾ cups milk</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4 eggs, yolks and whites separated</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup plain flour </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 tbs baking power</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
a pinch of salt</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
50gr butter to cook them in</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Preparation:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Combine Ricotta, milk and egg yolk together in a bowl.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sift flower, baking powder and salt into another bowl.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Add together and mix until just combined.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In another bowl mix the egg whites until stiff and than gently
fold into the other mixture.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Heat butter in a pan and drop about two tablespoons of
batter per hot cake ( I use one tablespoon per hot cake).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cook on low to medium heat until golden.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Eat with maple syrup, bananas, kiwi, blueberries or Nutella.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Hope you had a great Pancake Tuesday!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Love,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Irina xx </div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-31792163637816158032013-02-11T12:32:00.000+00:002013-02-12T09:59:39.930+00:00Love is all you need<div style="text-align: center;">
{ a DIY heart stamped card}</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I have seen Valentine projects all over the net. And
although Valentine’s Day seems to be a big thing in America, with generally showing
your love to all, here in Europe it is still very much an occasion of showing
love only to that one very special person in your life.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
There are a few days left to Valentine’s Day and you have
plenty of time to put together and nice card or /and some chocolates. And what better
way to show your love than with something that you made yourself. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So here is a very simple idea for a heart stamped card…it took no time at all!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJNN90zqB-fNrSgHtdcDwz3rXhSd7Nrhi7xtdOSBHrtOEV2nqpWVU2sECmKBYKErPKTb2-zXRlgej9DyuYdJbZEvT8M_5qkCz6n_bfY90W4BpButHuo6zUcoNuamVSlTiT9iP9if_a/s1600/Blog+photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJNN90zqB-fNrSgHtdcDwz3rXhSd7Nrhi7xtdOSBHrtOEV2nqpWVU2sECmKBYKErPKTb2-zXRlgej9DyuYdJbZEvT8M_5qkCz6n_bfY90W4BpButHuo6zUcoNuamVSlTiT9iP9if_a/s1600/Blog+photo+1.JPG" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
You’ll need:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A smiley baby ( optional) - check out those four teeth, what a cute grin!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
White card</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Exacto knife</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Champagne cork (you do have a whole jar where you collect
them for craft projects, don’t you)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Water colours and brush plus some water</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkpuInZpfb7lAyGpk9dFRometDzHudD7OILKAkSyYybegSYEq_QOFfEONMI4jT0Lp2vH5q5Q9cf64OPhyphenhyphenBvFXcQBw4f85TMk9-A0j7raknhUIY6286E40qG_jj4PaQZ4_MVYlj9S4q/s1600/IMG_3759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkpuInZpfb7lAyGpk9dFRometDzHudD7OILKAkSyYybegSYEq_QOFfEONMI4jT0Lp2vH5q5Q9cf64OPhyphenhyphenBvFXcQBw4f85TMk9-A0j7raknhUIY6286E40qG_jj4PaQZ4_MVYlj9S4q/s1600/IMG_3759.JPG" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRE_HXsqe3yqizAK2IKd_belnWHNp1pLK4fOaKe7H70DYOcduAHufSPw4Vc1lbyc5OjYU2VLcUdvZtoXm7xLwZWehkBNy_d2G5Mbctjethe_rCDs8TN58edBagz1gBjlHCJukWlnm/s1600/collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRE_HXsqe3yqizAK2IKd_belnWHNp1pLK4fOaKe7H70DYOcduAHufSPw4Vc1lbyc5OjYU2VLcUdvZtoXm7xLwZWehkBNy_d2G5Mbctjethe_rCDs8TN58edBagz1gBjlHCJukWlnm/s1600/collage.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Draw a heart on the cork and cut around it using the exacto
knife. Use the brush to apply first red than pink colour and start stamping the
card. Wait a few minutes until the red hearts are dry and than stamp the pink
hearts. Repeat once or twice so some of the hearts overlap. I stamped more
hearts on the bottom and fewer in the middle and top part of the card. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Another simple idea is to put washi tape around tea lights
and display them around the house. Pink and red washi tape would off course be
