Save the Bank Gift Idea

Free word art for every occasion

Mothers day has just been and the next occasion I have coming up is my siblings birthdays in april. Sometimes the need to spend money on gifts and going out to celebrate occasions can feel never ending especially when your on a tight budget. So instead of breaking the bank I am going to create home-made presents for the next few occasions. Hopefully more if I have any success. I want to create something unique without having to spend hours working on it. Im all for gifts from the heart which you have spent time and effort making however with three separate birthdays in the next two weeks and very little time to make anything due to working twelve hour shifts I need something simple.

Looking at gift ideas on Facebook swap sites and google I found this website where you can buy personalised word art for any occasion :https://www.facebook.com/Wordartforyou

I really liked the concept but didn’t want to spend £13 buying something I could probably make myself. So I googled it.

The first helpful website I found belonged to another blogger Maggie.  http://blog.thelovenerds.com/2013/09/free-shaped-word-art.html Her website provided instructions on how to make your own word art using a free online engine called Tagxedo. http://www.tagxedo.com/app.html

I decided to give it a go. First I headed over to the website.

Then I clicked on create. Next I had to install silverlight as I am now working on a new (second-hand) laptop.

This took me to the creation engine

Next you need to click load. On the left hand side.Then you can either type in the words you want to use, upload a file from your desktop (perhaps of your favourite poetry) or choose a web address.

For my first trial I chose to use a web address. In fact I chose the address for my blog.

Then I hit submit and waited.

Once you have chosen your text you can change the shape.

I decided to try a dinosaur as they are awesome.

If you then want to change the colour of your creation use the theme arrow down the left hand side.

If you want to change which words are which colour then clock thee circular arrow next to colour.

If you want to change your text font then you can either select the circular arrow next to font for a random selection or use the arrow to pick a specific option.

The software is nice and easy and best of all free to use. Have a play around until you find something you are happy with.

“Orientation” : allows you to choose the direction that you would like your words to face.

“Layout” shifts the words around

When your done click on the save/share button to either print or save the image to your computer.

Good luck                                           

Fungus Foraging or A day outside in the fresh if damp air.

English: fungus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Fungus Foraging or A day outside in the fresh if damp air.

Last week I got invited to attend a fungus foraging course at my local woods. I was very excited by the prospect and after a bit of organising managed to get a lift to the start point.

It was a wet day but the tree’s afforded plenty of shelter from the rain. I was surprised and delighted by the turn out. There must have been 40 of us who had dug out wellies and braved the weather to explore the outdoors.  Other than me there were plenty of families many with children. It was fantastic to see how excited the kids were at the concept of searching for and identifying something so basic and often overlooked.

We searched for about an hour covering only a small area. Then retreated to the car park to display our finds on a trestle table and ask the expert questions about our finds.

Personally I was surprised by the vast variety of fungi we found in such a small part of the woods.

I had a very enjoyable day and would go to other events at the forest in future.

jelly bean mushroom

Jelly bean mushroom

Bonfire alternatives

Happy bonfire night. the 5th of November is celebrated every year in recognition of Guy Fawkes’ thwarted attempt to blow up parliament.

The weather as usual is cold and the nights are getting darker perfect for firework celebrations.

This year we  decided to use an alternative to sparklers as not everyone is comfortable with close range fireworks.

our alternative : glow in the dark bubbles.

we mixed bubble mix and the contents of a glow stick in a bubble  wand for supper awesome fun.

very easy to make why not have a go.

Sunset November 5, 2006 (Photo credit: Whipper_snapper)

(pictures to follow)

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Apple Day

Left: sweet cider. Right: apple juice. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today was apple day in the town where I live. As well as an assortment of stalls selling fair trade good there was also a traditional apple press.

Me and a friend collected two bags of apples and decided to have a go at making our own apple juice. Our two bags of windfalls made 1 and ½ bottles of apple juice (or about three litres). We are going to drink the half bottle this week and use the full bottle to make cider.

First we washed the apples.

Then we chopped them into quarters.

Next the apples were fed through a scratter in order to pulp them. Essentially this is a mincer.

Once the apples are pulped they are then put into a muslin bag which is put inside the press and squeezed. Our press had small enough holes that the apple couldn’t escape therefore the muslin bag was not needed.

