Thanks for joining me on day 15! Other posts in this series can be found here

Lots of people will probably get a few of these. I have been saving our bottles for several months now so we have plenty to go around. The chakra lovers amongst my friends will all recieve a set of 7 in the appropriate colours. Most of the work actually goes into decorating the bottle. The picture above has simply been covered in little bit of tissue paper. You can also wrap lace or ribbons around the bottle or use an etching cream to etch designs into the glass.

You will need wire, a pair of pliers, a little bit of sand or fine gravel, a bottle, and a candle. Here I used a fairly wide mouthed bottle that fits a tealight but I have also use glass ketchup bottles with a fairly narrow mouth and used Hannukah or birthday candles.

Bend the wire to form a base for your candle

bend the remainder of the wire up and straighten it out

Place it in your bottle and fiddle with the base until it sits flat

bend the end of the wire into a pretty looking shape or make it into a hook to hang pretty beads from and you're done!

If you use a tall candle you will need to build a cage so it doens't fall over. The candle above is a hannukah candle

Now, go raid your recycling bin and make pretty candle holders!

Hi and wlcome to day 14! other posts in this series can be found here

When I started I wasn't sure if my idea was going to work or turn into a total failure, I am glad to say that it did work!
This wreath was made from a piece of hessian that was in my stash about a meter long and half a meter wide. It was pretty quickly put together, maybe 45 minutes? I had to put it all down a few times to help the boys with their cards.

Hessian, cut into 15 cms strips as long as you can. pliers with a cutting bit scissors for cutting the hessian and wire. I bought fairly light wire and next time I make this type of wreath I will buy something thicker or double it up. The wire was 5.99 for 50 meters.

fold your strips of hessian in half lengthwise and then fold them accordion style, don't be to precise it all adds to the charm of the finished item!

Use one end of your wire to push through your stack of hessian so you end up with something that looks similar to the picture above.  repeat this process until you have the desired size circle filled. The amount of fabric I had made a wreath about 30 cms diameter.

I had a fairly skinny strip left at the end of cutting the hessian and used these bits to make the bow. Cut 4 pieces evenish in length.

Take the ends and fold them towards the middle of your fabric

Wrap the second strip around the middle severla times but not all the way yet.

Take another piece of wire and push it through the middle of the bow covering it up with a little more fabric that can be fastened at the back with the wire.

Attach the last 2 pieces onto the wire at the back of the bow and tie this to the wreath and thats it!

You could also show the rougher cut side, add baubles or cinnamon sticks or really anything you'd like on it. Hope you like it and  as always I'd love to know if you made one :)

Veraxx

Thanks for joining me on day 13! other posts in this series can be found here

Today I made a bedtent for son number 1. He often likes to read for a bit before going to sleep and his brothers don't really appreciate having the lights on and hopefully a tent will give them all what they want.
It took me about 40 minutes to make this tent I will be making 2 more before the holidays but obviously I have to keep it hidden from the boys.

For the tent you will need 2 square dowels and 1 round dowel. All 3 where 2.4 mtrs long, the found dowel was 7mm and the square was 12 mm.
You will need a saw, a drill, a 7 mm and 10 mm drillbit for wood, something to measure with, a pencil and a piece of fabric about 220 by 80  cms. I used a blue bedsheet that I picked up from the charityshop for 1 pound. The dowels cost me 5 pounds so this project came in well under my 15 pound budget!

It was impossible to try and take pictures due to the  small house large pieces of wood and lack of tripod. The schematic above should be obvious enough I hope. First cut your square dowels in half so you have 4 pieces of dowel, line them up next to each other and mark them 20 cms from the top and 40 from the bottom. The top hole will be drilled all the way trough with a 10 mm bit, make sure they are lined up properly and check inbetween drilling. The bottom hole gets drilled halfway through with the 7 mm bit.
Your round dowel will be cut into 3 pieces, 2 pieces of 75cms and 1 piece of 90 cms. The 90 cms piece goes through the top the other 2 piece are for the sides of the tent.