perfect for the occasion.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8Mfg-T5vfGqA_7VO-pz8Mcs4wx_XLM031q-e6m8WjOTy0geTqGiIdKgtowkA4r9o7en7_Q1mdAQB00eE8pfTcF0S6puh7V1fRZGSv-7afHuIITWABBp3hQmWgxOb0IMT2l39yRoL/s1600/card.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8Mfg-T5vfGqA_7VO-pz8Mcs4wx_XLM031q-e6m8WjOTy0geTqGiIdKgtowkA4r9o7en7_Q1mdAQB00eE8pfTcF0S6puh7V1fRZGSv-7afHuIITWABBp3hQmWgxOb0IMT2l39yRoL/s1600/card.JPG" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And have your tired pink Tic Tac ? It can't replace chocolate but it is strawberry flavoured
and actually quite yummy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Wishing you all a lovely Monday!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Love,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Irina xx</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-32982819480713838272013-02-09T13:41:00.001+00:002013-02-09T13:53:16.859+00:00Iron Pearls Gift Tag<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
{ we can't get enough of iron pearls
in our home...}</div>
<br />
Lovely Little Big Daughter recently discovered iron pearls and absolutely
loves them. I like them too...I mean what's not to like? My child sits
still and quiet for half an hour, concentrating and developing those fine
motoring skills while creating something pretty, usually to give as a
gift to mummy.<br />
<br />
And so this morning, just after breakfast, still in our pyjamas came the
request for iron pearls...and so I looked on Pinterest where I have been
pinning some simple designs and we agreed on a little sweet strawberry. And
since Lovely Little Big Daughter was getting ready to go to a birthday party we
decided to make one for the birthday girl.<br />
<br />
But as much as I like the finished items I always found them a bit
useless...its good fun while making them but you can’t really do anything with
them afterwards. And so a little idea came to my head and I decided to add thin
ribbon to the top bead and create a tag. All i needed was a big needle. It was easy, quick and made the gift look that extra bit special! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgax1h806rfQS9ZekM_QJ4unvXkcV_dH-WosrYTHafOjjf6DdPyYzXS8I61rteLT-2-DG5s0Mk86yo2f5damPKzWTT8hou8v7lS3LRPAPQSYUazXEEPwV7xdwn1IF-ih5XNwncPUV6O/s1600/Iron+Pearls+gift+tag.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgax1h806rfQS9ZekM_QJ4unvXkcV_dH-WosrYTHafOjjf6DdPyYzXS8I61rteLT-2-DG5s0Mk86yo2f5damPKzWTT8hou8v7lS3LRPAPQSYUazXEEPwV7xdwn1IF-ih5XNwncPUV6O/s1600/Iron+Pearls+gift+tag.JPG" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
The pink strawberry can be found <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/279786195572170450/" target="_blank">here </a>and the red one is a little creation of mine. </div>
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Lovely Little Baby is awake now and it's time to go to the
shop and get the ingredients for a Clementine cake I would like to try. Yumm!
Can’t wait!</div>
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<br /></div>
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Have a lovely weekend!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Love,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Irina xx</div>
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-80525022805701695062013-02-08T13:02:00.003+00:002013-02-25T08:34:09.601+00:00Rainbow Birthday Party<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
{ and the magic of being five}</div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
Its official...I am now the proud mum
of a five year old...yes, I need to repeat that as it somehow doesn't seem to
sink in...five year old...where did the time go?</div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Lovely Little Big
Daughter had the time of her life last week when she celebrated with not one
but two parties. The first party, quite impromptu, included all of her Kindergarten
group mates who paid us a visit as a part of a special project. During the
whole month of January the group visited each other houses and we were the last
to be visited and so it happened to be my girls birthday, so we celebrated!</div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
And so this year the special
theme request was Rainbow...i didn't realise how easy I had it last year when the
colour of choice was pink...this year was much more challenging...but much more
fun to make and it looked so pretty and colourful...</div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
I made paper rosettes for the wall
decoration as I have seem them on other blogs and always wanted to make some
but had no real reason...and off course no rainbow party would be complete
without a rainbow cake...and it was a big hit especially as everyone thought it
was a plain vanilla cake...until I cut the first slice...<br />
<br />
I need to add that all of the paper rosettes are made from wrapping paper. Especially for a rainbow display you need many different colors and mixed and matched - for example the red color is made of red polka dot and plain red and the purple is made of three different purples one which is shiny and one which is glitter.<br />
So yes, wrapping paper works really good and there are so many choices you just need to be careful not to buy the too thin one.<br />
Once you have folded one or two rosettes you get a feeling as to how it works and do not worry if you folds are not too precise. Try your best and I can tell you no one would notice.<br />
As it was a wall display I found that laying the rosettes on the floor allowed me to see how they'd look on the wall. Once I was happy than I attached the rosettes one by one to the wall keeping as much as possible to my original floor layout.<br />
With rosettes everything seems to work. You can leave space between rosettes or you can use smaller rosettes to cover gaps and hold bigger rosettes in place. The smaller rosettes are really quick to make and you can leave those for the end.<br />
I tied up the folded rosettes with twine and left long (er) ends which I than tied up to make little hoops to hand onto the paper pins. The smaller the hoops the harder to attach to the wall but your rosettes will lie almost flat on the wall so it will look better.</div>
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<br />
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
For her "proper" birthday
party Lovely Little Big Daughter invited nine friends...I didn't make a second
birthday cake...the second time round a settled from rainbow decoration which
my little girl did alone...a total proof how big she is... </div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
I also made some cake pops...the
mandatory popcorn served in inverted cup cake liners...there were also lots of
M&M's , cheese sandwiches, melon, cucumber slices and finger bite
sausages...the girls were not too interested in the food...they couldn't wait
to have their faces painted and play rainbow fairies with their magic wands...</div>
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<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
And here is what each little girl took home - a rainbow magic wand, a rainbow head band and a rainbow crayon...the girls loved them ...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I can't believe I forgot to
take a photo of all the magic wands together...they were so pretty and
colourful...</div>
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Lovely Mum visited from England
for the special occasion and I went a bid mad ordering things so I got some
nice crafting supplies...<br />
I love the Union Jack cupcake papers and those cheerful paper straws which I
have been seeing all over American blogs but which you can't buy here in Germany...<br />
The circle cutter was used immediately to cut some circles for the rainbow
party and I can’t wait to use the paper and the butterfly cookie cutters for
some type of crafting around Easter time...<br />
Nope, there are no good food colours here in Germany
and also no Skittles (although I recently saw some little boxes at the cashier
desk in my local Rewe) so mum had to bring those too. The food colours were
great and I used them for the Rainbow cake and by the looks of it they will
last for a long time.<br />
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The day after her birthday, while brushing her teeth in the
morning Lovely Little Big Daughter said to
me "Mummy, yesterday was the
most beautify day in my life!"...Aaahhh! I love you so much, my little
girl!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Have a lovely weekend!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Love,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Irina xx</div>
<br />
P.S. If you are planning a rainbow birthday party than check out my board on Pinterest...there are some great ideas and also links to the free printables that I used...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-24042469845768711642013-01-14T12:23:00.002+00:002013-01-21T20:28:49.510+00:00Washi Tape Box<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
{ a way to organise your craft supplies} </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
If you need a little box to store all of your washi tape or colourful
cello tape than head no further than your local bakery. It doesn’t have to be <a href="http://www.laduree.fr/en" target="_blank">Ladurée</a>,
as long as they sell macarons the chances are they will be given to you to
take home in a little fancy box often with a clear window to showcase what’s
inside. </div>
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<br /></div>
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So bring the box and the macarons at home, make a cup of
coffee and take pleasure in eating the macarons than choose some nice wrapping
paper and enjoy the rest of your coffee ( semi) decoupageing the lid of your
box. I say semi-decoupageing as I actually didn’t apply glue on the top of the
paper as I liked the mat finish. It took about half an hour and here it is my
own little washi tape display box.<br />
