shak-shuka

Rag-a-Muffin Rug

In my constant quest to mentally interior decorate our new apartment before we even step foot in the place (or have the keys), one of the things that my dreams usually miss are rugs. The apartment is much much larger than our current one, and the rugs that we have now, well, let's just say it might be best to turn them into doggy mats.

The only issue is that rugs are usually painfully expensive, and given what we do to rugs (smells, stains and otherwise) I thought a durable and inexpensive rug would be best. The only problem with that is that cheap rugs tend to look even cheaper than they really are and don't scream "decor" like I'd like them to. So, low and behold, when times are tough, it's best to call on your own resources - and resources we have! I recently found this great tutorial for making your own Flokati rug via the fabulous Lil'Magoolie blog. The tutorial was created by a mama-to-be, working on it with her own mother while her baby was busy being baked in the (not-so-easy-bake) oven. I love how candid she is in the fact that even though the rug is insanely cheap to make (scrap tees anyone?!) it is incredibly time consuming. But just like all my other major craft projects, the best ones do seem to take more time, and the end result is so, so, so worth it. Maybe you're not in the mood to make a full dining-room sized rug, but you could start with a doormat and work your way up. I'll post pics when I finish ours!

Let's (Crayon) Roll! Tutorial

I discovered the delightfully crafty site Say Yes to Hoboken when they wrote about one of our products and I had to check out who they were. Every post full of inspiration, and one of them left me hyper with excitement. Even though I don't have that much time to sew any more, but I have seen so many "crayon rolls" (a handy-dandy little thing to keep the crayons organized) that I thought to myself: "these cannot be that hard to make". And low and behold I found Say Yes to Hoboken's answer to my crafty prayers.

Not only is their Crayon Roll tutorial easy enough to follow, but the images are so wonderful that even if you don't have a child that can even use crayons, you'll find one to give the Crayon Roll to. Best of all, the author used remnant fabrics from her stash, which is exactly the type of green-behavior we cheer for around here. Back-to-school time will be here before we know it, so let's (crayon) roll!

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Congratulations to Rea for winning last week's Mama+Me Giveaway! Thank you to all who entered this fabulous giveaway...there will be more to come!

Natural Paint Alternatives

Last week when our cleaning helper was leaving, she asked if we were going to have our walls painted while we were on summer holiday. Ouch. Sting. Zinger. Although she's right (remember we have a 2.5 year old toddler and a huge dog) that we need a minor (read: major) touch-up on our walls, it was a slap in the face to hear. Guess we're not the only ones who notice!

So I began searching around for safe paints to use. I know that most paints have toxic VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, which may sound nice (because of the word "organic") but in reality they're anything but, as they release toxic fumes into the air that not only smell unpleasant, but are linked to long-term health problems in children and adults. My suggestion: go the natural route. There are plenty of alternatives to making your walls look polished and praise-worthy (instead of being criticized!) with a few strokes of eco-friendly paint. Two of the top choices that I've discovered have been from US brand AFM Safecoat, which has been around for over 25 years and is approved by health professionals as a recommended alternative to chemical-laden paints. For those of us in Europe, the UK brand Earthborn has a myriad of paints to choose from for interiors and exteriors, and also a choice of the type of paint to use - like Casein Paint, or also known as milk paint! Both brands are wonderful for children's rooms, where you definitely don't want any chemicals or fumes disturbing the ever-so-essential sleep time. Great for kids, great for adults, great for the environment - beautifying your home the natural way!

Quilting for Beginners

Before my daughter was born, I went into a crazed crafty phase. Even before she was born, I was mentally playing dress up with her, creating dresses, kimono tops and even hats (ooh, that was a mistake). My pride and joy had to be a quilt that I made from the ever wonderful Amy Butler, who created free quilt patterns  for us non-expert quilters who aren't ready to splurge on a quilting class or pattern. For me it was perfect: I had a ton of scraps from my previous projects, and the quilt required many different rectangles of varying fabrics. Check, check, and eco-check!

Embarrassingly enough, it took me nearly 2 years to finish the quilt. I actually finished the body of the quilt (top made of fabric remnants, the bottom from a super soft green flannel) and filled it with the necessary quilt batting, but never got around to closing the seam that I had to do by hand. Luckily my lovely mother-in-law came in and saved the day and now we've got a handmade quilt that many women in the family had a hand in making! I have to say that if you're thinking of getting crafty, have a lot of fabric scraps leftover, or want to try your hand at quilt-making, Amy Butler's free Lotus Brick Path Quilt is made for you! Just hopefully it won't take you 2 years.....

