DIY Place mat Clutch Bag

Bond: Everybody needs a hobby.
Silva: So, what's yours? 
Bond: Resurrection. 

Me: Mine too! It's just that I give new life to old place mats.

This eid I wore a grey outfit. I browsed through my pre baby- bag purses and could not find something to match..and there you go I instantly had an excuse to do the diy project I had been planing to do some day. In the same closet I came across a silver gray top my mother had sent me some two years ago..it was pretty but not so practical for me so it had stayed in the closet untouched..I guess it was awaiting its new red carpet life .

Note: if you are reading this..read it in a whisper because I was working late at night with poor light and a phone camera.

I had an old bamboo place mat..the ones you get at the euro shop. I covered it in the fabric from my shirt top and folded it in the shape I wanted. For the bottom gusset of the purse I just covered a piece of cardboard in fabric and secured it on the place mat with glue.

Now I had the shape of the clutch with the two sides open. I cut strips of the same fabric to close the sides by hemming it to the existing fabric.

I finished it with a large brooch I already had.

 I just needed it for a mere few hours, and it held up well. I used a magnetic button for the closure but it was not enough to hold the flap down..which was not much of a bothering issue because I did'nt open and close it alot. That can be fixed for later use. 

This picture of the purse was taken a few days after use..and my son had been fiddling with it..hence the creases on the sides:)

No cost clutch bag made to match!

Call it Resurrection of a Place Mat!

Last Minute Road Trip Activity Plan

We are a notorious 'Last Minute' Family. We do the groceries till the last announcements to vacate are being made. We bought a child seat for our baby on the last day of my hospital stay. We caught our honeymoon flight half a minute before boarding closed! People tell us the time, an hour earlier than other guests for a dinner. Nearly all our trips are last minute plans! This last holiday was no different. We started thinking over it the night before..deciding a destination, checking the weather..changing minds..and leaving the final decision for the next morning. We placed a booking at 2 in the afternoon the next day and left the house at 4.

 I used the word 'We' because I don't want to hurt my better half's feelings :p

I knew it would be a long drive to wherever we go, so with the little time on hand I gathered some things to keep my toddler entertained during the road trip. Its been long since we last did a long route plan with him so I was short on ideas. However here's what I came up with.

IGNORE the burnt roasting pan. I had an oven disaster.
I decided to keep it for him in the car to serve as a seat 'tray'...like the ones you have on the airplane! Just a little less fancier :p

• It had raised edges..to keep things from falling off.
• Its metallic...to hold the alphabet magnets.
• It served as a snack tray...wiped clean with a wet wipe after use.
• It made a very nice car track. My son got super excited when the cars would slide from one end to the other on their own at road bends.
• Perfect drawing board, with edges to hold colors.
• To read a book.
• To bang the sippy cup on when nothing else entertained.

 I had these foam stickers which I gave him on the way back. Oh the magic of cars and trucks. He loves them!

I must tell you that this toddler's attention span is as much as a gold fish's. He snaps out of one activity in sometimes even less than 5 minutes..But I moved 'one step ahead' of him and kept pulling out more ideas out of my hat to engage him.

A car seat organizer is very handy on such trips.

'Vrooomm Vrooom. Peep Peep.'

His favorite thing these days is to ask me to draw buses and cars.

I gave him these activities in day light. When it started getting darker, particularly on our way back I had to hand over the iPad.

Overall it was a less fussy trip. I must admit there were small cranky parts but he's a child isn't he?

He had his naps and rest station breaks in between too.

Its always better to be prepared for such spontan plans. 

To make the trip more enjoyable for ourselves I packed some mince chicken and rice for dinner because I knew that with our son tired and sleepy by the time we reach we would not be able to dine at the restaurant. (only options out there would have been vegetarian..so halal CHICKEN is always a bonus on a trip!)

Another Tip: If you happen to have a tod who stays on red bull energy levels, I recommend buying THIS. there's no shame in using it in public. Let them laugh..and tell them that its not called a 'leash'

Depending on the nature of the trip..keep extra pairs of socks in your handbag if you must. My son's newly found love to jump in puddles, thanks to elmo, is getting splishier and splashier! I had to buy him rain boots while we were in the middle of our trip to the lake garda. He never needed them before, but instant plans call for instant shopping!

Despite the chaos and the rush of the moment looking back, the most cherished memories I/ WE have are the ones that were created at the LAST-MINUTE!

Gardasee, Italy

We are back from a short camping holiday in Northern Italy. It was the last week before the camping villages close down for winters. We took the oppurtunity to celeberate our Wedding Anniversary on 'Urlaub' as the germans say it. It was truly a relaxing trip. No rush to check in half a dozen places in one day, as it would have been if we had planned to spend the day in a busy tourist city center.

Lake Garda, the largest lake in Italy, is located between Venice and Milan. Lago di Garda is considered "one of the biggest activity playgrounds in Europe." source

A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature. ~Henry David Thoreau

Witht he Dolomite Mountains in the backdrop, narrow cobblestone streets lined with cottages and palm trees northern Italy is more about nature, charecter and simplicity as oposed to the human made marvells of Rome and Milan.

A chalet in the midst of the vast valley. I spotted quite a few of them on the way to Riva al Lago.

Our luxus cabin at the camping site.

We woke up in paradise! The clouds were literally at the door.

The food and service at the camping restaurant was great.

Freshly baked bread flavoured with seaseme oil. I had never tried it before. Will def try using the flavouring next time in Naans instead of the seaseme seeds.

The Italian Oven!

Pizza Tono, Pizza Marghareita, Pizza Aurora, Polenta con funghi e fomaggio fusso ( I swear I didnt write that off my memory..I took a picture of the menu hehehe) and a bugs bunny getalo for the little one!

After all that cheese, Cola light please! I kept telling my self..when in italy, eat like the italians eat.

(Hey Italy is known for style, even the can of coke is prettier there! )

The best part of the trip was that my son had the freedom to run around and play as much as he liked. Way better than locking him up in a small hotel room.

The Scaliger Castle (13th century).We drove by the lake to reach the South end town of Sirmione. I picked up the picture on google because the sun had set and my camera results were not so good.

Lake Garda

It was the most hastily planned holiday yet a very tranquille one.