Homemade Pink Grapefruit softdrink

Well I have finally gotten around to making a homemade version of my most favourite softdrink....Pink Grapefruit.

It was so easy and yummy..I don't think I will even buy softies again.  After making homemade lemonade for our wonderful cousins from down south a few holidays ago..I knew it was easy, refreshing and most of all satisfying to know what we were drinking.

So we did it. I set up the campfire to welcome the first scent of Spring...threw together some nibblies and prepared the softdrink.

The recipe is sooo easy...there is no reason not to make our own and I didn't even mind if the kids drank a whole glass....fresh juice and herbs with the sugar syrup isn't really that bad as a treat I say!!!

1 cup of sugar (I will only use 1/2 cup next time)
1 cup of water
2 cups of juice
3 cups of soda water
fresh herbs

Bring the sugar and water to the boil then reduce to simmer to dissolve the sugar.

Let cool a little. I popped ice cubes in mine (to cool and water down the sugar content can't hurt)
Then squeezed my pink grapefruits..I haven't used 2 full cups of juice either time I made it, because they would take too long and I am into speedy concoctions)
Then mix in the juice and soda water and any fresh herb you desire.

And drink to your little hearts desire.  It makes about the right amount for our whole family to have a refreshing treat.

I will keep experimenting with different juices and herbs and look forward to every experience.

Even Daisy the Duck knew the campfire was the place to be....

Fresh produce bag from vintage style tea towel

I saw Mum with this beautiful vintage print tea towel a few months ago and asked if I could pretty please have it.

I decided a few days ago it would be a great sturdy fresh produce bag with the 50c bag handles I recently bought at Vinnies.

Here it is...love it...and fresh organic produce!

Transformed tin box

I painted the top of this box since my little boy isn't into Thomas anymore.

I am thinking he can put in pictures of things he wishes for or even dreams for  his future.

At the moment it will just be a picture of that MP3 player he is saving for.

BEFORE:

New DIY pillow pet

My little girl has been asking for a pillow pet for a while and I told her from the get go,....that we wouldn't need to buy one, we would make it out of one of her fav toys.

Well today I have done so and plan to surprise her when she gets home.

So we went from this little unicorn and scrap fluffly fabric to....

 Choppin the little fella up

to this...

and this...

New doona cover for my sweetie

I finally got around to finishing a doona cover I started on a few years ago. I didn't want to use up some expensive fabrics...but as time went by I realised I best use them and make the cover or she won't even be into it anymore.

We made it 3D by sewing on trims, lace, ruffles, button and fabric rosettes we made.



I just ended up using every bit of colourful pastel fabric I had to mix and match...it was just a small panel and I just had to keep adding coordinating fabrics.  I love it now.  So pretty in their room.  Now to start on number two cover!



A pretty clip in the hair, a butterfly sewn on and a pretty apron with sequin belt.

Each little fairy has her own unique designed dress...ruffles here and frilly waist with ribbon hair ties

I made the pillowcase reversible,...fairies print on one side and this side the sheeting with a pillow pocket that she can write little notes in for me.  Last night I got a little note of beautifully neat sight words written to show me.

6th Birthday Party

Well finally I have made it back to the blog...with oodles of piccies and news saved up.  I will start with some birthday shots of my 6 year olds pastel birthday party.

I finally got around to making a rag bunting to double up for parties and in the girls room

I photographed my sweetie side on, then printed it to size, cut it out and traced the image onto purple polka dot paper, then cut it out.  I then glued a pretty ribbon to her hair and there is my sweet sweet silhouette.

I found some embroidery hoops at the local Vinnies...in different pastel and different shapes...PERFECT!!!!

I used more scrap fabric and put them up



I have been collecting pastel doilies for a while now and my collection looks fab together on this table...as the party started I failed to take some nice ones of the set up...things get VERY busy VERY quickly!!  So this is it,...with some raggy rolled roses pinned to the homemade curtain-come-tablecloth.

 







I used scrap pastel fabric (of which I have sooooo much) and made a little cutesy table runner for the drinks trolley.  The stand is one I made from an overlocker spool, a stove cover and japanese dipping dish in a previous post.