For the fabric I folded it in half lenghtwide and did a quick runningstitch to create a tube for the top dowel to slide through, slide the dowel through and pop the square dowels on, 2 on each end. You might want some help to get this all up.
Tthe bottom dowels will be really tight to get in, be patient so you don't break the dowel. Once in drape your fabric nicely and enjoy your tent!

You migth want to put a line between the 2 sides at the back to stop it sliding if you are going to put it onto a slippery floor. Since it will go onto a deep pile carpet here I didn't do this.

When buying fabric to go over the top, buy something natural, woven or knit, that breathes. Don't buy anything like oilcloth or very heavy. Make sure your tent is big enough to fit over the bed without constricting to much and make sure that it fits properly around the mattress without being able to slip somewhere and frighten or hurt your child. If your child uses a bedlight make sure the bulb can't touch the fabric and that the wiring is out of the way and can't get caught. We prefer to use an LED booklight here to avoid all the things that can go wrong with a plugged in bedlight.

Hope you like todays project!

Veraxx

Welcome to day 12! the other posts in this series can be found here

Today I made this family portrait of hands. Everyone got to choose their colour and had their hand traced and I stitched it onto a piece of cotton that once belonged to a large set of curtains I was given. The back is as yet unfinished since I only just rinsed the water erase marker off and its drying in the airingcupboard. (nearly halfway november and the heating is still off!!)

Gather your supplies, hand tracings, thread 1 colour per person, a needle, a pair of scissors, a hoop and a water erase marker.

Draw the first hand on the fabric and then stretch it into the frame.

I used a simple runningstitch and once I finished the hand I went back over it again filling up the gaps with a running stitch creating a single line.

Once the first hand is done add the second the third and so on.

I plan to cover the back up with fabric as is shown in this tutorial. I am not yet decided on what fabric and if I shall stitch the names using the colours that I used to stitch the hands on. I have a little while yest before this goes to NL so I shall ponder and when the back is done I'll add the pictures here.

Veraxxx

Hi and thanks for popping by, if you'd like to read the rest of the posts in this series click here

Today I am putting together a simple knit kit for a friend who has recently bpicked up knitting. When you are a new knitter it is easy to be overwhelmed by the masses of patterns out there and the fear of starting a new project using the (often) expensive wool can be enough to keep you in knitting dishcloths for ever.

The kit is quite siimply and empty mayo jar with a prettied up lid (like I did with the chai) filled with sock yarn leftovers that have been rolled onto washingpegs. A set of 3.25mm circular needles and a cute label are added with a message on the back that reads Go Wild Woman! Which is also a reference for a favorite book of ours "Woman who run with the wolves" .

I have attached the label below if you'd like to use it for a jar of your own :)

Vera xx

Thanks for dropping by! I hope you enjoy this series and if you'd like to read other posts in this series click here

Today a gift for daddy. A simple stickweaving with colours from the leftovers basket. My eldest raced through his and was done way before I expected him to! His is ready to go and the twins will be working on theirs for a few more weeks probably!
Its fairly easy but they are only little and it takes them a long time. Stick weaving is simply using multiple sticks instead of a weavingframe.  You can use some 7mm dowels cut to about 20 cms drilled and tapered on one end or you can use straws. I have weaving sticks but I don't have enough for all 3 boys to do weaving at the same time so we used straws today.

Cut the bendy part of the straw and make a tiny slit at the top of the straw to anchor your warp (the thread you will be weaving on) make sure you have it long enough especially if you intedt to dosomething fancy with the ends.
If you are making an item to wear you would double up you warp but since this is the kids making it and the chances are that I have to rescue a straw that came of and the item will not be a belt or anything I am using single strands.
The weaving is a very simple over, under, over, under, and turn. There is some more info here and a video here (ff to 1.25 mins).
The boys are making strips 2 inches shorter than the length of the backing paper (a heavy watercolour NOT paper) I then sew the strips to the paper and take them to be framed (I bartered 3 simple frames for 3 bottles of T'ej!). And there you go 3 beautiful pieces of art for daddies office :)

I'd love to see any woven art your kiddo's make!

