DIY Beeswax Sandwich Wraps

I'm so excited. You know when a little kiddo is so excited that they do a little dance on the spot and have trouble getting the words out? That's how I am feeling at the moment.

I was on the lookout for something that I could do at an upcoming expo. I am so sick of the amount of plastic wrap that is used to wrap sandwiches and then thrown straight in the bin that I thought sandwich bags would be a good activity. My two concern here are the need for a sewing machine and the fact that a lot of the material used to make these waterproof as not so healthy.

After much searching I came across that fact that you could make your own beeswax infused fabric! Who knew? (I'm sure just about everyone is now saying, "Me, that's who".)

Well I had no idea.

  tuja wellness

I knew that I had everything necessary for this so I gathered ran around and grabbed all of the equipment.

I used the pinking shears to trim a piece of fabric I bought ages ago. By using the shears I didn't need to worry about overlocking the edges. I had washed and pressed it when I bought it but hadn't known what to make at the time.

I shaved some beeswax that I had bought to make lip balm a few Christmases ago. The peeler worked well but I will keep my eye out in the op shop for a grater that I can keep specifically for wax.

After scattering the wax over the fabric, and covering with some baking paper, it was time to get the iron out of the cupboard. It doesn't really see the light of day. The great thing about using the paper is that you can see where the wax has melted. It is also easy to reuse as long as you remember which side has had the wax on it. (Please watch the video above before you have a go as their instructions are great. I didn't see the point giving the specifics as they did a great job.)

Viola!

The finished product is quite stiff but easy to fold. After a few uses I am sure that it will get a little softer.

These are also pretty versatile as they don't just need to be used for sandwiches but you could also use one to cover a bowl in the fridge. At the moment we are using plates on top of bowls but I could certainly see myself using one of these instead.

From all of the articles I read that main points to remember are to rinse off in cold water and a little detergent as warm/hot water will melt the wax, and don't throw it in the dryer if you use one.

That was so much fun and I can't wait to have a go at another one soon.

I also thought it was pretty timely with Plastic Free July just around the corner. Don't forget about the giveaway. Only one more day and only one entry so far.

I would love to know if you have a go at this project.

Take care.

The Sweet Smell of Success (or onions)

Is there anything sweeter than the smell of onions slowly cooking away in a bit of oil and butter. It always seems to fill the house with an amazing aroma that has everyone asking "What's cooking?"

This Easter I decided to make some savoury treats for my parents and in-laws as they either aren't real chocolate fans (I don't get it either) or shouldn't really be eating lots of sugar. After a great success with a caramelised onion tart a few weeks earlier, I thought this was a great option. Don't you just love the colour from the eggs. Mr Mouse seemed a little disappointed to find that neither of the tarts were to be eaten in this house.

Along with a jar of pesto and a loaf of bread these Easter gifts were very well received.

I hope you all had a great Easter and shared the break with those you love.

Take care

Getting Ready for Christmas - Spiced Chickpeas

I am once again joining in with Fiona and her homemade Christmas series.

As I was sitting down having a bit of lunch, searching for some after school snack inspiration, I came across this great recipe that I thought would make a fabulous Christmas entertaining snack (to accompany a shandy) or gift.

The recipe is really easy and would look great in a glass jar.

I am not the most patient person in the world so for this version I used tinned chickpeas. When I make these next time, I will plan it all much better and rehydrate the peas myself. I am sure the taste would be even nuttier.

How are your Christmas preparations coming along?

Take care

Getting Ready for Christmas - Tealight Holders

I am joining in with Fiona again but am running a little late.

A couple of months ago an email landed in my inbox asking for people who would be interested in running an activity for an Earthcarers Christmas workshop. The idea being to demonstrate how inexpensive gifts could be made fairly easily. I remembered a Mothers' Day activity I ran last year and thought this would make a great Christmas gift. (Just to let you know that I found this over at Noodlehead - make sure to check out all of the fabulous tutorials)

The first part of the task was to get hold of timber. Buying new timber was never an option so I needed to start thinking about how I would get hold of the materials. I tried a couple of salvage yards but they only really seemed to have jarrah, which is a really hard wood, too hard for this activity. I was sent from one possibility to another and ended up at a sawmill. They let me drive up to a pile of offcuts at the back of their yard and fill the boot.

I chose the pieces that I thought would be the easiest to use and headed over to see Dad. He is one of those mechanically minded people who can build amazing things. He has the right tool for just about any job, as well as the skills to go with it. Every time I use his tools, it reminds me that I want to read What's Mine is Yours.

He cut the pieces to square the corners and then taught me to sand and router the blocks. It was such a lovely way to spent time together in him man cave.

So last Saturday I loaded his ute and headed to the Karrinyup Community Centre. 

It was a slow start to the morning so I decided to use the time to mark where the holes needed to be drilled. This preparation made the 'making' time of the activity a little shorter and more people managed to make a tealight holder.

Dad suggested we put a piece of tape on the 38mm spade-bit drill to the depth of the candle. This way we knew when to stop drilling and the candle would sit at the right height.

All that was really needed then was to sand the holes and either stain or oil the timber.

This piece was oiled. I am not sure what the timber was but with the oiling it looked absolutely beautiful.

 This is one that I had prepared earlier to show what they look like lit. I had stained this one with a jarrah stain.

It was such a great day and thankfully the rain didn't get in our way too much.

Have your Christmas preparations started yet?

Take care

Getting Ready for Christmas - Peppermint Lip Balm

It is incredible how December 25 just seems to sneak up each year. This year I am planning to be a little more organised. Some Christmas preparedness inspiration from Fiona at Arbordale Farm was just the kickstart I needed.

I don't get too wrapped up in the consumerism of the day as I can generally count the gifts I exchange on one hand. This year is a little different as we will be catching up with parts of the family who usually celebrate the day in many different cities around the world. This will be the first time in 8 years that we have all been together. I don't want to be buying 'stuff' for the sake of it as I find it a waste of effort and money. I want the gifts to be useful and thoughtful and homemade as much as possible.

My little mouse and I tried out a recipe for lip balm I think you might like. This will make great gifts as these are easy to make and easy to transport. (We also managed a bit of 'killing two birds..." as this will also be used as part of little mouse's school project).

We followed a recipe that intrigued me a couple of years ago from SouleMama. At the time, my head was still in a 'this would be way too hard' mindset. I can't believe I waited to long to give it a go.

The ingredients are pretty straight forward and all I needed to get hold of was the beeswax. This I easily tracked down at the Stirling Farmer's Market.

We measured all of the ingredients and made a double boiler using a glass bowl and a saucepan.

The coconut oil, beeswax and honey were all melted together.

Once melted, the peppermint drops were added. We didn't add any lipstick for colour as we were looking for something fairly neutral.

I picked up the tin from a shop in Berlin after I had planned to do something similar last year but I just never seemed to get around to it.

Once the mix cooled and hardened, we thought we would all a peppermint leaf to the top.

This was so much fun to make and the finished product is wonderful. It feels so lovely on your lips.

Take care