How To: Dye Playsilks with Food Dye!

When I first heard of them, I thought the idea was crazy. Was my kid really going to play with some dyed silk squares for years and years? Well, I made my first batch when Eleanor was 8 months old and I have to say that I am a convert! She loves them and so does Emmett!

What are they for? Well, they are the ultimate imagination toy. They can be on the ground as a blanket, tablecloth, or river. They can be worn as clothes, they can be used to dress up toys. They can simple be flung up in the air for fun! They are the best! I liked them so much  I  Santa made some larger ones for Christmas.

I dye my own because they are very expensive from Etsy and I wanted to make sure they are non-toxic.

Here's how you do it:

First, get your silk. It must be pure silk. I buy the Silk Habotai Squares from Dharma Trading. Now go to your supermarket and buy packets of Kool-Aid. Yep. And try not to be embarrassed at the checkout. You can also use food dye. You'll also need some white vinegar.

Start by soaking your scarves in water until they are thoroughly wet and heat up a pot of water on the stove until boiling.

Now, dump a pack of Kool-Aid into the water.

...and put your scarf in. Give it a stir and glug in a good 1/2 cup on vinegar. Then forget to take a picture of the red, so pretend that it's magically changed colour.

 You see here that the water has started to go clear. When it's pretty clear, rinse the scarf out and hang it to dry (or put it in the dryer).

This is a great project to do with older kids too as it's pretty magic seeming. The funny thing is that it doesn't matter how much water you use as the silk fibres just sucks up whatever dye particles are in there! Wow!

Mmmm...shortbread!

OK. I am the first to admit that my shortbread is usually crap. But now I have the power of the whipped shortbread and now crown myself Shortbread Goddess. Or at least that's what everyone's been calling me for the past week or so. And it's all thanks to this fab recipe, paraphrased below.

This shortbread is light, crisp, buttery and very, very yummy. Make this today. Do it.

You'll need:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup icing (confectioners) sugar
• 1/4 cups corn starch (corn flour)
• 1 1/2 cups flour

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Whip your butter in a stand mixer for a few minutes until very fluffy and pale. Add your other ingredients and whip for at least 4 mins, until it's very light.

Put blobs on a cookie sheet no larger than a teaspoon. I tried doing cookie scoops full (1 Tbs) and they weren't as good. I also want to try piping them.

Bake for about 12 mins, until the edges are slightly browned. Cool on the sheet and bask in the glory.

Homemade Ornaments

Last Christmas I went a bit crazy on the crafting front and wanted my entire tree to be handmade, preferably by me. I spent a lot of evenings with felt, embroidery floss and needles. I spend hours trawling the net for inspiration! And here's what I came up with:

Is that Matryoshka trend still hot? I think it might have simmered down a bit since last year!

My husband loves Cardinals and gets quite excited whenever he sees one!

There are lots and lots of owls on the tree. They are all slightly different!

The ubiquitous spool bird. This was an extra from the mobile I made for Eleanor.

I liked how the hearts turned out.

I also strung some felt balls onto string as garland.

And yes. We do light the real candles on our tree. And no, we've never burned the house down. Peter has had candles on his tree his entire life. It's a must in our family. Here's a pic from last year to prove that it can be done!

Inspiration for Christmas Decorating

It's that time of year again, to lug out the decorations and take inventory of what you have and how you are going to put it on display. I love Christmas, I own about 4 large rubbermaid bins of decorations, but sometimes my style changes from year to year or I get in a rut and end up displaying them the same old way every year! This year, I'm turning to sources like Pinterest to inspire me to use what I have in new and creative ways;

Pinterest

Pinterest

I love the Scandinavian farmhouse look, however I would have to seriously repress my urge to sparkle glitter everywhere. (Can I just say the bottom picture really reminds me of a certain blogger friend's setup? so weird).

Pinterest

Pinterest

I also have a *slight* obsession with reindeer, it is neat to see the different ways they can be displayed...

Pinterest

A silvery white theme is always pretty in the bathroom...

Pinterest

Pinterest

Then there is the debate between natural elements and a colorful modern scheme; I must admit I love both looks equally!

As you can see I'm a little conflicted. Can you mix all these styles at once? Can I create different looks in different areas of the house? What is your holiday style?