I’ve been meaning to make ice pops for aaages but kept on forgetting to order some lolly sticks. I thought up some combinations that sounded yummy and decided to find out if they actually were. I just used cheap ice lolly moulds but ditched the plastic sticks that come with these kinds of sets. I used a short piece of string across each individual mould and secured the wooden sticks with a tiny bit of cellotape. This way the stick stayed where I wanted it to while ice pops set. There may be a much easier way of doing this but I couldn’t think of it.
For these you’ll need....
- Lemonade
- A small bunch of mint
- Lime chopped thinly
- Some vodka or rum if you'd prefer
Pour a small measure of vodka into the bottom of each mould. Don’t be too generous otherwise you might end up with a very clinical tasting ice pop. Then roughly chop the mint and add as much as you want, along with the lime slices and then almost fill with lemonade. Remember it will swell slightly as it freezes. You may need to push some of the lime and mint down to the bottom if they float up to the top. Then put them in the freezer and leave preferably over night but it will depend on your freezer.
For these you’ll need....
- Vanilla yoghurt
- Strawberry yoghurt
- Mango and Passion Fruit yoghurt
You will have to add each layer separately and then allow to partially freeze. I left them for about 5 hours in between layers. I also added a few drops of yellow food colouring to the mango and passion fruit yoghurt before layering, which made the colour a bit more punchy, giving a better contrast between this layer and the vanilla. Try spooning the yoghurt in carefully and wipe any excess from the sides, to get nice clean lines.
Some posts ago I excitedly talked about the Stencil Pro set I got for my Birthday. This is a home alternative to screen printing that uses natural light and no chemicals (pretty clever). Our little break provided the perfect opportunity to try the kit out and create some wall art for our home. It takes a bit of trial and error to workout the amount of time to expose it in the sun, as the recommended time lengths are for sunny San Francisco rather than cloudy England, but I got there in the end.
I created this wall art as another little reminder that every new day belongs to God. It's all too easy to start a day with my own agenda, planning my time as if it's my own, using my money as if it belongs to me, using my energy as if God isn't the one sustaining me, approaching people as if they fit into my plan rather than God's and using my gifts and talents as if they're my own. God is Lord over each day and anything we've been given to work with, is evidence of God's grace in our life. Each day is not really about us at all. Instead it's an opportunity to faithfully use what he's given us and live in a way that glorifies our Creator because he is completely perfect, totally just, more loving than any of us could ever be and a whole lot bigger than we are!
Our beach holiday this year was a little different to last year. The British seaside doesn’t quite compare to the white sand and turquoise sea of the Maldives but never the less the sun was shining and it was lovely to get away and relax in the apartment we borrowed from church friends. We took the opportunity to have some fun with our new toy. A few weeks ago we received a very generous gift in the form of a DSLR camera which I was very very excited about! I feel no sadness in saying good bye to the poor quality of my ‘point and shoot’. Time away gave us a bit of space to get used to our new camera and have a bit of a play, seeing as we were both a bit clueless. There’s lots of things to learn but I’ve been told ‘practice, practice, practice.’
So I thought it was time for a spring clean, despite the obvious fact that spring is long gone. I felt it was time to re-design my blog with my main intention being to de-clutter! I have a natural tendency to add layer after layer to my designs, which probably comes from years spent avidly collaging. I was hoping for a fresher look and a simpler backdrop for each post to sit in. I say all this as if I did anything more than design it. My husband took care of making it all and changing the html coding lark. I have no understanding of any of that stuff. He said that I deal with the looks and he's the brain, which sounds mildly insulting but I guess it's true. It took six months for me to tire of my original design so lets see where things are after another six months.
I fell a teeny bit in love with Parrot Design Studio's handwritten type, with all it's twists and curls all over the shop. They give off an 'I've just been lovingly written with an ink quill' vibe which just seems so personal and friendly. Check out their Etsy shop.
I've been admiring all of the geometric jewellery on offer at the moment and had a bit of a brainwave. Why not make your own?! I've come up with a very simple DIY idea that works out pretty cheap, especially if you're making a few. When I was about 10 my mum introduced me to fimo for modelling. It's easy to mould and you just need to bake it for 30 mins in the oven to harden it. I hadn't used this stuff for about 10 years and suddenly I was wondering why not!
All you'll need is....
- Fimo (available from craft shops/ ebay)
- Gold paint
- Cheap necklace chains
- Rolling pin
- Scalpel & a ruler
- Cutting mat
- Paper
Use the paper to make geometric stencils to cut from the Fimo. Roll the Fimo on a cutting mat, then with a sharp scalpel and ruler cut around your stencil. Use a pen to make holes for the chain to feed through and then bake your shapes on a foiled baking tray for 30 mins on 110ºC or 230ºF remembering to leave them to cool and harden once baked. Now you're free to paint the gold areas. You will probably need at least three coats and it's sensible to let each coat dry before moving on to the next. Finally thread the chain through the holes. You may need to temporarily remove a metal end that might prevent the chain from fitting through.
I'm really enjoying gold and ombre affects at the moment and being a card designer and all that, I naturally decided to translate those things onto paper. So here they are, very simple but hopefully eye catching cards with simple messages on each. Gone are the days were my natural inclination was to pile on the layers. Now I'm all about simplicity!
I can't get enough of nail polish at the moment. It's such an easy way to add a pop of colour and with all the shades in the shops, it's a colour geeks dream! I noticed this colour combination when I was sorting through my polishes the other day, which inspired me to create the palette above.
Beach photo by Carolyn Cochrane, bouquet found on Pinterest, paper garland by Grace Street Paper, outfit as seen on Gabba Gabba Gorgeous, yoghurt pop from Absolute Revelry, necklace by Jewelry by Carmel, bison print by Sandra Diekmann and vintage button earrings by Minski.
