Thursday, May 31, 2012

Ideas for the Bride: Dust Bags

Weddings are special. It could be a small affair or a ballistic Bollywood wedding. Lots of planning goes into it. You can offcourse preserve the memories of the actual 'big day' in the form of pictures but small things that remind you of the whole wedding mood for years are the best to keep.

Like these dust bags for the Bride's shoes. I had more shoes than dresses to wear for the post-wedding events.  So my mother made these lovely sacks in coordinating fabrics for me to protect all the sparkling heels.

















Attention to the detail is the key to a memorable wedding. Just take some nice fabric..this one here is raw-silk..left over from my dress. Sew the 3 sides of a rectangle, fold over the edges of the 4th edge for the opening. Leave some space for inserting your cord or ribbon.

Now that I don't put on fancy shoes with heels anymore, I have these sacks to keep my stuff in the cupboards or for the bathroom.


Monday, May 28, 2012

Pillow Sham Tutorial


I can't believe I'm doing a tutorial on something I made for the first time myself  too. As if I'm an expert :D I had a West Elm quilt cover but no pillows to match. So I got myself plain cotton on half price from Ikea.

Anyhowzz it was easy..and beginner level but still since I am a sub-beginner when it comes to sewing I had to draw lines with a ruler for the top stitch. Which was really helpful! As you might have seen how I ruined my iPad cover top stitching.
  1. Measure and Cut. Measure your pillow and add 1/2 an inch all around for the seams. 2 inches for the outer edge of your sham. Cut the top of your pillow sham.
  2. For the back: Do the same measurements and add an extra 3 inches for the overlap on the opening at the back. Another 1/2 inch for the hemming.
  3. Now put the front aside. Take the back piece and cut it either across the middle or into two pieces with one being longer than the other. (like I did)
  4. Hem the cut edges. I only folded and ironed the hem. (fold fabric once and then over itself one more time for the hem)
  5. Sew these folded edges.
 
Now the back is ready. Place the front piece right side up and the back piece on top of it right side down. Sew the edges together. Turn it inside out.

Next, measure 2'' all around the top of your sham. Do a top stitch all over.
All done. I think they have a  more sophisticated appeal to them than a normal pillow case.


Sunburst

Usually I tend to dismiss an idea thats been done over and over again. It makes one feel good when you pick up an idea, a new pair of shoes a colour trend or a fashion when its only an under-current for the majority who are yet to follow. But like the chevron, the sunburst was hard to ignore. I had to make one! I found some really nice sunbursts floating around in the pinterest universe:
I wanted it to go over my headboard.
I opted for the bamboo skewers to make the sunburst. I did not have a mirror..but I used an old metal sun wall hang as my centre piece
.First, I spray painted the skewers with half cream and half grey colour.
Next I hot glued the 'rays' on the back side of my smaller sunburst.

I loved it when I turned it over and went in the bedroom to check how it looks on the wall...hung it up there. Smiled and left the room. At night when I went in the room to show it off to my husband.....there was no sign of a sunburst in the room. WHAT? I hung it right there! OMG It lay broken and wounded behind the bed. Something had gone wrong with the nail on which I hung it :( so I HAD TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN !

The finished project.

Makai ki Roti

This is a traditional Corn Meal flat bread served in the Sub-Continent in main course for lunch or dinner. My father loves it with a glass of Lassi and Mint Chutney. I did this quick recipe and tutorial with my sister who taught me an easy way to shape and make a 'makai ki roti'.


Ingredients:
 
1. 2 Cups Corn Meal ( Makai Ka Atta )
2. Water 1 cup
3. Ghee or Butter 1 table spoon
4. Salt if desired
Method:
  • Put your corn meal in a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Add salt (about half a tea spoon)
  • Add warm water with one hand and mix with the other (or use a wooden spoon)
  • Make a dough out of it.
  • Kneed it.
  • Now rolling it into a 'Roti' is a bit of a challenge because you can't use dry flour to roll it and the dough has a sticky tendency. Here's the trick to do it.
                                                                   

 Make a ball and slightly press it between your palms.
Take a sheet of butter paper or alternatively use a plastic bag as we did.
Put you dough on the sheet and press it to shape and spread (about 7-8inches in diameter)

Now lift if from the surface along with the butter paper so it won't break. Peel the paper off.

