A handmade Monday treat

by Naomi

As promised last week, this Monday I am bringing you something I made with my own two hands!


Yesterday it was the birthday of my beautiful friend Emma.
I wanted to get her something special, and wasn't sure what...but then I saw this fabric and thought 'Oh Wow!' It's so cute - I knew she would love it!

I was given my first sewing machine (a beautiful shiny red number) for Christmas, and so decided to make a couple of cushion covers. Having passed textiles GCSE by the skin of my teeth, I knew I would need to find an easy-to-follow 'how to' guide. It came courtesy of the wonderful Cherry Menlove, who's blog on cooking, crafting and life in general is completely addictive!

I used her simple cushion cover guide and scaled it to the size of my cushions. I added in the bow detail by stitching two strips of ribbon across the corner of each cushion, before stitching the cushion panels together face-to-face.

Et voila!

I was really pleased with how they turned out and Emma looked very happy with them. The fabric was bought on eBay, but you could easily upcycle sheets and tablecloths found in charity shops. The cushion insides were taken from some old cushions and the zips and ribbon was bought from a local market.

Oh, and because birthdays always require something sweet, I made some scrummy Oreo Cheesecake Truffles (very easy and totally worth it!):

160g sleeve of Oreo cookies

100g full fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
150g cooking chocolate, broken into pieces

Put the Oreos in a food processor and whirl until they're powdered and then mix them with the cream cheese. Put the mixture in the fridge for about two hours to chill. Once cold, remove the mixture and roll it into small balls and place them on greaseproof paper. Once you've made the balls, chill them again for about 20 minutes. Melt the cooking chocolate, then roll the Oreo/cream cheese balls in the melted chocolate and place on clean greaseproof paper to cool.

 

Have a great week!

 

-x-


Facts: handmade cushion covers using recycled cushions and locally bought accessories.

A perfectly beautiful Monday treat

by Naomi

After the long, dark and cold winter, which I spent pretty much entirely covered in layer upon layer of clothing, there's nothing like sunny days and the prospect of summer to inspire me to make that little bit more effort with my appearance!

You may remember that a little while back that I reviewed a Bourjois liquid foundation; well after a while I got a tired of using liquid (it seems to come off on everything I come into contact with, although I would still recommend it if you're a fan of liquids) so the search for perfectly beautiful skin was back on!

I spied that Une had an offer on: buy any foundation and get a free Breezy Cheeks Blush worth £8.99. I love a good deal and I have been eyeing up their foundations for a while. I chose Une's 100% Mineral Powder Foundation, £9.99. 

I cannot recommend mineral foundation enough, and this one's a beauty. It gives even coverage and has a kind of dewy, glowing finish to it which makes it great whatever your skin type and will also work as a day-to-night foundation. It doesn't seem to block my pores or look cakey and the colours available are refreshingly non-orange! The pot is quite small, but you don't need a lot on your brush.

As for the blush, it's made from 100% natural ingredients, 10.2% of which are from organic farming, certified by EcoCert. I went for and the B 03 shade which is a sort of vintage dusky rose pink that's very in fashion at the moment, very light and summery, and which combined with the creamy texture gave a really delicate, subtle glow. The front of the case is also a mirror which is very handy if you like to do your make-up on the go!

I'm hoping that next week's Monday treat will be a super-chic crafty one - fingers crossed that it works!

P.S. I can't post without addressing the terrible situation in Japan. Our thoughts are with all of those affected. If you can spare even a few pounds, you can donate to help them here.

-x-

Facts: Une Beauty make up: on offer at Boots; buy any foundation and get a Breezy Cheeks Blush free (subject to availability); natural ingredients, some of which is derived from organic farming.

A Fairtrade Monday treat

by Naomi


We all need a little lift on a Monday; something to make the week start well. For me it tends to be chocolate, the latest episode of Glee (yes I am a Gleek!), getting the update from my favourite blogs or a fashion find.


To help all you Eco-Goddesses avoid the post-weekend blues I have decided to make sure that all you have something lovely to look at every Monday!


You may well know, it's the second week of Fairtrade Fortnight so in keeping with this, I bring you a piece of magnificent Fairtrade goodness in the shape of this handwoven Cory Tie Top by People Tree, £48.

The daffodil yellow reassures me that summer is on the way and the tie detail manages to be playful yet chic at the same time. I want it and I want it now! 
I hope you enjoy! -x-


P.S. The folks at the Fairtrade Foundation have lots of fun things going on this week, check out Fairtrade Fortnight here.


Facts: 
Monday treat: Fairtrade Fortnight; People Tree Cory Tie Top, £48, handwoven, Fairtrade.