DJ Okawari - Kaleidoscope

No tutorials this weekend. I will leave you with YouTube clip of what I am listening to right now however.  This stuff is magical..   Added is a link to a fellow Blogspot blogger who does a write up on the artist that is more eloquent and knowledgeable than I could ever be.   Check it out here at  sansuthecat

House Of Gold - Twenty One Pilots.

My 17 year old son played this for me the other night. 

It's a song from his favorite band.   
As he is preparing for his life outside this home, as his somewhat sometimes silent form moves toward greatness or failure as all youth does.. I was humbly and deeply honored..and then I wanted to wring his neck! 
 You should of seen his face and the slight escape of laughter at the completion of the track. 

The song absolutely completely broke me to tell you the truth..... and sent me through the whole myriad of emotions.  I realized that somewhere there, I may have done somewhat of a decent job, at least with his and my relationship... 

I was bawling by the  end and needed a hug.. anyway..

Thank you my son.  You're a dickhead but you're pretty cool..
keep your options open.. sure..
but if you want some money for ANYTHING AT ALL,
go get a job. 
Love always, Mum.

THIS IS FIRE CIDER!!

I've had a horrible cold for the last 8 weeks.  I know my immune system is down and I am feeling altogether cruddy. My nose is blocked up and I have a chesty cough.  Im blaming Tom.. thanks for your Perth cold TOM..

Yeah Hi! It's me! 

Anyway I'm desperate for home remedies at this stage. I REALLY don't want to see a doctor for antibiotics.   I am taking multivitamins, vitamin c, cough medicine and and spending time outside in the sun.
However, trolling trough pinterest last night I came across THIS THING!!..

It's know by a few names:  Fire cider, Plague tonic, master tonic....
Basically it's a bunch of sinus clearing goodies steeped in apple cider vinegar; an apparently ancient recipe with variations and additions but always containing fresh grated or finely chopped horseradish, garlic, onion, hot chill, ginger and turmeric with raw honey added to taste.  

Everything minus the honey is added to a large mason jar (1 quart or 1 liter) and raw apple cider vinegar is poured over the top to totally cover the vegetables. This is very important.  The apple cider vinegar MUST totally cover all the food stuffs in the jar.    
Place a piece of waxed paper under the lid and return the lid to the jar, placing somewhere dark for anywhere between 2 weeks to 2 months depending on desire,  and shaking once a day to totally saturate and soak the vegetables.  

When the time elapsed has passed, carefully strain the vegetables making sure to drain all the liquid and add your raw honey to the liquid to taste before re-bottling.  Some people like to use amber or dark coloured bottles for this but I do not think it is necessary.   
This tonic does not need to be refrigerated although some say that it is more soothing cold.  Be aware this mixture will be VERY SPICY so take precaution.   

Also be aware that the mixture MAY turn greenish blue while it is steeping.  This is the garlic, which sometimes turns green when pickled if it was close to sprouting when picked.  It is still safe to consume and the tonic should return to an amber colour in a few weeks after it has been strained and rebottled.

So that's it!  

It might seem a bit full on at first but thanks to the honey the tingle and burn is followed by a lovely sweet heat that warms your bones and clears your sinuses like nobodies business.  Take a shot daily to boost the immune system, or if you have a cold or are feeling unwell, take two or three daily.  (if the heat is too much for you, chase the tonic with a glass of milk or a wedge of lemon.) 

Also, the vegetable mixture does not need to be discarded!  People are reporting that it is delicious on crackers or in a chow min or stirfry, dehydrated to use as a kitchen spice or as an addition to soups or stews.

Precaution: this tonic is not suitable for children under 6 or with sensitive palates.

So I think I've gone on enough..  It won't save me this time, but hopefully if I whip this up, I won't have to worry about getting another cold anytime soon!

The people over at thankyourbody have a BRILLIANT recipe with heaps of additions including lemon juice and fresh herbs, but also make a bunch of other herb addition suggestions including elderberies, parsley or peppercorns.
Find it here!

Masquerade Madness

My wonderful sister is having a masquerade party this year for her birthday.  Ive never been to a masquerade party.. She assures me that it's merely a mask and nice clothes, so I think I can handle that.. However I would like to MAKE a mask as opposed to buying one, and I think I found the perfect one!  Blogger extraordinaire Kara at sprinklesinsprings has created a wonderful mask template and tutorial for anyone wanting a subtle but beautiful mask.  All you need is netting, ribbon or eyelash glue to secure, plastic wrap, puff paint and her template!!

Finished in black secured with a ribbon

tutorial here

This is the gold one. 

This was created slightly differently using white puffy paint and liberally applied with glitter before it dried.  It was secured with dots of eyelash glue.  

The tutorial for the gold one is here!

Whatever Doesn’t Serve

Whatever Doesn’t Serve 

What weight can you
put down right now,
willingly relinquishing
the pointed quills of
guilt or judgment?
What burden of the heart
can lift, what dark corner
can be lit, the candle
flickering at first, then
burning bright?
With the next breath,
let it go, that old story
you’ve told yourself
a million times.
Whatever doesn’t serve
you on this path of truth,
leave it behind. Offer
this one gift: the simple
sacrifice that in the giving
sets you free to fully live.

(Danna Faulds)

Colour identifying game

This is my son Corey.  He is 2.  He can count to 20 and and identify shapes, and now we are working on colours!
This paint chip identifying game would be PERFECT for him!

 All you need is clothespins, paint chips, some cardstock and some glue! Instructions are from Sewfantastic and the direct link to the tutorial is Here. 

Paint chip notepads

 

 

          Check out the paint chip matchbook sized notepads!  

These are super easy to make, you only need a few materials.  Just score and fold your paint chips in the appropriate places, cut some small pieces of paper for the pages and run a quick line of stitching or a staple or two in the bottom.  There are a few tutorials out there, but I like the one at Thehobbyroomdiaries She has made it sound very simple.  Direct link to the tutorial Here

Happy stitching!