Transfer it on to a hot skillet or tawa. Add ghee or butter along the sides. Turn it over when one side is nicely golden brown. Cook on the other side and serve.

Serve with a blob of white butter on top, some chutney or pickle and lassi.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Cake Pops

Cake pops without the popsicle sticks! We don't have them in Germany..hence the use of mini cupcake liners. The rule is you can't have one. I made them from left-over cake..no not left over..there is no left-over cake in our house..but from the cake scraps that I had after levelling a large round cake.

You can use any cake to make them..packaged or home made.
I have a short-cut way :
  • Put your prepared cake in the chopper, add some ganache or melted chocolate or even a bit of milk..
  • You just have to be careful that the dough is sticky and shape-able.
  • Make round shapes, coat in your favourite frosting.I used both white and brown chocolate.

Favorite Shirt recycle

My boy is in love with the Sesame Street Monsters. I got him a shirt with a Cookie Monster on it. Every time he wore it he mimicked cookie monster's voice...and made quite an act out of it. I had mistakenly washed the white shirt with coloured ones and ruined it. So today I thought instead of throwing it away lets make use of it in some other way!

I cut out the monster's face.
We had this bag which the airline gave him as a gift.
Fabric glue + Cookie Monster Face = New Favourite Bag.



                                                Done and now.. Me want Coooookieeee!!!

Austria/Germany

This past weekend we took a short trip to Salzburg and the Königsee Lake in Bavaria, Germany. Weather did complete justice to the trip. A break from the routine, mesmerizing sightseeing and a traditional Bavarian guest house were the highlights of the trip. Take a peek:
The Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle's Nest) Hitler's 50th Birthday present. He used it as a tea house for visiting dignitaries. Below is the tunnel that leads into the mountain, where a lift takes you up to the main building.

Salzburg City: View from the Hohensalzburg Castle

                                                  Love Locks on a bridge in Salzburg

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Chevron Lamp

I have been wanting to jump on the chevron bandwagon for so long! Its everywhere in clothes, jewellery, rugs, crockery you name it! My mother bought me a shirt with the pattern and every time I saw it my mind went to the plain and sad lamp shade which was screaming for help. Here are some other inspirations:


                               Some place is selling this lamp at a crazy price of 116 Euros !
                                                 

                                                     So..Keep Calm and Chevron!
 All supplies were on hand. I first cut out a V shaped template. and then started to trace it into a pattern. I found it a bit hard to figure out how to work the pattern at the point where it was to meet the starting point on the round shade.

It was much easier to paint by placing a Lazy Susan revolving plate underneath.After painting and removing the tape I had this:



                                                                   Just what I wanted.








Website Links:
 http://www.decorpad.com/search.htm?searchType=photos&q=zigzag
http://downthatlittlelane.com.au/hamptons-style/product/6815-lamp-chevron-black

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day! Our Catholic State is also celebrating Ascension Day here in Germany..but for us non-Christians its Father's Day AND a public holiday! My one and a half year old son is not aware of the day but so what, his dad knows its Father's Day..so we made a nice card for him. I got the inspiration from Lisa's blog.

So we set off to make a quick card just a short while before it was time for daddy to come back home from office. I thought we'll give him a surprise in the morning.

AAaa well my boy finds it hard to sit in one place..so thats what he was doing in the bath tub when I wanted to take the foot prints.
Something to keep him still.

I took the prints on card paper and then cut them into butterfly wings.
It was a quick one because we were short on time and had to do it before my husband came back home.





I made my son do some art work of his own on the inside of the card :p

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Toilet Paper Roll Art

Toilet paper belongs in the Bathroom..and now on my blog..and on sooo many other blogs too. I was not a big fan of this 'art' but for some time I stopped throwing away the used TP rolls. I gave it a go.

I first decided on the pattern and then glued the cut pieces of the roll on my bathroom cabinet.
So far, so good.