Veraxx

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Today I'd like to show you how I make chai tea. Chai is a delicious  Indian tea that is brewed with spices to make a warming drink. It is served with a fair amount of milk and sweetner to taste.
Many a blog will tell you they have the original true recipe but just like a sunday roast in my home is not the same as in yours, chai tea is different in pretty much every Indian home too. I'll give you my recipe, see if you like it and play around with it!

I'm fortunate to have an amazing Indian shop pretty much next door to where hubby works the lot above was just under 8 pounds, and the cardamoms where most expensive at nearly 4 pounds for 200gr If you know of an Indian shop near you go and have a look there for your spices it will be so much cheaper than popping into your local supermarket.

For my mix I add 1 handfull of cardamom, 1 small handful of pepper corns, half a handful of cloves and a medium cinnamonstick. I also add ginger you can choose to add a piece of fresh ginger or you can add a handful of candied ginger.

Break the cinnamon into small pieces and add the others spices into a pestle and mortar to bash them lightly mix it all up and add it into a jar. I will be buying a piece of ginger for some of my jars and add candied ginger in other depending on who will recieve it. Some gifts will travel with Royal mail and they are not know for their reliability!
The boys as always love to pound the spices in the pestle and mix it in a large bowl. They also get to do the lids. Since I am using foodjars (pesto in this case) I want to add something to the lids to make it look pretty.

Gather your supplies, a painting or drawing from one of the kids, a pair of scissors, a pencil, glue, your jarlid

Draw 2 circles, one the same size as the lid and one a centimeter or more bigger than the lid

cut little triangles out all around and dab glue on each but and on the circle

screw the lid on whilst the glue is still drying saves you having to hold on to the lid whilst you are watching glue dry!
For some people who will get this I add a teastrainer (the type to hang over the cup) and some nice black tea. Some people who I know have this stuff at home normally just get the chai mix. You could add a cute scoop to this, tie a ribbon on with the instructions and maybe a cinnamon stick or those rock sugar sticks (no idea what they are called?). If you are adding fresh ginger tie it up in a bit of muslin and tie that onto the jar. Seeing as this will be a gift you might want to splash out and buy red peppercorns, they really add something pretty to the jar only a few for each jar will do.

When giving I always write on the jar use before (6 months from mixing it)

I had fully intended to make up a label this morning with the instructions all pretty on it but you will have to come back for the label. One of my girls was found poorly in the run this morning. Nothing too serious but she is needing a fair amount of attention at the moment to ensure she takes her meds (if you thought giving something fould to a fussy cat was difficult you should try her!)

The instructions however are simple.
Simmer 1 cup of water and 1 cup of milk with 2 teaspoons of black tea and 2 teaspoons of chai spice mix for 5-15 minutes depending on your taste. add sweetner and enjoy :)
If using fresh ginger grate about half a teaspoon or so into the mix.

I hope you enjoy the chai and do check back in a day or so for a label!

Veraxx

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A lovely little project that kept the boys entertained for quite some time. Never would I have guessed that giving them my jar of mother of pearl buttons would be something so interesting! 
For thie project you need buttons, I used 9 buttons per strand and 1 larger button for closure. Some coloured hemp and a pair of scissors, no special equipment is needed though you might wish to add a drop of super glue to the knots to ensure they can;t accidentally come undone.

Choose how many strands you want to make and cut equal lenths of hemp. I made mine 70 cms long (27 1/2"). String your buttons on them evently space and kinda the same distance apart on each strand.
It might be handy to have some washingpegs or similar for the next bit but I did without. Grab your necklace by both ends, one end in each hand. 10 cms on one side (4") is reserved for the loop and 3 cms (just over an inch) on the other side for the closure button.
You can now shorten or lengthen strands to get the right effect. the change in strand length will also make the buttons appear to be nicely spread out over the necklace and you should not get any pooling of buttons in one spot

Now make a simple flar knot on one side, but instead of pulling the end all the way trough you leave enough there to forma a nice loop large enough to allow your closure button to go through.

I choose a closure button that had a metal hook so it was pretty easy, just thread the button and make a flat knot on the end. if you have a normal button you can just as easily make another loop as before and have the closure button in the loop bit. Do make sure that you cut some extra hempt if you are doing this!