Juice is transferred from the press via a tube and then collected in bottles and ready to drink or use as desired. We collected ours in a glass jar and then transferred it to plastic bottles due to the lack of stability plastic provides.

It was a sunny day and lots of fun. I learnt several new things.

We decided to use our full bottle of juice to make cider so we will be buying a bung and air stopper to attach to the bottle. This will allow gas to escape from the bottle without allowing air in.

I will let you know how the next process goes asap.

Other fun articles

Confessions of an English apple scrumper

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Friday Foraging Fun (well almost)

Today we went foraging. It was a delightful sunny day and we had finished our chores so we decided to take advantage of the weather and head outdoors. We wanted to go foraging as September is a prime time for free foods. The main aim was to collect as many dandelions as possible to make a batch of dandelion liquor that would be ready for Christmas.

As the weather was so nice it was just lovely to be outside and we weren’t expecting to find much.

We were pleasantly surprised. We enjoyed a good few hours in the open air and returned with dandelions (heads and leaves), clovers (the flowers are amazing and very sweet), crab apples, blackcurrants and mushrooms (which we decided to compost instead of eating to be on the safe side).

Overall it was an invigorating experience that made us feel like children hunting for hidden treasure.

This afternoon was spent making the base for the dandelion liquor with honey and lemon juice. As well as cleaning our prizes ready for use tomorrow.

We have found a few recipes for crab apple jelly and lemon aid that we want to test although this may involve a second trip at some point to collect more fruit now we know where it can be found. The site I will be using for my base recipes is :http://www.sallywise.com.au/blog/crabapples-the-not-so-humble-fruit/

I still have some leftover apples that I picked whilst at home and the blackcurrants picked today which will be cooked into either a preserve or a desert.

If you have any suggestions for things to do with foraged ingredients or want to share your own experiences please leave a comment.

 

I hope you are enjoying a pleasant September and reaping the benefits of what is available locally.

I hope you will come back again.

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Dandelions revisited

In june I made a batch of dandelion liquer which I then proceeded to forget about and left to ferment. on getting back to uni we all decided to try it. it was a delicious very fruity liquer with a slight after taste for the alchohol.  I have been implored by my test subjects to make this again and will probably be giving away strained versions of the drink as gifts next year, a few of myfriends have suggested it had a mellow taste similiar to a sweet mead. however i have not tried mead so can’t compare the two.

I got the initial recipe from http://vallenuova.blogspot.it/2012/05/foraging-dandelion-liqueur.html

however the idea came from http://wildcraftvita.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/things-to-do-with-dandelions.html

the initial recipe You need:
100 dandelion flowers (collected when fully in bloom)
A syrup made with 250 g of water and 300 gr of sugar
2 whole lemons cut in pieces
Juice of 2 lemons
750 g of water
750 g of 95º alcohol
(you can use Vodka and reduce the amount of water accordingly)

English: Two dandelions side-by-side in some grass. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Make a syrup with 250 g of water and 300 g of sugar and let cool.

In a glass jar that you can close tightly put the flowers, lemons, lemon juice and syrup.
Close, store in a warm place and let rest for 1 week.
Add the 750g water and the alcohol and leave for about 3 months.
Filter and enjoy!

 

the adjustments i made was using honey instead of sugar and vodka instead of alcohol. only a tiny amount of vodka is needed however less than a teaspoon. the only other significant thing to note as i found with one of my earlier batches once open the mixture if not drunk within 3 or 4 days starts to go off. it would definitely be best to make this in smaller portions to avoid waste or invite friends round to help test each batch.

 

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Save the dates

Its been a busy few days My sister has graduated , I started a new job and
now have a wedding date. although individually these are pretty awesome
events together combined with the fabulous weather they have put me in
mood where anything is achievable.

Today I finally managed to book our wedding in the church diary. The
official date will be Saturday the 13th of September 2014. Now all we
need to do is send out our save the date cards (post to follow) and
decide on a reception venue before the true fun of wedding planning can
begin.

I went to my sisters graduation yesterday. a wonderful experience which made me realise how much we have grown up. We are close in age and now both planning for our life after university (although I still have one year left).

Another big thing was my first day at a new job today. lots of firsts but plenty of opportunity to continue doing new things aswell.

now I am waiting for craft supplies so I can make my save the date cards and post them on thier way.

How has your week been thus far? let s know….

Save The Date Concept (Photo credit: Jerad Hill Photographer)

 

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The wedding song.

Wedding Dress For Happy Couple in Love (Photo credit: epSos.de)

I’m getting married ! and what better to celebrate the announcement than Bob Dylan’s wedding song :

I love you more than ever, more than time and more than love
I love you more than money and more than the stars above
I love you more than madness, more than waves upon the sea
I love you more than life itself, you mean that much to me.

Ever since you walked right in the circle’s been complete
I’ve said goodbye to haunted rooms and faces in the street
In the courtyard of the jester which is hidden from the sun
I love you more than ever and I haven’t yet begun.

Me and my fiance have finally decided to set a date for our wedding. We want to keep the costs as low as possible so we will be doing it ourselves where possible and only calling in the experts where it is cheaper to do so or in an area we have no clue whatsoever and necessity demands.

We have already decided on our guest list of 50 guests. Now we need to finalize the date with the vicar who is not back till Monday and send out save the dates.

There is a huge list of stuff to organize in the next month or so but once that is sorted there will be little else until about a month before the wedding.

Here is the list of what me and The Count came up with when starting our list of things we need to do

Wedding countdown to do list

Finalise guest list

Decide budget

Inform bridal party of date

Book church

Book reception venue

Choose theme/ colour scheme

Pick dress and suit

Send out save the date cards

Choose and order invites

Set up a wedding website

Investigate photographers

look into Entertainment

research Caterers

Decide on honeymoon plans

Flowers

Choose Music

Create an order of service

Decide on order of plans for wedding day

Hair and makeup

Choose a cake

Favours

Vows

Toasts

Menu cards

Table plan

Seating arrangements cards for guests

Table decorations

 

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Kombucha continued

English: Mature Kombucha (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

 

 

Hey again,

Last post I outlined the basics of Kombucha.  This time I am going to investigate  how to flavour the finished product.

 

 

Here is a video outlining the basics of how to start your own culture:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z58FzJdliRE&feature=share&list=PLWzMfwDxBs_m9uVcO74d6KeRm8-eN6sGz

Once you have made your own Kombucha and got the hang of making plain batches you might want to have a go at flavouring.

Flavouring is done after the first fermentation. Once you have a batch of plain Kombucha you are happy with you can decant some of it into a separate Glass container (don’t forget to set aside some of your kombucha mix to start your next plain batch)  and then begin to experiment by adding the flavours of your choice. Bear in mind that Kombucha is a living substance so do not use chemicals to flavour it. Instead why not try adding fruit or fruit juice.

Once you have added the ingredients you are using to flavour the Kombucha then you have to re-cover it (still allowing it to breath) and leave it to re-ferment in a warmish (room temperature) place out of direct sunlight. After 5 to 14 days it will be ready to drink depending on your personal taste. Don’t forget to leave a comment on your own mixtures as it is always nice to find new flavours.

There is a fantastic video available on how to flavour Kombucha available here:

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Felting a bag.

This week i went to a free felting workshop. all the materials were provided and it has given me a few ideas for what to do with my own wool.

Here is an explanation of what i did in pictures

 

Base layer of bubble wrap in tray

Template for felting in tray

Template for felting

A selection of wool

A selection of wool

My selection of wool

The first layer would form the outside of the bag

I had to keep the wool wispy and make sure there were no gaps

Then I put a layer of lace over the wool to hold it in place.

I used a watering can to sprinkle water onto the wool.

Then presses it down to ensure it was wet.

Next i rubbed soap into the wool.

After this I massaged the wool to felt all the strands together

I removed the lace curtain to prevent it felting to the wool. Then relayered it and continued massaging.

I Flipped my felt using a spare sheet of bubble wrap.

I folded the corners neatly over the template.

Massaged them together.

then layered more wool over the template. This would also be an outside layer.

I repeated the same process as before. covering the wool with a sheet of lace.

sprinkling with water.

massaging the soap and water into the wool.

Flipping the felt and turning the edges in again.

layering more wool. this will form the inside of the bag. massaging it. then repeating the process on the final side.

cutting along the top edge and removing the bubble wrap template from the bag.

messaging the felt bag then turning it the right way out and continuing to massage it with one hand inside and one out.

squeeze out excess water to shrink the felt.

when a suitable size leave to dry naturally.Fe

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