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Wishing you all a lovely week!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Love,</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Irina xx </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.keepingitsimplecrafts.com/" target="_blank"> <img alt="Keeping It Simple" border="0" height="100" src="http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/ad206/kaysinerwt/KIS-button-001-3.jpg" width="100" /></a>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-39468857545151474052013-01-12T22:26:00.000+00:002013-01-22T22:01:06.810+00:00Rainbow crayons<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
{may the rainbow party preparations begin}</div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
So the rainbow tule
and ribbons arrived in preparation for the Big 5 Rainbow birthday party. My
world is now full of colour and I think I have pinned every single rainbow
party idea available out there...</div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
I would think it is
appropriate to start with the invitation yet I decided to indulge myself in
some long overdue crayon melting. I have seen those colourful crayons all over
the net but never really tried them so without wasting a second I pulled out
the pile of broken crayons and some old glass dishes left from eating too many
<a href="http://www.gupuds.com/" target="_blank">Gü puds</a> ( What you have not heard of them? You must try them immediately they
are just divine…and no, they are not paying me to say that).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQTGNmIfLH7XHBH-a34fUlJji3-gHFUk169rSgcbS8jOogKS7rhx1znUniZhG1T6LModa4gAGX6nOkQl_bLVkO6KLYz58YYvSA-qRAFglSLgUARXZ_yzDG1AHOECH-yyWiyX8_3ULz/s1600/Rainbow+crayons+first+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQTGNmIfLH7XHBH-a34fUlJji3-gHFUk169rSgcbS8jOogKS7rhx1znUniZhG1T6LModa4gAGX6nOkQl_bLVkO6KLYz58YYvSA-qRAFglSLgUARXZ_yzDG1AHOECH-yyWiyX8_3ULz/s1600/Rainbow+crayons+first+photo.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
However I didn’t
want to come up with a colourful crayon, I actually wanted a Rainbow crayon.
And so I separated the broken crayon pieces into colours and melted them separately
– one after the other to be precise. I followed the colours but I didn’t mater
if I started with red or blue as I didn’t have a front or back side. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
I also used an ice
cube tray from Ikea as a mould and left it on the balcony as the weather is quite cold and so the melted crayon hardened very quickly. In the mean time
the next colour was already melted so I didn’t have to wait long. I used a
metal spoon (Note: plastic spook might melt) for precision and to pour the
exact amount of each colour. Try and be as precise as possible and aim for the middle
of your moulds to avoid melted crayon running down the sides of the moulds.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Since my crayons
were done on the balcony at a temperature of 5C I didn’t have to wait long for
them to harden but if you are some where nice and hot than make sure you wait
as much you have too before adding the next colour and popping them out.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Well all in all it
took less than an hour and it was real fun and not that messy. Having said that
do wear an old apron if you have one and definitely put old paper to cover the
place where you’ll be making the pouring.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHcf0zrECp2_bl2Vr9vqVCdTZWKE_RpQ-jdVqiCUln3P0eWS5Imrqxp4PrHaf26JIjWlxwsbh9HKquvn_YvI3OvB6qwPxruGLpIvSuuSy3QZ6RuBwPA7v_Wzp5k0k0W-8q0NX2eEU/s1600/rainbow+crayons+tut+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHcf0zrECp2_bl2Vr9vqVCdTZWKE_RpQ-jdVqiCUln3P0eWS5Imrqxp4PrHaf26JIjWlxwsbh9HKquvn_YvI3OvB6qwPxruGLpIvSuuSy3QZ6RuBwPA7v_Wzp5k0k0W-8q0NX2eEU/s640/rainbow+crayons+tut+photo.jpg" width="636" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
Have a nice Sunday!</div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
Love, Irina xx</div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
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</xml><![endif]-->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-73850684846022994742013-01-03T20:23:00.000+00:002013-01-03T20:23:26.243+00:00Headband holder<div style="text-align: center;">
{a quick tutorial}<br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Happy New Year! Hope you all had a nice time over the
festive period and didn’t spend too much time on Pinterest like I did. I do
like Pinterest a lot, I mean a lot, but I noticed lately that I go to look at
an old pin but end up spending hours pinning new pins and hence don’t have
enough time to make anything.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So today I had a spare hour and decided to make something
quickly for my little girl. I saw something like it on Pinterest but it was
pinned from that new website Joybx.com and so it had no link to the source.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-EWMlNyhmd2GSxlyBrU9a8nLJvYxMiqoi9SUPIx9lzaoFkzJ_r-dtn5jxPgC94NJjCvBrgPMY0mRxBYTUGZWBmU5DGadzYRME12neHlkhffGeDgitldmAv9W8f9gYupBWMwUB21wr/s1600/Final+photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-EWMlNyhmd2GSxlyBrU9a8nLJvYxMiqoi9SUPIx9lzaoFkzJ_r-dtn5jxPgC94NJjCvBrgPMY0mRxBYTUGZWBmU5DGadzYRME12neHlkhffGeDgitldmAv9W8f9gYupBWMwUB21wr/s1600/Final+photo.JPG" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, if you have a girl you already know that even a four
year old has as many as ten Alice
bands. Yes, in pink, red, denim or glitter…you name it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The headband holder was really easy to make and you’ll need :</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
some ribbon - all the ribbons I used were pieces left from
other projects</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
a metal key chain ring </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
some kind of flower or glitter stone to embellish the holder </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
sewing machine</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
hot glue gun</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Sew
both the top and bottom ribbon together</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Cover
the metal ring with a ribbon – use the hot glue gun</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Turn
the end of the ribbon where the two ribbons are sewn together and add the
ribbon loop holding the metal ring. Sew in place.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Use
the top ribbon to make some loops and sew them with a straight and
backwards stitch. I wasn’t too worried to make the loops the same size as
some Alice bands are wider
than others. Make as many loops as you need.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Use
the hot glue gun and attach the flower on the very top part of the holder
and you are ready.</li>
</ol>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_w3Hcx_4DK_cGULdVNfkU_P_BWRK5USA-1Hzl-5wjwCYwYkhWFXHwSUcozy6R55QvWBHHhMJghRKBsUQSg56zQBMGPQ7qzjYgCJkU3HQAEeN2v4Utz8JGfGbg1zkrOs4KvC8Ap-sh/s1600/photo+tutorial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_w3Hcx_4DK_cGULdVNfkU_P_BWRK5USA-1Hzl-5wjwCYwYkhWFXHwSUcozy6R55QvWBHHhMJghRKBsUQSg56zQBMGPQ7qzjYgCJkU3HQAEeN2v4Utz8JGfGbg1zkrOs4KvC8Ap-sh/s400/photo+tutorial.jpg" width="397" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of my New Year resolutions is “No More Bad Blog Photos”
but I can see I’ve got a long way to go. Off to bed now with my new book “The
crafters guide to taking great photos”, I’ve heard that it’s great.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Love </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Irina xx</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-75246065365692333422012-12-28T15:03:00.000+00:002012-12-28T15:15:34.035+00:00Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair<div style="text-align: center;">
{ my first ever princess dress}</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Hope you all had a lovely Christmas with your
family and friends and some time to relax and dream up future sewing and crafting projects!
I certainly had a nice time and the privilege to see the eyes of a soon to be
five year old girl light up with excitement when she whispered “ Mummy, Santa was
here…come!” ...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
A Rapunzel dress was on the wish list and at first I was
looking to buy one but my google search brought up an expected amount of home
made creations that I thought “ Oh my, I’ll make one…!” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Well, let’s say it was easier said than done. I didn’t buy
the pattern from Simplicity and for a first time costume maker maybe I should
have done. Next time! Yes, that’s right; even without the pattern I had so much
fun making it than I am just waiting for the next request for a princes dress. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It was also my first time sewing non cotton fabrics and if
you ask my craft <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>friends they’ll tell
you that I avoid non cotton fabrics…I don’t even use jersey, so this was a real
challenge, not to mention the organza fabric…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Here without further ado, I present you the Rapunzle dress…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddgyUyyzlTWJ_mGE5suIeOojxNal691DH8AOz99famv1esQvrXR1kgVGSlwYaBQUcct6S7MKvpBfeYwwXEKBK5hlZF6-5vTfjldlGqx26hnYihOWGZSZrhaQ6VI3WfWZaEMgxHQgJ/s1600/Rapunzel+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddgyUyyzlTWJ_mGE5suIeOojxNal691DH8AOz99famv1esQvrXR1kgVGSlwYaBQUcct6S7MKvpBfeYwwXEKBK5hlZF6-5vTfjldlGqx26hnYihOWGZSZrhaQ6VI3WfWZaEMgxHQgJ/s640/Rapunzel+1.JPG" width="426" /> </a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyZ1ag9PWUa7uEYxhHjiVHePgOkvs4vDyEcstAyfyohmZfzj1MHZb-eIbONYq_rW4ukKc_pIcrn6kbONzss3vb4zobPOv4_4QbudxuMaEorkGYPGkL6pANF-VdcMmeWv4WEYkVyiB/s1600/Rapunzel+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyZ1ag9PWUa7uEYxhHjiVHePgOkvs4vDyEcstAyfyohmZfzj1MHZb-eIbONYq_rW4ukKc_pIcrn6kbONzss3vb4zobPOv4_4QbudxuMaEorkGYPGkL6pANF-VdcMmeWv4WEYkVyiB/s640/Rapunzel+3.JPG" width="425" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