Being a little bit crazy for decorating...I just had to use a previous pastel bunting to put on the campfire chair with a little sign saying "campfire"

And the list of pastel things I whipped up for the party goes on and on..
I have way too much material and have decided as the girls get bigger, I just need to get in an use the stuff rather than keep it for an extra sweet project.  But this is a sweet project. I made reversible covers for the chairs....I made the opposite side of each a purple or blue, slightly masculine so they can double for a boys party (well for the photo ops anyway....)

I made the pink and blue itty bitty hats for the Easter Parade as my 5 yr old had another hat organised.  So since we love Barbie and the Muskateers, I thought I would make a matching hat for her party outfit and favourite Barbie muskateer dress for the party.

The hats are all made from the plastic lid off a fruit container on the bottom, then the lid of a spray paint tin on the top...hot glued and fabric wrapped around.  I think they are so cute.  Adorable on the kids.

My sweetie and her sweet friend prepping for the three legged race

The cute little hat on a cute little lass

She absolutely loves the barbie skate shoes she is wearing as the wheels flip out for action of flip back in to walk in them as sandshoes.

I also painted her beautiful silhouette onto a tshirt and used brooches we have in cute pastel colours as the hair clips

I just had to throw in a piccie of my nephew and I doing the slippery dip over and over and over...I wasn't strangling him...just cuddling tight...for those that may be worried about him!

Two little friends with our rescued puppy from the pound.  I made him a collar, repurposed from old curtain ties, a pink and purple one for our other dog and a ruffled collar fo the horse,....as the kids planned to direct the parking on her....alas no time for that!!

A couple of cuties trying out for the three legged race with the help of sisters

Sack race action

We made something on every day of the school holidays in the lead up to the party...so for two weeks we sewed or cooked or created.  The kids and I made a heap of conversation heart candy and wrote the name of each guest on the cupcakes and made hearts with 6 and different inscriptions on them...never really got a photo of them on the day.

We also made our own lipglosses to give to everyone as a favour

Instead of pinata we made this pop the ballon game...when set up it was soo colourful and we put in each balloon a task for the children to do.  It was a lot of fun and they all sat on the chairs and waited their turn.

Eclectic Country Kitchen (Red and Blue)

Well since I am gradually falling more and more in love with the beautiful aroma of coffee, and the kids drink rooibos tea each day...I seemed to be forever heading in the opposite direction of the kitchen to get the cups, then the other side of the kitchen for the coffee and sugar and then back to the other side for the kettle.  So after recently accepting the fact that I live in an old country home and that I don't really need to keep the walls free from nic nacs, prints etc.  I do not plan to put in a new kitchen even though the one I have may be over 20 years old...it is soft blue, all hardwood and decorated with my kitschy reds and polka dots, I think it is cute.  I also can think of other things to spend my money on than a new kitchen. 

A vintage spice rack that had a ghastly fake leadlight front window and was brown.  I painted it, modge podged paper to the back and put in mesh.

A red vintage jug from an op shop

Anyway I have recently embraced the fact that my kitchen is little, cute, cosy and definitely has an eclectic feel to it with my vintage buys over the years and homemade decor......so I went ahead and screwed in hooks in every convenient spot.  I now have a wine rack above the sink so I can grab a glass with ease......a spice rack above the bench, my beautiful vintage silver serving tray above the door AND my tea/coffee station above the beautiful wooden chopping block, directly above the kettle.  It is not fancy and just a pine shelf, but I have covered it with doilies and it works fantastically and looks cute enough for me.

I also have had these for ages and painted them both creation blue and put them on the block too. 

So a Vinnies cup holder, painted blue and a Vinnie serving tray painted blue.  I (of course) also found the melamine sugar dish (I keep my garlic in it), the sugar dispenser and the red Harrods tin at Vinnies too.

The last two mornings my son has actually offered to make me breakfast in bed...so he is now enjoying the tea/coffee station too.  What a great job he did too!

More peeks of my kitchen...

A vintage jug, just the right size for berry sauce and a vintage money bank...

The bread bin that I grew up with, (below) was brown and very unsightly and I snatched it from mum before she threw it out....Phew...I modge podged on this paper, spray painted the ends red and added some scrapbooking stickers, and now it is perfect for my kitchen....a great size, great history and a great colour now!