Friday 28 June 2013

Book Review - The Colour Of Tea

The Colour of Tea
ISBN: 9781451682823

What a wonderful book this was. I really enjoyed this title, it was a super easy read, but delightful at the same time.

A perfect story about enduring female friendships going way over the culture barrier.

I tend to judge a book on the amount of time I want to spend reading it, and if I find that I am packing my latest read into my bag to make sure I have it with me in-case I have a couple of minutes to read en-route to my next destination - more points in favour of that title :). 
This was once such book, making for some very pleasant reading time!

I definitely shed a tear or two with this title, and found it an overall, touching and relatable story. 

Whilst reading the book, I was overcome with the ambition to create a batch of macaroons, to try them, and taste them and eventually I did manage to get my hands on a delightfully easy recipe. I will be trying them out over the weekend and will let you know the results of my attempt next week.

The ending, although expected, did have me turning back the pages to find out if I had mistakenly turned too many pages and missed a bit of the story as it did somehow just happen without any real explanation as to the hows and the whys, which was a bit of a shame.

If you are looking for a fantastic, touching story this is one for you.

I award this book:
4 Owls
(You can find my Book Rating Scale in my sidebar)

Thursday 27 June 2013

Tutorial Thursdays Linky Party - Handmade Pendant

Welcome back to Tutorial Thursdays Linky Party.

Today I want to share with you an amazing handmade craft that a fellow Gonis Distributor shared with me. 

Once I tried to make a pendant like she had done, I was hooked, it is so easy, looks amazing and the variations are endless.

For this craft you will need:
Some Washers (Try to purchase nickle free or even better stainless steel)
2 or more colours of Gonis Decor* (A Universal paint)
Gonis Finisher* (A Water resistant Lack)
A Kebab stick or a toothpick

Gonis Decor

*I am a Gonis Distributor and use these products extensively for my crafts as I love their versatility and the high quality standard. If you cannot purchase these products in you area you will have to substitute them (hence the descriptions in brackets). For more info on these products please contact me

Handmade Pendant DIY

I am using a combination of black and pink Gonis Decor.
Start by making a ring as close to the inner edge as possible.
Continue to build up on the rings with the contrasting colours until you reach the outer edge.

Gonis Handmade Pendant

Using your Kebab stick pull the point through the still wet paint from the outside edge in.
Repeat at 3, 6 and 9 O'Clock positions.
Now, pull the Kebab stick from the inside edge to the outer edge in the middle of the "Petals" you have already formed.
Allow to dry.

Gonis Finisher

Once dry, cover with a layer of Finisher*.
Again, allow to dry.

DIY Handmade Pendant

Add a leather cord and you are good to go.
And there you have it, the easiest and most precious pendant, entirely handmade. My teenagers totally love this craft and have since made many a pendant for all their different outfits as well as gifts for their friends etc. Here are some examples of their discs :)

gonis decor discs washers

I would love to see your pendants if you make some!

Now it is your turn - what have you been up to this week?

Please feel free to link up your crafts below.

They do not have to be tutorials, I would love to see any crafts.

I have started a new Sunday Linky Party for Social Media/Blogging Tips and Tricks 

 If you would like to link up your tips and tricks on this topic you can link them HERE
Rules for todays' Craft Linky Party:
  • Firstly, your link must be craft related! Please do not link up goodies which are on other topics. 
  • Grab my button below and showcase it somewhere on your blog OR create a visible link.
  • Do not Link if you are selling or advertising something. 
  • Be sure to only link the relevant Blogpost and not your whole blog.
  • Please be so kind and visit at least 2 other posts linked below, it is always nice to receive visitors, this is a linky party after all! :)
  • In linking below you are giving me the permission to use of your image if it is being featured the following week. If I am unable to use your image I can unfortunately not feature you.
  • Please do not link up stuff you have already linked up before!
  • Please note: I will remove content that does not abide by the rules mentioned above. 
Something NEW for this week:
This week I have enabled voting on each of the links posted below. Please vote for your favourite link - Voting opens on the 28th June - so tomorrow, so do come back and vote for your favourite link (Please be fair and do not vote for your own link ;)

I will feature the link with the most votes next week!!

Have a great Week.
This weeks linky is arranged in a random order, so that all your links get a chance to be at the top :)

Wednesday 26 June 2013

Knitting, Crochet and Reading

wip yarn-along

Where is the time going?
I can't believe we are way over the halfway mark of this year, and I have just realized I have been working on this blog for just over two years!

