Cover Office Desk Chair ! Looks Like New !

Our Computer desk chair was in a grubby state, as kev used it in the shed so it needed covering so we could use it at the computer inside !
So I decided to cover it in some 100% Cotton fabric, now it looks great, no need to buy a new one ! It was easy to cover we pulled the plastic back off and stappled the new fabric in place and did the same with the bottom. Cheap and easy the fabric cost me $3.50 a metre a few years ago used about 1 metre so just under
$4 to make our office chair like new !

Make Your Own Raw Sauerkraut !

Raw Sauerkraut ! Very Easy And Very Nutritious !A tablespoon a day of raw sauerkraut is vital for good health they say. Raw kraut will colonize your colon with friendly flora that will produce vitamin B12 to meet all your body's needs. If you suffer with digestive problems eg cramps, diarrhea constipation or crohn's then eat fresh raw sauerkraut daily. About 10 years ago when I went raw I made this but I didn't like it (My eldest son ate it all )but now I know that my gut flora is so low I will make my self like it. Earlier this year I went and saw a clinical nutritionist and had some stool samples sent of to a lab in the Eastern States it cost me $350. It revealed my gut flora was very low and I had a parasite Dientamoeba Fragilis. So I took a herbal remedy to get rid of that, I also took a high strength pro biotic that was costing me $4.50 a day. Still not feeling any better after all that so I'm looking forward to my sauerkraut being ready to eat. Here is my recipe.

1 large green cabbage

6 cloves of garlic .

2 cups of water
1 teaspoon of Himalayan salt.
1 Whole apple.
handful of sultanas.

Save a few of the outer cabbage leaves to put on top.

I finely chopped up about 3/4 of the cabbage and put into my ceramic crock pot . Then I chopped up the rest and put it in to my blender with 2 cups of water , garlic,whole apple and salt then blended it until smooth.

Then I poured it over the cabbage in the crock pot stirred through the sultanas and mixed it really well then pushed it down as much as possible then layered the cabbage leaves over the top then I put a tea towel over that then a saucepan on top leave for 6 days then it is ready. if the weather is warmer it will take less time. store in glass jars in the fridge will last a few months. also spoon off any dark or off colour spots or white scum that may be on top of the sauerkraut,this is harmless yeast called kaham. To receive the benefits of the live lactobacillus bacteria ,consume the sauerkraut as soon as possible. After a short period of time the bacteria will die off.

Raw Sauerkraut is wonderful and strengthening for the digestion ,full of lactic acid which regenerates the bowel flora and has all kinds of enzymes, live lacto-bacilius bacteria, choline, acetylcholine, vitamin C (wow those last three build strong brains and memory ) B-complex vitamins including B12 and lots of other good things ! Note: I've been eating about 1/2 a cup every morning on an empty stomach for 2 weeks now.



Make Your Own Christmas Stockings !

I made two of these Christmas stockings for Christmas gifts for two lovely little girls !
I made them using 100 % cotton fabric with pink beads under the cuff top and two rows of silver ric rac around the cuff top they are lined with the spot fabric which I made longer then folded it over to form the cuff. I used a piece of vilene to slightly stiffen the top. It is the same back and front as a lot of Christmas stockings are just fancy on the front,this way it looks lovely both sides so can be hung either way I also made a loop from the silver ric rac so it can be hung up.I was very happy with the finished project as I've never made Christmas stockings before took about two hours to  complete two of them ! I'm not going to do a tutorial as there are so many on the internet already. I have been thinking to personalise them and embroider their names on the top in silver cotton not sure yet. I may and then I may not I will see how I feel. Hi Kerrie if you are checking out my blog I made these for the girls for Christmas, I will probably be sending them next week some time !

Mexican Corn Salad !

Here is my recipe for Mexican corn salad!
2 Cob's of fresh corn.
1 red capsicum.
1/2 medium burp less cucumber.
1 red onion.
3 medium tomatoes.
1 spring onion.
red chili optional.
celtic salt to taste.
splash of extra virgin olive oil.
juice of 1 medium lemon.
Finely chop all ingredients, remove corn from cobs
mix well together and serve its delicious, healthy and great for the warmer months ahead. Lovely served with some avocado, I will eat a bowl for my lunch or dinner. Note: You could use a tin of corn if fresh isn't available.

Mend Your Thongs & I Mended My $60 Diana Ferrari Leather Thongs !

I Always Mend Kev's Thongs !
How often do one of your families thongs break between the toe. I will get my big needle and some strong black thread and mend it. If half the stub is left you can rejoin the two pieces my sewing them well together or if it breaks off at the end and you have no stub left you can push the needle through the rubber back and forwards to join it together. I have mended many pairs of Kev's thongs both ways over the years and quite often get a few more years wear out of each pair. I also mended my Diana Ferrari leather thongs that also broke between the toe. I mended them once then it broke again I took them to a boot makers to have them mended as I had paid $60 for them so I wanted them to last a lot longer then they had. They said they couldn't mend them, So I took them home and mended them myself that was a few years ago and they are still going strong . I had to push the needle through the sole and back and forward about 10 times to make sure it was going to stand up to the pressure of being worn many many times which they have . Great money saver and better for the environment . So thats a win win for my purse and the environment. I was watching a show on ABC the other night about plastics and how they were reusing thongs to make beads and all sorts of interesting things rather then just being sent to land fill. It was very interesting they were also collecting and washing plastic bags to make hand bags that they were selling all over the world .

Frame A Lovely Card !