Guerrilla Garden Your 'Hood

The majority of my friends, and I think most people, live in or at least near a metropolitan city. There are many perks of living in a city: close proximity to everything, variety of choice in shopping and eating (my favorite hobbies) and a diverse mix of cultures. I personally love living in a city, but there are some aspects which are not so good - mostly the lack of nature (which seems ironic seeing as I say I love living in the city). Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't want to live in the middle of the woods, but it is such a wonderful respite from hard city life to sit on a patch of grass and stare at some beautiful flowers or at the sky.

I'm sure if you're also a city dweller you will remember passing by so many patches of dead earth that have the potential for a mini garden oasis. There's even one about 500 meters from my house that I have been dying to get my (black thumbs) hands into. Light bulb moment - there is an organization that does exactly what's brewing in my mind: transforms otherwise discarded or forgotten plots of land into beautiful patches of wildflowers and plants. Guerrilla Gardening may be a bit extreme for some, but I love their philosophy of doing something mildly illegal (apparently gardening requires a permit in some countries) that actually benefits the community. In April Guerrilla Gardening held a "Pimp Your Pavement" celebration in London that encouraged citizens in London to transform tiny spaces into gardening gems. You can start a Guerrilla Gardening movement in your own city or country, or there seem to be posses in nearly every pocket of the world! If getting dirty isn't your thing, you can also purchase their book, which is available in a slew of languages. Even though I have a black thumb, I'm seriously considering "guerrila-ing" my own neighborhood, starting with that tiny patch of sad dirty nearby....under the cloak of darkness of course!

Almond Scented Sticky Heaven

When I was little I used to smell everything - it was even a running joke that I was raised by our dogs and therefore learned to "get to know someone or something" with my nose first, then my eyes. Years have passed and few things have changed, and my olfactory sense is still top-notch (only rivaled by our 70kg St Bernard of course...). I can be attracted to someone/thing just by the way it smells, or completely turned off and never give it another chance if the smell is too bad/overpowering/fake.

Having done loads of arts+crafts projects, I have tested what feels like the whole lot of crafty products. Nothing has turned my sense of smell on alert like this sticky paste from Italy called Coccoina. Packaged in a beautiful antique-looking tin, Coccoina is no ordinary paste: it holds beautifully, is non-toxic, non-solvent and acid-free (great for gluing photos in photo albums) and....drumroll please....smells like almonds. Or better yet - marzipan. Imagine all the craft projects I have done just so I could get to be surrounded by some almond-y-paste pleasure. Bordering on addiction, this Coccoina paste has a hold on me, and I think we just might have to add it to our natural arts+crafts section. Do I sense a Marzipan Making Madness on the way?!

Naturally Colorful Kitchen

I've been very naughty. I usually have my posts up and ready to go, but I slacked off a bit by not doing my "homework" in advance, and just like in school, you end up getting burned when you try and do it all rushed at the end. That's me today! It has not been my day, so I've been seeking comfort in the kitchen (which is a place I usually avoid even though I'm a chef) and baking. There is something really magical about turning many different ingredients into one piece of food art that can be consumed! Forget David Copperfield, I'm a magician in the kitchen!

Since my daughter has become OBSESSED with baking lately (we started with chocolate chip cookies and now there's no stopping us), I thought it was time that we re-create some of the horrid treats they've given her at school. Plain vanilla cake - check, vanilla frosting - check, and I'm sure you too have your own favorite. But wait - what turns something plain into something fantastic to a child? COLOR! Normally I would poo-poo food colorings, but when they're made from natural, pronounce-able ingredients, I say - "what are a few drops gonna hurt"? India Tree makes concentrated liquid vegetable colorants which can be mixed to make a rainbow of colors to charm even the snootiest kiddo. Although not as easy to find as your corner-store-food-coloring, it's worth the hunt to find some India Tree colorings if you're feeling crafty in the kitchen! (remember it's not just good for eating - use it to color your homemade play dough as well!)

The (Not So Secret) Seed Society

As a child, I was always obsessed with the mail: boxes, letters, magazines, catalogs: the whole lot. I secretly had a crush on the postman, and loved loved loved the look of the UPS man coming in his flat brown shorts. Nothing bad ever came in the mail when I was young! As an adult, times have changed and bills fall like rain from the postbox now and I long for those carefree-mail days....

