DIY: Flower Head Band

I made this flower headband the day before we left for the Immergut festival. Or was it the day we left? Either way it was a simple last-minute project that can be whipped up in just a few minutes. And did I mention that I got a lot of compliments for it at the festival? Yes, mostly from strangers and yes, some of them might have been drunk, too. But who cares? I'm not overly picky if it comes to compliments.

Here's what you'll need:
A hot glue gun, fake flowers with leaves (which are also fake), a simple metal head band, some faux suede leather band in the color of your hair, scissors.

[1] Cut two small pieces (1 inch should be enough) of faux suede leather band and put them aside. glue one end of the rest of the leather band to the metal head band like shown in the picture.
[2] Take one of the small pieces and glue it over the metal frame like you see in the picture. Let the hot glue harden and then start wrapping the long leather band around the head band, hiding the metal underneath. Stop at 3-4 inches. Cut the end and glue it onto the head band.
[3] Repeat for the other side.
[4] Cut leaves from the fake flowers and glue them onto the head band. A little messy looks great, just make sure there's no metal to be seen after your done with it. And don't be afraid to use a lot of hot glue because you don't want everything to fall off if you breathe on it, do you?
[5] Cut blossoms and buds from the fake flowers.
[6] Glue them everywhere onto the head band until you are pleased with the look of it.

Done! Yay! Flower Headband! It's the perfect accessory for summer and I love that it can be worn like an ordinary headband. Honestly, it's so practical! And the faux suede leather ends are almost invisible in your hair! It also looks gorgeous worn as a flower crown, just pull it a little lower onto your forehead.

Enjoy your weekend!    Kathie

19/52 Panna Cotta, 20/52 Salmon lasagna with spinach and Parmesan cheese, 21/52 Scaloppine

Time to update the weekly challenge file a bit! Half of the year is over and we're still doing it. And enjoying it, of course. The last weeks brought Panna Cotta, salmon lasagna and Scaloppine onto our table. Panna Cotta was so easy to make and tasted unbelievably good! The scaloppine were just like the Saltimbocca we made a few months ago (just add some cheese on top) and tasted just as amazing! And then we made an equally tasty salmon lasagna and forgot to take any pictures then remembered half way through the meal and snapped some pictured from the teeny tiny bit that was left over. It happens.

Etsy Love

Just some of my favorite items on Etsy. I'm writing this while my ice cream maker is running in the kitchen. First try on ice cream with an ice cream maker. I'm excited!

1- Vintage brass necklace by julie garland jewelry   2- Little clay houses and a striped lighthouse by Rodi's Little Homes 

3- Cross-body bag by Red tree designs   4- Porcelain medium and large dish set by mb art studios 

5- Puzzle baby toy by the wandering workshop   6- Cat Ipad mini case by Julia Wine 

7- Romantic Villeroy & Boch set by Rue des Louves

DIY: The Gentleman Onesie

Here comes the super-adorable DIY with my fabric bows that I promised! I made this for friends of mine, who are expecting their first child this month. A boy. So exciting! This onesie with exchangeable bow ties is just the sweetest way to welcome the little gentleman into this world! So here's how it goes...

Supplies: A plain white baby onesie (mine is from H&M). Your favorite fabrics for suspenders and bow ties. Measuring tape. Scissors. Fabric glue. White Velcro tape. Sewing machine.

[1] Measure the length of the suspenders, starting on the back. Go diagonal over the back side and straight down on the front.
[2] Cut two pieces of fabric for the suspenders in the measured length (plus some extra length) and about 2 inch wide.
[3] Fold in half (the long side) wrong sides together and sew it close. Wrong sides together because it won't be necessary to turn it over.
[4] Iron the fabric tube down so that the seam is in the middle (see picture).
[5] Pin the suspender fabric to the onesie, leaving the seam at the back side.
[6] Sew the suspenders onto the onesie!
[7] Now fixate a small piece of Velcro tape onto the onesie, where you want the bow tie to be. My Velcro was adhesive, but I used some fabric glue, too. Just in case.
[8] Make some bow ties using the fabric bow tutorial I posted a few days ago! Then glue small Velcro tape pieces to the back sides.

Voila! Now you have the cutest onesie with interchangeable bow ties for every occasion. And with a little more Velcro tape you can use the bows for other onesies or shirts when the baby has grown this one out.

Have fun making little gentleman onesies for your own or your friends children!

18/52 Minestrone [+instructions]

Hey everybody! I was feeling the need to share this recipe with you, it's healthy and easy to make and so so yummy! Healthy, easy and yummy is the perfect combination for food. Who would say no to healthy, easy and yummy I ask. See? No one.
So first step: Go and buy a whole heap of vegetables. Second step: Chop everything, put in a pot and cook. Third step: Eat. Easy! But I guess you'll want that process a little more in detail, so read on!

Minestrone

(40 minutes, easy, makes 4 servings)

Ingredients
2 zucchinis
200g green beans
150g bell beans
150g white beans
2 carrots
2 cloves of garlic
60g dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
800ml vegetable stock
150g pasta
salt
freshly ground pepper
chopped parsley and grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Wash and dry all vegetables. Slice the zucchinis, cut the green beans to pieces, peel and slice the carrots, peel and finely chop the garlic, cut the dried tomatoes into strips.

Put garlic, zucchini and carrots in a pot with hot olive oil and sauté briefly. Deglaze with the vegetable stock. Add all beans and the tomatoes and let simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the pasta and let again simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the Minestrone onto 4 plates or bowls and garnish with parsley and Parmesan. Enjoy!
We ate our Minestrone with some incredibly tasty olive bread which matched the dish perfectly. The Minestrone is definitely something we will make again someday!

DIY fabric bows

Hello friends! I'm excited to show you how to make bows today! They're one of my favorite accessory and you can't possibly have to many of them, can you? These bows are quick and easy to make and can be used to make cute hair accessories, brooches or for decorations around the house. Enjoy!

Supplies: Cute fabric. Scissors. Fabric glue. Needle and thread / sewing machine. Iron.

[1] For a bow that measures ca. 4'' x 2'' (10cm x 5cm) cut two fabric pieces measuring 8'' x 4'' (20cm x 10cm) and 1.4'' x 2.8'' (3,5cm x 7cm). Fold  the bigger piece in half (the long side), right sides facing, and sew close.
[2] Rotate the fabric a bit so that the seam is in the middle and sew one end of the 'tube' close.
[3] Turn the tube right sides out and iron it flat. Fold the smaller piece in thirds (the long side) and iron it flat. Fold the ends of the bigger piece's open end in and sew the opening close.
[4] Fold the big piece in half and open again to mark a middle line. Fold both ends to the middle and secure with a tiny blob of fabric glue.
[5-6] Turn the piece over and pinch the middle together like in the pictures. Secure with a blob of glue in the middle.
[7] Turn the bow around and secure with glue.
[8] Now take the small fabric piece and wrap it around the middle. Cut to size if it's too long and secure with glue. It looks a little messy in my picture, but that's okay as the glue dries transparent. So don't worry about that!

That's it! A bow! Now proceed by making more bows!
I used these bows for an extra-special project, so there's going to be another DIY using these bows soon!