And you can’t have a Rapunzel dress without a Rapunzel hair…so
1km ( yes, you are reading that correctly 1 kilometre- it was written on the
label) of yellow yarn and some plastic flowers later and here it is…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
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Let’s just say that Lovely Little Big Daughter was
delighted! </div>
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<br /></div>
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For obvious reasons ( I didn’t know what I was doing most of
the time), <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t have a tutorial but
a number of times I looked at <a href="http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2010/10/cinderella-dress-halloween-costume.html" target="_blank">this tutorial from Make It Love It</a> - it's absolutley great! I can just
say that it wasn’t so hard to sew those satin fabrics together and if you’ve
never tired it than you should give it a go – never thought I’d say that.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the next few days I’ll start preparations for a Rainbow
birthday party. I love to throw myself a challenge and I have been busy pinning
and dreaming up rainbow projects.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Have a lovely weekend!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Love</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Irina xx</div>
<br />
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-28720178940399108722012-12-23T22:36:00.000+00:002012-12-23T22:36:41.010+00:00Merry Christmas<div style="text-align: center;">
and a Fantastic New Year!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggrbKtXZ0zujOHZrSmtdOMiNrTEKgjAFmu16yJpLM1PgQw1XDipKhoK4V3oVy6PJAFhzjyg6-s0UpTaKLp0EtfWj9lOW9Xh8poxykYfLWTx6K1vCg42QlNuis6KNvxSihPyRPjEsPE/s1600/Hanging+Wreath.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggrbKtXZ0zujOHZrSmtdOMiNrTEKgjAFmu16yJpLM1PgQw1XDipKhoK4V3oVy6PJAFhzjyg6-s0UpTaKLp0EtfWj9lOW9Xh8poxykYfLWTx6K1vCg42QlNuis6KNvxSihPyRPjEsPE/s1600/Hanging+Wreath.JPG" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
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<style>
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mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
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<br />
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With special wishes for a lovely festive time and a fabulous
year ahead!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Irina xx</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098508624609880302.post-18684896916686551232012-11-21T14:14:00.000+00:002012-11-21T20:37:28.434+00:00Pasta Shapes Angels<div style="text-align: center;">
{who said that pasta was only for eating}</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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</div>
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I know I promised a sewing post, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>but I am still trying my hands at various non
sewing crafts, and I am sure you’ll forgive my non-sewing-ness when you see
these absolutely cute little pasta shapes angels. The idea is not new, and it
is definitely not mine, I only added the glitter hair and the halo. Here is the
<a href="http://www.squidoo.com/Pasta-Angels" target="_blank">tutorial </a>if you want to make your own. <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
To make the glitter hair, lightly brush glue over the “head”
where you’d like to have hair and than sprinkle some glitter. Tap gently to
remove the excess glitter. As the head is made out of a wooden ball there is a
little hole on the top. I used a white pipe cleaner, which I pre-folded and
than inserted in the hole after I was finished with the hair to create the
halo. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Lovely Little Big Daughter and her Lovely Creative Friend had fun painting
some angels the day before and although they were not allowed to use the hot glue
gun (did I ever say that everyone should have a glue gun? OK, I did!), they
though it was great fun.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We gave the little group of Christmas Carols Singing Angels
toLovely Little Big Daughters kindergarten and as they recently learned about Italy,
it was interesting to see that pasta is not only for eating…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
How are your Christmas preparations going?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Hope you are all having a good week!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Love,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Irina xx </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8