It's not surprising given my love for the postal system that I have an online store where everything goes by post! Having said that, I am clearly a supporter of all things mail-related from online stores to catalogs. I love the idea of ordering something at 1am in my pyjamas with a glass of wine next to the computer (which can also be lethal depending on what number of glass you're on...) and then the package arriving a few days later like a surprise you (almost) forgot about! That is what I feel like when I look at this Secret Seed Society membership. It combines two of my favorite things: postal treats and a food-ucational experience for both children and parents. Double yay! The Secret Seed Society Seed Agent Subscription works like this: you receive periodically a set of 5 seed packets and accompanying stories (which explain the seeds, how to plant them, etc) that you can plant at different times of the year. The subscriptions are recommended for children from 3-7 years, and even though my daughter is only 2.5 years, I have seen her eyes light up from seeing the cilantro grow that we planted weeks ago, so I know this would be for her (or me too). The Secret Seed Society also has other individual packages available that seem like equal learning fun - like Chrissie Cress Story & Seed Pack and Mingo Mung Story & Seed Pack. Best of all, there's also info for us parents who weren't born with a green thumb......a win/win postal treat!

DIY Mini Kitchen Kit

Just as I was about to say spring is finally here (we've been experiencing super-warm temps around here), the weather does a 360º. And naturally, our family holiday we've been waiting months (nearly a year!) comes and it starts pouring rain! Oh well, I suppose at this point we've lived with the rain for so long that I've become water-resistant! We'll be away til next week, so I'm sharing with you a family project we've been working on that could be fun for you too.

I wanted to share with you our little "DIY" project that we have going on. Like many of you, we live in a small apartment, so we have to be very careful and manage our space well. For instance, my daughter loves to play chef when I cook dinner, but we don't have a lot of room for a full-on play kitchen (which in turn actually costs a lot of money too). So, being the thrifty goose that I am, I did a bit of poking around Etsy, and found this delightful instruction kit on how to make your own kitchen from cardboard!!! Naturally since we have an online shop we have PLENTY of sturdy cardboard boxes to rip apart, and I love the idea of re-using materials we already have to build a kitchen for my daughter that she will love. And even when she stops loving it, we can give it to another lucky little chef, or simply recycle it! We're off to a slow start, but I think we can master the cutting, covering with contact paper, and sliding joints into one another. If all goes well, and the kitchen is a hit, I'll be back to shop at FortyTwo Roads (the makers of these instructional kits) to whip up the laundry machine and dryer! Too cute.....it does involve a little work, but don't all the things that we love require a bit of love, sweat, and tears?!

She (Cuts) Bangs, She Bangs!

This post is a bit different than the usual "pretty, fluffy" stuff I write about (but it's all eco, so it's got an edge to real "fluff", right?!). This one is strictly for the parents out there, like myself, who are struggling with certain tasks that you have to do with/to your children that the kids don't necessarily enjoy. Hair cutting (along with trimming nails) is one of those parental duties that you'd rather leave to a Nanny 911 expert, but unfortunately the responsibility usually falls on your shoulders.

I am NO expert. Being a parent is a learn-on-the-job type experience, and many times we have successes as well as many, many, many failures. I think that as long as you face things with diligence to get the job done, as well as a light heart that is quick to laugh when your child throws spaghetti on your face, you'll be a stellar parent! Ok, now back to hair cutting: my daughter HATES HATES HATES to have her hair cut. I don't think she really minds that her hair is being cut, but it's the combination of scissors frighteningly close to her face with the tickling feeling of hair trickling on her face/neck. I thought there had to be a better solution as I was tired of having to practically pin her down to just cut her bangs. Then the other day in an act of desperation I grabbed the closest piece of stiff paper next to me (it was actually a card that I was going to send - sorry!) and slipped it under her bangs and VOILA! I cut her bangs. Needless to say it was a bit tricky holding the card and cutting, but it worked 100x better than my usual method. Best of all she didn't have any hairs falling on her which prevented the tickles, and the card was big enough that it shielded her from the scissors that I was wielding in front of her face. MAGIC! Of course I had to go back and do a few touch-ups here and there, but I have to say the "stiff paper" method (you can use a page folded from a magazine too) works!