![Pom-Pom Embellished Tea Towels]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Oct 16, 2015 | Crafts, Natural Living
It’s the little things in life which can bring the greatest smiles. It gives us a chance to pause and appreciate hidden gems in our busy moments. Taking an ordinary item and transforming it with tiny yet intentional details can really spruce things up and become something meaningful. It could be a fresh rose on a withered window sill, new shiny buttons on an old wool coat, or even bright, bold trims on your kitchen tea towels.
I was at the fabric store the other day and was delighted by the mini pom-pom trims available in all sorts of bright colours. I loved its subtle playfulness and miniature sized balls hanging from the ends. Suddenly, I remembered my black and white tea towels. Sure, I loved the patterns on the towels but these pom-pom trims would surely give it an extra jolt of colour. So, I went ahead with the idea and bought myself some bright red trim.
In my busy schedule, a simple project like this was ideal. It only took about 20 minutes to complete and I had a new set of tea towels to liven up my kitchen. You can use any coloured or patterned tea towels and trims – the combinations are endless! Try this super easy project one weekend or evening and you just might get addicted to embellishing your existing items at home and transforming them into something new!
You will need:
Materials
- 2 tea towels
- 2 yards mini pom pom trim (contrasting or complimentary color)
- thread (complimentary colour to trim)
- straight sewing pins
- scissors
- sewing machine
Pretty trims can be found at your local fabric or craft store. Feel free to be daring and try something bold and colorful. If you don’t feel like pom-poms, give another type of trim a try!
First measure the widths of your tea towels and cut 4 pieces of trims accordingly with 1″ extra per piece (which will be used to tuck in at the ends). Now, using straight pins, secure the trim 1/2″ from the edge of the tea towel’s ends (width-wise). Leave about 1/2″ extra on each end of the trim so you can fold it underneath and sew in the raw edges.
Carefully and slowly, sew a straight stitch along the edge to sew the trim and tea towel’s ends together. Remember to remove the straight pins as you go to avoid any damage to the sewing machine. Lock stitch when starting and ending your sewing to ensure the stitching doesn’t unravel. Then trim excess threads.
Repeat for each end of your tea towels and you are done! It was that easy – yet look how gorgeous these look!
Now you have what appears to be a brand new set of tea towels with an added life of color! Drying your hands can now be a delightful little experience :)
With a project this easy, you can be sewing up a storm and give some away to family and friends. You can also get very creative and wrap a freshly baked batch of Sweet Bread Rolls with your new tea towels tied with a large ribbon and gift them away to these special people in your life. They would love it – a gift from the heart!
SH
Sobia Hussain is a professional soap artisan who runs The Olive Tree Soap Company located in Toronto, Canada. She creates vegan natural soaps and skincare products with an eco-conscience. She is also a writer for various international publications and is Editor of the Muslim Gift Guide. Sobia loves teaching creative Discovery Workshops designed to help children discover their inner talents and inspire creativity through explorations in art and science.
![7 Essential Tools for Spring Gardening Projects]()
by Yvonne Maffei | May 15, 2015 | Natural Living
I’m never happier throughout the year then when it’s time to start gardening. You can ask anyone around me who sees the pure joy I have when it’s time to look through seeds and especially visit local nurseries (or any that I happen to be near).
It’s a must to see all the greenery and pop of color!
And I usually get a tiny bit carried away and want to take all the baby plants home.
After such long and harsh winters, it only seems natural to gravitate towards the fresh open air and new life that surrounds us.
When it comes to gardening, whether indoors or out, I can completely relate to people who express overwhelm about getting started or keeping a garden going. Most are also disillusioned when things don’t grow properly and attribute their so called ‘failures’ to not having a green thumb.
This makes me so sad, because gardening is one of the most pleasurable and fail-safe activities you can do. There is so much experimentation involved in gardening and more often than not you just have to ask the right questions about the space you live in or will grow your plants in to find the right type of plant for you. That usually means visiting a nursery with knowledgeable people and not just any old big box store that sells plants.
There’s also the reality that you need the right tools- not a lot of them, but you do need some. Just like with cooking, you can get by with few but they should be high quality and the right kind for essential and basic cooking/gardening. I’m not someone who loves a lot of stuff (anymore), and when it comes to gardening I’ve pared it down to only the essentials I need to get me started and keep me going throughout the gardening season. Here are the 7 most essential tools I use to get started gardening in the Spring gardening both indoors and out and I tried to go in order of the gardening process:
1. Compost Bin
I like the Oxo Good Grips Compost Bin a lot. It’s small enough to fit on a counter top or under the counter in a cabinet. The way it works is that you put your kitchen scraps into it (the lid stays up, which is a small but important detail when you’re dealing with food excess) close the lid and when it’s time to put into your compost pile, it’s easy to dump out and clean- that is a must! For our family it fills up every couple of days, which is fine- I wouldn’t want to keep scraps any longer than that.
2. Garden Scissors
I have a lot of garden scissors, or shears but they don’t all work the same. Some are stronger than others and some are longer than others, too. Again, another great Oxo product is the garden scissors. I’ve been using them in my early Spring gardening this year and I’m really surprised at how comfortable and versatile they really are. I use them to cut up my kitchen scraps for the compost bin (that makes decomposing much quicker), but I’ve also used it to prune my lilac tree stems (not tough branches), thyme plants (which are quite woody) and my Munsted lavendar plants. So far, so good. They don’t call these products ‘good grips’ for nothing!
3. Watering Can
No matter if you’re indoor gardening, balcony gardening or outdoor gardening, you need a watering can. Don’t even try to attempt filling mason jars, yogurt containers or large buckets- they just make a huge mess and drown your plants, whether they’re delicate or not. Again, my Oxo product recommendation here is for a reason- their Indoor Pour & Store Watering Can is functional and easy to store- how smart is it that the spout actually folds inward so when you’re done watering, it doesn’t take up all that extra space in your gardening area? For folks with apartments or other small storage areas, this is perfect. I simply love the fact that it’s not bulky, plus the spout is like a gentle waterfall over my plants and delicate seedlings, which is what I worry most about when planting for the first time each Spring. There is also one for Outdoor use.
4. Mini Hand Tiller
I love, love, love my little hand tiller. I also have an upright larger one which I’ve used a lot, but the small hand one is perfect for times when you just want to get on your hands and knees and till a small portion of the garden and pick out those weeds. It’s quite therapeutic! I got mine at Marc’s stores for just $1.99 when I was in Ohio, but I think a quick Amazon search should lend some good results, although probably not at that price!
5. Rake & Hoe Hand Tool
I love this tool because it’s a two-for-one. Since I trug along a lot of tools all the time, I want to carry as little as possible. Plus, this tool is super useful. I use it after tilling and before transplanting. I use the hoe part to hack at really stubborn roots and weeds and the rake to continue to get out any leaves that still remain in the soil, plus turn the soil around a little more. It’s one I won’t go without anymore.
6. Transplanting Trowel
I go through hand trowels like crazy. I have vintage ones, metal ones and ones with delicate wood handles. Maybe I just have strong hands and use too much pressure when digging, but I tend to bend them pretty easily. That said, I need something strong and durable, but also comfortable and easy to grip when wearing garden gloves. Again, Oxo Good Grips come to mind because of their excellent Transplanting Trowel (seen below on the left). I’ve been using it when transplanting small herbs and veggies and it’s just the right size and grip for my needs.
7. Large Spade or Garden Shovel
Once your plants get larger or you’re transplanting something large to begin with (i.e. grown tomato plants, small trees, etc.), you’ll need a large spade or garden shovel to cut into the ground and turn it over while also digging depth into the ground to place your plant. You just can’t do this with a small trowel- or at least you absolutely shouldn’t!
That’s my list- is there anything else you would add to it?
Check out more ways you can use Oxo gardening tools by searching hashtag #OxoSpringGardening on Twitter and Instagram
by Yvonne Maffei | Apr 24, 2015 | Natural Living
Have you ever dreamed of having your fresh produce and herbs right at your doorstep? It’s been done and done well by not only the French, but many other cultures, for centuries and it’s now seeing a revival across the USA and around the globe, as more and more people are concerned about healthy eating and preserving heirloom varieties of organic produce. People want easy access to fresh organic foods without breaking the bank and it’s possible if you have the desire and motivation to do so. Here are a couple videos I’ve come across that will inspire you to create a garden-big or small- that can be beautiful and functional at the same time.
and a short video on how a potager is arranged…
Are you inspired? What do you plan to do to grow fresh herbs and produce this year?
![Repurpose Chic Bangles at the Dining Table]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Feb 21, 2015 | Crafts, Natural Living
It’s always exciting to receive exotic gifts from faraway lands I’ll probably never have a chance to visit. I felt that way when one of my friends gifted me a set of beautiful shimmery bangles to wear around my wrist. I’m not a particularly into a lot of glitz and glam, especially since I’m always working in the kitchen even when I have a party, but these bracelets were so so pretty, that I couldn’t wait to wear them.
The problem was that when I went to put them on, they were too tiny for my big bones. I should have known better, as I never can fit into much in the South Asian stores where the ladies are much more dainty than moi. But, I just couldn’t part with them and instead decided to repurpose them somewhere else- on my dining table.
Up close they’re even prettier than from afar. They’re not real, of course, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like these at department stores. I think my guests are going to love them during my next dinner party.
What do you think? Would you do this, too? Do you have any other tips you’d like to share about re-purposing things in your home that you otherwise couldn’t use?
![Tips for Finding Vintage Kitchenware]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Sep 30, 2014 | Natural Living
Some people consider anything old to be “junk”, while to others feel they’re preserving a piece of history when hanging on to something ‘old’. I personally think it’s neither and I have an affinity for a lot of new and modern things, but I also really love pieces that are rustic yet solid. My home’s interior decor is a combination of both, but mostly made up of only what I love. I think it’s most important to keep what you like to be surrounded with and edit out what you don’t.
unique antiques at Carriage House Antiques
That said, I’m always looking for new and unique things to catch my eyes. Since moving to our new neighborhood just over a year ago, I
I always meet the nicest people when I’m antiquing. These ladies on the edges, Karen and Di, are the owners of Carriage House Antiques and the woman in the middle is a dealer whose name I didn’t get. They’re all very informative and always super nice, which is why I visit as much as I can- they even serve coffee and sweets in the shop, which is a nice added touch.
1. “Buy what you like and don’t spend a lot of money on the first old thing!” (Ed Fisher of Ridgefield Antiques in Woodstock, IL)
vintage hats at Carriage House Antiques
Haven’t seen one of these since my college days
2. “Ask the history of a piece before buying it.” -Carriage House Antiques in Crystal Lake, IL
Vintage lights, books, etc. someone may use these for unique home decor- ever seen how they decorate at Restoration Hardware?
There always seems to be vintage children’s toys at these antique shops.
3. Do a little research on what similar items you’re interested in cost in your area. For example, in my area I know that certain antiques are much more reasonably priced than you would find anywhere close to the city. That’s important to me and makes me feel like I’m bargaining hunting- but only if I know what the going rate is.– (that’s from me)
Of course there will always be some sort of vintage kitchen tools
Do you have any tips you’d like to share about antiquing or vintage shopping? Let us know in the comments below.
![Kitchen Compost Bins]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Jul 4, 2014 | Natural Living
This Ramadan is a great time to get eco-friendly or rev up your already environmentally-consciousness mindset by saving all fruit and vegetable scraps, eggs shells, tea bags, and coffee grounds…to make compost.
You can get a small bucket with a tight-fitting lid and keep the scraps somewhere that makes it easy for you to move to your compost bin. If you don’t have a compost bin, you can even shred everything up even further and till it into your soil at planting time.
Here’s our bin- I know it has the openings, but once the compost fills in, it will thicken and it won’t be such a problem, insha’Allah. It’s already fine with just our food scraps and heavier waste like leaves, branches and evergreens.
You certainly don’t need ones as large as these- we’re trying to grow a lot of organic vegetables and fruits on our property, so we need a lot of good compost. It would be pretty expensive to buy.
And this is what good compost looks like. That’s why it’s often referred to as ‘black gold’. It’s used to plant seeds, pot up plants, add add to soil as an amendment for nutritional value. It’s really one of the great miracles of recycling, well really it’s re-using. Those scraps you saw above will eventually become this, insha’Allah, under the right conditions.
It makes me feel great to know that with every banana smoothie I make, every salad I prepare, all the frittatas I cook will eventually become something that will later feed the soil that will grow our plants that will feed us once again, insha’Allah. It’s such a beautiful cycle.
Ramadan really is the perfect time to appreciate this, don’t you think?
