homemade Archives - The Mini Smallholder

It has been another packed fortnight. We are getting ready for the move and have taken the chance to look round the new house again, well mainly the garden and sheds. It still feels unreal and as if at any given moment it will all shift again. There must be a word for when life eventually slots in to place, but you are too suspicious to enjoy it? Well that level of caution is ok for now, but we intend to move before Christmas…..So now on to my conundrum. Do we ignore the festive period until we have moved or do I go all in and get my zero waste presents sorted and wrapped ready in advance?
Obviously I chose the second option, but this is quickly filling my house with funky stars of all sizes made up from old books which didn’t make it to the charity shop, or old wrapping paper form my birthday presents. I am also so fidgety in the evenings with anticipation I may have cut and stuck around about a mile of paper chains, which I am hoping will be transported easily to the new house! I keep thinking that if I limit my crafting to only upcycled gifts, it doesn’t count. But when your house is already a little too full of boxes and all of your crockery is slowly disappearing into cardboard packing cases, perhaps a spot of calm wouldn’t go a miss?
I did manage to find lots of rags and old clothes for my rag rug, so at least that is completed. I feel like it may have left a bit of a hole in my creativity though and so I have been playing around with lots of old wrapping paper to make some rustic stars or flowers really for our own tree. The new house has a log burner and I am really looking forward to drying out the citrus fruit on there and filling the house with a gorgeous smell of Christmas.
I do realise how much we have to achieve before then though and perhaps we need a little motivation from time to time. Thanks for reading and as I am writing this I think I will be putting together an article on zero waste house moves as that seems like a real struggle at the moment.
Let me know what you are enjoying and what you may like to see more of in the future.

Thanks again and please have a lovely couple of weeks,
xxx

easy to make DIY wreath for a baby shower gift

crafts

DIY Pom Pom Heart Wreath

October 14, 2018October 13, 2018 theminismallholder

A perfect gift for any baby shower, this cute wreath is easy to make and takes no real skill at all! This how to make guide is very easy and fun for all the family.
For the beginners guide of how to make a pom pom please follow the link.

Once you have made enough pom poms all you then need is a solid frame to build around, I found this one in a pound shop and this means I can then leave long ties for the pom poms and then create my own wreath.

Pick colours to suit your moods — This DIY wreath is easy to adapt to any occasion, in this example it is for my baby niece, but I want to make one for Christmas as well.

You will be able to build the wreath as you go and it is not a difficult craft to master.

Let me and everyone else on here know how you get on with it, why not give it a go over one cold winters evening?
I am looking forward to giving this as a gift, but who do you know that would love one of these?

recipes

Feta and Avocado Guacamole

October 13, 2018October 13, 2018 theminismallholder

This is a simple comfort food with the feta and avocado melding together to form one luxurious guacamole! This is ideal as a Halloween treat, which I call my Ghostly Guacamole.

You Will Need
100g Feta
150g Cherry Toms
1 Avocado
1/2 red onion
handful of fresh parsley
salt and pepper

great halloween ghsotly guacomole — Simple to make, easy enough for the kids to get stuck in too.

This is how simple it is…..chop everything up and then mix in a bowl together.

easy recipe — Nice and simple, you can add a variety of sized chunks to make this easy enough for the whole family to make.

This will make the perfect little extra with the veggie dirty burger and will be one of your regular quick family favourites, packed with all the goodness of summer vegetables, but ready for any time of the year.

A nice way to grow your own parsley is shown on this page, a free and easy recycling project to help you personalise your home!

herb planters — This is a nice way to add a little extra sparkle to your indoor herb garden.

recipes

Pumpkin Spice Golden Syrup Oatmeal Crunch

October 7, 2018 theminismallholder

Pumpkin Spice reminds us all of the loveliness of autumn and the changing seasons. This year I have perfected my spice mix and added to a classic golden syrup crunch. Especially nice when eaten warm, but I am just as happy to eat from my lunch box in work.

INGREDIENTS;
100g butter
100g golden brown sugar
2 Tbsp Golden Syrup
100g Self Raising Flour
100g porridge oats
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the Pumpkin Spice
1tsp Nutmeg
1/2tsp each of cinnamon, all spice, ginger and clove
For an added kick pop in another 1/2 tsp ginger

Preheat the oven to 160 if fan or 170 if not
Grease a couple of cupcake trays
Heat the butter, sugar and syrup in a heavy based pan, if you want to add dried fruit include them here
In another bowl mix all of the dry ingredients together
Once the butter is all melted and before it bubbles, incorporate it to the dry mix and spoon in to the cupcake tray
ten minutes in the oven as a maximum and then when they are gooey and bubbling still take them out to cool off.
About ten minutes of cooling is plenty before you can start to get stuck in with eating them.
We love them on top of a vanilla ice cream or with yoghurt and fruit (a nice sharp berry for preference)

upcycling

DIY Pocket Hand Warmers

October 6, 2018October 4, 2018 theminismallholder

Pocket Hand Warmers are this seasons must have accessory! Whilst walking to the train station for work on a Monday morning, think how much nicer life would be with snuggly hands in your pockets. You can use rice or wheat as your fillings and as long as you only microwave for 30 seconds at a time, you can get the perfect temperature for you.
To do this yourself you will need…
Needle and thread,
Pair of scissors
Spare material 15cmx30cm more or less
Rice or Wheat.

STEP ONE Measure the material and cut to the 15cm by 30cm we mentioned above, or any sort of similar size is ok.
STEP TWO Fold the material so it now forms a square 15cm by 15cm, the print should be on the inside of the fold.
STEP THREE Thread the needle and start to make stiches around a fingers width from the fold along the outside of the three sides of the material. Go all the way to the end and tie off.
STEP FOUR From the gap you have left you can now fold the material through and turn it the right way out. I use a crochet hook and this helps me to poke it out of the hole.
STEP FIVE Once all of the corners have been gently pushed out you are now able to carefully and slowly pour the rice or wheat in to the hole you have created. I use a piece of paper I have turned into a cone shape as this helps me avoid spills.
STEP SIX Fill to around 3/4 full and then use the needle and thread to sew it up as neatly as you can.

STEP SEVEN is give these to a friend who you want to make very happy! For best results microwave for 30 second blasts and shake a little in between each blast.

Tag: homemade

Christmas crafting and waiting to move…

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DIY Pocket Hand Warmers

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