DIY : Easy Home made Play doh

 

I know that there are so many recipes out there for play doh. But like me, if you've tried making play doh before and was not satisfied with your results, give this recipe a try. This is a no cook recipe and also uses only ingredients from your pantry. The secret ingredient is vinegar! I used it instead of cream of tartar. The texture and feel of it is really good.

 

 

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tblspn oil
5 tblspn white vinegar
3/4 cup boiling hot water (you may need less or more water)
Food coloring of your choice
Optional - Few drops of vanilla extract or any essential oil for good smell.

Note : Plz do not let children make this recipe, cos we will be using boiling hot water. 

Steps:
1. Start boiling 1 cup of water.
2. In a heat proof bowl, mix the flour, salt, oil, food coloring and vinegar together with a wooden spoon.
3. When the water is boiled, carefully n slowly add it to the mixture little at a time and mix well with the spoon till the dough thickens. You may use only 1/2 cup water to 3/4 cup water only.
4.  Dust some flour on your counter top and dump the dough on it. Oil your hands and  start kneading till the dough takes shape. You can add little more  flour at this point to get the proper consistency.
5. Store in an air tight container.

Enjoy! 

Are you really praying?

When I saw pictures of Chennai flooded, I felt sad.. I said a prayer... when I heard there was an attack in Paris, I was furious.. I said a prayer... yes, my duty as a christian, as a follower of Jesus was over... I felt good, I had done my job... I can tick off being a concerned human being. But, did I really pray? Or was it an automatic response  from being a Christian all these years? did I pray so I can be off the hook? Did i cry for them? Did I feel the pain?
 

The answer - No, I don't think I really prayed. Yes, it was an automatic response. I didn't cry for them. I didn't feel the pain... not until today. Why? Becos my brother sent me pictures of his house flooded in Chennai... That's why... It hit close to my heart. Now, I feel the pain... My brother moved upstairs to my parents house,  with his wife and 3 month old baby. This started a domino effect of emotions in me. Where did all the people in the slums go? where did that family who lives on the pavement go? where did their baby sleep tonight? I felt the pain... Now, I really prayed....I prayed, I prayed for the city I was born in...I thought of the Syrian refugees, I put myself there, I saw my son in the children drowning...now, I felt the pain... I cried, now I really prayed... I thought of rescue and relief workers, I thought of their families, I felt the pain, I prayed.
 

I prayed today..I mean, I really prayed.  I prayed for others and realized how blessed I am... every problem I faced seemed nothing compared to what others are going through right now. I have everything I need and want, yet I always seem to find something to worry about... 

Five things I learned today. When you really pray, you are at peace at the end of it. When you really pray, God does answer. When you really pray, you actually pray more for others than yourself or your own family. When you really pray, you realize how blessed you are. When you really pray, you praise God more than you usually do.
 

Stop and think for a moment... Are you really praying? or is it one of your daily routines like brushing your teeth... Have a great week!

Image :google search

A New Year..A New Hope

Everyone looks forward to a New year, even though, we all know that nothing magically happens overnight. Nothing changes when the clock strikes 12. Debts do not magically disappear, diseases don't get cured overnight, wars may not end, poverty will still exist, broken relationships may not get fixed... But New Hope arises at the dawn of a New year! ... There is nothing stronger than Hope. It is greater than fear.  

Faith in God and Hope is what keeps us going every day and new year's eve serves as a good reminder. "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." - Romans 5:1-5

So looking back, I look ahead with faith yet again. Knowing that the God of Hope will see me through the new year as well.. So I wish you all a hope filled year... "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." - Romans 15:13

DIY: Hanging Garlands (Home made Decorations)

These are simple, yet elegant hanging garlands for all occasions. You can change the colors and shapes and adapt to any occasion,  birthdays, baby showers, graduations or even Christmas. You can hang it against walls or free flowing. Trust me, they look much better in real than in the photos here. I found this DIY a while ago while browsing, and the first thing I thought was, darn! I missed doing it for my son's birthday. You can have a look here for more detailed tips. 

What you'll need:

• Color papers of your choice
• Something round (To trace)
• Scissors
• Thread or thin ribbon
• Sewing machine or glue 

Steps:

• Cut out circles in different colours and sizes. I used 3 different colours, red, green and white. And 2 sizes in each colour.
• Next thread the sewing machine and start sewing. You don't have to be an expert in sewing to do this. Just start the machine and start feeding a circle, then leave a gap (continue stitching without anything, a chain of blank stitches will appear), then feed the next circle.
• Don't worry about the distance between each circle, its all random. That's what makes it look good. 
• Just randomly feed any colour paper, at any distance.  
• If you don't have a sewing machine, you can use a thin ribbon and glue, instead of thread. 
• You can make a garland as long as you want, and then cut it into the length you like. Or make a lot of small ones, I leave it to your imagination. 

DIY:Simple Knight Costume for Boys

Here's an easy costume idea for little boys. All you need is little fabric and (any) same coloured pant and t-shirt.  I saw this idea on this blog and was waiting to try it out on my son. So this Halloween, he went as a little knight to his play school. 

What you'll need:

• 1/2 meter or more of red (or any color) fabric.
• White scrap cloth.
• Black scrap cloth.
• Brown ribbon or regular belt.
• Iron on adhesive tape or needle & thread.
• Scissors.
• A t-shirt for marking size.
• Picture of a shield.

Steps:

• 
  
• 
  
• .
• Fold fabric in half, in a way that the folded part is on top (Shoulder area).
• Now fold it again in half vertically. Fold the T-shirt also in half vertically and measure and mark the shoulders, cut the fabric at the mark.
• Next cut the neck portion, as seen in the picture above. Make sure the opening fits the child's head.
• Open the fold and iron to make a crease at the shoulder. 
• You don't have to stitch the sides, its like a robe. 

•  
• Print out a picture of a shield. Cut out the shield.
• Place it on a piece of white fabric, trace and cut.
• Then cut the middle cross off the shield (paper), use it to trace it on a black fabric and cut. 
• Stick or stitch the black cross on the white shield. I used an iron-on adhesive tape.
• Then stick or stitch the finished shield on the red robe. I stuck the shield and then made a fancy running stitch around with red thread. 
• Next, use a belt to complete. For younger children, you can do what I did. Use a brown ribbon with a little black hollow square in the center. Stick or stitch the ribbon in place so it does not move. On the back use a velcro on the ends of the ribbon, to tighten.

To complete, make your child wear matching pant and top of your choice (preferably black or white). It does not need to be a plain t-shirt, just the sleeves need to be plain. And then, make him wear the robe on top of it. 

Ps: Pardon the messy living room :) 

DIY : Turtle Neck Sweater into Cardigan (No sewing)

Fall has arrived and its time to bring out the sweaters and jackets. As I was sorting through winter clothes I realised I had these 2 turtle neck sweaters that I had bought in India 5 years ago. They no longer flatter my body type and decided to donate them, when I luckily remembered seeing a sweater DIY in a blog long time ago and decided to try it out as I love DIYs and cardigans :) 

What you'll need:

• Any old or hand me down sweater (or any t-shirt works too), not necessarily turtle neck. Don't buy a new one just for this
• Sharp scissors 

Steps:

• If its a turtle neck sweater, identify the neck line and cut it off above the joint.
• Front opening: Fold the sweater in half length wise and mark the middle and cut an opening from bottom to top on the front alone. 
• If you like the neck as it is, your done :)
• Else, bring both the cut edges together and mark an opening from the neck line down and cut. 
• And your cardigan is done :)
• Unleash your creativity and add buttons, flowers or any other embellishments. 

DIY : Tissue Paper Flowers (Carnations)

I love flowers, it gives any room an instant face lift. But fresh flowers don't last more than a week, and that's a stretch. I don't know about you, I have a tough time throwing them out as well, so I kinda let them stay till they wither away. But by then its also a big mess. And with a toddler around I cant keep them anywhere I want, cos the next second there would be a disaster with water on the floor and poor flowers would be beaten to death or more so banged to death (or do flowers die as soon as they are picked???)

Anyway, I decided to make flowers rather than buy plastic ones. So I went on a search and this is what I found.  These tissue paper carnations looked almost real and were the easiest to make. I am not gonna invent the wheel again and write the steps like it was my idea, you can follow the steps from this blog. 

I tried doing it red, but I think you should stick with white and pink tissue papers alone.They look more real in my opinion. If you don't have pipe cleaners, use any flexible steel or plastic wire. I could not find green floral tape so used green tissue paper and glue stick to wrap around the stem. Some of my pipe cleaners were green so I did not wrap them (due to laziness). You can see the difference in colour through the vase. The vase is an up-cycled  jar. It had tomato purée in it, why waste a perfectly good glass jar :)