A beautiful framed birthday card !
Some cards are just too beautiful to be put into a cupboard or draw and left and maybe looked at every few years or discarded. Especially when they can be put into a fame and admired often. My friend Carmela gave me this birthday card some years back, so I decided to cut out the happy birthday words on the front with an oval template I made.I printed out a lovely poem called the meaning of true love, then I put it behind the cut out oval. Then I trimmed the outside of the oval with a fancy trim that I glued, added a lovely white ribbon bow. I think it looks gorgeous I have it on my bedroom wall and I'm often reminded of my friend  Carmela who I've been friends with for 34 years. I love having things around the house that remind me of special people in my life. The poem is written by Helen Steiner Rice.




                                                 
                                          The Meaning of True Love

It is sharing and caring,

Giving and forgiving,

Loving and being loved,

Walking hand in hand,

Talking heart to heart,

Seeing through each other's eyes,

Laughing together,

Weeping together,

Praying together,

And always trusting

And believing

And thanking God

For each other...

For love that is shared

is a beautiful thing--

It enriches the soul

and makes the heart sing!



Pillow Cases !So Easy To Make !

Pillow Cases they are so easy why not make Your Own !
I haven't brought pillow cases for years other then when they come with sheet sets. I only use white sheets on my bed so some times its nice to add a little extra colour by making pillow cases in some pretty cotton fabrics. It depends on the fabric length, if its 150cm wide you can get two pillow cases from one metre of fabric if its 112cm wide fabric you will need 1.5 metres of fabric. If you get the fabric on sale like a few dollars a metre you can make a pair of pillow cases for as little as $1.50 each. They are so easy to make if you haven't ever made a pillow case get one that you already have fold inside out and follow how it's made.

The Winner Of The Enviro Bag Is !

The Winner Is !
I would like to thank you all for posting your great tips on reducing plastic bags and other plastics. Thank you all for visiting my blog. After reading all the tips I found it hard to pick a winner . I needed help so I read them all to Kev my darling partner & our son Jack for them to help me decide on a winner. The winner is Barb.

Great Stacking Storage Containers !

Sardine Tins Make Great Storage Containers!
My darling partner Kev likes the home brand sardines, as my brain is all ways thinking of ways to use what most people throw away I washed and kept a few then I realised how well they stack on top of each other and I thought what a great idea for storing paper clips, staples, rubber bands, sharpers and erasers. Or you could have them in your sewing/craft room and store needles, pins,bobbins or cottons or other craft supplies. Or you could have them in the shed and store nuts, bolts and washes. So many uses. I love that they stack on top of each other and you could put labels on the front of each one to save time so you know where the exact thing is that you want ! What do you think is it a good idea ? Please post if you have other ideas on what you would, could or do or will store in them.

Soap In Little Fabric Bags !

Soap in Bags !
These make lovely gifts for family and friends for Christmas or birthdays ! I made these last year to give at Christmas time and I forgot about them in my cupboard . I brought some natural lavender soap and made little bags with a draw string, they could be hung in cupboards to make them smell nice or could be used like the soap on ropes just hang the draw string over the tap in the shower. Another great way of using up scraps of fabrics left over from other sewing projects.

Date & Orange truffles !

Date & Orange Truffles !
This is my healthy raw creation! .
200grams Medjool dates
3/4 cup sunflower seeds
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds (pepita's)
zest of 1 medium orange(very finely)
Raw cocoa powder to roll truffles in. (You only need about a teaspoon full).
Use a food processor or blender to grind up seeds then blend well together with dates and zest then roll into balls about the size of walnuts. This amount made 18 truffles they are healthy, raw and delicious . So when you get a craving for some thing sweet one or two should satisfy that craving. Keep in the fridge !They reminded me of jaffas.
They would be lovely to make for Christmas presents for family and friends, as these days there are so many people who have allergies to wheat,gluten,dairy,soy,sugar, and nuts. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Sunflower Seed Salad !

This is my healthy raw living Sunflower Seed Salad !
This salad is really delicious and easy to make .
I'll have a bowl for my lunch , Kev will have it as a side dish to his main meal.
I soak a cup of sunflower seeds about an hour .
then I drain then I add all the other ingredients.
1 cup soaked sunflower seeds.
3 tomatoes finely chopped.
1/2 a cucumber finely chopped
1 red onion finely chopped.
1 stick of celery finely chopped
A good handful of snow pea sprouts.
again finely chopped.
1 few spring onions finely chopped.
A little bit of celtic salt or Himalayan salt to taste.
A squeeze of lemon juice a splash of olive oil . Mix well and enjoy as is or as a side salad !

Competition ! To win An Envirobag !

I have one yellow envirobag up for grabs!  I make these envirobags from 100% cotton fabric and they are made using 100% Solar power from the sun !
All you have to do is post the best tip to reduce using
plastic bags and or reducing plastics. The competition closes on the 10th of November so you have got a week to post your great tips, enter as many times as you like. I will post the winning entrants name on November the 11th , So please leave your name with your tip  ! Here are just a few, take your own shopping bags with you .You can use a cardboard box to put shopping in, I use mesh bags when buying my fruit and vegetables and always carry my envirobag in my handbag at all times you just never know when you may need it. I use mine all the time ! I'm looking forward to reading all your wonderful tips! So what are you waiting for !

Refreshing Summer Drink !

Refreshing Summer Drink !
Here is a really lovely refreshing drink for the hot summer days a head of us !
My healthy lemon drink !
1/8 teaspoon of epsom salts.
1 teaspoon agave syrup.
2 teaspoons lemon juice.
Soda water.
Lemon zest finely grated.(optional)
Stir well to dissolve epsom salts top up with soda water and then garnish with a slice of lemon and a sprig of fresh mint add some ice cubes !
Cheers !
Note: If you haven't got agave syrup you could use any other sweetener of choice eg honey, rice syrup, palm sugar or even coconut sugar !