I must be honest, I have been busy with other things over the last week like school projects, Eurythmy presentations, girlie stay-overs etc. and have been really enjoying the break.

I haven't been doing too much knitting or crochet either, but I have been reading and enjoying the brief moments of sunshine when we have had them!

My girls have their last week of school this week, again, I can't quite believe yet another school year is coming to an end, my girls are no longer babies, they are swiftly becoming fully fledged teenagers (who have quite a few mature moments - thank goodness :))

We still love the Steiner School experience and are so grateful that we had the option to go from homeschooling the girls to sending them to this wonderful institution!

Waldorf Steiner


Do you school Waldorf style, or do you have scholars at a Steiner school?
Actually, are there any Steiner parents out there who are have exchange programs at their schools?

The reason I ask is that Jas would be incredibly interested in doing an school exchange with a fellow Waldorfian in her 10th year - 2014/2015 and our school has told us we need to set up an exchange through our own initiative. If you would be interested in swapping children for a couple of months :), I would love to hear from you 
P.S: Your baby would need to have a basic understanding of german and know a little french to visit our school in Jas's place.

Anyway onto this weeks WIP:

drops baby silk

I don't have any completed Stash-Busting Projects finished this month :(
Not to worry, my Cleo is growing, albeit very slowly at the moment, I am just about to start on the sleeves, let's see if I can manage to get there by next week. I am still enjoying this project a lot, love the stitch pattern changes.

Talking of stitch patterns, I had a wonderful hangout last Friday with Christine, where we discussed stitch patterns. The next Knitting Madness Hangout has been planned, so do grab your spot today as there are only 10 spots available. At the end of this month we will be talking "Favourite Yarns", I would love to hear which yarn you will chat about :)

granny square
I managed to do a round or so of my scrap blanket, and am loving how the colours are combining :)

Reading Wise: I finished "The Colour of Tea" last week and have started on Dan Browns latest title "Inferno"

I can't wait to see what you have been up to this week, for more WIP projects do visit Tami and Ginny.

Sunday 23 June 2013

Social Media Blog Hop

Blog-Hop

Welcome back to the 10th week of social media tips and tricks.

As you may have noticed I have turned this into a Blog-Hop event - Yay!

Would you like to be my first co-host?

Thank you kindly to those of you who linked your social media posts last week.

Rules:
  • Follow your Hosts and Co-hosts
  • Link only tips and tricks for Social Media or Blogging 
  • Do not link if you are selling something!
  • Please link your creative posts on this week's Tutorial Thursdays Linky Party and not here!
  • Link the Relevant Blog post and not your homepage!
  • As it is a Linky Party, it would be nice if you would visit at least 2 other links.
  • Do not link the same topics twice.
  • Share the word, please grab my button and place it somewhere on your blog or link back in some way :)

Do you have your own Linky Parties happening?

I would love to visit them - Link Them up HERE

Creative Video Workshops on Creativebug.com

Saturday 22 June 2013

Awesome Knitting Madness

knitting madness hangout.

Last night's Knitting Madness Hangout was brilliant!

Thank you so much to Christine @ The Knitting Corner who helped make the event so worthwhile, it was so great to meet with another person on the other side of the globe who shares the same interests as myself!

knitting madness swatch

In yesterday's Hangout we discussed stitch patterns and each had to bring by a swatch of our chosen pattern and talk about them, difficulties, where we would use the pattern etc. It was really something!

Unfortunately, not everyone who said they would be coming arrived, but I am hoping the next event will be more successful!

Do you want to be included in the next event?

At our next event we will be discussing.........Yarn :)

yarn drops

That's right fellow knitters - favourite yarns will be on the block!

Do you have a favourite yarn that you always fall back on?
That you have used for several projects?
A Yarn that you know will make your projects extra special?
Why is it so special? 

Come on in and share with us!

When will the next Knitting Madness Hangout take place?

Friday, 26 July 2013

What time?

9:00 pm Central European Time (3:00 pm EDT)

What do you need to take part?

You need to have a Google+ Profile, webcam, earphones and an interest in being there ;)

What will you receive?

You will have the chance to meet fellow bloggers, knitters, crafters.
You will also receive a completed PDF Reference file with all notes that are discussed by participants.

As with the last Hangout, places are limited to 10 people*, and places will be filled on a first come first served basis.

To secure your spot, please fill in this Invite. 

Please note: All spots have been taken and no more participants will be accepted for this event.

Come back on Monday 29th July to secure your spot for the next event!

(Please only fill in the form if you actually plan to attend*)

Once I have received your details, I will be in contact with you to confirm your reservation.

I look forward to spending some fabulous time with you all!
x

*Important: Please be considerate of others who may want to attend! 

If you reserve a spot but cannot commit to the date or time and do not tell me at least 48 hours before the event that you cannot attend, you will forfeit being able to attend future events. 

Online Knitting Class

Friday 21 June 2013

My Greeting Card Shop Father's Day Card

Look at my - well hubby's - wonderful card that I got to make at The Greeting Card Shop last week.

How awesome is this card?


the greeting card shop

the greeting card shop

Not only could I add the photos to the card, but I could adapt the card to how I wanted it to look and what I wanted it to say.

I stuck with the original saying in the inside because I thought it was quite accurate and said what I would have liked to say anyway.

Their site is easy to navigate and it helps you to personalize your card in a couple of easy steps.

The wonderful people at The Greeting Card Shop also offer to send your card to the recipient if you would like them to and it arrives in a wonderful speedy way - don't forget I live in Europe and I received my card just on a week after I ordered it!

The best bit of the whole package is their amazing card price. Each card only costs $1.99 which really is a great bargain if you compare similar offers from other sites.

TheGreetingCardShop.com

I warmly recommend this card service to all of you out there looking for a great online card service.

If you, like me, think this is a super idea, now would be the ideal time to grab yourself some cards.

The Greeting Card Shop are offering my readers a great discount offer until the 31st July 2013 where you get to buy 3 cards and only pay for 2.

Enter the code* 3RDFREE at the checkout for you to take advantage of this super special.


*Discounts a maximum of $1.99 per order with a minimum purchase of 3 greeting cards in the shopping cart.

TheGreetingCardShop.com

Thursday 20 June 2013

DIY Handmade Loops for Buttons & Hooks - Guest Post - Tutorial Thursdays Linky Party

Today I am thrilled to have a guest blogger over to teach us all something wonderful.
Welcome Joy from Joy's Jots, Shots & Whatnots, what a pleasure to have you over :)
Take it away Joy!

I was thrilled when Natalie asked me to do a Guest Post for "Marigold's Loft!"  So here is my tutorial to share with all her Readers.  Hoping everyone finds it useful for their next sewing project.   

I have no idea how I came about this method back in the 60s or 70s.  I think I made it up with crocheting in mind, because I did not enJOY stitching on loops that came with the hooks, and I definitely did not like to make button holes even with my machine. The loops work great especially on doll/baby/children clothing, and small opening at the neckline of an adult garment.

**************
For the most part, the pictures will give the directions.
Sew 3 loops!  That's 6 threads strong.

Update: This dress had a full dress facing, because it was made for an infant.  Most likely you'll be working with a normal facing, and will only need lift up the facing and just go under the facing to start the stitching rather than trying to pull the knot through the layer of fabric.

*****************************

Thanks to the FREE programs:
possibly used for this post
GIMP for cropping & other digital effects
 Photoscape for downsizing & watermarking photo
PicMonkey creating collages used on this page

Thank you so much Joy, I thoroughly enjoyed your tutorial :)
Don't forget to grab your "Featured" Button below :)

”Marigolds

Now it is your turn - what have you been up to this week?

Please feel free to link up your crafts below.

They do not have to be tutorials, I would love to see any crafts.

:::NEW:::

I have started a new Sunday Linky Party for Social Media/Blogging Tips and Tricks - If you would like 
to link up your tips and tricks on this topic you can link them HERE


Rules for todays' Craft Linky Party:
  • Firstly, your link must be craft related! Please do not link up goodies which are on other topics. 
  • Grab my button below and showcase it somewhere on your blog OR create a visible link.
  • Do not Link if you are selling or advertising something. 
  • Be sure to only link the relevant Blogpost and not your whole blog.
  • Please be so kind and visit at least 2 other posts linked below, it is always nice to receive visitors, this is a linky party after all! :)
  • In linking below you are giving me the permission to use of your image if it is being featured the following week. If I am unable to use your image I can unfortunately not feature you.
  • Please do not link up stuff you have already linked up before!
  • Please note: I will remove content that does not abide by the rules mentioned above. 
Do you have your own Linky Party happening? I would love to hear about it!
Link it up HERE

Marigolds' Loft


Have a great Week.
This weeks linky is arranged in a random order, so that all your links get a chance to be at the top :)

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