Thats it! the boys did all the choosing and threading and I finished it of by putting the closure in place and I'm pretty certain Granny will be very happy when she recieves this!

Veraxx

Day 7! Hope you are enjoying the gifts so far. Today I share my recipe for any flavour body scrub. When making this double up the quantities and fill a few jars for yourself, please!

Making body scrubs is so so easy to do the boys did most of it. These where made for my little sister and for the daughter of a friend and several spare jars becaus the boys got into it so much they just kept going :)
You need sugar (brown and/or granulated) oil (jojoba is great but vegetable oil works for me) and the smelly part.

For the smelly part you can use either essential oils or herbs and spices. Cinnamon is a great one to use here its smells divine. Adding dried herbs from the garden is great too, lavendar and rosemary especially are favourites.

The basic recipe is simple:

• 3 parts sugar
• 1 part oil

For the herbs it really depends on the strengt of the smell. I made one using fennel seeds from the garden that I had previously dried and I used half a part herbs in this case

If you are using spices like cinnamon start with2 teaspoons and add more if you need it. Also bear in mind that generally the smells need to blend and absorb in the sugar/oil so mix it and then leave it for half an hour to an hour, come back and smell it again. It is easier to add than it is to take away!

If you are using essential oils start with 5 drops and go from there. I find that if I use a pre-blended oil I have to use more than if I only use one type.

Now for the recipes that I used:

Pumkin seed & spice.

1 standard recipe (1 part = 1 cup)
50 grams of pumpkin seeds
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground clove
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Vanilla scrub

1 standard recipe
2 teaspoons of vanilla essence

Fennel scrub

1 standard recipe
1/2 cup of fennel seeds


Fill your jars screw on the lip and cover it with a pretty bit of fabric and a ribbon of some sort. Attach a label and you're done!

If you wanted to make this extra fancy you could add a small scoop and a washmit (washandje in Dutch)

If you need a little help with the labelpart I've attached mine :)

Welcome to day 6! for all posts in this series please click here

Today I have another knit for you. another simple easy knit whilst watching something knit. Though I prefer this as my meditation knit.
You will need a minimum of 280 meters of your choosen yarn a pair of fat needles (I used a size 15/10 mm) add to this 5 buttons to match your yarn and a veriety of beads as many as you wish to use.

This soulwrap was made for a dear friend, who after all the years of me knowing her and always saying she would love to be spiritual and have some sort of practise recently decided to dive in feet first. She said she feels like she is walking in the pitch dark without any idea of where she is going or what she is doing. She struggles with letting go of her business mask or her mummy mask.
I found the same when my boys where very little and quickly realised that I had a ritual for things. Back in the corperate day (gasp!) I had a ritual for getting ready for a work day, and a similar one for settling in once I got home and a different one for when I got ready to go and socialise.
I needed a ritual for the sacred time I so much needed. and just as with work ( black suit and blouse) and relaxing at home (sweatpants and hoody) and socialising in a pub  with friends (makeup and dress) I needed something to wear just for that sacred time.
A wrap it would be for me, it was quick to put on for time was scarce, and easy enough to carry outside without the entire neighbourhood thinking I am weird.
I made another one for her with a variety of bead and 5 buttons on one end so she can do it up if she wants to.

Decide if you want a border or not (curling will be less if you have a border)
cast on 60 using backward loops and knit one row purl one row until you run out of yarn use a sewn bind of.

OR
cast on 60 knit 4 rows
then
*knit 3 purl until 3 stitches before end knit 3 turn
knit entire row*
repeat from * to * until you get close to the end of your yarn then:
knit 4 rows use a sewn bind off.

Because of the looseness of the knitting there is no need to make buttonhole (bonus!) I used 2 cms buttons and have no problem buttoning up the wrap.

This is such a basic pattern you can easily adapt and make changes to it, a simplecable right down the middle would look gorgeous for instance.

When wrapping this up add a few sprigs of lavendar or rosemary to give it a lovely scent.

Anieke asked what a sewn bindof is and just in case you haven't used this method either here a video: